By JOE PALLADINO

NEW BRITAIN – Now this is a story that Lewis Mills boys soccer coach Ben Kulas will likely tell to Master Alexander for many years to come.

Spartans’ senior Matt Gilbert, who had the game-winning goal in the Class M quarterfinal round, scored the gamer in the semifinal on Wednesday too as the Lewis Mills boys rolled into the state championship game for the first time since 2000 with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Ellington at Willow Brook Park.

There was plenty of drama to go around in the M semi. To start, Kulas rejoined the team on Wednesday after missing Monday and Tuesday training to be with his wife, Courtney, for the birth of the couple’s first child on Tuesday. It’s a boy, by the way, healthy, named Alexander — 21 inches long, so, maybe a future central defender — and the team gave the coach a hearty welcome when he arrived in New Britain. Then, they went out and won a game for him.

And it was that guy Gilbert again with the goal-scoring dramatics. It was only right, because Gilbert missed on a glorious scoring chance in the game’s opening minutes. Perhaps, he just wanted to make Mills fans hang around to the end. It was worth the wait.

The winning play started out on the right touchline in the 68th minute.

“I got the ball on my foot over on the touchline,” is how Braden Fox described the play that led to the goal. “The defender came and I knew exactly how I was going to beat him. One touch down the line, I crossed it in, my teammates were in the right spot, right time, they knew exactly what to do, just like we work on in practice.”

Indeed, this was a classic training-ground goal. Mills’ Nate King was on the far post. He headed the ball back to a wide open Gilbert.

“Brady played an amazing ball in,” Gilbert said, “so, OK, I got to get up there. Ball goes back post, Nathan King, 24, wins the header and it lays out for me, so I let it roll by and hit it with my right foot.”

It was one of those bounding balls, you know the type, the perfect kind of ball to miss or flub. Gilbert, though, laced it. He had only one thought in his head: “Just score it.”

He scored it.

Of course, there was one more bit of drama, there always is, on the defensive side of the ball for Mills (18-0-1). Ellington (15-4-0)  had a corner just minutes after Mills took the lead. The ball was played back post and Ellington’s Roman Dutkewych snapped a sharp header back on goal. Mills’ winger Nick Lutrzykowski blocked the ball off the line. Both Ellington’s Peter Christiano and Mills’ Cater Viets played the ball, but it rolled back on keeper Jackson Lord and he made the most important of his eight saves.

“We practice this so much,” Lutrzykowski said, “just clearing the ball and getting it out of there, and all that practice paid off. We knew our jobs.”

And job one was get this team into a state soccer final.

“This is amazing,” Gilbert said, “the first time in the final in since I don’t know how many years.”

Actually, 17. The opponent, in case you wondered, is No. 5 Suffield. Not that it matters right now. The place and time on Saturday is still to be announced.

“I think this is amazing,” Lutrzykowski said. “It’s spectacular. Two years ago we lost in the semis and we knew exactly what to do. We executed it, and we’re finally where we belong. This is what we deserve. And now, we’ve got to work even harder to win it all.”

As for Kulas, he knows what he needs to do: “I’m going right back to the hospital room.”

Class M boys semifinal

No. 2 LEWIS MILLS 1, No. 6 ELLINGTON 0

Goal: LM — Matt Gilbert. Assists: LM — Nate King, Braden Fox. Saves: LM — Jackson Lord 8, E — Mitchell LaForge 5. Records: LM — 18-0-1, E — 15-4-0.

BY KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
NAUGATUCK —The top-seeded Cheshire girls volleyball team entered Wednesday’s Class LL semifinal against No. 5 Amity at Naugatuck High a little banged up.
The Rams were without sophomore Lindsey Abramson and junior Meagan Clyne due to injuries. Cheshire head coach Sue Bavone said Abramson and Clyne are two of the team’s better blockers and servers. The Rams struggled with those facets of the game, and their passing, and the Spartans took full advantage.
Amity, which lost twice to Cheshire in the regular season, won, 3-0, and advanced to Saturday’s state final against Greenwich at East Haven.
The Spartans (19-4) won by scores of 25-14, 25-19 and 25-21.
The No. 6 Cardinals defeated No. 2 Southington, 3-1, in the other semifinal.
It was a frustrating night for Cheshire.
“We had a lot of problems tonight,” Ram head coach Sue Bavone said. “(Amity) had nothing to lose and they’re not afraid of us.”
For Bavone, it started with the fundamentals. Cheshire didn’t pass well and didn’t serve well. Amity fought for every point and was fired up every time it got one.
Big junior Abigail Harbinson led the way with 15 kills and two blocks, but she had help in the kill department from Lauren Campos (eight) and Madeline Adzigian (six).
“It’s fantastic. There’s nothing like it,” Harbinson said about reaching the final.
On the other side, Cheshire didn’t have the same intensity, and it hurt. The injuries to Abramson and Clyne were big, but it was about more than that.
“We should have served tougher and we should have played tougher,” Bavone said.
Sophomores had to step in to the starting lineup for Abramson and Clyne.
One sophomore, Ariana Perlini, led Cheshire with seven kills, plus two aces and four digs.
Junior Elena Piran had six kills, two blocks and seven digs while senior Nicole Purtill added seven digs.
Cheshire fell behind 9-4 in the first set, prompting an early timeout from Bavone. The Rams never got closer than five points the rest of the set. In the second set, Cheshire claimed a 17-15 lead and forced an Amity timeout.
The Spartans responded by taking the next eight points for a 23-17 advantage, and they never looked back in that second set.
In the third set, Cheshire held its final lead of the match at 11-10. From there, Amity snatched the lead and went up by as many as five points.
The Rams got to within two points at 22-20, but the Spartans closed out the set and the match.
Cheshire finished a great season 23-1, one match short of the ultimate goal.
“It was a terrific season, and unfortunately we caught bad breaks at the end with injuries,” Bavone said.

