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09/23/2018 12:00 AMThe East Haven football team remained undefeated in the 2018 season by grinding out a 17-6 road victory at Lyman Hall on Sept. 21. With the win, the Yellowjackets improved to 3-0 overall with a record of 2-0 in SCC Tier 3 play.
After East Haven went 1-9 last fall, first-year Head Coach Scott Benoit feels proud of the Yellowjackets for how they’ve stormed out of the gates with authority this season. Following a scoreless first half, the Easties scored the first 17 points of the second half en route to defeating Lyman Hall. Senior Ryan Cordova rushed for 100 yards, junior Michael Castellano returned an interception for a TD, and senior Michael Manning ran for a score to lead East Haven.
“To see our kids grow up in a game like that is pretty amazing,” Benoit said. “The way they hung together, everybody was emotionally involved, and we went blow for blow with a good team. I was very proud of them.”
East Haven’s defense turned in a flawless performance by forcing Lyman Hall (1-2, 0-2) to commit four turnovers in the game. The Trojans finally got on the board with 24 seconds remaining, when the Yellowjackets had already staked themselves to a 17-0 advantage.
“The defense has played outstanding in all three games. Nick Gargano runs our defense and does a good job of preparing our kids during the week,” Benoit said. “We’ve been very opportunistic. Michael Castellano returned an interception for a touchdown, Michael Caruso come away with two more interceptions, and we recovered another fumble. We’ve been very good in the turnover department.”
East Haven and Lyman Hall were tied 0-0 after the first half. Early in the third quarter, junior quarterback Tanner DiVito broke free for a touchdown on an option keeper, but the referees whistled the play dead, because they thought another running back was in possession of the ball and been tackled. The drive eventually stalled out, and senior kicker Evan Damian missed a 35-yard field goal attempt.
After Caruso reeled in one of his two interceptions, East Haven drove down the field to score the game’s first touchdown. DiVito completed his only pass of the night to fellow senior Manning for a 27-yard gain that set up Manning’s 5-yard touchdown run with 3:57 left in the third quarter. Damian nailed the extra point to make it 7-0.
In the fourth quarter, Caruso tipped a pass by the Lyman Hall quarterback, fellow junior Castellano snagged the interception, and then brought it back to the house for a 29-yard touchdown return. Damian converted another extra point for a 14-0 lead.
Coach Benoit loved seeing his team’s ball-hawking mentality on defense. He noted how the Yellowjackets stayed in front of the action to put themselves in position to create turnovers.
“We tackle very well. As the game wore on, we needed to get used to the speed of the game. Lyman Hall drove the field on us, but once we settled in, we tackled well and got guys to the football. That’s where our fumbles come from,” said Benoit. “Our coverage is good. Caruso is a safety, and a lot of what we do is having him overlap the corner. He’s been in position all season and is making good plays.”
East Haven’s other turnover came on a mishandled snap by Lyman Hall. Senior lineman Josh Rao was the right spot to jump on the loose ball and give the Easties’ possession. Late in the fourth quarter, Damian booted a 22-yard field goal to put the game away with a 17-0 lead.
Cordova finished the game with 100 rushing yards on 16 carries for East Haven. DiVito completed the one pass for 27 yards to go with 28 yards on the ground. Castellano ran the ball five times for 31 yards to help the Easties defeat Lyman Hall in a hard-fought contest.
“It was a tough, defense game. I told the kids during the week that this was how the game was going to be. We weren’t surprised one bit, but the kids were focused and dialed in,” Coach Benoit said. “Lyman Hall did a good job of defending us. They were physical up front and had very good linebackers. They made a lot of plays, and we did some good things on the offensive line, but we haven’t seen anything like this yet.”
Benoit was impressed with the way his team played against Lyman Hall. He knows that the victory is another building block to help the Yellowjackets get where they want to be at the end of the season.
“We need to get cleaned up on offense. Tanner hasn’t played [in an offense] like this before. The speed of this game, he needs to get used to this,” Benoit said. “It’s going to be like this week in and week out. We’re playing fast, physical teams, so we certainly need to get better.”
Next up, East Haven returns home to host SCC Tier 1 opponent Xavier. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at East Haven High School on Friday, Sept. 28.