By Chloe Konareski – Staff Reporter

The Law and Foran softball teams played the annual Danni Kemp fundraiser game on April 26.

Law softball coach Mrs. Blude helped arrange the fundraiser in hopes of raising money for the Danni Kemp Memorial Fund. Danni was an All-state softball player at Foran High School who passed away in 2017 of a brain tumor.

Danni went All-State her junior and senior year of high school and event spent a small amount of time playing for the Stratford Brakettes. 

“We want to remember Danni,” Blude said. “We have players on our team who knew Danni personally and some with older sisters that played with and against Danni. And we want to continue to help supplement the scholarship fund so that scholarships can be given to current students yearly. We sell T-shirts and Foran has a bake sale at the game to help support this.”

The slogan “Danni Strong” has been printed onto many shirts, bracelets, stickers, and are even worn on the helmets of hundreds of softball players throughout Milford.

“Danni was an incredible ball player but even better person,” Blude said. “We celebrate her life to honor her and what she brought to Milford Softball.”

While this was a fundraiser game, it is also the town rivalry game. Both teams prepared and worked hard for the outcome in this rivalry and Foran came out with the 2-1 win.

Law’s players were proud to be able to take part in the game.

“The Danni Kemp game is played every year in order to fundraise money for brain cancer research,” senior captain Nicolina Salanto said. “It is a good way to fundraise but it is also way that Milford keeps the memory of Danni alive. We raised funds by selling T-shirts and inviting friends and family to come watch the game. Foran also played a part in remembering Danni by selling baked goods, T-shirts, and other merchandise. Danni was a kind soul that was loved by everyone and it is important that we remember her Legacy and pass it on to remember that even when it gets hard you keep fighting.”

The purpose of the game is to raise money for those who face the battle that Danni did but also Inspire those who did not know Danni. This game is how both teams – and all of Milford – celebrate the life that Danni lived. 

By Maya Markowitz – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s baseball team recently finished the regular season with a 10-10 record.

The Lawmen are now advancing to states. After beating Weston, they met the qualifications for the Class M playoffs.

The team is extremely happy with this achievement, and excited to move forward. 

“We had a slow start to the season with a record of 2-5, but now we are 10-10, which is enough to qualify for states,” junior Hunter Hoxie said. 

Senior captain Aidan Ryan was impressed with the team after their huge turnaround mid-season. He is hopeful for what the rest of the season will bring. 

“We qualified for the state tournament with a very tough schedule,” Ryan said. “We also won games against teams that we haven’t beaten in a while so I feel we can make a very far run come playoffs” 

This year, Law defeated Foran, their cross-town rival, twice. The team has not swept Foran prior to the current season since 2014. 

The strength of the team all year has been the pitching staff led by Hoxie, juniors Brian Goglia, Jaxson Smith, and Declan Wywoda, and sophomore Michael Merchant.

With the season coming to a successful end, the team was able to reflect on the challenges that they faced. 

“I would say that one of our biggest challenges was the difficulty of our schedule this year,” junior Jaxson Smith said. “We played teams like St. Joseph’s and Notre Dame because of how far we made it last year.” 

One of goals the Lawmen set for themselves at the end of last year was to make it states again. With practice, the team focused on their weaknesses, which allowed them to improve over the duration of the season.

“One of our mantras is ‘get a little better every day,'” assistant coach Mr. McPartland said. “Every day, we make a conscious effort as a team to focus on what we can control and on getting a little better that day.”

The team will have a week of practice before competing in their first round of the State Tournament on May 27. 

By Tanner Matchett and Jack Bretthauer – Staff Reporters

Tom Drew was hired to be the new Athletic Director at Jonathan Law High School on April 21. 

Drew, a special education teacher at Foran High School, was also previously the head football and girls lacrosse coach at Foran hopes to get close to student-athletes at Law. 

“The reason I became a coach was to have a positive impact on kids, and to help them become the best versions of themselves,” Drew said “The bond that is created between coach and athlete during that process is special, being an athletic director will allow me to have a greater impact amongst more student athletes.”

Law Principal Mr. Darcy and Dean of Students Mr. Ragaini knew that Drew was the best choice for the job. Darcy said the “process was intense” and that Law “interviewed several candidates from across the state.” 

“There were two major things that stood out for Tom Drew during the process,” Darcy said. “First, this is a bit of a homecoming for Tom. He actually started his teaching career in Milford at Law before moving over to Foran. He’s going to raise expectations we have for our athletic programs and I’m excited to work with him in this process.”

Ragaini, who has been serving as the interim AD at Law since Mr. Sarullo accepted the AD job at Staples High School in February, said the interview process was a thorough one. 

“The interview process did feel a bit different than other interviews I have been part of recently,” Ragaini said. “Since I have been covering as our interim Athletic Director, I have a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of an AD. I tried to use that lens during the process.”

Coaches and teachers at Law were also involved in the interview process and knew the importance of hiring the right candidate. 

“The Athletic Director is the straw that stirs the drink,” head outdoor track coach Mr. Beler said. “He provides the implements for coaches to do what they do best. A supportive Athletic Director is the foundation to a successful athletic program.”

Girls tennis coach Mr. Kulenych was excited when he heard Drew was selected.

“Coach Drew is a perfect fit for the student-athletes at Law,” Kulenych said. “He knows Milford, he knows Law, and he is going to to continue to lead all of our athletics programs in the right direction.”

By Helen Chizmazia – Social Media Editor

Junior Olivia Hudak is excited for the upcoming girls tennis season. 

The tennis team opened its season with a win over Abbott Tech on April 4.

“I want to better myself this season by really trying to work harder and improve on certain skills,” Hudak said. “Also, putting in the work at practice.”

Hudak is a two-sport varsity athlete. She plays volleyball in the fall and tennis in the spring.

She said she is ready to help lead the team on and off the court.

“I’m most excited about the team bond that we have everywhere,” Hudak said. “I love getting close with my teammates and forming good bonds that last throughout the season.” 

The captains of the tennis team this season are seniors Samantha Burns, Caroline Doyle, and Sabrina Lawless.  

Hudak and Doyle will play in the #1 doubles spot for Law this season. They went All-SCC as a doubles team last season.

“I play my best as a player when I’m most determined to do well and succeed on the court,” Hudak said. 

Hudak’s goal is to continue to improve throughout the season and contribute to the team with her positive attitude and great sportsmanship. 

“My favorite thing during tennis season is the relationships I have with my teammates,” Hudak said. “It makes matches and practices so much more fun.”

By Cesar Mendez – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s wrestling team recently finished its postseason with the SCC Tournament, Class M State Tournament, and State Opens. 

Law had two wrestlers to make it to the State Opens tournament  – sophomore Braydon Hancock and senior Brayden McCourt.

“Both Bradyens wrestled well at State Opens,” Assistant Coach Mr. Ruzbarsky said. “We are looking forward to Brayden Hancock coming back next season and wish Brayden McCourt the best of luck.”

Hancock started varsity as a first-year wrestler and surprised the team and himself with his exceptional wrestling skills.

“I was excited to make states as a first-year wrestler,” Hancock said. “I had no idea or plans to make to the state tournament but as the season progressed, I went from one match to next and somehow made it to states, which came as a shock.”

Law’s wrestlers faced stiff competition at the Class M State Tournament.

“I didn’t do so well at the Class M Tournament,” junior Zack Sulkis said. “The heavyweight bracket was stacked and I was battling a ligament injury in my foot from a couple weeks before that had really caught up to me when I was about to clinch the State Open. This offseason I need to work on more strength training, got to build more core and leg strength and work on becoming more versatile on offense because my offense is virtually the same five moves. I already signed up for more club wrestling with Southside.”

The team enjoyed the regular season and all of the postseason tournaments.

“It felt good to come this far in the season and make it way farther than I would have thought a year ago,”  sophomore Will Smith said. “While I am mad that I missed State Opens by one match, I’m glad I even managed to get this far and next season I have no excuse to not make State Opens.”

Next season, all wrestlers expect themselves  to make big improvements, and those improvements start in the offseason.

“This off-season, I am going to improve my recovery and make sure I’m as heavy as possible at my weight class,” junior Ben Girandola said. “ Im also going to improve my drive and focus for practices so they can reflect in my matches.”

By Chloe Konareski – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys Sprint Medley Relay team and junior Caden Simpson recently competed at the New Balance Nationals in Boston.

The boys Sprint Medley Relay (SMR) team is made up of four runners: Shane Pritchard, Gabe Garnett, Jack Bretthauer and Liam Fedigan. 

The team ran a 3:41.68 in the SMR, setting a new school record by over nine seconds.

“It was such a fun environment to run in,” Bretthauer said. “There was a loud crowd and the announcer even said my name on the intercom. It felt great to go as a team and to get a record with kids that wanted it just as bad as me.”

Bretthauer runs the 400 leg of the relay and ran his best split of the season. 

“It was fun going to Boston with the SMR team for two days,” Garnett said. “This Nationals is my second time going after last year. New Balance did everything right with the track to the colors of everything at the building and the bags.”

At the New Balance Nationals some of the best high school athletes in the U.S. competed. 

The SMR team will now turn its attention to the upcoming outdoor track season.

“My new goal for the spring season is to be as diverse as I can. I want to be able to run everything from the 100M to the 800M,” Bretthauer said. “This will not only help me as an overall athlete but help me provide for every relay that we will have at Law.”

Fedigan will continue his running career next year at Iona University in New York.

“I want my legacy at Law to have a positive impact on everyone,” senior Liam Fedigan said. “Through my hard work and dedication I wish to inspire people to work hard on something they love.”

Pritchard will finish his Law track career this spring as well.

“Law track has taught me not only to be there for one another and to have fun, but always bet on yourself,” Pritchard said. “This is because in the end you’re family and can always achieve higher when you push yourself past your limits.”

Pritchard also ran a 7.30 in the “Rising Stars” 60M Dash beating the school record by less than one second at the New Balance event.

Simpson re-broke the school record in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of a 9.46. 

“Having been the only girl to make it to Nationals this year feels so rewarding,” Simpson said. “I had supportive teammates who brought the season by pushing me to be the best I could throughout the season. Although, this upcoming season my goal is to have not only myself but more girls on the track team represent Law at the national level, because we are all capable of it.”

By Tanner Matchett – Staff Reporter

This past football season was one to remember for Jonathan Law quarterback John Neider.

And the awards keep piling up. 

On January 6, John was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Connecticut, adding to his other awards which included First Team All-State honors. Most recently, Neider was named Walter Camp High School Football Player of the Year. 

“It feels great winning this award; I feel like I am a part of a great group of people,” Neider said. “My initial reaction to winning this award was I was frozen. I remember hearing my name and just freezing up. Everyone started clapping and standing up around me and I was just sitting down frozen. It was awesome.”

Neider attended the Walter Camp Ceremony on Saturday, March 11, where he was selected for the award. 

“The ceremony was awesome,” Neider said. “There were a bunch of great speakers like Tony Boselli and Caleb Williams. There were around 700 people there. It was a great event.”

The award was definitely not handed to Neider. Lots of hard work and long days during the off-season were put towards an incredible season. 

“The off-season for us started the day after Thanksgiving last year,” Neider said. “From that point to the first practice, we were in the weight room and on the field working out at least five times a week.”

For the next four years, Neider will be attending the University of Connecticut to continue his academic and athletic career.

“Go Huskies,” Neider said.

By Truman Martin – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law wrestling team recently finished their regular season with a record of 14-13.

Since then, the teams’ postseason run has also come to a close following SCCs, Class M States, and State Opens.

