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Holy Cross High School hosted GNH at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury Nov. 14.
Photo by Riley Klein
Holy Cross High School hosted GNH at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury Nov. 14.
WATERBURY — Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football fell 42-7 against Holy Cross High School Thursday, Nov. 14.
Holy Cross won in the air as QB Drew Caouette completed 20/29 throws for more than 300 passing yards and five touch downs. Standout sophomore Dae’sean Graves caught three touchdowns on offense and two interceptions on defense.
GNH defended the run game with relative success, holding the Crusaders to 113 yards on the ground. Defensive backs Owen Riemer and Esten Ryan each reeled in an interception in the red zone against Holy Cross.
Offensively, GNH’s touchdown came on a 31-yard run from RB Leif Johnson. QB Owen Stimpson connected on 5/14 passes with a 39-yard long ball to Riemer down the sideline. Wes Allyn caught two passes, totaling 27 yards.
GNH's defense defended the run game with relative success.Photo by Riley Klein
It was a chilly night at Municipal Stadium Nov. 14. The digital thermostat read 35-degrees at kick off, persuading fans to bundle up with blankets in the bleachers.
Holy Cross took the lead early and maintained a 21-0 advantage at half time. GNH scored in the third quarter. Holy Cross tacked on three more touchdowns in the second half to win 42-7.
The Crusaders advanced to 6-3 this season with one game remaining before playoffs begin. GNH, plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball, moved to 2-7 this season.
GNH will host St. Paul Catholic High School for the final game of the year Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. The Turkey Bowl will kick off at 10 a.m. on Gilbert’s Van Why Field.
Captain Owen Stimpson, no. 53, has filled in under center since starting QB Ty Devita went down with a knee injury against Naugatuck in October.Photo by Riley Klein
A skier weaves poles on Mohawk Mountain Feb. 19.
CORNWALL — Temperatures in the twenties and bright winter sunshine made for great racing conditions for the Berkshire Hills Ski League varsity championship Feb. 19.
Nearly 60 skiers — some even clad in tutus and penguin costumes — carved their way down a perfect course, courtesy of Mohawk Mountain’s impeccable grooming.
“Mohawk always does the best job of keeping the slope in good shape,” said Housatonic Valley Regional High School Coach Bill Gold. While the snow in the woods was brittle and icy from the recent freezing rain, the course was smooth and grippy.
The race marked the culmination of the inter-conference league’s season, following six races held either at Mohawk, Butternut or Catamount. The league standings amongst the six participating schools had already been decided prior to the Feb. 19 event, with Dutchess Day School claiming the title, followed by Washington Montessori School and Rumsey Hall School in second and third, respectively.
HVRHS narrowly missed the podium in fourth, with Harvey School just behind and Marvelwood School rounding out the ranks.
The day began with a giant slalom race in the morning, after which the skiers enjoyed a brief break before returning to the starting gates at 2 for the slalom competition. The skiers raced twice, with both scores combining for a total time.
Finishing in style.Photo by Alec Linden
An awards ceremony took over the lodge deck where winners in three categories were announced, divided by girls and boys: slalom, giant slalom, and best overall — the fastest times from both races.
Addie Bergin of Washington Montessori took the win for the slalom race, with a total time of 38.05 seconds. She also held the fastest time on the course for the day of 18.79, beating the winner of the boys’ slalom, Addy Garcia of Duchess Day, by 0.01 seconds.
Ethan Viola of Dutchess Day reigned on the GS course with a total time of 1:18.08. His 38.43 second run also was the quickest of that event for the day, but again narrowly: Anna Chas, also of Dutchess Day, put down a 38.45 second run, taking the victory for the girls side with a total of 1:18.75.
Chas returned to the podium to claim the girls’ combined score win, joining her teammate Addy Garcia as the overall winners of the day.
After the cheers died down, pizza was delivered and the focus quickly moved away from skiing and toward the steaming pies.
Competitors charge up the inclined finish of the Polar Bear Run Feb. 23.
