Roundup
1st seven in the win column for
Centaurs
volleyball team
It was a good way to end what was a very busy spring break week for the Woodstock Academy boys’ volleyball team.
The Centaurs improved to 7-0 on the season with a 3-0 victory over Wolcott Tech on Friday.
“Serving was good, receive was good and we did a pretty good job of terminating. Going into the last set our hitting percentage was .404 which is definitely a good number. We didn’t make as many hitting errors as we have in the past so I was happy all the way around,” coach Adam Bottone said.
The match was the fourth of the week for the Centaurs.
It began with a home match against the SMSA/Bulkeley co-op on Monday where the Centaurs took care of business at home, 3-0. They traveled to Bloomfield and downed the Aerospace Academy/International Academy co-op 3-0 Wednesday and then battled a tough Newington team on the road on Thursday, bringing home a 3-2 win.
“We’re pretty tired,” said junior Evan Chernik. “We’ve only had one day of rest on Tuesday and all of those 3-0 wins were pretty good. (Thursday) was a crazy five set match in a blazing hot gym with no air conditioning. We were pretty exhausted after that long match.”
The Centaurs had to battle the Nor’Easters,
They won the first set 25-23 but lost the next two by identical 25-22 scores which put their backs against the wall for a first time this season as their previous five victories were all by the same 3-0 score.
The Centaurs responded as they took the fourth set, 28-26, to force the fifth where they prevailed 15-8.
“The competition in the league we’re in is not super-high so when you get into matches against traditional public schools, the level of play tends to be a little higher. Newington did not have a great record coming into (Thursday), but were able to bring it to us, My concern has been since our schedule is not super-tough and we’re winning games pretty easily, that will transfer to the kids on the court not putting in a super-hard effort,” Adam Bottone said.
The problem for the Centaurs against Newington came on the defensive side where they were not getting low and getting after the ball.
It took a play by Libero Christian Hart to get the team kick-started.
The Centaurs put the ball over the net, but it was blocked by Newington and appeared to be a sure point for the Nor’Easters. That’s when Hart dove full out with one hand extended and the ball went over the net and just dropped because (Newington) didn’t expect it.
That’s the effort Adam Bottone is looking for on a more consistent basis.
“It finally took our backs being to the wall in the fourth set that we began to get after it. We’re trying to figure out how to get to that level of competitiveness no matter whom we are playing,” Adam Bottone added.
The Centaurs were pretty consistent against Wolcott Tech. The three-set victory were all by the same 25-15 score.
Chernik got some of the momentum built from behind the service line in the first set.
Up just 11-8, Chernik delivered six consecutive service points, four via ace, to put the Centaurs in firm control.
“After my first few, I was building up a lot of confidence and that definitely helped,” Chernik, who finished with nine service points and six aces, said.
Fellow junior Owen Budd dominated the middle against the Wildcats who beat the Centaurs a year ago in the Connecticut Volleyball League title match.
“There was definitely some motivation. They lost some players, we gained some players and that definitely helped. Overall, it was a really good win. They are a good team,” Budd said.
The middle hitter finished with team-highs of 13 kills and four blocks.
“That was nice to see,” Bottone said of Budd’s dominance in the middle. “He struggled a little bit (against Newington), got down at times, he wanted to just tip every ball he was hitting. I told him ‘You’re a good player. Don’t be afraid to hit.’ Put one tip in there, make adjustments and get after it if you can so I was glad to see he was back to his old self (Friday),” Adam Bottone said.
Budd also delivered the exclamation point in the win as he finished the match with a winning hard spike on match point.
Brayden Bottone added 11 kills against Wolcott Tech and finished with 48 kills in the four victories.
Jake Henderson contributed 31 assists, Salem Elmhihi added three blocks and Hart had nine digs.
“It’s great,” Budd said of the 7-0 record. “It’s great for the team; It helps us build the confidence we need for other matches and has just made for a stronger team.”
Girls’ Track
A track meet during spring break is always a questionable undertaking.
Just how many athletes will be available to compete is the big question for the coaching staff.
It wasn’t a problem for the girls track team on Wednesday at the Bacon Academy Invitational.
