Printer Friendly Version - 2017 East Haven Yellowjackets Fall Year in Review

The East Haven volleyball team stands with the Class L runner-up plaque after taking a 3-1 loss against St. Joseph in the championship game of the Class L State Tournament on Nov. 18. The Yellowjackets finished with a reoord of 21-6 on the season. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

The East Haven volleyball squad came close to bringing home a state championship banner this fall as the Yellowjackets reached the final of Class M State Tournament. East Haven also welcomed two new head coaches to the fold in a season that saw Laura Rosado make All-State in the 100 backstroke for the second year in a row for the East Haven-Wilbur Cross co-op swim squad.

The East Haven volleyball team finished the year with a record of 21-6 and advanced all the way to the Class M State Tournament championship game, where the Yellowjackets took a 3-1 loss against top-seeded St. Joseph at East Haven High School.

As the No. 7 seed, East Haven made quick work of its other opponents in states as the Yellowjackets defeated Ledyard 3-1 in the first round, Northwestern 3-0 in the second round, Torrington 3-1 in the quarterfinals, and Seymour 3-2 in the semifinals before facing St. Joseph. Prior to states, East Haven beat Shelton in the opening round of the SCC Tournament and then lost to Amity in the quarterfinals.

East Haven boasted a great offense and featured excellent senior leadership this year. Head Coach Craig Brown’s squad finished the year with 934 kills as senior captains Kylie Schlottman and Summer Onorato led the way with 270 and 246, respectively. Schlottman was named the to All-SCC First Team, and Onorato made the Second Team. Junior middle hitter Diana Kalman had 145 kills, while senior middle hitter Julia SanGiovanni posted 103 kills with a team-leading 52 blocks. Isabella Ragaini ran a swift offense all year, contributing 733 assists. Ragaini, Onorato, and Megan Roberts all finished with more than 200 digs for the year.

The East Haven-Wilbur Cross co-op squad earned victories against Guilford, Sheehan, and West Haven this year. The Guilford win marked the first one for the program a co-op and also the first victory overall for the Yellowjackets in eight years.

Senior Laura Rosado capped her high school career by having a great season in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly, going All-SCC in the backstroke as East Haven finished 11th at the Conference Championship. Rosado took second in the 100 backstroke (57.93) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (59.27) at the meet. Then in the Class LL State Championship, the Yellowjackets finished in 14th place. Rosado placed third in the backstroke to make All-State for the second year in a row, and she also finished fifth in the butterfly. Rosado qualified for the State Open Championship in both events. At the Open, she placed fifth in the backstroke with a time of 57.87 and also recorded a 23rd-place finish in the butterfly at 1:00.02.

Longtime East Haven Youth Soccer coach Ryan Harrold took the reins as head coach of the Yellowjackets this fall. The team finished with a record of 1-15, netting a home victory over Harding on Sept. 15.

The Yellowjackets welcomed Jake Hackett to the program as its new head coach, and the team was in many games while battling its way to a 1-13-2 record. East Haven’s victory came on the road with a 2-1 win over Hamden on Sept. 12. The Easties also earned ties against Sheehan and Lyman Hall. Haley Montesanto was an All-SCC Second Team selection for East Haven.

East Haven finished with a record of 1-9 in what turned out to be its final season with Melvin Wells as head coach. The Yellowjackets earned a 40-6 victory over Bassick in their season opener for their one win on the year.

East Haven’s seniors were captains Andrew Luzzi and Justin Fonacier, along with Corey Franchi and Seth Proto. Franchi was named to the All-SCC Tier 3 Team as an offensive lineman. Junior Ryan Cordova earned Honorable Mention at linebacker, while Luzzi and Proto were named to the Levi Jackson All-Star Team as linebackers. Sophomore Tanner Divito played quarterback, sophomore Jacob Araujo and junior Michael Manning were the top rushers, and sophomore Michael Castellano was the primary receiver for the Easties.

With a relatively young squad, Head Coach Anthony Russell’s Yellowjackets was represented by some athletes at the SCC and Class M State championships this year.

At the SCC Championship, East Haven placed 18th overall. After that, Ian Reynolds, Jeff Maffeo, Zach Vallas, and Giro Esposito hit the trails to compete for the Easties at the state meet.

East Haven saw a few runners qualify for the SCC and Class M state meets this season.

The Easties took 19th place at the SCC Championship and then sent three runners to the State Championship. Nicole Pendziwater, Caitlin Brockett, and Andreina Magana competed for the Yellowjackets in the state meet.

Laura Rosado swam her way to All-State accolades in 100 backstroke for the second straight season on behalf of the East Haven-Wilbur Cross girls’ swim squad this fall. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Ali Szewc and the East Haven girls’ soccer team hit the field for Jake Hackett in his first year as head coach of the Yellowjackets during the fall of 2017. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The Yellowjackets’ football squad saw some struggles this year, but quarterback Tanner Divito and Casey Marshall will be a year wiser in their junior and senior seasons, respectively, in 2018. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier