Frankie Bergonzi, Luke Yeager Named Basketball Captains

Next winter, 2/3 of the Staples boys basketball captains will be soccer players.

Frankie Bergonzi and Luke Yeager join Gabe Seidman in leading the 2010-11 Wreckers, head coach Colin Devine has announced.

This year, with only 1 senior, Staples was 10-10 in the regular season.  They dropped their 1st state tournament game to upstate powerhouse Windsor.

After that contest, Bergonzi said:  “As a team, we always had high expectations.  Few people expected us to get 10 wins but as the season progressed, we came together as a team and got varsity experience.  We’re looking to have a great year next year and with almost all of the guys returning, we hope to go far in FCIACs and states.”

Congratulations to all 3 captains.

Frankie Bergonzi

Luke Yeager

Staples Volleyball Wins 8th Straight FCIAC Title; Mikey Fitzgerald Named MVP

Mikey Fitzgerald and Steven Denowitz added volleyball FCIAC medals to last fall’s soccer crowns yesterday.

Both played key roles, as Staples defeated Darien 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17) to win their 8th consecutive league championship.  The Wreckers have now won 99 consecutive matches.

Mikey Fitzgerald has done a lot of celebrating this year.

Fitzgerald was named Most Valuable Player of the finals.  He had 17 assists, 8 kills and 9 blocks.

Denowitz (1 kill, 1 assist, 8 service points, 1 ace, 3 blocks, 1 dig) contributed several key blocks when the match was tight.

Staples was the #1 seed, while the #3 Blue Wave rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun #2 Ridgefield 3-2 in the semifinals.

The Wreckers now try for their 5th consecutive state L championship — and 8th title in 9 years.  Seeded 1st — with an opening round bye — they host the Danbury-Norwich Free Academy winner in next Friday’s (June 4) quarterfinals.

Game time in the Staples gym is 7 p.m.

Frankie Bergonzi, Ryan Armour Inducted Into National Honor Society

Frankie Bergonzi and Ryan Armour were 2 of the 39 juniors inducted yesterday into the National Honor Society.  The organization’s motto is:  “Character, Scholarship, Leadership, Service.”

Outgoing president Nick Cion led the ceremony.

Congratulations to all new NHS members!

Frankie Bergonzi

Ryan Armour

Jack Hennessy Named FCIAC Baseball Player Of The Year

Jack Hennessy — the soccer, indoor track and baseball captain — has added another credential to his sparkling resume.

Staples’ 2nd baseman was voted Player of the Year by FCIAC coaches.

Jack Hennessy in soccer action -- with the baseball diamond in the background.

The Wreckers — 18-2 — were upset in the 1st round of the league playoffs by Westhill.  But the state tournament begins next week, and Jack — with 108 hits — has a shot at breaking both the FCIAC and state career hits record (116 and 126 respectively — the latter held by Bobby Valentine of Stamford’ s Rippowam High).

Last spring Jack led the Westporters to their 2nd straight FCIAC title.  He was voted MVP of the league tournament.

“Jack has been a leader on and off the field for us,” said Staples coach Jack McFarland.

“The fact that he was voted FCIAC Player of the Year by the coaches speaks volumes about Jack’s impact on the league.

“He used the entire field,” McFarland continued.  “He probably has at least 15 bunt hits during his career, and he also has 8 or 9 home runs.  He’s a line-to-line hitter.  That’s what makes him so tough to defend.”

After graduating next month, Jack will run track at Boston College.

Girls Lacrosse Team Honors Preston Hirten ’07

The Staples girls team honored teammate Ella Hirten’s brother Preston ’07 in a pre-game ceremony this morning.

Kat Krieger

Tri-captain Kat Krieger — whose brother Jeff plays freshman soccer — taped a heartfelt speech.  The girls wore white ribbons in their hair — and then went out and trounced St. Joseph, 17-6.

Several of Preston’s teammates — including Alex Gendell, Brad Green, Gennadiy Gurevich, Ben King, Dave Sharpe and Matt Sych — along with current player Mikey Scott were in the stands.

