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Teeing Off
Woodstock Academy senior Kaily LaChapelle tees off against E. Lyme. Photo by Marc Allard.




The Centaurs girls' golf team is enjoying undefeated start after persevering through a little adversity last week.
The Centaurs not only had to play three matches in three days, but also had to do so without their top player.
It made things a bit more difficult.
Mia Dang was out of the lineup as she had left campus for spring break and was restricted by pandemic protocol.
Even without Dang, who had produced scores of 37 and 38 in her first two outings, the Centaurs downed Suffield, NFA and E. Lyme.
“It was really good,” Woodstock Academy coach Earl Semmelrock said of the success. “We talked when we knew we would not have her and what the expectations were and everyone stepped up. We only have to beat the teams that are on our schedule, but we hadn’t seen a couple of these teams for a couple of years.”
Woodstock Academy senior Kaily LaChapelle said, “Mia was definitely a hard loss for our team this week, but we all knew we had to step up. We hit some bumps along the way, but overcame in the end.”
The Centaurs made their longest trek of the season to Copper Hill Golf Course in Suffield and downed the Wildcats, 216-275.
They followed that up with a 207-260 win over NFA.
It was one of the best scores in Norwich in several years according to Semmelrock.
Woodstock Academy finished up the week with a 188-216 win over E. Lyme.
LaChapelle was medalist in all three events
The senior shot a 50 on a windy and brisk day at Suffield, improved to a 46 against NFA and continued the downward trend by improving by four strokes again, with a 42, against E. Lyme.
“While my game is in a good spot now, I still want to see improvement over the next few weeks. I am working on keeping my shots consistent and making sure this is the best season possible,” LaChapelle said.
The Centaurs got a pair of 53’s from Ciara MacKinnon and Alex Vaida against both Suffield and NFA.
The two also improved on the home course with Vaida shooting a 47, Maya Orbegozo a personal best 49 and MacKinnon a 50.
“I would say we scramble well,” Semmelrock said. “They all know their strengths and weaknesses and they’re working on improving where they need to. The good news is that if everyone is having a good day, which is difficult on the golf course, everyone is capable of contributing.”
Semmelrock said consistency could be a little better at this point of the season.
Against E. Lyme, he had a couple of girls who had seven good holes and a couple of bad ones, a four-putt or a couple of wayward chips that elevated their scores.
Still, there is little to complain about with a 5-0 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the ECC.
“I knew we would be good. I just didn’t know how good the other teams would be. I didn’t know who was returning to other teams and what to expect. You can only control what you do yourself. I’ve been trying to tell them that, ‘Don’t worry about the other stuff, it’s all noise.’ The theory of golf is that you are playing against par on the golf course, score matters as to what par is, not what the other team does,” Semmelrock said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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A Swing
Woodstock Academy’s Zach Roethlein takes a swing in a win over Lyman. Roethlein had five hits and three RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of Griswold. Photo by Madison Millar.
 


