DANBURY – The best offense is a good defense? For the newly-formed Joel Barlow/Weston/Abbott Tech co-op hockey team, the saying is reversed.

“This year, it’s definitely the best defense is a good offense,” JBWA coach Bob Stearns said at a practice this week.

You can’t blame the fifth year coach of the co-op for having a change of philosophy this year.

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JBWA leads the state with 7.8 goals per game as of Jan. 24 and is ranked second in goals scored, with 70. Guilford has scored 78 goals this season, but has played in 12 games. JBWA has played in nine.

No. 1 Ridgefield (5.3) and Hand (5.0) are the only other teams in the state to average five-or-more goals per game.

“I really have not seen anything quite like this,” Stearns said.

Last season, prior to the addition of Weston and Abbott Tech student-athletes, Joel Barlow scored 48 goals total (2.4 goals a game) and the season before they scored 60 goals (3 goals a game).

Where did the scoring surge come from?

The answer is easy: Weston.

When Weston High School joined Barlow in a co-op alongside Abbott Tech before the school year, senior forward Travis Nussbaum joined the program. The senior played for the Southern Stars and the Jr. Rangers last year as Weston did not have a team.

A couple of months later, when Weston sophomore Daniel McKiernan found out his junior team wasn’t going to be playing in the winter — allowing him to compete in CIAC — he also decided to join.

The two, along with returning forward Andrew Powell, have not only kickstarted the offense, but have formed the Bird of Prey, who have feasted on opposing goalies all season.

“I have benefited with Daniel and he’s magnificent,” Stearns said. “He, Travis and Andrew Powell, the three of them have a lot of speed, a lot of hockey knowledge and some very good shooting abilities.”

McKiernan leads the team with 23 goals, Nussbaum is second with 17 and Powell is third with 14.

McKiernan also leads the team with 38 points (goals and assists), Powell is second with 29 and Nussbaum is third with 28.

Together the three account for 77 percent of the team’s goals, which is something that has surprised them… but only a little bit.

“Not going to lie, I had a feeling,” Nussbaum said. “I knew Powell was already here. I knew he was their big goal scorer and I knew where me and D-Mac came from, like I knew the team’s we’ve been playing on.

“I had a feeling we would be able to score a good amount. I wasn’t expecting it to be this much. But I thought we would be able to have some scoring come out of that.”

Powell is a Barlow student and has played for the program for three years.

Over the past two seasons, Powell, a two-time CHSCA All-State selection, has been the player opposing defenses have focused on stopping.

Now, he is reaping the benefits of defenses focusing on McKiernan, his linemate.

“I used to be the player that would take it up the ice and be looking behind me for outlets, and now I’m kind of more of the trail back, be Dan’s support if he does lose the puck or needs an outlet,” Powell said. “It’s changed my role in a sense, but I think we have been able to mesh off each other pretty well.”

The co-op is having fun. Through the nine games JBWA is 6-3 and is a win away from matching Barlow’s seven victories over the last two seasons.

“It’s always a good environment, especially when we’re all scoring that much,” McKiernan said. “In between periods, you can see us skating off the ice, jamming out to the music, just having a good time. That’s what hockey is, it’s supposed to be fun.”

Even before they together for the season, the Barlow players learned what McKiernan and Nussbaum would bring to the team.

After playing in their fall league, the Barlow players held one last practice and invited their future teammates to participate in a player’s scrimmage.

The group was split in two, with McKiernan on Powell’s team and Nussbaum on the other. Powell and McKiernan quickly teamed up for an impressive score off the crossbar.

“The first play, me and D-Mac started out there together and I dropped a pass back to him and he took it and went bar down and I was like ‘Oh God here we go. Let’s go.’ I was hyped,” Powell said.

The three rarely play on the same line. On the power play, McKiernan and Nussbaum will play forward, while Powell runs point. But when they do play together, it has gone well.

“We have so much fun out there,” Nussbaum said. “When the three of us are out there together, it’s kind of like we can score at will. We can go through any team, I think, in the state and we can score. If we’re out there, us three together.”

Despite all the scoring, the Falcons have allowed 4.9 goals a game. But the team still feels that because of its prolific scoring, it can make a run in the Division III tournament.

“I think the story is: Yeah, we are going to score a lot,” Stearns said. “Let’s see who can try and stop us.”

With nine freshman on its team, all of whom have made significant contributions, the future is bright for the Amity Regional boys swimming team.

The present is also something for the Spartans to be pleased about.

Competing in the SCC with perennial powerhouse Fairfield Prep, always formidable Cheshire and rapidly improving Xavier is a challenge, but Amity has managed to hold its own in the conference each season.

And in the postseason each year, the Spartans have been at their best. Last winter saw Amity finished fourth in the team standings at the CIAC Class L Championships and ninth at the State Open. The Spartans possess some frontline competitors and depth to make their mark at the much-anticipated championship meets in March.

Currently, Amity owns a record of 4-2, with its wins coming against Hamden, Sheehan, Branford/Guilford and North Haven. The Spartans have lost to conference rivals Xavier and Cheshire.

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“I am really happy with our start to the season,” Amity coach Todd Rainey said. “We have a swim team of 20 and nine are freshman, who have provided us with depth points and have the potential to become really big swimmers for us in the future.”

Kevin Sweeney, Seamus Hennessy, John Hallstrom and Nolan Young, all of whom are freshmen, have each posted impressive times several events, including the 200 individual medley.

“I am really impressed with them, they’ve shown a lot of versatility,” Rainey said. “The IM has been a strong event for us with our freshman helping to lead us in that event.”

Rainey said his squad’s success begins with his seniors, with captains Shiva Gowda and Jared Sullivan providing leadership and standout results.

Gowda has flourished in the sprint freestyle events, emerging as one of the conference’s top swimmers. He’s also shown his skill in the middle distance events, such as the 200 freestyle.

“He is having his best year by far,” Rainey said of Gowda. “We put him in the 200 against North Haven and he shocked me with his time and we put him there against Xavier and he did even better.”

Sullivan is one of the Spartan’s leaders in the 100-yard butterfly and is also a sprint freestyler, as is Tyler Roy.

A junior, Roy has been one of the squad’s top scorers in each meet, excelling in the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and the sprint freestyle events.

“Jared is right at the state qualifying time for the butterfly and Tyler is one of the top sprinters in the area and is really a top-notch swimmer.”

Roy placed among the top-10 in the 100 freestyle at the Class L finals a year ago and was part of Amity’s 200 medley relay team which placed first at the Class L Championships (1:34.94) and third at the State Open (1:35.72).

Senior Kevin Tian leads the Spartans’ divers and junior Nick Robinson (top-10 in Class L last year in 200, 500 freestyle) is a reliable distance competitor.

“There is a lot of depth in our conference and the state,” Rainey said. “A lot of teams can trot out so many good swimmers. I just tell the guys, just come in here every day do the work and race to the best of your ability. Once you get the racing done, we’ll worry about the points later.”

TOP PERFORMANCES

Benjamin Arky, Conard: A senior, Arky was the winner in the 50 freestyle (22.49) and swam on the first-place 200 freestyle relay (1:34.64) in a meet vs. Xavier.

Korey Barber, Shelton: The sophomore produced winning results in the 100-yard butterfly (55.43) and 100 backstroke (1:01.33) in Shelton’s win against Seymour. He also helped spark the team’s first-place 200 medley relay squad (1:49.38) and 200 freestyle relay team (1:38.32).

Aleksej Cupic, Seymour: A senior, Cupic was a double-winner in Seymour’s 98-86 loss to Shelton, placing first in the 200-yard individual medley (2:00.79) and the 100 freestyle (53.38).

Donald Frost, Xavier: The sophomore won the 100 butterfly in 56.20 and helped key the first-place 200 medley (1:42.56) and 400 freestyle (3:29.12) relay teams in its meet vs. Conard.

Ben Feldman, Westhill/Stamford: Feldman swam to first-place finishes in the 100 freestyle (47.77) and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.91) in a recent meet at Greenwich.

Justin Goglia, Foran/Law: Goglia won the 200 freestyle in the team’s meet against Hamden in 1:57.56, then touched the wall first in the 100 backstroke (59.98). The sophomore also led off the team’s winning 200 medley relay squad (1:55.46).

Ian Harker, Hall: The senior won the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.37) in Hall’s 88-80 victory over Southington. He also finished first in the 100 butterfly (56.88) and was on the team’s winning 200 medley relay squad (1:46.06).

Tyler Heidgerd, Southington: A junior, Heidgerd was the 200 freestyle winner (1:53.02) against Hall and placed first in the 100 backstroke in 57.39. He also swam on the winning 400 freestyle relay team (3:36.73).

Maks Jaremko, Avon: Jaremko, a senior, took first in the 200 IM in 2:05.89, then won the 500 freestyle (4:55.75) in the team’s competition against Hall.

Jack Jee, Greenwich: The junior finished first in the 200 IM (2:04.14) and had posted a personal-best time of 57.18 in winning the backstroke in the Cards’ matchup vs. Westhill/Stamford.

Jack Jee, Greenwich: The junior finished first in the 200 IM (2:04.14) and posted a personal-best time of 57.18 in winning the backstroke in the Cards’ matchup vs. Westhill/Stamford.

Thomas Kehor, Fairfield Prep: The freshman won the diving event for Fairfield Prep in its meet vs. Xavier, totaling 253.35 points.

Joey Nizzardo, Masuk: The sophomore posted two individual wins vs. Brookfield, clocking in at 1:51.19 in the 200 freestyle and 4:50.90 in the 500 freestyle. He also competed on the squad’s 200 medley relay team (1:34.70).

Andrew Mitchill, Xavier: Mitchill, a sophomore, placed first in the 200 freestyle (1:49.29) and 100 breaststroke in the team’s 105-78 win over Conard. He was part of the 200 medley relay (1:42.56) and 400 freestyle relay (3:29.12) teams that notched winning times.

Richard Nolan, Fairfield Prep: Nolan, a junior, registered first-place finishes in the 200 IM (1:59.05) and the 500 freestyle (4:55.79) for the Jesuits in their 111-74 victory against Xavier. In the team’s competition at Greenwich, Nolan was the victor in the 200 IM (1:55.37) and the 500 freestyle (4:48.07).

Edward Platonov, Foran/Law: A sophomore, Platonov swam to victory in the 200 IM (2:05.71) and the 100 butterfly (58.07) in the team’s competition against Hamden. He also helped lead the 200 medley relay team to a winning effort (1:55.46).

Joel Satir, Greenwich: Satir, a sophomore, amassed a first-place total of 275.60 points on the 1-meter diving board vs. Fairfield Prep.

Leonardo Tamer, Brookfield: The junior topped the competition in the 200 IM (2:02.22) and won the 100 breaststroke in Brookfield’s 99-87 win over Masuk. He also swam on the winning 400 freestyle relay squad (4:32.93).

Stephan Todorovic, Greenwich: Todorovic won the 200 freestyle in 1:48.55, then took first in the 100 butterfly (52.67), as the Cardinals beat rival Fairfield Prep. He led off the winning 400 freestyle relay team (3:18.63) and was on the first-place 200 medley relay squad (1:33.22).

MEETS TO WATCH

Fairfield Prep at Cheshire, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Staples at Greenwich, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.

Wilton vs. Ridgefield, Wednesday, 4 p.m., at Barlow Mountain Middle School

Norwalk/McMahon vs. New Canaan, Wednesday, 4 p.m., at New Canaan YMCA

Xavier at Cheshire, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Amity vs. Daniel Hand, Monday, 7 p.m., at Madison Swim and Racquet Club

Xavier Cheshire, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Many of the best teams in the region will be in Southington this weekend for the Connecticut Challenge, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. Defending New England champion Ponagansett (R.I.) won the event last year, just ahead of Bristol Eastern. Trumbull and Simsbury will also attend the competitive meet that will feature matches that may occur again in the postseason.

The day serves as one final test for many top grapplers before the fast-approaching championship season. Next Saturday marks the final set of invites before conference tournament time.

“It’s a great tournament,” said Trumbull coach Charlie Anderson. “We’ll see Bristol Eastern and Simsbury for the third time; we haven’t seen Ponagansett but they’re a strong team.

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The Eagles have been busy this winter, posting a 21-5 record after a win over Ludlowe on Wednesday. Jack Ryan joined older brother Matt as 100-match winners during the meet. Trumbull has several aces up its sleeve — including Wilton transfer Travis Longo — as it hopes to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish at FCIACs.

“I think we’re a tournament team, so I just want to see them wrestle very tough,” Anderson said. “More importantly if they lose a match here or there, how they react and if they’re in that mindset to bounce back.”

The Blue Knights are up to No. 3 in the state while Trumbull sits at No. 8. Simsbury is No. 5 and will likely have a final say in who wins the tournament.

HATTERS ROLL

Danbury continues to sit atop the CTwrestling.com Top 10 Poll as a unanimous No. 1, and delivered its most impressive performance to date on Monday.

The Hatters crushed Mount Anthony 49-22 in a dual meet in Bennington, Vermont. The visitors had lost to Mount Anthony in 2018 and turned it around with their biggest win in the 20-year series.

