Amity Varsity Sports Schedule For Oct. 5-9
Following is the Amity Varsity sports schedule for Oct. 5-9
It looks like we’re in for some nice fall-like weather for the entire week. Enjoy. GO Spartans!
Monday, Oct. 5
V Field Hockey v. Sacred Heart Academy Home – Amity 4:00 p.m. L 0-1
V Girls Volleyball v. Lauralton Hall Home – Amity 5:00 p.m. W 3-0
V Girls Swimming and Diving v. Mercy Home – High Plains 6:45 p.m. W 94-83
Tuesday, Oct. 6
V Boys Cross Country v. Notre Dame-West Haven, Platt Tech Away – Eisenhower Park 3:45 p.m.
V Girls Cross Country v. Lauralton Hall, Platt Tech Away – Eisenhower Park 3:45 p.m.
V Boys Soccer v. Foran Home – Amity – Field # 3. 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
V Girls Soccer v. Foran Away – Foran Turf Field 3:45 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8
V Field Hockey v. Lauralton Hall Away – Lauralton Hall-Turf Field 4:00 p.m.
V Girls Volleyball v. Foran Away – Foran High School -Edna L. Fraser Gymnasium 5:15 p.m.
V Girls Swimming and Diving v. Hamden Home – High Plains 6:45 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9
V Girls Soccer v. Lauralton Hall Away – Lauralton Hall-Soccer Field 3:45 p.m.
V Boys Soccer v. Notre Dame-West Haven Home – Amity Field # 3 4:00 p.m.
Meet the 2020 Amity Boys Cross Country Team
Over the years, Amity has had a lot of talented runners, both boys, and girls.
Often, there’s one stand-out, who outpaces his or her teammates and opponents on the trails or tracks.
This year, the boys’ runner that you will most likely hear about a lot is Orange resident Mason Beaudette. His brother Kyle Amity ’17 won the MVP award at the Block A Dinner that year. During local races, his mom would tell me, just watch Mason, he may even be faster.
During this season’s first competition against Wilbur Cross in Woodbridge, the Amity Junior led the pack in the 5k and crossed the finish line a solid minute before the entire field.
Seven of his teammates were among the top ten. It looks like the Spartans are off to a great start.
This year’s team, coached by Christopher Elledge, are:
Freshmen
Max Corvino, Nicholas Demarco, Tyler Derosa, Gregory Hofstatter, Christopher Nam, Anton Rathjens, Bowen Tullo, Raymond Walls, Eric Zhang, and Kyle Zhang.
Sophomores
Francis Cavallaro, Ai
den Courtney, Ryan Magri, Sheehan Munim, Harshil Parmar, Sean Pivovar, and Marc Vanschaick.
Juniors
Joshua Baitch, Mason Beaudette, Benjamin Cap, Scott Lowder, Brodey Lu, James Nichol, Colby O’Connor, Christopher Oko, Parker Paragas, Nolan Smith, and Kelvin Zhang.
Seniors
Jack Cadelina, Christian Chen, Juan Garcia, Michael Haverstock, and Adarsh Kongani.
Beaudette The Leader Of The Pack In Amity Cross Country
The Amity Boys Cross Country Team had its first race of 2020 on Thursday and Orange resident Mason Beaudette, a junior, proved he has the right stuff, just like his brother, 2017 Amity grad Kyle Beaudette.
Even though eight Amity runners were among the top 10 finishers, Wilbur Cross came out on top this time 38-23.
Keep on moving boys!
BOYS VARSITY DUAL MEET SCORES 5.0 km FINISH
1. Amity 1 4 5 6 7 (8) (9) = 23 2. Wilbur Cross 2 3 10 11 12 (13) (14) = 38
BOYS VARSITY INDIVIDUAL 5.0 km FINISH
Place | TmPl | No. | Name | Gr | School | Time | Pace |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 702 | Mason Beaudette | 11 | Amity | 17:10 | 5:32 |
2 | 2 | 765 | Nikita Omelchenko | 11 | Wilbur Cross | 18:00 | 5:48 |
3 | 3 | 753 | Wolf Boone | 11 | Wilbur Cross | 18:45 | 6:03 |
4 | 4 | 716 | Brodey Lu | 11 | Amity | 18:51 | 6:04 |
5 | 5 | 712 | Michael Haverstock | 12 | Amity | 19:19 | 6:13 |
6 | 6 | 706 | Christian Chen | 12 | Amity | 19:28 | 6:16 |
7 | 7 | 722 | Parker Paragas | 11 | Amity | 19:32 | 6:17 |
8 | 8 | 721 | Colby Oconnor | 11 | Amity | 19:33 | 6:18 |
9 | 9 | 714 | Adarsh Kongani | 12 | Amity | 19:55 | 6:25 |
10 | 726 | Nolan Smith | 11 | Amity | 19:59 | 6:26 | |
11 | 10 | 764 | Ethan O’Connor | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 20:01 | 6:27 |
12 | 705 | Frank Cavallaro | 10 | Amity | 20:21 | 6:33 | |
13 | 11 | 752 | Donald Bailey | 11 | Wilbur Cross | 20:24 | 6:34 |
14 | 724 | Sean Pivovar | 10 | Amity | 20:29 | 6:36 | |
15 | 12 | 759 | Brandon Inahuazo | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 20:34 | 6:38 |
16 | 720 | James Nichol | 11 | Amity | 20:43 | 6:41 | |
17 | 729 | Cian Walls | 9 | Amity | 21:01 | 6:46 | |
18 | 13 | 766 | Jorge Sampedro | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 21:06 | 6:48 |
19 | 14 | 760 | Phi Lam | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 21:15 | 6:51 |
20 | 728 | Mark Vanschaick | 10 | Amity | 21:23 | 6:53 | |
21 | 762 | James Maciel | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 21:29 | 6:55 | |
22 | 763 | Hector Meza | 11 | Wilbur Cross | 21:52 | 7:02 | |
23 | 739 | Mekhi Banks | 11 | Hillhouse | 21:52 | 7:03 | |
24 | 761 | Elmer Lucero | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 21:54 | 7:03 | |
25 | 704 | Benjamin Cap | 11 | Amity | 22:14 | 7:10 | |
26 | 703 | Jack Cadelina | 12 | Amity | 22:19 | 7:11 | |
27 | 741 | Tremayne Sweat | 11 | Hillhouse | 22:22 | 7:12 | |
28 | 758 | Jadon Gomez-Stafford | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 22:29 | 7:14 | |
29 | 711 | Juan Garcia | 12 | Amity | 22:36 | 7:17 | |
30 | 742 | Mikiel Wade | 12 | Hillhouse | 22:49 | 7:21 | |
31 | 757 | Owen Faulkner | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 23:28 | 7:34 | |
32 | 755 | Jayden Cardenas | 10 | Wilbur Cross | 23:56 | 7:43 | |
33 | 756 | Ali Fadhil | 12 | Wilbur Cross | 24:12 | 7:48 | |
34 | 718 | Sheehan Munim | 10 | Amity | 24:18 | 7:50 | |
35 | 708 | Aiden Courtney | 10 | Amity | 24:54 | 8:01 | |
36 | 754 | Matthew Cain | 11 | Wilbur Cross | 25:07 | 8:06 | |
37 | 730 | Eric Zhang | 9 | Amity | 26:18 | 8:28 | |
38 | 701 | Joshua Baitch | 11 | Amity | 27:11 | 8:45 | |
39 | 723 | Harshil Parmar | 10 | Amity | 29:14 | 9:25 |
This Week’s Amity High School Varsity Sports Schedules
Let the games begin! Following is something we haven’t seen in a long time, the Amity High School Varsity sports schedule.
Thursday, Oct. 1
V Girls Swimming and Diving v. Cheshire Away – Cheshire Community Pool at 3:00 p.m.
V Boys Cross Country v. Career Magnet, Hillhouse, Wilbur Cross. Home – Fitzgerald Field at 3:45 p.m.
V Girls Cross Country v. Career Magnet, Hillhouse, Wilbur Cross. Home – Fitzgerald Field at 3:45 p.m.
V Field Hockey v. North Haven Home – Amity Regional High School-Field Hockey Field at 4:00 p.m.
V Girls Volleyball v. Shelton Away – Shelton High School-High School – Murray Gymnasium at 6:00 p.m.
