103119
The week in photos – October 31, 2019
Around Town
Harvest Fair
First & Wesley United Methodist Church, 89 Center St.(corner of Second and Center), is hosting its annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 8-3. The fair features and all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast from 8-10:30, luncheon from 11-2, crafts, baked goods, a cookie walk and door prizes. New is Joyce’s Garden Booth with various plants. Parking is in the rear of the church and is handicapped-accessible. For more information, call Peggy Jerrell at (203) 641-0929.
Garden Club confab
The West Haven Garden Club will hold its meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, at the Ora Mason Library meeting room, 260 Benham Hill Road. A luncheon will follow and the program will be presenter Mary Genovese speaking and demonstrating Holiday Table Settings. Newcomers are welcome with a $5 fee. For further information call (203) 937-1674.
‘Back to the Oldies’
A “Back to the Oldies” dance is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9, at Cielo Ballroom (WH IA club),
85 Chase Lane, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. A raffle will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Music is by D.J Charles Rosenay, featuring singer Carla Gemma. Smoke Free!! Cash Bar!
Cost is $25 per person For info call Geri, (203) 795-5473 or Lucy, (203) 468-2528.
Atlantic City trip
F. Seniors and Friends are running a trip to Atlantic City on Jan. 6-8, at Resorts Casino. Cost of the trip is doubles, $235; triples, $229, single, $319. Four meals, two shows and slot play included. Reservation must be with a deposit is $50 person with final payment due Nov. 29. Call Fred Morgillo, (203) 389-5808, or (203) 927-4249.
I-A Seniors
The West Haven Italian-American Civic Association Senior Center is seeking new members to join its Tuesday senior gathering. Join a group of friendly seniors in an afternoon of good company, with Bingo, cards, trips to casinos and conversations with like-minded people and more. We meet at the club, 85 Chase Lane, each Tuesday from noon to 3. The cost is just $3 per week to cover expenses. We offer refreshments at no additional cost. Call Sherri Torre, (203) 932-2893 for further information.
Senior Center trips
Join the West Haven Seniors on the following scheduled trip: All trips leave from Savin Rock Conference Center:
Monday, Dec. 9 — The Westchester Broadway Theatre – “The Edwards Twins” New Holiday Themed Show! Direct from Las Vegas identical twins Anthony and Edward make musical legends come alive for this holiday performance. Sonny & Cher, Neil Diamond, Johnny Mathis and Barbara Streisand just to name a few of the acts re-created by the talented twins. Enjoy lunch at the theatre before the show. Cost $90 due by Nov. 1. Bus leaves Savin Rock Conference Center 9:30. Departs Westchester approximately at 3:45.
A flyer with further details is available at the office at the West Haven Senior Center 201 Noble St. or you can call the Senior Center (203) 937-3507.
Coin Show
The Liberty Coin Club of West Haven, organized in1962, will host a Coin Show on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Elks Club, 265 Main St., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Anyone with an interest in buying, selling or collecting coins, or with questions about coins, is welcome to attend. Expert dealers and collectors will be on hand.
Al-Anon group
An Al-Anon meeting group invites new members to attend its weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the First Lutheran Church, 52 George St. For information and details, call (203) 506-1464.
Student Loans
The Seth Haley Memorial Loan Fund of West Haven provides eligible college students with loans of up to $2500 to help students finish their post high school education.
Applicants must be West Haven residents who have completed two or more years of college or post-secondary work or be in their final two years of advanced work. Any West Haven resident attending college or a post high school professional, technical or trade school can be eligible for a loan. Repayments do not begin, and no interest will be charged until one year after graduation. If you are interested in making an application for a loan, please call Ralph Lawson, (203) 934-6442.
Seahawks 12U heads to semis
The West Haven Seahawk 12U team (8-1) traveled to New Britain on Saturday to play the New Haven Steelers in the Southern Connecticut Conference quarterfinal playoffs. The Seahawks blanked the Steelers, 18-0, to move onto the semifinals this coming weekend.