On February 11, the Lawmen traveled to Branford High school for the SCC Tournament. Everyone battled on the mat and the team had one placement – junior Zack Sulkis, who took fourth place at heavyweight.

Sulkis was the only Lawmen to get a first round bye at the #3 seed in tournament in a very competitive bracket, finishing with a pin in under a minute against East Haven and a come-from-behind pin on Guilford. 

“I had mixed feelings about the placement,” Sulkis said. “I was the three seed and finished fourth which was the biggest thing eating at me as well as how I didn’t get on the podium and finished lower then how I was ranked, I knew it would be a tough bracket and I’m proud of my wins especially the come from behind headlock to a pin on guilford but the losses I took were the only thing on my mind for the rest of the weekend.” 

The following week, Law hosted the Class M state tournament with 28 teams present over the long weekend. The Lawmen put in a great effort with two wrestlers, Brayden Hancock and Brayden McCourt, qualifying for the State Open tournament. 

On the girls side, Megan Velasquez, Sophia Abbaspour, Mackenzie Nichols, and Marissa Wargo competed in the Girls State Championships.

“I’m really proud of how the team did this year,” assistant coach Mr. Ruzbarsky said. 

Law’s wrestlers are already setting their sights on next season.

“I’m happy with how I did this season overall although I’m pretty mad that I missed states by a match.” sophomore Will Smith said. “Next year, I have no excuse not to qualify.”

By Caden Simpson – Social Media Editor

The Jonathan Law boys basketball finished the 2022-2023 regular season with a record that will go down in history. 

With a win against Bunnell on February 21, the boys finished the regular season 17-3 – the second best regular season record in school history. 

“I couldn’t be happier with the result of our regular season,” junior Liam Valvo said. “Not only is our team strong skill-wise but our grit and determination is strong on and off the court as well”.

The #3-seeded Lawmen began Division III State Tournament play on March 8 with a win over Wethersfield. They now advance to the quarterfinals against #6 seed Platt on March 10.

“I had confidence that our team would make it to the quarterfinals this season,” junior Derek Rainey said. “I knew by the way we would perform in practice and our ability to work together on the court.”

Rainey and the rest of the team have full confidence heading into the quarterfinals and even have their sights set on a state championship.

“This is a great year for Law basketball,” Valvo said. “Seeing how hard everyone has worked to get to where we are is incredible and it really shows in the games we play.”

The team has improved each week in practice in order to have the record they have. 

“I am very pleased with the performance of the team from start to finish in the regular season,” Rainey said. “You can see all the work we put in during practice”. 

The team accomplished various goals throughout the season, including making it to states and SCCs.

“Our goals changed throughout the season as time went on,” sophomore Cam Upchurch said. “As we played into SCCs one of our goals was to get further than any other team in school history, which we accomplished.”

This year’s team has been led by its seniors, including Nolan McKenna-Hansen, John Neider, Christian Andriolas, Brendan Buchner, Aidan Ryan, and Lenny Ialeggio.

Although these seniors will have graduated next year, the team is still confident in their ability to make it far next season.

“The team is losing a lot of seniors for next year,” Andriolas said. “Experience from some juniors and sophomores will be key in leading the team next year.”

Until then, their quest for a state title continues March 10 against Platt at Law at 7 p.m.

By Zack Sulkis – Social Media Editor

The Jonathan Law boys swim and dive team has reached the finish line on their 2022-2023 season. 

The team has gone through a rebuilding season this year but has acquired many new, talented swimmers and has seen interest in the sport continue to rise.

“It’s been a great season for the time I’ve been there,” senior captain John Cummings said. “A lot of people have been really fast over just a few months. I’ve made some new friends and they’ve made me a better swimmer.”

The team finished with a 5-7 record this season. The team put up very close scores against several strong opponents, and impressed a variety of SCC teams with how close they were.

“I am very proud of how our season went,” junior Chris Rickard said. “Going from last year after losing many of our All-State swimmers left us in a major deficit in our competitiveness to other teams. During my freshman year, we won a majority of the meets we went to, and being able to see our team see more wins and becoming stronger each year is great. Individually, many of our swimmers made great improvements. Seeing people like John Cummings break the minute on his 100 freestyle, and others achieving personal goals and celebrating is fulfilling to see as a teammate. I can only look forward to what else this team has to offer for next season.”

The team qualified for SCCs and states in several events, including the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay. Individuals such as senior captain Gerold Gutierrez medaled at SCC finals and is a regular competitor at State Opens.

“Gerold has always been a powerhouse on the team, and a star swimmer,” Rickard said. “He is a kind person, and a great teammate, and will be missed when he graduates. We wish him the best in whatever he goes on to do.” 

Senior captain Jake Ackley feels the team has made a large growth in overall quality of their talent. 

“I feel we definitely improved from last year,” Ackley said. “Every meet we went all out and everyone improved throughout the season and at SCC’s the entire team had personal bests in their events.”

By Olivia Hudak – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law girls basketball team recently finished its 2022-223 winter season.

The girls team had a new coach this season, Kevin Wielk. The captains were senior Sabrina Lawless and senior Nicolina Salanto.

After qualifying for states last season, Law was faced with a difficult schedule this year. While they didn’t win a game this season, they competed hard in each game and made significant progress as the year went on.

“The season didn’t go quite how we would have liked it too unfortunately,” Lawless said. “We knew we were going to have a very tough schedule from what we earned last year, and having a completely new coaching staff, but we tried to make the best of it as we could.”

The team fought through the season with team bonding activities. With lots of new players to welcome, they created strong friendships on the court and off of the court.

“For team bonding, we had a very small team this year which worked well with the relationships we had,” Salanto said. “Everyone on the team suited up for the varsity games and we all practiced together. Out of my four years, it was the closest our team has been.”

Girls basketball made noticeable improvements as the season went on. Getting used to new coaching and new members of the team it took some time, but paid off as the season continued.

“As the season progressed we definitely improved,” Lawless said. “We ran through our plays much more smoothly and we were fighting harder on defense.”

Although the season didn’t go as planned, the girls team was able to finish with amazing bonds and memories that they will carry with them.

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law indoor track team recently completed a very successful winter season.

The team had two new coaches this year – Frank Gaines as the head coach and Mike Loschiavo as the assistant coach – and they helped continue the indoor track team’s run of excellence.

Junior captain Caden Simpson said she was excited about how the girls season went.

“I think we exceeded our expectations for this track season,” Simpson said. “Our 4×200 relay with two freshman legs ran at States, our SMR team ran at Opens, and we had girls and boys qualify for Nationals. We had great coaches helping us throughout the season as well.”

In the 4×200, Alani Perez, Molly Croce, Hailey Russo, and Elizabeth Roos ran at States. Simpson qualified for Nationals in the hurdles. 

The captains and coaches thought the team competed well.

“The track team had many kids PR over the season and qualify for meets that you had to hit times for,” junior captain Jack Bretthauer said.

The team, as well as the captains, accomplished many goals throughout the season. 

“We got third place in the 4×200 at SCC Championships and fourth place in the 4×200 at States,” junior captain JT Nelly said. 

The captains are looking forward to next year’s season as they are already setting goals. 

“Next year I am looking forward to building a strong relationship with my team and achieving our goals as captain,” Nelly said. 

With the track team having new coaches, the players and coaches had to build a relationship this winter. 

“First I talked to (Coach Gaines) about how we ran the team last year and what was good and bad about it,” Nelly said. “Then I talked to him about goals I had in mind and goals he had in mind and then we just applied how we both felt to the team.”

This year, there were many new members who contributed to the team.

“A lot of freshman stepped up along with new athletes from all grades,” Bretthauer said. “They all encouraged each other at practice and helped make sure they knew what they were doing at meets.”

Law set many records this season, including the SMR relay team beating the previous school record by seven seconds. This group includes Shane Pritchard, Liam Fedigan, Bretthauer, and Gabe Garnett. 

Fedigan also set school records in the 1-mile, 2-mile and the 1000 meter races. 

By Kaitlyn Goldberg – News Editor 

The Law gymnastics team wrapped up another record-breaking season.

The team was led by senior captain Olivia Coddington, and junior captains Lexi Borecki, Claire Moulton, and Natalie Morrell.  

The team is very happy with how the season went and how they bonded over the course of the season. 

“Our season was a success again this year and we had a great time,” head coach Mr. Simon said. “We were second place in the SCC and qualified for the CIAC tournament.”  

Every year, the team has goals they want to reach, whether it’s getting personal bests or just improving their skills  – and they did just that.  

“This season I reached a few of my goals which were to get personal bests on an event, which I did this year on all of them,” Moulton said. 

Making sure the events are executed in a way that will keep the gymnasts safe is always a priority.

“My goal every year is for a safe season, to have fun, and qualify for the state tournament,” Simon said. 

There were also lots of new members of the team that contributed heavily  to the success of the season. 

“I think the season went pretty well,” Borecki said. “We had a bunch of new people who contributed to the team and Natalie did very well breaking one of the records at the meet.”

One of the most successful things that happened during this season was Morrell breaking the school and SCC record on the balance beam. 

“Natalie broke the school and SCC record on balance beam with a 9.6 at the SCC Championships and she also qualified for the All Around in the CIAC meet,” Simon said.

Overall, the season went very well, the team is happy about their accomplishments, and is excited for next season as well. 

By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor

Jonathan Law Dean of Students Mr. Ragaini has been appointed interim Athletic Director, replacing Mr. Sarullo who recently accepted a position at Staples High School. 

Ragaini will continue to work as the Dean of Students until the end of the year as well. After a formal search ended without the selection of a new AD, the administrative team asked Ragaini if would be willing to fill in for the remainder of the year. 

“I love being the Dean of Students at Law, however, everyone knows I love sports,” Ragaini said. “This will be a good opportunity to get my feet wet a little and for me to see if I enjoy the role of Athletic Director.”

Ragaini is very sad to see Sarullo leave, but he knows that he left the athletic program in great shape and he can’t wait to step in. 

“The reason this decision was made is because he fits exactly what we need right now as far as supporting students, coaches and families as we continue the interview process to find a permanent replacement for Mr. Sarullo,” Principal Mr. Darcy said. “Rags has built so many relationships with everyone and I know he’ll be able to do the job as we move on.”

Ragaini, whp played baseball at the University of Connecticut, has three children – Nico, Bella, and Taya. Nico is a Division I football player at the University of Iowa and will be completing his final season next year, Bella is a junior at the University of Iowa who in high school played volleyball, basketball, and was All-State in track, and Taya is a senior at East Haven High School where she cheers. 

“Rags has experienced athletics from the role of a player, coach and parent and cares so much about our student athletes,” Law softball coach Mrs. Blude said. 

There was a committee of many different people – staff and coaches from Law, Central Office staff, coaches, teachers, parents, and student-athletes – who interviewed several external candidates for the Athletic Director position over the past few weeks. By the end of the process, it was decided that they were not comfortable moving forward with any of the candidates and needed to re-post the position.

They then decided to move forward with Ragaini as interim Athletic Director. 

Ragaini said he will lean on the rest of Law administrative team for help. Assistant Principal Mr. Hoggatt and Principal Darcy are both former Athletic Directors and  Assistant Principal Mr. Marko also has a lot of experience with high school sports as he was a successful basketball coach in Fairfield. 

“The administration will help me with some of the Dean responsibilities on those busy days when there may be game cancellations, issues with the buses, or any athletic concerns,” Ragaini said. 

Ragaini is excited to get started and to work with Law’s spring coaches. He’s also hoping to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

“We have many veteran spring head coaches which will be key as I step into this role,” Ragaini said. 

