Mike Orazzi | StaffFans watch and cheer during the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central at Muzzy Field. The Lancers won 21-18. Inside are our All-Press team selections.

Cheer on!

All-Press teams forfall season inside

BristolPress.com/Sports | Sunday, December 29, 2013All-Press Special

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

All-Press Boys SoccerThere was a good amount of

success to be found for Bristol area boys soccer teams this season.

St. Paul finished with the best record in the area, going 14-6 in Tony Leone’s first season as head coach. The Falcons reached the Class S state quarterfinals before bowing out to Bolton. Seniors Cameron Pilarski, Nicky Villani and Justin Packard made our fifth annual All-Press Boys Soccer Team, as did sophomore Zach Federowicz. Pilarski is a three-time All-Press selection. Villani, Packard and Federowicz are all first-time selections.

Bristol Central was next up at 9-8. The Rams placed seniors Chris Dabkowski, Rui Cardoso and Evan Tavera on the team, along with junior Colby Macdonald. Dabkowski and Cardoso are two-time All-Press selections while Tavera and Macdonald make it for the first time.

Bristol Eastern rebounded from a rough 0-5 start to finish 7-9 and qualify for the Class L state tour-nament. The Lancers battled CCC South rival Berlin before losing 2-1 in the final minutes of the second 10-minute overtime period in a first round match. Seniors Brendan Plasczynski and Clayton Caggiano were chosen for the All-Press squad, as was junior Austin Dias. Plasczynski is a two-time All-Press selection while Dias and Caggiano are on the team for the first time.

Despite battling an injury for part of the season, Stephen Brown was again a dynamic player for George Smith’s Terryville team. Brown is a two-time All-Press selection.

In an email, St. Paul coach Tony Leone wrote about the impact Pilarski, Villani, Packard and Federowicz had on the team. Villani and Federowicz were All-Naugatuck Valley League selections while Pilarski and Packard made the All-Brass Division team.

“Their individual play on the

field was a huge reason we had the type of season we did,” Leone wrote. “All four of them are indi-vidually talented at their position and they also made each other better. Off the field they are all just ‘good guys,’ good students and good leaders.”

Leone wrote that the seniors — Pilarksi, Villany and Packard — helped build a foundation. Federowicz will be around for two more years to add on to that.

Central coach Larry Covino praised his three seniors — Dabkowski, Cardoso and Tavera — for what they brought to the program.

“The three graduating seniors will continue to participate in soccer at the college level and will make significant impacts,” Covino wrote. “Their presence and leader-ship on the field will be missed.”

Dabkowski, an All-CCC South player for the second straight sea-

son, was a four-year starter and senior captain. Dabkowski was voted the team MVP and given the coaches award for his efforts. Tavera was a three-year varsity keeper and senior captain who was a leader on and off the field. Cardoso has only been in the country since July 2012, but he had a big impact on the team in his two seasons. Cardoso was Central’s offensive player of the year and was voted All-CCC South.

Macdonald, a three-year starter and All-CCC South player this season, was voted the best defen-sive player at Central. Macdonald could not only play defense, but he also had five goals from his center defender position. Macdonald will be a captain in his senior season.

For Eastern, Plasczynski was the focus of the team’s offensive attack. The senior captain had nine goals and six assists on his way to an All-CCC South team selection.

“He initiated much of the offense and was a physical force and adept finisher,” Lancers coach Bill Sweet wrote.

Caggiano, another senior captain, was all over the field for Eastern.

“Clayton was an all-purpose back (playing on the back line or at midfield) who won numerous balls for us on defense and then moved us forward,” Sweet wrote.

Dias was another solid offensive contributor for the Lancers with eight goals and three assists. He put up solid numbers despite bat-tling injuries during the season and made the All-CCC South squad.

“Austin was a creative mid-fielder/forward whose quickness added a different dimension to our attack,” Sweet wrote.

Sweet also wrote that all three players were a big part of Eastern’s second half surge that resulted in a state tournament berth.

Brown is a skilled player who is also “quite knowledgable of the game on many levels,” according to his coach, George Smith. Brown led the team in scoring each of the past two years and was a second team All-Berkshire League selec-tion this season after being named to the first team as a junior.

“His own potential may have been held back due to the need we had to move him into the midfield for continuity,” Smith wrote. “This year, with injuries, many teams missed out on seeing Stephen’s overall abilities. He will make a good Division II player over the next four years.”

