Grace Mikan- Cromwell (Cross Country): Mikan has had an incredible first season on the high school trails. The freshman finished as the team’s first runner to cross the finish line at the Class SS on Oct 26, finishing with a time of 22.42, and helping pace the Panthers to a fifth-place finish overall, which was the girls’ highest finish in multiple decades. She also set a personal 5k record (21:02) at the Shoreline Championships held at CHS on Oct 18, earning her 2nd team all-conference honors. Head coach Doug McGough has been impressed with her steady improvement throughout the season and is glad Mikan has three more seasons at CHS, “Grace began the season In the middle of the pack running just over 24 minute for a 5K. Throughout the season she has dropped time and charged her way to the front of the girl’s team. Grace is a talented athlete with a bright future in this sport.”

Chris Danas- Middletown (Football): Danas was dazzling, throwing for 515 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-21 win over Farmington on Oct 26. It was the second straight phenomenal performance for the senior signal caller, who threw for 229 yards and two scores in a win over Hartford Public the previous week, giving him a two-game total of seven touchdowns with no interception, while completing 74% of his passes for a passer rating of 142.3.  

Nico Capasso- Rocky Hill (Football): Capasso is the Terriers leading rusher and ran for a season-high 100 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry, and scored a pair of touchdowns in Rock Hill’s 41-0 victory over Bulkeley/HMTCA/Weaver on Oct 26. The senior teamed with Matt Sevigny (99 yards and a touchdown) and a stable of other backs, helping Rocky Hill rush for a season-high 227 yards as a team in the win over the Bulldogs. 

Gabriela Targonska- Newington (Swimming): Targonska has been a varsity swimmer for the last three years at Newington High. This fall the junior is having another outstanding season, consistently dropping time in her 200 Individual Medley and is working to get back to the Class L state meet in the 100 Backstroke. Head coach Crystal Connery commended Targonska for working incredible hard, “Gabby is an athlete who constantly leads by example. She is the first person in the pool almost every day at practice and always gives a hundred percent effort. She is a great asset to our team.”

Abbey Keane- Wethersfield (Swimming): Keane is a captain on an Eagles swimming and diving team that recently captured their 11th straight conference title following a win over Rocky Hill on Oct 29. During the meet against the Terrier, the senior edged out a good field to capture first place in the 500 Freestyle, capping the team’s Senior Night in style. Head coach Lee Schwartzman said Kean’s strong finish in the event vs Rocky Hill showed the kind of grit and determination that has led to her success over the years. The veteran coach also praised her dependability and leadership, “Abby is our consistent distance swimmer, meaning she swims the 200 and 500 freestyle almost every meet. Over her career Abby has improved drastically every single year in the 200 and 500. She works hard every single day in practice and really pushes herself to the limit. She is always encouraging to all of her teammates.”

Newington- Trey Sadler (Soccer):  Sadler scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Hartford Public on Oct 22 and then dished out the game-winning assist, feeding Youseff Khadrani for the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Rocky Hill last Friday. The senior captain has been an offensive force all season for Indians, who have hit their stride in the latter half on the season, winning four of the last five entering the week.

Kaitlin Lewkowicz- Cromwell (Volleyball): Lewkowicz has been a do-it-all player for the Panthers this season. The senior captain has been the team’s steady setter, including in a crucial four-set win over East Hampton on Oct 25 when she filled the stat column with 27 assists, 10 digs, nine kills, and six aces. She then dished out 16 assists and teamed with senior teammate Sadie Budzik, combining for 14 aces, in an impressive win over Amistad last Friday.   

Erica Paradis- Newington (Volleyball): Paradis has been a consistent leader and setter for Newington all season. The senior closed out the regular season schedule with a 22-assist, three-dig, two-ace performance in a three-set victory over Wethersfield, giving the Indians 15 wins. She ended the regular season with a team-high 183 service points to go along with her 385 assists and 55 aces. Head coach Chris Wanner said Paradis has been steady and reliable, “She is a leader by example with a great work ethic and a lot of determination. As the season has progressed, she has learned how to connect well with each of her hitters and help them show their best.”

​Rocky Hill Unified Sports team at the National Unified Champion School banner presentation on October 25

Rocky Hill High School, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, received a national honor and a banner to hang inside their gymnasium at last Friday’s Pep Rally. The banner is to recognize the school’s continued efforts in providing inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities through their Unified Sports program.

