High Impact Times: A MetalNED Exclusive, ECC Athletes of the Week
A MetalNED Exclusive, ECC Athletes of the Week.
The Windham Whippets Run to ECC Division II Title
A MetalNED Exclusive
There were seconds left in last Tuesday’s Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II girls’ basketball final when Windham senior Alyssa Lebiszczak snared her second steal of the game. It was a fitting ending on a night in which the Whippets hassled, hustled and ran their way past rival Stonington, 52-38, to win their second tournament title in three seasons.
“We used our speed to take their size away,” Windham second-year head coach Robert Mangual said. At first glance, the Whippets looks like they’re at an instant disadvantage. In a sport in which height is a necessary trait, it has little of it — it doesn’t have a player taller than 5-foot-7. The Whippets (19-4) make up for being, ah, “vertically challenged” by their willingness to run. And run and run and run and run.
“We run a lot (at practice),” Mangual said. “We run ladders. We run so (much). Sometimes, we’ll just run for five minutes up-and-down (the floor) just to get (better) conditioning. That’s one thing we’ve gotten better at from last year to this year.” It was the third time Windham played Stonington (15-8) this season with the teams splitting their regular season meetings. The Whippets won the first match-up at home, 66-40 (Dec. 15). The Bears beat Windham, 53-42, on Jan. 24. The championship game was also a rematch of last season’s ECC D-II final.Stonington is the anti-Windham in that it has size and it used it to win that game, 40- 31.
Windham used its superior quickness — and a lot of moxie — to beat the larger Bears. Its trademark full-court defensivepressure led to it having 15 steals and forcing 26 turnovers. “Oh, man, they love it,” Mangual said about his player’s willingness to play full-court defense. “They want to guard the best players full court, and when they get beat, we’ve got help on the other side. We’ve got a good rotation.”
The Whippets also managed to stymie Stonington post Rory Risley, a 6-foot-1 junior center. She was the Most Outstanding Player of last season’s ECC D- II final as she dominated the interior. Risley missed seven of nine shots andscored just four points in last Tuesday’s ECC D-II final. Windham freshmen Asijha Harris (eight points, four offensive rebounds) and Jaida Green (four rebounds) were the two most responsible for guarding Risley. “It’s crazy,” Mangual said. “That was the girl who was the (ECC D-II) tournament MVP last year. This year, she only had four (points). The game plan was to front her help side and we pressured (their) guards a little bit more to not allow them entry passes to the bigs.”
The Whippets also outrebounded the taller Bears, 30-26. Zoee Robins, another Windham freshman, had a big impact on the game. She came off the bench and made 6 of 10 shots for 13 points and added three assists and threesteals. Robins, one of the smallest players on the floor (5 feet), earned Most Outstanding Player honors.Senior Hailey Flores (7 points, 5 rebounds) and junior Aniya Jenkins (8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) both earned All- Tournament honors for the Whippets. Junior Jaelize Rivera ran the point most of the game for Windham. She did a bit of everything for her team (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks). “These kids were so happy (to win the title),” Mangual said. “I was happy for them.”
Junior Katelyn Cadmus (16 points, 5 rebounds) and senior captain Presley Smith (7 rebounds) both earned all-tournamenthonors for Stonington. Junior Leah DePerry added 6 steals. Windham is seeded fifth in the Class Mtournament, which begins this week. Defending champion East Hampton is the top seed.
NFP Sports was on hand as ECC Hosted the Boys Basketball Finals at Mohegan Sun Arena
In game 1 action, Wheeler took the Division II crown over Stonington. In the night cap, St. Bernard won the Division I championship in convincing fashion over Fitch. We were happy to welcome fellow ECC sponsors/partners Domino’s of Southeastern CT, Metro Team Sports, JayPro and the Brian Dagle Foundation.
We even got to see our friends with Christopher Potvin Scholarship Fund, who were on hand to collect donations for this years scholarship drive.
CHSCA Basketball Players of the Week
The votes are in, and the first edition of the CHSCA Basketball Players of the Week have been decided. The Girls’ CHSCA Basketball Player of the Week is Pomperaug High School basketball player Taylor Brennan . And the CHSCA Boys’ Basketball Player of the Week is Newtown High School basketball player Makai Coleman.
Congratulations to both Taylor and Makai on their hard work being rewarded. Remember to vote on the CHSCA website each week for who you think should win CHSCA Basketball Players of the Week.
CHSCA Ice Hockey Players of the Week
One of the best traditions in Connecticut high school sports is the weekly CHSCA Ice Hockey Player of the Week program sponsored by Cheshire Sport & Hamden Sports Shop. This week, we have two extremely talented student athletes taking home the award.
This weeks Boys’ Ice Hockey Player of the Week is Rocky Hill Co-op forward, Charlie Maxwell. Maxwell takes home the award after an impressive stretch of games for the Terriers. Congratulations Charlie!
This weeks Girls’ Ice Hockey Player of the Week is East Catholic Co-op goalie, Lola Espirito-Santo. Espirito-Santo tallied an excellent stretch of games in net for the Storm which earned her the award of Girls’ Ice Hockey Player of the Week. Congratulations Lola!
ECC Athlete of the Week Winners
We’re back for another week of recognizing the best athletes from the ECC for the ECC Athlete of the Week program sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.
This weeks ECC Boys’ Athlete of the Week is Norwich Free Academy wrestler, Zaire Wallace. Wallace performed at an extremely high level on the mat for Norwich Free Academy and his hard work paid off as he won this weeks ECC Boys’ Athlete of the Week. Congratulations Zaire!
