Wyvern Nation Sports Wraps November 10, 2022

Cross Country

The Varsity Girls’ Cross Country team was excited to return to Choate this week for the Founders League Championship on Saturday, November 11. The unseasonably warm weather, blue skies, and light breeze that greeted the runners was a pleasant surprise as they traversed Choate’s invigorating course. Having visualized their races, strategized their goals, and warmed up thoroughly, these Wyverns were ready to compete once the race began. The Varsity athletes ran well, meeting or surpassing the times they established the last time they ran this challenging course. Despite a strong competitive field at the Championship, the team placed 6th overall. Claire Palmer ‘25 came in at 18th place with a time of 22:42 while Sasha Dausey ‘25 achieved 32nd place with a time of 24:27. Sophie Chen ‘25 earned 38th place with a time of 25:09 and Ava Bonsignore ‘26 achieved 46th place overall with a time of 26:11. Olivia Pilecki ‘26 finished in 51st place with a time of 27:53; Meagan Rose ‘26 placed 54th with a time of 29:04. The team’s fearless Captain Kami Tarantino ‘24 was injured and unable to compete but led the runners through all of their warm-up and strengthening activities and was on hand to cheer for all three teams (Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, and JV Boys). This next week the team will finish off their strong season by competing in the New England Championships at Canterbury School on Saturday, November 12. Come out and support the Varsity runners as they race to bring more glory to KO!

ESports
The Nov. 2 KO ESports Super Smash Brothers Black Team match had a last-minute twist when the team’s opponent forfeited right before the start of the match, leading to our team entering the queue. After ten minutes, the trio of Garret Kelly ’23, Will Jacobs ’23, and Johnny Kung ’23 were matched against the top (and undefeated) team in the Eastern Regional League – Avengers 2 from the ever-present Alliance Academy for Innovation in Georgia. Resolute heading into their toughest match of the year, the Wyverns battled hard and made a near-impossible matchup look winnable. Esports newcomer Garret Kelly stood out in the match, coming back from an 0-1 deficit after game 1 in series 2 to win the series 2-1. The team heads into their final week of the regular season at 3-3.

The Nov. 3 matchup between KO’S ESports Black Team for Mario Kart and local opponent Naugatuck High School was a good one, with the Wyverns coming out on top. Christina Mullen ’23, Lia Prahl ’26, Cloud Que ’24, Aarav Mathur ’26 took an early lead in the match and, despite some back and forth, came out solidly on top in the penultimate week of the season. Beyond the solid gameplay from the Wyverns, the match’s highlight was the Mario Kart equivalent of running onto the field, when an unknown 9th player – unaffiliated with either KO or NHS – dropped into the match to drive with the two teams. Whoever they were, they quickly realized they were part of an actual competition (due to the use of KOEsport and NHS Esport gamertags) and willingly took last place before dropping out. The team hopes to finish strong in week 7 to end the regular season at 5-1 and – hopefully – make the regional playoffs.

The KO’s ESports Mario Kart Red Team lined up on Nov. 3 against the school that has become their season rival – Georgia’s Alliance Academy for innovation. Hannah Bateson ’23, Ray Chen ’25, Alexa Prahl ’24, and Ryan Zheng ’24 played through an incredibly close race, going back and forth throughout the twelve races that made up the two series. All four Wyverns put in some of their best racing all season, holding off an Avengers team that just wouldn’t take their foot off the pedal. The team moved to 3-3 on the season heading into the final week of regular season play.

ESports seniors Will Jacobs ’23, Cole Ellis ’23, and Garret Kelly ’23 faced off against the Rocket Foxes of Ashley Ridge on Nov. 3, hoping to keep their strong season play going. Despite a good win in Game 1, the Wyverns had a tough time hanging onto their leads in each of the next three games, dropping the match to a very strong ARHS trio. Despite the loss, the team play exceedingly well, most notably seen in Game 2, when they took a 1-1 tie into almost 8 minutes of overtime – the Rocket League equivalent of taking an extra-innings baseball game into the 22nd inning. The team looks ahead to the final week of the regular season at 4-2.

Field Hockey
The Varsity Field Hockey team lost 1-3 against Greens Farms on Nov. 5. The Wyverns were up 1-0 at half time. Emma Barringer ‘24 scored the goal. Alle Kotowitz ‘23 had an incredible game showing relentless effort all over the field.

The Middle School Field Hockey team continued their winning streak with another shutout win against Foote School on November 2. The final score was 1-0. The game went scoreless in the first half with the teams very evenly matched. Addison Lang ‘27 used her speed to charge into the circle and score the only goal of the game midway through the second half assisted by Valerie Perkins ’29. Isabela Tippner ’28 did a tremendous job in goal and made some critical saves after Foote had several opportunities to score off of corners. Adrianna Cicchello ’27 continued the shutout in goal for the second half and did a great job defensively and made some more key saves. Players contributing to the win included great plays by Sierra Wells ’27, Chadly Zahner ’29, Charlotte Gruber ’29, and Ellory Goodhue ’27. The team’s last game will be away at Hamden Hall on Wed., Nov 9th.

The Varsity Field Hockey team lost 1-3 against Suffield Academy on Nov. 7. Jenna Kanaan ‘25, a forward, stepped in on defense for the first time and had an incredible game proving her block tackle and defensive skills are a newly discovered ability.

The Varsity Field Hockey team lost 1-7 against Berkshire on Nov. 9. Camryn Weinstein ‘25 scored the only goal in the fourth quarter off an assist from Hana Haxhaj. Coach Yates is so proud of the growth this team, and said it was a great season with incredible efforts.

