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09/15/2019 12:00 AMFootball
The Guilford football team used some late-game heroics from senior captain running back Charles Walcott to give new Head Coach Anthony Salvati his first win with the Indians on Sept. 13. Walcott ran for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lift Guilford to a road 20-19 victory over Branford in an SCC Tier 3 matchup on Sept. 13. Walcott finished the game with 21 carries for 208 yards and three TDs in the win.
With the Indians trailing 19-7, Walcott broke off a 59-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 19-13 with 10:23 to play in the game. Joe Palmer kicked the extra point to make it 19-14. Trapped in its own end of the field with time winding down, Guilford called upon Charles Schioppo on 4th-and-2 situation from the Indians’ 11-yard line. Schioppo rushed for the first down to keep the drive going. A few plays later, Walcott broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown run to give Guilford a 20-19 lead with 4:51 to play. Branford had one more chance, but the Hornets’ final drive stalled when they were called for a penalty after converting a 4th-and-5 play.
Earlier in the game, Walcott scored Guilford’s first TD on an 18-yard run just 2:37 into the contest. Palmer’s extra point gave the Indians a 7-0 lead. Branford scored a touchdown in the second quarter to make it 7-6 at halftime. The Hornets scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to bring a 19-7 advantage into the fourth, before Guilford rallied to get the victory in its season opener.
Next up, the Indians are hosting non-conference opponent Hartford Public for their home opener on Friday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Guilford High School.
Girls’ Soccer
Guilford put forth an impressive showing in its season opener last week. Head Coach Scott McMahon's squad scored four-second half goals en route to a 5-0 victory over rival Hand on Sept. 13.
Moira Kellaher scored the lone goal of the first half on an assist from Sophia Gabriel. In the second half, junior Lexie Greene tallied a goal in the 45th minute with Lily Riccio picking up the assist. Later in the half, Riccio was on the receiving end of a pass from Gabriel and sent it home to make it 3-0. In the 55th minute, Kellaher netted her second goal of the night for a 4-0 advantage. Gabby Sansone and Maria Jennings each had an assist on the goal. Sansone capped off the night by scoring in the 65th minute on an assist from Riccio to make it 5-0.
Senior Claire Mackenzie played goal during the first half for Guilford, and juniors Olivia St. Marie and Julia Rubbo played net in the second half. Coach McMahon said that senior captain Gabi Garcia-Perez and Greene controlled the game from the midfield. McMahon added that defenders Madison Gambardella and Taylor Gambardella did a great job of defending in close, while Emma McSweet, Taylor Farace, and Addy Kennedy protected from the wings.
Boys’ Soccer
Guilford battled to a 2-2 draw with crosstown rival Hand in first game of the fall at Kavanaugh Field on Sept. 14.
The Indians scored two goals in the second half against the Tigers. Jake Conklin scored an unassisted goal in the 50th minute, after which Niall O’Brien converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute. Goalkeeper John Kosh made 12 saves in net for the Indians, who were outshot 21-11 by Hand.
Volleyball
The Indians posted victories over East Lyme and North Haven during the first week of the season. Head Coach Laura Anastasio’s squad owns an early record of 2-0.
The Indians opened their campaign with a 3-1 non-conference win over East Lyme on Sept. 12. After splitting the first two sets 25-16 and 17-25, Guilford powered its way to victory with 25-15 and 25-9 victories in the final two frames. Emily Brouder had 15 kills and four blocks for the Indians. Senior Olivia Lawlor and junior Carson Halbower contributed seven kills apiece. Junior captain libero Juliet Young had 18 digs, Halbower recorded 13 digs, and Lawlor chipped in with six digs in the win. Eva Ott Hill had 30 assists, while Young added six service aces.
The next day, Guilford earned a 3-0 win over North Haven behind set scores of 25-22, 25-12, and 25-13. Lawlor had six kills, and Halbower had five for Guilford. On the defensive side, Halbower posted six digs with Lawlor punching up three digs. Young recorded 15 digs to go along with four aces in the match.
Girls’ Cross Country
Guilford came in first place as a squad when the team competed in the Small School Division at the Wilton Invitational on Sept. 14.
Leading the way for the Indians was Julia Antony, who finished in 29th place with a time of 16:21. Antony was followed by co-captain Clara Wiesler in 34th place (16:28), Olivia Skapczynski in 42nd (16:49), Yanli Muh’s in 45th (16:54), Emma Bonz in 66th (17:16), and Tessa Fridell in 82nd (18:01).
Boys’ Cross Country
After sweeping a tri-meet in New Haven on Sept. 10, the Indians finished in 19th place in the Small School Division at the Wilton Invitational on Sept. 14.
Senior captain Jacob Shiffrin finished in 19th place with a time of 17:15 for Head Coach Jon Rivera’s squad. Shiffrin was followed across the finish line by Ben Crair (17:38), McKendry Eschinger (17:47) and Tanner Updyke (17:50).
Earlier in the week, Guilford swept a meet at East Rock Park by scoring 15 points to defeat both Law (46) and Cross (50). Crair took first place with a time of 18:12, Shiffrin was second at 18:14, and Eschinger took third in 18:52.