Wave Ball Destroys Tigers

By Colin Flynn
The Blue Wave Football team sent the winless Ridgefield Tigers home in tears on Friday night as they won by a massive 50-23.
It was a rough start for the Blue Wave as the depleted Tigers held them to a mere three points in the first quarter.   It was once the second quarter started that they finally got their wheels going, and there was no turning back.  It was defensive end and newly established fullback George Reed who started a 28-point spree, scoring twice on multiple goal-line runs.  It was senior Todd Herget who truly shined under the lights Friday night as he had seven receptions to go along with two very impressive touchdowns.
On the other side of the football, the defense once again rose to the occasion as junior cornerback Tyler Grant returned an interception all the way into the end-zone.  The defensive line played a brilliant game, giving the quarterback and halfbacks hell all night.  The score was 43-6 midway through the third quarter when Darien gave their junior varsity players some playing time, in which they finished the game 50-23.  The Blue Wave faces the (4-3) Wilton Warriors next Friday night on Halloween at 7:00pm.

Senior Jack Griffiths lays a devastating hit on the Quarterback.

Warde Kicks Girls Varsity Soccer Out of the FCIAC

By Erinn Ravosa

This past Saturday, October 25th, Darien High School’s Girls Varity Soccer team played Warde in their first FCIAC game. The team was hoping to advance to the semifinals, but was unfortunately unable to meet this goal. Warde started off the first half with a goal, which the Wave was unable to answer back to.

In the second half, the Mustangs were determined to keep the Wave out of the game. They outshot Darien and managed to score another goal, making the score 0-2. However, junior goalie Kate Fiore did make a notable twelve saves throughout the duration of the game. Despite her skilled goaltending, the Wave was unable to catchup to Warde. As a result, the Mustangs advanced to the semifinals.
Looking back on the game, senior Emma Hagey said, “We definitely didn’t play our best on Saturday but we rose to the occasion in some really tough matches this season. Although losing knocked us out of FCIACS, I think it gave us a lot of motivation to redeem ourselves during states.”

In the next few weeks, keep an eye out for the Darien Girls Varsity Soccer team’s schedule for States. Support is always welcomed!

Junior Kate Fiore in action during a match this season.

Wave Drowns Warde on Senior Day

By Anthony Dimeglio
Their eye black was painted on their face, and their baby pictures were hanging on the walls of the cafeteria.  It was Darien Field Hockey’s senior day; this meant it was the seniors last regular season home game of their Darien High School field hockey careers.

It was a rainy and windy Thursday evening when the Darien Varsity field hockey team took on the Mustangs of Fairfield Warde.  It was an intense matchup between the #2 (Darien) and #3 (Warde) seeds, a game that had a major impact on the rest of the Darien season.

The Blue Wave got off to a terrific start as Juniors Georgia Cassidy and Marissa Baker each scored a goal to take Darien up 2-0 at the end of the first half.  Coming into the second though, Warde made numerous attempts to get their offense started, but kept running into a brick wall thanks to the defensive efforts from Seniors Mary Brown, Julia Russo, Kyra Fitzpatrick, along with Sophomore Gaby Noto.  Then near the end of the match, Senior Rebecca DeMaio gave Darien their third and final goal, ending the game at 3-0.

 “Senior Day is such an important day for our teams chemistry on and off the field.  We connected and brought our small passing game to a new level today, which is only going to get stronger as we progress into the post season.  Another thing is that our team plays for each other, and not ourselves, and to us that really important because that’s what being a team is all about” Russo said.

Good Luck to the Field Hockey team in their post-season!

The Senior Field Hockey players during the Senior Day Ceremony 

Varsity Girls Field Hockey Plays for Pink

By Kyra Hammer
On Tuesday, October 21, the Darien High School Varsity team played Brian McMahon on Darien turf in the play for the cure. This one was more than a regular game to some players. They were playing for somebody who was fighting their own battle with cancer. The girls went out with a hard start knowing that it wasn’t just an ordinary game. Everyone played really well and worked as one unit. During the game there were some big ball passes and the defense held their own, not letting McMahon having a shot on the cage the whole game.

