Xavier High School Takes Center Stage

Xavier High School's theater alumni are in the spotlight this week.  Matthew J. Pugliese `00, Executive Director of Oddfellows Playhouse announced that Thursday, May 23rd will be "Xavier Night at the Oddfellows Playhouse." Several factors led to this very special event. Xavier alumnus Steve Scionti `81 will be performing his one-man show "Hear What's In The Heart - A Shoemaker's Tale." In a cooperative effort between Matt Pugliese, Steve Scionti and Xavier's Director of Advancement Matt Strekel `99 arrangements have been made for a "meet and greet" reception following the performance. In addition, $2 of every ticket sold for that performance will be donated to Xavier's Annual Fund.

There are only a few tickets remaining for this special evening.  To purchase your tickets online go to Oddfellows Box Office.  When you get to the checkout screen, enter the discount code "xavier."

The show which Steve Scionti has  performed across the country, including 2 nights last summer at Wesleyan University, will be in Middletown for a limited number of performances. You may read more about the Steve and the show in an article that appeared in the Middletown Press.

Hear What's In The Heart - A Shoemaker's Tale
Thursday, May 23, 2013, 7:30 PM - 8:45 PM
Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street, Middletown, CT 06457

Middletown Residents Make Xavier Honor Roll

Headmaster Brother Brian Davis, C.F.X. and Principal Brendan Donohue have announced the Honor Roll for the second marking period. The criteria for a student to qualify for “high honors” are a grade point average of at least 3.75 and no grade lower than a B (limit one B only) in his major subjects. To attain “honors” in a given marking period a student must have at least a 3.25 grade point average and no grade lower than a C (limit one C only) in his major subjects. Physical Education and the SAT Prep Course are NOT included in the tabulation for Honor Roll.

Kiwanis Scholarships 2012 & Upcoming Golf Tournament

Middletown Kiwanis Awards Annual College Scholarships On May 23rd, the Middletown Kiwanis Club conducted its annual scholarship presentations. The Middletown Kiwanis through its Foundation each year gives a graduating senior from each of Middletown's four high schools a $2,000 college scholarship. A $500 scholarship is also awarded to a local high school senior attending Middlesex Community College in the fall. Of the fore-mentioned recipients one is selected to also receive the A. Merton & Arline W. Bozoian $500 scholarship. The event MC was Kiwanis Vice President Rick Starkey. Each student was accompanied by a school representative who described the qualities and accomplishments of their schools recipient. Kiwanis President Christopher Conley then made the scholarship presentations.

Xavier Wins First State Open Wrestling Title

Led by wins from senior captains Tyler Cunningham and Sean Marinan Jr., Xavier won its first ever State Open wrestling title at New Haven’s Floyd Little Athletic Center.

The Falcons finished with 132 points to top rivals Hand (121.5) and Danbury (118.5). Glastonbury and Bacon Academy rounded out the top five. Middletown placed ninth with 55 points.

The title was the team’s third in as many weeks. Xavier won the Southern Connecticut Conference crown over Hand on February 12th and the Class LL title last weekend.

“I am really happy for the kids, parents and coaches involved with our team,” said head coach Michael Cunningham. “Our wrestlers worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this championship.”

“I knew coming in we would have a strong showing and would probably finish in the top three. We just had to focus and leave everything out there on the mat. Luckily we didn’t leave too much room to spare.”

Tyler Cunningham, Michael Cunningham’s son, won the title at 150 pounds and Marinan, Xavier’s other finalist, was champion at 220.

Junior Elliot Antler placed third at 170, sophomore Will Chowanec fourth at 113 and senior Ryan Butler fifth at 145 for Xavier.

Cunningham, the Class LL champion at 160 pounds, defeated Ledyard’s Alex Manwaring 7-2 in the final to win his first Open title. Cunningham was third at 145 in last year’s State Open.

“This has been my life goal ever since I was a little kid,” said Cunningham to the New Haven Register.

