Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Wave Puck Wins 6-4 against Trumbull

By Arden Cohen

Senior Thomas Sulger dashes up the ice, looking to get the go-ahead goal.
The Darien Boy’s hockey team was able to pull out a 6-4 win against Trumbull on Saturday, January 28th. Seniors Thomas Sulger and Alex Cos were both able to score. Sophomore CJ Hathaway continued his goal streak and buried two. On defense, senior captain Harry Congdon stepped up and contributed two assists. “The boys played great,” senior captain Max Romeyn said. “I am thrilled how hard everyone worked.” Senior Matty Hathaway also had one of the best games of his varsity career by playing a major role in helping his line score a total of three goals. “Everything just felt right. Everyone was doing their jobs,” Hathaway said. Darien Boy’s Hockey takes on Ridgefield on Wednesday, February 1st, at the Winter Garden Ice Arena starting at 8:30 PM, and it’s expected to be a nail biter. Romeyn will return from a shoulder injury, and should definitely be able to give the boys a boost in energy.

Wave Girls' Track at FCIAC East Meet

By Carson Halabi

On Saturday, January 28, the Wave Girls’ Track team competed in the FCIAC East meet and finished in 5th place. The girls’ team has a very strong underclassmen base, with many fast sophomores on the distance and sprinting teams. The FCIAC East league meet showed this younger talent without exception. The team’s best hurdler, junior Abigail Cragin, ran a personal best and finished third in the 45 meter hurdles. Junior KC Grady had the only first place in the meet, beating out the competition by 0.01 seconds in the 45 m dash, which means she crossed the line 3 inches ahead of the second place winner. Sophomore Cameron Appleby ran well in the 1000 m and got sixth. The mile was dominated by Darien, with sophomore Marley Garfield finishing second, and junior Onora Brown finishing fourth. The sprint medley took second place, and juniors Kimmy Olvany and Erica Blaze had great legs. While the team did not achieve the placement overall that they had anticipated, individual performances exceeded standards, and the team heads into the championship season with high hopes. Cheer on the Wave Girls’ Track Team on Thursday, February 2nd at their FCIAC meet.

Junior Onora Brown comes around the turn of the 1600 m (Courtesy DAF). 

Darien Girls Hockey Defeats Fairfield 2-0

By Taylor Davis

On Sunday January 29th, the Darien Girls Hockey Team pulled through with a 2-0 win against Fairfield. Freshmen Katie Daileader carried the team and scored both goals. Daileader scored a goal in the last second of the first period and 15 seconds into the second period. However, Senior Captain Cassidy Schiff was unhappy with the way that the team played. Schiff commented on the team’s play and said, “We weren’t doing the light things right and we have to do better at winning the 50-50 battles.” Even though the team won, they still have a lot to work on before playoffs. The Darien Girls Hockey Team plays Greenwich this Wednesday. Schiff expressed her strong desire to win and said, “We want revenge because they beat us 3-1 already this year, but we’ve gotten so much better this year.” It is going to be a battle, so please come out and support them!

#20 Captain Cassidy Shift (right) #23 Kiki Tropsa (left) #16 Shea van den Broek (middle) celebrating Corrine Bevill's (not pictured) tip-in goal off of Schiff's shot against Greenwich (Courtesy DAF)

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Boy’s Hockey Team Barely Misses the W!

By Arden Cohen

Senior Colby Ravosa blasts one on net trying to regain the lead.
The Darien boys team suffered another heart- wrenching loss on Wednesday, January 25th, to St. Joes’. “Although the boys were able to dominate, we just couldn't come out on top,” senior captain Max Romeyn said. Sophomore CJ Hathaway was able to put one in the back of the net in the second period. Although the puck was mostly in St. Joes’ zone, senior Brendan Bumgardner made some outstanding saves. Without Max Romeyn, and losing senior Thomas Sulger early in the first period due to an injury, the younger players on the team really had to step up. “I knew I had to step up, and try and fill the shoes of Sulger on the powerplay,” freshman Bennett McDermott said. The boys play against Trumbull this Saturday for Senior Night at 5 PM home!

