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12/25/2017 11:00 PMThere were no shortage of storylines on the North Haven sports circuit during the 2016-'17 winter season. The Indians' cheerleading team made a great debut on the co-ed circuit, and the Blades' girls' ice hockey squad got back to the Southern Connecticut Conference Division II final. In other news, Erica Marriott and Omar Gebril both claimed victory at their respective Indoor Track State championships, while Jack Steinman scored his 1,000th career point for the boys' basketball team.
Cheerleading
The North Haven cheerleading squad took home the co-ed title at the SCC Championship in the team's first year competing in that division this winter.
After competing in the All-Girl Division for several seasons, North Haven became a co-ed squad when senior Michael Ricci was promoted to the varsity ranks. As a result, the Indians competed in the Co-Ed Division at their postseason meets, starting with the SCC Championship. North Haven totaled a score of 81.35 to defeat runner-up Branford (79.7) and two-time defending champion Hand (75.3) to win its second conference title and first in the Co-ed Division.
One month later, the Indians competed at the Co-Ed State Championship and finished in third place. North Haven also qualified for the New England Championship.
Jordyn Aurora and Shelby Wuchek were the senior captains for the Indians, whose other seniors were Ricci and Jordan Vaccaro. Aurora made the All-SCC Team and the All-State Team. Juniors Samantha Konspore and Morgan Sullivan were also selected to the All-SCC and All-State teams, while sophomore Renee Myjak was an All-State honoree on behalf of Head Coach Kathleen Crisafi's squad.
Girls' Ice Hockey
The Amity-North Haven-Cheshire Blades' girls' ice hockey squad had another productive season, winning 14 games and advancing to the championship game of the SCC Division II Tournament for the second straight year.
In John Peschell's first season as head coach, the Blades went 13-6-1 overall and 8-2-1 in SCC
Division II play for the regular season. After that, the team skated to a 4-1 win versus Hand in the conference semis to advance to face West Haven-Sacred Heart Academy for the title in a rematch of the previous year's game that was won by the Blades. This time, the Blades dropped a 4-1 decision to finish the year with a record of 14-7-1.
The North Haven students who played for the Blades were senior captain Kiley Degrand; juniors Kyla DelVecchio, Maryssa Racino, and Jamie Fredericks; sophomores Shannon Reilly, Jackie Howlett, and Katelyn St. Peter; and freshman Melissa Montesi. St. Peter started six games in net and won all six games.
Boys' Ice Hockey
North Haven posted a mark of 4-15-1 in Mike Silengo's final season as head coach. The Indians recorded victories versus Lyman Hall/Haddam-Killingworth/Coginchaug (3-0), Cheshire (2-1 in overtime), Masuk (5-0), and Milford (4-2) to go with a 2-2 tie versus Newtown. North Haven's captains for the season were senior Mike Gambardella, junior CJ Kenny, and junior Jamie Montesi.
Girls' Indoor Track
North Haven turned in a number of notable showings during the 2017 postseason. The Indians recorded three victories at the SCC West Sectional Championship, got a win from Erica Marriott and a third-place team finish at the Class L State Championship, and then saw some athletes advance to the State Open and New England championships.
Marriott, a sophomore, claimed first place in the long jump at the West Sectional Championship (16-9.5) and the Class L State Championship (16-2.75). She also placed second in the event at SCCs—where North Haven finished 10th as a team—and was seventh at the State Open. Marriott also won the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.32 seconds to break her own school record at the sectional meet and help Marc Celmer's squad finish in fourth place. Marriott went on to take second in the 55 at states, seventh in the Open, and 13th in the preliminaries at the New England Championship.
Sarah Vanacore, a senior, defended her sectional shot put title by winning the event with a throw of 37-4.5. She then finished second at SCCs and the Class L meet, followed by a seventh-place performance at the State Open Championship. Fellow senior Elise Symon advanced all the way to the New England Championship in the 1,600 and finished in 19th place. Symon had previously placed second in the 1,600 and 3,200 at sectionals, third in the 1,600 at SCCs, fifth in the event at states, and eighth at the State Open.
Additionally at the Sectional Championship, the Indians' 4x800 relay of Symon, seniors Maily Tran and Elya Paolillo, and junior Macey DiCarlo finished in second place.
