East Hampton’s senior track star Jessica Starr has committed to the University of Connecticut, making her announcement on Oct. 27.
“I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to continue running track and further my education at the University of Connecticut. I couldn't be more thankful to those who have supported me throughout this whole process,” stated Starr, who will major in political sciences with a minor in psychology. It’s been a productive and eye-opening couple of years for Starr, who couldn’t have envisioned running at a Division I level when she first entered high school. “The girl I was freshman year is not the girl that I am now. My freshman year I started track just to have that experience and I never really thought I would get the opportunity that I have now,” Starr said, “I worked pretty hard and when I saw my times start to hit the recruiting standards it was pretty amazing.” Starr’s junior year was nothing short of spectacular. She broke the Class S state record in the 300 meter hurdles, running a personal and class-best 44.84, to win the event and helped the Bellringers win a state championship. She went on to top her own mark, running a 44.35 at the State Open the following week. Her 300m time qualified her for The Outdoor Championships at the University of Oregon where she ran against the best hurdlers in the country. It was in Eugene, Oregon when she first met UConn’s hurdling coach Erica Ferguson. “I went up to introduce myself and I don’t think I would have gotten to where I am with UConn if I never did that. That’s why it was so great to go to Nationals because I was given that opportunity to introduce myself.” After visiting some other colleges, Starr narrowed her choices to the state’s largest university and Bryant University. Ultimately it came down to being able to stay close to home, yet travel the country with the Huskies. “I’ll have that opportunity to go places like Texas, Arkansas, and these big places like LSU. That is something that I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do,” said Starr. “I had an official visit with UConn and I connected with the girls, every single one of them, and both my family and I connected really well with the coaches.” At Storrs, she’ll be joining forces again with 2020-East Hampton graduate Danielle Adams who is currently running track for the Huskies after also starring on last’s spring state championship team at EHHS. Normally Starr, who is the Senior Class President at EHHS, runs cross country in the fall but decided against it this year, instead focusing on personal training and building strength for the Indoor and Outdoor track & field season and beyond. This spring, the Bellringers will be aiming to defend their state title and Starr believes the team has the tools to make another run. “I never thought what happened last year was possible, so I don’t know what this season will bring and that’s very exciting,” stated Starr, “We lost a couple girls last year and it was hard losing those girls, but I think we have some potential with the girls coming in. I think we’ll have to work hard but we are all willing to put in the work.”
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Wethersfield field hockey captains (l-r) Logan Lisella, Caroline Provost, Emily Messina, and Molly Bowers
Wethersfield field hockey took down Newington 4-0 at WHS, ending the regular season with another strong performance at Cottone Field. Junior Sophia Nower scored a pair of goals and senior captain Logan Lisella dished out four assists. It was the team’s second straight shutout after losing for the first time all year to Glastonbury (1-0) on Oct. 27. “A loss can help us fix mistakes and we had a great game the next day and played our best game,” said Lisella, referring to a 6-0 victory over South Windsor on Oct. 28. In the regular-season finale against Newington, sophomore Brynn Lisella, Logan’s younger sister, and junior Maddie Gove had goals in the four quarter to secure the team’s 15th victory in 16 tries. “We’ve been stressing certain things in every game and we don’t want to change that. We want to communicate, we want to minimize our touches, and when we do that our game is so pretty,” said head coach Colleen Budaj. Early on the visiting Nor’easters played tough defensively; limiting the home team’s scoring opportunities. Nower broke through with a goal at the 6:16 mark of the second quarter after receiving a precise pass from Lisella. Despite the goal, Budaj and her assistant coach/husband Steve Budaj gave the team some tough love at the half. “We talked about playing our game. They had to play Wethersfield field hockey,” added [Colleen] Budaj, who said the team’s communication fell off after a few mistakes. “When we communicate it helps them make good field hockey decisions. Sometimes when they make a mistake on the field they get quieter and that’s when we need to communicate more, and that’s what we talked about at halftime.” Captain Emily Messina added, “We have to have the desire to start strong and finish strong. We talked about having the want and making it our game. We wanted to trash the first half and focus on each 15 and win each 15. We upped the communication and the passing and