Wethersfield High School senior Nicole Partridge (far right) was named an Athlete of the Week after assisting on two goals during the Nighthawks 3-0 win over Hamden. Partridge was one of six seniors from the co-op ice hockey team that were recognized prior to the game. From left; Nina Holm (RHAM), Caitlin Dube (Southington), Morgan Carrera (Southington), Emily Moskal (Southington), and Bella Bonfiglio
Nicole Partridge - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Playing on Senior Night, senior captain Nicole Partridge dished out a pair of assists as the Wethersfield/Avon co-op defeated Hamden 3-0 on Jan. 14. Caitlin Dube, Emily Moskal, and Bella Bonfiglio each tallied goals as the Nighthawks outshot Hamden 35-6 to win their eighth game of the season. Up next is a game with conference rival Simsbury on Friday, Jan. 20. Face-off at Newington Ice Arena is 6:10 p.m. Gavin Gray - Newington (Basketball): Gray scored a team-high 17 points as the Nor’easters downed Hartford Public 71-53 on Jan. 12. Gray, a senior, led the way offensively and had scoring support from freshman Josiah Sims and junior Lebron Beckford, who each netted a dozen points. The win improved Newington to 6-3 overall this season and next up is a home game against E.O. Smith (today) Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6:45 p.m. Corey Christensen - Rocky Hill (Track & Field): Christenson ran a personal-best time of 4:54.53 in the 1600 meters at the Elm City Coaches Meet at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Jan. 7. Christenson, a sophomore, previously had a personal-record in the 3200 meters, running a 10:43.39 at the Hillhouse Invitational on Dec. 17. Paul Wimbish-Sperrazza - Cromwell (Track & Field): Wimbish-Sperrazza ran a personal-best 39.22 to finish third in the 300 meters at the Shoreline League Meet #2 at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Jan. 12. The sophomore also teamed with Jared Semper, Kai McLarney, Elijah Hill to win the 4x200 meter relay with a time of 1:39.34 as the Panthers finished second overall as a team at the conference clash. Katie Harding - Rocky Hill (Basketball): Harding has hit the ground running as a freshman, averaging 10.7 points per game to lead the Terriers in scoring through the first ten games. In three games last week, the first-year center scored 48 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Harding posted a monster stat line in a 51-35 win over Bloomfield on Jan. 12, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The Terriers have won eight of ten games this season, including the last six. Next up is a tough test on the road against RHAM on Friday, Jan. 20 at 6:45 p.m.
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Senior captains (left to right) Amanda Walker, Alex Muniz, M.J. Torres, and Chris Adamczyk are helping lead the Rocky Hill wrestling, on and off the mat, this winter.
When Paul Meyers took over the wrestling program at Rocky Hill High School there was only a handful of wrestling and no tradition. Eight years later, the blossoming program has over 30 wrestlers and has created an environment of competition, comradery, and family. “It’s absolutely surreal,” Meyers said of the development of the program, who last won a state title in 1998. “The Rocky Hill community has been amazing.” Meyers said the key to turning the program around was distributive leadership, allowing his assistant coaches to take over more responsibility and having his captains play a major role, on and off the mat. ***Growth of a Coaching Tree*** Meyers’ coaching staff is full of former wrestlers from his previous experience coaching at Hartford Public High School and throughout his years at Rocky Hill. Rob Ruiz wrestled for Meyers at Hartford Public in 2006 and eventually worked his way to a Division I scholarship, wrestling at Franklin & Marshall College. Ruiz is back this year as a first-year assistant coach under Meyers, calling reuniting with his former coach, “Priceless.” “I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It’s nice to come back and be with the person that inspired me and try to inspire him back,” added Ruiz. “Coach Meyers has already built the culture and all I had to focus on is fine tuning those variables. These student athletes are smart and they pick stuff up really quickly.” Ruiz is one of two former Hartford Public wrestlers on staff, the other is Luis Gomez. Meyers also has a pair of recent Rocky Hill wrestlers working under him in 2021-graduate Romny Tejeda and 2022-graduate Tyler Brodeur. Tejeda was on the ground level of helping construct the program at RHHS, seeing the development first hand. “When I first started, it was a lot smaller. The sport wasn’t too popular and Meyers has brought this program to where it is now,” stated Tejeda. “The life skills that Meyers taught me in high school I didn't understand back