The ceremony, held at the high school, celebrated the Terriers’ Unified programs for meeting national standards of excellence in areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect.

Athletic director Richard Seidman called it a special honor to receive the recognition, which is only given to a select number of schools.

Seidman added that he’s excited about the growth of the school’s Unified Sports program, which is led by coach Chris Bachand.

Bachand first got involved with Unified Sports at Griswold Middle School six years ago, before transferring to the high school and taking over the program at RHHS.

“I got a chance to see the enjoyment of not only the athletes faces but also partners and coaches. Unified is like nothing else. It is sports at its purest form,” stated Bachand, who has been at RHHS for the past four years, “From high fives after a goal from the other team, to helping others score a goal and feel the accomplishment of helping the team. There are no tears or yelling at your teammates or coach. Just smiles, high fives, and new friendships.”

Bachand, who found out that the program was being recognized after receiving an email from CIAC Unified Sports Director Bob Hale, credited the athletes and student mentors for their time and dedication.

“I think my students are the most well-known, coolest kids in the school,” Bachand said his athletes and mentors, “Everyone knows all of our students by name and they help them with more than just their sports, they helped them with their classes and basically everything else on a day to day basis.”

Currently Rocky Hill has Unified teams in soccer, basketball, bowling, and track, as well as, a Unified Arts and Theater program led by Paul Meyers.
Bachand, who also coaches wrestling at the middle school, said that school’s Unified programs have been successful because of student participation and the help of the Special Olympics and Best Buddies, a non-profit organization that helps pair mentors with individuals with intellectual and developmental disability. 

“It’s been great to see, especially during halftime of games or the pep rallies that we’ve been doing the last couple of years. The cheering, it roars every time we score a goal. In Unified drama we did a basketball skit and every ball went in. It’s great to see them out there and when they are in the hallway it’s just like every other athlete, they get the high fives and compliments.”

The honor from the Special Olympics well-deserved for a truly Unified group of athletes at Rocky Hill and Bachand added that he hopes that Unified Sports, as a whole, continues to grow and that the athletes get the recognition they deserve, “I am looking forward to a fun-filled season where the kids will learn and improve their skills as well as the values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and fair play.”


​​

Newington trailed Maloney 14-0 in the second quarter at NHS.

That’s when junior quarterback Nick Pestrichello stepped into a phone booth before putting on a performance that the Man of Steel would be envious of.

Pestrichello accounted for six touchdowns, four on the ground and a pair through the air, and 377 total yards as the Indians rallied to defeat the previously unbeaten Spartans 42-35 last Friday. 

“His mentality is better. After playing as a sophomore last year and now going up in that level it has advanced his game and advanced his head,” senior middle linebacker Julian Mulero said of Pestrichello’s development, “He comes out here and competes.”

After throwing an early inception, Newington’s second-year signal caller was nearly flawless the rest of the night.

The dual-threat quarterback tied things up in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdown runs, the first from eight yards away and the second on a 1-yard QB sneak, and then threw his first touchdown on the opening drive of the second half when he connected with Gunnar Johnson from 11 yards out, which culminated an 11-play drive to open the third quarter.

The game’s turning point came with 10:43 to play in regulation when Mulero and his defensive mates made a red zone stand.

Maloney moved the ball inside the ten-yard line, threatening to widen a 28-21 lead, but the Indians defense stiffed and forced a turnover on downs.

“We knew we could hang with these dudes,” said Mulero, who was extra motivated by a loss two weeks ago to Platt prior to the team’s bye week, “Against Platt we didn’t execute, we didn’t do what we had to do. We came out here and did our job. We knew we could play with anybody, we just had to do our jobs and execute.”

On the play following the defensive stand, Pestrichello showcased his pro-style arm by lofting a high-arching bomb down the left sidelines which Austyn Howe caught in stride and sprinted the rest of the way for a 92-yard game-tying touchdown.

Maloney mishandled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Javier Polanco, and Newington took their first lead five plays later when Pestrichello scored his fifth touchdown.

He put the finishing touches on the win with a 72-yard house call, upping the lead to 42-28 with 2:50 to play, and then ripped off a long run to cement the victory after Maloney had narrowed the margin to seven.

Pestrichello’s heroics overshadowed a terrific game from his quarterbacking counterpart Angel Arce, who threw for four touchdowns in the loss, which dropped Maloney to 5-1.

Newington got production from all three phases. Running back John Amaning Jr. topped the century mark in yards on the ground, including several tough runs which set up scoring opportunities, and kicker AJ Ferreira was a perfect seven-for-seven on extra point attempts, including one from long distance following a penalty.

Lineman Tym Sullivan came up with a clutch recovery of an onside kick late in regulation, allowing Newington to run out the remaining time on the clock.

The win improved the Indians to 4-2, erasing the memory of the narrow (35-33) loss to Platt, and was a little extra special for Mulero and the senior teammates, who had lost to Maloney in each of the previous three seasons.

“We put pictures in our lockers of the articles of our losses and that just served as motivation,” said Mulero, who leads the team in tackles this season, “This gives us confidence. This was a good team and knowing that we could beat them like this, we know we can hang with anybody.”
​
Up next is a road bout on the turf at E.O. Smith (1-5) this Friday, Nov 1, at 6:00 pm. The Indians close the regular season with a road game against Bristol Central, a home finale vs Enfield, and their annual Thanksgiving-eve battle at Wethersfield.

Newington captain #10Trey Sadler competes for the ball
against Plainville

It’s been an up and down season for Newington boys’ soccer, who suffered their third straight loss last Tuesday.

Despite falling 2-1 to visiting Plainville, head coach Jeff Brunetti sees the promise and potential in an Indians team that has been competitive in every game.

The loss to Plainville, the defending Class M champs, was the team’s third one-goal defeat in 2019.

“I think we have a lot of talent throughout our program. We love to play, so I’m not disappointed or discouraged. Our time will come and if we keep working hard, like we did at moments in this game against Plainville, they’ll find a lot of success,” said Brunetti, who is in his eighth season as the head coach and 15th season overall with the program, “I’m excited about the team still. We have some very good things going for us, it’s just a matter of if we finish. We are very dangerous, we’re not an easy team to play for sure.”

Plainville’s Patrick Gryczewski broke a 1-1 tie early in the second half, scoring the eventual game-winner when he fired a shot past goalie Nicholas Cox.

Following Gryczewski’s goal, Alex DiPaola nearly tied things up twice for the home team.

The first came 20 minutes into the second half when DiPaola receiving a great pass from Trey Sadler and hammered a kick toward the upper right corner of the goal, but Blue Devil goalie Brennan Staubley reached out with his right hand and sent the ball ricocheting off the cross bar.

Less than two minutes later DiPaola again made great contact with the ball but his shot sailed high.

“It was well hit, he just happened to get his hand up. That one was going in if he didn’t touch it. It was a world-class save” Brunetti said of the Staubley’s swat, “We have to keep giving ourselves those opportunities and today we got a couple of those. That will be important for us going forward.”

Senior Ryan Saindon scored the Indians only goal on a pass from freshman Tyler Ferreira, who has been a pleasant surprise for Brunetti this fall.

“I think this experience that he’s having this year is fantastic. The reason he’s on the field is because he’s consistent, he plays smart, and he plays quick. There are times that he makes freshman mistakes but that’s okay because most of the stuff that he does is fantastic on the field,” said the veteran coach, who has a blending of experience and youth on his roster, “You need to be developing players constantly that can step in and prepare for next season.”

Defensively the team has been sound most of the year, not allowing more than three goals in any game.

Cox, who was hurt in the first half against Plainville and came back to finish the game, registered double digit saves for the fifth time this season.

“He’s been phenomenal, he fit right into the position. Consistency is huge for him and he’s got great hands and reads the game well,” Brunetti said of Cox, who was the backup keeper a season ago, “He came up big in a game against Farmington, where he had 16 saves, and he’s made some saves this year that have kept us in games.”

A three-game winning streak, including an impressive 3-2 triumph over Farmington, showed what the team is capable of.

Unfortunately a tough schedule and some key injuries have taken its toll, leaving the team in need of a surge over the final four games of the regular season.

