This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/26/2017 11:00 PMThe 2017 winter campaign saw the Valley Regional girls’ basketball team post a seven-win improvement from the previous year on its way to qualifying for the postseason, where the Warriors won one game in both the Shoreline Conference and Class M State tournaments. In other news, junior Travis Baldwin secured first place in the pole vault with a school-record height of 12 feet-6 inches at the Class S State Championship, while sophomore Ben Falivene made his mark on the wrestling mat for Valley.
Girls’ Basketball
The Valley Regional girls’ basketball squad put together one of its best seasons in recent memory by finishing the year with an overall record of 14-10 this winter. The Warriors qualified for both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class M State Tournament, winning one game in each of the brackets in their second year with Head Coach Geoff Konstan.
After going 12-8 during a regular season that featured a six-game win streak, Valley netted a 30-23 victory versus Coginchaug in the quarterfinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament before dropping a 56-36 decision to Cromwell in the semis. Then in the Class M State Tournament, Coach Konstan’s squad posted a 57-50 win over Prince Tech in a first round contest, after which the Warriors lost to St. Paul, 52-33, in the second round.
Sophomore guard Alexis Finnerty led Valley Regional in points (12.4), rebounds (7.2), and assists per game (3.3) on her way to earning All-Shoreline Conference First Team accolades, as well as the Warriors’ Most Valuable Player Award. Finnerty and senior captain Libby Spitzschuh tied for the team lead in steals by averaging 4.1 a night. Brianna O’Brien and Francesca Daniels were also senior captains for Valley. O’Brien won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Daniels took home the Leadership Award, and Spitzschuh won the team’s Warrior Award for Coach Konstan’s club. Junior Heidi Clark was named the Most Improved Player and selected as a senior captain for the 2017-’18 season with Paige Atkinson.
Boys’ Basketball
The Warriors’ boys’ basketball team finished the regular season one victory shy of making states by posting a 7-13 record. Valley was in the mix for postseason qualification after netting two important wins against Haddam-Killingworth (68-65) and Morgan (77-55) late in the campaign, although Valley took a 63-44 loss to Coginchaug in its final game to just miss a bid. Earlier in the season, Valley collected a victory over Haddam-Killingworth, as well as one apiece against Old Saybrook, Hale-Ray, Portland, and North Branford.
Head Coach Kevin Woods’s team received standout performances from senior captain Jordan Moran, who led the team in both points (15.3) and assists (4.2) per game; along with junior captain Colin Sparaco, who averaged 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a night; junior Ben Weinstein, who led the team in rebounds at 7.9 per game; and senior Ryan Kelly, who averaged 1.4 steals to lead the Warriors.
Moran was named Valley’s Regional’s Most Valuable Player for the season. Additionally, junior captain Ernest Jean-Pierre won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kelly took home the Warrior Award, junior guard Zach Stevens earned the Most Improved Player Award, and the Coaches’ Award went to both senior forward Cory Craco and sophomore guard Kevin Fasulo.
Boys’ Indoor Track
Travis Baldwin made history for the Valley Regional boys’ indoor track team this winter. Baldwin, a junior captain, took first place in the pole vault with a school-record height of 12 feet-6 inches for the Warriors at the Class S State Championship.
Previously, at the Shoreline Conference Championship, Head Coach Chris Allegretti’s squad saw sophomore James Diluca finish sixth in the 1,000-meter run, Alex Fortier place eighth in the 300 and take 10th in the shot put, and the 4x200 relay team of Cole Ensinger, Fortier, Baldwin, and Jack Liggett finish in sixth place.
Girls’ Indoor Track
Head Coach Jean Maignan’s team’s saw Addie Byars finish in fourth place in the 3,200-meter run, while teammate Maleena Frazier placed sixth in the high jump, at the Shoreline Conference Championship this winter.
At the Class S State Championship, Byars finished eighth in the 3,200 with Frazier claiming 16th place in the high jump on behalf of the Warriors.
Wrestling
Ben Falivene represented Valley Regional on the wrestling mat by competing in the 220-pound weight class this winter. The sophomore turned in a solid season that featured 12 victories, including two at the Class S State Championship.
During the regular season, Falivene practiced with the squad at Morgan High School and also competed at the Huskies’ meets, although his points were recorded separately. He secured a fourth-place finish at the Shoreline Shuffle by winning three bouts at the event, which took place at Branford High School and featured schools from around the state.
Then at the Class S State Championship, Falivene competed as a team-of-one on behalf of the Warriors and scored seven points for a 27th-place finish. Falivene notched two victories at the state meet. In the first round, Falivene bested Samuel Beadle of Canton by pin. He then went to the consolation bracket after taking a loss by pin in to eventual champion Klyde Auba of Notre Dame-Fairfield. Falivene’s second victory came via a 5-3 decision against Prosper John Vignone in the consolation bracket. Falivene finished with a mark of 12-10 for the season.
Gymnastics
Valley Regional recorded several victories during the 2016-’17 winter season. The Warriors’ roster consisted of senior captains Cassidy Kehlenbach and Liza Miezejeski, along with Emily Brucker, Corinne Fowler, Lily O’Neil, and Mackenzie Neviaser. Carl Cavrell and Monica Bauer were Valley’s co-head coaches for the season.