By Caden Simpson – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law volleyball team kicked off its season early September, and after eight games has a record of 4-4.

The team plays rival school Foran for the second time on Monday, October 4.

“I am confident about our next game, mostly because of our win against Foran last week,” senior hitter Avery Fitzgerald said. “I think it upped our confidence for future games. I think our win against Foran was really strong, and showed how we can pull ourselves out of a one game loss.”

Not only was there support on the court, but off of it as well. Law volleyball is now allowing spectators to come to the games, after a year of COVID-19 restrictions. 

“Spectators really do help in a game,” sophomore hitter Ashley Borecki said. “They bring up the energy when we get down on ourselves”.

Though players and spectators still need to follow mask mandates, varsity could not be happier they have their student section back.

“As opposed to last year, it’s definitely a big change to have spectators supporting us,” senior Sydney Simpson said. 

The team’s schedule is back to normal as well.

“This year we have a regular season 20 games and regular tournament play,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “The only COVID restriction is masks.”

Loch and the varsity team have high hopes for tournament play this season.

“As a team, I think they have the same goal – going to postseason and state tournament,” Loch said.

Simpson said the team is confident in its ability to make states.

“I think we will make it to states this year because of the chemistry our team has,” Simpson said.
“I think that both on and off the court we are really a family.”

Borecki agreed with Simpson.

“I feel like we have a good relationship amongst all of the team members, and that’s been really showing through our latest games,” Borecki said. “I think we will go far this season if we keep this up.”

JV coach Ms. Reed is also excited to see how the season plays out and how the team gels the rest of the way.

“I’m really excited for the rest of the season and to see how far we can go,” Reed said.

Law has 12 games left before the postseason with high hopes of reaching its goals. 

By Gabe Garnett – Sports Editor 

The Jonathan Law girls swim and dive team is off to a great start this fall.

After coming off a 4-4 season and moving up a class this year, the team is 1-1 through September 14.

“The season is off to a great start and I’m thankful that we’re back to swimming in person meets,” assistant coach Mr. Lui said. “The girls have been giving 100% in every practice and I’m excited to see their hard work pay off in the coming weeks.”

Since last year, a lot has changed when it comes to COVID-19 rules. Meets were held virtually last year, but now limited amounts of spectators are back for the first time since 2019.

Swimmers also have to wear masks on deck regardless of vaccination status.

Everybody on the girls swim team has been working their hardest and doing their best at every practice. Twenty-three swimmers posted personal bests or times within a half second of their personal best at their first meet against Woodland.

“I am feeling very optimistic,” senior captain Makenna Sharpe said. “This year, we were moved up a class so we are expecting to see some strong competition and I am really hopeful that our girls are going to perform well.”

On September 14, Law beat Sacred Heart Academy 95-76.

“I am feeling pretty good about the upcoming season,” senior captain Emma Savoie said. “It’s my senior year and I know that the team is in great hands with head coach Mr. Rosner and assistant coach Mr. Lui.”

Lui said he loves what he has seen over the first few weeks of the season.

“The team culture is fantastic,” Lui said. “The girls support each other in every way possible which makes for a fun and competitive environment. The upperclassmen have been doing a great job providing leadership for the newer swimmers. We’re definitely on track to have a successful season.”

By Kaitlyn Goldberg – News Editor

The Jonathan Law volleyball team has an exciting season ahead. 

The season starts on September 13 at home against Brookfield. The team is excited for the year to start and all have similar goals for what they want to accomplish for the season. 

“This year our goal is to play as a team, come in strong and fill in the vacancies our seniors left,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “Our goal is always to make it to the SCC and state tournament.” 

The team has work hard this offseason to accomplish the goals they want to achieve. 

“To prepare for this season, we had conditioning sessions throughout the summer to help us get in shape, and there is also a volleyball summer league based in Woodbridge to help us practice our skills before the season starts,” senior captain Sydney Simpson said. “There are also various clinics and club teams throughout the year that a lot of the girls on the team participated in.”

This year, the team is ready for a full schedule after playing a condensed season last year due to COVID-19. 

“I’m most excited to watch our team grow together and increasingly get better,” sophomore Caden Simpson said. “I think we can have a good season this year if we put enough effort in. I am also excited to play with everyone again.” 

One exciting addition this season is that spectators will be allowed at home games.

“Last year, we didn’t get to have spectators and this year we are also able to have a full season and play more teams in the SCC,” Loch said. “Last year we played a certain set of teams in our area and only had 12 games.” 

Team members also have individual goals they have set for themselves. 

“My personal goals are to improve my arm swing so I can get more power on my hits, and get my sets more accurate so the other hitters can get kills,” sophomore Ashley Borecki said.

Sophomore Kiley Sherman has similar goals and wants to improve on her serves. 

“I’m hoping I can get a kill and have a streak of five serves,” Sherman said. 

By Bobby Black – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law football is off to a hot start after a long stretch away from the field.

The team beat Guilford 34-7 in its season opener on September 10 in its first 11-on-11 football game since 2019.

“On the field we are all working very hard, practicing like Law has never practiced before, a whole new coaching staff, and everyone being locked in for the season,” captain Spencer Hannon said. “Off the field, we go out to eat as a team, out in public, in school we’re all friends and happy to be around each other. I think this is the best family I’ve felt from a team in awhile.”

The hard work and teamwork paid off against Guilford. The win was the first of head coach Chris Haley’s Law career.

Ever since last year’s COVID-restricted 7-on-7 season ended, the players have been training hard to get used to the normal 11-on-11 football. 

“There are two training days per week but there is extra training,” sophomore JT Nelly said. “I am preparing by doing contact drills because last year you couldn’t enforce contact in games.”

There are still some COVID rules that are being enforced throughout the first part of the season. They include wearing masks in locker rooms. 

“Our team needs to follow all the rules to ensure that we get a full season of football,” sophomore Jack Bretthauer said.

The Lawmen will play a total of 10 games in the regular season.

“As a team, a program, my personal goal is to show everyone how football has never changed, yet it needs the right people to steer us in the right direction,” Hannon said.

The team’s next home game is Friday, September 17 against Bassick.

By Sydney Simpson – Editor-in-Chief 

The Jonathan Law boys and girls soccer teams have a promising season ahead, with the boys season starting on September 9 as they face Career/Hillhouse at Lawmen Stadium and the girls taking on East Haven at home on September 14. 

The teams each have similar goals – to make the SCC tournament and to do well in states. The boys team also has an additional goal of winning over nine games, which will give them the best record that Law has had in over 20 years. 

“I’m really excited to see this team develop from the start of the season to the end of the season,” said boy’s soccer coach Mr. Gruber. “I am also excited just being around the team and watching them mature both on and off the field.”

The girls soccer team has lost several starting players, and they have a new coach, but they are keeping as optimistic as ever and are confident in their abilities. 

“Some people may see us as the underdogs because we have a new coach (Mr. Rodriguez) and a lot of seniors who have graduated, but I’m ready to prove them wrong and get this season started,” said senior Shelby Green. 

The players are using this “underdog” status as motivation to work hard and be better both on and off the field. 

“We did lose a few starting players from last year, but I feel if we commit to working hard and pushing ourselves we can have a good season and make sure the seniors have the season that they deserve and focus on what is ahead of us,” said junior Demi Carrapico.  

Both teams are confident for their upcoming season and ready to dive in, but contrary to the girls team the boys have 12 returning seniors this year. 

“The team is projected to do very well this season due to our talent and ability to play fast, we have a vast majority of players that know the game well and are confident on the ball,” said senior captain Ryan DiMuro. “We have players that want to win and will do everything in their power to do so.”

Both teams have been working hard in the off season to prepare for this year’s competition, with summer conditioning sessions and club opportunities. 

“During my off season, I am with my club team in the winter and spring playing and training with them,” said Carrapico. “I have training three times a week and then two games on the weekend, so I am always out on the field and making myself better in any way I can.”

While the players may have different strategies for dealing with it, they all agree that being nervous comes with the game. 

“Nervousness will mess you up during the game,” said DiMuro. “You have to be in complete control of yourself and be calm and confident.”

By Kaitlyn Goldberg – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls tennis team recently completed a historic spring season.

Law finished the regular season with a 15-1 record, won the SCC Division II Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the first time, and advanced to the semifinals of the Class M State Tournament.

The team was led by head coach Mr. Kulenych, senior captain Jenna Bagdasarian, and junior captain Lucia Pino. 

“Overall the team has been very successful, not just individually but as a team,” Pino said. “Beating the school record and winning SCCs was pretty awesome and I’m super happy to be a part of such an amazing team.”

This year, the team’s singles lineup was made up of Pino, who went All-State for the second time in her career, sophomore Samantha Burns, Bagdasarian, and junior Diya Daruka.

Sophomores Sabrina Lawless and Caroline Doyle went All-SCC at first doubles, Sophie Maselli and Nihitha Kothapalli played second doubles, and freshmen Olivia Hudak and Isabella Gecaj went unbeaten at third doubles. Chloe Haasch, Kaitlyn Goldberg, and Faith Santiago made up the team’s JV squad.

Kulenych said he was unsure of how the team would perform at the beginning of the season because there were so many new faces from two years ago.

“There were so many unknowns and new faces when the year started but the girls worked so hard every day to get better,” Kulenych said. “They are a super-competitive, fun, enthusiastic group of girls that came together and accomplished things that none of us thought were possible at the start of the season.”

The team worked hard at practice every day, focusing on specific shots and strategies.

“We’ve worked on our technique, getting it down to the point where we always hit a ball that’s difficult to return,” freshman Isabella Gecaj said. “We also worked on having a good attitude toward each game and gaining confidence.”

Kulenych said he could not be prouder of the way the team continued to work hard all season.

“This was the most fun I have ever had coaching,” Kulenych said. “There were so many obstacles and protocols and challenges that we had to face on and off the court this year and that makes all of the success we had that much more rewarding.” 

The team had many new players join this season, so making them feel included was something that was very important to the team while also maintaining normal practices.  

“We worked on including all of the new players and becoming a strong team,” Bagdasarian said. “We did many drills in conditioning workouts throughout the season which prepared us for our matches.”

A huge highlight of the season was the team winning a conference championship, which hadn’t been done since 1980.  

“Beating a school record and winning SCCs has been unreal, amazing, extraordinary, and every other synonym,” junior Sophie Maselli said. “Compared to my freshman year this team is defying the odds.”  

Members of the team accomplished individual goals as well.

“Individually I reached a lot of goals this season,” Doyle said. “Coming in I was just hoping to make varsity so when I got the first double spot my goals changed. One of my main things was having a successful backhand volley which I finally got during the SCC finals. I also went All-SCC which I would consider a goal met.”

Kulenych called the year a “dream season.”

“Every year, our goal is to try to be one of the best teams in the SCC,” Kulenych said. “This year, we faced some really strong competition – especially in the SCC Tournament – but the girls rose to the occasion and played their best when it mattered most. Banners are forever and I’m so proud that this group will be remembered forever for what they were able to accomplish.”

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law baseball team recently finished off its spring season with a record of 7-11. 

The team had a solid season under head coach Mr. Simler and captains Luke Pleimann and Mark Lombardi. The Law team made it to the Class M State Tournament, where they lost in the first round to Northwestern Regional High School. 

“This season we improved a lot by focusing on our defense and hitting,” Simler said.

The varsity team lost earlier in the season to cross-town rival Foran High School, but beat them 7-4 in the rematch .

“I feel our hitting and defense improved drastically this season. Our pitching was strong throughout the season, but our bats started to wake up toward the end which resulted in us making states,” junior Jaden Wywoda said. 

Law won four out of its last five games played, scoring 36 runs throughout the stretch of games before entering the state tournament. In those five games, they only allowed 17 runs, with the most being six in one game. 

This year was a unique year because of the impact of COVID-19 and the safety regulations the team had to follow.

COVID-19 has been an issue for high school sports this year with mask restrictions, bus spacing for travel games, and restrictions on the use of the dugout, but toward the end of the season those restrictions had loosened up.

Players were no longer required to wear masks on the field and they only had to wear them in team meetings and in the dugout. 

“We followed all given protocols, and we were able to finish our season despite it,” Wywoda said.

One highlight of the 2021 Law baseball season was the new turf field. In the season opener at home against Hillhouse/Career, Law won 12-2.

The team has many years to look forward to playing on the turf field.

“Every player will hopefully work hard this off-season to improve on their play this year, coming into next year better than previous years,” Wywoda said. 

Simler is excited with the roster that will return next spring.

“Going into the 2022 season we will be returning many players with varsity experience and players from our junior varsity and 9th grade teams that will contribute at the varsity level,” Simler said. 

By Olivia Augustine – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law softball team ended the regular season qualifying for SCC and state tournaments. 

After not having a season last year, the softball team had a phenomenal season in 2021. As of June 2, the softball team has a record of 15-5. They advanced to the second round of the State Tournament on June 1 with a 10-1 win over Lewis Mills.

“Our goals were to qualify and make a run in the SCC and State Tournaments,” head coach Mrs. Blude said. 

Beating Lyman Hall secured the team a spot in the SCC’s. While they did not win the first game against Lyman Hall, they won the second game against them.

“They were the first team we lost to and playing them a second time at home was a big deal for us,” said senior captain Sarah Paulus. “We ended up going into nine innings and won by one, securing us a spot in SCC’s.”

Returning players were excited to return to playing softball and meet new people on the team.

“Coming back after not having a season last year was very exciting because we were actually able to play and be together,” said junior Grace Kantor. “It was really great to see everyone and meet the new people on the team.”

After not being able to play last year, players were excited to be back on the field, especially players that missed what would have been their first season playing softball for Law.

“I was so excited to have a softball season this year and be able to participate in postseason play,” said sophomore Elizabeth Roos. “Especially considering the unfortunate loss of last season; which would’ve been my first season playing at Law.”

The team finally got to be together and everyone was excited to not only play together, but also to get to know each other.

“I was very excited to finally be a part of the high school team but I was more excited for the team that I was going to be a part of,” said sophomore Nicolina Salanto. “We had high hopes for this season and have grown together and became a family.”

By Ethan Harrigan & Lucas Griefzu – Sports Editors

The Jonathan Law boys tennis is off to a strong start, improving to 9-0 after their win over Hamden on April 30.

The team is led by Coach Maxwell and senior captains Angel Santiago and Sanskar Shah. Through all of their matches, they have only lost four courts for an individual match record of 59-4.

“Our goals are very simple,” Santiago said. “Win and dominate.”

With wins over every Division II team so far, this season is shaping up to be one of the best in Law’s history.

“We want to create a forever enduring legacy that establishes Jonathan Law Tennis as a powerhouse: states, SCCs, transparent improvement of younger players from year to year,” Shah said.

Senior Brian Zirkel said the team has been able to continue with the players they had two years ago.

“We are fortunate enough to have our entire lineup from two years ago return this year, meaning that we have plenty of talented and experienced athletes playing for us,” Zirkel said.

Shah said the team has been working on a day to day basis to get better.

“We hold practices all weekdays and Saturdays when we have no matches and work on noticeable flaws from our previous matches,” Shah said. “Not only does it provide more understanding of our mistakes, but it creates self confidence, as mental toughness is a crucial element to tennis, along with many other sports as well.”

Maxwell is confident in what his squad can do against any opponent that they play this year.

“I’m not looking too far ahead,” Maxwell said. “Obviously, if we take care of what we can control we have a shot at making SCCs, and even winning SCCs, which would be great. And again, if we just take care of business and go match-by-match we have a good chance of being one of the top seeds in Class M, and then once postseason comes, we’ll take it from there.”

The boys tennis team has a new first singles player this year – junior Dan Folloni – and so far he is dominating everyone that he has played against.

“I haven’t found it too hard transitioning into first singles because in the year that we didn’t have a tennis season, I spent a lot of time training to be good enough to take first singles this year,” Folloni said. “My goals for the rest of the season are to make all states. They only take 24 kids and I really want to be one of them,”

While the boys tennis team might be very good this year, they also have an eye on the future. The team has a lot of seniors that start most of the time this season.

“I’m just trying to focus on this season because I think that’s what the seniors deserve for all the dedication they put into the program”, said Maxwell. “We’re trying to develop some of the younger kids I think of like Rishabh [Nair] and Jonathan [Urchida] – a freshman and sophomore that have really grown this year. Working in the middle schools I’ve already talked to a couple kids that are already playing at Milford Indoor Making to make sure that they’re hopefully coming to Law next year.”

By Shane Cepalia – Staff Reporter

Law’s boys track team is back competing for the first time in almost two years.

COVID-19 cut the spring season last year, but this year the CIAC worked hard to make sure high schools could have safe practices and meets, even with spectators.

So far this spring, Law has faced Sheehan, Shelton, and Hand in dual meets, setting many personal bests and qualifying for states in several events.

“The (Sheehan) meet went well,” Beler said. “We went up against a very good Sheehan team, and any time you can score as many points against Sheehan is a good day. For not having a track meet in two years I was very happy with the performances.”

Captain Jackson Warters said the team is excited and motivated for the season.

“Practices are going really well, the team is being really productive and it’s really great seeing everyone out and about again,” Warters said. “With everything going on, we’re really lucky to have everyone out here like a normal season again, especially since we missed last season.” 

Other members of the boys track team shared their goals and expectations as well.

“My goal for the season is to go all-state in the 100 meter and the 200 meter,”  sophomore Shane Pritchard said.

Sophomore Gabe Garnett is one of the team’s jumpers.

“I’m just looking to make states for the long jump this season,” Garnett said.

Freshman Samuel Strate is excited to be a part of the team.

“My goal is to get faster and to improve,” Strate said.

By Alexis Broderick – Social Media Editor-in-Chief and Stephanie Caron – Editor-in-Chief

The Jonathan Law golf team has high hopes this season and is looking forward to the rest of its future matches. 

“We are a young team this year and major goals involve getting the underclassmen as much match experience as possible with our experienced players,” golf coach Mr. Koorejian said. 

The golf team plays some of the top high school teams in Connecticut this year. These teams include Fairfield Prep, Xavier, Hand and Notre Dame-West Haven.

“The last few seasons, we have done quite well in the Tier 3 of the SCC so we were moved up to Tier 2,” Koorejian said. “We now play the top teams like Prep, Xavier, Hand and ND. Also, most of the starting team graduated in 2019, so we’re starting brand new this season with a few returning players and some new talent.” 

The golf team had many key players graduate last year and are in the process of rebuilding and learning for the future. 

“They will be playing against some of the best players in the state and that will be one of the best coaching experiences for them as well, Koorejian said.” We have steadily improved in each match so far so we’re on the right track. 

Members of the team said they are focused on getting better throughout the season.

“As long as you put your head in the game, you can achieve anything and everything,” senior Dominic Purilli said.

Returning players are this year and seniors Joe Mester, Dom Pirulli, Anthony DiFederico, and junior Anthony Fino. Other golfers that have contributed in matches so far are freshmen Jaden Archuleta and Mike Chesson and sophomore Dylan Soule.

By Sydney Simpson – News Editor

Spring sports are starting and boys lacrosse is off to a promising start and there are high hopes for the rest of the season. 

As of April 16, the team had a record of 1-2.

Coaches Mr. Clark and Mr. Ayala, along with captains Luke Henricksen, Matt Hagerty, Jack Sellman, and Kyle Kosh, are leading the team to improvement by working hard every day after not being able to play last year due to COVID-19. 

“For this season I expect to win games and hopefully make the state tournament,” Henricksen said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us but I think we can do it.” 

The new coaching staff has given the team lots of hope and new energy after being off the field for over a year. 

“One of the best things about this year is everyone’s willingness to learn,” said Kosh. “Coach Clark has done a great job of changing the culture of this program.”

Henricksen also commented on this point, expressing his gratitude for their new coach. 

“Our new coach is definitely the best thing that has changed between the seasons, Henricksen said. “He is working with our new guys and trying to rebuild the program.”

Keeping this positive attitude, the players have set goals for themselves which they hope to achieve during this shortened season. 

“For team goals, I think they would be to just improve and get better everyday from practices to games, and to also learn from our previous mistakes to get to know the game a little better,” Hagerty said. “I think those two goals are the most important because we have a lot of new first-year players that are being introduced to the game more and more as the season progresses.”

Kosh also illustrated a goal he has for the upcoming season. 

“Beating Foran doubles as a personal and team goal this year,” said Kosh. “I’ve never been on a team that has beat Foran and know that it does not happen often on the lacrosse field.” 

The boys have a lot to look forward to, and also a lot to be proud of. 

“This season I am most proud of the overall team’s improvement from day one to where we are at now,” said Hagerty. “I give most of the credit to the coaching staff for this, but as one of four team captains I think we have contributed to the team’s energy and motivation to get us to the level of play we are at now compared to where we were three weeks ago.”

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law basketball season has come to an end and it was a great year for the Lawmen. 

The team finished with a 9-4 record before losing in the playoffs to Wilbur Cross. The captains of the team were seniors Noah Tutlis, Brian Felag, and James Marino.

“This year, of course, was like no other and the team far exceeded our expectations,” head coach Mr. Anderson said. “We were just lucky to be in the gym competing. I feel we all grew as individuals and a family.” 

The rules were different this year due to COVID-19 as players and coaches had to wear masks during the game and timeouts. The only time they would get a break was with  three minutes left in the quarter. 

“Masks are part of our daily lives now so for the coaches there wasn’t much of an adjustment,” Anderson said. “The players did a great job all season but it was difficult at times because they got fatigued more quickly. It forced us to substitute more frequently and play at a different pace than we’re accustomed to.”

Though there is always room for improvement, the team had a very good season. 

“As coaches we look to improve year over year,” Anderson said. “In the current environment, safety is still our main priority. We will continue our offseason workouts as safely as we can so players have the best chance to come into camp ready to go.”

There were many difficult games that the Lawmen played this season, but despite the tough competition, they still won games against teams like Notre Dame of West Haven and Hillhouse. 

“I thought this season went a lot better than we expected, as we won 75% of our games against very difficult competition including wins against teams like Notre Dame and Hillhouse,” senior Connor Larson said. 

By Alexis Broderick – Social Media Editor in Chief 

The Jonathan Law gymnastics team recently completed their winter season with a record of 6-0 and were crowned the SCC Champions for the second year in a row. 

Some of the goals the team has this year were to have some gymnasts qualify for All-State honors, All-SCC honors, and as a team, to win the SCC Championship. 

“This was the strongest team in Law’s history and would have done very well in the State Meet,” head coach Pat Simon said.

In all, three gymnasts made First Team All-State – Catherine Burns, Emma Nelly and Natalie Morrell. Makenna Sharpe and Mackenzie Powers made Second Team All-State. 

“Our team had a lot of new young talent this year,” senior captain Catherine Burns. “Our team was undefeated this year so I believe we accomplished everything we planned to.”

This season, the team worked hard to overcome the COVID obstacles and still managed to compete at a high level.

“My personal goals for this season were to improve my score at every meet and I achieved this goal at almost every meet,” senior Greta Valvo said.

As many seniors are leaving the Law gymnastics team this year, the juniors are still looking for a great season next year. 

“I am excited to get to meet the freshmen and see how they add to the team,” Nelly said. “I’m excited for one last season with Mr. Simon and Coach K.”

By Lily Forster – Staff Reporter

The Milford Mariners’ 2020-2021 season recently came to an end. 

The team ended the season with a record of 5-4 and made it to the SCC semi-finals.

There were only two seniors on the team this year. The team was led by senior Kyle Kosh, along with two other captions, Luca Ubaldi and Kevin Wokonovicz.

The Mariners’ season was affected by COVID-19 in many ways. 

“This season, the off-ice aspect was changed greatly,” Kosh said. “Without a locker room, we were getting dressed outside before practices and games. Unlike prior years, growing our chemistry was much harder without a locker room and with a shortened season. On-ice, we were wearing masks during practices and games.”

Even with the changes made by COVID-19, the Mariners still managed to keep their positive attitude. 

“Everyone was coming to the rink ready to go,” Kosh said. “We grew as a program and as a team this season.” 

Kosh went First Team All-SCC, was named the SCC Player of the Year, was First Team All-State, and received the Hobey Baker Character Award.

On the girls side, the Milford Lightning, in the inaugural season, finished the regular season record with a record 2-1-3. The team also advanced to the SCC semifinals.

With being a new team this year, it made it a little more difficult to get the ball rolling, but senior captain Mckenzie Broderick said they had an amazing group of girls and coaching staff that allowed them to do just that.

“I would say that overall the team’s biggest achievement was just us being able to persevere through this difficult and confusing time,” Broderick said.

In regards to changing and or improvising situations this year there were a few things that were taken away such as locker rooms and team gatherings. 

“While it may seem so small being able to get dressed together it made all the difference. As a team we decided to all get dressed in the parking lot, parked together, before every game in order to have that same feeling. Having such a small team made it easy for everyone to be able to get together (non-COVID speaking) but we did not have that option this year,” Broderick said.

Their team had three captains who were able to look to each other for advice, because this season, COVID-19 had an effect on being captain. 

“It was crucial that we worked and bonded on and off the ice as much as possible whether it was Zoom meetings or just communicating on the ice,” Broderick said.

By Kaitlyn Goldberg – Staff Reporter 

After a two year break, the Jonathan Law girls tennis season has officially begun.

Like all spring sports teams, the tennis season was cancelled last year due to COVID-19. The team hasn’t played in two years so everyone is excited to be back on the courts. 

“It’s been awesome being back on the courts, especially with this group of girls because they all work so hard and are such a fun group,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “We have a young team and not much varsity tennis experience, so it is going to be important to focus on the fundamentals as well as match play strategy to make sure the girls are ready to go.”

There are still certain restrictions that the team needs to follow but the team is trying to make it as normal as possible. 

“COVID has affected who we play this year since we normally play Division I and Division II teams, but this year we are only going to play Division 2,” senior captain Jenna Bagdasarian said. “We also can’t high five and it’s harder to cheer each other on.” 

As of April 19, the team is 2-0 with wins over Hamden and West Haven.

Singles players for those matches have been senior Lucia Pino, who was All-State as a freshman in 2019, sophomore Samantha Burns, Bagdasarian, and junior Diya Daruka. Doubles teams have been sophomores Sabrina Lawless and Caroline Doyle, juniors Sophie Maselli and Nihitha Kothapalli, and freshmen Olivia Hudak and Isabella Gejac.

Even though things aren’t the same as past years, the team is still practicing and preparing for upcoming matches.  

“The team prepares for matches and practice by doing group stretches and cardio, letting us do match play with the other teammates and encouraging us every step of the way,” freshman Faith Santiago said.

With the new season there comes new expectations for the team to thrive and become better.

“My goals for the team this season is to win as many matches as possible and to play our hardest every game,” junior captain Lucia Pino said. 

There are players of all different experience levels on the team and it’s important to the team that everyone learns and grows. 

“My goals for the season are that we continue to improve as a team throughout the season,” Kulenych said.  “We have All-State players on our team and we have players who are brand new to the game. It’s my goal to make sure that no matter their experience level, they are better players at the end of the season than they were at the beginning.”

The team also has not just team goals but individual goals to reach this season. 

“My individual goals for this season are to improve my volleys and serves and to also be able to rally for longer periods of time,” freshman Isabella Gecaj said.

The team is also striving individually to beat previous records and become better players overall. 

“My individual goal is to beat my past records and win as many matches as possible,” Bagdasarian said.

By Ben Rossi – Staff Reporter

For the first time since 2019, Jonathan Law baseball has returned.

For many coaches and athletes the cancellation of the season in 2020 was devastating. Law head coach Mr. Simler said that while 2020 was painful, he is excited about the opportunity to be back on the field this spring.

“Not having a season in 2020 was unfortunate and difficult for our entire program,” Simpler said. “This season we are hoping to pick up right where we left off in the 2019 season. We are all really excited about this season and our student athletes understand the hard work and commitment it will take to have a great season in 2021.” 

A lot has changed since the 2019 season, including the installation of a brand new turf field.

“One of the things that we always strive for is to provide our student-athletes with the best facilities to play sports anywhere in the state,” Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo said. “We believe that this complex will absolutely be the best field in Connecticut and we are really excited to see our student-athletes playing on them soon.”

Another change from 2019 is the addition of the new assistant coach Mr. McPartland.

“When I had heard that the job opened up, I was extremely excited,” McPartland said. “Baseball was one of my first passions in life, and it certainly helps that I love being around the players and coaches – the relationships I have formed with them are what is most most important.”

Not having a season in 2020 has motivated the team to do even better this season.

Junior pitcher Jaden Wywoda expressed how important winning games is for the team and the players.

“Our main goal is just to go out there and win games,” Wywoda said. “Since we missed last year I just want to give our seniors one last ride and send them out on a good note.”

Another new addition to the coaching staff is Mr. Hansen.

“I just want to find a way to help this team get better and win everyday,” Hansen said. “I think this team has a lot of talent and we can win a lot of games.”

As of April 19, the baseball team has a record of 1-2 with a 12-2 win over Career, a 4-3 loss to Foran, and a 5-0 loss to West Haven.

On April 27, Law plays at Dunkin Donuts Park against Xavier.

By Ethan Harrigan – Sports Editor

The Law girls indoor track team wrapped up their season with a meet against Branford on March 23. 

The team was led by coaches Mr. Beler, Ms. Corriveau, and Mrs. Blude, as well as senior captains Hannah Rascoll, Brooke Dillman, Andriana Bruno and Alexis Voytek. The season included a two-part dual meet against Foran at Floyd Little Athletic Center and a home meet outdoors against Branford.

“The season went well, COVID definitely caused a lot of changes regarding practices and meets, but the team was still able to come together and stay positive the whole time,” Dillman said. “We practiced every day that we could so the meets went relatively smooth for the team and we were able to place in the majority of events.”

Bruno went All-SCC in the 55 meter hurdles, Rascoll made the All-SCC Coach’s team, and there were many personal records set all around the team.

“I am so excited about going All-SCC,” Bruno said. “I knew this season would be short and I would only get two chances to hurdle so I practiced really hard for weeks and was so excited to see that it paid off at the last meet.”

COVID-19 made the season drastically different, resulting in a much shorter season with added safety restrictions.

“This season was different from last season because of the COVID restrictions mainly,” Rascoll said. “We had to run with masks on and we did not have relays for indoor meets which made it harder to PR and get times.”

With the impact of COVID-19 as well as winter weather, more planning went into having practices this year than in past seasons.

“We had a shortened outside conditions beginning, then we went virtual that required an entire virtual setup including track specific workouts, core, and nutrition,” Beler said. “When we came back to live teaching we had no use of the track with the snow and ice, and we needed to develop a training program in the school parking lots, and finally back to normal track in the month of March.”

It was harder to put together a team and remain disciplined with all of these factors.

“We faced many challenges but one of the biggest challenges was keeping the athletes engaged and focused,” Beler said. “The main reason we accomplished this was due to the captains’ leadership.”

Bruno said that while she is sad the season is over, she will leave with countless memories.

“I’m really sad that the season is over, I’ve had the best experience doing indoor track over the past four years and I wish it didn’t have to end,” Bruno said. “I’ll miss the coaches and all my teammates so much.”

Many of the returning athletes hope to have a full season next year. Junior Sydney Simpson was announced as an indoor captain for next year along with junior Lauren Davis and sophomore Elly Van Waveren.

“Looking forward, I think that next year we will have a strong team,” Simpson said. “Although we’re losing a lot of our key runners as they graduate, I’m hopeful and positive that we will be able to continue working hard to be as great of a team as we are now.”

By Sydney Simpson – News Editor

The 2020-2021 Jonathan Law girls basketball season has come to an end this month, and with reduced practice time, COVID restrictions, and a 7-6 winning season, there are many reasons to be proud of the student-athletes who played their hearts out this season. 

After last year’s promising season was cut short by the rise of the COVID-19 virus, the girls were excited to get the opportunity to play again this year, even with the increased restrictions and safety precautions.  The season was two months shorter than normal and there was no states tournament, and the girls had to play with masks on. 

“I’m proud of my whole team this season. Last year we ended on a rough note because of COVID and we took that personally,” said senior Katie Konareski. “Coming into this season we were all beyond excited to play whether we had restrictions or not, every player gave 100% effort every time they were on the court in each game and practice.”

The girls took the season as serious as ever even though they did not have a state tournament, utilizing their unique team bond and impressive talents to do their best throughout the two month season. 

“Given way less time to be able to prepare for this year’s seasons compared to the seasons in the past we were able to come together as not only a team but a family,” said junior Shelby Green. “Reflecting back on the season there’s always room for improvement but I’m glad that we were able to get our season in and didn’t use COVID-19 as an excuse to not work hard.”

Despite having such a short season, the girls definitely have a lot to be proud of and a lot of memories that won’t soon be forgotten. 

“When choosing my favorite memory of this season it’s so hard because coming to practice every day with your teammates who have become so close together is the best, and having fun while working hard every day is better,” said Green. “Besides that, a memory that sticks out for me is the week we went 3-0 and were able to get back on track to be a competitive team and the feeling of winning after a couple close games was amazing.”

Besides their season record, there is much to be proud of in terms of the girl’s sportsmanship and closeness. 

“I am proud of the way this group was committed and genuinely care for one another,” head coach Mr. Young said.

The end of the season is also a melancholy time for those graduating this year, moving on from the team that they have been a part of for four years. 

“I’m going to miss the team and the competition in general. I’ve played basketball for over nine years and for many years with the girls on the Law team,” said senior Sarah Paulus. “It’s sad that I won’t get to play again but I’m grateful for all the memories and everything Coach Young has taught me on and off the court.”

The seniors are not the ones who are saddened by the end of their senior season. 

“[To the seniors,] I would say thank you and I miss them already,” said Young. “Four years go by too quick and there are a lot of great moments, this group was perhaps the most successful during my time at Law, making it to the State quarterfinals three times.”

By Shane Cepalia – Staff Reporter

The winter sports regular season is wrapping up this week and it’s been a solid season thus far for the Milford Mariners hockey team.

As of March 15, the Mariners are 5-4. Their leading scorer has been Law senior Kyle Kosh.

The Mariners take students from Law, Foran, and Platt Tech, and combine them all into one team that plays for the whole city.

“So far the season has gone as expected,” head coach Ken Mitchell said. “While we are young, we are not short on effort. Once players start to figure out their roles, we could be dangerous. We need to keep improving and learn from our mistakes every day is what my staff and I preach. Mistakes come with a young squad, it’s how you react to them that dictates our success.”

Of course, with everything else, COVID-19 has affected the Mariners ability to practice and play as well.

“COVID-19 has changed practice and games greatly,” Kosh said. “We are usually able to use our own locker room at the Milford Ice Arena for practices and for home games. However, we are no longer using our locker room and must get ready at home or in the parking lot for practices. COVID-19 forms are also filled out and handed in to the coach in order for each player to participate in practice.” 

COVID has also had an impact on the Mariners’ overall schedule. Players have worn masks during games all season.

“Aside from the changes to the look of practices, our game schedule has been reduced from 20 games to 10 games,” Kosh said. “There is an SCC tournament, but no state tournament. We must wear masks while competing in games and at every practice. During games, mask breaks will be provided.”

Kosh said he and his teammates hope to end the season with winning record and to have a shot at the Southern Connecticut Conference Tournament.

By Stephanie Caron – Editor-in-Chief 

Senior Naheim Washington has committed to Tufts University to run track for his college career. 

