first one of the year

OK, first off, sorry that I haven't been blogging. The problem, in all honesty, is that I haven't been at enough games lately to feel really comfortable talking about local players and teams. Our deadlines at the paper changed to 10 (hopefully a temporary problem) in December, and it means somebody has to stay in the office all night rather than covering a game to handle the phone calls from coaches. That's almost always me, because I am best at quickly putting things on pages and because I'm an editor.
I'm not complaining, but I do miss covering stuff.
So, since the start of basketball, hockey and wrestling season, I've seen exactly three games. I'll say what I thought about the last two of those first, and then try to get to what reporters Ken Lipshez and Andrew Lovell seem to be saying, and what I'm getting from coaches.

I made sure I got to see the New Britain girls basketball team at least once. They're simply too much fun. In the past four years this has consistently been one of my favorite teams to cover. They play an uptempo style starting with swarming backcourt defense which usually leads to a lot of fastbreak opportunities and flashy plays.
Perhaps it is ironic, then, that I feel the two most critical players to their success (not the best players, but the difference makers) are their least flashy. Sarah Sideranko's defense, as I've said before, makes Symone Roberts 100 times more dangerous. But the one who's been impressive lately is Tyler Kimball. If Kimball can be a constant post presence all on her own, which she's shown flashes of for three years, then this team has few weaknesses (outside a drastic lack of depth). But I doubt anybody can find a better three-headed attack in the state than those three players.
I really like the improvements I see from Heather O'Bright and Emily Polkowski as well. Neither is a star, but both find ways to contribute when they get in the game, and any winning team needs that.
I happened to see Sideranko and co-captain Monica Malec at the CCSU women's game on New Year's Eve. I'm sure they were rooting on former coach Beryl Piper, but in either case that's a good thing for young players to do. Go see players at the next level up close to see how they do things. You can get a lot better at basketball by watching it. It won't replace practicing, but it's a useful addendum to it.

Yesterday I got to see the Hall-Southington co-op hockey team, and I must say I'm very impressed. Now, I've never understood the strange system that determines hockey playoff divisions, so I don't understand how a co-op between one of the biggest schools in the state and a solid Class L school could leave this team in the lowest division, but since they are there they've got a good shot at a title run.
The combo seems to have been kismet. Hall was a defensive team looking for scoring power last year. Meanwhile, Southington had to sacrifice some of its incredible scoring potential at times to use Joe Harvey in goal, lest the score end up 10-9. Together the team seems to have a lot of very good pieces.
What a wild game, though. Apparently 6-1 leads in high school hockey aren't safe. The Warrior-Knights (I wish I could call them that officially. It's pleasantly excessive.) had to go back on offense in the third period to avoid losing.
I love what Eric Muroski was able to do, taking control and making two great shots for late goals, and there were a lot of other contributors. Harvey, Andrew Green and others made great plays as well.
I'm not a big hockey guy, but this team, any one that can post nine goals in a game, is dangerous in D-III.

As for stuff I haven't been able to see in person, a couple things stand out. First off, for those in Berlin fretting over the girls loss to Capital Prep before the new year, don't worry about it too much. That Prep team is legit, perhaps one of the top 15 in the state, and they will be one of the favorites in Class S. Besides, the Redcoats had to scramble to adjust midgame to losing Zarotney, and even though they played without her for much of last year, having to change plans on the fly is never easy. It's not hard to get distracted or thrown off.
Early on I thought Berlin was better than Wethersfield, now I'm not so sure. Both are very good, but I think the Eagles might have a little bit more firepower. Erin Verre is making a big case for some all-state consideration with her play, I honestly believe that based on what I'm hearing. I wish I could get out there and see her in action. I've been watching her and the rest of that team play for a few years, and there's always been steady improvement. That's also a team that knows how to play together.
I'm quite honestly shocked at how well Rocky Hill's been playing. Credit goes, as always, to coach Pete Egan, for bringing out the best in his talent. But a few players deserve particular mention. First off, Joyce Grodovich is the star that folks in RH envisioned when she was a talented freshman. She's clearly playing with far more confidence than before. It always appeared she deferred to some of the older players before like Meghan Daley, Meaghan LeMay and Sam Avery. Now Grodovich must know this is her team to lead.
The next key has been Ashley O'Connell, who looked promising last year, but also was playing behind Avery and LeMay in the post.
The surprises have been Amanda Biella and Krystina Chudy, who have both turned into solid ball handlers. It's made Rocky Hill far more competitive than expected this year.
I'm not completely sold on Southington, but they are a solid team. I haven't seen the Knights at all, so it's tough to say how close they are to last year's very good team. Marissa Chapman is another one who has never completely come into her own, but maybe this is her year. The team needs some other performers to really step up to get back to where it was.

On the boys side, I wish I could see Wethersfield. By all accounts the Eagles found some of the magic they had late last season on Friday night. It's too bad P.J. Santavenere didn't return to the team this year, because with him they'd have four or five good to very good players on the court at the same time. Vic Anderson can take a game over, Adam Williams and Tyler Murphy are potent weapons and they have some good role guys.
Keep an eye out for Wethersfield. If one's things certain with this team, inconsistency is almost always an issue. But remember, it took them awhile to get going last season but they were very dangerous by the end. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same this year.
But the most buzz is back in New Britain where coach Stan Glowiak really does have all the pieces. Darius Watson is almost unguardable lately according to Ken Lipshez (and the numbers support it), Raheem McKinley is a very good second scorer, Tebucky Jones has all the athleticism in the world (shocking, right?), Robert McKinnon brings experience off the bench and the team has actual depth in Quashon Moore and Tarik Hightower.
The most interesting thing to note is that this team doesn't have a big problem it's had for several years. New Britain's always played competitive even during some "down" years lately. The problem has been fourth quarters. No lead was safe as the team didn't always have somebody to trust with the ball in the closing minutes. Well, Steven Glowiak is one of the purest shooters around. Put the ball in his hands and the free throws will fall. If that's his only role on the team, it's a big one, and he's a good complement to the flash and dazzle of the rest of the lineup.

Hopefully I'll have more in the coming weeks. I really want to get back out there at games and see these teams in person. In the meantime, go see the CCSU women. They're very competitive, and although the first four games on the NEC slate, all wins, weren't against great competition, this team should be in the upper half of the league. They also play a similar style to New Britain: pressure the ball and watch the fast-breaks come.

hockey and boys b-ball tourneys starting

The girls' tournaments have been exciting, even if all but one of our area teams have been elimintated. Good luck to New Britain on Wednesday against Westhill, apparently the most overlooked team of the tournament going in. They put together back-to-back impressive wins against Southington and Holy Cross, and are a serious threat.
As for the hockey tournaments, I can't really speak much about them. I simply don't know much about the sport at this level, having seen only a handful of games this season. I will say good luck to the three area teams still harboring hopes of a state title, even though none appear to be favorites of any kind. I will be covering Southington at the Trinity rink on Monday night.
As for the boys tournaments, sadly it doesn't look like any local teams will be making extended runs. All drew road games in the first round, something I've never seen happen in my few years here, and they are tough matchups.
Like the girls tournaments, the staff has made its picks for the boys tournament, just for a little friendly competition between us. In case you were wondering, the girls brackets have come down to either Ken Lipshez or me as potential winners. It all hinges on one team at this point, but I won't say who. Again, I can't tell you everybody else's picks, but I can tell you my picks for these brackets.
Class S: Hyde Leadership over Cromwell
Class M: Hartford Public over Sheehan
Class L: Wilbur Cross over Maloney
Class LL: Windsor over Crosby
Both my Class L and Class LL predicted finals would be phenomenal games between very powerful teams. I hope they can happen so the fans can get a real treat. The other two classes seem really up for grabs in general.

It's almost Spring, which is exciting news for me. Just taking care of final business for this season. Included in that, look for our special section featuring the all-Herald teams for the winter season to come later in the month. Some of the teams are set, but you'll have to wait until then to see who made it. We'll also being doing our players (one male and one female) and coach of the season awards as well.

sad times in the Hill

It is an unfortunate time to be a Rocky Hill fan (or alum). The Terriers, who have never been a powerhouse in the winter season, scattering successful years including a boys Class S basketball title in 2002, are struggling through their worst collective season in years.
One editor in our office, who takes phone calls from coaches, pointed out that she has not taken a call from a Terriers coach after a win in weeks, be it basketball, boys or girls, wrestling, swimming, or hockey.
That is an exaggeration. But, the basketball and hockey teams have a combined 9-15 record since the start of the new year. The last win was the skaters, coming on January 21, while both basketball teams swept RHAM on January 18.
Meanwhile, the wrestling and swim teams continue to struggle with low numbers, a long-standing problem for both.
There is still hope for the basketball and hockey teams to make the state tournament, and maybe get things going. There was high hope in Terrierland for the girls in particular starting the season, and while I'm sure the girls are working as hard as ever, the results have been disappointing.
Here's to hoping February treats the teams better than January, and that there will be time to turn the seasons around.

