Softball Comes Out with another Win

By Sara Shaker - The Darien High School Girls’ Varsity Softball Team beat Ridgefield High School at Ridgefield 7-3 on Wednesday (4/27). The teams were tied 2-2 for the first four innings of the game. Finally, in the 5th inning, sophomore Emily Moscatello got a big hit to get the team’s momentum going. Later in the inning, Ridgefield intentionally walked senior captain Nicole Buch (pictured). Junior Jessica DeMaio got up to bat with the bases loaded and hit a double. Juniors Olivia Gozdz and Courtney Bell got hits, giving the team a big lead. With a double from junior Kelly Fahey the team was able to get a win. “It wasn’t our best game, but we pulled it together and came out with a W,” said Gozdz. The team’s next game is Friday (4/29) at home against Greenwich at 4PM. Come support the team in its car wash this Saturday (4/30) from 9AM to 12PM at the high school.

Darien Downs St. Anthony's with OT Goal

By Jay Alter - Junior, Tim Murphy, made his first start count as he put in the game winning goal to beat St. Anthony's last night. (4/27) St. Anthony's jumped out to an early lead, scoring three goals in the first two minutes and ended the first quarter with a 5-2 lead over the Blue Wave. Darien responded gaining their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter with help from junior, Case Matheis, and seniors, Richard Gregory, Ben Preston, Eric Parnon, and Graham Maybell who all put in goals. St. Anthony's tied the game with 1.8 seconds in regulation to force Overtime. In Overtime, the defense did their part led by Dylan Torey who had 14 saves on the day. Murphy won the game for the wave putting in the 9th goal of the game earning the 9-8 victory for the Wave. The Wave received their first "BIG WIN" of the year over St. Anthony's, coming after tough losses to Haverford, 11-5, and Manhasset, 10-7. The Blue Wave will now enter the heart of their FCIAC schedule. (Caption: Tim Murphy put the team on his back to score the OT victory for the Wave.)

Tennis Downs Trinity Catholic

-By: Doug Wells-

The Blue Wave Varsity Tennis Team beat Trinity Catholic yesterday with a final score of 7-0. Both doubles teams and the five single players dominated the play from the start to the end of the match. Junior Gavin Mcnulty played #1 singles for DHS and he beat his opponent with a final score of 6-0, 6-1. #2 singles, Ryo Usami, beat his opponent 6-0, 6-2. #3 singles, Cal Kevorkian, beat his opponent 6-0,6-1. #4 singles, Charlie Khachian, beat his opponent 6-0,6-0 and #5 singles Rupert Hansford, closed out the singles matches with a 6-0,6-1 win. The doubles teams had just as much success. Both teams won with a final score of 6-0,6-0. “The team played very well today and I hope to keep up the success” Senior Malcolm Willis said. Come support the next match against Fairfield Ludlowe 4/28 in Fairfield.

Girls’ Varsity Golf Defeats Ridgefield

-By: Katherine Minion-

The Darien High School Girls’ Varsity Golf Team won in a close match against Ridgefield High School at the Ridgefield Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon, April 26th. Darien had a final team score of 204 and Ridgefield had a final team score of 213. Senior captains Kendall Kyritz and Nicole Granath performed particularly well, along with sophomore Izzy Lee. Kyritz shot a 44, Granath shot a 53, and Lee shot a 48. “It was a beautiful day to play golf, and the girls who were able to attend the match definitely took advantage of the nice weather. However, I do think we can do better in future matches and hopefully lower the team differential,” Kyritz said. Granath also commented on the team’s performance at the match and said, “today’s match was by no means our best, but it was an improvement over our loss to Trumbull and I am confident that the team will continue to improve on our already strong start as the season progresses.” The DHS Girls’ Golf Team will be competing against Fairfield Warde at 3:10pm at the Smith Richardson Golf Course in Fairfield, this Thursday, April 28th. The two schools have not competed against each other in recent years, but the Fairfield Warde team is known to have some talented underclassmen and has beat many of the teams in the league this season.

Pictured: 4 of the golf team’s sophomores at the match

Wave Softball Gets Seventh Win Under the Lights

By Sam Wood -
Darien 9, Staples 3 - Olivia Gozdz has become an offensive Gozdz-illa.

“She is batting .750, she's already got 21 hits,” said Wave coach Nick DeMaio, with the girls blasting Staples 9-3 away on Monday. “Most good players, in a season, get 22 or 23 hits. Twenty-one hits — we're not halfway done yet.”

