By Sophia Esposito
We take a step back and look at the outcome of the 2019 Fall Season while focusing on one important senior from each team.
Girl’s Swim: The girl’s swim team finished their season 4-7, led by senior captains Cordelia Keberle, Gabby Gillis, and Brooke O’Leary. The girls took notorious wins over East Haven/Cross, West Haven, and Guilford in their first three meets of the season, and took their final victory over Shelton.
Despite other losses, their lineups were created in ways to challenge their opponents in the most competitive way possible, or even competing against one another to produce best times or lifetime swims. Many meets came very close, having the Hornets in defeat by a few points.
In the post season, the Branford Girl’s Swim team placed 12th at SCCs and 7th in Class M States. Girls who qualified to compete in SCCs were seniors Gillis, Keberle, Adrienne Dillon, juniors Melissa Juliano, Katie Parsell, Nicola Colossale and sophomores Rory Jacobson and Erika Barone.
Swimming at states were Gillis, Keberle, Dillon, Juliano, Parsell, Jacobson, Barone and junior Shae Lepre.
Focusing on one senior, Gillis, she was asked what swim means to her and has taught her over the years. Gillis responded with, “I have been swimming since I was 5. I do not plan on swimming in college, but maybe club if I miss it. My role on swim was to be a leader and someone to keep the energy up and be a motivator. What this season meant to me was to soak up every moment because it is so hard to say goodbye. It was also a season of trying to remind everyone what makes Branford Swim so special because of the big changes coming in the future. This sport has taught me to be mentally tough, to be determined, and perseverance that I totally apply in other aspects of life like within school, work, etc. I feel so lucky to have been apart of such a wonderful team and sport. I owe a lot to who I am today to this sport!”
Boy’s Football: The football team finished with an overall record of 6-4. They finished 13th within their class. They ended their season with a great defeat over their rivals, East Haven, on their annual Thanksgiving Day Game. The boys were led by senior captains Sean Kelly, Ian McDonald, and Aiden Macneil.
Over the season, the boys had defeated their rival East Haven, Jonathan Law, Bethel, Stratford, and others.
The football team was a staple of Branford pride, having the stands and student section packed for every home game to support the boys. Even on the coldest nights, the “Red Sea” was out there to support.
For the team, senior Spencer Landsbach played a key role to the Hornets over his four years. When asked about football and it’s impact, Landsbach said, “I’ve been playing football since 5th grade. I do want to play in college if I get an opportunity. My role to the team was to keep my teammates focused and to communicate. This season has meant a lot to me. We seniors didn’t achieve the goal at getting a state ring but we left on a good note. We ended 6-4, this was the first time in a while we had 2 seasons in a row with a winning and positive record. I really do believe the juniors are a talented group and have the chance to win a championship. The sport has taught me a lot of life lessons I use day in and day out. It has also taught me how special and important the bond is between the players, and how it is truly another family to all of us.”
Boy’s Soccer: The boy’s soccer team finished their 2019 season with a record of 10-8-3. They achieved victories over Fairfield Prep, Bassick, Amistad, Notre Dame, and others throughout the season. Representing the team were senior captains Cody McCarns, Andrew Wirtz, and Tahj Sutherland.
Qualifying for states, the boys traveled to take on Wilton. In a game against a powerful competitor, there was a mix up amongst the boys in which caused the game to go in favor of Wilton, taking victory over the Hornets 3-0. Despite the loss, the boys reported to have played a quick game with strong defense.
Interviewing Wirtz, a key player throughout his seasons with the Hornets, he said, “I have played soccer for 14 years. I do plan on playing in college as a midfielder or forward, as I have been playing in the past. This season was a great team effort and a great way to end my high school career. Soccer has taught me a lot about team work and discipline. I have also made a lot of friends through it, and will have these friendships for a long time.”
Girl’s Soccer: The girl’s soccer team finished their season with a record of 5-10-4. The girls came out victorious over Career, Shelton, Hamden, East Haven, and others. They tied up many games throughout the season within minutes to avoid defeats. The senior captains for the girls were Sydney Panzcak, Rose Lockery, and Melanie Sachs.
Qualifying for states, the girls took on Sheehan. Unfortunately, they were defeated in a great game to end their season.
Captain Sydney Panzcak spoke about what is that makes soccer so important to her, and all the great things the sport has taught her over the years she has played. Panzcak played a great role in scoring, as well as her important ability of many skills on the field. She stated, “I have played soccer for 10 years. I do not plan on playing in college at the moment. My role on the team was to lead the team. Specifically I took on the defense in my position of center back. My role was to be there for my teammates whenever they needed someone to talk to, or just in general. This season meant a lot to me since it was my last time playing with some of my best friends and for my town. It meant a lot to be able to help lead the team and form a strong bond with everyone. Soccer has taught me how to cope with disappointment, how to be a leader, to be confident, loyal, disciplined, and compassionate.”
Cross Country: The cross country team spent their season training and focusing on ways to better improve individual performance. They took on many courses that were notorious for their difficulty, and did not stop their grind for any small obstacle. The team was led by senior captains Juli Dillon, Violet Smiarowski, Andrew Betzig, and Christian Bjork. Under their leadership, many teammates continually produced and placed high up in races.
Focusing on captain, Dillon, she spoke about everything that makes her love the sport of running, as well as all the things that it has taught her, and the memories she will remember. Dillon said, “I started running cross country in seventh and eighth grade, taking a break freshman year. But, I started again my sophomore year and did it to my senior year. I definitely plan on joining some sort of cross country in college, whether it is track club or intramural. I’ve met my best friends through the sport and it’s my favorite thing I do by far. I may not be D1 or D2 level, but I can’t imagine not continuing my love for the sport in some way in the future. My role on the team has changed a lot throughout my years but as a captain my senior year, I’ve tried my best to focus on the team. I think Violet and I, as co-captains, gave a strong balance of working hard but also having fun. Running 5+ miles after school everyday isn’t easy for everyone! So it is important to keep it fun and interesting. This season, I felt more connected to my team more than ever. I got to know all the girls and boys and see them progress throughout the season. This season for me was challenging but I got to see my teammates achieve amazing things. Every race I got to see improvement, knowing all the hard work they put in at practice. This sport has taught my throughout all my years running that it is so important to have resilience. It’s important to push through struggles, maintain strength, and never give up. Yet, what is most important to me is having fun while still learning how far you can push yourself physically and mentally. I strongly recommend everyone to join cross country because it’s the best sport with the best coaches!! I’m so proud of everyone’s hard work and excited to see the team’s future achievements!”
Girl’s Volleyball: The girl’s volleyball team concluded their season with a 3-16 record. Despite losses, they defeated Wilbur Cross and Lyman Hall. They played with their hearts throughout the season and never gave up. The captains for the girls were seniors Katie Elmasry and Diana Karosas.
Senior Celia Turbert was interviewed about her experience with volleyball and what it has taught her throughout her years. She replied saying, “I’ve played volleyball since I was in 7th grade. Yet, I do not plan on continuing to play in college. For the Hornets I played as the middle hitter. Although our record doesn’t show it, we had some pretty good moments as a team this season. We were all very close with one another and I believe we had great team chemistry. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t win as many games as we would have liked to, but I believed we all worked our hardest this season and put our best efforts in most of the time. This sport has definitely taught me the importance of working hard and working cohesively as a team in order to accomplish great things.”
Girl’s Field Hockey: The girl’s field hockey team had a strong season, finishing the season with a 10-5 record. They finished 3rd in the SCC, and 4th in States, Class M. They had many victories over the season, some being against Mercy, Hand, Lyman Hall, Shelton, and more. They had many game winning shutouts over the course over their season. The team was led by senior captains Brianna Shaw, Karly King, Maggie Martin, and Molly Zaffino.
Qualifying for both SCCs and States, the girls were defeated late in the season. For SCCs, the girls were defeated by Amity in the semifinals. For states, they were defeated by Guilford, who would soon after become state champions. They played a great season fill with heart, hustle, and victories.
Senior captain, Molly Zaffino spoke about the impact field hockey had on her throughout high school. Zaffino played a great role in aiding the Hornets to victory, being one of the highest scorers on the team. Zaffino said, “I’ve been playing for 7 years. I would love to play in college but I haven’t made any commitments. My role was to make sure that everyone was in their best mental mindset in order to take on the next upcoming challenge. This final season meant that it was my last time to give it all to the Branford Hornets, the only thing I could do was leave it on the field, so I never forgot who I was playing for, and the girls who I had started it all with years ago. Field Hockey has taught me leadership skills, perseverance, commitment and teamwork. I’ll never forget what it was like to play field hockey as a Branford Hornet and I’ll miss everyone that I had the chance to play with.”
Good luck to all the seniors in their futures! Never forget your times playing as a Hornet!
