RHAM High School girls volleyball team won a third straight CIAC state title, defeating Joel Barlow in the championship match on Nov. 18.  The win was the program’s 10th state championship overall. 

For the third straight season, girls volleyball at RHAM High School has been crowed state champions. 

The Raptors defeated Joel Barlow in four sets (25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 25-18) in the Class M title match on Nov. 18 at East Haven High School, capturing the program’s 10th state championship –– with five of those titles coming in the last seven seasons.

In the latest title triumph, Lani Fecho led the way with 27 kills and a dozen digs. Fecho, who was named the Class M tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), is one of a half dozen seniors that will be graduating having never lost a state tournament match. 

When the current seniors entered the high school as freshman in 2020, volleyball was restricted because of the Covid-19 pandemic and there was no postseason or state tournament play. The Raptors still finished undefeated (13-0) in the regular season during the shortened season. 

“Winning this year is the best possible way we could have ended our high school careers. None of the seniors are playing in college, so for us to end this way was incredible,” stated Fecho. “To say that we won a state title every year we could is amazing.”

RHAM’s journey to their latest state title was a little more unique than the previous two seasons because the team had to battle their way through a loaded state tournament bracket, featuring an undefeated team and three teams with only one loss.  

In 2021 the Raptors were the No. 1 seed in the state tourney, breezing through the bracket before beating Simsbury in three sets in the Class L championship match. A year ago, they didn’t lose a single set in the 2022 Class M tourney, which culminated with a sweep of Woodland in the title match. 

After graduating a pair of all-conference players from the 2022 team, RHAM dropped three regular season matches and entered the 2023 state tourney in an unfamiliar territory as a No. 6 seed. One of the Raptors regular season losses was to Joel Barlow, who finished 18-1 and earned the No. 1 seed.    

In order to hang banner No. 10, RHAM needed to beat the top three ranked teams in Class M .

“Last year we lost a bunch of strong seniors, and the underclassmen really had to step up this year,” stated Fecho. “We were super close as a team, and I think it really paid off in the end.”

Once the tourney started, RHAM had to grind out wins over No. 3 Suffield in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Northwestern in the semifinals, before eventually avenging the regular season loss to Joel Barlow in the title tilt. 

In the quarterfinals victory over Suffield, the Raptors dropped the first two sets before rallying to win the last three (14-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-13, 17-15).

Fecho had career-highs in kills (35) and digs (39) in the marathon match, while freshman Rian Calhoun served up a career-high 36 assists. 

In the semifinals win over Northwestern, junior setter Nina Jobes shined, dishing up a career-high 48 assists as the Raptors dominated the final two sets (25-11, 25-12) after splitting the first two frames.  

Jobes continued to spread the wealth in the title match, tallying 46 assists against Joel Barlow. Helping Fecho near the net in the championship match was sophomores Meredith Weir and Cecelia Zito. Weir registered 21 kills and Zito had a game-high eight blocks to lead a defensive charge that also got a team-high 22 digs from junior Neve Tyler. 

Along with a third straight team title, the Raptors also had six players selected All- Central Connecticut Conference (CCC).  Of the all-conference players, only Fecho and Marina McLaughlin will be graduating 

​Jobes, Weir, Tyler, and Caitlin Rydel will all return following all-conference seasons as the team eyes a fourth straight title, which
would duplicate the program’s run from 2007-2010 when RHAM won four consecutive state championships.    

No. 13 Connor Finnerty celebrates a touchdown catch in the second quarter with No. 20 Joshua Smith as No. 79 Jayden Tenney comes over to join the celebration. Photo credit – Glastonbury Sports Photography.  
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After losing 27 seniors and 10 offensive starters from the 2022 playoff team, the Glastonbury High School football team had a lot of unknowns coming into what looked like a rebuilding year this fall.

But the Guardians exceeded expectations, closing the regular season by winning three of their final four games to finish with a 5-5 record. 

Last Friday night they put an exclamation point on the regular season, defeating Simsbury 21-7 at GHS. 

“All week we talked about 5-5 sounding a lot better than 4-6,” head coach Eric Hennessy said following the 14-point victory. “It may not be the record we dreamed of or aspire for around here, but with this young group it’s actually huge.” 

