Members of the East Hampton volleyball team celebrate after the Bellringers won the Shoreline Conference for the second straight season on Nov. 3.
For the second straight season, the girls volleyball team at East Hampton High School are the Shoreline Conference (SLC) champions. The Bellringers brought another conference championship banner back to Belltown after defeating Valley Regional in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23) at Haddam-Killingworth High School on Nov. 3. East Hampton head coach Molly Grabowski noted that it took everything her team had to beat a Warriors team from Deep River that featured “great coaches and some key players who can hit the ball.” “We knew that we needed to play our best to win.” Grabowski added. “They tested us, but I was really impressed at our composure and poise throughout the match. There were some big moments that required players to step up and they did.” Mackenzie Player registered a career-high 24 kills and added four blocks to lead a potent Bellringers’ frontline that hammered down 57 total kills. Player, a senior, credited Grabowski for creating a winning environment that has allowed the team to thrive “through this journey.” “We’ve all worked so hard throughout this past season to be where we are today,” added Player. “Being able to push ourselves the past two years to win the Shoreline Championship has been a big accomplishment for the whole team.” Senior captain Chelsea Woods initiated the offensive change with 46 assists (career-high) and had a team-high two aces. Amber Murphy, also a senior captain, added 11 kills and blocked four shots. “Throughout the year, we became stronger and more diverse with our offense, which helped us greatly in this game,” noted Grabowski. It was a group effort defensively with a handful of players leading the way. Delaney Russell posted a team-high 29 digs, while Player (25), Woods (24), Olivia DeMartino (22), and Stephanie Martin (14) also posted double-digit digs. After splitting the first two sets, Easy Hampton’s biggest test came in set three when they faced a significant deficit with Valley serving for game point. Woods took over and led a rally, serving out the crucial set. Grabowski praised the efforts of Woods, Murphy, Russell, DeMartino, and Martin, along with senior Madison Reola and sophomore Lila Babcock. But it was Player who Grabowski called the “go to” hitter for the title match. “She is probably one of the hardest hitting outsides I’ve seen and she played aggressively and smart,” Grabowski said of the prolific Player. After winning their final 17 matches of the regular season to finish with a record of 19-1, East Hampton entered the conference tourney as the No. 1 seed and earned a first round bye before knocking off Hale Ray in the semifinals to reach the conference title match. In the three-set win (25-16, 25-15, 25-21) over Hale Ray on Nov. 1, the Bellringers dominated from start to finish at EHHS. Murphy had seven kills and three blocks, while Woods had 25 assists and three aces. As she did in the conference finals, Russell again led the team with 21 digs. Following the tourney, Woods was named a SLC Player of the Year and was one of four Bellringers to be selected All-Conference. Woods and Murphy made the first-team, Player was selected to the second-team, and DeMartino was named to the honorable mention team. Prior to winning conference last fall, the Bellringers had gone three seasons without a conference title – previously winning the SLC in 2018. Yet over the last two years the Bellringers have been the model of consistency during their consecutive conference triumphs. Entering the 2023 Class M state tournament, East Hampton has won 43 of their last 45 matches, dating back to the beginning of 2022 season. Along with the pair of conference titles, the two-year run also includes a state championship a year ago when the team captured the program’s first ever state title, defeating Hale Ray in the Class S state championship. Grabowski said of her current squad, “This is a resilient, gritty group of players who play hard for every point.”
