doubel dose of rare reminder starting five: Athletes of the Week

Wethersfield junior Wil Bankowski

The Starting Five: Athletes of the Week (April 18-24)
Morgan Hellman- Newington (Lacrosse): Hellman scored four goals as the Nor’easters buried RHAM 12-5 on April 19, earning the team’s first victory of the young season. The senior, who has committed to play lacrosse at Franklin Pierce, also added a pair of assists as junior Hailey Gaydos added three goals in the victory. 
           
Tyler Daniele- Cromwell (Tennis): Daniele has a pair of wins, defeating Portland’s Ben McGrew (6-2, 6-2) on April 18 and then ousting Haddam-Killingworth’s Joey Mercier (6-1, 6-1) on April 20. The junior’s individual wins helped the Panthers win both matches as a team, downing both the Highlands of Portland and the Cougars of H-K by identical 5-1 scores.   
           
Brendan Whalen- Rocky Hill (Baseball): Whalen connected on a pair of hits—including a triple— driving in four runs at the Terriers shutout Cheney Tech 12-0 on April 20. The junior helped provide the offense from the plate and the pitching duo of Jack Pawlich (W) and Jaiden Reyes combined for a one-hitter as Rocky Hill snapped a two-game skid and improve to 5-2 this spring. 
           
Christian Bonvisuto- Wethersfield (Tennis): Bonvisuto had a perfect week, winning all three of his individual matches. The junior first defeated Farmington’s Karhtik Pyeni (6-0, 6-1) on April 18, then beat John Martin of Suffield (6-1, 6-0) on April 20, before ending the week with a (6-0, 6-1) win over South Windsor’s Roger Mao. The Eagles won two of the three matches as a team, improving to 3-1 this spring.  
           
Colby DiMenna - Cromwell (Baseball): DiMenna had back-to-back beauties in wins over rivals Portland and Old Saybrook, combining for a handful of runs and RBIs in the two victories. The sophomore drove in three runs and scored two more, while also throwing four innings from the mound and striking out eight as the Panthers clobbered the Highlanders 14-2 on April 1. DiMenna then connected on three hits, driving in a pair of runs and crossing the plate three more times in an 8-2 win over the Rams.  

 The Starting Five: Athletes of the Week (April 25-May 1)
Bella Tomaino- Wethersfield (Softball): Tomaino hit a double in the bottom of the 7th, driving home Molly Bowers for the game-winning run in the Eagles 4-3 victory over Manchester on April 28. The junior’s walk-off capped Wethersfield’s fourth straight win as the team got a terrific pitching performance from the duo of Mackenzie Banet and Kyla Brogan, who allowed just three runs to a stacked Manchester lineup, improving the Eagles to 7-2.
           
Michael Bohlke- Newington (Track): Bohlke won the 5k at the CT Distance Festival with a meet-record and school record-breaking time of 14:39. The win qualified the senior, who has committed to run at George Washington University, a spot at the Nike Nationals in Oregon this June, and gives him the 4th fastest time in the nation.
           
Jazzy Edmunds- Rocky Hill (Softball): Edmunds went 4 for 4 from the plate, including a home run, and drove in four runs as the Terriers defeated New Britain 13-1 on April 29. The senior, who also scored two runs in the win, helped the team improve to 4-1 at home and 6-4 overall this spring.  
           
Tyshaun James- Middletown (Football): James, an all-state quarterback at Middletown High School in 2016, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. Following his graduation from MHS in 2017, James went to be a star wide receiver at Central Connecticut State University where he would catch a program-record 18 touchdowns, including 14 in 2019.        
           
Wil Bankowski- Wethersfield (Lacrosse): Bankowski scored seven goals, including his 100th career goal, during a 14-10 win over Lewis Mills on April 28. The junior, who achieved the milestone at Cottone Field, has been a prolific stud for the Eagles over the past two springs as the team has now won 19 of 23 games since becoming an official varsity program.