Through snow and ice, the boys have played hard this winter season, competing with both team and individual success across the NEPSAC and the challenging Founder’s League.
WRESTLING: PG Devon Diaco ’22 won the Brunswick Tournament and is currently 15-2 overall and ranked Number 1 in New England at 126 lbs. He placed second in the Western New England Tournament. Kyle Lee ’22 is 15-3 overall and is ranked third overall in New England, and took second in Western New England at 170 lbs. Robbie Accomando ’22 is 10-2 on the year and is currently ranked second overall in New England at 160 lbs. Congratulations to PG Joey Patierno ’22 for winning the heavyweight division in the Western New England Tournament this past weekend! Patierno is currently 11-2 and ranked 5th in New England. Other wrestlers doing well this year are Michael Pelliterri ’22, who since dropping to 152 lbs is 15-6 and took 3rd at Brunswick Tournament and at Western New England’s. Axel Caramico ’26 went 5-1 in the month of January, and Joey Tumolo ’24 also had a great month, going 9-7 and placing third at the Western New England Tournament. The wrestlers will compete at the New England tournament this weekend and the top six finishers will qualify for the national tournament.
VARSITY BASKETBALL: The Pride has improved to 8-4 in Class A competition, with big wins at Choate School and against the visiting Berkshire Bears. The team is fighting for a playoff spot with games remaining against Salisbury, Suffield, and Kent School. Captains Deandre Williams ’23 and Nzube Mekkam ’22 lead the Pride in scoring, while PGs Suhayb Choaibi, Austin Williams, and Sean Conroy provide strong minutes for the Pride each game. Starting center Mikkel Cintron ’22 has been an excellent all-around contributor, bolstered by strong minutes from big men Amadin Colete-Ighele ’23 and Vincent Chaudhri ’25.
VARSITY HOCKEY: The Pride varsity hockey team has had a season of both ups and downs. A combination of new players to prep hockey and some young talent has allowed for a fun and exciting season. Experience upfront from co-captains Ryan Walker ’22 and Tyler Fogu ’22 has held steady all season. Other contributors including Gavin Bloder ’22 and PG Tobias Iantorno have helped round out the top six forward group. A talented group of juniors and sophomores have followed suit and contributed to the Pride scoring, including Jackson Graber ’23, Lucas Buchanan ’23, Owen Robitaille ’23, Caleb Owens ’23, and Hunter Dickey ’24. The back end saw an entirely new defensive core this season that the Pride will look to return for 2022-2023. PG Michael Santonelli provided steady experience and leadership at the blue line position. A solid group of juniors: Anthony Kahl ’23, Nikita Bykov ’23, Raphael Denis ’23, Ryan Drust ’23, Ethan Flintoff ’23, and Michael Fremgen ’23 will be leaders going into next year. Senior Dario Cantini ’22, juniors Garrett Simpson ’23 and Ethan Fenhrenbaker ’23, and freshman Gavin Geraghty ’25 all saw time in the crease for the Pride this season. The team has had big wins against Kent and Frederick Gunn School this winter, and the Pride’s record stands at 6-12-1.
VARSITY SQUASH: Shun Shiraishi ’23 has improved immensely and jumped two spots in the order. With an impressive win against Millbrook at the start of the season, he has pushed to improve all season. Francisco Bendezu ’22 has also improved immensely, with the highlight of pushing his Avon opponent to 5 games. This past weekend, the Pride won all their official matches against Williston at the New England Tournament at Dexter Southfield.
JV BASKETBALL: Utilizing a defense-first mentality and consistently strong effort, the Trinity-Pawling JV basketball team has a 7-3 record. Twice the Pride has used big second halves to earn important wins against Canterbury and Hotchkiss. The team relies on the scoring of Matt Yamin ’22, Jace Emerson ’25, and Gianni Fidanza ’25. Garrett Backus ’23 has been a steady presence and supplies leadership and defensive intensity, while freshman Ryan Bellamy has shown great improvement throughout the season.
JV HOCKEY: Seniors Joe Porto ’22 at center and Michael Blaymires ’22 on defense have led the JV hockey team to a 6-3-1 record this winter. They are backed by the excellent stopping power of PJ Angotti ’24 and Marcell Saviano ’24 in net, who have combined for a .921 save percentage!
Stay tuned for playoff news from our top winter athletes as the postseason nears.
by Cyrus Rothwell-Ferraris and Chris Gillman ’05