Printer Friendly Version - 2019 East Haven Sports Year in Review

Senior Victor Garcia earned 43 victories to help the East Haven wrestling team have its most successful season in recent memory in 2019. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The past year featured plenty of notable moments on the East Haven sports scene. The East Haven girls’ basketball team made it back to the SCC final during the winter season, while the softball squad advanced to the championship game of the Class L State Tournament in the spring. The spring season also saw Dave Augustine coach his last match with the East Haven golf team. Let’s take a look back at the highlights of East Haven sports in 2019.

The East Haven wrestling team is on the upswing following a successful season with first-year Head Coach Mark Tolla in 2019. The Yellowjackets went 20-5 overall, marking the most wins for the program since 2000. In addition to that, East Haven saw plenty of success in various tournaments throughout the year, claiming top-three finishes in six of them as a team.

There are also many highlights for the Easties throughout the postseason. At the SCC Championship, East Haven finished in third place with 101 points scored. Senior Victor Garcia took first place in the 113-pound weight class, while sophomore Matt DiVito finished first for the 120-pound division.

Then at the Class M State Championship, East Haven came in eighth place with a total of 121 points. This was the Yellowjackets’ third-straight top-10 finish at the state meet, and the 121 points were the most in team history, eclipsing the mark of 112.5 set by the 2000 team. Senior captain Josh Rao (195) and junior Alec DiVito (132) finished in second place in their respective weight classes for East Haven.

Garcia finished with a record of 43-4 for the year. Sophomore Dominic Milano (106) and Matt DiVito each earned 33 victories, while Rao and senior captain Armando Castaneda (285) won 32 matches apiece.

The Yellowjackets’ girls’ basketball team reached the 20-win plateau for the third time in the last four seasons, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 20-6. East Haven also advanced to the SCC Tournament final for the second-straight year, taking a 65-49 defeat against Hamden. The Easties went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament.

Senior captain guard Makenzie Helms averaged 23.3 points per game for the Yellowjackets and broke the school’s single-season scoring record with 607 points. Helms, who also broke East Haven’s single-season 3-point record with 75, scored 1,073 points in her two years at East Haven High School. Junior Alexis Pendziwater set the all-time school record for made 3-pointers with 171.

East Haven joined forces with Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, East Hampton, Morgan, and Valley Regional to form a co-op boys’ ice hockey team and made the State Tournament for the 33rd year in a row. The Yellowjackets went 9-11-2 overall on the season.

Junior captain Logan Hamilton finished the year with a .937 save percentage and 2.70 goals-against-average. Senior Chris Giglietti also served as one of the captains for Head Coach Lou Pane’s squad.

Sophomore Kisha Francois sprinted her way to a successful campaign for the East Haven girls’ indoor track team. Francois earned a victory in the 55-meter dash at the SCC West Sectional Championship by clocking in at 7.43 seconds in the final heat. She followed that up by taking second place in the 55 with a time of 7.45 seconds at the SCC Championship.

On March 2, tragedy struck the Connecticut football community when former East Haven High School football Head Coach Melvin Wells passed away at age 55. Wells died after his vehicle was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver near Exit 90 on Interstate-95 in Stonington. The accident happened when Wells was driving home from visiting his son Melvin Wells III at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

The East Haven softball team put together a memorable 2019 season by making a run to the final of the Class L State Tournament. As the No. 16 seed, the Yellowjackets won four-straight games behind solid outings by sophomore pitcher Tori Heaphy before taking a 2-0 loss to Masuk in the title game. The Easties finished the year with a record of 15-10.

Taylor Myers, Jenna Esposito, and Megan Roberts served as senior captains for Head Coach Ed Crisafi’s squad. Fellow seniors Jaime Gallo, Erica Colacino, Christina Fowler, and Selena DeFelice made solid contributions throughout the season.

The Yellowjackets’ golf team saw the end of an era when longtime Head Coach Dave Augustine announced his retirement after 42 years with the program. East Haven sent out Augustine with a win when Yellowjackets posted a 201-204 victory against North Branford in their season finale at Alling Memorial Golf Club.

The East Haven baseball team claimed a share of the of the SCC Hammonasset title after finishing with a mark of 6-2 in divisional action. East Haven qualified for the SCC Tournament and the Class L State Tournament on its way to finishing at 11-11 overall.

The Yellowjackets’ pitching staff of senior captains Nate Furino and Jack Kabel, and sophomore Nick Furino delivered great performances throughout the spring. Nate Furino, Kabel, and Steve Mingione led the way as senior captains for Head Coach Butch Johnson’s club. Robert Garcia, Gianni Mumford, Matt Lisko, Ronald Jones, Fred Mascola, Hunter Santana, Giro Esposito, and Mike Gaudioso were the other seniors on the squad.

Junior Bella Ragaini had a big postseason for the East Haven girls’ outdoor track team. Ragaini won the javelin at the SCC West Sectional Championship (102 feet-8 inches), took fifth place at the SCC Championship (97-10), and then won the event at the Class MM State Championship with a distance of 103-9.

Senior Evan Damian claimed victory in the 110-meter hurdles at the SCC West Sectional Championship for the Yellowjackets’ boys’ outdoor track team. Damian timed in with a mark of 15.50 seconds to get the win.

Senior captain Jenna Pane represented the East Haven girls’ tennis team when she competed at the State Open Championship. Pane finished with a record of 15-4 on the singles court for the campaign.

Senior captain Joe Brown and sophomore Matt DiVito qualified for the doubles bracket at the Class M State Championship on behalf of the East Haven boys’ tennis team.

The East Haven Senior American Legion baseball squad finished with a record of 3-23 this summer. The 89ers were led by first-year Head Coach Chuck Hinckley, who had previously been an assistant coach with the program.

The East Haven football team went 7-3 for the second-straight year in 2019. The Yellowjackets also posted a mark of 4-1 in SCC Tier 3 action to finish tied atop the standings with Branford.

East Haven was led by senior captains Tanner DiVito, Mike Caruso, Jake Marquardt, and Calvin Nelson this season. The other seniors on Head Coach Scott Benoit’s squad were Nathan Santos, Alec DiVito, Mike Castellano, Kaymond Quattlebaum, Jacob Araujo, Vincent Maida, Jack Izzo, Joseph Consiglio, Shawn Nugent, and Ethan Kowlaczik.

The Yellowjackets’ girls’ soccer team secured a spot in the Class L State Tournament following a second-half surge that saw East Haven go 6-2-1 down the stretch of the regular season. The Easties posted an overall record of 7-7-3 on the year.

East Haven’s trio of Emily Pycela, Gianna Mendez, and Bella Pilato fared well up front, while defenders Aimee DiVerniero, Emily Mazzucco, Christina Fazzino, Kate Pycela, Alex Castro, and Jocelyn Lucero played great in the back, as did goalie Angelina Munoz.

The East Haven volleyball team went 8-0 in SCC Quinnipiac Division play to win its division title for the first time since 2015. East Haven finished the season at 11-10 overall after earning berths in the SCC and Class L State tournaments.

Senior outside hitter Samantha Schlottman turned in a solid season as the Easties’ lone captain. Senior setter Bella Ragaini broke East Haven’s school record for career assists with 2,234.

Sophomore Norah Rome won the 500 freestyle at the SCC Championship while representing the East Haven-Wilbur Cross co-op girls’ swimming team, finishing with a time of 5:09.58 to get the victory. Rome went on to place ninth in the event at the Class LL State Championship (5:06.38) and then took fifth at the State Open Championship (5:06.58). Rome also fared well in the 200 freestyle by finishing third at the SCC Championship (1:56.31) and sixth at the Class LL State Championship with a personal-best mark of 1:55.74.

Senior guard Makenzie Helms was presented with the SCC Player of the Year Award by Commissioner Al Carbone during the 2019 campaign. Helms and the East Haven girls’ basketball team had a great year that featured the Yellowjackets’ second-straight appearance in the SCC final. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Sophomore pitcher Tori Heaphy and the East Haven softball squad made it all the way to the championship game of the Class L State Tournament this spring. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Dave Augustine retired as head coach of the East Haven golf team following a 42-season tenure. The Yellowjackets earned a win against North Branford in Augustine’s final match as head coach. Pictured are Augustine with his son Brian, program alum and North Branford Head Coach Andrew DaCorte, and former Career Head Coach Buddy Chernovich. Photo courtesy of Laurie Burns

Michael Castellano was part of a senior class that helped the East Haven football team go 7-3 for the second year in a row this fall. Pictured on the right is No. 44, junior Ryan Mikolajcak. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier