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11/14/2021 11:00 PMFootball
The Guilford football team earned its third-consecutive win when the Grizzlies posted a convincing shutout victory over SCC Tier 3 opponent Branford in a home game last week. On Nov. 12, the Grizzlies hosted Branford and blanked the Hornets by a 31-0 score at Kavanaugh Field. Guilford now has an overall record of 5-3 to go with a mark of 2-1 in SCC Tier 3 play this season.
Guilford took an early lead versus Branford when sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilgert threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior captain Jack O’Brien in the first quarter. Later in the frame, senior captain Eric Dolmus intercepted Branford’s quarterback and returned it 31 yards for another Grizzlies’ touchdown. Guilford held a 14-0 lead over the Hornets following the first quarter.
O’Brien kicked a 27-yard field goal for Guilford in the second quarter to make it 17-0. The Grizzlies took a 24-0 lead into halftime after Hilgert tossed a 31-yard TD pass to Dolmus later in the period.
Junior Mike O’Brien scored on a 4-yard touchdown run for Guilford during the second half. Jack O’Brien kicked his fourth extra point of the night to put a bow on a 31-0 victory for Head Coach Anthony Salvati’s squad.
Guilford’s next game is at home versus SCC Tier 3 opponent East Haven (1-6) on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. The Grizzlies will finish their regular season by facing rival Hand at the Surf Club in Madison on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.
Field Hockey
One week after claiming its fourth-straight SCC title, the Guilford field hockey team has won its first two games in the Class M State Tournament to advance into the semifinal round. The Grizzlies notched shutout victories over New Milford and Avon to make the Class M semis and improve to 20-1 on the year.
Top-seeded Guilford started off states by claiming a 7-0 home victory against No. 16 seed New Milford in a first-round game on Nov. 9. Junior Grace Barlage and sophomore Payton Root both scored two goals for the Grizzlies in the win. Senior captain Maddie Epke handed out three assists to help Guilford advance.
Two days later, the Grizzlies hosted Avon for a quarterfinal contest and prevailed by a 7-0 score at Guilford High School. Epke netted three goals for Guilford in the victory. Root had a goal with two assists in the shutout.
Guilford played No. 4 seed Pomperaug in the Class M semifinals on Nov. 16 (after press time). If the Grizzlies won that game, they will face the winner of No. 4 Pomperaug and No. 5 Simsbury in the title game at Wethersfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Girls’ Soccer
The Guilford girls’ soccer squad won its first game in the Class L State Tournament before taking a loss in second-round action last week. The Grizzlies finished their year with an overall record of 9-7-3.
No. 16 seed Guilford started off the state draw by hosting No. 17 Berlin for a first-round contest on Nov. 8. Guilford defeated Berlin by a 2-1 score in a game that came down to penalty kicks. The Grizzlies won the penalty-kick session by a 4-2 margin to get the victory and advance to the next round.
On Nov. 10, Guilford traveled to Trumbull to face top-seeded St. Joseph in the second round of the Class L State Tournament. The Grizzlies were eliminated by a taking a 7-0 defeat against St. Joseph in the game.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Guilford girls’ volleyball team took a defeat versus Kennedy in the first round of the Class L State Tournament last week. Guilford posted an overall record of 11-10 in its first season with Head Coach Marisa Ceneri.
On Nov. 8, the 20th-seeded Grizzlies opened up states play by playing a first-round road match against Kennedy, the No. 13 seed. Guilford won the first set, but Kennedy came back to take the match by a 3-1 final, winning with set scores of 22-25, 25-17, 32-30, and 25-15.
Senior captain Katie Vale had seven kills for Guilford in the contest. Junior Halle Krause had eight digs with six kills, while fellow junior Corrine Puchalski posted six kills and two digs for the Grizzlies.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Freshman Jordyn Gould competed on behalf of Guilford at the Class M Diving State Championship at Sheehan High School on Nov. 11. Gould finished in seventh place for the Grizzlies by recording a score of 322.85, setting a school record with her performance. Gould scored points for Guilford that will count toward the Grizzlies’ total when the team participates in the swimming portion of the Class M state meet this week.
Girls’ Cross Country
On the heels of winning SCC and Class MM state titles, the Guilford girls’ cross country team competed in the New England Championships in Thetford, Vermont on Nov. 12. The Grizzlies finished in 10th place out of 28 teams by posting team score of 320 points at the meet.
Senior captain Julia Antony led the Guilford pack by finishing in 25th place at the New England Championship. Antony crossed the finish line with a time of 20 minutes and 31 seconds on her way to taking 25th place. Antony had recently finished first at the Class MM State Championship by running a time of 19:45.
Senior captain Oliva Skapczynski finished in 94th place with a time of 21:49 for the Grizzlies in New Englands. Junior Alexa Suchy finished in 115th place (22:09), junior Clara Laughlin came in 134th place (22:24), and senior Lorelei King finished in 183rd place (22:58).
Junior captain Olivia Kaisin finished in 190th place (23:06) for Guilford at the regional meet. Junior Ursula Adams finished in 230th place (23:56) on behalf of the Grizzlies.