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09/13/2022 12:28 PMFootball
The Hand football team kicked off the season by hosting East Lyme for a Friday night matchup under the lights at the Surf Club on Sept. 9. The Tigers recorded a 45-0 shutout versus the Vikings in the non-conference contest to open the year with a record of 1-0.
Hand held a 21-0 over East Lyme after the first quarter and was up 28-0 at halftime. The Tigers added pair of touchdowns during the third quarter and pulled away for the 45-point victory.
Senior quarterback Will Kleine went 12-for-18 passing with 158 yards to go with 3 carries for 61 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns to lead Hand to its dominant win over East Lyme. Junior Aidan Dolan carried the ball 3 times for 61 yards and 3 TDs for the Tigers. Senior Ryan Milliard had 6 rushes for 61 yards, while sophomore Tyler Narracci ran 5 times for 33 yards and a score.
Junior Owen Preskar had 6 receptions for 65 yards on the night. Senior Sam Sisk had 4 catches for 40 yards, senior Nick Lombardi caught a 41-yard pass, and junior Gavin Wagner grabbed a 37-yard reception for Head Coach Erik Becker’s squad.
Sophomore Jack Healy kicked a 43-yard field goal in the victory. Healy also converted all 6 of his extra-point attempts.
Narracci and fellow sophomore Quinton O’Dea both had an interception on defense for Hand in the win. Sophomore Owen Donahey recorded 1 sack, while junior Bryce Malary and freshman Tim O’Malley both posted 0.5 sacks.
Senior John Hayden had 8 tackles for the Tigers. Senior Wesley Selmani and Dolan both had 6 tackles, and junior Will Patla made 5 tackles in the game.
Hand returns to the field to play a road game against fellow SCC Tier 1 opponent Shelton on Friday, Sept. 16. The game gets underway at 7 p.m. at Shelton High School.
Boys’ Cross Country
The Hand boys’ cross country team started its season by sweeping a quad-meet at the Supply Pond in Branford on Sept. 8. The Tigers finished with a team score of 23 points to claim victories against Branford (45), Notre Dame-West Haven (58), and Amity (111) for a 3-0 start to the year.
Senior Nick Montana took first place for Hand by clocking in with a time of 14:53. Senior Harrison Grenier finished in second place (14:54), and junior Jacob Merenda came in fifth place (15:48) for the Tigers.
Tim Geary returns for another year as Hand’s head coach. The Tigers finished in second place at both the SCC Championship and the Class MM State Championship last season.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Hand girls’ cross country squad took on three teams when it participated in a season-opening quad-meet in Branford last week. The Tigers finished with a team score of 82 points to notch a win over Branford (93) while also taking defeats versus Sacred Heart Academy (30) and Amity at the Supply Pond on Sept. 8.
Freshman Annecy Vlieks claimed first place in the race for Hand at the meet. Vlieks crossed the finish line with a time of 16:57 on her way to earning top honors on behalf of the Tigers.
Girls’ Soccer
The Hand girls’ soccer team hit the pitch to face Guilford in its season opener at the Surf Club last weekend. On Sept. 10, Hand hosted Guilford and battled the Grizzlies to a 2-2 tie in the matchup.
Hand is coming off of a season that saw the Tigers record an overall mark of 11-5-3. Head Coach Rob McConville’s squad won its first two games in the Class L State Tournament to make it to the quarterfinal round.
Boys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer team squared off against Guilford for its first game of the year on Sept. 10. The Tigers took a 1-0 defeat versus the Grizzlies at the Surf Club on Sept. 10 to open the year with a record of 0-1.
Neil Phillips is back for his second season as Hand’s head coach this year. The Tigers went 13-2-3 overall and advanced to the second round of the Class L State Tournament in 2021.
Field Hockey
The Hand field hockey squad hosted Darien for its opening matchup of the season last week. The Tigers took a 5-0 loss to the Blue Wave in the non-conference contest on Sept. 10.
Sue Leckey returns for another season as head coach of the Hand field hockey team. Last year, Hand finished with an overall record of 9-8-1-1 and made it to the quarterfinal round of the Class M State Tournament.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Hand girls’ volleyball team played a pair of home games during the first week of the 2022 season. The Tigers took a defeat against Amity and then lost to Greenwich to start the year with a record of 0-2.
Hand took a 3-0 home loss to Amity in its first match of the season on Sept. 8. Two days later, the Tigers hosted Greenwich and lost the contest by a 3-0 score at Daniel Hand High School.
Hand is coming off of a season that saw the team finished with an overall record of 18-7 on its way to reaching the SCC semifinals and the second round of states. The head coach of the Tigers is Ally Vissat.