Colin Nangle ’06 Earns All-NESCAC Honors

Colin Nangle

Colin Nangle ’10 — a former Staples captain — was 1 of 4 Middlebury College players named to this year’s all-NESCAC (Northeast Small College Athletic Conference) team.  The quartet helped lead the Panthers to a 10-5-2 season, and a trip to the NESCAC championship game.

Colin anchored a back line that allowed just 0.86 goals per game.  The Panthers registered 7 shutouts this year, as they won 7 of their last 9 matches.

This was Colin’s 2nd consecutive All-NESCAC selection.  He started all 17 games for Middlebury this fall, and played in 70 matches in his college career.  He ended his 4 years with 7 points, including 1 goal his rookie season.

Alan Reiter And Brendan Lesch Named To All-State Team

Alan Reiter

Fans who watched the Staples soccer team this year knew they had a great midfield.  Now the rest of the state officially agrees.

Senior quad-captain Alan Reiter and junior Brendan Lesch have been named to the All-State team, as selected by the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association.  The duo were chosen based on their high rankings by FCIAC coaches.

Reiter, who was named an All-State player last year, is Staples’ 1st repeat selection since Ross McGibney in 2004 and ’05.  Lesch is a 1st-time choice.

Brendan Lesch

This is the 1st time the Wreckers have had 2 CSCA All-State picks in the same year since 1989, when Chris Mitchell (1st team) and Alex Deegan (2nd team) were chosen.  Now there is only 1 squad.

“To have 2 players chosen is quite an honor,” said head coach Dan Woog.  “To have 2 central midfielders chosen is outstanding.  It’s a position that requires talent, toughness, intelligence, poise, vision, intelligence, creativity and passion.  Alan and Brendan play very different styles, but both possess all those qualities.  I am happy for them, and proud of them.”

For a list of Wreckers’ honors through the years, click here.

Turkey Bowl Turnout Sets Record

A Staples record 50 participants turned up this morning for the annual Turkey Bowl.  Simultaneous cross-field games on the Wakeman turf provided plenty of fun for all — from Ken Murphy ’76 and Stuart McCarthy ’79 to members of this year’s state championship varsity squad.  Shane Dasbach ’17 also played.

Alumni playing for the 1st time ever included Charlie Stoebe ’04 and Jon Zimmerman ’05.

Stig Johansen ’88 (Italy), Chris Strausser ’81 (California) and Andrew Cornish ’85 (Wyoming) traveled the furthest.  And yes, the older guys put on quite a show.

Charlie Reiter ’06 Named To Academic All-America 1st Team

Excelling both in the classroom and on the field, Davidson University senior Charlie Reiter has been named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team for men’s soccer.

Charlie Reiter

The 2009 Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the Year boasts a 3.48 grade point average, and majors in political science.  Charlie is a 2-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection, a member of the Davidson Scholars program, and was a member of Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel last summer.

“This is a big-time honor for Charlie, because it celebrates his combined strengths as a scholar-athlete,” said head coach Matt Spear.  “On the academic side, Charlie has achieved each and every semester, and always seems very composed, organized, and confident with his studies.  He has handled the rigors, managed his time well and maintained the right balance.”

Charlie scored 12 goals and added 8 assists this year, starting all 18 matches.  Playing at forward regularly for the first time in his career, he was among the national leaders on offense.  He finished the season ranked 9th in points per game  (1.78).  His teammates elected him Davidson’s Most Valuable Player. Charlie played in every match during his 4-year career at Davidson, starting 48 of 77 games.

Dave Sharpe ’07 Leads Villanova To National Club Tournament Bronze

Dave Sharpe ’07 missed Staples’ state championship reason.  Something very important had to have kept him away — and it did.

Dave Sharpe

The keeper — a state tournament finalist himself 3 years ago — was in Arizona, helping his Villanova University club soccer team to a 3rd-place finish at the national tournament.

‘Nova won its group, shutting out Kansas (2-0) and USC (1-0), and defeating Eastern Carolina too.

Sharpe’s side beat Colorado in the quarterfinals, but were edged 2-1 in the semis by a big, fast and very good San Diego State team.  ‘Nova outplayed the eventual winners in the 1st half.

Villanova and UCLA agreed to share 3rd place.  Congratulations, Dave, on a great run!

We’re #6!

Staples head coach Dan Woog and his staff always stress that rankings mean nothing.  When pushed, they concede that the final poll of the year counts for something.

Well, the final polls are in.  The state champion Wreckers finished 6th in the country, and 1st in New England.

