NFA makes splash with Hall inductees, and other thoughts

Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while eagerly awaiting the Red Sox signing of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge this offseason. It’s time to make amends for Babe Ruth.

*Norwich Free Academy has made quite a splash with its Class of 2022 Hall of Fame honorees. The iconic Hall inducts outstanding athletes and coaches every two years. But with the pandemic pausing the process, this is the first Academy class honored since 2018.

“This class represents the very best in NFA athletic history,” Wildcats athletic director Roy Wentworth said.

The Hall’s newest members are Ronald Pires ‘66, Ronald Delgado ‘73, Daniel Rose ‘73, William Krohn ‘76, Beth Curran Garver ‘84, Jody Hull McCabe ‘88, Jill Akus ‘97,  Erin-Kate Mandelburg Aleksak ‘97, Saona Chapman Jackson ‘01, Courtney Davis Gomez ‘04, Matthew Shaughnessy ‘05, and Bill Scarlata, Coach.

Pires played basketball for Eastern Connecticut State University where he currently stands 10th on the all-time scoring list (after holding the top spot for 20 years); Delgado was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track who played two years of semi-pro football as a quarterback for the New England Crusaders in Hartford; Rose played football at UConn where he earned a starting spot as a freshman and garnered three letters; and Krohn competed for 10 years in international track and field meets like the Millrose Games, Prefontaine Invitational and the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Trials.

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Curran Garver was the first female basketball player in NFA history to earn all-state honors before playing four years of Division I basketball at the University of New Hampshire; Hull McCabe held two school records (200- and 500- yard freestyle) for more than 20 years and swam four years at UConn where she set three individual school records and being part of two others on relays; and Akus and Mandelburg-Aleksak led the Wildcats cross country team to four ECC championships, two LL championships, two state open championships and one New England championship.

Chapman Jackson led the Wildcats to two basketball state championships in 1999 and 2001 and was selected a Nike All American and the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year in 2001; and Gomez led the Wildcats to four ECC basketball titles and two consecutive state championships in 2001 and 2002 before playing four years at the University of Hartford where she helped the Hawks to three America East Conference championships, three NCAA appearances and two first-round victories.

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Shaughnessy played for the Oakland Raiders and was named to ESPN’s All Rookie team. He played with the Raiders from 2009-13, before joining the Arizona Cardinals, for whom he played through 2015. Shaughnessy joined the Raiders having lettered for four years at the University of Wisconsin, where he was selected to the All Big 10 team his senior year; and Scarlata made the Wildcats girls basketball team one of the most successful programs in Connecticut history. His 27-year head coaching career amassed 576 wins, 18 conference championships and seven state titles. He had four unbeaten seasons and never had a losing season.

“The accomplishments of this group are inspiring on a number of levels and continue to show the success our athletes have while on campus and beyond,” Wentworth said. “The records speak for themselves.”

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The NFA Hall of Fame celebration will also be a bigger event this year. The banquet will take place on Friday, Oct. 28, at the Holiday Inn in Norwich. The event, which begins at 5 p.m., is open to the public. Tickets are $60 and can be ordered at nfaschool.org/athletics/hof.

In other Connecticut sports news

*The Mohegan Sun Arena will be rockin’ today (Sunday, Sept. 18) when the Connecticut Sun looks to win another elimination game against the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals.

After the Aces captured the first two games of this best-of-five series in Las Vegas, the Sun returned to Uncasville and posted an impressive 105-76 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night. It was the Sun’s fourth straight elimination game win in this 2022 postseason.

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Sun forward Alyssa Thomas made WNBA history by becoming the first player to post a triple double  (16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists) in Finals history.

Game 4 tips off today at 4 p.m. Both franchises are seeking their first WNBA title.

Not to ruin what I hope is a Sun championship parade if they can somehow get back to Las Vegas for a fifth and deciding game on Tuesday night, but I’m still perplexed as to why the league continues to go up against the NFL for viewership. Five NFL games will be in action when the Sun and Aces return to the hardwood and I can guarantee that not one of the guys I grew up with in Everett, Massaschusetts -  google ‘1914 Everett High football team’ - will be watching women’s basketball on Sunday.

Margarette Mady murderPatrick Antoine confessed to killing his pregnant wife. He was found not guilty Thursday.

*The 80th Gold Key dinner is just around the corner. Five legends will be honored by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance with the state’s most prestigious award on Oct. 16 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

This year’s recipients are George Crouse, Chris Dailey, Rob Dibble, Tom Penders, and Suzy Whaley.

Tickets for the Gold Key Dinner are $75 and are available by contacting CSMA president Tim Jensen of Patch Media Corp. at 860-394-5091 or tim.jensen@patch.com. Proceeds support the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship.

*The Jane Arruda Memorial Scholarship 5K takes place on Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m. “Jogging for Jane” is a family friendly event that starts and finishes at the Plainfield Central Middle School. The proceeds raised from this event will be donated to the Jane Arruda Scholarship Fund and will be awarded to a graduating senior at Plainfield High School who is pursuing a degree in the field of education or animal sciences.

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Arruda was a beloved, longtime Plainfield teacher who lost a battle against cancer. She touched many lives and left a lasting impression in her hometown of Plainfield, and beyond.

*STUCK IN THE ‘70s: On this day - Sept. 18, 1977 - the New England Patriots rallied from a 14-0 deficit in the NFL season opener and defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 21-17, at Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. Pats quarterback Steve Grogan completed 10-of-16 passes for 155 yards and tossed one touchdown, a 21-yard strike to Daryl Stingley. Stingley also scored on a 34 yard run. Sam “Bam” Cunningham led all rushers with 105 yards on 23 carries.

The Patriots would finish third in the AFC East with a 9-5 record under Chuck Fairbanks. The following season the NFL went to a 16-game schedule.

Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich Free Academy makes splash with Hall of Fame Class of 2022