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09/13/2021 12:00 AMFootball
The Haddam-Killingworth football team played its first game in two years and also its first game with new Head Coach Tyler Wilcox when the Cougars hosted Old Saybrook-Westbrook (OS-W) last week. The Cougars went up against the Rams on Sept. 10 and recorded a 27-22 victory at H-K High School, giving Coach Wilcox a win in his head coaching debut with the program.
H-K took a 21-0 lead into halftime, but the Rams stormed back with three-straight touchdowns for a 22-21 lead early in the fourth. The Cougars responded by going on a 55-yard drive that culminated with a 4-yard touchdown run from senior Matt Minasian with just over four minutes remaining. H-K’s defense then forced the Rams to turn the ball over on downs with about a minute left to solidify the victory.
Junior Orion Inkel returned the opening kickoff of the game for an 81-yard touchdown to give H-K an early lead. Senior Kevin Cavrell kicked the extra point to make it 7-0. Later in the first quarter, Inkel caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from fellow junior Tate Callender for the Cougars’ second TD of the frame. Cavrell’s kick made it 14-0 after one.
Inkel ran for a 4-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Cavrell sent another extra point through the uprights to give H-K a 21-0 halftime advantage.
OS-W started its comeback by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 21-14. In the third quarter, the Rams scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run and then converted the 2-point try to take a 22-21 lead. However, H-K marched down the field on its next drive and used a 4-yard TD by Minasian to go up 27-22, which held up as the final score.
Callender passed for 100 yards for H-K. Inkel put up 105 yards on the ground and also had two receptions for 74 yards.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Haddam-Killingworth girls’ volleyball team began its season by playing a road match versus Morgan last week. The Cougars posted a shutout over Morgan to start the year at 1-0.
H-K was on the road to face Morgan for its season opener on Sept. 9. The Cougars blanked the Huskies by the final score of 3-0 in the contest.
Robin Callender returns for another year as H-K’s head coach. Last season, the Cougars posted a record of 13-0 and won the Shoreline Conference title with a 3-0 victory versus Hale-Ray in the league final.
Girls’ Soccer
The H-K girls’ soccer team played two home games during the first week of the fall season and came away with a split of the set. The Cougars took a loss to Portland and then bounced back with a win over Parish Hill to start the year at 1-1.
H-K opened up its season by hosting Portland on Sept. 10 and lost a 3-1 decision to the Highlanders. Senior Hadley Commerford scored the first goal of the game 28 seconds into the contest off an assist from junior Leah Chester. Senior goalkeeper Brianna Nugent made six saves for H-K in the loss.
The following day, the Cougars faced non-conference opponent Parish Hill and posted a 5-0 shutout at H-K High School. Sophomore Sammy Ruimerman scored two goals for H-K. Commerford and sophomore Emmy Kehlenbach both netted a goal, while H-K also scored on an own-goal by Parish Hall. Senior goalie Rhianna Phipps stopped three shots in the win.
Head Coach Mike Mead’s team is coming off of a season that saw H-K go 9-2-1 and claim its second-straight Shoreline Conference title. The Cougars notched a 3-2 victory against Old Lyme in the championship game of the conference tournament.
Boys’ Soccer
The H-K boys’ soccer squad kicked off its campaign by playing a road game versus Manchester last week. The Cougars picked up a point by playing Manchester to a scoreless tie.
H-K hit the road to play Manchester in its first contest of the season on Sept. 11. Head Coach Mike Mead’s team battled Manchester to a 0-0 draw in the non-conference game.
Last season, the Cougars finished with a mark of 8-3-2 and won the Shoreline Conference Tournament with a 1-0 victory versus East Hampton in the final.
Field Hockey
The H-K field hockey team played Morgan for its first game of the year last week. H-K took a two-goal loss against the Huskies in the matchup.
On Sept. 10, the Cougars traveled to Clinton to face Morgan in its season opener. H-K dropped a 2-0 decision to Morgan in the game.