CLASS LL SEMIFINALS
AMITY 3, CHESHIRE 0
(25-14, 25-19, 25-21)
Highlights: C—Ariana Perlini 7 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs; Elena Piran 6 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks, 7 digs; Nicole Purtill 7 digs; A—Abigail Harbinson 15 kills, 2 blocks; Madeline Adzigian 6 kills; Amelia Taddei 4 kills; Lauren Campos 8 kills; Jaiden Williams 34 assists. Records: C 23-1, A 19-4.

JASON LEVY
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
MIDDLETOWN — The Cheshire High girls swim team started off the Class L championship on a high note and kept it rolling all Wednesday night.
The Rams’ 200-yard relay team of Alexandra Tyler, Elizabeth Boyer, Julia Stevens and Sophie Murphy set school, Class L title meet and state records with a 1:43.99 victory, setting the tone for Cheshire to run away with the Class L championship — its first since winning the Class LL title in 2009.
“I love all the girls on the team, they support me every day and they push me every day,” said Tyler after emerging from the team’s celebratory championship jump into the pool. “And to be a part of this team and to win this after (eight) years of not winning it’s amazing to be a part of and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Cheshire scored 854 points, beating out second-place Darien (665).
The Rams won nine of the 11 events Wednesday.
“The girls just built off the momentum,” Cheshire coach Dan Mascolo said. “Great swims from everybody in every event. We’ve had lifetime bests across the board and they’ve just been such a team all season.”
After finishing second in Class L a year ago, the Rams were determined to finish on top.
“Last season definitely motivated these girls that were returning to work even harder and we were able to bolster that with an incredible freshman class — by far the best freshman class I’ve seen in my time at Cheshire,” Mascolo said. “And the proof is in the pudding. They all came to race all season long. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Cheshire picked up wins throughout the meet.
Boyer, a senior, won the 200 IM (2:02.86), setting another school record, and later won the 100 breaststroke (1:0.35). Murphy, a freshman, also set a school record by winning the 50 freestyle (23.76) and picked up another win in the 100 freestyle (51.61). Stevens, a sophomore, won the 500 freestyle (4:59.07) and Tyler, a freshman, won the 100 backstroke (56.98), setting a Class L record.
An ecstatic Boyer was thrilled to cap her senior year with a state title, even if it meant her Cheshire swim career was close to the end. She credited the freshman swimmers with boosting the squad.
“They brought in so much great energy and they’re just so great to train with and I think everyone as a whole got better this year and it was really awesome,” Boyer said.
The Rams also swept the relays as the 200 freestyle team of Samantha Grenon, Jordyn Deubel, Esther Han and Murphy (1:34.91) and the 400 freestyle relay team of Grenon, Boyer, Stevens and Tyler (3:30.91) won and set school records.
Many of the Cheshire swimmers will compete at the State Open at Yale University at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
For Boyer and her fellow senior Deubel, whatever happens next is frosting on the cake.
“I think for the State Open we’re just going to try to have a lot of fun and I know that for me and Jordyn it’s going to be our last meet as a Ram,” Boyer said. “So I think we’re just going to try to enjoy it and I think everyone’s just going to try and swim as fast as we can and see what happens.”
Pomperaug finished in eighth with 258 points. Halle Perrin earned third in the 100 backstroke (59.71) to set a school record and earn All-State. Jada Stietzel finished sixth (1:08.98) in the 100-yard breaststroke to qualify for the State Open.
First-year Pomperaug coach Jessica Broderick is confident the Panthers have something to build on.
“I’m really excited moving forward, I knew we weren’t going to be competitive at the state level as a team but as far as individually the girls all performed really well,” Broderick said. “I’m really excited for the years to come.”

By JOE PALLADINO

The CIAC soccer championship schedule is set, and it is a great day for early risers.

In an attempt to get the games in before expected rainfall, all the Saturday championship games are at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.

