(Wethersfield coach Lee Schwartzman with junior Abby Francis and senior captains Maura Stewart, Amanda Tougas, and Caroline Logan)

Along the back wall of the poll inside Wethersfield High School are lamented letters spelling out UNDEFEATE. Each bold, capitalized letter represents one of the nine wins in nine meets that the Eagles have so far this season.

One more victory and head coach Lee Schwartzman can hang the final letter, completing the mission of an UNDEFEATED regular season.

“I’ve had the idea for years but I waited until we got through the first three meets and then I went and got the letters laminated,” said Schwartzman, “It worked out, we have ten meets and there are ten letters in undefeated. The team likes it and it goes along with the coaching cliché that every day is 1-0.”

The team has already captured their ninth straight conference title and has been consistently competitive for years under the tutelage of Schwartzman and diving coach Dave McOmber, but they have never finished the regular season without since the turn of the century thanks to rival Glastonbury, who had dealt them at least one defeat in each and every season.

But all that changed on Sept 19 when the Eagles took down the Tomahawks for the first time in 18 years.

“I have never seen this place so packed and so loud, it was deafening,” Schwartzman reflected about the victory over Glastonbury at WHS before ousting powerhouse Hall at the same venue three days later, “That was the hardest part of the season. We had built up Glastonbury and everyone feels invincible after we beat them, but we had Hall just a few days later. We were physically and emotionally drained after Glastonbury and didn’t have the best practice the day after but the captains told me that they felt no one could touch us because we had done something that nobody had done before. So it only took one day to focus on the next meet.”

Schwartzman’s confident captains are Caroline Logan, Maura Stewart, and Amanda Tougas. The three are not only sucessful swimmers, but also close friends out of the pool.

“It was awesome,” said Logan, referring to the monumental victory over Glastonbury, “I was standing and I saw Lee say to our diving coach that it was over and I just kind of lost it. I ran over to Maura behind the box and was like ‘Oh my God, we just won!’ It was crazy.”

The trio, along with four other seniors (Jessica Pratt, Abigail Sullivan, Rachel Wilson, and Jessica Garofalo), have been diligently training to defeat their nemesis for the past four years and all that hard work paid off during that memorable week in September.

“We had high expectations coming into the season because we had a strong team last year and we had such a good freshman class coming up,” stated Stewart, who has taken the newcomers under her wing, “We all grew up together, so we all swam together. We knew how good they were and I think they’ve fit in really well with the rest of the team. It was amazing seeing how fast they were swimming at the first couple of meets. We have such a good team and they are all amazing girls.”

“The freshmen have kind of motivated us. They’re all very good so it’s easy to want to race them,” added Tougas, “We’re all working hard and working together. We’re all achieving one goal and it’s nice to do that with your friends.”

The newbies have fit right in and have also been breaking records in their first high school season in the pool, setting freshman marks in all three relays.

Julia Pitchell, Haley Krawczyk, Olivia Thompson, and Emily Wolf combined to break both freshman records in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Pitchell, Krawczyk, Thompson, and Riley Wilhelm teamed up to break the freshman record in the medley relay.

Coming into the season, Schwartzman was familiar with the freshmen from his time coaching youth swimming in Wethersfield and knew he had a special group coming in.

“Wethersfield has that small town kind of vibe, which is really cool. Whether it’s from the Barracudas or from Pine Acres, everyone already knew someone on the team and most of the freshmen I’ve known for years,” said the longtime coach, “There’s always going to be learning curve and it helps more that they know me, but working with them at Pine Acres or in the summer is not the same. It’s laid back and the practices are pretty easy compared to what we do. I promise them when I meet with them at the middle school that they will go lifetime best times at their first high school meet. I’ll take some credit for the training, but just the atmosphere for a high school meet is totally different. You can’t replicate that in a clubs, town, or summer swimming.”

The first and last year swimmers have bookend a great season, but it’s been junior Abby Francis that continues to lead the way each and every meet.

