Blue Wave Football to Begin Spring Practices Shortly

by Britton Barthold

June is a very busy month at DHS: graduation, finals, state playoffs and the start of Spring Football. With the start under a week away, the Blue Wave Football team looks to get an early start to building off of the unexpected success from last season.

The state of Connecticut offers two options to high school football teams: they either can have 10 days of spring practice, or they can start their August practices a week earlier than usual. Coach Rob Trifone sees the former as the better option, subsequently allowing the team the perk of the annual Blue-White Game.

The basis of this 10-day practice period is to get players back into form before summer weightlifting and camps, while also preparing them for what is to come in the upcoming season. It all ends with the annual Blue-White Game, where players get there first feel for full contact since the season ended, and also gives coaches an idea of who goes where on the field.

The practices begin on Saturday, June 7th and continue all the way to Friday, June 20th when the team plays against each other in the Blue-White Game at 5pm.

Junior Jack Griffiths celebrates a touchdown during a regular season game from 2013.

JV Girls Tennis Team Finishes the Season in the Perfect Way

by Logan Etheredge

The JV Girls Tennis Team brought Bassick and Harding High School over to Weed Beach for a home game at 4 PM. The game was on Monday, May 19, and resulted in the biggest win for the JV Girls this season. None of the double partners lost their matches, which evidently ended with a major win of 6-0. The girls were ecstatic over their crushing win, and the game was their third win this season. Freshman Elizabeth Palmer, who is in her first year on Darien High School’s Tennis Team, said that the Bassick and Harding game “Was a really fun match! We all played really well!” Unfortunately, the JV Girls Tennis Team season is finished, so you won’t be able to check out any more of their games. But the girls certainly ended the season on a very strong note.

Varsity tennis captain and senior Libby Feingold playing in a match earlier in the year.

Wave Softball Beats Trumbull in FCIAC Quartefinals

by Mary Brown

On Tuesday, May 27^th, the Blue Wave Softball team defeated Trumbull 8-2 on their home field in the FCIAC Quarterfinals. The girls started things off right, scoring two runs in the first inning, and they kept their 2-0 lead for the first three innings. In the fourth, Trumbull was able to add one run to the board, giving Darien a tight lead of 2-1.

In response to Trumbull’s run, the Blue Wave stepped up their game and brought in six additional runs in the fifth inning to secure a comfortable lead. Senior Julia Domiziano started off the inning with a single to get her on base. Following Domiziano, sophomore Lexi Lopiano and junior Avery Maley both had RBI singles, bringing in one run each. Next, junior Kelly Vodola had an RBI double, bringing in two runs on her hit.

“As a team, we have been known to live up to the ‘hitting is contagious’ theory,” said Maley. This perfectly describes the fifth inning, as all the players fed off of each other’s hits to keep the rally going. “Once one or two people get a hit, it just becomes fun.”

To keep it going, the girls finished the fifth inning in the field with three quick outs in a row. Junior Erika Osherow pitched the entire game for the Blue Wave, her strength and skill proving to be dominant in all six innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, Trumbull was able to add one more run to their score, but it ultimately had no effect on the end result. Osherow ended the game with a strikeout for the final out leaving nothing but smiles on the girls’ faces as they moved on in the FCIAC tournament.

After defeating Westhill on a walk-off homerun from Osherow in the semifinals on Wednesday, May 28^th, the girls will continue on to play in the finals, competing three games three days in a row. Come support the Blue Wave on Thursday, May 29^th at 4:00pm at Sacred Heart University as they try to take home an FCIAC Title!

Junior Erika Osherow, who is committed to play at the
University of Virginia, pitches in a regular season game.