then but now that I’m a coach I’m picking up on things that he was telling us.” Brodeur went from competing for a state title and finishing top-five in his weight class at the Class S state championship a year ago, to now being a coach to his former teammates. “It’s been seamless. It’s nice to have that friendship but at the same time I keep it to coaching when required,” Brodeur said of his sudden transition to coaching. “This sport has given me everything I have in life. It has changed how I view things and I want it to be the same thing with these kids. I want [the current wrestlers] to go on and carry on these life skills.” ***A Special Group of Captains*** Meyers called this season’s senior captains “great role models.” Chris Adamczyk, MJ Torres, Alex Muniz, and Amanda Walker have thrived in the leadership role. “They have been great leaders,” added Meyers. “It’s good for the [other] wrestlers to see it through their peers and not just their coaches. A lot of times it’s more important to see it through your peers.” Adamczyk, Torres, and Muniz share a special bond, each earning all-conference on the football field for the Terriers this past fall. Walker is in her second year as a team captain, also serving that role as a junior, and is one of five girls currently on the team. Meyers said the number of girls could grow to as many as eight later this season. Walker expressed how rewarding it is to see more girls coming out for the sport. “For years I was the only girl. It was scary, but I’m glad the rest of the girls on the team have someone to look up to and it’s really great being a captain this year again and seeing the growth in the team,” said Walker, who says the positivity surrounding the team is at an all-time high this winter. “I feel like it’s going to be a great rest of the season because we are so close and we look up to each other.” Adamczyk is coming off a 4th place finish in his weight class at the state finals a year ago. He said the team’s commitment to the weight room has made the entire team better. “We knew it would be a big change from last year. We had 12 seniors and we came in with 20 freshmen,” added Adamczyk, who wrestles at 220 lbs. “We knew we’d have a young team, so we would be growing rather than success right away. It’s been a lot more journey to success and we are seeing a lot of progress.” Torres is also a contender in the 195-pound division, saying the team has embraced the challenges of any and all combers. “It’s a solo sport and in wrestling it’s up to you, but we have a great group here,” added Torres. “We are a younger team, but we have the horses to win any meet.” Muniz says win or lose, the team is “one big family.” “We are as close as it gets. We all care about each other and lean on each other,” added Muniz, who wrestles at 170 lbs. “Thanks to the coaches, they teach us how important family is and it means everything to us.” The captain’s role this year is more important than ever. Outside of five seniors and a junior, the rest of the team consists of sophomores and freshmen, leaving the underclassmen with a steep learning curve In an effort to bring the team closer, the captains award a weekly ‘Hammer’ to a wrestler that has went above and beyond or made significant strides. The team also passes around a ‘Championship Belt’ that is exchanged weekly. The previous recipient picks out a wrestler who they believe is deserving of the honor. ***The Proof is in the Pudding*** The Terriers, a Class S program, have been ultra-competitive in every meet this season. After winning consecutive dual meets at home –– beating E.O. Smith on Dec. 21 and Bloomfield on Jan. 4 –– the Terriers then went toe-to-toe with Class LL Glastonbury last Wednesday. Muniz, Torres, Adamczyk, Dylan Stillwell, Edward Kocaqi, and Olivia Hopkins picked up individual victories in the meet against Glastonbury. The meet again Bloomfield was especially memorable for reason other than the win. Following the meet, the coaches from the upstart Warhawks expressed to Meyers how impressed they were with the professionalism and hospitality of the Rocky Hill wrestlers, coaches, and program. “It feels really good to hear that about our program,” stated Meyers. Because of the positive experience, Bloomfield will now take part in the Doc Meyers Invitational, a multi-school event that is named after coach Meyers’ father, Ed Meyers. The invitational is back after a two-year hiatus and will take place at RHHS on Sat. Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. The GHS girls’ basketball team poses after defeating Bristol Eastern 51-26 on Jan. 9. All 11 players played in the win, which was the team’s eight straight and they made it nine in a row by defeating Conard last Friday, avenging a loss from earlier in the season. Entering the week, the team stands at 9-2. Photo credit – Glastonbury Sports Photography.