“From the start of the season, nobody could really tell what type of team we would be. But as the season went on we became closer on and off the field and the games are proof of our success. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls on the team and the support we get from one another”, said senior Kyra Fitzpatrick. This home game was consistent and the girls brought home the win with a score of 6-0. Come cheer on the team in its first round of FCIACs on Saturday, October 25, at 2:30 against Westhill.

Senior captains Julia Russo and Kyla Johns leading the team onto the field.

Darien Girls Varsity Soccer Ties Staples, 1-1

By Erinn Ravosa
This past Tuesday, October 21st, the Darien High School Varsity Soccer team played Staples in a home game. Darien started the game off very aggressively and put the pressure on Staples. In the first few minutes on the clock, the Wave had multiple shots on net. Unfortunately, both the Staples goalie and defense unit were able to keep the ball out of the net.

With fifteen minutes on the clock, sophomore Emma Lesko received a pass in front of the goal; and without hesitation, she sent the ball flying into the back of the net, making the score 1-0. Although both teams had multiple opportunities to score later in the half, they were both unable to. Thus, the Wave was still leading the game at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Staples came out with the same aggressiveness Darien had displayed in the first half. The team won a majority of the fifty-fifty balls and really put pressure on the Wave. This pressure eventually broke down the Wave’s defensive unit and earned the team a goal, making the score 1-1. This score remained the same throughout the entire rest of the second half, resulting in a tie for both teams.

Reflecting on the game, Kendra Fitzpatrick said, “I thought the team really came together…I’m really happy we stepped up and tied 3rd seed in FCIACs.”

Come support the Darien Varsity Girls Soccer team tomorrow, October 25th, during their first FCIAC game against Warde. The game will take place at 3:00pm at Fairfield Warde High School.

Emma Lesko takes a shot on net during a game last season.

Girls XC Places Third in FCIAC's

By Bridget Hannigan
On Monday October 20th both girls and boys team from across the county met at Waveny Park, New Canaan, for the annual cross-country FCIAC championships. The event was originally supposed to be on Thursday the 16th but was rescheduled due to rain. This change of plan did not stop the team, as they placed third out of 14 teams. The girls placed behind Staples High School of Westport and Ridgefield High School.

Varsity runners and seniors Anne Johnston and Amanda Percarpio placed second and tenth, respectively. Johnston ran for a final time of 14:39, putting her at a 5:54 mile time. Johnston finished just over a minute after junior Hannah DeBalsi of Staples, ranked number one in the nation for cross-country. Percarpio finished with a time of 15:18, with a mile time of 6:10.

All eight of the varsity runners that competed on Monday placed in the first 35 runners of the varsity run. Johnston and Percarpio medaled in first team all-FCIAC. Senior Kate Halabi, sophomore Ali Barnard, junior Sarah LeHan, and freshman Emilia Callery medaled in second team all-FCIAC.

Johnston shared with Neirad, "Yesterday was a one of a kind day. Across the board we ran amazingly. We had 6 girls in the top 30 and were able to place 3rd. It was a great showing and an even better source of motivation going into the state meet this Saturday. We've made it a long way but the best is yet to come!"

Another notable achievement is senior Sam Savage's first place medal in the JV race. She finished with a time of 16:01 and an average mile time of 6:31. The team has States this coming Saturday, the 25th, at Wickham Park in Manchester. We wish them the best of luck!

Anne Johnston in action during the race ®Westport News

Ostberg Shatters FCIAC Course Record

By Amanda Percarpio
This past Monday, the Blue Wave Boys Cross Country team competed in their FCIAC meet at Waveny Park in New Canaan. The team came in 4th, with an outstanding performance led by senior Alex Ostberg.

Ostberg finished first with a time of 14:47 (4:46 mile pace), breaking the course record by 28 seconds and becoming the only FCIAC runner to ever run sub-15 minutes. He won the race by a wide margin of 47 seconds, and currently holds the third fastest 3.1 mile time run in the nation this season.
"Since it was my last FCIAC championship, I went out with something to prove," Ostberg said. "My goal was to set a course record that would be virtually unbreakable. I run at Waveny all the time so competing there one last time was a special experience for me, and I'm thrilled that I was able to run a 14:47 which was a new PR for me."

Junior Armstrong Noonan also had a stellar race, placing third all-FCIAC with a time of 15:35. Other strong performances were led by senior Arthur Cassidy (26) and junior Jack Murray (39).
The Boy's next meet is their state meet which will be held this Saturday, October 25th, in Wickham Park in Manchester.

Senior Alex Ostberg (left) and junior Armstrong Noonan (right) after their unforgettable race.

Boys Varsity Soccer Downs Ridgefield in Dramatic Fashion

By Jake Frasca
This past Monday, October 20th, the varsity soccer team took on Ridgefield at home on the stadium turf. The Wave came into the game looking to make it five straight wins in a row after picking up four against Bassick, Danbury, Bridgeport Central, and Fairfield Warde.

Darien was in another clutch situation where the team needed one more win to clinch first place in the FCIAC east division. An early score was what the team felt they needed in order to take down Ridgefield. They felt their defense would hold strong throughout the course of the match.

Darien did a tremendous job setting up multiple scoring opportunities and denying others on defense from the Tigers. It wasn’t till the 43rd minute that the Wave was able to strike first blood. Set up by a cross from junior Andrew Matthew, John Mackie found himself in the right position for a perfect header. Shortly after, Ridgefield tied up the score with a goal of their own.

It was another physical game from the Wave, as both teams denied each other of solid scoring opportunities in the final minutes. In the end, Darien’s junior Hunter Kooyman struck with the game-winning goal. From just outside the box, Kooyman put a perfect touch on an outstanding snipe with only 13 minutes remaining.

The Wave was able to hold on to the lead for the rest of the match and clinch first place in the FCIAC east division. On the exhilarating finish, senior captain John Mackie mentioned “We worked hard the entire season, our team deserved what we pulled off. It starts with determination, and I feel every member of our squad knew what it would take to make it this far.”

Be sure to check out the Wave’s final regular season match against St. Joseph High School at St. Joe’s on Wednesday.

Senior Captain John Mackie heads the ball.  ©DAF

Darien dominates Trinity to improve to 6-0

Britton Barthold
The Darien Blue Wave improved to 6-0 in a 42-0 romp of Trinity Catholic. Darien was looking to be tested by the previously 4-1 Crusaders, but the defense proved too much for the Trinity offense. The Trinity run game was stopped immediately by the stout defensive line of Darien, which forced the Crusaders to go to the pass game. Trinity was not able to find any success in the air, which lead to turnovers on both the ground and the air. The offense came out firing on all cylinders, opening the first half with a 28-0 lead. The rushing game had a major role in the offense, as the team rushed for a total of 221 yards on 38 carries. Senior defensive end George Reed was able to score two touchdowns on the ground (yes, you read that right) while also recovering a fumble on the defensive side of things. Junior quarterback Tim Graham had one of his best games so far this season, totaling 221 yards in the air with a touchdown and no interceptions. Graham also presented his dual threat abilities, rushing for an 18 yard touchdown on his only carry of the day. Senior wideout Griffin Ross continued to bring back his dominant style from last year, as he grabbed four catches for 70 yards. Junior Colin Minicus continued his success as well, hauling in four catches for 71 yards along with a touchdown that he recovered in the end zone. Minicus leads the team with three receiving touchdowns, and only trails senior Peter Archey for total touchdowns (7). Darien travels to a very hostile Ridgefield crowd this Friday night in what should be an interesting battle between student sections.

Darien dominates Trinity to improve to 6-0.  ©DAF

Darien Volleyball Finds Success at Senior Day

By Amanda Sload

Following a commanding Dig Pink performance, the Darien Girls Volleyball Team continued its undefeated league play in a win over Westhill this Monday (10/2), on Senior Day, improving to 16-0. The team honored its four seniors, Celia Martzolf, Claire Naughton, Keli Reyes, and Emily Milukas.