V Girls Swimming and Diving v. Cheshire Home – High Plains Community Center at 6:45 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 2
V Girls Soccer v. Shelton Home – Amity Regional High School-Amity High School – Field # 3 at 4:00 p.m.
V Boys Soccer v. Shelton Away – Shelton High School-High School – Finn Stadium at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4
V Girls Volleyball v. Platt Tech Home – Amity Regional High School-Paul D. Mengold Gymnasium at 11:30 a.m.
V Field Hockey v. Shelton Away – Shelton High School-High School – Finn Stadium at 1:15 p.m.
Obituary: Carla Appel, 59, Beloved Wife, Mother, Friend, Dog Lover
Carla Nastri Appel, 59, of Orange, CT passed away on August 2, 2020, after a short illness. She is survived by her husband Ken, and her four sons Ken Jr., David, Michael, and Tyler.
She was the daughter of Dolores Nastri and the late Anthony Nastri. She also leaves behind brothers James Nastri (Nancy) and Mark Nastri (Violet) as well as her cherished nieces, nephews, and extended family.
Carla was a graduate of Gateway Community College where she earned a degree in Dietetic Science. She worked as a dietician and personal trainer and was passionate about her work. Her optimism and energy were contagious.
In her youth, Carla was an outstanding athlete competing in gymnastics, track and field, and bodybuilding, winning numerous contests throughout New England. The joy of her life, however, was her family. She took such great pride in all of her son’s athletic activities especially, baseball. She was always their biggest fan and along with her husband, seldom missed a game. She loved bringing her dog Brinley to her son’s games.
Carla was a compassionate and positive woman, a dedicated mother and wife, and a devoted friend. We will forever remember her big heart and beautiful smile. She will be dearly missed.
Services will be private at the West Haven Funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Martin DePorres Academy, 208 Columbus Ave., New Haven, CT 06519.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carla (Nastri) Appel, please visit the floral store.
In Spite Of Woodbridge Residents’ Efforts Amity Will Get Its Turf Field
During the various Amity High School Graduation events, I heard of a grassroots effort in Woodbridge to overturn the tri-town referendum decision to pass a turf field at the High School.
Parents, teachers, and athletes (most outgoing seniors) voiced a common concern. “What makes them think they have the right to do that?”
The last-ditch effort to block the approved turf field amid a pandemic went forward at two Woodbridge Planning and Zoning meetings this month.
History
After many years of trying to improve playing conditions for its athletic teams, and one failed referendum for an all-weather field in September 2013, Amity administrators worked tirelessly in 2019 to come up with a plan for a new sports complex at the high school.
A referendum was scheduled for December 4, 2019, which included two projects. The first project addressed improvements to the building and grounds facilities at all three schools.
The second project aimed for improvements to the Amity Regional High School outdoor athletic facilities. This project includes a complete upgrade of the athletic stadium, as well as upgrades to the competition field. The athletic stadium was last improved 30 years ago, and almost all aspects of the stadium are at end-of-life.
The asphalt track, constructed in 1999, would be replaced with a post-tensioned concrete track with an expected lifespan of 50 years or more. The metal halide lights and wooden poles, installed in 1988, would be replaced with energy-efficient LED lights on metal poles.
An all-weather field would be installed, replacing the current sod field. Installation of an all-weather field would increase the use of the stadium from its current single sport, football, to all six-field sports by adding competition space for girls’ field hockey, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and girls’ and boys’ lacrosse.
The proposal also included the installation of an LED scoreboard, which would allow the scoreboard to be adjusted to the sport or competition being played in the stadium. Lastly, the proposal included enhancements to the current Amity competition field. This field, originally designed as a practice field, would be upgraded with permanent spectator bleachers and an ADA compliant walkway, and an LED scoreboard.
Preparations
Public hearings were held to give tri-town residents opportunities to share their thoughts and any concerns about the projects.
Endless hours debating the safety of sod fields vs astroturf fields with health experts clarifying all the misinformation regarding alleged cancer-causing agents in the materials that would be used at Amity.
Hundreds of school athletic fields across the state and country have these fields with no documented health issues. Amity athletes play on these fields at away games all the time and no one ever complained of illness or injury from the field material.
The Referendum took place as scheduled with the following results
Recently, Woodbridge residents decided to fight back in order to get their way.
