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10/21/2019 12:00 AMThe Branford football team claimed its second win of the year when the Hornets posted a 27-0 road victory against non-conference opponent Bethel at DeSantis Field on Oct. 18. Branford scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and then tacked on two more TDs during the third quarter on its way to the shutout. The Hornets now stand at 2-3 on the season as they get ready for another non-conference game versus Barlow this week.
Branford’s offense had a huge game on the ground by rushing for 369 yards in the victory. Senior captain quarterback Sean Kelly ran the ball 17 times for 147 yards with two touchdowns and also threw a TD pass to fellow senior Cameron Mills. Junior Kamryn Holmes had 11 rushes for 133 yards and a touchdown on the night.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Branford took the lead by going on a 55-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter. Kelly ran for a few first downs and then capped off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown rush with 8:55 to play in the opening half. Senior Jake Bodner kicked the extra point to give Branford a 7-0 lead.
After a punt by Bethel, Branford took over on its 25-yard line with five minutes to play until halftime. Kelly connected with junior Mekhi Barnette on a 38-yard pass to put Branford at Bethel 40. Kelly ran for a first down, threw a 10-yard pass to senior Spencer Landsbach, and then scored on a 14-yard TD run with 1:04 remaining in the half. The extra point was no good, and Branford had a 13-0 advantage at intermission.
Branford got the ball to the start the second half and promptly drove downfield for its third touchdown of the night. Holmes got the drive started with a 15-yard run. After Kelly ran for a couple of first downs, Holmes broke off a 25-yard touchdown rush for Branford just 1:58 into the third quarter. Kelly tossed the 2-point conversion to junior Spencer Lyon to increase the Hornets’ lead to 21-0.
Bethel’s offense finally started to move the sticks on its next drive. However, when the Wildcats’ got into Branford’s red zone, their quarterback threw an interception to senior Cameron Mills, giving the Hornets the ball back deep in their own territory.
Branford embarked on a lengthy drive that saw Holmes run for a first down and Kelly connect with Landsbach for a first down to put the Hornets in business. With 40 seconds left in the quarter, Kelly threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mills to give Branford a 27-0 cushion.
On Bethel’s next series, the Hornets forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs. Branford’s defense kept Bethel off the board the rest of the way as the Hornets came away with the 27-0 victory.
Landsbach aided Branford’s ground game by gaining 50 yards on eight carries in the win. Junior Justin Osler had two carries for 34 yards.
On defense, Mills and junior Nick Chieffo both had an interception for Branford. Landsbach made 14 tackles, juniors Peyton Tracy and Andrew Robinson both had 10 tackles, Chieffo made seven tackles, and Osler, junior Ryan Hanniford, and junior Jamaal Gethers added six tackles apiece.
This week, the Hornets are hosting non-conference squad Barlow at Branford High School on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. Barlow, which plays in the South-West Conference, brings a record of 3-2 into the contest.