Blue Wave Sports Blog

Girls Indoor Track Win the FCIAC Eastern Division Championship

2012-02-01T09:12:00.002-05:00

By Kyra Conciatori

The 2012 Girls Indoor Track team celebrated a victory at the FCIAC Eastern Division Championship this past Friday, January 27 at Wilton High School. Darien finished with a score of 170.20, beating Wilton, the second placed team, by 82.6 points. “It’s a great start to our post season and hopefully shows that there’s more good things to come for our team,” junior Grace Loh said, who finished first in the 1000 meter run. The pole-vaulters in particular dominated the finals, taking the top four spots. Sophomore Jessica Thornbury claimed first with a height of 9’4, followed by freshman Madeleine Schneider at 8’6, and juniors Grace Brown and Eleanor Smith, who both peaked at 7’6. “It was a great meet for us because we placed in each event we competed in,” Brown said. This is not the first time Darien has won FCIAC East. “We’re really excited because this is the ninth year in a row that we have won. It’s been an exciting season because we have a lot of good freshmen who will carry the team in the future,” Smith said. This Thursday, February 2^nd, the girls will compete again at FCIAC in Hillhouse, New Haven.

POWER RANKINGS 11/12

2012-01-31T21:52:00.002-05:00

By Matt Brown - Over the last couple weeks the league has nearly fully developed. Front-runners have appeared, while others have fallen to the back of the pack. Meanwhile, I sort of dropped the ball on writing about it. But I promise improvement from here on out. Here it is… about 2 weeks late.
1. Spurs (7-2)- The Spurs have been beaten in only 2 of their 9 games. Both losses have come to the Lakers, so in reality they really have only lost to one team. The combination of Eric Walsh, a great guard, and a plethora of tall players is a huge matchup problem for every defense, whether they chose to attempt a man or zone front. Much like his Blue Wave Football season, senior Harlan Smith’s (pictured) last year of House Ball has been a break out of scoring. Right next to him is senior Tim Brickman who is also turning heads around the league. All the Spurs have to do from here on out is maintain this level as play… And beat the Lakers. Pictured is Harlan catching a football because it just shows his raw athleticism.
2. Nuggets (6-2) – The Nuggets are a cohesive unit that is coming together after a pretty slow start. Senior Nicky Neville is the biggest playmaker for these guys but he is certainly not alone. Senior Tommy Nicholls is one of the most underrated offensive players in the league, holding a great shot and a surprising driving ability. Junior Patrick Reilly is also pretty cash if you give him an open jumper. The paint is dominated for these guys by seniors Reed Coots and Bryan Sullivan. Basically, every member of this team has a role and does it well, which I think gives them staying power atop the rankings.
3. Suns (6-3) – The Suns are a very solid team. Senior Bobby Minion and junior Jack Sherwood both confront little obstacles when trying to light up the scoreboard. They have also had very good wins against solid teams like the Rockets, Spurs, and Grizzlies. However, they have also had questionable loses. It is hard to tell which direction the Suns are headed in, and the main reason they hold the third spot is because of their two victories over the Rockets, the 4 seed.
4. Rockets (6*-3) – The Rockets are a pest to play. Their offensive attack is one of the best in the league. Senior Russell Palmer and junior Jackson Whiting are a dynamic duo. In addition, they have help from all over the court from juniors Pierce Whiting and Ben Highton (where has he been?). The area of the game that might do the Rockets in is defense. They openly focus much less on D then they do the offensive end of the court. However, they have shown a great ability to win close games which is necessary in a league where so little separates each team. Plus, you can’t leave senior Gabe Wade unguarded. He will hurt you. I promise.
5. Grizzlies (5-4)- The Grizzlies are perhaps the best team in the lower tier of teams that these rankings begin to enter at the 5 spot. Senior Luke Osherow is a truly great basketball player and senior Scott Plank is still making it rain. They have beaten almost all of the teams that they should have beaten, but have lost to almost all the teams ranked above them. For the Griz to be considered one of the elite teams in house, they must begin to find ways to beat the elite.
6. Kings (4-5) – Despite a recent bad loss at the hands of the Nuggets, the Kings have not been bad overall. Much like the Grizzlies, the Kings have been winning the easy ones and nearly inept against stiffer competition. This leaves the Kings as strictly mediocre. I wouldn’t call them bad, but they are clearly below everyone 5 and up.
7. Mavericks (3-6)- The Mavs have the roster to turn this season around coming into the final stretch. The backcourt, of senior Matt Pik and junior Spencer Mcmullin, is a collection of some of the fastest students in the entire high school. In the frontcourt, senior Sam Gillespie may be the hardest man to get a rebound over in all of House. Nonetheless this squad is on a two game skid and needs a win Wednesday night against the Suns.
8. Lakers (3-6) – The Lake Show is in the midst of a three game freefall. I do not know if they have the talent needed to pull themselves out of this rut and learn how to play as a cohesive group instead of just individuals. There Is little excuse for the Lakers being here in the standings and hopefully they can throw one more W or two in the Win or Lose column before the season ends.

Last: My Thunder (2-7) and the Trailblazers at (2-7) are definitely the two worst in the league. I cannot hold back my excitement for playing them. I like to think that it isn’t me and my team that is worst in the league, but instead it is our shooting, passing, rebounding, and dribbling. As for the Trailblazers, here is senior Jay Alter on why his the Blazers are struggling. “We just can’t finish. We are in every single game but just lose by two, three, or four. We play hard and have some really solid players. We will be shocking the world come playoff time.”

Darien Wrestling vs Greenwich

2012-01-28T09:26:00.002-05:00

By Katrina Vassell

This Wednesday (1-25) the Darien High School Wrestling Team lost its meet against Greenwich. The final score was 68-9 with senior captain Max Kiplinger and junior Patrick Daigle winning their individual matches. Kiplinger scored 3 points with his regular decision and Daigle scored 6 points with his pin down. "I think we didn't go out there with all the aggression we normally have. But for losing all our seniors we're doing really well this season in general," Kiplinger said. The next match is at DHS this Saturday at 10 against Brookfield, Vinal Tech, and Wolcott Tech.

Caption: Senior captain Max Kiplinger wins his match

9/10 House Basketball Power Rankings Game 9: Wednesday, January 25

2012-01-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

by Blake Lange

1. CavaliersW 36-22 (9-0)

The Cavaliers won’t seem to fall to anyteam that challenges them. They successfully put down the Celtics with ease.Kevin Pendo is the star of the team, and definitely one of the best players inthe league. His shooting, passing, rebounding, and blocking skills allcontribute to the flawless record. Philip Rech is the other primary contributorto the scoring, consistently bucketing 8 to 10 points. Other top-level playerson the Cavaliers are Matt Pendo, Ryan Foreman, and Will Bloomer. Watch out whenyou are playing this team.

2. KnicksW 38-34 (6-3)

With a big gap between number 1 and 2 inthe rankings, the Knicks truly don’t deserve their record. One loss came in theabsence of the Skolds, who are unquestionably the best players on the team, andanother two of the elite players in the 9^th and 10^thgrade league. Between them, most of the rebounds and points come, and it was nodifferent in their win against the Pacers. In a fight that lasted until thelast few seconds, the Pacers couldn’t regain a lead and continue the winningstreak. With both Skolds in commission, the Knicks are a serious playoffcontender.

3. WizardsL 40-31 (6-3)

The second of three 6-3 teams, the Wizardspulled out number three even following a loss against the Bulls. The game camedown to the final minutes, but the Bulls’ lead broke open late to secure thegame. Myles Ridder, Andrew Nault, and George Reed have been leading the chargethis season. Ridder’s defense, Reed’s offense, and Nault’s all-around skillsare a tough force to overcome. The Wizards are on a tough streak, falling inthree straight games, but they will rebound from the losses against theBobcats, whose dismal record hasn’t earned them any higher than 11^thin the rankings through the whole season.

4. NetsW 51-41 (6-3)

The Nets are a very strong squad. The solereason for their placement behind the Wizards this week is the result of thegame between them, in which the Wizards came out on top. Chris Chiamulera’steamwork with Luke Mangan proved to be enough to take the 76ers by storm. TheNets have been very successful recently following Chi’s selflessness. The Netsare on a three game winning streak, which they hope to continue against thestruggling Heat.

5. RaptorsW 38-21 (5-4)

The Raptors are the best of a few 5-winteams. In Wednesday’s game, the strong players were Jay Patrick and Jay vanElslander, a change from the usual Dylan Carruthers. No doubt Carrutherscontributed, but not in the scoring area. Nonetheless, he is the best player onthe team and has carried the team to a winning record, including the winagainst the Bobcats. After starting strong, however, the Raptors have fallen inthe standings with 3 losses in the last 5 games.

6. PacersL 38-34 (5-4)

After a roller coaster of an opening to theseason, the Pacers lost against the Knicks, the 2^nd ranked team. ThePacers began with three losses, followed by five straight wins and finally aloss on Wednesday night. Connor Davey, one of the team’s best, is out currentlywith an ankle injury. Even so, Curry Bloom and Brad Magnusson led the team tocome up just short of the Knicks. The two are deadly from deep together, whichis a useful tool to have in a league that lacks much perimeter defense. ThePacers place 6^th because of the inconsistent output and losses toteams higher up.

7. BullsW 40-31 (5-4)

Following a win over the Heat, the Bullstopped the Wizards to regain a positive record. Scoring leaders on the team areNick Cohen, Jack Reis, and Blake Lange. In Wednesday’s game, Trevor McGovernand Andrew Pigeon both came in clutch. McGovern contributed with free throwsand Pigeon with a crucial layup towards the end of the game that sealed thedeal. The Bulls take on the Raptors this weekend, which should be a tough gamefor them if they cannot keep up the offensive work.

8. 76ersL 41-51 (3-6)

With a loss to the Nets, the 76ers have nowlost four straight contests. Following a #1 preseason ranking, the 76ers fallto eighth because the defense has not been able to get stops. Even though theyconsistently score 35 points or more, the 76ers are not frequently victoriousbecause they often allow 40 or more. Harry Gillespie leads the team offensivelyand defensively, with spectacular talent on both sides of the court. ReillyBloom and Carter Watt are the other scoring contributors. If the 76ers want tobe successful in the postseason, they must tighten up the D and continue thegreat offense as well.

9. CelticsL 22-36 (3-6)

The Celtics struggled again against theunstoppable Cavs. They did a good job of cleaning up the fouls while stillplaying aggressively and with the same tenacity. Brendan Donohue is the headhoncho of the team, racking up points and steals unmercifully, but the offenseis where he has lacked in the losses they have suffered. No Celtics playersfouled out in this one. Even so, the Celtics showed improvement in weak areasand might be victorious over teams less threatening than the Cavaliers.

10. HeatL 42-29 (3-6)

Coming in close to last are the Heat. Inboth of their last two games, the bench has been empty, forcing the players tolast all 40 minutes of the game. The fatigue has been very influential in thelosses, especially without Jack Foley and Jack Feeley, who are two of theteam’s better players. Even with those two, the Heat is not the strongest squadout there by any means. Their postseason hopes do not look good heading intothe last several games of the season.

11. BucksW 42-29 (2-7)

The Bucks had a morale boost in theirmerciless win over the Heat. The win brings the Bucks to a distasteful recordof 2-7, far from the preseason hopes that spotlighted Brian Davey. Thestepper-ups on the team following his departure are Christian Cochran and KyleGifford, with other players occasionally putting the ball in the hoop. TheBucks are the only 2-7 team, and deserve the 11^th ranking judged bytheir performance against the teams surrounding them, excluding the gameagainst the Heat.

12. BobcatsL 38-21 (1-8)

Cooper Drippé and the Bobcats come in at adisappointing last. He leads the scoring and will continue to in the future.Other infrequent contributors include Griffin Ross, Nick Kunze, Liam Donoghue,and Jamie Schwartz, but none of these players have been able to definethemselves as key factors in a victory. The Bobcats surely won’t finish theseason any better than they started it, and the postseason doesn’t lookpromising for them at all.

Sources: Assistant Principal, Mike Sullivan, to take AD Job

2012-01-25T08:41:00.005-05:00

By Jay Alter - This summer, current Athletic Director John Keleher announced his retirement and the search began for his replacement. This morning, sources reported the future AD for Darien High School will be Assistant Principal, Mike Sullivan. He is currently scheduled to take over the AD responsibilities in June.

9/10 House Rankings: Week 8

2012-01-24T08:27:00.001-05:00

by Reed Barthold

Last week was midterm week at DHS and the student body was hunkering down in their rooms pretending to study to obtain their parents’ approval. Despite the diligent studying that was taking place last week, there is one interruption that no one questions: House Basketball. Below, you will find the (more often than not) biased week eight 9/10 rankings.

1. Cavaliers W (34-24)

As expected, the Cavaliers took down the Wizards on Sunday by ten points. There really is not much to write when everyone knows the immense talent that is present on the Cavs. Congrats?

2. Wizards L (24-34)

The wizards lost to the Cavaliers by ten points, and frankly, the only reason they are so high up in the rankings, is because they have the second-best record in the league. Their past two performances certainly are not second place worthy.

3. Nets W (41-34)

The Nets are placed higher than the Knicks because they beat a better team by more points this Sunday. The Knicks played the 76ers who are by default, less-than-par, while the Nets played the Raptors who are quite the valiant team.

4. Knicks W (45-41)

The Knicks took down the 76ers by 4 points. The Knicks have suffered three losses so far this season and in two of those losses the Skolds twins were absent. They are placed higher than the Pacers because the Knicks did not start off the season with a 0-3 record.

5. Pacers W (48-21)

The Pacers were destined for another win this week when they were put up against the Bobcats, whose only win was against the weak “Skolds-less” Knicks. No top scorers have been identified, but it is assumed by this reporter that Brad Magnusson and Connor Davey led the team.

6. Bulls W (42-35)

The Bulls are often in a tough situation on Sundays when one of their key players cannot make the game due to prior conflicts. The team pulled it together this weekend when they shot down the Heat, broke a player’s ankle, and kept the opposing team to 35 points. Well done.

7. Raptors L (34-41)

The Raptors suffered a tough loss on Sunday against the evenly matched Nets. Both teams have a pretty even spread of skill and athleticism and at the end of the day; it was just a matter of who wanted the “W” more.

8. Celtics W (36-30)

The Celtics went up against the weak Bucks on Sunday and barely squeezed out a win by 6 points (the last point was a buzzer beater layup by Brendan Donohue which really was a cheap shot because… this explanation has gone on too long.)

9. Heat L (35-42)

The Heat deserves the spot in front of the 76ers for the simple reason that they have more talent. When the Heat does lose, it is by a small margin, unlike the 76ers. Bottom line, the rankings are up to me, and I like the Heat more.

