Page 265 - WHS FH 2014 Memory Book - Megan Cunningham

Thursday, November 26, 2014 © Hersam Acorn Newspapers

Best of Awards for WHS Fall Sports

Following are The Bulletin’s best-of awards for the 2014 Wilton High School fall sports season.

Game: When the Wilton and Lauralton Hall field hockey teams meet, you can expect a tense, low-scoring
game, usually decided late in the contest. This season’s Class M state semifinal between the teams was no
exception. With a spot in the finals on the line, the game scoreless, and just over seven minutes left to play,
the Warriors got goals from Bridget Ward (Assist Meg Cunningham) and Katherine Campbell (Assist Bridget
Ward) — less than three minutes apart — to beat Lauralton Hall, 2-0, and advance to the state finals for the
fourth straight year.

Performance: Senior Rod Djaly Thoby did a little of everything — in a big way — for the Wilton High
football team in its 34-7 nonconference win over Branford. As a wide receiver, Djaly Thoby caught two
touchdown passes. As a cornerback, he allowed no completed passes to the Branford players he was defending
and also intercepted a pass. And as a kick-off returner, he had returns of 52 and 87 yards, both of which set up
Wilton touchdowns. Djaly Thoby ended the game with 181 all-purpose yards.

Comeback: When the Greenwich girls volleyball team took a 2-0 lead over Wilton on Oct. 10, the match’s
outcome appeared to be assured. After all, Greenwich came into the contest with a 10-2 record and in the midst
of a 10-match winning streak, while Wilton was 4-9 and had yet to beat an opponent with a winning record. But
playing before a home crowd, Wilton refused to be typecast. The Warriors won the next two games to tie the
match and then prevailed, 15-12, in the fifth game to pull off a 3-2 triumph. Sabrina Malik was a catalyst for
Wilton, finishing with 15 service points, 20 digs and four kills.

Moment: Wilton’s season-opening football game against Guilford took place on Sept. 11 this year, the 13th
anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Fittingly, Wilton head coach Bruce Cunningham invited his friend Joe
McHugh, the battalion chief of New York City Fire Department’s Ladder 25 company, which was among the
first rescue groups responding to the attacks on the World Trade Towers. After speaking to the team earlier in
the day, McHugh performed the opening coin toss and then watched the game from the Wilton sidelines.
Wearing #25 patches on their uniforms, the Wilton players responded with a victory, beating Guilford, 20-6.

Coach: With eight starters graduating, the Wilton High field hockey team faced a challenge in order to remain
among the state’s top squads this fall. But veteran head coach Deirdre Hynes was able to incorporate a host of
newcomers into the lineup as the Warriors reached the Class M state championship for the fourth consecutive
year. Although a 2-1 loss in that game to Daniel Hand ended Wilton’s three-year reign, Hynes and the young
Warriors did what all elite programs do: Keep being a power no matter how high the roster turnover.

Athlete: Wilton senior Spencer Brown added his name to the list of the best boys cross country runners in
program history — doing so in bold-font, all-capital letters. Brown had top-three finishes at the FCIAC
(second), Class L (second) and State Open (third) meets before placing 14th at the New England
championships.

Team: No Wilton team won a conference or state title this fall, but the field hockey team came closest. The
Warriors went 17-4-1, losing to New Canaan in the FCIAC semifinals and Daniel Hand in the Class M state
finals. For the season, Wilton scored 68 goals and allowed just 11. The near future doesn’t look any less
daunting for opponents: The Warriors’ roster included just four seniors.