Shane Mazur will be one of eight Wethersfield ice hockey seniors recognized for Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 5, when the Eagles takes on South Windsor
Wethersfield ice hockey defeated co-op Rocky Hill/Middletown/Plainville/Haddam/Killingworth, 4-1, on Jan. 26 at the Newington Ice Arena. It was the Eagles fourth straight victory, improving their record to 8-2-2 overall. Colby Quinn scored a pair of goals, while Will McCarter and Jay Socha each lit the lamp. After falling behind 2-1, the Terriers cut the deficit in half late in the first period when Brody Davidson scored off an assist from Owen Davidson. Wethersfield freshman keeper Owen Thulen, who was making his first start, kept the net clean the rest of the game to earn the victory. Two years ago, Wethersfield and Rocky Hill were teammates on the ice, combining with Plainville and Middletown to create a co-op team that was on the cusp on doing something special. The 2019-2020 squad won 17 of 20 regular season games and advanced to the quarterfinal of the Division II tournament when the local sports world was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest of the tournament was canceled, leaving the co-op team with only “what ifs”. The following season, Wethersfield decided to have a standalone team, leaving Rocky Hill, Plainville, and Middletown to join forces with Haddam and Killingworth. Next up for Wethersfield is a pivotal game against South Windsor this Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Newington Ice Arena. It will be the Eagles’ Senior Night where they will celebrate Quinn, McCarter, Socha, Ryan Mazur, Shane Mazur, T.J. Mayfield, and Anthony Zabielski. Face-off is 7 p.m.
0 Comments
Owen Powers - Wethersfield (Swimming): Powers won the 200 yard freestyle and was the starting engine behind the 400 freestyle relay that took first place as the Eagles held off E.O. Smith/Tolland, 96-88, on Jan. 25. The junior teamed with Colin Pace, Jack Lynch, and Paolo Pirrotta in the relay win and also took second in the 100 freestyle as the event, which took place at WHS.
Marina Perry - Rocky Hill (Track & Field): Perry finished second in the weight throw, tossing a personal-best 42-02.25 at the New Balance Games at The Armory Track & Field Center in New York. Throwing against some of the nationals best and brightest athletes, Perry also finished 3rd in the shot put with a toss of 36-02.00. Kendall Miller - Newington (Basketball): Miller had a career-high 12 points, to along with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, a block, and six deflections as Newington beat East Catholic 74-25 on Jan. 25. The freshman has made a major impact this season, playing over 15 minutes and averaging over six rebounds per game as the Nor’easters enter the week with a record of 14-1. Jaden Wynn - Cromwell (Indoor Track): Wynn, a junior, broke the school record in the 55 meter dash, running a 6.75 and losing by a nose to Ellington senior Vincent Sivo at the Shoreline Coaches Invitational on Jan. 28. Wynn and fellow junior Mike Anderson, who finished fifth overall with a time of 7.03, were the only teammates to place top five during the event at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven. Tyah Pettaway - Middletown (Basketball): Pettaway scored 39 points last week as the Blue Dragons picked up a huge win over Simsbury (54-49) on Jan. 25 and a victory over Conard (47-26) on Jan. 28, extending the team’s winning streak to four games. The senior guard is averaging 19 points and four steals a game for a team that has won 11 of 13 games this winter. To nominate someone as an Athlete of the Week or with questions or comments on sports-related topics, email Josh Howard at joshhowardsports@gmail.com Glastonbury's Adam Molusis defends Manchester's Troy Butler as #55 Jack Hennessy looks on during the Guardians 68-64 loss on Jan. 25
Slowly but surely the boys’ basketball team at Glastonbury High School is getting healthy and building a noticeable rapport on the court. The Guardian, who have been ravaged by injuries and illness, went toe-to-toe with a stacked team from Manchester before falling 68-64 last Tuesday, Jan. 25 at GHS. “We’re playing much better. That’s a game we could have lost by a lot before and tonight we could have won,” said GHS head coach Jim Vaughan. “We just have to figure out ways to win close games but we are putting ourselves in position to win. I’m pleased with our progress, but not pleased with losing.” Missed free throws and untimely turnovers doomed the Guardians, who were coming off an impressive 22-point win over Newington three days earlier. Leading 40-38 heading into the fourth, Manchester committed their seventh foul of the half, sending Glastonbury to the foul line early in the frame. However, the home team shot 6 of 15 from the charity stripe over the final eight minutes and 11 of 23 overall in the game. Vaughan said the missed freebies were crucial and could have been a result of fatigue, adding, “We haven’t played in a lot of games like this that were close and meant this much, so we may have tightened up a little. It’s a learning experience. I thought we outplayed them but we just didn’t make key plays when we needed them.” Junior Trey Tennyson led the team with 14 points, nine coming from downtown. Tennyson scored four straight points on consecutive layups to start the second quarter after receiving a pair of incredible inbounds passes from Jordyn Sams. A free throw from Jack Hennessy gave the Guardians their biggest lead of the night at 14-9 before Manchester chipped away and the teams exchanged the lead 11 times in the first half. A pair of free throws and a deep three pointer from Dan Cantafi put Glastonbury up 40-34 late in the third before Manchester went on a 10-0 run spanning the final minute of the third and the first few minutes of the fourth. Red Hawks senior Troy Butler took over in the fourth, scoring 16 of his game-high 26 points over the final eight minutes. Owen Peterson and Adam Molusis traded buckets midway through the fourth quarter to keep the game close, but the struggles at the line were too much to overcome. Peterson finished with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Molusis scored 13 and dished out four assists. Despite the outcome, Vaughan liked how the team played offensively, “Our execution is pretty good. It’s just a shame that right when it mattered they came up with two or three straight offensive rebounds and we missed two or three one-and-ones. That was the difference.” The loss came on the heels of the team’s best win of the year, as 52-30 triumph over Newington on Jan. 21. Molusis, who is the team’s primary ball handler, had an outstanding all-around game with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the win over the Nor’easters. The senior point guard was one of many players that missed time earlier this season when the team suffered a five-game losing skid. Sams, who is a stout defender and had a pair of steals against Manchester, and freshman David Smith are also back in the lineup, giving Vaughan a deeper rotation. Vaughan added that he believes more players are shooting with confidence and the longtime could see the team making a push in February, “[The players] haven’t quit, it’s a credit to them. We’ve played some really good teams and our schedule will open up a little bit. We’re playing better, so I’m optimistic how the second half of the season will be.” Following the loss to Manchester, the team responded by easily defeating Harding 57-32 on Jan. 26 to pick up their third win of the season. In the 25-point triumph, Molusis scored 13 points, Smith added 11 points, and Peterson posted 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists as the team posted their largest victory of the season. Brian Pawlowski, a senior at Glastonbury High School, competed in the state championships as a freshman and is primed to make his return to the big dance this winter.
After two years without a state tournament because of the COVID-restrictions, Pawlowski is slated to swim at the Class LL state meet in multiple events, both individually and on relay teams. “We were more hyped coming into this year and knowing we’d have [a tournament] just boosted our morale,” said Pawlowski. “We have a normal meet scheduled, so we’re able to compete and overall I think we’ll do better that everything is back to normal.” Pawlowski, who is one of eight seniors, is captaining the team with Ben Boisoneau and Evan Scott. He, along with fellow senior Jay Shah, are the only two Guardians with state tournament experience after competing in the Class LL tourney in the winter of 2019. Pawlowski has patiently waited for a chance to again showcase his swimming skills on a state level. His said his training improved, particularly during last year’s shortened season when all the meets were virtual and the team was often forced to compete against each other. “We are really close and we pride ourselves on that. We are friends outside of swimming and that really helps. Even during Covid we tried to keep each other motivated and found ways to train,” said the team leader. “I have more confidence this year in the fact that we have a whole year and I’m more confident in the training as well, and I’ve been trying to help other swimmers now.” Pawlowski is a versatile, possessing an ability to swim a variety of distances and strokes. He has state-qualifying times in a handful of events, including his favorite individual, the 200 freestyle, and favorite relay, the 200 medley relay. As a team, the Guardians have won seven of eight meet this winter and are set to make a postseason push during the conference and state meets which are coming up in early March. GHS is particularly strong in the relays, which Pawlowski stated is an indication on how close the team is. “The chemistry is really important with the relay team because at the end of the day swimming is really a team sport. In the relays you can see all the hard work paying off together, added Pawlowski. “We are able to help each other because we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” Outside the pool, Pawlowski is part of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and runs for the school’s outdoor track and field team in the spring, specializing in the 400 and 200 meters. He also has a passion for music, playing the piano and violin. Pawlowski said he’d like to continue to swim at the next level and plans to study political science in college. The boys and girls ski teams at Glastonbury High School had a pair of races last week, each placing top ten in the events held at Mount Southington.
