High Hopes for Boys' Swim Team

-By Ian Sullivan-

After an impressive 7-3 record last year and placing third in the grueling FCIAC conference, the boys' swim team hopes to continue its legacy through the 2009/2010 season. After the departure of senior captains Sam Archibald, Peter Waters, Phil Treesh, and Robby Nevin, seniors Wesley Dean and William Plunkett have assumed their captaining roles. “We lost some strong point scoring seniors last year, but we are looking to increase our depth this year with our many incoming freshman. I know we look good out of the pool, but how we do this year depends on how we look in the pool,” Dean said. Although their season doesn’t begin until early December, many swimmers have participated in the swimming program offered by the YMCA that was recommended by Coach Matt Czaplicki. The recent success of the girls swim team finishing first in both FCIACS and States, has fueled the boys swim team to match its accomplishments in the coming months.

Picture Info: Senior captain William Plunket (center) in the pool along with co captain Wesley Dean standing before the block. Photo by Grant Nelson.

A Not Very Happy Thanksgiving for the Blue Wave: Turkey Bowl

-By: Jack Bushell-

In a low scoring game, Darien lost to New Canaan in the annual Turkey Bowl with a score of 14-7. The game was played at New Canaan High School on an overcast day. The Wave's defense played extremely well. The team recorded a sack, many tackles for losses and some big hits, most notably by juniors Peter McDonough and Jarrett Gatling. Darien ran the ball more often than throwing it, even on long 3rd down plays. However, this running pattern may have lost the game for the Wave. After the first half, New Canaan shut down the run, stopping Darien's offense. New Canaan had a great special team day with a blocked field goal and great punt coverage. The Rams' special teams kept Darien from scoring and was a major factor in the Wave's loss. The turning point came in the 4th quarter when senior kicker John Gardner put his knee down to field a poorly snapped punt attempt (in high school football when a player's knee goes down, that is where the ball is down as well). This gave the Rams great field position inside the Wave's 30-yard line and the Rams easily capitalized on the possesion. The Wave seemed to come back strong with senior captain George Benitez hitting junior Anthony Donato for a couple big pass plays. The Wave was inside the Ram's five-yard line when they forced a fumble and Benitez gave the ball back to the Rams sealing the game and the season for the Blue Wave.

Freshman Diver Breaks Two Hands

-By Samantha Wood-

Freshman diver Caroline Ashcraft has sustained two broken hands, 10 popped knuckles, and several cut fingers after one dive went wrong at the Connecticut State Open Meet in Hamden last weekend. The accident happened during her reverse one-and-a-half tuck dive on Nov 20. As of now it is unclear how long Ashcraft will be out of action. For the full story on Ashcraft’s injury, see Neirad Enilno live Dec. 1.

Girls Volleyball 'Sets' Up State Win

-By Charles Spivey-

Girls' varsity volleyball team dominated Farmington High School 3-0 to win yet another state title in class L in Berlin, Conn on Saturday. (11/21) This victory brings the girls a 25th straight game this season in which they have won by a score of 3-0. (Saying they dominated the competition would be an understatement!) Volleyball ends the season 25-0 under coach Laurie LaRusso. With just Corrine Somni, Sarah Gorski, and Colby Billhardt graduating the team is likely to once again be a dominant force next fall. That is not say these three senior captains presence won’t be missed in 2010.
(picture supplied DHS home page)

Jumping Trio Tries Triple

-By: Dan Campbell-

Besides moving up to the Class L division this year, the boys' indoor track team will be faced with another change this season. For the first time in school history, the boys will have the opportunity to participate in the triple jump. "The triple jump is a three step approach where the runner hops, steps, and then jumps into the sand pit" junior Kevin Keller (pictured) said. Keller will be one of the three triple jumpers along with fellow junior Stockton McMullin and senior Brent Eppley, both of whom are captains this season. The basic idea of the event is to use the "hop" and "step" phases of the jump to gain more speed and power, making the final "jump" fly further. Due to the fact that this is the inaugural year for the triple jump, whichever jumper has the longest jump will be the school record holder. McMullin said the three were "planning to do really well in the jumping events and all have pretty good jumping skills, so we're excited to compete for the record."

Sean Gill Prepares for Indoor Season

-By: Mikel Marku-

Senior track captain Sean Gill has high expectations for this year’s indoor track season, which kicks off this month. This is Sean’s first season as a captain. Sean (pictured right) hopes to pass on what he learned from past captains to get the Blue Wave its 8th consecutive FCIAC East championship. But there are big challenges with the move to the more competitive L division. “Moving to Class L makes the qualifying times are a lot harder to get, so that means we are going to have to work that much harder to get people into states,” Sean said. Another goal for the team is for the Wave to beat New Canaan. “It’s very important to beat them,” Sean said. The Wave’s first meet is December 19th at Wilton.

A Sweet 3-Peat for Field Hockey

-By: Jack Bushell-

Girls' field hockey snagged its third straight state title against New Canaan 3-0 on Saturday(11/21)! This is the team's third title in three years. The game took place in Wethersfield Conn. Both teams had to travel quite far, but it was worth it for the Blue Wave. Prior to this win, the girls had also just won the FCIAC title as well: better make room in the trophy case! The team went 22-0 during the entire season only giving up five goals during that stretch. The offense also played a huge role as the team scored 104 times. Senior Aimee Rich was the core of the defense shutting out the opponent 18 times, which is more games that some of the other teams have won. The entire defense only let the opponent shoot 72 shots on goal for the season, meaning when the opponent shoots they only have a 14.4% chance of scoring. Defense definitely wins championships as proven by the field hockey team. Congrats girls!!!

(picture taken by Steve Buono)

Field Hockey Gears up for Third Straight State Title

-By: Darius Majd-

For the second year in a row, the Darien Blue Wave field hockey team will enter the CIAC class M state championship as the undefeated favorites this weekend. The 18-0 Blue Wave will face off against top rivals New Canaan Rams. The Wave handed the 15-2-1 Rams their only two losses of the season, and neither were close. In the regular season, the Blue Wave prevailed 4-1, giving up one of only five goals they have conceded this year. The second contest, in the FCIAC championship, was just as one-sided as the Wave trounced the Rams 3-0.

The finals will take place on Saturday at 10am at Wethersfield High School in Weathersfield Conn.

Pictured: Senior Captain Anna Heck

Breakaway Talent Hits the Ice

-By Sam Nelson-

Junior Doug Miller(pictured) is moving fast up the DHS hockey ranks. He will join senior Mike Foresta as assistant captain on the team this month. It took a lot of work to get to this position. Doug has been playing defense in hockey since he was five. Doug’s first real experience came at just eight years of age on the Mite B travel team. Looking up to Joe Sakic, a former player for his favorite NHL team the Colorado Avalanche, Doug made his way to the top. Fast forward to 2009: “the goal for this year is to win FCIACs and to win States.” Looking for Doug on the ice will not be very hard, as he is number 24, and a great defender. Doug loves his position of defense he likes making the long breakout pass and creating a breakaway for his team.
You can check this ice star out at the first game on Dec. 16, at 6 pm against Hamden High School at Hamden Rink. The first home game takes place Dec. 23 at 8:30 pm against Trinity Catholic High School at Darien Ice Rink.

Gymnastics Gearing Up

-By Laura Durham-

Junior gymnastics captain Charlotte Morgan has had to overcome quite a lot before her reign has even begun this month. There will only be 10 girls competing this year. The squad lost seven graduating seniors, and there are only five incoming freshmen: Lauren Medwid, Andrea Tishman, Caroline Congdon, who will serve as manager due to injury, Beau Taylor, and Marya von Schmidt will be joining the team this year. Also, when they begin to practice on Nov. 30, the gymnastics will need to transition to a new coaching style. Middlesex Middle School gym teacher Tovah Vincent who has been the coach for the past several years unfortunately moved further upstate. Selina Tavella, also the Weston High School coach, was hired to coach the girls. Charlotte believes Coach Tavella will help the team run smoothly. The gymnastics team will have under a month to prepare for their season because their first competition is on December 22. Neirad wishes all of the girls a safe and successful season!

Girls' Swimming Wins States

-By Kevin Cassidy-

The Girls' Varsity Swim Team won States on Tuesday night. (11/17) The team competed on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University for the CIAC Class M Championship. After a close loss to Wilton last year the Blue Wave was able to take back the championship. The girls slipped past New Canaan with a score of 873.5 to 840. Junior standout Lindsey Tyler said “We really wanted to do it for the seniors”.
The team was lead by seniors Katie Orem, Sam Berizzi, Katie Rohn, Cali Ceglarski, Paige Gasparino, and Kelsey Harrison who all picked up big points in the Blue Wave victory. We congratulate the team on their FCIAC and CIAC victories.

Blue Waves Hockey Beats Westport

Blue Wave Fall Hockey Team beat Staples High School with a final score of 4-2 on Saturday. The game was played at Terry Connors Ice Rink in Norwalk. Darien came out flying with a quick goal scored by junior Christian Nielsen off of a two on one fore-check. Continuing the assault on the Staples' goaltender, junior Garren Fritz followed up five minutes later with a breakaway goal, ending the first period with Darien on top 2-0. After making his way through four opposing players, senior Luke Shea dialed in a backhanded goal at the start of the second period. The puck seemed to remain in Staples' zone for the remainder of the period, and with three minutes remaining sophomore John Baker sniped a shot to close the period on a high note for Darien. With the help of some unfortunate penalties, Staples managed to capitalize and score two goals during the third period, ending the game with a score of Darien -4, Staples -2. Next week Darien gets a by to the semi-finals against a team that has not yet been named.

Turkey Bowl Next Week

-By Ben Preston-

Thanksgiving Day won’t just be a day for stuffing and turkey, but also for the fiercest rivalry in Connecticut football. With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Blue Wave is preparing for its toughest test: New Canaan. Varsity football must win its last two games to make States. New Canaan’s perfect season was ruined by Bridgeport Central last weekend. This means Darien has to capitalize on the success Central had over the advanced passing attack of New Canaan. “We need to shut down the pass game. Our secondary needs to play well. They have done a great job causing turnovers and can hold New Canaan,” junior Anthony Donato (pictured) said. Anthony believes the defense can hold New Canaan’s offense to little points while Darien’s run game will take control of the game. “The offense has been rolling son, we got to be nice. Got to score some points,” Anthony said.
Be sure to check out the Thanksgiving game on Nov. 26. The game kicks off 10:30am at Dunning Stadium in New Canaan. Tickets will be on sale at the front desk beginning Thursday morning. (11/19) The cost is $3 students; $5 adults; seniors citizens are free.

Indoor Track Prepares for the Season Ahead

-By: Justin Pryor-

Indoor track and field may not officially start until after Thanksgiving, but the captains are already in full preparation mode. Senior captains Brandon Tripodi (pictured) , Sean Gill, Jake McCauley, Brent Eppley and junior Stockton McMullin are getting ready for the official start on Nov. 30.
The biggest change for the team this year is that indoor track will now compete in the class L division because of the bigger freshman class, instead of the smaller class MM division. This new L division is for schools with larger a student population. Tripodi said his role as captain will be to help the boys train harder in the upcoming days before the season begins to meet the new challenges of the tougher L division.
Brandon said the team has good potential with “good distance, middle, and short distance runners.” Brandon also said that “what would make us a better team is if we could get more kids in the school to do the other events [shot put, high jump, long jump, and pole vault].”

Darien Shuts Down Norwalk

-By: Brian Curry-

In front of a small crowd on a wet Saturday night (11/14) at Norwalk High School, Darien football held on to defeat Norwalk 22-3. The big win improves Darien’s record to 7-2 overall and 6-2 in the FCIAC division. The win also marks the Wave’s sixth straight win after getting off to a disappointing 1-2 start. Senior quarterback George Benitez had a solid day, rushing for a single eight-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and also icing the game for Darien on a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide-out Alex Wildish in the fourth quarter. Darien’s defense held Norwalk to a lone three points for the entire game, and was the key to its the victory. The defense also forced Norwalk turnovers, and also forced two safeties on errant Norwalk snaps, one in the first quarter and another in the fourth. The win not only keeps the Wave’s playoff hopes alive, but also gives Darien added momentum heading into its next contest, the big showdown against the New Canaan Rams. That game will take place at 10am on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, at New Canaan High School.

Girls' Swim and Dives Heads to States

-By Katherine Minion-

The Darien Girls' Swim and Dive moves onto the Class M State Championships on Tuesday. (11/15) They will go up against archrival New Canaan at an event held on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University. A big factor in helping the Darien girls beat New Canaan is to perform well in the State trials on Saturday (11/14) and to get in the best heats possible for the championship meet. Junior swimmer Lindsay Tyler says, “We really want to keep it up since we won FCIAC’s, and New Canaan is our biggest competition.”

Pictured: Seniors Katie Orem, Cali Ceglarski, and junior Amy Sanborn. Photo courtesy Darien Times.

Girls' Varsity Soccer defeated in the first round of FCIACs

-By: Andi Cara-

Girls' varsity soccer went down to Fairfield Warde in the first round of the FCIAC tournament in double overtime this week. The game ended 3-1 with junior Georgie Highton scoring the lone goal off a pass from senior Rachel Kannigan on Monday (11/9). Junior goalie Charlotte Phillips dominated with a total of six saves in the net. However, the girls' efforts were not enough to ward off Warde on our home turf. Senior captain Liz Calby said "it was a really hard game and everyone worked their hardest but two overtimes were a lot." The girls returned home exhausted and disappointed but content with the hard work they put in this season.

Diving Puts 4 in top 10 at Class M Championship

-By: Jack Bushell-

After a strong win at the FCIAC meet, the girls' swim team divers competed in the Class M diving championship in Plainville on Thursday (11/12). Senior Alex Leinroth came away with the State Champion title when it was all said and done. Other strong finishers include junior Alexandra Ashcraft who finished 4th; freshman Caroline Ashcraft finished 5th and junior Adriana Baker finished 8th. The winning should continue next season with only Leinroth graduating in June. The entire swimming team will compete on Saturday (11/14) at Branford in the class M qualifying meet at 2pm. Congrats to the entire team in its successes so far this season.
(for more information on Alexandra Ashcraft please see http://darienps.org/neirad/0911lexi.php)

Field Hockey Wins in OT!

-By: Jack Bushell-

The Blue Wave made it to the next round of the state tournament on Thursday (11/12) with a win against the Wilton Warriors. The Wave won in double overtime with a score of 1-0 at home. The winning goal came from junior Ellie Riegel with junior Leslie Gill on the assist. The team had already beaten Wilton twice this season. Both games ended in a 3-0 score.

The Blue Wave saw a different Wilton team this week. "This was the most exciting field hockey game I have ever watched," DHS Athletic Director John Keleher said. In recent wins, the girls beat their opposition handily, with the goals against average amounting to .2 per game. The girls now face Daniel Hand High School from the shoreline town of Madison. The location has not been determined.

Girls' Swim Team Wins FCIAC Title

-By: Jack Bushell-

The girls' swim team won the FCIAC title beating favorite Greenwich at Greenwich High School this weekend. This was a big win on Saturday (11/7) since Greenwich has landed this title for the past 11 years. The Wave beat them by eight points. “It was a CRAZY win,” senior Tamaki Silver said just to keep it simple. Twelve seniors are on the team - a presence that will be missed next year. The swim team has always been close to the title but never won. Since Darien High School doesn’t have a pool it is hard for the girls to practice, unlike Greenwich where they have a pool on campus. This was no matter to the swim team who pulled off a great victory and a “crazy win”. Make sure to congratulate the girls and their coaches on a job well done.

McCauley Leads XC to Best Finish in State-Opens

-By: Jack Bushell-

Senior cross country captain Jake McCauley(pictured) cleaned up again on Friday. Boys cross country made its way to the State-Open race at Wickham Park in Manchester. The boys placed 9th: the best DHS has ever done in this statewide meet! McCauley led the team yet again placing 25th as an individual in the 5k race. 25th place is good enough for McCauley to run in the New England Championship (11/14) at Wickham Park. The winning team of the day was Xavier from Cromwell. The difference between the "state" and "state-open" race is that every team and person in the state is eligible to compete in a state-open race once meeting certain times. The best the boys had ever performed is 11th at this meet.

Congratulate McCauley and the rest of the cross country team of its great success this year.

Varsity Football Slams Westhill

-By: Meg Murphy-

The varsity football team has definitely stepped up its game in the second half of the season. The boys beat Westhill 37-0 this Saturday 37-0. (11/7) Senior quarterback George Benitez (pictured) scored 12 points, while junior Graham Maybell scored 6 points on the home turf. Sophomore Clay Barker ran the last touchdown adding an additional 6 points to the board. Senior kicker John Gardner completed 4 PATs and 3 field goals, making him the lead scorer of the game with 13 points. This win leaves the team with a 6-2 record.
Come watch the DHS football team at its final game before the Turkey Bowl this Friday night at Norwalk High School.

Volleyball Heads to FCIAC Final

-By: Jack Bushell-

The girls' volleyball team is in the FCIAC tourney yet again and looking to remain champs. After defeating Danbury 3-0 earlier this week, the team beat Staples at Ludlowe in the semi-final match on Thursday. (11/5) Senior captain Corrine Somi described the win as “not an easy win, they (Staples) did not give up like other teams do”. The DHS team is still pretty young with only three seniors on the squad: Corinne Sommi, Sarah Gorski and Colby Billhardt. The girls will face the winner of the Windsor/Woodstock game at 5pm at home on Thursday. (11/12) The team will put its skills to the test in the state tourney after the completion of the FCIAC.

Field Hockey Heads to States

-By Jay Alter and Kevin Cassidy-

The Blue Wave scored in the first three minutes on a goal by junior Ellie Riegel and never looked back. The girls defeated New Canaan 3-0 to clinch its third straight FCIAC Championship on Thursday. (11/5) Riegel scored two goals and junior Sophie Watters added one goal in the rainy match-up. Riegel went on to win the MVP award. Senior goalie Aimee Rich also pitched another shutout to help the Blue Wave. “It felt really good winning the game, we all worked really hard for this win, and we hope to do the same in States,” senior captain Taylor Wells said. (pictured) The Blue Wave now heads to the state tournament where they face the winner of the North Haven/Waterford game at home at 2pm on Tuesday. (11/10)

Girls' JV Loses to Westhill in Final Game

-By: Connor McCarthy-

The girls' JV soccer team met Westhill for its last game of the season on Monday at Middlesex Middle School. (11/2) They went in with a strong need to win, as Westhill knocked the Varsity team out of FCIACs on Oct. 29. Unfortunately, their ardent desire was not reflected in the first half. Stamford scored three goals early on. After a brief half time and a few motivational words from both JV coach Allyson Spencer and Varsity coach Jon Bradley, the girls stepped on to the field with feelings of passion and aggression that quickly paid off. Junior captain Lisa Randall (pictured) scored from the top of the box after a corner kick. Following the goal, Darien heightened its offensive attack while Stamford concentrated on defense and both teams held their own. The second half reflected a hard fought game and a final score of 3-1. While the loss was not a great way to end the season, the girls are proud of their playing in the second half and had a great overall season.

Girls' Field Hockey Continues Winning Streak

-By Claire Dickson-


The Darien Girls' Field Hockey added another win to its undefeated record on Tuesday (11/2), shutting out the Wilton Warriors in the FCIAC semi-finals. The first goal was scored early, in the first five minutes, by junior Sophie Doering off of a beautiful pass off of a corner from junior Sam Johnston, spurring the Wave girls to pick up its game even more. Junior Ellie Riegel scored the second goal of the first half on another corner, dodging past three Wilton players to score another goal for the team. With a good lead in the first half, the Wave focused on its passing game for the second. Their ability to successfully switch fields was fantastic and the girls' confidence scored. Finally, senior Anna Heck (pictured) finished the game off by driving the ball and scoring the team’s third goal. All in all, it was a great game for Darien, but they haven’t finished yet. They still need to beat their arch rival, New Canaan, in the FCIAC Finals on Thursday (11/4) at 6:00 pm in New Canaan.

Boys' XC Wins States

The Boys' Cross Country team accomplished a feat that no other team has done before. The Wave won the State Class MM Championship meet at Wickem Park last Saturday (10/31). Led by senior Jake McCauley, the Wave beat runner-up Guilford by 13 points. McCauley placed 2nd in the race. Also stepping up huge for Darien was senior Alex Reynoso. Junior John Conley fell during the first quarter mile of the race, yet, Reynoso saw this and ran a huge race. He placed 7th overall earning All-State honors along with McCauley. Rounding out the Wave finishers were Willem Sandberg, Charlie Baird, Michael Johnston, and David Watson. The Wave will take on the rest of the state in the State Open Championships this Friday, 2:00 PM, at Wickem Park. We wish the boy’s good luck with the rest of their success-filled season.