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05/08/2022 12:00 AMBoys’ Golf
The Branford boys’ golf team had another big week by scoring two more victories to improve its record to 9-0 this season. The Hornets earned wins over Guilford and Hillhouse to stay undefeated on the campaign.
Branford started off its week by earning a 167-169 home victory versus Guilford at Pine Orchard Country Club on May 3. Junior Keegan LaLonde finished the day as the match medalist by shooting a low round of 36 for the afternoon. Senior Justin Acquarulo was next on the leaderboard with a score of 40 for the Hornets. Junior Mike Farricelli shot a 45, Colin Deane finished with a 45, sophomore Joe Robinson scored a 47, and junior Andrew Verzella posted a score of 54.
The following day, the Hornets claimed a 156-249 road win against Hillhouse at Alling Memorial Golf Club. Acquarulo garnered medalist honors with a low score of 34, and LaLonde was right behind him with a score of 35 for Branford. Sophomore Patrick LaLonde (43), Farricielli (43), Robinson (44), and Deane (45) all shot solid scores to help the Hornets get their ninth win of the year.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Branford girls’ lacrosse team improved to 5-6 on the season after winning all three of its games last week.
Branford kicked off its week by earning a 10-8 road victory against North Branford on May 2. The next day, the Hornets faced Mercy on the road and defeated the Tigers by the final score of 17-5. Sophomore Tess Ferrie scored 5 goals, while junior Jenny Spencer netted 4 goals for Branford in the victory. Sophomore Ally Colburn scored 3 goals, sophomore Raiyn Fries had 2 goals, and senior Nina Shamas, senior Julia McHenry, and junior Taylor Tracy added 1 goal apiece. Junior Ellena Galdenzi made 12 saves to get the win in net.
Branford closed out its week by claiming a 20-7 victory versus North Haven in a home game on May 6.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Branford-East Haven (Bfd-EH) boys’ lacrosse team played two games last week and came away with a pair of victories to improve to 7-5 for the season. Bfd-EH notched wins over Jonathan Law and Morgan to make for a great week on the field.
Bfd-EH started off its week by posting a 17-8 road victory versus Jonathan Law on May 2. Junior Matt McNulty and junior Sean Bosworth both scored 4 goals and had 1 assist in the win. Freshman Gennaro Pompano scored 3 goals and dished out 3 assists, while junior Alex Milne scored 3 goals to go with 1 assist. Freshman Alex Dombrowski scored 2 goals, senior Cam Paleski had 1 goal and 1 assist, junior Jack Linder scored a goal, and junior Jake Elpi had an assist. Senior goalie Aidan Strebel made 19 saves in net.
Three days later, the Hornets hosted Morgan and defeated the Huskies by the score of 11-3 at Branford High School. Pompano scored 4 goals and had 1 assist in the win. Bosworth scored 3 goals, and Linder had 2 goals. Paleski had 1 goal with 1 assist, McNulty scored a goal, and senior Kevin Lee had an assist. Strebel made 16 saves.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
The Branford boys’ outdoor track team took three defeats when the Hornets competed in a quad-meet at Sheehan High School on May 3. Branford took losses against Amity (93-57), Sheehan (92-58), and Hand (90-60) to move to 5-4 on the season.
Junior Avery Atkinson finished first in the javelin (141-0) and placed second in the 300 hurdles (43.9) for the Hornets, qualifying for states in both events. Junior Ryder Kropiwnicki took first place in the pole vault (11-0), senior Peyton Moriarty was second in the 1,600 (4:35.5), and senior Pat Zdunek finished second for the 800 (2:02.1), with all three athletes qualifying for states in their respective events.
Branford’s 4x400 relay of Zduenk, senior Wes Raymond, senior Cheng Wu, and Moriarty finished in second place (3:34.1) and qualified for states in the process. The Hornets’ 4x100 relay of freshman Akiel Lomotey, Kropiwnicki, junior Chase Barnikow, and junior Nate Chieffo also made states while taking third place (45.4).
Later in the week, Branford sent several athletes to compete at the Middletown Invitational on May 6. Atkinson finished third in the javelin, Kropiwnicki placed fourth for the javelin and the pole vault, and junior Evan Bouley took sixth place in the pole vault for the Hornets.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Branford girls’ outdoor track picked up two victories when it participated in a quad-meet at Sheehan High School last week. The Hornets posted wins over Amity (79-51) and Hand (77-57) to go with a loss against Sheehan (108-32) on May 3, improving Branford’s record to 2-7 on the year.
Sophomore Joelle Budz took first place in the 200 for Branford, while sophomore Tess Wasiolek finished second in the 1,600 (5:18) at the meet. The Hornets’ 4x800 relay of senior Julia Duffy, Wasiolek, junior Sarah Nwagboli, and Budz finished first with a time of 4:18.
Nwagboli finished second in the 200, and Duffy took second place in the 400 (63.8) for Branford. The Hornets’ 4x100 relay of Chayse Gueco, Nwagboli, Sam Burzynski, and Budz also finished in second place (51.2).
A few days later, Branford sent some athletes to participate in the Middletown Invitational on May 7. Wasiolek claimed first place in the 800 by clocking in with a time of 2:21.25 for the Hornets. Branford’s 4x100 relay of Duffy, Nwagboli, Burzynski, and Budz came in sixth place (53.05). Nwagboli finished ninth in the 200 (27.94), and Budz finished 11th for the 100 (13.33).
Baseball
The Branford baseball team played a road game against North Branford in its lone matchup of the week. The Hornets defeated the Thunderbirds by the score of 11-7 at North Branford High School to improve their record to 3-10 on the year.
Softball
The Branford softball team traveled to Milford to play Jonathan Law on May 5. The Hornets took an 18-0 defeat to the Eagles to move to 1-11 on the season.
Girls’ Tennis
The Branford girls’ tennis team stands at 7-1 on the year after splitting a pair of matches last week.
The Hornets began their week by earning a 5-2 win versus West Haven in a home match on May 3. Peyton Gaudreau claimed a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the No. 1 singles match; while Evelyn Mollow posted a 6-0, 6-0 shutout at No. 2 singles for Branford. The Hornets’ No. 1 doubles team of Juliana Torello and Evie Kaiser notched a 6-1, 6-1 win; the No. 2 team of Zaide Schlesinger and Scout Engstrom earned a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 victory; and the No. 3 team of Tiffanie Ly and Erin Newlan won their contest by a 6-0 6-0 score.
Two days later, Branford faced Guilford on the road and lost the Grizzlies by the score of 5-2. Gaudreau posted a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles for Hornets. Ly and Newlan netted a 4-6, 7-4, 10-2 victory in the No. 3 doubles match.
Boys’ Tennis
The Branford boys’ tennis team took a 6-1 defeat to Notre Dame-West Haven in a road match at the University of New Haven on May 5. The Hornets moved to 5-4 on the year with the loss.
Senior William Mollow claimed a straight-sets victory in the No. 2 singles match for Branford against Notre Dame. Mollow defeated his opponent by the final score of 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8) in a contest that featured tiebreakers in both sets