On Jan. 24, the girls placed 5th overall amongst the 14 teams competing. Senior co-captains Sara Wertsching and Katie Murphy led the way by finishing 15th and 19th respectively out of the 185 girls racing on this night. Freshman Ainsley Latz came in 29th overall and sophomore Eva Giliberto performed well. The boys, led by the Bulger brothers, came in 8th out of the 15 teams. Senior captain Matt Bulger came in 4th overall out of the 195 boys racing on the night, while Alex Bulger was 11th overall. Skiing well for GHS were senior co-captain Ryan Murphy and juniors Nate Zimbelman and Liam Easton. “The girls are doing a great job competing in the largest ski league in the state. They are holding their own, finishing each race closely behind the best teams in the state,” said head coach Tom Zelek. “Our boys are improving individually after each race, which is a testament to the effort they are putting in. Conditions and features on the race hill are different each night but they have adapted well and continue to work hard every time we are on the mountain.” On Jan. 24, the girls again placed 5th out of the 13 teams competing. Wertsching led the team by finishing in 16th place of the 173 girls racing on the night. Latz was in 23rd place and Murphy was right behind her in 24th place. Giliberto, Sydney Waltz, Lucca Cotthaus, and Lauren Carlino rounded out the team’s scoring. Zelek added, “I’m very pleased as the girls once again represented Glastonbury well on the coldest night we’ve had so far this season. We have a mix of veterans and rookies that have been practicing hard and the resulting times they post show how well they work together.” The boys ended the bitter cold night in 8th place of the 14 teams competing. Alex Bulger led the way, finishing in 4th place overall of the 202 boys racing. Matt Bulger placed 8th and rounding out the scoring for Glastonbury were Murphy, followed by Zimbelman, Easton, and Tim Kohlun. Zelek said the boys, particularly the Bulger brothers, push each other and make the team perform better, adding, “The boys team has a few friendly rivalries amongst themselves that are contributing to them individually getting better each week.” Incredible Invite for GHS Girls T&F
The Glastonbury High School girls track and field team traveled to New Haven and dominated the South Connecticut Conference Coaches Invitational on Jan. 22. The Guardians earned 116 total points, 33 more than runner-up Sheehan (83). The meet began with strong performances from two of the Glastonbury relay teams. The 4x200m relay team consisting of Hannah Caiola, Riley Carroll, Meghan Smith, and Emily Smith finished 4th with a time of 1:51.56, and the 4x800m relay team consisting of Kelley MacElhiney, Lucy Bergin, Alex Edwards, and Kylie Hilliard finished 3rd with a time of 10:15.14. Zoe Spann-Mcdonald finished 1st overall in the 55m hurdles with a time of 8.76, and Celina Rodrigues finished in 10.78. Molly Harding placed second overall in the 55m dash and tied the current school record, finishing at 7.36. Hannah Caiola also ran the 55m, coming in at 7.93. In the 600m, both of the Glastonbury runners placed top 10. Ava Gattinella finished 3rd with a time of 1:41.61 and Meghan Smith placed 7th with a 1:45.03. In the 1600m, Lila Garbett crossed the finish line first for Glastonbury and 12th overall in a time of 5:43.38. Following Garbett were Kylie Hilliard (5:49.90), Jocelyn Wolf (5:56.49), and Isabella Martas-Mayr (6:16.40). The Glastonbury distance runners also dominated the 3200m with Annika Hurley coming in 1st overall with a time of 11:48.96. Lucy Bergin placed 2nd overall with a time of 11:55.47. Seniors Olivia Dickson and Sarah Ongley finished close behind, earning them 8th and 9th place overall. Dickson ran a 12:29.85, and Ongley finished in 12:31.15. Riley Carroll and Hannah Caiola both had strong finishes in the 300m as well. Carrol placed 6th with a time of 43.83, and Caiola placed 14th overall with a time of 45.34. To wrap up the running events, the Glastonbury relays both placed 1st overall. The Sprint Medley Relay consisting of Celina Rodrigues, Emily Smith, Ava Gattinella, and Jackie Dudus crossed the line at 4:34:30, and the 4x400m Relay team consisting of Meghan Smith, Riley Carroll, Alex Edwards, and Molly Harding ran a season-best time of 4:08.84. The Guardians were also strong in the field events with Layla Spann-McDonald placing 1st in the shot put with a throw of 34’11.75” and jumping 13’1” over at long jump. Anna Morris placed 10th in shot put with a throw of 29’7.25”, and Anna Hilary placed 3rd in pole vault at 8’6”. At high jump, Kate DeSousa and Allie Lips both had great performances. DeSousa placed 4th, jumping 5’0”, and Lips placed 14th with a jump of 4’6”. All in all, the Glastonbury girls track and field team came together for one last meet before the start of conference and state competition. GHS Swimming and Diving Downs Short-Handed Foes The boys swimming and diving team earned two more victories last week, defeating Enfield 84-43 and East Catholic 84-64 In the road win at Enfield on Jan. 25, the Guardians outmanned the home team, who only had seven athletes competing. There is also no diving board at the Enfield Annex Pool, resulting in no diving event in this meet. The Guardians won 10 of the 11 events to swamp the Eagles. The win improved GHS to 2-0 all-time against Enfield. The old Fermi High School is essentially the new Enfield High School as Fermi went defunct in 2016 and GHS was 6-0 against Fermi. James Liao had a perfect four-win afternoon while Myles Murphy provided three wins. The double winners were Sander Silverman and John Redfern. The single winners were Isaac Shen, Alex Wong, Jack Watson, Campbell McFall, Derek Lui, Ben Boisoneau, Nick Roberts and Will Torrey. Tanner Pinto-Cohn provided the win for Enfield. The meet started with a 1-2 sweep in the 200 medley relay. The relay team of Myles Murphy, Isaac Shen, Sander Silverman and James Liao were 1st while the relay team of Donald Newandee, Derek Lui, John Redfern and John Comite were 2nd. The 200 freestyle was a 1-2-3 sweep by GHS. Alex Wong was 1st, Ryan Lieu was 2nd and Will Torrey was 3rd. Enfield got its lone win in the 200 individual medley as Tanner Pinto-Cohn won the event by 10 seconds. GHS placed 2-3-4. Donald Newandee was 2nd, Isaac Shen was 3rd and Daniel Gorenbeyn was 4th. The 50 freestyle was a 1-2-4 finish for the Guardians. Jack Watson was 1st, Niall Easton was 2nd and Devon Allison was 4th. There was no diving, but they did take a break before the start of the 100 butterfly. The 100 butterfly was a 1-2-4 finish for Glastonbury. Campbell McFall was 1st, Connor Lieu was 2nd and Myles Murphy was 4th. The 100 freestyle was a 1-2-3 sweep. James Liao was 1st, Alex Wong was 2nd and Alessandro Franco was 3rd. The 500 freestyle would be the clinching event for GHS as they turned in another 1-2-3 sweep. Derek Lui was 1st, Ryan Lieu was 2nd and Leo Wong was 3rd. The score was 84-23 and GHS would swim the last 4 events exhibition. The 200 freestyle sprint relay was a 1-2 sweep for the Guardians as Enfield had no entries in the event. The relay team of Ben Boisoneau, Myles Murphy, Nick Roberts, James Liao touched 1st while the relay team Brian Pawlowski, Connor Lieu, Campbell McFall and Ryan Lieu touched 2nd. The 100 backstroke saw GHS touch 1-2-4. John Redfern touched 1st, Sander Silverman touched 2nd and Sean Savidge touched 4th. The 