Roundup
Volleyball team advances to state semifinals
The Woodstock Academy volleyball team has made it a habit of going deep into the Class L state tournament.
But going into the season, coach Adam Bottone had his doubts whether that would happen again.
His team had lost the majority of its starting lineup from the year before.
Yet, here they were on Friday, posting a 3-0 win over No. 20 E.O. Smith in a Class L state tournament quarterfinal match.
The victory sends the Centaurs into the final four of the tournament for the third time in four years.
The fifth-seeded squad will take on No.1 East Lyme on Tuesday in a semifinal match at a site and time still to be determined.
“It’s awesome,” Bottone said after the dominant win over the Panthers. “At the end of last year, I would not have said this is where we will be. I think just after the season started, I thought we had a shot at getting here but the girls have put it together at the right time and, hopefully, good things can happen. It’s really hard to beat a team four times in a row.”
The Vikings have had the Centaurs number, beating them by shutout twice in the regular season and again in the ECC championship.
The Vikings, who blanked Waterford 3-0 in a quarterfinal Friday, have not lost a set to an ECC team this year.
“I think we can turn things around,” said senior Vivian Bibeau. “When we played them previously, we’ve been in lows but now we’re on a high. We’re aggressive. Everything about the team is coming together and I think that will make a big difference.”
The Centaurs played a very dominant match against the Panthers, sending them home in just a little over an hour.
The Centaurs built 20-10 leads in the first two sets and went on to win, 25-15 and 25-14, to set the tone.
There was no letdown in the third set where they posted another 25-14 victory.
“For sure,” said senior Kaylee Bundy when asked if she felt like the Centaurs were peaking at the right time. “I don’t know what happened but something clicked and every game that we have come to so far, we’ve had a lot of energy and have come out with passion for the sport which has helped us a lot.”
It was not an energy that was evident early in the week when the Centaurs had to battle back from a 2-1 deficit and escape with a 3-2 victory over No. 28 Pomperaug in a first-round match.
That may have been the wakeup call as the Centaurs responded with a 3-1 victory over No. 12 New Milford in the second round Wednesday before the dominant performance on Friday.
“It was nice to see two good, consistent matches, which I don’t think we’ve done all season. We came out aggressive but my only issue is that we had some lulls, struggled with receive and if we do that against East Lyme, we will be in trouble. The emphasis has been on receiving and I thought we did a much better job (on Friday). If we can receive consistently, we will be very competitive with East Lyme,” Bottone said.
On the other side of that, the serve, the Centaurs were also much more consistent.
Bundy has been battling demons from behind the service line recently but responded with 13 service points including six aces against the Panthers.
“It felt really good. I’ve struggled with my serve in the past couple of games and to have that on point (Friday) felt really good,” Bundy said.
For Bottone, it was a welcome sight.
“She definitely stepped up (Friday) in that respect and it has been a struggle for her. We’ve talked about it the past couple of weeks. We told her she had to stand serve and she starts off that way, she got on some runs which she hadn’t done in a while and got in some jump serves and those were deadly,” the coach said.
Bundy also was strong up front again as she delivered 18 kills while Bibeau on the opposite side added 11.
“Vivian started a little slow. We were talking to her about exploding into her shots and when she started to be more aggressive with her approach, she started swinging away and had a lot of good success,” Bottone said.
The defense also kept E.O. Smith off balance and in so doing, limited their middle hitters, the Panthers most effective weapons, chances.
“That was the objective. Whenever a team’s dominant hitter is in the middle, I stress to the girls that we have to keep them out of system. I actually think they forced some sets to the middle, just to try and get the middles involved even when they were behind the 20-foot line. We did a really good job with our serve to get them out of system,” Bottone said.
Gianna Musumeci had 16 digs and Lily Morgis had 36 assists in the win.
There was a noticeable lack of energy in the girls’ volleyball team loss to East Lyme in the ECC Div. I tournament championship match and a narrow victory over Pomperaug in the first-round of the Class L state tournament.
The energy was back on Wednesday as the fifth-seeded Centaurs downed No. 12 New Milford, 3-1, at the South Campus gym in a second-round contest.
Where did the newfound energy come from?  “Beats me but I hope it keeps up,” said Bottone. “I have no idea. I don’t know if it’s our talks are finally sinking in. Maybe the light has gone off and they are finally realizing but there was good energy.”
