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11/01/2021 12:00 AMAfter losing its first four games of the year, the North Haven football team has rattled off three-straight victories to improve its record to 3-4 this season. In its most-recent contest, North Haven routed Pomperaug by the final score of 40-7 in a non-conference game at Vanacore Field on Oct. 29.
North Haven’s offense ran the ball 45 times for 368 yards and five touchdowns in its win over Pomperaug. Junior Jeff Karavas led the way with 11 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns for North Haven. Sophomore Adam Pandolfi had seven rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while senior Jake Langner ran six times for 39 yards and a score. North Haven saw 10 players carry the ball and had three different players complete a pass in the game.
“We blocked pretty well. When you put 40 points on the board and have as many people touch the ball as we had, things are going well,” Head Coach Anthony Sagnella said. “We executed well at the point of attack.”
Pandolfi started the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown run just 2:20 into the contest. Senior Anthony Cavaliere hit the extra point to give North Haven a 7-0 lead. Langner ran for a 3-yard TD with 4:09 to play in the first quarter as North Haven held a 13-0 advantage after one.
Karavas scored on a 5-yard touchdown run for North Haven with 3:31 remaining in second quarter. North Haven led Pomperaug 19-0 at halftime.
Early in the second half, senior captain Matt Dodge threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to junior Sal DeMaio. The 2-point try was no good, but North Haven was still up 25-0 with 8:40 to go in the third quarter. About four minutes later, junior Brian Lastomirsky rushed for a 3-yard touchdown for North Haven. Karavas ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 33-0.
Karavas added a 6-yard TD run with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. Senior Leo Kattis booted the extra point through the uprights to increase the lead to 40-0.
Pomperaug scored its lone touchdown of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, but North Haven was well on its way to the win by that point.
Coach Sagnella said that North Haven’s run blocking has spearheaded its ground game during the team’s recent three-game win streak. In North Haven’s offense, at least nine players are blocking on every play. Sagnella credited his group of offensive linemen—seniors Stephen DiChristina, Brendan Jooss and Luca Boyle, junior Yousef Gebril, and sophomores Brendan Ryan and Justin Edwards—for improving as a unit throughout the season. Sagnella added that the tight end corps of senior captain MJ DeVilliers, senior Matthew Cocco, and junior Matt Masto have proved crucial to North Haven’s rushing success, as have fullbacks Lastomirsky and Langner, blocking back DeMaio, and wingbacks Cavaliere and junior Daniel-Mark Thomas.
“Run blocking is probably the hardest skill to master. We knew that we would be better. We just knew it would take some time,” Sagnella said. “They’re starting to get it now. We’re starting to come off the ball with more certainty and chipping guys properly. We’re blocking people the right way now.”
Junior RJ Higgins and sophomore Liam Millman both recorded a sack for North Haven in its win versus Pomperaug. Senior Sebastian DeRubeis had three pass deflections on the night.
North Haven’s defense has allowed just 14 points in the team’s three victories. Coach Sagnella said that players at numerous positions have improved while gaining more experience throughout the season. Sagnella noted the play of linebackers Lastomirsky and Langner, along with cornerbacks Dodge and DeRubeis, as strong points for North Haven’s defensive unit.
“The area of strength has been our inside linebackers. Our corners have really stepped up,” said Sagnella. “The defensive line has gotten so much better as the year has progressed, as have our safeties. Our outside linebacker play wasn’t good in the preseason, and it has gotten better every week. They’re starting to understand their jobs and their roles.”
North Haven’s three-game win streak took place after its bye week. During that time, North Haven’s coaches and players decided to view the second half of the year as a brand-new season. North Haven will aim to continue its win streak when it plays a SCC Tier 1 game versus Hand (4-3) at the Surf Club in Madison on Friday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Coach Sagnella said that North Haven’s players are ready for a competitive contest and are out to demonstrate just how far they’ve come during the past month.
“We had a goal after the bye week. We tried to look at the first four as last season and an opportunity for growth and learning from experience. We looked at the bye week as the beginning of the second season,” Sagnella said. “It has been our goal to compete and win each week. So far, we’re 3-for-3.”