10. 76ers L (41-45)

The 76ers took a tough loss against the Knicks on Sunday in the 12 o’clock shift. The reason the 76ers are so low in the rankings is because once they show some sign of losing they give up. And by “give up” I mean knee kids as they go up for layups and heave up overshot threes.

11. Bucks L (30-36)

The Bucks took another tough loss on Sunday against the Celtics due to the absence of Brian Davey. Bottom line is they are better than the Bobcats.

12. Bobcats L (21-48)

Sure, the Bobcats obliterated the Knicks (without the Skolds) but a loss to the Pacers by nearly thirty points is embarrassing. The reason the ‘cats are below the Bucks is because I said so.

Skiing Battles Snow and Tough Schedule

2012-01-23T08:12:00.004-05:00

By Jay Alter - The Darien High School Ski Team in its second race in as many days from a postponement last week due to lack of snow faced a tough field in Greenwich, Lauralton Hall, Litchfield, and New Canaan at the Mt. Southington Ski Area on January 11. The Girls Varsity Team with a time of 325.00 finished 2nd defeating Lauralton Hall 380.67 and losing to Greenwich 317.33. The Boys Varsity Team with a time of 292.31 finished 3rd defeating Litchfield 333.15 while finishing close behind Greenwich 290.63 and New Canaan 287.46.
Girls’ times this week were Fay Rizzuto 50.17 (Co-captain), Kailin Edgar 53.94 (Co-captain), Taylor Hart 54.38, Allison Graham 54.96, Katharine Graham 55.49, Courtney Kyritz 56.06, Kelsey Edgar 58.20, Sarah Swirbul 58.90, Abby Howe 60.47, and Hannah Nilsson 64.96.
Boys’ times this week were Will McCoy 46.63 (Co-captain), Pablo Castro 47.51, Peter Del Col 48.43, Mike Rizzuto 49.49, Matt Nelson 49.81, Andy Mogenson 50.44 (Co-captain), Nick Wolf 52.06, Alex Von Stuelpnagel 53.52, Graham Lesco 53.69, and Chris Brophy DSQ (Co-captain),
More scores and information about the Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League may be found at http://www.cislracing.org/.
Coaches Brian Zeyer said, “The boys and girls teams both had a tough night last night with their second race in two days. The kids were competitive on some not so good snow conditions.”

Courtesy: Dave Graham

Darien Boy’s Swimming and Diving Kicks off Season 3-0

2012-01-23T07:10:00.000-05:00

Boy’s BWSD plan to go all the way

By Kylie Maier

Last Friday BWSD proclaimed to have “crushed” Staples HighSchool, winning almost all of the events and adding a third win to itsrecord.

The victories have been well deserved. Coach Jason Cochranhas held tough practices, and junior James Baker says the season “Is a lot hardthan last year. Right from the beginning we have been pushed”. The team has also been helped by newswimmers, including freshmen Nikolai Ostberg and Dillon Gilhooley.

BWSD hope to finish the season undefeated. Baker says it should be easy until the end ofthe season, when they race Greenwich Swimming.

Midway Report: Girls Basketball

2012-01-23T07:06:00.001-05:00

ALook Into Girls BWB: 7 wins 5 losses

ByKylie Maier

BlueWave Girls Basketball has just hit its season’s halfway mark with seven wins andfive losses. Two wins came last weekdirectly after junior Meg Marren was back on the court. Marren missed the beginning of the season dueto a foot injury. Marren said the teamhopes to “continue winning after this two game winning streak and reach FCIACand State qualification.”

Thewhole team is working towards this goal with the help of Coach Gary Peterson. On the team are also four freshmen, LaneDavis, Claire Naughton, Daly Naughton, and Avery Maley, who have contributedimportant baskets in tough games.

Thenew and returning members of the team are doing better than last year, beatingTrinity Catholic and Ridgefield. Marrencalls these victories, “important confidence boosters.” The team also hopes to beat last year’s 13 –9 record and keep improving.

Cheer on Girls Basketball at their nextgame, Tuesday January 24 at 5:30 at Danbury High School.

Girls Hockey Easily Defeats Staples

2012-01-21T16:32:00.002-05:00

By Melanie Tzenova

The Blue Wave Girls Hockey team defeated Staples High Schoolon the ice 7-3 last night (01/20), continuing a good season. Darien playedaggressively during the first period and got two goals past the Staples goaliein the first five minutes of the game, quickly turning the game to theiradvantage. Staples managed to get a goal in the last minute of the period, butthe Darien girls quickly retaliated and snuck the puck past Staples in the lastten seconds, ending the first period 3-1 Darien. During the second periodDarien got four goals while Staples just one, ending the period 7-2 Darien. Thethird period was not as eventful and Staples scored a goal in the last 30seconds, ending the game 7-3 Darien.

Their next game will be at Hamill Rink against GreenwichAcademy on Monday (01/23) at 3:45 pm. Go show your support at this away game!

NFC Championship Preview: San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants

2012-01-21T16:24:00.003-05:00

By Cameron van de Graaf

The SanFrancisco 49ers will play the New York Giants this Sunday in the NFCChampionship game, with the winner earning a ticket to the Super Bowl. Bothteams won exciting games last week, as the Giants took down the Green BayPackers 37-20 while the 49ers went blow for blow against the high-flying NewOrleans Saints, resulting in a final score of 36-32. The upcoming game, whichwill be broadcast on FOX at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, promises to be equally asexciting. Both offense and defense will be essential in the contest, as the twoteams are perhaps the most balanced left in the playoffs. From an offensiveperspective, I would give a slight edge to the Giants, as they possess both an excellentreceiving corps and an elite quarterback in Eli Manning. Wide receivers VictorCruz and Hakeem Nicks have been particularly effective this season, especiallyin big play situations. The 49ers have a better running game, which could workin their favor if it rains come Sunday. On the other side of the ball, the49ers have an undeniable advantage against the Giants. DT Justin Smith andlinebacker Patrick Willis have contributed to a defense that has only allowed14.3 points per game all season, second in the NFL. On the other hand, theGiants have improved drastically during the playoffs, with Jason Pierre-Paul andAntrel Rolle leading the charge. No matter what theoutcome, the game should be a close one, as befits the hard-hitting mentalityof both teams.

Game prediction:

Though it’s a toss-up, I’m giving the edge to the Giants fortheir more dynamic offense and high level of momentum going into the game.

Giants Quarterback Eli Manning

Photo courtesy of NY Post

Girls Basketball with a Close Win

2012-01-21T09:01:00.003-05:00

By Kate Fitzmaurice - Darien Girl’s Basketball defeated Staples tonight (1/19). The Game started out at a very quick pace and remained that way throughout. Darien was ahead in quarter one thanks to Sophomores Emily Stine and Kelly Karczewski who both score three pointers. Darien was down the second quarter but held its own with crucial blocks and steals and baskets made by Senior Amy Biggart, Junior Kate Bushell and Freshman Lane Davis. Senior Leslie Yuen, junior Meg Marren, and freshman Daily Naughton also made contributing points. In the third and fourth quarters of the game Darien played good defense. The game was close but ended in a victory for Darien with a final score of 46 to 43. The team’s next game will be Tuesday January 24th against Danbury. The game will be at DHS at 5:30 PM.

Boys Hockey Wins Fourth Straight

2012-01-17T07:36:00.003-05:00

By Jack Rehm

In a game dominated by defense byboth Darien and Trinity Catholic, the boys hockey team was able to come outwith a 1-0 victory on Saturday night (1/14). Junior Jack Knowlton scored thegame’s lone goal just 28 seconds into the first period. The goal was Knowlton’steam-leading sixth of the season.

The defensive struggle was led bysenior captain Hank Lucas Glick, as the Blue Wave was able to keep theCrusaders off the scoreboard behind another outstanding performance from fellowsenior captain and goalie Max Rothston. Rothston is now averaging allowing just2.23 goals per game this season.

The BlueWave is now 5-3 on the season, allowing just three goals over their last fourgames. The boys return to action on Wednesday night (1/18) when they will playhost to Greenwich.

Girls House Basketball in Full Swing

2012-01-16T11:20:00.002-05:00

By Marguerite Morgan - The Darien Girls House Basketball League had an exciting game Sunday evening when the Bears defeated the Hoosiers 22 to 21. The Bears started off to a strong start, up 11 to 4 yet junior Morgan Sawitsky from the Hoosiers retaliated quickly with two baskets within seconds of each other. Senior Caitlin Lyden made a shot from the left side of the key on the halftime buzzer putting the Bears further in the lead. The Hoosiers quickly came back tying up the score 14 to 14 with 7 minutes 48 seconds left on the clock. Bears player junior Mara Donoghue brought the ball down the court passing it off to senior Carly Renaud for the basket and Lyden followed up this lead with a lay up and a foul shot. Senior Alexa Carrol from the Hoosiers retaliated with a three-point basket. Lyden fouled out of the game and Hoosier’s Sawitsky made another 2 shots putting the Hoosiers in the lead by one point. The Hoosiers attempted to keep possession of the ball to run out the clock but Carrol fouled. Junior Sloane Palmer from the Bears made a basket putting the Bears in the lead 22 to 21 with ten seconds left. The Hoosiers failed to make a comeback and the Bears celebrated their tough win. Come watch any of the Girls House Basketball teams face off next Saturday afternoon!

Boys Basketball Fall Again

2012-01-14T23:38:00.001-05:00

By Danny Rizzuto

The Darien Varsity Boys Basketball team were unsuccessful in finding their second win in a row on Friday January 13th. They lost to FCIAC powerhouse Greenwich to a score of 57 to 25.

The Darien Boys Basketball team started off weak surrendering 17 points in the first quarter. Darien was able to secure two pints through sophomore George Phillips. The second quarter unfortunately did not get much better as the half ended. George and Brian Wiegand who was able to add too Darien's score. The half ended Darien 7 Greenwich 31.

In the second half, Darien drew first blood with a foul shot from Tommy MacLean. The third quarter followed the same script as the first two with Greenwich controlling most of the game. The fourth quarter was also tough for the wave. Darien was able to put in more baskets though and young players sophomore Ames Murray and freshman Charlie Travers gained good experience.

Captain senior Geoff Leeker, who is hurt and could not play, said after the game that to improve the team has to , "Come out to play four full quarters of basketball and take advantage of our opportunities. Also stick to our game plans and plays."

The Darien will look to move on from this loss when they play Trinity Catholic next this Tuesday the 17th at home. Come support the team fight for their third win.

Girls Hockey Loses to Ridgefield

2012-01-13T08:20:00.001-05:00

By Lizzy Steinborn

Only three minutesinto the Girls Hockey game last night (1/12) Ridgefield scored a goal makingthe audience worry about how the game would continue. Offensive player senior SaraShaker proved to Ridgefield the strength that Darien holds on the ice. Shakerwas strong in her stick work and passed several of Ridgefield's defensive players with her speed work. Goalie sophomore Shannon Hall (pictured above) savedseveral attempts from Ridgefield offensive player Meg Galloway. However, afterthe second period Ridgefield had scored another goal making it 2-0. Shortlyinto the third period, Shaker showed her powers on the ice by scoring Darien’sfirst and only goal in the third period. It seemed as if the tables were turnedafter the second period break but Hall struggled to keep out a goal when aRidgefield offensive player tapped it in. The game ended as 3-1 Ridgefield butwas a well-played game from the Darien first strings.

To see the girlsin action check out the next game on Wednesday (1/18) against Greenwich at theDarien Ice Rink.

SeniorEric Kanigan cheers on the Darien Girls Ice Hockey team.

9th/10th Grade House Basketball Power Rankings Game 6

2012-01-12T07:12:00.001-05:00

1. CavaliersW 34-28 (6-0)

The Cavaliers pulled out their sixth win onWednesday against a sluggish Heat squad. The Pendo brothers have been strongcontributors to the merciless scoring, but black horse Philip Rech was the keyplayer in the victory. The Cavaliers are one of two remaining undefeated teams,but have proved to be much stronger than the Wizards. The Cavs have won threegames by 17 or more, compared to the Wizards’ zero. Look for the Cavs to be afrontrunner in the rest of the season as well as the postseason.

2. WizardsW 31-24 (6-0)

The Wizards have struggled on offense attimes, but a strong defensive squad led by Myles Ridder, allowing the leasttotal points out of all teams in the league. Ridder gets help from AndrewNault, Jack Griffiths, and George Reed on offense, but this squad is not nearlyas deep as the Cavaliers. This crew will also be a big contender going forward.

3. RaptorsW 42-40 (4-2)

In a close game that came down to the buzzer,the Raptors put down a tough 76ers team led by Dylan Carruthers. His talent allaround the court has carried the team to third place in the overall standingsand clinching a #3 spot in this edition of the rankings. Another contributor isJay Patrick, whose height is something the team lacks. With the only 4-2 recordthus far, the Raptors have been consistent throughout the season to securetheir spot.

4. KnicksL 20-51 (3-3)

The Knicks shamefully allowed the Bobcatsto win a game in the absence of superstar twins Alex and Max Skolds. The Knicksdon’t have anything else to work with except for an outstanding performance byMatt Plank, bucketing 15 points. With the Skolds back, the Knicks might be ableto seize a win in their next matchup against the Raptors on Sunday.

5. NetsL 36-44 (3-3)

Coming in at fifth is a struggling Netsteam led by Chris Chiamulera. The Nets have lost 3 of their last 4, but willmost likely come back this weekend as they play the Bobcats. Chi is assisted onoffense by Luke Mangan, Cameron Smith, and Colin Meier. The Nets probablyshouldn’t have lost to the Pacers, but couldn’t convert late in the game to geta W.

6. BullsW 33-8 (3-3)

After an embarrassing loss to theCavaliers, the Bulls rebounded with a blowout victory over the depleted Bucksled by a 12 point performance by Blake Lange and another 10 points coming fromNick Cohen. Lange will not be present at several upcoming games, but will beback in commission for the playoffs to carry his team as far as they can go. DanielTraver and Andrew Pigeon also put up points for the Bulls in the easy win.

7. PacersW 44-36 (3-3)

The Pacers have been strong after startingslow, losing their first three, and winning three in a row to answer. ThePacers’ team chemistry seems to be falling into place led by Connor Davey,Curry Bloom, and Brad Magnusson. These three score most of the points and scrapup balls on defense to keep the opposition at a deficit. Look for continuedmomentum against the 76ers on Sunday.

8. 76ersL 42-40 (3-3)

The 76ers have talent, but couldn’t makebaskets late in the game to squeeze in a victory over the Raptors. The team isled by Harry Gillespie and Reilly Bloom, who are both capable of being bigscorers, but the defense is not sufficient, allowing an average 32 points pergame and scoring little more. The 76ers have a tough upcoming schedule, withthe Pacers, Knicks, and Nets lined up to challenge them. Hopefully the 76erscan work a miracle and close the season out with more wins than losses.

9. HeatL 28-34 (2-4)

The Heat couldn’t get it done against theCavaliers. The offense was led by Jack Feeley and Jack Foley, but it couldn’tmatch up against the invincible Cavs. The Heat has consistently been able tokeep games close, but can’t take late leads to earn victories. Other players towatch out for are Zach Basu and strongman Alex Gunn. With a deep team likethis, the Heat may be able to finish the season respectably. Additionally, Iwould like to make a correction from a previous post: Jake Bowtell is a sophomore at Fairfield Prep and has just turned 16.

10. CelticsL 24-31 (1-5)

The Celtics lost once again because of foultrouble. Brendan Donohue fouled out with 5+ minutes remaining, and defensiveforce Owen Brannigan fouled out earlier with about 10 minutes remaining. Foulshave been haunting this team all season, so they need to clean up the physicalaspect of the game if they want to make a name for themselves. Other playersthat played roles in Wednesday’s game were Aidan Brannigan and James Fox.

11. BobcatsW!!! 51-20 (1-5)

We never thought we would say it, but theBobcats won. They got lucky enough to play a Skolds-less Knicks squad, butstill managed to dominate. Scoring was very evenly distributed among the team,but Cooper Drippé is clearly the standout. His shooting range was good enoughto lead his team to its first and possibly final victory of the season.

12. BucksL 8-33 (1-5)

The Bucks weakness is simple. Without thelegendary Brian Davey, they are 0-5, and the Bulls just toyed with them allgame. Another factor in the loss was a shallow bench. With only one substituteto work with, the Bucks were tired out quickly and couldn’t recover. With only2 points at halftime, their fate did not look good. Unless Davey returns, theBucks may never see the winners circle again.

Profile: Rissolo and Testa Wrestle Attitudes As Well As Opponents

2012-01-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

Title IX ofthe Education Amendments of 1972 within the United States Code states “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex,be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjectedto discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federalfinancial assistance..." With a huge focus on sports, Darien High School doesnot have a lack of female athletes and it would appear no trouble with thislaw, but two girls do understand the trouble that female discrimination cancreate.

Junior Haley Rissolo and Senior Sami Testa are both members on the Blue WaveWrestling team and the only two girls. “You have to work twice as hard as anyother boy does because naturally boys are stronger and excel in the sport. Alsosometimes boys don't like to treat us as equals and they will go easy on useven though we are tough and can handle it,” Rissolo said. “It can get reallyfrustrating to see guys go easy on us and we still lose but for me that givesme the drive to become better and shock the guys into treating us equally,” Testasaid.

But the girls say the coaches and the majority of the team are reallysupportive. The big trouble comes from other teams' coaches and athletes atcompetitions. Some people refuse to wrestle them at all. “The team itself isgreat and we aren't treated any differently by the coaches and the majority ofthe team so it's a great sport and it's so much fun to talk to these people Inever would have known otherwise. Especially Haley, we bonded immediately,”Testa said.

Haley joined the team because she had done a lot with mixed martial arts andsome other forms of martial arts at the YMCA prior to joining the team. Most ofthe programs she did at the YMCA were all guys anyways. “In fact they were allreally big so after that I wasn't scared of boys anymore,” said Rissolo.

Sami joined the team because her brother wrestled on the team for all fouryears of high school. Also, after seeing other girls on the team her sophomoreyear she got up the courage to start.

Despite all the problems the girls seemto still love what they do and approach every meet with a good attitude. “Growing up around two brothers, being one of the only girlsnever bothered me. But it bothers others, I mean that's their problem,” Testasaid.

Pictured above: Rissolo wrestles an opponent

Girls Basketball Defeated by New Canaan with Starting Center Injured

2012-01-11T09:48:00.001-05:00

By: Lily Boe

Darien Girls Basketball was defeated by itscompetitive rival, the New Canaan Rams, on Tues. (1/10).

New Canaan performed impressively from the start. The Ramsmade the first basket of the game—a staggering three-pointer—in just the firstminute of the first quarter. With roughly three minutes left in the firstquarter, freshman Lane Davis made Darien’s first basket. Junior Kate Bushellthen followed up with another basket, bringing the score to 4-7, New Canaan.Senior captain Amy Biggart intercepted a forceful New Canaan pass and scoredDarien another two points. Darien finished the first quarter behind 7-12.

Davis made the first basket of the second quarter. Withroughly two and a half minutes left in the first half, freshman Daly Naughtonmade an impressive basket, followed by another by Bushell. New Canaan made athree-point shot with six seconds until the buzzer, and Darien finished thefirst half down 13-21.

Senior captain Leslie Yuen started the team off strongly inthe second half, making an astounding three-point shot in the first thirtyseconds. Unfortunately, the third quarter only went downhill from there forDarien—New Canaan scored 19 points total after a round of successive baskets.Darien entered the fourth quarter down 20-40.

In the fourth quarter, Bushell was fouled while attemptingto make a two-point shot. She made both the basket and the singular foul shotsuccessfully. Sophomore Kelly Karczewski was the shining starof the last quarter—she made three remarkable three-pointers with only minutes leftin the game. Despite putting up a good fight, Darien ultimately lost to theRams 35-48.

Seniorcaptain Susan Biggart felt that overall, the team performed strongly,especially considering that a key player, junior Meg Marren, was absent fromthe game due to injury. “We worked really hard. We knew we were going to havetrouble because our starting center is injured,” Biggart said. While the lossto New Canaan was certainly disappointing, Biggart remains optimistic. Shesaid, “Every single one of our players put in a solid effort even when we werelosing.”

The girls’ nextgame is this Friday (1/13) versus Greenwich. The game is to take place at 5:30p.m. in the Greenwich High School Gymnasium. All are encouraged to come andsupport the girls strive for a victory after this tough loss!

Pictured above: The girls huddle as ateam before the game.

Pictured below: Junior Kate Bushelllooks for an opening to pass the ball.

Boys Basketball Dunks Rival New Canaan, 60-56

2012-01-11T09:40:00.001-05:00

by Kat McKay

Boys Varsitybasketball delivered a thrilling win at home last night (1/10) againstperennial rival New Canaan, bringing their record to 2-6. Led by Junior LiamNaughton, who scored 18 points, and Sophomore George Phillips, who recorded 14,the boys came back from a 33-28 deficit at the half to secure their second winof the season.

Other thanNaughton and Phillips, the starters included Senior captain Matt Lee, SeniorTommy Maclean Jr., and Junior Kyle Green, although everyone on the team sawplaying time. Naughton credited Coach Marion with helping motivate the boys,saying that “He made a great inspirational speech at half time and really camein with a great gameplan that we implemented.”

Theboys hope to carry their success forward into the final 12 games of the season.“Everybody worked hard and we hope to continue the momentum into our next fewgames,” Naughton said. “This is a great win for us because it was really a teamwin.”

Thehome crowd advantage must have helped as well, as the boys had their biggestand loudest audience of the year. Come join the crowd when the team plays athome again this Friday (1/13) against Greenwich.

Pictured: The team celebrates after the finalbuzzer.

Blue Wave Girls Ice Hockey Narrowly Defeats Greenwich

2012-01-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

by Caitlin Keady

Blue Wave girl’sice hockey added another win to its season when they closely beat Greenwich 1-0in an away game on Monday January 9^th. “Greenwichdefinitely has improved from last year” senior Sara Shaker said. They game was very suspenseful as the twoteams were evenly matched and each made many attempts on goal. There were nogoals in the first period but several shots on goal were made by sophomoreEllie Bennett and senior Sara Shaker. During the second period, severalattempts were blocked by sophomore goalie Shannon Hall. No goals were madeduring the second period either. A few minutes into the third period, Shakerscored Darien’s first and only goal of the game bringing the score to 1-0. Nearthe end of the period, Bennett scored, but the goal was taken back due to anoffside play leaving the score still at 1-0. “We weren'tplaying our best in the first two periods but we stepped it up in the third andcame out stronger,” Shaker said. The Blue Wave showed its full strengthduring the end of the third period and pulled off a 1-0 win over Greenwich.

Squashing the Competition

2012-01-10T07:59:00.002-05:00

By Julia Cobb

The squash team is currently in the midst of anexciting season and hopes to carry this energy into the remainder of the seasonand ultimately Nationals in February. “So far the team has performed admirably, and we areconsistently winning matches which is what we’re looking for. We have a fewmore matches against private schools coming up, and most importantly, Nationalsis on the 1st weekend of February,” senior captain Kincade Webster said. Websteris confident in the team’s performance and talent as they have, for the mostpart, been excelling in competitions.

As the team’s schedule begins to gettougher with upcoming matches against Rye High School, Choate and other topteams at various jamborees, the Darien Squash Team is driven to maintain itshigh standing and level of recognition. “The goal for this season has alwaysremained the same - perform well at Nationals. It’s the biggest tournament ofthe year and whether or not we play well and place well determines if we getinvites to private school matches later this year and next year. We are lookingto train hard in preparation, and make an impact at Nationals,” Webster said.

The squash team will be tested at theNational High School squash tournament held at the Yale Brady Squash courts andvarious other premiere squash venues throughout Connecticut. This competitionis annually the largest squash tournament in the world. The team hopes to maintainits ranking from last year’s season and remain the #1 public high school in thenation for squash.

Girls Basketball Gets 4th Win Over Central

2012-01-07T15:01:00.001-05:00

By Jess DeMaio

The Darien Girls Basketball team dominated Bridgeport Central Friday night (1/6) with a 68-26 win at home. The team had strong offense in both halves of the game, and was already winning 38-15 when the halftime buzzer sounded. Freshman Daly Naughton was Darien’s biggest point contributor scoring 14 total points for the Blue Wave, but it was a true total team effort as almost everyone who got in the game scored. Junior Kate Bushell and sophomore Emily Stein each scored 12 points, freshman Lane Davis 8 points, sophomore Kelly Karczewski 5 points, senior captains Susan Biggart and Leslie Yuen four and three points respectively, freshman Avery Maley 4 points, and sophomore Phoebe Taylor and freshman Clare Naughton each with 2 apiece. Senior captain Amy Biggart played strong defense for the Blue Wave all game long, and helped hold Central to minimum shooting and only 26 points. Along with its overpowering offense, the Blue Wave’s capitalization of Central’s offensive errors combined with intense defense including several steals was what earned Darien the win. The win against Central gives the team a record of 4-3. Senior captain Susan Biggart said she thought the team played very well tonight and the game was “a great opportunity for our younger players to step up and get a chance to play.” The team’s next game will be in New Canaan on Tuesday (1/10) at 7pm. “Tonight was reminder that we can have a really strong season and we’re excited to show New Canaan that on Tuesday (1/10),” Biggart said. Over the holiday break Darien played New Canaan in an unofficial game and lost by only three points, so Tuesday’s (1/10) game is sure to be a good one to catch.

Girls Hockey Remains Undefeated

2012-01-06T13:55:00.000-05:00

The girls hockey team beat Wilton yesterday (1/5) 3-0, bringing their undefeated record to 5-0. The team came out with the most energy that they have had all season. Sophomore Ellie Bennett scored in the first period to put Darien ahead. With no goals in the second period, the girls came out strong in the third period to get even more ahead. With another goal from Bennett and a goal from senior captain Sara Shaker, the team blanked Wilton. “Wilton is a really good team,” senior captain Emily Tropsa (pictured) said. “But we played our best game yet and won by even more than we expected.” The girls play Simsbury tomorrow (1/7) at 6:30PM in Simsbury.

Spurs claim Top Spot on the Backs of Smith and Walsh

2012-01-06T11:29:00.001-05:00

With 4 games under each teams belt, the league has begun to spread apart, and the good teams are separating from the bad… a little. The league is still basically a total toss up, and the numbers next to the teams mean less than ever. Credit Joe Marzano for the draft of the decade.

1.Spurs (3-1) – The Spurs get the top spot from me for this blog. They boast a tied-for-league best 3 and 1 record. They are also on a two game roll. Kids came up to me in the hallway after the first set of rankings and told me they were up too high. Turns out Walsh and company are a force to be reckoned with, however still not a very clear cut favorite.
2.Suns (3-1) – The Suns drop just one spot from last week. They hold one of the most cohesive and potent offensive attacks in the league headed by senior Bobby Minon and Brunswick baller junior Jack Sherwood. The Suns suffered their first loss to the Rockets the week before break, but hey, in a league this good everyone is bound to lose. Look for the Suns to keep scoring points and winning games.
3.Kings (2-2) – Ranked highest out of the six 2-2 teams are the Kings. The reasoning for this placement is simple, their only two losses have come to the Suns and Spurs. Seniors Bobby Weaver and Kyle Mangan paired with juniors Craig Lamantia and Carter Rae, when they play well at the same time, formulate one of the hardest line ups to stop.
4.Grizzlies (2-2)- The Griz is a tough group to beat. While they hold two losses like the majority of the league, they are yet to let a team run away with a game. Both losses were three points or less, one of them to the number 2 Suns. Senior Luke Osherow balls hard and senior Scott Plank is one of the leagues sharpest shooters from three. And, frankly, he’s my favorite player in the league.
5.Nuggets (2-2) – You got to love a nice two game winning streak. After coming out of the gate slow, the Nuggets have begun to live up to their potential. Senior Nicky Neville is a strong athlete that can do more than lead the team. They possess two solid guards in senior Geoff Hubbard and junior Christian Bognar. Senior Tommy Nicholls can hit Tres in bunches.
6.Lakers (2-2)- The Lake Show is all around very solid. Great athletes all over the court that can run with anyone. Collectively this also one of the tallest teams in the league. They have all the athletic ability to be monstrous, just lack the pure basketball IQ and skill. I would like to see seniors Corey Eppley and Jon Magnusson to step it up to take this team from solid to very good. If that happens and senior Big Jim Anderson can keep draining threes, this team would be very, very tough.
7.Rockets (2-2)- The squad suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Nuggets, but still are very solid. They have a great scorer in Chris Webber, oh wait I mean junior Jackson Whiting, as well as a strong post threat in his twin Pierce. In addition to the Whitings are a genuinely good offensive basketball player, senior Russell Palmer, and a great point guard in junior Ben Highton, who is perhaps my second favorite player in the league. I put this drop in ranking on the scorekeeper as much as the squad.
8.Mavericks (2-2) – Despite the 8th place ranking, this team is more than capable and can really defeat anyone in the league. They simply have lost to lesser opponents than that of the Rockets. However, it is virtually a tie between ranks 6 to 8.
9.Trailblazers (1-3) – Keeping in mind that they only had 5 players this past game, their record inclines me to put the Blazers 9th. They are not bad though, they possess the ability to beat everyone in the league on a good day. Look for a turn around from this club.
10.Thunder (1-3)- That leaves my team in dead last. I’m almost too upset to write about it. We really are not that bad and will win some games… Eventually… I hope. Hey, at least you can’t call me biased.