It was a new experience for the younger wrestlers, coach Ricky Shook said.

“Going in there with that atmosphere; they packed the gym and do the light show,” Shook said. “Our freshmen and sophomores hadn’t seen it before; our seniors got the kids ready for it. It’s a good little place to wrestle, they have the tradition.”

After this weekend’s quad meet at Timberlane (N.H), the Hatters visit Stamford (Jan. 30) and close the regular season at home against Greenwich (Feb. 5). The FCIAC tournament will take place the weekend of Feb. 8-9.

TOUGH TESTS

The Colter-Abely Midseason Classic at Mercy High brought the best out of No. 2 Bristol Eastern, which won the competitive tournament last Saturday to cement its status as the second-best team in the state heading down the stretch.

The Lancers won three individual titles — Sophomore Thomas Nichols (132), and seniors Justin Marshall (152) and Trinidad Gonzalez (220) — to help Eastern to 166 points, ahead of Xavier (151.5) and Trumbull (150.5). Eastern also had a pair of finalists and third-place finishers.

Eastern wasn’t the only school to win three championships as both Xavier and Trumbull accomplished the feat. The Eagles tandem of Travis Longo (113), Matt Ryan (138) and Joe Palmieri (182) took home titles while Mikey Rapuano (106), James Lunt (145) and Dylan Souza (170) did the same for Xavier.

MEETS TO WATCH

Danbury, Xavier, Nashoba (Mass.) at Timberlane: Hatters and Falcons participate in a quad meet against one of New England’s best.

Foran at East Haven, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.: Two of SCC’s best square off here.

New Milford at Newtown, Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Arguably the two best teams in the SWC meet up on the eve of the postseason; Green Wave have won the last three championships.

Simsbury at Southington, Wednesday, 6 p.m.: No. 3 meets No. 5 in what should be one of the meets of the season.

Tom Young, the team’s coach, a math teacher and dorm parent at Woodstock Academy, drove the small bus to Meriden on Tuesday. Eddy Chen, the senior captain, gave up his spot in the lineup. And then the Centaurs went out and avenged a regular-season defeat to Manchester to capture the first CIAC esports state championship in Season Zero.

Yes, this is how high school legends are made.

Through League of Legends.

“These kids are not necessarily the sporty kind of kids, they’re more the indoorsy type kids,” Young said Thursday. “I don’t think they quite knew the magnitude of the difference between the league we had been in and something this official through the CIAC.

“When they walked into the Maloney auditorium, they were oohing and aahing. I don’t think they were prepared to see the setup at so grand a scale. They were hyped. I’m like guys, ‘This is for real.’ And they were great.”

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Of the approximately 1,100 students at Woodstock, Young said about 120 are international students living on campus. All six boys on the state champion are from China.

“I do think that’s why they meshed so well,” Young said. “They play a lot in the dorms.”

Yet make no mistake. Esports, the unstoppable global phenomenon is for everyone. And good for Connecticut being at the forefront.

CIAC Esports Page

Before any of you roll your dinosaur eyes and start yelling about getting kids off video games, yes, moderation is important and, no, the mature combat games aren’t used.

I had a half-hour conversation Wednesday night with Clint Kennedy. He’s essentially the godfather of competitive high school video gaming in Connecticut and he’s way past debating whether esports kids are athletes or not. It’s a fool’s errand. The kids are competitors.

“Definitely competitors,” Kennedy said. “I don’t want to suck the oxygen out of the room on an argument which ultimately doesn’t impact at all what we’re trying to do. You need to be able to think critically, communicate, problem solve and be creative all at once. It’s amazing. These are 21st century skills employers are begging for in the workplace.

“The game is five-on-five. And you have all these different pieces, making them more offensive, defensive or supportive — negotiating it all in real time with their teammates and against opponents. You could have the best League of Legends player in the world and if they don’t have qualified teammates they will lose every time.”

Connecticut high schools got out in front of this one. It started in New London, where Kennedy was the director of innovation, and the school system was looking to develop wider horizontal thinking. Thirty students were selected for a program and one day Kennedy came across two of them playing a game on a laptop. It turned out to be League of Legends, the most popular esports game in the world.

“There are Korean players making $3 million a year and three times that much in endorsements,” Kennedy said.

He didn’t know that then. So he played a little. He began to see the benefits. A game club was created. Eighty kids twice a week packed in two computer labs. They joined a Starleague, then a spotty collection of teams nationally. Blow somebody out. Get blown out. Teams didn’t show up on the other end. Still the ball was rolling.

An internship for 15 kids was set up in the summer of 2016, building the bones of essentially an Eastern Connecticut esports league with designs to go statewide. Kennedy was finishing up his Ph.D program at UConn. He met someone who worked for the Electronic Gaming Federation. Now he had the idea, the design, and went to pitch it to former CIAC director Karissa Niehoff.

“Partly because we were so excited about it, and partly because we had a partner doing some pro bono work, she blessed the idea,” Kennedy said. “We became the first official state-sanctioned esports league in the nation. I’m very proud of that.”

Under the EGF banner, there were two unofficial state events at Storrs featuring multiple games. Kennedy left to become global IT director of Whittle School & Studios in New York, which is building interconnected schools in cities around the world. Niehoff left this past year to become executive director of the National Federation of State High Schools. The NFHS signed a contract with PlayVs. Five states took part in Season Zero and more and more states are joining for Season One this spring.

“PlayVs just finished a second round of funding, Series B funding, they’ve got equity of like $50 million, money from people like P. Diddy,” Kennedy said.

Manchester had beaten Woodstock Academy in a one-game competition during the season. This time it was best-of-three. The Centaurs swept, 2-0.

“The kids said they had a bad phase with picking and banning of different characters the first time,” Young said. “So we went in as second seed, the underdogs. The kids were a little worried, but they also felt confident.”

Woodstock also has continued participating in Overwatch and Rocket League with EGF and had been undefeated there in League of Legends. Woodstock, which has a mix of day and boarding students in the other games, is phasing out from the EGF competition. For an encore, the League of Legends team will play on-line next week in a national EGF final against a team from Alaska.

The CIAC in Year One this spring is adding two games: Rocket League, where Woodstock has been undefeated, and SMITE, where the Centaurs do not have a team.

“I’m excited for Rocket League, it’s essentially soccer (with cars) and spectators can get into it,” Young said. “We’ve had a couple of our basketball players on the Rocket League team in the past.

“Esports provides an outlet for kids who are traditionally not your team sports student to see what it’s like to practice, compete, build camaraderie. It’s the essence of teamwork.”

Kennedy talks about things like meta, the continuing changes and challenges built by the games’ designers. He talks about “getting tilted,” losing focus, getting rattled just as in sports and learning to adjust.

“I attended a two-day event at Madison Square Garden two years ago, the world championship of League of Legends, and you wouldn’t believe how that place was rocking,” Kennedy said. “There’s a famous Colin Cowherd quote from like 2015 where he goes on a rant that if they ever put esports on TV that’ll be the day he quits. He has since eaten crow.

“There’s something about kids from all sorts of backgrounds spending time together focused on a common goal. There were kids walking through the hallway in New London, and the kid with purple hair had the same T-shirt on as a defensive back from the football team because there was a match that night.”

Yes, this is how high school legends are built.

Danbury veteran baseball coach Shaun Ratchford has collected numerous honors during his legendary career with the Hatters. Thursday he was nominated once again for a prestigious award.

Ratchford was nominated for the National Coach of the Year from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. The winners will be announced in Bismarck, North Dakota in late June. Just eight baseball coaches were nominated from across the nation.

Ratchford, a DHS graduate, will enter his 35th year leading the Hatters this spring. Danbury has won a pair of FCIAC titles and a Class LL championship in his time.

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Recovering from a concussion caused Emiri Fukuchi to miss most of the first month of the Greenwich High School girls hockey team’s season, but the sophomore forward has worked her way back into the mix since.

And against Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe on Thursday, it was Fukuchi’s night.

Fukuchi produced a much-needed hat trick for the Cardinals, who tallied twice in each period in their 6-3 win against Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink on Thursday night.

The matchup was key in the FCIAC standings. Ludlowe/Warde entered the game with a 5-3-1 mark in the conference for 11 points and stood in third place, while Greenwich (5-3 in FCIAC, 10 points) was in fourth.

Senior forward Jennifer Kelly registered one goal and three assists, while freshman forward Lexi Danielson assisted on three goals for the Cardinals (8-4, 6-3 FCIAC).

Fukuchi scored Greenwich’s first goal at the 11:38 mark of the opening period and tallied in the second and third period.

“At the beginning of the season, I missed until the end of December, because I had a concussion beforehand, so I had to take a lot of time off,” said Fukuchi, who sustained a concussion while playing for her fall hockey travel team. “Right now, I’m trying to get used to being out there again and the aggressiveness.”

Seeing Fukuchi contribute offensively was a welcome sight to GHS coach Alex Lerchen, whose squad has a lot of players capable of putting the puck in the net.

“Emiri is a hard-working player,” Lerchen said. “She has offensive talent and it was nice to see it come to fruition. It’s nice that we have scoring depth on our roster.”

Warde/Ludlowe (6-5-1, 5-4-1 FCIAC) was paced by sophomore forward Sophia Mughal’s one goal and one assist. Juniors Samantha Henchcliffe and Lindsay Maloney added one goal apiece for Warde/Ludlowe. The visitors tied the score at 2-2 in the second period and closed to within 4-3 in the third.

“We came out flat in the first, then we came back with two quick goals to tie it up, which was nice to see and we just kept chipping away,” Fairfield coach Michelle Marella said.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead on Fukuchi’s goal off a scramble in front 3:22 into the opening period. Danielson assisted on the tally.

“I was in front of the net and I knew I had to at least get shot off, so I hit the puck and fortunately, it went in,” Fukuchi said.

Sophomore forward Delaney Roth gave the Cards a 2-0 advantage with a goal at the 10:245 mark of the first period. Junior forward Emma Wingrove and Kelly, who had four points on the night, each assisted on the goal.

Down 2-0 after the first period, Fairfield began the second period with a 5-on-3 power play, after Greenwich was assessed two penalties. The Cards kept Warde/Ludlowe off the scoreboard during the power play, but the visitors made it 2-1 when Henchcliffe tallied from close in with 6:02 remaining in the second period.

On a power play, Ludlowe/Warde evened the score on Mughal’s one-timer with 2:12 left in the second period.

“The power play worked in our favor, we’ve been working on it a lot,” Marella said.

Greenwich, which moved up to third place in the FCIAC, took the lead for good at 3-2 when Fukuchi scored with 1:06 to go in the second period. Kelly went top shelf with a snap shot 26 seconds later, making it 4-2. The well-placed shot zipped past Fairfield sophomore goaltender Sidney Falterer, who stood strong in the face of pressure throughout.

“The 2-0 start was awesome, but I definitely think we have a lot of things to work on,” Kelly said. “You can see we had some shifts that were amazing and some shifts where we were not doing the little things right, which comes back to haunt us.”

Said Lerchen: “Fairfield is a scrappy team. We gave them an inch and they tried to take a mile from us. They didn’t quit at all, but it’s nice to see that we had the same fight.”

Fairfield closed to within 4-3 on Maloney’s tally off a rebound 53 seconds into the final period. It took several chances in front for the puck to get past GHS freshman goalie Morgan Dall, who turned in a strong effort.

“Greenwich put two quick ones on the board in the second period, but between the second and third period, we talked about coming back like we did before,” Marella said.

Wingrove gave the Cards some breathing room when she tallied at the 3:40 mark of the third period, then Fukuchi capped her big game with a goal with 2:23 left. Danielson and senior forward Paige Finneran each assisted on Fukuchi’s third tally.

“They were good, they had a good ranking and they played well and were fast, Fukuchi said of Fairfield. “Toward the middle of the game, they had control of the puck, but we stepped it up at the end.”

Greenwich’s rotation of defenders, Katie Piotrzkowski, Hayley Duffy, Sydney Orszulak and Tess Marciano were effective throughout.

“They are really good with coverage in front of the net, then taking it behind the net and breaking out,” Dall said of the team’s defenders. “Fairfield was really good with their shots, and their forwards crashed the net hard. Their were two goals that happened fast, but I kept pushing forward.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Fukuchi had her best offensive game of the season with a hat trick.

QUOTABLE

“Consistency is key for us and I think that as the season progresses, that’s what we’re striving for,” Kelly said. “Just going out there and doing the little things. Alex (Lerchen) has talked about us being more proactive, not reactive.”

dfierro@greenwichtime.com

MILFORD — Lucas Burgard and Edward Platonov each won two individual events and swam on one winning realy to lead the Foran/Law boys swimming team in a 97-60 win over Bunnell/Stratford Thursday afternoon at Foran.

Burgard won the 200 freestyle (2:03.23) and 100 butterfly (1:00.82) and Platonov won the 200 IM (2:03.93) and 500 freestyle (5:09.26) and both swam on the Milford co-op’s first place 200 freestyle relay. Brandon Russell won the 100 breaststroke (1:15.77) and swam on the first place 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays to lead the Stratford co-op team.

