Printer Friendly Version - Hand Football Claims First State Crown in Five Years

The Hand football team defeated Rockville 57-20 to claim the Class M State Championship at Arute Field on Dec. 9 for the program’s 14th overall state crown. Photo by Wesley Bunnell / The Source

Pictured are Gavin Wagner (4), Head Coach Erik Becker, Hand Principal Anthony Salutari, Bryce Malary (77), and Owen Preskar (2) with the Class M State Championship plaque after defeating Rockville 57-20 on Dec. 9. Photo by Wesley Bunnell / The Source

The Hand football team dominated its way through the regular season and postseason following a brief slip up to open up the 2023 campaign, and so it came probably with little shock that once they got to the final showdown for the season, the Tigers took the state championship in convincing fashion.

The Tigers first completed a 9-1 regular season record after dropping their Opening Night clash, and took the SCC Tier 2 title in the process. As the top seed in the Class M State Playoffs, Hand first took down eighth-seeded St. Joseph at home in the quarterfinals on Nov. 28 by a 29-14 final. The Tigers then stretched their win streak to 11 by dispatching No. 4 ATI convincingly with a 48-0 host shutout in the semis on Dec. 3.

In the state final on Dec. 9 at Central Connecticut State University, Hand battled second-seeded Rockville in a heavyweight bout of the top two squads. The Tigers dominated their way to the program’s first state crown since 2018 and 14th overall. After a scoreless first quarter, Hand (finishing 12-1 overall) exploded in the second frame for a 27-7 halftime edge, and never looked back.

“Bringing back a state title to Hand means so much to the program and town,” said senior Aidan Dolan. “With so much success spanning six decades, winning a state championship meant our team will go down in the history books to be remembered. Growing up, we watched the past teams dominate, and as a Madison youth football player, my teammates and I dreamed of doing that together someday. To have fulfilled that dream as a team means that the current Madison youth football players will hopefully look at us with the same determination and dream.”

While also setting the school’s single-season rushing record with 2,019 yards, Dolan amassed 269 rushing yards on 31 carries and five TDs, one of which he threw for in the fourth quarter. He broke a 26-year old mark set by Dan Anderson in 1997. Dolan, ever the consummate teammate, was swift to thank his boys up front in the trenches setting the blocks.

“Breaking the single-season rushing record was a goal for me at the beginning of the year. But I didn't believe it was truly feasible; I just wanted to give myself a goal to strive for throughout the season,” said Dolan. “Towards the end of the season, it came to my attention that achieving this goal was beginning to be possible. This only helped me want to work harder. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for having one of the best offensive lines in the state. I owe it all to them, and will definitely be taking them out for a nice steak dinner.”

Dolan first raced 66 yards to paydirt with 7:57 remaining before intermission to put Hand ahead, 7-0. Yet his legs were still fairly fresh, because a little over a minute later at the 6:45 juncture, he dashed 40 yards for a score and 14-0 command.

“That record is a sacred number in our program, and we do a good job of connecting the kids with the tradition,” said Head Coach Erik Becker. “We have had guys get in the neighborhood of the record over the years. Coming into the year, we knew Aidan would be our primary ball carrier, and it all came together. We saw it early in the preseason; he was able to find yards that he had not been able to prior. And that, along with his abilities, allowed him to have such a magical year. Aidan just thrived and ran past that record.”

Tyler Narracci (three catches, 28 yards) was the recipient of a four-yard touchdown toss from senior Jack Shay at 4:48 left on the game clock, and then that was followed by Quinton O’Dea (three receptions, 68 yards) reeling in a Shay 14-yard pass for a score to have Hand go up, 27-0. The Rams (11-2) avoided the first half shutout with 58 ticks left on an 18-yard touchdown pass.

“Our message is to pound the stone, which is a message of resilience, and we wanted to be relentless for 48 minutes,” said Becker. “We believed we could wear them down with tempo, and that mentality of pounding the stone paid off.”

In the third, Hand's offensive onslaught did not relent a bit after the break. Junior Paul Calandrelli raced for 14 yards to the end zone as 9:13 was left to play in the frame. Rockville responded with a long 32-yard TD pass to cut its deficit to 34-13, yet with 89 ticks to go in the third stanza, Dolan again played the role of TD rusher, with a short seven-yard spurt to put the boys ahead 41-13 entering the fourth.

A 10-yard TD dash from Dolan got the scoring started in the fourth at the 9:47 mark, and then at 7:41, he flashed his skills through the air with a 43-yard touchdown throw to senior Owen Preskar, who hauled in three balls for 68 yards for his outing. Junior John Healy finished off the day for the Tigers with a 28-yard field goal with 5:34 to play. Rockville did finish the afternoon with a 13-yard dash to a TD, but it was certainly not enough to overcome Hand’s massive lead and return to the top.

“It comes back to toughness, physicality, and discipline,” said Becker on his team’s dominant run to the summit this season. “We try to get them to be as fast as they can be. We were the No. 1 defensive team in the state because everyone was fast. We also prioritize recoverability, and we try hard to create depth and promote recovery and freshness.”

Making the All-SCC Tier 2 team offensively for Hand were senior Bryce Malary (on offensive line), Shay, and Preskar (as wide receiver), while linebackers senior Brady Corsello and Kenny Carter made the squad defensively.

This was Hand’s first state final appearance since taking a close 17-13 loss to St. Joseph in the 2019 Class L state final. The Tigers last state crowns came with back-to-back Class L titles in 2017 and 2018, besting Masuk (35-21) and Maloney (54-14), respectively.

Becker now wraps up his third season at the helm as head coach for Hand. He was assisted by defensive coordinator Mike Davis, quarterbacks/safety coach Billy Ryan, co-offensive coordinators Tim Chalmers and Tyler Tarantino, offensive/defensive lineman coach Mike Marino, defensive line assistant John Sagnelli, and senior advisor and longtime former Hand head coach Steve Filippone. The freshman team staff was comprised of head man Tyler Michaud, assistant coach Carl McDowell, plus Don Giles and Ed Olsen.

This was Hand’s 21st appearance in a state final, taking 13 prior state crowns. The Tigers claimed titles in 1976, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2018. Becker and his Tigers have stamped out their spot on this incredible local legacy, while doing it with dedication and class.

“I coach to help boys become respectful, responsible, honest, and caring men who will impact the world for good,” said Becker. “The culture I am charged with upholding was started by Larry Ciotti on day one in 1970. Our culture is about three things: mental and physical toughness, relentless, physicality, and elite discipline. My number one job is upholding the Hand football culture Larry Ciotti installed on day one. My job is to keep the flame burning. I am proud of the fact that we have won 14 state titles from 1976 until now. It shows the long-term health of the program. Those state titles are the results of the culture of Hand football, and we also have great support from our community.”

The 2023 Hand football team roster is comprised of seniors Corsello, Aidan Dolan, Owen Hardy, Kassidy Layton, Malary, Preskar, Johnny Reh, Carlos Santos, Shay, Gavin Wagner; juniors of Cooper Burke, Calandrelli, Ralph Carter, Trevor Cash, Braeden Clark, Owen Donahey, Tatem Hansen, Jake Hanson, John Healy, Samuel Markovitz, Tyler Narracci, Quinton O'Dea, Nicholas Pompilli, Morris Selmani, Aedan Virgulto; sophomores Finn Barry, Kyle Borduas, Anthony Bowe, Ayden Brennan, Conor Casagrande, Brody Duncan, Paul Fumex, Quinn Gies, Sean Healy, Drew Horn, Jack Kilduff, Carrig LaVigne, Stone Leckey, Timothy O'Malley, Cameron Oranzo, Henry Pearson, Kenneth Pompilli, Cole Preskar, Robert Reh, Brendan Riordan, Liam Scott, Andrew Seehusen, Dashawn Winter, Tyler Wohlgemuth; plus freshmen of Lucca Boyce, Travis Brotherton, Henry Condo, Michael DeFlippo, Brayden Dempsey, David Elder, William Emerson, Tommy Fahy, Desmond Fisher, Connor Francisco, Brendan Keating, William Kennedy, Andrew King, Jacob Linke, Samuel Lizondro, Luke Medeiros, Lucas Newcomb, Luciano Pesce, James Anthony Diego Portley, Leo Pratt, Kole Samuelson, Owen Scheps, Grady Van Hine, Wilson Walker, Andy Wang, Hayden Whitcher, Collin Williams, Ezekiel Williams, and Shain Wolfe.