After starting the season with a pair of losses, the girls’ basketball team at Glastonbury High School entered this week on a nine-game winning streak. The Guardians made it eight straight on Jan. 9, defeating Bristol Eastern 51-26 at GHS in the team’s first home game in 19 days. “The girls practice hard every single day and we are now repairing the benefits of getting better and better,” head coach Chris Vozzolo said. “Those hard practices are starting to pay off and we are starting to execute a little better. We are a little more in tune with each other, both defensively and offensively.” In the convincing win over Bristol Eastern, the Guardians used a 21-3 scoring run that spanned the first and second quarters to take control of the game before coasting to a victory in the second half. After missing several easy chances over the first six minutes of the game and falling behind 7-1, the Guardians offense ignited following a three-pointer from sophomore Madison Handrahan with 2:44 left in the first quarter. Handrahan’s triple sparked a 9-0 run, highlighted by a pair of contested layups from Lily Woodworth and four more points from Handrahan. After playing a major role as a freshman, Vozzolo said that Handrahan has further expanded her game this winter, noting her improved decision making. “Her basketball IQ is starting to gel with the rest of the team. She puts herself in good spots and is a natural scorer,” added Vozzolo. “I’m happy to see her confidence growing. She is taking care of the basketball and making plays.” The Guardians press defense, led by senior captain Alyssa Healy, gave Bristol Eastern fits, particularly the second quarter. The Lancers turned the ball over a dozen times in the first 16 minutes of the game with the Guardians causing nine of those turnovers with steals. “We’ve changed defenses a bunch to mess the other teams up and we like to turn that into our offense,” said Healy. “We got a bunch of great shots early on that weren’t falling, but we know what we can do on offense and we just kept doing it and it worked in the end.” With a 33-18 advantage at the half, senior Diekolola Awofala extended the margin by leading a 10-0 scoring run in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Awofala scored or assisted on all ten points, scoring eight points and setting up Handrahan for a layup. On the opening possession of the second half, the chemistry of the Guardians offense was on full display as all five Glastonbury players touched the ball before Awofala scored with a strong finish in the paint. Awofala also helped limit Bristol Easterns’ freshman standout Autumn Udoh, who was held scoreless in the second half after posting a team-high 11 points in the first half. Vozzolo said that Awofala has been working tirelessly with assistant coach Tim Bosworth and the results are showing on the court. “She has definitely become a presence. She has been also been a great leader for us,” added Vozzolo. “We were happy to see her come out in the second half and give us that boost we needed.” With a lead that ballooned to as much as 25-points in the second half, Vozzolo was able to play all 11 players, with seven Guardians scoring in the win. Handrahan led the team with 18 points and Woodworth added 16. Awofala (10), Healy (2), Cora Cwiertniewicz (2), Justine Ross (2), and Julen Astiasaran (1) also chipped in. Four nights later, the Guardians made it nine-straight wins by beating Conard 35-32. The win avenged a loss to the Red Wolves in West Hartford on Dec. 16. Entering the week, Glastonbury is 9-2 and hasn’t lost since that mid-December defeat to Conard “The girls are playing well; they are feeling confident,” Vozzolo said after the Bristol Eastern game. After losing only two seniors to graduation a season ago, Healy said that the returning players are comfortable on the court because of the extensive experiences they gained a year ago. “The team chemistry is just getting better and better,” added Healy. “Our communication is just amazing right now.” Next up is a tough test against conference rival Newington this Friday, Jan. 20 at GHS. Tip-off is 6:45 p.m. GHS junior Lily Woodworth is defended by Bristol Eastern’s Vanessa Drury during the Guardians 25-point win over the visiting Lancers last Monday. Woodworth scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half as the Guardians rolled to victory. For Glastonbury High School senior Mackenzie Landers, choosing a college within driving distance of home was important.
Landers ultimately decided that Stonehill College in Massachusetts was the ideal location to continue to play soccer and further her education. Upon making her decision, Landers stated, “Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, friends, and family for their support.” Family was one of the main reasons that Landers kept her search closer to home. Her older sister, Chloe Landers, will be entering her senior season at The University of Connecticut next fall, and her twin sister, Kelsey Landers, has committed to play at Iona College in New York. With Mackenzie heading to The Bay State, the Landers sisters have created a collegiate soccer triangle across the upper part of the Eastern Seaboard. “Stonehill was the best fit for me. I loved the atmosphere and I loved the location. The program is outstanding too,” said Landers. “Knowing my parents could make it to my games played a huge role and hopefully I can go support my sister when they have a game as well.” Landers will be joining a soccer program at Stonehill College that is on the ground level of something special. Last year, the program transitioned from Division II to a Division I. After struggling through the first part of the season, the Skyhawks showed signs of a program on the rise by winning their final three games to wrap up their initial season at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Landers is excited to be part of the building process at Stonehill, calling it “a great learning experience” “I liked that competitiveness and the fight in the program,” added Landers. Landers is used to the competition, having played over a dozen years of competitive soccer through the local youth ranks and into high school. She began her youth soccer days at Hartwell Soccer Club being coached by