GHS senior Christian Kaverud will continue playing tennis at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford
Christian Kaverud has been the top singles player for the boys tennis team at Glastonbury High School for the past three springs. Now in the final month of his senior season, Kaverud will soon be passing that mantle to another player as he sets off to continue his academic and athletic career at the University of St. Joseph (USJ) in West Hartford. Kaverud called his next stop a “great opportunity” and added that he’s excited to stay local so his family can continue to watch him compete. For Kaverud, family and tennis have become synonymous. He grew up on the tennis courts, learning the ropes from his father Jayson Kaverud and his older sister Ava Kaverud, a 2018 GHS graduate that was part of the school’s last girls tennis state championship team. “Ever since I could walk, I was around the tennis courts,” recalled Kaverud. “I would just try and play as much as I could and I slowly got into it more and more, and now I love it.” Kaverud added, “[Tennis] has taught me so many life skills. You have to make thousands, if not millions of split second decisions in a match and you’re out there by yourself so you have to find ways to avoid obstacles and persevere.” After losing his freshman season to the Covid-19 cancellation in 2020, Kaverud was thrust into the spotlight as a sophomore and more than held his own against the best players in the state as the team won 14 of 15 matches in 2021. As a junior, the Guardians again finished 14-1 in the regular season and advanced to the state semifinals. Kaverud and his team have continued to excel on the courts this spring, winning their first 11 matches. GHS assistant coach Rob Bernard stated that Kaverud has shined in the team’s lead role because of his commitment to improve and his dedication to the team. “Christian cares deeply about tennis, and the game has been a huge part of his life for a long time.” stated Bernard. “Obviously when a player is that committed to a sport he loves, that will go a long way in his continuing success at the next level. We are looking forward to following his tennis journey as the years move forward. We will miss Christian next season.” Going to USJ wasn’t the original plan for Kaverud, who originally chose Southern New Hampshire University. But several factors, including the opportunity to stay closer to home and make an impact on the team right away swayed that decision. “I like being around my family as much as I can and my dad has been a huge part of coaching me, so I wanted him to see my matches too,” stated Kaverud. Kaverud added that there was an instant vibe with the coach at USJ. He will be joining a relatively new and fast-rising Blue Jays program led by head coach and Connective native Craig Davidson. Beyond playing tennis, Kaverud also has a passion for teaching the game. He coaches and helps develop the skills for several local players and wants to eventually get into coaching. But for now, the seasoned senior has some unfinished business with his Guardians teammates. In a recent sweep of Conard on May 10, the team won all seven matches as Kaverud defeated Carter Clayton (6-4, 6-3), joining Andrew Risinger, Niteesh Kalangi, and JD Landry as singles winners. The teams of Elliot Kim / Alex Scudder, Nick Bonaiuto / Kyle Wallace, and Michael Gustufson / Eric Hine also won double matches. This Friday (May 19), the team will celebrate Senior Night where Kaverud, Kalangi, Kim, Hine, and Arthur Cao will recognized prior to a match with Simsbury at GHS, starting at 3:45 p.m. Kaverud said he’s enjoyed serving as the team’s No. 1 singles players the last three years and looks forward to what challenges await at his next destination. “It will be cool to meet new people and have a little more independence,” said Kaverud, who will study business. “It will be nice to see how I do in the real world and in the next chapter of my life.”
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Rocky Hill’s Christina DeNovellis (center) was an Athlete of the Week as the Terriers defeated Newington on the team’s Senior Night last Wednesday. DeNovellis is flanked by fellow seniors Shauna Kehoe (left) and Emma Simmons (right) at Elm Ridge Park during the Senior Night ceremony.
Christiana DeNovellis - Rocky Hill (Softball): DeNovellis connected on three hits, driving in four runs and scoring another as the Terriers beat Newington 8-5 on Senior Night at Elm Ridge Park on May 10. DeNovellis is one of three seniors –– joining Shauna Kehoe and Emma Simons –– who were celebrated throughout the evening. Kehoe pitched a complete game, striking out seven and Simons scored three runs. Vihaan Gandhi - Wethersfield High School (Tennis): Gandhi, a senior, has served as the team’s No. 1 singles player this spring and has excelled against the best players in the state. In a recent team sweep of Rocky Hill, Gandhi defeated Raghav Jasiual (6-0, 6-0) as the Eagles defeated the Terriers in all seven matches. Christian Bonvisuto, Chance Krawzcyk, and Paul Cordilico also won singles matches, while the combinations of Luke Krout / Philip Krazinski, Jet Kent / Health Mitchell, and Gabriel Zagaja / Joey Camilleri won doubles matches. Chantella Alvizo - Newington (Golf): Alvizo shot a 46, finishing as the medalist, as the Nor’easters (201) defeated both Canton (272) and New Britain (291) at Indian Country Club on May 8. Alvizo, a junior, shot a birdie on the seventh hole and was atop a leaderboard that had five Nor’easters in the top five spots. Glorianne Pinote (49) finished second, Mya Blanco (51) placed third, while Nora Lewandowski and Mia Theriault (55) tied for fourth/fifth. Jess Elfreich - Cromwell (Baseball): Elfrich scored four runs and drove in two others on three hits as the Panthers beat Morgan 12-2 in five innings on May 10. The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for the Panthers, who earned win No. 9. Freshman Tyler Bonelli was also a standout in the convincing victory, driving in five runs on three hits. Ben Centurelli - Rocky Hill (Baseball): Centurelli earned his sixth win from the mound, allowing only two hits in over six innings of work as the Terriers defeated Wethersfield 9-3 on May 11. The senior also connected on a pair of hits to drive in three runs. Centurelli, a UConn-Avery Point college commit, has posted a 6-1 record with an ERA of 1.21 and has also been a major contributor from the plate, hitting .578 and driving in 26 runs on 26 hits through the first 17 games. After dropping the first set and trailing late in the second set, Wethersfield boys volleyball went into attack mode and rallied to defeat Lewis Mills in four sets (24-26, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19) at WHS on May 10.
It was the Eagles sixth win this spring and second victory over the Spartans of Lewis Mills in less than a month. Seniors setter Anduei Xhelaj led the charge, dishing out 37 assists, while junior Mikel Lleshi had a team-high 12 kills and added three blocks Head coach Deb O’Brien said the team has been a bit slow starting this entire season, so she wasn’t concerned after the team fell behind a set. “We focused on capitalizing on the comeback part,” O’Brien said of the team’s discussion following the opening set. “I felt like we tried to force some plays and we just had to go with what we are given.” Senior captain Landon Bassell said the plan coming into the match was to secure the first set, but quickly pivoted after Lewis Mills put a wrench in the plans. “We talked about what we did wrong in that first set and we just had to get the energy back up,” stated Bassell, who had a dozen digs and a pair of aces. “We haven’t won the first set that many times, so we are comfortable in the second set and third and fourth sets. We knew we were going to win; we just had to get it done.” Down a set and trailing 17-16 in the second set, the Eagles reeled off three straight points, highlighted by a finish and an assist from Xhelaj. Junior Max Prunier added a thunderous spike and Bassell poked one over the next to give the Eagles a 23-20 lead before the Eagles closed the set, knotting the match at a set apiece. The Eagles again trailed in the third set, falling behind 9-7, before Lleshi hammered home a kill and had a block to tie the set up. After Lewis Mills temporarily retook the lead, the Eagles scored eight of the next ten points behind Evan Terry, who had a pair of kills and an ace during the run. Terry, a senior, finished the match with 10 kills. Up a set, O’Brien said she could sense a confident group going into the fourth, adding, “We talked about not letting up.” A 10-1 run in the fourth set provided Wethersfield a commanding lead and pair of finishes from Terry and another kill from Joshua Pinero ended any doubt in the decisive set. “Yesterday we had a big talk that we had five games left and we had to win three of them to get to states,” added Bassell, the team’s libero, “We knew we had beat [Lewis Mills] before, but it wasn’t guaranteed that we would beat them again, so we had to focus.” After starting the season with four wins in six matches, the Eagles hit a skid in late-April and had lost eight of nine heading into the home match with Lewis Mills. O’Brien said the team has been “up and down” this season, but added that she has liked how they have competed. “We play better when we are talking and we play with energy,” added O’Brien “We have a lot of great hitters, but part of our struggle this year is not clicking as a team. Not everybody is on the same page on the same day, but when they are you saw what we do could in the third and fourth sets.” As the team captain, Bassell said it he wants to be a “pillar on the court” for his younger teammates. “We have a lot of potential but sometimes we just don’t work that well together,” added Bassell “It’s about figure out what their strengths and weakness are on the court.” The Eagles will play their home finale this Friday (May 19), hosting Glastonbury at WHS, starting at 5 p.m. GHS girls golf is again excelling this spring. From left, Morgan Peterson, Riley Savidge, Annelise Manzotti, Neeyor Devtale, Maya Manzotti, Sofia Cirillo, Kara Anderson, and head coach Ken Brase are pictured at Glastonbury Hills Country Club.
