This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/26/2016 12:00 AMFootball
The Hand football squad routed East Haven 35-0 on Sept. 23 to grab its first win of the year.
The Tigers went ahead on an interception returned for a score by Julian Banerji and the subsequent extra point kick. Hand led 7-0 and that score held up at halftime.
Hand opened up the scoring in the second half with Delavantae Hutton scoring twice on the ground, first from 14 yards away and then from three, to give the visitors a 21-0 lead. Brett Bilcheck later ran the ball 61 yards to the house for a 28-0 command. Hand added more touchdown for the 35-0 final.
“We really didn’t change anything [after the first half]. We just made an adjustment on a run play and that was how Delvantae scored his two touchdowns. More or less, I thought we moved the ball well in the first half,” said Head Coach Steve Filippone. “We got deep a couple times and our defense was in a bend-but-don’t-break mode. It was 7-0, but I was confident we’d win the game.”
“We made the decision after the Hillhouse game that we wanted to devote our energy towards building our sophomore quarterback Joey Ciotti for the future and get Brett Bilcheck the ball in spaces,” Filippone continued. “Joey had a great night. He made great choices and did everything we asked of him. Brett also caught three passes, so we found the best of both worlds with them.”
The Tigers (1-2) next host North Haven (2-1), a SCC Tier 1 foe, on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Hand earned its second win of the season by recording a 95-81 victory over Mercy on Sept. 20. The meet saw Noelle Bergere record a score of 332.55 to break the school’s 14-year-old diving record that had been set by Patti Frost in 2002.
Other highlights from the meet included the 200 medley relay team of Kayla Mendonca, Caroline Genther, Case Porter, and Allie Mascia taking first with a time of 1:59:90 with Mendonca placing first in the 200 free in 2:01:24. In the 200 IM, Kelly Doktorski finished in 2:22:24. Mascia won the 50 free (26.43) with Johanna Doerr taking second (28.72). Emma Connelly took top flight in the 100 butterfly (1:04:95) and was followed by Porter (1:06:97). Additionally, Mascia and Doktorsi took first and second, respectively, in the 100 free; Genther took first in the 500 free; and the 200 free relay team of Erin Reilly, Doerr, Porter, and Samantha Tuveson took first in 1:56:29. In the 100 backstroke, Mendona took first (101:34) and was followed by freshman Ruby Redlich (1:05:42). The 100 breaststroke saw Genther in first, followed by sophomore Gaby Wira. The team finished off the meet with a first place finish by the 400 free relay team of Connolly, Doktorski, Mendonca and Mascia and their time of 3:59:70.
On Sept. 22, the Tigers defeated Sheehan 95-69 to finish the week with a 3-1 record. The quartet of Mendonca, Genther, Porter, and Mascia captured the 200 free relay 2:01:20. In the 200 free, Doktorski came in first at 2:04:18 and followed by Redlich (2:13:20). Mendonca took first in the 200 IM (2:19.9), while Mascia was first in the 50 free (25.65). In the 100 butterfly, Connelly took first (1:04:41). In the 100 free, Mascia took first (57.59), followed by Doktorski (57.86). Genther was first in the 500 free and the 100 breaststroke with Mendonca finishing first in the 100 backstroke (1:02.39). The 400 relay team of Doktorsky, Connelly, Mendonca, and Mascia finished off the meet in first.
For diving, Bergere took first with teammates Bloomfield and Huminski placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Boys’ Soccer
The Tigers earned a 2-2 tie with Sheehan on Sept. 21 to move to 0-0-2 in the SCC Housatonic Division. Hand then had a scoreless draw with Fairfield Prep on Sept. 22 and is now 2-0-3 overall. The tie with the Jesuits extended the Tigers’ regular season unbeaten streak to 45 games. Goalie Matt Parker played a huge role in making sure Prep was unable to put the ball in the net, stopping two breakaway goals to keep the opposition off the scoreboard.
“It was by far our best performance of the season so far. Matt Parker was outstanding in goal. He really grew up a lot in the Prep game. I couldn’t be happier about his contribution on Thursday night,” said Head Coach Stan Latkowski. “The whole team worked extremely hard, especially, John Ruggiero, Brendan Wray, and Owen McShane. Those three really stood out. I told the team that in order for this team to be successful, it has to be everyone working for team, and we did that on Thursday night. We hope to sustain that effort throughout the rest of the season.”
Girls’ Soccer
Hand grabbed its initial win and first goals of the year in a 2-0 shutout of Lyman Hall on Sept. 20. The Tigers had played to 0-0 ties in their three previous games. The Tigers then made it two straight with a 4-1 final over Sacred Heart Academy just 24 hours later to go to 2-0-3.
Girls’ Volleyball
Hand swept Lauralton Hall on Sept. 20 with scores of 25-7, 25-22, and 29-27. Amanda Gentile had a dozen kills and three blocks, plus Olivia Finke added 11 digs on defense.
The Tigers then downed Mercy 3-1 on Sept. 21. The Tigers took the first set 25-21 before a 23-25 loss in the second. Hand then closed out the match with 25-21 and 25-13 victories. Halle Freund had 10 kills, while Kaitlyn Martin added five kills and 13 digs. Chika Ogbejesi handed out 23 assists and Gentile pitched in with 10 kills, 12 digs, and four aces.
Hand then ended the week at 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Oronoque Division with a sweep of West Haven on Sept. 24.
Field Hockey
In its lone game of the week, Hand blanked Shelton 6-0 on Sept. 23 to move to 1-2-1 on Sept. 23.
First-half goals were scored by Taylor Leckey (from Hollis Wivell), Wivell (Leckey and Kenzie Larson), Erickson Richard (assisted by Jacqui McKeown), and Allison Lord (from Nora McCarthy). Richard (from Abby Murphy) and Kathryn Donahey (via a feed from Meghan Daly) completed the scoring in the second half. Kylie Gargiulo got the shutout in net.