Each week GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of recent results and scores submitted by 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.
Wilton Little League–Fall Softball
Wilton LL Warriors Grab Lead In Fifth Inning For 14-12 Victory Over West Haven
The Wilton Little League Warriors (Juniors) took the lead late in the game in a 14-12 victory over West Haven on Friday, Sept. 13. The game was tied at eight with Wilton batting in the top of the fifth when Abby Seeberger singled on a 3-0 count, scoring one run.
The Warriors built a six-run lead in the sixth inning and then held off West Haven’s charge. West Haven scored four runs in its failed comeback on a double by and a single and an error.
West Haven took an early lead in the first inning. An error scored two runs for West Haven. Lucy Thomas toed the rubber for the Wilton Warriors. She was solid for three innings, on five hits over two and a third innings, striking out one. Lauren Davis closed it out with three solid innings and 6K’s.
Wilton totaled eight hits in the game. Ellie Qudeens, Davis, Lauren Sanfilippo, and Seeberger each managed multiple hits for the Warriors. Poppy Herve and Catherine O’Brien had key walks and runs scored. Both Laurens also produced key hits–Sanfilippo with a two-run double and Davis hit a massive, opposite-field triple that just missed going out of the park. A total team effort!
Despite Strong Fight, Wilton LL Warriors Can’t Top Weston
The Wilton LL Warriors (Juniors) fought back after falling down by five runs in the fifth inning, but their comeback fell just short however, in a 7-9 defeat to Weston on Sunday, Sept. 15. Wilton managed four runs in the failed comeback. Lauren Sanfilippo, Lucy Thomas, Anna Morello, and Lauren Davis picked up RBIs to lead the rally.
The Warriors fell behind early in the loss. Weston scored on a wild pitch during its at-bat in the first inning and a single in the second inning. The Warriors scored three runs in the fifth inning, and continued to put the pressure on, led by a walk by Morello, a single by Thomas, a groundout by Sanfilippo and a key, hard ground ball single by Poppy Herve.
Weston scored three runs in the third inning. Weston’s big inning was driven by a single and a double.
Davis started the game for Wilton, lasting lasted four innings and allowing six hits while striking out two. Thomas threw three innings in relief out of the bullpen.
The Warriors racked up 10 hits on the day. Sanfilippo and Abby Seeberger each had multiple hits; Sanfilippo led with three hits in four at-bats. Mallory Tomasulo was her normal vacuum at third- and first base, playing great defense as always to keep Wilton close.
Wilton Youth Football
Wilton 7th Grade Blue Battles Tough Stamford Black Team to Scoreless Tie
Fans who like defense would have loved the Sunday afternoon, Sept. 15 game between Wilton’s 7th Grade Warriors and Stamford Black. Wilton’s offensive line of Maja Driscoll, Cole Galante, Jack Huntley, Liam McKiernan, Cole Siegel, Henry Soojian, Jaxon Thomas and CJ Young battled all game with a tough Stamford interior, consistently creating space for the Wilton backs. But the Warriors couldn’t sustain a drive. Jack Schwartz, Cael Dexter and Luke Ginsburg gained tough yardage on the ground, but Stamford’s defense kept the backs in front of them. Wilton’s best chance to score came mid-way through the first half when Dexter and Schwartz had the chains moving and Liam Snyder hit Ray Ferranti on a pass play that gained 35 yards and put the ball on the Stamford 20-yard line. Stamford’s defense stiffened and was able to hold the Warriors out of the end zone.
In the second half, another promising drive featured a 20-yard pass from Dexter to Will Cristini to convert a fourth-and-long, but again, the Warriors couldn’t get to the end zone. On defense, Driscoll and Siegel were consistently able to get into the backfield to disrupt the Stamford offense, recording six tackles for a loss between the pair. Strong tackling from Schwartz, Snyder, Dexter, Emmett Kane and Ethan Bailey kept the Knights’ offense in check. Charlie Keller came up with a huge interception that he returned for more than 20-yards that stopped a Stamford drive early in the second half. On Stamford’s last drive of the game, Cristini preserved the tie with a clutch interception and a long return to put an end to the scoring chances for Stamford.
Wilton 3rd/4th Grade Blue Gets Comeback Win Over Darien White, 19-13
For the second week in a row, the Wilton 3rd/4th Grade Warriors took on a tough Darien team, in a contest that went down to the wire. The Warriors came out fast, with Sawyer Fasano running 53 yards on the second play of the game to put Wilton up early. Darien answered immediately on its first drive of the game, evening the score at 6-6. A great tackle by Max Weigold denied the Blue Wave the extra point and kept the game tied. Wilton’s offensive line of Evan Ash, Bly Christianson, Drew Huntley, Topher Jackson, Taylor Lishnoff, Oliver Mills, Lawson Onthank, Alex Trichilo and Peter Wolff fought hard in the trenches to create space for the Warrior backs. Hard runs by Henry Leary, Finn Snyder, Colton Korpan, Andrew Sherman and Callum Gemelli kept the Wilton offense moving, but they couldn’t get close to the end zone. Darien got the ball back and had one long run for a touchdown, putting the Blue Wave up 6-13 at the half.
Another touchdown by Fasano early in the third quarter pulled the Warriors to within one, 12-13. The Wilton defense turned it on from there to keep the score close. The defensive line of Aiden Cocca, George DuBrock, Vincent Kelly, Liam O’Sullivan, and Jason Scanlan consistently stopped the Darien backs up the middle. Korpan, Fasano, Snyder, Sherman, Liam Brokaw, Cash Kaiser, Brayden Preisano, Matt Polito, Will Kidd, Evan Ash, and Amelia Christianson all came up with big tackles for the Warriors. With only a few minutes left in the game, the Warriors put together a methodical, eight-play drive capped off by a Weigold touchdown and extra point, giving Wilton the lead for good, 19-13.
Wilton 5th Grade Tackle Warriors Roll Over Westport, 24-6
The Wilton 5th Grade Warriors entered Romano Field in Westport looking to stack another win on top of their 16-6 victory last week over the Darien Blue Wave. Brady Corry opened the contest with a solid first down run, followed by smooth footwork from Colin Faherty and an angry burst from Denny Dustin. Nick Skillin plowed through the middle to convert a fourth down, and Wilton was on the move! With Michael Lenz at center, and Emmett Sommer, Oliver Sims, Cooper Rekow, Mark Whitman, Dylan Flanagan, Trey Rivera, Liam Pierson and Wyatt Hoffstatter throwing blocks, Warrior runners found opportunity. With another run from Faherty and a 35-yard TD run from Skillin, followed by a Jaxon Lin PAT, the Warriors were up 8-0.
On defense, Wilton shut Westport down with punishing tackles from Flanagan, Corry, Rekow, Faherty, Dustin, and Skillin assisted by Sommer, Nico Mercado, Henry Snow and Jack Cook. Back on offense, the Warriors benefitted from more of Faherty’s runs and a Cody Korpan fourth down conversion, and finished by a TD run from Pierson and another successful PAT from Lin. Wilton’s Defense held strong and the half ended with the Warriors up 16-0.
The second half featured Warrior interceptions by Michael Duarte and Charlie Heffernan; more impressive running from Dustin, Skillin, Corry and crew; a Korpan TD scamper; and another Lin PAT. While the Wreckers did manage to score one touchdown despite an impressive Warrior goal line stand, Wilton prevailed 24-6. The game ended fittingly with a Ryan Wixtead sack on the final play!
Wilton 6th Grade Warriors Fall to Norwalk, 0-7
On Sunday, Sept. 15, the 6th grade Wilton Warriors traveled to Brien McMahon High School to square off against Norwalk. The first half was all about the defense with incredible stops by Max Totten, Marco Chila, Evan Christianson, Hunter Lishnoff, Connor McAndrews and Josh Meltzer. Emma VanHeyst picked up a first down, opening the door for quarterback Charlie Calabrese to connect with receiver Craig O’Neill. But Norwalk’s defense held the line and prevented Wilton from scoring going into the half with a 0-0 tie.