“We always talk about communication and quick play. That has to be better,” said Brunetti, “Communication throughout the field with the entire team, I want to hear it. We work on that in training session and then speed of play, making quick decisions so we can attack.”

A bulk of the offensive attack has come from Sadler, Reed Campbell and Christian Amaral, who have accounted for 10 goals and five assists through the first 10 games.

Amaral is a sophomore that has blossomed this season, learning from a rotation of captains that includes Sadler, Saindon, Evan Sanford, and Nathan dos Santos.

Following the loss to Plainville, the Indians rebounded with a 4-1 win at Bloomfield, improving the team’s record to 4-5-2 entering the week.
Up next is another tough home test against Glastonbury, this Friday (Oct 25) at 3:45. The team closes with rivalry games against New Britain, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield.

Win, lose, or draw – Brunetti wants to see the team finish strong.

​“We do have a young team that has played well. We’re still turning heads and we can surprise some people. I have all the confidence in the world in anyone that I put on the field. I love this team and I’m excited about the skill and what they can do in games. We’re going to keep plugging away until the end of the year.”

Newington senior #15 Alex DiPaola attacks during a 2-1 loss to Plainville

Maren Valente- Rocky Hill (Cross Country): Valente, a first-year junior, earned all-conference honors and was 2nd overall in the Terriers eight-team division at the CCC championships at Wickham Park last Wednesday. Overall the Rock Hill girls won the CCC North conference title for the 3rd year in a row.

Caitlyn Smith- Newington (Field Hockey): Smith scored a pair of goals in Newington’s 2-1 win over East Catholic. The junior helped make it memorable day for the seniors, who celebrated Senior Day with a win, which was the team’s second win in three games.

Sam Geisler- Newington (Cross Country): Geisler finished second overall at the CCC Cross Country Championships at Wickham Park last Wednesday. The senior helped lead an experienced team to their third consecutive conference title, marking the first time in NHS history that a Cross Country team accomplished a conference three-peat.

Robbie Cozean- Xavier (Cross Country): Cozean ran a 16:03, winning the SCC Cross Country Championship and helping the Falcons capture their 13th team title in the last 26 years. The senior will continue to run at a collegiate level, recently committing to run cross country and track & field for historic Notre Dame.

Alice Kelly- Wethersfield (Volleyball): Kelly, a senior, totaled 40 kills, 19 digs, and 11 aces as the Eagles went undefeated last week, defeating Plainville, Windsor, and Rockville in 11 total sets. The three wins earned Wethersfield a berth in the state tournament.

Newington girls’ soccer entered Cottone Field at WHS undefeated and after 80 minutes of a defensive slugfest they exited with their first loss of the season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Eagles last Tuesday.

Annie Klementon scored the game’s only goal at the 18th minute of the second half when she sailed a kick above the defense and just over the outstretched hands of freshman goalie Ella DePase, scoring from 90 feet away.

“Give {Wethersfield} credit, they worked hard defensively and they were first to the ball. From the start of the game it was obvious that they wanted it more than us,” said Newington coach Adam Wilkinson, “They were quicker to the ball and then when we settled down our decision making was off. We made some poor decisions, technique let us down, we just didn’t execute. We have a very bad day at the office.”

Wethersfield first-year head coach Tony Leone said his team had the right mindset prior to the game,  “We were coming off a disappointing game, against a very good Southington team no less, but we were still disappointed that we didn’t perform as well as we thought we could have. We had a lot that we could use to motivate us, and it’s a conference game.”

Leone is very familiar with the rivalry, having previously coached girls’ varsity soccer at NHS.

The two head coaches go back 20 years, having coach in the same communities and coaching for the same club team. Wilkinson, who is a Wethersfield resident, also has a daughter, Cam Wilkinson, who is a sophomore playing for Leone on the varsity team at WHS.

Klementon’s goal, which was her sixth of the season, was the difference maker. She and her twin sister, Emma Klementon, have helped the Eagles right the ship after dropping their first two games this fall.

“Emma unfortunately is coming off an injury that she had earlier in the season and she’s finally starting to get out of it and Annie has been a regular starter for us. I’ve been trying to find where she can help us the most and she’s starting to settle in as an attacking-mid, and today she gets to score that big goal. She’ll have some bragging rights between her and her sister,” joked Leone, who also has a second set of twins, Gabriela and Victoria Villagra, on his roster, “They’re very technical. They’re year-round soccer players, so they’re around the game a lot. Obviously being sisters, they’ve played together for years and they have that little bit of a connection that I have nothing to do with.”

Junior Ava Bielenda earned the win in goal, slowing down a Newington attack that had scored at least three goals in each of their first five contests.

Bielenda has continued to battle freshman Vanessa Venditti for the permanent starting position between the pipes.

“Neither of them has really come to me and said I want the spot. It’s driving them crazy, it’s driving me crazy, it’s driving their teammates crazy. Vanessa had a great game against Southington, none of the goals were hers and she made some great saves. One of Ava’s not as confident areas is coming out and picking up those balls and today she had a lot of those and dealt with them very well. If you stay glued to your line those are breakaways, so she dealt with those really well and I’m proud of her.”

Other than Klementon’s goal, DePase was flawless in goal for Newington. She too has been splitting time with fellow goaltender Brianna Norton. The pair of goalies had shutout their previous four opponents prior to the Wethersfield game.

“I don’t have a #1 and #2 right now. They’re just both different kinds of keepers. We’ve been very good defensively and I thought we were good defensively tonight,” said Wilkinson, who wasn’t sure what to expect from the team prior to the season, “I didn’t know what the goalkeeper situation was going to be, so that’s was a big question mark, but as the preseason went on I could feel there was a balance to the team and they bought into the system. A lot of kids have been with me for a long time, they play club for me. We’ve also brought in some of the freshman to future proof the team. That’s how I’ve been trying to build it for seven years play, everyone is going to contribute to this team.”

Newington started the season with five straight wins, outscoring those five opponents by a combined score of 22-1. Olivia Mullings, Reagan Pelton, Abby Corcoran, Cassidy Gilchrest, and Sabrina Soler led the offensive charge in those victories.

Pelton, Soler, Gilchrest, and defensive standout Gabriella Gray are the team’s four captains.

Against Wethersfield, Wilkinson wasn’t happy with the team’s offensive performance or a controversial no-call prior to Klementon’s goal, but thought the team’s first loss could serve as a wake-up call.

“Sometimes when you’re running on undefeated they have this aura about them and they get a little complacent, and they got to that point. We had a practice yesterday and it was a little casual, opposed to the practice before our Simsbury game when we were flying around, we were sharp, and those practices translated into the game. We were a little sloppy today but the good thing is we get another shot at them. Today we ate a little humble pie. We’ll restart, reassess, we’ll go from there.”

It didn’t take long for the Indians to rebound, defeating Windsor 5-0 last Thursday and then closing out the week with a 3-2 triumph over Enfield on Friday, improving to 7-1.  

Leone’s Eagles finished the week with a 3-1 loss to RHAM on Friday . It was only the team’s second loss in the past eight games.  

​“I always preach that we want to be at our peak for November. I was very adamant at the beginning of the year that it was going to get uglier before it got prettier and now they’re signs that it’s getting a lot better. We’re heading in the right direction regardless of the results. We try and not get too caught up with wins and losses and keep the bigger goal in mind.”

Sara Caceres- Newington (Volleyball): Caceres had a great all-around performance, registering nine digs, seven kills, three aces, and a block shot in a three set win over Wethersfield. The senior is one of the floor leaders on an Indians team that has won eight of their first dozen matches this fall. 

Anthony Caracoglia- Cromwell (Soccer): Caracoglia scored three goals in a 5-1 win over Westbrook last Friday and also scored a goal in a 2-1 win over Morgan last Monday. The Panthers made it three for three last week, closing the week with a 4-0 shutout of Old Lyme on Saturday.

Julianna Violette- Rocky Hill (Swimming): Violette is leading the Terriers in individual points and has already qualified for states in the 200 Individual Medley and is very close in the Backstroke. Last fall, as a freshman, she was a rookie of the year co-recipient after qualifying for states in the 200 IM, 100 Backstroke and also swimming the backstroke in the 200 Medley Relay. Her coach Lisa Cooney praised the sophomore for working hard during the offseason, both in and out of the pool, and for putting in a lot of effort in practices. 

