PUTNAM — After transferring to Putnam Science Academy last fall, expectations for sophomore forward Akok Akok were sky high. During preseason workouts and open gym sessions he was a high-flying, shot-blocking beast. 

When the calendar turned to the beginning of the season it became more difficult for the young forward to find minutes in a crowded front court that featured older, more seasoned players. His teammates in the front court this year are now freshman at high major schools such as Georgia, South Florida, Texas Tech and Xavier. With all of them now moved on the stage is set for Akok to take over. 

Last season Akok saw limited playing time on the 34-7 Mustangs Prep team, but come the offseason he was ready to work. Akok focused on getting stronger in the weight room and developing his skill set on the court. 

“It was definitely tough for Akok to sit on the bench and watch because he is a competitive kid and wants to play,” said Head Coach Tom Espinosa. “I give him a ton of credit that in the face of adversity he came to practice each day and worked hard. Then come game day he was always supportive and cheering on his teammates.”

All of the hard work and long practices in the season prepared Akok for the big AAU season in April. After having an outstanding April live period in front of hundreds of division 1 colleges numerous ACC schools were knocking on his door. His offers from April included Louisville, Virginia Tech and N.C. State to name a few.

Now with offers in hand Akok is ready to prove himself in the world of prep school basketball. Espinosa says Akok will be his starting power forward this year and that he is expecting big things from the junior. 

“This fall Akok has been great on the court and in the classroom. He is a completely different kid this fall,” said Espinosa. “Last year he was quite and at times lacked confidence, but this year he is always talking, being a leader and extremely confident.”

Akok has been a priority for a numerous high major schools this fall as Virginia Tech, Michigan, N.C. State, Tulane, Providence, Rutgers and others have made the trip to the quiet corner of Connecticut to see PSA’s budding star.

“Akok does things that a lot of kids can’t do. He is 6-feet, 8-inches, can knock down the 3 point shot and defensively he blocks everything in sight. If he continues to work hard the sky is the limit,” said Espinosa.

 

 

WOODSTOCK — A lot of effort, a lot of heart was evident on the football field Oct. 6.

“Unfortunately, the football was too sloppy,” Woodstock Academy coach Sean Saucier said. “I give Amherst a lot of credit.”

What the Hurricanes did was exploit a weakness in the Centaurs defense and it brought them a 22-14 win over Woodstock at Community Field on the Amherst- Pelham Regional School campus.

Saucier was concerned about the buck sweep with one back following a pair of guards around the corner.

His goal was to “stop the train.” The Centaurs (2-2) failed to do so.

“They kept doing it over and over and we, obviously, struggled to stop the play,” Saucier said.

It was that play that got the Hurricanes (4-1) what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 6 minutes, 11 seconds left.

Alex Fernandes (18 carries, 150 yards) did what he had all night, getting to the outside, looking for the hole and when he saw it, cut it up the field for the 8-yard touchdown.

“He’s a very patient runner and he took what was there,” Saucier said.

Just moments before, Woodstock had tied the game at 14.

The Centaurs forged a seven-play, 82-yard drive with the help of a facemask call in just 2:42. Quarterback Derek Thompson (10-for-19 passing, 104 yards) found Luis Miranda for his second long catch of the night, a 22-yard reception, that got the Centaurs to the Hurricanes’ 32.

Thompson then hit Zach Douglas with a 7-yard pass to the 25 and Kameron Janice (22 carries, 123 yards) did the rest, taking it in for his only touchdown of the night.

“I thought Kameron ran his heart out,” Saucier said. “He was everything I had hoped he would be.”

But the Centaurs surrendered a big kickoff return by Steven Steele who took it to the Woodstock 37 and helped set up Fernandes winning score just under two minutes later.

The Centaurs did come back, driving the ball to the Amherst 31-yard line.

But on 4th down-and-1, the officials whistled the Centaurs for a false start and Thompson was sacked on the next play with 3:54 left.

Although they forced the Hurricanes to punt, the Amherst defense kept Woodstock from crossing the midfield stripe for the first time in the half to seal the win.

