Many local high school teams partake in the Play4ForTheCure, a sports fundraising initiative for cancer research. Once per season at Waterford High School, they Wrestle for the Cure.

“The event started as the Friday Night Duals and then it transitioned into the ‘Wrestle for the Cure’ event after Josh Eudy's passing,” said Waterford wrestling coach Chris Gamble, referring to the death of a beloved teacher at the school in 2013.

“Unfortunately, in 2020, Waterford High School graduate, wrestler and coach Tim Bonavita passed away. At that time the event was wrestled in honor of both Josh and Tim.”

The event takes place on the third Friday night in January and the wrestlers wear pink shirts. Traditionally, a set of dual meets are wrestled between the Lancers, Foran, Westerly and Coventry, R.I.

Foran was unable to attend this season due to a scheduling conflict, but Gamble speaks highly of Foran coach Dave Esposito.

“His team would bring a card and a cash donation every year and his captains would present it to our captains prior to wrestling starting,” Gamble said. “Coach Dave Esposito is an outstanding coach, but more importantly, he is a class act.”

Gamble also credits the parents of his wrestlers for donating their time, money and food and beverages to support the event. The proceeds are split between scholarships in the names of Eudy, who was Waterford’s varsity volleyball coach, and Bonavita, both of whom lost their battles with cancer.

“Josh was an amazing individual that exemplified hard work, integrity, and perseverance,” Gamble said. “No one worked harder than Josh and he always did the right thing. He was humble and never looked for praise or accolades. He strove for excellence for the right reasons.

“Tim was a beloved member of the Waterford wrestling community. Tim wrestled for Waterford High School and served as a captain his junior and senior seasons. He was a humble and dedicated leader. He always encouraged those around him and set a standard second to none.”

Waterford went 2-1 in this year’s event, defeating Westerly 57-7 and Putnam 46-18, falling to Coventry 57-23.

It’s almost spring

With the World Baseball Coaches’ Convention and the World Softball Coaches’ Convention taking place at Mohegan Sun from Jan. 11-13, several local high school coaches take the opportunity each year to attend.

The clinicians include top college coaches from around the country, as well as professionals.

“(It’s) a great way to start off the planning process for softball season,” said Norwich Free Academy softball coach Athena Jaskiewicz. “Being surrounded by people who share the same passion as you where you can share tips and tricks right on the spot is crucial.

“I could attend any session on the schedule and immediately pick something out of the session to implement into one of my practices.”

Jaskiewicz said two of her favorite sessions this year were conducted by UConn head coach Laura Valentino and by legendary former Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins, who retired with the most wins in NCAA softball history (1,707) and a coveted national championship.

“My favorite sessions are the ones where I get to hear college coaches talk about how much they love the sport and the passion they have for softball,” Jaskiewicz said.

“I enjoy attending the World Baseball Coaches’ Convention because it is the first sign that high school baseball season is right around the corner,” said East Lyme baseball coach Jack Biggs, who will begin his 19th season as the Vikings’ head coach this spring. “Listening to the guest speakers gives validation to the pieces of the game that we teach every day.”

Marshall x 2

With St. Bernard 6-foot-6 center Amare Marshall out for Friday’s 82-66 victory over Fitch, his brother Curtis, a freshman, did more than enough to make up for his absence.

Amare Marshall has been a monster for St. Bernard all season, being an anchor for the Saints on defense, as well as grabbing rebounds and finishing at the rim. Curtis brought the same tenacity as his brother and then some, scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

“I’m a bigger player, so when I went in the paint, they couldn’t stop me in there,” said Curtis Marshall, who is also 6-6.

The Saints had difficulty scoring in the beginning, leaving the score nearly tied at 32-30 in their favor going into the second half. It was the energy and physicality from Marshall that gave the Saints life down the stretch, extending the lead to 20 at one point in the fourth quarter.

“Very hard place to play (Fitch). Their crowd was loud,” Marshall said. “But I felt like being physical made an impact. I just tried to stay with it and go ‘next play, next play.’”

And more

Ledyard’s Peyton Luther, a Class L all-state selection and an All-New England pick during boys’ soccer season, committed recently to play for Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. Also from Ledyard, Cassie Rice committed to attend Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., to play for the women’s soccer team. At NFA, senior Alice Rourke, committed to play field hockey and lacrosse at Lasell University in Newton, Mass. ... Earlier this month, Montville wrestler James Linder earned the 100th victory of career. Linder was the ECC and Class S champion last year at 138 pounds. ... Tickets to the ECC indoor track championship meets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy go on sale at 6 a.m. Thursday. Tickets are limited to 300 per meet and can be obtained at https://gofan.co/event/1339367?schoolId=ECC (for Division I, 10 a.m.) or https://gofan.co/event/1339371?schoolId=ECC (for Division II, 4 p.m.)

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Intern Zak Cunningham contributed to this report