On Dec. 10 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, the 2022 North Haven football team made history, winning the school’s first-ever state championship with a 51-34 victory over Killingly to capture the Class MM crown.

The matchup was tied 21-21 at halftime before the Nighthawks scored the next 23 points of the game to take a commanding fourth-quarter advantage. North Haven, which was making its second appearance in a state final, finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 11-2.

It was the culmination of a proud 68-year football tradition in a town that cherishes its team. Head Coach Anthony Sagnella has been coaching at North Haven for 26 seasons and recognizes this tradition. He understands this win goes deeper than the locker room.

“It really is an amazing feeling, I don’t know if it has set in yet,” said Coach Sagnella. “I’m really happy for the town, for all the support we’ve had over the years because it takes a village to build a program, and I think we have built a program that everyone is proud of.”

In the game at The Rent, that village witnessed a clinic in running the football and controlling the line of scrimmage. North Haven carried the ball 50 times, racking up 469 yards rushing.

The Nighthawks set the tone on the ground from the first drive of the game, as senior captain and quarterback Jeff Karavas broke free for a 55-yard gain, setting up the Nighthawks deep in Killingly territory. That opening drive was capped off with a senior captain Brian Lastromirsky touchdown run from 14 yards out. Karavas added another rushing touchdown near the end of the first quarter and the Nighthawks led 14-0 heading into the second frame.

That first quarter set off an exciting first half that saw 42 total points scored, as the two teams traded blows. Killingly came back with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the score at 14-14 with 4:36 left in the first half. Lastomirsky scored on a TD run to put the Nighthawks up 21-14 with 2:37 remaining, but Killingly responded with a touchdown with just 18 seconds to go to make it 21-21 at halftime.

Adam Pandolfi gave North Haven the lead for good when he rushed for a 6-yard touchdown with 6:17 to play in the third quarter. The Nighthawks brought a 28-21 advantage into the fourth.

Pandolfi ran for another TD just 6 seconds into the fourth quarter to increase North Haven’s lead to 35-21. On the next drive, Killingly was called for intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety for North Haven and a 37-21 lead with 10:57 left in the game. Karavas followed with a TD run that made it 44-21 with 7:45 on the clock.

Killingly scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to 44-28 with 3:57 remaining. North Haven then went on a drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run from junior Trysten Dos to make it 51-28 with 1:06 to play, solidifying both the victory and the state title for the Nighthawks. Killingly scored the last touchdown of the day for the 51-34 final.

On the ground, North Haven was led by Karavas who tallied 19 carries for 151 yards and two scores, Pandolfi with 11 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and Lastomirsky who carried the ball 6 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Daniel-Mark Thomas added 3 carries for 65 yards, junior Camren Thompson added 5 carries for 44 yards and junior Trysten Dos added 6 carries for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Relying on the running game gave this team an identity all year. Picking up chunks of yardage is a reliable skill to go back to, and Coach Sagnella respects this team for understanding that game plan and sticking to it all season long.

“The offense that we run isn’t the end all be all, but it is an identity,” said Sagnella. “I think that’s one thing about our kids, they don’t struggle with an identity crisis around here, they know who they are, and they put their mind it to today and it was just great to see.”

Sagnella’s team has been meticulous all season about doing the little things correctly on the football field. From perfectly executed run blocking, to a focus on special teams. The kicking game was flawless on the biggest stage – senior Declan Finkle converted 7 for 7 on PATs and Pandolfi, the punter, was excellent all season, pinning opponents deep in their own territory. One instance in the second half produced a rushed throw eventually resulting in a safety. Coach Sagnella noted how important it was to play the field position game on Saturday, especially vs. a potent offense like Killingly’s.

“When you’re going to play against a good offense like they have you want to make sure they have to go the long way, not give them any easy ones,” said Sagnella. “The kicking game has been really good for us this year with Declan Finkle and Adam Pandolfi, so field position was key.”

On defense, North Haven was led by four players who totaled 9 tackles each; senior Jayden Roby, junior Camren Thompson, senior Chayse Mangino, and Lastomirsky. Sophomore Joey Mastroaianni added seven tackles of his own. Lastomirsky, Mangino, and junior Brendan Ryan all recorded sacks of the Killingly quarterback. Junior Connor Rapuano and junior Brendan Ryan each added 5 tackles of their own to the total.

