Boys swimming
Final Nutmeg league meet today
PLAINVILLE, March 7 – The Avon High boys swimming team competes today in the final Nutmeg League championship meet at Plainville High beginning at 3 p.m.
Boys basketball
Falcons wear down Eagles, to capture NCCC championship
AVON, Feb. 23 – As they have all season, the Avon High boys basketball team shut down their opponent in the fourth quarter. Tied going into the final eight minutes, the Falcons outscored Tolland by 11 points to earn a 57-46 victory Monday night and clinch its second NCCC championship in three years. Austin Kick and Joe Ives had 13 points each for the Falcons. Avon (16-4, 13-0 NCCC) finished the regular season with 16 straight wins. Avon went 13-0 to win the league title in 2007 and shared NCCC titles in 2005, 2003 and 2002.
Avon boys clinch share of NCCC title with win
AVON, Feb. 21 – The Avon High boys basketball clinched a share of its fifth NCCC championship in the last seven years with another close ballgame on Friday. The Falcons (15-4, 12-0 NCCC) won their 15th straight game with a 63-58 victory over Enfield. Avon can win the league title outright with a win over Tolland on Tuesday at home. Zak Blawie scored 20 points to lead the Falcons while Joe Ives chipped in with 17. Avon’s last title was in 2007.
Wrestling
Avon finishes fifth in Class M
WINDHAM, Feb. 21 -- Avon finished fifth in Class M with eight wrestlers bringing home medals, including Connor Douglas, who won a championship at 112 pounds with a 4-3 victory over Stratford’s Kevin Murat. Joe Tripodi (125) and T.J. Portelance (215) each finished second.
Tripodi dropped a 9-3 decision to RHAM’s Billy Lynn while Portelance was pinned by Windham High’s Travis Koch in 3:54. Brian Haynes (189) took fourth while Mike Hogan (160) finished fifth. Matt Silver (140), Dave Wyrick (171) and Erik Lybeck (145) each took sixth. The Falcons finished a strong fifth as a team.
Football
D'Onofrio is All-State for second time
AVON, Jan. 25 – Avon High running back Mike D’Onofrio earned All-State honors for the second straight year. D’Onofrio was named to the Class M football team as a defensive back by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association and is the first Avon player to ever earn All-State honors in more than one season. D’Onofrio, who rewrote the AHS record book, rushed for a career-high 1,201 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He set new school records by scoring 24 TDs and scoring 144 points in a single season.
Boys swimming
Culkin has pair of top 10 finishes at Class M meet
NEW HAVEN, March 18 -- Ten Avon swimmers, including a pair of girls, qualified for the Class M finals Wednesday at Wesleyan University where Avon finished 12th. Senior Mike Culkin had the only top 10 finishes, placing eighth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:00.74 and 10th in the 200 freestyle in 1:52.08.
The 200 freestyle relay team (freshman Zach Cesaro, Culkin, junior Zack Loughlin, junior Vince Savarese) finished 12th in 1:34.06 while the 400 freestyle relay team (Cesaro, Culkin, Saverse, Loughlin) was also 12th in 3:28.92. The 200 medley relay team (Casey Donahue, John Hla, Matt Correnti, Keegan Johnson) finished 14th in 1:49.84.
For the fourth straight year, seniors Jillian Strassner and Cassie Cesaro qualified for the finals and earned points for the team in the 100 backstroke. Cesaro finished 18th in 1:00.46 while Strassner was 19th in 59.88. She qualified for a slower heat and couldn’t finish any higher than 19th.
Also earning points for the Falcons were Savarese (18th) and Zac Cesaro (24th) in the 200 individual medley, Loughlin in the 50 free (15th) and 100 free (14th), John Andrade in diving (15th) and Dillon Ade (16th), John Hla (17th) and Nick Sauerbrunn (20th) in the 100 breast stroke.
Basketball
Teams that beat Avon go far
UNCASVILLE, Conn., March 21 – The two teams that eliminated the Avon High boys and girls basketball teams each won a state championship.
Hillhouse, which eliminated the Avon girls team, beat Fairfield Warde, 65-59 on Friday night for the Class L title in front of 3,554 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arenea. The game was tied seven times in the fourth quarter but Hillhouse’s Bria Holmes scored on a layup with 2:16 remaining to start a 10-2 run to close out the game. Hillhouse (25-2) beat three undefeated teams including Warde (26-1), Avon in the semifinals and Kolbe Cathedral in the quarterfinals to win its seventh state title.
On the boys side, No. 25 Bulkeley of Hartford (15-9) began a magical run to the Class L championship game with a win over No. 8 Avon in the first round. Since then, the Bulldogs eliminated Bassick-Bridgeport, top-ranked Trinity Catholic in the quarterfinals, 67-62 and No. 5 Northwest Catholic in the semifinals, 65-51. Bulkeley beat No. 10 Torrington in the championship game with a basket with five seconds left in regulation.
Girls basketball
Avon can't catch Hillhouse in semifinals
MIDDLETOWN, March 16 – Lindsay Horbatuck had 25 points and Sam Riccio had 10 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter but Avon couldn’t catch Hillhouse-New Haven in a 75-70 loss in the Class L semifinals at Xavier. Avon (26-1) erased a 16-point deficit after Riccio drained a three-point shot with 1:14 remaining and Devon Boundy tied the game at 68 with a jumper with a minute to go.
But Horbatuck missed a layup with 40 seconds left and the Falcons turned the ball over with 22 seconds remaining. In the meantime, No. 7 Hillhouse (21-2) sank 7 of 10 foul shots to earn a spot in the championship game against Fairfield Warde.
Avon had its 47-game winning streak snapped. Adreana Thomas led Hillhouse with 25 points and Bria Holmes had 24.
Boys swimming
Ten Avon swimmers qualify for M finals
NEW HAVEN, March 14 – Three relay teams and 10 Avon swimmers qualified to swim in Tuesday’s Class M finals at the Freeman Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown. Three Falcons qualified in the 100 breast stroke – Nick Sauerbrunn, John Hla and Dillon Ade. Hla finished 13th while Ade was 18th and Sauerbrunn 20th.
Senior Mike Culkin made the finals in the 200 freestyle and 500 free. In the preliminaries Saturday, he finished 12th in the 200 and 11th in the 500 free. Zach Coughlin qualified in two individual events, the 50 free (15th) and 100 free (13th). Vince Savarese is 15th in the 200 IM.
For the fourth straight year, Cassie Cesaro and Jillian Strassner qualified for the finals. Strassner qualified in the 100 backstroke for the fourth time while Cesaro qualified in the event for the third straight year.
Girls basketball
Avon tops Kennedy to earn spot in Class L semifinal
PLAINVILLE, March 12 – Playing without Jenni Marcus (mononucleosis), the undefeated Falcons (26-0) turned to their defense to shut down No. 6 Kennedy-Waterbury, 41-32 and advance to the Class L semifinals. Sam Riccio limited Kennedy’s leading scorer Amber Alberto to just four points in each half while chipping in with 12 points of her own. Alberto had scored 28 and 29 points, respectively, in her first two tournament games.
Lindsay Horbatuck led the way for Avon with 14 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Avon was holding a slight 35-32 lead with 1:44 left when Alberto was called for a charging foul on Riccio on a play she sank a layup. Kennedy didn’t score another point. Lauren Primovic scored six points for Avon while Ariana LaFrance added five.
No. 3 Avon, which has won 47 straight games, faces No. 7 Hillhouse (23-2), which upset No. 2 Kolbe Cathedral Thursday, 75-68, in Monday’s semifinal game at Xavier in Middletown. Hillhouse snapped Kolbe’s 47-game winning streak with the victory.
Boys basketball
Deficit is too large for Avon
AVON, March 10 -- This time, the hole was too deep and the comeback was too little, too late. No. 25 Bulkeley led by 12 points after three quarters and held off the No. 8 Falcons to earn a 48-44 upset victory in the first round of the Class L tournament on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs led 30-18 after three quarters and the 12-point lead was enough to withstand a 26-18 Falcon advantage in the final quarter. Joe Ives led the Falcons (19-5) with 25 points while Chaz Arnold led Bulkleley with 18 points. The Falcons had their 19-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
Girls basketball
Avon holds off upset bid
AVON, March 9 – Senior Lindsay Horbatuck had a game-high 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead the undefeated Falcons (25-0) to a 47-37 win over pesky Windsor in a second round Class L contest. Horbatuck sank 15-of-16 free throws. Windsor (17-8) cut the lead to six but couldn’t get any closer.
Sam Riccio had 12 points and a pair of three-point shots for the Falcons. She was the only other Avon player in double figures. Natasia Franklin and Shannon Samuels scored 12 and 10 points respectively for the visiting Warriors.
Ice hockey
Icemen ousted from D1 tourney
STAMFORD, March 9 -- Darien eliminated the Avon High hockey team from the CIAC Division I tournament with a 4-1 victory on Monday night.
Ice hockey
Enfield tops Avon for NHC North title, 3-1
HARTFORD, March 7 – Enfield High kept peppering Avon High senior goalie Mike Munoz and the Falcon goalie kept making saves to give his a team an opportunity to win a championship. Munoz made 22 saves including stopping a few breakaway scoring opportunities. But in the end, Enfield had too much in a 3-1 victory to win the Northern Hockey Conference’s Northern Division Tournament Saturday at Trinity College.
A slow start put the pressure on Avon from the start. The Falcons had just two shots on goal in the opening period and the Raiders (17-5) scored a pair of first period goals. With just 4:22 gone, Robbie Baillargeon took a pass from Christian McNair for a 1-0 lead. About nine minutes later, Enfield made it 2-0 when McNair tipped in a hard shot from Wes Kaufman.