The Centaurs had to battle for a victory over Pomperaug, a team that had lost 3-0 twice to New Milford during the regular season so there was a palpable sense of concern as to whether they could get past the Green Wave.
Those fears subsided a bit when the Centaurs picked off a pair of wins in the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-19 over New Milford.
“I feel like we got to everything a lot better,” said junior Kennedy McCooey who celebrated her birthday with the win. “We had so much more energy and we had a lot of trust in each other (Wednesday). We all knew we had to bring everything and I think we did.”
McCooey had a good all-around performance as she finished with 15 kills, 14 service points and 18 digs.
There was a little hiccup. The Centaurs did see the Green Wave rally in the third set for a 25-18 victory to end the hopes of a shutout victory.
“We played a little too timid defensively so we have to figure out a way to get rid of that. If we can do that, we would be in a really good place,” Bottone said.
New Milford was pretty dominant in the third set as it built a 20-11 lead but as five-point service run by McCooey made it much closer by the end.
“We had a lot of fight. We fought back and made it relatively close but we should not put ourselves in a position to have to fight from that far back,” Bottone said.
Bundy took over in the fourth set as she had 11 of her 23 kills and spurred the Centaurs on to a 25-19 victory.
Bundy also added 19 digs while Morgis had 38 assists.
“It was way better, much different than we have seen in the past few matches even the ones that we have won. We weren’t letting the ball drop, a few did, but compared to what we have been doing, our defense was fantastic. It took us a little while to get our hitting going and we had a revolving door to try and get serves in but it all came together,” Bottone said.
For McCooey, the newfound confidence was a relief. ”I think we’re really back into it after Monday’s game as far as the team and how we’re feeling on the court.,” McCooey said.
Bundy made a bold prediction in between games three and four of their girls volleyball Class L state tournament first-round match with Pomperaug early in the week.
The Centaurs had just lost two of the first three sets and Bundy defiantly declared to her teammates as the two teams exchanged benches that the Centaurs would not lose another.
“I did say that,” Bundy said with a smile. Bundy put her words into action.
She became the dominant player that she can be on the outside and recorded nine of her 21 kills in the set.
 “I didn’t take over; it was more of a team thing. I just felt like I had to step up and do my job better than I was,” Bundy said.
The Centaurs rallied from an early deficit in that fourth set to record the 25-16 win. They were a bit more dominant in the decisive fifth set where they posted the 15-11 victory to win 3-2 and advance to the second round of the Class L state tournament.
Woodstock seemed pretty steady in the opening set as it posted a 25-18 victory but things went a bit awry after that.
Pomperaug showed it did not make the long trek from Southbury for nothing as it rallied to tie the match with a 25-21 victory in the second set.
The Panthers did it again in the third with a 25-20 victory.
It left Bottone looking to his bench for answers.
Sophomores Summer Goodell and Ellasyn Nagle were called upon to add some spark and stability to what was happening on the floor.
“They need to understand that they have to perform or they will come out. The errors that we were making and the difficulty that we were having just should not be happening at this point and then, they get down on themselves and there is a lack of confidence which reflects in their play. At the end of the match, we were playing so tentative and not to win. We had a five-point lead (in the fifth set), should have been taking it to them, swinging, being aggressive and we’re doing the complete opposite,” Bottone said.
The Centaurs finally settled things down a bit in the fourth set.
The Panthers held the lead early but the host team tied it at 11. McCooey then had one of her 16 kills in the match to put the Centaurs ahead to stay and Bundy kept them there.
“Her hitting came around in the last few sets but she has to be doing that from the start,” Bottone said, adding the team, as a whole, needs to pick it up a bit. “I don’t know what the disconnect is between what we do in practice and in games. I don’t know if they think they are putting in enough effort and it is good enough. It’s not good enough. We just need to do better. We have to go back to the drawing board and figure something out.”
The two teams were tied at three in the fifth set before Goodell put together a four-point service run to put the Centaurs up, 8-3.
Unfortunately, the Panthers came right back to tie at 8 before the Centaurs finally put things away by scoring seven of the last 10 points to advance to the second round on Wednesday.
“Pomperaug was good. They came into a rowdy house and brought it to us. They were doing to us what we should have been doing to them and we were lucky to get this win,” Bottone said.
Morgis finished with 43 assists in the match and Musumeci added 27 digs.

Prep Soccer
Prep 1 team finishes with undefeated regular season; Prep 2 advances to tournament final
The Prep Premiere League playoffs beckon for the Prep 1 soccer team but before those begin next weekend, the Centaurs had one final tune up.
They hosted a local friendly as Putnam Science Academy came to the Bentley Athletic Complex on Thursday.
The Centaurs finished up their season undefeated as they shutout the Mustangs, 2-0.
“It was good to get out and play again. It’s always nice to have match and good for us to get the shutout, the first we’ve had in a few matches, and it’s always good to win,” said coach Owen Finberg.
The Centaurs were coming off a 1-1 tie in their previous outing against Vermont Academy which was the only blemish in their 12-0-1 season.
The Centaurs weren’t exactly prolific in their scoring and that did cause Finberg some concern.
“I didn’t feel like we approached the game with the right vigor and focus that we needed to take full advantage of the match and that’s something that we have to make sure that we do come next week because as we move on, you lose, you go home,” Finberg said.
It was a bit different than the effort against the Wildcats the previous week where the Centaurs had numerous opportunities but just could not cash in.
“We played well and created a lot of opportunities against Vermont Academy; we just didn’t execute and finish them off. Against Putnam Science, we didn’t really create a lot of opportunities and that’s more concerning. If you’re not creating, you’re not going to score,” Finberg said.
The Centaurs did get two “exceptional” goals according to Finberg, both in the first half.
Daion Swan DaSilva returned to the lineup after a lengthy injury hiatus and scored early in the first half off a Nicolae Velicico assist and then Velicico delivered with 1 minute, 34 seconds left in the half off a Yeochang Yang assist.
“We have played the past couple of weeks with some key guys out, different guys at different times. It’s been a transition to deal with different guys in different positions. We’re hoping some guys will come back and be healthy for next week and that’s why we’ve been cautious with some guys. Against Putnam Science, if it was a winner-take-all game, some of those guys would have played more,” Finberg said. “Daion came back and played 30 minutes, his first game in three weeks. We believe our guys will step up when the stakes are highest.”
That begins next weekend when the Centaurs travel to the Day Hill Dome in Hartford to play High Mowing Academy in a PPL quarterfinal.
The Centaurs blanked High Mowing, 4-0, on Sept. 27.
“We may have beaten them before but we know they will be a significant challenge and will be tough and physical on the defensive side of the ball and will try to counterattack us and make it difficult to play against them. The weather will be colder and probably have more wind,” Finberg said.
While the Day Hill Dome is the name of the complex, the Centaurs and High Mowing will play on an outdoor field at the facility at 10:45 a.m.

