Embedded Files
Andrea August passes the baton to Anna Mortali.
The girls track team warms up before an event.
Junior Nico Boyle passes the baton to fellow junior Alex Morocho.
Head Coach John Higgins talks strategy with players Evan Looney and Alex Ranciato.
Freshman Jack Senga celebrates with Senior Billy Lipinski after a match.
Jack Martineau gets ready to swing. The team played RHAM and won 5-2.
Tyler Kornacki looks to round first base in a playoff game against RHAM.
The softball team celebrates after Alyssa Ferriouolo hits a home run against Cheshire in the SCC Tournament.
The team gathers together after beating Cheshire 5-3.
Maria Lockery fields a ground ball.
Jeffrey Karavas looks to score against a Notre Dame defender.
Tyler DiMauro defends in a game against Notre Dame. The team finished their season with a 7-4 record.
The North Haven High School golf team ended their season with a 15-1 record and placed 13th in Division 1, which got them a spot in the CIAC State Tournament!
NHHS Spring Sports Celebrates Strong Seasons and Multiple Wins
Can a spring sport team bring home the third State Championship?
By Andrea August
Most of North Haven High School’s spring sports, consisting of baseball, golf, boy’s and girl’s lacrosse, boy’s and girl’s outdoor track and field, rugby, softball, and girl’s and boy’s tennis, started their season on March 20th.
With an amazing new track, Anna Mortali leads the girl’s track and field team towards many meets to come. She foresees many PRs [personal records] from her teammates, co-captains, and herself. Anna says, “The goal I have for our team and for myself regarding the outcome on the track is getting as many teammates to the states and sectional meet as possible. But overall I want our team to grow together and get to know each other better and by the end of the season we become a family!” With already one meet under the team’s belt, Erika Fronte became a state qualifier for shot put, on April 4th in a meet against Amity and Sacred Heart. Anna concludes, “This sport is extremely hard physically and mentally. It is not easy to come to practice everyday not knowing what you're running and how you are going to have to push yourself through workouts. It has taught me perseverance and confidence within myself and I believe it has done the same for my teammates.”
According to Will Sagnella, the boy’s golf team captain, this season holds great opportunities for the boys. With the previous season falling short, He believes they have a good shot in making it to the SCC and State tournaments. One of his goals for this season is to see everyone improve not only individually but as a team. Will says, “I think for me and my teammates, golf has had a positive impact on our lives. Golf is a humbling sport and can be very tough at times, but it teaches you to be confident in yourself and forget about the bad shots. I believe you need to be mentally strong to play golf and that can also carry into regular life as well. When something doesn’t go your way, you have to learn to bounce back. The same thing happens in golf, as you need to bounce back after a bad hole.”
The motto of the Girl’s Lacrosse team this season is, “Committed and Accountable.” Aisling Pretty, captain of the team, wants to see each player showing characteristics and working hard during this season. After only three years of playing Lacrosse, not to mention some being Covid years, she will lead the team from opening weekend all the way to the end of May. She says, “One of my biggest goals personally is to work on connecting our freshman, junior varsity, and varsity teams. We have a large team so it can be difficult to bring everyone together and have team bonding events. As a team, one of our biggest goals is to make the state tournament. Last season we were only two games away from qualifying so this year we are going to work towards making states.” She concludes, “Playing lacrosse has impacted the team’s lives by helping us grow friendships.”
After coming out of a very successful winter and fall season, NHHS spring sports will bring promising results to the town of North Haven.
Champion Hockey and Football Teams Honored at the Capital
Champion Hockey and Football Teams Honored at the Capital
The State Champion Hockey and Football team were honored at the Capital building on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The teams were introduced to State Representative Dave Yaccarino and Senator Paul Cicarella upon arrival. They were then given a tour of the capital and special congratulations by Governor Ned Lamont. The visit concluded with a group photo on the front lawn.