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Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5:
Calista Nephew - East Hampton/Mercy High School: Nephew, a resident of East Hampton who is a junior at Mercy High School, helped her team win the program’s first cross-country state championship since 1993. Nephew finished 12th overall at the Class M Championships at Wickham Park in Manchester on Oct. 28 – earning her first-team All-State honors – as the Middletown-based Tigers won the events as a team after having all eight runners finish in the top-20, including overall winner Sarah Roberts. Katie Laverty - Portland High School (Volleyball): Laverty was named to the All-Shoreline Conference (SLC) honorable mention team after a productive fall on a historic Highlander squad. Laverty, a junior, was one of three captains – joining senior Elvira Medunjanin and junior Ella Royea – that helped navigate the Highlanders through their initial season at a varsity level. Brady Hulland - RHAM High School (Football): Hulland, a senior quarterback, tossed three touchdowns as the Raptors defeated Rocky Hill 27-7 on Senior Night at RHAM High School on Nov 4. All three of Hulland’s aerial scores went to Caden Bellmore and running back Joey Fahey put the game on ice with a long touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Raptors improved to 4-4. The team next travels to Farmington High School for a conference battle with the (2-5) River Hawks tonight (Friday, Nov. 10). Kickoff is 6 p.m. Riley Anderson - Bacon Academy (Swimming): Anderson re-broke the Glastonbury High School pool record in the 50 Freestyle and then set a new pool mark in the 100 Freestyle at the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) East Championships on Nov. 2. Anderson, a sophomore that swims for the Manchester High School co-op, broke the GHS pool record in the 50-Free a year ago and set a new mark of 23.44 while winning the event this year. Her time of 51.37 in the 100-Free was also good enough to win and set a new pool record. To nominate an athlete as a Standout of the Week or with sports-related questions, email joshhowardsports@gmail.com. [Brooke Strauss (left) finished second at the Class LL state cross-country championships last week. On the right, Crawford Cauthen was the first GHS runner to finish in the boy’s race, placing 24th.
The girls cross-country team at Glastonbury High School finished second overall at the Class LL state championship and junior Brooke Strauss finished as the runner-up individually. Strauss crossed the finish line with a time of 19:05, placing behind only Esme Daplyn — a senior from Greenwich High School. After leading in the early stages of the race, Strauss had eyed a first place finish before Daplyn overtook the lead on her way to an individual title with a time of 18:53. “Each race you learn something,” Strauss said following the grueling 3.1 miles course. “I had high expectations going into it, but it was super tough and everyone is working hard trying to battle.” Head coach Brian Collins stated that Strauss, last year’s State Open champion, has grown as a competitor. “She’s taken it to another level this year. Maybe today she got out too fast, but Brooke has continued to train well and done well,” added Collins. It was a double dip for Greenwich, which also won the event overall as a team, placing three runners in the top 10 spots and five runners in the top 20. The efforts of the Cardinals from Greenwich were too much for the Guardians, who were seeking a third straight state championship after winning the Class LL title in both 2021 and 2022. “The team was as ready as we could be at this point,” said Collins. “The girls ran the best they could today, but hats off to Greenwich, they ran a great race. What they did from top to bottom was phenomenal –– we would have had to have had a great race to beat them.” The Class LL cross-country championships were originally slated for Saturday, Oct. 28 and the other five divisions (Class S, Class SS, Class M, Class MM, and Class L) were completed as scheduled, but concerns over heat and proper medical personnel in Manchester forced the delay of the Class LL races — moving it to last Tuesday. The temperatures on Tuesday were much cooler, yet the course was still slow due to the extreme amounts of precipitation that have hit Connecticut in recent months. Strauss said the course was “treacherous” in spots, adding “It was a little tough…you can’t think about running super-fast, you just have to think about making it through.” Despite not bringing home a championship banner for the third straight season, the Guardians again shined at the event, besting 13 other teams. Sophomore Abigail Mathew was the second GHS runner to cross the finish line, placing 11th with a time of 20:07 and her top-12 finish secured her a spot on the All-State team, along with Strauss. Mathew’s time was 40 seconds faster than her conference championship time at the same venue from a few weeks earlier and Collins said the speedy sophomore has continued to impress with each passing meet, adding “hopefully this is a breakthrough race for her.” Lila Garbett (15th / 20:42), Jackie Dudus (16th / 20:46), Olivia McKay (27th / 21:30), Ava Gattinella (28th / 21:33) and Maya Drelichowski (54th / 23:07) rounded out the GHS runners that participated in the multi-school events, which featured 99 total runners that finished. Collins added that the program’s three-year run, which includes a State Open championship in 2022, is a credit to the current group of runners and the legacy left by the last two graduating classes. On the boy’s side, sophomore Crawford Cauthen led the Guardians by placing 24th overall with a time of 17:11. Cauthen’s time was the third-fastest run by an underclassman. “It was really muddy, it was tough to get around people,” Crawford said of the course. “I felt really good, but I did not push myself enough.” As a freshman a season ago, Crawford finished 50th with a time of 17:50. He credited his training in the offseason, allowing him more strength on the hills, along with improving both “mentally and physically” that enabled him to shoot up the leaderboards and knock 40 seconds off his 2022 time. Maya Fanelli - Wethersfield (Field Hockey): Fanelli had a strong game on both ends of the field as the Eagles defeated Newington 1-0 on Oct 30. Head coach Colleen Budaj said that Fanelli’s “strong work ethic and willingness to scramble from assisting the defense and getting the ball to transition to the attack” was instrumental in the team’s regular season home finale.
Elena Valle - Rocky Hill (Soccer): Valle, a junior, scored a goal and had an assist as the Terriers shocked top-seed Berlin in the first round of the Central Connecticut Conference tournament on Oct. 30. Valle’s helper set up Madisyn Aurigemma and Paige Marchand assisted Valle on her goal as Rocky Hill pulled the upset. Dylan Bathrick - Cromwell High School (Cross Country): Bathrick finished third overall at the Class SS championships, running a time of 17:19 at Wickham Park in Manchester on Oct. 28. Bathrick, a junior, finished ahead of 167 other runners as the Panthers finished fifth overall as a team – ahead of 20 schools. Omayra Batista - Newington High School (Volleyball): Barista had 28 digs and four aces the Nor’easters, the No. 14 seed, upset third-seeded Windsor in the opening round of the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) tournament. Barista, a senior libero, leads the team in digs (350), averaging over 15 per match. Kayla Ward and Alana Burnell - Wethersfield High School (Soccer): Ward, a senior, and Burnell, a sophomore, scored two goals apiece as the Eagles defeated Lewis Mills 4-2 in the first round of the CCC tournament on Oct. 30. The Eagles entered the tourney as the No 6 seed before upsetting the No. 3 seed Spartans in Burlington. Will Levis had a National Football League (NFL) debut for the ages, throwing four touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-23 on Oct. 29.
Levis called his first professional start a “dream come true”, telling reporters, “Just to touch the field in an NFL game, let alone get a win, is incredible.” Levis, a 2018 graduate of Xavier High School, was an all-state quarterback with the Middletown-based Falcons where he broke the school’s records for passing yards (2,793) and touchdown passes (27) during the 2017 season. Following his graduation from Xavier, Levis spent three years at Penn State University before transferring to the University of Kentucky where he started 24 games over the two seasons, throwing for 33 touchdowns and running for 11 more. After falling out of the opening round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Titans traded up in round two and selected the first-round prospect with the second selection on day two (33rd overall). In his press conference following the selection, Titans General Manager Ran Carthon stated that Levis was “hardwired” and “tough.” “Will is a diligent worker, extremely smart, extremely bright, [and] puts a lot of the time in to be a good quarterback,” added Carthon. A thigh injury during the preseason limited the rookie’s availability over his first few months in a Titans uniform, but when starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill was injured during a week six game against the Baltimore Ravens, Levis got his chance behind center following the team’s bye week. Levis told reporters that he was “feeling the butterflies” in the days leading up to his first professional start, but he showed no signs of that once that game kicked off. The 6’4” signal caller completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and the four scoring strikes, three to DeAndre Hopkins. On his seventh professional pass, Levis hooked up with Hopkins on a 47 yard deep ball and would later find the former All-Pro receiver on scoring strikes from 16 and 61 yards. He also connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine with a 33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. “We knew we’d have some opportunities to go over the top on them, but we didn’t want to force it,” Levis told reports at his press conference at Nissan Stadium in Nashville “I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision.” He became only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for four touchdowns and no interceptions in a starting debut, joining Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (1961 with Minnesota) and Heisman Winner Marcus Mariota (2015 with Tennessee). Levis, who was born in Newton, Mass. and grew up in Madison, Conn., had another solid game in his second start at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 2 and is slated to make his third start when the Titans visit Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers this Sunday (Nov. 12) at 1 p.m. Rocky Hill boys’ cross-country won a state championship for the first time in program history. The boys are pictured with the girls’ team that had a top-five finish as well.
