All-Herald Sports - New Britain Herald 12-29-2013

Mike Orazzi | StaffSouthington’s Alex Jamele (9) celebrates a touchdown during a Class LL state tournament semifinal at West Haven High School. Southington won that game and the state championship as well.

Season to celebrate All-Herald

teams for fallseason inside

NewBritainHerald.com/Sports | Sunday, December 29, 2013All-Herald Special

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ALL-HERALD SPECIAL Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 2The Herald Press

All-Herald Girls SwimmingAlthough none of our area’s

swim teams competed for a Class title this season, there still were sev-eral talented swimmers who made a big impact on their respected programs.

Whether it was Berlin and Plainville cracking the top 15 in Class M, or Newington in Class L or Southington in LL, all of our swim teams had successful seasons, with several standout swimmers.

The stars of the pool this season make up our All-Herald Girls Swim Team.

We begin with a trio of Plainville swimmers.

Serving as captain of the Blue Devils, Megan Farmer is a very familiar name in our All-Herald ranks. In addition to making the all-conference team all four years at Plainville, Farmer has been part of our All-Herald team all four years as well.

She had the top finish for Plainville in the Class S Championships, taking sixth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 26.08, and was part of the 200 medley team that took 10th. Farmer has been as consistent as they come during her time at Plainville, and with her graduating in the spring, her presence will be sorely missed. She plans to attend college and continue her swimming career.

Joining Farmer is teammate Sydney McGough. The all-con-ference sophomore was also a member of Plainville’s 200 medley

team that took 10th in Class S, and was very accomplished in the 100 backstroke, taking home gold in the CCC South meet. Despite only being a sophomore, McGough has earned a varsity letter in her each of her two years at Plainville, as well as making the all-academic team twice.

Another Plainville sophomore joins our ranks in Taylor Rogers. Like McGough, Rogers has been a member of the all-conference team in both of her years at Plainville, excelling in the 500 freestyle. She has aspirations of breaking the record for that event before she graduates. Rogers qualified for states in both the 200 and 500 free-style, and helped the 400 freestyle relay team take 12th at the Class S Championships. While Rogers is accomplished in the pool, she also thrives outside of it as a member of the school’s honor roll, as well as being selected as the school’s representative for the HOBY Leadership Committee.

Between her and McGough, the future is very bright for the Blue Devils, despite the small numbers on the roster.

Next is Southington’s Laurel Dean. The Blue Knights cap-tain has been a member of the all-conference team all four years at Southington, and was the conference champion in the 100 breaststroke. She finished 20th in the State Open at the 100 breaststroke. She holds numerous school records, including the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Dean is also a prominent member of Southington’s lacrosse team, earning all-conference honors there as well. She plans on continuing her lacrosse career at the next level, as she decides between Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Newington’s Danielle Rocheleau is next, and the junior is fresh off another stellar season. Rocheleau’s sixth place finish in the 200 freestlye was the highest finish of any of our area’s athletes in the State Open. Her third place finish

in the 200 freestlye and fourth place finish in the 500 freestyle helped lead the Indians at the Class L Championships. She has been a key cog in Newington’s success the last few years and she still has her senior year ahead of her.

Rounding out our list is Berlin’s Olivia DeGroff. The second-year scholar athlete has already made a huge impact for the Redcoats. In the State Open, DeGroff was one of our highest finishers, taking 13th place in the 100 breaststroke. She took sixth in the 100 breast-

stroke and 200 IM at the Class S Championships. She has been named to the all-conference team in both years at Berlin and is the 2013 recipient of the Coaches Award.

The 2013 fall season was a very successful one for our area’s swim-mers, and with so many only in their sophomore years, 2014 figures to be even better.

Chris McLaughlin can be reached at (860) 225-4601 ext 255 or at [email protected]

By CHRIS MCLAUGHLINSTAFF WRITER

Six leaders make up our team

MEGAN FARMER PLAINVILLE

LAUREL DEAN

SOUTHINGTON

SYDNEY MCGOUGH

PLAINVILLE

OLIVIA DEGROFF

BERLIN

TAYLOR ROGERS PLAINVILLE

DANIELLE ROCHELEAU

NEWINGTON

Southington football will forever be championsThe Southington football team had

to wait almost two weeks before finally playing the Class LL State Championship game against Fairfield Prep. While in reali-ty it was not all that long in between games, it certainly felt like an eternity for the Blue Knights.

