woodstock pg 7 8-25-22
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caption:
Practice
Above: Woodstock Academy football players Braiden Saucier, right, and Seamus McDermott compete in a drill during practice. Left: Coach Sean Saucier watches his players at practice.
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The 2022-23 school year is right around the corner.
One tell-tale sign took place last week as the Woodstock Academy football team took to the field for its first full week of practice for the upcoming fall season.
And the numbers were good.
“We’re at 60-plus (athletes) and whenever we can get above 50-55, we’re in great shape. I think we’re sitting somewhere around 65 so that’s a nice turnout,” said Woodstock Academy football coach and athletic director Sean Saucier.
Technically, the team began to meet the week before with “Organized Team Activities” or OTA’s as it is better known in the athletic community.
It’s something that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Ctaconference began to allow last season.
“They are a little awkward because you are kind of starting but kind of not,” Sean Saucier said. “It gives you three days of short, about an hour and a half, practices. It gives you time to deal with the equipment, get up to the field and get organized; set up stretching lines, go through the routine and the nuance stuff that usually distracts teams in the first week of practice.”
Does he love the idea of OTA’s? Not really. “But they are helpful,” Sean Saucier said.
That morphed into full practices as of last Monday and this past Saturday was the first day that football teams could conduct contact drills.
The head coach likes what he has seen as far as the fitness of the group is concerned.
He said 20-30 athletes were in attendance much of the summer for strength and conditioning.
Still, everyone is coming off a few months of summer and that can be challenging.
“It’s tough to get into shape because football is a fall sport and coming back after summer, so there are few people in condition and lots of people lined up along the fence (throwing up). But after the first week, everyone is usually back in the swing of things,” said senior quarterback Braiden Saucier.
The Centaurs are coming off a 7-3 season in which they captured their first-ever ECC Divisional title.
The reward, if it can be considered that, is a boost into Div. I of the conference alongside Norwich Free Academy, Fitch and E. Lyme.
“It’s really not much different to be honest,” Sean Saucier said. “We played two Division I teams last year, this year we play three. That is a little bit of a difference but we’re also not playing all the Division II schools and some of those are really good too. It’s six of one, half-dozen of the other.”
The Centaurs did lose 20 seniors from last year’s team.
“Even though we graduated a lot of seniors, we have 17 back this year and a lot of new kids. Numbers are up and energy is high. We’re feeling good,” Braiden Saucier said.
Braiden Saucier will have one of the tougher assignments.
He replaces Ethan Davis at quarterback.
The southpaw, now at Southern Connecticut State University, threw for 1,526 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 961 and 12 scores last season.
“There’s definitely some pressure,” Braiden Saucier said. “The town of Woodstock is used to seeing good quarterback play at this point. I’ve been working three years of high school for this and I’m confident that I’m ready.”
Braiden Saucier did get some snaps under center last year, throwing for 414 yards and it was valuable experience that he hopes will pay off.
four touchdowns for the Centaurs.
“It definitely did help to see some varsity defenses and getting used to the level of play,” Braiden Saucier said.
In addition to the returners, the Centaurs have also seen an influx of talent, some expected, some not, and that could especially be helpful along the offensive and defensive lines.
“We have some new guys out here that will really contribute so it’s great to see some kids come out who didn’t play in the past,” Sean Saucier said.
Braiden Saucier said: "I think (the line) was where we got hurt the most with seniors graduating like Everett (Michalski) and Huck (Flanagan), basically our whole offensive line graduated and were all key players. Getting some additions improves my confidence at quarterback.”
“I don’t think we’ve lost much confidence or chemistry. This senior class has a ton of experience. I’ve been watching these kids play since they were in youth (football),” Sean Saucer said.
“I have to tell you, there aren’t a ton of holes,” Sean Saucier said. The season begins Sept. 9 at Enfield High School.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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police pg 8 8-25-22
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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.
Aug. 8
Brandon M. Markowitz, 36, Reynolds Road, Chepachet; disorderly conduct, first-degree criminal trespass.
Aug. 15
Linda Solomakos, 57, School Street, Putnam; disorderly conduct, third-degree assault.
Aug. 18
Alicia Lucey, 28, no certain address; third-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct.
Bryce Reck, 20, Calkins Road, Woodstock; operating unregistered motor vehicle.
Aug. 19
Zachary Conley, 22, Ballard Road, Thompson; stop sign violation.
Tony Claitor, 43, Maynard Street, Putnam; disorderly conduct.
Aug. 20
Jesus Caez III, 34, Smith Street, Putnam; creating a public disturbance.
Aug. 21
Donald J. Lima, 56, Nichols Street, Putnam; two counts of violation of probation.
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psa pg 8 8-25-22
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PUTNAM — The Putnam Police Department arrested Tieqiang Ding, 60, Aug. 21 after Putnam Emergency dispatch received a 911 call for a disturbance at 18 Maple St.
According to Putnam Police Captain Justin Lussier, police determined that a domestic altercation had occurred between Ding, and two family members.
Ding was arrested and charged with breach of peace and disorderly conduct and was released on a $1,500 non-surety bond and was scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court Aug. 22.
Lussier said no further information will be released.
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fall pg 1 9-1-22
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Fall sports
underway
at Academy
The Woodstock Academy football team has been practicing together since Aug. 11.
