Connecticut High School Coaches Association set to honor 26 of its members as outstanding coaches of the year.
By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers
Special to MaxPreps.com
The Connecticut High School Coaches Association will honor 26 of its members as outstanding coaches of the year at its 43rd annual recognition dinner May 17 at the AquaTurf Club in Southington.
The CHSCA also will recognize four other individuals for their contributions to the organization and high school sports in Connecticut.
The coaches of the year with their schools and sports include: Brian Adkins, Branford, boys' lacrosse; Walter Beck, Suffield, girls' swimming; James Bryers, Berlin, boys' golf; Rob Cerosimo, Conard, football; Carl Charles, Weston (he is now at Ridgefield), boys' basketball; Jemal Davis, Norwich Free Academy, boys' track; Janet Dickey, Westbrook, field hockey; Leslie Doe-Koehler, Ledyard, cheerleading; Lynn Fenn, Bethel, softball; Sal Follo, Milford co-op, boys' ice hockey; Jeff Gee, Wilton, girls' cross country; Peter Golanski, Mercy, girls' golf; Roy Gurnan, Ellington, boys' soccer; David Jockle, Bunnell, girls' volleyball; Peter Leeds, Tolland, boys' cross country; Lisa Lindley, Darien, girls' lacrosse; Jim Matthews, Cheshire, boys' tennis; Gail Overbeck, New Canaan, girls' tennis; Deb Petruzzello, Middletown, girls' track; Beryl Piper, New Britain, girls' basketball; Carl Reichard, East Lyme, boys' track; Brian Reiff, Brookfield, boys' swimming; Michael Ridley, Lewis Mills, boys' volleyball; Ricky Shook, Danbury, wrestling; Barbara Startup, Glastonbury, athletic director; David Sullivam, Suffield, girls' soccer' Lauren Walling, Norwich Free Academy, unified sports and Art Wheelock, Rockville, baseball.
In addition, John Kuczo, the executive director of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) will receive the Thomas R. Monahan Honor Award John Frank of Key Tech will get the Joseph J. Fontana Distinguished Service Award, Edward Schopp of Stadium Systems, Inc. will get the Josepoh Calvanese Sponsorship Award and Don Pisati of Hartford will get the Past President's Award.
Tickets for the dinner are $40 and are available through the high schools of the award winners or through CHSCA Executive Director John Fonatana at PO Box 632, Southington, 06490 or by calling him at (860) 628-4122.
The Southern Connecticut Conference and the Sports Center of Connecticut have announced league scholar-athletes for January.
The program, which will recognize six students from each of the league's 23 members schools (two per sports season). Honorees must be a varsity letterwinner with a 3.0 average while demonstrating leadership qualities.
The selections for January include, from Cheshire, Taryn Belowsky, a girls' basketball captain with a 3.8 grade point average and David Havlicek, a basketball and cross country captain with a 3.9 average and a nomination to the Wendy's High School Heisman.
From East Haven, Ashley Martone, a volleyball captain and basketball team member with a 3.36 average and Louis Paolillo, captain of the boys' ice hockey team with a 3.4 grade point average.
From Guilford, Bryce Brown, an all-league football player and member of the boys' basketball team and Jaci Daigneault, captain of the volleyball and girls' basketball teams and a 1000-point scorer with a 3.4 grade point average.
From Hillhouse, Michael Moore, a McDonald's All-America baseball nominee who ranks 24th in his class with a 3.2 average and Shannon Brackeen, a basketball, volleyball and softball player who ranks 19th in her class with a 3.2 average.
From Notre Dame, Michael Roth, a boys' basketball captain with a 90.57 grade point average and Kevin Smith, captain of the boys' ice hockey team with an 88 average.
From Sacred Heart Academy, Anna Kozlowski, and all-state high jumper in track and an honor student and Ilaria Schiano, a two-year girls' basketball captain and honor student.
From Sheehan, Jamie Losi, a three sport athlete in basketball, cross country and tennis, ranked 16th in her class and president of the National Honor Society and Michael Goodrich, captain of the boys' ice hockey and tennis teams with a 3.7 grade point average.
From Xavier, Keith Hosking, a wrestling team captain with a 3.4 average and Darren Taillie, a boys' ice hockey player who ranks seventh in his class and is vice president of the National Honor Society.
Connecticut's governing body of high school officials will honor its own in the first-ever Hall of Fame Dinner, scheduled Sunday, April 29 at the Foxon Country House, East Haven.
High school football radio personality George DeMaio will be the master of ceremonies at the event, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. Guest speaker is Joe Arnone, former member of the Central Connecticut Football Officials Association (Hartford area). Arnone, who worked an NCAA Division I-AA championship in 1994 as a referee, is now scouting for the NFL, evaluating high school and college applicants.
The six member boards of the CFOA are in the process of submitting nominees in two categories, including old-timers who pioneered officiating in the state.
The CFOA Hall of Fame will be a virtual one, kept on-line with pictures and bios of charter members and future honorees.
"Football officials are a special breed and have a camaraderie not experienced in any other sports," said Ed Mockus, chairman of the event. "This is an attempt to honor the people who have helped make football officiating the dynamic thing it is."
The member chapters include: The Central Connecticut Football Officials Association (Hartford area); the Colonial Football Officials Association; the Eastern Connecticut Football Officials Association (New London area); the Fairfield County Football Officials Association; the Vincent J. Reilly-New Haven Football Officials the Western Connecticut Football Officials Association (Waterbury area).
The United Way of Greater New Haven's NFL players' weekend, run by Vranford's Joe Linta of JL Sports, will be March 9-11. Last year, some 25 NFL players attended the event which includes visits to Yale-New Haven Hospital and the New Haven Boys' & Girls' Club plus a celebrity bar-tending happy hour at Hula Hank's in New Haven, a player luncheon which will honor local police and fire departments, a sports clinic, a live and silent auction at the Omni ($50 includes admission, food and a bid number) and a bowling tournament at AMF Lanes in Hamden in which, for $1000, you can share your lane with an NFL player.
To purchase tickets for these events, contact Kathleen Norwood at 203.772.2010 ext. 213 or knorwood@uwgnh.org.
