Top 18 Local High School Sports Moments of 2018

#1: Sullivan, Eagles Baseball Triumph
Wethersfield baseball won the Class L championship, defeating Windsor 16-4 at Palmer Field in Middletown on June 8. All-state senior slugger Jimmy Sullivan cranked two home runs and added a pair or triples, and pitcher Tim Blaisdell held the top-seeded Warriors lineup at bay to bring a title to WHS. It ended a remarkable turnaround for the Eagles, who lost 14-4 to Windsor in the regular season and entered the Class L tournament as the #7 seed. Things turned once the tourney started thanks to the hot bats of Sullivan, Tyler Fote, Mark Bagdasarian Jr, and Derek Tenney, who helped propel the program to their first championship. Photo: Kelly Blaisdell

#2: Stockman Gets the Triple Crown
Rocky Hill’s Elizabeth Stockman had a year that many runners can only dream about. It started when she won the 1600 and 3200 meters at the Class M Indoor Track championships on Feb 9 and a state title in the 3200M at the State Open on Feb 17. Her success continued during outdoor track season when she again took home first place in the 1600 and 3200 at the class meets on May 29 and captured the championship in the 1600 at the State Open on June 4. Rocky Hill’s running prodigy polished off her magnificent year with another title at the Class M Cross Country finals on October 26. She’s currently adding to her running list of accomplishments as 2018 comes to a close.

#3: Cromwell Basketball Adds Another Championship Banner
The basketball programs at Cromwell are synonymous with winning and the boys’ team took home the ultimate prize in 2018, defeating Wamogo 58-40 to capture the Division V state title at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 17. Senior Noah Budzik scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore Gabe Charleston added 10 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks to help the program win their first title since 2009. The Panthers were down at the half but controlled the tempo in the second half, which included a dominant fourth quarter when they outscored their counterparts 18-4. They say you can’t spell championship without CHS. 

#4: Business as Usual for Newington Volleyball
Newington boys’ volleyball captured their fourth state championship in the last five years, downing Joel Barlow in five sets on June 7. Louis Egbuna had 23 kills and seven aces, and Leonel Caceres added 21 kills as the Indians ended the marathon match by winning the decisive fifth set 15-13. Senior setter Dan Cloutier dished out 54 assists, libero Collin Liedke had 20 digs, and Teddy Fravel added six blocks in the title tilt at Shelton High School. The scary news for the rest of the state…Egbuna, Caceres, Liedke, and Fravel will all be back on the court for Newington this spring.

#5: Rocky Hill’s Road Dawgs
The story of Rocky Hill’s boys’ basketball team ended at Mohegan Sun with a 55-40 loss to Kolbe Cathedral in the Division IV championship game on March 18. But it wasn’t the loss that defined their season, it was the journey. The Terriers limped into the tournament as the #26 seed, following an 8-12 regular season, but flipped a switch once the tourney started and won four road games to reach the title game. The tourney wins included a come-from-behind 70-67 overtime thriller against #2 St. Bernard in the quarterfinals and a convincing victory over #3 Wilcox Tech in the semifinals. Seniors Ryan Robinson, Will White, Jordan DelMastro, and Andrew DiMatteo led tourney run, which head coach Josh Dinerman simply defined as “special”.

#6: Francis Finishes First
Wethersfield’s Abigail Francis closed out her illustrious high school swimming career in style, winning the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke at the Class L finals on November 13 at SCSU and then placed second at the 200 IM during the State Open on November 16 at Yale. The record-breaking and All-State swimmer also teamed with Alanna DePinto, Olivia Thompson, and Alyssa Pearce for a state championship in 200 Freestyle Relay at the class finals. Davison College is getting one of the most accomplished swimmers to ever come out of the area and someone that helped take an excellent swimming program to another level in 2018.

#7: Local Leapers Reach New Heights
Wethersfield’s George Stoughton and Middletown’s DeAaron Lawrence both jumped into another stratosphere in 2018. Stoughton won the high and long jumps at the Class L Indoor Track & Field finals on February 8 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center. Lawrence nearly pulled off a state championship jumping trifecta at the Class L Outdoor Track & Field finals on May 29, winning the high and triple jump, and finishing third in the long jump. The jump men have, literally, set a very high bar for the next generation of leapers.  

#8: Terriers Baseball Shocks the State
Rocky Hill baseball pulled off the biggest upset of the baseball season in the first round on the Class M tourney, knocking off Haddam-Killingworth 4-1 on May 29. The Terriers won only six games during the regular season and where the last team (32nd) to qualify for the tourney, but sent shockwaves through the baseball community when they eliminated the top-seeded Cougars, who had finished the regular season 18-2. Matt Rados earned the win on the mound and Matt Sevigny had two hits and a pair of RBI in arguably the biggest upset in Connecticut high school athletics during 2018. 

