This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/26/2019 11:00 PMThe past year featured plenty of memorable moments on the Branford sports scene. The Branford boys’ ice hockey team had a championship campaign during the winter season, as did the Hornets’ dance squad. Branford also saw its fair share of success on the wrestling mat, the track, and the football field this year. Let’s take a look back at the highlights of Branford sports in 2019.
Winter
The Branford boys’ ice hockey team put together a double-banner campaign during the winter of 2019. The Hornets claimed the crown in the Southern Connecticut Conference/South-West Conference Division II Tournament and then won the Division II State Tournament to make it a year to remember in Branford.
Branford finished with a record of 14-3-3 for the regular season and also won the SCC Division II title by notching a mark of 6-1 in divisional action. The Hornets went on to capture their fourth conference championship by taking the SCC/SWC Division II title. Head Coach Jim DiNapoli’s squad recorded a 5-4 (3-2 in a shootout) victory versus Guilford in the semifinals and then posted a 2-1 win against Watertown-Pomperaug in the final of the conference tourney.
Branford followed up this accomplishment by winning the Division II State Tournament to take home its second state title in team history. The Hornets earned a 6-2 victory over Woodstock Academy in the first round, posted a 3-1 win against South Windsor in the quarterfinals, routed Wethersfield-Middletown-Rocky Hill-Pomperaug 6-1 in the semis, and notched a 2-0 shutout over Glastonbury in the championship game. Branford finished the year with an overall record of 20-3-3.
Max Bunton and Robbie Lionetti served as the Hornets’ senior captains. Junior Spencer Engstrom was an alternate captain for Branford.
Engstrom and junior Jack Manware scored the Hornets’ goals against Glastonbury in the state final and versus Watertown-Pomperaug in the conference final. In the conference semis, Branford rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to ultimately defeat Guilford in a shootout. Sophomore goalie Jared Yakimoff picked up the win in net in all of these victories.
The Branford dance team added another chapter to its dynasty by defending two titles at the State Championship and then reclaiming a title at the New England Championship.
The Hornets finished first in the Small Varsity Hip-Hop Division and the Small Varsity Jazz Division at the State Championship for the fifth year in a row. Then at the New England Championship, Branford earned first place in the Hip-Hop Division to take back the title after placing second in the previous season. The Hornets also finished second in the Jazz Division at the regional meet.
Earlier in the year, Branford finished 10th in the finals of the Small Varsity Hip-Hop Division at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship.
Branford was led by senior captains Casey Allen and Lily Milici. Hannah Antonino, Rachel LaBonte, and Chloe Lourenco-Lang were the other seniors on the team. Branford was coached by Jacqui Montano and Megan Palluzzi.
The Hornets’ wrestling team made history in multiple ways this winter.
Branford completed its regular season with a record of 19-10, which tied the program record for the most wins in a campaign. Along the way, the Hornets posted an undefeated record in SCC Division B en route to claiming their first division title in team history. Head Coach Jesse Hurlburt’s team went on to finish sixth at the SCC Championship and ninth at the Class M State Championship.
Sophomore Justin Osler took the conference title in the 182-pound weight class at the SCC Championship by winning a 10-4 decision against Pat Brogan of Foran in the final. Osler later finished second in Class M and fifth at the State Open on his way to qualifying for the New England Championship. He had 41 victories on the season.
The Branford boys’ indoor track team saw several solid showings during its postseason meets.
Senior Marzio Mastroianni took first place in the 1,000 (2:38.05), while fellow senior Matt Alexander won the long jump (20-1.25) for the Hornets at the SCC West Sectional Championship. Mastroianni went on to place second in the 1,000 at the Class M State Championship and the State Open Championship, followed by a fifth-place performance in the New England Championship.
The Branford girls’ basketball squad had a fine campaign with first-year Head Coach Rob Manghnani. The Hornets qualified for both the SCC Tournament and the Class L State Tournament, earning a first-round victory in the latter bracket.
