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01/19/2019 11:00 PMThe Guilford co-ed fencing program has been a mainstay at the top of the state for the past several seasons. With a deep group of seniors and several underclass athletes who are seeing early success, the Indians are focused on retaining their title as the best in Connecticut this winter.
Last year, Head Coach Kyle Mezzi’s program achieved the three-peat as state champions by once again taking first place in both the boys’ and girls’ Team State championships at East Lyme High School. The girls’ team claimed the crown behind the cumulative finish of its second-place finishes in foil and épée, along with a third-place performance for sabre. Meanwhile, the boys’ team won its title by finishing first in foil and sabre to go with a runner-up showing in épée. It marked the fifth state championship in the history of the Guilford girls’ fencing program and the fourth for the boys’ program.
The Indians haven’t skipped a beat thus far this season as their boys’ and girls’ teams are each off to perfect starts with their respective records of 14-0. Coach Mezzi not only praises his skilled senior veterans, but also the talented cast of athletes in the other three grades who are making the most of their opportunities.
“It’s been a fantastic start. We have 19 seniors, so we have a great group of captains and tons of senior leadership,” said Mezzi. “The maturity level on this team has been the X-factor for us. We’re so deep with so much experience. We’re in a position where we put in our subs when a match is on the line. We have a lot of people getting playing time, and so we’re hoping it’ll be reloading rather than rebuilding after this season.”
Guilford features a quintet of savvy senior leaders as its captains this year. The captains for the boys’ team are épée fencer Oscar Scott, who returns after finishing third in last year’s Individual State Championship; along with sabre competitor Leo Westgard and foil fencer Evan Schultes. Scott has 19 victories, while Westgard owns a record of 14-1 on the year.
“Oscar brings a ton of experience, and other people can draw off of his enthusiasm,” Coach Mezzi said. “Evan has been competing before high school, so he also has much experience. He’s patient on the strip and always in control, and it shows. Leo is always thinking and creative. He’s very difficult to fence against. He does a great job of bringing a competitive atmosphere to the team.”
The senior captains for the girls’ team are foilist Isabelle Labelle, who’s sporting a record of 16-5; and sabre fencer Grace Beatty, who has a record of 13-0.
“Isabelle is a disciplined kid and has come into her own as a leader,” said Mezzi. “Grace has been doing a great job. We have a strong sabre squad, and she’s taken the lead and buying into what we want to do with sabre. She’s a clean fencer.”
Guilford’s captains aren’t the only athletes who are racking up the touches and the triumphs on the strip. The Indians feature four fencers who have 19 wins in Scott and senior foilist Mark McNamara for the boys’ team; along with Anna Angkatavanich and fellow junior Shayla Flynn, who fence sabre for the girls’ squad. Overall, Guilford has 17 fencers with double-digit victories at this point of the campaign.
The Indians had a busy day on Jan. 19, when they competed in a pair of meets at Old Lyme and Hopkins. In the meet at Hopkins, the boys’ team defeated Fairfield (22-5), St. John’s, Massachusetts (20-7); and North Haven (19-8). The girls’ team earned wins versus Fairfield (21-6), St. John’s (18-9), and North Haven (22-5). Boys’ épée and sabre both swept Fairfield by a 9-0 score. Scott went undefeated on the day. Girls’ sabre blanked Fairfield and North Haven by 9-0 finals. Gracie Banning’s overtime win against Fairfield secured her épée squad’s crucial victory.
In the meet at Old Lyme, the boys’ team defeated Old Lyme 21-6 and earned a 17-10 victory over Marine Science Magnet. The girls’ squad bested Old Lyme 16-11, before winning 20-7 against Marine Science Magnet to get the win.
When the regular season ends, the Indians will focus on the Individual State Championships, where they’ll have the chance to put themselves in prime position to vie for titles at the Team State Championships. Coach Mezzi believes that Guilford has both the prowess and the focus that will be needed to make it happen.
“The mentality is to get as much experience as possible before individual sates and have all six teams qualify for team states. That is the only way we can put ourselves in the position to win team titles,” Mezzi said. “They all know the top priority is getting to team states. The kids are doing a great job, and we’re trying to keep them focused on those goals.”
• This is Kyle Mezzi’s ninth season as head coach of the Guilford fencing program.
• Chris Balestracci and Charles Schnieder are the Indians’ assistant coaches this winter.
• The Individual State Championships will be held on Saturday, March 2. The Team State Championships take place the following week on Saturday, March 9.