Girls LAX Got Ball This Spring

-By: Allie Townsend-

With a strong senior force, the DHS girls’ varsity lacrosse team is going to be a strong force this spring. On March 25, the team played Bronxville in its second scrimmage of the season. They worked together to give Bronxville a run for its money. Sam Stevenson, a low offense player was a standout, scoring multiple goals. Clemmy Little, Amy Marchesi, and Liz Calby are also strong low offensive players. The four of them will be key goal scorers. As for the defense, senior Phoebe Maglathlin will continue to lead in the goal, communicating with her low defensive players to stay on the ball. Senior Jenny Joy is an aggressive low defenseman, and tends to keep her players awake by continuously shouting, “Got ball!” Their first home game will be on April 14th against Greenwich at 4pm on the stadium turf.

Former Major Leaguer Coaches DHS Baseball

-By: Christian Panier-

Former Detroit Tiger Michael Scott has signed on to coach the DHS baseball team this season. The DHS Class of 1997 grad joined the math department this fall after two years as a centerfielder in the Tigers’ minor league system. Scott hopes to help the team improve last year’s 12-9 season and get used to a new coach at the helm. “One of the greatest challenges will be the team adapting to my style of coaching,” Coach Scott said. This year the squad has nine seniors. Seniors James Patton and Chris Bruno are the captains. The team hopes to excel with the depth of pitching and this strong upperclassmen leadership. One particular player to watch is senior Devin Burke who is the team’s ace pitcher on the mound. Be sure to come down to cheer for them on April 8 when the boys face-off against Warren Harding High School at 3:45 at DHS. To read more about Coach Scott click here.
http://darienps.org/neirad/0810MrScott.php

Michael Miller Gets into MLB Hall of Fame

-By: Jack Bushell-

Mike Miller, a junior at DHS, was awarded with Hall of Fame Honors this past week, before actually playing in the MLB. He was that good, he got into the Hall of Fame as a pitcher, catcher and outfielder at the same time. Last Friday, Mr. Miller put on a show for the scouts at the new Citi Field, home of the Mets. After throwing a fastball at 102mph he then went on to hit 32 homeruns in the span 2 hours. He clocked in his 60yard dash time with 5.9seconds. No doubt that he will make some noise on the college field and later in the MLB.

...April Fool's

DHS Rugby Defeats Hillsborough

-By: Patrick Smith-

The Hillsborough Rugby team traveled more than two hours only to face defeat against the DHS rugby team this past Sunday. Although Darien had a ton of penalties they were able to pull away with the win. This first game of the year ended 40-33 at Royle Elementary School in Darien. The Hillsborough team -- hailing from the center of the Garden State - failed to fight off the DHS squad who battled back from an early deficit. The defense from the forwards was great. The Wave was able to stop the tries because of forwards; Kevin Ramsey, Mike Sawitsky and Joe Hughes played front line for the pack. The Darien boys remain undefeated in the early half of the season. The next game will be a challenge for the team as they take on Xavier at 1pm at Royle School on Sunday, March 29th.

Girls Tennis Tryouts Begin

-By: Lizzie Kirst-

Girls tennis team tryouts begin this week. Final selections will be announced Monday March 30th. Senior captains Courtney Whiting and Annie Wilson will lead a squad, which is expected to include returning seniors Lindsay Battey, Catherine Stineman and Lisa Giannandrea. Last year for the first time freshmen Amanda Brodsky, Kyle McCoy and Lonneke Eenkema Van Dijk made varsity and are expected to land a spot again this year. A group of strong junior girls who are returning to the team will include Virginia Van Ingen, Chelsea Penfield, Becca D'Andrea, Sarah Gorski, Emily and Lauren Duwan and Emily Hough. The team will stay home over spring break to train and compete in the first two matches of the season in early April.

Ski Team Shreds its Way into Top Finish

-By Alex McGuire-

The DHS ski team ended the season with its best finish in school history. The girls and boys team placed 1st and 3rd in the Class S championships. It was the girls’ first Class S title. The girls also finished 5th State championship, which was their highest finish ever, while the boys placed 9th.