#9: Three’ing is Believing for Eagles Basketball
Wethersfield girls’ basketball hit 15 three pointers and survived with a 71-69 overtime win over East Lyme, advancing to the Class L semifinals on March 8. Alice Kelly and Isabella Samse each knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, and Nicole Gwynn registered a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The win was extra special because the Eagles erased a large halftime deficit in front of their home fans and advanced to the semis for the first time since 2010.

#10: Karstetter and Wright’s Big Night
The quarterback-wide receiver combo of Bryce Karstetter and Nick Wright wasted little time lighting up the skies this fall, hooking up for three touchdowns in Cromwell/Portland’s season-opening 35-21 win over Rockville on September 7. Karstetter finished with five total touchdowns, throwing for 300 yards and four scores and adding another touchdown on the ground. Wright, who was playing in his first organized high school football game, hauled in nine passes for 199 yards and the three scores. The senior duo would go on to set state highs and break program records in 2018.

#11: Seventh Heaven for Robidoux
Scott Robidoux was a consistent force for Newington lacrosse this season, but it was his effort in a 16-4 win over Lyman Hall on April 14 that put his name on the map. Robidoux scored seven goals and added an assists as the Indians won their fourth game in their first five contests to start the 2018 season. The junior attacker ended up leading the team in goals as Newington won 10 games in the regular season. There’s no telling what he has in store for 2019.

#12: Lukens Nets 1000
Nikki Lukens helped Rocky Hill girls’ basketball reach the semifinal round for the first time in the program’s history and even though they came up short in the semis, Lukens surpassed the 1000-point barrier during her 19 point performance in defeat on March 9. What makes it even more impressive is that Lukens achieved the accomplishment in her junior year and is currently adding to her impressive point total as 2018 winds down.

#13: Upset Special for Middletown Soccer
Middletown boys’ soccer pulled off a shocker in the first round of Class L, defeating East Lyme 3-2 on November 6. The Blue Dragons were the last team to qualify for the tourney, entering as the #27-seed, but upset the 12-win Vikings behind a pair of goals from Gael Badibanga and another from Joao Oliveira.  
  
#14: Rally Kids in Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill softball has made its living coming back from large deficits since Tyler Catlin took over as head coach, and 2018 was no different. The Terriers had two crazy comebacks over a five-day span in the spring, starting with a 9-8 win over East Hartford on May 10. Rocky Hill trailed 8-1, but rallied with eight straight runs, capped off by Sophie Kurdziel’s walk-off RBI. On May 14, Kurdziel had two hits, a run, and an RBI in a comeback victory Wethersfield. The Terriers fell behind the Eagles 6-0 after two innings but Kurdziel, Rachel Roncaoili, Melanie Tejeda, and Megan Khanna had timely hits as Rocky Hill again rallied for a 9-6 victory. The bottom line is that no lead is safe at Elm Ridge Park.

#15: Fulton Freestyles
Wethersfield senior Blake Fulton finished his high school career with a state title, winning the Class M 100 Freestyle on March 13 at Cornerstone. Fulton was also the runner-up in the 100 Backstroke and was part of the 200 Medley relay team that finished second. The Eagles finished third overall thanks to Fulton’s strong effort and a well-rounded team. Who said that Eagles weren’t strong swimmers?

#16: Budzik Blanks Coginchaug
Noah Budzik always saves his best stuff for the biggest moments, including striking out 10 during a complete-game shutout of Coginchaug to win the Shoreline Championship on May 25. Budzik allowed only four hits and Jared Valentin drove in Nick McCaleb for the game’s only run. Cromwell being crowned as conference champs has a nice ring to it. 
   
#17: High Five for Rocky Hill and Wethersfield Volleyball
Rocky Hill and Wethersfield treated local fans to a five-set volleyball showcase on October 22 at WHS. The home Eagles won two of the first three sets, but the Terriers stormed back to take the final two sets behind Julia O’Connor, who finished with 19 kills. Amanda Schuman added 33 assists for the Terriers, and Megan Kelleher had 12 kills and seven aces for the Eagles. The rivalry match had added implication as it qualified Rocky Hill for the state tournament and eliminated Wethersfield from postseason contention.    

#18: Eagles Field Hockey Downs Goliath
Wethersfield field hockey always circles Glastonbury on their schedule and on October 3 they added a W next to the circle. With just over three minutes left in a scoreless game, Logan Lisella came off the bench and scored on an assist from Kate Anzidei.  Goalie Anna Kallajian and the Eagles fierce defense secured the 1-0 shutout in front of the home faithful. It was yet another step in the right direction for a blossoming program.

Bonus: Frazier Steals the Show
Junior Ashanti Frazier was tenacious on both ends of the court as Newington girls’ basketball defeated New Britain 52-38 on December 13. Frazier scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but it was her 10 steals that stole the spotlight.

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