There weren't really any good games on Thursday but the weekend is jam-packed with action:
Friday
Daniel Hand @ Fairfield Prep @ 4pm
-Oh boy! Hand is coming off a 7-8 loss to Cheshire and Prep (just beat Amity 8-3) plays Cheshire on Monday so the top three teams in the SCC all play each other in the first week of the season! Prep is the favorite to win this game but a Hand win is more than possible and would set quite a message for the rest of the season!
Ridegfield @ Trumbull @ 530
-After a 10-7 win over Stamford, Trumbull will take on Ridgefield, also coming off a big win over their own: 9-8 over Somers (NY). They are both really good FCIAC teams that could very well win games against Staples, St. Joseph, New Canaan and probably even Greenwich (they would have to play the best games of their lives to beat Darien) and the FCIAC is so loaded this year that that is quite a compliment. Out of conference games will really attest to this but all these conference games right now and during the season will provide us with some really good lax!
Cheshire @ Guilford @ 7
-Cheshire isn't taking the weekend off waiting for the Rams on Monday. Guilford may have lost to East Lyme in overtime in their opener but you can't count the G-men out this early in the season. I'm not saying Guilford will pull the upset but this game should still be worth watching.
Saturday
Simsbury @ Xavier @ 11am
-Xavier is coming off a 12-2 rout of Newington in which Dan Walsh had 5 goals, Matt Kycia had 3 and Geoff Bruno had 3 of his own along with some nice assists (Trevor Buchas added a goal and Alec Thomas had some assists too). Simsbury, on the other hand, was shocked 4-7 by Joel Barlow so they will be playing with a chip on their shoulder in this one. Both of these teams hope to have good seasons this year and will need quality wins like this for that to happen; this will be a great game to kick off the day!
Mamaroneck (NY) @ Weston @ 130
-Weston is expected to be a really good team this year and they blew out Bunnell 15-0 in their season opener. Mamaroneck is 1-1 in New York - Section I right now but they went 14-3 last year so this should be a good game right here.
Norwich Free Academy @ Ledyard @ 3
-Ledyard went 16-0 last year and was the #1 seed in Class S (they made it to the semifinals but lost to St. Joseph) and NFA is a decent Class L team. If you're looking for a game out in these parts of CT then this looks like it may be a good one.
Darien @ Greenwich @ 3
-GAME OF THE WEEK!!!!! The New Haven Register's Pre-season Poll has these two teams as #1 and #3 respectively! You will want to get down to Greenwich and see this game; it will probably be one of the best lacrosse games of the season, at least the first half! Darien's Case Matheis and Greenwich's David Dicksion will battle it out on offense while Adams Sands (Greenwich) and Eric Parnon (Darien) will try to stop them. Darien has a big advantage in the midfield with Baylis Treen and J.P. Walsh which I think really gives them the edge in this one but anything can happen!
Brookfield @ Newton @ 4
-What you've got here is Newton starting their quest for the Class L title against a decent Brookfield team from Class M. It is the opening game for both teams so both will want to start the season off with a quality win.
Glastonbury @ Wilton @ 4
-Yet another GREAT game on the day, this game will also be a thriller. Wilton, despite being in Class M while G-bury is Class L, is the favorite in this one, if that means anything this early in the season. Can Glastonbury's Douglas Pollack stop All-American attack artist, Mike Francia on Wilton? Will Glastonbury's offense find enough holes in Wilton's defense to pull out a win? I think the goalie's will be the X Factor in this game and either team could come out on top.
New Canaan @ Somers (NY) @ 6
-Somers, a good team from New York, just lost to Ridgefield but looks to bounce back against the even more talented kids from New Canaan. Henry Eschricht (attack) and Joe Costigan (middie) should have the Rams ready for their season opener on Saturday night in the Empire State!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Boys' Volleyball: Opening Day Results (4/6-4/8)
Wednesday 4/6 - The two teams in the Class M Championship game last year both fell to strong Class L teams today
Bulkeley 1 @ Glastonbury 3 (25-20, 25-19, 15-25, 25-12)
-Jobe Annibalini had 13 kills for G-bury while Chris Martinez had 19 kills for Bulkeley.
Masuk 2 @ Ridgefield 3
Lewis Mills 1 @ Xavier 3 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21)
-Sean Nelson had 12 kills and 10 blocks for Xavier.
Danbury 0 @ Cheshire 3
Thursday 4/7
Fermi 3 @ Norwich Free Academy 2
Friday 4/8
Southington 3 @ Fermi 0
Glastonbury 3 @ South Windsor 2
Maloney 1 @ Bloomfield 3
Bulkeley 1 @ Glastonbury 3 (25-20, 25-19, 15-25, 25-12)
-Jobe Annibalini had 13 kills for G-bury while Chris Martinez had 19 kills for Bulkeley.
