This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/09/2018 12:00 AMFootball
The Branford football team kicked off the 2018 season by posting a 26-21 home victory versus Lyman Hall in an SCC Tier 2 showdown on Sept. 7. The Hornets held a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and were up 18-7 at halftime against the Trojans. Lyman Hall scored a touchdown in the third to cut it to 18-14, but Branford came back with a TD to extend its lead to 26-14 and then held on for the win.
Junior quarterback Sean Kelly completed 14 of his 27 passes for 224 yards with three touchdowns, in addition to running for 66 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Junior wide receiver Aiden MacNeil had a huge game for the Hornets by reeling in seven receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns.
Branford got on the board when Kelly tossed a 3-yard touchdown to MacNeil for a 6-0 advantage just 4:38 into the game. Lyman Hall used a 3-yard TD pass to go up 7-6 with 7:38 remaining in the second quarter.
The Hornets found the end zone two times before the first half was finished. First, Kelly threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to MacNeil for a 12-7 Branford advantage with 6:07 remaining in the half. With 24 seconds left, Kelly tossed a 19-yard TD to MacNeil to give Branford an 18-7 lead heading into the locker room.
Late in the third quarter, Lyman Hall returned an interception 40 yards for a score to cut the deficit to 18-14. The Hornets promptly responded as Kelly threw a 57-yard pass to senior Chris Bouton that set up a 1-yard touchdown run for the quarterback to make it 24-14 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Kelly followed by running in the 2-point conversion for a 26-14 lead.
The Trojans scored on a 4-yard TD run to make it a 26-21 game with 6:53 remaining. Lyman Hall’s offense had two more chances, but the Hornets’ defense stood tall to preserve the victory.
Additionally for Branford, senior captain Jackson Seward ran five times for 20 yards and also caught two passes for 23 yards. Junior Spencer Landsbach caught four passes for 35 yards in the win.
This week, Branford is on the road to face non-conference opponent Stonington (0-1) for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday, Sept. 14.
Field Hockey
The Branford field hockey squad began a new era when the Hornets played their first two games with Pete Frye as the team’s new head coach last week. Frye takes the reins in place of the longtime Hornets’ longtime Head Coach Cathy McGuirk, who retired earlier this year following a 41-season tenure in which she recorded 558 victories and won 10 state titles, while coaching the team with her husband, John McGuirk. Coach Frye and company started things off on a good note as Branford earned wins against Lyman Hall and Old Saybrook during the opening week of the season.
Branford was on the road to face fellow SCC opponent Lyman Hall for its opener and claimed a 3-0 victory over the Trojans. Junior Molly Zaffino scored two goals, senior Carly Shea had a goal with an assist, and junior Brianna Shaw added an assist for the Hornets. Junior Gianna Messina made 10 saves in goal to post the shutout. Coach Frye also noted great defensive contributions from juniors Karly King and Maggie Martin in the win.
The next day, the Hornets hosted Old Saybrook for a non-conference contest and came away with a 3-1 victory against the Rams. Once again, Shea had a goal and an assist for the Hornets, who also received goals from Zaffino and Shaw, plus an assist by King. Messina stopped nine shots in goal to get another win. Coach Frye added that Martin, senior Liante Claude, junior Celia Shanley, sophomore Jocelyn Smestad, and freshman Nora Longway all made big contributions for Branford in the victory.
Last year, Branford went 13-2-0-1 in the regular season, including a mark of 11-1 in games that counted in the SCC standings to finish with the best record in the conference. The Hornets started the SCC Tournament with a 5-1 victory against Amity and a 1-0 win versus Guilford to advance to face Hand in the final. After the two teams played to a 0-0 stalemate through regulation and three overtime periods, Hand won the penalty stroke session, 4-2, to get the 1-0 win. Then the Class M State Tournament, Branford earned wins over Watertown (4-3) and Mercy (3-0), after which the Hornets took a 2-1 loss to New Canaan in the semifinals.
Volleyball
Branford started off its year by hitting the road to face Amity on Sept. 7. The Hornets took a 3-0 defeat against the Spartans in their season opener.
Branford is entering its second campaign with Cody Michaels as head coach. The Hornets are competing in the SCC Hammonasset Division with Cheshire, Hand, Mercy, and Lyman Hall this year.
Last year, Branford notched a regular-season record of 11-6 to earn a share of the SCC Quinnipiac Division title, while qualifying for both the SCC and Class L State tournaments. Branford opened the SCC Tournament with a 3-0 win versus Hand, before taking a 3-0 defeat to Guilford in the quarterfinals. In the first round of states, the Hornets lost a 3-1 contest against East Lyme to finish with an overall mark of 12-8 for the season.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Hornets came in 19th place as a squad when they ran at last week’s Windham Invitational.
Senior Kacey Gilman led the pack for Head Coach Kevin Connell’s squad by finishing in 60th place with a time of 23:45 in her first cross-country meet. The Hornets’ other runners were senior Khusbu Shrestha (95th, 25:22), junior Julianne Dillon (103rd, 25:33), senior Carolina Jara (155th, 29:55), and junior Violet Smiarowski (159th, 31:51).
Boys’ Cross Country
Branford started its season by competing at the Windham Invitational on Sept. 8.
Senior Matt Daley turned in the top performance for the Hornets by finishing in 65th place with a time of 18:24. Senior Andrew DeBeneditics came in 159th place (20:21), sophomore Brendan Hynes finished 182nd (21:15), sophomore Patricio Banegas placed 183rd (21:16), and junior Andrew Betzig finished in 196th (21:44).