Naugatuck track star Amanze Williams won two gold medals at the New England championships June 11. Williams, a senior, plans to attend the University of Connecticut in the fall where he will join UConn’s track team. CONTRIBUTED

For Williams the titles represent the first time he has ever captured gold at the New England meet, and the culmination of a stellar career as a Greyhound.

Williams won three gold medals in the NVL championships, two gold medals in the Class L state championships, a state open gold medal and is now the best in New England with two more gold medals.

“This certainly has been more than I could ever ask for,” said the very modest Williams. “You are talking about the best athletes in all of New England and to win two gold medals, I’m still kind of in shock. It hasn’t really hit me yet.”

Williams is no stranger to the limelight. Last season saw take home two gold medals at NVLs, setting a new league record in the triple jump at 47 feet, 8 inches, and the first of his two consecutive MVP awards at the NVL championships.

At the Class L state championship last year Williams won his first state title, winning the triple jump and placing third in the long jump. At last year’s New England championships Williams placed fifth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump.

“I was really hoping to win another state title in my senior year,” Williams added. “But, what I achieved is more than anything I could have dreamed of.”

In the past two outdoor track seasons Williams has brought home ten gold medal awards and now the future University of Connecticut track star will prepare for some new challenges as he enters Storrs this fall on a track scholarship.

“The moment was electrifying,” Naugatuck head coach Ralph Roper said. “Coach Basile and I were ecstatic when the final results came in. For his last jump in his high school career it was emotional and exciting to watch. This season could not have been scripted any better for such a fine athlete and fine young man.”

Amanze has made it a habit of saving his best for last. At the New England Championships last Saturday he approached his final jump trailing and needing to hit at least a 22 foot 9 inch effort.

Williams landed with a couple inches to spare. A 23-foot effort gave him the gold medal. In the triple jump Amanze nailed it hitting a jump of 46 feet 7 inches in his second attempt making sure there would be no drama with a last jump scenario.

“I certainly don’t plan it like that,” said Amanze explaining his penchant for final jump excitement. “But it feels awesome when I do hit the jumps.”

With his high school career in the books, Williams took part in a decathlon before focusing his attention on UConn.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to compete in college,” Williams said.

Kyle Brennan

Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to me! (Sunday)

Tony’s Takes

Tony’s bringing the noise this week with some of his strongest takes in quite some time. When the weather heats up, so does Ant.

1.      The Memphis Grizzlies are doing work—without their best player, former UConn Husky Rudy Gay.

2.      I’m looking forward to beach volleyball and wiffleball now that nice weather is hopefully here to stay.

3.      Twilight Zone moment: How weird is it that Osama bin Laden was announced dead to Americans while the Phillies and Mets were playing in the ninth inning of Sunday Night Baseball, when the planes on Sept. 11^th crashed in New York and Pennsylvania…

Lips to CN’s Ear

“Before the game Matt [Zahornasky] talked to the guys about putting the Derby game behind them. Arber [Mehmedi] did a good job calling the game as he and Matt really had it going. Matt gives us an adequate chance to win the game when he is on the hill. We can beat anyone when we play our ‘A’ game and we proved that on Monday in Torrington.”

Tom Deller

Naugatuck baseball coach after the Greyhounds beat Torrington, 4-3, on Monday at Fuessenich Park to hand the Red Raiders their first defeat of the season following the ‘Hounds 14-0 shutout loss to Derby on Saturday. Naugy scored all of its runs in a four-run fifth inning, thanks to a pair of Torrington errors and key hits by Mehmedi and Kyle Lopes. The ‘Hounds are 8-4 and are fighting to be in the top four seeds in this month’s Naugatuck Valley League tournament.

