11/24: North Haven High School's varsity football squad traveled to Woodbridge on a beautiful Thanksgiving morning to take on the Amity Spartans in their regular season finale.

After years of facing Cheshire on Thanksgiving Day, in 1996 the Indians began a new rivalry with Amity after their Southern Connecticut Conference realigned. Since, the Spartans have won nine of the first 13 matchups, with North Haven managing only three wins and a tie.

But in 2011, the Indians qualified for the Class L State Playoffs for the second consecutive year with a convincing 27-10 over Class LL Amity on Thanksgiving. The win marked the third consecutive year North Haven has beaten Amity, making the series record a more respectful 6-9-1.

The Indians took the opening kickoff and methodically moved down inside the Spartan red zone, but senior quarterback and co-captain Joe Schwab threw an interception in the end zone, halting North Haven's drive.

On their next drive, NHHS kept it on the ground, slowly working their way toward the goal line before Schwab carried the ball around the left side for a 4-yard touchdown run which gave North Haven a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

At the second quarter started, Amity tried to respond but a pass by Spartan quarterback Tyler Vallie was dropped in the end zone and they had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Lyle Luth to cut the lead to 7-3.

After recovering an Amity fumble, the Indians scored again when Schwab busted in from three yards out with 2:30 left in the half. Senior Jake Scafariello's kick was blocked, so the lead stood at 13-3 going into halftime.

Things were pretty tenuous when North Haven fumbled in their own side of the field and Amity recovered and moved to the 25-yard line, but no damage resulted as the Spartans turned the ball over on downs. After exhaling, the Indians put together a nice 13-play, 75-yard drive on the ground and scored when Jalon White leapt up and over a pile of players and came down with a 6-yard touchdown to expand the lead to 20-3.

Schwab scored his third touchdown of the game from six yards out with about 5:30 to play to put the game away at 27-3, but Amity certainly did not quit. Vallie threaded a 20-yard pass on the run to Cole German with a minute to play, and the final tally was 27-10.

Schwab was the offensive player of the game, carrying the ball 30 times for 166 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Schwab's effort helped him finish the regular season with 1,006 yards rushing. Jalon White, too, eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark with a 12-carry effort for 82 yards to end the regular season with 1,061 yards. Senior Mark Zurlis earned defensive player of the game honors for his 11 tackles to go along with a sack and fumble recovery.

North Haven finished the regular season at 9-1 and was ranked 6th in the State's class L playoffs and will travel to Trumbull High School Tuesday night to play third-seeded Masuk (10-0).

11/11: North Haven High School's varsity football team inched closer to a state playoff berth last Friday with their biggest blowout win of the season, a 54-6 romp over Lyman Hall at Fitzgerald Field in Wallingford.

Once again, North Haven established their dominating run game from the very beginning.

Indian freshmen Untereance Thomas, playing in his first varsity game, took a handoff on the first play of the game, made it around the right side and took off like a streak of light for a 72-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately for the Trojans, it was a sign of things to come, as the Indians would go on to pile up 501 yards of rushing and seven more touchdowns on the ground.

Thomas scored another touchdown in the second quarter on an 8-yard run, and senior quarterback and co-captain Joe Schwab added touchdown runs of 25 and 5 yards. Junior Jalon White had touchdown runs of 14 and 66 yards to help North Haven build a 41-0 lead by halftime.

In the third quarter, senior Frank Daniele ran for a 27-yard touchdown to expand the Indian lead to 48-0. Then the Trojans finally got on the board just before the end of the third quarter when quarterback Kyle Upton connected with Joe DeSandre for a 65-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 48-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, Sophomore Joe Lopez capped the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown run for North Haven to make the final score 54-6.

Thomas led all rushers with 129 yards, while teammates Jalon White added 103 and Frank Daniele had 65. Senior co-captain Mark Zurlis led the Indian defense with two interceptions and 10 tackles.

