Guilford Football Aims to Win Every Day in the Avallone Era
How does a high school football program put together a successful first season while ushering in a new era? In the case of the Guilford Indians, they are looking to tackle that challenge by using their competitive nature to improve on a daily basis and take small steps toward a prosperous future.
The Indians are back on the gridiron following a campaign that saw them finish with an overall record of 3-7 to go with a mark of 3-3 in SCC Tier 3. This year, Guilford features a familiar face in a new role as longtime youth football coach Anthony Avallone is in his first season at the helm as the Indians’ head coach. While it may seem a tall order to push forward in the midst of learning a new system of signals and play calls, Coach Avallone and company are ready for the challenge of testing themselves every day to attain victories both on and off the field.
“We are really keeping the goals simple for this first year,” Avallone said. “I’m a big believer that momentum builds momentum. As coaches, we have to find winnable situations on the practice field and in preparation. We want to make sure we have a better practice than the day before. We are then hoping that mindset and mentality transitions into Friday night success. We’ve done a nice job competing in scrimmages, and the boys have done a great job in cutting through lost time in the offseason.”
The Indians have yet to name their captains, but they still feature a large class of 16 seniors who have all gone well beyond the call of duty in leading the team through its period of change.
“For this particular team, it has a unique situation with having 16 seniors on it,” said Avallone. “With that, we have lots of senior leadership in that crew. They have done an excellent job in keeping the program moving forward.”
One of Guilford’s biggest advantages entering this season is that team brings back a plethora of starters from last year. Senior Tanner Small, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound guard, is back on the line; while fellow senior AJ Moscato, a tailback/middle linebacker, returns on the heels of a 2016 campaign that saw him earn All-SCC Division II/III honors at running back. Junior Jack Strand will once again serve as Guilford’s signal caller at quarterback position.
“Tanner has done a real nice job so far, and he’s one of the more dominant linemen in the area. AJ is an exceptional player, and he’s shined so far,” Coach Avallone said. “Jack has done an exceptional job, and he’s an outstanding athlete. He throws well and runs even better. He’s a real student of the game, and all of those are nice attributes to have. I also expect other seniors to really be able to contribute. I expect great years on offense from [wide receiver/outside linebacker] Clay Huffman and [wide receiver/cornerback] Sean Russell, and also great contribution on offense from guys like [fellow seniors] Anthony Avallone [a running back/defensive end] and Tom Spinner [a running back/outside linebacker].”
Following the Indians’ final scrimmage, Avallone and his new coaching staff—which is comprised of offensive coordinator Frank Ralston, defensive coordinator Mark Chapman, backs/linebackers coach Frank McDermott, and line coach Nick Gargano— will experience their first Friday night under the lights when they open up the regular season by hosting Branford at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. It should come as no surprise that the Indians are looking to begin the Avallone chapter on the right foot by earning a victory against their SCC Tier 3 rival.
“We have the live scrimmage with Lyman Hall, and there we want to simulate as much of an in-game situation as we can. Against Branford, we want to win, because that is the best benchmark for success,” Avallone said. “We want to be able to put our kids in the best position to compete and be successful. One of the best testaments of good coaching is making in-game adjustments. We want to make sure we learn and can implement for the following week, as well. We want to work hard, be aggressive, and be a fly-to-the-football-type team.”
Guilford’s senior class for the 2017 season is rounded out by running back/outside linebacker Jack Gabriel, wide receiver/cornerback Sam Jankura, wide receiver/outside linebacker Luke Duffy, wide receiver/outside linebacker Lucas Naplitano, running back/cornerback Carter Cox, running back/linebacker Corey Sondak, offensive lineman/defensive end Brett Skapczynski, offensive lineman/middle linebacker Tyler Melillo, offensive lineman/defensive lineman Jack Surgenor, and offensive lineman/defensive lineman Lucas Wilson.
In addition to Guilford and Branford, the other teams in SCC Tier 3 this season are newcomer Bassick, Creed-Career-Whitney Tech, East Haven, newcomer Harding, Law, Lyman Hall, and Sheehan.
2017 Guilford Indians Football Regular Season Schedule
Friday, Sept. 8: vs. Branford at 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 22: vs. Creed-Career-Whitney Tech at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 28: vs. Shelton at 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 6: at East Haven at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 13: vs. Brookfield at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27: at Foran at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 3: vs. Law at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10: vs. Bassick at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16: at East Lyme at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 22: vs. Hand at 7 p.m.