Darien showed its dominance against Westhill, winning in three sets: 25-10, 25-14, and 25-9. Junior captain Izzy Taylor, who returned to play today after pulling her hamstring, had 13 kills, and Naughton added eight more. Martzolf had six aces and 28 assists, and Reyes had five aces and seven digs.

Martzolf was overall pleased with the team’s continued success: “Overall, it was a good three games. We played solidly throughout and never lost focus.”

While this was the girls’ final regular season home game, the team will travel to play Danbury on Wednesday (10/22) at 4 PM. Show the undefeated team your support!

Seniors Naughton, Martzolf, Reyes, and Milukas smile with juniors Anna Barsanti and Izzy Taylor

Girls Varsity Soccer Beats Ridgefield 1-0

By Erinn Ravosa
This past Saturday, October 12th, the Darien High School Varsity Soccer team faced off against Ridgefield in an away game. For the majority of the first half, the teams were neck and neck; it was a constant battle. Ridgefield’s defense held strong against the Wave’s offense, preventing them from getting many shots. Despite this, the Wave kept trying to find a way to land the ball in the net.
As the minutes in the first half started to dwindle, the tension started to build. The Wave’s players stepped up their game and were relentless in their determination to win, which ultimately paid off. With only thirty seconds left in the first half, the Wave was awarded a corner kick. Junior Daphne Budd took the kick, directing it towards the front of the net. Junior Katie Cronin received the ball and sent it flying past the goalie, making the score 1-0.

In the second half of the game, the Wave’s defense was able to shut Ridgefield’s offense down. Although the Wave kept up its intensity, the team was unable to score again. Thus, the final score was 1-0. When asked about the game, senior Kendra Fitzpatrick said, “I thought we really came together as a team. Everybody was positive and encouraging towards one another. And, it showed in the result [of the game].”

Come support Girls Varsity Soccer during their 4:00pm home game tomorrow against Staples!

Kendra Fitzpatrick battles for the ball in a game played last season.  ©Darien News Online

Wave Football Crushes Warde

By Britton Barthold
Last Saturday, the Darien High School football team defeated Fairfield Warde in a lopsided victory to put the Blue Wave at 5-0 on the season. The final score was 42-14, as Dariens defense continued to prove itself as one of the best in the state. Junior Mark Evanchick continued his dominant season attacking opposing QBs, racking up two total sacks on the day, adding to his 12 sack total in five games. Junior Bobby Trifone grabbed his first interception of the season, as the Darien secondary was shut down throughout the day. On the offensive side of things, junior Quarterback Timmy Graham was near perfect, completing 74% of his passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Running back Peter Archey was dominant on the ground for the fifth consecutive game, averaging 5.5 yards a carry on only 12 carries along with a touchdown. Senior Wideout Griffin Ross returned to form after an early season injury, grabbing six catches for 50 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The Darien offense continues to be red hot, averaging 36.8 points a game while the defense has only allowed 16 points a game. The Blue Wave will start a three game road-trip starting with Trinity Catholic at 2pm on Saturday.

Junior Hudson Hamill returns a punt against Warde last Saturday

Varsity Soccer Draws Greenwich 0-0

By James Fox
Boys’ varsity soccer took on FCIAC powerhouse Greenwich High School last Wednesday in a thrilling match that ended in a scoreless draw.  The game was high intensity from the start, but Darien managed to dominate possession throughout the first half.  The team had numerous close attempts at scoring, with near misses from juniors Jack Kniffin and Andrew Mathew, and senior Kai Bjornstad.  In the second half, Darien managed to maintain possession largely due to the incisive tackles of senior captain midfielder Henrik Stockinger and junior goalie Liam Richmond’s command of the defense.  Stockinger was also responsible for taking the team’s corner kicks, which accounted for multiple scoring opportunities.  Senior John Mackie had two close headers, both of which barely flew over the crossbar.
When asked about the game, Stockinger said, “It was a hard-fought match by both sides, but I honestly think we should have won.  We played great defense and had plenty of solid scoring opportunities, but we just couldn’t convert those opportunities into goals.
With this draw, Darien continues their unbeaten streak of 6 games and poses a good chance of making the FCIAC tournament if the team is able to maintain its position in 5th place in the conference.
Wave will be taking on Bridgeport Central away on Thursday and hopes to continue one of the best Darien Varsity Soccer seasons in recent history.