“She works so hard and she’s very consistent. She’s going all day, every day,” Schwartzman said of Francis, “When it comes down to a race there are certain kids that just have to be the anchor and she one of those kids. She doesn’t show nerves and she is the most humble kid, always looking out for the other kids and the first thing that she’s does is congratulate her teammates.”

Francis shined as a sophomore, winning the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke at the conference championships and placing 2nd and 4th at the events at the state finals.

She’s back and better than ever this fall, already breaking pool records in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley.

“I’m more confident this year, but it’s a lot easier to work really hard because the whole team has been great and we have a really good atmosphere here. We motivate each other and it’s a lot easier to work hard in the water,” said Francis, “This year we have really good captains that have motivated the team really well and all the seniors have helped me in different ways.”

The record-setter has combined with Stewart, Krawczyk, and Pitchell to break the medley relay mark, and also helped brake and then re-brake the 400 freestyle mark with Tougas, Stewart, and Pitchell.

All of the accolades are great, but team accomplishments and individual improvements are what Schwartzman preaches.

“Last year we lost to Conard and Hall on the last relay and the old saying is that you have to learn how to win. That has prepared us and they have that confidence that if we’re in a close meet they know to turn it on and get it done. The seniors have done an extremely good job and this group keeps coming back better each day,” reflected the coach, who has also guided the boys team at WHS to several conference titles, “We like to put up banners here. When these seniors came in as freshmen we got 2nd in Class M and to leave 10-0 would be perfect. They don’t like to use perfect, they like undefeated, but I like to use perfect. We had an invitational and we won that. If we would have lost that it wouldn’t have gone against our record, but to me wining that was important because going into states nobody has beaten us. In swimming you can’t cause a fumble, you can’t pull on someone’s ankle. It’s you against the clock and hopefully your clock times are better than their clock times. You can only control how hard you work every day and how hard you train. Hopefully that’s better than what the other teams have.”

In order for Schwartzman to hang up the last letter, the team has to win one more meet at East Lyme this Friday, Oct 27 at 4 p.m.
A win would give the team an unblemished 10-meet mark and an undefeated swagger heading into the conference and the state finals.

Perfection would be great, but the goal is for each swimmer to have their best performance also be their final performance.  

“Some of the seniors I’ve known for 11 to 12 years and a couple of them have some unfinished business,” remarked Schwartzman, “My ultimate goal for all the kids no matter where they end, the CCC meet or at states, is to end the season with their best time and get a time or score that when they see it they don’t believe it. There’s nothing cooler than seeing a kid looking at the scoreboard and then having to look again because they don’t believe the time.”

Senior Dianta Highsmith ended up with the football in his hands on the three most pivotal plays of the game as Cromwell/Portland improved to 6-0, defeating previously unbeaten Old Saybrook/Westbrook 12-6 last Friday night at Pierson Park.
 
Highsmith caught two first-half touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with only 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
 
Both touchdowns came courtesy of the rocket right arm of Bryce Karstetter, who performed a Houdini act early in the second quarter when he escape a would-be sack before launching a 43-yard scoring strike to Highsmith for the first points of the contest.
 
“My receiver coach, coach {Bobby} Lorenti, always tells me to find the open ground and Bryce threw a perfect ball and I just made a play,” Highsmith said of the broken play turned touchdown.
 
A scoreless, field position battle broke out in the second half and the visiting Rams threatened to tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but senior captain Jack Shauck forced a fumble and Highsmith recovered at the CP 15-yard line.
 
“I saw Victor Pascoe cut and then I saw the ball on the ground. I knew I had to go get it,” recalled Highsmith.
 
Pascoe’s fumble was the second red zone turnover for the Rams, who also turned it over on downs at the 14-yard line in the first quarter
 
The Panthers offensive line sealed the victory, paving the way for running back Brent Robbins and company to bleed the final four minutes off the clock.
 
Robbins finished the night with 96 rushing yards and also blocked an extra point.  
 
Despite the late fumble, Pascoe kept OSW in the game until the final whistle, rushing for 107 yards and scoring the team’s only touchdown on a 17-yard quarterback keeper in the second quarter. 
 
The six-point win was the closest margin of victory this season for the Panthers, who entered the contest having beaten their previous five opponents by an average of 35 points per game.
 
Next up for Cromwell/Portland is another home game on Friday, Oct 27 against Valley Regional/Old Lyme, whose only loss this season is to OSW.
 
The Rams (5-1) return home next Sat, Oct 28 for a bout with Coginchaug/Hale Ray (3-3).  

(Senior wideout Matt Osgood has helped open up Rocky Hill's passing game)

Cromwell/Portland, Middletown, and Rocky Hill have all crossed the midway point of the season with perfect records. The Panthers and Terriers seem to be on a collision course to an undefeated showdown on the eve of Thanksgiving and the Blue Dragons have a revengeful eye on unblemished Windsor, who they play the night before Turkey Day. Here’s a look at how the area’s teams look halfway through the regular season.

Cromwell/Portland: The Panthers are crushing opponents to the tune of nearly 37 points per game. Bryce Karstetter has the offense humming, averaging 47 points through the first five games, and the Panthers ground attack has been churching out over 200 rushing yards per game. Defensively, the team is surrendering just over 10 points per contest and has a shutout under the belts. Seniors Dianta Highsmith, Liam Coleman, and Matt Wolak have solidified all three levels of the swarming Panthers defense. Next up is a challenging home test at Pierson Park against fellow undefeated Old Saybrook/Westbrook on Friday, Oct 20 at 6:00 p.m.

Newington: The Indians had back-to-back wins to begin the Jason Pace era, but have since dropped three straight. The offense, which scored 68 points over the first two weeks, has struggled during the three-game skid, averaging just 11 points per game. The team has a chance to get back on a winning track at Bristol Central (2-3) this Friday, Oct 20 at 6 and then play the following three games at home.

Middletown: It’s hard to determine if the Blue Dragons have been more impressive on the offensive or on the defensive side of the ball. The team has demolished their first five opponents, outscoring those teams by nearly 30 points per game. Stone Belzo has been nearly flawless in his first season under center, throwing for five touchdowns without an interception, and adding four more scores on the ground. Junior running back Xzavier Reyes is averaging 122 yard rushing per game and has found the end zone nine times. Stephen Hill Jr., Greg Davis, and Derrick Vereen are leading a stout defense, which has blanked two of their five opponents. Next up is a home game against E.O. Smith (3-2) on Friday, Oct 20 at 7 p.m.

Rocky Hill: It’s been over a year since the Terriers lost a game in the regular season, winning their last dozen contests. The team has been simply dominant this season, including outscoring their last two opponents by a combined 94-0. The running game and defense have been overwhelming teams all season and Danny Cavallaro and the air attack are coming off their best outing. Cavallaro connected on eight of nine passes for 176 yards and three scores, two to Matt Osgood (5-139) and the other to Jack Hansen in a 45-0 win over Tolland. Winless East Catholic comes to town on Friday, Oct 20 for a 7 p.m. kick.

Wethersfield: The Eagles stumbled coming out of the gate, losing their first three games but have since rebounded with back-to-back wins, including a convincing victory over Hartford Public last Friday. Ro DiGiacomo and Mitchell Quadrato have helped lead a defensive resurgence for a unit that surrendered 83 points in the first three games but has allowed only seven and six point, respectively, in the past two games. Maloney (4-1) comes to Cottone Field this Friday, Oct 20 at 7 p.m.         

(Newington soccer captains Claudia Padykula, Skylar Couillard, and Abigail Molloy)

Junior Zoe Walk scored a go-ahead goal midway through the second half as Newington girls’ soccer earned an important 3-2 victory over Middletown last Tuesday at Clem Lemire Recreation Complex.

The win improved the Indians to 5-5 and snapped a two-game skid for the home team, who were coming off a pair of one-goal defeats to Wethersfield and RHAM.

“The system has changed from last year, so even the returning players are having to adapt,” said Newington head coach Adam Wilkinson, who is attempting to replacing the talent that graduated last season, “You basically took out the spine of the team. We haven’t figured out the players to replace it yet and it’s taking some time to find a balance.”