This weeks ECC Girls’ Athlete of the Week is East Lyme High School cheerleader, Lily Daley. Daley had an impressive week for the Vikings cheer team this past week and it earned her the award of ECC Girls’ Athlete of the Week. Congratulations Lily.
NFP Sports High Impact Fundraisers
Southington Football David’s Cookie Dough
This offseason, the Southington High School football team is fundraising by selling David’s Cookie Dough. To purchase some delicious cookies from Snickerdoodle to Chocolate Chunk, all you have to do is click on THIS LINK. From there, you’ll be able to choose which student athlete you’d like to support with your donation and then you can pick the amount. This is an awesome way to support the Southington High School football team as they gear up for an exciting season this fall.
Ledyard Cheer David’s Cheesecake Fundraiser
This season, the Ledyard High School cheer team is fundraising by selling David’s Cheesecakes. To purchase some great cheesecakes from strawberry to caramel, all you have to do is click on THIS LINK. From there, you’ll be able to choose which student athlete you’d like to support with your donation and then you can pick the amount. This is an awesome way to support the Ledyard High School cheer team as they fundraise to ensure they’ll continue to have a great season.
Fitch Fencing Online Donations Campaign
This fencing season, the Fitch High School fencing team is fundraising through an online donations campaign. To donate to the Fitch High School fencing team and ensure that they continue to have a great season, all you have to do is click on THIS LINK. From there, you’ll be able to choose which student athlete you’d like to support with your donation and then you can pick the amount. This is an awesome way to support the Fitch High School fencing team as they continue an exciting season.
Upcoming Events
Glazier Clinics Will Be Back in Connecticut in March!
The Connecticut High School Coaches Association shared the following message on behalf of their sponsor:
What separates great coaches from everyone else?
#1 They spend the off-season getting better.
#2 They go to in-person clinics.
#3 They learn from the best!
Glazier Clinics – the only provider of nationwide in-person football clinics – is coming to Greenwich March 8-10 with up to 150 sessions by some of the top coaches around:
Brad Idzik - WR Coach for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
John Marinelli - Pass Game Coordinator at UCONN
Aaron Whitecotton - D-Line Coach for New York Jets
Pete Lembo - Special Teams Coordinator at South Carolina
Brandon Napoleon - Safeties Coach at Jacksonville State
With a Glazier Unlimited Season Pass you get unlimited access for unlimited coaches to:
All Glazier’s 26 Clinics, and Leadership Summits, Coordinator Schools, Head Coach Academies, Athletic Performance Clinics, Option Clinics, and 8-Man Clinics.
Glazier Drive, a digital football coaching platform with more than 40 coaching systems and 2,000 videos with more being added each week.
Go to Glazier Clinics to register!
Follow Glazier on X and Facebook!
The Walter Camp Football Foundation Breakfast of Champions is Approaching!
Not only will Connecticut High School Football Coaches be busy with two great clinics at the end of February/beginning of March. They will have the opportunity to take part in the biggest high school football awards event in New England on March 16th. That is when the Foundation will host its 16th annual Breakfast of Champions. More information and a link to purchase tickets can be found at: Walter Camp Breakfast of Champions – Walter Camp Football Foundation.
16th Annual Southington Football Lineman Challenge.
NFP Sports is happy to support the 16th Annual Southington Football Lineman Challenge. The event will take place on Saturday, July 13th at Southington High School. The cost is $275 per team. In addition to NFP Sports, event sponsors are Buffalo Wild Wings, Stadium System and Diamond Ice.
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/sW8JETnC5mKZ7U859
We look forward to seeing our teams compete!
The NFP Sports 7-on-7 will be held on Saturday, July 20th at Day Hill Dome in Windsor!
It is now called The NFP Sports 7-on-7 Summer Showdown. The annual event has been extremely competitive over the years with Windsor winning for the 3rd consecutive year, edging out Bloomfield in the championship game in each of the last two contests.
We are hoping to host between 18-24 teams at this year’s event. We welcome back our event sponsors, Buffalo Wild Wings, Stadium System and Diamond Ice. As always, all teams will receive free t-shirts and the winning team enjoy a free meal at Buffalo Wild Wings!
The price is $495 for all teams and will still offer the following discounts to our NFP Sports Teams:
High Impact Discount ($300) for teams that are signed and have run or are scheduled to run a spring/summer or winter fundraiser (ie: Cookie Dough/Golf Pack/Online Donation) and are signed and scheduled to run a fundraiser in the Fall of 2024 (ie: Discount Card/Discount Pack/Cookie Dough). Discount brings total cost down to $195.
Primary Discount ($200) for teams that are signed and scheduled to run a fundraiser in Fall of 2024 (ie: Discount Card/Discount Pack/Cookie Dough). Discount brings the cost down to $295.
Secondary Discount ($100) for teams that have run or are scheduled to run an off-season fundraiser in Spring/Early Summer of 2024 (ie: Cookie Dough/Golf Pack/Online Donation). Discount brings total cost down to $395.
Teams can register at: https://bit.ly/2024-NFP-Summer-7on7-Registration
Thank You To Our Sponsors!
Connecticut High School Coaches Association
Aqua Turf Club
Buffalo Wild Wings
Glazier Clinics
Stadium Systems
Town Fair Tire
Cheshire Sport & Hamden Sports Shop
Eastern Connecticut Conference
Brian Dagle Foundation
Buffalo Wild Wings
Dodd Stadium
Domino's of Southeastern Connecticut
Game On
JayPro Sports
Kelley's Pace
Metro Team Sports
University Orthopedics
Valenti Auto Group
Vocatura's Bakery
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If you’re interested in fundraising with NFP or looking to work with us on the sports marketing front, you can send an email to james@nfpbrands.com.