Warwick Public Schools High School Winter Sports Wrap

CHAMPIONS:

Gymnastics: (Pilgrim and Toll Gate Co-op)

Division One STATE CHAMPIONS

The Warwick Co-op gymnastics team has pulled off quite an amazing season with just 8

athletes. Their motto all year was “small but mighty”. The gymnasts had to persevere

through adversity this year. Two of the 8 gymnasts came back from major injuries. Coach

Kowalik noted “This year has been a very exciting year! Every single athlete really had to

contribute to propel the team to the success they achieved. In gymnastics, 6 athletes can

compete on each event and only the top 4 scores count. So when I say each athlete had to

contribute they really did!¨ The gymnasts entered the season not knowing what to expect

due to injuries and a low number of participants. “Our goal was to try to make it to states

as a team.” In division one, the top 3 teams in each division qualify for the state meet. The

girls entered the season with the mentality of thinking about one meet at a time. The goal

was to try to be better than the previous meet. The girl’s dedication and resilience enabled

the team to finish the season with a record of 9-1 and a share of the regular season title. .

Some of team major contributors were Riley Bromage and the sister combo of Maddie and

Mackenzie Long. Senior Grace Mullen also did a phenomenal job upgrading her skill level

this season. Other major contributors were: Lia Franchetti, Ella Pavao, Alyssa Jones &

Liana Bannon. All four did an amazing job hitting routines every meet and putting up

consistent scores . Coach went on to note “This season, all 8 gymnasts really deserve

recognition because without each and every one of them, their goals may have not been

attainable.” The team put everything together when it counted as they collaboratively took

their talents to the state championship and won the Division One State Championship!

Note: Individual accomplishments: Riley Bromage took 2nd all around and placed in

every event. Maddie Long took 3rd in the all-around and was the floor state champion.

The team went on to compete in the New England Championships!

Gymnastics Team Photo Toll Gate Girls Basketball:

State Champions

Girls Basketball

The Toll Gate Girls Basketball Team won its first State Championship since 1983. The

Lady Titan’s completed an unlikely run and won Division III Championship by upsetting

Exeter-West Greenwich 44-39 in the championship game. Toll Gate, the number 5 seed,

beat top-seeded Narragansett 33-30 in the semifinals and the number 4 seed North

Providence 50-48 in the quarterfinals. The Titan’s proved to be resilient all season long.

During the regular season, Dulce Garcia had two highlight game winning shots in two close

games. In both games, there were less than five seconds on the clock before the winning

basket swished through. These close games proved to be very valuable as the team was not

phased in each of their playoff games despite very close scores.

While it took a team effort to win the championship, two players, Adeline Areson and

Dulce Garcia had outstanding individual seasons. Adeline Areson averaged a double,

double all season. She averaged 18pts and 12 rebounds per game and Dulce played

tremendous defense. She was tasked with shutting down the opposing team’s best player all

season long, a challenge she regularly excelled at. She also hit clutch shots when needed

most. Mary McNulty also had a strong season and had a clutch performance in the finals

when she scored 10 points.

Girls HS Basketball Photo Pilgrim Cheerleading:

State Champions

The 2023-24 Competitive Pilgrim Cheerleading team had an excellent season. Their hard

work and dedication was rewarded at the Division Two State Championship Competition

when they took home the championship trophy! The Patriots not only excelled in the

championship meet, they also took home the First place Trophy at the Ponaganset

Invitational. What is equally impressive is that they won these titles while taking the time

to attend and cheer at every home boys’ basketball games, and practice 3-4x a week.

HS Cheerleading Photo Individual State Champions:

Girls Track:

Allison Pankowitz: Girls 1000 Meter Run

WPS HS Girls Track Photo Girls Wrestling:

Allie Patten (Pilgrim)

Angel Bui (Toll Gate)

Victoria (Harper) Salinas (Toll Gate)

Pilgrim Winter Sport Round Up:

Boys Basketball

The pre-season goal for the Pilgrim’s Boys Basketball team was to make the playoffs. The team

did so by achieving 8 league wins. The team lost in the opening round of the playoffs to Rogers

HS. Leading the patriots this season was Junior Captain Carter Clifton and Junior Captain Dylan

Vale. Clifton and Dylan Vale were the scoring leaders on the team. In addition, senior captains

Cole Bigelli and Lucas Johnson provided a stellar defense for the Patriots and Jack McConnell

was a dominating rebounder. Some of the season highlights for the basketball team this season

included defeating Hope High School televised on WJAR TV 10. In addition, The Patriots were

able to win the West Warwick Christmas Tournament, beating Division 1 Narragansett. They

also traveled to New York to play Cathedral Prep. This trip also served a team bonding

opportunity and the players were able to see Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and toured the

9/11 Museum.

Individual Awards:

All Division:

1st team Dylan Vale

3rd team Carter Clifton

Girls Basketball

Pilgrim’s Girls Basketball team had goals to reach the playoffs, but they were sidetracked by

several injuries. The Lady Patriots lost three starters due to injuries. Early in the season, Senior,

Amaya Coffie was a driving force for the Patriots. Her defensive play stymied many opponents.

Unfortunately, Coffie was unable to finish the season due to tearing her ACL. Coffie was not the

only player to be set back by injury. Senior Point Guard Kiera Maher missed time with an ankle

injury and Senior Ariana Keebler also missed time due to injury. . Playing without three starters

really put the Lady patriots in a tough spot. However, Seniors Jenna Madden and Kiley Strain

stepped up in their absence and helped maintain their competitive balance though the years end.

Juniors Lily Hall, Larisa Stewart and Sloan Hogan all played well. Freshman Lia Waslewski was

been a great addition to this team. Waselewski was instrumental in beating North Providence by

scoring at the final buzzer. Leading the way for scoring this season has been Lily Hall, Lia

Waslewski and Jenna Madden. Lily Hall had a season high with 22 points against Middletown,

Freshman Lia Waslewski has been very productive for the team and stepped into the role of

Point Guard for the Patriots. Jenna Madden has been a presence in the paint for the girls and is

also a key three-point shooter.

Individual Awards: Girls Basketball

All Division 3rd team: Jenna Madden

All Academic: Kiley Strain, Sloan Hogan, Jenna Madden

Boys Freshman Basketball

The Pilgrim Freshman Basketball team qualified for the playoffs this season. They finished the

regular season with a solid with a 7-5 record. The freshman Patriots had an outstanding 4–2 road

record. In addition, they were able to defeat Toll Gate in a cross – town rival game.

The Patriots’ freshman squad was led by co-captains Marc Lopes and Myles Butler. They

consistently lead the team with terrific play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Pilgrim’s leading scorer Ryan Carbary provided a spark from ‘downtown’ game-in and game-out

with his three-point shooting accuracy. The team’s top rebounder and shot blocker has been

center Brennon Simoncelos. Starting forward Duncan Nyan also contributed both scoring and

rebounding throughout the season. In addition, several other Patriot's contributed to the

Freshman Patriots. Javon Santos, Christian Brown, Roman Jimenez & Collin Richards were

all outstanding defensive players. Head Coach Tom Tolento also wanted to also recognize the

efforts of Kyle Rezendes, Wes Ryan, Charlie Kuiawa & Ryan Salema crediting them with

hustle and commitment over a long season. The Freshman Patriots lost in the playoffs to St Rays

in a competitive quarter final match up.

Boys Ice Hockey

Many things changed since the Warwick Coop Varsity boy’s hockey team’s last-minute loss to

Hendricken in the state semifinals at Schneider Arena on the Providence College campus last

season.

The change that affected the team most, was the dissolution of the co-op with Toll Gate High

School. It would prove challenging to stand-alone as a team in the states’ toughest high school

hockey division.

Pilgrim met the challenge by qualifying for the playoffs. They defeated Moses Brown in the

opening round of the playoffs and lost to number one seed Prout in a best of three series.

Leading the Patriots this year were Senior Captain Ryan Barlow, Junior Captain Richie

Cavanagh, Kyle Menard and returning goalie Braxton Bragg. Also contributing to the Patriots

success were Senior Captain defenseman Colin O’Dea and Junior Andrew Mullaney.

Contributing to the offense were Chris Schafino, Aiden McNally, Jackson Bromage, Jack Saylor,

Jackson Monte and Nate Kane. Senior Defenseman John McGuire was injured and was unable

to finish the season on the ice.

Individual Awards:

All Division:

1st Team: Richie Cavanagh

2nd Team: Ryan Barlow, Kyle Menard

All- State

Richie Cavanagh and Ryan Barlow

Girls Ice Hockey

The Toll Gate and Pilgrim’s Girls’ Coop Ice Hockey team faced an uphill battle from the start.