Sophomore Meg Del Col received All-State honors and a spot on Team Connecticut (a team made up of the top 12 male and 12 female skiers in Connecticut). for the second straight year. Last year, Del Col made history by being the first female DHS skier to qualify for the team in more than 10 years.

Senior Scott Bora, junior Andrew Del Col and sophomore Natalie Row all received Honorable Mention spots for the team. The threesome also earned All-Conference honors, while Bora was named team MVP for the second year in a row.

This year the captains were senior Cameron Ross, junior Alex Blair and junior Lauren Duwan. Next year the captains will be Meg Del Col, Andrew Del Col, Alex Blair, Lauren Duwan, and junior Rob Goeller. The team is coached by Brian Zever and Mark Power.

Bone Vaults to Big Apple

-By Elizabeth Crafford-

Freshman Robin Bone soared to new heights in the Big Apple. Bone represented the Blue Wave at the National Scholastic Indoor Champship track meet in New York City on March 13. She set a new record of 10’6 in the pole vault. Bone was joined by track teammate junior, Christy Gasparino. Congratulations to these outstanding athletes and their incredible accomplishments.

Boy's Hockey Ends on a Low Note

-By Christian Nielsen-

Darien boys varsity is over for the season, but they didn't go without a good showing on the ice. They took on the #2 seed Notre Dame of West Haven in the playoffs on Saturday, March 7th,suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 loss. After defeating Avon 4-1 on March 9th, it seemed the team could make it all the way, but Notre Dame shut them down. Darien's season is now over, and the only thing that remains for them in the winter season is the team banquet.

Goodbye House Basketball

-By William Wygal-

So it ends…on Wednesday March 11th my YMCA House Basketball career finally ended after seven years of straight success and glory. My team, orange team, went down after three epic games in the playoffs. In the last game we faced off against red team, led by Zach Yezzi. They worked well together and took us out after a long overtime thriller. There were many three pointers, some slight violence, and a lot of tears at the end. Once the game was over I looked at the past seven years of House Basketball. YMCA House Basketball has always been there for me; it has always been an activity to keep me away from drugs and alcohol. It has also been a source of competition and good healthy fun. With that, goodbye House Basketball, it was magnificent.

Rugby Kicks Off

-By: Britt Gordon-

The DHS Rugby Club kicked off its first scrimmage against another school this past Saturday in a game against Staples. It was a very close match-up and an intense game, but when time ran out, Staples went home with the victory. They only barely surpassed Darien, however, with a final score of 2 to 1 in trys (goals). The game started off extremely close, where both teams carried the ball down the field toward their goal lines but were never able to score. Towards the end of the first half, Peter McDonough sprinted into the try zone (end zone) and Darien scored an exciting first try (goal). After the half, however, Staples gained strength and was able to score once and then again a few minutes after. Towards the end of the scrimmage, Darien was close to tying Staples, but came up just short. Although the chili afternoon game ended in a loss, the members of the Rugby Club walked off the field with numerous battle wounds and along with it, the satisfaction of playing a fun and hard-fought game.

LAX Survives Post-Spillane

By Claire Dickson

As the DHS lacrosse dynasty gears up for another spring season, eyes are on the girl's team. Fortunately, the squad only lost seniors Kim Davis, Callie Frelinghuysen and Caroline Spillane. However, it is a touch break to replace Spillane who is now a University of Pennsylvania freshman. The girls are optimistic they will come back from LAX life post-Spillane. The team has been working with the underclassmen all winter on stick work and shooting skills at The Academy of Sports in Stamford. Junior Paige Gasparino along with fellow juniors Liz Calby and Anne Fucigna are making up for shooting speed. Meanwhile, senior captains Courtney Bennett, Amy Marchesi, Jenny Joy, Phoebe Mclaughlin, and Kat Nestor have fantastic advantages, both offensive and defensive.

White Team Wins 11th/12th Grade Basketball

-By: Jack Bushell-

After the 9th and 10th grade game, the junior and senior house basketball game took place at 8pm. The #1 seed played the #2 seed in a battle of the house elites. The white team got off to a fast start and did not look back, winning the game. At the end of the first half the score was 18 to 12 in favor of the white team. The white team was coached by Doug Webster and the black team was coached by Randy Klein. Leading the black team in scoring was senior Nick Joosten with 6 points, leading the white team is scoring was Charlie Orr with 12 points. The crowd was composed of mostly high school students, who were really getting into the game. The final score was 36-26 with the white team as champions. For the seniors, this was their last game in high school for their house basketball careers. Congratulations to all who participated this season.

Bucks Win 9th/10th Grade House Championship

-By: Jack Bushell-

On Friday night at 7pm the 9th and 10th grade basketball championship was held in the main gym. The Bucks and the Warriors squared off in the final game of the season. The Warriors were coached by Joe Marzano, the Bucks were coached by Richard Miller. For a house basketball game, there was a good amount of fan support for both teams. At the end of the first half, the score was close with the Bucks having 16 and the Warriors haveing 14 points. The marque match-up of this game was Sophmores Max Reyes against Jake Weil. The final score was 25 to 24 in favor of the Bucks. A low scoring game for both teams, both teams averaged around 40 points per game during the regular season. The game went down to the final buzzer and was a close game throughout. Both teams had a great season and played hard in this contest.

Gymnastics Places in States

-By: Laura Durham-

The Blue Wave Gymnastics team finished their season strongly on Saturday at State Opens. Unfortunately, none of the three gymnasts who competed at Norwich Free Academy qualified for New Englands, which required placing in the top six in an event. Senior and Captain Kaylyn Van Sciver competed on all events, and Sophomore, and strong competitor this season, Charlotte Morgan also competed on vault, bars, beam, and floor, and only missed qualifying on bars by one tenth of a point! Morgan also placed twelfth all around. Freshman, Katie Southworth competed on vault, bars, and beam, and had a solid meet. The team hopes to recruit some new gymnasts for next year’s season, as they will be losing seven current seniors, to bring in some fresh, new talent.

More Jay’s NCAA Sleeper Picks

-By Jay Alter-

Last week Jay featured his top unexpected picks for the NCAA March Madness. This week, here are a few more teams that may go under the radar.

1) Purdue- Another Big Ten team that took Oklahoma into OT. The Boilermakers have proven their ability to contend with the high-quality teams after sound wins over Davidson, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Watch out for the Boilermakers to heat up in the NCAA tournament.
2) Texas- The boys in the Lone Star state have had an up-and-down season. Big wins over Villanova and Oklahoma help, but if the Longhorns have a game like they did against Oklahoma State then they’re done. Texas has the potential to take out a big name team but not if A.J Abrams and Damion James have their way.
3) Niagara- If the Purple Eagles win the MAC then they will get in the tournament and potentially upset a top 20 team. They might be explosive come tournament time.
4) Florida- For the first time in a long time the Gators have been under the radar, but like they always do, they come on strong at the end. If they can control the tempo they have a chance to make a monster run in the tourney.

Ping Pong Club Seeks Members

-By Daniel Campbell-

Darien High School’s newest after school extracurricular is looking for people who like to slam a small white ball around a beat-up table. The ping pong club meets for about one hour Wednesday after schhol in the cafeteria. This is certainly not a glam operation founded by junior Britt Gordon. Players use three tables left over from the old high school. But those battered old tables have a bigger purpose: “to improve the necessary skills in ping pong so that one may be successful in life,” Britt said. There are already some hot talent including Henry and Clarke Glavin, Evan Cunningham, Charlie Taylor, Connor McCarthy, Robby Schindler, and Britt himself. Britt is hoping the club will soon be ready to play against St. Joseph High School and Staples High School’s clubs. For more information contact Britt Gordon bgordon@darienps.org or check out the full story in Neirad Enlino. http://darienps.org/neirad/0903PingPong.php

Blue Wave Track Competing at Nationals

-By Jake McCauley-

The Darien Boy's and Girl's Indoor Track and Field team will be sending a small group of athletes to the National Scholastic Indoor Championship Meet this weekend. For the boys, participating athletes include Artem Skobrev in the mile run, Jake McCauley in the 5000 meter run, and Nick Joosten, Kevin Knapp, Alexi Bello, and John Bolton who are competing in the 4x200 meter relay. The girl's team is also sending some exceptional athletes as well. Competing for them are Caroline McDonough in the 5000, Robin Bone in the pole vault as well as the pentatholon, and Christy Gasparino who is competing in the pentathalon as well. We wish the athletes good luck in the upcoming meet.

DHS Coach Accepted into FCIAC Hall of Fame

-By: Jake McCauley-

Darien's Girls' Track and Cross Country Coach Steve Norris has been elected to the FCIAC Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Coach Norris for all of his contributions to Darien Track and Field and the FCIAC in general.

Boy's Hockey Wins

Darien Boy's Hockey defeated Avon 4-1 in the first round of the State Tournament. They will play Wednesday against Norte Dame of Fairfield at 7:30 in the Milford Ice Pavilion.

Cheerleaders Take Home Two 1st Place Trophies

-By: Meg Murphy-

With a new dance and very unique ending pyramid, the Blue Wave Cheerleaders headed off to the New England Cheerleaders Association competition at East Haven High school this past Saturday. Determined to win, the cheerleaders stepped onto the mat and performed their routine the best they have all year. All their hard work paid off, and the team took home the first place trophy.

Captain Jorden Cappiello said, “The other captains and I are so proud of the team for all the hard work and effort they’ve put in. It really showed in our routine.” This was the first time ever that a Darien all-girl cheer team has brought home a first place trophy.

It has been a long couple of years for the DHS cheerleaders, struggling to compete against all of the other tumbling FCIAC teams. Since Darien has a gymnastics team, the cheerleading team has always lacked tumblers and continuously lost points in the tumbling section on score sheets. This was the first competition that the team was able to compete in a “Non-Tumbling Division” and they were able to show their true strength.

In addition to the team taking home first place, the stunt team, a group of five girls showcasing only their stunting skills, also took home a first place trophy. The stunt team consisted of senior captains Jorden Cappiello, Emily Deleo, Katie Velesbir, Meghan Vitti and junior Brittany Sipple.
The girls will be competing at States this Friday in an open division against tumbling teams. They do not expect to place high, but will perform their best and give it their all knowing that they are a first place team no matter what.

Girls Ice Hockey Takes State Championship

-By: Jose Corte-Real-

The first and second periods were very similar, with New Canaan scoring first, and Darien scoring right after. Sophomore Emma Tuz scored Darien’s first goal late in the first period. Another sophomore Taylor Holcomb scored Darien’s second goal, in the second period. The third period however was marked by Taylor Holcomb’s shot coming off of the New Canaan goal keeper’s facemask, flew about ten feet in the air, landed back down, and was struck with tremendous strength when it landed by Junior Aimee Rich, making it 3-2 for Darien. The last 3 minutes of the game were filled with excitement as the puck rarely left the Darien half of the ice. But all in all the Darien girls hockey team took home a deserving win, and are now the FCIAC and State champions.

Weekend Action

-By Jake McCauley-

Boy's Hockey was Runner-Up in the FCIAC Hockey Tournament Saturday night. They will play Avon on Monday at 6PM at Terry Conner's Rink in the first round of the CIAC Tournament.

Girl's Ice Hockey won the Connecticut High School State Championship on Saturday with a 3-2 Victory over New Canaan.

The Darien Cheerleaders won two titles Saturday at the New England Cheerleaders Open Competition at East Haven High School. Overall, they were 1st place in High School Division, and the Blue Wave Stunt Team was first as well.

Boys Hockey Loses FCIAC Championship to Greenwich

-By Tally Thoren-

Darien Hockey never seemed to get out of the gate losing 3-2 to Greenwich on Saturday.
Greenwich got off to a great start scoring a goal just 33 seconds into the game. With a little more than six minutes remaining in the 1st period, Greenwich got a three on zero breakaway leading to another Greenwich goal. The first period ended Greenwich 2-0.
With 4:52 left in the second period Darien scored after a face-off, which left the puck lying in front of the net for senior Andrew Bay to put away. Darien was now down by one.
With 2:18 left in the 2nd, Greenwich scored making the score 3-1. The goal came right from a face off on the right- wing side. The rest of the period remained relatively stagnant as both teams battled to keep the puck out of its defensive zones. The second period ended Greenwich leading 3-1.
Darien carried the play for most of third period getting numerous scoring chances. Not until there were just 37 seconds left in the 3rd period, however, did JT Cook score a goal. With 10 seconds left in the game, Darien came close to tying up the game but just fell short.
In order for Darien to do well against Avon on Monday, they need more accurate shots on net . The team also needs to come out strong in the beginning and gain an early lead. As of right now, their “catch-up” style of playing is just not cutting it.
Don’t miss an opportunity to support the boys in the first round of the CIAC tournament. Ice time 6pm tonight at Terry Conners Ice Rink in Stamford.

McDonough finishes 3rd in New England's

Darien Senior Track Standout, Caroline McDonough, finished third in the New England Championship 3200 meter run last night! Congrats to Caroline on all of her successes this indoor season.

DHS Tennis Preview

-By Alex McGuire-

Spring is almost here, and with it comes the start of a new tennis season. The boys are coming off a great 2008 showing. They won the class M championships when Mike Taylor defeated senior DHS team member Dane Gebauer. They finished with a record of 13-1. The only loss was to Fairfield Ludlow. However, despite the success, the new group will have a lot of work to do. The team lost eight seniors who made up the #1, #4, #5 singles seeds are expected to help fill the holes to carry the team to a great season.

Jay’s NCAA Tourney Sleeper Picks

-By Jay Alter-

Everybody seems to be picking North Carolina, UConn, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Memphis, and Duke to go deep into the tournament. Instead the Blue Wave Sports Blog decided to take a look at some sleeper picks.

1) Kansas- The winners of last year’s tournament lost some players since they captured the NCAA title. Kansas is coming off big wins at (#4) Oklahoma and versus (#15) Missouri. I have a feeling Coach Bill Self will rally the troops to make a run.
2) Villanova - They’ve taken down Pittsburgh and other Big East forces. The speed and three- point shot will lead them to the Final Four. If Player of the Year nominee Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds can get this team going then expect the Cats to have a tournament run.
3) Penn State - Defense wins championships. This could not be truer for the Nittany Lions. They’ve held opponents to 61 points – this coming from a conference with Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, and Ohio State. They’ve beaten MSU, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota proving they can nail the top dogs.
4) St. Mary’s- Coming from the WCC, they have played tough games against (#14) Gonzaga. Most recently 72-70 in a heartbreaker of a game. They have also beaten other bubble team Providence.

Make sure to check the Blue Wave Sports Blog next week for more of Jay's NCAA sleeper picks.

Tigers get Hit by a Tidal Wave: Boys Hockey Wins!

-By: Jack Bushell and Christian Nielsen-

In an amazing comeback, Darien Boys Varsity Hockey pulled of a 3-2 win over Ridgefield in the semi-final match up against Ridgefield on Wednesday. During the first period, crowds were shouting back and forth, and both teams battled for the first goal. On a power play, Ridgefield put one by goalie Willie Love, and for the rest of the period Darien struggled to keep up, managing to put one in at the end of the period. During the second period, Darien pulled off some amazing penalty kills, but Ridgefield managed to get one in towards the end of the period. 1-0 Ridgefield. The second period of play ended with Ridgefield up one goal over the Blue Wave, and things were looking down for the boys towards the end of the third period. The tides of momentum shifted when a shot from the blue line ended up in the top right corner of Ridgefield's net, tying up the game with a score of 2-2. Both crowds were shouting at their team to score, and Darien came through for their fans, scoring with 27 seconds left on the clock. The shot hit the Ridgefield goalie; yet, he did not get enough on it... The puck trickled into the net giving Darien the win, 3-2. The Tigers had a few weaknesses which lost them the game. Their goalie was a freshman, and the formidable Darien crowd, dressed in a white-out, got into his head. The fans really helped the Wave rally and bring home the win in a respectable and sportsmanlike manner. With solid defense, Darien won the semi-final match. The Wave will play either Greenwhich or Trinity Catholic for the FCIAC title on Saturday.

