The East Haven football team may not have had the Thanksgiving celebration that it envisioned at the start of the day. But still, the Yellowjackets are very grateful for not only the progress made by the club this fall, but also the brimming positivity surrounding the program for the future.

The Hornets hosted East Haven on Thanksgiving morning in the annual Beehive Bowl, and it was Branford who blanked the Yellowjackets and came away with a 19-0 decision. Senior Akiel Lomotey led the offensive attack for the Hornets. He totaled 213 yards on the ground while scoring a tandem of touchdowns.

With the win, the Hornets also spoiled their rival Yellowjackets’ playoff hopes and finished the year on a winning note with a 3-7 mark. Even with the unfortunate defeat, the Easties finished the campaign above the .500 threshold at 6-4 following an auspicious 1-2 start to the slate. Head Coach Scott Benoit maintained that there was still plenty of pride for the boys to feel with how they performed this year and what they accomplished.

“Despite the result on Thanksgiving and not getting the outcome we wanted, we drastically improved this year and came so far from where we were,” said Benoit. “Our senior class has played a lot of football over the years and played as freshmen. The senior class and really the team as a whole were great kids. There were no issues, and they were a fun team to coach. We started 1-2 this year, so to finish 6-4 shows how far we have come just this year.”

The contest remained scoreless until 10:20 remained in the first quarter, when Chris McKittrick ran it into the end zone from a yard out to give Branford a 6-0 edge. The Hornets held firm with that lead until 4:51 before intermission, when Lomotey reeled in a 16-yard TD toss from McKittrick to give his team a 12-0 lead at halftime. Lomotey then struck for his second score of the day to cap the shutout for Branford.

East Haven showed its heart and character right from the jump this season, when it scored an Opening Night win after missing some key pieces in the backfield. The boys also came into the season final riding a wave of momentum following a signature victory.

“Our first game of the year, we played a good Lyman Hall team without our starting running back, so that was huge,” said Benoit. “I think our best effort this year was the game against Hillhouse. The night had the atmosphere of a championship game. The kids played very well and very hard that game to get the win.”

At the top of the Yellowjackets’ big veteran presence was a quadruple header of standout senior captains. Dante Rodriguez, fresh off finishing third in the outdoor track state decathlon, stood out as a wide receiver for East Haven. Alex Dombrowski completed his second year as starting quarterback after converting from running back. Rocco D’Amato was a 2023 All-SCC Team member at running back, and Joe Allen anchored both lines as a two-way player.

“Our senior class was around for all four years. All of the guys who started four years ago as freshmen never quit the team. They stayed the course, even through some lean years here,” said Benoit. “For them to have a positive senior year was great. The captains all did a great job. Some of them were vocal leaders, and others were more lead-by-example types of guys. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, we had a good returning team for 2021. It would take a few years to get the program back to where it was, but we got really close to that with this senior group. Yet the seniors and captains did an amazing job, and we will miss all of them.”

In terms of objectives this season, Benoit and his boys kept it short and simple. They may have fallen short of the postseason, but they were right on course to put themselves in contention with their projected win total. The item of utmost importance, though, was the fact that they kept steady with the upward trajectory of success.

“The goals are always the same, but going into the year, our No. 1 goal was to improve from the last season, and we did that,” said Benoit. “We wanted to be a playoff team, and I felt if we could win seven games, we could have gotten in. We had a chance at the end.”

In his closing remarks on the 2024 campaign and the state of the East Haven football family, Benoit displayed a great sense of optimism. The Yellowjackets will again return a solid core of savvy veterans with tenure in the spotlight.

“This was the third time in the last six years that we came into the last week of the season on Thanksgiving with a chance to make the playoffs,” said Benoit. “This program is on solid footing I feel. We have some talented players coming back that now have a few years of varsity experience. I am really excited for the future of our program.”

The 2024 East Haven roster is comprised of seniors Nick Bilides, D’ Amato, Dombrowski, Aiden Loehmann, Rodriguez, Daniel Lares, Zander Molster, Richard Jones, Chase Horton, Dareon Streater, Allen; juniors Josh Hutchinson, Anthony Lacen, Devon McCormick, Will Mensah, Trew Kitson, Aedan Webster, Dom D’ Ambrosio, Blake Charboneau; sophomores Ean Theodore, Tyler DeMartino, Michael Aceto, Santino Maturo, Oliver Olszewski, Chase Bussert, Michael Dattilo; plus freshmen Gio DeJesus, Jacob Douston, Anthony Fowler, Charles Fowler, Jamoore Gleason, Frank Imperato, Jax Katynski, Mason Kruse, Antonio Natale, Kaydon Staron, and Dominic Verderame.

Benoit concluded his sixth season as head coach. His staff was comprised of Chris Cuomo, Elliot Hastings, Anthony Perrotti, Rusty Dunner, Jim Vicario, Jake Marquardt, Mike Gagliardi, and Tanner Divito.

2024 East Haven Football Regular Season Results

Sept. 13: East Haven 21, Lyman Hall 18

Sept. 20: Foran 21, East Haven 7

Oct. 4: Law 42, East Haven 6

Oct. 11: East Haven 49, Bassick 12

Oc.t 19: East Haven 42, Plainfield 8

Nov. 1: Amity 44, East Haven 20

Nov, 8: East Haven 35, Cross 6

Nov. 15: East Haven 40, Harding 12

Nov. 22: East Haven 28, Hillhouse 18

Nov. 28: Branford 19, East Haven 0