This decision follows years of training and hard work playing football and running for the track and field team at Law. 

“I feel like law track has prepared me for more than running at the next level; it has prepared me for life,” Washington said. “The talks I had with Coach Beler and Coach Rhode have shifted my perception on a number of things, because of them two I’m ready for the challenges that will be thrown at me on and off the track.” 

Though Washington is committed to the track and field team, Tufts has many options and educational opportunities that are hard to beat. 

“Tufts was an opportunity academically I could not pass up,” Washington said. “Tufts is a baby Ivy League school that wasn’t too far from home, and been a school I’ve been looking at since freshman year so when the coach called me back and was interested in me I was very excited and the rest is history.” 

Track and field coach Mr. Beler expressed how proud he was of Washington, not just for his athletic ability, but his character as well. 

“I am very proud of Naheim,” Beler said. “He has been a tremendous role model of a student-athlete” 

Washington expressed how COVID-19 has affected his college application process, and made it difficult to know what would be next for him athletically.  

“Personally COVID-19 messed up everything for me over the summer, coaches didn’t reach out to me, so I thought college wasn’t gonna happen and I started looking into the military,” Washington said. “It’s been a year since I competed at an organized sports event and that has made me hungry and truly believe anytime can be your last time.” 

Coach Beler said the decision Washington has made will not only benefit him, but Tufts as well. 

“Tufts  is a national program and has tremendous facilities, this is a great win for both Naheim and Tufts,” Beler said. ”Tufts gets a two-time All-State and three-time Nationals runner and Naheim gets a tremendous educational opportunity from a national program.” 

By Lucas Greifzu – Sports Editor

In late August, Jonathan Law senior Anthony DiFederico committed to play college football for Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Trinity College’s football program, the Bantams, are a member of the NESCAC conference and are a Division III NCAA program. Trinity is one of the best teams in its conference, having finished with a winning record every year since 2001, and having gone undefeated multiple times in that stretch.

“The reason that I chose Trinity was because of the winning habits that they have built for decades,” DiFederico said. “In the last 20 years they have only lost 20 games and their coach is one of the winningest coaches in college football.”

Jonathan Law football coach Chris Haley believes that DiFederico has what it takes to succeed at the next level.

“With that level of success; by default; players either need to play up to their maximum potential; or they will never touch the field,” Haley said. “Anthony’s dedication to strength and conditioning and doing the ‘lonely work’ will undoubtedly continue to serve him well as a Bantam.”

Athletics is not the only important factor when it comes to deciding where to go to college. DiFederico believes that academics are just as important, if not more so.

“The reason that I chose Trinity was the great education that I was going to receive during my time there along with the great football program that I will be playing for,” said DiFederico. “The network of alumni is also fantastic and I know I will have plenty of resources at my disposal throughout my years there and after I graduate.”

The relationship between players on the field is a key factor of any football game, and DiFederico has built that, too. Jonathan Law senior and WPI committee Vaughn Weston said that he believes DiFederico will do well at Trinity.

“I’m confident he can succeed in Trinity no problem,” Jonathan Law senior and WPI committee Vaughn Weston said. “Anthony is a really good player who gives us everything we need and then some; he’s always locked in, always high energy, and a great teammate to play with.”

Dedication to the sport of football is perhaps the most important skill to have on the football field. Coach Haley believes that DiFederico has is abundantly skilled in that area.

“Anthony as a player has a desire to succeed; and a tenacity to compete,” Haley said. “My most visual notice of this was his sophomore year fighting his way onto the field on a clearly hobbled ankle.”

DiFederico has some lofty goals for after college and he hopes that Trinity College will help him rise to the challenge.

“My plans for after college are to work on Wall Street since I will be pursuing a major in economics,” DiFederico said.

By Ben Rossi – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law indoor track team continues to train in hopes to compete in a meet this winter season.

After what has been a chaotic year for all sports, the indoor track team has been forced to practice outside in the cold weather in hopes that a meet will come soon.

“This has been the most unique year we have ever had for indoor track in the 10 years of the program,” head coach Mr. Beler said. “In years past, when the weather turned bad we would train indoors running the hallways, fitness room, and weight room exercises whereas this season we are using the teachers parking lot, areas around the school and track when not under snow and ice.”

Unlike most teams,  Beler has to coach a team of over 50 athletes.

“We have had over 50 athletes at every practice and I commend their work ethic and enthusiasm,” Beler said. “Like all teams during COVID, the athletes have had to face tremendous challenges and the reason we have such optimism and enthusiasm is due to our captains.”

Sophomore Elly Van Waveren who runs the 50m hurdles and is a part of the 4×200 relay team has expressed her frustration with the way the season has started.

“Since we have to wear a mask while running it’s very hard to breathe, and we get tired a lot faster,” Van Waveren said.” It’s also difficult because we can’t practice inside the building so when it snows we have to cancel practice instead of just moving inside.”

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has put many of the athlete’s goals on hold.

“My personal goals were to make States in all of my events and run times that are on par with D1 or D2 college recruiting standards,” senior captain Ethan Harrigan said. “I am pretty sure we are no longer having States meets and at the moment they are going to have us wear masks during our events, but I still plan to run to the best of my ability.”

The loss of a traditional state tournament is difficult for many of the athletes.

“As a captain I’ve been stressed with our season getting postponed week after week,” senior captain Naheim Washington said. “As a senior it feels like I’ve worked for four years and haven’t really had a chance to show my full potential.”

Even though Beler could not schedule practices, captains still found ways to train and get better each day.

“During this offseason the other captains and I came together and made sure the team knew that even though our season keeps getting postponed we need to be ready in case an opportunity for a meet arrives,” Washington said.

By Lily Forster – Staff Reporter 

This past summer, the National Federation of High Schools put all sports into one of three categories: low risk, medium risk and high risk. 

At this time, Governor Lamont and the state Department of Public Health have not approved high risk sports to begin. As a result, winter sports have begun in Milford but wrestling has not been cleared to begin yet.

“I’d been optimistic all along hoping we’d at least get a shortened or abbreviated season, with that being said as things progressed I knew that our season was in jeopardy,” head coach Mr. Schoonmaker said. “It’s very difficult as it’s been a very long time since I haven’t been competing or coaching wrestling. This is my first winter since I was 15 yrs old that I haven’t been actively involved and on the mats in some capacity.”

The Jonathan Law wrestling team will begin their conditioning sessions shortly to ensure that they are ready if the go-ahead is given for them to have a season this school year. 

“With that said, we all know how important wrestling is to our student-athletes,” Jonathan Law athletic director Mr. Sarullo said. “So the CIAC and the state continue to monitor the health metrics as they make further decisions on which sports are approved to be played.” 

The team was doing workouts via Twitter that Schoonmaker was posting, but has stopped them recently. Schoonmaker has also been in contact with all team members via text and phone.

Those workouts will be starting up again when the team is allowed to start conditioning. 

When the team is able to start conditioning, they will be wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. They will be able to work on some non-contact wrestling related drills.

As of right now with COVID-19 going on, wrestlings conditioning would be outside, if and when they are cleared to start.

“But I have many workouts we can do to condition as well as some wrestling related non-contact drilling,” Schoonmaker said.

Members of the team are looking forward to earning the program’s 600th dual meet win if they are fully cleared for the winter season.

“We hope to get more guys advancing to state opens this year,” sophomore Louis Sabo said. “A couple of sophomores and juniors coming back with potential to place and get us back in the race.”

By Kaitlyn Goldberg – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law gymnastics season is starting up, even though things will be looking a little different this year.

Just like all other sports this year, the season will be looking a bit different than normal, but members of the team are doing their best to make it work. The team has certain restrictions to follow, but fewer than the other sports; for example, they do not have to wear masks on the equipment. 

Coaching has also been a bit different with not just the restrictions but more responsibilities. 

“Coaching during this season has more responsibilities such as sanitizing equipment, collecting COVID entry forms, etc.,” head coach Mr. Simon said. 

The captains of this year’s team are Catherine Burns, Lexi Rios, and Makenna Sharpe. Key gymnasts include Emma Nelly, Natalie Morrell, Angie Robinson, Mackenzie Powers, Lexi Borecki, Claire Moulton, Dani Matist, Hailey Russo, and Bailey Seaberg.

Even with the odd season, the team is trying to make things as normal as possible so they can still grow and learn as a team. 

“When I heard about Law gymnastics, everyone said it was going to be so much fun and I was going to have a blast,” Moulton said. “I still am (having a blast) but I know how I train will be affected by COVID.” 

Just like the rest of the sports at Law there are certain restrictions that were put in place to keep students and coaches safe. 

“We have to be socially distanced at all times, which makes it hard to cheer and support our teammates and it is also different because we have to wear masks, but luckily get to take them off when we are at an event by ourselves,” junior Mackenzie Powers said. 

These restrictions also create a very different atmosphere for the team. 

“Things like being socially distant, wearing masks, everyone having their own spray bottle /chalk for bars creates a different environment than everyone is used to,” senior Lexi Rios said.

Although the year is a bit different the team still has new goals and expectations to reach for in the new season. 

“Our team goal is to do well in our meets and in the SCC Championships,” freshman Lexi Borecki said.

Rios also said that having fun while being safe is also a big goal for this season. 

“Some expectations I have for the team is that we all try our hardest and have the most fun this season that we can have and also to be as safe as possible, yet learning as many skills as possible as well as improving routines,” Rios said. 

As for meets, they will no longer be in person. Instead, they will be virtual. 

“All meets will be virtual with the opposing team competing at their own gym on a different day and there are no spectators,” Simon said. 

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter 

After a long wait due to COVID-19, the Law boys basketball season has started up and the team is eager to start playing. 

The captains of the team are seniors James Marino, Noah Tutlis, and Brian Felag. Other key players are Jake Faller, Daniel Maxwell, and Nolan McKenna Hansen. 

“Our staff and players work extremely hard to improve everyday with a consistent approach, attention to detail and good old-fashioned effort,” head coach Mr. Anderson said. 

This year, due to COVID-19, the varsity team is playing 12 games during the regular season, which takes place in February and March. Their first game took place on February 10 and their final scheduled regular season game is March 15. 

As of February 15, the team has a record of 1-1, losing to Wilbur Cross 56-44 and defeating Amity 49-44.

Anderson said he is proud of how the team has started the season on and off the court.

“Our main goal/priority is to keep our students/athletes as safe as possible,” Anderson said. “Second would be to compete and get better everyday.”

Some of the regulations that will be set in place due to COVID-19 are that players must wear a mask at all times, and during timeouts, players must remain distant from the coaches when masks are off.

The basketball coaches and team have also set a few regulations that they must follow. Included in these regulations are no high fives, wearing masks at all times, and social distancing. 

“Wearing a mask this year has been difficult for not only me but the whole team,” Maxwell said. “Due to the masks we have had a much harder time getting in shape, but continue to push through it but we have a great coaching staff who are putting us in the best position to be in shape and win.” 

Though players need to wear a mask, it doesn’t have to be medical grade masks and cloth ones are accepted. Also the shields or mask helmets are not allowed while playing or sitting. 

Although there are only 12 regular season games there is also a state and a conference tournament that the players will be participating in so the season may be extended past mid-March. Practices will continue throughout the season. 

“Now that we are closer to games, the practices have become much more intense and more demanding on our bodies,” varsity player Daniel Maxwell said. ”Our coaching staff is expecting a lot out of us, however, us as players expect the same from each other.”

Although fans are not currently allowed at games, the plan is for all games to be broadcast through the NFHS Network.

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By Alexis Broderick – Social Media Editor-in-Chief & Hanna Broderick – Editorial Editor 

The soon-to-be-completed Jonathan Law turf field project is a complete renovation of the sports complex that will include permanent turf fields for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and football at Jonathan Law High School.  

The project will also include upgrades to the practice facilities (batting cages, bullpens) and will include upgraded electrical, storage, bleachers and landscaping.

“In addition to baseball and softball, the field will be lined for soccer, lacrosse and football,” Law Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo said. “Also, we anticipate that all of our teams will be able to use the complex when needed for practices, conditioning, etc. and that our PE classes will use the field as well.”

Last winter, the City of Milford and Milford Public Schools worked together to develop a plan to improve the athletic facilities in the city. 

As part of this plan, the baseball and softball fields were included in the project. Many groups worked together to determine what the new complex would look like. The committee wanted to ensure that they would include soccer, lacrosse and football lines to broaden who would be able to utilize the new field.

The goal for the turf field project was for it to be completed before winter break. The recent snow storm has delayed that, but the hope is that the project will be completely finished in January.

Sarullo said that once the project is completed, Law will have the best facility in the state.

“One of the things that we always strive for is to provide our student-athletes with the best facilities to play sports anywhere in the state,” Sarullo said. “We believe that this complex will absolutely be the best field in Connecticut and we are really excited to see our student-athletes playing on them soon.”

While playing on turf is different than playing on grass and dirt, there are several advantages.  

The biggest advantage for teams will be that they will rarely have games canceled due to the weather.  With the turf, it could stop raining just before the first pitch and the game could still be played.  Likewise, for lacrosse and soccer, Law can play in any weather conditions which was not possible on the grass surface.

“At first I was a little sad that we would be losing the dirt and the fun diving drills that went along with it,” Law softball coach Mrs. Blude said. “But there are so many positives that will come along with the turf.  We will never have to worry about puddles and  waiting for the field to dry out.  Also, we will look sharp after pregame warm-ups with Coach Mills. Usually we begin inning one with our infielders shaking dirt off their uniform.”

This new updated turf field will affect many different sports at Law – and can be used as an advantage. 

“I think there is a slight advantage to having turf,” Blude said. “The ball does play slightly different off of it.  I know it was always difficult to adjust at Daniel Hand (High School).  Many of our girls that play travel ball have played on turf so it should be something they adjust to quickly.”

Law senior baseball player James Marino can’t wait to play on the new field.

“I think it looks amazing – even too good, like a video game” Marino said. “I’ve very excited to play on it this season.”

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter

The CIAC, the State Department of Public Health, and the state’s athletic directors are trying to figure out a way to play the upcoming high school basketball season. 

The current plan is that the basketball teams will start practicing on January 19, but this date still may be pushed back based on the local and statewide numbers of COVID-19 cases. On January 7, the CIAC board will meet and the coaches expect to receive a start date for the games and practices. 

Teams will likely play 10-12 regular season games in addition to a conference and state tournament. 

“I am going to listen to the protocols for the next season and we need to make sure that everyone is safe,” Law girls basketball coach Mr. Young said. “Whatever time we have we need to maximize so that we can compete at our highest level after we make sure everyone is safe.” 

Due to COVID-19, more regulations and rules will be put in place to ensure safety for all the players and coaches that are participating. 

“The CIAC is currently working with the Governor and the state DPH to develop the regulations to safely conduct winter sports,” Law athletic director Mr. Sarullo said. “Once those are finalized, they will be sent to the individual school districts to determine what is safe at the local level.”

One of the concerns that will take place throughout the basketball season is how the teams will stay safe while going to away games. 

“We will strictly follow all approved transportation protocols,” Law boys basketball coach Mr. Anderson said. “It is my understanding that our fall programs, in tandem with our bus company, did a stellar job in this area and they had no issues.”

Mask wearing will also be required in some cases during the basketball season. Student-athletes will have to wear a mask while sitting on the bench, during a talk with the coach or other players, and when they are talking to an athletic trainer. The coaches are required to wear a mask at all times.

Though players need to wear a mask, it doesn’t have to be medical grade masks and cloth ones are accepted. Also the shields or mask helmets are not allowed while playing or sitting. 

“We need to wait for the approved requirements and once cascaded at our level, we will go above and beyond to ensure a safe environment to compete in,” Anderson said. 

Even though there are already many rules that have been enacted to minimize the spread of COVID-19, there are likely still more to come. Members of Law’s basketball teams said they will do whatever it takes to make sure a season happens.

“As a leader on the team I am going to make sure the team and I follow safety protocols to ensure we have a healthy and successful season,” senior girls basketball player Katie Konareski said. “This may include staying socially distant while off the court, wearing masks if told, wiping down equipment after use, and other rules required to follow to keep safe and sanitary.”

All of the players and coaches are eager to get started with the season and practice for the upcoming games. The players will compete while trying to stay safe throughout the season. 

By Ethan Harrigan – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law boys soccer team ended its season on November 11 with a regular season record of 7-4.

The team was led by Head Coach Michael Gruber, Assistant Coach Jason Sales and four captains: Senior Jacob Nastasia, Senior Jonathan Contaxis, Junior Lex Edwards and Junior Jaden Wywoda.

This year the team made it to the semifinals of the Division C SCC Tournament, ending the season with a loss to West Haven.

“Even with COVID, the coaches and players did the best we could to have a successful season and performed well in the regular season, regardless of playoff results I’m proud of how our team did,” Nastasia said. In the end we took down every team in our division at least once.”

Law lost by more than one goal in only one game this year, and only a late goal by West Haven in the last two seconds of the semi finals game kept it from going into extra time.

“From the start of the year to the end of year, I believe this team made huge strides, and it showed when we got to the semifinal game and lost in last seconds to the eventual SCC champion West Haven this year,” Gruber said. “Even though we lost that game it taught us a lesson in which we can compete with anyone in the state on any given day something we strive to do.”

The team scored a goal in all but two games this season, scoring a total of 20 goals in the regular season, while only allowing 12.

“One of the goals this team had this year was to score goals, and in our 13 games this season, 11 games we did that,” Gruber said. “I also think each player developed at their own rate and offered something to the team whether it translated in a game or in practice which is important.”

Edwards and Senior Fillipe Mourau were selected for All-SCC honors for their performance on the field.

“I thought it was my best season yet,” Mourau said. “I think I could’ve done better but it was enough to get me the All-SCC award and I’m really proud of that achievement.”

This year, COVID-19 regulations created a shortened season and added extra safety procedures like wearing masks before and after practice, as well as on the bench. The first few weeks of practice included separate cohorts, with an arrangement that did not allow for scrimmages and other activities involving contact.

“I think it’s always a process from the start of the year to the end of the year,” Gruber said. “Especially with this year where we were able to break things down in small cohorts and work on more technical training in the beginning I think it helped us.” 

Four freshmen made the varsity roster this year and freshman Cooper Fitzgerald started every game this season.

“I was welcomed by open arms into a sort of brotherhood that I’d never been a part of”, Fitzgerald said. “Making the roster as a freshman was very exciting for me, I had been working pretty hard for it for a long time, and it was nice to know that work had paid off.”

Wywoda believes the team has the potential to play even better next season with its returning players.

“We have a super strong junior class this year and I believe that this upcoming senior class will play a huge role in our upcoming success,” Wywoda said. “We also have some young players who had a year to develop and I feel it will benefit us a lot.”

By Sydney Simpson – News Editor

The Jonathan Law volleyball team had an interesting season this year, complete with masks, spending most of the preseason outdoors, and a 9-3 record during the 2020 regular season. 

This season, practices became only two hours rather than three, masks had to be worn at all times while inside, and the season was shortened from playing around 20 games to only playing 12. Throughout all this change, the team kept their heads up and their attitudes positive, which is what led them to such a successful season. 

“The big thing was to keep in mind that any day could be our last,” said Head Coach Ms. Loch. “We were so fortunate to have a season… just being able to practice and play was very exciting and the coaches just continued to remind the girls to be grateful.”

Law came out of the season with three All-Division players, senior captains Maddie Lula and Alexis Neider, and junior setter Grace Kantor. 

“Throughout the season, I think my setting has really improved,” said Kantor of her personal growth. “I was able to get most of my sets on the net and to the spot I wanted them.” 

Kantor had 221 assists throughout the season, which is what led her to becoming an All-Division player. 

Due to COVID-19 regulations, the volleyball team was only able to play against teams close to Law. Foran, Lauralton Hall, Platt Tech, Branford, Amity, and Shelton were the teams in Law’s division. 

Every team in the division competed in the postseason, which ran from November 9-13. Law, seeded third, had a bye for the first round, and had an incredible five-game match against the #2 seed, Shelton, on November 11. 

Shelton won the first two games in the match, and Law came back to win the next two, causing the match to go to five games. The fifth game was played to 15 points, where Law ended up losing by only two. 

“The biggest challenge this year for the team was communicating to each other on the court,” junior middle hitter Avery Fitzgerald said. “But we always ended up digging each other out of whatever hole we got into.”

Despite the lack of communication on the court at times, the Law volleyball team is unlike any other sport in the bond that the players have with each other. 

“One strength of our team is making everybody feel like a family,” said Fitzgerald. “I think we all knew this season was going to be different than any other, so there was a priority in making sure we were all connected more.”

The team’s unique bond and their ability to work together is no doubt the factor that allowed them to come back so incredibly in their final game against Shelton. 

Although this season is over, the hard work exhibited by the girls will not cease. 

“To prepare for the next season, I’m going to work on my skills throughout the winter, and I will hopefully get to play in the summer league with our team so we can get better together,” Kantor said. 

Loch also gave some helpful advice for the girls to help them stay in shape and ready for the 2021 year. 

“Any clinics/camps/leagues they can get into to improve on skills would be beneficial… these camps/clinics can really help them improve, get stronger, and get ready for next season when we play more teams that will challenge us,” Loch said. “Conditioning, running, and working on those skills at home will help them get better every day,”

The junior members of the varsity team also have some personal goals set for their senior season. 

“My goal for next year is to hopefully go all SCC and improve my blocking and confidence in my hits,” Fitzgerald said.

By Melissa Santos – Staff Reporter

The Law boys soccer team is off to a fast start this season.

The team has won four straight games and have a record of 4-1 as of October 17. Their wins have come against Amity, West Haven, Shelton, and Platt Tech. The team’s top goal scorers so far have been junior Lex Edwards and senior Felipe Mourao.

This year’s season has been a lot different than other years due to COVID-19 protocols. The team has 11 regular season games scheduled as opposed to the standard 20.

Head coach Mike Gruber said he is excited about the team’s start and how they have handled themselves off the field.

“The boys soccer team has done a great job following protocols and staying safe,” Gruber said.

The team started out in cohorts of up to 10 players for three weeks and could only practice for 60 minutes. Then they were able to have full team practices for up to an hour and a half and do more full- field and game-like situations. 

”We usually would have five to six scrimmages in past seasons, but this year could only have one which makes it tough to jump right into the season when trying to work on formations and getting younger players time against varsity quality opponents,” Gruber said.

Other changes now are that players must wear masks when coming onto the field and then when sitting on the bench or when they come out of the game. Also, players must socially distance on the benches.

“I think the greatest struggle this year is not getting those valuable scrimmages against high level opponents in the beginning of the season like we have had in years past,” Gruber said. “It always helps us as a team to work on so many different tactics before the season starts which has helped the past Law teams immensely.”

Members of the team are very excited to play as many games as they can this season.

“I am most excited for our last Foran versus Law game as the other seniors and I have spent years preparing for this,” senior captain Jonathan Contaxis said. “It would mean a lot to be able to come home with a victory against our rivals.”

Even with a shortened season, team members and coaches are very excited to play. 

“I’m very proud of our students’ athletes maintaining safety protocols and grades during these times,” Gruber said. “We are looking forward to playing a competitive schedule and trying to get better each and every game or training session that we play this season.”

By Olivia Augustine – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Laws girls soccer season started on October 1.

The team has a record of 1-4 as of October 16 with a win over Platt Tech. 

With COVID-19 practice and games have been different. Masks are to be worn by players when arriving to practice and leaving practice and players have to wear masks when they are sitting on the bench during games.

Head Coach Mrs. Francisco has been getting the team ready for the season since the summer. 

“Over the summer we spent two days a week conditioning in the mornings at Law while most players participated in the Milford United summer league on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Francisco said. “Besides conditioning, once we started practicing as a full team (instead of in cohorts), I’ve tried to encourage more team bonding so our team chemistry is stronger on the field.”

COVID-19 has caused many new rules for the team to follow. Spectators are not allowed at games, players have to keep their belongings six feet apart and players have to fill out a health check form and bring it to every practice and game.

“There are many new guidelines and rules that we all have to be aware of and strictly follow,” senior captain Andriana Bruno said. “At times it is hard to stay positive, but it has brought our team together and strengthened our connection even more.”

The girls have been bonding in hopes of coming closer together as a team. With team bonding they hope to have better communication on the field. 

“I’m very optimistic coming into this season,” senior captain Alexis Voytek said. “The more we continue to play around each other, the more we are improving as a team which is very important to me because it’s not just about the wins but the growth as players.”

The players are determined to practice hard in order to play well in games and achieve their goals.

“I feel this season we have a great opportunity to succeed in our goals,” junior captain Shelby Green said. “We just need to keep our heads up, keep practicing hard and the results will show in the games.”

This year is tough with COVID-19, but the players have been both consistent and diligent with following the rules and staying positive. 

“I’m excited about this season and I think with the lineup we have this year we have the ability to do really well,” senior Brooke Dillman said. “We are lucky to have a season this year and I’m happy our games didn’t get cancelled.”

By Lily Forster – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls swimming season is off to an amazing start.

This year’s season is being run very differently with the new COVID-19 guidelines. During meets, there is only one team allowed in the pool at a time and teams compete virtually. When swimmers are not physically in the water, a mask is required to be worn. 

“Although the season looks very different this year, we expect nothing less when it comes to times and scores and possibly still having a postseason,” Senior Captain Hannah Rascoll said. 

Everybody on the girl swim team has been working their hardest and doing their best at every meet and practice despite the unusual circumstances.

The season has been going well due to the positive attitudes of the athletes both towards this year’s season and the school year.

“I’m finding it really easy to manage school and swim because we leave school early and practice later,” Freshman Christina Ayala said. 

As of October 13, the team’s record is 2-1, including wins over Foran and Sacred Heart. 

“I think our team’s biggest achievement is our attitude towards the season,” Senior Captain Olivia Franzman said. “We do lots of amazing things at the pool, but we have a team full of such positive girls and I think that’s the most important thing right now.”

As Franzman said, the positivity of the team is the most important thing right now. 

“My teammates are always very supportive, even if I don’t think I did very well, they are still so nice and compliment me,” Junior Makenna Sharpe said.

Sharpe is off to an incredible start this year, breaking the school’s diving record twice.

“It feels good to beat the record,” Sharpe said. “It was my goal all last year so actually doing it on the first meet was great.

Rascoll is hoping to get new PR’s in all of her events. 

“(I want to) possibly break a record in the 200 free relay, and also make it to states in all of my events if we are able to have a postseason,”  Rascoll said.

Sharpe wants to break her own diving record before the season is over.

“My goal for this season is to keep breaking my own records,” Sharpe said. “My coaches want me to get a score of 300 and right now my best is 242.7, so it is definitely a possibility.”

By Giuliana Aguilar – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law volleyball team has begun its fall season and is looking to continue its winning tradition.

As of October 12, their record is 3-2, which includes wins over Platt Tech, Foran, and Lauralton Hall. The team finished last season with a record of 17-3.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are many changes to the volleyball season. 

“There are a lot of restrictions, but the most impactful would be having no spectators,” Senior Captain Alexis Neider said. “We never realized how much a cheering and packed crowd motivates us and the support we received.”

Some of the new restrictions are that players and coaches must wear a mask, players have to fill out a health form and use hand sanitizer to enter the building, practices can only be two hours at a time, games have no spectators, the chairs on the sideline have to be six feet apart, and there are 12 games instead of 20.

“One of the biggest things I wish I could change would just be to have my parents be able to watch in person,” Neider said. “It kills me that they have to watch me play my senior season through a screen.”

This season there are four senior captains: Neider, Laura Ellison, Maddie Lula, and Elma Radoncic.

“My role as a leader is to lead by example both on the court and outside of volleyball,” Lula said. “In practice, it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is going 100% in all our drills and conditioning, and to encourage people when it’s their time on the court. In games, it’s my responsibility to make sure the energy stays high, and that we are all relaxed but also focused on the game.”

The season started with practices outside then moved into the old gym. 

Head Coach Ms. Loch set the same expectations.

“Now that I know we have a season, my expectations are the same as last year,” Coach Loch said. “I want the girls to give 110% all the time whether it’s at practice or games.”

Ellison set some personal goals for her last volleyball season at Law.

“My personal goal for the year is to be able to get the most digs possible,” Ellison said. “I am hoping for my serve percentage to increase and be able to set some personal bests.” 

Radoncic is excited for the season as well.

“For this season, I am most excited about getting the chance to play,” Radoncic said. “With everything going on, our team is very grateful for this opportunity we were given, we always remember to play every game like it’s our last day of the season.” 

By Bobby Black – Staff Reporter

As Jonathan Law’s fall sports get underway, the boys and girls cross country are ready to compete against other high schools throughout the season. 

Both the boys and the girls teams from Jonathan Law have had multiple meets being successful in most. There are very exciting meets to come in the future such as Jonathan Law against Amity and Foran on Wednesday, October 21. 

“As a team, we will be competitive against a majority of the SCC teams. With a little more improvement in our times, even more success will be possible,” head coach Mr. Phillips said.

On October 2, sophomore Liam Fedigan finished first in the team’s meet against East Haven, Platt Tech, and West Haven. Fedigan finished second overall against Shelton and Wilbur Cross on October 7 and senior Amir Elhelw finished eighth overall.

Both of the teams’ players have to wear masks on the bus there and back from the meets and the players have to wear a mask whenever they talk to their coach.

“The captains, Amir (Elhelw), Charles (Wang), James (Marino), and I have done our best to bring the team together by staying positive and doing our best to keep things as normal as possible during these difficult times,“ captain Luke Pleimann said. “ A sense of normality helps the team to forget about the additional stresses from this year.” 

The cross country boys team has guaranteed five regular season meets with the possibility of an additional meet for SCCs. 

The practices are very safe with the new regulations the teams have due to COVID-19. When the runners arrive they have to be wearing a mask but when the running starts they can take it off as long as they remain in a single file line. 

“Improvement takes time and we need to want to improve,“ runner Kaylee Brotherton said. “Our team puts time and effort into every practice, we don’t give up during practices and we push each other.” 

At practice, the Jonathan Law girls cross country team will normally run a 7-mile road around Milford, do intervals on the track, or run hills. 

So far this season, the girls are 5-1 overall. Senior Jenna Wasserman finished sixth overall at the team’s opening meet against Sacred Heart, East Haven, and West Haven on October 2. Kaylee Brotherton finished 8th, Jordyn Davis finished 9th, and Lauren Davis placed 10th.

On October 7, the girls team beat Wilbur Cross and Shelton. The top five finishers were Wasserman, Davis, Jordyn Konlian, Allison Gachi, and Elizabeth Roos.

Cross country is a sport that is considered a low risk activity with barely any contact so COVID-19 may be a little bit easier to control. 

“The new rules are disappointing, but we are happy to be able to have a season this year,” runner Jenna Wasserman said. “We miss not being able to compete in invitationals and our regular SCC meets but understand that the new protocols are necessary to keep us safe/healthy. “

The Jonathan Law cross country team has already been successful in their meets and is looking for more success to come. 

By Ben Rossi – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law football team is back on the field this fall.

After months of confusion as to what was happening with the high school football season, the SCC has allowed its teams to compete in a five-week 7×7 fall season. The CIAC is planning an 11×11 football season in the spring.

“It gives our program a chance to get out and get some live reps, which is a good thing,” first-year Head Coach Haley said. “But most importantly, it gives us a chance to get some teaching film to use in preparation for the spring season.” 

2020 is already a very unusual year, especially to take over as a new head coach.

“While the pandemic has certainly affected all faces of the program it hasn’t been as negative as an outsider might think,” Coach Haley said.  “One of the biggest points of emphasis was that I wanted to bring to Law football to shift the dominant focus from performing at a high level in games and instead place it on performing at a high level in practice.”

Junior captain Lucas Pincus-Coyle agreed with his head coach.

“I’m happy that we’re able to play and get better every week,” Pincus-Coyle said.

The 7×7 games for the SCC started on October 10. A 7×7 game is a one-hand-touch football game with just the quarterback, running backs, and wide receivers.

Lineman do not participate during the actual game.

“I’m happy but sad at the same time,” said Varsity Quarterback Solomon Mercado. “I look forward to us going against a good team and seeing how well we can perform but I prefer to have my big guys upfront being there with me.”

On October 10, the Lawmen won 48-45 on a game winning touchdown by sophomore wide receiver John Neider.

“It felt like nothing,” said Neider. “I have been waiting on this season forever and just to get back on the field was great and scoring the game winning touchdown just added to that.”

After a 2-8 record last season, the Lawmen want to make sure that this year turns out different, and with a Week 1 win, their confidence is already on the rise.

“The main way we’ve improved from last year is not just the fact that we are in better physical shape is our mentality,” said Senior Captain Anthony Difederico.  “Last year going up against a tier 1 class L school a lot of the kids would have complained, but this year we worked our tails off in the off-season and on October 10 we got the outcome we deserved.”

On October 17, Law goes up against cross town rival Foran and looks to get revenge for the loss in last year’s Thanksgiving game. Future games include Wilbur Cross on October 24, Hamden on Halloween, and Shelton on November 7.

By Lucas Greifzu – Sports Editor

The debate over whether or not to play high school football in Connecticut this fall has been a back-and-forth debate for months.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, September 16, the CIAC announced that they were officially cancelling the 2020 fall 11-on-11 football season. However, they left the possibility open for the season to be played later in the school year.

“High school football, like all of our sports, is very important to our student-athletes and to the overall culture of our high school,” Jonathan Law Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo said. “The most important thing for all of our sports this year is that they are done safely, and that all of the precautions and strategies that we have in place are communicated to all of the groups that need to approve the playing of our sports this school year.”

This announcement came after some comments from state officials on Monday, September 14. On that day, Governor Ned Lamont said that he thought it would be safer if football was played in February, and on the same day, the official response to the CIAC’s proposed plan from the DPH came out and reaffirmed their stance on the issue.

The ultimate decision to not play in the fall was devastating for members of the Law football team, especially the seniors. 

“The reason that I feel that we should be playing right now is based on the fact that high schools in 36 other states are playing games right now and most of the games are being held with fans,” said senior Jonathan Law football captain Anthony Difederico. “Most of, if not all of these states have done a worse job containing the virus than Connecticut has.”

While he was disappointed with the decision, Law football coach Chris Haley said the timing of the season made it difficult to return to play.

“The next five months give the committees and boards involved in that decision an acid test to see how things will work out in the return to school,” Haley said. “I think a lot of pressure was placed on making sure the return to education went off without a hitch, and football which traditionally starts prior to school, complicated that process.”

This debate led to a large group of student athletes, parents, and coaches protesting on Sunday, September 6, and Wednesday, September 9. Both protests were in Hartford, and over 1,000 people attended the protest on September 9 outside the Capitol Building.

This entire string of events started on Friday, September 4, when the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced that “high risk full contact football” could not be played in the fall. They announced this because the Connecticut Department of Public Health was unwilling to change their stance on the sport.

At Law, the football team is still practicing despite not having any scheduled games. Some leagues are still discussing having 7-on-7 games in the fall with separate in-game challenges for lineman who wouldn’t be on the field for a typical 7-on-7 game.

“The kids have worked hard since last year with weightlifting and conditioning,” said Jonathan Law Assistant Coach Teddy Boynton. “I feel that it’s a disappointing thing that there isn’t going to be football at this time, but we’re going to continue to work hard, and we’re going to continue to work together to make ourselves bigger, stronger, and faster, so that when we hopefully have a football season this spring we’re going to be successful and one of the tougher teams out there.”

As players wait for an opportunity to play in the spring, they said they will miss getting to play on Friday nights this fall.

“This sport means a lot to not only the players but the coaches and schools,” Jonathan Law football captain Lucas Pincus-Coyle said. “Football teaches life lessons and family which not only can help in our four years of high school but all throughout our lives.”

By Alexis Broderick – News Editor 

The Jonathan Law gymnastics capped a historic winter season by winning the SCC Championship.

Law defeated Mercy 126.60 to 126.40 to win its first SCC title since 2007. 

The thrilling end of the season also marked the end of the gymnastics careers of the team’s seniors: Kylee Troy, Lilly Balderi, Natalie Gordon, Isabella Piccirillo, and manager Brooke Nabors. 

“Gymnastics has changed my life and it’s so sad to say it had to come to an end,” Troy said.

Gordon, a senior captain, has done gymnastics for 12 years and is also very sad to see her career end.

“Gymnastics has changed my life in so many ways that it’s hard to type out,” Gordon said. “My current gymnastics team and all the girls that have graduated in the past few years are like my second family. I love the atmosphere of the Law gym and how everyone is always helping each other even though we’re technically all going against each other to be one of six girls on each event. This sport teaches you how to lift each other up, sometimes literally. I’ve made lifelong friends through this sport and I’m really going to miss it.” 

Sophomore Emma Nelly said she was extremely proud of the way the team finished its season at SCC.

“I felt extremely proud of everyone because we all worked really hard to get to where we were at the end of the season,” Nelly said. “Plus we didn’t have Makenna Sharpe, who usually puts in good scores for us, so new people had to step up that don’t usually compete, and that was definitely a lot of pressure for them. But regardless even if people were nervous, nobody showed it and everyone hit their routines which was so good to see because it really showed all of the work that was put in all season by the whole team, and not just the people who usually completed.”

The girls were all very impressed with this season and those returning are excited for what the next gymnastics season brings for them.

Both Nelly and junior captain Catherine Burns were named All-State at the end of this season.

“I am excited to defend our SCC title and to get back on the gym floor with all of my teammates,” Burns said.

By Michael Loschiavo – Sports Editor 

The Jonathan Laws boys basketball team is ready for the start of the state playoffs.

The Lawmen finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, which included wins over Fairfield Prep, West Haven, Wilbur Cross, Weston, Pomperaug, and Foran. Law is currently the #10 seed in the Division III State Tournament which begins on March 5.

Senior Dinotae Eady believes that the team had a great season this year.

“The reason the team has had a great season is because everybody came into the season with a great mindset,” Eady said. “From the beginning of the season we had one goal, to bring a state championship back to Law.”

Seniors Jon Vitale and Ru Akhtar are Law’s two captains.

Vitale has played basketball for the past four years at Law and plans to finish off his final year with the team as a player and a leader.

“As a captain, motivation and keeping the team in check seems like my job,” Vitale said. “In reality, I believe that the whole team pushing each other and challenging each other to play at their best ability will be put at full display during these playoffs. Everyone on the teams hold each other accountable for their actions and everyone has been fired up for this stage. We know that prior wins and losses do not mean anything anymore and it’s all up to who plays the next best game. We are ready for battle.”

The Lawmen are determined this season and hope to win a state championship this year.

Senior Antonio Brown plans to be a key player in the playoffs.

“I feel like you just have to go into the game with the right mindset and go out like it’s my last,” Brown said.” If we keep doing what we are doing now we have a bright future.”

Senior Justice Smith plans to finish off his high school career strong.

“As a senior I would like to go to Mohegan Sun with my guys since this is my last year of playing for Law,” Smith said. “We worked hard for three years with the new team to make it there so hopefully we get to the championship and bring it home.”

Akhtar plans to play well and set a great example, as he is one of the captains for the team.

Assistant coach Mr. McPartland feels like his team is ready to work hard in games and at practices.

“We’re most definitely battle tested as our schedule hasn’t exactly been the easiest,” McPartland said. “A lot of our guys have been in the postseason in the previous few seasons, so they’re experienced and know what to expect and how to handle different situations.  Furthermore, we’ve worked tremendously hard as a team this year particularly during practice, constantly pushing each other to be our best. Having played the schedule and teams we’ve played this year has definitely helped prepare us for this postseason. Our guys have been focused at practice on nothing but the next team on our schedule one game at a time.”

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

The Jonathan Law boys indoor track team finished its season off on February 15 after placing third overall in the Class M State championships.

Not only did the Lawmen place third overall, but they also won three events (55M, 300M, and 4x200M), placed second in the high jump, and placed third in the 55M hurdles. 

“We’re probably the most complete team that we’ve had at Jonathan Law because we’ve had jumpers, we’ve had sprinters, hurdlers, the whole thing,” head coach Mr. Beler said. “We’re probably the most complete team that we’ve had in my nine years here.”

Senior Rayshon Jacobs, who won three events at the Class M State Championships, enjoys competing at a high level in his sport. He also has enjoyed being someone that his teammates can look up to as a senior.

“Knowing that this will be my last year doing track I feel like the big brother on the team and I just can’t let my brothers down while I have the chance to be great,” Jacobs said.

Junior Jon Contaxis, who placed second in the high jump at Class M State Championships, said that the team’s camaraderie was key to its success this season.

“The environment is amazing as all of the other athletes are unified by the same goal which is to improve,” Contaxis said. “I love competing at a high level as it gives me something to work for and is overall exciting”.

Sports are more than a competition to a lot of people. Members of Law’s track team embody this point of view.

“Since I was little, sports was my therapy,” Jacobs said. “If I was to have a bad day playing football in the park or playing basketball felt like my vacation a trip to relax my mind and see mentally how to bounce back and be better.”

Since the indoor track season has come to an end, the track team must start to look forward to the outdoor season. Beler has some things on his mind that might need improvement as the team moves outside.

“For the outdoor season we need to probably improve a little bit on our field events as a whole,” Beler said. “We had a good start, we had a good nucleus of young jumpers and throwers. Last year we lost our pole vaulters. We got new pole vaulters coming in this year.”

By Sydney Simpson – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls indoor track team had a record-breaking season this year, with many athletes qualifying for both the SCC meet and the Class M States meet in their 2019-2020 season. 

Many school records were broken this season for the girls, including the 4×800 meter relay’s previous record of 10:58.32 and the short medley relay’s previous record of 4:44.88. 

“Overall, I thought it was a great season,” said head coach Mr. Beler. “We broke four school records, and we had numerous people who contributed to that from freshmen all the way to seniors.”

Freshman Eira Rodriguez, junior Alexis Voytek, sophomore Emma Savoie, and junior Hannah Rascoll make up the state-qualifying, record breaking 4×800 meter relay team with a time of 10:29.10, which beats the previous record by over 25 seconds. 

“We already broke the school record, but next year my goal is for the 4 by 800 team to be at a higher place in the state,“ said Rascoll, the anchor on the relay team. 

The girls SMR, which is made up of four runners who run 200 meters, another 200 meters, 400 meters, and then 800 meters, also qualified for the Class M States meet and ran a time of four minutes and 39.77 seconds. This time shattered both the team’s personal record and the school record. 

Freshman Demi Carrapico, senior Captain Nia Mayo, freshman Elly Van Waveren, and freshman Eira Rodriguez are the runners in the SMR, which shows the talent that the Slass of 2023 brings to the track team. 

“We’ve been running this event since the beginning of the season and our main goal was to make states,” said Mayo. “We would dedicate a lot of time during practice so we could make this happen, I’m really proud that we were able to accomplish our goals.”

Mayo, along with junior Brooke Dillman, was also able to run the 55 meter dash in the SCC Championship meet, after receiving a qualifying time in the SCC meet. Mayo ran a time of 7.89 seconds, and Dillman ran a 7.91 second race. 

School records were also broken this year in two individual events, the 55 meter hurdles and the 600 meter run. 

Junior Andriana Bruno broke the hurdles record with a time of 9.39 seconds, and Rodriguez also broke a school record during her first indoor track season, running a 600 meter race with a time of 1:48.41. 

Many people this season also came close to school records set by previous Law athletes. Rascoll ended her season with a time of 3:23.15 in the 1000 meter, the second fastest time in Law’s history for that event. 

Her goal is to be able to bring her time down for her senior season, and to possibly beat the school record. 

Rascoll is also ranked third in the school for the one mile, with a time of five minutes and 49.31 seconds. 

Also, the girls 4×200 relay team ended their season with a time of 1:52.85, only one second away from the school record. 

“I really want to break the school record next year for the 4×200,” said Van Waveren, the third runner in the relay. “I think with a little more work, we can definitely do it.”

Kayden Prevost, a freshman thrower, also made top five in Law’s record book. With a throw of 30 feet, 2.5 inches during this year’s states meet, Prevost landed in fourth place on Law’s leaderboard. 

“Our team was really successful this year,” said sophomore Hailey Boyle. “Lots of people qualified for states and for SCCs, and there were girls on our team that were able to lap people from other schools during long distance races.”

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

Jonathan Law High School officially hired Chris Haley to be the new head coach of its football program on January 17.

Haley was one of five candidates that was selected for a first-round interview, and he was one of three selected for a second round of interviews.

Haley, who served as interim head coach for the second half of last season, has many ideas about how he wants to improve the program.

“Many of my plans have already started to be put in motion,” Haley said. “First, the addition of Coach Ryan Pearson as our new offensive coordinator is an exciting announcement. He comes to us from New Canaan,and will be a great asset for our athletes.”

Haley also has some big plans for the offseason at Jonathan Law. 

“A major addition to our offseason programming is our partnership with VOLT Athletics,” Haley said. “This is a game-changer and provides our players with some of, if not the best, in strength and conditioning programming, along with endless resources for nutrition and overall wellness.”

Athletic director Mr. Sarullo said Haley stood out in his interview because of his long list of ideas to improve the program as well his desire to be involved in the school community as well.

“I think that we had a lot of qualified people for the position,” Sarullo said. “But his passion for working with our kids, his knowledge of the sport, and the culture that he wants to build, in being good members of the community and good representatives of the school really made him stand out.”

Haley’s leadership style stands out to his student-athletes. 

“Coach Haley is different because he doesn’t put winning in front of things that actually matter such as grades and being an overall good person,” said Jonathan Law junior and three-year member of the football team Angel Santiago. “He’s willing to do anything to make us better people which is hard to come by today.”

Coaching runs in Haley’s family and he is eager to carry on that coaching tradition at Law. As a long-time resident of Milford himself, Haley is very happy to be able to give back to his community in more ways than one.

“Aside from football, I’m honored to be carrying on a legacy,” Haley said. “My father has been in coaching 50 years, and I love Milford. It is a phenomenal place to live and raise a family and if coaching its high school football team helps make it an even better place, and can help produce even better people, then sign me up.”

Haley has managed to get his assistant coaches to rally beside him as well. With an experienced coaching staff on board, Haley is prepared to lead the Law football program to a success filled year.

“Coach Haley is a guy who follows through,” said Jonathan Law attendance officer and assistant football coach Mr. Boynton. “If there were 28 hours in a day, Coach Haley would work 28 hours a day to make sure that his program is successful, because his name is on it, and our name is on it, and we’re going to work hard for him.”

Law’s returning football players are also very pleased to have Haley be the new head coach. 

“I’ve trusted Coach Haley and I’ve definitely enjoyed him coaching for these past two years,” junior Vaughn Weston said. “I really like the way that the program changed when he became in charge.”

By Michael Loschiavo – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law boys lacrosse team recently welcomed a familiar face to a new position.

Garrett Clark, who works in the Information Systems and Technology Department for the Milford Public Schools, has been the JV lacrosse coach at Trumbull High School the past five years. He was also the JV head coach and varsity assistant coach at Shelton High School for two years and has been heavily involved in the Trumbull Youth Lacrosse program.

He said he is excited to start the spring season.