Nine of the 12 All-Press selec-tions will graduate, but they leave behind solid legacies to build upon.

Kevin D. Roberts can be reached at (860) 584-0501 ext. 7229 or kroberts@bristolpress.com On Twitter: @kroberts023

By KEVIN D. ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

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

CAMERON PILARSKI

ST. PAUL

NICKY VILLANI

ST. PAUL

RUI CARDOSO

BRISTOL CENTRAL

STEPHEN BROWN TERRYVILLE

BRENDAN PLASCZYNSKI BRISTOL EASTERN

ZACH FEDEROWICZ

ST. PAUL

CHRIS DABKOWSKI BRISTOL CENTRAL

JUSTIN PACKARD

ST. PAUL

CLAYTON CAGGIANO

BRISTOL EASTERN

EVAN TAVERA

BRISTOL CENTRAL COLBY MACDONALD BRISTOL CENTRAL

AUSTIN DIAS

BRISTOL EASTERN

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

All-Press Girls Cross CountryThe Bristol Central girls cross

country team got “one for the thumb” twice this season, winning both its fifth straight city title and sharing its fifth straight CCC South championship.

Yet Bristol Eastern and St. Paul also had some excellent runners this season as well, with all three placing runners on our fifth annual All-Press Girls Cross Country team.

The Rams placed three runners, including twin seniors Nadia and Natalie Kreciglowa, who both return from last year’s All-Press squad. Joining them is freshman teammate Hannah Jones.

Lancers senior Caroline Boyce also has earned a spot, while St. Paul senior Emily Lindsley and sopho-more Kara Lipka, a returning pick, stood out to earn All-Press.

Nadia Kreciglowa was the only girl from Bristol or Terryville to qualify for the State Open, after placing 11th in the Class L state meet with a time of 20:34. She also placed first in the city meet involving all three Bristol high schools.

“Nadia is an all-around great kid and it has been a pleasure coaching her these past four seasons,” coach Tamara Stafford-Kirk said. “She is conscientious and hard working, but also cares about her teammates. I am very proud of the person and runner she has become.”

Natalie Kreciglowa placed 49th in Class L with a time of 21:56. She placed second in the city meet.

“Natalia is so fun to coach and her teammates gravitate toward her. She has a way of seeing the best in every situation and that positive attitude has helped her accomplish so much as a runner and student. We certainly

won’t laugh as much without Natalia around,” Stafford-Kirk said.

Jones had the second-best time in all the state meets among area girls, placing 23rd in the Class L meet with a time of 21:09. She was third in the city championship.

“Hannah is so very talented and has a great future as a cross country runner,” Stafford-Kirk said. “I saw that something special in her by our third practice this year.”

Boyce finished seventh in the city meet as Bristol Eastern’s top runner. Her time at the city meet and others

during the season outpaced those of Jones and Lindsley, who had the fourth and fifth best times among local girls at states.

Lindsley finished 41st overall in

the Class SS meet with a time of 22:34, with Lipka right next to her in 42nd place with an identical time.

“They’re great,” St. Paul coach Meaghan Lynch said.

By PAUL ANGILLYSTAFF WRITER

NADIA KRECIGLOWA BRISTOL CENTRAL

CAROLINE BOYCE

BRISTOL EASTERN

NATALIE KRECIGLOWA BRISTOL CENTRAL

EMILY LINDSLEY

ST. PAUL

HANNAH JONES

BRISTOL CENTRAL

KARA LIPKA ST. PAUL

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ALL-PRESS SPECIAL Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 4The Herald Press

All-Press Girls SoccerIt was a good season for Bristol

area girls soccer teams in 2013.Though none achieved the

ultimate goal of winning a state championship, three of the four teams qualified for the postseason and finished with a record that was at or above .500. Terryville/Thomaston was even able to have some success, finishing 4-12. The four wins are the first four in the history of the co-op.

Bristol Eastern had the best record (12-6) and reached the second round of the Class L state tournament. Seniors Amanda Zdun and Marissa Carlson made our fifth annual All-Press Girls Soccer Team, and both are three-time selections. Zdun is also one of two All-State players on the team, with the other being Bristol Central junior Lexi Kochin.

Eastern senior Sam Woznicki made the All-Press team for the second time while junior Delaney Caggiano is a first-time selection.

