Also Serving Ellington • South Windsor • Tolland • VernonEnfield • East Windsor • Somers • Stafford Glastonbury Edition December 2012

Inside The Sports Department

Jon Buzby discusses how soon should you put your child in youth sports. See page 3.

Tomahawks girls soccer loses in final, ending undefeated season. See page 9.

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Named Media Outlet Of The Year By Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association

Glastonbury senior guard Katherine

Nuzzolo surveys the court as she runs

the fast break for the Tomahawks during a 45-38 victory at South

Windsor last week. Nuzzolo finished

with two points while her backcourt mate Courtney Latham

finished with a game-high 21 points.

Basketball’s Back...

The Sp rts Department

Glastonbury Knocked Out Of Class LL Football

PlayoffsBy Reid L WalmarkThe Sports Department

CHESHIRE - The third time was not the charm for the Glastonbury High football team. Just like the first and second times it met Xavier-Middletown in a Class LL state tournament semifinal, Glastonbury saw its state title hopes dashed, this time in a 30-13 defeat the hands of an all too familiar nemisis. Xavier, which went on to win its third consecu-tive Class LL state title on Dec 7, trailed Glastonbury briefly in the first quarter. But the Falcons went on to score 30 unanswered points to take control for good. The third seeded Fal-cons, defeated Glaston-bury in the quarterfinals in 2011 and in the semifinals

Stephen Treacy (56) and the rest of the Glaston-bury offense ran into a black and white wall Sunday afternoon during a 30-13 loss to de-fending Class LL champion Xavier-Middletown. Photo by: Reid L Walmark

in 2010. In 2009, the Tomahawks lost to Cheshire in the semifinals. Xavier defeated Norwich Free Acad-emy 48-14 to win the Class LL state title. Glastonbury (10-2) took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on senior quarter-

December 20122

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The Sports Department

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860-872-0TSD (0873) • 860-614-5866 • thesportsdept.comPublisher: Kevin Hayes • kevin@thesportsdept.com

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Contributing Writers: Jon Buzby • Tom Ainsworth • Steve SmithReid L. Walmark • Damian Frasinelli • Nate Owen

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December 2012 3The Sports Department

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By Jon BuzbyThe Sports Department

How Young Is Too Young To Start Playing Sports

It’s heading into the winter sports season when many parents debate whether or not their child is ready for youth sports. This is especially true for those kids who just completed a successful adjustment to kindergarten and are surrounded by class-mates all talking about whatever sport they’ll start playing. I was at a children’s birthday party last weekend and the topic of how young is too young to start playing sports came up.I just sat back and listened to the various

opinions. One grandmother offered to pay for her granddaughter to play youth sports. The mother of that daughter, a former Division I field hockey player, is dead set against her daughter playing any orga-nized sport until she is 5 years old. One mom started her son in soccer at four years old while another has decided age six will be a good. A dad, who is a former high school basketball coach, is de-bating whether his 4-year-old son is ready.Other mothers and fathers chimed in, and just when I thought the topic would wane without me needing to voice my opinion, my wife spoke up: “Jon, you write about youth sports. What do you think?” I actually think it depends on a number of things when determining what age a child should start playing sports. First and foremost is the interest of the child. If he or she has no interest whatsoever, it’s prob-ably too early to start. The second is the physical and emotional maturity of the child. If the child is scared to death of any physical contact, he or

she won’t be interested in being part of an unintentional soccer scrum that happens almost every time a child touches the ball. If someone’s feelings get hurt every time a toy is taken from him, imagine the reaction the first time a child “steals” the ball on a basketball court. Two years ago, my 4-year-old was more than ready to start playing soccer and since then has successfully played T-ball and flag football. I can’t imagine my young-est son who just turned four years old playing anything organized right now. And that’s another thing to remember – like all developmental stages, children, including siblings, are ready to begin playing sports at different times. I also think one factor often overlooked by parents when trying to make this deci-sion is how the family will be affected by a child playing an organized sport at such a young age. If bedtime is 7 p.m. — to allow for not only a good night sleep but also “down time” for mom and dad — and practice is

twice a week until 7 p.m., that means the family routine is going to be upset two of four nights. If there is more than one child at home, what happens to the non-practicing sib-lings the night of practice? Will a younger sibling be dragged out of the house when he or she would normally be in bed? Will an older sibling’s grades suffer because he or she is sitting in a car at a practice instead of at the kitchen table getting as-signments done? All of these things must be taken into consideration. I’ve heard good and bad stories of young kids playing sports, so there is no one sure-fire answer. But one piece of advice I always give is that if both parents aren’t convinced it’s time, it’s probably not.

Contact Jon Buzby at JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @JonBuzby on Twit-ter.

Glastonbury High Athletics Honored For

Outstanding AchievementBy Joel CooksonSpecial To The Sports Department

CHESHIRE, – Glastonbury High School has been selected as the overall CIAC Michael’s Achieve-ment Cup recipient for its outstanding achievement as an overall athletics program for the 2011-12 academic year. The announcement was made at the sixth-annual CIAC Sportsmanship Conference where each of the eighteen schools recognized as CIAC Michael’s Achievement Cup exemplary programs were honored. Glastonbury earns the honor as the overall Michael’s Achieve-ment Cup recipient for the second-con-secutive year becoming the first school to

earn the honormore than once since the CIAC assumed oversight of the program in 2008. Glastonbury was recog-nized based on achieve-ment in seven distinct areaswhich are sportsman-ship, participation, athletic

scholarship, athletic personnel, equity, chemical free initiatives and athletic achievement. The selection commit-tee noted the well-established and crafted department mission statement for Glastonbury, and the thorough evaluation process and general organization that exists within the athletics department. On the field, the school captured four CIAC championships with four additional runner-up finishes.

