The girls’ Track and Field team sent nine girls to State Opens in New Britain, CT this past Monday June 4th. The team placed tenth overall and sophomore Leah Hotchkiss got second in high jump. Junior Grace Loh added to the team's accomplishments with a personal best mile time of 5:07. Darien's 4 x 800m relay including seniors Katie Donovan and McKinley Stauffer, junior Sarah Colon, and freshman Elizabeth Lowe placed tenth overall and second in their heat. "It was the perfect way to end Katie and I's track career," Stauffer said.
This past Tuesday (5/29) the Boys Varsity Volleyball team defeated Lewis Mills High School in three sets at 7pm in the Darien High School gym. The boys had a hard lost this past Friday (5/25) against Ridgefield in the FCIAC finals, but the strength in the plays and kills at the game Tuesday show that they have picked up their game for the state title. This was an expected win because DHS held the higher seat than Lewis Mills, and DHS plays were complete and state worthy. There was senior leadership from captains Matt Lee and Sam Bryant with kills scoring important points. Other seniors who made important points included Tommy Nicholls, Ryan Stracuzzi, and Matt Collier. Another starter on the Boys Varsity Volleyball team, sophomore George Phillips, had major kills and has a bright potential in his volleyball career at DHS. DHS students can come support the Boys Volleyball this coming Friday (6/1) at 5:30 pm against Farmington High School for quarterfinals.
The Varsity Softball team lost to
Amity High School in the Quarter Finals of the Class LL CIAC Championship this
past Friday afternoon at Darien High School.
Starting on the mound for Darien was
senior ace Jess Demaio who threw a school record of three no- hitters this past
season as well as going 19-3 in the regular season.
The action started in the third
inning where Demaio had a two run double to make the score 2-0. Amity quickly
responded in the 4th inning by getting one run past to make the game
a one run ball game. The 5th and 6th innings were a
pitching duel between Demaio, who had a 0.55 ERA, and Amity pitcher Dana
Blydenburg.
In the 7th inning, Amity
came out strong and through a double, two singles, and a pop fly, they scored
three runs. Darien almost came back in the bottom of the 7th and had
the bases loaded with two outs, but in the end Amity still prevailed with the
final score being 4-2.
Though the season is over and done, it is necessary to
acknowledge the accomplishments and accolades the team has gained over this
past year. Check back next spring to see some more Blue Wave Softball action.
Sean
Lee started playing volleyball his freshman year, when looking for a high
school sport that fit his interests. Although Lee did not have any prior
volleyball experience before joining our school’s team, his experience as a
tennis player had prepared him for the physically demanding nature of the sport
and rigorous practices. When asked how he discovered volleyball at DHS, Lee
said “I sort of stumbled my way into the court. I knew a few girls that played
volleyball their freshman year and asked me to join. And I didn’t even know
that we had a boys team at first.”
Currently Lee position is the “libero,” or a player specialized in defensive
skills who must wear a contrasting jersey color from his/her teammates. The
“libero” can also replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the
officials. “My job being libero is to get those serves in, and dig like crazy,”
Lee said.
Lee’s greatest accomplishment on the team was Winning FCIACs last year against
Staples for the first time. He also takes pride in winning the State Title
Class 'M' for the second year after a first victory in 2008. He says that the
team is hoping to “make a run to reclaim our title” this year and battle
through the work and effort needed to win. In addition to hours of practice, Lee
attributes the team’s success to the collaboration of the members and close
ties among players. “Playing as a team, and getting to know each individual
personally is key,” Lee said.
Looking
back on the team’s success, Lee said that the team was 14-4 during the regular
season and is not in the states tournament. Despite having lost two fantastic
players from last year’s roster, the team is having an excellent returning
season. The biggest event of the year was when the team upset the #1 seed in
FCIAC, Staples 3-2. Darien was the #4 seed.
Although Lee has not decided if he will continue to play college volleyball, he
plans on playing recreationally. “Volleyball was a great choice, and Coach
Larusso made it even better! Besides having to learn a new sport, being able to
learn important life values helped me to communicate and play with a team that
I truly enjoy being with” Lee said. He appreciates being teammates with Matt
Lee, Sam Bryant, Ryan Stracuzzi, Matt Collier, and Tommy Nicholls for all three
seasons while on the blue wave boys volleyball team, and is going to miss them
next year.
On Wednesday (5/30), Darien Boys Lacrosse steamrolled New
Fairfield in the opening round of the Class L state championships, winning
19-6. The game, held at Darien High School Stadium, featured the high-powered 1
seed – the Blue Wave – versus the far outmatched 16 seed – the Rebels. It was a
coming-out party for sophomore Peter Lindley, who netted a career-high seven
goals, leading the team. Senior captain Case Matheis also played great, scoring
eight points on the way to the victory.
The next test for Darien will be against Masuk High School,
a quarterfinal matchup that will be held at Darien this Saturday (6/2) at 3
p.m. Fans are encouraged to support the top-seeded Blue Wave as it attempts to
send off the seniors properly with a state title.
Photo caption: Senior Jon Magnusson fights off defenders
