According to team captain Ali Crofts ’12, the morning workouts are not mandated, but strongly encouraged by team coach Cathy Schager.

“Schager suggested doing body blast before school because she can’t train us after school,” Crofts said. “We wanted to improve strength, agility and speed, and decided this would be a great challenge for the team to take on.”

Jessie Ambrose ’12 describes the workouts as intensive and exhausting, but highlights the benefits of exercising early morning before school.

“It’s nice to get up early and start your day knowing you already worked out. I think it will be beneficial because we put a lot of effort into it,” Ambrose said.

While several teammates agreed with Ambrose, all explained the difficulties and adjustments that an morning body blast entails. Adele Mackey ’12 emphasizes the importance of a good night’s sleep prior to hitting the gym.

“We’ve only had one so far, but I plan to get to bed early on the nights I know I will be getting up for workouts. It is tiring and definitely will increase in intensity every session,” Mackey said.

Crofts prepares for the a.m. workout similarly, by getting a solid eight hours sleep the night before and having a light, healthy breakfast. Crofts’ morning routine proved effective in the team’s first workout, as she recounts being energized and willing to push herself.

Mackey also stressed the importance of focusing on fitness in the preseason.

“If we get ourselves into shape now then we can focus more on playing later instead of making up for lost time,” Mackey said.

“This will be really beneficial for this upcoming season,” Crofts said. “It definitely is a great challenge.”

“We were projected to win, and we were all confident that we could end Danbury’s streak of FCIAC titles,” Aiden McConnell ’12 said.

The boys reached this milestone after a successful regular season, but they will have to keep their momentum throughout the remainder of the championship season.

“We won the divisional track meet last week, now we won FCIACS, and have State Opens, New England’s and Nationals ahead,” Max Hoberman ’12 said. “It’s been a great season and will only get better.”

Hoberman participated in the 4 by 200 meter event where his team placed fourth, as well as the long jump, and the 4 by 400 meter event. Hoberman placed third in the long jump, and placed first in the 4 by 400.

“Laddie prepares us well, so hopefully we can bring home the state title as well,” Aiden McConnell ’12 said.

McConnell placed fifth in the high jump, and sixth in the pole vault and long jump.

Although the girls did not place as high overall, most of the girls received a medal in at least one event.

“Every girl that competed on Thursday ran hard, and finished strong,” Caroline Smith ’12 said. “I am most proud of the amount of heart every girl put into her race.”

Smith ran in the 4 by 800 meter event as well as the mile. Smith and teammates Courtney Mullen ’12, Alex Popkin ’12, Sibohan O’Loughlin ’15 placed first in the 4 by 800 event, with a time of 9:52.30.

Other highlights among the girls’ races included Georgia Kursten’s ’13 performance in the 1000-meter event. Kursten placed sixth, however the junior finished with a faster time in the event than any girl at Staples has run in the last four years.

Additionally, Lexie Schachne ’12 placed first in the girls pole vault event.

The girls will continue to train for the State LL Class Meet on Feb. 9, the State Opens on Feb. 18, New England’s on March 2, and Nationals March 9-11.

At least that’s what this NFL season has taught us.

Today at 6:30 PM, the 27^th defensively ranked New York Giants and the 31^st defensively ranked New England Patriots will have a rematch of Super Bowl XLII at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

After the Giants beat the previously undefeated Patriots four years ago in one of the greatest upsets in football history, expectations are running high for this game.

“I’m excited to see the Patriots high-powered offense go up against the sturdy defense of the Giants,” said Connor Hardy ’14. Bobby Jacowleff ’14 agreed with Hardy’s assessment, saying he was, “Looking forward to a great game.”

Even though the majority of both teams are made up of new players, the key players from both the Giants and Patriots Super Bowl run four years ago are still there.

However, the team’s offenses have changed dramatically. The Patriots are still a high-powered offensive machine, but now they rely on short screens with Wes Welker and two dynamic tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

The Giants rushing attack, which sustained the offense in 2007 and led them to a Super Bowl victory, is now largely ineffective. Quarterback Eli Manning, who at the beginning of the season called himself “elite,” has backed up his words with his best season yet, and now leads the offense.

