By Renee Lynch – Staff Reporter

The Law gymnastics team is excited to tumble into its new season.

The team’s first meet of the season will be at home against Hamden on December 22. 

Senior captains Megan Grabowski, Niamh Nelson, and Kira Chandra are preparing to lead to team to a successful year.

“I am excited for my senior year to hopefully make it to states again,” Grabowski said. “We have a lot of freshmen with potential and I think we will have a successful season.”

The incoming freshmen have already proven to be great additions to the team, and the upperclassmen are looking forward to challenging them to work harder.

“The freshmen have a lot of potential this year”, Grabowski said. “I know they will be able to lead the team in the future.”

In the 2014-2015 season, the Lady Lawmen finished with a 13-7 record.

Key gymnasts this season include Grabowski, Nelson, Chandra, and juniors Maddie Sosa, Kristin Frank, Melanie Coleman, and Arielle Eighmy.

“It’s definitely going to be different without the graduated seniors this year,” sophomore Emma Carollo said. “But, I am really looking forward to this season and getting to know the freshmen.”

Tough opponents this season will include Daniel Hand and cross-town rival Foran.

“We need to work together as a team to be successful,” Nelson said. “We will condition to get stronger and better.”

All of the gymnasts have set individual goals for this year.

“I really want to get my half half on vault by the end of the season,” freshman Lizzy Lombardi said.

The girls have a new assistant coach this season as well. Abby Shackett, a former Law student and gymnast, joins the staff.

“So far it’s been a lot of fun and it’s only been a week or so,” Shackett said. “I’ve been looking forward to this since I left Law in 2012 and I plan on helping create the strongest team so we can place top three at states like last year.”  

All the girls are passionate about finishing this season with a victory.

“I’ve been doing gymnastics for 13 years now and I’ve never had such a passion for a sport like this one,” Frank said. “Your whole body is so involved and gives the audience a thrill as they are watching.”

The team’s seniors are excited to spend their last year together doing what they love.

“Gymnastics has always been there for me,” Nelson said. “I’ve started high school with my co-captains and I wouldn’t want to end it any way other than these girls by my side.”

By Kristin Frank – Staff Reporter

Law is finally moving into its winter sports season, and students are excited for those 7 p.m. boys basketball games.

The Lawmen are looking forward to improve on their 2-18 record from last year. The team plans on being more aggressive during their games this season.

There are two senior captains this year, Destin Johnson and Nolan Beardsley, and their goal this season is to lead their team to many accomplishments.

“As captain, I will get everyone ready for the games during our practices,” Beardsley said. “Our mindset is to play our absolute hardest all the time.”

The key members of this year’s season are Johnson, Beardsley, Justin McFadden, Matt Marino, and Evan Carollo. Head coach Mr. Dooley has very high hopes for these five players.

“We will have to be competitive in every game,” Carollo said. “Everyone has had a varsity experience and we all gel together as team when we work hard.”

Members of the team said that they each know what their job is on the court. 

“To help my team this year I will run the offense and put the scorers, Justin and Nolan, in the position to make shots,” Johnson said. “Matt, Evan, and I play a big role on the court with defense for the team.”

The team is excited about the talent pool they have assembled this season. 

“When you are a varsity player you have to be so aggressive when trying to stand out,” junior Jeremiah Bravo said. “You have to play your position well and know where you are on the court.”

Coach Dooley said he will do whatever it takes to push his athletes to the best of their ability.

“During practices we spend a lot of time trying to prove our offense philosophy,” Dooley said.

Along with Dooley, many of the players are well aware of the skills they need to improve on. All of the athletes’ answers were similar.

“We need to work on our attitude as well as finishing games the way we started them,” Carollo said. “It is important to stay up and continue to have energy throughout the whole game.”

Dooley and the members of the team all seem excited to play crosstown rival Foran twice this season.

“Foran is the team we need to beat,” Johnson said. “ We lost to them twice last year so it is very important that we beat them this season.”

The Lawmen are excited to kick off their season and start on a high note.

“I’m mostly excited for the fact that we have so many upperclassmen with a lot of experience in the program,” junior Matt Zancewicz said. “The team this year really knows how to work together because of that.”

By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor

Law took down rival Foran 10-3 in the annual cross-town Powderpuff game on November 24.

It was second straight win for the Lady Lawmen, who are 14-4-1 all time in Powderpuff.

“It was a great feeling winning the game,” said senior captain and quarterback Gege Romero. “Going into it we were pretty confident because of all the work we put into it in practice, but it was awesome to see it all come together and have the work pay off.”

The game was back and forth throughout the entire first half. Law’s Bethany Edwards kicked a 26-yard field goal to put Law 3-0 up towards the end of the first quarter. Foran tied it up right before halftime with a field goal of their own that barely squeaked over the crossbar.

Law’s defense played a key part in keeping the game close, with defensive players Paige Szygiel (LB), Kailee Frank (LB), Keala Hoff (DL), and Maddie Murphy (DL) playing a key role in shutting down Foran’s offense.

“(Mr. Ragaini) and (Mr. Nigretti) worked us really hard and taught us so much and tweaked everything so we could be the best defensive players we could be in about a month,” said Frank. “Being on the defensive side was so much fun but you had to be disciplined enough to do your part and make the play.”

The second half was just as close. The game went into the third quarter knotted at 3-3 with both teams looking to make the final push towards the end zone and close the game out.

This push came in the form of senior running back Jess Centore.

Centore, who was arguably the player of the game, with 12 carries for 113 rushing yards. With time running out late in the fourth quarter, Romero shanded off to Centore who took the ball down the left sideline to the end zone to put the Lawmen ahead 10-3.

“It felt good [scoring the game-winning touchdown] because towards the end of the game we were getting nervous that it was just gonna remain a tie,” said Centore.

Although Centore had the lone touchdown of the game, she was not the only key offensive player on that cold night across town: Romero had four completed passes for a total of 45 yards, all of which ended up in the hands of senior wide receiver Erin Saley.

“Any time you can beat Foran is a great feeling,” said Robinson. “Just seeing the joy on everyone’s faces makes [winning] worth it.”

Law held on for the win in the closing minutes, with junior Victoria Contaxis intercepting a last-ditch Hail Mary effort from Foran’s quarterback as time ran out.

“[The game] was nuts,” said head coach Mark Robinson. “But we had faith that the girls would find a way to make the win happen, which they did. Contaxis didn’t catch a single ball in practice for three weeks and she seals the game with an interception? They wanted the win.”

The game took place at Foran this year, but that did not stop legions of fans from coming out to support the Lady Lawmen in the frigid weather in hopes that this year’s squad could repeat last year’s success.

“Even though it was cold on the night of the powderpuff game it didn’t stop us from coming out and supporting the girls,” said senior Frankie Mucciacciaro. “It definitely was fun rooting for them especially in a close game.”

By Nick Ferrara – Staff Reporter

Senior captain and running back David Patrick is starting to reflect on his last year playing for the Law football team.

Patrick has been a member of the varsity team since his freshman year. This season, Patrick was chosen to be a team captain.

“Personally, good things that came for me this season involved becoming a leader and becoming a better player physically and mentally,” Patrick said.

The Law football team may not have performed as well as it hoped this season, but that hasn’t stopped Patrick from stepping up as a leader.

“As a team we became closer and learned to keep fighting, even when the results do not go the way you want them to,” Patrick said.

Patrick is a multi-sport athlete. He also plays lacrosse and track which keep him in shape year-round.

On and off the field, Patrick has an impact on all of his teammates.

“David impacted me greatly by hyping us up come game time, and leading us on the field by doing the right thing in certain situations like confrontations with other teams,” junior cornerback and running back Joe Mugford said. “He leads in practices and keeps us on track.”

The football team’s goals for finishing out the season are to beat Lyman Hall on November 13 (Law won 30-7, Patrick had a touchdown) and then to beat Foran on Thanksgiving. Patrick said he hopes to make some more memories in those games to add to the ones he has from earlier in the season.

“I would say our Senior Night vs. Hillhouse was the most memorable moment for me,” Patrick said. “We were down 26-0 at the half but made a comeback and were within 12 points about to score on the 11 yard line. Although we didn’t win, it was the best we’ve played all season as a team, and individually I had 110 all purpose yards (rushing and receiving), an interception, and seven tackles.”

Teammates say they are going to miss Patrick next season.

“David is a great leader, and is destined for success in the future,” Mugford said.

By Colleen Rice – Staff Reporter

The Lady Lawmen recently wrapped up their volleyball season.

With a record of 6-14 this year, the team improved from last year. Their six wins came against Hillhouse (twice), North haven (twice), West Haven, and Shelton.

“Some games we got lazy and didn’t move our feet enough which costs us easy wins,” senior captain Kailee Frank said.

Key players on the team include juniors Kristin Frank, Cassidy Boath, and Angela Sciuto, as well as sophomores Colleen Goodwin and Stephanie Felag. The girls are already excited for next year’s season.

“Talking is a big part of volleyball, it makes the game so much easier,” junior setter Kristin Frank said.

Junior Cassidy Boath was a key part of the varsity team as the libero. She recently went All-SCC and has improved immensely throughout the season. Boath had 311 digs and a 93 serving percentage.

“It feels really great to know that my hard work helped me achieve this,” Boath said. “I couldn’t have done it without the support from my coaches and teammates throughout the season.”

In order to qualify for the state tournament teams need eight wins. Sadly the girls fell short this year but are determined to redeem themselves in the upcoming season.

“We want to make states and continue to be a team that works well together,” said Boath.

The team is losing five of their starters next year including Renee Lynch, Tori Nabors, Kailee Frank, Heather Sherrick, and Molly Vargo.

Their Senior Night was held at Law on Monday, October 19 against Daniel Hand. The team performed well and worked together to play all five games. Hand won 3-2 but it was a memorial night as the seniors played their final home game.

“I’m going to miss ‘LV’ more than anything,” Kailee Frank said.

Kailee Frank has improved throughout her four years on the team and intends on playing club volleyball in college. She is very excited to see how the girls do next season.

Head coach Ms. Loch has a positive outlook on the past season and is ready to improve and see the girls succeed.

“I am very proud of the girls this year,” Loch said. “Every game was a close game which shows how well the girls played against competition.”

Although the team usually consists of 24 varsity players, freshman are always welcomed and Loch is excited to see the new talent coming in next year.

By Brianna Arnold – Staff Reporter

Junior Mitchell Smith, Law’s quarterback, is looking to turn the team’s season around on Thanksgiving and give the Lawmen some momentum going into next year.

Law’s current record is 0-8. The team is looking to improve their season within the next couple of games against Lyman Hall on the road and against Foran at home in the highly-anticipated Thanksgiving game.

“The Thanksgiving Day game looks like it’s going to be a close game,” said Smith. “Even though our current record isn’t great we are getting better week by week and all of our hard work should pay off on Thanksgiving.”

The team is excited for the Thanksgiving game, hoping to finally take home the trophy after last capturing it in 2007.

Senior captain running back Tim Caldwell sees great potential in Smith for his future as a football player.

“QB1 is the man,” Caldwell said. “Watching QB1 on the field is electric, he’s a great quarterback and very intelligent.”

Smith wants to make the end of the season a good one, and as a leader he has some goals for the rest of the season.

“In order to make this season better we have to win our last two games,” Smith said. “If we can win these games it could give our underclassmen starters some confidence going into next year.”

Smith started off the season pretty well on a personal level. He was excited for the rest of the season; however, it did not go exactly the way he wanted.

“Even though I personally had a decent game week one, we still didn’t win the game which is the goal every week,” Smith said.

Dennis Theis, a varsity receiver and one of Smith’s closest friends, knows how hard Smith works everyday to improve.

“Playing with you best friend as a quarterback is a great experience and I will hopefully be captain alongside him next year,” said Theis.

Smith’s younger brother Zach is a freshman and also has a spot on the team. He looks up to Mitchell and is just as committed to the team.

“Being able to play football with my brother is a great experience and I cannot wait to see what he does as a captain next year,” said Zach Smith.

Mitchell Smith sees great potential for the freshman team, however, believes that they need to work harder off the field and in the classroom.

“To have a brother on the team is not a big deal to me,” said Mitchell Smith. “I treat him as I do everyone else because our whole team is a family.”

Smith views Jake Mola as one of the best juniors on the team. They have been friends for years and have always had each others back.

“Mitch is a great offensive leader,” said Mola. “Next year as a captain he will bring great confidence to our team.”

Ideally, Smith’s hard work and dedication to his team and the sport will lead to a successful season next fall for the Lawmen. Now it’s just about winning these last two games and putting in the work during the offseason to get off on the right foot come Week 1.

By Emma Saley – Staff Reporter

Junior cross country captain Lauren Paredes is looking to improve in the off-season and hopefully go All-Division next year.

This past season, Paredes consistently ran well and improved, reaching many personal goals she had set for herself.

A highlight of Paredes’ season was when she ran her personal record, 22:40,  at the SCC meet.

“My personal goal was to run under 24 minutes in every race, which I achieved,” Paredes said. “As a team, our goal was for everyone to run well at SCCs and place in the top 20 at states, which we did.”

