J.C. Martin 3/15/26 J.C. Martin 3/15/26

Wreckers Boys Head To CIAC Tournament Semi-Final With 56-35 Win Over New London

The Wreckers proudly pose for yet another post-victory photo after they won their quarter-final game against the New London Whalers.

Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The #1 seeded Wreckers of Staples High School weathered an early surge from the #8-seeded Whalers of New London before asserting control in the boys basketball division 1 quarterfinals Friday night in Westport. New London drew first blood when senior point guard JJ Robinson (4 points) drove right and made a tough righty layup. After a couple good looks that just did not finish, Staples lost New London senior Jamir Hall (18 points), who burned his first three of the night right in front of the Staples student section to put the Whalers up 5-0.

Staples responded with their first points on the next possession with a floater from senior Sam Clachko (12 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds). Shortly after a fastbreak layup from junior Austin Heyer (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), senior forward Mason Tobias (9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) would take a charge that shifted the momentum in favor of Staples. An offensive rebound and putback layup by sophomore Henry Veissid (2 points, 2 rebounds) just as the first quarter buzzer sounded would put the Wreckers up 13-11.

The teams and the fans stand and face the flag for the singing of our National Anthem.

As always, the Wrecker take the floor at the start of the game with their usual confidence.

Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

On the first possession of the second quarter, Staples junior Dhilan Lowman (17 points, 6 rebounds) burned his first of 5 three-pointers on the night. Very sound defense played by the Wreckers would hold the Whalers to just 4 points in the second quarter.

Staples continued to inch ahead of the Whalers with an and-1 layup by senior Jack Jacob (6 points, 2 rebounds) followed by a Dhilan Lowman transition three that would be a sign of things to come. The strong defense, which in turn fueled their fast-paced transition offense, propelled the Wreckers to a 23-15 halftime lead over the Whalers of New London.

To start off the third quarter, New London senior Kyaire Young (11 points) started to impose his will in the post, with a clean lefty spin move on the first possession. Staples senior Mason Tobias would quickly respond with a lefty spin move of his own on the other end of the floor, making the score 25-17. The second half felt very much like the start of the first half for Staples, who had plenty of great looks that came up short. After treys from Hall and Young, and a layup from New London's Cashiz Zeigler (2 points, 1 rebound), Staples coach Dave Goldshore called timeout with the score 27-25. That is as close as the game would get though, as the Staples avalanche seemed to commence in the last 3 minutes of the third quarter, and ending with another Dhilan Lowman trey to make the score 40-31 at the end of the third quarter.

The Staples student section gave one burst of energy after another as they cheered the teams many highlight moments as the Wreckers kept rolling up the score. The game was sold out, and parents, friends and fans packed the bleachers and felt Wreckers Spirit.

Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The Wreckers Cheerleaders show their skills at halftime keeping the crowd energized.

The fourth quarter continued to go as Staples intended, with an and-1 layup by Tobias followed by a technical foul from New London to make the score 44-31 with 7:20 left in the ball game. Staples would go on to do an excellent job managing the clock in the fourth quarter, continuously running the 35 second shot-clock down near 0 and then scoring seemingly every time. Both teams emptied their benches at the 1:30 mark with the score 56-35, which would ultimately be the final.

Staples will advance to the semi finals of division 1 on Monday, March 16 at 6 PM, where they will face off against #5 seeded Notre Dame Prep (Fairfield) at Fairfield Warde High School.

This is sure to be a standing-room-only match, as both heavyweights are within an 8-mile radius of the neutral site, which is a rarity as you get this deep into the tournament. Get your tickets early!

The boys and coaching staff celebrate after the photo-op for parents and fans.

Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

Head coach David Goldshore is pumped as the of starters take a break giving the bench some game time. At right, Staples principal Stafford Thomas Jr. and Westport PD’s Corporal Craig Bergamo are all smiles as parents join the players on the floor to celebrate. and the crowd exits the gym.

**Student sports fans dressed for this important game and made sure their voices were heard from buzzer to buzzer.**

J.C. Martin 3/12/26 J.C. Martin 3/12/26

Dogs Love Compo Beach! But, Not For Long

Furry friend’s fun at Westport beaches comes to an end for the season on April 1st.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

Dogs have been loving their playtime at Compo or Burying Hill Beaches, but sadly for them and their humans, March 31st will be the last day for our four-legged besties to enjoy running and playing and splashing with their friends.

Beginning on April 1st, dogs will have to find other playgrounds, like Winslow Park downtown to enjoy puppy playtime. If the water loving breeds like the Retrievers and Labradors in these photos want to splash around, they will have to visit elsewhere, perhaps the Dog Park at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk. A reminder of the guidelines for dog activities and locations in town: Dogs in our Parks Westport

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

At this point in 2026 this scene seems like a distant memory, however early October last year saw some unseasonably warm days where both dogs and their humans could delight in splashing and playing at Compo beach where the temps reached mid 60’s.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

J.C. Martin 3/7/26 J.C. Martin 3/7/26

Wreckers Girls FCIAC Title Hopes Ended by Greenwich

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

For an update with today’s State Tournament results, scroll down to bottom of page

The Staples Girls basketball team, after a stellar regular season going 20-2, saw their hopes for an FCIAC title dashed by a Greenwich team which had defeated them with their first loss in January. The Cardinals earned their first FCIAC tournament title in 38 years on Wednesday night at Fairfield University’s Leo D. Mahoney arena by topping the Wreckers 65-49.

The Wreckers entered the final having decisively defeated Ridgefield and Stamford in the first two rounds, but had no answer for Greenwich sophomore center and tournament MVP Zuri Faison who led all scorers with 27 points, and Maddie Utzinger whose 22 points earned most of the Cardinals scoring. Greenwich had won their last nine games and seemed comfortable in the somewhat intimidating environs of the Fairfield University Mahoney Arena which seats 3,500 fans.

The Wreckers were tentative from the opening jump and were unable to penetrate the Cardinal defense, closing the first quarter with only two points and found themselves down by 10. The second period continued to challenge Staples on both offense and defense and at the half, their deficit increased to 14.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The Wreckers head coach Tommy Sparks told WestportLocalPress, “It took us a bit to get acclimated to the moment. We started out a little flat. Offensively, Greenwich made it tough for us to get into our sets and also slowed down our transition game. In the second half, we were able to get into a decent flow offensively but couldn't get any stops on the defensive end. The girls battled until the end but we dug ourselves in too deep of a hole in the 1st half.”

As they have done all year, Senior Captain Freya Harvey and Junior Captain Chloe Smith provided much of the Wreckers scoring, with 19 and 22 points respectively with each player drain three from beyond the arc.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The team huddles up during a time out as Coach Sparks tries change the direction of the game and urge the girls to focus and try to recover from the deficit.

The Wreckers girls under Sparks, in his second season as head coach reached the FCIAC finals for the first time since 2020. In summarizing this season he told WLP, “ We are very pleased with the team's efforts throughout the season. As a team, we knew that we had the capability of having the year that we had. The team did a good job of staying focused throughout the season and preparing the right way. We feel that this group has done a a great job of building off of last year and has continued to set the foundation for the program. In addition to team success, this group has also helped to cultivate positive relationships and ignite excitement with players at the youth level. We are proud of the team's resilience and growth throughout the season.”

Although disappointed with this loss, Head Coach Sparks is looking to the CIAC State Tourney, saying, “We've put the regular season and the FCIAC playoffs behind us. We know that we have to shift our focus onto our next opponent and elevate ourselves to be prepared for them. We are excited for the state tournament. We are confident that we can play well.”

The Wreckers Cheerleaders try to rally the crowd which had gone quiet as the Cardinals continued to control the game.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The Wrecker Girls recover from FCIAC final loss dominating Lyman Hall with a 59-30 victory. They next host Fairfield Warde whom they soundly defeated in their January regular season game by a similar score of 57-26.