By Danny AtkinsonThe Sports Department

Every high school championship team leaves vast memories and an impact on the school it represents. But some are more memorable and impactful than oth-ers. The 1984 Glastonbury High School football state champions were under-dogs from its first game up until when a thrilling Class L championship game victory over Southington, 23-17. The Tomahawks title run captivated Glastonbury and re-energized a football program that would appear in two more championship games the remainder of the decade, winning one. The 1984 Glastonbury squad was not expected to contend for any sort of champi-onship. The Tomahawks had a combined record of 5-13-1 the previous two years. However, the team did have experience on its side. Glastonbury featured a talented veteran core that was comfortable playing togetheras a group, and they gelled under fourth-year head coach Frank Hauser. To see the rest of

the story, please visit thesportsdept.com

To see the rest of the story, please visit thesportsdept.com

Former Celtic Speaks At GHS

By Danny AtkinsonThe Sports Department

Attendees at Glastonbury High School’s Winter Sports Information Night on De-cember 6 were treated to an engaging talk from special guest speaker Bob Bigelow. Bigelow, a former Boston Celtic, speaks frequently to groups about youth and high school sports. In front of a large crowd of student athletes, parents, coaches and administrators, he discussed the ways in which high school athletics can make a tremendous impact on these parties both during and after student’s athletic careers.Bigelow began his talk by discussing the sheer total of boys and girls who currently

participate in high school athletics. He stated that roughly 7.7 million high school-ers in the United States play at least one sport, and that these numbers have been rising every year. Bigelow also mentioned that since Title IX was passed in 1972, the number of high school males who partici-pate in sports versus females has gone from three million versus 200,000 to nearly even numbers when you discount football. Bigelow stated that this was “an extremely amazing and positive result” of the law.

December 20124 The Sports Department

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BU-Bound Latham Leads Glastonbury Girls HoopsBy Reid L Walmark, Dan-ny Atkinson, Nate Owen and B.N. Mazzone The Sports Department

Glastonbury must replace two starters from a team that went 20-7 last season and defended its CCC tourna-ment championship. The Tomahawks, who finished fourth in the CCC North a year ago at 9-5, were seeded 14th in the CIAC Class LL state tourna-ment and eliminated in the quarterfinals by division rival Manchester, which the Tomahawks beat for the CCC tourney title. Senior guard Courtney Latham, who has a scholar-ship to Boston University, averaged 13.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in 2011-12. Also returning as starters are senior guard, three-point specialist Ashley Mulryan and senior forward Olivia Still. The Tomahawks will rely on junior forward Kerstan Mahland for defense and rebounding, senior guard Katherine Nuzzulo for tight ball defend-ing and junior forward Gaby Dombek for physical play underneath.“I’m really excited about this team’s po-tential and for some of the younger kids coming into their own and establishing important roles for us,” said Brian Flem-ing, in his ninth year as coach. “We look forward to being challenged on a night-in, night-out basis.” The Tomahawks opened on Dec. 5 with a 51-25 win at Bristol Eastern. Boys Basketball The Tomahawks had a strong season last year, going 12-8 overall and 9-5 in the CCC North during the regular season be-fore losing in the first round of the Class LL Tournament to Hamden. The Tomahawks should be even better in 2012. Glaston-bury has five of its six top scorers back, including All-CCC North center Jordan Butler. With their experience and depth, the Tomahawks are expected to contend for a division title. Glastonbury has an embarrassment of

riches returning on the offensive end. It all starts with Butler, who head coach Jim Vaughan proclaimed as one of the best players in the state. Butler averaged 16.5 points, 11 rebounds and close to 4 blocks per game last season. Vaughan praised Butler for the “maximum effort “he provides every game, and said that Glastonbury's offense and defense will revolve around Butler’s set of skills. Junior Jalen Ollie, son of UConn bas-ketball coach Kevin Ollie, is a gifted scorer who averaged nearly 11 points a game and shot 41 percent from three. Luke McNabb will be a steadying hand at point guard and is an outstanding defender. He averaged nearly eight points a game. Vaughan said that Glastonbury needs to play better in close games this season. Five of the Tomahawks eight losses were by less than ten points. The Tomahawks will be constantly tested in the CCC North, where five teams were over .500 last season and champions Windsor finished 26-2. Vaughan believes that Glastonbury’s versatility and experi-ence make it a favorite for the North title and that his team can compete for the overall CCC championship.