Masuk 2 @ Ridgefield 3
Lewis Mills 1 @ Xavier 3 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21)
-Sean Nelson had 12 kills and 10 blocks for Xavier.
Danbury 0 @ Cheshire 3
Thursday 4/7
Fermi 3 @ Norwich Free Academy 2
Friday 4/8
Southington 3 @ Fermi 0
Glastonbury 3 @ South Windsor 2
Maloney 1 @ Bloomfield 3
Baseball: Opening Days Results (4/6-4/8)
All games Wednesday except Griswold/Montville:
West Haven 5 @ Cheshire 3
Notre Dame-West Haven 11 @ Amity 10
Xavier 7 @ Shelton 2
Pomperaug 12 @ Bunnell 4
Fairfield Prep 6 @ Sheehan 7
Northwest Catholic @ Glastonbury
Griswold @ Montville
West Haven 5 @ Cheshire 3
Notre Dame-West Haven 11 @ Amity 10
Xavier 7 @ Shelton 2
Pomperaug 12 @ Bunnell 4
Fairfield Prep 6 @ Sheehan 7
Northwest Catholic @ Glastonbury
Griswold @ Montville
Boys' Lacrosse: Opening Day Results (4/6)
St. Joseph 4 @ Darien 18
-Case Matheis had four goals, Richard Gregory had two, Jon Magnusson and the freshman Peter Lindlay also scored for the Blue Wave, who led 11-0 at halftime. Tom Tarczali scored for St. Joseph.
Old Lyme 8 @ Old Saybrook 7
Simsbury 4 @ Joel Barlow 7
-Big upset right here...either Simsbury had a bad game or, more likely, Barlow is legit this year and teams around the state better take notice (especially Class S)!
Ridgefield 9 @ Somers (NY) 8
-Revenge is a sweet thing, especailly in your opponent's home! Ridgefield has lost 13-14 in two overtimes when Somers came up to CT for them last year, but now they have avenged that loss at Somer's home field in NY!
Cheshire 8 @ Hand 7
-It was close so Hand is definetly good this year but the Rams are looking good and they have some really good games coming up (Prep Monday is just one of many)!
East Lyme 5 @ Guilford 4 OT
-Case Matheis had four goals, Richard Gregory had two, Jon Magnusson and the freshman Peter Lindlay also scored for the Blue Wave, who led 11-0 at halftime. Tom Tarczali scored for St. Joseph.
Old Lyme 8 @ Old Saybrook 7
Simsbury 4 @ Joel Barlow 7
-Big upset right here...either Simsbury had a bad game or, more likely, Barlow is legit this year and teams around the state better take notice (especially Class S)!
Ridgefield 9 @ Somers (NY) 8
-Revenge is a sweet thing, especailly in your opponent's home! Ridgefield has lost 13-14 in two overtimes when Somers came up to CT for them last year, but now they have avenged that loss at Somer's home field in NY!
Cheshire 8 @ Hand 7
-It was close so Hand is definetly good this year but the Rams are looking good and they have some really good games coming up (Prep Monday is just one of many)!
East Lyme 5 @ Guilford 4 OT
Monday, April 4, 2011
Boys' Lacrosse: Teams to Watch in 2011
As we prepare for another exciting lax season, there are some teams to watch in each Class. These are the favorites although I'm sure there will still be some surprises once the season starts! You can think of this as preseason rankings except that it's silly to use numbers and try to say who is better than who before the 2011 teams play more than a few games (most pre-season and early season rankings/polls are based on legacy of schools and expectations for the upcoming year...not factual evidence of how they are playing this year).
CLASS L
Cheshire
-Starting with the defending champions, and rightfully so; the Rams return All-American defenseman Torrey Martone along with two other All-State players last year: Joe Klemenz on defense and Evan Gaudio at long-stick middie. Their biggest obstacle will be filling the void left in goal by All-American Nate Gaudio's departure for Middlebury. Cheshire also lost Chris Barney and Mike Devine on defense, Nick Carisio on attack and the player of the year in boys' lacrosse last year, attackman and All-American Todd Heritage (Bucknell). The Rams play in the very tough SCC so that won't help their record but it will help their experience and toughness come tournament time so I expect them to go deep again this year.
Fairfield Prep
-Aside from the 9-8 slip-up to Cheshire last year, Prep has dominated Class L, winning it every year, since its inception in 2006 when the CIAC switched from divisions to classes for lax. The Jesuits lost All-Americans Brendan Rotanz (attack, Dartmouth) and Darric White (defense, Middlebury) along with All-State standouts Griff McGoldrick (attack), Alex Matarazzo (defense), and Mike Carey (middie). Tyler Cox (middie), an All-State player last year and is a senior this year and you Prep always fields a good team so this year no one expects anything less than the powerhouse lax dynasty that is Fairfield Prep.
