Fall sports preview 2016

It’s that time of the year. It’s time to rev up the leaf blower and consume as much pumpkin spice products as possible. The change in season means that a new school year has arrived and a new season of fall sports is upon us. We previewed football last week so let’s take a closer look at the other teams and athletes that will be taking center stage during the pumpkin craze.

Boys Cross Country
Middletown finished 7th at the Class L finals a year ago and have their two top performers returning. Junior Stefano Mazzeo and senior Jalen Coleman will be back blazing trails for the Blue Dragons. Also keep an eye on Matthew Lecky, who performed admirably as a freshman last fall. The school hosts the Blue Dragon Invitational, which takes place Friday, Sept. 9 inside Veteran’s Memorial Park in Middletown starting at 3:30 p.m.

Alec Drzewiecki and Trevor Cook give Cromwell a pair of experienced runners entering their senior seasons. Brian Heavren of Wethersfield, Jason Oostendorp of Rocky Hill, and Thomas Doyle of Newington will also keep pace with the pack.

Girls Cross Country
Senior Nikki Bitinaitis is Cromwell’s most accomplished runner, placing well at states the last couple of years. Meghan Savinelli, Emma Drzewiecki and Kathryn Kelleher, who all competed at a high level last season, again join Bitinaitis on the Cromwell trails. The Panthers hosts the CT River Valley Championship at Cromwell High School on Saturday, Sept 17 starting at 8:30 a.m.

Wethersfield junior Isabella Schroeder and sophomore Allison Appel will lead the Eagles on the trails this fall. Megan Creevy and Lilah Devine are both primed to follow up on nice freshman seasons at Rocky Hill. Alexia Gonzalez of Middletown and Angelina Zacharias of Newington could also be in the running by the end of fall.

Field Hockey
Newington finished the regular season 8-6-1 and qualified for the Class L tournament last fall. The Indians have a good chance to be even better this season with the return of senior goalie Neve Manion and standouts Karlene Welles, McKenna Gernander and Symantha Fazzino in the field. All three were vital parts to last season’s tourney run and each was an All-CCC (Central Connecticut Conference) selections. The team begins the season with back-to-back home games, starting with a bout against Conard on Friday, Sept 9 at 6 p.m.    

Colleen Budaj hopes to keep Wethersfield’s program pointing in the upward direction with the return of Maya Mullholland, Megan Tonucci, Lexi Munger, Evelyn DeVaux, and goalie Vanessa Carbone. The Eagles first home game is Tuesday, Sept 13 against Avon at 5:45 p.m.  

Boys Soccer
Wethersfield won the CCC and advanced all the way to the Class L state championship a season ago, before dropping an overtime-heartbreaking to Avon in the title game. Head coach Rob Jachym and his team aim for a repeat performance with goal scoring-machine Lukas Szymecki and Brendan Barry returning. The challenge will be replacing All-State goalie Jimmy Slayton, who graduated and is now playing for the University of Hartford. The Eagles opens the regular season at home, hosting Platt on Monday, Sept 12 at 3:45 p.m.   

Rocky Hill also made a tournament push last fall, before eventually losing in the second round of the Class M tournament. Ryan Fraleigh and David Scalise are returning following strong showings for the Terriers a year ago. Also watch for Newington to have a bounce back season following a disappointing 2015. The Indians have a good cast of characters returning, led by senior Joey Terranova.

Girls Soccer
Newington won 15 of 16 regular season games last fall, but will have a tough time repeating that performance with the loss of superstar Kaila Lozada, who is currently taking college soccer by storm at the University of Hartford. Karli Hellman and Lindsey Fairbank are returning, along with a good group of freshman from a season ago. The Indians begin the regular season hosting Middletown, who welcomes back All-CCC’er Jenny Barbour. The game is Friday, Sept 9 at 3:45 p.m. 

Wethersfield will have a tough time replacing graduated goalie Summer Budaj, but they do have Jane Rumley and Megan Darrell back following All-CCC selections. Also expect Rocky Hill’s Grace Moore to have a big junior season on the pitch.

Volleyball
Rocky Hill won only four of 15 contests and missed the postseason in 2015, but they had a very young team that gained experience and could blossom into something special this fall. Grace Fisher was a bright spot for the Terriers a season ago and should be even better as a junior. Nicole Chamberland and Gina Genovese are also entering their junior seasons and expected to step up. The upstart team could get off to a quick start, playing their first three matches at home, starting with Bristol Eastern on Friday, Sept 9 at 6 p.m.

Cromwell lost team MVP Araya Lessard to graduation, but head coach Traci Capodice can count on seniors O’Kara Kramer, Victoria Cholodecki, and Kaila Donadio to fill the void. Newington made a great run last fall, but lost six senior starters to graduation. Blayne Wanner-Hyde will be one of the young players filling the talent and leadership voids for the Indians.  Wethersfield will have Kathleen Kerekes returning to the court as the Eagles try to rebound after missing the tournament a year ago.

Girls Swimming
Wethersfield success in the pool is almost an automatic. Head coach Lee Schwartzman will again have a great group of girls returning to the water this fall.  Maura Stewart leads a talented junior class, which also features Caroline Logan and Amanda Tougas. Senior Idalis Irizarry and sophomore Abigail Francis are also back, along with senior diver junior diver Jessica Pratt. The Eagles first home meet is Tuesday, Sept 27 against Conard at 5 p.m.

Rocky Hill has seniors Katherine Sullivan and Caroline Sullivan, who performed well as juniors last fall, returning. Expect Middletown’s Jenny Hawkins and Newington’s Lindsey Mangiafico to also make waves this season.
 
Questions or comments? Email josh@rarereminder.com or follow on Twitter @RareReminderJH

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