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When we happen to come across digital postings about NHS sporting events, we like to post them here to share with visitors to our web site. If you happen to see an article that we missed, please send a link along to our webmaster and we will add it as soon as possible. Just send the link to webmaster@norwalkhighsports.org.
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Posted on 06/01/2010
The Norwalk boys and girls lacrosse teams were eliminated from the state tournament Tuesday afternoon.
The Norwalk boys team dropped a heart-breaking 9-8 decision in a qualifying round game against Amity in Woodbridge. The 18th-seeded Bears finished the season 7-10 overall while No. 15 Amity (9-8) moves on to face No. 2 Cheshire in the first round Thursday at 3 p.m.
The Norwalk girls team, seeded 26th in the 26-team field, suffered a 14-4 setback against seventh-seeded New Milford in another qualifying-round game. Norwalk, which reached the state tournament for the first time in school history, finished the season at 6-10-1 overall. The Green Wave (12-4) will host the winner of today's game between Staples and Ridgefield on Thursday.
Posted on 05/31/2010
By GEORGE ALBANO
Hour Staff Writer
They call it the "second season" for a reason, and for several area high school teams it begins today.
In fact, the 2010 CIAC state tournament actually began on Saturday with qualifying-round games in baseball and softball. But 20 area teams in baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse, girls tennis, and boys and girls track all swing into action this afternoon.
Four of the area's five baseball teams are scheduled to play, including Norwalk High, which is home against Glastonbury in a Class LL first-round game beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Malmquist Field. The Bears, 14-6 during the regular season and coming off a first-round upset loss to St. Joseph's in the FCIAC playoffs, are seeded No. 11 in the 34-team Class LL field. Glastonbury, 11-9, is No. 22.
Brien McMahon, also 11-9, is seeded 23rd in Class LL and will travel to No. 10 Newington today for a first-round meeting at 3:30 p.m. The Senators are hoping for some déjà vu after qualifying for last year's state tourney as the 27th-seeded team with a 10-10 record, and then knocking off four straight higher-seeded teams to reach the Class LL state final where they lost to West Haven 1-0.
Meanwhile, Staples is seeded No. 2 in Class LL after going 18-2 in the regular season, and the Wreckers will be at home today against No. 31 Hamden in a 3:30 start. Hamden beat No. 34 Crosby 3-1 in one of those Saturday qualifying games.
Weston will also be playing at home today as the Trojans, seeded 13th in Class M with a 14-6 mark, hosts No. 20 Nonnewaug (12-8) in another 3:30 start.
The area's fifth baseball team, Wilton High School, is seeded No. 3 in Class L with a 16-4 record and drew a first-round bye. The Warriors will swing into action Wednesday with a 3:30 p.m. home game against the winner of today's game between No. 14 Sheehan (13-7) and No. 19 East Haven (11-9).
All four area softball teams that qualified for the state tourney will also be in action today, all of them on the road in 4 p.m. starts. In Class LL, No. 18 Norwalk High (11-9) will be at No. 15 East Hartford (12-8), while No. 22 Staples (9-9) travels to No. 11 Fairfield Ludlowe (14-6).
Wilton and Weston also play first-round games today. The Lady Warriors, 11-9 and seeded No. 17 in Class L, plays at No. 16 Torrington (12-8), while the Trojans, the 22nd-seeded team in Class M with an 11-9 record, journey to No. 11 Haddam-Killingworth (16-4).
Both the Norwalk High boys and girls lacrosse teams will be in action today. The NHS boys, seeded 18th in Class L with a 7-9 record, plays at No. 15 Amity (8-8) in a qualifying round game at 5 p.m. A win by the Bears would set up a first-round matchup at No. 2 Cheshire (14-2) on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The Norwalk girls also face off at 5 p.m. today at New Milford HS in a Division II qualifying-round contest. The Lady Bears, 6-9-1, are seeded 26th in the 26-team field, while No. 7 New Milford is 11-4.