Freshman running back Dante Casdia was a workhorse, rushing for 186 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 34 carries to lead an efficient offense that put together three long-sustaining drives. 

Casdia said it was important for the team to give the seniors the proper sendoff at home. 

“It feels great, we dedicated this game to them,” added Casdia. “I left it all out on the field for them.”

After the Guardians defense forced the visiting Trojans into a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, the Guardians offense marched 47 yards in six plays to take the lead on five-yard touchdown from Casdia, who scampered around the right end for the game’s opening score with 7:39 to play in the first quarter. 

The Guardians then marched 78 yards on a dozen plays on their second possession, which culminated with an 11-yard scoring blast up the middle from Casdia. 

Casdia credited the guys up front, saying of the team’s offensive line, “They are the reason why I could do that and get those yards and touchdowns – it’s all them.”

Hennessy said they knew they had something special in Casdia in training camp, adding that he showed the “instincts” which began to translate onto the field about midway through the season.

“He does things you can’t coach,” added Hennessy. “There’s a bright, bright future for that young man.” 

Late in the first half, Glastonbury used a little razzle-dazzle to add a third touchdown. 

 Sophomore quarterback Connor Finnerty handed the ball to Luke Shannon who rolled to his right before firing a pass towards the left sideline which Finnerty hauled in for a 25-yard touchdown, putting the home team up 21-0 with 1:40 left in the second quarter.

Shannon was the team’s quarterback for a majority of the season, but Hennessy said that Finnerty has grown into the position after excelling at the junior varsity level, earning the start for the finale. 

“It allows us to get the ball in Luke’s hands more and keep defenses honest,” stated Hennessy.  “You saw a little of the blueprint for the future.”

Finnerty and Shannon rotated behind center throughout the game and combined to complete 11 or 12 passes as the Guardians were nearly flawless through the air. 

But it was the Guardians defense that closed the door. The seven points were the fewest the team allowed in a game all season. 
Luke Lavery led the charge with 13 tackles and also intercepted a pass. Lavery, a junior, finished with a team-high 91 tackles this season. 

Middle linebacker Nick Filiault had 10 tackles and two sacks, while Luke Barran also posted 10 tackles. 

Senior captain Sean Stebbins said the team talked about protecting home field prior to the finale. 

“It’s special, real special. It’s always good to leave on a win,” added Stebbins. “We came out and here and showed what we could do.”

Stebbins is one of six seniors that leave the turf at GHS on a high note. Five of the six seniors have been with the team since their freshman year in 2020, which was the year canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Hennessy called his seniors “a tight group” that approached each practice with a workman-like attitude.  

After starting the season with a 21-7 loss in Danbury, the Guardians quickly grew up as a team, winning a thrilling game in week two in Middletown when Camden Combs scored a strip-six when he ripped the ball out of Zy'Kie Askew hands late in regulation before scoring a touchdown. A two-point conversion run by Shannon secured the team’s first victory of the season (14-13). 
Glastonbury also defeated rival East Hartford (26-8) in the team’s home opener on Sept. 28 and earned back-to-back victories over New Britain (22-20) and Conard (37-10) in weeks seven and eight. 

“We took some stumbles along the way and took out lumps, but we continued to come back and continued that process of getting 1% better every day, and it shows,” said Hennessy. “We are truly a better football team now than when we started the season and as a coach that is really the only thing that you can ask for.”

Seven GHS girls cross-country runners finished the 2023 season by competing in Maine earlier this month. From left: Maya Drelichowski, Ava Gattinella, Lila Garbett, Brooke Strauss, Olivia McKay, Jackie Dudus, and Abby Mathew represented the Guardians at the New England Championship in Belfast, ME.  Assistant coach Brian Gaudreau is pictured with the runners.
 
After four illustrious years on the local trails, seniors Jackie Dudus and Ava Gattinella wrapped up their cross-country careers at Glastonbury High School by helping the Guardians to a fourth-place finish at the New England Championship in Maine on Nov. 11.