Girls Hockey Defeats Hall/Conard 2-0

By Taylor Davis

The girls on the bench supporting their teammates on the ice (Courtesy DAF).
On Wednesday January 25th, the Blue Wave Girls Hockey Team found success and beat Hall/Conard High School 2-0. Senior Captain Cassidy Schiff tore her MCL in a game against New Canaan, so freshmen Caitlin Chan had to step up and play in Schiff's spot. Chan proved herself successfully scoring one of Darien’s goals. Senior Captain Courtney Lowe played exceptionally well and scored the other Darien goal on a low shot from the point. Schiff reflected on the team’s win and said, “our forecheck is getting more aggressive which forces our opponents to make mistakes.”
Come watch and support the Girls Hockey Team at home against Trumbull on Saturday at 7:10 PM!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Wave Ball's Hot Streak Ends in Loss to Wilton

By Jack Tierney

On Tuesday January 24, the Blue Wave Boys Varsity basketball team suffered a defeat against Wilton. This game featured many different runs including both teams fighting back down the stretch. The final score was 59-56 and it truly could’ve gone either way.

Darien clearly showed that they can compete with any team in the conference and being up 56-52 with 2 minutes left is a testament to that. Darien was up against a strong undefeated Warriors team that was shooting the three ball with confidence. Darien locked up defensively and made that one of the major keys of the night. Senior Zak Swetye said, “When we play strong and physical defense it really helps us stay with the top teams and I think tonight proved that.” Senior center Alex Preston dominated all night adding 16 points along with a couple of blocks.

Darien now moves to 6-4 and has two away losses of three points or less. This may be one of the stronger Darien teams in history and if they keep improving it’s hard to see why they can’t make a run come postseason time.

Senior Riley Stewart shows off his athleticism (Courtesy Mark Conrad). 



Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Members of Girls Track Team Competes at Yale Interscholastic Track and Field Classic Meet

By Mary Lawrence Huffman

Sophomore Marley Garfield running at
Wilton last season (Courtesy DAF).
On Saturday, January 21st, juniors Kara O’Rourke, Kimmy Olvany, and Onora Brown, and sophomores Marley Garfield, and Cameron Appleby competed at the Yale Interscholastic Track and Field Classic Meet, running the 3000 meter (1.87 miles).  Appleby won her heat with a time of 11:17.  Brown finished with a time of 11:46 and Garfield with a time of 11:50.  Olvany and O’Rourke also had great races.  Brown said, “I think that everyone from Darien did an awesome job at Yale.  Everyone ran smart, strategic races.  We had one girl qualify for FCIACs and three others qualify for states.  This is phenomenal considering that this was the first time most of the girls had run this race.”  Brown, Appleby, and Garfield qualified for states, and Olvany for FCIACs.  O’Rourke had an impressive personal record.  Olvany said, “I’m really glad we all chose to go because Marley, Cameron, and I ran an event that we are not used to and Yale was definitely the best place to run something new like the 3000 because there was so much competition from outside of Connecticut that made for really close heats.”  The next meet for the Girls Track Team as a whole is FCIAC East on Saturday, January 28th.          

Friday, January 13, 2017

Girls Hockey Dominates Wilton 9-3

By Taylor Davis
Greenwich goalie Jessica Ware makes a stop on Darien's
Senior Captain Cassidy Schiff (Courtesy DAF). 
On Wednesday, January 11th, the DHS Varsity Girls Hockey team dominated Wilton winning 9-3. Although the team won, they were disappointed that they let three goals in because Wilton is not their strongest competitor. They went into the game hoping to come out with a zero on their side of the scoreboard, but they fell short of accomplishing this goal. Senior captain Cassidy Schiff reflected on this and said, “the fact they scored 3 just means that we have to take care of some things defensively, but it looks like we’re getting our scoring touch back.” The team’s upcoming game against Ridgefield is going to be a change of pace for the players. “We’re going to try and use the momentum from this Wilton game to take us through Ridgefield on Saturday, since Ridgefield is a tough and physical team that we need to be ready for,” Schiff said.

Come support the girls against Ridgefield on Saturday at 4 PM!  

Wave Puck Loses to Xavier 3-4 in Overtime

By Arden Cohen

Senior captain Tom Sulger skates hard 
(Courtesy Mrs. Sulger).
The Darien Boy’s Hockey team fell just short of a win on Wednesday, January 11th, giving up a goal with 50 seconds left in the third period to keep the score even at 2-2. Xavier would later put one in the back of the net with an unlucky bounce. It was a great game for junior Will Dickson, who was able to get the temporary go ahead goal in the third period. Sophomore CJ Hathaway was also continue his hot streak and bury one. “After losing two first-liners due to senior Max Romeyn enduring a shoulder injury and senior Tom Sulger getting sick, the boys continued to play well,” senior Alex Kostrzewski said.On a positive note an easier schedule lies ahead. The boys hope to emerge out of this temporary slump and get a win over SWS Saturday, January 14th away at 1:00 PM.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Darien Boys Basketball Delivers 3rd Straight Win in Game against Trinity Catholic