Bristol Central finished 9-6-2 after losing 1-0 to Naugatuck in a Class L first round match. Kochin made the All-Press team for the third time, as did senior Jessica Lemieux. Senior Chandler Walker made the team for the second time, while senior Brenna Kelley is a first-time selection.

St. Paul continued to make improvements under coach Flavio Pereira and finished 9-9-1 after bowing out in the second round of Class S. Junior Emilie Nowakowski is a two-time All Press selection, while senior Mary Ranagan and junior Helena Swanson join the squad for the first time.

Terryville/Thomaston senior cap-tain Jessica Covello makes the team for the first time.

“Senior captains Amanda, Sam and Marissa have been four-year starters,” Eastern coach Roland Loranger said. “They were part of the first-ever league title in school history their freshmen year. They have helped to bring our program to the next level, their leadership skills

were exceptional, and they brought a positive attitude to every game and every practice. Their work ethic is second to none.”

Zdun was a three-year All-CCC South selection and played in a coaches senior all-star game. Carlson was also a three-time All-CCC South selection while Woznicki made the team twice. Caggiano was on the All-CCC South team for the first time.

Caggiano has started since she

was a freshman and has shown the same leadership qualities as the senior captains.

“For that reason she was chosen by her teammates to be a captain next fall,” Loranger said. “Delaney’s play at center back this season was outstanding.”

Kochin was first in assists and second in goals for Central on the way to earning All-CCC South and all-state honors. Kochin has plenty of scoring ability, but she looked to

get her teammates more involved this season.

“She really tried to distribute more this year than in the past,” Rams coach Scott Redman said.

Kochin, a two-time All-CCC South selection, has the tools to play Division I college soccer, according to Redman. There are already a couple of Division I schools that Kochin is looking at, Redman said.

Lemieux, a captain, was a stabiliz-ing force for Central throughout her

career and made All-CCC South in each of her last three seasons.

“She’s just a smart player and a hard worker, and she really controls play when she plays well,” Redman said.

Kelley, another captain, has com-mitted to the University of Hartford and her soccer smarts will be an asset. Kelley made All-CCC South for the first time this season.

“She’s a real special player too,” Redman said. “She’s probably one of the smartest players we’ve had recently.”

Walker was a two-time All-CCC South player who came up with plenty of big plays in goal for Central.

“She saved us so many times, kind of kept us in games we shouldn’t have been in sometimes,” Redman said.

Ranagan posted seven shutouts in her senior season at St. Paul and made the All-NVL team.

“She played four years as our varsity goalkeeper,” Falcons coach Flavio Pereira said. “She was a captain this year and provided great leadership.”

Nowakowski was a player who understood the game well from her position in back. Nowakowski made the All-Brass Division squad in each of the last two seasons.

“She is a fearless defender, very solid in the back, very competitive,” Pereira said.

Swanson was another player who was solid on defense alongside Nowakowski for St. Paul. Swanson was named to the All-Brass team.

“Helena helped the dynamic of our defense, played a strong season for us,” Pereira said.

Covello led by example and helped her team win more this season than it had in the past three combined. Covello’s dedication, pas-sion and worth ethic will be “sorely missed,” Rosano said.

“Jess’s effect on our team didn’t always show up in statistics, but her leadership and positive influence was evident every day in practice and in games,” Rosano said. “As one our two captains, she set the exam-ple for our very young team.”

Eight of this year’s 12 All-Press girls soccer players will graduate in the spring, but each player has left their team in good shape for the future.

By KEVIN D. ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

Great seasons lead to great talent on our all-star squad

JESSICA LEMIEUX

BRISTOL CENTRAL

MARISSA CARLSON

BRISTOL EASTERN

MARY RANAGAN

ST. PAUL

AMANDA ZDUN

BRISTOL EASTERN

CHANDLER WALKER

BRISTOL CENTRAL

BRENNA KELLEY

BRISTOL CENTRAL

LEXI KOCHIN

BRISTOL CENTRAL

HELENA SWANSON

ST. PAUL

EMILIE NOWAKOWSKI

ST. PAUL

SAM WOZNICKI

BRISTOL EASTERN

JESSICA COVELLO TERRYVILLE

DELANEY CAGGIANO

BRISTOL EASTERN

ALL-PRESS SPECIAL5 | Sunday, December 29, 2013 The Herald Press

All-Press Girls VolleyballOnce again, area teams enjoyed

a great deal of success during the 2013 girls volleyball season.

