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11/04/2018 12:00 AMGirls’ Swimming and Diving
Kayla Mendonca claimed first place in the 100 backstroke and set a meet record in the process when the Hand girls’ swimming and diving team competed at the SCC Championship last week. The Tigers scored 741 points to come in fourth place at the SCC Championship, which was held on Nov. 1 at Southern Connecticut State University.
Mendonca took the title in the 100 backstroke by swimming a time of 57.36 seconds at SCCs. Mendoca’s mark beat out Lauralton Hall’s Vivian Freitas, who posted a time of 58.99. Mendonca also eclipsed the previous SCC Championship record for the 100 backstroke of 57.46 that had been set by Branford’s Erika Newell back in 2000. Mendoca also finished fourth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 59.41 in the SCC meet.
Additionally at SCCs, Ruby Redlich finished third in the 100 freestyle (54.77), while Abbigail Chemacki finished fourth for the 500 freestyle (5:15.25) for the Tigers. Hand’s 400 freestyle relay of Redlich, Erin Reilly, Ava Keane, and Mendonca came in third place at 3:42.39. The 200 medley relay of Mendonca, Ava Dougherty, Reilly, and Keane placed fifth (1:54.05).
Redlich took eighth place for the 200 freestyle (1:59.77), and Chemacki finished ninth in the 200 freestyle (2:00.01). Ava Dougherty placed eighth for the 100 breaststroke (1:11.31). The Tigers’ 200 freestyle relay team of Redlich, Kacie Wines, Catherine Arrandale, and Chemacki finished 11th (1:47.96). Gabby Wira finished 16th for the 200 individual medley (2:21.92), and Wines came in 30th place for the 50 freestyle (27.58).
At the SCC Diving Championship, Mary Huminski finished in third place with a score of 378.8 points at Sheehan High School on Oct. 27.
Football
The Tigers scored a one-sided victory against Cheshire last week to improve to 8-0 this year and clinch a playoff spot in the process. Hand hit the road to face Cheshire and prevailed by the final score of 49-14 on Nov. 2.
Phoenix Billings went 7-for-10 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing for 70 yards on just four carries when Hand defeated Cheshire (2-6). Colin McCabe led all rushers by gaining 162 yards and scoring three TDs on 13 carries. Ian Butler caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, and he also returned an interception for a TD on defense.
McCabe started the scoring party for the Tigers with a 7-yard TD run, after which Billings raced 16 yards to the end zone to help Hand take a 15-0 advantage. McCabe later ran in a 50-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0. Billings found Ian Butler on a touchdown toss to give the Tigers a commanding 27-0 lead. Butler then picked off a pass and took it back for a score to make it 35-0. Jesse Lutz got in on the action by scoring on 15-yard TD dash for Hand. McCabe’s short touchdown run made the score 49-0, before Foran finally got on the board in the third quarter.
Hand has clinched a berth in the Class L State Playoffs and currently holds the No. 3 spot in the standings. The Tigers are hosting Wilbur Cross (3-5) at the Surf Club on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
Field Hockey
Hand took a hard-fought defeat in the semifinals of the SCC Tournament last week. The 3rd-seeded Tigers lost a 2-0 contest against No. 2 seed Guilford in the SCC semifinals on Oct. 30.
Next up for Hand (11-5-2) is the Class M State Tournament, which begins with first-round action on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when the 7th-seeded Tigers will host No. 10 seed Branford at 6:30 p.m.
Girls’ Cross Country
Anna Steffen represented Hand when she ran at the State Open Championship last week. Steffen finished in 60th place by posting a time of 20 minutes and 57 seconds on Nov. 1 at Wickham Park.
Boys’ Soccer
The Tigers recently found out who they are playing in the opening round of the Class L State Tournament. Hand, which is 12-2-3 overall, enters states as the two-time defending champion and has the No. 3 seed. The Tigers earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of No. 14 seed Crosby and No. 19 North Haven in the second round on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.
Girls’ Soccer
Last week, Hand learned who it is playing in the first round of the Class L State Tournament. The Tigers, who have a record of 9-4-4, are seeded 13th in states and will host No. 20 seed Sacred Heart-Kaynor Tech in the first round on Monday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.