GOOD Morning Wilton features Wilton High School sports photos taken by Gretchen McMahon Photography, who shot all images unless otherwise noted. The WHS Athletic Department has provided results and updates, including write-ups from coaches, teams and boosters. Scores and results are also compiled from CIAC and FCIAC when available. Additional materials of interest can be submitted to GMW for consideration submitted via email.
[Editor’s Note: This update was originally published Friday, Feb. 11; additional scores have been added or updated.]
Message from the Athletic Director
Hello Warrior Nation!
With the regular season winding down for basketball, ice hockey, and swimming, the ski teams had their championship race this past Thursday, Feb. 10. The boys missed the podium this year, but finished sixth in a very competitive season. Our girls team has officially been declared a dynasty! They won the Class S Championship for a third straight year, and finished third in the Open division as well. Congratulations to Coach Howard and the girls ski team!
Our wrestling and gymnastics teams competed in the FCIAC championships over the weekend, along with the indoor track teams, who competed in the CIAC Class L Championships at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.
Go Warriors!
Girls Basketball
The girls varsity basketball team is now on a four-game win streak with wins in the last week over Darien, Westhill and Trumbull.
Last Saturday, Feb. 5 at Darien, the Warriors led from start to finish, posting a 42-25 win over the Blue Wave. The Warriors were led offensively by seniors Cat Dineen and Leah Martins.
This past Monday, Feb. 7, Wilton honored its eight seniors: Dineen, Martins, Ellie Copley, Olivia Rossi, Gracie Kaplan, Katie Umphred, Brooke Bohacs, and Bella Andjelkovic. On Senior Night, the Seniors led the way in a 45-27 triumph over the visiting Vikings of Westhill.
This past Tuesday, Feb. 8, Wilton vaulted itself into the conversation for FCIAC playoffs with a resounding 61-24 win over perennial powerhouse Trumbull. It was the Warriors’ best game to date, as the team was led by Martins with 18 points; Copley, who tallied 17; and Ashleigh Masterson, who netted 13. The team also turned in a stifling defensive performance, holding the visiting Eagles to just 8 second-half points.
Wilton continued its streak Friday, Feb. 11, as WHS played host to the Tigers of Ridgefield, winning 41-23.
The girls travel Monday, Feb. 14, to take on Fairfield Ludlowe before concluding the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at home against Greenwich. At 12-6 the Warriors have clinched a berth in the Class LL State playoffs and currently sit in sole possession of sixth place in the FCIAC standings with just two games remaining.
The girls junior varsity basketball team is now 12-3 after winning two out of the three games last week. On Saturday, Feb. 5, the Warriors were able to defeat the Blue Wave of Darien in convincing fashion and coupled that win with another victory over the Westhill Vikings on Monday, Feb. 7. The Warriors fell in a close two-point game against the Trumbull Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
The girls freshmen basketball team has had a long-layoff since playing last Wednesday, Feb. 2, until playing at home on Saturday morning, Feb. 12, against Ridgefield. The team will finish its season this week by traveling to Ludlowe on Tuesday, Feb. 15 and hosting Greenwich on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
Boys Basketball
The Warriors’ boys varsity basketball team dropped its first league game to a very good and quick Westhill team. The Vikings won the game by the score of 55-68. The Warriors, who trailed by 1 heading into the fourth quarter, played a very hard game. Westhill made their foul shots down the stretch to pull out the victory. The Warriors were led by junior Tommy McKiernan with 18 points and 3 steals. Kevin Hyzy scored 16 points in the losing effort and Parker Woodring scored 10 points 7 rebounds and 3 assists respectively. With the loss the Warriors dropped its overall record to (11-2) and its FCIAC record fell to (8-1).
The Warriors bounced back after their first league loss with a 69-52 victory over the Trumbull Eagles. Wilton tied the first quarter 15-15 and took a 29-26 halftime lead. The Warriors never trailed from that point and extended their lead to 23 before Trumbull trimmed it a 17 point final. Wilton was led by senior captain Kevin Hyzy with 21 points 5 rebounds and 4 assists. McKiernan also hit double figures with 11 points. Junior Spencer Liston was the catalyst off the bench sparking a 10-2 run in the third to open the game. Spencer scored 9 points and had a team high five steals (three in a row in third quarter). Senior Craig Hyzy also scored 9 off the bench. Seniors Woodring and Max Andrews chipped in with 6 apiece. Nine Warriors scored in the game. With the win, Wilton upped its record to (12-2) overall (9-1) in FCIAC play.
Friday, Feb. 11 Wilton traveled to cross-town rival Ridgefield for a loss, 47-74. Monday, Feb. 14 is senior night against Fairfield Ludlowe and Wednesday, Feb. 16 the team will travel to Greenwich.
Wilton’s junior varsity boys basketball team went 1-1 on the week withs wins at Westhill (68-56) and a loss at Trumbull (40-52). Through these losses Alexander Reyes has led the way, putting up a total 20 points combined against the two teams, and Liston (JV captain) passed the rock around, putting up 8 assists combined against both teams.
The JV team, 7-4 on the season, had a tough matchup against a talented Ridgefield team scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11. Liston and Nick Walden were anticipated to lead the way against this team. Max Jarvie (varsity) a new addition to the JV team, was set to be joining the Warriors once again. With a 4-3 away record, the Warriors looked to improve their play on the road against a tough crowd and a difficult matchup.
The freshman boys basketball team had a big win on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Westhill. The final score was 48-37. Stef Cross had a huge game leading the way with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Liam McKiernan and Luke Ginsburg chipped in with 8 points apiece respectfully.
On Wednesday, Feb. 9 the team traveled to Trumbull and came out with a victory in a hard fought game which came down to foul shooting at the end. The final score was 42-37. It was a balanced attack from many contributors. Cross had 9 points and 7 rebounds and 4 assists; Joey Hagerty had 8 points; Grady Kaliski 6, and McKiernan had 5. The team hoped to keep the win streak going when they faced Ridgefield on Friday, Feb. 11 at Ridgefield.
Gymnastics
The Warriors defeated the Greenwich Cardinals 132.0-124.6 in a home meet Thursday night, Feb. 10, that clinched a spot in the FCIAC championships on Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Gymnastics and Cheerleading Academy in Fairfield. Highlights of the meet against Greenwich were a 9.3 for Olivia Mannino on vault, 8.8 for Kaylie Berghaus on beam, and an 8.9 for Justine Biersack on floor.
Girls Ice Hockey
The girls hockey teams had a busy week with the varsity team playing three games and JV playing one game. The JV team won its game against Trumbull 9-5. Whitney Hess scored 4 times, Gretchen Klein scored 3 and Aislynn Conway and Dagny MacDougall each had a goal. Goaltending time was split between three goaltenders — Lily Stanton, Sabrina Smith and Luciana D’Orio — each taking one period. The JV team improved its record to 4-0.
The Varsity team took the ice on Friday, Feb. 4, Tuesday, Feb. 8 and Wednesday, Feb. 9, dropping two of three contests.
On Friday, the team celebrated the seniors in the program: Alex Cullen, Emily Johnson, Natalie Richardson, Aislynn Conway, Cameron Savona, Kathryn Stein and Kathryn Cronin. Although the team didn’t get the win on senior night, the team worked hard and represented the seniors well.
On Tuesday, the Warriors defeated the Fairfield Co-op by a score of 5-3. Scoring for the Warriors were Kate Lane (2), Leila Stacy, Bel DiNanno and Kaelin Burke. Johnson picked up the victory in net playing the entire game.
Finally, on Wednesday, the Warriors fell to Greenwich by a 5-7 final. Lane had her first career hat trick and DiNanno had 2 goals. Johnson again played the entire game in net.
The next game for the Warriors was Friday when they lost to Trumbull-St. Joe’s 2-3 at the Shelton Sportscenter.
Girls Ski/Boys Ski
From the coach: The Wilton High School girls ski team ended its regular season racing at Mount Southington on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Racing in less than ideal snow conditions due to some rain, the varsity team came in second out of 13 teams just behind rival Class S team Hand of Madison and ahead of teams from Weston and Darien that have been very close at every race this season. The team was led by freshman Gabby O’Meara, followed by senior captains Abby Kyle and Sophia Polito. Junior Sam Mims and freshmen Georgia Polito and Paige Leung finished up the scoring for the team. The JV team completed an undefeated season finishing first for the fifth time in five races.
From the coach: The Wilton Warriors boys ski team finished its regular season and was looking forward to the States race on Thursday, Feb. 10. Despite a challenging course and warm weather, the Warriors managed to carve out a fourth place win out of a field of 13 schools. The Warriors managed the challenging terrain exceptionally well — even avoiding the rollers and pitfalls that tripped up a number of competitors.
The team placed sixth overall out of a field of 14 schools at the State Open on Thursday — including a win over Ridgefield. Despite a challenging course and warm temperatures, they are proud of the wins they have been able to secure over the course of the season.
Reader Submitted: The Wilton High School girls ski team is once again — for the second consecutive year — the Class S State Champions. The girls secured the title on Thursday, Feb. 10, at Mt. Southington with a three-second lead over Daniel Hand High School. They also placed third overall in the state behind Class L rivals Fairfield (first) and Ridgefield (second) out of 12 teams. Wilton boys took third place in Class S behind Weston (first in Class S and overall) and Brunswick Academy (second in Class S) and sixth overall out of 13 teams.
