Boys soccer eliminated
CHS booters juggled their lineup all year
CANTON, Nov. 13 – All the pieces were never in place at the same time for the Canton High boys soccer team this fall. Coach Bill Phelps expected to begin the season with Mike Setzler in goal but that didn’t happen because he got hurt in July.
Adjusting to that loss caused ripples throughout the lineup and it took time for the Warriors to adjust.
Ten games into the season, the Warriors had just three wins and a 3-6-1 record.
But they won five of their final six games to go into the Class S tournament on a roll. They survived a rugged first round game with St. Bernard and prevailed 1-0 on a goal from Brian Lochner.
Against No. 2 Valley Regional, the Warriors got an early goal from Steven Carpenter in the first minute of the game. But Valley rallied for two goals to end the season for the Warriors. In the second half, Canton outshot Valley, 9-2 and had three breakaways.
“The boys knew how well they played and that they were the better team,” Phelps said. “But the better team doesn’t always win.
“We had the ability and everything was coming together,” Phelps said. “We were getting better each day. They played their best game in their last game. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
With Setzler’s injury, Phelps moved strong midfielder Connor Smyth into the net. Sophomore Louie Hiza and senior Sean Haendiges took turns in net as well. Haendiges finally settled in as the team’s goalie midway through the season. Smyth returned to midfield and scored four goals.
Eleven different players scored goals this year including Ryan Gallagher with a hat trick (3 goals) against East Windsor and Lochner with a hat trick against Bolton.
“One of the most resilient aspects was they had to play in different positions depending on who were playing,” Phelps said. “There was a great attitude on the team. The kids came together as a team which is a dream that all coaches have.”
In the backfield, sweeper Jon Phelps and stopper Michael Pepin anchored the defense. Matt Grisivich, Nick Tuback and David Shahverdian shared time at fullback.
At midfield, Tyler Detorie was at center midfield with Travis Dougherty, James Solomon, Blaine Houlihan, Smyth and Andrew Crowley playing midfield positions. At forward, Carpenter, Gallagher and Lochner were the biggest threats.
Canton (9-8-1, 8-7-1 NCCC) had 12 seniors on the team and seven started.
Opening day
Two close games, pair of close defeats
CANTON, Sept. 19 -- The ole Canton High campus was buzzing Saturday. Canton’s field hockey team hosted Cheshire in its season opening game and played well but lost, 2-1, when Cheshire scored with a minute left in regulation.
Finally home after a long journey that began in 1964, the Canton football team hosted their first home game on campus in 45 years. But two costly fumbles helped stymie the Warriors in a 12-7 loss to Gilbert/ Northwestern before hundreds of fans at its new field.
The Warriors coughed up the ball on the Gilbert 20-yard line early in the second quarter and did it again on the Gilbert 4-yard line with 6:47 left in the game. Canton had just 26 yards of offense and one first down in the first half. Still, Gilbert only had a lead of 6-0 at halftime and extended it to 12-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Canton cut the lead to five when QB Nick Grabowski found Tyler Plourd for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 3:10 remaining in the game. Jeff Nasson kicked the extra point. Canton got the ball back with 1:38 left but an interception sealed the win for Gilbert.
Week 1, Sept. 14-19
Soccer teams win openers, struggle in game two
CANTON, Sept. 19 -- Ryan Gallagher had two goals to lead the Canton boys soccer team to a 5-1 win over East Windsor on opening day. Jon Phelps, Ryan Lochner and Steve Carpenter added solo goals in the victory. But two days later, Somers handed Canton (1-1, 0-0 NCCC) a 4-0 defeat.
GIRLS SOCCER: Shiny Douglas, Morgan Smith and Katie Talbot each had two goals in a 6-0 shutout of East Windsor on opening day. However, Somers handed Canton (1-1, 0-0 NCCC) its first loss two days later in a 4-2 decision. Lucy Mentzer and Allie Coutu scored for the Warriors in the loss.
CROSS COUNTRY: Brian Magna won the first race of the season with a time of 17:41 at Stratton Brook Park to lead the Canton boys (3-0, 3-0 NCCC) to three victories over Ellington, 18-42, Granby, 16-46 and Coventry, 15-48. Canton had four of the top five runners in the race. Mike LeDuc was second in 18:06 with Kevin Kurnat taking fourth (18:45) and Jon Cahill finishing fifth in 18:46. Neil Furtney was seventh in 19:03.
On the girls side, the Warriors (0-3, 0-3 NCCC) were swept, losing to Granby, 17-44, Coventry, 17-48 and Ellington, 18-42. There were no Canton runners among the top 10 finishers.
FOOTBALL, FIELD HOCKEY: Both teams had their season opening contests at the high school on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. In football, Gilbert spoiled Canton's first home game on campus in 45 years with a 12-7 victory. The Cheshire field hockey team scored in the final minute to escape with a 2-1 win over Canton.
Fall notebook
Pay to play for all sports now
CANTON, Sept. 9 -- For the first time ever, all Canton athletes will have to pay to play sports at the high school. The Board of Education approved a $100 fee to play a high school sport. The limit is $175 per athlete for the school year. The limit per family is $300.
The fee will help fund an athletic trainer and other athletic department costs.
Football players have been paying to participate in that sport since it was reinstated in 2006. Football players pay $225 with a limit of $300 per family. Money goes to help fund the football and girls lacrosse program.
FOOTBALL FUNDRAISER: The big fundraiser for Friends of Canton football is its fifth annual golf tournament on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Simsbury Farms. Fee is $125 and includes golf and dinner. A raffle and Silent Auction will also be held. Click on this link for more information.
TOLLAND OUT: Tolland left the NCCC last spring to play in the Central Connecticut Conference, leaving the league with just 13 teams. In boys and girls soccer, each team plays the other 12 teams once to determine a league champion. Canton is playing East Windsor, Bolton, Somers and East Granby twice. The second game counts as the league game.
New England cross country
LeDuc takes 11th, Canton 13th at New England meet
MANCHESTER, Nov. 13 -- Canton senior Mike LeDuc stayed on his feet and finished a strong 11th in 16:38 to lead the Warriors to a 13th place finish in their first-ever appearance in the New England championship meet. Canton finished fifth among state teams.
State Open cross country
Canton takes 4th at Open
MANCHESTER, Nov. 6 -- The greatest season in Canton High’s cross country program continues for another week. On Friday, Canton turned its best-ever performance at the State Open at Wickham Park finishing fourth, just three points out of third place. Senior Mike LeDuc finished 15th and earned All-State honors. By finishing in the top six, Canton earned a spot in the New England championships, only the fourth Class SS team to ever earn that honor.
CIAC boys soccer
Furious Canton rally isn't enough in loss to Valley
DEEP RIVER, Nov. 11 – Steven Carpenter scored 40 seconds into the game but the Warriors couldn’t put another shot into the net as No. 2 Valley Regional held off a furious Canton rally in the second half for a 2-1 victory in the second round of the Class S tournament Thursday night. Canton (9-8-1) outshot Valley, 9-2 in the second half. The boys knew how well they played and that they were the better team,” Canton coach Bill Phelps said. “But the better team doesn’t always win.”
Canton 1, St. Bernard’s 0
UNCASVILLE, Conn., Nov. 10 -- Brian Lochner scored his sixth goal of the season midway through the second half to lift the No. 18 Warriors past No. 15 St. Bernard (9-8). Canton, which has won six of its last seven games, will now challenge No. 2 ranked Valley Regional (13-1-2) under the lights in Deep River on Thursday at 6 p.m. in a Class S 2nd round contest.
NCCC cross country 2009
Canton wins first-ever league title, Avon girls claim share of NCCC
WINDSOR LOCKS, Oct. 23 – With five runners in the top 10 and four in the top five, undefeated Canton (24-0) rolled to a dominating victory in the NCCC championship meet and captured its first-ever league championship. Senior Mike LeDuc finished second with Brian Magna taking third. On the girls side, Avon’s Claire Smith won her second straight NCCC championship with a course record time and helped the Falcons earn a share of their second NCCC title and first since 2005.
Week 2, Sept. 21-25
Cross country team finally beats Avon
AVON, Sept. 27 – Over the last four years, the Avon High boys cross country team has tormented Canton. A year ago, the Falcons escaped with a 27-28 victory. In 2007, Avon beat Canton by five points and in 2005, they won by four.
Not this year. Undefeated Canton grabbed four of the top five places to beat the Falcons, 19-38 at Fisher Meadow. All-New England runner Brian Magna won his second race of the year, nipping senior teammate Mike LeDuc by three seconds with a winning time of 16:45.
Chris Carlson finished third for Avon but Canton (5-0, 5-0 NCCC) grabbed the next two spots to cement the victory. Kevin Kurnat took fourth while Jon Cahill finished fifth.
“Avon didn’t get out as fast as they normally do and it allowed our kids to stick around,” Canton coach Tim O’Donnell said. The Falcons looked like they might pull away at the two-mile mark but the Warriors surged to to the finish. “It was nice to finally beat Avon after all of these recent close losses.”
It was Canton’s 10th win over Avon since 1993 compared to six defeats.
O’Donnell knows his team has the potential to do well. Instead of racing in the Small School division of the annual Stratton Brook Invitational in Simsbury on Saturday, O’Donnell entered his team in the Large Division.
Perennial Class LL and State Open champion Xavier won the meet with 47 points but Canton had an impressive second place finish with 94 points, good enough to finish ahead of Bristol Central (97 points), Manchester (108) and host Simsbury.
Hall senior Michael Conway won the race in 16:16 but LeDuc was among the leaders, finishing fifth in 16:59. Magna took seventh in 17:05.
Kevin Kurnat was 13th in 17:20 while sophomore Jon Cahill finished 31st in 18:16 and junior Evan Camporeale finished 38th in 18:35. It was Canton’s best finish at the event since winning the Small Division title in 2005.
WARRIOR NOTES: Lucy Mentzer scored her second goal of the season Friday but it wasn’t enough as Somers beat the Canton girls soccer team for the second straight game, 3-1. … Katherine Ich had the lone goal for the Canton field hockey team as Granby slipped past the Warriors for the fifth straight time, 2-1. Canton’s last win over the Bears came in 2006. … Canton's Laura Mack will be inducted in Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame on Oct. 4. Mack, who graduated in 2000, led Canton to three straight Class S championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999. A two-time regional All-American selection, she scored 64 goals and had 56 assists in her career.
Boys cross country
Canton 19, Avon 38; Canton 15, Stafford 50;
Avon 15, Stafford 50
At Avon
1. Brian Magna (C) 16:45 for 3.1 miles at Fisher Meadows, Avon, 2. Mike LeDuc (C) 16:48, 3. Chris Carlson (A) 17:01, 4. Kevin Kurnat (C) 17:16, 5. Jon Cahill (C) 18:02, 6. Robert Coyle (A) 18:20, 7. E. Camporeale (C) 18:30, 8. Bobbie Davies (A) 18:35, 9. Neil Furtney (C) 18:39; 10. J. Kuhn (A) 18:40
Records: Canton 5-0, Avon 2-1, Stafford 1-4
Girls cross country
Avon 16, Canton 44; Avon 15, Stafford 49;
Canton def. Stafford
At Avon
1. Claire Smith (A) 19:53 for 3.1 miles at Fisher Meadows, Avon; 2. Titi VanRiel (A) 21:44, 3. Emily Kelly (A) 21:51, 4. Kelly Veldman (A) 22:10, 5. Deanna Nappi (C) 23:01; 6. Tara Molson (A) 23:12; 7. Kate Asklof (C) 23:35, 8. K. Volinsky (A) 24:04; 9. J. Chance (C) 24:27; 10. A. Byne (S) 24:41
Records: Avon 3-0, Canton 1-4, Stafford 1-5
Fall 2009 preview
Warrior teams get ready for fall season
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
CANTON, Sept. 9, 2009 – With the dawn of a new campaign, the Canton High field hockey team is seeking to come together as a team. The graduation of seven seniors left holes throughout the lineup but fifth-year coach Sara Beaudin is pleased at the progress that the Warriors are making in training camp.
“We’ve got some great chemistry and a great attitude,” she said. “Every girl wants to work hard and we’re in a good place.”
The Warriors were 7-7-2-1 a year ago and 7-3-2 in the NCCC, good enough for third place behind co-champions Avon and Granby. Canton scored 30 goals but 15 came in three lopsided NCCC contests.
Canton has some solid experience in goal with Robin Donaldson, who will start for the fourth year. Donaldson has 26 career shutouts, including 11 as a freshman when Canton won a league championship and 10 as a sophomore when Canton finished second in the league and lost to Granby in the Class S championship game.
Defender Mary Beth Davis, midfielder Kelly Nedorostek and forward Kassie Grecula are three of the senior veterans that Canton will be building around.
Along with its challenging league contests with Avon and Granby, Canton has non-league games with Cheshire, Glastonbury and Simsbury that will test their mettle.
BOYS SOCCER: The Warriors (8-8-2, 5-7-1 NCCC) graduated 14 seniors but field a squad with 12 seniors this fall. “Any one of those 12 could be a starter,” long-time coach Bill Phelps said. “That’s how good they are. It’s a group with some good skills.”
Senior goalie Mike Setzler, who split time in net a year ago with Albert Gray, will be out for a few weeks with torn ligaments in his foot. Setzler was hurt playing basketball over the summer. Seniors Jon Phelps, Sean Haendiges, Brian Lockner, Connor Smyth, Andrew Crowley, Blaine Houlihan, Ryan Gallagher, Steve Carpenter and James Solomon will see playing time along with junior defender Mike Pepin, defender Nick Turbach, defender David Shahverdian and Matt Grisevich.
Canton needs to win earn 16 points (two points for a win, one for a tie) to qualify for the Class S tournament. “We should be able to play well against the Class S schools in the league and give the Class M and Class L teams a hard time,” Bill Phelps said.
With the departure of Tolland from the NCCC to join the Central Connecticut Conference, Canton will play four league teams twice (Bolton, East Windsor, East Granby and Somers). The second game is one of the 12 games that will count in the league standings.
As always, the competition in the NCCC will be stiff. Last year, Ellington won its second Class M title by beating Granby in the championship match while Suffield and Tolland advanced to the Class M quarterfinals. Avon lost in the Class L semifinals while Somers won a share of the Class S championship.
GIRLS SOCCER: Canton (9-9-1, 4-8-1 NCCC) set a school record by scoring 37 goals last year and getting as far as the Class S quarterfinals. The Warriors return eight starters including junior forward Shiny Douglas, who led the team with 12 goals.
Senior captains Amanda Bronson, Alessandra Summa and Lucy Mentzer return along with Sarah Sapia and Danielle Coutu. Sophomore starters Morgan Smith and Allie Coutu (6 goals) are also back.
Senior defender Maggie Bahre looks to crack the starting lineup along with freshman forward Katherine Winsor.
“They have some good skills,” Canton coach Tom Peterson said. “They’re more aggressive and are one of the better skilled teams we’ve had. We need to learn to play together as a team.” Peterson hopes that Canton can be in the upper half of the league this season and is aiming for 10 victories.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Three of Canton’s top seven runners from its magical 2008 campaign graduated but there is plenty of talent left this fall for another strong season. A year ago, Canton (21-5) finished second in Class SS and was fourth in the NCCC.
The team will be led by senior Brian Magna, a three-time All-NCCC selection, who became the first Canton runner to earn All-New England honors by taking 17th at the regional event. Sophomore Jon Cahill and junior Kevin Kurnat also return. Senior Mike LeDuc, who qualified for the State Open in the 3,200 meters last spring, will run for the first time.
“We had 11 or 12 kids who could run in the top 7 a year ago and seven of them are back,” Canton coach Tim O’Donnell said.
Many of the athletes ran over the summer but many ran track in the spring as well. “No longer do the kids just run for eight weeks in the fall. That helps us,” he said. “It’s a good group.”
Even with the move of Tolland to the Central Connecticut Conference, competition in the NCCC will be difficult. Suffield and Class S champion Bolton return the majority of their squads. Avon is always formidable. The best chance for a championship banner could come in the CIAC Class SS meet but that is several weeks away.
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Coach Linda Cavanaugh has been with the Canton cross country program for years. She was the head coach of the girls team from 1995-98 and in those five seasons, Canton finished second in Class S twice and took third once.
She has been assisting O’Donnell with the boys and girls program over the past five years. But this year, she is the one in charge of the girls program and it’s a decision that works well.
The boys team has 28 athletes. The girls have about 10. With some veteran runners, including an All-New England caliber athlete in Magna, O’Donnell says the workouts this fall will be challenging as the team contends for a NCCC and possible Class SS championship. The girls team is simply at a different level with several new runners.
Sophomore Kendra Asklof and junior Jessie Chance are the top two returning runners for the Warriors (14-12), who were seventh in the NCCC and third in Class S last fall. Three of the top five runners graduated.
Senior Aylanah Dylag is out for the squad along with three athletes from the track and field squad – Elise Minichello, Deanna Nappi and Frances Klimczak.