Marinan took down Masuk’s Eric Tucker in a epic battle that spanned four overtimes. Tied at one going into the overtime period, each wrestler would add a point in the first three overtimes before Marinan escaped Tucker seven seconds into the fourth to capture individual title 3-2. Marinan, who was second last season, celebrated the victory by jumping into assistant coach Kyle St. George arms.

“This is amazing for me to go out like this,” Marinan stated to the Hartford Courant. “To go back-to-back with football and wrestling is so special….But with wrestling it’s different. [Xavier had] never won one before, so now all our numbers go up on the wall. We’re immortal now.”

The story for Middletown was again Devon Carillo. The senior won at 182, his second consecutive state title after winning at 171 last season. Carillo defeated Weaver’s Sheldon Rhoden 7-2 in the final.

Senior Andrew Carignan finished fourth at 120 for Middletown and junior Randy Hale was sixth at 160.

Q&A: Xavier Basketball Head Coach Michael Kohs Looks Back on Season and Falcons Chances in State Playoffs

Middletown Eye: Xavier went 3-7 in its first 10 games and was 7-3 in its second 10 games. What changed during the second half of the regular season?

Michael Kohs: We got off to a poor start because we were very inexperienced at the guard positions and were making a lot of mistakes there. Our lack of execution led to a lot of turnovers and combined with our inability to hit free throws, we were unable to hold onto leads late in games. We lost five of our first six games, but we had the lead or were tied in the final minute of each of those losses.

ME: So how have you improved in the backcourt and those basic areas since your early struggles?

MK: First of all, we’ve done a much better job of taking care of the ball. I believe our turnovers have fallen from 24 per game in our first 10 games to 12 in our last 10 games. And having (freshman guard) Elijah Pemberton back helped us be a lot more explosive and sound fundamentally.

ME: You recently told the Middletown Press that your team had overcome your tendency earlier in the season to succumb to pressure from other teams and surrender leads. In what way has the team become stronger at holding onto leads and responding to pressure?

MK: I believe that as the season went on the experience we gained and our improved shooting allowed us to hold onto leads easier. In the first part of the season we would struggle and fold under pressure. Know we’ve responded better to that and are showing more toughness.

ME: You’ve spoken a lot of how your offense has improved tremendously during the season. How has your defense improved?

MK: Our defense has been built off of our ability to rebound. We’ve become a very good rebounding team and have outrebounded our opponents in every game this year. We stay in every game because of our rebounding. That being said, our defense has to get better and play harder from here on out as we move into the playoffs. We’re going to be facing very strong teams who we most likely haven’t seen this year.

ME: Can you talk a little about the play of your star senior forward Jovan Santos-Knox?

MK: Jovan is amazing. I don’t know where our team would be without him this year. He’s a beast inside and incredibly difficult for anyone to defend, and he has great hands and is as strong as an ox. He the best drop-step of any player I’ve ever coached. And he’s so incredibly consistent game after game. Jovan’s easily averaging a double-double this year.

MK: Besides Santos-Knox, which players does your team really rely on to win?

MK: Junior guard James Sullivan has been playing really well for us. He’s been knocking down big shots and is our second most consistent player after Jovan. We need a little more upfront from seniors Connor Landers and Michael Manion. They’ve done some really good stuff for us at times but we need more consistency from them.

ME: The team’s struggle with shooting free throws has been constant and well-publicized. Do you have any one reason you can point to for these struggles, and is there any way you can improve at shooting them at this point?

MK: I don’t know what to tell you. We practice them a lot every day at practice and do our best to simulate the pressure of shooting them in a game, though that is very hard to do. We just need to step up and make free throws under pressure in the playoffs. We need to make them to win games.

ME: The 10-10 record Xavier had this season is its poorest in a long time, and as a result the team is going to get a very low seed in the Class LL Tournament. How can you overcame these barriers and make a run in states?

MK: I can see us making a good run in states. We went on a good run last year where we beat then number one seed and advanced to the quarterfinals, and we only lost two seniors from last year’s team. The bottom line is we’ve been playing much better and have come through in must win games like our win at West Haven. Teams are not going to want to play us and understand we are better than our record.

ME: As the number ten seed in the SCC Tournament you are playing at number seven seed Hand on Thursday night, who you haven’t played this season. What do you think of Hand and of your chances in that matchup?

MK: It’s going to be a tough game. Hand is a very good shooting team and they are physical. We expect it to be a physical game and a tough test in a demanding environment. I think we have a good shot at winning, but it’s going to be a challenge.

ME: You said that Xavier is most likely going to play 19-1Windsor in the state tournament as the 29th seed. You had a huge upset against Windsor last year in states. How likely is it that you could defeat them and advance past the first round?

MK: Windsor is an excellent team and we will have to have everything go right to beat them. They may have added incentive to beat us after what happened last year. We definitely won’t surprise them. I would have liked to play another team.

Xavier Captures Second Consecutive Class LL Wrestling Crown

Defending champion Xavier knew it had work to do as the championship round of the Class LL wrestling championships began. Despite the Falcons advancing eight wrestlers to semifinal matches and five to championship matches, Xavier trailed Danbury 228-218 going into the championship round due to an excellent performance by the Hatters in their consolation matches. If they wanted to win a second consecutive championship, the Falcons would have to perform nearly flawlessly. In one of the biggest pressure situations imaginable, each Xavier finalist did so.

Each of Xavier’s five finalists won an individual title, giving the Falcons 242 points and their second straight Class LL championship. Danbury finished second with 232 points and Trumbull paced third with 153 points.

Xavier’s title winners were sophomore Will Chowanek (113 pounds), senior Tyler Cunningham (160), junior Elliot Antler (170), senior Jake Whalen (180) and senior Sean Marinan Jr. (220).

The most significant win was Sean Marinan’s. Xavier came into his championship match only six points ahead of Danbury and a loss by Marinan to the Hatters Oswaldo Garcia would have tied the two teams.

The senior battled his way to an early score and hung on to defeat Garcia 5-4 and give his squad a well-earned championship.

“Was there pressure?” Marinan asked the Hartford Courant. “No, I didn’t even know the score.”

Will Chowanek got the Falcons going with a 3-2 decision over Conor Caffrey of South Windsor in the 113-pound championship, his second consecutive individual title after winning at 102 pounds last year.

I really didn’t expect it to be this close,” said Chowanek to the New Haven Register. “I wanted to come out strong. The take down in the second period is the move that won it for me. My goal was to get as many points for my team as I could.”

“Winning the Class LL championship means everything to me, it means everything to our team. We’re the defending champs and that’s what we wanted to do, defend our title.”

Tyler Cunningham pinned Joseph Roberts of Fairfield Prep in just 1:58 to win the 160-pound title. Elliot Antler won the 170 championship with a decisive 11-4 victory over Ryan Whittle of Greenwich and Jake Whalen took down Zachary Maxwell of Southington in 2:50 to win the 195 title.

The victory earned Xavier a measure of revenge. Danbury, who came into the championship meet ranked No. 1 in the Norwich Bulletin coaches’ poll, defeated them 43-17 at the end of December and was ranked ahead of the Falcons for the entire season. Xavier’s back-to-back Class LL titles establishes them as one of the top programs in the state and worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Danbury, who won 14 consecutive titles from 1997-2010.

“I knew coming in here we were the underdogs because Danbury’s been kicking everyone’s butt this season,” Xavier Head Coach Mike Cunningham stated to the Register. “I can’t explain the feelings I have right now winning the title two years in a row.”

“We had good matchups in the championships. I’m so proud of our guys.”

