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12/26/2021 11:00 PMAfter the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the sports scene in 2020, things started to get back to normal as 2021 unfolded. While there were some twists and turns along the way, the winter, spring, and fall high school seasons were all completed this year and featured plenty of success stories at the local level. Let’s take a look back at the highlights of 2021 in Old Saybrook sports.
Winter
The 2020-’21 winter season was an abbreviated one that featured no state tournaments or state championship meets. Instead, conference competitions served as the culmination of the season. There were no wrestling or cheerleading seasons held, and indoor track teams competed on a limited basis, if at all. Several teams around the state missed portions of their seasons after going into quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19.
The Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team finished with a record of 6-7 in the 2020-’21 winter season. The Rams qualified for the Shoreline Conference Tournament and took a 52-37 defeat versus Hale-Ray in a first-round game.
Ben Yost led Old Saybrook as a senior captain, and Riley Lawson served as a junior captain for the Rams. Sophomore Ryan Stratton received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention on behalf of Old Saybrook.
The Old Saybrook girls’ basketball team posted an overall record of 3-10 for the winter campaign. The Rams took a 42-34 loss against Portland in the opening round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
Old Saybrook’s senior captains were Taylor Stone, Kayla Holt, and Jenna Tully. Junior Lily Cody earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention for the Rams.
The Old Saybrook girls’ indoor track competed in the Shoreline Conference South Showcase and came in first place at the meet.
Sophomore Avery Rueckert finished first in the 600 for the Rams, who also received first-place finishes from junior Caitlin Wiley in the 3,200, sophomore Catherine Minegar in the 1,600, sophomore Katelin Brady in the high jump, and senior captain Hannah Sumby in the pole vault. Old Saybrook’s 4x400 relay of senior captain Emily Stratton, Wiley, junior Molly Nygard, and sophomore Hannah McKeown also claimed first place.
The Old Saybrook boys’ indoor track squad took second place at the Shoreline Conference South Showcase meet.
Junior Matt Johnson took first place in the long jump, while fellow junior Mitchell DiPalma finished first in the 55 hurdles for Old Saybrook. The Rams’ 1,600 sprint medley relay team of DiPalma, Johnson, freshman Parker Cook, and freshman Eliot Hurdis came in first place. Old Saybrook’s 4x800 relay of sophomore Logan Worman, freshman Nwang Choegyal, senior captain Jack Wiley, and Cook also finished first.
Featuring players from Morgan and Old Saybrook, the East Haven co-op boys’ ice hockey squad posted a record of 0-5 this year. The Yellowjackets finished their season by competing in the SCC-SWC Division II Tournament, taking a 4-1 loss against Watertown-Pomperaug in a first-round game.
Old Saybrook senior Cory Benni served as a senior captain for the squad. Fellow Old Saybrook senior Cam Grillo earned All-SCC/SWC Division II honors on the season.
Spring
Following the cancellation of the 2020 season, spring sports came back to play in Connecticut this year. Teams played full seasons, and state tournaments were completed for the first time since the fall of 2019.
The Old Saybrook girls’ lacrosse team put together a sensational spring season that saw the Rams go 15-2 and compete in the Shoreline Conference final.
Old Saybrook posted an unblemished record of 14-0 for the regular season. The Rams went on to notch a 6-3 win over Old Lyme in the semifinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament. Old Saybrook took a 9-3 defeat versus North Branford in the championship game.
The Rams then competed in the Class S State Tournament, earning a 17-3 victory against Rocky Hill in the first round. Old Saybrook lost to Sheehan by a 7-4 score in the quarterfinals.
Gilly Hartt and Bridget Kawecki led Old Saybrook as the team’s senior captains. Hartt was an All-Shoreline Conference First Team honoree, and Kawecki earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team accolades. Junior Lily Cody made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team and was also named the Shoreline Conference Player of the Year.
Juniors Laura Day and Samantha Wakelee made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team for Old Saybrook. Earning All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention were juniors Alexa Coty, Lilly Sigersmith, and Grace Adams, sophomore Chelsea Heinke, and freshman Amelia Sigersmith.
The Old Saybrook girls’ outdoor track team finished third at the Shoreline Conference Championship and then came in third place at the Class S State Championship.
Junior Anna Brodeur claimed first place in the 400 at Shorelines. Senior Hannah Sumby finished first in the pole vault. The Rams’ 4x100 relay of sophomore Colella, Rueckert, Brodeur, and senior Priscilla Gumkowski came in first place. The 4x800 team of junior Libby Stuart, junior Caitlin Wiley, sophomore Catherine Minegar, and senior Emily Stratton also claimed first place. Sumby went on to finish first in the pole vault at the Class S State Championship.
The Old Saybrook boys’ outdoor track squad finished in eighth place at the Shoreline Conference Championship this year. The Rams’ 4x400 relay of sophomore Ryan Stratton, freshman Parker Cook, senior Jacob Schneider, and senior Jack Wiley finished posted a second-place performance at the meet.
The Old Saybrook baseball team finished with a record of 5-13 this year. Senior Gabe Carr was an All-Shoreline Conference Second Team selection for Old Saybrook. Junior Jake Butler received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
The Old Saybrook softball squad posted a record of 5-14 in its first year with Head Coach Melissa Martin. The Rams competed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and took an 8-0 loss to Haddam-Killingworth in the quarterfinals.
Old Saybrook’s senior captains were Christina Lombardi, Kendall Kollmer, Jenna Tully, and Kate Heiden. Kollmer made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team, while Lombardi received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
The Old Saybrook girls’ tennis squad went 4-11 for the spring campaign. The Rams earned a pair of 4-3 victories versus Haddam- Killingworth to go with 4-3 wins over Coginchaug and North Branford.
The Old Saybrook baseball team finished with a record of 5-13. Senior Gabe Carr was an All-Shoreline Conference Second Team selection for Old Saybrook. Junior Jake Butler received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
The Old Saybrook boys’ golf squad posted a record of 2-11-1, after which the Rams finished sixth at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Senior captain Garrett Brady earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors on behalf of the Rams. Joe Sinibaldo also led Old Saybrook as a senior captain.
The Old Saybrook boys’ lacrosse team went 1-12 this spring. The Rams claimed a 13-8 victory over Cromwell for their win on the campaign.
The Old Saybrook boys’ tennis team went 1-13 during the spring season. The Rams picked up their win when they defeated Portland by a 4-3 score in their season finale.
Fall
After no state competitions were held last fall, the 2021 fall season was played in full this year. Football teams also returned to the field to play a season for the first time in two years.
The Old Saybrook boys’ soccer team made history once again during the 2021 fall campaign. The Rams posted an undefeated record of 19-0-3 in a season that saw the team earn a share of the Shoreline Conference title and then claim its third-straight Class S state championship.
Old Saybrook finished with a mark of 14-0-2 for the regular season. The Rams went on to notch a 3-0 win versus Portland in the Shoreline semifinals, after which they battled Morgan to a 1-1 tie in the title game to share the conference crown with the Huskies.
Following Shorelines, Old Saybrook claimed four victories in the Class S State Tournament, including three in overtime, to win the state title for the third year in a row. Old Saybrook earned a 1-0 win over Portland in its first game and then claimed a 4-3 overtime victory against Valley Regional in the quarterfinals.
Then in the semifinals, Old Saybrook defeated Somers by a 5-3 score in overtime after netting the tying goal on a penalty kick by junior Cameron DeAngelo with just two seconds left in regulation. The Rams solidified the three-peat, posting a 4-1 overtime win versus Canton in the Class S state final.
Old Saybrook was led by senior captains Nicholas Scalzo and Nick Rothman, along with junior captains DeAngelo and Bradley Kulmann. DeAngelo, Scalzo, and sophomore Kevin DeCapua earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors for the Rams. Rothman and Kulmann were All-Shoreline Conference Second Team selections. Sophomore Brayden Cody received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention. Senior Ryan Slisz was Old Saybrook’s starting goalkeeper.
Old Saybrook Head Coach Steve Waters earned his 10th state title as a head coach and his first as the Rams’ head coach. Waters is the all-time winningest head coach in the history of Connecticut high school boys’ soccer with 584 career victories.
The Old Saybrook field hockey team had a great season in which the Rams notched 12 wins, including a victory in the first round of the Class S State Tournament.
After going 11-4-1 during the regular season, Old Saybrook competed in the Shoreline Conference and took a 2-1 loss to North Branford in the semifinals. The Rams went on to notch a 2-1 overtime win versus New Fairfield in the first round of the Class S State Tournament. Old Saybrook then took a 1-0 defeat against Thomaston in the quarterfinals to finish at 12-6-1 overall.
Grace Adams and Libby Stuart served as Old Saybrook’s senior captains. Adams and fellow seniors Chelsea Heinke and MacKenna Cooke each earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors for the Rams. Senior Alexa Coty and Stuart both made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team.
Junior goalkeeper Kate Molesky received All-Shoreline Second Team accolades for Old Saybrook. Sophomore Amelia Sigersmith garnered All-Conference Honorable Mention on behalf of Head Coach Nancy Gatta’s squad.
The Old Saybrook girls’ soccer team enjoyed solid success in its first year with Head Coach Steve Roslonek. The Rams posted an overall record of 8-6-6 while advancing to the quarterfinals of the Class S State Tournament.
Old Saybrook finished with record of 6-4-6 for the regular season. The Rams then competed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and took a 2-0 loss to Old Lyme in the quarterfinals.
Following Shorelines, Old Saybrook won its first two games in the Class S State Tournament to make it to the quarterfinals round. Old Saybrook earned a 6-0 win over Ellis Tech and a 1-0 victory against St. Bernard to reach the quarters, where the Rams took a 1-0 overtime loss versus Somers.
Old Saybrook was led by senior captains Lily Cody, Bella LaMotte, and Molly Nygard. Cody made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team for Old Saybrook. Junior Allie LaMotte earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors for the Rams. Senior Ella Hagelston, junior goalie Abby Colella, and junior Kate Brady received All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
The Old Saybrook girls’ cross country squad came in fourth place at the Shoreline Conference Championship and then took sixth place in the Class S State Championship this year.
Junior Catherine Minegar came in seventh place for the Rams at Shorelines. Sophomore Carlina Castro finished in 12th place at the meet.
The Old Saybrook boys’ cross country team came in sixth place at both the Shoreline Conference Championship and the Class S State Championship this fall.
Sophomore Parker Cook took sixth place for Old Saybrook at Shorelines. Cook went on to post a second-place performance at the Class S state meet.
After seeing the 2020 campaign get canceled, the Old Saybrook-Westbrook football team returned to the field for the 2021 fall season. The Rams finished with an overall record of 0-9 on the year.
The Old Lyme-Valley Regional-Old Saybrook (OL-VR-OS) co-op girls’ swimming and diving team joined forces for another season this fall. The team participated in several regular-season meets and then capped off its campaign by competing at the Class M State Championship.
OL-VR-OS finished in ninth place at the Class M Championship. The Old Saybrook athletes who competed for the team in the state meet were juniors Maddie Beaudoin, Laura Day, and Lauren Lee.