Foote School Falcons add 'rock' stars as winter sports teams ratchet up the skills
- Rick Menning
- Mar 25
- 11 min read
Updated: Mar 26
By Rick Menning
NEW HAVEN, CT --Â The tradition of working hard in practice to achieve positive results when the curtain goes up continues to grow and expand among The Foote School athletics.
That certainly applies to the recently completed winter sports season, where from the basketball court to the debut of indoor rock climbing, the challenges were met with a spirit and resolve that has come to exemplify Falcons' student-athletes.
"What an incredible season!" exclaimed Athletic Director Carrie Boyce. "...You represented yourselves, your teams, and Foote with pride, just as we knew you would. We are so proud of your efforts and the energy you bring to our athletics program."
Along with expressing her delight with the inaugural showing from the school's first rock climbing club, Boyce praised the performances and accomplishments that marked a stellar campaign that actually began back in late fall.
"From the first day in December to now, you have grown, learned, and transformed -- as athletes, as teammates, and as individuals," Boyce told all the participants at the recent season-ending ceremony. "Every challenge, every success, every high and low has shaped you. Hold onto those moments because they are part of who you are becoming."
Highlights from the wonderful winter of Falcons' athletics included:
--Swimmers posting season-best and personal-best records all season, with both the girls' and boys' teams finishing third in the recent Hamden Hall Middle School Invitational.
-- The boys' varsity basketball team ending its season on an eight-game winning streak after losing their first game
-- The boys' and girls' junior varsity basketball squads posting winning records.
--The squash team competing against older and bigger squads and either winning or staying very close in tight matches.
--The girls' varsity basketball team playing hard against some tough opponents and showing heart and determination all season.
The following are the coaches' reports on their respective seasons:
Rock Climbing
With any new sport, it's all about progressing through unfamiliar territory, reaching the finish line and raising the bar with each passing experience.
Such was the case for The Foote School's new Rock Climbing Club, which closed out a successful first year with the thrill and privilege of going to a gym in Wallingford where the athletes had the opportunity to climb top rope and auto belay routes.
This proved to be a great way to wrap things up, going to even higher heights as the Falcons used the bouldering skills they had been working on all season to try a new type of climbing -- and they excelled.
"While we weren’t a competitive team, I was especially proud of the way the athletes showed up with enthusiasm, supported each other, and gave their best effort each time," noted coach Kaila Ablao. "Their positivity and teamwork made for a great season, and it was rewarding to see their progress and confidence build along the way."
Club members showed up each week eager to get back on the wall. The team was respectful of the space and the people that they shared the gym with. They responded with grace when a favorite boulder was taken down; and excitement when the route setters put up a new wall.Â
Project Crusher Award:Â Bradley DeCew.
Redpoint Resilience Award:Â Daniel Perez.
Team Roster:Â Daphne Altin-Fahey, Oliver Berkowitz, Bradley DeCew, Matthew El Fakhri, Eve Laskin-Tievsky, Keillor Fitton, Alex Lu, Owen Messing, Eleazar Parra, Daniel Perez, Avina, Sadeghipour Roodsari, Charlie Schwartz, Hoji Smith-Souza, Mara Solas-Gandhi, Lucy Sunshine, Keda Tan. The coaches are Kaila Ablao and Pablo Devos Deak.
Boys Varsity Basketball
Eight straight victories pretty much says it all when it comes to The Foote School boys' varsity basketball team's remarkable campaign on the hardwood!
After losing their opening game at home to Kingswood Oxford, the Falcons regrouped in a major way and simply refused to lose the rest of the season.
"With the changes made to our team's culture, you could see that our boys started to become more than just teammates, but more like a brotherhood," said coach Evan Pasquale in describing the transformation from that initial loss. "You could see our team communicating during every press, every possession, and even showing a great display of energy from our bench."
The winning streak included a sweep of the home-and-away series with always-tough Hamden Hall.