it worked out. We had a couple of really good goals.” Nower tallied her second goal less than five minutes into the third. [Brynn] Lisella scored six minutes into the fourth and Gove scored with less than five minutes left in regulation. Captaining the team with [Logan] Lisella and Messina are Molly Bowers and Carolyn Provost. Bowers said the captains are following in the footsteps of those before them, “We’ve all played all four years together. We’ve learned from the previous captains and all the girls are super nice. The younger girls are super respectful.” “We’ve really tried to include everyone and let them know it’s a happy place and we’re all a family and I think that’s made a big difference on the field because we all try to work together and accomplish the same thing,” added Messina. Messina is protecting the back end, helping goalie Julia Peacock, and teaming with first-year player Gabriella Tomaino. “I definitely have a lot of help from Emily back there. I ask a lot of questions,” said a smiling Tomaino, who also plays softball and basketball at WHS. “I knew the environment was good. I knew a lot of the girls that were playing and ultimately a couple of girls inspired me to play. I did camp in the summer with the coaches and I ended up liking it.” It’s an environment that the Budjas have built since first taking over the program in 2015. In 2014, the Eagles finished 1-14. In each of the last two full seasons (2019 and 2021) the Eagles have won 30 of 32 games. “I love the climate and culture of this program and through the years how it’s become more competitive and now we’re at a place where we have to get into the tournament and we have to win these games,” said [Colleen] Budaj. “[The players] want to be a part of the program and they want to be here. They want to be with each other and they want to be better. This is an appreciative group, even when we are hard on them like we were at halftime today, they are still appreciative.” Over 16 regular season games, the Eagles used an efficient offense and stout defense to outscore their opponents 56-3 this fall. Peacock has been in goal for most of the season, but Veronica McKenna and Tess Parker have shared the duties this season. Budaj said the goalies have made one another better, “Those three are pushing each other to be more vocal, to be more active, and to improve their ground game. I think it’s been good for Julia to have that competition. Tess and Veronica are right there with her as far as their skills developing and it’s been great for all three of them.” The one glitch, the loss to Glastonbury, is now a distant memory for a team focused on a bigger goal. “It taught us a lot about how we have to play in the tournament. We can’t play like that in the tournament and to make those fixes before we get to the tournament so we can actually makes ourselves better,” said Provost Budaj added, “I believe they have the ability to make a run in the tournament and now they have to believe it.” Wethersfield's Gabriella Tomaino competes with Newington's Arianna Jorge-Bastos during the Eagles 4-0 win on Nov. 2.
A loss to Wethersfield eliminated Newington field hockey from postseason contention. Yet the defeat was just another brick in the foundations that head coach Veronica Grubin is building at NHS. “A win or tie would have gotten us in, but it was a great season regardless,” said Grubin, whose team finished 6-10. It wrapped up Grubin 4th season on the sidelines. The six wins were the most wins for the program under Grubin, who took over after a winless season in 2017. The now-seniors were freshmen when she took over in 2018 and the coach created a special bond with the group. Captain Maya Johnson, Menna Majboub, Samantha Reese, and Lavinia Oliveira are the four seniors who have been with Grubin since day one. “They have bought into what we’ve tried to do here, both mindset-wise and physically, and the culture we are trying to establish here. It’s tough when you’re starting a program and they’ve done a lot to help get us to where we are today,” said Grubin. Johnson is working with junior captain Kailey Gaydos to guide the Nor’easters on the field. “They are awesome to me and awesome to the team. They’ve been that connection between the coaches and the team, keeping everybody positive and in the right headspace with everything going on right now” Grubin said of her captains. “Our whole thing is how do we build a competitive program and still have fun. A lot of girls gravitate to our sport and we try to make it feel like a family.” Grubin had to rely on several younger players this fall, including starting goalie Carley Leonard, who was new to the game. “She had never picked up goalie pads or a field hockey stick before,” Grubin said of her sophomore net minder, “She came to us a little late and she’s done great with us. She jumped right in and she has the personality for it.” Grubin added that fall the goal is to take another step and make the state tournament. Gillian Fernstrom- Rocky Hill (Soccer): Fernstrom is a defender/midfielder who head coach Annmarie Catania said is a great leader on and off the field with an “unbelievable skill in the back field” adding, she “plays tough, is hard working, and very consistent.”
