YESTER YEAR: April 1977 Sports Wrap-Up

Richard {Reggie} Smith
Jul 13
3 min read

Updated: Jul 14

High Lights from the April 21, 1977 edition of the Cheshire Herald

Trackmen Knocked Off Pace, But Continue to Rule the Roost

The Cheshire High School varsity track team experienced a rare upset at the annual Robert Meenegan Relays at Amity Stadium, breaking their three-year winning streak. Cheshire finished third overall with 58 points, trailing Holy Cross of Waterbury (77 points) and Southington (70 points).

Despite dropping the meet, the Rams captured four first-place finishes:

Javelin Team: Jon Lenz, Neil Ferguson, and Terry Clark threw a combined 500 feet, 8 inches.
Sprint Medley Team: John Milton, Roger Goodson, Sean Kaplan, and Al Turley clocked a winning time of 3:42.1.
440 Team: Pat Coyne, Scott Benson, Andy Fitzsimmons, and Gary Johnson finished first at 45.4.
880 Team: Goodson, Turley, Kaplan, and Milton took the top spot with a time of 1:35.7.
220 team Goodson, Turley, and Milton ran a time of1:35.7 for first place.
The Mile Team of Pete Frenzilli, Mike Beebe, Bob Coleman and Terry Clark ran a second place 19.50.
Jan Urkevic, Jack Diamond and Steve pole vaulted to second place.
Goodson, Milton and Al Voos took third place in the triple jump.
Bill Glass, Rich Buttery and Greg Nagle threw 132 feet for fifth place in the shot.

The Rams quickly rebounded in regular league play, routing Lyman Hall 118-20 and Shelton 100.5-32.5, extending their incredible Housatonic League dual-meet winning streak to 53 consecutive victories over the past five seasons. Senior Roger Goodson paced the team with individual wins in the 100, 220, and triple jump, while anchoring the 440 relay. Juniors Joe Wall and Glenn Johnson were also double winners against the league foes.

Girls' Track Team Defeats Branford in Season Opener

The CHS girls' varsity track team kicked off their 1977 season with a dominant 112-13 victory over Branford. Cheshire depth was on full display, securing first place in all 14 events. Sally Gailfoil and Doreen Paul emerged as double winners for the Rams.

Key Victories Included:

100 & 220 Yard Dashes: Lisa Clemo swept both events (12.3 and 27.8).
440 & 880 Yard Runs: Sally Gailfoil dominated both distances (63.3 and 2:51).
Discus: Doreen Paul set a school record with a stellar throw of 114 feet, 3.5 inches.
Long Jump: Meg Gallagher took first at 15 feet, 2 inches.

"Ewes" Open Softball Season with Two Blowouts

The girls' varsity softball team, affectionately dubbed the "Ewes," split open their season with a pair of high-scoring victories under the steady pitching of Laura Bizier.

First, they eked out a 13-12 thriller against Seymour. Down 12-8 in the seventh inning, Cheshire rallied furiously with five runs in the final frame to seal the walk-off win. Nancy Larson and Nancy Bernardi sparked the offense with standalone home runs.

They followed that up by absolutely obliterating Branford 20-10. The Ewes batted around in the opening frame, hanging 7 runs on Branford, and added another 8 in the second to go up 15-0 early. Hitting stars for the early season onslaught include Lisa Grenon, Lauren Jelas, Angela Patao, Tammy Williams, Sue Harmon, Tracy Wood, Leigh Cunningham, Cathy DellaValle, and Linda Bouchard.

Rams Baseball Drops to Second After Heartbreaker

The CHS varsity baseball team suffered its first setback of the season, dropping a 9-8 decision to the North Haven Indians. The loss breaks a three-way tie for first, slipping Cheshire into second place in the Housatonic League with a 2-1 record.

Cheshire jumped out to an early lead behind a walk to Rich Drescher and Frank Sierpuchlin's two-run single. They added three more runs in the third inning following an error, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI single by Joe Aiello. Sierpuchlin started on the mound for the Rams, cruising through the first two innings before running into trouble in the fifth.

North Haven mounted a late-inning comeback, scoring two runs in the fifth and exploding for four runs in the sixth to pull ahead 9-5. Cheshire fought back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs highlighted by a bases-clearing triple by Morse, but the rally fell just one run short. Top hitters for the Rams in the effort were Brandolini (2-for-4) and Morse (2-for-4).

Trojans and Easties Chopped Down by Netmen

The Cheshire High varsity tennis team is firing on all cylinders, starting the season on a high note by sweeping Lyman Hall 9-0 and East Haven 8-1.

Against Lyman Hall, number-one singles player Dan Caine completely blanked his opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0. Other singles victories were secured by Scott Butterworth, Dave Ramon, Rob Lee, John Lainas, and John Adams. In the East Haven match, the Rams jumped to a 6-0 lead in singles play to put the match away early, highlighted by a hard-fought doubles win from the tandem of Mark Deming and Steve Gole (5-7, 6-3, 6-2).