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GNH's Owen Riemer had 74 rushing yards, 59 reception yards and a touchdown against Torrington Sept. 28.
Photo by Riley Klein
GNH's Owen Riemer had 74 rushing yards, 59 reception yards and a touchdown against Torrington Sept. 28.
WINSTED — In a rivalry game that came down to the wire, the Torrington Raiders won 28-25 against the Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic Yellowjackets Friday, Sept. 28.
Torrington's wildcat offense produced break-out runs and established an 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter. GNH battled back with two touchdowns, a two-point conversion and an onside kick recovery in the final minutes.
Torrington's defense held on for the win to remain undefeated in 2024. The Raider victory marked Torrington's first win over GNH since the 12-town co-op formed in 2021.
More than 1,000 were in attendance at Van Why Field in Winsted for the Friday night game between these two regional rivals. It was "Neon Night" in the student section, and gas-powered lights hummed on the field for a rare GNH night game.
Ty Devita threw for 63 yards and ran for 47 yards against Torrington.Photo by Riley Klein
GNH opened the game with a defensive fumble recovery on the opening possession followed by a strong drive down the field to give the Yellowjackets an early lead. Mason Sobol ran in the first score for GNH and then Esten Ryan kicked a field goal in the second quarter.
Torrington found success with its shotgun split back formations and convincing run fakes. The Raiders rushed in three touchdowns in the first half to take a 21-10 lead at the break.
The margin grew to 28-10 by the start of the fourth quarter. GNH came alive in the final 15 minutes.
Mason Sobol scored his second touchdown of the game with 9:40 remaining in the game. The Yellowjacket defense forced a punt on the next drive. QB Ty Devita then connected with WR Owen Riemer for a 35-yard touchdown pass. GNH converted for 2-ponts and brought the score to 28-25 with 3:37 left.
On the kickoff, Tyler Roberts recovered an onside kick to give GNH the ball at midfield. Torrington's defense held strong with a sack, a tackle-for-loss and two successful pass coverages to secure a turnover-on-downs with two minutes to play and knelt for the win.
The Raiders advanced to 3-0 with the victory in Winsted, while GNH moved to 0-3. Torrington totaled 239 rushing yards and 80 passing yards in the game.
GNH was led offensively by Owen Riemer with 74 rushing yards, 59 reception yards and a touchdown. Jacob Smith scored two touchdowns on 29 rushing yards. QB Ty Devita rushed for 47 yards and threw for 63 yards.
The Yellowjackets will host Woodland Regional High School on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. at HVRHS Game Field in Falls Village.
GNH congratulates Tyler Roberts after recovering an onside kick late in the fourth quarter.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