Since getting ousted from the playoffs in the first round by Glastonbury a year ago, Southington players have been chomping at the bit to get a second chance to play for a state title.

At the beginning of the season, it was evident the Knights had the talent to reach their goal. With players like Stephen Barmore, Alex Jamele, Tyler Hyde, Zach Maxwell and many others, it was easy to see Southington was a championship-cali-ber team.

When the playoffs came around, the Knights left little doubt they were one of, if not the best teams in the state. Southington cruised into the state title game with a 52-14 win over Norwich Free Academy

followed by a 45-0 drubbing of Ridgefield in the semifinals.

A weather delay pushed the champion-ship game back by almost a week, but when the Knights got a chance to play for the title, they did not disappoint.

The Southington faithful were out in full force with their cow bells ringing louder than ever at West Haven High School as they watched their beloved Knights make an incredible second half comeback to defeat the Jesuits 52-34.

As players, coaches and family members celebrated the title victory on the field, the Southington community truly came togeth-er as one. The bell ringing had stopped and celebratory hugs and photo-taking ensued as players took turns with the champion-ship plaque.

“Once a Blue Knight, always a Blue Knight.”

The Southington football team’s motto rang true, especially for the seniors, follow-

Continued ON PAGE 8

ALL-HERALD SPECIAL3 | Sunday, December 29, 2013 The Herald Press

All-Herald Girls SoccerThe 2013 All-Herald Girls

Soccer Team has it all. The squad is loaded with players who can put the ball in the net as well as set plays up, talented midfielders who can start the offense, and defend-ers who will keep the ball out of the net. Throw in a star goalkeep-er, and this team is unbeatable.

We’ll start with the forwards. Newington sophomore Kaila Lozada had 13 goals this season on the way to an all-state selec-tion as well as the all-conference team. An honor roll student, Lozada can finish off just about any chance created and even had a pair of assists this season. Her main job, however, is to score, and she would be our finisher.

Another sophomore, Stephanie Martino, had eight goals and 13 assists this season for Plainville, which was transitioning to a younger group. As good a student as she is a player, Martino also exhibits leadership, as evidenced by her spot as the starting point guard on the basketball team. Martino can score or create chances, a big help to any offense.

This team is young, with Newington sophomore Mackenzie Luiz serving as one of the playmakers. With six goals and four assists, Luiz was a big part of Newington’s offense, often helping Lozada get those goals. She’d be a passer on this team, but she can finish as well.

Another Newington Indian, Brooke Hellman, played in the middle and had seven goals and six assists. Her team’s captain, the senior is being looked at by Western Connecticut and St. Joe’s. She’s also in the National Honor Society and gives our team a vet-eran leader.

This team isn’t just about offense. Berlin’s Sophia Morell played that role this year, but only after serving as a defender a year ago. She had nine goals this year but can play all over the field, which gives this team flexibility. Morell too is only a sophomore.

Morell’s teammate, Michelle Grieco, is a key part of this team’s midfield. Ranked No. 1 in her

class, Grieco’s intelligence and decision making skills make her perfect for the middle of the field. She had eight goals and numerous assists, specializing in crosses, and already has two years of varsity starting experience.

Plainville’s Danielle Angelillo had 16 goals and 12 assists despite seeing time in the midfield as well as up front. Able to fill both

roles, the senior is on her third All-Herald soccer team, was the team’s MVP this year as well as a captain. Likely off to Eastern Connecticut State to play next season, Angelillo is a four-time all-academic team member.

Every good team, no matter how good the scorers, needs a defense, and this team has one. Maya Kazmierczak of New

Britain leads our team’s back line. The senior sweeper just made her second all-conference team, is a four-year starter and a captain. Focused on academics, she wants to attend UConn, and is her school’s National Honor Society president.

Silvana Tellerico of Southington is a senior defender who made the all-conference

team this season and is also in the National Honor Society. She expects to play in college next year and should get the chance after helping to anchor Southington’s defense.

She had help doing so from junior defender Emily Lippincott. A defender who also had three goals this year, Lippincott is a three-year varsity team member and is coming off an all-confer-ence pick in soccer and a state title in softball. Already getting looks from colleges, expect to hear her name quite a bit next season as a leader of the Blue Knights.

If anything gets past our defense, Berlin goalkeeper Michaela Dehm will be there to stop it. The sophomore was a big part of the Redcoats’ run to the state tournament despite some midseason adversity with a coach-ing change. An all-academic team member, Dehm already has two years as a starter under her belt and is more than able to stand up to the pressure of playing on this star-studded team.

The 11 members of this year’s All-Herald Girls Soccer Team are all stars, and with so many of them sophomores, you’ll be reading about many of them in this section next year. None of the area’s teams won state titles this season, but just wait until the young stars on this list get some more experience in the two years many of them have left with their respective schools.

Matt Straub can be reached at (860) 225-4601 ext. 273 or [email protected] On Twitter: @mattattheherald

By MATT STRAUBSTAFF WRITER

Young athletes highlight our list of stars on the pitch this fall season

MICHAELA DEHM BERLIN

EMILY LIPPINCOTT

SOUTHINGTON

SILVANA TELLERICO SOUTHINGTON

SOPHIA MORELL

BERLIN

KAILA LOZADA NEWINGTON

MACKENZIE LUIZ

NEWINGTONSTEPHANIE MARTINO

PLAINVILLE

BROOKE HELLMAN NEWINGTON

DANIELLE ANGELILLO

PLAINVILLE

MAYA KAZMIERCZAK

NEW BRITAINMICHELLE

GRIECO BERLIN

038391

DANIELLEWe are

so proud of you and all your

accomplishments.Love, Mom & Dad


All-Herald Girls VolleyballThe Southington girls volleyball

team led the way this fall among area teams, finishing the regular season with an impressive 13-6 record after losing a lot of talent from the season before. The Blue Knights advanced to the second round of the Class LL tournament before falling to Darien.

Perhaps the best story of the season was Newington, which went 10-10 and made the LL tourna-ment after going winless in 2012. The Indians lost in the first round to Stamford, but it was considered a successful season for Newington.

The Berlin, Plainville and New Britain teams all missed their respective tournaments, but that did not prevent numerous players from having strong seasons.

Leading Southington was junior Caroline Barry, who proved to be one of the big hitters for the Knights. Her 73 aces led the team and her 169 kills and 21 blocks were good for second. She also contributed 115 digs on the year.

Barry was named “Player of the Match” four times after making the transition from middle hitter to outside hitter. She was an All-CCC player in 2013.

Barry is currently on a 17U national volleyball team with the CT Juniors. She plans to attend college but does not plan on play-

ing volleyball. Another All-

Herald selection from Southington is libero Allison McCormick, who was a senior cap-tain. McCormick was also an All-CCC player who received her third varsity letter. Perhaps her best match of the season was against Darien when she recorded a team-high 32 digs.

McCormick is also a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society. She is hoping to attend college some-where in New England.

One of the key com-ponents to Newington’s resurgence was setter Carly Wanner-Hyde. Just a sophomore, Wanner-Hyde had a whopping 453 assists and has been on the varsity squad both years of high school. She also started every set this sea-son and is an honor roll student.

Wanner-Hyde would like to play volleyball in college. Since she is only a sophomore, she still has a while to think about her next step.

Senior Stasha Greenalch was a big, veteran presence for Newington as well. An All-CCC player, Greenalch was one of many who helped turn the program around this year.

Berlin senior Alicia Maule has

already been on All-Herald teams before. This is the second time she was voted to the All-Herald volley-ball team and she also made it on the basketball team last winter.

Maule is a four-time all-aca-demic player in both volleyball and basketball. She is a two-time All-CCC volleyball player, includ-ing this fall. She is a three-time Redcoats Assist Award winner, and has 956 career assists in three years.

Maule also plans on attending

college, but is not pursuing sports.Abigail Underwood is the sec-

ond Berlin player to make our All-Herald team this year.

As a junior, Underwood served as an outside hitter for the Redcoats. She had 209 digs, 138 kills, 32 aces and 187 serve recep-tions this past fall, all of which led the team, and was voted to the All-CCC team.

She was an all-academic player her sophomore and junior years

and received the Coaches Award.New Britain senior setter Jay

Mesa rounds out this year’s All-Herald girls volleyball team. While the Golden Hurricanes struggled this fall, Mesa was a bright spot on the team.

An All-CCC selection, Mesa also received a Student of the Month award and is a member of the National Honor Society. She plans on attending college, but is not interested in playing sports.

By CARL JOSEPHSONSTAFF WRITER

CAROLINE BARRY

SOUTHINGTON

ALICIA MAULE

BERLIN

CARLY WANNER-HYDE

NEWINGTON

STASHA GREENALCH

NEWINGTON

ALLISON MCCORMICK

SOUTHINGTON

ABIGAIL UNDERWOOD

BERLIN

JAY MESA

NEW BRITAIN

Another great year on court for our stars

All-Herald Girls Cross CountryWith Berlin’s third place finish

in the Class M Championships, it’s no wonder three of those runners are on our All-Herald Girls Cross Country Team.

While the Redcoats were the area’s top finisher, Plainville and Southington both fared well, with the Blue Knights taking seventh in Class LL and the Blue Devils finishing 17th in Class SS.

Leading off our team of stars is


NICOLE GRIECO

BERLIN

LISA GRIECO

BERLIN

DELANEY RUSSELL PLAINVILLE

LAUREN PERKOWSKI

SOUTHINGTON

TAYLOR LUPINI

BERLINContinued ON PAGE 8


All-Herald Boys Soccer

The 2013 All-Herald Boys Soccer Team is deep, tough and talented. It has players who can score in a variety of ways, a host of midfielders who can get an attack started or help stop one, and a strong group of defenders who can make the life of any goalten-der easy, not that ours needs any help.

Several of the area’s teams made long runs this season, with Plainville reaching the semifinals in Class M and Berlin going to the quarters in Class M, but every one of the area’s teams had strong players who were worthy candi-dates for this list.

No talk of boys soccer in this area this season can begin with-out Alex Bednarek. The Berlin senior’s list of accomplishments are staggering: four all-conference picks, three all-state picks, two team MVPs, three team Golden Boots and four all-academic team selections. He hasn’t picked his college yet, but with a resume like that, he’ll have plenty of choices. After proving his ability to per-form in the clutch in the state tournament, his credentials only got stronger.

The other top player on our team is Shane Pugliese of Plainville. A four-year starter and two-time all-state pick, the two-time captain filled in at midfield this year because of injuries but is one of the best playmakers around. Strong on the ball despite his lack of size, his willingness to get into the mix and win balls before unleashing his speed was fun to watch.

His teammate, Quentin Lux, can also shift between the middle and front lines. Lux had 12 goals this season and the junior already has two all-conference awards to his credit. Another speedster, Lux wants to play soccer in college and has the speed and versatility to do so. His track background serves him well on the pitch, as do his skills.

The midfield has to start with Kuba Kazmierczak. The New Britain junior manned the center mid for the Hurricanes this year and earned all-state honors for his work. An honor roll student who has been playing since the age of three, he has his eyes on UConn’s soccer team, which made the Elite Eight this season.

Senior Dan Connolly was a big reason Southington was in so many games this season. A three-

year varsity player who made the all-conference team, Southington’s captain will be on his way to Duke after graduating from Southington. Connolly had two goals this season and was strong in the midfield.

So was Berlin’s Evan Hale. The junior midfielder made his second all-conference team this season, helping Berlin with three goals and four assists while doing all the little things midfielders do. An

honor student, he was a key part of the Redcoats’ deep playoff run this season.

Plainville made a big run as well, and senior Andrew Rottier was a big part of it. The midfielder and captain made 75 varsity starts for Plainville, a school record. Helping Plainville make the semi-finals twice, Rottier made three all-conference teams for a team which went 25 conference match-es in a row without a loss. He

could end up at WPI next year.Our final midfielder is

Newington’s Mitchell Ambruso. An all-state selection, Ambruso was his team’s leading scorer three straight years and served as a captain. He had 10 of his 22 career goals this year and had eight assists for the Indians on the way to his second all-conference pick. He will play at Springfield College next season.

The team’s defense is led by Berlin’s Kristopher Langevin. The senior was a huge part of the Berlin run to the Class L state quarterfinals this year, and his defensive work did not go unnoticed despite the lack of stats a defender gets. Not only was he an all-conference pick this season, but he earned the team’s Redcoat Award and is off to Western New England, Bentley or Nichols College.

