Printer Friendly Version - Hand Football Looks to Shake Adversity and Get Back to Playoffs

Senior captain quarterback Nick Van Dell returns behind center following a season that saw him throw for 10 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards for Hand football, which looks to get back to the postseason after being denied a bid last fall.

For the second-straight year, Hand football will have to battle through injuries entering the 2015 campaign. However, just like on the previous occasion, the Tigers have the competitive heart, will, and demeanor to overcome their ailments.

Coming off a 5-6 season in which it missed the playoffs for the first time in five years, Hand and Head Coach Steve Filippone will have to go several weeks without one of their senior captains in tailback/outside linebacker/punter/placekicker Reid Sweitzer, who dislocated a shoulder during a scrimmage against Ledyard. While Sweitzer’s absence is a blow, Filippone and the Tigers are in no mood for excuses as they feature roster full of athletes with the talent to carry Hand back to postseason.

“Reid can and does do everything for us and is a special type of kid. We aren’t closing the door on any possibilities here. We have the seeds of a promising team. It’s just a matter of how those seeds develop. We have the makings of a great team with kids that have good spirits. It’s the next guy up in high school football. You take what you have and make the best team you can and that’s why it’s the most profound coaching job at any level,” said Filippone, who enters his 27th campaign at the helm. “The bottom line is that we built our hopes last year around Tommy [Wilson, a then-senior who missed the whole year with an ankle injury] and we may have to again with Reid, but we have great kids and expect good things out of our captains.”

The remaining senior captains include quarterback and three-year starter Nick Van Dell (who threw for 2,043 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2014), alongside tight end/outside linebacker Mark Hill (33 catches, 475 yards), and wide receiver/free safety Ryan Kaufmann (85 tackles).

“Nick has been out of the last few practices with a non-severe ankle injury, yet he had a great scrimmage versus Ledyard with six touchdowns. He is a capable guy that just does what he does out on the field and sets the tone,” Filippone said. “Mark is one of those lead-by-example type guys. He’s not really vocal, but a solid player. Ryan is one of, if not the most, overall talented guy on our team. He is a very vocal leader and strong example-type kid.”

Van Dell looks to have some young upstarts to complement him on offense, according to Filippone, with one emerging from the hybrid running back/tight end position in senior Tristan Dowd (4 catches, 58 yards in 3 games played for 2014), as well as a receiving corps that includes Hill, plus juniors Kenny Ciotti, Teg Cosgriff, and Brent Bilcheck.

“Tristan is a shifty kind of guy that is a big, strong kid that can get some short-yardage stuff for us,” said Filippone. “For our receivers, Kenny could emerge as a possession wide receiver for us, as well. Some sort of a combo will emerge between Mark, Kenny, and Brent. [Sophomores] Nate Palumbo and Will Reiner are terrific kids and will be our Reid Sweitzers of the future on defense.”

As the Tigers came up short of their three constant goals last fall, there’s no question they’re ready to make amends while clashing against some of the best programs in the state via the SCC grind. Filippone maintained that if Hand can hold serve with certain adversaries and mix in some magic against others, the Tigers will be right back in the postseason party.

“Our goals are the same as always in having a winning season, winning our division [SCC Division I East with Cross, Cheshire, Notre Dame-West Haven, and West Haven], and be eligible for the playoffs,” said Filippone. “Last year, West Haven was the only team that really beat us. We lost to Fairfield Prep on the last play and to Shelton with 30 seconds left. If we can stay healthy, we can knock off the behemoths. If we win the games that we should be competitive in, then there’s six wins right there. Then if we take two of the remaining four, we have a chance to qualify for the postseason.”

Filippone’s squad will be playing the season with a heavy heart after senior teammate Joe Barber suffered a spinal injury while swimming this summer. The initial diagnosis suggested that Barber could be paralyzed from the neck down. Subsequently, he has undergone two surgeries and is regaining feeling in parts of his upper body—his shoulders and extremities. Coach Filippone said that Barber’s attitude throughout this situation is inspiring for both himself and the Tigers.

“Joe is a tremendous inspiration to me personally and for our team,” Filippone said. “He is going through probably as difficult a time as you could imagine for a young man. He’s sick and looking at the possibility of not being mobile for the rest of his life, which is a very scary thought for a young kid. But he is taking the whole thing like a challenge for him, just like if he was getting ready for a football game. He’s been positive and strong throughout the whole thing and he is an amazing young man. We knew that before and this has demonstrated just how extraordinary he is.”

Completing Filippone’s coaching staff are Mike Ciotti (associate head coach/offensive/defensive lines), Dave Mastroianni (defensive coordinator), Gary Gravina (wide receivers/outside linebackers), Erik Becker (offensive coordinator), Mike Ferraiolo (inside linebackers/quarterbacks), Donald Giles (volunteer assistant lines coach), Rich Bella (volunteer assistant running backs/defensive backs coach), Paul Philpott (volunteer defensive coordinator/consultant), and freshman coach John Sagnelli.