Hornets Swim at SCCs; Other Clubs Ready for States
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The Branford girls’ swimming and diving team competed at last week’s SCC Championship and finished in 13th place at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 1.
The Hornets’ best performance came from their 400 freestyle relay of freshman Melissa Juliano, senior Gabija Karosas, sophomore Gabrielle Gillis, and senior Nardella, which took seventh place by swimming a time of 3:52.77. That quartet also comprised Branford’s 200 medley relay and finished in 10th place at 2:02.02.
Karosas finished 11th in the 100 backstroke (1:04.32) and was 14th in the 500 freestyle (5:37.77) for the Hornets. Juliano came in 15th place in the 100 backstroke (1:05.70) and took 23rd for the 50 freestyle (26.61). Gillis swam to 16th in the 50 free (26.16), and she was also 20th in the 100 freestyle (57.27). Nardella took 16th place in the 200 freestyle (2:05.44) to go with a 29th-place finish for the 100 freestyle (57.81).
The Hornets’ 200 freestyle relay of sophomore Adrienne Dillon, freshman Nicola Colossale, senior Ryan Bohan, and sophomore Cordelia Keberle finished in 16th place (1:54.41). Dillon also finished 25th in the 100 backstroke(1:08.73), while Bohan finished 32nd in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:20.62.
Branford is competing at the Class M State Championship at Southern Connecticut at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Volleyball
The 7th-seeded Hornets played at No. 2 seed Guilford in the quarterfinals of the SCC Tournament on Oct. 30 and took a 3-0 loss behind final scores of 25-16, 25-16, 25-13. Branford (12-7) will play in the Class L State Tournament this week.
Branford is the No. 16 seed in states and is hosting No. 17 East Lyme for a first round match at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6. If the Hornets win, they will play at top-seeded RHAM in the second round on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. The quarterfinals are on Saturday, Nov. 11; the semis will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 15; and the final is at East Haven High School on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Boys’ Soccer
Branford is the No. 11 seed in the Class L State Tournament as has a first round home game versus No. 22 Waterford on Monday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. With a victory, the Hornets (11-5-1) would either play at No. 6 Watertown or host No. 27 Windsor in the second round at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The quarterfinals are on Friday, Nov. 10; the semis are on either Monday, Nov. 13 or Tuesday, Nov. 14; and the final takes place on either Friday, Nov. 17 or Saturday, Nov. 18.
Girls’ Soccer
The Hornets enter the Class L State Tournament as the No. 28 seed and will play at No. 5 seed Law in a first round matchup at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. If Branford (6-7-3) prevails, it will either play at No. 12 seed Watertown or host No. 21 E.O. Smith in the second round at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. The quarterfinals are on Saturday, Nov. 11; the semis take place on either Tuesday, Nov. 14 or Wednesday, Nov. 15; and the championship game is on either Friday, Nov. 17 or Saturday, Nov. 18.
Football
Branford traveled to Wallingford to face Lyman Hall (4-3, 3-0) for a SCC Tier 3 clash and took a 12-0 loss against the Trojans. The Hornets now have an overall record of 1-7 with a record of 1-3 in Tier 3 games.
Lyman Hall (5-3, 4-0) scored on a 63-yard TD run in the first quarter and held a 6-0 lead until the fourth, when the Trojans added insurance on a 17-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Sean Kelly gained 87 yards on 20 carries for Branford, while Zach Cash ran seven times for 33 yards. Cash also picked off a pass on defense to go with a forced fumble that he recovered, plus 12 tackles. Aiden MacNeil also had an interception, while Cody St. Pierre and Chris Bouton combined on a sack. Dalton Carden had 10 tackles, and Will Ryder added eight tackles for the Hornets.
Branford will play another SCC Tier 3 game when it faces Creed-Career-Whitney (2-6, 1-3) at Bowen Field in New Haven at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10.