Wave Baseball Falls to Fairfield Warde

by Brad Magnusson

On Tuesday, May 27, the Blue Wave Baseball team was defeated by the Fairfield Warde Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the FCIAC tournament. The Mustangs won easily by the score of 6-2. Senior Andrew Nault started the game on the mound and got through three innings, letting in four runs. He was relieved by junior Stephen Barston, who pitched the final four innings, letting two runners score. Junior George Reed and senior Daly Hebert each tallied an RBI for the Wave, but Darien also let two bases-loaded situations get by without scoring a run. Senior fan Matt Plank said, “It was a tough one to watch. The boys played hard but it just wasn’t their night.” Look out for the Wave to bounce back in the first round of the CIAC State playoffs next week.

Junior George Reed playing third base during a game from earlier in the regular season.

Wave Lax Beats NC in Overtime to Advance to FCIAC Finals

by Chris Rehm

On Tuesday, May 27^th, the Darien Boys Lacrosse team faced off against rival New Canaan in the FCIAC semifinals. The Blue Wave started off hot, with production coming mainly from a first quarter hat-trick for senior attacker Peter Lindley, and had a 6-4 lead going into the second quarter. As the game went on, Darien’s offense began to stall, scoring a total of two goals in the second and third quarter. While Darien’s offense was slowing down, New Canaan’s was picking up the pace. The Rams outscored Darien 7-2 through the second and third quarters and had a solid 11-8 lead going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter is when the game got really interesting. Trailing by three goals with 9 minutes remaining, Lindley made his defender look foolish with a nice swim move and he then finished with an unreal, over-the-shoulder, backwards goal that left the crowd in complete awe. That goal seemed to spark the Darien offense, and with 2 minutes remaining sophomore Colin Minicus scored to cut the New Canaan lead to one. The Darien defense stepped up huge in the final two minutes, forcing multiple turnover  which led to Darien having the ball with 1 minute left. Coming out of the timeout, the offense worked the ball around until sophomore Jack Kniffin passed to senior Harry Gillespie, also known as “Math Games” and “Lightning”, who fired a goal top left to tie the game at 11 and, following a couple big stands by the Darien defense and senior goalie Phil Huffard, send the game into overtime.

Junior Andrew Pugliese won the biggest faceoff of the game to get Darien the ball in overtime, where junior Ian Burgoyne was able to rip one into the back of the net while simultaneously ripping out the hearts of the New Canaan players and fans, ultimately sending the Blue Wave to the FCIAC Championship. After the game, Gillespie said, “We knew it was going to be a battle going in; we didn’t play our best game by any means, but when we had to step up, we did, and that’s what mattered in the end.”  

Come support the boys in the FCIAC Championship as they take on Greenwich at 7 PM at Brien McMahon on Friday (5/30).

 

A New Canaan player laments another Rams loss at the hands of the Blue Wave.

 

Boys Lax Ends Regular Season Unbeaten at 16-0

by Anthony DiMeglio

It seems like just a week ago when senior Peter Lindley put in a goal during the Boys Lacrosse home opener against Trinity Catholic.  Following that 22-0 victory over Trinity, for the Darien Lacrosse team, the sky was the limit. The team went on to win their next 15, concluding their season with a record of 16-0 and clinching a state and FCIAC playoff berth. 

Darien came into the season as heavy favorites, after their strong outings in the preseason.  With almost a complete starting lineup from the previous season, the Wave was ready to roll. Entering the season not ranked at all, the lax team now represents our school as the number 4 team in the nation.

Only three teams in Darien Lacrosse team history have finished their season undefeated, and this year’s 2014 team happens to be one of them.  “Were going to use this achievement as momentum for the postseason; we know there are tough teams out there in the state and FCIAC but we have confidence in our lineup to do big things in the playoffs,” said junior Jack Feeley.

Good luck to the lax team in the FCIAC and CIAC playoff tournaments, and to the seniors headed off the play lacrosse in college (listed below)!

John Reed (Bucknell), Kyle Cornell (Bryant), Kyle Gifford (Washington and Lee), Owen Koorbusch (Rhodes), Phil Huffard (Yale), Peter Lindley (UMass), Sam Meyjes (Colorado), Brad McCarthy (Colby), Goose Bolton (McGill)  

Junior Will Hamernick during a game from earlier in the regular season.

