Daniel Hand football defeated Class LL opponent, Fairfield Prep Friday, Nov. 7 with a score of 20-17 .
“We embrace it. We run towards pressure,” said Head Coach Erik Becker. “We get our minds right & step up. We see competition as a challenge not a threat. We rise up to the challenge of our rivals."
The Tigers are rolling after beating St. Joseph in their first game. Bobby Reh led the way in his debut with 319 yards and a game winning touchdown pass. He threw for 2 other touchdown passes beating the Trojans 30-28 in that first game.
“Bobby has spent his life preparing for this moment,” said Becker. “He kept his mind right, worked hard, waited his turn, and stepped up when opportunity came. He earned this. Nothing was given to Bobby.
“I could not be more proud of Bobby,” Becker continued. “He is our Little General. We have had many great quarterbacks over the years, including several All Americans & dozens of All State guys. Bobby is among the smartest, most fundamentally sound quarterbacks in our Program's history.”
The Tigers also have other tough wins against a former top ten ranked Brookfield and now, a well-regarded Fairfield Prep who was #4 in CT previously.
“St. Joes is an outstanding program. We are 3-3 all time vs the Cadets going back to 1985,” said Becker. “We knew it would be a four quarter fight. Keeping our minds calm, clear, and confident was essential.”
The defense was the key factor in this last game, with 4.5 sacks combined by Brayden Dempsey and Paul Fumex. Junior Lucca Boyce rushed for 200 yards with two touchdowns averaging 110.6 yards per game this year.
In an interview with GameTimeCT postgame, Boyce reflected on their win, “You know it's just all heart, this game’s been circled on our calendar for like the whole year so we came here, sold out. It was all heart, all love and we all came in as one, big W.
“Boyce is one the most impressive athletes I have ever coached,” said Becker. “He physically reminds me of our all-time leading rusher – Erich Hamel ‘95, who played running back at NAVY. Lucca is that good.”
Hand’s schedule is a challenge, playing against Joe's, Brookfield, West Haven and Fairfield Prep. But the staff is proud of their success as a small team with a big schedule. Becker says, “These last 4 years have been the hardest 4 years in our 55 year history. We’ve played an average of 4.5 playoff teams these last 4 seasons. We’ve won 74% of our games over that span.”
The Tigers look ahead to the Class SS State tournament after completing their remaining games and the traditional Thanksgiving game with Guilford High School.
Becker says, “Every Hand Team is unique. This is Team 55. This is their shot at the title. They are an incredible bunch of young men. I am blessed & grateful every day to shepherd them through this transformative experience.”
With the win against Prep, the Tigers moved into #4 on the GameTimeCT “Top 10 Football Poll.” Their next game is on November 14th against West Haven at home.