STORRS — With an entire season to put together a recruiting class, UConn football coach Randy Edsall headed into some areas where he enjoyed success during his first stint at the helm of the Huskies. Securing commitments from defensive backs in South Florida has worked well in the past, so perhaps Keyshawn Paul will continue […]
Football: Sky is the limit for Wilbur Cross offensive lineman Travis Jones
NEW HAVEN >> The trace of a smile comes to the face of Travis Jones when the UConn football commit looks back on his last season without football. Jones played the sport as a seventh grader, but then it was time for the next adventure. Let’s just say that more than a few coaches and […]
Football: Wilbur Cross lineman Travis Jones chooses UConn (updated)
John Acquavita knows a thing or two about developing major college linemen. During his successful run at Hyde, Bruce Campbell started at Maryland before playing three seasons in the NFL, Richard Kittrell was one of the state’s most heavily recruited players 15 years ago before committing to Iowa while Martin Parker won a national championship […]
Final 2017 GameTimeCT / Register Top 10 Softball Poll: SEYMOUR is No. 1
Although Seymour debuted at No. 3 in the New Haven Register Top 10 softball poll, some in the program felt as if those on the outside viewed the Wildcats as more vulnerable than in past years. Losing All-State pitcher Raeanne Geffert, who won 88 games and was a career .412 hitter, as well as RBI […]
Softball notebook: From Madison to Easton, UConn-bound Marcelino gets her title with Barlow
WEST HAVEN >> The plan was forming in Briana Marcelino as she developed a reputation as one of the rising softball stars in the town of Madison not too many years ago. Marcelino was part of a talented group of prodigies eager to be the class to lead the Hand High program to its first […]
Softball: Minalga, Seymour edge North Branford in Class M, win school's 11th title
WEST HAVEN >> Shari Minalga’s final time singing the national anthem as a member of the Seymour softball team had come to an end, and as the multi-faceted senior headed out of the press box at Biondi Field, Minalga said to nobody in particular, ‘It is time to win a state championship.” With North Branford […]
Softball: Minalga, Seymour edge North Branford in Class M, win school’s 11th title
WEST HAVEN >> Shari Minalga’s final time singing the national anthem as a member of the Seymour softball team had come to an end, and as the multi-faceted senior headed out of the press box at Biondi Field, Minalga said to nobody in particular, ‘It is time to win a state championship.” With North Branford […]
Softball: Trumbull stuns Southington to take unlikely Class LL crown
WEST HAVEN >> The memories of an 11-run loss in the FCIAC tournament certainly lessened the profile of the Trumbull softball team heading into the always competitive CIAC Class LL tournament. When picking the favorites to emerge victorious in LL, Trumbull might have been behind conference rivals Stamford, Westhill and Darien as well as top-seeded […]
Softball: Lawton Ks 13 as Holy Cross wins third-straight Class S championship, 4-0 over St. Paul
Sarah Lawton’s 13th strikeout gives Holy Cross 3rd straight #ctsb Class S title pic.twitter.com/P5c0JxX21u — Jim Fuller (@NHRJimFuller) June 10, 2017 WEST HAVEN >> Calling Sarah Lawton and Jenna Mowad the odd couple for the Holy Cross High School softball team doesn’t just seem appropriate because there is simply not much peculiar about the All-State […]
Softball: Established Seymour, newcomer North Branford have multiple pitching options in Class M final
STRATFORD >> The faces and perhaps even the names of the powerhouse high school softball programs may change over the years but if there is one constant it is that dominant, workhorse pitchers tend to be in the spotlight when the CIAC softball champions are being crowned. There certainly are some hard-throwing aces who either […]
Softball: Saturday’s 2017 CIAC Championship preview capsules
CLASS L No. 4 TORRINGTON (21-4) vs. No. 10 BARLOW (19-7) When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Biondi Field, West Haven Championship game appearances: Both teams making first appearances in state title game. What to look for: Barlow’s top hitter is senior shortstop and UConn signee Briana Marcelino, a former Madison resident who was hitting .617 […]
Softball: Saturday's 2017 CIAC Championship preview capsules
CLASS L No. 4 TORRINGTON (21-4) vs. No. 10 BARLOW (19-7) When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Biondi Field, West Haven Championship game appearances: Both teams making first appearances in state title game. What to look for: Barlow’s top hitter is senior shortstop and UConn signee Briana Marcelino, a former Madison resident who was hitting .617 […]
Softball: Southington solves Abramson, No. 1 Cheshire in Class LL semifinals
STRATFORD >> Inning after inning Southington softball coach Davina Hernandez reminded her players of the game plan against recently-named Gatorade state player of the year Abby Abramson. Four innings into the Class LL semifinal at DeLuca Field, it didn’t appear as if the message was getting across. That all changed in one action-packed fifth inning […]
Softball: Class S championship preview capsule
No. 2 HOLY CROSS (24-2) vs. No. 9 ST. PAUL (21-5) When: Friday, 7 p.m. Where: Biondi Field, West Haven Radio/Internet: WAVZ 1300-AM Championship game appearances: St. Paul is making its first appearance; Holy Cross, the two-time defending champion, is making its sixth appearance in the state finals winning the Class LL title in 1989 in […]
Softball: Minalga, Seymour top St. Joseph, return to defend their Class M title
Molly Adamo records final out of sixth inning to leave bases loaded as Seymour advances to #ctsb Class M final pic.twitter.com/M0cEJ4RqV6 — Jim Fuller (@NHRJimFuller) June 8, 2017 STRATFORD >> Scoring opportunities certainly came early in often as perennial postseason rivals Seymour and St. Joseph stepped onto DeLuca Field on Wednesday night eyeing a spot […]
Class M Softball: Senerchia's big day leads North Branford into first state final in 42 years
Final out as North Branford defeats Northwestern Regional 7-1 in #ctsb Class M semifinal pic.twitter.com/H8v8NxlDCt — Jim Fuller (@NHRJimFuller) June 8, 2017 STRATFORD >> With each stride Northwestern Regional center fielder Ellie Olsen took towards the center-field fence drove Sydney Senerchia that much closer to a state of speechlessness. The junior left-handed pitcher was already […]
Class M Softball: Senerchia’s big day leads North Branford into first state final in 42 years
Final out as North Branford defeats Northwestern Regional 7-1 in #ctsb Class M semifinal pic.twitter.com/H8v8NxlDCt — Jim Fuller (@NHRJimFuller) June 8, 2017 STRATFORD >> With each stride Northwestern Regional center fielder Ellie Olsen took towards the center-field fence drove Sydney Senerchia that much closer to a state of speechlessness. The junior left-handed pitcher was already […]
Track and Field: Hamden's Aisha Gay, Shelton's Radzion and Stevens big winners at Class LL championship
MANCHESTER >> The LL Championships at Manchester were suspended due to lightning and will be completed on Thursday at 1pm at Willow Brook Park (prior to the 3 p.m. Class S meet). Hamden’s Gay double winner Aisha Gay arrived at Manchester High School on Wednesday setting her sights in being a double winner in the CIAC Class LL […]
Track and Field: Middletown boys clinch Class L championship in final race; Hand girls' O'Neil dominates
MANCHESTER >> There were no thoughts about a chaotic couple of weeks when construction left the Middletown boys’ track and field team as a state title contender without the use of their facility but one last race that stood between the Blue Dragons and the CIAC Class L title. When Garrett Dandridge crossed the line, […]
Softball: 2017 CIAC Tournament Storylines and Players to Watch
5 STORY LINES TO WATCH 1. BUCKLE UP Plot line: For the first time since 2012, there are no undefeated teams in either Class LL or L. It should make for wide open tournaments. Defending Class LL champion Cheshire went wire to wire as the No. 1 team in the Register Top 10 poll and […]
Softball: Seymour edges Holy Cross to win NVL championship
SEYMOUR >> Caitlyn O’Hara would love to have declared herself the bunter to top all the other bunters but the Seymour center fielder knew she could not make that declaration and keep a straight face not with how she had fared in some of her attempts to get a bunt down in recent games. However, […]
Softball: Hand’s Wivell looks to cap high school career in style before heading off to UConn
GUILFORD >> There will come a time when Hollis Wivell hits the road to suit up for the Florida-based national powerhouse travel ball Gold Coast Hurricanes before arriving at UConn for the next stage of her softball odyssey, but there are still some things to tend to closer to home. Wivell has played a starring […]
Softball Notes: Hopkins realizing special season as Fairchester Tournament arrives
Coming off a run of five straight seasons without posting a winning record and with just one senior on the roster, those outside the Hopkins softball program might not have had lofty expectations for the Hilltoppers. However, it didn’t take long for veteran Hopkins coach Cindy Chase to realize her 37th Hilltoppers’ squad had the […]
Softball: Unbeaten Notre Dame-Fairfield sitting pretty
With the season opener just a scant few days away, Jeff Bevino was brimming with optimism regarding the prospects of his Notre Dame-Fairfield squad. Why not? The Lancers returned seven of the nine players with at least 20 hits and their No. 1 pitcher who were all key cogs during a run to the 2016 […]
Softball Notes: Top 10 teams endure tough week; North Haven stays hot
This was not the easiest of weeks to cast ballots in the GameTimeCT/Register Top 10 high school softball poll. Four of the top 10 teams suffered defeats as did seven of the 16 teams in the “others receiving votes category.” Just 12 months earlier, there was no such drama when it came to ranking the […]
Softball Notebook: Young Guilford proves its mettle in wild victory over Foran
For six innings there wasn’t much separating Wednesday’s Southern Connecticut Conference Hammonasset Division tilt between Foran and Guilford from the games being played across the state. Host Guilford broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run fifth inning, leaving the Indians six outs away from a hard-earned but somewhat routine win over the defending division champions. […]
The GameTimeCT / Register Top 10 Softball Poll: Unbeaten Cheshire earns inaugural top spot
With two weeks in the books, here is the inaugural GameTimeCT / Register Top 10 Softball Poll. Undefeated and defending Class LL champion Cheshire is No. 1, followed by unbeaten Seymour, Norwich Free Academy, Southington and Masuk. Compiled by Jim Fuller.
Softball Notebook: Defending state champs Fitch, No. 1 Cheshire collide Thursday
When the final out of the 2016 high school softball season was recorded, there was still one debate that raged on and one more game that softball fanatics would have loved to witness. Class L champion Fitch and Class LL winner Cheshire both finished undefeated at 27-0 and featured award-winning pitchers. Fitch’s Caroline Taber was […]
Boys basketball: Waters back on market as Division I schools continue to show interest
NEW YORK >> In a perfect world, the reporters who surrounded New Haven native Tremont Waters would have asked him about the countless number of jaw-dropping passes he delivered to his teammates at Wednesday’s Jordan Brand Classic practice at the HSS Training Center in Brooklyn. However, with Waters’ decision to ask for and receive his […]
Hopkins' Earley takes fourth in 200 backstroke at AT&T Winter National Championship
Hopkins senior Erin Earley finished fourth at the 200-yard backstroke event at the 2016 AT&T Winter National Championships in Atlanta on Saturday. Earley qualified for the final by finishing second in her preliminary heat with a time of 1:55.42. Swimming in a final with four current college swimmers Earley finished in 1:55.05 edging out fellow […]
Football: UConn rebuilding recruiting relationships in Fairfield County
STORRS >> Not much has gone right for Bob Diaco in his third season at the helm of the UConn football program, but when it comes to recruiting in Fairfield County, Diaco and his staff certainly seem to be taking steps in the right direction. The first player to commit to UConn after Diaco’s hiring […]
Football: Castro-Vega, Ellington roll through Morgan for sixth-straight win
ELLINGTON >> There are few sounds that are more pleasing to Izaiah Castro-Vega than the unmistakeable sound of portable lights warming up during the occasional Friday night football games hosted at Ellington High School. The senior running back certainly put on a show worthy of its primetime slot rushing for 207 yards and four touchdowns […]
Football 2016: Branford's Brown, Stamford's Fortt ready to make some noise at St. Luke's
NEW CANAAN >> Justin Brown didn’t even finish his story when St. Luke’s football coach Noel Thomas Sr. burst into laughter and took a couple of steps away from a recent interview just a few feet from Pedrick Stadium. The Temple-bound Brown, a running back from Branford, and UConn commit Omar Fortt, a safety from […]
FCIAC Football 2016: UConn-bound Fitton hoping to lead Staples back to state playoffs
WESTPORT Just in case Ryan Fitton wasn’t already aware that it might be easier to strike out a batter with a back-door breaking ball than try to contend with imposing pass rushers in the rough and tumble FCIAC, let’s go back in time to October 24, 2014. Fitton, then weighing in around 215 pounds, was […]
USTA Tennis: Xavier's Ciamarra, Hopkins Conklin advance to national 18-U semifinals in doubles
Xavier High’s Rich Ciamarra and Hopkins’ star Peter Conklin have been two of the New Haven area’s most dominant high school tennis players in the last couple of seasons and when they joined forces, the duo fell two victories short of a national title. Ciamarra and Conklin were the top seeds in the USTA Boys’ […]
Football: UConn recruits Dixon, Coyle give the Rent a taste of the future in Super 100
UConn football signees Tyler Coyle and Keyion Dixon couldn’t have come up with a better finish to their high school careers as they embark on life as members of the UConn football team that what transpired on a sunny Saturday night at Rentschler Field. Coyle helped force a fumble while Dixon had two catches for […]
Swimming: Hopkins' Erin Earley has big hopes for Olympic Trials
NEW HAVEN >> When Erin Earley made her way to Omaha, Nebraska for the first time, she was eager for another chance to test herself against elite competition. Her coach, however, had bigger plans for the Orange native. Veteran Hopkins swim coach Chuck Elrick has been running the successful Hopkins Mariner Swim Team since 1980 […]
Class S girls lacrosse: Giancola's six goals lead Canton over Somers, to first state championship
MILFORD >> As the graduation night party extended into the early morning hours, the seven seniors on the Canton girls lacrosse team knew that the time had come to leave one fun-filled experience behind so they could partake in another one. There was one slight problem: one of those seniors was still under the spell […]
Class M Girls Lacrosse: Granito, New Canaan top Barlow to repeat as champions
MILFORD >> Time was ticking away during the low-scoring Class M girls lacrosse state championship game and Kristin Woods, the head coach of defending champion New Canaan, had a simple message for her team. Seeing that the Rams were tied with a counter-punching Barlow squad, Woods implored her veteran players to take command of things […]
State Open Track Championship: Shelton's Stevens wins shot put, discus; Coginchaug's Drop captures 1600
NEW BRITAIN >> When Samantha Stevens left Willow Brook Park last Wednesday, the Shelton junior was not in a mood to celebrate despite winning the shot put and finishing second in the discus at the CIAC Class LL Track and Field Championships. A foul on her final attempt in the discus prevented her from walking […]
Class LL track: Cheshire's Skibitcky takes home long jump, triple jump; Shelton's Stevens wins shot put
NEW BRITAIN >> Janaia Skibitcky soared to the Class LL long jump and triple jump titles for the second straight year but when the Cheshire High senior looks back on Wednesday’s festivities at Willow Brook Park, her winning efforts will not be her most precious recollections. Skibitcky ran the anchor leg on the Rams’ third-place […]
Track and Field: Wilbur Cross' Rivers, Curtis dazzle in Class L championships
MIDDLETOWN >> During both the second and third legs of the girls 1,600 meter relay rival coaches could be heard stating, “That is Danae, that is Danae.” Once the baton was passed to the Wilbur Cross anchor runner, there was no question that this time it really was Danae Rivers making up substantial ground to […]
Football: Connecticut's UConn commits excited for the future
Note: This story was originally posted in Jim Fuller’s Ramblings from the Runway UConn football blog. on Saturday. NEW HAVEN, Jan. 16 >> Just in case UConn commits Tyler Coyle, Keyion Dixon and Jasen Rose as well as preferred walk-on Teddy Allmendinger needed any extra motivation as they prepare for the next stage of their football careers, […]
Bagley, Bailey lead Ansonia to Class S top seed with win over Naugatuck
NAUGATUCK >> The anticipation was almost too much for the two-headed running back tandem of Tajik Bagley and Tyler Bailey to handle. Host Naugatuck possessed the ball for nearly the entire first quarter. Once the vaunted Ansonia offense took the field, however, the antsy play makers went to work and made up for lost time […]
Football: Wells steps up as Shelton holds off Hand
SHELTON >> One by one the veteran members of the undefeated and fifth-ranked Shelton High School football team went in search of teammate David Wells after a typical grueling four-quarter slugfest against visiting Hand High of Madison. When the game began, Wells was ready to get to work as a starting cornerback, facing a dynamic […]
Football: No. 9 Ansonia tops Derby in emotional victory for 'Bucky,' Coach Magdon
ANSONIA >> Friday nights in the fall at Jarvis Stadium have brought countless moments of joy to various families in the Ansonia community. However, before, during and after the ninth-ranked Chargers’ 48-0 Naugatuck Valley League win over Derby, producing high-quality football was far from the only thing on the minds of the players, coaches and […]
Football: Five second-quarter touchdowns propel Wilbur Cross past Lyman Hall
NEW HAVEN >> In just his second career start at quarterback, Zion Setal did not look or act the part of the first-year field general for the Wilbur Cross offense. Lyman Hall had scored late in the first quarter to take a one-point lead. As the Governors’ offensive unit trotted back onto the field after […]
CCC Football: UConn commit Keyion Dixon gifted, yet grounded
Above: Highlight reel for Glastonbury’s Keyion Dixon in the Tomahawks’ 27-7 victory over Hall on Friday. WEST HARTFORD >> As they finished with the customary postgame handshakes, Keyion Dixon’s Glastonbury High teammates were gathering just outside one of the end zones at Chalmers Stadium. Dixon, the mercurial quarterback and UConn commit, was among the last […]
Football: Pirsig, Glastonbury handle Hall
WEST HARTFORD >> It’s not every day that a quarterback, already committed to the home-state school, runs for 219 yards and three touchdowns only to be upstaged by a teammate and classmate. However, in Glastonbury’s season-opening 27-7 win at Hall, there could be denying that it was the Samuel Pirsig show. Pirsig had 16 tackles […]
Girls Basketball: Hillhouse tops East Haven in 34th Summer League championship game
NEW HAVEN >> In the eyes of Cayla Staggers and her Hillhouse teammates, leaving with the high school girls’ title in the 34th season of the New Haven Parks & Recreation Summer League was of paramount importance. Defending champion East Haven had a dominant run through the regular season and into Monday’s championship game but […]
