Glastonbury High School Winter Sports Preview

After leading the team in scoring as a sophomore, Maddy Handrahan returns to lead the GHS girls basketball team that is coming off a 17-3 season and a trip to the state quarterfinals last winter. Photo: Glastonbury Sports Photography. 

Boys Basketball
Veteran head coach Jim Vaughan returns to lead a team that won 14 of 20 regular season games before losing an overtime heartbreaker to Trumbull in the first round of the Division II state tournament. 

The Guardians suffered another blow in the offseason when they lost leading scorer Connor O’Leary to a knee injury. O’Leary was an all-state player as a junior, averaging over 19 points per game. 
 
“My heart as well as his teammates [hearts] go out to him and his family as he continues his recovery,” stated Vaughan. “I know Connor will come through this stronger than ever and go on to have a great collegiate career.”

With O’Leary out, versatile junior David Smith and senior center Drew Burns will assume even larger roles. 

As a sophomore, Smith averaged 18 points per game and is currently fielding collegiate offers. Burns returns to man the middle after averaging nine points per game a year ago.   

Vaughan said his pair of returning starters have the ability to carry the team, adding, “The two of them give us a nice 1-2 punch and we believe our other players will step up to help these two. We have a lot of depth and a lot of kids who can help us.”

Senior Matt Wilkinson, along with junior Mike Carroll, Khian Morris, Jack Shaheen and Andrew Ossino will be other veteran voices in the rotations. Underclassmen Danny Wallace, Becket Freeman, Josh Smith, Brody Cummings will also play important roles. 

The team starts the season on the road, visiting Berlin on Thursday, Dec. 14 before returning home for back-to-back games against Tolland (Tuesday, Dec. 19) and Southington (Thursday, Dec. 21). All three games will tip-off at 6:45 p.m.  

Girls Basketball
After a 17-3 regular season and a trip to the state quarterfinals, head coach Chris Vozzolo welcomes back a talented roster led by all-conference junior guard Maddy Handrahan.

Handrahan, a two-year starter, will captain the team with seniors Lily Woodworth, Sammy Grote, and Brianna Jordan.

Over her first two years at GHS, Handrahan has scored 515 points and is the most experienced returner that will take on an expanded leadership role this winter.

Vozzolo said that Woodworth’s ability to score on all levels of the court gives the team offensive versatility. He also noted that Grote and Jordan will help solidify the team on both ends of the court, while junior Maja Skopic has further developed her game in the offseason and will help the Guardians offensively will her ability to score in a variety of ways.

With a challenged schedule, Vozzolo said the team will be tested often, adding, “The CCC west is loaded with strong teams and our out-of-conference schedule matches us against some perennial powerhouse programs.”
           
“We will look to be ahead in defense and rebounding as we are focused on that during the preseason,” stated Vozzolo. “Our culture is top notch and we have unreal athletes ready to take the season on full steam.”

The team starts the season on a three-game road trip before returning to GHS for their home opener on Monday, Dec. 18 against Berlin at 6:45 p.m.

Boys Ice Hockey
Behind terrific play from goalie Patrick Sullivan, the Guardians scored a pair of impressive victories late last season to qualify for the state tournament. 

Sullivan, a junior, returns between the pipes for a third straight season and head coach Ken Barse noted that Sullivan is “battle-tested” thanks to his previous two years of experience. 

“He will have a big, strong defensive unit in front of him that will be solid and will help to limit our opponent’s time in our zone,” stated Barse. 

Helping Sullivan on the back end will be defensive captain Sean Huempfner, along with senior Xander Martin (a transfer from Cussing Academy) and sophomore Liam Resto.

Powering the offensive will be senior captains Michael Rodriguez and Ben Jean, along with junior Jack Christina.

Barse said his trio of forwards can all “create scoring chances and bury the puck as well.”

“This year’s team will be an older, stronger team with have more depth than the last three seasons,” stated Barse. “[Our] team defense will be the key and good leadership from our senior and junior classes should carry us deep into the playoffs.”

The team plays home games at Trinity College in Hartford and, after a pair of road games, they welcome North Haven to Trinity on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Girls Ice Hockey
Head coach Frank Usseglio returns to lead the Storm, a co-op featuring players from GHS, East Catholic, South Windsor, Tolland, and Rockville.

The Storm has reached the state semifinals in each of the past two seasons, only to fall in a close contest to the eventual state champion.

Lola Espirito-Santo, a junior goalie from GHS, is slated to protect the net again with the help of junior goaltender Sarah Gionfriddo (a transfer from Worcester Academy). 

Returning defenders helping the goaltenders are senior captain Mallory Pierz, junior Karolina Prytko, sophomores Kasey Pierz and Juliana Sirois, along with GHS freshman Olivia Bissell. 

A trio of Glastonbury players will also help ignite the offense. Senior Lexi Pacheco (a Nichols College commit) returns as a left wing following a 15 point season as a junior, while senior Maddie Archambault will be an assistant captain on the right wing, and Deirdre McKiernan will be a sophomore center for the team. 

Liliana Ficaro of South Windsor returns after posting 19 goals a season ago. Senior Audrey Molin, juniors Edith Hayes and Maya Fisher, and sophomore Charlotte Laramee are also back to help the offense. 

With Lexi Pacheco and Ficaro powering the offense, Usseglio believes he has his strongest group of forwards in nearly a decade. 
After coming on the cup of a championship the last two seasons, Usseglio said, “We have a group motivated to try to break through the ceiling.”

The team plays home games at Newington Ice Arena and are slated to host Darien in their home opener on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. 

Wrestling
Following a solid season last winter in which they had a Top-10 finish at the conference championships, Jake Jones returns to lead a motivated group of Guardians who are seeking to move up in the standings. 

