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12/22/2016 11:00 PMThere was plenty of success to go around at Valley Regional this fall. Every one of the Warriors’ teams competed in the postseason with several making some memorable runs. Among the success stories, the football and boys’ soccer squads made the state semifinals with field hockey reaching the Shoreline Conference final.
Football
The Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team put together an excellent 2016 campaign that saw the Warriors post an overall record of 10-2, qualify for the Class M State Playoffs, and earn a statement victory in their quarterfinal contest.
Valley-Old Lyme went 9-1 during the regular season and had a mark of 3-0 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus South Division to win the title. For the year, the Warriors notched victories versus Ellington (14-7), Old Saybrook-Westbrook (26-15), Morgan (37-13), North Branford (45-0), Prince Tech (35-20), Granby Memorial (35-0), Lewis Mills (42-0), Canton (41-0), and Haddam-Killingworth (31-0). After winning its last six games, Head Coach Tim King’s team entered the Class M State Playoffs as the No. 1 seed and blew out Berlin 30-12 in the quarterfinals at home. After that, the Warriors lost a 28-7 contest against St. Joseph in a semifinal home game in Deep River.
Senior captain quarterback Matt Sapere garnered All-Pequot Conference accolades and was named Valley’s co-Offensive Player of the Year. Sapere threw for 1,769 yards and 23 touchdowns to go with 710 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. He rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns against Berlin in the playoffs. Fellow senior captain Daniel Stecher ran for 1,184 yards and 12 touchdowns to share Offensive Player of the Year honors with Sapere and he was also named Valley’s co-Most Valuable Player. Stecher additionally collected All-Pequot honors at linebacker and finished with 142 tackles. The Warriors’ other senior captain, offensive guard/defensive tackle Mitch Conrad, made the All-Pequot Team on the offensive line, was Valley’s Lineman of the Year, and a co-recipient of the Warrior Award. Senior Garrett Burdick was selected as Valley-Old Lyme’s other co-Most Valuable Player as he grabbed a school record 12 interceptions at safety, had 722 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns, and kicked 46 extra points with three field goals. Burdick was also All-Pequot, made the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class M All-State Team, the 2016 Walter Camp All-Connecticut Team Second Team, and was named the Warriors’ Special Teams Player of the Year.
Senior two-way lineman/linebacker Cody Stalls won Valley’s Coaches Award and went All-Pequot on the defensive line, while junior wide receiver/defensive back/punter Ernest Jean-Pierre also made the All-Conference Team. Junior Roan Sullivan was an All-Pequot Honorable Mention at defensive line and also the Warriors’ Defensive Player of the Year with 121 tackles. Senior Jeremy LaCasse made Honorable Mention as an offensive lineman and was named Valley’s co-Most Improved Player.
Boys’ Soccer
Valley Regional collected 12 wins on the campaign and played all the way to the Class S State Tournament semifinals.
Head Coach Mick Fearon’s club finished up at 9-3-4 overall for the regular season. After dropping a 2-1 decision to Morgan in the quarterfinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Warriors responded by going on a run in states. First, Valley defeated East Hampton 2-1 in a game that was decided by a 4-1 margin on penalty kicks. Valley, the No. 10 seed, followed that up with a 7-1 victory at HMTCA and then a 2-0 triumph at No. 2 seed Lyman Memorial in the quarterfinals. The Warriors’ season came to a close with a 4-0 defeat to eventual champion Coventry in the semifinal round. Valley Regional posted an overall record of 12-5-4 on the year.
Defender Nate Gagnon was the senior captain for Valley, with sophomore Ryan Davis holding the vice captain’s role. Senior Zak Tisdale and junior Charlie Ferrucci scored the two goals when Valley beat Lyman Memorial in the state quarters. Senior Buddy Haydu and sophomore Charlie Haughton both played goal for the team during the season.
Girls’ Soccer
Valley Regional welcomed a new head coach in Lloyd Warren, whose team had a solid season and qualified for both the Shoreline Conference and state tournaments.
The Warriors punched their ticket into each tourney by notching a 1-0 home win over Coginchaug. Senior McLaine Rutan scored the lone goal of the game for Valley, which later tied Haddam-Killingworth 4-4 on Senior Night behind a big performance from senior Sydney Lee. The Warriors finished with a record of 7-6-3 for the regular season. Coach Warren’s squad then faced Morgan in the quarterfinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament and prevailed 1-0 on a goal by freshman Samantha Calamari that was assisted by senior Maleena Frazier. Sophomore Alexis Finnerty played net for the second time on the year and recorded the shutout. Valley took a 1-0 loss to Old Lyme in the semifinals of the tournament and then dropped a 4-3 contest at Granby in the first round of the Class M State Tournament. For the year, Valley had an overall record of 7-8-3.
Volleyball
The Warriors put together another prosperous year that featured a great record, plus victories in both postseason tournaments.
Valley tallied a record of 13-6 during the regular season and then competed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament. Head Coach Kathy Scott’s team beat East Hampton 3-0 in the quarterfinals before taking a 3-2 loss to Hale-Ray in the semis. After that, Valley competed in the Class S State Tournament and swept both Canton and University to reach the quarterfinals, where the Warriors lost a 3-1 contest against Hale-Ray. The team’s final record for the season was 16-8.
Valley saw four athletes earn All-Shoreline Conference accolades in 2016. Junior co-captain Jessica Paholski made the First Team as an outside hitter, while fellow junior Alex Figuenick made it as a libero/defensive specialist. Senior outside hitter and co-captain Emily McLaughlin made the Second Team and senior setter Millard was an Honorable Mention.
Field Hockey
The Warriors won eight games this year and came up with their biggest victory by upsetting defending Shoreline Conference champion Haddam-Killingworth, 2-1, in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
After going 7-7-2 during the regular season, Head Coach Beth McCabe Powers’s squad edged H-K by a goal to advance to the Shoreline final. Senior Francesca Daniels scored both goals in the victory for the Warriors, who moved on to Westbrook in the championship game. Valley took a 1-0 loss to Westbrook and then saw its season end with a 3-1 defeat to North Branford in the first round of the Class S State Tournament. The Warriors finished at 8-9-2 for the year.
Daniels made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team as a forward, while fellow senior captain Maria Pittsinger made it as a back. Junior midfielder Emily Peterson was a Second Team selection for the Warriors, whose two other seniors captains were Abby Grace, a back; and forward Ellie Tuscano. Junior Logan Burdick and sophomore Mia Cost both saw time in the goalie cage for Valley.
Girls’ Cross Country
Junior Addie Byars continued her stellar cross country career at Valley by running to a pair of quality finishes in postseason meets.
First, Byars earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors by racing to a seventh-place finish with a time of 20:46 at the conference championship meet. The Warriors came in ninth place as a team. Then at the Class SS State Championship, Byars took 21st place behind a time of 20:59 for the Warriors, who finished 17th as a team.
Valley Regional’s other athletes who competed at both postseason meets were freshman Lacey Hall, along with seniors Monique Johnson, Maya Whitcomb, and Corrina Stroeter. The Warriors’ head coach was Chris Allegretti.
Boys’ Cross Country
The Warriors, who were coached by Brent Ali, saw several athletes race at both the Shoreline Conference Championship and the Class SS State Championship this fall.
Sophomore Lance Sigersmith posted a time of 18:39 to lead the Warriors’ pack with an 18th-place performance at the Shoreline Conference Championship, where Valley Regional came in eighth place. Valley later finished in 21st place at the Class SS State Championship meet. Sophomore Jason Montecalvo turned in the Warriors’ top showing as he took 73rd place with a time of 19:47.
Junior Richard Pittsinger, junior Josh Arnum, freshman Macklin Miezejeski, junior Daniel Ryan, sophomore Peter Halsey, and sophomore James Diluca ran for Valley at the Shoreline meet. Miezejeski, Ryan, Halsey, Diluca, and Arnum also competed in the state meet, as did junior Max Klin.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Valley Regional’s Kim Berardis competed at the Class M State Championship this year.
Berardis, a sophomore, recorded a 21st-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke by swimming a time of 1:08.44 at Wesleyan University on Nov. 15. The 34 points scored between Berardis and Old Lyme sophomore Lily Cox put Valley-Old Lyme in 21st place as a co-op team at the state meet.