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McMahon Law Ofces of Wetherseld
won the 2014 Farmington Bank/Vantis Life
Senior U-19 Championship Aug. 5 under
the lights at Northwest Park in Manchester.
Comprised of two eighth-graders, three
freshmen, two sophomores and seven ju-
niors from Wetherseld and coached by
former 2011 All-Conference WHS players
Mike Kelly and Mike Krukiel and 2013
grad Chris Spuches, McMahon Law started
the season 1-4 before going 8-3 to nish the
season 9-7 and seeded seventh in the Tour-
nament.
The Lawyers then defeated the #10
Harwington Vipers 8-3, the #2 Simsbury
squad 5-0, and the #6 Granby squad 10-0 to
set up the championship game against the
#5 New England Mustangs, a team they had
just defeated 3-1 10 days earlier in the regu-
lar season nale in a nail-biter won when
with runners on rst and third, sure-handed
third baseman Danny OBrien back-handed
a line drive shot down the line and doubled
the runner off third.
The Mustangs scored rst in the bottom
of the rst when their lead-off hitter walked,
stole second and scored on a two-out single.
Wetherseld responded in the top of the sec-
ond when catcher Andrew Pugliese singled
and advanced to second on a passed ball. He
was driven in by third baseman OBriens
single to left and OBrien in turn on a triple
by left elder Lewis Glynn. First baseman
Tim Blaisdell made it 3-1 when he drove in
Glynn with a groundout to the right side.
Shortstop Kevin Smith led off the third
with his second hit of the day and advanced
to third on a single by right elder Jimmy
Sullivan, but was then thrown out at home
on a hit to the right side by Pugliese with
Sullivan moving to third. DH Eric Shields
was hit by a pitch to load the bases and
OBrien recorded his second RBI of the day
when he walked on a 3-2 pitch to make it
4-1.
The Mustangs scored in the bottom of
the third on a rare error by Wetherseld, al-
lowing the #10 batter to reach base and ad-
vance to third on a hit by the lead-off batter.
A sac y drove him in but further damage
was averted following a sharp hit to left with
Glynn ring a perfect relay to OBrien, who
threw a strike to the immovable Pugliese to
nail the runner trying to score from second.
With two outs in the top of the fourth,
Wetherseld showed its mettle when lead
off hitter Center-elder Mike OLeary
walked on a full count and stole second.
An RBI single by Smith with his third hit,
an RBI single by second baseman Jor-
dan Laske, another single by Sullivan and
an RBI single by Pugliese made the score
7-2. Wetherseld didnt score in the fth,
but starting pitcher Drew Moran breezed
through the fourth and fth innings, holding
the Mustangs to a base runner in each, as his
pitch total reached 57 with no sign of tiring.
The pesky OLeary reached rst with
one out in the top of the sixth and stole
second and was driven in by Smith with
his fourth hit of the day. The Mustangs an-
swered with a walk, an error and a hit to
score a run, but Moran got the next three
batters to strand two runners and squelch
any hopes for a rally.
The Lawyers didnt score in their half
of the seventh. A grounder to the slick eld-
ing Smith, a walk, a y ball tracked by the
speedy OLeary and a ground ball back to
Moran ended the game and Wetherseld had
its Championship and its long-awaited seat
at the FBVL Banquet table to be held at the
Gallery Oct. 1.
It was truly a team effort as Moran
threw 92 pitches, allowing ve hits, walking
three and striking out two. Smith and Laske
each had four assists and Laske had four
put-outs, playing second base for the second
time in his life. OLeary had three catches
in center. Seven different players scored and
6 others drove in runs to cap a great season.
Coaches Kelly and Krukiel had been
here before, winning four playoff games
as players after their Farley Sullivan Ju-
nior team went 7-6-1 after starting 1-4 in
the Jaycee Courant Junior Division regular
season in 2008. After winning three on the
road, the team lost in the nals. They were
determined that this wouldnt happen to
these players.
The key to an ever-improving season
for the McMahon squad was its defense.
The solid pitching corps of starters Drew
Moran (4-3)and Chris Tawrel (5-2), Tim
Blaisdell (2-0), Matt Colangelo (1-0) and
the Iceman Nick Hock (1-1) kept the team
in every game. The outeld defense of Mike
OLeary, Jimmy Sullivan and Jon Vaughn
tracked down anything hit in the air, and
when Vaughn left for vacation, outelder
turned second baseman Lewis Glynn re-
turned to the outeld and nothing changed.
The ineld was anchored by third baseman
Danny OBrien and, when he was absent, by
Blaisdell and even Pugliese; shortstop, the
human vacuum, Kevin Smith; second base-
man Glynn; and rst baseman Ben Adams
and, when he left on vacation, the versatile
Blaisdell and Tawrel lled in. McMahon
was rich in catchers with Andrew Pugliese,
the versatile Jordan Laske and Eric Shields
all catching multiple games and because of
their strong hitting lling in elsewhere
After a slow rst third of the season,
the bats came alive as everyone from top to
bottom became more aggressive at the plate
and started to contribute with timely key
hits. Throughout the season, Kevin Smith
led the team with a .604 batting average and
a .667 on base percentage while scoring 14
runs. Lead-off batter Mike OLeary with a
.300 BA and 433 OB percent led the team
with 16 runs scored. Jon Vaughn chipped in
with a .396 BA, Jimmy Sullivan at .310 and
Jordan Laske at .306 rounded out the top 5.
Better hitting led to more runs and gave the
pitching corps a nice cushion and the oppor-
tunity to record some Ws to go along with
their low ERAs.
The result was a Team averaging 16
years of age all from a single town facing
down teams much older, some of whom
had returning college freshmen, some with
players who turned 20 after the May 1 cut
off date. The fun and team chemistry these
players enjoyed cannot be discounted in the
success they achieved this season and will
give them something to build on for future
seasons in high school and beyond.
by Kathleen Pulek
On Sunday morning, Aug.
24, 150 runners from Fleet Feet
Sports in West Hartford mingled
with Mohegan Striders and Mil-
ford Road Runners as part of a re-
cord-setting eld that totaled more
than 1,100 in the Old Wetherseld
5K and 10K road race. Some of
the eld pushed single and double
strollers and proudly wore color-
ful tee shirts emblazoned with
motivational phrases like Dont
Quit and Running Changes Ev-
erything.
Wetherseld residents domi-
nated the course, a 5-kilometer
single loop and a 10-kilometer
double loop, which wound down
the towns scenic streets and
around the Broad Street Green be-
fore nishing on the picturesque
grounds of Wetherseld Cove.
Troy Stegman outdistanced
all 5K competitors in a time of
17:15, which was 1:36 off of the
record pace set back in 2007.
Laura Pierce secured the top fe-
male 5K nish and placed fth
overall (18:54), just 0:11 off of the
courses best female nish.
William Sanders bested the
615-member 10K eld in a time
of 31:39. Katie Edwards (Glaston-
bury) was the only non-Wethers-
eld top nisher, securing female
10K honors and 16th place overall
(35:41).
The not-for-prot Hartford
Marathon Foundation (HMF),
which works tirelessly to motivate
more than 60,000 people annu-
ally to adopt and live healthier and
more active lifestyles, organized
the event, which was born as the
Old Wetherseld 5K in 2006, with
the 10K run added in 2010.
A strong commitment to
youth tness prompted HMF to
add a FitKids Fun Run to the event
in 2012.
Our 1/4, 1/2 and one-
mile childrens runs have
proven very popular. We had
75 kids participate in the Fit-
Kids Fun Run in 2013, said
to Beth Shluger, executive
director of the Hartford Mara-
thon Foundation, Inc. Each
child receives a nisher medal
and a HMF Super Kid Cape.
The Old Wetherseld
5K and 10K is run on a beau-
tiful, very competitive course
and is situated perfectly on the
race calendar, as people are
preparing for the NU Hartford
Marathon or Half Marathon.
The at and fast course,
and the cause--The InterCom-
munity, Inc., a non-prot
agency that deals with men-
tal health issues and provides
critical services to those in
need in the [Greater Hartford]
region--keep people coming back
while also attracting new people
to the race, which continues to
grow. HMF is proud to support
many charities that help those in
need in our community, and
InterCommunity, Inc. is an
excellent example of our
charity partnerships, added
Shluger.
According to its web
site, HMF, which was
founded in 1994, is dedi-
cated to promoting health,
tness and enjoyment for
participants of all ages and
experience levels. Provid-
ing support from start to n-
ish--from training programs
to crossing the nish line
--the Foundation is commit-
ted to encouraging and cel-
ebrating personal goals.
With a mission to or-
ganize programs and events
that promote health, tness
and enjoyment for partici-
pants of all ages and experience
levels, Hartford Marathon Foun-
dation, hosts more than 35 runs
and triathlons for adults and chil-
dren throughout Connecticut
each year. During its 20-plus years
of existence, HMF has raised more
than $4 million for dozens of com-
munity-based charities.
Town Runners Dominate Old Wetherseld 5K and 10K
Runners stream onto Hartford Avenue at the start of the Old Wetherseld 5K and 10K.
Top honors in the 10K went to Wetherselds
William Sanders. Town resident Laura Pierce bested all female
5K runners.
Wetherselds Troy Stegman was the top 5K n-
isher.
Photos by Dave Burnham
www.esnapsport.wordpress.com
Wetherseld Team Captures U-19 Championship