Greenwich
-The FCIAC is ready to get their first Class L title and Greenwich would be the team to do it for them. The Cardinals are led by David Dickson on attack and Adam Sands on defense but they have talent at every position. The FCIAC as a whole is looking very good this year with Darien in Class M, New Canaan, St. Joseph, Ridgefield, Staples and even Wilton and Weston so the conference schedule won't be easy but will help prepare the team for the playoffs.
Ridgefield
-Speaking of which, I'll stay right there in the FCIAC will a very good Ridgefield team. The Tigers may have lost a lot of talent --- Kurt Mueller-attack, Mike Galione-attack, Aaron Mathis-attack, and Casey McKnigh-LSM --- but they have a strong leader in Matt Shannon on defense and will really focusing on playing as team this year.
Staples
-Another FCIAC contender, the kids in Wesport have the potential to make a lot of noise this year. Their star player would be Kip Orban at midfielder but they will have a hard time replacing their goalie Austin Waiter, defenseman Jack Ambrose and middie Kyle Mendelson. I feel like the Wreckers will get better as the season progresses and can make a serious run in the state tournament again this year.
Glastonbury
-Let's look up north in the CCC for a second and, as usual, Glastonbury stands out. Thir top attackman, Ryan McCarthy went to Yale after last season but they retained defenseman Douglas Pollack and still have a talented roster. Their CCC record will undoubtedly get them a nice seed in the playoffs and hopefully for them enough players step up during the season to take them back to at least the semfinals again.
Teams no one should sleep on: Southington (they have some proven players that are respected state-wide, most notably Matthew Prezioso on attack and Zach Wholley at midfield); Xavier (the team in the SCC that no one is talking about but really should be when they have three attackmen good enough to play in college like Matt Kycia [Quinnipiac], Geoff Bruno and Tyler Crout, a plethora of middies like Trevor Buchas, the offensive threat whenever he has the ball-Dan Walsh, and a beast at faceoffs-Brandon Reid, a solid defense behind Charlie Dupont and junior Sam Izzarelli and one of the better goalies in the state: Nick Ford); Simsbury (probably the second or more like third best team in the CCC, Simsbury will field a very good team again this year that can upset you if you're not careful with them); Newton (the SWC's best team has enough talent to play with anyone in Class L this year).
CLASS M
Darien
-The only Class M champion since it started in 2006 and they won Division I in 2005, Darien is more of lax dynasty than Fairfield Prep since they boast more lacrosse state champions than any other team in CT. From last year's championship team, nine players are back and six of them are headed to DI lax schools in college. I don't say next year because most notable among them is junior attackman Chase Matheis, an All-American last year as a sophomore, the #3 recruit in his class according to ESPN Rise and a future Blue Devil at Duke. They also retained All-American and Maryland commit Eric Parnon on defense, Bayless/Baylis Treen, Justin Shaw and Dylan Torey at LSM, and J.P. Wlash at SSDM. The Blue Wave should coast to another Class M title.
New Canaan
-When trying to find a team that will contend with Darien, tow really stick out and I think NC may be the better of the two. All-American midfielder Joe Costigan will be leading things this year along with Henry Eschricht on attack. The Rams lost some really good players but the team knows how to win and has the confidence, coach and athletes to do so again this year.
Wilton
-The other major contender, who may be better than NC, is Wilton, also in the FCIAC. They lost a few stars from last year but All-American attackman Mike Francia is back so the Warriors will make a run at the title and the FCIAC crown.
Hand
-The Tigers from Madison have one of their better teams in a few years this year with Chad Crisco at middie, an All-State player last year, another really good middie Casey Dowd and one of the top goalies in the state, Richie Ortiz. They have a lot of buzz around them already in both the SCC and Class M.
New Fairfield
-The final team to round things out in Class M this year would be New Fairfield. The Rebels feature All-State attackman Ryan Mallon but lost a lot of talent from last year: Andrew Kemer and Dan Miley at middie, Jessie Broderick on defense, Pat McCormack at LSM and Nick Costabile in goal.
CLASS S
Weston
-The defending champs are serious contenders again this year with Kip McMahon on defense and Eddie Hutchins playing short-stick defensive middie. They lost key parts of their championship team from last year but they been in the last four title games so experience will serve them will this year when they go for it all again.
St. Joseph
-Last year's runner-up is my favorite to win the championship this year, just like they did in 2009. Junior Brian Bacarella on attack is very skilled along with senior midfielders Pat Corcoran (headed to Quinnipiac) and Pat Mulligan. All three players went All-State last year. Nick Francis and Alex Stefkovich stand out on defense but the Cadets biggest problem will be replacing Tim Izzo in goal.
Joel Barlow
-The third team with legitimate hopes of winning Class S this year is Joel Barlow. They have enough skilled players at each position to beat any team in Class S this year and if they can play together on a consistent basis then they will have do big things in 2011!
CLASS L
Cheshire
-Starting with the defending champions, and rightfully so; the Rams return All-American defenseman Torrey Martone along with two other All-State players last year: Joe Klemenz on defense and Evan Gaudio at long-stick middie. Their biggest obstacle will be filling the void left in goal by All-American Nate Gaudio's departure for Middlebury. Cheshire also lost Chris Barney and Mike Devine on defense, Nick Carisio on attack and the player of the year in boys' lacrosse last year, attackman and All-American Todd Heritage (Bucknell). The Rams play in the very tough SCC so that won't help their record but it will help their experience and toughness come tournament time so I expect them to go deep again this year.
Fairfield Prep
-Aside from the 9-8 slip-up to Cheshire last year, Prep has dominated Class L, winning it every year, since its inception in 2006 when the CIAC switched from divisions to classes for lax. The Jesuits lost All-Americans Brendan Rotanz (attack, Dartmouth) and Darric White (defense, Middlebury) along with All-State standouts Griff McGoldrick (attack), Alex Matarazzo (defense), and Mike Carey (middie). Tyler Cox (middie), an All-State player last year and is a senior this year and you Prep always fields a good team so this year no one expects anything less than the powerhouse lax dynasty that is Fairfield Prep.
Greenwich
-The FCIAC is ready to get their first Class L title and Greenwich would be the team to do it for them. The Cardinals are led by David Dickson on attack and Adam Sands on defense but they have talent at every position. The FCIAC as a whole is looking very good this year with Darien in Class M, New Canaan, St. Joseph, Ridgefield, Staples and even Wilton and Weston so the conference schedule won't be easy but will help prepare the team for the playoffs.
Ridgefield
-Speaking of which, I'll stay right there in the FCIAC will a very good Ridgefield team. The Tigers may have lost a lot of talent --- Kurt Mueller-attack, Mike Galione-attack, Aaron Mathis-attack, and Casey McKnigh-LSM --- but they have a strong leader in Matt Shannon on defense and will really focusing on playing as team this year.
Staples
-Another FCIAC contender, the kids in Wesport have the potential to make a lot of noise this year. Their star player would be Kip Orban at midfielder but they will have a hard time replacing their goalie Austin Waiter, defenseman Jack Ambrose and middie Kyle Mendelson. I feel like the Wreckers will get better as the season progresses and can make a serious run in the state tournament again this year.
Glastonbury
-Let's look up north in the CCC for a second and, as usual, Glastonbury stands out. Thir top attackman, Ryan McCarthy went to Yale after last season but they retained defenseman Douglas Pollack and still have a talented roster. Their CCC record will undoubtedly get them a nice seed in the playoffs and hopefully for them enough players step up during the season to take them back to at least the semfinals again.
Teams no one should sleep on: Southington (they have some proven players that are respected state-wide, most notably Matthew Prezioso on attack and Zach Wholley at midfield); Xavier (the team in the SCC that no one is talking about but really should be when they have three attackmen good enough to play in college like Matt Kycia [Quinnipiac], Geoff Bruno and Tyler Crout, a plethora of middies like Trevor Buchas, the offensive threat whenever he has the ball-Dan Walsh, and a beast at faceoffs-Brandon Reid, a solid defense behind Charlie Dupont and junior Sam Izzarelli and one of the better goalies in the state: Nick Ford); Simsbury (probably the second or more like third best team in the CCC, Simsbury will field a very good team again this year that can upset you if you're not careful with them); Newton (the SWC's best team has enough talent to play with anyone in Class L this year).
CLASS M
Darien
-The only Class M champion since it started in 2006 and they won Division I in 2005, Darien is more of lax dynasty than Fairfield Prep since they boast more lacrosse state champions than any other team in CT. From last year's championship team, nine players are back and six of them are headed to DI lax schools in college. I don't say next year because most notable among them is junior attackman Chase Matheis, an All-American last year as a sophomore, the #3 recruit in his class according to ESPN Rise and a future Blue Devil at Duke. They also retained All-American and Maryland commit Eric Parnon on defense, Bayless/Baylis Treen, Justin Shaw and Dylan Torey at LSM, and J.P. Wlash at SSDM. The Blue Wave should coast to another Class M title.
New Canaan
-When trying to find a team that will contend with Darien, tow really stick out and I think NC may be the better of the two. All-American midfielder Joe Costigan will be leading things this year along with Henry Eschricht on attack. The Rams lost some really good players but the team knows how to win and has the confidence, coach and athletes to do so again this year.
Wilton
-The other major contender, who may be better than NC, is Wilton, also in the FCIAC. They lost a few stars from last year but All-American attackman Mike Francia is back so the Warriors will make a run at the title and the FCIAC crown.
Hand
-The Tigers from Madison have one of their better teams in a few years this year with Chad Crisco at middie, an All-State player last year, another really good middie Casey Dowd and one of the top goalies in the state, Richie Ortiz. They have a lot of buzz around them already in both the SCC and Class M.
