By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapapers
Special to MaxPreps.com
Cheshire High School swim coached Ed Aston, who in October guided his team to a national-record 235the consecutive victory, has been honored by the United States Sports Academy with its Distinguished Service Award.
The award, which has been presented annually for 23 years, is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national, or international, sports through service, instruction or research. Aston also coaches the Cheshire boys' team, which is in-season at the moment.
The boys lost their first meet of the season after six straight wins, 97-88 to Brookfield. The girls did finish their season undefeated and won the Southern Connecticut Conference championship and finished second in both CIAC Class LL and the state open (behind Greenwich in both cases).
Hillhouse Remains No. 1
Hillhouse-New Haven and Maloney-Meriden are 1-2 in the latest New Haven Register boys basketball media poll. The Academics, who are the two-time defending Class LL state champs, started the season 7-0 while Maloney, the Class L state finalists a year ago, also started 7-0. Wilbur Cross-New Haven (7-0) is third. Cross is the only team to beat Hillhouse in the last two seasons and the pair have two games on tap during the regular season. Conceivably, they could meet twice more, once in the Southern Connecticut Conference postseason tournament and again in the CIAC Class LL tourney.
Holy Cross-Waterbury, 8-0, established itself as the top team in the Naugatuck Valley League with wins over city rivals Sacred Heart and Crosby and is fourth in the poll. New London, 7-0, played without Florida-bound Allen Chaney (leg injury) last week but won two and is fifth.
Trinity Catholic-Stamford (6-1), Windsor (8-0), Warren Harding-Bridgeport (7-0), Crosby (6-1) and St. Joseph-Trumbull (6-1) round out the top 10.
South Windsor Tops on the Ice
In the Register's media boys ice hockey poll, South Windsor (7-0) leads the way despite its latest effort, a 6-5 overtime win over Tri-Town Saturday night.
Hamden is second with Notre Dame-West Haven third, followed by East Haven and Ridgefield. Notre Dame-Fairfield is sixth with Glastonbury, Immaculate-Danbury, North Haven and Fairfield Prep rounding out the top 10.
Prep is an interesting study. The Jesuits got to the championship game of the prestigious Mt. St. Charles (R.I.) holiday tournament with two wins, but have yet to beat a Connecticut opponent. Their latest loss was 4-0 to Hamden Saturday night.
Lauralton Hall Earns Team of the Week
Lauralton Hall-Milford was selected as the Mohegan Sun girls basketball team of the week. The Crusaders, 6-1, defeated Warren Harding-Bridgeport, 44-18 and Trinity Catholic-Stamford, 57-43, in their own holiday tournament. Lauralton Hall's Molly Yardley, a junior, was the tourney MVP.
Mercy-Middletown had the biggest win recently, 76-72, over Career-New Haven Friday night. Career was ranked first in the New Haven Register poll. Mercy now has the top spot in the Hartford Courant's ranking of teams (done by the sports department, not via a poll) with New Britain second, Holy Cross-Waterbury third and Career fourth.
The Courant's selections in boys' basketball (Hillhouse) and hockey (South Windsor) reflect the voting done in media polls.
Two Connecticut Preps Earn All-America Status
The Penn Monto National Field Hockey Coaches Association high school All-America teams have been released. Teams were sorted by national regions.
Among the players selected to the Mid-Atlantic region, were two from Connecticut, Leslie Zules of Haddam-Killingworth and Jamie Orrico of Simsbury. All the other honorees were from New Jersey.
Most of the rest of New England's top players went into the Northeast Region and those from New York and Rhode Island were part of the North Region.