Kat’s speech is below.  Click here to read the entire day’s report on Westport Patch.

My name is Kat Krieger and I am writing on behalf of Coach Schager, my co-captains Lexa Koenig and Blair Barone, all of my teammates and the entire Staples High School girls lacrosse program.

Today, Staples girls lacrosse honors its dear friend and teammate, Ella Hirten, and the memory of her brother, Preston.  Thank you all so much for coming and recognizing this important tribute. Whether you know Ella, her family or knew her brother, you could not have attended Staples High School and not known of Preston Hirten. He was a soccer legend, an amazing player, a fierce competitor, a kind soul, an intense athlete and person, and a truly remarkable individual.

The entire community was stunned last August by the sudden passing of Preston. He has been described by his Staples soccer and coach and friend, Dan Woog,  as ‘hard working , ultra-competitive… and one of the sparkplugs of the team.’  We are so glad that you have come out to support SHS lacrosse and the entire Hirten family.

We rallied around the Hirtens in the fall and we want Ella, Mr. and Mrs. Hirten and (older sister) Justine to know that we remember them and we remember Preston.  To use Dan’s words again: ‘Anyone who watched him play – who saw his combination of speed, skill  above all determination — knew he loved the game, and loved being on the field with his friends. Preson never gave less
than his best. In doing so, he lifted the quality of play of everyone around him. you could not give less than your best with Preston around.  And in the process, you had plenty of fun.’ That is what we intend to do today, and hopefully every time we take the field.

Whether you wear the number 15 (Preston’s number at Staples), the number 19 (his number in college, or a ‘Play for Preston’ tee-shirt,  we want to take a moment to remember a truly outstanding member of our community. The white ribbons we wear in our hair today are to symbolize hope, life, love, to honor Ella and her family and to remember Preston.

May Preston’s memory and legacy live on and on, not only in his family and friends but in Staples high school sports as well.

We dedicate today’s game and play to his memory and in honor of his sister and our teammate and friend, Ella, his parents,  his older sister, Justine and the rest of the extended Hirten family and friends.

Wakeman Speed Camp Returns For 6th Year

Kurt Dasbach’s Wakeman Speed Camp — which has trained dozens of Staples soccer players in speed, strength and flexibility — returns for its 6th year this summer.

Sessions are set for Mondays and Thursdays, 5 to 6:20 p.m., from June 28 through August 12.  As always, campers can sign up for and enroll for the entire summer, or only those sessions when they’ll be in Westport.

Kurt’s training methods improve speed in just a few short weeks. Over the past 5 years, the average camper improved his 40-yard dash time by 16%. The median improvement is 19%.

This past year Kurt received a level 3 certificate from the International Institute of Advanced Speed Training in Lausanne, Switzerland.  For many years he has helped improve the speed of professional, Olympic, college, and high school athletes. Having played professional soccer in Europe and South America, Kurt is especially adept at developing speed for soccer purposes.

In a recent national survey of high school and college coaches, speed — not technical skill or tactical knowledge – was cited as the most desirable quality among prospective players.

For more information, including registration procedures, click on www.wakemanspeed.com.

Speed is enormously important in soccer -- and most sports. Soccer players Jack Hennessy, George Birch and Sean Gallagher are also indoor track stars. The Wakeman Speed Camp is a great way to train in the summer.

All HS Players Trying Out For Staples Soccer: Meeting June 1

All 9th, 10th and 11th graders interested in trying out for this fall’s Staples soccer program:  There is an important meeting Tuesday, June 1 (2:20 p.m.) in the faculty dining room (back of the cafeteria).

Summer league, training and tryout information will be handed out, along with physical and parent permission forms.

Anyone unable to attend the meeting should email head coach Dan Woog:  dwoog@optonline.net.

Want to be part of the Staples boys soccer excitement next year? Come to the June 1 meeting.

Jack Hennessy Reaches 100 Hits

Staples’ soccer, indoor track and baseball captain reached a milestone yesterday — his 100th career hit.