Boys Basketball Plays Great D in Loss against Westhill

2012-01-04T12:52:00.001-05:00

by Jenn O'Neill

Last night (Tuesday Jan. 3) the DHS boys basketball teamsuffered a 23 point loss to Stamford’s Westhill High School. Although a loss, this wasn’t an entirelydisappointing game. The Blue Wave, although struggling offensively, played amean defensive game against the Knights. Unfortunately strong defense wasn’tenough and the boys lost 72 to 49. Their record now sits at 1-5. The team’snext game is this Friday against Bridgeport Central.

Pictured: third period scoreboard

The Student Coaches

2012-01-03T09:20:00.003-05:00

By Jack Rehm

Our school’s passion for House Basketball has been well documented here in the Sports Blog. But, that love for hoops has stretched past the boundaries of just playing, for some kids. Coaching younger kids within the YMCA youth basketball program has become very popular amongst many students and has caused many to join with their friends to coach teams of younger kids. These students have taken the volunteer positions that have traditionally been occupied by parents and have made the most of their opportunities.

In fact, many of these high school coaches have been very successful thus far. Seniors Ryan Minion, Thomas Carruthers, Henry West, Jon Magnusson, and Bobby Weaver all coach in the 7^th and 8^th Grade Boys league and have a combined record of 8-1. While the players on the teams are certainly responsible for most of the success, some credit has to be given to the coaches. Minion says, “For the most part we just let them scrimmage in practice. When we see something we don’t like, we stop play and teach the kids how to do it better.”

The teams have one game a week along with one practice where they are able to work on anything that wasn’t executed properly in the game. Minion also added, “We don’t have a lot of time with the kids and they don’t have a lot of time to learn to play with each other so the practices are very important.” The high school coaches use what they have learned in their own experiences over the years to teach the kids. Most coaches are either currently playing or have grown up playing in the House program. All the knowledge that they have gained over the course of their careers goes into their coaching and makes them better teachers of the game.

The main objective of the coaches is for their kids to have fun and learn something about teamwork and the sport of basketball as a whole. The winning is just an added incentive. But whether it be through winning or just by teaching their younger peers how to play the game of basketball, these student coaches have had a lot of fun coaching a game that they love.

Caption: Senior coach Ryan Minion “Tebows” with his team at practice.

Wave Squash Competes at Fairwest

2012-01-02T12:05:00.003-05:00

By Cameron Van de Graaf

The DarienHigh School Squash Team took the court against some of the best public school teamsin the area during the Fairwest Jamboree on December 11. Held at Yale, theevent is considered the most important match of the season, except for HighSchool Nationals. The competition is also perceived as a crucial determinant ofteam strength and reputation. Says varsity captain Kincade Webster, “Fairwestis a great tournament, as it is an only public school tournament, and allows usto gauge how well we are performing…I look at Fairwest as a prep forNationals.”

The first opponent for thevarsity squad was a resolute Rye team that would take five individual matchesto Darien’s two, with Jonathan Gill and Dominick Hansford emerging as the onlyvictorious Wave players. Fortunately, Darien fared much better in the secondmatch, going six and one against Fairfield Ludlowe. While the Wave went one andone at the varsity level, in stark contrast to undefeated performances in thelast several years, Webster remains unbowed, “We performed decently, but in noway was it our best… [however] the season is progressing nicely.” Moreover,Webster was enthused with the team’s progress since the beginning of the yearand preparation for nationals, saying, “The team is improving quickly… The goalis to stay focused in order to compete at our best at Nationals, and remain the#1 public school in the nation.”

Upcoming contests for the teaminclude private school invite matches, the most notable of which will be heldat Brunswick in January.

Check out the profile of star Darien player Jonathan Gill at

http://bluewavesportsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/athlete-profile-jonathan-gill-squash.html

BOYS BASKETBALL GETS A WIN!

2011-12-28T15:41:00.001-05:00

By Marguerite Morgan

Darien Boys Varsity Basketball defeated Stamford Academy 65 to 34 in the annual La Vista Tournament on Tuesday for their first victory of the season. Darien dominated from the start, leading 17 to 13 towards the beginning of the second period. Just before halftime Sophomore Bobby Fitzpatrick made a defensive interception and passed the ball off to Senior Matt Lee for an open-court lay up. Darien made this exact play again with a Fitzpatrick interception and Lee basket just before the buzzer leaving the score 32 to 16 at halftime. Lee led the team with 24 points total throughout the game. Darien hopes this victory will begin their winning streak as they take on Greenwich High School in the tournament championships this Thursday evening at 5:00pm at Darien

Girls Basketball wins LA VISTA tournament over Holiday Break

2011-12-28T15:39:00.001-05:00

By Kate Fitzmaurice - Darien Girls Basketball game took on Foran High School as part of the annual LA VISTA tournament. The game ended in another victory for Darien with an end score of 39 - 32. “This game broke our losing streak” junior Kate Bushell said. “It also makes us the defending champions in the LA VISTA tournament.” Both Juniors Meg Marren and Kate Bushell made some key shots throughout the game. Also major contributions from seniors Amy Biggart, Susan Biggart and Leslie Yuen; Sophomore Emily Stein; and Freshman Daily Naughton helped lead the team to its success. The team’s current record is 3 wins and 2 losses. Come support the team at it’s next home game on January 6th against Bridgeport Central at 7pm.

Girls’ Hockey Continues Undefeated Season, Beats Glastonbury

2011-12-28T15:37:00.002-05:00

By: Melanie Tzenova - The Blue Wave girls’ hockey team defeated Glastonbury 6-3 on Friday afternoon (12/23), continuing their undefeated season thus far. Although Glastonbury was not one of Darien’s major competitors according to sophomore and goalie Shannon Hall, she said, “I think we’re doing really well as a team right now. The freshmen are doing really well, along with the upperclassmen girls. We have really strong defense but missing senior Galen Rohn.” The girls hit the ice by storm and ended the first two periods with 5-1 home. Though the other team got aggressive during the last period, the Blue Wave girls scored a one pointer and won the match. The big scorers of the game were sophomores Ellie Bennett, who scored two goals, and Sage Thatcher, as well as junior Lily Christensen.

Hall said, “Teams that we’re really looking to defeat this season are New Canaan, Wilton, and Ridgefield—our main competition.” Their next game and first for the New Year will a home match on Thursday (1/5) against the Wilton Warriors at 6:30 pm.

Blue Wave Swimmers Triumph

2011-12-22T11:50:00.002-05:00

By Julia Cobb

The Darien Boys Varsity Swim Team easily defeated Norwalk High School this past Wednesday. Coming off a 26 point win against New Canaan, the team was determined to continue its winning record. The meet began with an all senior relay. Seniors Chris Janson, Jack Bair, Tyler Gould and Sam Gillespe participated in the relay and provided the team with its first win of the meet with a combined time of 1.45.92. Darien was a force to be reckoned with and out swam Norwalk in almost every event. For sportsmanship reasons, the referees and managers did not continue to keep score, although a recent article from “The Norwalk Hour” reported the score as being 103-71. Senior captain Gould said, “I think that the team did pretty well. We had some nice swims and we were able to put up some good times. I know we still have a lot of work to do as a team, but being the second meet I would say that I am overall happy with today's performance.” The boys have high expectations for the rest of their season. According to Gould, “My expectations are high for our team only because I know that we have a great amount of talent and the potential to do great things this year.” Last season the team finished both second at the state open and second at states. However, this year the team has moved up to Class L. Gould explains that, “I believe that we are capable of winning states, and quite possibly state opens. Last year we had a solid performance at FCIAC's. My only goal for this year would be to place better than we did last season.” The Blue Wave Boys Swim Team will compete in its next meet at the Staples High School pool against Staples on 1/6 at 3:45 pm. Come support the successful swim team!

Indoor Track: New Haven Invitational results

2011-12-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

Michael Coe

The Darien Indoor Track season kicked off this pastFriday at the10^th annual New Haven Invitational at Hillhouse. Both boys and girlsteams had a strong showing with several contestants running personal recordsand/or qualifying for FCIACs and States.

Boy’s Class L or “states” qualifiers included seniorcaptains Charlie Baird (10:15.11) and Michael Coe (10:15.39) in the 3200 meterrace, senior captain Michael Johnston (4:41) in the 1600 meter race, juniorSpencer McMullin (7.02 sec.) and C.J. Raia (7.08 sec.) in the 55 meter dash, juniorC.J. Raia (5’8’’) and sophomore Cameron Smith (5’8’’) in the high jump, seniorWindsor Hall in pole vault (10’6’’), sophomore Nicholas Lombardo (20’4’’) andjunior Spencer McMullin (19’9’’) in the long jump, and junior Will Lochtefeld(42’7’’) and senior Reed Coots (38’2’’) in shot put.

Sophomore Brian Davey qualified for FCIACs in the 1600 meterrace with a time of 4:56.

Other notable performances include those of sophomoreNicholas Lombardo (24.73 sec.) and sophomore Cameron Smith (25.80 sec.) in the200 meter dash, senior captain Matt Pik (53.02 sec.) and junior Marcus Iqbal(56.87 sec.) in the 400 meter dash, senior captain Matt Pik (2:05), juniorcaptain Judson Bergman (2:15) in the 800 meter dash, and senior Eli Converse,junior Sean Lee, senior Billy Siemers, and junior Andrew Xiong (combined timeof 9:01) in the 4X800 meter race.

Girls ClassL qualifiers included junior Sarah Colon (5:34) in the 1600 meter race, sophomoresCatherine Lacy (4’10’’) and Leah Hotchkiss (4’8’’) in the high jump, sophomoreJessica Thornbury (8’6’’) in pole vault, freshman Maggie Schneider (14’6’’) inlong jump.

Girls FCIACs qualifiers were juniors Ellie Bauer (12:32) andKatie Farren (12:53) in the 3200 meter race and senior captain Victoria Kominek(26’7’’) in shot put.

Other notable performances include those of sophomoreCatherine Lacy, freshman Maggie Schneider, senior Sherry Gilronan, and freshmanElizabeth Fucigna in the 4X200 meter race (combined time of 1:53), juniorSophie Long, sophomore Cassidy Stauffer, senior Claire Gaffney, and junior Liz Heaneyin the 4X400 meter race (combined time of 4:30), senior Alex Pear, juniorCaroline Weihs, senior captain Katie Donovan, and sophomore Dillon Schoen(combined time of 10:17) in the 4X800 meter race, and freshman Anne Johnston,senior Katie Donovan, senior Lily Cassidy, and senior Meredith Ott (combinedtime of 13:33) in the DMR (distance medley relay).

The next Darien Indoor Track meet will take place onDecember 28^th at Hillhouse in New Haven.

Photo: relaxing between heats, some members of the Blue Wave boys team stop for a photo

Girls basketball Defeated by Trumbull

2011-12-21T12:14:00.001-05:00

By: Lily Boe

Darien Girls Basketball suffered atough 35-47 loss to Trumbull on Tues. (12/21).

The team started the game with aburst of energy. Junior Kate Bushell scored the first basket of the game withinthe 40 seconds of the first period. Bushell made a basket yet again with nearlyfour minutes left in the period. Junior Meg Marren was Darien’s high scorer forthe period with seven points. Sophomore Emily Stein also scored two points. Theteam maintained a strong wave of defense in the first period and finished ahead13-9.

The girls performed solidly yetagain in the second period. With 2:42 left in the period and Darien up 19-14, afrustrated Trumbull called a time out. Following the time out, Stein scoredanother two points and brought the team to 21-14. Trumbull then rallied,scoring another four points and ending the period with a close score of 21-18Darien.

Following halftime, Marren steppedup to the free throw line for a set of two foul shots. She made the first andmissed the second. Darien successfully rebounded the ball and passed it toStein who then made an astounding three point shot. Just before the end of theperiod, Trumbull scored three points in foul shots, bringing the game to anincredible a 29-29 tie.

By fourth period, Darien lost itsstrength. Trumbull made the first basket of the period, followed by an amazingthree-pointer by Bushell. In the final two minutes of the game, Trumbull scoredseven points from foul shots alone. Darien fought hard but ultimately could nottake down the energized team.

The girls, still early in theseason, now have a record of 2-2. Despite the recent loss, senior captains Amyand Susan Biggart have high hopes for the team. “We’re really optimistic aboutthe season,” Amy said. Susan added, “We faced two of the toughest teams in thepast two games.” The team will play Foran next Tues. (12/27) at 6 p.m. in theDHS Main Gym. Come support the girls bounce back with a victory!

Pictured Above:Senior captain Amy Biggart looks to pass the ball to an able teammate.
Pictured Below: Senior captains Amy and Susan Biggart after the game.

Girls Ice Hockey Wins Again

2011-12-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

by Caitlin Keady

Girls Ice Hockeydefeated the Stamford Black Knights in a home game on Monday, December 19. TheBlue Wave scored early in the first shift with two goals from sophomore EllieBennett, making the score 2-0. A third goal was made by freshman Christy Conleythat ended the first period. Darien had control of the puck for the duration ofthe period. During the second period, freshman Julia Arrix scored ashort-handed goal. Shortly after, freshman Sammy Nielsen scored, raising thescore to 5-0. Bennett scored the final goal of the game during the secondperiod, giving her a Hat Trick for the game. The final score was 6-0 giving theBlue Wave another win. Head Coach Al Gurney said that it was “a feel good game”although “not all the games will be this easy.”

Boys Hockey Win Season Opener Over Rams 6:1

2011-12-20T07:48:00.002-05:00

by Annabel Schneider

The Darien Boys Hockey team had itsfirst home game last night against the New Canaan Rams. Despite being on aMonday and being at 4:00 pm, the stands were filled with students in whiterepresenting the Blue Wave. The boys won the game 6 to 1 even with a handful ofplayers out sick or playing under the weather. The team took the lead early inthe game with two goals early in the first period. The boys continued thestreak scoring exactly two goals each period. New Canaan managed to get in agoal in the second period, but the puck was kept on New Canaan’s side for themajority. DHS had a lot of great spirit and cheers this game. Hopefully theykeep it up. The team’s next game is this Friday at 1:50 against NotreDame.

Boys Basketball Start Season Slow

2011-12-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

By Danno Rizzuto - The Boys Varsity basketball team fell in their home opener to St. Joes at the Darien High School this past Friday. The Blue Wave had a hard time matching up to their opponent being defeated 76 to 34. St. Joes is a top FCIAC Team and following the loss last game to Ridgefield, the basketball team now sits at 0-2. The team’s next game is away on Tuesday December 20th when the Blue Wave face Trumbull.

