Each week, GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of weekend results and scores from Wilton Youth sports teams. Please send all stories and updates, along with a photo to editor@goodmorningwilton.com by noon on Monday of each week. Stories received after the deadline may not be included. Results write-ups will be grouped by sport and published in the order they are received.
Gymnastics
Wilton Flips For Snowflake Invitational
Not even the first major snowfall could stop Wilton gymnasts from scoring big at the Snowflake Invitational. With more than 300 gymnasts competing over two days (Dec. 9-10), this first major meet of the 2017-2018 season was hosted by the Wilton YMCA Gymnastics Team and proved to be a stepping stone in what promises to be a strong season for the team.
Overall, Levels 4, 6 and 8 placed 2nd All-Around; Level 5 placed 3rd; and in their first-ever meet, the gymnasts in Level 3 placed 4th.
Level 3
For Ages 6-8, Tess D’Andraia scored an 8.850 on floor for 4th place, and was 5th on bars.
For Ages 9, the 4th place All Around trophy winner was Grace Jeanes, placing 3rd on vault (9.0), 3rd on beam (9.250) and 2nd on floor (9.150). Evy Theriault received the 5th place AA trophy with 2nd on bars (9.1), 3rd on floor (8.9) and 4th on vault (8.9). Teammate Mia Decore nabbed the 6th place AA trophy with 4th on beam (9.1) and 5th on vault (8.8).
For Ages 10 Junior, Lilli Todd placed 3rd on vault with a score of 9.0. For ages 10 Senior, Rowan Morse was the bars champion with a 9.2, placed 5th on vault, and was 7th AA.
For Ages 11, Lia Carusone scored 9.0 for 3rd place on vault, 8.9 on bars for 4th and finished 7th AA. Guinevere Quigg placed 5th on vault with an 8.8.
For Ages 12 and up, Isabella Cerra came in 4th on beam with a score of 8.7.
Level 4
For Ages 10, Taylor Archambeau won the 3rd place AA trophy, coming in 2nd on bars (9.3) and beam (9.4), 5th on vault and scoring 9.0 on floor. Cailyn Cruickshank placed 5th on floor (9.1) and vault.
For Ages 11, Kaelyn Talisse scored a 9.1 for 3rd on beam and narrowly missed an AA trophy.
For Ages 12, Jeni Von Bartheld was crowned the AA champion, placing 2nd on floor (9.1) and bars (9.3), 3rd on vault (8.9) and 5th on beam (9.050). Elizabeth Fahey brought home the bronze AA trophy, scoring 9.450 for her beautiful beam routine (2nd) and 8.9 on vault (3rd). Sofia Vitti was the 6th AA winner, placing 1st on vault (9.2) and 3rd on beam (9.3). Ella Mancuso took home the 7th place AA trophy, placing 4th on beam (9.250) and floor (9.0) and 5th on vault. Ella Arghirescu was 3rd on floor (9.050), 4th on vault (8.7) and 5th on bars, just missing the AA trophy by a tie breaker. Emma Incao scored 9.0 on beam for 6th place, and Isabella Silverstein placed 4th on vault (8.7). Nina Ferrucci placed 2nd on vault (8.8), 4th on beam and 5th on floor.
For Ages 13 and up, Simona Gheorghe was vault champion with a score of 9.0, 3rd on bars (8.7) and beam (8.850) and took home the silver AA trophy. Madeline Mosquera placed 2nd on beam (9.0) and 3rd on floor (8.7).
Pictured above–Level 4 gymnasts take 2nd place: (L-R) Lauren Condon, Cailyn Cruickshank, Kaelyn Talisse, Ella Mancuso, Ella Arghirescu, Emma Incao, Simona Gheorghe, Taylor Archambeau, Madeline Mosquera, Nina Ferrucci, Sofia Vitti, and Jeni Von Bartheld.
Level 5
For Ages 9-11, Alyssa Mariani was the beam champion with a score of 9.150, placed 2nd on floor (9.3) and 4th on vault, and took home the 5th place AA trophy.
For Ages 12-13, Alyssa Smeriglio placed 3rd on bars and barely missed out on an AA trophy.
Level 6
For Ages 9-11, Ashley Umhoefer came in 3rd AA, winning the title of beam champion (9.30), and placing 2nd on bars (8.7), 3rd on vault (9.050) and 4th on floor (9.4).
