Housy gets its game on — a spring sports preview

FALLS VILLAGE — The athletes of Housatonic Valley Regional High School are back outside and on the fields for spring sports. Mountaineer coaches shared a preview of their spring teams. The April 7 issue of The Lakeville Journal previewed baseball, softball and boys lacrosse. Girls lacrosseThe Housy girls lacrosse team is about to embark on a huge rebuilding year. The team is half freshmen and half upperclassmen, a big change from last year, when the team only had one freshman. Since lacrosse isn’t the most popular sport in the Northwest Corner, many of the players who go out for the Housy team are trying the sport for the first time. “Sometimes freshman year is their first taste of lacrosse — sometimes it’s the first practice,” coach Spike Magyar said. While having inexperienced players may be a disadvantage, Magyar said he enjoys being able to train players the way he’d like them to play. “If you start out with good athletes, it makes for a relatively easy transition,” he said. “This year’s freshman class is just filled with athletes, so it’s great.” With the loss of five seniors last year, including Amanda Lindquist and Lynzie Adams, the team will now be led by three seniors who will share the captain duties: Megan Williams (who was the leading scorer last year), Chelsea Zenk and Hunter Nelson. Junior goalkeeper Kiera Bisenius also returns to her position, as does sophomore Erica Kavanagh, who Magyar says to watch out for. The team is also welcoming a crew of 10 freshmen. “Undoubtedly our goal is to make the state tournament this year, which would be the first time in the history of Housy lacrosse. We missed it last year by one game,” Magyar said. The first girls lacrosse game was at home on Thursday, April 7, against Valley Regional. Boys tennisMany of the top boys tennis players in the Berkshire League graduated last year, leaving room for new players to fill their seats. “I believe the league to be more wide open than in any recent years,” said coach Jeff Tripp. The 2011 Housy team will be led by senior captains Matt Walker and Craig Mackay, after the team lost AJ Opgenorth, Conor McCarthy, Pariwat Limtrakul and Zack Marrott. Eyes are on key newcomer Zach Busby. With 22 boys at tryouts, there is a lot of competition for the top varsity spots. Hopes are high that the places left open by the graduated seniors will soon be filled with promising new talent. Again, qualifying for the state tournament is a goal for the spring season. The first boys tennis match was at home on Wednesday, April 6, against Wamogo. Girls tennisThe Housy girls tennis team is up for a challenge this year, having lost many of their strong players, such as Sabina Busby and Kayla Robinson. This year’s team will be led by senior co-captains Genevieve Terrall and Camilla Busby. There are four more returning players to the team, junior Laurel Woodruff, sophomore Hilary Henrici and seniors Caitlin Brostek and Alison Slaughter, who will be stepping up to fill important slots, according to coach Rufus de Rham. The turnout for tryouts was high this year, with 28 girls showing up to take a shot at one of the 10 spots on the varsity team, which expanded this year from a seven-person team. However, many of the girls who tried out have little to no experience playing tennis.This year, the Berkshire League changed its format to the more prevalent state setup of four singles matches and three doubles matches per meet. Last year’s record for the team was 4-12, and de Rham said he hopes that despite the rebuilding that needs to be done this year, the team can improve its record. “I look forward to seeing some of the young and inexperienced players improve over the course of this year,” de Rham said. The first girls tennis match was away on Wednesday, April 6, against Wamogo. Track and fieldThe track and field teams are large in 2011, with 28 boys and 20 girls competing. A large portion of the teams are returning athletes, including Cassidy Hammond, Gina Napolitano, Danielle Kearns, Josh Toomey, Spencer Gerowe, Daniel Johannesen, Alex Hernandez, Reilly Lynch, Ben Heacox and Griffin Randall. Three seniors join the team for the first time: Will Schutt, Devon Morsey and Ellie Yahn. There are several up-and-coming track and field stars that coach Jason MacFarland suggests fans watch out for: seniors Ben Heacox (shot put), Cassidy Hammond (javelin), Danielle Kearns (100 hurdles, shot put, heptathlon) and Reilly Lynch (400m and 800m sprints); juniors Myles Clohessy (800m and mile), Griffin Randall (800m and mile), Peter Greco (discus and hammer), Brianna Ongley (300 hurdles) and Hawk Blumert (400m); sophomore Gabriela Dzenutis (100m and 400m) and freshman Anna Geyselaers (100m and long jump). Geyselaers is the sister of Nikki Geyselaers, who holds many Housatonic and Berkshire League records. All of the coaches — head coach Jason MacFarland and assistant coaches Cindy Dunleavy, Chris Heacox and Alan Lovejoy — will return this spring. “Our focus is not only going to be doing well at individual meets, but doing well at the Berkshire League Championship and the Class S State Meet,” said MacFarland. “We hope to end up with a winning record this season.” The first track and field meet was at home on Wednesday, April 6, against Wolcott and Thomaston. GolfThe golf team this year includes four returning players: seniors Will Parker and Dominic Ghi and sophomores Dylan McGarry and Quorii Dickinson. Eight newcomers will compete for a spot on the varsity team. The beginning of the practice season for the golf team has been delayed due to the extended winter weather, but coach John McGuire said he hopes to get his team out on the greens soon. Despite the setback, the golf team has ample time to prepare: Their season doesn’t start until nearly a month after the other sports. The first golf meet will be away on Monday, April 25, at 3:45 p.m. against Nonnewaug and Northwestern. For more team previews, go online to www.tcextra.com.

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