The Guilford football team hosted Hand on Nov. 23 for the squads’ annual Thanksgiving week clash. The Grizzlies, entering the game needing a victory to keep their chances for the program’s first postseason bid since 1993 alive, took a close 28-25 defeat to finish a still very successful season at 6-4 overall.

Guilford found itself up by three to conclude the first quarter, yet the Tigers went ahead midway through the second frame and never relinquished their lead. The Grizzlies, though, stayed in the contest with a Hail Mary heave at the halftime buzzer and later nabbed a TD and two-point play late in the fourth. Still, the Tigers held onto the ball to help them run out the clock. Guilford did, however, claim a share of the SCC Tier 3 title with Law and Foran, as the three squads posted a 5-1 mark in Tier 3 play.

Head Coach Anthony Salvati noted that while it was a disappointing outcome and finale to the season, the competitiveness of the contest sharply showed the progress the program has made not only this fall but throughout the senior class’s tenure.

“A lot of our success had to do with our senior leadership. They were the first class I had as head coach from freshman to senior year,” said Salvati. “They knew the expectations and how to lead on and off the field. It’s bittersweet; we will miss them. But I am happy with what they accomplished. We were not competing with Hand four years ago, and we are now, and that is because of the seniors. We had a good season overall. A couple of games slipped by us that cost us with trying to make the playoffs, but I would be lying if I said I was not proud of what we accomplished this year.”

Guilford found itself with a 7-0 lead when junior Joe Tafro nabbed a 15-yard touchdown pass from fellow junior Tyler Hilgert (15-for-24 passing with 163 yards on the night) as 5:31 remained in the first quarter. The Tigers then answered right back 22 seconds later to knot the evening at 7-7 when Aidan Dolan raced 21 yards to the end zone. The Grizzlies, though, finished the frame on top at 10-7 via a 34-yard field goal from freshman Ares Vasiliou with four seconds to play.

In the second, Hand notched its first lead of the night at 14-10 halfway through as Tyler Narracci had a 58-yard scoring scamper. The Tigers increased their command to 21-10 with 72 ticks before intermission following Dolan’s second TD rush of the game, this one being from 83 yards out, after a swift eight-play possession.

Not to be outdone, Guilford made the most of its final drive of the half when Hilgert launched a 37-yard TD dart into the end zone as time expired, and it found its way into the hands of junior Jake Jahnige to cut the Grizzlies’ deficit to 21-17 at the break.

It remained a four-point contest to enter the pivotal final quarter after neither side could tally points for the third. With 6:59 remaining in regulation, Dolan ended the point drought and capped off his TD hat trick on a quick 4-yard TD dash to put Hand up 11.

The Grizzlies did not go away, however, as they cut it to a 3-point matchup three minutes and 15 seconds later when Hilgert took it to paydirt on his own with a 2-yard scoring rush and then Tafro converted the ensuing two-point conversion. From there, Hand took the ensuing kickoff and clasped on two crucial first downs to run out the clock to the final whistle.

On its season campaign, Guilford defeated Branford (28-7), Lyman Hall (44-7), Bassick (60-0), Law (35-33 to knock the Lawmen from the ranks of the unbeaten), Woodstock Academy (46-29), and East Haven (40-14). The Grizzlies losses came while facing Fitch (22-14), West Haven (47-20), Foran (35-34), and Hand (28-25).

“We dropped the opener to Fitch, which set us back a bit, but we rebounded nicely, which put us in a good spot,” Coach Salvati said. “The Law win sticks out, as does the Branford one as big victories. I think the West Haven game was the turning point for us after going to-to-toe with them on the road. We went to one of the best teams in the state and that is where the guys got more confident after being in the mix for three quarters versus one of the bigger teams.”

Guilford’s offense finished the year with a powerful and productive pace of 34.6 points per game. Salvati noted that the success stemmed from welcoming back the men in the trenches, along with key pieces in the backfield and under center.

“It starts with the offensive line upfront,” said Salvati on his offense’s point producing proficiency. “They were all returning starters, and you expect to do well on offense when you return all linemen. We also had an all-league running back in [senior captain] Mike O’Brien [who had 149 ground yards on 34 rushes versus Hand]. He has good speed and can break away. Tyler Hilgert also returned with a year under his belt at quarterback.”

For the All-SCC Tier 3 Team, senior Dan O’Connell made the squad on the offensive line and O’Brien at running back. Senior captain Luke Carignan (on defensive line) and classmate Alejandro Colberg-Martinez (linebacker) earned spots defensively.

Salvati was assisted on the sidelines this fall by coaches Eric Berlepsch, Brad Cunningham, Roberto Landino, Cory Onofrio, Nick Sagnella, and Brian White.

The 2022 Guilford roster was comprised of seniors in captains O’Brien, Liam Alberti, Carignan, and Hayden Eldridge; fellow seniors of Rence Jewett, Brianna Seixas, Leo Farricielli, Dillon Burlakoff, Zachary Ellesio, O'Connell, Colberg-Martinez; juniors of Jahnige, Brady Hallihan, Joe Tafro, Buddy Gambardella, Grady Holabird, Hilgert, Jaco Corso, Trevor Ridley, Colin Pompano, Elijah Brainerd, JP Meguerditchian, Timmy Hastings; sophomores with Kevin Smith, Ryan Gribbon, Matthew Fusco, Rocco Barbera,Adam Briganti, Logan Murphy, James Alberts; and freshmen Alex Tafro, Brody Root, Aiden Ruotolo, Alex Uzzo, Aaron Bergantino, Daniel Boyce, Bodhi Climie, Aidan Connelly, Quinton Brackeen, Sam Martocci, Wesley Tandler, Ares Vasiliou, Matthew Katz, Zisis Vasiliou, Dom Verme, Lucio Nastri, and Wyatt Morgan-Berry.