Opening eyes
When the Putnam Science Academy Men’s Basketball staff made its annual trip to the popular AAU tournament called the Providence Jam Fest they had a few recruiting targets to keep an eye on but were also looking for a diamond in the rough or someone who was flying under the radar.
The staff found that player when they sat down to watch The Firm AAU program based out of New Jersey. They saw a 6-foot, 4-inch long-armed point guard named Kyle Lofton.
A graduate of Union Catholic High School, Lofton was unsure if he wanted to do a postgraduate year or go to college. Lofton who is considered young for his grade and recruitment varying in levels he decided prep school was the best decision.
After a strong summer on the AAU circuit Lofton picked up an offer from Manhattan College and interest from various other mid major schools.
Upon arriving in the quiet corner of Connecticut, Lofton has continued to impress and his stock has continued to rise.
Recently Lofton received another scholarship offer from Atlantic 10 school UMass and recently took an unofficial to the Amherst campus to watch practice and speak with the staff.
“Kyle has been a great addition to our program. His ability to get into the paint and make others better is a valuable skill,” said Head Coach Tom Espinosa. “We are looking forward to working with Kyle this upcoming year.”
Legal Notice
Town of Pomfret
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
OCTOBER 24, 2017
The legal voters and citizens qualified to vote in Town Meeting of the Town of Pomfret are hereby warned to meet at the Pomfret Community School Cafeteria, 20 Pomfret Street, Pomfret, Connecticut, on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. to act upon the following articles:
Article 1: To choose a Moderator for said meeting.
Article 2: To see if the Town will accept Easements from the State of CT, Dept. of Transportation, listed as State File Numbers 111-115-001 thru 111-115-008 and conveyed to the Department of Transportation from landowners in conjunction with the replacement of Covell Road Bridge, final approval having been received and released by the State of Connecticut to release subject properties. A copy of the Deed and closing report is on file in the office of the Pomfret Town Clerk, 5 Haven Road, Pomfret Center, CT.
Article 3: To see if the Town will ratify a Resolution as approved by the Board of Selectmen to accept a grant from the State of Connecticut, Dept. of Housing, under the Small Cities Block Grant Program, in the amount of $688,000.00 for the purpose of capital improvements at Seely-Brown Village. Said Resolution is on file with the Pomfret Town Clerk, 5 Haven Road, Pomfret Center, CT.
Article 4: To see if the Town will approve a Resolution that will authorize the Board of Selectmen to apply for any State or Federal grants, as deemed appropriate by them, at any point during the remainder of the 2017/2018 fiscal year, and to authorize the First Selectman to enter into any and all agreements as may be necessary to accept and/or execute such grants.
Article 5: To do any other business proper to come before said meeting.
Dated at Pomfret, Connecticut,
this 18th Day of October, 2017
Craig W. Baldwin
Barry T. Jessurun
Donna L. Smith
Its Board of Selectmen
Attest:
Cheryl A. Grist,
Town Clerk
Oct. 18, 2017
PSA player 1st
female to commit
to Div. 1 school
PUTNAM — The newly formed women’s basketball program at Putnam Science Academy made its first big splash Oct. 14, when Aislinn Flynn, a 6-foot, 1-inch post graduate from Long Island, N.Y., became the first female in the history of the school to commit to a Division 1 program in Towson University.
Flynn, came to PSA after finishing her playing career at Long Island Lutheran, a national power house in girls basketball. Throughout her her career, she was recruited by a number of division 1 programs, but ultimately decided that Towson was the place for her.
“After thinking everything over I decided to choose Towson because it felt like a perfect fit both on and off the court.” Flynn continued, “Coach Rich and the rest of the staff did a great job of showing me every aspect of Towson and I believe it’s a place where I can succeed athletically and in the classroom.”
Derek Marchione, head coach for the women’s team at PSA, also feels she made the right decision. “I think Aislinn made a terrific choice. The staff did a great job of making it known she was priority from the start. While some schools decided to wait, they knew what they saw in her and were confident in their evaluation. On top of that, Aislinn made history and will be remembered forever here at PSA.”