The team’s finish was the highest of any Connecticut team at the six-state event, which also featured high school teams from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

Junior Brooke Strauss was the first runner from Connecticut to cross the finish line, placing third with a time of 17:49.72, earning her All-New England honors. 

For Dudus and Gattinella, who also run together during indoor and outdoor track seasons, it was their last chance to help a Guardians cross-country program that has been a consistent force since their arrivals.  

“I’m honored, it’s been so great to be part of such a good team,” said Dudus. “There is a lot of competition between ourselves and each one of us pushes each other to do better. I don’t think a lot of people get that chance to be with such a competitive team, so I am grateful to be part of it.”

Gattinella added, “Running three seasons in a row makes us a lot closer [and] we’ve all become super close.”

The current group of seniors entered the high school when the Covid-19 pandemic was still limiting competition. 
As freshmen in 2020, they now-senior runners experienced a restricted fall season with only a few regular season meets and no postseason races in the state.

But over the past three years, the team has made up for the lost time by winning a pair of Class LL titles (2021 and 2022), along with bringing home the State Open title last fall – the program’s first since 2017.

In the State Open victory a year ago, Strauss won the event overall, while Dudus (16th) and Gattinella (21st) rounded out the returning Guardians runners that scored at the meet. 

Head coach Brian Collins commended Dudus and Gattinella for continuing to compete this season despite injury and illness setbacks. 

“They both put a lot of time and effort into it,” added Collins, “Every single sport, every single team goes through sickness and injuries and you hope and pray that it’s not at the wrong time and it was our turn. It’s part of it and you have to live with it.”

Despite the obstacles this season, the team still finished as the runner-up at the Class LL meets and third overall at the State Open. 

Prior to the trip to Maine, Gattinella said the team was going to make the most of their final road trip, while Dudus reflected on the last four years, referring to the team a “second family.”

“We’ve been lucky to have this experience.” Dudus added. “It’s really hard to see a future without the team, but eventually it has to end.”

The team made the most of their time in Maine as the Guardians got revenge on the two teams that edged them at states, besting both Greenwich and Cheshire, who finished one and two in the State Open. 

GHS runners scoring behind Strauss were junior Lila Garbett (58th / 19:17.23), sophomore Abby Mathew (97th / 19:59), Dudus (107th / 20:06), and Gattinella (116th / 20:11). Olivia McKay (20:52) and Maya Drelichowski (22:02) also competed in the event in Belfast, ME.

Drelichowski, a senior who ran cross-country for the first time this fall, said she has enjoyed her experience during her first season on the trails.

“It’s been a lot of fun and you get to push yourself and see how far you can get,” she added. “Everyone is so nice and we all support each other and work off each other to get better,” she added.

Following the class meet, Strauss credited the seniors for having a big influence on her, adding, “I will miss them a lot. They were a year older than me when I came in, but some of them were kind of the reason I joined cross-country.”

“It’s really awesome how friendly everyone is,” added Strauss. “We practice six days a week for two hours, so we spend a lot of time
with each other and have gotten super close”

With Strauss again leading the pack next fall, the team will again be in position to compete against the best teams in the state and regionally. 

Collins said that losing three seniors in his top seven runners this year will be hard to replace, but added that the departing seniors are leaving after having set a positive example. 

​“We appreciate what each of these girls have done and the effort they put in,” added Collins. “To see them keep improving from one season to the next has been special.” 

Mckenna Reynolds (#3) gives junior Alexis Wolf a double high-five as Reynolds is introduced at GHS last Tuesday night. Reynolds, a sophomore setter, surpassed 1,000 career assists during the Guardians second round win on Nov. 9.   

Prior to the team’s opening state tournament game last Tuesday, the three seniors on the Glastonbury High School volleyball team talked about making sure they defend home court. 

Amanda LeClair, Becca Lavoie, and Sam Edelheit did exactly that, each doing their part in a three set win (25-9, 25-10, 25-5), sweeping Enfield in the first round Class LL tournament victory on Nov. 7 at GHS. 

“We just really wanted to do our best and leave it all on the court,” LeClair said following the victory. 

LeClair led a balanced group up front with seven kills, while juniors Lauren Mosca, Kara Shea, and Peighton Snyder each added five.
After winning the first two sets handily, the Guardians put an exclamation point on the victory with a nearly flawless finishing set. 

Glastonbury used a 16-1 run early in the third set to build an insurmountable lead. The run was highlighted by a one-handed diving save by Lavoie that set up a kill by Shea. 

Edelheit came off the bench in the third set to spark the team, registering all three of her kills in the final frame before LeClair ended the set with a kill to put the finishing touches on the tourney win.

“We did a drill in practice about finishing strong,” noted Edelheit. “Our coach told us how we play here will set the stage for states. We wanted to come out strong and finish strong.”

Lavoie added that the seniors have tried to soak in these final matches as much as possible, adding that the trio has enjoyed mentoring the next generation of Guardians  

“I love the up and coming [players]. They are all super talented,” added Lavoie. “I’m absolutely thrilled to play with all of them; they make me want to be better and do the best I can.”

Coming into the first round match, head coach Melissa Reynolds stressed “keeping it business as usual” after the team wrapped up a 16-4 regular season, which included a sweep of Enfield on Senior Night (Oct. 27). 

“We practiced as if we would win,” added Reynolds. “We didn’t want to make too much of it. It didn’t matter if it’s a state game or not, we were going to show up and do our job, and we did.”

Glastonbury carried the momentum over into the next round, sweeping Norwich Free Academy (25-8, 25-12, 25-17) at GHS in round two of the state tourney on Nov. 9.

Lavoie ignited the team in the first set by serving 13 points in a row, which included six aces.

It was also a memorable night for sophomore setter Mckenna Reynolds, who served up 27 assists and surpassed the 1000-assist career mark. In the second set, Reynolds served 10 points in a row during a 10-0 Guardians’ run.

Once again, it was a balanced all-around performance for an offense that produced 31 kills by seven different hitters. Shea led the team with 12 kills and fellow junior Ally Edgington added seven kills. 

Melissa Reynolds said that the combination of Shea and Edgington give the team a “formidable” duo upfront for this season and beyond.  

Mosca and Lavoie led the defense with 13 and 12 digs, respectively. Edgington was also a force at the net, registering three solo blocks at key points in the match. 

The second round victory marked the final time that that Glastonbury’s three senior players would play together at GHS.

The seniors all agreed that it’s “the people” that have made their time with the program special. 

“I love our team,” stated Edelheit.  “I’m amazed everyday how kind everyone is and how uplifting and how fun it is to play with people like that.”

LeClair added “When I look back I will mainly think back about the connections I’ve made because that is what really drives me.”

​Following the pair of home wins, the team proved to be just as good on the road, defeating Amity in Woodbridge last Saturday to advance to the state semifinals.  

Glastonbury High School senior Samantha Cole settles the ball while being defended by Newtown’s Jamie Rowan at GHS during the Guardians 2-1 loss in the first round of the state tourney last Monday. 

Despite controlling the ball for a vast majority of the game and significantly outshooting Newtown, the girls soccer team from Glastonbury High School was eliminated in the first round of the state tourney on Nov. 6 at GHS. 

Newtown’s Lola Kessler scored a pair of goals and Glastonbury’s offense was unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities, particularly in the second half, as the Guardians season ended with a 2-1 loss to the Nighthawks from Sandy Hook. 

GHS head coach Mark Landers stated that the team’s effort was there, yet it didn’t materialize into points.  

“We threw everything we possibly could at it,” added Landers. “But we’ve been struggling to score goals down the stretch and you have to score goals in November to advance.”

It was a completely didn’t story on the other side of the field as the Nighthawks made the most of their limited scoring chances.
Kessler netted her first in the 23rd minute, sending home a shot from close range. 

For the next 57 minutes of gameplay the Guardians completely dominated possession, shooting shots at will against Newtown standout goalie Grace Newsom, who made a handful of spectacular saves.

Glastonbury almost had the equalizer midway through the second half when Samantha Cole sent home a corner kick from Corey Anderson, yet the official determined that Newsom had possession of the ball with both hands when Cole kicked it, negating the score. 

With 4:57 left in regulation, Kessler scored her second on Newtown’s only attack in the second half. 