The senior captain, who is a member of the National Honors society, helped lead the Terriers to four straight wins to close the regular season and qualify for postseason play. Fernstrom and the team received help from a couple of newcomers. Freshman goalie Emelia Pacheco-Hager, who allowed only 13 goals this season and had 154 saves, did not allow a goal during the four-game winning streak. Catania said her keeper is strong physically and mentally, adding “she flies around the goal area like a cat.” Fellow freshman Kaitlyn Pereau was a force offensively, totaling seven goals and Catania said she “plays with heart and finds the back of the net when needed most.” Bella Bonfiglio- Wethersfield (Soccer): Bonfiglio scored the game’s only goal as Wethersfield girls soccer defeated Newington (1-0) at NHS on Nov. 2 as the Eagles earned a share of the conference title. The junior’s goal helped the team avenge a 2-1 loss to the Nor’easters at WHS on Oct. 5 and the goalie duo of Riley Ford and Vanessa Venditti secured the seventh shutout of the season. Beckham Alderucci- Newington (Soccer): Alderucci scored two goals as Newington knocked off Wethersfield 3-1 in the regular season finale at WHS on Nov. 2. The junior’s goals helped the Nor’easters erase a 1-0 deficit after Wethersfield’s Sam Johnson scored a goal in the first 16 seconds of the match. Following the early goal, Newington keeper Dakota Hawes was flawless, saving a handful of shots. Senior Christian Amaral had two assists and senior Trey Guest added the other goal for Newington, who finished the regular season 9-4-2. Brady Stevenson- Xavier (Soccer): Stevenson was named the Southern Connecticut Conference Player of the Year after helping lead Xavier to an SCC title, which ended with a dramatic 1-0 win over Cheshire in double overtime. Junior Finn Russell scored the game-winner with 16.3 seconds remaining in the second extra session after receiving a pass from senior Ryan Gerry. Mike Bohlke- Newington (Cross Country): Bohlke finished fourth at the Class L finals and then duplicated that feat, finishing fourth at the State Open last Friday (Nov. 5). The senior earned his third straight All-State recognition after running a blazing time of 15:29 (averaging a 5-minute mile) during the State Open. It wasn’t the Senior Night the girls soccer team at GHS had envisioned but the dozen seniors made the most of it.
The Guardians were set to battle rival South Windsor in the regular season final last Thursday (Nov. 4) but the visiting Bobcats had to cancel the day before, leaving head coach Mark Landers scrambling to find an opponent. Enter Middletown and head coach Rachel Lemke, who agreed to scrimmage Lander’s squad so the Guardians could recognize the seniors and play a game in front of family and friends. “I have to hand it to Rachel in Middletown,” said Landers. “She said ‘we’d love to do that for you’. For them to do that is phenomenal.” The eighty minute scrimmage ended with the Guardians on top 4-0. Sydney Kehl, Tia Taleb, Emily Smith, and Sophia Haussmann scored, but more importantly the scrimmage allowed the seniors to get closure at the place they’ve called home for the past four years. Following the scrimmage, each senior was asked three questions: What was the best part about playing with this group of seniors? What was your favorite memory playing soccer for GHS? What is something unique about you? Here are the seniors and their answers below. Alayna Christina - Defender “We just have a really good bond and I’m really glad we could be back out here after COVID and have a somewhat normal season.” “{Laughing} When my friend Sophia Haussmann scored today and face planted into the turf.” “I love riddles.” Sophia Haussmann- Midfielder “I made really good strong friendships and made a lot of good memories.” “Running to hug my friend Alayna (Christina) when she scored the game-winning goal against Farmington.” “My left eye is legally blind.” Sydney Kehl - (Captain) Midfielder “As an underclassman you don’t feel as tight to the team but when we all are leading the team it’s the best.” “My freshman year when I scored my first goal and everyone just piled on top of me. That was nice.” “I have a fake tooth.” Katie Donovan - (Captain) Forward “How close we’ve gotten. We started when we were so young so to finish out our high school career with everybody is pretty special.” “When we scored the game-winner in the championship game in 2019. We all celebrated together on the sidelines.” “I like crosswords.” Tia Taleb - Forward “Our sense of humor and how close we are.” “Today was pretty special. I’ve been looking forward to it all four years.” “I have a twin brother [Ali Taleb].” Valerie Simon- Midfielder “How much time we spent together and how we got super close through everything that we do.” “Definitely today. Senior Day is something we have been looking forward to. And before each game how pumped up we get to our song.” “I like to ski.” Logan Scott- Midfielder “You can tell that everyone has a love and passion for the game and always tries their hardest. It makes it really fun.” “Last