Congrats to Jared Cipriano, Twin Valley High School's first track and field champion

CHESTER- A Twin Valley high school athlete just made the record books two weeks ago. Junior Jared Cipriano became the school's first ever track and field D-III state champion, winning the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. Cipriano won his races by the slimmest of margins (one by a photo finish) and the school will now add his name to the Twin Valley gymnasium rafters. 

Congrats to Jared Cipriano for his 800 and 1,500 meters championships!  

Jared Cipriano, second from right at the start of the 800 meters.

Twin Valley Wildcats D-III playdowns set

Just got the D-III playdowns pairings for the Twin Valley softball and baseball teams.

Softball

No. 13-seed Twin Valley vs. No. 4-seed Windsor. Game played at Windsor HS on Tuesday and first pitch begins at 4:30 pm.

The two teams know each other very well. This year the Yellowjackets swept the Wildcats in both games, although it took a lot of effort just to beat them. The Yellowjackets won 5-2 in the first game and 5-4 in nine innings in the second game. Both victories did not come easy for Windsor, so this game is up for grabs. Good luck Wildcats! 

Baseball

No- 15-seed Twin Valley vs. No. 2-seed (and defending D-III state champions) Leland & Gray. Game played at Leland & Gray on Tuesday and first pitch begins at 4:30 pm. 

These two teams also faced off twice this year and Leland & Gray beat them handily both times, 10-7 and 21-5.  The Wildcats have an uphill battle on Tuesday. However, George Molner is coming off a fantastic eight-strikeout shutout victory against Arlington. Molner may be peaking at the right time and if he gets the nod, it could be a different ball game than the previous two. 

One final reminder...

The Twin Valley golf team plays its final match of the year at Mount Snow golf course on Wednesday.  They will attempt to qualify for the D-III state championship to be held at Middlebury. The Wildcats will play 18 holes and the top three or four teams qualify for the state championship. Tee time is 9 am.  

GO WILDCATS! 

Twin Valley sports round-up for May 14 to May 20

For the last week and a half, bad weather cancelled several Twin Valley softball and baseball games.  What that meant was they all had to be re-scheduled  and they all were back-to-back-to-back. That was certainly the case with the softball team. So with not enough room to fit in all the games, here's a run down of some of the games you didn't get to see in this week's edition. Hope you enjoy!

- Christian 

Twin Valley Softball

Leland & Gray 21, Wildcats 5

WILMINGTON- It's tough playing against the top team in D-III girls' softball. The Wildcats kept pace with the Rebels up until the fourth inning. Leading the Wildcats 7-4, the Rebels blew the door wide open scoring four straight runs.  The Wildcats committed several errors and lost their poise when pitcher Katelyn Boyd was hit by a Leland & Gray line-drive. 

Coach Danny Birch said the team played tough but they were really rattled after Boyd was taken out. "They played good ball for five innings, but they really lost their focus when (Boyd) came out," said Birch. 

Leading the Wildcats on offense was Molly Corse with two hits and two RBIs; Stevie Cunningham-Darrah with one RBI; and Shannon Lozito with one hit.    

Wildcats 10, MSJ 3

RUTLAND- Molly Corse pitched one of  best games of the season fanning nine batters and giving up two hits. On offense Bonnie Boliver has a team-high two hits and Shannon Lozito knocked in two RBIs for the Wildcats. 

Katelyn Boyd tags out a Poultney runner on Tuesday.

Wildcats 17, Thetford 0

WILMINGTON- The Wildcats went on an offensive barrage with 14 hits that included three triples. The game was called off after five innings and the Wildcats won in a shutout.

Molly Corse had another stellar outing on the mound. Corse pitched a complete game, struck out four batters and gave up two hits.  She was also the standout hitter in the game going three for four with five RBIs.  Jess Bolognani had three hits and three RBIs while Ashley Lawless, Shannon Lozito, and Bonnie Boliver each had two hits apiece. 

Meghan Bratton makes the tag on another Poultney runner.

