By Bridget Kinross – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls basketball team is off to a great start this season with a current record of 6-2.

The girls all have a similar goal of staying positive and making it into the SCC and state tournaments.

“We hope to be a close-knit team that enjoys playing and getting better throughout the season,” head coach Mr. Young said.

The team has four senior captains who hope to advance far in the postseason in their last year on the court.

“My goal this season is to win a championship in my last year,” senior captain Fallon Andriolas said. “Our goal as team is to stay positive in hopes of making it very far in the postseason.”

The coaches have pulled up many girls from the junior varsity team to now play on varsity. This will give the team a better advantage with having more players.

“My goal is to have a banner in the gym for the first one in girls basketball,” junior Eryn Mower said

These new and old varsity players have high hopes for the team this season. With big rivalries such as Foran and Branford still left on the schedule, the girls say they will work their hardest this season.

The seniors on the team show a great example for the girls who will take their places next year.

“We have a lot of experience and senior leadership that will hopefully allow us to compete for our division title,” Young said.

The girls on the team are said to work very cohesively and they know each other’s skills which helps lead them to many wins.

“It’s a lot easier knowing how each of us work because we are fluent on the court and we all know how we play,” senior captain Pam Ellison said.

The girls and the coaches are expecting lots of improvement this year because of how hard the girls worked in the off season. The goals this season have become much larger than previous seasons.

“ My personal goal is to play better in defense than i did last year by working harder and being more aggressive,” senior captain Cali Jolley said.

The girls all have a similar goal of being a more aggressive team this season and it shows with how well they’ve been doing.

“Our main goal is to enjoy the experience and make it back to the SCC and state tournaments with an opportunity to make a run,” Young said.

By Alexis Broderick – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law gymnastics team is off to an auspicious start.  

The team’s record is 4-1 as of January 4 and they’re excited and confident about what the future holds. Their most recent win was over Hand on January 3.

Even though the year has just begun, this is also a wrap-up season for the senior girls on the team: Julie Meyers, Lizzy Lombardi, Cassidy Davis, Bella Carroll, Emily Redneck, and Grace Wootton.

“Even though the season has just started, I’m honestly so sad knowing this is my final season as gymnast at Law,” Lombardi said.

This season, freshman Emma Nelly has already scored an 8.4 on vault.

“Being a freshman on varsity was a little intimidating at first, but everyone was really nice and welcoming and made me feel like I really was part of the team,” Nelly said.  

Sophomore Catherine Burns has scored an 8.1 on bars.

“The 8.1 on bars gives me feeling of accomplishment knowing all my hard work paid off,” Burns said.

Burns has also scored an 8.55 on floor.

The captains are extremely excited for this upcoming season.

“I’m overwhelmed but mostly excited for this season,” said Carroll.

Not only are the gymnastics girls excited, so is head coach Mr. Simon.

“The Law gymnastics team has a lot of talent this year and we hope to improve in each meet,” Simon said.

The goal for the season is to make it to the CIAC Divisional Championships and for some team members to make it to the Open Championships.

By Mia Powers – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s varsity point guard, Diontae Eady, is pumped up for the 2018-19 season.

The Lawmen are already off to a great start – they have a 3-0 record as of December 21. Members of the team said that their practices everyday are making them harder and harder to beat. 

Eady has been the varsity point guard since freshman year.

“He has improved a ton since freshman year,” junior varsity coach Mr. McPartland said. “His feel for the game has gotten a lot better. It seems like the game has slowed down a lot for him which is awesome.”

McPartland said he knew Eady was extra motivated heading into the team’s game against Foran on December 20, a game Law won 72-34.

“They just released players to watch on the Gametime CT website and he was not on there so he’s got a little extra motivation,” McPartland said. “As one of the better guards in the state, he was overlooked.”

Eady has been playing basketball for his whole life and tries to learn everything he can about the game. He thinks the team is better than last year because everyone is involved by doing more things as a team such as fundraising or supporting the girls basketball team.

“Learning from different coaches and playing against others who know more about the game made me better,” Eady said. “And my determination comes from my work ethic and being gifted enough to hopefully play in college one day.”

Eady has improved his confidence by being the varsity point guard and having tons of people come to watch his games.

“The game slowed down a lot for him which is especially good under pressure, and that’s usually when people clam up a little bit and shrivel up, but not him,” McPartland said. “He had a tough time against West Haven last year under pressure but he bounced right back from it and we trust him 100% with the ball towards the end of the game.”

By Ethan Harrigan – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls track team is back on track for their 2018-2019 indoor season with a strong showing at their first two meets.

Senior Captains Jocelyn Wirth, Sammi Franzman Amira Samih, and Abby Bernstein lead the team with the help of Coaches Mr. Beler, Mr. Rhode, Ms. Corriveau, and Mrs. Blude.

The season started on December 3rd, and since then there has been an invitational meet on December 14-15, and a developmental meet on December 18.

“The goals for the team are to have as many girls qualify for SCC championships, states and opens as possible,” Franzman said. “Beler and the other coaches have pushed us to be a New England team that everyone talks about, so our goal is to get as many girls on that level.”

With a team of 69 runners, more than three-fourths posted a personal record at one of the meets this season. Six Law track and field athletes have already qualified for states in at least one event: the 4×200 meter relay team of Jocelyn Wirth, Abby Bernstein, Brooke Dillman, Ashley Shaw and shot putters Emily Morey and Gina Boccamazzo.

“I think the whole team is doing really well this year,” Dillman said. “There were a bunch of PRs and state qualifying times at the first meet which is an improvement from last year.”

As well as qualifying in the 4×200 relay, Wirth also state qualified in the 55 meter dash and is highly ranked in the conference.

“As of right now I am ranked 5th in the SCC for the 55 meter dash and I would love to improve my PR and become ranked 3rd or higher,” Wirth said.

A change the team has from last season are new coaches in the form of Corriveau and Blude who weren’t with the program last year. Blude is now the new throwing coach and Corriveau coaches distance running along with Rhode.

“We have a lot of coaches this year which is really helpful for more direct coaching and will help us improve our times, jumps and throws,” Franzman.

Beler is optimistic about the season and what it will hold for Law and its athletes.

“We’ve got good, strong leadership and we’ve got a lot of young ‘uns so by the time state comes around we should expect about 15-20 girls will make states,” said Beler.

 

By Jordyn Wirth – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law wrestling team enters the winter season motivated to succeed.

The Lawmen lost their first match against Branford on December 12, although they picked up six individual wins.

Their second match was a tournament at Ludlowe where they placed sixth out of 15 teams.

“We wrestled really tough and we had some young guys wrestle better than expected so we hope to continue that throughout the season,” assistant coach Mr. Ruzbarsky said.

Senior captain Aisaiah Rodriguez placed first in the tournament at Ludlowe and is eager to continue his season in that direction.

“I have a lot of things to work on but it’s gonna be a really good season with the team,” Rodriguez said.

Senior captain Shane McCourt also placed first at the tournament and has optimistic views for the team this season.

“The first match was good but I still need to work on some moves,” McCourt said. “Aisaiah and I just need to keep pushing each other in the gym to get better.”

Sophomore Cody Malin placed fourth in the tournament for his weight class and hopes to only focus on going up from there.

“I hope to eat better and to condition more to place better at states than last year,” Malin said.

Freshman Dylan Benedetti is excited to continue his first season of high school wrestling.

“It’s interesting; I have learned a lot of new things that will help me get better,” Benedetti said.

The Lawmen next compete in the Sacham Duals at RHAM High School on December 22. They will then compete in the Joe Beler Duals at Law on December 29 and face rival Foran on January 2.

By Stephanie Caron – Staff Reporter

The Milford boys swim co-op team is diving into the winter season.

With meets at the end of December and early January, the team is hoping to achieve many goals and to break new records.

“For our team, my goal would be for us to just win as many meets as we can,” sophomore Edward Platonov said.

Last season, Platonov broke a total of seven school records in the 200 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 fly, 100 free, 500 free, and 100 breast.

“The coaches motivate the team do better by giving good practices,” sophomore Justin Goglia said. “They also give us motivational speeches at the end of almost every practice.”

Goglia broke the 100 backstroke record last season with a time of 58.66 and was in several record-breaking relay teams.

“The goal I have for myself are to drop my times,” Goglia said. “I also want to try to break some more records.”

After winning 5 meets last year, the team has high hopes for this season.

“My goals this season is to try and help my team win,” Platonov said. “Also to try and go All-State or win States, then compete at States Opens.”

In their first meet against Shelton, the team already broke three records. Platonov broke two of his own records in the 200 IM (2:01.29) and in the 500 free (4:52.72). The 400 free relay team broke their record from last year by eight seconds with a 3:41.30.  

“Our motivation for the relay team was the race itself,” Platonov said. “We were trying to beat the other team, so we raced as fast as we could.”

Last season, the team broke three relay records: the 200 medley which included Goglia, recent graduate Bob Fisk, Platonov, and recent graduate Jake Gwirtz; the 200 free team which included Gwirtz, Goglia, A. Siliva, and Platonov, and the 400 free which included Goglia, J. Pincus Coyle, J. Iaffaldano, and Platonov.

“The motivation the relay team had to beat our own record was just wanting it, and beating the other team so we all worked together to achieve that,” Goglia said.

The swim team is very excited for what this season has in store and for what goals they can achieve.

By Thea Ryan – Staff Reporter  

The Milford Indians hockey team is ecstatic to skate into this year’s season.

Students from Jonathan Law, Foran, and Platt Tech High School join forces on the Milford Indians hockey team. As of December 20, the team’s record is 0-2 and they are looking to improve throughout the season.

“I am looking forward to seeing our team grow into one that is better and getting out of Division III,” senior Patrick Caron said. “I am excited to have a new coach, he is a very nice guy who I believe will lead our team to success after years of failure.”

The team is very excited to have a new coach, Ken Mitchell, for this season.

“I look forward to learning from our new coach,” junior Jack Chizmazia said.

All three captains of the team – Rich Carino, Matt Gilebi, and Evan White – go to Foran High School.

“I encourage my team by leading by example and by picking them up and having everyone’s back,” Carino said.

Everyone on the team is very excited to improve individually and as a team, while building strong bonds with each other this season.

“I am looking forward to playing everyday trying to improve myself,” junior Brett Pisani said.

The team has prepared for this season by working hard in the spring and fall in order to reach a common goal of finishing with a better record than last year, which was 6-14.

“My goal is to successfully lead the team to have a better record than last year and make it to state championships as a team,” Carino said.

For others, they are just trying to recover from injuries and adjust to new changes this season .

