Wrestling: Loomis ousts Taft, Choate handles Hotchkiss and more

After a long winter break layoff, the Founders League wrestling teams went back at it on Wednesday, with big wins for Trinity-Pawling, Loomis, Choate, and Avon.

The Chase Collegiate School played host to a tri-meet with Trinity-Pawling on Wednesday along with Suffield.  A Trinity Pawling team slowed by injuries pulled off a win against Suffield but then suffered a loss to Chase.

In Winsor, CT on Wednesday, Loomis prevailed over Taft in a match that was closer than the score may reveal.

Lastly, Choate won decisively against an injury riddled Hotchkiss squad.

Loomis 51-28 Taft

This Founders League matchup started off with two forfeits for Taft setting them back 12-0 from the onset. Of the 12 matches wrestled, the Pelicans were 7-5 on the day and lived up to the hype of their strong program.

Taft’s Stephen Mesh (220) had the fastest pin of the day, only needing 34 seconds to win his match.  Michael Hennessy (145) for the Rhinos also pulled off a great win of 11-3 to help Taft stay in contention for the win.

However, Loomis showed better depth and experience as they were able to hang on to win.

Choate 60-18 Hotchkiss

Hotchkiss came into the tri-meet with seven of their thirteen Varsity wrestlers out of the starting lineup due to injuries.  A strong Choate team pounced on this opportunity and handed Bearcats their worst loss in the past five seasons.

Hotchkiss took this rare opportunity to give some JV wrestlers the chance to start in a varsity match where they gave up a good fight but were overpowered in the end. The Choate team was fast and powerful and able to take down all but two of the Hotchkiss wrestlers en route to a dominant win.

 Trinity-Pawling 30-48 Chase Collegiate

With four starters out and only two practices before the meet the T-P Pride were not of their usual strength going into the tri-meet on Wednesday. The strong T-P team failed to capitalize against what was believed to be an underdog Chase team.

Pride wrestlers Jeff Thompson, Derrik Villard, Chris Hattar, and Mark Lisitano, and  Joey Barone all won their respective matches. Both Chris Demaria and Conrad Adams lost matches narrowly but accounted for some much-needed points.

However, in the end, the Pride fell short when two of their wrestlers were pinned with less than 10 seconds remaining on the clock which helped lead Chase to an upset victory.

Trinity Pawling 46-36 Suffield

The Pride got their day back on track with a tough 46-36 victory over the Suffield Tigers.

Freshman Jeff Thompson was able to rally the troops of T-P and started the meet with a big win over one of Suffield’s most talented and experienced wrestlers. T-P wrestlers earning wins were Mark Lisitano, Chris Hatter, Avery Johnson, Troy Lois, Gordon Phillips, Conrad Adams, and Chris DeMaria.

This was a major victory for T-P over a strong program, and they look to build on this momentum going forward.

Choate 68-6 Hyde School (Woodstock, CT)

Choate went into this tri-meet at Hotchkiss coming off a tough loss before break against Brunswick. The Boars were able to easily handle Hyde’s team. Hyde was able to gain only six points on the day while Choate dominated their matches only losing one match in the contest.

Hotchkiss 45-21 Hyde School (Woodstock, CT)

After losing Andrew Vagliano during the Choate match the Bearcats now had eight starting wrestlers out. However, some of the JV call-ups still earned wins.

They were led by Senior captains Angus Cowell and Jason Mitchner who both won their respective matches.

Hollis Perona also turned in an impressive performance wrestling up a weight class to the 145 and pinning Hyde’s wrestler. This was a true team win for Hotchkiss with contributions from all over and a good way to end a disappointing tri-meet.

Avon Old Farms 71-9 The Gunnery

Avon was coming off a strong wins at the Pomfret tri-meet against both Pomfret and Tabor and was able to carry that momentum up to Washington, Connecticut on Wednesday to face The Gunnery.

Avon scored early and often against the Highlanders. Andrei Zaorski and Luis Consuegra led the way both with major pins in their weight classes. With two big forfeits by Gunnery, Avon had a large lead throughout the day.

The Winged Beavers held Gunnery to just two wins one by points and another by pinning. The march continued for Avon as Nick Tarches and Vince Caputo both put in strong performances on the day.

