Winter Sports are back in action at Old Saybrook High School! Both boys and girls basketball and indoor track, gymnastics, and ice hockey are offered at OSHS, with each season underway. From the high energy night games, to the meets filled with team bonding, there is so much to offer during this season.
The Boys Basketball team, although facing struggles last season, are having many successes with a record of 6-8. (As of 2/9). Last year, the Rams finished the season 6-14, one win better than the previous season (5-15). Chris Perras, the head coach, has a small team, consisting of a young group of 15 guys. To kick things off, the boys started off with a win over Coginchaug in overtime 62-52 on 12/18. Then, the Rams traveled to Norwich on 12/20 to take on Norwich Tech, coming out with a victory 61-49. Sophomore Tavin Royster led the way that came with a 19 point, 11 rebound double double. On 12/22, the Rams faced Westbrook, coming out with a victory 81-34 as sophomore Liam Laurie had a career high 27 points. The 3-0 start for the boys was one of the best starts they have had in the past 3 years. The defending shoreline champions, Old Lyme Wildcats, came to Old Saybrook to play the Rams. After the third quarter was back and forth, with each team being within one point of each other, the Wildcats pulled away in the end 65-51. After a long winter break, the Rams were back in action on January 6th, facing Hale-Ray at home. The Rams fell 55-56 despite their comeback.. The Boys bounced back on 1/9 against Portland for a 51-40 win. North Branford gave the Rams a battle, with the Rams falling short of their comeback on 1/12. A 63-41 final score against HK gave the Rams their 5th win on 1/16. The boys will continue to fight for a top seed in the Shoreline conference, facing both in conference and out of conference teams in the remaining games.
The Girls Basketball team is currently 3-9 as of 1/29. The girls are coached by Steve Woods, who is the building sub at OSHS. He has been coaching the girls team for over 2 decades, this year marking his 26th. Senior Captain Olivia Stone is the lone senior this year for the Rams. She says, “I think that our team works very well together and we have a strong bond on and off the court.” The girls team, with only 13 players, is young, but sophomore Laney Loukoumis has no doubt they will have a strong future. The girls traveled to Griswold on January 3rd where they had a 50-42 victory. Sophomore Sophia Kolesnik led the way with 21 points and 4 threes. Ainsley Sigersmith, a first year Junior, also had a notable game with 12 rebounds. The girls team will continue to play both Shoreline conference and other out of conference schools this winter.
As for the Rams Indoor Track Team, they have had several meets in different parts of the state. They had one in Hartford, another at Hillhouse, and multiple at the Coast Guard Academy. Senior Captain Nick Dutra runs a multitude of events, but his favorite is the 400 meter. He says, “I really like running track and it’s a great opportunity to have friendly competition.” Nick is a captain alongside juniors Gordon Martino and Chase Comboni. As for the girls’ team, they are led by juniors Hannah Belknap and Jameli Jara-Velez. Jameli runs the 55 meter hurdles and has a personal-record of 9.36 seconds.
While they may not be wearing Old Saybrook jerseys, Skylar Harrison, Keegan Dobratz and Charlie Dee represent Old Saybrook on their co-op teams. Skylar is a part of the Shoreline Co-Op Gymnastics team and is a captain this year, while Charlie and Keegan are a part of the North Branford ice hockey team. Keegan says, “I like being able to connect with other kids from different towns who share the same interests as me.” The North Branford Hockey team picked up their first win of the season on December 30th, after overcoming New Milford 10-9.
