Putnam Science Academy football enters year 2
In the long linage of athletic excellence, Putnam Science Academy’s football program is in its infancy. This is year two overall for coach Mook Zimmerman and his staff at the school who were to kick off the season Sept. 7 at Salve Regina University (canceled for rain). The team is stocked with a fresh group of talented players looking to take their next step in their football journey.
What excites the coach this year is welcoming in the new talent who will don the helmets and pads this season. “Happy to have the opportunity to get athletes that are hungry and driven, going next level.” One of those players who is amongst the hungry and driven is second player wide receiver Ronald Florian-Mortes, who transferred in last year from Holy Cross high school. He came in blind to the program and took a chance — a gamble that paid off. “Here they push you to be the best player you can be,” he said “At the beginning of year we write our top five colleges and according to that that’s how they push you.”
The team will get pushed in some respect as they now play an 11-game schedule as opposed to just nine last season. In order for the team to successfully navigate that 11-game schedule Zimmerman needs to see mental toughness among other traits. “We have to be able to endure adversity and punch it in the mouth. That’s how we create character, that’s how we create men.”
The increase in games is no match to the increase in talent the team has accumulated this season, according to quarterback Kalil Barno. “We brought in a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, holding each other to a high standard. I think this year is going to be a lot about getting to know each other,” Barno said. Many athletes came into this program because they were overlooked or who did not have a coach at their disposal like Zimmerman who sees in players what other coaches seem to have missed. His belief in the players and their abilities led many to come to play for him, even as far as Dallas.
Quarterback Demarcus Williams competed at the highest level of Texas high school football. Williams knew he could accomplish more than his coaches back home told him. He was encouraged to seek Div. III schools in order to continue his football career. “Coach Mook and coach Frank they believed in me…. they seen more in me. I know I’m a DI talent, so why would I settle for anything less than that?” he said.
The Mustangs will travel to New Jersey to take on prep powerhouse The Hun School on Oct. 10. Nov. 15, the team will be in Maryland for a matchup against Mt. Zion Prep. The season’s finale is St. Thomas More on Nov. 22. Zimmerman’s vision for this program goes beyond just recruiting. Also respect, “that PSA develops great players and puts out a great product on the field. Every college in the country I want them to know about PSA.” Come Sept. 7 through Nov. 22, these Mustangs will be ready to stampede through the season.
Ben Heacox
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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PSA women’s
soccer team
defeats
Plainfield, 8-2
PLAINFIELD--- The Putnam Science Academy women’s prep soccer team took the pitch against Plainfield in a local battle.
The Mustangs came away with a convincing 8-2 victory to improve to 4-0-1 on the season. Manoela Silva got the scoring started for Putnam Science eight minutes into the game. Five minutes later Gabriella Orlandi put it in the back of the net, giving the Mustangs a two-nil lead.
Silva continued her scorching start to the season with her second goal of the game, 3-0 PSA.
After two Plainfield goals late in the first half, Luana Mendes put the Mustangs ahead 4-2. Manoela Silva scored her third goal of the game getting out to a 5-2 halftime lead. Silva has scored seven goals in five games for the Mustangs thus far. Orlandi scored her second of the game 16 minutes into the second half, 6-2 Mustangs. Then four minutes later Orlandi scored her third of the game increasing the Putnam Science lead to 7-2. Maria Guilia Carvalho scored making it 8-2. Through five games this season the PSA women’s prep team has scored 16 goals, while just giving up 2.
Ben Heacox
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Preview
Change comes to Woodstock Academy football
It’s not Connor Elliott’s first time at the helm of the Woodstock Academy football program.
He took over as head coach briefly, a couple of games, for Sean Saucier when the Sauciers had a family emergency.
This time, however, it’s for real. It was announced last spring that Elliott was taking over the reins of the program and now, they are his.
“I view Sean as my football dad. He brought me in when I was 23-years-old and basically gave me the keys to the car. I remember we were meeting with some coaches and were supposed to come back to campus to talk about the offense and he said, ‘Why don’t you just call the plays?’ He trusted me and I view him as a mentor and someone I look up to. I’m seeing things now as he saw them. I may have had some grand ideas as an offensive coordinator or for the program and some worked out and some didn’t. Now, I’m seeing why they didn’t work out,” Elliott said.
Otherwise, Elliott thinks he and Saucier were on the same page as far as the process and what mattered to both, be it respect, commitment or how the team responds to each other.
“It’s nice. We miss Sauce (Saucier) but it’s cool to have coach Elliott around being our head coach. It feels good,” said senior receiver and defensive back Alec Nunes.
“He plans things out easy for us, talking with us and communicating things very well,” added fellow senior Aiden Soukaloun.
Remember what happened the last time Elliott took over a Woodstock program? He assumed the helm of the baseball team and went on to win a state championship in 2024.
