By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to former State Representative Shawn Johnston.  A former co-captain and standout football player at Putnam High School, Johnston now devotes many hours to the Daily Bread program that raises funds to help feed those in need in the Putnam area.

The fall sports season at Woodstock Academy has had its ups and downs this year.  The volleyball and soccer teams exceeded expectations, while the football team is struggling through some very trying times.  If you believe that behind every cloud there is sunshine then the women’s cross country team is that ray of light.

The Centaur lady harriers recently competed in the State Class MM meet and came home with a fifth-place finish.  This was the second meet for the young ladies in six days, as they had earlier finished third in the Eastern Connecticut Conference meet.  Doubling up didn’t appear to bother these young ladies in the least as they attacked the tough Wickham Park course with enthusiasm.

The Academy harriers were paced by sophomore sensation Sarah Lawrence who finished strongly and came across the finish line in fifth place despite battling against some very tough opponents.  A week earlier she had finished in second place in the highly competitive ECC meet.

Lawrence’s finish in the Class MM race qualified her for the State open meet and along with that she received All-State honors.  Her fabulous achievement will most likely get her a banner in the Woodstock Academy Field House.  

Her teammates rose to the occasion at the State meet with freshman Hannah Matsas coming in 19th and Annette Costanzo stepping up big time finishing 26th.  Rounding out the Woodstock finishers, Jordyn Woodland finished 34th and Brittany Eber came in 42nd.

The future of the female cross country program at Woodstock Academy looks very bright.  This season’s team was composed of four sophomores and three freshmen.  And if Woodstock youngster Kate Boshka enrolls at the Academy, the running future looks very sunny for years to come.

ECC Names Boys and

Girls Soccer All Stars

The Eastern Connecticut Conference named its male and female soccer all stars for the recently concluded season.  Local high school athletes dotted the selections in all divisions.

Girls’ Soccer All Stars: Large Division First Team – Elaina Becher, Anna Grudzinski, Annabel Shackett Woodstock.   Honorable Mention - Colleen Topliff and Sportsmanship Brooklyn Saracina Woodstock; Medium Division First Team – Abby Burdick Plainfield; Honorable Mention - Julie Jordan, Keri Lehtonen, Shannon Sweeney Plainfield; Meaghan Bianchi, Payton Fitzgerald, Olivia Shabenas Killingly; Sportsmanship - Jamie Jax Killingly and Paige Waterman Plainfield; Small Division First Team – Elizabeth Jourdan Tourtellotte; Honorable Mention - Kayla Bourdua, Christina Kopacz Tourtellotte and Sportsmanship Jena Lamothe Tourtellotte.

Boys’ Soccer All Stars: Large Division First Team – Austin Beaupre Woodstock; Honorable Mention - Adam Converse Woodstock and Sportsmanship Cam Hartland Woodstock; Medium Division First Team – Titus Kamara, Brendan Turner Killingly; Honorable Mention – Sean Guerin, Owen Guillot Killingly; Jacob Coutu, Ryan Marchessault Plainfield; Sportsmanship – Allen Perron Killingly; Jarod Beauregard Plainfield; Small Division Honorable Mention – Alex Angelo Tourtellotte; Sportsmanship – Eric Magoffin Tourtellotte.

Climbing the Ranks

A Putnam man, who was well known as a solid basketball player when he attended Putnam High School, is continuing to make a name for himself on the hardwood but not as a player.  Peter Vitale, a 2002 graduate of Putnam High School, is moving up in the ranks of basketball officiating.

Vitale, who’s been a member of the IAABO Eastern Board for nine years, has recently been notified that he’s on the substitute list to referee junior college and NCAA Division III games.  Vitale is hoping that his phone rings for some college hoop contests this winter.  He’s prepped for this possibility in the past two years by attending referee schools and clinics, most notably one run by Michael Stevens, who is often seen on national television officiating many of the major college games.  Vitale has also attended clinics and is being mentored by noted local referee Davey Cruz.

In real life, Vitale is a real estate agent with ReMax in Putnam.  During the fall he keeps fit officiating high school soccer games.  A graduate of Roger Williams College with a degree in political science, the humble Vitale scored 678 points during his heyday as a Clipper. 

One Foot in Front of the Other

The New York City Marathon was run on Sunday, November 2 in the Big Apple under temperatures that were conducive for runners but with winds that were challenging.  A throng of more than 50,000 participants followed the winners in the men’s and women’s races across the finish line.

A pair of Kenyans, Wilson Kipsang and Mary Keitany, were the winners.  Kipsang’s time was 2:10:55 and Keitany’s was 2:25:07.  Somewhere in the crowd of 50,000 runners was Putnam physician and Pomfret resident Dr. Joseph Botta.  No word has been received on his time but congratulations are in order for his achievement.

Stats and More

Plainfield continues to rack up the victories, raising its record to 6-1 with a big win over Fitch High School of Groton.  The amazing thing about the Panthers is that most of their victories have been recorded on the road.  This week they take their final road trip of the season when they travel to Rhode Island for an encounter with Central Falls.  The Fielders are led by quarterback Steve Jankowski who is the area’s leading passer with 16 touchdown passes.

Although the prep stats are kept separately from the schoolboy records, Hyde-Woodstock’s Jimmy Murphy is definitely the touchdown leader in the area.  According to unofficial calculations “Murph” has crossed the goal line more than 20 times this season.

And keep an eye on The Quinebaug Valley Pride’s running back Raif Santerre.  Entering this week’s contest against Vinal Tech/East Hampton/Goodwin Tech, Santerre has racked up 987 yards from scrimmage.  He should easily pass the 1000-yard plateau this week, which will be the second year in a row over the milestone for “Santy.”

In boys’ soccer Marianapolis’ Tom Horvat leads the pack with 27 goals and is followed by Sean Guerin of Killingly who has put the ball in the nets 15 times this season.  Caroline Soucy of Marianapolis is the top female scorer with an amazing 39 goals.  Her closest competitors are Saige Morin and Morgan Foucault of Putnam with 22 and 19 goals respectively.  Emily Sheridan of Marianapolis (18 goals) is 4th; Shannon Sweeney of Plainfield (15) is 5th; Colleen Topliff of Woodstock (13), Maegan Roy (13) of Tourtellotte and Elaina Becher (13) of Woodstock are tied for 6th.

Alyssa Rainey of Killingly with 16 goals is the area’s top field hockey scorer.  She’s followed by teammates Teagan Waggoner (14) and Bernice Boateng (9).

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

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