Law’s spring coaches are thrilled with Ragaini’s new role.

“Rags, a.k.a. the Dean of Winning, has always been a big advocate for Law sports,” outdoor track coach Mr. Beler said. “This role will allow him to help lead the Law sports program on a positive and upward trend.”

Girls tennis coach Mr. Kulenych agreed.

“Rags is the perfect fit for this position,” Kulenych said. “He bleeds black and gold, he knows our school and our student-athletes, and his passion for sports is obvious. We are all looking forward to working with him to continue the success of all of Law’s sports teams.”

By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor and Maya Rosado – Editor-in-Chief

Jonathan Law Athletic Director VJ Sarullo has been appointed to the same position at Staples High School in Westport. 

The news of Sarullo’s departure was announced in early January. Previously, Sarullo was the Athletic Director at Notre Dame-Fairfield and Sheehan in Wallingford before coming to Law. This is now his 17th year as an Athletic Director in the state.

Sarullo will fill the position held by Marty Lisevick, who will retire after 22 plus years as the Staples Athletic Director on January 31. 

Sarullo’s last day at Law is February 28. He said that he is excited about the move but will remember his time at Law fondly.

“First, I will miss all of the student-athletes, coaches, families and staff members that I have the good fortune to meet over my nine years here,” Sarullo said. “Next, I will miss the sense of family that our school community has developed over the years.”

Sarullo also holds the title as the president of the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors and will continue to hold this position at Staples. He also is the SCC Chairperson for girls basketball and softball, which he will have to step down from as he will move from the SCC to the FCIAC.

“I think with any new position, there is some excitement with the unknown,” Sarullo said. “With that said, the parts that I know about are also exciting – 40 teams, 900 student-athletes, great coaches and facilities and supporting families.”.

Many Law coaches described their feelings about Sarullo’s departure as bittersweet. They said they are happy for him and his family but sad to see him leave.

“As our friend and Athletic Director, we are going to miss him, but we are excited for him as well,” girls tennis coach Mr. Kulenych said. “VJ has taken all of our athletic programs to new heights and his support and leadership has been incredible over the years. When he told us about the move, VJ said that his goal when he came to Law was to leave the athletic program better than he found it, and that’s exactly what he did.”

Softball coach Mrs. Blude said she will miss how much Sarullo supported all of Law’s sports teams.

“VJ’s biggest contribution over the years was doing all he could to support the coaches and players but truly caring about the success of the teams at Law,” Blude said.

Boys basketball coach Mr. Anderson said that Sarullo’s impact on Law athletics goes beyond the field or the court.

“VJ’s contributions to our Law family and community are extensive,” Anderson said. “He has been the driving force in reshaping and building our athletic programs to the highest levels of sportsmanship and sustained success.”

This past spring, Sarullo also served as an assistant baseball coach and helped lead them to the Class M semifinal game where they fell short to Woodland. Even with that added coaching responsibility, Sarullo still attended countless spring contests.

“I will miss his presence at games,” Blude said. “When he couldn’t be at an away game because of other teams having home contests, I will miss the texts asking if we won almost immediately after the game ended.”

In his time at Law, Sarullo also had a significant impact on the JLHS Booster Club.

“VJ has been a tremendous partner with the Booster Club since our founding in 2015,” Booster Club President Sherri Franzman said. “With his unwavering support we have been able to do a lot for the student-athletes at Law, like our highly successful Law Nation program that has led to increased student attendance at our sporting events.” 

In the fall of 2022, there were over 1,400 Law Nation admissions to sporting events. Since the program began in the fall of 2017, students have entered games using the Law Nation program over 7,200 times.

Sarullo said he is confident that Law athletics will continue to thrive under the new Athletic Director.

“I know that nothing but success lies ahead for all of our programs,” Sarullo said. “I have loved every second of being a part of the Lawmen Family. No matter where I am, I will always be a Lawman.”

By Truman Martin – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law wrestling team grappled to a win in their first match of the season against Cheshire.

The score was 45-24, and it was a dominant performance by both majority returning and new members of the team, including sophomore Braden Hancock who walked away with a decision win at 126 pounds.

“I was pretty nervous before my match,” Hancock said. “I ended up walking away with the win and I am happy with my performance.”

This year, the wrestling team also has a returning assistant coach in Mr. Ruzbarsky.

“I am very excited and enthusiastic to be back coaching for this season,” Ruzbarsky said.

In other early season results, junior captain Zack Sulkis finished third in a large competitive heavyweight bracket at the CJ McCormack Invitational at Berlin High School. This was the first placement on the podium of the season for the Lawmen.

“My goals are to make sure the entire team is putting in the maximum effort to win matches,” Sulkis said. “The team has a collective goal to go over .500 this year because we got really close last year.”

Sophomore wrestler Will Smith went 5-0 at the Joe Beler Sr. Duals in late December. 

“I was proud of my performance,” Smith said. “I look forward to having more days like that.”

Later this season, the Law wrestling team will be hosting the Class M State Tournament as well as the Jonathan Law Invitational for the first time in three years. 

“I am looking forward to both tournaments we are hosting, a goal of mine is to place at both, most importantly Class M’s,” said Sulkis. “Placing at M’s and qualifying for states in my own school motivates me the most practicing after having to sit out for that tournament last season.”   

By Katie Servas – Editor-in-Chief

The Jonathan Law High School indoor track team is racing for those school records.

This past week, the boy’s indoor track team was invited to run at The Armory in New York for a chance to compete at Nationals. The highlight of the trip was the boy’s sprint medley relay team of Shane Pritchard, Liam Fedigan, Gabe Garnett, and Jack Bretthauer, who broke the school record with a time of 3.44.29.

The preparation for this meeting involved team building and setting goals to achieve throughout the season.

“My goal for the season is to be the best leader that I can be,” said junior captain Jack Bretthauer. “Whether that is helping organize things or guiding kids on how a meet works, I just want everyone to have a fun season that can run smoothly (no pun intended).”

This year’s team by new head coach Frank Gaines, who takes over for longtime indoor track coach Mr. Beler. Beler made the decision earlier this year to step down as indoor track coach due to family obligations.

A handful of captains this season are seniors who are competing for the last time with the team. Many of them have set goals for themselves as well as the team collectively. 

“This season I am most excited to try new things and watch the team grow and have success together,” said senior captain Aislinn Burns. “I am excited to watch the hard work pay off for our athletes and I am also excited to try to get personal records throughout the season as well as make sure I am a reliable and hardworking captain to set an example for the rest of the team and be there for others if they need anything.”

The team includes both boys and girls who compete in events such as sprinting, long distance, shot put, long jump, pole vault, and more. 

There are many events to compete which allows flexibility for athletes who want to try new events. 

“It’s cool being a captain on a big team, and my goal for the season is to make nationals for the SMR and the 55-meter dash,” said senior captain Gabe Garnett. “My other goal is to help younger athletes on the team get better at outdoors or other sports they play.”

Many of the members of the team compete with multiple teams at Jonathan Law as well as some outside of the school. With practices continuing throughout the winter, there is a lot of flexibility with times and scheduling to allow as many athletes to participate as possible. 

These practices have been rewarding for senior captains who have seen growth with younger athletes who are new to the sport.

“Being a captain is very rewarding,” said senior captain Kalli Kinsman. “It’s kind of a full-circle moment for me because I looked up to my captains as a freshman and now I get to help coach the current freshmen so it’s really cool especially since I want to see them get better with every practice and every meeting.”

Though there are multiple senior captains, there are a few junior captains stepping up to lead and support the team.

“I am most excited about how much we are going to accomplish on the track,” said junior captain JT Nelly. “I am very confident in my sprinter’s abilities to perform and represent our team and my  goals for this season are to win the 4×2 at states and to break the school record for a long jump.”

The boy and girls indoor track team is projected to have a record-breaking season as well as many new personal records.

By Helen Chizmazia – Social Media Editor

Sophomore point guard Cameron Upchurch is ready to lead the Jonathan Law boys basketball team this winter.

The Lawmen are off to a 3-1 start this season with wins over Cheshire, Pomperaug, and rival Foran. Upchurch said that he and his teammates are excited about how they have played so far, but they also have bigger goals in mind. 

“Some goals I am planning to accomplish are competing for a state championship and getting better as a team,” Upchurch said. 

Upchurch has been on the varsity team since his freshman year.

“I am expecting my teammates to help me get better,” Upchurch said. 

He started up his basketball career in Bridgeport and played there until he moved to Milford in fifth grade. 

“I expect this to be a great season and we expect a better result from last season,” Upchurch said. 

Upchurch also plays football in the fall.

“This season I am most excited about winning games,” Upchurch said. 

Assistant basketball coach Mr. McPartland is also excited about the potential of Upchurch and this year’s team.

“Ultimately, our goal is to be playing at Mohegan Sun in March for a state championship,” McPartland said. “However, for that to happen we have a number of ‘micro-goals’ including qualifying for the state tournament and winning every practice by getting better each and every day both individually and as a team.” 

McPartland has lofty goals for his Upchurch and the rest of the team this season. 

“Their best. Every single day,” McPartland said. “Our expectation never changes – give us your best every single day and we’ll grow together as a team. I’m certain it will be a great time. Wins and losses aside, every year I look forward to working with the boys, watching them grow individually, and growing as a team.”

McPartland hopes his positive attitude will leave the team in a determined mindset. 

“I love coaching, I love basketball, and I love the relationships I have with each student-athlete and coach that is a part of the team,” McPartland said. 

McPartland makes sure he maintains a good relationship with his athletes. 

“Being around the guys and battling with them every day,” McPartland said. “I really look forward to continuing to build the relationships I have with each of them.”

Overall, the Law boys basketball team has big expectations this season. They are ready to fight challenges that are yet to come their way.

By Harrison Fisher – Sports Editor

The Milford Mariners hockey season is off and…skating.

After a busy off-season and the hiring of a new head coach, the team is ready to take on a tough schedule. The Mariners had an up-and-down season last year, and have been working hard at practice for their upcoming games.

The Mariners’ first scrimmage was against Staples which afforded the team a chance to practice solid plays and form aggressive new lines. The team’s first regular season matchup was a tough matchup against Amity at Bennett Rink in West Haven.

Shaun Malay is in his first year as head coach with the Mariners. Malay has had tremendous experience with CT high school hockey.

Malay is looking to lead the Mariners to a successful year and has done a tremendous amount of preparation and training for the games coming up.

“We are looking to have a successful season in all facets of our Mariner organization both on and off the ice,” Malay said. “A ton of organization goes into running a high school team with any sport. Ice hockey is particularly complex given we are a co-operative team with Law, Foran and Platt Tech. And although our home rink is in Milford, we do not play onsite at any of the schools. There are different procedures across the schools.  We have players from different towns. And yet we need to bring the entire Milford hockey community together, which is a unique and wonderful opportunity.”

Malay’s goal is that the team is greater than the sum of its parts.  

“Creating that ‘whole’ is what I would like to accomplish,” Malay said.  “Although it would be great to win lots of games and play and win our conference and state championship, we really have one goal for the season. It is to show up every day and work as hard as we can. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.”

Malay said he is happy with the effort he has seen from the Mariners to start the season.

“They are a tough and speedy bunch who can skate with everyone we play against,” Malay said. “The players will need to trust themselves and their teammates and always work as hard as they can. And if they do, we should be very competitive this year”

Foran senior Chris Adkins is one of the three captains for the Mariners.

Adkins, who plans to attend Eastern Connecticut University next year to play lacrosse, has played for the Mariners for four years and has become a leader for the club. He has high hopes for this team and looks to set an example for all his teammates.

“A personal goal I have is to develop throughout the games and be able to look back and see areas of improvement,” Adkins said. “Some of the strategies that we have are just working hard in practice every day and getting our team chemistry going. We have been having pasta parties before the games to try and get us closer as a team.”  

Senior defenseman Connor Chirico from Law is also a captain this year. Chirico is a leader on the ice and is ready for a full competitive hockey season.

“I think that we will definitely improve from next year,” Chirico said. “A personal goal is to score a hat trick in a game. A team goal is to qualify for states. My favorite thing about hockey is the relationships I’ve made through the sport. We have prepared for the season by practicing every day. We also workout as a team and have pasta parties to prepare for our games as a team.” 

Chirico said he is excited to begin his final season with the Mariners.

“This season means a lot to me because it’s my final season playing hockey,” Chirico said. “It is also important to me and the team because we want to make a good impression for the new head coach.”

Platt Tech senior Matty Wright is the third captain for the Mariners this season.

The team is encouraging all hockey fans to head over to the Milford Ice Arena this winter to catch a game. Fans can also follow them on Twitter (@MarinersMilford).

By Bobby Black – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law girls basketball team is excited to start the 2022-2023 season.

Law opened its season against Mercy on December 16. The team is looking forward to upcoming games against West Haven on December 20 and Foran on December 22. 

“We’re preparing for the season by just taking it game by game and working on our weaknesses and mistakes during practice improving everyday,” sophomore Chloe Konareski said.

This year, the girls team has a new head coach, Kevin Wielk. Wielk, who takes over for long-time coach Dan Young, was formerly the boys basketball coach at St. Joseph’s.

Last year, the team finished with a record of 12-8 and qualified for the SCC and state tournaments.

“We have a very tough, and well deserved schedule this year,” senior captain Sabrina Lawless said. “To prepare for it we have been working very hard not only in our practices but also going over our plays at home.”

This year’s team has a collective goal of making both tournaments. 

“Some of our team goals are the same as always like making both tournaments but having a new coach this season and some of our goals are different than most having to quickly build new relationships,” Lawless said.

The team wants to continue the momentum from last season and to do that, they need to build relationships with each other the new coaching staff. 

“Losing four starters and our past coaching staff makes it more difficult as well as having a young team, but I think a fresh start is going to be good and think we can be very successful moving forward,” Konareski said.

Lawless said she has set several team and personal goals this season.

“Some of my personal goals for the season are to average 10 points and five assists a game and to make All-SCC,” Lawless said.

By Maya Rosado – Editor-In-Chief 

The Jonathan Law gymnastics team is flipping into the start of a new season.

The team is led by senior captain Olivia Coddington and junior captains Claire Moulton, Lexi Borecki and Natalie Morrell.

The captains have high hopes for the team and want to build a strong relationship with the new girls in order to come out of the season with many wins. 

Despite having a small team, the girls feel ready for their upcoming meet against Oxford and Pomperaug on December 21.

“I’m really excited going into this season, we have a lot of new girls and new talents on the team so I’m excited to see what the season holds,” Moulton said. “With a few more practices I think we are going to be ready for our first meeting next week.” 

The team is scheduled to have nine regular season meets as well as CIAC Championships and CIAC Opens. 

The girls have worked hard in the off-season at their own gyms to improve their skills and master the skills they already have. 

The team has been very successful in recent years, winning two consecutive SCC championships in 2020 and 2021. 

The girls hope to accomplish something similar this season.

“I really hope to go all state this year, I will work really hard to achieve that goal but we will see how the season goes and I hope that this is something I will accomplish,”  Moulton said.

The girls are coached by Pat Simon. Simon competed on the men’s gymnastics team at Southern Connecticut State University from 1965 to 1969. 

Through the years Simon’s coaching style has never changed. 

“You know what I tell the girls: just have fun,” said Simon. “I say to the girls, go out there, show off and have a good time doing it. If they have a score they want to reach and they get it, great. If they don’t get there this time, well we’ll work on it.”

There are many reasons to be excited for the first meet of the year but most of the girls are most excited to get back out on the mat and perform. 

“I am most excited for our first meet of the season,” Coddington said. “Just being able to perform and practice together as a team is the best part.” 

The girls have stayed focused during practice and are hoping for many positive outcomes this season.

By Gabe Garnett – Sports Editor

After coming off an amazing 2021-2022 season the Law indoor track team will step back out on the track in a few days to kick off the indoor season.

Last year’s indoor team finished second at the Class M Championships last year and hopes are high for the 2022-2023 team.

This year’s team is led by new head coach Frank Gaines, who takes over for longtime indoor track coach Mr. Beler. Beler made the difficult decision earlier this year to step down as indoor track coach due to family obligations.

“Due to my family obligations, I stepped down as the head indoor track coach,” Beler said. “I am staying on as the head boys outdoor coach. After a long family discussion, I can not put the night hours that the indoor coach requires.”

Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo hired Gaines as the new boys and girls indoor coach. Gaines then brought in Law alum Mike Loschiavo to be the new assistant coach. Loschiavo ran track and cross country for four years at Law. He plans to help the distance runners succeed throughout the season. 

Gaines has many goals for the upcoming season.

“I want to develop talent, get athletes to reach their PR’s, and build team camaraderie,” Gaines said.

Gaines previously coached football at Masuk and is currently a coach for the football team here at Law. He also coached indoor and outdoor Track at Trumbull High School for five years. Gaines is also a certified personal trainer and a counselor for juveniles coming out of detention centers.

By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor 

The Jonathan Law boys basketball team is ready to have a very successful winter season.

The team starts off their season with its home opener on Thursday, December 15 against Cheshire. The freshman team plays at 3:45 p.m., JV plays at 5:15 p.m., and varsity plays at 7 p.m.

“Ultimately our goal is to compete at Mohegan Sun and get better every day at practice, sophomore Cam Upchurch said. 

The whole team has a collective goal of making it to the state championship together and to improve on their record from last season.

“Every game is a big game and you should take the same approach to every single game because you should never play down to your competition,” junior Liam Valvo said. 

The team’s record last year was 10-12. This year, captains Nolan McKenna-Hansen, John Neider, Aidan Ryan and Brendan Buchner are hoping to lead their team to the postseason. 

“Before our first game we hope to get ready for the season, meaning we are well conditioned, know the plays, and just all around ready for the start of the season,” McKenna-Hansen said. “We have little time, so we need to make the most of our practices.”

The team is hopeful to start off the season by picking up a win against Cheshire. 

“Our student-athletes work extremely hard all season and before we get into gameplay we focus on getting in the best condition possible, so we’re ready to compete,” head coach Jamie Anderson said. 

Upchurch said that on every game day he stays focused during school, gets his work done so that by game time he’s focused and ready to play. 

“We pretty much treat every game the same no matter how good a team is, usually we have a scouting report on them and use that to help guide what we will do in practice the night before,” Hansen said. “But, some games are bigger than others and we just have to be ready and amped up to play.”

The team is looking forward to having a normal season this year with no masks.

“My expectations for this season are very high, I think we have a chance to be great this season if everyone goes hard in practice and stays focused,” Valvo said. 

The boys are very well connected on and off the court which helps them play better and be able to work together to achieve their goals. 

By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor & Maya Rosado – Editor-in-Chief

The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Jonathan Law and Foran drew a huge crowd for the showdown between the two talented teams.  

Foran came into the game with a record of 9-0 and Law entered 8-1. Law came out on top beating Foran 60-29 for the Mayor’s Trophy at at Law on Thanksgiving morning.

Head coach Chris Haley said he was proud of the way the team handled themselves in the much-anticipated game.

“It’s not pressure to me; it’s a platform, 5 or 5,000, we’re expected to play and perform the same way,” Haley said. “This is our community, there’s no pressure, it’s simply an obligation to perform at the level of their expectation, not necessarily deliver a result.”

The game was back and forth for the first half with Law consistently leading till they eventually were able to pull away in the second half. 

“Going into the game I felt really confident that my team would be able to hang in with Foran and I knew it would be a good game,” sophomore Michael Merchant said. 

Senior quarterback John Neider, the SCC Tier III Player of the Year and the game’s MVP, accounted for 377 yards and six touchdowns.

Neider threw for 236 yards and two scores and added 141 rushing yards. 

The two teams came into the game expecting to put up big numbers. Each team compiled for a combined 926 yards of offense, including four touchdown passes.

With all the offense, the game turned on an interception late in the third quarter. Trailing 41-29 and driving deep into Law territory, Foran’s drive was stopped on an interception by Tyler Nethercott at the Law 38 yard line.

Law improved to 25-22-2 all-time in the city series and 9-1 overall this season. Following the win against Foran, Law advanced to play in the Class M State Tournament where they beat RHAM 42-13 in the quarterfinals.

“Our hopes for the playoffs are to make history and to win as many games as we can,” Neider said. 

Merchant agreed.

“Our hopes for the playoffs are to play as many games as possible so that we can make it to the championship game,” Merchant said. 

After their win against RHAM, Law next faces #2 seed Notre Dame-West Haven in the semifinals on Sunday. The Lawmen know they will have to play well on both sides of the ball if they want to win.

“Going in, I know I want to improve more on my tackling,” sophomore Michael Smith said. 

(Game statistics courtesy gametimect.com)

By Lana Hanania – News Editor 

Foran defeated Law 7-0 in the annual Powder Puff game on November 22.

Although the result of the game wasn’t what they had hoped for, members of the team had fun playing and working together. 

“During the game I played aggressively,” junior linebacker Talia Salanto said. “It was enjoyable and fun for me which made it easier to dive at the other team and helped me be a good linebacker.” 

Junior running back and wide receiver Samantha Chy agreed.

“I think I did pretty well – I had a 50-yard run but I could have ran more vertically than horizontally during my other runs to get more yards,” Chy said. “Overall, it was fun and I enjoyed playing.” 

The result did not stop the team from having fun. They enjoyed the atmosphere and excitement of the game and loved competing against their crosstown rivals.

“If I could have done better It would have been to talk with the other lineman more about what we can do individually and together to have defended our offense better, “ senior center Nicolina Salanto said. “Foran’s defensive line came out strong.”

Head coach Mr. O’Reilly said he was proud of how hard the girls fought throughout the game.

“I thought despite the loss we handled ourselves admirably. We never gave up, and we put so much effort into those two weeks,” O’Reilly said. “Moving forward, I think a big thing to focus on next year is to win the battle of the lines. And get as much speed on our offense as possible.”

After the game, junior linebacker Marissa Wargo, who led Law in flags pulled, was named Team MVP for the game.

By Jack Bretthauer – Staff Reporter 

For their rivalry games against Foran, the Jonathan Law boys and girls soccer teams decided to raise money for breast cancer awareness to benefit the Get In Touch Program.

The boys and girls played against Foran on October 27. The Foran girls defeated Law and the Law boys tied Foran 1-1.

The night before the fundraiser, the Lawmen soccer players created signs that were later posted up in the cafeteria. The captains of both boys and girls soccer went around during lunch waves to collect money. 

“While going table to table fundraising in the cafe, we had a lot of people wanting to donate what they could,” senior girls soccer captain Elly van Waveren said. “If they did not have cash on them they would use our Venmo to donate.” 

The fundraising was fun for the teams themselves.

“I had a lot of fun fundraising”, van Waveren said.

Together the teams were able to raise almost $700 for the foundation. 

“Sports are so much more than winning and losing,” girls soccer coach Mrs. Francisco said. “I think that it is important to give back to the community and help instill those values into my players as well.” 

The fundraiser was a great success and had a positive impact on the community. The atmosphere of the games was also affected by the fundraiser as it added more hype to each game.

“I think it makes the girls play a little harder when they play for a cause,” Francisco said. “Of course, we chose to play our charity game against Foran so we were able to raise the most money as it is always a big game.” 

The players also felt these impacts as there were more people at the game.

“The crowd was super loud and all I could hear was the different sides screaming,” senior captain Demi Carrapico said. “On one side of the field you have people cheering you on.”

Boys soccer team members said they were extra focused going into the game because it was against Foran.

“It made us more competitive and more ready for the game because we were hyping it up,” junior captain Elliot Melgar said.

The younger members of the boys team stepped up in one of their first rivalry games against Foran.

“Everyone fought for one another and had each other’s back all game long,” junior captain Cooper Fitzgerald said. 

By Alana Pires – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls soccer team has finished an excellent 2022 season.

Senior captain Sabrina Lawless was impressed with how much the team improved over the course of the season. Law finished with five wins and two ties.

“We did fall just short at the end unfortunately so we didn’t make our goal of making states but in my opinion we had a good season, much better than I thought we would have from the start,” Lawless said.

Lawless is also proud of the individual achievements she had this season, including making All-SCC and winning several other awards.

“My goal from the beginning of the season was to make All-SCC which I achieved,” Lawless said. “I did win a few other awards which I am very grateful for like the GNHSOA Outstanding Female Player, and SCC Fall 2022 Scholar-Athlete Award.”

Senior captain Demi Carrapico said the 2022 season was one to remember.

“I’ve never felt so close to a group of girls before and every single day I got excited to see them and play soccer with them for the next two hours. They felt like my home away from home and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Carrapico said. “The season did end a little earlier than I would’ve liked, but everything happens for a reason.”

Sophomore Taylor Coretti recalled preparing for the season, especially before games.

“I made sure I had a good mindset going into the game and warming up well,” Coretti said. “My teammates did a great job of hyping us all up during and before the game.”

The welcoming atmosphere is definitely an important factor to the incoming freshmen. This year, freshman Fiorella Gargulio, has had an amazing experience with her first year as a freshman.

“It was really great, everyone was so welcoming and I couldn’t have wished for a better high school team,” Gargulio said.

Sophomore Maddy Baranowsky has also seen a lot of growth and development for the team since the beginning of the season.

“I think this year has gone well for me and for the team. I think we grew a lot and learned a lot,” Baranowsky said. “It was also nice that we were able to do a lot of team bonding along the way, which helped contribute to our team bond on and off the field.”

By Harshitha Kothapalli – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls cross country team had an excellent finish to their fall season.

Junior Claire Moulton feels her team has made great progress throughout the season.

“The team has improved so much since our first meet of the season to the last one,” Moulton says. “Everyone on the team made improvements this season and I’m so proud of everyone.”

Moulton is also proud of her achievements this season and is prepared to reach her goals for next season.

“It feels really good to go All-State this season, and for that to be my second time back-to-back is really exciting,” Moulton said. “My goal for next season is again to go All-State and next year hopefully break 20 or get in the low 20’s.”

Senior captain Elizabeth Roos had a great season as a captain and a runner.

“As a captain, I led practices and workouts such as road runs and track workouts alongside my co-captains,” Roos said. “I also helped introduce the underclassmen to the sport, as many of them had never run a 5k before.”

Roos also explained her development from freshman year.

“Personally, I have grown a lot since freshman year. Before I started cross country I had only run a couple of 5K’s for fun,” Roos said. “But since then I have dropped about six minutes off my time.”

Senior captain Maya Rosado shares her favorite memories from cross country.

“My favorite part of cross country is definitely the team aspect,” Rosado said. “You get to meet so many people you wouldn’t have been friends with before and become a family.”

Rosado is proud of her team and her personal accomplishments.

“I’m proud of the whole team, especially the new girls for showing up every day, working hard, and listening to me and the other captains,” Rosado said. 

Sophomore Emily DeLucia is proud of her improvement throughout the season.

“My goal for next season is to continue to improve my times and set a good example for the incoming freshmen,” DeLucia said.

Sophomore Skye Hamilton believes that this past season was great for everyone.

“I really feel that this past season went well for the team,” Hamilton said. “We definitely had a rocky start, but everybody improved significantly by the end of the season.”

By Cesar Mendez – Staff Reporter

The 2022 season for the Jonathan Law boys cross country team was one for the ages. 

This season was filled with new PRs and a bunch of new experiences for all of the runners.

“Some goals I set for myself in the beginning of the year was to improve as a leader and run faster,” senior captain Liam Fedigan said.  “I was able to keep the team together throughout the season.”

Fedigan, along with all of the other athletes, couldn’t have done it without putting their bodies through loads of hard work and practice. 

“Our practices consisted of usually about 20-25 miles per week which included a long five to six mile run after a meet,” senior Rishabh Nair said.

Practices help some of these students-athletes going throughout the season 

“Practices got really hard at times and there were times that I didn’t think I could make it,” sophomore Dalton Evans said. “But, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger so I kept pushing.”

This season was filled with loads of students athletes beating their own PR’s. 

“I wanted to break 20 minutes in a 5K going into the season,” senior captain Dallas Fasanella said. “ I ended up breaking 19 minutes with a time of 18:53, so over all I exceeded my expectations.”

One of the biggest highlights from this season was the performance of Fedigan, who went All-State in his final high school campaign. This is his second time going All-State in his cross country career. 

Members of the team always have a great time running and competing between not just the other schools, but with each other. 

“During practices, I was always looking forwards to run and hang out with my friends,” senior Jake Ackley said.

Having a good time was always on their mind and having parents supporting their kids made it a while lot better.

“Theres a lot of excitement while running,” junior Tanner Matchett said. “Having parents screaming at you to run faster and catch the next person was good motivation.”

Fedigan said he is sad to see his high school career come to a close, but he is excited to run in college next year.

“Now I have to set goals for next year for colligate running,” Fedigan said.  “I will also be setting goals for Law as I will be coming to a lot of meets and will still hold a part in Law cross country.”

By Kayla Markowitz – Staff Reporter 

A group of junior and senior girls from Jonathan Law are preparing for this year’s Powder Puff game against Foran.

Powder Puff is a flag football game with teams made up of junior and senior girls and they play against rival Foran. This year the game will be Tuesday, November 22, at 6:00 p.m. at Foran.

Law won last year’s Powder Puff game 8-6 in double overtime.

“Coaching Powderpuff is so enjoyable because it’s something so new. These are all varsity athletes who learn the sport in just over a week,” Head Coach Mr. O’Reilly said. “They go from not knowing what a first down is to remembering 40 plays in just nine days.”

Senior quarterback Sabrina Lawless is looking forward to playing with the rest of the team 

“We’re definitely clicking together very well, getting through on our runs, knowing where we’re pushing certain girls,” Lawless said. “We’re working together very well.”

Senior running back and wide receiver Elly Van Waveren is certain that they will get a win for Law. For the past two weeks, the team has been working on offensive and defensive skills.

“I strongly believe we will beat Foran again this year,” Waveren said. “Our defense is so strong I don’t see how they could score on us and offense is nonstop perfecting all of our plays.”

Senior outside linebacker Demi Carrapico is pumped for the upcoming game and excited to showcase what the team has been working towards.

“At first it was a bit of a slow start, but we’re definitely picking it up. It’s looking really good,” Carrapico said. “I know that we can implement that on the night we go against Foran.”

Junior Liv Hudak is excited to be on the team and loves collaborating with her friends and teammates.

“We’re all getting used to the positions and we’re doing really well as a team,” Hudak said. “I love that all my friends are there with me and I love the position I am playing.”

The girls enjoy working together and everyone is excited about their upcoming match. 

O’Reilly is confident they can take Foran and get a victory 

“There’s never been a game I coached in, where I didn’t think we were gonna beat Foran,” O’Reilly said.

By Bobby Black – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law boys soccer finished their season with a record of 3-10-3. 

Two of the captains on the team, Declan Wywoda and Eliot Melgar, made All-SCC and the team finished just short of qualifying for states and SCCs. 

“My favorite part of the season was when we tied Notre Dame West-Haven,” Wywoda said. “We were so excited for just a tie but competing with that level of competition and pulling away with a point was great for our morale.”

The team was able to compete against some of the best teams in the state. 

“My favorite part of the season was when we got some good results against top level teams in the state such as Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame, and West Haven,” Melgar said.

The team may have missed out on the postseason, but Melgar said they are proud of the way they progressed despite being a very young team.

“Our team didn’t reach one of our goals of the season, which was to make states, but we did create a foundation to build from with many returning players for next season,” Melgar said. 

The team knows that they have to work hard to prepare for next season. 

“Even though our team didn’t reach our goal of winning the division and making states the team got better each and every game and by the end of the season we were playing at a really high level which I was proud of,” head coach Mr. Gruber said. “Going into next season the boys know it’s going to take a lot of work in the offseason in order to get where we want to go and many seem willing to put in the work so I am excited for what next season brings.”

The team looks to be approved for next season with a lot of returning players.

“I think that our team can improve our aggressiveness and intensity when we play,” Wywoda said. “When we showed those attributes, we showed we can compete with anyone in our league.”

Gruber believes the future is bright for Jonathan Law boys soccer.

Each game is important and the boys know this moving forward,” Gruber said. “I believe the foundation has been laid for a couple successful seasons in the future.”

By Olivia Augustine – News Editor

The Law girls swim team recently wrapped up its season with SCCs and states.

Many of the girls swimmers made states and SCCs this year, with many qualifying both. Two team goals for this season were for the team to qualify for the postseason and improve their individual times.

“From a performance standpoint, our goal each year is to have every swimmer and diver improve their times and scores from the beginning of the year to the end,” head coach Mr. Rosner said. “On a different level, our goal is to have the girls come together as a team, and learn how to be leaders.”

This year, the team took time to get to know each other better. 

“What I enjoyed most about the season would be how close the team bonded and how much fun we had together,” senior captain Olivia Coddington said. “Since our team was so close we were a family and were constantly joking around with each other, supporting each other, laughing, and all around having fun; which is what made this season so enjoyable.” 

Swimmers and divers set goals for themselves to accomplish during the season. 

“Making SCCs and states was a goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the season which I have now achieved,” senior Katie Servas said. “ It was a great opportunity to compete with other girls who have been working all season as well as push myself to swim my fastest.”

The team getting closer helped them with doing better this season. 

“The thing I enjoyed most about this season was seeing how close the team got and how well we worked together,” senior captain Aislinn Burns said. “It was great to see all of our hard work pay off and the amazing team dynamic created by the coaches and team members.”

Swimmers and divers set goals for themselves to beat throughout the season. 

“Making it to SCCs finals felt awesome,” senior captain Macie Rascoll said. “It felt like all of the work that I had been putting in the entire season was finally paying off by being able to move on to the next round.”

By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law volleyball team ended its regular season on October 26 with a 10-10 record. 

The team qualified for the SCC Tournament as the 12th seed and defeated 5th seeded Lauralton in the first round. The Lawmen are now preparing to head into the second round of the Class L State Tournament on Thursday, November 10. 

“We have been working extra hard on all of our weaknesses as a team along with a lot of defensive work,” senior captain Paige Jolley said. 

The team played in the first round of the state tournament, and was able to get the win over Waterbury Career Academy(WCA). 

“The team is excited. They want the W’s,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “They are working harder in practice and discuss the other team’s game play, positioning on the court and help each other out.”

Since the team graduated a lot of impactful seniors, they have had to fill many positions with underclassmen. 

