Boys Tennis Looking Forward to New Season

by Doug Wells
After losing half of the varsity team, Boys Tennis hopes to make a strong run in the FCIAC and State tournaments this year. The team is led by senior captains Malcolm Willis, Rupert Hansford, and Miller Schweizer. All three captains are returning to Varsity along with Juniors Britton Dailey, Cal Kevorkian and Sophomore Ryo Usami. Due to the vast number of graduating seniors in the previous year there were many spots for underclassman to step up and play on varsity. After the tryouts were conducted Juniors Charlie Khachian, Gavin McNulty and Sophomores Will McCoy, Dominic Hansford, DJ Brown, and Jeffrey Sload were selected to join the varsity team. “The underclassmen look promising and hopefully we will be able to make a good run in FCIAC’s” Malcolm Willis said. Come support the Blue Wave in its matches during the season.

Pictured: Senior Captain Malcolm Willis

Girls Lacrosse lose in Pre-Season games

By Shelby Penfield - The Darien Girls Varsity Lacrosse team went up against Chatham and Yorktown in a scrimmage this past Saturday. The girls were able to start the season off well even though they were defeated by both opposing teams. Darien lost to Yorktown by one goal and to Chatham by three. With Chatham being one of the top ranked teams in the Northeast, DHS did very well for their first game of the season. The secret to Chatham’s success is their eight juniors who have already committed to Division 1 schools for lacrosse. The team also has had more practice and games this season, with their game against Darien being the seventh game played so far. Yorktown as well has already had about three weeks of games and practices. With more playing time, Darien will surely catch up to these opponents sometime during the season. Despite the loss, Darien’s defensive players played an especially good game, it overall being “a great start to the season”, according to senior goalie Claire Dickson. Be sure to check out the team’s next game at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, where they will have an away game against Hotchkiss.

Season in Review: Ski Team

Darien, CT. March 16, 2010 – The Darien High School Ski Awards Banquet was held last night to celebrate another successful season. The Most Valuable Players for the season voted by their teammates were Meg Del Col for the third year in a row and Brady Collins (pictured). Meg led the Girls’ team to a successful 13 wins and 5 losses for the season and a 4th place finish in the Class S Division and 7th place overall in the March 3 Connecticut Interscholastic League State Championship held at Mt. Southington. Brady Collins led the Boys’ team to a respectable season with 12 wins and 10 losses and a 3rd place finish in the Class S Division and 10th place overall in the Connecticut Interscholastic League State Championship.
The girls’ times in the Championships were Meg Del Col (Co-captain) 47.85, Fay Rizzuto 51.05, Natalie Rowe (Co-captain) 54.10, Allison Graham 54.78, Kailin Edgar 56.45, Dana Howe (Co-captain) 60.20, Kendall Kyritz 62.48, Kyle McCoy 73.05, Abby Howe DSQ, and Kelsey Edgar DSQ.
The boys’ times in the Championships were Will McCoy 50.68, Peter Del Col 51.34, Brady Collins (Co-captain) 51.40, Chris Brophy (Co-captain) 56.40, Andy Mogenson 56.58, Nick Wolf 56.59, Graham Lesco 58.40, Conner Nackley 62.47, Alex von Steulpnagel 63.19, and Jose Corte-Real 65.92
Co-captain Brady Collins along with Jose Corte-Real are seniors graduating from the Boys’ team.
Departing seniors for the Girls’ team are Co-captains Meg Del Col, Natalie Rowe and Dana Howe along with Kendall Kyritz, Kyle McCoy, and Lizzy McArthur.
The Boys’ team elected Chris Brophy, Will McCoy and Andy Mogenson co-captains for the 2011-2012 season. The Girls’ team elected Kailin Edgar and Fay Rizzuto co-captains for the 2011-2012 season.
Coach Brian Zeyer said, “Meg and Brady certainly deserve the MVP awards. They had outstanding times in all the races this season and set great examples for the other team members.
Assistant Coach Marc Power said, “The team members provided great support for their teammates all season long and I couldn’t be more proud of their effort during the season and the Championship races.”