As captain, Paredes focuses on motivating the other girls on the team by pushing them to do their best every race, and working hard every practice to become better runners.

“Lauren cheers on and believes in everyone,” junior teammate Taylor Haase said  “She motivates us to do our best.”

Paredes has been running cross country for the past three years, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year that she started to prove herself as a runner, cutting her times down from 29:00s to 24:00s and 23:00s.

“Freshman year I was running 29:00s, but last year I worked hard and was able to really improve” Paredes said

Paredes is looking forward to next season, and hoping to improve by running long distance during the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

“To prepare for next season I’m going to be running a lot during off seasons and the summer, and participating in a lot of 5k road runs,” said Paredes.

One area she hopes to improve on is speed.

“I struggle most with sprinting, so I’m looking to work on that so I can have a stronger finish.”

Another challenge that Paredes is looking to overcome for next season is to beat cross-town rival Foran, which the team was unsuccessful in doing at the multiple meetings they had this season.

“Foran’s our biggest rival, but if we work hard during the summer we can beat them next year.” Paredes said

Paredes is already setting big goals and hopes for next season.

“My biggest goal for next season is to run under 22 minutes or better,” Paredes said “As a team I want everyone to improve, and run well at states again.”

Paredes is excited for the upcoming season, and for the team to continue to bond and motivate each other to run their best times.

“I love cross country and the girls on the team, and I can’t wait for next year,” said Paredes.

By Megan Grabowski – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls swimming and diving team is wrapping up their season.

The season is coming to a close as the girls attend SCCs, SCC Finals, and States. They finished their regular season with a 3-13 record.

Senior captain Kelly Scianna is impressed with how the season went this year.

“In the beginning I was nervous, having lost some solid swimmers last year, but we pulled through with some great times,” said Scianna. “SCCs (went) really well.”

At SCCs, Scianna finished 31st overall in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Hannah Savoie finished 15th overall in the 200-meter freestyle and 18th overall in the 500-meter freestyle breaking a school record set back in 1983. Both Scianna and Savoie will be competing at the Class M state championships.

Head coach Ms. Paolini feels that many girls contributed to the team this year.

“Our depth in many of the odd-stroke events helped us win meets against Bunnell, East Haven, and West Haven,” said Paolini.

The girls believe that their hard work all season is more important than their record.

“We didn’t win a lot of meets, but together as a team we tried our best and beat our times,” said freshman Julie Myers.

On top of swimming, the team also has three successful divers, including freshman Christina Gleason who finished 17th overall in the SCCs. Junior divers Arielle Eighmy and Maddie Sosa have big plans for their senior year.

“My goals for next season are to go to SCC’s and to qualify for states,” said Sosa.

Paolini is looking forward to more success in the future.

“We had many personal bests accomplished this year and had an amazing season with the girls,” said Paolini. “We had a very strong freshman class which shows a bright future ahead of us.”

Freshmen are also excited for their next three years on the team.

“I’m so happy I joined the team, everyone was so welcoming and fun,” said Myers. “I’m super excited for the next three seasons and to meet the new swimmers next year.”

With the season coming to a close, the seniors are reflecting on all of the memories they have made over the past four years.

“I feel really lucky to have bonded with so many people over my four years of being on the team and to have had this experience that I can cherish forever,” said senior Jess Schreiber. “I’m definitely going to miss the bus rides both to and from Foran’s pool and having the pre-meet jitters.”

The CIAC Class M Qualifying meet will be held on November 14 and the CIAC Class M Finals will be held on November 18.

By Renee Lynch – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law soccer team finished their season 2-10-2 and is already looking forward to next season.

The girls wins came against Foran and Harding.

“I had higher expectations for this season,” senior captain Paige Szygiel said. “However, our girls pulled through a much needed win against crosstown rival, Foran.”

The Lady Lawmen shut out Foran, winning 4-0 on their home turf. However, when the girls played at Foran, they tied 2-2.

¨Next year we will have a majority of our starters returning,” junior captain Bethany Edwards said. ¨This is going to be key for us to get wins.”

The girls are looking forward to the 2016 season next year. The team has a lot of underclassmen talent, so they are preparing for a big season.

¨Key players this season have been Paige Szygiel, Kristen Passaro (junior), Bethany Edwards and Taylor Kandrach (sophomore),” junior Colleen Rice said.

Underclassmen will need to step up their game to reach their goal of making states.

¨In the off season we will need to work together to get faster as a team” junior Catie Rice said. ¨Sprints will help us get the speed we need.¨

Captains Szygiel, Edwards, Passaro and Megan Smith (senior) lead the team throughout their victories.

The team’s pair of ties came against West Haven and Foran.

¨Our toughest games included Shelton and East Haven,” Colleen Rice said. “We had to fight hard against an advanced team.¨

The girls plan to win more games in the upcoming season and to work hard to achieve their goals.

Edwards went All-SCC and led the team as a strong midfielder. Edwards used her speed to end the season as the team’s leading scorer.

The underclassmen talent will help the girls make their way to states for the upcoming years.  

¨I´m looking forward for the incoming freshman to advance our team,” freshman Joceyln Wirth said. ¨We can make it far in states with all our talent combined.¨  

Seniors will be missed and the Lady Lawmen will need to pick up the slack since key players will have graduated.

¨I¨m going to miss being out on the field every fall season,” Szygiel said. ¨Also, I made bonds with these girls that are irreplaceable, I¨ll miss everyone and I wish the girls best of luck next year.”

By Kristin Frank – Staff  Reporter

As junior captain of the girls soccer team, Bethany Edwards had a great season and led her team to success.

Edwards, personally, had a very strong season by playing her absolute hardest at every game. Her job as captain is to lead the team to a great season and pick up their spirits when needed. Being the outstanding captain she is, she did just that this fall.

“As captain I tried keeping everyone’s spirits up,” Edwards said. “Every time we would get a goal against us, I would tell my teammates to just brush it off.”

Edwards believes that coming together during a stoppage in play is very important and helps pump the players up. Soccer is a game of mostly endurance, so this will provide the players with a lot of energy to finish out the rest of a game.

“Before each half of the game, the captains have a huddle with the girls and say what we need to work on and accomplish to win, this also helps pump us up,” Edwards said.

Her teammates and fellow captains believe she does an impressive job with leading the team.

“Bethany is a great player and is very easy to get along with,” junior captain Kristen Passaro said. “She is a great leader.”

Mr. Rhode is the head coach for the girls and has watched Edwards mature and develop over the past three years.

“(She is) an outstanding player always makes their mark on the game; Bethany does just that in the midfield,” Rhode said. “Despite her smaller stature, she plays big on the field.”

Rhode has high hopes for Edwards for next year, believing she will continue to lead the team.

“She’s super technical on the ball and has outstanding vision,” said Rhode. “We rely on her to dictate plays on the field.”

Having a favorite game is very common in sports. This usually reflects off the team’s effort as a whole, as well as how that individual player performed.

Edwards explains that her favorite game was their home game against Foran High School. This game really set the pace for the rest of the season.

“At the Foran game, we beat them 4-0 which is a crazy score in soccer,” Edwards said. “We worked as a team and that pumped us up for the rest of the season.”

Edwards received the All-SCC Hammonasset Team award this year for her outstanding performance on the field and her dedication to the sport as well as her team.

To be selected for this team, an athlete is nominated by the coaches from other teams that they play against. Other girls in Law’s division will be nominated as well.

Rhode explained that he is looking forward to next year with Edwards because she’s developed strong leadership skills this past season, and has the potential to be an All-State player.

Edwards shows what a true team player really is. Many of her fellow teammates look up to her, and she is always trying to get the other players involved during games.

“Bethany helps out all the girls on the team and really knows her teammates’ strengths and weaknesses,” junior Rebecca Tighe said.

As a growing athlete, it is important for Edwards to know what she needs to work on personally during the off season. She explains that she could improve on communicating better with the other players and to talk more on the field.

All the returning players for next year are excited to build from their record of this past season. Edwards believes they are a promising young team that can only improve themselves by working to the best of their ability.

“I’m looking forward to next season,” Edwards said. “I think towards the end we really figured out how to work as a team.”

By Bianca Hanania – Staff Reporter

Kristin Frank, one of the most devoted members on the volleyball team, helped guide her teammates to success this year.

Everyday on the court, Frank was very motivated and worked hard to do her best no matter what came her way. She practiced everyday to help her peers improve themselves and grow as a team.

“Volleyball is such a passion of mine and I love the girls I play with,” said Frank. “Even though we did not make it to states, we improved our record from last year and can only get better.”

At the Shelton game, Frank was at her best, which helped her to win GametimeCT’s Star of the Day.

“My favorite game of the season is definitely the home game against Shelton, we communicated so well during all five matches and it was such a close game,” said Frank. “We had all the energy we needed to play and win while having such an amazing time out on the court.”

Frank’s coaches, Miss Martinich and Ms. Loch, see a lot of potential in her.

“Kristin is the ideal player and works just as hard at practice as she does in games,” said Martinich. “Her aggressiveness on the court saves plays for us and she will be a great candidate for SCC’s next year.”

Frank enjoys playing with her teammates and is a great role model for each one.

“Playing with Kristin has been so much fun, she really is a great leader on the court,” said junior Victoria Contaxis.

She looks forward to playing next year and can’t wait to get started on a new season.

“For the team next year, I am mostly excited for all the younger players getting pulled up to varsity because they all have such great talent to show off,” said Frank. “We need to stay up the whole season and play smart as a team.”

Cassidy Boath, one of Frank’s teammates, plays libero and knows how hard Kristin works to help out the team.

“It’s great to have hardworking teammates like Kristin on the court,” said Boath. “She does whatever she can to set the ball to our hitters no matter where it is on the court.”

Frank tries her best to keep the team ready for what’s to come next. She is constantly communicating with her peers and pushes everyone to do their greatest and succeed.

“Volleyball is a sport with nonstop communication,” said Frank. “When it comes to games and practices I do everything I can to talk during every play so my teammates know where to go on the court.”  

By Maeve Rourke – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys and girls cross country team enjoyed a successful season.

Both teams were determined to become stronger and more competitive over the season. Many of the runners made their personal bests, which in turn improved the team’s overall ranking.

“The girls all had a lot of personal records this year and really ran their hearts out,” senior girl’s captain Amita Sastry said. “I’m so proud of [the girls] because so many of them shaved two or even three minutes off their time from last year.”

Throughout the season the teams did drills everyday to ensure improvement.

The boys team did a lot of hill workouts to ease the flat road races, and to get stronger. They also ran several miles a day to practice.

The girls Team ran five miles everyday and did drills to improve their speed and endurance.

The drills paid off, for this year at SCCs, the boys team placed 16th and the girls 17th.

“The team did really well [this year], especially in the JV race, which gives us hope for the future season,” junior captain Matt Zancewicz said.

This year at States six girls ran: Lauren Paredes, Chloe McCullough, Cassandra Soda, Emma Saley, Irmina (Mimi) Chrzastek, and Samantha Franzman. Overall they placed 18th.

“The team did great at states,” junior Emma Saley said. “We all worked to achieve our goals and improve our times.”

This year seven boys ran at states:  Matthew Zancewicz, Dan Wasserman, Michael Lanzaro, Ryan Wasserman, Jonathan Feher, Thomas Gambardella, and Matt Paulus. Overall they placed 17th.

Not only have the runners personal times improved, but also the friendships on the teams.

The 16 runners on the girls cross country team are now closer than ever.

“The girls team is really close, we’re like a family,” said junior captain Lauren Paredes. “We all got close with one another and really bonded this season.”

The Boys team has also enjoyed their season, and have become closer friends.

“Cross country’s been a great experience,” senior Mike Lanzaro said.  “It has given me the chance to run on beautiful courses around Connecticut, meet new people, form close bonds with teammates, and make lifelong memories I’ll keep forever.”

Both teams are already getting excited for next year, and plan to improve even more. Both teams work toward achieving their ultimate goal for next season: beat Foran.

By Paige Szygiel – Staff Reporter

The Law boys soccer team recently wrapped up its season, falling short of states but keeping an eye on the future.

One of their goals was to make the state tournament and win at least one tournament game. The team finished 4-11-1, just five points shy of their goal for the season.

“I think we could’ve done a lot better, our record didn’t show how well we play,” sophomore Kevin Linn said. “What we wanted to achieve didn’t happen, we just weren’t connecting.”

Members of the team said that one of their challenges was communication on and off the field.

“We argued (a little) on the field, which made it challenging to achieve our goals and getting the win,” Linn said.

In their four wins, the boys really executed their strategy and controlled the midfield.

“Winning and controlling the midfield really helped us to victory,” said senior Jaret Petrie. “We really took control of the game and set the pace.”

Head coach Mike Gruber switched things around to see which strategies worked in the team’s favor and which worked against them. Their formation this season was a 4-2-3-1.

Their formation last year was a 4-4-2. 

“I’m disappointed in how we ended the season,” Petrie said. “Different formations work with different teams, we just have to find the one that fits us the best.”

The team’s 1-0 win over Foran at the beginning of the season set a positive tone. The rival Lions, however, owned the rematch later in the year, winning 4-0.

“This season did not go as good as we planned it,” senior Taylin Altin said. “We wanted to make states and that didn’t happen. Next year things will be different.”

They boys turned the Foran loss into a positive and kept going foward to get more wins.

“Losing to Foran only motivated us more to win the next game,” Linn said.

On Senior Night, Law defeated East Haven 5-2, which ended their season on a positive note.

“Winning my last home game of my high school career felt good,” senior Antonio Gjuraj said. “I’ve made many good memories the past four years that I will keep with me forever.”

Overall, members of the team said they battled all year despite some tough losses and tried to make the best out of the season.

By Layla Corona – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys cross country team has enjoyed a very productive fall season.

This season’s top five runners for a 5K are junior Matt Zancewicz (18:10), junior Ryan Wasserman (18:51), senior Mike Lanzaro (19:05), senior Matt Paulus (19:28), and junior Thomas Gambardella (19:37).

“I think the team and I are both excited about the improvement we’ve seen from the beginning of the season,” head coach Charlie Phillips said. “I’m seeing them get more and more competitive with each other and because of that, it’s the first time in years that we’ve had five to six runners running under 20 minutes for a 5k this season.”

Some of the members of the team chose to run because it makes them feel some type of way that no other activity makes you feel.

“It’s a great stress reliever and there’s no better feeling in the world than crossing the finish line after a well run race,” junior captain Matt Zancewicz said.

So far, the team has had a number of meets against Wilbur Cross, Hand, Lauralton, Platt, and Foran a couple of times already.  The team is doing their best to win every one of those meets.

Everyone is extra excited when it comes to racing Foran.

“They’re the school we try to beat more than the others,” senior captain Joe Warzel said.

The team is pumped about attempting to beat past records whether it’s someone else’s record or even a personal record.

“It makes you feel a sense of invincibility because once you start running and get into your rhythm,  you feel as if nothing could stop you, and that is motivation to keep going and to keep getting better,” Zancewicz said.

Every year previous team members do their very best to improve and beat their best time from last year.

“Training hard today will make tomorrow easier,” senior captain Matt Paulus said.

This year, the team has continued to do drills to ensure improvement.

“We do a lot of hill workouts to ease the flat road races,” Zancewicz said. “(Our motto is): Remain consistent with your workouts, don’t skip out on training days and don’t give up, push yourself to the limit every time you run.”

When it comes to eating, the team sure does stock up on carbs, whether it’s eating multiple servings of pasta at the team’s pasta parties or just eating carbs on your own.

“[We eat] a lot of pasta and other carbs to make up for the loss of carbs from so much running,” Zancewicz said.

Team members said that cross country is a good way to make new friends. They bond at the team-coordinated pasta parties and they share an incredible bond with one another.

“It’s a great sport, your only real competitor is yourself,” senior Mike Lanzaro said. “The bond you form with your teammates goes farther than just school.”

By Seamus O’Reilly – Staff Reporter

The Law football team is preparing for the rest of season after getting off to a slow start.

The Lawmen had much success last season, winning five of their last seven games. This season they look to continue that success.

The Lawmen have 14 seniors on roster who are all contributing to the team. There a decent number of underclassmen who contribute a lot to the team as well.

“As an underclassman and starter on the team, the seniors are always pushing me to the best I can be,” sophomore wide receiver Dean Pettway said.

The Lawmen have six varsity captains on the team: Logan Danville, Tim Caldwell, David Patrick, Brandon Chiaraluce, R.J. Lynch, and Joe Coury, the majority of whom got playing time as a sophomore.

Head coach Derrick Lewis refers to the captains as “The Six Sons of Thunder.”

When asked about his personal goals Logan Danville said, “I hope to set an example for the future captains in leadership and go all-conference at middle linebacker.”

Law has a total of 36 players on its varsity roster this year, not including freshmen. Even when these seniors graduate Law will still have key players returning and 14 rostered sophomores. Some of the key juniors who will be returning next year are quarterback Mitchell Smith, linebacker A.J. Repollet, lineman Sam Rossi, and wide receiver Dennis Theis.

Law has some seniors who are new to high school football before but are doing exceptionally well. The two players are basketball standout Justin McFadden, who is starting at receiver, and Gabe Haynes who is a varsity sprinter on the track team.

“We want to be competitive in every game for the rest of the way,” senior Tucker Saley said. “We have the skill to, we just have to put it all together and try to start to gel. Then, and only then, will we be able to achieve that goal.”“We want to be competitive in every game for the rest of the way,” senior Tucker Saley said. “We have the skill to, we just have to put it all together and try to start to gel. Then, and only then, will we be able to achieve that goal.”

The Lawmen are currently 0-3 but are looking to improve as the season continues.

“My goal for the team is to go 1-0 for every week and most importantly beat Foran on Thanksgiving,” said Chiaraluce.

Law hasn’t been able to get a “W” on Turkey Day since 2007.

The Lawmen have seven more games left in the season: they travel to Fairfield Prep this Friday, followed by two home games against East Lyme and Hillhouse. After that comes three straight road games against Branford, Sheehan, and Lyman Hall before their much anticipated crosstown rivalry game against Foran at home on Thanksgiving.

By Bianca Hanania – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls cross country team is excited to work harder than ever this season.

After practicing and running for miles, the team is finally ready to compete against of the rest of the SCC.

“We are extremely determined this year to improve and become a stronger and more competitive team,” junior Taylor Haase said.

Each student is required to run five miles every day. They have been working on more speed workouts to boost themselves.

The team is motivated to win against Foran, one of their top competitors.

“I am really looking forward to competing against Foran again,” freshman Samantha Franzman said. “Even though we have already went against them twice, they are one of our largest rivals so beating them would be a big win for the team.”

There are 16 runners on the girls cross country team and each of them motivates one another to never give up.

“Cross country is a true definition of a family, we all treat each other like sisters,” Haase said. “We have each other’s backs no matter what.”

They truly encourage everyone to participate in the sport.

“Joining cross country gave me a great opportunity to try something new and make new friends,” Franzman said.

The team’s coach, Mr. Schulte, makes sure the team gets the practice they need no matter what it takes.

The girls cross country team is very hardworking and industrious. They are constantly preparing themselves to kick off this exciting new year.

The captains, Lauren Parades and Amita Sastry, are excited for the season and ready to take on the new year as leaders.

“As a captain I have to try and encourage the girls to work hard and do their best,” said Paredes, a junior. “They have been doing really well this season, our times have been getting better and better.”

Sastry has been a four-year member of the team and is thrilled to now be captain.

Haase suffered an injury prior to cross country season and this is her first season coming back to running full time. She has struggled due to her ACL injury but is working really hard to get back into it.

“Even though I just got cleared to run in meets, my knee has always been in a lot of pain,” Haase said. “But I can’t wait to get back on track.”  

By Nick Ferrara – Staff Reporter

Senior goalkeeper Jaret Petrie is looking for a successful season for the Jonathan Law boy’s soccer team.

Petrie has been a member of varsity since freshman year and is expected to start the majority of games this season

“Personally my goals are to remain the starting goalie for the entire season and continue to grow as a player,”  Petrie said. “As a team, our goal is to make the state tournament, and make it out of the first round.”

The Law boys soccer team has a big task in front of them, since before last year, they had not made states for 13 years. Petrie will be one of the keys to the team returning to states.

“Jaret is passionate about soccer and knowing that he is guarding our goal gives us the confidence needed to make plays without hesitation,” senior outside midfielder Colby Brennan said. “He isn’t afraid to challenge for the ball and quickly distribute it, which helps us out tremendously”.  

Preseason training helped Petrie, strengthening and preparing him for the upcoming season. Petrie works on and off the field, in and out of the gym.

“Jaret spent a lot of time in the offseason working out and getting into the best shape of his soccer career at Law,” Law’s head boys soccer coach Mike Gruber said. “Jaret came to our voluntary workout sessions in the offseason where we worked on strength, agility, and speed”.

The team’s toughest competition this year will be Hand and Guilford. The team’s biggest rival this year is Foran.

To prepare for these big games, the guys are training hard and consistently putting in 100% effort into each and every practice.

“I think Jaret will be fairly successful this season,” senior captain James Mercaldo said. “The defense on the team is working together much better this year, so I don’t think there will be too much thrown at him that he can’t stop.”

Among Law’s key players this season are junior midfielder Dennis Sweeney and sophomore forward Kevin Linn.

Linn has an extraordinary work rate and stamina, meaning he will most likely rise up and be one of the main scorers for the team.

Sweeney plays the center of the field very well, often times isolating the opposing team’s best offensive player and starting a counter attack as soon as Law get’s possession.

“As a captain, I hope the team continues to grow stronger and players grow stronger individually and I hope we can continue to work hard this season in hopes of making the state tournament,” senior captain Ian Hugo said.

By Arielle Eighmy – Staff Reporter

Law senior soccer captain Ian Hugo has goals for goals this season.

Hugo has been playing soccer since freshman year and is one of Law’s four captains. Hugo has many goals for this year both for himself and his team.

“I’d like to see us make the state tournament, which I believe is realistic and win at least one game,” Hugo said.

Hugo’s individual goals are to work hard and improve as a player, which he strives to do every time he steps out onto the field.

Last year, Law finished with a record of 6-7-3 and qualified for the state tournament which Hugo is hoping to do again this year.

The team prepared for this season by working out and staying fit; they had captains practices, conditioning, and weight room.

“Towards the end of the summer we worked a lot more on our conditioning to get prepared for the upcoming season,” said Hugo. “I think it’s shown that we are one of the most fit teams out of everyone we’ve played so far.”

The team is adjusting very well to the new coach Mike Gruber. Gruber coached Law’s JV team last year and is now the head coach for varsity.

“He’s a good coach, he knows what he is doing,” said Hugo. “When he gets the best out of us we are able to work hard and get the results that we want.”

The team played Foran on September 21 and came away with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a goal from Hugo towards the end of the first half.

“Once I saw Taylan lining up to take the free kick, I knew it was going to be a good chance for us to score,” said Hugo. “It was just a tap in, but it was amazing to score against Foran, at Foran, and help lead my team to victory.”

According to Hugo, Law’s new style of play is helping the team stay in and compete in games in which they previously struggled.

“We’ve adapted our style of play by making our team more defensive minded by putting five defenders at the back and two central defensive midfielders in front of them,” Hugo said. “This has helped us compete with tougher teams such as Hand and Guilford in which we limited their attacking and held them to 2-0 and 2-1 games, both of which we unfortunately lost.”

Hugo’s teammates think very highly of him and that he leads the team well as being a new captain.

“He’s making the team better with his leadership,” junior Dennis Sweeney said. “ He leads by example, he would only ask us to do stuff that he would also do himself.”

The team thinks Hugo is a very serious captain and takes soccer into consideration every time he steps out on the field.

“He is giving it all he’s got because it’s his last year and tries very hard,” sophomore Santiago Palacio said.

With Hugo’s high hopes for the season and the performances he and his teammates are putting into every practice and game, Hugo is confident that the Lawmen will be successful throughout the rest of the regular season and make the state tournament.

By Larissa Santos – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s cheerleading team is back for another season.

Th team is ready to get back in motion by catching the freshmen up to speed. In practices, they have been trying new and different things to get their team ready for competition.

“We have been doing a lot of side cheers and practicing hard to improve our skills,” junior Megan Mower said.

Since they have a young team, they have been trying to improve themselves.  Members went to a camp at Western Connecticut State University over the summer to help the team bond and to try new and different things.

“My plans this year are to take more tumbling classes to get better,” sophomore Marina Callahan said.

There are only 13 girls on the team this year, which is down from last year.

“We still want more people to join and welcome everyone,” Mower said.

Every girl on the team has joined for different reasons. Some wanted to make new friends while others wanted to join their old ones.

“I had joined because my friends wanted me to and told me it would be fun,” sophomore Ashlee Chiaraluce said.

The freshmen seem to fit in well and are catching up to the speed with the older girls. The team is really close this year.

“I feel like fitting in was easy and the older girls are really nice to us,” freshman Kaitlyn Griffin said.

Because they are such a small team, they don’t have to fund raise as much as they usually do. They fund raise at the Bridgeport Flyer, sponsor T-shirts at football games, and continue to do their pizza prize fundraiser.

Later in the year, the team will go to the Top Gun competition. Three girls from Law went All-State as a result of this competition last year.

“This year, we are trying to get four girls to go to All-State,” head coach Bonnie Etense said.

Etense had been a cheerleading coach for eight years. She has coached college and high school teams, but she said Law is her favorite because she loves the team’s spirit.

“I wanted to be a coach because I love building relationships with the girls,” Etense said. “I am glad I became a coach since I have learned so many lessons being a coach and taught these girls [lessons] as well.”

By Nia Cordero – Staff Reporter

Senior football captain Tim Caldwell is excited for the upcoming year.

Caldwell is a running back and one of six captains on the team. As an individual, he is determined to improve and reach his goals.