Running backs Ethan Holy and Aedan Coe drove the ball on the ground and controlled the time of possession. Coe had two rushing scores on the day. Quarterback Nick Conlan connected with receiver Jovon Willams on a touchdown through the air. A swarming Seahawks defense keep New Haven away from the end zone and was led by Holy, Coe, Yahinus Mercer, Delaney Flood and Teriq Mallory who closed the door on the Steelers with an interception.
The Seahawk 8U team (8-0) is the number-one seed in the playoffs and earned a bye. The 10U Seahawks (7-2) ended their successful season with a well-played and exciting game against the Steelers. The Seahawks lost, 20-13, in overtime. The Seahawks trailed the Steelers 7-0 at the half in a heavy wind-blown rain at Seymour High School.
The Seahawks tied the game in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard JJ Lugo touchdown run. New Haven marched the field and took a 13-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Caden Stanley took a lateral and ran 48-yards and crossed the goal line as time expired to tie the game at 13-13 and send it into overtime.
New Haven scored on OT to go up 20-13 and West Haven fell short. Anthony Iannotti, Angelo Petrezuiello, and Frank Green played well on the offensive line. Mason Wright, Azriel Pizarro and TJ Stevenson played well on defense.
The 14U team finished their season with a loss to the Trumbull Rangers, 27-7, in the Bob Boss Tournament. Xavier Fernandez scored the lone Seahawk score on a 65-yard kickoff return.
The Seahawk 8U and 12U team will travel to Bridgeport on Sunday for the Southern Connecticut Conference Semifinal contests.
The winners will advance to the conference championship games. The Seahawk 8U team will face New Haven at 10 and the Seahawk 12U team will take on the Stratford Redskins at 4. Game will be played at Central High School (Kennedy Stadium).
Squirt A team splits a weekend pair
The West Haven Squirt A travel hockey team split a pair of games this weekend.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils defeated Enfield 4-3 at Bennett Rink, avenging a 4-3 loss to the Eagles on Sept. 29.
Forward Cameren Lipford scored a hat trick, Gavin Coady tallied a goal and an assist, and goaltender Alex Werle saved 17 shots to lead the Westies to their sixth win of the season.
After a scoreless first period, the Blue Devils trailed 2-0 before Lipford fired a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle at 2:06 of the second to make it a one-shot game. Less than a minute into the third, Lipford tied it on a top-shelf backhand in front of the net.
Coady put the Westies up 3-2 at 10:02 of the third, banking a shot off the Enfield goaltender’s pads from the right side of the net. The Eagles answered with a tying goal, but the Blue Devils never wavered, thanks to strong defense by Andrew Grillo and solid goaltending by Werle.
With 3:00 left in regulation, Lipford scored on a wrister from the right faceoff circle on a beautiful pass from Coady to seal the victory for the Westies.
On Sunday, West Haven fell 7-4 to Connecticut Ice Cats A at Stamford Twin Rinks. Lipford scored all four goals for the Blue Devils, one of which was assisted by forward Tyler Silva and the other by defenseman Kyle Guarino. Werle stopped 15 shots against the Darien-based Ice Cats.
The West Haven Peewee A travel hockey team earned a win and a tie this weekend in its pair of games. The Blue Devils are now 6-9-1 on the season.
On Saturday night, the Westies headed to “The Whale”, Yale’s Ingalls Rink, to face Yale 2008A. Five different players scored goals in a balanced attack as the Westies won, 6-4. Dylan Bosworth netted two goals, Connor Moriarty had a goal and assist, while Alex Bowery, Mike Page and Ronnie Mastroni scored a goal apiece.
Greg Galasso started in goal and made seven saves while Silva turned away nine shots in relief.
On Sunday morning at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies faced off with Mid-Fairfield Girls 12U Major 1. In an entertaining game the teams skated to a 0-0 tie. Silva started and made 9 saves. Galasso finished up and posted 11 saves, including one on a breakaway in the third period and another when he denied the rebound attempt. West Haven’s defensemen Leo Mazuroski, Ryan Pniewski, Matthew Kelly and Jonathan Charbonneau were solid throughout the game.
