The Woodstock Academy field hockey team needed a win pretty badly.
The Centaurs got one Oct. 4.
“I think this game got our hopes up and we should be able to play with better intensity for the rest of the season,” said junior Avery Jones.
They stopped a five-game losing streak with a 6-1 win over Norwich Free Academy on the road.
“It’s huge especially since it was an (Eastern Connecticut) Conference game. Before (Thursday’s) game, we were ranked fifth which puts us out of the running for the conference tournament which is one of our goals,” said coach Lauren Gagnon.
The win pushed the Centaurs (3-3 in the ECC) past Killingly (2-4) in the conference again and back into the fourth and final tournament slot with six more league games to play including two against the Fitch-Ledyard cooperative program.
It also gave Woodstock Academy a 3-5 record for the first half of the season.
The Centaurs will have to equal in the second half to make the state tournament and that’s something Gagnon feels is doable provided they stay healthy.
Jones, personally, broke the ice against the Wildcats (0-10, 0-8).
She had two assists in the game to give her seven on the season, but also scored her first two goals of the year.
“They have been hard to come by,” Jones said of her lack of goals prior to the game with NFA. “Playing center-mid for the whole season, I’m playing further back so you really can’t get a goal as often.”
Gagnon is hoping to see more of the same from Jones in the second half of the year.
“She has these tremendous hits and she is really great at getting the ball up the field and distributing to kids who can then score. It just doesn’t translate to goals often for her,” Gagnon said.
In addition, Jones plays the insert role on corners so she doesn’t get the benefit of the set plays.
Eliza Dutson added a goal and an assist in the win.
Emma Durand, Rachel Canedy and Samantha Mowry also scored.
The Centaurs were coming off a rather interesting game.
Not only did they face a difficult Valley Regional opponent in their Homecoming game on the South Campus turf Oct. 2, they did so in a torrential downpour that lasted the entire game.
“I actually thought it was going to get canceled or postponed, but we played through it,” Jones said.
The results were not what the Centaurs had hoped for as they fell short to the Warriors, 3-1.
Gagnon said she remembered playing a college game in a “monsoon” where the two teams had to retreat to the press box and be, literally, inches from one another waiting for the weather to clear.
It was awkward.
But the conditions on Oct. 2 were probably the worst she experienced as a high school player or coach.
“It’s memories,” Gagnon said. “They will never forget the time that they played Valley Regional and it was absolutely gross.”
“Gross” would be a word that Jones would agree with.
“I like playing in the rain but the constant pouring rain just soaked our clothes and you just get slower and it’s harder,” Jones said.
Valley Regional seems to bring out the worst in Mother Nature.
Gagnon said the last time the two met, in November of 2012, it was snowing and cold.
“I remember Tessa Houlihan’s older sister, Meg, was wearing three sets of sweat pants and I asked her to go in and she was like ‘What?’” Gagnon said with a laugh.
The Warriors scored twice in the first half with Abby Amara getting both off assists from Riley Millburne and Annie Cooper.
Amara assisted on Cooper’s goal early in the second half.
The only Centaurs tally came with 1 minute, 47 seconds left when Canedy took a pass from Jones and converted it into a goal.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

.
 

caption:

Carry On
Tre Mitchell carried his sister, Journee Scott, on his shoulders when he and the new Woodstock Academy boys’ prep basketball squad were introduced at the Moonlight Madness celebration Oct. 7. Photo contributed by Xijing Wang.