Foran/Law 97, Bunnell/Stratford 60

(at Foran): 200 medley relay: Bunnell/Stratford (Chris Truedson, Brandon Russell, Miguel Vanegros, Steven Tarkowski) 2:03.31; 200 freestyle: Lucas Burgard (FL) 2:03.23; 200 IM: Edward Platonov (FL) 2:03.93; 50 freestyle: Justin Goglia (FL) 25.93; 100 butterfly: Burgard (FL) 1:00.82; 100 freestyle: Bruno Sequera (FL) 58.64; 500 freestyle: Platonov (FL) 5:09.26; 200 freestyle: Foran/Law (Sequera, Goglia, Burgard, Platonov) 1:39.23; 100 backstroke: Goglia (FL) 59.01; 100 breaststroke: Russell (BS) 1:15.77; 400 freestyle relay: Bunnell/Stratford (Vanegros, Nikhil Shankar, Tarkowski, Russell) 4:16.08.

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NEW HAVEN — The last thing Hillhouse coach Renard Sutton wanted to see was a larger number on the right side of his team’s record.

It’s been a long time since the Academics were below .500 in the month of January, but Hillhouse made sure that wouldn’t happen Thursday night with a 59-44 victory over Hamden in a Southern Connecticut Conference Hammonasset Division boys’ basketball contest at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.

“Right now, we’re trying to put together some wins,” Sutton said. “We have the capability to beat anybody, but we have the capability to lose to anyone.”

The entire game was somewhat sloppy as the two teams combined for 40 turnovers, with Hamden committing 25 of them.

Hillhouse (7-6) never trailed as the Academics were able to take a 13-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, partially due to three consecutive trips where Hamden turned the ball over.

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With both teams struggling to get any offense going, the second quarter was back and forth with turnovers galore on both sides.

After Hillhouse took a 15-6 edge on a pair of free throws by Tazhon Daniels with 7:08 remaining in the half, the Green Dragons went on a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 15-12.

A conventional three-point play by Daniels with 1:34 closed out the first half as the Academics took a 22-16 lead at the break.

Hillhouse extended its lead in the third quarter to 29-20 with 5:09 left in the period, but Hamden cut it right back to 32-28 just over two minutes later on a pair of Corey Walters free throws. However, the Academics went on a 12-3 run over the final 2:55 of the quarter buoyed by a pair of 3-pointers from the right side by Evan Scott Alexander to make it 44-31.

Fabian Cox opened the final quarter with a pair of baseline drives to cut the lead back to single digits. But from that point it was all Hillhouse as the Academics had another huge spurt, this time 12-2 with a pair of 3-pointers and a steal and layup all from Cinceree Lash to make it a 19-point lead, 56-37, with 3:13 remaining.

“That gave us space and that made the guys more comfortable,” Sutton said. “We’ve been struggling with hitting wide open shots.”

Hamden, which didn’t go very deep on its bench, ran out of gas at the end of the game and couldn’t make a run.

“We’re down numbers right now, so fatigue made the difference tonight,” Hamden coach Jarrad Beck said. “We had some guys playing more minutes than they are used to.”

Hamden (8-5) played without senior guard Victor Rosario for the second time in the last 10 days. Justice Washington dressed, but didn’t play either as he returned to the team Thursday.

“We’re a little disjointed right now we have some stuff to figure out,” Beck said. “We have some internal things going on.”

Hillhouse 59, Hamden 44

Hillhouse (7-5)

Cincere Lash 6 2 0-0 14, Jacari Douglas 3 0 0-0 6, Evan Alexander-Scott 4 2 0-1 10, Turcone Kelley 2 1 1-2 6, Janden Satchell 1 0 0-2 2, Gregorio Chambers 1 0 0-0 2, Tazhon Daniels 4 3 7-7 18, Matthew Gibbs 0 0 1-2 1

Hamden (8-5)

Corey Walters 4 1 2-2 11, Fabian Cox 4 0 5-5 13, Heston Tucker 2 0 5-6 9, Keari Cofield-Crew 1 0 0-0 2, Jayvon Chapman 1 1 0-1 3, Ali Aklin 0 0 1-2 1, Jermaine Dennis 2 0 1-2 5

GREENWICH — Thursday’s FAA boys basketball matchup between defending league champion Hamden Hall Country Day School and Brunswick School certainly didn’t lack offense, with both squads converting a high percentage of their shots, while pushing the ball up the floor at a frenetic pace.

Yet the Hornets terrific trio of Christian Adams, Byron Breland and Jackson Benigni provided a little bit too much offense for the Bruins to overcome.

Brunswick remained within striking distance, but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with Hamden Hall, which continued to surge, registering an 83-74 road victory.

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The Hornets, who were coming off a defeat at the hands of St. Luke’s School, got back on the winning track and raised their record to 13-2 overall and 6-1 in the competitive FAA.

Adams, a senior forward, scored a game-high 28 points, while Breland and Bengini added 23 and points, respectively, to power the victors.

“We lost a tough one to St. Luke’s after a long layoff for our finals, they beat us at our place, so this was a good road win for us,” Hamden Hall coach Sean Doherty said. “We had some adversity today, but our team stuck it out and kept on playing hard.”

Brunswick (2-11, 1-7 FAA) received a team-high 25 points from freshman forward Chisom Okpara and 20 points from junior forward Khari Wilson. Despite their record, the Bruins have been in most of their games this season, especially their league matchups such Thursday.

“We’ve had trouble in the second half of our games, but today we played pretty good,” said the 6-foot-5 Wilson. “We played a full game. It’s important for us to keep our heads up.”

Trailing 41-36 at halftime, the Bruins closed to within 47-45 on Wilson’s dunk and 51-48 on a 3-pointer from Wilson early in the second half.

A pair of free throws from Benigni and a dunk by Breland extended the Hornets’ lead to at the 11:50 mark of the second half. The home team stayed with five and six points of the Hornets until the final three minutes.

Benigni’s layup and Breland’s 3-pointer from the right corner, extended the Hornets’ advantage to 80-69 with 1:44 left to play. Hamden Hall used a diamond press in an attempt to force turnovers and increase the game’s tempo.

“Defense and energy were the keys for us tonight,” said the 6-5 Adams, who will continue his basketball career at Pace University. “Our last game, we didn’t have a lot of energy and that’s the big reason why we lost.”

The Hornets jumped out to a 15-6 lead, but Brunswick cut the deficit to 22-19 later in the first half on consecutive baskets from Okpara. Breland’s jumper from the left side, followed by Benigni’s layup and 3-pointer put Hamden Hall on top, 35-25, with 3:59 to go in the opening half, but the Bruins finished the half strong. Wilson swished back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the Hornets edge to 39-36 at the 1:33 mark of the first half.

“I was very impressed, I thought the coaching staff has done a great job with those guys they are going to be good in the future,” Doherty said of Brunswick. “I thought our guys gutted it out.”

Adams helped keep the Hornets in front by crashing the boards and enabling his squad to get second shots. He was also a force in the low post throughout.

“Tonight was my night,” said Adams, who had 15 first-half points. “The the guys kept telling me to to shoot. They were getting me the ball and I was making my shots.”

Breland sank four 3-pointers and had 13 first-half points for the victors.

“They came out fighting, so we had to go back to playing our game,” the 6-3 Breland said. “Christian shot really well, opening the floor for everyone else.”

Sophomore guard aided the Bruins’ cause, chipping in 14 points, while freshman forward Harrison Caponiti added nine points.

“They have really good players, but we played our game and kept our confidence,” said Okpara, who stands 6-6. “I was very pleased with my teammates and the composure they showed against their press. One thing we still need to work on is being patient and playing as a team.”

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Adams, Breland and Benigni combined for 73 points for the Hornets.

“We have a couple of guys who can reall score and Adams stepped up and had a huge game for us offensively,” Doherty said.

QUOTABLE

“We are playing very well right now and we are determined to go very far in the FAA Tournament again,” Breland said.

HAMDEN HALL 83, BRUNSWICK 74

BRUNSWICK 36 38 — 74

HAMDEN HALL 41 42 — 83

HAMDEN HALL (83)

Byron Breland 8 3-4 23; Tim Dawson 3 0-0 8; Christian Adams 8 12-14 28; Jackson Bengini 8 4-5 22; Jahki Pettway 1 0-2 2. Totals: 28 19-25 83.

BRUNSWICK (74)

Tristan Joseph 4 5-6 14; Charlie Marvin 1 0-0 2; Khari Wilson 8 0-0 20; Colin Mulshine 2 1-2 6; Henry Caponiti 4 1-2 9; Chisom Akpara 11 3-4 25. Totals: 30 10-14 74.

3-pointers: HH — Breland 4, Dawson 2, Bengini 2; B — Joseph, Wilson 4, Mulshine.

Immaculate senior Jack Woods (3) defends Barlow’s Clark Gilmore and Jarrid Moriber (32, left) on the perimeter during the Mustangs’ victory Thursday, Jan. 24, 2018 (Photo via Immaculate HS)

DANBURY — Halfway through the season and things have gone right to plan for the Immaculate boys basketball team.

The schedule is about to ramp up in intensity, but it appears the Mustangs are ready.

The Mustangs rolled to a 70-46 win over Barlow Thursday night as part of a Play for the Cure fundraiser. Immaculate improved to 9-1 with the win as Jack Woods poured in 31 points to lead the offense.

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Immaculate built a 37-17 lead by halftime; Barlow cut into the gap during the third quarter but the hosts allowed just six points in the final frame.

“I thought we played well in the first half,” Immaculate coach Nelson Mingachos said. “I thought we came out sluggish in the third quarter and settled back down in the fourth … I thought we controlled the tempo pretty well.”

The game served as a final tune-up for what will be a massive week for Immaculate which consists of three contests at home after a visit to St. Bernard on Saturday. It starts Monday when one-loss Newtown visits Danbury; the Mustangs host Bunnell Wednesday and Waterford on Saturday.

“We have a gauntlet here,” Mingachos said. “Two teams that are ranked in the state in Newtown and Waterford, and Bunnell hasn’t lost (in eight games). Next week is going tell a lot, shift teams around a lot and the cream will definitely rise to the top.”

The funds raised went to Ann’s Place, a facility that helps those with cancer in Danbury.

IMMACULATE 70, BARLOW 44

BARLOW (4-8)

Danny Mangieri 3 2-2 10 Clark Gilmore 4 0-0 9 James Menapace 1 0-0 3 Charlie Bartro 0 0-2 0 Carter Janki 0 0-2 0 Austin DeLuca 2 3-4 7 Tom Richetelli 5 5-8 15.

IMMACULATE (9-1)

Jack Woods 13 3-4 31 Mike Basile 7 3-4 17 Quinn Guth 5 5-5 16 Keelan Doherty 1 2-2 4 Sean Guiry 1 0-1 2. Totals: 27 13-16 70.

BARLOW         6 11 21 6 — 44
IMMACULATE   16 21 16 15 —- 70

3-pointers: B—Mangieri 2, Gilmore, Menapace; I—Woods 2, Guth.

Gracen Kerr had 23 point and Brianna Meekins 16 to lead Kolbe Cathedral to a 49-41 win in SWC girls basketball action Thursday at the Shehan Center in Bridgeport.

Allison Teklits led New Fairfield with 14 points.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL 49, NEW FAIRFIELD 41

NEW FAIRFIELD

Ava Romanello 3 2-2 10 Allison Teklits 5 0-0 14 Sydney O’Connor 4 3-4 12 Kelly Ford 2 1-3 5. Totals: 14 6-9 41.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL

Gracen Kerr 8 5-6 23 Mishell Pringle 2 0-1 4 Brianna Meekins 7 1-3 16 Shaniya Stancil 2 2-2 6. Totals: 19 8-12 49.

3-pointers: NF—Teklits 4, Romanello 2, O’Connor; KC—Kerr 2, Meekins.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Stratford 49, Newtown 47 (OT)

Jack Ryan with the 2 FTs with 3.4 seconds left to help Stratford knock off previously unbeaten and ninth ranked Newtown 49-47 in OT. #ctbb pic.twitter.com/YhP7DHCxP8

— Joe Morelli (@nhrJoeMorelli) January 25, 2019

Jack Ryan hit a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds left in overtime to help the Stratford boys basketball team upset ninth-ranked and previously-undefeated Newtown 49-47 Thursday night in a South-West Conference game at Stratford.

On the game’s final possession, Joe August (11 rebounds) intercepted the long inbounds pass and ran the clock out to preserve the victory. Ryan led the Red Devils (8-4, 5-1) with 14 points. Todd Peterson led the Nighthawks (11-1, 5-1) with 15 points.

Stratford (7-3-0)

Jack Ryan 4 0 6-6 14, Mike August 3 0 0-0 6, Joe August 2 0 2-2 6, John Bike 1 1 1-2 6, Preston Williams 0 2 0-0 6, Zack Fedak 1 1 2-2 7, Jayquan Kirkland 2 0 0-0 4 Totals: 17 11-14 49.