The winner of that game advances to Thursday's first round and will face the survivor of today's Staples-Ridgefield qualifying game in Westport at 5 p.m.. The Wreckers are 11-5 and seeded No. 10 in D-II, while RHS is 7-9 and seeded 23rd.
Also today at 5 p.m., the Wilton High girls, fresh off its FCIAC championship win Friday night, hosts Branford in a Division I qualifying-round game. The Warriors, 10-4-1 (13-4-1 after the FCIAC tournament) are seeded 11th, while Branford (8-8) is rated No. 22.
Weston, seeded 19th in Division II with an 8-7-1 ledger, plays at No. 14 Northwest Catholic (9-7-0) in another 5 p.m. qualifying game.
Norwalk is the only area boys lacrosse team playing today, while three more play first-round games at home on Thursday, including No. 1 seed Staples in Class L. The Wreckers, a perfect 16-0 during the regular season (but an upset victim in the first round of the FCIAC playoffs) will host a first-round game against the winner of today's qualifying matchup between No. 16 South Windsor and No. 18 Newington, both 8-8.
In Class M, Wilton, 11-5 and seeded No. 7, hosts No. 10 Fairfield Ludlowe (9-7), while in Class S, No. 2 Weston (14-2 in the regular season) is at home against No. 15 Morgan (7-9). That game is at 6 p.m., while the Staples and Wilton games are scheduled for 3 p.m.
The girls tennis state tournaments also get underway today with Staples, Wilton and Weston all in action. In Class L, No. 5 Staples (15-2) is home against No. 28 Westhill (8-8) in a qualifying match at 12:30 p.m. The winner advances to a 3 p.m. first round match, also on the Westport courts, against the winner of No. 12 Hall (13-4) and No. 21 Ridgefield (9-7), who will play a qualifying match at 12:30 p.m. at Staples.
Wilton could also play two matches today. The Warriors, 10-6 and seeded 14th in Class M, will travel to the Sycamore Rec Center in Avon where they will face No. 19 E.O. Smith (9-7) in a qualifying match at 1 p.m. The winner plays No. 3 Avon (19-1) in a first-round match at 3 p.m.
Weston, the three-time defending Class S state champs, will only have to play once today and at home. The top-seeded Trojans, 16-0 during the regular season, will play a first-round match at 3 p.m. against the winner of the 1 p.m. qualifying match between No. 16 East Granby (12-5) and No. 17 Valley Regional (12-7) on the Weston courts.
The boys state tennis tournaments in Class LL, L, M and S, all begin on Thursday.
The Class LL boys and girls state championship track meet at Manchester High School, and the Class MM boys and girls meet at Willowbrook Park in New Britain are both scheduled for today at 2:30 p.m. The Class L and Class M boys and girls meets are set for Wednesday at 2:30 at Willowbrook Park and Machester HS, respectively, while the Class S state championships go on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Willowbrook Park.
The boys volleyball state tournament also gets underway today, but Staples, the area's only team, drew a first-round bye and doesn't play until Friday at 7 p.m.. The unbeaten and top-seeded Wreckers, the four-time defending Class L state champs and coming off an eighth straight FCIAC crown, will host a quarterfinal match at home against the winner of today's first-round match between No. 8 NFA (9-6) and No. 9 Danbury (10-7).
Posted on 05/16/2010
By GEORGE ALBANO
Hour Staff Writer
It seems as if Spencer Jacoby has always had to live up to his name on the Norwalk High baseball team.
After all, his father, Brian Jacoby, played baseball at NHS, where he graduated in 1976. He even played third base, a position his son played last year.
Then there's Spencer's uncle, Paul Jacoby, the current softball coach at Brien McMahon, and who also played baseball at Norwalk High in the early '70s before his brother.
Even Spencer's own brother, Brian, played baseball for the Bears, graduating last year after a successful career on the diamond as well as on the football field, where he was the team's top kicker.
Yes, between his father, uncle and brother, Spencer Jacoby certainly had a tough act to follow by the time he arrived at Norwalk High.
