Reported this a couple of weeks back on Twitter, but Southington released a statement earlier today officially stating that Sr. guard Tyler Dube has been named to the Class L/LL East team to play in the 36th Annual Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-Star Basketball Festival on Thursday, March 24, at 8 p.m. The game will be played at Maloney High School in Meriden. It will take place the Thursday after state finals conclude. On the year, Dube is averaging 19.1 points, 3.9 steals, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He's also made a team-high 38 threes.
Coaching the East All-Stars will be Southington's head coach, Bob Lasbury.
In other Southington boys hoops news, three members of the team were named to the Central Connecticut Conference's All-CCC West team. Dube, Sr. forward Sal Romano and Sr. guard Jordan Chapman. On the season, Romano is averaging 16 points and just over 12 rebounds along with 1.7 blocks; Chapman's per game averages are 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, one steal and 1.6 assists. He's second to Dube with 29 threes.
On the collegiate level, Dube will play football at Sacred Heart University (Milford, Conn.), Chapman will play football at Fordham University (Bronx, N.Y.) and Romano is playing baseball at the University of Tennessee.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Gymnasts go into states ranked second
The Southington gymnasts will travel to New Milford this weekend for the Class L competition with a lot of confidence. Even after losing handily to Glastonbury last week, head coach Byron Knox says, "I think we have the advantage this weekend."
The team goes in ranked second in team scoring average, right behind Glastonbury. Here's a peak at the rankings.
Things will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Southington looks to repeat as champs. Glastonbury hasn't won a state title since 1995. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights have won five of the last six.
The team goes in ranked second in team scoring average, right behind Glastonbury. Here's a peak at the rankings.
| Qualifying Teams | Number of Scores Reported | Avg. of Top Six |
| Glastonbury | 9 | 143.542 |
| Southington | 7 | 140.933 |
| Conard | 9 | 138.583 |
| New Milford | 9 | 130.775 |
| Norwich Free Academy | 8 | 127.708 |
| Trumbull | 9 | 127.292 |
| Staples | 9 | 125.025 |
| Greenwich | 10 | 115.383 |
Things will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Southington looks to repeat as champs. Glastonbury hasn't won a state title since 1995. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights have won five of the last six.
Lady Knights garner No. 22 seed, travel to Danbury in first round
The Lady Knights girls basketball team (11-9) will be the No. 22 seed in the Class LL girls basketball tournament. The tournament starts next Tuesday as Southington will travel to No. 11 Danbury (15-5) to play a 7 p.m. game. Strangely enough, the girls were also the No. 22 seed last year and beat No. 11 seed Hall, 41-39, before losing to No. 6 Ridgefield, 42-27. The full bracket can be found here. For a look at the bracket, here it is:
| 2011 Class LL Girls Basketball |
| First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | |||||
| 1 Trumbull Bye | Trumbull (19-1) @Trumbull | 3/4 7:00 | @Higher Seed | 3/10 7:00 | @Site TBA | 3/14 Time TBA | @Mohegan Sun Arena | 3/18-19 Time TBA | |
| 16 Shelton (14-6) 17 Norwich Free Academy (14-6) @Shelton | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 8 Ridgefield (16-4) 25 Cheshire (10-10) @Ridgefield | 3/1 7:00 | 3/4 7:00 | |||||||
| 9 Career Magnet (16-4) 24 Amity (11-9) @Career Magnet | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 4 Holy Cross Bye | Holy Cross (19-1) @Holy Cross | 3/4 7:00 | @Higher Seed | 3/10 7:00 | |||||
| 13 Pomperaug (15-5) 20 Westhill (12-8) @Pomperaug | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 5 Hall (18-2) 28 Staples (8-12) @Hall | 3/1 7:00 | 3/4 7:00 | |||||||
| 12 Sacred Heart Academy (15-5) 21 Newington (11-9) @Sacred Heart Academy | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 2 Mercy Bye | Mercy (19-1) @Mercy | 3/4 7:00 | @Higher Seed | 3/10 7:00 | @Site TBA | 3/14 Time TBA | |||
| 15 East Catholic (14-6) 18 Norwalk (13-7) @East Catholic | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 7 Newtown (17-3) 26 South Windsor (9-11) @Newtown | 3/1 7:00 | 3/4 7:00 | |||||||
| 10 Lauralton Hall (16-4) 23 New Britain (11-9) @Lauralton Hall | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 3 Manchester Bye | Manchester (19-1) @Manchester | 3/4 7:00 | @Higher Seed | 3/10 7:00 | |||||
| 14 St. Joseph (14-6) 19 Wilbur Cross (13-7) @St. Joseph | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
| 6 Glastonbury (18-2) 27 Stamford (8-10) @Glastonbury | 3/1 7:00 | 3/4 7:00 | |||||||
| 11 Danbury (15-5) 22 Southington (11-9) @Danbury | 3/1 7:00 | ||||||||
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Shot put's Justin Bieber: Southington girl uses YouTube to become state champ
YouTube has been a generational phenomenon. It's turned funny people into famous comedians, turned bedroom video junkies into rich online TV stars, in Connecticut, it made a mediocre quarterback a regular guest on every news/celeb show imaginable and most of all, it gave the world Justin Bieber. What the Internet mogul is not known for is taking a regular high school kid and turning them into an All-American caliber athlete - in the shot put. That is, until now.