better than advertised

I've spent a good deal of time lately covering a pair of sports for which I have not always hidden my distaste: wrestling and hockey.
Now, I want to preface this. I still greatly prefer in the winter season to cover basketball. And I am not ready to call myself a big fan of either other sport. But, as far as high school sports go, there are worse things than having to watch competition on the mats or the ice.
First, I'll talk about wrestling, and while I could never imagine a situation in which I would want to participate in wrestling, I will say that the unique team/individual format leads to exciting moments. Nothing is more intense than seeing two entire teams screaming from the sidelines as two men battle it out with key team points on the line. The Art Powers Duals a few weeks ago were riveting, as Berlin knocked off three very good teams. The clinching matches are among the best spectator events in high school, and there is an excitement that cannot quite be described when the ref slaps his hand on the mat to signal a pin.
Ironically, for an individual sport it is the team aspect that makes wrestling so interesting.
Now, on to hockey, a sport I think is severely flawed. All sports (soccer, field hockey, lacrosse come to mind) in which a team can regularly outperform another and still lose frustrate me. It happens because there is simply so much luck involved in scoring a goal in those sports. A great play may result in nothing and a fluke play might become a goal. While hockey is not quite as guilty of this as the others, it can still be bad.
But what I do like about hockey at this level, at least when the referees keep the whistles in their pockets as much as possible, is the purity of play. There is less banging and bruising and more stick and skate control. With constant action, the sport is exciting to watch from up close, although I still find it hard to write about descriptively. I saw a perfect example of this in a game between Glastonbury and Southington earlier this week. The first penalty was called late in the second period, and up until that point the pace was good and the game exciting.
So keep it up wrestling and hockey. I won't often be complimenting you.

100th post

Coincidentally this is my 100th post. I just wanted to let you guys know I'll be back posting pretty often starting next week. I had been taking a few weeks to catch my bearings after a busy fall sports season, and start wrapping my mind around some things for winter season. I'm still very much getting to know our local high school teams.
I'm on vacation this week for the holidays, but still working a little on the side. So I'll share some more of my random thoughts with you guys. Sorry to not have a better structure to them.
I am working on a story about two Berlin High students who have signed letters of intent with Division I programs in non-glamor sports. These kids may not be quite as well known around the area, but I can say they are two of our most gifted athletes within their sports in the area.
If you know of any students who are deciding on where to play at the next level, let me know. It is an unwritten policy of the sports staff to try and limit feature stories to those signing with Division I programs, but we love to get mentions of those playing at Division II and III programs as well as other outlets. We love to know what players are doing after taking the next step in life and athletics (noted in Matt's blog about Central this weekend). So let me know. I'll be glad to mention it on here.
That also gives me a good chance to say something I've been meaning to for a while. I ran into the father of a former high school star (Rocky Hill's Chris Tyler) at a football game earlier this season, and he told me about how well his son was doing on the college gridiron. I love hearing stuff like this, and so does Ken. Please, let us know how the kids we used to watch on the field are doing at the next level. It would be my pleasure to share it with everyone.

OK, some more thoughts on games I saw this week. I know they weren't the most marquee of victories, but the Newington girls basketball team, during what is supposed to be a rebuilding season, is 3-2 right now, with a sweep of the Meriden public schools. I'm impressed. It's tough to replace so much of your scoring from a year before and get wins early the next season.
Second point. I saw the Farmington-Rocky Hill hockey game the other night. The Terriers co-op with RHAM seems to be going very well. Despite still not having huge numbers on the roster, they have more talented players than before and nearly upset the Indians. This is case in point for school's hoping to start a new program. Look for a co-op to start if you're worried about numbers. It's a good way to build.
Speaking of Farmington, as expected the front line is dynamic, with Josh Edelson, Jordan Haviland and Jack Kucia all scoring and assisting. The Indians are 3-1 with a blowout of Enfield (8 goals!!!) before Christmas. If you like hockey, or wish there were more scoring on the ice, check this team out.
Third point, back to Newington: I am calling the Newington boys basketball team my under-the-radar team to watch right now. They have five or six players who could be special this season. Guards Marc Tancredi and Shane Leupold are old-style players, passing into narrow lanes and finding shots for themselves and each other. Will Tyillian could be dominant. But the player that makes your eyes open wide is John Riddick.
Riddick can leap. And I mean leap. There should be nobody in the state who can outdo him athletically on the court. His shot is a work in progress. But man, is he exciting. And talking to him afterwards he seemed disappointed in his 14 rebound performance, perhaps because coach Scot Wenzel was a bit frustrated with some of his team's mistakes.
Hey, it's not necessarily a bad thing for a player to demand more from himself. I just hope Riddick knows that 14 rebounds is a good night regardless. If he uses that disappointment to make him focus on eliminating those mistakes, and perhaps working on his touch around the rim (a rarity for young players), look out.

Keep checking out the top 10 countdown in the paper. I love this time of year, and while I'm enjoying some time away from the office, I can't wait to get back to the gyms.