Amherst scored the only touchdown of the first half after the Centaurs failed to get a first down on a 4th-and-7 from their own 47. It took the Hurricanes nine plays to punch it in but Fernandes finally did so to give Amherst the 6-0 lead at the half.

Woodstock tied it up on their first drive of the second half on a 47-yard Thompson to Miranda (2 catches, 69 yards) connection.

But Amherst regained the lead on a 7-yard run by Joshua Vecchio (14 carries, 46 yards).

“It stinks. This one hurts, I’m not going to lie. The effort was there. The pride in themselves was there. We just have to learn how to win close games,” Saucier said.

Soccer

Woodstock 0

Waterford 2

Aaron Johnson hit the cross bar in the first half, but it was as close as the Centaurs would get to a goal Oct. 5 as Woodstock Academy fell in Waterford. The loss dropped the Centaurs to 7-4 overall, 4-3 in Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II.

Woodstock 2

Killingly 0

Ian Sohan scored the first goal of his high school career and helped Woodstock Academy to a 2-0 win over Killingly under the lights at Killingly High School Oct. 3. Eli Child put the Centaurs (7-3, 4-2 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II) on the board in the first half when he scored a goal off an assist from Jack Gelhaus. “The boys passed the ball well, there was good movement. It was a good performance,” coach Paul Rearden said. Killingly fell to 2-6-1, 0-6.

Cross Country

Centaurs take 2 out of 3 in only home meet of season

Coach Peter Lusa didn’t know what to expect from Ethan Aspiras. The freshman runner is very familiar with cross-country, having run at St. James in Danielson for the last three years. But Aspiras let his mileage slide over the last few months.

“He didn’t run a lot this summer so I can’t wait to see what happens when he runs in the summer. His coach last year, Todd LePine, told me he was going to be a dynamo when he got here. I’ve been trying to hold him back, but he just needs to go,” Lusa said.

Lusa took off the reins Oct. 3.

The freshman from Brooklyn responded in the Centaurs only home meet of the season as he finished in 18 minutes, 52 seconds, good for first place on the team and third overall.

“I get worried every time I see him out front at the beginning, thinking he is going out too fast, but then, he just maintains. I’ve got to learn to put that fear aside,” Lusa said.

The Centaurs brought their overall record back to the .500 mark at 3-3 with wins over Plainfield and Windham by the same 23-36 score but saw their Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II record dip to 1-3 with a 19-43 loss to Waterford.

“This is the second-toughest course I’ve ever been on,” Aspiras said of the Stonebridge Road challenge. “A lot of hills, a lot of steep hills.”

The toughest course? Wickham Park.

The bad news for Aspiras is that the Centaurs next run on Saturday at the Wickham Park Invitational. The good news is that he will be running in the freshmen event which is a little shorter than what his varsity teammates will be facing.

Evan Gianfriddo (20:13) finished second for the Centaurs in 10th place overall while Kenneth Birlin was 12th in 20:27.

“It was OK,” Lusa said of the team’s performance. “I knew Waterford would be tough, they have a good pack (the Lancers put five in the top seven). Our guys held in. We had people to chase which was good.”

Marc Allard

Sports Information Director

 

..

 

 

 

Roger A. LaBrec,

Korean war vet

DANIELSON — Roger A. LaBrec, 85, of Danielson, died Oct. 2, 2017, at home. 

He was born Nov., 28, 1931, in Putnam, son of the late Alphonse and Yvonne (Landry) LaBrec. Roger was married to Misao (Iwano) LaBrec. She died in 1981.

Roger worked construction from the age of 16 on. He built the house that he lived in. He loved to get his hands dirty fixing things. On the farm he would fix the farm tractors, the dump trucks and the bulldozers. 

He was a veteran of the Korean war, serving with the U.S. Air Force. During his enlistment he would travel to fix antennas in various places. Roger also worked for the Town of Killingly in the Killingly Garage.

