obits pg 6 1-26-23
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POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — It is with sadness we announce the passing of Daniel and Beatrice “Bea” (Barrette) Navarro.
Beatrice “Bea” (Barrette) Navarro, 84, died June 6, 2021. Born in 1937 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Alfred and Doris (Poirier) Barrette. Daniel “Danny” Navarro, 97, died Nov. 6, 2022. Born in 1925 in N. Grosvenordale, he was the son of the late Sabato and Giovanna (Leo) Navarro.
Danny and Bea were married on June 18, 1955 and shared 65 loving years together. They lived most of their marriage in Thompson, where Beatrice owned and operated a successful beauty salon, “The Moulin Rouge” and Daniel worked for the U.S. Postal Service until 1978. They then retired to a warmer climate where they lived out the remainder of their lives.
Bea enjoyed going to the casinos, bingo and entertaining her friends and neighbors. Daniel was a U.S. Naval veteran who served in WWII. He was a life member of the American Legion, VFW and the K of C. He enjoyed sulky races in Foxboro, Mass., and in Florida. They were generous to family and friends, especially in times of need.
They leave Beatrice’s sister Rachel Nedzweckas of Webster; close friend Antoinette Biamonte of Pompano Beach; nieces and nephews. They were predeceased by Beatrice’s brothers Norman (Pete) Barrette and Raymond (Moe) Barrette; her sisters Claire Szkutak, Lorraine Bergeron, and Rita Barrette; and Daniel’s brothers, Rocco, Anthony, Joseph, Salvatore, David, John, Raymond, Angelo and Edward and his sister Carminella (Lena).
A Graveside Service for Bea and Danny will be at 1 p.m. Jan. 27 in St Joseph’s Cemetery, 18 Main St., N. Grosvenordale. Valade Funeral Home and Crematory, N. Grosvenordale.
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putnam pg 7 1-26-23
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Not a bad week for PSA’s boys’ Prep basketball team. Not a bad week at all.
Coming off a loss two Sundays ago, the Mustangs looked at the schedule ahead with a weary eye. They saw a Wednesday game against the national team from Our Savior Lutheran (whose prep team had already beaten PSA) followed by a Sunday game against Cushing Academy, ranked No. 2 in the country and holding a victory over No. 1.
But when the Mustangs rolled back onto campus early Sunday evening, they had with them back-to-back wins – 94-82 over OSL and 94-79 over Cushing – and a newfound swagger.
“I think we did a great job following the game plan the last games, and that’s something I was frustrated with the first half of the year,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “Guys are stepping up, and we’re doing the little things as a team, making winning plays. I like the direction this team is headed.”
Mouhamed Dioubate and Darryl Simmons, key members of last year’s national championship team, strapped their team on their collective backs this week. Dioubate had 24 points and 10 rebounds against OSL, then followed up with 21 points and 16 boards against Cushing, taking over down the stretch. Simmons meanwhile went for 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot, and one charge drawn in the first game, then came back to post 12 points and 10 assists in win No. 2. The Mustangs are now 17-3.
“We all know it’s time to step up and do what we’re all capable of doing,” Simmons said. “Guys played real hard and we got two good wins. This is what we expect to do. I think it helps us going forward because we beat two good teams. But we know we’re good too.”
Will Lovings-Watts had 16 points and four steals against OSL, while Oswin Erhunmwunse just missed out on a double-double, ending with 10 points and nine rebounds, and Baye Ndongo had 10 points and eight rebounds in his season debut.
“We got a lot of good contributions from everyone,” Espinosa said. “Darryl played great, Mo was his normal self, Miles (Rose, eight points and five rebounds) was really good. It came from everybody. Duane (Thompson) was in there digging out rebounds, Ty (Foster) only played maybe five minutes, but he was making the right plays and working hard. That was a good team win against a team and a program that we have a lot of respect for.”
The Lions, who feature players headed to UConn, Memphis, George Washington, and St. Peter’s in the fall, staged a late comeback that brought them from down 19 to down seven in just a matter of minutes. But the Mustangs withstood the rally and put away the win.
“That’s Putnam Science basketball,” Espinosa said. “That’s the way we want to play. We’ve had trouble with our toughness throughout the year, but I thought the kids really played hard, really got after it tonight. If we play like that in every game, we’ll be tough to beat.”
They certainly were Sunday. After falling behind 12-2, PSA went on a 15-2 run to take its first lead of the game and never look back. The game stayed close throughout, the margin was always right around eight points, until the Mustangs put the final daggers in over the last three-plus minutes.
It won’t get easier this coming weekend either, as the Mustangs will play No. 1 Brewster Saturday and face Cushing again Sunday.