“I was extremely excited to be named the new head coach for Lacrosse at Law,” Clark said. ”Becoming a varsity head coach is something that I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long time, so when the opportunity presented itself I couldn’t wait to throw my hat in the ring.”

Senior Jack Chizmazia plays attack and believes that the team is prepared to have a great season with a new head coach.

“I’m looking forward to our new coach pushing the whole team to master the basics of lacrosse,” Chizmazia said. “He is setting new standards for off-season work with essential wall ball routines, an indoor league team, and lifting/conditioning all designed to help build well-rounded lacrosse players. I’m definitely looking forward to playing for Coach Clark, as he has much defensive knowledge to share with the team from his experience as a college long-stick defenseman.”

Senior Noah Kharbouch has played lacrosse for Law the past two years and is excited for the upcoming season.

“I think the new head coach is pretty cool and I feel like he will help us learn a lot,” Kharbouch said.” We are looking forward to learning new plays on the field and building better team chemistry.”

Senior Zack Passaro thinks Clark was a good choice for the team.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know our new coach and how he’s going to change the program,” Passaro said. “We hope that our record gets better than last year and that we all become closer on the field.”

Senior Chris Lill plans to be a key asset to the team this season.

“I’m looking forward to a better record and better connections between players,” Lill said. ”Coach Clark seems very knowledgeable about lacrosse.”

Clark said he is looking forward to helping his players on and off the lacrosse field.

“I am definitely looking forward to the Foran game; there’s nothing better than a little cross-town rivalry,” Clark said. “I also want the players to have a great experience and finish the season better lacrosse players and want them to take away concepts that they can use long after lacrosse is done.”

By Nora Sotomonte – Staff Reporter 

Spencer Hannon is a sophomore member of the Jonathan Law JV basketball team.

This year his goal is to improve his game from last season. 

“I’m going to go in to every game knowing we can win, knowing we know what we can do, and practice hard,” Hannon said. 

Hannon is not only confident and hard-working, he always finds something he can improve on. He pushes his team as well as himself. 

Teammates talked very highly about Hannon’s work ethic and leadership.

“I feel Spencer is a great teammate,” teammate Dan Maxwell said. “He will push every single person on the team. He will put in the most effort to get the most of his teammates and because of that it makes people want to be around him more and more.” 

This year, Hannon is going to do the best he can to help his team make the playoffs and states. Hannon said he will take it one day at a time. He is very patient and works hard to achieve his goal.

His coach also believes he is a model player. 

“Spencer is a kid that would pretty much do anything you ask as a coach,” assistant coach Mr. McPartland said. “If I ask Spencer to run through a brick wall he would without asking questions.”

McPartland said that Hannon has the key characteristics that make him a model player. He inspires the upperclassmen as well as the incoming players.  

Teammates have noticed his growth from last year.

“Spencer has become an even better player than he was last year. He will give you everything he has no matter the score or the record of the team,” Maxwell said. “Coming off of last season of him not playing that many games, I look to see him come back this season with even more dedication than he did last year.”

By Tyanna Xavier – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law senior Diontae Eady went All-State in 2018 and is trying to repeat that feat this winter.

Eady has been playing basketball his entire life and is very excited to say that he has reached one of his goals.

“Basketball is the first sport I was playing since age four,” Eady said. “My mom got me into it and ever since she put that ball into my hand and it’s the one sport I really connect with.”

Eady has a passion for the sport of basketball and having his mother and his teammates as supporters pushed him to overcome obstacles.

“My team definitely helped me a lot in accomplishing All-State because without them I would not be able to play,” Eady said. “There’s no ‘I’ in team and it’s a five on five game, not a one on five.”

Eady’s teammates enjoy being on the court with him and have integrated his skills into their own games.

“Playing with one of the best guards in the SCC means a lot because I pick up from his game and put it into mine,” senior Antonio Brown said. “Overall, Diontae has a bright future.”

Eady said the Law basketball team is more of a family than a team. They always have each other’s backs on and off the court. The players pick up skills from each other, work together, and have open communication which is always important during a game.

Assistant coach Mr. McPartland said that Eady contributes to the team in many areas.

“Diontae is a great athlete with a lot of God-given talent,” McPartland said. “He’s a great asset to the team because he brings energy, leadership, and does a lot of controlling the basketball.”

McPartland said Eady is a very humble player that works with his teammates to take down them competition.

Eady is excited for his final year to get started.

“My main goal for this year would be would be to go All-State and win the state title for my last year,” Eady said. “I have been scouted by one coach at Curry College and it’s great to see that my hard work is paying off.”

By Hanna Broderick – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law High School gymnastics team is getting ready to have a great season.

The team has had successful seasons in the past and returns many talented gymnasts. Aside from that, all of the girls are really close, and have a lot of fun.

Head coach Mr. Simon has been coaching gymnastics at Law for years. After coaching as new girls come and go every year, he’s been able to make a strong team. 

After last year’s extremely successful season, the team is ready to work hard to get even better. Last season, the team didn’t score lower than a 120 in any meets. 

Even though gymnastics events are scored individually, it is still a team sport and everyone needs to work together. Junior Amanda Dew is excited to grow as a team.

“We support each other,” Dew said. “I think that’s what makes us a strong team, we all help each other out.” 

The team lost great seniors who contributed a lot to the team, but they also have great underclassmen who are only getting better. 

Junior Greta Valvo is going her third year on the team. She has seen the team grow from season to season.

“We’ve all gotten a lot closer,” Valvo said. “We’re all friends and it helps us to get better because of that.”

The team really likes having students there to support them. They like to have as many people cheering them on as possible. 

“I’d like to have students at our meets against Foran,” sophomore Emma Nelly said. “That’s a big meet for us.”

Team members believe they have the ingredients to be a great again this year. Now, they said, it’s all about putting in the work individually and as a team.

By Gillian Rees – Staff Reporter

The winter season is up and running for the boys indoor track team. 

The boys indoor track team has been a very successful team the past few years and looks to continue that this season. 

“I feel excited for a new season because of how much bigger a team and some really good runners we have,” freshman Jake Ackley said. “I’m hoping for a great season and hopefully get a banner.”

The track team is the biggest team at this high school with over 100 participants.

“It can be difficult to manage the large amount of athletes and all the different events they do; thankfully, we have the captains step up and take charge and help out a lot, we also have different coaches for the events, ” assistant coach Ms. Corriveau said. “We really divide and conquer.” 

For some of the boys on the team it is their last season, one of which is senior Rayshon Jacobs. Jacobs is one of the team’s sprinters and last year attended nationals for the 800 meter medley. 

“I would like to improve on how we come together as a team earlier in the season and not just when the season is over,” Jacobs said. “If we work hard from the beginning to end, our record should come out better.” 

Team members said that indoor track meets are a very enjoyable experience.

“I’m pretty hyped for the season this year; we have a great team trying to improve,” junior Ethan Harrigan said. “I’m looking forward to the indoor meets because there’s always a great atmosphere and everyone has fun.” 

The boys and the coaches are really looking forward to this season and with the hard work they have already been putting their there will be great results expected. 

“I’m excited to see how different indoor track is from outdoor and cross country, I’m expecting people to get new PRs since every practice I feel improvement and so does everyone else I talk to,” senior Jacob Ciolkosz said. “My favorite part of the season is meets where we can all show how hard we have worked in practice.”

By Michael Loschiavo – Sports Editor

Jonathan Law’s girls track team is looking to make an impact this winter season.

Senior captain Emily Morey believes that the team is prepared to have a great season. 

“We are prepared for a great season in track because we are determined and willing to put in the hard work so that we get great times and results,” Morey said.

Freshman Elly Van Waveren can’t wait to start the season as one of the team’s hurdlers and short distance runners.

“I am excited for the track meets and to improve everyday ,” Van Waveren said. ”As this is only freshman year I am ready to compete at a higher level.” 

Junior Hannah Rascoll set some goals for herself for the beginning of the season.

“I want to improve my mile time and prepare myself as much as possible for the outdoor season,” Rascoll said.  

The team in the offseason trained in the fitness room and in the weight room to prepare themselves for the indoor season. The team’s first meet is next Thursday at Hillhouse High School. 

Junior Jordyn Konlian plans to be a key asset to the team.

”I am really looking forward to making some goals for the upcoming season and look to make states this year.” Konlian said.

The team is ready to start the season on a good note.

Senior Olivia Kowalski believes that she can make a difference on the team.

“This track season I am prepared to help my teammates prepare for meets since I am a second year captain of the track team, especially the throwers.” Kowalski said. “ I’m prepared to challenge them and myself during practice in order to meet our goals for the season.” 

Freshman Demi Carrapico believes she can dominate this season as a freshman.

“After a successful soccer season I am determined to do my absolute best.” Carrapico said. ”Running has always been a hobby of mine and I’m excited to continue running sprints during the high school track season as I previously did in my three years of middle school track.”

By Bridget Kinross – Sports Editor 

The Jonathan Laws boys basketball team is looking to have a very successful upcoming season.

The team has already started practicing and working towards its upcoming games. The team’s first game will be December 19 at Jonathan Law. 

“You have to win every practice and constantly be focused on improvement,” assistant coach Mr. McPartland said. “We get after it every single day, for as they say, ‘iron sharpens iron’.” 

The whole team has a collective goal of making it to the state championship together and to have a better record then they did last season.

“As a team we will take one game at a time but I know the whole squad is looking for a state championship,” senior captain Jon Vitale said.

The boys on the team are looking forward to home games because their peers are very supportive, especially the Law vs. Foran game which will have a big turnout. 

“As a team we are most looking forward to all the home games we play this year because we feel as if the whole school is really behind us this year and we know people will come out to watch us,” senior captain Ru Ahktar said. 

The team is very well0connected on and off the court, which helps the boys play better together and be able to work together to achieve their group goals. 

“We have the best group of guys we are all guards and have our own playing style. We already have a connection and it’s just going to keep getting stronger,” senior Toni Brown said. 

The boys and the coaching staff have high expectations for this season because of how well last season went.

“I expect my teammates to have my back at all times like I would always have theirs on and off the court,” senior Diontae Eady said. 

The coaching staff is looking forward to spending time with the players and building even better relationships together. The team shares lots of fun and laughter together which makes the long season much better. 

“Winning basketball games is awesome, but at the end of the day the relationships I have formed with the players and coaches is what I value the most,” McPartland said. “I look forward to the grind with everyone in the program.” 

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

The co-op boys swim team between Jonathan Law and Foran is diving into another amazing season. 

With new head coach Mr. Lui and new assistant coach Ms. Burns the team hopes to have a record-breaking year. 

“I’m both honored and excited to be the new head coach,” Lui said. “As a team, we made great progress last year and were competitive with many schools in our division.”

Burns is ready to take the position of assistant coach and help the team succeed as much as possible.

“I am really excited,” said Burns. “I have been at Law for 11 years and have never had the chance to coach so I am super grateful for this opportunity.”

Last season, the team’s record was 2-9.

“We ended the regular season on a positive note with many best times across the board,” said Lui.  The boys’ swim season is long and sometimes it can be difficult to stay motivated; however, swimmers from both Law and Foran helped create an environment that promoted success and drive.”

Junior Justin Goglia is looking forward to making this season even better than last year.

“This year I want to improve my swimming in general , like my 500 free and the 100 backstroke,” said Goglia. “My favorite part from last year would be going to Opens at Yale for the first time to swim the 500 free.”

Although some events are individual, boys swim is truly a team sport.

“Each swimmer brings something unique to the team, both in and out of the pool,” said Lui. “I’m looking forward to continuing building on our team culture this year and to provide a positive learning environment where student-athletes can thrive and reach their goals.”

With a larger “pool” of swimmers and new leadership, the team is looking forward to an exciting season. 

“Last year our relay was only off by three seconds for state championships so I am really looking forward to working towards making that,” said senior captain Bruno Sequera. “Personally, I was only off by two seconds on my 100 freestyle to make state championships so I would want to accomplish that as well.”