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02/03/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Indoor Track
Junior Marzio Mastroianni won the 1,000-meter run and also ran with CJ Miller, Carlos McCaay, and Aidan Kropiwnicki on the 1,600 sprint medley relay (SMR) that took first place and set a school record for the Branford boys’ indoor track team at the SCC Championship. The Hornets scored 24 points to take seventh place at the SCC meet, which was held at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 2.
Mastroianni recorded a time of 2:37.56 to edge out runner-up Owen Lally of Xavier (2:38.69) and claim first place in the 1,000, an event in which he had finished second behind Lally at the previous week’s SCC West Sectional Championship. In the 1,600 sprint medley relay, Branford’s quartet of Mastroianni, senior Miller, and fellow juniors McCaay and Kropiwnicki posted a school-record time of 3:44.65 to defeat Lyman Hall (3:46.06) and take first place after having placed second at sectionals. Mastroianni and the SMR both earned All-SCC honors by virtue of their first-place finishes.
“The SMR team has bonded this season. It was their midseason goal to break the school record and to make the All-Conference Team. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and the four runners are convinced that they are going to continue to break the school record and place throughout the State Championship series,” Head Coach Rich Biondi said. “I am really proud of the team. We have enjoyed a great season, and the kids are peaking at the right time.”
Also at the SCC Championship, Kropiwnicki finished fourth in the pole vault by clearing 11 feet-6 inches for the Hornets. Elsewhere in the event, junior Justin Dombrowski finished 10th (9-6), sophomore Sean Jansen was 12th (9-6), and sophomore Andrew Wirtz finished 16th (9-0). Junior Brandon Perez had a nice meet for Branford by placing seventh in the high jump (5-8) and eighth in the long jump with a leap of 19-5.25. Harry Troidle finished 16th in the 1,600 (4:54.67), junior Glenn Iacovetti came in 17th for the 600 (1:32.76), and McCaay placed 23rd in the preliminaries of the 55-meter dash in 7.04 seconds.
“Harry Troidle, Brandon Perez, and Glenn Iacovetti all had career bests and have qualified for the Class M Championship,” said Coach Biondi. “The three of them are great kids and have worked hard to qualify.”
Girls’ Indoor Track
Senior Bridget Wirtz defended her title in the pole vault, while sophomore Diana Karosas claimed first place in the high jump for the Hornets at last week’s SCC Championship. Branford scored 22 points and came in eighth place as a team at the meet.
Wirtz cleared a height of 10 feet-6 inches to win the pole vault for the second straight season at the SCC Indoor Championship after also winning it at the outdoor SCC meet last spring. Wirtz and Sheehan’s Stephanie Phoenix both maxed out at 10-6 in the event, but Wirtz got the nod for first because she had cleared the previous height of 10 feet in fewer attempts than Phoenix. Wirtz now has six career postseason wins in the pole vault between the indoor and outdoor seasons, and she also holds the school record in the event for both seasons.
Additionally at SCCs, Karosas picked up her first career postseason victory by clearing 4-10 to defeat runner-up Molly Mazzucco of East Haven (4-8). Mazzucco had won the event when Karosas took third at the previous week’s SCC West Sectional Championship, but Karosas improved her height by two inches to prevail at the conference meet. Karosas also finished sixth in the pole vault by clearing 9 feet.
“Bridget had a great night. She’s had her difficulties this season, but she’s putting it together when it counts,” Head Coach Kevin Connell said. “Diana is a very confident athlete. She had a good effort in the pole vault, but came up big to win the high jump. The weather has really affected our jumpers and vaulters, so it was a tribute to their persistence throughout the winter.”
Junior Liante Claude had a solid showing by finishing sixth in the 600-meter run (1:43.97) and seventh in the 300-meter dash at 43.84 seconds. The Hornets’ 4x200 relay of sophomores Kayla Pollard, Rose Lockery, and Molly Zaffino, plus Claude posted a time of 1:54.22 and finished in eighth place.
Lockery took 13th place in the 1,000 (3:30.54), while senior Emily Borst finished 21st (3:59.35). Senior Wyntre Fries finished 11th for the pole vault (6-6), and she also placed 17th in the preliminaries of the 55-meter hurdles at 10.61 seconds. Pollard finished 19th in the 300 by timing in at 46.32 seconds for the Hornets.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Branford-East Haven-North Branford girls’ ice hockey team increased its winning streak to eight consecutive games by posting a pair of victories last week, including a huge win against Hamden, which came into the game was the No. 2 ranked team in the state. The Wings now have a record of 13-3 on the season.