her mother, Amy Landers, and played her final two high school seasons being coached by her father, Mark Landers. Landers called the support of both of her parents “amazing” and said they were extremely supportive throughout her college search. “Her understanding of the game has certainly developed along with her technical skills,” said Mark Landers. “Defensively she anticipates well and her passing ability has improved tremendously.” Mark Landers added that it will be special to have all three of his daughters now playing college soccer. For Mackenzie, she said soccer was a sport that she “grew to love.” Landers — who has also played club soccer at Oakwood Soccer Club, along with Connecticut Football Club (CFC) and Premier Soccer at Farmington Sports Arena (FSA) — said the more soccer she played, the more she liked the sport. “Growing up with soccer and having my sister who is three years older made it a little better and maybe a little easier because I had someone to look up to and lean on,” added Landers. “Now [soccer] means so much to me; I get to be with people that love the same sport. I also love how much it has helped me grow and how much it can change you as a person.” This past season at GHS, Landers helped the Guardians win a Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) title and reach the semifinals of the Class LL state tourney. Her efforts on the field earned her All-CCC recognition. She said one of her favorite aspects of this past season was mentoring the younger players with her fellow seniors. “Building those relationships has been especially amazing. We had such a special bond that was so strong,” added Landers. “It didn’t take a long time to get our freshmen to learn the whole culture and how we do things around here. I think that is what got us really far.” After serving as a senior mentor, Lander will soon be assuming the role of a freshman again when she joins a Stonehill program guided by head coach Alex Wilson. Wilson was a standout goalie for the school before serving as an assistant coach and taking over the head coaching duties in 2013. Landers, who is undecided on a major but has a passion for helping people less fortunate, called going to Stonehill “a new start.” “I’m excited to grow as a person and meet new people and see how much I can learn,” added Landers. RHAM High School senior Dylan Devine is back leading Raptors wrestling, winning 10 of his first 11 matches this winter.
Here is a double dose of Rivereast Standouts for the previous two weeks (Dec. 26 - Jan. 8): Dylan Devine - RHAM High School (Wrestling): Devine has been a monster on the mat to start the season, winning 10 of his first 11 matches this winter. The senior has picked up right where he left off a season ago when he finished as the runner-up in his weight class at the Class M state finals. Devine, a 4.0 GPA scholar-athlete, is currently ranked No. 6 overall in his weight class for the entire New England region. Thomas Morton - East Hampton (Track & Field): Morton shined at the Shoreline League Meet on Jan. 5, running a personal-best (38.62) to finish as the runner-up in the 300 meters (38.62) and covering a personal-best distance of 16’10” in the long jump to place 3rd. Morton, a senior, also teamed with Robert Stanford, Alexander Urban, Aidan Maiorino to win the 4x200 relay race at the event, held at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven. The Bellringers placed third overall at the early-season conference meet. Megan Braga - Bacon Academy High School (Track & Field): Braga placed 3rd in the 55 meter hurdles, running a personal-best time of 9.79 at the Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) Developmental Meet at the Providence Career & Technical Academy in Rhode Island. Braga, a senior, then placed 6th in the same event at the Robert Saulisbury Invitational at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Dec. 30. Cole Bates - Portland High School (Track & Field): Bates won the pole vault, cleaning a personal-best height of 10’06” at the Shoreline League Meet at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Jan. 5. Bates, a senior who was a first-team all-conference soccer player in this past fall, was also on a pair of running relay teams at the conference track event. Max Czarnecki - RHAM High School (Track & Field): Czarnecki broke the school record in the 300 meters, running a time of 38.11 to place 4th overall at the Elm City Invitational in New Haven on Jan. 7. The senior also had a top-five finish in the 55 meters and placed 8th in the 55 meter hurdles at the annual event held at the Floyd Athletic Center. The Raptors placed 6th overall as a team, finishing ahead of 19 other schools. Elijah Black - Bacon Academy High School (Basketball): Black scored a team-high 17 points, hitting three shots from beyond the arc, as the Bobcats held off Montville 65-53 on Jan 4 at Bacon Academy High School. Black, a senior, led a balanced scoring attack that also had Luke Grimord (16), Keegan Appleby (10), and Troy Johnson (10) score in double figures. It was the defense that allowed Bacon to take the lead and never look back, holding Montville to seven points in the second quarter and taking a commanding 33-19 lead into the halftime break. Kali Trapp - East Hampton High School (Track & Field): Trapp vaulted a personal-best 7’06” to finish tied for 2nd place at the Shoreline League Meet at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Jan. 5. Trapp, a junior and academic standout at the school, also competed in the 55 meter dash and the high jump at the event as the Bellringers placed 8th overall as a team at the conference meet. Tyler Quinn - Portland High School (Wrestling): Quinn placed 2nd in the 160 lbs. Division at the Casey Yates Annual Memorial Invitational on Jan. 7. Quinn, a junior, defeated Sam Montgomery of Rockville, Russell Stewart of Griswold, and William Depault of Stafford to reach the championship bout. The Highlanders took 5th overall as a team at the yearly event that takes place at Lyman Memorial High School. East Hampton boys’ head coach John Antolini has a young team that features only two seniors, yet the arrow is pointing up for a young, resilient squad that is right in the thick of things in the Shoreline Conference (SLC).