year it was snowing during one of our practices and we had snowball fights and made snowmen on the field.” “I’m left handed.” Meghan Smith- Midfielder “We’re able to have a lot of fun at practice and just laugh a lot. We’ve gotten real close. “Nothing in particular. Just the bus rides and when someone scores it’s just a great feeling because we all come together, which I really love.” “I love to travel.” Delina Chavez - (Captain) Midfielder “We’re all just able to encourage each other and we’re really positive with each other. We are really close and that always helps when times are a little tougher. “When my sister [sophomore Angela Chavez] scored a header off a corner kick. It was cool.” “I like baking.” Natalie Bedard - Midfielder “I love how we have each other’s backs and I love playing with my best friends on the field.” “The ‘Ship’ in 2019 and I hope we can do it again.” “I love shoes.” Emily Mazella - Team Manager “I love the bond we all have. It’s like a second family. I can go to any of them for anything, it’s just amazing.” “The bus rides after a win. It’s just a fun environment to be in.” “I have a twin sister.” Jordan Parsons - Team Manager “The humor, you’ll never not catch them laughing. They make the best out of everything. Even after a loss they always have each other’s backs.” “Overall the inclusion. Like Senior Day, it was nice of them to include us.” “My humor, my bad memory. I’m kind of crazy, awkward, and weird. I just make the most out of everything and find a silver lining in life.” The team finished the regular season 12-2-1, the third best winning percentage in Class LL, during Landers first season on the sidelines. Landers, who had a two-decade tenure as the GHS boys coach, said the seniors have been the ideal group. “They honor the traditions of the program and the players that came before them. They don't necessarily fill the shoes, they create their own paths and they look at that culture in the rear view mirror and create their own,” said Landers. “They’ve done a phenomenal job. They’ve connected and cared about each individual on this team and that’s all you can ask for.” Brooke Strauss just wrapped up a fantastic freshman year on the cross country trails.
Strauss was the Guardians lead runner, finishing second overall at the state tournament as the Guardians captured a Class LL state championship at Wickham Park in Manchester on Nov. 1. The freshman-phenom ended up duplicating her second-place finish at the State Open last Friday (Nov. 5) and earlier won the Central Connecticut Conference tournament on Oct 19. Strauss has been pleasantly surprised with her performance this fall. “I knew I had a little bit more experience than most freshmen, but I didn’t expect this much [success],” Strauss said after the conference tourney. Head coach Brian Collins knew early in the season that Strauss was ready for the big stage. “In most races this season she has raced from the front. Our very first tri-meet we had was Hall-Southington and she was a stride behind Katie Sanderson from Hall and Jacki Izzo from Southington, and she realized she could run with them.” said Collins, “Now she knows she can dig down and go a little deeper and stay with the pack for the first little bit and be able to go when she feels like it.” The Class LL title was the team’s first championship since 2017. Strauss was the runner-up with a time of 19:16, shaving four seconds off her first-place time at conference. Jackie Caron placed 11th (20:19), Ava Gattinella placed 17th (20:39), Jackie Dudus placed 19th (20:45), and junior Lucy Bergin placed 24th (21:01), Haley Evans placed 32nd (21:26), and Kelley MacElhiney placed 39th (21:56) to rounded out the Guardians top seven runners at states. Heading into the state tourney, Strauss said the main goal was to perform best as a team and “see what happens individually”, adding that her more experienced teammates have mentored her this fall. “It's been really great. They’ve done a really good job at showing how to complete workouts and how to stay focused with training.” All seven runners will be returning next fall to defend their title, led by Strass, who will return as the prohibited favorite after finishing behind only Katherine Rector of Ridgefield at the Class LL meet. Strauss ended her freshman season with a personal-best 18:48 at the State Open, besting Rector and finishing as the runner-up behind senior Rachel St. Germaine of Somors. The Guardians also finished second overall as a team, behind only New Milford. “[Brooke} is running against kids that are three or four years older than her. They are older, stronger, and they know exactly what they are doing on the course,” added Collins. “For her to be able to do what she has is phenomenal. It’s a testament to her and the hard work that she’s put in and the belief in herself and the belief in her teammates.” GHS field hockey seniors (l-r) Katie Murphy, Kaitlyn Welsh, Hannah David, Christina Guanci, Molly Harding, Grace Mooney, Kaitlyn Parent, Grace Boehning. The Guardians defeated South Windsor 5-0 in Senior Night late Monday.
