NDHS Sports

Basketball –The 5th-ranked Green Knights beat Fairfield Prep 62-43 on its annual Senior Night game on Valentine’s Day. Four of the five seniors got in the score column and as a group they tallied 42 points. Zach Laput led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow seniors Amadou Kamara added 10, Matt Consorte 7, and Marquise McDuffie 6. Brett Hutchison ran the show from the point guard spot well. Notre Dame had a busy week as they scored 78 points both Monday and Tuesday nights beating Bassick and East Haven. Notre Dame improved to 17-1 and travel to Cross and Xavier to conclude the regular season.

Hockey — It was a week of mixed emotions for the Notre Dame hockey team. They opened the week with a thrilling 2-0 win over West Haven in a very well-played game by both teams that can best be categorized as an instant classic. The winning goal came off the stick of West Haven native Connor Faughnan with just 1:21 left in the game. Notre Dame added an empty netter with four seconds left. The Green Knights couldn’t tide that momentum into Saturday’s game against Fairfield Prep. The Jesuits roughed up the Green Knights, 8-1. ND is 13-5 with Ridgefield and Darien left on the regular season schedule. Notre Dame will get a chance at redemption against the Jesuits in the SCC D1 championship game on Friday, March 6 at the Bennett Rink.

Indoor Track — Jared Russo won the 55-meter hurdles, while Max Bothwell won the pole vault to help the Notre Dame indoor track team to a fourth-place finish at the CIAC Class L Championship Meet. Russo crossed the finish line in 7.89. Bothwell cleared 12-6 to win the pole vault event. The 4×200 relay team ran fourth. All three will compete in the CIAC State Open Meet this Saturday at the NH Athletic Center.

Swimming — The quartet of senior divers stole the show in the Green Knights Senior Day swim meet against Amity. The Spartans would emerge victorious 93-79. The Green Knights would win three events, led by the diving quartet of Michael Iasalvatore, Dylan Schwartz, Chase Socquet, and Hunter Stenquist. Iasalvatore would capture first place scoring 156 points for his six dives. Stenquist totaled 154 points, Schwartz 141 points, and Socquet 83 points. Alex Ozonoff would capture his signature event, the 500 freestyle, touching the wall in 5:21.60. Sean McDermott won his best event, the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:07.70. Notre Dame has one regular season meet left against Xavier before heading into the postseason.

Wrestling — Jackson Paulishen became the second Notre Dame wrestler to claim an SCC championship by winning the 220-pound division. Add in a third-place showing by Alex Barbour and it was a solid showing by the Green Knights, who are only in their fourth year of a varsity program. Paulishen had a first round bye, then won his next two matches by pin to advance to the finals. In the championship match, Paulishen beat East Haven’s Gunner Horton 8-0. Barbour lost early in the competition in the 182-pound division. He then rallied to win three matches, two by pin, then an 11-4 decision to reach the consolation finals. He then won that match in OT to place third in what was a busy day of wrestling for him. The team finished 11th overall and will compete in the Class M Championship Meet this weekend!

You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.

Basketball — The fourth-ranked Green Knights scored 77 points in a pair of home wins, a 77-66 win over Cross on January 28 and a 77-62 win over Xavier on January 31. Zach Laput had a double-double in both games, including a 21 point, 13 rebound, six assist effort against Xavier. Amadou Kamara had 14 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with less than three minutes left to break a 62-62 tie in win over Cross. Ben Carroll had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Xavier. ND played at Hamden Monday and hosts Sheehan on February 7 in a game at UNH that tips at 7:30.

Hockey — After a 3-0 shutout win over ND-Fairfield as part of the CT Ice Tournament at Harbor Yard on Jan. 24, the Green Knights lone game of the week was a 6-0 loss at Fairfield Prep on Saturday/ ND plays its final seven games of the season at Bennett Rink starting with Xavier this past Wednesday and Saturday in a 3 p.m. faceoff. ND is 9-4 on the season.