The West Haven Peewee AA travel hockey team looked to extend its seven-game win streak over the weekend as they traveled to Ridgefield to face off against Ridgefield Peewee AA’s and posted a 5-3 victory.
With 11:34 left to play in the first period, Billy Mascari scored for a 1-0 lead. Ridgefield would answer a minute later, before Nicky Stevens found Nick Eberhart who gave WH a 2-1 lead at 7:46 in the first. Even at two, Gabe Locklear scored with 56 seconds left to play in second period for a 3-2 lead. With the game even at three, Locklear took matters into his own hands scoring on a breakaway and providing the game winner. Nick Salzano scored into an empty net for the final.
Nate Kempton played the entire game in goal and made a huge sequence of saves to preserve the lead late in the third period.
On Sunday, the team traveled to Cromwell to face Peewee AAA Jr Wolfpack. The Blue Devils dominated the game from start to finish in a 6-0 win.
Tim Donohue got the Devils on the board with help from Billy Mascari and Jack Aloi. Cooper Deko capitalized on a pass from Stevens to Salzano in front as Salzano redirected the puck and Deko sent it to the back of the net. Locklear found a loose puck in the neutral zone and went the rest of the way unassisted followed by Eberhart. Mascari added another assisted by Locklear and Donohue. The final goal of the game was scored by Locklear, his second of the game assisted by Mascari.
Goaltender Tyler Donroe was outstanding while earning another shutout.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team posted a victory in its lone contest of the week, defeating Avon 3-2 at Avon Old Farms Sunday afternoon.
Bryan Hong was stellar in goal, turning aside 23 shots, including six in the third period. After surrendering an early goal, Hong made nine saves in the opening period.
Trailing by a goal, Dave Brown scored off an assist from Cam Delvecchio to even the game after one period.
The Westies took the lead for good 19 seconds into the second when Brown sent Cade Simone in for a 2-1 advantage.
West Haven increased the lead to 3-1 just 15 seconds into the third on a goal by Mickey Dowd off an assist from Jayden Spreyer.
Avon answered 3:16 later, but could not get the equalizer.
With only one contest, the West Haven Bantam B travel hockey team faced off against Simsbury B Sunday afternoon and posted an 8-1 victory.
In his first game, interim goalie Javed Ullah would be put to the test against a hard skating Simsbury team. The Westies found the back of the net first when Cody Rocchio scored from Deklan Loehfelm halfway through the first. Simsbury answered back and Youssef Ullab made it 2-1 at the end of the first period.
The Westies built their lead in the second period with goals from; Yousaf Ullah (Ashley Welch), Ashley Welch (Max Ginsberg and Zach Fonda), Taylor Alfano (Rocchio) and Yousaf Ullah up complete his hat trick.
Going into the third period with a 6-1 lead, the Westies looked to limit shots against, keep the pressure on Simsbury and added goals from Yousaf Ullah, Ginsberg (Ashley Welch). The Westies nailed down the 8-1 win for Javed Ullah’s first win as interim goalie in which he turned all shots but one away.
Youth Soccer ends fall season
The Elite Soccer Camps Golden Dragons ended their season in a tough loss to Nick’s Luncheonette, 6-4. Both sides played hard and fought to the very end of the game. Matteo D’Elia showed great ball control and Jax Guarino broke up a few counter attacks. Seth Empiric hustled after the ball and made some good passes, and Ryan Abekah and Luca DeCrescenzo. Jacob Rader showcased his dribbling moves, and Ben Trenchard did a nice pull-back turn under pressure to roll off a defender and create space.
The Top Hat Dance Academy Green Crocodiles took on the WH Federation of Teachers Local 1542 Mini-Blueberries. In what was a defensive first half, the score at the break was 1-1. The Green Crocodiles completed an undefeated season by picking up the scoring in second half winning, getting six for a final score of 7-1. Ariel Titus and Lehanna Philogene were great on offense while Aarohi Jain and Kendall Gilchrist lead the defense. For the Blueberries, Harper Golde pushed the ball forward for her team. Anessa Worrell played aggressively and stole the ball from the opposing team. Isabella Cooper not only helped out in midfield but scored a goal as well. Karine Davila played well defensively blocking shots from finding the net.