Meet Southington's Cherraine Davis, a junior, most recently the Class LL shot put champion when she reached a distance of 42-feet, nine and one-quarter inches last weekend to beat the second place finisher in Class LL by almost eight feet. She goes into this weekend's state open as the No. 1 seed with a distance four feet better than No. 2. Needless to say, she's the favorite to win. But most intriguing about this story is not the overwhelming talent, but more so how Davis came from somewhat obscurity to be one of the nation's best shot putters at her age.
She started her high school career at Miss Porter's School, an all-girls institution, in Farmington. While there she discovered the shot put, but had limited resources to hone her craft as there was no indoor track program of any kind. So she logged onto the Internet and started watching videos of shot put on YouTube. She says that it helped her figure out the technique and learn more about the sport. Then she says she attended an Olympic Clinic in Westpoint, N.Y.
"My coach now saw me and he was like, 'Do you want to be a part of this club, USAT Elite Track?' Davis said she was asked.
She said yes and she says, "that club has changed my life."
"They've got me from 32-feet to 42-feet," she explained.
The club is separate from the high school program and her coach at the club level is also different. There, she trains, works on conditioning, technique, but then goes on her way. She explained that competition is not part of the club - it is more to do with training, and then using that training for outside competitions.
Recently, as she became better, Davis made the decision it was time to leave Porter's and return to Southington, a town that she's lived in since fourth grade.
"I didn’t have enough time to do what I wanted to do and the box was too small, so I needed a larger box," she said about her decision to leave Porter's to become a Blue Knight.
 |
| Cherraine Davis (Citizen photo by Michael Guerrera) |
Meet Southington's Cherraine Davis, a junior, most recently the Class LL shot put champion when she reached a distance of 42-feet, nine and one-quarter inches last weekend to beat the second place finisher in Class LL by almost eight feet. She goes into this weekend's state open as the No. 1 seed with a distance four feet better than No. 2. Needless to say, she's the favorite to win. But most intriguing about this story is not the overwhelming talent, but more so how Davis came from somewhat obscurity to be one of the nation's best shot putters at her age.
She started her high school career at Miss Porter's School, an all-girls institution, in Farmington. While there she discovered the shot put, but had limited resources to hone her craft as there was no indoor track program of any kind. So she logged onto the Internet and started watching videos of shot put on YouTube. She says that it helped her figure out the technique and learn more about the sport. Then she says she attended an Olympic Clinic in Westpoint, N.Y.
"My coach now saw me and he was like, 'Do you want to be a part of this club, USAT Elite Track?' Davis said she was asked.
She said yes and she says, "that club has changed my life."
"They've got me from 32-feet to 42-feet," she explained.
The club is separate from the high school program and her coach at the club level is also different. There, she trains, works on conditioning, technique, but then goes on her way. She explained that competition is not part of the club - it is more to do with training, and then using that training for outside competitions.
Recently, as she became better, Davis made the decision it was time to leave Porter's and return to Southington, a town that she's lived in since fourth grade.
"I didn’t have enough time to do what I wanted to do and the box was too small, so I needed a larger box," she said about her decision to leave Porter's to become a Blue Knight.
CIAC to offer online ticketing for state tournaments
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) announced Thursday, Feb. 17, that they will be partnering with TicketLeap (www.ticketleap.com) to sell advance tickets for state tournament events online, beginning with select events this winter. TicketLeap, a leading online ticketing platform, has partnered with a number of state associations to offer online ticket purchase options for their events. This is the first time the CIAC will begin offering this option. Information on the specific events, and links to purchase tickets, will be available shortly at ciacsports.com.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cheerleaders repeat as CCC West Champs!
By Matt Leidemer
It didn't take long for the Southington High School cheerleaders to start a winning streak.After winning their first conference-level championship last year, the Blue Knights repeated as West Division champions at the Central Connecticut Conference Championships last weekend, which were hosted at Southington High in a 15-team competition.
 |
| Jenalee Bruneau (flying, left) and Angela Beaupre (flying, right), Becky Klem (center), Lindsay Clavette (base, left). (photo by Matt Leidemer) |
Megan Cerreta, a senior and three-year varsity cheerleader for the Knights, felt the result showed the effort her team put into preparation.
