Football

The North Haven football team hit the gridiron to host Shelton for a marquee SCC Tier 1 matchup on Sept. 20. The Nighthawks made a statement by claiming an 18-10 victory against the Gaels at North Haven Middle School, improving their overall record to 3-1 to go along with a mark of 1-1 in SCC Tier 1 this year.

The win marked North Haven’s victory over Shelton since the 1994 season. The Gaels came into the game as the No. 3-ranked team in the state.

Shelton scored the first points of the night on a field goal in the first quarter. The Gaels held a 3-0 lead over the Nighthawks after the opening period.

In the second quarter, senior quarterback Jeffrey Karavas connected with fellow captain Sal DeMaio on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give North Haven the lead. The extra point was blocked, and North Haven was up 6-3 with 9:28 to play until halftime. However, Shelton came back with a touchdown and then hit the extra point to take a 10-6 advantage into the break.

North Haven took the lead for good when Karavas scored on a 4-yard touchdown rush with 6:21 remaining in the third quarter. Shelton blocked the extra point, but the Nighthawks had a 12-10 lead that they maintained heading into the final frame.

Sophomore Adam Pandolfi ran for a 5-yard touchdown that increased North Haven’s lead to 18-10 with 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. North Haven’s subsequent 2-point try was unsuccessful, keeping it a one-score game.

Shelton’s offense had one last chance to go for a game-tying score, but the Nighthawks’ defense kept the Gaels off the board. With Shelton facing a 4th-and-7 inside the Nighthawks’ 15-yard line with just under a minute left to play, Pandolfi and junior Jake McCreven combined to tackle Shelton’s ball carrier and secure the 18-10 victory for North Haven.

North Haven’s offense ran the ball 41 times for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win, led by a pair of 100-plus-yard performances from Karavas and Pandolfi. Karavas ran 21 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, while Pandolfi carried the ball 13 times for 110 yards and a TD. Karavas also completed 4 passes in the game, including the 15-yard strike to DeMaio. Senior Mateo Raiano had 3 carries for 26 yards on the night.

Senior Chayse Mangino and junior Cam Thompson each had a sack for a North Haven defense that held Shelton scoreless in the second half. Thompson and Pandolfi both had 9 tackles for the Nighthawks. Junior Trysten Dos had 7 tackles, senior captain Michael Masto and junior Jake McCreven each made 6 tackles, and junior Nick Harkins had 5 tackles for Head Coach Anthony Sagnella’s squad

North Haven is on a bye week for this week. The Nighthawks will be back on the field to host Harding at North Haven Middle School on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.

Boys’ Cross Country

The North Haven boys’ cross country team was represented by several competitors at last week’s SCC Divisional Championships. The Nighthawks participated in the Housatonic/Oronoque meet, finishing third in the Oronoque and seventh for the overall standings at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Sept. 29.

Junior Nico Boyle clocked in with a time of 16:40.00 on his way to placing second in the Oronoque and finishing third overall in the divisional competition. Sophomore Matthew DeNardis finished 10th in the Oronoque and was 31st overall (18:11.60) for North Haven. Senior Tyler Wurm came in 11th place for the Oronoque and finished 35th overall (18:16.10) at the meet.

Junior Anthony Signor finished 13th in the Oronoque and placed 39th overall (18:53.60) for the Nighthawks. Junior Jack Green (19:31.10) took 15th place in the Oronoque and finished 43rd overall.

Senior Tai Moffat finished 17th for the Oronoque and was 47th overall (19:34.70). Junior Luke Reilly claimed 20th place in the Oronoque and finished in 51st place overall (20.31.10) on behalf of North Haven.

Girls’ Cross Country

The North Haven girls’ cross country team sent four athletes to take part in the SCC Division Championships last week. The Nighthawks competed in the Housatonic/Oronoque meet that was hosted on Sept. 29 at the Guilford Fairgrounds.

Senior Julia Cannon turned in the top showing for the Nighthawks by finishing in fifth place for the Oronoque and 16th overall at the championship. Cannon crossed the finish line with a time of 21:21.60 for North Haven.