New Fairfield
-The final team to round things out in Class M this year would be New Fairfield. The Rebels feature All-State attackman Ryan Mallon but lost a lot of talent from last year: Andrew Kemer and Dan Miley at middie, Jessie Broderick on defense, Pat McCormack at LSM and Nick Costabile in goal.
CLASS S
Weston
-The defending champs are serious contenders again this year with Kip McMahon on defense and Eddie Hutchins playing short-stick defensive middie. They lost key parts of their championship team from last year but they been in the last four title games so experience will serve them will this year when they go for it all again.
St. Joseph
-Last year's runner-up is my favorite to win the championship this year, just like they did in 2009. Junior Brian Bacarella on attack is very skilled along with senior midfielders Pat Corcoran (headed to Quinnipiac) and Pat Mulligan. All three players went All-State last year. Nick Francis and Alex Stefkovich stand out on defense but the Cadets biggest problem will be replacing Tim Izzo in goal.
Joel Barlow
-The third team with legitimate hopes of winning Class S this year is Joel Barlow. They have enough skilled players at each position to beat any team in Class S this year and if they can play together on a consistent basis then they will have do big things in 2011!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Boys' Lacrosse: Top Players in 2011
Here are the top boys' lax players in CT for 2011:
All-Americans from last year:
Case Matheis - Darien - Attack - Junior - #3 junior in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Duke
Mike Francia - Wilton - Attack - Senior
Joe Costigan - New Canaan - Midfielder - Senior
Eric Parnon - Darien - Defense - Senior - Maryland
Torrey Martone - Cheshire - Defense - Senior - UMass
All-State last year:
David Dickson - Greenwich - Attack - Senior
Matthew Prezioso - Southington - Attack - Senior
Kip Orban - Staples - Middie - Senior - Princeton
Zach Wholley - Southington - Middie - Senior
Colby Summerlin - Newton - Middie - Senior
Tyler Cox - Fairfield Prep - Middie - Senior
Shamus Higginbottom - New Milford - Middie - Senior
Adam Sands - Greenwich - Defense - Senior
Matt Shannon - Ridgefield - Defense - Senior - #25 lax player (seniors only) according to ESPN Rise, #4 long-stick midfielder - UNC
Douglas Pollack - Glastonbury - Defense - Senior
Joe Klemenz - Cheshire - Defense - Senior
Evan Gaudio - Cheshire - LSM - Senior
Ryan Mallon - New Farfield - Attack - Senior
Henry Eschricht - New Canaan - Attack - Senior
Chad Crisco - Hand - Middie - Senior
Bobby Hinds - Conard - Middie - Senior
Harrison Goodkind - Branford - Middie - Senior
Christian Cattaruzza - Guilford - Defense - Senior
Baylis Treen - Darien - LSM - Senior - #10 LSM in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Lafayette
J.P. Walsh - Darien - Short-stick Midfield - Senior - Lehigh
Brian Bacarella - St. Joseph - Attack - Junior
Connor Sweet - Ledyard - Middie - Senior
Pat Corcoran - St. Joseph - Middie - Senior - Quinnipiac
Kevin O'Toole - Northwest Catholic - Middie - Senior
Pat Mulligan - St. Joseph - Middie - Senior
Michael Hanna - Somers - Middie - Senior
Kip McMahon - Weston - Defense - Senior
Mike Laffin - Northwest Catholic - Defense - Senior
Garret Ficara - Somers - Defense - Senior
Eddie Hutchins - Weston - SSM - Senior
Other:
Justin Shaw - Darien - LSM - Senior - #14 LSM in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Loyola
Dylan Torrey - Darien - Goalie - #19 goalie in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Quinnipiac
Sam Somers- Wilton - Goalie - Senior
Aidan Scott - Ridgefield - Attack - Senior - University of Denver
Casey Dowd - Hand - Middie - Senior
Matt Kycia - Xaveir - Attack - Senior - Quinnipiac
Dan Walsh - Xavier - Attack - Senior
Leave a comment for who else should be included in other...