“I would be very disappointed if we didn’t contend for the CCC North title,” Vaughan stated. Hockey The Tomahawks return plenty of experi-ence from last year’s team that made it to the Division I title game, but they’ll be down two of their top playmakers from last season, Drew Mozzer and Ethan Hold-away. “We need to find a way to score those hard-working goals,” head coach Ken Barse said. Glastonbury (20-5) returns senior Chase Gabor in net, who was a key cog to the team’s final run last season. In front of him are senior defensemen Brendan Stephan and Tyler Walles. Stephan is a good two-way player, while Walles is a strong skater with a big slapshot. Up front, the Tomahawks return plenty of depth in senior forwards Luke DiMarco, Avery Clair, and Ryan Walker. DiMarco is a team leader and Glastonbury’s hardest hitter, while Clair and Walker both bring a scoring touch mixed with a physical game in the offensive zone. Wrestling The Tomahawks should be the team to beat in the area, and quite possibly in the

Courtney Latham, who will play at Bos-ton University next year, will be the main cog in the Tomahawks offense. Photo by: Elizabeth Taylor, The Sports Department, www.ebtaylorphotography.com

Jordan Butler is one of the top players in the state. Photo by: Elizabeth Taylor, The Sports Department, www.ebtaylorphotography.com

state. Their roster is stacked with all con-ference, state open, and class champions across the board. It’s hard to believe, but this team may be better than last year’s squad who ended up 24-3. The Tomahawks return a cast of veterans who have star studded resumes.Seniors Dan Hecker (145) who finished fourth in class LL and in the State Open has been all conference for the past two seasons. Jake Jones (132), who was a State Place winner and two time all confer-ence member. Mike Torvac (114), Jason Miraslow (160) and Bobby Davis were all-conference member last season. The Tomahawks will also lean heavily on junior Andy Cavanna (220) who was a State Place winner and two time all confer-ence member as well. “We will look to out work the other team every day in practice,” said head coach Rob Levesque. “The match is won in practice.” As usual, the Tomahawks see the South Windsor Bobcats as their toughest compe-tition in the league.“South Windsor is the team to beat, mainly because they have great coaching and great student athletes,” Levesque said.

December 2012 5The Sports Department

See more photos at www.TheSports

Dept.com

Youth Football Teams Reach Title GamesBy Danny Atkinson The Sports Department

Sunday’s Connecticut Youth Football League (CTFYL) Championships featured three youth football teams from Glaston-bury playing for league championships at Rentschler Field. Glastonbury did end up dropping all three games. The day kicked off with the C Football championship game between Glaston-bury’s C Blue Football team and Windsor. Glastonbury came in 9-0 and Windsor 9-1, with its only loss coming against Glastonbury on Sept. 23. Windsor avenged its only loss with a 13-0 victory. The game was a defensive battle and neither team was able to get much going on offense. Passing was non-existent, and ball carriers were frequently stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage. Windsor ran in a touchdown right before the half after the Tomahawks fumbled the ball at their own 40-yard line. In the championship between B Blue Football of Glastonbury and South Windsor. Glastonbury entered the game 8-1. Its only loss was 23-22 tothe unde-feated Panthers on Oct. 20. The Bobcats dominated both sides of the ball in a 34-8 victory. Glastonbury briefly took the lead on a rushing touchdown by Ryan Kapur early in the first quarter. From then on, its momentum disappeared in the face of an outstanding performance from South Windsor quarterback Connor Kapisak. He torched the Tomahawks with four touch-down passes. Glastonbury’s C Team found little room to run in the championship

game vs Windsor.

The final contest was an intense A Football championship game between Glastonbury and Rocky Hill. Glastonbury was favored heading in, as they came in 10-0 and had soundly defeated the 8-2 Terriers earlier in the season. In addition, the Tomahawks had looked outstanding in their previous playoff victories over Ver-non and South Windsor. However, it was apparent from the opening kickoff that this game would be no picnic for Glastonbury. Rocky Hill captured the A Champion-ship with a 36-18 victory. The Tomahawks were right with the Terriers for the entire first half, but fell behind in the second half as the Rocky Hill running game continued to dominate. Running back Grant Nieves was the key cog for the Terriers, scoring three touchdowns, including a backbreak-ing 59-yard run at the beginning of the fourth quarter that gave Rocky Hill a 36-12 lead. Glastonbury’s Lance Cunning-ham did his best to keep up with Nieves, as he powered his way through the Rocky Hill front line for two early scores. “We want to have a winning team, and getting a championship would have been a great reward,” coach Hans Kretzmer said. “But we’re focused on developing the kids and getting them ready to play high school football.”

Glastonbury C Blue head coach Tim Sellew gives feedback to one of his players.

December 20126 The Sports Department

Glastonbury Parks and Recreation COLLEGE NOTEBOOK

Our Goal is to Get You Back in the Game!ECHN Provides Rehabilitation When & Where You Need It

If you are sidelined due to an injury or illness, the good news is that you have seven great outpatient rehabilitation facilities to choose from within your own community.

Working with your physicians, we share the same goal of getting you back in the game with personalized

uniquely tailored to meet your needs. You’ll receive understanding, encouragement, and respect every step of the way throughout your recovery.

ECHN Rehabilitation Services – you can count on us to get you back in the game!

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Strength & conditioning program

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Convenient hours & 7 locations Most appointments within 48 hours or less Most major insurances accepted Part of the ECHN network, giving you access to the experience and resources of two nationally recognized hospitals, hundreds of physicians, specialists and other providers

Manchester Memorial Hospital • 860-647-6485 I Rockville General Hospital • 860-872-5261 I Glastonbury Wellness Center • 860-652-3181 CorpCare Occupational Health, Manchester • 860-533-6500 I ECHN Medical Building at Evergreen Walk, South Windsor • 860-533-4670 The Rehab Center at Court House Plus, Vernon • 860-649-3369 I Indian Valley Family YMCA, Ellington • 860-871-1078