“Our team’s attitude has been really positive going into the postseason,” junior captain Ashley Borecki said. “We are all very competitive and have that drive to win.”

The three captains – Borecki, Jolley and Nicolina Salanto – have all been a huge help to this team’s energy, they have been able to help shape their team and guide their team to these wins. 

“I think the team’s attitude has been very much in the mindset of us wanting to prove something to everyone because our record doesn’t show our capabilities,” Salanto said. “We all want to make it as far as we can and especially me and Paige since this is our last season.” 

Jolley and Salanto both played volleyball all four years of high school and both played full varsity for two years.

“I think the girls are more intense and aggressive on the court toward the end of the season since they are more trusting of each other’s game play,” Loch said. “They start to “mesh” as a team a little more and play better together.” 

Salanto has kept a very specific game day routine this year. After school, she leaves 45 minutes before the team needs to be at the gym to go to Walgreens to get a Peach Mango Bang. She then goes to school and parks in the same spot and waits 40 minutes until they have to be in the gym because of how excited she is.

Salanto then said every game day she has co-captain Borecki do her hair even if it’s as simple as a braid. 

Loch said she has he own routines before each match.

“I always have to write out my lineup visually in court positions and always high-five Paige before she goes on the court for each set,” Loch said.

Jolley made All-SCC Second Team this year. She also broke a school record for the amount of digs in one game with 52 against Lauralton.

By Tim Firla – Staff Reporter

The Law boys soccer captains lead the team in what hopes to be another successful season. 

The boys soccer team is currently 1-4-1 on the season. The four captains for this year’s team are senior Oren Sedelmaier, junior Declan Wywoda, junior Cooper Fitzgerald, and junior Eliot Melgar.

“It is a great responsibility,” Wywoda said. “This team is super young and I look forward to working with the younger guys and seeing them improve. It comes with many responsibilities and I am ready for all the challenges to come because I know that if we work hard and work together we can win.”

Players are also excited to be back into the swing of things and are looking forward to upcoming games.

“I’m excited for the rest of the season because after our great team performance last night against Notre Dame we showed we can compete with anyone,” Sedelmaier said. “We showed fight and proved we aren’t going to be an easy team to beat and our future opponents have to watch out.”

Head coach Mr. Gruber had high praise for all four of his captains. 

“Cooper Fitzgerald is determined, loves soccer and is a leader on and off the field, Eliot Melgar is the best communicator on the team and pushes his teammates to get the best out of them, Declan Wywoda is a multi-sport athlete that brings wealth of knowledge and what displays what hard work means both on and off the field, and Oren Sedelmaier plays a huge role on the team by always working and looks out for everyone on the team making sure we are as one unit,” Gruber said.

Everyone has a positive attitude and feeling towards the team. They all have a different connection to the group.

“I feel good about the program,” Melgar said. “It is well run and I have high hopes for a good season.” 

Every captain has made a special effort to make the team stronger and make them all feel like they are one big family. 

“They are good leaders,” sophomore Christian Mead said. “They are always trying to get the best out of our team.”

By Tanner Matchett – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law football team is off to a strong start in the 2022 season. 

The team has wins against East Lyme, Bethel and Bassick and Branford. The team has been led by senior quarterback John Neider and senior linebacker Jack Sellmen. 

“Being 4-0 just comes along with all the hard work we have put in the offseason,” Neider said. “The major difference between this year’s team compared to past years is how much everyone has invested into getting better in the offseason.”

Captains Neider and Sellmen provide great examples for the team, keeping their heads high and pushing them to be the best they can. 

“They have been guiding our team and have been keeping us in check,” sophomore Michael Merchant said. “We have pasta parties on Thursdays before game day and we just go over our plays.” 

The team has performed to a high level, scoring points in bunches in their four wins so far this season. They have scored over 40 points in all four games this season (46-0, 48-0, 49-7, and 45-21). 

“We have to stay consistent by keeping each other up and staying confident,” junior wide receiver Michael Neider said. “We are all confident and trust each other which is the most important thing.” 

The Lawmen have seven games left in the season with games against Lyman Hall, Guilford, Stratford, Sheehan, East Haven and their cross-town rivals Foran on Thanksgiving. 

The team has a bye week upcoming and will take time to recover and get ready for its next game, and a chance to go 5-0. 

By Kayla Markowitz – Staff Reporter

The Law girls soccer captains are ready to lead the team to a great season.

The girls soccer team is off to a 3-4-2 start which includes wins over Lyman Hall and Shelton. This year’s season is led by three captains: senior Sabrina Lawless, senior Demi Carrapico, and senior Elly Van Waveren.

“Responsibilities about being a captain are making sure you are a leader on and off the field and always being there for your teammates so they can always have someone to rely on,” Carrapico said.

This season, the girls are working hard towards all of their goals and getting new to all the new freshmen and new players on the team.

“At the start of the season, we knew we were getting a lot of new players so one of our team goals definitely was to learn how to play together ’cause we’re a very young team,” Lawless said.

The girls are working towards learning to play together and adapting to all the new players on the team. They are also working hard on new skills.

“So with that, using a lot of communication, stuff like that, focusing on communication, just learning how to play together is one of our biggest goals going throughout the season,” Lawless said. 

The team is also working hard toward other goals like SCCs and states along with beating their rival, Foran, this season.

“Some team goals would, of course, have to be beating Foran this year and making either states or SCCs,” Carrapico said. 

The captains also agree that the soccer team is like a second family to them and the girls are very close-knit.

“My favorite part about being on the soccer team is how much they feel like a second family to me,” van Waveren said. “We’re all very close and love hanging out outside of soccer.”

The girls are all held to high expectations and have leadership responsibilities. All three captains have many responsibilities in order to have the best season they can have.

“To be honest, they have exceeded my expectations of captains,” head coach Mrs. Francisco said. “Being good leaders on and off the field is a given. I also expect my captains to unite the team, enhance the team chemistry, keep the team organized, and share their ideas on how to better the team during practices.”

The captains also want to do their best to make this team feel like a family for everyone in order for the best season possible

“I feel that the captains make the team come together,” freshman Fiorella Gargiulo said. “Without them, I think we wouldn’t have as strong a connection as we do. Being one of the four freshmen on the team, I was really nervous with everything new, But, Elly, Demi, and Sabrina made everything more relaxed.”

By Harry Fisher – Sports Editor

And they’re off!

Two weeks into the fall sports season, the Jonathan Law boys and girls cross country teams are off to an incredible start. These teams have put in a tremendous amount of time practicing to get better.

Coach Phillips, Coach Schulte, and Coach Loschiavo have been supporting these student-athletes daily after school and on the weekends. These veterans know the ins and outs of every course, and are ready to develop and motivate all runners. 

All-State runners Liam Fedigan and Claire Moulton have hit the ground running. They showed their dominance on the Sheehan course last week and are ready to lead the team to victory in future Invitationals.  

In the first meet of the season at Sheehan, the top five Law runners for the boys team were Fedigan, who ran a 17:19, Jake Ackley at 20:51, Matt Berendt at 21:51, Dallas Fasanella 21:28, and then Tanner Matchett at 22:40. 

The Law girls came out strong and were the largest girls cross country team in attendance at Sheehan last week. Moulton finished second overall.

Fedigan has been a leader for the boys for three years now. He has had two terrific All-State seasons, and he looks to have an outstanding senior year. He passes his work ethic on to the other runners and is constantly working to motivate the team to try their best.

Coach Phillips is excited to see what the boys team can accomplish this season.

“I have always looked forward to the beginning of the season,” Phillips said. “The excitement for a cross country runner when his goals are met. As we work toward the league in-state meets, our daily practices contain hill work out and finishing strong at the end of a race with good form. We always talk about working together to lower our time. I have always said that if we can get five people under 20 minutes we would be competitive with most teams and we are getting close to that point already. We are led by Liam Fedigan, but already seeing lots of improvement by Jake Ackley, Matt Berendt, and Dallas Fasanella along with Tanner Matchett in our top five.”

Moulton also set high standards for the team and relentlessly encourages everyone to run their best race. 

“I’m very excited for the season and happy to be back together with the team,” Moulton said. “Something I want to accomplish this year is getting my time to sub-21 (minutes) and to make the First Team SCC this year, which I hope to do considering freshman year I made SCC honors. Then last year I made the SCC second team. Making the first team would definitely be fun.”

Coach Loschiavo has high hopes for the teams as well.

“I am so excited to see for the season to start,” Loschiavo said. “I feel like we have a great team this year and a special group of runners that are eager to run and strive for success whether inside or outside of the classroom. One thing I want to accomplish this year is to have every runner at least run better than they did at the start of the season and watch them progress. I think some of the keys that might help law push toward SCCs and states is working every day to get better and better and to put in work even outside of regular practices. I feel like this will be better for you in the long run and make the team have a better result at SCCs and states. The number one thing I would like to accomplish this year is I would love is to see is our top 7 run under 21 minutes. The reason for this makes us more competitive when we get to the bigger state and SCC meets.”

The team is motivated to compete and is on pace to make its mark in the Connecticut cross country scene.

By Bobby Black – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law football season began win a win over Bethel on September 9.

The team is looking to start strong this season under head coach Mr. Haley and captains John Neider and Jack Sellman.

“Our team has been preparing for Bethel by studying film, working hard during practice, and by staying focused,” Neider said. “We are staying healthy and keeping ourself in good shape to prepare for the long season ahead of us.”

On September 2, Law faced Brookfield in a scrimmage to get prepared for the regular season.

“No one is ever fully prepared to play Week 1, so we treated Brookfield as Week 1,” Haley said. “I believe we’re ready to go, and if you ask the team, I think they’d agree.”

The football team finished 6-4 last year.

“Our goal remains the same – to first represent our values in the way we conduct ourselves; second, win the division; and finally, put ourselves in a position to be practicing on November 25th,” Haley said.

This year, Law is in Class M for the state playoffs and the SCC (Southern Connecticut Conference) for the regular season games.

The team opens up their season with two away games but get to suit up in their black uniforms for East Lyme as their home opener on September 23.

Although the season has just started, Haley is looking forward to two very important games in the second half of the season.

“Game-wise, no big secret here, Branford and Sheehan,” Haley said. “All the one week at a time cliches apply, but those two are definitely on my radar.”

In the season opener, Law defeated Bethel 46-0.

Cam Upchurch returned an interception for a touchdown and junior Amadeus Betancourt had two touchdowns to lead the Lawmen to victory.

“This game doesn’t matter much next week,” junior Michael Neider said. “We will look back on the game but then move on from it and improve for next week.”

Photo courtesy Eric Relucio

By Truman Martin – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law boys soccer team started the fall season Saturday at home against Hamden. 

They look to keep the momentum going after an impressive season last year. Their record was 16-2-1, which is the best record that Law has had in over 20 years

“This season I’m most excited about stepping up and competing against the best teams in the state erach game we play, because If we want to be the best we have to beat the best and our main goal is to win our division and states.” Boys Soccer Coach Mr. Gruber said. “It won’t be easy but we will be a hard working team that never quits and strives to get better each and every day.”

The boys soccer team has lost a lot of players since last year. Last year’s team had 12 seniors, so the new and remaining players have some pretty big cleats to fill.

“We are feeling pretty good about how we are going to do,” Senior Captain Oren Sedelmaier said. “We lost a lot of people last year but we have returning players who are ready to step up into a bigger role.”

The upperclassmen, while still setting goals for themselves this year, also have their sights set on preparing the underclassmen to step up in the coming years.