Alexander Queen of Southington had a fabulous year in the middle of his team’s back line, earning an all-conference pick. The senior is a three-time letter winner and will play in college, perhaps at MIT, which makes sense since he’s at the top of his class.

Chris Kapuscinski is at the top of the area’s goalkeeper ranks. The Newington senior was a four-year starter and was nearly unbeat-able in net for the Indians. He is deciding between a couple of Division I offers and is an honor student.

This year’s boys soccer season was a very successful one around our area, and these athletes were the main reasons why. With so much talent, it’s easy to see why this area is among the best in the state for boys soccer.

By MATT STRAUBSTAFF WRITER

Our all-star team would be tough to beat on field

CHRIS KAPUSCINSKI

NEWINGTONALEXANDER

QUEEN SOUTHINGTON

KRISTOPHER LANGEVIN

BERLIN

DAN CONNOLLY SOUTHINGTON

EVAN HALE BERLIN

ALEX BEDNAREK

BERLIN

ANDREW ROTTIER PLAINVILLE

QUENTIN LUX

PLAINVILLE

KUBA KAZMIERCZAK

NEW BRITAIN

SHANE PUGLIESE

PLAINVILLE

MITCHELL AMBRUSO

NEWINGTON

KRISTOPHERCONGRATULATIONS

We are proud of you!

Mom, Dad & Krista


ALL-H

ERAL

D FOO

TBAL

L

STEPHEN BARMORE SOUTHINGTON

ZACH MAXWELL SOUTHINGTON

ALEX JAMELE

SOUTHINGTON

DYLAN KRIVICKAS

NEW BRITAIN

MARCUS TORRES

NEW BRITAIN

TYLER HYDE

SOUTHINGTON

KYLE ARMOUR NEWINGTON

ISAIAH YOUNG

NEWINGTON

DIANTE LEWIS

NEW BRITAIN

JOSH GRAVES

NEW BRITAIN

10 20 30 40

All-Herald Football TeamThe Southington foot-

ball team just got through winning its second Class LL State Championship in school history, so there was no doubt our All-Herald Football Team would be dominated by Blue Knights players.

No other area team made the playoffs in their respective classes, but some improved on last season while others dropped off a bit.

Newington went 5-6 and New Britain went 4-6 in Class LL, Plainville went 4-6 in Class S and Berlin followed up its Class M runner-up finish in 2012 with a 5-6 season in 2013.

Southington quarterback Stephen Barmore is one of the headliners on this year’s All-Herald squad. In his senior season, Barmore became the winningest quarterback in school history with 31 victories, the last one coming in the state championship over Fairfield Prep.

Barmore also set school records for most touchdown passes in a

season with 42 and completions in a career with 464. One of the state’s best quarterbacks, Barmore threw for almost 3,000 yards this year and had 42 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

An All-CCC selection this year, Barmore has committed to play football at Yale University next fall.

His favorite target was junior wide receiver Alex Jamele, who became a state record holder with 29 touchdown receptions this sea-son, breaking the previous record of 25. With 1,623 yards receiving on 79 receptions, Jamele had a monster junior year.

He too broke school records in points scored, touchdowns scored and receiving yards in a single season.

He too is an All-CCC player, and he saved the best for last in the state championship game, catching 10 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

Tyler Hyde was a strong pres-ence in the Knights backfield and really picked up his game late in the season. The senior scored seven touchdowns in three games

during the playoffs, including four in the quarterfinals victory over Norwich Free Academy.

Including the state title game, Hyde ran for 1,119 yards this season and 19 touchdowns and was also a key factor in the Southington secondary. He also caught one touchdown and had an interception on the season.

Zach Maxwell was the state’s best pass rusher when looking at the season’s final statistics. The senior led the state in sacks with 17 and made 38 solo tackles and 61 total at defensive end. Maxwell holds the school record for most sacks in a season and career sacks (28).

Maxwell also played a key role in the backfield, rushing for 455 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown in the semifinals win over Ridgefield.

Zach Jamele was overlooked at times, but he was one of Southington’s best defensive play-ers from the linebacker position over the last few years. The broth-er of Alex, Zach Jamele led the team in tackles with 126, includ-

ing 10 total tackles in the state title game.

