Video from Knights camp, Aug. 31

Video from the end of the Blue Knights football practice/scrimmage against Northwest Catholic (in green).

Shooters heading to Vegas

Shooters Billiards APA Pool team, of Southington, has advanced to the National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. The players from left are, Salvatore Colavito, Micah Netherland, Anthony Testa, Karl Kaiser, Andrew Downs and Sheri Kimiecik. The Connecticut American Pool Player Association has 8,000 current members playing weekly in there hometown locations.

Coaches clinic Aug. 16 to 18 at SHS

The Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) is holding an All Sports Coaches Clinic at Southington High School, Aug. 16 to 18. The clinic is open to high school, middle school and youth coaches. The following is being offered:

Outstanding schedule of speakers for all sports. The entire schedule is available at: http://www.cthssports.com/clinic/schedule.php. In addition to the clinic sessions, every sport will have a coaches meeting to discuss issues pertinent to that sport.

Blue Knight fall sports start dates announced

The following is the information on the start dates for the fall sports for Southington High School.

Boys and Girls Soccer: Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. on the high school soccer field. Bring running shoes, cleats, shin guards, proper training attire and water.

Field Hockey: Varsity and JV – Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. on the field hockey field from 10 to 12 a.m. Freshmen – August 31 at 2:30 p.m. on the field hockey field. Bring water, proper attire, shin guards, sneakers.

Girls Swim: Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at the YMCA pool. Transportation TBD.

Girls Volleyball: Aug. 26 – Parent meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27 – Conditioning at 5 p.m. in the gym. Aug. 28 – Practice at 8 a.m. in the gym. Bring water, knee pads and sneakers.

Cross Country: Aug. 28 on the high school track from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring proper attire, sneakers and water.

Football: Aug. 18 – All upper-classmen report at 6:30 a.m. at the main entrance to the athletic field. Aug. 23 – Freshmen meet in room C13 at the high school at 3 p.m.

Cheerleaders: Aug. 17, 18 and 19 – Meet from 7 to 9 a.m. on the high school track. Aug. 25, 26 and 27 – Varsity and JV meet on the high school track from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

FOR ALL SPORTS: Yellow cards are critical. No student-athlete will be able to participate or practice without a current yellow card.

Southington's Denorfia, Pavano having breakout years

Two Southington guys who have had what would be defined by many as journeymen-type careers are having breakout/comeback type seasons for their respective ballclubs. Those two men are Chris Denorfia and Carl Pavano. Let's take a look at how each is being successful this year.

Chris Denorfia, OF

Photo courtesy UPI/Jim Bryant

Denorfia is a guy who has bounced around, now in his fifth season in the majors. He was drafted (2002) and came up with Cincinnati, making his debut in 2005. He was a late-season call-up and saw limited action, getting only 38 at bats. He played slightly more frequently as a bench guy in 2006, seeing action in 49 games. He had 30 hits in 106 plate appearances that season. He didn't see action in 2007 as a result of Tommy John surgery to his right elbow, forcing him to miss the entire year. He was traded to Oakland and saw 62 at bats in 2008 before only getting in four games in 2009. This past offseason, he signed a minor league deal with the Padres and it has paid off. Since being called up on May 17th, he has seen steady playing time in the outfield in Southern Cal., already surpassing his career high for ABs in the year, with 169, banging out 45 hits and 29 RBIs. The astonishing number is his eight home runs, which have been a nice and unlikely power source. Denorfia is now even making headlines: Denorfia, Latos show some speed in win: Outfielder sprints after homer; rookie's fastball hits 96 mph. He has seen, for the most part, consistent playing time over the past months and continues to make himself into a formidable option for the Padres, who lack much pop in its lineup and welcome any added offense. If he continues to play at this level, he could nicely turn this surprise season into a nice contract in the offseason as a free agent. Denorfia, born in Southington, attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford for high school and was drafted out of Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

'Wiley' veteran a key component in dugout, on field

Here's a look at one of the articles from Friday's (Aug. 6) Citizen:

Every team always has a couple of grizzled veterans. For the two-time champion Southington Shock, well, it’s really no different. Except their old-timer is a 24-year-old.

Ben Schumacher hit a two-run homer in Tuesday night’s championship game to put Southington up 5-1 at the time. He also closed the door in the seventh and has never blown a save in his two years as closer. But his role is bigger than the offense he provides in the heart of the order or the shutdown arm he gives the team to finish games off.