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09/10/2017 12:00 AM

Warriors Trounce Ellington in Season Opener; Girls’ Soccer Plays to Scoreless Tie with Cromwell


Jason O’Brien hauled in three catches for 87 yards and also had an interception on defense in the Warriors’ football squad’s 33-7 win over Ellington on Sept. 9. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Football

The Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team opened up the 2017 season with a resounding road win by prevailing at Ellington 33-7 on Sept. 9. The Warriors piled up a 20-0 halftime command against the Knights and went on to the comfortable victory. The Warriors’ win marked the first time that Ellington lost on its home field since 2014.

Senior quarterback Mike Cullina tossed a pair of touchdown passes for Valley, completing 14 of his 22 attempts for 242 yards in the victory. Josh Donahue ran for a pair of scores, while Jacob Kruszewski also picked up a touchdown on the ground. For the Warriors’ receivers, Jason O’Brien reeled in three receptions for 87 yards, and he also had an interception on the other side of the ball. Ernest Jean-Pierre and Jae’len Arnum both caught touchdown passes for Valley-Old Lyme. Jean-Pierre also kicked two extra points through the uprights. The Warriors’ defense limited Ellington to just 168 yards in the contest.

The Warriors will face rival Morgan in their home opener at Valley Regional High School on Friday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer

The Warriors squared off against Cromwell for their first game of the year on Sept. 9. It was a hard-fought duel that ultimately ended in a 0-0 tie.

Head Coach Lloyd Warren said that his squad turned in a solid defensive effort by preventing a talented Cromwell team from creating any quality scoring opportunities in front of the goal. Senior captains Sydney Suedemier and Bonnie Caulfield, alongside fellow defenders Jeni Caulfied and Kylie Papoosha, prevented any of the Panthers’ chances on the attack from becoming dangerous chances for the Warriors. The best scoring opportunity of the game for either team came when Warriors’ sophomore Sam Calamari took a shot on goal that went just wide. Junior goalkeeper Alexis Finnerty earned the shutout in net for Valley.

Volleyball

Valley Regional’s season got underway when the Warriors took on Lyman Memorial on Sept. 8. Valley lost the matchup by the final score of 3-1.

Lyman Memorial took the first set 25-13 and won the second set by a score of 25-17. Valley hung tough to win the third set 25-20, but the Bulldogs secured the victory with a 25-12 win in the fourth set.

Sophomore Sam Calamari and the Valley girls’ soccer team battled Cromwell to a scoreless stalemate in their first game of the 2017 season. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier