By Steven Sellers, Courier Assistant Sports Editor:
It’s a season of change for Guilford High School
sports. Last year’s seniors have moved on, this year’s players are ready to
step up, some new coaches are in place, and the turf at Kavanaugh Field will
see its first full season of fall sports. The Courier kicks things off in this
issue with a preview of the teams.
Football
The 5-4-1 football Indians were a fun bunch to watch in
2007. They combined a dazzling, run-and-gun offense with a toughness borne of a
season spent almost entirely on the road. The Kavanaugh turf is ready now so
look for the crew to spread its wings, starting with a season-opener against North Haven at home on Sept. 12.
A different kind of challenge faces the Indians this year as
three-year coach Scott Benoit resigned in the off-season to head up Hamden football. Tom
Unger, an assistant coach for Benoit at GHS and, before him, Ian Nevasier,
takes over the reins. Unger is a 1995 GHS graduate and was four-year lineman at
Fairfield University.
Unger has a talented team. Senior Alex Jazinski was last
year’s offensive MVP with nine TD receptions, ranking him second for the most
TD catches in a season for Guilford.
Brian Duggan (with 17 tackles in the Thanksgiving game against Hand) had 110
tackles for the year. That’s the fifth-highest season total in the GHS record
books. Senior Carl Jeppeson provides power running from the backfield and
senior Jon Criscuolo has looked great at quarterback in the preseason.
In all, Guilford
returns 17 seniors, many of whom started or played key roles last year.
That—coupled with players returning from injuries and the chance to play in
front of the home fans—will make Guilford
a very competitive squad.
Cross-Country
Distance running is tailor-made for the Indians and they
have a raft of SCC and state championships to prove it. Last year was a
rebuilding year for the boys’ team, but the girls’ team kept up the
championship pace, winning its fourth consecutive SCC girls’ cross-country
championship, fifth consecutive Class MM state title, and a second-place finish
in the State Open. The girls have six of seven varsity runners returning,
including co-captains Kelsey Proctor and Kathleen Elliott, as well as seniors
Katherine Crabtree and Holly Davis. All in all, Coach Jim Ford may have an even
stronger team than he had last year.
“If our senior class can run to their potential, coupled
with returning underclassmen Val Williams, Lauren Villano, and newcomer Katie
Duman, we could surpass previous seasons’ accomplishments,” said Ford.
The boys’ team remains a question mark this season; the
results of off-season training should produce some of strength for which Guilford is known. Senior
captains John Landock and Mike Heinemann will be Coach Jon Faitsch’s top two
runners, leading the way for a large group of untested sophomores.
“We’re real young and inexperienced,” said Faitsch, “but the
team as a whole has worked hard over the summer.”
The season starts for both teams on Sept. 9 in the West
Beach Invitational Meet at Hammonasset
State Park. Start time is
4 p.m.
Field Hockey
Head Coach Kitty Palmer began last season the 2007 with the
gap left by 13 seniors and still managed an impressive 11-6-0-1 record. The
Indians earned the seventh seed in the Class M State Tournament and topped No.
10 seed E.O. Smith in first-round play before falling to Pomperaug, the second seed
and eventual state champion. This year, 19 seniors have moved on so Palmer may
have a sense of déjà vu.
Senior Allie Kalfus, who had four shutouts last year,
returns in net for the Indians and co-captains with senior Lauren Mitchell, a
three-year varsity player. Senior Annie Ulles and junior Abby Butler also will
be important contributors. Beyond that, the Indians will rely on new and
untested players.
“We have very young talent and we hope to be
peaking at the end of the season,” said Palmer, whose team opens the
season at home against Westbrook on Sept. 9. Game time at Kavanaugh Field is
3:45 p.m.
Our season previews will continue in the Sept. 11 issue of
the Courier.
Pictured: Senior Jon Criscuolo, pictured
here in preseason action against Wilbur Cross, takes over at quarter back for
the Indians this season.
Photo by Steven Sellers
Pictured: Senior Kelsey Proctor, a co-captain
with Kathleen Elliott, leads a cross-country squad deep in talent this season.
Photo
by Nancy Dionne