Word from the Woods

Softball

The Woodland softball team struggled through its toughest week of the season thus far, losing two of three to drop to 10-3 on the season. Last Wednesday, The Hawks were shut out by Holy Cross, 9-0. Woodland had just three hits in the game, one of which was a double by Emily Wirsing. The Hawks rebounded on Friday to smoke Kennedy, 15-2. Rebecca Norton had three hits with two RBI and two runs while Brianna Pacileo had three hits and two runs. Kelly Sherman and Lindsay Boland each contributed RBI doubles. On Monday, Woodland suffered its most lopsided loss of the season in a 13-1 loss to Ansonia. Brooke Leshin homered to score the Hawks’ lone run. Woodland will look to get back on track this week as it was set to host Sacred Heart on Wednesday before traveling to St. Paul on Friday and hosting Watertown on Monday.

Boys Tennis

Jim Amato’s Hawks are still undefeated after another perfect week, beating Kennedy, Crosby, and Torrington to improve to 12-0. Woodland beat Kennedy, 7-2, last Friday before crushing Crosby, 8-1, on Monday. The Hawks’ closest match of the season came on Tuesday at Torrington, where Woodland came away with a 5-4 victory. Crucial to the Hawks’ victories during the week were mid-range singles players Matt Murphy, Kyle Beynor, Steve Pec, and Jimmy Tompkins, who all won three matches. Pat Dietz and Nick Boccuzzi also contributed singles victories. Chris Zmuda and Nick Rioux teamed up to win a pair of doubles matches, while Mike Patsiarikas and Mike Ventimiglia both paired up with different opponents to win two doubles matches each. The Hawks were set to visit Sacred Heart on Wednesday before hosting Wolcott on Friday and visiting Watertown on Monday.

Girls Tennis

The Hawks rebounded from two straight 4-3 losses late last month by reeling off a three-match Naugatuck Valley League winning streak. After squeaking past Wolcott last Tuesday, The Hawks shut out Kennedy on Friday and Ansonia on Monday. Top singles players Megan Wester, Lauren Tremaglio, and Julia Lawton each won two matches while Nicole Nelson and Liz Martin won a match apiece. The top doubles teams of Angela Vallillo-Avery Gartman and Brooke Dragon-Eileen Hurley each won a pair of matches while Dayna Chucta-Rachel Mariano and Martin-Amanda Olivera both teamed to win a match. The Hawks were shut out in a nonconference match against Joel Barlow on Tuesday. Woodland is 8-4 overall and was set to host Sacred Heart on Wednesday before traveling to St. Paul on Friday and hosting Watertown on Monday.

Naugy Notes

Tennis

The only reported score of the week for the Naugatuck boys tennis team was a 7-2 loss at Torrington on Monday. No. 1 singles player Richard Mitchell earned an 8-5 victory while the No. 2 doubles team of David Justice and Marco Velasco took a 6-4 win. The loss dropped the Greyhounds to 4-7 on the season. Naugatuck will host Crosby on Thursday before traveling to Sacred Heart on Monday. The Naugatuck girls tennis team did not report any scores, but were scheduled this week to play at St. Paul on Wednesday and at Crosby on Thursday before hosting Sacred Heart on Monday.

Track and Field

Last week, the Naugatuck girls swept a tri-meet against Woodland and Crosby. The ‘Hounds beat the Hawks, 79-71, and crushed Crosby, 135-13. Event winners for the Greyhounds included the 4-by-800 and 4-by-100 relay teams, Jordyn Allen in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200 meters, Shannon Hale in the 300 hurdles and the high jump, Becky Renzoni in the pole vault, and Brianna Ritter in the shot put and discus. The meet improved Naugatuck to 5-3 on the season. The results from Tuesday’s scheduled boys and girls scheduled meet against Sacred Heart and Kennedy in Naugatuck were not reported. The ‘Hounds will meet Torrington in a dual meet Tuesday before facing Kennedy and Wilby on Tuesday.

Naugatuck track Coach Ralph Roper will be relying heavily on these athletes in Naugy’s quest to win another NVL track title. First row from left, Nick Moriello, Shannon Hale, Sarah Konops, Jordyn Allen. Back row from left, Colton Wagner, Jamaal Gee, Amanze Williams, Dan Bronko, Muad Hrezi and Breanna Ritter.

Coach Ralph Roper, in his ninth year at the helm, is at work with assistant coaches Bill Hanley and Matt Basile to ensure the Greyhounds will be a force to be reckoned with.

The boys are anchored by a core of athletes that puts them as one of the favorites to win the title. Leading the way is senior Amanze Williams, who was the NVL indoor champion in the high jump and the long jump. Williams was the state champion in the long jump at the State Open.

Senior Jamaal Gee was the NVL indoor champion in the 55-meter and 300-meter dashes while junior Muad Hrezi was the NVL indoor champion in the 1,000 and placed fourth in the State Open.

The Greyhounds are loaded with talent and experience, returning junior Nick Moriello in the 800 and 1,600. Juniors Tom O’Brien (100, 200) and Jake Simons (400, 800) add to the depth in the distance runs along with seniors Dan Bronko (javelin, discus) and Colton Wagner (pole vault) leading the way in the field events.

Naugy will also rely on a couple of new additions this season with seniors Iman Farimani (100, 200), Andres Jimenez (300 hurdles, 400) and Brandon Burgos (throws) adding to the team’s depth.

“This is shaping up to be a very productive season for us,” said Roper. “We lost some key athletes to graduation but we have been able to acquire some new talent. With the influx of new athletes it will take some time to access where these athletes can fit in and use their skills to contribute to the teams overall success.

“We plan to approach every meet as though it were a championship meet and be poised for success once the NVL and the state meets come around,” Roper added.

The girls capped off their NVL title season by finishing third at the Class L meet. The Hounds lost eight key athletes, including All-NVL and All-State distance runner Rosa Moriello along with sprinter Tori Pisco and mid-distance runner Shelby Hale.

But the girls come into the season with a full head of steam after capturing third at the NVL indoor championships. Leading the way will be junior Shannon Hale, who had two second-place finishes at the indoor meet in the 300 and 600 meters, and freshman Jordyn Allen, who finished second in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Seniors Sarah Konops (jumps) and Jocelyn Brantley (100, 200) give the Greyhounds some experience along with sophomore Breanna Ritter (throws). Senior Claudia Brennan and freshman Katarina Gullotta are also expected to contribute.

“We are going through a through rebuilding project,” said Roper. “The season is going to present some significant challenges, which stems from the number of new athletes and our experience level. We certainly have our work cut out for us and we will have to work overtime in order to get the team ready for the championship meets.

“I’m confident that by the end of the season this team will come together and good things will begin to happen,” Roper added.
The boys were set to start the season Wednesday at Wolcott to face the Eagles, Holy Cross, and St. Paul, while the girls were scheduled to host those three teams Thursday.

The Naugatuck girls out-distanced Woodland last year to win it’s fourth straight NVL title. The boys team finished second to NVL champion Woodland. It marked the sixth NVL title for the girls team in the eight years with Roper at the helm while the boys have won five NVL titles times during that span.

This season will be a new start for both the girls and boys teams as they rebuild following heavy losses to graduation. Two of the biggest losses on the girls team comes from the graduation of Rosa Moriello and Tori Pisco.

Pisco was a two-time NVL champion in the 600. Moriello was in a league all by herself as the fleet-footed runner put together a stellar career. The future Boston University track star was a four-time NVL champion in the in the two-mile, a three-time league champion in the one mile and a two-time champion in the 1,000 meters.

The Lady Hounds will also need to replace departed seniors Sara Tarsi and Martyann Chromik at 300 meters, mid distance runners Shelby Hale and Natalia Carvalho, and jumper Jamie Girolamo.

“We lost a lot of state caliber athletes,” said Roper. “This will be a rebuilding year for us. We will have to identify our shortcomings in the hopes of developing our new and inexperienced athletes.”

Reaching last year’s accomplishments of NVL champions and 4th in the Class L championships will be a tall feat for this year’s squad. But they do return seven seniors who will provide leadership.

Seniors Sarah Konops, Felicity Croce and Melissa Labonte will lead a strong group of jumpers. Senior Becky Renzoni and junior Katelyn Deptula return as part of the 4 x 800 relay team that won the NVL championship by a record 19 seconds at 10:32.76.

Senior mid distance runners Gabriella Moriello and Cristina Sendra will provide some experience along with senior Jocelyn Brantley and junior Shannon Hale to shore up the 55 meters and the 300. New comers junior Amanda Miller in the 600 and sophomore Georgette Nixon in the 300 will be looked on to fill some of the void created by graduation.

“The technical events is where we will need to place our focus,” added Roper. “There is a lot of work ahead of us but I’m confident by championship time we will be very competitive with the rest of the league.”

The Naugy boys lost several key performers to graduation in sprinters Ralph Roper III, Ralph Liguori, Joe Reddington and Wilson Lima.

Distance runner Jeff Dorosh, Donato Piroscafo (shot putt) and Peter Rodriques (pole vault) left some big holes in the lineup.

With only two seniors and five juniors with experience, Naugatuck is a very young team looking to come into its own. Leading the way will be senior and NVL champion in the long jump Amanze Williams along with senior Tom Mashia mid distance runner.

Juniors Nick Moriello, Muad Hrezi and Jake Simons will head up the mile and two-mile long distance runners. Juniors Tom O’Brien mid distance runner and Colton Wagner pole vault and 300 meters will make the Hounds competitive.

“This season will come with huge challenges,” admitted Roper. “The team is made up of a handful of seniors, so the younger athletes will need to be quick studies…We are very young but I sense that by season’s end we will be a very competitive team going into the championships.”

The Woodland boys under head coach, Tim Shea, won the school’s first league title, edging out Naugatuck. The girls team under head coach Jeff Lownds finished second behind Naugatuck.

Coming into this season the Hawks remain confident that they can remain competitive in spite of losing several key athletes due to graduation.

The Woodland boys will need to rebuild the 4 x 400, 4 x 200 and the 1600 sprint relay squads that finished first in the NVL championship meet. The Hawks will also miss 300 meter champion Brandon Fowler , Tyler Murphy the 1,000 meter champion and Class S long jump state champion Dan Park.

The Lady Hawks only won two events at the NVL championship meet, but finished in the top three in nine events. That depth has been compromised due to the graduation losses of two top athletes Brittany Albright and Brittany Battis.

The Woodland girls will also need to find replacements for NVL champion in the 55 hurdles Alyssa Marti, along with a solid relay core of Libby Patrick, Kate Trauger, Sarah Melville and Kelsey Dumond.

“There is no doubt about it that we lost a real good group of seniors from last year,” said Shea. “They were able to accomplish a lot for the team and we just have to go out there and reload…We probably got hurt the most in the sprints and the jumps. Park was a two-time state champion and Fowler was a champion. Savvidou and Murphy were also very productive…Hopefully the returning athletes will fill the gaps and we will be a competitive team.”

Woodland is not coming into this season empty-handed. They return a solid core of athletes that possess a variety of skills.
The Hawks will have a solid relay group led by three-quarters of the 4 x 800 team in senior Jonathan Fitzpatrick and juniors Marc Beaulieu and Adam Baz. Senior Jacob Pinho ran the 4 x 200 and the 1600 sprint medley last season.

Woodland also has a little experience coming back in the sprints and the distance. Seniors Craig Genz in the 300 meters and Kyle Cranney in the 1600 will also be an asset to the 4 x 200 and the 4 x 400 relay squads. Junior Jonathan Alarcon will sprint in the 55 meters.

“The team goal is to finish in the top three in the league,” Shea said.

Fowler, who placed second in New England in the 300-meter hurdles, completed the 400-meter circuit in 56.31 seconds, good for 27^th out of 35 runners. His time was approximately 4.5 seconds off the winning pace of 51.85 seconds, but it was better than any other runner from the region.

Fowler only competes in the 400-meter hurdles a couple times a year, at out-of-state meets, because only the 300-meter version of the race is contested in Connecticut.

“I was disappointed,” Fowler said. “I wanted to run better because I have before and I expected the same. Besides having an extra 100 meters, there’s nothing really different for me because I’ve run it three other times this season.”

Woodland’s 800-meter sprint medley team, comprising Fowler, Chris Williams, Dan Park, and Tyler Murphy, finished 19^th with a time of 1 minute, 37.83 seconds, 7 seconds off the best time of 1:30.76. Chris Savvidou was scheduled to run but was forced to scratch with a foot injury, changing the Hawks’ lineup before the race.

“It was unfortunate,” Fowler said of the late scratch. “We couldn’t run our original team that got us there.”

The four seniors that made the trip for Woodland all plan on competing with collegiate programs. Fowler is headed to the University of Connecticut; Savvidou is set to run at Central Connecticut State University; Park will compete at the United States Naval Academy; and Murphy is considering running cross-country at Quinnipiac University.

Murphy also won the state championship in the 2000-meter steeplechase June 16 at Willowbrook Park in New Britain. He finished the course in 6:40.12, more than two seconds faster than his closest competitor.

Naugatuck’s Donato Piroscafo also competed at the meet, placing 28^th in javelin.

Fowler posted a time of 39.38 seconds—just short of Aaron Araujo’s winning mark of 38.97 seconds—to claim second place in the 300-meter hurdles.

“My goal was to place in the top six, so that worked out,” Fowler said. “I really wanted to get first, but I’m happy.”

Fowler’s second-place performance in the 300-meter hurdles was the best showing for a Woodland athlete at the regional meet since Eric Alfiere won the javelin competition in 2007, and makes Fowler the third all-New England athlete—along with Alfiere and soccer player Jesse Menzies—in Woodland history.

“I’m proud of the accomplishment and all the work I put in to get there,” Fowler said. “I consider it a big honor to be in that company.”

Williams continued an excellent season on the runway and in the sandpit, placing fifth in the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 5 inches, and sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 45 feet, 3.5 inches.

Williams is the latest in a string of excellent Naugatuck track and field athletes who have earned all-New England honors, the most recent of whom was Mohamed Hrezi last season.

Piroscafo’s best javelin throw—153 feet—wasn’t his best toss of the season, and didn’t live up to the marks he set at the Class L and State Open meets; at the State Open, he earned the final qualifying spot in the New England meet with a throw of 165 feet, 10 inches.

“I was disappointed with my performance because I have done a lot better in previous meets, like the Class L meet,” Piroscafo said. “If I could do it again, I would take my time a little more, because I felt rushed at the meet, and I threw before I was ready to throw.”

Still, Piroscafo is able to look back on his superb season with good memories.

“It was a really great experience because I haven’t been a very important member of the track team in previous years,” Piroscafo said. “This year, it felt good to be one of the teammates with a longer season. Competing at New Englands was a big deal to me, and I’m glad to say that I was part of such a big meet.”

The season is over for the Hounds, but several Woodland athletes, including Fowler, will compete at the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend. Fowler will race the 400-meter hurdles and will be the anchor leg of Woodland’s 800-meter sprint medley relay team, which also includes Chris Williams, Chris Savvidou, and Dan Park.

“I know the field is going to be tough,” Fowler said of his individual race. “I’m realistically looking to get top six and be an all-American. We’ll see, I guess.”

Fifty-two points were enough to secure a fifth-place finish for the Hawks, who finished only a point behind fourth-place East Catholic and nine points shy of third-place Montville. Bloomfield commanded 123 points, 57 points more than second-place Weston, to bring home the gold.

Fowler clocked a 15.52-second effort in the 110-meter hurdles to win third place and six points, but followed up in his best event to win the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.87 seconds. He finished second at Monday’s State Open with a time of 39.65 seconds.

“It feels good because I felt the pressure to repeat from last year,” Fowler said. “I am disappointed [with the State Open] because I’ve run better races and my best time would’ve won.”

Park bounded 44 feet, 4 inches to win the triple jump for the second-consecutive year. He also finished sixth in the 200-meter dash in a time of 23.83, adding three points to the Black and Gold total.