Explore The Universe In Boston

By Glastonbury Recreation

Take a fun trip to the Boston Science Museum to explore the universe. Deluxe motorcoach trip including admission to the Boston Museum of Science and Omni Show and free time at Quincy Market. The Science Museum features over 500 interactive exhibits and the Omni IMAX Theatre is the only domed IMAX screen in New England. Quincy Market boasts many shops and restaurants. Transportation and gratuities to the tour director and driver are also included.Fee: $74/Adult; $72/Child (12 & Under)Departs: East Hartford/Glastonbury Com-muter Parking Lot directly across from Burger King at 8 a.m.Returns: Approximately 8:00 p.m.Trip Date: February 20 Family Ice Fishing Clinic This DEEP sponsored clinic is taught by state certified volunteer instructors through the Connecticut Aquatic Resources Educa-tion (CARE) Program. It is designed to introduce you to the wintertime sport of ice fishing. All those who attend are invited to join the DEEP at their Annual Family Ice Fishing Derby on Coventry Lake, January 26th. The Derby is only open to those who attend an Ice Fishing class and is free. Fee: FreeMeets: Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.Location: Gideon Welles Cafeteria

Dates: January 10 (Snow Date: January 17)Santa's RunChris Zablocki of Essex was this year's winner of Santa's Run, which took place on Dec. 2. Zablocki finished the 3.5 mile race with a time of 17:43. Garret Ash of Manchester finished second in 17:57. Bridgid Selfors of Old Saybrook was the top female performer with a time of 20:53.High School Open GymActivities include pick up basketball. Students (grades 9-12) must bring their school ID.Fee: FreeMeets: Monday 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.Location: Glastonbury/East Hartford Mag-net SchoolDates: November 26-April 29Winter Teen Vacation CampA shorter version of our popular summer program, with snow included! All trips for grades 6-10 will be included in the fee. Meet up will be at the Academy Building. Tentatively scheduled trips are as follows:Day 1: CoCo Keys Water Resort (Feb. 19)Day 2: Tubing at the Woodbury Ski Area (Feb. 20)Day 3: Nomads AdventureQuest (Feb. 21) Fee: $119/personMeets: Tuesday-Thursday 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m.Location: Academy Building

Hoyt Places In MeetBy Reid L. WalmarkThe Sports Department

Sophomore Stevie Hoyt (Glastonbury 2011) placed in three events on Oct. 27 for the McDaniel College men’s swim team (1-4). He placed third in the 100 backstroke and was runner-up in the 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly.

From Around The Area Two standout girls basketball play-ers in 2011-12 as high school seniors are experiencing the ups and downs of making the transition into the college game. Kelly Conley, an All-State and All-NCCC player at Ellington last winter, is a freshman at Assumption College (6-1) and Kristin Schatzlein, an All-State and All-CCC player at Tolland last winter, is a freshman at Fairfield University (5-1). Conley has played in five of seven games at guard and has scored seven points in 32 minutes. Schatzlein, the

Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut a year

ago, has appeared in all six games as a guard, starting none. She has logged 45

minutes of playing time. Schatzlein is averaging 2.2 points per game. She has grabbed

10 rebounds, blocked a shot and

added two assists. Trachone Preston (Enfield 2012) is a freshman guard on the Eastern Connecticut State University men’s basketball team (5-2). Preston was injured in the preseason but has recovered to play in all seven games for the Warriors, starting in two of them. His 6.6 ppg scoring average ranks him fifth on the team. Preston is shoot-ing 40 percent from the floor and a team third-best 50 percent (8-for-16) from three-point range. He is averag-ing 1.6 rebounds per game and has 10 assists, one blocked shot and four steals. Preston has made 14 of 16 foul shots (87.5), which is second best on the team.

December 2012 7The Sports Department

Student Athlete of the Month Student Athlete of the MonthGlastonbury Glastonbury

Nick KarpFootball

Kate SmithSoccer

Sport: Football (receiver, linebacker)Nickname: KarpoAccomplishments: Captain, Confer-ence Champion, All-Academic Athlete, National Honor SocietyGPA: 4.4How do you prepare for a game? I focus on what has to be done and how I can be my best.Thoughts on the season: It has been a great season and a total team effort.Favorite Career Moment: Beating Southington in the state playoffs to avenge our only loss this season.What area were you strongest in? Us-ing my strength and speed to make a good play. What area did you improve the most in over your career? Reading the opponent and staying a step ahead of them.Looking back, what are you going to miss the most about playing for your team? Overall, what are you going to miss the most about high school? I will miss my teammates, the competi-tion, the satisfaction of winning and the camaraderie.What is the toughest challenge you’ve overcome? Balancing my football com-mitment with difficult academics.Favorite athlete? Victor CruzWhich athlete do you most model your game after? Ray LewisRed Sox or Yankees? UConn men or

UConn women? Red Sox; UConn MenFavorite band, movie, TV show? Cold Play, The Departed, Modern FamilyWhat is your favorite sports website to follow? ESPN.comHow do you believe sites like Twit-ter and Facebook have changed how you watch and follow sports? You know everything immediately and it has increased the competition between schools.Plans after high school: I am still con-sidering several colleges for next year and I hope to play football.

