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Winning Form
Maddie Grube shows off her winning form in the triple jump April 24. The Centaurs senior also finished first in the long jump, the 100-meter hurdles and was a member of the winning 4 x 100-meter relay team vs. Norwich Free Academy. Photo by Marc Allard.
Norwich Free Academy made its impression as soon as it drove up to the track at the South Campus at Woodstock Academy April 24.
It took two buses to carry the nearly 70 athletes that the Wildcats brought along.
The Centaurs had just about a third of that.
But the small-ish Woodstock Academy group acquitted itself well, forging a host of first-place finishes, but falling short as expected to NFA, 97-53.
“It was great for us to steal nearly half the points and stay in the game with them,” said Woodstock Academy girls’ track coach Josh Welch. “I think it shows what our athletes are capable of doing and their commitment. We talked a little at the beginning of the meet about staying focused, despite the competition, and using it to their advantage rather than a deterrent. I think everybody did that. We had a lot of (personal records). Their attitude was in the right place and they pushed hard.”
None harder than Woodstock Academy senior Maddie Grube.
She captured first-place finishes in the long jump (14-8 ½); triple jump (31-7), 100-meter hurdles (18.79) and was also a member of the winning 4x100-meter relay team for the Centaurs.
“(NFA’s numbers) make it tough. They’re putting like 10 girls in every event and we only have a few so it makes it tough getting points. Our focus this meet was getting personal records and trying to qualify for states,” Grube said.
Grube qualified for Class M state competition in both the 4x100 and bettered her qualifying position in the long jump. Grube also got very close to qualifying for state competition in the triple jump.
After the Ledyard Relays this weekend, the Centaurs only have the Middletown Invitational, a meet with E. Lyme and the ECC championship meet left.
Junior international student Marina Monrabal was a member alongside Grube, Aochen Li and Gillian Price as members of the 4 x 100 team that not only finished with a win against NFA but also qualified for state competition. Monrabal also finished first and qualified for states in the 100-meter. The Centaurs also finished first in the 4 x 400 relay.
Olivia Majek took the baton in the third leg of the 4x400 and was behind by 50 meters. She made up the time and freshman Linsey Arends did the rest, striding home in first. Arends also won the 1,600-meter event.
Boys Fall in Norwich
Kenneth Birlin scored a first-place finish for the Centaurs who fell to Norwich Free Academy, 125-25, in Norwich April 24.
“They actually sat a bunch of their kids because of missed practices and things like that. It was wonderful meet, but they are just loaded,” said Woodstock Academy coach Pete Lusa.
Birlin took first in the 800-meter with a personal best 2:06.4.
“It was a good win for him because in our first meet at Fitch, he kind of went out and ran all on his own. This time, he was challenged until about three-quarters of the way through and he pulled ahead. I’m looking forward to him running at Middletown where he will be a slow seed and he will have people running faster than him and will, hopefully, push him beyond the time he wants to get,” Lusa said.
Lucas Couture qualified for the states with a second in the pole vault (10-feet-6), was second in the 110-meter hurdles and was a member of the winning 4x400 team.
His time in the hurdles was a tenth off of qualifying for States.
“That was into the wind,” Lusa said. “He was pretty pleased (with the hurdles) and he went over 10-6 pretty smoothly (in the pole vault).”
Adam Schimmelpfennig was second in the 300 hurdles and Ethan Aspiras was 2nd in the 3200m for the Centaurs (0-2, 0-2 ECC Div. I). Jackson Dias added third-place finishes in the high jump and 300-meter hurdles. The big goal for the Centaurs now is to get athletes qualified for state competition.
Ledyard Relays
It was a long, cold day in Ledyard April 27.
The Ledyard Relays, normally a two-day event, was condensed to one due to inclement weather April 26. Couture bettered his performance at Norwich in the pole vault, getting a personal best when he cleared the bar at 11-feet. The 4 x 800-meter team of Birlin, Dias, Benjamin Green and Jeremy Romano finished fourth.
On the girls’ side, the 4 x 1-mile relay team of Arends, Megan Gohn, Alexia Bourbeau and Iris Bazinet finished second in 25 minute, 26.7 seconds. The 4 x 100-meter hurdle relay team of Grube, Aria Gianfriddo, Aochen Li and Sydney Couture placed third and the 4 x800 relay quartet of Malloy Tyimok, Anna Kellerman, Sophia Mawson and Bazinet was fifth. Grube also placed fifth in the long jump.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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Woodstock public schools
Monday: Chicken patties on buns, celery, fruit. Tuesday: Bosco sticks, marinara sauce, fruit. Wednesday: Chicken nuggets, fruit. Thursday: Rigatoni, meatballs, zucchini, fruit. Friday: Pizza, corn, fruit.
Putnam Elementary/Middle
Monday: Hot dogs, baked beans. Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs, broccoli. Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, cheddar Goldfish crackers, carrots with hummus. Thursday: Popcorn chicken potato bowls. Friday: Putnam Special Pizza.
