Coginchaug Regional High School Student News
crhsnews.com
November 13, 2015
Volume 22, Issue 2
Vet Serves Country and Community Korn School to Close By Morgan Cunningham
Mr. William Currlin of Middlefield was drafted into the Army in 1968. In the beginning of the Vietnam War, all American men who were at least 18 years old gave their names to the Selective Service. Many American men were drafted during the time Currlin was. “Some went to Canada to avoid it,” he said. “There was no national will to do it, no mission for people to buy into.” Currlin was recruited to go to Fort Benning, where he became an infantry officer. He explains that he was in Vietnam at 21 years old, leading 45 men in combat. He served there for 12 months with the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon leader, and he “led search and destroy missions throughout the northern part of Vietnam.” The conditions were miserable, and it was clearly very hard for the soldiers to adjust. Most of the days in Vietnam were spent sleeping on the ground in the jungle. “Water was precious, and we carried a lot of weight. Our rucksacks were well over 100 pounds, and most of them were water,” said Currlin. The only way men in the Army were able to keep in touch with family and friends was through letters. “It isn’t like today where the guys can call home; we couldn’t do that back then,” he said. “Everything was mail.” Upon arriving home from Vietnam, the reaction from
By Taylor Marino and Larissa Cade
Mr. Bill Currlin, Ambassador Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Photos provided by Mr. Currlin
the public was very different for Currlin than it is today. The soldiers were not very welcomed at all; in fact, he said those at home were at times quite hostile toward those who served: “I think you’ll find that most Vietnam veterans would say the same thing.” This didn’t bother Currlin at the time, however. He was too happy to be back to let it bother him, referring to returning home as “coming back into the world.” After the Persian Gulf War, those back at home started to treat veterans right. Currlin adds that it seems it took the Vietnam War for society to understand and to treat them properly. “The fact that we do it right now,” he says, “is more important than that we didn’t get welcomed home then.” The biggest lesson that Currlin learned from Vietnam was that wars don’t
solve things. “We all did our part, but I don’t know that I actually felt like we accomplished anything,” he said. Most veterans, he added when asked why they were there, would most likely tell you that they didn’t know. In the Persian Gulf War, there was a clear mission; however, this wasn’t the case with Vietnam. Currlin feels that the lesson to be learned from this is that wars don’t make sense, and they aren’t the way to solve things. Mr. William Currlin has been an active member of the Durham-Middlefield community for years. He has lived in Middlefield his entire married life, and he “has taken every opportunity to get involved in community service initiatives. He was a member of the Regional District 13 Board of Education from 1994-2011 and on the Area Cooperative
Due to a projected decrease in student enrollment over the next five years, the RSD 13 Board of Education voted on Oct. 14 to close Korn School in Durham at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. This decision has been discussed at many Board of Education meetings, during which many citizens from the community posed questions and concerns about closing the school. How will the closing of Korn School affect students not in the district yet or within the lower grades of the district?
RSD 13 Superintendent Dr. Kathryn Veronesi said, “The fewer transitions the kids have, the better.” She talked about how it is much easier for kids to connect more with one another and the staff members if they stay in the same school longer. Overall, Dr. Veronesi thinks this closing will make each school within the district more unified, which will foster stronger relationships among students and staff.
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Currlin in Vietnam Educational Services Board of Governors during the same period, 10 of which he served as chairman,” according to a 2012 New Haven Register article by Jonetta Badillo. Currlin is a co-founder of Project Graduation, as well as the Town Times. Mr. Currlin’s contributions have benefitted the Middlefield-Durham area.
Inside this Issue... Comic Strip ---------------- 3 Celebrating Veterans ------ 4 Foreign Veterans ----------- 5 Sports Updates ------------- 6 Sports Updates ------------- 7 Unified Sports -------------- 8
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November 13, 2015 Volume 22, Issue 2
Continued from page 1
Korn School to Close There are concerns within the district in terms of what will need to be done to close Korn School. Dr. Veronesi explained that certain staff within the district will be organized within one larger team and several smaller teams in order to accomplish all tasks needed to make the closing happen. For example, there will be teams that are in charge of transition, physical movement (packing and moving things out of Korn), communications (keeping the community and parents up to date with information), scheduling, and staffing. Certain teams will organize the transfer of students to both Memorial and Brewster schools who will organize classrooms and make room for the students coming in. Dr. Veronesi said having teams for different tasks will make the process run more smoothly and easily. According to Dr. Veronesi, “there will be a
reduction in force,” but no job cuts will be made until further review of staffing needs. To ensure that the education will be equal for all preschool through fourth grade students, Dr. Veronesi said there will be “common expectations for all staff and students” across the district. Even though there are multiple schools within the district, if you hold a certain expectation for all students and staff, there will be a common result in terms of the education that will be provided by all teachers, she explained. Also, the use of Common Core State Standards within the district should ensure students are learning the same material. The closing of Korn School has raised many questions and concerns within the community, but the decision has been made by the Board of Education, and plans are moving forward.
Contact Us
Email: crhsdevilsad@gmail.com Twitter: @crhsdevilsadv
Facebook: Devil’s Advocate Coginchaug
Phone: 860-349-7215 Adviser: Ms. Rebecca Suchy rsuchy@rsd13.org
Infographic created by Danny Turecek using Piktochart
NOVEMBER PRINT CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Contributing Writers Ava Altschuler Saige Avery Brennan Bates
Katelynn Branciforte Larissa Cade Morgan Cunningham
Taylor Marino Zachary Schleicher Jacquelyn Stevens
Stephanie Tang Danny Turecek Samantha Vigue
The Devil’s Advocate is the official student newspaper of Coginchaug Regional High School, located in Durham, CT, representing the towns of Durham, Middlefield, and Rockfall. The DA is a proud representative of Regional School District 13; however, this publication is student-run and does not assume to reflect the views of RSD13 administration or staff.
November Issue Production & Editing Team: Emma Ackerman Ava Altschuler Katelynn Branciforte Morgan Cunningham Jacquelyn Stevens Stephanie Tang
3 November 13, 2015
Volume 22, Issue 2
What does Coginchaug like about November? By Stephanie Tang
Freshman Ryan Genest
Sophomore Sam Pietrzyk
“I like November because of football.”
“I like the fall clothes.”
Sophomore Connor Sullivan “I like the cooler breeze.”
Junior Kaylie LeMere “Thanksgiving because I like to eat.”
Upcoming Events
Saturday, November 14 Varsity Girls XC New England Championships Thetford Academy, VT Football v. Granby Memorial 1:00pm (Home) Sunday, November 15 Army Band Concert with CRHS Band 2:00pm-4:00pm Wednesday, November 18
BOE Mtg at Brewster 7:30pm Senior Trip to Washington, DC
Junior Troy Willis “I can wear sweaters all the time.”
Senior Dana Hoffman “The scenery and cold weather.”
Senior Leonid Funaro “It’s when my birthday is.”
By Zac Schleicher
Teacher Mrs. Susan Michael “I love Thanksgiving and baking pies for my family.”
Thursday, November 19 Senior Trip to Washington, DC Friday November 20, Senior Trip to Washington, DC Wednesday, November 25
CRHS Powderpuff game 1:00pm-3pm
Thursday, November 26 Thanksgiving Break Football at Gilbert/NW Regional 10:00am Friday, November 27 Thanksgiving Break Wednesday December 2 Parent-Teacher Conferences Early Dismissal Thursday, December 3 Parent-Teacher Conference Early Dismissal
Saturday December 5 Community Round Up 9:00am-1:30pm
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November 13, 2015 Volume 22, Issue 2
Hometown Heroes
“Coach Eddie” Shares His Story
Corey Capella: A Traveling Soldier By Katelynn Branciforte
By Jacquelyn Stevens
Coginchaug girls volleyball coach and veteran Mr. Eddie Castano grew up in Dana Point, California, and served in the Marines for ten years. Growing up, Castano went to military school from second to ninth grade and realized he wanted to spend his early life in the Marines, enlisting as soon as he could. Castano said, “Military School was a great experience.” It made him the independent person he is. In military school, he said you meet a lot of people, especially people you aren’t used to. “Every day we had a specific schedule,” he said. “We woke up at 5:30 a.m. for certain training before classes.” He then went to a public high school and never felt like he belonged. “I didn’t have many friends in school, and when I joined the Marines, I became friends with others I was serving with.” He enlisted in the Marines to learn how to earn everything you have and to be himself. Castano traveled the world, starting in boot camp in South Carolina and after graduating went to the 2nd Battalion Unit 2-6, following into his next mission, Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Here he was assigned to Security Detail for Base Commander General Tryon in Parris Island, South Carolina. Overall, Castano had a positive experience and continued serving. His last place he went to was 3rd Battalion 1st Marines in the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, assigned as the Platoon Sergeant. After going through all of this, he loved it so much he reenlisted and received an Honorary Discharge in August of 2012. He was awarded the Connecticut Wartime Service Medal, and Castano’s name is displayed on the Hamden Wall of Veterans of War. While stationed, Castano did not have a connection with family and friends. His parents moved to an unknown location, and he couldn’t keep in touch. Coming home after having a strict schedule was a struggle. “Having freedom, eating normal food... was a huge adjustment that I had to make,” Castano said. In the time Castano was enlisted, he learned to “appreciate the things [he had], to be able to understand the difference between having rights and having privileges, and understanding the difference between wanting and needing something.” Castano wants people to understand why we celebrate Veterans Day. “Raising awareness and appreciating the courageous things soldiers and veterans do would be greatly appreciated by so many people,” Castano said.
“You sacrifice your sanity and come back home to feel out of place and not with it. You come back to be outcasts,” said Staff Sergeant Corey Capella who enlisted in the Marines and started boot camp on March 15, 2004. Capella enlisted for three reasons: patriotism, to avoid college, and to travel and see different things. Over the course of nine years (2004 to 2013) Capella traveled all over the world and saw many different things and many different places. After boot camp he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He then went to Mississippi, to Twentynine Palms California, on to Iraq, back to California at Camp Pendleton, then to Afghanistan, and finally back to Camp Pendleton, California which is where he stayed until he got out on April 1, 2013. While in California, he was able to keep in touch with family
and friends with the use of his cell phone; however, when he was deployed, contact with the outside world was rare, but when possible he would call but mostly email. While Capella did not keep a journal of his experiences, he did do something for good luck. The second he came home to Ellington, Connecticut he and his family would take a shot of tequila and would do the same right before he left. While this was not an everyday thing, this is what he credits some of his luck to, bonding with his family.
Capella describes his return home to be “kind of like going back in time. Time sits still while you are deployed, and when you come home there are so many advancements.” No matter what, he thinks that “even though war is cruel, it can be necessary,” he also added “but that doesn’t mean that we can’t and shouldn’t avoid it at all costs.” As a veteran, Capella has gained many life lessons. To him the most important was that he “learned that self sacrifice and servitude is the essence to our culture, and when you choose to enlist, you lose all sense of entitlement [in order] to serve other people.” While Capella has learned many things and experienced even more after serving his country for nine years, he says that “there is no stronger bond than brotherhood.”
The Story of a Vietnam Veteran By Zac Schleicher Specialist E4 Benjamin P. Figueroa was 22 years old when he was drafted in 1965. Mr. Figueroa fought in Vietnam and served for two days less than two years. As part of an artillery group that was deployed from San Francisco, California, his troop transport carrier was headed for a staging area. His trip was supposed to be 28 days by an old World War II transport boat, but it ended up being 37 days because the boat had an engine malfunction. After his artillery group assembled, they took their cannons which were mainly comprised of 175mm, 155mm, and 105mm
Howitzers and headed out to Bến Cát. It was there at Bến Cát when he first saw and engaged in combat. Then he headed to Biên Hòa Air Base. He was one of the first groups of Americans to go there. It started off as a small airbase taken by the Americans but became very big. Overall, his group was within 60 miles of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon back during the Vietnam War.
continued on page 5
You can find more Hometown Heroes at crhsnews.com. The Devil’s Advocate would like to thank all veterans for their service.
crhsnews.com
November 13, 2015
Foreign Fighters The British Empire Strikes Back By Brennan Bates James Metcalfe Dobson was a Captain in the British Royal Army and an Intelligence Code Breaker in the Indian Army. He was conscripted into the Army in England during the Second World War, where he had been working as a Customs Officer. He had volunteered for the Royal Air Force, and while he was waiting to enlist he was asked to work as an Intelligence Officer to protect the English Fishing Fleet which was stationed on the west coast of England. As a Captain in the British Army, it was very convenient because he lived on the west coast of England and the Fishing Fleet station was moved to the town of Fleetwood, where he lived nearby. His job was to let everyone know when U-Boats (German Submarines) had been sighted in the Irish Sea. He served in the British and Indian Army throughout WWII. He served in a
combat zone--first in East Norfolk, England, where German aircraft attacked every day, and later in India where he worked as an Intelligence code breaker. He was able to keep in touch with family, but the only way he did was by letter, which took a long time to reach both ways. He traveled extensively in India and Malaysia. In India, he was stationed in Nepal, Darjeeling and said that he always wanted to climb Mt. Everest but ended up in the hospital with pulmonary problems because of the high altitude. Coming home, he had some adjustments, but most of the time he stayed in India after the war ended until 1948, as a
Customs Officer, at the request of his commanding officer. Dobson said he appreciated serving with the Indian people who were great fighters, possessed incredible loyalty, and would give up their lives to protect him.
The Story of a Vietnam Veteran Continued from page 4 Figueroa’s group was very fortunate and was able to buy supplies from the main commissary which they then sold back to other outfits of soldiers; they were able to make a profit and eat well. His artillery group was able to have turkey during Thanksgiving and steak every once and awhile. They didn’t have to eat standard Army food because they were able to buy their own food. “Other troops treated the camp like a nice vacation because they were able to buy a hot meal and take a shower,” Figueroa said; however, as in most areas, the mail was slow. There
was about a month’s delay in replies. Mr. Figueroa’s parents never knew where he was because he couldn’t give an address. All his mail was sent to a post office box in California and then sent from there to his family. Upon returning home, it was the little things that made for the weird adjustments back to civilian life, such as not having to wake up at 5:30 every morning and being able to have a warm meal whenever he pleased. When Mr. Figueroa returned from Vietnam, like many other returning veterans, he said he “received a little
flak from the US people who were angry with the war.” Mr. Figueroa ignored the negative comments because he was drafted. Mr. Figueroa returned home in March of 1966 and was honorably discharged from the military. He said he learned a lot while over in Vietnam. He had to do a lot of growing up--and fast--but what was most important, he said, was “working as a team, and depending on the people around you was key” because in every job, communication with coworkers is essential.