“My goal is to learn my new position since I am transferring from defense to forward,” Caron said. “My other goal is to get back on the ice as soon as possible and recover from my injury.”

Players said what makes the Milford Indians special is how the team is a co-op sport among three high schools and how strong their bonds are.

“Being on the team brings a sense of unity like no other on and off the ice,” Chizmazia said. “My favorite things about the team is getting to see friends everyday and work towards a common goal.”

By Justin Judge – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s winter sports teams have begun their seasons – including indoor track.

Indoor track includes many different events such as the 55M dash, the 4×200 relay, and many more. Many of the runners have different methods to get themselves race ready.

“I will usually listen to music to pump myself up and also think about how I’m not going to get better if I don’t push myself to my hardest,” sophomore Chris Wootton said. “Also, one thing that helps are the chants we do as a team. Beler will ask ‘How do we get better?’ and the team responds with ‘Win every day.'”

The runners for Law’s indoor track team each race have a specific mindset and they will push their bodies to the max just to “win every day.”

Some ways these runners do this is by training, practicing, preparing, but one of the most important things for these runners are their shoes.

“My cleats are one of the most important thing for me when I’m running,” sophomore sprinter Naheim Washington said. “If I don’t feel comfortable, then I can’t perform my best.”

Even during winter break, these athletes will still be training. During the cold, bitter winter weather, these runners will still wake up early in the morning just to make themselves a better athlete.

“I will prepare by racing against faster kids at practice and make sure my form is perfect,” junior Walker Stebbins said.

Being an indoor track athlete comes with the risk of being injured but many runners take extra precautions to avoid this situation by stretching and eating healthy.

“I haven’t gotten an injury yet something that helps are the team stretches in the beginning  of every practice to prevent the runners jumpers and throwers from getting injuries,” Wootton said.

Indoor track isn’t only running; one unique event is the shot put.

“I think that shot is more about technique in order to perfect it,” junior Erik Borgerson said. “However, lifting is very necessary if you want to throw the shot farther.”

As holiday break approaches, many runners are planning their training routine while out of school.

“I will train with some of the other runners and I will set certain marks I want to accomplish,” Washington said. “Also, I will push my body as hard as I possibly can to come back stronger and faster than ever.”

By Michael Loschiavo – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s boys basketball team is ready to take the court this season.

Senior Zane Birks believes that the team is prepared to have a great year.

“We are very hyped for the first game and while not underestimating the other team, we expect nothing but a win,” Birks said.

The Lawmen opened their season with a 65-27 win over Whitney Tech on December 13. Senior Tyler McKenna-Hansen led the team with 21 points, including a dunk.

Seniors Will Contaxis and McKenna-Hansen are Law’s two captains.

McKenna-Hansen has played basketball for the past four years at Law and plans to improve for his final year with the team as a player and a leader.

“As a captain, I have to make sure everyone is on task, paying attention, making sure they are giving max effort,” McKenna-Hansen said. “Also. I make sure everyone is on the same page and to be there for anyone when they need it.”

The Lawmen are determined this season and hope to qualify for states and move on to the second round.

Junior Jonathan Vitale set some goals for his team for the beginning of the season.

“As a team we are always looking to accomplish to get better than we were a year before,” Vitale said. “This year especially we have high expectations.”

The team’s record last season was 9-11 which qualified the Lawmen for the SCC and state tournaments.

Senior James Coleman plans to finish off his high school career strong.

“We are going to work twice as hard in practice and work harder than the other teams so we will be quicker on the court while being smart,” Coleman said.

Junior Ru Akhtar believes that he can add to the team’s success this season.

“ We’re really excited and looking forward to our first game and at the same time we are focused on following our game plan and executing it well,” Akhtar said.

Akhtar plans to get time on varsity this season and compete on a higher level.

Assistant coach Mr. McPartland feels like his team is ready to work hard on and off the court.

“Every day is a business day and we understand that in order to be successful we have to push each other to get where we want to be – as they say, iron sharpens iron,” McPartland said. “We’re always looking to get better both individually and as a team everyday, but I’d say one of our main goals this year is to lock up a home playoff game and go from there.”

By Justin Judge – Staff Reporter

As Jonathan Law’s fall sports seasons come to an end, some members of the boys cross country team are already getting ready for next season.

The boys cross country is coached by Mr. Phillips.

“Cross country was welcoming, friendly , and the coach is very nice,” sophomore Justin Lazar said.

These athletes run everyday after school to prepare themselves for their race meets.

“We run everyday in practice which gets us in shape for winter sports,” sophomore Ethan Florio said.

Juniors Tyler MaKenna-Hansen and Michael Loschiavo were the two top runners for Law. They had a strong end to their seasons, running personal bests.

Loschiavo and other runners on the team worked hard to sustain a goal for the season  

“At Winding Trails I ran a 16:58 and that was a personal record for me and i was so excited,” said Loschiavo

These times and personal records come from practicing at 100 percent everyday.

“I need to go on runs in the summers to get in shape for the  season,” Florio said. “I will also go to the gym to gain more muscle mass and lose as much body fat as I can.”

The preparation is very important because a student’s most important year is the year that follows when they run cross country.

Lazar has his eyes set on some goals this season that he wants to accomplish for  next season.

“I will practice smarter, lift more, train harder and eat properly to sustain myself for my future seasons at Law,” said Lazar.

On October 19, the team competed at East Shore Park. The top five boys results for Law were Michael Loschiavo-  17:49, Tyler MaKenna Hansen- 18:06, Nick Shugrue-19:36, – Amir Elhelw – 19:49, and Charles Wang at 19:52.

“As the top runner for Law, I feel like the top five runners every practice work harder to try to stay with each other so that in the race we can score well,” said Loschiavo.

As new freshmen come to Law every year, many want to try out for cross country.

“Cross country is a very fun sport and it’s also a great way to spend time with your friends,” said Lazar.  “Any freshmen should not feel nervous running cross country because it just feels like one big family.”

Many runners for the boys cross country team that were not starters didn’t seem to disappoint head Coach Phillips.

“The biggest surprise came when four underclassmen besides Michael Loschiavo became state qualifiers,” Phillips said. “They were junior Nick Shugrue, and sophomores Charles Wang, Amir Elhelw, and Luke Pleimann.”

Many underclassmen stepped up and proved themselves as strong and passionate runners for their states competition.

“Another sophomore, James Marino, was our top alternate for states,” said Phillips.

Being a student-athlete requires a student to maintain a 2.0 GPA and have passing grades.

“The majority of our runners are honor students,” Phillips said. “And after finishing my 51st year of coaching at Law it is still thrilling, exciting, and enjoyable to see the progress that has been made by a majority of our runners.”

By Addison Schwing – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Powderpuff team is preparing for its annual game against Foran High School on Tuesday, November 20.

Powderpuff is an all-female football team that plays once a year during Thanksgiving Week.

Mr. Kulenych, one of the coaches for the team, has coached Powderpuff for 11 years.

“I got involved because I really loved going to the game before I started coaching,” he said. “I saw how fun it was for the girls to play. When the opportunity to coach came up, I took it, and it’s been so much fun ever since.”

Mr. Ruzbarsky, another coach for Powderpuff, has been coaching the team for eight years.

“Mr. Kulenych was the first one to wrap me in,” Ruzbarsky said. “I used to coach football before that, and he was really the one who piqued my interest in that.”

Powderpuff debuted in the 90’s and has been a hit ever since, always occurring right around the Lawmen’s final game on Thanksgiving. The event offers juniors and seniors at Law to learn how to play football, and Kulenych relishes in the experience while maintaining high standards.

“We have pretty high expectations,” he said. “We hold the girls to a high standard, and we want to keep our win streak alive.”

Ruzbarsky also has high expectations for the team.

“Every day [our expectation] is to grow and make sure that we aren’t making the same mistakes as previous days,” he said. “More or less, the expectation is to do our job so that our overall team will win the game.”

Traditionally, teams practice for up to a month to practice for the game, but this year, they only have eight days. The coaches put a lot of effort into preparing the players for the game.

“We teach the girls plays on offense and defense, getting them ready, teaching them the game of football,” Kulenych said. “The girls are athletic and play other sports but don’t play football, so it is just a matter of teaching them the ins and outs of the game, the rules, and everything, and just getting them ready to play.”

With only a few days remaining until the game, the coach and the team are feeling the pressure mounting. Despite all this, senior quarterback Gina Boccamazzo is in high spirits .

“I’m really excited for this upcoming game,” she said. “Last year, we kinda scraped Foran, and it’s always fun, beating Foran. We’re really ready, honestly. We’ve been practicing for a few days, and we already have all of our plays. We scrimmaged against our defense and did really well. We’re all evenly matched.”

Senior running back Jocelyn Wirthis also in high spirits.

“I’m really really excited to play Foran and tear them apart again, and keep the trophy here,” Wirth said. “Mr. K. said that we already seem super-prepared, even though we have a few things to fix. I know that the offense learned every single play. I think that we’re going to do really well.”

Senior Mary Lonergan is also excited to play next week.

“I’m really excited to play against Foran and keep the trophy at home again,” Lonergan said. “I know that for defense, I’m extremely confident to play the defensive line. We’re extremely strong and very fast, and we know all of the defensive set-ups. I’m really excited to take Foran’s flags off.”

Ruzbarsky said his most significant challenges with coaching is all of the new players.  

“This year, our defense is pretty much brand new,” he said. “There are challenges every day, with teaching them exactly what they should be doing in every possible position. We have two returning kids on defense, and everyone else is brand new, and they no nothing about it, so I have to teach them about football, I have to teach them general turns, I have to teach them exactly what to do. It’s a battle every day.”

Kulenych also expressed his challenges with coaching.

“I think the biggest challenge is trying to cram a lot of information in a small amount of time,” he said. I think it’s hard to teach kids an entire sport within eight days, but I think that we do a good job of giving it to them in doses and small pieces here and there so that they can absorb it easier. At the end of the day, it works out pretty well.”

Junior Michaela Mai, who is playing on the Powderpuff team for the first time, is feeling ready and excited about the game.

“I’m super excited for the upcoming Powderpuff game,” Mai said. “I think it’s going to be a good match. I think that we have a lot of preparing to do, but I really think that we can get there, and we’re going to do great and hopefully get the win.”

By Ethan Harrigan – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys soccer team ended its season with a record of 6-8-2.

The team was led through the season by head coach Mr. Gruber, assistant coach Mr. Oliveira and four captains: seniors Will Contaxis, Troy Anderson, Kyle Goglia, and junior Jon Vitale.  

