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Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while looking forward to watching Boston Red Sox Grapefruit League action on NESN, beginning Feb. 20 with the annual battle against Northeastern.
It’s never too early to take a look at some of the high-profile football games that Norwich Free Academy, Killingly, Griswold/Wheeler and the Valley Panthers have scheduled for the 2026 season.
The Connecticut High School Football Alliance recently released its 122-game schedule for 2026. With the Pequot Conference joining the Alliance this season, every league in the state is now a participant in the scheduling format.
Now in its ninth season, the Alliance also welcomes three Rhode Island schools (Bishop Hendricken, North Kingstown and Westerly), one Massachusetts team (Shepherd Hill Regional) and one Pennsylvania school (Scranton Prep) into the rotation.
Here are the matchups for the Wildcats, Trailblazers, Wolverines and Panthers. The game days and times will be determined in the spring.
Week 1: Killingly at Sheehan, NFA at Westerly (R.I.).
Week 2: Darien at NFA, Woodland at Killingly, Griswold/Wheeler at Ellington, Valley Panthers at CREC.
Week 4: Lewis Mills at Griswold/Wheeler, Bishop Hendricken (R.I.) at NFA.
Week 5: Shepherd Hill Regional (Mass.) at NFA.
Week 7: Griswold/Wheeler at Wilbur Cross, Valley Panthers at East Haven.
Week 11: Killingly at North Haven.
It’s a blockbuster slate with Griswold and Valley headed to New Haven County in the same week, and a pair of state championship rematches for Killingly in Week 1 versus Sheehan (2024 Class SS) and Week 11 versus North Haven (2022 Class MM).
And how about Week 1 when NFA head coach Dylan Schroth brings his Class LL state semifinalist Wildcats to his Rhode Island hometown and alma mater Westerly High School?
Tim Menard has been named the girls’ golf coach at Norwich Free Academy. Menard, who is an NFA alum, replaces Jessica Chapman who stepped down after last season.
Menard has been the assistant fencing coach at NFA since 1996. He also served for two years as an assistant with the girls’ tennis team.
“Coach Menard is a familiar face on our campus,” NFA athletic director Chris Guisti said in a press statement. “As an assistant coach in two sports and a game day worker for two others, he knows our kids and he knows the expectations for NFA athletics. I’m confident in his ability.”
As an elected member of the Norwich Golf Course Members Association, Menard has served as a representative for the Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA). He’s also been a volunteer rules official for the CSGA.
Menard served 31 years as a police officer in Norwich before retiring as captain.
“Girls’ golf at NFA has experienced a great deal of success in recent years, and I hope to continue that pattern,” Menard said in a press statement. “I’m looking forward to getting started in the spring and continuing to serve my alma mater as best I can.”
More: NFA, Woodstock girls' basketball teams ready to 'amp up' for postseason
The 83rd Gold Key dinner, presented by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (CSMA), will be held on Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
Originally scheduled for last October, the annual dinner was postponed after the death of Alliance President Tim Jensen in September at the age of 59.
The 2025 Gold Key recipients are Rachele Fico, star softball pitcher at Masuk High School in Monroe and Louisiana State University; Nick Giaquinto, Stratford, UConn football standout and 1983 Super Bowl champion with Washington; James Jones, longtime Yale University men’s basketball coach; Dave Wallace, Waterbury native and pitching coach of the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox; and UConn great Kara Wolters, one of just 12 women to win a NCAA and WNBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.
The Gold Key dinner has always felt like Oscars Night for Connecticut sports. Among the other honorees are:
President’s Award: Peter King, Enfield High School graduate who was the lead NFL writer for Sports Illustrated for nearly 30 years.
Doc McInerney High School Coaches of the Year: Anne Burrows, Bloomfield girls track and field; John Reiser, Manchester boys basketball.
Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year: Brooke Strauss, Glastonbury High School cross country/track and field, indoor mile national champion, UConn commit.
Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year: Magnus Manley, Ridgefield High School cross country/track and field, high school All-American, Yale commit.
Hal Levy High School Achievement Award: Fred Williams, Northwestern Regional High School girls basketball coach with state record 745 wins.
Bob Barton Excellence In Media Award: Wayne Norman, WILI sportscaster for more than half a century.
Bob Casey Courage Award: Matt Buckler, longtime sports journalist and auto racing announcer.
John Wentworth Good Sports: Rick Evangelisti and Bill Neller (Litchfield Hills Road Race); Ray DaCosta (CT Northstars youth basketball founder); Skip Falcone (West Haven Twilight Baseball League); Alex Palluzzi (Branford Parks and Recreation, Branford Hall of Fame); and Bruce Wilhelm (Enfield and regional youth soccer administrator).
Bo Kolinsky Special Recognition Award: Dolores Sawchuk, Colchester, champion of Bacon Academy athletics for nearly 80 years.
Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship: Kyle Clark, Rockville High School.
Tickets sold for the original banquet date will be honored in May. Tickets are $80 and may be reserved by contacting Alliance member John Holt by email at [email protected] or by phone at 508-740-4738.
More: Retiring athletic director 'humbled and proud' to be part of NFA community
The Norwich Sports Hall of Fame is now accepting applications for the Class of 2026.
There is a big change this year. The age for Hall of Fame candidates has been lowered from 40 to 35. Anyone can submit a nomination letter to norwichsportshalloffame.org. Submissions are open until February 28.
On February 13, 1972, the United States defeated Poland, 6-1, in the final round of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
The following day, Finland edged Sweden, 4-3, and the USSR topped Czechoslovakia, 5-2, in the game that decided the gold medal. Those results lifted the U.S. from fourth to second for an unexpected silver medal. The Americans had upset both the Czechs and Finland earlier in the tournament.
Some hockey historians still say that the 1972 US hockey team’s silver medal is as surprising as the gold medal wins in 1960 and 1980. It helped that Canada, who was protesting the Olympic Committee not allowing their NHL stars to compete, didn’t send a team to Japan.
The US team featured Needham (Mass.) legend Robbie Ftorek, Boston College stars Tim Sheehy and Kevin Ahearn (Milton, Mass.), Massachusetts natives Dick McGlynn (Medford) and Stu Irving (Beverly) and Mark Howe, the 16-year-old son of Gordie Howe who became the youngest hockey player to win an Olympic medal in ice hockey history.
Jimmy Zanor is a sportswriter for the Norwich Bulletin and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@jzanorNB.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: A look at Alliance high school football matchups | Zanor column
Continue reading...
Football Alliance Schedule
It’s never too early to take a look at some of the high-profile football games that Norwich Free Academy, Killingly, Griswold/Wheeler and the Valley Panthers have scheduled for the 2026 season.
The Connecticut High School Football Alliance recently released its 122-game schedule for 2026. With the Pequot Conference joining the Alliance this season, every league in the state is now a participant in the scheduling format.
Now in its ninth season, the Alliance also welcomes three Rhode Island schools (Bishop Hendricken, North Kingstown and Westerly), one Massachusetts team (Shepherd Hill Regional) and one Pennsylvania school (Scranton Prep) into the rotation.
Here are the matchups for the Wildcats, Trailblazers, Wolverines and Panthers. The game days and times will be determined in the spring.
Week 1: Killingly at Sheehan, NFA at Westerly (R.I.).
Week 2: Darien at NFA, Woodland at Killingly, Griswold/Wheeler at Ellington, Valley Panthers at CREC.
Week 4: Lewis Mills at Griswold/Wheeler, Bishop Hendricken (R.I.) at NFA.
Week 5: Shepherd Hill Regional (Mass.) at NFA.
Week 7: Griswold/Wheeler at Wilbur Cross, Valley Panthers at East Haven.
Week 11: Killingly at North Haven.
It’s a blockbuster slate with Griswold and Valley headed to New Haven County in the same week, and a pair of state championship rematches for Killingly in Week 1 versus Sheehan (2024 Class SS) and Week 11 versus North Haven (2022 Class MM).
And how about Week 1 when NFA head coach Dylan Schroth brings his Class LL state semifinalist Wildcats to his Rhode Island hometown and alma mater Westerly High School?
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NFA’s new golf coach
Tim Menard has been named the girls’ golf coach at Norwich Free Academy. Menard, who is an NFA alum, replaces Jessica Chapman who stepped down after last season.
Menard has been the assistant fencing coach at NFA since 1996. He also served for two years as an assistant with the girls’ tennis team.
“Coach Menard is a familiar face on our campus,” NFA athletic director Chris Guisti said in a press statement. “As an assistant coach in two sports and a game day worker for two others, he knows our kids and he knows the expectations for NFA athletics. I’m confident in his ability.”
As an elected member of the Norwich Golf Course Members Association, Menard has served as a representative for the Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA). He’s also been a volunteer rules official for the CSGA.
Menard served 31 years as a police officer in Norwich before retiring as captain.
“Girls’ golf at NFA has experienced a great deal of success in recent years, and I hope to continue that pattern,” Menard said in a press statement. “I’m looking forward to getting started in the spring and continuing to serve my alma mater as best I can.”
More: NFA, Woodstock girls' basketball teams ready to 'amp up' for postseason
Gold Key dinner
The 83rd Gold Key dinner, presented by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (CSMA), will be held on Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
Originally scheduled for last October, the annual dinner was postponed after the death of Alliance President Tim Jensen in September at the age of 59.