For the first time in program history, boys’ cross-country at Rocky Hill High School have been crowned state champions, capturing the Class SS title at Wickham Park on Oct. 28. The Terriers had five runners place in the top 16 finishers, holding off runner-up Suffield (50-59) on an unseasonably warm late-October morning. Head coach Austin Bobrow said that he knew his team had championship capabilities, yet described the feeling as “almost disbelief” once it was official. Prior to the results being announced, Bobrow did his own math and then asked assistant coach Connor Leone to double check his numbers. “We were ecstatic to be the first one in school history,” stated Bobrow. “Knowing how hard they worked made it even better. Starting from the end of track season, they were on a mission.” A season ago, the Terriers finished second overall at the Class M championships as standout senior Brayden Bayek won the meet individually. Following the graduation of Bayek – who is now running for George Washington University – a dedicated group of runners who played supporting roles in 2022 took the lead this fall. Sophomore Brian Smith placed 4th individually at states, running a 17:20. Smith said the team had some nerves getting off the bus, but the feelings were “mostly excitement.” “It was another race, but we had a complete focus on that day,” added Smith. “We put forth so much effort for it; we’ve been training all year for this.” Finishing just two seconds behind Smith was junior teammate Daniel DiTunno, who placed 5th overall with a time of 17:22. DiTunno said the team winning was an “incredible felling”, adding, “We all did so well, but at the same time we did it together.” Corey Christensen (12th / 17:47), Ayden Collura (13th / 17:58), and Logan Simons (16th / 18:17) secured the other scoring spots for Rocky Hill. Christensen said that it’s the close “culture” on the running program that adds to the thrill of becoming a champion. “Saturday was a big day for all of us,” added Christensen. “It’s the first time our school has won a championship in anything since 2014, so pretty impressive.” One of the program’s mottos is “team over individual” and Collura said that the results as the state meet epitomized the slogan. “Everyone had their individual goals, but the one goal that trumped everything else was the team state championship,” added Collura. Along with battling the best running teams in their division, the Terriers also battled temperatures that reached 81 degrees and the wet, muddy conditions of the hilly course in Manchester posed another challenge. Simons said the team made sure to hydrate on the days leading up, adding. “We came in prepared. Weather is the great equalizer for everyone, but we came in ready to go.” Anaia Abraham (30th) and Alex Gau (97th) rounded out the Rocky Hill trailblazers that competed in the race featuring 170 finishing runners. “We have great teamwork skills and we’re able to work together as a team to achieve a goal,” stated Abraham. Gau added, “It’s really special. Running is one factor, but our connection is another. It’s really nice to have these people helping support you to become a better person and better runner at the same time.” Coming into this fall, Bobrow noted that he would have depth and said that the team’s ability to log miles in the offseason made all the difference. “When we are doing workouts they are slamming them,” added Bobrow, who said the team is also mentally strong. “They train really hard. We want them to experience discomfort so when they race they are mentally prepared to navigate the discomfort.” After winning the state championship, the runners celebrated the school’s Homecoming Dance that same night, bringing their championship sign and medals along with them for pictures and to show off their championship hardware. Bobrow said the team’s bond outside of competition is equal to their competitive nature during races, adding that the “stars were aligned this year” “My hope is that they can leave here as good friends for life,” Bobrow added. Luckily for Bobrow he won’t have to worry about them departing for another year as all seven runners will be back next year as the team attempts to repeat. The girls team also performed well, placing fifth overall as a team at the Class M championships with freshman Taylor Suffish leading the way, placing sixth individually with a time of 21:26. Suffish said she even surprised herself with the finish, adding that being there with her team was the best part. “The team was supporting me at all the different spots on the course and they cheer me on throughout it, so that gets you to keep going.” added Suffish. Glastonbury High School boys soccer won the program’s first ever Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Championship, defeating South Windsor in Berlin on Nov. 3.
