The Guilford Youth Football & Cheerleading program secured its first Shoreline Youth Football Conference championship since 2013 when the 4th grade team capped off a magical season with a victory over North Haven in the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 20 at Southington High School. The 4th grade squad finished the season undefeated with a record of 11-0. They cruised through the regular season by averaging 29 points per game while only letting up an average of 6 points per game. They outscored their regular season opponents 233 to 52 over eight games.

In their three playoff games, they kicked into another gear by outscoring their opponents 92-0, including a 27-0 victory over Newtown in the first round, followed by a 33-0 shutout against Southington in the semifinals before dispatching North Haven in the finals 32-0. It was a truly special season for the young Grizzlies team. Congratulations to the 4th grade players and coaches!

The team was led by head coach, Ken Alberti along with assistant coaches Rich Bello, Chris Borelli, Rich Cordeiro, Chris Frey, Mike Peck and Kevin Smith. Team parent Megan Johnston provided wonderful support to the players and coaches throughout the season.

The formidable 4th grade team consisted of the following players: Harris Alberti, Jack Bello, Jacq Bolduc, Max Borelli, Austin Bowman, Brandyn Capone, Carmelo Cipollini, Colin Cordeiro, Theo Drake, Liam Dunn, Kyle Frey, Finn Jacobson, Kellen Johnston, Matthew Mariano, Hunter Peck, Zach Piagentini, Roman Rich, Jack Robertson, Isaac Robinson, Dane Smith, Theo Smith, Camden Trotta, Sam Twarowski, Ethan Tyre, Ryan White and Carter Witkowsky.

Guilford Youth Football & Cheerleading would like to acknowledge and celebrate the 7th grade team for making it back to the championship game for the second year in a row. The team played hard but lost a tough game to Cheshire 14-0. We are incredibly proud of the team for fighting their way back to the championship and look forward to watching them make one last run as 8th graders next season.

With a highly engaged Guilford High School football team led by head coach Anthony Salvati, strong youth participation numbers, dedicated volunteer board members and coaches, supportive parents and most importantly, terrific young players, the future is bright for the Guilford Grizzlies football program.

Information courtesy of Ken Alberti