Reigning conference champion Morgan Peterson is again leading the way for a girls golf team at Glastonbury High School that is young, deep in talent. Peterson is captaining the team with fellow junior Maya Manzotti and has picked up right where she left off a season ago, serving as the Guardians top-ranked golfer as she seeks to repeat as the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) champion. Head coach Ken Barse said that Peterson has continued to top the leaderboards and her calm, positive demeanor is ideal for a group that is eager to learn. “She wears off on the other kids. She is a great influence and a rock for the other kids,” stated Barse. “Having her as that foundation is everything.” In a recent home meet against South Windsor, Peterson and the Guardians had to pivot and play the back-nine at Glastonbury Hills Country Club because the front-nine had recently been aerated. The sudden change didn’t faze the Guardians, who beat the visiting Bobcats (194-228), despite being down two of the team’s top five golfers. Barse said it was a good challenge for his team, stating, “Curve balls are a part of life, and today our girls hit the curve ball out of the park.” Peterson shot an even-par 36 to finish as the medalist, shooting birdies on 13 and 17. She secured the even score by getting herself out of a jam on the final hole before tapping in for par. “It was a beautiful day and I was lucky enough to have knowledge of [the course],” said Peterson. “I missed a few putts, but overall it was pretty good.” With Manzotti and her freshman sister Annelise Manzotti missing the match, junior Neeyor Devtale stepped up and shot a 48 to finish second overall. Sophomore Sofia Cirillo placed third with a score of 50, shooting par on the 11th hole and staying consistent throughout the entire course. Barse recently paired Cirillo with Peterson, which has worked wonders during matches. Peterson, who also served as a captain as a sophomore, said Cirillo “bloomed” towards the end of last season and has continued to shine this spring. Cirillo complemented Peterson's approach and patience, saying she has become a better player from being paired with her. “I have learned a lot from her and how she thinks about the game,” added Cirillo, who recalled she was quiet last year and has worked on the mental part of the game this spring. “Last year was all new to me; I didn’t even expect to be on varsity, but now I feel more confident.” Two nights following the win over South Windsor, the team was back at full strength and defeated East Hartford (188-299) as they returned to play the front-nine at Glastonbury Hills. The Guardians occupied the top five spots with Peterson shooting a course-best 37, followed by Maya Manzotti (45), Riley Savidge (51), Annelise Manzotti (55), and Kara Anderson (61). Barse, who is in his second year leading the program, stated that there is a noticeable difference with his team from a year ago. “They are more battle-tested; they are able to shake off the bad holes and persevere,” added Barse. “They are definitely a lot more confident and that goes a long way with golf.” After losing a pair of seniors in Caitlin Garland and Paige Annecchio to graduation, Peterson has assumed even more of a mentorship role, which she has embraced. “A lot of girls grew over the season last year so I came into this season thinking we could pick up where we left off,” added Peterson. “So far we have really built on it.” Surrounding several wins is a couple of close losses to Cheshire. The first was a one-stroke defeat at home on May 3 and the second was a two-stroke loss at Southington Country Club on May 9. Barse said capitalizing on a few missed putts would have made the difference, turning those close defeats into team wins. But Barse added, “that’s golf.” “This game will teach you more lessons in life than you probably care to have,” he stated. “I tell the girls, if this is the worst day of your life than you’re going to have a great life.” The Guardians travel to Rockledge Golf Club in West Hartford to take on Hall on May 23 and Goodwin Park in Hartford to face Wethersfield on May 24. Both matches tee-off at 3 p.m. Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of May 1 -7:
Carson Waddell - RHAM High School (Golf): Waddell shot a blistering (-4) 32 to finish as the medalist during the Raptors victory over Tolland (144-160) on April 24. Waddell, a senior, shot birdies on holes one, three, six, and seven –– parring the other five holes –– to finish four-under on the Gilead Highlands Course at Blackledge Country Club. The following day, Waddell again shot a course-best (+1) 34 as RHAM downed E.O. Smith (141-170) at The Windham Club. Ryan LaPila - Portland High School (Baseball): LaPila drove in a season-high four runs as the Highlanders defeated Coginchaug Regional 7-5 on May 5. LaPila, a junior, connected on a pair of hits as the Highlanders scattered 11 hits as a team. Freshman Aaron Ciarleglio crossed home plate twice to lead Portland in runs scored, while Harrison Collins, Josh Hanna, Gerry Hall, Austin Vess, and Allen Cohen each scored once. The win over Coginchaug was the Highlanders second in three games, also beating Hale Ray on May 1 behind three hits and three RBIs from Hanna. Chelsea Woods - East Hampton High School (Golf): Woods, a junior, shot a (+4) 40 on the back nine at Black Birch Golf Club in East Haddam to lead East Hampton to a victory over Hale Ray (190-194) on May 5. Woods, the Bellringers top-seeded golfer, shot par on the final four holes and got help from senior Brodie Babcock, who shot a 46 to help secure the victory. East Hampton will return to Black Birch Golf Club to take on Cromwell on Tuesday, May 16 at 3 p.m. Josh Ambrose - Bacon Academy (Baseball): Ambrose pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out nine during Bacon Academy’s 6-0 win over Montville on May 6, earning the team their eight win and qualifying them for the Class M state tournament. The victory ended a perfect three-win week for the Bobcats, who also beat Waterford on May 3 and Fitch on May 4. In a 5-3 win over Waterford, Ambrose earned the save from the mound and James Chiaverni drove in two runs on a double in the third inning to put the Bobcats up 5-0. In a 7-4 win over Fitch, Steven Laliberte had a double to drive in a pair of runs. East Hampton pitcher Allison Jacobsen has been solid in her first season on the mound. Jacobsen and shortstop Olivia DeMartino (background) are part of a large, talented group of sophomores that are playing major roles for the Bellringers this spring.
To describe East Hampton High School’s softball team as young would be an understatement. The Bellringers do not have a senior that has played this season and eight of the nine starters are either freshmen or sophomores. Despite an inexperienced group on the field, East Hampton head coach Erin Jump said her team has battled like a seasoned squad in every game this spring. “I am proud of them for sticking together,” added Jump. “We have had plenty of times where we’ve only had nine players and sometimes I’m just hoping we have nine to play a game.” Even with a learning curve and uncertainty at times, the Bellringers began the season smoldering hot by winning four of five games. But a current seven-game slide has them searching for answers. On May 3, the Bellringers dropped their fifth in a row, losing to Cromwell 9-1 at East Hampton High School. The visiting Panthers came out of the gate swinging for the fences, scored four runs in the first inning and added five more in the sixth inning to cement the win. “Even though we let things get away from us sometimes, [the players] stick with it and work well together,” Jump said of the growing pains. “They try and work through everything they can. We have to stay positive, because sometimes they get down and it’s hard to get out of it.” Shortstop Olivia DeMartino provided the only offense for the Bellringers, cranking an inside-the-park home run in the first inning when she blasted a shot to deep center field off of Cromwell’s all-state pitcher Lily Kenney. The May results haven’t been ideal, but they only have to look back to April to find positives. They started the season with a pair of impressive conference wins, defeating Valley Regional and Cromwell — the defending Class S state champs. In the April win at Cromwell, sophomore Emily Jovel singled to drive in DeMartino for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and sophomore pitcher Allison Jacobsen retired the side in extras to seal the a 2-1 win in eight innings. Jacobsen, who played in the field last spring, has shifted over to the hill and assumed the team’s ace role this year. Jump said that Jacobsen worked extremely hard in the offseason to prepare for her new role, saying her transformation has helped solidify the