Kate Anzidei- Wethersfield (Field Hockey): Anzidei has been an offensive force, scoring nine goals and assisting on eight others as the Eagles have started the season 8-0. Head coach Colleen Budaj called the junior a versatile, team-centered player who does whatever the coaches need her to do and has played at a constantly high level.

Tyshaun James- Middletown (Football): James was an all-state quarterback at Middletown High School and is now one of the top wide receivers in the nation at Central Connecticut State University. The former Blue Dragon is now an playmaking stud for the Blue Devils, hauling in 22 passes for 520 yards and five touchdowns during CCSU’s 5-1 start.

(Left to right) Quarterback Konnor Walsh leads the Terriers offense, while captains Jason LaTorra, Alex Boutin, and Kameron Wilson soldify the lines (not pictured- injured captain William Calcagni)

First-year coach Rich Dance has a long history with the Rocky Hill football program, dating back to the birth of the team.

Last Friday night Dance earned his first victory as head coach, a 38-14 win over East Catholic, on a night the program celebrated its 20th anniversary at McVicar Field. 

Senior quarterback Konnor Walsh threw for a season-high three touchdowns, two to Matt Sevigny, and Nico Capasso added two scores on the ground as Rocky Hill’s offense had their most productive day under Dance.

“I knew it would come eventually. It’s more about the kids, they’ve been working hard all season,” said Dance, “I’m just proud of the work that they’ve done and proud of the work the coaches have done, coming back and working with a new head coach and learning my system as well. Everybody has worked hard since I got hired in late April, so I’m just proud of the job the guys have done all season so far.”

Dance was a player at Rocky Hill High School during the early stages of the program, before graduating in 2003, and later documented statistics for the team before eventually becoming an assistant coach at RHHS.

He had spent the last five years as an assistant at Glastonbury High before returning to his roots this fall, taking over for Mark Fritz, who resigned following last season.

Prior to Friday night it hadn’t been an easy homecoming for Dance, who inherited a young roster and was introducing a new spread offense to go along with the Terriers traditional double-wing “hammer” offense.

“[Teams] have prepare for two different things, they have to be ready for the hammer and vertical passing game. It adds another wrinkle,” Dance said of the dual-threat offense, “I think it’s excited for the players, I think it’s exciting for the people who are watching the game. More kids get a chance to touch the ball. It’s not that the hammer has fallen by the wayside, we’re just going to figure out what works any given week. We’re trying to mix and match both.”

Engineering the offense is Walsh, who started the second half of last season behind center and is now entrenched as the starter.

“As time has went on you get more comfortable as a quarterback and you have to understand that you’re a leader. You have to know that you’re going to be the person that everyone goes to no matter what,” said Walsh, who threw for 132 yards Friday night.

Walsh is an ideal fit for Rocky Hill’s change-of-pace approach under Dance, “The goal for Konnor, and all quarterbacks in general, is that you have to keep their confidence high. We’ve tried to keep his confidence up and let him know that mistakes are going to happen but fortunately for Konnor he’s gifted athletically. He’s got a great arm, so that gives him an advantage. He’s done a really good job at being a good football player, having a high IQ, and also growing as a quarterback with the things he can do on the field.”

Dance has plenty of tools to run his air attack, including towering receivers Omar Ahmed (6’3”) Arber Ndoni (6’4”), and the size upfront to run the team’s traditional ground and pound.

Senior captain Alex Boutin is anchoring the Terriers on both sides of the ball. The emotional leader has led the way on the field and has also been Dance’s voice inside the locker room.

“It’s my first time being a head coach and it was a transition for me, coming into a new school, a new team, and Alex is one of the first guys that I got to know and he’s one of my go-to guys. He’s a guy that can go talk to the team, he’s been like an extension of the coaching staff,” Dance said of Boutin,  “As far as his football player, he plays with a ton of emotion and he’s a force out there on the defensive line and plays both ways, he hardly comes off. He’s definitely been a bright spot for us, not just on the field but off the field too.”

Boutin, who said the team was “hungry for a win” prior to the East Catholic game, was unblockable against the Eagles, making five tackles in the backfield and adding four quarterback pressures.

“We play hard on defense and we’ve stuck together,” said Boutin, “All that matters is the team and not individuals.”

Joining Boutin on the line are fellow captains Kameron Wilson and Jason LaTorra.

