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09/29/2019 12:00 AMFootball
The North Branford football team went on the road and blew out Cromwell-Portland by the final score of 61-14 in a Pequot Conference clash at Pierson Park in Cromwell on Sept. 28. The Panthers scored the first two touchdowns of the game, but North Branford responded with 61 unanswered points to get the lopsided win and improve to 2-1 this season.
Junior quarterback Brandon Fratta tossed five TDs for the T-Birds with four of them going to senior Aiden Ferrucci. Junior Tyler DiNapoli ran for a pair of scores, while senior Cameron Afanador added one touchdown on the ground in the victory.
After the Panthers took an early 14-0 lead, DiNapoli got North Branford on the board with a 2-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter. The 2-point run was successful and cut the lead to 14-8. North Branford’s next possession ended with a 10-yard TD pass from Fratta to Ferrucci that evened the score at 14-14.
Early in the second quarter, junior Alex LeMere made a tackle in the end zone for a safety to give the T-Birds a 16-14 lead. The ensuing possession resulted in Ferrucci’s second score of the game on a 32-yard touchdown reception from Fratta, who then connected with junior Alex Clinton on the 2-point try to push North Branford’s lead to 24-14. Later in the frame, Ferrucci found the end zone for the third time on an 80-yard scoring strike from Fratta. The junior QB hit senior Nate Raymond on the 2-point pass to give North Branford a 32-14 advantage at halftime.
Fratta threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ferrucci to get North Branford going in the third quarter. Afanador ran in the 2-point attempt to increase the lead to 40-14. Afanador then punched home a 1-yard TD run, after which junior Trevor Holzer converted the 2-point try on the ground to increase North Branford’s lead to 48-14. DiNapoli later sprinted home for a 30-yard TD run to give North Branford a 54-14 lead through three.
In the fourth quarter, Fratta found Clinton for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Freshman Eric Izzo booted home the extra point to finish off North Branford’s 61-14 victory.
Fratta was 21-of-32 passing for 363 yards with five touchdowns for North Branford. DiNapoli led the charge on the ground with 82 yards, and Afanador gained 52 yards. Ferrucci hauled in six passes for 134 yards and four scores, while Clinton caught five passes for 98 yards. Holzer had four receptions for 27 yards, Raymond caught three passes for 64 yards, and DiNapoli had three catches for 40 yards for Head Coach Mark Basil’s squad.
On the defensive end, senior Xavoir Cognata had a team-high 11 tackles for the T-Birds. Freshman Dylan Burwell recorded a sack, plus Raymond, Clinton, and senior Tanner Richardson all had one interception apiece.
The Thunderbirds will stay on the road as for their next game, which is at non-conference opponent Rockville (3-0) on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Girls’ Soccer
The T-Birds lost a pair of Shoreline Conference contests last week and are now 0-4-1 on the year.
On Sept. 23, North Branford hosted Portland and took a 5-1 loss. Senior captain Lexi Rosado scored the T-Birds’ goal in the game.
Three days later, North Branford dropped a 2-1 decision on the road against Valley Regional.
Boys’ Soccer
North Branford lost two games on the road last week and are now 0-4 this year.
The T-Birds traveled to Portland on Sept. 24 and lost by a 9-1 score. On Sept. 27, North Branford took a 9-0 defeat at Valley Regional.
Volleyball
The Thunderbirds moved to 1-6 after losing three recent matches.
North Branford lost to Valley Regional by a 3-1 final on the road on Sept. 23. Two days later, the T-Birds took a 3-0 home loss against Hand. Then on Sept. 27, North Branford dropped a 3-0 decision at Haddam-Killingworth.