Soccer
The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team traveled to Greenwich and came home with a 2-0 win against the tigers of Greenwich Country Day on Nov. 5. The Wyverns had a slow start to the game but as the first half progressed, the Wyverns energy picked up, and they began to play their game. Sam Azia ’23 scored off a passback from Sophia Radmanovich ’24, that Sam put into the far corner of the goal. KO went into the half with momentum and a 1-0 lead. The second half saw the Wyverns come out and continue to put pressure on the tigers. Dani Tippner ’25 and Celia Yaworsky ’24 each had a strong game coming in off the bench and making key plays when needed. Celia assisted on the second goal of the game, scored by Ella Sokale ’24. Kyra Dunnirvine ’23 and Addisen Nicholson ’25 combined for 7 saves in the shutout. Liv Schaller ’25 played a strong game in the midfield, stepping up for her fellow midfielders who were under the weather. It was a nice win for the Wyverns as they head into their final week of the regular season.

The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team gave a strong effort against Taft on Nov. 9, senior day, when they honored Sam Azia ‘23, Alina Vaughn ‘23, Annabelle Jacobs ‘23, Kyra Dunnirvine ‘23 and Sattah Phouthakoun ‘23, coming away with a 1-1 tie. The game ended in a 1-1 tie even though the Wyverns dominated the possessions in the second half. Coach Penta said he couldn’t have been prouder of how the girls played and the progress they have made from the start of the season until now.

The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team took on Wilbraham and Monson and saw a 3-0 victory on Nov. 5. The Wyverns struck first in the middle of the first with a goal from Jack Neikre ‘24, assisted by Grant Daigle ‘24. The second goal also came in the first half and was scored by Daigle. The assist came from a punt from keeper Will Slayton ‘24 which found its way behind the back line and was then picked up by Daigle, who dribbled around the keeper and passed the ball in the back of the empty net. The Wyverns struck again in the second half thanks to senior captain Max Sams ‘23 with a strike outside of the box that found the top corner and sealed the Wyverns victory. The entire team stepped up defensively with key performances from Max Sams who made numerous decisive tackles in the back, senior Aiden Ladewig ‘23, Junior Michael Byzwiycki and Brandon Tavares ‘26 who were critical to the teams success in possession.

The JV Boys’ Soccer team took on Hopkins on Nov. 2 and came away with a 2-2 tie. Hopkins jumped out to a 1-nothing lead early on in the first half. The Wyverns would answer late in the 1st half when Thaidg Dillow’26 would find Leo Sussman ’25 down the left side for a breakaway opportunity, which he buried in the back go the Hopkins net. The score would be tied at the half, 1-1. Despite refocusing during the break, KO was sluggish to star the 2nd half and would give up another early goal, putting the Hilltopers up 2-1. But the Wyverns dug in. The last 25 minutes of the game was dominated by KO and the tying goal would come in the 650th minute when Dillow would find Jared Cipriano ’25 and tie the game off of a set play and bring the score 2-2. Despite KO pressing in the final minutes with a number of great scoring opportunities, the game would finish in a 2-2 tie. Sawyer Burtman ’26 continued to play strong in the net for KO.

The Middle School Boys’ Soccer team came away with a 5-1 win against Renbrook on Nov. 9 for the season finale game. They earned a 5-1 win, though the score was deceptive as the game was much closer than the final score. The Wyverns held a 2-0 lead at the half, and were fortunate that they hit the post and the ball rebounded right to the goalie, Daniel Rivera’27. Jake Schwartz ‘29 scored the first goal on a terrific finish in the lower left corner off a nice feed from Connor Morris ‘28. Morris then put us up 2-0 on one of the best strikes of the season from 20 yds out into the top left corner. The first goal of the 2nd half would be pivotal, and fortunately, it went our way as Alejandro Garza ‘28 struck a fantastic direct kick into the upper left corner from 25 yds out. Renbrook came storming back to cut it to 3-1, but we responded with two wonderful head ball goals from Morris and Finn Moeller ‘27, both assisted by Jake Schwartz ‘29 off corner kicks. Ryan Jo ‘27, Aaron Anstead ‘27, and Brooks Berthiaume ‘27 each played their best games of the year in the back, anchoring the defense. Reid Burtman ‘29 was his usual steady self at left back, too. Jackson Ramsey’28, one of our most improved players, made some nice saves to prevent Renbrook from scoring more than one goal. Said Coach Krugman, “ I am proud of the team for their unselfish play and hard work throughout the season. A big thank you to all of our 8th graders, and I wish them well in the years ahead. Nicely done, boys.”

Volleyball

The KO Middle School Volleyball team had a strong and exciting end to the season against Rumsey Hall on Nov. 9, ultimately coming away with a 1-2 loss. After an impressive KO win in the first set (25-20) and a close loss in the second set, the players were ready to fight till the end. Utilizing all of the skills they’ve gained over this season, KO put their all into this final game of the season. The team had powerful serves, quick saves, and controlled bumps throughout the three sets. Each of the nineteen players should be proud of their work and improvement over this season. The coaches want to send a special thank you to the Form 2 players as they move on from our middle school volleyball program: Jess Lin ’27, Coco Ma ’27, Lidia Martinez- Castro ’27, Logan Michalak ’27, Alexis Nisyrios ’27, Annie O’Connor ’27, and Aliza Rashid ’27.