This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Hand Football Routs Guilford for Undefeated Regular Season

When the Hand football team squared off against Guilford in its regular-season finale, the Tigers followed a similar script to the one that propelled them to victory in their first nine games of the 2018 campaign. Hand stormed out to an insurmountable lead and never looked back on the strength of stellar performances from its offense, its defense, and its special teams unit. The final result was a 57-21 win for the Tigers, who finished their regular season with an unblemished record of 10-0.

Hand hosted traditional Thanksgiving Week rival Guilford at the Surf Club on Nov. 21 and scored the first 57 points of the game before halftime on its way to lopsided victory. The Tigers now lead the all-time series against Guilford 40-5-1 and have defeated the Indians in 12 consecutive seasons. By virtue of its 10-0 record, Hand has earned the top seed in the Class L State Playoffs and will begin its title defense when it hosts a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

“These kids just execute and do those things. They are confident and playing fast and focused,” said Head Coach Dave Mastroianni, whose team outscored its opponents by a whopping margin of 494-85 in the regular season. “The kids are comfortable with what we are doing on both sides of the ball. The coaches plan the week, but they just take over when it comes to walkthroughs, and then on game nights.”

Junior quarterback Phoenix Billings went 4-of-5 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to running for 72 yards and a pair of TDs on just two carries in the victory. Senior co-captain Chris Bartosic led Hand’s aerial attack by catching three passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Colin McCabe had three rushes for 24 yards and a TD, while senior Brett Leckey ran 18 times to pick 75 yards on the ground. Junior Isaiah McNeilly went 3-for-3 on extra-point kick attempts and also rushed for a pair of 2-point conversions. Senior Brad Cosgriff caught a 2-point conversion pass in what was another dominating offensive effort for the Tigers.

“We just keep what we do simple. The intensity in which we practice makes in-game situations easier,” Mastroianni said. “The practices have to be at a certain tempo and pace, and we’ve done that well all year long. You typically have to deal with game-adjustment speed when coming from practice, but we haven’t had to do that.”

Billings got the party going with a 34-yard touchdown rush that gave the Tigers an early lead when they faced Guilford. On Hand’s next possession, Billings found Chris Bartosic on a 6-yard TD toss. Later in the first quarter, senior co-captain Julian Banerji raced 36 yards to paydirt on a punt return to put the Tigers up by three scores. Billings later took home a 39-yard TD run to make it 30-0 after the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Billings and Ian Butler connected on an 83-yard TD pass. Later in the frame, Colin McCabe powered his way into the end zone from two yards away to extend the lead to 43-0.

On Guilford’s next series, McCabe blocked a punt by the Indians, and sophomore Darrelle Brake scooped up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown to make the score 50-0. Hand increased its lead to 57-0 following a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by Butler.

“Scoring points in all three phases certainly makes things easier, and that was something we were lagging in last year,” said Coach Mastroianni. “We’ve had five touchdowns on defense this year and about seven or eight safeties. It also helps take the pressure off of the offense. It’s a credit to the kids and the way they’ve been practicing.”

The Indians got on the board later in the second quarter, when Charles Walcott ran for an 18-yard TD to make it 57-7 at the half. Walcott ran for a 59-yard touchdown and a 66-yard touchdown for the Indians during the second half for the 57-21 final.

The defending champion Tigers now enter the Class L State Playoffs as the No. 1 seed and will begin the draw at by hosting No. 8 seed Bunnell (9-1) in the quarterfinal round at the Surf Club at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27. With a win, Hand would host the winner of No. 4 seed Windsor and No. 5 North Haven in the semifinals on Sunday, Dec. 2. The Class L state final will take place on Saturday, Dec. 8.

“Our mantra all season has been to go 1-0 each week, and we want to do that until they tell us to stop playing football this year,” Mastroianni said. “We want to keep playing in front of our crowds. Everyone is now 0-0 again, so we just want to go 1-0 for the next three games.”

Billings was named SCC Tier 2 Player of the Year, while Mastroianni was honored as Coach of the Year for the second straight season this fall. Along with Billings, also making the All-SCC Tier 2 Team for Hand were junior Ben Corniello and senior Macken McDonald on the offensive line, McCabe at running back, McNeilly at kicker, Butler as a defensive back, and senior Jack Flanagan on the defensive line.