By Ron P. Coderre
March Madness arrived early in the form of winter Storm David, which threw the remaining games of the CIAC Tournament off schedule. Woodstock Academy, the last area team standing and the #2 seed in the Class L bracket, had its second round game against 15th ranked Middletown ((12-9) pushed back twice. Woodstock beat Wilton in overtime, 56-54 March 11.
As the weather broke and the Woodstock game against Middletown was played on Saturday, if the final score was any indication, the Centaurs were ready. In a contest that saw Woodstock race out to a 33-16 halftime advantage it was obvious the Acads were ready to move on to the quarterfinals as they romped to a 60-38 victory. Ian Converse and Tristan Welch with 17 points each were Woodstock’s offensive scoring leaders.
The Centaurs of coach Greg Smith continued to win, vaced #10 seed Wilton, a 67-64 winner over Maloney and beat them 56-54. They head to the semis March 13. The championship round for all Classes is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena TBA.
In the only other game that involved a local team, Tourtellotte seeded #21in Class S, put up a valiant fight before going down at the hands of #12 Nonnewaug 48-41. As Tourtellotte concluded its season, veteran coach Tony Falzarano sits three games shy of 600 career victories at 597.
Scoring Races
Tourtellotte’s Kaevon Safford and Woodstock Academy’s Ian Converse remain tied at the top of the scoring leader board at 19.8 points per game. They are followed by Putnam Science Academy’s Dayshon Smith, Mike Mallory of Marianapolis, who’s come on strongly of late and Plainfield’s Ryan Pambuku.
Jonte Rutty of PSA has wrapped up the Three-Point title with 81 from beyond the arc. Smith and Pambuku follow with 65.
Cashmir Fulcher of Hyde-Woodstock (18.5) and Plainfield’s Morgan Griffin (17.7) are running one-and-two in the female competition. Jill Bodreau of Marianapolis appears to be the 2013 three-point champion with 45, followed by Plainfield’s Haley Beausoleil with 31.
Boys Scoring Leaders
Kaevon Safford, Tourtellotte 19.8
Ian Converse, Woodstock 19.8
Dayshon Smith, PSA 18.8
Mike Mallory, Marianapolis 17.6
Ryan Pambuku, Plainfield 16.9
Three-Point Leaders
Jonte Rutty, PSA 81
Ryan Pambuku, Plainfield 65
Dayshon Smith, PSA 65
Mike Jezierski, Tourtellotte 57
Devon Willard, Killingly 51
Girls Scoring Leaders
Cashmir Fulcher, Hyde 18.5
Morgan Griffin, Plainfield 17.7
Ashley Espinosa, Putnam 16.3
Morgan Olander, Pomfret 14.1
Janicha Diaz, Hyde 14.0
Three Point Leaders
Jill Bodreau, Marianapolis 45
Haley Beausoleil, Plainfield 31
Notes
After more than 40 years of playing games on its vulcanized basketball surface, Woodstock Academy has a new wood floor, which was laid over the old surface by Jay Gerum and his maintenance crew in time for its State Tournament game against North Haven…Congratulations to Academy alum, Phil Willis for putting together a committee that raised more than $50,000 to make the new floor, which came from St. Louis, a reality…Ian Converse, the Centaurs leading scorer, evidently fell in love with the new surface, as he christened it with a 37-point performance…Former area players distinguished themselves on the college level this year. As the hoop season has ended for many, here’s a report on some of their accomplishments. Kim Bouten of Plainfield now playing at UConn-Avery Point, was named to the second team all star contingent of the NJCAA Region XXI Division III…Shane Gibson, formerly of Killingly, concluded a stellar career at Sacred Heart University by being named a Northeast Conference First Team All Star. He ended the season as the NCAA’s sixth leading scorer with an average of 21.6 points per game, while tallying more than 2100 points during his four years at SHU…Former Marianapolis standout Ike Azotam, who plays for Coach Tom Moore at Quinnipiac University was named an NEC Second Team All Star. His teammate at MPS and QU, Osmane Drame concluded his season with a flourish, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in his final game of the year. Both Azotam and Drame will be back next season for the Bobcats…Another former Golden Knight, Tom Henneberry, a senior at Fitchburg State University, ended his career with a 33-point, nine rebound performance in a 91-86 loss to the University of Rochester in the NCAA Division III Tournament…Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 19. That’s the date of the annual Ray Brousseau Putnam Rotary Club Senior All Star Shootout at Putnam High School. Games are 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m….Speaking of all stars, the Putnam Town Crier will be releasing its 2013 Prep and High School All Star teams in the near future…The Woodstock trio of John McGinn, Trent Peters and Wil Bourgeois, all juniors, were mainstays of the highly successful St. Mary’s School basketball team before the doors on the school were abruptly shuttered…The Woodstock vs. Middletown 2nd Round contest was aired live on WINY Radio with John Wilbur and Paul Coutu.
RPC’s Super Conference Standings
Boys Girls
PSA 22-8 Pomfret 20-5
Woodstock 21-3 Marianapolis 19-9
Marianapolis 21-9 Plainfield 16-7
Plainfield 12-10 Putnam 15-7
Hyde-Woodstock 10-11 Hyde-Woodstock 11-6
Tourtellotte 10-12 Woodstock Academy 8-14
Ellis Tech 9-12 Tourtellotte 4-16
Pomfret 8-12 Killingly 2-18
Killingly 7-13 Ellis Tech 1-19
Putnam 4-16
Gymnasts Receive All Star Recognition
Congratulations to Woodstock Academy gymnastics coach Robin Deary-Fillmore and the Centaur gymnasts for their repeat championship in the CIAC Connecticut State Open and also for winning the State Class S title.
The following Centaur gymnasts garnered Eastern Connecticut Conference All Star honors – First Team: Jackie and Nickie Deary, Bree Hussong and Courtney Osborn. Shaila Segal was accorded Honorable Mention recognition, while Emily Lipka was given the Sportsmanship Award.
Another of Deary-Fillmore’s gymnast, Hailey Cummings of Killing High School was a First Team selection.
This week’s RPC sporty shoutout and happy birthday wishes are extended to Putnam octogenarian Richard “Dick” Turcotte. A standout athlete in his youth, Turcotte can still be found in the summer months on the links at Woodstock Golf Course. We won’t divulge the number but Turcotte found enough oxygen to blow out the candles again this year.
A tradition that started more than two decades ago will take center stage on Tuesday, March 19 when The Ray Brousseau Putnam Rotary Club Senior All Star Basketball Shootout is played at Putnam High School. The evening includes two games, the first at 6 p.m. featuring senior girl all stars and the second showcasing the senior boys, one half hour after the prelim contest.
Putnam Recreation Director and Putnam Rotary Club member Willie Bousquet, chairman of the Shootout, indicates that senior basketball players from Plainfield, Killingly, Ellis Tech, Griswold, Putnam, Tourtellotte, Woodstock, Marianapolis, Hyde-Woodstock, Pomfret School, Parish Hill, Windham Tech and Putnam Science Academy have been invited to participate.
“These games have become a tradition that the players enjoy and the Putnam Rotary Club is proud to sponsor. It’s an opportunity for the senior basketball players to showcase their talents in front of their fellow students and fans,” said Bousquet.
The coaches for the girls’ game are Dave Walley of Woodstock Academy and Bousquet, while Dan Piccione of Ellis Tech and the combination of Tom Espinosa and Josh Scraba of Putnam Science Academy are the boys’ coaches. They’ll coach a full roster of players including the likes of Ashley Espinosa, Monica Phongsa, Taylor Sarty and Lindsay Weigand on the girls squad. The boys , will feature Alec Fontaine, Jemal Mosley, Dayshon Smith, Paul Brooks, Devin Willard, Max Graves, Mike Benkowski and many others.
Members of the Eastern Board of Basketball Officials will be on hand to officiate the games. The entertainment for the evening is generally fast paced, exciting and fan friendly.
The evening is sponsored by WINY Radio 1350, Benpe Sales and Consulting of Putnam, The Byrnes Agency of Dayville, Woodstock and Norwich, Regency Heights of Danielson, The Citizens National Bank and Archambault Insurance Associates of Putnam and Danielson. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for students and senior citizens. Admission includes an opportunity to win door prizes.
“We’re hoping for a big turnout of fans to support the players as they play for the last time as high school athletes,” said Putnam Rotary Club President Paul Pikora.
Gymnasts Receive All Star Recognition…
Congratulations to Woodstock Academy gymnastics coach Robin Deary-Fillmore and the Centaur gymnasts for their repeat championship in the CIAC Connecticut State Open and also for winning the State Class S title.
The following Centaur gymnasts garnered Eastern Connecticut Conference All Star honors – First Team: Jackie and Nickie Deary, Bree Hussong and Courtney Osborn. Shaila Segal was accorded Honorable Mention recognition, while Emily Lipka was given the Sportsmanship Award.
Another of Deary-Fillmore’s gymnast, Hailey Cummings of Killing High School was a First Team selection.
The coaches for the girls’ game are Dave Walley of Woodstock Academy and Bousquet, while Dan Piccione of Ellis Tech and the combination of Tom Espinosa and Josh Scraba of Putnam Science Academy are the boys’ coaches. They’ll coach a full roster of players including the likes of Ashley Espinosa, Monica Phongsa, Taylor Sarty and Lindsay Weigand on the girls squad. The boys , will feature Alec Fontaine, Jemal Mosley, Dayshon Smith, Paul Brooks, Devin Willard, Max Graves, Mike Benkowski and many others.
Members of the Eastern Board of Basketball Officials will be on hand to officiate the games. The entertainment for the evening is generally fast paced, exciting and fan friendly.
The evening is sponsored by WINY Radio 1350, Benpe Sales and Consulting of Putnam, The Byrnes Agency of Dayville, Woodstock and Norwich, Regency Heights of Danielson, The Citizens National Bank and Archambault Insurance Associates of Putnam and Danielson. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for students and senior citizens. Admission includes an opportunity to win door prizes.
By Ron P. Coderre
It’s like “déjà vu” all over again as the famous Yogi Berra would say. It was almost exactly one year ago that an announcement came out of Woodstock Academy naming Mike Scrapchansky as coach of the Centaurs baseball team. This year the announcement is being made by the administration of Killingly High School.
Principal Andrew Rockett recently announced the appointment of Scrapchansky as the new diamond mentor for the Redmen. He succeeds longtime coach Dan Vogt who stepped down in December 2012. In actuality, Scrapchansky succeeds Michael O”Keefe of Hamden, a former minor league player, who was hired on February 21. O’Keefe unexpectedly told the school recently that he had had a change of heart and resigned for personal reasons.
Scrapchansky comes home to Killingly High School, his alma mater, with a solid baseball background as a player. He’s a 1987 Killingly High School graduate, who earned four varsity baseball letters as a speedy, strong-armed center fielder and better than average hitter with the Redmen. He was honored by being named Class L All-State in his junior and senior seasons. He moved on from Killingly to have four solid seasons at the University of Hartford, where he graduated in 1991. While at UHart he served as the team captain in his senior season and was named a Div. I COSIDA Academic All American. During his tenure at Hartford one of his teammates was former Houston Astros all-star Jeff Bagwell.
While in high school, Scrapchansky also roamed center field for the Danielson American Legion baseball team. It was during a Legion game on the “old” Plainfield High School diamond that Scrapchansky incurred a serious eye injury when he ran head-on into the stone wall in the outfield while chasing down a fly ball at full speed. Although Scrapchansky was able to eventually return to the diamond, the injury most likely prevented him from furthering his career on the professional level.
The new Killingly baseball coach has had a “vagabond-type” high school coaching career. In 2012 Woodstock under Scrapchansky was a disappointing 4-16 overall and 2-8 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division, playing all its games on the road due to the construction of the artificial turf football field which wreaked havoc with the baseball diamond. He also had a two-year stint as varsity coach at Hyde School – Woodstock. And prior to his Hyde experience served as an assistant at Tourtellotte Memorial High School under legendary Coach Tom Auclair. Scrapchansky has also witnessed the game from another perspective, serving as an umpire for 10 seasons on the Eastern CT Board of Approved Umpires.
The coaching “merry-go-round” continues to spin, not only at Killingly but at many of the other area high schools. Getting individuals who can devote long term tenures to coaching positions is akin to pitching a perfect game. It occurs infrequently. Only time will tell if Killingly has grabbed the “brass ring” in hiring one of its own, Mike Scrapchansky.
Serving as the team’s assistant is another Killingly grad, Jack Weaver.