Down two scores with time dwindling down, the Guardians cut the deficit in half when senior Hailey Moriarty fired a laser shot from the deep right corner, which she netted in the left corner with 4:04 to play. 

Glastonbury continued to attack until the bitter end, but Newsom made jump save on a shot from Caleigh Sullivan to end the Guardians last threat with a minute left in regulation. 

Newsom, a sophomore, finished the match with 12 saves in total. 

“We had good runs, we had good combinations, we won 50/50 balls, but we didn’t get it done,” stated Landers.

The game was the last for seven seniors, including Moriarty (University of Albany) and Angela Chavez (University of Hartford), who have committed to play in college. Cole, Sullivan, Chloe Griffin, Jenna Fradin, and Emily Smith also played their last game at GHS. 
Landers said that the team possesses a fighting spirit this fall, crediting the seniors for leaving it all out on the field.

“That is the mentality we’ve had all season long. That work ethic and that culture have been absolutely off the charts,” added Landers. “Our willingness not to give up, even down two goals, and get right back in the game showed that. It just wasn’t going to happen today.”

The loss ended a tremendous streak for the program, which had made at least the second round of the state tournament in every season since 1988. 

Landers noted that the playoff loss can be used as a teaching tool for the returning players –– a talented group that features all-state midfielder Corey Anderson and starting goalie Faith-Anne Grunwald.

​“The younger players probably learned a lot about what this program is about,” added Landers “We feel collectively that we let our fan base and alumni down, but we worked hard and that is the most important part.”

To say it’s been a fruitful fall for Newington High School’s Katie Bohlke would be an understatement. 

Bohlke, a senior, officially committed to run collegiately at Virginia Tech in early October and then wrapped up her cross-country career in Connecticut by winning a pair of state championships. 

After crossing the finish line first at the Class L championships at Wickham Park on Oct. 28, Bohlke returned to the challenging course in Manchester on Nov. 6 for the final time and ran a personal-best 18:16, taking home the State Open title. Her time at the State Open was 44 seconds faster than her class time and 20 seconds faster the Open’s runner-up, Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury High School. 

“It was unbelievable,” stated Bohlke. “I was super excited, I was happy to be done with Wickham.”

Newington High School cross-country head coach Jennifer Deschenes-Emord referred to Bohlke as a “once in a lifetime athlete.” 

“I’m so thrilled for her and proud of her,” added Deschenes-Emord. “It’s been an honor to coach her. She works so hard, she’s incredibly coachable, and her teammates all look up to her and admire all that she has done.”

Bohlke’s path to first-place finishes has been swift since she became a three-season runner. Her first love was gymnastics, but once
in high school she began to take competitive running more seriously after seeing the success that her older brothers, Joe and Mike Bohlke, had running at NHS. 

“My brothers were a big part of it because they had so much success,” recalled Bohlke. “I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” 
Along with following her brother’s lead, she also created her own path to the front of the pack. 

Over the past four years, Bohlke methotically climbed her way to the top of the leaderboards before breaking through with the State Open title as a senior. 

As a sophomore in the fall of 2021, she finished 6th overall at the Class L championships and 18th overall at the State Open.

A year ago as a junior, she was the fourth finisher during both the Class L and State Open races.

The three girls that finished ahead of her at the 2022 State Open were all returning and Bohlke continued to tirelessly grind during the indoor and outdoor track seasons a year ago to erase that gap for her final cross-country season. 

After placing as the runner-up at the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Championship at Wickham on Oct. 17, Bohlke leap-frogged CCC winner Tess Sherry of Conard to win the Class L race with a time of 19:00 — Sherry (19:43) finished as the runner-up.

For her State Open race, Bohlke’s NHS teammates showed up at Wickham Park with t-shirts donning her name and cheered her on throughout the grueling 3.1 course. 

Bohlke credited her supportive teammates for “the energy I had around me” during the State Open. She also noted that the nearly 40 degree cooler temperatures from the class championship to the State Open allowed her to run a faster pace of 5:54 per mile. 

She also had help through the season from the competition within the conference. The top-five finishers at the State Open were all from the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) and Bohlke noted the local races throughout the season are great preparation for championship season.  