For Ages 12-13, Alyson Scheurkogel was 3rdAA, scoring an impressive 9.650 on floor (2nd), 9.150 on vault (4th) and 8.9 on bars (4th). Donna Stepnowsky’s steady balancing act led to 2nd place on beam with a 9.3, 5th on floor (9.3) and vault (9.1), and bringing home the 5th AA trophy. Chloe Jureller scored 9.0 on vault, 9.050 on beam (5th) and 9.250 on floor, and missed an AA trophy to yet another tie breaker. Kaylie Berghaus’ return to competition was rewarded with a 5th on bars.
For Ages 14 and up, Michaela Kane was a powerhouse, placing 1st on bars (9.0), 2nd on vault (9.0), 3rd on floor (9.2) and taking home the silver AA trophy. Ava Walker was 4th AA, coming in 2nd on beam (9.250), 4th on floor (9.150) and vault (8.8) and 5th on bars.
Level 7
For Ages 14-15, Isabella Jureller was 5th AA, scoring 9.0 on vault (3rd), 9.2 on floor (4th), and placing 4th on beam and 5th on bars.
Level 8
For Ages 12-13, Olivia Mannino took home silver on bars (8.7), placed 5th on floor (9.250) and vault, and came in 5th AA. Mia Karlehag scored a 9.4 for 4th on floor, and placed 3rd on vault.
For Ages 14-15, Emma Daugherty was the 2nd AA winner, winning 1st on vault and bars, 2nd on beam and 3rd on floor (8.9). Sarah Collias came in 3rd AA, placing 1st on floor (9.2), 2nd on bars, and 3rd on vault and beam.
For Ages 16 and up, Sam Huffman’s long awaited return to gymnastics earned her the title of AA champion, with 1st on bars, 2nd on beam (8.9) and vault, and 3rd on floor (9.3). Kate Ginsburg placed 3rd AA, and was handily crowned floor champion with a remarkable score of 9.7, beam champion (9.0) and bars champion, and coming in 4th on vault. Alyssa Jarrett was 4th AA, taking 1st on beam (9.0), 2nd on bars, 3rd on vault and 4th on floor.
Wilton Basketball Association
Wilton 8th Grade Girls Fall to Darien, 31-34
The Wilton 8th grade girls travel team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza, visited Darien on Saturday afternoon. Both teams struggled in the early going as Wilton had more steals than buckets. Darien wasn’t able to take advantage of Wilton’s early poor shooting, however, as Ellie Coffey and Grace Williams kept Darien on their heels with several steals apiece, while Bela Andjelkovic patrolled the boards gathering 5 rebounds. Meanwhile, Katie Umphred (6 points) shouldered most of the first half scoring. Wilton’s offense started to click a bit more in the second half as Ellie Copley (9 points) and Catherine Dineen (5 points) went to the hoop drawing several fouls. Leah Martins played a good, active all-around game adding several steals and rebounds to her 7 points. Every time it looked like Darien might pull away, Olivia Rossi and Erynn Floyd kept Wilton in the game with timely defensive stops and good, aggressive rebounding. Ultimately, Wilton’s turnovers and missed shots cost the lady Warriors the game as they came up just short, losing 31-34.
Wilton Warriors 8th Grade Boys Basketball Win One, Lose One
The Wilton Warriors 8th Grade Boys Travel Basketball Team sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza, started off their two-game weekend with a Saturday game in Wilton versus the West Hartford Huskies. Wilton got a good, full-team effort with everyone playing good defense and demonstrating unselfish passing. The scoring and assists were pretty evenly spread across the roster. The Hyzy brothers participated in the scoring however they also had a good number of assists and rebounds with Kevin Hyzy racking up 6 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 5 rebounds, and brother Craig Hyzy scoring 13 points and also adding an assist and a steal. Zarius Eusebe (2 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Rebound) and Max Silva (11 points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Steal) showed a lot of poise in the first half bringing the ball down the court against a tough defense. Parker Woodring (7 points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Steal) and Will Murphy (2 Points, 4 Rebounds) also contributed to some good ball handling, which helped Wilton to end the first half with a 33-14 lead. In the second half Jack Lynch (10 points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Steal) and Grant Masterson (2 Points, 5 Rebounds, 1 Steal) helped to contribute to the scoring and played tough defense against a tall opponent. Connor Cummins (8 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 1 Assist) and Max Andrews (11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal) alternated playing center against some tall forwards and their work on the boards helped to secure possession for Wilton. The final result was a victory for Wilton 73-50.