A small, but organized group of gadflies came together and spread the word that turf fields are deadly in many ways. •runoff would contaminate the underground water sources, •the shredded rubber causes cancer, etc, etc, etc, all arguments that were disproven during the public hearings last year.
They flooded the Town Planning and Zoning Commission with letters demanding that the project be rejected for those reasons and more.
On July 6, the Woodbridge TP&Z met online due to the COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings and spent the evening reading the letters one after another until the chairman lost his voice. The meeting was continued until Monday evening, July 13.
Last night the Commissioners met online again and read letters from Woodbridge residents who opposed the plan and even some Orange residents who are in favor of it.
In the end, the facts won out over rumors and all other objections, and the original results of the December Referendum held strong.
Amity WILL have a new sports complex with a turf field. A groundbreaking will take place in the near future.
A Great Day For A Graduation Ceremony
The COVID-19 pandemic destroyed many people’s livelihoods, hopes, and dreams, but it couldn’t stop the Amity High School administration from giving students a meaningful commencement ceremony.
It was hard for high schools to plan their ceremonies because the virus kept changing everything. First, the question was, “Will we be returning to school?” then “Will we be able to get the entire class on the football field at once while keeping them at a safe distance?” and of course, “Will we be able to invite families and keep everyone at a safe distance?”
So many questions, so many rules and so little time. But somehow Amity did it. With many teachers all-in to make it a special day for the graduating seniors, the 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Wednesday, June 10, ran like clockwork.
On Tuesday, a virtual ceremony was taped and streamed live at http://video.amityregion5.org/show?video=d293e7a41123
The virtual portion of the ceremony includes the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Junior Class President Isabella Pfannenbecker, followed by addresses from Mrs. Anna Mahon, Principal of ARHS, Dr. Jennifer Byars, Superintendent of School for Amity Regional School District #5, Mr. John Belfonti, Chairperson of the Board of Education, Jayson Hutchinson, Senior Class President, Martin Gnidula, chosen to address the class for outstanding extra-curricular achievement, Sophia Wang, chosen to address the class for outstanding academic achievement and Mrs. Jill LaPlante, Director of Counseling Services, to present the Amity Award of Excellence.
The ceremony found at http://video.amityregion5.org/show?video=d8807aa23a6f was available for everyone to see and It was seamless.
We encourage the entire community to take the time to watch the ceremony and begin the commencement exercises of 2020 to honor this outstanding senior class.
The students and their families first arrived at the staging area at the Church-Our Lady of Assumption parking lot on Center Road at a designated time for their waves with car placards displayed on the passenger-side dashboard.
Cars were assembled upon entering the front parking lot of the church and exited out the back parking lot exit (to Rice Road) at the appointed time. Mrs. Jill LaPlante, Director of Counseling Services, as well as Amity Regional High School security and Woodbridge Police Dept. were on-hand at the church parking lot to help organize and send each wave.
After exiting the church parking lot, the caravan of students/families proceeded to the back gate of the high school campus. At the entry point, each car was given a program and one faculty message booklet per graduate. Cars will process through campus to the first station at the tennis court where teachers were waiting to cheer on the graduates.
The cars stopped at the top of the hill and Associate Principal Miguel Pickering took the names of the graduates then Groups of 4 graduates (up to 8 cars) were “released” from the first station and proceeded down the hill to the stop sign at the corner outside of the district offices.
Seth Davis, senior class advisor, Director of Athletics Ernie Goodwin, athletic trainer Kim Pearce, and Athletic Department Administrative Assistant Lori Bonney were stationed here, and if a student received an award or lettered in a sport, he or she would receive it here.
Davis took the graduates’ names and radioed ahead which place he or she would take in the lineup. Cars were held at station 2 to allow for the front of the building to clear. Then they would drive around to the bus loop in front of the school.
There were 4 designated locations for diploma distribution. At the designated location, each graduate exited exit his/her car while wearing a mask and waited for Mrs. Mahon to announce his/her name.
After hearing his/her name, the graduate walked to the carpet, removed the mask, and posed for an official picture holding a diploma jacket. After the picture, the graduate returned the diploma jacket to a bin and the graduate picked up his/her diploma folder with the official documentation inside.