J.C. Martin 3/5/26 J.C. Martin 3/5/26

WRECKERS WIN SECOND FCIAC CHAMPIONSHIP IN TWO YEARS!

The Staples Wreckers Boys Remain Undefeated With 62-48 Victory Over Ridgefield Tigers

Photos By J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan For WestportLocalPress.com

Last night marked a repeat showdown between the Staples Wreckers and the Ridgefield Tigers, who met in the FCIAC title game last year when Staples won 68-58. These two teams also met just one week prior, with Staples topping Ridgefield 67-49 in the last regular season game.

In front of a packed house at the beautiful Leo Mahoney arena on the campus of Fairfield University, the #1 seeded Wreckers, wearing home-whites, squared off against the #3 Tigers, donning their black away uniforms.

The Wreckers look confident as they enter the stadium followed by the playing of the National Anthem.

*The Wreckers huddle up just before they take the floor to defend their FCIAC Championship*

Photos By J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan For WestportLocalPress.com

To start off the game, junior Staples guard Austin Heyer ( 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) drove baseline and scored a layup on the first possession of the game to break the ice. Ridgefield responded on their first offensive possession with a floater from junior guard Jayson Genova (27 points) that would be an early sign of things to come. After multiple possessions of excellent spacing, cutting, and sharing the basketball from the Wreckers, Ridgefield burned their first timeout down 8-3.

The Wreckers “6th Man” was in full force at the Mahoney Arena.

Staples would then extend their lead to 11-3 after senior Sam Clachko (13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) rifled a pass from the left wing to the opposite corner to connect with junior Dhilan Lowman (7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist) for a three. The first quarter concluded with yet another Clachko layup to make the score 16-7.

Ridgefield started off the second quarter with 2 quick baskets, one by senior Jacob Hankla (3 points, 4 rebounds) and another by Genova. Staples responded with a nice drive and dish from Heyer to senior Mason Tobias (14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists). A couple baskets by Tiger senior Jack Winstanley (10 points, 4 rebounds) and a very deep three by Genova made the score 22-18 Staples with under 3 minutes to go before the half.

Photos By J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan For WestportLocalPress.com

Staples would respond with 2 more quick layups by Heyer, and a fundamental pump-fake followed by a layup by Wrecker sophomore Henry Veissid (5 points, 1 assist). Genova would continue his individual tear in the second quarter by drilling this third three in row past the red college three-point line to make the score 27-25 in favor of Staples at the half.

Photos By J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan For WestportLocalPress.com

The second half got underway with a made free throw by Tobias and a layup on the other end by Winstanley. Staples senior Matty Corrigan (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) displayed his versatility in the third quarter, scoring 6 points in a row off of made free throws, a made three-pointer, and a strong contested layup in the paint. Genova then responded with an and-one layup to make the score 39-35 Staples with just over 3 minutes to go in the third quarter.

Staples responded with an impressive shot fake and dish at the last second of his jumpshot from Clachko to Tobias to make the score 43-39. Steals and layups from both Tobias and Clachko were then followed up by a pull-up made jumper by Genova to make the score 47-41 as the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the third quarter.

Ridgefield would draw first blood in the fourth quarter with a made free throw and three-pointer by Genova to make the score 47-45 with 6:30 left in the ball game. A layup by Clachko followed by an and-one from Corrigan gave the Wreckers some breathing room as Staples led 52-45 with 5:20 to go. After being able to eat some clock, Tobias drilled 2 free throws to make the score 56-48 with 1:52 left. 3 missed consecutive field goal attempts by Genova followed by a Heyer layup with 59 seconds to go to make the score 59-48 made the Staples faithful really start to feel it coming.

Photos By J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan For WestportLocalPress.com

Staples would not look back, capping of a 62-48 win to be the first FCIAC boys basketball team to repeat as FCIAC champions since Ridgefield, who won 4 in a row from 2019 to 2022. The Staples season is not over, as they now shift their focus to the division 1 state tournament as the #1 seed, squaring off against #16 Manchester on March 10 at 6:00 PM at Staples High School.