North Haven Football Takes 18-14 Defeat to Maloney
The North Haven football team took a hard-fought loss against Maloney by the final score of 18-14 in its first road game of the season on Sept. 27. The two teams traded touchdowns throughout the first half, and the Indians held a 14-12 advantage heading into halftime. However, Maloney scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and then held on for the victory at Falcon Field in Meriden.
The game was played as part of the Connecticut Football Alliance—a series of matchups between squads from different conferences. North Haven, which plays in the Southern Connecticut Conference, dropped to 1-2 on the season with the loss. Maloney, a member of the Central Connecticut Conference, stands at 3-0 one year after advancing to the Class L state final.
Senior Max Augustine scored both of North Haven’s touchdowns in the game. Fellow senior Jaden Watson ran the ball seven times for 64 yards for the Indians. Senior Corey Hooks rushed 11 times for 40 yards, had a 33-yard reception, and went 2-of-3 passing for 52 yards.
Senior Justin White was 4-of-8 for 61 yards and also grabbed an interception on defense. Junior David Pace also had an interception for Head Coach Anthony Sagnella’s team.
Maloney scored the first touchdown of the night just 15 seconds into the game on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Angel Arce to Kamron Moreno. The Spartans missed the extra point and held an early 6-0 lead.
Augustine put North Haven on the board when he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:11 remaining in the second quarter. Watson had broken off a long run to set up Augustine’s TD. Junior Chase DiCarlo followed by kicking the extra point to give the Indians a 7-6 edge.
With about five minutes to go until halftime, North Haven fumbled and Maloney took over inside the Indians’ 15-yard line. The Spartans capitalized on their good field possession when Arce threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Quanell Grimes to put Maloney up. Maloney missed on its 2-point conversion pass and had a 12-7 lead with 3:52 remaining in the opening half.
North Haven came back with a drive that saw Augustine run for a 1-yard touchdown with just 14 seconds to play in the half. DiCarlo kicked his second extra point to put the Indians up 14-12 at intermission.
Maloney took the lead for good when Moreno caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Arce with 6:51 left in the third quarter. North Haven stopped the Spartans’ 2-point conversion pass, keeping the score at 18-14. Ultimately, that was the final score that either team put on the board as Maloney went on to secure the four-point victory.
Senior Albert Hooks had three carries for 27 yards, along with a 38-yard reception for North Haven. Senior Noah Perillie caught two passes for 18 yards, while Watson had a 17-yard reception to go with 110 yards between kick and punt returns.
On defense, Augustine made nine tackles, Corey Hooks had eight tackles, and senior captain Pat DaSilva added six tackles for the Indians. Senior Jeff Williston recovered a fumble, and fellow senior Joe Urtel had a pair of pass deflections.
North Haven has a bye week for Week 4. The Indians will return to action when they face West Haven in an SCC Tier 1 clash on Friday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ken Strong Stadium at West Haven High School.