Glastonbury High School boys soccer captured a conference crown, downing South Windsor 3-2 on penalty kicks (3-1) to win the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Championship for the first time in program history. “It’s indescribable – I’ve never won a championship like this in my life,” senior captain Collin Martin exclaimed following the dramatic victory at Sage Park last Friday night. After 100 minutes of intense, physical soccer – including a pair of 10-minute overtime periods – Martin, Shane Keenan, and Jack Shaheen netted penalty kicks before GHS goalie Patrick Butler sealed the game by swatting away a shot by South Windsor’s Taylor Legault. It was Butler’s second save of a penalty kick, also rejecting Aarush Kalia’s attempt. Following Butler’s conference-clinching save, the team rushed over to the sidelines at Scalise Field to celebrate with a large GHS student section that traveled to Berlin for the game. Butler called winning the conference “incredible”, adding that the team’s confidence was high going into penalty kicks – “we knew what we had to do.” The nearly three hour match also tested the resiliency of the Guardians, who had to battle back twice to send the game into extras. The Bobcats of South Windsor broke a scoreless tie in the 26th minute when Alex Ouellet scored following a corner kick. Glastonbury responded when Griffin Szalkiewicz headed in a corner kick from Keenan for the equalizer with two minutes left in the first half. It was a similar story in the second half as the Bobcats retook the lead in the 58th minute when Legault scored from close range before Szalkiewicz headed in a free kick from Martin with exactly 15 minutes to play in regulation to tie the game at 2-2. Martin said the team talked about “staying composed” after falling behind on multiple occasions. “We knew coming in we were the better team and that we were capable of winning, we just had to make it happen.” added Martin, who credited Butler for his heroics in overtime and PKs. “Pat was unreal today, he kept us together.” The conference-clinching victory came on the heels of a 1-0 win over top-seeded RHAM in the CCC semifinals LAST Wednesday (Nov. 1). Senior Reece Allegro scored the decisive goal late in the first half following a corner kick from Keenan, which was deflected around before Allegro hammered the ball home with 2:36 remaining in the first half. “I saw nothing but the ball and I knew I had to shoot it.” recalled Allegro. Allegro had been battling a leg injury during the last few weeks of the regular season and GHS head coach Chris Vozzolo credited him for making the most of the opportunity. “He’s our lone lefty and he got that left turned around and found the back of the net.” added Vozzolo. “We’re happy he stepped in and made that huge play for us.” As he did in the conference championship, Butler came up clutch in the semifinals win by diving to save a shot in the final minute of regulation to secure the shutout. Butler credited footwork for his ability to cover the entire net in the waning seconds. “I was expecting to get all the way across and [the ball] came off a player’s shin guard,” recalled Butler. “Every day we are working on footwork and shuffling, so I shuffled as quickly as I could.” The semifinals triumph also avenged a loss to RHAM from five weeks earlier when the Guardians fell to the Raptors 1-0 in Hebron, dropping Glastonbury to 1-2-1. Following the defeat in Hebron, GHS lost only one game the rest of the regular season. “It was a disappointing loss.” Allegro said of the Sept. 21 loss. “We didn’t play our best game in that one and we knew we had to be better and that’s what we did today.” The Guardians entered the CCC tourney as the No. 4 seed after finishing the regular season with a record of 9-3-4 – winning the CCC-West regular season title. “When we saw the bracket we knew we’d play some opponents we saw in the regular season,” Vozzolo stated. “Each of those games in the regular season is a good learning opportunity.” In the opening round, they knocked off No. 5 seed Middletown behind goals from junior captain Tim McGuire and senior Mateo Greco. The Guardians had previously tied the Blue Dragons from Middletown in the regular season. Butler noted that the team kept “receipts” this season on the teams they lost to or tied in the regular season, adding the Guardians were excited to see some familiar faces in the conference tournament. “We came in with a chip on our shoulder,” added Martin. The end result was a revenge tour that ended with the historic conference championship. East Hampton’s Parker Gustine controls the ball as he is pursued by Cromwell’s Jack Wood during the Bellringers 1-0 win over Cromwell on Oct. 26. Gustine assisted Ethan Marshall for the only goal of the match as the team closed the regular season at home, registering their 11th victory.