Last week, the other fall sports were allowed to join them. The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, cross-country teams, girls’ volleyball and field hockey, all took to the practice field for a first time.
It was also a first time for Gerry LaMontagne and Donte Adams to take a look at their new program.
LaMontagne and Adams will serve as co-head coaches of the field hockey team after Lauren Gagnon resigned as coach of the program at the end of the last school year.
It will be a learning year, not only for their players, but themselves.
“Excited and a little scared, I’m not going to lie,” LaMontagne said. “If this was track and field or football, I would have a lot of comfort. I know those sports. I can pick up on drills, I can pick up on personnel and substitutions. The hard part for me will be like the middle of the third quarter and you feel like the game is tipping one way or the other and what do I do? This sport is a little different and I will have to get the feel for it.”
LaMontagne said he will be relying a lot on the seniors in the program to help with that aspect.
“I’ve heard from the parents that there is great senior leadership on this team so we will definitely be leaning on them a lot,” LaMontagne said.
He also has Adams to lean on.
“It’s a new challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I wear a lot of hats but at the end of the day, I look at coaching as coaching. I want to bring the motivation that is going to help the ladies out, the same as basketball,” Adams said.
Adams will also be the first-year head coach of the Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball team this winter.
Both LaMontagne and Adams will also have to deal with the administrative side of the program. LaMontagne has been a long-time assistant coach but hasn’t had to deal with the paperwork that head coaches do.
“I met with (Woodstock Academy athletic director) Sean (Saucier) because I know how to organize and run practices but what does the school need me to do? All the types of administrative items that I have to worry about now. It’s a little different. Before I just had to show up and tell the athletes what to do. It was a lot easier than this,” LaMontagne said.
There is already a positive. Last season, the program had only 22 athletes. That number has already risen as 29 had signed up prior to the first practice.
“I’m new but I don’t want this to be a holding season, I don’t think that is fair to the seniors, the girls who have put in three or four years of effort and time. We want to keep building the program. I’ve talked with Lauren (Gagnon) already and will probably be meeting with her to try and educate myself as much as possible,” LaMontagne said.
The field hockey team opens its season at 5 p.m. Sept. 8 at home against the Somers/Rockville cooperative program.
Girls’ Soccer
Dennis Snelling had a smile on his face as he perused his two sets of practices, varsity and junior varsity, taking place on the first day of practice.
“We’re happy with the turnout. I think it’s the most we’ve had in my tenure,” Snelling said as he watched almost 50 girls on the baseball field.
Usual numbers average about 40. Plus, the atmosphere was “normal.”
“It feels like it used to and the team feels like it used to in terms of skill, no one has been hiding, everyone has come in pretty fit,” Snelling added.
“It’s a big part of my regular routine, my life,” Snelling said. “I think this is year No. 19 of coaching soccer. I started when I was 21 (years-old). It’s great to be out here with kids who are really improving. I have told (senior) Grace (Gelhaus) that she is one of the highest-level players that we’ve had in the school. It’s just going to be a fun year. It’s a tough schedule and we’re looking forward to it.”
The Centaurs host Stonington at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 8.
Boys’ Soccer
It was a new, old feeling for coach Paul Rearden. No masks. No social distancing.
“You know what, it’s hard to remember what life before COVID was like. It’s back to normal, there are no restrictions, at least, none that I know of- I had better check my rule book,” Rearden said. ”It’s great.”
The athletes are back too. Rearden had just over 50 athletes turn out for the program which may be slightly lower than in recent years. Woodstock Academy, however, will not field a freshman program this year which may make it a little more challenging to come up with a roster especially with 16 seniors in the program currently.
On the opposite side of that, Rearden has only five juniors out but that is bolstered by a lot of sophomores and a decent “sprinkle” of freshmen.
“We’re in great shape physically,” Rearden said. “We did conditioning as a team and have had 20-25 lads showing up.”
The boys’ soccer team opens at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 in Ledyard.
Volleyball
Like most of the other fall sports, the volleyball team is in good shape to start the season.
“Turnout was better than expected,” said Adam Bottone. The head coach was expecting smaller numbers due to the registration sheets he received, but on the first day of practice, 46 girls came out.
“There are a few who played club at a high-performance level over the summer; there are a few that played club volleyball at the regional level and we have a ton of freshmen who went to Jeff (Boshka’s) local camp and did some other things. We have some decent experience. No more, no less than usual,” Bottone said.
Like his counterparts, Bottone said things feel somewhat normal especially since volleyball is an indoor sport and masks are no longer required.
“We’re running the drills, playing volleyball,” he said. “The possibility of COVID creeping into the season is there because we know it’s not going away. It’s just the flu now and it’s something we need to expect, plan for and be able to adjust around.”
The volleyball team opens at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Alumni Fieldhouse against Ledyard.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Captions, page 5:
Girls' soccer coach Dennis Snelling directs at the first practice of the season for the team.
Boys’ soccer team get ready for their first practice of the season. Photos by Marc Allard.
Captions, page 7:
The field hockey team gets ready to warm up prior to its first practice of the season. Donte Adams, LaMontagne: Gerry LaMontagne and Donte Adams will serve as co-head coaches for the Woodstock Academy field hockey program this fall. Photos by Marc Allard.
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