Newtown

Jack Peterson 1 3 0-0 11, Riley Ward 2 2 0-0 10, Tucker Garrity 4 1 0-0 11, Todd Peterson 5 0 5-5 15, Jack Kuligowski 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 5-5 47.

3-pointers: N—J. Peterson 3, Ward 2, Garrity; S—Williams 2, Fedak, Bike.

Coginchaug 56, Portland 39

Coginchaug (5-7)

Thomas Vallone 7 0 5-6 19, Elijah Rivera 7 0 0-0 14, Justin Penney 1 1 2-3 7, Chris Onofrio 1 0 1-2 3, Hugh Barrett 1 0 0-0 2, Jorden Morehead 3 1 2-2 11

Portland (3-6)

Brett Thivierge 1 0 1-1 3, Josh Doering 1 1 2-4 7, Bryan Dinnis 3 0 3-3 9, Mason Piersall 0 2 0-0 6, Indomari Ellison 0 1 2-4 5, Grant Collins 3 0 3-3 9

Hillhouse 59, Hamden 44

Hillhouse (7-5)

Cincere Lash 6 2 0-0 14, Jacari Douglas 3 0 0-0 6, Evan Alexander-Scott 4 2 0-1 10, Turcone Kelley 2 1 1-2 6, Janden Satchell 1 0 0-2 2, Gregorio Chambers 1 0 0-0 2, Tazhon Daniels 4 3 7-7 18, Matthew Gibbs 0 0 1-2 1

Hamden (8-5)

Corey Walters 4 1 2-2 11, Fabian Cox 4 0 5-5 13, Heston Tucker 2 0 5-6 9, Keari Cofield-Crew 1 0 0-0 2, Jayvon Chapman 1 1 0-1 3, Ali Aklin 0 0 1-2 1, Jermaine Dennis 2 0 1-2 5

North Branford 76, Hale Ray 75

Matt Cosgrove scored 22 points to help North Branford earn its first victory in a non-league matchup of Shoreline Conference teams at North Branford.

Brett Fee added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunderbirds. Alex Richard led all scorers with 28 points for the Little Noises.

North Branford (1-9)

Gary Robinson 1 0 4-5 6, Matt Cosgrove 4 4 2-5 22, Bret Fee 5 0 3-5 13, Mike Sitro 2 0 9-10 13, Trevor Holzer 1 0 2-3 4, Jordan Rosario 2 0 0-0 4, Dylan Martinik 2 1 3-7 10, Cam Dientima 2 0 0-0 4

Hale Ray

Alex Ricard 5 1 15-16 28, Zak Cunningham 5 0 0-0 10, Matt Conroy 0 0 2-2 2, Chris Cappitella 1 0 0-0 2, Noah Sanders 9 0 3-5 21

Wilbraham & Monson 72, Cheshire Academy 50

Cheshire Academy

Ian McCuthen 0 0 2-2 2, Eamon Fitzpatrick 1 0 0-1 2, Marco Barosi 0 1 0-0 3, Asa Beyah 3 5 0-0 21, Jayden Cooper 0 0 0-0 0, Max Mazzella 0 0 4-4 4, Ethan Okwuosa 2 0 0-1 4, Justin Allen 4 0 4-5 12

Wilbraham & Monson

Saxon Thompson 4 2 2-2 16, Dan Klosk 2 1 1-1 8, Idan Tretout 4 6 4-6 30, Quion Sneed 1 0 1-2 3, John Packard 2 0 0-0 4, Devon Austin 3 0 0-0 6, Joe Perry 2 0 1-1 5

Hamden Hall 83, Brunswick 74

Brunswick

Tristan Joseph 0 3 5-6 14, C Marvin 1 0 0-0 2, K Wilson 7 3 0-0 20, C Mulshine 1 1 1-2 6, H Laponiti 4 0 1-2 9, L Okpara 10 0 3-4 23

Hamden Hall (13-2)

Tim Dawson 1 2 0-0 8, Christian Adams 8 1 12-14 31, Jackson Benigni 5 2 4-5 20, Jahki Pettway 1 0 0-0 2, Byron Breland 5 3 3-4 22

NEW MILFORD 54, MASUK 53

MASUK

Jacob Leisawitz 1 0-0 2 Ryan Winkler 6 2-3 17 Jake Rosati 9 1-2 20 Josh Wittenberger 0 0-0 0 Mateo Esmeraldo 2 0-0 5 Zach Forte 3 0-0 6 Carson Swift 1 0-0 2 Aren Cummings 0 1-2 1. Totals: 22 4-7 53.

NEW MILFORD

Josian Morales 2 0-0 4 Johnny Fitzmaurice 3 0-1 7 Tyler Bowe 8 2-3 18 Eric Habjian 4 6-6 14 Eric Diaz 1 1-2 3 Hunter Skelly 1 1-4 3 Anthony Trocchio 2 0-0 5. Totals: 21 10-16 54.

3-pointers: M—Winkler 3, Rosati, Esmeraldo; NM—Fitzmaurice, Trocchio.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL 53, NEW FAIRFIELD 42

KOLBE CATHEDRAL

Ty Staples-Santos 1 1-2 3 Jaden Mclellan 2 0-0 5 Evan Coleman 3 0-2 8 Quinton Sneed-Lott 5 5-6 15 Taeshaun Sanchez 2 3-5 6 Justin Leigh 3 0-0 6 Eudell Mason 1 1-2 3 Robert Raphael 1 1-3 3. Totals: 18 11-19 53.

NEW FAIRFIELD

Nate Alviti 1 0-0 3 Wilson Brawley 2 0-1 4 Matt Garbowski 2 0-0 5 Sean Jamieson 6 0-0 13 Jayden Racca 1 2-2 4 Alex Jansen 1 0-0 3 Danny Driscoll 3 0-0 7 Dylan Kelly 1 0-0 3. Totals: 17 2-3 42.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL  8 15 18 12—53
NEW FAIRFIELD        6 3 18 15—42

3-pointers: KC—Coleman 2, Mclellan, Sanchez; NF—Alviti, Garbowski, Jamieson, Janesn, Driscoll, Kelly.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

NEWTOWN 58, STRATFORD 30

Newtown rebounded from suffering its first defeat against a Connecticut opponent this week by downing a pair of opponents, Brookfield Tuesday and Stratford 58-30 Thursday.

Against the Red Devils Cailin Wilson led the attack with 14 points while Nicki DaPra added 10. The Nighthawks led 25-4 after one period; 12 players scored for Newtown, which improved to 12-2.

STRATFORD (4-9)

Upchurch 0 1-2 1 Torreso 3 0-2 8 Anka 4 3-4 14 Ritchie 1 0-0 2 Carbone 2 0-2 5. Totals: 10 4-7 30.

NEWTOWN (12-2)

Cailin Wilson 4 3-4 14 Amy Sapenter 3 0-0 8 Emma Magazu 2 1-1 5 Carolina Stubbs 0 0-2 0 Cyleigh Wilson 1 0-0 3 Carlie Smith 2 1-2 5 Shannon Kelleher 1 0-0 3 Rebecca Alicea 1 0-0 2 Juliette Cryder 1 0-0 2 Jack Matthews 1 1-2 3 Nicki DaPra 4 0-0 10 Shea Murphy 1 0-0 2 Julia Gerace 1 1-2 3. Totals: 22 6-13 58.

STRATFORD     4 8 7 11 — 30
NEWTOWN     25 11 11 9 — 58

3-pointers: S—Anka 3, Torreso 2, Carbone; N—Ca. Wilson 2, Sapenter 2, DaPra 2, Cy. Wilson, Kelleher.

BETHEL 43, POMPERAUG 37

POMPERAUG (9-5)

Alex Rafferty 2 1-2 7 Cara McGettigan1 4-4 6 Molly Flanagan 1 0-0 2 Sydney Lounsbury 0 1-2 1 Jada Stietzel 2 2-2 6 Maggie Lee 5 5-8 15. Totals: 17 13-18 37.

BETHEL (8-5)

Nataha Redmond 2 0-0 4 Vicky Gracy 1 6-14 8 Ruby Ackerman 0 3-4 3 Gabi Mendonca 1 0-0 3 Maranda Nyborg 7 11-15 25. Totals: 17 19-33 43.

BETHEL       12 11 11 8 — 43
POMPERAUG   9 12 6 10 — 37

3-pointers: B—Mendonca; P—Rafferty 2.

East Hampton 35, Old Lyme 20

Old Lyme

Olin Fredricks 2 1 0-0 7, Sam Gray 1 0 0-0 2, Taylor Thompson 1 0 0-0 2, Britney Deroehn 0 0 1-1 1, Emily Deroehn 1 0 0-0 2, Emma McCulloch 0 0 1-1 1, Bella Arias 1 1 0-0 5

East Hampton (7-0)

Olivia Marsh 3 0 0-0 6, Angela Mercaldi 2 0 1-1 5, Lindsay Orbann 2 0 3-3 7, Mya Field 2 0 1-1 5, Hannah Barrientos 0 0 1-1 1, Meryl Curtin 0 2 5-5 11

Amity 49, Lauralton Hall 20

Amity coach Michelle Shoop won her 100th career game for the Spartans in this SCC win at Milford.

Lauralton Hall (1-12)

Julia Sendzik 2 0 3-4 7, Lauren McCarthy 1 0 0-0 2, Lauren Dowling 0 0 1-2 1, Lauren Adams 1 0 0-0 2, Shannon Redgate 0 2 0-0 6, Leala Harris 1 0 0-1 2

Amity (6-4)

Hayley Esparo 1 0 0-0 2, Tara Laugeni 8 1 0-1 19, Jillian Martin 3 0 1-2 7, Leia Foyer 3 0 1-2 7, Skylar Burzynsk 0 0 0-2 0, Cat Thomas 1 0 0-0 2, Mya Mazione 3 0 2-2 8, Abby Eschweiler 1 0 0-0 2

Weston 48, Bunnell 30

Bunnell (4-6-0)

Amanda Zdru 0 0 0-0 12, Adriana Debanndo 0 0 0-0 0, Jasmine St.Clair 0 0 0-0 5

Sheehan 70, Branford 31

Liv Robles and Hayleigh Lagase finished with 15 and 12 points, respectively, for Sheehan in a SCC win at Wallingford. Sophia Araneo scored 14 points to lead the Hornets.

Sheehan (10-3)

Hayleigh Lagase 4 0 4-5 12, Caitlyn Hunt 3 0 1-2 7, Liv Robles 7 0 1-1 15, Mackenzie Hemstock 0 0 2-2 2, Caroline Dighello 2 1 0-1 7, Maddi Larkin 4 0 1-2 9, Caitlyn Velez 1 0 1-3 3, Sydney Rossacci 1 0 0-0 2, Molly Smolenski 1 1 0-0 5, Jayna Mackenzie 0 1 0-0 3, Jocelyn Petrillo 1 1 0-0 5, Mia Mills 0 0 0-1 0

Branford (6-6)

Gabriella Lucertini 0 1 0-0 3, Karly King 2 1 2-5 9, Sophia Araneo 3 0 8-9 14, Nicole Pagliaro 0 0 2-2 2, Skye Martino 1 0 2-3 4

Mercy 39, Career Magnet 34

Kameryn King finished with 10 points for Mercy (8-4) in an SCC win at Middletown. Carmen Rosemond led all scorers with 15 points for the Panthers (2-10).

Mercy (10-3-0)

Lexi Leon 0 0 4-5 4, Lilly Hedge 3 0 3-4 9, Nicole Bauman 0 0 0-2 0, Sophia Finkeldey 3 1 0-0 9, Rachael Cipolla 0 0 7-10 7, Kameryn King 1 2 2-2 10

Career Magnet (2-10-0)

Carmen Rosemond 3 2 3-4 15, Kayla Emery 4 0 1-3 9, Arkaysee Booker 0 0 3-6 3, Nicole Washington 1 0 1-2 3, Agdielys Alicea 0 0 2-2 2, TayJana Greene 0 0 2-2 2

Jonathan Law 60, Cheshire 53

Samara Thacker led the way with 19 points for Law, which prevailed in overtime in this SCC victory at Milford.

Mia Juodaitis led all scorers with 22 points, including the 1,000th of her career, for Cheshire (6-8). Fallon Andriolas added 18 points for Law (10-3).

Jonathan Law (8-3)

Cali Jolley 4 0 3-4 11, Samara Thacker 0 4 7-11 19, Pam Ellison 2 0 2-6 6, Fallon Andriolas 6 1 3-5 18, Maddie Lula 1 0 0-2 2, Olivia Kowalski 1 0 1-2 3, Shelby Green 0 0 1-2 1 Totals: 20 17-27 60.

Cheshire (5-8)

Grace Lurz 0 1 0-0 3, Kaylee Clark 1 1 0-0 5, Mia Juodiatis 9 0 4-10 22, Emma Watkinson 1 4 0-0 14, Ariana Perlini 1 0 0-2 2, Toni Wetmore 1 1 0-0 5, Tess Givens 1 0 0-0 2. Totals: 21 4-12 53.