Glastonbury field hockey ended the regular season in style, shutting out their final five opponents, including a 5-0 win over South Windsor last Monday (Nov. 1). The victory over the conference-rival Bobcats in the regular season finale was Senior Night for the Guardians, who recognized the team’s eight seniors (Molly Harding, Christina Guanci, and Kaitlyn Welsh, Hannah David, Grace Boehning, Kaitlyn Parent, Grace Mooney, and Katie Murphy) after to the game. “I’m really proud of them. They’ve grown so much since they were freshmen or when they came to varsity, and they all bring something different to our program that we need. They’ve been really good leaders and what they’ve done is embraced that role on and off the field,” head coach Maureen Perkins said. “They are what you want your seniors to be. They are good role models, they work hard, and they want what’s best for the team. You can’t really ask for more than that.” Senior captains Christina Guanci and Molly Harding led the way on Senior Night. Guanci scored two goals and Harding added a goal and dished out a pair of assists. Alicia Choquette and Allyson Collette each scored and Hannah David had two helpers. The Guardians went up 1-0 midway through the 1st quarter on a goal from Alicia Choquette after a scramble in front of South Windsor goalie Paige Lambert. Glastonbury extended its lead before halftime with a pair of second-quarter goals. The first was from sophomore Allyson Collette. Collette's goal, a tip at the right post, was set up on an assist from Harding. Harding received a pass from David to set up Collette's goal. Harding and David combined once more just before intermission with David setting up Harding with a well-paced ball into the scoring circle. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Glastonbury scored twice in the fourth quarter, both goals tallied by Guanci. In both instances, Guanci's scoring chances were set up by passes from Harding. The shutout was the team's 11th this season and senior goalie Kaitlyn Parent did not need to make a save as the GHS defense held South Windsor without a shot. Heading into the state tournament, the last time the Guardians allowed a goal was over 300 game-minutes ago, dating back to Oct. 16. The team finished the regular season 12-1-2-1, following up on an undefeated (14-0) campaign during a COVID-shortened 2020 fall. The win also secured GHS the CCC South title with a 7-0 record in the division. Perkins said this year’s seniors embraced the role of leaders, following in the footstep of the graduates from a year ago, “That’s one of the things that senior do is to show the next group what is expected and I think that a lot played last year but their roles were so different and this year they have been ask to step into those roles. They have done a really good job at adjusting and taking on those leadership roles.” (l-r) Amber Murphy, Jenna Murphy, Julia Borrelli, and Jordan Murphy are leading East Hampton volleyball this fall. Jenna and Jordan are twins and Amber is the twin's younger sister. Borrelli is the Bellringers senior captain.
