Roundup
Centaurs fall short in ClassL semifinals

Rams defense proves too much for Centaurs. The tears were evident on just about everyone’s face on Wednesday night at Rockville High School.
The Woodstock Academy volleyball team had come so close to its goal of making and possibly winning the Class L state championship.
Only to fall short by one match as 10th-seeded Bristol Central upset the No. 3 seeded Centaurs in the Class l semifinal, 3-1.
“This has been my best season probably. We’re just so connected and it’s definitely sad that we’re not going to be together anymore but we love each other so much and fought as hard as we could so that is all that really matters in the end,” said senior Lily Bottone.
It was a sentiment shared by her father, head coach Adam Bottone.
“It’s been a special group that has been in the works for a long time since a lot of them were in middle school. It’s definitely going to be sad to see them go especially with my daughter being one of them. It’s kind of like the end of an era per se for me and we just have to regroup, try and get the next group ready to go but this will be a tough group to replace. We put a lot of time and effort in and it hurts to come up short.”
It didn’t look like that would be the case early on.
Woodstock dominated the middle in the early going with Mia Sorrentino getting six kills and three blocks.
That kind of effort produced some early six-point advantages in the first set for the Centaurs who went on to post a 25-16 victory to take the 1-0 lead.
“I would say everyone was feeling pretty confident,” said Lily Bottone of the team’s mindset after the first-set victory. “In between the sets, something must have happened.”
“Starting in the second set, I think our receive went down a little bit. We couldn’t control the ball too well with that and that put us into a panic. We started to play that way and couldn’t get ourselves out of it,” Adam Bottone said.
With the exception of a brief 10-8 lead in the second set, Bristol Central was in control. The Rams held a 22-12 lead after a block by Isabella Alves.
The Centaurs would come back as Izzy Mojica had a four-point service run highlighted by a pair of aces and Cassidy Ladd followed with three service points of her own to cut the Rams’ lead to three, 23-20. But a ball struck the roof to give Bristol Central set point up by four and Lily Kirk finished off the Bristol Central win with a kill for the 25-22 final.
The difference, after the first set win by Woodstock, was the ascension of the Rams’ defense.
At times, it was impenetrable.
“They just got after every single ball and we let some balls drop. Not that we didn’t work hard in digging after balls and we did get a lot up that we probably shouldn’t have but there was also too many times that we were just watching,” Adam Bottone said.
The hunger was clearly there for the Rams.
They had been to the Class L semifinals for the past three years and had never advanced.
They did not want to be denied again.
“We came in and thought we could just roll and that’s not the case,” Adam Bottone said.
That defense helped the Rams take a 3-2 lead in the third set and never look back.
The Rams built a 19-9 lead and had it not been for a late flurry of activity by the Centaurs, it could have been more one-sided. The Rams held on for the 25-20 victory to take the 2-1 advantage.
But it looked as if the Centaurs were going to force a decisive fifth game as they were the aggressors early in the fourth set.
A couple of service errors, three consecutive balls into the net and a pair of Lily Bottone aces conspired to allow the Centaurs to take a 14-3 lead.
“We just got stuck on their service runs again, we just couldn’t receive to the best of our abilities.”
The Rams tied it at 21.
“That’s a great question, I’m not entirely sure,” Adam Bottone said when asked what happened. “(Assistant coach) Jeff (Boshka) said to me that we just let them slowly creep back in. We made too many unforced errors, playing with our backs against the wall.”
Three consecutive points by Emily Fontaine, two blocks and a kill, gave the Rams the 23-21 lead.
Kirk then delivered her 13th kill of the game and seventh of the fourth set to put the Rams at match point.
“She is a tremendous player. She will get her kills regardless, you just have to minimize. Early on, we did that. When we started playing a bit more panicked, they were getting her the ball and we were unable to defend it,” Adam Bottone said.
An ace by Alves finished off the contest.
 “At least, we made it this far. It’s sad that it ends here but, at least, we did our best to get here and we’re proud of how we played,” Lily Bottone said.
Lily Bottone finished with 14 kills and 16 service points for the Centaurs while Sorrentino had 12 kills and four blocks, Mojica added eight kills, setter Sophie Gronski had 32 assists and Cassidy Ladd ended with 23 digs for the Centaurs.

Girls’ Soccer
Woodstock couldn’t overcome an early deficit in the girls’ soccer Class L semifinal battle against Sacred Heart Academy.
Coach Andrea Danforth said, “I told them to fight like heck in the second half. We have 40 minutes left, you have to fight. They did. They left it all out there. It wasn’t enough to get us that extra goal but I’m proud of them. I reminded them that no other girl who has put on this uniform has done this before.”
That would be true in the Class L state tournament
The Centaurs did win a Class M state championship in 1996 and were runners-up in Class S in 1991 and ’92.
Unfortunately, the Centaurs would finish as neither champion nor runner-up as they lost to the Sharks, 2-1.
Sacred Heart Academy put Woodstock in a hole early.
Junior Bianca Maciel took a pass from Maya Collins and put it into the back of the net 21 ½ minutes into the first half.
Maciel didn’t wait long to put another in as she also converted a Mia O’Connor pass into a goal just five minutes later to take the 2-0 halftime lead.
“It was a big dig on us. It was really hard to go into the second half like that, but we got one and if we could have prevented that second goal from happening it might have been a different story. Hats off to Sacred Heart, they finished their opportunities,” Danforth said.
The Centaurs goal came from an unlikely source.
Senior Macy Rawson waited until the last match of the season to put in her first goal of the year.
It came just 1 minute, 11 seconds into the second half.
“I got a good touch on the ball, beat a defender, and took a good shot to the corner and it went in,” Rawson said.
Rawson pointed to their set plays, the corners they had and the chances they created when they sent the ball in wide. But nothing materialized.
Rawson will be one of the six seniors not returning in 2025.