He leaves his son Charles LaBrec (Mary Brzezenski) of Derry, N.H.; his daughter Naomi Clifford of N. Grosvenordale; his significant other for 27 years Cindy Espinosa of Danielson; grandson Joshua Stewart; his great-granddaughter Madison Coffin. Besides his wife Roger was predeceased by a sister Constance Rybacki and a granddaughter Kayla Coffin.

The Funeral was Oct. 6 at Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson, with military honors. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Frank Babcock Jr.

DANIELSON — Frank E. Babcock Jr., 80 of Danielson, died Oct. 7, 2017, at Davis Place in Danielson. 

He was born June 5, 1937, in Norwich, son of the late Frank and Clarabell (Penry) Babcock. He was the husband of Rita Babcock. She died in 2013. 

Frank had a long career at American Standard and was a coach in the Plainfield Little League.

He leaves his children Robert Babcock of Danielson, Mary Rhoades (Allen) of Danielson and Christine Coleman (Mark) of Willington; his grandchildren Travis Babcock of W. Warwick, R.I., Matthew Coleman and James Coleman of Willington; his brother John Babcock (Pam) of Danielson; his sister Joan Cullins (Fenton) of Sherman, Maine; nieces and nephews. Besides his wife Rita, he was predeceased by his son Guy Henries and his brothers David Babcock, Percy Babcock, Ronald Babcock and Albert Babcock. A Graveside Service will be at noon Oct. 14 at Riverside Cemetery, Rt. 14 A, Sterling. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Karen (Rider) Shea

THOMPSON —  Karen (Rider) Shea, 66, of Hiawatha Dr., died Oct. 7, 2017, at UMass Memorial Hospital. She was the wife of 44 years to Scott C. Shea.

Born in 1951 in Cleveland, she was the daughter of the late Morris and Helen (Shredl) Rider.

Karen was an alumnus of Kent State University where she received her bachelor’s degree in elementary school education and where she met her future husband.

On July 14, 1973, she was united in marriage to Scott C. Shea, in Ohio.

Mrs. Shea worked for many years prior to starting her family as a credit analyst at Data General Corporation. 

Mrs. Shea enjoyed tracing her family’s ancestry, knitting, cooking and celebrating the holidays.

She leaves her husband Scott Shea; two daughters Jill Thomas of Killingly and Valerie Larose (Carl), formerly of Killingly; her siblings William Rider and twin sister Kathy Grundman; two grandchildren Daniel Larose and Charlotte Thomas; nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by a brother Richard Rider.

Donations: ASPCA, 424 E. 92nd St., New York, NY 10128; or to your local “No Kill” Animal Shelter. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Doris E. Greene

PUTNAM — Doris E. Greene, 99, of Putnam died Oct. 6, 2017. Doris was born July 15, 1918, in Putnam, daughter of the late Arthur and Eva Pepin of Putnam.

She attended St. Mary’s and Putnam High School. She was married to the late Leslie Greene. She was a homemaker until later in her life. She worked for Cherry and Webb and Bugbee’s department store. She enjoyed cooking for her family and was also an avid reader, loved all animals especially cats. 

She leaves her children Richard and Joan Greene of Thompson, Colin and Linda Greene of Wakefield, N.H., Joyce Sears of Pomfret, Debra and George Carabina of Woodstock; brother Leslie and Charlotte Pepin of Canterbury; grandchildren Kelly Greene, Garry Greene, Tammy Dalterio, Kevin Greene, Mandy Carroll, Geoffrey Greene, Meghan Canning, Antonio Carbina; nine great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her siblings Estella Menard, Arthur Pepin and Richard Pepin

Visitation is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Oct. 12 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church of the Visitation, Putnam with burial in Grove Street Cemetery. Donations: American Heart Association, PO Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005; or PO Box 31, S. Woodstock, CT 06267. 

 

Muriel M. Beausoleil

PUTNAM — Muriel (Morin) Beausoleil, 80, of Sayles Ave., died Oct. 2, 2017, at Matulaitis Nursing Home.  Born in 1937 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late David and Edwardina (Beaudreault) Morin.