Sophomore Amalia Morizio came in eighth place in the Oronoque and was 24th overall (22:22.00) in the divisional meet. Freshman Lily Mineur finished 15th in the Oronoque and was 42nd overall (24:59.00). Sophomore Grace DeNardis finished in 20th place for the Oronoque and placed 50th overall (26:38.00).

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

The North Haven girls’ swimming and diving team hosted Hamden for its lone contest of the week on Sept. 30. The Nighthawks notched a 100-85 victory versus the Green Dragons at Walter Gawrych Community Pool to boost their record to 4-1 on the season.

Senior Mikayla Rapuano finished first in the 100 butterfly (1:02.53) and the 200 freestyle (2:05.31) for North Haven in its win against Hamden. Fellow senior Alice Scalmani claimed fist place in the 200 individual medley (2:21.03) and the 100 breaststroke (1:12.37). Senior Makenzie Alogna took first place in the 100 backstroke (1:10.87) for the Nighthawks.

North Haven’s 200 medley relay of Alogna, Scalmani, Rapuano, and sophomore Giada Garafalo finished in first place (2:03.69) in the victory. The Nighthawks’ 400 freestyle relay of Rapuano, Garafalo, senior Tara Stoeffler, and Scalmani also claimed first place (4:09.56) for Head Coach Ken Pierson’s squad.

North Haven has a home meet versus Mercy on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. The Nighthawks will then host Lauralton Hall at Walter Gawrych Community Pool on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.

Girls’ Volleyball

The North Haven girls’ volleyball team hosted Jonathan Law and Amity for a pair of home matches last week. North Haven claimed a win over Jonathan Law and then took a loss to Amity to put the team’s overall record at 6-3 on the campaign.

On Sept. 28, North Haven welcomed Jonathan Law to Fred Kelly Gymnasium and defeated the Eagles by a 3-1 score. The Nighthawks took the match by the final tally of 25-11, 25-14, 16-25, 28-26.

Senior Sarah Herrera turned in a big performance that saw her dish out 28 assists to go with 4 digs and 2 aces in the victory. Junior Chandler Morris finished the match with 8 kills and 4 blocks for North Haven. Senior Sophie Vauiso had 8 kills and 3 blocks in the win.

Two days later, the Nighthawks hosted Amity and took a 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) defeat to the Spartans. Vauiso posted 5 kills with 1 block for North Haven. Junior Avery Berney had 4 kills and 3 digs for Head Coach Brianna Kleckner’s team.

North Haven will be on the road to face Cheshire on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. The Nighthawks will then play a road match against East Haven at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7.

Boys’ Soccer

The North Haven boys’ soccer team scored its first win of the season when the Nighthawks claimed a 2-1 victory at Coginchaug last week. The Nighthawks went on to take a 4-2 loss Hamden to put their overall record at 1-7 this season.

North Haven ventured to Durham to take on Coginchaug on Sept. 27 and edged out the Blue Devils by a 2-1 score for its first victory in 2022. Then on Oct. 1, the Nighthawks hosted Hamden and took a 4-2 loss to the Green Dragons at North Haven Middle School.

North Haven is playing a home game versus Foran on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. The Nighthawks will then face Cheshire at home on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer

The North Haven girls’ soccer team hit the pitch to play a road game against Hand on Sept. 29. The Nighthawks took a 6-0 loss to the Tigers at the Surf Club to move to 5-4 for the season.

North Haven is hosting West Haven on Friday, Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. Then on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Then on Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Nighthawks will play a home game versus Foran at North Haven Middle School at 6 p.m.

Field Hockey

The North Haven field hockey team played a pair of road games last week and took two defeats to put its record at 4-5 on the year. The Nighthawks took a loss to Sacred Heart Academy and then lost a game against Lauralton Hall in recent action.

On Sept. 27, North Haven faced Sacred Heart Academy on the road and took a 6-1 defeat in the contest. Senior Maddie Bowes scored North Haven’s lone goal of the game

Three days later, the Nighthawks traveled to Milford to face Lauralton Hall and dropped a 5-1 decision versus the Crusaders.

North Haven is playing a home against Cheshire on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The game gets underway at 4 p.m. at North Haven Middle School.