And in the game Monday night against Ludlowe, Gozdz was up to her old tricks. It was tied 3-3 after three innings when the Blue Wave, led by Gozdz, started to really get the bats going. Darien drove in the runs from there, scoring once in the top of the fourth for what stood up as the winner, adding two in each of the fifth and sixth and tacking another on in the seventh.

“From then on (in the fourth) we were able to hold them,” DeMaio said. “We're hitting much better this year.”

Each team had eight hits.

“And this is the difference this year,” said DeMaio. “Jessica (DeMaio) — 17 hits. Nicole Buch, 18 hits, Courtney Bell 10 hits. That's the difference right there.”

Staples was charged with five errors in the night game, Darien with none, and at the murky host field, where the lights can turn hit balls into phantoms of themselves.

“Our defense has been excellent,” DeMaio said. “You know, the lights are not the greatest there, and their defense struggled with it a bit. The outfielders got a poor jump.”

The Wave improves to 7-1 overall. Staples drops to 6-3, 5-3. Jessica DeMaio (7-1) had the win striking out five, walking three. Gozdz tripled and had two hits in all.

“Almost a home run, we were going to send her, there's no fence there,” DeMaio said of the three-base shot.

DeMaio doubled and drove in two runs, Emma Hamilton had two hits, Bell doubled, Kelly Fahey had a hit.

“So it's the usual cast of characters,” said Coach DeMaio.

Staples had taken a strong and previously undefeated St. Joseph on Thursday.

“And nobody saw that coming,” DeMaio added. “So they came into the game with high hopes of having a big season.”

Darien's hopes can stay high now too.

Source: http://www.darienps.org/sports/dhssoftball/

Explosive First Inning Leads to Sixth Win

Darien 14 , Fairfield Ludlowe 3 - "Our hitting was the story today," Coach Nick DeMaio told his girls after the home game on Wednesday (April 20). And he could not be more right. The Wave put together a 10-run first inning powered by junior Jessica DeMaio's two doubles in one inning. Olivia Gozdz (junior) continues to be the hottest hitter in the FCIAC with another 4-for-4 day at the plate with four RBIs. And junior Courtney Bell added two hits in the offensive explosion. Following Coach Demaio’s orders, the girls shut their opponent down in the first inning and never let up. Next the girls will face Staples High School under the lights at 7 pm tonight (April 25) at Greens Farms Elementary.

Boys Baseball lose 7-4

Boys Baseball lose 7-4 against Norwalk. They are 4-2 on the year after winning their first game, 31-0, over Bassick

Boys Lax falls to Haverford

Boys Lax falls to Haverford 11-5. Haverford is currently ranked #1 in the nation and the #2 ranked Blue Wave lost 11-5

#1 vs. #2

Darien Boys Varsity Lacrosse team is set to play Haverford today in the third annual Checking for Cancer Classic in Hanover, Pa. The Darien Blue Wave come in ranked number 2 in the country and the Haverford Fords come in ranked number 1. This matchup of the two best teams in the country is set to begin at 11:00 Saturday (4/16) morning. Check back later for final scores, stats, and player reactions.

Boys Lax keeps rolling

-By: Kevin Cassidy-
The Boys Varsity Lacrosse team faced off against Greenwich High School on Saturday (4/9). The Blue Wave walked away with a victory beating Greenwich by a score of 13-6. The boys were led by senior attack Ben Preston and Richard Gregory. Juniors Case Matheis and Bobby Weaver also chipped in with goals. Junior Connor McCarthy said "the team was really happy with the win. The boys next face off against Danbury on Tuesday (4/12) at 4:00 pm at DHS. We wish the boys luck for the rest of the season.

Varsity Squash Names Captains for 2011-2012

-By: Addison Thalhamer-

In the aftermath of nationals (2/11/11-2/13/11), the Darien High School varsity squash team voted on its captains for next year’s season. After tallying votes from March (3/19/11), the numbers revealed that captains for next year’s varsity co-ed team will be junior Kincade Webster, sophomore Dominic Hansford, and fellow sophomore Jonathan Gill. Captains for the girl’s squash team will be Jena Fritts, Holly Gordon, and Aastha Narula. Considering the varsity team’s loss of 7 of its top 9 players (on account of them being seniors), the team could be crippled for next season. However, hopes are high for the squash players with their nationally ranked captain Jonathan, who is currently number 7 in his age group of boys from age 15-16; Future captain Kincade remarked, “I'm hoping that with a young team we can still make an impact on nationals.” Next year, the varsity squash season will begin the week after Thanksgiving.