Sport: Soccer (midfielder)Accomplishments: All-AcademicGPA: 4.4How do you prepare for a game? I like to listen to music and eat a peanut butter sandwich before a game.Expectations for the next season/Thoughts on the season: This season was great. I loved my team and thought we all played well together, and although we didn’t win it all, I am very proud of everyone.Favorite Career Moment: My favorite moment was last year when we won the State Championship. It felt great to know that all of our hard work had paid off, and that we were the first ones to ever do it.What area were you strongest in? What area did you improve the most in over your career? My strengths are winning and distributing the ball, and I think that I improved most in having a more offensive mindset instead of only defending.Looking back, what are you going to miss the most about playing for your team? Overall, what are you going to miss the most about high school? I am going to miss my teammates most, and also representing my school and town, because there are not many op-portunities to do that, and the support from the community was great.What is the toughest challenge you’ve

overcome? During the rest of the year my club team plays in the national league, and it is difficult for a small club from CT to compete with the best teams in the country, but we were able to make the finals in our first year.Favorite athlete? Which athlete do you most model your game after? I like Christie Rampone because she is one of the oldest ones on the national team, but she is easily one of the best.Red Sox or Yankees? UConn men or UConn women? Red Sox and UConn WomenFavorite band, movie, TV show? I love the Harry Potter books and movies.What is your favorite sports website to follow? ESPNHow do you believe sites like Twitter and Facebook have changed how you watch and follow sports? I mostly just watch sports on TV.Plans after high school: I am going to play soccer for UConn, and I plan on studying business.

December 20128 The Sports Department

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Grades 6-12 College Preparatory Magnet School

Offseason TrainingCertified Athletic Trainers (ATC’s) are allied health care providers trained in the prevention, evaluation and rehabilitation of sports injuries. They work under the direction of a physician and they are board certified nationally, and licensed in CT. Visit www.NATA.org for more information. Certified athletic trainers at Glastonbury High School are provided by Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network (rehab.harthosp.org ), formerly Eastern Rehabili-tation Network.Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network (HHRN) and The Sports Department have partnered to bring readers a monthly col-umn on sports medicine topics. Readers may submit questions related to injuries, training advice, rehabilitation or any other sports medicine topic. Submit questions to: Christina Martinelli, ATC (Glastonbury High School) - cmartinelli@harthosp.org; Allison Steingiser, ATC (Glastonbury High School) - asteingiser@harthosp.org; Rob Durbois, Physical therapist, (HHRN Glastonbury) - rdurbois@harthosp.org

Many sports enthusiasts and scholastic athletes consider “winter” their off- season. Rest, both physical and emotional, is cer-tainly an important part of sports. Maintain-ing a level of fitness during the offseason, however, is not only good for the body. It means less risk of injury when starting up again. So the offseason is a great time

to try a new sport or work on different aspects of conditioning. The question of how fast to progress with conditioning or in a new sport is frequently posed. The old saying of “no pain, no gain” should not be your guiding principle. A much more reasonable approach is the 10% rule. This means that whatever your activity – weights, training time, mileage, participating in the actual sport – should not increase by more than 10% week over week. If you’re trying to peak for a particular event, back into the timeframe to give yourself adequate training time with gradual increases in intensity. Several organizations and institutions have collaborated to bring sports injury prevention strategies for kids forward at the website www.STOPSportsInjuries.org, but the advice is practical for any age. Their recommended offseason ap-proach concentrates on different phases. The first focus is core strength, followed by cardiovascular/fitness training. Once this base has been established, strength training would be included, and finally, sport-specific drills. Following this regimen, with adequate rest built in, will allow you to have a productive, fun offseason followed by a new sports season that will hopefully be injury free. For additional information on setting up your offseason program consult an athletic trainer, physical therapist or sports specialist.

December 20129 The Sports Department

Glastonbury Girls Title Repeat Bid Ends With Loss In Final

By Reid L WalmarkThe Sports Department

In a flash, it was over. Glastonbury’s stranglehold on Connecticut high school girls soccer supremacy disappeared late in

a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Newtown in the CIAC Class LL state championship game Nov. 30 at West Haven High’s Ken Strong Stadium.As they walked off the field minutes after a late Newtown goal sealed the Tomahawks' fate, Glastonbury players were stunned,

many in tears, as they tried to process the defeat.Ten minutes before, the emo-tions were reversed when the Tomahawks’ only stretch trailing in the season was erased on Eren Cosgel’s long, low shot into the near corner that pulled Glastonbury even at 1.But Glastonbury’s defense broke down on a corner kick with 2:58 remaining. The ball was not cleared, and Newtown’s Sarah Lynch knocked in a shot past sprawling Tomahawks goal-keeper Ciara Boucher, only the fourth goal Glastonbury allowed all season.With a sense of mission not accomplished hanging over the Tomahawks’ bench following the game, Glastonbury coach Joe Finocchiaro dismissed the disappointment, instead chosing to look ahead. “We only have five seniors,” he said. “We’ll be back.”Glastonbury, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, finished 19-1-0.

Newtown, seeded sixth, was 19-2-3. The Nighthawks improved to 2-0 in champion-ship games, while Glastonbury fell to 1-7 in state finals.Glastonbury had long stretches of posses-sion against Newtown, but the Tomahawks failed to convert opportunities, continually uncovering more problems while trying to solve Newtown’s cohesive, quick and ag-gressive defense.“Our defense and goaltending, that’s what won it for us today,” Nighthawks coach Marc Kenney said. “They did a great job of keeping us in it.” In the end, goalie Cait-lin Yakush was the difference for New-town by finding an uncanny way to make a remarkable save at pivotal times.Perhaps Yakush’s best save came with four minutes left and the score tied when she dove to her left to smother the ball just inside the far post following a fancy combi-nation by Glastonbury’s Kristen Dragotta and Maddie Riggot, with the shot by Dragotta, the Tomahawks’ most dangerous attacker.Earlier, a Glastonbury shot beat Yakush but did not find the net, instead bounding off the goalpost. It was that lack of luck that plagued Glastonbury’s bid to repeat as champions, Finocchiaro said.“We couldn’t get any breaks today,” Finoc-chiaro said. “The bounces seemed to go their way. We were able to reset, then they got a lucky bounce for that [second] goal. We played our hearts out the entire season. It came down to that we needed a