Xavier know takes their Class LL, as well as its SCC championship, with them to the State Open this Friday and Saturday at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven. With a bevy of outstanding wrestlers in tow the Falcons are confident they can improve on the team’s disappointing sixth place finish in the 2011 State Open.

“I just hope we learned from it,” Cunningham said to the Courant. “We are going to enjoy this, but we get together and regroup on Monday, then have a good week of practice and go from there.”

Xavier Swimming Closes Out Home Schedule With Loss to Sacred Heart

On Senior Day, Xavier swimming ended the home portion of its schedule by losing to Sacred Heart 98-86. The defeat was Xavier’s sixth straight and dropped the Falcons to 4-7 on the season.

While freshman Mike Pimer in the 500 free was the only Xavier swimmer win on the night, with a time of 5:45.61, the team had 8 second place finishes. Senior Greg Brown was runner-up in the 200 IM with a time of 2:17.35 and finished second in the 100 fly at 59.79. The Falcons 200 medley and 200 free relays also both placed second.

Despite her squad losing yet another meet due to its lack of depth, Xavier Head Coach Leandra Matos is looking beyond their poor record and to the improvement her swimmers have shown this season.

“Individually wise, I’m very happy with my time,” she said. “All of our swimmers have gotten better and improved their times since the beginning of the season. That’s impressive, considering this is a rebuilding year.”

Xavier has one more meet on the road versus Fairfield Prep next Tuesday before some of its swimmers move on to the SCC Championships on February 29^th and the Class LL Championship and State Open next month. Even in a so-called rebuilding season, the Falcons have qualified eight swimmers for Class LL’s and should qualify more in the next few weeks. Here is a list of the eight team members who are already qualified for the LL Championship.

Stephen Russo ’12 - 100 Fly

Greg Brown ‘12 - 100 Fly

Blake Bibisi ‘12 – Diving

Spencer Beaulieu ‘12 – Diving

Matt Lyons ‘11 - 100 Breast

Ben Criscuolo ‘11 - 50 Free

Michael Malz ‘12 - 50 Free

Mike Pimer '9' - 100 Fly

Rob Dodenhoff '12' - 100 Fly

Correction: Xavier had a win in the 100 breast with a State qualifying time by Matthew Lyons.

Two Xavier Students At The White House To Present Engineering Project To Obama

John William Voelker and Miraj Rahematpura, seniors at Xavier High School, are attending the second White House Science Fair today, to present their work to President Obama.

In a press release from the White House, Obama noted, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”

Many of the directors of national science programs will be also attending the fair, including Subra Suresh, Director of the National Science Foundation, Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Harold Varmus, Director of the National Cancer Institute.

Voelker and Rahematpura are co-captains of the Xavier High School Engineering Team which won the 2011 National Championship of the Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) for designing a next-generation airplane wing that maximizes fuel efficiency and enhances performance.

Xavier's Offense Continues to Struggle in Their Fourth Loss in Six Games

Behind a standout performance in goal from Luciano Amatruda and a second period goal from Cretella Colby, Notre Dame of West Haven defeated Xavier 1-0 on the road Monday afternoon at Wesleyan.

The loss was Xavier’s fourth in the past month, versus just one victory and one tie. They are now 7-5-2 on the season. While the Falcons were a strong offensive team during the first portion of their schedule, averaging 3.8 goals per game in the first seven contests, that offensive inconsistency has disappeared. Xavier has not scored more than two goals since January 7th.

“We have a hard time finishing,” Xavier assistant coach John Stanton said. The kids are working on it but we have to get better at it.”

Xavier had a goal disallowed with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first period due to a penalty. From that moment on it seemed preordained that the team which scored first would be the winner. The Green Knights earned that score when Cretella Colby put back a rebound. The Falcons had repeated scoring opportunities before and after the go-ahead goal but were not able to capitalize on them.