Boys Tennis Wins Opener

-By: Ben Preston-
The Darien boys tennis took its opening match 5-2 over Trumbull away on Wednesday April 6^th. Winning at singles for DHS were Charles Khachian 6-1, 6-4, Cal Kevorkian 6-4, 7-5, Rupert Hansford 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). At doubles Darien had victories from Malcolm Willis and Dominic Hansford 6-1, 6-2 and Miller Schweizer-Briton Dailey 6-3, 6-2.

DHS Track beats Wilton 77-73

On Thursday April 7th, the boys track team won its first meet at Darien High School against Wilton. Before the events started, a small service was held for Andy Pena, where the team held a moment of silence for him, reflecting on Andy’s time on the track team. Darien was able to hold off against Wilton, winning with a final score of 77-73. Junior Michael Johnston said, “It was the most epic meet we have ever had.” Darien had strong contributions from junior sprinter Matt Pik who won the four hundred yard sprint and the four by four hundred yard relay with his team. Junior distance runner Charlie Baird came in the second in the two mile and one mile run. The track team looks to continue this winning form in its next meet that will take place at Ridgefield against St. Joseph and Ridgefield on Tuesday April 12th.

Boys' Volleyball drowns Joel Barlow

-By: Kathryn Fitzmaurice-

Darien Boys Volleyball season is off to a great start with a win over Joel Barlow High School yesterday (4/7) At home at five PM. Darien was able to recover from some injuries of key players the week before and managed to keep the score ten or under for all three games. The first game ended with a 25-10 win. With crucial kills by Senior Calder Billhardt and Junior Sam Bryant, flawless serves by sophomore Sean Lee, and fast saves by Junior Matt Lee Darien was able to hold Joel Barlow at only five points with a score of 25-5 by the end of the second game. Darien’s precision and teamwork paid off in the third game. With the help of Senior Austin Cockerill who contributed kills and serves, and juniors Matt Collier and Ryan Stracuzzi both with essential serves and passes, Darien finished the game with a score of 25-7. The next game will be away against Daniel Hand High School today (4/8) at 4PM and again on Monday (4/11) away against Amity High School at 5PM.

Girls Lax starts Season with Loss

By Emily Close: The Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team suffered a 11 to 10 loss today to Suffern High School from New York. Today’s loss marked the first official game of the season for the wave; the team’s recent games have been scrimmages. Junior Catherine Lincoln and sophomore Kristy Gilbert were both key assets when keeping the ball in Darien’s possession as they took the draw after each goal. The girl’s started off strong and played that way till the end, senior Ellie Bullitt, freshman Emily Stein, and sophomore Taylor Hardison were few of the many contributors to the Wave’s 10 goals. Towards the end the girls made a few fouls that upset the balance on the field. Junior and defenseman Cammie Kirby said, “I think we had some great transitions in the midfield. Our defense was pretty good. We worked really well as a team but had a few fouls that helped Suffern in the end.” This game just slipped the grasps of the wave’s first victory, however, sophomore goalie Caylee Waters had several saves to keep the girls within range of a possible win. Come watch the girls lacrosse team face their rival New Canaan this Wednesday (4/13) 6pm, at NCHS.

Track Team Honors Fallen Runner

By McKinley Stauffer: The Darien Boy’s Track and Field team honored Andy Pena before the team’s first home meet against Wilton High School on Thursday, April 7. Andy, a freshman, was a member of Darien’s Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor track teams this year before unexpectedly passing away on Friday, March 25.

Before the start of the meet, the team, along with the Girl’s Outdoor Track and Field team, held a special moment of silence to commemorate Pena’s short-lived, but strong legacy within the Darien track program. Prior to the ceremony, Tyson Kaczmarek, DHS Boy’s Head Track Coach, said, “Many of Andy’s close friends are on the team. This will be a difficult meet for us. It will be very emotional.”

Andy’s teammates collectively wore black as part of their uniform for the meet by buying black tee shirts with Andy’s initials on the back. The boy’s team invited Wilton as well as the Darien girls’ teams at the meet to show support by wearing a black undershirt, spandex, socks, or sweatbands in remembrance of Pena. Before the first race, the 4 by 800, the meet officials announced that it was Andy’s goal to run a sub six minute mile during the outdoor season. In order to grant him his wish, the meet officials shot the starting gun and let the timer run for exactly 5:59 minutes. This was meant to symbolically represent Pena fulfilling his five minute mile goal. During the last twenty seconds of Pena’s run, the entire stadium clapped, cheering him to the finish line.

