centaur boys pg 7 10-3-24
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Centaurs boys’ soccer team
captures first victory
The first win can sometimes be the hardest to get.
Woodstock Academy first-year boys’ soccer head coach Dave St. Jean would likely agree with that as he was just hoping it would come and soon.
The Centaur opened with four losses, fought to 1-1 draws in the next three matches and last week, finally, picked up their first win. Woodstock posted a 4-1 victory over Fitch.
“It was a great first win,” St. Jean said. “The team played well. The team played together. We had a good practice (Monday). I expected them to come out. They did.”
Eight minutes into the match, the Centaurs forged ahead.
Sophomore Derek Rodriguez Arenas took a pass from Austin Byer and scored his first career goal for Woodstock.
“I saw Austin down on the side of the field and I asked him for the ball. He gave me a good pass and I was able to finish,” Rodriguez Arenas said.
“He’s been dying all season to get that first goal. He’s worked so hard so it was nice to see him get a couple (Tuesday) and, hopefully, he will get a couple of more,” St. Jean said.
Just six minutes later, Zach Armbruster rifled a shot from 40 yards out that found its way into the back of the Falcons net.
“That was a beautiful shot,” St. Jean said. “He loves ripping the ball from outside and he just has a great shot. He’s been playing great for us in the center-midfield.”
Ten minutes later, Rodriguez Arenas was in the right place at the right time again.
The Centaurs were awarded a corner kick which Armbruster delivered into the middle of the pitch and Rodriguez Arenas headed it home.
“The way that we scored (Tuesday) was nice. We’ve scored on a lot of direct kicks but we haven’t really put passes together and got goals off assists. It was really nice to see beautiful soccer end in a goal,” St. Jean said.
A shot by Garrett Bushey was rejected by the Fitch defense but the rebound ended up on the foot of sophomore Aiden Sanchez who sent it right back at and into the Falcons’ net.
Luca Jump scored the only goal for Fitch (1-7-1, 0-3) with 25 minutes left in regulation.
“We were a little shaky with some of our first touches but once we kind of settled in a bit and got those goals, we just became relaxed and played really well,” St. Jean said.
The Centaurs, who are now 1-4-3 overall and 1-2-1 in Div. I of the ECC do not return to the pitch for a match until Tuesday at home against Windham.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
caption:
Logan Rawson sends the ball downfield. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
legion pg 7 10-3-24
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PUTNAM — Putnam’s Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post 13 held its annual golf tournament Sept. 16 and netted more than $20,000.
Twenty-seven foursomes competed with win going to foursome of Brendan Meehan, Rocky Bedard, Tom Morway, and John Lesniewski, with a “To Par Gross” of -16, and a “Total Gross” of 55.
Post 13 Commander Michael Rocchetti said, “The Golf Tournament is one of our most important sources of income. I don’t know what it is about this sport – it seems to induce such a spirit of altruism amongst the players - especially when the game is being played for a good cause. The support, and generosity of our local community is evident! And its nice to know that these people appreciate the work our American Legion Post is doing for the local community.”
Brian Maynard, a past Post 13 Commander and chairman of the Golf Committee, said: “It’s just overwhelming we made $6,000 more than last year and netted about $20,450! How lucky we are to live in such a great community!”
This year, the focus of the golf tournament was twofold – to honor the legacy of Putnam’s only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient – U.S. Navy submariner Henry Breault, and to raise money for the ongoing restoration and upgrades to Veterans Park in Putnam.
Committee chair Maynard put together a team that included past Post 13 Commander Michael Vassar, Eric Quinn, Edward Morissette, Traci Lefebvre, Earl Rosebrooks, Shayna O’Brien, Cara Mayhew, William Leary, and Charles Mackenzie. He said: “This was an all-star team – highly motivated and very dedicated to making the event a success.” Maynard also congratulated the tournament winning f
Pre-tournament Maynard talked a bit about the importance of the Veterans Park in Putnam, and how the proceeds of the Tournament would help pay for the great work being done by Rob Challinor and the Putnam’s Veterans Advisory Committee. He also thanked the primary tournament sponsors which included Big Gary’s Discount Liquor Store in Putnam and the Supported Living Group Rehabilitation Center in Danielson. “The level of generosity exceeded our expectations." He also thanked: Roger Franklin, The HILB Group (Gerardi Insurance), Downes Construction, bank Hometown, Venture Communications & Security, EDS Mechanical, Jason St. Onge [G Seven Catering], FCT Inc. Earl Rosebrooks, Northeast Kitchens and Flooring [George Amenabar], Dexter Masonry, and many more tee sponsors. "We are also thankful for the many donations we received for raffle prizes, and for the people who came out today to golf at our tournament.”