“It was pretty good. We did pretty well,” said girls’ track coach Josh Welch.” A lot of teams were missing people here-and-there. We definitely were missing some key people so I’m glad it wasn’t a consequential dual meet but we have been doing a really good job with attendance. The kids have been committed for the most part.”
The Centaurs placed first with 226 points, well ahead of Ledyard (134), Montville (55), Stonington (54), Bacon Academy (38) and Wheeler (23). The girls also won their dual meet with the Bobcats 120-30.
Lily Morgis extended her own school record in the discus with a throw of 140-feet, 3-inches with Avery Plouffe in third. Plouffe won the shotput with Morgis in second and Kiley Elliott fourth.
“Lily had probably the best individual performance of the day, 140-feet in the discus is just a tremendous feat. That was quite a throw and was four feet better than her own school record which was already beyond the previous and is really working toward national competition in the discus,” Welch said.
Elise Coyle had an active day as she won the long jump and 400m, joined Teagan Maloney, Bella Amlaw and Claire Bruneaux to win the 4x400m and finished second in the triple jump.
“Elise is starting to bring her times back down and is right back to where shew was at the end of outdoor track last year in terms of her 400m and her long jump as well. She will be a state contender in multiple events,” Welch said.
Emma Weitknecht won both the 100 and 300m hurdles, was third in the 200m and joined Maloney, Mariella Siwko and Ella Lidonde to win the 4x100m.
“Emma just continues to dominate the hurdles, she is killing it,” Welch said.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain, the team’s “Swiss Army Knife” was best in the high jump (4-feet,8-inches) and took second in javelin.
“She can do a little of everything and had a solid day at high jump and javelin. She is gearing up for the competition with the Bacon Academy javelin thrower who happened to get her this time. She has shown a lot of progress over the last couple of weeks,” Welch pointed out.
In addition to it being spring break week, it also almost felt like summer with temperatures nearing 90 degrees.
“The kids had a lot of fun but it took a little to adjust to the weather. I was just watching the distance runners trying to make it through without melting but they did a great job of holding up and staying hydrated,” Welch said.
Nova Almquist won the 3200m event with Melanie Dipippo in second.
On Saturday, the Centaurs traveled to East Hartford for the Patriot Games where some traditional and some not-so- traditional outdoor track events are held.
As a result, numerous Woodstock Academy school records in girls’ competition fell such as the 4x200m relay where the team of Weitknecht, Siwko, Zoe Laffert and Lidonde finished second and broke a school record that had been in place since 2006.
The shuttle hurdle relay was a first-place finisher in 1 minute, 14.31 seconds with the quartet of Weitknecht, Lidonde, Ellie Santamaria and Maloney setting a school record in the process.
Morgis now owns the Patriot Games meet record as she finished first in the discus with a throw of 138-feet.
The Swedish Medley Relay (100m,200m, 300m, 400m) team of Weitknecht, Maloney, Lidonde and Amlaw finished third and also set a school record while D’Alleva-Bochain placed third in the pentathlon competition.
Boys' Track
Boys 'track coach Gerry LaMontagne was pleased to say the least. His Centaurs amassed 205 points at the Bacon Academy Invitational in Colchester Wednesday, well ahead of Ledyard (101), host Bacon Academy (87), Stonington (70), Wheeler (37) and Montville 34.
The Centaurs also prevailed in their dual meet against Bacon Academy 103-47.
“We did all the things that a good team needs to do. We minimized advantages when (Bacon Academy) won an event, we typically had a second or third or both. We won all the relays. When we were getting wins, we were also getting seconds or third or both as we swept a couple of events. It was a really solid outing,” LaMontagne said.
The coach was also happy to see the other teams on hand as an Invite format tends to bring out the best in track athletes.
For instance, the Centaurs got to see one of the best sprinters in the state from Stonington and were able to see how they measured up with him as well as some good throwers.
Owen Williamson took home three first-place finishes in the high jump, the 110m hurdles (where he finished in a personal best 15.1 seconds) and the 300m hurdles.
Sam Greene captured the 800m race, Ronan Curran was first in the 1600m and the two were joined by Jackson Durand and Liam Hewson for a first-place 4x800m relay finish.
Abe McGregor was best in the long jump, placed second in the 4x100m with Williamson, Kai Brailsford and Collin Teal and was third in the 100m.
Jackson and Harrison Durand and Keegan DeNolfo went 1-2-3 in the 3200m and Eli Manning was second in the discus, javelin and shotput.
“Eli was just a couple of fouls away from having an absolute monster day. He had some big sector fouls which we will figure out in javelin and he had a toe foul in discus (that negated) a possible winning throw and monster personal best. It’s just a little adjustment,” said LaMontagne. “I like where he’s at.”
It was a bit of a different day at the Patriot Games in East Hartford Saturday.
“It was a nice little mental break,” LaMontagne said of the Patriot Games. “There are some fun events like the Swedish Relay with the 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m legs and the 4x200m relay and those are fun for the kids, gives them a little break from the monotony.”
David Sumner brought home the only first-place finish from the Patriot Games as he won the discus competition.
McGregor placed third in the long jump and joined Brailsford, Liam Hewson and Teal for a fourth-place finish in the 4x200m relay.
Curran was fourth in the mile and, along with Harrison and Jackson Durand and Greene, also placed fourth in the Distance Medley Relay.
Manning and Williamson took part in the Pentathlon and finished fourth and sixth respectively.
Greene was fifth in the 800m, Ramond Joachim was a fifth-place finisher in the triple jump and Eean Sanborn brought home a fifth-place in the hammer throw.
Baseball
After four losses to open the season, baseball coach Connor Elliott knew just how important Thursday’s game against Stonington was.
“This was the most important non-tournament win that I think I’ve had as a head coach. We needed this. I’ve been telling them all week that I feel like we’re a shooter (in basketball) that just needs to see one go in. It was good to see that (Thursday) against one of the best arms and one of the best teams in the (ECC) and that was ECC baseball,” Elliott said.
In other words- a pitcher’s duel. That put a lot of weight on the shoulders of junior pitcher Hayden Maloney. He was up to the task.
As it was in their loss to Bacon Academy Tuesday, offense was hard to come by but the Centaurs put enough of it together for a 3-0 win over the Bears.
After having a not-so-memorable performance in his first start of the season against Waterford, Maloney limited the Bears, who came in on top of Div. II in the ECC, to just three hits.
“It was a good bounce back from my first outing which was a bit on the rough side. Our pitching coach (Patrick Button) had to leave that game due to an emergency so it was good to have him back and it just rolled better. I had better stuff. It all felt good,” Maloney said.
Maloney was happy to see his curveball find the outside portion of the plate, used it in his estimation on 99 percent of his first offerings to a hitter and was happy to see Stonington hitters take on most occasions and fall behind in the count early.
“In our mind, this was Hayden’s first start of the year,” Elliott said. “We had that little coaching staff emergency and a lot of issues came about that were not Hayden’s fault. We know what Hayden is, what he is capable of, this is definitely what he is capable of.”
Maloney also helped himself late when Stonington put runners on the corners thanks to a walk and a single.
A sharp line drive, however, was snagged by Maloney – “We prioritize PFP’s (pitcher’s fielding practice)”, said Elliott with a smile – who then threw underhand to first to double off the runner who had already left the bag for the game-ending double play.
“It was an amazing feeling. It’s what every pitcher dreams for in that situation,” Maloney said.
Maloney also started what proved to be the game-winning rally in the second inning when he singled. His battery mate, Jameson Costa, drew a walk and a Colin Ericson bunt resulted in a fielder’s choice to load the bases. One out later, A.J. Malone walked to force home a run, and after a second out, Rhys Asikainen drew a second bases-loaded walk to put the Centaurs up, 2-0.
The offense then gave Maloney a bit more breathing room in the fourth when Ericson singled and pinchrunner Trevor Turner stole second. He came home on a base hit by Caleb Simoneau.
“What has changed this week is our defense,” Elliott said. “Pitching has been good for the most part but we haven’t made plays behind them, extends innings, gets guys tired, guys have to come out earlier. These last two games we have made some great plays behind (the pitchers). That’s how it has to be- pitching and defense first and then the bats will come around,”
“We needed this big time. It’s definitely a momentum-changer and everybody will be feeling good going into practice (Friday) and going into Saturday’s game,” Maloney said.
It certainly seemed to work that way.
The Centaurs raised their record to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in Div. II on Saturday when they nipped Killingly, 4-3, at Owen Bell Park in Dayville.
The hosts took an early lead with two runs in the first inning but Woodstock Academy erased the deficit in the second.
Will Ellsworth walked, advanced on a single by Ericson, was sacrificed to third and scored on a wild pitch.
Ericson would come around on a single by Brady Mullin to tie the game and three innings later, a Maloney single scored Simoneau to give Woodstock Academy the lead.
Killingly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth but Woodstock produced what proved to be the winning run in the top of the seventh when Asikainen walked, was sacrificed to second and scored on a Maloney single.
Ericson, who relieved Logan Coutu in the fifth inning on the mound, got the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh before giving up a walk and hit a batter. He induced a pop out to end the game.
Earlier in the week, Jacob Teal was hit by a pitch with two outs in the third inning, Ty Wissler followed with a single and Ethan Creutz brought home Teal with a base hit to account for the only run in the game as Bacon Academy prevailed over the Centaurs, 1-0.
Jacoby Eisenberg went the distance on the mound for Bacon Academy, giving up just three hits.
Coutu had one of those for Woodstock Academy as he doubled while also pitching a three-hitter and going the distance for the Centaurs.
Asikainen had a pair of singles to account for the only other hits for Woodstock Academy.
Softball
It was a nice start to spring break for the softball team.
Unfortunately, the Centaurs found the going a bit rougher as the week continued as they slipped to 1-6 on the season with losses to Stonington, Killingly and Bolton.
Woodstock began spring break week with its first win of the season, 12-0, over Ellis Tech in a game that lasted only five innings in Danielson.
“It was good,” first-year head coach Mike Sampson said of picking up the first win of his coaching career with the Centaurs. “We needed it. We had a couple of close losses to start the season. Games that we probably should have won and let get away so it was nice to get in the win column.”
Kaylee Ziarko and Janelle Elliott combined on a four-hit effort from the pitching circle while Lillian Dumond drove in three runs on a pair of singles and Ellary Sampson hit a two-run homer at the plate.
“I loved our offensive approach against Montville (the week before) even though the score didn’t reflect it. We had nine hits against a very good pitcher and that carried over a bit to Ellis Tech and we were able to put some offense up,” Mike Sampson said.
The Centaurs also benefited from three runs scoring on wild pitches and two more on errors.
Makayla Horan had two hits in the loss for the Eagles.
Stonington came to town the day after the win over Ellis Tech and shutout the Centaurs in five innings, 12-0.
“Stonington is a good defensive team. The pitcher throws strikes and I thought we chased a lot of bad pitches early in the count which put us in a hole and took the bats out of our hands. We just didn’t get in the offensive groove the whole game,” Mike Sampson said.
Faith Sortwell had two of the Centaurs’ three hits, Dumond had the other.
Arianna Scavello had four hits, including a double and a home run, and drive in five runs for Stonington.
Ainslie Zagol pitched the three-hitter and struck out five for the Bears in the circle.
That was followed on Friday by a 12-2 loss to Killingly in a game that was called in the top of the seventh due to a thunderstorm.
Killingly opened a four-run lead in the second inning but in the bottom of the inning, Ella Chitmanotham doubled for the Centaurs and Julia Tellier followed one-out later with an RBI double of her own.
Ziarko homered in the bottom of the fourth to account for the Woodstock runs.
Home runs came again on Saturday for the Centaurs but still did not produce a victory. Ellary Sampson homered and doubled and Maci Corradi had a solo homer but the Centaurs lost to Bolton in a non-league contest, 6-4.
Chitmanotham and Caroline Ethier had the other runs batted in for Woodstock.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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Maci Corradi tags second base to get the force out and attempts to get the double play with a throw to first base in the Centaurs 12-0 softball loss to Stonington last week.
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Hayden Maloney was sparkling on the hill for the Woodstock baseball team as the junior pitcher threw a three-hit shutout against Stonington in a 3-0 Centaurs victory.
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Campbell Favreau catches a pop fly in Woodstock’s 12-0 loss to Stonington.
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Kaylee Ziarko winds up for a delivery to home plate.
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Caleb Simoneau dives head first into second base.
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Rhys Asikainen dives back to first base in a 3-0 Woodstock victory over Stonington.
Photos by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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