Head Coach Jack Norton’s club opened up last week by earning a 2-1 win at Hamden in a SCC South Division matchup at Lou Astorino Ice Rink on Jan. 31. East Haven freshman Julianna Constantinople scored an unassisted goal to put the Wings on the board. Later in the game, Branford senior Alycia Ferretti netted a goal on assists from North Branford senior Emmy Norton and Constantinople to give the Wings a 2-0 lead in the second period. Hamden came back with a goal to make it 2-1 through two, but East Haven senior goalie Julia SanGiovanni (32 saves) and the Wings’ defense held off the Green Dragons in the third period to come away with the win.
Then on Feb. 3, the Wings hosted divisional foe Notre Dame-Fairfield/Law/Foran/Weston at DiLungo Ice Rink and skated to a 3-0 victory to put their 12th win in the books. The win capped off a season sweep of the Lancers, who the Wings also defeated 5-0 on Jan. 17. Constantinople scored two goals, North Branfod’s Emilie Wilkinson had a goal, and SanGiovanni had the shutout in net.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The Branford boys’ ice hockey team was on the ice for one game last week, when Cheshire came to Northford Ice Pavilion for a Saturday afternoon SCC Division II matchup. The Hornets took a 4-1 defeat against the Rams to put their record at 6-4-1 on the season.
Cheerleading
The Branford cheerleading team was the lone squad to compete in the Co-ed Division at last week’s SCC Championship. The Hornets finished with a score of 77.55 points at the meet, which was held on Feb. 3 at Shelton High School. Shelton won the title in the All-Girl Division, while North Haven placed second, and Hand was third.
Branford saw three of its athletes recognized as All-SCC cheerleaders at the conference meet. Senior captain Charles Longway, junior Alyssa Cariglio, and sophomore Rachel Rustemeyer were among the 20 athletes who were selected to the All-SCC Team on behalf of the Hornets. This marks the second time that Cariglio and Rustemeyer have earned an All-Conference distinction.
The competitors for the Branford cheerleading team this year are senior Longway, junios Cariglio and Sadie Ostad; sophomores Bella Miranda, Rustemeyer, Jade Smith, and Taylor Nichols; and freshman Lilly Longway. The Hornets are coached by Head Coach Melissa Mansi and new assistant coach Addison Ferrara, who was a captain for last year’s squad.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Branford-Guilford boys’ swimming and diving team faced Law at Foran High School in Milford on Jan. 30 and came away with a 94-84 victory.
Sophomore Aidan Henry won two individual events and swam on two victorious relays at the meet. Henry won the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.64 seconds and also took first place in the 100 backstroke at 57.94. In the 200 medley relay, freshman David Zhang, Henry, freshman Daniel Kamen, and junior Andrew Orce recorded a time of 1:55.59 to take first place. The 200 freestyle relay team of junior Noah Horton, Kamen, Orce, and Henry also claimed first place by posting a time of 1:42.04.
Also in the win, freshman Emanuel Acevedo took first place in the diving competition by tallying a score of 123.4 points. Orce won the 100 freestyle in 57.67, while junior Matt Daley was first in the 100 breaststroke at 1:19.41.
Girls’ Basketball
Branford picked up a double-digit win versus West Haven last week, before a dropping a contest to Mercy. The Hornets have a record of 6-10 entering the final week of the regular season.
The Hornets hosted West Haven on Jan. 29 and prevailed 55-41 to complete a season sweep of the Blue Devils, who Branford had defeated 47-42 on Jan. 8. In this game, the Hornets led 19-15 at halftime and then outscored West Haven in both the third (16-13) and fourth (20-13) quarters on its way to the victory. Senior Emma Pierson had a big game for Branford by scoring 19 points. Junior Sophia Araneo scored 11 points, sophomore Karly King had 10 points, freshman Gabby Lucertini scored eight points, and senior Tori Raffone chipped in with six points in the win.
Two nights later, Branford hosted Mercy for a SCC Hammonasset Division game and lost by a 60-33 final. Pierson had 14 points, Araneo scored 12 points, and King had five points for the Hornets.
Boys’ Basketball
The Hornets lost three games in last week’s action, taking defeats against West Haven, Amity, and Career.
Branford opened up the week with an away game against West Haven and dropped a 78-64 decision in a SCC Quinnipiac Division contest.
On Jan. 31, the Hornets faced Amity on the road and lost 66-24. Senior Mike White scored seven points, while seniors Danny Thomas and Ethan Boileau each scored four points, as did sophomore Nolan Scott.
Branford closed the week by hosting Quinnipiac Division opponent Career, which defeated the Hornets by a 59-34 final. Senior Harrison Stratton scored 10 points, Thomas had seven points, and Boileau had five points for Branford.