PHS Scoreboard: Sept. 19-25

For the second week in a row Pomperaug sports teams put in some dominant performances. The boys and girls cross country teams put in strong shows at the annual Bethel Invitational, while the football squad continued its fine start to the season as they crushed the Bethel Wildcats. Field hockey had a shortened schedule due to a postponement, but the boys and girls soccer teams had three games apiece. The volleyball teams continued to gel and increased its winning streak, while the girls swimming team put in some impressive individual efforts.


Boys Cross Country

9/20 @ Immaculate
The boys cross country team beat hosts Immaculate (18-42), as well as Weston (24-33), and Masuk (18-43) on Tuesday in their third meet if the season. Coach Loiseau described it as “another strong performance” and he will certainly hope that his team continues to run well. Troy Volanth was the team’s top performer, finishing in 2nd place. He was followed by Jason Oemcke (3rd), Jackson Burzynski (6th), Jon Novitski (9th), Adam Castles (10th), Evan Oemcke (13th), and Sam DePalma (17th).

9/23 @ Bethel Invitational
The Panthers did well to finish 3rd in a strong field of 12 teams, scoring 84 points with seven runners. They finished with a team time of 1:32:16.09 and an average time of 18:27.22. The team was led by Evan Oemcke (11th). He was followed by Troy Volanth (12th), Jason Oemcke (14th), Jason Burzynski (25th), Jonathan Novitski (27th), Samuel DePalma (43rd), and Thomas DePalma (51st).


Girls Cross Country

9/20 @ Immaculate
The girls cross country team finished their meet 2-1, losing to hosts Immaculate (23-32), but beating Masuk (15-47) and Weston (15-49). Brittany Mendelson lead the way with a strong 3rd place finish. She was followed by Erin Gibbons (5th), Gabby Holguin (7th), Marina Alfonso (8th), Sara Ollayos (9th), Sara Qadir (12th), and Alicia Cascella (14th).

9/23 @ Bethel Invitational
Up against 12 other cross country teams, the Pomperaug girls finished in a respectable 5th place with 118 total points. They had a total time of 1:52:23.99, and an average time of 22:28.80. The Panthers were led by Brittany Mendelson (12th), with solid performances from Sara Greco (16th) and Erin Gibbons (19th). Marina Alfonso (33rd), Gabriella Holguin (38th), and Alicia Cascella (62nd) rounded out the runners for Pomperaug.


Field Hockey

9/20 vs. Newtown

Final Score

Pomperaug

1

Newtown

0

After a 2-0 loss to New Milford last week, some Panther fans thought the field hockey team might be in for a long, painful season. There are still a lot of games left to play, but for now, new head coach Jess Roach has her first win. Newtown is a good team, and putting one over on the Panthers’ nearby rivals will no doubt be a big morale booster for the team. Both sides played tight defense, with mistakes on offense a common (but not altogether unexpected) occurrence. Pomperaug just edged the game, winning 1-0 on a well-taken goal.

9/23 @ Brookfield
POSTPONED


Football

9/23 vs. Bethel

Final Score

Pomperaug

45

Bethel

7

Last week’s 26-6 stomping of Brookfield was surprising, and with the pressure on for a repeat performance against Bethel many people thought the new-look Panthers might stutter early. There was no such letdown, however, as Pomperaug cruised to a fantastic 45-7 victory. Matt Paolo opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a five-yard TD run, and he later kicked a 43 yard field goal. In between, Brett Gaughan caught a 78-yard TD pass from QB Eric Beatty. The Panthers kept the pressure up and added a 49-yard TD run from Dylan McAllister, a 24-yard TD catch from Garrett DeLotto, a 45-yard TD catch from Andrew Reel, and a 12-yard TD catch from Reel. The Panthers showed that they’re one of the teams to beat in the SWC, and they can do it on the ground or in the air. Reel and Beatty were the teams’ offensive leaders. Beatty finished 8-of-14 for 229 yards and 4 TDs. Reel had 36 yards on 7 carries, and 3 receptions for 55 yards and 2 TDs.


Boys Soccer

9/19 @ Weston

Final Score

Weston

0

Pomperaug

1

Pomperaug continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 win over Weston in what was a very cagey match. Both sides were solid defensively, Trojans goalkeeper Ryan Major finishing with three saves while Zack Goodrich was barely troubled. The game-winning goal came courtesy of sophomore Jake Michaud, 20 minutes from time off a direct free-kick on the edge of the penalty box.

9/22 vs. Joel Barlow

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

Joel Barlow

1

The Panthers followed up a tough win over Weston with a somewhat easier 3-1 victory over the Falcons of Joel Barlow. Scott Grant was again on the scoresheet, along with Nick Lasewicz and Matt Murphy. The encounter was an end-to-end affair, with the Panthers able to outclass their opponents in all areas of the field. Mark Almeida and Ricky Pitman both notched assists in the victory, while keeper Zack Goodrich had seven saves to help the Panthers improve to 4-0. Jeremy Nelle scored the Falcons lone goal, assisted by Dante Spinelli.

9/24 @ New Fairfield

Final Score

New Fairfield

0

Pomperaug

5

The Pomperaug offensive went into overdrive against New Fairfield, notching an impressive five goals. On the other end, the defense kept out a solid Rebels side for their third clean sheet of the season. The Panthers attacked the Rebels defense early in the game, forcing their keeper into several saves before finally scoring. Scott Grant grabbed another two goals, while Bastian Kalashek, Keith Gillette, and Jake Michaud each added one. Ricky Pitman provided two assists, while Mark Almeida and Matt Murphy provided one apiece. In goal, Zack Goodrich had four saves. The Panthers are still undefeated and boast an impressive 5-0 record.


Girls Soccer


9/19 vs. Weston

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

Weston

0

Lady Panthers goal-machine Julia Cipriano continued her fantastic run of form with another score in a 3-0 victory over Weston. Pomperaug outclassed their opponents offensively and played tough defense, rarely allowing the visitors a sight of goal. Kylie Williams and Taylor Fleming scored the other goals. Williams and Lauren Teta provided an assist apiece, while Julia Tollin and Stephanie Alvey combined for five saves. With the win, Pomperaug’s record improves to 3-0-1.

9/22 @ Joel Barlow

Final Score

Joel Barlow

5

Pomperaug

0

The girls’ soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season in a crushing 5-0 defeat to Joel Barlow. The Falcons were faster, stronger, and more composed in all areas of the field, and their dominance was evident; Joel Barlow had a 14-to-1 advantage in shots. The Panthers players were disappointed with the performance and will hope to do better in their last match of the week. With the loss, the team’s record drops to 3-1-1. For Joel Barlow, the scorers were Katherine Lombardi (2), Katie Rowland, Grace Ellis, and Nicolette Glidden. Shea Barickman had two assists, while Brady Sezon and Kathleen DeBellis each had one.

9/24 vs. New Fairfield

Final Score

Pomperaug

2

New Fairfield

2

After a tough loss to Joel Barlow, the Panthers were unable to get back to their winning ways in a disappointing 2-2 draw with New Fairfield. Julia Cipriano got back on the scoresheet after her streak came to an end earlier in the week, and she also provided an assist, but it wasn’t enough to earn her team more than a share of the spoils on Saturday. Casey Hutchinson scored the other goals for the Panthers, and Jamie Belden provided an assist. Julia Tollin and Stephanie Alvey combined for six saves in goal for Pomperaug. The Rebels’ goals were scored by Julia Statler and Amie Nickerson, with an assist by Erin Carter.


Girls Swimming

9/20 @ Oxford
The girls swimming and diving team edged a close contest against some local competition, beating Oxford 90-85 away from home. The Panthers won a majority of the events, including the 200 Medley Relay (Scotto, Monroe, McDonald, Williams; 2:08.62), the 200 Freestyle (Silver; 2:11.25), the 200 IM (Regan; 2:22.10), the 50 Freestyle (McDonald; 25.52), the 100 Butterfly (Paul; 1:14.73), the 500 freestyle (Monroe; 5:22.79) and the Diving event (Horn; 237.10). Oxford won only the 100 Breaststroke (Yetman; 1:21.99), but kept the scores close with several second and third-place finishes.


Volleyball

9/19 vs. New Milford

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

New Milford

0

The volleyball team continued their strong start with an easy 3-0 victory over SWC opponents New Milford (25-19, 25-12, 25-8). The team’s chemistry seems to have improved after their early season matches, and they’re playing very well. Lauren Baronowski (12 points, 1 ace, 4 assists, 4 kills), Allison Wallace (16 points, 2 kills), and Gabrielle Holness (5 kills) all played well for the Panthers. The team’s record improves to 2-1.

9/21 vs. Brookfield

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

Brookfield

0

The Panthers beat off a strong rally from Brookfield in the first game of their match, and went on to win fairly easily 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20). The team has been on fire after a somewhat sluggish start, and they’re now 3-1 and 2-0 in SWC play. The team was led by Lauren Baronowski (10 kills, 5 assists), as well as strong performances from Allison Wallace (10 service points, 4 kills) and Kirsten Majikczyk (8 assists, 1 kill). Wendi Westbrook (5 kills, 5 aces, 3 blocks) was Brookfield’s top performer.

9/23 @ Oxford

Final Score

Oxford

1

Pomperaug

3

Oxford won a rare game against Pomperaug in their recent matchup, but it was the Panthers who came away 3-1 winners (25-16, 25-8, 21-25, 25-16). The team lost focus for a few moments in the third game, allowing Oxford to take it, but they regained their composure to finish the contest off in the fourth game. Lauren Baronowski put in another excellent performance (12 service points, 9 aces, 17 assists, 7 blocks). The Panthers were also helped by Allison Wallace (11 kills, 10 digs), and Tori Tafuto (4 aces, 5 kills, 7 digs).Katie Mitchell (4 aces, 5 kills, 2 assists) was Oxford’s best player. With the win, Pomperaug’s record improves to 4-1.