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09/07/2019 12:00 AMOn the heels of its first winning season in nine years, the Branford football team has great expectations as it gets ready to kick off a new campaign. Last fall, the Hornets posted a record of 6-4, marking the first time that they finished above .500 since 2009. Branford also came close to making the Class M State Playoffs, but ultimately finished a few spots shy of qualifying. With an experienced group leading the charge, Head Coach John Limone said the Hornets have playoff aspirations in 2019.
“The expectations are higher. We were one win away from being a playoff team last year, and that was disappointing to a lot of the kids. I think it’s reasonable for us to have the goal of making the playoffs, but just like every year, we have to take care of our business,” said Limone, who’s in his seventh season as Branford’s head coach. “The great thing about it is that the kids are the ones who raised the expectations first. They have big goals, but they know that nobody will hand it to them, and that they have to go out and earn it. If we play like we’re capable of playing, we can have a special season.”
The Hornets will begin their season by hosting crosstown rival Guilford for an SCC Tier 3 matchup at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13. Branford will be taking the field with a large senior class that’s led by three senior captains who are all three-year starters. The Hornets’ captains are Sean Kelly, who’s in his third season as the starting quarterback and his second year as a captain; Aiden MacNeil, a wide receiver/safety; and Ian McDonald, who plays on the offensive and defensive lines.
“The three of them work really well together, and they all lead in differenct ways. It’s a really good mix of personalities,” Limone said. “We have a lot of leadership in this senior class. They all have expectations for one another, so it’s been an easy group in terms of getting everyone motivated. There’s lot of experience and a lot of camaraderie. They’re kids that love to play football, and you can tell.”
Kelly is back under center following a 2018 season that saw him earn All-SCC Tier 3 honors as a quarterback. Kelly passed for 1,310 yards and 14 touchdowns to go with 707 yards and nine TDs on the ground in his junior year.
“The biggest thing for Sean is that he just needs to be himself. He doesn’t need to stack the pressure on because it’s his senior year. Sean just needs to stay on the same track that he’s been on the last three years. He’s gotten better every year and taken on more of a leadership role every year,” said Limone. “Sean is a smart player whose football IQ has risen with experience and whose leadership has taken the next step forward. That’s what we need out of Sean. We just need him to be him.”
Last year’s top running back Jackson Seward, who also made the All-SCC Tier 3 Team as a linebacker, has graduated. Senior Spencer Landsbach and junior Kamryn Holmes are expected to shoulder most of the load on the ground for the Hornets this season. Junior Justin Osler is Branford’s fullback.
MacNeil is leading the Hornets’ receiving core following a season that saw him reel in 29 receptions for 533 yards with five touchdowns. Senior Cameron Mills, junior Mekhi Barnette, and junior Nick Chieffo are also slated to be key wide receivers for Branford.
The Hornets feature a good amount of size and experience on their offensive line. Senior Rocco Lopez is starting at center, McDonald and junior Ryan Hanniford are the starting guards, and juniors Jamaal Gethers and Dan Schwartz will play the tackle positions. Juniors Dylan Pyle and AJ Robinson will also be in the mix on the O-line for Coach Limone’s squad.
“When our offensive line plays to their potential, they can be very good. One of our points of emphasis is to be able to run the ball effectively and pick up more first downs on the ground. But we also like our wide receivers and think that we can get the ball downfield,” Limone said. “Our offensive line needs to step up for us to be able to run the ball and loosen up the defense. I think that you’ll see a good mix of the run and pass, and Sean adds another threat with his ability to run.”
Looking at the other side of the ball, the Hornets graduated All-SCC defensive lineman Chris Bouton, who also played wide receiver, in addition to Seward. This year, Branford will be led by McDonald, Lopez, Hanniford, Gethers, Osler, Pyle, and junior Cooper Robinson on the defensive line. Osler had five sacks for Branford last season.
The Hornets’ primary linebackers are Landsbach, AJ Robinson, Chieffo, senior Austin Bui, and junior Peyton Tracy.
In the secondary, MacNeil and Holmes are Branford’s starting safeties after recording five and four interceptions, respectively, in 2018. Barnette, senior Cristian Torres, and fellow senior David Tedeschi will play cornerback, while Mills will function as a jack-of-all-trades at the defensive back position.
“It’s a new look, because our two most physical players graduated. So, we will be looking to use our speed to our advantage, because our defense is faster than last year,” said Limone. “We’re going to try to use our speed to create good angles, rally to the ball to make plays, and do all the little things right. We’re excited about our defense.”
First-year senior Jake Bodner is handling all of the kicking duties for the Hornets this year. The other athletes in Branford’s senior class are Spencer Bietz (wide receiver/defensive back), Austin Colburn (offensive lineman/defensive lineman), Matt Davis (fullback/defensive lineman), Peter Nazario (wide receiver/defensive back), Tyler Wetmore (offensive lineman/defensive lineman), and Joe Youn (wide receiver/defensive back).
In addition to serving as head coach, Limone is also Branford’s defensive coordinator. Gary Gravina is the offensive coordinator, EJ Sattelberger is the special team’s coordinator and also coaches the offensive linemen, running backs, and wide receivers; Billy Ryan is the passing game coordinator, the quarterbacks’ coach, and a linebackers’ coach; Mike Tracy is also a linebackers’ coach, and Padriac Keefe is the head coach of the Hornets’ freshman team who also coaches the tight ends and defensive linemen for the varsity squad.
Branford also has three volunteer assistant coaches: Jason Joseph, who coaches the defensive backs; Kyle Lynch, who coaches wide receivers and defensive lineman; and Ryan Ferguson, who is the team’s practice schedule coordinator.
From the Sidelines
Branford is once again competing SCC Tier 3 with Bassick, East Haven, Foran, Guilford, Law, and Lyman Hall this season. Last year, the Hornets finished with a record of 2-2 in their SCC Tier 3 games.
The teams in SCC Tier 1 are Fairfield Prep, Hand, Notre Dame-West Haven, North Haven, Shelton, West Haven, and Xavier. The SCC’s Tier 2 teams are Amity, Cheshire, Cross, Hamden, Harding, Hillhouse, and Sheehan.
In the 2018 campaign, Branford notched wins versus Lyman Hall (26-21), Stonington (8-2), North Branford (42-12), Pomperaug (35-15), Amity (28-14), and East Haven (20-3) on its way to finishing with an overall record of 6-4, resulting in the Hornets’ first winning season since 2009. The victory over East Haven came in the 77th annual Thanksgiving Day meeting between the two rivals and gave Branford an all-time lead of 40-33-4 in the series. The Hornets also lost contests against Notre Dame-West Haven (33-14), Law (35-6), Sheehan (64-27), and East Lyme (34-13) last season.
2019 Branford Hornets Football Schedule
All home games at Branford High School
Friday, Sept. 13: vs. Guilford at 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20: vs. Stratford at 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27: at New Fairfield at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4: at Sheehan at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18: at Bethel at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: vs. Barlow at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: at Law at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 8: at Bassick at Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 21: vs. Foran at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 28: vs. East Haven at 10:30 a.m.