“We have a very young team with a lot of potential.” junior Cooper Fitzgerald said. “Their development is my top priority for this season, as it can set us up for success next season.”

With these expectations, the newer players are setting their own personal goals for this season as well.

“My main goal for the season is to make the state tournament and become a team that can compete with the other top teams in the state.” Sophomore Ryan Nastasia said. “We play some of the best teams in the state, including SCC champions and Class L semifinalists Xavier, SCC semifinalists Notre Dame-West Haven, Fairfield Prep who is always a strong State Champion contender, and Daniel Hand who has won 3 of the last 4 Class L State Championships.”

By Caden Simpson – Social Media Editor

The Jonathan Law girls soccer team kicked off their season on Thursday, September 8 with a home game against Hamden.

The team’s next home game is September 27 against Lauralton Hall, and the team could not feel more confident about upcoming games. With several incoming freshmen and the varsity team growing, the girls soccer team is in good shape for the 2022 season. 

“This summer the girls spent two days a week conditioning and completing agility workouts,” head coach Mrs. Francisco said. “ The girls are also participating in summer league games to prepare for this season.”

The team has many goals set for this season, one of them being making it to states.

“My goals for this season would be to have a winning record and make it to states,”  senior captain Elly Van Waveren said. “I hope the team can connect passes and have chemistry on and off the field to improve performance.”

The teams has multiple big games coming up, including an away game with rival Foran on October 10. 

“The Foran game is the most important game of the season,” senior captain Demi Carrapico said. “Because Foran is our rival school everyone comes out to watch, making it really exciting to play.”

The team has another game against Foran on October 27 at home, which is the last game of the regular season.

“I am really excited for this season,” sophomore Maddy Baranowsky said. “We have some big games coming up and I think that our team will play really well together, despite losing some of our strongest players.”

The girls soccer team lost several seniors from last year’s team, but Francisco is optimistic about this team’s performance this season.

“Graduating seniors will always be missed, however this season’s captains are doing an incredible job of stepping up and helping the younger players find success at the same time,” Francisco said. “The best players make those around them great’ and I think that encompasses our team to a ‘T.’ I’m excited to see all of the success that our team earns.”

Senior captain and goalkeeper Sabrina Lawless is not worried about the team’s performance this year either.

“I think the team will really pull through,” said Lawless. “Although we lost strong players, I believe that our team will be able to play together well and have the ability to build chemistry with one another to better ourselves on the field.”

By Maya Rosado – Editor-In-Chief 

The Jonathan Law girls volleyball team kicked off the new season with a win over Brookfield on September 12.

The girls have been putting in work everyday and have high hopes for the season. The team is led by three captains: seniors Paige Jolley and Nicolina Salanto and junior Ashley Borecki. 

“For this upcoming season we are definitely right on the cusp of being ready,” Salanto said. “We lost five seniors so this is a new group at the varsity level but we’ve been working hard since the first day of tryouts and the growth and improvement is very visible day to day.”

The team has a busy game schedule with 19 games between September 12 and October 26. 

“It will take some time to prepare and get used to playing next to a new person,” head coach Ms. Loch said. 

The team is very excited and hopes to show their skill in the state tournament. 

“We all have high expectations as a team and we are constantly striving to get better,” Salanto said. “Our goals are simply to not only qualify for states and SCCs but to go deep into the tournament.”

There is a lot to look forward to as the team moves into the start of their first game. 

“This season I am just very excited to play, we have a really solid team with awesome people,” Borecki said. “The dynamic is so fun, and I can’t wait to see it all come together on the court come game time.”

The girls always have a lot of fun together and bond really well. Players on the team often look forward to simple things like being around their friends. 

 “I am most excited for the bus rides and games,” junior Helen Chizmazia said. “I also enjoy just having fun with my teammates and getting to know everyone.”

The girls also have different goals they want to achieve individually.

“I really want to work more on my swing and get it the best it can be so I can get kills,” Borecki said. “Also, defensively I want to be more consistent with my passes and make it easier on the setter.”

Overall, all the players aim to improve themselves to make the team even stronger than years prior.

By Helen Chizmazia – Social Media Editor

The Jonathan Law girls swim team recently dove into its fall season.

The swimmers have been preparing by doing dry land captains practice and swimming over the summer. Team members are hoping to have a successful season. 

“I think as a team we will do really well and I think we will compete really well,” sophomore Ella Franzman said. “I’m super excited to see how we do this season.” 

Franzman is a sophomore who has been on the team for two years. 

The season’s first meet was on September 8 at 5 p.m. at Foran against Woodland. 

“The first meet went well,” junior Gianna Gagliardi said. “We, unfortunately, did lose by 12 points to Woodland High School but we kept our sportsmanship and still had a good time and competed to our best ability.”

Gianna Gagliardi placed second in the 200 freestyle at her last meet. 

“The people who stood out at this meet were Natalia Gagliardi and Olivia Coddington,” Gagliardi said. “Natalia made states in her 50-yard freestyle and her 100-yard freestyle”.

Sisters Gianna and Natalia Gagliardi have been swimming for Law girls swimming together for two years now. 

The team also competed with a 200 freestyle relay performed by Aislinn Burns, Gianna Gagliardi, Sarah McCann, and Natalia Gagliardi. 

“Olivia Coddington qualified for states as well, her dives were amazing. She scored a 195.20, well above what is needed for states, (160 needed for states) she was outstanding,” Gianna Gagliardi said. 

Senior Macie Rascoll is in her fourth year competing on the Law swim team. 

“My favorite part of the season is getting to spend time with each other and bond at activities like pasta parties and secret psycher,” Rascoll said.”Another one of my favorite parts is when we push each other to get better and it all pays off in the end.”

There are three captains on the team this year: Coddington, Aislinn Burns, and Rascoll. 

“I think as a team we will do great things this season, we lost a lot of seniors but we also have lots of incoming talent and I’m very excited to see what we do,” Rascoll said. “Overall we have a great team and such a tight-knit group so I think we will be successful while having fun at the same time.” 

Burns said she enjoys her role as captain.

“To prepare for this season I swam over the summer to get back in shape, and I helped run captains practices to meet the team and start conditioning for the season,” Burns said. 

She added that some of her favorite swim memories have come outside the pool.

“My favorite part of the season is getting close with the team, having fun, showing sportsmanship, and watching the success of all of my teammates,” Burns said. “I love when our hard work and dedication pays off.”

Mr. Rosner coaches the Law girls swim team along with assistant coach Mr. Lui. One of their team’s goals is to make it to states and SCCs for the 2022 season. 

“My favorite part of the season is the postseason,” Franzman said. “The postseason is my favorite because I really think about how hard I’ve been working all season to get to this point.”

Last season Franzman made it to SCC and State meets in multiple events. 

The Law girls swim team will continue to improve throughout the season and keep competing in various meets. 

“I am hoping that I will end my Law swim and dive career on a successful note, especially after all of this hard work,” Rascoll said. 

By Helen Chizmazia – Staff Reporter

Law’s girls and boys track teams finished the 2022 spring season strong. 

The teams were very successful as a whole with several athletes going All-State. They placed well in the SCC and state meets and had athletes qualify for the New England Championships and Nationals as well. 

“I loved that the students went into each meet looking to improve and PR,” girls track coach Ms. Corriveau said. “There were so many times that I asked individual athletes to step up to a challenge and they ran with it – no complaints.”

This is Corriveau’s first year coaching girls outdoor track. She was impressed by how close the track team became as the season went on.

“To me, it seems that most of the bonds are made on bus rides and in the bleachers,” Corriveau said. “Spending hours together in one location for a meet really helps kids to create a community of friendship.”

Corriveau has years of coaching experience from volunteer coaching for indoor track and field. 

“Even when things seem to be going downhill (rain delays and timing issues) I always remind the team that it might not be perfect, but we’re together and we are making memories that we will look back on and laugh about next year,” Corriveau said. “Our shared experiences really tie us all together.” 

Junior Shane Pritchard has competed on the track team for two years. 

“There were a ton of overall accomplishments not only individually but as a team, we won the Quinnipiac Division title,” Pritchard said. “We broke the school record in the 4×100 and we qualified for nationals in the 4×100 as well.” 

Pritchard is a sprinter for the indoor and outdoor seasons. Pritchard is a member of the 4×100 boys team that has qualified for Nationals. 

“Team bonding is important to make sure we all stay focused and get things done when we need to; it improves the team so much by helping one another out and showing us we aren’t just a team we’re a family,” Pritchard said. 

On the girls side, sophomore Caden Simpson went All-State for the past two years in a row. Simpson qualified for Nationals in the 55M hurdles. 

“This season I went all state and came in 9th at New Englands for the 300M hurdles,” Simpson said. “I think it was a good season for me although there are definitely things that could be improved on.” 

Simpson said she enjoyed the season on and off the track.

“The friendships we’ve all created with each other makes us a better team, and personally I know that I would not be where I am without my teammates and coaches being there for me and supporting me throughout the season,” Simpson said. 

Senior captain Aiden King had a standout season for the boys team in the pole vault.

“We obtained a divisional title which was great,” King said. “We have a few kids participating at Nationals. At states, we came in third place despite being one of the smallest schools in our class size.” 

King was the state champion in the pole vault which led him to go All-State for his senior year. 

“I set several personal goals for myself in the beginning and I was able to accomplish the majority of them,” King said. “I obtained the school record in the pole vault with a jump of 13 feet.”

Working and training during the off season helped King reach his goals. Team bonding really helped King in his athletic career because sportsmanship was one of the things that drove him. 

“The great thing about the kids on this team is that everyone is here for each other,” King said. “We are all flexible to help one another out.” 

For the girls, senior Sydney Simpson was one of the team’s standout performers.

“My favorite part of the season this year was watching the growth of both myself and my team,” Simpson said. “Everyone put in their best effort this season and it was incredibly rewarding to watch all their hard work pay off. One of my favorite memories this season was beating Foran at our last home meet. It was also one of my better meets personally.” 

Simpson said she will miss the bonds she shared with her teammates this season. She will attend Yale University in the fall. 

“The team spends a lot of time together between meets and practices, even going to the beach after practices if the weather is nice,” Simpson said. “I think this really added to our success on the track because we wanted to see each other do well and everyone cheered each other on.” 

By Harrison Fisher – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law golf team recently finished a tremendous 2022 season.

The team closed out the season with a 9-5-1 match record. Every member of the golf team improved from the start of the year and the starting lineup has achieved some personal best scores.

One of Law’s goals each match was to have the starting lineup shoot in the low 40s so they could continue to be competitive in every match. 

Mr. Koorejian has been the Law golf coach for the past 20 years. He worked hard this season to ensure the team had the right chemistry to achieve victory. 

“We had an excellent season,” Koorejian said. “We are very happy with all the young talent and how our scores improved throughout the season. All of our goals were met. We improved individual performances from last year, made States, and even defeated Foran twice this season. We really had a successful year.” 

Koorejian said he is already excited for next season to start.

“The next step for us is for this year’s players to return next year,” Koorejian said. “Playing over the off season, improving skills and even getting more players for the team would be a great addition.”

Mr. Maurutis has been an assistant coach to Koorejian for the past two years. As a former Law golfer himself, he knows what the expectations are for every match. 

“The season went very well,” Maurutis said. “We consistently improved throughout the season, and I am proud of the hard work our players put into every round. They were all committed to improving their scores. I believe we accomplished many of our goals this season. We consistently improved our scores, had many highlights, and competed in the State Tournament at Tallwood Country Club.

Maurutis said he is excited for the talent that is returning nest year.

“There is definitely room for improvement,” Maurutis said. “However, we competed and beat many teams this year. We are a very young team, which is a good thing. We need to keep practicing and continue to lower our golf scores.”

Maurutis mentioned several highlights from the season, including Anthony Fino making a 20 foot putt to beat Sheehan by one stroke, the team’s lowest score of 176 against Shelton, Jaden Archuleta’s consistency of scoring low, Dylan Soule’s eagle against Branford, and the team’s performance at the State Golf Tournament.

Archuleta is a sophomore golfer and was the best player for Law throughout this season. He shot in the low 40’s several times and was the leading scorer for Law. One of his goals is to have the entire starting lineup to shoot in the 40s.

Senior Anthony Fino was a role model and a leader for all of the new Law golfers.

“I think we had a really good season as a team and individually,” Fino said. “I did not know what to expect having lost six kids from last year, but everybody played really well and had a better season then I expected. I did accomplish all my goals this season. I wanted the team to have a winning record and myself to have a winning record. We both accomplished those goals. I am very happy with the results we had this season. Going 9-5-1 is a big accomplishment for the team. It also shows that there will be an improvement because most of the match players expect for me we’re all underclassmen. I think the biggest thing I can do to improve my scores is to work on my chipping because the short game always can improve my score. I think the biggest moment of the season was against Sheehan at their home course. We were tied coming to the last hole, and I made a 15-foot putt to win the match by one. That was definitely a big moment for the team and myself because Sheehan is a really good team.”

The Law golf team’s goal is to continue to improve their scores over the next couple of years and to continue to build on this program for generations to come. 

By Isabella Gecaj – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys lacrosse team recently finished a successful spring season and achieved a goal it spent five years trying to reach.

The boys lacrosse team won six games in the regular season, the second most in school history. They also won a home game for the first time in five years.

“Our goal as a team was to get a home win this year and we accomplished it numerous times,” senior captain Luke Henricksen said. 

Head coach Michael Ayala said he knew the boys would persevere this season. 

“I knew it was going to be a tough year,” Ayala said. “But by the end of the season we had built some chemistry. Furthermore, the culture and attitude I hoped to instill had come to fruition.”

Ayala looked beyond skill and dove deeper into the attitude of his players. He looked for certain attributes.

“The always ready mentality (R- respect E – effort A – attitude D- discipline Y- Why not US..) and also the tradition of “Long Live Law”, where the names may change but the traditions will remain,” Ayala said.

The team sees its growth and aims to do more.

“I think we improved tremendously as a team as we won lots of tough games and we were only one game away from states which is a big improvement from last year,” junior Connor Chirco said.

Several Law players set individual records this season.

“We broke a few records such as the single game points record which was set by Luke Henricksen with 12 points total (7 goals, 5 assists) and the single game scoring record set by Conor Chircio with 8 goals in one game,” Ayala said. “Likewise Conor Chircio received Second Team All-SCC honors.”

The Lawmen grew individually and as a team. 

“We improved with better chemistry and feel for the game as it’s a team sport and having good chemistry is very important,” junior Louis Sabo said. “I improved on my saving ability along with communicating with my team on defense where they need to be and when they need to slide.”

Not only were they able to do more with their games, but they were also able to do more outside of competing.

“This year we were really happy to have our first team dinner in a long time, we also had an awesome family vs. players game and senior cookout event, and we had our second annual girls vs. boys Law lacrosse game,” Ayala said. “All these events and fans really made this a special year and I look forward to doing it all over again for years to come.”

By Zack Sulkis – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys tennis team has completed its 2022 season with a hard-fought match against Joel Barlow on May 31 in the Class M State Tournament.

The team was missing two of their veteran players, putting them at a disadvantage from the start, and they lost 5-2, including two matches that went to tiebreakers. 

“I feel we had an excellent season, especially coming off a record breaking year and graduating nine seniors,” head coach Mr. Maxwell said. “We played a much tougher schedule and still finished 12-8 while qualifying for the state tournament. We battled in every match and grew so much on and off the courts during the season, which matters most.”

The team had one of their toughest schedules ever and still had many hard-fought matches. They managed to hold their own facing most of the top teams in Connecticut and even had captains Dan Folloni and Julien Roy qualify for the doubles state tournament. 

“Dan is by far the best player in Law mens tennis history and I believe him and Julien were probably the most dominant doubles team, at least in recent years,” sophomore Arshaq Ahmed said. “The match against Joel Barlow was just unfortunate timing due to the fact we knew we were going to be missing two seniors but the scheduling unfortunately couldn’t be altered. Still proud to be a part of this team.” 

The team is losing some major talent with five starting seniors graduating but Maxwell has faith in junior Rishab Nair to lead the team next year, as well as other members of the team who will be returning. 

“I started playing tennis last year and I began playing tennis because my brother played on the team and he told me to join,” Nair said. “I like tennis for the competitive nature of the sport and how there are many ways to improve and become better.”

The team became very close with each other on and off the courts this season, everyone on the team had nothing but nice things to say about each other.

“I feel like we had a great season with all of us trying our hardest and getting along so well and it definitely showed in our scores,” freshman Sean Luxeder said.

By Maya Rosado – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law girls tennis team recently wrapped up its season with an exciting finish. 

The girls ended their regular season with a record of 13-7 and were seeded #14 for the 2022 Class M Tournament. 

Law beat #19 seed Ledyard 6-1 in the qualifying round and fell short to #3 Branford on in the first round. 

The team has had many accomplishments this season including one of senior Lucia Pino who broke the school record for career wins (59) with her victory against Ledyard in the state tournament. 

Pino breaks the record previously held by Monica Pydipati (Class of 2019) and did it in less than three years.

Law also had three girls make the SCC All-Conference team: Pino and first doubles players Caroline Doyle and Olivia Hudak. 

“I feel like the season went extremely well this year, and I’m so proud of everything we accomplished,” Doyle said. “Everyone put in 110% and I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

The team bonded extremely well and the girls created lots of new friendships. Leading the group was senior captains Pino and Sophie Maselli. 

“The best part of the season was getting to travel as a team for states,” said Pino. 

Doyle said she was happy that the season was more “normal” than the last two years.

“The best part of tennis this year was easily being able to do things that we couldn’t last year,” said Doyle. “We had pasta parties and went out to eat after away matches, and through those we got a lot closer as a team.”

The girls are very happy with how their season went and strive to be even better next year. 

“At the beginning of the season we wrote down personal goals as a team and one of my main ones was to become more consistent with my serve,” junior Sabrina Lawless said.  “I definitely felt happy with my improvement.” 

Pino also qualified for The State Open Individual Tournament at Wesleyan University on June 6. She advanced to the second round and had a hard fought loss to the #1 singles player from Joel Barlow.

“The season went very well, as I felt I was able to succeed individually and as a team,” Pino said. 

Head coach Mr. Kulenych was very impressed with the girls this season.

“Coming into the season, we had a lot of players in new spots, and as the season went on, we had to deal with rain, injuries, and a very difficult schedule,” Kulenych said. “But the girls stay focused and continued to work hard and I could not be prouder of how the season turned out.”

Kulenych said while he is excited for next season, he will miss the team’s three seniors – Pino, Maselli, and Nihitha Kothapalli.

“Our seniors have been incredible leaders on and off the court for us the past four years,” Kulenych said. “It’s impossible to put into words what they have meant to our team. They are incredible players but even better people and they can’t be thanked enough for everything they have done for us.”

By Christian Andriolas – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law baseball team recently finished the regular season with a 12-8 record and were able to make a good run in the state tournament. 

After beating Waterford 9-1 in the Class M quarterfinals, the Lawmen played Woodland in the semifinals. Despite losing 3-0, the team is happy about the season. 

“We were very happy with how the season turned out,” junior Cole Pleimann said. “A lot of people doubted our talent, and we proved those people wrong. The most important thing in any sport is to have fun, and that is exactly what we did. We built a community as a team and raised the standards of being a lawmen baseball player. We became a family throughout the year, and I could not ask for a better team.”

With the regular season coming to a close, the team learned a lot about themselves and what helps them win. 

“We learned that if anything goes wrong we will have each other’s backs,” junior Jeanero King said. “We knew if we played as a team and believed in each other, everything would come together.” 

Despite losing the last two regular season games, the team still had hopes heading into states.

“After a couple good practices after the losses, we were confident going into the first round of states,” sophomore Brian Goglia said. 

To start the tournament, the Lawmen got a 9-0 win in the first game fueled by a great pitching performance from senior captain Jaden Wywoda. 

“I felt our team played one of our best games yet,” Wywoda said. “Our defense made plays and I felt fantastic throwing. My slider was the best it was all year and I was able to locate my fastball wherever I wanted.”

The second game against Watertown was an 8-7 nail biter, where the team came back after being down 4-1. 

“I went in knowing that I had to keep the game where it was,” junior Aidan Ryan said. “After I got the final out of my first inning the bats woke up and it was a breath of fresh air. After that inning, I went in pitching with a lead but the fatigue soon got the best of me when I handed it over to Brian, who closed the game out and had one of the better performances of the year.”

By Olivia Hudak – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls lacrosse team finished the season with a record of 7-10. 

This year’s varsity captains were Lindsay Konlian, Hailey Boyle, Avery Fletchner, and Maya Rosado.

The girls team qualified for the state tournament and lost a hard-fought game against Fitch in the first round.

“I feel the season went well,” sophomore Helen Chizmazia said. “The team had a lot of fun playing together and learning about the sport.”

The team is happy about their achievements this season and how far they were able to go with their record and qualifying for states. 

“The season went great individually and as a team,” Rosado said. “We reached our goal and qualified for states and had a lot of new players make a big impact on the field.”

This season, team members formed very strong bonds with one another that worked towards their chemistry on and off the field. 

“The best part of the lacrosse season this year was getting closer with my teammates,” Konlian said. “I enjoyed getting to know everyone, especially the freshman. I am sad that I will be having to leave them.”

Overall, the girls were extremely happy with the team and individual accomplishments they were able to achieve.

“My personal goal was to score three goals in one game,” senior captain Hailey Boyle said. “I was able to do in our game against New London so I did achieve my personal goal.”

By Caden Simpson – Staff Reporter

With a record of 19-4, the Law softball team recently finished one of its best seasons in years.

In the state tournament, Law won its game against Killingly (6-3) on May 31 but lost a close game against Bristol Eastern (5-4) on June 1. 

“This was such a fun ride,” softball coach Mrs. Bludé said. “We know we have talented players but to be able to go far and make memories that will last a lifetime for each individual is even more important than the record.”

Members of the team not only showed their love for the sport but for their teammates, which enhanced their ability to play well together.

“When I say the girls love each other, I say it with no exaggeration,” Bludé said. “We have always instilled the idea of FAMILY and with each season comes a tighter and tighter bond.”

The team worked hard this year to make it as far as they did and the effort showed.

“There was never a dull practice,” All-State shortstop Talia Salanto said. “We had such a great dynamic on and off the field which made it easy for us to really play as a team for games and work hard while practicing.”

The seniors were big staples of the team this season, but the team is excited for the roster it will bring back next year.

“The team is definitely losing some of the most valued players,” All-SCC Second Team catcher Nicolina Salanto said. “But we gained and continue to have valued players on the team which will help go even further next season.”

Senior captain Grace Kantor said that much of the team’s success this season could be credited to the girls’ closeness off the field.

“We made it to the SCC Championship game and the second round of states, which would not have happened if not for the teams grit and dynamic,” senior captain Grace Kantor said. “Our record would not be the way that it is if not for the pasta parties, team bonding, and overall love we have for each other. It’s going to be really hard to leave a team as great as this one.”