By Jack Tierney

Sophomore Will Rolapp breaking down the tough Trinity defense (Courtesy John Swetye).
On Tuesday, January 10th, the Darien Boys Varsity Basketball team took down preseason favorites (via Ruden Report) Trinity Catholic. The Blue Wave played a solid, complete game with help from 9 different scorers in what ended up being an impressive 63-55 win. Early on, Darien came out with intensity and with something to prove. Senior Alex Preston has been playing at absurd levels lately and he continued his dominance with a statline of 23 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 assists. Darien struggled when it came to pressure in the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter but overall kept their composure with senior Theo Moore knocking down multiple critical shots at the charity strike. Darien is now celebrating their 3rd straight victory and have solidified themselves as a legit threat to make some noise in the postseason.
Junior Andrew Darby said: “We played great team basketball and you could really see our chemistry out there on the court. Hopefully we can continue the streak.” This Blue Wave team is one of the more entertaining things to watch and the games are very fun to attend.
Come out and support them on Thursday, January 12th at home vs. McMahon!

Girls Basketball Defeats Trinity Catholic, 50-28

By Ellie Nelson

Junior captain Katie Ramsay playing in the game; Ramsay had 13 points and 11 rebounds
 (Courtesy Darien Times).   
On Tuesday January 10th, the Girls Varsity Basketball team took on Trinity Catholic, winning their first away game of the season. The team effortlessly defeated Trinity Catholic; the final score was 50-28. The team’s record currently stands at 4-3, but the season is still early. “We had a three game losing streak, but now that it’s broken I think we are gaining momentum again. There is still a lot of time to improve,” junior captain Katie Ramsay said.


This season, the team features a strong force of freshmen. 4 out of the 10 girls on the roster are freshmen, and only one senior, Megan Hobbs, leads the team. However leadership is certainly not an issue, as junior captains Katie Ramsay and Christine Fiore have been able to keep the team on their feet. The two tallest members of the team, Ramsay and Fiore will certainly be driving forces toward the team’s success this season.

Come support the girls at their next away game against McMahon on Thursday, January 12th!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

11/12 House Ball Rankings: Week Four

By Will Pegler

We're coming close to the half way point of the house ball season, and with only one undefeated team left, the fight for high seeding in the playoffs is shaping up to be a very close one. Time to see which teams stand atop the rankings after five games played.

1. Hornets (5-0)
As the only undefeated team left in the league, the Hornets are an obvious choice for number one. Led by junior Nick Green, their offense has been almost impossible to stop as they are able to move the ball quickly up the court. Craig Triano, Charlie Olsen, and Mike Neary have also been effective for this team on offense, providing even more size, speed, and agility.  Soccer phenom Pablo Martinez is the only senior on the team, but has stepped in to his leadership role well along with being a strong defender. Despite their young roster, the Hornets have yet to be challenged, but this may change when they face a strong Warriors team on Wednesday night.

2. Warriors (4-1)
The Warriors have quietly climbed to a 4-1 record and have launched themselves into championship contention. Led by senior Jack Beatty, the Warriors have a strong pack of seniors whose veteran leadership could be strong down the stretch this season. "Benny Boy" Bidell and Jack Campbell are two of these seniors who could come up big from the three point line. This team looks to dethrone the undefeated Hornets on Wednesday night in what could be the matchup of the season.

3. Spurs (4-1)
The loss of Quinn Fay is obviously going to be a problem for this team going forward. This was seen clearly in their first game without him as they lost by 11 to a three loss Raptors squad. Senior Nick Percarpio will need to transfer his lacrosse talents on to the basketball court if this team wants to have a strong record. The Spurs also look to get production from juniors Hank Rech, Patrick Burke, and Connor Percarpio. The Percarpio brothers can make for a dangerous combination, and if they can refrain from their notorious off court antics, they could carry this team a long way.

4. Nets (3-2)
The last of the four teams with a winning record, the Nets could do big things in the second half of the season. They have a good mix of size and shooting ability, with two big men in Teddy Brannigan and Ryan Corcoran, and good guard talent from Chris Davey, Justin Van de Graff, and Ethan Ehlers. As always, I will remind you that you can't forget about junior Charlie Baylis, who is a pure grinder and will do anything to win.

5. Knicks (2-3)
This team has a whole lot of potential but has yet to do much with it. Senior Spencer Jarecke has some size and quickness, making him a huge asset for this team, while Peter Marren is a strong three point shooter. Chris Magnusson could also do some big things this season, as he is a talented guard who can play strong defense. Junior Tommy Murphy also looks to add some value anyway he can, and his sweatiness on the court is a clear sign of his pure determination to win.

