By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC column is dedicated to Pomfret resident Joann Fagan.  As a mother of two girls and an industry administrator, she occasionally finds time to play golf with her husband.  Recently she’s taken up bicycling and is putting in many miles pedaling around the scenic Pomfret countryside.  “You go, girl,” as they say.

The Quinebaug Valley Junior Conference baseball season recently concluded with two local teams, Pomfret Community School and Putnam Middle School vying for the championship.  In the title game Pomfret prevailed 12-6 over the upstart Putnam team.

Ben Holden, the Pomfret pitcher, went the distance for the win, striking out 12 Putnam batters along the way.  Holden was immense in leading his mates to the QVJC Small Division championship.

Luis Miranda was the hitting star for Pomfret with a perfect day at the plate.  He was 4-for-4 including falling a home run short of hitting for the cycle.  He tallied four of the Pomfret runs.  Sean McCusker also was hot with the bat with two hits and two runs.

Putnam, which is coached by Derek Coderre, reached the title game by upsetting Parish Hill in the semifinals.  Earlier in the season Parish Hill had defeated Putnam during the regular season.  Although Putnam had a below .500 record on the year they played well down the stretch.  Sebastian Ramos was the hitting star for Putnam with a double and two runs scored.

Productive Sports Year for Woodstock Middle School

Thanks to Woodstock Middle School Athletic Director Chris Mayhew for sending along a summary of the school’s entire sports program for the past year.  The WMS teams enjoyed a successful season, piling up some championships and posting competitive records in every sport.  The Woodstock Middle School sports programs operate under the “Pay To Play” system, which is unique to our area.

The WMS girls’ cross country team opened the fall season by capturing the challenging QVJC title.  Not to be outdone, the female soccer program was crowned the regular season and postseason tournament champions.

During the winter months the girls’ basketball team was able to run the table, going undefeated during the regular season.  The WMS ladies then beat a tough Thompson team in the QVJC Tournament to capture the title for the second year in a row.  

In the spring the girls’ track program finished 4th in the QVJC, while their softball counterparts came in third in the league.  Their crowning moment was a regular season win over eventual conference champion Plainfield.

Although the boys’ programs didn’t win as many titles as the girls’ teams did, the boys’ baseball team, in the final game of the season, walked off with a 3-0 shutout victory over a tough Plainfield team to capture the QVJC Large Division regular and postseason titles.

The highlight of the fall sports season was the boys’ soccer program.  The Woodstock booters like their baseball counterparts, emerged victorious in the regular season as well as the tournament competition.  The boys’ cross country team was 7th in the QVJC.

During the winter months the boys’ basketball team finished 2nd to a very strong Plainfield team.  The boys’ track program, though competitive, finished 8th in the QVJC.

Mayhew noted that these athletes are also very good scholars in the classroom.  He also thanked the Woodstock fans for their loyal support throughout the entire 2014-2015 sports year.

Putnam Man Enjoys NHL Stanley Cup Action

Putnam resident Dick Raymond has been avid sports fan his entire life.  In retirement, he seems to be enjoying it even more as he now has the opportunity to attend his favorite sports live and in person.

On Saturday, June 6 Raymond flew south to Tampa where he took in the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.  Raymond was the guest of his son, Jeff Raymond, who works and lives in the Tampa area.  It was a great experience, not only because the Lightning emerged victorious but in addition to his son Jeff, he was accompanied by his grandson Trevor.

Jeff Raymond is a former standout athlete at Putnam High School where he was known for his leaping ability as a member of the Putnam Clipper basketball teams.

Dick Raymond is now glued to his television set watching the Stanley Cup Finals, which was tied at two games apiece at press time.

Putnam Athletes Named

The Constitution State Conference recently named its baseball all star selections.  As reported last week in RPC three Putnam Clipper baseball players, Jacob Guertin, Nicholas Foucault and Aiden Ciquera were named to the First Team.  This week the conference released the news that Steven Dakai, an infielder and pitcher, and Josh Allard, an outfielder and pitcher were named to the All-League second team.

Killingly Golfers in Top Five

The Killingly High School golf team, which was undefeated in the regular season and captured the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship, ran into some tough luck in the CIAC Division III competition.  The Redmen, who had aspired to capturing the Division III title, only managed to finish 5th overall in the tough division.

Killingly posted a team score of 324, a full 27 strokes off the winning score of 297 posted by champion East Catholic.  Junior Drew Aitken was the lone bright spot for Killingly, registering a 3-over par 75.  His score tied him for 10th place overall in the individual competition.  His score and 10th place standing qualified him for All-State honors.  This is his third consecutive All-State selection.

Connor Fillmore, who’s been steady for Killingly all season, posted a score of 80.  John Aitken, Drew’s twin brother, carded an 84 for coach Kevin Marcoux and the Redmen.

New Golf Shoes Do the Trick

A Pomfret man, wearing a pair of golf shoes for the first time, which he received as a birthday present, recorded a hole-in-one at Vineyard Valley Golf Course on Sunday, June 7.  Bruce Wolanin, whose birthday was June 5, aced the par-3, 2nd-hole.  The hole measures 151 yards on the card and was estimated at 145 by Wolanin.

Wolanin’s shot was witnessed by his 11-year old son and one of his friends.  He recorded his ace using his 8-iron and of course wearing his new shoes that were a gift from his wife, Quinebaug Valley Community College Development Officer, Monique Wolanin.  

“Monique is already taking credit for the shot!” noted Wolanin.

This was Wolanin’s second career hole-in-one.  His first ace came when he was 12 years old and playing with his dad.  It’s interesting he was playing with his dad on Ace #1 and playing with his son on Ace #2.  Cherish the memories, Bruce.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Happy Father’s Day to all the men who are good sports and great dads.

(If you have news worthy sports information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

..