little bit of luck at the end.”Regardless whether it was a lucky bounce for the Nighthawks’ on the game-winning goal, Boucher said she expected the ball to be cleared as Glastonbury has done consistently all year. But that did not hap-pen with overtime looming and the pros-pects of co-champions being declared.“I went for it,” Boucher said. “And she [Lynch] just chipped it over me. The ball was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”Boucher did not fare well on the game’s first goal, a 40-yarder by Brittany Power with 8.7 seconds left in the first half. As Boucher was moving to make the save, the ball deflected off a player – she wasn’t sure whether it was a teammate or a Nighthawk – and it changed direction and skipped past Boucher and into the goal. That was the first time all season that Glastonbury was not tied or ahead in a match.Glastonbury did not panic trying to rally in the second half, playing with composure and confidence an equalizer would be scored.“Glastonbury absolutely is an outstand-ing team,” Kenney said. “In the second half, we knew the longer it would go on with how well Glastonbury was playing, the more difficult it would be for us. But Yakush was phemomenal.”The Tomahawks 38-game unbeaten streak was snapped, as was their run of 23 con-secutive wins. It was Glastonbury’s third final in the last four years.

Remarkable Legacy: Glastonbury Girls Soccer Had Incredible 5-Year Run

By Reid L WalmarkThe Sports Department

Glastonbury girls soccer junior goal-keeper Ciara Boucher struggled to find the right words to describe her and her teammates’ disappointment at failing to win back-to-back CIAC Class LL cham-pionships following the Tomahawks’ 2-1 loss to Newtown in the finals Nov. 30 in West Haven. The emotions were raw as most players fought back tears and tried to console each other.“It’s tough,” was all that Boucher could come up with. Two days later from senior Kristen Dragotta, one of the three Toma-hawks' captains: “It’s definitely tough. It’s bittersweet. We all got through it together. It’s like a family to me.“It’s difficult to accept,” Dragotta said. “Life goes on, I guess. You go through these heartbreaks to be a better person and to build character.”Had the Tomahawks held on the final 2:58 and not surrendered the game-winning goal, overtime was beckoning. That would have given Glastonbury more time to get the go-ahead goal and win its second straight state title.But it didn’t happen for Glastonbury, which has finished unbeaten in the past five regular seasons and has just four losses since 2008.“It’s incredible,” Boucher said about

what Glastonbury brought into the game when asked to reflect on the season that just ended. “Going 19-1-0 is incredible.” Dragotta said, “Obviously last year [state championship] was the highlight of the last four years. Overall, it was great every year, and it was like a new chapter every year.“And to go undefeated in the regular season and getting to go as far as we could [to the championship game], that was great, too,” Dragot-ta said.With only five seniors on the roster of 24, coach Joe Finocchiaro will once again have a solid nucleus of seasoned players heading into the 2013 season.“I am very proud of my team and the efforts they displayed [in the cham-pionship game] and throughout the season,” Finocchiaro said. “They showed a never-die attitude. We’ll be back next year.”The achievements of 2012 – and the four highly successful years lead-ing to that – will always be there. Glastonbury won 23 straight games before facing Newtown. The Toma-hawks had been unbeaten for 38, with 36 wins and two ties. They won five consecutive CCC North regular-season championships during that span and went to the Class LL finals

three times. Overall, Glastonbury has a record of 85-4-5 the past five seasons.In 2012, Glastonbury outscored its op-ponents 83-4 through 20 games and over the course of a 1,600-minute season, the Tomahawks played either tied or from behind for just 29 minutes, 46.7 seconds.Glastonbury's recent resume: three Class

LL championship games in the last four years, with one win. Five straight Class LL tournament No.1 seeds; a seven-game tournament winning streak built over two seasons.Pretty incredible numbers and a lasting legacy that this year’s graduating seniors can be proud of for the rest of their lives.

Glastonbury girls soccer coach Joe Finocchiaro will bid farewell to an incredible group of seniors including (l-r) tri-captains Kristin Dragotta, Kate Smith and Katie Connolly. Photo by: Reid L Walmark, The Sports Department

Madeline Riggott (27) battles Newtown’s Jessica Keller (9) in the first half of the CIAC Class Ll girls soccer championship game at Ken Stron Stadium in West Haven. Newtown scored a late goal to post a 2-1 victory and deny the Tomahawks a second consecutive Class LL title. Photo by Reid L Walmark, The Sports Department.

