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12/26/2019 11:00 PMThere was plenty of prosperity to go around in Old Saybrook this year. The Old Saybrook girls’ track program won the Shoreline Conference title in both the winter and spring seasons. The fall campaign featured a remarkable run by the Rams’ boys’ soccer squad. Shane Henderson made history for the boys’ basketball team during the winter season. Here’s a look at the highlights for Old Saybrook sports in 2019.
Winter
One of the biggest stories of the winter in Old Saybrook was senior captain Shane Henderson’s run to become the Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team’s all-time leading scorer. Henderson accomplished that feat in his senior season and ultimately finished his career with the Rams with 1,603 points. Old Saybrook went 16-7 overall on the year, earning berths in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Division IV State Tournament.
Dan Cote was the other senior captain for Old Saybrook. The Rams also received solid contributions from Davis Brown, who averaged 13.5 points per game.
Junior Grace Hanratty took the first place in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:56.59 for Old Saybrook at the New England Girls’ Indoor Track and Field Championship. Hanratty also ran at New Balance Indoor Nationals, finishing 16th in the Emerging Elite 800 with a time of 2:17.32. Hanratty had qualified for New Englands with a first-place finish at the State Open (2:58.14).
Prior to these meets, the Rams’ girls’ indoor track team took second place at the Class S State Championship meet, thanks in part to Hanratty’s first-place finish in the 1,000 (2:58.03) and fellow junior Cate Coppes’s victory in the pole vault (11 feet). Before that, Old Saybrook claimed its third-straight Shoreline Conference Championship. Hanratty set the meet record in the 600 by running a time of 1:38.56. The 1,600 sprint medley relay of Dylan Adams, Autumn Szucs, and Jessica Stratton took first place at 4:37.04.
The Old Saybrook boys’ indoor track team placed second at Shorelines this winter. The 4x800 relay of Luke Hanratty, Cooper Luciani, Shon Ryan, and Jacob Schneider recorded a time of 8:23.81 to take first place, while the 4x400 relay of Hanratty, Luciani, Jack Colella, and Max Thomas earned first with a time of 3:40.01. The Rams also received a first-place finish from Hanratty (1:26.37) and a second-place performance by Luciani (1:26.66) in the 600. Colella finished first in the 300 at 36.72 seconds.
The Rams also finished in second place at the Class S State Championship. Luciani came in first place for the 600 with a time of 1:26.95. The 4x800 relay of Hanratty, Ryan, Schneider, and Luciani grabbed the gold with a mark of 8:22.90.
Spring
The Old Saybrook girls’ outdoor track team maintained its perch atop the Shoreline Conference by capturing its fourth-straight league title this spring.
Senior Grace Hanratty finished first in the 800 (2:21.67) and also ran a school-record time of 58.66 seconds to take first in the 400 and help the Rams prevail at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Senior Rachel Vigorita claimed first in the discus with a throw of 86 feet-10 inches and placed second in the high jump at 4-10. Senior Jessica Stratton took first in the 1,600 with a time of 5:10.33.
The Rams came in third place in the Class S State Championship. Hanratty finished first in the 800 (2:14.38), while fellow junior Cate Coppes won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.18 seconds. At the State Open, Hanratty took first place in the 800 with a time of 2:12.33.
The Rams’ boys’ outdoor track team finished in third place at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Shane Henderson placed first in the 1,600 with a time of 4:28.69 and also won the 3,200 in 10:02.70. Luke Hanratty took first in the 400 (51.79), while Jon Barnes won the long jump (5-10). The 4x800 relay of Hanratty, Henderson, Cooper Luciani, and Jacob Schneider claimed first place with a time of 5:12.66.
At the Class S State Championship, Hanratty finished first in the 800 at 1:58.21, and Henderson won the 1,600 behind a time of 4:28.57. The 4x800 relay Schneider, Luciani, Henderson, and Hanratty clocked in at 8:08.53 to take first place.
The Old Saybrook baseball squad reached the Class S State Tournament and finished with an overall record of 12-10 on the season. Old Saybrook was led by senior captains Jordan Butler, Dan Cote, and Patrick Kelley. Senior Jaden Rolon and juniors Jack Colella, Gino Gallitto, and Toby Marineau also made significant contributions for the Rams.
The Rams’ girls’ lacrosse squad enjoyed a strong season. Old Saybrook made it to the Shoreline Conference Tournament championship game, where the Rams took a loss to North Branford. Old Saybrook also qualified for the Class S State Tournament on its way to finishing at 14-5 overall.
The Old Saybrook golf team went 11-5 during the regular season and then finished in a tie for third place at the Shoreline Conference Championship. The Rams also finished tied for sixth in the Division IV State Championship. Old Saybrook was led by junior co-captains Jack Walsh and Ben O’Dell.
The Rams’ softball squad clinched spots in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament by winning its final contest of the regular season. Old Saybrook finished the year with an overall record of 8-14.
Senior captain Maeve Foley posted a .512 batting average with a .744 slugging percentage and 16 RBI on the season. Fellow senior captain Sarah Howley also contributed with steady leadership to go with a .366 on-base percentage.
The Old Saybrook boys’ tennis team had a solid year in 2019. The Rams put together a record of 12-5 for the season.
Senior Amy Young and junior Audra Guigno advanced to the final of the Shoreline Conference Doubles Tournament on behalf of the Old Saybrook girls’ tennis team.
Fall
The Old Saybrook boys’ soccer team had a epic season by earning a share of the Shoreline Conference title and defending its state crown during the fall of 2019. Old Saybrook finished with an overall record of 17-2-5 in what was Sam Barnes’s 24th and final campaign as the Rams’ head coach.
After going 10-2-4 for the regular season, Old Saybrook earned wins versus Cromwell (1-0) and Coginchaug (3-0) to reach the championship game of the Shoreline Conference Tournament. The Rams battled Morgan to a 2-2 tie in the final to share the conference title with the Huskies.
Then in the Class S State Tournament, Old Saybrook advanced to the final by notching victories over Westbrook (4-1), Wheeler (5-0), Lyman Memorial (2-0), and Cromwell (4-3 in double overtime). The Rams completed their dream season by posting a 3-1 double-overtime victory versus Holy Cross in the final to win their second-straight Class S state title.
Luke Hanratty, Cooper Luciani, Shon Ryan, and Colin Schulmeister served as Old Saybrook’s senior captains this year. The other seniors on the team were Jack Adams, Jonathan Barnes, Luke Brodeur, Jack Colella, Cody DeAngelo, Gino Gallitto, Garrett Hilger, Logan Hilger, Griffin Noack, Ben O’Dell, Ryan Powers, and Jayson Rankin. Junior Matt Rothman was Old Saybrook’s starting goalie, and fellow junior Gannon Efinger also made crucial contributions to the Rams.
The Old Saybrook field hockey squad qualified for the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament this fall. The Rams finished with an overall record of 8-9-1.
The Rams’ girls’ cross country team finished in fifth place at the Class S State Championship. Caitlin Wiley claimed third place overall with a time of 20 minutes and 5 seconds, while Grace Hanratty came in fourth place at 20:14. Old Saybrook also finished second at the Shoreline Conference Championship, where Hanratty took second place (18:57), Wiley finished third (19:10), and Catherine Minegar placed fourth (19:16).
The Old Saybrook boys’ cross country team finished fifth at Shorelines and came in eighth place at the Class SS State Championship.
The Old Saybrook-Westbrook football team claimed its fourth-straight win against Morgan in the teams’ 19th annual Thanksgiving matchup for the Shoreline Cup. The Rams finished their season with an overall record of 3-7 to go with a mark of 3-3 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division.