But as a junior center fielder on the Bears' surging baseball team this season, he has put any further comparisons to rest. With a batting average well over .400, coupled with solid defense in the outfield, Jacoby has clearly established his own green and white identity.
"I took over for my brother in center field and he was always good at getting after the ball," the 17-year-old Jacoby said. "I think people didn't know if I could do the same thing and I was hoping to live up to his level.
"But other than that, I never really heard much about comparisons to my father or uncle when they played baseball at Norwalk."
Well, there was one person who felt qualified to draw a comparison.
"My grandpa compares me to my uncle," he said of 'Chic' Jacoby. "He's at all my games and he says personality wise and hitting wise, I'm a tough-nosed player like my uncle was."
Maybe so, but it's his father who he gives the most credit to for his success at the plate this season.
"At the beginning of the season I was struggling and my dad had a long talk with me about confidence and just having fun," Jacoby, a starting forward on the soccer team the last two seasons, said. "I attribute a lot of what I'm doing now to him. He put a lot of confidence in me."
Of course, having coached his son in the Cranbury League and then in Babe Ruth, no one knew Spencer Jacoby as a player better than his dad.
"He's been huge. I always love having him around," the younger Jacoby said. "He's always been my coach until recently. I like to be relaxed when I play and he relaxes me. He never puts a lot of pressure on me, just enough to do well and still have fun doing it."
It was probably no coincidence, either, that when Jacoby started heating up with the bat, so did the Bears, who after a 1-3 start have won 11 of their last 13 games, including five straight and seven of eight. Just in time with the postseason a week away.
"I think in the beginning of the season we didn't realize quite how good we could be," he said. "Now we realize we can beat anyone on any given day. We have confidence. That's what it's all about."
A confident Jacoby was just starting to find his stroke when he suffered a concussion in the sixth game of the season against Darien.
"I ran into our left fielder, Chris Kassimis. We both dove for the ball and I banged my head into his chest," he said.
As a result, Jacoby was forced to sit out a week.
"Luckily we had a rain out so I only missed two games," he noted. "But I don't like missing any game. It's very rare I miss a game, only when I'm sick. It was painful sitting on the bench and watching, so I was glad when I was able to get back in there."
Jacoby was 4-for-5 in that game against Darien, and when he returned to the lineup he hardly missed a beat. In fact, in his third game back, against Wilton two weeks ago, he belted two home runs, including a grand slam, as Norwalk won 15-8 in eight innings to halt the Warriors' five-game winning streak.
He may have also saved the game in the bottom of the seventh when he made a spectacular catch of a ball hit over his head on the dead run.
"That was the best game I ever played," Jacoby said.
Come to think of it, it may have been the best game any member of the Jacoby family ever played at Norwalk.
Posted on 04/10/2010
Staff reports
Clifton Prophet scored four goals and assisted on a fifth to lead the Norwalk High School boys lacrosse team to its first win of the season as the Bears defeated South Windsor 9-2 Saturday at Testa Field.
Jeff Levitt, Nick Esposito, Da'Quan Keel, Jim Blount and Steve Frimm each netted one goal for the Bears, who evened their record at 1-1. Esposito also had an assist.
NHS goalie Rob Romano had nine saves.
Posted on 04/09/2010
Staff reports
NORWALK -- The Norwalk High girls lacrosse team scored three goals in the final two minutes of the game as the Bears earned a come-from-behind 12-11 victory over Fairfield Ludlowe Friday at Testa Field.
Emma Vita tallied the game-winning goal with 17 seconds remaining in the game. Norwalk lost at Ludlowe 16-6 in Wednesday's season opener.
"To be able to avenge a 10-goal loss, it felt great," Norwalk coach Al Morganthaler said. "They led the entire game until Emma scored that goal."
Nicole Brancaccio led the Bears (1-1) with six goals. Christine Mace registered two goals and an assist, Jen McCarthy scored two goals and Olga Sidiropolus had a goal and five assists. Vita also added two assists.
Norwalk goalie Megan Carney made 10 saves.
Norwalk 19, Bassick 0
Sophomore Patti Sciglimpaglia tossed a five-inning one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in her first varsity start and also contributed three hits to the Bears' attack.
Norwalk improved to 2-0 and benefitted from the wildness of the pitching staff for Bassick (0-1).
Norwalk 14, Bassick 0
Leon Fleming and Sean Halloran combined on a two-hit shutout as the Bears won their FCIAC opener after suffering two non-conference losses. Fleming got the win after tossing four hitless innings.
Fleming and Mike Parlanti got two hits each, and Halloran doubled. Parlanti had a double and an RBI. Kenny Francois had a hit an scored twice, Matt Ederle singled and John Lauttenbach had a hit and an RBI
Posted on 04/07/2010
There's been plenty of verbal wrangling over the past year -- probably a little too much -- about how many times the high school baseball teams from Norwalk and Brien McMahon should meet during the season.
That's what happens when you have opposing coaches with antithetical philosophies about how to run a program and what's in the best interest of the players.
Norwalk head coach Angelo Bruno thinks the city rivals should play twice every season.
"I like it, and the kids always enjoy it," said Bruno, in his 10th season with the Bears. "It's also good for the community to be able to come out and watch a game like this. We've had some great games that last few years, and it always generates a lot of excitement in town, and I think that's what it's all about."
McMahon head coach John Cross is on the other side of the spectrum. He thinks the game is so special, it should only be played once, when it counts in the FCIAC standings.
Cross, in his ninth season, also likes to give his team a chance to branch out during the early portion of the schedule when teams typically play non-conference games.
"I like to get my kids exposure statewide," said Cross, whose team made a surprising run to the Class LL state championship game last season, dropping a 1-0 decision against West Haven. "It helps in the all-state balloting and the main thing is you get a sense for the competition outside of the FCIAC. I think that helped us in our tournament run last year."
Last season, Norwalk and McMahon played each other just once with the Bears pulling out a 7-5 home-run derby victory in eight innings. It was the first time since Cross took over in 2002 that the two teams didn't play twice, setting off a whirlwind of debate about what's best for the players and the town.
The two teams couldn't agree, so the administration stepped in and settled the argument for them.
Apparently, Norwalk assistant superintendent Tony Daddona got together with the principals and athletic directors from both schools and the decision was made to play twice.
Both games will be played at night under the lights at McMahon, allowing the city to showcase the rivalry in prime time.
The first meeting is tonight at 7 o'clock and the other on May 17. Tonight's game will be a non-conference matchup while the second will count in the FCIAC standings. McMahon will be the home team tonight. Since Norwalk is giving up a home game, the Bears will get to be the home team for the FCIAC contest.
So the controversy is over -- at least for now. The Ernie Banks philosophy wins out. Let's play two.
"All parties felt this was the best thing for the town of Norwalk," Norwalk High Athletic Director Wayne Mones said. "Now you can highlight the game for all the young kids in town. It's a great rivalry. All the kids know each other, and we're playing at night. There's a lot to like about it. The parents wanted it. The players wanted it. I think almost everyone wanted it."
Not Cross, who feels he was "forced" to play two games, something he wouldn't have done if given the choice.
"We were told we had to play two games because it was in the best interest of the community," Cross said. "It's funny that baseball is the only sport where it's in the best interest of the community to play twice. If that's the case, then they should play twice in lacrosse and basketball. Let's just be consistent across the board."
Mones feels the dynamics are different for baseball, especially in this town, where hardball is king. If the opportunity to play more than once is there, he believes the teams should take advantage of it. The city did pay to put lights on McMahon's field, and two games with Norwalk would definitely put it them good use.
"It makes more sense for this sport," Mones said. "This is a baseball city, so we should be playing twice."
But that might not be the case next spring.
Next year, Cross will have the final say. As a compromise, McMahon will decide whether or not to play one game or two in 2011. The season after that, it goes back to a two-game series and the decision will alternate each year after that.
It's a strange system, but it does seem pretty fair.
"Next year coach Cross has the decision," Mones said. "If he wants to play one game, that's the way it'll be. But we're hoping coach Cross sees the benefit for the community because that's what we're all about."
Norwalk High is giving up a home game, but it's willing to do that every year if it means playing under the lights twice each season.
"It doesn't make a difference. It's not like we have a fantastic field," Bruno said. "If our field was like Yankee Stadium, then yes, I'd have a problem with it. But the bumps at McMahon are no different than the bumps at City Hall."
Cross doesn't like putting so much effort into winning a non-conference game that counts only toward state tournament rankings, then making the quick emotional and physical turnaround into the start of the FCIAC regular season.
McMahon and Norwalk begin the FCIAC slate on Friday with the Senators traveling to Greenwich and Norwalk hosting Bassick.
"It's always so intense, sometimes the kids get so focused on winning that one game that they get drained and they're not ready to play the rest of the week," Cross said.
Ironically, Norwalk and McMahon didn't start playing twice every year until Cross took over as head coach. Joe Madaffari, McMahon's athletic director and former head baseball coach, never scheduled two games against the Bears during his tenure.
"I decided to do it twice because at that time Norwalk was the marquee program we were trying to become," Cross said. "Once we started doing well, we didn't need Norwalk as a measuring stick. We wanted to set our own standard."
The good news is, there will be baseball, and apparently the weather is supposed to cooperate with warmer-than-usual temperatures. That should make for a much more enjoyable night than we had in the first-ever night game in Norwalk two years ago when the Bears and Senators played in brutally cold and windy conditions -- in May.
"The weather conditions should make it really nice," Cross said. "Hopefully we'll get a lot of young kids come out to watch to see what's in store for them years down the road."
11-run third lifts McMahon
Posted on 04/07/2010
Associated Press
Brien McMahon snapped a 3-3 tie with an 11-run third inning outburst and went on to defeat Bunnell, 16-6, in non-conference baseball action Wednesday night at BMHS.
The Senators banged out 13 hits in the season-opening victory, including three by Alex Petridis, who also scored four runs and drove in two.
Bryan Daniello, Eric Stenger and Ronnie Sherman all collected two hits. Sherman had a homer and two RBI, Stenger scored twice and drove in four runs, and Daniello scored four runs and had two RBI.
Patrick Donahue worked the first five innings on the mound and picked up the win. Tyler Carlo and Ricky Torres worked an inning apiece in relief.
BASEBALL
Greenwich 4, Norwalk 1
The Bears received a strong pitching performance from senior left-hander Jon Cohen, who allowed just four hits over six innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks in the season-opener at Greenwich. But Norwalk just couldn't come up with hits in the clutch. Greenwich right-hander Yuta Okazaki picked up the win, allowing seven hits over six innings.
Greenwich scored all four of its runs in the third, including a two-run double by Kevin Collins. Norwalk scored its only run in the sixth on a single by shortstop Nick Milliman, a double off the wall by Kevin Daniele and a sacrifice fly by Leon Fleming. Milliman had two hits.
Norwalk will face McMahon tonight under the lights at McMahon.
SOFTBALL
Norwalk 4, New Fairfield 2
The Bears opened their season with a non-conference win at New Fairfield Wednesday.
Norwalk pounded out 11 hits and was led by Jessica Schmidt (3-for-4, run), Megan Billmeyer (3-for-3, RBI), Katie Schmidt (2-for-3, two RBIs) and Mary Sciglimpaglia (2-for-4, two runs).
Niki Taliercio was the winning pitcher and she struck out 15 with two walks and she also hit two batters. She allowed seven hits.
Central 3, McMahon 2
The Senators led the non-conference season opener 2-0 after four innings on the strength of an unearned run in the bottom of the first, an RBI single by Annie Bishop in the second, and the three-hit shutout pitching of Jessica Stamatis.
But Bridgeport Central collected seven hits over the final three innings, scoring an unearned run in the fifth and two more runs in the sixth. The go-ahead run was also unearned.