This year, the team made it to the first round of the states, finally ending the season in a loss against Joel Barlow High School.

“I thought the team fought hard in nearly every game,” Gruber said. “We had some really good results and got into states which the team was very happy about.”

However, the coaches and many players felt the team could have gone further.

“It’s always a goal to make states, so we accomplished that but our main goal was to progress in the tournament and win at least one game in states which we did not accomplish,” Anderson said.

There were a number of juniors this year who transitioned over to Law from other schools including Cole Zamora, formerly a student at Foran High School.

“ I felt like I was a part of the team right away,” Zamora said. “Also the coaches gave me a lot more advice and confidence in terms of my play rather than at Foran.”

A large number of freshman made the team this season and a many of them saw varsity playing time.

“I believe going forward we are going to have a very athletic team with the skill exponentially increasing with the new class coming in and our training,” sophomore Jonathan Contaxis said.

Freshman Jackson Warters talked about being a member of Law’s varsity roster.

“It was amazing to be a part of the team this season,” Warters said. “I am proud and excited to say that I made the team as a freshman.”

The team dealt with a number of injuries this year and lost senior players from last year like striker Kevin Lin and goalkeeper Jack Pincus-Coyle.

“We tried to address to the whole team that we needed to stick together as one in order to make states and other goals,” Anderson said.

Former Notre Dame student junior Connor DiMuro is already looking forward to the future of the team.

“We lost a lot of good seniors from this year, but I know that we will make it to states and be a solid team next year if we listen to our coaches and bring the same intensity and heart we did this year,” DiMuro said.

By Thea Ryan – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls soccer team has recently finished another successful fall season which ended in a trip to states.

The team’s regular season record was 6-5-5. The team made it to the first round of the state tournament and lost to North Branford.

“Our greatest accomplishment this season was ending the regular season with a winning record,” head coach Mr. Rhode said. “Our schedule was about ten times more difficult than last season. Adding in the amount of injuries we had throughout this season, we had some great results and battled to a winning record.”

During their game against Amity, they were down 3-1 with about 12 minutes left in the game they were able to tie up the game with 5 minutes remaining.

“Amazing comeback,” Rhode said.

Junior Skylar Sosa agreed with Rhode.

“I believe a highlight from this season was when we tied against Amity, showing how as a team we never gave up,” Sosa said. “As a team we worked very hard and fought till the last second of each game this season.”

Senior Captain Samara Thacker guided her team to a successful season and accomplished her personal goals on the team.

“Personally, my greatest accomplishment was being a good captain and leader on the field and working to get everyone involved and being really vocal,” Thacker said.

The team finished this season with a winning record through hard work and dedication.

“We prepared for this season by doing a lot of summer and preseason training, especially with the guys soccer coach,” Thacker said.

The team had two victories against Foran this season.

“My favorite memory from this season was winning both games against Foran,” Sosa said. “This was my favorite memory from this season because Foran is our rival school and it is a huge accomplishment to get winning results both times we played them.”

Sophomore Ashley Shaw’s goal is to perfect the formation on the field with positive communication for next season.

“My goal for next season is to make the second round of states and get into SCC’s,” junior Jamie Jaser said.

The team plans to continue having a winning record next season and to make it to the second round of states.

“This is something that has never been achieved by the girls soccer team here at Law and it would be truly amazing if we were able to make history during my last season of playing soccer,” Sosa said.

By Alexis Broderick – Staff Reporter

The girls swim team at Jonathan Law recently ended an incredible season.  

The team finished with a meet record of 11-2 – and they’re expecting an even better season next year.

As this is the end of the season for the entire team, this is the end of a high school career for six girls: Julie Myers, Cali Jolley, Mary Lonergan, Bella Carroll, Christina Gleason, and Molly Sullivan.

“I am extremely sad that the season is over,” Jolley said. “This team has become a family,  we have so many memories together, grew as swimmers , and we all became more successful together.”

Junior Brooke Nabors qualified for states in the 100 fly and in the 200.

“I felt very accomplished making it to states since its an important goal I set for myself,” Nabors said.

Sophomore Hannah Rascoll qualified for states in the 200 and 500 freestyle. Rascoll placed 23rd in the 500 and 25th in the 200.

“Making states was exciting but I was a little nervous,” Rascoll said.

New personal records and better times were set by majority of the team.

At states, Athena Homorodean posted 200 freestyle time of 2:02.88, Brooke Nabors a 200 IM time of 2:22.94, and the 200 Medley Relay of Brooke Nabors, Hennessey Shane, Alexa Darak, Hannah Rascoll posted a time of 2:02.26.

Emma Savoie was 4th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.01, which was a new school record. Lily Baldieri had a 50 freestyle time of 25.31, Athena Homorodean a 50 freestyle time of 25.92, Hennessey Shane a 50 free time of 27.11, Brooke Nabors a 100 fly time of 1:03.68, and Alexa Darak a 100 fly time of 1:07.20.

Emma Savoie posted a 500 free a time of 5:38.45, Hannah Rascoll a 500 freestyle time of 5:52.58, and Hennessey Shane a 100 breaststroke time of 1:14.45.

Lily Baldieri, Hennessey Shane, Athena Homorodean, and Emma Savoie finished 5th in the 200 free relay with a new school record of 1:43.82. Tess Rosato had a 100 breaststroke time of 1:17.63 and Lily Baldieri, Brooke Nabors, Athena Homorodean and Emma Savoie finished 3rd in the 400 freestyle relay with a new school record of 3:46.51.

Christina Gleason finished fourth in the diving competition.

Carroll, Lonergan, Myers, and Jolley put on great events during the season and lead the team to an amazing finish.

“One thing I’ll miss from all the seniors is how nice, fun, motivating, and welcoming everyone is,” sophomore Stefanie Feher said.

The girls swim team Senior Night was on October 22 at the Foran Pool. On this night, the girls defeated Foran for the first time in years.

“My senior night went extremely well,” Carroll said.” It felt amazing defeating Foran for my first time.”

Swim brought laughter and fun times for all the girls.

”Knowing that next fall I won’t be swimming for Law anymore makes me really upset,” Lonergan said. “I feel like i’m leaving my family behind.”

By Bridget Kinross – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law volleyball team recently finished a historic fall season.

Law finished the regular season with a record of 15-5 and advanced all the way to the Class M semifinals before falling to Weston in four games.

“The team has worked so hard this season to make this a reality,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “The coaches are very proud.”

The volleyball team had not made it to the semifinals since 2009 so this was their biggest accomplishment as a team.

“I think we went farther than any of us could have ever imagined,” junior Emily Morey said.

The team has three coaches – Loch, Coach Johnston, and Coach Jaques – who helped prepare the girls for states.

These coaches all had different drills to teach the girls so they were prepared for anything that could be thrown at them in a states game.

“Having the three coaches be able to watch and observe each game helped make it easier to assist the girls during practices and games,” Loch said.

The team has been consistently been getting stronger but unfortunately they will say goodbye to three seniors – Pam Ellison, Katie Eighmy, and Erin Goodwin – who were a huge part of this team.

Ellison said she couldn’t have been happier with the way her senior season played out.

“It’s very memorable to end my career at Law going that far with a great group of girls,” senior captain Pam Ellison said.

The team also brought up sophomore Laura Ellison from JV to varsity to go to the states with them. She was a great help to the team.

“Being brought to states was such a great experience,” Laura Ellison said. “Our team worked so hard at practice and brought us so much closer.”

The girls who will be returning next year have a collective goal of making it back to semis or even further. They got to see what it was like to be a huge success and they are determined to do it again.  

“When we play with our hearts and dedicate ourselves it truly shows,” Morey said.

With a successful end to the girls season they are even more excited to start back up again next year.

The girls have learned so much from the seniors who are leaving and they plan to carry on all they have been taught them.

By Michael Loschiavo – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls cross country team ended its season with a boom.

Senior captain Samantha Franzman said the team had high expectations this season and she thinks the team has reached them.

“With high expectations this season, we definitely reached our goals,” Franzman said. “(Head coach) Mr. Schulte wanted us to have a really good showing at SCCs which we definitely accomplished as well as a good showing at states.”

Franzman had a great end to her high school cross country career and hopes the best for her team’s future.

“As a captain, I will miss the girls,” Franzman said.” This year our team was really close and we had such a strong bond which I will definitely miss.”

Senior captain Laura Dennigan feels like her high school cross country career ended on a good note.

“We did so good at states this year because everyone had such great times and really pushed themselves,” Dennigan said.

The team competed October 26 at Wickham Park for the Class M State Championship and placed 11th out of 18 teams. The top five girls for Law were Katie Konareski – 21:21, Kaylee Brotherton – 22:54, Laura Dennigan – 23:00, Jenna Wasserman – 23:23, Lindsay Konlian – 24:02, Jordyn Konlian – 24:30.

Freshman Lindsay Konlian plans to be one of Law’s top runners next year. She ended her season well with her best time being a 22:46.

“I think I did reach my goals ,” Konlian said. “I worked as hard as I could and tried to get a good time every race.”

On October 19, the team competed at East Shore Park. The top five girls results for Law were Katie Konareski –  21:20, Kaylee Brotherton – 21:57, Jenna Wasserman – 23:13, Laura Dennigan – 23:24, and Jordyn Konlian at 23:50.

The results from the race ended with Law placing 9th out of 18 teams.

Sophomore Katie Konareski hopes to be  the top runners for Law next year.

“In the beginning of the season my goal was to get a 20:30,” said Konareski. “I pushed myself as much as I could and my teammates and Schulte also pushed me to do my best throughout the season.”

Konareski hopes next year that she can hit her personal goal, which she wasn’t able to do this year because she battled shin splints.

Franzman is sad to see the season end.

“Cross country taught me hard work, teamwork, and dedication,” Franzman said. “As a captain it also taught me to be a role model for the underclassmen as well as taking on responsibilities.”

By Jordyn Wirth – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law football team is off to an amazing start this season.

The Lawmen are 2-2 through their first four games and are optimistic for the rest of their year. In their most recent game against Cheshire, the Lawmen won 33-30 in overtime. It was the second win of the year for Law, who also defeated Bassick 50-26 on September 21.

“As we start to improve and start to get some guys back who are injured we will start to improve as a team each week,” head coach Eric Larka said.

Senior captain Ethan Saley, who starts as a wide receiver, said that he’s really looking forward to continuing his season.

“The season can only go up from here,” Saley said.

Junior Zach Merchant, who plays both middle linebacker and tight end, is also optimistic.

“I think it will go pretty good and I think we should win some games,” Merchant said.

