Blue Wave Football Lights Up Bassick 51-16

by Chris Rehm

 

The Blue Wave Football team traveled to Bridgeport on Friday night to face-off against the Bassick Lions, and won the game 51-16.

The game started off slower than the Blue Wave would've liked but after senior kicker Daly Hebert put the first points on the board with a 30 yard field goal halfway through the first quarter, there was no looking back for the Wave. The score remained 3-0 for the rest of the first quarter and then the real fun started. Senior running back Jay Harrison had a spectacular 50 yard run and then punched the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown to give Darien a 10-0 lead. After a nice 80-yard touchdown and 2 point conversion by Bassick's star quarterback Vochan Fowler to make the score 10-8, Darien wasted little time getting more points on the scoreboard. Darien quarterback Silas Wyper hit wide receiver Nick Lombardo with a beautiful pass that lead to a 60 yard touchdown for the Wave. Wyper would throw two more touchdowns in the second quarter, one to junior George Reed and another to Lombardo and the Blue Wave took a 31-8 lead going into the locker room.

The Blue Wave defense remained stellar in the second half allowing only 8 more points. Another Lombardo touchdown and a blocked punt recovered by George Reed in the end zone sealed the game up for the team and improved its record to 3-0 on the season. Senior wideout Kyle Gifford described the game as "another step in the right direction."

The Blue Wave's next game is next Saturday (10/05) at 2:30 at St. Joe's in Trumbull.

Senior Kyle Gifford fights for extra yards earlier in the season against Greenwich

Wave Boys Soccer Wins Second Game of Season Over St. Joe's

by Cameron Van de Graaf

On Friday (9/27), the Darien High School boys varsity soccer team played St. Joe’s at home, winning by the score of 2 goals to none. The 4 p.m. game featured explosive play by freshman Harrison Gill and junior Kai Bjornstad, with seniors Graham Helgans and Alex Gunya also contributing to the victory.

Though varsity soccer possessed a 1-4-1 record going into the game, team members have been loath to refer to the season as a rebuilding year. The caliber of play in this contest certainly exhibited signs of progress since the beginning of the season. For the first 15 minutes of the game, both teams were quiet on offense. Sophomore Andrew Mathew finally recorded the first goal for DHS on a brilliant, arcing corner shot. Unfortunately, the Wave suffered a setback when junior Michael Maccarone was injured in a collision with a St. Joe’s player. For the rest of the half, both teams played solid defense to prevent any further goals, and at halftime, the score was 1-0 in favor of the home team.

Soon after the second half began, Bjornstad scored another goal to put the Wave up 2-0. With this cushion attained, Darien continued its superb defensive play for the remainder of the half, and thus won the game.

After the victory, senior captain Andrew Morgan said, “We played well and deserved that win. We fought and were the better team. It feels great to put two wins together in a row. And I am looking forward to the rest of the season as we heat up.”

The team will play next in Danbury on Tuesday, September 28 against the Hatters.

Wave taking on St. Joe's on a cloudy Friday afternoon

Darien Soccer Runs Successful Fundraisers

by Morgan Sawitsky

On Friday, September 27^th, the Kicks for the Outback fundraiser took place at 6:15pm at New Canaan High School’s Dunning Stadium. It started off with a soccer game between the New Canaan Soccer Association Coaches and the Darien Soccer Association Coaches. The crowd was filled with members of the Darien and New Canaan travel soccer teams, players on both high school soccer teams, parents, and other supporters. Kick off was at 6:45pm and each half was 25 minutes long. The final score was 3-2 with Darien getting the win. After the game, there were skill competitions such as power shooting, juggling, a penalty shootout and other activities for kids that were six to 14 years old. Juniors and seniors the Darien and New Canaan boys and girls soccer teams ran the skill competitions.  This fundraiser was for the benefit of Dylan Ellis, whose father Matt Ellis is a Darien soccer coach. Dylan is only 5 months old and has spent the last 3 months in the hospital. On Saturday, September 28^th the Darien girl’s varsity soccer team held another fundraiser, Dylan’s Candy Bar, where all proceeds went to the Ellis family to help with medical bills. The girls were set up at Middlesex Middle School selling candy, snacks, and drinks to raise money.

DHS girls soccer players Kate Fiore, Erin Karczewski, Lisa Travaglini,
Emily Stein, Schuyler Platt, and Emma Hagey working at Dylan's Candy Bar

Blue Wave Boys Soccer Finds First Win of the Season

by Morgan Sawitsky

On Wednesday (9/25) the Darien High School boys varsity soccer team played against Brien McMahon High School. Kick off was at 7:00pm under the lights of Brien McMahon’s soccer field. Going into this game, Wave was 0-4-1, but this was definitely a season changer for these boys. Within the first five minutes of the game, Junior Kai Bjornstad scored the opening goal. For the rest of the half, both teams played defense to hold off anyone from scoring and at halftime, the score was 1-0 in favor of the Blue Wave. Only five minutes into the second half, senior Alex Gunya scored Darien’s second goal off of a fast break. But Gunya was not satisfied with one goal, and with 25 minutes to go in the second half, he got a quick throw-in from sophomore Andrew Mathew and put the ball in the back of the net. This gave the Blue Wave a 3-0 lead. Neither team gave up, and with five minutes left of the game, senior Jack Reis scored. But the game was not over yet, as Darien gave up a penalty with only two minutes left in the game. Brien McMahon’s number 10 scored, making the final score of the game 4-1.

Senior Lisa Travaglini, who also plays on DHS’s girl’s varsity soccer team, went to support the boys team and she said, “It was really exciting seeing the boys play so well and get their first win.” After the game, senior and captain Chris Chiamulera said that “winning is contagious, so we will get a streak going!"

Congratulations to the boy’s varsity soccer team on their first win of the season. Go support them at their next home game this Friday, September 27th against St. Joes High School. Kick off will be at 4:00pm on the oval turf.

Senior Aidan Brannigan goes for the ball in last week's game vs. Westhill (Credit: Jason Rearick)