Homecoming Highlights

10/22/2017

Everyone looks forward to the annual Homecoming Weekend with its myriad of fun activities for all ages, and the chance to reconnect with alums. This year saw a tropical theme on the tee shirts, and the mantra for the weekend was “Work hard; play hard; sleep hard.” The Hornet teams were certainly very successful on Saturday in adhering to the first two parts of the chant.

The Girls Soccer and Field Hockey teams got the day off to a strong start with convincing wins. Soccer scored early and often in a convincing 6-0 victory over the Blues of Williams School. Lexi Cornacchia, May Cervone, and Adell Vann provided most of the offensive attack, while Gabi Cervone, the DiRubba sisters Gia and Daniella, Abby Malin, and Eve Brannin proved too tough to penetrate on defense, leaving Miranda Iannone with little to do in the net. In fact Iannone played on the field in the second half, allowing 8th grade standout, Ellie Moffat, a chance to demonstrate her skills in the net. Meanwhile, Field Hockey defeated the Vikings of King School of Stamford in a much tighter contest 2-1.

Cross Country came up short as they hosted Williams, Christian Heritage, and Ethel Walker School; however almost every runner on the boys’ team set a personal record on the course for the season. John Bazaar took 57 seconds off his previous time and continued to dominate virtually every meet he has run, finishing first overall with a time of 18:09. Sam Applegate also finished in the top 10 with a time of 19:54, beating his previous time by 51 seconds. Alex DiVincentis and Chris Izzo finished 12th and 14th overall. Leo Li met his goal of breaking 30 minutes with a time of 28:58. Despite the loss, the boys were thrilled with their times. Though there are not enough female runners to compete as a team, the girls also met and exceeded some personal goals. Rosa Wu, who did not finish the last race after turning her ankle, was first for Hamden Hall and 6th overall with a time of 25:42, followed closely by Ting-Wei Pu (25:52) and Kiley Herlihy (26:01), both of whom also set personal records on the home course. Amy Farquharson pushed through to finish 13th with a time of 27:23.

Volleyball snapped a 5 match losing streak with a win against EF Academy from New York 3-0. The Hornets started the match strong with an offensive attack led by Emily Valin and Cassi Smith. Katalina Baehring and Julia Moore-Aiello each contributed 4 service aces. Freshman Asha Parker also had some key defensive blocks, slowing down the opposing middle hitter. The Hornets are 4-8 overall, ranked 11th in the NEPSAC Class C (out of 28 teams) and ranked 7th in the FAA league. Coach Sahin and the team are looking forward to a big Swarm Day on 10/28 for their “Dig Pink” match at 2:00pm. Donations are still being accepted through the Sideout Foundation link. There will also be a raffle and concession.

As the afternoon faded, Boys Soccer also battled EF Academy from New York, an international boarding school that maintains another campus in England, and is considering applying to join the Fairchester League. The Hornets produced a solid effort, especially in the second half with a goal by Ethan Springhorn, but could not match the visitors in a 3-1 loss.

Despite that setback, the Hornets were able to end the evening on a positive note with Football’s 14-6 win over King School. In a battle of unbeatens, the Hornets struck early to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with a rushing touchdown by sophomore Jordan Benoit, who led the team with 86 rushing yards, and a TD pass from Nick Bailey to David Spitz. The offense, however, sputtered throughout the remainder of the game, despite 177 total yards by Bailey. It was left to the defense to stop any Viking dreams of snatching the FAA title, and they certainly rose to the occasion. AJ Repollet led the way with 8 tackles, while Klyde Auba and Billy Porto added 7 each, limiting the visitors to a mere 48 yards on the ground and only a single score.

As the clock ran down, the upper school student body got ready to keep the good times rolling with the all night “Lock In” fun, knowing that Sunday they could complete the mantra and “Sleep hard.” The Hornets and their fans were certainly feeling “Tropic Like It’s Hot”.

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