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01/15/2022 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Hand girls’ basketball team had a busy week with four games on its schedule last week. The Tigers claimed victory in three of those games to improve their record to 6-2 on the year.
Hand opened up the week by posting a 39-36 home win over Sacred Heart Academy on Jan. 10. The following day, the Tigers hosted Foran and triumphed by a 56-32 final.
Hand stormed out to a 17-3 lead in the first quarter and was up 24-13 at halftime versus Foran. The Tigers put the game away by outscoring the Lions 10-3 in the third quarter to bring a 44-16 lead into the fourth.
Senior captain Sophia Coppola scored 12 points for the Tigers, while junior Maya Blomberg scored 10 points. Junior Carson Miller scored 8 points, junior Annie Goodrich had 6 points, and junior Lucy Schwarz chipped in with 5 points.
The day after that, Hand took a 61-59 defeat against Hamden in a road game. The Green Dragons won the game by hitting a buzzer-beater as time expired. Junior Natalie Lucas had 16 points, and Coppola scored 15 points on the night. Senior captain Brooke Salutari scored 11 points for the Tigers, who saw Miller score 7 points.
On Jan. 14, Hand was back on the road to play Hillhouse and defeated the Academics by the score of 67-50.
Boys’ Basketball
The Hand boys’ basketball team moved to 6-2 on the year after winning two of its three matchups last week.
Hand started off the week by taking a 67-64 road loss to Wilbur Cross on Jan. 11. Two days later, the Tigers faced Foran on the road and won the game by the score of 57-45.
Hand held a 43-42 lead over Foran entering the fourth quarter and then outscored the Lions 14-3 in the final frame to come away with the 12-point victory. Senior Tyler Favre scored 29 points for the Tigers in the win. Sophomore Kyle Hoffman had 11 points, freshman Chase Geremia scored 7 points, and senior Morgan Veth added 5 points.
Then on Jan. 15, Hand played a road game versus Wilton and prevailed with a final score of 65-62.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Hand boys’ swimming and diving team improved to 4-0 by earning a victory versus Notre Dame-West Haven last week. On Jan. 11, the Tigers competed against Notre Dame and claimed an 85-80 road win at Albertus Magnus College.
Hand’s 200 medley relay of senior Jack Signorello, senior Joseph Starkey, junior Jonah Kehew, and junior James Taylor finished in first place (1:56.46) versus Notre Dame. The Tigers’ 200 freestyle relay of senior Ian Looby, Taylor, Kehew, and Signorello also took first place (1:41.22).
Kehew finished first in the 200 individual medley (2:15.19) and the 100 butterfly (59.87) in the victory. Hand also received first-place performances from Looby in the 200 freestyle (1:59.20), Signorello in the 50 freestyle (24.05), senior Alex Hauser in the 1-meter diving (163.80), sophomore Elliot Lee in the 100 freestyle (47.57), and Starkey in the 500 freestyle (5:13.69).
Gymnastics
The Hand gymnastics team competed against Foran in its first meet of the season on Jan. 15. The Tigers started their year on a good note by posting a 136.35-109.85 victory versus the Lions at Foran High School.
Freshman Morgan Flickinger took first place in the all-around with a score of 34.9 for the Tigers at the meet. Flickinger finished first on vault (8.8), beam (9.0), and floor (9.2) on her way to placing first all-around.
Sophomore Hadley Reiss finished second for the all-around (33.8) for Hand. Reiss took second place on vault (8.55), bars (8.6), and floor (8.95). Freshman Olivia Consiglio finished first on the bars (8.7) for the Tigers.
Senior Paige Dean claimed second place on bars (8.4) and beam (8.4) and also finished third for the vault (8.4). Junior Morgan McMahon finished in third place on floor (8.5) and was tied for third on the beam (8.25).
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The Hand boys’ ice hockey team won both of its games last week to improve to 5-4 on the season.
On Jan. 14, Hand hosted Guilford at Lou Astorino Ice Arena and claimed a 4-3 win against the Grizzlies. Senior captain Kevin Sandor broke a 3-3 tie by scoring the game-winning goal with 33 seconds left in regulation. Sandor also had an assist in the victory. Senior Jeff Pinover, junior Kevin Rich, and sophomore Owen Scarice also scored goals for Hand, while Rich, senior captain Marcus Padula, and sophomore Trip Rizzo posted 1 assist apiece. Junior goalie Alex Schiano made 19 saves to get the win in net.
The next day, the Tigers played a home game versus Amity at Northford Ice Pavilion and triumphed by a 4-1 score. Junior Spiro Maniatis, Scarice, junior Ryan Pfaff, and freshman Anthony Albino scored the goals for Hand in the victory. Pinover dished out 2 assists, while Padula, Sandor, and senior captain Beckham Hughes had 1 assist apiece. Junior Ethan Hajdascz played goalie for the Tigers and made 11 saves.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Hand co-op girls’ ice hockey team moved to 1-6 on the season after splitting its two games last week.
On Jan. 14, Hand hosted the Masuk co-op squad and dropped a 5-1 decision at Northford Ice Pavilion. The next day, the Tigers played a road game versus the Hamden co-op and notched a 5-1 victory at Lou Astorino Ice Arena.
Boys’ Indoor Track
The Hand boys’ indoor track team saw several competitors participate in the SCC Novice Meet at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Jan. 11.
Senior Quinn Hagan finished first in the pole vault by clearing 9 feet-6 inches for the Tigers. Hand’s 4x800 relay of junior Declan Allen, sophomore Ben Jacoby, freshman Jack Rickleman, and junior Noah Stein took first place with a mark of 10:26.83.
Sophomore Ty Buccino finished second in the 1,600 (5:00.21), and fellow sophomore Matt Kasper placed second for the long jump (18-0). The Tigers’ 1,600 sprint medley relay of freshman Aedan Virgulto, freshman Jack Dodd, sophomore Adam Parks, and junior Noah Stein finished in second place (4:27.71); and the 4x400 relay of sophomore Eli Ackerman, Buccino, sophomore Jacob Merenda, and sophomore Liam Elliott took third place (4:13.70).
Girls’ Indoor Track
The Hand girls’ indoor track team sent some athletes to compete in two meets at Floyd Little Athletic Center last week. The Tigers took part in the James Barber Invitational on Jan. 10 and the SCC Novice meet the following day.
Freshman Alexis Kuszpa claimed first place in the pole vault for Hand at the SCC Novice Meet. Kuszpa cleared a height of 6 feet-6 inches on her way to the victory.
At the James Barber Invitational, the Tigers’ 4x200 relay of freshman Samantha Chemacki, junior Julia Coric, senior Aria Foligno, and junior Michelle Jiang came in third place (2:00.39).
Wrestling
The Hand wrestling team hosted Foran for a meet on Jan. 13. The Tigers took a 48-27 defeat against the Lions at Polson Middle School.
Junior Charles Wahl earned a pinfall victory in just 25 seconds in the 126-pound bout for the Tigers. Sophomore Gavin Wagner won a 4-3 decision in the 138-pound division. Senior Cameron Chieppo pinned his opponent at the 2:36 mark of the 152-pound bout. Senior John Portley prevailed by pin in 52 seconds in the 170-pound bout, while fellow senior Charlie Keogh pinned his opponent in 1:28 in the 182-pound contest.