100 breaststroke was a 1-2-3 sweep. Will Torrey was 1st, Jack Watson was 2nd and John Comite was 3rd. The final 400 freestyle relay was a 1-2- sweep. The relay team of Myles Murphy, James Liao, Sander Silverman and John Redfern touched 1st while the relay team of Brian Pawlowski, Ryan Lieu, Campbell McFall and Sean Savidge touched 2nd. Two days later, the Guardians had their first Central Connecticut Conference divisional dual meet against East Catholic. Although East Catholic had more athletes than the 7 that Enfield had, they still only have 10 athletes total. It was another dominating home victory for GHS as they won 11 of the 12 events to raise their season record to 7-1, 1-0 in the CCC division, and 12-0 all-time against ECHS. Campbell McFall and Sander Silverman led the way with three wins each. The double winners were James Liao, Brian Pawlowski, John Comite and John Redfern. The single winners were Jack Watson, Jay Shah, Sean Savidge, Myles Murphy, Connor Lieu and Ryan Lieu. Sean Leary from East Catholic had one win. The opening 200 medley relay was a 1-2 sweep for Glastonbury. The relay team of James Liao, Brian Pawlowski, Jack Watson and Campbell McFall easily won the event by 7 seconds. The relay team of Donald Newandee, Will Torrey, John Comite and Ryan Lieu placed 2nd. The 200 freestyle was also a sweep as GHS placed 1-2-3. Sander Silverman was 1st, Ben Boisoneau was 2nd and Ethan Hipsky was 3rd. East Catholic got their lone win in the 200 individual medley. It was a photo finish between Sean Leary and Brian Pawlowski. The scoreboard showed Brian winning by 0.01 of a second, but by the naked eye the referee could see that Sean actually finished 1st. GHS did place 2-3-4. Brain was 2nd, John Redfern was 3rd and Isaac Shen was 4th. The 50 freestyle was a 1-2-4 finish. Campbell McFall was 1st in a sub-23 second performance, James Liao was 2nd and Leo Wong was 4th. The score before diving was 46-14. East Catholic had no divers so GHS placed 1-2-3 by default. Jay Shah was 1st, Evan Scott was 2nd and Devon Allison was 3rd. After the break, GHS went 1-2-3 by default again as ECHS had no entries in the event. John Comite was 1st, Alex Wong was 2nd and Brian Pawlowski was 3rd. The 100 freestyle was a 1-2-4 finish. Sander Silverman was 1st, Jack Watson was 2nd and Ryan Lieu was 4th. Jack was a new qualifier for the Class LL Meet with his time. The 100 freestyle was the clinching event as the score was now 84-18 and East Catholic could no longer catch up. GHS would swim the last 5 events exhibition. GHS would touch 1-2-3 in the 500 freestyle. John Redfern touched 1st, Myles Murphy touched 2nd and Ethan Hipsky touched 3rd. Myles became a new qualifier for the Class LL Meet. The 200 freestyle relay was a 1-2 sweep. The relay team of Campbell McFall, Brian Pawlowski, Sander Silverman and James Liao touched 1st while the relay team of Jack Watson, Connor Lieu, Ryan Lieu and John Redfern touched 2nd. The 100 backstroke was another 1-2-3 sweep. John Comite was 1st, Donald Newandee was 2nd and Leo Wong was 3rd. The 100 breaststroke was a 1-3-4 finish. Sean Savidge was 1st, Will Torrey was 3rd and Isaac Shen was 4th. The final 400 freestyle relay was a 1-2- sweep. The relay team of Myles Murphy, Connor Lieu, Ryan Lieu and John Redfern touched 1st while the relay team of Niall Easton, Derek Lui, Alex Wong and Ethan Hipsky touched 2nd. The upcoming schedule has a home meet against Manchester/RHAM Coop on Friday, February 4th at 3:45 PM. There is also an away meet against a highly competitive Cheshire High School at the Cheshire Community Pool on Tuesday, February 8th at 7 PM. Contributed by Steve Hoyt. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
Categories |