Printer Friendly Version - T-Birds’ Field Hockey Finishes Regular Season at 15-1; Football Team Takes 15-14 Defeat to H-K

Senior Gianna Palma and the North Branford field hockey team recently finished off an excellent regular season that saw the Thunderbirds notch an overall mark of 15-1. Photo by Kenneth Marangell/The Sound

The North Branford field hockey team finished off an excellent regular season by winning two of their three matchups during the final week of play. The Thunderbirds notched an overtime victory versus Branford, posted a win over Haddam-Killingworth, and then took a loss to Stonington to complete the regular season with an overall record of 15-1 this year.

North Branford began last week by earning a 3-2 overtime triumph at Branford on Oct. 17. Branford scored the first goal of the game in the first quarter, but the T-Birds quickly tied it up when junior Téa Ferrucci scored from sophomore Alivia Schmidt. Branford went up again by scoring a goal in the second quarter.

With North Branford trailing 2-1, Ferrucci tied the game by netting her second goal of the day in the fourth quarter. The Thunderbirds went on to win the game when junior Sophia Toto scored a goal during the 7-on-7 overtime period.

Head Coach Babby Nuhn noted the strong defensive play of senior captain Payton Kamienski in the victory. Nuhn added that freshman goalie Madi DeStefano made some spectacular saves for North Branford.

Two days later, the T-Birds were on the road to face Haddam-Killingworth and blanked the Cougars by a 2-0 score to finish the regular season with a record of 10-0 in the Shoreline Conference. Schmidt scored the opening goal on an assist from Toto. Junior Keana Criscuolo scored an unassisted goal later in the game to make it 2-0 in favor of North Branford.

Then on Oct. 22, North Branford took a 1-0 defeat against Stonington in a road game to close out the regular season. Stonington scored the lone goal of the game in the fourth quarter to give the Thunderbirds their first loss of the year.

Coach Nuhn praised senior Gianna Palma for her solid play on defense throughout the season and also said that juniors Morgan Lucibello, Gabi Senerchia, Gianna Gamble, and Lindsey Onofrio have been working tirelessly to prevent opponents from entering the T-Birds’ defensive area. Nuhn added that sophomores Sam Ferraro, Riley Cole, and Joanna Lamot are adding depth to North Branford’s lineup this season.

The North Branford football team hosted Haddam-Killingworth for a Pequot Conference Sassacus Division showdown on Oct. 21. The Thunderbirds took a 15-14 defeat against the Cougars at North Branford High School and are now 2-4 overall with a record of 1-3 in the division this year.

Following a scoreless first quarter, H-K connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. North Branford responded when senior Jack Meehan rushed for a 17-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 7-6, which was the score at halftime.

H-K and North Branford played scoreless ball through the third quarter as the Cougars brought their one-point edge into the fourth. H-K increased its lead to 13-6 on an 8-yard TD pass in the final frame and then converted the 2-point try to make it 15-6.

Senior Mason Provencher found senior Ian Kamienski on a 28-yard touchdown pass for North Branford in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Tommy Hansen ran in the 2-point conversion to bring the T-Birds within 15-14. North Branford recovered the ensuing onside kicks, but the Cougars’ defense stopped the Thunderbirds at the H-K 10-yard line to secure the one-point victory.

Provencher finished the game 14-of-23 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown for North Branford. He also had 5 carries for 55 yards on the ground. Hansen ran the ball 14 times for 117 yards, while Meehan had 5 rushes for 47 yards and a TD.

Kamienski had 6 receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown for the Thunderbirds. Senior Elias Defaranos caught 4 passes for 50 yards.

Junior Luke Blomster recorded 1.5 sacks on defense, while senior Dradon Brindisi and senior Dylan Burwell each had 0.5 sacks. Meehan grabbed an interception for North Branford.

Senior Tyler Serenson made 12 tackles for the Thunderbirds in the game. Brindisi, Defaranos, and junior Braden Burns had 11 tackles apiece. Senior Charlie Johnson and freshman AJ Sigel both made 6 tackles. Meehan and Kamienski both added 5 tackles on the night.

North Branford is playing a road game versus divisional opponent Capital-Achievement at Hartford Public High School on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. Capital-Achievement has an overall record of 3-3 with a mark of 3-2 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division.

The North Branford girls’ cross country team sent three athletes to compete at last week’s Shoreline Conference Championship meet. The conference meet was hosted at Hammonasset State Park in Madison on Oct. 20.

Freshman Emma Preiss turned in North Branford’s top performance at Shorelines by taking 34th place at the meet. Preiss recorded a time of 22:23.9 on her way to finishing in 34th.

Senior Carolyn Heffernan ran a time of 23:10.4 to finish in 38th place for the T-Birds in the Shoreline meet. Fellow senior Sophie Gambardella claimed 58th place by hitting the finish line with a time of 27:14.4.

Freshman Benicio Iamunno represented the North Branford boys’ cross country team when he participated in the Shoreline Conference Championship at Hammonasset State Park on Oct. 20. Iamunno finished in 40th place on behalf of the Thunderbirds at the Shoreline meet. The freshman posted a time of 19:12.0 en route to his 40th-place performance.

The North Branford girls’ volleyball team won one of its three matches last week and is now 5-12 this season. The T-Birds claimed a win versus Old Lyme before taking defeats against Coginchaug and Valley Regional in recent action.

North Branford began last week by earning a 3-0 home victory against Old Lyme on Oct. 17. The T-Birds swept the match by the final tally of 25-20, 25-11, 25-13.

Senior Spencer Carroll recorded 12 kills to go with 4 aces, 3 digs, and 3 assists in the victory. Freshman Lauren Vitarisi dished out 17 assists and also had 5 aces with 2 digs. Sophomore Adriana Hills finished the match with 6 digs and 6 aces, while fellow sophomore Julianna Onofrio had 5 digs and 4 aces for the Thunderbirds.

Junior Nicole Timario posed 6 kills and 2 digs in the win. Senior Adriana Franceschi had 3 kills and 2 digs, while sophomore Olivia Cahill punched up 4 digs for North Branford.

Two days later, the Thunderbirds traveled to Durham to face Coginchaug and lost to the Blue Devils by a 3-2 score. In its last match of week, North Branford faced Valley Regional on the road and took a 3-0 defeat to the Warriors.

North Branford is on the road to face East Haven in its regular-season finale on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 4:45 p.m.

The North Branford/Hale-Ray (NB/H-R) co-op girls’ soccer team lost two games last week and is now 1-12-1 on the season. The T-Birds took defeats versus Morgan and Portland last week.

On Oct. 17, NB/H-R hosted Morgan and took a 3-0 defeat to the Huskies. Two days later, the T-Birds were on the road to face Portland and lost to the Highlanders by a 6-0 score.

The Thunderbirds will wrap up regular-season action by playing home games against Harding-Bassick and Coginchaug this week.

The North Branford boys’ soccer squad moved to 1-13 on the year after taking three recent defeats. North Branford lost recent decisions against Portland, Old Saybrook, and Hale-Ray.

North Branford took a 5-0 home loss to Portland on Oct. 17. Then on Oct. 19, the T-Birds took an 11-0 defeat versus Old Saybrook in a road game. North Branford finished off the week by taking a 4-1 loss to Hale-Ray in a home game on Oct. 20.

North Branford is playing a road game versus Coginchaug in its regular-season finale on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 3:45 p.m.