Graduates then listened for Supt. Byars’ turn of the tassel announcement and, after turning their tassels, returned to their vehicles and exited campus through the Newton Road front entrance.
Although unconventional, parents should appreciate the fact that for the first time ever they were allowed to be close enough to their children to actually see their faces when they graduated. Usually, they are seated in the stands packed like sardines hundreds of feet away.
Congratulations to all of the Amity Graduates, I’m so happy that you were able to have some kind of ceremony, to see your teachers again, and to share it intimately with your parents.
Great Job Amity Administration and teachers. I’ll see you next year.
The 2020 graduation ceremony concludes on July 7 with the final group of students receiving their diplomas(about 40 students chose this option). Orange Live will post more information on this event when it becomes available.
Goodwin Hosts the 64th Amity Block A Awards
It is with great pride and a sense of sadness that I present to you this year’s winners of the 64th Annual Amity Block A Awards.
This is Amity’s big night to honor its most amazing athletes, a night that some of the boys and girls have looked forward to for four years. But due to the COVID-19 restrictions the ceremony, for which I have been the photographer for the past 8 years or so, was canceled.
But a pandemic wouldn’t stop Amity Athletic Director Ernie Goodwin from honoring the athletes and involving all of their coaches for the Virtual 64th annual Block A Awards (without the dinner)
It wasn’t as long as usual, and the athletes weren’t able to accept their awards in front of their peers and parents, but hopefully hearing what their coaches had to say about them and why they were chosen as the team MVP, a specialized scholarship recipient, scholar-athlete or the coveted player of the year, gave each one some comfort, especially the seniors for which this has been a really trying year.
That said, here are the 2019-2020 Block A Award-Winning Athletes:
Most Valuable Players
Boys Basketball – Joe DiGello
Girls Basketball – Jillian Martin
Cheerleading – Isabel Cavanagh
Boys Cross Country – John Dill
Girls Cross Country – Ariana Garay
Dance Team – Sydney Reiner
Field Hockey – Tess Csejka
Football – Joe DiGello
Boys Ice Hockey – Justin Miller
Girls Ice Hockey – Tess Csejka
Boys Indoor Track – Ariel Gordon
Girls Indoor Track – Audrey Marin
Boys Ski Racing – James Fortin
Girls Ski Racing – Natalie Prinz
Boys Soccer – Ali Bobi
Girls Soccer – Jenna Ciola
Boys Swimming – Tyler Roy
Girls Swimming – Katie O’Connor
Girls Volleyball – Zoey DiZenzo
Wrestling – Simon Flaherty
Unified Sports
Unified Sportsmanship Award – Andrew Serrano
Coach’s Association Awards
Coach of the Year Award – Todd Patterson (Wrestling — Amity’s best year)
Assistant Coach of the Year Award – Mike Brady (Boys Basketball)
Coaches Association Outstanding Service Award – Beth Young (Booster Club)
Special Awards and Scholarships
Steven J Zeider Award (swimming) – Casey Donovan
James Dunleavy Award (hockey) – Caleb Marcin
Thomas G Laugeni Award – Tyler Roy
Thomas G Laugeni Award – Alexandra Plaza
Mark E Greco Award – (hockey) Sai Neelam
Jeremy Saxe Award – Zach Young
Athletic Director’s Award – Ethan Kaempffer
Albert J. Seymour Award – Will Rotko
Albert J. Seymour Award – Dana Della-Giustina
Scholar-Athletes
Scholar-Athlete – Zach Young
Scholar-Athlete – Ella Marin
Paul Mengold Award
Paul Mengold Award – Haley Cable
Versatility
Versatility Award – Simon Flaherty
Versatility Award – Ana Carney
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship Award – Nico Semonella
Sportsmanship Award – Payton Papa
And Finally Top Honors Go To
The 2020 Athletes of The Year
Athlete of the Year – Joe DiGello
Athlete of the Year – Tess Csejka
See the entire Block A Award Presentation below:
https://youtu.be/yaRbTFVk8oA
Amity Grad Honored by Saint Mary’s College Athletic Department

Osinski, who was a four-year member of the Saint Mary’s lacrosse team, was named as the recipient of the Impact Player Award. A two-time All-MIAA selection, she is listed in the top four in program history in career goals, assists, and points.