Players to Watch at the 2014 World Cup

by Stephen Barston

The 2014 World Cup is a great chance for many individuals who may not be as enthusiastic about soccer as they would like to be to finally immerse themselves in what is referred to in numerous cultures as "The Beautiful Game". Below, I have listed a player from each of the 32 teams headed to Brazil in June to watch, primarily due to their technical ability or overall international reputation, as well as their position and club team.

Group A:
Brazil- Neymar (Winger, FC Barcelona)
Croatia- Luka Modric (Midfielder, Real Madrid)
Mexico- Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (Striker, Manchester United)
Cameroon- Samuel Eto'o (Striker, Chelsea)

Group B:
Spain- Diego Costa (Striker, Atlético Madrid)
Netherlands- Memphis Depay (Winger, PSV Eindhoven)
Chile- Arturo Vidal (Midfielder, Juventus)
Australia- Matthew Ryan (Goalkeeper, Club Brugge)

Group C:
Colombia- James Rodriguez (Attacking Midfielder/Winger, AS Monaco)
Greece- Sokratis (Centerback, Borussia Dortmund)
Ivory Coast- Yaya Toure (Midfielder, Manchester City)
Japan- Keisuke Honda (Attacking Midfielder, AC Milan)

Group D:
Uruguay- Luis Suárez (Striker, Liverpool)
Costa Rica- Keylor Navas (Goalkeeper, Levante UD)
England- Daniel Sturridge (Striker, Liverpool)
Italy- Mario Balotelli (Striker, AC Milan)

Group E:
Switzerland- Josip Drmic (Striker, 1. FC Nuernberg)
Ecuador- Antonio Valencia (Winger, Manchester United)
France- Paul Pogba (Midfielder, Juventus)
Honduras- Andy Najar (Right Back, Anderlecht)

Group F:
Argentina- Lionel Messi (Striker, FC Barcelona)
Bosnia and Herzegovina- Edin Dzeko (Striker, Manchester City)
Iran- Ashkan Dejagah (Winger, Fulham)
Nigeria- Vincent Enyeama (Goalkeeper, LOSC Lille)

Group G:
Germany- Marco Reus (Winger, Borussia Dortmund)
Portugal- Cristiano Ronaldo (Winger/Striker, Real Madrid)
Ghana- Kevin-Prince Boateng (Midfielder, FC Schalke)
USA- Matt Besler (Centerback, Sporting Kansas City)

Group H: 
Belgium- Eden Hazard (Winger, Chelsea)
Algeria- Nabil Bentaleb (Midfielder, Tottenham)
Russia- Alan Dzagoev (Winger, CSKA Moscow)
South Korea- Heung-Min Son (Winger/Striker, Bayer Leverkusen)

Girls Lacrosse Wins Big on Senior Day

by Amanda Sload

This Tuesday (5/20), Girls Lacrosse took on Fairfield Ludlowe at DHS for the team’s senior day and last FCIAC game before the playoffs. They went home with a commanding win of 18-5, maintaining their undefeated FCIAC record and improving to 14-2 overall.

Darien showed its clear dominance by getting ahead 11-1 in the first half. The Blue Wave and Falcons traded four goals in the beginning of the second half, making the score 15-5, but Darien put away three more towards the end to finish with 18.

Senior captain Emily Stein led the team with three goals and two assists, followed by fellow senior captain Hollis Perticone with two goals and two assists and junior Mariah Matheis with three goals and an assist. Senior captain Dillon Schoen and senior Julia Black each tallied two goals and an assist and freshman Gabby Noto put in a pair of goals for the Blue Wave.

“We're all excited for FCIACS on Friday and are proud of ourselves for finishing the regular season undefeated in Connecticut. We have some hard practices and games coming up but are ready to rise up to the challenge and run the table during our playoff games,” senior captain Ellie Bennett said.

Darien heads into playoffs looking to get its third FCIAC title in a row and second State title. The girls play their FCIAC quarterfinal game on Friday the 23^rd with details to be determined. 

