Category: Sports - Page 140

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Staples Boys Soccer Team Honored for Academic Excellence

For the seventh time in 10 years, the boys soccer program at Westport’s Staples High School has been honored with a national award for academic excellence.
The 2009 Staples boys soccer team. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America gave the Wreckers a Team Academic Award — one of only three boys soccer teams in Connecticut to be so named.

To qualify, a squad must have a 3.25 grade point average of all varsity players. The award is given for the previous academic year. In 2009, Staples’ 26 varsity players had an average GPA of 3.37.

“I’ve always said that our players are some of the smartest and most creative people at Staples,” said head coach Dan Woog.

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Legendary Baseball Pitcher Bob Feller Dies at 92

The Major League baseball Hall of Fame legend Bob Feller died Wednesday at age 92. He visited Westport on Oct 28, 2006 to sign autographs at the former Legends of the Game shop in the Compo Shopping Center. According to The New York Times “in his brief rookie season (at age 17 in 1937) he was the best known young person in America, with the possible exception of Shirley Temple.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Staples Alumni Fun Run Set for Dec. 26

The Annual Staples Track Alumni Fun Run will take place on Dec. 26 at 9 a.m. The two-mile run begins outside the Staples High School cafeteria, and refreshments will be served to all runners after the run.
Participants in the 2009 Fun Run. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Now in its 11th year, the Alumni Fun Run is a holiday reunion for generations of Staples runners and their families.

The event also serves as a fund-raiser for the Laddie Lawrence Scholarship Fund, which has provided college tuition funding to 17 Staples track team members since it was founded nine years ago.

“The Alumni Run is a wonderful reunion event that I look forward to each holiday season,” said Lawrence, a 1964 Stapes graduate who has coached the Staples Cross Country and Track program for more than 40 years.

Field Hockey Donations Aid Breast Cancer Research

Field hockey programs across Fairfield County, including Staples High School and Westport Field Hockey teams, conducted “Play 4 a Cure” fund-raising events in October to support breast cancer research and early detection programs. The teams collected donations at halftime of games, sold t-shirts, and held food sales at jamborees. Local representatives this week presented checks totaling $12,800 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Stamford Hospital, and Norwalk Hospital at halftime of a Fairfield University basketball game. Pictured (l-r) are Kelly Vegliante, Darien Field Hockey, Jackie Kane, Fairfield FH head coach, Scott Bennewitz, Westport Field Hockey, Colette Poirier, Wilton Field Hockey, Mary Henwood, Stamford Hospital, and Kia Murrell, Susan B Komen Foundation. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jack Jones, Fairfield University photo)

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

WWPT’s Eric Gallanty: in the MSG Varsity Spotlight

This week’s MSG Varsity “Students in the Media” features Westport’s Staples High School and senior Eric Gallanty and the student sportscasters of WWPT and STN—the Staples Television Network. It can be viewed here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WN photo from MSGvarsity.com

Woog Honored with Soccer Scholarship in His Name

By James Lomuscio

UPDATE For years, lifelong Westport resident Dan Woog has been a tireless teacher, soccer coach, columnist, author, blogger and all around writer.
Mark Gudis (rear) presents Dan Woog with a commemorative gift. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Sunday night, Mark Gudis, president of the Top of the Hill Club, a two-year-old booster club for boys soccer at Staples High School, gave Woog a new title, “no better representative of Staples soccer.”

Gudis’ plaudits came as he announced the establishment of The Dan Woog Dedication Scholarship Award, an annual $5,000 grant offered in perpetuity to an outstanding Staples soccer senior.

Gudis told Woog at the ceremony that the award would also go to “an alumnus in college who gives back to Staples Boys Soccer with the same dedication and enthusiasm that you have exhibited to Staples soccer for decades, and we hope, for decades to come.”

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Staples Falls to Glastonbury 7-6 Ending Season

Staples Head Coach Marce Petroccio addresses his team tonight after a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Glastonbury at Glastonbury in the CIAC Class LL quarterfinals. With 1:09 left in the game, Staples scored but failed on a two-point conversion attempt. “We went for it and came up short,” Petroccio said. “That’s football. But that’s the way we wanted to go out. We were going to go out doing it the way we wanted to do it.” Staples ended the season 9-2. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

A Hug From the Coach

Staples senior Tyler Jacobs gets a season-ending hug from Coach Marce Petroccio tonight following the Wrecker 7-6 loss to Glastonbury. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Failed Conversion

Staples senior Tyler Jacobs goes down short of the goal line on a two-point conversion run tonight with 1:09 left to play as Glastonbury held on to defeat Staples 7-6 in the Class LL quarterfinals at Glastonbury. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Scoring for the Wreckers

Staples senior Jason Mawicke scores on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Jack Massie for the only Wrecker touchdown tonight in the 7-6 loss to Glastonbury in the state Class LL playoffs. The Wreckers failed on the two-point conversion attempt with 1:09 left in the game. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo