Past Issues of the Putnam Town Crier


Presenter
Martial arts Master Mike Bogdanski, co-owner of Quest martial arts of Putnam recently presented several anti bully workshops at Dr. Helen Baldwin school and Eastford school.  His program is called HERO, help everyone respect others.  Master Bogdanski is an anti bully activist and internationally acclaimed anti bully speaker.


Meeting Fans
Former Boston Red Sox knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield, center, met a large contingent of Northeastern Connecticut fans at the YMCA Champions Celebration event in Hartford.  Wakefield was the featured speaker at the event that drew a crowd of more than 500 people. Courtesy photo.



By Ron P. Coderre
The local football season is quickly rolling toward its Thanksgiving Day and postseason conclusion.  Two area teams continue to make a bid to play beyond Turkey Day, as Quinebaug Pride and Hyde-Woodstock posted victories maintaining slim chances of playing for State and League titles.
Pomfret School, which this year played an abbreviated eight-game schedule, closed its season on a positive note while Plainfield made it three-for-three over schools from Rhode Island with a victory over Central Falls.  Killingly continued its up-and-down season, losing big to Norwich Free Academy.  Woodstock picked up a moral victory, losing to Fitch 28-6.
Quinebaug Pride extended its winning streak to five games with a 27-0 shutout victory over visiting Platt Tech.  The Pride jumped out to a first quarter 14-0 lead thanks to its one-two punch of Jon Sanderson and Raif Santerre who tallied touchdowns of eight and seven yards respectively.  On the day,
Sanderson posted 122 yards on 21 carries and his counterpart Santerre recorded 142 yards on 23 carries to lead the way.  The Pride of coach Joe Asermelly is now 7-2 after starting the season at 2-2.
Hyde-Woodstock entertained its sister school Hyde-Bath (Maine) but showed no mercy defeating the visitors 26-14.  Kyle Jordan paced coach Sean Saucier’s Wolfpack running for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  The win raises Hyde’s overall record to 6-2 and 6-1 in the Evergreen League.
In Pomfret, the Griffins of coach Henry Large concluded their season on a winning note, besting visiting Westminster 34-7.  After falling behind 7-0 in the first stanza, the remainder of the contest belonged to Pomfret as it ran off a string of 34 unanswered points.  Austin Jones led the way with two touchdowns, both on runs of five yards.  Pomfret concludes its season at 4-4 overall and in the Colonial League.
Plainfield erupted for 29-first quarter points in rolling past Central Falls, Rhode Island 46-6 in Central Village.  Junior quarterback Steve Jankowski delighted a large Homecoming crowd, passing for 116 yards and three touchdowns.  Plainfield raised its record to 4-4 after a clean sweep of three Rhode Island teams. In addition to the Central Falls victory coach Pat Smith’s Panthers earlier defeated North Providence and North Smithfield.
Killingly journeyed down Rt. 395 to Norwich for a Friday game under temporary lights and had its lights turned out by the Wildcats 56-12.  The Redmen were entertained by the Marcus Outlow show as the Division I college-bound running back had his best game of the season for NFA running for three touchdowns and 260 yards on 18 carries.  The loss drops Killingly to 4-5 overall.
Woodstock though never in the game made Fitch play all four quarters losing 28-6.  Following a scoreless first quarter, Fitch scored 21 unanswered points before Woodstock’s Billy Harrington scored on a one-yard plunge.  The Centaurs are 0-9 overall and 0-2 in the ECC Small Division.
Extra Points…
A pair of Pomfret School seniors, Chappy Paul and Noah Van Dyke recorded their first career touchdowns in the win over Westminster…The Hyde-Woodstock Wolfpack has to play a waiting game following its win over Hyde-Bath.  The team will find out this week if it receives a bowl bid from the New England Prep School Athletic Council…Quinebaug Pride remains the only local high school in the running for State Tournament play.  Last week’s CIAC rankings had the team in 8th place just ahead of Stonington.  Both teams won this week, but the strength of schedule may have an effect on the standings…Trent Appleton started at quarterback this week for Woodstock and was 4-5 for 39 yards passing prior to getting injured attempting to block an extra point kick…Quinebaug Pride’s trio of Tylor Genest, Raif Santerre and Jon Sanderson continue their assault on the scoring and rushing lead for the area.  Genest, who has scored in every game this season, is the area scoring leader with 88 points.  He also has 447 yards rushing.  Sanderson and Santeerre have a combined 1767 yards on the season.  Santerre, who has 80 points and is second in the scoring race, has 876 yards on the ground while Sanderson has 891.  Both have a great shot at 1000-yard seasons with two games remaining…In the win over Platt Tech, Quinebaug Pride allowed only 61 yards of total offense to the visitors…The Pride has a talented toe in the person of kicker Connor Pion…This week’s upcoming schedule includes Bullard Havens at Quinebaug Pride (6:30 p.m.) on Friday.  Saturday has Plainfield at Woodstock in a noon start.
Putnam Town Crier Super Standings: Quinebaug Pride – 7-2; Hyde-Woodstock – 6-2; Plainfield – 4-4; Pomfret School – 4-4; Killingly – 4-5; Woodstock Academy – 0-9.

PUTNAM — The following students were promoted at the October Graduation 2013 at Mike Bogdanski’s and Kristin Duethorn’s Quest Martial Arts.
Tiger Belt
Gabe Bourget
Tessa Sheldon
Orange Tiger
Diezel LaPierre
Orange Dragon
Alec Nunes
Quentin Paterson
Thatcher Paterson
Blue Dragon
Evelyn Young
Yellow
Joshua Bonin
Mateusz Chojnicki
Grace Colangelo
Alec Rawson
Isabella Selmecki
Isabel Vergoni
Aidan Bain
Autumn Taylor
Child Blue
Sadie Bergeron
Ian Stone
Blue/Green
Emma Rainville
Dakota Ryley
Travis Ryley
Green/White
Arianna Garnsey
Connor Dunkley
Green/Black
Connor Taylor
Red/White
Seth Dootson
Red Black
Coby Babbitt
Adult Orange
Joe Andujar
Paul Boisvert
Zoe Manfredi
Korenza Manfredi
Gary Powell
April Ullrich
2 Stripe Blue
Laura Graves
1 Stripe Blue
Hayley Cutler
Logan Donohue
Colby Johndrow
Frederick Ullrich
3 Stripe Green
Cameron Driscoll
Kevin Filchak
Yves Geyer
Michael McKeon

..

By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to one of Putnam’s oldest residents and a truly great guy Theodore “Ted” Messier Sr. who is approaching his 99th birthday.  Always friendly and vibrant, Messier can still hold his own and gets around very well.  Ted, keep getting up each morning.  RPC thinks you’re a great sport.
Whenever there’s a Smutnick making news in the sports section, it’s usually John Smutnick.  He’s often found on a winning foursome for a local charitable golf tournament or receiving recognition for his exploits on the baseball diamond from his winter home in Florida.
This week there are two Smutnicks in the news a male, Major Doug Smutnick of the United States Air Force 188th Fighter Wing and Margo Smutnick of Norwich University, where she’s Cadet Corps Battalion Commander.
Maj. Smutnick, a graduate of Woodstock Academy, was recently cited for his exemplary service while on assignment in 2012 in Bagram, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Col. Mark Anderson in a commander’s call ceremony at Fort Smith, Arkansas presented Maj. Smutnick with an Air Force Combat Action Medal.
Maj. Smutnick was a key participant in a troops-in-contact predicament during a close-air support combat mission July 4, 2012, while piloting a 188th A-10C Thunderbolt II “Warthog” defending the lives of Coalition ground troops engaged in a firefight with the Taliban.  It was because of Smutnick’s action that day that multiple Coalition troops made it home safely to their families.
“I remember noting the date (July 4) when I was completing my admin paperwork at the operations desk before stepping to the aircraft.  But after I sucked the gear up and heard the troops in contact call come over the radio, the date as well as all other nuances quickly melted away,” said a humble Maj. Smutnick.
Maj. Smutnick is the son of John and Laura Smutnick of Pomfret and Avon Park, Fla.
Margo Smutnick, cousin of Maj. Smutnick and also a graduate of Woodstock Academy, is a senior at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt.  Norwich University is the oldest private military college in the United States.
Smutnick, a political science major with a Chinese minor, is due to graduate in May, when she will be commissioned by Ret. Asst. Commandant of the United States Marine Corps 4-Star General Richard I. Neal.  Following graduation she’ll enter the Marines.  Her pinning ceremony, when she’ll be commissioned a 2nd Lt., will be done by her father David Smutnick, a former Marine.  Her mother is Mary Smutnick.  The Smutnicks reside in Pomfret.
Putnam resident Roger Franklin, a 1960 graduate of Norwich University and a Ret. United States Army Reserve Colonel, is a member of the Norwich University Board of Trustees.  He recently had the privilege of meeting Miss Smutnick when he attended a Board meeting on the campus. 

The Stars Are Bright

The Eastern Connecticut Conference continues to release its fall sports all star teams, the latest being men’s soccer and women’s field hockey luminaries.

Two Woodstock Academy booters, midfielder Cam Hartland and defender Austin Beaupre received Honorable Mention accolades in the Large Division.

Sportsmanship Awards went to Kyle Duethorn of Woodstock, Nathan Martins of Killingly, Jared Beauregard of Plainfield and James Bellows of Tourtellotte.

Killingly’s outstanding goalkeeper Kristy Gallant headed a group of First Team All-Stars who were honored in field hockey.  Joining Gallant on the First Team was her teammate defensive standout Emma Guillot and Woodstock Academy’s Stephanie Marasco.  Midfielders Kathy Wu and Alyssa Rainey were recognized in the Honorable Mention category as was Helena Ives of Woodstock.  Defensive players Kristen Cunneen of Killingly and Allie Swan of Woodstock received Sportsmanship awards.

Former Marianapolis
Standout Recognized
The Connecticut 6 Classic, the annual gathering for the state’s six mid-major men’s basketball teams was held Saturday at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.  The six schools participating were the University of Hartford, Quinnipiac University, Central Connecticut State University, Yale University, Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University.
The 2013 All-Connecticut Preseason Team, selected by the head coaches included former Marianapolis forward Ike Azotam of Quinnipiac University.  It was further noted in the tournament notes that Azotam along with another former Golden Knight Ousmane Drame, form one of the best rebounding duos in college basketball.  The two make the Bobcats of coach Tom Moore one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.

Soccer Team Honored
Putnam Science Academy honored its soccer teams Nov. 6 at an Awards Presentation Evening held at the school.  The Mustangs had three teams on the field this fall with more than 60 players participating on the varsity, junior varsity and 3rd squads. 

Senior Suleyman Ozgul walked away with most of the varsity honors, including team Most Valuable Player.  During the season he led the Mustangs to 7-5 record as he recorded 14 goals and 20 assists.

From The Annals
of Putnam Sports History
Although Putnam usually played football on Thanksgiving Day, in November 1906 on Thanksgiving afternoon, Putnam defeated Leicester Academy in basketball 35-8, in a game played at the Armory.  (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: A bird in the hand… can be messy.

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