East Hampton’s girls’ volleyball team is state tournament-bound after winning 12 regular season games. The young Bellringers, featuring only four seniors, have created a family environment in more ways than one. “A lot of the girls played last year. We’ve seen tremendous growth and I kind of expected that after last season. It’s been really nice to see,” said fourth-year head coach Molly Grabowski. “It was hard last year because we only had ten games and I don’t think they got the reps that they needed to get going. It was a tough season. This year it is a different story. They have really come together nicely.” Senior captain Julia Borrelli changed positions this season to fill a need. Borrelli was an outside hitter during 2020’s shortened season and is now focusing on the defensive side, handling the libero duties. Grabowski said, “It was a position that she had to learn and has continued to learn. I’ve been really impressed with her overall.” “I definitely feel more comfortable this season. I feel libero is a position I was meant to play,” said Borrelli, who finished with a team-high 260 digs in 17 regular season games. The captain added that she’s learned from previous captains, “I’ve had great role models in the past. I’ve had some great examples going back all the way to my freshman year. The volleyball team has always been very close with each other, we’ve always been a tight-knit family.” The Bellringers have created a family-like atmosphere on the court and three of the players are literally related. Twin sisters Jordan and Jenna Murphy, along with younger sister Amber Murphy are leading a powerful line upfront that is both producing points and protecting the net. Jordan and Jenna are juniors and Amber is a sophomore. The trio has combined for 60% of the team’s kills and 63% of the team’s blocks this fall. “I love playing with them. It’s nice because I hope to be just as good as them and be able to hit just as hard and be as confident as both of them,” Amber said of her older siblings. “I’ve always looked up to them in every way and I feel like they are great role models for the entire team. I’ve looked up to all the players on the team, especially the seniors.” She joked that her older sisters sometimes have “twin telepathy” on the court. Jordan registered a team-high 177 kills in the regular season, saying, “I love playing with them, it’s been a dream to play together. I feel like we have a lot of trust on the court. I can trust everyone on the court and I’ve learned something from everyone. It allows me to play better knowing I have people that I can trust.” Jenna, who led the team in blocks, added “It’s pretty great. I feel more comfortable. I like it a lot better this year because last year it was such a mess with COVID.” The sisters all agreed they have a competitive nature that drives them to be better and Grabowski described the sisters as “supportive of each other”. Helping the three sisters upfront are senior Paige Botsacos, sophomores Mackenzie Player and Delaney Russell, and freshman Sonja Venetianer. Distributing the ball is sophomore setter Chelsea Woods, who racked up team-highs in assists (375) and aces (40) this year. Grabowski said Woods has been “outstanding”, adding, “She is self-motivated, she asks the right questions, and she’s always trying to do the right thing. She takes feedback well and she’s always trying to make herself better, which is big for a sophomore.” Together the team creates a force on the court and a family off of it. “These girls really support each other,” said Grabowski. “Being young, we have room for growth everywhere. We’re targeting a variety of things to improve all the time. Day to day, game to game they are improving. Our youth shows sometimes but each day it shows less and less.” Borrelli said they are a “giggly group” that jokes around, which has allowed them to loosen up, but added they are all business when it comes to competing. “We have always been a super hard-working team that sees an opportunity and goes for it. We’ve never taken a single game for granted, not even a single set. We just work hard all the time.” The Shoreline Conference wraps up this week and next week is the state tournament, starting Monday, Nov 8. The Bellringers finished the regular season with second best winning percentage in the SLC and eighth best winning percentage in Class S. Portland High junior Alex Hair. Photo credit Hannah Brunk Photography