While the 8-1 record prompted Pasquale to exclaim that the team "completely exceeded our expectations," there were some moments where perseverance and determination were necessary.
"One of our toughest moments this year was when we had to go on the road to play Christian Heritage. Despite being up 21-10 at halftime, it was clear to (assistant coach) Bob (Vignola) and I that our boys were not playing to their full capacity," Pasquale said. "After our discussion (during halftime) we had the boys talk amongst themselves as to what they need to do to turn their play around. After that moment our team went on to defeat the opposition with a final score of 54-28."
The Falcons' varsity ballers took special pride in their defensive effort all season, and in seven of their nine games they held their opponents to 10 points or less in at least three of the four quarters.
"Our greatest display of (defensive intensity) took place when The Country School came to our gym with an impressive 6-0 record at the time. We won that game convincingly with a final score of 62-14," Pasquale said. "A lot of credit for that victory goes to Coach Bob, who had researched the opposition prior to the game and prepared our team with an incredibly detailed scouting report. Our boys then took that information and used it to give their best defensive output of the season."
Triple Threat Award:Â Prince Starling.
Team Roster:Â Teo Antonello, Justin Aseme, Jack Ginnetti, Mason Lamprea, Gage Lang, Owen Lasater, Ari Lopez, Matty Matouk, Eric Silva, Prince Starling, Eli Wilderman. Coaches: Evan Pasquale, Bob Vignola.
Coed Swimming
From breaking school records to achieving individual milestones, The Foote School swimmers once again produced results that went above and beyond.
Whether returnees or newcomers, the Falcons hit the pool with an eye on the prize and were rewarded with commendable times and placements.
"Our swimmers continued to get faster (as the season) progressed and they tried out different events," coach Elliot Dickson said. "It’s always a highlight to see swimmers who have never competed before learn the strokes, starts and turns, and continue to improve each day."
The maroon and gray standouts participated in the Hamden Hall Invitational as the season-ending finale, and there was so much excitement as they cheered one another on to many of the following showings:Â
The Girls 200 Medley Relay of Siena, Iris, Rosemary and Zuleika finished 2nd place, broke last year's school record* by 0.01 seconds (!), and secured best times for Siena, Iris, and Zuleika.Â
The Boys 200 Medley Relay of Simón, Gus, Kameron, and Cadel also finished 2nd place, broke last year's school record, and secured best times for Simón and Kameron, including a school record in the 50 back for Simón.Â
Girls 50 Free: Linnea, Avery, and Lucy all swam best times.Â
Boys 50 Free: Kameron earned 2nd place overall and Gus swam a best time.
Girls 100 IM: Rosemary White earned her best time and was meet champion in this event.Â
The Girls 200 Free Relay of Siena, Iris, Rosemary, and Zuleika won 1st place overall and Iris swam a best 50 free split! Linnea and Avery also earned fastest splits in their relay.Â
The Boys 200 Free Relay of Simón, Kameron, Alden and Cadel earned 1st place overall, a new school record, and beat the 2nd place finishers by over 30 seconds.
Girls 50 Breaststroke: Linnea and Eve earned best times.
Boys 50 Breaststroke: Gus earned a best time.Â
Girls 100 Free: Rosemary White was again the meet champion in this event.
Boys 100 Free: Alden earned his best time.
Girls 50 Backstroke: Iris, Alexandra and Lucy all swam best times! Alexandra dropped 5 seconds.
Boys 50 Backstroke: Simón came in 3rd overall.Â
Boys 50 Fly: Alden earned his best time.
(*Note that Foote only started keeping school records last year so a school record counts as the fastest time swum in the last two seasons.)Â
The swimmers' success resulted from their hard work right at the season's outset back in December with team bonding and stroke clinics leading to meet starting in January against Kingswood Oxford, Hamden Hall and Hopkins.
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F.I.S.H. Award (Fortitude, Inspiration, Sportsmanship. Honor):Â Avery Bruce.
Tough Duck Award:Â Linnea Wittner, Alexandra Ipek, Talia Abeles and Lucy Thompson.
Team Roster: Talia Abeles, Avery Bruce, Sofia Caliendo, Alara Deniz, Eloise Dickson, Iris Elliott, Alexandra Ipek, Sophie Jelaca, Gus Larsen, Alden Neuman, Eve Reilley, Simón Rodriguez, Kameron Shahid, Sabine Teel, Lucy Thompson, Cadel Tiernan, Frank Wang, Rosemary White, Siena Wilhelm, Tyler Witkowsky, Linnea Wittner, Zuleika Wood. Coaches: Elliot Dickson, Jimmy McCaffrey.Â
Coed Squash
Matches against mostly high schoolers? Physical size and experience differences? An illness bug that affected much of the team (and their coach) at various times through the season? No problem for The Foote School's warrior-like squash team.
"One might have expected the intimidation factor to weigh heavily...not to mention the illnesses that plagued many of our team members (and me) over the season, resulting in some practice cancellations as well as our second match against Hopkins," coach Chloe Shaw said.
But not only did the Falcons hang tough in the face of the challenges, they also persevered and learned a lot about themselves.
Facing tough matches with Renbrook School and Hamden Hall (twice), Hopkins, Choate and Kingswood-Oxford, these sixth- through eighth-grade squashers fought hard whenever and however they could.
"I am grateful for their patience and applaud their determined spirits," Shaw said.
That determined spirit showed right at the season's outset, when Foote's middle schoolers finished in a commendable tie against the high-school laden and skillful Renbrook squad.
Sixth-grader Tommy Wittenstein, who won the tying match for the Falcons, and wins from fellow sixth-graders Ellen Ferguson and Rae Shaw, along with eighth-grader Abe Harris-Sturges led the charge. Top-of-the-ladder participants Avik Patel, Gabriel Wang, Tristan Shahid and Pablo Cruz also sparkled in this exciting match.
A winning attitude paid off bigtime against Choate as a full team effort paved the way for a 5-4 outcome vs. Choate.
"Seeing my team so proud of themselves for this hard-won victory, made this a big wow moment for me as their coach," continued Shaw, who noted that sixth-grader Caroline Matouk made a solid contribution after being unable to attend the Renbrook match.Â
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Boaster Award: Avik Patel.
Team Roster: Pablo Cruz, Ellen Ferguson, Damian Dal Prete, Abe Harris-Sturges, Caroline Matouk, Avik Patel, Tristan Shahid, Rae Shaw, Gabriel Wang, Tommy Wittenstein Coach: Chloe Shaw.
Boys Junior Varsity Basketball
Dominant and deep are the best words to describe the recent winter season of boys' junior varsity basketball.
Winners in seven of eight games, these Falcons took flight at a high altitude and won most of their games by double-digit margins.
"All 13 players came to practice every day ready to learn and grow as players. Their ability to receive information, practice it and then effectively actualize the information during games was impressive," coach Kassouth Bradford said. "The ball movement, defense and effort every player exhibited during games was exciting to witness."
This squad was the epitome of teamwork and camaraderie which led to an environment in which all the players knew they had something valuable to contribute whether it was baskets, rebounds, steals or winning hustle plays.
The JV ballers' season finale against Hamden Hall highlighted their perseverance and determination.
"We started the game a bit tight and Hamden Hall got off to an early lead. However, we soon found our rhythm and no matter who was on the floor we were scoring points and making stops," Bradford noted.
The Foote School went from deficit to domination, building a 15-point advantage by the third quarter. And despite a late run by Hornets, the Falcons regained their composure and went on to a decisive win.
Titanium Award: Yoobin Perry.
Team Roster: Marshall Bruce, Hatim Elarabi, Noah Fisher, Daniel Johnson, Alex Kotchen, Xavi Lopez, Nadeem Mowafi, Ben Normandin, Yoobin Perry, Atticus Roche, Eli Grutzendler, Carter Liston, Konnor Yimlamai. Coach: Kassouth Bradford.