Spring Sports Profile: Amanda Sommi—Girls Varsity Lacrosse

Submitted by: Lily Boe

Amanda Sommi, a junior at Darien High School, is thrilled for the upcoming girl’s lacrosse season. Amanda plays low attack, and has since middle school. Last year as a sophomore, she was on the varsity team. This year, she hopes to be able to still be able to have a positive effect on the team.
Amanda is a two-season athlete; she also plays on varsity volleyball in the fall. This winter, she has been playing club volleyball, however, she has still miraculously made time to prepare for lacrosse. She has been practicing for the 2011 season with clinics twice a week and Sunday scrimmages. To keep in shape, she also exercises on her own time by going running.
“One of my specific goals this year is to really make an impact for our team and help continually push ourselves towards our goals, both on and off the field,” Amanda said.
Amanda says that the team surely has aspirations of winning states and FCIACS this year. While she says that is going to require a lot of work and endurance to for the girls get where they want to be this season, she is sure that all of her hard-working team members are willing to do what it takes to accomplish their goals.
This year the varsity lacrosse captains are seniors Emma Tuz and Emma Getsinger. The season officially starts this Monday (3/21), but the first scrimmage is away against Chatham, New Jersey on Saturday, March 26, at 11 a.m. Come check out Amanda and the rest of Blue Wave Girl’s Lacrosse!

Boys Swim/Dive place Second at States

Lifting for Grace

By Ben Preston: On March 11th, three high schools met at the DHS weight room for the Lifting for Gracie competition. Darien, Brian McMahon, and Weston high schools met to raise money for The RE, Rasmussen’s Encephalitis, Children’s Project. The four lifting categories were Bench Press, Squat, Clean, and the Iron Man Club. Wave football was able to raise $13,000 for the charity while also taking home 24 individual trophies and the overall team trophy for the Lift-A -Thon. Darien put up 10,910 pounds, Brien McMahon 10,270 pounds, and Weston 9,235 pounds.

Darien High School Basketball Captains

Yesterday, (3/17) juniors Matt Lee and Geoff Leeker were named to be captains of the 2011-2012 boys' basketball season. Congratulations to both of them.

Softball Preview

By Caitlin Shea - Spring is just around the corner, and the softball team is more than ready to begin their season. This year the team has an all-star short stop returning, as well as a group of extremely talented juniors, Courtney Bell, Kelly Fahey, Olivia Gozdz, and one of the best FCIAC pitchers, Jessica DeMaio.
Last year the team had a winning record of 18-6 and ended the championship season with a loss in the FCIAC semi-finals and the second round of states. Junior all-star pitcher Jessica DeMaio said “We need to play our game every time we step onto that field. Every game is going to be a battle. In particular, senior day against Westhill will be a good one to catch.”
During the off season the team has been working hard in the weight room to stay in shape. Senior Captain and all-star short stop Nicole Buch said “If we stay healthy, I think we are going to be very good. We have many players returning with varsity experience, one of the best pitchers in FCIAC and a group of talented freshman to fill the holes. We are expecting a lot of wins and setting the goals very high.”
This year some of the main goals for the team include playing in the FCIAC and State games. The season doesn’t start for a few more weeks, but Nicole is confident that the season will be a success. “The softball team is a group of motivated athletes who love the sport. Nicole said, we also have the best coaching staff in the league.”
The season officially begins on March 21st and the girls first game is at home on Wednesday, April 6th against Bassick. Come watch the girls in their battle to win the FCIAC and state title!

Spring Preview: Girls Outdoor Track

Posted by McKinley Stauffer. On March 21st, the 2011 Girls Outdoor Track Team will begin practice for its upcoming spring season. The captains for Girls Track this year are Megan Keane, Caroline Kapustinski, Alex Iqbal, Charlotte Phillips, and Lee Bolton. According to Steve Norris, the Girls Track Coach, every single senior that participated in the Indoor season will be returning for Outdoor. Norris is excited that the team will be led by dedicated senior players. This season also brings about some unexpected changes for the spring distance team. Coach Kate Lyons will not be leading the distance team this year. She is taking a break from coaching during the Outdoor season and will hopefully be returning next year. The team now welcomes Mr. Dave Ott, junior distance runner Meredith Ott’s father, to be the new distance coach for Darien. According to sophomore Grace Loh, "The girls distance team is coming off a great indoor season so we hope to improve during outdoor and we're really excited that Mr. Ott is going to be our coach!" If you are interested in competing this year in Girls Outdoor Track contact Coach Norris for more information on the upcoming season.

Skating at DHS

By Ben Preston - Senior Sisters Lauren and Ashley Snow helped their Skyliners synchronized skating team win the Junior Division of the US Synchronized Skating Championships held in Ontario, California on March 2-5. They were the last to compete in an 11 team field and were awarded a season’s best score of 63.37. The Junior Team now heads to Neuchatel, Switzerland to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships.

Bowtell Claims 4th and Qualifies for State Opens

Out of the 27 divers at Class M States last night Jake Bowtell missed 3rd place by just under 3 points coming in 4th and automatically qualifying for Connecticut State Opens next week. Annie Archibald, also a sophomore, came 25th missing the finals by the narrowest of margins.

Boys Hockey loses in OT

Boys Hockey loses in OT to Prep 2-1 to end their season with a devastating defeat in the State opening round

Ski Team State Results

Girls Skiing finished in 7th for States.
Boys Skiing finished in 10th for States.
Both Teams faced icy conditions and did not perform up to their regular season standings. Junior Kailin Edgar said, "We had a lot of girls fall and other people took caution during their run because of the awful conditions." (pictured) Senior Captain, Brady Collins, said, "We didn't do as well as we could have done." (also pictured)

Softball Preview

By Shelby Penfield - The girls’ varsity softball team will start off the season with senior captain Nicole Bush leading the way (another captain is yet to be named before the start of the season). This is Nicole’s second year as varsity captain as well as her second year starting shortstop. Last year the team advanced to the semi-finals in FCIAC’s where they lost to Westhill 1-0. They also made it to the second round of States before losing to Windsor 1-0. “This year we have a strong group of returning players with years of varsity experience,” said senior captain Nicole Bush. The team will consist mostly of returning players; however, there will be a few newcomers to the varsity level.
Coach DeMaio prepares the team for the spring season all year and continues to push them to their full potential by holding practices every day for the first few weeks of the season. The team practices three and a half hours a day. Practice consists of a mix between cardio and skills; the team hits off of pitching machines to practice their batting. They also run drills to practice catching both ground balls and fly balls. With this much practice, the team is surely going to make an impact on FCIAC’s and States this year. “Our goal every year is to win the FCIAC's and State tournament. We strive to be one of the elite teams in the league and our goal is to give it our all every game,” said Bush.
With tough opponents out there, including Trumbull, St. Josephs and Westhill, the games are always extremely competitive. However, they are a few key players who will surely ensure success this spring season. Junior Jessica DeMaio is returning to her second year starting “on the mound” along with juniors Courtney Bell (third base), Olivia Gozdz (catcher), and Kelly Fahey (first base) who will return as three-year varsity starters.

Boys Volleyball Preview

By Sara Shaker - Spring is well on its way, and with the warmer weather comes new sports’ seasons. The Boy’s Volleyball team has high expectations for this year. With the leadership of Senior captains Calder Billhardt and Austin Cockerill, the team is sure to be successful. Key players include Juniors Sam Bryant, Matt Lee, and Tommy Nicholls, and Sophomore Sean Lee. Coming off of a loss in the FCIAC Finals and a loss in the State Semi-Finals last year Bryant said, “We’ll take FCIAC’s this year. Last year we didn’t know what we were capable of.”
After making it to the FCIAC playoffs for the first time, the team was surprised to lose in the finals. “But we were also surprised we made it that far,” said Bryant.
“The team is a close, nit group of young gentlemen, which will definitely help our chemistry on the court this season,” said Matt Lee.
With the help of Coach LaRusso, the team is determined to reach their potential. “I’ve got high hopes for us this season,” said Matt Lee. “FCIAC and State Championships are definitely in reach.”
The team starts off the season with its first game against Joel Barlow on April 6th at home at 5PM.

Close Twins Help Huskies Capture Championship

By Kevin Cassidy -
The Huskies captured the Girls 9-12 House Championship on Friday night with a 24-13 victory over the rival Cavaliers. The Huskies were lead by the great play of senior twins Maggie and Emily Close. "We played well as a team, and during the second half we really started to rebound and shoot well," Maggie said. Emily explained, "The deciding factor was definitely our defense. Everyone did a great job double teaming and helping out. Orange [the Cavaliers] gave us a good game." The Close twins accounted for almost half of the teams points. The Huskies finished its championship season with a final record of 10-2. Junior Charlotte Peters chimed after the win, "There was no doubt we were going all the way all year." Congratulations to the Huskies on a great season!

Spurs Win House Championship

Graham Maybell and Ben Preston led the Spurs to a 44-39 victory friday night (3/4) to win the 11-12 House Championship. They defeated Tony Britton's Thunder to capture the title. The spurs got key contributions from Ben Lowdon and Peter Barston and really proved they had more depth than the Thunder, who heavily relied on Britton. The Spurs were coached by senior, Andrew Hurn, for the Championship game. The Spurs finished with an overall record of 8-4 and the Thunder finished with a record of 7-4.

House Finals in Action Tonight

The Boys and Girls House Basketball Championship Games will be held tonight at DHS. Check back later for the final results.

PLAYOFFS? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS??

By Matt House Brown - House Playoffs

The much anticipated House playoffs seemingly lived up to expectations. While the dominant top three teams in the league: the Heat, the Bucks, and Knicks lost to nobody but themselves. There was a plethora of excitement and upsets just below the top.
This excitement can mostly be credited by a miracle run by the Bulls. In there first match up, they faced the Wizards. A team that is not a tremendous opponent, but the Bulls had shown little reason to believe in them. However, the Bulls showed themselves as a completely different team. Unified by their losses and coach, Mr. Cohen, and rejuvenated by the late arrival of Chris Chiamulera, they played the Wizards extremely well. At the end of the game, either team could of won but the Wizards failed to get it done and the Bulls prevailed. They received their first playoff loss against the Heat, a match up where the Bulls were simply out-manned. To continue the miracle run, they stunned the Raptors. Filled with confidence they then beat up on the Celtics. The run was put to an end by the Knicks who proved they were just too strong no matter how unified the Bulls were.
While the Bulls showed the league that playing as a team can beat teams with talent, the top of the league stayed un-scraped, the Heat beat everyone they saw, the closest of the three games being against the Knicks. Where they only won by 6 points. The Bucks started the playoffs well with wins over the Bobcats and Celtics. However, they then dropped two in a row to the two strongest teams in the leagues: the Heat and the Knicks. The Knicks glided through the playoffs much like the Heat, with only one loss which came from the Heat.
That leaves the championship as the Heat versus the Knicks. In the first match up, the Heat came away with a victory by 6. The game felt closer than the score as defenses flexed their muscles and offenses scratched away at the scoreboard. The Knicks competed fiercely even without their Sophomore starter Jack Travers. He is still a little dinged up but will play in the championship, look for this to make a difference down the stretch. The Knicks are led by Craig Lamantia, if not by points then by passing and pure experience. The Heat’s leader, Jackson Whiting, might pose an even greater threat than Craig, with an uncanny ability to put the team on his back and the ball in the net.
Although both teams have potent offensive attacks I look for this one to be a low scoring defensive struggle. Since I’m on the Heat I can’t really pick a team, but I truly believe that this one will come down to the wire and whoever wins will deserve the shirts. If you have no Friday plans (bummer) stop by the Main Gym at 7 PM.

Blue Wave Swim and Dive takes Fourth at FCIAC

By: Kevin Cassidy-On Thursday night in a packed Greenwich High, the Darien Boys Varsity Swim and Dive team team competed in its FCIAC Finals. The team walked away in fourth place, behind Greenwich, New Canaan, and West Hill. DHS senior captain Chris Weihs told Neirad, "This was the most successful FCIAC finish in recent years". Weihs went on to say, "The team really stepped up this year". Weihs himself had a great meet, finishing in fifth place in the 200 Freestyle and fourth place in the 100 Freestyle. Other notable performances by the Wave included senior captain Jake Greene, as well as sophomores Tyler Gould and James Baker. Greene had a personal best in the 500 Freestyle (20 Laps!), posting a time of 4:46.73. Gould had an impressive third place finish in the 50 Freestyle. Baker was able to place in sixth in both of his personal events. The final standings in the meet came down to the final race. Darien went in trailing to Ridgefield by one point. The relay team of Weihs, Greene, Gould, and Baker would place third in the final race to secure the 4th place finish, and in doing so were also able to post a recored for the 400 Freestyle Relay event. The next stop for the Boys Swim and Dive team the the State Championship. (Caption: Chris Weihs, Jake Greene, James Baker, and Tyler Gould huddle together with their Coach before the final race)

DHS Girls Hockey Season Comes to an End After State Semi-Finals Loss

By Katherine Minion - On Wednesday night, the DHS Girls Varsity Hockey team lost in the state semi-finals game against Ridgefield. This loss marked the end of the team’s season. The final score of the game was 5 to 0, but Darien put up a strong fight. After the game, senior captain Lauren Perkins said, “Wave Puck did it on ‘em.” Despite a sad end to the season, the team performed very well this winter. “Every single player on the team stepped up. Nobody thought we would come this far and the season couldn’t have gone any better,” Perkins said. The team is looking forward to bringing its skill and team spirit back to the ice next winter.

FCIAC FINALS TONIGHT FOR BOYS SWIMMING

6:30 AT GREENWICH. 

LETS GO BLUE WAVE

Spurs Beat Mavs to Advance to Finals

By Darius Majd - The Darien YMCA Basketball League has been a hot topic among Darien High School sports enthusiasts this year, thanks in large part to the commitment of DHS seniors. On Wednesday night (3/2) in the DHS South Gym, House Basketball fans got the match up they had been hoping for as soon as the playoff brackets were announced: Mavericks vs. Spurs. On top of being two of the best teams in the league during the season, the Mavericks and the Spurs were also two of the most senior laden teams (7 of 9 players for the Mavericks, and 6 of 8 for the Spurs), making them instant fan favorites.

The game did not disappoint, and as expected, the seniors came up big in an effort to preserve the organized basketball careers: seniors scored 97 of the 99 points (Spurs junior Jim Anderson logged the other two points). The Spurs jumped out to an early double-digit lead thanks to three consecutive and-one lay ups. But the Mavericks found success driving through the paint, and closed the gap; the first half ended with the Spurs clinging to a 23-22 lead. Mavericks took their first lead of the night by putting in the first basket in the second half, but the Spurs immediately responded with a huge run to establish another double-digit lead. Spurs seniors Ben Preston and Graham Maybell were the catalysts, with Preston finishing easy buckets in transition, and Maybell nailing tough jump shots. Although the Spurs kept up the pressure with a fast-paced run-and-gun offense, the Mavericks were not ready to fold; seniors Tyler Pruden, Parker Lange, and Ricky Miller had huge success penetrating the usually stout Spurs defense. Unfortunately, many of their shots did not fall. Another problem was that the Mavericks were constantly fouled, preventing consistent two-point possessions. But the biggest issue was the Mavericks’ inability to free up sharp-shooting senior sparkplug Sam Nelson (especially in the final minutes, when the team needed a rally). The teams traded points down the stretch, and the Spurs claimed the victory 53-46.

Although Preston and Maybell provided star power, the other Spurs seniors – Alex “Elmo” McGuire (10 points), Darius Majd (6 points), and Ben Lowden (4 points, and plenty of rebounds) – were key in the second half. McGuire said of the game: “Our team flowed like a single, cohesive machine, which allowed us to drop bombs from outside and pound it into the paint. The Mavericks were left stunned and defeated.” Although defeated, the Mavericks showed plenty of heart. Their seniors deserve to be acknowledged and congratulated: Parker Lange, Ricky Miller, Tyler Pruden, Sam Nelson, Rupert Hansford, Kevin Keller, and Reid Evanich.

With the win, the Spurs advance to the House Basketball Championship Game. They will face the Thunder in a rematch of the Winners’ Bracket Finals played before break (won by the Thunder 43-40), on Friday (3/4) at 9 p.m. in the DHS Main Gym.

5's a Tree

By Kevin Cassidy - Students from both New Canaan and Darien packed into Terry Connors Ice Rink to watch the Darien Blue Wave faced off against the New Canaan Rams in the boys FCIAC Hockey Semifinals. The Blue Wave was put to the test against an undefeated New Canaan team and held its own. The Blue Wave and the Rams played the first two periods to a scoreless deadlock. The game saw great action at both ends of the ice. Darien's star goalie junior Max Rothston made many great saves to keep the Rams scoreless, including two beautiful glove saves on New Canaan rushes. The game remained 0-0 until midway through the third period when New Canaan Star Reed Harper banged in a rebound past a sprawling Rothston. "The team played well. It always hurts to loose to New Canaan, though," Junior Hank Glick said. The Blue Wave continued to pester the New Canaan goalie but was unable to get a goal. The Blue Wave will next head into the Division One CIAC State Championship Tournament.

Spurs advance to Finals over Mavs

Seniors, Ben Preston and Graham Maybell led the Spurs in scoring as they won 53-46 and play the Tony Britton and the Thunder this Friday night (3/4) at 9pm. Darius Majd played great defense and Elmo Mcguire does a great job facilitating the basketball for the Spurs.

Senior Shot Blocker Ben Preston on House: “House basketball is life”

By Colin Shay -
Ben Preston may have scored hundreds of points this season, but those are just the stats. This senior’s devotion to house basketball goes beyond the scores. “House basketball is life,” he said. “House is my escape from the real life.”
Preston describes his finest moment in the season as dunking on the Lakers on Valentine’s Day. In that particular game, Preston led the Spurs to a 40-38 win, scoring 22 points for his team.
Fellow house players have nothing to say about Preston but compliments. Senior Alex Bruno said, “B-Pres is one of the best big men in the league. He’s always having fun, always getting rebounds. He’s just a great all around player.”
Teammate Darius Majd, senior, said, “No words can describe what it’s like to play alongside Ben Preston.”
Preston’s future aspirations include playing the Mavericks, because “each player has good talent.” He said that he respects senior Ashwin Basu: “He’s got the best vision in house, but he couldn’t beat me.”
Preston’s team, the Spurs, will play tonight against the Mavericks at 8:30 at DHS south gym to attempt to get into the championships on March 4th.

Boys Lax is Back at DHS

Kevin Cassidy-This past week Inside Lacrosse posted its preseason national rankings for the 2011 Boys High School Lacrosse season. The Blue Wave was ranked number three in the country behind Haverford and Garden City (the Blue Wave will play Haverford in PA on 4/16). Following the 19-3 season last year, the Blue Wave hopes to improve on last season. We wish the team luck in the upcoming season which opens up with its first game on April 6th against St. Joseph-Trumbull.