“We worked so hard, we practice 12 hours a week to get to where we are. We went through snowstorms and we came out today fully prepared and ready to go, through the challenges we had the past couple weeks,” said Cerreta.
For the Knights, the victory comes after a disappointing performance two weeks earlier at the Connecticut Classic competition, held at Wolcott High School.
“We were upset about [Wolcott], but we definitely came through today,” said senior Jenalee Bruneau. “There’s no better feeling than today. After going through that, we still made it to the top. It’s the best feeling ever.”
Head coach Heather Allenback hopes that the championship will show her younger cheerleaders the results that can come from hard work.
“Our first competition was not the best, but we’ve had some difficulties in practice, so this does boost their confidence and their focus. Half of our team is young, they’re tenth-graders, so I think this is going to be good for them, to emphasize how important it is to work hard, practice hard, and take this very seriously to get that recognition,” Allenback said.
Southington was well-represented on the All-Conference team. Seniors Angela Beaupre, Bruneau and Cerreta, and sophomore Becky Klem were selected by the coaches to the West Division’s 10-cheerleader team. Cheerleaders tried out for a panel of judges, showing off a variety of skills including jumps, tumbling and cheers, with the 10 highest scorers from each division being named to the All-Conference team.
As added entertainment during the competition, Southington's three partner stunt groups performed exhibitions throughout the day, as did team performances from Bristol Central junior varsity, Hartford Public High School and Central Connecticut State University. The CCSU Blue Devils team boasts a pair of Allenback’s alumni, Jessica Baillargeon and Brianna Bruneau, both 2009 graduates of Southington High.
The Blue Knights will be competing at the Windsor Warrior Cheerleading Challenge this Saturday at Windsor High School.
Friday, February 4, 2011
VIDEO: Jordan Chapman talks about decision to play football at Fordham
Senior defensive back Jordan Chapman officially signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play football at Fordham University in the Bronx next fall. On Friday, Feb. 4, at a press conference attended by family and friends, including classmates Zach Wholley, playing lacrosse at University of Maryland, and Sal Romano, playing baseball at University of Tennessee, Chapman put on his Fordham hat and talked about his decision.
Head coach D.J. Hernandez was not able to attend as he was at a Nike Football Clinic, but he issued a statement saying thus:
Head coach D.J. Hernandez was not able to attend as he was at a Nike Football Clinic, but he issued a statement saying thus:
"Jordan Chapman is a great athlete but most importantly a very special young man. The amount of energy and enthusiasm he brought to practice and games will be missed. I am really looking forward to watching Jordan develop into the player I know he can be. The thing that impresses me the most is how much better Jordan can become with time. I know Jordan will succeed in all walks of life because of his work ethic and character. He is a class act who has a very bright future at Fordham University."
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Lackluster Signing Day, Dube still undecided
 |
| Photo by Matt Leidemer |
Twenty-four hours after National Signing Day and football-frenzy Southington is all quiet on the western front. The one big announcement came last week when Jordan Chapman said he plans to attend Division I Fordham University in the Bronx. He will officially sign his letter at a presser at Southington High tomorrow afternoon. But of all the talent on the Southington team this past fall that went 8-2 under rookie head coach D.J. Hernandez, there has only been one big signing.
A number of the athletes are pursuing football in college, but at smaller schools. I've been in talks with Coach Hernandez and we're working on putting together a full list of who's going where, hopefully within the next week.
But really, the big question now remains where All-State caliber wide receiver Tyler Dube will go? The numbers this past fall speak for themselves: 50 catches, 902 yards, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions and one interception returned for a touchdown. Even with a freshman quarterback for half the season, Dube had a fantastic senior campaign, following up what was a phenomenal junior season. He possesses all the skills to play at a high level in college, so now it's just about making that decision.
I've heard that he's looked and been in talks with a bunch of schools in the area including Fordham, Sacred Heart and went on an unofficial visit at Holy Cross, to name a few. The issue that has cropped up seems to be athleticism - if you've watched Dube play, you know he is a tremendous receiver, runs great routes, adjusts well, can control his body in the air and has good hands on the outside, all things you look for in big time guys. Problem is when you haven't seen him play everyday and you look at the "combine-type numbers," you might not be blown away in that sense. Still, that doesn't mean Dube doesn't warrant a full ride to play football somewhere.
He's a good kid, very respectful, a good interview and has a steady head on his shoulders. He plays within the moment, has a lot of passion, but doesn't let that passion control him. Also a hard-worker and an asset wherever he ends up - and he will end up somewhere.
Aside from football, Dube is also a very good basketball player who has garnered looks from other, smaller schools in state, like Western and Eastern, naming a couple, but football is where he will likely end up - the question now remains, where? We'll try to get that question answered soon enough.
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