The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Brameier: Darien, New Canaan rivalry among the best in sports
Darien High takes center stage on Saturday when it comes to Connecticut boys and girls lacrosse with many of the elite players in the state gathering for a doubleheader. The Blue Wave boys host New Canaan at 1 p.m. and the Blue Wave girls host New Canaan at 4 p.m.
It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 as the Darien boys, ranked No. 1 in the GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, will have its 62-game win streak on the line facing off with the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference rival Rams, ranked No. 2 in the poll.
Darien boys coach Jeff Brameier ranks the DarienNew Canaan rivalry among the best in sports.
“The Darien versus New Canaan rivalry in sports is right up there with most of the tops in the country,” Brameier said. “Albeit the Yankees versus Red Sox or the Patriots versus Giants, you can’t truly measure the strength or the competitive fever that rises up around all the Darien high school versus New Canaan high school games.
“I expect a very big crowd on Saturday with the boys and girls doubleheader and hopefully we’ll see some great games. Our Darien team has obviously had a great start to this season and we play a very competitive schedule. Wins over Yorktown (NY), Torey Pines (Calif.), Manhasset (NY) and Wilton have been a positive sign that things are progressing well.”
While some of the elite standouts on Darien get the most media attention, like All-American attackman Logan McGovern and defender Andrew Darby, Brameier is quick to point out that the team’s 8-0 start is the result of contributions from the entire team.
“Logan is our top returning scorer and has broken the 200-point mark in his career,” Brameier said. “But on offense we have had tremendous output from Brian Minicus (23 goals, 20 assists), Hudson Pokorny (13-9), Blake Sommi (10-4), Jack Joyce (7-7) and a number of other key kids. On defense we have been led by the stellar play of Sean Collins (61 saves, 30 goals allowed), defenders Matt Gould, Tyler Strub and long-stick middie Charlie Olsen. Our face-off man, Tanner Strub, has made big plays for us and is a key factor in every win.”
The Rams (4-1) are also deep in talent including midfielder Ben Webster and defender Chase Strupp
The Darien and New Canaan girls teams are also loaded with talent. AllAmerican midfielder Emma Jacques and attack player Christine Fiore are among the Blue Wave’s top players. Among the top players for the Rams are a pair of AllAmericans — midfielder Karlie Bucci and defender Julie Ozimek.
“The regular season game against New Canaan in lacrosse is always a big one,” Brameier said. “We would expect to potentially see New Canaan again in the FCIAC playoffs or state playoffs ( Class L) or both now that New Canaan has moved up to Class L.”
NORTH BRANFORD GIRLS ROLLIN’
Last season, North Branford finished the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record and advanced to the Class S quarterfinals. Despite graduating some key players from last season, thanks to the combination of hard work, team bonding and an impact from some talented underclassmen, the Thunderbirds haven’t missed a beat in 2018 with a 6-1 start (not including Tuesday’s game).
“One of our strengths this year is our offense,” North Branford coach Lori Connelly said. “We always have seven players in the offensive end who can all put the ball in the back of the net. All of our offensive players contribute to the scoring. They have grown in the lacrosse IQ department, which has helped them create more scoring opportunities and move the ball at a faster rate.”
Another strength has been the team’s goalies.
“Our goalie is sophomore Carly Sorrentino and she has grown a lot as a goal keeper over the past year,” Connelly said. “She is much more vocal in net and aggressive and has improved her ability to make saves in all locations. We also have a very good freshman goal keeper, Sofia Votto, who gives us the ability to have two viable options for any given game.”
Other top players include five seniors — attack players Adriana Ingarra, Emilie Wilkinson and Mackenzie MacGowan, midfielder Emmy Norton and defender Jazzy Coleman. Junior Jessie Kilburn is the team’s draw specialist and junior Cayleen Defaranos is another top attack player. Sophomores contributing include Avonlea Lebeau, Ali Barrett, Melanie Norton and Bianca D’Onofrio.
“We made some changes in our style of play to grow to the next level, they have all adjusted well and are constantly working to improve,” Connelly said. “We are looking to carry this early momentum into the post season and would love a Shoreline Conference and state title. As strong as we are playing we know we need to keep improving and that we have not reached our full potential yet. I truly believe this team is special and could be the team to go all the way. But it doesn’t matter what I believe, it’s ultimately up to them. We have laid a nice foundation, now it’s time for them to go build up the walls before we can raise the roof.”