Defending Class L champion Bristol Eastern went 16-2 in the regular season and then won three more tough matches — including victories over both teams that beat it during the regular season — to successfully defend its CCC Tournament title. The Lancers then advanced to the Class L state semifinals before RHAM, which they beat in the CCC semifinals, got their revenge with a five-game victory.

Terryville had an up-and-down season, going 11-8 in the regular season before losing a close match to Lewis Mills in the Berkshire League Tournament final. The Kangaroos went on to earn an upset victory in the first round of the Class S state tournament before being ousted in the second round by No. 3 seed and eventual state finalist Lyman Memorial.

Bristol Central went an even 10-10 in the regular season before upsetting No. 10 Naugatuck (16-4) in the first round of the Class L state tournament. The Rams were ousted by No. 7 Platt in a five-game second round match.

Looking to rebuild, St. Paul struggled through a 3-17 season.

Along the way, several area vol-leyball players earned individual accolades and they now earn an additional honor as members of our fifth annual All-Press Girls Volleyball Team.

The squad is led by a trio of all-state and All-CCC South players from Bristol Eastern: senior Jenna Rodjenski and junior Brianna Root, both first team picks, and senior Cheyenne Orsi, a Class L All-State second team selection.

Rodjenski, an outside hitter, led the team with 288 kills, 69 aces and 186 digs and was a senior co-cap-tain for the Lancers, along with Maggie Getler.

“I certainly couldn’t ask for any more of Jenna and Maggie as cap-tains. I think they left everything out on the floor every single day,”

Bristol Eastern coach Stacy Rivoira said.

Root, a setter, had 703 assists, 148 digs (second on the team), 30 aces and a 94 percent serving rate this past season.

Orsi, an outside hit-ter, had 246 kills while playing in less than 70 percent of the team’s sets, after missing the start of the season with an injury.

All three Lancers are repeat All-Press picks from last year’s team.

Terryville senior Bailey Doran, also a repeat All-Press selec-tion, was picked for Class S Second Team All-State honors, as well as the All-Berkshire League first team. She had 139 kills, nine blocks, 25 assists, 185 digs and 93 aces during the season.

“Bailey has got to be one of my best all-around players that I’ve had,” Terryville coach Damian Coggshall said. “She was our go-to player any time we needed a kill at a crucial point in a game.”

Doran was the team’s best server and best serve receiver and passer, while leading the team in aces and most other categories, he said.

Joining Doran on our All-Press team is junior outside hitter Libby Rrahimi, a second team All-BL selection who had 136 kills, 173 digs and 36 aces for the season.

“Libby has got to be one of our best up-and-coming players,” Coggshall said of the first year player who was second in most sta-tistical categories on the team.

“[She’s] just a little bit younger and a little bit less experienced” than Bailey, he said.

Bristol Central had three players earn all-conference recognition in the CCC South and all three were picked for our All-Press team: repeat honoree Lauren Vallee, a senior captain and middle hitter; Erin Palmquist, a senior captain and defensive specialist; and Lara Colegrove, a senior setter.

Vallee led the Rams in kills (256) and blocks (56), while also record-ing 115 digs and 42 aces.

“This year she shined in her abil-ities as an athlete,” Bristol Central coach Jen Broderick said. “She wanted nothing more than to beat each team she played. She’s a very competitive athlete.”

Palmquist led the team in digs (196), while passing about 60 per-cent of first balls and recording 32 aces.

“She was the one who was aggressive and called for it, and wanted it every time,” Broderick said.

Colegrove, a three-year starting setter, had 427 assists, 57 digs and 29 aces.

“They’re all extremely passionate about the team and the sport in general,” Broderick said of all three seniors.

All the upperclassmen spent many sleepless nights worrying about how they could make the team better, she said.

“[They had] just a very selfless attitude in terms of just wanting the program to succeed and get better … just to leave something behind,” Broderick said.

“That’s a team, win or lose,” she said. “I’d rather lose with a group

of girls like that than win with a bunch of I’s on the team.”

