Mackenzie Lewis
Sports Editor
Boys Cross Country
The boys cross country team is led by senior co-captains Alex Ellsworth, Spencer Lyman, and Charlie Hoffman. With a strong senior class, the team took seventh place in the Wilton Invitational, and plans on placing well this year. “We are primed for success,” Co-Captain Alex Ellsworth said.
The team was just ranked 15th in the state in the pre-season polls, a rank that has never been accomplished before. “I’m excited about the team’s potential to win,” Alex said. “The chemistry is at an all-time high and we’ve seen some great success so far. I have no doubts that by the end of the season we will have a very good shot at achieving our major goal: winning a state championship.”
The team’s next meet is on Tuesday, September 30th vs. Greenwich, Stamford, Trinity Catholic, and Darien.
Girls Cross Country
The girls cross country team had their first meet of the season Tuesday when they took on Ridgefield, St. Joseph’s, Westhill, and Trinity Catholic. This year’s team is led by senior co-captains Emma Rosenstein, Lily Baer, and Corinne Vietorisz. The only returning varsity runners are Emma and Corinne, who will be leading the varsity group. “We lost most of our varsity runners, so we have a very young team this year,” Corinne said. “There are only eight seniors, while we have a ton of freshmen and sophomores.”
The team placed second in the first two meets. In the first meet, the team competed against Ridgefield, St. Joseph’s, Westhill, and Trinity Catholic and in the second against Staples, Trinity Catholic, Norwalk, and Brien McMahon. “This year, we want to have a solid team and hopefully place well in FCIACs,” Corinne said. “We want each girl to cut seconds off of her time and improve over the season.”
The next meet that the girls will be participating in will be on Tuesday, September 30th vs. Greenwich, Stamford, Trinity Catholic, and Darien.
Boys Soccer
If there is one word that describes the boys soccer team this year it is chemistry. The team has a large senior class, many of whom have played together since middle school. The team’s co-captains are seniors Alex Hutchins, Ted O’Rourke and Chase Williams.
Not only does the team have a lot of seniors, but it also has a lot of experienced players. The team returns seventeen players, including nine starters. “Being coupled with some other experienced seniors has been great for our team chemistry,” Chase said. “Since it is our last year, we are very excited about making the most of it.”
The veteran team’s main goal of the season is to finish in the top ten of the FCIAC. “We failed to accomplish making it to the top ten last year, but we feel it’s a reasonable goal this year,” Chase said. “While the goal is difficult, it is attainable and gives us a nice standard to work towards.”
The team’s next game is on Tuesday, September 30th vs. Staples.
Field Hockey
The girls varsity field hockey team is looking forward to a strong season, led by senior co-captains Mackenzie Lewis, Elizabeth Miller, and Isabel Taben. So far the team has a record of 4-2, with wins over Fairfield Ludlowe, Danbury, Westhill, and Stamford, and close losses to Wilton and Darien. “By the looks of our stellar line up and outstanding depth of players I believe, without a doubt, we will make it to FCIACs and States,” junior Claire Conley said. “Although, I think our team is like Cheaper by the Dozen, we all just love the sport and have a great time bonding as a team.”
The team’s next game is Monday, September 29th vs. Trumbull.
Girls Soccer
Led by senior co-captains Gabby Borea, Marina Braccio, Courtney Overacker and Kyla Persky, the girls varsity soccer team is ready to complete the season with a winning record. This year the team has already started to leave their mark on the field with a 2-0 win over Westhill. “Since I’ve been at the high school, we’ve never beaten Westhill,” senior Shelby Overacker said. “It was our second game of the year, and we finally got the win.”
Although winning is important to the team, the girls also want to push their performances to a new level. “I think our team has a lot of potential this year, which we have seen within the first couple of games so far,” Shelby said. “I’m looking forward to the season.”
The team’s next game is Wednesday October 1st vs. Trinity Catholic.
Volleyball
The girls volleyball team has started off the season with a record of 3-1. Senior co-captains Pari Koochek and Aubree Ward are two of the many players who practiced the sport in the off-season. “Last year was more of a building year so we are pretty fresh,” Pari said. “This year, we are an entirely different team. We are much stronger.”
Many of the players practiced over the summer on club teams and participated in preseason preparation. “Our overall goal as a team this year is to make it to states,” Pari said. “We really want to make it farther than we did last year and push as hard as we can each game to get the win.”
The volleyball team’s next game is Monday, September 29th vs. Danbury.
Girls Swimming and Diving
The girls swimming and diving team has jumped into the pool ahead of its competitors this season. The team has already won both of its meets, the first against Staples and Trumbull, and the latter against St. Josephs.
The team is led by senior co-captains Olivia Park, Grace Stryker, and Olivia Rusch and Kylie Towbin. The foursome plans to continue on the legacy of a winning season. “Sure winning is nice, but I think this team is much more than that,” Kylie said. “My main goal for this season is to make sure that everyone feels like they have a friend to turn to on the team.”
The team’s next meet is Wednesday, October 1st vs. Fairfield Ludlowe.
Football
The Football team has a lot to live up to this upcoming season. The defending FCIAC and State title team plans on receiving those championship medals once again. While last year’s team had more experienced players coming into the season, this year’s team has players that are still getting used to varsity level games. “Even though we aren’t last year’s team, we have just as much, if not more talent than we did last year,” senior and co-captain Zach Allen said.
Zach and fellow senior co-captains Frank Cognetta, Jim Keneally and Alex Lapolice are ready to leave their mark on the football program. “I’m excited about playing for New Canaan for the last time,” Zach said. “All the seniors are really excited about leaving our legacy in New Canaan history, and hopefully it involves an FCIAC and State Championship.”
Last Saturday, Homecoming weekend, the Rams’ took on the Greenwich Cardinals. The team won 35-20, continuing their winning streak of 5-0.
The Rams’ next game is Thursday, October 2nd vs. Fairfield Warde.