Girls Hockey Wins Second Game

2011-12-17T13:27:00.002-05:00

By Sara Shaker - Girls Hockey beat Fairfield 7-3 on Friday (12/16). Fairfield came out strong with a quick goal in the first period. But Darien did not take long to score two of their own, from freshman Sammy Neilson and senior Galen Rohn. Fairfield scored two more times but Darien did not let them ahead. There were more goals from junior captain Lily Christensen, sophomore Sage Thacher, and a hat-trick from sophomore Ellie Bennett. “We moved the puck really well and had a lot of good opportunities,” senior captain Emily Tropsa said. “We had a ton of shots on net. It’s a good start to the season, and we expect to improve every game.” Come support the girls in their first home game on Monday (12/19) against Stamford at 8PM.

Support our Track Runners at the Raindeer Relays

2011-12-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

by Katrina Vassell

As the new track season commences, Junior Claire Walker urges the DHS community to support our winter track runners at this weekend’s Reindeer Relays. The meet will take place this Saturday (12/17) at Wilton High School. While the runners’ bus leaves early in the morning, spectators are encouraged to come at 9 am to support our athletes. “I hope that people come to cheer us on because usually people only watch sports like volleyball or football. People don’t really get how hard we work,” said Walker. Claire went on to describe the rigorous workouts of a track athlete in preparation for the season. Each school day, the runners jog 4 to 5 miles with the team and are also expected to run independently. On Tuesdays, the runners take part in a sprinting workout which consists of sprints. In total, our schools indoor track athletes run from 20- 50 miles a week. While the runners cannot qualify for FSIACS at the Reindeer Relays, the race is an important way to boost the morale of the athletes and raise blue wave spirit for another successful year.

POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 2) 11/12

2011-12-16T07:44:00.001-05:00

By Matt Brown - This Sunday and Wednesday posed the first opportunity for teams to show that they deserved to be in the blog. However, this Wednesday’s games lost a good amount of senior talent to the Wave Puck game against Hamden. It is hard enough to gauge a bunch of house teams, harder now that 8 out of the 10 have identical records. Away we go.
1.Suns (2-0) - I am inclined to throw the Suns the number one spot. I am not completely convinced that they are the best team in league, and it is clear that the league is competitive enough that the first place spot will be up to grabs after almost every game. However, that is not to take away from the Suns, who beat up on the Rockets 47 to 30 in the first game. The Rockets aren’t amazing, but they aren’t awful either. Senior Bobby Minion and junior Jack Sherwood have commanded the greatest offensive attack in the league so far. Their last game was a showcase. They dropped 67 points on a Kings team (minus Bobby Weaver ). 67 points! In a league where breaking 50 is unusual. Impressive? Yes. Convincing? Not entirely. The Suns will have to do more for me to consider them a powerhouse.
2.Kings (1-1)- Yep, the team that led up 67 points, is still the second best. This team was without stud senior Bobby Weaver and another strong player in Kyle Mangan. Weaver and Mangan, when they are there to help out junior scorer Craig Lamantia and junior athlete Carter Rae, will propel this team past the dark hour of a 35 to 67 point lose. Let’s also remember that this loss did come from the best team in the league, and they also pulled out a good win versus a good Lakers team.
3.Lakers (1-1)- The Lakers lost a close game to the Kings but then also beat out the Spurs for a win in the Wednesday game. The reason they are so high, is because of their potential. While they lost their first game, that could just be an ode to the strength of a Weaver-present-Kings team. There win Wednesday is more telling. They played without senior Corey Eppley, whose speed makes a difference in the game no matter opponent. They have a wealth of size in the likes of Dillon Duncan, and a good Wednesday night showing from Fairfield Prep senior Alex Vegliante.
4.Spurs (1-1) – This is a team that I liked from the beginning. The combination of all around height and skill of GFA senior Eric Walsh has surprised many people around the league. They present a tough match up to every defense in the league and have the height to dominate the boards.
5.Trailblazers (1-1) – This team is very solid and presents most of the characteristics for a stereotypical good house team. They have a great guard in Brunswick senior Jack Voigt and the very athletic senior Ryan Minion. Their win over the Grizzlies was exciting and showed a lot about their toughness, Jay Alter showed defensive prowess in order to seal the deal. The reason they are below the Spurs is simply because they lost to them.
6.Grizzlies (1-1) – The skill and athleticism of Luke Osherow is this teams focal point. Osherow is made for house basketball and has showed it on the court. His supporting cast, however, is what has earned this team the 6th spot. Senior Scott Plank dropped 14 points in their first showing and senior guard Cal Kevorkian is another great addition.
7.Mavericks (1-1)- Opened spots allowed for two new faces to come off the waiting list and onto the Mavs. Junior Spencer McMullin and senior Matt Pik are exactly the guards that this team was missing. Sam Gillespie is an absolute force in the paint that few teams can manage to stop.
8.Thunder (1-1)- This team struggled in its first game against the Grizzlies, when their zone defense completely stalled their offense. However, this Wednesday we pulled off a good team win with no subs due to the hockey game. However, the team we played had their best player missing too. The Thunder are ok at best right now, and probably should be 9th, but whatever.
9.Rockets (1-1) – The Rockets lost by 17 in their first outing but bounced back to squeak a win out against the Mavericks. Their offense and good team chemistry make them a formidable matchup.
10.Nuggets (0-2)- Although I was unable to move the Nuggets up at all due to their record, I do regret some of the statements I made. I mean, somebody could have told me that senior Nicky Neville was really good and that Reed Coots is huge. They were missing Neville for their Wednesday game, and frankly, it could have been the difference

Blue Wave Football Joins “Wreaths Across America

2011-12-12T12:27:00.002-05:00

by Ryan Barthold

Over 30 former, future, and current members of the Darien Blue Wave Football Team participated in “Wreaths Across America” on Saturday (12/10) at the Spring Grove Cemetery. The team, along with many members of the community including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Darien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, helped distribute 500 wreaths to the graves of veterans. At the head of the wreath-laying ceremony was VFW Commander Phil Kraft, who noted that the ceremony directly coincided with the ceremony being held at Arlington National Cemetery. Prior to the event, 2011 captains Corey Eppley, Patrick McDonald, Mike Stovall, and Brett O’Donnell and 2012 captains Henry Baldwin, Ian Vanderhorn, Matty D’Andrea, and Andrew Maley helped bring the wreaths to the cemetery and prepare them for distribution. The team and the community were able to distribute 500 wreaths in less than 10 minutes, bringing a little holiday cheer to the graves of the fallen.

Pictured (from left to right): Captains Corey Eppley, Henry Baldwin, Andrew Maley, Ian Vanderhorn, Brett O’Donnell, Matty D’Andrea, Patrick McDonald, and Mike Stovall.

2012 Darien High School Football Captains Announced

2011-12-12T12:22:00.003-05:00

by Caroline Cone

The Darien Blue Wave football team recently announced its captains for the 2012-2013 school year. Congratuations to:
Matt D'Andrea

Peter Gesualdi

Andrew Malley

Ian Vandehorn

Henry Baldwin

House Basketball Power Rankings: Week One

2011-12-08T12:00:00.001-05:00

by Reed Barthold

The problem with pre-season rankings (and being a sophomore) is that you really don’t know the skill of the players and new freshmen until you can see them play. Evidently, the rankings were way off. The last place team should really be in the top 5 and the first place team was very over ranked.

Knicks (W) 1^st Place:

The Skolds twins certainly did not disappoint last night as they scored 32 out of the team’s 36 points. The game was certainly not a blow out as the Celtics put up a good fight by only coming short of a win by a few points. Key player(s): Skolds twins.

Bulls (W) 2^nd Place:

The Bulls were matched up with the first place ranked 76ers and I was sure the 76ers would shut out the Bulls early. As usual, I was wrong. The Bulls took control of the game early and although the 76ers kept the game close, the Bulls showed no sign of slowing down. Key player(s): Blake Lange with the Traver brothers falling close behind.

Wizards (W) 3^rd Place:

I was lucky enough to make this game to really witness the skill the Wizards have. Myles Ridder was thought to lead the team this year but the talent is really spread out. The Heat certainly isn’t the best team, but a win is a win. Key Player(s): Myles Ridder, George Reed, and Jack Griffiths…His rebounds are unreal.

Nets (W) 4^th Place:

The Nets are one of the biggest threats this year with a few surprise players on the roster. There was no surprise Chris Chiamulera would lead the Nets to a victory last night, but that’s really beside the point. Colin Meier, dubbed “C-Money” by his team, drained a few threes. I’ve never really considered Meier a key player, but he seems to be proving me wrong. Key Player(s): Chris Chiamulera and Colin Meier.

Raptors (W) 5^th Place:

Dylan Carruthers dominated the floor all night leading his team to a victory over the Bucks by about 12 points. Jay Patrick was also contributed to the team’s rebounds by almost getting every rebound available. There are also a few freshmen on the team that have serious skill; they just need to learn to pass. Key player(s): Dylan Carruthers, Jay Patrick, and a couple freshmen that I really have no idea who they were.

76ers (L) 6^th Place:

Dropping down 5 spots is a bit rough, especially for the number 1 pre-season ranked team. The Bulls simply out played the 76ers throughout the game. The 76ers also decided to implement a new rule to the house league; if you are frustrated with the other team, hit one of their players to the ground. Self-proclaimed “Face of House Ball” himself, Carter Watt, enforced the new rule last night with a cheap shot against Key Player Blake Lange. #YouCantDoThat Key player(s): Harry Gillespie and Grayson Smith both put up a solid number of points for the team.

Cavaliers (W) 7^th Place:

The only reason the Cavs are so low in the rankings after a win is because they didn’t play the strongest team last night. The Cavs beat the Bobcats by more than twenty points by more than 20 points with Kevin Pendo leading the team with 15 points and Ryan Forman draining a few threes throughout the night. Key player(s): Kevin Pendo and Ryan Forman.

Celtics (L) 8^th Place:

The Celtics took a tough loss from the Knicks last night with a loss by just two points. If it was any other team they may have pulled out a win over the course of the game. Not really sure what else to write, the Brannigans helped keep the score to a close margin. Key player(s): Brannigans and Brendan Donohue.

Heat (L) 9^th Place:

The Heat is above the bottom three teams because they lost to a much tougher team than the rest, they also managed to keep the game close. Zach Basu surprised everyone with his ball handling and finesse. Best dressed? Alex Gunn. Key Player(s): Zach Basu, Brian Walsh, and Jack Feeley.

Pacers (L) 10^th Place:

I’ve hit the bottom three team again and I’ve really ran out of things to comment on. The Pacers were simply out-performed by the Nets and it really showed through. I was told all three of their key players failed to really carry the team which puts me in an awkward spot to choose their key players from last night’s game. Key player(s): Curry Bloom and Brad Magnusson.

Bucks (L) 11^th Place:

We came in cocky. That’s really the reason for our loss last night. We came into the game telling ourselves that the Raptors were the last place team and playing them would be a breeze… More like a hurricane. We came out soft and simply watched Carruthers and his squad run over us. Brendan Cassidy’s missed three-point-shots from 4 feet behind the line also contributed to last night’s loss. Key player(s): Brian Davey and Kyle Gifford.

Bobcats (L) 12^th Place:

They just couldn’t get it done last night. Key Player(s): Andrew Vegliante and Cooper Drippe.

Game(s) to watch on Sunday (12/11):

Bulls vs. Nets at 11 AM in the MMS Large Gym.

Raptors vs. Wizards at 10 AM in the MMS Small Gym.

Blue Wave Ski Team Overview

2011-12-07T08:36:00.001-05:00

by Jenn O’Neill

Ski Team preseason has officiallystarted this year led by head coach, Mr. Brian Zeyer. The boy’s captains this yearare Juniors Will McCoy, Chris Brophy and Andy Mogenson. Girl’s captains areSenior Kailin Edgar, Junior Fay Rizzuto and one more who will be named as theseason progresses.

So what exactly does preseasonentail? Usually it’s pretty easy going. The team runs from Darien High Schoolto Middlesex Middle School and partakes in a variety of activities such aslifting weights in the weight room and playing mat ball or dodge ball in one ofthe gyms. The team then runs all the way back to the High School. This kind of"dryland" training usually goes right up to Christmas break.

Thereal season starts when the team takes buses up to Woodbury, Connecticut topractice or up to Southington to compete, both of which are only about an houraway. The girls’ team had a lot of good skiersgraduate last year, so this season will be tougher than previous years,especially if there are not enough recruits. The team in general has made it tostates four times in the past four years and they hope to make this their fifthyear running. There was no comment madetowards how the boy’s team will do this year. DHS wishes both teams the bestwhen the season begins and the Blue Wave Sports Blog will keep you posted withresults throughout the season.

Girls Indoor Track: A Stacked Team Once Again

2011-12-06T09:59:00.001-05:00

By Jessica DeMaio

Despite the team’s loss of many talented graduatedseniors, the girls Indoor Track team has high expectations for the 2011-2012winter season, and with a solid senior foundation, many capable underclassmen,and much experience in field events, the team is sure to be successful for yetanother year.

This year’s girls Indoor Track team is missing graduatedsenior captains Megan Keane, Amanda Dobler, Sarah Dailey, and ElizabethCrafford. Keane and Dobler were all-state distance runners, Dailey was both asprinter and high jumper, and Crafford was the top pole vaulter last year. Theteam also lost sprinters and pole vaulters Charlotte Phillips and Lee Bolton tograduation, but the girls are assured these losses will not stop them fromdoing big things this season.

This year’s captains are seniors Katie Donovan (distance),Claire Gaffney (sprinter), Victoria Kominek (thrower), and Sherry Gilronan(sprinter). “We see the losses of the graduates as a weakness but our team isvery strong and has a lot of depth,” Donovan said. The team has a lot ofreturning members that they hope will fill the gaps of last year’s seniors.Standout distance runners include seniors Katie Donovan, Alex Pear, LillyCassidy, Emma Davis, and Meredith Ott and juniors Grace Loh, Sarah Colon, EllenBauer, Katie Farren, and Caroline Weihs. Impressive sprinters include seniorsClaire Gaffney and Sherry Gilronan; juniors Lizzie Heaney and Sophie Long; andsophomore Dillon Schoen. Talented throwers are seniors Victoria Kominek andNiya Wright.

The team’s goals this season are to maintain their FCIACeast title, and improve to win the top spot in FCIACS and Class LChampionships. The girls hit the track for the first time December 16^thand 17^th and begin what is sure to be another successful year for CoachNorris and the girls Indoor Track team.