Freshman Spencer Hannon, who plays running back and safety, is enjoying his first year of high school football.

“I love it because we all act like a family,” Hannon said.

This season’s football captains for Law this year are Mike Plaskon, Saley, Austin Danville, and Sheldon Gorgano. Plaskon was injured and missed the team’s first three games of the season, but was back and was a major contributor in their win against Cheshire.

“It’s good to be back on the team contributing to Law’s second win,” Plaskon said.

Law’s next game is at home against Stratford on October 12. They play Branford the following week at home as well.

Law will finish its season with the annual Thanksgiving Day game at Foran. Last year, Law defeated Foran for the first time in 10 years in a thrilling comeback win that clinched the Lawmen a state playoff berth for the first time in school history.

By Alexis Broderick – Staff Reporter

The girls swim team at Jonathan Law is off to an amazing start this season.

As of October 2, the swim record is 5-1, and they’re only expecting it to get better.  They have beaten Branford, Sacred Heart Academy, West Haven, Sheehan, and Bunnell.

“We expect this season to be better because we have been working extremely hard at practice,”  senior captain Cali Jolley said. “At our meets girls have been setting new times which helps and improves us as a team.”

Junior Brooke Nabors qualified for states in the 100 fly and 100 back. Nabors’ time for the 100 fly is 105.61 and her time for the 100 back is 109.04

“It’s the best feeling knowing that all the hard work pays off,” Nabors said.

The 2018 girl swim captains are Bella Carroll, Mary Lonergan, Julie Myers, and Jolley. These girls work extremely hard before and during the season with head coach Mrs. Anderson.

“I meet with my captains before the season and we come up with some goals for the team together,” Anderson said. “I know we have great leadership, so I trust the captains to organize fun team bonding experiences, and act as liaisons between the coaches and the rest of the team.”

Carroll and Lonergan have been captains for their junior and senior years.

“I was excited knowing that I was captain again,” said Lonergan. “I know the other captains and I are going to lead the team to success and develop more skills.”

The captains enjoy setting up pasta parties and other recreational team building activities. It builds cohesion as a team and nurtures friendships between underclassmen and upperclassmen.

“Swim has built friendships because we are surrounded by each other every day so we get to know each other very well,” Carroll said. “We see each other in different circumstances than you usually would if you weren’t on a team with someone.”

The captains have been swimming for all four years of their high school swim career.  They all have been inspired to swim for very diverse reasons and will never regret their choice.

“What inspired me to swim was having a sibling who swam, but mostly that all my friends were planning on swimming and I knew how swim was very welcoming and accepting,” Myers said. “I knew as a freshman coming into a new school playing a new sport,  swim was my place to get away from things and enjoy the time I had with my teammates.”

By Thea Ryan – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls soccer team is thrilled to kick off this year’s season.

Currently,  the team’s record is 1-4-1 and they rank 26th in their division, Class M. The team is putting in great effort to improve within this season.

“We’ve  put in some great performances against some of the best teams in larger state divisions,” head coach Mr. Rhode said.

So far, they have won one game against Sacred Heart Academy. They have tied for games against Shelton, Guilford, Amity, and North Branford.

“I am very proud of the team and looking forward to the rest of the season,” senior captain Jocelyn Wirth said.

Freshmen Shelby Green and Ashley Regina start varsity and play full time.

“Playing on varsity as freshman feels pretty good because I am able to play with people who are older,” Green said. “ When playing against different team, you get to see a lot of good competition.”

Regina agreed and said that playing varsity full time makes her feel very accomplished as a player.

“The past few years, the team has been able to bring in strong underclassman,” Rhode said. “I am looking forward to seeing how they develop and the role they play in our team’s success.”

In an effort to improve this season, a different system has been put into effect to strengthen the offensive and defensive structures on the team. This new system helps to combat any obstacles the team may face, such as injuries, for a successful season.

“We are playing much more difficult teams this year compared to last season,” Rhode said. “With the help of our captains, we have to be supportive and ensure we are at our best.”

The senior captains for this season are Abby Bernstein, Grace Wootton, Jocelyn Wirth, and Samara Thacker. They are essential for the success of the team on and off the field.

“I am really close with all of my teammates, and just being with them everyday and practicing with them has really built relationships,” Wooton said.

The strong relationships and work ethic this team has is the key for a successful season.

“We know when we can have fun, and we know when we have to focus and put the work in,” sophomore Isabella Renz said.

Each player’s role on the team helps fulfill personal and team goals for this season.

“My goal is to make states,” Renz said.

Green has set team and personal goals.

“My goal is to end up with a lot of assists, and maybe even a goal,” Green said.

By Michael Loschiavo – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s girls cross country team has already made an impact on the fall season.

Senior captain Amira Samih believes that the team is prepared to have a great season.

“The team is much more competitive because we have so many girls which I think has helped to motivate all of us,” Samih said. “Every year the girls xc team is full of great people and we use our positive energy to help motivate each other during long runs and help each other succeed in meets.”

Senior captain Samantha Franzman has run cross country for the past three years and plans to improve on her times in her final season.

“The goals for the season are for everyone to run their personal bests, and for us to beat Foran at all of our meets,” Franzman said.

Freshman Lindsay Konlian set some goals for herself for the beginning of the season.

“My goal for the cross country season is to become a better runner and to improve my 5k time,” Konlian said.  

The team competed September 8 at Windham Invitational and placed 15th out of 21 teams. The top five girls results for Law were Katelyn Konareski – 22:44, Samantha Franzman – 24:48 , Jordyn Konlian – 24:55 , and  Phoebe Fiore – 24:57.

Sophomore Katelyn Konareski plans to be a key asset to the team.

”My goal for the season is to get a 20:30 and i will achieve it by going to practice and working hard everyday,” Konareski said.

On September 22, the team competed at Winding Trails. The top five girls results for Law were Kaylee Brotherton – 21:35, Laura Dennigan – 22:34, Jenna Wasserman – 22:49, Jordyn Konlian – 23:04, and Lindsay Konlian at 23:34.

The results in the race consisted of personal bests for the first five athletes.

Freshman Jenna Wasserman believes that she can make a difference on the team.

“My goal is to get under a 22:00 5k,” said Wasserman.

Wasserman also hopes to make states this year and to compete on a higher level.

The team competed on September 17  in a meet against Cheshire, and Foran. The results from the top three runners in the race for law  were , Kaylee Brotherton – 21:43, Jenna Wasserman – 23:23 , and Laura Dennigan – 23:25.

“Our captains are very good this year and set a great example for the team,” girls cross country coach Mr. Schulte said. “Our goals are to be the best in the city and to beat Foran by the state meet.”

By Ethan Harrigan – Staff Reporter

 

Jonathan Law’s boys cross country team is ready to take on the challenges of this year and run competitively against top tier schools this fall.

 

Senior captains Tyler McKenna-Hansen and Dan Wasserman lead the team with the guidance of coach Mr. Phillips. The team has less new runners than it had last year but that has not stopped them from making an impact at the Haddad Windham and Winding Trails Invitationals, a meet in Hamden and a home meet against three opponents.

 

“Our top guys are running even better than they had last year,” Phillips said.

 

The Lawmen ran back to back meets on September 27 and 28, one home and one away.

 

At Hamden’s meet on September 27, Law defeated West Haven and Hillhouse, but narrowly lost to Hamden by one point. On September 28, Law bested Lyman Hall and North Branford but lost to North Haven, at both meets four of Law’s runners had times under 20 minutes.

 

“I expect myself and the rest of the team to continue to run faster times, and as a result we should be able to beat the teams that we had close losses to earlier in the season,” Wasserman said.

 

At Winding Trails Invitational on September 22, a compilation of two seniors, three sophomores and a junior, managed to best 20 minutes. Junior Mike Loschiavo is this year’s best runner, running a 16:58 at the meet.

 

“I want to at least break 16, or get low 16 because if you get down there you’ll be top in the state,” Loschiavo said.

 

A change the team has been addressing is the loss of their strong senior runners from last year. As newer runners fit in and older runners gain momentum they hope to fill the gap.

 

“We don’t have as much of a nucleus as we had last year of faster runners, so there’s a lot of room to improve,” McKenna-Hansen said.

 

There are fewer freshman than there have been in previous years and many of them have just started to begin their running careers at Law, but they have accustomed themselves to the cross country environment.

 

”The team is really supporting and helping out,” freshman Dan McCullough said. “There are only three freshman so I have to make friends with everybody.”

 

Wasserman said the new runners have learned very quickly.

 

“It is very hard to run the distance that we run if you haven’t done it before, but they have continued to improve and are able to compete against experienced runners with no problem,” Wasserman said.

By Bridget Kinross – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law volleyball team is off to a great start this season.

The team’s record is 5-4 as of October 2. Law welcomed 10 new players this season which is an advantage to the team.

“They are working hard all the time to become a team playing as one on the court,” head coach Ms. Loch said.

The team has a collective goal to to make it to the state tournament  this season, just like last year.

“Our goal for this season is to make states and SCC’s and go farther than the first round,” junior Eryn Mower said.

Loch has the same goals for the season.

“Our goal each year is to make the conference and state tournament,” Loch said.

The beginning of the teams season had a bit of a rough start. Due to the weather practices had been shortened and games had been canceled which made getting into a routine difficult.

Now the team is a cohesive group and got back on their feet very quickly.

This season 10 new freshman have made the team. They have been welcomed to the team very quickly.

“All the upperclassmen are welcoming to the freshman so it feels like we’ve been on it for a while,” freshman Kari Boyle said.

The girls have a “Big Sis and Little Sis” program so each upperclassmen got a lowerclassmen to mentor and help teach which helped all new girls feel apart of the team.   

Earlier this season, the team beat Lauralton Hall 3-1, which is one of their biggest rivals. This was a huge win for the team.

There are two captains for the team this year: seniors Katie Eighmy and Pam Ellison. Eighmy is their outside hitter and Ellison is the libero.

“We learned from our mistakes last year and will prevent it from happening this year,’’ Ellison said.

The team has two games against rival Foran coming up. The girls hope to win those matches and work as a team to achieve this goal.

“(We want to) pick each other up when an individual is off or the team itself,’’ Eighmy said. “We can’t let let conflict get in the way of playing.”

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

Monica Pydipati is a junior captain on the Jonathan Law girls tennis team.

Pydipati has been on the team since her freshman year, but has been playing tennis for almost 13 years overall. She is the team’s No. 1 singles players and recently qualified for the State Open Individual Tennis Tournament for the second year in a row.

“My favorite part would have to be the adrenaline rush that comes after winning a particularly difficult match,” Pydipati said.

Pydipati has been a valuable asset to the team and is continuing to practice and improve for the rest of the season. Her record is 6-4 so far this season.

“Monica has worked so hard the last three years and is now one of the best kids in our league,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “She’s too humble to call herself a star, but she’s a star. She’s someone we can always count on to compete against the best players and win big matches for us.”

Last year, Pydipati made it to states in singles and her goal was to qualify again this season.

“I wanted to make states individually again, as well as be named to the All-SCC team this year,” Pydipati said.

Pydipati also aspires to break career record for wins which is currently held by Victoria Contaxis and Emma Shea with 49.

She is currently a co-captain and she hopes to be a team captain next year as well.

“Monica is very dedicated and she’s funny and a really good friend to the team,” freshman Umnia Rahman said.

Pydipati started her high school career off playing doubles before moving to singles halfway through her freshman year.

She believes that the team has improved over the course of the season and said it has been visible during matches.

Pydipati believes that in tennis, “Success is about learning from your mistakes. Only by knowing what you did wrong will you be able to fix it.”

Kulenych said that Pydipati never shies away from the pressure of being the team’s top player.

“Playing 1 singles is a grind, but Monica is so mentally tough,” Kulenych said. “It’s not easy knowing that people expect you to win a lot of your matches, but the pressure never gets to her. She always steps up when we need her most.”

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

Senior captain Nicholas Dostal stands out on the tennis court when up against other players.

Dostal is captain with his fellow teammate Kenny Fields, and he plays doubles with his partner freshman Brian Zirkel.

“My favorite thing about tennis is that each point is its own unique battle so it never gets boring,” Dostal said.

In order to make states a person needs 10 wins individually or with one partner. Dostal’s record is currently 3-5 and he is on pace to make states.

“Nick knows a lot about the game that I don’t and teaches me as we go through the season,” freshman Brian Zirkel said. “He has been really understanding this season when I mess up and he tries to help me with it.”

To make states as a team, 10 wins is required, and to make the SCC Tournament the team needs to place in the top 8. The team’s current record is 4-8.

Ever since he was a kid, Dostal has always enjoyed tennis – both the aspects of watching and playing the sport.

“I’ve always loved watching Wimbledon and the U.S. Open as a kid and I wanted to improve my own skills after being inspired by watching legends like Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal,” Dostal said.

Dostal has been playing tennis for years and plans on continuing to play after high school – not competitively, but as a hobby.

“I started doing tennis camps during the summers at Eisenhower and Milford Indoor as a kid,” Dostal said. “I began playing competitively my freshman year.”

Zirkel said that Dostal is a great addition to the team and always tries to contribute in every way.
“Nick gets us all excited for out games and even when we have a tough loss he still makes us feel good,” Zirkel said.

The team has already improved immensely since last year, which is shown by their current record.

Some other key players on the team include Zirkel, Fields, who plays third singles, and first singles player Sanskar Shah.

By Nick Owens – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law softball team is ready to start fresh this season and exceed the level of play from last year – even with a few changes.

Captain Kacy O’Connor said the changes will affect the team’s performance.

“Our pitching rotation looks a little different this year,” O’Connor said. “We also have good freshmen coming up that have played well so far.”

Junior Gina Boccamazzo is also excited about some of the team’s newest members.

“We lost a few valuable players last year because they were seniors,” Boccamazo said. “But we do have really good freshman in Maddie Lula and Sarah Paulus.”

So far this season, the Lady Lawmen are 2-1 with wins over Lyman Hall and Platt Tech and a loss to West Haven.

Captain Skylar Bender says the hitting rotation looks better this year compared to last year.

“We have been batting every single practice,” Bender said. “We have put a lot of emphasis on it.”

Head coach Ms. Blude said the team has higher expectations this year.

“This year we have higher expectations because we have a great group of girls that like to play together,” Blude said. “This is a great group of girls.”

Law plays Foran on Monday as the team gets ready for its big rivalry game of the year.

By Nick Owens – Sports Editor

After a rebuilding year last season, the Jonathan Law baseball team is hoping to bounce back this spring.

With nine returning seniors and a young core right behind, senior captains Nate Merchant, David Flynn, Dillon LaRoche, and Conor Creane are excited to get back on the field.

“Last year we had a bad year because we were rebuilding,” Merchant said. “ his year I think we can win half our games and make a run for states.”

Members of the team believe this year feels different than any year in the past.

“Last year we didn’t have that much leadership,” LaRoche said. “This year we turned things around and the vibe and the attitude around the program has really changed this year.”

The team’s main goal this year is to make states.

“We’re definitely looking to go for that states this year and were looking to make a big impact in it,” senior Matt Boath said. “We got a lot of players that are hungry for a win.”

Creane says the defense and the pitching rotation will see an upgrade this season.

“Our defense is a lot better so it’s easier to get outs,” Creane said. “This year we have a pitching rotation of all seniors compared to last years all juniors.”

Senior Carl Maxwell said the team has put more emphasis on the hitting in practice this year.

“I know this year we spent a lot more time focusing on hitting in practice,” Maxwell said. “We spent a lot of time in the cages and working with the coaching staff I think that’s going to be the biggest difference this year.”

The Lawmen opened their season with a 2-0 win over North Haven on March 31. They  have 12 games remaining in the month of April and then they begin the final run at states starting May 2 against East Haven.

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law boys lacrosse season is starting up led by head coach Mike Forget and assisted by coach Matt McCloskey.

This season’s team features junior Austin Danville, senior James Boyle, and senior captain Cole Egersheim, who was also captain last year.

“I think if we all play to our full potential every game we can have a great season,” Egersheim said.

Last season the team went 5-11 in the regular season.

“We are looking very strong this year,” senior defender Bobby Fisk said. “Our starting team has been playing since their sophomore year.”

Egersheim had 39 goals last season and hopes to score more this year. He is approaching 100 career goals.

“We hope to make the playoffs and keep as many goals out of the net as possible,” junior defender Matt Evanko said.

Boyle led the team with 18 assists last year and is currently starting varsity again this year.

Sophomore Brett Pisani is starting in goal. 

Law opened its season with a 15-7 win over Lyman Hall on Saturday, March 31. The team’s next game is Tuesday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m. against Notre Dame-West Haven.

***

The Jonathan Law girls lacrosse team is also getting ready to start its spring season.

The girls lacrosse team has been in existence at Law for five years and went 13-5 last season.

Leading the team this year are senior captains Stella Patrick, Colleen Goodwin, Olivia Keator, and Andria Torres.

To be even more successful this season my captains and I are going to work really hard to bring the team close together and keep a competitive attitude,” Goodwin said.

The team had its first scrimmage of the year on Thursday, March 29, at 6 p.m. at home against Stamford which ended in a victory for Law.

Last year, the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class M State Tournament and the second round of the SCC Tournament.

“I think our program will be stronger than last year,” senior Chloe McCullough said. “We have determined players and we are working hard everyday.”

The head coach of the girls lacrosse team is Lynette Martinez and the assistant coach is Nicole Healy.

“I am definitely looking forward to the Foran game,” Keator said. “It is always a great rivalry between us.”

This year, the girls team will be giving out pamphlets before the games consisting of advertisements, team shout-outs, and a roster to raise money for team apparel.

By Cole Egersheim – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law indoor track team had a very successful 2017-2018 season.

The senior class paved the way for a great season. In all, 27 athletes made states, 28 athletes competed at SCC championships, and one member competed in the New Balance Nationals.

“We had a very successful season,” head coach Mr. Beler said. “We had a strong group of senior leadership and a great group of young freshman energy that continued our programs high level expectations both now and in the future.”

Senior Matt Marino set a school record with a time of 125.96 in the 600 meters.

“Even though the team was lacking important members, major components on the team stepped up and broke many records,” Marino said.

Senior Jordan Beck set a new school record in pole vault with a 11-6.0 and set a new school record in the 55 high hurdles with a time of 7.89.

“With so many disciplines in the decathlon, I wanted to use the indoor season as an opportunity to build upon some of my weaker events,” Beck said. “ But to my surprise, I went All-State in the 55 hurdles, which adds huge depth to our already versatile squad.”

Freshman Nahiem Washington helped break the school record in the 4×200 meters with a time of 1:35.77. Nahiem also competed in the New Balance Nationals.

Freshman Alexis Voytek won the team’s mid- and long-distance runners award thanks to her performances in the 600 meter and 4×800 meter relay. She qualified for the SCC Championships as a freshman.

Junior Jocelyn Wirth had a year full of personal bests. She set a new personal best in every meet and finished with a time of 7.87 in the 55 meter.

“My season went great,” Wirth said. “I improved on my time for almost every race in the 55 meter and I’m excited to be captain next year and to continue to improve.”

 

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

Here is a recap of all of Law’s fall sports teams. A stand-alone football article can be found on jlawadvocate.wordpress.com)

Boys Soccer

The season for Law boys soccer was one for the books.

The team has had one of their best records in years, finishing 9-7. The Lawmen managed to get a home game for states as one of the top 16 teams in Class L.

“All the players did their best and worked so hard in practice and on the pitch,” head coach Mr. Gruber said.  “I couldn’t be more prouder as a coach and I am happy I got to coach this team.”

Junior Kevin Linn scored over 20 goals and had six assists this season. Senior Jack Pincus-Coyle recorded the most saves for a goalkeeper at Law in decades.

“We had a great group of young men that strived for certain goals and each and every day we worked hard to achieve them,” said Gruber, who was named SCC Coach of the Year.

Girls Soccer

This season for the Law girls soccer team was not only record-breaking, but it created a statement for the future of the program.

The team ended the season 13-4-3 which was the best record in school history. The team made it to the SCC finals and to the Class L state tournament achieved almost all of their team goals.

“I think the season went great,” said junior Grace Wooton.  “It was one of our best records and the furthest we’ve ever been.”

Thanks to all their supporters, girls soccer was able to beat Cheshire, Amity, and Foran throughout their season which was one of their many goals.

“Coming in as a freshman the record was never that good,” said freshman Ashley Shaw. “This year we had the mindset to change that and we totally accomplished it.”

Head coach Mr. Rhode, who was named the SCC and New Haven Register Coach of the Year, continuously instilled in the girls the idea of deserving to be placed as far up as they were. Taking this message into each game, the girls always played their hardest.

Girls Swimming & Diving

It was also a record-breaking season for the girls swim team this season. In the regular season, the team went 6-8. Their key players include Hannah Savoie, who became the first ever girls swimmer in school history to be named All-State, Christina Gleason, Athena Homorodean, Lily Baldieri, Hennessey Shane, and Brooke Nabors.

