Hillhouse Throwing Squad Uses Strength To Rescue Motorist

Hillhouse High track team’s throwing squad was on its way to Dairy Queen celebrate a victory — when they discovered their strength was needed outside the throwing circle.

The boys’ squad had just won the Southern Connecticut Conference Interscholastic Athletic tournament championship on Bowen Field on May 24. The boys claimed victory behind Gary Moore Jr.‘s 30 total points. The girls were right behind 1st place Sheehan High School of Wallingford.

To celebrate the victorious day, a group of seniors and juniors — Moore Jr., David Walker, Olivia O’Connor, Jquan Athis, Devon James, and Shalisha Robertson — joined with Hillhouse throwing alumna Leah Moore to head in two separate cars to a North Haven Dairy Queen. 

En route, they saw that a car had tipped over on the side of the road. A woman remained in the car.

From one of the throwers’ cars, Athis called Moore Jr. with concern. Drivers of both cars turned around to help.

When they arrived on the scene, they saw that the woman was standing upright on the driver’s side of the vehicle. A few neighbors were nearby; no one was helping her get out.

“I was looking at them like: Are you crazy!” Athis said. ​“So we immediately started to help.”

They helped get the lady out of the car, and keep the car stable once she was out.

“It felt good to help,” Walker said. 

After an ambulance crew arrived, the team proceeded to get their ice cream. With a lot of talent and a little bit of good karma, Hillhouse’s team went on the following Monday to win the state championship. They now have New England and national tournaments to compete in. The coach is looking for help to pay their way: anyone wishing to donate to the cause can find a GoFundMe page here set up for the purpose. 

Slugger Lands Cross Softball A Playoff Berth

Meanwhile, Wilbur Cross Girls Softball team made the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship playoffs this season for the first time in 20 years — propelled by the bat of graduating senior Olivia Vega.

Vega was named one of the top players in the Southern Connecticut Conference, named to the First Team; the All-SCC team is composed of the division’s 25 best players based on their impressionable season.

The senior catcher, who grew up in New Haven, had a batting average of .550, which was 200 points higher than the teammate behind her. She hit six home runs and tagged out 15 out of 18 runners from behind the plate. 

“She’s head over heels over others,” Head Coach Andrew Porto says with a smile. ​“She’s a pleasure to coach.”

Vega said this year presented some challenges after the pandemic cut previous years short.

“Getting back on the field, in general, was difficult. We [went from] nothing at all, to everything,” Vega said. But the team was able to rally through and get more wins than they have in years. They had a younger, more motivated team. 

The team faced the conference’s top seed, Southington, in the playoffs last week, and lost 22 – 0. Though the team lost in their first round of playoffs, Vega’s grit and determination made a lasting impression on all that followed Wilbur Cross softball this season. 

“She’s a jack of all trades,” Coach Porto said. ​“She does it all.”

Vega is headed this fall to the University of New Haven, where she plans to major in criminal justice. She doesn’t plan to try out for the team, she said, because she wants to focus on her career goal.