Windsor 5, Wildcats 4 (Nine innings)

WINDSOR- The game resembled two heavyweight fighters going fifteen rounds with nothing left in tank and giving it there all.  Fact of the matter is, this game could have gone either way. Except the Yellowjackets came out on top in an exciting game, 5-4. 

The Wildcats had several chances to take the lead but they also left eight runners stranded on base. "All we needed was one hit here and one hit there, but no luck," said Birch. "We didn't have a lot of errors fielding and they played well overall. I feel like the team may be turning a corner."

Ashley Lawless went two for five; Shannon Lozito went one for four; Meg Jutras went one for four with an RBI; Molly Corse went one for three; Jess Bolognani went two for four with a double; and Liz Degnon went one for four. 

Molly Corse struck out nine batters in the losing effort. 

Twin Valley boys' baseball 

Thetford 12, Wildcats 3

Thetfor 8, Wildcats 4

BRATTLEBORO- The Twin Valley baseball team has a rough outing as the Thetford Panthners swept the doubleheader at BUHS.  Thetford's pitching dominated the Wildcats from the first pitch. However Junior Smith was the Cats' lone stand-out in both games going for a combined three for six and three RBIs. 

Brian Dix hits one down the third base line.

Tony Bernard hit two RBIs in the first game and pitched two and two-thirds innings, striking out two batters. Other notables were Ryan Bernard with two hits in the series, followed by George Molner, Skyler Duncan, and Ryan Dix, each with a single in the series. 

The Wildcats are now 3-7 and face Green Mountain Union High School, Thursday at 4:30 pm. 

A Thetford player crosses the plate as Twin Valley's George Molner looks on. 

Twin Valley sports round-up: April 30th-May 6

• Jeff Baird, Twin Valley girls' junior varsity coach, dies of cancer. It is with deep sadness to hear that Twin Valley girls' junior varsity basketball coach Jeff Baird died last week after a long bout with cancer.  Baird was 59 and well known throughout Windham County.  In addition to JV basketball, Baird coached AAU girls' basketball and a well-known artist specializing in pottery, paintings, glass, and other fine crafts.  Baird coached the Wildcats to a winning season and he really enjoyed going to the Aud with the girls' varsity basketball team in February.  Baird was so pleasant to talk to.  He was very friendly, engaging, and very appreciative for all of our coverage. Adieu Jeff.  You will be missed.

• Twin Valley baseball loses to Black River, Green Mountain. Just when things were coming together for the Twin Valley boys' baseball team, the Wildcats played two tough opponents and lost them both.  On Tuesday, the Wildcats faced Black River for the final time this season and fared much better than the first outing.  Although, they lost the game, 8-1, coach Cliff Duncan was impressed with the team's efforts.  Starting pitcher Brian Dix struck out seven batters while Dylan Speigel hit a solo shot for the Wildcats only run.  Black River is the defending division IV state champions and they are undefeated in 2009.  Yesterday, the Wildcats faced Green Mountain but lost another close one, 8-5. Skyler Duncan hit a two-run blast to keep the Wildcats in the game, while pitcher George Molner went four and a third innings and struck out nine.  The Wildcats are 2-5 on the season and face Poultney and Leland & Gray at home next week. Game times are 4:30 pm.

• Twin Valley softball loses sixth straight game.  Sometimes, it's not always about the wins.  It's about heading in the right direction one step at a time.  After a tough outing against Windsor, the Wildcats bats are finally responding. Unfortunately,  Green Mountain had a whale of a game and outslugged the Wildcats 11-6.  Molly Corse was handed the loss but had a strong offensive outing. Corse had three hits including one triple while Liz Degnon added another two for Twin Valley.  Runs were scored on errors and walks.  They play Poultney on Friday, Mount Saint Joseph on Tuesday, and Leland & Gray on Thursday. Game times are 4:30 pm.

• Twin Valley golf finished third out of four teams.  The Wildcats played their first match of the year at Bellows Falls and finished third in a four-way match-up.  Fairhaven won with a 201 score, followed by Poultney (202), Twin Valley (219), and Green Mountain (222).  Leading the Wildcats were Beau Doucette with a 50; Ernie Place 53; Scott Hayford 55; and Mike Gramazio 71. They play at Bellows Falls today, Okemo on Monday, and Tater Hill on Tuesday.  Tee times are 3:30 pm. 

• TWIN VALLEY LAX EARN FIRST EVER VICTORY!  It took them a while but finally, the girls' lacrosse team earn their first ever varsity victory over Otter Valley, 15-11.  Devon Logan and Hannah Green played a spectacular game on offense, scoring many of the Wildcats' goals. Kelsey Snyder pitched in with a couple of her own goals as well and Libby Bresette stopped 15 shots in goal.  The Wildcats are 1-1 and face Hartford today at 4:30 pm.

• This just in!  Twin Valley girls' basketball captain Tarryn Bolognani was just selected to represent Team Vermont in the 2009 Merchants Bank Rotary Twin State Basketball Classic.  The game will be held on Saturday, July 11 at the University of Vermont Patrick Gymnasium. Congrats to Tarryn Bolognani! 

Presidents clobber Wildcats, 23-6

LUDLOW- "They're not the team that they were last year, that's for sure," said Twin Valley coach Cliff Duncan about the defending division IV state champions, Black River.  This year, the Twin Valley baseball team ran into a much stronger team.  The Presidents had their way with Twin Valley from the opening pitch.  Late in the game, the Wildcats were down by 15 runs.  The umpires called off the remaining innings and the Presidents won in a blowout, 23-6.

Starting pitcher Brian Dix struggled from the get-go.  Black River went on a scoring barrage and it too Dix 50 pitches before he could retire the first out.  Duncan replaced Dix with George Molner who retired the last two batters to get out of the first inning.

Twin Valley responded with a successful third inning.  The Wildcats got two back-to-back singles from Tony Bernard and Ian Murdoch, then Black River walked Gus Wing to load the bases.  Junior Smith nailed a bunt down the line, scoring Bernard.  The Wildcats bunted again, this time by Skyler Duncan.  Duncan laid a bunt down the first base line, but Black River committed a costly error allowing two more runs to score for Twin Valley.  Dix grounded out to end the inning.  After three innings, the Wildcats had cut the deficit to seven runs, 11-4, Presidents. 

But then the Presidents kicked into high gear.  Black River cam back with two runs in the fourth inning and ten more in the fifth.  Duncan pulled Molner after 48 pitches and replaced him with Smith to finish the inning.  

The Wildcats clawed back.  With a man on first, Skyler Duncan hit a single and advanced the runner.  Molner hit another single, allowing one run to score, and Dix followed up with another single and an RBI.  But the game was out of reach by then and the umpires called the game for Black River. 

Despite the lopsided score, Duncan says the season is still early and the team is still capable of playing good baseball.  "We need some serious soul-searching to figure out what makes us click.  The dynamics are there.  This score is not indicative of what we can play," said Duncan. 

The Wildcats are 0-2 and play division III state champions at Leland & Gray on Friday, April 17, at 4:30 pm.  

“Seems like old times!” A former Wilmington Warrior returns to baseball

WILMINGTON- Spring is in the air and Twin Valley baseball is ready for the new season. The Wildcats have a new head coach and they lucked out with local legend Cliff Duncan. In 1967, Duncan played on Wilmington's first and only state championship baseball team. Duncan pitched, played outfield, and hit over .400 in his junior year. Duncan hopes to share with the team the wisdom gained from their championship season. Duncan talked about them and some of the things he has in store this season. 

Head coach Cliff Duncan works with Brian Dix on batting technique.

This is your first year coaching varsity. What experience do you bring to the team and how does the team look in 2009?

Well, I have 23 years of coaching Little League Baseball, I was an assistant coach at the varsity level in the 1970s, and I played on Wilmington's first ever championship team. I'm really excited about the opportunity because I see a lot of capabilities in these guys. I feel very passionate about physical fitness. My assistant Jim Burke is a career weight training body builder and he brings to the program a lot of knowledge and background about what we should be doing to stay fit. We're investing in some equipment and we're going to help these young men get to a level that's capable of winning. Keeping in shape is key and I'd like nothing better than to see some of these boys leave the program and go on in their adult lives.

I think last year when I watched them play, they were a younger team and they had some growing things to deal with. This year, I'm seeing a significant improvement in their maturity, their ability to throw, and we're blessed with six kids who can pitch. We have Brian Dix, Skyler Duncan, George Molner, Junior Smith, freshmen Gus Wing and Dylan Spiegel, and even Ian Murdoch has some pitching abilities. He's out catcher!

We're strong in outfield but we've got some decisions to make in the infield. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far and I think we have some capable bodies who can fill those positions. Most of all, I'd like nothing better than to see these guys get into the post season play and compete. Once we get on the field, we're going to perform. 

So you played on Wilmington's first and only state championship team in 1967. What do you want to bring to this year's team that you learned from that championship season?

Yeah. One of the things I took away that affected me for the rest of my life was one word: commitment. You have to be willing to place yourself in a position where you say, "I'm going to do this and I'm going to work hard to achieve that goal." That commitment will bring you opportunities that you otherwise would never see. Some of those opportunities may not be the one you want to expand on, but a lot of them will be. You just need to stick your nose to the ground and just do it. When we won the championship in 1967, winning it all was THE last thing on our mind. We just wanted to play baseball. I remember we had this old pitching machine call an Iron Mike. We had this sucker cranked 85-90 mph's and there was nobody in our league that could put it past us. Maybe a curve ball once in a while, but (Iron Mike) helped. 

I'm actually communicating with out coach and former AD Mike Diamond and he's coming here to work with the kids. (Diamond) went on to Quabbin Regional, he had a successful career there, and he was later inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. There's another Hall of Famer, Harvey Krupnick, of Holliston, MA, and he'll be coming by to give us a hitting clinic. Being a pitcher and an outfielder myself, I feel I can teach these kids some things that were successful to me and my hitting. I hit over .400 in my junior year and I was taught the Ted Williams style of hitting ("The Science of Hitting"). That's what I'm teaching here and so is Krupnick.

I look around and see a great cross-section of kids here. I just hope everyone sticks together as a team and they leave the program better athletes and better ball players. 

2008-2009 Twin Valley HS varsity winter sports awards

WILMINGTON- Twin Valley High School held their annual winter sports awards night. Here is a list of this year's winners.

ALL MARBLE VALLEY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM: Scotty Hayford, Eric Froment, Devon Spirka, and Tarryn Bolognani

ALL MARBLE VALLEY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM: Troy Birch

MARBLE VALLEY LEAGUE COACHES OF THE YEAR: Chris Brown & Buddy Hayford (co-coach)

VBCA DREAM DOZEN: Scotty Hayford and Devon Spirka

VBCA SENIOR CLASS PARTICIPANTS: Tarryn and Jessica Bolognani and Eric Froment

Twin Valley snowboarding team:

Coaches Award: Desiree Mack

Most Improved: Holidae Filkins

Coaches Award: Chandler Halbur

Most Improved: Dom Mecalfe

Twin Valley boys' varsity basketball team:

Coaches Award: Eric Froment

Top Defensive: Skyler Duncan

Most Improved: Troy Birch

Top Offensive: Scott Hayford

Team Player: George Molner

Twin Valley cheerleading

Spirit: Amanda Bolduc

Coach's: Libby Brissette

Most Improved: Jee-Hye Kim

Twin Valley girls' basketball team

Team Player: Devon Spirka

Most Improved: Alicia Laughney

Sportsmanship: Jessica Bolognani

Wildcat Award: Tarryn Bolgnani

Sixth Player Award: Bryer-lyn Crawford

The Twin Valley junior varsity sports awards appear in this week's print edition of The Deerfield Valley News or visit our sports section online at www.dvalnews.com/sports.

Congratulations to all award winners!