House Basketball Power Rankings Week 7

By Stephen Barston

* In parentheses are the team’s record and their previous ranking

Michigan State (8-2, #2): Despite a tough 2-point loss recently to Indiana, the Spartans played well without leader Jack Feeley. PK Brannigan and many of his teammates stepped up when needed and ended the season on a high note with a double-digit win over UCONN. With the highest overall point differential this season (+78), look for Michigan State to ride their momentum into a little playoff run.

2.     Stanford (7-3, #5): Stanford’s week was capped off by a 5-point win over Duke, continuing their win streak into the playoffs. The chemistry on this team cannot be matched by any other opponent, with the points coming from everyone on the roster, led by offensive distributors Nicky Wildish and John Mackie. The Cardinal have made an impressive case for #1 and might just keep on winning come playoff time.

3.     Texas (8-2, #1): Following their week with two losses, Texas snapped their skid with a much-needed win over North Carolina. They may score a lot with George Reed finding a way to balance points and assists, but their defense has also allowed the most points out of any top 4 team this year. If the Longhorns can avoid getting down early as they have in their two losses, they should be able to find the wins again.

4.     Syracuse (7-3, #3): Syracuse, out of any of the top 4 teams, has scored the fewest total points, yet their defense has been absolutely incredible. They have a +60 point differential on the season, led by stifling defenders Daniel Traver and Andrew Mathew. Jamie Schofield and Timmy Lochtefeld need to keep attacking the basket, drawing fouls, and finding buckets for ‘Cuse.

5.     Kentucky (6-4, #6): Kentucky has found the right time to get hot, riding a 5-game win streak into the playoffs. It wasn’t long ago that the Wildcats were looking for their first win, but Pete Archey and Robby Arrix scoring on the inside and lockdown defense from TJ Adiletta has given Kentucky a multi-dimensional squad that opponents should watch out for in the future.

6.     Duke (5-5, #4): A tough loss to Stanford shouldn’t concern the Blue Devils so much. If they can play like they did in their win over UCONN last Wednesday, neutralizing the other team’s offense, finding Matt Sherwood down low, and orchestrating the offense from the fast break, Duke should be able to beat Georgia Tech in the first round and give the other teams a run for their money.

7.     North Carolina (5-5, #8): A loss to Texas on Sunday was unfortunate for the Tarheels, but all signs point to UNC looking good for the playoffs. Before that loss, they had three straight victories, scoring an average of 52 points per game during that run. Philip Rech’s dynamic scoring and Nick Murphy’s second-chance buckets have UNC set on offense, but their defense could use some improvement before their playoff game vs. Missouri.

8.     Missouri (5-5, #9): Coming off a surprise win over Syracuse and an impressive victory over Indiana, Mizzou seems to be peaking at the right time. As I have mentioned before, their fast break offense is incredible, with Jack Duggan and Michael Maccarone making a speedy pair that can run the floor well. If Charlie Burke continues to play solid D and hits shots when needed, and if Jack McCann can knock down some 3’s, the Tigers will be my sleeper pick for the playoffs.

9.     UCONN (5-5, #7): Two straight losses heading into the playoffs concerns me, but I can only assume Conor Davey and Liam Donoghue won’t let that happen anymore during the postseason. Ferocious defense all throughout the lineup, especially from Connor Gonzalez-Falla, makes UCONN look like a possible surprise. If Julien Noujaim shows up, it simply solidifies their chances for a title run.

10.  Indiana (2-8, #11): A big loss to Missouri is showing the same flaws the Hoosiers had at the beginning of the season. They give up too many rebounds and second-chance opportunities to their opponents, and rely a lot on the three-pointer. If they can improve this and Matt Pettit can feed the ball down low to Cooper Drippe, Indiana will find the form they had in their surprise win over Michigan State and possibly beat UCONN.

11.  Georgia Tech (2-8, #10): A 7-game losing streak for the Yellow Jackets has been mainly due to a reliance on three-pointers. If they can consistently feed Dolan Gregorich down low and the Drakes and Sean Edgar continue to play stingy defense, Georgia Tech may be able to find another win, this time in the playoffs, where it all counts.

12.  Georgetown (0-10, #12): Despite the fact that the Hoyas still haven’t found the win column, there are some positive signs. Fast break opportunities were widespread in their loss to Kentucky, yet they just need to focus on capitalizing on the opportunities. If they can cut down on the fouls and play with some sort of confidence and passion, Georgetown might find that elusive first win. As they often say, in the postseason, everyone starts with a clean slate. Let’s see if Georgetown can capitalize on that.