“To improve I am studying a lot more film this year than I did last year and getting my eight hours of sleep,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell is a three-year starter and is optimistic about his team putting more points on the board this upcoming season.

“I think we’ll do pretty well, a little better than last year,” Caldwell said.

With his hopes high, Caldwell knows what the team needs to improve on in order to make this season successful.

“The team needs to improve by being ready from the jump because we usually start out slow and we need to start out fast,” Caldwell said.

For Caldwell, motivation has a lot to do with how sports teams perform.

“We’re working on firing up the team for this upcoming week,” Caldwell said. “It’s my job as one of the captains to lead the team during adversity.”

Along with motivation, attitude also has a big impact on the team. After a loss the team usually goes to the weight room to talk about it with the coaches .

“We stay positive by taking it one day at a time,” Caldwell said.

Mentality is also an issue that teams can struggle with, especially staying positive after a loss.

“This upcoming game (against Fairfield Prep) is going to be more mental, our biggest problem is our mentality going into the games,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell’s teammates said they fed off his leadership.

“Tim isn’t much of a talker, he’s stronger on the field,” fellow senior captain Logan Danville said.

Caldwell is a player who proves himself out on the field rather than in the locker room. His teammates look at him as a strong leader.

“Tim isn’t as loud as the other captains, but he leads by example and his silence is still heard,” teammate Joe Mugford said.

Caldwell also looks forward to college and furthering his football experiences.

“Of course I want to play football in college,” Caldwell said. “I want to go to Holy Cross.”

Caldwell has goals on the football field as well as off.

“I want to go to college to be a physical therapist because I like helping people getting back to full strength, especially if they’re athletes,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell and the rest of the team are determined to make this season count and lead the Lawmen to victory.

By Megan Grabowski – Staff Reporter

The Lady Lawmen are “setting” up for a big season.

With a 3-17 record to end the season last year, the Jonathan Law volleyball team is ready to make improvements to ensure a comeback. Currently, they have a 4-6 record, with wins against West Haven, North Haven, Shelton, and Hillhouse.

Head coach Ms. Loch is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure a successful season ahead.

“In order to improve we need to work on our weaknesses game to game,” Loch said. “We need to strategize and set up our rotations the best we can to enforce our strengths when we play teams the second time around.”

The team’s seniors are looking to bond as a team to end their careers on a high note.

“We have a great group of girls this year,” senior Tori Nabors said. “Communication and teamwork is key for success.”

Despite the rough season last year, the team still has high hopes for the new year.

“We only lost one of our starters last year,” senior Renee Lynch said. “Our team is still strong and we have a lot of chemistry.”

Senior captain Kailee Frank plans to lead the team to victory.

“I’m excited about my senior year and to play with my team one last time,” Frank said. “I try to be loud, uplifting, and high spirited to lead the team.”

Key players this year include seniors Molly Vargo, Frank, and Renee Lynch, as well as juniors Cassidy Boath and Kristin Frank.

Many juniors are looking forward to helping the team out this year, as well as helping to lead the team next year.

“Since a lot of our key players are graduating this year, it is important for us to practice in the off season and work on our defense for next year,” Kristin Frank said.

In order to qualify for states, the girls need to win at least eight games. They believe if they practice hard and work together as a team, it will be possible.

“I think we can work hard enough to make it to states this year,” Kailee Frank said.

The underclassmen are also rooting for the varsity team to do well.

“I’m looking forward to seeing varsity hopefully make it to states and have a lot of wins,” freshman Ally Stein said.

Some of the most challenging teams Law will face include cross-town rival Foran, but the girls know if they work together, they can win.

The team’s next game is against Sacred Heart on Monday.

By Brianna Arnold- Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls soccer team is excited to kick off their fall season.

Law’s current record is 1-6-1 with the tie coming in their game against Foran. They are looking to improve their season within the next couple of games.

“My most important thing to succeed in games is communication,” junior captain Bethany Edwards said. “When we work well as a team and work together we have success.”

The team has a total of 21 girls on varsity this year. Freshman Jocelyn Wirth starts on varsity and plays full time.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be a freshman starting on varsity,” freshman Jocelyn Wirth said. “I am honored by playing with such a great team.”

They have tried to improve their season by giving it their all at practice every day and switching up people’s positions to see how they work best as a team.

“I try and set standards for everyone to meet so that our team can be the best we can be,” senior captain Paige Szygiel said.

The physical part of the game is just as important as the mental part. Getting prepared mentally before a game is a big part in everyone on the team succeeding.

“Our mindsets will make this season even better than last years,” Edwards said. “We have the mindsets to win. We just have to show it on the field.”

Junior Kristen Passaro is coming back from last season’s ACL injury and she is ready to give it her all and get back out on the field.  She is most excited to play Foran again.

“I am looking forward to playing Foran again because we tied the last game and I know by the time we play them again we will be ready to win,” Kristen Passaro said.

Captains Szygiel, Edwards, Passaro, and Megan Smith are all hoping to make states this year.

“We are off to a rough start but we are hoping to pick it back up and make it to states,” Smith said

The team is competing without one of its key players, junior Colleen Rice. Rice tore her ACL just before the start of the season.

Rice had surgery two weeks ago and is on a fast track to recovery. Even though she is out for the rest of the season, she still supports her team all the way.

“I expect the team to step it up and keep on pushing toward states,” Rice said. “I am upset about being out this season but I am excited to support the team and see how far we go.”

By Renee Lynch – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law football team is excited to tackle a big season ahead.

After a tough three losses against North Haven, Guilford, and East Haven to start the year, the Lawmen are working hard to make a comeback.

“The past three games have been a rough start,” senior captain Tim Caldwell said. “However, we are willing it give it our all to get the wins.”

The Lawmen graduated many key players from last years team, including running back Max German and Giovanni Marzullo, and many of their starters are underclassmen.

”Logan Danville (senior captain) and Tyler Cavallaro (senior) are stepping up along with quarterback Mitchell Smith (junior),” senior captain David Patrick said. “We have a lot of young starters for us, such as Jimmy Boyle (sophomore) and Dave Tortora (sophomore).”

The Lawmen have been working hard this past off season in an attempt to increase their win total from last year. The team started slowly last year but finished 5-6 and were co-division champions.

“We’ve all been working hard during preseason,” junior Mitchell Smith said. “I’ve been lifting and been working on my speed.”

Smith is Law’s new varsity quarterback and his teammates believe that he is ready for the challenge.

“Mitchell has been adjusting very well as a new starting quarterback,” said Danville. “I’m really excited about this season considering how well our team has come together.”

Tough remaining games this season for the Lawmen will be Foran, Fairfield Prep, and Hillhouse.

The Lawmen will travel to Fairfield Prep on Friday, October 2 to face the Jesuits.

“Prep is good; we really will need to focus and rest up for this game,” said Danville. “This game will be a tough one.”

Team members believe their results will improve when they become balanced on offense.

“As a team, we really need to work together, to work on defense,” sophomore Ryan Pisacane said. “We have strong running backs, but we do need to focus on throwing the ball.”

Even though it’s still early in the season, the Lawmen are looking forward to and working hard for the anticipated Thanksgiving game against Foran.

“Foran graduated a lot of valuable players last year,” Smith said. “If we work hard to prepare, this game could be a piece of cake.”

The Jonathan Law football team have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season, and are really looking ahead and working hard to get wins.

“We have high hopes of making the postseason this year, and with our attitude and motivation, we have potential,” Caldwell said.

By Paige Szygiel –  Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s boys soccer team is excited to put their hard work to the test this season.

The team’s goal for this season is to make states and to beat rival Foran. This year, the team brings a whole new energy and tenacity to the table.  

“Our goal for the season is to make states and at least win one game in the tournament,” senior captain Ian Hugo said.

This season the boys soccer team has a new coach, Mike Gruber. His style of coaching is a lot different from the previous coach, Donato Piselli.

“He’s a great coach,” sophomore Kevin Linn said. “He knows what he’s doing and prepares us for games.”

A goalkeeper coach has also been practicing with senior goalkeeper Jaret Petrie, junior goalkeeper Eoin Byrne, and sophomore goalkeeper Jack Pincus-Coyle.

A lot of things have changed since Gruber has taken the new coaching position. Their formation has changed just a little. Linn was very successful last year, scoring 12 goals from the forward position. This year he is primarily a forward but can be deployed in other positions as well thanks to his versatility on the field.

“We are working on our positioning a lot, covering is one of the most important things we do,” said junior Dennis Sweeney. “Especially marking back because covering back is what can help us win games.”

Senior captain Taylan Altin is one of the many key players on the team. During the Foran game, he stepped up to score the only goal against the Lions.  He scored a goal from a free kick 10 yards from midfield with 5:20 remaining in the first half.

“Our team has been working hard, and I’m happy that we got that win,” Altin said.

Last year, the boys soccer team made it to states, where they lost in the first round. This year, they plan to qualify for states again, but they are striving to go farther in the competition.

“I’m pretty confident that we’re going to go to states this year,” Hugo said. “We’ve been working all summer and have been practicing hard to make sure we get the results we want.”

Senior captain Antonio Gjuraj has been dealing an injury that has kept him out of a few games and practices but that hasn’t stopped him from getting the results he wants.
“My injury did set me back from practicing and playing a couple of games, but that only motivates me even more to work harder,” said Gjuraj. “I want to see results and have my team achieve our goals.”

By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law girls swimming and diving team is ready to make a splash this season.

The team, who has already competed in three meets against Sacred Heart, Lauralton Hall, and North Haven, are eagerly anticipating the season ahead and are looking to win meets and break personal records with their returning swimmers.

“As always our goals are to improve on our times from last year,” said Ms. Paolini, who has been head coach of the team for the past 11 years. “Winning a couple meets would be a bonus but beating the clock is the ultimate victory.”

The team is led by senior captains Haley McNulty, Kelly Scianna, and Alyssa Paladino who are enthusiastic about this upcoming season and about making the girls feel comfortable on the team as well.

“My goals for this season are to have all of the new swimmers feel at home on the team,” Paladino said. “I want them to work hard, get good times, and come back next year because they enjoyed it so much.”

The captains have their sights set high this season, with the entire team qualifying for SCCs and shedding time off of their personal bests a recurring theme amongst the senior trio.

“I’d like to see the girls improve their times and have everyone qualify for SCC trials,” McNulty said. “I’d really like to get my 50 free time under a 27 and possibly even break another school record for it.”

According to Paolini, Scianna, McNulty, sophomore Pamela Olmos, and sophomore Hannah Savoie who competed at the Class M meet last year will be crucial to the team’s successes this season as well as the team’s three divers.

“Many boys teams do not have three divers and some have none. But with girls, you need to have divers to compete,” Paolini said. “We are very fortunate to have three competitive divers in Arielle Eighmy, Maddie Sosa, and freshman Christina Gleason.”

Although the season has just started, captains say the team is already very close thanks to team bonding events such as pasta parties and fundraisers.

“The team has bonded through some pretty fun and interesting pasta parties, to the point where we are on the ground laughing. For late practices, we stay after school together and do homework, but also talk to one another about whatever we need to,” said Scianna. “The team has perfectly meshed together through how much time we spend together! Even when we don’t have a swim obligation to attend, the girls still hang out with one another.”

The team is excited about their meets this season and most looking forward to their meet against Foran, amongst others.

“I’m very excited for our meet against Foran because like every other sports team it’s a crosstown rival and I’m really hoping we can win against West Haven this year,” junior Abby Williamson said.

Paolini urges students to get down to the pool at Foran and cheer on the team at their meets this year, especially at their senior night against crosstown rivals Foran on October 27 at 6 p.m.

“Let’s get the Bomb Squad to a meet to support these girls. Anyone who has tried to be a part of a swim team at Law knows that it is hard work,” said Paolini. “These girls work so hard and would love the support of their peers.”

Check out the team’s full schedule here: http://bit.ly/1QAYVae

Jonathan Law’s spring season featured many impressive team and individual accomplishments. Here’s a recap of each team’s season:

Softball

The Jonathan Law softball had a successful season this year, finishing 11-9 during the regular season and qualifying for the state tournament.

Even though the team lost some important players who graduated last year, senior captains Justine Bannon, Amanda Leone, and Aubrey Bepko, and junior captain Gege Romero did not let that stand in their way this season.

“It was a tough transition because we lost a lot of seniors but everyone who came in stepped up,” Bannon said. “We all get along really well so that made playing together more fun.”

Law qualified for states as the 16 seed and defeated 17^th-seeded Naugatuck 7-5 in the first round. Law advanced to play 2 seed Fitch in the second round, eventually falling 3-0.

According to Romero, some key players who helped them make the tournament are Leone and junior Erin Saley, both of whom were selected for the 2015 Coaches All-State team.

“Erin and Amanda showed up to play every game and came through both offensively and defensively when we needed them which helped our team a lot,” Romero said.

Baseball

The Jonathan Law baseball team, led by junior captains Nick Catandella, Evan Carollo, and Rob Griswold, had a tough season this past year, finishing 3-17. However, expectations are high for next season.

“We just have to keep working and build off a lot of the games we had this season because we had some really close games,” Catandella said.

“We worked hard, played some tough teams this season and things didn’t go our way,” Carollo said. “The good thing is for next year we now know how to handle that and make the best out of how things are going for us and make an adjustment.”

Some players who were key to the season according to Catandella were Griswold and Carollo, and someone who the captains are looking forward to seeing step up next year is sophomore Nick Glorioso.

“We’re a young team with a lot of experience,” Carollo said. “That’s an advantage we will have for next year.”

Golf

The Jonathan Law golf team had a successful season finishing 8-8, an improvement over last season.

The team was led by sophomore Jake Mola who finished the season with a year average of 45. Mola and junior Max Caserta represented Law at the SCC tournament recently at Racebrook Country Club while the entire Law team took on the Platt Tech and Foran golf teams in the Mayor’s Cup.

When asked about the team and this past season, head coach Mr. Koorejian said two newcomers who helped contribute to the team were juniors John Ralston and Matt Marino.

“I’m looking forward to seeing [Ralston and Marino] contribute next year as seniors,” said Koorejian. “We had a good season this year but we’re looking for a greater season next year.”

Mola was also optimistic, saying, “This season was okay but next year is going to be better through practice and new players.”

Boys Lacrosse

The Jonathan Law boys lacrosse team finished 5-11 this past season and is already optimistic about next season.

“This season was better than expected, although we could’ve capitalized in a few games that we were in close battles with the other team that we ended up losing,” said senior captain Jarrod Butts.

Butts and senior co-captain Brady Dennigan cited players such as Tyler Curtin (senior), Logan Danville (junior), Tyler Stein (sophomore), David Patrick (junior), Tyler Cavallaro (junior), and Austin Fratello (sophomore) as players who were crucial to the success of the team this season.

“We performed well against Foran,” said Dennigan, “And we expect the underclassmen to step it up next year to hopefully make states.”

Girls Lacrosse

In their first season as a varsity team the Jonathan Law girls lacrosse team finished 7-9-1 and qualified for the first round of states.

“I think from here we’ll just keep getting better and better,” said junior captain Molly Vargo.

Vargo and senior co-captain Zoe Taylor said that some of their most important players this season were freshmen, specifically naming Olivia Keator, Jillian Parsons, and Colleen Goodwin.

When asked about the team’s prospects for next season Taylor said, “I think there will be a lot of incoming freshmen that will give us a lot of help along with the girls who are getting more experience this year.”

Girls Tennis

The Jonathan Law girls tennis team finished the season with a record of 7-13.

Senior captains Sofya Calvin, Sravya Jaladanki, and Raeven Grant were excited about the way the team played down the stretch and proud that several players qualified for the state tournament.

“Seven wins isn’t what we were hoping for but it’s still a great accomplishment and gives us reason to work even harder next season,” said Calvin.

According to Calvin, the team had many players who were key to its success, such as sophomores Victoria Contaxis, Megan Gleason, Trisha Brady, Maeve Rourke, and Deepika Snethilnathan, junior Emma Shea, and seniors Grant, Jaladanki, and Hayley Sanchez.

The team swept Foran this year for the first time in nearly 20 years.

As for the state tournament, Contaxis qualified as a singles player while Grant and Jaladanki qualified as a doubles team. Both won their first match to advance before being knocked out in the second round.

Jaladanki is optimistic for next year, saying, “We had a lot of young talent this year, and each one of them has now become an even more dedicated, experienced player. With the skills set we have right now, I’m confident that the team is well on its way to meeting and exceeding many of its goals for next year.”

Captains for next year’s team include Shea, Contaxis, and Gleason.

“The girls worked so hard this year and we got better and better as the season went on,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “We gained so much experience this year and our future is very bright.”

Boys Tennis

The Jonathan Law boys tennis team had a solid season this past year, finishing 4-16 and playing up to the expectations of senior captains Amar Almidani, Dhruvit Patel and junior captain Bobby Phong.

“The season went pretty well, we had a lot of new players who all improved throughout the season,” said Almidani. “The veteran players helped all the new players adjust to the game of tennis and being a part of the team.”

According to Almidani, some players crucial to the team’s success were Phong and several doubles partnerships, including Patel and sophomore Manar Almidani and juniors Brandon Macey and Ian Hugo.

Both Almidani and Phong are looking forward to a successful season next year, both as a team and individually, as well. Phong, who qualified for states with a 10-10 record, reached the third round of the state tournament before falling to Avon.

“I didn’t accomplish my goals this year, which were to win the Class M tournament and go All-State, but I’m going to work harder to improve so next year I can go further in the tournament and improve both for Law and in the USTA,” said Phong.

“I expect a lot of improvement [for next year], there are many returning players who will bring the experience they gained this year into next season,” said Almidani.

Girls Track and Field

The girls track and field team, led by senior captains Cori Kalafus, Kelsey Kopazna, Tiffany Coleman, and Holly Stewart, had a very successful season this year with many athletes qualifying for states and even one athlete winning a state championship.

“This year’s season went really great despite having a wrist injury, I was able to PR in all three throwing events-shot put, javelin, and discus,” said Kopazna. “There was also a smaller team this year so I felt like we were more of a family this year than ever.”

According to Kalafus, some key athletes who qualified for SCCs and states were Coleman (100m sprint, 200m sprint, 4×1 relay), Kopazna (javelin, discus, shot put), sophomore Kiki Smith (100m sprint, 200m sprint, 4×1 relay), and sophomore Olivia Steiner (long jump, 4×1 relay). Kalafus herself competed in states for javelin after finishing second at SCC championships, finishing fourth at Class MM States and qualifying for State Open in which she placed tenth.

Another prominent athlete who was successful this season is junior Jessica Centore (400m sprint), who finished first at SCC East Sectionals and SCC Championships, before finishing first at Class MM States and the CT State Open. Centore also broke her own school record for the 400m by 4.52 seconds with a time of 57.38 at the Katsmartzic Meet.

When asked how she trained for the 400 and prepared herself, Centore said, “It was worth it, I think training for my race is better than the actual race but nothing’s better than the feeling of winning a race.”

Kalafus is optimistic about next season, saying, “There are a lot of underclassmen runners who are definitely going to help out the team next year.”

Boys Track and Field

The Jonathan Law boys track and field team , led by senior captains Mick Murray, Max German, and Jeremy Doucette, enjoyed a successful year with many athletes qualifying for states in various events.

“We’ve improved from last year,” said Murray. “Better times, more wins, and more people competed at states. We had some very good relay teams this year.”

Athletes that qualified for states and were undoubtedly crucial to the team’s success include Doucette (800m), junior Mark Dow (shot put), German (pole vault), junior Nick Ferrara (100m, 200m), sophomore Joe Mugford (100m), junior Gabe Haynes (100m, 200m), senior Herbie Pritchard (high jump), sophomore Charlie Fonck (400m), and sophomore Glenn Orpiano (110m hurdles).

“The team definitely could’ve done better this year, but everyone still worked hard and pushed themselves till the very end of the season,” said Doucette. “There is not much else myself, the other captains, or Coach Beler could ask for.”

German is optimistic and believes that next season the underclassmen will step up and fill the holes left by the graduating seniors.

“I believe that we will perform well next season, granted the team will be losing some seniors but there will be some freshman coming in that may have some talent,” said German. “This season we had some freshman starters so hopefully next season will be the same to fill in the spots from the now graduating seniors.”

By Valeria Araujo – Staff Reporter

The Law girls and boys tennis teams have high hopes entering the spring season.

Last year, the girls team had one of its most successful seasons in decades. They qualified for the SCC tournament for the second year in a row, qualified for the state tournament as a team for the first time in 10 years, and won a division title for the first time in 34 years. The team’s 10 wins were its most since 2004.

The team is confident it can repeat many of those accomplishments this year.

“Last year was an amazing year but this year has the potential to be even better,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “The girls have worked so hard since last season to get ready for this year and we have a lot of talent from top to bottom in our lineup.”

The captains for this year’s team are seniors Sravya Jaladanki, Raeven Grant, and Sofya Calvin. Key singles players this year are sophomores Victoria Contaxis and Megan Gleason and junior Emma Shea. Sophomores Trisha Brady, Maeve Rourke, and Deepika Senthilnathan and senior Hayley Sanchez will be important doubles players.

Contaxis said she enjoys how exciting and close some matches can be.

“I love how intense it can get,” Contaxis said.

Several members of the team said they enjoy the family atmosphere that develops over the course of the year.

“With only 16 members on the team, we all become really close during the season and it’s great because it creates an amazing atmosphere that makes playing all the more fun,” Jaladanki said. “It’s actually funny because it get’s to the point at the end of every year where we still opt to practice even after the season is over just because we all love playing and being together.”

Although the boys team only won three matches last season, they believe they have a chance to be better this year.

“As a team we’re looking to get as many wins as we can, and we’re all looking forward to working together so we can all improve collectively,” said senior captain Amar Almidani.

They also plan to redeem themselves this season by training hard and playing even harder.

“Individually, we’re all looking to improve and step up our games so we can get as many wins as possible this year, and the only way to do that is by working hard at practice and showing dedication to the sport is the only way to do that,” Almidani said.

The boys team will be led by junior Bobby Phong, who qualified for the state tournament individually last season.

“One of my favorite parts about tennis here at Law is being able to have a team to support you during the matches,” Phong said.

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law softball team has its sights set on a return to postseason play.

Coming off a second round loss in the state tournament to Sacred Heart, the Lady Lawmen are determined to make it further this year.

“We try to take one thing at a time yearly here,” head coach Ms. Paolini said. “Goal 1 would be to qualify for states and SCC tournament (winning Hammonasset back to back) and after that we would like to make a run deep into the tournaments, possibly winning.”

After the first week of the season, the team is 2-1, including a dramatic walk-off win over rival Foran on April 11.

The team’s captains this year are Justine Bannon, Aubrey Bepko, Amanda Leone and Gege Romero.

“The four of them work really well together and their focus is on team bonding and ultimately, winning,” Paolini said. “They lead by example with how they treat each other and how hard they work. They are all great examples and with a close knit team, anything is possible.”

Even though the team lost four key players last year, the incoming underclassmen will be able to fill those holes. Junior Erin Saley and sophomore Maddie Murphy will also be key contributors.

“Our team this year is pretty young, but I think we have great players filling in their positions,” Leone said. “We have a new lineup. I believe we are stronger than ever and we are always going to do our best in every game we play.”

Against Foran, the Lady Lawmen held a bake sale and all the proceeds went to the Maren Sanchez Memorial Fund. The team will also be having a Breast Cancer Awareness game against Guilford on April 22.

Looking ahead, Law’s Senior Day will be held on May 18 against Sheehan at 4 p.m.

“Its bittersweet playing as a senior,” Bepko said. “It’s hard to think this is the end of my Law softball career but I know myself along with the other seniors are making the most of our last year.”

Bannon has one individual goal as well.

“My goal as a senior this year is to hit a home run,” Bannon said.

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law baseball team heads into this season with their eye on a return to states.

After a tough loss in the semifinals of the state tournament last year against Masuk, the team is looking to win it all this year.

The Lawmen opened up their season last week, and as of April 11, they are 2-1. They beat Career in their season opener, then lost to Amity and defeated rival Foran 14-5.

The captains for the team this season are juniors Nick Catandella, Evan Carollo and Rob Griswold. All three captains bring unique qualities to their leadership roles.

Catandella and Carollo look to lead the team with their pitching skills, along with junior Kyle Frey.

“We have many juniors that have significant varsity experience,” head coach Mr. Simler said. “We were lucky enough to be able to get them ready for this season by getting them into games their freshman and sophomore years.”

Some of the most challenging opponents that the Lawmen will face this season are Notre-Dame West Haven, Fairfield Prep, and Amity.

“I think we’ll have a good chance against these teams,” junior third baseman Frankie Mucciacciaro said. “We have been working really hard during preseason to be ready for whatever the regular season throws at us.

Seniors Charles Knights and Mike Delorio are also looked up to by the other players for guidance and leadership. Knights and Griswold are two big at bats for the team.

“I’m looking forward to see how our team bounces back from losing so many seniors last year,” Griswold said.

The Lawmen are a very tight-knit group. They play for the love of the game and see themselves as a family.

“I’m mostly excited to just be back on the field with the kids I’ve played with since I was little,” Mucciacciaro said.

The team’s seniors are motivated to have a successful final season.

“I’m sad that it’s my final season playing,” Knights said. “But I plan on making it a memorable one.”

By Kayla Patrick – Sports Editor

Law’s track and field teams are expected to have great seasons this year.

This year’s girls captains are seniors Cori Kalafus, Kelsey Kopazna, Tiffany Coleman, and Holly Stewart.

“The captains are fun and take the sport seriously,” sophomore Kristin Frank said. “They are good leaders and are great to go to for help.”

The four captains have high expectations for this year’s team, including placing well at SCCs and states and breaking school records.

“I expect everyone to try their best and help others no matter what event they do,” Kalafus said. “(I also expect them) to cheer each other on and push every to the best of their ability.”

One goal the team has for this season includes winning the annual Katzmarsic Invitational meet that is held at Law.