Michael Maccarone sprints down the sideline.

Boys JV Loses to Ridgefield

By Sam Hickey
Last Monday the twentieth of September the Darien Blue Wave JV soccer team took on Ridgefield on the Middlesex Upper field. Ridgefield who are always considered a tough team to play were not disappointing in their effectiveness in front of goal and were 2 up within twenty minutes. Darien had a few bad miscommunications, which they paid dearly for, but for the most part they play well under the circumstances. But Ridgefield would not stop there, scoring another two goals before half time. After half-time things began to calm down and Darien began to control through possession until Ridgefield scored once again in the 61st minute. After that there was not much that Darien could do to get back into the game and the final minutes of the match slowly dragged by until the final whistle was blown.

When asked why he thought the defense was unable to defend against the Ridgefield attack Sophomore Ben Sylvester had this to say “ We had many miscommunications in the defense and we were unable to plug holes in the defensive midfield which invited the Ridgefield attack to press and eventually score”.

Come cheer on the Darien JV team in their final game of the season away at St. Joesphs at 4 pm on Wednesday the 22nd.

The Darien bench right after kickoff

Darien Boys Cross Country Runs Manhattan Invitational

By Claire Borecki
On Saturday, October 11th, Darien boys cross country ran at the Manhattan HS Invitational, the biggest cross country meet on the East Coast with almost 10,000 participants from 15 states. With the weather conditions far from ideal and many jokes about sliding down in the mud rather than running downhill, the 2½ mile course was extremely difficult, with almost the first mile and a half entirely uphill. Though many of the runners in the JV girls race crossed the finish line in tears, Darien’s runners in the junior varsity race (most of whom normally run varsity) were unfazed by the difficulty. Darien placed second overall and all runners placed well individually in their heat, with Jack Murray in 4th, Jackson Huffman in 5th, Jimmy Conroy in 11th, Timmy Grozier in 20th and Michael Borecki in 44th.
Darien’s runners in the varsity race also performed extremely well, placing 15th as a team. Alex Ostberg placed first individually and ran the 2½ mile race in 11:57.2, the second fastest time ever recorded in the meet’s history. Armstrong Noonan, not far behind, placed 14th with 12:31.9.
Watch Darien’s next meet, the FCIAC Championship, on Thursday, 10/16 at Waveny Park starting at 2:15pm.

Senior captain Alex Ostberg in action.

Girls Varsity Swim and Dive Drown the Rams

By Mary Brown

On Wednesday, October 8th, the Darien Girls Swim and Dive team crushed New Canaan with a total of 118 points to the Rams’ 68. The win continues the team’s undefeated streak and shows their complete dominance in the league.

The girls swam an exceptional meet, coming out strong and determined to continue their undefeated record. The Wave’s great performance included a first, second and third place sweep in both the 200 meter Individual Medley (IM) and the 100 meter backstroke. Sweeping all three places in two events is a tremendous feat, one that certainly helped in defeating the Rams.

“We have been working extremely hard in and out of the pool and everyone did a great job in being focused and ready to go,” said senior captain Mackenzie Coughlin. Coughlin along with the rest of her team acknowledges New Canaan as great competition and anticipates seeing them again in the FCIAC, State and Open title meets.
Come support the Swim and Dive team at their next home meet on Friday, October 10th against Fairfield Ludlowe at the Darien YMCA.

The girls do a cheer to get ready for the big meet

Darien Boys Cross Country Finishes Season 16-2

By Claire Borecki

With one week until FCIACs and two weeks until states, Darien boys XC has pulled in an impressive season record. On Tuesday October 7th the blue wave ran a 5K at St. Joseph’s High School. The course wasn’t particularly difficult for the mainly Varsity runners who had just returned from a much more difficult course in Vermont at Thetford Woods. Despite this, Darien was bested by runners from Staples and Danbury who won 24-37 and 25-32, respectively. St. Joseph’s was a different story, however, when Darien won a solid victory, 18-45. 

Darien is still ranked 6th in the state, though that ranking may change. Darien Captains Alex Ostberg and Armstrong Noonan placed extremely well individually on the course, with Alex Ostberg unsurprisingly in first with a time of 15:25 and Armstrong Noonan following just behind at 15:55. Sophomore James Johnson, when reflecting on the season, said, “I never expected we would perform as well as we did, and now we’re just waiting for FCIACs and States, which we’re really looking forward to.”

Darien Boys Cross Country will be racing this Saturday, October 11th at the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park. Come into the city and cheer them on!

Senior Arthur Cassidy in action

The Varsity Field Hockey Team Defeats Fairfield Ludlowe

By Erinn Ravosa 

On September 6^th, the Wave played Ludlowe under the lights during one of their first night games of the season. Expecting to have an easy game, the Wave was caught off guard when Ludlowe came out strong.  Instead of the Wave dominating, Ludlowe was able to keep the ball above their defensive twenty-five for a large section of the first half. They also took advantage of the Wave’s defense, which was having trouble marking up in the circle. Seeing this flaw, the opponents pounced on the opportunity given to them, sending the ball into the goal cage. Looking back on this defensive breakdown, senior Kyra Fitzpatrick said, “With the new switch-up in the lineup, there are new girls in the defensive position. We have to produce tight defense and man to man marking in the circle.”

After Ludlowe scored, the Wave felt a sense of urgency to answer back with a goal. This resulted in many offensive corners, which eventually led to a goal for Darien. Seconds after the ball was pushed into play, a wide shot was taken on net; a Darien offender was able to get a tip on it, making the score 1-1.

In the second half of the game, the Wave’s offense took control of the game; the ball rarely got into their defensive end. This led to many, many shots being taken on cage. Unfortunately, the players taking the shots had trouble connecting with other teammates, resulting in multiple missed opportunities to score. Despite this issue, the offense stayed strong and kept trying to find a way around the goalie.

With only two minutes left in the game, the Wave was finally able to land the ball in the goal cage. Gaining momentum from this goal, the offense gained yet another one with only seconds left on the clock. The final score was 3-1.

Come support the Varsity Field Hockey team Friday, September 10^th at 4:00pm on the stadium turf during their game against Danbury.

Junior Georgia Cassidy celebrates after scoring a goal earlier in the season.

Girls Cross Country Finishes Season Undefeated

By Caroline McKay

On Tuesday, October 7^th, the Girls Cross Country team won its final meet before FCIACs, solidifying this season as an undefeated one. Darien took on Staples, Danbury, and St. Joseph’s at St. Joe’s on a course that was 3.04 miles long and of easy to moderate difficulty. The victory was especially rewarding, as Staples is Darien’s biggest competition.

Senior Anne Johnston came in first with a time of 18 minutes and 36 seconds. That’s a mile pace of 6 minutes and 7 seconds. Senior Kate Halabi finished third with a time of 19 minutes and 58 seconds followed by senior Amanda Percarpio who came in fifth place with a time of 20 minutes and 12 seconds.  Freshman standout Emilia Callery was the fourth runner for Darien, placing ninth in 21 minutes and 6 seconds.

“Although the course was longer than some, the entire team showed strength and I think we’re really prepared for FCIACs,” senior captain Lindsey Holek said. 10 of the first 20 finishers were Darien runners.

Next on the girls’ agenda is to prepare for FCIACs at Waveny Park next Thursday, October 16^th. “We’ve worked really hard and had an incredible season so far. FCIACs will be a hard fight against Staples and Ridgefield, both of which are highly ranked, but if we give it all we’ve got our hard work may pay off,” senior captain Kate Halabi said. “In the next week we’ll be getting in some speed workouts to prepare for the high-speed start of the FCIAC race.”

With 18 wins and 0 losses, the girls have a strong chance of continuing their excellence at FCIACs.

  Runners enjoy the view after their win at Tod’s Point, Greenwich