position. “I am proud of her. She has stepped up and done great things on the mound this year,” Jump added. “The strides she has made just in her pitching abilities and her ability to move the ball around has kept up in a lot of games.” Captaining the team are the team’s oldest players in juniors Madison Reola and Makayla Wolf. Jump said her junior duo has helped keep the group’s morale up during the struggles. DeMartino and Jovel, both sophomores, have done the most damage from the plate, each driving in 17 runs through the first ten games. Following an all-conference season as a freshman, DeMartino has taken her game to another level this spring, also leading the team in hits and runs. Jump praised DeMartino for her adaptability, saying she is gifted enough to play anywhere on the field and added that she is one of the most “talented” and “coachable” players that she has had in her six years leading the program. The team is finishing up a three-game road trip and that started with an 11-5 loss to Morgan on Monday. They will return to East Hampton High School tonight (May 12) for a rematch with Morgan in an important Shoreline Conference clash. First pitch is 4 p.m. The home conference game is part of five games in seven nights with four of those games at EHHS. The handful of games will determine a spot in the state tournament. Jump said she likes how the team has played in the field, but stated that they need to be more consistency offensively, adding, “We need to be more confident at the plate. That is also part of youth, but they’re getting there and they are coming along.” Win or lose, Jump said the experience the group has gained this year will pay major dividend over the next two seasons. “They are a very tight-knit group. They mesh together so well and everyone gets along,” stated Jump. “They lift each other up and that’s one of the best things you can have in a team.” Cromwell senior pitcher Lily Kenney struck out 16 as the Panthers defeated East Hampton on May 3.
Following the program’s first state title last season, Cromwell High School’s softball team is preparing for another postseason push this spring. The defending champs started the 2023 season by losing two of their first four games, including a 2-1 defeat in extra innings to East Hampton at CHS on April 5. In the rematch in East Hampton last Wednesday, the Panthers emphatically avenged the previous loss to the Bellringers, winning 9-1. It marked Cromwell sixth win in the last eight games. Senior flamethrower Lily Kenney was again magnificent from the mound, striking out 16 in a complete game two-hitter. Kenney noted that the earlier loss to the Bellringers was fresh in the player’s minds prior to the rematch. “We talked about it a lot because we knew we were a better team than how we played that day,” added Kenney. “We’ve worked really hard in practice and I think we showed how much we’ve grown as a team.” Offensive consistency has been the team’s Achilles heel this spring, but against East Hampton they showed how powerful the lineup could be, scoring four runs in the first inning and five more in the sixth to break the game wide open. “It’s huge for a team that is not really scoring,” CHS head coach Angelo Morello said of the quick start. “We only scored one against them last time, so to jump on them right off the bat was really important.” Kenney ignited the offensive fireworks in the opening frame, leading off the game with a triple. Senior Grace McFarlin then singled to bring home Kenney. Sophomore Emma Ribera reached first on a hit, driving home McFarlin and Victoria Wiatrak before Ribera scored following a hit from Alyssa Deluco to give the Panthers a four-point edge following the top of the first inning. Cromwell managed only four hits in the April loss to the Bellringers, yet scattered 13 hits in the rematch. Kenney and McFarlin each had three hits, while Deluco and Alyssa Brodeur each connected on two. Morello added that the Panthers were battling injuries during the first month of the season and that healthy and putting players in the right positions have been the biggest difference between the team from early April to early May. Kenney added that it’s the “little things” — from ground ball drills, to positioning on the field, to fundamentals that the team is now doing. “We’ve been working on those things in practice to help some girls relearn the sport,” added Kenney. “I think we are getting