Prep 2 Advances
The Prep 2 soccer team advanced to the championship match of the Global Education Sports Partners League tournament with a 3-1 victory over Putnam Science Academy on Friday.
“A real strong effort for our guys,” Finberg said. “Playoff games are usually tight affairs where every play is important, and that was certainly the case (Friday). I thought we were strong defensively and did well to create many chances. However, it was the set pieces that gave us the advantage, and we were able to hold our nerve and seal it late. 
The Centaurs will play either Hoosac School or St. Thomas More in the championship match.
It’s a match Woodstock should be eager to win.
Despite having won the GESP regular season titles over the past several years, the team has never won the tournament championship match.
The Centaurs and Mustangs were scoreless through the first 35 minutes of the match on Friday.
But that changed when the official awarded the Centaurs a penalty kick with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Jack Buyers converted on the play to give the Centaurs the lead and they would double that before the half.
Jorge Castellanos followed just four minutes later when he put a free kick into the back of the net for the 2-0 halftime lead.
It turned out to be an important goal as Putnam Science was awarded a penalty kick four minutes into the second half and scored to halve the Centaurs’ lead.
The score remained 2-1 through much of the second half until Yuki Kato scored with six minutes left off a Victor Schougaard assist.

Football
It was no secret that Ledyard was going to run the football. It’s all the Colonels do in their throwback single-wing offense.
But no one could expect what junior tailback Jackson Favry would accomplish for Ledyard in its game against Woodstock Saturday.
Favry had what could only be labeled a career day as he carried the ball 20 times for 401 yards and scored six touchdowns in the Colonels’ 58-45 win over the Centaurs.
Even coach Connor Elliott had to take a bit of a startled step back when he heard those numbers.
“Wow,” a stunned Elliott said. “That’s probably a State Player of the Week-type performance there. Hats off to him. He’s a great player and they have a great team. They run an offense that works for them. The best offense is an efficient one that scores points and it sure did (Saturday). I’m quite envious of their efficiency on the ground. That’s impressive.”
The loss ended the Centaurs (2-6) hopes of an ECC Div. II title.
Woodstock, Ledyard and Waterford all finished with a 2-1 record in the division with Ledyard having defeated Woodstock; the Centaurs having downed Waterford and Waterford having a win over Ledyard.
There was only one common opponent in the ECC generated schedule, Montville, and both Waterford and Ledyard own wins over the Wolves while the Centaurs will play them on Friday.
The final criteria in the tiebreaker, CIAC playoff points, will go to either Ledyard or Waterford.
The day started just fine for the Centaurs who held the traditional Senior Day festivities on the final home game of the season.
Aidan Soukaloun, Ramond Joachim, Alec Nunes, Dylan Phillips, Cole Bourget, Kaylyn Hall, Andrew Landreville, Logan DelFarno, Cayden Menor, and Kyle Parmeter were all recognized.
“I am going to miss them tremendously,” Elliott said. “They are a really special group that has stuck together throughout their four years here in some pretty lean times. We’re trying to elevate the program, not only in terms of wins and losses, but consistency that we provide and the respect that we are gaining throughout the league and they are a big part of that story.”
The Centaurs took the excitement from the pregame and translated it into points on the board as they put together an eight-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown on a 28-yard screen pass from Elijah Poh to Caydem Herlihy.
“He did the complete wrong thing but he was just open and ran the ball in for a touchdown. He’s a touchdown magnet,” Elliott said with a laugh.
It wasn’t the only big play of the game for Herlihy.
The same could be said for Favry as he answered the Woodstock touchdown in one play.
After a false start was called against the Colonels, Favry took the direct snap, went toward the near sideline, cut it up the middle and was off to the races for a 65-yard score.
It was the start of the shootout as both teams scored on their first two possessions.
Poh (27-for-43 passing, 297 yards) found Alec Nunes (9 catches, 105 yards) for a 3-yard score to put the Centaurs back on top, 15-8.
It took all of eight plays for Ledyard (6-2) to almost pull even, one of those a 41-yard run by Calvin Casavant, who accounted for 75 of the Colonels – who didn’t event attempt a pass -  552 yards in rushing.
Titus Streckfuss finished the drive with an 8-yard run to make it 15-14.
The Centaurs drove it to the 1-yard line but turned the ball over with a fumble on the Ledyard 1.
The Colonels moved the ball back to midfield but on the final play of the half, a pitch was fumbled and there was Herlihy.
The sophomore picked the ball up in stride at the Ledyard 32 and the scoop-and-score put the Centaurs up at the half, 22-14.
“It was a nice way to make up for the fumble on the goal line. Caydem has been making plays all year for us, pick-6’s, fumble recoveries for scores. He’s done a great job,” Elliott said.
It was just about the end of the good news for the Centaurs, however.
Favry tied the game with a score from 55 yards out on the first possession of the second half.
After a three-and-out by Woodstock, a punt did not get out of Woodstock territory and the Colonels took over on the Centaurs 43. Four plays later, Favry scored his touchdown of the game from 10 yards out give Ledyard the eight-point lead.
Herlihy scored his third touchdown of the game on a 7-yard pass to tie the game at 30 but it took the Colonels only 1 minute, 43 seconds to find the end zone again with Streckfuss bulling his way over from the 1.
The Colonels defense forced another punt and four plays later, Favry weaved his way through the defense, got some open real estate and took off for a 56-yard score.
Poh found Griffen Bloom (6 catches, 92 yards) for a 20-yard touchdown pass but Ledyard put the game out of reach when Favry added touchdown runs of 70 and 34 yards.
Favry finished with 285 yards and five scores in the second half.
The Centaurs have two games left to play. They travel to Montville on Friday night and will finish up against Killingly on the road on Thanksgiving morning.
“The record doesn’t matter, it’s the fight, it’s the compete. Even if we go 2-8 like we did last year, anyone who watched last year and this year, would say that we’re in every game this season, they battle. That said, I want nothing more than to put up a ‘W’ on Friday and the guys do too,” Elliott said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Seniors Vivian Bibeau (9) and Kaylee Bundy celebrate after a point against New Milford in a second-round Class L state tournament match. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.

2025 volleyball team:
The volleyball team advanced to the Class L state tournament semifinals for a third time in four years. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.

Senior Vivian Bibeau serves against New Milford in a Class L state tournament match won by the Centaurs, 3-1. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.

Sophomore Ellasyn Nagle serves for the Centaurs in a win over New Milford in a Class L state tournament match. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media)

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The senior members of the Woodstock Academy football team were recognized during Senior Day festivities prior to the Senior Day game versus Ledyard. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.
 
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Quarterback Elijah Poh (16) hands off the football to Caydem Herlihy in Saturday’s game against Ledyard. Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.
 
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Receiver Griffen Bloom celebrates following one of his two fourth-quarter touchdown catches against Ledyard.Photo by Joshua Hernandez, actionframe media.

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