December 201210 The Sports Department

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back Joshua Hill’s two-yard touchdown run into the middle of the line. The Tomahawks had moved 80 yards on eight plays in 2 minutes and 40 seconds. But Glastonbury could not escape the first quarter with the lead when the Falcons scored on the en-suing drive to tie it at 7-7. Midway through the second quarter, a Glastonbury punt attempt was snapped out of the end zone for a safety, and with 31 seconds before halftime, Xavier capped a 50-yard, six-play drive for a touchdown that put Glastonbury in a 16-7 hole. Xavier pulled away with touchdowns 2:25 apart in the third quarter.The Falcons stretched the lead to 30-7 on an 80-yard pass from quarterback Tim Boyle to James Sullivan.- “We went into the game wanting to throw the ball, and we threw it a ton of times,” said Glastonbury coach Scott Daniels. “But we didn’t take advantage of our opportu-nities. We just couldn’t get a first down. We had six or seven three-and-outs. We couldn’t keep our defense off the field.” Glastonbury lost its offensive rhythm when Hill left with a double-injury after being sacked early in the second quarter. It was still 7-7 when he was replaced by senior Ben Berey, who had been playing wide receiver. Hill hurt his knee and took a hit to the head. Glastonbury’s medical staff, after evaluating Hill, decided to keep him out of the game as a precaution. Hill had been 6-for-8 passing for 95 yards. Berey finished out at quarterback and was 10 of 32 for 80 yards, though he connected with Nick Karp for a late fourth quarter touchdown pass of 10-yards.

Key Injuries Cost Tomahawks “Obviously that restricted what they could do,” Xavier coach Sean Marinan said about the injury to Hill. “And obviously that was a benefit to us. That kept Berey back there [as the quarterback] instead of being on the perimeter.” Daniels said, “Joshua Hill is a key part of our team. When a kid that good goes out, it’s going to hurt your team, no question.” Xavier enjoyed advantages in size and used fewer two-way players. Daniels said

Glastonbury got “banged up” throughout the game, as several Tomahawks had to be helped off the field. Glastonbury had trouble containing senior running back DeAngelo Berry, who rushed for 125 yards on 27 carries and two touchdown runs. Eleven times the Tomahawks, held Berry to gains of three yards or fewer but he had seven rushes for seven yards or more, including four for 10 yards or more.

Ben Berey runs to the left side of Xavier's defense.

Ripple Effect Bites Tomahawks At Crucial TimeBy Reid L Walmark,The Sports Department

CHESHIRE — The loss of a key player at a pivotal time in a tournament setting often can have a ripple effect. For Glastonbury, in its CIAC Class LL football semifinal against two-time defend-ing champion Xavier-Middletown, the in-jury to senior quarterback and all-purpose player Joshua Hill might have been the difference in the Tomahawks’ 30-13 loss, the third in as many years to the Falcons in the state playoffs. One of Hill’s primary receivers, Ben Berey, had to replace him. So the Toma-hawks were hamstrung in their passing at-tack, which was to be prominently featured in the game plan of coach Scott Daniels. Much of Daniels’ offensive scheme cen-ters on the ability to interchange Berey and Hill, giving him choices as to who throws the ball and who can be a popular target in the slot or lining up outside. That option was gone with Hill out and Berey exclusively at quarterback. Hill also is an effective defensive end, so his injury impacted Glastonbury’s defense as well. Hill is accustomed to hard-hitting on the defensive line. He entered the semifinal second among Tomahawks in receptions, Berey third, so absorbing tackles was nothing new to him. Switching to Plan B in the heat of a play-off game would not be embraced by any coaching staff. It wasn’t what the Toma-hawks were hoping would unfold.Glastonbury managed few sustained drives following the injury to Hill, who was 6 of 8 for 95 yards prior to the injury. The Tomahawks offensive possessions were

brief. As a result, the Tomahawks’ defense was forced to contend with Xavier's big and strong offensive line. Glastonbury wore down. And the Tomahawks’ dream to return to the Class LL finals for the first time since 2008 disappeared, as they finished at 10-2 as the No. 7 seed. Not having to contend with Hill the rest of the way helped the Falcons’ cause, said Xavier coach Sean Marinan after the game. “That was a benefit to us,” he said. Berey was 10-for-32 for 80 yards at quarterback but 4 of 23 for 43 yards before the final drive of the game that ended in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Nick Karp. Glastonbury could not prevent Hill – listed at 6-foot-2 inches tall and 222 pounds – from being roughed up by Xavier’s quick and aggressive defense. Hill had been part of the Tomahawks’ season-long three-quarterback rotation, along with Berey and junior Jalen Ollie, who did not play at quarterback against the Falcons. Hill was sacked three times before his final play running the offense just over two minutes into the second quarter on Sunday. He got on to the field for a few plays later in the period but was held out by Glastonbury’s medical staff after constant monitoring on the bench. Hill had a 19-yard gain while scrambling late in the first quarter, and he had scored Glastonbury’s first touchdown on a two-yard plunge into the middle of Xavier’s line, which emphasized to Xavier the need to contain him as much as possible. On a third-and-six play, Hill found no receivers open, so he ran. Boom! He was tackled hard, staying on the turf long enough for the medical staff to tend to him on the field.

Hill was in pain while the trainers ex-amined his knee on the sidelines, trying to stretch it out and testing it for range of motion. And he was still a little groggy after the game – as the Tomahawks were headed to the bus – when asked if he hurt his knee upon getting hit in the head while sustaining the injury. “I’m OK,” he said. “He’ll be fine,” was the response by the medical staff. “He’s a tough kid. He’ll bounce back,” Daniels said. Hill was instrumental in the Tomahawks’ 23-14 win over Southington in the quarter-finals on Nov. 29, which avenged Glaston-bury’s lone regular-season loss (28-21) on Oct. 20. He completed six passes for 150 yards and ran for 44 yards, con-tributing a rushing and passing touchdown each. Hill was a five-way threat for the Tomahawks in 2012 – throwing, receiving, running, making plenty of tackles on defense and supply-ing leader-ship as a captain.