Last fall, Wilkinson and his crew won a dozen regular season games and two more tournament games to reach the quarterfinals in the Class LL tourney.

Seniors Skylar Couillard, Claudia Padykula, and junior Abigail Molloy have taken over as team captains. The three are learning of the fly and settling into their new roles as the season has aged.

“Our chemistry is a lot better. We have some new people from different club teams, but that hasn’t affected things,” said Couillard, “Adam’s coaching style has brought us all together. It’s been easier to communicate rather than guessing where everyone is going to be.”

“I feel like I’ve got to take on a little bit bigger of a role because we lost the four seniors and they were all really good, but I’m definitely comfortable with these two behind me,” added Molloy, referring to her co-captains.

It was the third loss of the season for Middletown, who entered the game riding high after rallying from four goals down before ultimately tying Glastonbury last week.

The Blue Dragons came to Newington with momentum, but were without the services of all-conference senior Amalia Sessoms, who scored the equalizer in the comeback against Glastonbury.

“Amalia is out with a concussion, but we’re a strong team all around. We just need to keep playing the way we know how to play and be consistent,” Middletown head coach Rachel Lemke said following the loss, “Sometimes we get stuck in little ruts and don’t play consistently throughout the game. We’re a talented group, we have ten seniors and we’ve got a couple younger kids that are going to help now and into the future. We just have to fix some things and continue to play like we know how to play the rest of the season.”

Senior Kaitlyn D’Amico did her best to fill void left by Sessoms, scoring both of the team’s goals.

D’Amico shares the captain responsibilities with Sessoms and fellow senior Madyson Fitzner.

“They take the team under their wing,” Lemke said of her three field generals, “I don’t need to say anything to them. They’re leaders and they’ll get the other players going.”

Offensively the team has had some ups and downs, but they’ve been sound defensively all season.

Goalie Veronica Meyers has posted two shutouts through the first ten games.

“Veronica has been in goal all season and she’s improved tremendously,” said Lemke, “She’s improved her game sense and her knowledge. She’s gotten more comfortable with the game and understanding.”

Lemke and her girls shook off the loss to Newington and finished last week with 3-2 road victory over Bristol Eastern for their sixth win of the season. They’re in good shape heading into the stretch run, but the coach wants to see more of that fire and determination that was on display during the second half of the Glastonbury game.

“I’d like to see us play a full 80 minutes consistently. They have to keep striving for their own goals they made for this season. One of our small goals is to win the conference again, so that’s something that we’re still working at.”

Newington followed up the victory over Middletown by blanking Windsor 5-0 Friday night. It was the team’s fifth win in seven games.  

The team is peaking at the right time, but Wilkinson wants to see a few areas cleaned up before November rolls around.

“We’re still having problems with our midfield rotation. We’re playing around with a few things to find a balance and may have to change the system,” stated the fifth-year coach, “We’re also having a few difficulties defending free kicks into the box. We worked on it for 45 minutes and then lost to RHAM on a free kick into the box and when we lost to Wethersfield in overtime it was that same thing, so obviously we need more work on it. We did it again today. The second goal for them was the same thing. We know what we have to work on, now it’s just how quickly we can fix it.”

Junior keeper Jenna Scanlon is the last line of defense on the free kicks and is protecting the net after battling back from injuries in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.

“Jenna tore one ACL her freshman year and tore her other ACL her sophomore year, so she’s having to work a little bit on mobility and also there’s the mental side of it. It’s certainly nice having a keeper for the full year,” Wilkinson added, “Obviously there’s a few hurdles she has to get over on the recovery, but she’s been solid and it’s nice having her back.”

The win over Windsor was Scanlon’s fifth shutout this season.

A trio of freshmen have also joined the rotation, gaining valuable experience for a group playing on the big stage for the first time.
“Olivia Mullings, Emily Chojnicki, and Grace Canepari are our three freshman and they’ve been solid. I don’t usually change much defensively, so Grace only played a few games and she was solid in those couple of games. She's a very good player, her chance will come. Emily has stepped up and started to play well and Olivia had a great game against Wethersfield, scoring two goals. She’s got pace and she’s got very good technique. She just has to get a little more confident in herself.”

