The 2017 season wasn’t the easiest one for the Branford football team, but it was one the Hornets finished by earning a lopsided win against their biggest rival: the East Haven Yellowjackets. Branford hosted East Haven in the 76th annual Thanksgiving Day meeting between the teams, and Head Coach John Limone’s squad claimed victory in the Beehive Bowl by shutting out the Yellowjackets 37-0 on Nov. 23. The Hornets, who had lost to East Haven in three of the past four seasons, increased their all-time lead in the series to 39-33-4.

Sophomore quarterback Sean Kelly threw two touchdown passes and also rushed for a couple of TDs in the victory. The Hornets scored two TDs in the first quarter and another in the second to hold a 21-0 halftime advantage on their way to blanking East Haven. Sophomore Aiden MacNeil added two touchdowns, while senior captain Danny Thomas also found the end zone for Branford, which finished the year with an overall record of 3-7 to go with a mark of 3-3 in SCC Tier 3 after defeating divisional foe East Haven. The Yellowjackets went 1-9 overall and 1-6 in the tier on the year.

“I’m a Branford guy, so it’s a huge win on Thanksgiving, regardless of records, to be able to beat those guys,” said Head Coach John Limone, a Hornets’ football alum. “It’s been going on for a really long time, and this is the game that every kid remembers their senior year, so it’s a big deal to get out of there with a win. It’s not like any other game. To win on Thanksgiving and just be able to hang out on the field with their family and smile, that’s a huge deal for the seniors, and I’m just really happy for those kids.”

On Branford’s first drive of the game, Kelly launched a 42-yard pass to Thomas for a touchdown with 5:22 to play in the opening frame. Senior Teddy Gionteris kicked the extra point, and the Hornets were out to a 7-0 lead. Branford had a short field on its next series after Thomas returned a punt to the Yellowjackets’ 24-yard line. It didn’t take long for Kelly to get Branford in the end zone again as his 6-yard TD run made it 14-0 with 2:42 remaining in the period.

With 4:48 to in the first half, Kelly connected with MacNeil for a 24-yard scoring strike, after which Gionteris’s extra point staked the Hornets to a 21-0 halftime advantage.

In the third quarter, Gionteris booted a 28-yard field goal through the uprights to extend Branford’s lead to 24-0 with 6:28 to play in the frame. Just a few minutes later, MacNeil intercepted East Haven’s sophomore quarterback Tanner Divito and returned it 35 yards to the house to give Branford a 30-0 command through three.

Kelly scored the final TD of the game by running one in from 13 yards out with 9:37 left in the contest. Gionteris kicked his fourth extra point to put the cherry on top of the Hornets’ 37-0 victory. Kelly went 8-for-15 passing with 155 yards and the two touchdowns to go with 17 carries for 91 yards and a pair of TDs on the ground.

“We had absolutely outstanding play from our quarterback. Sean made really good decisions in the passing game for the most part, which was never more apparent than when he threw the touchdown to Aiden. He was able to see that they had double coverage on Danny, and I don’t think we even threw that route to Aiden one time in practice,” Coach Limone said of Kelly. “So it showed his maturity over the year for him to have a big game like that with what they did to take way our best offensive threat. They were rolling over the top of Danny all day, so for Sean to make the plays he did with them forcing his hand showed great improvement.”

Thomas grabbed four receptions for 71 yards and a TD, while MacNeil had three catches for 70 yards and a receiving touchdown to complement his pick-6. Senior Zach Cash picked up 32 yards on eight rushes to aid the Hornets’ offense.

Junior Rob Lionetti had an interception for the Hornets, as well as a pair of pass deflections. Senior Chico Greene recorded a sack and combined with senior Dalton Carden on another sack for Branford, which also saw Cash notch a sack. Greene had 11 tackles, including 6.5 for lost yardage. Junior Jackson Seward had 10 tackles, five of which resulted in a loss of yards. Senior Billy Ryder added six tackles with two going for a loss, while fellow senior Parker Landsbach added five tackles in the victory.

“We had two interceptions and just played great run defense. The kids prepared really hard,” Coach Limone said. “As coaches, we didn’t do anything different schematically. We play defense a certain way, and we’ve been doing it since early in the year, when things weren’t going so well. We made a few switches and decided this is what we’re going to do, and we’re going to live with it and let the kids get good at it. They prepared hard, had a great two weeks of practice, and they were ready for whatever would come at us. That really speaks to the kids with how hard they prepared for this game.”

The Hornets finished the 2017 season with back-to-back wins as they had posted a 23-6 victory versus Creed-Career-Whitney prior to facing East Haven. Branford’s other win was a 45-21 triumph against a Law team that wound up qualifying for the Class M State Playoffs.

“To end it with two wins in a row was a big deal for these guys,” said Limone. “We didn’t have the best of seasons, and it was hard, physical, and emotional for everyone involved. But for them to get out with a win and end on a high note was huge, and I think they’re really excited that, over the last two games, we were able to get the program going in that direction.”

Branford had two players named to the All-SCC Tier 3 Team this season. Thomas made the team as a wide receiver, while Seward made it at linebacker.