The Winged Beavers continue to look strong as their depth has been improving. Avon now looks forward to Saturday with matches against Founders League teams in Loomis Chaffee and Trinity Pawling.

– Rob Root

Hockey: Kent wins big; Westy, Avon grab W’s and more

Kent has been making noise all season on the rink, and Wednesday was no exception as the Lions put five goals past the TP Pride in front of the home crowd. Westminster escaped a visit from Taft in overtime while Avon managed to climb past Hotchkiss in a close win.

Here’s a look around the league:

Kent 5-0 Trinity-Pawling

Kent completely dominated this game as goaltender Stephen Morrisey had thirty saves and pitched a shutout against Trinity-Pawling on Wednesday. James Ricciardi led the way with a goal and two assists for Kent. Phil Klitirinos had two assists on the day as well. Up next for Kent is a trip to Avon. Both Founders League teams are coming off wins, and it will all be up for grabs this Saturday at 2:00PM.

Westminster 4-3 OT Taft

Westminster pulled off an impressive overtime win against Taft Wednesday. Taggart Corriveau scored twice, while Frankie Sullivan helped with two assists as well, but it was Joe O’Connor who played the hero as he scored the overtime winner for the Martlets. For the Rhinos, Cole Maier had two goals, and Ross Colton scored a goal and added an assist to the score sheet. The majority of goals in this game came from power plays, and it proved to be the difference on the day.

Avon 3-2 Hotchkiss

Brady Collins and Wiley Sherman combined on the first goal for the Bearcats on Wednesday, and they added a second  shortly after in the first period. However, Avon clawed its way back into the game with two goals of its own in the 1st period to even the scoring at 2-2. Avon’s Matty Horton scored the game-winner in the 2nd period on a break-away. Tucker Weppner had a solid game in net with 25 saves. The tall, big-presence netminder is proving to be very reliable for the Winged Beavers this season.

Choate 3-1 Canterbury

Joey Caffrey had a very impressive game for Choate scoring three goals, all of which were assisted by Jeremy Germain. Andrew Tucci played solid between the pipes, posting 27 saves and a .964 save percentage. Canterbury struggled to find the back of the net despite putting 28 shots on net.

Loomis Chaffee 2-3 Deerfield

Sam Lafferty scored two goals with assists coming from Camil Blanchett for Deerfield. The game was hard-fought with Loomis falling just short. However, Nick DeSimone had an outstanding performance for the Pelicans with 32 saves and a .914 save percentage.

– Matt Hahn

Basketball: Choate tops Westy, Hotchkiss rolls Kingswood-Oxford and more

This past Wednesday, there were several big Founders League teams battling it out on the court.  Let’s take a look and see how the action all panned out:

Choate 79-52 Westminster

Choate defeated Westminster in a lopsided game.  The two teams met at Westy, but home court advantage did not aid the Martlets.  The Wild Boars remain in first place for the Founders League while the Martlets are in a 4-way tie for sixth. Choate now moves to 6-0 overall, while Westminster sinks to 3-4.

Hotchkiss 52-22 Kingswood Oxford

On Wednesday, the Wyverns and Bearcats met at Kingswood-Oxford.  Hotchkiss, on a three-game win streak, rolled the yesterday and look to continue its current form against Taft this Saturday.  K.O. looks to add another win to their record with what would be a much needed victory over Pomfret on Saturday.  Hotchkiss is in fifth place behind Kent in the Founders League standings and a 7-1 overall record.

Kent 62-39 Taft

These two rivals had their first games back from the winter break on Wednesday, and Kent controlled the game from start to finish.  Going into halftime, the Lions were up 27-16 and still came out firing in the second half.  Both Kent and Taft play competitive opponents in Founders League competition on Saturday where they hope to succeed against Trinity-Pawling and Hotchkiss, respectively.

Avon Old Farms 66-50 Berkshire

The Winged Beavers were able to pull ahead in the first half of play to solidify their lead throughout the contest.  Berkshire trailed the entire game and had a hard time stringing together consecutive shots against a strong Avon defense.  Offensive rebounds for the Beavers greatly aided in their victory on Wednesday as well.  Andre Boggs and Artis Parris were a dynamic duo for the Winged Beavers and connected on several plays. Despite a 3-7 overall record, Avon stands in 3rd place within the Founders League with a 1-0 record in league play.