WARREN — Connecticut’s oldest winter run, The Polar Bear, was held Sunday, Feb. 23.
The 7.8 mile course circles Lake Waramaug and the start/finish was at Hopkins Vineyard.
Cloudless skies and a balmy 45 degrees were a welcome change , and lured a big field of more than 700 runners and walkers. The main beneficiary of this event is Guiding Eyes for the Blind and there were many wagging tails in attendance.
Top female runner Brittany Telke crosses the finish line, placing 16th overall in the race.Photo by Lans Christensen
The 0.2 mile uphill finish to Hopkins provides a challenge to the participants. Barely 41 minutes after the start and William Sanders of Marlborough, Connecticut, crossed the finish line. No surprise, Sanders has won every time he’s entered — six times or more.
Brittany Telke finished in 50:36 to be the top female runner and 16th overall. All results can be found at Fast Track Timing.
WOODBURY — The two leading scorers in Berkshire League history will face off in the 2025 championship game
Emily Arel and Gilbert School will play Maddie Topa and Northwestern Regional High School for the BL title Feb. 26.
Arel and Topa are the only two girls players ever to score more than 2,000 varsity points in the Berkshire League. Arel, the league leader for both boys and girls, upped her career total to 2,328 after the semis.
The semifinal games were played as a double-header at Nonnewaug High School Friday, Feb. 21.
Northwestern's Emma Maltby and Housatonic's Tessa Dekker matched up against each other Feb. 21.Photo by Riley Klein
Northwestern got the action started with a 54-34 win over Housatonic Valley Regional High School. HVRHS looked to repeat the defensive dominance that helped them beat Northwestern earlier in the season, but the Highlanders could not be stopped in the semis.
Topa scored a game-high 19 points for Northwestern, 15 of which came in the second half. HVRHS was led offensively by Kylie Leonard, Daniela Brennan and Maddie Johnson, who each scored seven points.
Mackenzie Janco, No. 4, high-fives Maddie Topa as Northwestern secures its return ticket to the BL title game.Photo by Riley Klein
Gilbert played Thomaston High School for the second semifinal game. Gilbert built a comfortable lead but Thomaston started to claw back late. Arel took over in the fourth quarter and iced the 58-48 win, securing a spot for Gilbert in the title game.
Gilbert will look to deny Northwestern from going back-to-back in the championship game Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Nonnewaug at 7 p.m.
The last time these two teams met was on Feb. 7, when Gilbert won in overtime and Arel and Topa combined for 91 points in a thriller.
Emily Arel, No. 5, and Gilbert School will take on Northwestern in the Berkshire League championship Feb. 26. Photo by Riley Klein
FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls basketball won 52-29 against Shepaug Valley High School in round one of the Berkshire League playoff tournament Feb. 19.
The Mountaineers established a lead early in the game and maintained a double-digit buffer throughout all four quarters. Housatonic's relentless defense completely stalled Shepaug, forcing numerous turnovers that paved the way for victory.
Olivia Brooks plays point guard for HVRHS.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS seniors Kylie Leonard and Daniela Brennan each posted five steals in the game. Leonard led the team in scoring with 13 points and Brennan added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Shepaug battled until the end, but the young Spartan squad struggled to build momentum. Sophomore Eliana Ostrosky scored a team-high 10 points. Emma O'Dwyer scored eight points.
Elian Ostrosky, right, led Shepaug Valley in scoring with 10 points. Photo by Riley Klein
Housatonic advanced to the semifinals to play the reigning champs, Northwestern Regional High School. On the other side of the bracket, top-ranked Gilbret School will play Thomaston High School.
Berkshire League girls semifinals games will be played Friday, Feb. 21 on neutral ground at Nonnewaug High School. HVRHS and Northwestern play first at 5 p.m. and the Gilbert versus Thomaston will follow immediately after.
The BL girls basketball championship game is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Nonnewaug.
The home section of the bleachers looks on with anticipation as a three-pointer by Olivia Brooks finds the hoop.Photo by Riley Klein