Rich Boshea and his West Haven football team have enjoyed the first five weeks of the season. Having outscored opponents by 196 points, the Westies, ranked fifth in the GameTimeCt Top 10 poll, worked to post five wins to open the season.
Boshea was well-aware the contest against Shelton was going to be anything but easy. Despite an early cushion, Boshea proved to be right.
Holding off a furious Shelton comeback, West Haven held on for a 34-28 Southern Connecticut Conference victory over the sixth-ranked Gaels in front of a packed house at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Leading by 14 points at the half, West Haven knew the Gaels would come out firing to start the third quarter. While the Gaels did so, West Haven’s Avian Evans recovered a fumble to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jah’zire Massey for a 28-8 lead with 7:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The recovery by Evans was his second defensive gem in the last two possessions as he returned a Michael Kinik interception 72 yards for a score right before the half.
The Gaels never wavered, scoring the next 13 points and getting within 28-21 to end the third quarter. Kinik, who finished with 300 yards passing and three touchdowns, quickly found Kanye Tinney for a 52-yard scoring strike to get within 28-14.
After holding the Westies on three plays, Kinik hooked up with Ricky Feola for a 54-yard scoring strike to get within seven points with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
With the Westies facing their first bit of adversity on the season, they quickly regrouped. The defense held Shelton on its next possession with a combined sack by Connor Holy and Kadear Dembele, before West Haven embarked on a 10-play, 51-yard drive which was capped by a 1-yard scoring run by Trevor Tompkins.
The drive saw a big play when the Westies picked up a first down on fourth-and-12 when quarterback Nick Conlan connected with Armani Reid to the Shelton five.
Kinik and company still would not let the Westies off the hook as he connected with Feola for a 52-yard gain, then hit John DeCamps with a 10-yard scoring strike with less than two minutes to go.
West Haven held on for dear life, recovering the onside kick and running out the clock for its sixth victory of the season.
The first half may have seen 10 West Haven penalties, but it also saw big plays by the Westies. Three separate chunk plays by the Westies gave them a 22-8 lead at the half.
West Haven did not waste time taking an early lead, taking nine plays to move 66 yards for a 6-0 lead on the game’s opening possession.
Conlan, who threw his first two interceptions of the season in the opening half, converted a big third down pass when he hit Eady in stride for a 41-yard touchdown strike just 4:46 into the game.
The Gaels moved down the field on their opening possession only to see Aedan Coe come up with a big interception for West Haven.
Looking to go ahead by a pair of scores, West Haven and Conlan were thwarted when Tinney picked off Conlan’s first pass of the year, setting up Shelton at the West Haven 22.
Five plays and two West Haven penalties later, Shelton was on the board when David Dojlidko scored from two yards out. The Gaels then connected on the two-point conversion for an 8-6 lead.
That was the only lead for the Gaels in the opening half as West Haven answered immediately with a 7-play, 70-yard drive which saw West Haven overcome four penalties on the drive.
Conlan, who threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, then picked up a bad snap and fired a 23-yard scoring strike to Coe over the middle for a 14-8 lead with 8:49 left in the half.
With both defenses coming up big and making important stops, the first half saw a big change of events in the final minute.
Looking to run out the clock deep in West Haven territory, Shelton switched it up and used a Kinik to Feola connection of 46 yards to the West Haven 48.
Two plays later, the Westies were up by a pair of touchdowns when Evans stepped in front of a Kinik pass and raced 72 yards for the score. Reid ran in the conversion for a 22-8 lead with 12 seconds remaining in the half.
The two teams combined for 723 yards of offense.
West Haven improved to 7-0 with a 52-0 victory over Sheehan in Wallingford.
Tompkins scored twice, Conlan threw a pair of touchdown passes and Evans returned his third interception for a touchdown this season. Conlan’s two touchdown passes tied a school record of 14 in a season.
West Haven took a 16-0 first quarter lead when Tompkins and Deven Robinson sandwiched a safety with touchdown runs of seven and 41 yards.