“We have met all of our team goals including having more team members qualify for states (we have 10) and winning at least four meets (we won six),” head coach Ms. Rosner said.

The team broke dozens of records during the regular season and several swimmers advanced to SCCs and states.

“Now that we are in post-season the girls who made it to states are practicing hard to try and beat their times, break records, and place high,” Baldieri said.

Volleyball

The Law volleyball team had another amazing season this fall.

The team finished 13-7 in the regular season and qualified for the SCC and state tournaments. Pam Ellison, Shawna Winters, Colleen Goodwin, Katie Eighmy, and Stephanie Felag took key roles in the success of the team.

“We didn’t meet all, but definitely met many of our goals,” head coach Ms. Loch said.

Ellison, the team’s libero, made Second Team All-SCC and was dominant on defense with 226 digs and 23 aces.

“This season was a successful season,” said Loch.

Girls Cross Country

The Law girls cross country team had one of its best seasons in years.

Freshmen members and returning runners were all great assets to the team.

“We reached most of our goals for the season, one of them being having everyone on varsity under 26,” said junior Amira Samih.

The team was able to beat teams such as Hillhouse and improve their personal times.

“I did very well and had a consistent time throughout the season,” said junior Laura Dennigan.

Boys Cross Country

This season was a positive one for the Law boys cross country team.

The team got new personal records this season as well as achieved some of their goals.

“This was probably the best team in a long time,” senior captain Matt Marino said. “We worked well together.”

Many members of the team made states as well.

“I had a time of 23 minutes which is a personal best,” said junior Alex Lazar.

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

It was a historic year for the Jonathan Law football team.

The Lawmen ended their regular season with a 34-28 win over crosstown rival Foran in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. They also advanced to the Class M State Tournament for the first time in school history, falling 57-21 to top-seeded Killingly in the quarterfinals.

“The Thanksgiving game had a different meaning to it,” senior captain Dean Pettway said. “Milford gives us the motivation to come out and show we have what it takes.”

The win was Law’s first over Foran on Thanksgiving since 2007.

Junior Mike Plaskon was named the Offensive Player of the Game, and Pettway was awarded Defensive Player of the Game.

“I couldn’t have done it without any of my linemen, receivers, and everybody else,” Plaskon said. 

Plaskon scored the first and last touchdown for Law against Foran in a game that the Lawmen trailed by eight in the fourth quarter. Plaskon also scored the first touchdown for Law against Killingly.

Law went into the playoffs seeded 8th and played at undefeated Killingly. Law scored first, but Killingly’s rushing attack was too much for the Lawmen to contain.  

“To get there we had to all work tremendously hard which involved many hours in the weight room in the off season,” senior captain Andrew Paulus said. “We achieved the goal… states.” 

Law students, faculty, and alumni supported the football team all season long and into the playoffs. Law’s Sports Booster Club provided a Fan Bus to students who wanted to attend the game at Killingly.

“This is why I took the job,” head coach Erik Larka said. “When I was playing, I wanted to go to the playoffs. As an assistant coach, I wanted to go to the playoffs.”

Jonathan Law athletic director Mr. Sarullo was thrilled with how the season unfolded.

“We had good individual performances and a great team performances and I think it got the school excited,” Sarullo said. “It made the fall season pretty awesome.”

By Nick Owens – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law girls swim team hit this season with a splash and broke multiple records in the pool this year. The team finished with six wins and broke several individual school records, the medley relay record, and the 400m freestyle relay record, which they broke multiple times. Freshman swimmer Hennessey Shane sat down with Advocate Sports Editor Nick Owens to talk about the team’s season and what’s to come.

Nick Owens: What do you think the key to your team’s success in the pool was this year?

Hennessey Shane: I think the key to success was that we all worked very hard everyday and always did our best even during practice.

NO: Your team broke the medley relay record and 400 freestyle relay record. What’s the plan to break more records?

HS: Our plan is pushing ourselves to the limit and always swim our fastest in every meet.

NO: What can we expect from the team as the post-season continues?

HS: We expect to break more records.

NO: What can we expect from the team next year?

HS: We will do even better than last year.

NO: What impact does head coach Ms. Rosner have on the team?

HS: She encourages us when we swim and we always want to do our best for her in practices and meets.

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

The fall sports season at Jonathan Law is underway. Here is a look at how the teams are doing:

Girls Soccer

With an amazing start to the year, the Law girls soccer team might be on its way to its best regular season ever.

As of October 2,  the team has a record of 7-0-1. Their captains, Madi Butts, Taylor Kandrach and Morgan Macey, as well as key players Samara Thacker and Gia Edwards have helped the team get wins against Cheshire, Hamden, and North Haven.

“Compared to last year, our output for goals scored is significantly higher,” head coach Mr. Rhode said. “Also, our familiarity of the system we play is much better as well.”

The team goals are to get 10 wins, qualify for SCCs and to make it to at least the second round of the state tournament.

“I think we are going to do really well this season,” senior captain Morgan Macey said. “ We need to keep it up and stay mentally tough.”

Boys Soccer

The Law boys soccer team has had a great start to the season.

With a record of 4-2 as of October 2, the team shows a lot of potential. Captains Matt Tournas, Jack Pincus-Coyle, and Will Contaxis, along with key players Kevin Linn, Jon Vitale, and Troy Anderson have helped to try and achieve their goal of making states.

“With the games we have in front of us our goal is to make the state tournament again and I see no reason why we can’t achieve the goal,” said head coach Mr. Gruber. “The players are starting to believe in themselves more and we tend to get better as the year goes on.”

The team is working on becoming more technical in their playing as well as playing a lot of small sided games during practice.

“We have a tough conference this year, but our team is looking really good this season,” Tournas said.

Volleyball

After a successful season last year, fans of volleyball at Law have a lot to look forward to this fall.

Their record as of October 2 is 6-4. Captains Shawna Winters and Stephanie Felag, as well as key players Pam Ellison and Colleen Goodwin, have helped to create these wins for the team.

“Our rotation is very new and we are running a new type of rotation this year to be able to have six hitters a match rather than four or five,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “This is really beneficial and once we start getting used to this rotation, we will really make our opponents work for their points.”

With the girls working hard with communicating with each other and their overall teamwork, this season looks to be turning out great.

“We are starting off slow because we are still learning how to work together,” sophomore Livi Kowalski said. “Once we get there, we will be successful.”

Girls Swim

Law girls swimmimg and diving already has many team and individual highlights this season.

They have twice broken the school 4×400 relay record, and won three meets in a row against East Haven, Sheehan, and Bunnell. Captains Bella Carroll, Hannah Savoie, and Mary Lonergan along with key players Christina Gleason, Athena Homorodean, Lily Baldieri, Brooke Nabors, Tess Rosato, Hennessey Shane, Olivia Franzman, and Hannah Rascoll have helped the team get to these wins.

“Every team member set a goal at the beginning of the season,” said head coach Ms. Rosner. “Some of these goals include breaking a specific time in certain events, mastering challenging dives or swimming difficult events, qualifying for SCCs and states, and breaking a school record.”

Their team goals include winning at least four meets and having more girls qualify for the post-season. They work really hard in practice to achieve these goals.

“I’m off to a rough start personally, but I see my team improving and people trying harder,” said sophomore Tess Rosato. “We have all been trying our best at practices to help improve our times.”

Boys Cross Country

The boys cross country team at Law is starting off right.

With a win against Notre Dame of West Haven and a close loss to Daniel Hand, the team’s lead runners, Mike Loschiavo and Tyler McKenna-Hansen, and their captains, John Fowler, Matt Marino, and Nelson Gomes have helped to improve the team from last year.

“I expect our season to go pretty well,” Loschiavo said. “I want to get my times down into the low 17’s.”

Each individual has goals for themselves whether it’s lower times or finishing in the top 10 during each race.

“Our team got 3rd at an invitational this season,” Marino said. “This is a lot better than last year.”

Girls Cross Country

Girls cross country at Jonathan Law High School is looking toward a great season.

With meets against teams such as Daniel Hand and Laurelton Hall the team has already had a tough season. Captains Irmina Chrzastek, Chloe McCullough, and Cassandra Soda as well as lead runners Kaylee Brotherton, Laura Dennigan, and Samantha Franzman have helped their team.

“Our season is going really well,” McCullough said. “We have not won any meets but we have not placed last either.”

Overall, each individual has set goals for themselves to help their team try to achieve at least one win.

“We think we have a chance to really do well,” Soda said. “We worked really hard this summer and when we started the season, everyone was ready to go.”

Football

The Law football team has started off strong and has its sights set on the state tournament.

Captains Dean Pettway, Jimmy Boyle, Justin Abe, and Andrew Paulus, quarterback Zach Smith and running back Mike Plaskon led the team to wins against Bethel and Bassick.

“I think our season is going to go really well,” said sophomore Zach Merchant. “I believe we are going to win more games than last year.”

The team continues to work hard even against the best teams in the state. They hung with a ranked Cheshire team until late in the game.

“Hopefully we will make it to states this year,” senior Cole Egersheim said.

By Cassandra Soda – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys and girls tennis teams just finished their spring seasons.

For the girls, it was a historic year. The team finished the regular season with a record of 12-8, which tied the school record for wins. They also qualified for the SCC Tournament and the Class M State Tournament. 

“It’s been an unforgettable year,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “We came into the season wanting to make this a perfect send-off for our seniors who have worked so hard for four years and, in that end, thanks to the girls’ drive and determination, that’s exactly what happened. It was a total team effort.”

Law won seven straight matches to end the season and qualify for SCCs and states, beating rivals Foran and Shelton in close matches along the way.

“Especially because we played a few teams more than once, we made sure to practice things that would help us play better against them the second time around and that’s exactly what we did against teams like Shelton and Foran,” senior captain Victoria Contaxis said.

Individually, Contaxis and the #1 doubles team of Trisha Brady and Brianna Arnold were named to the All-SCC team. Contaxis finished with 11 wins at #1 singles and Brady and Arnold finished 13-0 at #1 doubles. Contaxis also tied the school record with 49 career wins.

Senior Maeve Rourke and freshman Clarissa Sawatzky won more than half their singles matches and the trio of sophomore Bridget Sanchez, senior Daniella Berg, and freshman Amelia Mower won 10 matches from the #3 doubles spot

“Some teams rely on a couple of kids to carry them, but what was special about our team this year was that everyone contributed,” Kulenych said. “There was a different hero every match for us and it made everything that much more exciting.”