North Haven will travel to Woodbridge on Thanksgiving Day to take on the Amity Spartans at 10 a.m. The Indians are currently ranked 8th in the State in class L, which only accepts the top eight seeds into the state playoffs. North Haven needs to win in order to remain in the top 8 and advance for the second straight year.

11/4: North Haven High School varsity football played their last regular season home game of the year on senior night and defeated the Foran Lions to continue their quest for a second consecutive trip to the state playoffs. Because of the immense amount talent in the State's Class L Division, the Indans would have to win their last two games and get some help to qualify.

Strapped with poor field possession early in this game, the Indains were still able to score in the first quarter on a four-yard pass play from Senior quarterback Joe Schwab to senior fullback Mark Zurlis, who made a diving catch. Senior Jake Scafariello kicked the extra point and North Haven had a 7-0 lead.

Near the end of the first quarter, North Haven started a time-consuming 98-yard drive which culminated with a nine-yard run for a touchdown by Schwab. The snap on the PAT was low but Spencer Oakes scooped it up and threw it to Zurlis in the end zone for a two-point play to open a 15-0 Indian lead.

Foran's next possession ended with an interception by Schwab, which he returned for a 43-yard touchdown. Scafariello's kick that followed made the score 22-0. Another failed Lion drive ended with a punt that pinned North Haven at their own two-yard line and the Indians responded with another 98-yard drive, which consumed most of the rest of the half.

Schwab scored his third touchdown with a two-yard run and North Haven took a 29-0 lead into the break.

The Indians started the third quarter with their starters intact for one more drive, and went down and scored on a 17-yard pass from Schwab to Senior Matt Manameit. Scafariello's kick made it 36-0. From this point, North Haven's junior varsity team got most of the action and backup Senior quarterback Frank Daniele was able to score his first touchdown of the season with a three-yard run which put the Indians up 42-0.

Foran finally got on the scoreboard when a bad Indian snap was picked up and returned the other way for a 45-yard touchdown by Michael Pitt. Preventing the NHHS shutout seemed to wake up the Lions, as they went on to score another pair of quick touchdowns to close within 42-20, but North Haven took the wind out of their sails when Joe Lopez capped the scoring with a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter for a touchdown.

Sophomore Fred Sanchez kicked the extra point to make the final 49-20.

Schwab led the Indians offense, scoring three touchdowns with 12 carries for 113 yards, an interception return and 5 for 7 passing for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior Jalon White chipped in with 10 carries for 81 yards and also completed a 65-yard pass to Senior Spencer Oakes. Senior Mark Zurlis led the defense with 14 tackles and Schwab, Connor McDonald and Mike Halloran had interceptions for North Haven.

With the win, the Indians won the SCC Eastern Division II title and improved to 7-1 overall. They will travel up the road to Lyman Hall High School this Friday for a SCC battle with the Trojans at 7 p.m.

10/28: The North Haven Varsity Football team hosted a non-conference game at Vanacore Field last Friday against the Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers (2-5) from the FCIAC. Shortly after kicking off, the Indians stopped the Hilltoppers, got the ball back and scored four unanswered first quarter touchdowns to open up a 28-0 lead. They then added a second quarter touchdown to open up a 35-0 lead before Bridgeport finally got on the board.

After pulling off a fake punt which netted a large gain and moved the ball inside the Indian's red zone, the Hilltoppers' passed to the left goal line for a touchdown, and then a passed back to the right goal line for the 2 point conversion to make the score 35-8. North Haven responded with a quick scoring drive to up the lead to 41-8, but the Hilltoppers proved they were not going to go away as they scored a touchdown and a 2 point conversion to close out the half with a 41-16 score.

In the second half, the Indians' JV players got plenty of action as the team played to a 12-12 tie with Bridgeport, to make the final score 53-28.

Senior co-captain Joe Schwabb ran 12 times for 102 yards and rushed for two touchdowns while throwing for two more to pace North Haven's offense. Junior Jalon White chipped in with 11 runs for 83 yards and had touchdown runs of 5 and 35 yards. Senior Jason Cancel had a sack and 10 tackles to lead the Indian's defense.

North Haven (6-1) will face Foran High School this Friday night for their last regular season home game of the season.

10/21: When this season began, the North Haven Varsity football team circled game number six on their calendar as their toughest test - an away game rematch with Notre Dame. Many thought last year a win over the defending State Champion Green Knights was an improbible task, but their 3 point victory helped propel North Haven into last year's state playoffs. The Indians won their first five games this year and had a 14 regular season games win streak heading into the affair. Notre Dame was 3-2, but their losses were to top 5 teams Xavier and Daniel Hand.

The Indians came out fired up and won the coin toss and in unusal fashion opted to receive the ball. North Haven then went on a 7 plus minute 76 yard drive that culminated with Jaon White's 6 yard run for a touchdown. The kick that followed was blocked, so North Haven's lead stayed at 6-0. But the fire was still burning and the defense came out with an intense furvor and forced the Green Knights to punt after 3 quick plays. A bounding kick appeared to hit a Notre Dame player at the 25 yard line, and then the ball rolled towards the goal line and was downed at the 1. The missed call put North Haven in an inauspicious position pinned in at their own goal line. On the first play that followed, Sophomore Ethan Suraci fumbled in the end zone and Anthony Masucci recovered it for the Green Knights for a touchdown. The PAT kick gave Notre Dame a one point lead at 7-6.

North Haven stayed with their game plan and marched right down and scored again when Senior co-captain Joe Schwab hit Spencer Oakes with a 13 yard touchdown pass. The try for two that followed was stopped so the lead stood at 12-7. Still sputtering on offense, the Green Knights turned the ball over on their next possession in their own end when Masucci dropped a fumble of his own and North Haven recovered. The Indains moved right down to the 6 yard line, but were called with a costly holding penalty and had to settle for a field goal try. Senior Jake Scafariello's kick appeared to go off the side of his foot and the ball squibbed its way down to the 1 yard line where it was downed. To this point in the game, North Haven led in total yards 207 to Notre Dame's 13 but only had a 5 point lead to show for it.

With only 3:14 to play in the half, the Green Knights took over the game from this point, putting together a 17 play, 99 yard drive and ultimately scored with 13 seconds left when their QB Nate Schambach fumbled at the goal line and Cameron Tucker recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT kick that followed gave Notre Dame a 14-12 lead at the half.

The teams played a scoreless third quarter as they traded punts until the Green Knights gained favorable field position and then worked a drive which ended with a 16 yard touchdown run from Tucker on the second play of the fourth quarter. The PAT kick was no good, so North Haven was still within reach - behind only 20-12. But the Indians could not put together a drive and ultimately were dealt a "knock out punch" when Green Knight Javon Grey took off for a 48-yard TD run with just under 3 minutes to play. The PAT kick that followed made the final score 27-12.

White led North Haven's offense with 16 carries for 85 yards and Schwab chipped in with 18 runs for 69 yards and completed 6 of 11 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Seniors Mark Zurlis and Jason Cancel paced the defense with 11 tackles each. The Indians will host non Conference opponent Bridgeport Central (2-4) on Friday.

10/13: The North Haven High Freshmen team traveled to East Haven and defeated the Yellow Jackets 28-6. East Haven ran back the opening kickoff for an 80 yard touchdown, but their try for extra point kick was blocked. North Haven came back and tied the score with a 15 yard by Tom Gallagher around the left side, and then Joe Corniello kicked the extra point for a 7-6 Indian lead. Cole Pecora had a 50 yard run for a touchdown in the second and Mike McKenna ran in a 2-point conversion to give North Haven a 15-6 lead. McKenna ran in an 80 yard touchdown on the last play of the half and Corniello drilled the extra point for a 22-6 lead. An interception, a fumble and several punts plagued the Indians in the second half, but Pecora took off for an 80 yard touchdown in the fourth. The kick that followed was no good, so the final was 28-6.

10/14: North Haven High School varsity football improved its 2011 season record to 5-0 with a dominating 47-6 victory over East Haven at home on Oct. 14. Six different players scored during the romp.

In the first quarter, the Indian offense racked up 28 points on four touchdowns to put this game out of reach early. Senior quarterback Joe Schwab ran in North Haven's first touchdown from 10 yards out, and then junior Jalon White returned an interception 50 yards for a quick 14-0 lead.

Sophomore Ethan Suraci broke through the middle on the Indians' next possession and took off for a 57-yard touchdown to up the score to 21-0. After another failed East Haven drive, White exploded through the line and scampered 60 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter to give North Haven a 28-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Schwab connected with senior Spencer Oakes for an 11-yard touchdown pass and White followed on the next possession with an 81-yard touchdown sprint down the far right sideline to open the margin to 41 points.

Junior Quincy Pecora added a 39-yard touchdown run later in the third to end North Haven's scoring at 47-0. As the rain began to intensify, a snap from center was mishandled by the Indians and Rob Panella recovered it and returned it the other way for a 50-yard touchdown for East Haven to prevent a shutout.

White led North Haven's offense with 175 yards on only four carries, and had three touchdowns. Suraci added 81 yards and a touchdown on just three carries. Seniors Mark Zurlis (10 tackles), Jason Cancel (eight tackles) and Matt Manemeit (interception) led the Indians' defense.

10/15: The JV Indians took the opening kickoff and quickly fumbled it away but after quickly stopping East Haven and forcing them to punt, John Spencer ran it back for a 50 yard touchdown. The kick that followed was no good so North Haven was up 6-0. After an East Haven fumble, Johntavious Jones ran a sweep around the right side for a 30 yard touchdown and the Indians were up at the end of the first 13-0.

In the second, Jones ran to his right, found a wall, spun and redirected to come back around the left side and in for a 12-yard TD. Joe Corniello was good on the kick for a 20-0 lead. Cole Pecora followed with a 15 yard touchdown run and another Corniello kick made it 27-0 at the half.

The second half opened with North Haven kicking off to the Yellow Jackets, but the Indians stopped East Haven cold, and then Christian Black ran in a 55 yard touchdown and after another Corniello kick, North Haven was rolling with a 34-0 lead.

10/6: North Haven High School varsity football improved their 2011 season record to 4-0 with a road win over Sheehan High School on Oct. 6.

The victory enabled the Indians to improve their school record of consecutive regular season victories to 13. Along the way, they racked up 482 yards of rushing led, by junior Jalon White who had 14 carries for 129 yards.

Seniors JP DeVeglia (12 carries for 127 yards) and Joe Schwab (18 for 93) made significant contributions from the backfield as well. Five different players scored touchdowns, and senior place kicker Jake Scafariello was 4 of 5 on extra points. Sophomore Ethan Suraci kicked the final extra point in the fourth quarter. North Haven's defense was suffocating in this game, limiting the pass heavy Titans to only two completions for negative-two yards. Moreover, Indian defenders allowed just 83 yards of rushing. Schwab intercepted a pass in the first quarter as the Indians scored twice in the frame, the first by JP DeVeglia from seven yards out and the second on Senior Brian Erickson's 44-yard pass reception down the far left sideline to open up a 13-0 lead. In the second quarter, North Haven put together a nice drive and closed out the half with a 20-0 advantage after Schwab made it around the right side and in for a two-yard touchdown. It was all Indians in the second half. DeVeglia scored his second touchdown of the game with a 21-yard run. Freshmen Johntavious Jones ran in a 12-yarder to up the lead to 34-0 at the start of the fourth quarter and junior Eric Calafiore added a final score with 1:29 to play to increase the margin to 41-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jeremy Gannon took it the other way for an 83-yard touchdown run for Sheehan to make the final score 41-7.