Local Sports Moments of 2021

While there were local sports for the majority of 2021, there are not a whole lot of moments that truly stand out to me. However, there were some great moments and games throughout the year, for one reason or another. 

My list only includes games I attended in person. Therefore, it does not include the FCIAC baseball or FCIAC softball championship games or the Cooper Cave Tournament that the Fairfield Legion team played in, and specifically Sean McAdams' home run. If I was at any of those, they would have been included on my list.  

Coverage of the games, either by me, or others, are linked below. 

So here we go (in no specific order)…..

Warde boys basketball defeats Fairfield Prep in the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic.

Warde baseball edges Ludlowe 

• Warde took an early lead, then Ludlowe came back to tie the game, before Warde took the lead for good. 

Ludlowe football defeats Warde on Thanksgiving morning - New12's coverage cane be found here. 

Ludlowe girls basketball wins the Todd Burger Championship

• Ludlowe defeated Warde to win the Tournament Burger Memorial Tournament, named in honor of the former Fairfield Citizen sports editor. 

Warde football suicide prevention game

• In tragedy, community sometimes shines the brightest. The Warde football team and the Warde community (as well as students from Ludlowe and Prep) honored Kevin Kuczo and raised awareness for suicide prevention. 

 

 Zach Sullivan's one-hitter for Fairfield 17U Legion 

Southington defeats Ludlowe in softball state championship.

Southington scores two in the 7th. Blue Knights defeat Ludlowe 4-3 to win the Class LL state tournament #ctsb

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) June 12, 2021

Ludlowe baseball walks-off New Canaan 

Prep baseball defeats Ludlowe in State Tournament

• While personally, as a Ludlowe coach, this was a tough loss, it was a great game. Ludlowe held a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning before Prep tied the game in the sixth and walked off with the win in the seventh to advance to the next round 

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While I didn't think there were that many big moments, there were a number of moments that stand out. Hopefully things get back to normal even more in 2021 and we have more special moments and games. 

Ludlowe Girls, Warde Boys Win Holiday Tournament Championship

It was day two of the Fairfield Holiday tournaments, as the boys JV tournament held both a consolation and championship game and the girls and boys varsity tournaments held Championship games. The JV games were held at Ludlowe, while the varsity games were at Warde. 

It was the Fairfield Ludlowe girls and the Fairfield Warde boys who came away with Holiday Tournament Championships. The Mustangs in fact came away with two, as the Warde JV boys team also won their holiday tournament. 

The Warde JV team defeated Fairfield Prep to claim the Walter Fitzgerald Tournament Championship. 

Warde JV wins the Walter Fitzgerald Holiday Tournament

The Ludlowe girls team took down Warde 49-25 to capture the Todd Burger Championship. Kaleigh Sommers and Madison Roman were named to the all-tournament team for the Falcons, as was Leah Fry and Ryanne Gulbin for the Mustangs. 

Ludlowe wins the Todd Burger Tournament

In the nightcap, it was the Warde boys team coming away with a 60-44 victory over Prep. Justyn Davis of Warde was named the 2021 tournament MVP. 

Warde wins the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic

Fairfield Holiday Hoops

A look at the court during a break in the action of the girls game 

The Fairfield Holiday Basketball Tournaments got underway today, with the conclusions tomorrow. 

The boys have a varsity tournament, as well as a JV tournament. This tournament features the four high schools from Fairfield, Ludlowe, Warde, Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame of Fairfield. The varsity boys tournament was held at Fairfield Warde this year, as the usual home, Alumni Hall was knocked down and is being re-built. The JV tournament rotates between being hosted by Ludlowe and Warde and this year it was at Ludlowe. 

The boys JV tournament is named the Walter Fitzgerald Holiday Tournament in honor the of former Fairfield High School assistant coach and Warde head coach, who passed away from cancer in 2010. 

In the JV tournament, Warde toped Notre Dame and Prep topped Ludlowe, so Notre Dame and Ludlowe play in the consolation game, while Warde and Prep play for the championship. 

Notre Dame withdrew from the varsity tournament due to COVID, so Warde, who ND was supposed to play in the first round, got an automatic bye to the championship on Tuesday at 6pm at Warde. Ludlowe and Prep played Monday night to see who would face Warde. 

The Jesuits came away with a 49-30 victory. The game was closer than the score as Prep was able to pull away in the fourth. 