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Remembering WWII and Chinese Civil War By Stephanie Tang
Mr. 唐孔武 born in 1919, in Hunan China, served in World War II and the Chinese Civil War. He enlisted in the National Revolutionary Army (the Chinese army) in 1942 because there was “no other choice, especially during World War II.” The Japanese were taking over Chinese land; many civilians were brutally murdered. While fighting in World War II, Mr. 唐孔武 was always in constant combat zones. Because China lacked many technical advancements with weapons, it was difficult for the Chinese to fight the Japanese. He fought in India and various places in China. He remembers when he went to India to fight, he travelled by plane for the first time and says, “I felt like puking the entire time because the planes at the time were not comfortable.” When he was in India, he and his troop mates helped England and the United States keep Japan out of India. (At that time, Japan had already invaded Myanmar and were pushing toward India, an important colony of England at the time). He remembers when he was in a certain battle between two sergeants and was attacked by rapid fire. 唐孔武 managed to hide, but the sergeants next to him were not as lucky. One was killed and the other wounded. After World War II was over, 唐孔武 was pulled into another war: the Chinese Civil War. (Note: The war was the National Revolutionary Army against the Communist Army). The National Revolutionary Army fought until they were defeated. This war, he feels, was no surprise that the army lost because all the troops were already exhausted from fighting in World War II. He quickly fled to Taiwan after the defeat because if he stayed, he would have been executed by the Communists for fighting against them. During his time in war, he was unable to keep in contact with family members because the army was too busy, too tired, and “were lucky to be even alive.” With the war raging throughout China, it was also difficult for letters to go through. Adjusting to Taiwan wasn’t too difficult because Taiwan had many Chinese immigrants escaping China. 唐孔武 was not happy with the defeat because much of the land his family owned was taken away forever. 唐孔武 says that Mao Zedong wasn’t a good leader for China. (唐孔武 went to the same school as Mao, and though Mao graduated much earlier, he says that there were rumors of Mao stealing fellow students’ clothing, wearing them until they smelled, and then returning them.) Mr. 唐孔武 served about 30 years in service with both the National Revolutionary Army and in Taiwan’s military and taught at a military school in Taiwan. The highest position 唐孔武 had in his career was Lieutenant Colonel. *This interview was conducted in Mandarin Chinese and translated.
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November 13, 2015 Volume 22, Issue 2
Boys Soccer Takes Win Cross Country Continues Success; 13-0 Sam Drop Headed to New Englands By Taylor Marino in First Round of States By Jacquelyn Stevens Twenty-nine seed boys soccer team shut out Two Rivers on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the first round of States. Senior captain Alec Bogen says the boys have strengths including their “offense starting to really click and the strength [they] have in the midfield.” Some strong underclassmen this season included “freshmen Riley Carey and Tim Arcari, holding down the defense and getting
the job done,” said Bogen. He also said sophomore Korben Paul “on the side makes [the] attack stronger.” At the end of the regular season, Bogen with nine goals and senior captain Daniel Gavrilovic with seven goals couldn’t be happier with the way the regular season went. At the time of production, the boys were set to face 13 seed Litchfield on Nov. 12.
Girls Soccer Kicks into State Tournament By Ava Altschuler The girls soccer team has carried the ball all the way to the State tournament, winning against Somers on Monday, Nov. 9, after finishing the regular season with eight wins, six losses, and two ties. Senior captain Larissa Cade says, “The chemistry we have with each other as a team is a strength for us. The comfort we have with one another is carried on and off the field.” The girls have improved through executing their techniques on the field and “positive attitudes during practices to prepare better for the next game,” said senior captain Taylor Marino. The girls have many strong players including freshman Ally Durand and freshman Sarah Smith who both succeeded throughout the season, playing big roles by filling in on the varsity team when needed. Senior players look forward to finishing off the season making a statement in States by using
the constructive criticism given during practice from Coach Kavanaugh to better defend corner kicks and set pieces (a kick on a foul). As well as playing to their potential, seniors savor their last moments of high school soccer. “I really want to enjoy the end of the season with best friends I’ve been playing soccer with since the beginning,” said Marino. With leading players seniors Amy Arcari, Jess Drop, and Larissa Cade, who work well together in the center field at distributing the ball, the girls soccer team plans to push through the State Championships moving onto the second round away against Housatonic, the number one seed, on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Cross Country State Championship On Oct. 31, both the girls and boys cross country teams competed in the CIAC State Championship meet at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut. Both teams performed very well, with the girls team placing second overall. The girls missed first place to Haddam-Killingworth by three points. Junior Lauren Melchionne
showed her positive attitude toward her team: “We are really an amazing team, but we suffer through the pain together, and I am also really excited to see the team work hard and get the recognition that they deserve.” The boys team finished third overall, with Haddam-Killingworth taking first and Canton taking
Girls Cross Country Top Six Runners Samantha Drop, 1st place* (18:58) Alexandra Alsup, 3rd place (19:38) Adriana Wimler, 15th place (20:57) Ashley Dana, 22nd place (21:28) Samantha Vigue, 27th place (21:34) Aubrey Figoras, 35th place (22:18)
second. The boys did not compete in the State Open as a full team, but senior James Peters explained how the boys’ season ended well. “It’s been a really great year,” he said. “Even though we lost our two best runners from last year, we continued to improve this year and placed higher than expected.”
Boys Cross Country Top Six Runners Peter Schulten, 7th place (17:30) Matt Woznyk, 17th place (18:09) James Peters, 35th place (18:45) Sean McMaster, 40th place (18:58) Connor Rulnick, 55th place (19:13) Daniel Turecek, 60th place (19:22)
Cross Country State Opens On Nov. 6, Coginchaug cross country athletes competed at the State Open meet at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut. According to junior Lauren Melchionne, “Athletes from both the boys and girls cross country teams worked
very hard to get to where qualified for the New Engthey are today, and it’s land Championship, which great seeing everyone is scheduled for Nov. 14 perform so well.” State at Thetford Academy in Opens marked the end of Vermont. the season for almost all of the athletes except for one. State Open Top Runners Senior Saman- Sam Drop, 3rd place (19:13) tha Drop has - Alexandra Alsup, 47th place (20:32) Senior Samantha Drop is the only athlete from - Ashley Dana, 95th place (21:19) Coginchaug participating in the Cross Country New - Adriana Wimler, 143rd place (22:31) - Samantha Vigue, 144th place (22:34) England Championship on Nov. 14 in Vermont. - Mary Schulten, 161st place (23:14)
*In our print edition, published Nov. 13, Drop was listed as coming in 6th place; we apologize for the error.
- Peter Schulten, 117th place (18:06)
crhsnews.com
November 13, 2015
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FALL SPORTS UPDATES Volleyball Qualifies for States By Katelynn Branciforte
Photo by Lyndsey Taylor
“Sweeping HK and going to five sets twice with East Hampton” have been highlights of the volleyball season, according to senior captain Caitlyn Sibiskie. They played 20 games in the regular season with a record of 9-11. Although not what they wanted, senior captain Alana Beckert said, “We work well together, and we are a very close team, so there isn’t a lot of drama.” Beckert and Sibiskie are proud to announce that they have three players who are All-Shoreline: Sibiskie for first team, junior Megi Zaclli for second team, and Beckert for honorable mention. As a team, the girls looked forward to competing in States on Monday, Nov. 9. Sibiskie said her team goal was to “again get to semifinals...” However, they lost their to Hale Ray in three close sets. Junior Sydney Brant said, “We had a fun season, thanks to our seniors. We are going to miss them so much, and the team won’t be the same without them.”
Blue Devils Football streak and put all they had onto the field; it showed with their winning score of 56-29. The Devils took their week three win with pride and used it to fuel their game spirit in game four against Windsor Locks/ Suffield/East Granby. They went strong, only allowing the other team two touchdowns. In the end, Coginchaug won by a landslide 46-14. Game five was against
Cheerleaders’ Positivity Carries them through Season By Saige Avery
The cheerleaders have had a successful season so far, cheering for and performing at football games and attending soccer, volleyball, and cross country matchups.
The captains say positive attitudes will carry them through the winter.They have been training hard in preparation for their own competitions in addition to prepping for basketball.
See Saige Avery’s cheerleading update multimedia package at crhsnews.com/category/sports.
