For the Guilford Indians' football team, 2012 could be described as a tale of two seasons. After the Indians started with losses to North Haven, West Haven, Amity, and Hillhouse, they responded to the adversity with strong offensive outputs in four-consecutive wins versus Branford, Law, East Haven, and Foran. Guilford then headed to the Surf Club on Nov. 21 with a chance to score a major upset versus No. 1 and undefeated Hand, yet dropped a 31-13 decision to the Tigers.

The Indians were led with another big performance from junior running back Eric Zergiebel, who rushed for 123 yards on 30 touches. The defense also took some points from the Tigers as senior defensive back Tyler Nelson returned an interception for a touchdown. Even with the season-ending defeat, Guilford's coach feels the team is heading in the right direction toward the future.

"We improved from last year," said Tom Unger, whose squad finished 4-6. "Our points for and against have improved and our defense is also better, along with a great coaching staff. We're building a program in the right direction."

Following a quick three-and-out by Guilford (5-5) on its first drive, Hand (10-0) started out its intial series with a sack on Hand senior quarterback Brendan Bilcheck by junior linebacker Ford Linell, yet the eight-play drive culminated with Ian O'Toole scoring from eight yards out to make it 7-0 Tigers with 8:08 remaining in the first period. Guilford followed with a lengthy 15-play possession before turning it over on a costly fumble.

The second quarter started with a short drive by Hand that was followed up with a drive by the Indians that ended with an unsuccessful punt fake by junior quarterback Joe Nault. The Tigers did not take long to take advantage of the second turnover by their visitors as, five plays later, Bilcheck threw a third-down ball to senior wideout Caleb Ewald to increase the lead to 13 with 7:05 before halftime.

Guilford again had a chance to put the ball in the end zone before the half, but suffered its second fumble of the first 24 minutes. Hand again took advantage of the miscue when, four plays after the turnover, O' Toole rushed in for a score with 1:10 remaining in the first half to make it a 20-0 Tiger lead at the break.

Starting the second half with the ball, the Tigers scored less than two minutes into the third when Bilcheck threw over the middle of the field to Ewald, who took it to paydirt as it became 27-0. Guilford tried to respond with a 13-play drive, yet turned the ball over on downs when its rush attempt was short of the marker. The Indians' defense then stormed out to give the offense another chance as the Tigers went three-and-out.

The Indians converted their first fourth down as the quarter wound down, but they turned it over again on downs as the final period began. On Hand's first offensive drive of the quarter, the Guilford defensive unit struck gold as Nelson intercepted a pass from Hand junior quarterback Hayden Atwater for a pick-six to put Guilford on the scoreboard at 27-7 with 9:21 to play.

As quickly as Guilford scored, the Tigers responded just as quick when senior Matt Sullivan returned the ensuing kickoff back 81 yards for a score and a 34-7 command. Minutes later, the Indians added more points to their total as junior running back David Knapp dashed in for a score to make it 34-13. The drive also had strong contributions from carries by fellow back Zergiebel. But it was not enough as both clubs exchanged possessions before the final whistle sounded with Hand emerging victorious.