Indoor Track — Jared Russo set a meet record in winning the 55-meter hurdles, while Max Bothwell won the pole vault to help the Notre Dame indoor track team to a third place finish at the SCC West Sectional. Russo set the record in the 55 hurdles crossing the finish line in 7.94 seconds. He broke the record of Nick Sbabo from North Haven (7.98), set in 2015. Russo also jumped 5-6 to place fourth in the high jump. Bothwell cleared 12-feet to win the pole vault event. 18 athletes qualified for the SCC Championship Meet on Friday at the New Haven Athletic Center.

Wrestling — Senior Night couldn’t have been scripted any better for the Class of 2020 on the Notre Dame wrestling team. All four won their matches, helping lead the Green Knights to a 45-30 win over New Haven last week. The four seniors in the lineup included Alex Barbour, Kelsey Naylor, Victor Robles, and Luis Stephenson. Captains Barbur and Robles won via pin while Naylor and Stephenson captured wins by decision.

You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.

Wrestling needs a last-match pin to defeat Jonathan Law, while basketball remains undefeated with a pair of wins and big outings from Zach Laput. The hockey team split the week and indoor track had fine performances at the SCC Novice Meet.

Basketball — The 4th-ranked Green Knights scored 80 or more points in both games this week as they posted home wins over East Haven and Amity. Zach Laput stayed hot, scoring 51 points in the two games, including 30 against Amity, an 81-52 win on Friday. Laput had a double-double in both games. Ben Carroll had 14 points against East Haven and 12 more in the win over Amity. Amadou Kamara flirted with a triple double with nine points, 10 rebounds, and six assists against Amity. The Green Knights traveled to play Fairfield Prep Tuesday before making the trip across town to play West Haven on Friday.

Hockey — The hockey team split a pair of games last week, beating Xavier on the road, 3-2, before falling in their home opener to Bishop Fenwick on Saturday. The Green Knights were shut out in their first home game after nine straight on the road to start the season in the loss to Bishop Fenwick. The Crusaders scored a first-period goal, which held up.

Against Xavier, Notre Dame scored the game’s first three goals in their 3-2 win. John D’Errico, Ryan Ahern, and Chris Hughes tallied the three goals. Connor Smith made 38 saves against Xavier and another 31 in the loss to Bishop Fenwick.

Indoor Track — Garrett Jones placed third in the triple jump and ran the opening leg of the 1600 sprint medley team that placed fourth to lead the way for the indoor track team at the SCC Development Meet on Jan.14 Jones leaped 37-05 in the triple jump and helped lead the 1600 sprint medley team to a 3:56.03 finish. The indoor track team will compete again on Tuesday, its final preparation for the SCC West Sectional on Jan. 28.

Wrestling — Alex Labadia pinned Law’s Colin Myers in the second round of the final match against Law to lead Notre Dame to a 40-36 win in an SCC Match in Alumni Hall on Jan. 16. Labadia had a 9-6 lead via points after the first round, but would pin Myers in the second round to give the Green Knights the win. Other key wins were recorded by Luis Stephenson won via a 5-0 decision, Kevin Sevigny also won by decision, needing three late points to squeeze out a 9-7 win on points. Jackson Paulishen kept his winning ways going with a convincing 17-5 decision. Meanwhile, senior co-captain Victor Robles pinned his Law opponent in the first round for another key win.

You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.

The basketball and hockey teams have climbed in the statewide polls while indoor track, wrestling, and swimming were all in action as we near the midway portion of the winter sports season.

Basketball — Notre Dame basketball won a pair of games over Sheehan and Hamden to improve to 7-0. They climbed to #4 in the GameTimeCT.com statewide poll. Senior Zach Laput keeps proving why he is one of the states top players as he had 28 points, including a big three-pointer, to lead ND. Senior Amadou Kamara broke a 61-61 tie with a huge three-point basket as ND used a strong last four minutes to beat hamden. Earlier in the week, Laput had 15 points and 15 rebounds in an 80-62 win over Sheehan. Kamara tallied a game-high 23 points to go along with six assists and six rebounds against Sheehen.

Hockey — The hockey team ascended to the top spot in the GameTimeCT.com rankings then split its weekly action. Using a two-goal third period, Notre Dame beat Greenwich, 3-1, on Wednesday, Jan.8. Juniors Ryan Ahern and Bobby Allan tallied the third-period goals. Ahern then scored both of Notre Dame’s goals against Darien on Saturday, but the Green Knights fell 5-2 suffering their first loss of the season.

Indoor Track — Senior Jared Russo and junior Max Bothwell shined at the Yale Invitational on Friday. Russo ran the 55-meter hurdles in 8.09 seconds to win his heat. His time was sixth fastest among all the competitors. Bothwell cleared 13 feet in the pole vault to place fifth among all participants. The kiddie Green Knights had top-10 finishers in eight events at the SCC Novice Meet last Thursday. Freshman Malcolm Benton took first place in the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.08 seconds.

Swimming — Senior Dylan Schwartz won the diving event, competing against his hometown friends, but the Green Knights fell to a strong Milford team 99-83 on Thursday. Schwartz won the diving by scoring 136.65 points for his six dives. His fellow diver, Hunter Stenquist placed second totaling 119.85 points. The other two Notre Dame first place finishes came from the 4×200 freestyle relay team and Sean McDermott in the 100 breaststroke.

Wrestling — Jackson Paulishen won all four of his matches to lead the Green Knight grapplers to a split of its dual matches at the East Haven Invitational on Saturday. Overall, Notre Dame placed fifth as a team.  Paulishen was the only Green Knight to win all four of his matches on the day. He won twice by pin over Platt and Stratford opponents, with the other two wins coming via 3-1 decision over Waterford’s Jeremiah Hashberger and a 7-2 decision over East Haven’s Gunner Horton. Fellow senior Luis Stephenson as well as freshman Alex Labadia won three of their four matches. Earlier in the week, Notre Dame fell to Morgan, claiming only three of the 12 matches. The three Green Knights, who emerged victorious, included Ethan Weaver, Luis Stephenson, and Jackson Paulishen. All three pinned their opponents.

You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.

While the students had a nice extended break, the winter athletes were busy representing our teams over the Holiday break! From hockey winning three games in Boston and basketball capturing the Winter Snow Jam, it was a successful span for the Green Knights winter teams.

Basketball — Coach Shea’s squad has gotten off to a fast start, both in their record and scoring totals. Notre Dame has won their first five games and have scored 75 or more points in four of the five games. In fact, the Green Knights scored 196 points in less than 24 hours in the two Christmas tournament wins. ND beat Holy Cross and Stamford in that event and also has wins over Amity, East Lyme and cross town rival West Haven on Friday, January 3. Zach Laput has led the way averaging over 25 points per game.

Hockey — The hockey team is also off to a great start. After a season opening win over Immaculate, the Green Knights went to Boston to play in the Catholic Memorial Christmas Tournament. They won all three games to come home with the hardware. After a 5-3 win over Bishop Feehan, John-Michael Childs scored the lone shootout goal as ND beat the host school 4-3. Connor Smith then made 29 saves in a 1-0 win over Valor Christian from Colorado. Then, ND erupted for four second-period goals in a 5-1 win over Hamden on New Year’s Day and followed that up with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Simsburty on Saturday. John D’Errico scored with 3:10 left to break a 2-2 tie.

Indoor Track — With teams from all across the nation competing at the Hispanic Games, Jared Russo came in sixth place in the high hurdles. Russo set a personal record completing the event in 7.94 seconds. He was the top Connecticut finisher in this event. A quartet of freshmen made their presence felt also. Cayden Drost placed third in the high hurdles. Malcolm Benton and Donovan Davis placed fourth and fifth in the dash and the trio combined with Jalen Sutton ‘23 to take third place in the 4×200 relay. Russo won the same event at the SCC Developmental on December 23 while Max Bothwell placed second in the pole vault, clearing 12-feet.

Swimming — Alex Ozonoff and Sean McDermott have swam well and won their mainstay events but the Notre Dame swim team has lost a pair of close decisions to West Haven on December 20, 2019 and Lyman Hall/Coginchaug on January 3, 2020. Ozonoff has won both the 200 and 500 freestyle events in both meets. McDermott has won the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM at both meets.

Wrestling — Luis Stephenson had the match of the season so far. Trailing 39-36 heading into the final match against Cheshire, Stephenson was matched up against the Rams’ Zach Coleman. Stephenson would via pin to give Notre Dame a thrilling 42-39 win. The wrestlers also finished second at the Law Duals on Dec. 28, where they went 3-1 on the day. Jackson Paulishen has been a force winning the majority of his matches.

You can get all the latest athletic news, scores, and more by following @NDWHAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope while frieNDing the @NDWHAthletics Facebook group.

The Notre Dame baseball program has a history of its players achieving their dream of playing at the next level.

The latest in a long list of baseball alumni playing at the Division I collegiate level made it official today when Maxwell Mariano ‘20 (Meriden, CT) inked his letter of intent to play at Radford University next season. Mariano signed his LOI in the Team Room at Notre Dame, enjoying the moment with family, friends, and coaches.

Mariano chose Radford over Seton Hall, Bryant and South Carolina Upstate. He is now looking forward to his senior season this spring before heading south for his college career.

Mariano said, “Radford was the final choice for a lot of reasons, but mainly because it is in a nice location and I loved the facilities and coaches. I also thought it was a perfect academic fit for me.”

Radford is located in Radford, Virginia and plays out of the Big South Conference.  Last year, the Highlanders went 30-27 overall and finished second with a 19-8 record in conference games. They reached the third round of the Big South Championships.

Mariano, an all-State selection as a junior last season, has helped the Green Knights to a 37-32 record in his three years as a varsity starter for head coach Donald Martone ‘87.

Martone said, “The main thing about Max is that I have watched him mature as a freshman starter to a captain. The maturation process as a player has been a metamorphosis as a I have watched him grow to become a role model for our program and it’s not because he can hit the ball out of the park. It’s the little things like sprinting out of the box to second base on a ball to the outfield and on and off the field.”

Martone added, “Max certainly has the skills to play at a high level. He has all the tools to be successful at the Division I level, the most important of which is his mental approach and love of the game. Those attributes will allow him to flourish once he gets on campus because he will be challenged every practice, every pitch, and every game.”

As a junior in the spring of 2019, Mariano led the team in seven offensive categories. He hit .357 with 30 hits on the season, including three doubles, four triples, and two home runs, all of which led the team. 

His biggest swing of the spring last season came against Daniel Hand in the quarterfinal round. His two-run homer proved to be the difference in an eventual 7-3 Green Knight win. Mariano struck out only six times in 97 plate appearances. He also scored 25 runs and collected 12 RBIs. The team lost 8-3 to Berlin in the semifinal round of the Class L tournament.

Over his career, Mariano has played in 59 games, which includes missing the later part of his freshman season due to an injury. He has 60 career hits, 44 runs scored, and 38 RBIs heading into his senior campaign.

Notre Dame will begin preparing for its spring season when practice starts on Saturday, March 21.

Notre Dame High School is dedicating the 2019 Green Bowl on Thanksgiving morning to the late Dr. John Aversa and his family. Dr. Aversa passed away this past summer, leaving a legacy of service to so many, including Notre Dame students and athletes.

An official on-field dedication ceremony will take place at 10:00 am Thanksgiving morning at the 2019 Green Bowl. John’s wife Ellen, as well as additional members of the Aversa family, representatives of Notre Dame’s Administration and Athletic Department, including President Robert Curis, Athletic Director Jason Shea , former Athletic Director’s Joe Tonelli, and Tom Marcucci, and the Notre Dame football team will be present for the ceremony.

Notre Dame fans are encouraged to arrive in time for the ceremony, which will take place on the sideline near the 40-yard line on the side of the field nearest the bleachers.

Dr. Aversa always made time for Notre Dame High School as it reminded him of his own high school experience. No matter how busy his schedule was, if a Green Knight student-athlete needed medical attention, he made sure to see him. He also volunteered as the team physician for our football and hockey teams and was a constant on the football sideline and in the hockey rink, loving to watch our teams play. 

The entire Notre Dame community was saddened by his passing and deeply appreciative of his passion, compassion, and dedication to our students and athletic teams. Dr. Aversa was a treasure to all who knew him, especially to his family. That is why it is our honor and privilege to dedicate the 2019 Green Bowl to Dr. John Aversa and his family.

