This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/29/2013 11:00 PMFor the fourth time since 2007, the North Haven football squad has earned a ticket into the postseason. That’s because the Indians won their Thanksgiving game against Amity for the fifth straight year and then got some help elsewhere to seal their spot in the Class L State Playoffs.
First, Anthony Sagnella’s squad easily took care of business in Woodbridge on Nov. 28, defeating the Spartans 41-14 in the 18th edition of the Turkey Day rivalry. The win finalized North Haven’s regular season record at 9-2 and gave the Indians a chance at the dance if some other outcomes went their way. One of the most crucial outcomes was Naugatuck’s game against Ansonia. Naugatuck entered Thanksgiving with a record of 9-1, yet took a 66-28 loss that dropped it out of the top eight in the Class L rankings. North Haven also picked up some valuable points when Bridgeport Central—a team it had beaten during the season—defeated Harding 28-20. Consequently, the Indians, who began the day on the outside looking in, not only moved into postseason bracket, they also gained the No. 7 seed ahead of Hand (8-3) by gaining more points when Hillhouse (another team North Haven had defeated) edged Cross 21-19.
The Indians opened postseason play at No. 2 seed Platt (11-0) on Dec. 3 and, with a win, would face the victor of No. 3 New Canaan and No. 6 Farmington in the semifinals at a neutral site at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7. The championship is at Arute Field at Central Connecticut on either Friday, Dec. 13 or Saturday, Dec. 14. Along with Hand, the other teams on the opposite side of the bracket are No. 1 Darien, No. 4 Middletown, and No. 5 New London.
“We heard we were in on our bus ride home and the kids were all smiles and cheering with a bounce in their step. Making the playoffs is what they hoped for,” Coach Sagnella said. “I am extremely proud of our kids. They had the courage to set high goals and work toward them and I’m elated that they’ve earned the right to play in the postseason. It’s gratifying as a coach to be around kids who truly represent what it means to be a team.”
A key member of the Indians is senior captain running back/linebacker Ethan Suraci, who ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Suraci—who was named Offensive Player of the Game—discussed the tidal wave of emotions that enveloped North Haven on Thanksgiving.
“It went from the worst situation to the best,” said Suraci, who has rushed for 21 TDs and over 1,000 yards this season. “We were getting constant updates during the game and nothing was going our way, but about halfway through our bus ride home, we heard that Bridgeport Central won and that Hillhouse won and we all went from feeling gloomy to feeling ecstatic.”
In terms of the game, North Haven had no problem in dispatching of Amity (5-6) and cutting the Spartans’ all-time lead in the series to 9-8-1. After forcing Amity to punt on the game’s first series, the Indians got on the board when junior Cole Pecora ran 22 yards for a touchdown on 4th-down-and-7 for a 6-0 lead. On North Haven’s next possession, the team embarked on a 38-yard drive that culminated with sophomore Mike Montano’s 10-yard TD rush. The two-point conversion run was unsuccessful and the Indians led 12-0 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, senior quarterback Mike Halloran found senior captain Patrick Mikos for a 20-yard pass that set up sophomore Mike Montano’s 18-yard scoring rush which was followed by Halloran’s two-point conversion pass to Suraci. Amity then scored on a short TD run to make it 20-7 at halftime.
The second half was all North Haven as an interception by senior Chris Brockett put the Indians in good position to score again, which they did when Suraci ran in from five yards out to make it 28-7 after Pecora’s two-point run. Suarci added a 10-yard TD in the fourth quarter and then junior Tom Gallagher put a bow on the victory with a 7-yard touchdown rush, after which sophomore Sabrina Fronte kicked the extra point.
All totaled, North Haven rushed for 399 yards in the contest with Suraci’s 121 complemented by 100 yards on 19 carries by Halloran, plus Montano’s 74 yards on 10 rushes and Pecora’s 64 yards on six. Montano also completed an 18-yard pass to Halloran.
On defense, Mikos made 14 tackles, Suraci and senior captain lineman Austin Mahon each had 12 tackles with Mahon also notching two sacks, senior cornerback Freddy Sanchez and senior captain lineman Mike Siwek both had 10 tackles with Siwek earning a sack, linebacker Halloran had two sacks, junior lineman Zach Kastenhuber had a sack to give him 12 on the season, and senior safety Evan Manemeit made three pass deflections for North Haven.
“We dominated the line of scrimmage,” said Mikos, who was selected as Defensive Player of the Game. “This season goes back to summer workouts at 6 a.m. and it’s unbelievable to see that all of our hard work has paid off.”