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Softball team
takes first-ever
ECC title
outright
For the first time in a traditional ECC alignment, Woodstock captured a league divisional title and they did so by themselves with a 5-1 win over Killingly.
“This one was important for us,” said coach Jason Gerum. “We’ve never had an ECC championship, an outright one, so this game was a big deal to us and we will take it.”
The only other time the Centaurs have won an ECC divisional title in softball was in 2021 when it shared the Division 2 crown with Griswold in a COVID-altered alignment.
“This means a lot to all of us. We have an older team with seven seniors on it and this was a really good way to put icing on the cake,” said senior winning pitcher Lexi Thompson.
Sarah McArthur (2-for-3) had the big hit for the Centaurs, a two-run double, that sparked a four-run uprising in the second inning for the Centaurs. Ainsley Morse added an RBI single in the rally and another run scored on an error. Pinchrunner Maci Corradi scored the fifth run in the top of the seventh inning on an error.
“We had a few hits here and there and they were clutch which is good. We were able to get the early lead and then we held them and took it,” said senior catcher Maddie Martinez.
Thompson scattered seven hits and struck out eight to pick up the win.
“Our program is on the way up. Our JV looks really good. Look at what our freshman Ellary (Sampson) did (against Killingly). She came in to hit for Mia (Pannone) and she did the job (knocking in Corradi with a hard shot that resulted in an error and the run). We’re so proud of everyone. We put in a lot of work and it’s all coming together,” Thompson said.
“From where we were and where we are now. I couldn’t imagine this. You just keep on saying, ‘I will try another year’, and another year and I’m getting a little older now but the kids keep coming back, keep working hard, keep buying in. They say winning and losing is contagious and , at some point, we started to win a little and stayed the course and here we are,” Gerum said.
The Centaurs finished up the regular season with a 7-6 win over St. Bernard. Woodstock ended with a 14-6 mark.
“I was very pleased to have a winning season,” Gerum said. “Most of the games we dropped were very competitive and we were right in the mix.”
The final game came down to the final inning as the Saints threatened late but Thompson came in to record a last-out save in the circle.
The senior was also instrumental offensively as she hit a pair of three-run homers in the third and fifth innings to give the softball team an early six-run lead.
Thompson has eight homers this season.
Winning pitcher Grace Delsanto knocked in what proved to the game-winning run with a single in the sixth inning.
Martinez had three hits in the win while Elizabeth Morgis added a pair of hits. including a double, for the Centaurs.
The postseason began on Tuesday for the Centaurs as they hosted Ledyard in an ECC first-round tournament game (the game ended too late for this edition).
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

The Woodstock Academy softball team was all smiles last week in Dayville as the Centaurs clinched their first-ever traditional ECC divisional title with a win over Killingly. Photos by Marc Allard.

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Roundup
Centaurs honor seniors; finish 17-3
It was getting to be a bit old hat for Woodstock Academy senior Carter Morissette.
He had experienced a football Senior Day and a basketball Senior Day and now, it was time for a baseball Senior Day on Friday.
The only thing different about this one – it was the last one.
He and fellow seniors Josh Hernandez, Kaden Murphy, Marcus McGregor and Jack Tyler were honored prior to the game with Ellington, the last regular season game of the year.
The Centaurs didn’t get exactly what they wanted in their game with the Purple Knights.
Ellington jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held on for a 7-5 win.
While it was the final regular season game, the Centaurs will certainly host a state tournament game on their home field.
The senior did give his team a helping hand as he tripled to lead off the fifth inning and scored on a single by Murphy. Brady Ericson later added a two-run double in the inning but the rally fell short and the Centaurs suffered just their third loss in 20 games.
Just the day before, the Centaurs used both their top pitchers in an effort against Norwich Free Academy.
The Centaurs knew a win over the Wildcats would lock up the top seed in the ECC tournament.
The Centaurs accomplished their goal with an 8-1 win over NFA.
Kaden Murphy pitched four-plus innings and allowed only two hits to pick up the win on the mound and Brady Ericson struck out six of the eight hitters he faced to earn the save.
Eric Mathewson had two hits and two runs scored but the Centaurs also benefitted from some NFA kindness as Wildcat pitching walked seven and the defense yielded four errors.
The win meant the Centaurs get a bye into the ECC quarterfinals and will play the winner of the Griswold/Bacon Academy play-in game in a quarterfinal contest at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.
After a bit of a nap recently, the baseball team’s bats woke up against Coventry Wednesday, produced a 12-hit attack and the Centaurs rolled to an 11-6 win.
Maxx Corradi had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs.  Ericson had a two-run homer for the Centaurs and Keon Lamarche added a three-run triple.
Earlier in the week, Riley O’Brien cruised as the junior righthander allowed just three hits and struck out seven in five innings on the mound to lead to baseball team past Windham 10-0 in a mercy-rule shortened contest at the Bentley Athletic Complex Monday.
The Centaurs didn’t have a plethora of offense, just six hits, but it was enough as they also took advantage of five errors and seven walks courtesy of Windham.
 Corradi and Mathewson both drove in two runs for the Centaurs.
Boys’ Lacrosse
Woodstock had to win its match in Uncasville against St. Bernard-Wheeler if it wanted to see its boys’ lacrosse season continue.
The Centaurs had a few anxious moments at the end Thursday but managed to hang on for a 9-7 victory over the Saints.
The win meant Woodstock qualified for the Class M state tournament with a 7-9 mark.
The Centaurs held a 4-2 halftime lead and doubled up on that, extending it to 8-4 by late in the third quarter.
But the Saints reduced the deficit to three in the fourth and scored late to account for the two-goal differential.
Zach Gessner had three goals and two assists to lead the Centaurs. Henry Wotton added two goals and two assists and Jared Nielsen added two goals and an assist in the win.
Lucas Theriaque (1 assist) and Dylan Phillips also had goals for Woodstock.
The lacrosse team traveled to Fitch on Tuesday but fell short against the Falcons, 12-8.
Nielsen scored five goals and Gessner added three goals and two assists in the loss. Chance Graley and Cashel Noel also provided assists.
 Boys’ Tennis
Considering the  boys’ tennis team’s lack of numbers and having to go into matches down two games before even beginning play, it was more than a successful season.
The Centaurs finished with a winning record, 7-6, after a  6-1 loss to Fitch in their final match on Sunday in Groton.
The winning record meant the Centaurs will have, at least, one more match as a team following the individual Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament which took place from Monday through Wednesday this week.
In the first two years of actual team play in the state tournament- the boys state tournament had been individually-based prior to 2021- the Centaurs had to play at Wilton (which won the state title in 2021) and at Newtown last year.
Senior Cormac Nielsen was chosen to play in the ECC tournament which began on Monday (the match ended too late for this edition).
Nielsen and junior Owen Rigney were both selected ECC Div. II All-Star singles players as were freshmen Ryan Chabot and Quentin Paterson who were selected in doubles. Sophomore Tyler Chamberlin was selected as an honorable mention All-Star.
The Centaurs suffered a 5-2 loss to Killingly last week with Chamberlin and Rigney stepping out of their roles as singles players and into doubles together. The two posted a 7-6. 2-6, 6-4 win over the Killingly brother combo of Phillip and Anthony Purcell.
Paterson and Chabot also won their doubles match 6-1, 6-2 over Moss Souksanti and Kalab Barclay.
Killingly swept the three singles matches that were played and had the benefit of the two Woodstock forfeits.
On Sunday, Diego Rodriguez posted the only win for the Centaurs against the Falcons at fourth singles.
The job for Green now, to avoid those forfeits is to recruit more players for next year.
The challenge for Green is that she does not work at the school --- she can't stop kids in the hall.
Girls’ Tennis
It was Senior Day for the girls’ tennis team last week as it hosted its final home match of the season.
Fortunately for coach Keith Atchinson, he’s only losing two student-athletes.
The Centaurs honored seniors Stella Atchinson and Paige Owens prior to the match with Waterford.
The Centaurs finished up with a pair of tough ECC Div. I teams, Waterford and Stonington.
Woodstock suffered a pair of losses but had plenty of time to forget about those matches heading into postseason.
The Lancers posted a 7-0 win over the Centaurs with Peyton Bentley coming the closest for Woodstock to picking up a win against the Lancers.
The regular season came to a close in the midweek with a trip down to Stonington where the Bears posted a 7-0 victory.
The Centaurs finished with an 8-5 record.
The Centaurs now travel to Stonington next week for the ECC individual tournament before beginning state tournament play at the end of next week.
The Centaurs are currently ranked 13th in Class L.
Girls 'Track
Juliet Allard and Magdalena Myslenski paced the girls’ track team to its fourth-straight win, 113-37, over Waterford last week, with three first-place finishes each in the final regular season meet of the year.
The Centaurs finished the season with a perfect 4-0 dual meet record.
Allard won the 100 and 200-meter races, setting a personal best in the 200 despite a strong headwind down the home stretch. She finished in 27.1 seconds, 4/10th’s of a second better than anything she has accomplished this season outdoor.
The sophomore did what Welch espoused, gave it her all.
The sophomore also was best in the 300-meter hurdles in her last home meet of the season.
Welch just shook his head when thinking about the wind that greeted the athletes.
Myslenski, in her final home meet of her high school career, went out on a high note by finishing first in the discus, javelin and pole vault.  Fellow senior Bella Sorrentino was best in the 100-meter hurdles and the shotput while Reegan Reynolds also took a pair of victories in the long and triple jumps.
Welch felt the meet was well-timed as the Centaurs joined the rest of the ECC at the championship meet on Monday. The championship meet ended too late for this edition.
Boys’ Track
Senior field standout Jared Eaton had a standout day in his final competition on the Woodstock turf as he won the javelin and shotput competitions and set a personal best with a 137-foot, 4-inch heave in the discus to win that event as well.
Unfortunately, those efforts weren’t enough to carry the boys’ track team to a win as it fell short against Waterford, 82-68.
Fellow senior Carter Saracina won the 100-meter and was second in the 200m, just 2/100ths of a second shy in a photo finish.
It was the last athletic event on the home turf for Saracina.
It made the 200-meter race that he was involved in a little bittersweet.
Even more so, he lost by 2/100ths of a second, a photo finish, to the Lancers’ Evan Piotrowski.
Saracina not only had to battle the Lancers, but also the weather. While it was sunny and cool, like track athletes prefer, the wind was not especially welcome.
Vincente Bastura was best in the 1600-meter and Christian Menounos was first in the 3200-meter for the Centaurs.
Next up for the Centaurs is the ECC championship meet on Monday followed by the States. The meet ended too late for this edition.
Girls’ Lacrosse
Nine seniors were honored prior to the Woodstock girls’ lacrosse match against Norwich Free Academy.
Lily Blair, Gabby Couture, Keynila Hochard, Lennon Favreau, Lindsay Nuttall, Rory Mackenzie, Bryn Miller, Joanna Lin and Hadley Grether, the majority of the Centaurs’ starting lineup this year, were thanked for their many years of dedication to the program prior to the final home match of the season.
Lin scored a pair of goals in the match for the Centaurs who fell to Norwich Free Academy, 17-6. Favreau added a goal and an assist and Kaylee Saucier, Couture and Grether also posted tallies for the Centaurs.
Woodstock finished its season on Thursday night in Waterford where the Centaurs fell to the Lancers, 17-4.
Couture scored a pair of goals for Woodstock Academy while Favreau and Caroline Harris also tallied.
Boys’ Golf
Although the win-loss record doesn’t count in high school golf as much as the scoring average, it’s always nice for a team to have a winning record.
The boys’ golf team pulled back to even at 6-6 after a second consecutive, 7-0, win over Tourtellotte.
The two teams had also played the day before at the Raceway Golf Club in Thompson where the Centaurs prevailed by the same score.
Logan Rawson led the Centaurs with a three-over par 39 while Don Sousa shot a 40 and Davis Simpson a 43.
Simpson and Sousa had tied for medalist honors as each shot a 4-over par 40 for Woodstock at the Raceway Golf Club. Rawson was just one stroke behind his two teammates.
Earlier in the week, it was a battle that came down to the wire with NFA prevailing over the Centaurs 4-3 at the Norwich Golf Course courtesy of a two-stroke advantage, 184-186, in total team strokes.
Simpson, who shot a 41 and was medalist for the match, and both Curtis Lefebvre and Aidan O’Connor picked up points for the Centaurs.
The loss meant the Centaurs finished their Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I season with a 2-4 record.
Girls’ Golf
It was a tough day on the golf course thanks to a stiff breeze and chilly conditions but the girls’ golf team was able to hold it together a little better than their opponents to post a 231-257 win over non-league foe, Suffield, last week at the Quinnatisset Country Club.
The Centaurs also picked up a forfeit victory over Waterford as the Lancers could not field a full team.
Maya Orbegozo was the medalist in the match as the Centaurs’ senior shot a 44.
Woodstock raised its record to 9-3 overall and 7-2 in the ECC.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

Woodstock Academy baseball team honored its five seniors, from left: Marcus McGregor, Carter Morissette, Kaden Murphy, Jack Tyler and Josh Hernendez.

Jillian Edwards cleared 4-feet, 6-inches to win the high jump against Waterford.


The girls’ lacrosse team honored its nine seniors. Back, from left: Lily Blair, Gabby Couture, Keynila Hochard, Lennon Favreau, Lindsay Nuttall, Rori Mackenzie, Front, from left: Bryn Miller, Joanna Lin, and Hadley Grether. Photos by Marc Allard
 

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captions:
from top:
Getting the beds ready for planting.
A whole trailer full of plants arrived, along with the newest acquisition, a water tank to take care of all the gardens. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
Left: Artist Dan Durand prepares to install a custom piece of whimsical art. Above: Checking the diagram.



By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- Dedicated members of the Quiet Corner Garden Club didn't let Saturday's deluge bother them as they installed more than 200 plants in the newly recreated Providence Street Municipal Memorial Garden. The club adopted, designed and will maintain the garden in memory of garden club members who "have departed but live on in our hearts," said club President Elaine Turner.  
She added: "This project is one from the heart! Honoring the very founder and President, Mary Seney ,and all who inspired the club is quite meaningful. The Garden Club began meeting in each other’s living room with a maximum of 25 members. Today we stand at 120 strong!"
In a partnership between the Town of Putnam and the club, the town's pocket parks and small parks around Union Square, South Main Street and Providence Street are getting a boost. Parks are being "adopted" and renovated.
Putnam Economic and Community Development Director Carly DeLuca said $15,000 was added to the Parks and Recreation Department's budget for beautification.  

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   The Putnam Rotary Club Noe Poulin Fishing Derby

(From top: left, right. Left, right, etc.)

Colton Kurtis -  largest, 0-5

Gloria Challinor - most unique

Jeffrey Kube - largest, 13-15

Kennedy Healey - smallest

Khloe Sienieal - largest, 10-12

Kyan Sousa - most caught

Tylon Rivers - largest, 6-9