The seniors on the team were honored before the game. 

JV Baseball Beats Staples

by Conor Davey

The Darien High School Junior Varsity Baseball team travelled to Westport to take on the Staples Wreckers on Tuesday, May 20th, 2014. With the game being rained out two weeks prior, the Blue Wave had to deal with playing three games in three days since they already had games scheduled for Monday and Wednesday.  The JV squad came into the game looking to add on to their successful season and most definitely made an emphatic statement.

Sophomore Andrew Winsch started on the mound for Darien and did a tremendous job, to say the least, allowing only five hits. Winsch ended up pitching a complete game shut-out and has continued his dominance that began on the first game of the season. At a hitting standpoint, junior TJ Adiletta led the Blue Wave, going 2-3 with two doubles and four RBI’s. Freshmen Casey Burke also had a solid day at the plate by also hitting two doubles. The high-powered Darien offense was too much for the Staples team to handle, with them succumbing to the pressure and crumbling.

When asked about the game, Adiletta said, “It was a well-played game for us and Winsch did an excellent job on the hill.

Come support the JV Baseball team’s last game against the Stamford Knights on Friday, May 23, 2014!

Adiletta cheers on his team enthusiastically during the game
against Norwich Free Academy earlier in the season.

Wave Lax Defeats Long Island Powerhouse St. Anthony’s

by Colin Flynn

The St. Anthony’s Friars were no match for the undefeated Blue Wave on Thursday, May 15^th, as Darien won 12-6.  Seniors Peter Lindley and Kyle Cornell, along with sophomore Colin Minicus, led the offense, as both Lindley and Minicus had a hat trick, and Cornell scored 2 goals and dished out an assist.  These goals wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for the well-disciplined defense, as the Yale commit Phil Huffard came up big with 14 saves, many of them from point-blank range.  “Phil came up huge that game.  It would have been a completely different game if it wasn’t for Phil,” said junior midfielder Timmy Lochtefeld.  Darien is now 4-0 against out-of-state teams, and undefeated at 14-0.  Check out the Blue Wave this Friday, May 23^rd, as they will face their first opponent, which has yet to be determined, in the FCIAC tournament. 

Junior midfielder Will Hamernick during Thursday's win.

Blue Wave Baseball Falls to NC

by Amanda Percarpio

On Wednesday, May 14^th, the Darien Boys Varsity Baseball team played a home game against close rival New Canaan. Prior to this game Darien had a 12-3 record, tied for second in the FCIAC. Based on their standings, New Canaan seemed like the underdog, but as the game began it proved to be anyone’s battle.

The game started off slow, with neither team getting any runs in the first two innings. With two outs in the third inning, Darien junior Peter Archey ripped the ball into the right-center gap for a double.  Senior Bobby Fitzpatrick then hit a single into right field which resulted in Archey scoring.

With Darien leading 1-0 going into the top of the fourth, New Canaan stepped up to the plate and ended up loading the bases with their top hitter, senior Matthew Toth, up to bat. Toth then was able to deliver, hitting a grand slam which gave New Canaan the lead at 4-1.

Darien battled back with junior Mikey Maccarone scoring 1 run and senior pitcher Luke Mangan holding the Rams to only two runs. Darien loaded the bases in the 6th inning, yet it was not enough to overcome the deficit. New Canaan ended up with a win of 6-2.

“Despite the loss, we’re still in a good spot in the FCIAC and we hope to close out the season on a high note,” said Maccarone. Best of luck goes out to the baseball team against Ridgefield in their away game on May 15.

Junior Peter Archey recorded the first hit for the Blue Wave.

