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09/21/2020 12:00 AMThe North Haven football team plans to keep working in the wake of receiving unfortunate news from the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Board of Control confirming its initial decision to cancel full-contact, 11-on-11 football this fall. The CIAC has reopened the possibility for alternatives—such as playing football in the spring or some version 7-on-7 without offensive and defensive lines—and Head Coach Anthony Sagnella and will be prepared for all contingencies.
Of course, Coach Sagnella and his student-athletes feel disappointed that the season was canceled, but given the direction from Connecticut’s Department of Health, the result is not surprising. Regardless, North Haven won’t stop practicing or working to improve until all avenues have been closed.
“We’re continuing to practice the one hour of conditioning and skillwork without equipment, and we’re social distancing. We’re doing that as long as we can with the understanding that the football committee is meeting about the spring option,” Coach Sagnella said. “We’re supposed to get word on that soon, so we’re kind of limbo. I was told if we move to the spring, then we will shut down the fall.”
Until North Haven gets word from the CIAC, Coach Sagnella and his athletes are planning to do whatever they can to keep this year’s team together. The decision is out of North Haven’s hands, but Sagnella and company can still build on the practice schedule that they already have.
“We’re trying to control what we can control and give the kids something to be a part of. We want to get in the weight room. We haven’t been in there since March,” said Sagnella. “I don’t know what the league is going to do with a 7-on-7 option, but there’s nothing in front me to make a decision on. We’re just doing what we can to stay together.”
Sagnella and his athletes aren’t in favor of the 7-on-7 option at this time. That may change if it’s the only option available, but Sagnella feels moving the season to the spring would be much more palatable for everyone.
“It’s a drill basically that any well-coached football program has put into their practice. It’s not a substitute for 11-on-11. That’s like saying you can’t play basketball, but you can have a foul-shooting contest,” Sagnella said. “The same goes for lineman challenges. There’s one big challenge every summer. It’s fun, because it’s like a field day with hundreds of kids from all over the state. To do that every week, I wouldn’t want to do it, nor would the kids want to do it. I think the spring idea is good. It’s something to work for.”
North Haven has a relatively small senior class this year, and Coach Sagnella wants every athlete to have his shot at a final year with the squad. North Haven’s senior class is led by its three captains, who are kicker Chase DiCarlo, running back/linebacker Pat Lillis, and lineman Anthony Vigliotto. Coach Sagnella knows that his captains are being challenged to lead during a difficult time, especially with their teammates typically broken up into different cohorts at practice.
“It’s very difficult. I give them an opportunity to be a part of the warmup. They can be vocal there, and they have an opportunity to be visible at the end of practice. We’re in cohorts of 10, and they’re in the same cohort. There’s no locker room camaraderie. There’s no meeting room. There’s no film room,” Sagnella said. “It’s just such a travesty for them. I know there are bigger issues in the world. I don’t want to make it sound like the worst thing to happen, but it’s one of the worst things to happen to them. So, we try to get out there every day we can to see them, be positive, and have some fun.”
Right now, playing football in the spring seems to be the best potential option for North Haven. However, the more pressing matter to Sagnella for his student-athletes is getting back into the classroom full-time before stepping out on the gridiron.
“In North Haven High School, we’re not in school full-time, so why are we talking about football? If we’re in school full-time in January, February, and March, then we should try to consider it. If we can go to school safely, then let’s play safely. If something spikes, then we can back off,” said Sagnella. “I’m a teacher and a coach. Looking at the school system struggling to open and get kids in the classroom, that’s way more important than a sport right now. We did a week of school, and it seems things went well. Hopefully, things will get better for us.”
Given the alternative of an outright canceled season, Coach Sagnella and his players are making the most of the time that they have together. It’s anything but typical, although Coach Sagnella knows that it’s still valuable.
“What we’re doing right now, if it’s a means to an end to get on the field, then this isn’t that bad. We are teaching, instructing. We’re having football class. There’s no pressure to gameplan, because there’s no game,” Sagnella said. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We walk on the field and we have one or two goals. It’s teaching a lesson without a timeline to end the unit. You can spend as much time as necessary to expose the kids so they can master it and understand it.”