Trinity-Pawling 80-58 Canterbury

Trinity-Pawling beat a talented Canterbury team by a large margin on Wednesday. Senior Co-Captain Noah Woods of The Pride threw up 20 points followed by Jeremy Arthur who had 16 points.  Everyone saw the court for The Pride, who is now the second ranked Founders League team.  T.P. looks to build on their 8-1 record this weekend against a strong Kent team.

Loomis Chaffee 62-68 Brunswick

In one of the out-of-league games from Wednesday, Loomis fell in a nail-biter to Brunswick.  The Pelicans were the hosts on the day but could not build off their home court advantage.  Brunswick pulled away in the final minutes to defeat Loomis and leave the Pelicans with 2-4 overall record.

Basketball Preview: Trinity-Pawling, Hotchkiss look to stay rolling and more

Wednesday:

Kent (3-4) vs. Taft (2-4) @ 2:30PM

Kingswood-Oxford (1-4) vs. Hotchkiss (6-1) @ 3:30PM

Avon Old Farms (2-5) vs. Berkshire @ 4:00PM

Canterbury vs. Trinity-Pawling (7-1) @ 4:00PM

Loomis Chaffee (4-4) vs. Brunswick @ 4:00PM

Westminster (3-3) vs. Choate (4-0) @ 4:00PM

Friday:

Westminster vs. Canterbury @ 5:00PM

Saturday:

Pomfret vs. Kingswood-Oxford @ 2:30PM

Choate vs. Phillips Exeter @ 2:30 PM

Taft vs. Hotchkiss @ 4:00PM

Trinity-Pawling vs. Kent @ 7:00PM

Avon Old Farms vs. Canterbury (being played at Tufts University) @ 8:30PM

Hockey [UPDATED]: Upcoming Housatonic League games this week

With the Christmas break now behind us, it is time to buckle down and focus on the task at hand: the tail-end of the season. Kent has put together an impressive string of wins (including the Avon Christmas Classic championship), while Choate grabbed a double-overtime win against Nichols in the championship game of the Lawrenceville Invitational.

Let’s take a look around the Housatonic League this week:

Wednesday:

Kent (10-2-1) 5-0 Trinity-Pawling (5-5)

Westminster (4-5-1) 4-3 OT Taft (5-6)

Avon Old Farms (5-3-1) 3-2 Hotchkiss (2-8)

Choate (7-4) 3-1 Canterbury

Loomis Chaffee (5-5) 2-3 Deerfield (5-4-1)

Friday:

Cushing Academy vs. Deerfield @ 6:00PM

Kingswood-Oxford (1-3) vs. Rye Country Day School @ 7:00PM

Saturday:

Avon Old Farms vs. Kent @ 2:00PM

Deerfield vs. Trinity-Pawling @ 2:30PM

Worcester Academy vs. Kingswood-Oxford @ 2:40PM

Loomis Chaffee vs. Hotchkiss @ 3:00PM

Salisbury (9-0-1) vs. Westminster @ 3:00PM

Choate vs. Taft @ 7:00PM

Lacrosse Commit Exclusive: Caelahn Bullen (TP) commits to Cornell

Why Cornell?

Cornell has always been one of the top universities with one of the best lacrosse programs in both Div 1 and Ivy League. I wanted a university that would offer the highest academics and highest level of play. I fell in love with the university as soon as I stepped foot onto its soil. Both coach Kerwick and Milliman are renowned coaches in the NCAA, and I’m honored that they selected me to join in their vision.

Were there any other schools that showed serious interest in you? Was there anything you liked or disliked about them?

I was fortunate to be able to play with some amazing teams in incredible showcases and tournaments that got me seen by a lot of coaches. Over the past year, I had Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Boston University, Air Force, UMBC, UNC, Ohio State, and Marquette show serious interest. I researched what they offered academically and liked many of their programs. Cornell just had a feeling about it, but I would have been happy to choose any of the offering universities.

Obviously, the lacrosse season hasn’t even begun. How does this decision affect your approach to the year?

It doesn’t change anything in my approach. I understand that I will always have room to develop as a player. The only thing that this does is fuel me to work harder as I know I’ll need to be my best academically and athletically when the time comes.

