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10/18/2021 12:00 AMThe North Haven football team was still looking for its first win of the year when it faced an undefeated Hamden team for a road game last week. Behind some strong defensive play and two touchdowns from sophomore Adam Pandolfi, North Haven earned its first victory by defeating the Green Dragons 28-7 at Hamden High School on Oct. 15.
“The first four games were against tough opponents, and we were inexperienced coming into the season. I felt like we were getting better every week and that we were on the edge of winning a football game,” Head Coach Anthony Sagnella said. “We had the bye week, reset our focus, and played a pretty good game. It was a balanced attack.”
North Haven improved to 1-4 on the year with its win against Hamden. Coach Sagnella’s squad scored on its opening possession when junior quarterback Jeffrey Karavas hit senior captain Matt Dodge for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Early in the second quarter, Pandolfi broke off a 33-yard touchdown run to put North Haven up by two scores.
“Adam is a talented player. Our offensive line did a good job of opening up some holes,” said Sagnella of the sophomore. “He made a cut earlier in the game that looked like he could have broken off. Sure enough, he made that same cut and gave us a two-score lead.”
Just before halftime, senior captain linebacker MJ DeVilliers intercepted a pass and took it 63 yards into the end zone. DeVilliers’s pick-six gave North Haven a 21-0 lead at the break.
Pandolfi scored his second TD of the game on a 1-yard rush on North Haven’s first drive of the second half. Hamden scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but North Haven kept the Green Dragons off the board the rest of the way and went on to get the 28-7 victory.
Prior to facing Hamden, North Haven had yet to score in the second quarter or on its opening drive of the third quarter this year. Coach Sagnella was pleased to see both of those things happen versus Hamden, along with the fact that North Haven’s offense didn’t turn the ball over in the win.
Sagnella feels that this year’s team is maturing nicely and specifically noted the growth of numerous underclassmen on the offensive line. Sophomores Brendan Ryan and Justin Edwards are starting on the O-line for North Haven, while fellow sophomore Albert Rotondo III is also seeing ample playing time. Sagnella said that North Haven’s linemen are getting the in-game reps that they need to improve and are making the most of their opportunity.
“It takes a lot of time to develop the ability to block someone. It’s not a skill that you can just work on in the offseason. You can do your fundamental work on sleds, but you really need game reps,” Sagnella said. “We start two sophomores on the offensive line and, at any given time, there’s three. The last time they played football was 8th grade. That takes some time. Steel sharpens steel.”
North Haven’s defense limited Hamden to just 45 rushing yards and allowed a season-low point total in the victory. Coach Sagnella credited the defense’s run-stuffing ability to a strong performance from the team’s linebacking core, which includes seniors DeVilliers, Jake Langner, and Matthew Cocco, as well as junior Brian Lastomirsky.
“We didn’t allow them to get started with the run game. It’s a credit to the entire front and our linebackers,” said Sagnella. “Langer, Lastomirsky, MJ, and Cocco did a great job of filling their gaps and making plays for us. MJ was able to understep a pass when they were in a predictable throwing situation.”
As his team looks to build off of its first win, Coach Sagnella said North Haven will continue to focus on playing a complete game. Sagnella is hoping that North Haven’s players will keep building their mental stamina and be ready to overcome any obstacles at any given time.
“We’re still struggling to play a complete game. We had some lapses in the second quarter and third quarter. It’s about mental stamina,” Sagnella said. “Being so young, sometimes the game can be a real grind. Our kids have to understand that and get conditioned to playing the entire game with the intensity that is required.”
North Haven’s next game is a non-conference matchup against Stratford (3-2) at Vanacore Field on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Coach Sagnella understands that North Haven will be in a battle every time it steps on the gridiron, and he wants his squad to make the necessary adjustments in order to end the year successfully.
“We’re going to be in battles all year. Our schedule is challenging. At some point, we’re going to find ourselves with a lead late in the game, but it won’t be as comfortable as 28-7,” said Sagnella. “We’re going to have to step up and make plays if we expect to win the game. It’s a mental thing more than anything else.”