Chris Kirk Returns to Golf After Battling Addiction and Depression
Athlete inspires others by overcoming challenges to resume successful life and career
By Chandler Morris
Since 2019, Chris Kirk—a well-known American professional golf player—has been taking an “indefinite leave” from golf to address his recurring substance abuse and depression. However, this year Kirk made a successful return to golf by winning on the PGA Tour. Despite Chris Kirk's struggles with mental health, he has managed to reclaim his title as one of the most successful American professional golfers.
Chris Kirk was born in 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kirk later “played college golf at the University of Georgia and was a member of their 2005 NCAA Championship Team” (Golf Monthly). Kirk was also awarded the Ben Hogan Award in 2007—an award that is given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player. In 2007, Kirk also turned professional. Before 2023, Kirk had won four different times on the PGA Tour. “His four wins were the 2011 Viking Classic, 2013 McGladrey Classic, 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship, and 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial” (Golf Monthly). At the young age of 30, Kirk was on track to becoming an extremely triumphant professional golfer.
Despite his success, the world of golf was deeply surprised after Chris Kirk announced his leave in 2019. From birth, Kirk already had a history of alcoholism in his family. After marrying his wife, Tahnee, and having his children, the pressures of parenting and providing got the best of him. Kirk began to use alcohol as an escape from these pressures while he was on the road. After a while, Kirk realized that his addiction and depression was not only interfering with his professional life, but with his parenting responsibilities. Therefore, Chris Kirk announced in 2019 that he would be taking an “indefinite leave” from golf in order to battle his struggles with addiction and mental health.
Kirk expected to receive a lot of criticism on social media for his addiction, but instead he became an icon. After Chris Kirk announced his reason for his leave, many individuals contacted him, explaining how his story inspired them to quit their addictions and begin healing.
Kirk returned to the world of golf in 2020. His rank had plummeted from 16th to 303rd after leaving the world of golf. After an entire year, Kirk was able to win on the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour after a “four-year drought since his last win” back in 2015.
Four years of sobriety later, Kirk decided to play on the PGA Tour in 2023. Kirk won the Honda Classic, earning $1,512,000 in prize money, his world rank of now 32nd, and a spot at the 2023 Masters in April.
Chris Kirk is a famous professional golf player who has overcome his battles with alcoholism and mental health. This year, Kirk won on the PGA Golf Tour for the first time in 8 years. Now, Kirk is maintaining a healthy lifestyle and is on track to becoming an even more accomplished professional golfer.
UConn Dominates Men's March Madness and Earns National Championship Win!!
A determined Huskies team cruised to their 5th National Championship
By William Sagnella
The Men’s National Championship game was a little surprising. For the first time in tournament history, not one number 1 seed had made it to the Elite Eight. The two teams facing off for the trophy were the 4 seed UConn, and the 5 seed San Diego state. Both teams were hungry for the championship, but many believed one team would dominate. That team was the UConn Huskies.
UConn came into the tournament with good odds to make a run for the trophy, but there were many great teams that could get in the way of their championship hopes. UConn dominated their first round opponent, the 13 seed Iona, and won by 24 points. They beat St. Mary’s CA in the second round by 15, and dominated Arkansas in the Sweet 16, beating them by 23. UConn only had two more games left to reach the National Championship. In the Elite Eight they would face their toughest test yet with the 3 seed Gonzaga. Even though this was the best team UConn would face, the team steamrolled through Gonzaga, beating them by almost 30 points. Only one game remained to reach the National Championship, where UConn would face the 5 seed Miami. This was no easy game, but UConn continued their streak and won by a comfortable 13 points. UConn had reached the National Championship, and with it came the determined San Diego state.
The game was close early, with both teams taking leads and trading buckets. San Diego State held a commanding lead early and for a small moment it looked as though UConn would get a taste of their own medicine. However, UConn bounced back with a run of their own, and held the lead for the rest of the game. San Diego would cut the lead to 6 late in the second half, but that was as close as they would get. A determined UConn team glided to the finish line as they won again, this time by 17 points. With the talented team they had, UConn was able to win their 5th championship in team history.