(Week of Oct 4-10) Alex Hair- Portland (Football): Hair played solid on both sides of the ball as the Cromwell/Portland Panthers earned a hard-fought 21-6 victory over Valley Regional/Old Lyme on Oct 9. The Portland High junior running back ran for 75 yards on 16 carries on offense, also racking up four tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery on the defensive end. Bri Miller- East Hampton (Soccer): Miller scored three goals as the Bellringers downed Hale-Ray 4-2 on Oct 7. The junior’s hat-trick, combined with a goal from younger sister Abbie Miller, led the way as East Hampton won their third game of the year. Ryan McLaughlin- RHAM (Football): McLaughlin threw for a season-high 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns as RHAM defeated East Catholic 21-12 on Oct 9. The senior signal caller connected with Max Nylen and Ben Weers on scoring strikes of 27 and 55 yards, respectively. It was McLaughlins’ second game this season with multiple touchdown passes, also throwing a pair of scores in a 42-21 victory over Farmington in the season opener. Birch Collins- Bacon Academy (Soccer): Collins scored the game’s only goal in a driving rain as the Bobcats defeated rival RHAM 1-0 on Oct 4 at Bacon Academy. The freshman’s game-winner was assisted by junior Steven Laliberte as the team improved to 6-2. (Week of Oct 11-17) Simon Kandeke- Portland (Soccer): Kandeke scored twice and dished out an assist in a 5-0 win over Coginchaug on Senior Night on Oct 12. The senior has battled nagging injuries all season, but has been able to return to the lineup and provide more firepower to a Highlanders team that qualified for the state tournament following a 3-1 victory over Cromwell on Oct 14. Kandeke is grateful that he has been able to contribute this season, “It felt great. I was able to contribute to the win and my team was excited for me to join them again. The best part of it all was definitely making my mom and school proud on our stage. It’s a different feeling.” Sydney Weimer and Liam Calhoun- RHAM (Cross Country): Weimer and Calhoun, both seniors, celebrated RHAM’s cross country Senior Night by winning their respective races in a meet versus Enfield on Oct 12. Weimer ran a 22:38 to finish first in the girls’ field and Calhoun ran a 16:54 to win the boys’ race, each leading the way as the Raptors defeated the Eagles of Enfield. Calhoun went on to place 11th and Weimer ran a team-best (22:26) at the CCC finals at Wickham Park on Oct 19. Jordan Murphy- East Hampton (Volleyball): Murphy had terrific back-to-back matches, combining for 19 kills and 27 digs in a straight set win over Cromwell on Oct 11 and a five-set loss to Haddam-Killingworth on Oct 15. The junior leads the team in kills and has the second most aces and digs this season for a Bellringers team that won 12 of 17 matches in the regular season. Sam Blumberger- Bacon Academy (Soccer): Blumberger scored seven goals over a four-game span for the Bobcats. The senior captain scored three goals in an 8-0 win over Haddam-Killingworth on Oct 11 and then scored the lone goal on a header after receiving a cross from junior Steven Laliberte on October 13. Blumberger then had a two goal, one assist performance in a 6-0 win over Windham on October 15 and scored a goal in the team’s regular season home finale, a 4-3 win over Ledyard on Oct 22. (Week of Oct 18-24) Kendra Schoeps- Portland (Soccer): Schoeps scored two goals and dished out an assist as PHS girls soccer celebrated Senior Night by defeating East Hampton 4-0 on Oct 18. Head coach Joseph Santavenere said, “She did an outstanding job both scoring and setting her teammates up throughout the game.” Schoeps was one of five seniors recognized during the special night. Hanna Brunk, Giuliana Dicenza, Allison Scott, and Kendall Prince are the Highlanders four other seniors. Ally Hadley- RHAM (Volleyball): Hadley has played tremendously all season for a RHAM team that hasn’t lost since September 13th. The junior combined for 36 digs, 26 kills, and 8 aces as the Raptors beat Avon (Oct 20), Newington (Oct 22), and Enfield (Oct 25) to extend the team’s winning streak to 16 straight matches. Brennan Johnson- East Hampton (Soccer): Johnson scored two goals as the East Hampton boys’ soccer won their home finale, defeating Lyman Memorial 4-0. Tommy Morton and Ethan Marshall scored the other two goals for a Bellringers team that finished 4-2-1 at EHHS this fall. Jordan Malloy- Bacon Academy (Cross Country): Malloy was the runner-up at the ECC Girls’ Cross Country Championship, running a 20:46 at the 5k course in Norwich on Oct 21. The senior finished behind only the meet’s winner, Linsdey Arends from Woodstock Academy, and ran a faster time then 48 other runners. Malloy, who had won the event twice before, helped Bacon Academy place 7th out of 11 teams at the meet. (Week of Oct 25-31) Max Nylen: RHAM (Football): Nylen exploded for a career-high four touchdowns as RHAM football upset Plainville 25-21 on Oct 30. The junior running back ran for 162 yards, including long scoring runs of 50, 20, 