8 Athletes Commit
Eight seniors announced last week where they will be headed next.
The announcements came on the traditional National Signing Day of Nov. 13 although there were some changes.
Gone are the National Letters of Intent that student-athletes used to sign, replaced by a financial aid agreement provided by colleges.
For some, it was a little anti-climactic.
Baseball standout Brady Ericson had announced some time ago that he had verbally committed to play Div. I ball for UConn.
“It’s nice to say that, now, it’s official. It’s been a long-time coming. I made the verbal commitment a year and a half ago and it’s nice to finally sign the papers,” Ericson said.
The pitcher/outfielder helped lead the Centaurs to the Class L baseball state championship a year ago.
He finished with a .305 batting average with three home runs and 24 driven in.
The big lefthander also sported a 0.73 earned run average to go with a 9-0 record and 92 strikeouts in 57 innings.
Emily Jurnovoy also made her choice known last year that she planned to attend Auburn University for equestrian.
“It’s very nice, I’m very excited. I love the campus, I love the coaches and the team is just incredible,” Jurnovoy said.
Five of those who attended the fall signing play the sport of soccer.
Freya Robbie’s parents brought just about all the Indiana State bling they could find to help her celebrate her big day.
“The coaching staff reached out to me and I just fell in love with everything about the campus when I went to see it. The coaching staff was everything that I was looking for,” Robbie said.
Robbie, along with Leah Costa, then quickly packed up and got ready to head out to a Class L girls soccer state tournament match against Sacred Heart Academy.
Costa was also on hand as she will play soccer for Southern New Hampshire University.
Costa led the Centaurs with 21 goals up to the semifinals..
Bella Mawson will play soccer for Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville.
“I was googling colleges and I reached out, sent them my highlight reel, visited the campus and was just praying that I felt peace on campus,” Mawson said.
On the prep side, two of the Centaurs will be playing Div. I soccer next fall.
Jude Essuman will continue his career in New Jersey at Rutgers.
“From the beginning, (Rutgers) was the first school that showed a lot of interest in me. They have been chasing me for two years. I think it’s a better place and a perfect place for me to be. I went on a visit and felt really excited and everyone seemed to love me so it felt like home,” Essuman said.
For Ajani Banton, his future rests in Bethlehem, Penn., home of Lehigh University.
“When I went to visit, the coaching staff was very communicative. They showed they wanted me not only as a player but a student and the campus is great. I think Lehigh is the perfect fit for me,” Banton said.
Juliet Allard also plays soccer but she will hang up those cleats to run track at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.
“When I was looking at other schools, I was looking mostly close to home. I knew that is somewhere that I wanted to be if I ever need to go home, I can,” Allard said. “Quinnipiac was one of the first schools that I began talking to, really good, constant communication with them. I had such a wonderful experience on my visit there.”

Football
Kyle Grist started the season as an offensive lineman. Cam Nason came out for the football team for a first time this fall as a senior.
On Saturday, both players occupied the most important spot on the football field as the two shared quarterback responsibilities for Woodstock.
It was not, at all, the original plan, but the Centaurs have lost two starting quarterbacks to injury this season.
Senior Sam Clark went down early in the season to an ACL injury and freshman Caydem Herlihy followed when he suffered a broken ankle in the Ledyard game.
It meant head coach Sean Saucier and offensive coordinator Connor Elliott had to come up with some solutions during the week before the Montville game.
Enter the Grist-Nason solution.
“It’s been a blast to be honest with you,” Saucier said prior to the game with the Wolves. “Both kids have taken it on with the best, incredible attitude that they could. We had a great week of preparation.”
Nason was going to be more of the thrower and Grist more of the runner as Elliott thought the former lineman compared favorably to how Clark ran the football for the Centaurs.
Saucier said he agreed with that assessment “100 percent.”
“It’s the same idea,” the head coach said. “He is incredibly athletic for a quote ‘offensive lineman’ even though he’s more a linebacker than offensive lineman. He has a high football IQ and is physically and mentally tough.”
Grist finished with 20 carries for 90 yards against Montville and slung a short pass to Gabe Luperon for 25 more.
Nason rushed for 71 yards in 12 carries and completed four of his 12 passes for 66 yards.
Those numbers almost led the Centaurs to a win on Senior Day.
Woodstock fell just six yards short and the Wolves prevailed, 26-23.
Trailing by just the three points, the Centaurs took over the ball on the Montville 45 with 2 minutes, 28 seconds to play.
Nason clicked off five yards, Grist came on to get another and then the first down with a 7-yard run. Luperon carried for six more before Nason hit Dominic LaFleur for a 9-yard pass and Aiden Soukaloun for a short 3-yard gain.
That second pass play was enhanced, however, as Montville was called for roughing the passer which moved the ball to the Wolves’ 6 with 41 seconds left.
Unfortunately, Hector Aponte of Montville stepped in front of an attempted pass to Luperon and intercepted it to guarantee his team the win.
The Wolves (1-8) had jumped out to the lead early as quarterback Aidan Johnson hit Andrew McElwee for a 15-yard touchdown on Montville’s first possession.
After the Centaurs punted, the Wolves put together a 60-yard drive that culminated in a 4-yard score by Aponte (21 carries, 142 yards).
It took the Woodstock  offense some time to get untracked but it accomplished that in the second quarter.
A defensive stop gave the Centaurs the ball on their own 10.
An unlikely scenario, Nason and Grist rotated in and out and managed to put together an 11-play drive that found the end zone in, for this game, typically odd fashion.
Woodstock tried a bit of a trick play with Dominic LaFleur eventually getting the ball on an end around.
The receiver was forced inside and, in the grasp of a Montville player, heaved the ball in the direction of receiver Aidan Soukaloun. The junior had to come back for the ball, made a quick move, and found the end zone to complete the 14-yard scoring play.
LaFleur then added the two-point conversion run to make it 12-8.
The Centaurs decided to build on that momentum and directed kicker Abdullah Choudhry to attempt an onside kick.
It worked as Dylan Phillips fell on the football at the Montville 42.
A 32-yard Nason run got the Centaurs into the red zone at the 15 and four plays later, Nason gave Woodstock the 15-12 lead at the half with a 4-yard run.
Things got even better for Woodstock in the third quarter when Nason found Aiden Brailsford for a short pass that the senior turned into a 42-yard touchdown to put the Centaurs up, 23-12.
The Centaurs forced a Montville punt and got the ball back on their own 34 but three players later Ky Boso intercepted a pass and weaved his way into the end zone for the pick-6 that cut the Woodstock Academy lead to three, 23-20.
Montville got what proved to be the game-winning score when Aponte was given the ball at the Woodstock Academy 9 and went virtually untouched into the end zone with just over seven minutes to play.
The loss dropped the Centaurs to 2-7 on the season.
It means the coaching staff can look ahead a bit to 2025.
“That’s the silver lining to this, I guess, to this illness and injury misfortune is all these young kids getting this experience. If we can keep them healthy, it will pay off,” Saucier said.
The older players got their just due prior to the game in Senior Day ceremonies.
Seniors Aiden Brailsford, Sam Clark, Mason Bourget, Cam Nason, Dom LaFleur, Gabe Luperon, Brady DelFarno, Kyle Grist, Abdullah Choudhry, Brock Swabby, Ryder Chaput, R.J. Duncan, Leo Larkin and Henri Bessette were recognized for their contributions to the program.
“It’s awesome to honor the kids, it’s always exciting. We had a great team meeting and then I met with the seniors privately,” Saucier said. “This was a great class. Usually, if I get 15 freshmen, four years from then, I’m hoping to still have at least 10 to stick it out four years. We have 14 of them and that’s a testament to them. I’ve watched them grow up.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

Fourteen senior members of the football team and two from the Dance team were recognized on Senior Day prior to the Centaurs’ football game.

Kyle Grist, in his first outing as one of the two quarterbacks for Woodstock, fights forward against Montville. Photos by Abby Ditzel.

Gronski:  Woodstock Academy senior Sophie Gronski warms up prior to the Class L semifinal match with Bristol Central. The setter had 32 assists in her final match in a Woodstock Academy jersey.

2024 Mia Sorrentino: Senior Mia Sorrentino had 12 kills and four blocks but the Centaurs fell short against Bristol Central, 3-1, in the Class L volleyball state tournament semifinal at Rockville High School.

Lily Bottone, left, bumping a ball in front of teammate Gianna Musumeci, had 14 kills in a 3-1 Class L state tournament semifinal.

2024 Rawson and Knox:  Woodstock Academy senior Macy Rawson (2) and junior Jaelyn Knox share a parting hug following the Centaurs 2-1 loss in the Class L girls’ soccer state tournament semifinals to Sacred Heart Academy at Rockville High School. Photos by Marc Allard.
National Signing Day: Eight seniors signed commitments to college for next year. Front, from left: Jude Essuman, Rutgers to play soccer;  Ajani Banton, Lehigh University also for soccer; Brady Ericson, UConn for baseball. Back from left: Bella Mawson, soccer at Trevecca, Nazarene; Emily Jurnovoy, equestrian team at Auburn; Freya Robbie, soccer for Indiana State; Leah Costa, soccer for Southern New Hampshire; Juliet Allard, track for Quinnipiac. Photo by Sam Romero. 

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