North Branford wears down Granby/Canton to secure win; Simsbury falls

Granby/Canton’s Frank Briggs (22), shown earlier this season against Capital Prep, ran for 54 yards and a touchdown in Friday night’s loss to North Branford.

The task was tall for the Granby/Canton football team on Friday night in North Branford. The Bears had to beat the host Thunderbirds to keep their slim CIAC Class SS playoff hopes alive.

And for three quarters, the Bears stood toe to toe with North Branford. But North Branford scored 20 points in the final 10 minutes of the contest to pull away and secure a 26-6 Pequot Conference victory on the grass at Colafati Field.

North Branford QB Matteo Anderson snapped a 6-6 tie with a 62-yard run up the middle to give the Thunderbirds a 13-6 lead. The Bears (6-4) were held to minus one yard on their next drive and punted.

North Branford (8-1) responded with a 12-play, 70-yard drive to take a commanding 20-6 lead on a four-yard touchdown run from Jack Siegel.

Siegel slipped two tackles and had a 17-yard run up the middle that brought the ball down the Bear 30-yard line. A 16-yard reception from Anderson to Billy Criscuolo moved the ball to the 14-yard line. Two players later, Siegel scored from the four.

The Thunderbirds, who won their seventh straight game, recovered the kickoff that caromed off a Granby/Canton player and Siegel scored another touchdown in the final minute for a 26-6 lead.

Granby/Canton entered the game ranked 11th in Class SS with the top eight teams earning a spot in the tournament. The Bears, who had qualified for the playoffs for the past five seasons, needed a win and some help from other teams.

The game was scoreless at the half. But the Bears threatened late in the second quarter.

They took oved on their own 38-yard line with 32.4 seconds remaining in the first half. A 15-yard pass interference penalty moved the ball to the North Branford 47. Granby/Canton QB Joseph Lewie completed a 12-yard pass to Oliver Douglas to the Thunderbird 35. Another 12-yard completion to Douglas moved the ball to the North Branford 23.

On the final play of the half, Lewie’s pass to Douglas was incomplete but the T-Birds were called for pass interference. Granby/Canton got one more play but it was incomplete in the end zone.

Granby/Canton opened the second half with a 10-play, 86-yard drive with Frank Briggs scoring on a four-yard TD run for a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked.

Lewie had a 17-yard run on third down from the Bear 18-yard line to keep the drive alive. He also had a 46-yard run up the middle to the North Branford six-yard line. Briggs scored two plays later.

North Branford responded immediately with a scoring drive of their own and Anderson scoring from 21-yards away to tie the game at 6-6. The Bears blocked the extra point, too.

Key plays on the drive including a 17-yard run from Anderson and a 14-yard run from Siegel to the Granby/Canton 24-yard line. Anderson scored two plays later.

Siegel led all rushers with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Anderson ran for 103 yards and two TDs on eight carries.

For the Bears, Lewie ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He completed 9-of-15 passes for 53 yards. Douglas caught three passes for 28 yards while Elijah Sam caught three passes for 13 yards. Briggs ran for 54 yards on 14 carries.

North Branford 26, Granby/Canton 6
At North Branford
Granby/Canton (6-4)       0  0  6    0  — 6
North Branford (8-1)        0  0  6  20  — 26
Third quarter
G: Frank Briggs 4 run (kick blocked)
NB: Matteo Anderson 21 run (kick blocked)
Fourth quarter
NB: Anderson 62 run (Owen Brustman kick)
NB: Jack Siegel 4 run (Brustman kick)
NB: Jack Siegel 8 run (kick wide)

Glastonbury 28, Simsbury 14
GLASTONBURY, Nov. 21, 2025 – Junior Dante Casida ran for 125 yards and a season-high four touchdowns as the Guardians finished the regular season with a 28-14 win over Simsbury in a Central Connecticut Conference game on Friday night. Casida has 18 rushing touchdowns for the Glastonbury, which won their fourth straight game. Harin Tindall and Bryan George scored touchdowns for Simsbury (1-9). Under first year head coach Vinnie Guiel, the Trojans finished 1-9 for the second time in the last three seasons.

Glastonbury 28, Simsbury 14
At Glastonbury
Simsbury (1-9)                   0    0  7  7  — 14
Glastonbury (7-3)              7  14  7  0  — 28
First quarter
G: Dante Casida 2 run (Thomas Pingel kick)
Second quarter
G: Casida 4 run (Pingel kick)
G: Casida 7 run (Pingel kick)
Third quarter
G: Casida 5 run (Pingel kick)
S: Harin Tindall 22 run (kick good)
Fourth quarter
S: Bryan George 3 run (kick good)