Girls Varsity Basketball
This was a season of challenges, where the opponent on the other side of the court was often very good, had a solid shooting effort and even played with an added measure of physicality.
After an emotion-filled first game, the Falcons refocused, regrouped and played with a toughness that impressed their coach, Carrie Boyce.
"For the remainder of the season, even when things didn’t go our way, we found a way to remain mentally tough," she said. "I was also proud of the team for rising above the challenging games we faced, finding a way to improve and appreciating each other as players and teammates, (all while) having fun learning the game."
Not only did the team settle into better all-around play, but the skill set also improved as the season progressed.
The varsity ballers won two hard-fought games, and lost two close games that could easily have gone the other way with a few more key plays.
"There were a few moments where we executed flawlessly. A give and go that led to a lay-up. A jab and crossover step that led to an open jump shot. A defensive rebound, outlet, and fast break chance to score," noted Boyce, who loved the way the team grew together as seventh- and eighth-graders.
Her favorite moment in team bonding came at a practice right before the winter break in December. A friendly game of knockout turned more competitive, and the end result of a lost dare meant doing a loop around campus…in their socks.
"I said stay on the blacktop, but the first person misunderstood the directions and ran around the outside of the JM building which caused the girls to return to the gym with wet and muddy socks," Boyce said. "We then played barefoot the rest of practice so as not to get our basketball shoes dirty!"
Head in The Game Award: Molly Larsen.
Team Roster:Â Avery Earnshaw, Safiya Gonzalez, Pelin Kayaarasi, Isla Kelly, Molly Larsen, Audrey Lasater, Ruthie Myers, Izzy Pakutka, Ellie Sudmyer, Maryam Zagmout. Coach:Â Carrie Boyce.
Girls Junior Varsity Basketball
For the second consecutive year, a solid foundation has been laid for girls' basketball at The Foote School as a group of all sixth-grade student-athletes completed another winning season on the court.
Although only a few players had any experience in the sport heading into the initial practice sessions last December, they quickly developed basic skills while learning the meaning of teamwork and daily improvement.
Once the opening tip took place in early January, the junior varsity Falcons showed they were ready for the season's challenges with an impressive road victory at Ezra Academy in Wallingford.
"For these girls to not only be involved in Foote's first basketball game of the 2025 winter season but also having to play in an unfamiliar gym and play the way they did with tenacity and drive was very impressive," coach Rick Menning said. "All season, this team had a bulldog mentality and never gave up."
The win set the tone for the rest of the campaign, which included another successful outing against Ezra Academy at home and a home-and-away sweep vs. always-tough Hamden Hall. The achievements also consisted of a very impressive win over Adam J. Lewis Academy.
Not only did the Falcons post a solid win at home over the Hornets, but the maroon and gray also held them to just three field goals as the visitors at Hamden Hall's gym.
While the Falcons didn't return home with the 'W', they traveled to West Hartford and lost a hard-fought and very evenly matched 11-10 decision to Renbrook School during which Foote held the advantage in field goals made.
Despite losing twice to a more experienced Country School team, in the game at Madison the Falcons trailed at halftime but burst out after the intermission and scored the first six points in the third quarter with balanced scoring. In the end, however, Country's size and rebounding won out.
The Swish Award: Overall winner--Violet Bradford; runner-up Darcy Driver; honorable mention--Stella Alderman.
Team Roster:Â Stella Alderman, Violet Bradford, Annie Burwell, Erica Choi, Darcy Driver, Areej Kaseem, Greta Kelly, Violet Lloyd, Mette Niemantsverdriet, Maddie Normandin Coach: Rick Menning.
(Editor's Note: All of the basketball teams give a huge shout out to Ross Holzschuh and Khalil Dunham-Carson, who despite their busy school day-related schedules assisted at most practices. Ross and Khalil offered their time and talents to make the players better athletes and students.)