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Hand Football Defended State Crown, Went Undefeated During Another Remarkable Season

There is quite a lengthy list of team achievements and personal accolades to go over when looking back at the Hand football squad’s 2018 campaign. This is to be expected for a team that went undefeated and claimed its second straight state title. As their championship run unfolded, the Tigers grew as a group of hard-working young men who embraced the challenge of each practice and every game week after week.

In its second year with Head Coach Dave Mastroianni, Hand finished with a record of 10-0 during a regular season that saw the Tigers outscore their opponents by the whopping margin of 494-85. As the top seed in the Class L State Playoffs, defending champion Hand blanked No. 8 seed Bunnell 56-0 in the quarterfinals, before posting a 49-7 blowout against No. 4 Windsor in the semis. Then on Dec. 8, the Tigers solidified their second consecutive state crown and 13th overall by notching a 54-14 victory over No. 7 seed Maloney in Class L final at Veteran’s Stadium in New Britain. Hand, which has 24 games in a row going back to the 2017 season, finished the year with a perfect record of 13-0, while outscoring its opponents 653-106.

On the heels of such a storybook season, Coach Mastroianni said one thing that he will always remember about the 2018 Tigers was how all his players were always on equal ground and nobody felt any job was beneath them, regardless of what grade they were in.

“The biggest thing this year was the leadership. We had kids that stepped up across the board. Even with our senior captains, they would be ones that were setting and cleaning up the field before and after practice,” said Mastroianni. “We told the guys that every task is important, and they all bought into that idea, which was good to see of them.”

Hand was led by a deep senior class that featured tri-captains Chris Bartosic, Julian Banerji, and John Flanagan, along with fellow seniors Will Cosgriff, Tom Ferrick, Chris Bader, Ian Butler, Kevin Girardi, Brett Leckey, Ken Kaminsky, Matt Derken, Brandon Busca, and Macken McDonald. The Tigers’ seniors came a long way from their humble beginnings that saw the team go 2-8 when they were sophomores.

“Macken said that after their sophomore year, they never wanted to go through that same feeling again,” Mastroianni said. “The seniors helped us get back to where we were. The kids had a resolution and stuck to it. They left a strong legacy behind, and we’re seeing it pay off already in the offseason.”

Hand caught a glimpse of the good things to come when it recorded a 43-6 rout versus Hillhouse during Week 1 play, after which the Tigers defeated West Haven by the lopsided margin of 47-6 four weeks later. Coach Mastroianni said that his team’s defense showed its stinginess from the opening snap of the season and never let up.

“What we did to Hillhouse was a huge accomplishment. We executed well on offense. There wasn’t a turning point for our defense this season, because it was outstanding every game. We challenged the guys to be elite and they took it to heart,” said Mastroianni. “After what we did to West Haven, it set the tone for the rest of the way. We also made sure to control the egos, because there is an important difference between being cocky and confident.”

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

In terms of All-State honors, Billings, Corniello, and Flanagan made the Elite Team that features players from around the state, while McCabe and McDonald earned spots on the All-State Class L Team. Corniello and Flanagan also made the Walter Camp First Team. For the New Haven Register All-Area Team, Billings, Flanagan, Butler, and Corniello received First Team accolades, McCabe made the Second Team, Banerji was on the Third Team, and McDonald earned Honorable Mention.

In terms of the Tigers’ team awards, Brad Cosgriff was presented with the Youth Football Award, Ferrick took home the Ray Paige Tiger Pride Award, Banerji was the recipient of the Courage and Honor Award, and Girardi earned the Coaches’ Award. Additionally, Billings was named Hand’s Offensive Most Valuable Player, Flanagan was the Defensive MVP, McDonald earned Outstanding Lineman honors, Bartosic won the Most Improved Player Award, and McCabe was selected as Hand’s overall MVP.

When you’re the two-time defending state champs, the cycle never stops going during the offseason. As they work their way into winter, the Tigers are already displaying the dedication that they’ll need to complete a potential three-peat next fall.

“It always comes down to examples set by the kids. We do exit interviews with the kids after the season where they reflect on the year and even suggest what we can do differently,” Mastroianni said. “Since the first day of offseason lifting, we’ve seen more kids getting involved, even those that are playing a winter sport currently. Hopefully, now a tone has been set and, if we can sustain the ability of taking ownership for our actions, then we will be OK.”

From the Sidelines

The Hand football team’s 2018 varsity roster featured senior tri-captains Chris Bartosic, Julian Banerji, and John Flanagan; fellow seniors Will Cosgriff, Tom Ferrick, Chris Bader, Ian Butler, Kevin Girardi, Brett Leckey, Ken Kaminsky, Matt Derken, Brandon Busca, and Macken McDonald; juniors Isaiah McNeilly, Jesse Lutz, Phoenix Billings, Kade Doverspike, Colin McCabe, Shane Reiner, Drew Anderson, Austin Doyle, Lukas Wagner, Jack Hughes, Joe Sandora, Tyler Tarantino, Ben Corniello, and Ethan Haberman; sophomores Will Flanagan, Ethan Maus, Darrell Brake, Shaun Henneberry, Mike Kelly, Mike Roche, Rocky Mayer, Carter Ganino, Ryan Bordiere, Sander Coscia, Cyrus Farqui, Aidan McCabe, Will Ketterer, Jake Daignault, Tom Bambrick, Ryan Stolpe, Hayden Pavlovic, Conner Quinn, and Carson Dempsey; and freshmen Kevin Nizolek, and Ethan O’Brien.

Dave Mastroianni finished his second year as Hand’s head coach and also served as the team’s offensive coordinator. Mastroianni’s assistant coaches were defensive coordinator Paul Philpott, running backs/cornerbacks and strength coach Mike Davis, halfbacks/outside linebackers coach Mike DeVito, inside linebackers coach/assistant defensive coordinator Dan Ives, offensive line coach Tony Catapano, assistant offensive line coach Scott Nizolek, and quarterbacks coach Mike Ferrialo, along with fellow assistant coaches Jack Callaghan, Don Giles, and John Sagnelli.

Hand went 10-0 during the regular season by posting wins over Hillhouse (43-6), New Fairfield (35-6), Hamden (52-6), Harding (51-12), West Haven (47-6), Foran (42-0), Law (68-0), Cheshire (49-14), Cross (50-14), and Guilford (57-21).