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03/13/2017 12:00 AMThe Guilford fencing program had to fill several spots in its lineup with varsity newcomers this winter, but the Indians stayed strong on the strip all season, and then hit their stride at states to come away with another pair of titles.
Guilford competed at the Team State Championships at Norwich Free Academy on March 11 and saw both its boys’ and girls’ teams claim their respective overall state crowns for the second straight season by virtue of the cumulative performances from their foil, épée, and sabre squads. The two victories mark the third overall state title for the boys and the fourth for the girls. Within each discipline, the boys took first place in foil, won their first state title in sabre, and finished fifth in épée. On the girls’ side, the foil team claimed first prize, while sabre was the runner-up, and épée placed third.
“It was an amazing day. All of our fencers worked very hard throughout the season and today their hard work paid off big,” Head Coach Kyle Mezzi said. “It was an amazing day all around. Everyone fought really hard. When the overall state title is out there, even if you have a rough round, you bounce right back. Boys’ foil and sabre, along with girls’ foil, each went undefeated on the day. Girls’ sabre worked hard all year and they put it all together. Girls’ épée had a tough second round, but they managed to fight hard for third. I’m proud of how hard they worked throughout the year. We always talk about outworking your opponent, and they did.”
Mezzi went on to praise his athletes for their season-long commitment to excellence on the fencing strip, along with how they’ve represented Guilford fencing with class and sportsmanship both in and out of competition.
“We started pointing the kids towards going for the state title, but we also talked about how we got there,” Mezzi said. “We talked about work ethic and it paid off today. We also discussed about how we carry ourselves and being good competitors because the sport can be intense, especially in a team environment. They were passionate, but kept their cool. We fenced in 18 matches this season, so there were some difficult situations, but it helped prepare them for today.”
Guilford’s boys’ foil team of senior captain Luke McNamara, junior Brendan Balestracci, sophomore Evans Schultes, and junior Joran Nelson rallied to defeat North Haven for the title. In the first round, the Indians defeated Fitch 5-0. In the second round, Guilford bested Hopkins by a 5-1 final. For the final round, the Indians were down 4 bouts to 2 and came back to win 5-4 over archrival North Haven. McNamara and Balestracci had to win their last bouts to give Guilford a chance at the crown. After McNamara and Balestracci both won to tie the score 4-4, it was up to Schultes in the final bout. Schultes trailed by a point and North Haven was only a touch away from the championship, but he tied it up at 4-4, then his opponent got called for a penalty touch, and the championship was Guilford’s as Schultes won 5-4 to lift Guilford to the 5-4 triumph.
Meanwhile, senior captains Isabella Migani and Veronica Pantalone led Guilford’s girls’ foil squad to its second consecutive state championship with a 5-2 victory over Norwich Free Academy in the title match. Migani secured the crown for the girls by winning the final bout 5-3. Freshman Lindsey Smith and Ella Stanley also competed for girls’ foil, which defeated Waterford 5-1 in the first round and edged out Hand for a 5-4 win in the semis.
“Fencing for Guilford High for four years has been an honor,” said Pantalone. “This team truly defines what it means to be a family and reigning team champions in an individual sport.”
“These four years will forever affect my life,” Migani added.
The boys’ sabre squad of senior captain Hank Huhnke, junior Zach Talbot, and sophomores Leo Westgard and Eric Lepeak turned in a historic win for Guilford. The Indians won their first round match, 6-2, over Hopkins, after which they defeated North Haven 5-3 for the semis. Guilford fought with determination and skill against Greenwich in the championship match. Westgard beat the 2nd-ranked sabre fencer in the state and then Talbot won to help bring the score to 4-4, putting the Indians’ fate in Huhnke’s hands. With a potentially historic victory on the line, Huhnke was down 4-3, but fought back to make it 4-4, and then attacked his opponent and got a single green light for the winning touch. Huhnke’s teammates and coaches ran out to congratulate him as they realized that he had just clinched the first sabre team title for Guilford with his 5-4 win.
“Winning the overall state title is something that the fencing team seems to be getting used to over the past few years, but that doesn’t mean it is getting old or comes easy,” said Huhnke. “Countless hours are put in over the season, in and out of the gym, by both the fencers and especially the coaches. We prepare every year and from that comes our overall skill. We, as a team, have a strong belief that we are only as strong as our weakest player. Everyone trains hard and that’s why we have great depth and it’s why we win. It’s satisfying to win medals and trophies and put our hard work into physical form.”
The girls’ sabre team’s runner-up finish marked its best showing at the state meet. Senior captain Willow Coleman led a unit that also featured senior Hannah Oboyski, sophomore Grace Beatty, and freshman Shayla Flynn to the second-place performance. Guilford had a bye in the first round and then posted a 5-1 win over Morgan in the second round. After that, the Indians faced Hopkins in the finals. The girls fenced very hard and gave it their all, but Hopkins’s experience was too much to overcome.
“We believed from the beginning of the season that both our boys’ and girls’ sabre teams had the potential to win the championship,” said assistant coach Chris Balestracci. “Both the sabre squads worked very hard throughout the season on new techniques and improving their footwork. I am very proud of the boys winning the first-ever sabre title and the girls winning the second-place trophy.”
The boys’ épée team of senior captain Remy Lepeak, junior Ian Sessions, sophomore Oscar Scott, and sophomore Daniel Lu took a 5-1 loss in the first round to East Lyme, which went on to win the championship. Then in the consolation bracket, the Indians recorded a 5-4 victory over St. Bernard as Lepeak won the final bout 5-1. Sessions and Scott fenced extremely well and had decisive wins all day to give Guilford a fifth-place finish.
Coach Mezzi said that the boys’ épée team’s effort served as a fine example of the Indians’ dedication to their craft with how they’ve established themselves as a flagship fencing program in the state.
“I was very impressed with how the boys’ épée squad showed real determination and came back in the second round with a 5-0 victory over Fitch High School to help us secure the overall boys’ championship,” said Mezzi. “Guilford fencing is losing eight seniors to graduation, but they have a very deep, experienced squad to fill in those positions for next season. Many of the fencers compete and train and take lessons in the offseason throughout the year. This has made Guilford one of the strongest programs in the state of Connecticut. Several Guilford fencers compete in national fencing events as their love of the sport extends outside high school competition.”
The girls’ épée team of senior captain Aileen Du and juniors Faren Roth, Mikayla O’Connor, and Alyssa Demino captured a 5-2 win versus Norwich Free Academy in the first round. In the second round, the girls lost to eventual champion Fitch, 5-1. Following the loss, the Indians worked hard and prevailed 5-1 against Ledyard to take the third-place trophy and wrap up a season of great growth for several returning and rookie fencers.
“We had great leadership from our eight seniors today. This was the biggest team we’ve ever had with 51, and 35 kids showed up at tryouts with no prior fencing experience. We took 20 first-year fencers, so we had a young team,” Coach Mezzi said. “One thing that was big for us was how hard our new fencers worked. You have your ups and downs in any year, but knowing the younger kids are there to work hard, it motivates other people. We had great balance on this team.”
• This season marks the 40th campaign for the Guilford fencing program.
• At the Individual State Championships two weeks ago, Luke McNamara and Evans Schultes made the All-State Second Team for the boys. Faren Roth and Willow Coleman garnered All-State Second Team distinction on the girls’ side.
• Kyle Mezzi has now finished his seventh year as the Indians’ head coach and was assisted by Chris Balestracci.