see you at the stadium

It's almost 4 in the morning, and I just got back from the gym. I recently joined a 24 hour gym (Cardio Express in Wethersfield if anybody's wondering) to suit my nocturnal lifestyle, and so far it's working out well. But that's not the point of this post.
I'll be covering my first game of the spring in less than 12 hours, and I'm very excited about it. I was stuck in the office most of the winter due to drastically early deadlines and our desire as a staff to continue to get results from as many games as possible in the paper. That meant I was on phone duty most nights. Now with games in the afternoon, I get to go back out in the field most days.
I'll be at the Berlin-New Britain border war baseball game at Beehive, and with a pair of good teams (one looking to be among the elite in the state) it should be exciting.
I figured now is a good time to share some of my "preseason" thoughts (the season is actually two days old) on the spring sports in the area.
Predicted top team: Berlin baseball
If anybody is going to win a state title this season, put your fake money on the Redcoats. They return a team loaded with talent. In fact, when contacted about previews, two opposing coaches had the same comment. "They're [expletive] loaded."
Think about it. Last summer both the Berlin Legion team and Jaycee-TD Banknorth League team made it to their championship, the latter winning. The teams both had players from the current high school squad, though the Legion team had more. This team returned most of its key parts, including a pitching staff coach Leo Veleas says is deeper in talent than he's ever coached. That's saying a lot.
Team on the rise: Newington softball
I have a feeling this could be a very special year for the Indians. They went 13-7 last year, losing a number of close games that they should have won. Experience is the greatest teacher, and with all six players back in front of the outfield grass (and in softball that's what matters most) the talent is there to be among the best in the CCC and possibly the state. Now, Masuk looks extremely tough to beat for a state title (and it's way to early to talk about that for this team), but the Indians held them scoreless in a 0-0 scrimmage. Keep an eye on this team.
Bounce-back year: Rocky Hill softball
The Terriers have had a few bad years and are looking back at the golden days when they had pitchers like Natalie Tine and Ashlee Teraila leading them deep in the state tournament. Well, look out for Megan Ruonavaara, a player who will terrify hitters in the coming years as much as her name terrifies sports writers. Rocky Hill is back.
Most likely to defend a title: Berlin boys golf
The Redcoats golfers will try to steal some attention away from the baseball team, and with Ryan Lee, Kevin Jud, Mike Scheyd and others back, this team has a very good shot to defend its Division II state title. Scheyd, typically their No. 3 guy, shot even par in his first round of the season. Not a bad way to start.
Best local athletes you've never watched: Farmington tennis players Mark Kahan and Monica Szwed
Kahan lost the state open final last year, but bounced back by winning the New England title instead. Szwed, as a sophomore, went deep in the girls tournament, and with a little added muscle to her precision shots should go further. These two are fun to watch, no punchers here. Of course, I speak as a varsity letter earner in tennis, so maybe I'm biased.
Best rivalry: It may be more media driven than anything (guilty as charged), or maybe not, but the three-way rivalry between golfers Sarah Sideranko (New Britain), Kirsten LaPointe (Newington) and Erica Barnes (Berlin) is always fun. Sideranko and LaPointe have been dueling it out in the spotlight since being named all-state players their freshman season. They have such contrasting styles of play on the course, it's fascinating to watch them head to head. Sideranko will invariably outdrive LaPointe, but the latter seems to know exactly where to hit it with the strength she has to make an approach shot possible.
Meanwhile, Barnes spent two years just trying to get noticed and did so in a big way by finishing tied for second at last year's state open, on a day when the other two weren't quite as sharp.
They all face off against each other, and to add to the fun, Sideranko and LaPointe will be college teammates at Hartford next season.
Some upperclassmen to watch (in no particular order): Spencer Parker, Newington volleyball; D.J. Voisine, Plainville baseball; Matt Carasiti, Berlin baseball; Chris Linares, New Britain baseball; Amanda Palmieri, Southington softball; Kelly Paterson, Southington softball; Felicia Leone, New Britain softball; Josh Edelson, Farmington golf; Chris Kelly, Southington track; Jackie English, Wethersfield softball
One other storyline: baseball dominance
I predict, for the second year in a row, that area baseball teams will finish much better than local softball teams. Looking around the towns, it's hard to find a bad baseball squad. Rocky Hill might be the weakest, but I have a feeling the Terriers will challenge people. Southington and Newington don't look as strong as they've been, but there's always talent at those two schools. I wouldn't be shocked if all these teams make the postseason, with Farmington appearing ready to bounce back this season, and teams like New Britain, Berlin, Plainville and Wethersfield possibly among the best.

That's about it for now. Come out to the Hive Friday at 3.

welcome back

Summer "vacation" is over and it's back to the blogging world with a lot of things to talk about in the sporting scene, locally and nationally. I'm going to pound out a couple today.
Just like last year, I'll be focusing the blog primarily on high school sports, but occasionally talking about other subjects (as you will soon see). I will be back with my weekly high school football picks to be posted some time on Thursday or Friday afternoon before the games for the week. I also will continue to readily welcome comments and feedback on the blog, so let me know what you think.
Man, it feels good to have some high school sports back. The summer can drag on at times and as much as I love baseball, it gets tiring having one main sport to cover for three months and very little else to keep an eye on.
And unfortunately the rain has already cancelled most of the first day of the season, with only a handful of volleyball games still going on.
As for local teams, I expect our girls soccer teams to be very strong again this year, with a LOT of star power at Farmington, Southington, Berlin and Wethersfield leading the way. The boys teams look to be down a bit, with nobody likely to be as strong as the top teams were last year, but you can never count Farmington out of title contention and a new tougher schedule should make them battle tested come tournament time. It should also make the NWC race really interesting for the first time in a while without them.
As for volleyball, I really like the teams Berlin and Southington will put on the court, and I see positives in Rocky Hill, Farmington and Newington, so the teams should generally be pretty strong.
I must plead early-season ignorance about field hockey, swimming and cross country teams right now, but I'm sure some stars will emerge.
So, in summation. It's great to be back. Please check the blog often. And let me know your thoughts and opinions on anything and everything I write about. The more the merrier.

personality traits

While waiting for the Southington-Fermi volleyball match to start earlier this week, the photographer covering the event with me asked me what type of high schooler plays the sport, not typically one of the more glamorous ones. I was taken aback by the question somewhat, but there are certain types of kids who tend to play different sports, though no such simple categorizing could ever define everyone.
Another writer and I briefly explained to her that volleyball players often are more laid back, easy-going athletes, looking for a sport to have fun, be competitive and maybe get in shape.
Well, a few minutes later, a perfect example of the volleyball "sense of humor" appeared, something I've noticed before. Volleyball warmups take many minutes with each team getting its own time on the court without the other team there, in order to practice hitting. At Southington, when the hometown Knights are on the court, upbeat, energetic music plays over the PA system, designed to get the team pumped up.
But, when the other team warms up, the mood changes. Suddenly the mellow sounds of Enya, Sarah McLaughlin and others is pumped full volume through the gym, obviously intended to chill out the opposing team, but mostly having a somewhat comedic effect.
That's the volleyball personality. Competitive, but never so serious as to avoid a good joke.

quick post on the spikers

I wanted to quickly share some of my thoughts from Friday night before a busy sports Sunday (MLB, NBA and of course the women's final four).
Friday I was out at Southington for the first glimpse of the Knights volleyball team, which lost in the state championship match last year to Staples. During that match, me and my fellow writers felt the one thing missing for Southington was a true hitter, who could put points away against an elite defense. The Knights played defense well already, had an elite setter (who coincidentally was their best hitter as well last year) and served well as a unit.
Well, I'll say this. If Southington doesn't win the title this year, it WILL be a disappointment. This team is loaded. It simply has all the weapons it needs, including an elite coach in Lou Gianacopolous.
Watching the Knights dismantle a good Greenwich team (good, but not great), it was difficult to find a weak spot on the court. And as for that hitter...
There's plenty. Setter/right side hitter Brendan McGourn is back first off, and seems to keep getting better. Mariusz Kurzatkowski, who played as a sophomore, is back after focusing on soccer alone for a year. Mariusz is a leaper, with a high ability to place his shots between blockers and defenders. Rob Palko looks like a hitting machine right now, so much more confident than he's been, and more powerful. And Dave Taricani, who would be a top hitter for a lot of programs, might be the fourth option for this team, if its possible to put any of these guys above the others.
Where does a defense look to defend? To make matters harder, McGourn, who might be the top all-around player in the state, isn't the lone setter. Gianacopolous will employ the two-setter rotation with sophomore Nick DeFeo in the first slot, leaving McGourn to be a hitter as well. DeFeo isn't as experienced, but is certainly talented and learning.
And as for that defense, which most coaches will tell you is the biggest key to winning, Brendan Charmut looks like a potential all-conference player (or better down the road) as a middle blocker.
My apologies to the other Knights who I haven't noticed enough yet. This is a deep team as well, and how role players perform will be key in its success.
I have no doubt this is the most talented volleyball team I've covered. I can't wait to see if they are the best.


On a side note, if the rain and snow lets up for a couple days, which I think it's supposed to, I'll be at the Newington vs. New Britain baseball game on Monday, my first baseball game of the year.
I love this matchup. Two big schools with a lot of baseball tradition. Two great coaches in Eric Frank and Brian Crowley. It's a minor rivalry despite not playing in the same division of the CCC. And I love getting out to the Hive to spend time with New Britain jokesters Paul Majewski and Randy Brochu. The New Britain sports staff is by far the most cohesive as a group. They all seem to enjoy working with each other and rooting for each other. That's what high school sports should be about.
Come on down and check it out if you're lucky enough to have afternoons free this time of year.

first volleyball thoughts

I've seen a couple of CCC North volleyball teams this week and I can say this should be an exciting race this season.
It was hard for me to gauge Southington's talent against a struggling Wethersfield team, but the Knights look solid. I love Liz Piper's play, both for her leadership and talent.
Glastonbury and New Britain played one of those matches that make me excited to get to cover sports. Both teams, flawed but very good, left what they had on the court, diving after balls, making great shots and better saves and putting together many thrilling rallies. I only wish more fans had been there.
While the Tomahawks looked like the better team and came out on top in three close games, I will say New Britain has a lot of talent and some fun players to watch.
Cassandra Bell is a fan and coach's dream. She's a true leader on the floor, plays with a smile, does not seem to get down on herself after a bad play, shows intensity and energy after big plays and is a very good player on top of it.
Bell has a knack for making the most out of the least. In other words, she can take a mediocre set and still find a way to contort her body and get a good deep hit on it. It's tough to rate that as a skill.
Meanwhile, sisters Athalia and Chantaul Smith are intimidating at the net and it seems like they barely have to swing to hit the ball through somebody. Kelsey Newberg has a very good flat serve and as this team matures they should be tough to beat.