The Falcons (12-9-1) had 12 shots in the final two periods and cut the lead to one on Kevin Demers goal off the stick of leading scorer David Muench with 7:44 to go in the game. But the Falcons couldn’t get the game-tying goal past Enfield goalie Justin Boice (14 saves) despite hard shots from Max O’Connor and Adam Lebowitz.
Enfield, the top seeded team in the CIAC Division II tournament, scored a clinching goal with 10 seconds left off the stick of Reilly Higgins. Avon, the No. 4 seed in the NHC North tournament, opens play in the CIAC Division I tournament vs. No. 15 Darien Monday in Stamford at 5 p.m. Avon, which had won four straight games, is seeded at No. 18.
Ice hockey
Munoz sparks Avon upset win
SOUTH WINDSOR, March 4 – Goalie Mike Munoz made 44 saves to spark No. 4 Avon to a 3-0 upset victory over top-ranked Tri-Town (13-7-1) in the semifinals of the Northern Hockey Conference tournament Wednesday at South Windsor Arena. David Meunch put the Falcons on the board in the second period, scoring off a Brandon Kaswer assist with 8:14 remaining.
In the third period, Adam Lebowitz and Kevin Demers added insurance goals. Brian Cleary and Lebowitz each had an assist. Avon (11-9-1) will face Enfield (15-5) for the NHC North championship on Saturday night at Trinity College in Hartford at 6 p.m. Anthony Giordano made 22 saves for Tri-Town.
Boys basketball
Avon tops Canton in NCCC final
AVON, March 4 -- With a swarming defense and opportunistic offense, the Avon High boys basketball team ran away from Canton Thursday night to win the NCCC boys basketball tournament for the fourth time in seven years with a dominating 71-55 victory in front of a vocal crowd of several hundred that packed the Avon High gym.
Girls Basketball
Horbatuck sparks undefeated Falcons to win over Dragons
AVON, March 4 -- Defending Class M champion Avon beat No. 30 Middletown (8-12) in the Class L tournament opener for both teams Wednesday, 59-45. Lindsay Horbatuck had 18 points, 17 rebounds and six steals for the No. 3 Falcons (24-0). Avon will host No. 14 Windsor (15-6) on Friday night at 7 p.m. Ariana France has 12 points for Avon while Lauren Primovic added 10, including seven free throws.
Avon opens Class L tournament on Tuesday hosting Middletown
AVON, Feb. 25 -- Defending Class M champion Avon is the No. 3 seed in the 31-team Class L girls basketball tournament. The Falcons, Fairfield Warde and Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport all finished 20-0. Avon opens the tournament on Tuesday by hosting No. 30 Middletown (8-12). With a win, the Falcons would move onto the second round and host either No. 19 Platt-Meriden (12-8) or No. 14 Windsor (14-6) on Thursday, March 5.
Falcons respond to challenge to capture NCCC Tournament
WINDSOR LOCKS, Feb. 27 – The undefeated Avon High girls basketball team has been seeking out challenges all season. They got a good one in Friday’s NCCC Tournament championship game. In a defensive-oriented game, Tolland High forced Avon into overtime before the Falcons pulled away for a 33-21 victory.
Avon outscored Tolland, 12-0, in the extra session. Sam Riccio found a opening in the pressing Tolland defense and drained a three-pointer with 3:14 remaining to give Avon a 24-21 lead. Unable to respond, the Eagles put Avon on the foul line but the Falcons sank 8-of-9 free throws in the final 1:42 to clinch the game.
The win gives Avon (23-0) its ninth NCCC Tournament title in the last 10 years and its fourth in a row. A year ago, the Falcons survived another slugfest with Tolland in the championship game with a 34-28 victory.
Nothing was easy in this game. Avon led 15-13 at halftime and the game was tied at 19-19 after three quarters. Each team scored just two points in the fourth quarter. Avon’s lone basket came on a layup from Lindsay Horbatuck with 2:34 remaining in regulation. That answered Tolland, which took a 21-19 lead on Rachel Eichaker’s basket with 5:26 to go.
Avon held the ball for over a minute to get the final shot and Horbatuck drove into the lane for the shot but Tolland’s Kelly Schatzlein blocked the shot from behind to force OT. Schatzlein was outstanding for the Eagles, playing their final NCCC contest, with 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.
Horbatuck led the Falcons with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Riccio had nine, including her big three-pointer in OT.
The Falcons moved into the semifinals with a 68-43 victory over Coventry on Tuesday night in Avon. Lauren Primovic had a game-high 24 points including seven 3-point shots to lead the Falcons. Horbatuck added 14 points.
The league coaches announced the 2009 NCCC All-Star team at the tournament. Horbatuck, Lauren Primovic, Jenni Marcus and Ricco were Avon’s representatives on the All-NCCC team. Other all-league players were Briana Freymuth (Bolton), Sarah Marchand and Kelly Myers (Coventry), Emily Savino (Ellington), Emily Plagenza and Julie Auman (Somers), Rachel Packard (Suffield), Kelly Schatzlein and Kristin Schatzlein (Tolland) and Sara Benedetti and Megan Roux (Canton).
