By Ron P. Coderre

The Killingly Redmen golf team of coach Kevin Marcoux has survived all challenges thus far in the season and remains the lone unbeaten links squad in northeastern Connecticut.  Killingly is 10-0-0 as it picked up three big victories in matches last week.

Tourtellotte had probably the best one week performance in the history of its program, posting five victories to raise its record to 9-1-0.  The Tigers now have a nine-match winning streak, dating back to its opening match of the season, where they lost to Killingly.

Putnam fell from the ranks of the unbeaten splitting four matches last week.

The Woodstock Academy girls’ squad split four matches but one of the wins they added to their record was a victory over Norwich Free Academy, who had beaten them earlier in the season.  The Lady Centaurs are 5-3-0 on the season.

Killingly Wins Battle of Unbeatens

Killingly and Putnam entered their showdown sporting perfect records.  The Redmen left on the front end of a 159-193 win over the Clippers.  It was a total team win for Killingly, which got stellar performances from their duo of John and Drew Aitken, Connor Liebschier and Connor Fillmore.  Killingly also took the measure of Plainfield , shutting out the Panther 7-0 before encountering Bacon Academy in one of its biggest challenges of the season.  The Redmen walked away 4.5 to 2.5 victors in a match played at Chanticlair Golf Club in Colchester.  John Aitken with a score of 36 was medalist but it was a 40 by Fillmore that helped to seal the win.

Tourtellotte riding the torrid play of Mike Jezierski picked up five wins last week to put them on top of the Eastern Connecticut Conference Small Division with a perfect 6-0-0 mark.  The Tigers started the week with a pair of 7-0 wins over St. Bernard and Plainfield.  Behind its medalist, Jezierski who fired an even par 36 at Stonington Country Club, Tourtellotte got by Wheeler 6-1.  They then bested Montville by an identical margin despite an unusual 40 by Jezierski in a match contested at Norwich Golf Club.  Jezierski got back on track with medalist honors 37 in leading his team to a 7-0 victory over New London to conclude a perfect week.

Putnam bounced back from its loss to Killingly by easily beating Classical Magnet 183-232.  Spencer Salvas fired a one under par 34 to lead the way for the Clippers.  In its other victory, Putnam edged Norwich Tech 193-196 at Harrisville behind another one under par 34 by Salvas.  In a rematch against Parish Hill, a team the Clippers had beaten earlier, they lost to the Pirates and their ace Nick Harrington 187 to 215.  Harrington and Salvas tied as co-medalists with scores of two over par 39 at The Windham Club in Willimantic.

Woodstock Academy, after a long drought, picked up a 174-198 victory over Stafford Springs.  The Centaurs, 2-9-0 overall and 0-5-0 in the ECC Large Division,  couldn’t stand prosperity as they were beaten by East Lyme (6-1), and Coventry twice (147-174 and 5.5-1.5).    Ellis Tech lost to Norwich Tech 196-214 to drop to 6-3-0 on the season.  Plainfield took the collar, losing three matches.  They were beaten 6-1 by archrival Griswold, and shutout 7-0 by Bacon Academy and Waterford.  The Panthers are 1-9 and 1-6 in the ECC Medium Division.

Pomfret School split a pair of matches at Hop Meadow Country Club, beating Northfield-Mount Hermon 218-223 and losing to Westminster 192-218.  Chris Cleary with a 40, was the top gun for Pomfret, which is 3-4-0 on the year.  Marianapolis fell to Providence Country Day 4.5 to 2.5 despite a strong round by its ace Joe Ko who won his match over PCD’s top man Joe McNamara 4 and 2.  The Golden Knights are 2-10-0 on the season and 2-7-0 in the SENE.

Woodstock Ladies Avenge Loss to NFA

The Woodstock Ladies received a morale boost when the Centaurs edged Norwich Free Academy 215-217 at Quinnatisset Country Club.  Victories by Grace Yang, Roxanne Garceau and Alice Meng were the difference makers in the victory.  The ladies also beat Bacon Academy during the week.  In a tri-match the team was beaten by Avon 188-218 and Northwest Catholic 217-219 and stand at 5-3-0 on the season.

RPC’s Super Standings – Boy’s: Killingly 10-0-0; Tourtellotte 9-1-0; Putnam 12-2-0; Ellis Tech 6-3-0; Pomfret School 3-4-0; Marianapolis 2-10-0; Woodstock Academy 2-10-0; Plainfield 1-9-0.  Girl’s: Woodstock Academy 5-3-0.

 

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Margaret G. Holland

POMFRET CENTER — Margaret G. Holland, 81, of Wrights Crossing, died May 9, 2014, at Matulaitis Nursing Home.  She is the wife of John E. Holland.  Born in 1932 in Brooklyn, she was the daughter of the late William and Antoinette (Fournier) Grenon.

Mrs. Holland worked as a Postal Clerk at the E. Killingly post office. She was a member of East Killingly Fire Dept. Women’s Auxiliary and the Wyndham Land Trust. Margaret served as Justice of the Peace for many years and as assistant registrar of voters in Killingly.  Margaret also worked for the UConn athletic department event staff.  She loved animals and cared for many dogs and cats over the years.  She loved bluegrass music and traveled long distances to attend festivals. She was an avid basketball and soccer fan, and followed her grandchildren’s games.  She’ll be remembered as a caring, loving, gentle soul always ready to help others in their time of need. 

In addition to her husband, she leaves her daughter, Nancy Mazzarella (Don) of Wilmington, N.C.; grandchildren, Sean Mazzarella (Suzanne), and Gina Mazzarella-McNulty (Troy); great-grandchildren, Taylor, Lexi, Nicholas, and Kylee; and brother, William Grenon of Leesburg, Fla. She is predeceased by her sisters, Jacqueline Oatley and Theresa Johnson.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. May 15 in St. James Church, Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery. Donations: Alzheimer’s Association, CT Chapter, 2075 Silas Deane Hwy #100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.

 

John Lee

DANIELSON — John “Buddy” P. Lee, 88, formerly of Brooklyn, N.Y. died May 10, 2014. John lived all his life in Brooklyn, N.Y., only recently having moved to Danielson, to live with his son, Johnny. 

John led a full and active life.  John traveled the world with the U.S. Navy, owned a business, and was employed by Coca Cola for 20 years. John’s favorite past time was sitting in the park while reading the daily news, listening to the radio, and people-watching. John loved reminiscing about the good old days when he met the likes of Frank Sinatra and Jackie Robinson.  He enjoyed listening to Jazz and attending the theater.  John was a devoted baseball fan, particularly of the Mets and Yankees.

He leaves his son, Clayton Lee of Culver City, Calif.,  and the children he cared for as his own: Johnny Ayala (Crystal) of Danielson,  and their three children, Alyssa, Jordan, and Juliana; Lisa Del Rio (Moe) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and their two children; and Michael Alvarado, his wife, Cynthia, of Laurenberg, N.C., and their five children. John is predeceased by his son, Robert Lewis.

The Funeral will be 8:45 a.m., May 17 from Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. James Church, Danielson, with  burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. Danielson. Calling hours will be 5 to 8 p.m. May 16 at the funeral home.

 

Marcella M. Patton

BROOKLYN —  Marcella M. Patton, 86, died May 7, 2014, at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam. Born Sept. 19, 1927, in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Reginald and Blanche (Despathy) Desmarais. 

On Jan. 29, 1949, she married James M. Patton, who predeceased her in 2010. She was a graduate of Killingly High School, Class of 1945. She was noted for her lovely soprano signing voice, and attended UConn. She cared deeply for the animal kingdom,  for children in need and her family. She loved to cook and put to excellent use her knowledge of flavor, texture and technique. Some may remember her as a friendly face behind the counter at the Brooklyn Post Office.

She leaves her son Mark (jean) of Pomfret; son Dennis of Brooklyn; daughter Cathleen Wyman of Manchester, N.H.; granddaughter Mariah (Wyman) Morin (Christopher), and their daughter Isla, all of Cumberland, Md. She was predeceased by her brother George Desmarais.

 A Graveside Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. May 22 at Brooklyn South Cemetery on Rt. 169, Brooklyn. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson. 

 

Anne R. Ranhoff

POMFRET —  Anne  R. (Rollins) Ranhoff, 88, of Jericho Rd., died Dec. 14, 2013, at Westview Health Care Center in Dayville. She is the wife of the late Per-Jan Ranhoff.  Born in 1925 in Milton, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Wingate and Ruth (Whittier) Rollins.

On June 21, 1952, in Milton, she married Per-Jan Ranhoff who died  May 2, 2003.

Mrs. Ranhoff was employed as a registered nurse working at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Milton Academy, and UMass prior to starting her family and has been a resident of Pomfret since 1952.

Anne enjoyed animals and was a former member of the Pomfret Fire and Rescue Department, the Putnam Ambulance, and was a communicant of Most Holy Trinity Church in Pomfret. 

She leaves three sons Michael Ranhoff (Linda) of Canton, Maine, David A. Ranhoff (Gretchen) of Alamo, Calif., and Thomas Ranhoff of Costa Rica; three daughters Suzanne Ranhoff of Pomfret, Karen Lamb (Donald) of Fishers Island, N.Y., Elaine Ranhoff of Pomfret; 10 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a daughter Ruth Fraine; two brothers James Rollins and Charles Rollins and a sister Sarah Rollins 

The Funeral Mass is at 11 a.m. May 17 in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret, with burial  in Abington Cemetery. Donations: P.A.W.S., P.O. Box 191, Eastford, CT 06242. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.

 

Stark services

PUTNAM — Clifford D. Stark of Brooksville, Fla., formerly of Woodstock, died  Jan. 29, 2014. He was the husband of Beverly (Holmes) Stark.   Calling hours will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon May 17 at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St.    Burial will be private.

 

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By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to Putnam resident and all around good guy Tom Longo.  A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he now enjoys his spare time volunteering and helping other people.

When he was playing for Woodstock Academy Chris Mayhew was a standout on the baseball diamond as well as starring on the soccer field and basketball court.  Opting to continue his baseball career, Mayhew decided to attend  UConn at Avery Point and play for the highly respected coach of the Pointers, Roger Bidwell.  As Mayhew’s second and final year on the Groton campus is nearing, it appears that he made the correct choice.

Last week Mayhew was selected an NJCAA Division II Region XXI all star.  A first baseman, Mayhew has been wielding a hot bat for UCAP all season, following a strong performance as a first year player.

His play this spring has been a dominating factor in leading the Pointers to a return to the Eastern District Championships with the opportunity to return to the Nationals for the second year in a row.  Mayhew and his mates advanced thanks to taking a three-game series from Community College of Rhode Island.  After losing the first game of the series, Bidwell’s boys came back to take the final two games of the set.  They won the deciding game by a 4-2 score.

The Eastern District’s competition will be played at Rockland Community College.  The Pointers open play against Region XV Westchester Community College and follow that up with a contest against Region III representative Mercyhurst North East in the round-robin competition.

UConn Avery Point enters the round-robin with a sparkling 38-7 record.

Mayhew isn’t the only local product who’s enjoying success on the collegiate level.  Former Plainfield High School standout Nick Ververis is playing outstanding baseball for Eastern Connecticut State University, the 27-7 Warriors are vying for the Little East Conference championship where they are the top seed in the tournament.

The Warriors closed out the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Maine University by scores of 15-9 and 8-4.  Ververis had a banner day with a total of five hits in the twinbill.  His five hits accounted for five runs-batted-in and five runs scored on the day.

In games leading up to the season finale, Ververis enjoyed a game where he posted a three-run homer and four RBIs.  He also had an RBI single in a 4-1 win over MIT.  Eastern enters the conference competition winning 20 of its final 22 contests.

On a slightly different level, another former Plainfield baseball standout, Travis Beausoleil is enjoying a successful season as the coach of Mitchell College, which competes on the NCAA Division II level.  Mitchell, which became a four-year college in recent years, has had a meteoric rise on the diamond under the tutelage of Beausoleil.

Run for the Roses

Many folks develop “bucket lists” that often have attendance at sporting events such as the World Series, Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500 or the NCAA Final Four on the list.  Another popular “bucket list” event is The Kentucky Derby.

Woodstock residents Rick and Mary Place were fortunate to be among the crowd of more than 100,000 that was on hand in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, May 3 to witness the 1 ¾ length victory posted by the overwhelming favorite California Chrome.

According to Rick Place,  it was exciting to be among the throng and witness the pageantry that went along with the 140th running of The Kentucky Derby.

For those who weren’t as fortunate as Place and his wife one alternative was watching the race on the many screens at WINNERS located inside the sports pub at J.D. Cooper’s.  The huge crowd on hand brought excitement to the race as the crescendo of noise rose at the start of the race and as the horses jockeyed for position.  The most excitement came as people rooted for their horses as they rounded the final turn and headed down the home stretch.

Being part of the large and diversified group on hand was exciting. 

 If you’re interested, we did play the favorite but got lucky as we also had bets on second-place finisher Ride On Curlin and the show horse, Danza.

The excitement was enough to make our group plan on being back at WINNERS for the upcoming Preakness on Saturday, May 17.  Who knows?   We might probably show up for the Belmont Stakes also.

New Golf Tourney Supports 

Ovarian Cancer Research

A new golf tourney will make its debut on Sunday, June 1 at Raceway Golf Course, according to one of the organizers, Cindy Johnson.  The Ovarian Cancer Research Tournament is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start.  The Scramble /Florida Style event will open with lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. and is followed by dinner at the completion of play.

The entry fee is $125 for individual golfers and $500 for a foursome.  The tourney will feature a registration gift, skins pool, putting contest, closest-to-the pin, auctions, hole-in-one contests and opportunity drawings.  

Tee Box ($100), Dinner ($3750) and Lunch ($2750) sponsorships are available.  There are also sponsorship opportunities ranging from $25 to $250 available in the Program booklet.    

Proceeds from the tourney benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund.  For more information or to register contact – Cindy Johnson (774 239-6632), Marie McNally (508 943-9079), Mitch Pizzetti ( 508 864-2073) or Naomi Kunkel (508 943-1967).

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Love your enemies – it makes them furious.

(If you have sports news worthy of publication please e-mail RPC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) 

 

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Inducted

MILTON , Mass. ---  Marissa Tennant of Thompson has been inducted into Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta), the National Biological Honor Society.at Curry College.