For the North Branford football team, it will have to stretch itself across the field in trying to fill spots on a smaller roster. But no matter the circumstances, the Thunderbirds are ready for the challenge with a group of determined athletes ready to grab their opportunities and dedicated coaches committed to pushing them to their max potential.

A year ago, the Thunderbirds treaded water to the tune of an even record of 5-5 on the campaign, while staying in postseason contention until the final week of the season. Back for his second year at the helm, Head Coach Anthony Salvati and the Thunderbirds started off the year in a big way with a convincing 54-13 win at Weaver on Sept. 13.

Salvati also explained that the boys certainly want to ascend past that prior triumph threshold, utilizing all tools at their disposal.

“Our goal is to always increase our win total, but more importantly, to develop depth on the field by coaching up our young players as best as we can,” said Salvati. “We also want to keep building our team camaraderie, which has been a focus this offseason.”

A trio of captains will lead the T-Birds into battle on the gridiron this fall. Jayden Giardina comes back to the group as a focal piece in the trenches as a two-way lineman. Running back/linebacker Tommy Hansen is coming off of a super 2023 campaign that saw him earn All-League honors. Junior AJ Sigel is back as the signal caller as a starting quarterback, while also being a free safety on defense. He notched an All-League Honorable Mention accolade last fall.

“Jayden is a returning two-way starter for us and led our team throughout the offseason in the weight room. On the field, he has taken the younger linemen under his wing and helped bring them up to varsity speed,” said Salvati. “Tommy is also a returning two way starter. Tommy leads the team without even trying. The players all look up to him because of what he has already accomplished on the field, and they want to help him add to his highly stat-filled career. AJ is our vocal leader that wears his heart on his sleeve. His expectations are that of a coach; he expects everyone to play at a high level regardless of their class/grade.”

Another upstart out of the junior class is Greg Ferraro. He serves as a wideout on offense for North Branford while transferring to the opposing, secondary side of the equation on defense at strong safety. Ferraro is another All-League Honorable Mention who is ready to build off of his personal success from 2023. Salvati proclaimed that he certainly came into his own defensively, and he is ready to take another big leap forward this season.

“Greg had a breakout year for us on defense last season,”said Salvati. “And he now looks ready to increase his offensive role to help us be more explosive.”

Salvati stayed on point as far as looking at the slate of opponents ahead. He does not want to look ahead to any one particular matchup and notes that every game is a key contest this fall. He also added that the Thunderbirds are short on veterans in sporting a small senior class. Still, what North Branford lacks in numbers on the roster, they will make up for in quality of players with tremendous tenacity to cover both ends of the field.

“With only having five seniors and 30 players overall, we are relying on our players to play on both sides of the ball, which means we need to make sure we are conditioned to do so,” said Salvati. “That being said, it always creates opportunities for younger players to get on the field, which could in turn help create the depth we need. If we can do so, then we can be pretty successful this year.”

Salvati’s coaching staff this fall is comprised of Jon Byrd (Offensive Coordinator), Nick Gargano (Defensive Coordinator), Nick Mancini (Linebacker/Running backs coach), Brandon Fratta (Quarterbacks coach), Jason Ryszczyk (Defensive Line coach), Charliana Criscuolo (Wide Receivers coach), and Mike Katz (Special Teams coach).

The 2024 North Branford roster is comprised of seniors Hansen, Tyler Scott, Ethan Helff, Sean Boardman, Giardina; juniors Sigel, Brandon Longo, James Criscio, Luca Landino, Ferraro, Zach Beecher, Joseph Raffone, Chase Nugent, Chris Bruno; sophomores Christian Wright, Dylan Yarnall, Landen Burns, Craig Miller, Jr, Nicolas Salvati, Mario Urbano, Angelo Raffone, Daniel Frani, Jacob Hoskins, Connor Watterworth, and Frank Laboy.

2024 North Branford Football Regular Season Schedule

Sept. 13: North Branford 54, Weaver 13

Friday, Sept. 20: vs. Cromwell-Portland at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 27: at Morgan-Old Saybrook-Westbrook at Morgan at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 4: vs. Haddam-Killingworth at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10: at Valley Regional-Old Lyme at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 25: vs. Capital Prep at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8: at CREC at 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15: vs. Windsor Locks-Suffield-East Granby at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22: at Granby-Canton at Granby at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 27: vs. Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton at 6 p.m.