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captions, page 2:
Left: Junior Owen Rigney tries to corral the ball against East Lyme. Photo by Marc Allard. Above left: Junior teammates Christian Menounos, left, and Colton Sallum finished fifth and ninth, respectively, at the Class MM state championship cross-country meet and qualified for the State Open championship Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy. Above center: Five members of the Woodstock Academy girls’ soccer team were honored. From left: Emma Massey, Taylor Lamothe, Rebecca Nazer, Kendall McCormack, and Kayla Leite. Photo by Jill Grant/Woodstock Academy. Above, right: Volleyball seniors, from left: Carla Sagues Laguna, Reegan Reynolds and Emma Kerr were honored on Senior Day prior to the team’s final regular season match. Photo by Amanda Bottone/Woodstock Academy.
caption, page 3:
The Woodstock Academy field hockey team honored its seniors, from left: Piper Sabrowski, Lilly Verraneault, Sophia Petrella, Corinne LaMontagne, Caroline Harris and Talia Tremblay. Photo by Marc Allard.
Roundup
Centaurs
finish season;
advance to
ECC Semis
Woodstock Academy coach Dennis Snelling sat on the bench late last week, basking in the sunshine. It just added to the odd feeling.
On a day that felt more like early September than late October, the Centaurs were getting ready to play their final regular season match against East Lyme.
“We talk about it every year that this day comes up quick and it doesn’t feel like it right now, but it’s over in eight-to-10 weeks. The day has come when that happens,” Snelling said.
Prior to the match with the Vikings, the Centaurs honored their five seniors; Kayla Leite, Kendall McCormack, Emma Massey, Taylor Lamothe and Rebecca Nazer.
“They have all come a long way,” Snelling said. “Their freshman year was the first year of COVID so they all started with masks on and developed into athletic, high-level players. Like every other class, it’s always bittersweet to see kids leave and rotate out of the program and I hope we have done enough for them.”
Leite was a special case.
She suffered a season-ending injury recently and was not going to be able to play.
East Lyme, however, agreed that the senior could take the opening kickoff and send it back to a teammate who kicked it out of bounds to avoid any contact.
In a passing of the torch moment, younger sister Payton came on to replace her.
The coach was hoping that all the pregame festivities would add some adrenaline to his team’s effort.
It was East Lyme that came out of the box ready to play, however. The Vikings scored twice in the first 10 minutes.
Lilah Hart rifled home a shot from just outside the box just 8 minutes, 2 seconds into the contest.
The Vikings challenged Nazer again just 1:43 later when a bouncing ball inside the goalie box was tipped in by Samantha Rodes.
The Vikings just about salted the game away when Julianne Guarraia fired in another long-distance shot that just went up and over Nazer’s head into the opposite corner of the net with 17:09 left in the half.
“At least, it stayed at three,” Snelling said. “We may have come out a little slow because of the (pregame) events but we played better in the second half. That third goal, Rebecca was like Superman and went up as high as she could to get there but it was just out of her reach.”
The Centaurs did counter halfway through the second half when Macy Rawson took a free kick from midfield and sent it deep on to the foot of Rita Rawcliffe.
The freshman sent a bullet of her own at East Lyme goalie Morgan Dube and it found the back of the net for her third goal of the season.
But it wasn’t enough as the Centaurs finished the regular season with a 7-7-2 overall record and a 1-3-2 mark in Div. I of the ECC.
“Looking at our schedule, I thought if we finished .500 it would be a good goal rather than shooting for the moon, like an undefeated season or something like that. You aren’t going to lose a big senior class and come right back out and go 12-4. I thought the way the games went, the quality of those games, indicated that we worked pretty hard,” Snelling said.
The Centaurs also worked hard on Saturday as they traveled to Lebanon to play in an ECC tournament quarterfinal match.
Woodstock, the fifth seed, prevailed over No. 4 Bacon Academy, 1-0, as freshman Elise Coyle scored the only goal of the contest off a feed from McCormack. Nazer made eight saves in goal for the Centaurs.
Woodstock traveled to Waterford for an ECC tournament semifinal match on Monday. The match ended too late for this edition.
Boys’ cross-country
October days can be unpredictable. There can be snow. There can be lots of rain. There can even be, like Saturday, unusually warm days.
