The North Haven boys’ lacrosse team has certainly had its mental and physical fortitudes put to the test. Yet the Nighthawks passed with flying colors, overcoming a late season swoon to make a return trek to the postseason and keep the path of success moving.

North Haven was cruising through the regular season to the tune of an 8-3 mark prior to enduring some adversity in the form of a late-campaign three-game losing skid. Yet the Nighthawks showed their resolve and closed the schedule on a winning note with a 10-3 triumph over Waterford on May 16. North Haven finished the regular season with an overall mark of 9-7 and cemented a second-straight playoff berth.

Head Coach Justin Blood, though ecstatic about returning to the states draw, took a step back and looked at the bigger picture of the culture that is growing within the town. Not only do the coaches feel privileged to guide tremendous young men, but they also see a great enthusiasm with the game in the community.

“Over the last three years at the helm of this program, I cannot speak highly enough of the tremendous leaps and bounds we have made as a program,” said Blood. “We are now on our second year in a row making the CIAC playoffs, and the sport of lacrosse is growing immensely in our town. The student-athletes have bought into the winning culture we strive to have here at North Haven. I could not be more proud of the group of young men I have the privilege to coach. Student-athletes may think they are the lucky ones to be able to play a sport, but coaches are truly the lucky ones being able to mold the youth of our country into kind and respectful people. I expect tremendous growth for the program over the next five years.”

Midfielders in senior Alex Gaetano and junior Christian Mongillo have served admirably this spring as senior captains for the Nighthawks, along with junior defender Tyler DiMauro. Through the regular season, Gaetano has collected 32 goals and 14 assists. Mongillo has added 32 points on 24 goals and eight helpers, and DiMauro has dug up 22 ground balls for the regular campaign on defense.

Juniors Ben Pizzano (53 goals, 22 assists in 16 regular season contests) and Jack Marro (28 goals, 18 assists) have also aided the North Haven offense as part of its attack unit. Also in the midfield with Gaetano and Mongillo are junior midfielders Kevin Parker (11 assists) and Jonah Hammarlund (31 ground balls), and sophomore Christian DeMaio (45 ground balls scooped up) at LSM (long-stick midfielder). Sophomore Lucas Knauft (35 ground balls) has been a strong LSM, plus between the pipes and protecting the net has been goalkeeper Ronan Holt, a sophomore, who has made 172 saves with a 7.4 goals against average.

The road to this recent postseason prominence has certainly not been an easy road to navigate for the Nighthawks. It took full-on commitment of not only the coaches in projecting a message of dedication to the players, but also for those athletes to respond emphatically to it and keep up the effort no matter the hardships.

“The Nighthawks have gone through a significant restructure period the past three years with highs and lows,” said Blood. “As we enter the postseason, our program has never been more excited. The players have bought in, locked in, and are ready for any challenge that will present itself to us. The student-athletes that make up this program, when faced with adversity, rise to the occasion and are looking forward to bringing high energy and focus to each postseason game.”

North Haven will begin the Class M State Tournament with first round action on Wednesday, May 29 against Masuk. The Nighthawks enter the postseason party as the No. 9 seed. Blood proclaimed that the boys of course want to be the last one standing on Sunday, June 9 and hoist that state title plaque. Well beyond that, to keep the train of triumphs moving along for years to come, North Haven will look to strengthen the skill set of its current crop of players while growing the youth pipeline for future campaigns.

“Our ultimate goal is to be playing in the last game of the postseason, the Class M State Championship. We set this goal at the beginning of the year, and with the talent pool that we currently have, it is a realistic goal for us,” Blood said. “The major goals for the offseason will be to improve stick skills in all players. Growing the game of lacrosse in the town of North Haven has also been one of the main goals of our program. In order to have an effective high school program, there needs to be a successful youth program. Teaching the game fundamentals and improving skill sets will be the goal of this offseason.”

The 2024 Nighthawks’ roster is comprised of seniors Saleem Khan, Gaetano, Nicholas Harkins, Jaxson O’Brien, Yaseen Mahmoud, Nicholas Ritchitelli; juniors Pizzano, Matt McDonough, Hammarlund, Mongillo, Marro, Jake Pieper, Noah Holt, DiMauro, Cody Vanacore, Parker; sophomores DeMaio, Cameron Samperi, Andrew Porto, Lucas Knauft, Gavin Knauft, Holt, Justin Katz, Colton Kennealy; plus freshmen Sean Millman, Ryan Longley, Bryan Capuano, Ashton Manacchio, Evan Conlan, Brody Quaranta, Nour Makarem, and Nicholas Ferrie.

Blood is in his third season as head coach. He is assisted on the sidelines this spring by Dan Zullo, Bobby Noonan, Colin Uyeki, Nick Mongillo, and Matt Crisco.

2024 North Haven Nighthawks’ Boys’ Lacrosse Regular Season Results

March 30: North Haven 11, North Branford 4

April 2: Fairfield Prep 16, North Haven 5

April 4: North Haven 13, Cross 0

April 6: Lyman Hall 9, North Haven 7

April 9: North Haven 16, Hamden 7

April 13: Haddam-Killingworth 7, North Haven 6

April 16: North Haven 15, Law 2

April 18: North Haven 18, West Haven 4

April 26: North Haven 11, Lewis Mills 6

April 30: North Haven 16, Branford 3

May 2: North Haven 14, Sheehan 12

May 7: Foran 12, North Haven 9

May 9: Shelton 9, North Haven 8

May 14: Cheshire 18, North Haven 7

May 16: North Haven 10, Waterford 3