In the boys’ second game of the weekend they faced the Fairfield Fierce in Fairfield on Sunday. This was likely the toughest team Wilton has faced so far in this young season and it was an impressive effort where Wilton held onto a small lead for much of the first half; however a hot, three-point shooter for Fairfield proved to be Wilton’s downfall in the second half. Cummins was the lead scorer in this game (13 Points, 4 Rebounds) and he and Andrews (10 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals) alternated at center but also saw some time on the court together in the second half. Woodring (6 Points, 1 Assist, 1 Rebound) and Silva (1 Rebound, 1 Assist) and Murphy (1 Steal, 1 Assist, 1 Rebound) did an excellent job of running the floor and getting the ball down the court quickly against one of the toughest defenses Wilton has faced. Eusebe (1 Assist, 1 Rebound), Masterson (2 Points, 1 Assist) and Lynch (2 Points, 2 Rebounds) played some high intensity defense and helped to prevent Fairfield from making many outside shots in the first half, which ended with the score in Wilton’s favor, 26-23. Craig Hyzy (12 Points) and Kevin Hyzy (7 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist) showed some excellent shooting, with both putting in at least one 3-pointer each for the second game in a row. Wilton’s outside shooting cooled off in the second half just as one of Fairfield’s three point shooters got hot and Wilton could not regain the lead, ending up with a loss, 54-60.
Wilton Boys 5th Grade Travel Basketball Drops Three
Despite spirited effort, the Wilton 5th Grade boys had an ultimately disappointing weekend, dropping three hard fought games against tough squads from New Rochelle, St. Theresa’s and Madison.
The first game saw an aggressive New Rochelle team drive the often ragged action, pressing their way to a 33-35 win over Wilton. Ryan Luchetta was on fire for Wilton throughout, scoring 15 points including four three-pointers. Luke Perna (4), Liam Murphy (2), Liam McKiernan (4), Grady Kaliski (3), Jack Schwartz (2) and Matt Garcia (2) rounded out the scoring. Cole Siegel led the way on the boards with eight big rebounds, and Schwartz was tenacious on defense, recording four steals and winning several on-the-floor scrambles.
The second game saw the 5th Grade Warriors fall 11-24 in a defensive battle against a talented St. Theresa’s team at the Southern Connecticut Holiday Tournament in Trumbull. Kaliski (4), Luke Ginsburg (2), McKiernan (2), Schwartz (2) and Cael Dexter (1) led the scoring, with Ginsburg (6 rebounds), Murphy (3 rebounds) and Siegel (3 rebounds) cleaning up the boards.
A quick car ride up 95 to Madison finished out the weekend, with the Warriors dropping another tough one 23-45. Luchetta, Garcia and Perna fed a balanced scoring effort by Murphy (6), Schwartz (6), McKiernan (4), Ginsburg (3), Kaliski (3), and Dexter (1), keeping it close for much of the game. Though despite a strong effort on the boards, led by Murphy’s five rebounds, and scrambling defense, including four steals by Ginsburg, in the end Wilton simply couldn’t contain a sharp-shooting Madison juggernaught.
Wilton 6th Grade Girls Overpower Westport, 40-17
Wilton 6th Grade Girls Travel Team, sponsored by Servco Oil and Propane, played Westport at home on Sunday. Wilton’s stout defense led to easy baskets on the offensive end. Ashleigh Masterson (8), Anisa Burrows (8), and Molly Hancock (10) created multiple turnovers and opportunities for Wilton early in the game. Great rebounding by Ella Mulfinger (4), Caroline Hage (2), and Lauren Mo throughout the game kept Westport’s offensive opportunities to a minimum. Riley Fitzgerald (4) had numerous individual highlights setting herself and teammates up for scoring chances. Relentless defense continued through the second half as ball pressure by Marin Burke (2), Julie Collias and Maddie Dineen (2) led to steals and layups, thwarting any attempt by Westport to mount a come back. The Wilton 6G continue to play good team basketball with all players contributing in the 40-17 win.
Future Warriors 4th Grade Boys Earn Win Over Brookfield, 13-12
On Saturday morning, the 4th grade Future Warriors had their second win of the season over Brookfield, 13-12. A lay up by Liam Joy to Max Totten put Wilton’s first points on the board. Multiple steals by Will Byrnes and Kieran Wiseman along with rebound after rebound by Curtis Jackson, Grant Stein, and Wiseman kept the game moving. Charlie Calabrese and Joseph Aversano contributed high pressure defense and hustle. Joy, Blake Ongley and Craig O’Neill all contributed to the score. After trailing much of the game, the boys delivered in the last two minutes with a game-tying basket by O’Neill followed by his game-winning foul shot.