By PAUL ANGILLYSTAFF WRITER

JENNA RODJENSKI

BRISTOL EASTERN

LIBBY RRAHIMI TERRYVILLE

CHEYENNE ORSI

BRISTOL EASTERN

ERIN PALMQUIST BRISTOL CENTRAL

BRIANNA ROOT

BRISTOL EASTERN

LAUREN VALLEE

BRISTOL CENTRAL

BAILEY DORAN

TERRYVILLE

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ALL-PRESS SPECIAL Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 6The Herald Press

ALL-P

RESS

FOOT

BALL

LOGAN MARCHI

ST. PAUL

TYLER BURROW

BRISTOL CENTRAL

BRENDAN CARROLL

ST. PAUL

ALEX HUNTER

BRISTOL EASTERN

JOSH MOXAM

BRISTOL CENTRAL

GERRY OUELLETTE

BRISTOL EASTERN

ELI PARKS ST. PAUL

KEON WALTON

BRISTOL CENTRAL

REID MORIN ST. PAUL

AUSTIN ROLLINS

BRISTOL CENTRAL

10 20 30 40

All-Press Football TeamBy KEVIN D. ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

No shortage of star power on our all-star squad from the gridiron this yearWhile none of our area football

teams made the postseason, it was still a good year on the gridiron.

As a result of that success, 22 players were chosen for our fifth annual All-Press Football Team.

Bristol Eastern won four more games than it did in 2012, compil-ing a record of 9-2. The Lancers may have missed out on the Class L playoffs, but it was still a great turnaround. Eastern leads the way with nine selections to the All-Press team.

St. Paul put together its first winning season since 2009, going 6-4. The Falcons have six All-Press selections.

Bristol Central fell short of its first .500 season since 2006 (4-6), but the Rams battled throughout the season. Central has seven All-Press selections.

St. Paul senior quarterback Logan Marchi, who is headed to UConn, leads the All-Press offense at quarterback. The running backs are Eastern junior Gerry Ouellette, Central senior Tyler Burrow and St.

Paul junior Eli Parks. St. Paul senior Reid Morin and junior Brendan Carroll combine with Central’s Keon Walton to take up the wide receiver slots. Eastern sophomore Alex Hunter is slotted in as a utility player, given his ability to both run and throw. Up front, Central senior Austin Rollins and sophomore Josh Moxam combine with St. Paul junior Doug Nessing to open up holes.

Eastern senior Kyle Porter and Central senior Bob Jacques can also play on the offensive line, but they are equally valuable in the middle of the defensive front. Eastern seniors Ken Smith and Roderick Green bring the pressure from the defensive end positions. At the linebackers, Eastern senior Sean Aiudi and junior Stephen Goodrich combine with Central senior Christian Hildebrand and junior Caleb Hildebrand to clog up running lanes and chase down receivers. In the secondary, juniors Daija Fitzpatrick of St. Paul and Jozef Hermann of Eastern are there to make plays.

For the second straight year,

Eastern junior Jeremy Meccariello rounds out the All-Press team as the do-everything kicker.

Marchi, Morin and Porter are all three-time All-Press selections. Burrow, Walton, Smith, Aiudi, Fitzpatrick and Meccariello have been chosen for the All-Press team for the second time. All of the other selections appear on the All-Press roster for the first time.

Marchi finished off a stellar career at St. Paul by throwing for 3,220 yards and 38 touchdowns. Marchi also ran for 540 yards and six more scores. Falcons coach Jude Kelly pointed to Marchi’s work in the weight room as the key.

“He’s kept up with that all year,” Kelly said. “I think the difference was he was a stronger player, a quicker player.”

Ouellette was the city’s leading rusher at 1,396 yards. Though not big in stature, he had a lot of heart and determination, and was one of the most committed players in the weight room.

“He got yardage even when there weren’t holes for him,” Eastern coach Mike Archangelo said.

Burrow was again the work-horse for Central, gaining 1,298 rushing yards to go along with 14 touchdowns. Burrow also caught 13 passes for 233 yards.

“He’s really just our all-purpose guy,” Rams coach Sal Cintorino said, adding Burrow was “dynamic when he touched the football.”

Parks piled up nearly 900 yards of total offense (586 rushing, 293 receiving) to go along with 16 total touchdowns.

“I have some really high hopes for him in his senior season,” Kelly said.

Morin led the Falcons in catches (46), yards (853) and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (10). Morin was all over the field, spending time on defense and spe-cial teams.

“He really developed himself as a football player over his four-year career,” Kelly said.

Marchi and Morin were both four-year starters for St. Paul.