Jamele also had four sacks on the year to go along with two interceptions, one of which came against Fairfield Prep. He also recovered four fumbles in his senior season.

Jim Nardi was the heart and soul of the Southington offensive line. As a senior captain, Nardi was looked to as a veteran presence on the offensive line, and he delivered after losing three key pieces to the line from the 2012 team. Like his fellow seniors, Nardi departs from high school on top with a state championship.

A good placekicker in high school is often overlooked, but Kyle Smick was as good as they come for the Knights. Smick missed just one extra point all sea-son and two in his two-year career. He holds the school record for most extra points made in a season (71), most extra points made in a career (119), most field goals made in a season (9) and most career field goals (10).

Smick made a 21-yard field goal

in the state championship game and also knocked through all seven of his extra point attempts. Smick plans on kicking in college and is being recruited by CCSU and the University of New Hampshire, but he is not about to sign his National Letter of Intent yet.

Newington had a disappointing 2013 season after high hopes at the beginning of the year, but the Indians finished strong, winning four of their last six games.

Wide receiver Kyle Armour was a big playmaker for Newington with 65 catches and 864 receiving yards on the year to go along with a team-high nine receiving touch-downs. He led the team in both receptions and touchdowns.

As a junior, Armour was also an All-CCC player and is on the honor roll. He plans on playing football in college, but is not yet being recruited.

Senior Isaiah Young was also a force to be reckoned with out of the backfield for the Indians, rushing for 967 yards and nine

By CARL JOSEPHSONSTAFF WRITER

22 area gridiron stars make up our exclusive list, with 7 coming from champs

Continued ON PAGE 7


KYLE SMICK

SOUTHINGTON

ANTHONY SISTI BERLIN

CHRISTIAN ZOTTI

NEWINGTON

ANTHONY DUONG

BERLIN

DANTI VASI JR.

BERLIN

ZACH JAMELE

SOUTHINGTON

JIM NARDI

SOUTHINGTON

JAKE STEFANSKI

PLAINVILLE

NICK MAMET NEWINGTON

JEFF ZIEGENHAGEN

PLAINVILLE

JON LINDGREN

PLAINVILLE

ERIC FISCHER PLAINVILLE

10203040

All-Herald Football Teamtouchdowns this past year, aver-aging 5.4 yards per carry. He also registered one sack on the season.

Christian Zotti not only gets things done on the wrestling mat, but he had a great senior season on the football field. As a free safety, Zotti led the team in total tackles with 126 and also had one sack in his All-CCC season.

He also recovered four fumbles and had two interceptions from his safety position. He plans on playing football in college.

Another All-CCC selection, Nicholas Mamet was second behind Zotti with 110 tackles. He was third on the team in sacks with three and recovered two more fumbles in his senior season as one of the team’s linebackers.

New Britain picked up four wins this year, which was one more than the previous season. The Hurricanes got some big contributions from senior captain Dylan Krivickas. An All-CCC player, Krivickas was a solid defensive tackle this year. He also had one rushing touchdown as a fullback.

Krivickas was an all-state

wrestler last winter and was an All-Herald selection. He is in the top 20-percent of his class and is a New Britain High School Health Academy student ambassador. He plans on going to Springfield College in their Physician’s Assistant Program. He has been contacted by the wrestling coach there as well.

Diante Lewis made an impact on both offense and defense for the Hurricanes. As a defensive back, Lewis was another key to New Britain’s defensive success. In his first year starting varsity and just his second year at New Britain, Lewis was an All-CCC player his senior season. While he is not currently being recruited, Lewis plans on going to college to play football.

Marcus Torres was another All-CCC cornerback and wide receiver his junior season and has been starting since his sophomore year. He was voted the defensive rookie of the year as a sophomore and he picked up where he left off. Torres also has a 3.1 GPA.

Torres also wants to play foot-ball at the collegiate level.

Josh Graves was another junior who made a big impact in the

middle of New Britain’s defense. At middle linebacker, Graves was a big part of his team’s success, which is why he was voted to the All-CCC team.

He is currently looking at pro-spective colleges and universities and wants to play football at the next level.

Plainville improved on its 3-7 record a year ago by going 4-6 in 2013.