The Giants defense, which was the main reason why they won Super Bowl XLII, still has a prolific pass rush, but their secondary ranked 29^th in the league in pass yards allowed, and will have trouble containing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady if the pass rush can not get to him.

The majority of Staples students think that this Super Bowl rematch will end in a similar fashion to Super Bowl XLII: a Giants victory. “I see the Giants winning by seven in a game that completely relies on how effective Eli Manning can be,” said Jacowleff. Hardy, an avid Jets fan, agrees, saying, “The Giants are obviously going to win.”

Pick: The Patriots are favored by 3.5 points, but my prediction is the same as Jacowleff’s and Hardy’s: a Giants victory. In a close and thrilling game, Eli Manning comes through in the clutch, leading the Giants to a 30-24 victory.

On the beloved Senior Day, the Lady Wreckers emerged victorious in thrilling fashion, conquering the Westhill Vikings at home 42-40.

Down 4 points in the first quarter, Nikki Bukovsky ’13 scored 7 straight points and led the girls on an 11-1 run to take a 6-point lead at halftime. Following a prolific third quarter for the Westhill offense, the Wreckers stepped up defensively and made crucial blocked shots in the final 2 minutes. Spearheaded by Jess Coelho ‘12 and Remy Nolan ’12, the defense had 5 steals, 17 defensive rebounds and 3 blocked shots in the fourth quarter.

“Defense has been our trademark for years,” said head coach Ed Huydic. “It won us the game today.”

A scary moment occurred halfway through the second quarter when Sydney Houseworth fell down on defense underneath the basket. Unable to get up for 5 minutes, Houseworth limped off the court and never returned, ultimately sidelined with a knee injury. Sophie Debruijn ’14 replaced Houseworth and made some key defensive stops.

“It was tough for us to lose Sydney on Senior Night,” said Bukovsky, who finished with a game-high 17 points. “But we stepped it up and we made big plays when we needed to.”

Huydic cited Coelho as a team leader on Senior Night, hustling on defense and fighting underneath the basket and inside the paint.

“Jess boxes out and rebounds tremendously well and has been doing so all year,” Huydic praised. “That’s why we love her.”

When asked if Jessica was nervous going into the fourth quarter against Westhill’s sharpshooting three-point players, Coelho said the key was just keeping concentration, even when Houseworth went down.

“We really stepped it up tonight on defense,” said Coelho. “We knew they would beat us if we lost focus.”

As for the wild finish, Huydic was just glad the team didn’t crumble on defense.

“We weren’t getting it done offensively, so defense had to win us the game,” said Huydic. “These girls have what it takes, and luckily we were able to show it tonight. We won for Syd.”

This was a common play for the Lady Wreckers, who currently hold 9 wins and 5 losses, as they played the Wilton Warriors on Tues., Jan. 31. The game was evenly matched and highly competitive.

Pulling out a win put the Lady Wreckers back into the spotlight. “This win puts us back into the mix for the county tournament (FCIAC’s), and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Coach Ed Huydic.

The final score of the game was 53-48, but it was a close game until the very end. In the first quarter, the Wreckers were behind 7-12. In the second quarter, the Wreckers scored 15 points, holding the Warriors to 14 points. The score at the end of the first half was 22-26, Wilton.

Although Stein believes that the beginning of the game was “a little rough,” she knows that the team hustled a lot and really picked up their game for the end.  Tough defense was eminent in the third and fourth quarters as the Wreckers dominated the court, scoring a total of 31 points in the second half.

Top scorers throughout the game included Coelho with 21 points, Stein with 10 points, Nikki Bukovsky ‘13 with 9 points, and Remy Nolan ‘12 with 7 points.

Coelho attributes her shooting momentum during the Wilton game to a strong drive to pick her team up. The Lady Wreckers were coming off three losses on Tuesday. “I knew that I had to step up on this game, shooting wise. I knew that I needed to focus on that,” said Coelho.

