Despite a rough season while playing the toughest teams in the state, the Hand football team concluded its campaign on a high note–defeating its rival for a 15th straight time and eliminating them from state playoff contention.

The Tigers entered their annual Thanksgiving week season finale against Guilford on Nov. 23 with two victories, yet Hand finished its season with a 3-7 record overall thanks to a tight 28-25 triumph on the road over the Grizzlies, who entered the evening needing a victory for a chance at their first postseason berth in 29 years. The Tigers, now holding a 43-5-1 edge in the all-time history over Guilford, took the lead midway through the second quarter and never relinquished it despite a late rally attempt by the Grizzlies.

“This was the best Guilford team I could remember. They are building a great program there, and they came in with a ton of confidence. Yet it came down to our guys stepping up and making big plays,” said Head Coach Erik Becker. “Our senior class was small on numbers but big on spirit. They helped us rise to the challenge of the tough teams we faced. Their strength and spirit were enormous for us. They set the example everyday, so to go out the way they did here was fitting.”

On the night, sophomore Paul Calandrelli completed six passes on seven attempts for 79 yards, while junior Aidan Dolan was the leading point producer with three rushing touchdowns to complement his evening of 148 yards on 21 rushes via the ground. Sophomore Tyler Narracci added 79 ground yards with eight touches. Senior captain Sam Sisk led receivers with a 41-yard catch, plus senior captain Alex Cushing (22 yards) and junior Owen Preskar (15 yards) reeled in two receptions apiece.

Guilford, finishing with an overall mark of 6-4, found itself with a 7-0 lead when Joe Tafro nabbed a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Hilgert 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 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 Ares Vasiliou with four seconds to play.

In the second, Hand notched its first lead of the night at 14-10 halfway through as Narracci had a 58-yard scoring scamper. The Tigers increased their command to 21-10 with 72 ticks before halftime 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 Hail Mary heave into the end zone as time expired, and it found its way into the hands of 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 to crucial first downs to run out the clock to the final whistle.

“We did a little bit with pressures and safety alignment and getting the box bigger,” said Becker on Hand’s adjustments after halftime. “[Sophomore linebacker] Owen Donahey sacked their quarterback in the third quarter on 4th down in the end zone, and it was maybe the play of the game. The win came down to guys all across the board making plays.”

On the season, Hand defeated East Lyme (45-0), Xavier (21-7), and Guilford (28-25). The Tigers took 28-0 defeats to Shelton, Newtown, and Cheshire, along with losses to Notre Dame-West Haven (34-7), Fairfield Prep (37-19), North Haven (35-14), and Sheehan (17-13). For Hand’s losses, six of the seven were against squads that qualified for postseason play with Sheehan being the only victor over Hand that did not extend their season.

Despite the record, Hand bookended the campaign with victories, but even more importantly, Becker boasted that the Tigers learned more about themselves and the character inside each individual throughout this 10-game journey.

“Larry Ciotti said that whoever wins their first and last games of the year had a good season,” Becker said. “We had a huge win against Xavier; we have tons of respect for that program. Of course our win here versus a rival in Guilford was big. We did come up short against Connecticut’s best team. Six of our losses, with the exception of Sheehan, were against top 15 teams. Honestly, we didn’t plan this, but that is how adversity works. We talk to the team about how event plus response equals outcome. It also determines quality of life. The boys committed more and it made us better. We showed we can have a powerful experience even if we did not get the outcomes we wanted in the win column.”

For the All-SCC Tier 1 Team, senior Wesley Selmani made the squad on the offensive line and senior John Hayden made the squad defensively at linebacker.

Becker was assisted on the sidelines this fall by coaches of offensive line coach Steve Filippone, Mike Davis (defensive coordinator), Gary Gravina (outside linebackers/fullbacks), Billy Ryan, Tyler Tarantino (assistant offensive line coach), Mike Marion (defensive line coach), and John Sagnelli. The freshman program was led by head coach Tyler Michaud, along with assistants Eddie Olsen, Jay Long, and Carl McDowell.

The 2022 Hand varsity roster was comprised of senior captains Cushing, Sam Sisk, Ryan Milliard; fellow seniors of Will Kleine, Nick Lombardi, Brandon Tananykin, Matthew Mastoloni, Hayden, Jack Drought, Cole Daignault, Selmani; juniors of Preskar, Jack Shay, Johnny Reh, Dolan, Will Patla, Nick Platanos, Gavin Wagner, Brady Corsello, Owen Hardy, Carlos Santos, Bryce Malary, Larkin Pantano; sophomores in Kenny Carter, Kenny Pompilli, Owen Donahey, Sam Markovitz, Calandrelli, Jack Healy, Rocco Zagami, Narracci, Alexander Modica, Brady Clark, Cooper Burke, Morris Selmani, Adam Signorello, Nick Pompilli, Trevor Cash, Andrew Benson, Quinton O’Dea; and freshman Tim O’Malley.