Gold team
perseveres
The Woodstock Academy Gold squad was tested a couple of times, but persevered and raised its record to 6-0 with three wins in the Power 5 Conference Tip Off tournament over the weekend and before that, a victory over Navy Prep.
“We’re happy but we’re still not satisfied. We’re not where we need to be yet,” forward Tre Williams said after the Centaurs pulled out a 59-35 win over Thetford Academy Gold Nov. 11 at the Alumni Fieldhouse. “We just have to keep preparing for the bigger and better teams down the road.”
The Gold team won’t have to wait long for that.
The Centaurs play their first road games of the season this weekend against some prestigious prep programs this weekend.
Woodstock Academy will take part in the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. The Centaurs take on IMG Academy from Florida at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and will play Massanutten Military Academy out of Virginia at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday.
“Especially IMG, we’ve heard so much about them,” Centaurs wing Preston Santos said. “Coach (Tony Bergeron) has told us that they are nationally ranked and are a very prestigious school, athletically. We have to prepare for that.”
Williams agreed.
“Those will be two pretty tough matchups, they are really going to test us, see what we’re made of,” Williams added. “Coach said they are going to be pretty good, tough and nasty just like this team (Thetford Academy) who tried to force us into pressure.”
The Centaurs didn’t have much trouble with the Thetford squad out of Quebec, Canada.
Woodstock Academy opened a 20-5 lead early on the strength of their 3-point shooting.
Noah Fernandes, who scored all of his team-leading 11 points in the first half, put down a pair of 3-pointers in the first 3 ½ minutes of the game.
Trey Anderson and Tre Mitchell also hit 3’s in the early going, but those went away as the game progressed and baskets started to come at a premium.
The Centaurs led 33-18 at the half and, if there were any doubts, put those to bed with a 12-1 run early in the second half to go up by 26 points.
“It was great to get three wins in three days. We needed that going into (this) weekend with some momentum. Now, we get to rest our bodies and get prepared,” Williams said.
Nov. 10, the Centaurs Gold squad broke out to a 23-point lead in the first half and rolled to an 89-64 win over The Knox School.
If there was a concern the Centaurs had coming into the game, it was their ability to keep their foot on the gas and deliver the knockout blow.
The Centaurs have been very good at getting out of the gates, only to let their opponents creep back into the contest.
“We were a little bit better with that (Saturday). At the beginning of the game, we did that, but then we took our foot off again. That’s something we should not do. We have to run them out of the gym, no matter what team it is,” Santos said.
Mitchell scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half while Anderson added 16 and Jeremy Robinson 11, all in the second half, for the Centaurs.
The Centaurs opened the tournament on Friday with a 105-82 win over Combine Academy.
A balanced attack led the Centaurs to the victory.
Six players scored in double figures for Woodstock Academy led by Mitchell, Santos and Robinson whom all finished with 12 points while Matt Cross and Williams had 11 each and Anderson added 10.
Navy Prep didn’t have a lot of height Nov. 7.
It made up for the deficiency with its heart and gave the Gold squad quite the tussle before Woodstock Academy posted an 86-70 win at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
The Centaurs broke out to a 25-4 lead in the first 8 minutes, 8 seconds of the game thanks, in part, to four 3-pointers including two from 6-foot, 9-inch big man Mitchell.
Those were the only 3-pointers of the half for Woodstock Academy and Navy Prep (3-2), despite having no player larger than 6-5, gradually worked itself back into the contest.
Navy Prep cut the deficit to 15 by halftime as it outscored the Centaurs 20-15 in the final 10 minutes.
The visitors got as close as seven points, 50-43, on a Jarrod Jackson basket with 13:23 left.
The Centaurs responded with a pair of Cross (10 points) baskets and a Robinson hoop to re-establish the double-digit lead.
The Centaurs also had an ace in the hole that Navy Prep just could not counter.
Mitchell was virtually unstoppable inside as he scored 25 second half points, including his third 3-pointer of the game, to keep the Centaurs ahead.
Mitchell finished with 38 points.
Santos added 12 for the Gold squad.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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POMFRET — Nov. 10 the Pomfret School girls 'cross country team took second at the NEPSTA Division III Cross Country Championship.
A total of 159 runners competed in the varsity girls’ race, with 22 of 27 participating teams eligible for scoring. The team had previously won third place at the Canterbury Invitational in September, and were grateful for a familiar course at Canterbury School and the chance to “plaque” (i.e., earn a commemorative award for fourth place or higher).
Varsity Race
Tri-captain Sophie Nardelli ’19 approached the race with an incredibly positive mindset, balancing grit and power with lightness and fun. She ran her best 5k race to date, finishing second overall and first for the team in a personal record time of 19:14 (the fastest finishing time for Pomfret Girls XC in at least 20 years.). Tri-captain Maria Tews ’19 also ran her fastest 5k to date in a time of 20:17—3 minutes and 40 seconds faster than when she ran the same course as a freshman. At the finish line, spectators murmured things like “Wow, Pomfret has two in the top 5. They’re definitely going to place!”
Of course, earning the 2 and 4 spots gave the Pomfret team an incredible numerical advantage, but the rest of the team was not off the hook. Freshman Mallory Krasusky’s performance was absolutely critical; she kicked hard to break up a speedy pack of runners from Westover, a team we ultimately beat by just 5 points. For her efforts, Mallory also earned a new personal best time of 22:20 (50 seconds faster than the last time she raced at Canterbury). Pomfret’s fourth and fifth runners for the day, Josephine Myung ’20 and Bella Canavan ’22, did their part to mix in with the Montrose pack (Montrose finished fourth for the day) and prevent them from gaining too many places in between. Josephine and Bella finished just 3 seconds apart, and both earned new personal records. Tri-captain Chelsey Castle ’19 gave everything she had and is retiring her muddy spikes after they carried her to the finish line with a season-best time of 25:05. The 7th varsity runner for the day, Cindy Chen ’20, channeled her nerves into running a strong and gritty race, ultimately earning a season best time of 26:16.
Junior Varsity Race
Girls JV raced at the end of the day, as the wind picked up, the sun faded, and the boxes at the starting line were barely visible anymore. With only four of the Pomfret runners competing in a field of 51 (5 are needed to score), the race was less competitive but still very exciting. In true XC fashion, Anastasiia Eremina ’20 lost a shoe to the muck in the first mile but quickly regained ground and caught up with the pack. With steadiness and grit, Anastasiia moved up several spots throughout the race and out-kicked a runner from Pingree by a fraction of a second in an exciting photo finish. Senior Ella Wei ran her best and final race in a Pomfret singlet, finishing in 27:35 and absolutely crushing her previous personal record by over a minute. Battling shin splints all season, Amanda Chen ’20 ran a solid championship race and managed to shave 7 seconds from her previous personal best. The fourth JV runner for the day, Nhu Vo ’19, should be proud of her final performance as a Pomfret runner; Nhu executed a smart pacing plan and ran a season best time of 29:10.
The Results
After all of the races were finished, the team gathered after what seemed like an eternity of waiting for the awards ceremony. Both Sophie and Maria were honored as All New England Cross Country athletes and were invited to the All-Star meet this weekend at St. Mark’s. Pomfret received its plaque for second place. In the last 20 years the Pomfret School Cross Country team has never placed higher than fourth.
Contributed by Jillian Forgue

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Frank G. Slye
Frank G. Slye, 81, of Pomfret Center died Oct. 31, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. He was the husband of the late Hazel Edith Slye. She died in 2013. He was born Aug. 8, 1937, in Putnam, son of the late Frank C. and Phoebe (Franklin) Slye.
He was the Tool Room manager at Whitcraft, worked at Putnam Farmers Co-op, he had managed Citgo Gas Station and General Store in Pomfret and managed Hillmans in Pomfret. He also was a school bus driver for a little while. Frank was a Little League coach for two generations of players. He liked to vacation in Maine with his wife, he loved farming and being with his cows.
He leaves a son Frank C. Slye of Pomfret Center; one brother Jim Slye (Marian) of S. Windsor; nieces and nephews. Frank was predeceased by his siblings Thomas C. Slye and Mable R. Harris.
A private graveside service will be at a later date. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam. Donations: American Cancer Society, 25 Brook St., I-91 Tech Ctr., Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3045.

Traci Allen Vinal
EASTFORD — Traci Allen Vinal died suddenly and unexpectedly Nov. 4, 2018, at home.
She was born in Worcester where her father was a graduate student and her mother taught school. Before she was 6 months old, the family moved to Storrs where her father was on the UConn faculty and her mother taught elementary school. Her favorite times of the year were family vacations to their summer home near Yellowstone National Park.
She was a free spirit and followed her own path throughout her life. She worked at various jobs after graduating from E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, including a secretarial position at UConn, sales representative and telemarketer.
She leaves her son, Nicholas Vinal of Eastford; her long-time companion, Jack Vinal, also of Eastford; her parents, John and Anne Allen of Laramie, Wyo.; a sister, Jennifer Allen and niece Grace Olsen, both of Tucson, Ariz.; aunts, uncles, and cousins and nieces and nephews in eastern Connecticut.
No memorial service will be held. Donations: American Cancer Society. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Janice H. Yeitz
Janice Helen Yeitz, 75, died Nov. 2, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam.
Janice was born on March 24, 1943, to Lawrence and E. Jeannette Weaver. She was married for 37 years to Patrick Joseph Yeitz Jr.
She worked 26 years at William Prym in the packaging department, and 19 years at Day Kimball Hospital as a Home Health aide.
In the past, Janice enjoyed dancing and camping. She loved her dogs (Lacey & Nicki) and cat (Micky). She was a passionate QVC shopper and generous gift giver. She enjoyed the holidays and gathering with the family.
Besides her husband, she leaves her stepchildren, Brian Yeitz (Judy), Brenda Sanborn (Tim), Linda Theriault (Robert); seven grandchildren and one great-grandson; a brother,  Bruce D. Weaver (Peggy); her sister-in-law, Carol Weaver; niece, Amy Shatney (Scott); nephews, Jonathan Weaver (Katie), and Mark Weaver (Nancy). She was predeceased by her brother, Wayne Lawrence Weaver.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17 at Tillinghast Funeral Home, immediately followed by a graveside service at High Street Cemetery, Dayville. Donations: American Cancer Society.

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