Mrs. Beausoleil worked as a clerk for Bugbee’s Department Store, Kmart, and Rite Aid.  She enjoyed shopping, going out to eat, playing cards, traveling to vacation in Wells, Maine. 

She leaves her daughter, Michelle Nicol (Kevin) of Putnam; grandchildren, Ethan Nicol, Evan Nicol, Megan Nicol, and Kyle Nicol, all of Putnam.  

Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Christopher S. Bell

NORWICH — Christopher “Chris” S. Bell, 68, of East Town St., died Oct. 2, 2017, at the William W. Backus Hospital. He was the husband of Paula (Rosenberg) Bell for 36 years. 

Born April 8, 1949,  in Arlington, Va., he was the son of the late Walter E. Bell Jr. and Bettie (Weeks) Bell Kerouack.

Before retiring, Chris was a self-employed antique dealer or as he liked to say, “a purveyor of fine junk”. He enjoyed collecting “parts of stuff” preferably in multiples to use in his assemblages. While a lover of most music his favorite genre was jazz. Chris could often be seen (or heard) in community theater performances in eastern and southeastern Connecticut. His rich and melodic voice as well as his flair for drama (or comedy) made him a welcome addition to many casts.

In addition to his wife Paula, he leaves his brother, Michael A. Bell (Carla) of Gaston, S.C.; his brother in-laws, Warren Rosenberg of Woodstock and Joel Rosenberg (Beverly Burke) of Brooklyn; his sister in-law, Barbara Bell of Bombala, Australia; nieces and nephews: Beth Peck, Samantha Truong, Bruce Bell, Sean Garland-Bell, Tim Garland-Bell, Jenny Bell-Knight, Jeff Knight, Matt Bell, Carrie Bell, Cara Rosenberg-Ramos, Salomon Ramos, Allie Rosenberg, Bailey Rosenberg, Connor Rosenberg; great- and great-great nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Wayne Bell.

A Memorial Service was Oct. 8 at the Temple Beth Israel, Danielson. Interment was private.  Donations: Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society, c/o Rosa Goldblatt, 63 Sherwood Dr., Norwich, CT 06360. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Dustin Lee Orr

DANIELSON — Dustin Lee Orr, 33, of Brick House Rd, died Oct. 5, 2017, in Backus Urgent Care Center. Born in 1984 in Putnam, he was the son of Jody and Susan (Strout) Orr of Danielson.

Dustin was a shaker for Cassella Waste for many years. He enjoyed lifting weights, drawing and listening to music.  He was an avid Patriots fan. 

In addition to his parents, he leaves his brother, Travis Orr; his nephew, Ryan Orr; his paternal grandmother, Shirley Orr; aunts and uncles.

The funeral was private. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Gladys Pizzotti

QUINEBAUG —  Gladys Pizzotti, formerly of Breezy Lane, died Oct. 1, 2017,  in Day Kimball Hospital.  

Born in Wilsonville, she was the daughter of the late Dominic and Lillian (Gilmore) Pizzotti.

Miss Pizzotti graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School.  

After graduation, she worked at a variety of jobs including as an inventory clerk for Webster Shoe Company; a machine operator for Beneeda Bed Spread Mill; a sales person in the Men’s Department for Montgomery Ward; assistant bookkeeper for Putnam Hardware; and as a bookkeeper for Windham Hardware.  

Gladys found her niche with the Kenyon Oil Company, Inc.  

She began her employment with them as bookkeeper, moving up to the position of office manager.  

She retained this position for many years before becoming the treasurer for Kenyon Oil Co. and several of its subsidiary companies.  She relinquished her management position in 1993 and was appointed executive administrative assistant until she retired to care for her family.  

She leaves nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.  She was predeceased by her brothers, James Pizzotti, Earl Pizzotti, and Arthur Pizzotti; her sisters, Irene Pizzotti, Dorothy Groh, Mae Stiles, and Rose Pezzolesi; and her sister-in-law, Claire Pizzotti.

The Funeral Mass of Christian Burial was Oct. 6 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in Calvary Cemetery, Dudley. Gilman & Valade Funeral Homes & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

..