These goals are more in reach thanks to the arrival of some valuable freshman. Holly Caldwell and Dominika Michnik are key freshman in sprinting events for the track team, and freshman Colleen Hugo will contribute in distance.

“We have many new freshmen that are ready to take on the field,” Coleman said.

Some other key performers for the girls team are sophomores Kiki Smith, Olivia Steiner, and Frank, junior Jess Centore, and the senior captains.

The boys track team’s captains are seniors Mick Murray, Jeremy Doucette, Max German, and Jason Garlock.

Their goal this season includes winning their division and placing well at the state tournament. Team members are also hoping for new school records to be set this year.

“We are a very strong team this year,” senior Giovanni Marzullo said. “We have many seniors that have been to the states meet before and are looking to make it back this year.”

Key players for the boys are the four captains, plus juniors Gabe Haynes and Jason Baker and seniors Tyler Thammavongsa and Sean Rice.

German is attending University of New Haven next year and plans to be a part of their track team.

The girls track team is coached by Mr. Schulte and Miss Wilcock. The boys team is coached by Mr. Beler. Mr. Rhode and Mr. Robinson help coach both groups.

“The coaches are very helpful this year,” Marzullo said. “They are always coming around and working on each individual event every day.”

By Leslie Terres – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law golf team is on par for a great season this year.

The golf team, coached by Mr. Koorejian, has high hopes for this season and features a young group of golfers looking to achieve their goals.

“My goal for the team this year is to be competitive in each match,” Koorejian said.

There was a quite a good turnout for tryouts this year, with not only freshmen coming out for the team but also upperclassmen hoping to play their first year of golf.

“I’m stoked to be playing golf this year,” junior Jaret Petrie said. “I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Ideally, tryouts would have been held at a golf course but due to weather conditions they were held at an indoor facility. Tryouts consisted of a variety of fundamental golf skills including chipping, long drives, and putting.

One of the crucial golfers for Law this year is sophomore Jake Mola. Mola hopes that this will be a successful year for Law.

“Our goal is to bring the Mayor’s Cup back to Law and have a great season for the remainder of our matches,” Mola said.

The team will be competing in 14 matches that pit them against the likes of Branford, Career, Lyman Hall, Sheehan, Wilbur Cross/Hillhouse, and Foran.

“I think our biggest competitor is Foran,” said Koorejian. “We compete best while playing against them.”

In addition to regular season golf matches, the Law golf team will also be taking part in several other tournaments this year including the Mayor’s Cup which will be held on May 27 after the regular season has ended.

“I’d also like to win the Mayor’s cup, I think we’re a good candidate,” said Koorejian.

At a match, there are five players sent out ranked 1-5 and the top four scores are counted. There are no spectators other than players allowed at matches.

“I’m new to the team this year, so far it’s difficult but I’m focusing on improvement,” Petrie said.

After the graduation of last year’s seniors, Koorejian is left with a brand new team and lots of room for improvement.

“I’m looking forward to the season,” junior Matt Marino said. “I’m excited to be part of this team.”

Law is already off to a promising start this season, defeating Career Magnet 212-249, which Koorejian hopes will be the first of many victories.

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

This year, the Milford Indians hockey team ended its season strong with a 10-9-1 record.

The Indians made it back in the state playoffs for the second straight year. The team had a goal of returning to the semifinals, but fell to Fairfield in the opening round.

“The season went really well,” junior Brandon Argyros said. “We made it to playoffs, which no one thought we could do.”

Some of the team’s wins this season included Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford and Amity.

“My favorite memory from this season has to be beating Amity, since they knocked us out of the tournament last year,” senior captain Jarrod Butts said.

This year, the Indians had seven seniors graduate, including four from Law.

“I’m going to miss skating sprints at the end of practice with the seniors,” Argyros said.

Although most of the seniors don’t plan to continue hockey in college, Butts and senior Colin DiPisa said that they would enjoy playing intramural or club hockey.

DiPisa said he has many fond memories of his senior season.

“One of my favorite memories was playing against Guilford,” DiPisa said. “It was my first game scoring two goals in one game and then becoming MaxPreps Player of the Week.”

Other memorable moments for the seniors included playing at Ingalls Rink their junior year, hanging out in the locker room before the games, and the pasta parties.

“Not only am I going to miss the game of hockey itself but I’m going to miss the bond I’ve made with my teammates the past four years,” senior Charles Knights said.

Last year, the Indians held a “Skate For Maren Night” at the Milford Ice Pavilion and are hosting another one on Sunday, March 29.

“I think it’s great that we can all come together for this,” senior Brady Dennigan said. “The Indians act as the skate guards to make sure everyone is safe and to make it a good time.”

Some of the key players for next year include Argyros, Andrew Gobany, and Nash Ericson.

“Even though (we lose) a lot of seniors I think we will be able to grind it out and make playoffs next year,” Knights said.

By Kayla Patrick – Sports Editor

The Law girls basketball team recently wrapped up a very successful winter.

The team finished its season with a 14-6 record and qualified for the SCC and state tournaments.

This year’s captains were juniors Kailee Frank, Erin Saley, Jessica Centore, and Laura Dulin. The team was coached by Mr. Young, and was managed by juniors Nicole Macchio and Seamus O’Reilly.

“Mr. Young has very high expectations for us but he is very motivating,” Frank said. “He teaches us so much and helps us get better at our ‘basketball IQ.’ He works us hard but he is also fun. He is like the dad of our family.”

The Lady Lawmen won twice as many games as they did last year and swept rival Foran. They finished second in their division behind Hand and hosted Kennedy in the first round of the Class L tournament. The game was close throughout, but Kennedy pulled away late to win 62-57.

Several members of the team mentioned how the team is like a “little family” and that they are very close.

“I will miss the girls on the team the most,” senior Amanda Leone said. “They all made this season really memorable and made it a lot of fun. There was never a dull moment.”

The team had many goals coming into the season, including qualifying for the SCC and state tournaments and winning the Christmas tournament they attended.

“One memorable moment of the season was when we beat East Haven in the championship game in the Christmas tournament,” Leone said. “We worked really hard and we never hung our heads. We just stayed focused and won the game.”

Some tough opponents this season included Mercy, Hand, and Hillhouse.

Key players this season were the team’s captains, along with Leone and junior Paige Szygiel. Saley, Centore, and Dulin all made the All-SCC team and Saley made the New Haven Register’s All-Area team.

Saley and Szygiel excelled in the post, Centore played well on offense and defense, and Frank was a defensive specialist.

Dulin was an outstanding offensive player all year. She led the team in scoring at 17.9 points per game, and scored 34 points in a game against Hamden.

“My favorite memory this season was beating our rival Foran at our last home game,” Dulin said.

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

The Law boys basketball team ended its season recently with a strong finish.

The team finished with two wins, but had many close losses late in the year, including a pair of narrow defeats to rival Foran.

“Throughout the course of the season we improved as a team and as individuals,” head coach Mr. Dooley said. “I think we learned a lot of life lesson about ourselves both as basketball players , as young men and for me, as a coach.”

The captains this season were seniors Patrick O’Brien, Jeremy Doucette, and Dylan Vienneau.

“My most memorable game out of the years I was on the team was this year against Guilford,” Vienneau said. “We went into overtime and won by five points.”

The score ended with 68-63. Vienneau led the team with 20 points.

The win over Guilford was the team’s first conference road win in years. The Lawmen are in a very competitive division, which made this a huge accomplishment for the boys.

“I’m going to miss my teammates and coaches the most,” O’Brien said. “The games and practices were always fun, but they became my second family and will continue to be.”

The team beat Lyman Hall 71-62 which was the highest scoring game they had all season.

“The game I will remember the most would be our home game against Foran,” senior Giovanni Marzullo said. “Our student section cheered us on no matter what the score was, everyone played great and even though we lost it was still amazing.”

The graduating seniors this year are O’Brien, Doucette, Vienneau, Marzullo, and Tyler Curtin.

“I’m going to miss playing our cross town rivals Foran the most,” Vienneau said. “The roaring fans cheering my name and all the adrenaline that goes along with it is really a great feeling.”

With five seniors graduating, the team has a lot of room for potential underclassmen being moved up varsity.

“I’m really going to miss the seniors next year,” junior Matt Marino said. “Their leadership on the team is great and it’ll definitely be different without them around next year.”

Ten potential juniors on the team next year gives the team a good outlook for next season.

“They have a lot varsity experience so we hope to improve our record and our competitiveness,” Dooley said

By Morgan Hennessey – Columns Editor

The fourth winter season for Law’s indoor track team came to a successful end.

Records were broken by athletes in all grades and events on the boys and girls sides.

“We had some amazing accomplishments this season,” head coach Mr. Beler said. “This year we set many outstanding records.”

The team worked out together for two hours every day after school. Beler often refers to track as a team sport, something many people tend to overlook.

Senior Jason Garlock, who is one of the captains of the boys team, ran the 55 meter event as well as the 1600 sprint medley relay.

“Being captain of the team was a great experience,” senior Jason Garlock said. “Especially getting to meet new people and all working out together.”

Garlock tied Law alum Justin Sherrick’s school record in the 55 meter sprint with a time of 6.92 seconds.

The boys’ 4×400 meter team included Garlock, senior Mick Murray, sophomore Charles Fonck, and junior Jason Baker. They broke the school record running it in 4:04.13.

Many of the boys broke personal records of theirs. Junior Antonio Gjuraj, junior Mike Lanzaro, and senior Mike DeLorio all made it to the leaderboard for the 100 meter event with outstanding times.

The girls’ team was just as successful this season, as they were led by senior captains Cori Kalafus and Holly Stewart.

“I’ll miss the family bond that grew in my hurdle world throughout my four years on the team,” Steward said.

Stewart said she improved her skills immensely over the course of her four years, and was able to break a school record her last season. She ran the 55 meter hurdle event in 10.06 seconds.

Senior hurdler Hailey Ashcroft broke her own personal records as well in her final season, running the 55 meter hurdle event in just 11.24 seconds.

“Beler always pushed us to new limits,” Ashcroft said. “He believed we could always do better.”

Kalafus broke the school record for the shot put with a distance of 29 feet, 11 inches.

The girls’ 4×200 meter relay team, composed of junior Bryanna Jennings, sophomore Kiara Smith, freshman Holly Caldwell, and sophomore Olivia Steiner, broke Law’s record with a time of 1 minutes and 57.3 seconds.

“Track is a sport that requires a lot of dedication,” senior Emily LaLuna said. “Doing it has made me strong and really keep my motivation up.”

The Nation of Domination has been running strong for four seasons now, and will keep growing for years to come.

“Next year we will be looking forward to even more great things happening,” Beler said. “The athletes give us so much effort and we are all excited for next year to come.”

By Ian Hugo – Staff Reporter

Imagine being a freshman in high school and already holding a school record.Jonathan Law’s Jake Gwirtz knows the feeling. Gwirtz recently broke the school record for 100 meter backstroke with a time of 1:01.13, a record that has stood since 1980.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” said Gwirtz. “I should’ve broken [the record] at the beginning of the season. It didn’t affect my training, it was just annoying.”

Gwirtz, a quiet, humble guy, is all but quiet in the pool. At SCC Finals he finished 14th in the 100 meter backstroke with a time of 1:02.26, at State Trials a time of 1:01.13 and a finish of 14th which broke the school record, and a time of 1:01.78 and a finish of 15th for his second best time in the event at State Finals.

“Jake is a great swimmer with a lot of passion for the sport and it’s great coaching someone who always wants to make every swim his best,” said head coach Asli Kizavul. “I definitely knew Jake was going to break the record, it was just a matter of when. He really wanted to do it before the season ended and he took all of our advice and was able to do it.”

Gwirtz has been a swimmer for seven years, since he was in second grade.

“I started swimming because of my parents,” said Gwirtz. “I wasn’t immediately good at it and I kind of liked it, but I continued to train to get to where I am today.”

Before moving to Milford in seventh grade, Gwirtz lived in West Virginia. As a swimmer, Gwirtz travelled to different parts of West Virginia in order to compete in various swim meets.

After moving to Milford, Gwirtz began to swim for the Hamden Hall Aquatic Club where he swims year-round, minus the school swim season.

Gwirtz came into the season with a goal to set a school record, one which he accomplished during states. Gwirtz broke the school record, set by Don Duncan in 1980, at state trials with a time of 1:01.13, and at state finals broke the previous school record again, however he did not break the time he previously set at trials.

Gwirtz was cool, calm, and collected, saying he wasn’t nervous about the fact he was at states nor was he nervous before his heat.

“Before the race I was thinking, ‘I’m hungry.’ During it I was wondering, ‘What am I going to eat?’ Afterwards my thoughts were, ‘Wish I could be eating right now.’”

Gwirtz said he became aware of his feat when he looked at the board after his heat. According to Gwirtz, his initial reaction upon seeing his time was “Finally.”

“Having Jake in my lane during practice truly benefitted me,” said sophomore Kevin Keramis, Gwirtz’ lane mate in lane 6. “His fast-paced swimming really challenged me to try to swim as fast as him.”