“It definitely helps a lot, because we have so many fast girls in the [conference]”, added Bohlke. “I’m racing them all year and it’s not a surprise when I get to the Open”.

Deschenes-Emord noted that Bohlke and her conference competitors “support each other and that’s what is so great about cross country.”

With the cross-country season wrapping up, Bohlke will next focus on the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons before starting her new journey at Virginia Tech. 

Bohlke said that the Division I school in Blacksburg, VA checked all the boxes and added the close proximity to her brother, Mike,
who is currently running for George Washington University, also went into the decision –– which she called “extremely hard.”. 

“I was picking from a lot of great schools that I loved,” Bohlke said of her collegiate choice. “But the academics are good there and so are there athletics, and that’s what I was looking for.”

Bohlke added that, over the last handful of years, running has become a part of her identity that she’ll take long beyond competition.   

“It’s taught me so much and shaped me as a person,” she added. “It’s the reason for most of my relationships.” 

Deschenes-Emord believes that Bohlke’s work ethic will help her at the highest level of collegiate competition, adding “Katie is always pushing herself to the upper limit. She does whatever it is she has to do –– there are no days off for her.” 

But before the speedster jets off to Virginia to join the Hokies, Bohlke has two more athletic seasons left at NHS where she wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year with her friends locally.

As for goals, Bohlke has a simple approach.

​“Of course I’d like to get PRs, but I just want to finish out my last year running as hard as I can,” she noted. 

Cameryn Hickey and Taylor Ursin - Cromwell High School (Soccer): Hickey, a senior, and Ursin, a freshman, each netted a hat trick as the Panthers advanced through the first two rounds of the Class S state tournament. Hickey scored her three goals as Cromwell defeated Montville in the first round of Nov. 6. Katrina Barber added a pair of goals, while Haley Savoir and Olivia Fortenback each netted a goal in the opening round victory. In round two, Ursin tallied her three goals as the Panthers eliminated Windham Tech 6-1 on Nov. 8.

Ciaran Bailey - Wethersfield High School (Soccer): Bailey, a junior, scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Eagles beat Pomperaug 2-1 in the first round of the Class L state tournament on Nov. 7. Bailey’s decisive goal came with an assist from senior goalie Nate Morris in the extra session and Julian Kuye scored the Eagles goal in regulation as the team left Cottone Field on a high note. 

Anthony Jr Napoletano and Colin Alemany - Newington High School (Soccer): Napoletano and Alemany each scored a goal during the Nor’easters 2-1 win over Bassick in the opening round of the Class L tournament on Nov. 7. The Nor’easters entered the state tourney as the No. 24 seed before traveling to Bridgeport to knock off the No. 9-seeded Lions. 

Kyle Demarest - Rocky Hill High School (Soccer): Demarest registered his ninth shutout of the season as the Terriers blanked Nonnewaug 2-0 in the Class M quarterfinals on Nov. 11. Demarest, a senior, led the defensive charge as Noah Kazmierczak and Ziam Guster provided the goals on offense. Kazmierczak’s goal was assisted by Jason Nadeau and Guster’s goal was assisted by Robert Bush as the No. 7-seeded Terriers upset the No. 2-seeded Chiefs in Woodbury. 

​Kayla Ward - Wethersfield High School (Soccer): Ward scored the decisive goal as the Eagles edged Bristol Central 2-1 in the first round of the Class L tournament on Nov. 6 at Cottone Field. Ward, a senior, scored the game-winner and Alana Burnell scored the other goal as Wethersfield advanced to round two. 
To nominate an athlete for The Starting Five or with sports-related comments, email [email protected]
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 Members of the East Hampton volleyball team celebrate after the Bellringers won the Shoreline Conference for the second straight season on Nov. 3. 

For the second straight season, the girls volleyball team at East Hampton High School are the Shoreline Conference (SLC) champions.

The Bellringers brought another conference championship banner back to Belltown after defeating Valley Regional in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23) at Haddam-Killingworth High School on Nov. 3.

East Hampton head coach Molly Grabowski noted that it took everything her team had to beat a Warriors team from Deep River that featured “great coaches and some key players who can hit the ball.”  

