The North Haven football team had already set the bar sky high based in its recent run of successful seasons, but this past fall, the Indians soared over that bar by putting together one of the finest years any squad at the school has ever seen.

North Haven’s lengthy list of milestones from 2015 could probably stretch from one end zone to the other at Vanacore Field. For starters, the Indians recorded the second unbeaten regular season in program history by going 10-0—a run which included a 42-21 triumph against Notre Dame-West Haven, a 49-17 rout of Fairfield Prep, plus a 62-29 victory versus Foran that clinched a seventh-consecutive SCC Division II East championship.

By virtue of its unblemished record, Anthony Sagnella’s squad earned the top seed in the Class L State Playoffs, as well as the right to host the program’s first home postseason game, which North Haven won 48-13 over Middletown. The Indians then upended Wethersfield 21-14 in the semifinals at Vanacore, thus solidifying another major milestone with their first trip to a state championship game.

Upon hitting the gridiron for the Class L final, North Haven shined in the spotlight by giving New Canaan everything it could handle in a 42-35 loss that featured the Indians rallying from two-touchdown, second-half deficit to tie the game. Even in defeat, North Haven’s performance was so impressive that the team moved up three spots in both The New Day of New London Top 10 State Coaches Poll, plus the New Haven Register/GameTimeCT.com State Top 10 Football Poll to finish third in both.

The ultimate result of the Indians’ efforts was a 12-1 record and a coach who expressed a plethora of positive sentiments regarding what they achieved.

“Obviously, I’m very proud of them for all their team and personal accomplishments. They knew the bar was set high based on the way they finished the last two years and they wanted to take this thing a little further. They knew there was some pressure on them to get there and they certainly turned over every stone and did everything in their power to put themselves in a position to be successful,” Coach Sagnella said. “It was gratifying to see them set goals, work toward those goals, stay with those goals even when things got difficult, and get measured and tested on the biggest stage against the best opponent. I asked the kids to leave everything they had in West Haven that day. They did and I’m not surprised. We ran out of time, but we certainly didn’t run out of courage.”

Of course, there were numerous factors that contributed to North Haven’s exceptional season. According to Sagnella, one of the biggest was the leadership of senior class whose playmaking ability on the field was complemented by smart decision making off of it.

“They were all in and that sets the tone. We didn’t have any baggage on or off the field. There was no tension in the locker room, the kids didn’t get in trouble, so there were never any distractions or loss of energy or focus because everybody was in it together,” Sagnella said. “They’re outstanding people, as well as outstanding football players. They just had the right chemistry as a group and that, combined with their talent and willingness to prepare themselves for the struggle of the season, just made it a remarkable year and one that I’ll never forget.”

North Haven’s senior class was spearheaded by its two captains in Mike Montano and David Mikos, each of whom collected a host of honors at season’s end. Montano—who played quarterback, safety, and punted—ran for 1,892 yards and 29 touchdowns, threw for 482 yards and seven scores, caught seven passes for 204 yards and three TDs, and also picked off five passes, one which he returned for a touchdown. These numbers include Montano’s 171-yard, three-TD performance on the ground in the state title game. As a result, Montano came away every with seemingly every distinction imaginable by winning North Haven’s Most Valuable Player Award, the SCC Division II Player of the Year Award, Register All-Area MVP honors, a spot on the Register’s All-State Team, and First Team All-State from the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA). Montano was also named the WELI/ESPNradio1300 Player of the Year, made the Levi Jackson All-Star Team, and also sealed spots on both the Walter Camp Foundation All-Connecticut Team, plus The USA Today All-USA Connecticut First Team for his performance on the offensive side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Mikos sure didn’t come away empty-handed as the blocking back/linebacker obtained several accolades for his work at the LB spot. Mikos—who led the state in tackles with 175 that included 74 solo and also had four forced fumbles—made the All-SCC DII Team, the Levi Jackson Team, Register All-Area, and earned First Team All-State from the CHSCA.

Additionally, senior Jeremy Imperati grabbed 16 receptions for 446 yards and seven touchdowns at tight end to go with a rushing TD, plus 61 tackles and four sacks on the defensive line. Imperati made the squads for All-SCC DII, Class L All-State from the CHSCA, Register All-Area, Levi Jackson (from which he also received the Floyd Little Scholarship), and Walter Camp, in addition to earning Second Team on the USA Today Team.

