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12/26/2017 11:00 PMThe fall sports season at Haddam-Killingworth saw both Cougars’ cross country teams claim Shoreline and state titles once again. In other new, H-K’s boys’ soccer and volleyball squads also grabbed Shoreline Conference gold.
Boys’ Cross Country
The H-K boys’ cross country team finished with 16-0 record this fall to go undefeated for the fourth year in a row, after which the Cougars won their fourth straight Shoreline Conference title and fourth Class SS state title in a row.
At the Shoreline Conference Championship, Andrew Meredith won the boys’ race by setting a new course record of 17 minutes. Meredith, Jonah Spector, Daniel Schumann, Conor McCabe, and Kurt Sodergren made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team, while Seth Freeman and Kyle Criscuolo were Second Team honorees for Head Coach Matt Diglio’s squad.
At the Class SS State Championship, the Cougars notched another four-peat by scoring 39 points to outdistance Immaculate with 104. The Cougars were represented by Meredith, Schumann, Spector, McCabe, Alex Inkel, Sodergren, and Matt Jennings. Meredith was the runner-up with a time of 16:40, while Schumann raced to fifth (17:00), as both athletes earned All-State Team spots.
H-K finished in fifth place as a team at the State Open, where Meredith came in 10th (16:35). The team also finished eighth at the New England Championship. Meredith made the New Haven Register All-Area Team.
Girls’ Cross Country
Haddam-Killingworth went 15-0 for its third straight undefeated season, won its third consecutive Shoreline Conference title, and then took first place at the Class SS State Championship for its second state title in three year.
At Shorelines, Kelsey D’Amico won the race in a time of 20 minutes and 53 seconds. H-K’s other runners were Julianne Kelly, Grace Lindell, Lexie Bouthillier, and Margaret Fisher, Emma Anziano, and Meara Bodak. D’Amico, Kelly, and Lindell earned spots on the All-Shoreline First Team, while Bouthillier, Anziano, and Bodak made the Second Team for H-K.
Head Coach Matt Diglio’s club then totaled 72 points to win the Class SS state title over second-place Old Saybrook with 108. D’Amico finished in sixth place (20:33) to earn All-State status.
For the State Open, the Cougars posted a fifth-place finish, led by D’Amico in 15th (20:24). They qualified for the New England Championship as a team and finished in 13th. D’Amico made the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team this year.
Volleyball
The Cougars posted a mark of 21-4 in a year that featured their second straight appearance in the Shoreline Conference Tournament final, which H-K won by defeating Valley Regional 3-1 to grab its first league title in three years. Head Coach Robin Callender’s team would eventually face St. Joseph in the semifinals of Class M State Tournament and drop a 3-0 decision against the Cadets.
Kate Porter was named the co-Shoreline Conference Player of the Year, while Porter and Jennings both made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team. Elizabeth Doxee and Sam Mohammed were named to the Second Team, plus junior Julliette Sasso was an Honorable Mention selection for H-K.
Boys’ Soccer
Haddam-Killingworth finished with a record of 15-3-3 for a season that saw the Cougars win a share of the Shoreline Conference Tournament title after a 1-1 tie with Morgan in the league final, marking the Cougars’ first conference crown in a decade and third overall.
Head Coach Denis Recchia and the Cougars routed Wolcott 8-0 in the first round of the Class S State Tournament and then defeated Plainville 2-0 in the second round. In the quarterfinals against Lewis Mills, the Cougars took a 2-0 loss.
Ben Marchetti, Ben McLaughlin, and Gabriel Mangiafico were All-Shoreline Conference First Team selections for H-K this season, while Tom Williams, Jack Spooner, and Kyle Crandall earned Honorable Mention.
Girls’ Soccer
H-K finished with a mark of 3-11-2 on the year. Head Coach Karen Clark’s team posted wins over Capital Prep (3-0 and 4-0), and Westbrook (2-0), and also tied Old Saybrook (1-1) and Valley Regional (0-0).
Football
Head Coach Mike Baklik’s team finished with a record of 6-4 for the program’s first winning season since 2011. The Cougars’ wins came against SMSA-University-Classical (49-32), Morgan (21-7), Nonnewaug (35-21), North Branford (35-12), Lewis Mills (35-13), and Old Saybrook-Westbrook (14-7).
Making the All-Pequot League Sassacus Division Team for H-K were Trevor Hines (offensive line), Kevin Dougherty (linebacker), and Aiden Maher (defensive line).
Field Hockey
H-K qualified for the Class S State Tournament and took a 2-0 loss to Stonington in the first round. Head Coach Meghan Sears’s team concluded its campaign with a record of 5-7-3-2.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Head Coach Mary Kate Almeida’s team finished in 11th place at the Class S State Championship. The 200 freestyle relay of Sarah Cook, Hannah McLeod, Nora Homicki, and Kiera Bragdon finished in sixth place with a time of 1:48.96 for the Cougars.