Troy Giaccone, who won an individual conference title as a junior last winter, heads a strong senior class that also includes Ryan Ouellette, Sidrit Ferizaj, and Andrew De La Rosa. Juniors Michael Norman, Kyle Amirault, and Christopher Ouellette will help be veteran voices, on and off the mat. 

Jones stated that he is optimistic that the returning wrestlers can make waves at the State Open this season. 

“This team has been improving a lot over the last couple of years and we look to continue our success this season,” stated Jones. “We want to see a lot of these guys standing on that podium in New Haven come February.”

The team opens the season on the road at Avon on Wednesday, Dec. 20 before hosting GHS Guardian Grapple Duals on Friday, Dec. 29 at 9 a.m.

Jones added that the team will dedicate the season to the De La Rosa family, as they have been experiencing severe hardship over the past year.

Boys Indoor Track and Field
Head coach Mark Alexander has a deep group coming back that is aiming to follow up on the success of last winter.  

“This year's indoor track and field team is a nice mixture of talented seniors with a promising sophomore class,” Alexander said of the team. 

Jace Lewis, Tye Karpicky, and Kiyan Atighechi head a solid senior class that also includes Aiden Katzman, Nate Lawrence, Emmet Dickinson, Muhammad Hasson, Teddy Lindlauf, Gus Selleck, and Max Pawelek

Juniors Robbie Caruso, Gabe Kvadus, and Jack Kelly will help from both a leadership and production standpoint. 

The future is also bright as Crawford Cauthen, Sam Hageman, Diego Aguilar, and Henfry Adams highlight a strong sophomore class that also features, Jaxon Fiske, Tyler Barker, Kyle Hageman, and Miles Dickson

Alexander said it will be important for all the athletes to do their part in order for the team to have continued success at both the conference and state meets. 

The team is slated to host a handful of meets this season, with the first one scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. 

Girls Indoor Track and Field
Following three straight Class LL titles, head coach Brian Collins again has a roster loaded with talent on both the track and in the field. 

“We have a very good group of returning athletes and potentially some good new athletes for the winter season,” stated Collins.
“We’re very fortunate to have many good leaders on the team to help the new and inexperienced girls learn from. Hopefully we’ll get better each day and each meet but it starts each day at practice.”

Individual state champions Annika Paluska (600 meters) and Brooke Strauss (1000 and 1600 meters) will lead a well-rounded group of runners that spans all the distances. Skylar Fiske, Celina Rodrigues, Azariah Santavenere, Avery Olschefskie and Alissa Thompson-Webb will focus on sprints. Maya Drelichowski and Alex Edwards will handle mid-distances, while Jackie Dudus – Lila Garbett, Ava Gattinella, Abby Mathew and Olivia McKay will take on the longer runs. 

In the field, Maija Adams, Sarah Christina, Jenna Fradin, Anna Hilary, Eloise Mulready, and Mackenzie Rinaldo will handle the duties.
After winning both the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) and the state title last winter, Collins said the goals remain the same for the upcoming season.

“It’ll be tough with some very strong teams in our conference and class,” added Collins. “With the many good returners back this season, we should be able to cover most of the events in the different areas and be a complete team.” 

Depth will again play a role and Collins added that staying healthy is always a priority.   

“With the hard work, determination and dedication of these athletes, they have a great opportunity to have an outstanding season,” noted Collins.

The team is slated to host a handful of meets this season, with the first one scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. 

Gymnastics
After a year hiatus, Yvette Sima returns to coach a team that had a top-five finish at the Class L state championships last winter. 
Sydney Salazar, Macey Burns, Anna Edwards, and Jillian Jarvis all return after each playing pivotal roles in the state championship event a year ago. 

Sima said the four key returning gymnastics will lead the way in competition, yet it will take an entire team effort this winter.

“Every individual is an important part of the team and they are all talented,” added Sima.  “I am looking forward to getting to know and work with some of the returning athletes from last year and thrilled to have some new and talented athletes joining us for the first time this season.”

The team’s home meets are at Gymnastics Express Too with the first one scheduled for Friday, Jan. 5 against Farmington at 7:15 p.m.

Ski Racing
Head coach Tom Zelek returns a pair of skiers that qualified for the end of the season “Shootout” last winter in Alex Bulger and Ainsley Latz, who each earned the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards a season ago.  

Bulger, a junior coming off a 2nd place finish at the “Shootout”, will captain the boys team with junior Ryan Sarni. Latz, a junior, will
captain the girls squad with seniors Eva Giliberto and the Sydney Waltz.

Other boys to watch are senior Michael Petrone, along with sophomores Leyton Bulger (Alex’s brother) and Kory Wells.

On the girls side, junior Elizabeth Stutz along with sophomores Clementine Citroen and Julia Wold are expected to make an impact. 

This season will also mark the first time that the program will have a team manager, as Brooke Liebler will handle a lot of the details and help run the day-to-day operations. 

Zelek noted that a lack of snow made conditions challenging a season ago, forcing most races to be run with artificial snow, and he hopes that this winter yields more fresh powder. 

“We had a relatively young team of which most everyone is returning this year, so with their experiences last year we see a bright future,” stated Zelek, who added that returning skiers worked hard in the offseason. “[They] were very enthusiastic and dedicated in making the improvements needed to be successful.”

Zelek added that both the boys and girls teams were within fractions of a second to qualifying for states a season ago and expressed that with the abundance of experiences coming back, the prospects look good this winter.

The team both practices and competes at Mount Southington with the first race scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. 

GHS senior wrestler Troy Giaccone celebrates after winning a conference title earlier this year. Giaccone returns as a senior leader for a Guardians team looking to make the next step as a team. Photo: Glastonbury Sports Photography.