PSA’s boys Elite team went 3-0 last week, beating Rectory (80-49), Busche Academy (87-59), and Reason Prep (101-59). Thierry Lokrou had 21 points and six rebounds against Rectory, and 25 points against Reason Prep. Yhali Steinhauer scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half leading PSA to the win over Busche.
The boys Varsity team won its lone game of the week, knocking off St. Thomas More 48-31 behind 17 points and 15 rebounds from Max Shepel. Shane Sebastian-Smalls (11 points, four assists), Martin Polyhuych (12 rebounds), and Hugo Bolumar (10 points) also played well in the win.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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wrestling pg 7 1-26-23
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Cahan Quinn remembers what it was like to be a wrestler at Woodstock Academy.
“I remember the family aspect; to be with the team for most of the week and then on Saturday for the all-day tournaments. You really get to know your teammates and spend a lot of time together,” Quinn said.
Quinn was convinced, as a junior, by Tristan Menard to go out for the team. He loved it.
But the program was ended following the 2017-18 season.
It will be back as a winter athletic offering in 2023-24.
And so will Quinn as he will be the head coach of the program.
“It’s nice to get the program back,” said Athletic Director Sean Saucier. “It’s a sport that I enjoy. I’m familiar with it. I used to run it at Hyde (School) and (his first year at Woodstock). It’s a great sport for boys and girls and we’re super-excited to get it back.”
Saucier held an organizational meeting last week and more than 25 potential wrestlers turned out with about half that number “fully” committed and the others very interested.
“We were looking for, at minimum, 15-20 potential wrestlers and we got that. There is definitely some excitement and the numbers justify (bringing the program back),” Saucier said.
Not all is said and done.
There are still some logistics to be worked out such as where the program will be housed.
The winter sports at Woodstock Academy already include three levels of boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ ice hockey, boys’ and girls’ indoor track, gymnastics, cheerleading and a ski team.
“I think we have space on the North Campus to fit them in. They may have some creative practice times, like we do with hockey (the boys practice at 5:30 a.m. on several weekdays at the Jahn Ice Rink at Pomfret School). We were able to make it work with two prep basketball teams. I think we can make it work with a wrestling team,” Saucier said.
The team will immediately return to the varsity level.
Woodstock has already reached out to the ECC which has agreed to add the Centaurs to the league schedule for the sport next winter.
“We will be in a lower division as we get our feet under us,” Saucier said.
Quinn, who works in campus security at Woodstock Academy, is just excited for the opportunity, not only for himself, but the athletes.
“I’m excited to bring the program back and help out the athletes a lot. It will make them more well-rounded and give them something else to do in the winter,” Quinn said.
It’s also that type of sport where the individual is highlighted as much as the team.
“It’s a very individual sport, based on yourself and how much work you are willing to put in, with a little of the team aspect on the scoring side. You want to help the team win by doing your best on a consistent basis. There are usually not a lot of people on the team so it’s a really tight-knit community,” Quinn said.
It is also a sport that demands discipline.
In addition to perfecting wrestling moves athletically, there is also the mental aspect.
Athletes have to endure the long days, prepping for their matches while dealing with a lot of down time.
And the most difficult part, making and maintaining weight throughout a 4 ½ - month season.
The sport offers an advantage to an educational institution- it’s co-ed.
There were no girls at the organizational meeting but that may not be the case next winter.
“I had a girl who came up to me (Thursday) asking if she could wrestle and I said, ’Absolutely. If you want to come next winter, feel free, we’re not turning anyone away,’” Quinn said.
And it makes for a happy football coach as it keeps athletes in the weight room.
“There is, obviously, some crossover there and it’s a great way for the kids to stay fit, work on their strength, and I’m excited to have Cahan (who is also an assistant football coach) as our wrestling coach so there will be a lot of crossover there. That’s helpful,” said Saucier who is also the school’s head football coach.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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book pg 8 1-26-23
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Book Award
Hadley Grether, a Woodstock Academy senior from Pomfret, was recently awarded the Pomfret Historical Society Book Award. Grether was described by department chair Sara Dziedzic as a student “with an impeccable work ethic whose fascination with U.S. history goes beyond the classroom.” Her “pursuit of connections to historic events and active discussions to test her ideas and the perspective of others.” Hadley is a member of the Social Studies Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, the Academy lacrosse team, and active in community service projects. From left: Hadley Grether; Woodstock Academy Social Studies and English Chair Sara Dziedzic; and Pomfret Historical Society members Dr. Robert Smith, Woodstock Academy Historian; and Walter Hinchman, Town of Pomfret Historian. Photo by Samantha Romero.
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