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DJ Dormu wins
Mustang Mile
The undefeated season, the third national championship…it’s all in the rearview mirror now.
After a month-plus of workouts and open gyms, the boys’ prep basketball team will hold its first official practice Tuesday. But Monday morning marked the unofficial start of the new season, as the team ran the 10th installment of the annual Mustang Mile.
DJ Dormu was the winner, crossing the finish line in five minutes, 27 seconds. Wadeng “Pop” Wel finished second at 5:43, just a tick ahead of Tarique Foster at 5:44. Will Lovings-Watts (6:00) and Darryl Simmons (6:02) rounded out the Top 5.
Anyone 6-foot-9 or taller must finish in seven minutes or less. Everyone else must be in by 6:15. Those who does not finish in time must run it again until they do. This year however is the first time everyone crossed the line in time on their first run.
In the afternoon, the team played a spirited game of softball in lieu of being on the court.
“It’s a great way to kick off the season,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “They’re two great traditions that we have been doing for many years.”
Sotirios Nafpliotis holds the Mustang Mile record of 5:14, set last year.

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caption, page 9:

Battle
Senior Joel Koleszar (front) and classmate Charlie Caggiano battle Fitch and Windham and each other in the Senior Day race for the Centaurs. Photo by Marc Allard.

caption, page 11:

Far left: Senior Julia Coyle reaches for the first-place card. Junior Christian Menounos kicks to the finish line as he placed first overall in 16 minutes, 41 seconds against Fitch and Windham. Photos by Marc Allard.



There was a moment when Woodstock Academy boys’ cross-country coach Josh Welch thought his hopes for a win over Fitch were going to be dashed.
The Centaurs’ fifth runner, Sam Greene, fell ill and had to drop from the race Tuesday.
“I didn’t anticipate winning without him so it’s solid that we did. I’m happy to see it,” Welch said after his Centaurs overcame that adversity and downed both Fitch, 26-30, and Windham 16-43.
It was special for the team because it came in its only home meet of the season and, for that reason, it was also Senior Day for the Centaurs.
“The team did great and it was the last time the seniors will be running here. They had a great race and it’s a nice tradition where we’re doing senior posters. It’s an exciting day here for our only home meet,” said junior Christian Menounos.
Menounos finished first in 16 minutes, 41 seconds but he also accomplished another task.
“I wanted to pace Colton (Sallum) for two miles at his pace and in the last mile, separate myself a little bit and go for the win. It was more of a workout day for us,” the junior said.
Sallum didn’t fall too far off the pace as he finished second in 17:27.
The Falcons (4-3, 0-2 ECC Div. I) did sneak a pair of runners, Ryan Denning and Julien Silva, in at third and fourth overall before Woodstock senior Joel Koleszar came home in fifth.
“This was a pretty good race for me. I just wanted to go out there and beat my teammate, Charlie Caggiano, and I pulled it out but it was a close, fun race,” Koleszar said. “This is a trickier course than normal but I was happy that the girls ran first and the sun went down so we got to run in the shade.”
The temperature was a balmy 78 degrees at the start of the girls’ race and may have cooled a bit by the time the boys got on the course.
Caggiano was right behind Koleszar, finishing just 21 seconds off his teammate’s pace, to place seventh overall.
“They’re both great kids,” Welch said of Koleszar and Caggiano. “Charlie has turned into a solid leader. Having worked with him for a couple of years, it wasn’t immediately obvious that he had leadership potential but he has found a great voice and Joel as well. He’s not so much a vocal leader but more of a by example guy.”
It’s something that Koleszar is going to miss.
“I love the team and the sport,” the senior said. “Even though I’m not the fastest, the two juniors are faster, I like the community and going out there and giving it my best.”
The key to the race turned out to be freshman Bronson Eddy who stepped up to finish 12th overall and helped the Centaurs (5-1, 1-1) clinch the two victories.
“It was a little warm, not ideal conditions, but it was nice for a Tuesday dual meet. I like the course, it’s challenging, there is a lot of tall grass and your feet sink making it tough to run in. There is a decent amount of hills. It’s not true cross-country like trail-wise but it’s a good course for our area,” Menounos said.
It just takes a little time to set up.
Since it was the only race of the season at Pomfret, Welch was out on Sunday for about five hours setting things up. He went back out on Monday morning to shore up any loose ends.
“It’s a solid course with a variety of terrain. I miss some of the hills of being at the (Woodstock) Fairgrounds but this is a good spot and it came together pretty well,” Welch said.
Menounos Finishes 2nd
The boys’ cross-country team was supposed to compete in the Wickham Park Invitational in Manchester Saturday but it was cancelled for rain predictions. So coach Josh Welch encouraged junior Christian Menounos to travel to Devens, Mass. to compete in the Bay State Invitational.
Menounos was happy he did as he finished second in the Varsity A race.
Menounos crossed the line in 15 minutes, 58 seconds, second to Devin Moreau of Greater Lowell Tech who finished in 15:32.
Menounos’ time, however, was the fifth fastest time recorded in the three races which totaled some 350 runners.
Girls’ Cross-country
Cross-country runner Julia Coyle finally got to run on the Centaurs’ home course at the Pomfret Recreation Complex.
It was the first and only home meet of the season, making it the final home meet in the career of the senior.
Which made a first-place finish for Coyle all the more important.
“This meet was a tough one but it was definitely rewarding. We did a great job. I’m so proud of our team. It was awesome,” Coyle said.
The Centaurs easily held off Fitch, 20-37, and Windham, 15-50.
In fact, there was little to count at the finish line as Coyle placed first in 23 minutes, 26 seconds.
She was followed across the line by sophomore Olivia Tracy (24:46) and junior Kira Greene (25:18).
The 1-2-3 finish is an automatic win in cross-country.
“That (a win) is definitely the priority and we got it right away,” Coyle said with a smile.
She wasn’t the only one smiling.
“I’m so happy for Julia to come with a ‘W’ on Senior Day. She took it from the very beginning and never looked back. She had a mission to win and she accomplished it. It’s something she can look back on and say, ‘I won my Senior Day race’” said coach Joe Banas.
The top three runners for Woodstock stayed together for a bit but Coyle separated herself about halfway through the race.
“In every race, we start off in a pack and it’s good to get that energy out there and find your place in the race. Once you get about a mile and a half in, you find your pace and place and know what you’re headed for,” Coyle said.
The senior battled through what was a warm day for October.
“It’s a little warm, a little more humid than what we have raced in recently. That was a change and everybody is definitely feeling it but we still did great,” Coyle said.
Both Tracy and Greene made it across the finish line but both were clearly affected by the conditions.
“They might have been better off if they had not gone out with (Coyle) in the early stages and then having Avery (Schaefer) coming in was great too because she is the future,” Banas said.
Schaefer, only a freshman, finished fourth overall, Julia Tellier was ninth for the Centaurs who improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Division I of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
The Centaurs were supposed to run in the Wickham Park Invitational Saturday but that meet was cancelled due to rain.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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To put it simply, Kagiso Mathabatha has been as advertised.
The postgrad center back on Putnam Science Academy’s Prep soccer team first impressed coach Ryan Dunnigan at a summer showcase in Atlanta with his solid technique, strong athleticism, and the intangibles that coaches like to see.
A month-plus into PSA’s season, KG as he known, is showing all the same qualities and has been the team’s most consistent player through the team’s 1-3 start. That includes Saturday’s difficult-to-swallow 1-0 loss at South Kent, a game in which PSA got the better of game play but didn’t finish the multiple scoring chances it had.
“He’s just been solid,” Dunnigan said recently. “He just doesn’t really make mistakes. His positioning is what it should be. His aggressiveness toward the ball is what it should be. He doesn’t get beat one-on-one.
“He just has such a mature approach to everything.”
That maturity was one of the intangibles Dunnigan noticed in Atlanta. When the games were over and the players had free time, most did the things that teenagers do – sleep, video games, scroll endlessly on their phones. But the Pretoria, South Africa native who was at Layton Christian Academy in Utah last school year, put all that aside to take online courses.
To be fair, KG said, he needed to get a couple more credits to finish off his high school diploma, so online courses over video games wasn’t a particularly difficult choice. Still, the decision reflected his character.
“That just comes from my parents,” he said. “The way I am now reflects on the way I was brought up. My parents have taught me to work hard on an off the pitch, that school was important to do well in. I’ve always taken that with me when I came to the States.
“Taking those courses, even though I was there for (soccer), I had to focus on my assignments so I could actually graduate.”
Dunnigan said KG is a Division I player, but the financial side of college soccer (where scholarships aren’t as readily available like they are in basketball and football) means he will likely end up in either Division II or III and really thrive as many former PSA players have.
For now though, the soft-spoken KG is trying to help his team get its season turned around.
PSA conceded a goal with 14 minutes to play off a set piece from just outside the box. PSA was without one of its top defenders on the play because the referee ordered him and a South Kent player to “take a break” after the two were jostling for position. This after PSA was unable to capitalize on three or four good scoring chances throughout the game.
“Losses like (Saturday) stay with me for a while,” he said. “I didn’t do much, talk much (Saturday night). That was a tough one. I’ve never seen anything like that before, to be honest. But we have to just keep learning from mistakes, keep it switched on at all times.”
Elite team wins one, drops one
PSA’s Elite team split a pair of games last week, taking down St. Thomas More 2-0 Wednesday two days after dropping a 2-0 decision at Woodstock’s second team Monday.
Shemeza Rubeya scored both PSA goals, the first coming about 15 seconds into the game and the next about 15 minutes later.
“I think that really helped us to be more confident,” Rubeya said of his quick strike. “We felt like the other team was a little bit scared because they conceded a goal so early. That was crazy.”
Angel Miguel played well in goal and Carlos Paniagua had a strong all-around game in the midfield for PSA.
It was an all-around better effort by PSA, which was outworked for much of the Woodstock game.
“They were much more physical than we were,” PSA coach Kurt Lunzmann said after that one. “We didn’t match that, and in some cases, we didn’t try to match that. We didn’t challenge balls in the first half and the ones we did, we didn’t win. So we need to be better with that.
“The second half was better. These are learning experiences for us.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Fri.  Oct. 13
‘The Addams Family’
PUTNAM --- The Bradley Playhouse will present “The Addams Family” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 14 and 21 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 15 and 22. $27 for adults and $24 for seniors, students, veterans and first responders. www.thebradleyplayhouse.org  or 860-928-7887.

Sat.  Oct. 14
Black Bear Program
POMFRET ---The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Pomfret on Day Road will present “Black Bears in the Quiet Corner” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. $5 for members; $10 for nonmembers. No charge for children 12 and younger. 860-928-4948.

Candy Wanted
Donate candy to the Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp’s trick or treat trail fund-raiser from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at WINY Radio. The teens will be hosting the trick or treat trail at the Fall Extravaganza. Proceeds from the trail will go to the dam repair fund.

Sun.  Oct. 15
‘The Addams Family’
PUTNAM --- The Bradley Playhouse will present “The Addams Family” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and at 2 p.m. Oct.  15 and 22. $27 for adults and $24 for seniors, students, veterans and first responders. www.thebradleyplayhouse.org  or 860-928-7887.

Thur.  Oct. 19
Scouts Open House
N. GROSVENORDALE --- Scout Troops 25 and 66 will hold an open house from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Scout Hall, 108 Mountain Hill Road. Scouts BSA is a year-round program for boys and girls in fifth grade through high school (ages 11-17). Info: Corina Torrey, Scoutmaster, 860-245-1322; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sat.  Oct. 21
Rabies Clinic
DANIELSON --- Pet Pals Northeast is holding a low cost rabies clinic from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital on Rt. 12, the Danielson/Plainfield town line. $15 cash per animal. Preregistration and appointment required. No walk-ins. This is the last clinic of the year. 860-317-1720.

Fall Extravaganza
POMFRET --- The Fall Extravaganza will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 at the Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp on Taft Pond Road. The Trick or Treat Trail is $5 per trick-or-treater, ages 2 and up.  S’mores and hot chocolate, photo booth, donut eating contest, games, food items available for purchase. Wear your costumes.  Proceeds go to the Dam Restoration Fund.

Author Series
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Library Author Series will host author Leila Philip from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the library. She is the author of the recent, nationally acclaimed “Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America.” Much of Philip’s field research on the beaver was done in Connecticut's Quiet Corner. Her presentation will be followed by an open Q&A and book signing.

Sun.  Oct. 22
Concert
POMFRET --- Connecticut State Troubadour Kala Farnam, plus Sally Rogers and Phil Rosenthal, Kate Callahan and Hugh Blumenfeld will present a concert at 4 p.m. at Tyrone Farm Barn. The Walktober event is sponsored by the Pomfret Historical Society and Tyrone Farm. Advance ticket purchase is recommended due to limited seating. $25. K—12 have complimentary admission passes. Tickets: pomfret-historical-society.org or at the Vanilla Bean, Grill 37, Watercure Distillery, or Metro Bistro in Southbridge.

Wed.  Oct. 25
Robotics Meeting
PUTNAM --- The Scavenger Robotics team is looking for new members and an informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Putnam High in Room 9-05. The team, hosted by Putnam High School, is a high school age robotics team that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The team is looking for any high school age students who are interested in computer graphics and design, metal working, or STEM. No previous experience is necessary! In addition to learning how to solve problems and work with tools, participants in FIRST robotics become eligible to apply to college scholarships. Any students from Putnam, Thompson, Woodstock or Killingly are welcome. Questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sat.  Oct. 28
Trick or Treat
PUTNAM --- The Halloween Trick or Treat will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Runs from Jade Garden Restaurant and Riverfront Commons shopping plaza to Union Square. Must be accompanied by an adult.  Sponsored by: Putnam merchants, Town of Putnam, WINY Radio, Putnam Parks and Recreation and the Putnam Police Dept.

Creepy Cabaret
PUTNAM --- The Bradley Playhouse will present “The Creepy Cabaret” with The Catnip Junkies swing band at 7:30 p.m. Vaudeville meets The Big Easy – for the whole family. $20. Thebradleyplayhouse.org.

Fri.  Nov. 3
‘Mind Candy’
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club and the Bradley Playhouse will present “Mind Candy: A Night of Mind Reading & Magic” at 7:30 p.m. Wayne Hoffman, mentalist and illusionist. Information and  tickets: www.TheBradleyPlayhouse.org/MindCandy.

Sat.  Nov. 4
Boot Drive
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Democratic Town Committee will hold its fourth annual Winter Boot Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Woodstock Trading Post. Bring new, unwrapped winter boots in children’s sizes in original packaging. Benefits TEEG. Bring cash donations or mail a check, payable to TEEG to: WDTC, attn — Children’s Winter Boot Drive, P.O. Box 813, Woodstock, CT  06281.  

Meet the Author
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Public Library will present “Meet the Author: Nathaniel Philbrick” at 1 p.m. in Community Room 112/113 at the Municipal Complex.

Sat.  Nov. 11
Dueling Pianos
THOMPSON --- The DKH Dueling Pianos fund-raiser will be held at 6 p.m. at the Raceway Restaurant and Banquet Hall. Benefits Day Kimball Healthcare At Home services of HomeCare, HomeMakers, and Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Connecticut. Food, drawings and more. Tickets $45, must be purchased in advance. daykimball.org/pianos.

Yuletide Festival
PUTNAM --- The Daughters of Isabella will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Mary Church Hall. Vendors sought. 413-612-8358.

Thur.  Nov. 16
‘The American Soldier’
WOODSTOCK --- The Putnam Area Foundation and the Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut will present “The American Soldier” at 7 p.m. at the Loos Center for the Arts.  Two free tickets for veterans and active service members. For info, tickets: TheLoos.org.

Thanksgiving Dinner Signup
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Lodge of Elks’ free Thanksgiving Dinner will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 23. It’s for families and members of the community who are less fortunate, plus community elders, veterans or anyone who would otherwise spend Thanksgiving Day alone. Delivery can be arranged. For info and to arrange delivery, call between 3 and 8 p.m. seven days: 860-928-3901. Must RSVP by Nov. 16.

Thur.  Nov. 23
Thanksgiving
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Lodge of Elks will hold its annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner from noon to 2 p.m.

Sun.  Nov. 26
Dazzle Parade
PUTNAM --- The 22nd annual Holiday Dazzle Light Parade will step off from Grove Street at 5 p.m. and go through downtown Putnam. Rain date: Dec. 3. Presented by WINY radio, the Town of Putnam and Green Valley Crossing.

Wed.  Nov. 29
Support Presentation
KILLINGLY --- “Lunch and Learn at The Library  Meeting You Where You Are will present “Supporting People with Serious & Terminal Illness” from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Killingly Library. RSVP by Nov. 27 to: Laura Kroll, RN, BSN. 860-576-4930.

Sun.  Dec. 3
Tree of Life
The DKH 34th Annual Hospice Tree of Life Ceremonies will be held at 5 p.m. in 11 towns throughout northeastern Connecticut. The purchase of memorial lights on each community's Tree of Life benefits Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Connecticut. For info: daykimball.org/treeoflife.

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