Photo Caption: Amanda Dobler (graduate), senior KatieDonovan, junior Grace Loh, and sophomore Dillon Schoen celebrate after adistance relay.

2012-2013 Girls Swim and Dive Captains Announced

2011-12-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

By Kat McKay

Yesterday, Monday, December 5th, next year’s captainsfor the girls swim and dive team were announced. The dive team will be headedby junior Caroline Ashcraft, and leadership for the swimmers will be sharedbetween juniors Caroline Orem, Olivia Leunis, and Claire Treesh. This year’steam, coached by Marj Trifone, was the state champ for its division. Sophomoreswimmer Megan Slaughter says that the selected captains “will be greatleaders"; hopefully they’ll be able to pull together as successful a season asthis one was.

The Blue Wave Sports blog congratulates the girls on theircaptainships and will continue to keep you updated as more are announced.

Pictured: The girls swim team stands together before a 2011season meet.

Power Rankings 11/12

2011-12-05T12:29:00.001-05:00

by Matt Brown

As fall sports season came to a close, last week marked teh dawn of a new season. Perhaps the most exciting night for House ballers school wide, the draft was completed, and rosters posted on the Darien YMCA website. With the posting of the rosters, comes the preseason power rankings. Enjoy.

1. Kings- This team stuck out to me as clearly the most complete in the field. Head to toe, the Kings definitely look like the toughest team to beat. At the helm is probably the best player in the league, senior Bobby Weaver. With the retirement of Tony Britton, Bobby is looking to take over the throne of league MVP. He will seldom find someone to guard him and has the ability to score in bunches. Also, junior Craig Lamantia is one of the best. He is capable of scoring while driving and shooting from the perimeter, plus his size allows him to match up well defensively. The Kings will also find great athleticism in the likes of Carter Rae and a quiet sharpshooter in Carl Stowell.

2. Lakers- The Lakers are the most athletic team in the league. They have two players who pose the dual threat of size and speed: seniors Corey Eppley and Elliot Helgans. Plus, the Lakers hold a natural scorer and simply a strong basketball player in the likes of senior Jon Magnusson. If this squad can get out in transition through good defense, they will run away with games.

3. Trailblazers – The Blazers lack size, but they make up for it with a very standout BIG 3 and a lot of depth to back them up. Seniors Jack Voigt, Ryan Minion, and Jay Alter all have reputable names in the house league and should lead the Blazers to a good season by running up the score with their ability, however, they will have trouble with rebounds as they do not have a prominent big man. Watch out for Mitchell Wiz-kid with the three ball and junior Jack Travers to provide crucial support if this team is going to go far and contend for a championship.

4. Rockets- This ballclub is one of the most interesting in the league. They will score, and they will score a lot. Junior Jackson Whiting was quite clearly the MVP of the 9^th/10^th grade league last year and can score at will on good days. The team has another outstanding offensive player in senior Russell Palmer as well as the most underrated player in either grade, Ben Highton, at point guard. The Rockets will almost always be able to score points, however they must hope that their scoring can compensate for a lackluster defense that they will likely present.

5. Thunder- Ah, my team here (Matt). Trying to be as fair and balanced as possible, we are actually fairly well rounded. Andrew Maley is making the transition from varsity ball to House. This is the same jump that legends Tony Britton and Bobby Weaver made with ease and prosperity. While he might lack some of the athleticism that the two last year greats have, he will be one of the best ball handlers and the most consistent shooter in the league. Senior Thomas Carruthers is also a great athlete who will be able to score off the drive on a regular basis. Our problems will most likely come defensively and will need senior Joe Puzio to step up in order to solidify the post.

6. Spurs- The height on this team is scary. Junior Eric Christensen and the tree, senior Harlan Smith, are two of the tallest players in the league this year. On top of the skyscrapers in the post, they have one of the best guards in the league. Eric Walsh is a great dribbler, good shooter and pesky defender. The combination the height and Walsh will make for the Spurs to have a solid year.

7. Mavericks- The Mavs’ roster boasts a name that intimidates the majority of the league: junior Matt Forelli. Forelli stands at around 6'3 and claims to be 235, he can run with anyone in the league, jump with anyone, and can actually play basketball. He will be an unstoppable force in the paint. He will be accompanied by a tall and strong senior Sam Gillespie as well as shooters Billy Siemers and Mack Glavin.

8. Grizzlies- This team will rely on the athleticism of Danny Coyle and the skill of Luke Osherow. Osherow is a great athlete and good basketball player, but I am skeptical to if he has enough of a supporting cast to make a run.

9. Suns- The Suns are a small team, and although low in the rankings, they really aren’t that bad. Senior Jack Rehm showed scoring ability during his championship run, and Jack Sherwood put up 20 points in almost every game during his last House campaign. It is just a question of if these two scorers can keep the Suns a float all year.

10. Nuggets- The squad isn’t that bad, but I mean, they are sort of pretty bad. They have a good point guard in Christian Bognar who will play hard and make the occasional big three. Tommy Nicholls and Geoff Hubbard will need to perform well for them to be contenders.

Rams Stampede Blue Wave in Turkey Bowl

2011-12-01T10:14:00.001-05:00

By Jack Rehm

Another Turkey Bowl, another disappointment for the DHS football team. The Blue Wave was trounced by New Canaan yet again yesterday in the most recent installment of the rivalry, which dates back all the way to 1928. The final score of the rout was 42-21 with Darien receiving scoring contributions from senior Harlan Smith (2 touchdown receptions) and junior Peter Gesualdi (1 touchdown reception).

New Canaan’s offense came out blazing, scoring on their first drive of the game to take an early lead. Darien would later tie the game in the second quarter on one of Smith’s touchdown catches but that is as close as they would get the rest of the game. New Canaan scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 42-7 lead and Darien could not recover. The Rams’ offense, led by quarterback Matt Milano, was unstoppable and carried the team to a first-round state tournament game where they will play New London.

Junior Henry Baldwin led the Blue Wave both in passing and rushing yards, throwing for 251 yards and adding an additional 25 yards on the ground. Baldwin threw three touchdown passes on the day but was also intercepted four times.

Darien finished its season with a record of 8-2 but unfortunately will not qualify for the state tournament.

’12 Recruits Seniors wrap up their last seasons at DHS, ready to play next year

2011-12-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

By Kylie Maier

Four years of running laps and sprinting drills have finally paid off for several DHS seniors. As the senior class anxiously waits to hear back from their favorite colleges, these senior athletes are lucky enough to already know what colors they will be repping next year.

Brynn Gasparino- UC Berkeley

Galen Rohn - Brown University

Tony Britton - Cornell University

Case Matheis - Duke University

Tim Murphy - Gettsyburg College

Emily Tropsa - Gettsyburg College

Charlett Stevenson - University of Richmond

John Magnusson - University of Richmond

*This is not a complete list of recruited seniors.

Photo: Case Matheis, a Duke lacrosse recruit.

Rohn Says the Title Will Live On

2011-12-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

By Lizzy Steinborn

The Darien High School Blue Wave Field Hockey team was successful for another season this year. Although losing their first games in the state and FCIAC seasons ended their winning streak, the girls’ team defeated the number one team in the country. MVP, senior Galen Rohn, told NEIRAD her thoughts on her last season playing for Mo Minicus and her hopes for the juniors next year.

Galen said that this year really was a “great season,” even though Rohn was the only returning starter. From the loss of starters, “many people did not think that we were going to have such a successful season,” Galen said. With the well-known and accomplished coach, Mo Minicus, the field hockey team proved these doubts wrong in the regular season, staying undefeated.

Members of the team credit Rohn with motivating her teammates as well. “She really was a great leader and teammate because she motivated the underclassmen,” senior Lily Cassidy said. Galen was known on the field hockey team as a team player constantly inspiring other players. Rohn was the only returning starter out of 13 seniors who graduated last year, some moving on to play field hockey in college.

“She really did just put a smile on everyone’s face” Cassidy added. Even in school, DHS students can always find Galen smiling and joyful. Her optimistic personality was helpful on the field helping keep the other girls positive through their first losses before their winning streak. The field hockey team had the opportunity to play the number one team in the nation. “For me, beating Lakeland was the highlight of the season,” Galen said. “Mo did not tell us that they were the number one team so that we wouldn’t get nervous.” The Lakeland field hockey team scored the first goal shortly into the game but Darien’s offense stepped it up and won the game. To some of the field hockey players this was a better accomplishment than winning states. “It was by far the most memorable game for me throughout all of my four years on the Darien High School Field Hockey [team]” Galen commented.

“It was disappointing that we were not able to defend the titles during our post season, but I am still very proud of our team for all that we accomplished” Rohn said. The end to the season was unexpected but the field hockey is ready for next year to win the FCIAC and state titles again.

Galen has committed to play field hockey for Brown University and is excited to start another hockey career as a college athlete. “I will really miss Blue Wave Field Hockey,” Galen confesses. Anyone watching a field hockey game can see the team dynamic and sisterhood that are created by Rohn.

To see Rohn in action DHS students can go to the girl’s Ice Hockey jamboree this coming Saturday at Shelton High School.

2012’s Girls Volleyball Captains Are Revealed

2011-12-01T09:47:00.001-05:00

By Emily Caccam

At the team banquet yesterday evening (Tuesday 11-30), the captains for the 2012 girls volleyball season were announced. Current juniors Kelly Kosnik and Riley Sousa (pictured) will fill the shoes of former captains Charlotte Stevenson, Katie Stuber, and Amanda Sommi as leaders of the team.

Kosnik and Sousa, who have been both playing since freshman year, say they are honored and ecstatic for their newly assigned roles. “I’m excited for next season,” Kosnik said. “We’re going to have a lot of great people coming back, but we’re going to miss our seniors.” These leaving seniors, in addition to the captains, include Nina Preston and Lexi Ashburne.

Although the season does not begin until next school year, the new captains are already fulfilling duties, from meeting with their coach to prepping for off-season training.

“I’m so honored [to be captain!]. I’m confident and hopeful for our team next year,” Sousa said.

The school congratulates Kosnik and Sousa, as well as the rest of next year’s captains. Check Blue Wave Sports Blog to get the news on the 2012 field hockey captains, which are scheduled to be announced at their Saturday (12-3) banquet.

Squash Season Preview

2011-11-30T12:37:00.001-05:00

by Cameron Van de Graaf

Many students closely follow major winter sports such as hockey and basketball. However, another game is slowly gaining traction at Darien High School. Squash is a sport rarely associated with public schools, but the DHS squash team has done a great deal to change that perception. Ranked as the number one public school team in the nation, the team looks to retain that classification and make headway against stronger private schools. Leading the charge are junior stars Jonathan Gill and Dominick Hansford as well as senior captain Kincade Webster. Although the team has lost seven seniors, Webster remains positive, “We've got a young team, as there’s only 1 senior in the top 7… but that is in no way going to hold us back as we push hard through the year.” Juniors make up the bulk of the varsity squad, as no underclassmen are currently starting. According to Webster, the primary long term goal for the team is improving its divisional ranking at Nationals in February. The team kicks off the season with a match against Greenwich Academy on 11/30 at 3:30 PM.

Check out the profile of star Darien player Jonathan Gill at http://bluewavesportsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/athlete-profile-jonathan-gill-squash.html

A more in depth profile of the team can be found in the upcoming January edition of Neirad.

Photo: Last year's championship team.

Athlete Profile: Jonathan Gill: Squash Prodigy

2011-11-29T08:14:00.001-05:00

By Jenn O’Neill

Junior Jonathan Gill does it all. He started on the Boys Varsity Soccer team, maintains good grades as an honor student, and this year he plans on leading the DHS Boys Squash team to FCIACS as well as States, just like his twin sisters Madeline and Leslie Gill did last year for this girls.

Jonathan got started at a very young age. His dad played for 40 years so when Jonathan was old enough to walk, a squash racquet replaced toys. He has been playing for 9+ years now and it certainly has paid off. As of right now, Gill is ranked 2^nd in the country in the Boys U17 bracket and 10^th in the Boys U19 bracket. Not to mention, he is the star player for the Darien Squash team!

So how is this sport played? Squash is similar to racquetball. Basically, one hits a ball against a wall, and has to retrieve an opponent’s shot within one bounce. There are various ways to improve, such as drills to improve power and accuracy, and sprinting to boost stamina.

As a whole, squash is one of the smaller sports teams at DHS. Gill encourages everyone to try out squash. “I’ve never met a person who disliked squash—try it sometime!”

The Girls Hit the Ice

2011-11-29T08:08:00.001-05:00

By Julia Cobb

As the fall sports season draws to an end, Darien High School athletes pack away their cleats and shin guards and prepare for the new winter sports season. The Girl’s Varsity Ice Hockey team is looking forward to an exciting and competitive winter. The team was a strong competitor in the championship tournaments last winter but ultimately lost in the finals of the FCIAC championship and in the CIAC tournament semi-finals. Senior captain Emily Tropsa is optimistic about the upcoming season. “Galen Rohn is back playing again this year and will have an impact. Junior Lily Christensen will play a huge role and we expect Sophomores Ellie Bennett, Katie De Haas, and Sage Thacher to really step up this year. Sophomore Shannon Hall is returning in goal and should have a strong year,” said Tropsa. While the team graduated key defenders Ellie Bullitt and Lauren Perkins, and Emma Tuz on the forward lineup, the team still has high expectations for this season. “We are trying to rebuild the team this year. One of our biggest goals is to get everyone on the same page and playing together as a team,” said Tropsa. With hard work and early morning practices the girls hope to contend for both the FCIAC and CIAC championships. The team starts off its season with its first game against Glastonbury on December 9th at Newington Ice Arena at 8:40PM.

Athlete Profile: Will Smelser

2011-11-28T07:43:00.001-05:00

By Katrina Vassell

Along with his fellowswimmers, junior Will Smelser has begun training for the upcoming season.Tryouts are a week away, and he is working hard to achieve record times—thisyear he hopes to cut down his freestyle time to 4:45. With high goals in mind,Will hopes to help his team win FSIACs, Class L, and State Opens. “I think thatwe have a really strong team and if we work hard enough we can definitely winthe champion meets,” said Smelser.

Smelser began swimmingat the age of seven at the Darien YMCA and has achieved his goals with the helpof supportive coaches and friends. Immersed in a tightly knit community ofswimmers, Smelser has learned the value of teamwork. Most importantly, Willlearned the value of hard work and determination. His hard work finally paidoff when he broke his five minute record in the 500 freestyle last year.

Currently, Smelser is able to maintain hisdevotion to the sport while balancing his schoolwork as a junior. By using eachmoment in school productively and working diligently during free periods, Willis able to save time for swimming. “I have found that swimming helps me withschool because I’m a lot more responsible and better at managing time,” saidSmelser. Swimming is a major aspect of his life and has helped him become adedicated individual. In the future, Will pictures himself swimming in collegeand eventually winning the YMCA national meet.

