MADISON – When it comes to Hand football, it’s about stacking championship banners. This season, it’s also about repeating as CIAC Class SS champions.
But it’s good, if not necessary, to enjoy the accomplishments along the road to December. Friday night, fourth-ranked Hand defeated Fairfield Prep 35-13 at the Surf Club.
There were a few reasons for the Tigers to celebrate.
No one currently in the Hand program has lost to Fairfield Prep and it was the fourth-straight victory in the series for the Tigers.
“It’s a huge win. We’re proud to be one of the SCC’s smallest schools and we’re proud to beat one of the SCC’s biggest schools,” Hand coach Erik Becker said. “Prep is always a juggernaut and beating them is always a huge win for us.”
It was also the 450th win in the long, storied history of the program.
The Tigers (4-0) also got to celebrate the first touchdown for Andrew Young – offensive tackle Andrew Young, that is. He caught a 12-yard scoring pass on a hook-and ladder play, starting with quarterback Jake Rusher completing a pass to Tom Pshybyshefski, who lateraled it to Young.
“Our receiver catches it and flips it to me,” Young said. “It should work. We call it inside the red zone. … It worked perfectly.”
Becker said Young could play tight end for the Tigers.
“He’s athletic enough to do that so it was a perfect call at a perfect moment,” Becker said.
There was also a bit of sadness. Becker noted that the team “played for” former Yale University football coach Tony Reno, who died Friday of an illness at 52. Hand and Yale have long been connected, with Larry Ciotti having been a coach for both programs.
Current Yale coach Kevin Cahill, who replaced Reno in the off-season, lives in Madison. His son, Thomas, caught a 30-yard touchdown pass for Hand with 2 seconds left before halftime to put Hand up 21-0.
Fairfield Prep (1-3) managed just one first down in the first half.
“I think these guys are very capable,” Fairfield Prep coach Keith Hellstern said. “As I told them, ‘I’ll own the loss.’ I thought we had a good week of practice but there are moments, especially in that first quarter, back and forth and back and forth, we needed to make a play and didn’t.”
Lucca Boyce scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 170 yards for Hand. He rushed for 200 yards against Prep last season.
“We knew this game was going to be huge on our schedule. We just got to clean up a few things and clean upo the foolish penalties. This game means a lot.”
Player of the Game
Andrew Young, Hand:
Quotable
“There’s a lot of season left. I think there is a lot of good in front of this team and were going to keep striving for it no matter who we’re playing.” – Fairfield Prep coach Keith Hellstern
Hand 35, Fairfield Prep 13
FAIRFIELD PREP 0 0 6 7 – 13
DANIEL HAND 0 21 0 14 – 35
H-Lucca Boyce 2 run (Gabe Seehusen kick)
H-Andrew Young 9 run (Seehusen kick)
H-Tom Cahill 30 pass from Jake Rusker (Seehusen kick)
FP-Drew Kane 1 run (kick failed)
H-Tom Pshybyshefski 12 pass from Rusher (Seehusen kick)
H-Boyce 25 run (Seehusen kick)
FP-Dakota Newton 30 pass from Kane (Frank Porto kick)
Records: FP 1-3; H 4-0.
This article originally published at No. 4 Hand football wins fourth-straight over Fairfield Prep, remains undefeated.
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