An injury to quarter-back Joshua Hill put an unexpected crimp in Glastonbury's plan to get back to the Class LL football championship game. Photo by: Reid L Walmark

Glastonbury's Seniors

Helped Define Program's Success

By Danny Atkinson The Sports Department

For Glastonbury’s talented football se-niors, Xavier was the ultimate Achilles heel. The Falcons ended Glastonbury’s season in the Class LL semifinals three straight seasons, incuding the Toma-hawks' 30-13 loss Dec. 2 in Cheshire.Despite the loss, the Tomahawks seniors have no reason to hang their heads. The team’s senior core left an impressive legacy at 330 Hubbard St.Glastonbury went 37-9 the past four seasons with trips to the state semifi-nals every year. 2012 was the group’s high-water mark, as they led the way for a squad that won a division title, advanced to the state semifinals and finished 10-2.

This senior group was defined by its versatility. Ben Berey and Josh Hill did outstanding triple-duty work at quarterback, on defense and at wide receiver. Chuck Wooding was a beast at both running back and defensive back, and Tyler Janssen also made big contributions on the ground and in the secondary. Nick Karp and Grant Lewis were two of Glastonbury’s top receivers and linebackers. Finally, DB Ryan Ma-rano and LB Andrew Carbone were both linchpins on defense. Anywhere opponents looked, there was another multi-talented Tomahawks senior ready to make a game-changing play. A number of these seniors played well against Xavier. Berey was 14-for-34 for 120 yards at QB and threw a touch-down to Karp. Hill ran for Glastonbury’s first touchdown before leaving with an injury. Carbone, Marano, Karp and Berey all played well on defense and helped to slow Falcons QB Tim Boyle.After the game, coach Scott Daniels discussed the impact his seniors had on the Tomahawks program. “Our seniors are such a key part of the team and I really feel for them after this loss,” he said. “ They've meant so much to this program over the past couple of years and I am very proud of the success they've had. I will always cherish this group." Berey and Karp said that even more than their success record-wise, they will most remember the senior’s experi-ences together on and off the field. “I will always remember the brother-hood we had together,” Berey stated. “Our experiences will stay with us forever.” “We all loved playing with one an-other,” said Karp. “We formed relation-ships that will last a lifetime.”

Ben Berey and his fellow seniors made a huge impact for the Glastonbury football program.

December 201211 The Sports Department

Local Youth Hockey Program Hosts Harlem TeamBy Nate OwenThe Sports Department

The Eastern Connecticut Hockey Organi-zation’s one-day Mini-Mite Thanksgiving Festival was a sign of just how much the organization has grown in recent years.The tournament, which lasted almost six hours, was held at the Bolton Ice Palace Nov. 24. This was the fifth year of the event, which had four teams its first year. That number grew to 10 this year, includ-ing one from the Harlem section of New York that received a special invitation.Mini-Mite is for players from 4 to 8. Each team played four,cross-ice four-on-four games. Playing cross-ice games gives players a chance to touch the puck more, and better hone their skills, according to Mike Rooney, ECHO’s director of Grow the Game.The rink was split into three playing areas. Each game went 25 minutes, with players skating two-minute shifts. Some games had a fully-equipped goalie, while others just had a player standing in the net.“We try not to pigeon-hole kids into a goal-ie-type position at this age,” Rooney said. “There are so many other things they need to learn besides standing in front of the net with pads attempting to block shots.”Playing in a smaller area didn’t seem to bother any of the participants.“We had refs with striped shirts; the kids swore they were playing in the Stanley Cup,” Rooney said. “It was a great day for everyone.”The Ice Hockey in Harlem group is spon-

sored by the NHL's New York Rangers and plays on an outside rink in Central Park.Rooney said the Harlem team originally reached out to various organizations across Connecticut looking for some of their older kids to come to play in the state. ECHO reached out to them and offered the chance for their Mini-Mite group to play in the Thanksgiving event, waiving the tournament fee.For many of the Harlem skaters, it was their first time in the country and playing in an indoor rink.“It was great,” said Bob Pilney, ECHO’s co-president. “I don’t think any of the kids knew about their different backgrounds. All the parents were hooting and hollering. Once they put on their skates and helmets they were just hockey players.”Pilney said the plan is to send one of ECHO’s older Peewee A teams down to Harlem’s rink at some point.While some of ECHO’s older groups travel for games, the Mini-Mites mainly stay close to home. Both Rooney and Pilney said this level is all about teaching the game and having fun.“You’ll see a little boy or girl score their first goal, or learn to stop and start, or do a drill they haven’t been able to do before,” Pilny said. “That’s what makes its fun for the kids.”ECHO has two co-ed groups for kids inter-ested in playing hockey: Learn to Play and Mini-Mites. Rooney said Learn to Play has 55 players while Mini-Mites has 30. Once players are done with Mini-Mites, they move on to ECHO’s House program, the

highest in-house group.Those numbers are up from three years ago, when Pilney and co-president Ken Comallo took over the program. Rooney said competitive travel leagues have replaced the local, rec-level learning expe-rience that ECHO offers.“We’re not out there directing our energy

trying to get a kid a scholarship at a D1 school somewhere,” Rooney said. “Our at-titude in our three groups is ‘Let’s enjoy it.’ These kids come to the rinks will a smile on their face at 6 a.m. in the morning. They truly and genuinely love what they’re doing.”

The NHL may not be playing any games right now, but, these kids felt like they were in the Stanley Cup.

December 201212 The Sports Department