Unfortunately, Wickham Park in Manchester has experienced all of those types of weather for its October events such as the Wickham Park Invitational, the cross-country state class championships and the State Open championship.
Heat was the problem as organizers postponed the final two races of the day, the Class LL boys’ and girls’ championships, due to too many runners being affected by the unseasonable conditions.
The Hartford Courant reported seven athletes had to be transported to the hospital due to heat-related issues.
“It was 77 degrees and most people thought it wasn’t that bad but there were a number of kids who felt dehydrated and found themselves in the med(ical) tent. It was enough for them to cancel the rest of the races for the day shortly after we ran,” said coach Josh Welch.
Even if the heat didn’t result in a heat-related issue, it did help slow down the times on the course.
Woodstock Academy junior Christian Menounos finished fifth in the Class MM state championship race in 16 minutes, 50 seconds, just 14 seconds behind the winner, Jack Mattingly of E.O. Smith.
“(The heat and mud) certainly changed race times. (Mattingly) and the runners behind him had been running about a minute faster all season and so had Christian,” Welch said.
Welch said the course had areas that were “very wet”.
The coach said he saw “quite a few runners fall” in the last quarter-mile through the grass flat before the final hill that defines the finish.
“Kids were turning corners and just falling. It was very slick through some portions,” Welch said.
Given the conditions, Welch thought both Menounos and fellow Woodstock Academy junior Colton Sallum, who was also in the top 10 with a ninth-place finish, should be happy with their performances.
“It’s tough to satisfy Christian, but he had a good run and he should be proud of fifth because he had good competition on a really tough day. Colton dropped a bunch of time over his last experience at Wickham and got up there in the mix. Two in the top 10 is awesome,” Welch said.
Charlie Caggiano placed 22nd to help the team place sixth overall.
Both Menounos and Sallum qualified for the State Open championship which will now take place on Monday, Nov. 6, also at Wickham.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference cross-country committee on Sunday pushed the postponed Class LL races back to Tuesday which forced the State Open to be pushed back as well.
“I’m excited to see what they can do out there,” Welch said. “I know Christian is hoping to be up there in the top 10 for the Open and I think he has a good shot to do that, looking at the numbers now. I think he’s waiting to have his best possible race, it hasn’t come together for him yet, but I know it’s there. Colton continues to show a lot of improvement. He’s making all the right moves and it will be interesting to see what he can do at the Open as well.”
Girls’Cross-Country
The girls still had a question to answer coming into the week.
Centaurs senior Julia Coyle finished 16th in the Class MM state championship on Saturday at Wickham Park in Manchester.
She was on the bubble as far as qualifying for the State Open championship on Friday.
But she had to wait.
The Class LL state championship races were to be run on Monday at Wickham Park. (The races ended too late for this edition).
The races had to be postponed due to too many heat-related issues involving runners on Saturday.
The top 12 runners in each class automatically qualify for the State Open as do the remaining top 30 runners between all of the classes based on finishing times.
Coyle finished in 22 minutes, 2 seconds to keep herself in the conversation for one of the 30 remaining spots.
Sophomore Olivia Tracy placed 36th and junior Kira Greene, coming off an illness that kept her out of the ECC championship, placed 42nd. The team finished eighth in Class MM.
Volleyball
The volleyball regular season came to a close Wednesday with 14 wins.
The Centaurs have begun play in ECC tournament with the Class L state tournament looming thereafter.
“We are so ready,” said senior Reegan Reynolds. “Now, more than ever, we realize it’s here. The season has gone by fast but I definitely think we’re ready with all the preparation we’ve done all season.”
The Centaurs finished the regular season with a 14-6 record after a 3-1 non-league win over Conard.
“It kind of mirrors how we finished last season. It’s just how we got here is a little different,” said coach Adam Bottone.
The overall record had the Centaurs ranked fourth in the state meaning they would have home matches through the Class L quarterfinal.
“I think if we stay in that position, we will probably be in a good spot where we can probably get pretty deep into the tournament like we did last year. Hopefully, get to the semifinals and break through to the finals. I’m happy, there are always games I think we should have won that we lost but we’ve learned from them. There is a lesson learned in every loss that we have,” Adam Bottone said.