After making the state championship match a year ago, the boys soccer team at East Hampton High School eyes another successful tournament run this fall. The Bellringers closed the regular season schedule with a 1-0 win over Shoreline Conference (SLC) rival Cromwell last Thursday, wrapping up an 11-2-2 regular season. Playing on an unseasonably warm late-October afternoon at East Hampton High School, senior Ethan Marshall scored the only goal, hamming home a shot past Cromwell’s all-conference goalie Thomas Garcia midway through the first half. “They moved me out to right wing and luckily Parker [Gustine] saw me on the corner and set me up with a nice shot on goal,” recalled Marshall. Marshall’s blast proved to be the difference as East Hampton’s swarming defense was flawless for 80 minutes and the team’s efficient offense controlled the tempo for much of the match. Cromwell head coach Angelo Morello called the Bellringers “the best team in our conference” and added, “I thought we played better in the second half, but they are skilled, they are tough.” The win earned East Hampton a first round bye in the SLC tourney and Marshall said it was important to head into the postseason on a high note. “We wanted to play hard and put pressure on the other team and we got the job done,” added Marshall. “We want to build off it and continue to get wins.” After winning their first nine games this fall, East Hampton ran into a few roadblocks as the season aged — mostly on the injury front. Starting goalie Thomas Fenton missed the last five games of the regular season with a concussion and sophomore standout Colin Marshall suffered a leg injury early in the season that has kept him out of action since September. “We’ve had to look to our bench and see who can step up,” East Hampton head coach Rocco Christiana stated. “The players are really starting to work as a unit and the depth of our team got better this year – we are more well-rounded.” Filling the void in net is senior captain Finn Piper, a field player who stepped up during Fenton’s absence and posted his first shutout in the win over Cromwell. Christiana called Piper the “heart and soul of the team”, praising him for his continued sacrifice for the betterment of the program. “All these kids have huge hearts and they all work hard,” added Christiana, who is the reigning SLC Coach of the Year in 2022 after guiding the Bellringers to a conference title. After winning the SLC tournament a season ago, the Bellringers worked through the state tournament before falling to Old Saybrook (2-0) in the Class S state championship on an ice-covered field at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford. Ethan Marshall said being on the cusp of a state title fueled a team featuring a pair of returning all-conference players in Fenton and Will Nafis. “We were super motivated; we're even more motivated than we were last year,” he added. “We’re building on what we did [last season] and are playing for the players that are injured. The guys that can’t play, we are out there for them.” East Hampton .800 winning percentage is the eighth-best in Class S with the state tourney slated to state next week. Despite the injury setbacks and a gauntlet of a schedule, the Bellringers are again in prime position for a postseason push. Christiana added that no matter who is on the field, the expectations are the same. “When we lose someone, someone else steps up,” he added. “We bring some other people up and continue to play hard.” Visit ciacsports.com for a complete list of fall’s high school sports tournament schedules and results. Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of Oct. 9-15:
Chelsea Woods - East Hampton High School (Volleyball): Woods, a senior, dished up a season-high 31 assists and added 20 digs as the Bellringers beat Valley Regional in four sets on Oct. 12. The following day, Woods tallied 19 more assists and served up seven aces as the Bellringers beat Portland in three sets. The Bellringers finished the regular season with a record of 15-1, winning the final 13 matches. Josh Weers - RHAM High School (Football): Weers caught four touchdown passes as the Raptors finished what they started five weeks ago, downing Avon 30-16 on Oct. 13. The game originally kicked off on Sept. 9, but play was suspended due to lighting before the conference rivals finished the game this past Friday. Weers, a senior, hauled in scoring strikes from 13, 20, 9, and 46 yards as the Raptors led 27-8 prior to the postponement. Audrey Palmer - Bacon Academy (Soccer): Palmer scored a pair of goals as the Bobcats earned a big divisional victory, defeating Fitch 4-0 in Groton on Oct. 11. Palmer led the way offensively for the Bobcats, who also received goals from Alyssa Blanchette and Mia Hageman. Palmer, a junior, posted two more goals last week in a 5-0 win over RHAM on Oct. 25. Gio Discenza - Portland High School (Soccer): Discenza, a senior, netted a baker’s hat trick – scoring four goals – as the Highlanders blanked North Branford 5-0. The five goals were a season-high for Portland, who also got a goal from Ben Sorrell. Assisting in the scoring onslaught were Brody Quinn, Aidan Peterson, Alex Dawson, and Cooper Beck – each dishing out a helper. Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of Oct. 16-22: Brian Collison - East Hampton High School (Soccer): Collison, a senior, scored a goal on Senior Night as the Bellringers defeated Portland 3-2 on Oct. 18. Sebby Woodson and Parker Gustine each added goals for the Bellringers, who celebrated Collison and ten other seniors prior to the match. The win improved East Hampton to 10-2. Lilly Carroll - Portland High School (Soccer): Carroll, a senior, scored the only goal of the match on a penalty kick as the Highlanders defeated East Hampton 1-0 on Senior Night at TD Bank Oakwood Soccer Park on Oct. 20. Carroll’s goal turned out to be the difference as the team celebrated four seniors (Carroll, Ava Maselek, Camryn DiMauro, and Selena Shukis). Troy Miller - RHAM High School (Soccer): Miller netted a hat trick, scoring three goals, and dished out an assist as the Raptors defeated East Catholic 5-0 on Oct. 16. Miller, a senior, then scored two more goals in a victory over E.O. Smith on Oct. 19. The prolific scorer finished the regular season with a team-high 18 goals. Troy Johnson - Bacon Academy (Soccer): Johnson scored a pair of goals as the Bobcats tied Norwich Free Academy 2-2 in an Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) divisional showdown on Oct.14. Senior captain Coby Butterfield assisted on both goals and NFA knocked in the game-tying goal on a controversial call with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of Oct. 23-30: Skip Coogan – Bacon Academy (Football): Coogan recovered a state-record six fumbles, including one for a touchdown, as the Bobcats blanked Montville 61-0. Coogan, a sophomore, highlighted a dominant defensive unit that also got three forced fumbled and an interception from senior Avatar Disher as Bacon Academy registered their second shutout of the season, also blanking Bethel 21-0 in the season opener. Lillian Tabellione - Portland High School (Cross-Country): Tabellione finished sixth overall, running a 21:17, at the Class S State Championships at Wickham Park on Oct. 28. Tabellione beat out 139 other competitors and led a talented group of Highlanders that placed seventh overall as a team with Meghan McPhee (13th) and Ariana Hettrick-Rivera (17th) also having top-20 finishes. Gabby Wiesner - East Hampton High School (Soccer): Wiesner scored a pair of goals as the Bellringers defeated Lyman Memorial 2-1 in the team’s regular season finale on Oct. 27. Wiesner, a junior, scored both of her goals on perfectly-placed corner kicks from her freshman sister Mia Wiesner as the Bellringers ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Lani Fecho - RHAM High School (Volleyball): Fecho continued to stuff the stat sheets as the Raptors wrapped up a 16-3 regular season with a three set victory over Enfield on Oct. 23. Fecho, a senior, had a dozen kills, nine digs, six aces, and a block. Sophomore Meredith Weir added 11 kills and eight digs as the Raptors closed the regular season with a perfect road record (8-0). After dropping a pair of games last week, the boys soccer team at Cromwell High School turns their attention to the state tournament next week.
Last Friday, the team fell to East Hampton (1-0) in the regular season finale and CHS head coach Angelo Morello said his young team is fighting from the first whistle to the last. “I thought the second half was a lot better than the first half,” added Morello, who called East Hampton the best team in the conference. A goal by East Hampton senior Ethan Marshall midway through the first half proved to be the difference as Cromwell was unable to generate the equalizer despite having scoring opportunities throughout, particularly over the final 40 minutes. After allowing a goal to Marshall, Cromwell goalie Thomas Fenton was spectacular, making several diving saves to keep the Panthers within a goal. “That’s what he did a year ago and we need him to be like that as we go forward,” Morello said of his all-conference keeper. “He came up big today and he’s meant a lot to us for the last two years. The guys in front of him have been just as good.” Fenton is captaining the team with fellow seniors Ace Kenney, Mitchell Botelho, and Darragh McNeil. The key for the Panthers will be finding scoring opportunities. After scoring three or more goals in five straight games, Cromwell was held scoreless over the last two contests – including a 6-0 loss to Haddam-Killingworth in the Shoreline Conference (SLC) tournament last Saturday. Morello is relying on a young cast of characters on the offensive end, featuring sophomore Julian Tuminski and Ben Burdick, a freshman who was brought up to varsity midway through the season and has made a splash by scoring seven goals. “They play extremely well and they play together,” Morello said of his team, who finished the regular season 9-5-2. “We just have to find a way to score goals; that will be the key. Right now it’s goals by committee.” Visits ciacsports.com for a complete list of all of the high school sports state tournaments. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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