By Jake Elpi, Brody Fagan, Devin Nardella
It seems like a long time ago when the weather got warmer and the spring season started in March for Branford High’s boys and girls athletic teams. BHS athletes finished another successful season on the field, the courts, and the track. There were many athletic accomplishments and memorable moments from the season. Most teams have concluded there seasons but there are still several athletes and teams still alive in post season competition.
BOYS’ LACROSSE
After the boys’ lacrosse team had a bright 2022 season with a record of 10-6 and even winning a playoff game before their season ended to powerhouse Fairfield Prep, the hornets season did not go as planned to say the least. They finished with a record of 3-13 and missed the playoffs. Their season came with a lot of injuries including captain Alex Milne, captain Jack Linder, and sophomore Cole Hawley all having season ending injuries. They started off the season with 8 straight losses before getting their first win over West Haven 13-9. The hornets were able to grab 2 straight wins just before the season ended including wins over Wilbur Cross and Jonathon Law. In those 2 games they had 2 of the biggest highlights of the season. Against Wilbur Cross, senior Sean Bosworth had a school record 12 goals in one game, passing Robby Lionetti, who now plays D1 lacrosse at Air Force, who held the record with 11 goals in one game. And then senior night against Jonathan Law provided a bright spot despite a disapppointing season. Sean Bosworth had 7 goals in a 12-11 overtime win. The final goal was scored by captain Jake Elpi with one second remaining in overtime. Jake caught the ball at midfield after a great save and clear by junior goalie Isaiah Forney, and then Jake put the game away. Even though the boys’ lacrosse team had a bad season to say the least it came with a few big moments.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
The girls lacrosse team had a successful season as they snuck into the Class M State playoffs. They finished with a record of 7-9 and their first round of playoffs is on May 30th. Junior captain Kailey Tracy’s favorite moment from the regular season was beating North Branford and qualifying them for the state tournament. They won a close battle with the final score being 11-10. She said the team started slow but in the second half everyone played their part and they came away with a win. Jenny Spencer, who is committed to play for Division One Fairleigh Dickinson University next year, was the main player throughout the season. Another player who played a big role for the team was junior Brenna Murphy. She played freshman year and then took her sophomore year off, but she came back and played very well. Also junior Ally Colbourn had a good season and she is very close to achieving a huge accolade. She is just a few goals away from 100 career goals. The team is in the Class M state playoffs, where they won a first round game against higher seeded Joel Barlow before losing Guilford in the second round.
GIRLS’ TENNIS
The girls tennis team continued their success from last season and carried it into this year. They finished the regular season with 11 wins and 6 losses, and then won their first round match in the Class M State Tournament, before losing to Suffield on May 27. Senior captains Evie Mollow and Evie Kaiser said their favorite moment this year was watching fellow teammates Peyton Gaudreau and Hana Omeragic win a long and competitive match against SCC opponent Amity. When asking Evie Mollow who was the best and most entertaining player to watch, her answer was sophomore Peyton Gaudreau. Senior captain Scout Engstrom is looking forward to attending Elon University in the fall and will be playing intramural tennis. She said that her favorite memory of the season was during some of the practices. She said that her and her fellow teammates would tan on the court and hide from Coach Gruendel. And when Coach Gruendel would come back around they would pretend like they were practicing. Senior Livie Torello was only on the team for 2 years and she had an unexpected season by surpassing some of her goals and even getting some varsity wins in doubles.
BOYS’ TENNIS
The boys’ tennis team had a solid year wrapping up the regular season with a record of 11-7 and a berth in the Class M State Tournament. Including SCC’s and states, the team finished 11-9. The best player on the team for solos was freshman Mathias Schalper. For the doubles group it was juniors Matt Law and Nirvan Paudyal. Senior captain and leader of the team Adam Albrecht said he is going to miss getting to meet the new players who decided to join the team and helping those new players get better. His favorite memory from his few years on the team was making it to states the last two years. He said this was a huge accomplishment for him and he was really excited about it. The final event for the 2023 season would be the CIAC individual tournament but unfortunately no one from the team qualified for the tournament.
BASEBALL
The baseball team ended up missing the playoffs with a record of 6-14. This team hasn’t had a lot of success in recent years. Senior captain TJ Shields says his team lacked hitting and that he wishes they worked on that a little more during the season. He also mentioned that junior Giuseppe Piscitelli had a shocking year. TJ said he didn’t expect him to play as good as he did. TJ also said his favorite moment this year was the team’s comeback win against Wilbur Cross. Late in the game they were down 3 runs and they came back to win that game 7-5. Another senior, Michael “Bop” Rebmann, did not overcome his goal of getting 1st or 2nd team All-SCC but he did have a phenomenal season. His defense this season was flawless and his performance at the plate was also good. He said his favorite moment of the season was the last game of the year on senior night. They beat North Branford in a tightly-contested game before winning 9-6. Senior Zack Turbert also said this was his favorite game of the year. He also said he was happy with his performance in his final season of baseball. We knew junior Jack Smith was good at being their best pitcher but he stepped up big for the team as he played a big role at the plate too. The defensive MVP for the team had to be Michael Rebmann and the best two guys at the plate were seniors Sean Cleary and Austin Rhodes. Both of them, Sean and Austin, earned All-SCC honors. Sean made the 2nd team and captain Austin made the 1st team. Since the boys didn’t make the playoffs their last game was played May 19 against North Branford.