3-pointers: C—Watkinson 4, Lurz, Clark, Wettmore; L—Andriolas.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL 49, NEW FAIRFIELD 41

NEW FAIRFIELD

Ava Romanello 3 2-2 10 Allison Teklits 5 0-0 14 Sydney O’Connor 4 3-4 12 Kelly Ford 2 1-3 5. Totals: 14 6-9 41.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL

Gracen Kerr 8 5-6 23 Mishell Pringle 2 0-1 4 Brianna Meekins 7 1-3 16 Shaniya Stancil 2 2-2 6. Totals: 19 8-12 49.

3-pointers: NF—Teklits 4, Romanello 2, O’Connor; KC—Kerr 2, Meekins.

MASUK 56, NEW MILFORD 41

NEW MILFORD

Nicole Vivian 8 2-2 19 Mackenzie Brady 2 2-2 6 Maya Val 2 0-0 5 Olivia Taub 1 1-2 3 Sam McCaughin 3 2-4 8 Ana Holcomb 0 0-0 0 Tatum Bowes 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 7-10 41.

MASUK (7-8)

Gia DeLorenzo 9 0-0 20 Bri Craig 5 3-4 13 Sammi Sciebe 7 0-0 16 Emily Rentz 2 1-2 5 Emily Lange 1 0-0 2 Phoebe DeRiu-Crowley 0 0-0 0 Rachel Hersch 0 0-0 0 Jaiden Klutch 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 4-6 56.

NEW MILFORD     11 10 8 12—41
MASUK     13 9 15 19—56

3-pointers: NM—Vivian, Val; M—DeLorenzo 3, Schiebe 2.

BULLARD-HAVENS 52, WILCOX TECH 35

BULLARD-HAVENS (11-1, 5-0 CTC)

Tiajah Coles 0 0-1 0 Kristin Edwards 0 0-0 0 Shania Davitt 0 0-0 0 Aaliyah Gilliam 2 1-2 5 Ariana Garcia 4 0-0 8 Annabella Simon 0 0-1 0 Arianny Santana 4 3-8 11 Lydia Masala 6 0-0 12 Janaisha Lee 4 0-1 8 Shayna Teele 0 0-0 0 Angie Colon 0 0-0 0 Ta’Naja Bostic 2 3-6 7 Lucy Gonzalez 0 0-0 0 Alysha Rodriguez 0 0-0 0 Tiaujah Norfleet 0 0-0 0 Anayia Araujo 0 1-2 1. Totals: 22 8-21 52.

WILCOX TECH (3-9, 3-3)

Kayla Ransom 3 3-3 10 Ellians Pennyman 2 0-1 6 Shatasia Mason 1 0-0 2 Charisa Morales 2 0-1 6 Tatiana Robles 2 0-0 6 Anastasia LaFogg 2 0-0 5. Totals: 12 3-5 35.

BULLARD-HAVENS     14 11 12 15—52
WILCOX TECH         6 8 12 9—35

3-pointers: WT—Robles 2, Morales 2, Pennyman 2, Ransom, LaFogg.

Fouled out: WT—Mason.

WRESTLING

Hopkins 53, Wilbraham & Monson Academy 21

106 Owen Cronin (H) win by fall over An Vu (W) at 1:04; 113 Sam Rivera (H) win by fall over Kizuki Koyasu (W) at 5:45; 120 Daniel Barber (H) win by fall over Jack Swanson (W) at 1:55; 126 Dominic Roberts (H) dec Adam Kuglemass (W) 8 – 7; 132 Giovanni Biondo (W) dec Dylan Maloy (H) 6 – 3; 138 Gunnar DeSantis (H) win by forfeit; 145 Theo Tellides (H) dec. An Nguyen (W) 7 – 3; 152 Griffan Wolusky (W) win by fall over Hudson Berk (H) at 1:00; 160 William Crocker (W) win by fall over Ben Jenkins (H) at 1:10; 170 Owen Sherman (H) win by fall over Liam Garrison (W) at 3:05; 182 Doug Guilford (H) win by fall over Tristen Lynch (W) at 0:50; 195 John Kendall (W) win by injury default over Brandon Smith (H) (Unsportsmanlike Conduct Hopkins); 220 Charlie Wich (H) win by forfeit; Hwt Tyler Cipriano (H) win by fall over Marvin Morris (W) at 0:38.

Hopkins 78, Forman 6

106 Owen Cronin (H) win by fall over Austin Phipps (F) at 2:23; 113 Sam Rivera (H) win by fall over Ben Wildstein (F) at 0:57; 120 Daniel Barber (H) win by fall over Ben Pham (F) at 2:33; 126 Dominic Roberts (H) win by fall over Brian Blum (F) at 0:28; 132 Gunnar DeSantis (H) win by fall over Eliot Moser (F) at 0:30; 138 Sean Bahamonde (H) win by fall over Max Sasloff (F) at 0:38; 145 Theo Tellides (H) win by forfeit; 152 Julien Checco (F) win by fall over Hudson Berk (H) at 3:12; 160 Ethan Evans (H) win by forfeit; 170 Owen Sherman (H) win by fall over Duncan Mugford (H) at 0:57; 182 Doug Guilford (H) win by fall over Alec Najri (F) at 0:19; 195 Charlie Wich (H) win by fall over Clayton Tichy (F) at 1:46; 220 Brandon Smith (H) win by forfeit; Hwt Tyler Cipriano (H) win by fall over Aidan Solar (F) at 1:37.

Hopkins 60, Canterbury 21

106 Owen Cronin (H) win by forfeit; 113 Sam Rivera (H) win by forfeit; 120 Daniel Barber (H) win by forfeit; 126 Dominic Roberts (H) win by fall over Thomas Cho (C) at 3:48; 132 Adrian DeCola (C) dec. Gunnar DeSantis (H) 5 – 2; 138 Dylan Maloy (H) win by forfeit; 145 Theo Tellides (H) win by forfeit; 152 Hudson Berk (H) win by fall over Frederick Lillywhite (C) at 1:17; 160 Ben Jenkins (H) win by forfeit; 170 Owen Sherman (H) win by forfeit; 182 Doug Guilford (H) win by forfeit; 195 Sean Quaye (C) win by fall over Charlie Wich (H) at 1:52; 220 Changxi Xing (C) win by fall over Tyler Cipriano (H) at 1:35; Hwt Jose Mencia (C) win by forfeit 48 – 21.

BOYS SWIMMING

Milford 97, Stratford 60

(at Milford): 200 medley relay- BS – 2:03.31 , Chris Truedson, Brandon Russell, Miguel Vanegros, Steven Tarkowski ; 200 free-M- 2:03.23, Lucas Burgard , 200 IM – M- 2:03.93, Edward Platonov ; 50 free – M – 25.93; Justin Goglia; 100 butterfly – M – 1:00.82 , Lucas Burgard; 100 freestyle – M- 58.64, Bruno Sequera; 500 freestyle – M- 5:09.26; Edward Platonov; 200 free relay – M – 1:39.23, Bruno Sequera, Justin Goglia, Lucas Burgard, Edward Platonov; 100 back- M- 59.01, Justin Goglia, 100 breast- BS- 1:15.77, Brandon Russell, 400 free relay- BS – 4:16.08, Miguel Vanegras, Nikhil Shankar, Steven Tarkowski, Brandon Russell,

Haddam-Killingworth 94, Lyman Hall/Cog 89

(at Wallingford): 200 MR – Kyle Mazziotti,Malone Revis,Eli Houlton,Christopher Garralts HK 1:49.26; 200 FR – Zach Houston HM 1:56.73; 200 IM – Regis HK 2:11.50; 50 FR – E.Houlton HK 23.72; Diving – Elyse Boothroyd LH/Cog 237.05 *new Dog record; 100 Fly – E.Houlton HK 58.50; 100 FR – Mazziotti HK 51.34; 500 – Z.Houlton HK 5:03.72; 200 FrR – Revis,Jimmy Clemente,Z.Houlton,Garralts HK 1:42.22; 100 BK – Mazziotti HK 58.31; 100 BR – Revis HK 1:07.25; 400 FrR – Garralts,Z.Houlton,E.Houlton, Mazziotti HK 3:33.8. Record: LH 1-5.

GYMNASTICS

MERCY 131.4, DANIEL HAND 128.2, VALLEY REGIONAL 121.5, HADDAM KILLINGWORTH 66.6, BRANFORD 29.5

(At Madison): Vault: 1. Mia Lawrence (M) 9.1, 2. Carly Barba (DH) and Sarah Cartelli (M) 8.3, 3. Paige Dean (DH) and Brooke Kustra (B) 8.2; Bars: 1. Lawrence (M) 8.7, 2. Grace Rogers (DH) 8.2, 3. Cece Vess (M) 8.0; Beam: 1. Lawrence (M) 9.0, 2. Sarah Cole (VR) 8.2, 3. Dean (DH) and Kustra (B) 8.1; Floor: 1. Rogers (DH) 9.0, 2. Lawrence (M) 8.9, 3. Dean (DH) 8.75; All Around: 1. Lawrence (M) 35.7, 2. Rogers (DH) 33.3, 3. Dean (DH) 32.95. Records: Hand 3-9.

Sacred Heart Greenwich kept its perfect record intact in the FAA, defeating Greens Farms Academy, 47-39, in a basketball game held in Westport on Wednesday.

Senior center Sarah Eckerson and senior guard Ryan Smith scored 12 points apiece to spark the Tigers, who are 5-0 in FAA play and 12-1 overall.

Junior guard Leah Atkins recorded nine points for Sacred Heart, which led 19-18 at halftime. Junior forward Morgan Smith added six points and Claire Liddy had four points in the winning effort.

Katherine Marcus scored a game-high 18 points to pace Greens Farms Academy. Georgia Grabowski had 14 points for GFA, which was outscored, 28-21, in the second half.

Sacred Heart visits Taft School Saturday at 4 p.m.

SACRED HEART GREENWICH SWIMMING

Last weekend Sacred Heart brought seven swimmers to Loyola, Maryland to compete in the the 83rd National Catholic High School Swimming & Diving Championships. It marked Sacred Heart’s first appearance at the meet.

The two-day, co-ed meet was open to all Catholic High Schools and included 20 teams.

Senior Emma O’Connor of Sacred Heart placed 11th 100-yard backstroke finals and freshman Alexandra Marshall finished 14th in the 500 freestyle.

Additionally, Sacred Heart relays qualified for the finals and placed in the top-16.

The 200 medley relay team of 15th O’Connor, Erin Quigley, Elisa Taylor, and Laura Moore placed 15th, while the 200 freestyle relay squad of Alex Marshall, Charlotte Fallon, Laura Moore, and Erin Quigley were 15th.

In the 400 freestyle relay, Elisa Taylor, Alex Marshall, Karina Adams and O’Connor) were 12th.

GREENWICH ACADEMY BASKETBALL

Greenwich Academy dropped a 49-44 decision to Hamden Hall Country Day School in an FAA matchup held Wednesday in New Haven.

Senior guard Olivia Davis totaled a game-high 26 points to lead the Gators. Davis converted one three pointer and shot 7 for 11 from the foul line.

Junior guard Francesca Sileo contributed eight points, including a 3-pointer, while Josephine Genereux added four points for Greenwich Academy (3-9).

GA visits Berkshire School Saturday at 2 p.m.

BRUNSWICK SCHOOL SKIING

Brunswick’s Jose Riera posted a first-place finish at a CISL race on Wednesday at Mount Southington. The Bruins finished 1-1 in team competition.

William Kallman was third and Ian Murray finished fifth for the Bruins in the race, which included 129 skiers.

Riera finished with a time of 42.35 seconds over two runs. Murray also won the CISL race on January 9.

The Bruins’ top six skiers posted a team time of 274.34 seconds. Brunswick beat Joel Barlow (291.34) and lost to Fairfield (271.74).

GREENWICH HIGH GIRLS BASKETBALL

Junior Megan Lansiedel scored a game-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers to propel Stamford past visiting Greenwich, 34-29, in an FCIAC game held on Tuesday night.

The Black Knights entered halftime with a 14-7 lead and were ahead 23-13 after three quarters. Greenwich cut Stamford’s lead in half in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Black Knights, 16-10.

Senior guard Michelle Morganti scored a team-high 12 points with one 3-pointer for the Cardinals.

Freshman forward Kelly Martyanov recorded 13 rebounds, while freshman forward Ciara Munnelly had nine rebounds. Junior guard Jordan Moses, junior forward Julia Conforti and freshman guard Kristin Riggs had four points apiece for Greenwich.

Breana Jacobs and Dina Merone had four points each for the Black Knights. Stamford shot 7 of 15 from the foul line, while Greenwich was 8 for 18 from the free throw line.

Welcome to the seventh episode of the Inside of the Box high school hockey podcast.

West Haven coach Joe Morrell  joins the show to talk his team, the throwback game they held and a favorite topic of Pete’s dressing more than two goalies.

Pete and Mike then look ahead to what will be a great weekend of hockey.

Remember, if the embed to listen doesn’t show, you can always listen by clicking here.

As always, you can subscribe to GameTimeCT podcasts on iTunes.

We are also now on Spotify, so you can listen to us there now. 

Rundown

• 1 – Week recap
• 7:25 – West Haven coach Joe Morrell
• 20:07 – Look at the weekend and next week

The 2019 Connecticut High School Football Alliance’s 2019 lineup: Clockwise, from top left: The SWC’s Dave Johnson, the CCC’s Dan Scavone, the ECC’s Gary Makowicki, the SCC’s Al Carbone and the FCIAC’s Dave Schulz. (Illustration by Sean Patrick Bowley)

The Connecticut High School Football Scheduling Alliance, a grassroots agreement between commissioners from leagues across the state to produce equitable schedules for their football programs, announced Friday it had added two more leagues to its membership and released schedules for the 2019 season.

The Alliance, which began with a crossover scheduling agreement the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC), the South-West Conference (SWC) and Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) in 2017, has added the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) and Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) beginning this year.

The new arrangement is a one-year deal.

The five leagues scheduled 99 interleague crossover games (up from 80 last season), a majority of which will be played over four weeks — Week 2 (Sept. 20), Week 3 (Sept. 27), Week 6 (Oct. 18) and Week 7 (Oct. 25), with a handful of matchups played during other weeks due to league scheduling conflicts.

SCC Commissioner Al Carbone said he and representatives of the five leagues met as a committee over the last few months to hammer out the matchups.

Read: 2019 CT HS Football Alliance Press Release

All 21 teams from the SCC, all 12 teams from the SWC and seven teams from the ECC are participating, with most of those schools receiving between three or four crossover dates. The 32 CCC teams were each given one crossover date. The 12 participating teams from the FCIAC were given between one or two crossover games.

The pairings were determined by a variety of factors, including CIAC playoff classification, school enrollment, roster size and program success over a 5-year period. Other factors such as availability, and balancing out home and away games were also considered, Carbone said.

To fill the final spots, a handful of Alliance games include teams from the same league that otherwise weren’t scheduled to play — for example, Shelton vs. Xavier in Week 7.

Carbone admits the arrangement isn’t perfect — not all of each league’s members were available to participate, including defending Class LL champion Greenwich — but he says the expansion is a major step toward the long-term goal of wholesale restructuring of football scheduling in Connecticut at the conference level.

Leagues have always created their own schedules, not the CIAC, the state’s organizing body for high school athletics.

To determine its playoff participants, however, the CIAC uses a 40-year old formula based on a team’s record and its opponents’ wins and losses. 

A common criticism of the playoff formula is that it doesn’t adequately account for strength of schedule, or even the strength of leagues. 

Carbone says the Alliance’s hope is to align league scheduling to conform with the CIAC’s playoff criteria, giving teams more equitable roads to the postseason.

“What this means is we’re finally able to have a real discussion about scheduling,” Carbone said. “There are no more leagues. There are no more league championship games. It’s now more about where you’re slotted in regard to the state playoffs.

“What’s the goal of every football team? To get to the state playoffs. With the Alliance, you’re now playing teams in your class — more or less. You will have a direct impact to help or hurt your own cause (in the state playoff races). There will be less discussion about teams that played a lesser schedule making the state playoffs, instead you’ll be getting the best eight teams into the playoffs.”

The Alliance announced its 2019 crossover games Read: 2019 CT HS Football Alliance Press Release, with each of the participating commissioners — Carbone from the SCC, Dave Johnson of the SWC, Gary Makowicki of the ECC, Dan Scavone of the CCC and Dave Schulz of the FCIAC — announcing their support.

Schulz, however, admitted joining the Alliance didn’t fill the FCIAC team’s schedules as it expected. With an odd number of teams (17), the league staggers teams’ bye weeks across 12 weeks.

“We thought the Alliance would be able to fill all our byes,” Schulz said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get everything we wanted. Not everybody is happy.”

But the alternative, Schulz said, was not filling any of the FCIAC’s available bye weeks. “If you don’t do it, you can’t get games unless you go out-of-state because everybody’s else schedule in-state is filled,” Schulz said.

Ridgefield and defending Class LL champion Greenwich, for example, are in discussions with New Jersey programs to fill their bye dates. 

“We’re going to work our way through it this year,” Schulz said. “We’ve already figured out some ways next year, a couple of concepts to make it so we can better align our schedules with the Alliance. 

“We believe in the idea of it. If you look at it, there are a bunch of good games out there — Southington-Darien is a great matchup. And it’s a one-year commitment, so it’s not like we have to do home-and-home scheduling the next year.”

Overall, Carbone said he was pleased with the Alliance’s expansion.

“It’s been pleasure working with other leagues getting them to the table for this,” Carbone said. “The first two years were a start. Now, we’ve got two new leagues. It’s evolving. I look forward to the next year. Hopefully, we’ll have more.”

By more, Carbone means more teams from the participating leagues and, in the future, bringing the remaining three leagues — the Naugatuck Valley League, the Pequot League and Connecticut Technical Conference — into the fold. Carbone said he and the other alliance commissioners have had discussions with the remaining leagues and will continue to do so.

Below are the Alliance’s announced crossover games for 2019. They will become official when the CIAC releases its 2019 schedules in early June.

CHSFA 2019 Crossover Pairings

Week 1 (Sept. 13)

• New Canaan (FCIAC) at New London (ECC)
• Fitch (ECC) at Wilton (FCIAC)
• Westhill (FCIAC) at East Lyme (ECC)

Week 2 (Sept. 20)

• Glastonbury (CCC) at NFA (ECC)
• Southington (CCC) at Darien (FCIAC)
• New Britain (CCC) at Staples (FCIAC)
• New Milford (SWC) at Enfield (CCC)
• Shelton (SCC) at East Hartford (CCC)
• Conard (CCC) at West Haven (SCC)
• South Windsor (CCC) at Hamden (SCC)
• Cheshire (SCC) at Hall (CCC)
• Amity (SCC) at Simsbury (CCC)
• Wilbur Cross (SCC) at Manchester (CCC)
• Newtown (SWC) at Fairfield Prep (SCC)
• Xavier (SCC) at Fitch (ECC)
• Notre Dame-WH (SCC) at St. Joseph (FCIAC)
• Middletown (CCC) at Daniel Hand (SCC)
• Masuk (SWC) at Windsor (CCC)
• Bunnell (SWC) at North Haven (SCC)
• Hartford Public (CCC) at Guilford (SCC)
• Harding (SCC) at E.O. Smith (CCC)
• Farmington (CCC) at Pomperaug (SWC) 
• East Lyme (ECC) at RHAM (CCC)
• Foran (SCC) at Bassick (SCC)
• Bethel (SWC) at Lyman Hall (SCC)
• Stratford (SWC) at Branford (SCC)
• Weston (SWC) at Hillhouse (SCC)
• New Fairfield (SWC) at Sheehan (SCC)
• Brookfield (SWC) at East Haven (SCC)
• Jonathan Law (SCC) at Joel Barlow (SWC) 

Week 3 (Sept. 27)

• West Haven (SCC) at Newtown (SWC) 
• Hamden (SCC) at New Milford (SWC) 
• NFA (ECC) at Shelton (SCC) 
• Newington (CCC) at Amity (SCC)
• Cheshire (SCC) at Fairfield Warde (FCIAC)
• Fairfield Prep (SCC) at Fairfield Ludlowe (FCIAC) 
• McMahon (FCIAC) at Wilbur Cross (SCC) 
• Daniel Hand (SCC) at Wethersfield (CCC)
• Platt (CCC) at Notre Dame-WH (SCC) 
• Bristol Central (CCC) at Masuk (SWC) 
• North Haven (SCC)  at Maloney (CCC)
• Pomperaug (SWC) at Bristol Eastern (CCC)
• Fitch (ECC) at Bunnell (SWC) 
• Xavier (SCC) at New London (ECC)
• Guilford (SCC) at Avon (CCC)
• East Lyme (ECC) at Harding (SCC) 
• Bassick (SCC) at ND-Fairfield (SWC) 
• CREC (ECC) at Bulkeley/W/HTM (CCC)
• Berlin (CCC) at Killingly (ECC)
• Hillhouse  (SCC) at Bloomfield (CCC)
• Lewis Mills (CCC) at Bethel (SWC) 
• Stratford (SWC) at Foran (SCC) 
• East Catholic (CCC) at Lyman Hall (SCC) 
• Sheehan (SCC) at Brookfield (SWC) 
• Branford  (SCC) at New Fairfield (SWC) 
• Joel Barlow (SWC) at Tolland (CCC)
• Plainville (CCC) at Jonathan Law (SCC) 
• NW Catholic (CCC) at Weston (SWC) 
• East Haven (SCC) at Rocky Hill (CCC)

Week 5 (Oct. 11)

• Newtown (SWC) at Shelton (SCC)

Week 6 (Oct. 18)

• Wilbur Cross (SCC) at New Milford (SWC) 
• Masuk (SWC) at Cheshire (SCC) 
• Staples (FCIAC) at North Haven (SCC) 
• McMahon (FCIAC) at Amity (SCC) 
• NFA (ECC) at West Haven (SCC) 
• St. Joseph (FCIAC) at Fairfield Prep (SCC) 
• Daniel Hand (SCC) at Norwalk (FCIAC)
• Pomperaug (SWC) at Hamden (SCC) 
• Harding (SCC) at New London (ECC)
• Bunnell (SWC) at Notre Dame-WH (SCC) 
• Lyman Hall  (SCC) at Guilford (SCC) 
• Bassick (SCC) at CREC (ECC)
• Sheehan  (SCC) at Joel Barlow (SWC) 
• Hillhouse (SCC) at Stratford (SWC) 
• Weston (SWC) at Jonathan Law (SCC) 
• Brookfield (SWC) at Foran (SCC) 
• New Fairfield (SWC) at East Haven (SCC) 
• Branford (SCC) at Bethel (SWC) 
• East Catholic (CCC) at Griswold (ECC)
• Notre Dame-Fairfield (SWC) at NW Catholic (CCC)

Week 7 (Oct. 25)

• New Milford (SWC) at Fairfield Warde (FCIAC)
• Shelton (SCC) at Xavier (SCC) 
• Danbury (FCIAC) at Newtown (SWC) 
• Fairfield Prep (SCC) at NFA (ECC)
• Guilford (SCC) at Masuk (SWC) 
• East Lyme (ECC) at Daniel Hand (SCC) 
• North Haven (SCC) at Pomperaug (SWC) 
• Notre Dame-WH (SCC) at Fitch (ECC)
• Wilton (FCIAC) at Bunnell (SWC) 
• New London (ECC) at Bassick (SCC) 
• Lyman Hall (SCC) at Notre Dame-Fairfield (SWC) 
• Killingly (ECC) at Brookfield (SWC) 
• Jonathan Law (SCC) at Bethel (SWC) 
• Foran (SCC) at Weston (SWC) 
• Joel Barlow (SWC) at Branford (SCC) 
• East Haven (SCC) at Stratford (SWC) 

Week 8 (Nov. 1)

• Bridgeport Central (FCIAC) at Bassick (SCC) 

Week 11 (Nov. 22)

• Notre Dame-Fairfield (SWC) at New Fairfield (SWC)

Connecticut High School Foo… by on Scribd

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media
Jason Shea, head boys basketball coach and athletic director at Notre Dame-West Haven. The school is starting a post-graduate basketball team for the 2019-20 season.

Notre Dame-West Haven High School will be starting its own post-graduate program, called Notre Dame Prep, that will begin in the fall.

The program will offer its own academic curriculum, separate from what the high school students take, and its own basketball program, again separate than the current high school team coached by Jason Shea. The team will be coached by Nick DeFeo, who currently coaches the Woodstock Academy Blue Team, one of two prep school teams at Woodstock.

The above were stipulations handed down by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference that it remain a separate entity from the high school team and school.

Shea said this program was created to provide another option for area players to stay at their high school, then come to Notre Dame as a post-grad rather than going to a prep school and reclassifying (repeating) as a junior or a different academic year. A handful of schools in the Fairchester League use reclassification because the league does not allow post-grads.

“It gives parents a chance to hang up on those prep schools who call up and talk about reclassification,” Shea said. “You are being asked to take a leap of faith as a sophomore when you really have no idea whether you will end up at the level they project for you. Instead, if you continue at your high school and get to the point of the real recruitment, you get feedback from college coaches and then if you need to do a fifth year, you are making an educated decision.”

Shea didn’t make reference to specific examples, but Hearst Connecticut Media has reported 12 players from the Southern Connecticut Conference have transferred over the past two off-seasons and reclassified before their senior seasons of high school – none from Notre Dame-West Haven.

“What is going on here locally is kids are reclassifying, so we have a lot of talent in the area that leave (CIAC schools),” Shea said. “We don’t lose guys. but it happens a lot in our area. There is enough talent in the area to field a fifth-year team if those kids chose to stay in high school.”

Shea alerted the SCC athletic directors of the new program ahead of time and has the blessing of the league commissioner, Al Carbone.

“All too often, we talk about problems with high school sports in this state, but we never create solutions,” Carbone said. “Great job by Notre Dame getting this done. It is always great to be first at something and Jason Shea and the ND administration really thought this through and took advantage.”

