This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/14/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Soccer
The Old Saybrook boys soccer team claimed the Class S state title by earning a 2-1 win versus defending champion Morgan in the final of the Class S State Tournament at Middletown High School on Nov. 18.
The Rams had advanced to the championship game by posting a 2-0 victory over Litchfield in the semifinals last week. Old Saybrook finished its year with a record of 15-4-3.
On Nov. 14, the 6th-seeded Rams faced off against No. 2 seed Litchfield in the Class S semis and blanked the Cowboys 2-0 at Falcon Field in Meriden. Old Saybrook held a distinct advantage on both ends of the ball by allowing only three shots on goal, while taking 10 shots on the Litchfield keeper. Seniors Paddy Ryan and Enes Cecunjanin both scored a goal for the Rams, who saw sophomore goalie Matt Rothman make two saves for the shutout.
The Rams netted their first score 18 minutes into the first half, when Ryan scored an unassisted goal for a 1-0 lead. Just before the end of the half, Cecunjanin headed a ball into the net off a helper from junior Ben O’Dell to make it 2-0. The Rams’ defense continued clamping down on Litchfield throughout the second half to secure the victory.
Old Saybrook will face No. 4 seed and defending state champion Morgan in the Class S final at Middletown High School at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Old Saybrook was represented by a trio of swimmers at the Class S State Championship at Wesleyan University on Nov. 14. The Rams came in 16th place by totaling a score of 122 points at the meet.
Old Saybrook saw senior Morgan Leopoldino and freshman Grace Sweeney post top-five finishes in their respective races, while sophomore Helen Day finished in the top 10 of two events at the Class S Championship. Sweeney claimed third place and scored 26 points for the Rams by swimming a time of 59.84 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly, qualifying for the State Open Championship in the process. She also finished 16th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 27.05 seconds, scoring 11 points.
At the Open, Sweeney finished in 24th place with a time of 1:02.79. The meet was held at Yale University on Nov. 17.
Additionally at the Class S State Championship, Leopoldino finished fifth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:20.35 to score 24 points for the Rams. The senior also picked up 22 points with her seventh-place finish in the 200 freestyle, timing in at 1:59.88. In the 100 breaststroke, Day scored 22 points by coming in seventh place with a time of 1:11.53. She also took in 10th place and scored 17 points in the 200 individual medley with a mark of 2:19.36.
Football
The Old Saybrook-Westbrook (OS-W) football team picked up a 35-10 non-conference win over Woodstock Academy at the Surf Club in Madison on Nov. 14. With the victory, the Rams raised their record to 5-4 entering their season finale versus Morgan.
The Rams put forth a strong offensive effort that saw senior captain Dan Almada score a pair of rushing touchdowns in the win. Fellow senior Landis Twomey also ran for a TD. Junior quarterback Jack McDowell threw a pair of touchdown passes with Max Thomas catching one of them and junior Will Bergeron hauling in the other. OS-W’s defense held Woodstock off the scoreboard all the way until the fourth quarter, when the game was already well in hand.
The Rams jumped out to an early lead by scoring three touchdowns in the first period. Almada notched the first score on a 6-yard run for a 6-0 lead. Old Saybrook got back into the end zone on a 2-yard TD run from Twomey, who then ran in the 2-point conversion to make it a 14-0 score. The Rams finished up the quarter with a 18-yard touchdown pass from McDowell to Thomas for a 21-0 advantage following Cooper Pavlovich’s extra point kick.
In the second quarter, Bergeron caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from McDowell to keep the Rams’ momentum going. Pavlovich’s extra point made it 28-0. Then in the third quarter, Almada broke off a 64-yard touchdown run for OS-W, after which Pavlovich’s extra point gave the Rams a 35-0 cushion.
Up next for the Rams (5-4, 4-2) is their annual Thanksgiving Week showdown against Pequot Conference Sassacus Division opponent Morgan (3-5, 2-5). The Rams’ season finale versus the Huskies takes place at the Peters Complex in Clinton at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21.