GHS High school news & notes

*Some contributions and writings from GHS coaches, athletes, etc.

Girls XC Hit the Ground Running
Girls’ cross country had a great start to the 2021 season, winning the opening meet at Stratton Brook Invitational in Simsbury on September 11. Glastonbury took first place (23 points), besting New Milford (79 points) and Simsbury (96 points). GHS freshman Brooke Strauss won the individual title, running a time of 20:16 on the 5k course. Junior Jackie Caron (20:27) placed 2nd, while sophomores Ava Gattinella and Jackie Dudus came in 4th and 7th respectively with times of 21:21 and 21:53. Other GHS runners placed in the top-20, included junior Lucy Bergin (21:53), and seniors Annika Hurley (22:21) and Kylie Hilliard (22:21) and (23:12). Glastonbury also had a great showing in the junior varsity race, winning both individually and as a team. Seniors Olivia Dickson and Sarah Ongley finished first and second with times of 22:29 and 22:43.

Boys XC Split First Meet
Boys’ cross country opened with a tri-meet verse Southington and Hall, besting Southington but falling to Hall at JB Williams Park on September 15. Senior Joseph Accurso finished second overall with a performance of 14:07, the fifth best all-time performance for a Glastonbury runner on the course. Senior Kevin Graziosi was the second Glastonbury runner to finish, placing sixth with a time of 15:15, followed by junior Harrison Krause (15:33), senior Cody Stone (15:52), and junior Cameron Colletti (16:21). Freshman Caleb Leon (18:43) and sophomore Troy Giaccone (16:30) also finished with notable times. In the junior varsity race, GHS freshman Austyn Neidal placed third with a time of 17:31. Senior Patrick Quinn (17:37) and sophomore Jace Lewis (17:41) placed fifth and sixth place for the 2.6-mile course.

Boys Soccer Turns the Page
Fresh off a disappointing season-opening loss to a non-conference competitor, boys’ soccer responded like perennial state title contenders with a 6-1 thumping of the Northwest Catholic Lions. Led by an Ali Taleb hat trick combined with the steady support of Adam Molusis (2 goals, 1 assist), the Guardians dominated the action from start to finish. 
 
Just 19 seconds into the contest, Michael Sardo dropped a header at the feet of Taleb, who promptly tapped in his first offering of the afternoon. It would remain 1-0 until a Taleb corner kick found the diving head of Molusis, a lunge of beauty at 25:16 of the first half.  At the 9:02 mark, Taleb’s heroics were on full display. Receiving a Vincenzo Greco pass deep in the box, Ali niftily maneuvered between two defenders, tap danced along the end line, and then lofted an impossibly angled chip that floated over the helpless goalie and settled into the back of the net. 
 
A defensive lapse by GHS goalkeeper, Josh Patermo, resulted in what was essentially an own goal to get the Lions on the board at 7:00.  But any threats of a momentum swing were erased moments later when Sardo and Taleb executed a textbook cross-center-finish at 5:18. Ali had his third goal, the offense was firing with efficiency, and the rout was on. 
 
As the second half began, it wasn't a matter of if but when the Guardians would build on their 4-1 advantage. That question was answered at 27:49 when Molusis found a streaking Kevin Clarke on the Lions’ doorstep. The duo liked that result so much that Clarke would return the favor 67 seconds later.  Patiently working the ball from right to left, Clarke hit Molusis perfectly in stride at the top of the box.  The low blast past Northwest Catholic’s defenseless net minder would cap Glastonbury’s scoring at 6-1 and usher in a slew of bleach-blonde reserves with a possession-style of play for the remainder of the match.
 
Afterward, Glastonbury captain and defensive stalwart Mitch Williams assessed the result, saying, “We played a much more complete game today.  Fewer sloppy errors and we controlled the ball for almost all of the time.  But still, we can play much better.”
 
High Five for Boys Golf
 
Boys’ golf had a busy week, winning three matches in a three-day span to remain undefeated through their first five matches.
 
The Guardians first upended Berlin (151-163) at Timberlin Golf course in Berlin. Senior co-captain Charlie Dolan took advantage of the beautiful weather, posting an excellent round (-3) 33 to finish as the medalist. Dolan hit eight of nine greens in regulation and only needed 14 putts to record five birdies at this match. Senior co-captain Connor Goode needed only 13 putts and had six pars and a pair of birdies. Sophomore Gavin Kvadus rounded out the teams scoring with a 38. Head coach Tom Zelek said after the match, “Timberlin has always been a good test for the team and I’m very happy with the scores we had at a challenging course.”
 
The following day, the team breezed by New Britain (149-263) as Goode and Dolan tied for the match medalists, each posting (-1) 35 at Glastonbury Hills Country Club. Goode had eight pars and one birdie aided by hitting seven greens in regulation. Dolan was consistent, hitting six greens and a half dozen more fairways in regulation. The captains, along with Nick DiNino, each made three birdies. Sophomore Gavin Kvadus only needed 11 putts to post a 39 to round out the team’s score. Zelek is pleased with the golf’s move to autumn, “I believe the move to fall golf was the right one as we continue to see excellent scores and experience excellent weather.” 
 
The Guardians closed the week with a (160-178) victory over Wethersfield at Wethersfield Country Club under windy conditions. Goode and Kvadus shared match medalist honors, each posting rounds of 38. Kvadus hit five greens in regulation to help record seven pars. Dolan hit seven greens in regulation and also posting seven pars, finish with a round of 39. Zelek added, “I couldn’t be happier with our play because of the windy conditions and the notoriously tricky greens at Wethersfield. The team handled every challenge they faced.”
 
GHS Swim and Dive Victorious in Opener
By: Steve Hoyt
 
The Glastonbury High School Girls Swimming and Diving Team opened the season with an impressive win over a talented Hall High School team last Friday afternoon. The Guardians won 9 of the 12 events, winning the swim meet 104-80 to improve to 9-4 all-time against Hall. Riley and Avery Kudlac stormed out of the gates with perfect 4-win afternoons. Rachel Davis had three impressive wins while Annika Paluska and Brooke Sowka added two important wins each. The single winners were Norell Paluska, Francesca Gionfriddo and Madelynn Booth. For Hall High School, Meghan Tiernan had two wins and Jacqui Fox had one.
 
The meet started with a bang as Glastonbury turned in a 1-3 finish in the 200 medley relay. The relay team of Riley Kudlac, Norell Paluska, Rachel Davis and Annika Paluska not only won the event by a full second, but also turned in the 5th fastest time in GHS history with a time of 1:51.88. The relay team of Belle Christensen, Heather Newandee, Lauren Lord and Emily Booth finished 3rd and put the Guardians ahead in the meet with the score 10-4 after the first event.
 
The 200 freestyle was a 1-3-5 finish for GHS. Avery Kudlac dominated the event and won by three seconds. Brooke Sowka was 3rd and Riley Lord was 5th.  Both Kudlac and Sowka qualified for the year-end Class LL Meet with their times. Hall’s Meghan Tiernan easily won the 200 individual medley by three seconds. The Guardians would place 2-3-5. Rachel Davis was 2nd, Norell Paluska was 3rd and Vivian Nguyen was 5th. Both Davis and Paluska qualified for the Class LL Meet.
 
The 50 freestyle was a big event for GHS as they placed 1-2 leaving one of Hall’s top swimmers, Jaqui Fox, all the way back in 3rd place. It was Riley Kudlac and Annika Paluska providing the 1-2 punch and winning the event 10-6 leaving the score of the meet 38-24 entering diving. Both athletes qualified for the Class LL Meet in this event.
 
The first meet of the season can be a tenuous thing for divers since many of them may not have competed in a meet in their lives and even the upper classmen may not have competed in front of another team or fans in two years due to COVID. This makes for a nervous situation, but the GHS divers performed above and beyond expectations by placing 1-2-4. Francesca Gionfriddo had a dream start to her promising diving career at GHS by winning the event, qualifying for the Class LL meet and turning in the ninth highest score in school history with a 192.80-point performance. Anna Hilary was 2nd and even though her score was above the Class LL qualifying mark, she lacked the required DD by a tenth of a point. Alana Mondschein was 4th with a score of 163.00 points.
 
After the break, GHS started with 1-3-5 finish in the 100 butterfly. Avery Kudlac dominated again and won the event by two seconds. Julianne Lui had a fantastic finish to place 3rd, edging Hall’s Julia Seguro by six-tenths of a second. Lauren Lord added a 5th place finish. Kudlac qualified for the Class LL Meet with her time.
 
The Riley Kudlac and Annika Paluska dynamic duo once again placed 1-2 in a sprint freestyle event as they dominated the 100 freestyle. They won the event 10-6, giving the Guardians a commanding 30-point lead with the meet score at 70-40. Both Riley and Annika qualified for the Class LL Meet with their fantastic times. Hall’s Meghan Tiernan dominated the 500 freestyle for her 2nd individual win of the day.  Sowka was 2nd with a Class LL qualifying time, freshmen Paeton Romero looked great and placed 4th and Evie Christensen broke six minutes and placed 5th.
 
The 200 freestyle sprint relay was another great event for GHS as they once again showed off their freestyle strength by placing 1-3 in the event. The relay team of Annika Paluska, Madelynn Booth, Brooke Sowka and Avery Kudlac won the event by over a second while the relay team of Caroline Koziol, Julianne Lui, Emily Booth and Katie Papa placed 3rd.
 
Hall dominated the 100 backstroke with a 1-2 finish. It was Jaqui Fox in 1st for Hall followed by teammate Gwen Bye in 2nd. GHS placed 3-4-5. Belle Christensen was 3rd, Vivian Nguyen was 4th and Natalie Koziol was 5th.
 
The 100 breaststroke would be that clinching event as GHS placed 1-3-4. Rachel Davis held off Mindy Zhao from Hall to produce a hard fought win. Norell Paluska was 3rd and Riley Lord was 4th. Both Rachel and Norell qualified for the Class LL Meet. The event score was 11-5 and the meet was over with the score at 104-68. GHS would swim the last event exhibition.
 
The 400 freestyle relay team of Avery Kudlac, Brooke Sowka, Rachel Davis and Riley Kudlac touched 1st with a 3:43.77, but since they were swimming exhibition, Hall was awarded 1-2 in the event.
 
Overall, the Guardians had a fantastic opening meet and exceeded expectations making the coaches very proud as they have reported that the athletes have been working very hard at practice and that obviously translated to an impressive win.