27th Annual Branford Sports Hall of Fame Award Announcements

The 27th Annual Branford Sports Hall of Fame will be held on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, at 5:30 p.m. at Woodwinds in Branford. Ten outstanding individuals and three state championship teams will be honored. Tickets are $50 and are available at the Branford Parks and Recreation Department at 203-315-2355. This year’s inductees are:

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Lauren Kaczynski Anderson, who graduated from Branford High School in 1993 where she excelled in field hockey and basketball. In field hockey, she earned state-wide recognition and was an All League and All State player, as well as the New Haven Register’s All Area Player of the Year. She attended the University of Connecticut, leading the Huskies to a 21-0-2 record, scoring 28 goals. Lauren was Big East Player of the week three times. She is a career military officer, currently holding the rank of Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy.

Charles Andriole, Branford High School class of 1975, was a versatile and highly successful high school athlete, excelling in soccer, swimming and golf. He set numerous records in swimming and was a finalist in the State Open Championship multiple times. Andriole graduated from Villanova University where he competed in soccer, swimming and water polo.

Bob Ceccolini graduated from Branford High School in 1972. He was an outstanding football player who was a two-way starter for the 7-1-2 Hornets. He was a starting guard for the 1972 St. Mary CYO basketball team that won state and New England championships. From an early age, Bob was involved in Branford Recreation Department activities, and after graduating from UConn, where he played rugby, he returned to Branford to join the Recreation Department’s staff. Subsequently, Bob has worked in the recreation field in a number of towns, including Cheshire, where he has served as Director for the past 21 years.

Donna Doherty is an award-winning journalist who started her three-decade sportswriting career at St. Mary’s High School in New Haven, where she also co-captained the field hockey team and was president of the Sports Club. At Northeastern University, she was named the first female sports editor of the Northeastern News, and went on to become the first woman sportswriter at the New Haven Register. Donna then began a 19-year career with The New York Times Magazine Group, as assistant editor of Tennis magazine, rising to top editor and vice president, while covering the major tennis tournaments around the world. She recently retired as arts editor of the Register. Donna is a member of the U.S. Tennis Association, Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club and Branford Compassion Club.

Remo Guarnieri, BHS Class of 1990, was an All Housatonic League and All-State lineman, who is the only lineman to be named New Haven Register Player of the Year. Remo was also named to the All Housatonic League Baseball Team. He is a graduate of Villanova University where he distinguished himself on the gridiron and the classroom, twice being named to the Yankee Conference All Academic Team.

Donald “D.J.” King II was a three-year starter for the BHS Basketball Team. He scored over 1,000 points and was one of the captains for the undefeated 1978 Hornets. He was also an excellent performer for Branford’s track team, specializing in the jumping events and middle-distance running. D.J. was highly regarded in Connecticut as a decathlon athlete. He is a graduate of Clark University where he was a member of the 1979-1980 NCAA Division III Elite Eight Championship team basketball.

Alison Lupoli is a 1992 graduate of Branford High School, where she was an outstanding swimmer. She was an All-State and All-American competitor who won the 1990 State Open in the butterfly. She set a BHS record in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle. Ali was awarded a full athletic scholarship by Florida Atlantic University.

Sidney Noyes Jr. was one of the premier amateur golfers in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. He was invited to compete in the U.S. Amateur Championships on a number of occasions. Noyes was a graduate of Yale University where he earned three varsity letters in golf and earned second place in the 1931, 1932 and 1933 National Intercollegiate Championships. At the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club, the late Noyes continued his stellar play into the 1970s. Noyes passed away in 2003.

James Ryan is a 1952 graduate of Notre Dame High School where he played football and baseball. An excellent catcher, Jim had major league tryouts with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees, but his professional baseball career was cut short when he was called up by the U.S. Navy. While in the Navy, he played for the Seven River Naval Command in Annapolis, Md. Jim is a graduate of Providence College.

Lee Wezenski, BHS Class of 1977, had a stellar career in football and track. He was a three-sport athlete at BHS, where he excelled in football, basketball and track. The fullback/defensive tackle ran for over 1,000 yards as a senior and set a Housatonic League record of 197 feet in the javelin. He attended Boston College as a scholarship player and graduated in 1981.

1989 Branford High School Girls Tennis Team will forever be remembered as the first Branford girls’ tennis team ever to win a state championship. Branford High School Girl’s tennis had enjoyed six consecutive winning seasons and a record of 72-12 from 1983-88. The best they had done at the state tournament was third place in 1984. In 1989 the CIAC replaced the old individual tournament with a team vs. team event to determine the state champions, and Branford won the inaugural event with a 4-3 win over Darien in the finals.

1964 Branford High School Football Team. The 1964 Branford High School Football Team, led by new coach Bill Simon, was honored by the Connecticut High School Interscholastic Athletic Conference as the state’s outstanding Class B football team. The team came up short early in the season to state powerhouses Derby and North Haven, but bested the rest of its tough Housatonic League opponents, defeating Lyman Hall, Cheshire, Seymour, Shelton, Amity and rival East Haven on Thanksgiving by a 10-6 score.

1985 St. Mary CYO Basketball Team. Led by coaches Bill Aniskovich, Ken Orsene and Greg Petela, and captain Pete Reynolds, the 1985 St. Mary CYO Basketball Team posted a 14-0 league record and went on to win the Archdiocese of Hartford State Championship and the New England CYO Championship, completing the season with a perfect 21-0 record and three championships.