Ledyard — Six former players will be inducted into the Ledyard High School Football Hall of Fame, athletic director Jim Buonocore announced Tuesday. The eighth annual class of inductees will be honored at halftime of the varsity football game on Friday, Sept. 28, when the Colonels host Montville at 6:30 p.m.

Honorees are Gary Hall (Class of 1968), Brian Mignault (Class of 1975), Ron Jirsa (Class of 1977), Pat Williams (Class of 1995), Adam Baber (Class of 2001) and Alex Manwaring (Class of 2012).

"I continue to be impressed with the strong resumes of our inductees each year," Buonocore said in a press release. "Each inductee brings an amazing list of accomplishments with them and I look forward to welcoming them home this fall.”

Hall played quarterback, defensive back and served as team captain. Hall was an All-QVC performer, president of the senior class and member of the National Honor Society. Hall attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he participated in football, rugby and wrestling. Upon graduation, Hall served 24 years of active duty, retiring as a surface welfare navy captain. He resides in Alexandria, Va.

Mignault played quarterback and defensive back. As a junior, Mignault led the Colonels in interceptions and was named All-ECC and honorable mention all-state. During his senior season at quarterback, Mignault completed 45 passes for 749 yards and nine touchdowns. Mignault also played basketball and ran track for Ledyard. Upon graduation, Mignault attended Central Connecticut State University and played in the secondary for four seasons while earning his degree in education. Mignault resides in Preston.

Jirsa was a three-sport letter winner and captain of the team. A quarterback, Jirsa threw for 598 yards and six touchdowns his senior season while completing 43 percent of his passes. Jirsa attended Gettysburg College and graduated with a degree in biology. He later earned a Master's degree in athletic administration from Tulsa in 1987. Jirsa has had a long and distinguished career as a college basketball coach, including time spent as head coach at the University of Georgia and Marshall University. Currently, Jirsa serves as an assistant coach at Radford University in Virginia.

Williams, who played offensive and defensive line, was named to the CHSCA all-state football and The Day All-Area football team after leading the Colonels with 32 tackles and three sacks during his senior season. Williams also participated in the East/West Connecticut all-star game. After graduation, Williams walked on and played football at Jacksonville State University. He was a two-year letter winner for the Gamecocks and caught 27 passes and four touchdowns during his senior season as a tight end. He graduated with a degree from Jacksonville State in recreation management. Williams resides in Bennettsville, S.C. 

Baber, who played wide receiver and served as team captain, was named to the All-ECC team, The Day All-Area team and CHSCA all-state football team after catching 13 touchdowns in his senior season. Baber also played basketball and lacrosse for the Colonels. A UConn graduate, Baber coached the Ledyard girls’ basketball team to the ECC championship and a state semifinal berth in 2014. Baber currently resides in Ledyard.

Manwaring ran for an ECC single-season record of 2,551 yards and 19 touchdowns in leading the Colonels to the 2011 ECC championship and a Class M state final appearance. Manwaring finished his career with 3,591 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. He was named to the prestigious New Haven Register and Walter Camp All-State teams, as well as being named an All-Area performer for The Day. Manwaring was a standout wrestler and lacrosse player for the Colonels and is a 2016 graduate of Trinity College. Manwaring resides in Boston. 

For more information regarding the hall of fame, contact Buonocore at jbuonocore@ledyard.net.

ValleyCats top Tigers

• Oscar Campos hit a second-inning grand slam and the Tri-City ValleyCats made the runs stand up in a 5-2 victory over the Connecticut Tigers in a New York-Penn League game before 1,609 fans at Dodd Stadium.

The Tigers (23-24) came back with two runs in the second on RBI singles by Isrrael De La Cruz and Cam Warner but the ValleyCats, leaders of the Stedler Division at 28-22, scored an insurance run in the seventh.

The ValleyCats held Connecticut to four hits, with reliever Austin Hansen striking out six over two innings of relief to earn the victory. Campos had two hits for Tri-City. The Tigers play Wednesday, beginning a three-game series at Brooklyn.

Black Wolves sign three

• The New England Black Wolves signed Mark Cockerton and Matt Spanger to two-year contracts and Dave Emala to a one-year contract, the team announced.

Cockerton, a 5-foot-10 forward, has 33 points on 15 goals and 18 assists in 25 career games. In limited action for New England in 2017-18, he had four points (three goals, one assist) and 33 loose ball pickups. Drafted sixth overall in the 2014 NLL Entry Draft by the Black Wolves, Cockerton recently won a silver medal with Team Canada at the FIL World Outdoor Championships.

A 6-foot-4 defenseman, Spanger has spent the past two seasons with New England, scoring eight points on two goals and six assists in 18 career games while also scooping up 54 loose balls and causing 13 turnovers. In nine games during the 2017-18 season, he had five points (one goal, four assists), 30 loose balls and seven caused turnovers.

Emala, who spent time in camp with the Black Wolves prior to the 2017-18 season, has enjoyed a successful career in the outdoor game. In six seasons in the MLL, the 5-foot-11 forward has 136 points on 109 goals and 27 assists in 60 career games.