For the local teams, in the Class M boys final at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, No. 2 Lewis Mills meets No. 5 Suffield at 10 a.m., followed by the Class LL showdown between No. 1 Naugatuck and No. 2 Glastonbury. This is a dream championship doubleheader.

The Holy Cross girls play the Class S final at Middletown High. The No. 2 Crusaders play No. 1 Old Lyme at 1 p.m. The 10 a.m. game at Middletown features No. 1 RHAM vs. No. 3 St. Joseph in the Class L girls final.

There is a boys/girl doubleheader at West Haven High. The 10 a.m. game has No. 4 Masuk vs. No. 10 Daniel Hand. At 1 p.m. it is the LL girls, with No. 4 Staples vs. No. 7 Ridgefield.

And if you’re just hanging around, bop out to Municipal Stadium for a pair of championship games. At 10 a.m. it is the boys Class S final between No. 3 Somers and No. 5 Morgan. Then at 1 p.m. it is the M girls final between No. 2 Granby Memorial and No. 20 Berlin.

Just a reminder: I take my coffee black, no sugar.

By Mark Jaffee

A few minutes with Woodland’s Jackson Henry:

Year: Senior Position: Left tackle, nose guard Age: 17 Future plans: To study audio engineering in college.

Q When did you begin to think about audio engineering?

AWhen I attended Long River Middle School, you needed to take an elective, so it was either join the chorus or play an instrument. I chose the trumpet. With music, I love the whole idea of being yourself and tackling the world on the way you want to see it. I always find time to balance my school work, football and other things, along with playing music, especially punk rock songs. I haven’t written any songs yet, but I did attend a summer music camp with about 30 kids at Husson University in Bangor, Maine and learned about recording music in a studio. I have played the bass guitar for about three years. My buddy had a guitar and let me practice on it and then I got my own. I began taking lessons and instantly loved it..

Q

When Woodland beat St. Paul, 15-8, last month, what was that feeling like?

AOur quarterback (Tyler Bulinski, a sophomore) is very young, but he handled the pressured situation very well and was very poised on that last drive in the final minutes. He has a great future ahead of him. Edit Krivca (a junior running back) scored in the final seconds and he added the two-point conversion to give us the lead. We still knew that the game was far from over even though St. Paul didn’t have any time-outs remaining. On the final play, Matt Mills did a great job of covering the (intended) receiver. He locked down on him, turned around to look for the ball and deflected it away and that was it. The game-day was different because we played at 1 p.m. on a Saturday instead of a Friday night. We practiced so hard and executed the game plan so well except for a play or two. It was a geat effort all of the way around.

Q

How do you want to be remembered at Woodland?

AAs a leader and as someone who represented the program to very extent it should be and to do things the right way.

Q

When did you begin playing football?

AIn seventh grade, my dad (Edward) suggested that I play. He played at Ansonia High and thought that playing football help me with discipline and about dedication and commitment. That translated in feeling good about myself and improving and being successful. At the time, I was playing basketball and baseball. When I joined the Junior Hawks, I immediately had a very good experience. I played all over the offensive line at center and guard.

Q

Does any game or moment in particular stand out over the past four seasons?

AThere have been a lot of great memories, especially the pregame ziti dinner. That’s when you can feel the camaraderie, especially when you are with the guys working out in the offseason and during the summer at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. We’re all very close friends.

Q

What does playing on Thanksgiving eve against Seymour mean to you?

ARegardless of the actual outcome, last year was an awesome experience. The season and the game and your entire career goes by so fast, like in the blink of an eye. I plan on playing my heart out in my final game in front of my family and friends.

By Mark Jaffee

A few minutes with Seymour’s Ryan Keough:

Year: Senior Position: Wide receiver Age: 17 Future plans: I plan to major in physical therapy or anatomy in college

QWhen did your season get curtailed this season because of an injury?

A I was injured during a preseason scrimmage in Hamden with Ridgefield and Staples. It was toward the end of the scrimmage and we were facing Hamden. A few plays before my injury, I got a bloody nose and came off the field to stop it. I plugged it up and went back out on the field. About five plays later, I caught the ball on a screen and ran across the field where I was tackled by a group of players. I heard a loud snap and felt a chill through my body. Right then I knew something was broken. As I looked and saw my leg hanging down. What went through my mind was just a little panic on what actually happened. The coaches there were all surprised that I wasn’t panicking or flipping out while on the field. I made sure to keep my mind clear and positive since I knew being a downer about it would have absolutely no positive effect and would make things more stressful. While in the ambulance, it all hit me that my football season would be altered or over, and that hurt more than the pain in my leg at that point.

Q

How have you adjusted to this setback?

