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06/07/2018 12:00 AMNorth Branford’s football and baseball teams both went through youth movements this year, meaning there was a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Jeff Jablonski. A senior captain for both squads, Jeff knew that he needed to step up as a leader, whether he was taking the snaps at quarterback or toeing the rubber on the pitcher’s mound.
“In football, I felt like I was a leader by example, someone who did the right thing. I was quiet and tried to be as vocal as I could, but there were other guys that were more vocal, so I tried to lead by example,” says Jeff. “For baseball, I was the primary leader, because I’ve been playing varsity for three years. I tried to teach the young kids and get on them when they’re weren’t doing what is right. I tried to be an extra coach. Because I was a football captain first, I felt I was a much better baseball captain than football captain.”
Jeff helped North Branford baseball surprise a few people in the Shoreline Conference this spring. With a young roster, the T-Birds squeaked into the playoffs and even pulled off an upset against top-seeded Haddam-Killingworth in the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Jeff threw a four-hitter in a 1-0 victory for Head Coach Billy Mitchell’s club.
“Without him, I don’t know where we would’ve been. He’s a tremendous kid and leader. He gets the guys together and pitched great for us in every game this year,” Mitchell says. “It’s comforting when he goes out there, because we know what we’ll get from Jeff on the mound. He pitched unbelievable against H-K in the first round of the Shoreline Tournament. He was unhittable.”
Ultimately, Jeff won seven games this spring and was selected to the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team. He was also named North Branford’s Most Valuable Player and chosen as a recipient of the New Haven Diamond Club’s No ‘I’ in Team Award. Jeff appreciates receiving the honors, but he gives most of the credit to his teammates.
“It just shows the excellence on the team. I can’t do it without my teammates,” he says. “Nobody expected us to win this many games, so it goes to show how well we bonded as a team and how well we played together.”
Jeff features a fastball, a changeup, and a curveball in his repertoire. He believes that having command over all three of these pitches is his greatest asset on the mound.
“I’ve never had the most velocity or break on my pitches. Location and knowing when to throw was most important to me,” says Jeff. “Executing that helped me appear to have more talent than I actually do.”
Jeff also had a great year at the plate this spring. For the season, he posted a team-best .323 batting average to go with 11 runs scored and also led North Branford by collecting 14 RBI.
“I love hitting. When I get to the plate, I focus on being confident and trust my instincts,” Jeff says. “That has helped me perform well on the field.”
Jeff finished his high-school football career with 1,847 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, while also rushing for 389 yards and four TDs. Jeff, who will attend Penn State University in the fall, says that his time on both gridiron and the diamond have been a huge part of his experience at North Branford High School.
“Sports have been so beneficial and important in my life for so many years. With baseball season over, this is the first time ever I wasn’t involved in a sport,” says Jeff. “It hurts in a way, because something was taken away, but it’s still such a part of my life.”