McMahon finished with five hits, including two by Bishop. Christina Chironna went 1-for-1 with two hits.
Wilton 8
Notre Dame-Fairfield 0
Freshman pitcher Dani Miskinis fired a one-hitter, striking out 12 and walking just a pair to pace the Warriors to a season-opening win.
Stacy Pokora added a single, double, RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases to the winning effort. Michelle Holland also had two hits, with a double. Brooke Morris, Steph Boyles, and Nicole Roman-Johnston all had RBI singles.
Weston 8, New Canaan 4
Freshman Kat Fischer made quite a varsity debut, going 4-for-4 with two singles, a triple, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored to lead visiting Weston to its non-league win over the Rams.
The first three batters accounted for seven of the eight runs. Senior second baseman Julia McDonald, batting leadoff, had two hits, three runs scored, one RBI and a steal. Fisher, batting second, tripled in the first and homered in the second in her first two career at-bats as the Trojans grabbed a 4-0 lead. No. 3 hitter Biz Harrigan went 1-for-3 with a run scored, one RBI and two steals. The other run was scored by No. 9 hitter Cathy Fredrickson, who tripled. Weston finished with 12 hits.
Harrigan was also the winning pitcher as she scattered eight hits, struck out eight, walked one and gave up only two earned runs.
BOYS LACROSSE
Ludlowe 11, Norwalk 10
Da'quan Keel, Clifton Prophete and Ray Phillip all scored three goals for the Bears in their close season-opening loss to Fairfield-Ludlowe at Testa Field. Nick Esposito had the other goal.
Keel added two assists to his night's work, while Govani Jean-Charles, Cam Prescott and Esposito recorded one apiece.
Phillip's third goal brought NHS to within 11-10 with 3:32 to go, but the visiting Falcons held on for the win.
Wilton 16, Trinity 0
The Warriors jumped out to a 16-goal halftime lead and spent the second half working on its motion offense en route to the season opening victory at Fujitani Field.
Chris Barnett's three goals paced the Wilton attack while Mike Serpa (1 assist), Chris Nugent, and Brendan O'Branski all scored two goals.
Mike Francia assisted on three goals while adding one of his own while Matt Kobyra, Dan Bartram, David Burns, Mike Kotos had a goal and an assist each.
Andy Sandor had a goal, Alex Hayes and Connor Devane each had two assists and Connor Melillo had one assist.
Sam Somers (3 saves) and Devyn Jeffries (1 save) split the goaltending duties for Wilton, which travels to Greenwich on Tuesday.
Weston 7, Simsbury 6
Brian Rogers, Morgan Faller and Robbie Cordisco each scored two goals to lead the Trojans to their non-league season-opening non-league victory.
Sean Fumai scored the other goal and also recorded an assist. Matt Brooks had two assists, while Evan Kleban added one.
Goalie Alex Peyreigne had nine saves for the Trojans.
Hopkins 8, GFA 6
Nick Pavlise had four goals and an assist for GFA, which led 6-5 going into the final period. Jake Bcker had a a goal and four assists, Will Conroy had a goal and an assist and Kyle Webb had 17 saves for the Dragons.
GIRLS LACROSSE
McMahon 9, Warde 7
The Lady Senators began their season on winning note as Deven Machette and Katie Hammer each scored hat tricks to defeat the Mustangs in Fairfield.
Angie Cruz, Calyx Garcia and Becky Mydland added one goal apiece, while Cruz and Garcia also had assists.
Goalie Kelly McFarlin recorded 12 saves for McMahon, which trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before taking a 5-3 halftime lead and staying ahead the rest of the way.
Wilton 16, Ridgefield 3
Amy Drummond scored six goals and Maddie Kratz made 10 saves, leading the Wilton Warriors to a 16-3 win over Ridgefield in their season-opener at Lilly Field on Wednesday.