60, and 30 yards. His final two scoring runs came in the fourth quarter as the Raptors overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to improve to 3-4 and hand the visiting Blue Devils their second loss this season. “It was a great feeling coming from behind to win with the team,” stated Nylen. “The o-line did a fantastic job blocking too which really helped my performance.” Teddy Williams- Portland (Football): Williams scored three more touchdowns, two receiving and one on a fumble return, as the Cromwell/Portland Panthers improved to 6-0 with a 48-6 demolition of Granby/Canton last Friday. The Portland High senior has been a frequent endzone explorer this fall, totaling 13 touchdowns, including eight over the last two games. Paul Pignatella: East Hampton (Soccer): Pignatella scored a goal during his final regular season game with the Bellringers as East Hampton defeated Canton 2-0 to close the regular season with a victory. The senior captain has been an offensive force in his final season in Blue & White. Sophomore Ethan Marshall scored the team’s other goal as the Bellringers finished the regular season 7-5-2. Audrey Palmer: Bacon Academy (Soccer): Palmer scored two goals in Bacon Academy’s final regular season home game as the Bobcats upended Stonington 3-2 on Oct 27. The freshman’s multi-goal performance, along with a goal from sophomore Kayla Hall, helped the team register win #8, qualifying them for the state tournament. The East Hampton Middle School cross country teams hosted and won the Rich LaFave Mid-State Middle School League Meet on October 20. Both the boys and girls teams finished first as a team, each wrapping up the 2021 season undefeated.
“They are such dedicated, hard-working, fun-living kids,” said head coach Joanna Mercaldi, who coaches both teams. “Every meet that we had they always wanted to improve and challenge themselves, whether it was challenging themselves or each other. They had that internal drive and that internal motivation. You could see them blossoming as the season went on, it was awesome.” On the boy’s side, Declan Russell was the first East Hampton runner to cross the finish line at the league meet, placing second overall. Russell was joined by Holden Hines, Nico Borrelli, Andrew Hawk, and Brett Gustavson as the boys finished first overall as a team. On the girl’s side, Jocelyn Gustavson was the school’s first runner to cross, also finishing second overall. Joining Gustavson for the team win were Maddie Daniels, Brianna Gustavson, Abigail Hambidge, and Maddie McMillian for the overall girls win. East Hampton Middle School hosted the event for the first time after the normal host school was unable to accommodate the league meet. The other schools who participated were: McGee Middle School (Berlin), Beman Middle School (Middletown), RHAM, Griswold Middle School (Rocky Hill). Last year the middle school teams were unable to have a league meet during a modified season featuring enhanced COVID-19 protocols. “We were lucky enough with the support of our athletic director, administration and our superintendent last season. We still had a season, it was just abbreviated. Not all of our teams in our league ran last year so we were running against other teams outside our league. This year we were excited to be back to normal, running against the teams we typically run against,” added Mercaldi, who has been teaching at the middle school for 22 years and coaching the cross country teams for over 10 years. The league meet was the cherry on top of a fantastic year for a group of over 60 runners that Mercaldi called her “dream team.” “It was exciting, especially for the eighth graders, to have that league meet. They remember it as sixth graders and they wanted to have it again,” Mercaldi said, “It was their last hooray and I was going to make sure that we, the coaches, do everything we could for them. They’ve worked so hard all season, they were having a great season, and they all got along. They were really focused during practices and meets, and they challenged themselves. It wasn’t just athletically, it was their character and sportsmanship as well.” Mercaldi coaches both teams with the help of assistant coaches Ken Landry and Carl Pastor. The three released a joint statement, saying, “The coaches would like to thank all the parents and EHMS staff who volunteered for this meet as well as for the regular season races. Coaches would also like to thank the EHMS Athletic Director, Mr. Mercaldi, for agreeing to host and set up for our league meet. Lastly, thanks to our administration for supporting the teams with this event, as well as the regular season.” |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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