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caption: the winning foursome.
psa pg 7 10-3-24
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PSA soccer kicks off with mixed results
PUTNAM — The Putnam Science Academy boys’ soccer program began its 2024 season with mixed results, as both the Varsity and Prep teams split their weekend games. Following the program’s recent split into two squads to maximize player development, the Varsity team lost their season opener 3-1 to Woodstock Academy Sept. 27 but bounced back with a 3-1 win over South Kent Sept. 28.
Meanwhile, the Prep team fell to South Kent 7-2 in its first match of the season.
For Head Coach Christopher Steele, who leads the Varsity squad, the split was a strategic decision to ensure every player in the program gets ample time on the field.
“Ultimately, the split was necessary to help all the players grow,” Steele said. “The goal is to make sure everyone gets on the field, improves, and gets to college.”
In their Friday season opener, PSA’s Varsity team faced a tough challenge against a strong Woodstock Academy side. Despite Guilherme Vieira scoring the team’s only goal, they fell 3-1. Steele acknowledged the loss but saw it as an opportunity for the new-look team to develop their chemistry.
“It was our first time playing together as a team, and we held our own for long stretches,” he said. “We had chances to score but came up short. Still, I saw some positives.”
The Varsity team quickly turned things around the following day at South Kent, earning a 3-1 victory. Goals from Mario Camacho, Rafael Costa, and Hugh Copley secured the win, while goalkeeper Phone “Patrick” Paye Sone had an outstanding performance, highlighted by a crucial penalty kick save that energized the squad.
Prep Recap: Tough Loss but Signs of Growth
Following the Varsity game Sept. 28, PSA’s Prep team took the field against a formidable South Kent side, falling 7-2 in its first match of the season. Despite the result, there were individual bright spots, with Tanaka Makechemu and Pedro Rosa (via a penalty kick) scoring the goals for PSA Prep.
For Steele, the Prep team’s early struggles are part of the growing process, and he remains optimistic about their future as they continue to build chemistry and develop their game.
Unity Within the Program
One of the key takeaways from the weekend was the strong sense of unity between the Varsity and Prep teams. Even with their own challenges on the field, the Prep players were seen in the stands supporting the Varsity team, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Steele.
“The sense of unity was really strong,” Steele said. “Prep was in the stands cheering for Varsity, and that type of support is going to help both teams grow. We’ve only been together for three weeks, but that bond is already building.”
With both teams now holding a record of one win and one loss, Steele is confident that both the Varsity and Prep squads will continue to improve as the season progresses.
“We have 6 returning players and 23 new faces between the teams. For only being together for three weeks, I’m proud of where we are, and I know we’re going to keep getting better,” Steele said.
By Rebecca Townes
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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stolen pg 8 10-3-24
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Info needed on
theft of 2 trucks
By Quiet Corner Alerts
PUTNAM/THOMPSON/KILLINGLY/WEBSTER — Two commercial pickup trucks stolen Sept. 27 in Putnam were found in Killingly after being used in several crimes throughout the weekend.
Putnam Police Officers were dispatched to 340 Kennedy Dr., Commercial Roofing and Contracting, for reports of two stolen pickup trucks. The investigation determined that the vehicles were stolen between 4 p.m. Sept. 26 and 7:54 a.m. Sept. 27.
The vehicles were a white 2014 Ford F350 with a ladder rack and a white 2016 GMC Sierra; both trucks were lettered with Commercial Roofing & Contracting.
According to the Connecticut State Police, about 5:10 a.m. Sept. 29, the stolen F350 was parked in a private driveway on Fort Hill Farms property, Thompson. When the land owner discovered the vehicle they approached the parked truck head-on in their Ford Explorer. The F350 attempted to drive around the Explorer striking the rear end causing minor damage. The F350 fled the scene and was later seen traveling south on Rt. 94 in Glocester, RI.
The Ford F350 was found abandoned on a gravel logging road on Bear Hill Rd in Killingly the morning of Sept. 29. The Connecticut State Police Troop D secured the vehicle and the Putnam Police Department took custody of the vehicle as they continued their investigation.
Throughout the weekend the F350 was spotted multiple times in Webster. Sept. 28 Webster police officers responded to the area of Price Chopper, 2 Worcester Road, for a sighting of the truck. A short time later they located it traveling south on Thompson Road. A pursuit was initiated but had to be terminated at the CT line. Troop D was notified but Troopers were either unable to locate the vehicle or were unable to pursue it due to the standing state policy not to pursue vehicles unless they had been used in a violent crime.
According to a Facebook post by the owner of the trucks the GMC 3500 was located in Danielson Sept. 27.
Any information on the incidents above should be directed to the Putnam Police Department, at 860-928-6565.
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