The Centaurs are the third seed in the ECC tournament and hosted sixth-seeded Bacon Academy Monday. The match ended too late for this edition.
The ECC Div. I semifinals will also be played at the Fieldhouse Wednesday.
Woodstock went into the postseason with a little confidence.
The Centaurs had a little slide late in the season but have re-awakened with consecutive wins over SMSA, Griswold and Conard.
“I think we just got back into the zone, connected more as a team, we’ve done a lot of team building and that has helped elevate our play,” said senior Emma Kerr.
Woodstock jumped out against Conard (8-10) with 25-16 and 25-17 victories in the first two sets against the Red Wolves.
But Conard rebounded for a 25-13 win in the third set.
“The one issue we have still is we will get out to a lead and then sit back on our heels and let teams get back in. If we do that against Waterford or East Lyme in the ECC tournament, it will not bode well for us. Same thing in the state tournament. We have to find a way to stay mentally tough and not let other teams creep back in,” Adam Bottone said.
The Centaurs did finish things off with a 25-18 victory in the fourth set. Sophie Gronski finished with 42 assists, the majority of those went to Liliana Bottone who had 15 kills and Izzy Mojica who finished with 14. Cassidy Ladd was solid in the back with 25 digs.
Prior to the match, Reynolds, Kerr and Carla Sagues Laguna, the three seniors, were honored for their time with the program.
“It felt so nice to win on Senior Day. Coming into the game, all the girls were really committed to us winning on Senior Day because it’s really a morale boost going into States,” Reynolds said.
Kerr added, “I’m going to miss this a lot. I’ve been here for four years. I feel like these girls are my family.”
For Adam Bottone, it was a small group of seniors.
“Reegan has been a part of the team these past two years, she has played outside, middle and opposite (hitter). She is willing to play anywhere, she even played some back row last year so she is pretty versatile. You can’t ask for more than that,” Adam Bottone said. “Emma had a lot more playing time this year. She has really stepped up and improved her game from last year. I can’t be happier with her as a defensive and really a serving specialist, too.”
The Centaurs opened the week with a 3-0 shutout of Griswold Monday.
Woodstock captured the first set, 25-22, and followed that up with victories of 25-18 and 25-16. Liliana Bottone finished with 12 kills and 15 digs and tossed in four aces from behind the service line. Vivian Bibeau had 11 kills from the opposite side.
The Centaurs also passed very well against the Wolverines helping Gronski accumulate 32 assists.
The match was the program’s annual “Dig Pink”: event and it raised $650 for local families in need.
Boys’ Soccer
The final match of the season against East Lyme was a microcosm of it the entire season for the boys’ soccer team.
The Vikings posted a 6-1 victory last week. East Lyme was simply just bigger, stronger and faster.
“Every team that we have played has been that way. It makes all the difference. We have some really good, young players but we just have to start feeding them up,” coach Paul Rearden said.
The loss ended the season for the Centaurs. With a 2-13-1 record, there will be no postseason play.
“Before this season, I told them it would be all about getting ready for next season,” Rearden said.
The Centaurs had only two seniors, Addison Tyimok and Hunter Haynes.
“We knew it was going to be a building season. We’re a young team. I know a lot of teams had a lot of seniors (East Lyme had 15 on its roster for example) so they will need a lot of new players next year,” said junior Eli Susi.
The keeper, who finished with 18 saves against the Vikings, hoped the season may have had a bright side to it for him, personally.
“I had a lot of saves, hopefully, the colleges will notice that,” Susi said. “We play good as a team. We had more goals than last year. I felt like last year’s team may have had better skills but this team had better chemistry. We’re only going to build on that.”
Woodstock did jump out on top of the Vikings - which finished 14-1-1 overall and undefeated in Div. I of the ECC at 6-0 – when Garrett Bushey scored his second goal of the season on a header off an assist from Logan Rawson less than seven minutes in.
“They have killed nearly everybody but we came out and gave everything. With the record, it would have been so easy for these guys to just give up and give it a token effort through the season. Every game we have come out and given it 100 percent. That’s all you can ask,” Rearden said.
Despite the best efforts of Susi, defensive breakdowns did cost the Centaurs as the game went on.