Swimming isn’t Gwirtz’s only talent. He also has a pretty sharp wit that no one, not even his coaches, are safe from.

“Not only is he a fast swimmer, but he also has a lovable sense of sarcasm,” said Keramis. “That [wit] always kept the coaches on their toes and added some humor to the bleak repetition of swimming laps.”

Kizavul is optimistic about what next season has in store for Gwirtz and the boys’ swim team.

“We’re looking forward to him breaking his own record again as well as some of the other ones that haven’t been broken in years and making it to States again,” said Kizavul. “My goals for the team next year are to continue the progress we’ve made so far, continue to get personal bests every meet, and hopefully get another win under our belt!”

Gwirtz says his goal for next season is to set some more records and plans to train in the offseason through long course swimming (In long course, one lap is 50 meters as opposed to short course which is 25 meters).

Although it seems far away, Gwirtz has his sights set on the long term and hopes to be able to swim in college. With the start he’s off to in high school this plan seems more than realistic.

Aside from his feats in the pool, Gwirtz is just like any other kid. When asked about what he does in his spare time, Gwirtz replied, “Sleep,” and said he plans to run cross country his sophomore year in addition to swimming.

When asked about his attitude towards swimming, Gwirtz said, “Sounds like work. That sums it up.”

People wouldn’t think so from watching him.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

Law senior Jarrod Butts recently won the Scholar-Athlete Award from the New Haven Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Each spring, the New Haven Chapter recognizes seniors that have played football and excelled in the classroom. The student-athletes are nominated by their schools and must have excellent grades and participate in school and community activities.

“It was an honor to receive such an award,” Butts said.

While Butts won the award for his performance on and off the football field, he is also a captain of the Milford Indians hockey team and the Law lacrosse team.

“I’m excited to be co-captains with Jarrod during lacrosse season,” senior Brady Dennigan said. “He’s a great leader on and off the field, always giving positive feedback, and I can’t wait to see what this season has in store for us.”

As for extracurricular activities, Butts volunteers at his church doing office work and other various tasks.

“Jarrod is probably one of the nicest guys I’ve met,” senior Kayla Patrick said. “He is such a well-rounded kid and is a great friend to have.”

Butts also excels in the classroom where he takes several Advanced Placement courses, including AP Biology, AP Literature, and AP U.S. History. These classes involve a lot of dedication and take a lot of time out of any student’s day.

“He is always willing to try and help me figure out how to do a problem I don’t understand,” senior Samantha Hudak said. “He doesn’t just give you the answer, he actually explains it.”

Butts’ college plans are not set into stone yet, but he will attend Messiah College, Northeastern University, or the University of Connecticut.

He is looking to get his Bachelor’s degree in engineering, then earn a Master’s degree, and eventually achieve his main goal of becoming an engineer.

“I really want to become an engineer,” Butts said, “I want to make a difference in communities around the world through problem solving and innovation.”

By Kayla Patrick – Sports Editor

Senior Max German has made history at Law.

German is a hard-working student-athlete who is a four-year varsity member of Law’s football, wrestling, and track teams.

He holds the school record in the pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches, was All-SCC and All-State this fall for football, and recently won his weight class at the SCC Class M wrestling meet. This year, he is the captain of the wrestling and track teams.

“Going varsity all three sports ever since my freshman year was the biggest achievement of my high school career,” German said.

This year, German also picked up his 100^th wrestling win.

“Max is a great kid and he had an awesome year for us,” assistant wrestling coach Mr. Ruzbarsky said.

German’s athletic career began long before high school. He was a dedicated member of the Milford Eagles Pop Warner team and the Milford Indians wrestling team growing up.

In the classroom, German’s accomplishments are equally impressive. He was a CAPT scholar as a sophomore, and this year he will be graduating this spring with distinction. Graduating with distinction is reserved for those students who have successfully completed 200 or more community service hours.

In his spare time, German enjoys working hard at his house, on his farm, and at his job at at Parklane Deli. He also enjoys snowplowing and working on his truck.

“He is the epitome of a great friend,” senior Cori Kalafus said. “I know he will be successful in whatever he does in life, and never fails to put a smile on your face.”

German is known to have a positive attitude and a one-of-a-kind personality.

“He is a hard working student-athlete, and thrives for greatness in every aspect of his life,” senior football player Drew Carolan said.

German’ s favorite courses at Law are history and tech ed. He also enjoys his honors Latin class.

His favorite teacher at law is Miss Rosner and his favorite coach is his football and track coach Mr. Beler. He also gave credit to his family for inspiring him on and off the field.

“My role model is my dad,” German said. “Everything I’ve wanted to be in my life is because of him. I want to follow in his footsteps.”

German will be attending University of New Haven and hopes to be a part of their Division II track team.

He will be majoring in civil engineering with a minor in business. One day, he hopes to own a construction business or become a high-end civil engineer.

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

The Law gymnastics team put its name in the school record books this year.

The team finished with a 13-7 record, placed second at SCCs, second at the Class S state meet, and had two members, Tiffany and Melanie Coleman, go All-State.

“This season was definitely one to remember,” senior captain Kayla Patrick said. “The team became so close and we did really well.”

Tiffany Coleman broke the school record with a 9.8 on vault and qualified for the New England Championships in New Hampshire. Head coach Mr. Simon was named the New Haven Register Coach of the Year and both Coleman sisters were named to the All-Area team.

“I’m really proud of myself and my sister,” Tiffany Coleman said. “It feels great being honored for doing something I love.”

Some other key players on the team included captain Kelsey Kopazna, junior Kira Chandra, and sophomore Kristin Frank.

“Our girls worked really hard in perfecting their routines and getting new skills,” Patrick said. “Every meet our goal was to just do our best and that’s exactly what we did.”

The captains said that it was great ending their careers on such a high note and said that they are so proud of everything the team accomplished this year.

“Hearing our name get called for second at states was what made all our hard work worthwhile,” Kopazna said.

This season was extra special for assistant coach Miss LaLuna because these are her first seniors to graduate since coaching the team.

“I’ve watched them grow up these past four years,” LaLuna said. “It’s crazy to think that they are going to college, but I know they are all going to do great.”

The seniors this year were a big part of the team and everyone agreed that they will be missed.

“I’m going to miss how close we all were,” senior Nicole Thibodeau said. “Joining gymnastics was one of the best decisions I made in high school.”

In honor of their last week of practice together, the captains organized a themed practice week.

“We dressed up in PJs, bathing suits, and then had color wars,” senior captain Mathilda Hill said. “I made so many memories with these girls. I’m really going to miss this team.”

By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

It’s only midway through the season, but the Law girls basketball team already has two reasons to celebrate.

The Eagles have clinched a spot in the state and SCC tournaments with their 8-4 record. Wins against Branford, Sacred Heart Academy, East Haven twice, Amity, Foran, North Haven, and Guilford secured their spot.

The team is ecstatic about their entry into the state tournament, especially after falling just a game short last year.

“(The girls) are a team, they work together and are really a family,” head coach Mr. Young said. “I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

A last-second loss to Career in their last game has the girls ready to take on the next challenge.

“We’ve come a really long way since those first scrimmages,” said junior captain Laura Dulin, “I think that this loss will just push us to do better.”

The team is excited and already working towards their next goal. With the SCC tournament on mind, they just want to improve and advance as far as they can.

“Now we want to continue to get better as a team to try to earn a higher seed in both SCC and state tourneys,” Young said.

Young has stressed to the team that their attitude must remain the same the rest of the season. The only way to do that is to work hard in practice and work together.

“We’re family, we are constantly having a good time and it reflects when we play,” Dulin said.

Dulin and fellow junior captains Jessica Centore, Erin Saley, and Kailee Frank have led the team this season. Junior Paige Szygiel has also stepped up for the Eagles, who have battled injuries and illness over the past few weeks, limiting their bench.

The captains try to push the team so they are always working their hardest and still having fun playing the game.

Dulin won Athlete of the Week on Game Time CT after scoring 29 points in a win over Guilford last month. Centore received Tuesday’s Star of the Day from Game Time CT earlier this month as well.

Upcoming games for the girls include Mercy, Wilbur Cross, West Haven, Guilford, Hillhouse, Foran, and Hamden.

By Emily Carroll – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law wrestling team is starting off the year with lofty individual and team goals.

The Lawmen opened up their season with a loss to rival Foran, but have since fared well at their Wallingford tournament and against Hand. The team has been led so far by senior captains Max German, Sean Berg and Tim Rebentisch.

This year’s practices have changed based of the teams they face and to have more time to work on things as a team.

Since German has many years of experience, many freshmen on the team are asking him for guidance to look for ways to be better each day.

“I’ve always wanted to be a leader of the team that has the most wins over any other team in the school,” German said.

Berg doesn’t have much experience, but found the interest with encouragement by the camaraderie of the team.

“It’s interesting, I have all these new freshman looking to me for advice,” Berg said.

Another standout wrestler this year for Law is senior Rachel Escobar. Being the only girl on the team this year doesn’t stop Escobar from wanting to meet her goals.

“I have been really into sports ever since I was young and did a lot of soccer and karate,” said Escobar. “However, that wasn’t aggressive enough for me so I decided to join wrestling.”

Wrestling with the boys at first was a little intimidating for Escobar, but after a lot of practice the team took her more seriously and treated her like any of the other guys.

“They started to view me as a competitor instead of just some girl,” Escobar said.

A goal that many members of the team have is to place at the Class M state tournament. At the end of the season, all the schools in Class M come together for an elite tournament to qualify for states.

“We are aspiring to achieve 20 or more wins this year and take four or more people to the open championships as well as possibly win the B division,” said assistant coach Mr. Ruzbarsky.

According to Ruzbarsky, going to the extra step and competing in the off season is the best way to get prepared. All this year’s senior captains have done this to make themselves strong competitors.

By Leslie Terres – Staff Reporter

The Law boys swim team is beginning its season with a new coach and new goals.

Although many team members are swimming for the first time, it looks like they have a very bright future ahead of them based on their positive attitudes.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone improve their times and forms so that by the end of our season they will be able to look back on the first practice and be proud of how far they’ve come,” junior captain Colby Brennan said.

New members of the team are also excited to get started.

“I love swimming with all my friends and watching (everyone) work hard to improve every day,” freshman Jack Pincus-Coyle said.

The team will be competing in individual and relay events using all strokes. They will compete in 11 meets, not including SCCs and states.

“We have a lot of great talent on the team and we’re working towards breaking some records which I definitely think will happen by the end of this season,” said Miss Kizavul, who takes over as head coach this year replacing Miss Rosner.

For practice, the boys are bussed to Foran, which is also where all of their home meets will be.

Practices consist of a warm-up to start where the boys use pull buoys and kick boards followed by a variety of different workouts focusing on strokes, sprints, and long distances. They also set time aside to work on starts and flip turns.

“I am excited to coach this year; it’s a new experience for me, but because I am a former Law swimmer myself it made the transition a little easier,” Kizavul said. “My favorite things about coaching the team so far are getting to know more students and helping them succeed in a sport that I love.”

The team already competed in their first meet. Even though they fell to Hand, they still seem very motivated to improve and do better as the season goes on. They are focused on personal improvement.

“I love being on the team, all of the guys are nice and I’m looking forward to getting in better shape and enjoying some banter with my mates,” junior Ian Hugo said. “Since there’s not that many kids on the team I think it makes us closer and more like a family, from day one there was an instant bond between all of my team members and I feel like I’ve known them forever.”

The team also has meets this season against Hamden, Haddam-Killingworth, Sheehan, Foran, Lyman Hall, Bunnell/Stratford, Kennedy, North Haven Shelton, and West Haven.

“Our team is filled with great kids with great sportsmanship and camaraderie that would make anyone feel welcome,” Kizavul said. “It’s also a great exercise. We’re a smaller team with a big heart and would love to have more swimmers join us.”

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law gymnastics team is looking forward to a successful season.

The team opens its season on Monday, December 22 against Hamden.

Head coach Mr. Simon and assistant coach Miss LaLuna see bright things in the team’s future.

The captains for this season are seniors Kayla Patrick, Kelsey Kopazna, and Mathilda Hill.

“I’m helping the freshman get used to the way things go,” Patrick said. “I enjoy helping them learn new skills and spot them when they do it themselves.”

The freshmen are a great addition to the team. Many are coming into the season with experience, which really helps the team out a lot.

The gymnastics team is also performing at the next pep rally with an all-original routine choreographed by Kopazna, Patrick, and sophomore Kristin Frank to the new song by Meghan Trainor, “Your Lips are Movin’.”

The seniors have set many goals for themselves in their final seasons.

“Personally, this season I’m hoping to perfect my half on, half off on the vault,” Patrick said, “I want my score to count more towards the team, improving this skill would ensure that.”

Some key members on the team this year are seniors Tiffany Coleman and Kopazna, junior Kira Chandra, and sophomores Melanie Coleman, Madison Sosa, Arielle Eighmy, and Frank.

“Having these girls on the team really help boost our overall team score,” Hill said.

Even though the team only began practicing a few weeks ago, the girls feel like the time has flown by already. They are all excited for their meets to begin.