AThe few days afterward I just tried keeping my head up, to not be down the whole time and tried keeping a positive attitude through it all. Throughout this whole setback, I have been sure to keep a positive mindset. This was one of the main things that helped me through my injury and the other was my friends, family and coaches. It definitely made me grow stronger emotionally because I remember having to walk up to the field at the first game to see all of my teammates warming up, but I was on crutches unable to join in on playing. That hit me really hard, even putting my jersey on in the locker room and seeing my helmet and pads just sitting there was enough to make me teary-eyed. Having to step up and get the team going made me put my feelings aside which definitely made me stronger emotionally. I was in the hospital for a week. While I was in the hospital my friends Kyle Baxter, Anthony Mollo and my girlfriend, Caty Ragaini, all visited me. Even Kyle’s dad Mr. Baxter was there right after the injury to check on me. My coaches visiting me meant a lot. Coach (Jamie) Yakushewich went in the ambulance with me and helped me keep calm. I knew he was looking out for me. He was beside me even after my parents arrived at the hospital which made me happy in knowing that he cared. He checked on me constantly which made me extremely grateful. When I came home from the hospital, I went to the locker room to say good luck to my teammates at their scrimmage and everyone was asking how I was. I knew then that I was blessed to have brothers and coaches that all cared.

Q

How do you see your role as a captain?

AMy role is to be a positive example for others and to be someone my team could turn to in a time of need. I will support my teammates by telling them what to do for patterns, answering their questions, or helping with anything on or off the field. I will always be there for my teammates by helping them get hyped up for games, keeping them focused on what our goal is, and supporting them always. Being a captain means representing your football family on and off the field.

By JOE PALLADINO
Republican-American
Holy Cross seeks its first. Old Lyme seeks its third straight.
The last time the Crusaders went deep in the girls state soccer tournament — it was the 2015 semifinal — the team that knocked them out was Old Lyme.
Here we go again.
Holy Cross takes on the two-time defending Wildcats on Saturday in the Class S title game at Middletown High’s Rosek-Skubel Field.
The kick off is at 1 p.m.
Cross has fulfilled the promise of coach Phil Mongelluzzo, who told the team on the first day of practice, “If we work hard and are committed to each other, we will be playing on the last day of the season.”
Right on, Coach Phil.
The Crusaders were a clear championship favorite in the NVL. But Cross stumbled a bit, lurched forward here, took a step back there, but closed the season on fire.
Cross won 11 of its last 12 games.
Ah, but that one defeat happened to be the NVL title game against St. Paul.
But this is what Cross is about. Getting on with it.
Striker Kiley Harnish, named the NVL’s most outstanding senior, said the team had a strong response after the loss to the Falcons. “We also had a game against Naugatuck that we lost, and after that we had fire in us, and we beat Woodland and Watertown,” Harnish said. “I think the same thing happened once St. Paul beat us. We really stepped it up.”

The best way to describe the No. 2 Crusaders (16-3-3) is to leave the task to junior midfielder Madi Bushka.

“Honestly, we’re just a weird team this season,” said Bushka, and yes, that was honest. “We had no idea what the outcome was going to be for any games. It is just great to make it here. I think we finally realized that we had the potential to make it.”

During the conversation Bushka glanced at the wall in the school’s Tim McDonald Gymnasium where championship banners hang. Girls soccer does not have a banner there. Bushka said this team could make that historic breakthrough.

“If we play the way we can,” she said, “we have a chance to win.”

One must never forget that No. 1 Old Lyme (20-1) is channeling just as much anger. The Wildcats lost in the Shoreline championship game to North Branford, and that ended a run of four straight conference titles.

Everyone in this Class S game is working through issues.

Remember too, Old Lyme may have the best player in the state running around up top in Mya Johnson. Just to remind you: When the Wildcats knocked out Holy Cross two years ago, 4-0, they scored four goals in 10 minutes, and Johnson had two of them.

That was then. No one cares. And that prompts another Mongelluzzoism: “Why not us?” asked the coach.

“It is a great accomplishment to make it to the state championship,” said senior striker Erin Goggin, “and I know that we have all the heart and we’re going to put in all the effort and make the best out of this experience. Coach tells us every single day, hard work beats talent. We need to put all of our effort into every since game.”

There’s only one game left this season, the Class S championship game, and Cross is in it.

“They know what it takes,” Mongelluzzo added. “We are not going there to shake hands and kiss babies. We are going to win it. Why not us?”

Why not indeed.

By STEVE BARLOW
Republican-American
WINSTED — Cindy Fixer isn’t someone who clings to the past. Friends and co-workers know an email sent to Fixer may well be deleted minutes after she reads it. She’s always looking ahead, not behind.
But some things are worth saving. So when the longtime Gilbert girls volleyball head coach recently had to pen a Hall of Fame acceptance speech, she rummaged around at home and found all of the thank-you notes collected from players during her 33-year career.
“It was interesting to see what the kids wrote. It made me feel good, a nice walk down memory lane,” said Fixer.
Fixer, 57, will be inducted as one of six new members of the Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame at its dinner Tuesday at 6 at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville.
She started as an assistant coach at Gilbert, her alma mater, in 1982 under former head coach Mary Ellen Vaccari, then succeeded Vaccari in 1987. Fixer’s teams won 13 Berkshire League regular season championships and eight BL tournament titles.
The Yellowjackets reached the Class S state final in her first year as head coach, falling to Valley Regional; won Class S in 2000 over Terryville and were runners-up to Morgan in 2001.
Two years ago, she retired because of family obligations. But when her old job became vacant again and still was vacant at the end of August, Fixer surrendered to the pleas of Vaccari and JV coach Lisa Brochu to return.
“Lisa was texting me. Mary Ellen was calling me. I was getting it from all sides,” said Fixer, a health and physical education teacher at Gilbert. “They said, ‘Come on, it’s a great group of girls.’ I said OK.”
Fixer spent the year grooming a successor in Amanda Jasenski (formerly Jassen), a former player, duplicating how Vaccari once prepped her for promotion.
Fixer will become the fourth Gilbert member of the volleyball Hall of Fame. The others are Vaccari, who coached two state champions and went to three other state finals; Sue Holcombe, a three-time BL champion and state champion in 1986, and Vaccari’s daughter, Alesia, a two-time All-Stater and state champion in 2000 and an honorable mention All-American at Springfield College.
Hall of Fame inductees are nominated by a current member, and their resume is evaluated by a selection committee. Fixer learned of the honor last spring.
“I was very humbled,” she said. “I didn’t think I did anything special. Some of the coaches in there had fantastic seasons. I said, ‘Wow, really?’”

BY JASON LEVY
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Being part of a team means a lot to Woodland swimmer Dia Gawronski.
As the senior piled up accomplishments in the pool this season — which included leading the Hawks to a Naugatuck Valley League championship while setting several records in the championship meet, as well as a pair of wins and personal bests in the Class S championship on Tuesday — Garwonski was always focused on team accomplishments.
Woodland coach Mike Magas remembers Gawronski wasn’t worrying about herself at the NVL championship.
“We were conversing during the meet and she kept talking about her confidence in the entire team,” Magas said. “It was all about the team. Everything was ‘we’ and ‘us.’”
Gawronski’s dedication toward servicing a larger group will continue into her collegiate career. On Wednesday, she signed a National Letter of Intent to swim for the Air Force Academy.
Gawronski was focused on service academies while she looked at colleges, looking at Air Force, West Point and Navy. While she originally wanted to stay on the East Coast, Air Force invited her on a recruiting trip to Colorado Springs, Colo.
Once she saw the camaraderie of the cadets and swimmers, her mind was made up.
“The girls on the team said this ‘is not for everyone,’” Gawronski said. “But I am confident in my decision and excited to swim in Division I. I wanted to continue swimming in college, but service is my top priority.”
Former Woodland swimmer and current Air Force freshman cadet Colin Kennelly helped steer Gawronski toward Air Force, with an emphasis on commitment.
After four years of education, cadets are required to serve for five years. Gawronski would consider a career in the Air Force beyond that commitment.
“I’m the first person in my immediate family to consider a service academy,” Gawronski said. “I like physics, I like to challenge myself. I definitely think I will enjoy a career in the Air Force.”
Even with her accomplishments, Gawronski’s biggest impact was felt as a teammate.
“She was always willing to help the younger swimmers,” Magas said. “(Gawronski) and the other captains (Kyla Drewry, Brooke Pope, Jordan Williams) led by example with their words and actions.”
Gawronski has one more meet as a Hawk with the State Open at Yale on Saturday. Magas is confident the high level of competition will bring the best out of Gawronski as it has done in the past.
“I want to thank my coaches, family, teammates, competition, everyone who contributed to my success as a swimmer and as a person,” Gawronski said.

By Mark Jaffee

A few minutes with … Wade Brooks, Oxford:

Year: Senior Position: Offensive line, defensive line Age: 18 Future plans: To learn the trade of welding

QWhat are you doing your Senior Capstone project on?

AI’m still working on the project, but it’s going to be about the need for tradesmen in today’s economy, and learning the trade of welding. People are getting into so many more types of careers, like computers and other technology-like jobs and we’re losing tradesmen. We need people to help build bridges, things that communities and big and small cities and states really need. I’d like to be a part of building a memorial bridge, something historic, like the Pearl Harbor Bridge.

QWhat is your role on this young team?

AI try to lead by example and show the younger players what it means to be an Oxford Wolverine. We had some rough spots leading up to this season, but in the end, it has worked out and we have been working to fix what needed fixing. Some of the other seniors and I have been trying to hold team bonding nights to show the younger guys how important a strong bond between teammates really and truly is.

QWhat will it mean to go out for your final regular-season game on Thanksgiving eve against St. Paul?

AI think it will be emotional. This will be the last time I step on the field as a player. Some of my close friends and I were on the very first youth football team we had here in Oxford and it will be a huge deal to us all when our run is over.

QWhat was the best moment you had playing for the Wolverines?

AMy absolute best moment playing for the Wolverines was when we beat Wolcott my junior year (32-18). We were tied 18-18 going into the fourth quarter. We knew going in that it would be a tough game, but every one of us stepped up. We had multiple injuries and still came out on top. We were the strongest team we could be that night. We had a great fourth quarter and it was just a great team effort all of the way around. I was so proud of everyone.

By Mark Jaffee

A few minutes with St. Paul’s Dom Aiello:

Year: Senior Position: Right guard, defensive tackle Age: 18 Future plans: To study pre-med with aspirations to becoming an orthopedic surgeon.

QWhy do you want to become a doctor?

AThe human body and the sciences are so interesting. I want to be able to help people. To get to that point, I see many challenges ahead to get through medical school. But it’s the same as in football. There are so many lessons learned and challenges that you may face. I realize that nothing is going to be easy. You need to earn everything that you get in the classroom, on the field, and in life, in general.

QWhat is your college essay about?

AIt’s about the day that changed my life. On the first day of practice in eighth grade, I broke my arm while doing a tackling drill. I fell down, my arm bent and I heard a loud pop. Right then, I knew that my season was over. What happened on that particular moment and day, I realized how much I loved the game and appreciated being able to play. I’ve always put my heart into everything that I do and it was taken away. I remember being teary-eyed watching my teammates practice and play games. When I started high school, I went with a chip on my shoulder, unwilling to waste any time. I had the mental mindset that I was going to earn my spot, no matter what.

QDo you remember your first varsity appearance?

AIn my freshman year, we were home against Derby for our first game of the season. I was listening to music in the locker room about five minutes before went out for warmups, our defensive line coach (Tony Mazzarella) told me. I was shocked. I was so excited. I immediately texted my dad who responded right away by telling me to keep my head on a swivel, an old-school football line, and to play my heart out. Ever since, I’ve always given the best possible effort, playing every single day as if it were my last because you never know if it will be.

QHow do you want to be remembered at St. Paul?

AAs someone who was respectful, trustworthy and trusted others and treated people well.

QWhat was your first recollection of playing football in Bristol?

AI played flag football for the Bristol Bulldogs in kindergarten. I had a blast. It wasn’t super serious, just a lot of fun with my friends. I loved the camaraderie of being part of a team.

By Joe Palladino

Brady Fox didn’t predict this would happen. He guaranteed it would happen, two years ago.

It was after that loss to Tolland. You remember, the 2015 Class M semifinal at Tunxis Meade. Remember the red card to Freddie Marrinelli? Remember surviving OT a man down? Remember the shootout?

“I made a promise to all the seniors that year,” said Fox, now a senior himself, “that we would make it to the finals, either junior or senior year. We didn’t accomplish that last year, but here we are, senior year, going to fulfill my promise.”

The No. 2 Spartans (18-0-1) play in the Class M final on Saturday against No. 5 Suffield at Veterans Stadium in New Britain’s Willow Brook Park. Game time is 10 a.m.

[This post contains video, click to play]

They are there because Fox said so, “because of our determination from the moment the season, from the moment last season, ended. We said it all year. There is nothing stopping us.”

And yes, he noted the historic component.

“The last time we made it here was 17 years ago,” Fox said. “The last time we won was 20 years ago when our coach (Ben Kulas) was on the team, and I think it would be absolutely incredible to do it again, on the 20th anniversary.”

Kulas played on both Mills teams, the ’97 champs and the ’00 runner up. His story in ’17 became equally compelling when his wife, Courtney, yes, a former Mills soccer player, gave birth to a baby boy, Alexander, on Tuesday, between the quarters and semis. Good call kid.

Please note, this isn’t a fluke event or fairytale come true. This story is about a good soccer team.

“But we’ve had good teams in the past,” Kulas said. “Sometimes a team’s just got it, and these guys, there’s something about them you like. There is no superstar. There is just a team. That’s what we’ve been saying all year, just somebody get the job done. We don’t care who it is.”

There are heroes by the bunch. Mills’ goalkeeper Jackson Lord kept three clean tournament sheets. Ryan Huydic scored three goals in the second round against Bulkeley. Matt Gilbert had the game-winning goal in the quarter against Haddam-Killingworth and semi against Ellington.

And the defense has been immense, anchored by Dylan McCall and Chris Sederquist in the middle, Peter Christiano on the right, and on the left, filling in for Joe Neary, sidelined by illness, is Kyle Kadziolka. Neary, incidentally, has been cleared to play today. The holding mid is Carter Viets. These guys protect and defend, period.

It has all led to this moment, to this game.

“This only happens once in a lifetime,” Gilbert said. “This is all you have. You have to take it, and make the most of it.” Senior Nick Lutrzykowski added, “We are finally where we belong. We have worked so hard, this is what we deserve, and now we have to work even harder to win it all.”

Let’s not forget about these Suffield guys. The Wildcats are nine-time state champions, but have not won one since 2013, and for Suffield, that’s a long drought. Kulas called Suffield “the Yankees of Class M,” and he said that maybe Mills can be “the Golden State Warriors.”

At this point, Kulas is done with Xs and Os. There is one message to deliver.

“You are going to remember this the rest of your lives,” is what the coach will tell his players. “I am 35 and I still remember it. I want them to really enjoy this. That’s what it is all about. Enjoy it, have fun, and see what happens.”

By Joe Palladino

Here is what Naugatuck is up against: Glastonbury High School has won nine state soccer championships, three of the last four Class LL championships, and played in 13 title games overall.

And the Naugatuck Greyhounds couldn’t care less.

In what may be a game of destiny for the Greyhounds, No. 1 Naugatuck meets No. 2 Glastonbury for the LL title on Saturday at Willow Brook Park’s Veterans Stadium. They kick it off at 1 p.m.

It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

“We have pictured ourselves here,” said Naugatuck defender Alex Teixeira, “but now, it’s come true.”

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Partly. Getting to the title game is tough enough, but getting there hungry is what turns success into tradition. Glastonbury (16-2-1) is drenched in tradition.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to play against the No. 1 team in Class LL,” said Glastonbury coach Mark Landers. “Naugatuck has been on quite a winning streak over the course of the season. They have dominated teams on both sides of the ball and don’t give up goals. Undoubtedly, the challenge for us will be difficult but we hope to show up ready to compete.”

The Tomahawks have never not been ready. Naugatuck (19-1-2) has never missed on a state title opportunity, winning championships in the two previous appearances, 2001 and 2002.

“We have made a name for ourselves and put Naugy back on the map,” said Greyhounds senior defender Yan Silva.

Naugy has long dominated the local map, the map the runs up and down the Naugatuck Valley. But on the big map, it hasn’t been easy to pick out the Borough. If you want respect you must earn it on the big stage. In 2017, Naugy has been center stage.

“The past couple of seasons it hasn’t gone great in the state tournament,” Silva added, “but this season we changed that.”

It has been something of a storybook season. In the NVL tournament the Greyhounds won the semifinal against Ansonia by penalty shootout, and they rallied with late goals to defeat Watertown in overtime in the final. Goalkeeper Aren Seeger scored an OT goal that reminded Naugy fans of the famous Brian Mariano score in the 2001 final against Westhill. Now the Naugy athletic director, Mariano entered Borough sports lore with that amazing flip-throw goal against Westhill.

Is this another Naugy team of destiny? Not sure yet, but the team has already won the hearts of the Borough’s soccer enclave.

“We are going to go and play our hearts out and try to bring the championship home,” Seeger said. And Vinny Knupp, who put Naugy in the final with his overtime penalty-kick goal against Norwalk, added, “For four years I have been waiting for this, and we finally got it.”

Again, almost. The Greyhounds have earned a place in the final, but as head coach Ryan Kinne noted, “We don’t want to play for participation medals. We don’t want to just be happy to be there. We want to go out and we want to win.”

This one will be a scrap. Naugatuck has allowed seven goals this season. Glastonbury has not allowed a goal in the postseason.

“It’s not always pretty at this stage,” Kinne said. “It’s about grinding it out and wanting it more.”

After four NVL titles, how will the Naugy seniors bring their championship careers to a close?

“I told these guys, what’s your story going to be?” asked Kinne. “How are we going to finish this story?”

We’ll find out on Saturday at Willow Brook.

Saturday’s games
FOOTBALL
Platt Tech at O’Brien Tech, noon
CIAC TOURNAMENTS
BOYS SOCCER
Class LL final at Willow Brook Park
Naugatuck vs. Glastonbury, 1
Class L final at West Haven
Masuk vs. Daniel Hand, 10 a.m.
Class M final at Willow Brook Park
Suffield vs. Lewis Mills, 10 a.m.
Class S final at Municipal Stadium
Morgan vs. Somers, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Class LL final at West Haven
Staples vs. Ridgefield, 1
Class L final at Middletown
RHAM vs. St. Joseph, 10 a.m.
Class M final at Municipal Stadium
Berlin vs. Granby Memorial, 1
Class S final at Middletown
Old Lyme vs. Holy Cross, 1
GIRLS SWIMMING
State Open at Yale, 5
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Class LL final at East Haven
Amity vs. Greenwich, 7
Class L final at East Haven
RHAM vs. Woodstock Academy, 1
Class M final at East Haven
St. Joseph vs. East Haven, 4
Class S final at East Haven
Coventry vs. Lyman Mem., 10 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Class L final at Wethersfield
Darien vs. Staples, noon
Class M final at Wethersfield
New Canaan vs. Daniel Hand, 2
Class S final at Wethersfield
North Branford vs. Granby, 10 a.m.

The top high school swimmers from around Connecticut will compete in the CIAC State Open at 5 p.m. today at Yale University.
Class L champion Cheshire holds top seeds in multiple events, including its 200-yard medley relay of Alexandra Tyler, Elizabeth Boyer, Julia Stevens and Sophie Murphy, which set school, Class L meet and state records Tuesday.
Boyer is top seed in the 100-yard breaststroke and Murphy is top seed in the 100-yard freestyle.
Seymour’s Sierra Cripps, Woodland Dia Gawronski and Holy Cross’ Madelynn Mowad are among the other top area swimmers who will also compete in the State Open.
Watertown’s Kelsey DeJesus finished fourth in the State Open diving competition Thursday with a score of 471.40. New Cannan’s Claire Ross won with a score of 498.60. Cheshire’s Sienna Breton placed 10th at 422.40.

Bobby Melms scored on runs of 54 and 61 yards to go with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown to help Seymour cruise past Derby, 63-14, on Thursday night.
Melms finished with 121 yards on just five carries. Ian Sadick threw touchdown passes to Jacob Carfo (18 yards) and Ethan Szerszen (48 yards) while Tyler Ganim (23 yards) and Andrew Nimo-Sefah (60 yards) each returned interceptions for a touchdown to help Seymour (7-2, 3-1 NVL Copper) take a 42-0 lead in the first quarter.
Tom Abel had a 5-yard touchdown run for Derby (3-6, 1-3).

There are three area teams playing for state championships today, and here is what you need to know about those games:

Class M boys soccer

No. 2 Lewis Mills vs. No. 5 Suffield

Where: Willow Brook Park New Britain

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Lewis Mills

Record: 18-0-1, BL champion

2017 tournament:

• First round: Bye
• Second round: def. No. 18 Bulkeley, 3-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 7 Haddam-Killingworth, 2-0
• Semifinal: def. No. 6 Ellington, 1-0

Suffield

Record: 16-3-0

2017 tournament:

• First round: Bye
• Second round: def. No. 21 Abbott Tech, 3-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 13 Bacon Academy, 3-1 (OT)
• Semifinal: def. No. 1 Granby, 4-1

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Class S girls soccer

No. 1 Old Lyme vs. No. 2 Holy Cross

Where: Middletown High School

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Holy Cross

Record: 16-3-3, NVL finalist

2017 tournament:

• First round: Bye
• Second round: def. No. 18 Somers, 1-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 7 Tourtellotte, 8-0
• Semifinal: def. No. 11 East Hampton, 2-1

Old Lyme

Record: 20-1-0, Shoreline finalist

State final history: 7th appearance, 3-3 overall. 2016 def. Old Saybrook 1-0; 2015 co-champions with Notre Dame-Fairfield; 2009 co-champions with Immaculate 1-1 (2OT); 2004 lost to Immaculate 4-0; 1995 lost to Immaculate 2-1; 1985 lost to Tolland 1-0.

2017 tournament:

• First round: Bye
• Second round: def. No. 16 Bolton, 2-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 9 Coventry, 2-1
• Semifinal: def. No. 4 St. Paul, 4-2

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Class LL boys soccer

No. 1 Naugatuck vs. No. 2 Glastonbury

Where: Willow Brook Park, New Britain

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Naugatuck

Record: 19-1-2, NVL champion

2017 tournament:

• First round: Bye
• Second round: def. No. 17 East Hartford, 2-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 25 Wilbur Cross, 4-2
• Semifinal: def. No. 20 Norwalk, 1-0 (OT)

Glastonbury

Record: 16-2-1, CCC West Division champion

2017 tournament:

First round: Bye

• Second round: def. No. 18 Southington, 3-0
• Quarterfinal: def. No. 23 Danbury, 3-0
• Semifinal: def. No. 6 Farmington, 1-0

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By JOE PALLADINO

NEW BRITAIN — In what will long be remembered as one of the greatest finishes in state soccer championship history, Dylan McCall scored the game-winning goal with 10 seconds left as Lewis Mills rallied to defeat Suffield, 3-2, in the Class M final on Saturday at Willow Brook Park. 

Trailing 2-1, Mills tied the game with 15 minutes left, that goal from John Mudgett. He was alone on the post and took a pass from Brady Fox. 

The winner, assisted by Ryan Huydic and started on a pass from Fox, was a shot by McCall from just about eight yards out. He went top shelf, near post, and set off a wild celebration by the team and the hundreds of fans at Veterans Stadium. 

McCall also scored the opening goal for Mills, off a corner, in the third minute.

“We kept fighting,” McCall said, “we knew we would go to the last second no matter what. We had some great passing leading up to it, Ryan Huydic with a nice assist, and I just took my shot.”

Class M – boys final

No. 2 LEWIS MILLS 3, No. 5 SUFFIELD

Goals: LM — Dylan McCall 2, John Mudgett 1, S — Mike McFarlane 1 (PK), Dylan Carzello 1. Assists: LM — Brady Fox 1, Nick Lutrzykowski 1, Ryan Huydic 1. Saves: LM — Jackson Lord 8, S — 7. Records: LM — 19-0-1, S — 16-4-0.

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