After not getting a lot of opportunities a season ago, Wilson is now solidifying the interior as an offensive guard and defensive tackle, “I didn’t have as big of a role last year as I do now and I like to have that leadership role. People come up to me now to ask questions and I like to provide advice to people, it makes me feel good.”

LaTorra is the middleman on the offensive line, moving to center after previously playing tackle.

His role on the line may have change yet LaTorra says that his mindset and that of the offensive line is simple, “We focus on beating everyone in the trenches and opening up holes, scoring touchdowns.”

Friday night’s win showed that the Dance-led Terriers are making progress.

Walsh and the offensive took a quarter and a half to get rolling but were clicking on all cylinders once they did.

Wash connected with Sevigny on a five-yard scoring strike with four minutes remaining in the second quarter and then masterfully executed a two-minute drill, finding Sevingy for a 35-yard post pattern, setting up a two-yard touchdown toss to Ahmed with only six seconds remaining in the half.

The fireworks continued in the second half when Walsh again found Sevigny near the sidelines and the wideout broke a pair of tackles and stiff-armed a third while racing 48 yards to the end zone.

Dance’s spread offense work to perfection and Capasso did the dirty work between the tackles.

Capasso intercepted a pass from East Catholic quarterback Tim Wilson in the third quarter, setting up the first of his two scores---a two-yard blast---and then ran one in from five yards out in the fourth.

Special teams also played an important role in the victory. The Terriers blocked a punt in the first half and punter Dominic Catania had punts of 56 and 49 yards, both pinning the visiting Eagles inside their own five-yard line.

Sophomore Dalton Grant shined in the fourth quarter, killing an East Catholic drive by sacking Wilson on fourth down and then intercepting Wilson on the Eagles final possession.

The night couldn’t have gone any better for the Terriers, who celebrated with many of the past players and coaches that helped build the program over the last two decades, including longtime coach Dave Coyne, who was a big influence on Dance.

Like his offense, Dance has blended the knowledge he acquired during his early days with the program with new ideas he picked up in Glastonbury.

One of the traditions that Dance brought over from Glastonbury is the Hard Hat recongination, which awards a player that has gone above and beyond with a hard hat, decorated with the Terriers paw emblem.

In Tuesday’s practice before the East Catholic game, sophomore Daniel Sjoblom (a.k.a. Gator) received the headgear for his effort and determination. 

“The hard hat is a way to recognize a kid each week that’s worked hard. It could be a kid that we’ve seen working hard all season that gets to wear it for that week. We want to let kids know that we see their effort, even if we don’t call it out, we’re noticing it.”

Regardless of how many wins and losses the Terriers end up with in 2019, Dance understands that taking the program to the next level is a marathon, and not a sprint.

​“It’s not so much victories but I want to see the team getting better every week. We’re not really looking at wins and loss but that we’re getting better as a football team. I knew looking at last season that it was going to be a lot of work, but overall the whole team has done a nice job and we’re getting better every week.”

Connor Pratt, Mike Dunn, Evan McNeice, Owen Gagne- Wethersfield (Cross Country): Wethersfield boy’s 4-person relay team won the Sloper Relays and set a meet record with a time of 29:40 (6 miles), beating 2nd place by 1:33. Their overall time bested the old record set by Kennedy in 2017. Pratt ran a great leadoff leg to take first place and handed off to Dunn, who expanded the lead, leaving teammates McNeice and Gagne to chase and capture the record.

Christian Amaral- Newington (Soccer): Amaral scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Farmington. The sophomore’s goal preserved the Indians third straight victory.

Olivia Mullings- Newington (Soccer): Mullings had a goal and two assists in the Indians 3-0 win over Farmington. The junior has been one of the leaders for a Newington team that has won their first five games, including four straight shutouts.    

Sarah Bezdelovs- Rocky Hill (Volleyball): Bezdelovs had 11 assists and eight kills in the Terriers five set triumph over Windsor. The junior setter is one of three captains on the Terriers volleyball squad this fall.  

Olivia Lusitani- Cromwell (Soccer): Lusitani found the back of the net in the 52nd minute, scoring the game’s only goal in Cromwell 1-0 win over Haddam-Killingworth. The freshman is one of the young bright stars on a Panthers team that has won four straight games entering the week.