This year’s season of the Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League (CISL) was a blur, lasting only a month, with six races total including States. “It was a challenge,” Michael Kaulins, Wilton boys coach, said. “With an abbreviated race schedule and weather cancellations, we lost most of our on-mountain practice time — but the Warriors did what they always do. They met the challenge head on and strategized to win.”
Wilton Girls Season Highlights
The Warrior girls were strong from day one, placing first out of 13 teams in all but one of their regular season races (they took second place on Feb. 8, closely behind Hand). Their top three scorers were freshman O’Meara followed by senior captains Kyle and Sophia Polito.
In the States race, O’Meara led the team, finishing seventh overall out of 120 skiers with a combined two-run time of 46.38. She was followed by Kyle (23rd ; 47.68); Sophia Polito (29th; 48.42); junior Sloane Sullivan (35th; 49.07); freshmen Leung (39th; 49.54) and Georgia Polito (40th; 49.59); junior Mims (44th; 49.94); senior captain Casey Vanderwall (50th; 50.41); and sophomores Molly Kaeyer (55th; 50.9) and Kate Rusin (68th; 52.45).
Additional Warriors who skied on varsity during the regular season were freshmen Claudia La Orden Oro and Kellogg Pettibone. The JV Warrior girls had an impressive season as well; they were undefeated in all five of their races.
“I have been impressed by this team in many ways,” Wilton girls coach Bill Howard said. “Their enthusiasm for the sport has shown itself in their improvement through the season.”
Wilton Boys Season Highlights
The Warrior boys finished every race in the top four of 13 teams during their regular season. Their best showing was on Feb. 1 when they placed second after archrival Weston. Their top three scorers were freshman Connor Buchichio followed by senior captain Ryan Leung and sophomore Owen Theoharides.
At States, Buchichio led the team, finishing 15th overall out of 126 skiers with 44.36. He was followed by Leung (28th; 45.60); Theoharides (40th; 46.27); sophomores Max Mirota (54th; 47.08) and Daniel Zoubarev (55th; 47.24); senior Amir Sabovic (62nd; 47.64); freshman Hudson Hagmann (86th; 49.43); senior captain Eli Ackerman (87th; 49.49); and sophomore Jack Kelly (111th; 54.08).
Also skiing on varsity during the regular season was senior Ryan Gilman. The JV Warrior boys had a strong season as well, finishing second behind Weston in all five of their races.
Complete team results may be found online.
Wilton High 2022 Ski Team
Boys: Eli Ackerman* (captain); Ryan Leung* (captain); Connor Buchichio*; Charlie Fischer; Ryan Gilman; Hudson Hagmann*; Finn Kaeyer; Jack Kelly*; Jack Michael; Max Mirota*; Stephen Padilla; Andrew Partenza; Anup Pilla; Harry Polito*; Amir Sabovic*; Will Soucy; Luca Syzmanowicz; Owen Theoharides*; Spencer Trooien; Daniel Zoubarev*
Girls: Abby Kyle* (captain); Sophia Polito* (captain); Casey Vanderwall*(captain); Phoebe Bragg; Katie Brandt; Karolina Bukowski; Kaitlin Feldman; Olivia Feldman; Alexa Furst; Molly Kaeyer*; Claudia La Orden Oro; Scarlett Levy; Darien Lilly; Paige Leung*; Samantha Mims*; Sarah Morris; Gabby O’Meara*; Julia Peterson; Kellogg Pettibone; Georgia Polito*; Bella Ray; Kate Rusin*; Natalie Schlesinger; Nike Stefan; Sloane Sullivan*; Lora Stanicheva; Brooke Ulehla; Kaitlyn Vallerie
(*States qualifiers)
Boys Swim and Dive
The Wilton Boys Swimming and Diving team captured its first and second wins of the season over Trumbull and St.Joseph on Wednesday, Feb. 9 with the score of Wilton 100, St. Joe’s-Trumbull 70. Capturing first place honors were the following individuals:
Ben Steward (50-yd. freestyle)
Vrishak Duriseti (100 butterfly)
Ben Steward (100 freestyle)
Jake Mercer, Ben Steward, Vrishak Duriseti, and James Labant (200 freestyle relay)
Ethan Elías (100 breaststroke)
James Labant, Danny Babashak, Gavin Lam and Ben Steward (400 freestyle relay)
They faced off against Darien on Friday, Feb. 11, at home, which was expected to be a difficult meet.
Wrestling
Wilton wrestling won its second dual of the season over FCIAC foe St. Joseph’s 42-36, led by senior captains Michael Arbisi, Quinn Kiss and a strong showing by junior Liam Pearsall. The team brought nine wrestlers to the FCIAC tournament on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12, at New Canaan High School.