By Zac Schleicher The Blue Devils football team had a very different start to their year with a new coaching staff, headed by Coach Nick D’Angelo. The Devils started their season against the Cromwell Panthers and they played with passion. By halftime, they were in the lead; however, within the last three minutes of the game, the Panthers were able to complete a touchdown pass, ending the game 14-20. Game two was against Ellington; this one was a 13-26 loss. Coginchaug went into the game with a good fighting spirit, but they weren’t able to capitalize. The beginning of the season wasn’t looking so great. Luckily, things turned around in game three against Coventry/Windham with a win. The Devils were tired of this losing
Photo by Antonio Arreguin of Photography by Antonio
Morgan. It was a very tough game for the Devils. The entire game, the Devils’ mindset didn’t seem to be in the right place. Morgan made a lot of plays that the Devils should have picked up on and stopped. This was the lowest point of the season so far with a Loss of 0-34. Game six against Canton was an easy win. The Devils dominated all game, only allowing canon a single touchdown in the
Photos by Jose Cadena
fourth quarter. The Devils dominated in quarters one, two, and three ending the game with the final score was 48-6. It was a close contest at Valley, game seven was a loss though unfortunately. Both teams were fighting the entire game to come out the overall victor. The Devils had the lead up until the third quarter. Sadly it wasn’t the Devils. The final score was 20-31. Game eight against Stafford/Somers/East Windsor was a 6-21 loss, a tough
game with the Devils only scoring one touchdown. It sees as though the Devils weren’t in the right mindset going into the game. Hopefully that will all change next week! As it currently stands, the Devils are 3-5 and are ranked 134th in the state. Their next game is a non-conference matchup at home against Granby Memorial on Nov. 14. The Devils will host Veteran Appreciation Day with a pregame tailgate and Senior Day ceremony.
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November 13, 2015
Volume 22, Issue 2
Unified Sports Brings Students Together
Coginchaug Unified Sports took the field for their first competition of the year, a soccer game against Middletown Unified Sports. The team fought hard and had fun. Coginchaug Unified Sports teacher Mr. Robb Bajoros said the team’s first matchup was “an incredible success.” He was also impressed by the sportsmanship and community involvement, as representatives from many other Coginchaug sports teams warmed up with the Unified Sports athletes and cheered them on throughout the game. The team looks forward to a bowling match in the winter among other activities.
Perseverance through Losses By Katelynn Branciforte Leading rusher in the state with 1698 yards, senior Parker Tregoning has made himself a newsworthy player. Tregoning is ranked fourth in the state for total points with 132 and has been nominated on five different occasions for player of the week, recently winning CPTV Player of the Week. Acknowledging it feels great to win and even better to be nominated so many times, Tregoning said, “Thank you to everyone that voted because that is how I won.” Tregoning works very hard in the off season, especially focusing on weight lifting, and finds that he is his own inspiration; however, his biggest supporters are his parents and his coach. His coach is the first to contact him if he has broken any records,
Photos by Robb Bajoros
For more CRHS Sports action, see our online stories at CRHSnews.com.
Durham Locals Run NYC Marathon By Samantha Vigue
and Tregoning says his parents love to hear how he is doing on the field and in the classroom. While he has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks, Tregoning hasn’t forgotten the team aspect of the game. Tregoning says, “Coginchaug is known to be a good team and to have a great coaching staff, but the team puts the team before anything else.” Without a team, individual goals could not be achieved, and records would not be broken. Tregoning hopes to end the season with a total of 2,000 yards and is only 302 yards away from that goal. The Devils will play in their last home game on Saturday, Nov. 14 before which they will honor veterans, have a tailgate, and celebrate their Senior Day.
Durham residents and RSD 13 employees Mrs. Lavinia Vigue and Mr. Jack McShane ran in the New York Marathon on Nov.1, 2015. The duo have been preparing since last year’s race, and their hard work paid off. In the beginning of the race, the two were almost neck and neck, though after the 20-mile mark, Mrs. Vigue got a blister and slowed down but managed to stay within seven minutes of McShane to the end of the race. McShane completed the race in three hours and 23 minutes and Vigue in three hours and 30 minutes. The two had full support from friends and family, screaming for them on the sidelines in multiple spots on the course. Vigue is the CRHS cross country coach and had
Photo by Samantha Vigue
just led the team to a runner-up finish at the Class SS State Championship, qualifying for the State Open Championship.
McShane coaches indoor track and is looking forward to seeing what the team can do this winter season.