The Blue Devils were led by quarterback and linebacker Jeff Ziegenhagen, who after missing all of 2012 with an ACL tear, became one of the best linebackers in the conference on defense.

A leader on the field, he emerged as one of the best players on Plainville and got the job done at the linebacker position. He was a dual-threat quarterback who helped lead his team to four wins as well.

Jon Lindgren had a solid season as a running back and defensive back for the Devils. He rushed for 353 yards and had a total of 988 yards and two touchdowns. He was an All-CCC and all-academic selection and also received the “Blue Devil Pride” award for his performance.

Although Plainville did not throw the ball a lot, when it did Ziegenhagen was looking for Eric Fischer, who had a few big games this year. An All-CCC selection, Fischer performed at a high level throughout most of the season and emerged as the Devils’ best and go-to receiver.

One of the guys who protected the quarterback and running backs on Plainville was Jake Stefanski, who had a solid season on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Stefanski, a senior team captain, was an All-CCC and all-academic selection and was also awarded the team’s “Tough Man” award. He plans on attending college, but will not be playing sports.

At 5-6, Berlin had a down year after making it to the Class M State Championship in 2012. That did not stop some Redcoats from having successful seasons.

Junior Anthony Sisti proved to be the go-to guy on the Berlin offense. At running back, Sisti combined for 760 total yards and had 13 touchdowns on the season. He was an All-CCC player in 2013 and an all-academic in 2012 and 2013. He has earned high honors in every quarter.

Sisti also plans on attending college and would like to play either football or baseball.

Anthony Duong was an All-CCC center and defensive tackle this season and was a force on both sides of the ball.

Duong recorded a total of 86 tackles, 12 of which were for a loss, and one sack on the season. Now a senior, Duong has been starting since his sophomore year. He too is an all-academic player and earns high honors. Duong wants to go to college to pursue an engineering career.

Last but not least, Dante Vasi Jr. rounds out our All-Herald Football Team. An inside line-backer for the Redcoats, Vasi made 80 tackles, sacked the quarterback three times, had one interception and one blocked punt in his senior season.

He is a two-time All-Herald and All-CCC selection and is also a high honors student.

Vasi is being recruited by Salve Regina and Western New England to play football.

Carl Josephson can be reached at [email protected] On Twitter: @CNJosephson15

Continued from Page 6


All-Herald Boys Cross CountryThe 2013 boys cross country

season was full of standout athletes throughout our area.

Berlin dominates our All-Herald Boys Cross Country Team with three athletes, while Plainville, with the top finisher in the State Open, has one and Southington’s team MVP is our final choice.

Kicking things off is Plainville’s Omar Abdelsame. The junior distance runner was selected to the All-State team as well as All-Conference, making a huge impact for the Blue Devils. His 69th place finish in the State Open earns him the honor of being the area’s high-est finisher in the event. Abdelsame had a stellar season full of high-placed finishes, including a first place win over Berlin, and ranked first in the CCC South standings.

Next is a trio from Berlin that helped the Redcoats pick up some much needed victories, including the one against Plainville in which Abdelsame finished first.

First up is team captain James Dwyer. The senior is a member

of the team-time record-hold-ing squad, which they have broken three times, with the record now sitting at 1:33:26. At Wickham Park for the Class MM Championships, Dwyer finished with a 17:39 in the 5K to finish 18th overall. Setting the standard as team captain, Dwyer is both a class officer as well as a high honors stu-dent, all the while participating in indoor track in the winter and out-door track in the spring. Although he’s not being recruited at the next level currently, Dwyer plans on

attending college, and hopes to continue to run.

Jake Harris is next, and the sophomore is a great runner, posting a 5:22 mile time, and a 18:43 5K time this season. He has earned All-Conference honors, as well as being a member of Berlin’s team-time record-holding squad. Harris is also a member of Berlin’s wrestling team in the winter and outdoor track team in the spring, and still finds time to earn high honors marks in the classroom.

Finishing off the Berlin trio is

Sam Papacoda. The junior was another key cog for the Redcoats, finishing in the top 50 at the Class MM Championships in the 5K, and finished right behind Dwyer and Harris to help Berlin beat Plainville. With his senior season still in front of him, Papacoda will be one of the team leaders for the Redcoats next year.