Wilkinson’s squad will close the regular season with a brutal four-game stretch, starting a road game at Glastonbury on Friday, Oct 20 at 3:45 p.m.
They finish with back-to-back games against Rocky Hill (10/27) and at Wethersfield (10/30). They lost the previous meetings with the Terriers and Eagles, both in overtime. The team has matured since the previous meetings and will have revenge on their minds. 

“This win pumped us up,” Padykula said after the Middletown game, “The new players we have are amazing and I feel like we’re playing a lot better now.”

Newington coach Chris Wanner and her volleyball team went through some growing pains a season ago, but the adversity has been a blessing in disguise.

This fall, the squad is using the struggles from last season as motivation and have won eight of their first 11 games, including a straight-set win (25-15, 25-19, 25-18) over Wethersfield last Monday night.

The conference-victory qualified the Indians for the Class LL tournament and erased the memory of a year ago when the team won a total of five games all season and missed the postseason.   

“I think that team chemistry is really phenomenal and the kids are playing with a lot more confidence,” Wanner said after the tourney-clinching victory, “We had a rough year last year with a lot of new players. It was an off year and they were really excited to come back. They’ve been playing well and improving a lot and they can see the difference in a big way from last year to this year. This is the proof of all their growth.”

The team is again receiving excellent guidance from Wanner and her trio of senior captains. Meghan Roberts, Blayne Wanner-Hyde, and Yasmin Rincon have all contributed through their production and energy levels on the court.

“It feels great. We struggled last year, but this year we’ve come out and gave it our all,” said Roberts, who had a game-high 10 kills in the win over Wethersfield, “Our energy has been really good and we’re confident. We really worked for it this year and we’re more together as a team. We all did offseason, so that’s definitely helped.”

Roberts is the frontline enforcer, leading the team in kills and block. Wanner-Hyde is the libero, leading in both digs and aces. Rincon is the jack-of-all-trades, excelling in all phases of the game.

“They have really stepped up. I think the three of them are a great mix and they have their own unique style of leadership,” Wanner said of her court generals.

All three were instrumental in Monday night’s victory. Roberts dominated the first set after her coach reminded her to stay aggressive following an error on a kill attempt.

“One time I said snap and the other time I said to fall into the ball and crush it,” said the third-year coach.

Roberts responded by finishing three straight points, including a devastating spike after Rincon made a diving save.  

The captains are doing their part, but it’s been the play of a couple of young guns that has Newington primed for a postseason run.

Carelys Benitez and Paige Trumbull are both starting as sophomores and the pair is getting more comfortable on the court with each passing game.

Benitez was a force on Monday night, registering five kills, four digs, and serving up four aces.

“She’s a confident, poised player,” Wanner said of Benitez, “The other thing that has happened is her hitting has become so much more consistent and that ups her confidence in a big way.”

Fellow sophomore Sara Caceres came off the bench to add five more kills and junior Azya Bass has settled into the setter’s position, dishing out 20 assists in the in the victory.

Newington was unable to sustain the early week momentum, losing in three sets to both RHAM on Wednesday and Bristol Eastern on Friday.

Despite the loss, the tourney-bound Indians are still in good shape and have a handful of games remaining in the regular season, including a rematch at Wethersfield on Thurs, Oct 26.

The regular season finale could have extra importance to Wethersfield, who may need a win to qualify for the tournament. The loss to Newington was their fifth straight after winning four of their first six to begin the season.

Eagles head coach Debbie O’Brien believes the team has enough talent on the floor, but wants to see fewer lapses in production.  

“We need more consistency and cannot let one mistake turn into many. We haven’t had that same energy or consistency the past four games. We haven’t had as much offense and our serving percentage wasn’t as good. The dips in those two have killed us in the last four games.”

The one stability has been the play of the team’s seniors, who are attempting to help the program earn their first tournament berth since 2014.

Cheyenne-Mone Smith and Danielle Elliott have been a terrific one-two punch at the net, each tallying five kills against Newington. Smith is the team leader in kills and Elliott leads the team in blocks. They are also first and second on the team in digs.

Setter Jacqueline Reategui is again the emotional leader and distributor on the court, leading the team in aces and assists, including 14 in Monday’s loss.

Junior Marina Pernoi also had a standout performance against Newington, coming off the bench with six points and thriving from the service line.

“She had been playing some outside hitter, but today was the first time that she did that,” O’Brien said of Pernoi’s serving, “It was a big lift for us and a big confidence booster for her too.”

The team rebounded after Monday’s loss with a come-from-behind five set victory (25-16, 22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 18-16) over Manchester at WHS and then dropped a four set match to Bristol Central on Friday, finishing the week with a 5-8 mark.

O’Brien and her girls close the regular season with four of their final five at home, including the finale against Newington.

The pieces seem to be in place, now it’s just a matter of finishing points and matches.

“I don’t think it’s as much about our rotation. I think it’s more about our aggressiveness and confidence and that feeling that we really can do this,” added O’Brien, “We can’t have that fear that we are going to make a mistake. I think they have the skills and in practice I see more of that, but on game day I think they are more hesitant.”

The sports department at the Rare Reminder has been so consumed with high school football that we’ve neglected the other sports excitement that is taking place on our fields, trails, and courts. Thankfully we ran into local celebrity Kevin the Turkey, who is an avid sports fan and has been closely monitoring the local high school sports landscape. The fabulous fowl was nice enough to sit down with us at his coop in Old Wethersfield and give us the lowdown on some of the sports action around our surrounding towns that we have missed. He also shared his predictions for the upcoming weekend on the local gridiron.

Cromwell: Kevin likes what he sees out of the girls’ volleyball team in Cromwell. The Panthers are 6-3 heading into this week, including victories in their last three contests. Captains Amaya Feitel, Dana Coughlin, and Aijah Caccio have helped lead the team, while sophomores Najla Cecunjanin and Kaitlin Lewkowicz have burst onto the scene. Cecunjanin leads the team in kills and blocks and Lewkowicz has been excelling as the team’s libero, leading the team in digs.

Middletown: Kevin spends a majority of his time outside and has been frequenting the soccer fields in Middletown. Heading into the week, the girls have won four of their first six games behind the brilliant play of Amalia Sessoms. The Blue Dragon boys have lost four of their first six, but have been competitive in every game thanks to the efforts of Jeffrey Turro.    

Newington:  Kevin has been impressed with the job that Chris Wanner has done with the Newington girls’ volleyball team. The Indians entered the week having won seven of ten games. Senior Meghan Roberts has been dominating the frontline, averaging 2.5 kills per set, and fellow senior Blayne Wanner-Hyde leads the team in aces and digs. Azya Bass, Yasmin Rincon, Carelys Benitez, and Trumbell Paige have also played well this season.

Rocky Hill: Kevin is pleasantly surprised with the resilience of girls’ volleyball in Rocky Hill. The Terriers lost their first five games of the season, but have since won four of five including a straight sets victory over Weaver last Friday. Captains Julia O’Conner, Grace Fisher, and Maddi Santo have ignited the turnaround. O’Conner and Fisher have been enforcers at the net and Santo has been deadly from the service line, averaging an ace per set. 

Wethersfield: Kevin is not a strong swimmer, but he does love to watch the area swimmers compete and Wethersfield has set the standard in the local pools. The lady Eagles have won their first five meets and did something that they haven’t done in 18 years by defeating Glastonbury on Sept 19 and then broke three school records in a win over E.O. Smith on Sept 23. Abby Francis broke the 200 freestyle record and two freshman relay teams also broke records in the meet. Julia Pitchell, Riley Wilhelm, Haley Krawczyk, and Olivia Thompson combined to break the medley relay record and Pitchell, Krawczyk, Thompson, and Emily Wolf teamed up to break the 400 freestyle record.

Kevin the Pigskin Prognosticator: Our famous feathered-friend is also an aficionado of football, offering a unique perspective from his bird’s eye view of the game. He regularly attends games up until Thanksgiving, where he goes into hiding for obvious reasons. Here are Kevin’s predictions for this weekend’s games, straight from the turkey’s beak.

Cromwell/Portland at Coginchaugh/Hale Ray- Saturday, Oct 7 @ 1 p.m.
“I normally don’t like panthers because they pose a major threat to us galliformes, but I really like what I’ve seen out of this group of Panthers so far this fall. They’re undefeated through four games, outscoring their opponents by nearly 35 points per game, and can beat you in a cornucopia of ways. Dianta Highsmith is dominating both sides of the ball, plucking passes out of the sky and stuffing lanes in the run game. I expect head coach Randell Bennett and his boys to feast in Durham, improving to 5-0 and establishing a clear pecking order in the Pequot Conference heading into their bye week.”

Rocky Hill at Tolland- Friday, Oct 6 @ 6:30
“I have a strong feeling in the pit of my gizzard about this game. Our undefeated Terriers enter Tolland to face an Eagles team with only one loss to their name. Rocky Hill’s defense has been devastating opponents, registering a shutout last week and allowing only 28 total points through four games, and the offense has been running wild turkey over opponents to the tune of 300 yards per game. Tolland has a versatile quarterback in sophomore Ryan Carlson, who happens to be the team’s best defender as well, but expect the Baker Brothers and company to gobble him up. Also look for Joseph-squared and the revamped offensive line to gobble up more yards on the ground.”

Newington vs South Windsor- Friday, Oct 6 @ 6:30
“The thought of this game turns my caruncle bright red, because it should intensify an already budding sports rivalry between these two schools. The Bobcats of South Windsor come to town undefeated and the Indians are looking to snap a two-game skid after starting the season 2-0. Expect some feathers to get ruffled in this contest featuring two offenses that can be explosive and multidimensional. Newington will need big nights out of Damon Stewart and his defensive mates, otherwise the scoreboard operator could have a busy night in this potentially exciting and non-violent turkey shootout.”

Middletown vs Bristol Central- Friday, Oct 6 @6:30
“Players should bucket up their wattle-straps because I’m anticipating a grind-it-out slugfest. Middletown has won all four of its games in convincing fashion and the visiting Rams of Bristol Central come to town having split their first four games. Quarterback Stone Belzo has been turning defenders into giblets and Stephen Hill and the Blue Dragons defense has been stopping opposing offenses cold turkey. I’d like to see Middletown use more wishbone formation, but either way I don’t expect them to lay an egg at home.”   

Wethersfield (Idle)
“It had been a rough year for my winged friends in Wethersfield, who had lost their first three contests, but the resilient flock rebounded with 17-7 victory over previously unbeaten Platt last Friday. It was a season-saving victory and further proof that ‘birds of a feather flock together.’ I sent my letter of congratulations, via carrier pigeon, and I fully expect the Eagles to keep soaring after their bye week.” 

Newington Cross Country Celebrates Senior Night

On Tuesday, September 26, friends and family of the Newington High School Cross Country team gathered at John Wallace Middle School to watch a cross country meet and to celebrate senior night.  The girls ran a tough race behind strong showings from senior Angelina Zacharias and junior Samantha Gorski, but came up short against a strong Rocky Hill team.  The boys team was led once again by junior Aiden Toth and freshman Sam Geisler, capturing first and third places respectively. They won decisively over Rocky Hill and Bloomfield.  

Once the race was concluded, the team celebrated the contributions of the senior student-athletes.  Coach Krusell commended the leadership and commitment of the core group of 12 seniors, many of whom have been on the team for multiple years. 

*Information and photo provided by XC Booster Club Co-President Lara Bohlke*
Newington senior cross country team members include: Front row, from left:  Angelina Zacharias (capt), Carly Saidon (capt), JR Villano, Alexa Freitas, and Gabriela Paxi.  Back row, from left: Brendan Henriques (capt), Konrad Sadowniczyk, Mark Walsh (capt), Patrick Boucher, Justin Field (capt), William Weidlich. Missing from photo: Patrick McGrath