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12/22/2016 11:00 PMThe 2016 spring season for Morgan sports featured another exciting run from the baseball squad that culminated in the Class S championship game. Additionally, the Huskies’ golf team continued its winning ways, while both lacrosse teams played their way to their respective Shoreline Conference Tournament finals.
Baseball
Following a great 2015 season, the Morgan baseball team put together another exemplary campaign that saw the Huskies win 21 games and reach the Class S State Tournament final for the second-straight year.
Morgan defeated Westbrook (12-0), Lyman Memorial (3-2), The Sport & Medical Sciences Academy (10-0), and Cromwell (6-0) to get to the championship game, where the Huskies dropped a 4-2 contest to St. Paul. Previously in the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Huskies beat Portland 5-4 and then lost to Valley Regional 2-1 in the semifinals.
All season long, Head Coach John Litevich’s squad featured stellar starting pitching, led by senior Chad Neri, who was named to the All-Shoreline Conference Team, the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class S All-State Team, and the New Haven Register’s All-State Third Team. Neri went 10-0 with an earned-run average of 1.11, while junior Cooper Thompson was 6-4 with a 1.23 ERA, and junior John Urban had a record of 5-1 with an ERA of 0.48. On offense, senior captain catcher Dylan Ketch joined Neri on the All-Shoreline Team and the Class S All-State Team. Ketch, who batted .377, also made the Register’s All-Area Team, as well as its All-State First Team. Senior captain center fielder Will Fritz batted .372 on the campaign for the Huskies. Other key contributors to the Huskies’ success were senior right fielder Liam Neri, junior shortstop Madden Ward, junior second baseman Drew Walton, sophomore third baseman Nick Caprio, and freshman left fielder AJ Fritz.
Softball
Morgan recorded a mark of 15-5 during the regular season to clinch a spot in the Shoreline Conference Tournament, as well as the Class M State Tournament.
The Huskies defeated Westbrook in the first round of Shorelines before taking a 1-0 loss to Coginchaug in the semifinals, despite a great effort from senior captain Emily Popp on the mound. Then in states, Morgan lost to Oxford 4-3 to finish 16-7.
Popp was an Honorable Mention selection for the New Haven Register’s All-State Team. She also made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team as a utility player, with junior Sydney Chomicz making it as an outfielder. Senior captain Kelsey Hopkins made the Second Team on the infield, while fellow infielder Stephanie Terrance earned Honorable Mention for Head Coach Sal Fiorillo’s squad.
Golf
Morgan was unable to claim the Shoreline Conference and Division IV state championships for the fourth-straight season, although the Huskies still had a great year that saw them finish in second place at both competitions.
During the regular season, Head Coach Eric Bergman’s squad posted a record of 17-5. The Huskies were led by senior captain Kevin Daley, junior captain Burton Caldwell, junior captain Jack Bugg, senior Mike Van Ness, and junior Olivia Powers. Powers became the first female in program history to have a score count in a match.
Daley and Caldwell were both named to the Division IV All-State Team, Daley was an All-Shoreline Conference First Team selection, and Caldwell was named to the Second Team. Daley was also a New Haven Register All-Area honoree.
Girls’ Lacrosse
Morgan went 8-8 for the regular season and qualified for both postseason tournaments.
Along the way, the Huskies defeated Old Saybrook for the first time in five years by earning a 11-10 overtime victory on a goal by senior captain Catlen Goss. In the postseason, Morgan took a 17-10 defeat to Old Lyme in semifinals of the Shoreline Conference tournament, but bounced back to beat St. Bernard 22-11 in the qualifying round of the Class S State Tournament. The team’s season ended with a 15-8 loss to Somers in the first round. First-year Head Coach Jim Naccarato’s club finished with an overall record of 9-10.
Goss scored 102 goals on the season, while Josie Sullivan had 62 goals and Savannah Skidmore scored 35. Senior captain Meghan Lindsay and Kasey Waterbury anchored the defense for the Huskies.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Huskies completed the regular season at 9-7, after which they faced North Branford in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals and prevailed 16-12 to advance to the championship game, where Morgan lost to Old Lyme, 17-5. Head Coach Andrew Wrynn’s team then dropped a 16-5 contest against Suffield in the qualifying round of the Class S State Tournament to conclude the year with an overall record of 10-9.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
Morgan came in fourth at the Shoreline Conference Championship and 12th for the Class S State Championship.
Senior Kate Mozzochi took first in the 100-meter high hurdles (with a time of 15.71 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (47.70) at the Shoreline Championship. She later placed third in the 300 hurdles at the Class S meet to qualify for the State Open. Morgan’s 4x400 relay of Mozzochi, Courtney Carroll, Nola Neri, and Allison Gardner finished second at Shorelines, came in third at states, and also qualified for the Open. Additionally, sophomore Kate Daley took fourth in the 3,200 for the Shoreline meet, after which she finished fifth in Class S to make the State Open. Morgan was coached by Peter Gersz.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Morgan recorded an 11th-place finish at the Shoreline Conference Championship that included a third-place performance from the 4x100 relay of Justin Navarra, Jhan Carlos Bermeo, Jacob Bzowski, and Erik Maertz. The Huskies’ head coach was Mike Underwood.
Boys’ Tennis
The Huskies finished the regular season at 10-10 to qualify for the Class S State Championship.
At the state meet, Morgan’s doubles pairing of Tejas Patel and Mike Murray made a nice run to the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket. Patel, who was typically the team’s No. 1 singles player, was also named to the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team. Additionally competing for Morgan at states were Sam Moran and Austin Remetta in singles, along with the team of Patrick Markovics and Matthew Newfield in doubles.
Girls’ Tennis
Morgan finished its season with a record of 7-13.
During the campaign, the Huskies netted wins against the likes of Portland, East Hampton, North Branford, Haddam-Killingworth. Both of Morgan’s victories against H-K came by 4-3 finals, as did one of the Huskies’ wins versus North Branford.