Boys' Outdoor Track
Senior Omar Gebril finished his indoor track career at North Haven by defending his title in the 600-meter run at the Class L State Championship and reaching the New England Championship in the event.
Gebril ran a time of 1:24.63 at states to win the 600 by less than a second. He had previously finished first (1:25.95) at the SCC West Sectional Championship for the second year in a row and then came in second place at the SCC Championship. Following the Class L meet, Gebril finished fifth (1:24.38) in the 600 at the State Open and placed ninth with a time of 1:23.98 in the New England Championship. Gebril earned a spot on the
New Haven Register's All-Area Team for his excellent senior season.
Fellow senior Josh Bryson recorded his first postseason victory when he won the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.54 seconds at the Sectional Championship. Head Coach Marc Celmer's team finished sixth at sectionals, eighth in SCCs, and 16th at states.
Boys' Basketball
North Haven finished with a regular-season record of 11-9 to qualify for the SCC and Class L State tournaments for second straight year with Head Coach Justin Falcon.
The Indians stood at 5-9 entering the home stretch, but then rattled off six straight victories to punch their playoff ticket. In the SCC Tournament, the Indians took a 72-56 loss at Wilbur Cross. Then in the
Class L bracket, North Haven went to Newington and lost 55-44 to finish at 11-11 overall.
Senior captain guard Jack Steinman scored career point No. 1,000 when the Indians netted a 64-52 victory at East Haven on Feb. 20. Steinman hit a three-pointer from the corner to reach his milestone on the five-year anniversary of when Billy McDonald scored his 1,000th point for North Haven. Steinman finished the season with an average of 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He earned All-SCC Second Team recognition,
New Haven Register All-State Honorable Mention, was also named the Indians' Most Valuable Player.
Forward Paul Murray was the other senior captain for the Indians. Senior Mike Gagliardi won North Haven's Most Improved Player Award, while junior Billy VanNieuwenhuyze received the team's Sportsmanship Award. North Haven's other seniors were Tom Myjak, Preston Young, Tom Dodge, and Anthony Beretta.
Girls' Basketball
The Indians finished with a record of 2-18 this year, netting a 63-19 home win over Two Rivers and a 57-53 victory at Coginchaug.
Ariana DelVecchio, Jessica McInnis, and Julissa Maldonado served as the senior captains for Head Coach Ray Degnan's squad during the 2017 campaign.
Boys' and Girls' Fencing
The North Haven fencing program was well represented at the 2017 Team State Championships that were held at East Lyme High School.
North Haven's girls' épée team posted a second-place finish at the state meet, while its boys' foil team earned the runner-up plaque in its tournament. The boys' sabre team posted a third-place finish in states for the Indians, whose head coach was Brian Mezzi.
Rifle
North Haven qualified for the State Championship for the first time in three years this winter.
Head Coach Brent Heidenis's squad averaged a score of 937.67 points out of a possible 1,000 in the regular season to earn its spot at the State Championship, which took place at the Indians' home site of Blue Trails Range in Wallingford. North Haven finished in fifth place with a score of 935, led by sophomore Camille Sahirul, sophomore Matteo Franco, junior captain Harrison Callahan, junior captain Michaela Felipe, and sophomore Caleb Johns.
During the regular season, North Haven scored a 951 in a match against Bunnell, tying the team's top mark in Heidenis's nine-year tenure as head coach.
Boys' Swimming and Diving
Senior diver Kyle Duby posted a score of 256.85 during North Haven's Senior Night meet against Xavier, breaking a 40 year-old school record for the most points in a regular-season diving competition. Duby, who set the record by less than a point, went on to finish in ninth place at the SCC Diving Championship and then finished 13th in the diving at the Class M State Championship.
As a team, the Indians placed 12th at SCCs and 16th in states, marking their best performance at either postseason meet during Martha Phelan's four-year tenure as head coach. At the state meet, sophomore Will McCleery placed 12th in the 500 freestyle and 14th in the 100 backstroke. The Indians' 200 medley relay of McCleery, junior Riley Powell, sophomore Kevin Powers, and junior Ryan Tanguay finished in 11th place.