BEST SPORTS MOMENTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2018

Several graduating seniors were asked to recall their favorite sports memories from high school. Here are the responses from some of the area’s best athletes. Congratulations and best of luck to the entire Class of 2018!

“The game that I feel is special to me this past year was when our football team played Valley Regional in the state playoff game at home. As a team and individually I believe we truly played great that night and it was an amazing feeling being able to win a playoff game for our last one at home. Specifically in that game, I will always remember one of my first carries on the night and my first of two touchdowns that game, was a 40 yarder and that moment was one of the best, if not the best moment of my entire football career.” -Joseph Ferreira, Rocky Hill

“My favorite memory would have to be stepping out on the field game one this year and even though we lost it was special because it showed all my hard work from my ACL injury paid off and I was able to play with all of my close friends and finish my senior year playing with Newington. If it was a game moment it would have to be hitting a homer in the first inning of the Amity game in state tournament because it changed the momentum and even though we didn’t come out on top it showed that we had no fear and earned the respect from a team that has been a powerhouse for years in LL.” -Cooper Johnson, Newington

 “My favorite memory from high school sports was winning the Shoreline Championship my senior year. It was so special to me because it was an all-around team effort and we had to work hard the whole game to win! We ended up winning by a few points in overtime!” –Jenna Serrantino, Cromwell

“My favorite memory/game I had during soccer season this fall was the Newington game at Wethersfield. I knew going into that game that we had to win to have a shot at winning the conference. Our coach likes to make us aware that [Newington] was her alma mater in practices leading up to the game, which always made us want to win that much more. It was also one of favorite memories because the stadium/ seating around Cottone Field was almost filled. I love playing with a large crowd watching and it made that game even more special because Newington has been one of Wethersfield’s longtime rivals.  Being captain this year I put a lot of pressure on myself during this game to do my part to lead my team to victory on such a special night. Funny story about that game was that I had been playing outside mid all season and during that game I felt like it wasn’t clicking for me there so I told my coach at halftime that I should switch to outside right back in order to use my speed and shutdown Newy’s left forward and outside mid. After I switched positions I scored two goals from around the 30 yard line into the upper left corners to tie the game up and bring us into overtime. I also had a corner kick assist that I placed above one of my best friends and longtime teammate Chloe Troy, who headed it in perfectly. We have done that corner kick all the time in practice or just going to the field messing around and it finally mattered in a huge game like that. After that we were still tied and in the second half of OT I took a free kick from the 30/35 yard line and hit it far post to Sierra Judson who eventually toed it in after some deflections. For me I will always remember this game because my entire team did not give up whether we were down, tied or up we kept playing until the last whistle and always kept our heads up. I was able to make my coach proud and perform to the best I could to help my teammates and also to beat a longtime rival like Newington at my home field with hundreds of people watching was a feeling like no other.” -Kendall Cathcart, Wethersfield

“My senior memory would be beating Northwest on Senior Night and me and Owen Freeman scoring 5 goals each.” -Connor Brennan, Newington

“My favorite season of high school swimming was my freshman year when we came in second at states but the team was so welcoming and it was the best way to start high school because I had something to look forward to everyday and always knew the team would be there for me.” -Maura Stewart, Wethersfield

“State playoffs, quarterfinals vs. St. Bernard’s. Most exciting game I’ve ever been a part of in my life. Down 13 going into the 4th quarter nobody would have expected us come back, but once the 4th quarter began us being down really put less pressure on us. Yeah, we had to be smart and play almost perfect, but at the same time we weren’t even sure if we could do it as we were held against the ropes on the road in one of the loudest gyms I’ve ever played in. Everyone on the team put their best foot forward and stepped up in any type of way. Coming back from down 13 and keeping our season alive was amazing in the moment, but just watching our team and the fans stick together through it all was the best part about it. I will always love that team, and the heart and togetherness we had. #RoadDawgsForever” -Ryan Robinson, Rocky Hill

“When looking back on my high school career, I'd have to say my favorite memory was our historic playoff run.  Making the state championship game as a #26 seed was undoubtedly one of the most memorable journeys of my life. From my dunk against Amistad to our legendary comeback against St. Bernard, it was truly an honor to shock the state and represent our town the way we did. Although we weren't able to seal the deal at Mohegan, me and my brothers gave it all we had, and because of that I've never been more proud to be a Rocky Hill Terrier. I'll never forgot that moment when I stepped on the Mohegan Sun court, with all the cameras flashing and looking into the crowd to see all my friends and family, it was like I was part of something greater than myself. It was a surreal moment that I'll cherish for the rest of my life.” -Andrew Dimatteo, Rocky Hill

“My favorite memory from being a part of the Wethersfield Lady Eagle Swim and Dive team was our loaded week of meets this year, when we beat both Glastonbury and Hall with only two days between meets. It really showed how our team was able to come together after a huge win against Glastonbury and buckle down for two days in practice to get back on track and beat Hall just a couple of days later. It was really exciting and showed just how hardworking my team was!” -Caroline Logan, Wethersfield

“My favorite memory has to be the ‘16-‘17 game vs Middletown. Everyone figured we’d get blown out by 30 because they were #8 and we were down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. All of a sudden things started clicking for us and we were able to pull off a back and forth comeback to win it 27-24. One play that will always stay with me from that game is after a big stop Middletown had on us towards the end of the game which forced us to punt. On that punt, Luke [Pappalardo] and I were able to force a fumble after their returner tried to make a play giving us the ball back resulting in the game winning field goal.”  -Carlum Caldwell, Newington

"This is one of my favorites from when we won the girl's Shoreline Championship my senior year. It shows our excitement the moment the buzzer went off." -Dana Coughlin, Cromwell