After losing to Hillhouse in the first round of SCCs, Branford started off the State Tournament with a first-round game at Watertown. The 22nd-seeded Hornets posted a 61-46 victory over No. 11 Watertown to advance to the second round. Branford took a 60-44 defeat to Pomperaug and finished its year with an overall mark of 10-13.
Senior Sophia Araneo scored her 1,000th career point with the Hornets when they defeated Watertown in states. Araneo had 26 points in the game to lead Branford to the win.
The Branford cheerleading team turned in a couple of solid showings at its postseason meets. The Hornets finished fourth in the All-Girl Division at the SCC Championship and then came in third place at the Class L State Championship.
The Branford-North Branford-Sheehan-Lyman Hall girls’ ice hockey team qualified for the SCC South Division Tournament this year. The Wings took a 2-0 loss against Notre Dame-Fairfield/Law/Foran/Weston/Pomperaug to finish with a record of 9-11-1.
Spring
The Branford boys’ outdoor track team had a great spring season that featured a divisional title and several stellar postseason performances.
The Hornets went 9-2 overall during the regular season, including a record of 4-0 in the SCC Oronoque Division to take the division title. Head Coach Rich Biondi’s squad then finished third at the SCC West Sectional Championship, ninth in the SCC Championship, and fifth at the Class MM State Championship.
Senior Marzio Mastroianni claimed first place in the 800 at sectionals (1:57.64), SCCs (1:56.42), and states (1:56.05) for the Hornets. Senior Derek Tratnyek won the 3,200 (9:56.17) at the sectional meet, while fellow senior Aidan Kropiwnicki finished first in the 300 intermediate hurdles (41.28).
At the Class MM meet, Branford’s 4x800 relay team of junior Nolan Scott, Mastroianni, junior Andrew Betzig, and senior Matt Daley took first place by recording a time of 8:07.40.
Then at the CIAC Decathlon, Kropiwnicki posted an overall second-place finish by scoring 5,544 points on behalf of Branford. Kropiwnicki finished third in the 400, the pole vault, and the javelin on his way to runner-up honors.
Summer
The Branford Senior American Legion baseball team finished with a record of 13-14 this summer, coming up just shy of securing a berth in the State Tournament. Post 83 finished in third place in the Zone 2 Eastern Division standings. The Branford Junior Legion baseball team recorded a mark of 4-21 in Zone 2 play and went 5-22 overall.
Fall
The Branford football team won its last four games of the year to finish with a record of 6-4, marking the squad’s second-straight winning season. The Hornets put the final stamp on their campaign by notching a 35-7 victory versus East Haven in the 78th annual Beehive Bowl game on Thanksgiving.
Branford also earned wins over Stratford (39-22), Bethel (27-0), Law (42-21), Bassick (35-6), and Foran (39-21) this year. The Hornets posted a mark of 4-1 in SCC Tier 3 to finish tied with East Haven for first place.
Branford was led by senior captain Sean Kelly, who was the team’s quarterback, along with lineman Ian McDonald and Aiden McNeil. John Limone finished his seventh year as the Hornets’ head coach.
Branford’s boys’ and girls’ soccer squads qualified for their respective Class L State tournaments this fall. The boys’ team took a 3-0 first-round loss to Wilton to finish the year at 7-8-2. The girls’ team finished with a record of 5-8-4 after dropping a 2-1 decision against Sheehan in the first round.
The Hornets’ field hockey team saw a successful season in its second year with Head Coach Pete Frye. Branford finished with an overall record of 13-7-0-1 while reaching the semifinals of the SCC and Class M State tournaments.
After going 10-5-0-1 in the regular season, Branford started the postseason by recording a 3-0 win versus Mercy in the SCC quarterfinals. The Hornets went on to drop a 3-1 decision to Amity in the semis. Then in states, Branford notched wins against Masuk (4-0) and Pomperaug (2-0) in the first two rounds before losing to Guilford (6-1) in the semifinals.