At the send of the season, Law sent six players to the State Open Individual Tournament. Contaxis qualified at #1 singles and sophomore Monica Pydipati qualified at #2 singles, while Brady and Arnold qualified at #1 doubles and Deepika Senthilnathan and Meghana Jaladanki qualified at #2 doubles.

“It was an amazing season for me,” Arnold said. ” I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

The team’s doubles partners have to know each other very well in order to try and win their matches. That teamwork was evident this season.

“We also know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is essential for us to know if we want to win,” Jaladanki said. “I take the shots that are tough for her, and she does the same for me every match.”

The team has high hopes for next year even with all of the departing seniors.

“The kids who come back are going to work hard in the offseason and if they do that I think we have a shot at having another really good season,” Kulenych said.

Boys tennis, meanwhile, finished off the season with a 4-16 record and has high hopes of improving next year.

The boys put much of their time and energy into working to improve in their weak areas so they could win their individual matches and help the team.

“I worked really hard through the season and played in my free time to try and get better,” junior Ronald Spangler said.

The members of the team know that even if their losing in a match they should never give up.

“What I learned this season is to not give up when losing early into a match,” senior Donovan Johnson said.

The boys are losing some valuable seniors, but they hope to add some freshman next season. The team plans on working extremely hard in the offseason to prepare for next year.

By Kiana Walker – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Laws girls lacrosse team recently completed the best season in program history.

The Lady Lawmen finished the regular season with a record of 12-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class M State Tournament. They defeated Sheehan 16-7 in the first round before losing to Pomperaug 18-5 in the quarters.

The team also qualified for the SCC Tournament for the first time in program history. 

“It’s been great to see all of their hard work pay off,” head coach Lynette Martinez said.  

Senior captain Stella Patrick believed this season could be a special one from the start.

“I’ve noticed a drive in my team ever since our first win which excites me,” Patrick said.

Members of the team said that they owe most of their success to their coach.

“Coach Lynette’s style of coaching pushes us in practice, which is channeled to our game performance,” said junior Olivia Keator, who was named to the All-SCC team.

Another possible contributor to the team’s success may be their camaraderie off the field.

“The atmosphere on our team is very fun and welcoming,” senior captain Angela Scuito said.

With the season now over, the team’s seniors are looking back fondly at their experience.

“Playing lacrosse opened me up to something different considering I’ve only played soccer ever,” senior captain Bethany Edwards said.

Despite the fact that the Lady Lawmen are losing many seniors, the team is still optimistic going forward.

“We will look to make the conference tournament again and to advance further than this year,” Martinez said.

 

As the team’s successful season reaches it end, there is no doubt in players’ minds that next year will be successful

“I know that next year my team will do great, and do better than this year,” Edwards said.

By Chloe McCullough – Staff Reporter

From SCCs to states to nationals, the Law boys track team had a remarkable season this spring.

The Lawmen lost only one meet during the regular season and posted victories over teams such as Hillhouse, Guilford, and Hamden.

Junior Alex Pratcher went All-State in the 200m and the 800m medley relay team of Mike Plaskon, Charlie Fonck, Pratcher, and Joe Mugford qualified for nationals.

Freshman also Mike Loschiavo had an outstanding season. He improved his personal best in the mile from a 5:15 minute to a 5:07 minute mile by the end of the season.

“I think my first year on the team was an awakening, because the season started off fast so I struggled a bit to succeed,” Loschiavo said. “However, my first year was great and I set personal goals for this season that I achieved, therefore there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Loschiavo had a great first year on the team and is excited to participate for years to come.

Senior captain Ryan Wasserman had a great season as well. He achieved two personal bests in his event, the mile. He had some words of advice for those returning next season.

“Keep working hard and give it your all at every practice and every meet,” Wasserman said. “You can always push yourself more than you feel you can.”

Junior Matt Marino set some goals for himself in the beginning of the season. Throughout the season, he worked hard to achieve them.

Marino’s beat his personal best time in the 800m with a time of 2:04.80. 

“My goal at the start of the season was to be the first to make states since Jeremy Doucette did my freshman year,” Marino said. “The qualifying time is 2:06.9 to do so. Therefore, I have done more than achieved my goal with my personal best this season as a 2:04.80.”

Marino also mentioned the achievements of Mike DiBlase, a standout freshman this season. He ran a 2:09 800m, which compares to Marino’s best time as a freshman, which was a 2:15.

“My first year on the track team was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” DiBlase said. “I get amazing amounts of support from my coaches and teammates and I definitely plan on participating not only next year, but until I graduate.”

Junior Matt Tournas was also a key player on the team, running the distance events. 

“I had a great first year on the team,” Tournas said. “It felt like one big family and I had a great time. I’m excited to continue on the team next year.”

By Irmina Chrzastek – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law senior Lauren Paredes recently completed a very successful outdoor track season.

Paredes has been doing outdoor track since her freshman year and was a captain her senior year. She is also a cross country and indoor track captain.

“My goals for the season were to PR in the 1600m and to qualify for states in the 4x800m,” Paredes said. “I achieved both of them.”

Track coach Mr. Rhode set goals for Paredes this season.

“The main goal for Lauren this year was getting her mile time under six minutes,”  Rhode said. “Although she didn’t achieve that, she still ran a PR this year in the mile.”

Paredes’ best events are the 4x800m and the mile.

“She’s a good addition to the team because she scores many points since she is the top distance runner,” junior teammate Cassandra Soda said. “She helps everyone  improve by encouraging them and giving advice.”

Other runners look up to Paredes and she pushes them to get better.

“She is a good addition to the team because she works her hardest to improve her times and always gives it to her all when competing no matter how tired she is,” junior Salma Samih said.

Paredes has also had countless improvements since freshman year and got better and better every year.

“Freshman year I didn’t qualify for states of SCCs and I was running almost a seven minute mile,” Paredes said. “Sophomore, junior, and senior year I went to states and SCCs and dropped a minute in my mile time.”

Paredes’ teammates are proud to have her as a captain and see her as a great leader.

“Lauren is a good leader because she always encourages everyone to do their best and pushes people to try harder,” Soda said. “Seeing her work hard encourages everyone else to work as hard as she does to improve.”

Paredes is also a very well-rounded student seeing as she is fourth in her class. She will attend Boston College in the fall.

“Lauren is the epitome of ‘lead by example,’” Rhode said. “Every girl on the team respects her work ethic and determination at both practices (definitely during ‘Rhode World’ workouts) and during meets.”

Paredes uses running as a stress reliever for her busy schedule as well.

“No matter what’s going on with school and work I know that running will get my mind off of everything,” Paredes said.

Paredes set an example as a runner, captain, and student throughout her four years at Law.

By Nick Owens – Staff Reporter

The Law softball team had the bats swinging in full force this season.

The Lady Lawmen finished with a record of 9-11, which qualified them for states. They lost to Berlin in the first round 11-1.

“This year, I think our team chemistry was amazing,” senior captain Cassidy Boath said. “I’m just glad I was able to go out there and do my best to be the best captain and player I could be this season.”

The team had many memorable wins this season, including victories over Sacred Heart Academy, Lyman Hall, and Hale Ray.

Senior Maddie Murphy led the team with a .545 batting average, collecting 36 hits in 66 at-bats. Boath batted .427 with 11 RBI. 

On the mound, junior Erin Harrigan  had 61 strikeouts and a 4.08 ERA.

“I think we did a good job this season of showing everybody who we can be,” Harrigan said. “We had a good defense this year to back me up.”

The Lady Lawmen defense was impressive this year. Junior Skylar Bender had 49 putouts to lead the team.

“We worked really well as a team this year,” Bender said. “We worked on our game offensively and defensively and I think it paid off well this season.”

Head coach Mrs. Blude was determined to help this team succeed this season. 

“The goal at the start of the year was to make states and we did that,” Blude said.

By Molly Mercaldo – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law baseball team, coached by Greg Simler, recently wrapped up its spring season.

Although the team struggled to win games in the beginning of the season, they improved as the year went on.

“We came together as a team to finish strong,” junior infielder David Flynn said.

The team finished the regular season with a record of 3-17.

“We spent this season getting better at playing together and next year, hopefully, we’ll make a run at states,” sophomore Bryan Reed said.

Law’s three wins came against Platt Tech, Valley Regional, and Career, which came on Senior Night. 

“We finished off the year strong and we’re going to carry it over to next year and have a successful year,” junior pitcher Nate Merchant said.

This year, three seniors – Jeremiah Bravo, Mitchell Smith, and Ethan Ferguson – will be graduating.

Bravo was a standout pitcher for the Lawmen and hit the most home runs on the team with three. He was named All-SCC at the end of the season.

There were many assistant coaches that helped the team improve as well, including Justin Thomas, Zach Thomas, and Edward Shea.

Justin Thomas hopes that “the experience helps the juniors and sophomores from this year” so that the team will be able to improve for next season.

Thomas said that the team’s best game was against Amity despite a losing by score of 15-10.

“We had a close game with many chances, but were unable to hit with runners in a scoring position which lost is the game,” junior outfielder Dillon LaRoche said.

Next season, Law hopes to make it back to the SCC and state tournaments.

“Our team chemistry is strong right now and we’ve been playing together for a long time,” LaRoche said.

By Emma Caserta – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law boys tennis team has hit the courts.

The team currently has an 0-5 record, but is hoping to turn things around for the better by the end of the season.

There are many new players this season who joined the team in hopes of finding a new sport to love and meet new friends.

Junior Ronnie Spangle has recently joined the tennis team.

“We all work together really well as a team,” Spangler said. “We always find time to be together even outside of matches.”

 

The team has set many goals for the upcoming season.

“Our team is in good shape to make SCCs for the second year in a row,” junior captain Nick Dostal said. “It is looking to be very achievable.”

The team is looking forward to upcoming matches against West Haven and Shelton.

Each player on the team not only has hopes for the entire team, but also holds their own personal goals as well.

“My personal goal is to make state tournament as a doubles team with Fassih Sherazi and help our team make it to SCCs,” Dostal said.

Their personal goals allow them to have something to work towards and make the team more successful.

Junior Jack Pincus-Coyle has similar goals to his teammates.

“What I hope for this upcoming season is to become close to the team, develop new friendships and win as many matches as possible,” Pincus-Coyle said.

All players on the team are working their hardest to achieve goals and they all deserve recognition for their commitment.

Their dedication allows them to further themselves and become a united team.

“I hope we make states again,” senior captain Sean Ancheta said. “I am seeing my teammates improve everyday, so hopefully we can make it happen.”

By Chloe McCullough – Staff Reporter

The boys track team is off to a perfect start this season.

