By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to Lindsay Lussier of Putnam.  Currently one of the personalities at 85 Main, Lussier in her high school and prep school days was a highly sought after soccer player.  She later went on to a college career at Franklin Pierce University and international competition.

The Putnam High School Class of 1959 held a three-day reunion over the weekend of Sept. 5, 6, and 7.  One of the graduates who returned was Paul Bellerose, who currently lives in Milton, Fla., with his wife of close to 50 years, Juanita.

As a young man growing up in Putnam’s famed North End, Bellerose played Little League baseball for the legendary Leger Lamoureux on the championship Yankee teams.  Bellerose attended St. Mary School in an era when the school had approximately 800 students.  He was a member of the Crusaders basketball team coached by another legend Stan Scraba.  Some of Bellerose’s teammates included Bob Gosselin and Peter Phaneuf and the late trio of Lenny Bonneville, Paul McCormac and Paul Leclair.

In high school Bellerose came into his own under the tutelage of football coach Jim Greenhalgh and track coach George St. Marie.  As a sophomore he emerged as one of the fastest and most feared running backs in Eastern Connecticut.  He enjoyed three stellar seasons on the gridiron for the Clippers culminating in a 6-1 season in his senior year capped by a 40-0 trouncing of Killingly on Thanksgiving Day.  Bellerose teamed in the backfield with bruising fullback Bob Rovatti, quarterback Bill Moser and running backs Paul Planchon and Ken Longo.

On the track, Bellerose was a standout sprinter in both indoor and outdoor track.  During his time at Putnam he held records in the 100-yard dash and the 220, as well as anchoring the relay team.

Upon graduation Bellerose was offered a combination football and track scholarship at Southeast Louisiana State University.  He played and ran for one college season before injuries ended his competitive career.  During his brief stay in Louisiana he had the opportunity to compete against Louisiana State University football All American and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon in a track meet.

Bellerose is a U.S. Air Force veteran and enjoyed a brief career in law enforcement before working and retiring from Connecticut Light & Power.  In recent years, he suffered a slight stroke, which has limited him slightly but has not dampened his spirits.

Fall Ball

A group of players who were part of the TriTown American Legion Baseball team this summer have continued play in the post season as part of a “fall ball” team that competes in a Massachusetts/Connecticut weekend league.  The team is coached by the trio of Dan Durand, John Foucault and Mike Carignan.

Following three weeks of play the team is a respectable 3-3 and in third place in the league.  The team recently swept a doubleheader behind the one-hit pitching of Nicholas Foucault in the first game and the combined tosses of Jared Carignan, Ryan Gadoury and Josh Allard in the nightcap.  The hitting stars were Carignan, Eli Majek, Zach Cutler and Justin Soucy.  The team plays its home games at Tourtellotte Memorial High School. 

Still Playing and Winning Championships

The Norwich Over-45 Softball League recently concluded its season with the crowning of Billy Wilson’s Ageing Still as the 2014 champions.  The Still was composed of players primarily from the Norwich area with the exception of a Brooklyn resident.

Mike Gaudreau, owner of Hurme Radio and TV in Danielson, was one of the mainstays of the championship team.  The lefty hitting Gaudreau continues to swing a powerful bat although he admits that his speed isn’t what it used to be.  In addition to running his business, Gaudreau serves as chairman of the Brooklyn Recreation Commission.

Football Standings and Stats

After two weeks of schoolboy football Plainfield stands tall as the early season “king of the hill” with a 2-0 record.  Killingly, Woodstock Academy and Quinebaug Valley Pride are still in search of victory #1 as is Pomfret School.  Hyde-Woodstock is 1-0 after whitewashing Dexter School.

Individually, Killingly’s Kyle Derosier is the passing leader with 397 yards after two games.  It’s no coincidence that the top receivers also hail from Killingly.  The area’s #1 receiver is Vasileous Politis with 154 yards followed closely by his teammate Michael Elsey with 137 yards.  The top runner is the Pride’s Raif Santerre who has rushed for 192 yards in two games.

Endurance Test

Runners and tri-athlete-type individuals seeking one more challenge before the cold weather sets in should seriously consider the Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation’s newest and latest fund-raising venture- Tackle The Trail.

This unique event is a 19-mile run beginning in Pomfret and ending in Willimantic.  In essence the route is essentially the old Airline Trail.  The event, which is open to individuals or five-member relay teams, begins promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18.  The entry fee is $100 for an individual and $150 for a relay team.  The event is limited to 30 teams and 50 individuals and preregistration is required as there will not be any event-day registration.  This is a rain or shine event. 

To register, participants should go to www.QVCC.EDU/TACKLETHETRAIL/ or contact the QVCC Foundation development and community involvement director Monique Wolanin at 860 932-4174.

Whet Your Whistles

Although the football season is in its infancy, the IAABO Eastern Connecticut Board 8 basketball officials are in search of new recruits according to the Board’s public relations officer Roger LaFrancois.  The Board is seeking candidates who are interested in becoming high school basketball officials for the upcoming season.

Candidates are required to attend rules classes that will prepare them for the written exam that is scheduled for Monday, November 3.  All preseason rules classes will be held at Norwich Free Academy on 305 Broadway in Norwich.  The class dates are Sept. 30, Oct. 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28 and 30 beginning at 6 p.m. and extending to 8:30 p.m.  

Any interested individual is urged to contact Board 8 Interpreter/Training Director Mike Thomas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 860 912-6736.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Energy is contagious…Get plenty of sleep.  But not too much!  Too much sleep can be debilitating.

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