The Cromwell girls’ basketball team was one of the better sports teams in the area when Kelly Maher was a player and captain for the team in 1995. Now, eighteen years later, she has elevated the program to a new level of excellence as the lady Panthers head basketball coach.
 
The fifth year coach has won 86% of her games, since taking over for former coach Mark Blythe following the 2008 season, and during her tenure Cromwell has compiled a record of 98-14. Her stamp on the basketball program was sealed last season when she helped guide the team to an undefeated season, which culminated with a state championship. Last season’s perfection would seem to be just the beginning for the former Panther player turned coach.
 
Things haven’t been quite as perfect this season for Maher and the Panthers, who suffered their first loss in 29 games when they fell to the Morgan Huskies in Clinton on December 13th. However, since the loss, the team has reeled off three impressive victories and looks primed for another tournament run this season.
 
The team is led on the court by Janelle Harrison, who has committed to play collegiately at the University of Hartford. As a junior, she was key contributor to last season’s title team and has now assumed more of a leadership role in her senior season. The versatile 6-footer can dominate the game from inside and also has the ability to step outside the key and knock down jumpers.
 
Emily Appleby is another player whose role has increased this season. She is the teams’ court general and fearless leader. The senior point guard helped the Panthers shake off the early season loss to Morgan by scoring 12 points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing out two assists, and stealing three passes in a three-point road win over Haddam-Killingworth.
 
The success of last season has set a high bar for Cromwell and they will be looking to make another miraculous tournament run come February. In order to do so they will rely on superb sophomores Mya Villard and Araya Lessard to fill the voids left by Kelly Flanigan and Lindsay Langenauer, both who graduated last year.
 
Next, Cromwell (4-1) will travel to Deep River and face the up-and-coming Valley Regional Warriors on Thursday, January 2nd. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
 
Boys Basketball Round-Up
 
Wethersfield Wallops Newington
 
The Wethersfield Eagles improved to 3-1 by defeating the Newington Indians, 77-63, in an early season rivalry showdown. The Eagles look to keep their early season momentum going when they travel to Vernon to face the Rockville Rams. Tip-off will be Friday at 7 p.m.
 
The loss drops Newington to 1-3. The Indians will look to snap a three game skid Friday night when they host the Bristol Eastern Lancers. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Newington High School.
 
Cromwell Suffers First Loss
 
Last season, the Cromwell girls finished without a loss on their way to a title. This season, the boys were hoping to duplicated that feat, but they suffered their first loss of the young season at the hands of the Bristol Central Rams on Saturday, 47-35. The loss came on the heels of a nail-biting 51-49 victory over Terryville on Friday.
 
Cromwell will look to get back of track when they travel to the shoreline and battle the Hale Ray Noises of Moodus. Tip-off is Friday at 7 p.m.
 
Rocky Hill Splits at Maloney Tourney
 
The Rocky Hill Terriers upended the Newington Indians, 68-59, and then lost to the host Maloney Spartans, 76-60, during the Maloney Holiday Tournament this past weekend. Rocky Hill has lost two of their last three games after starting the season with an impressive road victory over the Southington Knights.
 
The Terriers will play their home opener this Friday night when the welcome the Weaver Beavers (3-3) to Rocky Hill High School. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Before Larry Fritz and Dave Coyne came to town, only soccer balls and tumbleweeds could be found on the fields of Rocky Hill. Now those same fields are filled with a football foundation which rivals that of any school in the state. 
 
The year was 1998 and Fritz was amongst a group of parents that were in the midst of lobbying the town of Rocky Hill to allow the institution of a football program into the high school. Fritz and several other Rocky Hill parents had children that were playing youth football in Cromwell and they were hoping to provide those kids a chance to continue competing at a high school level.
 
At the time, Rocky Hill had traditionally been a soccer town and many in the community did not think that American football could coexist with soccer in a small high school.  Those people were wrong, and fifteen years later the town of Rocky Hill has morphed into a football powerhouse.
 
“We had a lot of people that thought that {a football program} would never happen, because of the cost and because it was a soccer town,” Fritz, who was a two sport athlete at Temple University, said, “There were some people that thought football may take away some of the soccer talent, but that never really happened.  Soccer is soccer, and football is football.”
 
Once the town and school approved the program, they needed someone that could lead the upstart team.  Coyne, who was one of those lobbying for the team, was the perfect fit.  He had coaching experience, having been the head football coach at Central Catholic High School in Norwalk for twelve seasons, and he had the right philosophy.
 
“The great thing about football is that you don’t necessarily need to be a great athlete to play. You need to work hard,” Coyne, who has also organized youth football clinics in Rocky Hill throughout the years, said, “Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had great athletes that have played here, but the program has allowed a lot of kids, that wouldn’t normally play a sport, a chance to compete.”
 
The first year of the football program was 1999 and the team played at a junior varsity level.  The following season, the program moved up to the varsity level and the rest is history. Over the years, Rocky Hill transformed from a soccer town with a football team into a soccer and football town, but the transition didn’t happen overnight.
 
“In the beginning we snuck our way onto the field to practice,” Coyne said, “Then we got the scoreboard, then they put the bleacher with the press box, then the turf field. It grew from there and football was the impetus behind it.”
 
Coyne has seen a lot of people come and go throughout his tenure at Rocky Hill, but the one constant has been Fritz.  He has been on Coyne’s staff for all fifteen seasons and his son, Eric, was one of Rocky Hill’s first quarterbacks.
 
“Larry has been with me from the start.” Coyne said, “We’ve had a lot of great years together.”
 
Not only have their years together been great, but they have also been tremendously successful.   The fourteen varsity seasons have produced 80 victories, five playoff appearances, and the schools’ first playoff victory this past season.
 
This season, the team fell just short of the Class S title game and had a remarkable group of seniors that the coaches groomed over the past four years. The 2013 squad was the most successful football team in school history, but the coaches have been grateful for all the kids that have come through the program.       
 
 “We’ve been fortunate, we’ve had some very good teams and a great bunch of kids go through the program over the years,” Fritz said, “This was a good senior class, and quite honestly, we’ve had a few really good senior classes. They’ve been good kids and talented football players.”
 
The two modest coaches are quick to give credit to the players that have come through the program and they both stressed how much support they’ve received from parents and the community over the years, including those who helped launch the football program. 
 
“It was a group of people that helped get this thing going,” Fritz said about the implementation of the football program, “Jim McKinnon, Doug Elliot, Dennis Campanello, John Palazzo, Chuck Lucas, John Tabshey, and a number other gentlemen.  Without them, it would have never happened.”
 
Now, after fifteen years of building a firm football foundation, the two local legends will retire together and turn the coaching reigns over to someone else. 
 
“I wanted to retire from both teaching and coaching, so I could do more fishing and golfing” Coyne, who is an avid fly fisherman, said.
 
“Isn’t that what everyone wants to do more of?” Coyne jokingly asked.
 
Next fall, it will be an odd sight for the community of Rocky Hill to watch someone else manning the sidelines at McVicar Field, but it will also be an adjustment for Fritz and Coyne.
 
“It will be really strange next year once the football season starts,” Fritz said, “Not being out there for practice every day, and then especially strange once the games start.”
 
“I will definitely come back and watch them play and follow the team,” Coyne added, “It’s kind of my baby.”
 
A new era in Rocky Hill football will begin next season and whoever replaces Coyne and Fritz will have some big shoes to fill, but at least they can rest assured that the football program, which was only a pipedream 15 years ago, is here to stay.

Photo provided by Jon Bloom - CT Sports Photo

Michelle Libby is entering her four season as head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Wethersfield. The first three seasons have not been easy, but this years’ squad has the potential to make their first postseason run since 2010.
 
“We are looking to qualify for the state tournament for the first time in four years. It would be very rewarding for our seniors to get to experience what it’s like to play in a state game,” Libby Said, “They have put a lot of time and effort in over the past four years, and I can't think of a better way to thank them, and to also have them continue to shape the program for the future.”
 
In order to make a playoff run, the team will have to deal with the departure of last seasons’ leading scorer and All-CCC North Divisional player Carrier Polomsky, who graduated. Libby said that the team hopes to fill Polomsky’s shoes with a committee of players.
 
They have also had to deal with injuries to two key contributors from last season. Alexis Gwynn and Brittney Dalkowski both torn their anterior cruciate ligaments, but are both hoping to return by January and February, respectively.
 
Libby remains confident that this group of girls is ready to end their three year postseason drought.
 
“Nearly all of the girls on the varsity roster saw varsity time last year, so the kids have been battle tested already,” Libby added, “Our captains, Kelly McDonald and Analissa Mandile are great leaders by example, and will set the tempo for the season.”
 
The lady Eagles will begin the season with three straight road games, but will return home to face the Weaver Beavers on December 23rd. The home opener will tip-off at 7 p.m. at Silas Deane Middle School.
 
High School Football Championship Round-Up
 
Ansonia Dominates
 
The Ansonia Chargers finished off their undefeated season by waxing the Woodland Regional Hawks, 51-12, in the Class S title game on Friday night at CCSU. Ansonia had defeated the Rocky Hill Terriers to advance to the championship game and the victory gives them their third-straight state title. Ansonia running back Arkeel Newsome tallied five more touchdowns in the championship victory, improving his staggering season total to 70 touchdowns.
 
St. Joseph-Trumbull Wallops Brookfield
 
Mufasa Abdul-Basir ran for 166 yards and scored touchdowns on the ground and through the air to help the St. Joseph-Trumbull Cadets win the Class M championship. The Cadets easily defeated the Brookfield Bobcats 54-16 Saturday, on a snow covered Arute Field at CCSU.
 
New Canaan Upsets Darien
 
The New Canaan Rams had lost to the Darien Blue Wave on Thanksgiving, but that was a distant memory after they avenged that loss and breezed to a 44-12 Class L title victory. New Canaan quarterback Nick Cascione threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns in snowy conditions on Saturday to help the Rams win their sixth state title in school history.

Newington's Marcus Guadarrama

The Newington basketball program will have a lot of new faces on the court this season, but that doesn’t mean that both the boys and girls Indians will be any less competitive.
 
The boys, who are led by veteran head coach Scot Wenzel, have only one returning starter from last season. The four new starters will be looking to build off the success of last seasons’ playoff team that beat Kennedy in the opening round of the Class LL playoffs. The 2012-2013 Indians were eventually eliminated from the postseason by Fairfield Prep, who went on to play in the championship game.
 
“It is a young team with many new faces,” Wenzel said, “We expect our seniors to help lead on and off the court.”
 
Wenzel and his team will begin the season with four consecutive home games, so that should help ease the transition and build chemistry for the new starters. One of those home games will be an early season rivalry game against the Wethersfield Eagles on Saturday, December 28th at 6 p.m.
 
The girls will be looking to improve on a 10-11 finished last season and are led by new head coach Rick Bangs. They too will have a vastly different starting lineup, but that doesn’t shake the confidence of their first year head coach.
 
“We lost some solid senior leadership last season with the graduation of Juliana Houldcroft, Jalen Middlebrooks, and Alex Marques,” Bangs said, “However, we have the benefit of bringing back some very talented players who are seniors this season. These seniors have done a great job assuming the leadership roles thus far.”
 
Bangs believes that playing hard, fundamentals, and a strong defense will help the girls take the next step and possibly make a playoff run.
 
“We have a highly competitive schedule, and each game will be a test,” Bangs added, “If we continue to develop the way we have, we will be a tough team to deal with in March.”
 
Bangs coaching tenure is off to a sizzling start, thanks to the sharp shooting and tenacious defense of Stasha Greenalah. The senior guard scored 18 points and registered nine steals in Newington’s opener, a 47-35 victory over East Catholic.

Andrew Jenkelunas, Nick Carducci, Tommy Seaver, Greg Marzilli

Every once in a blue moon a high school sports team comes along and captures the imagination of an entire town. The team must was have a unique combination of talent, charisma, and selflessness. The town of Rocky Hill has been fortunate enough to have a high school football team that fits all three criteria.
 
The Rocky Hill football season came to an end on Saturday, but the legend of the team will live forever. They finished better than any team in school history and it was in large part because the players on the team had a noticeable rapport with one another, which was evident by their tremendous success on the field.
 
Four of those players have been playing football together for two-thirds of their lives and during their time together became inseparable, on and off the field. Andrew Jenkelunas, Greg Marzilli, Nick Carducci, and Tommy Seaver have a twelve year bond that started as fiends, but developed into a brotherhood.
 
Their friendships and their love for football began in their hometown of Rocky Hill, but the town did not have a youth football program when the four began playing together. In order to play organized football, the foursome would commute to Newington and played pee wee football for the Newington Knights.
 
While playing youth football, the four known in the community as the “Newington Boys”, found early success. In 2006, while in in the fifth grade, the four helped the Knights win the Jr. Pee Wee New England Championship. The regional victory allowed them to travel to Florida and compete nationally for the Pop Warner Championship, which featured the best youth teams from around the nation. The four agree that this accomplishment was the best moment of their early football days.
 
“That whole year was the best experience of my life because it’s where I made life long relationships with players and coaches, as well as learning the fundamentals and true nature of a successful football team.” Marzilli said.
 
The four have been mentored by several great coaches over the dozen years, including current head coach Dave Coyne. Jeff Perillo, who coached the group in middle school and is currently a defensive assistant on Coyne’s staff at Rocky Hill, is another coach that has impacted the players lives.
 
“Coach Perillo has had a huge influence on me. He coached all of us in 8th grade and I think that is when we first started becoming really close,” Jenkelunas said, “He gave me the opportunity to play on varsity as a freshmen, which really helped me mature as a player.”
              
The foursome was also were coached by Ron Duke, who was a coach for the Knights during their championship season in 2006.
 
“Coach Duke coached us for four years and taught us endless techniques that make us the football players we are today,” Carducci said, “He taught us how to be resilient and remain poise in the face of adversity.”
 
With the guidance and help of their coaches, the four developed individual skills that allowed them to flourish as players and become vital parts of Rocky Hill’s most successful football team in school history.
 
Jenkelunas is the field general, both offensively and defensively. He has been described as the glue that kept the team together and he has a football IQ that is second to none. Not only is he blessed with a rocket right arm, but he is calm under pressure and thrived during tense situations all season.
 
Marzilli is the jack of all football trades. He is the teams’ change-of-pace running back, linebacker, and is one of the state’s best placekickers. Throughout games his name was heard over the loud speakers, early and often, for making game changing plays-- offensively, defensively, and on special teams.
 
Carducci is the heart and soul of the team. He is certainly not the biggest player of the field, but he’s a versatile offensive lineman and is known for delivering bone-crushing hits from his linebacker position. There is rarely a play on defense in which Carducci is not around the football.
 
Seaver is the enforcer. He is a fierce pass rusher and possesses the rare ability to cover backs and tight ends from his defensive end position. He also is Jeneklunas’ go-to guy in the passing game, where he catches the ball effortlessly and seems to love contact, often lowering his pads to run through would-be tacklers.
 
As good as they’ve been on the field, they are just as grounded and well-rounded off of it.
 
“Football may be a game to many people, but for us it's so much more than that. It taught us resiliency, teamwork, leadership and most importantly how to conduct ourselves as men on and off the football field.” Carducci said, “The bonds I built with Greg, Andrew, and Tommy from playing football are much more comparative to a relationship that brothers have rather than friends.”
 
“We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember and we’ve pretty much done everything together. Our families go one vacation together, we play other sports together, we workout with each other, we hang out on the weekend together, and were in a lot of the same classes.” Marzilli said, “You would think we’d get sick of each other after so long, but it hasn’t happened yet and I doubt it will.”
 
They also recognize how much support they have been given over the years from family and friends.
 
“Since day one we’ve been a big family and I’ve had the support of four sets of parents.” Marzilli added, “In the end, it’s the memories that matter and I would never trade the ones I’ve captured with these boys and their families for anything in the world.”
 
Now that the football season has come to an end and their time at Rocky Hill High School dwindles down, the four will began to go in different directions for the first time in over a decade. However, whether they’re miles apart or next door to each other they will always share a connection that is unlike any other.
 
“Football can create friendships and a family unlike anything else,” Seaver said,
“I know we will always have each other’s backs long after we play our last game on the field together.”
 
“I am sure we will always be close and have a bond that is inseparable because of the experiences we have had together.” Jenkelunas added.
 
Despite not achieving their goal of winning a state title, the four will continue to have a special connection that only brothers can have. Because individually they are great, but together they’ve become family.
 
 
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Rocky Hill senior tight end Tommy Seaver hauls in a TD

The final whistle sounded and the Rocky Hill faithful in attendance stood in ovation as the teams lined up to shake hands at the end of the game. The ovation wasn’t to celebrate a victory, but rather to celebrate the greatest high school football season in the town’s history.
 
The Terriers had just been handed a 49-27 defeat at the hands of the Ansonia Chargers in the semi-finals of the Class S football playoffs. The loss ended Rocky Hill’s memorable season and, even in defeat, the Terriers showed the fight and determination that allowed them to win eleven of the thirteen games they played in 2013.
 
It was a bitter cold afternoon on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the towns of Rocky Hill and Ansonia from filling the stadium at Sheehan High School in Wallingford for the battle of the two powerhouses. Ansonia, who was undefeated, received the opening kickoff and marched down the field to take a quick 7-0 lead. The drive culminated on a 1-yard touchdown plunge from running back Arkeel Newsome, who took a direct snap from the wildcat formation and dove over the goal line. Rocky Hill countered of their first offensive possession when Chris Young took a reverse trap handoff and burst through the Ansonia defense on his way to a 29-yard touchdown run. The scoreboard at John J Riccitelli Field was not working properly, but the capacity crowd didn’t need the scoreboard to know they were in for an afternoon filled with plenty of offensive fireworks.
 
After the teams trading touchdowns on the games’ first two possessions, Ansonia used a combination of direct snaps to Newsome and deep passes from quarterback Jai’Quan McKnight to score the next 27 points and take a 34-7 lead into halftime.
 
It looked like the Chargers were well on their way to a blowout victory, but the Terriers came out of the halftime locker room with a renewed sense of pride. Rocky Hill received the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 54 yards in eight plays, which ended with a 16-yard scoring scamper from Young. The touchdown reenergized the Rocky Hill sideline and the crowd erupted when the Terriers recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later, quarterback Andrew Jenkelunas connected with Tommy Seaver on a seam route for a 34-yard scoring strike, which cut the deficit to 34-21. Following Seaver’s touchdown and looking to capitalize on the momentum, Rocky Hill head coach David Coyne elected to attempt another onside kick, but this time Ansonia came up with the awkwardly bouncing ball. The Chargers took advantage of the good field position and Newsome scored his fifth and final touchdown, late in the third quarter, to thwart any chance of a Rocky Hill comeback.
 
The teams traded fourth quarter touchdowns as the sun began to set on the stadium and on Rocky Hill’s season.
 
Rocky Hill’s defense had a nearly impossible task of stopping Newsome, who finished with 269 yards on 35 carries, but they did have several players step up and have big afternoons defensively. Seniors Jamison O’Connell and Ello Nalbani anchored a defensive line that held up well against Ansonia‘s massive offensive line. O’Connell and Nalbani both made three solo tackles on the elusive Newsome and fellow senior Greg Marzilli finished with two tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
 
The loss not only ended Rocky Hill’s season, but it also ended the high school careers of several sensational seniors, including Young. Young finished his immaculate 2013 campaign with 2001 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. The extraordinary tailback handled the loss with humility and great reflection.         
 
 “It’s disappointing to end the season this way, but we went further than any team in school history,” Young said, “We’re proud of that.”
 
The game was also they last for Coyne, who will retire. He has been the head coach at Rocky Hill since the inception of their football program in 2000. He led the Terriers to five playoff appearances and retires after guiding them to their best finish in school history.
 
The story of the 2013 Rocky Hill football season may not have had a fairytale ending, but Coyne and the exiting seniors have set the bar for future Terrier teams to reach for.
 
“It’s been fun to compete with these guys every week,” Young said, as he exited the field one last time with his Terrier teammates, “We made a lot of good memories.”
 
High School Football Round-Up
 
Middletown Falls Short of Title Shot
 
The Middletown Blue Dragons avenged their only regular season loss by steamrolling the New London Whalers, 49-14, to win their first round Class L playoff game last Tuesday. Dario Highsmith, who received Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year honors, finished the game with 206 rushing yards and totaled four touchdowns (three rushing and one passing).
 
After the opening round victory, Middletown had a chance to earn a spot in the Class L championship, but lost to the Darien Blue Wave on Saturday. The Blue Wave held the normally potent Blue Dragon’s offense in check and ruined Middletown’s hopes of a state title, 13-7.
 
 Connecticut High School Football Championship Schedule
 
Class LL
 
Southington Blue Knights vs. Fairfield Prep Jesuits
Saturday 12/14 @ 6:05 p.m.
Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University
 
Class L
 
Darien Blue Wave vs. New Canaan Rams
Saturday 12/14 @ 2:05 p.m.
Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University
 
Class M
 
Brookfield Bobcats vs. St. Joseph Cadets
Saturday 12/14 @ 10:05 a.m.
Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University
 
Class S
 
Ansonia Chargers vs. Woodland Regional Hawks
Friday 12/13 @ 7:05 p.m.
Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University
 
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