The Nighthawks’ appearance in the Championship game wasn’t a fluke, it was a goal. Adam Pandolfi has been playing with some of his Nighthawk teammates since youth league, so setting that goal with them last season was something he took very seriously. Realizing that dream with this team in front of the North Haven Football community is something he will remember for a lifetime.

“Bringing home a state championship was a goal we set at the end of last season,” said Pandolfi. “Being able to make it a reality was truly special. We’ve worked so hard in the offseason and the summer, training, and conditioning. It feels great knowing that our team is solidified in North Haven Football history as the first to ever bring one home… At the game on Saturday, you could feel the energy from our fans. There were so many people in support, it felt like the whole town had our back and as a team, we loved it.”

Ultimately succeeding in the running game is about repetition — grinding a team down with stellar blocking and hardnosed runs. Coach Sagnella feels this repetition provided his team with a confidence that has bloomed all season into a knowledge that they are capable of ending the season exactly where they hoped they would.

“The one thing that is remarkable about this team is they process what you tell them and then they go to work and try to improve it,” said Sagnella. “I think you get confidence from doing things right over and over again and I think that’s something that our coaching staff has stuck with in all phases of the game, and our players embraced it.”

Four different ball carriers crossed the goal line on Saturday in a perfect encapsulation of what makes this Nighthawks team special. Pandolfi wanted to be clear that behind those touchdown scorers stands an entire roster responsible for helping them get there.

“Everyone contributed to our team’s success in their own way,” said Pandolfi. “It could have been being the scout team at practice, preparing us for the game, being a second-string guy and helping out the starter, or just giving advice as a teammate, everyone helped us win this year, making us a prime example of a team.”

“We’ve always said this: there are no stars on this team,” Sagnella said. “It’s just the perfect team in that everyone contributes; everybody had a hand in it today, there’s no egos, it really is a great example of a team effort today.”

Jeff Karavas was proud of how strongly his team played in the championship game. As a captain and senior, he recognized that a true team effort like North Haven put together this year is not something to be taken for granted.

“This sport isn’t an individual sport,” Karavas said. “Having a team that is so cohesive and strong together is what makes us work. Every single player was so important to this victory. Our motto coming into this season was unfinished business and [Saturday] I think we finished it.”

The athletes on the North Haven football team are senior captains Brian Lastomirsky, Jeffrey Karavas, Salvatore DeMaio, and Michael Masto; seniors Jayden Roby, Declan Finkle, Mateo Raiano, Daniel-Mark Thomas, Chayse Mangino, Jayesh Komal, Matteo Fraschilla, and Yousef Gebril; juniors Ryan Bernardo, Jeremiah Lopez, Camren Thompson, Miles Chester, Eric Vetrano, Connor Rapuano, Trysten Dos, Jake McCreeven, Nicholas Harkins, Adam Pandolfi, Daniel Malone, James Studley, Albert Rotondo III, Brendan Ryan, Dillon Songhurst, Nicholas Piscitelli, and Alex Gaetano; sophomores Elijah Ellis, Cameron Darcy, Christopher Kottage, Tyler Dimauro, Christian Mongillo, Benjamin Pizzano, Brandon Stevens, Joey Mastroianni, Nick Romano, Christopher Cretella, Michael Moran, Brian Moran, Joseph Carbone, Jr., Alessio Fraschilla, Cooper Connolly, Aidan McGuire, Russell Kieslich IV, Jeffrey Davis, Daniel Mahan, Steven Piccirillo, Adrian Joaquin Santos, and Beckett Fuller; and freshman Nathan Eggerling.

The head coach of the North Haven football team is Anthony Sagnella. The Nighthawks’ staff of assistant coaches includes Alex Velardi, Keith Wolkovitz, Mike Ricciardelli, Ralph Inorio, Kevin Mozealous, Nick D’Angelo, Steve Narracci, Matt Manemeit, and Sebastian DeRubeis. Tom Grillo is the team manager.

North Haven finished with a record of 8-2 in the regular season this year. The Nighthawks earned victories against Simsbury (49-0), Shelton (18-10), Harding (55-0), Xavier (29-7), Cheshire (10-0), Hand (35-14), and Amity (55-14) to go with losses to Notre Dame-West Haven (14-7) and Fairfield Prep (17-13).

No. 5 seed North Haven began the Class MM State Playoffs by claiming a 50-0 road victory over No. 4 seed Thames River in the quarterfinals. The Nighthawks went on to notch a 14-7 home win versus No. 8 seed Wilton in the semifinals.