After losing by 30 points on the road to SLC rival Cromwell last Tuesday, the Bellringers quickly bounced back with a conference win over North Branford on Jan. 6 at East Hampton High School. Antolini credited his two team captains, Nate Ireland and Brady Lynch, for keeping his team afloat through the early stages on the season. The second-year head coach called his pair of court captains “very consistent.” “They have both stepped up. They are leading by example on the court and doing the small things that typically matter,” added Antolini. Ireland is one of the team’s two seniors, joining Nicholas Chunko on a roster that also only features three juniors. Lynch is a sophomore who has furthered expanded his presence on the court after starting as a freshman a season ago. “His foul shooting has certainly improved and his midrange jumper has improved immensely,” Antolini said of Lynch, the team’s leading scorer at over 20 points per game. “He’s become a better all-round player and gotten better defensively.” The captains didn’t have their best night in the loss to Cromwell as turnover doomed the team in the first half. Cromwell went on a 14-3 run in the second quarter behind the talents of junior Victor Payne, who scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the first half. An 18-2 spurt by the Panthers ended any doubt of a second half rally for East Hampton. “We didn’t play really well today, we came out flat,” Antolini said after the loss to Cromwell. “They outrebounded us and that’s where a lot of their points came from in the first half. We tried to limit it by putting a little pressure on them but they were the better team tonight, period.” Despite the loss, there were some positives that came out of the loss to Cromwell. The Bellringers came out aggressively in the first half, getting the reigning SLC champs into early foul trouble and the game was tied at 8-8 midway through the first quarter thanks to a pair of buckets from Ireland. East Hampton also had balanced scoring, with seven Bellringers scoring in the loss. Three nights later, East Hampton put the loss to Cromwell behind them with a 64-62 win over North Branford. Lynch led the way, scoring 27 points and grabbing nine. Ireland added 15 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Lynch and Ireland also delivered from the line, combining to make 13 or 16 free throws. It was a terrific all-around shooting night for the team, who shot 79% from the charity strip and 52% from the field in the win. Sophomores Austin Cuthbertson and Jadin Sawyer also came up big. Cuthbertson chipped in ten points and Sawyer added eight points, knocking down a pair of shots from downtown. In the program’s first year under Antolini, the Bellringers qualified for the Division V state tourney after winning 13 games, including a victory in the opening round of the SLC tourney. Antolini believes his current team has that type of potential again as long as they take care of the ball and cut down on turnovers. “We’ve done a good job at points this season,” added Antolini. ‘We need to limit out mistakes as we move our way throughout our Shoreline schedule, but if we do that I like our chances the rest of the year.” On Tuesday, East Hampton improved to 5-2 with another conference win, defeating Hale Ray 58-47. As of publication, the Bellringers five wins ranks behind only Cromwell and Portland for the most wins in the conference. The team will next host Coginchaug on Wednesday, Jan. 18 in another SLC test. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m. Christina DeNovellis and Kelsey LaMay- Rocky Hill High School (Basketball): DeNovellis and LaMay have given the Terriers a terrific inside-outside presence this winter. The two were instrumental in helping Rocky Hill girls’ basketball win a pair of games last week, defeating Hartford Public, 51-24, on Jan. 2 and Platt, 64-25, on Jan. 5. DeNovellis, a senior, combined for 19 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in the wins. LaMay, a freshman, canned six threes and scored 28 points, also added five steals, in the wins, which improved the Terriers to 5-2.
