Weekly Athletic Update, 02/17/15

A good portion of the athletic events scheduled this past week were canceled due to snowy conditions throughout the New England region.  The city of Worcester now lays claim to have the most snowfall – to date – in the lower 48 states so it has indeed been a trying season for more than just our athletic teams! We appreciate the patience and understanding demonstrated to this point by all as we attempt to schedule and reschedule contests in a safe and timely fashion.

• The snow cleared out of Worcester County in time to allow our ski team to travel and compete at Mt. Sunapee last Wednesday in the New England Class C Championships. The girls’ team finished in 4th place, the boys’ team in 5th place and top finishers respectively included; Natalia Dorogi, Maggie O’Brien and Jacqueline Gangi; Jonah Glickman, Max Glickman and Cam Heiser.
• The JV Boys Basketball team continued their fine season with close wins over Exeter and NMH and the 52-48 victory over Exeter went down to the wire in an exciting, well played game!
• Junior James Wells scored a season high 17 points in his 1st career start at WA leading the Hilltoppers past Exeter 65-58.  The tables turned, however, on the hometown team on Saturday as AA rival Wilbraham & Monson built a 20-point lead and held on for a 72-67 victory.  Seniors Pat Benzan and Jeff Spellman along with sophomore Greg Kuakumensah led a stirring comeback in the 2nd half that saw the Hilltoppers rim out a potential tying basket with :12 seconds remaining.
• Freshman goaltender Devin Barresi posted a shutout and Mitchell Pelletier registered his 1st career goal as the boys team remained undefeated in Holt League play with a 3-0 win over Moses Brown.  Pomfret School ran away from the Hilltoppers in a Friday evening clash and Saturday’s scheduled Senior Night game with the National Sports Academy was postponed. The team looks to rebound on Monday with a 4:00 pm home contest with the Groton School.
• The Girls Hockey team braved the elements and traveled to Vermont Academy on Saturday afternoon, dropping a tough 3-2 game. A nice victory over LaSalle Academy Friday evening eased the tough mid-week loss to the Rivers School (2-1). The team hosts Winchendon School on Wednesday in a rematch of last week’s game!
• The Freshman Basketball team split two games during the week, earning a nice road win at Auburn High School before falling to a talented Eaglebrook squad on Rowe Court on Saturday morning!
• Senior Kathelynn Rizzuto led the way with 15 points as the girls basketball team hung on for a 43-37 win over Class A rival, Phillips Exeter.  Junior Lexi Hackett contributed 14 points and 15 rebounds on the afternoon and along with the spirited play and timely contributions of Kathryn Puda, Alex Pariseau, Nilou Asdigha and Caroline Knowles the home town team was able to secure a big win. The week started with another gritty win (56-50) over a solid Pomfret team as the girls keep pushing to secure a berth in the Class A tournament.
• Kudos to WA wrestlers Brandon Casamassima (2nd), Ben Goldsberry (4th) Turner Geenty (6th) and Matt Jordan (6th, but not NE eligible) for their respective finishes in last weekends Class A Championships at NMH. By virtue of their finish (and including their overall record to date), Brandon, Ben and Turner will participate in this weekends New England Wrestling Championship at Tabor Academy. Congratulations on a great accomplishment and good luck to the boys!