Carroll tied Morin for the team lead in touchdown catches, was third in receptions (39) and fourth in yards (615). A three-year starter,

Carroll was a captain as a junior.“That spoke volumes for the

support that he had on the team,” Kelly said.

When run-first Central looked to throw the ball, Walton was a threat to stretch the field. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher.

“He was really our go-to guy when we were going to throw the football,” Cintorino said.

Hunter was the team’s leading passer and second leading rusher as a sophomore, but he was just as happy to encourage his backfield mate Ouellette.

“They were both unselfish play-ers, and rooted each other along,” Archangelo said.

On the offensive line at Central, Rollins often opened up running lanes by using his athleticism to pull and provide a lead block.

“He runs like he’s a fullback,” Cintorino said.

Moxam has been a starter for each of his first two years with the Rams. Moxam stepped right in and spent his time protecting quarter-back Jarrett Michaels’ blind side, as well as opening holes for Burrow.

ALL-PRESS SPECIAL7 | Sunday, December 29, 2013 The Herald Press

KYLE PORTER

BRISTOL EASTERN

KEN SMITH

BRISTOL EASTERN

SEAN AIUDI

BRISTOL EASTERN

CHRISTIAN HILDEBRAND BRISTOL CENTRAL

DAIJA FITZPATRICK

ST. PAUL

JEREMY MECCARIELLO BRISTOL EASTERN

DOUG NESSING

ST. PAUL

BOB JACQUES

BRISTOL CENTRAL

RODERICK GREEN

BRISTOL EASTERN

CALEB HILDEBRAND BRISTOL CENTRAL

STEPHEN GOODRICH

BRISTOL EASTERN

JOZEF HERMANN

BRISTOL EASTERN

10203040

All-Press Football Team“He’s just done an outstanding

job,” Cintorino said.Nessing had never played football

before coming to St. Paul, but has grown into the team’s best offensive and defensive lineman. Nessing has started since he was a freshman.

“He’s really the epitome of all the qualities you want in an offensive lineman,” Kelly said.

Porter earned his third selection for All-Press by being a menace on the defensive and offensive lines.

“I don’t know how you really replace him,” Archangelo said. “When he plays with good tech-nique, he’s one of the best linemen in the state.”

Opposing coaches told Archangelo they were not used to game-planning around a defen-sive lineman. Porter scored two defensive touchdowns, one on an interception and another on a fum-ble recovery.

Joining Porter in the middle of the line is Jacques, a smart player who often occupied two offensive linemen.

“He was the interior anchor of our defense, a big, strong guy who was tough to move,” Cintorino said.

Archangelo described Smith, an Eastern senior captain, as an all-

around great kid who works hard on and off the field.

“He’s got a great football IQ,” Archangelo said. “As a captain, he was a leader of his team.”

Green, a solid defensive end in his own right, had an effect on all three phases of the game. Green ran for touchdowns, caught touchdown passes, and even returned a kickoff for a score. Archangelo wished he had him from more than two years. Green transferred from New Britain for his junior year.

“Another real quiet, great kid,” Archangelo said, adding that Green was a “joy to be around.”

Aiudi, another Eastern senior captain, was willing to change posi-tions and help out the team. He even played fullback for the Lancers this season.

“He’s always asking questions,” Archangelo said. “That’s what makes him a good player.”

Goodrich may not have been able to finish out the season after getting hurt against Northwest Catholic, but he was still named to the All-CCC Division II West team for his efforts when he was healthy.

“We’re expecting big things from him next year,” Archangelo said.

Christian Hildebrand made the calls for Central’s defense and was always around the ball.

“He was the heartbeat of our defense,” Cintorino said.

Christian’s junior brother Caleb was solid at outside linebacker.

“He was excellent versus the perimeter running game, and he also defend against the underneath pass,” Cintorino said.

Fitzpatrick had another excellent year catching the ball for St. Paul, but Kelly also liked the way the junior played defense as a strong safety. Fitzpatrick, another played who started as a freshman for St. Paul, finished third on the team in tackles with 75.

“He is a hard-hitting defensive back,” Kelly said.

Hermann was a good listener and did the little things. Often, he was called upon to stop the other team’s top pass-catching threat, and performed well.

“Defensively, he played great all year,” Archangelo said.

