Printer Friendly Version - East Haven Football Takes Loss to Ledyard in Opener; Other Teams Begin Fall Season

Sophomore Nick Bilides and the East Haven football team took a 59-30 loss to Ledyard in their first game of the 2022 season. Bilides returned a kickoff 84 yards to the house for a touchdown in the matchup. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

The East Haven football team kicked off the 2022 season by playing a home game versus Ledyard on Sept. 9. The Yellowjackets took a 59-30 defeat versus Ledyard in a non-conference matchup at East Haven High School to start the year at 0-1. East Haven was in the game, trailing Ledyard 30-22 midway through the quarter, before the Colonels pulled way for the victory.

Senior Dom Salato threw for 114 yards and a touchdown to go with a TD on the ground for East Haven in its season opener. Sophomore Rocco D’Amato ran the ball 12 times for 77 yards and a touchdown, while fellow sophomore Alex Dombrowski gained 45 yards on 8 carries for the Yellowjackets.

Salato tossed a 20-yard touchdown to sophomore Dante Rodriguez in the game. D’Amato had 3 catches for 47 yards for the Easties. Sophomore Nick Bilides had an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to go with 2 receptions for 47 yards, 28 rushing yards, and a pair of 2-point conversions.

Senior Mekhi Morrison made 7 tackles, and sophomore Joseph Allen had 6 tackles for East Haven on defense. Senior Jason Toth blocked a field goal for Head Coach Scott Benoit’s squad.

East Haven will face non-conference opponent E.O. Smith on the road in its second game of the season. The game takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16 at E.O. Smith High School.

The East Haven girls’ volleyball squad opened the 2022 fall season with a home match versus Branford on Sept. 8. The Yellowjackets took a 3-0 defeat to the Hornets in the matchup at East Haven High School, losing by the final scores of 25-16, 25-20, 25-11.

Senior Autumn Clancy posted 6 digs to go with 6 aces for East Haven in its match against Branford. Fellow senior Alice Stettinger recorded 7 kills for the Yellowjackets.

Craig Brown is back for another season as head coach of the Easties’ volleyball team. East Haven finished with a record of 4-16 last year.

The East Haven girls’ soccer team began the 2022 season by playing home games against Branford and North Haven last week. The Yellowjackets lost to Branford and then took a narrow defeat against North Haven for a 0-2 start to the year.

East Haven took a 7-0 home loss to Branford in its season opener on Sept. 8. Two days later, the Yellowjackets hosted North Haven and lost the contest by a 1-0 score at East Haven High School.

Jake Hackett returns for another season as head coach of the East Haven girls’ soccer team. Last year, the Yellowjackets finished with an overall record of 6-9-1 while qualifying for the Class L State Tournament.