Top five teams
- 2013 Volleyball
Led by Class M MVP Brianna Pacileo, All-NVL setter Samantha Lee and a terrific defense, Woodland went 24-1 and won the Class M title with a 3-1 over Foran. It was the first state volleyball title for an NVL team in 35 years.
- 2013 Football
A record-setting offense led by Tanner Kingsley, who broke the state record for career passing TDs with 113, helped Woodland reach the Class S and NVL championship games. Both times the Hawks lost to Ansonia, the state’s No. 1-ranked team.
- 2012 Boys Outdoor Track
Woodland finished as the Class M runner-up and NVL champion each year from 2012-14, but this squad was loaded with seven All-State athletes and a 4×400 relay team that still holds the Class M record in the event (and went All-New England).
- 2015 Girls Soccer
Not only did the Hawks win their first NVL title since 2004 (in a thrilling comeback, no less), but Woodland reached its first-ever Class M semifinal before losing in penalty kicks to Enfield. The Hawks finished 20-1-1 thanks to Alexa Casimiro and Co.
- 2012 Volleyball
The Hawks’ 2013 state title may not have been possible without the trailblazing 2012 squad that reached the Class M final before falling to Ledyard. It was the school’s first trip to a state final since 2005. Woodland finished 20-4.
Top five games
- Football vs. Naugatuck (2013)
One of the most emotional nights in school history happened on Oct. 4, 2013, when Woodland outlasted Naugatuck, 25-22, before 2,000 fans to win the inaugural George Pinho Trophy Game just nine months after Pinho’s untimely passing.
- Girls Soccer vs. Watertown (2015)
Facing a 1-0 deficit late in regulation, Sam Plasky cleaned up a rebound to force overtime in the NVL final against Watertown. With 58 seconds left in the first OT, Jess Rodrigues chipped a ball at the left post to score the winner in a 2-1 classic.
- Boys Soccer vs. Watertown (2011)
A tight-knit group of seniors reversed years of struggles to topple Watertown, 2-1, for the program’s first NVL title. Eric Dietz forged a 1-1 tie in the 51st minute before Matt Moutinho’s game-winning header from Rich Vadala with 7:23 remaining.
- Girls Basketball vs. Waterford (2011)
Heather Framski snatched an offensive rebound and hit a turnaround three-footer that circled the rim before falling with three seconds left in a 64-63 win over Waterford in the Class M first round. Framski netted a school-record 37 points.
- Football vs. Capital Prep (2012)
Woodland rallied from a 16-point deficit midway through the third quarter to beat Capital Prep, 37-35, in the Class S quarterfinals. Tanner Kingsley’s 47-yard pass to Jack Pinho with a minute left sealed the wild comeback victory.
Top five plays
- 4×400 relay’s Class M record (2012)
Nick LaPerriere, Jon Alarcon, Tim Madormo and Eric Dietz ran a time of 3:21.48 at the Class M championships to smash the previous class record by 2.39 seconds. That record still stands for the group that eventually went All-New England.
- Rodrigues’ NVL-winning goal (2015)
With 58 seconds left in the first overtime period of a tense NVL final against Watertown, Jess Rodrigues slid near the left post and booted a shot that deflected off Watertown’s keeper and dribbled into the net. Woodland held on for the 2-1 win.
- Moutinho’s NVL-winning header (2011)
Matt Moutinho, the son of longtime Woodland coach Tony Moutinho, connected on a header off Rich Vadala’s corner kick in the 73rd minute for the go-ahead goal in the Hawks’ first NVL championship appearance. They held on for a 2-1 victory.
- Poeta’s 4th-quarter TD and pick (2013)
Joe Poeta hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Kingsley to give Woodland a 30-20 lead with 8:06 left in a Class S semifinal against Bloomfield. The Warhawks rallied, but Poeta’s interception with 46 seconds left sealed a 30-26 win.
- Alfiere’s NVL-winning home run (2010)
Just 15 days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, Katie Alfiere allowed one earned run and drove in all four Woodland runs — including the game-winning two-run homer in the fifth — as the Hawks beat Seymour, 4-2, for their first NVL title.