The Lawmen are 6-0 to start the spring, including a win over rival Foran.

Junior Matt Marino, a key runner on the team, has big plans for himself and the team this year.

Marino competes in the 800m, 4×400 meter, and the 4×800 meter. His personal goal is to get accepted to a Division I college and run track. As a junior, he is one of the leaders on the team and helps set a high standard for the underclassmen.

“It’s more of a job and responsibility to teach the freshman the right things to do,” Marino said. “You also have to act appropriately, so you are not setting bad standards.”

Junior Alex Pratcher has many personal goals for the season. He also wants to be a leader and win states in the 100m and 200m races, which are his main events.

“I can influence the younger people on the team by helping to fix things in their races, such as helping them with the block since that is an important part of sprinting,” Pratcher said.

Senior Charlie Fonck plans to help his teammates “win everyday” by showing them that he can be a leader, as a senior on the team. He runs the 4×100, 400m, and 4×400 meter.

“I’m not really looking to try anything new just because the events I run can take a lot of my energy already,” Fonck said.

Senior captain Ryan Wasserman believes that he can encourage the younger people on the team to improve, while improving his own times.

“Making it past states would be a tremendous accomplishment,” Wasserman said. “I must put my heart and soul out on the track. I think that if all of us goes by Coach Beler’s slogan, ‘win everyday,’ I’m confident some of our athletes can make it past states.”

Freshman Mike Loschiavo is excited for the upcoming season. He runs the 4×800, 1600m, and 3200m. He hopes to bring his skills from cross country and indoor track into the outdoor season.

“I believe I can make it past states this year because as long as I run faster in every event, I can make my way up to states and win,” Loschiavo said.

The boys’ track team hopes to have many participants make it to states this year.

By Amelia Trapp – Staff Reporter

With the start of a new spring season comes the start of a new outdoor track season.

Track season officially started March 18, but many athletes started off-season training beforehand.

Head coach Mr. Schulte is looking forward to another great indoor track season. Both he and the team have big plans for this year.

Some of his other goals include winning another Hammonassett Division championship and finishing in the top of SCC League.

Among the 45 athletes on the team, two are All-State athletes – seniors Kiki Smith and Olivia Steiner.

Smith has done track all four years of high school and she plans to go to college and run on a Division I track team.

Smith runs 55 meter dash, long jump, and is part of the 4×100 team. This year her goals include break her own personal records in the 100 meter and 200 meter, and for her 4×100 team to go to New Englands.

“I will push myself at practice, even when the workout is tough,” Smith said. “I will keep a positive attitude and continue to have confidence I can win.”

Smith speaking about what she plans on doing to achieve her goals this year.

Smith competes in four events for outdoor track – the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, long jump, and the 4×100 relay.

Along with these events, she holds the school records for the 55 meter dash and the 100 meter dash.

Assistant coach Mr. Rhode has some of his own goals for the team which include getting as many athletes to states as possible. He has a plan to make this happen.

Rhode plans to work hard from the beginning to the end of the season to achieve his main goal of winning the Hammonasset Division for the third time in a row.

“I love coaching and I love getting to know the girls,” Rhode said. “My workout is one of the hardest in the program.”

One of the captains this year, senior Melanie Coleman, has done track all four years of high school.

“Track is not my main sport, but it is something I love to participate in,” Coleman said, “I’m going to miss it and all my teammates, but I’ve made so many great memories the past four years.”

Jonathan Law’s indoor track coaches and athletes have big aspirations for this season and plan to do whatever it takes to make them happen.

By Molly Mercaldo – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls lacrosse season started on March 18.

The Lady Lawmen still haven’t lost.

At 6-0, the team is off to the best start in school history. Law has already posted wins over Lyman Hall, Sheehan, Wolcott, Hamden, Notre Dame-Farifield, and West Haven.

For the 2017 season, the team’s captains are senior Bethany Edwards, senior Angela Sciuto, and junior Stella Patrick.

“I’m really excited to be captain because I think we have a good chance at being really successful,” Patrick said.

The team’s record has improved each of the last few years and has included wins over rival Foran.

“It is a great feeling to beat Foran,” junior Olivia Keator said. “It is always one of our goals through the year.”

The girls lacrosse team is being coached by head coach Lynette Martinez and assistant coach Nicole Healy.

“The coaches really push everyone to become better players and athletes,” freshman Jane Iwanicki said.

The team has been competing for four years and has been coached by Martinez every year.

This season, Healy will be joining the coaching staff of the girls lacrosse team for the first time. This will be her first time ever coaching a lacrosse team.

The team has set several goals for this season, including winning a round in the state tournament.

“I hope that we can make it past the first round of states and have a winning record again this season,” junior Chloe McCullough said.

In the 2016 season, Law’s Lacrosse team went 8-8 in their regular season. The team made it into the state tournament and was able to win their first game.

“I think our team will be more successful or just as successful because we have a lot of girls returning from last year,” Patrick said.

The girls lacrosse team has only been at Jonathan Law for four seasons so far and it going on its fifth season this year.

“The team is young but we have many experienced players,” McCullough said.

During this spring season, Law girls lacrosse will be playing 16 games with the hopes of playing more in the state tournament. They also have their sights set on beating Foran.

“Foran is always competitive, but I trust the process at Law and believe we’ll come out on top,” junior Colleen Goodwin said.

By Cassandra Soda – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law junior Chloe McCullough is a key player to the girls lacrosse team.

McCullough has been playing the sport for six years. Freshman year she was a swinger, playing both junior and varsity. Her sophomore and junior year she played strictly varsity.

“She is a fast runner and can move the ball quickly and is a good goal scorer,” sophomore Laura Dennigan said.

McCullough has worked hard throughout her high school career to improve.

“I have worked hard to improve my stick skills and my knowledge of the game,” McCullough said. “I have improved in areas I was once weak in, such as defense.”

She is always willing to put others needs before hers while playing.

“Chloe gets along great with the girls and is a great teammate,” head coach Ms. Martinez said. “She’s always willing to sacrifice her own wants and needs in order to do what is best for the team to succeed.”

McCullough works on improving herself as well as working to help others improve.

“Seeing Chloe play has made me want to push myself to get better from start,” sophomore Amira Samih said. “I came in freshman year not knowing anything about lacrosse and she reached out to me to try and help me learn the sport.”

Working together with the other players is not something that she struggles doing.

“Chloe works very well with other players,” junior Irmina Chrzastek. “She helps them if they are struggling and makes them become better players.”

Her will to succeed in the sport pushes others to try to work harder.

“I see her accomplish things that I wish I could,” Samih said. “This makes me want to get better each and  everyday and seeing her accomplish what she does and become a versatile player is one of the things that made me want to come back and play this year.”

The expectations for her are high this year, with many people predicting she will succeed.

“I’m hoping that Chloe is a big piece to the puzzle on the lacrosse field this season,” Martinez said. “I really see her thriving in the midfield and on defense.”

Lacrosse is not the only sport that McCullough plays. She also does cross country in the fall in which she will be a captain for next year.

McCullough wants to play club lacrosse in college and possibly play at a Division III school.

By Kristin Frank – Sports Editor

Jonathan Law’s baseball team has reassembled in search of a successful spring season.

The seniors on the team are Jeremiah Bravo, Mitchell Smith, Ethan Ferguson, Sean Ahrens, and Joseph Prizio. These players have been teammates with each other for the past four years.

“The thing I’m going to miss most is the new friends I made and sports make everyone closer,” Bravo said. “The players become a mini family to you.”

Bravo is attending Salve Regina University next fall and will be playing Division III baseball. He will contribute to his new team next fall by being a pitcher.

The underclassmen that are expected to have a breakout season this spring include a handful of dedicated sophomores.

“Garrett Tutlis, Colby Primavera, Bryan Reed, and Nick Hudak should have a breakout season,” Bravo said. “Even as sophomores when they get their shot to help the team I think they will contribute in a big way.”

The players are excited to unite as a team again this spring and work together.

“I’m excited to see us all come together again like we do every year,” junior Matt Boath said. “We’ve put in a lot of work on and off the field as a unit and it’s great finally knowing we’re back on the field.”

Some seniors on the team said they will miss both their teammates and coaches next year.

“I will miss the coaching staff the most,” Prizio said. “Especially our head coach Simler. He is a good guy and has a lot of heart for the sport.”

The boys realize there are some holes to fill with the loss of six valuable graduates from last year.

“We’ve moved a lot of players with the loss of most of our starters from last year,” Boath said. “We’re still figuring out where we are all going to end up but everyone gives their best and we now work as a team.”

The players have explained their progress as looking like a brand new team from two weeks ago, to today.

“I think if we work day in and day out I don’t see why we can’t make it to the state tournament,” junior Jack Lawless said.

These boys plan to work hard during practices and stay dedicated during the season.

“I am most excited for the potential our team has and how far we have come along in such a short period of time,” Prizio said.

The baseball team has many games to look forward to this season to try and secure their spot in states.

“I am most determined to beat Foran High School because they are the school’s crosstown rival,” Lawless said.

By Irmina Chrzastek – Staff Reporter

The young Jonathan Law boys basketball team recently finished its winter season.

The team posted a 2-18 record, but took many positives away from the season.

“Our biggest goal was to win back-to-back game this year, which we did against Lyman Hall and Platt Tech,” sophomore William Contaxis said.

The team has improved as a whole since last year.

“The team has very much improved,” senior captain Thomas Gambardella said. “We lost most seniors, but obtained a lot of talent from the junior class and underclassmen.”

Head coach Mr. Dooley also believes the team has improved since last season.

“I think we improved on offense, especially in our transition game and press defense,” Dooley said.

Not only did the team get along well on the court, but off the court they had great chemistry as well.

“We actually had a good chemistry because most of us have been playing for a while,” junior Dean Pettway said.

The team is proud of their improvements from last season and their achievements from this season.

“Our goals were to win eight games, beat Foran, East Haven, and Lyman Hall,” Dooley said. “We did beat Lyman Hall but fell short of those other goals.”

The team is also happy with how the incoming freshmen looked and their potential for the seasons to come.

“The incoming freshmen looked talented and full of potential and they need to work hard in the offseason to possibly contribute on the varsity level next year,” junior Conor Creane said.

Gambardella also has advice for next year’s captains.

“Be a role model on and off the court,” said Gambardella. “Just because you’re not playing doesn’t mean that younger players won’t watch the way you act.”

Returning players are very excited for next season.

“I’m very hopeful,” Contaxis said. “Next season we are hoping to get more wins and maybe make states as our ultimate goal.”