Six wins in a row — the Woodstock Academy baseball team has found its groove.
“It’s nice to get a little confidence, get into a rhythm. It’s always tough early in the year and we lost, in my opinion, two tough early games with Waterford, where the score was not indicative of the game, and even against NFA,” said Woodstock Academy coach Brian Murphy. “If we play solid defense, continue to get good pitching, and start hitting like I know we can- we’re a dangerous team.”
Griswold can attest to that.
The Centaurs downed the Wolverines not once, but twice, 8-2 and 5-0 in a doubleheader May 1.
Pitching was the key. Junior Jon Smith tossed a five-hitter and went the distance to win the opener and sophomore Kaden Murphy allowed only two hits and struck out 10 to record the shutout in the nightcap.
“That’s the rotation we wanted to go with once we got into a rhythm. Smitty was pounding the zone and had his two-seamer going in the first game. Kaden had a good fastball and curveball and then started interjecting his changeup the third time around (the batting order),” Brian Murphy said.
The offense was there in both games. Jackson Goetz had three hits and drove in a pair of runs, Zach Roethlein added three hits and Hamilton Barnes had two.
“Our bats are coming alive. Hamilton, Jackson and Zach have been Steady Eddie’s, making good contact and getting big hits,” Brian Murphy said.
Barnes, Roethlein (2 RBIs) and Smith also had two hits in the second game of the twinbill with Kaden Murphy helping his own cause with a two-run single.
The Centaurs raised their record to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in Division 2 of the ECC.
The Centaurs are tied with Plainfield for second in the loss column, both are chasing undefeated Killingly.
The Centaurs have a doubleheader against Killingly May 8 at Owen Bell Park.
“We have a couple of obstacles in the way before Saturday because I know we have circled the date on their calendar with Killingly because they are a good team and we’re excited to be playing them,” Brian Murphy said. “But before that we have a game with a scrappy Plainfield game on Tuesday (the game ended too late for this edition) and then we have Putnam (Thursday) and you can’t take the foot off the pedal. We can’t look too far ahead.”
Earlier in the week, freshman Riley O’Brien found out the day before that he would be making his varsity debut on the mound against Lyman.
“I was a little nervous but I realized that I had to do the job and I got out there and got the nerves out in the first inning,” O’Brien said.
Admittedly the first inning was a little rough, but his teammates had his back and in five innings, it was over.
The Centaurs baseball team scored an 11-1, five-inning, mercy rule win over Lyman Memorial.
O’Brien faced seven batters in the first inning but gave up only one run. Then, he settled down. He allowed only three hits in the five innings and struck out five.
“That’s awesome,” said Brian Murphy. “I’ve coached Riley through Little League, the Mustangs and other things and the kid has poise. He impressed us early in scrimmages. He didn’t wilt. He got in a couple of jams but he was tough as nails, he got us out of it and did a great job.”
The Centaurs quickly took the lead in the bottom of the first when Barnes and Jacob Hernandez singled, one scored on a ground out, the other on an error.
Woodstock Academy added single runs in the second and third innings and then put the game away with three runs in the fourth and four in the fifth.
“I was hoping (O’Brien) wasn’t going to be in a two-run game and we could expand it a little. I’m happy for the boys. We’re working hard,” Murphy said.
It was also a little satisfaction as Lyman Memorial had beaten the Centaurs in Lebanon the week before, 5-3.
Brendan Hill only had one hit but drove in four runs for the Centaurs. Goetz, Kaden Murphy (3 RBIs), Hernandez and Barnes all had two hits each in the win.
The Centaurs made it two in a row that ended in five innings when they blanked Grasso Tech, 10-0, April 28.
Woodstock Academy scored in every inning, getting three runs in the first inning, two in the second, four in the third and one in the fourth.
The Eagles aided the nine-hit attack of the Centaurs by yielding eight walks.
Barnes saw home plate often as he scored three runs on two hits.
Hernandez, batting behind Barnes, added two hits and two runs scored.
Smith and Goetz added two singles apiece while Trey Ayotte tossed in an RBI double.
Eddie Niejadlik did most of the work on the mound as he went four innings, giving up just two hits and striking out four.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Anna Thayer
EASTFORD — Anna Thayer of Eastford, formerly of Castleton, Vt., died April 23, 2021, at The Davis Place in Killingly, after a battle with Dementia.
She was born May 16, 1932, in Hubbardton, Vt., daughter or Frank and Pauline Farkas.
Anna met the love of her life Chester “Ted” Thayer on the school playground. They married Sept. 8, 1951, in Bridport, Vt.
Together they celebrated 59 amazing years until Ted’s passing in 2011.
In her younger years, Anna worked at The Trak Inn, Bomoseen, Vt., doing laundry. Throughout her life Anna lived in Hubbardton, Poultney, Fair Haven and Castleton, all in Vermont and in Eastford.
Anna always had a smile on her face and loved everybody.
Anyone that knew Anna well knew of her love for Dolls.
She would make an old doll new again from her finds at thrift stores and yard sales, by knitting clothes for them and donating them to non-profits.
She loved to knit, play cards, play Bingo and enjoyed volunteering in the Bingo kitchen at Castleton American Legion in which she was a member of Unit 50 Auxiliary.
She leaves her children including five daughters: Bonita King (Steve) of North Carolina; Donna Spink (Peter), Anna Bryant and Mary Freeland, all of Connecticut; Paula White (Herbert) of Massachusetts; two sons: Frank Thayer (Beth) of Connecticut and John Thayer (Lisa) of Vermont; her sisters Betty Benson (Gus) of New York and Edna Lawrence of Connecticut; a brother Robert Farkas (Lola) of Vermont; 24 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
 She was predeceased by an infant brother Frank, a son Chester Thayer 3rd, a daughter-in-law April Bourn Thayer and grandson Christopher Michael Thayer, and sons-in-law: George Freeland and Terry Bryant.
Visitation is from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 28 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Graveside service follows at 1 p.m. at Grove Cemetery, Eastford.
Donations: Tatum’s Totes, 175 W Ridge Ter., Rutland, VT 07501.

Gregory E. Hetu
PUTNAM — Gregory E. Hetu, 73, died suddenly at home Feb. 12, 2021.
Gregory was born April 24, 1947, in Putnam, son of the late Arthur and Gladys (Benway).
 Hetu; he lived in the Pomfret and Putnam areas for all his life.
 Gregory was a longtime member of the Abington Congregational Church.
He was also one of the dedicated members of the Interfaith Stitchers of the Westfield Congregation Church in Danielson.
Gregory helped to make countless hats for newborn babies at the Day-Kimball birthing Center; he also helped make hats for local shelters to bring warmth to those less fortunate.  
Despite his physical ailments, Gregory was a very upbeat and loving person who valued his independence and was readily available to help those in need.
He leaves three brothers: Arthur Benway of Abington, Ronald Hetu of Missouri, and Richard Muldoon (Karen) of Cranston, R.I.; three sisters: Joyce Davis of Thompson,  Donna Olsen of Putnam, and Patricia Wing of Danielson; his best friend and longtime caregiver Steve Coderre of Putnam; nieces, nephews and friends.
A Graveside Service will be held at 11 a.m. May 8 at the Abington Cemetery.
Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

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