“We knew that we needed to play our best to win.” Grabowski added.  “They tested us, but I was really impressed at our composure and poise throughout the match. There were some big moments that required players to step up and they did.”

Mackenzie Player registered a career-high 24 kills and added four blocks to lead a potent Bellringers’ frontline that hammered down 57 total kills. 

Player, a senior, credited Grabowski for creating a winning environment that has allowed the team to thrive “through this journey.” 
 
“We’ve all worked so hard throughout this past season to be where we are today,” added Player. “Being able to push ourselves the past two years to win the Shoreline Championship has been a big accomplishment for the whole team.”

Senior captain Chelsea Woods initiated the offensive change with 46 assists (career-high) and had a team-high two aces.  Amber Murphy, also a senior captain, added 11 kills and blocked four shots. 

“Throughout the year, we became stronger and more diverse with our offense, which helped us greatly in this game,” noted Grabowski.

It was a group effort defensively with a handful of players leading the way. Delaney Russell posted a team-high 29 digs, while Player (25), Woods (24), Olivia DeMartino (22), and Stephanie Martin (14) also posted double-digit digs. 

After splitting the first two sets, Easy Hampton’s biggest test came in set three when they faced a significant deficit with Valley serving for game point. Woods took over and led a rally, serving out the crucial set.

Grabowski praised the efforts of Woods, Murphy, Russell, DeMartino, and Martin, along with senior Madison Reola and sophomore Lila Babcock.

But it was Player who Grabowski called the “go to” hitter for the title match.

“She is probably one of the hardest hitting outsides I’ve seen and she played aggressively and smart,” Grabowski said of the prolific Player. 
 
After winning their final 17 matches of the regular season to finish with a record of 19-1, East Hampton entered the conference tourney as the No. 1 seed and earned a first round bye before knocking off Hale Ray in the semifinals to reach the conference title match. 

In the three-set win (25-16, 25-15, 25-21) over Hale Ray on Nov. 1, the Bellringers dominated from start to finish at EHHS.

Murphy had seven kills and three blocks, while Woods had 25 assists and three aces. As she did in the conference finals, Russell again led the team with 21 digs. 

Following the tourney, Woods was named a SLC Player of the Year and was one of four Bellringers to be selected All-Conference.

Woods and Murphy made the first-team, Player was selected to the second-team, and DeMartino was named to the honorable mention team.

Prior to winning conference last fall, the Bellringers had gone three seasons without a conference title – previously winning the SLC in 2018. 

Yet over the last two years the Bellringers have been the model of consistency during their consecutive conference triumphs. 

Entering the 2023 Class M state tournament, East Hampton has won 43 of their last 45 matches, dating back to the beginning of
2022 season. Along with the pair of conference titles, the two-year run also includes a state championship a year ago when the team captured the program’s first ever state title, defeating Hale Ray in the Class S state championship.

​Grabowski said of her current squad, “This is a resilient, gritty group of players who play hard for every point.”

Here are the Rivereast Standouts of the Week for the week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5:

Calista Nephew - East Hampton/Mercy High School: Nephew, a resident of East Hampton who is a junior at Mercy High School, helped her team win the program’s first cross-country state championship since 1993. Nephew finished 12th overall at the Class M Championships at Wickham Park in Manchester on Oct. 28 – earning her first-team All-State honors – as the Middletown-based Tigers won the events as a team after having all eight runners finish in the top-20, including overall winner Sarah Roberts.  

Katie Laverty - Portland High School (Volleyball): Laverty was named to the All-Shoreline Conference (SLC) honorable mention team after a productive fall on a historic Highlander squad. Laverty, a junior, was one of three captains – joining senior Elvira Medunjanin and junior Ella Royea – that helped navigate the Highlanders through their initial season at a varsity level.    

Brady Hulland - RHAM High School (Football): Hulland, a senior quarterback, tossed three touchdowns as the Raptors defeated Rocky Hill 27-7 on Senior Night at RHAM High School on Nov 4. All three of Hulland’s aerial scores went to Caden Bellmore and running back Joey Fahey put the game on ice with a long touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Raptors improved to 4-4. The team next travels to Farmington High School for a conference battle with the (2-5) River Hawks tonight (Friday, Nov. 10). Kickoff is 6 p.m.   

