This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

T-Birds Devastated by Cancellation of Football Season

When North Branford football Head Coach Mark Basil found out that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) had canceled 11-on-11 football this fall, he met with the Thunderbirds’ captains. Basil and his captains then met with the rest of the team and told them the news before giving everyone a couple of days off to let the CIAC’s decision set in. Basil described the feeling in the room with just one word—devastated.

“Devastated. For everybody,” said Basil. “There have been a lot of highs and lows. We tried to stay motivated and have hope for a season. One week we’re heading in the direction that we’re going to play, another week we hit an obstacle, and this one was the end of the road. We smacked into the wall, and everyone felt the impact of not playing football. It was difficult.”

The CIAC’s announcement to call off the traditional football season came on Sept. 4 in adherence with Connecticut Department of Health (DPH) guidelines that full-contact football is a high-risk sport. Last week, the CIAC Board of Control made the decision official when it voted to cancel the fall campaign as a result of COVID-19.

North Branford had been preparing to play well before the CIAC’s announcement. The T-Birds started participating in conditioning on July 6 and continued doing so until the CIAC paused fall sports on Aug. 14. The T-Birds then returned to the field on Aug. 29 after the CIAC decided that teams could resume conditioning and begin non-contact skillwork.

After going through with a roller coaster of an offseason, Coach Basil was hoping that North Branford would have an opportunity to see all of its hard work pay off this year. As his team dealt with various setbacks, Basil said that the time the T-Birds’ spent away from the field was quite detrimental.

“The biggest impact we felt was when we weren’t on the field. The kids would text me after hearing the news and asking how it impacted us. That was a roller coaster ride,” Basil said. “When we are on the field, life was a lot easier. It was back to normal. It was what we knew what we had to do and relieve the stress of it. We knew that’s the place we wanted to be.”

Basil said that North Branford took extra precautions in terms of safety at its practices. His athletes had already gotten used to wearing protective masks under their facemasks. The T-Birds’ Touchdown Club helped out by buying extra pairs of gloves for the team’s athletes to use during their blocking drills. Basil said that everyone in the program tried to do everything they could to make a fall season happen.

North Branford was set to be led by five senior captains this fall. The T-Birds’ captains are quarterback Brandon Fratta, defensive backs Trevor Holzer and Alex Clinton, linebacker Alex LeMere, and two-way lineman Efstathios Gianniotis. Fratta and LeMere also served as captains during their junior years, helping North Branford finish with a record of 7-3. Coach Basil said that all five captains proved crucial with keeping the team together during the offseason.

“These five guys are excellent. They’re the complete blend of captain that I’m looking for. I respect their opinion,” said Basil. “They’re football kids. They know me. We’ve been very close for the past three years. I wanted their insight, I wanted their feelings. I wanted them to open up, so that I can really understand and fight for what they’re really looking for in their senior season. I can see the hurt and want that my players have to get a senior season under their belt.”

The T-Birds’ senior class also includes Nick Poulis, PJ Mullins, Luciano Palma, Vasilio Maurilis, Zachary Abbagnaro, and Nick O’Rourke, who are all both wide receivers and defensive backs; along with running back/linebacker Marquis McFadden, linebacker Ethan Raymond, two-way linemen Luke Campagna and Jamison O’Brien, and offensive lineman/linebacker Jaiden Colburn. Basil said that his senior class is a football-focused group full of athletes who have been playing together for several years and were looking forward to their final seasons.

On Sept. 9, all of the North Branford’s captains attended a rally at the state Capitol building in Hartford in an effort to save the football season. Many teams from around the state went to the event. Fratta, who spoke at the rally, felt proud to be surrounded by people who shared the common goal of playing football. While he was disappointed by the CIAC’s decision to cancel the campaign, Fratta said that the T-Birds are trying to stay positive.

“It was obviously hard, but we just had to look at the good in the situation,” said Fratta. “We have to hope for something better, maybe the spring. There are other options. Obviously, it was bad, but you just have to make something good out of it.”

The possibility still exists that football could be played during the spring, following the CIAC’s reversal of its previous decision which stated that any sport that is not played during its usual season will not be made up at another time of the year.

In the meantime, North Branford has been weighing other options to try and salvage its season. The team has looked at a couple private leagues located in the Northeast and has also been in discussion with few schools from the area about forming a club league that would not be sanctioned by the CIAC.

Even though there won’t be a fall season, North Branford returned to practice on Sept. 21. Coach Basil wants his players to continue sharpening their skills on the field for whatever the future holds. Amidst all the craziness of the past six months, Basil said the experience has taught the T-Birds about the importance of unity and resiliency, in addition to the fact that everything can change in the blink of an eye.

“They realize the unity they have as one. They have a greater respect for the game they play, for the teammates they share and play with, and that, at any moment, anything can change. You don’t take these things for granted anymore,” Basil said. “Football is a physically and mentally demanding game, but this is the different side of the mental part. It’s not something you can fix by spending more time in the weight room. It’s a different side of them of people and dealing with life’s ups and downs. I see them changing and maturing for the better.”