Fall Captains 2011
By Danny Rizzuto- 11/09
More by Danny Rizzuto
NEIRAD enilno edition
Boys' Football- Mike Stovall, Brett O'Donnell, Patrick McDonald, Corey Eppley
Girls' Field Hockey - Galen Rohn, Lilly Cassidy
Girls' Swimming & Diving - Cammie Kirby, Rebecca Liu
Boys' Soccer - Eric Kanigan, Lewis Clarke, Matt Collier, Elliott Helgans
Girls' Volleyball - Charlett Stevenson, Katie Steuber, Amanda Sommi
Boys' Cross Country - Michael Johnston, Eli Converse, Michael Coe, Charlie Baird
Girls' Cross Country - Livy Ashburne, Emma Davis, Sherry Gilronan, Meredith Ott
Girls' Soccer (not pictured) - Leslie Yuen, Marieke Bravo
Now that school is back in session, fall sports are in full throttle with eight DHS teams looking to have strong seasons. Last year, DHS teams brought home three FCIAC titles and one state title. And this year Darien looks to add to the tally. Leading the way for these teams are 24 senior captains, all of them given the responsibility of upholding Darien’s athletic prestige.
Boys Soccer, Boys Cross Country, and Football have something to prove this coming season. Boys Soccer, led by Elliott Helgans, Eric Kanigan, and British duo Lewis Clarke and Matt Collier, is working to improve off of last season and to qualify for a tournament for the first time in two years. Boys Cross Country had a strong finish to the season last year, finishing second in FCIAC and State. Now this season the team will look to climb into first place, looking to Michael Johnston, Charlie Baird, Michael Coe, and Eli Converse for inspiration.
And then there is Blue Wave Football. The reigning FCIAC champions graduated a good amount of seniors, so the team has an uphill battle ahead. However, captain Patrick McDonald said, “even though we are a young team, we have lots of depth and lots of talent.” And captain Brett O’Donnell said, “teamwork is necessary for a strong season.” Other captains Corey Eppley and Mike Stovall believe that Darien can overcome the doubt and finish first in States.
The Darien girls teams that have seasons this fall are soccer, swimming and diving, field hockey, cross country, and volleyball. One team that surprised their conference last year was the Girls Soccer team. The team had an impressive run last year, upsetting the number one seed in both tournaments and reaching the semifinals in the State tournament and the quarter finals in FCIACs. And this season, captains Leslie Yuen and Marieke Bravo will look to improve, hoping to capture a championship in one of the tournaments. “I have really high expectations for next season because we have nine starters returning, and our whole team has a lot of talent and experience,” said Bravo.
Another team looking for the gold this fall is swimming and diving. The team finished third and fourth last year in States and FCIACs, however captains Cammie Kirby and Rebecca Liu are looking to recapture the titles. The field hockey team won both FCIACs and States last year and will work to retain the titles this coming season through the inspiration of captains Lilly Cassidy and Galen Rohn.
The Cross Country captains for next year, Emma Davis, Meredith Ott, Sherry Gilronan, and Livy Ashburne are hoping to have a good season and qualify for FCIACs and States. The Girls Volleyball team had an unfortunate final game last season, losing in the State final. But this year captains Amanda Sommi, Katie Stueber, and Charlett Stevenson look to get the team back to its winning ways. DHS girls will surely bring a lot of pride and recognition to DHS this season.
DHS’s fall sports teams have a golden opportunity to add to their list of titles this season. Whether it is the football or field hockey team looking to retain their titles or Boys and Girls Soccer looking to earn their first, the DHS community has the privilege to have eight strong teams this fall.