Both Coelho and Huydic agreed that everyone contributed down the home stretch. “We all played well, played hard, and played as a team,” said Coelho.

“In the end, my girls had a stronger will and bigger heart,” said Huydic.

This Friday, Feb. 3, the Lady Wreckers play the Westhill Vikings, a dominant team this season, partially due to Alexa D’Alessandro, who has been averaging 20 points a game.

The game is at 7 p.m. in the Staples gym. It is the Lady Wreckers’ senior day and they ask for support from their fans.

However, the ice rink in Milford is alive with Staples hockey players practicing for their next game. From school, most Varsity boys go straight there and don’t get home until at least seven at night.

Jesse Burns ’14 says that because of these tough practices and games during the week, it’s difficult to find time and energy to study. After a long day, he doesn’t begin his work until eight o’clock and by then he’s “deadbeat tired and sore it’s hard not to fall asleep.”

The girls’ hockey team has a similar situation. The practices and games are in Shelton, a half hour commute each way. “Several girls have complained of the toll it is taking on their grades, and the time commitment has been the reason for a couple of lost recruits,” Charlotte Axthelm ’12 said, who is the captain of the Varsity team.

These struggles seem to be a common problem for winter athletes. Midterms are an especially difficult time, and time for studying is scarce.

Olivia Kapell ’14 stopped playing hockey this year because of the time issues. “I’m sure this is the case with every winter sport, but it’s hard to explain to your math teacher, ‘Oh sorry, I can’t study. I have a game,’” she said. Kapell says there’s always the option to do work on the bus, but explains that it’s tricky to concentrate.

For the Varsity boys’ basketball team, the practices are cut short during midterms week so the players can have time to study. But the long games “eat up a much bigger chunk of your time,” said Peter Rankowitz ’13.

The commitment to sports and the commitment to school are in a constant battle around the time of exams. On the other hand though, a common positive outcome is the improvement of time management.

Allison April ’13, who plays on both the Junior Varsity and Varsity girls’ basketball teams, says that knowing the times of games in advance helps to plan for schoolwork. She admits that basketball “does limit my study time a little,” but definitely “helps with time management.”

Axthelm agrees, and says that most necessary priority juggling is “doable.” She says that since many girls have been on the team several years, they’ve been able to “work on their time management skills” and figure it out.

Even though it is demanding to cope with both studying and sports, most players believe it to be well worth it, and Staples athletes have adjusted well to their complicated schedules. Fortunately, this plays a big role in making sure that winter athletes’ midterms are no more stressful than any other student’s.

The team, coming off a win against New Canaan the previous Thursday, will qualify for the State tournament again this year, thanks to excellent defense and a great overall performance.

While Staples stayed ahead of Harding for the entire game, they began to really pull away in the second half, with their keen defense not allowing Harding to keep the ball on their side of the court. The guards managed sprint up the court through holes in Harding’s defense several times and occasionally score.

The team’s offense was also an important factor in their triumph over Harding. Thanks to excellent rebounds by Lisa Shirafuji ’12 and Erica Stein ’11, the team was given ample opportunity to shoot, and made lots of their shots.  Nikki Bukovsky ’11 and Jess Coelho ’12 were two of the highest scoring players.

Staples earned more fouls than Harding, but this ultimately this didn’t stop the team from easily outplaying their competitors.

The varsity girl’s basketball team’s next game will be at Darien on Thursday, January 19^th.

To access the Lady Wrecker schedule for the rest of the season click here

For Lawrence and Huydic, coaching with their sons is not a new occurrence.  Lawrence has been coaching with his son, Andrew, for six seasons, while Huydic has been coaching with his son, Eddie, for four seasons.

Huydic describes the athletic director, Marty Lisevick’s, decision to employ Eddie as a “great hire.”  “Eddie coaching both girls basketball and boys freshman lacrosse is definitely a premium,” Huydic said.  “It did not take long for Lisevick to hire Eddie.”

Andrew, now 26-years-old, is the third member of Laddie’s family to be one of his assistant coaches.  Andrew had no coaching experience before working with his father. Previously to working with Andrew, Laddie had worked with his wife and other son Jon.  Each son has competed for and has been a track captain at Staples.