“Our defensive coordinator (Cahan Quinn) joked the other day, ‘Coach, I think you might have that first-year magic again.’ That’s because we’ve had such a tremendous start, not only with X’s and O’s, but the energy, the focus, the desire to get better that is being brought from seniors down to the freshmen. The vibes are phenomenal,” Elliott said.
The Centaurs need that. It was a rough conclusion to the season in 2024. The Centaurs finished 2-8 and lost their last seven games.
They finished with two seniors at quarterback, Kyle Grist and Cam Nason, who had never played quarterback before.
If all goes according to plan, Elijah Poh, a transfer from Killingly, will now start at quarterback with the heir apparent last year, sophomore Caydem Herlihy, in more of a “slash “ role as well as playing quarterback.
“Caydem is a Swiss Army Knife and we would have been very comfortable rolling into the season with him as our quarterback. He can do so much with the ball in his hands whether he is at quarterback, running back or receiver. The transition to Eli or Caydem has been phenomenal,” Elliott said.
Herlihy completed 38 of 61 passes for a team-high 455 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury as a freshman last year when he had to replace senior Sam Clark who suffered a season-ending injury early in the season.
Poh comes over looking for the opportunity to play after being stuck in the depth chart in a deep Killingly program.
Poh also has the benefit of having played with some of his new teammates in youth football.
The Centaurs also got some help in the trenches when junior Owen Lyons decided to come from Woodstock from St. Thomas More.
He adds size and skill to the line.
Those returners include Cayden Menor and Wyatt Voter on the line with sophomore Will Charette likely anchoring the line at center.
In the backfield, Elliott can use as needed with a host of different talents available.
Cooper Harris (16 carries, 59 yards) is a “thicker” back but that hasn’t slowed him down. Rosano Rodriguez is a bigger back as is Dylan Phillips. Soukaloun and Keegan Brown add some speed and shiftiness.
The Centaurs also will be a bit larger on the defensive line although a bit under-sized against most opponents this season.
The rallying cry for the Centaurs defense early this season has been to “create havoc.”
The season gets underway on Friday with a Connecticut football alliance game against an ECC team, East Lyme, at 4 p.m. at the Bentley Athletic Complex.
It’s an odd time for a football game.
Elliott’s first official game as head coach will come against his alma mater.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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caption:
New head football coach Connor Elliott, second from right, watches as his team runs through plays. Photo by Marc Allard.
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William ‘Bill’ Roger Van Nieuwenhuyze
N. GROSVENORDALE — William (Bill) Roger Van Nieuwenhuyze, 93, of North Grosvenordale passed away peacefully on Aug. 27, 2025, as he was entering hospice care.
Bill was born Aug. 18, 1932, in Providence, son of Roger Dorlait Van Nieuwenhuyze and Alice (LeBoeuf) Van Nieuwenhuyze Dwyer. He was married to the love of his life, Helen (Belhumeur) on April 28, 1956, and they remained together for 64 years.
He leaves his children Lynn and Louis Davis of N. Grosvenordale/Scottsdale, Linda Van Nieuwenhuyze of N. Grosvenordale/Phoenix, Debra and Joe Petrick of Henniker, N.H., Wendy Van Kirk and Tom Thurlow of Putnam, William S Van Nieuwenhuyze of Meriden, and Jennifer and Gary Gomes of Dudley; 15 grandchildren —Hillary Davis, Alex Davis, Beatrice DeSabatino and Sean Higgins, Andrew DeSabatino and Gina, Chris and Courtney Petrick, William and Colleen Petrick, Joey Petrick, Charlie Petrick, Lindsay Van Kirk and Nathan Graham, Aubrey Van Kirk, Ronald and Taylor Kong, William Van Nieuwenhuyze, Laratee Van Nieuwenhuyze, Kaelin Andersen, and Quinn Andersen and Rebecca Torres. 6 great-grandchildren —Talis Petrick, Nessa Petrick, Lily Petrick, Ryan Petrick, Flora and Penny Graham; his brother Robert (Bob) Van Nieuwenhuyze; brother-in-law Robert Belhumeur and Cathy, sister-in-law Lorraine and Richard Eramo, nieces: Julie and Gerry Galleshaw, Joanne Sykes, Paula and Gary Elsmore, Susan Ferland, nephews: Jim and Shera, David and Linda, and Bobby and Jodie Van Nieuwenhuyze, David Gagne, Michael and Robyn Ferland, his Home Depot family: Michaela, Lee, Pam, Branca, and friends Merrill and Dottie Seney, Mike Tomany, Samantha, Rosemary, Nicole. He was predeceased by his wife Helen Van Nieuwenhuyze; his sister Louise Taupier; parents Roger and Alice, brother-in-law John Taupier, sister-in-law Marilyn Van Nieuwenhuyze, sister-in-law Georgette Ferland, brother-in-law Gene Ferland, and sons-in-law John Van Kirk and Kevin Andersen.
Interment will be private. Donations: Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group (TEEG), 15 Thatcher Road. N. Grosvenordale, CT 06255. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
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