After toppling No. 4 seed Greenwich in the quarterfinals of the Class L boys volleyball tournament, the Tomahawks dropped to top seed Cheshire, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-16) on June 5 in the semifinals.

Glastonbury had its best chance early. Looking both methodical and scrappy at the same time, the Tomahawks came out strong and took a 10-8 lead in the opening game. Even as Cheshire recovered from their slow start, Glastonbury remained confident and was able to trade points with their opponent.

Cheshire was in total control for the final two games. Though Glastonbury continued to fight hard, they started to make costly errors that prevented them from making any sort of run. In the end, Glastonbury clearly had neither the skill nor depth of Cheshire.

The Tomahawks performance was clearly affected by the presence of 6-11 Nate Howard. Howard had “just” 14 kills and five aces, but his height and combination of power and finesse formed an equation Glastonbury was unable to solve.

“We had a lot of opportunities that we weren’t able to take advantage of,” said Glastonbury head coach Pat Ryan. “We started to make too many errors early in the third game and it cost us. We played well, but Cheshire played much stronger as the match went on.”

The Glastonbury girls track team completed an incredible year in which they went 13-1 in the CCC North to take home a share of the conference title. The girls also won the JI Invitational and took a second place finish in the Class LL state meet. There were many girls that turned in notable performances, including conference and state champion 4x800 team Deryca Johnson, Kaitlyn Hebert, Anna Orientale and Reid Watson. Watson was also the 1600 and 3200 conference champ and 3200 state champion. Other top performers included Olivia Orrill, Eleanor Freeland, McKenzie Hollenbaugh, Rachel Peterson, and Chloe Brown.

Glastonbury senior John Flaherty carded a 2-under-par 70 to take medalist honors at the CIAC Division I Boys Golf Championships held June 4 at Tallwood Country Club in Hebron. Glastonbury finished with a score of 308, good for fourth place behind Greenwich (299) and Xavier-Middletown and Amity-Woodbridge which finished tied for second at 302. Flaherty - who will play golf at the University of Connecticut next season - was one-under on both the front and back nines on the way to a one shot victory.

Madnick Sisters Take Home State Open Title

Sisters Lindsey and Samantha Madnick won the State Open tennis title over Sara Greene and Kristin Laub of New Canaan, 6-4, 6-1. It was a bit of sweet revenge for them, as the Tomahawks team was ousted by New Canaan in the semifinals of the Class L tournament on May 31.

Softball Team Exceeds Expectations

With several key players gone from last year’s 10-10 team, Glastonbury head coach Georgeanne DiCenso wasn’t sure what to expect entering this season.

What the Tomahawks got was a three win-improvement from last year, a second place finish in the CCC North, and a fourth straight Class LL state tournament berth.

Glastonbury also posted its first win over Wethersfield in three seasons, while beating East Hartford for the first time in a year and a half, DiCenso said.

The Tomahawks graduate five seniors, including two four-year starters in co-captain Haylie Welcher and Cassidy Longo.

“We have a pretty good nucleus coming back,” DiCenso said. “Hopefully some of the younger kids step up and we always get one or two freshmen who can contribute. I’m looking forward to next year.” - Nate Owen

Baseball Team Roughed Up In State Tournament

Glastonbury (11-10)  underachieved all season long. The Tomahawks fell far short of preseason expectations as they struggled to find consistency and experienced leadership issues. These problems came to a head on May 29^th in 21^st-seeded Glastonbury’s opening Class LL tournament game at Staples. The Tomahawks fell apart in a brutal 22-5 defeat.

“We gave up 21 runs in the third inning, something I have never seen before and will never see again,” said head coach Michael Grant. “Staples hit three home runs against us, which I also have never seen in a high school game. Everything our pitchers threw at them, they hit everywhere.”

Even though Grant never thought his squad would be blown out to this extent, he has had serious concerns about his players for the entire season.

“We have lacked leadership the entire season,” he stated. “Our players underachieved and failed to play with passion. I’ve been consistently disappointed with them. Our coaches were very upset after the Staples game, but I’m not sure our players cared about the loss all that much.”

Lacrosse Teams Have Solid Showing In States

The Glastonbury boys lacrosse team finished 13-5 with a 15-3 loss in the Class L quarterfinals to No. 3 Ridgefield on June 2. Glastonbury was seeded sixth and defeated No. 11 Hall-West Hartford 15-3 in a first-round game on May. 30. The Tomahawks will graduate one starter, attackman Chad Britnell. Four seniors contributed in roles as reserves – defender Lucas Finamore and midfielders Kyle Seniff, Drew Mozzer andDJ Riggott. Glastonbury (4-2) placed third of seven teams in the CCC West, behind 6-0 Simsbury and 5-1 Conard-West Hartford.

The 10th-seeded Tomahawks’ girls team (11-7) reached the Class L quarterfinals on June 4 but lost at No. 2 Newtown 13-11. Glastonbury had defeated No. 7 Newington 14-4 in a first-round game on May 31.

Coach Kris Cofiell said the Tomahawks were led by four players. Senior attacker Katie DeVito scored 87 goals. She will play at Quinnipiac in 2013. Senior midfielder Katrina Hodgkins, a defender in 2011, was second in goals with 28. Senior captain Mo McCarthy anchored the defense. Senior goalie Marina Molnar fashioned a 9.88 goals against average had a save percentage close to. 500. - Reid L. Walmark