All-Americans from last year:
Case Matheis - Darien - Attack - Junior - #3 junior in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Duke
Mike Francia - Wilton - Attack - Senior
Joe Costigan - New Canaan - Midfielder - Senior
Eric Parnon - Darien - Defense - Senior - Maryland
Torrey Martone - Cheshire - Defense - Senior - UMass
All-State last year:
David Dickson - Greenwich - Attack - Senior
Matthew Prezioso - Southington - Attack - Senior
Kip Orban - Staples - Middie - Senior - Princeton
Zach Wholley - Southington - Middie - Senior
Colby Summerlin - Newton - Middie - Senior
Tyler Cox - Fairfield Prep - Middie - Senior
Shamus Higginbottom - New Milford - Middie - Senior
Adam Sands - Greenwich - Defense - Senior
Matt Shannon - Ridgefield - Defense - Senior - #25 lax player (seniors only) according to ESPN Rise, #4 long-stick midfielder - UNC
Douglas Pollack - Glastonbury - Defense - Senior
Joe Klemenz - Cheshire - Defense - Senior
Evan Gaudio - Cheshire - LSM - Senior
Ryan Mallon - New Farfield - Attack - Senior
Henry Eschricht - New Canaan - Attack - Senior
Chad Crisco - Hand - Middie - Senior
Bobby Hinds - Conard - Middie - Senior
Harrison Goodkind - Branford - Middie - Senior
Christian Cattaruzza - Guilford - Defense - Senior
Baylis Treen - Darien - LSM - Senior - #10 LSM in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Lafayette
J.P. Walsh - Darien - Short-stick Midfield - Senior - Lehigh
Brian Bacarella - St. Joseph - Attack - Junior
Connor Sweet - Ledyard - Middie - Senior
Pat Corcoran - St. Joseph - Middie - Senior - Quinnipiac
Kevin O'Toole - Northwest Catholic - Middie - Senior
Pat Mulligan - St. Joseph - Middie - Senior
Michael Hanna - Somers - Middie - Senior
Kip McMahon - Weston - Defense - Senior
Mike Laffin - Northwest Catholic - Defense - Senior
Garret Ficara - Somers - Defense - Senior
Eddie Hutchins - Weston - SSM - Senior
Other:
Justin Shaw - Darien - LSM - Senior - #14 LSM in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Loyola
Dylan Torrey - Darien - Goalie - #19 goalie in the nation according to ESPN Rise - Quinnipiac
Sam Somers- Wilton - Goalie - Senior
Aidan Scott - Ridgefield - Attack - Senior - University of Denver
Casey Dowd - Hand - Middie - Senior
Matt Kycia - Xaveir - Attack - Senior - Quinnipiac
Dan Walsh - Xavier - Attack - Senior
Leave a comment for who else should be included in other...
Boys' Lacrosse: Opening Day Games to Watch (4/6)
Unlike Volleyball and Baseball, this will include only games for opening day. A separate post will cover the rest of the week.
Wednesday 4/6
St. Joseph @ Darien @ 4pm
-What a great way to start the season! St. Joseph is one of the favorites to win Class S this year behind midfielders Pat Corcoran (signed with Quinnipiac) and Pat Mulligan, both of which made All-State last year. Darien is the team everyone, literally everyone, expects to win Class M this year (they are the only team to do so since its creation in 2006 when the CIAC moved from the division to the class structure) behind nine returning starters from last year's championship team, six of which will be playing DI lax next year. The most notable players for Darien are All-American Eric Parnon (Maryland) on defense, long-stick middies Bayless/Baylis Treen (All-State; Lafayette) and Justin Shaw (Loyola) and goalie Dylan Torey (Quinnipiac). J.P. Walsh also made All-State last year at short-stick defensive middie and oh, how could we forget the now-junior sensation of Case Matheis on attack; he was an All-American last year, is the #3 junior in the nation according to ESPN Rise and has committed to Duke for 2013. Darien is going to be fun to watch this year!
Old Lyme @ Old Saybrook @ 4
-In some Class S action, these two Shoreline Conference rivals open up against each other, just like last season!
Simsbury @ Joel Barlow @ 430
-Simsbury is one of the better teams in the north this year and they start off against a team with serious chance at winning Class S this year, Joel Barlow. Simsbury plays in Class L and will be solid again this year but in this match-up right here, Class means nothing!
Ridegfield @ Somers (NY) @ 6
-Ridgefield played Somers last year too, at home, in a game that took two overtimes to finally end in a 13-14 loss. You know they want revenge, especially going to Somers' home field this time! Somers is a very good team in New York, about just as good as Ridgefield is in Connecticut. Ridgefield lost a lot of good players from last year so this will also be a good barometer this year's talent level; they feature the #25 recruit in the nation, according to ESPN Rise, and #4 long-stick midfielder Matt Shannon (he will play at UNC next year)!
Cheshire @ Hand @ 7
-These SCC teams will be ready for each other and to show everyone else in the state what they've got this year. Hand is among the short list of teams that can contest with Darien in Class M this year and that is because of middies Chad Crisco and Casey Dowd (nasty at face-offs) and then Richie Ortiz in goal. Cheshire, on the other hand, is the defending Class L Champions, after upsetting Fairfield Prep, and they return All-American Torrey Martone (headed to UMass) on defense and two other All-State players from last year: Joe Klemenz (defense) and Evan Gaudio (long-stick middie).
East Lyme @ Guilford @ 7
-A good Class M match-up, these two teams finished 5th and 6th, both 11-5, last year. Neither team wants to begin the season with a loss so expect them both to bring their best game so they can start off the season strong.