Girls House Basketball Week 7 Rankings

By Kat McKay

So… I missed a week. Because of midterms and the thrill of finally being a *second semester senior*, I forgot to write up the Week 6 rankings. To make up for it, here are the stats for this week, out extra early. The top three teams have remained the same for a while now. Because of this, the differential between the good and the bad has become basically impassable.

1. Hoosiers- W, 42-28; 6-1 (Last week: 1)

Another dominant performance by the league’s most dominant team. What makes this win more impressive than usual is that it came against the second place Huskies, and it was still incredibly one-sided. It’s nice that the Hoosiers are doing so well but it’s kind of intimidating that nobody can touch them.

2. Huskies- L, 28-42; 5-2 (Last week: 2)

Named for the greatest team in women’s college basketball, the Huskies retain their second-place spot in spite of a loss solely because it was to the best team. Alexa Sheldon, Emma Hamilton, and the rest of this tall, fast group are excellent at rebounding. House fans will watch to see if they can rebound from this L to reassert their success next week.

3. Sun Devils- W, 30-17; 5-2 (Last week: 3)

Because the Sun Devils won this week, it seems counterintuitive to keep them at third—so here’s my rationale. In the uncovered week 6, they were stomped by the Blue Devils. All in all, a loss to the Blue Devils is worse than a loss to the Hoosiers, so Brooke Connors et. al remain locked in third. They have been here for a while—a significant win next week may allow them to break the chains and go up, but they can’t count on the Huskies or Hoosiers to make this easy.

4. Tarheels- W, 24-9; 4-3 (Last week: 4)

I played the Tarheels and here is what I think: this team has a very strong top 3 (senior Charlotte Peters, junior Liz Style, and sophomore Elizabeth Fucigna). But they’re not excellent—we were winning for part of the game—so one could conclude that the Heels’ performance is opponent-dependent. They’ve seen good and bad days. The type of day it is depends, it would seem, on who they play.

5. Blue Devils- W, 32-22; 4-3 (Last week: 6)

With their fourth consecutive win in the books, The Blue Devils assert themselves as this year’s comeback team. They killed the Bears this week, and last week, the third-ranked Sun Devils. I expect Caylee Waters and Phoebe Taylor will continue to move up. Their season is going to end on a much, much better note than it started.

6. Bears- L, 22-32; 3-4 (Last week: 5)

I stayed to watch this game, so I have the advantage of knowing how close the match was—for a while. They played the Blue Devils very equally until the later part of the second half, when they lost their grip. Basketball is all about finishing strong, and because the Bears haven’t been able to do that, they’ve dropped to sixth. They have a few scattered wins, but doing well in this league means doing better than that.

7. Wildcats- L, 17-30; 1-6 (Last week: 7)

It seems like the Cavs are gaining company at the bottom. The Wildcats began the season 1-0, but haven’t seen a win since then. I wonder if Morgan Sawitsky’s team lost faith in itself or if it never had any to begin with. Next week’s showdown provides an opportunity for the Wildcats to prove that they are better at basketball than recent history seems to show.

8. Cavaliers- L, 9-24; 0-7 (Last week: 8)

Look at the Cavaliers’ “results” page and you see a really pathetic streak of red Ls. I think this was our single worst performance, considering we scored in the single digits. I began the season saying we had close losses and missed chances… now even that excuse doesn’t fly. More commentary would be painful. Hopefully we win next week against the Wildcats, and finally prove to this league that we aren’t its weak joke.

The first round of February games begins next week… until then, DHS.

Staples edges Darien’s Boys Basketball in a 53-47 victory

By Ryan Filippone

On Friday, January 25, Darien Boys Basketball recorded a loss at home against a strong Staples team.  Darien got off to a quick start, winning the opening tip and scoring on its second possession with a basket by senior captain Kyle Green.  Darien was scoring on offense, up 4-0 early, and falling back into a 2-3 zone on defense. After making its free throws, Staples finally got on the board with 2:46 left in the first quarter.  After the Blue Wave’s hot start Staples switched to a 1-3-1 zone, which seemed to be effective.  The Blue Wave cooled down and Staples ended the first quarter up 12-6.

In the second quarter, Darien switched to man defense and Staples bailed them out with many missed opportunities.  Green’s low post presence for Darien on offense forced Staples to switch into man-to-man defense with two and a half minutes left.  Staples point guard, senior captain James Frusciante, was the star for Staples, creating shots for his teammates as well as himself.  Heading into halftime Darien was up 21-19. 

In the third quarter, Staples came out strong on defense and rotated well in its 2-3 zone. The pressure led to many steals and scoring opportunities. However, Staples struggled to finish easy layups.  The Wreckers went on an 11-1 run since the half, forcing Coach Kyle Marian to call a timeout with four minutes left in the quarter.  For Darien, good ball movement and scoring by junior Ames Murray and senior Kyle Green kept Darien in the game. The third quarter ended 35-31 in favor of Staples. 

Heading into the fourth, Darien knew they had to win the quarter, which has been a goal for the team this season.  They started off strong with a steal because of great rotation and active hands, and in the first two minutes they had two layups.  For Staples it was all Frusciante, who was orchestrating the offense and creating opportunities for Staples.  Staples started to move the ball effectively, finding holes in the defense.  Senior captain Liam Naughton caught fire with two 3s in a row, improving the score to 48-42.  With 1:51 left in the game, Darien was down 49-42 and had to revert to fouling and depending on Staples to miss. Staples hit 5 out of 10 and Darien couldn’t make up any ground, so they lost the game 47-53.

Green led all scorers with 12 points. Murray contributed eleven off the bench. Naughton ended with 9 for the night, all scored at far range. 

When asked for his reaction to the game and how the team needs to improve, Murray made a few on-court observations: “We need to play four quarters of basketball with no mental lapses and when they go on runs we need to step up and end them before they get out of hand.”

Darien’s next game is January 29^th at 7 pm at DHS.  Hopefully the Blue Wave makes these improvements and string together some wins.  They need to win six of eight to make states, with five of them at home.

Wave Puck defeats North Haven Indians

By Courtney Kyritz

This past Saturday Night the Boys Varsity Hockey Team took on the North Haven Boys Varsity team at 8:45 at the Northford Ice Pavilion.  The team won scoring nine goals and held North Haven to just three. 

Just within the first 15 seconds of the first period, Sophomore Jack Pardue (22) scored the first goal of the game, giving the team a one goal advantage. Following the first goal, senior Captain Trent Bergin finished off the first period with a goal to put the Wave up by two. The other team consistency played hard however not as well as Darien. Bergin Scored another goal during a beautiful power play to start off the second period. North Haven came back with a goal, only for Bergin to score just 20 seconds later to make up for the mistake.

During the final period, juniors Dillon Fitzpatrick and Connor Davis both scored two goals and junior Tommy Waters scored a goal to lead the team in there nine to three victory. Bergin commented on the team’s performance after the game, saying, “Everyone came ready to play and seemed relaxed at the start however, once we got a quick goal everyone got engaged in the game.”

Come check out the boys at their next game against Staples High School in Milford, this Wednesday at 4:15.

Photo caption:The Wave played a solid game in order to achieve their 9-3 victory

Girls Gymnastics Defeats Greenwich in Last Week’s Meet

By Emily Caccam

Amidst the exam chaos and stress, the Girls Varsity Gymnastics Team scored 120.00 points at a dual meet with Greenwich this Monday (1/22), defeating the Greenwich team, which scored 116.65 points.

Sophomore Samantha Gunn (pictured on the vault) scored the highest on the team with a 32.950, followed by senior and team captain Caroline Congdon with a 28.300. “I was very happy with the team’s performance, especially on the bars,” Congdon said. The team collectively scored 36.7 points on the bars with Gunn leading the team with 8.450, which tied Gunn’s score on the vault as the highest score achieved by Darien at the meet.

Check the Darien High School Athletics page for updates to the Gymnastics Team schedule.

Photo caption: Gunn scored high with a great performance on the vault

Photo credits to Mark Maybell.

Athlete Profile: James Baker

By Annabel Schneider

Senior James Baker has been swimming since he was 10 years old, but swimming isn’t all he does. Baker also plays water polo and does Post 53. After swimming for Darien for four years, Baker is captain with the two other seniors: Joe Haddad and Will Smelser.

When asked why he likes swimming Baker responded jokingly, “Because fish are my favorite animal and I want to be like one.”

James’ favorite event is the 200 freestyle. When Baker was asked his goals for the season he had a very simple answer, “to win.”

Along with being a captain on the high school team, Baker is part of the YMCA Piranhas swim team and practices water polo in Greenwich. “I spend at least two hours in the water each day, seven days a week. Plus, I do weights three times a week.”

Not everything is great about swimming. The signature dry, bleached hair of swimmers is Baker’s pet peeve. When asked about how he deals with the chlorine’s effects on his appearance Baker groaned and replied, “I get a haircut frequently.”

Photo caption: Baker showing off his swimming apparel

Darien’s Girls Ice Hockey Team Defeats Glastonbury

 By Viara Radoulova

On Wednesday, January 23^rd, Darien’s Girls Ice Hockey Team played against Glastonbury at the Darien Ice Rink. After the first period, both teams had two goals apiece. Darien’s first two were both from freshman Georgia Cassidy, with assists from sophomore Julia Arrix and freshman Katie Zaro. Each team was able to score a goal apiece in the second, Darien’s a tip by freshman Marissa Baker assisted by sophomore Amanda Sload and junior Sage Thacher. However, Darien was able to secure a final 5-3 victory due to a third goal by Cassidy and an open-netter by Thacher.

Senior captain Lily Christensen said, “Tonight during the game, I was a little frustrated because we were obviously better than our opponents. We were just playing down to their level. Thank goodness we won in the end!”

Darien has started off strong this season, now 10-1-1 in the CIAC, their only loss by a narrow margin to New Canaan. Christensen is very proud of the team’s success thus, “This year’s team is awesome, and it might be the best high school team I’ve played on. I have really high hopes for this season when FCIACs and States rolls around.”

Come watch the girls play against Guilford on Thursday, January 24^th as they take on Guildford at the East Haven Rink at 5:10pm 

Caption: Sophomore Julia Arrix goes by a defender
Credits: MSG Varsity

Carl Plays Squash: An Athlete Profile

By Jenn O’Neill

                  Senior Carl Stowell is usually known for his performance as first basemen for Darien High School’s Varsity baseball team, but during the winter, it is a whole other ball game. Literally. Stowell plays Varsity Squash for the Blue Wave, a unique sport that not many DHS students know about.

                  Stowell’s involvement in Squash was actually not initially his choosing. “The main reason I started playing squash was because my dad played at my age. I had never heard of the sport, but when he found out DHS had a young squash team, he basically signed me up without my consent,” Stowell said. “But I’m really glad he did. Squash is such a fun sport because there’s always room to improve. It is one of those sports that are easy to pick up but nearly impossible to master, and you can practice for hours by yourself. It’s a great workout, and something about hitting a ball against a wall as hard as you can is quite satisfying.”

                  Squash is a relatively simple sport that is played in an enclosed room surrounded by four tall walls. Players can either play singles or doubles, sort of like in tennis. The front wall includes a tin at the bottom, about a  foot high that acts like a net in tennis; any ball hits the tin is dead and the point is awarded to the other player. The front wall is also the service line, indicating the point above which the ball must hit on the serve but only for that serve. The entire back half of the floor is split into two large boxes indicating where the serve has to land. If it is served from the right it must land in the left box and vice versa. There is also a marked spot where players must stand while they serve. Finally, there are red lines that run along the top part of each wall and any ball that goes above those is considered dead and the point is awarded to the other player. Darien plays its games to 11 which mean players must win by 2 points and it is usually the best three games out of five to decide the match.

                  “For such a young program, DHS has seen great improvement and surprising success, winning the Fairwest Tournament each year and making an appearance at Nationals,” Stowell said. The program itself has grown from the 24 kids from Stowell’s freshman year to the 60 players it is now. The practices are split up by rank (A-E), but everyone plays at matches. Be sure to check out Stowell along with senior captains Jonathan Gill, Dom Hansford, and DJ Brown “squashing” it up at Chelsea Piers.  “And remember,” Stowell said, “It is more than just a vegetable.”

Photo Caption: Carl playing Squash

Mens Basketball Fights Hard But Falls Short Against Trinity

By: Colin Sullivan

            On Tuesday, January 22, the Darien Mens Basketball Team was defeated by Trinity Catholic High School with a final score of 54 to 47.

            Going into the game, Darien was without 3 key players: junior point guard Matt Staubi, junior center Chima Azuonwu, and junior center Ames Murray. Staubi is out for one week with an injured knee and ankle, Azuonwu is out for two weeks with an injured knee, and Murray will return from his head injury this Friday.

            Trinity, with one of the best records in the FCIAC and with a point guard who is going to play at a Division-One school next year, came into the gym like they had already won the game. Darien came out throwing the first punches, surprising the overconfident Trinity team with a strong intensity.

 After Trinity scored six points to start the game, junior Bobby Fitzpatrick got DHS on the board early with a jump shot in the paint. From here until the end, the game stayed extremely close at about a four point throughout. At the end of the first quarter, the score was Darien 8 to Trinity 12. At the end of the first half, Darien trailed Trinity 24 to 29.

            Darien got on the board first in the second half, turning it into a three-point game. With about two minutes left in the third quarter, the game was tied at 36. By the end of the third quarter, Trinity led 41 to 38.

            With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was Trinity 41, Darien 40. Darien continued to battle for the remainder of the quarter, however Trinity ended up wining with a final score of 54 to 47.

            After the game, junior Ames Murray said, “It was a game where we had nothing as a team, we were missing three players to our squad and people were expecting us to get blown out of the gym. We all pulled together as a team and played our style of basketball. Even though we lost I think that it was a great game for us as a team to know that we can hold our own against one of the premier teams in not only the FCIAC but also the state.”

            Darien’s next game is this Friday, January 25 against Staples at 7:00 p.m. at Darien. Come and support the Blue Wave!

 Caption: The team getting up to cheer during a timeout (Stamford Advocate).

Boys Hockey Trounces Greenwich

Brendan Ferguson

This past Monday, January 21st, the boys hockey team beat Greenwich High School in a score of 5-1 at the Dorothy Hamill Ice rink.

Darien came up early when senior captain Brendan Hathaway netted one in. With less than a minute left in the first period, sophomore Jack Pardue put in a rebound from Hathaway to make it 2-0 Wave.

Junior Tommy Watters scored a shorthanded goal in the second period, making the score 3-0. Greenwich put one past senior goalie Michael Collins, the only goal let up by Collins that day.

In the third period, Watters scored his second goal of the night with senior Jack Knowlton scoring just two minutes after him, making the final score 5-1.

Collins ended the game with 15 saves. Come check out the team play against Norwalk on Febuary 2nd at Darien Ice Rink as their next home game!

Caption: Sophomore Craig Miller puts a hip-check on a

Girls Basketball Defeats New Canaan

By Kate Fitzmaurice

Darien Girls Basketball had another win against New Canaan last night (11/15). The team played fast and aggressively for the first half of the game. Sisters Kelly and Erin Karzewski are an unbeatable duo. The score at the end of the first quarter was Darien 17 to New Canaan 4. Darien was able to keep the better score all four quarters. The second quarter ended in a score of 22 Darien 9 New Canaan. Foul shots really helped keep Darien winning throughout the game. Seniors Kate Bushel and Meg Marren as well as Junior Emily Stein made major contributions that helped their team gain another win. The third quarter ended in a score of 39 to 19 and the final score was 49 to 43.

Pictured: The team between quarters

Wave Puck Tounces on Wilton

by Morgan Sawitsky

 

The Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Team beats Wilton High School 7-0 at Darien Ice Rink on Monday (January 14, 2013). Within the first twenty seconds of the game,  Senior Brendan Hathaway scored Wave pucks first goal. Ten minutes later, Hathway scored the second goal, ending the first period 2-0. Senior Jack Knowlton started the second period on a good note, scoring the next two goals, the first from a pass by Senior Captain Tent Bergin from behind the net. Starting off strong in the third period,  Hathaway scored his third goal, getting him to get a hatrick. Soon Knowlton made his third goal as well, leading him to a hartick too! Junior Tommy Waters scored the final goal in the game, making Darien have a final score of 7. Senior Goalkeeper Christian Miller only let one goal in during the end of the third period. Needless to say Darien dominated the game, and everyone contributed. 

Go support Wave Puck at their next game, Saturday January 18 at 7:40pm  at Darien Ice Rink when they face Trinity Catholic. 

House Basketball Power Rankings

By Stephen Barston

* In parentheses are the team’s record and their previous ranking

1.      Texas (7-0, #2): The Longhorns remain the league’s only undefeated team, putting up points with ease, from a variety of sources. The Klingman brothers have solidified their position as Texas’ go-to guards and have been filling it up as of late. A matchup this weekend with Michigan State will test the resiliency of this squad.

2.      Michigan State (6-1, #1): A tough 3-point loss to Duke gave the Spartans’ record its first blemish of the year, but they remain towards the top. An impenetrable zone defense left Georgia Tech and Missouri dazed and confused on offense, and important role players like PK Brannigan have stepped up to provide a steady stream of points.

3.      Syracuse (5-2, #4): ‘Cuse gave Texas their money’s worth on Sunday, losing only by 5, and even had a win over North Carolina that wasn’t nearly as close as the score suggests. Andrew Mathew, Daniel Traver, and Timmy Lochtefeld lead a ferocious defense and Jamie Schofield continues to consistently drive to the basket and score with ease.

4.      Duke (4-3, #6): Duke may have beaten Michigan State and Indiana, but a loss to Kentucky is a concern. If the offense can continue to score a lot of points, as it does on a consistent basis, the Blue Devils should be fine, granted they can find a way to improve their shoddy defense.

5.      Stanford (4-3, #3): Stanford may have Aidan Coyle, but the trend continues that they are losing to teams with more overall size than them. The Cardinal consistently put up one of the highest point totals in the league, led by sophomores John Mackie, Davis Nixon (coming off a career performance this past week), and Anthony DiMeglio along the perimeter, but rebounding and defense have been serious concerns thus far.

6.      Kentucky (3-4, #10): Wins over Duke and 5-man UCONN this past week have been crucial for Kentucky in moving up 4 spots. Now that they feed their big men, like Robby Arrix, and capitalize off offensive rebounds the Wildcats have been a tough team for opponents to handle defensively. Continue to do this, and Kentucky will be in good shape.

7.      UCONN (4-3, #5): This past week, the Huskies beat an undersized and smaller Georgia Tech team and lost to Kentucky, as mentioned above. If Conor Davey can stay out of foul trouble and his teammates, like Liam Donoghue and Connor Gonzalez-Falla (nice game-winner!), remain physical and aggressive, UCONN can fight its way back up to the top of the rankings.

8.      North Carolina (3-4, #9): UNC broke its 4-game losing streak on Sunday during a win against Stanford, mainly due to the aggression on the offensive boards, led by Philip Rech, but its defense continues to be a concern. Syracuse had its way with the Tarheels out on the perimeter and this needs to fix quickly before they find themselves on another losing streak.

9.      Missouri (3-4, #7): Jack Duggan and Michael Maccarone run the fast break like no other combo in the league this season, but a lack of consistency in mid-range and long-range shooting and on the defensive side concerns me a little. If Missouri was to put more pressure on the guards in the half-court defense, they may be able to win on their fast breaks alone.

10.  Georgia Tech (2-5, #8): A reliance on three-point shooting scares me about the Yellow Jackets, but the Drake brothers and Scott Voigt have been amazing so far behind the line. If they can focus on feeding the ball down low more to Dolan Gregorich and crashing the boards, they should be in fine shape.

11.  Indiana (1-6, #12): Matt “The Beast?” Pettit and Jack Murray have been almost-perfect guards so far, scoring when needed and assisting to their teammates, but a failure to finish solid opportunities and to rebound (granted, they are small) have left Indiana scrounging for wins, finally finding their first victory this past weekend against Georgetown.

12.  Georgetown (0-7, #11): Much like the Yellow Jackets, the Hoyas have been depending on threes too much this year, and have failed to defend the fast break well. Even when they do get back on defense, their opponents get second- and third-chance opportunities down low. Any team can win if they get high-percentage shots, and if Georgetown attacks and draws fouls, they should find their first win soon enough.

Senior Indoor Track Runner Sarah Colon: A Look at her DHS Running Career

By Holly Gordon

Senior Sarah Colon is currently in her final season of Varsity Indoor Track after her long four year track career. Colon began to competitively run when she joined Darien’s Cross Country team in the fall season of her freshman year. She ran Varsity Cross Country, soon becoming a key runner for the team. After a successful fall season, Sarah was excited to run Indoor Track, testing her running talent on a different type of terrain. Her freshman year, she regularly ran the 1600 meter. Her best time was 6 minutes and 5 seconds. Colon continued running her freshman year on the Varsity Outdoor Track team in the spring season. She greatly improved, running the same 1600 meter she ran in the previous Indoor season approximately 30 seconds faster.

Colon continued to run her sophomore year, exploring a new event, the 3200 meter race, during Indoor and Outdoor track. Although running a different event was good experience, she soon realized running the 1600 meter was a better fit. After exponential improvements her first two years of high school, Sarah felt that her junior year did not produce the same rapid growth. However, Colon still ran the 3200 meter event in under 12 minutes, a huge accomplishment hard for anyone to achieve. “Running makes me less stressed,” Colon said.

For friends and fellow team members, it is no secret that Colon has impressive talent. “I hear Sarah is better at running than she is at being beautiful and she’s pretty beautiful,” senior Claire Treesh said.

Support Colon and the rest of the Indoor Track team in their next competition, the Yale Invitational at Yale University on Friday, January 18^th! 

Girls House Basketball Week 5 Rankings

By Kat McKay

With this pivotal midseason weekend in the books, teams are demonstrating whether or not they’ve developed. There has been a lot of consistency on either end of the spectrum, and basically everywhere else. Is this because teams are getting predictable or because I’m getting better at rankings? A good question with presumably no answer. Anyways, an honorable mention goes to the sixth-ranked Blue Devils, who threw in the most impressive, surprising performance of the week.

1. Hoosiers- W, 47-22; 4-1 (Last week: 1)

Want to hear a story about how I did something kind of dumb? Okay. Last week, I wrote about how impressive the Hoosiers’ scoring was, because they got 46 points. Which was fine. What that did, though, was provoke them to score more in this week’s game, since they had inspiration and something bigger to aspire to, according to Riley Sousa. And they did score more. Still fine. Except… it was against my own team. After the half, they were up by over twenty points. It’s admirable. Like I said, there doesn’t seem to be a team that can top these guys. If that team exists, it probably is not the last-ranked Cavaliers.

2. Huskies- W, 39-28; 4-1 (Last week: 2)

The Huskies came back from last week’s loss very strong. By beating one of the better teams in this league, the Tarheels, and putting up nearly forty points, the Huskies proved that their number two ranking is not ripe for the taking. The question now, then, is whether or not this sophomore-heavy squad (it features ex-travel players Morgan Savage and Tyson Maley) will ever move back up to first.

3. Sun Devils- W, 36-22; 4-1 (Last week: 3)

The actual sun didn’t shine once this week… but for these devils, it did. This score differential shows some real talent. I think part of what makes this team so good is that outside of their superstars (seniors Brooke Connors and Kathryn Herz), they have a really solid supporting cast. Juniors Virgina Meyers and Mary-Kate McCarthy and seniors Sloane Palmer and Kyra Conciatori are good at making baskets. That, in a league where baskets are gold, is excellent for the Sun Devils. It means at the very least they’ll make a run.

4. Tarheels- L, 28-39; 3-2 (Last week: 4)

I’m a little surprised by this result, and what it may mean for these girls heading into the postseason. The Tarheels started the season as the top team in the league, but now, after two consecutive losses, it seems like they’re losing their grip. If they had finished this match a little closer, it would be different, or at the least, less significant.  

5. Bears- L, 22-36; 2-3 (Last week: 5)

Who are the Bears? Without going into anything existential, I really just do not understand what this team is made of. They aren’t good or bad or even medium. They have no standout seniors or dynamic superstars, from what I remember. They don’t score a ton and they don’t score nothing. If the Bears want to make an impact, something interesting has to happen. Let’s see if that happens next week.

6. Blue Devils- W, 44-13; 2-3 (Last week: 7)

WHAT EVEN IS THIS?! Give this team an inch and they’ll take a mile. The last time the Blue Devils saw a score differential like this, they were on the other side of it. I can’t imagine what this team has gone through, both defensively and offensively, to have such a transformation. Jess Ackers had her first win last week against the Cavaliers, and it was marginal. I don’t know what these guys had for breakfast the day of this wild performance, but I want it.

7. Wildcats- L, 13-44; 1-4 (Last week: 6)

Whenever I think about the Wildcats, I think about HSM. But now, I’m really thinking about what could have happened to make them the team the Blue Devils completely killed. Junior Morgan Sawitsky said that “This was not a basketball game. It was a wrestling match.” Maybe so. Because nobody scores baskets during wrestling matches, and neither did the Wildcats.

8. Cavaliers- L, 22-47; 0-5 (Last week: 8)

So I had to go to a debate this weekend, and couldn’t make the game. I said to my team: “I’m doing you a favor. I’m not showing up. Take advantage of the opportunity and do something with it.” Anyways…we scored only two points in the first half. (Clearly because of my absence. An interesting statistic: I have zero baskets on the season. Feel free to congratulate me at any time). Soph Carrie McKay led a respectable second half drive, putting up ten baskets, and senior Parker Hamill brought her usual drive and determination. I have faith that some weekend, everyone will show up and everything will go well for the Cavaliers…. Maybe.

That’s it for Week 5. Let’s see how all these teams do during midterm weekend. Until then, DHS.

Gymnastics Soars to Victory

By Cameron Wong

Although a relatively non-spectator sport, the Gymnastic team always makes every meet exciting with its many tumbles and flips. Last year, this team placed second in fciacs and qualified for states. This year they hope to repeat that feat. On January 12th, this past Saturday, the Gymnastics team had its first FCIAC game. With a dominating score of 121.0 to beat Westhill (90.70) and New Canaan (84.0), this team has started the season 1-0. Senior and Captain Caroline Congdon, along with senior and assistant captain Marya Von Schmidt, sophomore Julia Murray, sophomore Kajsa Lundeen, sophomore Samantha Gunn and sophomore Sarah Petti each contributed to this final score through their outstanding performances. This team excelled, surpassing their scores from the invitational meet they competed in last week, where they received 117.95 points. “I was very happy with our team score today, we had very tough judges and I am happy that we improved upon our score from Pomperaug,” Congdon said. This team is looking forward to a great season and will accomplish great things. Be sure to watch them, it will be quite a thrill. Congdon told me the goals for the team: “I hope to keep improving and make it back to states.” With the hard work that these girls put in, along with the talent that they currently have, they will do extremely well, and continue to improve with the years to come. Come and support the gymnasts at their next meet on Wednesday (1/16) at Wilton.

Darien Hockey Trumps Westhill

by Marielle Ravosa

The Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Team beat Westhill High School 5-0 at Terry Connors Ice Rink in Stamford on Wednesday (1/9).

The first two periods were tight, and the game's outcome was still up in the air with a score of 1-0. In the third period, however, the Blue Wave scored four goals to win a 5-0 victory. Senior Brendan Hathaway scored Darien’s first goal just two minutes into the game. Just one minute into the third period, junior Connor Davis scored to double Darien’s lead. Sophomore Tommy Watters also scored a goal after receiving a pass from sophomore Brendan Cassidy.

Come watch the boys play Wilton at 6 o’clock on Monday (1/14) at the Darien Ice Rink. It will surely be a great game!

 Caption: Darien controls the puck in the offensive zone

Creidts: Darien News

Girls House Basketball Week 4 Rankings

By Kat McKay This week of games was the first back from break. The majority of the girls in the league spent their time off skiing or tanning or shoveling snow (lol me), but some may have been actually practicing basketball. Because of this, there has been some movement across the rankings—most notable the Hoosiers’ rise to first, the Tarheels’ drop to fourth, and the switch between the Cavaliers and the Blue Devils for last. 1. Hoosiers- W, 46-25; 3-1 (Last week: 3) It seems like the inevitable is finally happening. The Kristy Gilbert/Riley Sousa dynamic has grown into its own thing, turning the Hoosiers into a team that may end up claiming the House championship. 46 points is unbelievable. They Hoosiers played the Wildcats, a team that was previously undefeated and ranked number one. This team used to have potential… now they’ve realized it. 2. Huskies- L, 25-35; 3-1 (Last week: 1) The Huskies were handed their first loss of the season this week by the Sun Devils. Emma Hamilton and Alexa Sheldon’s team put up a decent effort, but to stay consistent—and to stop from falling further in the rankings—they need to be more than decent. They seem to have easier opponents coming up, though, and the most exciting matchup of the regular season will probably be this pair against the one mentioned above. 3. Sun Devils- W, 35-25; 3-1 (Last week: 4) The Sun Devils are turning into something hot. I practice across the gym from this team, spearheaded by senior Brooke Connors, and it’s obvious that they really care about how they play. This attitude gives their games a very serious air, which I think surprises their opponents. The Sun Devils are the team in House with the least amount of House in them. 4. Tarheels- L, 17-18; 3-1 (Last week: 2) Another close, low-scoring game. Liz Stile’s team, like the Huskies, had been undefeated until this week. The playoffs will be shaped by small performances. When winning by one or losing by one becomes a life or death situation later this season, I would not be surprised if the Tarheels ended up on the better side. 5. Bears- W, 18-17; 2-2 (Last week: 6) So the Bears, always at the bottom of the pack, beat the Tarheels, who are always at the top. It was slight, but this win shows that the Bears could raise the stakes. Sophomore Maddie Cush and junior McKenna Stevenson are the best pair on this team. 6. Wildcats- L, 25-46; 1-3 (Last week: 5) If you analyze the entire season, this game stands out because it has the total greatest number of points scored (69!). I think, though, that the uneven score has more to do with Hoosier offensive prowess than with a Wildcat defense deficiency. That being said, the Wildcats are yet to demonstrate anything particularly impressive. Their single win was from their game against the Cavaliers. If they want to prove themselves, they have to beat someone better. 7. Blue Devils- W, 20-16; 1-3 (Last week: 8) The Blue Devils got their first victory this season against a lackluster Cavalier team. What makes this feat less impressive is that a) the Cavaliers are yet to win and b) both teams struggled to make baskets, as evidenced by the low score. It will be interesting to see where this team, led by Caylee Waters, Jess Ackers, and Evie Horn, goes. 8. Cavaliers- L, 16-20; 0-4 (Last week: 7) Let’s get a win. Not a bad team… not a good record. That’s it for Week 4. ‘Til next time.

Girls Varsity Basketball Is Victorious Against St. Joe’s

 By Maeve Tierney

Thursday, December 20th at 7:00 pm the Blue Wave Varsity Girls Basketball team took on St. Joe’s at home.

The game started out with slight hesitation as Darien was missing one of their key players and captain, DHS Senior Meg Marren. Marren was out this game due to an injury sustained in the previous game against Ridgefield.

“But despite that, we went in really composed, and people who needed to step up in Meg's absence did, and we ended up getting a pretty good lead, and at the end nearly doubling their score,” said DHS senior captain, Kate Bushell.

The game ended with Darien on top, 48-26. The win is going to be vital to the team’s confidence as they have lost twice previously. St. Joe’s is a talented team and Darien’s victory is a sure triumph.

DHS junior, Kelly Karczewski scored 22 points and made four three-pointers. Bushell also played well. She scored eight points and got seven rebounds

“It definitely gave us a lot of confidence as a team, and I hope we keep up the momentum,” said Bushell.

The team played with a lot of determination and will hopefully use this win to continue the season successfully.

Congratulations girls, and good luck in your next game versus Greenwich on December 27th. Be sure to be there DHS, it’s at 1:00pm in the DHS Main gym.

Photo caption:

DHS senior captain Kate Bushell(13) is a skilled rebounder.

Credits: Amy Mortensen / CT Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, Darien News Online.