In addition to losing some very good players to graduation, the Warwick Coop also lost the

Chariho players who left the program to join another coop closer to their high school. The Lady

Patriots started with 18 players and then lost 2 players to injury.

To the team credit, they decided not to focus on the loss of several players. They instead saw the

season as an opportunity for several players on the team to showcase their abilities and gain

valuable playing experience. The team Goalies, Flora Meunier and Emily Tullie kept the team in

games when the team were overmatched. They saw an average of 50+ shots a game. Team

Captain Georgia Feld was seen by the coaching staff as the heart and soul of the team. She

constantly cheered on her teammates and helped the team anyway she could, on and off the ice.

She was the true definition of a Captain. Coach Balutowski would like to recognize seniors;

Georgia Feld, Lily Howard, Kayley Legualt, Brianna Limoges, Anna Pickering and Valarie

Landry for their hard work and dedication to the team all season.

Boys Indoor Track

The Pilgrim Boys Indoor Track team had an impressive Indoor season. The team finished as

runners up in Suburban Division Championship. They’ve had several stand out performances.

The 4x800 team placed 3rd in divisions and 2nd in their class A meet. Senior Jack Smith, Junior

Liam Holmes, senior Tyler Boudreau, and senior Jordan Lopes ran a leg for the relay team.

Junior Brandon Wolfenden won both the Division and Class meets in the shot put. . His best

throw being 52 ft. Cole Menning also had a successful by finishing in the top six of the division.

Junior Hunter Schobel was outstanding in long jump this winter. He won both the division and

class meets with jumps over 21 feet. He also did well in the 300m setting a new personal record

of 37 seconds. Also having a successful year was Jack Coffee. Coffee leaped over 19ft and ran

the 300 in 38 seconds. In the 55m dash, junior Aiden Prum placed in the top 6 in division meet

In distance events, Jack Smith placed in the top 6 in 600m race.

Individual Awards:

All Division:

1st team: Brandon Wolfenden, shot put

Hunter Schobel, long jump

3rd team

Aiden Prum 55M, Jack Smith 600M, 4x 800 R Liam Holmes , Jack Smith, Tyler Boudreau,

Jordan Lopes.

All Class

1st Team: Brandon Wolfendon: Shot Put, Hunter Schobel: Long Jump

Girls Indoor Track:

The Pilgrim girls track team had a very small squad this past season. The team

however did well thanks to star performer, Keaney Bayha. She won the 1500 and

1000m runs at Division Championships. At the Class Championships, Keaney took 1st

place in the 1500, 1000, and 600m races. At the state meet, Keaney finished 2nd in the

1500, 4th in the 1000, and 4th in the 600m run. She set personal records in the 1500

and 1000. Pilgrim finished 12th in the Girls Indoor Track State Championship

Individual Awards:

All Division

1st team: Keaney Bayha 1500M, Keaney Bayha 1000M

All Class A: Keaney Bayha 1500M, Keaney Bayha 1000M, Keaney Bayha 600M

All State:

2nd team: Keaney Bayha 1500M

All Academic: Berdinie Delias, Keaney Bayha

Pilgrim Swim

The Pilgrim Girl’s Swim team has had a great season this year, with a 4-2 regular season record.

They have 16 active swimmers on the team, with 8 returning swimmers and 8 new girls. The

team is made up of Senior Captains and team leaders; Charlotte McPherson and Allison

Shaheen.

In addition to the success of the Girls swim team, Pilgrim hosted a Coop Boys swim team that

was comprised Pilgrim and Toll Gate swimmers. It has been many years since the Boys had

enough swimmers to field a team. Kevin Carnevale and Connor Salzillo were chosen as

Captains. The team also included two Unified Athletes. Another first for the Boys swim team.

The Boys finished 1-5. However, the record was not indicative of how the season played out.

The swimmers displayed hard work and determination! They simply didn’t have the number of

swimmers to compete in all the events in a meet.

Coach Labella “Everyone is working hard every day in practice, perfecting their strokes and

turns, and improving on their times. The team also has a lot of fun and team spirit, with everyone

supporting each other. Most of the swimmers have also challenged themselves to take on more

demanding events, such as the 100 Butterfly (Keaney Bayha), the 200 Individual Medley

(consisting of 50 yards of each stroke) (Taylor Mooney, Allison Shaheen, Charlotte McPherson

and Connor Salzillo) and the 500 Freestyle (Charlotte McPherson, Holly Cameron, Madison

Ventura, Connor Salzillo and Jack Cooke). In every meet, swimmers are improving on their

times, with personal best records, sometimes dropping 10 to 30 seconds!”

Charlotte McPherson, Adrianna Buffery and Amelia Holmes also represented Pilgrim by singing

the National Anthem at the state meet.

Pilgrim Wrestling:

The Pilgrim Wrestling Team had a successful season. They finished with a 10-3 overall dues

meet record and a 6-3 record in the Division. Senior Trevor O’Connor finished 2 nd at the state

tournament. Andrew Arsenault, Donovan Watts, Jacob Olivera and Serigne Saliou Fay all

finished in the top 4.

Allison Patten took home the 1 st Place trophy as was crowned State Champion at the Girls State

Championship meet.

All Division:

Trever O Connor, Donavan Watts, Justin Murphy, Jacob Olivera and Allie Patten

All State:

1st team Allie Patten, 2nd team: Trevor O’Connor, 3rd team: Donavan Watts

All Academic: Allie Patten

Toll Gate Winter Sport Round Up:

Boys Basketball

At the conclusion of 2023-2024 Toll Gate Boys’ Basketball season, one thing is for certain: the

foundation for 2024-2025 is firmly in place. With four starters returning and a host of players

that gained experience on the junior varsity, the Titans future looks bright.

Although the Titans, were usually smaller than their opponents and missed the Division II

playoffs for the third consecutive year, the individual growth and team development was clearly

seen throughout the second half of the year.

With only two returning starters on a roster filled with sophomores and one freshman, Toll Gate

started slowly out of the gate. Relying on the veteran presence of senior co-captain Dylan

Perreault, the Titans scored over fifty or more points only three times in their first nine games. In

fact, the only win they were able to capture during the first half of the season was a game in

which Perreault scored 21 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in a 45-39 victory over the Tigers

of Tiverton.

As the Titans steadily improved in the first half of the season, they found themselves competing

against some of the top teams in Division II. After failing to close out a game against Times

Squared Academy in a 64-61 loss where they had built a 17- point lead in the first half, they

surprised the Tolman (15-3; second place) with a 39-38 lead in the first half of their game. In that

game, underclassmen Will Goodine and Jack Colvin combined to shoot 8/16 from beyond the

three-point arc before the tall and talented Tigers pulled away with a 49-point second half.

In the second half of the season, the red, white, and blue not only found themselves on the

precipice of defeating two playoff teams but scored fifty or more points in seven of the final nine

games of the season.

In fact, it was on a wintry night in Burrillville (12-5; fifth place) on January 24th that saw a

turnaround in the Titans’ level of competitiveness when they came within ninety seconds of

upsetting the Broncos of Burrillville in a 61-56 loss. Co-captains Dylan Perreault and Brayden

Healey combined for 34 points and 29 rebounds in a game which stood at a one-point deficit

with two minutes left in the game.

After a tough outing against crosstown rival, Pilgrim, Toll Gate won their second league game of

the year in a 59-46 win over Providence Country Day. Receiving a spark off the bench from

seniors Matt Hassell (9 points) and Jordan Brazeau (3 points), the Titans were able to build a

three-point lead, 33-30, with their leading scorer (Perrault) in foul trouble. From there, the Titans

gave their best defensive performance when they held the Knights to only 16 points in the second

half. Junior Jack Colvin, most notably, held PCD’s leading scorer to just three field goals. Clutch

foul shooting by sophomore Will Goodine (6/9 in the fourth quarter) and Perreault’s double-

double (16 points and 15 rebounds) helped TGHS close out the win.

Three days later with the team’s confidence building, they lost a tough road game to the

Chargers of Chariho, 67-59, in a game that saw several lead changes. Junior co-captain, Brayden

Healey, who scored a career-high 28 points (12/15 from the floor) with 12 rebounds, and junior

guard Liam Leahy (15 points) led TGHS.

One game later, the Titans came with seconds of upsetting playoff-bound Coventry, in a

heartbreaking 59-58 loss. Leading 58-57, the Titans had two opportunities to close out the game

but could not as the Oakers escaped with a one-point victory with a putback with .5 left. Leading

the way in that game were Perrault (11 points and 12 rebounds), Healey (14 points and 6

rebounds) and Colvin (15 points on 5/13 shooting from the three-point stripe).

A Titan team in the first half of the season may have found it difficult to play in their next

game, but the “second half” Titans, two days later, defeated the Huskies of Mt. Hope, 69-55. In

fact, everything that they had worked on during the year, both offensively and defensively,

seemed to come together. Shooting 11/29 from the three-point stripe and 12/18 from the foul

line, TGHS found a way to close out a game. In that game, four different Titans scored three-

pointers (Liam Leahy, Colvin, Goodine and Brazeau) and four players finished in double figures:

Liam Leahy (20 points and 5 assists), Dylan Perreault (14 points and 10 rebounds), Jack Colvin

(12 points and 3 rebounds) and Will Goodine (10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists).

At the end of the season, Toll Gate faced tough tasks in a road game against the Raiders

of Shea and a home game against the best team in Division II, the Lincoln Lions. Although they

lost both games, their determination to play “32” minutes was quite evident in each game.

In their contest against Shea, they were blocked ten times by the taller Raiders, however,

that did not deter the Titans who took 32 of their 52 shots inside the paint. Guards Jack Colvin

(15 points) and Liam Leahy (14 points) were the leading scorers for TGHS.

Despite seeing the Lions of Lincoln shoot a remarkable 21/33 from three-point range,

Dylan Perreault (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Brayden Healey (10 points and 13 rebounds)

both recorded a double-double against an athletic front line.

Titan Notables:

Senior Co-Captain Dylan Perreault, who recorded 24 “double doubles” over the past two years,

led the Titans in scoring and rebounding this season. In 22 games played, he scored 264 points

(12.0 ppg) and pulled down 258 rebounds (11.7 rpg).

Junior Co-Captain Brayden Healey, who missed the beginning of the season, finished with 4

“double doubles” while scoring 147 points (7.7 ppg) and 145 rebounds (7.5 rpg).

Junior Jack Colvin, who shot 72% from the foul line, was the Titans second leading scorer with

194 points (8.8 ppg).

Junior Liam Leahy, who picked up 13 charges for a total of 21 in two years, was one the leading

scorers for the Titans with 68 points over the last six games.

Sophomore Will Goodine, who led the freshmen team in scoring last year, had a solid year as a

varsity player by scoring 150 points (6.8 ppg), pulling down 94 rebounds, and recording 39

assists.

In addition, Matt Hassell (senior), Jordan Brazeau (senior), Nick Napolitano (junior), Jaden

Roache (sophomore, Jake Andersen (sophomore), and Jack Larrivee combined for 140 points

and 164 rebounds off the bench for the Titans.

Boys Track

The Toll Gate boys track team had an incredible indoor season. They placed second in

their division with a record of 10-1 in dual meets. At the divisional championship, the

team placed 3rd. The Titans team had 3 All-Division relay teams. 4x800 with John and

Josh Maynard, Jeremie Luna, and Rhontahn Vega. The 4x200 and the 4x400 with

Jamie Luna, Trevor DiPanni, Mason Tanner, and Rhontahn Vega. The 4x400 relay

was also first team All-division and Second team also All-Class. In individual

competition, Kevin Barker was first team All-division in the high jump and Mason

Tanner was second team All-division in the 55-dash, running a school record 6.74

seconds.

Girls Track

Toll Gate’s girls track team had individual success during a rebuilding year. Last

season, the team consisted of only four girls. This season, the lady Titan’s had 13

competitors. Two Lady Titans qualified for the State and National meets. Vaness

Jones qualified in the Weight throw and is currently ranked 16th in the US. Alison

Pankowicz was crowned state champion in the 1000 meter run and competed in the

nationals.

The Lady Titan’s hope to expand their program next year and add additional

competitors.

Girls Swimming

Katelyn Watson(Junior, co-captain) and Samantha Lin(Sophomore) have won multiple

events this season, Katelyn has come in first in the 200 free, the 500 free, and the 100

backstroke. Samantha Lin has come in first in the 200 Individual Medley, the 100 fly,

and the 100 breaststroke. Other scoring contributions have come from Seniors Emily

Furtado(co-captain), Alyssa Jencks, Lorelei Remillard, Chloe Pena, and Junior

Samantha Barr. Other members of the team include Seniors Alexis Cruse, Samantha

Stotler, Bella Carriero, Gabby Steger, Junior Rain Mello, Sophomores Alyssa Myers,

Sanvi Parek, Laurel Breault, Tate Payne, Kassidy Roache, and Avi Garcia.

Wrestling:

The Titan’s Finished with a league record of 5-4-1 and an overall dues meet record of 7-

5-1 overall. However, this barely told the story of the team’s season. Coach Sabatelli

entered his Titan Wresters in some of the toughest East Coast Tourneys around. The

Team represented well in all of the tourneys. The following wrestler’s received

individual honors:

All Division: Jack Sabatelli, Marcos Ramirez , Jared Sabatelli , Landon Mahar and

Kason Wirtz.

All State:

(Girls)

Angel Bui: 1 st Place

Victoria Salinas: 1 st Place

(Boys)

Jack Sabatelli- 5 th Place

Marcos Ramirez- 5th Place

Boys Ice Hockey:

The Toll Gate Titan’s joined the East Greenwich Ice Hockey team to form a new Co-op team.

The Co-op team had some success this season. They qualified for the playoffs and defeated Mt

St. Charles in the opening round of the Play-offs. The EG / Toll Gate Titan’s were defeated by

eventual State Champion Bishop Hendricken in the Quarterfinal’s.

Playing a key role for this year’s team were Seniors: Cooper Grossguth, Daniel Kennedy and

Kameron Meunier.

Winman Middle School Winter Sport Round Up:

Boys Basketball

Unfortunately, the Winman boys’ basketball team did not advance to the playoffs. They

had a young team this year with only four 8th graders and of those four, only two of

them were on the team last year. Their team was led by 8th grader Aidan Tourangeau

who led the team in scoring and rebounding. The team would also like to recognize 8th

graders, Luke Goodine, Cameron Woods, and Alex Hun who contributed in many ways

for the team. Several other players had major contributions for the team, 7th graders

Joe Costa, Max Richmond and 6th grader Colby Fales. Although the season didn’t go

the way we wanted, every boy on that team came to practice worked hard and

contributed in their own way. Coach Leclerc is excited to see what the team can do next

year with the core of the team coming back.

Girls Basketball

The Winman girls’ basketball team started the season with high hopes. Unfortunately, they had

their first setback by losing one of our best players to a broken wrist. The team had 6 girls that

had experience and others learning to play. As the season went on, they got in the win column

and played much better, but lose many close games. Then the injury bug hit the team again and

they lost another one of their top players that was getting stronger and scoring 14 points and 14

rebounds a game. They finished the season with one win, but the team became much better as

players and as a team. Coach Enright is proud of every player that was on this team, as the girls

were great to coach and they worked hard all season. The stand out players were Vayda Johnson,

Hayden Mattox, Nicole Molina, Vanessa Santo, Ivy Von Maffel, and Alexandra Watson.

Wrestling

Winman Wrestling had a successful season this year with a 10-1 record in their division which is

the Central Division or Division 2. This is the second year Winman has gone 10-1, the previous

two years we were undefeated in our division. They placed 7th in the state tournament up from

11th place the previous year. The team had one 2nd place finisher Kenneth George at 94 lbs,

three 3rd place finishers, David Robida at 140 lbs, Mason Barbosa at 100 lbs, Aneurys Garcia at

82 Lbs, 4th place Payton George at 88 Lbs, and 6th place Gianni Spaziano at 112 lbs. This year

was the first year that a girl’s state championship was held. This was held on the second day of

the varsity state tournament and finals matches were wrestled in between the varsity finals

matches. Sophia George placed 2nd in the girl's states at 141 lbs. Her sister Payton was forced to

choose between continuing in the varsity state tournament or dropping out of the semi-finals to

wrestle in the girl's states. This was a difficult choice as she would have easily won the girl's

state championship and been the first girl's state champ at 97 lbs. She chose to accept the greater

challenge of continuing in the Varsity tournament. She came in 4th place as a sixth grader and is

one of only two girls who placed in the varsity tournament. The other female place-finisher was

an eighth grader from Coventry who also had to turn down the girl's title. They hope that next

year she will be able to compete in both. Winman also placed 2nd in the North Cumberland

Invitational Tournament with team captain Kenneth George winning the Outstanding Wrestler

Award. Winman placed 5th out of 25 teams at the Birchwood wrestling tournament and 4th place

in the Central Falls Girls Invitational with Payton George placing 1st and her sister Sofia placing

3rd.

Warwick Veterans Middle School Winter Sport Round Up:

Boys Basketball

Vets Boys’ Basketball began with a 3-day tryout in the last week of November, that

included roughly 75 students in grades six through eight. Right from the first tryout, all

the student athletes were showing maximum effort and showing off their skills. The

coaches were able to dwindle the team down to a 18 player roster and two

scorekeepers / statisticians. The team kept and introduced six 6th graders (Quin

Bannon, Jayden Morales, Eli Shields, Piercen Mullen, Jake Andrews and Eddie Shea)

to the program; allowing them to get a feel for what Middle School ball will look like and

how to compete at the next level. There were two returning 7th grade student athletes

(Kingston Bayha and Jason Morales) who both saw significant playing time throughout

the season. Brayden Burgos rounded out the 7th grade class as a newcomer to the

program and was able to develop his skills all season long, with the idea to be a major

contributor next year. The 8th grade class was the biggest; some of which were

returning players and some new. The returning players were Connor Fitzgerald, James

Nute, Jacob Veth, Al Green IV, Josh Morales and Christian Mainelli. The new faces

were Hyron Ruffner, Ryan Quaine, Kyle Cirelli and Kellan Barnes. Most of the 8th

grade class saw a significant amount of playing time, but whether or not they were

playing in the game, each and every one of the players were there for their teammates.

The season started off with a tough game against Gallagher Middle School, losing by 18

but were able to rack up a few wins in the middle of the season. With a few very close

games, 5 points or less, the end of the regular season saw a record of 5 wins and 6

losses; earning a 7 seed in the playoffs. This 7 seed pitted Vets against the very team

they started their season off with, Gallagher Middle School. Coach Durand “ A few too

many turnovers on our part and easy buckets for them and they were able to run away

with the win; knocking us out of the playoffs last week.” Even with the loss, there is

hope for the coming seasons. Hard work and effort are at the center of this program,

and at no point did any of the student athletes lack in that department.

Girls Basketball

Warwick Vets Girls Basketball had a very successful season.

The Lady Hurricanes finished the season with a 10-3 record.

The Lady Hurricanes, who qualified for the playoffs, had a big semifinal home playoff

win over a tough LaSalle opponent. According to Coach Garcia, The girls were “ hard

nosed, relentless and played unwavering defense. “ Garcia went on to say “You would

be hard pressed to find another team in the state that works harder than our girls do in

games or practice.”

The Lady Hurricane’s were led by Abby Bryson, Leah Shea, and Natalie Fratus. Their

outstanding play was invaluable, and their upperclassmen presence was tremendous.

Their leadership helped to integrate sixth grade contributors: Sky Roberts, Jess Jardin,

Cece Garcia, and Liv Foytho. In addition, Avery Costable played an important role

defensively all year. Bria Rhilinger, Aliana Solis, Siena Guarino, and Brenna Hall have

also been reliable players for this year’s team

The 8th grade Lady Hurricane’s were recognized and celebrated on 8 th grade night. The

four 8th graders were: Bria, Brenna, Aliana, and Natalie. In recognition for contributions

to the team, each received personalized Warwick Vets Basketballs.

Coach Garcia contributed the team’s success to comradery the girls had for each other

“Halfway through the season, the girls and the coaching staff attended a woman’s PC

basketball game together. Ever since then, the girls have truly bonded and have since

fought tooth and nail for each other. Our 10-3 record is direct result of that togetherness

and sense of family we’ve created.”

Coach Garcia also added that “the girls have not just improved on the court, but off the

court as well. They have all truly embraced what it means to be a student-athlete and

have met all of the expectations not just as players, but as people as well.”

Wrestling

Congratulations to the Warwick Vets Varsity wrestling team on a successful State

Championship weekend. Warwick Vets finished 5th out of 38 Middle School teams and

had 8 medalists: Finishing in 3rd place were Matt Aversa, Jayden Medeiros, Ben Taute,

and Colton Wirtz. Finishing 4th place was Matt Newsham, and finishing in 5th place

were Adam James, Alex Izzo, and Alex Gemma.

In the first annual Girls Middle School Wrestling State Championship, Warwick Vets had

3 girls finish with medals, including our 1st Girls Middle School Champion, Anna

George! Also finishing with medals were Eden Barratt who finished 3rd, and Gabby

Pettinato who finished 6th. Great job by all!

Pilgrim’s Girls Basketball team had goals to reach the playoffs, but they were sidetracked by

several injuries. The Lady Patiots lost three starters due to injuries. Early in the season, Senior,