Roundup
Woodstock indoor track season started
Lots of student-athletes. Lots of experimentation. Everyone working to get in shape for the spring.
That is the nature of indoor track.
“It depends on the athlete but a lot of it is geared to working toward the outdoor season,” said Woodstock Academy coach Josh Welch. “For the most part, it’s team building, who you can put in where, develop some new talent where you know there will be holes for the outdoor season. Try to get kids to try something new.”
There is really no regular season for indoor track.
There are a host of meets that are designed to help athletes qualify for the championship events like the ECC Championship which takes place on Feb. 8. That will be followed by the State Class and State Open championships.
Some Woodstock indoor track athletes do have hopes and goals for the winter season, however.
“Juliet Allard really wants to see where she can be at Nationals; that’s partially a prep for outdoor, but it’s different events and a different vibe. She has some specific goals for herself, Christian (Menounos) has some very specific goals for times and records in the winter,” Welch said.
The turnout for the teams has been solid.
Woodstock has some 60 athletes out for the program with those numbers in the high 30s for boys and high 20s for girls.
Welch is hoping that both teams will be able to finish in the top five or 10 in Class M as well as put together a strong showing in the ECC championship.
“That’s what we’re prepping for and we have some opportunities to fine tune some things between now and then,” Welch said.
In the meantime, there will be a lot of education going on.
“We just try to teach kids as many events as possible. Just try to get kids to try a bunch of things. The more multi-event athletes that I have during the winter and heading into the spring – or at least the more times that kids get to experience something and know that for sure that is not something that they want to do again- helps solidify what the team will look like in the spring. It’s a chance to mold the future as opposed to the spring which is a little
shorter and the regular season really counts,” Welch said.
Among the athletes that Welch will be working with is Menounos who wants to focus on 2-mile events in the winter which is a bit of a change. Fellow senior Colton Sallum will be working on his mile times and both are looking to own school records before the indoor season comes to a close.
Aidan Kane has been making progress and may challenge the school’s long jump indoor record. Chandler Folkerts has a chance to qualify for Nationals in the shotput and Eli Manning is also improving in the throws.
On the girls’ side, Avery Plouffe continues to get better in the shotput as does junior Kiley Elliott.
Allard will work in the sprints and hurdles as will Ella Lidonde, both will also be big contributors in relay events.
Kira Greene and Olivia Tracy return to anchor the distance events while Bella Amlaw and Nova Almquist have potential in distances ranging from the 400m to the mile.
Ava Eaton will be one of those who will learn much as the freshman is working on the high jump, pole vault and long jump.
“I will probably make her throw the shotput too,” Welch said.
Fellow freshman Teagan Maloney may also make an impact in sprints.
The Centaurs did get their season underway on Saturday and Maloney was an impact performer as she joined Allard, Emma Weiknecht and Lidonde to win the 4x180 meter relay by over eight seconds, narrowly missing the school record in the process.
The Centaurs competed against the likes of Bacon Academy, Griswold, Plainfield, NFA, Stonington, Windham, Wheeler, Lyman Memorial, and Norwich Tech.
Allard won the 300m race easily as did Weitknecht in the 55m hurdles, both qualifying for state competition in the process.
Plouffe and Morgis finished first and second in the shotput and were joined by Elliott in third in the hammer as the Centaurs took the top three spots in that event.
Bella Amlaw was second in the 600m while Kira Greene and Olivia Tracy were third in the 1000 and 1600-meter races respectively.
On the boys’ side, Bronson Eddy won the 1000m, followed by teammate Jackson Durand in second. Chandler Folkerts placed second in the weight throw with Michael Susi third and Cayden Menor fifth. Sam Green placed third in the 1600m.
Girls’ Basketball
The sweat was still beading on the forehead of girls’ basketball coach Will Fleeton following a rugged battle with Ledyard on Friday.
The Centaurs had just pulled out a 46-44 win at the buzzer over the Colonels to go to 3-0 on the season.
“I was having dreams in the summer time thinking that if we could get to Christmas vacation without losing a game, it’s the best Christmas I could have. I think we made it,” Fleeton said.
Woodstock had a 13-point lead over the Colonels in the middle of the third quarter.
But the Centaurs made just one of their next nine shots and Ledyard pulled within two, 39-37, with 5 minutes, 33 seconds left to play.
Junior guard Kaylee Saucier, who finished with 11 points, extended that lead to five with a 3-pointer for Woodstock but the Colonels rallied again with two buckets to cut it to a one-point difference, 42-41 with 3:37 left.
Elise Coyle kept the Centaurs ahead with a basket with 2:13 left but Maggie Dykes, who finished with 22 points for Ledyard, tied the game with a 3-pointer with 26 seconds to play.
