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Guilford Takes 43-18 Loss to Hand in Season Finale

The message was clear from Head Coach Anthony Salvati when the Guilford football team was facing a 36-point deficit heading into halftime of its matchup against Hand on the night before Thanksgiving: Don’t stop fighting. While his team ultimately lost the game, Salvati’s major takeaway was that this year’s edition of the Grizzlies is one of the most resilient squads that he’s ever coached.

Guilford took a 43-18 road loss to Hand at the Surf Club at Madison in its season finale on Nov. 24. Although the outcome wasn’t what he wanted, Coach Salvati was pleased to see how hard the Grizzlies battled throughout the second half against a formidable opponent.

“The kids never gave up,” Salvati said. “I just told the guys heading into the locker room that we can’t go out and erase the first half, but I expect three scores at the very minimum. Anything less than that would have been unacceptable in my eyes. They came out and scored 18 points in the second half, and I couldn’t be more proud of the way they continued to battle, even when all the odds were stacked against them.”

Hand scored three touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 22-0 lead over Guilford. The Tigers added two more touchdowns during the second quarter and were up 36-0 at halftime.

Guilford’s first score of the game when sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilgert threw a 5-yard TD pass to senior captain Jack O’Brien in the third quarter. Hilgert connected on two touchdowns to senior Mike Palatiello during the fourth quarter with one coming from five yards out and the other one an 18-yard scoring strike.

Guilford finished with an overall record of 6-4 for the 2021 season and had posted four wins in a row with three-straight shutouts prior to facing Hand. The Tigers finished at 7-3 and ultimately qualified for the Class L State Playoffs as a result of the victory, while increasing their all-time lead in the series with Guilford to 42-5-1.

“Hand is a very good team. They played faster than us, and our basic fundamentals didn’t show up that day,” said Coach Salvati. “We’re typically a very good tackling team and we missed a lot of tackles this game. Regardless, I think we made some significant strides, and we should be a really competitive team next season.”

Guilford had six players earn recognition as members of the All-SCC Tier 1 Team for their performances this season. On offense, junior Mike O’Brien made the team as a running back, senior captain Eric Dolmus made it at wide receiver, and junior Luke Carignan made it as an offensive lineman. For defense, Jack O’Brien earned All-Conference honors as a defensive back, senior Eddie Barlage made it at linebacker, and senior Aiden McBrierty was selected as a defensive lineman.

“Having six of our guys make the All-SCC team is a feat in it of itself. Our seniors were so important to our success this season, and we are going to miss them a lot next year,” Salvati said. “That’s the toughest thing about a season ending. You build close relationships with all of these kids. You don’t want to see it end.”

While Guilford came up shy of its goal of making the playoffs, Coach Salvati feels confident that his strong core of returning players will be motivated to come back even hungrier for next season.

“We have 9 of our 11 offensive starters returning, including our entire offensive line,” said Salvati. “Luke Carignan is someone who I can always depend on to make key blocks, and he was a rock for us at left tackle this season. I’m also excited to see Tyler back at quarterback for his junior year. He was thrown into the fire this season as a sophomore, and the strides he’s already made is incredible. I don’t think this group of returning players is satisfied finishing 6-4 this year, and they’re going to be hungry to make the playoffs next season.”