6. Raptors (2-3)
The Raptors are my sleeper pick for this week, despite their losing record, I could see them getting on a roll and winning a few games in a row. Senior Teddy Burke is a big man who can pull down boards, and even has the ability to play guard. Junior David Volz is a solid player who can get hot from three and put up big numbers, while Alex Murray has the ability to drive to the hoop. Junior Ryan Griffin is also on this team.

7. Bulls (2-3)
Junior Jackson Vaught's shooting ability has not been enough to get this team a winning record after five games. Senior Jack Farren can do big things on offense, if he and Vaught get strong chemistry going this team may be able to find more success. Farren and Vaught will need more help from juniors Will Rehm and Jackson Mcnear, two players who have the potential to be big parts of their offense.

8. Celtics (1-4)
After a tough loss on Sunday to the Hornets, the Celtics look to bounce back and get some momentum going into the next few games. Junior Sean Collins has been a strong offensive threat and has gotten some help from Zach Dimonekas and Nick Trager. Big man Brendon Berrigan is a beast on the boards, but is going to need more support from Harry Rayhill and Alex Phillips. Despite being led by the multi-championship winning Brian Rayhill, the Celtics have yet to find any form of consistent success.

9. Suns (1-4)
This team has a lot of junior talent, but it has yet to translate in to wins. Kevin Grune, Max Grant, Max Gasvoda, Brian Minicus, and Matt Gould are all solid players, but for some reason the Suns have yet to hit their stride. The main reason for this probably being their lack of height, this team will need to find some way to score, and fast.

10. Cavaliers (1-4)
Fin Batson, Cord Fox, and Matt Meyjes could all do some damage in this league. Unfortunately for the Cavs, though, the big names have yet to carry them to multiple wins. I don't have much else to say about this team other than the fact that everyone makes the playoffs, and maybe they could make a run there, but I don't see that as very likely.



Monday, January 9, 2017

Blue Wave Basketball Rolls Past Bridgeport Central

By Sam Hickey

Last Friday, January 6th, the Darien varsity basketball team took on Bridgeport Central in the annual “Silent Night” game. For all those unaware of this tradition the premise is simple. All home fans dress up in crazy outfits and remain dead silent until the tenth point is scored. The crowd then erupts into life and provides the home team with a more potent home court environment. This year’s game looked to be an easy win for Darien coming off a strong 66 - 53 win against Trumbull, which became apparent within the first five minutes. The game was never close. Darien jumped out to an early lead and ultimately blew out Bridgeport 85 to 39.

The most interesting part of the game came early when sophomore Will Rolapp scored an “and-1” play to reach the 10 points necessary to cap off silent night. A play students will surely remember.
When asked about his team success, senior captain Zak Swetye said: “I think we are just clicking as a team. It's becoming a lot easier to find each other on the floor as the season goes on. I think we can only get better”.  

Come support the boys varsity basketball team on January 10th, away at Trinity Catholic at 7pm.

Darien moving back on defense after a three by senior Zak Swetye 

Friday, January 6, 2017

Wave Puck Falls Short to Notre Dame-West Haven

By Arden Cohen

The boys celebrate after a goal.
The Darien Boys Hockey team had its first away game against Notre Dame-West Haven on Wednesday, January 4th. Although the Wave was not able to come on top, the 3-6 score did not accurately reflect the flow of the game. Senior Harry Congdon thought it was very “unfortunate that we were unable to capitalize on the many opportunities we had,” but “was very impressed with the hustle from the everyone on the team”. Senior Max Romeyn believes “that the younger players are adjusting more and more to the varsity pace every game.” Although it was a great effort from everyone on the top, sophomore CJ Hathaway was able to bury two, and Congdon was able to snipe from the point. The game against Xavier on Wednesday, January 11th, at Darien Ice Rink should definitely have a different result.

First Ski Race of the Season at Mt. Southington

By Madeleine Ostertag

Senior Maggie Skeats takes to the slopes in the first race of the
2016 season (Courtesy DAF).
On Wednesday, January 4th, the Darien Ski team had its first race of the season at Mt. Southington. The girls dominated, coming in 1st overall, while the boys finished a strong 4th.
Notable varsity race results came from senior Maggie Skeats, who placed 1st with a total run time of 47.05, and sophomore Lane Anderson, who placed 6th with a total run time of 48.18. Freshman Sammy Lindell, sophomore Devon Hart, and senior Carly Schoudel also had strong runs. On the girls’ success, Skeats said: “The girls killed it. To put it in perspective, we had 5 racers in the top 20 out of 102 varsity racers.”
In the junior varsity results, freshman Peyton Straubel placed 1st with an overall run time of 53.44. On the boys side senior Brooks Daley came in 3rd with a total run time of 44.29.
Reflecting on the race, Skeats said: “It couldn’t have been a better start to the season– it’s going to be a great season!” The ski team will be back on the slopes at Mt. Southington on Thursday, January 12th, racing at 4 PM.

Week Three Power Rankings

By Cord Fox

Alright. Winter break is over and it is now time to focus on the important things. We are getting into the meat of the season and teams are starting to define who they really are. The Spurs and the Hornets have proven to be the best teams in the league and other teams have struggled to stop these high powered offenses. It will be interesting to see what the games are like this weekend after coming off a long holiday break.

1)Spurs--  Led by a strong senior class, the Spurs have dominated all year. This team just has no weaknesses. Quinn Fay has been the best player in house, but he has decided to take his talents to the big leagues and play for the high school team. This could end up hurting them in the long run, but for now they remain number 1. Junior Henry Rech, who got mad at me for not mentioning him in my previous power rankings, has proven his worth in the league and will look to help fill the gap left by Fay.

2) Hornets-- The Hornets much, like the Spurs, have also been able to take control of games and dismantle the other team. This team is young with a lot of junior talent, but they can play basketball. Nick Green is an animal on the court and is nearly impossible to stop. Mike Neary, Charlie Olsen, Will Pegler, and Craig Triano have proven to be a strong supporting cast to Green. We could see them slide into the number 1 ranking if the Spurs falter in the next couple of weeks.

3)Warriors-- After their loss to the Spurs, the Warriors have been on a mission to prove themselves as one of the top teams in the league. Jack Beatty leads this team and is one of the best players in league. Ben Bidell and Jack Campbell been able to provide help from beyond the arc. This team is good, but not unbeatable. If Bidell, Beatty, and Campbell are on their game, these guys are very hard to stop.

4)Bulls--Their record at 1-3 may not point to them being the number 4 ranked team, but with their only losses to the top 3 teams in the league this team deserves this spot. They have been able to hang with the best. Jack Farren and Jackson Vaught have been a solid duo together putting up the majority of the team’s points. With the toughest part of their schedule done, this team should start to win some games and really prove themselves.

5)Nets-- There are no real standout stars on the Nets, but they play good team basketball getting everyone involved. Ryan Corcoran and Teddy Brannigan are amongst the tallest kids in the league and help this team out tremendously in the post. Juniors Justin Van de Graaf and Chris Davey have also played very well together and been able to lead this team to a couple victories. I do have to give Van de Graaf a shout out for stuffing the crap out of me on a fastbreak layup. I give credit where credit is due.

6)Knicks-- I’ll be honest here, the Knicks haven’t made a big impression this year and I have heard very little about this team. Peter Marren, when hot, can be one of the best three point shooters in the league. Spencer Jarecke has also proven that he can play and be and be an
impact player. Veteran Chris Magnusson is also a force to be reckoned with. The only thing this team lacks is more wins. Will they be able to turn it around in the second half of the season? I guess we'll find out.

7)Celtics-- Again, I have heard very little about this team and their record is nothing to write home about. With that being said Brendan Berrigan is one of the best big men in the league andhas the potential to be an animal on the boards. Nick Trager compliments him well at point guard with the threat of shooting the deep ball. Sean Collins and Harry Rayhill have also been strong players for this team.

8)Suns-- The Suns only have one win on the season and it is evident that they need point guard Brian Minicus and big man Will Wilson to win games. Kevin Grune and Max Gasvoda are both good players, but they can’t take on a team alone. This team has the potential to win some games, but they need their better players to show up.

 9)Cavs-- Ahhh the Cavs. In the NBA they are one of the best teams in the league. In house, it is quite the opposite. They only have one win to a Suns team that only had 5 guys. In their most recent game they only put up 4 points in the first half… 4 points. Yes I play on this team and we just aren’t that good. Fin Batson provides the team with strong shooting and Matt Meyjes is just an all around superb athlete which makes him a good basketball player. I don’t see this team winning many games.

10)Raptors-- With big man Brian Keating out for a couple weeks with a knee injury this team hasreally struggled. Teddy Burke has found little help offensively. The Italian Stallion, Christian Fiorenza, has surpassed much expectations this season and looks to inspire the rest of his team to start winning some games. The reason why the Raptors are last in the rankings is because they haven’t won a real game. Their only win is a forfeit