The Warriors came out of the gate strong to start the second half with a 25-yard pass from Calabrese to Jake Padilla. Trevian Goldman, Charlie Roy and Cooper Buchichio all carried the ball, picking up a few yards, but Norwalk’s defense was relentless. At the start of the fourth quarter Norwalk was on the move, but big tackles from Will Byrnes, Alan Osta and Theo Satrazemis shut them down, giving Wilton another opportunity to get on the score board. Mason Behar, Trevor Galligan, Brendan Morris, Blake Ongley and Cayden Stevens worked the offensive line but Norwalk proved to be too strong. With two minutes left in regulation, Norwalk completed a pass for a touchdown. They were able to make the extra point and the game ended with a victory for Norwalk; the final score: 0-7.
Wilton 8 Blue Victorious Over Fairfield Black, 28-14
Playing at home under the lights on Saturday night, Wilton 8 Blue earned a hard-fought victory to remain undefeated. Captains for the game Luke DiRocco, Liam Kiernan and Colin Gilmor won the coin toss and elected to start on defense. Wilton quickly fell behind when Fairfield scored on a long touchdown pass.
The Wilton offense responded with a drive that resulted in a nine-yard touchdown run by Todd Woodring. The offense, led by quarterback DiRocco and impressive line play with contributions from Ethan Gallo, Kiernan, George Papakosmas, Flynn Shipman and Barrett Leary, provided the push to tie the game at seven apiece.
Fairfield Black answered with another quick TD, but Wilton returned the punch with a long drive. Thomas McDonald, Eli Meltzer, Caden Wright and Gilmor provided a strong push to regain control of the game. Harry Polito and Lorenzo Caratozzolo ran hard and secured impressive yardage. Carter Stephenson, Gavin Pierson, Henry Roy and Cole Stevenson initiated critical downfield blocks against an aggressive defense. The drive concluded with a seven-yard Woodring touchdown run. Pierson intercepted a Fairfield pass to enter halftime tied at 14-14.
Several defensive adjustments provided a boost for Wilton. Linebackers Caratozzolo, DiRocco, Polito, Woodring, Stevenson and Kiernan, and safety Stephenson stepped up to return Wilton to offense after Caratozzolo stripped the ball on a screen pass. The Wilton offense continued to push. DiRocco connected with Caratozzolo on a 20-yard completion and Woodring crossed the goal line on a hard, five-yard run to make the game 21-14.
The Wilton defense responded with a Caratozzolo interception, and Polito cemented the victory with a two-yard touchdown run. After another impressive defensive stop, Wilton ran out the clock in victory formation and a final score of 28-14.
Wilton Soccer Association
Wilton Boys 2007 Blue Defeat Old Greenwich, 6-1
Following Wilton 2007 Blue’s 1-0 victory in its opening game of league play Sept. 8, the Warriors continued their positive trajectory with a complete team performance last Sunday, Sept. 15, defeating Old Greenwich, 6-1. Again, Wilton’s back line organized the team and set the tone by winning nearly every loose ball in the first half. Sustained possession led to a beautiful pass behind the defense to Bob Prather, who perfectly placed a chip shot to give Wilton a 1-0 lead. Wilton kept up the pressure with combination play from Evan Lalor, Matt Martins, Or Eisdorfer, Noah Levy, Reed O’Neil, Ronan O’Halloran, Ryan Miller, Warren Hamilton, Daniel Allam and Brian Sallese leading to many chances and eventually two more goals before halftime, both from Andrew Partenza off nice assists from his teammates.
In the second half, Partenza snuck in another goal followed by Liam Christ‘s and Tyler Coppola‘s first goals each of the Fall 2019 campaign. Coppola and Levy covered the goalkeeping duties, yielding only one goal on a well taken penalty kick by Greenwich. Wilton will prepare for its next league match against Westport and hopes to see Andrew Mims, Trevor Wisdom and Quinn Minozzi return to action.