It opened the door for some last-second heroics by Woodstock senior Sophia Sarkis.
The Centaurs got an open look from 3-point range for Vivian Bibeau but her shot hit the front side of the rim and came down in the hands of Sarkis.
She immediately put it back up and as the buzzer sounded, the ball went through the hoop to give the Centaurs the win.
“I was like, when I saw it go in and heard the buzzer, ‘Did we just win?’ and then everyone came running over to me. It was a miracle, a Christmas present, but we all worked for it,” Sarkis said.
Fleeton said what Sarkis did is what seniors do, be in the right place at the right time.
“I’ve seen it so many times and it’s part of being a veteran; they come through in the clutch. Seniors step up when it’s time in whatever the sport is. Usually a senior makes a key contribution in a tough battle whether it’s a championship or regular season game, you count on your veterans,” Fleeton said.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain got the Centaurs started on the right note as she scored nine of her team-high 17 points in the first six minutes of the game to help Woodstock build a 16-6 lead.
But Ledyard (2-1) was scrappy and the Colonels scored 13 of the next 15 points to take a 19-18 lead.
“They are relentless, that’s who they are. I know their coach well, know what he brings, unfortunately, probably too well and that’s how you end up with games like this,” Fleeton said. “It wasn’t a shocker. I knew we would have a battle here but I wasn’t expecting this hard a battle.”
The Centaurs held the 29-23 lead at the half thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Saucier and scored eight of the first nine points in the third quarter before the Ledyard rally.
Woodstock now has a 10-day break to enjoy before playing Waterford at home on Dec. 30.
“This is the first time in a while (to have such a long break) because we usually have the Christmas tournament in Rhode Island but not this year. I think it will be good to have a break since this is only our third weekend so it’s nice to have a rest after the first three games,” Sarkis said.
But there is work to do. The Centaurs had difficulty on the boards against Ledyard and also at the free throw line where they made just 1 of 11.
“We got so much stuff going on, we’re trying to get ready to play so fast in the 13-14 day turnaround that, unfortunately, one of the biggest parts of the game is free throws and me, personally, don’t spend enough time on it. I can tell you what we’re doing (Saturday) though,” Fleeton said.
Two games on the road. Two wins. That’s how the season started for the Centaurs who took down their second consecutive victory away from home earlier in the week with a 60-20 win over Killingly.
Woodstock left little to question early as it sprinted to a 38-9 lead at the half and were never challenged.
Three players finished in double figures for the Centaurs led by Saucier with 17 points, D’Alleva-Bochain added 12 and Bibeau 11.
Sarkis paced Woodstock off the boards with eight while Saucier and Sarkis also harassed Killingly defensively, getting five steals each.
It’s in those other categories that Fleeton thinks the Centaurs like to prosper rather than who puts the ball in the net the most times.
“I think they are just as hungry as I am for them to get deflections, steals and whatever else. In the locker room, the talk is a little more about rebounding, blocks and steals than who is the leading scorer,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs went on the road for a non-league season opener before the Killingly contest, jumped out to a large early lead, and went home with a 46-36 win over Ellington.
Bibeau led the way with 16 points for Woodstock Academy which led, 25-10, at the half.
D’Alleva-Bochain added 10. Allison Camara tossed in seven points and nine rebounds.
Wrestling
It was a short night, but a very satisfying one for the Woodstock wrestling team.
The program returned for a first time since 2017 a year ago and failed to win a dual match.
That monkey is now off the back.
The Centaurs posted a 54-8 win over Bacon Academy.
“It was really nice,” said a relieved head coach Cahan Quinn. “Going last year without a single team victory was a little hard so we had to take the individual wins as our big victories. But, the team win and three really solid pin performances were phenomenal so I’m really happy with our overall improvement. I wish some more of our wrestlers could have competed but that’s the way it is.”
Only five matches were wrestled as the Centaurs benefited from a host of forfeits on the Bobcats’ side.
Jake Henderson, Aidan Soukaloun and Jayden Bowers recorded the pins for Woodstock.
Owen Hamilton and Gunnar Basak also competed.
“They looked really good on the mat, just a couple of things that we need to clean up like the body positioning. We just have to remember that risk control is an important thing and we have to work on getting out, escapes, that sort of thing,” Quinn said.
If anything, it could also be a confidence builder for a team looking to find itself still.
“I think it showed we can hang in with (ECC teams). We’re not going to be pushed around, we will be competing, it’s not like last year. We have some guys who will be helping us out this year and as they develop and remember what we taught last year, things will start rolling,” Quinn added.
Then the team traveled just down the road on Saturday to the Killingly Holiday duals where it took on Stafford, Canton, Montville/Plainfield, Putnam and host Killingly.
The Centaurs didn’t have to wait long to pick up their second win of the season as they downed Putnam, 54-24.
Cameron Robida, Rosano Rodriguez, Will Papineau and A.J. Landreville all recorded pins against the Clippers.
Woodstock also benefitted from four forfeits by Putnam.
The Centaurs battled Montville/Plainfield but fell just short, 42-36.
Woodstock fell behind 18-0 but roared back, getting a forfeit and pins from Ayden Angel, Quan Sangasy, and Robida to take the 24-18 lead.
Two late forfeits, however, cost the Centaurs.
Landreville, Angel and Owen Hamilton had pins in a 60-18 loss to Canton; Hamilton had the only pin in a 71-6 loss to Stafford and Killingly was dominant in a 78-0 win over the Centaurs (2-4).
Boys’ hockey
A wide range of emotions were shared by players, coaches and fans alike of Woodstock boys’ hockey during its season opener against Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks on Wednesday.
“I don’t think I ever had to coach that much in my life,” said a relieved Mark Smolak after his Centaurs were able to rally not once, but twice, and somehow pulled out a 4-3 overtime victory over the Wildcats.
Unfortunately for the Centaurs, a second overtime match would follow on Saturday in Norwich and this time, it was the Eastern Connecticut Eagles who were doing the celebrating. The Eagles scored with 2:42 left in overtime to post a 5-4 victory.
Landon Murdock left as the hero for the day in the win over the Suffield Co-op as his shot from just inside the blue line got past Wildcats’ goalie Noah Boyd 2 ½ minutes into the extra period.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” said the sophomore defensive player. “Keegan (Covello) set up the play. Logan (Rawson) won the drawback, Keegan got it to me and I just shot it. I was just trying to get it off quick because a (Suffield) player was coming up to the point. I just took the shot and it went in. We had bodies in front of the net and I don’t think (Boyd) could see it.”
It was a great end to a day that had plenty of pitfalls. The Centaurs found themselves down, 2-0, after the first two periods.
It was a second period that Smolak would rather forget.
Woodstock went into the period shorthanded because of a penalty, ended the period shorthanded, and suffered four penalties in between.
“The more penalties we take, the more our top line players are out on the ice, the more they are on the ice, the less I can play the other guys. That’s when you start to wear out those guys and make it tougher for us,” Smolak said.
The Wildcats took advantage as Max Demers scored 3:49 into the period and added a second goal with 1:57 remaining.
The Centaurs went into the third a man down. But 11 minutes later, they were a goal up.
Carlos Rodriguez Camacho, who played for Spain’s Youth Olympic team in South Korea last winter, was anticipated to add a spark to the Centaurs this season.
He provided that in the third period.
Just 4:05 into the period, Rodriguez Camacho got the puck on a breakaway and was able to beat Boyd to cut the Centaurs deficit in half.
“Carlos has been waiting for that moment for two years now. He got that opportunity and once he got that first one, he was hunting pucks,” Smolak said.
Rodriguez Camacho found them. He brought the puck back down the ice just a minute later and made a beautiful pass to Jayden Fuller who netted the tying goal.
Then with 4:40 left in regulation, Rodriguez Camacho took a pass from Seamus Coleman and beat Boyd again to put the Centaurs up, 3-2.
“We had so many penalties in the first two periods and that changed in the third period. It was really good to get two goals, I’m so excited,” Rodriguez Camacho said.
Rodriguez Camacho could not play varsity hockey last year for the Centaurs because of CIAC eligibility rules.
Unfortunately for the Centaurs, there was still a hurdle to get over.
A penalty left them shorthanded again late and Jacob Millard was able to get the puck past Brady Hebert during a scrum in front of the net with nine seconds left in regulation.
“It was tough to keep the guys optimistic,” Smolak said. “We gave up that goal late after having a couple of opportunities to clear the zone and get it out, we failed to do that. I reminded them that we had control the entire period, we are dictating the play. They scored, it’s a tie game, all it means is next one wins, make sure we’re the ones who get it.”
They did. Murdock was more than happy about his game winner.
“It’s exciting for both of us (he and Rodriguez Camacho) because it was our first varsity goals. That’s a big accomplishment for both of us who played a lot together on JV last year. We have good chemistry together,” Murdock said.
The Centaurs fought back from a 2-0 deficit against the Eagles on Saturday and took a 4-3 lead when Cam Perrault scored off an assist from Sam Desmond, who has returned to Woodstock, with nine minutes to play.
But as it was in the opener, the Centaurs could not silence their opponents in the final minute as Nick Rembish scored his second goal of the game with 8.8 seconds left in regulation.
