caption:
The Espinosa family in Chicago.
Takes 5th
in the U.S.
It was back to normal on Monday for TJ Espinosa. Back to school, which included a field trip, and a baseball game in the evening.
The weekend, though, was anything but normal.
The Putnam Middle School seventh grader spent the weekend in Chicago as one of 12 finalists in his age group for the Elks Hoops Shoot national finals. Espinosa, who won district, state, and regional free throw shooting contests over the past three months, made 21-of-25 free throws in the final, good for a fifth-place finish in the country.
“I’m really happy about it,” he said. “My goal was to get there. I wanted to win, obviously, but that was my goal.
“When I was 10, 11 years old, I really wanted to make it to Chicago. Last year I started actually winning and I could see that I was getting better. I made it to regionals and finished second last year, so I just worked harder because I knew this was my last year. And I made it, and I’m really happy about it.”
The 13-year-old Espinosa said he knew there were a lot of people back home who were supporting him.
“They told us that they were talking about it on the broadcast, and that social media was going crazy with support for me,” he said. “That really means a lot, I really appreciate that so much.”
Espinosa arrived in Chicago with his family Thursday night and spent time with the other competitors playing games and getting to know them. There was a practice shootaround and a tour of the city – including a boat tour and a visit to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, where each shooter had his name and picture up on the scoreboard.
The contest was Saturday afternoon – “obviously, the best part,” Espinosa said – followed by a huge dinner banquet, before the family returned home Sunday.
The contest was held at Wintrust Arena, home of DePaul University’s basketball teams and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. The competition included three age brackets (8-9 years old, 10-11, 12-13) with 12 shooters in each, for both boys and girls, so 72 shooters in all. Espinosa had two former national champs in his bracket. Espinosa made eight of his first 10 shots, then went 13-for-15 in his second round. The eventual winner made all 25 of his shot attempts.
“I was nervous, but I was ready,” Espinosa said. “I missed my first shot, which was tough, but all I thought was ‘make the next one, anything can happen.’
Said TJ’s dad, Tom: “The Elks do it first class. It was unbelievable. We were blown away by it. They gave the kids the red-carpet treatment the whole time, just treated them like stars. It was unbelievable, really. It was an experience of a lifetime.”
By Stephen Nalbandian
The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
April 14
Tarek Abdel Hadi Abouel Hassan, 56, Westview Drive, Woodstock; operating unregistered motor vehicle, operating motor vehicle without insurance, violation of adult learner’s permit/no instructor.
April 16
Debra Manoogian, 63, Farrows Street, Putnam; operating under the influence.
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Fire ruled accidental
PUTNAM — The cause of a fire at an East Putnam home has been determined as accidental, according to Putnam Fire Marshal Scott Belleville.
April 5 the East Putnam Fire Department. along with automatic aid from several local fire departments, found a kitchen fire on the second floor at 20 Joslin Road. Firefighters extinguished the fire containing the flames to the kitchen; however, there was extensive smoke and heat damage throughout the entire second story.
Belleville said combustible materials on the stove top were ignited when the stove top burner was inadvertently turned on. Occupants were unaware that the burner was on and left the room only to be alerted to the fire minutes later when they smelled smoke.
The Red Cross assisted 2 adults and 1 child who resided on the second floor and are still displaced due to the fire. The two first floor residents were allowed to return to the home after an electrician isolated circuits damaged from the fire. No injuries were reported.
Belleville reminded people to keep combustibles and clutter clear from stove and counter tops.
to prevent accidents from occurring. In addition, closing doors when rooms are not in use or when you leave the home will help to contain the fire and lessen smoke and fire damage. Always have working smoke alarms to alert occupants when there is a fire.
It has not taken long for the Putnam Science Academy baseball team – and program – to prove that it was for real.
There have been some real good wins through the first month of the season, and even the losses have shown that this first-year program is already here. But perhaps Saturday’s outcome – on the road at a multi-million-dollar facility against Austin Prep, the No. 2 team in Massachusetts – officially stamped its arrival.
Elian Torrez’s three-run moonshot of a home run highlighted a five-run first inning of Game 1, and Jacob Hines turned in a complete-game masterpiece in Game 2, sending PSA to an impressive doubleheader sweep with wins of 9-3 and 4-2, and a happy bus ride home.
“We’re confident going into each game because we know our potential as a team and how much work we all put in over the offseason,” said Hines, who allowed just two unearned runs in his seven innings. “We are so close of a group too, so we are playing for more than just ourselves. We also trust each other so when someone is down or having a bad day, we Muazibini Adamuare always going to have guys to pick them up.”
There wasn’t much to be down about Saturday. Omar Burgos hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and Alberto Cantalini had a big at-bat to deliver the go-ahead run in the fifth to back Hines, who said there was plenty of pressure despite the Game 1 win.
“We beat them pretty good the first game and they definitely wanted to get us back, so we had to piece stuff together as a team to not let that happen,” he said. “Watching (Game 1 starter Harry Roy) pitch, I saw they were good hitters but couldn’t seem to get a big hit or string together a couple hits to score. So going into it, I knew if I never let them get into a groove or get hot, I would be fine.”
Roy was his typical bulldog self in the first game, giving up just three unearned runs as he pitched into the seventh before giving way to Enger Paulino, who slammed the door to seal the win. Roy again battled out of a couple jams, and again convinced coach Bob Hetu that he was good to keep going when Hetu checked on him the fifth (as he did the previous weekend against Winchendon).
PSA jumped Austin Prep’s starter in the first inning, setting the tone for the day. After a strikeout to start the game, six straight batters reached base. Ryan Hines singled, and Paulino was hit by a pitch ahead of an RBI single by Cantalini. Jesus Fermin followed with an RBI double, then scored when Torrez sent one deep over the centerfield fence for a 5-0 lead before the crowd had even settled in. Burgo then walked, and though he was eventually stranded, the damage had been done.
“I am so proud of this team,” Hetu said. “We’ve been on the road since March 20, we continue to grind on the road against elite prep baseball programs. We’re walking onto $2.5-million facilities and will battle with anyone.”
Cantalini finished the game with two hits, two walks, and two RBI. Fermin three hits and two RBI, and Torrez added an RBI single later in the game.
PSA, which suffered a walkoff loss Tuesday at Salisbury (another of those elite New England programs that Hetu referred to) and an 11-7 loss to Paramount Academy Wednesday, improved to 9-4.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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