Boy’s Hockey FCIAC Preview

-By Patrick Smith-

On Wednesday the Darien High School boys hockey team will face-off against the Ridgefield Tigers in the FCIAC semifinals. On Saturday night the Darien team defeated Staples 3-2 in overtime to advance to the semifinal game. The Darien team is favored heading into Wednesday, but Ridgefield will be no easy opponent. "Ridgefield beat New Canaan which was an upset, so nothing is for sure yet," said Darien team member Chris Shaker. The game will be played at Darien Ice Rink and will begin at 6 pm. The Darien fans will try to achieve a “white out” effect with every student in the student section wearing white. Make sure you are there to show your BWP!

DHS Rugby Looking for Players

-By: Jose Corte-Real-

All teams need players; sometimes more isn’t better, but in a sport where there are 30 players on the field at any one time, more actually is much better. In rugby there is so much running, tackling, pain, and potential injuries that substitutions are constantly in high demand. The Darien High School Rugby Football Club needs people to fill sub spots for a scrimmage against Staples on March 14.th Players will have to run non-stop and be prepared to take a few hits on the field. All grades are encouraged to join. No experience needed. You will be surprised how easy rugby is to learn

Underclassmen Step Up

–By: Meg Murphy-

This season was a rebuilding year for DHS’ Wrestling team. With a roster full of underclassmen, and a few tough juniors and seniors, the team fought hard ending the regular season with 11-17. Going into FCIACS, senior Matt Liguori was undefeated with a record of 24-0, junior Jon Lewis 23-5, sophomore Lars Remole 23-7, and sophomore Dimitri Chagares 20-11. Ligouri wrestled 140 and placed 2nd at FCIACs. Wrestling at 112, Lewis placed 7th at both FCIACs and States. Other members of the team competed in FCIACs and States, and as a team, DHS placed 15th at FCIACs and 22nd at States. Also a memorable moment this year, was when coach, Joe Vano, broke record for number of wins. After 14 years, Vano became the most winning coach with 119 wins. Seniors graduating this year are Tom Bassford, Matt Ligouri and James Geddes. The team has high hopes for next year because the underclassmen will have more experience and will no longer be the young ones anymore, they must step up to the challenge if the team is to succeed.

Gymnastics Springs into States

-By: Laura Durham-

The Blue Wave Gymnastics Team competed at States this past Saturday, and placed fourth in the Small School Division. All-Arounders, Captain Kaylyn Van Sciver, Sophomore Charlotte Morgan, and Freshman Katie Southworth all competed well and contributed to the team score. Freshman Kiriko Masek competed on beam, and Katherine Mosher, also a freshman competed on vault, bars and floor. The gymnasts will compete at State Opens this Saturday, March 7th at Norwich Free Academy, where Charlotte Morgan and Kaylyn Van Sciver have qualified for all events, and Katie Southworth will compete on vault, bars, and beam.

Ski Team to Compete in States

-By: Lizzie Kirst-

DHS ski team has had a successful season this winter and will be competing in States this coming Wednesday, March 4th. The season started off with time trials the Monday December 22nd. From there about 35 kids were selected for the team. Practices started the first Monday of January and were held at Woodbury Ski Area and Mt. Southington in upper Connecticut, about an hour away from Darien. The time commitment to the sport as well as the leadership from seniors Peter Duker, Scott Bora and Marcus D’Iorio and Coach Zeyer has led the team to a great position at the end of the season. Thanks to standout skiers Andrew Del Col, who placed 5th overall at the race on the 26th and sister Meg Del Col who placed 2nd the team will be making an appearance at the State championship on Wednesday.

Blue Wave Girls Hockey FCIACs Finals vs. New Canaan

-By Chris Shaker-

Darien girl hockey has skated to States with a big win over arch rival New Canaan on Saturday. Before this game, the Darien Girl's Hockey team had lost to its top competitor New Canaan twice making them the underdogs. "Both teams were evenly matched, this game was all up to whoever was at their best," freshmen player Sara Shaker said. The Blue Wave pulled forward in the second period as freshmen Emily Tropsa scored the first goal with an assist from fellow freshmen Rachael Klein. The Blue Wave continued to dominate in the third period with another goal from sophomore Emma Tuz. New Canaan came back with a goal in the middle of the third period, making it once again a close game. However, Darien managed to hold them off making the girls the first ever FCIACs champions and making them the first Darien Girls Hockey team to beat New Canaan. The season continues to be promising as they look to win States. We all wish them luck on this already very successful season.