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GNH captain Leif Johnson pursues Woodland QB Jack Brunetti out of the pocket Oct. 5.
Photo by Riley Klein
GNH captain Leif Johnson pursues Woodland QB Jack Brunetti out of the pocket Oct. 5.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic Yellowjackets co-op football team lost 47-14 to the Woodland Regional High School Hawks Saturday, Oct. 5.
Woodland’s explosive speed created breakaway plays on the ground and in the air. Woodland QB Jack Brunetti Brunetti threw for 160 yards and the Hawks’ backfield combined for 298 rushing yards.
GNH kept the score close in the first half, but injuries to key players stalled the Yellowjackets’ momentum and Woodland pulled ahead. GNH QB Ty Devita totaled 43 passing yards and 52 rushing yards with a touchdown on the ground. WR Owen Riemer ran in a touchdown and ended with 47 yards before exiting with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
Owen Riemer rushed in a touchdown in the first quarter, giving GNH a 7-6 lead for a short time.Photo by Riley Klein
The GNH home game was played in Falls Village on Housatonic Game Field. It was a clear autumn afternoon, about 71 degrees with a light breeze at kick off.
Approximately 500 were in attendance for the “pink out” match, which raised money for the Jane Lloyd Fund cancer support organization. Players and fans sported pink garments to represent the cause.
The game began with offensive success from both sides. Woodland’s opening drive produced a 50-yard touchdown pass. GNH responded with a six-minute drive that ended on a 12-yard rushing touchdown from Owen Riemer. Woodland’s Jack Brunetti then threw a touchdown pass for 82-yards to WR Josh Steputtis.
In the second quarter, both teams added to their scores. Woodland scored before GNH answered with a rushing touchdown from Ty Devita. At halftime, Woodland led 21-14.
GNH captain no. 53 Owen Stimpson tackles Woodland WR Norman Cook, no. 8.Photo by Riley Klein
GNH lost Owen Riemer and RB Jacob Smith to injuries in the third quarter. Riemer came down hard on his right ankle after going up for a contested reception. Smith took a big hit to the chest on a rush up the middle.
Woodland’s defense capitalized on GNH’s loss of key position players and forced stopped GNH’s offensive momentum. The Hawks’ offense continued to produce big plays and scored repeatedly.
Despite the growing lead, Woodland attempted onside kicks throughout the second half. Up 41-14 in the fourth quarter, the Hawks recovered an onside kick and marched down the field draining the clock. Woodland scored once more as time expired and won 47-41.
Woodland FB Will Brooks rushed in a 44-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.Photo by Riley Klein
Woodland advanced to 3-1 this season with a total of 171 points scored. GNH moved to 0-4 this season.
GNH will travel to Naugatuck for a Friday night game Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Naugatuck High School is 4-0 and coming off a 58-36 victory over Watertown High School.
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