Football — It took until the second-to-last play of the game for the football version of the city rivalry to be decided. Notre Dame took a 41-35 lead on a 32-yard scoring strike from Jackson Zalinsky to Aiden Stankiewicz with 48 seconds left in the game to provide the winning margin.

The game was finally decided on a Michael Consorte interception with 15 seconds left. Zalinsky threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers in a back-and-forth affair that saw seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than eight points. West Haven quarterback Andre Rentas ran for three touchdowns, including 53 and 56  yard runs. The Blue Devils tied the game with three minutes left on a Jaden Grant nine-yard run and ensuing two-point conversion.

Damian Blount had two touchdown runs for the Green Knights, who also had Robbie Oliverio, Austin Pieck, and Tommy Candelora catch touchdown passes. Notre Dame, which now stands at 5-4 on the year, will look to end the year with a win in the annual Green Bowl game on Thanksgiving morning against Hamden.

Soccer — Head coach Chris Ciuca’s soccer team rebounded from a slow start to post a seven-game unbeaten streak heading into the postseason. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, that run ended in a  2-0 loss at Wethersfield in the second round of the CIAC Class L soccer tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

The Green Knights used two early goals to post an opening-round win at Bassick on Veterans Day. An own goal and a great strike by Thomas Ellis sparked Notre Dame to an eventual 2-1 win. Both of Notre Dame’s goals came in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Bassick finally tallied with less than three minutes left but the Green Knights didn’t allow another Lion scoring chance in the win. Ellis earned all-SCC First Team honors, while fellow senior and captain Christian Lombardo was named to the all-SCC Second Team. Notre Dame’s final record was 8-7-1 in 2019.

Post-Graduate Basketball — Notre Dame Prep, the Green Knights post-graduate basketball team, had a busy and successful week. They went 3-1 to improve their overall record to 4-1 on the season. Coach Nick Defeo’s squad opened the week with a pair of home wins over the Mitchell College JV team (82-73) and Commonwealth Regional (95-80).

They then participated in the Power Five Tipoff Invitational, splitting a pair of games, over the weekend of Nov. 15-16. They fell to Woodstock Academy Blue before rebounding the next day to post a season-high 102 points in a win over RockTop Academy. Kerwin Prince scored a season-high 29 points in the win over RockTop Academy.

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.

Football –Fairfield Prep scored on its first four possessions then took advantage of three Notre Dame turnovers in the second half in its 49-19 win at Rafferty Stadium on the campus of Fairfield University on Friday. The Jesuits scored on its first four possessions to take a 27-7 lead at halftime. The Green Knights did take a brief 7-6 lead following an 85-yard kickoff return by Tommy Candelora with 6:29 left in the first quarter.

Following that return, the Jesuits scored on a Kyle Veccarella three-yard run, Max McGillicuddy 48-yard touchdown pass, and Sean Nelson three-yard run to take control of the game. Notre Dame’s defense made a stop on fourth down to start the second half, but a fumble inside the Green Knight five-yard line led to an Evan Davenport one-yard scoring plunge and Prep led 34-7 early in the third quarter.

The lead grew to 41-7 when the Green Knights got on the board on a Jackson Zalinsky 35-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Oliverio. Zalinksy scrambled from the pocket and connected with Oliverio, who made a leaping catch, eluded a tackler, and went untouched for the score.

Notre Dame’s scoring would be capped on a Patrick Schreck one-yard run with 3:09 left in the game.

The Green Knights return to action hosting cross-town rival West Haven for city bragging rights on Friday, November 8, 2019 in a 7:00 pm kickoff at Veterans Field.

Post-Graduate Basketball — With an over 70-year school and athletic history, it’s hard to have a “first” in school history, but the Notre Dame Prep basketball team did exactly that on Saturday. The “first” was the “first” win in its “first” game in the inaugural season of the program. Notre Dame Prep used an 18-point effort by AJ Edwards in its 79-73 win at Redemption Christian Academy. Kerwin Prince ‘20 was the Green Knights second-leading scorer tallying 14 points. Jordan Riley added 13 points, including three three-pointers as 10 of the 11 Green Knights who saw action scored in the game.

Soccer — Notre Dame started postseason play with a first-round CIAC Class L state tournament game at Bassick on Monday. We will have a recap of their postseason run next week.

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.