Undefeated Wilton having fun
When the players on the Wilton boys basketball team get together, it’s not uncommon to hear one consistent sound: Laughter.
“All the laughs we share,” senior co-captain Zarius Eusebe said. “I feel like we all have the same sense of humor and we’re always laughing together and enjoying (the moment). We’re really soaking in all the last moments as seniors.”
Enjoying the moment is also easier when there’s a lot of winning going on.
Through five games, the first four played in opponents’ gyms, the Warriors are unscathed.
They opened the FCIAC portion of the schedule with a 50-44 win over Warde, before beating Norwalk 74-50 on Tuesday.
The fast start has Wilton looking like a top contender.
“We’re athletic and I love our length,” said Joel Geriak, who is in his 10th year as Wilton’s coach. “We’re not tall, like 6-foot-8, but we’re 6-foot-1, 6-foot-2 across the board. So when you have that, playing defense, getting rebounds and things like that are much easier.”
The Warriors also have a host of multi-sport athletes, including three from the football team:
All-State wide receiver Parker Woodring, and the Hyzy brothers, Kevin, a wide receiver/safety, and Craig, a tight end/defensive end.
The Wilton football team went 7-3 in the fall and ended two nearly 30-year droughts when it defeated New Canaan and Ridgefield in back-to-back weeks.
“That translates to basketball, where when it’s the fourth quarter, and it’s the FCIAC so every game is close and tight, we’re going to be able to get over the hump and win those games,” said Kevin Hyzy, a 6-4 senior guard who leads the team in scoring at
20 points per game. “We had a really good season in football.”
The roster features players from other sports as well, including soccer and lacrosse, all of which makes them more well-rounded athletes, Geriak said.
“When you’re playing a lot of different sports, it makes you better in everything,” Geriak said. “Especially when you come from winning programs like football and lacrosse.
“Even when you’re not playing well, you can find ways to win because you’re used to winning.”
The showdown with Norwalk was set up to feature a strong football connection.
The Bears feature GameTimeCT’s Player of the Year Cam Edwards, who ran for 291 yards and five touchdowns in Norwalk’s 41-21 win on Nov. 12, a result which effectively kept the Warriors from qualifying for the state playoffs.
However, the game lost some of that luster as Edwards and Mysonne Pollard were unable to play and Wilton won in a rout.
The victories over Warde and Norwalk could come in handy as tiebreakers down the road, with both teams figuring to be in the conference playoff hunt.
“We know the FCIAC is a really strong league again this year and we’re coming prepared,” Eusebe said. “Warde is a tough matchup, Norwalk is a tough match-up — we’re not looking ahead or past anyone. We’re prepared to take on everyone and get a victory every night out.”
Along with Eusebe, Woodring and Kevin Hyzy are co-captains, and the Warriors have also received contributions from 6-2 junior guard Tommy McKiernan, the team’s second-leading scorer at 11 points per game, 6-3 sophomore forward/center Max Jarvie, senior forward Max Andrews and 5-10 junior Spencer Liston among others.
The depth and make-up of the team has made the season enjoyable for Geriak.
“We’re a smart team, so we can run more sets and do some things a little differently than usual,” Geriak said. “That makes it fun as a coach because you can do more stuff. And we’re still getting out and running like we always do.”
The one word which was mentioned by all three captains while describing the Warriors strengths was chemistry.
“We have great chemistry,” said the 6-3 Woodring. “We all love each other and it’s like a brotherhood. We really work hard to do all the little things right — setting up teammates for shots and stuff like that.”
“We all share one goal, which is to get to the championship and win the championship,” Kevin Hyzy said of the Warriors, whose lone appearance in FCIAC championship game in 2017 against Ridgefield. Wilton last played for a state title in 1968. “We always have that chemistry on our side. We’re going to come together, do what we do, and try to reach that common goal.”