Football Team to Host 19th Annual Fundraiser in Honor of Lt. Dustin DeMonte
On Friday June 9th, the North Haven High School football team will host their 19th consecutive Spring Brawl, a scrimmage game that raises money for a family in need. This year's family is a very special one, the DeMonte family. Head Coach Anthony Sagnella and co-captains Brendan Ryan and Nick Harkins sat down for an interview with New 8's Alyssa Taglia:
Louisiana State University Wins First National Championship in School History
Passionate Head Coach Kim Mulkey leads Tigers to victory
By William Sagnella
The 2023 Women's March Madness had no clear winner. LSU had won a few tough games to get the big game, while Iowa star Caitlin Clark helped Iowa reach the National Championship. LSU started their tournament out with a 73-50 win over the 14 seed Hawaii. Iowa dominated their first round match-up, 15 seeded SLU, 95-43. In the second round Iowa won a close game against the 10 seed Georgia 74-66, while LSU continued to roll into the Sweet Sixteen beating the 6 seed Michigan 66-42. In the Sweet Sixteen LSU won a nailbiter over the 2 seed Utah 66-63, while Iowa rolled to another win 87-77 against the 6 seed Colorado. LSU got back on track with a 12 point victory over the 9 seed Miami FL, and rolled into the Final Four with lots of momentum.
Iowa won again by double digits taking down the 5 seed Louisville 97-83. LSU came into the Final Four facing the number 1 seed Virginia Tech. This would be no easy win, but LSU got the job done winning 79-72. Iowa also had a tough match-up to advance to the National Championship, facing off against the defending champions, the 1 seeded South Carolina. Although they were the underdogs coming in, Iowa defeated South Carolina 77-73, and advanced to the National Championship.
Both teams were motivated to come out with the victory, but only one team would come out on top. Although the game should have been closer on paper, LSU dominated 3 out of 4 quarters. With lots of help from the transfer Jasmine Carson, who had 22 points, the Tigers rolled to a 102-85 win. It was also a big win for the Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey who became the first head coach to win national championships with two different teams. The win gave them their first National Championship in school history.
Student Athletes Commit to College Sports
Student Athletes Commit to College Sports
Some of the student athletes at North Haven will be continuing their academic and athletic careers in college. Congratulations to all who achieved this feet!
Ethan Anderson - Track & Field/Throwing Events, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Julia Ball - Basketball, Roger Williams University
Christian Butler - Diving, Springfield College
Lily Coish - Soccer, Queens University, Canada
Noah Greco - Baseball, Suffolk University
Tyler Harger - Baseball, Albertus Magnus College
Jeffrey Karavas - Lacrosse, Salve Regina University
Brian Lastomirsky - Football, Springfield College
Nick Magro - Lacrosse, Albertus Magnus College
Jack Martineau - Baseball, Post University
Mikayla Rapuano - Swimming, Marist College
Jayden Roby - Football, Worcester State University
Jenna Roby - Acrobatics & Tumbling, Iona University
Alice Scalmani - Swimming, Siena College
William Whitcomb -Baseball, Western Connecticut State University
MLB Opening Day: Will the 2023-2024 Season Be One to Remember?
On Thursday, March 30th the MLB had their opening day games. The defending champions, the Houston Astros, are the favorites to win it all again this year, but there are a few teams looking to disrupt the Astros bid for another World Series. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the Atlanta Braves are all vying to win the World Series. With many great teams ready to compete, the 2023-2024 MLB season promises to be one to remember.
Head Coach Anthony Sagnella Named Walter Camp Coach of the Year
Only a few months after the Nighthawks won the state championship, head coach Anthony Sagnella was named Walter Camp Coach of the year. Sagnella won coach of the year back in 2015 and was a finalist for the Walter Camp coach of the year, when the team came up short in the championship game against New Canaan. This time he won the award and the state championship, making the award that much sweeter.
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