Shea said the admissions process will begin immediately. Fifteen student-athletes will be able to enroll beginning in mid-August and begin classes – and practice – when the high school students return. The cost will be the same as the high school tuition – approximately $16,000. Core courses and electives will be offered in addition to SAT prep.

There will be no boarding at Notre Dame Prep.

Notre Dame is expected to join the Power 5 Conference. According to a release on Notre Dame’s athletic website, gogreenknights.com, both Woodstock teams, along with MacDuffie, Masters (CT) Commonwealth Academy (Mass.), Redemption Christian Academy (Mass.), Hoosac (N.Y.), Bradford Christian (Mass.) and Capital Prep Harbor are in the Power 5 Conference.

DeFeo, 26, responded to a phone message seeking comment by text saying he would not do any interviews until his Woodstock Blue team concludes its season. According to gogreenknights.com, DeFeo, who works in the admissions office at Woodstock Academy, will become an assistant director of admissions at Notre Dame.

Shea said he has already started to get inquiries about the program. The basketball schedule will be approximately 30 games and Notre Dame Prep will likely be classified in either AA or AAA, according to Shea.

As a point of reference, schools in the Fairchester Athletic Association that allow reclassification Hamden Hall Country Day, St. Luke’s in New Canaan are Class B schools for basketball in the NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) while Greens Farms Academy in Westport is in Class C.

“I don’t oppose all kids reclassifying,” Shea said. “If you are an extremely high-level player and it makes sense to go to a school that is better for them academically, great. What I am opposed to is the rampant reclassification.

“Usually, at the time of the reclassification, kids are not being recruited, but being promised the opportunities. The prep school coach has no idea if he can make those promises come true. In a lot of cases, the local prep schools play in front of 20 people every night. You can’t tell me that a better developmental situation or environment for those athletes.”

[See image gallery at www.gametimect.com]

If you’ve followed high school boys basketball even a little bit this winter, you’ve surely seen the shot.

Ryan McAleer intercepts an inbounds pass, heaves the ball up from halfcourt and scores at the buzzer to give the New Canaan Rams a 52-49 victory over the Stamford Black Knights. Bedlam ensues in the NCHS gymnasium.

It was certainly a Hollywood ending, but in the big picture, it’s just the tip of the iceberg in what has become New Canaan’s best season in more than a decade.

Ok, this just happened…New Canaan wins on stolen pass & half court buzzer beater! @NCTV78 @ncramsathletics @NCHS_CT #SCTop10 @CoachMelzer @mrmcateer pic.twitter.com/p086ra1KSL

— Roman Cebulski (@mrcebulski) January 11, 2019

When the Rams defeated the Warde Mustangs, 48-38, in Fairfield on Tuesday night, they earned their eighth victory and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2009.

During the past eight seasons, the Rams had won more than five games just once when they finished 6-14 in 2012-13. They were a combined 42-138 since the 2010-11 campaign, and went 5-15 last year.

They’re now 8-3, in the state tournament, and are in prime position for a run at the FCIAC playoffs as they prepare to host the Ludlowe Falcons at 7 p.m., Friday. That game will be a fundraiser for Coaches vs. Cancer’s Suits and Sneakers week, with coaches for both teams wearing suits and sneakers.

On the court, New Canaan doesn’t have a headline-stealing superstar, but it does have depth and players willing to go all-out on a daily basis.

“One of the things that’s been extremely important to our success is the fact that we’re not just relying on one or two kids,” head coach Danny Melzer, in his third year with the Rams, said. “Every single night, every single win, it’s been someone else, someone different. The guys have really bought into the fact that we need to win as a team and we need everyone to contribute.”

New Canaan basketball is light years from where it was just three seasons ago, when senior co-captains Jack Richardson, Ben Sarda and Luke Rwambuya were high school freshmen. Now, those players are the leaders of a Ram resurgence.

“We put in so much work in the offseason during the last three years,” Richardson said. “To see that work finally pay off and see that we finally have a state tournament berth, is really a testament to all of that hard work. We’re looking on to even greater things now like making FCIACs, and making a state run and an FCIAC run.”

“The best part of this team is we don’t rely on one kid,” Sarda said. “(Junior) Matt Brand is probably our best player, but everyone contributes from the first guy down to the eighth, ninth and 10th guys. The bench energy is great. A lot of kids are being selfless this year. We haven’t seen that in the past and that’s one of the reasons for our success.”

The Rams set several preseason goals and are on pace to blow them away. They won two of their first three games and then topped East Windsor 61-33, and Shelton 66-57 to claim the championship of their own holiday tournament.

Since then, New Canaan has won four of six games, with 20-point victories over traditional powers Bridgeport Central and Trinity Catholic, as well as the dramatic win against Stamford.

That roll has put the spotlight on the boys basketball team in what has traditionally been an ice hockey town. It also has the Rams thinking big again.

“Our goals were always to first to win the Holiday Tournament, which we did, and then to make states, which we’ve done now,” Rwambuya said. “Now, we’re looking forward to making FCIACs and obviously making a run in states. We’re hoping for some big things this year.”

THIRD YEAR’S THE CHARM

When Melzer took over the program for the 2016-17 season, the Rams had just 33 wins during the previous seven years. His move from Stamford didn’t change much right away in terms of record, as New Canaan was 4-16 during his first year, matching the mark from the prior season. They improved by one win the following year.

Now the Rams are on the verge of matching the combined win total from Melzer’s first two seasons.

“We’re in year three now, so these guys really understand what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re starting to speak the same language,” Melzer said. “There was an adjustment period for certainly the first year and a lot of last year. This was something we knew when we got here was going to be a process and now it’s come to fruition.”

The familiarity with the system has been key, but Melzer has also turned the players into believers on and off the court.

“He has made basketball a priority, more than before,” Richardson said. “A few years ago, basketball was the second or third sport for everyone, but he’s made it people’s No. 1 sport. They’re devoted to the program and that’s really shown this year.”

“In the past, basketball hasn’t been something that hasn’t been a priority to all kids and really Coach Melzer has changed that around with all the offseason work we’ve down the past two or three years,” Rwambuya said. “It’s really come and paid off and really changed the culture around here.”

“I’ve had a long history with Coach Melzer and he’s helped me grow on and off the court,” Sarda said. “I feel like that’s such a big aspect of what he does. He really cares. It’s the kind of coach and player relationship that makes this team so strong.”

A HOT TICKET

With the Rams’ winning, the crowds have followed. After their dramatic victory over Stamford, the school’s bomb squad piled onto the court and joined the players and coaches in celebration.

The electric atmosphere at New Canaan home games hadn’t been seen in a while, and is helping to feed the energy on the court. The Rams are 5-1 at home.

“The crowds have been really been important for us,” Richardson said. “We’re getting respect from the school bomb squad and it really helps having kids who know you behind you on the bench, always cheering you on.

“Watching football in New Canaan when they always have the giant crowds and how energetic that makes them feel — it has the same effect for basketball. We really feed off the crowd and that’s one reason our home record is so good this year.”

“When I was in high school, New Canaan was good at basketball and they would see great crowds,” Melzer said. “So I’m not surprised that there’s more excitement this year. I’ve told the kids we’ve got to do our part and win games and then we’ll give the school what they’re hoping to get.”

The win over Stamford has been the centerpiece of the season so far. The Rams scored the final eight points of the game, including six in the last 0.9 seconds. Aaron Fishman hit three free throws to tie the score before McAleer’s bomb from halfcourt sealed the win.

“Honestly, that game was just crazy,” Rwambuya said. “It was a huge win because we knew it was going to be close. Coach Melzer used to coach there, so there was a lot more energy for us, and it meant a lot to him. To get that win for him was huge.”

Those kinds of victories have come with another dimension: Checking the standings. The Rams are 10th in the CIAC Div. IV race, and tied with Ridgefield for fifth place in the FCIAC standings. If New Canaan qualifies for the conference playoffs, it would be its first dance since 2008.

For now, Melzer isn’t looking ahead.

“People have asked me what’s your seed, where are you in the standings and my answer is I haven’t even looked,” Melzer said. “It’s way too early for that. Making the FCIAC playoffs is a goal of ours, but we’ve got a long way to go before we can think about that. All we need to focus on right now is beating Ludlowe (on Friday). It’s focus on the game at hand and try to prepare a game plan and execute it.”

Moving forward, it’s no longer a matter of finding the winnable games on the schedule. Every time the Rams hit the court nowadays, it’s a winnable game.

“We’ve been saying the next game is the most important game of the season,” Sarda said. “We can beat anybody in this league, we all believe that, and it’s been really helpful to have that mindset this year.”

SEYMOUR — Call it the winter of their discontent.

For Seymour High School athletes like Patty Jurkowski, Amber Recine and McKenzie Collins, last fall’s girls’ soccer program and the current indoor track season have not met expectations.

Now parents, student athletes, and State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, are demanding the town’s Board of Education take action and evaluate the high school’s beleaguered athletic programs.

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The girls’ soccer team has had four different head coaches in Jurkowski’s four years. That lack of continuity is a problem for Collins, who hopes to refine her soccer skills into a college scholarship.

“Each coach brings a different style of play,” she said.

And this past season, the same head coach handled both girls’ and boys’ soccer.

Diane Saylor-Valdes, whose daughter made the girls’ varsity team as a freshman in 2017 and saw it qualify for the state tournament, was hoping for better things last fall.

Instead, the season ended with the forfeiture of two games — making Seymour ineligible for the state tournament. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference allows girls to play in boys’ junior varsity soccer games but if they do, they are not allowed to play in the all-girls games. Some did.

“They are not having the opportunity to build on their performances,” said Lisa Collins, McKenzie’s mother. “Being disqualified from tournaments cuts down on their being seen by recruiting coaches.”

Seymour High’s sports problems spread wider than soccer.

Late last May, Seymour High Football Coach Tom Lennon was placed on administrative leave, an assistant’s contract was not renewed and four other assistants left in solidarity. Then, earlier this month, police charged a former player Seymour High football player with an attack on a teammate in 2015.

The alleged assailant, now legally an adult, was charged as a juvenile with third-degree sexual assault, third-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor. The victim, who left Seymour not long after the alleged locker-room assault, reported the incident to the state Department of Children and Families, which contacted police.

One of the assistants, John Johnson, also coached indoor and outdoor track. He is now employed at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge. Another, Burns, is the current indoor track coach.

Klarides-Ditria said that with “what happened with football in the fall you would think the school would have herniated itself to make sure we didn’t have any issues moving forward.”

Scheduling problems

But this year’s indoor track team arrived late for its first two meets. Some team members missed events; others had to compete without warming up.

That meant that at the opening meet, the Hillhouse Invitational, Jurkowski “ripped off my warmups and lined up” for the 55-meter dash. “I felt a tightness in my inner right thigh after having run the race. I automatically knew it was from a lack of warming up.”

Not only did she post “my worst time ever,” Jurkowski decided not to run the 55 meter hurdles because “I knew from experience the tightness could get way worse if I didn’t rest it.”

The team arrived arrived about an hour late for its second meet — the Wintergarten Invitational at Southern Connecticut State University. Ten athletes missed their events, team members said.

Expecting this would happen, Jurkowski stayed home.

“Imagine being a student athlete getting ready for a competition and … worrying about even getting there on time,” one parent, Bob Russo, recently told the Board of Education. “That’s not fair.”

Jurkowski is looking at several colleges, including Stonehill in Massachusetts.

“Whether or not I get a scholarship will determine where I go,” she said.

Similar concerns were shared by a number of parents and student-athletes at a recent Seymour Board of Education meeting. the school board meeting.

“I am not confident the Board of Education will do anything unless forced,” Saylor-Valdes said. “Players are talking about not returning as they are discouraged, and unfortunately lost the love of playing”

Recine, a senior, is one of them. The soccer and indoor track problems led her to question whether to compete in outdoor track this spring. She said the soccer forfeitures impacted her ability to focus on school work.

“This situation made me want the (indoor) track season to come faster, because my soccer season had ended so abruptly,” she said.

Difficult choices

But a new season brought more problems. Now Recine questions whether outdoor track will be worth the effort, since the school board has yet to hire a head coach and four assistants for the sport.

“I really hope that this gets fixed, because being on a team like the soccer team and the track team have really, positively impacted my whole high school life,” she said. “I just really want the incoming freshman and the students who will be returning next year to have a great experience that they won’t forget once they leave high school.”

No one is blaming the new indoor track coach. Parents and First Selectman Kurt Miller said James Burns, a former football assistant, made it clear upon taking the track position that his primary job would not allow him to arrive until 3:30 p.m.

“Is the inconvenience of arriving late for one or two meets outweighed by not having an indoor track team at all?” Miller asked. “I’d rather see us have the season, allow our athletes to practice…and have them in shape to compete in outdoor track.”

Russo, Miller, and others commended Burns “for stepping up at the 11th hour” to fill the vacancy and give the kids a chance to compete. Jurkowski said it’s been difficult for Burns, as a new indoor track coach, to have only one assistant, who is also new to the sport.

“The fact there’s many different events and expertises in this sport means it’s better to have many coaches,” Jurkowski said. “Its unfair to our current two coaches, who have never coached track and field before, to have no help, and subsequently it’s unfair to the athletes.”