What opponent are you most looking forward to playing in the spring? How come?

All of them! I love to compete and the level of talent in the Founders League is to be respected.

Is there anyone who has been influential or particularly helpful in your time at Trinity-Pawling?

Coach Bell. He has been a huge supporter even before I stepped foot on campus.

Hockey: Kent takes home the Avon Christmas Classic trophy

 

Kent 6-2 St. Paul’s

Morrissey and his award.

It was Kent who came away with a 7-2 win over St. Paul’s and the trophy after a hard-fought path to the championship game of the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic.

Led by senior goaltender Stephen Morrissey, the Lions waded through a tough pool of opponents including Avon Old Farms, Tabor Academy, and Berkshire.

Morrissey was given a well-deserved MVP Award after recording a .957 tournament save percentage, having allowed only 4 goals.

For the Lions, the goals today came from Anthony Rinaldi (2 goals), Greg Krisberg, Max Kaufman, Dylan McCrory, and Keanu Hilaire.

St. Paul’s attempted to rally twice, but it was no use, as the stout defensive play from Kent prevented the Big Red from mounting any serious comeback.

Hockey: Avon Christmas Classic Day 2 Recap

St. Paul’s 4-3 Gunnery

The Pelicans are making a real habit out of scoring four unanswered goals at the Avon Christmas Classic. Yesterday, it was Loomis Chaffee who fell victim to their four-goal runs, but this morning, it was Gunnery who was left in their wake.

Despite taking a 3-0 lead in the game, St. Paul’s battled back to take the game 4-3, and the Big Red are sitting on top of the Pierpont Division as they prepare for the 3:00 PM game against Trinity-Pawling. Should they win that game, the Pelicans will be in the championship game.

Kent 2-0 Tabor

The Lions roll on past another strong team in Tabor Academy. The 2-0 final score leave Kent 2-0 at the Avon Christmas Classic.

After a scoreless first period of play, Kent broke the deadlock through junior Max Kaufman with an assist from Brendan Soucie, player who has been on a good run lately. Dylan McCrory doubled the lead when Andrew Chugg played him in on a breakaway with 21:00 to play in the second. The Lions held off a Tabor team with many chances of their own but simply couldn’t convert past Kent goaltender Stephen Morrissey (26 saves).

Kent now must face Berkshire at 7:00 PM, and should they win that game, the Lions will find themselves in the championship game.

Tabor faces a winless Avon Old Farms in the final game of the day at 9:00 PM. Both teams will be playing for pride; however, that could likely mean fireworks in a game where no apparent championship implications are on the line.

Berkshire 2-1 Avon Old Farms

The Berkshire Bears notched a hard-fought 2-1 victory of the Winged Beavers of Avon on Friday morning. Charlie Corcoran got the Bears out in front with 10 minutes to play in the first period of play. It wouldn’t last long; however, as Austin Jadovich ’15 struck back to even things up.

But it was Craig Puffer who would be the hero for the Bears, as he grabbed the game-winning goal with 7 minutes left in the contest. Avon couldn’t pull one back, so it was Berkshire who marched on to a victory.

Trinity-Pawling 6-4 St. Paul’s

Despite being down several goals, Trinity-Pawling put together a 5-goal run in second period to seal the victory.

Kent 6-0 Berkshire

Avon 4-2 Tabor 

Despite going down first, Avon rallied back to claim its first win of the tournament. Avon scored four unanswered goals to put the Winged Beavers up 4-1, a deficit which ultimately was enough to see Avon emerge victorious.

Mac Carnes, Brendan Ashe, Frank Horowitz were all goal-scorers for Avon, and it took physical play to defeat a tough Tabor team who recorded impressive victories already in the tournament.

Hockey: Avon Christmas Classic Day 1 Recap

Gunnery 5-2 Trinity-Pawling

Gunnery is off to a great start with a 5-2 win over Trinity-Pawling in the first game of the 31st annual Christmas Hockey Classic. They looked confident on the ice, patiently moving the puck up from their defenseman to their forwards with crisp passing.