Rachel Lowrie added three goals and three assists to the winning effort while Tessa Howard had three goals with one assist. Christie Huidekoper scored two goals, Tegan Helms had a goal and an assist while Kelly Rance scored once and Brittany Conner set up two goals.
BOYS TENNIS
Staples 7, Danbury 0
The Wreckers wasted no time presenting new coach Kris Hrisovulos his first victory, blanking Danbury on opening day.
Singles winners for Staples were Danny Hirschberg (6-1, 6-1), Jesse Huessner (6-0, 6-4), Cam Marco (6-1, 6-1), Jake Hirschberg (6-0, 6-2) and Graham Hyman (6-0, 6-0).
Doubles wins were posted by Kevin McDonald and Justin Kleiner (6-0, 6-0) and Alex Ratner and Sam Hickok (6-0, 6-0).
Darien 6, McMahon 1
Thomas Luchars scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles for the Senators' only point against a tough Darien squad.
Ludlowe 7, Norwalk 0
The Bears dropped their opener at home. Co-captain Mike LePoutre played well in his loss at No. 2 singles.
GIRLS TENNIS
Darien 7, McMahon 0
The Senators lost all four singles matches and the three doubles in straight sets in their season-opening loss to the Blue Wave.
Staples 7, Danbury 0
Katie Reiner, Leigh Rubin, Farrel Levenson and Molly Rudinger piucked up singles victories for the Wreckers.
Doubles victories were recorded by to the teams of Molly Laux-Melissa Hawley, Hannah Bjornson-Alex Walsh and Kate Collins-Margaux Stamm.
GFA 6, Wooster 1
The Dragons had an easy time in their impressive season-opening victory.
BOYS GOLF
Staples 156, Stamford 168
Medallist Dylan Murray shot an even par 36 to lead the Wreckers to the opening-day victory at E.G. Brennan golf course in Stamford.
Murray got solid backing from Austin Alieniello (37), Kirk Massie (41) and Connor Mahoney (42).
Wilton 171, Central 265
Mike Deming fired a 39 to pace the Wilton Warriors to a win over Bridgeport Central at Rolling Hills.
Will Lawther added a career-best 41 while freshman Scott Caggianello had a 44.
Westhill 184, Norwalk 203
Westhill 184, McMahon 221
Westhill's Jacob Marshall shot 43 at Oak Hills to take medalist honors. Drew Pennell and Jake Passero both carded 48s for the Bears in their season opener.
McMahon was led by Rick Buellesbach, who shot a 51.
GIRLS TRACK
Ridgefield 100, Norwalk 31
Top finishers on the track for the Bears included Ivy Chen, who won the 100 hurdles (17.5), Katie Pachovsky, who was third in the 100 hurdles (18.1), freshman Crystle Hill, who was second in the 100 (13.3) and the 200 (28.1).
In the throws, Rottisha Lewis won the triple jump (31-4 1/2) and Allyssa Harris won the shot put (26-8).
McMahon 89, Stamford 47
Shelly Lindo led the Senators in their season-opening victory at home by capturing three individual events.
She won the 100 hurdles (16.8), the 300 hurdles (55.5) and the 200-meter dash (27.2). She also was a part of the winning 4x100 relay team of Brittany Brim, Kynisha Pierre and Kaitlin Whittington with a time of 51.9.
Whittington also won two individual events in the long jump (16-3) and the triple jump (35-2 1/2). Brim was runner-up in both events.
Other individual event winners also included Brim in the 100 (13.1), Cassidy Snider in the 400 (67 seconds), Pierre in the 800 (2:46), Kristin Medina in the pole vault (6-feet), Kim McElveen in the discus (FCIAC and state qualifying throw of 94-feet), Kay English in the javelin (85-2) and Kamri Yarborough in the shot put (27-4).
The 4x400 relay of Desiree Davis, Pierre, Snider and Dana Bradley also won with a time of 4:46.
- The Hour 4-6
Last season the Bears bit the bullet and played eight freshmen every game, including four who played significant roles. The results were typical of such a young team: Norwalk opened with seven straight losses and finished 4-12 overall.