The Cappetta’s Italian Imports Polar Bears played a tough game against The Gunning Law Firm Blue Hurricanes, finishing with a 5-0 loss. Kiley McCoart played solid defense while Luciana Cappetta had several shots on goal. For the Hurricanes, goals were scored by Lulu Sebas, Kylie Gibbons, Arianna Throm and Sophia Empric. Lynnie Chesson played a strong game at midfield while Alivia Riley helped shut down the opponents on defense. Stella Porto demonstrated excellent footskills and passing.
The Shoreline Wellness Blue Diamonds won their last game of the season, 5-0, over Keenan Funeral Home. Ava Pellino scored all of the goals with a great assist from Allie Powers from the defensive line. Giada Jimenez and Josylyn Davila each played a half in the goal and each contributed to the shut out with some awesome saves. The Blue Diamond team all showed great improvement throughout the season!
The Jason Ranalli Yellow Bees played two outstanding games against West Haven Professional Firefighters Sharks to conclude their season. Curtis Diaz, Kaleb Feliciano and Connor Fitzpatrick teamed up, passed the ball to each other and each scored a goal! Holding up the defense was Adem Gundogdu and Emmett Hemming, who have consistently been key players for their team all season.
In their second game, the Bees played the West Haven Police Local 895 Bombers, where Miguel Morales Jr. led the team in both inspirational cheering of his teammates and a fantastic motivational speech to get their final game going! On the field Talla Ndiaye and LeRoy Salvatierra were an unstoppable duo with endless energy. Their playmaking resulted in two goals for the Bees. Also playing well was Yadiel Rios.
The Milano & Wanat Gold Stars played the Rock House School of Music, winning, 5-1. Alanis Nieves played aggressive and made attempts on goal. Madison Jacksics has improved this season and learned how to play her position well. Juliana Crudo made great passes, creating opportunities for her team to score.
The Sweet Relief Catering Blue Thunder came out on top over Stars Ice Cream, 6-1, to stay undefeated for the season. Matt Davis and Stephen Christensen both scored and excellent defense and field play were on display by Paul Christensen, Eric Rivas,and James and Carlos Bazar.
On Friday evening, the Porto Funeral Homes U11 girls travel team played in Southington. Southington scored early in the game which put the Westies on alert. As the girls increased their defense, the Westie offense put their first goal in. But the Westies weren’t done, with two more goals coming from Madison Gargiulo and Nylah Beyah, which sealed the 3-1 win.
On Saturday afternoon, the P & B Express U9 girls hosted Shelton, losing, 3-0. Josylyn Davila and Olivia Petrie kept several shots away in goal. Stella Porto and Gillian Wynus passed well up and down the field.
The Elite Soccer Camps U14 girls went to Meriden Saturday afternoon, falling, 2-1. Ariana Izzo picked up the goal, and Jaylyn Powell worked hard to get the ball forward. Molly Gunning made some good passes to get her teammates into scoring positions, and Abigail Phelan showed creativity in the midfield.
In the other weekend action, the Bar Code Warriors overcame a 1-0 deficit at the half to defeat the George Ellis Company Athletics, 3-1. Matt Treat picked up the second half hat trick in the win. Oyster River Energy and the WH Italian American Civic Assn. battled to a 4-4 draw. Chris Petrie scored the tying goal in the dying seconds of the match as a corner kick banged off him and into the goal. In the last game of the weekend, West Shore Family Dental Unicorns and the Frank Agvent Plumbing and Heating Chimeras fought it out, with the Unicorns, winning, 4-0.
Knights place 9th in MM Championships
Cross-Country — Ohm Patel ran 22nd overall to pace the Green Knights cross country team to a 9th-place showing at the Class MM Championship Meet on Saturday at Wickham Park in Manchester. Patel teamed with Jacob Carson, Oliver Shannon, Devin Rodriguez, Gabe Quinn, Kevin Sevigny, and Evan Rodriguez to form the running contingent for the Green Knights, who improved upon their 12th place finish in 2018.