“This year’s team is so close and I feel like we’re a family,” Hill said, “I know it’s only the beginning but I don’t want it to end.”

The freshmen and other new additions to the team all look promising

“I’m happy I decided to join the team this year,” Coleman said. “It’s like we’re one giant family and it’s so much fun.”

The team faces a few hard teams on their way to their ultimate goals of placing well at SCCs and qualifying for states. Those teams include Daniel Hand and cross-town rival Foran.

“Knowing it’s the last time I’ll ever compete against Foran is sad,” Patrick said. “But I’m ready to work hard and beat them.”

By Kayla Patrick – Sports Editor

Jonathan Law’s indoor track teams began their winter seasons this week.

The team is looking to set as many personal bests as possible and hopes to break several school records along the way this season.

“Indoor track is a sport for anyone to participate,” senior Tyler Thammavongsa said. “Whether it’s long jump, the 55m dash, or shot put, there’s a place for everyone on the team.”

The team is coached by Mr. Beler and Mr. Rhode. Members explained how the coaches are extremely supportive in giving them specific workouts, and helping them with anything in order to improve.

“The coaches always know what they’re talking about,” senior Sean Rice said.

The girls indoor track captains are seniors Cori Kalafus, Hilary Luchetti, Holly Stewart, and Haley Palmer. Captains for the boys team are seniors Jason Garlock, Mick Murray, Sean Rice, and Tim Edson.

The boys’ captains are being helpful to the younger members of the team by showing them proper form and technique.

“The freshmen and new additions this year look very promising,” Rice said. “They’re working very hard and I notice them getting better.”

The goal for everyone on both teams is to get better every day.

“As long as everyone has shown improvement from the beginning of the season until the end, I would consider that a successful season,” Murray said.

Hillhouse, Hamden, Amity, Xavier, and rival Foran will be difficult meets for the Lawmen.

Key players for the boys team are sophomore Joe Mugford, juniors Nick Ferrara and Mark Dow, and seniors Mick Murray and Jason Garlock.

In the boys’ first meet of the season on December 18, many members already qualified for states, including the 4×200 meter relay team.

The girls will be participating in their first meet on Tuesday, December 23.

Key members for the girls’ team are sophomores Kiki Smith, Olivia Steiner, Colleen Rice, and Bethany Edwards, and senior captains Cori Kalafus and Holly Stewart.

The girls said that they are looking to send as many members as possible to SCCs and states.

“These goals will be achieved because we work so hard in the cold weather everyday which shows how committed everyone is and we all give 110% from the beginning to the end and do the best we absolutely can,” Kalafus said. “As a captain I try my best to help out anyone who is struggling with their event, especially shot put and help them so they can be the best they can be.”

The team practices two hours a day, which includes several vigorous workouts. Depending on the person’s event, a practice often includes sprinting, distance workouts, handoffs, and working and perfecting form.

 

 

 

By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

Head coach Mr. Young has high expectations for this year’s girls basketball season.

So far, the girls are living up to those expectations. The Eagles opened their season with a 55-41 win against Branford and a 59-53 win against Sacred Heart, making them 2-0 to start the year.

“We really want to make it states, which is one of our biggest goals,” said junior captain Jessica Centore. “But it’s also important that we work together really well and beat teams that think we won’t win because of our previous record.”

Making it to states is one of the main goals for the girls this year, and they are working to get the eight wins necessary to make it there. After finishing one win short of states a year ago, Young believes that this could be their year.

“The team is looking good, they work hard and they have good chemistry,” Young said.

The key players for Law this year are junior captains Erin Saley, Laura Dulin, Kailee Frank, and Centore, as well as juniors Paige Szygiel and Brooke Hiatt and senior Amanda Leone.

Dulin was named to the New Haven Register’s Preseason Top 25 Players in the Area list. Centore is the team’s leading scorer through the first two games and was named GameTimeCT’s Star of the Day after scoring 15 points against Sacred Heart.

The four junior captains have made it a point to set the tone for this season. The biggest games for the Eagles this season will be against Hillhouse, Hand, Guilford, and rival Foran.

One major focus of the team this year is to get better every day at practice. In order to have the right mindset, Young has been focusing on working hard during daily practices.

“Practices are fun, and practices are difficult so that when we play the games the games are easier,” Young said. “Preparation is making sure that whatever team we are playing, we know exactly what we’re doing and we are ready to adjust.”

“Deserve Victory,” the team’s motto that is recited at every practice, speaks for itself.

“’Deserve Victory’ has to do with the work before you get to the game,” Young said. “You know whether you have done what you need to before, the idea is deserve it before you play it and that’s done in practice.”

Expectations are also high for the boys basketball team this year, as head coach Mr. Dooley believes his team has a lot of promise.

The team won two of its three preseason scrimmages, including one by 40 points.

“We look much improved from the last three years,” Dooley said. “Skill-wise, we have improved our shooting and our defense, and mentally we come in with a better attitude and more focus than we have in past years.”

The team has tried to set the tone at practice this season with tough drills.

“Practices are intense and we’re focused on improving skills and also reviewing offense and defensive concepts,” Dooley said. “I don’t like to practice for a long time. I think ‘get them in, do what you need to do, then get them out.’”

Winning eight games and qualifying for states is a major goal for the team. New and returning players will contribute to the team’s success this season.

“Returning starter Dylan Vienneau and newcomers Nolan Beardsley and Justin McFadden are going to be scoring a lot of points and have been hustling a lot,” senior captain Jeremy Doucette said. “They’re going to be key players for sure.”

The team is working hard with their motto always in the backs of their minds: work hard, play together, overcome the obstacles, meet the challenges, and make sacrifices.

Law will key early season games against Derby, Ansonia, and Lyman Hall. They play rival Foran on January 16 and February 13.

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

This year the Milford Indians co-op hockey team has the ultimate goal of making it to states once again.

Last year the Indians went 13-9-1 and made it to the semifinal round in states, where they eventually fell to Amity 5-4. This year, they’re looking to redeem themselves.

“Our overall goal is to get those eight wins and make it to the states playoffs,” senior Charles Knights said. “We also are trying for a division title.”

The team has been training hard for the upcoming season, starting in the summer with conditioning and captains’ practices.

“I wanted the boys to be able to keep up the intensity the entire game, so we started captains’ practices earlier this year,” senior captain Jarrod Butts said.

The team has seven seniors, four of which attend Law. All four of them said the year is already moving too fast.

“Playing as a senior already is unreal; the time is flying by,” senior Colin DiPisa said. “Before we know it, it’s going to be senior night.”

The seniors have been playing together on the Indians for the past four years, and some also play together on a travel team in the offseason.

“I’ve made such a bond with all the boys, we are more like brothers now,” senior Brady Dennigan said. “It’s sad knowing it’s my last season with them.”

The seniors have also had to step up and help lead the underclassmen. With a handful of new teammates the seniors are really trying step up.

“We’re trying hard to become a closer team,” Knights said. “Chemistry is key on and off the ice.”

With 28 members on the team, the captains say it’s hard to pick just a few key players.

“Without just one person we wouldn’t be able to get the job done,” Butts said. “Everyone is extremely important.”

The SCC is one of the toughest conferences in the state, so the Indians have some tough matches coming up this season.

“Our biggest competitor is probably Branford, considering we beat them to knock them out of the state tournament last year,” Knights said. “They’ll be looking for revenge on us.”

Butts thinks that the team will have to fight for every win because of how competitive all the teams are.

The Indians open up their home schedule at the Milford Ice Pavilion on Saturday, December 20. The team is really looking for everyone’s support this season.

“The team can’t wait to see all the fans ready to support at our games,” Dennigan said.

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

The Law-Foran football rivalry was as intense as ever this year at the annual Thanksgiving Day game.

Both teams put up a tough fight, but Foran pulled away in the second half for a 41-21 win.

The Lawmen said that they added extra practices the week before to prepare for the big game.

“Everyone knew they had to work harder that week,” senior Tim Edson said. “I saw an extra spark of intensity in all the players.”

In the first half of the game, the action was back and forth between the two teams.

Law scored all three of its touchdowns in the first half. Senior captain Giovanni Marzullo returned a kickoff 75 yards for a score and had a 10 yard touchdown run, and senior Max German added a 55-yard touchdown run.

All of the players were proud of how they performed, but they knew the win slipped away after a few mistakes just after halftime.

“We had some costly mistakes in the second half which led to some quick scores,” Marzullo said.

Overall, the team and especially the seniors were very proud of what they put out of that field.

“My personal best play of the game was tackling their QB just after he let the ball go,” senior captain Drew Carolan said. “I’m sure he felt that one.”

The Lawmen said they played their hearts out, and the seniors were proud that they got to finish this game with their brothers by their side.

Looking back, the team had a memorable season.

Law opened the year 0-4, but rallied to win five games in row, defeating East Haven, Sheehan, Guilford, Branford, and Lyman Hall.

“The most memorable moment of the season was the Sheehan game,” senior captain Sean Rice said. “We were down the entire game and then came back to win.”

Law beat Sheehan 35-34 on October 24 when Marzullo intercepted a two-point conversion in the closing seconds.

“When Gio picked off the conversion and the team stormed the field, I’ve never felt so proud to be a part of any program,” Edson said.

This year proved to be one of the best seasons for the Lawmen since 2007, when Law finished 9-1. Marzullo, German, Carolan, Rice, and Mick Murray were all named All-SCC, the SCC coaches and the New Haven Register voted head coach Derrick Lewis as SCC Division II Coach of the Year and the Sheehan vs. Law game was voted Game of the Year by the Register.

“I’m so proud to not only be a captain of this team but to just be a part of it,” Marzullo said.

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

Senior Night was more emotional than ever for the Law volleyball team this year.

Law hosted its first “Dig Purple Game” on Wednesday, October 22, in memory of Maren Sanchez. The game also served as the team’s Senior Night.

The opponent for Senior Night was crosstown rival Foran, which added another exciting component to the evening.

Freshman Maddie Baldieri opened up the night with an amazing performance of “The National Anthem.”

“She did an awesome job,” senior Samantha Hudak said “She sounded flawless.”

This year’s seniors are Kayla Patrick, Megan Gritz, and Martha Smith. They are also the team’s Senior Leaders.

“It was our last home game and it was sad to think that I’ll never play on this court again,” Gritz said.

The girls also honored Foran’s seniors: Ashley Mendillo, Janae Owen, Jenna Zacharelli, and Kayla Ellis.

To fit the game’s “Dig Purple” theme, everyone who attended wore purple. The team also sold purple T-shirts and purple signs were hung around the gym.

On the back on the shirt was a quote that read, “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather an opening where you are shining down to let us know you are happy.” Underneath the quote were the words, “We love you, Maren.”

The game had a lot of meaning to the players and the crowd. The game took place following dedication of Maren’s Memory Garden.

“Knowing that the game was dedicated to Maren, we wanted to play our hearts out for her,” Patrick said.

The game was challenging for the Eagles, who lost 3-0 despite playing a very close third set.

“It being our last game, and more importantly our last time ever playing Foran, it was sad, but I’m proud that we put up a good fight,” Patrick said.

Law ended their season with a record of 3-17, which included one win over Stratford and two wins against Hillhouse.

By Morgan Hennessey – Columns Editor

It has been an incredible season for the Law girls swimming and diving team.

As their fall season comes to a close, records continue to be broken. The SCC meet was held on Monday, October 27, and 25 out of the 37 girls on the team qualified in at least one event.

That is the highest total in head coach Ms. Paolini’s tenure at Law.

“We aim to get better every day,” said Paolini. “This year with many newcomers to the sport, we surpassed expectations.”

During the SCC trials, senior Jamie Loma and freshman Hannah Savoie both qualified for finals in two events each, and will continue on with their season.

The relay squad for finals will consist of juniors Kelly Scianna and Haley McNulty, and freshman Pamela Olmos.

“I’m excited to continue swimming,” said McNulty.

This will be the final high school season for many girls on the team, including senior captains Loma, Melissa Hanania, and Phoebe Herbert and senior Hayley Sanchez. Herbert has been on the team for four years.

“It’s been fun, all of the girls get along with each other,” said Herbert. ”I’m going to miss it a lot.”

Loma plans to swim for Penn State after she graduates from Law.

“I think this season went really well, a lot of personal records were broken, a lot of school records were broken, and I achieved most of my goals,” said Loma. “I’m going to miss my teammates a lot, we were like a family and I’m going to miss them when I will be swimming in college next year.”

This season was Sanchez’s first year on the swim team.

“Being a part of the team for the first year was really cool, to see the support from the team was amazing,” said Sanchez. “I was really proud to be a senior and a part of the team.”

The team finished off the season with a dual meet record of 3-11 and individually, many of the girls achieved personal best times.

Senior captain Kelsey Kopazna joined Law’s Top 10 list in diving and is now second all-time in diving score behind alum Alex White.

Savoie also became a part of the Law’s Top 10 times list. She is close to breaking a school record in the 200 and 500 meter freestyle.

Loma has broken three school records so far this season in the 200 meter individual medley, the 100 meter butterfly, and the 100 meter backstroke.