By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers
Special to MaxPreps.com
Tom Unger has come full circle.
From being a starting guard and a captain for the Guilford High football team to being captain of a start-up program at Fairfield University to being the Guilford defensive coordinator, he is now the Indians’ new head coach.
“I’ve been involved with Guilford football since I was a kid,” said Unger, who graduated in 1996 after a three-year career as a starter, including on the 1993 state runner-up team.
“This is very exciting for me and I am looking forward to building on the last couple of seasons we’ve had,” he said.
Unger replaces Scott Benoit, who left to become the head coach at Hamden.
For the last three years, Unger has been the defensive coordinator for Benoit; the year before that, he did the same job for Ian Neviaser. He also spent a post-graduate year as an intern at Fairfield.
“That was a great experience,” he said. “Just learning how to prepare for a game ... it was football 24 hours a day.”
Unger played at Fairfield from 1996 to 1999 and was captain for two years.
“Building it from the ground up is going to help me now,” he noted.
“We are going to try to keep a lot of things consistent for our players. They might not have had that in the past. I am looking forward to bringing that consistency. I don’t plan on leaving Guilford any time soon,” Unger said.
He has been teaching math at Adams Middle School and recently was hired to work in the same capacity at Guilford High.
“I will be teaching at the high school next year. That will help a lot keeping track of our players academically and personally. I think that will improve a lot of things,” he said.
Also on the football coaching front, Jim Buonocore has left Fitch-Groton to become the second head coach in Ledyard High history.
Buonocore replaces the legendary Bill Mignault, who retired this spring after 42 years, 321 career wins and four state titles, including one in his last game, this past December.
Buonocore, who has amassed a 57-33 record in nine seasons at Fitch (five years) and Stonington (both Ledyard rivals), is the son of former New London coach Jim Buonocore. He will teach physical education at Ledyard.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Buonocore told Mike DiMauro of The Day of New London. “When the opportunity opened, I weighed the pros and cons.”
Buonocore also is the head coach this year for the Connecticut team that will play Rhode Island on Saturday, June 28, in the Governor’s Cup game at Rentschler Field.
Is the Northwest Conference about to fall apart?
That’s the conclusion drawn by staff correspondent Jim Bransfield. Writing a story which appeared in the Middletown Press, Bransfield broke the news that Middletown High, one of the NWC bellwethers, has applied for membership in the Central Connecticut Conference.
Farmington, currently a Northwest member, already has been accepted for membership into the CCC.
According to Middletown High athletic director Mike Pitruzzello in a report to the Middletown Board of Education, all the NWC schools were supposed to apply to the CCC but apparently all have not done so.
Farmington will begin play in its new league later this year, giving the CCC 24 teams in four divisions. If Middletown is accepted for membership, it would play one final season in the Northwest Conference before moving to begin the 2009-2010 season. At that point, Middletown will be in its new building, with some significantly upgraded athletic facilities, including a lighted, artificial turf, multi-sports field.
Guilford Soccerfest on Tap
Guilford Soccerfest, one of the largest all-girls’ soccer tournaments in New England, will have its alumni game at Bittner Park Friday, July 11, at 6:30 p.m. All Guilford High soccer alumni – both male and female -- as well as all alumni of the Guilford Soccer Club are eligible to play.
Pre-registration is required, noted Leslie Riviere, the chair of the Soccerfest Alumni Game committee. She said potential players could e-mail soccerfestalumni@aol.com, or could call her at (203) 453-1974.