SOFTBALL
The softball team did not have an ideal season with 2 wins but the team’s bond was very strong. Senior captain Paige Kelly said this team had a lot of fun together and she is going to miss the coaches and her girls. “Especially since I’ve been playing this sport since I was little, I’m just going to miss playing it every year,” she said. Her favorite memory from this season was when they got one of their two wins on senior night against Career with a score of 17-2. She said they really dominated this game and it was just a lot of fun for the team. Also senior captain Caroline Johnson had to play a big role as she came into pitch a few games which was unexpected, but she did a great job stepping up for the team. Although the team didn’t have the best season, Paige Kelly was honored with 2nd Team All-SCC. The team did not make the playoffs meaning their last game was played on May 16 against North Haven.
BOY’S TRACK AND FIELD
The boys’ track and field team finished with a record of 5-3 but also had some very good solo performances during the SCC meet. Senior captains Ryder Kropiwnicki, Colin Donahoe, and Evan Bouley all placed and brought some hardware home. Donahoe, who is headed to Division I Bryant College next year, placed 2nd in the 800 meters; Evan came home with 5th in the javelin; and Ryder got 1st in pole vault. First year thrower Drew Schwartz earned 1st at the SCC meet in the javelin throw with a toss of 171′ 9″. Donahoe had a breakout season, becoming one of the top middle distance runners in the state. During the season, he set the school record in the 400 meters (51,64) and set a personal best of 1.56.25 in the 800. At the state Class MM championships, the boys finished 8th with victories by Ryder in the pole vault and Drew in the javelin. Senior captain Avery Atkinson unfortunately suffered a foot injury during the season and was out for the remainder of the year. He said he is going to miss his coaches because they are very reliable and his teammates who he said are good kids. His favorite memory was in last year’s state meet as he excelled and passed his goals in the 300 meter hurdles. When Avery was questioned on the best player on the team he said, “Ryder, he’s an outstanding decathlete, he picks up anything fast and he’s a great kid. As the season is coming to an end, the team qualified five athletes for nationals.
GIRL‘S TRACK AND FIELD
As the regular season came to an end a few weeks ago, the team looks to do well at the post season meets. They finished with a record of 6-3 and finished 7th at the Class MM state championships. At the meet, junior Lucy Moran paced the team with victories in the 800 meters and 1600 meters. She also anchored the 4 X 400 relay that finished second. Senior Captain Sarah Nwagboli says she is sad her senior season is coming to a close and that she is going to miss the friendships she has created and being able to do her own thing. For the team, Junior Lucy Moran was a newcomer on the team and was a powerhouse for the team, scoring in several distance events. During the year, she set the school record in the 800 and 1600 meters. “I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Sarah said. Other strong performers on the team was the 4 X 400 meter relay team of Lucy, Sarah, Gloriana Buckley and Joelle Budz. Budz also qualified for the states in the 300 meter hurdles. Sarah’s favorite memory from the season was beating SCC opponent Mercy in the 4×400.
GOLF
Before the season, we asked Head Coach Kohut to give us a record prediction. She said 10-6 and that is exactly what their regular season record ended as. Senior Andrew Verzella in his second year with the team had a pretty good season playing a role as the number 5 or 6 golfer on the team. He was slow at the beginning of the season but he ended up figuring it out and became a better golfer. When asking the two senior captains their favorite memory from the season, Keegan Lalonde said it was cool to walk in a near 70 foot putt late in the season. Matt Morgan said his favorite memory was eating hotdogs with the boys and hanging out around Coach Kohut. Coach Kohut said the most improved player was definitely sophomore Antonio Esperti. Kohut said “He is a solid player in the 6 spot for the team,” and she also said he is going to be good for the team next year. Kohut also mentioned the team’s best performance this year was when they played Haddam Killingworth and the team shot a total 155. Three of the top players on the team shot in the 30’s and everyone did well. Number 1 Keegan Lalonde for the team is on the bubble for the State Open tournament but he might be able to get into that tournament. The team finished 5th at the SCC Championship May 30, with Keegan finishing 6th overall individually. The state golf tournament will be held June 6.