Sean Millen - Wethersfield High School (Ice Hockey): Millen netted a hat trick as the Eagles dealt Newington co-op their first loss, winning 5-1 on Jan. 7. Millen, a senior, scored a pair of goals in the first period and added a third in the final frame. Brady Quinn and Anthony Ruck each added goals on what was a banner night for the Eagles, who unveiled their Division II championship banner at the Newington Ice Arena prior to the contest. Wethersfield next plays Sheehan on Saturday, Jan 14 at the Newington Ice Arena. Face-off is slated for noon. Adela Cecunjanin - Cromwell High School (Basketball): Cecunjanin was named the Player of the Game as the Panthers edged East Hampton 38-29 in an important early-season Shoreline Conference (SLC) bout. The senior scored 11 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked four shots to lead a Cromwell defense that was outstanding the second half, limiting the Bellringers to 11 total points over the final 16 minutes. Through the first six games, Cecunjanin is averaging a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) as Cromwell is off to a 4-2 start. Next up is another SLC showdown against Valley Regional on Thursday, Dec. 12 at Cromwell High School. Tip-off is 6:30 p.m. Nasir McDaniel-Cade - Middletown High School (Basketball): McDaniel-Cade scored 17 points and was named the Most Valuable Player of The Middletown Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic as the Blue Dragons won the tourney, defeating Portland 67-52 in the championship game on Dec. 29. The senior captain has been one of many scoring threats this season for a Blue Dragons team who won their fourth straight game with a 74-68 victory over Platt on Jan. 3. McDaniel-Cade, Branden Torres, Quadir Murphy, Justice Freeman, and Tijion Johnson each scored in double figures in the win over Platt. Middletown next host Conard High School on Thursday, Jan. 5. Tip-off is 6:45 p.m. Mike Deegan - Berlin/Newington High School (Ice Hockey): Deegan scored a career-high four goals and dished out an assist at Newington co-op ice hockey throttled Southington/Coginchaug/Westbrook 11-2 on Jan. 4. Josh Beaudoin and David Andrews each netted a pair of goals, while Evan Oliver, Mason Buckley, and Andrew Stribling also tallied a goal in the nine-point win. The Nor’easters, who stands at 6-1, next host E.O. Smith/Tolland on Saturday, Jan 14 at the Newington Ice Arena. Face-off is 7:30 p.m. Cromwell’s Victor Payne defends East Hampton’s Nathan Ireland at Jake Salafia Gymnasium inside Cromwell High School on Jan. 3. Payne scored a game high 24 points, including 22 in the first half.
Junior Victor Payne scored 22 of his game-high 24 in the first half as Cromwell boys’ basketball cruised to a 70-40 victory over Shoreline Conference (SLC) rival East Hampton on Jan. 3. Payne, who rested the entire fourth quarter, was one of ten Panthers to score in the lopsided victory, which improved Cromwell to 5-0 With the game tied at 8-8 midway through the opening quarter, the Panthers turned on the jets by going on a 14-3 run that bled into the early stages of the second quarter. The scoring spurt was ignited by a swarming defense that created multiple turnovers and allowed the Panthers to get easy buckets in transition. Payne scored 10 points during the run, including a pair of buckets following offensive rebounds. Head coach John Pinone said that Payne’s abilities give the Panthers flexibility on both ends of the court. “He’s a tough matchup for people in our league; he’s progressively gotten better each year,” added Pinone, who has used Payne in multiple roles this season “We’re trying to figure out different ways to get him the ball.” Payne said that it was the “simple stuff” that allowed Cromwell to take charge in the win over the Bellringers. “They weren’t boxing out; I was able to get some offensive boards and put them back up,” stated Payne, who is coming off an all-conference season as a sophomore. “We were moving the ball around and pushing the ball in transitions.” During the second and third quarters, the Panthers outscored the visiting Bellringers 46-20, including an 18-2 run late in the third that was punctuated by a three-point shot from Jake Corona to put the Panthers up 62-39. Senior Tyler Danielle scored 10 of his 12 points during the second half. Danielle also grabbed eight rebounds on the night. Head coach John Pinone credited Danielle for his hustle and effort, adding, “Tyler played really well tonight.” Danielle is one of three senior starters for Pinone, joining Luke Gagnon and Jake Salafia in a starting lineup that also includes Payne and junior Keanu Gomez. Payne said the team is beginning to build a good rapport and said the key to maintaining the team’s strong start is to keep the tempo up approach. “That is something that we are going to do all year because I think we are one of the most in-shape teams in Connecticut,” added Payne. ‘[Coach] has us running all the time in practice.” The Bellringers attempted to play more zone defense and trap Payne in the second half, but it only led to more transition buckets as the Panthers netted 25 points in the decsive third quartyer. “We didn’t play really well today. We came out flat,” East Hampton head coach John Antolini said. “They outrebounded us and that’s where a lot of their points came from in the first half. We tried to limit it by putting a little pressure on them but they were the better team tonight, period.” Despite the 30-point win, Pinone believed that his Panthers left a lot of the court, particularly on the defensive end. “I thought we were good in transition, but we are nowhere near where we need to be defensively,” stated Pinone. “We have a lot of work to do. When we get better defensively and are all in-synch we will be a much better team.” After the 25-point third quarter that ballooned the lead to 30, Pinone was able to rest his normal rotation for the fourth quarter, allowing his young players a chance to shine. Payne and Danielle’s double-digit scoring nights highlighted the team’s most productive scoring output of the season. Salafia (9), Gomez (6), Gagnon (5), Logan Mure (5), Corona (3), Emeka Yearwood (2), Jay Vaughan (2), Jovan Marrero (2) also continued to the team’s season-high 70 points. Pinone pointed to Mure, a senior who is serving as the team’s sixth man, as being one of the team’s pleasant surprises this season. Mure scored all five of his points in the third, nailing a three-pointer and making a contested layup midway through the quarter. With 3:12 remaining in regulation, Vaughan hit a sky hook, drawing a standing ovation and the biggest cheers of the night from a Cromwell student section dressed in Hawaiian attire. Three nights after beating East Hampton, the Panthers –– who opened the season with wins over SMSA, North Branford, Valley Regional, and Rockville –– picked up win #6 by setting a new-high in points this season in a 74-40 victory over Haddam Killingworth at CHS. Through the first half dozen games, the Panthers have outscored their opponents by an average of nearly 24 points per game. It’s a similar start to a season ago when the team won their first 17 games, eventually winning the SLC Championship, the program’s first since 2019. Payne believes that defensive pressure and more consistency from beyond the arc is the key to another postseason push this winter. After shooting only 14% from downtown in the win over East Hampton, Pinone agrees the team needs to get better from the perimeter, adding, “I think we’re going to see a lot of zone in our conference. We have to shoot better; 4-24 that is not going to cut it on a normal night.” Cromwell returns home this Friday, Jan. 13 for another SLC contest against Old Lyme. Tip-off is 7 p.m. Senior Jake Salafia looks to pass in the second half during Cromwell’s 70-40 victory over East Hampton. It was the Panthers fifth win in as many games this winter. Glastonbury High School’s record-breaking swimmer Avery Kudlac will take her talents to the University of Pittsburgh this fall as she continues her athletic career and pursues a degree in occupational therapy.
Kudlac announced her verbal commitment to the Western Pennsylvania-based University in February of last year, stating, “I am beyond thankful for the support of my family, coaches, and friends. I can’t wait to be a Panther!” She made the commintment official at the GHS college signing day in November. “I loved the program and the academics were a really good fit for me,” stated Kudlac, who was born and raised in Glastonbury. “I like what they offered and I definitely liked the size. I felt like the bigger school vibe was more for me.” Kudlac has left a lasting impression at GHS, breaking a pair of individual pool records and school records during her four-year tenure at the school. She broke the school’s record in the 200 freestyle (1:49.01 in 2022) and 100 butterfly (54.20 in 2022), along with the GHS pool records in the 200 freestyle (1:53.92 2020) and in the 100 freestyle (51.87 in 2020). She was also part of six relay teams that broke either school or pool records. This past fall was a banner season for Kudlac, who won the 100 butterfly and finished second overall in the 200 freestyle at the Class LL state finals. She was also part of the school’s second place 400 freestyle relay team that took second place as the Guardians placed third overall as a team. “We are all so close and we all want to get better for the team and for each other,” Kudlac said of the success of the school’s swim and dive program that has won 11 straight conference title. “Since we are doing it for each other and not just for ourselves it makes it that much better.” Winning was fun, yet it’s the late-season meets and Senior Nights over the last four years that made the biggest impact on Kudlac. “You get so close to everyone throughout the season, so seeing everyone celebrated was really nice,” said Kudlac. “It is also near the end of the season, so everyone is at their best and the relay teams are swimming their fastest. It was just fun to look back on.” “Laser focused” is how GHS swimming head coach Suzie Hoyt described Kudlac. “Avery has a game face,” added Hoyt. “She figured out that this is what works for her. You can tell that she is all in and she is concentrating on what she has to do.” Hoyt added that Kudlac and her twin sister Riley Kudlac, who is headed to swim for George Washington University, will fit right in with their respective college because they have, “tremendous work ethics, they are good teammates, and they are coachable. They want to be the best version of themselves.” Outside of GHS, Kudlac swam for the LEHY Swimming Club out of East Hartford for the past decade and has coached youth swimming throughout the years. Kudlac also played soccer growing up before becoming a year-round swimmer once high school started. “Swimming is a lot of my life,” said Kudlac, whose father was also a swimmer. “My team has also become my family and it’s what I love to do, so being around those people and doing what I love is great. Outside the pool, Kudlac has a passion for helping others and has been involved with the Special Olympics and the school’s Unified Sports Basketball team. She said the experiences have been very rewarding and would like to stay involved and is one of the reasons she chose to major in occupational therapy at Pittsburgh. At her next stop, Kudlac will join a Panthers’ swimming team that competes in the highly-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which is also the home to back-to-back National Champions from the University of Virginia. “The ACC is really the highest level and I’ll be swimming against really fast people. I’m looking forward being around an environment where we have all the abilities to train at the highest level,” said Kudlac. “[Riley and I] have always been together and we always did everything together growing up, so being apart to find out who we are on our own will also be fun.” GHS gymnastics opened the season with a win over South Windsor on Jan. 7. First-year head coach Dana Jackson has taken over a program that only features three seniors, but has plenty of talent. Photo credit – Glastonbury Sports Photography.
For the first time in over a decade, Glastonbury High School gymnastics has a new voice. Dana Jackson is now in charge of the program, taking over as the head coach of a team that commenced the new era with a win over South Windsor at Tri-Town Gymnastics in Tolland on Jan. 7. “We have a really good group of girls,” said Jackson, a 2011 graduate of Conard High School. “It’s been great and the kids are great. We should be really competitive this year.” Helping Jackson settle into her new role have been team captains Olivia Aselton and Veronica Thomas. Aselton and Thomas are two of the team’s three seniors, with Brianna Miclette being the third. Jackson said her two captains have been amazing from day one, adding she has leaned on them and retuning assistant coach Taylor Savage heavily over the first month of the season. “Being a new coach they have been super helpful from a leadership standpoint with getting the girls organized and with preparation,” stated Jackson. Jackson also noted that outgoing coach Yvette Sima has also been instrumental with easing the transition, adding, “Yvette has been super helpful. I’ve definitely implemented a lot from what she taught me.” It’s also been a transition season for Aselton and Thomas, who went from being contributors on a team last year that finished fifth overall at the Class LL state tourney to now being senior leaders on a team that features seven freshmen and five sophomores. “I remember being in their place my freshman year. I looked up to all the captains and I felt so young, and now I am the one that is helping [the freshmen] out,” stated Aselton, “We just try and help out the new girls and bring the team closer.” The captains have filled the leadership voids and added the coaching change was an adjustment, but are excited for the opportunity to help Jackson put her stamp on the program. Aselton called Jackson “very encouraging” and Thomas added “our vibes are matching.” “Our biggest goal this year is to have a good time,” stated Thomas. “Obviously we’d love to win and our skills are good so we want to show that off, but it’s just important that we all have a good time together.” Both captains noted that they coach youth gymnastics locally, so they were familiar with the incoming gymnasts. For Jackson, it’s was whirlwind first few weeks since taking over the program. While in high school, Jackson was a Level 10 gymnast and trained at the same venue — Gymnastic Express Too — that the Guardians host their meets at. After graduate high school, Jackson competed collegiately at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania and earned a degree in communications. Over the past decade she has traveled for work, doing digital media and public relations around the east coast before taking a job with the Halifax Thunderbird, a professional lacrosse team in Nova Scotia, Canada. Jackson eventually moved back to the area with her husband, Kyle Jackson, and their two young children, Taytum and Teagan, where she got the opportunity to become the head coach at GHS. Jackson, whose background was mainly in club gymnastics, had to learn the ropes of high school gymnastics. She said it took time to understand the different nuances of high school rules and scoring, yet she feels she is starting to get a hang of it. “Now that I have been here I am enjoying it so much. I like the team aspect,” stated Jackson, who joked being around the sport makes her want to compete again. “My two-year-old loves coming to the gym and just being in the gym again is so awesome. I get to be involved in the sport at a different level.” In the win over South Windsor, the Guardians defeated the Bobcats 131.75 - 80.25. Returning all-conference junior Macey Burns had a meet-best 8.85 on the bars and team-highs of 8.5 on the beam and 8.4 on the vault. Sophomore Anna Edwards posted a team-high 8.7 on the floor exercise, while Madeline O’Connell registered an 8.55 on the bars. Aselton, who posted an 8.4 on the beam, said the goal this year is for “everyone to have fun.” “We are a team and are all always rooting each other on,” added Thomas, who scored 8.25 on the bars and 8.0 on the floor exercise. The Guardians are slated to have their first home meet this Friday (today), Jan. 13 at Glastonbury Express Too at 7 p.m. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
December 2023
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