From his experience on the Staples track team and as a Staples student, Andrew certainly knows what Laddie expects of his players.  His main track responsibility is supervising pole vaulting.  “He is probably one of the best pole-vaulters in the state,” Laddie said.  “Other schools in Connecticut have even asked him to come and train their players. “

Because Andrew lives at home, he and Laddie are able to “talk track” whenever they would like.

Matt Mula ’13 finds it helpful that Laddie and Andrew do not have the exact same coaching style.  “They are both different, yet they definitely compliment each other” Mula said.

At each practice, they are able to work with separate players in order to accomplish what they need to.

Andrew tends to be more verbal than Laddie.  “I am older and not as crazy as Andrew.  But I can always count on him to make a lot of noise,” Laddie said.

One of Andrew’s many favorite parts about coaching with his father is the fact that it reminds him of when he was a player at Staples.  “It is great being able to coach in the program that I grew up in, and participated in.”

Ed Huydic, on the other hand, tends to be a little edgier on the court than his 26-year-old son and assistant coach, Eddie.  Both have their own distinct coaching styles, but their approach to coaching is also very similar in some respects.

“Eddie has his own way of reaching his players, his own way of approaching them and his own way of expressing his concerns to them,” Huydic said.  “His coaching style is distinctly his own.”

Remy Nolan ’12, one of the captains of the girls varsity basketball team, likes the fact that Eddie and Ed give the team a family-like feeling.  Nolan likes how Ed and Eddie have similar thoughts on the court.  “This makes it easy to get advice from both of them and not get two different answers,” Nolan said.

Although Huydic and Eddie expect similar things from their players, they both see the court differently.  Eddie’s strengths lie in his ability to see the total court, while Huydic tends to only see a smaller portion of the court.

Four years ago, Eddie joined the Westport school system as a paraprofessional at Kings Highway Elementary School.  His plan was to enter graduate school for teaching, but with the job market as uncertain as it is, his plans for getting a teaching certificate were put on hold.  In addition to being the assistant varsity girls basketball coach, Eddie is the head coach of the junior varsity girls basketball and the freshman boys lacrosse coach.

Two years ago, under Eddie’s coaching, the boys freshman lacrosse team won more games than any of the past freshman boys lacrosse teams.  Eddie loves coaching around his father and recommends anyone given the chance to do so.  “My dad makes my job more fun.  I am learning everything he has stored from his days of coaching,” Eddie said.

Huydic describes the moments that he and his son have experienced on the court as “indescribable.”  “It’s hard to express, but there are highs and lows, with coaching,” Huydic said.  “Within one game there are highs and lows and having the ability to decompress with your son is impossible to describe.”

Laddie also cherishes the time that he and his son spend together coaching.  “It is a pleasure working with Andrew.  He is a great kid and I really enjoy having him around.”

Eddie will continue coaching with Huydic as he assesses what he would like to do with his future.  Andrew will continue coaching with Laddie until he completes his training to become a police officer.  But for now, both Lawrence and Huydic will share the unique coaching experiencing with their sons.

Sweat already emerging from his hairline, Heil gingerly secured his helmet around his chin. Head Coach Marce Petroccio put him in as their starting running back.

“I thought I was going to throw up most of the first half,” Heil said. “Breaking a record never crossed my mind.”

Nonetheless, in what can only be described by Petroccio as an “electric” game, Heil ran for a school record 366 yards on that night, scoring four touchdowns on 27 carries, more than doubling his season total of 364 yards, and leading Staples to a 48-21 victory.

And he sat out the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t even realize. The number 300 never came up. To do that in a playoff game—it’s unheard of,” Petroccio said. “He’s just a great kid, and it was a beautiful thing to watch.”

Heil started playing as a running back in seventh grade, and according to Petroccio, he is now an asset to the team.

“We have three guys who can play the position. One guy is a slasher. One guy is bigger,” Petroccio said. “Then you bring Jon in and he’s got a little of everything.”

He doesn’t just run, though.