Head coach Rich Andreozzi said, “We improved our regular season record, we improved our finish at both the SCC Meet and at the CIAC Meet. I am proud of the kids for their effort and hopefully we will continue to work harder to continue that upward mobility next season.” This was the final meet for seniors Oliver Shannon, Gabe Quinn, and Evan Rodriguez.
Football — The Notre Dame football team scored on three of its first four possessions to take a 21-0 early lead enroute to its 34-16 road win over the Fitch Falcons on Saturday. The Green Knights won the coin flip and went on offense.
That proved to be the correct decision as all it took was six plays for Notre Dame to get on the scoreboard first. Mark Altieri capped off the drive with a 13-yard run and Notre Dame led 7-0 just 1:57 into the game. The teams traded punts before Notre Dame took control with back-to-back scoring drives. Jackson Zalinsky was key in both of them. First, he found a wide open Tommy Candelora for a 50-yard scoring strike with 2:12 left in the first quarter.
On its next drive, Zalinsky went untouched for 15 yards and the Green Knights were firmly in control leading 21-0 early in the second quarter. Notre Dame’s defense was stout all game long, but especially in the first half. They only allowed a 32-yard Evan Burdy 32-yard field goal with 5:08 left in the first half. To quell that momentum, Notre Dame scored on its first two possessions of the second half to put the game away.
The Green Knights return to SCC play hosting Xavier on Friday in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Veterans Field.
Soccer — The Notre Dame soccer team played two games last week, scoring two goals. Yet, they didn’t lose. They played to a pair of 1-1 draws with Cross and Sheehan to improve their record to 6-6-3 heading into its Senior Night contest against Career this past Monday night. Against Cross on Oct. 23, Christian Lombardo took a perfect feed from Connor Naumann and quickly lofted a goal past the Governor goalie to earn a 1-1 tie.
In the same result against Sheehan two days later, Lombardo was again the goal scorer as he angled a perfect corner kick into the net in their 1-1 draw against the Titans. Both teams had beaten the Green Knights the first time around. Following its Senior Night Game, Notre Dame will have two weeks off before resuming play in the first round of the Class L state tournament on Monday, Nov. 11.
Hall of Fame Videos — Please visit the Notre Dame Athletics YouTube Channel as we are posting video reflection on each of our inaugural Hall of Fame inductees. The videos will take you down a Green Knight memory lane for the 14 individuals and two teams that were officially inducted on Oct 5.
You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.
Westie netters on a roll
The West Haven volleyball is riding into the postseason on a positive wave. Winners of four of their last five matches, the Westies are 12-7 on the year.
West Haven won its third straight match and seventh in its last eight contests with a 3-1 road victory over Hamden. With the 25-23, 18-25, 25-17, 25-23 victory, the Westies improved to 11-6 on the year.
“We started off kind of slow again tonight, but were able to pull it together to get the win,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We really need to figure out a way to start off these games with more intensity and energy and play more consistent volleyball, starting with our serving. Getting this win was very important and we played well in general, but I know we’re capable of much better. We need to finish off the regular season strong and keep the momentum going for playoffs.”
Involved in a tough match from the start, the Westies won both the first and fourth games by two points each. After losing the second game, West Haven pulled away for a third game victory, before edging Hamden in the fourth game.
“Collectively our serve receive and defense was very good,” Coldren said. “We struggled a bit in the front row against some tough blockers, but we found a way to make it work. Bria (Stanley) and Noelle (Noble) played well in the front row and came up with some big hits when we needed them the most. For the third and fourth games, we served tough and that made all the difference.”
Noelle Noble and Neve Krajcir led the defensive efforts with 11 and 10 digs, respectively. Giliana Santaniello added eight digs, eight assists, and four aces, while Bria Stanley had six kills and five digs, and Savannah Lopez had seven assists and five digs.
Noble also had six kills, and Krajcir finished with four aces and three kills.
West Haven posted its fourth win in five matches with a 3-1 victory over North Haven. The 19-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-22 victory allowed West Haven to improve to 12-7 on the year.
“They played so much better and seem to be back on track with a solid team effort,” Coldren said. “We got off to a slow start, but they put everything together by the second game. We were able to run our offense because our passing was on point.”
Stanley led the way with 17 kills, seven digs, and three blocks, while Krajcir had nine kills, four aces, and four digs. Lopez had nine assists, four digs, three aces and three kills, Noble had six digs, three aces, and two kills, and Santaniello had 16 assists, four kills, three aces and two digs.
“Noelle (Noble) and Savannah (Lopez) played very well on defense and really got the rest of the team motivated to work hard. Bria (Stanley) and Neve (Krajcir) were unstoppable at the net and really made some smart plays when we needed them the most. I can’t say enough about how well they played, and it was good to get a win over North Haven.”
West Haven girls soccer coach Pete Trenchard enforced the importance of entering the postseason on a positive note. Winning two of their last three matches, the Westies were able to do so.
With a 0-2-1 stretch staring in its face, West Haven looked for a way to get out of its slump. Facing a tough Hand-Madison squad, the Westies turned to its defense and goalkeeping, along with timely scoring to post a 2-0 victory in West Haven Monday evening.
The win improved West Haven’s record to 5-5-4 and qualified the Westies for the state tournament.
Mackenzie Gardner made six saves, Jessica Robinson and Selena Izzo found the back of the net, and a solid defense which held Hand to just seven shots, helped West Haven get back on track.
“Overall, we played very well tonight,” Trenchard said. “We bounced back from the loss to Sheehan in our last game, and got a big win against a good team. The win qualified us for the state tournament, which is always the endgame.”
Both West Haven goals came as a result of hard work as Robinson scored on a penalty kick and Izzo scored on a free kick after a foul was drawn by Maya Bermudez.
“Defensively we were solid, and we weathered their attacks and didn’t give them many quality chances,” Trenchard said.
Trenchard wanted to close the regular season on a high note as the postseason approached. Winning two of three games to close the regular season had the Westies enter the postseason with a 6-6-4 record.
West Haven ended the season in impressive fashion with a 2-0 victory over Wilbur Cross on Saturday.
“It was nice to finish the regular season with the win,” Trenchard said. “Cross played well and made it tough on us, but we found a way to score and to finish the season with a .500 record. Now, we take a couple of days off to rest and recuperate, and then get back to work to focus on the state tournament. ”
Gardner picked up her eighth individual shutout of the year with six saves.
The Westies had 10 shots in the contest and took a 1-0 lead when Emma Walker scores from Alexia Guerrero at the 23:37 mark.
Cross battled and gave West Haven all it could handle before Julia Tsakonas scored from Robinson at 76:04.
The West Haven boys soccer team is looking to get back on track. With a tough stretch to end the regular season, the Westies are working to get back to their winning ways.
In the midst of a 3-1-1 stretch, West Haven was looking to keep the season rolling along. Unfortunately for the Westies they ran into a tough North Haven team and fell 6-0 on the road Monday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 6-5-2 on the year.
North Haven held an 18-12 shot advantage in the contest with West Haven goalkeeper John McLaughlin making 10 saves. North Haven’s Matt Casey finished with eight saves.
Kasey Mongillo scored three goals for the Indians, who jumped out to an early lead 6 minutes, 9 seconds into the contest on a goal by Mongillo. Mongillo scored at the 13:02 mark to sandwich a tally by Jack Pollard for a 3-0 advantage.
While the West Haven boys soccer team is still searching for its first victory in a handful of games, the Westies took a step in the right direction Saturday afternoon with a 1-1 draw against Jonathan Law.
The draw, which moved the Westies to 0-3-2 in their last five games, and 6-6-3 overall, was in comeback fashion.
After Law’s Marcus Dostal scored at the 35:56 mark for a 1-0 advantage, West Haven pressured. That pressure finally paid off when Derick Meza scored at the 62:11 mark off an assist from Aldo Barragan.
West Haven held a 13-10 shot advantage in the contest.
McLaughlin made three saves and Brian Carew made four saves in the draw for West Haven.
Danici Malkut made nine saves for Law.
The West Haven girls swimming team fell to 1-8 with a 98-80 loss at Hamden Monday evening. The Westies had two first place finishes, including the 100 backstroke by Madison Hobart in 1 minute, 10.86 seconds, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Morgan Falanga, Alana Orecchio, Kaelyn Falanga, and Hobart in 4:21.68.
The Westies also had four second place finishes. The 200 medley relay team of Hobart, Molly Wilson, Victoria Acuna, and Kaelyn Falanga had a time of 2:09.57, Morgan Falanga was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:20.22, Kaylee Taulty was second in the 1 meter diving with 175.50 points, and the 500 freestyle had Kaelyn Falanga place second in 6:04.54.
The Westies had a competitive meet against Jonathan Law Thursday afternoon, but fell in a home meet 94-84. With the loss, West Haven fell to 1-9 on the year.
West Haven had two first place finishes as Taulty won the 1meter diving with 180.45 points, and Kaelyn Falanga was victorious in the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes, 52 seconds.
The Westie shad five second place finishes, with three of those outcomes coming in the relay events. The 200 medley relay team of Hobart, Wilson, Acuna, and Kaelyn Falanga was second in 2:07.63, the 200 freestyle relay team of Morgan Falanga, Wilson, Orecchio, and Sofia Shubin placed second in 1:58.15, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Acuna, Kaelyn Falanga, Morgan Falanga, and Hobart was second in 4:23.36.
The 50 freestyle saw Kaelyn Falanga place second in 28.22, while the 100 butterfly had Hobart second in 1:11.79.
The West Haven boys and girls cross country teams participated in the Class LL division championships Saturday afternoon at Wickham Park.
The top runners for the boys were senior Sebastian Villanueva in 17 minutes, 29 seconds, sophomore Eric Owen in 19:21, and junior Allen Aldrich in 19:35. The top runners for the girls were freshman Amanda Gullo in 26:14, senior Rowanne Mustafa in 27:35, and senior Daelle Coriolan in 28:40.
For all of your West Haven sporting news all season long, including game articles, photos, videos and more, visit www.westieblue.com.
Notre Dame honors Merit Scholars
Five members of the Class of 2020 have been cited by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Michael Consorte of West Haven was named a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist, while Amit Chandra of West Haven, Matthew Consorte, Jordan House of Ansonia, and Jake Miller of Beacon Falls received A Letter of Commendation from Notre Dame and NMSC.
About 1.5 million juniors from more than 21,000 high schools were entered into the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program after taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
As a National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist, Michael Consorte represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors. During his tenure at ND, Michael has participated in Team ND and in GoGreenKnights.com video production team. He also plays on the varsity football team, tutors in the writing center, serves on the Leadership Team for ND’s service organization called Brothers Reaching Others, and plays intramurals. To date, Michael was recognized as a 2019 Governor’s Scholar Semifinalist, earned the Yale Book Award, the Notre Dame Freshman Spanish Award, and the Notre Dame Sophomore English Award.
Chandra, Matthew Consorte, House, and Miller are among the 34,000 commended students throughout the nation that are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise; these Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students.
“We are extremely proud of these young men and hopeful that this recognition will broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue to pursue academic success,” said Notre Dame President Robert F. Curis. “They have achieved an excellent result on this difficult standardized test, moreover we are so proud of their fine qualities as young men of character, compassion, and confidence.”
His passion fed Siclari’s career
By Josh LaBella
Voice Reporter
Bert Siclari used the principles he learned on the football field to help students succeed.
Siclari, who was born and raised in West Haven, said he grew up playing whatever sport was in season with kids from the Savin Rock neighborhood. He added that he enjoyed being a “beach bum” in the summer.
The Westie soon found football to be his passion. A defensive end, he played in high school, culminating with an undefeated season in his senior year.
“We ended up being ranked number-one in the state of Connecticut,” said Siclari. “We ended up being ranked number one New England. We ended up being ranked number five in the nation. The thing I like to hang my hat on, is that none of the players ever bragged about it.”
After high school, Siclari went to Milford Academy – a preparatory school – where he continued to play the sport. Eventually, he went to play at Idaho State University, getting a full scholarship. He said he was “undersized” compared to other players out west.