As the Norwalk Hour‘s Matt Doran notes, Jack Hennessy is only 26 hits shy of the state high school record.  It was set by Bobby Valentine — yes, that Bobby Valentine — when he played for Rippowam High School in Stamford.

Here’s what Matt wrote about Jack on the “Hour Sports Minute” blog:

Jack Hennessy has been terrorizing opposing pitchers since the time he stepped on the field as a freshman four years ago. On Saturday, the scrappy second-baseman went where few high school baseball players ever go, collecting his 100th career hit during a 7-5 victory over St. Joseph in Trumbull.

Hennessy, a three-sport captain who started for four years in three different sports at Staples, has shown the ability to hit for power. But his strength has always been his speed and instincts for the game.

Simply put, Hennessy is a throwback, someone who does whatever it takes to get on base, whether it’s a double in the gap, a walk or a drag bunt. Once he’s on, Hennessy is a nightmare for opposing catchers — a major pain in the butt. Stealing bases and scoring runs is his job as the leadoff hitter at Staples, and Hennessy certainly does it well.

So it’s only fitting Hennessy, the 2009 FCIAC tournament MVP and the Hour’s All-Area MVP, reached the 100-hit milestone with a bunt single in the second inning.

“He used the entire field,” Staples head coach Jack McFarland said. “He probably has at least 15 bunt hits during his career and he also has eight or nine home runs. He’s a line-to-line hitter, and that’s what makes him so tough to defend.”

Hennessy, a terrific high school soccer player who has decided to run track at Boston College, is now 26 hits behind Bobby Valentine’s state record of 126 set during his days at Rippowam of Stamford.

Glenn Katz of Norwalk High, a former outfielder at UConn who played in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system, owns the area record with 116 hits. Katz is also the co-coach of the Westport American Legion team.

McFarland isn’t sure where Hennessy stands on the Staples all-time hits list, but 100 definitely puts him in a class of his own.

“It just proves what a great player he is,” McFarland said. “Every coach in the FCIAC knows who he is. The goal is always to keep him off base. He makes an impact every game he plays.”

Jack Hennessy is so fast, an ordinary camera can't capture him. (Photo by Carl McNair)

Dan Donovan ’82 Named To ABC House Board

Dan Donovan ’82 — who captained the 1981 Staples team to the state championship, then starred at Lehigh University — has been named to the executive board of A Better Chance of Westport.

Dan Donovan

“ABC” offers motivated students of color from educationally disadvantaged areas who demonstrate potential for academic excellence and leadershipthe opportunity to live in Westport during the school year.  They attend Staples,  and participate in town activities.  Junior varsity player Stephan Patterson is an ABC Scholar.

The Staples boys soccer program supports the ABC auction every year, donating the varsity team to the higher bidder.

Dan founded Envision Pharma, a medical research firm.  In 2008 he sold the company to United Biosource Corporation.

Frankie Bergonzi Commits To Colgate

Junior Frankie Bergonzi — a starting defender since freshman year — has verbally committed to Colgate University.

The 2010 tri-captain also stars in basketball, and played baseball until this year, when he joined Beachside Soccer Club.  He is a consistent 1st honors student.

Frankie Bergonzi

Bergonzi follows a long line of Wreckers who have achieved success at the New York school, including Tim Purcell ’85, Peter Sheinbaum ’88 and Scott Coleman ’88.  One of the 1st female soccer stars at Colgate was former Staples player Jeanne LoCurto Lesch, mother of junior Brendan Lesch.

“This is a great fit for Frankie,” said Staples head coach Dan Woog.  “The Patriot League is an excellent conference, and Colgate is one of those schools that everyone who goes there loves.”

Raider head coach Erik Ronning has a long friendship with Staples athletic director Marty Lisevick, going back to their Simsbury days.

Bergonzi is the 2nd Staples junior to verbally commit to a college, following Lesch’s choice of Notre Dame University.  At least one other Wrecker may also commit soon.