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01/20/2019 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball squad qualified for the Division V State Tournament after splitting a pair of games in last week’s action. The Warriors defeated Portland for their eighth win of the season and then took a loss against Old Saybrook later in the week to move to 8-3 on the year.
On Jan. 14, the Warriors secured a 72-53 road victory over Portland to qualify for states. Valley’s lead was never in jeopardy after the Warriors grabbed a 39-24 advantage at halftime. The Warriors won the third quarter by a 22-12 margin on their way to the 19-point victory. Junior Chris Sparaco recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors. He also had three assists with one block and a steal. Fellow junior Cade Ensinger made a big impact on the game by supplying 12 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks. Junior Gavin Grabowski had nine points, three boards, and three steals, while senior captain Kevin Fasulo added six points, two rebounds, two assists, one block, and three steals. Senior Jason Montecalvo and junior Drew Kelly added six points apiece.
On Jan. 18, the Warriors lost an 88-79 contest at Old Saybrook. Valley had a hard time keeping up with the Rams’ scoring attack as Old Saybrook pulled ahead 39-32 margin by halftime. Valley tried to make up some of the deficit in the third quarter, but foul trouble limited the Warriors ability to defend, resulting in the nine-point defeat. Grabowski scored 27 points to go with three steals and two boards in the loss. Fasulo 22 points with five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block for the Warriors. Sparaco netted another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Boys’ Indoor Track
The Warriors competed at the Haddam-Killingworth Invitational at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Jan. 18. Senior Nick Braga grabbed the gold in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.62 seconds to help Valley finish in eighth place in a field of 28 teams with 22 points scored.
Junior Andrew Ferguson came in third place in the 55 with a time of 6.74 seconds for Valley. In the 1,600 sprint medley relay, the Warriors’ team of Braga, Ferguson, junior Arick Outama, and senior James DiLuca came in third place with a time of 3:57.22.
Girls’ Indoor Track
Valley scored three points and finished in 25th place as a team at the Haddam-Killingworth Invitational on Jan 18.
Sophomore Madelyn Costello took seventh place in the high jump by clearing a height of 4 feet-8 inches for Valley Regional. The 4x400 relay of freshman Margaret Jacaruso, Costello, junior Lacey Hall, and freshman Emi Bisson came in eighth place with a time of 4:46.04. Jacaruso finished ninth in the 600 by running a time of 1:55.83, while ophomore Audrey Lenda tied for 10th place in the long jump with a distance of 14-9.
Wrestling
Senior Ben Falivene competed on behalf of Valley Regional at the Griswold Invitational on Jan. 19. Falivene took third place in the 285-pound weight class at the meet.
Following a first-round bye, Falivene scored a win by pin over Armando Castaneda of East Haven at the 1:20 mark in the quarterfinals. Next, Falivene lost by pinfall against Roark Ryan of Norwich Tech at 3:24 in the semis. The loss put Falivene into the consolation semifinals, where the senior pinned Dominic Zucallo of Somers at the 0:54 mark. In the third-place bout, Falivene had a rematch against Castaneda of East Haven and prevailed by pin at 1:50 to finish in third.
Prior to the Griswold Invitational, Falivene took part in the Greater Hartford Open on Jan. 12. Falivene lost to Tyree Pinnock of New Britain by pin at 3:50 in the first round. In the second round, Falivene pinned Don Rampassard of East Hartford at 1:52. Ultimately, Falivene took a loss versus Mike Warner of East Hartford by pin in his final match.