As for the late arrivals, several parents suggested alternatives — parents driving their kids to meets or requiring another coach or even Athletic Director Tara Yusko to ride the bus so it can arrive on time.

Lack of response

Klarides-Ditria, as well as parents, student-athletes and even a current coach, faulted Yusko for being rigid, and for not answering their questions and emails in a timely fashion.

Yusko, Superintendent of Schools Michael Wilson and several school board members also did not respond to emails or calls from Hearst Connecticut Media.

But Jennifer Magri,the Seymour Board of Education chairwoman, did.

She said a single coach oversaw both soccer programs last season “in part to allow that coach to mentor less-experienced new assistant coaches that are slated to take over the head coaching responsibilities of these programs in the fall of 2019.”

Magri agreed that arriving late for indoor track meets “is certainly not optimal or desirable.” But, like Miller, she said that was preferable to not having a program at all.

“The process for filling open coaching positions is first to post the openings internally, in accordance with the teacher contract requirements,” Magri said. “If internal posting does not result in filling a position, the position is then posted externally on multiple websites, such as seymourschools.org, ctreap.net,cea.org, etc. Networking with colleagues is also utilized as a recruitment tactic. Recently, however, this process has, for several posted positions, unfortunately, yielded an extremely small pool of candidates.”

And finding experienced coaches is not just a problem with Seymour.

Jim Gildea, Derby’s Board of Education chairman, said his city has “experienced our share of issues filling coaches positions.”

“In my opinion, this is based primarily on two issues — scheduling and compensation,” he said.

Gildea said Derby has three pay levels — varsity coaches are paid $5,638, junior varsity coaches $4,364 and middle school coaches receive a stipend of $1,350.

Practices often happen right after school, so getting there can be difficult for someone with a day job. And if practices are moved to later in the day, “you start to affect your ability to recruit in-house candidates whose preference is to practice right after school since it is more convenient for them,” Gildea said.

Backing parents in their pleas to the school board pleas was Klarides-Ditria, whose son is an all-state football player.

“I am constantly getting emails, phone calls from parents,” she said. “They are contacting me because they are not getting a response from the Athletic Director or the administration that they deserve in a timely fashion.”

Winning now is the No. 1 tenet of high school sports.

But potential is also important, especially in girls gymnastics.

A program positioning itself for future success on the state level, don’t sleep on Oxford.

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The Wolverines have two building blocks in freshman Anna Gramlich and sophomore Nicole Bobbie.

“Both Anna and Nicole have excelled with their elite gymnastics club team as well,” said Oxford’s fifth-year coach Chelsie Eckman. “Consistency going forward is the key. We’re hoping both girls can qualify for the State Open.”

Gramlich could possibly qualify for the Open in all four individual events (the top 40 in the state qualify) as well as the all-around (top 20 in the state qualify).

Bobbie’s best event is vaulting.

Gramlich entered this past Friday night’s meet against Wilton and Darien ranked No. 16 on vault (8.1875 point average), No. 13 on bars (7.35), No. 5 on beam (8.50), No. 11 on floor exercise (8.1750) and No. 8 in all-around (32.35).

Bobbie is No. 8 on vaulting (8.3875) and No. 39 on bars. Oxford senior Taren Diaz is ranked No. 10 on bars (7.6875).

Oxford’s roster of nine had dwindled to five Friday due to injuries. The Wolverines beat Hand by one point, while falling to Newtown by three points last Wednesday.

A KEY MEET OF THE WEEK

In one of the best meets of the week, Mercy defeated Hand, 131.4-128.2 last Thursday. Valley Regional (121.5) and Haddam-Killingworth (66.6) also participated in the meet.

For Mercy — led by Mia Lawrence— it was its fifth team score of 130 or more points in six meets.

It was yet another close defeat for Hand, which scored 127.4 points last Wednesday but lost to Newtown (131.8) and Oxford (128.5).

THE UNBEATEN LIFE

Thanks to last Wednesday’s 132.85-128.65 home triumph over Trumbull, the Fairfield Ludlowe is sailing along with an 8-0 record.

Woodstock Academy team remains 5-0 but will be coming out of a 12-day break when the Centaurs host Stonington on Monday. Woodstock Academy defeated Stonington, 135.85-128.95 on Jan. 3.

Woodstock Academy is gearing up to chase its 10th straight Eastern Connecticut Conference girls gymnastics crown. It is also looking for its ninth consecutive state championship.

FINE PERFORMERS

Gymnasts need to have at least five scores in an event to produce an average. The top 40 gymnasts plus ties across the state qualify in the four individual events. The top 20 plus ties will qualify for the all-around.

Here are the current top five in each event:

VAULT: 1, Ava Mancini (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 9.10 point average; 2, Tess Vincent (Warde) (5 scores), 8.9; 3, Mia Lawrence (Mercy) (5 scores), 8.8875; 4, Caroline Garrett (Warde) (5 scores), 8.65; 5, Britney Detuzzi (Old Lyme) (5 scores), 8.450.

BARS: 1, Mia Lawrence (Mercy) (5 scores), 9.00 average; 2, Ava Mancini (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 8.65; 3, Britney Detuzzi (Old Lyme) (5 scores), 8.20; 4, Evelyn Hogarth (Ludlowe) (5 scores), 8.0375; 5, Grace Rogers (D. Hand) (6 scores), 8.00.

BEAM: 1, Tess Vincent (Warde) (5 scores), 9.0250 average; 2, Ava Mancini (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 8.9125; 3, Caroline Garrett (Warde) (5 scores), 8.80; 4, Claire DeMaso (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 8.60; 5, Anna Gramlich (Oxford) (5 scores), 8.50.

FLOOR EXERCISE: 1, Mia Lawrence (Mercy) (5 scores) 8.95 average; 2, Britney Detuzzi (Old Lyme) (5 scores), 8.8250; 3, Ava Mancini (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 8.6750; 4, Grace Rogers (D. Hand) (5 scores), 8.6250; 5, Tess Vincent (Warde) (5 scores), 8.6250.

ALL-AROUND: 1, Ava Mancini (Ludlowe) (7 scores), 35.20; 2, Mia Lawrence (Mercy) (5 scores), 35.05; 3, Tess Vincent (Warde) (5 scores), 34.2750; 4, Caroline Garrett (Warde) (5 scores), 33.9750; 5, Britney Detuzzi (Old Lyme) (5 scores), 33.7125.

MEETS TO WATCH

Saturday, Jan. 26: Greenwich at Trumbull, 6:30 p.m. (at Next Dimension Gymnastics): Trumbull probably tired of being the hunter in this gymnastics relationship.

Tuesday, Jan. 29: Southington at Glastonbury, 7 p.m. (at Gymnastics Express Too): Upstate rivals can send a message before the postseason.

Tuesday, Feb. 5: Ludlowe, Warde at Wilton, 5 p.m.: Showcase for unbeaten Ludlowe (8-0) meeting always tough Wilton High.

Thursday, Feb. 7: SWC Championship at New Milford HS, 5 p.m.: Newtown High looks for an SWC crown after runnerup finishes the past two years. Host New Milford vying for third SWC title in four years.

Saturday, Feb. 9: FCIAC Championship at Westhill HS, 10 a.m.: Will be a dandy battle as challenger attempt to dethrone two-time defending FCIAC champ Greenwich.

The Hand indoor boys track team is enjoying a typical successful season and coach Tim Geary couldn’t be happier.

“Good leadership and dedication to the team is our key to success,” Geary said. “Being the only coach of the boys team, I rely heavily on the upperclassmen to pass their knowledge on to the younger athletes and to lead the way during practices.

“Our Hand boys indoor track team is enjoying a very successful season. Eleven individuals and all four relay teams have qualified for the (CIAC) Class L state meet. This year’s team is led by senior captains Greyson McGeary (specializes in the 55 hurdles and relays) and Drew Carone (middle distance and relays).”

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The Tigers had one of its most successful meets recently in the McReavy Invitational on Jan. 11. Russell Powell won the high jump (6 feet) and was third in the 55 hurdles (8.87 seconds), Hand won the 4×400 (3:39.15) and 4×200 (1:36.72) relays, McGeary was second in the 55 hurdles (8.30), Connor Parthasarthy was second in the 1600 (4:52.29) and Ameen Parks was second in the 55 dash (6.85).

“We enjoy going to the McReavy Invitational,” Geary said. “It provides us with some quality competition for our top athletes and offers relays for our JV (junior varsity) athletes. This allows us to bring more athletes and build a stronger team.”

In addition to McGeary and Carone, other Hand athletes who have qualified for the Class L meet are seniors Powell (high jump, 55 hurdles), John Genther (shot put), Caleb Nugent (high jump) and Ryley Brohel (relays). Juniors who have qualified are Ameen Parks (55 dash, 300), Corey Duncanson (55 hurdles) and Besufekad Opstrup (relays). Sophomores who have qualified are Parthasarthy (600, 1600), Carson Hines (300, 600), Bryce Myers (pole vault), Josh Stewart (55) Braeden Kosiewicz (long jump), Dante Zucconni (3200) and Max Genther (relays).

“We are looking forward to the championship portion of our season and we hope to be very competitive in the SCC and Class L state championships.”

Busy week at Floyd Little

In the nearly 17 years that the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven has been in operation, the facility has become the hub of the Connecticut indoor track universe. Next week is a perfect example.

In an eight-day period from Saturday to Feb. 2, it will host nine boys and girls indoor track league meets.

“Hosting so many track meets back-to-back has been typical for the Floyd Little Athletic Center,” New Haven athletics director of physical education, health and athletics Erik Patchkofsky said. “It’s been pretty standard for that facility.”

Bob Rafferty, facility manager for the Floyd Little Athletic Center, said most high school indoor tracks in the state are held at the venue.

“Since early December, 50 indoor track meets have been held at Floyd Little Athletic Center,” Rafferty said. “Having so many back-to-back league indoor track meets at the facility has been typical since it opened.”

Solid season for Stapleton, Fairfield Ludlowe girls

The Fairfield Ludlowe girls indoor track team has had its share of success this season led by Tess Stapleton, Maya Mocarski and Laurel Blackmen.

At the Yale Classic Invitational, Stapleton won the long jump (17-5) and won the 55 hurdles (8.48) and Maya Mocarski was sixth in the 55 dash (7.38).

At the SCC Coaches Invitational, in the semifinals of the 55-meter hurdles event, Stapleton finished first in 8.39 seconds to qualify and move on to the 55 hurdle final. Stapleton’s semifinal time broke the 14-year meet record in the event of 8.44 set by Natasha Harvey of Career in 2005. She went on to win the 55 hurdles final (8.43) and also took second in the long jump (17-8.75).

“Tess has done an outstanding job this year in her events,” Fairfield Ludlowe coach Matt McCloskey said. “To have a top athlete like this on your roster is a dream come true for coaches. Athlete aside, Tess is a fantastic person and has a wonderful personality. She is very easy to coach, has fun competing and just loves track.

“Maya Mocarski is having an outstanding season in the 55 dash and continues to be a leader in our 4×200 relay. Laurel Blackmen has helped and been tremendous in shotput and pole vault, breaking her own school record in the pole-vault this season. The team is gearing up for the championships in the FCIAC. It should be fantastic.”

BOYS

Deshaune Poole, Hillhouse: Won the 55 hurdles (7.75) and the 300 (35.41) at the SCC East Sectional meet.

Connor Visnic, Amity: Won the 1600 (4:32.53) at the SCC Coaches Invitational meet and won the 1600 (4:37.95) and 3200 (9:49.01) at the SCC East Sectional meet.

Neal Eley, Hillhouse: Won the 55 dash (6.56) and the long jump (22-0.25) at the SCC East Sectional meet.

GIRLS

Jada Boyd, Hillhouse: At the SCC East Sectional meet, won the 300 (42.23) and the 600 (1:40.33).

Meredith Bloss, Guilford: Won the 1600 (5:33.14) and the 3200 (12:00.87) at he SCC East Sectional meet.

Ayesha Nelson, Hillhouse: Won the 55 dash (7.33) and the 55 hurdles (8.61) at the SCC East Sectional meet.

Ella Bradford, Hamden: Won the 1600 (5:46.10) and the 3200 (13:15.11) at the SCC West Sectional meet.

SATURDAY

CCC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 9 a.m.: Boys and girls event.

ECC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 5 p.m.: Boys and girls event.

SUNDAY

CRAL Championships, Hartford Public, 2:30 p.m.: Boys and girls event.

MONDAY

NVL Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 4 p.m.: Boys and girls event.

TUESDAY

NCCC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 2:30 p.m..: Boys and girls event.

WEDNESDAY

CTC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 6 p.m..: Boys and girls event.

THURSDAY

FCIAC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 4:30 p.m.: Boys and girls event.

FRIDAY

SCC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 4 p.m.: Boys and girls event.

SATURDAY (Feb. 2)

Shoreline Conference Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 10 a.m.: Boys and girls event.

SWC Championships, Floyd Little Athletic Center, 4 p.m.: Boys and girls event.