Wave Girls Lax Crushes Staples

by Bridget Hannigan

On Tuesday, May 13th, the Darien Girls Lacrosse team played Staples at the home stadium turf. Wave Girls Lax continued their amazing season, winning 19-7, and remaining undefeated in the FCIAC. Scoring the goals were sophomores Schuyler Van den Broek, Kaleigh Morrill, and Susie Ropp, juniors Elizabeth Fucigna, Mariah Matheis, Caroline Benitez, and Anna Moorhead, and seniors Dillon Schoen, Emily Stein, and Hollis Perticone. 10 goals were scored in the first half for Darien and 3 for Staples. In the second half, Darien scored an additional 9, and Staples had an additional 4. Every member of the team touched the field, which does not happen every game for DHS.

When asked about the season so far junior Julia Arrix said, “We have had a very successful season so far; we have had key wins over Farmingdale and Garden City. We had a tough game recently against Suffren but we are looking forward to taking home the FCIAC and state titles.”  Arrix says the team is looking forward to beginning FCIACs on May 23rd and states on June 1st.

Junior Anna Moorhead during a game earlier in the season against New Canaan.

Blue Wave Baseball Gets Back on Track Against Danbury

by Stephen Barston

After losing two straight games last week to top FCIAC opponents St. Joseph's and Staples, the Darien High School Varsity Baseball team took on the Danbury Mad Hatters on Monday, May 12th, with the intention of getting back into the win column.

Senior Andrew Nault made his return to the team yesterday, starting on the mound for DHS. The Wave's #1 starter proved why he has had that title all year long, pitching 6 and 1/3 innings of 1-run baseball. Nault stifled the Danbury bats, inducing several ground ball double plays, and even escaping an inning unscathed after allowing the first batter of the frame to get a triple.

The Darien offense was led by three lefties, beginning with junior Conor Davey, who hit two doubles in his new spot as the #2 hitter in the lineup. Senior Daly Hebert also had a pair of hits, and junior Mike O'Malley had a solid base knock of his own as well.

This solid offensive production, combined with Nault's impressive pitching, led the Blue Wave to a much-needed 7-1 victory. The win also puts Darien in third place in the FCIAC standings, 1.5 games behind the current leader Staples, and behind Fairfield Warde on tiebreaker.

Regarding the current standings and overall situation, Coach Mike Scott said, "We've faced a couple deficits this year and we've always battled back with the bats."

Come check out DHS in action in perhaps the team's biggest game all season, against rivals New Canaan on Wednesday, May 14th, at 4 PM at home.

Senior Andrew Nault pitching during a game earlier this season.

Girls Track Beats New Canaan and Danbury for 7th Straight Win

by Caroline McKay

On Monday, May 5^th, the Girls Track team took on New Canaan and Danbury at Danbury High School. Darien finished first, followed by New Canaan.

The 4x100 meter relay team was able to pull off an exciting win against Danbury with solid runs from senior Brittany Henry, juniors Maddie Schneider and Anna Sulger, and a great finish by senior Catherine Lacy. Schneider won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.4 seconds as well as the pole vault with a height of 11’0”.

Sophomore Helen Wolf and junior Paula Tabaschek qualified for FCIACs in the 200-meter race, which was won by Darien’s Anna Sulger in 25.5 seconds.

Junior Anne Johnston came in first in the 3200-meter race with a time of 11:25.7, and junior Amanda Percarpio took third with 12:28.2. Darien’s Leah Hotchkiss (senior), Ellen Hebrand (junior), and Ella Moore (sophomore) took the top three places in the high jump while senior Taylor McDonald and sophomore Laine Blummer took the first two places in the shotput.

Catch the girls’ next meet Monday, May 12^th, at 4pm at Darien High School.

Sophomore Teresa Du finishing the 100-meter hurdles race.

Boys Lax Powers Through Wilton

by Colin Flynn

The Wilton Warriors were no match for the undefeated Blue Wave on Thursday, April 24, as Darien demolished them 17-6.  Senior Peter Lindley led the way with four goals and two assists on the day.  Darien took a quick 6-2 lead in the first period, but there was no looking back, as the Blue Wave scored an onslaught of goals, with junior Ian Burgoyne having a hat trick and senior Harry Gillespie adding another (as well as dishing out four assists).  By the end of the game, there were 10 different players that went onto the score sheet.  Finally, keeping the defense intact senior Phil Huffard made 9 saves and senior Robbie Juterbockmade 3.  Junior Timmy Lochtefeld said, “We really wanted to get revenge from last year, and our performance really proved that.”

Up next Wave Lax takes on New Canaan this Saturday at 3:00pm, May 3rd at the stadium.

Junior Jack Feeley (left) lays a devastating hit on a Wilton attackman.

Blue Wave Baseball Wins Ruden Report Team of the Week

by Reed Barthold

The Darien High School baseball team was nominated as the Ruden Report Team of the Week last Friday. Then, on Wednesday, April 30th, it was announced that Darien had won the voting competition, and deservedly so. The Blue Wave has rolled over Brien McMahon, Trinity Catholic and Harding in the past few days. The team’s biggest win came with the comeback defeat of Trumbull at Trumbull High School, with a final score 9-7. The team qualified for states with the 18-6 victory over Trinity Catholic this past week.

The team has an 8-1 record with 11 more games ahead. The Blue Wave plays against Bridgeport Central at home today at four. 

DHS senior Andrew Nault pitching against one of the
many teams that the Blue Wave has defeated this season.

Darien Girls Track Wins Fifth Straight Meet

by Caroline McKay

On Monday, 4/28, the Girls Track team took on Harding and Stamford at Darien. Darien came in first—a fifth consecutive win. “As a team, we did really well,” junior Amanda Lee said. Darien has yet to lose a meet this season.

Darien’s 4x100 meter relay team took first. Sophomore Helen Wolf passed to junior Paula Tabaschek, who passed to freshman Sami Huff. Senior Brittany Henry anchored the race. Junior Anna Sulger won the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.2 seconds, and senior Brittany Henry took third with a time of 13.4 seconds. Henry came in first in the 200-meter race with a time of 27.6 seconds.

Sophomore Kim Hibben came in first in javelin, throwing 92’6”. Darien took first, second, and third in the pole vault: junior Maddie Schneider jumped 11’6”, senior Jess Thornbury 10’0”, and sophomore Kristen Mayhew 9’0”. Darien’s Ellen Hebrand (junior), Leah Hotchkiss (senior), and Ella Moore (sophomore) took first, second, and third in the high jump, respectively. Sophomore Grace Harmon won the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:49.2, followed by juniors Amanda Percarpio and Kate Halabi. Junior Anne Johnston won the 800-meter race with a time of 2:25.5.

Catch the girls’ next race, Monday the 5^th at Danbury High School at 4!

Darien Boys Track Defeats Stamford and Harding

by Lindsey Holek

On Tuesday, April 29th, the Darien Boys Track and Field team took on Stamford and Harding for a home meet.  After running at Danbury High School this weekend in the O’Grady Relays, a more competitive meet, the team was able to show off strong performances at home.  The weather was cold and windy, yet the boys seemed to pull through to the end.  Numerous athletes put together all-around strong performances in a variety of events.

Notable performances included those from the 4x800 meter relay team, consisting of seniors Peter Kreuch, James Farrington, Colten Appleby, and junior Arthur Cassidy.  The relay team won their event with a time of 8:54.4.  The boys’ 4x400 meter relay team (consisting of senior Jack Sparkman, Kreuch, Farrington, and junior Carter Ashcraft) also ran well with a time of 3:45.8.   Despite the windy and cold weather, Darien showed strong performances in many events and in the end, won the meet.  “We ended up winning against both Stamford and Harding,” sophomore Army Noonan said.

The season so far has consisted of three meets that have all been pretty successful.  This weekend, the varsity team will be headed to Middletown High School for the Middletown Invite.  The meet will be held on Saturday, May 3rd, at 1 pm.  The team will take on a number of other solid schools for a meet filled with heavy competition.  This meet will hopefully provide many with state qualifying times and personal bests.  Best of luck to the boys’ track team headed to Middletown this Saturday.

The start of the 100-meter dash.