Winter Sports: First Half Recap

By: Joseph DeFreitas and Chris Adkins, Staff Writers

With winter sports being officially in swing over the last month and a half, teams across Foran have begun to reach mid-season form. With teams fighting to qualify for states, and athletes striving to reach new personal records, the last few weeks have been full of action.

Boys Swimming:

        Milford Swimming and Diving kicked off their season on Monday, December 19 against Xavier. Head coach Brian Dooling has been steadily getting the team ready for the competition.

    He states, “To prepare for this season, swimmers will be focused on three things: team bonding as we are a co-op team with Law, basic stroke skills and yardage for endurance.”

    Since Milford Swimming and Diving is a co-ed team with Jonathan Law, team captains include two boys from each school. Jake Ackley and John Cummings represent Law and Jose Abreu and Gerold Gutierrez are the Foran captains.

    Throughout the first portion of the season, Milford Swimming and Diving is 0-4, with their next contest against Fairfield Prep at home, January 10.

Boys Hockey:

    The Milford Mariners started their season on the road against their Division II rival Amity on Wednesday, December 14.

    Coach Shaun Malay states, “We will be working on our hockey systems and special teams play, getting ready for our seasons and the big games we have coming up. We will continue to work hard on our skating, conditioning and team play everyday at practice.”

    Malay emphasizes how proud he is of the three senior captains. Each captain represents one of the three high schools in the district. Chris Adkins represents Foran, Connor Chirico represents Law, and Matty Wright represents Platt Tech.

    The Mariners started off the season slow, with a record of 0-7 throughout their first stint of the season, but turned it sound on Monday, defeating Wilton 4 goals to none. Their next contest will be against Newton/New Fairfield on January 11.

Boys Basketball:

    The boys basketball started their season at home against North Haven on Thursday, December 15. The captains this year are seniors Liam Young, Jack D’Avignon, and Joe Gaetano.

    Coach Ian Kirkpatrick states, “We will start to prepare the team through film sessions, game planning, and hard work during practices.”

    During the first half of this season, boys basketball has started 2-7, with wins against Platt Tech and Sheehan. In their most recent contest, they fell short to Career Magnet, 41-44. Kirkpatrick and the team face off against Amity at home on January 13, hoping to pick up their third win of the season.

Girls Basketball:

    The girls basketball team opened their season on Monday, December 12 at Weston.

    Coach Bob Asmussen states, “Many of the girls have been working hard in the weight room on their strength and fitness levels since the end of September preparing for the upcoming season.”

    The team is led by senior captains Mary Rodrigues and Sam Young.

    Asmussen also says, “The girls have shown nice leadership throughout the offseason and first week so far with such a young team around them.”

    After starting off their season on a loss, the girls have rebounded, winning 7 straight. Their most recent victory was a win over North Haven, with their next game on January 10.

Wrestling:

    The wrestling team opened their season on Saturday, December 17, placing 3 at a tournament in Berlin. The team is led by Coach David Esposito, junior captain Mason Hallstrom, and senior captains Keith Pokornowski and Craig Mager.

    Esposito states, “We have a very dedicated team. They have been working very hard and practicing. We expect to have a very entertaining and successful year.”

    In this early portion of the season, Foran Wrestling has picked up wins against Branford, Conard, Canton, Greenwich, Masuk, Stratford, and East Haven. Last Saturday at Jonathan Law, Foran went undefeated at the tournament, beating all teams in attendance. They will face up against Xavier on January 10.

Indoor Track:

    Boys indoor track competed in their first meet Monday, December 19. The girls team will have their first competition the following day on Tuesday, December 20. Head coach Peter Jambor has been easing the team into early season shape, prioritizing fitness during the first few practices.

    “The team has been conditioning mostly, and will get into the skills required for the field events this week,” Jambor states.

    Due to the large number of participants in indoor track, the team boasts six captains this season. The girls captains are Alexa Malerba, Visaily Martinez-Cruz, and Kylee Payne. On the boys side, Joseph DeFreitas, Xavier Douglas, and David Grant-Eckhart have been leading the team.

    In their most recent contest at the Relay Rust Buster held at the Southern Connecticut State University Moore Field House, notable performances were the Boys 4×200 meter relay placing 3, and the Girls 4×800 meter relay placing 5. Their next meet will be at SCSU again, January 11.

Gymnastics:

    The gymnastics team opened up their season on Saturday, January 7 against Mercy, with Foran coming out on top. The team has been working hard to prepare for the meets.

    Coach Dina Sklanka stated “We have been preparing by practicing full routines on each event repeatedly so that the gymnasts feel comfortable, confident and consistent with their routines.”

    The team is led by senior captains Riley Grunow and Ginger Schmidt. Their next contest is against Daniel Hand on January 10.