The Branford football team will need to develop experience on its squad for the upcoming campaign. But the Hornets are confident that as long as they keep pushing forward and always inch ahead in their efforts from the prior 24 hours, then everything will fall into place.

A year ago, the Hornets finished with an above .500 record of 7-3, which was capped off by a 49-7 throttling of rival East Haven on Thanksgiving morning. They just narrowly missed out on a second-straight trip to the postseason in the process. Branford welcomes back a little bit more of a younger group with fewer senior classmen this fall, though the squad has players with the right talent and temerity to carry out the Branford mission for 2024.

The team’s small senior class will be anchored by a trio of captains. First up is Akiel Lomotey, who is now a three-year starter and running back while doubling as a defensive back. He has committed to playing at Harvard upon graduation. Ryan Morales will be a focal point up front as a lineman, while Scott Penner will look to compete for the starting QB job behind center after starting five games at that slot in 2023.

“Akiel is a smart player who is super talented and well-liked by all. He is a humble kid. Ryan is a quintessential high school football player who worked his way up to be a contributor. He is a tireless weight room kid. He is so respected on the team for his work ethic. He looks out for the younger guys,” said Head Coach John Limone. “Scott is someone all the kids gravitate towards. He is a good athlete and versatile. All of the captains are team-first guys, which they should be as captains. There is a learning curve to the leadership roles they are taking on. It is their turn to drive the bus. They set the tone with behavior of how we practice. We had a lot of good leaders and self-starters on the team last year, but these guys are tasked with a much younger team. There is more pressure on them, and they’re doing a great job.”

Senior Jaeden Konesky is another solid upperclassman who had prominence as a wide receiver last year and will also be a cornerback. Junior Alex LeBlanc is back after starting nine games at corner last year in the secondary. Junior Ryan Teneyck is back after transferring back to Branford from Fairfield Prep, where he started on the line. Junior Luke Torre will serve as a safety, while another junior defensive standout is Trent Tracy at outside linebacker. Another wideout is junior Malachi Sessions, while junior Frank Zweeres will look to help the Hornets’ youth up front.

“Jaeden is a good tackler. He is a spark plug who plays with incredible effort. He can be the guy who sets the table. We will expect more from him on offense, and he is excellent on defense, too. Alex is an explosive athlete. I am proud of the kid; he has made great strides academically,” said Limone. “Ryan played a lot of meaningful snaps at Prep, and so he gives us experience on the line. Trent has started to come into his own. Luke started some games for us last year at safety. Malachi has really good instincts. [Sophomore lineman] Kengi Lancaster has great upside. Frank has had a nice camp for us. We also brought in a big freshman class, and I think we may be short on experience, but we are not short on talent. It may be a potentially tricky start, but we can be successful.”

The high school football campaign is always a grueling test of mental and physical endurance. And so with that, Limone detailed that the objectives this year are not exact win totals or playoff berths. The Hornets will try for those, of course, but they are more concerned with winning each day by being better than the last.

“We want to continue to improve, whether it be with our players improving on and off the field or as a total team,” said Limone. “Improvement and that mentality have been huge for us over the years. We want to always set high goals with wins and playoffs, but it is important to put improvement ahead of all that. High school football is a grind, and so we want to continue development as a team. We are trying to get these younger guys more experienced, but it is a fun challenge.”

Limone concluded that the boys are certainly putting themselves through the annual meat grinder that is the SCC with their regular season schedule. Still, he viewed it as a positive to continue the Hornets’ upward trend the last few seasons while displaying a team that will always continue to be better.

“We are looking to be competitive, and there will be some bumps along the way,” said Limone. “I predict that we will have a team that is constantly improving, and we will have a team that will always compete. We have a tough schedule, but it is an opportunity to push the program in the direction we have been moving in the last few years.”

Limone’s coaching staff is comprised of assistant coaches in Kyle Lynch, Mike Tracy, Jason Joseph, Padraic Keefe, and Mike Beckquist.

The 2024 Branford football roster is comprised of seniors Carter Anderson, Justyn Velasquez, Jaeden Konesky, Penner, Josh Brauer, Lomotey; juniors Khari Barnette, Justin Cast, Torre,Jacob Kopczuk, Grayson Mills, LeBlanc, Chris Aschettino, Shiloh Williams, Tracy, Sessions, Ryan Booth, Jason Talalas, Samarvir Pamma, Teneyck, Mike Millici, Caden Dombrowski, Zweeres, Connor Fiengo ; sophomores Rahmell Fairclough, Michael Barretta, Michael Bouton, Wyatt Cavallaro, Aiden Dupre, Chris McKittrick, Logan Cristaldi, Tide Hawley, Luke Gagliardi, Noah Morales, Braden Andrus, Nicholas Panuccio, Joseph Burgh, Michael Silva, Natan Borzillo, Finn Herget, Nicholas Marciano, Braeden Ryan, Jeremiah Larracuente, Jacob Walkley, Cayden Wheeler, Cooper Misener, Kengi Lancaster, Hazem Elweheshy; freshmen Christopher Atiencia, Landon Brown, Levi Burton, Izaiah Candelario, AJ D’Angelo, Christopher DiStasio, Zach Forney, Spencer Johnson-Lanning, Chase Konesky, Daddona Luca, Destin Miller, Chris Napoleon, Marshall Olsen, Jordan Ross, Bruce Shattuck, Asees Singh, Tyler Snider, Vince Spinato, and Aidan Tracy.

2024 Branford Football Regular Season Schedule

Friday, Sept. 13: vs. Berlin at 7 p.m.

Friday, Spet. 20: vs. Lyman Hall at 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 27: at East Lyme at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11: at Harding at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 18: vs. Sheehan at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 25: vs. Hartford Public at 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 1: at Shelton at 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8: at West Haven at 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15: at Foran at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 28: vs. East Haven at 10 a.m.