After posting a respectable record of 6-4 during a rebuilding season last fall, the North Branford football team is expecting to be competitive in 2017. The Thunderbirds started off the year on a positive note by posting a 27-21 victory versus Granby Memorial in their season opener at Colafati Field on Sept. 8. Nick Mancini scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard run that broke a 21-21 tie in the fourth quarter.

“It’s what we had hoped for. We think we’re capable of getting our share of wins this year, but we have a lot of questions we still need to answer,” Head Coach Mark Basil said. “We have good size up front, but are they athletic? Can they move? Can we bunch teams up inside? We’re trying to figure that out. To get the first win at home is what we need.”

North Branford’s numbers aren’t what they usually are as the T-Birds have about 40 guys on their varsity roster. On the plus side, Coach Basil said he has some game-breakers who he will be relying upon to make big plays this season.

“Our playmakers are Nick Mancini, Sydney Franklin, and Charles Walcott. Those guys are our big playmakers, but we have a few young guys that will contribute, as well,” said Basil. “We’ve got a kid, Lou Raffone, who is a junior and has a lot of speed. He played a significant amount last year and had some big runs. We also have younger guys like freshman Tyler Dinapoli and Alex Clinton who will get some quality looks.”

North Branford’s captains for this season are seniors Jason Ryszczyk, Sydney Franklin, and Jeff Jablonski, along with Mancini and Colby Anastasio, who are juniors. Coach Basil is expecting for Mancini to be all over the field for the T-Birds this season.

“He’s everywhere. We moved him inside this year from outside linebacker. He’ll be a force,” Basil said. “We’ve got another young kid, Xavior Cagnata, playing next to him. He played a lot last year as a freshman and will be even better this year.”

Jablonski lined up as North Branford’s starting quarterback in the Granby game, but freshman Brandon Fratta saw some time under center, as well. Basil isn’t sure if that scenario will play out all season, but he likes the fact that he has options at the QB position.

“Jeff will do a lot of stuff for us, but we have some talented guys that we can run [the Wildcat formation] with. Brandon is a young kid, capable of getting the ball out quickly to the perimeter,” Coach Basil said. “Our skill players give us that versatility to run quick hits to the perimeter. We can do that, but a lot has to come through what we do with our quarterback, and how quickly we get the ball outside.”

North Branford gained 405 yards of total offense, while holding Granby to just 172 yards in its season-opening victory. The T-Birds saw three different people throw touchdown passes in the win. Jablonski hit Dinapoli on a 9-yard score in the first quarter, Walcott connected with Franklin on a 52-yard shovel pass for a touchdown in the third, and then Fratta connected with Clinton on a 9-yard score in the fourth. Jarrett Cocapardo’s extra point tied the game at 21, after which Mancini gave the T-Birds the lead for good with his 3-yard score.

Jablonski went 10-of-13 passing for 68 yards with a touchdown, while Fratta finished 6-of-7 for 48 yards and a score. Mancini rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries, and Walcott added 39 yards on the ground to go with nine receptions for 74 yards. Defensively, Mancini led the T-Birds with 11 tackles, plus Nick Denegre and Stathi Gianniotis both recorded a sack.

North Branford’s next game is against Cromwell-Portland at Pierson Park in Cromwell at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15. Coach Basil knows that the T-Birds are facing a difficult schedule this season, but he believes that his squad is ready to tackle that challenge.

“There are a lot of pretty good teams out there this year. I think we’re going to be competitive,” he said. “I think the core guys we have are going to be able to build a solid base, go out there, and play well.”