Wilton 5th Grade Girls Fall To Westport PAL 15-16
On a snowy Friday night, The Wilton 5th Grade girls squared off against the Westport PAL team. The game was tight from the first jump. Mia Somer lead the team with 8 points for the night. Grace Costa, Julia Munrow and Sophie Mulfinger each posted 2 points. Strong ball handling by Abbey Byrnes and Kaitlyn Zizzadoro, and strong rebounding and aggressive defense played by Cosette Lepore, Annalise Lamanna, Abby Phelan and Grace Ratcliffe all made for a great team effort.
Wilton 7th/8th Grade Boys Take First of Two Games in Overtime Thriller, 40-36
Wilton 7th/8th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Caraluzzi’s, played two games over the weekend. On Saturday, the boys played a tough Weston team. AJ Preisano (12 pts) started the action with an impressive 3 pointer. Jefferson Mitchell (2 pts), Dylan Smith (2 pts) and Will Sullivan (3pts) did a great job defensively limiting the Weston team’s ability to score. James Minnich (2 pts) sunk two free throws, securing the Wilton team’s lead at the half, 20-16. The second half proved to be a nail biter when the Weston team hit a 3-pointer to tie the game 32-32. An exciting overtime kept Dillon Mannix (9 pts) and Tim Martin (5 pts) focused. Harrison Lent’s (3 pts) free throw helped secure the win for Wilton, 40-36.
On Sunday, the boys played a tough, non-league game against Darien. Despite aggressive rebounding by Connor Robertson and good ball movement by Colin Tsai, they were unable to secure a win, falling 26-56.
Wilton 7th Grade Boys Splits Weekend Series, 2-2
On a frigid and snowy Friday night Wilton 7th Grade Boys team sponsored by Wilton Hardware traveled to face Westport PAL. This would be the first of four games which ultimately had Wilton going 2-2 for the weekend.
Westport opened hot with a flurry of 3-pointers. Wilton responded with scrappy play from Bailey Finn (14 points, 3 blocks), Alexander Reyes (4 points, 3 blocks) and Tommy McKiernan (9 points, 3 steals). Strong defense by Nicholas Walden (4 pts, 4 boards), Andrew Roth, Ryan Preisano and Griffin Turner kept things close with a halftime lead for Westport of 30-24. Unfortunately the third quarter saw Westport go on a 22-6 run to expand the lead. A good Wilton run in the fourth quarter, including Jackson Duncan (6 pts, 3 boards) going perfect from the free-throw line, and Tommy Walsh and Spencer Liston adding 2 points/2 assists each ,was not enough to overcome a tough Westport squad. First loss of the season for Wilton ended 43-65.
Up next was a tough Newtown team on Saturday which resulted in a very entertaining game. The teams were evenly matched and it was close throughout. Wilton scoring was led by McKiernan (20 pts, 5 steals and 4 boards), Finn (16 pts, 6 boards) and Walden (11 pts, 7 boards). The action was hot in the second half with Wilton falling behind only to regroup on strong defense by Turner (5 boards), Walsh and Duncan. Preisano added 2 pts and Liston 5 assists in the ultimate 52-45 win for Wilton Hardware 7th grade boys taking the overall season record to 6-1.
Sunday included two games, the first an away game against Stamford JCC. This was a sprint from the start with a very athletic opponent. The Wilton boys were forced to run the floor at a blistering pace. Finn had a dominating performance (21 pts, 11 boards, 3 blocks) and McKiernan was in the zone (16 pts). Ultimately the dogged defense of Wilton led by Liston (4 pts, 5 assists, 4 Steals), Reyes (6 pts, 3 steals), Walden (3 pts, 2 assists, 3 boards) and Duncan (4 pts, 2 steals and 3 boards) proved too much for Stamford. Roth (5 pts, 2assists) hit a three pointer at the end to ice the game with Wilton winning 61-37.
The final game of the weekend saw Wilton facing Greenwich at home. With Wilton running on fumes, they came out flat and fell behind early. Wilton fought back with impressive scoring by McKiernan (19 pts), Finn (6 pts, 9 boards) Walsh (6 pts) and Walden (4 pts, 10 boards). In the second half Wilton Hardware Boys 7th managed to take the lead briefly, only to fall behind again for a loss with the final score of 41-45.