Though Staples has been ranked higher nationally in mid-season National Soccer Coaches Association of America polls during previous years, both are final-ranking records for Staples.

Nationally, the Wreckers leaped from “Not Ranked” to #6 on the strength of their state tournament semifinal victory over previously unbeaten Glastonbury (ranked 4th in the nation in the previous poll), and their subsequent state final win against New Milford.

In New England, the Westporters vaulted from #11 to #1.  The only other Connecticut teams in the Top 11 are Brookfield (#7) and Tolland (#10).

“In a way, the rankings are silly,” Woog said.  “How can anyone say we’re better than Seton Hall (NJ) Prep (#7), but not as good as Apple Valley of Minnesota (#4)?

“But the fact that we’re the highest rated team in the country with 2 losses shows that people around the country recognize the strength of Connecticut high school soccer.

“And the fact that 14 of the 25 teams are private or Catholic schools — which recruit — is a testament to our public high school program.  Being #6 in the country, and #1 in New England, isn’t our proudest achievement — but we’re not giving it back.”

The final Connecticut high school poll (conducted by coaches) also shows Staples in 1st.  The Wreckers — #3 last week — received 7 first-place votes.  Second-place Brookfield earned 1 first-place vote.  The rest of the Connecticut Top 10 for classes LL and L, in descending order:  Glastonbury, New Milford, Guilford, New Canaan, Simsbury, Farmington, Amity, Avon.

(To see the NSCAA national poll, click here.  For the New England rankings, click here.)

More Factoids On Staples’ State Championships

Thanks to Antonio Pastor ’84 for passing this information along:

• Staples’ appearance in the 2009 state final ties them with Wethersfield for the most state championship appearances ever.  The Wreckers and Eagles both have 17.
• Staples is now in a 3-way tie with EO Smith-Storrs and Guilford for the 2nd-highest number of state titles: 12.  Wethersfield leads with 14.
• However, Staples leads the state for the most championships at the largest division contested.  Staples won all its titles in L-M, L and LL whenever they were the largest division (based on school population).  EO Smith, Guilford and Wethersfield all won championships in smaller divisions.  Smith and Guilford are currently LL schools; Wethersfield is L.
• Wethersfield competed in the very 1st state soccer tournament, in 1948.  Staples did not field its 1st soccer team until 10 years later.  EO Smith’s program was founded the very same year:  1958.  Information on the start of Guilford’s program is not available.

More factoids to follow, as they are unearthed.

The Wreckers trail Wethersfield by 2 state titles.

Professional Video Available Of State Championship Match

Bird’ s Eye Sports is a Westport-based professional sports video production company.

They produced a great broadcast of the Staples-New Milford state championship match.  There are multiple cameras, and play-by-play announcers.  (For a short preview, click here.)

Unfortunately, it’s shown on CTSN, a Hartford channel on Comcast — not in Fairfield County.

Fortunately, Bird’s Eye has made the DVD available for purchase by the general public.  The cost is $40 — to order,  click here!

Bird's Eye Sports captures all the action from the state championship match -- including Brendan Lesch's header goal.

Staples’ Victory Margin Is Largest In Connecticut History*

After Saturday’s state championship match, several alumni asked:  Is that the largest margin of victory by any Wrecker squad?

It is.  Not only that, it’s the largest margin of victory in the state tournament’s largest division since the event began 61 years ago, in 1948.

A check of the CIAC archives reveals that no team playing in the largest schools division — called L-M from 1948-61, L from 1962-74, and LL from 1975 on — has ever won the final by more than 3 goals.

In fact, only twice before in 6 decades has a team in the largest division scored as many as 4 goals in the final.  In 1954 Wethersfield defeated Manchester 4-1, while in 1977 Hartford Public downed Danbury 4-3.

One more for the record books!

The Wreckers celebrate 1 goal, in a record-setting 4-goal state final margin of victory. (Photo by Susan Woog Wagner)

Turkey Bowl Set For Thanksgiving Morning At Wakeman B

The Turkey Bowl — a decades-old tradition for all Staples alumni and current varsity players — will once again be played Thanksgiving morning, at 10 a.m.  Kickoff is the Wakeman B turf field (to avoid parking problems due to the football team’s game against Greenwich).

All alumni and varsity players are invited to play, and work up a holiday appetite.  Spectators are warmly encouraged too!

Turkey Bowl 2007 was played at Loeffler Field. This year's event is set for Wakeman B.