The girls also play a varsity holiday tournament. Their tournament features Ludlowe, Warde, Staples of Westport and St. Paul Catholic of Bristol. That tournament also rotates between being hosted at Ludlowe and Warde, with this years edition being at Warde. 

Their tournament is the Todd Burger Holiday Tournament, named in honor of former Fairfield Citizen Sport editor, Todd Burger, who passed away from cancer in 2006. 

Like Notre Dame for the boys, St. Paul Catholic had to back out of the girls tournament due to COVID.

 That meant Warde, just like the boys, who they were supposed to play, got an automatic bid to the championship. They would meet the winner of Ludlowe and Staples. The Falcons came away with a 56-39 win to set up an all-Fairfield championship matchup on Tuesday at 2pm at Warde. 

The tournaments, while different this year due to COVID, are always an awesome events for the teams and the community, no matter the outcome. It brings students out (shoutout to The Nest), as well as Alumni, parents, and just random town people. Day two will be different with fewer games, but hopefully the games we do have are great. 

Ludlowe/Warde Thanksgiving Football

Ludlowe celebrates their win over Warde

Ludlowe and Warde renewed their rivalry on the football field on Thanksgiving morning.  

In front of a packed crowd at Tetreau-Davis Field at Warde, it was the visiting Falcons who came away with a 50-21 victory. The win allows Ludlowe to finish with a 5-5 record, while Warde finishes at 2-8. 

Ludlowe got on the board with 4:05 to go in the first quarter on a Luke Lesizza three-yard run. 

In the second quarter, the Falcons tacked on when Manny Cacciari picked off a pass and took it back 40-yards for the score. 

Later in the period, quarterback Lucca Iannone scampered for a 59-yard touchdown run to put the Ludlowe up 26-0 with 6:06 left in the half. 

Warde got on the board with three minutes left before the break as Charlie Gulbin hit William Imschweiler for the touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-7. 

Ludlowe came right back and scored when Iannone hit Aaron Field for a 48-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 33-7.

The Falcons capped the scoring with six seconds left in the half when Caleb McNeil drilled a 42-yard field goal to put the Falcons ahead 36-7 at halftime.  

Ludlowe scored the lone points of the third quarter when Iannone hit Field with a screen pass and Field took it 36-yards for the score. 

In the fourth, Warde would score twice in between a Ludlowe defensive score. For the Mustangs, Gulbin hit Gerald Jacobs for a 28-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 43-13. 

Ludlowe's scoring was capped when Cole O'Boyle intercepted a pass and returned it for the score. 

Warde added a final score when Gulbin connected with Lucas Coleman for the 10-yard score. Gulbin found Jacobs for the two-point conversion. 

#ONETOWN

The National Anthem

Warde baseball gets their FCIAC Championship rings
(Cool ceremony)

Both Dance Teams perform at halftime

TEAM	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	TOTAL
LUDLOWE	13	23	7	7	50
WARDE	0	7	0	14	21

FL – Luke Lesizza three-yard run (Will DePiano kick)

FL – Aaron Field 44-yard run (Two point attempt failed)

FL – Manny Cacciari 40-yard INT returned for a TD (DePiano kick)

FL – Lucca Iannone 59-yard run (DePiano kick)

FW – Charlie Gulbin to William Imschweiler (kick good)

FL – Iannone to Field 48 yard TD (DePiano kick)

FL – Caleb McNeil 42-yard FG

FL - Iannone to Field 36-yard TD (DePiano kick)

FW – Gulbin to Gerald Jacobs 28-yard TD (Two point attempt failed)

FL – Cole O’Boyle INT return for TD (DePiano kick)

FW – Gulbin to Lucas Coleman 10-yard TD (Gulbin to Jacobs two-point good)

Volleyball State Championship Game

Ludlowe and Greenwich set for the for the state championship 

The high school fall CT state championships (excluding football, which is in December) were this weekend. 

The Ludlowe girls volleyball team was playing in the Class LL championship against the FCIAC foe, the Greenwich Cardinals on Saturday evening at East Haven High School. 

Ludlowe got to the state championship game by finishing 14-5 in the regular season. In the state playoffs, they defeated New Britain, Naugatuck, Conard and Cheshire to get to the final game. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they got swept by Greenwich in three sets. The Cardinals won by scores of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-17.  

Congrats to Greenwich on winning the state championship. The Cardinals add a state championship to their resume after already taking home the FCIAC Championship, as they defeated Darien on November 6. 

In terms of Ludlowe, the volleyball team had a terrific season, making it to the FCIAC semifinals and then making this state tournament run. Shoutout to Coach Tina Rembish on a job well done in her first year at the helm of the Falcons. 

The Nest, the Ludlowe student section, had a great showing with fan buses set up. Student sections are a huge part of the atmosphere of what gives extra energy to these games to it's always great to see a good turnout. 

Congrats to all the state champions who were named today across all sports. 

Swim and Dive concluded with opens tomorrow before football is the lone sport remaining for the Fall season. The regular season concludes for football on Thanksgiving and then the playoffs begin before the Fall season completely concludes the middle of December. 

After Thanksgiving, we turn our attention to winter sports. Obviously, I am looking forward to basketball around Ludlowe and Warde, but hopefully it's an exciting winter for many teams around here. 

5, 2525-15, 25-12, 25-17-12, 25-17

High School Football Weekend

GHS Senior Day Ceremonies

 It was a good weekend of high school football. 

On Friday, I went to Kennedy Stadium in Bridgeport, where Ludlowe took on the Central Hilltoppers. 

The Falcons won 45-0 and got contributions across the board on both offense and defense. The one highlight that I will throw out there was Charlie Began with a 90+ yard INT return for a touchdown. 

Ludlowe will look to finish with a .500 record when they take on Warde on Thanksgiving (10:30am at Warde). 

Then today, I went down to Greenwich for the Cardinals game with Stamford and joined Rob Adams for the broadcast* on Local Live and Robcasting Radio. It was a good chance to see Rob, and I also got to see the new Cardinal Stadium. I used to go to a bunch of games with Rob a few years ago, and then, well, life got in the way. 

When I say I "joined Rob Adams for the broadcast" that really means I sat with a headset on and threw in thoughts every once in a while while Rob did 95% of the talking. That's just how I am on broadcasts. I know the sports, but don't say a whole lot on air. I also think this was the first time I was his only color guy for football. Other football games I've either been a third or fourth voice, or off-air. Rob knows I don't consider myself a broadcaster, but have fun with him. Baseball has been the sport I've done with him the most. 

Back to the game, Greenwich took the lead on the first drive and never looked back, cruising to a 64-12 victory. There was a lightning delay of about 50 minutes that began during halftime and delayed the start of the second half. Lots of lightning, some thunder and heavy rain at times. 

Greenwich will finish the regular season on Thanskgiving as they host Staples at 10am. The Cardinals will likely need to beat the Wreckers and get help in order to make the state playoffs. You can tune in to that Thanksgiving matchup with Rob and Chris Erway on Robcasting and Local Live. 

It was also the official grand opening of the new stadium and senior day at Cardinal stadium, so there were a lot of festivities going on. 

The renovations to the stadium are awesome, even if everything is not fully functional yet and there are still some items to be finished. The press box is glorious with six different rooms for PA/scoreboard, broadcasters, camera operators, writers, coaches and more! There is a ticket booth, a concession stand, real bathrooms, and more. I always felt like there was something special about going to Cardinal Stadium in the past, now it's REALLY nice. It should definitely be a spot to consider to host big games.

It was a fun day and always thankful Rob allows me to join him for anything. He's a true pro, who is just tremendous at doing play-by-play and calling a game. He knows broadcasting and should be on anyone's list when you are looking for a broadcaster (No, he didn't pay me to say this). 

Good two days of games.  

Some photos from the day. 

Thinking Back

We all know what happened on this awful day 20 year ago. So many lives lost, so many people lost loved ones. So many more lives impacted. 

We all have memories of that day. 

I was in first grade in Ms. Kozokowski's (Ms. K) class at Riverfield School. What I remember was Mrs. Breisler, one of the secretaries (who is now a colleague), coming into the classroom and telling Ms. K something in regards to what had happened just a little while earlier. 

I don't remember much else from that day, other than that we got out of school early and I remember my dad coming home from work early and meeting my mom, brother and I at school before we went home. 

We think about those lives lost, we think about all the first responders, those we lost, and those who survived. We also think about those who continue to protect our country today. 

I think of my family who lost a member of their family in the Towers that day. I think of others who have passed since then due to effects of what happened. 

While I didn't know Bobby, I have heard stories as the years have past, from both family and through reading things online. 

I think of my cousin, who is currently a Port Authority Police Officer, who protects us everyday. Also, my uncle, who is a retired Port Authority cop, who was at Ground Zero helping with the recovery. 

So many people lost so much that day and in the days, weeks, months and years to follow. It will be a day that forever changed our country, in so many ways. 

So many thoughts. We always remember. Not just on the anniversary. We never forget. 

Summer's Over

Time to begin the "Road Trip" of another school year

Well, officially, summer is not over, but summer break for me is over as I go back to work tomorrow*. 

*Let's be honest though, I've done work over the summer. 

This summer was good. To go along with the photo I used above, now we begin navigate school year. 

 As a wrote about, I had a blast writing about Fairfield Legion Baseball. 

I did miss the fact that there was no broadcasting of Little League baseball with Rob Adams this summer. That had been a staple the past three years (summer of '18 and "19 and early fall of "20). 

Rob did do a Babe Ruth New England Regional baseball tournament in Trumbull late July and I enjoyed joining him for the one day of that. I couldn't join him for more, as we went on a family vacation to Las Vegas and California to visit family and friends. You can listen to all of the games of the tournament that Rob broadcasted here. 

The vacation was good. We visited my mom's friend in Vegas and did a few Vegas things, including walking the Las Vegas Strip and seeing a show. Then we went to California to visit, my Dad's brother and his family. I took a lot of photos from the trip. 

Taking photos on a trip or at any event is something I wish I was better at and hope to do more of. It's just a way to document life. People did it years ago but it should be so much easier with smartphones now.

 I wish I wrote more this summer, personally. I wrote for Legion, but not on this blog. I wish I would be like Rob and write all the time about many different topics, items, and thoughts. I feel like when I write, it's only about major topics. I keep saying it, but hopefully I will write more going forward. I just don't have that much interesting stuff to write about. 

Year number four begins tomorrow. I would say it will be an interesting year, especially the start, but every year has been interesting, for one reason or another. None of the previous three years I've been in the job have been so called "regular" years. 

Excited for sports to get going. Football and boys golf (boys golf is now a Fall sport as of this year) are already underway in Connecticut and the rest of the Fall sports get underway on the 26th.

It will be busy and likely crazy but it should be exciting no matter what. We will see what happens. 

Fun Summer With Fairfield Legion Baseball

Both photos are 19U team. Players were missing from each (My photo (left), Sars Ford photo (right)) 

The Fairfield American Legion Post 143 Militia summer baseball program finished their season this past weekend. I had the pleasure of serving in a communications role for the program this summer. I know this is going to come off as being too much about me (It's bad I have to put this disclaimer), but I just enjoyed being able to help promote the Fairfield Legion program and the players. 

Basically, I was covering the games. I wrote game recaps, and handled social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). I also did a lot of their Game Changer*, a scorekeeping app. In an effort to better promote the program, we submitted the recaps I wrote on another blog I created to the Fairfield Patch and the Fairfield Citizen in order to get the team and the players and team noticed by a wider audience than our sites.  In addition, I linked the blog where the game recaps were written to the Fairfield Legion website. 

*Game Changer was something I had seen but never really used before. It is nice to learn a new program. There is a lot of good in Game Changer. I am still a paper scorebook person at heart, but for certain situations, Game Changer is definitely better. 

I hope the coverage I provided them was helpful. Thank you to Sars Ford, the Fairfield GM for bringing me on board and for all his help. Thanks also to 19U head coach Chris Bugyi, his assistants Jim Chaves and Mark Keeney. In addition, thank you to 17U coaches Eddie Klukojc and Seamus McGovern. 

To all the players, it was fun to watch and write about you guys this season. Some players I knew very well, others I knew, but not well, and then there were some I didn't know at all but it was nice to get to know. There are players from Ludlowe, Warde, Prep and other schools where the players live in Fairfield. Some of the players are currently in high school, while others are in college, so it's somewhat of a wide mix age wise. You guys are all great players and young men and have great baseball ahead of you, whether that still is in high school, or in college. 

The 19U team finished 24-7 and made a run to the championship game of the Regional Qualifying Tournament. The 17U team finished the season at 11-14. 

If you want to read about their season, you can go here for all of the game recaps. Some highlights of their season (in my opinion), include the Coopers Cave Tournament in Saratoga Springs (and Sean McAdams' home run during that tournament), Phil Hogan's perfect game against Milford on July 13, and the postseason run they made. I'm sure there are other moments I'm forgetting. Especially considering the few I just mentioned were all games I was not at in person. I was mostly at the home games. 

I look forward to continuing working with them in the future. 

Competitiveness

A large part of sports is competition. I am a very competitive person. It doesn't matter what sport, game, level. I want to win. My competitiveness also shows my passion. In a lot of ways, competitiveness and passion go hand-and-hand. If you want to read about passion, read this. 

Sometimes, this is a bad thing as I look like a fool. Before anyone says anything, yes, I can look like a fool for a number of other reasons also. 

When I'm coaching, I am very competitive, whether that's as an assistant coach for the Ludlowe baseball team or coaching the Ludlowe basketball JV summer league, for example. I know the results in summer league basketball don't matter, it's about getting the players better and getting them opportunity to play together, but I still hate to lose. In baseball, I often show way too much emotion as a coach. There are many examples but a good one is the 2019 FCIAC quarterfinal game against Warde. 

I get too excited again! https://t.co/F8KAG5tman

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) May 18, 2019

Then there's also a game earlier that season (we had a lot of walk-off wins that year. 

 

Spotted myself. I get a little to excited as a coach. Oops. https://t.co/WUQMZACrgW

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) April 6, 2019

When I am watching high school sports, I am also highly competitive. This is especially true when watching Ludlowe basketball. My fist pumps and foot stomps on the bleachers are two ways I show my emotion as the games are going on. According to Aiden Blanc, I usually bring energy that equates to 100 student fans. This is probably true! Once again, I look like a fool but it's my competitiveness and passion. 

When watching professional games, I am also extremely competitive and animated. Between fist pumps and slamming the couch (for good or bad moments) or throwing my hat, it's pretty clear that I show emotion when watching games. I do this watching all the teams I foot for but I think it's especially profound when watching the Packers. Likely because they've played so many nail-biting frustrating games over the years. I've definitely done it for the Yankees, and other teams I root for too. I do it both when at games in person, and when at home watching games on TV. I think I actually show more passion or emotion when I am watching a game on TV. Not sure why. 

I was like this when when playing sports too, whether it be little league and Jr Babe Ruth Baseball or Wakeman Boys & Girls Club or Rec basketball. I always wanted to win, often far more than anyone else on my team cared about winning. That's just the competitive nature of me. 

My competitiveness goes beyond sports (I know, you didn't know I knew anything other than sports. I basically don't). An example of this is when there are game shows on TV. One, I try to figure out the answer and get frustrated when it's something stupid. Also, it annoys me when the person who loses is happy. I'd be so frustrated and annoyed. 

I'm sure there are other examples. Overall, I am a very competitive person, sometimes too much. I love winning and hate losing. That's not to say I'm a sore loser, just passionate. But I also think it just shows my passion and how much I care....and how crazy I am. 

State Championship Saturday

This weekend was state championship weekend for Connecticut High School spring sports. There were a few championships on Friday night and a plethora more on Saturday. 

First off, congrats to all those teams around the state who won championships in all sports, especially those in the FCIAC. 

Ludlowe had two teams playing in state championship games, the girls lacrosse team and the softball team. Unfortunately, both teams came up on the short end. Girls lacrosse fell to Darien 14-6. Softball was walked-off by Southington 4-3. 

Both teams had amazing seasons. For softball, they won the first FCIAC softball championship in school history, before making a strong run to the state championship game and coming up a run short.  It was the first appearance in a state title game in school history. 

For the girls lacrosse team, they made their first state championship game appearance since 2010, when they defeated Staples for the title.  

Congrats to both teams on tremendous seasons, despite the losses today. 

In some ways for me, it was weird not being at the baseball finals, but I am also going to support Ludlowe teams, rather than non-Fairfield teams. 

There were broadcasts of these games and plenty of reporters out coving all of the sports, from baseball to softball to girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse. GameTime CT does a great job at covering the action and you can go there to read more about today and this weekend. 

The crowds at the games I was at, and from what I heard and saw from others, were large and loud. This is great to see because hopefully we are getting back to normal. There's something special about packed stands for a championship game. It's great when student sections come out and are loud as they cheer for their teams (respectfully, for the most part). 

Della Jackson with a go-ahead RBI triple to give Ludlowe a 3-2 lead on Southington top 7 #ctsb @LudloweSB pic.twitter.com/tfna6m6yIr

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) June 12, 2021

Two Days, Two Titles, One Town

 

Two days, Two Titles. One Town. 

That is the case for the Fairfield Public High Schools*. Ludlowe softball won the FCIAC championship on Thursday, while Warde baseball won an FCIAC title of their own on Friday. 

*Yes, I realize Prep baseball won the SCC Championship, but I work at Ludlowe and Warde, so that is where my focus is. 

For Ludlowe softball, it was the first title in school history. The Falcons, the No. 2 seed, defeated the St. Joseph Cadets 6-3 at Sacred Heart University. In the regular season, the Cadets won 5-2, handing Ludlowe their only loss of the season.

Here is the game story from GameTime CT's Maggie Vanoni as Reyes, Ludlowe rally to top St. Joseph for first FCIAC softball crown

History is made. Fairfield Ludlowe wins the school’s first-ever FCIAC championship title after beating St. Joseph, 6-3. Ludlowe awaits its placement in the state tournament bracket. #ctsb pic.twitter.com/41xB8S3o2Z

— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) May 27, 2021

In Warde baseball's case, the defeated the Greenwich Cardinals 9-0 at Cubeta Stadium. Zack Brodrick threw a complete-game for the Mustangs. It's their first title since 2014 and the second since the schools split. Fairfield High School (when Warde and Ludlowe were combined) won in 2004. 

Here's the game story from GameTime CT's Scott Ericson as Broderick pitches Warde to FCIAC Championship over Greenwich. 

.@WardeBaseball celebrates their 2021 FCIAC Championship win. (Using my very limited iMovie skills to edit the broadcast and my iPhone footage together) #ctbase #InTheBooth pic.twitter.com/WYezhqbKXH

— Rob Adams (@double5) May 29, 2021

If you want to watch the entire Warde/Greenwich game with Rob Adams on the call, go here

Congrats to both teams and good luck to everyone in the state tournament!  

Warde Baseball Wins Tight Battle Over Ludlowe

Warde baseball edged Ludlowe by a 6-5 score on Wednesday afternoon at Kiwanis Field in Fairfield in the annual rivalry game between the two schools. 

The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. They loaded the bases on no hits, as Roman DiGiacomo walked, Declan O'Hara was hit by a pitch and John Heitzman also walked. Zack Broderick, the Mustangs starting pitcher, then helped himself with a two-run single to center field to plate DiGiacomo and O'Hara. 

Warde tacked on in the second inning. With Garrett Larsen at second and two outs, O'Hara singled to left to bring in another run. The next batter, Heitzman, doubled down the right field line to bring home O'Hara and extend the Mustangs lead to 4-0. 

Ludlowe would cut into the deficit in the third. The Falcons would pick up two runs, including an RBI single from Reese Palumbo. 

Warde added another run in the 5th. Jack Andrews singed to left with two outs to bring home Broderick from third who had reached on an error to lead off the inning. 

The Falcons would come back to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame. Justin Dennett reached on an error to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Noah Schaper singled to right to bring home Dennett and cut the deficit to 5-3. Three batters later with runners at second and third, pinch-hitter Ben Gaffney doubled down the left field line to bring in two runs and tie the game at five. 

Warde would take the lead for good in the top of the seventh. Jake Balogh led off the inning with a single to center. Three batters later, with Balogh at third, Larsen singled to short center field to bring home the go-ahead run. 

Ludlowe would get the tying run on first with two outs, but couldn't push the tying run across the plate. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the softball game between Ludlowe and Warde, the Falcons came away with a 13-3 victory to take home the Walker Cup. 

Ludlowe Baseball Picks Up Big Win Over Norwalk

Coming off four straight losses, the Ludlowe Falcons baseball team needed a win in a big way. 

They got that win in a 12-7 fashion over Norwalk on Monday afternoon at Kiwanis Field in Fairfield. 

In their previous games, they got up early, and couldn't hold a lead. Today, it was the reverse. 

Norwalk took a 4-0 lead with three runs in the first and a run in the second before Ludlowe would get on the board in the bottom half of the second. With runners on the corners and out, Patrick Connor singled to left field to plate Christian Smith. The next batter, Sean McAdams, doubled to deep center field to bring in two runs and cut the Norwalk lead to 4-3. 

Norwalk extended their lead to 6-3 with two runs in the third, including an RBI single by Javier Gonzalez. 

Ludlowe would come back in the bottom of the fifth to not only tie the game, but take the lead. Drew Buckley walked. He then stole second and the ball went into center field, When Buckley tried to advance to third, the throw from the Norwalk shortstop, who retrieved the ball in short center field, sailed over the third baseman's head and out of play, allowing Buckley to score. Andrew Fortunato would then double, followed up by a double by Matt Longo that would plate Fortunato. The doubles continued with the next batter, Smith, as his double brought in Rhys Davies, who pinch-ran for Longo, to tie the game at six.

Two batters later, Justin Dennett singled to center field to bring Smith home and give the Falcons a 7-6 lead. 

Norwalk would not go away as they tied the game in the top of the sixth. Eddy Garabito-Soto tripled to deep right field and the throw to third went past the Ludlowe third baseman and Garabito-Soto was able to come in and score to tie the game. 

The Falcons would come right back in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on the corners and one out, Fortunato drove a ball to deep right field for a two-run triple to give Ludlowe the lead back at 9-7. They would not be done. An error would allow Fortunato to come in and score before a two-run double by Dennett would cap the scoring. 

Ludlowe improves to 2-4 overall and 2-4 in the FCIAC. The Falcons travel to Trumbull for a matchup with St. Joe's on Wednesday. 

High School Baseball Is Back

The Falcons warm up prior to the game against New Canaan

After the 2020 season was cancelled, high school baseball, and all spring sports, were back this week in Connecticut. 

It's interesting times for everyone, dealing with COVID protocols and quarantines, and the unknown due to the fact that there wasn't a season last year. 

For the Ludlowe baseball team, they got our season going on Tuesday against New Canaan after getting postponed against Greenwich on Saturday and New Canaan on Monday. 

It was 682 days between the 2019 season ending loss against Southington until Ludlowe played another game that counted. 

In terms of the game, the Falcons picked up a 9-8 win on a walk-off by catcher Christian Smith in the bottom of the seventh. 

Ludlowe took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Smith and a two-run triple by Andrew Fortunato. 

New Canaan cut into the lead with a two-run triple to center field in the fourth by Cameron Wheeler. 

Ludlowe extended their lead in the bottom half of the inning as they scored five times. Matt Vivona led off with a hustle double to right field and Noah Schaper walked. 

Three batters later with the bases now loaded, Fortunato singled to right to bring home two runs. Charlie Mulhall followed that up with an RBI single to put the Falcons up 7-2. The scoring for the inning when Mike Innaimo delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Mulhall. 

New Canaan scored four more times in the fifth as they batted around despite only getting three hits in the inning. 

The Rams would tie the game in the top half of the seventh. A single and an error put two one with one out before Jack O'Donnell came up with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 8-7 and put two runners in scoring position. Andrew Rashad's sacrifice fly would tie the game at eight. 

In the bottom half of the seventh, Rhys Davies led off with a single to center field. Matt Vivona laid down a bunt and the ball was thrown into center field to put two on and none out. Two batters later, Longo would walk to load the bases and put the winning run 90 feet away. Smith then came out and drove a 1-1 pitch deep enough to right field to allow Davies to come in and score. 

Ludlowe improves to 1-0 on the early season and will travel to Greenwich to take on the Cardinals on Wednesday at 4pm. 

We'll see if I continue to write these recaps. The lack of media coverage, especially newspaper coverage, around the league for all sports is disappointing and I want to give the student-athletes some coverage. 

Ludlowe/Warde Hoops, Pandemic Edition

The girls game courtesy of the NFHS Network

We are so used to big crowds for rivalry sporting events. The atmosphere is a large part of what makes the game an event. Well this year, obviously crowds are minimal or  non-existent. 

Ludlowe/Warde basketball took place on Saturday afternoon. It's a day and an event I look forward to every year. This year the girls game took place at 12pm at Warde and the boys game at 2:30pm at Ludlowe. So not your traditional doubleheader between the Falcons and Mustangs, but still a doubleheader in a sense. For all other games this winter, only home parents are allowed (no other fans). 

For these in-town rivalry games, parents from both schools were allowed. This at least made the gym less quiet, but the atmosphere was still different, with the student sections noticeably missing.

In terms of the games, Ludlowe swept the doubleheader. The girls took down the Mustangs by a 66-41 score. The Falcons were led by Juliet Bucher and Laura Herron, who each had 11 points and Anna Paulmann who had 10 points (thanks to the Ludlowe girls basketball Twitter for the stats.)

The Ludlowe boys defeated the Mustangs by a 48-37 score. James Mockler led the Falcons with 16 points. Erik Leonard added 12 points and Connor Lawlor also finished in double figures with 11 points. For Warde, Damian Vial had 15 points. 

It was great to have the gyms somewhat lively again. Can't wait until we are able to have the gyms packed and rocking with fans, including students, again. At least today felt like we are getting back to some normalcy. 

Ludlowe-Warde is a game I both love and hate. It's a ton of fun but as I've said many times, it's difficult not to show any emotion. Four great coaches and people in these games with John Dailey, Sara Kinsley, Ryan Swaller and Dave Danko. 

A few more weeks of the season. Hopefully everyone can make the most of a crazy season and then on to spring sports. 

Also, as a side note, the lack of media covering the games were disappointing. I know Aiden Blanc and the Falcon Sports Network (Ludlowe's student broadcasting club) were at the girls game and called the boys game remotely, but disappointing not to see any print media covering these games.  There's a longer post here, maybe for another time, but two thing here. As Rob Adams, Mike Hirn and I have discussed, all these broadcasts should have announcers on them. It's a much better presentation and the kids deserve it. Also, these games should all be covered. The media (writers, broadcasters, etc) are important and work hard to promote students and student-athletes.  

Interesting Day In CT High School Sports

Ludlowe celebrating their 2019 Holiday Tournament Championship

It was an interesting day in high school sports. 

Most winter sports were told they can begin starting on Tuesday. This is pending school/district approval. Games can begin as early as Feb. 8. However, some sports, such as wrestling, competitive cheerleading, dance and indoor track, can not begin in the normal fashion. Wrestling, competitive cheerleading and dance are all in the high risk category, as categorized by the National Federation of High Schools. Indoor track can't hold meets but can practice, due to the number of people in facilites for 

• Wrestling may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building.
• Competitive cheering may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building. Sideline cheerleading is allowed. 
• Competitive dance may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building.
• Indoor Track can  have practices only. Indoor/outdoor meets will be considered for March.

There will be no state tournament for the winter sports, but rather a tournament experience (I.e. conference tournaments). All sports will have certain considerations for the schools to think about. 

Here is the full plan from the CIAC. 

In addition, where the biggest uproar came today is that the alternative season was cancelled. This was supposed to be the season where football, which was cancelled in the fall, along with any other sports that didn't have a season, would play. It's an interesting case, because you want to give the student-athletes opportunities, but you don't want to provide false hope, which is ultimately what happened. 

Another factor that came out as a result is that as of now, spring sports will begin on March 29, the day after the winter season ends. Previously, the spring season had been pushed back to April 12, in order to make room for the alternative season. 

I have many thoughts on all that has transpired, and I didn't even give all the details. Head to the Hartford Courant's Shawn McFarland's Twitter for more. Side note - Shawn's a great follow on Twitter and a great read in the Courant, always giving facts and information for the readers. Doing what a reporter should. 

Overall, it was a very good day, I'm happy for the basketball, hockey players and others who will get to have a season. It will be a unique season, but any season is better than nothing. That said,  It's disappointing for football, wrestling, cheerleading and dance. We'll see what happens for indoor track. Hopefully, as the weather gets warmer in March, they will be able to have some kind of meets outside, that will lead right into the outdoor track season. I can't say I am surprised however, I never really expected the alternative season to happen, whether it be because of the COVID metrics, or scheduling issues. 

Then, there is the whole thought of if we should be playing at all. With the COVID metrics in Connecticut the way they are, there are a lot of people who either outright don't think we should be playing, or are skeptical of the fact that we are playing. Before the CIAC was able to approve winter sports today, the CT Dept. of Public Health had to give the go-ahead. That said, I know there are schools and towns who will opt out (happening as a type this). 

I feel bad for the football players and coaches, along with those winter sports who can't have their seasons. 

I'm optimistic for what's ahead for the winter and the spring athletes, coaches and teams, as long as everyone can stay safe. Looking forward to busy and exciting times in the Athletic Departments. 

Side note - I had some different thoughts earlier today. Thanks for Rob Adams and his Doubleheader show for making me look at the big picture. 

My thoughts on this blog are my own. I have these thoughts as a high school sports fan and a supporter of high school student-athletes and teams.