Fall Sports 2021 Highlights

After Covid cancelled the 2020 fall sports season, Foote's athletic teams returned with a burst of joy and spirit this fall. Student athletes enthusiastically laced up to develop skills and sportsmanship at a full season of home and away games, as well as regional tournaments. Read on for a team-by-team recap.

 

Cross Country

By Coaches Laura Stanley, Andrew Zielinski, Anne Lu, Kelly Small

This year's cross country team boasted a roster of 50 runners! We had quite a number of 6th graders, who were cheerfully and capably guided by our experienced runners. While our nine-week season held only three meets and the Middle School State Championships, the runners worked hard, remaining both focused and dedicated to the goal of self-improvement over the season.

The boys' team was strong, winning all three of our season races and providing at least four of the top 10 finishers in each race. Our most consistent performer was Aaron Kowalonek, who earned first place in all three meets and had a strong performance at the Championship, earning 10th place in the Small School Division of the A race.

Our girls' team was also competitive, earning second place in each of their three races. Our veteran runners Nora Brock and Eve Mena led the way with top-10 finishes and were joined by newcomer Cosma Gregg. It was a strong season with much growth for all of the runners.

Our four awards were determined by team voting. This year's “Caw Caw Spirit Award” went to 9th grader Max Mudry. The “Steady Eddie Most Improved Runner” was jointly earned by 8th grader Zane Bourne and 6th grader Michael Batsu. The “Smooth Operator Unsung Hero Award” went to 8th grader Levi York. And the coveted “Big Toe Award” was shared by 8th grader Eve Mena and 9th grader Forrester Larsen. Congratulations to all of the runners on a great season!

 

Boys Varsity Soccer

By Coach John Hay

This season, the boys’ varsity soccer team worked extremely hard on the field, built up a strong sense of team spirit and improved significantly toward the end of the season. Despite playing against high schools with significantly older and bigger athletes, they pushed themselves to be competitive and fought hard in every game. 

The highlights of the season came in our last two games. We gave a Hamden Hall high school team a really good, close game eventually losing out narrowly 2-0. Up to that point, it was our best performance of the season and we were slightly unfortunate not to score on several occasions. We performed even better against a similarly aged Hopkins team, this time drawing 2-2, which included an equalizer for Foote in the last few minutes, sparking jubilant scenes on the field. 

The end-of-season “Dirty Cleat Award” went to Lucian Halpern for his committed and courageous performances in every game. An honorable mention goes to Ronan Markowski for scoring 10 goals in our six-game season.

 

Girls Soccer

By Coach Joe Reiser

The girls’ soccer team made some impressive strides throughout the fall season to become a cohesive, tight-knit group of 22 student-athletes. At the beginning of the year, we had a wide range of players, some whom had been playing for many years and others who were brand new to the sport. Through hard work and dedication in practice, we grew into a more complete team and continued to improve in every contest.

The team suffered some tough losses throughout the year but the group continued to fight through adversity and refused to give up. We finished the season with a 3-3-1 record, which included victories over Williams, Christian Heritage and Country School. In our season finale on the turf field at Albertus Magnus, we quickly fell behind1-0, but the team responded with two consecutive goals to capture our third victory of the year. It was great to see the squad showcase everything they learned throughout the year and execute on the field. Every single player on the team contributed, whether on offense or defense, and it was certainly a high moment of the season.

It was a pleasure coaching this group of Falcons this year and we are excited to continue watching their development as student-athletes. Mira Parapatt was the recipient of the “Orange Slice Award.” This award is voted upon by the team and is given annually to the teammate(s) who, in the team's opinion, best exemplifies someone who is energetic, enthusiastic, respectful, competitive, hard working, gives 110%, and who brings a sense of humor and joy for the game.

 

Boys JV Soccer

By Coach Kossouth Bradford

It was a fun and energizing season for the boys’ JV soccer team. It was great to be back on the fields playing sports again and it was apparent throughout the season that boys appreciated the opportunity. We were a young team and the range of ability and experience playing the game was vast. However, we played with effort and heart every game. It was a pleasure to see the players come together as the season progressed and become a close-knit team that cheered and supported each other regardless of the score or whether they were in the game.

A few games were challenging due to some of our opponents having players that were bigger, stronger and older than us. Our team’s determination and optimism never diminished during those games. One of my proudest moments of the season was during halftime of our last game. We were losing 0-3 and although we had a few chances on goal, we were outmatched. When we put our feet in a circle (Covid safety at it’s finest) and yelled “Foote!” before starting the second half, it was easily the loudest we had yelled all season. They were so united and intense, it sent shivers down my spine. At that moment, I knew we were truly a cohesive team. 

Our second and final victory of the season was against IDS. It was a special win because they had beaten us early in the season at home. For the boys to go to IDS and handily beat them 6-3 showed a lot of character and a growth mindset. They didn’t go into the game demoralized from the previous loss but instead learned from it and came back stronger. Well done, JV boys soccer!

 

Field Hockey

By Coaches Megan Williams and Sheila Lavey

Under the leadership of our 8th graders—Addie Oakes, Annie Cady, Kendall Dobratz, Samantha Bernstein and Viv Maleska—Foote Field Hockey returned triumphantly to the field! We welcomed many new players to the team, who integrated quickly, learned valuable skills and improved their physical fitness.

A highlight of the season was being able to return to the annual field hockey jamboree held at the Bement School in Deerfield, Massachusetts in October. We enjoyed the gorgeous autumn day and shared our love for the sport with many like-minded athletes. Our team hung tough, holding teams with older players to a single goal, courtesy of spectacular goaltending by Annie Cady.

Our final regular season record was five wins and one loss. All together, the girls scored many goals this season spread across many players. In addition to Annie’s goaltending, she was assisted on by our stalwart defenders. Kendall Drobatz ably played center midfield, a position requiring great endurance. Our 6th and 7th graders rounded out the team and assisted on midfield and offense. We will very much miss the players moving on from Foote but we look forward to many returning players next fall!

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