Cross Country Goes 8-1

-By: Jack Bushell-

The overcast afternoon did not seem to have any effect on the boys cross country team. The team bought its record to 8-1 on Tuesday at Fairfield Warde. The team took on Ludlowe, Harding, Stamford and host school Fairfield Warde. Senior Jake McCauley was the number one finisher for the Blue Wave, but came in second overall to senior Sam Parton from Fairfield Warde. Right behind McCauley was junior John Conley, senior captain Alex Reynoso, sophomore Charlie Baird (pictured) and junior David Watson rounding out the top five for Darien. (Top runners place for their respective teams in a cross country meet) An injured knee – rumored to be a damaged meniscus - sidelined senior captain Brandon Tripodi who hopes to run on Saturday. The next meet for the Blue Wave will be an invitational at Wilton on Saturday. (10/3)

Darien Destroys Danbury

-By: Brian Curry-

After a disappointing loss to open the season at Fairfield Warde, Darien came out with something to prove on Saturday, as they steamrolled the Danbury Hatters 31-0. Darien took control of the game from the opening drive, which was capped off by a 15-yard run from junior running back Graham Maybell. Maybell added a second touchdown later in the quarter, to go up 14-0 after the first quarter. Darien then added a field goal in the second by senior John Gardner and two touchdowns in the fourth, one a 14 yard pass from senior George Benitez (pictured) to junior Jake Weil, the other a run by senior Stevenson Bone. This put the icing on the cake for Darien's first victory. The Wave's defense shut down Danbury: a bit of a surprise for the Hatters who had put up 33 points in their opening victory over Brien McMahon on September 17. The next game for the Wave is at St. Joseph's in Trumbull on Saturday, October 3, where the Wave will try to go 2-1.

Crew Rows Into A New Season

-By: Andi Cara-

Four students from Darien High School participated in the GMS regatta in New Milford. Junior Christine Bragg, and seniors Emily Pik, Chrissy Weigand and Michelle Bravo raced in the event last Sunday. (9/20) The race was 6,000 meters long. Maritime Rowing Club, where all the four rowers participate at the competitive level, sent three boats. The rowers were from schools across Fairfield County. All three boats came in first place. Bravo said "The GMS regatta was a great way to kick off the season, and we hope to keep winning more races."

Girls Cross Country goes 2-1

-By: Dan Campbell-

The girls cross country team traveled to St. Joes in Trumbull on a cloudy 75 degree day for an XC meet. They faced Danbury and St. Joe's in a 5k race, losing to Danbury 21-37 but easily beating St. Joes 17-45. The top three finishers for Darien were junior Megan Keane (pictured right), senior Hannah Lyons, and senior Kelly Brophy. Keane finished third overall at 20:21. Lyons also had a strong showing running 20:28. Senior Kelly Brophy also finished in the top 10, coming in 9th overall at 22:13. The next meet for the team is next Tuesday at Fairfield Warde, where they will be facing Ludlowe, Stamford, Warde and Harding.

Conley Wins as Darien XC Falls to Danbury

-By: Kevin Cassidy-

The Blue Wave Boys’ Cross Country team traveled to St Joes in Trumbull for a dual meet with St. Joes, Danbury, and Bassick on Tuesday. Darien had a strong race but they were not able to come away with the sweep on the very hilly course. The Wave stopped St. Joes and Bassick but fell to Danbury 29-26 (low score wins). “We executed our plan against Danbury and ran a smart race, however Danbury exceeded our expectations” senior captain Willem Sandberg said. DHS was not ready for Danbury’s secret weapon - a star freshman runner. One high point was junior John Conley who received first in the overall meet followed by a third place finish by senior captain Jake McCauley (pictured). The team travels up to Trumbull Saturday morning for the Golden Eagle Invitation; we wish the team best of luck for the rest of the season as they look to go 16-1.

Boy's Cross Country off to a Fast Start

-By Jake McCauley-

The Darien Boy's Cross Country team took off to a very successful start of the season Tuesday. In the team's first meet, the Blue Wave took on Ridgefield, Westhill, and Bridgeport Central at the tough and hilly Ridgefield course. Senior Jake McCauley was the pace-setter for the Wave, taking the first mile out quite fast. Ridgefield's seniors Richie Hume and Christian Kearns as well as Wave junior John Conley, surged halfway through the race catching up to McCauley. With a mile to go, Ridgefield had the lead 27-28. However, the Wave shined in the last mile, the top seven Wave runners moving in front of Ridgefield's five. Ridgefield's Hume won the race, followed closely by McCauley and Conley. Ridgefield's Kearns was followed quickly by senior Alex Reynoso, who ran a great race. Rounding out the Wave's top five were Charlie Baird and David Watson, who both moved with a mile to go sealing the victory for Darien. The Wave will next have to take on FCIAC powerhouse Danbury High School at St. Joe's next Tuesday. (Jake McCauley and John Conley pictured)

Cheerleading to the Next Level

-By: Sam Nelson-

The DHS Cheerleading squad is bringing on a new coach this season. AJ Dixon(pictured right) has signed onto coach the girls after the departure of three-year veteran Lisa Damiano. Dixon will bring in hard work and determination, as well as an impressive resume to back him up.
Coach Dixon started coaching recreational gymnastics and recreational cheerleading in 2002, and then was offered a job to coach at an All Star gym called Georgia Elite in Alpheretta, GA. Dixon led all star teams to six national titles.
While coaching at Georgia Elite, Dixon worked with Chattahoochee High School, as he coached Varsity, JV and freshman teams. After coaching high school, he was offered a job at a gym called The Empire All Stars in Duluth, GA, where he coached two Senior Co-Ed teams, winning three national titles in total. Peachtree Ridge High School was AJ’s next high school, where he won the state cheer championship three times. The next job he took was in Stone Mountain, GA where he worked at the Platinum Elite All Stars Gym. AJ’s current gym is located in Danbury, which is Champion All Stars.
With all his success in his past, Dixon has high hopes for this year’s squad. Coach Dixon said, “I believe the squad's commitment to improving its cheerleading skills is what separates them from the previous teams that I have coached in the past.”
Dixon hopes that the team will “showcase its talent and change people’s opinion about cheerleading.” He has high expectations for his team. He said “My Goal for the squad this year is to show the school and the community the athleticism of cheerleading and that this sport is more than just waving pom poms and yelling at games. I want to show that we can be completive and have the school spirit it takes to be number one,” Dixon said. (picture courtesy of Darien Times)

Boys Soccer Loses to Greenwich

-By: Mikel Marku-

Darien Boys Varsity soccer fell to a 1-1 record after losing to Greenwich 3-0 on Thursday. The Blue Wave played a solid 30 minutes in the first half, but gave up 2 goals in the last 15 minutes. Darien had a tough time getting the ball past midfield and Greenwich controlled the possession throughout the second half. Goalie Andrew Del Col had a spectacular second half making many critical saves, but after a breakaway in the last 50 seconds Greenwich scored their third goal and clinched the victory. After the game senior, goalie, and co-captain Robbie Shindler said, “Overall, I felt like the team played very well today. All the guys out there put in 100% effort, and when that happens you can't really ask for much more. It's unfortunate that the scoreboard didn't show how well we actually played though. Darien boys have a tough game against Staples at home at 4pm on Monday, come support the Wave.

Wave Football Gets Upset By Warde

-By: Meg Murphy-

Traveling up to Fairfield Warde, the Blue Wave Football team was pumped for its first game of the season on Thursday. (September 17) Unfortunately, the bus trip home was not as joyful. The Warde Mustangs scored in the first quarter and the fourth quarter, with an ending score of 14-0. The deffense played well trying to keep the game close, but the offence couldn't get on the score board.
The team graduated a huge number of seniors last year and with an almost brand new starting line-up, the team knew they were going to have to adjust and work hard. Juniors Graham Maybell, Jake Weil, and senior captain Bobby Nolan were key players in the game. Let’s see if the team can make it to the State playoffs once again this year.
Next Saturday the 26th, the boys will have their first home game against Danbury. Come support the team and hope for a Blue Wave Victory! (picture taken by Alex Mosher)

Blue Wave Soccer Beats Harding in Season Opener

-By: Christian Panier-

DHS Varsity Boys’ Soccer is gearing up for a busy week. They have two home games on the oval turf at 4pm on Monday and Wednesday. The action comes after a victory over Harding High School from Bridgeport on Tuesday. Led by senior captains Peter Witschi, Alden Frelinghuysen (pictured), Sean Fahey, and Robbie Shindler, a new line of assistant coaches, and head coach Nicolae Piperea, the Blue Wave had a sluggish start but soon led over Harding 1-0 at the half. With a total of 26 shots on goal, the final score came out to 3-0 Darien, despite numerous injuries and players out for the game with illnesses. The next game is on Thursday at home against Greenwich at 4pm on the turf. (picture taken by Mrs. Del Col)

Girls Soccer Lands Wet Victory

-By: Charles Spivey-

In a wet match Darien Girls Varsity soccer rose to a 1-0 victory over Fairfield Warde on Wednesday. Senior captain Liz Calby (pictured) scored the one and only goal for the Blue Wave. The Warde offense was no contest for senior Ann Fucigna playing goalie for DHS as she kept the Warde girls from getting on the scoreboard.
The weather definitely played a huge role as visibility and turf conditions worsened toward the end of the first half. Both Fairfield Warde and Darien girls were having a hard time keeping their grip on the turf field as the rain pelted them.

The DHS girls have their next game versus Bridgeport Central at Kennedy Stadium at 3pm on Friday.

Eighty Magic Number for Girls Cross Country

-By: Julia Lang-

The Darien girls cross country team is off to a great start with a second place win at Ridgefield High School this week. Both the varsity and novice reams raced against Central, Westhill, and Ridgefield.
Through the heat was taking a toll on many runners grinding up the hilly path, Amanda Dobler wasn’t far behind, taking 5th place. Dobler finished the 3.04 mile race in 21:17 and Hannah Lyons(pictured right), senior and cross country captain, came in 7th place at a pace of 21:24.
The girls team is loaded. With the largest team in DHS history, about 80 girls are expecting to continue the strong run with a victory over ST Joes next Tuesday(September 22).

Wave Loses Another

-By Claire Dickson-

The wave came crashing down on the Darien girl’s soccer team when they had a devastating loss to Barlow high school in a scrimmage on Thursday. The team started out strong with a 3-0 lead at half time, but fell apart as Barlow played stronger and stronger. It seemed like nothing could go right for the girls during the second half as they had at least 5 shots on goal, all saved by the Barlow goalie. Junior goalie Charlotte Phillips made some tremendous saves, but it wasn’t enough to keep her team from drowning. As the half played out, it was clear that the girls were losing their steam. Hopefully in the team’s next game against Fairfield Warde, they’ll bring the heat that we all know they have (pictured above: junior Georgie Highton guarding a forward from Barlow).

DHS Students Rejoice as NFL Season Gets Under Way

By Darius Majd

The NFL season started up right where it left off – with another tough, nail-biting victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Much like in their titanic Super Bowl clash against the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers had to push themselves to the limit both physically and mentally to vanquish the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in overtime. After a scoreless first 28 minutes of play, each team notched a touchdown just before the break. In the second half, each team could only must a fourth quarter field goal. In overtime, the Steelers won the coin toss, drove down field, and kicked a 33-yard field goal for the 13-10 win. In spite of the low score, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for over 300 yards, and receiver Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward each had over 100 receiving yards. Though the thrilling game was a great way to start the season, neither team left thrilled. The Titans walked away feeling that they beat themselves, as they missed two field goals from inside 40 yards that would have won the game. The Steelers, despite the victory, have to deal with star safety Troy Polamalu’s MCL sprain (suffered in the first half) that could keep him on the sidelines for up to six weeks. All in all, it was a very eventful opening night for the NFL. DHS junior Charlie Kunze, an avid football player and fan, was pleased with the excitement level of the game. “The game was much closer than most season kickoff games,” he said, “I can’t remember the last time the first game of the season was decided in overtime. However, I would have preferred a higher-scoring outcome. I was also disappointed to see Troy Polamalu get injured in the first half.” Dylan Hurd, another DHS junior who is a football fan, thought that the game was as good of a match up as you could ask for on opening night. “It was the perfect start to the NFL season,” he said, “The teams were so evenly matched, with both defenses leaving it all out on the field.” Whether you were rooting for the Titans or the Steelers, one thing is for certain; if the NFL can regularly produce more games like this one, it will be a great year for professional football.

Girls Swim and Dive Starts Early

-By: Chrissy Wiegand-

The girls of Darien High School's Swim Team have their eyes on success for the upcoming 2009 season. "We definitely are hurting from a loss of talent last year, but I don't think there's anything our team can't achieve this year," explains senior captain Andrea Smelser. "We're still working hard to keep ourselves strong. I think we can train through it to retake our state title at the end of the season." After spending a training weekend in Block Island, knowing that their first swim meet was on September 16th and against New Canaan was definitely a source of motivation. "They're one of our toughest competitions this season, so starting out with them is going to be good for the team both physically and mentally," Smelser explained. "It's already helped us a lot because it's motivated us to get into better shape faster."

Concerning the team's trip to Block Island, this visit serves two purposes: training and bonding. "While it's a fun trip to go on as a team to get the newer members comfortable, we also do a lot of hard work. We stay at the Rohn's house for the weekend to bike, swim, run, and lounge," Smelser described. The training kicks off from their very arrival on the island. Thirty-one bikes were rented, and the team biked the three miles from the ferry to the Rohn's house. "By going on a team trip at eh beginning of the season we can really get the new swimmers and divers to feel comfortable and welcome from the start."

There are 12 seniors on the team and they are excited to see what they can accomplish this year. Go Blue Wave Swim and Dive!

Unfortunate Start to Girl's Soccer Season

-By: Laura Durham-

The girl's soccer season started with an upsetting loss against Joel Barlow yesterday, with a score of 4-3. The team started of the game well with senior Liz Calby and junior Nina Pawelczyk scoring goals in the first half, but Barlow came back scoring goals in the beginning of the second half. While Darien scored another goal, Barlow came back with two more to end the game with a disappointing loss. The girl's are scrimmaging against Immaculate today on the turf today at 4, so go out and support the Blue Wave!

Darien Beats West Hill 2-1

-By Christian Nielsen-

With hockey season fast approaching, the fall hockey season is in full swing, with the Wave winning their second game. With a bench packed with players, Darien had fresh legs every shift. The first goal was scored by Senior Mike Foresta in the second period, and there was an abundence of shots on the West Hill net. At the start of the 3rd period the Darien bench was getting shorter as the team struggled to maintain their lead. Towards the end of the 3rd, Sophomore Nick Bruno bolted down the ice to come up with an amazing short handed goal. With only a minute left, West hill scored their first goal off of a tip in shot from the point, making it a fight to the finish. Darien held its own and ended up winning the game, with shots still being fired upon Darien's goalie in the final seconds.