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11/14/2022 10:44 AMThe North Haven football team lost a close game to Fairfield Prep on Nov. 10th at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, by a final score of 17-13. There was a lot on the line for both teams, as the win helped Fairfield Prep to claim the Southern Connecticut Tier 1 Football title. The loss for North Haven dropped the Nighthawks to 7-2 on the season.
Senior Quarterback Jeffrey Karavas scored both North Haven touchdowns on the ground through designed QB rushes. He finished the day with 25 carries for 89 yards to go along with 114 passing yards.
North Haven found themselves down 14-0 early in the second quarter following Fairfield touchdowns from seniors Malachi Mercer-Robinson and Ryan Preisano. The Nighthawks responded with a Jeff Karavas 1-yard rushing touchdown with 1:13 remaining before halftime, cutting the Fairfield lead in half before the break.
A second Karavas rushing touchdown early in the third quarter brought the Nighthawks within 1 after a missed extra point. Both defenses held strong for the final 8 minutes of the third quarter and North Haven entered the fourth trailing 14-13. Fairfield would add a field goal early in the quarter to extend their lead to 17-13.
North Haven had multiple chances to take the lead on late fourth quarter drives, but the Nighthawks were unable to capitalize when the opportunities arose. A Mason Frey sack of quarterback Jeff Karavas on 4th down put the finishing touches on the game for Fairfield.
Junior Camren Thompson carried the ball 6 times for 31 yards and added a 40-yard reception. Junior Adam Pandolfi carried the ball 7 times for 23 yards and added 2 receptions. Junior Ryan Bernardo, and senior Salvatore DeMaio each hauled in 1 catch of their own.
On the defensive side of the ball, four players led the way for North Haven with 7 tackles each: seniors Brian Lastomirsky and Michael Masto, junior Nicholas Harkins and junior Ryan Brendan. Senior Jayden Roby added 6 of his own including 2 tackles for a loss of yardage.
North Haven Head Coach Anthony Sagnella was proud of his team’s performance, but also acknowledged the work still ahead of them in order to advance in the postseason.
“We’re toe to toe with this team, so there’s a lot of positives to take away from this game, but we did lose it so we have to look at where we can improve if we expect to go any farther down the line. For us to go to Fairfield Prep and win down there we were going to have to play one of our better games physically and mentally, and we just didn’t do that. Not taking anything away from Prep, but we lose a game by 4 points and you can spot four or five different situations that might have changed the game in our direction.”
One of the most important positives Coach Sagnella took away from Thursday’s game was the performance of his defense, an area he thinks has improved this season and consistently puts the Nighthawks in a position to succeed.
“There have been several [improvements], number one is defense,” Sagnella said. “I think we’re a much better tackling team, we’re in better position most of the time. Because defense is leverage, when it comes down to it, you need to be in the proper spot. You have to have toughness on that side of the ball….in those areas we’ve noticeably improved, to the point where at some times our defense has been smothering.”
Coach Sagnella mentioned the offense as an area of strength for the Nighthawks as well. “Our offense gets a lot of credit, but our defense and our kicking game has really bridged the gaps and carried us throughout the season. We’ve been very good at controlling field position, and we’ve been very stingy in allowing big plays.”
North Haven has faced a tough schedule with impressive results, finishing with a 4-2 record vs Tier 1 foes. “We knew going into the second half of the season, that it was going to be a grind, and its not just a physical grind, it’s a mental thing, but I think that we’ll come out of it okay,” said Sagnella. “One thing that I can say about our team, is every setback that we have faced this season, we have risen from and become a better and stronger team, so I expect that this will be handled by all of them.”
A consistent source of calm leadership for North Haven has been quarterback Jeffrey Karavas. The senior has carried the offense with his rushing ability, totaling 976 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground thus far this season. In the locker room he is where the team looks in moments of stress.
“Jeff manages stress well, he doesn’t show fear to anybody in the locker room,” Coach Sagnella said. “I think that’s one of his greatest strengths, and he keeps the kids rallied behind his performance, and we have a whole host of kids that have done their part when it comes to that.”
Other leaders for the Nighthawks include senior Brian Lastomirsky, senior Salvatore DeMaio and senior Michael Masto, whom Coach Sagnella calls the “visceral and emotional leader” on the team.
When this year’s group of seniors graduates in the spring, Coach Sagnella feels convinced the team is in good hands moving forward. “There are also leaders in our underclassmen: Adam Pandolfi, Brendan Ryan, Nick Harkins, Jake McCreven, Connor Rapuano, all those guys, Trysten Dos, Cam Thompson, they have all demonstrated the ability to lead in their own way as well. It’s a blessing when you have a solid group of juniors supporting a solid group of seniors, it kind of tells you how we’ve been able to maintain success throughout a season like this.”
With the defense helping to control field position, Coach Sagnella also praises the special teams unit that has consistently put opposing offenses in difficult spots. Punter Adam Pandolfi is averaging 46 yards per punt this season including a long of 67 yards.
“The second place we’ve really improved is in the kicking game. Adam [Pandolfi] is a fantastic punter, and [Declan] Finkle and Eric [Vetrano] are very capable place kickers, that has really helped.”
With much of the 2021 roster returning, the playoffs were always a goal for this year’s team. With one game remaining in the regular season, Coach Sagnella is confident that goal remains squarely in front of them.
“The way last season ended, we won 5 of our last 6, and we were really close to getting into the playoffs,” Coach Sagnella said. “Our goal is, be the best football team that we can be, and right now the best team we can be is winning on Thanksgiving and going 8-2 and getting into the playoffs.”
North Haven is currently ranked 6th in Class MM where 8 teams make the tournament. The Nighthawks will have their shot to make the playoffs when they close out their regular season next week with the annual Thanksgiving game vs. Amity at Amity High School on Wednesday, November 23 at 6 p.m.