Riley Anderson - Bacon Academy (Swimming): Anderson re-broke the Glastonbury High School pool record in the 50 Freestyle and then set a new pool mark in the 100 Freestyle at the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) East Championships on Nov. 2. Anderson, a sophomore that swims for the Manchester High School co-op, broke the GHS pool record in the 50-Free a year ago and set a new mark of 23.44 while winning the event this year. Her time of 51.37 in the 100-Free was also good enough to win and set a new pool record. 

​To nominate an athlete as a Standout of the Week or with sports-related questions, email [email protected].

[Brooke Strauss (left) finished second at the Class LL state cross-country championships last week. On the right, Crawford Cauthen was the first GHS runner to finish in the boy’s race, placing 24th.
  
The girls cross-country team at Glastonbury High School finished second overall at the Class LL state championship and junior Brooke Strauss finished as the runner-up individually. 

Strauss crossed the finish line with a time of 19:05, placing behind only Esme Daplyn — a senior from Greenwich High School.

After leading in the early stages of the race, Strauss had eyed a first place finish before Daplyn overtook the lead on her way to an individual title with a time of 18:53. 
 
“Each race you learn something,” Strauss said following the grueling 3.1 miles course. “I had high expectations going into it, but it was super tough and everyone is working hard trying to battle.”

Head coach Brian Collins stated that Strauss, last year’s State Open champion, has grown as a competitor. 
 
“She’s taken it to another level this year. Maybe today she got out too fast, but Brooke has continued to train well and done well,” added Collins. 

It was a double dip for Greenwich, which also won the event overall as a team, placing three runners in the top 10 spots and five runners in the top 20.

The efforts of the Cardinals from Greenwich were too much for the Guardians, who were seeking a third straight state championship after winning the Class LL title in both 2021 and 2022. 

“The team was as ready as we could be at this point,” said Collins. “The girls ran the best they could today, but hats off to Greenwich, they ran a great race. What they did from top to bottom was phenomenal –– we would have had to have had a great race to beat them.”

The Class LL cross-country championships were originally slated for Saturday, Oct. 28 and the other five divisions (Class S, Class SS, Class M, Class MM, and Class L) were completed as scheduled, but concerns over heat and proper medical personnel in Manchester forced the delay of the Class LL races — moving it to last Tuesday. 

The temperatures on Tuesday were much cooler, yet the course was still slow due to the extreme amounts of precipitation that have hit Connecticut in recent months. 

Strauss said the course was “treacherous” in spots, adding “It was a little tough…you can’t think about running super-fast, you just have to think about making it through.”

Despite not bringing home a championship banner for the third straight season, the Guardians again shined at the event, besting 13 other teams. 

Sophomore Abigail Mathew was the second GHS runner to cross the finish line, placing 11th with a time of 20:07 and her top-12 finish secured her a spot on the All-State team, along with Strauss.

Mathew’s time was 40 seconds faster than her conference championship time at the same venue from a few weeks earlier and Collins said the speedy sophomore has continued to impress with each passing meet, adding “hopefully this is a breakthrough race for her.”

Lila Garbett (15th / 20:42), Jackie Dudus (16th / 20:46), Olivia McKay (27th / 21:30), Ava Gattinella (28th / 21:33) and Maya Drelichowski (54th / 23:07) rounded out the GHS runners that participated in the multi-school events, which featured 99 total runners that finished. 

Collins added that the program’s three-year run, which includes a State Open championship in 2022, is a credit to the current group of runners and the legacy left by the last two graduating classes.  

On the boy’s side, sophomore Crawford Cauthen led the Guardians by placing 24th overall with a time of 17:11. Cauthen’s time was the third-fastest run by an underclassman. 

“It was really muddy, it was tough to get around people,” Crawford said of the course. “I felt really good, but I did not push myself enough.”

As a freshman a season ago, Crawford finished 50th with a time of 17:50.

​He credited his training in the offseason, allowing him more strength on the hills, along with improving both “mentally and physically” that enabled him to shoot up the leaderboards and knock 40 seconds off his 2022 time.