The Hand football team featured a collection of athletes who stayed focused every day, remained humble, and staved off any instances of adversity throughout the 2017 season. As a result, the Tigers captured their 12th state title in program history by winning the Class L championship in their first year with Dave Mastroianni as head coach.

Hand finished with a record of 12-1 and claimed the crown by defeating Masuk 35-21 in the Class L State Playoffs final at Trumbull High School on Dec. 11—a victory that marked the Tigers’ first state title since 2012. Coach Mastroianni said the high-caliber level that his team played at, especially during the playoffs, was a reflection of the way his athletes approach both football and life.

“Everything we did was a result of the high character of our guys. Anyone with character will work hard and do their best to not let their brothers down,” said Mastroianni, whose team defeated North Haven (35-13) and Windsor (31-6) in the first two rounds of the playoffs. “They wanted to be the ones to be counted on. They wanted to get better and they did. When they got to work, they enjoyed being around each other. We crushed teams in the playoffs, and that was a result of how seriously the guys took their tasks.”

The Tigers were led by a 14-man senior class that included its three captains in running back/linebacker Brian Casagrande, who will play for Trinity College; along with offensive tackle/defensive end Kevin Hughes and wide receiver/linebacker Connor Castaldo. Mastroianni said that each captain went above the call of duty while guiding Hand to its championship glory and served as prime examples of what it means to play with Tiger pride.

“Kevin doesn’t take himself too seriously, but the kids listened to him. He showed up every day having fun and made sure everyone around him was having fun. He was a great people person,” Mastroianni said. “Connor came to work every day and was a lunch-pail-type of kid. He was vocal when he needed to be and...worked hard at his craft. Brian had all of the awards this year because of who he is. I couldn’t be more fortunate to come into a program as head coach with these guys. All 14 of our seniors were guys you want representing your program.”

While winning the Class L title was certainly the Tigers’ top accomplishment, they had many pivotal moments along the way that showed how they could withstand the pressure of the biggest moments.

“Three big games for us this year were the first win against Hillhouse, the loss to Shelton, and the win against Cheshire. The first win validated things for the program. We needed to see success there and we did,” said Mastroianni. “We should’ve beaten Shelton, but it fueled us a lot, because it made us realize what we could do when we are at our best. Going in, if we had beaten Cheshire, then we were likely in the playoffs. Also beating North Haven the way we did at home in the playoffs was huge.”

Making the All-SCC Tier 2 Team for Hand were sophomore Ben Corniello on the offensive line, Casagrande (123 tackles, 9.5 tackles per game, 2 interceptions) and senior Ryan Coady (68 tackles, 5 tackles a game) at linebacker, plus defensive backs juniors Ian Butler and Macken McDonald. Butler set the single-season school record for interceptions in a season with nine. Casagrande made the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State Top 25, while Butler and Coady made CHSCA All-State Class L Team. Casagrande also earned a spot on the Walter Camp All-Connecticut First Team at linebacker with Butler making the Second Team as a defensive back. Casagrande was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and Mastroianni was named SCC Tier 2 Coach of the Year. Mike Ciotti was also honored as the CHSCA Assistant Coach of the Year. Casagrande, Coady, and Butler each made the squad the New Haven Register’s All-State Team.

On offense, the Tigers were led by sophomore quarterback Phoenix Billings (1,729 passing yards, 22 TDs; 664 rushing yards, 10 rushing TDs), senior running back Delvantae Hutton (907 yards on the ground, 5.7 yards per carry, 7 TDs), junior receiver Chris Bartosic (38 catches, 570 yards, 6 TDs), and senior wideout Mike Tarantino (378 receiving yards, 5 TDs).

Hand now begins its road toward the repeat in 2018. Despite losing many pivotal players, the Tigers will also return several key components who are already working hard to prepare for the next edition of Friday Night Lights in Madison.

“With the team we have coming back, we should be alright where we are. One thing that went un-talked about was the fact that we had three sophomores in our backfield at quarterback, running back, and fullback in the playoff. So we have some good skill players coming back,” Mastroianni said. “We have a lot of the kids in the weight room already. Hopefully, we stay healthy and have a great eight months of preparation. We started something called the Leadership Council, which is half made up of seniors and the other half from other classes. They have taken ownership of the team, and they will really help us make sure this year wasn’t a flash in the pan.”

From the Sidelines

The Hand football team’s 2017 Class L state champion roster was comprised of senior captains Brian Casagrande, Connor Castaldo, and Kevin Hughes; fellow seniors Michael Tarantino, Chris Iannuzzi, Delvantae Hutton, Ryan Coady, Will Reiner, Matthew Maxwell, Steven Kao, Nick Woods, Tristen Dougherty, Luke Weber, Kyle Stolpe, and Joe Thomas; juniors James Vagell, Chris Bartosic, Tom Ferrick, Julian Banerji, Will Cosgriff, Kevin Girardi, Brian Flanagan, Brett Leckey, Jared Puricelli, Ian Butler, John Flanagan, Matthew Derken, Macken McDonald, and Ken Kaminsky; sophomores Isaiah McNeilly, Phoenix Billings, Joshua Dwyer, Jesse Lutz, Kade Doverspike, Shane Reiner, Austin Doyle, Trey Palumbo, Sean Scully, Drew Anderson, Lukas Wagner, Jack Hughes, Joe Sandora, Connor D’Aniello, Ben Corniello, Brandon Busca, Colin McCabe, Tyler Tarantino, Ethan Haberman, and Liam Regan; and freshman Tom Bambrick.

Tigers’ Head Coach Dave Mastroianni was assisted by Mike Ciotti, Mike Davis, Dan Ives, Jack Callaghan, Don Giles, Paul Philpott, Tom Kleine, Rich Bello, and John Sagnelli.

In the regular season, Hand finished 9-1 overall with a record of 5-0 in SCC Tier 2. The Tigers defeated Hillhouse (34-16), Hamden (28-7), Harding (37-6), Foran (40-7), Bunnell (34-6), Law (38-7), Cheshire (20-12), Cross (34-10), and Guilford (49-7). Their lone loss was a 21-19 defeat versus Shelton. For the Class L State Playoffs, 2nd-seeded Hand defeated No. 7 seed North Haven 35-13 in the quarterfinals, routed No. 3 Windsor 31-6 for the semifinals, and then posted a 35-21 win versus No. 5 seed Masuk.