This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/03/2021 12:00 AMFootball
The Hand football team earned its first win of the season when the Tigers posted a convincing road victory against Masuk last week. On Oct. 1, Hand traveled to Monroe to face Masuk and won the non-conference matchup by a 49-21 score to improve to 1-2 on the year.
Hand trailed Masuk 15-14 in the second quarter before scoring the next five touchdowns of the game. Senior Ethan O’Brien rushed for 205 yards and three TDs to lead the Tigers to the victory.
Hand struck first when senior quarterback Patch Flanagan scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. Fellow senior Seth Sweitzer ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Tigers an 8-0 lead. Masuk scored a TD later in the frame, and the game was tied 8-8 after one.
O’Brien ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter, after which Masuk came back with a score to grab a 15-14 advantage. Hand responded by scoring the next five TDs of the game, beginning with a 28-yard run from O’Brien in the last minute of the first half. Flanagan rushed for the 2-point conversion to put the Tigers up 22-15 at intermission.
Flanagan connected with Sweitzer for a 28-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter. Later in the period, O’Brien broke loose for a 66-yard TD rush for his third score on the night. Senior Mario Mazzarella kicked the extra point following both touchdowns, and Hand had a 36-15 lead through three.
Junior John Hayden had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown during the fourth quarter. Mazzarella’s kick made the score 43-15. Junior Sam Sisk put an exclamation point on the Tigers’ victory by returning an interception 62 yards for another pick-six and a 49-15 advantage. Masuk scored the last touchdown of the game for the 49-21 final.
Hand’s next contest is a home game against Sheehan on Friday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Surf Club.
Boys’ Cross Country
The Hand boys’ cross country team earned runner-up honors when the Tigers ran in the SCC Hammonsset Division Championship last week. Hand posted a team total of 43 points to place behind Guilford (29) and ahead of both Foran (68) and Jonathan Law (99) on its way to finishing second overall at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Oct. 2.
Senior Jack O’Keefe claimed first place for the three-mile run by clocking in with a time of 16:04.40 for the Tigers. Junior Harrison Grenier took seventh place (17:06.80), senior Nick Montana finished in eighth place (17:09.40), and senior Danny Hilmer placed ninth (17:21.10) at the divisional meet. Senior Sam Stiewing came in 19th place (18:53.90) for Hand. Sophomore Ty Boucino finished in 21st place (19:06.50), and senior Jacob McGeary finished in 23rd (19:19.90).
Girls’ Cross Country
The Hand girls’ cross country squad finished in fourth place when the Tigers competed at the SCC Hammonasset Division Championship at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Oct. 2. Hand scored 81 points as a team and placed behind Guilford (15), Foran (71), and Jonathan Law (73) at the meet.
Freshman Marla Lafferty turned in the best performance for the Tigers by taking ninth place with a time of 22:06.60. Fellow freshman Kylee Bolding claimed 10th place by running a time of 22:21.50 for Hand. Senior Maya Sestan finished in 24th place (25:05.80), sophomore Tessa Burch came in 27th place (25:26.20), and senior Jane Merkle-Scotland finished in 29th place (26:42.90). Freshman Isabel Alvarado finished in 32nd place (27:29.90) for the Tigers.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Hand girls’ volleyball squad won all three of its matchups last week to improve its record to 7-2 on the season.
The Tigers started off their week by claiming a 3-2 road win versus Branford on Sept. 27. On Sept. 29, Hand hosted Shelton and edged out the Gaels by the final score of 3-2. The very next day, the Tigers had a home match against East Haven and posted a 3-0 shutout over the Yellowjackets.
Boys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer team stayed undefeated on the season by winning both of its contests last week. The Tigers are now sporting a mark of 7-0-1 for the 2021 campaign.
Hand kicked off the week by claiming a 3-1 victory over Hamden in a road game on Sept. 28. Then on Sept. 30, the Tigers hosted Cheshire and dispatched the Rams by the final tally of 5-3.
Field Hockey
The Hand field hockey squad played three road games last week and came away with one victory to put its record at 3-4-1 for the season.
On Sept. 28, the Tigers took a 1-0 loss at Branford. Two days later, Hand was on the road to face Hamden and blanked the Green Dragons by a 5-0 score. Then on Oct. 2, the Tigers faced Darien on the road and took a 6-0 defeat.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The Hand girls’ swimming and diving team moved to 3-2 on the season after taking loss to Lauralton Hall last week.
Hand traveled to Milford to face Lauralton Hall on Sept. 30. The Tigers took a 101-83 defeat to the Crusaders in the matchup at Foran High School.