Now a year older and a year stronger, Norwalk head coach Chris McGee is hoping the experience his talented sophomore class gained last season will lead to success this spring.
"Last year we didn't have a big senior class, so all those young kids had to be thrown into the fire," said McGee, now in his fifth season as head coach. "This year they're coming in knowing what to expect. They know what the varsity level is like and what they need to do to improve."
Leading the group of sophomores will be defender Patrick Whelan, defensive midfielders David Klein and John Wilkins, midfielder Derick Edwards and attackman Da'Quan Keel. Also joining the fray will be sophomore defender Gil Aruajo, who didn't see varsity action as a freshman.
As freshmen, this class of athletes went 10-1 as football players and had winning records in lacrosse and basketball. McGee called them one of the most athletic groups Norwalk High has seen in years.
McGee's hoping they'll get Norwalk's varsity lacrosse program back to where it was in 2006 when it appeared in the Class LL state championship game.
"By the time they're done I would like to see them build it back up to where it was when I started," McGee said. "We just have to ride them hard for the next few years and hopefully we'll improve."
Norwalk will draw leadership from senior captains Drew Krasnavage and Rob Romano. Krasnavage was a three-year starting quarterback and is now in his third season as a starter on defense. Romano is starting for the second straight season. Senior Nick Esposito also returns with two years under his belt at attack.
The Bears will also be bolstered by the return of athletic senior midfielder Ray Phillip, who didn't play last season. McGee thinks Phillip's presence will make Norwalk better right away.
"He's a ridiculous athlete," McGee said. "He has unbelievable quickness and speed. He's definitely going to help us."
Norwalk's strength will be its speed, led by Phillip, Edwards and junior Clifton Prophete, one of the team's leading scorers last season.
"We're still young, so we're just hoping to improve each day," McGee said. "Hopefully we can come around and make the state tournament."
Last year, over the course of a 5-11 campaign, the Norwalk High Bears scored 145 goals.
Only nine of those goals came courtesy of players who graduated, though.
With that type of returning ratio, it's no wonder sixth year head coach Al Morganthaler is optimistic.
"I expect us to have a chance to make the state tournament for the first time," Morganthaler said, setting the bar as high as it's been for the program. "I think we have an opportunity to do that. We have about 20 girls back from last year's team."
While scoring wasn't a major issue last season -- and with 65-goal scorer Nicole Brancaccio and 38-goal scorer Olga Sidiropoulos both returning it shouldn't be this year, either -- the Bears are going to have tighten as a defensive unit to make Morganthaler's prognostication come to fruition.
Norwalk gave up more than 20 goals in eight of their 11 losses and one other defeat came by 19 goals. Slowing things down this early in the year is the fact the Bears are currently down three defenders, who are injured.
"We have some injuries, but everybody does," Morganthaler said. "Hopefully, we'll get one back (over the weekend) and the others will follow. Once the defense gets healthy, that will help."
Weather has been another issue Norwalk dealt with as the power outages that dotted Fairfield County last month, and left the Bears out of school for a week, meant the team never got their conditioning work in.
"We're a little behind, but the girls are coming together," Morganthaler said.
Twelve seniors are around to lead the team through its early season adversity and a handful of younger players are expected to play key roles, too.
Joining Brancaccio and Sidiropoulos as captains are classmates Sara Costa and Alyssa Fortunato, two defenders. Donna Dipreta is a senior who will start at attack while Marcella Libertino will start on defense.
Alyssa Barone, Jessica Brethertan and Rachael Dubay are the other senior attacks while Jamie Heverin is a defender and Lea Rivieccio is a midfielder.
Other starters include: junior Toni Bocchetta at attack, junior Nicole Generosa as a defensive midfielder, and sophomores Christine Mace and Parthenya Taiyanides in the midfield.
"We do have high hopes and I think this is by far the best team I've ever had," Morganthaler said. "A lot of people will be playing and we'll be doing a lot of running and trying to wear teams down."
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