They finally broke through in the first period when Kevin Darrar swung the puck out wide to Fredrik Blomgren, who buried it with one second left in a power play. Darrar would be instrumental to this offense, having a hand in each of Gunnery’s next three goals. TP rallied with a pair of their own goals but could not overcome the lead Gunnery built.

Gunnery hopes to keep the momentum going into their morning game tomorrow, in which they will face St. Paul’s, while TP hopes to rebound early on, facing Loomis Chaffee in the first game to be played tomorrow.

Kent 5-2 Avon Old Farms

Avon and Kent played out a Founders League clash that had plenty of excitement right from the start. Kent shot out to a quick 3-0 lead to stun the hosts of the tournament. Avon clawed one back through Sam Louizeaux but had trouble finding a way past Kent’s net-minder Stephen Morrissey. The senior had a stellar game between the sticks and should continue to be a difference-maker for the rest of the tournament.

The teams exchanged power plays as both sets of players found it hard to stay out of the penalty box. But Kent was able to be more effective in front of goal, with Philip Klitirinos turning in a fantastic 2 goal, 1 assist performance.

Kent and Avon both look to their respective games tomorrow at 11:00 AM. Kent will face Tabor Academy at Trinity College, while Avon will take on Berkshire at the Jennings Fairchild rink on AOF’s campus.

St. Paul’s 4-1 Loomis Chaffee

Loomis who drew first blood in the game through Alexander Esposito ’15, but it was St. Paul’s who responded with four unanswered goals to take the win on the night.

Senior Luke Babcock and junior Cam Brando put in solid performances for the Pelicans. Despite a strong showing from Loomis’ Jamie Cox between the pipes, St. Paul’s proved to be too much an offensive threat.

Tomorrow, Loomis faces TP in an early-bird 9:00 AM game at Trinity College, while St. Paul’s also has an early game against Gunnery at Jennings Fairchild Rink on AOF campus.

Tabor Academy – Berkshire School

Stats, score pending.

Hockey Wednesday Recap: Loomis defeats Choate, Avon continues streak and more

Wednesday, Loomis-Chaffee battled Choate and came out on top 5-2; both teams will be traveling to major tournaments in New England this week. Avon Old Farms ended a two-year losing streak against Deerfield and made a statement with a 7-3 victory over the Green Doors. Trinity-Pawling defeated a talented Brunswick team 3-2 on Wednesday, coming back from an upsetting loss to Avon Old Farms the previous Saturday.

Loomis-Chaffee 5-2 Choate

After a tough 0-3 loss against Canterbury, Loomis was able to defeat Choate substantially on Wednesday.  Before the season started, Coach Zavisza said, “Every game is important.”  The Pelicans won an important one against Choate and have increased their record to 2-3.  This week, Loomis will travel to the Christmas Classic, while Choate ventures to Lawrenceville Academy for their tournament.

Avon Old Farms 7-3 Deerfield

Highlights here

On Wednesday, the two rivals met at Jennings-Fairchild Rink in Avon, CT to continue their age-long battle.  In the first period, Avon netted 6 goals coming from Chase Zieky ’15 (2 goals), Mac Carnes ’14 (1 goal), Corey Morgan ’15 (1 goal) Matt Cowles ’14 (1 goal), and Sam Levin ’14 (1 goal).  Carnes punched in the final goal in and made the score 7-2 by the end of the 2nd period.  For the visitors, Kevin Doyle chipped in with a goal along with Sam Lafferty and Joe Redfearn.

Cody Doyle’s 28 saves on the day also greatly helped the Winged Beavers win against Deerfield for the first time in two years.

Avon will play in their own Christmas Classic this week and Deerfield will compete in the Flood-Marr classic.

Trinity-Pawling 3-2 Brunswick

After a quiet 1st period from T.P., a massive momentum shift led the Pride to a strong showing in the 2nd.  Trinity-Pawling’s Stein La Fontaine ’15 and  Devin Brink ’14  both netted key power-play goals to make the score 2-1.  Johnny Coughlin ’14 would tally another mark in the goal column with a deflection from a Tyler Gywn ’15 slap shot.  Brunswick would score one more time early during the 3rd period, but T.P. goalie Felix Marcotte-Hetu ’15 would not allow any more shots past him.  He ended the game with 32 saves.

The Pride look to add to their success at the annual Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic this week.