Division III semifinals

No. 5 Torrington (19-6) vs. No. 9 Amistad (17-6)

Where, when: Wednesday at Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium, Wilby High School, 7 p.m.

Path to semifinals

The skinny

The Raiders are the last area high school still playing in the CIAC tournament … The opponent is Achievement First Amistad High School of New Haven, an independent charter school … Amistad has quality wins this season against Weaver, New London, Valley Regional, and Norwalk, and an OT loss to Division IV semifinalist Classical Magnet … Amistad is the last New Haven school still playing in the boys tourney … 5-9 senior guard A.J. Edwards is a Wolves all-stater (he led Amistad with 23 pts. In quarterfinals vs. Shelton) … This is Amistad’s first semifinal appearance … As the higher seed, the Raiders will wear the home white uniforms again … Torrington has lost only two games in the last six weeks, and both were to Sacred Heart … In typical fashion, the Raiders had four double-figure scorers in quarterfinal win over West Haven … In the West Haven win Torrington scored only 25 points in the first half, but put the game away with 29 points in the third quarter … Is Wilby’s O’Brien Gymnasium big enough for this semifinal? Probably, but Raiders Nation is awoke, and they’ll need a big gym.

A decade of state tournament results

Amistad

• 2018 — Division IV, second round
• 2017 — Class S, second round
• 2016 — Class S, second round
• 2015 — Class S, first round
• 2014 — DNQ
• 2013 — DNQ
• 2012 — Class S, second round
• 2011 — Class S, first round
• 2010 — DNQ

Note: 2010 was the first varsity season for Amistad.

[This post contains video, click to play]

By JOE PALLADINO

The NVL lives, and you can thank Torrington High School for that.

The Division III boys basketball semifinal comes to Wilby High’s Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium Wednesday night as No. 9 Achievement First Amistad High of New Haven plays No. 5, and your local favorite, the Red Raiders of Torrington. The ball goes up at 7 p.m.

PREVIEW, STATS, HISTORY

VIDEO PREVIEW

If you are surprised that Torrington is the last and lone NVL team still playing, what about Amistad? The Wolves are the only New Haven school still playing basketball.

Yep, it has been that kind of spring.

First, a note on Amistad, a charter school now in its 10th season of varsity basketball. The Wolves feature an All-State player in senior A.J. Edwards and they play an aggressive and independent schedule.

“The credit for that goes to Coach (Ryan) Ott,” said athletic director Jay Fellows. “It can be challenging” to fill out an independent schedule, Fellows added.

This is Amistad’s first trip a state semifinal, or even a quarterfinal.

“We got to this point because the kids have really improved and grown this season, through a lot of hard work,” Ott said, “on the court and in the classroom. Over the second half of the season we have become more balanced, with four players averaging in double figures.”

Once upon a time high schools booked a game with Amistad to pile up a win or two. No more.

“Someone suggested to me after the quarterfinal victory that we might be a Cinderella story,” Ott added. “I laughed and said, ‘No.’ We are not surprised to be in the final four.  We expected to be here. We have been building this program over the last few years expecting to get to this stage, and farther.”

The Raiders have been here before, but not often. This is Torrington’s first semifinal trip since 2009, when the team advanced to the state championship game.

“The goal every year is to win the state championship, so yeah, I believed in our team the entire way,” said Torrington center Kevin Dixon. “It’s February and March. Coach (Eric Gamari) was saying all year, ‘Wait until February and March. That’s when we’re going to come out.’ And here we are.”

There is no mystery to what the Raiders do well. It is a multi-faceted offense. All players contribute. Tyreek Davis (18.1 ppg), Dontae Thomas (14.5 ppg), and Joel Villanueva (14.3 ppg) average in double figures, and Dixon scored 14 against West Haven in the quarters.

What’s a defense to do?

“We’ve grown a lot over the course of the season and have built a lot of team chemistry,” said Villanueva. “We’re working together well.”

Torrington was the Iron Division runner-up this season (only by tiebreaker), an NVL finalist, and a hot team down the stretch. The Raiders have lost to only one team in the last six weeks — Sacred Heart — and they have a trip to the big arena in front of them now.

“We’ve played really well in February,” Gamari said. “We started playing well in the NVL tournament, and we’ve become more of a team. That’s what you hope for. We’re riding that wave now.”

The Raiders hope to take one more ride, the best ride of all, on a fancy, comfy coach bus all the way to Uncasville.

By MARK JAFFEE

The future looks promising for the Northwestern High wrestling program.

Despite graduating its two All-State selections – senior co-captains Angelo Folino and Joshua Schwartz, who were honored Sunday at the All-State banquet at Aqua Turf Club, Highlanders coach Peter Folino is already looking toward the future,

Despite a youthful team with only four seniors – including Nole Snieckus and Giovanni Martinez – the Highlanders finished a very respectable 11th overall ahead of every other Class S and Class M school at the State Open earlier this month.

“Our finish was a result of Folino, Schwartz and Jamikael Lytle’s place finishes,” said Peter Folino. “Our 285 pounder (Nole Snieckus) qualified for the Open, but didn’t wrestle do to an injured shoulder. We were only one point out of ninth place. We were the highest placing Class S school at the tournament. It’s an accomplishment to put two wrestlers into the finals of the Open, especially for a small Class S program. It’s a testament to the hard work our two seniors put in during the offseason.

“It will be something to build off for next year,” said he coach. “It should be motivation for our returning wrestlers to want to work hard to be successful on the mat individually and as a team.”

Angelo Folino finished his career as a two-time Class S champion, a State Open runner-up and a New England runner-up at 126.

“Angelo’s had a lot of successes and strong finishes in big tournaments,” said Peter Folino. “He demonstrated that on the mat. He put in the effort in the offseason. His technical skill-set was strong. His mental preparenesss of being calm and collected helped him have success.”

Schwartz won his first Class S crown at 160 pounds and advanced to the Open final and the New England tournament.

“Joshua is a fundamentally strong wrestler and is also real even-keel,” said Peter Folino. “He was able to control his nerves. He got first Class S championship, which was one of his goals and made it to the finals at the Open. I think he achieved what he was looking for.”

At last week’s New England championships, Folino was the runner-up in the 126-pound category while Schwartz and freshman Jamikael Lytle advanced to before the medal round.

Two weeks ago at the State Open, Folino lost in the final of the 126-pound weight category on a pin to Ryan Jack of Danbury while Schwartz dropped a decision to Michael Angers of Tolland. Lytle took fifth at 195 pounds.

Folino and Schwartz each had success at the Class S meet. At 126, Folino defeated Quinn Bond on a technical fall in the second period of the final. Schwartz pinned Dakota Gardiner in 28 seconds in the final.

The Highlanders had four champions in the Berkshire/Naugatuck Valley League Invitational featuring Graham Sullivan 106 pounds; Folino, 126; Lytle, 195; and Snieckus, 285.

[This post contains video, click to play]

By MARK JAFFEE

When senior tri-captains Ben Bowler, Sam Mason and Jack Tucker hoisted the CIAC Class S championship plaque late Monday night, it was a signature moment not only for the current Holy Cross High boys swimming team, but the past members in the program.

After three straight years as a runner-up, the Crusaders finally reached that elusive goal compiling 709 points ahead of a distant second-place Brookfield (542.5) at Wesleyan University’s Freeman Athletic Center.

“When it was finally over, It was an unbelievable feeling,” said Tucker Tuesday before practice for Thursday’s State Open at Yale. “I have been swimming for 13 years, since I am five years old. This was the greatest feeling I have ever felt to share this with my teammates. I’ve been a part of other titles over the years, but nothing like this. Everyone was on their game and we all got focused and really serious on what we had to do.”

“I was just so proud of all the swimmers and thought about everyone who had ever swam in this program,” added Mason.

Mason also thought of the unfortunate turn of events at the halfway point of the meet when he inadvertently “flinched” off the starting blocks before the gun went off to signal the start of the 100 freestyle.

“As soon as I hit the water, I knew,” noted Mason. “I swam the race and came in second, but I knew my place didn’t count.” Mason was disqualified.

While the Crusaders had maintained a substantial lead at that point, they still rallied around Mason.

“We decided it was now or never,” noted Tucker. “We knew we still had a chance to make history.”

In the following event, Holy Cross sophomore Derek Fantano took sliver and senior Chris Ford grabbed a bronze.

“That got us right back on track,” said Tucker. “We were cruising from then on.”

The night got even better for Mason and the Crusaders. Head coach Mary Racevicius, in her sixth season as head coach, made a bold move by changing the order of the final event of the night, the 400 free relay, when she took Mason out of the opening leg and moved him to the anchor spot.

Mason waited patiently on the deck, as Tucker, Fantano and Chris Ford took their turns.

Zach Houston of Haddam-Killingworth was ahead of Ford before leaving it up to Mason to finish strong.

“Sam just tore through the water,” noted Tucker.

“I just swam on pure emotion and heart,” said Mason. “Everyone rallied around me and this time, I didn’t flinch on the blocks. Chris (Ford) did a phenomenal to keep the race close.”

Mason sealed the win for the Crusaders, who took gold with a time of 3:13.45, a hundredths of a second ahead of the previous state record of 3:13.53 set by Weston in 2014.

“We didn’t even know that it was a state record until we got back to Holy Cross,” noted Mason. “It never crossed any of our minds after the race. Everyone was just cheering so hard and loud. I was just trying to catch my breath. My vision was blurry and didn’t see the scoreboard clearly.”

Mason, a Naugatuck resident, admitted that he felt an array of emotions on the bus ride home.

“All of the seniors thanked their parents and everyone who supported us,” said Mason. “This was about the opportunity that we had in front of us to represent Holy Cross and the entire Naugatuck Valley League.”

Mason, Tucker, Bowler, twins Alex Ford and Chris Ford and Madeline O’Connor are the only seniors on the 42-member roster. The Crusaders captured their fifth-straight NVL crown earlier this month.

“I feel so blessed and honored to be on this team,” said Mason.

Reach Mark Jaffee at maffee@rep-am.com.

BY MARK JAFFEE

Northwestern High sophomore Alex Beauchene is thrilled to be competing Thursday night at his first State Open boys swimming championships at Yale University’s Kiphuth Exhibition Pool.

After two successful races at Monday’s Class S championship, Beauchene has a lot of confidence going into the meet, which begins at 7.

Beauchene was the Class S champion in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.69) and the state runner-up in 100 freestyle (47.61) behind champion Jack Crocamo of Seymour (47.12). In 2018, Beauchene was also the S runner-up in the 100 to Crocamo with a time of 48.06.

Beauchene said in the sprint freestyles he uses a simply mindset.

“There is no time to think about strategy,” said Beauchene. “It’s go, go, go.! In the 200 on Monday, I was able to get out in front (early) and that helped me. At the Open, I’m hoping to finish in the top five. That would be really good for me. That would be above and beyond what I could imagine. I’m going there to have fun and hope to keep dropping my times. I’m ready to go. I enjoy being in high-pressured situations. I know the competition will be great and so will the atmosphere. The fans are great. I know it will be loud.”

The State Open, normally scheduled for championship Saturday, was moved up to Thursday since Yale is hosting the Ivy League basketball championships this weekend.

Crocamo (50 freestyle) and Pomperaug senior Colin MacKellar (100 backstroke), both fresh off their respective victories at the CIAC Class S and Class M state boys swimming championships earlier this week, aim for another crown.

Crocamo is the top seed with a time of 21.52 in the 50 and seeded fourth in the 100 free (47.12). He was also the Class S champion in the 100.

“Jack is feeling pretty confident, but knows that nothing is a given and that he’s got to earn everything,” said Seymour coach Patrick DiCaprio. “In the 50 (Monday), he was the last one off the block and still won. In the 100, he had a bad last turn when his foot hit the wall. But he came back to win. His focus all along has been the Open. He’s going in with the mentality that he has put in the time and if he wins, fine. If not, he still has next year.”

MacKellar is the top seed in the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.17 seconds. MacKellar helped lead the Panthers to the Class M crown.

Pomperaug senior Billy Regan is seeded second in the 200 individual medley (1:51.66) after capturing gold at the Class M meet Monday at Wesleyan University. Greenwich’s Stephen Todorovic is seeded first (1:51.08).

Though Regan is seeded third in the 100 freestyle after his Monday win with a time of 46.99 seconds, he’s within striking distance of top seed Charles Clark of Greenwich (46.57).

After Monday’s meet, Regan said he needed to get some much needed rest and was determined to improve on his times and go all-out to win both races in his final scholastic meet before heading to the University of Connecticut.

Last year, Regan won a bronze medal in the 200 IM (1:52.57) and finished fifth in the 500 freestyle, which he is not entered in this year.

Class S champion Holy Cross will have senior captain Sam Mason vying for a medal in the 50 freestyle as the fifth seed (21.68). Teammate Jack Tucker, also a senior captain, is seeking a medal in the 100 butterfly (51.75).

The Crusaders’ 400 free relay, featuring Tucker, Derek Fantano, Chris Ford and Mason, is seeded fourth after setting a Class S record Monday with a time of 3:13.45, bettering the 2014 mark of 3:13.53 set by Weston.

Cheshire’s 200 freestyle relay of Sam Hanke, Andrew Lou, Shane Wynne and Joe Cannata is seeded fourth (1:28.38). In the medley relay, Cheshire’s Hanke, Cannata, Ankit Sahasrabudhe and Andrew Lou is seeded sixth (1:38.04). Individually, Cannta is seeded fifth in the 100 breaststroke (58.47) and Aleksej Cupic of Seymour is seeded seventh (58.71).

The Torrington High boys basketball team lost to Amistad, 71-65, in the Division III state semifinals Wednesday night at Wilby High.

The Raiders were the last area basketball team still alive.

This will be the first year since 2011 that there won’t be at least one NVL or BL team in a state final (boys or girls).

By JOE PALLADINO

WATERBURY — The road to the Mohegan Sun Arena is closed. The last local team has lost.

No. 9 Achievement First Amistad High School of New Haven knocked out No. 5 Torrington High, 71-65, on Wednesday night in the Division III semifinal round at Wilby High’s Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium.   

Amistad (19-7) will play in its first state title game on Sunday at the Arena against No. 3 Farmington at 1 p.m. The Raiders, who tried to get back to a state title game for the first time since 2009, had their season end at 19-7.

Justine White, who scored seven for Amistad, with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, said his team can win a state title. “Of course, we got this,” he said. “We got this far. We came here, all along.”

Cyprien Joseph paced Amistad with 23 points, and Eli Blackwell scored 21. Dontae Thomas and Joel Villanueva both had 22 for the Raiders. Villanueva grabbed 11 rebounds.

“We didn’t execute well,” said Torrington coach Eric Gamari. “Give them credit. They made some threes. They shot well and made their foul shots down the end.”

No. 9 AMISTAD 71, No. 5 TORRINGTON 65

Amistad (18-6): Eli Blackwell 6 9 21, Kyle Hartley 0 0 0, Arthur Edwards 3 3 11, Jaden Ratliff 2 0 4, Isaiah Joyner 2 1 5, Cyprien Joseph 9 2 23, Justin White 3 0 7. Totals: 25 15 71.

Torrington (19-7): Dontae Thomas 9 0 22, Joel Villanueva 7 7 22, C.J. Root 0 0 0, Kevin Dixon 0 2 2, Tyreek Davis 7 2 17, Matt Rylander 0 0 0, Brian Ballesteros 1 0 2, Nick Balducci 0 0 0. Totals: 24 11 65.

Amistad    15 17 12  27 — 71

Torrington             15 11 11 28 — 65

3-point goals: A — Edwards 2, Joseph 3, White 1. T — Thomas 4, Davis 1, Villanueva 1.

By STEVE BARLOW
WATERBURY — It has been a season of comebacks for the Amistad Academy boys basketball team, which eliminated Torrington in the Division III state semifinals, 71-65, on Wednesday night before a roaring crowd at Wilby High.
Through their first 12 games, the Wolves were a humdrum 7-5.
“The first half of the season, we had six different starting lineups,” explained coach Ryan Ott.
“We had guys out with flu, guys with injuries, guys who got behind on their homework and couldn’t play. It took us the first half of the season to settle on a lineup and a rotation.”
Since then, Amistad has gone a sizzling 11-1 (with the only loss in overtime) and reached the state championship game for the first time in the history of the 10-year-old New Haven charter school. Amistad will play Farmington in the Division III final Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Comebacks were the theme of Wednesday’s game — by both teams.
Fifth-seeded Torrington (19-7) jumped out to a 9-2 lead. No. 9 Amistad rallied to tie the game after one period, 15-15.
Amistad built a 10-point lead in the second period, 30-20. Torrington cut it to six by halftime, 32-26.
Torrington tied the game at 37-37 on a 3-pointer by Dontae Thomas with 3:43 to play in the third period, only to see Amistad run off 12 straight points. Isaiah Joyner’s three-point play off a rebound basket gave Amistad a 49-37 lead less than a minute and a half into the fourth quarter.
Again, the Red Raiders rallied. Joel Villanueva got hot, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. He drained a 3-pointer with three minutes to play to cut the gap to 56-50, and, after a steal by Thomas, dropped in a follow shot for a 56-52 score.
Tyreek Davis’ two foul shots with 2:31 to play pulled the Raiders within 56-54, but Amistad’s All-State senior guard, A.J. Edwards, answered with two free throws. Cyprien Joseph then intercepted an ill-advised Davis pass and raced off for a layup, and Eli Blackwell swiped the ball and fed Joseph for another layup.
That was it. Up by six, the Wolves sank nine of 10 foul shots in the final minute and change to send their fans into delirium.
“They were quick and they were very competitive,” said Thomas. “But it wasn’t any more than what we saw in the NVL. I think this one was on us. From the start, shots weren’t falling and we didn’t move the ball the way we had planned. By the time we did, it was too late.”
Thomas also had 22 points for Torrington, with 15 coming in the second half. Davis had 17 points and seven rebounds. Villanueva had 11 rebounds and C.J. Root made six steals.
The edge Torrington was supposed to have inside didn’t materialize, even though it had a 28-21 edge in rebounds.
Torrington had 18 turnovers to Amistad’s 17 in the frenetic pace.
“They really jammed us tonight and we didn’t respond well,” said Torrington coach Eric Gamari. “We let them push us, and we did something we haven’t done in a while: one pass and then we chucked it up. One thing you can’t control in tournament games is nerves.”
Joseph finished with 23 points and seven rebounds for Amistad. Blackwell scored 21 and Edwards had 11.
“Our identity,” said Ott, “is offensive balance and defensive intensity and defensive toughness.”

AMISTAD 71, TORRINGTON 65
Amistad (18-6): Eli Blackwell 6 9 21, A.J. Edwards 3 3 11, Jaden Ratliff 2 0 4, Isaiah Joyner 2 1 5, Cyprien Joseph 9 2 23, Tyrone Moye 0 0 0, Justin White 3 0 7. Totals 25 15 71.
Torrington (19-7): Dontae Thomas 9 0 22, Nick Balducci 0 0 0, Tyreek Davis 7 2 17, Joel Villanueva 7 7 22, C.J. Root 0 0 0, Matt Rylander 0 0 0, Zac McLaughlin 0 0 0, Kevin Dixon 0 2 2, Brian Ballesteros 1 0 2. Totals 24 11 65.
Amistad 25 17 12 27—71
Torrington 15 11 11 28—65
3-pointers: A—Edwards 2, Joseph 3, White 1. T—Thomas 4, Davis 1, Villanueva 1.

Thursday’s results
ICE HOCKEY
Division III final
at Ingalls Rink
Lyman Hall/H-K/Coginchaug 6, Sheehan 2

Saturday’s games
BOYS BASKETBALL
CIAC tournament
at Mohegan Sun Arena
Division IV final
New Canaan vs. Granby, 10 a.m.
Division I final
E. Catholic vs. Windsor, 8:15
GIRLS BASKETBALL
CIAC tournament
at Mohegan Sun Arena
Class LL final
Norwalk vs. New London, 3 p.m.
Class L final
Hillhouse vs. Daniel Hand, 6:15
Class S final
Canton vs. Trinity Catholic, 12:30

Sunday’s games
BOYS BASKETBALL
CIAC tournament
at Mohegan Sun Arena
Division II final
Waterford vs. New Britain, 6
Division III final
Farmington vs. Amistad, 1 p.m.
Division V final
Innovation vs. Old Lyme, 10:30
GIRLS BASKETBALL
CIAC tournament
at Mohegan Sun Arena
Class M final
Sheehan vs. Cromwell, 3:30

CIAC State Open boys swimming championships

Team Scores: 1. Greenwich 600; 2. New Canaan 480.5; 3. Ridgefield 378.5; 4.
Pomperaug 297; 5. Fairfield Prep 293.5; 6. Glastonbury 246; 7. Holy Cross
233; 8. Darien 219.5; 9. Cheshire 207; 10. Seymour 161; 11. Staples 158;
12. H-K 154; 13. Norwalk/McMahon 149.5; 14. Xavier 148; 15. Westhill/Stamf.
132; 16. NW Catholic 113; 17. Newtown 107; 18. Fairfield Coop 95.5; 19.
Fitch Coop 93; 20. Amity Regional 73; 21. Hall 70; 22. Sheehan 68; 23. Avon
66; 24. Conard 57; 25. Hand-Madison 55; 25. Farmington 55; 27. Northwestern
53; 28. New Fairfield 52; 29. Wethersfield 49; 30. South Windsor 43; 31.
Barlow/Bethel 38; 32. Bran/Guil 37; 33. Masuk 33; 34. Granby Memorial 31;
34. Trumbull 31; 36. Foran/Law 27; 37. Berlin 26; 38. Manchester 25; 39.
Southington 20; 39. Brookfield 20; 41. EO Smith/Tolland 18; 42. Middletown
17; 43. New Milford 15; 44. Bristol Coop 14; 45. Weston 8; 46. Suffield
Coop 5; 46. East Hartford 5; 48. Shepaug Valley 3.

200 Yard Medley Relay: 1. Pomperaug (Colin MacKellar, Billy Regan, John
Moran, Sai Quesenberry), 1:34.44; 2. Greenwich (Justin Jacob, Thomas Lewis,
Stephan Todorovic, Nicolas de la Sierra), 1:34.88; 3. Ridgefield (Andrew
Yu, Luke Hruska, Linney O’Malley, William Bryant), 1:36.61; 3. Fairfield
Prep (Ethan Keyes, Alec Keblish, Jack Rogers, Richard Nolan), 1:36.61; 5.
Xavier (Mitchell Wollen, Andrew Mitchill, Yavier Carbo-Colon, Donald
Frost), 1:37.25; 6. Glastonbury (Kevin Tierney, Christopher Davis, Evan
Fuller, Brant Barbera-Hwang), 1:37.70.

200 Yard Freestyle: 1. Connor Hunt, Ridgefield, 1:41.40; 2. McAllistar
Milne, Glastonbury, 1:41.55; 3. Charles Clark, Greenwich, 1:41.92; 4. Jake
Ritz, New Canaan, 1:42.80; 5. Zach Houlton, H-K, 1:43.02; 6. Spencer
Erickson, Darien, 1:43.16.

200 Yard IM: 1. Billy Regan, Pomperaug, 1:50.70; 2. Stephan Todorovic,
Greenwich, 1:53.10; 3. Thomas Lewis, Greenwich, 1:53.69; 4. Michael
Baldini, NW Catholic, 1:54.15; 5. Richard Nolan, Fairfield Prep, 1:54.26;
6. Patrick Colwell, New Canaan, 1:54.51.

50 Yard Freestyle: 1. William Bryant, Ridgefield, 21.25; 2. John Marcolina,
Fitch Coop, 21.34; 3. Jack Crocamo, Seymour, 21.46; 4. Nicholas Malchow,
Greenwich, 21.62; 5. Michael Kotlyar, New Canaan, 21.70; 6. Benjamin Arky,
Conard, 21.81.

100 Yard Butterfly: 1. Ben Feldman, Westhill/Stamf., 49.72; 2. Patrick
Colwell, New Canaan, 50.49; 3. Connor Martin, Darien, 50.89; 4. Colin
Zorger, Manchester, 51.09; 5. Colin MacKellar, Pomperaug, 51.45; 6. Kevin
Tierney, Glastonbury, 52.00.

100 Yard Freestyle: 1. Charles Clark, Greenwich, 45.88; 2. Billy Regan,
Pomperaug, 46.56; 3. Jack Crocamo, Seymour, 47.08; 4. Nicholas Malchow,
Greenwich, 47.15; 5. John McNab, Staples, 47.38; 6. Alex Beauchene,
Northwestern, 47.58.

500 Yard Freestyle: 1. Connor Hunt, Ridgefield, 4:32.24; 2. McAllistar
Milne, Glastonbury, 4:33.91; 3. Stephan Todorovic, Greenwich, 4:35.20; 4.
Aidan Henry, Bran/Guil, 4:38.34; 5. Jake Ritz, New Canaan, 4:38.85; 6. Zach
Houlton, H-K, 4:39.27.

200 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Greenwich (Thomas Lewis, Nicholas Malchow,
Nicolas de la Sierra, Charles Clark), 1:24.98; 2. New Canaan (Patrick
Colwell, Brian Harrell, Michael Kotlyar, Jake Ritz), 1:25.69; 3. Cheshire
(Sam Hanke, Andrew Lou, Shane Wynne, Joseph Cannata), 1:27.52; 4. Newtown
(Colby Delia, Mason Suba, Xavier Williams, Rick Irving), 1:28.00; 5.
Ridgefield (Connor Hunt, Ethan Murray, Luke Hruska, William Bryant),
1:28.01; 6. Fairfield Prep (Kristoffer Davis, Lucas Hoin, Jan Krepsztul,
Alec Keblish), 1:28.08.

100 Yard Backstroke: 1. Colin MacKellar, Pomperaug, 51.10; 2. Sam Hanke,
Cheshire, 51.33; 3. Andrew Yu, Ridgefield, 52.59; 4. Gianfranco Pozzolini,
New Canaan, 52.62; 5. Christopher Weber, Granby Memorial, 52.70; 6. Ethan
Keyes, Fairfield Prep, 52.84.

100 Yard Breaststroke: 1. Ben Feldman, Westhill/Stamf., 57.26; 2. Thomas
Lewis, Greenwich, 58.02; 3. Joseph Cannata, Cheshire, 58.39; 4. Michael
Baldini, NW Catholic, 58.56; 5. Alec Keblish, Fairfield Prep, 58.91; 6.
Michael Kotlyar, New Canaan, 58.97.

400 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Greenwich (Nicholas Malchow, Mark Merson,
Stephan Todorovic, Charles Clark), 3:08.05; 2. Pomperaug (John Moran, Sai
Quesenberry, Billy Regan, Colin MacKellar), 3:09.14; 3. New Canaan (Patrick
Colwell, Richard Ettinger, Michael Kotlyar, Jake Ritz), 3:11.51; 4.
Fairfield Prep (Brody Biebel, Jack Rogers, Ethan Keyes, Richard Nolan),
3:13.43; 5. Holy Cross (John Tucker, Derek Fantano, Chris Ford, Sam Mason),
3:14.08; 6. Ridgefield (Ethan Murray, Andrew Yu, Gavin Egerton, Connor
Hunt), 3:14.17.

BY MARK JAFFEE

NEW HAVEN — Moments after capturing the 200-yard individual medley at the State Open championships Thursday night, Pomperaug High senior Billy Regan slowly coasted backward in the water toward the far side of Yale’s Kipthuth Exhibition Pool.

He glanced squarely at the scoreboard and his time of 1:50.7, nearly three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher Stefan Todorovic of Greenwich (1:53.1).

Regan showed little outward emotion while his head coach, Fran Pentino, was racing around the pool deck like a little kid in a candy store.

“I just wanted to let the moment sink,” said Regan. “It was an exciting moment to not only win my first Open title, but set a school record (previous mark of 1:51.4 was set by Travis McNamara in 2008).”

Pentino was so excited after Regan’s IM performance that he immediately sent a text to McNamara, a five-time State Open champion, who is now at Duke completing his MBA degree.

McNamara replied to Pentino, “That is awesome. What a stud! Huge congrats.”

Regan was behind in the race after the second leg, the backstroke, but took the lead after the first touch off the wall on the breaststroke, the third leg.

“Billy is an above average butterflyer and freestyler, and his best stroke is the breaststroke. He has exceptional endurance, and I knew that he would take it home and have a strong finish,” said Pentino.

Regan said he wanted to be technically sound and smooth early in the race.

“I wanted to have more left in the tank in the second half, and I did and it paid off,” said Regan, who is headed UConn in the fall.

A year ago, Regan was third at the Open in the 200 IM (1:53.06).

Regan vied for a second gold in the 100 freestyle, but finished a close second with a time of 46.56 seconds behind Charles Clark of Greenwich (45.88).

Pomperaug senior Colin MacKellar was fifth in the 100 butterfly (51.45) and helped the Panthers to a fourth-place finish in the team standings with 297 points while Holy Cross was seventh (233). Greenwich won with 600.

In the opening event, the Panthers’ 200 medley relay also took a gold medal, with MacKellar, Regan, John Moran and Sai Quesenberry setting a school record of 1:34.44.

“We were in the second heat (not the fourth and fastest qualifying heat), so we knew that we just had to put the time on the clock and see what happens,” said Regan.

The Panthers’ 400 free relay of Moran, Quesenberry, Regan and MacKellar was second (3:09.14), while Holy Cross’ relay of Jack Tucker, Derek Fantano, Chris Ford and Sam Mason was fifth (3:14.08). Mason finished seventh in the 50 free (21.88).

Seymour junior Jack Crocamo, the Naugatuck Valley League champion and Class S champion in both the 50 and 100 freestyle, came in third in both sprint races. Crocamo had a time of 21.46 seconds in the 50 and a time of 47.08 in the 100.

“I felt good out there in both races,” said Crocamo. “There were a lot of fast swimmers. I was hoping for better times and to win both races. It just didn’t happen. I’ll be motivated to come back strong for next year.”

At the 2018 Open, Crocamo was fifth in the 50 free (21.65) and seventh in the 100 (47.51).

Northwestern sophomore Alex Beauchene was sixth in the 100 (47.58) and ninth in the 200 (1:43.99). Beauchene was the Berkshire League champion in both races and the Class S champion in the 200 free.

“Alex’s time in the 200 was not what he was looking for and he’s a little disappointed, but he’ll be all right,” said Northwestern assistant coach Jason DiMauro.

Cheshire’s Sam Hanke was second in the 100 backstroke (51.33) and teammate Joseph Cannata was third in the 100 breaststroke (58.39). Cheshire’s 200 free relay of Hanke, Andrew Lou, Shane Wynne and Joseph Cannata was third (1:27.52) and the Rams’ medley relay of Hanke, Joseph Cannata, Ankit Sahasrabudhe and Lou was seventh (1:37.25).

Reach Mark Jaffee at mjaffee@rep-am.com or follow him on Twitter@TheRealJaffman

By JOE PALLADINO

When they play high school state championship basketball games Saturday and Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena, we won’t be there. Waterbury won’t be there. The Naugatuck Valley and Berkshire leagues won’t be there.

It is not something we’re accustomed to and something we’d prefer to not get used to. This is just the third time this century that area fans will not have a rooting interest in a basketball championship game.

Must have been a bad season, eh? Wrong.

First, a note on a constant refrain: The city schools were down, you said. Well, perhaps. We didn’t have a juggernaut, and some years we have multiple juggernauts. Think what you’d like. The suburban schools were terrific, end of story, as evidenced by five area teams playing into the boys state tournament quarterfinals, with only one from the city. Also, there were three girls quarterfinalists and one, St. Paul, reached the semis.

That sounds like a pretty good season to me.

But the best quip of the season was spoken by Torrington coach Eric Gamari when he said, moments before the opening tip of his Division III boys semifinal against Amistad, “I bet you didn’t think it would be up to Torrington to bring you guys to Mohegan Sun.”

True enough, Eric, but it was testimony to just how good all of us were treated by the 2018-19 season. The Sacred Heart boys were not as dominant as in seasons past, so it was going to take a group effort, I thought, to get to the Sun. That’s what we got, with ultimate kudos to the Raiders, who were the last NVL and area team still playing in March.

Raiders, you repped us well.

First, let’s talk crowd. No, I was not at every postseason game, but you’d be hard-pressed to find better fan representation than what was delivered by the Raiders. The best traveling fans are from Torrington and Naugatuck, and I’ll wager that the Greyhounds were out in force at the boys quarterfinal in Farmington.

But I can speak first-hand about Torrington, and you guys helped to pack the Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Fans did not come out for the NVL tourney this season. Only 700 showed up for the four-game first round, and only 450 for the NVL semifinals. That’s just awful. There was an SRO crowd at Bulkeley High for the CCC final, and close to 2,000 attended the ECC final, played this year at Mohegan Sun.

The NVL? The best we could do was less than 800 for the title game. I guess it’s boring watching Sacred Heart stomp the league.

But Raiders fans restored our faith. There were close to 1,000 fans at the Reg for the semifinal. It’s a pity Torrington didn’t make the Run to the Sun. I suspect the New City — do they still call Torrington the New City? — would have pulled up the sidewalks Saturday.

“It was a great season,” said Gamari. Senior Dontae Thomas said it “was amazing. There’s nothing more I can ask out of this group. This is my family. It’s still a season to remember. We fought hard all season. As long as you fight as a family, that’s what matters.”

That was evident on the floor when the Raiders played, and by the classy way they walked off the floor after the loss to Amistad. It hurt. They wanted one more game. After they battled through an NVL season, fell short of the Iron Division title by a tiebreaker and lost in the NVL title game, one more game was not too much to hope for.

“This leaves you wanting more,” Gamari said. “It just didn’t happen. Those thoughts always go through your head on semifinal night. You always want to play that final game.”

Those final games are Saturday and Sunday. For the first time since 2011, the CIAC will play them without us.

Send comments to jpalladino@rep-am.com, and follow on Twitter at @RAOffTheRecord.

By JOE PALLADINO

UNCASVILLE — Before they tipped, they talked, and it was good stuff.

The CIAC handed out awards of merit prior to the boys and girls basketball tournaments at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday. It was quite a list, and it included former Trinity Catholic boys coach, now girls coach, Mike Walsh, officials Ted Lombardo and Tony Gigliotti, athletic director Dave Sousa, Hartford Courant sports writer Lori Riley, and former CIAC executive director, current executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, and former Lewis Mills High principal Dr. Karissa Niehoff, for whom the entire weekend is dedicated.

And, oh by the way, Torrington High girls basketball coach Mike Fritch too.

All that other stuff was nice, but we made the trip to see Coach Fritch get gussied up to make a speech. He wasn’t half bad.

No, this hasn’t been the best of times for Fritch and the Torrington girls. The Raiders were 2-18 this season and failed to make the postseason for the second straight year. The last time that happened was more than three decades ago. But the eternal optimist that he is, Fritch, 67, vowed that he will be back next season, and that Raiders fortunes are destined to change, soon. He would know about that stuff. His teams have won seven NVL titles.

“I have been doing this for 42 years,” Fritch said. He also noted something that we always forget: He began his career at Oliver Wolcott Tech. He coached there for two seasons and then crossed the street. It’s been 40 years at Torrington High, most notably in boys soccer and girls basketball.

We know about the coaching, but there was also the leading. Fritch is past president of both the high school coaches association and the soccer coaches association, and he remains on the executive boards of both, three decades of making sure that the NVL and the northwest corner are involved, in all things.

Fritch politely accepted his award, talked for about three minutes — good job — and sat down. He seemed baffled by it all.

“It was a nice honor,” he said, “but sometimes, I wonder, look, we don’t get into this business for honors or awards. We get into this because of the kids. I have had a great career, great kids, great assistant coaches, great athletic directors, and I met so many great coaches throughout the state.”

All the honorees and speakers were terrific, but Fritch delivered the best line at the Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theatre Saturday morning. “What I tell my kids every year: It is not OK to be OK. You will never get better if you’re just OK.”

That’s simply the best. It applies to us all. Do we slip into the slow-vehicle lane and trundle along in life? Not in Torrington. That’s why an award of merit was placed in the hands of Mike Fritch on Saturday.

BY MARK JAFFEE

As if time has stood still, Dave Grant can recall the exact moment the buzzer sounded at Central Connecticut’s Bill Detrick Gymnasium to signify the finest achievement in the history of the Pomperaug High boys basketball program.

“Everyone was exhausted and numb and feeling a million different emotions,” said Grant of the March 15, 1980 night, nearly four decades ago, when the Panthers defeated Notre Dame of Fairfield, 68-65, in double overtime in the Class M state championship game before a standing-room-only crowd.

“Everyone rushed to center court to celebrate,” Grant remembered. “It was a dream come true.”

Selected as the MVP after his 15-point, 10-rebound performance, the 6-foot-5 Grant said any of his teammates were worthy of the honor. Grant, Chris Metcalf and Jack Worgan were Pomperaug’s senior tri-captains.

Five players scored in double figures, including 6-7 center Metcalf, who scored 15 points with seven rebounds; point guard Jack Worgan (11), shooting guard Brian Worgan (12) and forward Matt Hummel (11).

Not until the game was over did the Panthers feel they had won.

“The game was nip-and-tuck the whole way,” noted Jack Worgan. “We didn’t take anything for granted.”

The Lancers were the same team that had beaten the Panthers, 77-67, in the regional final the previous week. But the tournament format at the time gave the Panthers a reprieve that they used to reach the final. When the rematch with Notre Dame was over, the Panthers felt they had done just enough to win.”

“The big part of it was we were all very good friends,” said Metcalf. “We didn’t have any egos on the team.”

“We had such great chemistry,” added Jack Worgan. “Everyone got along. We had some injuries throughout the season, but we were able to overcame them.”

The most notable injury was sustained by Metcalf, who was sidelined for more than a dozen games in the regular season with an ankle injury. Charlie Flaherty replaced him in the starting lineup.

Metcalf also missed the Western Connecticut Conference tournament, but he did return for the state tournament opener against Bethel, the first of six postseason games.

“I felt rusty, considering I hadn’t run in about five weeks,” Metcalf said. “But as the tournament went on, I was fine and we all would play our roles and did what we needed to.”

Though Pomperaug coach John Somero didn’t use a large bench, Metcalf said the team was up to the task of playing deep into games.

“Seventeen-, 18-year-old kids don’t get tired; we didn’t even think about it,” said Metcalf. “At the end of regulation or in overtime, we did what we always would do. We put the ball in Jack (Worgan’s hands) and knew if he got to the foul line, he would make the shots.”

Against Prince Tech of Hartford in the semifinals, the Panthers converted a blistering 27 of 28 free throws in a 73-72 overtime win.

“I don’t remember when it was, but I missed the only foul shot that night,” noted Worgan.

“Jack had such great court sense,” added Grant. “He would always seem to find the open person. He was so unselfish. He made us all better.”

Just ask Somero, who took over the program in 1975 and remained until 1984.

“Jack Worgan was our best overall athlete,” said Somero. “He was smart, had a good handle and was aggressive when he drove to the basket. He would run through a wall for you. He had no fear, none at all.”

Worgan credited Somero with bringing the winning formula to the Panthers.

“With John, it was all about his players,” said Worgan. “He was a great communicator and a great tactical guy. He was hard on us, but he also wanted the best for us. We all respected his abilities. Any good team needs a really good coach to be successful and win a state championship. John Somero was that guy.”

Somero said that when he was hired by Southbury High Principal Norm Fagerquist, the school was looking for a young, energetic person.

“I had been working in New Jersey, but would come back periodically to the area and was approached by Norm,” said Somero. “He thought that I had the love for the game and the passion. He wanted to get the program going. I ran youth clinics in Middlebury and Southbury and got to know the parents’ first names and the grammar school coaches. That first year, we went 7-13 and then started having winning records with talented kids coming through the doors.”

What Somero remembers about that special season of 1979-80 was what he told the team after the regional final loss to Notre Dame.

“We were disappointed, but I told them that we were lucky because of the format, and let’s go and see what we can do,” said Somero. “The first time we played them, Notre Dame got ahead and went into a delay. We were playing man-to-man defense. We were not going to fall into that trap again if we got the chance. We went to a 1-3-1 defense. After we beat Woodrow Wilson and Prince Tech in close games, we had a lot of momentum heading into the final.”

Somero, now 75, still has the coaching bug in him. He just finished his first season as the boys coach at Rochambeau Middle School. After all of these years, 1980 is still vivid in his memory.

“I had a lot of satisfying moments coaching during my career, including an undefeated regular season with the Nonnewaug girls team,” said Somero, “but nothing compares to a state championship.”

Reach Mark Jaffee at mjaffee@rep-am.com or follow him on Twitter @TheRealJaffman.

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