Putnam High
Monday: Chinese Take-Out or spicy chicken sandwiches. Tuesday: Hot dogs for bacon cheeseburgers. Wednesday: General Tsos Chicken or 3-cheese quesadilla. Thursday: Nachos Grande or chicken Caesar salad. Friday: Stuffed-crust pizza or fish sandwiches.
Pomfret Community
Monday: Pizza, carrots, fruits. Tuesday: Beef and bean chili, corn, fruits. Wednesday: Popcorn chicken and mac and cheese, broccoli, carrots, fruits. Thursday: BBQ chicken, veggies, fruits.. Friday: Turkey and cheese grinders, fruits.
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Senior Day
The Woodstock Academy boys’ lacrosse team celebrated Senior Day April 25. Left to right: Ethan Haass (14), Zach Douglas (3), Geoff Vallone (4), Ethan Holcomb (5), Bailey Canedy (6) and Ryan LaTour (9). Photo courtesy of The Woodstock Academy.
Woodstock Academy junior Seth Libby wasn’t about to part with the ball any time soon.
On his way to a Senior Day pizza party following the game with Norwich Free Academy April 25, Libby scooped the ball out of the cage and on to his stick.
It was the ball that he shot that found its way into the back of the net and gave the Centaurs a 10-9, sudden-death overtime victory over the Wildcats.
The ball will never find its way back to the field again.
Libby kept on walking with it.
“That’s what we were looking for,” said Woodstock Academy coach Michael Noel. “We talk about it all the time, composure, and they finally showed it (Thursday).
The Centaurs (4-4, 1-3 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I) trailed 9-8 with 3:51 left in the match after Austen LeDonne snuck around behind the NFA goal and tucked it in to the far corner, just eluding the stick of Wildcats’ keeper Lavery Hill.
But Woodstock Academy was having trouble finding the net again.
It was similar to what happened the game before when Guerin Favreau scored with 1:23 left, but the Centaurs failed to tie the game against Fitch and suffered a 9-8 defeat.
The sophomore midfielder picked up a loose ball with 35 seconds to play and ran the field, taking a shot with 17 seconds left that bounced up and over the goal.
Fortunately, senior captain Ethan Holcomb, despite hamstring issues, was behind the net and the Centaurs retained possession.
Holcomb passed it to Favreau to the left of Hill, he spun around an NFA defender and rocketed it into the right side of the net to knot the game with 7.9 seconds left.
“All game, I was dogging down to my right and taking my left and shooting. It was working. Why not try it again?” Favreau said.
It sent the game into overtime where the Centaurs again knocked the ball loose from the Wildcats in the defensive end.
The Centaurs worked it up field but had the possession stripped.
Holcomb, however, picked up the loose ball and passed over the top to a waiting Seth Libby.
Libby had a chance to score late in regulation. This time, he didn’t cradle at all, just turned and shot. “I was ecstatic when it went in,” Libby said.
So was the entire team who came flying off the sideline. It ended the match just 1:25 into the extra period.
Noel loved the way the Centaurs played early, something the Woodstock Academy coach wanted to see since it hadn’t happened against Fitch.
The Centaurs took a 5-1 lead over the Wildcats with 10:52 left in the first half with Favreau getting two goals and assists on the other three.
But there was still plenty of game left.
No longer were the Centaurs yelling out cutters and it bothered Colin Liscomb in net. The sophomore was lights out, but suddenly the Wildcats (2-5, 1-3) scored seven of the next eight goals and owned an 8-6 lead at the break.
The Centaurs were much more focused after the half and it showed in the confidence of their keeper.
Liscomb played much better in the third and fourth quarters and in the extra period, allowing only one goal over the next 32-plus minutes.
“He’s unstoppable,” Favreau said of Liscomb. Favreau added three assists to his four goals and now has 18 goals and 14 assists on the season. Favreau is the team’s leading scorer with 32 points while Holcomb (16 goals, 12 assists) has 28.
Libby had two goals for the Centaurs in the game with Ethan Haass, Alex Wojciechowski and Geoff Vallone all getting one.
It made for a memorable Senior Day, but the Centaurs still have eight games to play.
So why was it already Senior Day?
Because all of the remaining games for Woodstock Academy are on the road.
The only other game of the week for the Centaurs was the close loss to Fitch.
Favreau, Libby and Holcomb all scored two goals each while Haass and Sean McCusker also tallied.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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Supporter
Putnam Bank is proud to support the Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut Children’s Programs. The Salt Marsh Opera recently performed Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Center for the Arts at The Woodstock Academy. Pictured along with Pomfret Rectory School students and Salt Marsh Opera performers are Tom Borner, PB president and CEO; Tom Doherty, PANECT chairperson; and Lynn Bourque, PB Senior vice President and Branch administrator. Courtesy photo.
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