The Hand Tigers waltzed into Friday's matchup with five straight wins but they left with six. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Branford 40-0 at home. Hand might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won four games by 29 points or more this season.
Aidan Dolan continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry. Dolan was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 69 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Shay, who threw for 157 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
When it comes to explaining why Branford lost, one person who can't be blamed is Nate Florio. Despite the final result, he rushed for 134 yards on only 15 carries. Florio has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last three times he's played.
Hand's win was their third straight at home , which pushed their record up to 7-1. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 44 points. As for Branford, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-3 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hand will challenge Amity Regional at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Amity Regional comes in still looking for their first win of the season. As for Branford, they will head out on the road to face off against Wilbur Cross at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Wilbur Cross comes in on a streak of failing to score more than six points in their last six games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse.