According to Petroccio, Heil blocked three punts during the regular season, which Petrocciosaid “had to be the most in the FCIAC, absolutely.”

“Some teams don’t block three punts in a season,” Petroccio said. “When you block a punt, it’s demoralizing—you get momentum, you get confidence. It’s really a game changer.”

However, as good as he may be, his running back prowess isn’t what’s getting him national attention. Neither is his ability to block punts.

Although he started just this year, Heil is already ranked the eighth best punter in the country, averaging a CIAC-best 44 yards per kick. Petroccio has received calls from colleges nationwide, including one from Harvard, asking about Heil’s punting ability.

“Punting is never a bad play. The fact that he can boom the ball the way he does—it’s a great weapon,” Petroccio said. “You know when you’ve got a guy like that, who can kick the ball the way he does, you’re in good shape.”

To Heil, punting was never something that occurred to him to try. Yet, after the season, he was named to both the All-FCIAC team and the New Haven Register All-State team.

“It was kind of a surprise that I did that well at punting because I started senior year practicing maybe once or twice a week,” Heil said. “It still hasn’t really hit me that I was eighth in the country, but it’s definitely something I’m proud of.”

According to Petroccio, the element that Heil brings to the punting position is his speed. Petroccio says he’s always a threat to fake the punt and run down the field.

“He caught a bad snap in a game earlier this season and said ‘I’m not going to get it off.’ So instead, he ran 68 yards and scored a touchdown,” Petroccio said. “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Petroccio and Heil alike attribute this speed to Heil’s winter and spring sport: indoor and outdoor track. This year, as one of the team’s captains, Head Coach Laddie Lawrence says he has some big expectations for Heil.

“When he fails, he sucks it up and tries to do better the next time,” Lawrence said. “That usually doesn’t happen though. He usually does well.”

According to Lawrence, Heil has been the leadoff runner in the New England champion 4×400-meter relay team and has been named to the All New-England team for each of the past two years. His 11.3 second 100-meter dash is the team’s best returning time, and his 36.16 second 300-meter dash leaves Lawrence like Petroccio, with no other word to describe Heil’s performance but “electric.”

“He’s one of the hardest working guys on the team. If you told him to run into a wall, he’d do it—although, he’s smart enough not to,” Lawrence said with a chuckle. He smiled. “I love working with kids like that.”

And, according to Heil, he loves being able to work with Lawrence and the rest of the team.

“It was an honor to be named a captain,” Heil said. “But I also knew that that meant I needed to step up and become a leader and a good example for the younger kids.”

To Lawrence, that’s not a point of concern.

“He’s quiet and unassuming. I like quiet leadership,” Lawrence said. “He doesn’t hide when it’s time to do a good workout, he just shows the newer guys how it’s done.”

But what both Lawrence and Petroccio agree on is Heil’s athleticism, and in the end that’s what matters to the team’s performance.

“In my 19 years we’ve had a lot of great athletes. Jon is right up there with some of the best,” Petroccio said. “Definitely in the top 10. No doubt.”

Although Heil has proven himself enough to be named team captain, Larwrence still wants to take one more look.

“He’s definitely one of the better athletes. It’s usually your senior year where you peak—where everything comes to fruition,” Lawrence said. “We’ll just have to see what Jon can make of it.”

It is tough to be a referee. Being out on the field with the power to control the game can come with a lot of baggage. But, at the same time it can be very satisfying, which is why the referees took up the job in the first place.

In recent interviews, several referees who officiate a number of different sports agreed that what pushed them to officiate was the desire to stay involved with the sports they loved.

“I grew up playing a lot of football and basketball. I wanted to stay involved in sports but didn’t have time to devote to full time coaching, so I got into reffing,” said Bill Howard, a high school football and basketball referee for Fairfield County since 1975.

Jim Carroll, a high school football referee for Fairfield County for 19 years, agreed. “I played in high school and just wanted to be a part of it again,” said Carroll.

Although refereeing is not as big of a commitment as coaching, it does take up a lot more time than one would think. “People think that referees just have to show up to the game for an hour. But we have to commute, get there an hour early, go over different scenarios and make sure everyone is on the same page,” said Carroll.