Xavier controlled the puck for a decent portion of the game and had some good looks on the net where its shooters failed to convert. The biggest culprit was the team's inability to finish and particularity its poor passing. The Falcons issues with passing the puck stopped a number of offensive sets dead in their tracks.Xavier's offense was not helped by Amatruda. He made some impressive sprawling saves and denied a number of scoring opportunities in front of the net.

The Falcons had a power play opportunity with 6:36 remaining and were unable to get a good shot off. Xavier pulled goalie Shane Baldwin at the 90 second mark but had only one shot on the net.

"We're a young team and we know it's going to come but it is going to come but it's something we work on all the time," Stanton said. "It's tough and it is a little frustrating."

Xavier is now 7-5-2 and and 3-3 in the Southern Connecticut Conference Division One standings, good for sixth place. The Falcons next play a huge road game against 11-2 East Haven on Thursday.

Q&A: Xavier Captains Look Back on Memorable Careers

The quarter of AJ Cosenza, Stephen Russo, Greg Brown and Kris Fogarasi have provided Xavier swimming with leadership both in and out of the pool this season. The Falcons senior captains are key swimmers in events like the 200 IM, 100 fly and 200 medley relay. More importantly, the captains have been great leaders for a young team that experienced significant change coming into the season. Suffice to say, Xavier’s 4-2 start wouldn’t have occurred without them. Last week at practice, the group sat down to discuss the season and their experiences on the team.
The team is 4-2 in what is supposed to be a rebuilding year. How would you assess the season so far?
AJ Cosenza: We knew coming into the season that a lot of things were different and that this was meant to be a rebuilding year. I think we’re doing very well and we’ve gotten better as it’s gone on.
Stephen Russo: There have been a lot of guys who got a chance to swim more and prove themselves this season. We’ve had a lot of meets with great performances.
There were a lot of changes with the team from last year to this year. You guys had some strong swimmers graduate or leave the team and Coach Manos took over right before the season when Keith Nichols stepped down. How tough was it for all that to happen, and what’s the change to Coach Manos been like?
AC: It was tough to see Coach Nichols go, but having Coach Manos and Coach Applegate has been great. They do a really good job of teaching stroke technique. Everyone’s improved in that since the start of the season.
Greg Brown: We all really like Coach Manos. From the start everyone clicked with her and Coach Applegate, and she’s helped our swimmers to improve. It’s showed up with how good guys have been doing in the meets.
What is your favorite part of being captains?
Kris Fogarasi: I really enjoy leading by example. I try to challenge my teammates and set an example for them to follow in the water.
GB: Being on the team is like being part of a second family. You really get to know one another and experience all the meets and practices together. It’s so much fun and we’re all sad that it’s going to be over soon.
Do any of you have one favorite moment from your years on the team?
SR: Definitely the Glastonbury meet two years ago. The atmosphere was crazy and we won by six points. That was a lot of fun and it was a huge win.
GB: Even the parents were doing cheers. When the parents are doing cheers you know a meet’s intense.
KF: I’ll actually say the win against Shelton a few weeks ago. We were down going into the very last relay and won the meet on the last leg. It was a huge boost for the team.
What are your plans after graduation? Are you going to swim in college?
KF: I’m going to Northeastern. I’m not going to swim on the main team, but I hope to keep doing it at the club level.
SR: I’m gonna go to Roger Williams and I’m definitely looking to swim for the school.
GB: I’ve been considering a few schools and haven’t made a final decision yet. I’m leaning towards Swarthmore right now. I hope to swim there or another school at the Division III level. I don’t want to give it up.
AC: Yeah, I haven’t made a final decision on a school either. But I could definitely swim on D-III level too.

Xavier Swimming Off to Strong Start in Rebuilding Year

Xavier swimming improved to 4-1 with a 103-81 victory over Hamden at Wesleyan’s Freeman Athletic Center on Tuesday night. The win was the teams fourth in a row after the Falcon’s season-opening loss.

Xavier slowly build a lead with a 1-3 finish in the 200-yard free and with Stephen Russo and Greg Brown finishing in the top two spots in the 200 IM, in 2:18.04 and 2:19.60 respectively. From there the Falcons seized control of the meet. Xavier earned first place in nine of the 12 events and also finished either second or third in seven of those events. The team found an impressive level of consistency that never left the contest’s outcome in doubt.

Xavier’s first place winners were Steve Russo in the 200 IM (2:18.04), Greg Brown in the 100 fly (1:01.46), Mike Pimer in the 100 back (1:05.46) and Matt Lyons in the 100 breast (1:08.97). Xavier was victorious in the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay with times of 1:54.49 and 1:39.97. Rob Doudenhoff was the Falcons multiple winner with victories in both the 50 and 100 free (24.68 and 55.06). In addition to their victories, Lyons, Pimer, Brown and Russo had second place finishes in the 200 free, 200 IM, 100 fly and 100 breast.

Head Coach Leandra Manos was happy not only with her team’s victory but especially with their strong start to the season. Xavier has beaten not only Hamden but also North Haven/North Branford, Foran and Shelton.

“We have steadily improved throughout the season,” said Manos. “We’re in a rebuilding year, but a lot of guys have stepped up and gotten better after the team lost some of its best swimmers before the season. Our strongest swimmers have taken on a big load.”

Manos cited freshman Mike Pimer and seniors Stephen Russo and Greg Brown as the swimmers who had carried Xavier, praising the trio for their versatility and ability to finish in the top three in any event. Each swimmer backed her proclamation up by winning a race and anchoring the first three legs of the 200 medley relay.

The Falcons schedule becomes much more challenging from here on out. After traveling to Notre Dame-next Wednesday, Xavier faces perennial standouts Glastonbury, Cheshire and Fairfield Prep in the remaining five weeks of the schedule. Manos understands that her team has some struggles ahead of them. But if they continue to exhibit the same growth they have shown up to this point, in the season, the coach can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I am never satisfied with our performance,” said Manos. “I am always looking at the performance of other teams and the times of other top swimmers and comparing them to our team. We have a lot of room for improvement. But if they continue to improve physically, then we will continue to do well.”

Xavier Earns Biggest Win of the Season Over Hamden, 69-49

Xavier’s chance at a strong regular season may not be so remote after all.

Led by impressive guard play and noticeable improvement in every facet of the game, Xavier defeated Hamden 69-49 in a Southern Connecticut Conference Quinnipiac Division matchup. The win was the Falcons second in a row after a 1-5 start to the season and was the team’s first win at home. Hamden fell to 6-2 on the season.

The play of Xavier’s guards, especially that of senior James Sullivan and freshman Elijah Pemberton, drove the Falcons to victory. The team’s backcourt did an excellent job of handling the ball and consistently finding open players for strong opportunities. They ran a quick and aggressive offense that put Hamden on its heels and wore them down, while largely avoiding turnovers (Xavier only had 11 in this game) and mental errors. The Falcons were a different team last night thanks to a backcourt that looked completely different.

“That’s a number we haven’t seen since last season,” said Kohs. “All of our guards played well tonight: Stefan Opalacz, Pat D’Amato, James Sullivan and Pemberton. What also helps is that D’Amato is starting to get his basketball legs. It’s usually the case that football players don’t get into basketball shape until the middle of January and we can see it coming with him.”

Sullivan and Pemberton particularly played well of off Jovan Santos-Knox. With the senior receiving the ball in good position all night, Xavier’s beast of a forward pushed around and bowled over helpless defenders on his way to 26 points and a smorgasbord of rebounds. With Santos-Knox a constant threat in the paint, Pemberton found open lanes to the basket for layups and Sullivan made back-breaking outside jumpers to balance the offense. Sullivan and Sullivan both finished with 15 points.

The Falcons were in control from the opening tip. Led by Santos-Knox’ 14 points, the team led 15-8 after one quarter and 27-20 at the half.

Xavier eventually pulled away in the third quarter and on Sullivan’s buzzer-beater, took a 44-33 lead into the fourth. The team blew the Green Dragons out in the fourth, 25-16, going on to win by 20 points.

“I thought we played outstanding defense,” said Kohs. “We handled the pressure very well too. And we shot free throws well, so in every phase of the game we played well. The kids lost some confidence early in the season and we struggled a little bit. But they worked hard in practice and they believed we could get better.”

Kohs noted that Xavier’s last two wins were over teams with good records. “Prep was 5-1 when we came in and Hamden came in 6-1,” said Kohs. “We beat a couple of pretty good teams.”

Xavier held the Dragons to 38 percent shooting as the Green Dragons failed to break the Falcons pressure. Hamden only sporadically got good looks or got the ball inside. Richard Kennedy led Hamden with 21 points. Xavier, in contrast, lit up the scoreboard, making 27-0f-47 for 57 percent.

On Tuesday, Wilbur Cross comes to the Art Kohs Gym and on Thursday, Xavier plays one of the state’s elite squads in Hillhouse in New Haven.

City Indoor Track Teams Running Towards Success

MIDDLETOWN

The Middletown boys and girls indoor track teams offer different coaching challenges for head coaches Jenn Price and Kelly Ellis. The boy’s squad features 40 members and must try to live up to the high expectations their head coach as placed on them. However there are only 24 girls out for an inexperienced girl’s team that will constantly be a work in progress.

The top girls are senior long jumper Antanisha Outlaw and junior Lauren Hodge, the team’s top long distance runner. Team members who are expected to improve include junior long sprinter Cara Brainard and sophomore shot putter Kaitlyn Strickland.

“This season is about progress for the team,” said Price. “With progress we can look towards the future.”

A small group of boys will be key to their squad’s success. Seniors Logan Reich (runner-up for Class L in the 55 hurdles) and Devonte White (CCC outdoor champion in the shot-put) return to pursue more individual title success. Supporting them will be junior distance runner Nick Chhoeun and sophomores Tim Harvey (jumper) and London Highsmith (sprinter/jumper).

“We have good athletes in most events,” stated Price. “I expect the team to have a very strong showing in the CCC meet and have 5 to 8 boys qualify for states from there.”

Middletown opened at the Hillhouse Invitational in New Haven Friday.

MERCY

Last year Mercy won the Quinnipiac Division of the Southern Connecticut Conference and placed fourth overall in the SCC. Veteran Head Coach Rob Link believes there is no reason the Tigers cannot improve on that campaign.

“I think we’ll do at least as well as we did last year,” said Link. “We’re we’ll rounded and have a lot of depth.”

Mercy will largely rely on veteran talent to lead the team. Seniors Kathleen Darling (distance), Jenna Grayson (sprints, jumps), and Brie Vess (distance) and junior Catie Oidtman (hurdles, pole vault) are all expected to be to performers. Link expects sophomore Astin Donovan will be one of the top five sprinters in the state when all is said and done.

“If the team performs like it’s capable of, we’ll have a better record than last year and place somewhere around 7^th or 8^th in the State Open,” stated Link.

XAVIER

We should be good but not great,” said Head Coach Dave Kraszewski. “We’re very strong in the middle distance events and strong in the sprints, but we’re weaker in the throws and in the horizontal jumps.”

Senior tri-captains Dave Pugliese (600, 1000), Russell Stevens (1600, 3200) and Dillon McCarthy (55, sprint relay, long jump) were listed by their coach as keys to Xavier’s success. Long distance runners Mitchell Brown, Peter Strom and Matt Pius, all juniors, will also be important contributors.

“A realistic goal for our team is that we finish in the top 8 of the Class LL and State Open meets,” stated Kraszewski. “Anything beyond that is far exceeding expectations.”

Xavier opened December 19^th at the Hillhouse Developmental Meet in New Haven.