BY MARK JAFFEE Moments after the Kennedy boys swim team beat Jonathan Law, 87-77, on Friday for its first win of the season, Eagles coach Shea Moriarty was pleasantly surprised by a comment made by a New Haven swim official.
“He commended me on how professional the team was in the way they carried themselves and acted,” Moriarty said. “He said he had never seen a team act with more class by winning. They were cheering for the other team and talking to their swimmers during the meet. He said it was nice to see kids being classy.”
Coaching at Kennedy for a decade, Moriarty said he had hoped his team was primed for a win after losses to the NVL’s elite teams, Naugatuck, Sacred Heart, Torrington, Seymour and two-time defending NVL champion Holy Cross.
“On the bus ride to Milford, the kids were real quiet and I couldn’t tell if that was good or bad, but once the first race was over, we dominated and were able to miantain that the whole meet.
Moriarty said his co-captains Camilo Berrara and Rodrigo Santana “are by far the two best captains I’ve ever had.”
Santana’s brother, Romer, was a former swimmer at Kennedy as was his older sister, Rosemary, who also swam at the University of Bridgeport.
“Rodrigo is the heart and soul of the team and a liason to the coaching staff,” said Moriarty. “He’s our best swimmer, but you would never know it the way he acts, always willing to help anyone at any time. He’s respected by everyone.”
cross Going for 3-peat
Three-peat: The Holy Cross boys swimming team is closing in on a third consecutive undefeated Naugatuck Valley dual-meet season.
Holy Cross (8-0 NVL, 8-1 overall) meets Woodland today at 4 p.m. at Kennedy High.
The Crusaders finish the regular season at Shepaug on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and at Crosby/WCA on Feb. 14 at 4.
The Crusaders have won the past two NVL championships. Their previous NVL crown was in 1979-80.
Terrific trio: Though Torrington dropped an 87-77 decision to Sacred Heart last Friday, Red Raiders coach Andrew Marchand liked what he saw from a trio of swimmers who won their respective events — J.T. Barth (100 backstroke), sophomore Viktor Nemesvari (100 freestyle, 200 freestyle) and sophomore Jackson Keller (100 butterfly).
“They had good swims, but I’d like to see more consistent (dropped) times,” said Marchand. “Viktor and Jackson are getting better and better and have a lot of potential.”
Also last week, the Red Raiders swam well in a 93-84 loss to Naugatuck.
Barth won the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke against the Greyhounds while Michael Galan took first place in the 100 backstroke. Nemesvari won the 50 freestyle. Galan, Barth, Keller and Nemesvari also won the 200 medley relay.
Torrington (5-4) visits Oxford (5-4) today at 4:30 p.m. The Wolverines are coming off a huge win over Masuk, 94-92.
“Oxford has some great swimmers; they’re really fast,” said Marchand.
The Red Raiders travel to Berkshire League leader Northwestern on Friday night at 7:30 at the Winsted YMCA.
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Girls swim notes: Eagles claim 1st win, and do it with class
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