Sports
Hornets Notes: Week in Review/Preview for May 18
A look back at the week that was in Branford and a glance ahead to next week.
The spring sports season is winding down in the next week, as teams gear up for conference playoffs and hopefully state tournaments. A recent batch of rain has put a damper on game schedules this week. If you want to see more action check out last week's and feel free to add your photos of local sporting events to the mix.
To catch up on last week's sports action,
TRACK AND FIELD
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The boys track team won the Southern Connecticut Conference West Sectional meet this week, while the girls finished fourth at the event. The boys, led by first place finishes from Thomas Dextradeur in the javelin and Alex Case in the pole vault, scored 134.5 points to best second place North Haven.
Coach Rich Biondi credited the victory to a total team effort across all events. Branford scored points in 15 of the 18 events. The meet is a preliminary meet to qualify athletes for the SCC Championship meet next week. Other notable Branford performances included Brandon Johnson, who was third in the long jump, second in the high jump, and second in the triple jump; Dextradeur also finished second in the 3200 meter run; and Joe Flynn who was fourth in the 110 meter hurdles and third in the 300 meter hurdles.
Find out what's happening in Branfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The girls' team scored 83 points, edging out fifth-place North Haven. The Hornets were led by Allie Kowolenko, who won the 800 meters, finished third in the 1600 meters, and helped lead the 4X400 team to a third place finish. Kaitlyn Kenney finished third in the 200 meter dash and third in the 400 meter dash.
SOFTBALL
The softball team registered a resounding victory against Wilbur Cross earlier this week, shutting out the Governors 15-0. However, Branford will not qualify for the state tournament this season after losing to North Haven and Cheshire. The team needed to win all three of its remaining games to qualify for the tournament. The Hornets wrap up the regular season with games against Mercy and Daniel Hand this week.
BASEBALL
The baseball team continues its winning ways this season, defeating rivals Guilford and North Haven. The Hornets did fall to Amity Regional High School, which is ranked number one in the New Haven Register high school baseball poll. Two of the Hornets three losses this year are to Amity.
Branford lost to Amity 8-2 on May 11. They beat North Haven 9-3 on May 13 and Guilford 8-2 on May 16. The Hornets final two games are this week, today against Xavier and Thursday against Shelton. The Hornets are 15-3.
TENNIS
The boys tennis team won two matches this week, defeating Notre Dame-West Haven 5-2 on May 11 and Hamden 4-3 on May 13. The girls team dropped three matches this week, losing to North Haven 6-1 on May 10, Cheshire 6-1 on May 11, and Guilford 4-3 on May 13.
LACROSSE
The girls lacrosse team finished the regular season 7-11, losing to Suffield 13-8 on May 11; to Glastonbury 17-1 on May 12; and to Cheshire 18-4 on May 13.
The boys lacrosse team is now 8-6 in the season after winning two out of three games last week. The boys lost to Fairfield Prep 11-6 on May 11, and defeated Wilbur Cross 19-2 on May 13. On Monday, the Hornets defeated Shelton 16-11 on a chilly, drizzly night at Branford High School.
GOLF
The Golf team dropped a close match Monday to Amity and Notre Dame at Racebrook Country Club. The Hornets were led by Josh Panczak, who shot a 36 on the par nine course. The team is now 10-8 on the season.