Southington’s Sean Garrison rounds out our team. Despite being just a sophomore, Garrison was the Blue Knights’ MVP. He earned All-Conference honors, and with

the success he had this season, he will continue to lead the Blue Knights in the future.

With four of the five All-Herald Boys Cross Country Team mem-bers being underclassmen, next year’s list could be nearly identical. But if Newington and New Britain can continue to improve, this year’s athletes might have some more competition.

Chris McLaughlin can be reached at (860) 225-4601 ext 255 or at [email protected]


OMAR ABDELSAME

PLAINVILLE

JAMES DWYER

BERLIN

JAKE HARRIS

BERLIN

SEAN GARRISON SOUTHINGTON

SAM PAPACODA

BERLIN

ing the victory over Fairfield PrepIt had been a trying few weeks for all who were

involved, but the Knights were able to stick together and overcome the adversity.

“It’s just a roller coaster of emotions,” Barmore said about how he felt when the game was pushed back mul-tiple times. “You get up and you are ready to play, then it gets canceled at 10 in the morning. You’re in school, you are wearing your jersey to school, and you hear over the intercom that the game is canceled. You get kind of deflated. But we took it as we have to play it eventually. We couldn’t get mad over what we couldn’t control.”

Barmore described the moments following the game as bittersweet, and he believed it to be true for his fellow seniors as well.

While the seniors went out on top with a champion-ship, they will never play another high school game with their teammates again.

Every player on the Southington team describes his fellow teammates as “brothers.” It is a bond which can never be broken. It is a bond that cannot be described by those who do not play football.

That bond is what got these Blue Knights to the top of the state, and even if none of these players win anoth-er championship as long as they live, they will always be able to look back on the 2013 high school season. They will always and forever be able to call themselves state champions.

Southington footballContinued from Page 2

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is the Redcoats trio, which features a rare sister duo. Nicole and Lisa Grieco not only have the honor of being one of the few pairs of sisters to make the same team at the same time, but go one step further, with their sister Michelle is also on our All-Herald Girls Soccer Team. The Grieco sisters have effectively run the table on our All-Herald teams, and by looking at their accomplishments, it’s easy to see why.

Nicole, a senior, was a key cog for the Redcoats success this season, earning several honors such as a selection to the all-conference team and winning the Coaches Award. She finished 20th overall in the Class M Championships with a time of 21:26 in the 5K, and was one of Berlin’s top finishers at the major-ity of its meets this season. While her work in cross country has been impressive, her classroom accom-plishments are equally remarkable. Grieco is a member of the all-ac-ademic team and National Honor

Society, as well as being class trea-surer and a National Merit Scholar. Now in her final year of high school, Grieco is planning on attending col-lege to study chemical engineering, though she doesn’t plan on partici-pating in varsity sports.

Her sister Lisa took the cross country world by storm this season, racking up honors while turning in impressive performances despite only being a freshman. The winner of the Redcoat Award, she finished sixth in the Class M Championships with a time of 19:48, which earned her all-state honors. Like her sister, Lisa excels in the classroom, earning all-academic honors. With three more years for Lisa at BHS, the future is very bright for the Redcoats.

Taylor Lupini wraps up our trio of Berlin athletes. The junior finished 18th in Class M and was also one of the Redcoats’ top finishers during the season. Lupini has one year left, so with Nicole Grieco graduating in the spring, she will be one of the main leaders on the squad next year.

Plainville’s Delaney Russell is our next choice and the senior standout was a rock for the Blue Devils. The two-time all-conference member was a stabilizing presence for Plainville, and was the team’s top finisher in Class SS. She also took 12th in the CCC South meet and earned all-ac-ademic honors. She plans to attend college, although still undecided where, and plans to keep running even if the school doesn’t have a team.

Rounding out our All-Herald team is Southington’s Lauren Perkowski. As a sophomore, Perkowski earned all-conference honors and was a recipient of the Blue Mile Award. She was the top finisher for Southington at the Class LL Championships and figures to be a huge factor for future success for the Blue Knights, with two years left.

This year’s team features athletes from each year of high school. While two seniors will be moving on next year, the three returners have shown enough to have legitimate shots at being on next year’s team.

All-Herald Girls Cross Country

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All-Herald Sports - New Britain Herald 12-29-2013