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11/07/2021 11:00 PMFootball
The Branford football squad earned its sixth win in a row by claiming a road victory against Avon in non-conference action last week. On Nov. 5, the Hornets faced Avon on the road and won the contest by the final score of 21-7 to improve to 6-1 this season.
Branford jumped out to an early lead over Avon when junior Nathan Chieffo returned the opening kickoff of the game for a 90-yard touchdown just 16 seconds into the contest. Sophomore Nathan Florio kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.
Later in the first quarter, junior Zachary Turbert threw a 20-yard TD pass to senior John Frawley to give the Hornets a two-score lead. Florio hit another extra point for a 14-0 advantage through one.
Avon got on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run with just three seconds left in the first half. The extra point cut the deficit to 14-7 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Avon went on a lengthy drive that reached Branford’s 20-yard line. On 4th-and-5, Avon’s quarterback launched a pass to the end zone, but Frawley batted it down to bring an end to the drive.
Branford responded by going on a 16-play, 80-yard march that culminated with a 9-yard touchdown rush from Chieffo with 50 seconds remaining in the game. Florio made his third PAT of the night to finish off a 21-7 victory for the Hornets.
Branford’s next game is on the road versus SCC Tier 3 opponent Guilford (4-3) on Friday, Nov. 12. The contest kicks off at 7 p.m. at Guilford High School.
Field Hockey
The Branford field hockey lost an SCC semifinal contest against Guilford last week. The Hornets are participating in the Class M State Tournament beginning this week.
No. 4 Branford played at top-seeded in Guilford in the SCC semifinals on Nov. 1. The Grizzlies defeated the Hornets by a 4-1 score to advance to the championship game.
Hornets’ Head Coach Pete Frye was the named the SCC Coach of the Year last week. Senior Nora Longway and junior Scout Engstrom earned All-SCC First Team honors for Branford. Senior Julia McHenry and juniors Aryana Wilson and Lauren Kendrick made the All-SCC Second Team.
Branford (12-5-0-1) has the No. 6 seed in the Class M State Tournament and hosted No. 11 Hand for a first-round matchup on Nov. 9 (after press time). If the Hornets won that game, they would play the winner of No. 3 Barlow and No. 14 Wethersfield in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 11. The semifinals are on either Tuesday, Nov. 16 or Wednesday, Nov. 17, and the Class M state final is on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Wethersfield High School.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Branford girls’ volleyball squad took a defeat against Hand in the quarterfinals of the SCC Tournament last week. Next up for the Hornets is the Class M State Tournament that gets underway this week.
On Nov. 2, the 4th-seeded Hornets hosted No. 5 seed Hand for an SCC quarterfinal contest at Branford High School. Hand won the match by a 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17) score to advance to the semifinals, where the Tigers took a loss to Cheshire.
Senior Marzia Johnson and junior Allie Bietz each made the All-SCC First Team for the Hornets this season.
Branford (15-6) is the No. 10 seed in the Class M State Tournament and hosted No. 23 Watertown in the first round on Nov. 8 (after press time). With a victory, the Hornets would have played at No. 7 Haddam-Killingworth in the second round on Nov. 10 (after press time). The quarterfinals are on Friday, Nov. 12, the semifinals take place on Tuesday, Nov. 16, and the Class M state final is at East Haven High School on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Boys’ Cross Country
The Branford boys’ cross country team sent several athletes to compete in the Class M State Championship at Wickham Park in Manchester on Nov. 1. The Hornets scored 200 points as a team and finished in ninth place at the state meet.
Senior Wes Raymond turned in Branford’s top performance by taking eighth place in the Class M competition. Raymond crossed the finish line with a time of 17 minutes and 36 seconds on his way to finishing in eighth place. Fellow senior Peyton Moriarty was next in line for the Hornets by finishing in 14th place with a time of 17:55.
Senior Patrick Zdunek came in 47th place (19:19) for Branford at states. Junior Massimo Corrick finished in 61st place (19:49), while junior Colin Donahue took 70th place (20:00) for the Hornets.
Sophomore Samuel Coppola finished in 71st place (20:05) at states. Sophomore Dominick Zdunek came in 88th place (20:31) on behalf of Branford.
A few days after the Class M meet, Raymond competed for the Hornets at the State Open at Wickham Park on Nov. 5. Raymond ran a time of 18:01 to finish in 117th place at the Open.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Branford girls’ cross country team saw five athletes hit the course to take part in last week’s Class M State Championship meet. The Hornets recorded a team score of 335 points to finish in 16th place at Wickham Park on Nov. 1.
Freshman Peyton Gaudreau finished in 30th place by clocking in with a time of 23 minutes and 34 seconds for Branford. Junior Hannah Jackson came in 50th place with a time of 24:40.
Senior Julia Duffy took 88th place (27:04) at states. Junior Taylor Tracy finished in 94th place (27:18), and freshman Ella Stone came in 101st place (28:02) for the Hornets.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The Branford girls’ swimming and diving team competed at the SCC Championship meet that was held at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 3. The Hornets finished in 15th place by scoring 179 points at the meet.
Senior Erika Barone finished in 12th place for the 100 backstroke by swimming a time of 1:04.81 for Branford. Barone also came in 20th place in the 200 individual medley with a mark of 2:28.49.
Senior Marina Giammattei took 12th place in the SCC diving competition, which was held at Sheehan High School on Oct. 30. Giammattei posted a score of 272.50 points on her way to placing 12th on the diving board.
All three of Branford’s relays finished in 17th place at the SCC meet. The 200 medley relay of junior Emma Hall, Barone, freshman Kylie Acquarulo-Savastano, and senior Sydney Baker recorded a time of 2:16.18; the 200 freestyle relay of Acquarulo-Savastano, freshman Erin Newlan, Baker, and senior Mareyna McCaughtry finished with a time of 2:13.68; and the 400 freestyle relay of Hall, Newlan, McCaughtry, and Barone clocked in with a time of 4:37.94.
Branford is participating in the Class S State Championship this week. The Swimming Qualifying is at the Cheshire Community Pool on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m., and the Swimming Championship is at Cornerstone Aquatic Center in West Hartford on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.
Girls’ Soccer
The Branford girls’ soccer team is competing in the Class L State Tournament this week.
As the No. 8 seed, Branford (10-4-3) played a home game versus No. 25 Woodstock in the first round of the Class L tourney on Nov. 8 (after press time). If the Hornets won that game, they hosted the winner of No. 9 Pomperaug and No. 24 Windsor in the second round on Nov. 10 (after press time). The quarterfinals are on Friday, Nov. 12, the semis take place from Tuesday, Nov. 16 to Thursday, Nov. 18, and the championship game is at Dillon Stadium in Hartford on either Saturday, Nov. 20 or Sunday, Nov. 21.