Wednesday 4/6
St. Joseph @ Darien @ 4pm
-What a great way to start the season! St. Joseph is one of the favorites to win Class S this year behind midfielders Pat Corcoran (signed with Quinnipiac) and Pat Mulligan, both of which made All-State last year. Darien is the team everyone, literally everyone, expects to win Class M this year (they are the only team to do so since its creation in 2006 when the CIAC moved from the division to the class structure) behind nine returning starters from last year's championship team, six of which will be playing DI lax next year. The most notable players for Darien are All-American Eric Parnon (Maryland) on defense, long-stick middies Bayless/Baylis Treen (All-State; Lafayette) and Justin Shaw (Loyola) and goalie Dylan Torey (Quinnipiac). J.P. Walsh also made All-State last year at short-stick defensive middie and oh, how could we forget the now-junior sensation of Case Matheis on attack; he was an All-American last year, is the #3 junior in the nation according to ESPN Rise and has committed to Duke for 2013. Darien is going to be fun to watch this year!
Old Lyme @ Old Saybrook @ 4
-In some Class S action, these two Shoreline Conference rivals open up against each other, just like last season!
Simsbury @ Joel Barlow @ 430
-Simsbury is one of the better teams in the north this year and they start off against a team with serious chance at winning Class S this year, Joel Barlow. Simsbury plays in Class L and will be solid again this year but in this match-up right here, Class means nothing!
Ridegfield @ Somers (NY) @ 6
-Ridgefield played Somers last year too, at home, in a game that took two overtimes to finally end in a 13-14 loss. You know they want revenge, especially going to Somers' home field this time! Somers is a very good team in New York, about just as good as Ridgefield is in Connecticut. Ridgefield lost a lot of good players from last year so this will also be a good barometer this year's talent level; they feature the #25 recruit in the nation, according to ESPN Rise, and #4 long-stick midfielder Matt Shannon (he will play at UNC next year)!
Cheshire @ Hand @ 7
-These SCC teams will be ready for each other and to show everyone else in the state what they've got this year. Hand is among the short list of teams that can contest with Darien in Class M this year and that is because of middies Chad Crisco and Casey Dowd (nasty at face-offs) and then Richie Ortiz in goal. Cheshire, on the other hand, is the defending Class L Champions, after upsetting Fairfield Prep, and they return All-American Torrey Martone (headed to UMass) on defense and two other All-State players from last year: Joe Klemenz (defense) and Evan Gaudio (long-stick middie).
East Lyme @ Guilford @ 7
-A good Class M match-up, these two teams finished 5th and 6th, both 11-5, last year. Neither team wants to begin the season with a loss so expect them both to bring their best game so they can start off the season strong.
Baseball: Opening Day Games to Watch (4/6-4/9)
Courtesy of Matt Burns:
Game of the week: West Haven @ Cheshire on Wednesday 4/6 @ 4pm
-When preseason rankings come out this week, it will be no surprise to see these two schools on top. West Haven boasts an incredible pitching staff featuring two Division 1 signees in Eric Stone (BC) and Jeremy Soule (Fairfield). Cheshire on the other hand returns their starting catcher in Connor David who has signed to play at UConn next year along with Pitcher/SS/OF Max Slade. They also return power hitting third basemen in Dom Severino who will be playing for Central Connecticut next year. With the amount of depth they have at pitcher it will be no surprise to see the Rams atop the rankings consistently every week. If both teams start their ace, which is what I assume will happen, this game will certainly be a pitchers duel that both teams will want to win to set a positive tone for the season.
Game of the week: West Haven @ Cheshire on Wednesday 4/6 @ 4pm
-When preseason rankings come out this week, it will be no surprise to see these two schools on top. West Haven boasts an incredible pitching staff featuring two Division 1 signees in Eric Stone (BC) and Jeremy Soule (Fairfield). Cheshire on the other hand returns their starting catcher in Connor David who has signed to play at UConn next year along with Pitcher/SS/OF Max Slade. They also return power hitting third basemen in Dom Severino who will be playing for Central Connecticut next year. With the amount of depth they have at pitcher it will be no surprise to see the Rams atop the rankings consistently every week. If both teams start their ace, which is what I assume will happen, this game will certainly be a pitchers duel that both teams will want to win to set a positive tone for the season.
Other games in no particular order:
Notre Dame-West Haven @ Amity
Notre Dame-West Haven @ Amity
Wednesday 4/6 @ 3:45pm
Xavier @ Shelton
Wednesday 4/6 @ 3:45pm
Pomperaug (Reigning LL State Champion) @ Bunnell
Wednesday 4/6 @ 3:45pm
Fairfield Prep @ Sheehan (Reigning L State Champion)
Wednesday 4/6 @ 3:45pm
Northwest Catholic (Reigning M State Champion) @ Glastonbury
Wednesday 4/6 @ 3:45pm
Griswold @ Montville (Reigning S State Champion)
Griswold @ Montville (Reigning S State Champion)
Thursday 4/7 @ 3:45pm
ATTN: More games may be added later.
ATTN: More games may be added later.
Boys' Volleyball: Opening Day Games to Watch (4/6-4/8)
Although the season starts on 4/6, I am going to include all the games on this 3-day opening week:
Wednesday 4/6
Bulkeley @ Glastonbury @ 5pm
-Bulkeley enters their second year of having a CIAC-sanctioned team (as in it's more than just a club) after a fairly good 6-10 first year. Glastonbury, the perennial Class L powerhouse, has championship hopes again this year (lost in Semifinals last year) and will start off their run with a decent team.
Masuk @ Ridgefield @ 5:30
-Masuk was the Class M runner-up last year and Ridgefield had a very good team that fell victim to Xavier in the Class L Quarterfinals. Ridegfield was young though and expects to have an even better season in 2011.
Lewis Mills @ Xavier @ 530
-Lewis Mills, the defending Class M Champion, lost their entire starting six to graduation and Xavier, who lost last year to eventual Class L Champion Southington in the Semifinals, has only one returning starter so this will be a match between two good schools with brand new teams. Lewis Mills is led by outside hitter Eric Woodcox while Xavier's returning starter, Sean Nelson, went all All-SCC last year and signed a LOI with DII Lewis University in the winter.
Danbury @ Cheshire @ 6
-For the second year in a row, these two start off the season against one another. Both are good teams in Class L with high hopes for this year so they are looking to start off their seasons well.
Thursday 4/7
Fermi @ Norwich Free Academy @ 630pm
-After decent seasons in 2010, both of these programs will be looking to get off on the right foot, especially Fermi who plays in Class M but can definitely get the win here against NFA from Class L.
Friday 4/8
Southington @ Fermi @ 5pm
-The defending Class L Champions, Southington, start off the season on the road against a decent Fermi team.
Glastonbury @ South Windsor @ 5
-The SW Bobcats are looking to build on their 8-9 season from last year and Glastonbury takes on another decent opponent in the first three days of the season, something that can only help.
Maloney @ Bloomfield @ 5
-Both went .500 at 9-9 last year, taking the 9 and 8 seeds in the Class M tournament respectively. Bloomfield won that match 3-1 (25-16 21-25 25-20 25-20) so this a vengeance game for sure!
Some NOTES:
*Conard has moved up from Class M to Class L this year; they went 6-12 last year.
*Once again, Cheney Tech has a team again this year and will be competing in Class L this year.
*Bristol Eastern has a team this year and will be competing in Class M.
*There will not be any rankings until around May 1st, the half-way point of the regular season!
Wednesday 4/6
Bulkeley @ Glastonbury @ 5pm
-Bulkeley enters their second year of having a CIAC-sanctioned team (as in it's more than just a club) after a fairly good 6-10 first year. Glastonbury, the perennial Class L powerhouse, has championship hopes again this year (lost in Semifinals last year) and will start off their run with a decent team.
Masuk @ Ridgefield @ 5:30
-Masuk was the Class M runner-up last year and Ridgefield had a very good team that fell victim to Xavier in the Class L Quarterfinals. Ridegfield was young though and expects to have an even better season in 2011.
Lewis Mills @ Xavier @ 530
-Lewis Mills, the defending Class M Champion, lost their entire starting six to graduation and Xavier, who lost last year to eventual Class L Champion Southington in the Semifinals, has only one returning starter so this will be a match between two good schools with brand new teams. Lewis Mills is led by outside hitter Eric Woodcox while Xavier's returning starter, Sean Nelson, went all All-SCC last year and signed a LOI with DII Lewis University in the winter.
Danbury @ Cheshire @ 6
-For the second year in a row, these two start off the season against one another. Both are good teams in Class L with high hopes for this year so they are looking to start off their seasons well.
Thursday 4/7
Fermi @ Norwich Free Academy @ 630pm
-After decent seasons in 2010, both of these programs will be looking to get off on the right foot, especially Fermi who plays in Class M but can definitely get the win here against NFA from Class L.
Friday 4/8
Southington @ Fermi @ 5pm
-The defending Class L Champions, Southington, start off the season on the road against a decent Fermi team.
Glastonbury @ South Windsor @ 5
-The SW Bobcats are looking to build on their 8-9 season from last year and Glastonbury takes on another decent opponent in the first three days of the season, something that can only help.
Maloney @ Bloomfield @ 5
-Both went .500 at 9-9 last year, taking the 9 and 8 seeds in the Class M tournament respectively. Bloomfield won that match 3-1 (25-16 21-25 25-20 25-20) so this a vengeance game for sure!
Some NOTES:
*Conard has moved up from Class M to Class L this year; they went 6-12 last year.
*Once again, Cheney Tech has a team again this year and will be competing in Class L this year.
*Bristol Eastern has a team this year and will be competing in Class M.
*There will not be any rankings until around May 1st, the half-way point of the regular season!
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