A few other Indians’ seniors were presented with some prestigious honors. Two-way lineman Mike Masnato, who had 39 tackles, was an All-SCC DII and Register All-Area selection on defense. Conner Suraci, who ran for 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns and added a receiving TD, made All-SCC DII and the Levi Jackson Team as a linebacker with 88 tackles. Offensive lineman/linebacker Rob Ralston (45 tackles) made Levi Jackson on defense and won North Haven’s Sportsmanship Award. Two-way lineman Patrick Casey (50 tackles) played his way to a spot on the All-SCC DII Team on offense. Kicker Sabrina Fronte also garnered All-SCC DII honors by converting 77 of her 83 extra point attempts, while going 3-for-3 on field goals. Running back/linebacker Nick Campanelli (3 interceptions, 5 recovered fumbles) was the Indians’ Most Improved Player, offensive lineman/linebacker Shane O’Connor (57 tackles) was the squad’s Scholar Athlete, and two-way lineman Anthony Valentino (26 tackles) was presented with the John Liquori Memorial Scholarship.

The rest of North Haven’s senior class consisted of running back/defensive back Nick Ponzio, who had 528 rushing yards with seven scores and caught 12 passes for 270 yards and five TDs that included two in the state final; along with Paul Brockamer, who had 91 tackles and six sacks; plus fellow running back/linebacker Patrick McKenna; tight end/linebacker Ian Chapelle-Conklin; and two-way linemen Matteo Ciroli, Mike Sgambato, and Kevin Arnold.

The Indians also saw one junior athlete earn three prized distinctions as running back/defensive back Tom Dodge made the All-SCC DII Team, Register All-Area, and Class L All-State from the CHSCA on defense. Dodge finished the year with 29 tackles, two interceptions, and three TDs. Other key contributors from the junior class were quarterback/tight end/linebacker Jack Steinman (653 passing yards, 11 touchdowns), tight end/linebacker Kyle Melillo (54 tackles), and running back/defensive back/kicker Max Sullivan (59 tackles, 3 interceptions).

On top of all this, Sagnella, who earned his 100th victory with the Indians when the team beat Sheehan 48-0, was named the Register’s All-Area Coach of the Year, the CIAC Coach of the Year, and is also a finalist for the Walter Camp Coach of the Year.

Sagnella was in his 19th year as North Haven’s head coach and was assisted by Ray Ciarleglio (quarterbacks/safeties/JV coach), Alex Velardi (defensive coordinator), Keith Wolkovitz (special teams coordinator/tight ends coach), Marc Russo (freshman coach), and Brian Woodford (strength and conditioning coordinator/quality control coach); and Mike Ricciardelli (running backs/cornerbacks); along with volunteers Anthony Giammattei (blocking backs/outside linebackers), Tom Reid (centers/nose guards), Rob Pethick, Sr. (game films), Danny Halloran (game films), Steve Narracci (scout team coordinator/assistant to the head coach), Mike Proto (academic advisor/associate head coach), Chris Grillo (technical video coordinator), Mark Zurlis (freshman assistant), Pete Harkins (assistant to the defensive coordinator), and Deron Bayer (coordinator of scouting).

Sadly, what was such an enjoyable season for the Indians saw a tragic turn toward the end of it when Pethick passed away at age 55 on Dec. 9—just three days before North Haven played in the state final. Both Pethick and his son Rob, Jr., competed for North Haven’s football. Sagnella said he appreciates how much Pethick contributed to his program on a volunteer basis through his filming of the games and beyond.

“Rob always said he was happy to help in any way he could and that we shouldn’t hesitate to call him if we needed anything. He was good like that. He’d take out his checkbook and write a check if something had to be purchased for the program,” Sagnella said. “Rob did an excellent job of filming and was conscientious of how the films came out. He’d sometimes come in to go over it with me and see if there were any improvements he could make, whether it was the right angle or zoomed in enough. How do you beat that? Here’s a guy filming high school football and he wants to make sure it’s what I want. That’s really special. I am going to miss him. Rob was just a good guy, a good family guy, and it was a devastating loss to the community, especially the football community.”

From the Sidelines

North Haven’s complete schedule featured victories against Law (56-28), Sheehan (48-0), Notre Dame-West Haven (42-21), East Haven (47-0), Branford (49-7), Fairfield Prep (49-14), Hillhouse (45-12), Lyman Hall (48-7), Foran (62-29), Amity (62-30 in the regular season finale on Thanksgiving), Middletown (48-13 in the quarterfinals of the Class L State Playoffs), and Wethersfield (21-14 in the Class L semis) prior to the loss against New Canaan (42-35) in the Class L final. All totaled, the Indians scored 612 points and allowed 217 for the season.

The victory versus Amity marked North Haven’s seventh-straight in the Thanksgiving series and also clinched its third-consecutive spot in the postseason and sixth since 2007.

The wins against Middletown and Wethersfield were the Indians’ second and third postseason triumphs, respectively, in program history.

For the season, North Haven ran the ball 502 times for 4,873 yards at an average of 9.71 yards per carry with 62 touchdowns. The team also recorded 1,204 yards and 18 TDs on 53 completions in the passing game. The Indians additionally found the end zone on seven other occasions for a grand total of 87 touchdowns on the campaign.