The Westies put the game away with 21 points in the second quarter. Conlan hit Tompkins with a 6-yard scoring strike, Evans returned an interception 35 yards for a score, and Conlan connected with Teriq Mallory for a 12-yard scoring connection and a 37-0 halftime lead.
Jeremiah Francis ran in from four yards out in the third quarter and Joe Capela capped the scoring with a four-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The West Haven volleyball team fell to 10-6 with a 3-1 loss against Guilford. The contest at West Haven High saw the Westies fall, 25-23, 17-25, 25-17, 25-14.
Jenna Johnson led the Westies with 14 assists and 11 digs. Asia Ford added 13 digs and nine kills, Alison Frazer added 12 digs, Dulcemaria Castillo had 10 digs, Tanasia Fidalgo played well with nine digs, Jordyn Johnson had eight digs, and Astrid Portugal Morales chipped six aces and four digs. Bianka Portugal Morales chipped in five digs in the loss.
Following a tough loss to Guilford, West Haven had yet another challenging match. This, the Westies came out on the right side of the scoreboard.
In what was a back-and-forth battle, West Haven topped Hamden 23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 15-9 Wednesday evening in West Haven. With the victory, West Haven improved to 11-6 on the season.
Trailing 2-1 in games, West Haven battled back to win the fourth game by eight points, then held on in the fifth and final game to pick up the victory.
Ford led the Westies with 20 kills, 10 digs, and nine blocks. Frazer was solid on defense with 13 digs, Fidalgo had 12 digs and five kills, Hudanur Sahin added 14 assists and nine digs, while Jordyn Johnson had eight digs and Astrid Portugal Morales chipped in seven digs.
West Haven won its second straight contest with a 3-0 decision over Foran Friday evening. With the home victory by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 25-13, West Haven improved to 12-6 on the year.
Jenna Johnson ran the West Haven offense with 28 assists, six kills, and two aces, while also adding nine digs on defense. Ford was dominant with 18 kills and 11 digs, Frazer had 17 digs and three aces, while Dulcemaria Castillo had 11 digs.
Jordyn Johnson finished with seven digs, Olivia McDonnell had seven kills, Fidalgo and Astrid Portugal Morales each added six digs, while Bianka Portugal Morales and Emma Davey each had five digs.
West Haven saw its two-match win streak come to an end with a 3-0 loss at Shelton Monday evening. With the 23-25, 21-25, 19-25 defeat, West Haven fell to 12-7 on the year.
While the Westies were in each game, they could not pull ahead or get the crucial point needed. The end result saw the Gaels win by two points in the opening game, four in the second game, and six in the third.
Jenna Johnson ran the West Haven offense with 23 assists, three kills, and two aces, while also adding nine digs on the defensive side. Castillo was solid with 14 digs and four aces, Ford had 11 kills, seven digs, and three aces, Jordyn Johnson and Astrid Portugal Morales each had seven digs, Frazer added six digs, and Fidalgo and McDonnell each had five kills.
With Senior Night always a big part of the season, West Haven was looking to send its seniors off on the right foot to end the regular season. The Westies were also looking to improve their postseason seeding.
Unfortunately for the Westies, North Branford proved to be too much, sending West Haven to a 3-1 loss. The 20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 24-26 defeat ended West Haven’s regular season with a record of 12-8.
Jenna Johnson ran the West Haven offense with 17 assists, while also adding 12 digs on defense. Ford had a solid night with 14 kills, six blocks and six digs, Castillo added 11 digs and five kills, Frazer had eight digs, and Astrid Portugal Morales and Jordyn Johnson each had seven digs.
Having a successful regular season, the West Haven volleyball team was looking for success in the postseason. The Westies have gotten off to a successful start.
On its game from start to finish, No. 8 West Haven topped No. 9 Sacred Heart Academy, 3-0, in the opening round of the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament Friday evening at West Haven High. The 25-19 25-11 25-21 victory allowed the Westies to improve to 13-8 overall on the year.
Jenna Johnson led the Westies with 18 assists, while McDonnell had 10 kills. Bianka Portugal Morales added nine digs, and Jordyn Johnson, Ford and Frazer each chipped in seven digs. Ford also had six kills and four blocks, while Astrid Portugal Morales had five aces and four digs, and Fidalgo added three kills and three digs.
The West Haven girls soccer team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory at Amity Monday afternoon. With the win, West Haven improved to 6-6-1 on the year.
The Westies received a balanced scoring attack, solid defense, and 11 saves from Kassidy Carrano in the win.
Celia Williams scored off an assist from Ariana Izzo, Jaylyn Powell tallied off an assist from Julia Tsakonas, and Abigail Phelan scored off an assist from Maya Bermudez.
West Haven won its second game in a row and improved to 7-6-1 with a 1-0 victory over Shelton in West Haven Wednesday evening.
Taking a perfect lead pass from Tsakonas, Bermudez found the lower right corner of the net for the only goal West Haven needed.
The West Haven defense and Carrano did the rest as Carrano picked up the shutout with eight saves in another solid defensive performance by the Westies.
The Westies had great defense from Llyanna Griffith-Waite and Celia Williams, and great midfield play from Emma Walker and Ariana Izzo.
West Haven moved to 7-6-2 with a 2-2 tie at Hamden Friday evening. With the draw, West Haven kept its Southern Connecticut Conference tournament hopes alive, needing some outside help.
Against Hamden, Carrano made five saves in goal. On the offensive side, Walker continued her solid play with an unassisted goal, while Julia Tsakonas scored off an assist from Izzo.
West Haven improved to 8-6-2 with a 3-1 victory over East Haven Wednesday evening. The win helped the Westies qualify for the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament.
Tsakonas scored twice, both assisted by Izzo. Tsakonas also assisted the third West Haven goal by Bermudez. Carrano made 11 saves in the win for West Haven.
West Haven delivered the first loss of the season to Mercy earlier in the season. The Tigers remembered.
Controlling play from start to finish, second-seeded Mercy topped No. 7 West Haven 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament in Middletown Saturday afternoon.
Carrano was stellar in the loss for West Haven with 30 saves.
The West Haven boys soccer fell to 2-7-3 with a 6-1 loss against Cheshire Monday evening at Ken Strong Stadium. The loss kept the Westies winless in their last seven games at 0-5-2.
Cheshire got off to a quick start in the game and never looked back, leading 3-0 at the half and 4-0 less than two minutes into the second half.
Robert Foley got the Westies on the board when he scored with 19:25 left off an assist from Rafael Gazcon.
West Haven never got closer as Cheshire added a pair of goals in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. The Rams had six different scorers in the contest.
Yahzeel Beyley made 10 saves in the loss for the Westies.
The loss followed a scoreless draw Friday evening against Shelton where the Westies held a 9-4 shot advantage, but could not find the back of the net.
Beyley made three saves in the draw.
West Haven got back in the win column with a 2-1 victory over Career/Hillhouse in New Haven Wednesday afternoon. With the victory, West Haven improved to 3-7-3 on the year.
The Westies never trailed in the game, taking a 1-0 lead 10:15 into the contest when Sebastian Navarro scored off an assist from Gazcon.
Career/Hillhouse scored off a penalty kick at the 26:34 mark to even the game, before the Westies used a late tally to secure the victory.
Ethan Masoperh scored an unassisted goal with 5:37 remaining to give West Haven a 2-1 lead, and goalkeeper Abrahan Mero made one save to preserve the win.
West Haven had a 30-4 shot advantage in the contest.
West Haven closed the regular season with a 3-9-4 record as the Westies fell at Notre Dame 2-1 and play to a scoreless draw against Shelton at home. Gazcon scored the lone West Haven goal in the loss to the Green Knights.
For all your West Haven sporting news throughout the year, including game articles by Mike Madera, highlights, photos and more, visit www.westieblue.com.