“I was probably 245 at the time,” said Siclari. “I was small. I got pounded.”
Siclari described his time at the university as a series of beatings. He said it was a big change from what he was used to in Connecticut. In hindsight, he said he should have played for a local college or university.
He played at Idaho for two and half years and then transferred to the University of Bridgeport. Siclari said he played better at the school. He graduated with a degree in physical education, which sent him off on a career in molding the minds of students.
“From there, I started my master’s in physical education, where I specialized in physical education for the handicapped,” said Siclari. “I finished my degree in two and half years. Then I got my sixth-year degree in administration and supervision.”
Siclari said during all those years he spent any time he could helping out coaches on the football field. This was Siclari’s start in what came to be a 33-year time as a coach. He said he enjoyed working with the players.
While coaching, Siclari also worked construction and as a substitute teacher. He was then asked by the Board of Education to apply for a job as the director of an alternative education program.
“They wanted to set up a program to save kids who were smart but were failing,” said Siclari. “They didn’t give me any direction – that was it.”
The coach and teacher said he did not even have a room when they hired him – he worked out of the football room in the high school. He said the teachers sent him 27 of the toughest students in the school. Over time, he developed a screening process for student admittance as well as an education curriculum. He said the program grew over the years.
The program was on a volunteer basis; no student was forced into it. He said he was strict, involving parents if anyone stepped out of line, was late or cut class. Siclari said the role combined the jobs of a teacher and guidance counselor.
He ran this program for 18 years while also coaching football. Siclari said he is still approached by former students who tell him he impacted their lives for the better.
“As I get older, and I’m bumping into these guys, whether students or football players, it’s true,” said Siclari. “I really didn’t know the influence that I had on them. I wasn’t there to influence them. I was there to help them out. It’s heavy duty. You appreciate it later on in life, because it makes you realize how fulfilling your life is.”
Siclari said he did not know at the time, but he had found his purpose. The program was evaluated by the state as being 83% effective. He said he always enjoyed working with teenagers, adding that he always related to the students who “had a lot of problems.” He said there are a lot of kids who still hold a special place in his heart.
When the city went bankrupt, the program was closed. He ended up working as a physical education teacher at Bailey Middle School. He said it was “a lot” different than his time at the high school.
“I rolled up my sleeves and went to work,” said Siclari. “I applied football to whatever it was I was teaching in class. Hard work, perseverance, preparation and organization.”
Coach Siclari did that for six years and then got charged with running the in-school suspension program. He said he went in their and laid down the rules. He said football players would come in and watch game film and that having them their helped keep the other students in line.
Siclari retired from teaching at 60 years old. He worked in West Haven for nearly 35 years.
Regarding coaching, Siclari said he coached under Tom Hunt for 13 years and under Ed McCarthy for 20. He said one of his favorite activities was to go scout other teams. This, he said, was before schools exchanged game film.
Siclari said his wife Darcy, a former New Haven police officer, and his daughter Shannon, a sophomore in college, are the loves of his life. When he started his family, he said he began to realize it was time to retire from coaching.
“I told Eddy [McCarthy] after the Shelton game in 2002,” said Siclari. “It was the second game of the season. We beat them and I told Eddy, ‘Eddy, this is it for me – at the end of the season I’m all done.’ We ended up going undefeated. It was a great, great way to go out.”
City offers fuel relief
The city is accepting applications for the federally financed Connecticut Energy Assistance Program in the Department of Human Resources on the second floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. Appointments for all heating sources can be made by calling (203) 937-3572.
Applications will be processed by appointment Mondays through Thursdays. No walk-ins will be accepted.
Applicants who have difficulty speaking English are asked to bring a translator.
Eligibility for assistance is based on the income and assets of an applicant’s household.
To qualify, applicants must provide pay stubs, including monthly Social Security benefits and pension checks, for the last four weeks for all household members 18 and older.
Applicants must also provide documentation of assets — recent bank account statements for all accounts for all household members — along with a current utility bill, Social Security numbers and birthdates for all household members