East Lyme finished it up with four goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
“I think we should work on defense especially marking or when (the opponent) gets breakaway. We need to have someone coming back or if I go out on a 1 v. 1, we need someone to go behind in case they chip it over me. That’s a big issue that we can fix. We have a lot of good fundamentals. We’re a very good passing team. We just need to take that extra step, get by and take shots,” Susi said.
The offense produced 22 goals this season, led by Austin Byer with five goals. Both Matt Johndrow and Will St. John added four apiece.
“You look at the commitment that they have put in and the fact that we are so young - for a lot of them, it was their first varsity season. If you look at the first half (Wednesday) and some other performances, next season, they will bring it on,” Rearden said.
One area he won’t have to be concerned with is goalie.
Both Susi and Nate Couture return and Couture, in relief of Susi in the season finale, stopped a penalty kick that was awarded to the Vikings late in the match.
“That’s three PK’s we have saved by our keepers this season. I think Eli has been the best goalkeeper in the division this season. He has been phenomenal. Nate has come in and done some brilliant things, not just the PK, but he made some really good saves (vs. East Lyme). We have two keepers for next season. When you have a good goalkeeper, it gives you something to build on,” Rearden said.
Field Hockey
First-year head coach Sam Mowry was just trying to get through her first Senior Day.
Six members of the Centaurs were honored prior to the final home match of the season against East Lyme last week.
Piper Sabrowski, Lilly Verraneault, Sophia Petrella, Corinne LaMontagne, Caroline Harris and Talia Tremblay all played their final games for the Centaurs this past week.
“They were very instrumental in the fundamentals that we had. They had a baseline knowledge because of Coach (Lauren) Gagnon and just having that really helped,” Mowry said.
Senior Day will be bigger next year. Much bigger. Fifteen members of the Centaurs are juniors.
“I am dreading that,” Mowry said. “They are already asking about Senior Day and I told them ‘Let’s just get through (the season) first. I don’t even want to think about you guys graduating’”
A curse for sure. But also a blessing. Fifteen juniors this year means 15 seniors in 2024. “I see a lot of potential for next year,” Mowry said.
The Centaurs finished up the season this past week with games against the Vikings at home and Fitch on the road.
East Lyme scored a 6-0 win over the Centaurs despite 12 saves in the cage from Madison LaVallee.
Woodstock traveled to Groton for its season finale and fell to the Falcons, 3-0.
Kaelyn Tremblay made five defensive saves and LaVallee added two saves in the cage in that contest.
It was the final game in a Centaur uniform for LaMontagne.
But it may not have been the final field hockey game for the senior.
“I’m thinking about (Rochester Institute of Technology) and that’s a Div. III school so I’m definitely going to talk to their coach about continuing to play,” LaMontagne said.
LaMontagne played field hockey for three years for the Centaurs.
“We definitely have a lot of potential for the coming years because now there is a coach who will be sticking around and Sam is going to help grow the program,” the senior added.
The Centaurs finished 2-12-2 overall and 1-10-1 in the ECC.
But one of those losses was a 4-3 overtime decision to Waterford which is considered a tie for the team that is on the losing end.
“That was the best game that we played all year long,” Mowry said. “Even though it ended in an overtime loss, losing by one goal to Waterford was insane.”
Mowry was especially happy to see the three goals.
Woodstock scored 14 goals in total this season.
“We have to improve on the offensive end. We have our defense figured out for next year which is exciting but we have some gaps to fill,” Mowry said.
The Centaurs will have their top scorer, Grace Pokorny (four goals, four assists) back as well as Clara Dowdle (two goals, three assists).
But they will lose LaMontagne.
“Losing Corinne is huge because she sees the field differently than anyone else. She can read it at a much higher level is rare,” Mowry said.
But there is some younger talent in the back as well.
The Centaurs did play solid defense against East Lyme especially in the first half when they allowed only two goals.
“The first half was definitely solid,” Mowry said. “Maggie (Marshall) used to be a wing but we moved her to defense after seeing her block tackle on the offensive end. We gave it a shot and she has been killing it ever since we made the move.”
Both goalies, Madison LaVallee and Elizabeth Roberts also will be returning.
It all leads to a lot of optimism for 2024 even if Senior Day could be interesting.
“We want to build off the two wins this year. I see us being a potential threat in the ECC next year,” Mowry said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy