Boys’ Cross Country

Senior Harrison Grenier finished in first place to lead the Hand boys’ cross country team to runner-up honors at last week’s SCC Divisional Championships. Competing in the Hammonasset/Quinnipiac meet, the Tigers took second place as a squad for both the Hammonasset Division and in the outright standings at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Sept. 29.

Grenier clocked in with a time of 15:37.7 to top the competition at the Divisional Championships. Grenier was 7 seconds faster than runner-up Liam Fedigan of Jonathan Law on his way to placing first in both the Hammonasset and the overall pack at the meet.

Senior Nicholas Montana claimed third place in the Hammonasset and also finished third overall (15:55.4) for the Tigers. Junior Jacob Merenda placed ninth in the Hammonasset and was 12th overall (17:03.1).

Junior Ty Boucino finished 10th for the Hammonasset and placed 13th overall (17:04.0) for Hand. Junior Christopher Bonavita finished 12th in the Hammonasset and was 18th overall (17:15.6).

Sophomore Jack Rickleman came in 22nd place in the Hammonasset and finished 41st overall (18:24.2). Sophomore Justin Li placed 24th in the Hammonasset and was 45th overall (18:44.6), while junior Ian Foster finished 31st for the Hammonasset and placed 62nd overall (20:11.9).

Girls’ Cross Country

Freshman Annecy Vlieks turned in a first-place performance when she competed for the Hand girls’ cross country team at the SCC Divisional Championships at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Sept. 29. The Tigers participated in the Hammonasset/Quinnipiac meet and finished in third place for the Hammonasset and seventh place overall.

Vlieks crossed the finish line with a time of 18:29.5 on her way to placing first both in the Hammonasset and overall at the divisional meet. Vlieks was 5 seconds ahead of Kelly Jones from Lauralton Hall for the top spot among the runners from the Hammonasset and Quinnipiac divisions.

Sophomore Kylee Bolding took ninth place in the Hammonasset and finished 22nd overall (21:52.9) on behalf of the Tigers. Sophomore Marla Lafferty finished 13th for the Hammonasset and 31st overall (22:31.10). Fellow sophomore Hanna Staron placed 21st in the Hammonasset and 44th overall (25:28.9) in the meet.

Freshman Maya Bell came in 22nd place in the Hammonasset and was 45th overall (25:41.1) for Hand. Junior Ava Millen finished 23rd for the Hammonasset and finished 46th overall (25:42.3).

Field Hockey

The Hand field hockey team played three games last week and came away from the slate with two wins and a tie to improve its record to 5-2-1 on the season. The Tigers earned wins versus Shelton and Hamden to go with a draw against Branford in last week’s games.

On Sept. 27, Hand hosted Branford and battled the Hornets to a 0-0 tie. The very next day, the Tigers faced Shelton on the road and notched a 4-0 shutout over the Gaels.

Then on Sept. 30, the Tigers played a home game versus Hamden and blanked the Green Dragons by a 3-0 score at Daniel Hand High School. Senior Grace Barrett, junior Jordan Kells, and junior Kelly Kilbourn scored the Tigers’ goals in the victory.

Senior Anna Flanagan handed out 2 assists, while Kells, Kilbourn, and junior Rebecca Snyder had 1 assist apiece. Junior goalkeeper Faith Minickene picked up the win in net for Hand.

Hand will be facing Lyman Hall on the road on Friday, Oct. 7. The game gets underway at 6:30 p.m. in Wallingford.

Girls’ Soccer

The Hand girls’ soccer team scored a pair of shutout victories last week to improve its overall record to 6-1-1 this season. The Tigers defeated both Wilbur Cross and North Haven in shutout fashion last week and have now won five-consecutive games.

Hand hosted Wilbur Cross on Sept. 27 and won the contest by the final score of 7-0. Two days later, the Tigers faced North Haven at the Surf Club and recorded a 6-0 shutout over the Nighthawks.

Hand is playing a road game versus East Haven on Friday, Oct. 7 at 3:30 p.m. The Tigers will then return home to host Cheshire on Monday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

Boys’ Soccer

The Hand boys’ soccer team hosted two matchups at the Surf Club last week and came away with a pair of victories. The Tigers posted a shutout versus West Haven before defeating Jonathan Law on their home turf last week, improving their record to 4-3-1 on the year.

Hand began the week with a home game against West Haven and blanked the Blue Devils by a 1-0 score on Sept. 27. Three days later, the Tigers hosted Jonathan Law and posted a 3-2 victory over the Lawmen at the Surf Club.

Hand is facing Xavier at home on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. The Tigers will then play a road game against Shelton on Monday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

The Hand girls’ swimming and diving team traveled to Milford to face Lauralton Hall for its lone meet on last week’s schedule. The Tigers claimed a 98-88 win against the Crusaders in the matchup at Foran High School on Sept. 30.

Hand has a meet versus Jonathan Law at Foran on Friday, Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. The Tigers will then face Hamden on the road at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Girls’ Volleyball

The Hand girls’ volleyball team took three defeats last week and is now 1-8 on the season. The Tigers lost contests against Cheshire, Shelton, and Guilford in recent action.

On Sept. 28, Hand took a 3-0 road loss to Cheshire. The Rams took the match by the score 25-23, 25-14, 25-15. Senior Allyson Pireaux finished the contest with 12 digs for the Tigers. Fellow senior Natalie Lucas had 6 kills and 6 digs for Hand in the matchup.

The next day, the Tigers hosted Shelton and lost to the Gaels by a 3-0 score. The Tigers wrapped up their week by taking a 3-1 loss to Guilford in a road match on Sept. 30.

Hand will be on the road to face Sheehan on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m. After that, the Tigers are hosting Norwich Free Academy on Monday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. and will then play a home match against Lauralton Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

Football

The Hand football team hit the road to face Cheshire for an SCC Tier 1 matchup on Sept. 30. The Tigers took a 28-0 loss against the Rams to move to 1-3 overall with a record of 0-2 in the division this year.

Cheshire scored the first touchdown of the game on a 22-yard run and held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. The Rams followed by scoring on an 11-yard TD rush and a 35-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to take a 21-0 lead into the halftime break. Following a scoreless third quarter, Cheshire connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to finish off the 28-0 victory.

Hand will be on the bye week for this upcoming week. The Tigers will return to the gridiron to host divisional opponent Notre Dame-West Haven at the Surf Club on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.