rare reminder Starting Five: Athletes of the Week

Wethersfield’s Emily Schneider was named the CCC’s Most Outstanding Player as the local girls ice hockey co-op won a second consecutive conference crown. 

Emily Schneider - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Schneider was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Central Connecticut Conference tournament after the Nighthawks—a co-op team featuring players from Wethersfield, Avon, Southington, Newington, RHAM, Lewis Mills, and Coventry—won their second straight conference championship. Schneider, a sophomore at WHS, helped the Nighthawks defeat Northwest Catholic/Mercy (4-1) in the semifinals and Simsbury (4-0) in the conference finals.     
           
Harrison Ranger - Cromwell/Newington (Ice Hockey): Ranger, a senior from CHS, scored two goals and dished out a pair of assists as the Newington/Cromwell co-op scored twice in the final minutes to deal Glastonbury a 5-4 loss on  Feb. 22. After Evan Oliver scored with 1:09 left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4, Ranger found Josh Grimm for the game-winning goal as time expired in regulation. The dramatic win was the seventh straight for the Nor’easters, who extended the streak to eight games with a 5-1 win over Northeastern last Saturday.     
           
Jessica Huang - Rocky Hill (Wrestling): Huang became the first female wrestler at Rocky Hill High School to place at the State Invitational. Huang, a sophomore, won her final match, defeating Adalynn Southworth of Conard (2-1) to secure 5th place at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Feb. 25.  
           
Duke Nower - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Nower, a senior, scored three goals as the Eagles defeated Lyman Hall 7-3 on Feb. 22. Nower’s hat trick powered a Wethersfield team that earned a third straight win. Jack Millen, Sean Millen, Jake Kulvinskas, and Justin Bofiglio (first varsity goal) also scored in the win over Lyman Hall, marking the team’s 14th victory in the last 16 games.   
           
​Lebron Beckford and Gavin Gray - Newington (Basketball): Beckford and Gray came up big when it counted the most, delivering on both ends of the court in the Nor’easters 66-55 win over Middletown in the opening round of the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) tournament. Beckford, a junior, scored 19 points and shined defensively, holding Middletown’s best offensive player to a season-low seven points. Gray, a senior, was the engineer of a potent offense and posted a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.