happy pg 7 9-15-23
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Sophomore Olivia Tracy, front, and senior Julia Coyle
At the end of last season, Woodstock Academy coach Joe Banas was just worried about fielding a program.
He had eight runners out for the girls’ cross-country team, five of them were seniors.
“That’s huge,” Banas said of the numbers that left the program. “It left us with three runners and not only were we losing talent, we lost leadership. It was a major concern.”
Current senior Julia Coyle agreed.
“It was tough to say good-bye and we miss them very much,” Coyle said. “But we have a great team this season. We are so lucky to have so many awesome girls come out and do cross-country and the season is off to a great start.”
Things are better.
“I’m pleasantly happy now. We have new runners without much experience but we have eight runners again,” Banas said.
The Centaurs do have three runners who will have to play key roles if the team wants to reach some of its accomplishments of last year when it finished third in the ECC championship and fourth in the Class MM state championship meet.
Coyle is one of those. She finished 16th in the ECC championship meet and 21st in the Class MM state championship.
“We have to keep a positive attitude and just keep putting in the hard work. That’s all it takes. Keep the eye on the prize,” Coyle said.
Sophomore Olivia Tracy also returns; she placed 16th in the Class MM meet last year.
Junior Kira Greene also returns for her third season of cross-country. “I was not the best my freshman year but I have seen improvement and it’s motivated me to keep going,” Greene said.
Add to that, sophomore Greysen Dery and freshmen Brooke Roireau, McKenzie Saline, Avery Schaefer and Julia Tellier.
“A lot of them are new to the sport but I’ve already been seeing a lot of improvement in them," Greene said. Banas is hopeful, but realistic. “It’s not a total rebuild but it’s a partial one. With Coyle and Tracy, I have two All-Stars. I’m hoping that Kira can get over her lower leg injuries that she has battled in the past couple of years,” Banas said. “After that, we just have to hope and see what happens.”
He has had to change his approach a bit.
“I’ve had to pump the brakes. If I can have the younger kids buy in, I can have them for a couple of extra years and I won’t be wondering in the summer if I will even have a team.” he said.
Every year that Banas has coached, the Centaurs have finished in the top three in the ECC championship meet.
The lack of experience may affect that.
“That may be in jeopardy but that’s OK. I’m just looking for them to do the best that they can,” Banas said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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obits pg 6 9-14-23
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Michael Roland Toutant, 65, died on Aug. 30, 2023 at Hartford Hospital, Hartford.
Michael was born on Oct. 6, 1957, to Roland and Helene Robert Toutant. From an early age he worked alongside his father and other family members at Numa Tool Company eventually earning the position of vice president.
After the sale of Numa Tool Company in 1985 he followed in his father’s footsteps by taking charge of the Connecticut A & W Well Drilling Company.
He opened his own well drilling company, Dalmik Well Drilling, in 1986 and operated this company until his death.
Michael loved to travel, fly helicopters, ride his motorcycle and drive his Cadillac Eldorado.
Michael enjoyed life to the fullest.
He leaves his life partner Linda South; parents Roland and Helene Toutant; his sister Lorraine Smith (Ricky); his brother Tom Toutant (Laura) and their sons and Michael’s nephews Tom Toutant ( with son Bentley Toutant) and John Toutant, and his brother Alan Toutant.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Sept. 9 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
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psa pg 7 9-14-23
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Captains
From left: Gabe Sacconi, Joel Martinez, and Lachie Quate.
Naming team captains can be a tricky endeavor for coaches.
The best players aren’t always the best leaders, and the best leaders aren’t always the best players. Finding that balance can be, well, a balancing act.
But Ryan Dunnigan, coach of Putnam Science Academy’s Prep soccer team, believes he found the right mix of guys to lead this year’s squad.
Newcomer Joel Martinez of Spain was named as the captain, while fellow first-year Mustang Lachie Quate of Scotland and program veteran Gabe Sacconi of Brazil will assist him as vice captains.
“I think being a captain is on and off the field,” said Sacconi, a goalkeeper who came to PSA as an eighth grader in 2019 and currently serves as a dorm proctor. “You need to take care of the boys both places, and you need to help them out and have that spirit of helping. It’s not just yelling at someone. You have to do it more on the side. No one wants to be called out in front of a group.
“I’m honored coach Ryan trusts me in this position and I won’t let him down.”
Martinez blends the characteristics of leader and quality player as well as anyone on the roster and impressed Dunnigan right from the start.
“We were aware of Joel coming into camp, but when you have 47 guys all show up at the same time, guys can get lost in the mix, so it was really up to him,” Dunnigan said. “There were days when he wasn’t playing with the stronger team, but he was still standing out, and he just kept progressing and progressing. And then when we played our preseason games, he was one of the strongest players and you could see that there is a lot of quality in him.
“That was part of the consideration with him as the main captain. As long as he’s healthy, he will be one of the first names on the team sheet, so it was kind of an easy choice from that regard. Obviously, you want your best players to be leaders, and when they both align it works out perfectly.”
Martinez, a midfielder, has assimilated well with the group and was honored when Dunnigan called his name at a recent team meeting.
“It’s a pleasure to me,” he said. “For this to be my first year here and to be named the captain…just a pleasure. But really, I don’t want to be focused on that. I think we need to be focused on us and doing our best as a team, and to try to win as many matches as we can.”
Similarly, Quate is looking forward to getting a good result in as many games as possible, saying that his main interest and priority is the team’s development and winning games. And that team-first approach gives him credibility as a captain.
“I think coach Ryan has trust in me that I’m able to communicate with the team,” Quate, a center back, said. “It’s not just being the friendly one, but also being able to tell the boys when the standards aren’t good enough and things do need to be better.
“You can’t be the friendly guy all the time. There are times when some things need to be said, whether it’s preparation or execution or whatever it might be. I’m definitely comfortable with that role. I enjoy taking on responsibilities.”
Said Dunnigan: “It’s been a while since we’ve had someone who has been as vocal and commanding as Lachie. You can tell he has a good head on his shoulders. He does the right things. He’s very respectful and polite off the field. He was the fittest player that came into camp, so it attests to his work ethic. And he’s obviously a good player as well.”
As for Sacconi, Dunnigan said he considered naming him a captain last year but was hesitant because of concerns Sacconi might take it too much to heart and inadvertently abuse the position in the process.
“You know, Gabe is the only player who has been here longer than I have, said Dunnigan, who is in his fourth year. “He knows his way around the school. He has had leadership positions on campus in the past.
“I think it would have been a year too early last year. He was younger, he was hurt, and there probably wouldn’t have been the respect for him because of some of the dynamics of that team. But this year, I have seen much better balance from him. This year, he’s been really good. He’s done everything I’ve asked of him.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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police pg 8 9-14-23
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
Sept. 8
Ernest Fenner, 53, homeless; first-degree criminal trespass and interfering with an officer.
Deirdre Hey, 56, Quaddick Road, Thompson; sixth-degree larceny.
Sept. 9
Mark Divirgilio Jr., 26, South Main Street, Putnam; operating vehicle while suspended, wrong way on one-way street.
Jerrett K. Williams, 22 Walnut Street, Putnam; violation of restraining order.
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