On special teams, Meccariello brought a lot to the table for Eastern. He made the game-win-ning field goal against Windsor, and his punts often put opponents in bad field position. Meccariello

was also good at making his extra points, something that’s not a given in high school football.

“There’s not many teams out there that have a kicker that’s almost guaranteed to put it through

the uprights,” Archangelo said.There were plenty of reliable

players in Bristol football this sea-son. Some will move on, but others will be back, trying to create more excitement.

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ALL-PRESS SPECIAL Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 8The Herald Press

All-Press Girls Swim

The 2013 girls swimming and diving season included plenty of individual accomplishments, along with team success for one Bristol area squad.

When looking for individ-ual accomplishments, go no further than St. Paul. Senior Lilly Martin took two individ-ual first place finishes (200-yard individual medley and 100 but-terfly) at the Naugatuck Valley League Swimming and Diving Championships. Sophomores Sarah Bowes (50 freestyle) and Kimberly Hylan (200 freestyle) each won an individual NVL title in the same meet. All three made our fifth annual All-Press team, along with senior Gabriella Houle. Martin is the first four-time selection. Bowes and Hylan are two-time honorees while Houle made it for the first time. The four also combined to win the 200 and

400 freestyle relays at the NVL meet. Each made the All-NVL team for their efforts.

Bristol Eastern went undefeated in the CCC South for the second straight season, then repeated as champions in the title meet. Freshman Georgia Ogonowski was the lone individual win-ner in the CCC South Championships (200 IM), and she has been selected for the All-Press team. She is joined by junior Meri Darragjati and sophomore Jenifer Tabacco. Darragjati and Tabacco had their own roles in winning the Lancer relays, and they are repeat members of the All-Press team. Each made the All-CCC South team for their efforts.

Bristol Central senior Ileish Burney is the lone All-Press selec-

tion from her time. Burney finished first in the 100 butterfly at the CCC South Championships and makes the All-Press squad for the third time. Burney was an All-CCC South selection for her effort

in the butterfly.Martin, a senior captain, was an

All-NVL performer for all four years. Martin was also all-state in both the 100 butterfly and 200 IM for three years, and she also holds

school records in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, along with Houle, Hylan and Bowes.

“Undefeated in dual meet

By KEVIN D. ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER LILLY

MARTIN ST. PAUL

GABRIELLA HOULE ST. PAUL

KIMBERLY HYLAN ST. PAUL

JENIFER TABACCO

BRISTOL EASTERN

SARAH BOWES

ST. PAUL

MERI DARRAGJATI BRISTOL EASTERN

GEORGIA OGONOWSKI BRISTOL EASTERN

ILEISH BURNEY

BRISTOL CENTRAL

All-Press Boys Cross CountryWinning and Bristol

Central boys cross country tend to go hand-in-hand.

The Rams wrapped up their 10th straight city cham-pionship and seventh straight CCC South title this past season to once again dom-inate the city cross country scene.

Yet it was Terryville’s Connor Levins that was, by far, the biggest success individually at the state level, placing fourth with a time of 16:56 in the Class SS meet (a full minute and 16 seconds better than any other Bristol or Terryville runner in any state meet) to become the only area runner to compete in the State Open.

For our fifth annual All-Press Boys Cross Country team for this past season, Levins was selected along with Bristol Central’s Josh

Nelson, Justin Zaino and Josh Signore. Also picked are Bristol Eastern’s Max Girouard and Anthony Casasanta, plus St. Paul’s Jonathan Hylan.

Levins, a sophomore and returning All-Press per-former, set the course mark at Page Park with a time of 18:23 as the Kangaroos were defeated by Bristol Eastern in a meet there.

“It felt pretty good,” Levins said of the mark. “It wasn’t that hard. It was a race to get ready for the states. It felt good to get your name out there to see if anyone can beat it.”

That set the stage for his Class SS run at Wickham Park.

“It felt pretty good because I got my personal best there, a 16:56. It was the fastest time I’ve done.”

By PAUL ANGILLYSTAFF WRITER

CONNOR LEVINS

TERRYVILLE

MAX GIROUARD

BRISTOL EASTERN

JUSTIN ZAINO

BRISTOL CENTRAL

JONATHAN HYLAN ST. PAUL

JOSH NELSON

BRISTOL CENTRAL

ANTHONY CASASANTA BRISTOL EASTERN

JOSH SIGNORE

BRISTOL CENTRAL

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