The 2025 Gold Key recipients are Rachele Fico, star softball pitcher at Masuk High School in Monroe and Louisiana State University; Nick Giaquinto, Stratford, UConn football standout and 1983 Super Bowl champion with Washington; James Jones, longtime Yale University men’s basketball coach; Dave Wallace, Waterbury native and pitching coach of the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox; and UConn great Kara Wolters, one of just 12 women to win a NCAA and WNBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.
The Gold Key dinner has always felt like Oscars Night for Connecticut sports. Among the other honorees are:
President’s Award: Peter King, Enfield High School graduate who was the lead NFL writer for Sports Illustrated for nearly 30 years.
Doc McInerney High School Coaches of the Year: Anne Burrows, Bloomfield girls track and field; John Reiser, Manchester boys basketball.
Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year: Brooke Strauss, Glastonbury High School cross country/track and field, indoor mile national champion, UConn commit.
Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year: Magnus Manley, Ridgefield High School cross country/track and field, high school All-American, Yale commit.
Hal Levy High School Achievement Award: Fred Williams, Northwestern Regional High School girls basketball coach with state record 745 wins.
Bob Barton Excellence In Media Award: Wayne Norman, WILI sportscaster for more than half a century.
Bob Casey Courage Award: Matt Buckler, longtime sports journalist and auto racing announcer.
John Wentworth Good Sports: Rick Evangelisti and Bill Neller (Litchfield Hills Road Race); Ray DaCosta (CT Northstars youth basketball founder); Skip Falcone (West Haven Twilight Baseball League); Alex Palluzzi (Branford Parks and Recreation, Branford Hall of Fame); and Bruce Wilhelm (Enfield and regional youth soccer administrator).
Bo Kolinsky Special Recognition Award: Dolores Sawchuk, Colchester, champion of Bacon Academy athletics for nearly 80 years.
Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship: Kyle Clark, Rockville High School.
Tickets sold for the original banquet date will be honored in May. Tickets are $80 and may be reserved by contacting Alliance member John Holt by email at [email protected] or by phone at 508-740-4738.
More: Retiring athletic director 'humbled and proud' to be part of NFA community
Norwich Sports Hall of Fame
The Norwich Sports Hall of Fame is now accepting applications for the Class of 2026.
There is a big change this year. The age for Hall of Fame candidates has been lowered from 40 to 35. Anyone can submit a nomination letter to norwichsportshalloffame.org. Submissions are open until February 28.
Comments and Observations …
- The only thing missing from the Super Bowl was a touchdown plunge from William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Yup, the New England Patriots’ 29-13 spanking by the Seattle Seahawks wasn’t nearly as close as the final score. The Pats’ offensive ineptitude reminded me of Super Bowl XX when Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears walloped the Patriots, 46-10, on Jan. 26, 1986 in the Louisiana Superdome. And Seattle’s defense doesn’t even belong in the same sentence with the ‘85 Bears. Richard Dent, the Bears defensive end, was named the MVP.
- Of course, the best Super Bowl commercial was “Good Will Dunkin” featuring Boston’s own Ben Affleck wearing a blonde wig to portray Matt Damon’s character in “Good Will Hunting.” The commercial also featured “Friends” co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Newton (Mass.) native Matt LeBlanc, “Cheers” star Ted Danson, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, “A Different World” star Jasmine Guy, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” star Alfonso Ribeiro, “Family Matters” star Jaleel White, and the GOAT … Tom Brady. This was Affleck’s third time appearing in a Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial. In 2024, Affleck, Damon, and Brady wore track suits as a music group called the “DunKings.”
- It was great to see three Boston Bruins draft picks help Boston College win their first Beanpot championship since 2016. James Hagens, the Beanpot MVP in the Eagles’ 6-2 win over BU, Andre Gasseau, and Dean Letourneau can’t put on their Black and Gold sweaters fast enough.
STUCK IN THE 70s
On February 13, 1972, the United States defeated Poland, 6-1, in the final round of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
The following day, Finland edged Sweden, 4-3, and the USSR topped Czechoslovakia, 5-2, in the game that decided the gold medal. Those results lifted the U.S. from fourth to second for an unexpected silver medal. The Americans had upset both the Czechs and Finland earlier in the tournament.
Some hockey historians still say that the 1972 US hockey team’s silver medal is as surprising as the gold medal wins in 1960 and 1980. It helped that Canada, who was protesting the Olympic Committee not allowing their NHL stars to compete, didn’t send a team to Japan.
The US team featured Needham (Mass.) legend Robbie Ftorek, Boston College stars Tim Sheehy and Kevin Ahearn (Milton, Mass.), Massachusetts natives Dick McGlynn (Medford) and Stu Irving (Beverly) and Mark Howe, the 16-year-old son of Gordie Howe who became the youngest hockey player to win an Olympic medal in ice hockey history.
You must be registered for see images attach
Jimmy Zanor is a sportswriter for the Norwich Bulletin and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@jzanorNB.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: A look at Alliance high school football matchups | Zanor column
Continue reading...