Three members of the 2018-19 Woodstock Academy boys’ prep basketball squad recently verbally committed to Division I schools.
Forward Trey Anderson has committed to Indiana State; point guard Noah Fernandes will be a member of the Wichita State Shockers and swing player Mikal Gjerde will play for San Diego State.
Gjerde will have the biggest adjustment as far as the environment is concerned.
The 6-foot, 6-inch player hails from Haugesund, Norway, a town of about 25,000 people on the west coast of the country, and will be heading to the sunshine-baked West Coast.
“That’s weird, right?,” Gjerde said. “I liked everything on my official visit, not just the city. When I picked a school, I wasn’t focused on the city or how beautiful it was, but it was a big plus. I have to earn my minutes as a freshman, but they have big expectations for me.”
Gjerde said the year as a member of the Centaurs will be highly beneficial for his future endeavors. It will give him a chance to learn American basketball.
Fernandez, who hails from the southeast Massachusetts town of Rochester, knew about the Shockers’ reputation for developing guards.
“Eight of coach (Gregg) Marshall’s guards over the last 12 years have been All-Conference which is big for me. For him to recruit me was an honor because he thinks I can follow in those footsteps. I went out Kansas, I wasn’t sure about it, didn’t know what it would be like but I loved it. The people out there love the basketball team. There is no pro teams or anything else out there and that’s really all they have is the college basketball team and it’s like a family there,” Fernandes said.
Anderson, a 6-7 forward from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, will only be about four hours from home when he heads to Larry Bird’s old stomping grounds as a member of the Sycamores.
“It felt like the right fit for me. It felt like home, I loved it there, I will have the opportunity to play right away and the league is great,” Anderson said.
Indiana State plays in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Anderson said he planned to make his decision in April, but made an official visit and decided there was no need to wait.
It will make his year at Woodstock Academy a little more stress free.
“Now, I can just relax, have fun, and play with my teammates,” Anderson said.
One player who is dealing with a little stress is Tre Mitchell.
It’s not if he will be playing in college, it’s where, that is the big question mark.
The 6-9 forward just returned from an official visit to Notre Dame last week.
“It was a great experience. I enjoyed all of it. I like the coaches, I like the guys they have going there. It will come down to what fits best for me,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, a native of Pittsburgh who lives in Woodstock, will go on an official visit to UConn at the end of this week.
Those are just two of his offers.
He also is being pursued by Xavier, Louisville, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Seton Hall, Kansas State, Georgia Tech and his hometown college, Pittsburgh, among others.
“Everything is still kind of up in the air. I’m still trying to figure everything out. It’s extremely confusing,” Mitchell said. “I’m just extremely blessed to have as many options as I do. A lot of guys are still fighting for a scholarship and I’ve already earned mine.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

 

Gunnar Johnson Sr.
POMFRET CENTER — Gunnar Johnson Sr., 89, of Pomfret Center, died Sept. 27, 2018.
Gunnar was born in Chicago, but while an infant, his family moved back to Sweden. When he was 18, he came back to the U.S. with an American passport and spoke not a word of English. He taught himself.
Gunnar was a retired truck driver (Pilot Freight) and after a few years of retirement, went back to work for M&M Trucking. He was known on the local golf courses not only for his fondness of golf, but for switching from playing left handed to playing right handed. He was a man of many talents and would repair the “unfixable” and construct whatever was needed.
He leaves his wife, Sarah and their children, Gunnar Johnson Jr., Diane (Frank) Simu, and Glenn (Nicole) Johnson; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a sister; nieces and nephews and their families. Gunnar was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, and a sister.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Congregational Church of Eastford. Donations: Northeast Connecticut Cancer Fund of DKH, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260 (Deary Fund) in Gunnar’s memory. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Rose M. Beauregard
THOMPSON — Rose M. Beauregard, 90, of Thompson Hill Rd., died Oct. 6, 2018.  She was the wife of the late William H. Beauregard Jr.
Born in 1928 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Cataldo and Anna (Ricci) Pronto.
Rose was employed by the Marianapolis Preparatory School and worked in the kitchen. She was a lifelong member of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale. Rose enjoyed cooking, flower gardening and spending time with her six dogs Laddie, Bella, Primo, Bum Bum, Capo and Molly.
Rose leaves behind four daughters, Dianne Beauregard of Brooklyn, Sister Donna Rose Beauregard of the Sisters of the Lady of the Garden in Rhode Island, Cynthia Gazzara (Paul) of Thompson, Deborah Franco of Oxford; three grandchildren, Anthony, Aaron and Fallon; five great-grandchildren, Adrianna, Ava, Autum, Aidan, and Jordin. She was predeceased by her husband, William Beauregard in 1993, enjoying 46 years of marriage; her daughter, Beverly Suss; brother, Nicholas Pronto; and two sisters, Rita Caplette and Gloria Ogden.
A graveside service at 10 a.m. Oct. 13 in the St. Joseph Garden of Peace, Webster. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes, 104 Church St., Putnam.

John D. Hession
THOMPSON — John D. Hession, 88, of Sand Dam Rd., died Oct. 3, 2018, in the Matulaitis Nursing Home.  He was the husband of Constance (Lonergan) Hession for 62 years.  Born in 1930 in New Bedford, Mass., he was the son of the late Thomas and Helen (Hushon) Hession.
A 1952 graduate of Holy Cross, John taught at Putnam High School for many years. While teaching at Putnam High, John served as the recreation director and coached both the golf and basketball teams.  John enjoyed playing golf and could be found playing a round at the Raceway Golf Course in Thompson.
In addition to his wife Constance, he leaves his son Dan Hession (June) of Uxbridge, Mass.; daughter, Kathleen Houle (Thomas) of Fabyan; his brother, William Hession (Dee) of Southington; two sisters, Mary Bertschmann (Peter)  of Sherborn, Mass., and Helen Howard (Bruce) of Sarasota, Fla.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. John was predeceased by his son, John F. Hession and a brother, Thomas Hession.
Donations: Day Kimball Hospital, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.  Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Onnolee J. Rader
BROOKLYN — Onnolee Jane Rader, 93, formerly of Dayton (Oakwood) Ohio, died peacefully Oct. 2, 2018, at Pierce Memorial Baptist Home.
Born in 1925 in Clark County, Ohio, to the late Harmon G. and Florence B. (Deaton) Group, she graduated from The Ohio State University cum laude in 1947 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She was a member of Kappa Delta sorority, the University Chorus, Business Club, and served as president of Pi Omega Pi, the honor society recognizing academic achievement in business.
Although her passion was accounting, women in the post-WWII era rarely found a job in that field. She turned instead to teaching business education at Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, from 1947 until 1950. Twenty years later while living in Dayton, she re-entered the work force as a budget analyst for the Special Products Division of the National Cash Register Company. She then worked as an accountant for Tait Manufacturing Company and ended her formal career as the vice president for Finance and Treasurer of the H. A. Jones Company. For 10 years, she was a member of the Board of Directors for the NCR Universal Credit Union (now the Universal 1 Credit Union).
In addition, she spent more than five decades working for the Lutheran Church of Our Savior where she served on the Social Ministry Committee, Lutheran Church Women, and sang alto in the choir. During her retirement years, she found great pleasure in cross-stitching, knitting, reading, attending Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, enjoying theatrical productions at Wright State University’s Nutter Center, and cruising with Princess.
In 2015, she moved to Creamery Brook Village to be closer to her family. Her sunny disposition and acerbic wit will forever be remembered by the staff at Sherwood’s, Creamery Brook Village, and Pierce Memorial Baptist Home.
She was predeceased by her high school sweetheart and husband of 60 years, Caryl Eugene Rader, in August 2008. She leaves her daughter Carlee and son-in-law Michael Drummer of Pomfret Center; three nephews, Joseph Mack Stewart III and Philip Alan (Ruth) Stewart of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Stephen George Stewart of Houston; great-niece Sheri Stewart Usrey of Indianapolis.
A Celebration of Life will be from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 13 at Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation, 742 Upper Maple St., Danielson, CT 06239.

Robert M. Capiga
THOMPSON — Robert M. Capiga, 75, died Sept. 27, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam.
He was born in Putnam, son of the late Walter Capiga and Hilda (Chauvin) Capiga and lived in Thompson most of his life.  He was employed by the State of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection division.   Robert enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapping.
He leaves his brothers, Howard Capiga of Dayville and Walter Capiga of Winston Salem, N.C.
Donations: American Cancer Society.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

..