Javelin throwers Scott Lang and Tyler Slapikas finished third and eighth, respectively, for a total of seven points.

Tyler Murphy took fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:00.24, scoring five points; Kyle Cranney earned fifth place in the mile run, with a time of 4:36.05, for four more.

Cranney, Murphy, Adam Baz and Eric Dietz took third place in the four-by-800 meter relay in a time of 8:25.18, which was good for another six points.

“We were seeded fifth and we placed third so I was happy about that,” Murphy said of the four-by-800 team.

Park, Fowler, Chris Williams and Chris Savvidou ran a 45.21 in the four-by-100 meter relay, taking eighth place and tallying another point.

The Woodland girls faced tougher competition as they finished in a three-way tie for 17^th place with Seymour and New London .

The girls’ 13 points paled in comparison to Career’s winning 106.5, Nonnewaug’s second-place 92, and Weston’s tally of 68.5, which was good for third.

Brittany Battis took third place in the pole vault for six of the Hawks’ 13 points, clearing a bar set at 9 feet, 6 inches. She tied for sixth at the State Open with a personal-record 10-foot vault.

“I knew the competition I was walking into was tough so I wanted to jump for myself and it paid off by getting a new personal record,” Battis said.

Ashley Riley earned sixth place in the triple jump with a distance of 34 feet, 3 inches; Alyssa Marti took seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.14; and Olivia Poryanda tossed the javelin 100 feet, 3 inches for seventh place in that event.

“The end of the season went well because I competed against very talented girls,” said Marti, the Naugatuck Valley League champ in the 100 hurdles. “My goal was to be undefeated in the regular season and I accomplished that.”

“We’re losing a lot of very key players for the girls program, and we’ll definitely be in the rebuilding process for the next year or two,” he said, “so things are lifting and shifting here.”

The boys squad tied with North Haven for 6th place at the state class at Willowbrook Park Wednesday.

The boys scored a combined 39 points, 19 of which came from high-jump, long-jump and triple-jump performances compliments of Amanze Williams, who placed fourth, third and second in the events, respectively.

He cleared a high-jump bar set at 6 feet, 2 inches; lunged 22 feet in the long jump; and bounded 47 feet, 8 inches in the triple jump.

Donato Piroscafo hurled a javelin 173 feet for a second-place finish worth eight points.

On the track, Jamal Gee tallied seven points for the Hounds, taking fifth place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.52 seconds and sixth place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.37.

Roper expects Gee, a junior, will improve considerably next season, since he was a track newbie this year, or as Roper put it, a “freshman athlete.”

His strong performances at the class meet were displays of pure speed and power, Roper said, rather than mechanical know-how.

“He’s still trying to understand how to race and show to sprint, and you know it takes some time,” Roper said. “But you can’t take anything away from speed. Either you have it or you don’t. What you can do is add to it.”

Distance runner Muad Hrezi took eighth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:57.37, scoring one point, and helped teammates Erik DeSouza, Ralph Ligouri and Mashia Thomas take fifth in the four-by-800 relay. That squad clocked in with a time of 8:20.99.

Winning the boys’ meet was Hand with 85.5 points, followed by Notre Dame (83 points) and Windsor (48 points).

The Naugatuck girls tied with Wilbur Cross for 16th place, scoring 13 points, all of which were recorded on the track.

Roper said he decided to let the girls focus on individual performances rather than push for a high-scoring, strong team finish.

“I was thinking, ‘Look, we’re not going to go for the team, because we know who’s going to be the top two based on what they’re bringing, so it’s not even going to be close,” Roper said. “So you know what? We’re not going to focus on that. We’re going to focus on individual performances.’”

The four-by-800 squad comprising Rosa Moriello, Tori Pisco, Natalie Carvalho and Shelby Hale took third place with a time of 9:40.54, scoring six points.

Pisco also took fifth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.50 seconds to score four points; Moriello placed sixth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:27.50, which was worth three points.

Winning the girls meet was Windsor with 122 points, followed by Simsbury (99 points) and Darien (83 points).