Eastern Connecticut then posted the victory with 2:42 left in overtime when Ethan Lovetere scored.
Camacho had a second period goal to start the scoring for Woodstock off assists from Fuller and Desmond. Murdock added his second goal of the season with help from Seamus Coleman and Fuller and Coleman had an unassisted tally.
Woodstock gets most of the holiday week off as its next game will be on the road on Dec. 28 against Masuk at the Shelton Sports Center.
Girls’ Hockey
After a pair of overtime victories in a row, the Woodstock girls’ ice hockey co-op team made it a little easier on itself on Friday night.
The Centaurs (3-1) had to make the trek to the Northford Ice Rink in a bit of snow but it was worth the trip as they prevailed over Daniel Hand, 5-1.
Senior assistant captain Sophia Gouveia gave the Centaurs the lad just before the end of the first period as she scored with 48 seconds left with help from team captain Juliette Hammer and Mia Auger.
It was the beginning of a big night for Gouveia, a senior from Wheeler High School in North Stonington, who would add three more goals in the game, giving her seven on the season.
Woodstock junior Maci Corradi added a second period goal to account for the Centaurs tallies.
Ellary Sampson and Zi Qing Biondo had three assists apiece while Auger added a pair.
Gen Nash, a sophomore from Norwich Free Academy, made 10 saves in her first start of the season.
It took a little extra work again but it paid off nicely.
The Centaurs picked up their second consecutive in overtime as they got past Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe at Sacred Heart University, 3-2, earlier in the week.
Gouveia took a pass from Sampson and converted in the overtime to give the Centaurs the win. Gouveia also partnered with Sampson for the team’s first goal just 53 seconds into the second period. Ireland Wilford scored her second goal of the season for the Centaurs off an assist from Avery Nielsen also in the second period.
Boys’ Basketball
It was a more than a difficult couple of opening assignments for the Woodstock boys’ basketball team.
The Centaurs drew the task of taking on St. Bernard in their home opener on Thursday and then had to travel to Norwich to play Norwich Free Academy on Saturday.
The two ECC Div. I foes proved, as expected, to be formidable especially the Saints.
St. Bernard is coming off a 23-4 season in which it finished runner up in Div. I of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
Unfortunately for the Centaurs, the Saints have not lost a step.
St. Bernard scored 14 of the first 15 points and rolled to a 95-47 win Thursday.
“They are a tough team,” coach Donte Adams said. “We got battle tested (Thursday). We’re still going through learning curves and that’s one of those games where down the stretch we might see them again in the (ECC) tournament and we will be more prepared.”
Curtis Marshall and Amyre Gray caused the most troubles for the Centaurs early as Marshall put down seven points and Gray five as the Saints bolted to a 14-1 lead.
Making matters worse, Woodstock senior center Brady Ericson was saddled with two fouls in the first three minutes.
“It didn’t help but I told him I want him to still be aggressive, there is only one of you, so you have to be smart. But I will take an aggressive Brady any day, and him, getting an offensive foul, I will take that any day. I don’t want him to play timid. It’s my job to adjust in the game around his fouls,” Adams said.
Ericson stayed in the game and to his credit, never picked up his third foul, finishing with a team-high 18 points.
But the Saints had just too many answers.
Gray, equally comfortable of dribbling and shooting with either hand, flummoxed the Centaurs for 27 points.
Garrett Bushey had nine points for the Centaurs while Will Bushey and Drake Abdullovski added six apiece.
“We saw one of the best teams in the ECC, so we’re just going to get back into the gym and get ready for Saturday,” Adams said after the loss to the Saints.
The game started better for the Centaurs on the Wildcats home floor but the host team was able to hold off the Centaurs, 56-45.
Woodstock scored the first seven points in the game and held NFA scoreless until less than one minute was left in the opening quarter. But the Wildcats fought back to within one halfway through the second quarter and went on a 13-2 run to take a 26-16 lead at the half.
Brady Ericson finished with a game-high 15 points while Will Bushey and Matt Hernandez each added nine points.
The Centaurs next play on their home floor Dec. 27 against East Lyme at 5 p.m.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Boys Hockey 1: The Woodstock Academy boys’ hockey team celebrated after its season-opening overtime win over Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks. (Photo by Erica O’Brien/Woodstock Academy)
Landon Murdock – Woodstock Academy sophomore defenseman Landon Murdock (with the puck) scored the game-winner in overtime for the Centaurs in their 4-3 season-opening win over the Suffield Co-Op. (Photo by Erica O/Brien/Woodstock Academy)
2024 Sophia Gouveia- Woodstock Academy senior assistant captain Sophia Gouveia had six goals in wins over the Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe co-op and Daniel Hand last week
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