CREC Cooperative 40
Woodstock Academy 32
HARTFORD - Kameron Janice cleared the 1,000-yard mark in rushing for the season and scored three touchdowns, but the CREC Cooperative still outscored the Centaurs in Hartford Oct. 14.
Janice finished with 118 yards in 16 carries for The Woodstock Academy (2-3) to give the senior 1,078 on the season. His three touchdowns, on runs of 11, 17 and 13 yards give him 15 on the season.
Luis Miranda also had a pair of scores for the Centaurs.
The sophomore scored on a 12-yard pass from Derek Thompson (11-for-20 passing, 131 yards, 2 TDs) and on a 54-yard fumble recovery. Miranda reeled in 5 of Thompson passes for 74 yards in receptions and was second on the team in tackles to Jack Hovestadt (seven) with six.
The Centaurs were their own worst enemies at times, turning the ball over on four occasions. Thompson was picked off twice, one was returned for a touchdown and The Academy also lost a pair of fumbles.
The Centaurs got the ball back with 1 minute, 30 seconds left and a chance to tie, but two sacks ended their hopes.
Oct. 13
Boys’ Soccer
It has been a tough stretch for the boys’ soccer program.
The Centaurs battled the likes of Waterford, Bacon Academy and Stonington in their last three contests and came out of those key Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II clashes with a 0-2-1 mark.
The Bears were the latest to hand the Centaurs a 3-1 loss.
The win kept Stonington undefeated (11-0-1) and atop the division with a 6-0-1 record.
Jack Gelhaus had the only goal for the Centaurs (7-5-1, 4-4-1), his third of the season.
Oct. 10
Late in the second overtime, Chase Anderson found himself playing a crucial role for The Woodstock Academy boys’ soccer team: emergency keeper.
With Connor Huda out of the net, Bacon Academy’s Darian Stanchina had an open shot on the Centaurs net. Just as he took it, Anderson came in from his center-back position.
“I saw Huda out of the 6-yard box and I just got in and got on the ground because the chances of him chipping me were slim-to-none. I got (the ball) with my upper thigh and kicked it out with my left foot. It wasn’t the smoothest save,” Anderson said with a laugh.
The impromptu save by the defensive player preserved the 1-1 draw with the Bobcats for the Centaurs.
“He’s a good, old-fashioned center-back,” Centaurs’ coach Paul Rearden said. “He puts his body on the line for the team. You can see he might have got hurt. I was waiting for him to go crashing into the post on that one and he doesn’t care.”
The Centaurs defense wasn’t so stellar at the beginning of the match.
Just 24 seconds in, Jordan Guerra found Tyler Donovan with a pass to the left of Huda inside the penalty area. Donovan ripped a shot at Huda, the ball striking the Woodstock keeper, but he was unable to hold on as it rebounded just inside the near post to put Bacon (5-2-3, 3-1-2 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II) ahead.
“We just have to start out strong and we will be good,” Anderson said of the early lapse. “Against Amherst (Mass.), we proved we could play with the best teams. It was our best game of the season and we just need to play like that.”
Anderson was also partly responsible for the Centaurs (7-4-1, 4-3-1) tying the game.
With 17:01 left in the first half, Anderson sent a ball in from just over midfield. It curled to the left, deflecting off the keeper, right on to the foot of Jacopo Ambrosetti.
All Ambrosetti had to do was flick it past Bacon goalie Luke Sanford and inside the far post for his 16th goal of the season.
“You know what you’re going to get with Chase and that’s 120 percent,” Rearden said. “Other players may look silkier and smoother, but as far as effectiveness as a defender, he’s masterful and massive.”
Anderson almost had a second assist when he curled one into Sean Rearden, but the ball didn’t find the net.
Cross Country --- Oct. 10
The boys’ team did its best to upend the Bears.
Freshman Ethan Aspiras won the race in 18 minutes, 58 seconds with teammate Kenneth Birlin next in 19:21. But the Centaurs (3-4, 1-4 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II) couldn’t get a third runner behind the first two to guarantee the win. Instead, Stonington (4-5, 2-3) saw seven of its runners finish in the next eight positions to win the meet, 27-32.
Evan Gianfriddo was the only other Centaur runner in the top 10, he finished sixth in 20:07. Spencer Collins and Cylus Gould rounded out the top five for the Centaurs.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
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