House Basketball Power Rankings Are Back!

2011-11-22T14:47:00.001-05:00

by Reed Barthold

Last year, The Blue Wave Sports Blog took the liberty of ranking and giving our opinion on the 9/10 and 11/12 House Basketball boys league. The articles received a tremendously positive response with over a thousand views for the first few articles.

This year the rankings will be led by me covering the 9/10^th grade teams and Matt Brown following the 11/12^th grade. The House rosters are to be released in the next two weeks or so and be sure to expect a Power Ranking prediction before the season starts. Stay tuned to the blog for upcoming articles on the league and any upcoming pre-season Power Ranking predictions.

For the 9/10 league If you want to contribute to the rankings by reporting scores and stats of your game, please feel free to email rebarthold@darienps.org.

The 12th Man

2011-11-22T14:36:00.001-05:00

by Danny Rizzuto

This Boys Soccer Season has been a wild ride for the team. Coming off a disappointing season last year, a majority of us were not excited for the year coming up. That all changed when Jon Bradley was named coach. There was a glimmer of hope for the program now, and the entire team was ready to give their all. The season did not start off as planned, suffering a demoralizing defeat to Westhill by a score of 7 to 1, which was luckily overturned. Away from home our first game, our team did not expect a turn out. But as the game progressed, it seemed as if we had the home field advantage. The girls team after practice had come to our game, and they were making twice the amount of noise of anyone else there. Even as we were losing, the girls team supported us until the bitter end.

The Girls Soccer Team are the loudest bunch of people I think I have ever met. They out screamed any other crowd we faced, making every game they attended for us have the feeling of a home game. From their loud “BLUE WAVE SOCCER” chants to their odd fascination with Goalie Jack Fisher, the girls were an integral part of our team. While seniors Eric Kanigan and Elliott Helgans fought for the ball on the field, seniors Marieke Bravo and Sara Shaker took the fight to the stands with their words and voices. I don’t believe I know a girl out there louder than Sara Shaker, and I expect her to lose her voice in college. She said of the season, “I lost my voice at the Brian McMahon game at the beginning of the season and I am yet to get it completely back. I have never had so much fun going to a sporting event as I have had at the boys (soccer) games. The team has brought a lot of spirit to this school.” All the girls deserve complements for their encouragement, and without them I seriously doubt we would have achieved as much as we did.

As the season progressed, we started winning. We liked the feeling of winning, and so we did everything we could to keep winning, and the school took notice. Slowly students started making their way to our games. One individual, Senior Jack Rehm, is someone I have to recognize as our greatest fan. This kid came to almost every one of our games. Whether he was in the stands cheering with friends or in his car escaping the cold, I knew that Jack Rehm would be watching the Boys Team. Before every game, in school, he would seek out soccer players, walking up to them, pushing them around and say, “Are you ready?” psyching us up for the game to come. His pump up speeches in Journalism made me excited for every game; I could not wait to get on the field. “You guys did a good job of interacting with the fans and made every win feel like a win for the crowd and every loss hurt us just as much as it hurt the team,” said Rehm.

With Rehm came many more people, people I never knew would ever be interested in our team. I don’t know if it started as an excuse not to go home or genuine support for our team, but soon we had a following. Familiar faces returned every game to root us on; to rally us through trying times and difficult games. At every game there was someone there and at the big games there was everyone. The crowds at the New Canaan games were phenomenal; thank you for everyone who came out. Looking over and seeing such a profuse number of fans motivated us more than any speech could.

The Westhill game remains special to many people who were there; at what other sport can people storm the field and it be ok? The turnout to this game was amazing. I could not comprehend the amount of people who decided to attend the game and neither could the rest of us. We were no longer only playing for ourselves; we were playing for everyone in the crowd. “It was an overwhelming feel of ecstasy watching the game. As I was watching I would turn to my peers and state ‘This IS soccer,’” said senior Cal Kevorkian.

The Football Team wasn’t our number one fan going into the season. It was clear that there would be a quiet rivalry between the two teams. Except, it didn’t stay quiet. It was soon obvious through trash talking that each team wanted to do better than the other, silently wishing for the other to lose. I hate to admit it, but Football’s unbeaten streak outlasted ours. On the other hand, our unbeaten streak consisted of more games. This rivalry was so heated that after our 1-0 loss to Wilton, the Football team went into a cheer on their bus. However, as our season went on, I started to see some football players attend our games. There still may have been a rivalry, but I knew that there was a respect (at least from some players) forming between the teams. After practices some players would come over to watch the end of our games. We may not have the best relationship, but I still feel the football team deserves a thank you; for motivating us to do well and for eventually coming to support us.

The point of this blog is to say thank you to everyone who came to our games. It felt like we had 12^th man on the field when everyone was cheering for us. The fans made this season special to the team, and I can only hope that next year’s team will earn the same respect.

The Fall Season in Review

2011-11-21T16:18:00.004-05:00

By Jay Alter - As the fall season turns to Winter, I reflect on the season that passes us by…

Girls Field Hockey – They lost 14 seniors and only returned 1 starter, but they beat the #1 team in the country earlier in the season, Lakeland, and finished the regular season undefeated. It looked like the genius of nationally recognized coach, Mo Minicus, was clicking on all cylinders as they kept getting wins heading into the postseason. They were looking for their 5th consecutive FCIAC and State title, but the drive for five ended when they fell to Staples in the FCIAC semi-final and Wilton in the state semi-final. The team had a lot to overcome, losing a lot of key players and trying to play with an entirely new team, but they found success in the regular season with an undefeated record, it is unfortunate they were not able to bring home a postseason trophy. MVP: Galen Rohn; Most Improved: Kat Huber
Boys XC – The Boys Cross Country team beat Danbury in the regular season for the first time since 2004 as they went 17-0 in the regular season. However, they fell to Danbury in the FCIAC finals and came in 2nd place. They went on to win the state tournament and place 9th in New England’s, which is an amazing feat. MVP: Charlie Baird Most Improved: Marshall Huffman
Girls Soccer – The Girls Soccer team had a lot to overcome this season. They lost their longtime head coach, Jon Bradley, to the guys team and lost superstar goalie, Charlotte Phillips, and striker, Georgie Highton. Fortunately, they overcame the losses with a great season. They qualified for both FCIAC and State tournaments, but did not bring home any hardware. MVP: Leslie Yuen/Marieke Bravo Most Improved: Dillon Schoen
Boys Football – They only returned 3 starters from a team that won the FCIAC championship last season and had a lot of attention and pressure coming from the amazing season last year. Junior QB, Henry Baldwin, and the Darien tenacious defense silenced all the doubters early as the Boys finished with an outstanding 8-1 record as they prepare for the Turkey Bowl against New Canaan. The winner of the games season will continue to the state tournament while the loser will be done for the season. MVP: Henry Baldwin Most Improved: Harlan Smith
Girls Volleyball: After going undefeated the entire season, Darien Volleyball was not able to come up with the State title for the second year in a row. They still captured the FCIAC crown and were dominant all the regular season, it is just unfortunate they could not have their “perfect season”. MVP: Katie Stueber Most Improved: Nina Preston
Girls Swimming: I am still trying to figure out how this team could lose to New Canaan in the regular season, then lose to them again in FCIACs and then BEAT them in States. The reason on how they beat the rams in states really doesn’t matter, what matters is Darien Swimming did take home the state title this year after finishing tied for 5th in FCIACs. MVP: Olivia Leunis Most Improved: Caroline Orem
Girls XC: The girls went 15-2 in the regular season and were FCIAC In-season Champions. Besides qualifying for State and State Opens, the team had one All FCIAC runner, junior Grace Loh, and two 2nd FCIAC Team runners, junior Ellen Bauer and senior McKinley Stauffer. At the banquet, Coach Steve Norris expressed how proud he was of all members of the team, from Varsity to J.V. to Freshmen. The Varsity top seven will only be losing three seniors for the 2012 season, Stauffer, Alex Pear and Meredith Ott, so Darien High School can expect another great year from Girls Cross Country next Fall. MVP: Grace Loh Most Improved: McKinley Stauffer
Boys Soccer: This team had 2 wins last year and now with a new coach and a new motivated team they were able to record 14. They made it to the FCIAC semi-finals and the State quarterfinals and won the FCIAC east regular season division. This team defied all odds and made a name for themselves in the FCIAC and State this season. Darien Boys Soccer is not only not a “mockery” anymore, but now they are bordering a powerhouse as they look to return FCIAC player’s of the year, Spencer McMullin and Brennan Branca, as well as Goalkeeper Jack Fisher. MVP: Elliott Helgans Most Improved: Jack Fisher

Cross Country Captains Announced

2011-11-18T11:52:00.001-05:00

By Kat McKay

Last night, Thursday, November 17^th, the boys and girls cross country teams both revealed next year’s captains. The 2012 Boys XC will be led by juniors Andrew Xiong and Sean Lee and sophomores Brian Davey, Marshall Huffman, and Peter Kreuch. According to current senior captain Eli Converse the team expects over 100 runners next year, a testament to the enduring popularity of the sport and program.

Girls Cross Country will be captained by juniors Katie Farren, Grace Loh, Sarah Colon, and Ellen Bauer. These four girls were consistently the team’s top runners throughout the 2011 season.

Blue Wave Sports Blog will continue to keep you updated as more captainships are announced.

Girls Field Hockey and Volleyball fall in State Tournament

2011-11-17T22:04:00.000-05:00

Girls Volleyball Progresses to Semi-Finals with Win Over Glastonbury

2011-11-16T11:57:00.001-05:00

By Kate Fitzmaurice

The Darien Girls Volleyball team had a major win last night (11/15) against the number eight team in the LL division, the Tomahawks of Glastonbury High School, to win the quarter final round of the state tournament. Glastonbury pushed Darien to 4 games. The scores were 25-27, 25-13, 25-27, 25-22. Darien won the first and second games, went point for point in the third game and, despite Glastonbury’s tough defense, was able to pull out the win in the fourth game. Darien’s determination and all around team effort led them to prevail over Glastonbury. Glastonbury proved to be no match for Darien due to impressive kills by senior Katie Steuber, consistent setting by senior Nina Preston, as well as huge team contributions by junior Kelly Kosnick, junior Riley Sousa, senior Charlotte Stevenson. Darien’s next game is Thursday, November 17^th against number four Southington at Foran High School.

(Photo credit: Stamford Advocate)

Blue Wave Sports Blog Receives 100,000 view milestone today

2011-11-15T22:24:00.001-05:00

Wave Soccer Rams Home a Win against Rival New Canaan

2011-11-15T08:14:00.001-05:00

By Blake Lange
Blue Wave soccer took the stage on Monday, November 14, against longtime rival New Canaan. The Darien squad brought home a state tournament win with a 1-0 victory, the only goal coming off an early penalty kick by junior superstar Brennan Branca, #2.

The game started off slow, as usual with soccer games, until a dreadful New Canaan handball in its own penalty box opened the door for an offensive push. A rocket off Branca’s right foot screamed past New Canaan keeper Scott Levine, giving the Wave its winning goal after just 15 minutes of play. A scare came back for New Canaan just minutes later when junior forward Spencer McMullin, #11, came inches from an acrobatic shot to the back of the net. The ball hit the right side post and ricocheted out of play.

The Darien defense really stepped up in this one, completing an impressive shutout led by junior goalkeeper Jack Fisher, or “Fish” as he is known by many fans. Fisher made a few outstanding stops. One of them came off a Rams header that Fish just barely managed to punch away, keeping the shutout alive and the momentum in Darien’s favor. The senior-led defense was also instrumental in the win. Seniors Matt Collier, Elliot Helgans, and Geoff Hubbard all made crucial contributions to the shutout, meanwhile senior Eric Kanigan’s height and hard head kept airborne balls out of the goal.

Join the Blue Wave for the state tournament quarterfinals at Bunnell at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. Congratulations Blue Wave soccer.

Pictured: Defenseman Marcus Iqbal (photo credit: FCIAC)

DHS Muggle Quidditch Team Attends International World Cup

2011-11-15T06:45:00.001-05:00

By Annabel Schneider

This weekend (11/12-11/13) the Darien High School Quidditch team attended the fifth Muggle Quidditch World Cup on Randall’s Island in New York. One hundred teams and 2,000 athletes from high schools and colleges came from around the world for the event. Teams came all the way from Arizona and California. International teams included teams from Canada, Finland, and New Zealand.

The event was played under the rules of the International Quidditch Association (IQA). The sport has similar rules to the famous game played at Hogwarts. All players are required to have a broom between their legs and a hand on the broom at all time (the players were given IQA regulated brooms). The chaser's job is to throw the quaffle (a slightly deflated volleyball) into one of the three hoops on the opposite team's side. The keeper is the goalie. Beaters use bludgers (dodge balls) to throw at the players on the opposite team hindering those players' progress toward the goal for a bit of time. The final position is seeker whose job is to catch the snitch (a neutral player dressed in yellow or gold with a tennis ball attached to flag in their belt). Whoever gets the snitch gets 30 points, the game is over, and the score is calculated.

Most of the teams were from colleges; however, there were teams in the high school division whom DHS Quidditch played against. Despite a 0-5 result during the competition the team had a great attitude. It was one of their first competitions and it was great just to participate.

In game three the snitch was caught by freshman Mallory Zabrocky ending the game. The team still didn’t win the game, but it was a great feat to have caught the snitch.

Captain junior Caroline Golino said, “It was loads of fun, and it was great to be able to meet so many other people who enjoy the game just as much as we do! We learned a ton, and we know we're going to rock the World Cup next year!"

Find more info on the sport and event:

http://www.internationalquidditch.org/

http://worldcupquidditch.com/index.php

Boys Cross Country Team

2011-11-14T16:58:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Darien High School (DHS) Boys Cross Country Team completed its historic season by earning a spot on the list of New England’s Top 10 high school boys cross country squads. In a season of historicachievements, the Blue Wave added this latest ‘first’ to the DHS history books at the 77th New England Association High School Cross Country Championship meet, held on November 11 at Ponagansett High School in North Scituate, RI.

The BlueWave out ran 21 of 30 of the region’s most elite high school cross country teams from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The team had already made DHS history by even qualifying for the meet, so its top 10 finish was an unanticipated final flourish to its incredible season. Each of the 30 teams competing at the meet represented the ‘best of the best’ of New England’s boys high school cross country programs: all were state champions or runners up in their respective divisions. So this field of 30 was pared down from the approximately 500+ total teams across the five New England states that participated in their state championship races.

Running under perfect early fall conditions with bluebird skies and a brisk wind, the Darien harriers scored 319 points, earning them a 9th place finish overall, and fourth of the Connecticut teams in the meet. In a field of 275 runners, the Blue Wave put two of its runners in the top 100 and four in the top 150.

Finishing first for Darien and 40th overall was co-captain Michael Johnston, who posted a time of 16:40 for the 5K race. Second for Darien and 100th overall was co-captain Charlie Baird, who crossed the finish in 17:09. Co-captain Michael Coe finished in 17:19, third for the Blue Wave and 124thoverall. Sophomore Marshall Huffman finished behind Coe in fourth for Darien and 135th overall, coming across the finish line in 17:23. Freshman Alex Ostberg was the Blue Wave’s fifth finisher in the race, and 154th overall, with a time of 17:30; co-captain Eli Converse came in at 17:53, for 203rd place; and sophomore Peter Kreuch finished in 18:41, in the 254th spot.

According to DHS Boys Cross Country Head Coach Tyson Kaczmarek, the Blue Wave’s strong showing at the New England meet was a fitting end-of-season statement, not just about his runners’ talent, but their dedication. “They deserved to be here. They earned this. It was awesome. The whole experience was great. This group of boys worked so hard this year. I’m so proud of them. We earned our place in this meet,” Kaczmarek observed.

"The meet was a lot of fun. It was a fitting end to one of the best seasons this team has ever had,” noted co-captain Eli Converse. “Everyone had been working hard since the very beginning. This was the reward for our effort."

“We started off this season telling people ‘we mean business,’ and we proved it,” said co-captain Charlie Baird. “We beat Danbury. We won Wickham. We went undefeated, won the Class L State Title, and did so well at the State Open that we qualified for New Englands. So making the Top 10 teams in New England is just the icing on the cake for just us. What an awesome season.”

Fisher saves season for Wave

2011-11-14T16:45:00.003-05:00

By Jay Alter - The Darien Boys Soccer team extended their season Monday (11/14) with a fantastic win over rivals New Canaan, beating the Rams 1-0. The goal was scored off a penalty kick by Brennan Branca in the first half and the defense took it from there. Seniors, Elliott Helgans, Geoff Hubbard, and Matt Collier played brilliant defense in the second half and kept New Canaan from scoring. Junior Jack Fisher had his best game of the season (in my opinion) as he kept a clean sheet and had 2 or 3 breathtaking saves. "We keep winning because we don't want the season to end," said Hubbard after the game. The team received a "storming of the field", the second of the season. The other came in a 3-2 OT win against Westhill in the FCIAC quarterfinal. Now, the Wave advances to play Bunnell on Wednesday at a time TBD.

Caylee Waters changes commitment from Maryland to UNC

2011-11-14T12:04:00.004-05:00

By Jay Alter - Junior Caylee Waters, told the University of Maryland on November 1st, 2011 that she would be joining them for their 2014 season. However, this weekend Waters decommitted from the Terrapins and is now a UNC Tarheel. "Every since I was younger it has been a dream to go to UNC and after I committed to Maryland, I had a gut feeling that I didn't make the right decision," Waters said. Waters is currently the starting goalkeeper for the state champion, Darien girls lacrosse team and teammate, Senior Captain Brynn Gasparino said, "Caylee is a hardworking, amazing goalkeeper and will be a great addition to the Tarheels."

Girls Field Hockey Recovers

2011-11-14T07:46:00.001-05:00

By: Lily Boe

TheGirls Varsity field hockey team defeated Pomperaug 4-0 in round one of the CIACTourney on Friday (11/11). This victorywas key for the team, which finished its regular season undefeated, but lost theFCIAC Semifinals 0-1 to Staples last Thursday (11/3). “This win was reallyimportant to us because obviously FCIAC Semifinals was a big loss,” seniorcaptain Galen Rohn said.

Senior captain Lilly Cassidy started off the team strong,scoring the first goal of the game with 23 minutes left in the first half.Sophomore Hollis Perticone then scored followed by another goal by Cassidy. Thegirls finished the first half ahead 3-0. In the second half, Cassidy scoredagain with 18:37 left in the game. She was the only one to score in the secondhalf, thus allowing the girls to take the victory 4-0.

Thisrecovery win gave the girls hope for the rest of the playoff season. “We’re allreally pumped to show ourselves in states,” Rohn said. On Monday (11/14), thegirls will play in the CIAC Quarterfinals versus Guilford. The game will takeplace at 2 p.m. at the DHS Stadium Field. Be sure to come cheer on the team asit strives to rebuild its winning streak!

Girls Soccer Wins First Round of States

2011-11-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

by Sara Shaker

Girls varsity soccer won the first round of States yesterday (11/10) against Fairfield Warde 1-0. After not playing a game for more than a week and half, “The team came out strong and played consistently well throughout the game,” senior captain Leslie Yuen said (pictured). “We played as a team.” Sophomore Dillon Schoen scored the only goal of the game at the end of the first half off of a corner kick. The team was able to hold Warde off with big help from its goalie, sophomore Phoebe Taylor, for the remainder of the game to come out with a win. The girls play at 2PM tomorrow (11/12) against the #1 seed, Glastonbury, at Glastonbury. “If we play our game we can definitely win,” Yuen said. Come support the team in its next round of states!

Why run when you can Row?

2011-11-10T15:10:00.001-05:00

By Caroline Cone

These days all you hear about is how well the football team or the field hockey team did over the weekend at their games. But what about the sport that Darien High School does not offer to its students: Rowing. Almost every weekend rowers all over Darien wake up at 6 am and drive 2-4 hours to the racecourse hours before they actually have to be out on the water. Not meaning to poke at other sports but rowing is one of the hardest sports a young student athlete can do, both physically and mentally. “It’s a good way to keep in shape, and it pushes you to be your best,” Felicity Cain, a sophomore at DHS said. Cain rows for Saugatuck Rowing Club, which is located in Westport. While rowing can challenge an athlete physically, it challenges one mentally. If you ask any rower you know the thing that they are most scared of is testing. Yes, even a sport can have testing, and to a rower it is awful. While it can show how good an athlete is, it makes them nervous and scared at the same time. While it is a great sport, it has a few minor setbacks; however, they might not bother you after a few months. 1. Blisters- a painful experience for new rowers and even ones who have been at it for a while. 2. Strange Bruising on your shoulders- carrying most of the boat when your teammates do not. 3. The erg- the most feared machine to ever be invented. What all testing is done on. 2K, 4K, 5K, 6K . . . the possibilities for testing are unlimited. There are many great boathouses that you can join, really at the start of any season. Those include MRC/New Canaan, CBC, Norwalk River Rowing, Greenwich, SONO, and Saugatuck. At any of these boathouses you will feel like it is your second home, considering the fact that it is the place between home and school.

Blue Wave Swimming Ties for Fifth at FCIACs

2011-11-07T09:02:00.001-05:00

BY RebeccaLiu

DHS’s Varsity Swim team travelled to Greenwich High School to compete in FCIACs on Friday, 11/3. Darien tied with Norwalk for fifth in the county. Although it was a rough meet for most of the team, some swimmers shone in their individual events.

Senior Caroline Kearney, in her last FCIACs of her high school career, truly went out with a bang. With two lifetime best times, she showed everyone her true potential. She went 2.17 minutes in her 200 yard Individual Medley along with 1.01 minutes in her 100 yard Butterfly. Freshman Courtney Ferriera in her first ever championship meet also did a best time, going a 5.29 minutes in her 500 Free, 20 laps down the pool.

Junior Olivia Leunis was a FCIAC first team qualifier in the 100 Breastroke, placing third overall with a 1.08.03. Senior Captain Cammie Kirby said, “We had a tough meet but we are keeping our heads held high and looking forward to competing in states.”

Blue Wave Swim and Dive will compete in State Trials in Monroe, CT on 11/12. Wish these swimmers good luck!

(Caption: Junior Caroline Orem poses with Greenwich Senior Lauren Church.)

Wave Diving Scores Well at FCIACs

2011-11-07T09:01:00.001-05:00

By Rebecca Liu

The Blue Wave Diving team competed in the FCIACs on Friday, 11/3 at Westhill. After months of practices and 5 AM workouts, they stepped up to score major points with the judges.

Junior Caroline Ashcraft placed 4^th overall, senior Katie Witschi placed 15^th, along with sophomore Olivia Piazza placing 16^th. It was Katie Witschi’s first championship meet and she certainly rose to the occasion. Freshman diver Elizabeth Fitzpatrick was unable to compete in FCIACs for Darien as she was at an Olympic training camp in Colorado for the week.

Witschi comments, “I’m really proud of all the divers, everyone did so well all season. It was my last time diving in high school and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

Congratulations to the Blue Wave divers. Their next meet will be State Championships in Hamden, CT on Wednesday 11/9. Wish these divers good luck!

(Photo Caption: Sophomore Olivia Piazzi dives at FCIACs).

Wave Dominates at JV Swimming FCIACs

2011-11-07T08:58:00.002-05:00

By Rebecca Liu

Last Friday, (11/4), some of DHS’s varsity swim team headed over to Norwalk High School to compete in JV FCIACS. The name JV FCIACS is often misleading. In swimming, only top four in each event on a team is able to compete in FCIACs. Thus, often talented varsity swimmers swim in JV FCIACs.

The group of Blue Wave swimmers, consisting of seniors, sophomores, and freshman rose to the occasion at their final championship meet. Many had swims of a lifetime. Notable swims include sophomore Jessica Selensky’s 5 minutes and 58 seconds in the 500 yard freestyle. In this difficult event, the swimmer swims 20 laps in a 25 yd. pool. Breaking the 6 minutes mark is a big milestone.

Senior Monica O’Brien went a 2.14 minutes in her 200 yd. freestyle. Fellow teammate senior Chapin Tricarico had lifetime best swims. Tricarico went 26.58 seconds in her 50 freestyle as well as a 1:11.87 in her 100 breastroke, placing third overall in the 50 free and winning the 100 breastroke event.

For these seniors, the meet was bittersweet. They left the pool with amazing results, even best times, but sadly, it was the last swims of their high school career. “I was really excited going into the meet because all of the girls had worked so hard. It was their moment to shine and everyone stepped up and showed what they could do. When I looked up and saw my own times, my heart stopped. It was one of the best moments in my high school career and I’m glad I could go out with a bang” says Tricarico.

Congratulations to these swimmers on their final swims of the season!

Photo caption: Senior Chapin Tricarico is all smiles after her swim.

Athlete Profile: Varsity Girls Volleyball Kelly Kosnik

2011-11-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

By Emily Caccam

It is no news that BWVB is spectacularly sensational: the team’s perfect 21-0 record for this season says it all. But not all of these girls, including junior middle hitter Kelly Kosnik, were born on the court with volleyball in hand. Like many other Fairfield county kids, Kosnik had played soccer since kindergarten. But after playing volleyball at both her summer camp and Coach LaRusso’s summer camp before freshman year, Kosnik made the trade of cleats and shin guards for active ankles and kneepads.

“I talked to the coaches, girls on the team, and former players, and it sounded like such a great program so I wanted to be a part of it,” Kosnik said. “Riley Sousa was also one of the main people that convinced me to play.”

Today, Kosnik is a vital member of the team, and to say that she is committed is an understatement. Right after the freshman year season ended, Kosnik played for the 15s National Team at CT Impact from November through June, ending with the Nationals Tournament. As a sophomore, Kosnik played her first year on varsity. A back injury kept Kosnik from playing at CT Impact after Darien’s season, but “when I was cleared to play in June, I did any camp I could over the summer and a lot of conditioning,” Kosnik said.

Even with a heavy academic workload, Kosnik stays dedicated to the notoriously demanding sport. “Volleyball really helps you with your time management skills. I am much more efficient with my time when I’m in season than when I’m not in season because I have less time after school,” Kosnik explains.

Like any athlete, Kosnik has some technical things she wants to improve on this season. “But overall,” Kosnik says, “volleyball is a game that can always surprise you so I want to become a more consistent and reliable player every year.”

“It was disappointing to end on a sour note,” Kosnik said of the 2010 season, where BWVB was runner-up at the State Championships. “But this year, we came into the season ready to redeem ourselves and have been working hard ever since. Now that were in the post season, we’re going to keep giving it all we have.” And, after Saturday’s championship win in three straight sets, it looks like BWVB is doing just that.

Don’t forget to vote BWVB for Overtime FCIAC Team of the Week before noon on Wednesday (11/9).

Season Overview: Blue Wave Cheer

2011-11-01T12:24:00.001-04:00

By Jenn O’Neill

One sport that typically goes unnoticed throughout the fall season is the Darien High School cheer squad. Recently however the squad has not only gained more girls but more experience. The 26 girls are led by captains Hannah Carmondy, Jordan Irizzary, Claire Linegar and Cameron Luttrell. When asked about how the season has gone overall, this is what they had to say.

Blue Wave Sports Blog: How do you think the season has gone this year?

Cameron Luttrell: I think this season has gone really well so far! We have a lot of new girls, but they've all put in so much time and effort and it's paid off.
Jordan Irizzary: I've had a lot of fun and I feel like a lot of new friendships have been made throughout the team between the girls along with old friendships that have grown even stronger.

BWSB: Will everything you’ve worked on for the fall season cross over to the winter season?

Irizzary: The girls are working really hard with their stunt groups and also at the gym, and if they keep up the hard work we will definitely have an amazing routine for competition season.

BWSB: What has been the best part of the season?

Luttrell: I think the best part of the season has been bonding with the team. I think our squad this year is a lot closer than in the years past and we do things outside of practice together, like cheering at the soccer game, going to sleep away camp, and doing the walk for breast cancer. It’s been fun getting to know everyone better and I feel like there isn't a divide between the grades
Claire Linegar: We became much closer as a team. Also in practice and football games, and pasta dinners, I think our team has the greatest connection that I’ve ever seen.

BWSB: Is there anything that could be improved?

Linegar: I think we can improve our goals as a team. Each girl has so must potential has a cheerleader, and everyone is pushing themselves to become a better athlete.
Irizzary: What could use improvement is the pace at which we learn things. I feel like stunting wise we all could do a lot better. We are still on basics and it’s almost the end of the football season. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that were still on the basics, but I feel like if we all just pushed a little harder (including myself) we could be into more intense and harder stunts.

BWSB: Any final thoughts?

Irizzary: I feel like we get a lot more credit this year than we have in the past. Fans are getting more involved with our cheers along with the generous gifts we received from the football captains. It shows that they do appreciate the time and effort that we have been putting in throughout the past four years and that it really pays off.
Luttrell: I’m really happy to be a captain this year, I love my fellow captains, and I feel really lucky to have such great coaches!
Linegar: I feel so lucky to have a team that I can consider a second family. I love everyone so much and I love our coaches! We are so lucky to have such wonderful girls who dedicate themselves every day. I know the season will only get better!