there and we have good potential.” A year ago, Cromwell won 18 of 20 regular season games before sweeping through the Class S state tournament by outscoring four tourney opponents 28-2 to put an exclamation point on a state title. Following the historic championship, the team graduated four starters, including all-state standouts Madison Tessmer and Jaime Anderson. Morello said that the girls filling those gaps are coming along, but added that the mental part of the game still needs work, emphasizing a need for improved base running and cutting down on mistakes defensively. He added that the team will lean on Kenney, who has only surrendered six earned runs in 14 starts. Despite having an earned run average of 0.48, she has suffered five losses, including a 1-0 loss to Coventry and 3-2 loss to Haddam-Killingworth when errors ultimately cost the Panthers. Kenney isn’t worried about the losses and said that the team just needs to maintain a positive, encouraging outlook going forward. “The way we play mentally is what we need to work on. When we are down, we have to help each other get back up,” stated Kenney, “We should always be positive and not let errors in the field determine how we play in the future.” During a 1-0 win over Old Lyme on April 18, Kenney surpassed 500 career strikeouts and now has her sights set on 600. Kenney, who is headed to Adelphi University to pitch next year, added that she has enjoyed mentoring the younger players as she works on individual goals during her senior season. “Lily has been outstanding. She just makes everybody look good,” Morello said of his ace. “We’ll go as far as she can carry us, but we’ll need the others to be behind her.” The Panthers closed the week with a 5-1 win over Coventry, improving to 9-5. Kenney added 14 more strikeouts to her career total and was one of two Panthers—along with McFarlin— to connect on multiple hits. Next up is the team’s regular season home finale, this Friday (May 12) against Bolton. First pitch will be 4:00 p.m. They close the regular season with three straight road games before the conference and state tournaments start. Victoria Wiatrak prepares to round third base during the team’s five-run sixth inning at East Hampton High School. Senior captain Liam Doyle controls the ball during the Guardians 14-3 victory at RHAM High School on May 1.
Glastonbury boys lacrosse scored five straight goals in the first half to pull away from RHAM, winning 14-3 last Monday. Glastonbury senior Parker Wallace scored a game-high four goals, including three in the first half, to propel the Guardians to a third straight victory. Playing at RHAM High School, the home Raptors battled the Guardians toe-to-toe over the first eight minutes, countering each of Glastonbury’s first two goals. GHS head coach Scott Hinchey said RHAM’s multiple defensive sets gave the Guardians trouble early on. “[RHAM] definitely competed hard,” stated Hinchey. “They came to play and mixed up a zone, so it took us a while to figure that out. It was just a matter of recognizing the looks and connecting on it.” Once Hinchey made adjustments, GHS reeled off the next handful of goals. Wallace broke a 2-2 tie with a straight away blast to the lower right corner of the net, beating RHAM goalie Zach Bogdan, with 2:23 left in the opening quarter. In the closing seconds of the opening quarter, Michael Carroll scored the first of his three goals to beat the buzzer. Wallace, Lucas Lavery, and Maxwell Hersom then added goals in the opening four minutes of the second quarter, extending the Guardians lead to five points. Glastonbury again beat the buzzer to end the half when Braeden Saunders found the back of the net in the waning moments to give Glastonbury a 9-3 lead at the break. “We are a little slow starting, but that is what a zone [defense] does on a wet field,” added Hinchey. “We were working on getting up field and we opened it up a little bit, and I was pretty happy with that.” As he has done all year, Hinchey deployed a goalie rotation with junior Cayden Infantino protecting the net in the first half and senior Drew Hazard manning the goal in the second half. Hinchey said each netminder brings something different to the table. “They push each other every day and they both have strengths and depending on the matchup we use that to our advantage,” added Hinchey. “We have two guys with slightly different styles and they have both been