Mountaineers compete in state track meet

Kyle McCarron led the pack through three laps in the boys 1600-meter race at the Class S state meet, May 29.
Riley Klein

Kyle McCarron led the pack through three laps in the boys 1600-meter race at the Class S state meet, May 29.
NEW BRITAIN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School had eight athletes compete in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S track and field championship May 29.
HVRHS made its mark throughout the long day of competitions at Willow Brook Park. The meet saw several Mountaineers set new personal records (PR) and two podiumed, qualifying for the State Open meet Monday, June 3.
Kyle McCarron set a new PR in the 1600-meter race by finishing in 4:23.5 minutes, enough for third place in Class S. The boys 1600-meter was won by Parker Cook of Old Saybrook High School in 4:22.54 minutes.
McCarron went on to PR in the 3200-meter run. He placed fourth in the final with a time of 9:55.75 minutes. The boys 3200-meter was won by Joseph DeLuise of Oxford High School in 9:33 minutes.

Ava Segalla participated in three events: high jump, 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay.
Segalla placed second in the high jump by clearing 5’2”. Gwenyth Romanzi from Thomaston High School also cleared 5’2”. Neither jumper reached 5’4” and Romanzi won due to less failed attempts on previous heights.
Segalla placed sixth overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.77 seconds (PR). The girls 100-meter was won by Emily McKelvey from Lyman Memorial High School in 12.33.

The girls 4x100-meter relay team featured Segalla, Mia Dodge, Harper Howe and Adelyn Diorio. They placed sixth in the finals with a time of 52.05 seconds. Cogninchaug High School won the girls 4x100-meter in 50.47 seconds.
Mia Dodge placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 49.68 seconds. The girls 300-meter hurdles was won by Zoe Eastman-Grossel from Lyme-Old Lyme High School in 46.20 seconds.
Anthony Labbadia broke his own high jump PR twice at states. He cleared 5’10” and 6’0” both for the first time and placed fifth overall at the state meet. The boys high jump was won by Ja’Mari Manson of Bloomfield High School who cleared 6’4”.

Labbadia went on to run the 400-meter race and finished in 18th at 54.99 seconds. The boys 400-meter was won by Brenan McCabe from Immaculate High School in 48 seconds flat.
The boys 4x400-meter team, consisting of Labbadia, Patrick Money, Kyle McCarron and Silas Tripp, was disqualified for a break line violation. Notre Dame High School (Fairfield) won the boys 4x400-meter in 3:27.49 minutes.
Patrick Money competed in the long jump and placed 11th with a distance of 5.94 meters. The boys long jump was won by Makye Wade from Capital Preparatory Harbor School who leapt 6.73 meters.
Harper Howe and Adelyn Diorio both ran in the 200-meter race. Howe placed 33rd with a time of 28.59 seconds and Diorio placed 48th with a time of 29.33 seconds. The girls 200-meter was won by Kylie Dennis of Holy Cross High School in 25.85 seconds.
Coach Alan Lovejoy was pleased to see his team perform well and set several new personal bests. Lovejoy is due to retire from teaching at HVRHS next month, but he will continue on as the track and field coach next year.

The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
SNOW PLOWING: Be Ready! Local. Sharon/Millerton/Lakeville area. Call 518-567-8277.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.