LOOKING BACK | BY GEORGE ALBANO
10 YEARS AGO
Norwalk’s Silas Redd Jr.,a sophomore at Penn State, was named by the Walter Camp Football Foundation as the 2011 Connecticut Player of the Year, awarded annually to the top college football player who is a resident of the state. The 5-foot-10 tailback currently leads the 9-3 Nittany Lions in touchdowns with seven and rushing yards with 1,188, including five straight 100-yard games. Redd and No. 22 Penn State face No. 19 Houston in the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The Norwalk-Brien McMahon co-op hockey team opened its season with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Housatonic co-op. David Weeks had a hand in all four goals, assisting on the first three before scoring the winner in OT. Nick Hulbert, Mike McRoy and Lars Hammer had the other goals.
New Norwalk High boys basketball coach Tom Keyes and freshman Roy Kane Jr. enjoyed successful debuts as the Bears beat Staples 59-49 in their season opener in Westport. Kane, a highly touted 6-foot-5 center, came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points, while Rasheen Thomas added 13 points, including a key 3-pointer with three minutes remaining after Staples pulled within four points.
25 YEARS AGO
The Norwalk High boys basketball team opened the defense of its Class LL state championship with an 85-53 win over Hamden High. Keith Sellers, one of two returning starters from last season, led a balanced attack with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Brandon Miles made 6 of 9 shots and finished with 16 points. Paco Fabian, another returning starter, added 14 points and Bobby Trimboli scored 10 as NHS shot 59 percent (32for-54) from the floor. Winston Grey, a 6-6 junior, recorded six blocked shots. The Bears, 26-0 last season, stretched their regular-season winning streak to 33 in a row.
Brien McMahon also opened the 1996-97 season with a win as the Senators topped Wilbur Cross 74-50 in Norwalk. Terrell Abraham led the way with 24 points, while Joe Howell, despite early foul trouble, added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Derek Oliver scored 14 points.
The McMahon and Norwalk girls hoop teams also began the new season with victories. The Lady Senators, behind a dominating performance by Olivia Dardy, beat Notre Dame of Fairfield 54-42 in the first round of the Masuk Tip-Off Tournament. Dardy, a junior, racked up 32 points, 16 rebounds, 12 steals and six assists, while teammate Jocelyn Smith had 14 points and six rebounds ... McMahon lost to host Masuk 80-31 in the championship game two nights later. Dardy and Felice Audet were named to the all-tournament team.
Ayanna Brown, a 6-foot-1 freshman, had 17 points and 22 rebounds in her much-anticipated debut for Norwalk High as the Bears beat Bridgeport Central 48-35. Kelley Walsh added 13 points, including a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter when NHS pulled away.
50 YEARS AGO
Local basketball fans didn’t have to wait long for some excitement on the hardwood as Brien McMahon and Norwalk High met in the second game of the 1971-72 season. Both teams dropped their season opener with the Bears falling to defending Class LL state champion Hartford Weaver 97-74 and the Senators dropping an 84-81 overtime heartbreaker to Kolbe. The NHS-Weaver game was supposed to christen the Bears’ new gymnasium on County Street, but the baskets and backboards, being shipped from Iowa, still hadn’t arrived and the game was moved to the former Norwalk High on East Avenue. Senior Sammy Miller scored a game-high 30 points in the loss for the Bears ... Meanwhile, a capacity crowd packed the McMahon gym to see Kolbe’s All-American Walter Luckett, who scored 39 points, including a three-point play with six seconds left in regulation to force the overtime. Sophomore Darnell Elder scored 19 points for the Senators, who led at the end of each of the first three quarters and were up by four points with 39 seconds to go.
As a result of the two openingnight losses, one team was assured of its first victory when the city rivals clashed in front of another sellout crowd at McMahon as the Senators pulled out a 65-57 win in the FCIAC opener for both schools. Elder had another big night with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Bernard Gray added 16 points, Darryl Hanson scored 13 and Greg Rudomanski grabbed 12 rebounds. Miller again led NHS with 25 points while Dave Raila was the only other Bear in double figures with 10 points.
One of the city’s three high schools did win its season opener as Central Catholic defeated Newtown 58-40 on the road. The Norwalkers trailed 21-16 early in the second quarter, but closed the half with an 11-2 run to take a 27-23 lead at the break and then outscored the home team 19-6 in the third period to break the game open. Bill Blankemeir led the Cavaliers with 17 points, while 5-foot-10 Mike Archer had 16 points, 17 rebounds and blocked seven shots. All three city schools will take part in the second annual Norwalk Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27 and 29, along with Bassick.