Entering a football campaign as a two-time incumbent champion, most football programs would solely focus on the end goal of a three-peat. Yet the North Haven football program exudes a quiet confidence and temerity about its objectives in starting small to finish big.

Following an 8-2 regular season in 2023 that saw the program win its first-ever SCC Tier 1 crown, the Nighthawks entered the Class MM State Playoffs to defend their title as the No. 5 seed. First in the quarterfinals, North Haven clipped the fourth-ranked Falcons of Fitch on the road with a 41-22 win on Nov. 28 before taking down top-seeded Windsor 21-0, also on the road, in the semifinals on Dec. 3. With this victory, the Nighthawks returned to the championship game for a second-straight December.

In that contest on Dec. 9 at Central Connecticut State University, third-ranked Wilton awaited. North Haven claimed back-to-back Class MM state crowns by pitching a 21-0 shutout to finish 11-2 overall.

Head Coach Anthony Sagnella, entering his 28th campaign at the North Haven helm, explained that in order to continue a championship tradition, the targets cannot start with going to the top. You must first build a foundation by preparing in an efficient and cohesive manner.

“We never really change our goals. We want to be the best football team we can be,” said Sagnella. “We learn how to work together and practice together, and then once you have that, you can then set goals about winning games. The reality is, we face difficult challenges every year. We are going to learn to practice in a way that makes us competitive every Friday night. In order to have the success we have had, you need to have underclassmen develop and fill those holes. We are trying to develop these young people and searching to find the right tool in the right tool box for each of them. We have young kids scrambling to find their places to contribute, but the exciting part is I know they can do it.”

The Nighthawks will deploy four senior captains this fall. Mike Moran is a defensive lineman and fullback. Another fullback is Tyler Dimauro, who also doubles as a linebacker. Behind center is quarterback Joe Mastroianni–also taking roles as defensive back and kick returner–plus rounding out the group is returning starting offensive lineman Joe Carbone.

“Mike Moran is a tremendously competitive person, and Tyler Dimauro is a balanced individual,’ said Sagnella. “Joe Mastroianni is a jack of all trades for us. He can throw, run, and catch. He can play anywhere in the secondary. He played a lot last year and was visible with big plays in the state semis and finals. For Joe Carbone, no one has grown more in the last four years than he has. It is evident he loves the game and is a positive energy on the field. All four guys complement each other and have a good balance of leadership.”

Additional veteran pieces and key roles will be filled by seniors in two-way starter Brian Moran, offensive lineman Jeff Davis, and Alessio Fraschilla. Furthermore, Sagnella anticipates solid contributions this campaign from more seniors in Beckett Fuller, Brandon Stevens, Nick Romano, Cooper Connelly, Ty Ellis, Chris Kottage, Eli Ellis, and Chris Cretella.

“Brian Moran was a quiet two-way starter last year. He is an outstanding football player who unassumingly goes about his business. Jeff Davis is a big and athletic kid. Alessio is a hard-working kid who has been waiting his turn. He has continued to work and learn to develop his craft,” said Sagnella. “Beckett, Cooper, and Ty have been waiting their turn, and we are counting on them to make an impact. With Eli, we hope to expand his role on offensive and defense, along with special teams. The whole senior class understands what it takes to be successful and leave no stone unturned.”

The Nighthawks will look to lean on some of the underclassmen on the roster, as well, to find and fit into their roles to help bolster the squad’s depth. As a two-time reigning state champ, North Haven has a bevy of top-notch competition on their regular season slate, though the Nighthawks are not intimidated by it one bit.

“We are working and growing, and it is a work in progress,” said Sagnella. “There is a lot of pressure on the kids to develop, but they are working their tails off. We expect to work and grow and improve daily. We have had a good preseason, and we definitely improved between our two scrimmages. We have had our share of injuries the first few weeks of practice, but hopefully things start to swing back the other way with that. The schedule is formidable, but I am not complaining about it; we are aware of the challenges in front of us and are ready.”

Sagnella’s coaching staff is comprised of assistant coaches in Alex Velardi, Mike Ricciardelli, Steve Narracci, Nick D’Angelo, Keith Wolkovitz, Nick Sagnella, Matt Manemeit, Ralph Inorio, Kevin Mozealous, Tom Gallagher, Nick DeMaggio, Drew Pettola, Tom Grillo, and Jake Dobos.

The 2024 North Haven roster is comprised of seniors Stevens, Mastroianni, Fuller, Connolly, Ben Pizzano, Adrian Joaquin Santos, Michael Moran, Ty Ellis, Kottage, Dimauro, Cretella, Brian Moran, Christian Mongillo, Luke Asbury, Nick Romano, Eli Ellis, Carbone, Russell Kieslich IV, Fraschilla, Davis, Steven Piccirillo; juniors Aaron Brown,Salvatore Ferraro, Nate Eggerling, Mehkei Archibald, Cam Samperi, Christian DeMaio, Anthony Parillo, Rayan Mamoud, Emeka Dimkpa, Domenico Carbone, Jesse Sigmon, Jeremy Morales, Chase McDade, Colton Kennealy, Noah Vitali, Jeremy Guertin, Donovan Dasilva, Shawn Nesmith, Gennaro Violano, Kevenay Santiago, Shane Ros, Nate Ori; sophomores Giovanni Bimonte, Preston Bonner, Brady Bychowsky, Cristopher Carcamo, Joshua Crouch, John Messina, Sean Millman, Brody Quaranta, Ed Ray, Joseph Rotondo, Jaden Takach-Thibodeau, Anthony Tseperkas, John Williston, and Evan DiMauro.

2024 North Haven Football Regular Season Schedule

Friday, Sept. 13: vs. St. Joseph at 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 20: vs. Hamden at 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 27: at Platt at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 4: at Cheshire at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11: at Notre Dame-West Haven at Veterans Memorial Park at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 18: at East Hartford at 6:15 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 1: vs. West Haven at 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8: vs. Xavier at 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15: at Fairfield Prep at Fairfield University at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 28: vs. Shelton at 10 a.m.