“After the ceremony, junior member of the Girl’s Track team Alex Pear said, “I thought it was really touching how both Darien and Wilton paid their respects for the full 5:59 minutes as Andy finally accomplished his goal. I think the audience really internalized it, and even those kids from Wilton who didn't know Andy personally were very affected. I think it was really successful in bringing us all together in honor of his memory.”

The Darien Boy’s Track and Field team will continue to wear these shirts and the color black at each meet throughout the season in Andy’s memory.

Boys Baseball Wins 31-0 on Opening Day at DHS

Boys Baseball Wins 31-0 on Opening Day. Softball beat Bassick 24-0

Becker Scores Spot on V-Squad

By Julia Cobb: There was only one junior to make the Girl’s Varsity Tennis Team this spring. Her name is Abby Becker (pictured with her Senior sister, Catherine) and she will be taking the court this season. There are 12 people on the roster this spring. The team consists of three freshman, two sophomores, one junior and six seniors. Four of these girls, including Becker, were not on the Varsity team last year. Becker played on the Girl’s Junior Varsity Team for her freshman and sophomore seasons where she played the number one spot for doubles. Becker works hard in the offseason to improve her skills and stay in shape. During the winters Becker plays at King’s Highway Tennis Club two days a week and at Stamford Indoor one day a week. During the summers, Becker participates in the tennis programs at Weeburn and Country Club of Darien. Anyone can check out Becker and the Girl’s Varsity Tennis Team play today Wednesday, April 6th (4/6) at 4:00 PM at home against Trumbull or Thursday, April 7th (4/7) at 4:00 PM at home against Danbury.

Girls Lax open Season with a Tie

By Maguerite Morgan: Darien Girls Varsity Lacrosse battled hard against Fox Lane on Friday April 1, and came away with a satisfying tie of 12 to 12. Freshman Dillon Schoen started off the girls on the right foot with Darien’s first goal. Schoen scored one more later in the game along with freshman Emily Stein’s two goals. Freshman Ellie Bennett took the draw for the majority of the second half and her height and strength helped her to dominate. She won the draw, carried the ball down the field, and shot, almost adding a thirteenth goal to Darien’s score. Fox Lane’s goalie saved Bennett’s shot and cleared the ball quickly. Sophomore Jena Frits finished two goals and junior Brynn Gasparino scored on a penalty shot. Junior Charlotte Stevenson finished the 12 goal streak. This was the third scrimmage of the girls’ season. Their regular season begins Wednesday April 13 against New Canaan. Come watch the girls in their next scrimmage against Taft next Wednesday.

Emma Getsinger: From DHS to Bates Lacrosse

by Catie Wright

Emma Getsinger, a senior and co- captain of the girl’s lacrosse team at Darien High School, will not be cutting her lacrosse days short after she graduates and moves onto Bates College in the fall.

For the past four years Emma says lacrosse has been “intense.” In her freshman year she was placed on Junior Varsity and her sophomore, junior, and senior years she made the cut and landed a spot on Varsity. This should come as no surprise to fellow teammates and classmates because since middle school Emma has clocked in hundreds of hours playing lacrosse.

“I have put in a lot of hard work for the past 6 years,” she said. “During my 7th and 8th grade summers I played for New Lax and I dedicated my 10th and 11th grade summers playing lacrosse for Connecticut Chargers.” Ever since Emma was little she has spent each summer in Martha’s Vineyard, but has made the trip back and forth from the island to Connecticut in order to participate in lacrosse tournaments. “It was a huge commitment, but lacrosse is my favorite sport and I will do just about anything to be able to play it,” she said.

As previously stated, Emma was voted as a co-captain for this year’s girls’ lacrosse team. When asked about what her goals were for the team she stated, “I want us to be undefeated and have good games against our top rivals: Greenwich, New Canaan, and Wilton.” She added that she is also “super pumped” to be playing 3 out of the top 5 teams in the nation during the season as well. These teams are Garden City, Farmingdale, and Loomis. “We are really lucky to be playing such awesome teams. It is really exciting,” she said.

There is not a doubt that this upcoming super tight competition will only help Emma with her transition to the competitive world of Division III lacrosse next year. “One of the reasons I chose Bates was because they have a really competitive program,” she said.

Anyone can check out Emma play her game Friday, April 1st (4/1) at 4:30 PM at home on the stadium field against New York’s Fox Lane team.