pretty consistent for us.” Just liked they did between the first and second quarters, Glastonbury again outscored RHAM 5-0 over the final 24 minutes. Carroll scored a pair of goals in the second half, while Saunders added his third and Liam Doyle closed the scoring with a goal at the 8:41 mark of the fourth. Making the win even more impressive is that fact that Glastonbury was without senior captain Brady Stone, who was injured for the game. Stone is captaining the team with Doyle and defensive standout Ryder Harmon Hinchey noted that he has several players that could help captain the ship this season and that he’s needed all of his seniors (eight in total) to help navigate a difficult schedule. Two of the team’s losses have been to New Canaan and Cheshire, who are two of the Top-10 ranked teams in the state. The other losses are to Iona Prep, a private school from New York, and Higganum, a top ranked team in Massachusetts. “Those games are great tests. We need those battles because in a tournament run you are going to play those teams all the time,” Hinchey said of the team’s tough out-of-conference schedule. “We need to put together 48 minutes against those teams. We’ve shown glimpses, but we just have to be more consistent.” Coming into the week, the Guardians have a record of 6-4 and have a tough road test today (May 11) at Southington, starting at 5:15 p.m. The team will return to GHS for the team’s final two home games of the regular season, welcoming Conard on May 15 (5:00 p.m.) and Wilton on May 17 (6:00 p.m.) Hinchey said the team will continue to rely on a “lockdown” defense while they fine tune the up-tempo transition offense he wants to run. “These guys enjoy being around each other. They are good teammates; the buy-in is there,” Hinchey added. “They are working hard and we just have to keep on filling our roles and realizing how fast we can be. We have a lot of lacrosse ahead of us, the work is not done.” Juliana Elloian - Rocky Hill High School (Tennis): Elloian defeated Wethersfield’s Abby Alger (6-4, 4-6, 10-8) at Rocky Hill High School on April 28. The marathon match ended up being a difference maker as the Terrier edged the Wethersfield 4-3, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. Elloian, a senior, has been a consistent force on the court, serving as the Terriers No. 2 singles player.
Justin Bagdasarian - Wethersfield High School (Baseball): Bagdasarian pitched a complete-game, striking out six and allowing only one run as the Eagles topped RHAM 10-1 on May 3. The sophomore also connected on a hit from the plate, driving in a run and later scoring as the Eagles earned their fourth win in the last five games. Harrison Ranger - Cromwell High School (Lacrosse): Ranger scored five goals as the Panthers defeated Maloney/Platt 9-3 on April 28. It was the Panthers fourth victory this spring, setting a new program mark for wins in a season. Ranger, a senior, then added four more goals as the Panthers defeated Valley Regional 10-3 at CHS on May 4, earning win No. 5. Aliyannah Makein - Middletown High School (Lacrosse): Makein scored her 100th career goal at Middletown High School during the Blue Dragons bout with Bristol Eastern on May 3. Makein, a senior captain who plays midfield, eclipses the mark and added two more, finishing the night with 102 career goals. Tony Suarez- Newington High School (Baseball): Suarez connected on a hit in the first inning, scoring three runs as the Nor’easters took an early lead and next looked back during a 5-3 win over previously unbeaten Rocky Hill at Doubleday Field in Copperstown, NY on May 6, winning their 10th game of the season. Suarez, a senior who will play collegiately at Plymouth State, also had a pair of hits and drove in two runs as Newington won 9-2 at East Catholic on May 3. Glastonbury High School’s girls flag football team won the first ever Connecticut Flag Football Girls Jamboree. Players Gisel Astiasaran, Julen Astiasaran, Lola Awofala, Emma Beagle, Riley Carroll, Angela Chavez, Leila Espirito Santo, Lola Espirito Santo, Skylar Fiske, Jenna Fradin, Francesca Gionfriddo, Maddy Handrahan, Alyssa Healy, Kathryn Matson, Avery Olschefskie, Emily Smith, Caleigh Sullivan, Alayna Taylor, Lily Woodworth, along with coaches Scott Daniels, Rob Bernard, John Bolduc, and Mark Alexander were crowned high school’s first flag football champions on April 29 in Windsor. Photo credit: Betty Velasquez Davis.
A group of 19 girls and four coaches from Glastonbury High School tackled barriers on April 29, winning the Connecticut Flag Football League’s inaugural seven-on-seven Girls Jamboree at Windsor High School. GHS defeated Wethersfield 7-0 in the championship game to become the first champion and set the foundation for the growth of girls football in the state. Assistant coach Rob Bernard called the entire experience “thrilling” for both the players and coaches. “The girls were just so enthusiastic,” added Bernard. “Not only to play football, but also to be part of history and really promote the game and expand the game to girls and women.” Bernard was coaching the team with Scott Daniels, John Bolduc, and Mark Alexander — all veteran coaches in various sports at GHS. With limited preparation, the experienced coaching staff put together a roster that practiced only a handful of times between the winter and spring sports seasons. “All credit goes to the players,” said Bernard, who previously coached the GHS football team with Daniels. “A lot of the stuff we used to use in tackle football we just transferred it over to the girls because they are such top athletes and we knew they would be successful with it.” The coaches used many of the same schemes, formation, and tactics they previously used and Bernard said it was “remarkable” how quickly the girls picked up and retained the terminology—despite a sizable gap between the practices and the jamboree. During the daylong tournament, Glastonbury battled both several worthy opponents and the elements, playing in a driving rain at times. Bernard said the adverse weather didn’t affect the Guardians, who were thoroughly dominant, allowing only one touchdown and outscoring their opponents by nearly 100 total points. Following the morning’s preliminary round, GHS earned the No. 2 seed and then defeated Southington and Hartford Public to reach the championship game. Bernard said that the title tilt with Wethersfield was evenly-matched and that Glastonbury needed to play until the final whistle. Senior Alayna Taylor provided Glastonbury a 7-0 advantage in the first half when she hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Maddy Handrahan. It turned out to be the only points in the defensive battle. For Taylor, the long touchdown reception was just one of the moments that made the entire day special. “I feel that I’m a part of creating a new path and opportunity for girls that I wasn’t able to experience until my senior year,” added Taylor, a two-time all-conference soccer player at GHS who will play collegiately at the University of Connecticut. “When I was younger my dad and I would always throw a football in the yard, but I never would’ve thought I would be playing in a real flag football game and winning the tournament.” The deep scoring strike provided an early cushion for a defense that smothered the Eagles, using an attacking Cover-2 man defense, deploying Taylor as the “shutdown corner” and blitzing senior safety Alyssa Healy to pressure the quarterback. Healy is a basketball captain and track and field standout at GHS, and can now add football champion to her resume. “Being a part of the first girls flag football championship team was truly an honor,” stated Healy, who will run track at Providence College. “I was surrounded by not only amazing coaches and teammates, but also fierce competition and fans who support the game.” Like Taylor and Healy, all of the players on the roster are multi-sport athletes at GHS, ranging from field hockey to ice hockey and everything in between. Bernard said the player’s athletic adaptability was evident once they took the field, using the skills they developed in other sports and translating them to the field, adding the championship triumph was a “complete team effort.” “Every player came up big every single time,” stated Bernard. “If one piece was missing, maybe we don’t beat Wethersfield in the finals.” One of the sponsors of the jamboree was the New York Giants and current Giants safety and Windsor-native Jason Pinnock was on hand and presented Glastonbury a trophy. Glastonbury’s win turned out to be a landmark moment for expanding girls football in Connecticut. On May 5, less than a week after the jamboree, it was announced that the state’s inaugural girls high school flag football season will kick off this fall. Connecticut will join several other states, including New York and New Jersey, that already have added high school girls flag football leagues. Connecticut’s new independent league will be based in Wallingford and feature six teams. The long term hope is that more schools will join the movement and that girls flag football could eventually become a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) sanctioned sport in the coming years. “Personally I am the father of two girls and I want as much opportunity for women’s sports as possible,” stated Bernard, who added the players and coaches soak it the moment on the rain-soaked field at Jack O’Brien Stadium in Windsor following the victory celebration. “It was one of the best moments I’ve ever seen,” added Bernard. “It was great to win, but really important for girls sports and expanding the game. The historical nature of winning this was pretty darn cool.” For the players, particularly the seniors, the triumph was more than winning a trophy. “I hope this tournament opened the eyes of girls to show that their dreams of playing this sport can also come true. I was lucky to have such a wonderful experience with a very athletic and passionate team,” said Taylor. Healy said the history-making day is something she will cherish forever, adding, “The moment I will never forget is when coach Bernard told the team how grateful he was that his two younger daughters will be able to see the progression of women’s sports and have even more opportunities then we did growing up.” |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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