Just like coaches watch film of opposing teams to prepare, referees come equipped with background knowledge. Before each game, the referees discuss potential plays or fouls that may occur, so they can focus on certain areas. “The rules are the same for every game, but there are always different nuances for each team that we need to keep an eye out for,” said Howard.

Alice Addicks, a high school field hockey referee since 1977, said that she also uses background information to position herself to see the plays more clearly. Some teams have trick plays that referees need to be aware of in order to avoid losing contact with the ball or player.

“The big thing is to be in the right position at the right time to be able to make the right call,” said Addicks. “You can’t make a call that you can’t see.”

But refereeing is not just about being engaged with sports. Carroll finds it a lot of fun because of the camaraderie. For football, referees work in crews, a group of referees who officiate together for every game.

“Officiating brings people together who normally wouldn’t become friends,” he said.

New friendships are not the only thing earned. Money, exercise, and self-esteem are just some of the benefits reaped from refereeing. Depending on the level, a referee is paid up to $90 per game.

In addition, there is a lot of exercise that is involved, requiring referees to stay in shape. “If you’re not in shape, you’re not doing a good job,” said Howard, who officiates all year long and uses refereeing as his motivator to go to the gym.

According to Carroll, a bonus to refereeing is that it keeps him in touch with a new generation of players and coaches and provides him with a good chance to stay in shape. “I like to think that it’s keeping me young,” he said.

There are also some difficulties that come with the job. Addicks finds her biggest problems are found on the sidelines. “Sometimes there are cantankerous coaches who try to coach and referee at the same time, constantly talking in my ear and screaming that I made a terrible call,” said Addicks. “I am just trying to do my very best.”

But it’s the parents who can be the real nuisances. “Sometimes it can be worse when you have parents screaming from the sidelines because they don’t really know what they’re talking about and hardly know the rules,” said Addicks.

Howard also voiced the pressure referees are forced to endure. “We have to start with perfection and work ahead from there,” said Howard. “Everyone wants us to be right on every single call all the time. That’s not going to happen because we’re human. We do make mistakes and we feel bad about it and try to correct it, but sometimes we blow it.”

Howard’s biggest regret is a result of a 2000 Thanksgiving game between Norwalk and Brien McMahon. He penalized Norwalk with a bad call and wound up costing them the game. “They lost because of a poor decision on my part, and I felt really bad about it. I wrote a letter to the head coach, but it didn’t help because you can’t reverse the call at that point,” said Howard.

The guilt that may come with refereeing can be upsetting, but there are always moments that make up for mistakes. “As refs, we don’t have a lot of proud moments, because the coaches and players expect us to get it right every time, and if you don’t, then you’re a failure,” said Carroll. “But I remember one game in particular, we had about five calls where the coaches all thought we were dead-wrong, and the instant replay showed them that we were right on all of them. It was very satisfying.”

Making wrong calls is not the only difficulty. Carroll feels that the biggest challenge that a referee has to overcome is to stop watching the ball. “Any game you go to, you’re mainly watching your team and very rarely watching what the other team is doing. When you’re officiating, you can’t just focus on the ball but also must observe what everyone else is doing at the same time,” said Carroll. “It gives you a completely different perspective of the game.”

When they are not refereeing, Carroll, Howard and Addicks have other jobs to attend to. Carroll is an insurance agent, Howard owns a sporting goods business, and Addicks is a grade level coordinator at Staples. For most, refereeing is their preferred occupation.

“Anyone who does it, despite the fact that we get yelled at, is not doing it for the money,” said Carroll. “I don’t play golf, I officiate. It’s challenging, but you get the satisfaction for a job well done.”

Addicks would not differentiate between her job at Staples and refereeing because she loves them both. However, she did say, “I don’t consider it a job. Refereeing is part of my life, and I love it; otherwise I would be retired because I’m definitely at that age.”

Howard has the same mindset. “I’m in my 60s, but as long as my legs hold up I’ll keep doing it,” he said.