Tim Mira ‘17, above center, had a rather busy week last week. A catcher on the Dragons’ baseball team during the spring, Mira made his college choice official for the fall, opting to attend Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he will play for the Division 2 Tritons.

While Mira, a resident of Stamford, waits for spring to arrive, and his senior year, he’s also busy playing basketball as a guard on the GFA Third’s team, the only undefeated basketball squad in the Dragons’ program.

The day after a recent win, and the day before he made his college choice official, Mira – the son of GFA soccer coach Chris Mira – had a little Dragon Chat with the Dragon Nation Sports Blog.

Dragon Nation: Congratulations on Eckerd. How did that school finally win out become your school?

Tim Mira: It’s basically a dream school for me. I’m really interested in studying marine sciences in college and they have one of the best colleges in the country. It happened to work out that they gave me a look for baseball and like what I offered. I’m blessed that it worked out.

DN: How did you wind up coming to GFA?

TM: My dad works here so it was kind of a good fit and I liked everything I heard about it and on the visit. I came my sophomore year.

DN: What’s the best thing about the school?

TM: Definitely, the sense of community. You get that good feeling wherever you go.

DN: If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be?

TM: Parking.

DN: What one teacher or coach has had the biggest impact on you during your time here at GFA?

TM: That’s a tough one. (Pause). Definitely baseball coach Jon Thomas, JT. He’s new here but he’s been working with me for a long time.

DN: Being the son of a soccer coach, was it a difficult decision to not play soccer and have baseball be your No. 1 sport?

TM: My dad never really pressured me to play soccer. It was what I liked naturally, and that happened to be baseball. He helped me with what I needed and supported me through it.

DN: Being a catcher, you’re the general on the field. How would you describe the position?

TM: It’s a lot more than meets the eye. You call the game. You call the pitches. You call the plays when they’re needed. You’re the only person who sees the whole field at once, so a lot is on you to line people up and be ready for situations. You have to be vocal back there.

DN: Describe the sensation of taking a foul ball off your mask.

TM: It’s a shock. It doesn’t really hurt, but it’s just kind of a shock to you. It’s not pleasant.

DN: Would you rather hit a walk-off home run to win a game, or make the final out tag on a play the plate to win a game?

TM: Walk-off home run. It’s just fun to get hold of a pitch and send it over the fence. It’s a bonus when you win the game with it.

DN: What’s your earliest sports memory?

TM: I forget how old I was, but it was coach-pitch baseball and I remember hitting one into the left field trees. It’s a good first memory.

DN: What is your favorite baseball team and favorite pro player?

TM: Favorite team is the Yankees and my player would have to be (Kansas City Royals catcher) Salvador Perez.

DN: Do you think players who have been caught for steroids should be in the Hall of Fame?

TM: That’s a tough one. It could go both ways. Personally, I think you should play the game right if you want the credit to go along with it, so I’ll say no.

DN: What scares you?

TM: I’m not a fan of snakes.

DN: When was the last time you cried?

TM: This year. I don’t remember why, but I‘d be surprised if somebody doesn’t cry at least once a year.

DN: What’s one thing that nobody knows about you?

TM: That’s tough, too. Give me a second. (Pause). I used to be left-handed when I was younger.

DN: What’s your favorite app on your phone?

TM: Probably Instagram.

DN: Perfect breakfast?

TM: French toast.

DN: Your favorite midnight snack?

TM: I don’t know. I had pizza last night.

DN: If you could pick your home-cooked meal, what would it be?

TM: It’s not a good answer, but Thanksgiving is a good home-cooked meal.

DN: What was the last movie you saw and give us a one-sentence review?

TM:“Why Him?” and it was hilarious.

DN: If you had one do-over in your life, what would it be?

TM: Getting a chance to play a Cooperstown. I had the offer to play there when I was younger and I didn’t.

DN: Title of your autobiography?

TM: Road to the Show.

DN: What one word best describes you?

TM: Determination.

The Greens Farms Academy girls basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak by winning two games last weekend at the Coyle Gym.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, GFA bested Millbrook. Two days later, the Dragons topped Westover 57-45.

Against Millbrook, Lexi Kimball (Easton) tossed in 21 points to lead the Dragons to the big win over Millbrook on Wednesday afternoon. Kimball also had six rebounds and six assists while recording two steals and two blocks.

Katherine Marcus (New Canaan) also had 17 points and six rebounds in the winning effort as the Dragons snapped a three-game losing streak.

Bella Litt (Darien) added eight more while Ryan Boyle (Southport), Kaly Houston (Norwalk), Kristiana Modzelewski (Westport), Sara Peltier (Stamford) and Alex Wagner (Southport) each added two points apiece.

Modzelewski hauled down a game-high nine rebounds for the Dragons.

In the win over Westover, Kimball poured in 29 points to help the Dragons notched their second straight win with a 57-45 win over Westover on Friday at Coyle Gym.

Marcus added 12 points while Hannah Kozdeba (Shelton) and Modzelewski added six points each. Litt and Peltier added two points each.

Kimball also ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with eight assists, six steals, and three blocks. Kozdeba also had six rebounds, while Marcus had six steals and a trio of assists to go with six boards.

Modzelewski added five boards and two blocks.

BOYS BASKETBALL

The Dragons varsity basketball team improved to 9-3 on the season with two wins last week in a home-and-home against Rye Country Day School.

At Coyle Gym on Jan. 17, Evan Roteman (Fairfield) scored 15 points as the Greens Farms Academy boys basketball team defeated Rye Country Day School 62-48 in FAA action on Tuesday afternoon.

Cole Prowitt-Smith (Fairfield), Sunday Okeke (Darien) and Bennett Close (Norwalk) each added 10 points to the winning effort for the GFA, which improved to 8-3.

Okeke added 16 rebounds, while Greg Lawrence (Fairfield) had 15 caroms to go with eight points. Prowitt-Smith, Roteman and Jacob Manton (Westport) each dished out six assists.

Three days later, on Jan. 20, in Rye, N.Y., Roteman and Prowitt-Smith netted 20 points each to lead Greens Farms to a 62-50 win over Rye Country Day.

Okeke added nine points to go along with a whopping 20 rebounds, six blocks and five assists. Max Mitchell (Westport) added six points while Mack Muller (Westport) and Close had four and two, respectively. Roteman also had five assists.

The Dragons once again played without Henry Holzinger (Norwalk) and Lawrence, who are battling ankle injuries.

WRESTLING

The Dragons hosted their first dual meet of the season and earned a pair of dual meet wins by besting the Marvelwood School, 39-12, and Woodhall School, 45-24.

Winners against Marvelwood included: Sam Stuart (Fairfield) by decision at 106; Arman Ozgen (Weston) by forfeit at 113, Hans Forland (Wilton) by forfeit at 126, Nick Attai (Bridgeport) by forfeit at 132 pounds; JC Foster (Darien) by pin (:48) at 138; Adler Viton (Greenwich) by forfeit at 160; and Duncan McGrade (Weston) by forfeit) by 170.

Against Woodhall, where the Dragons raced out to a 27-0 lead, GFA winners included: Foster (by pin, :17) at 138; Kevin Maldenado (Norwalk) by decision, 10-6 at 145; Conrad White (Southport) by pin, (1:40) at 152; McGrade (by forfeit) at 160; Viton (by pin at 4:47) at 172; Stuart (by pin at :30) at 106; Attai (by forfeit) at 126; and Forland (by pin at 3:21) at 132.

On Saturday, GFA traveled to the Brunswick Invitational with mixed results.

Forland bounced back strong after a late score put him in the deficit in the semifinals to beat a familiar foe in Andrew Hennessey of Brunswick 6-2 to take 3rd place at the 126 lb weight class.

Stuart and Foster also had strong showings wrestling back to third place after tough semi final losses. Stuart defeated Peter Casey of Long Island Lutheran 7-1 and Foster received a forfeit in the consolation finals.

The Dragons return to action this Friday against cross-town rival Staples HS in this years inaugural town crown.

GIRLS FENCING

The women's foil squad fenced in a regular match format against Prospect and North Haven. Versus Prospect, they narrowly lost 4-5.  Junior Caroline Telesz (Fairfield) ended the round 2-1 and scored 13 points. Sophomore Amy Petschek (Norwalk) went 2-1 and scored 14 points.   Versus North Haven, the women's foil team lost 0-9. Telesz and Petschek both went 0-3 with Petschek scoring two points.

The women's saber squad fenced a round robin with fencers from North Haven, with a total of 5 fencers.  Senior and captain Shira Friedson (Trumbull) went 2-2, and scored a total of 13 points. Sophomore Hannah Calzone (Norwalk) ended the round 1-3, and scored a total of 11 points.

BOYS FENCING

The men's foil squad fenced a 10-person round robin with fencers from North Haven and Prospect.  Sophomore Willem Schuddeboom (Darien) fenced went 2 in 7, including one bout won by default, and scored a total of 27 points.   Freshman Zach Rothwell (Fairfield) finished 5 in 4, including one win by defaultRothwell scored a total of 33 points.  

The men's epee squad fenced against Prospect and North Haven in the regular match format.  Versus North Haven, they narrowly won 5-4.  Senior and captain Luke Duffy (Wilton) went 3-0, undefeated, and scored 15 points. Junior and junior captain Teddy Gartland (Darien) ended the round 2 in 1, and scored a total of 12 points.  The men's epee squad lost 3 bouts default, due to missing the third required fencer.  Versus Prospect, they lost 8-1.  Gartland went 0-3 and scored 6 points.  Duffy went 1-2 and scored 13 points.  

The men's saber also fenced a five person round robin with fencers from North Haven.  Sophomore Alex Galik (Darien) finished the round robin 0-4, with a total of 6 points scored.

GIRLS SQUASH

The Dragons played two of their more competitive matches of the seasons in 5-2 losses to Canterbury and Masters last week.

On Wednesday, GFA fell to Canterbury.

Katie Mackle (New Canaan) and Ellen Burbank (Southport) both earned 3-1 victories at each end of the lineup, while Charlotte Cohen (Westport) lost a 3-2 heartbreaker. Mackle won 11-8, 4-11, 11-5, 12-10 while Burbank won 10-12, 11-5, 11-3, 11-3.

Later in the week, the Dragons played a tough match at home against the Masters School, losing 5-2.

Sophomore Lucy Holzinger (Westport) played great squash at the five spot, winning her match in three short games (11-2, 11-6, 11-8). Burbank also played well, dispatching her opponent in three games (11-4, 11-2, 11-5).

Sophomore Kyra Lerner (Westport) played as the eight seed, defeating her opponent in two games out of three (11-2, 11-2).

BOYS SQUASH

The GFA boys varsity squash challenged the Masters School of Dobbs Ferry and won in a close match, 4-3.

Sophomore Jack Soper (Southport) played the deciding match at the three spot, dispatching his opponent in three games (11-8, 11-5, 11-5). Sophomore Andy McIlvaine played a nail-biting five game match but won his match as well (11-13, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6). Sophomores Marshall Bessey (Darien) and Giani Panariello (Westport) both won their matches in three games (12-10, 11-6, 11-6 and 11-5, 11-6, 11-3).

The Dragons challenged the talented New Canaan Country School team at their home courts this Thursday, falling 4-3.

Soper played the deciding match for the second day in a row but lost in a nail-biting five gamer (9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-3, 10-12).

Junior Jeb Rooney (Darien) also played a close match but lost in four (11-13, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11).

Both junior captains, Duda Voldman (Stamford) and John Selkowitz (Norwalk) dispatched their opponents in three games (11-9, 11-7, 11-9 and 13-11, 11-9, 11-9).

The most successful basketball program at Greens Farms Academy this season doesn’t have a single banner hanging in Coyle Gym.

Huh? Beg pardon?

After all, the Dragons have won three New England championships and three FAA championships since 1986. That, of course, is the boys varsity program, which is 9-3 on the season.

And the girls program won a league title in 1991, but they’re just two games above .500 this season.

So what team is shining so brightly this 2016-17 season while chasing history?

How about the Boys Third team, under head coach Pete Karlin?

That’s right. A perfect 7-0 on the season, if the Dragons can win out and go undefeated this season, they could find themselves on the wall of the Coyle Gym.

“It’d be nice to be the first Boys Third team with a banner up there,” senior guard Tim Mira said.

To say this Boys Third team is having a very special season is obvious. Unbeaten through seven games is a good start, but with five games left on the official schedule the Dragons are just half way to their goal.

Still, considering there are 18 different players on the roster, and only 10 dress each game, there is a balance of teamwork and camaraderie found from the first player to the last guy on the bench.

From seniors to freshmen, all have one thing in common.

“These guys love to play,” Karlan said. “They play for the fun of it. It’s interesting when you play for the fun of it. You do well. There’s a correlation there. At the varsity level, they’re expected to win and they’re playing year round. Here, they play for the fun of it and they have fun with each other.”

Mira said while there is a mix of ages and grades, they’re still a team.

“We have players from all over,” he said. “Seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen – we have every grade and it’s a good mix. We just blend well.”

The team opened the season with five straight double-digit wins.

The biggest challenge came against Montfort Academy, a tight 59-58 win. There might be a rematch later in the season in New York, but that hasn’t been officially scheduled yet.

Karlan, meanwhile, wants no talk of any banners.

“I have no idea what they’re talking about,” he says with a sly smile.

But he’s quick to add, “There’s a lot of talent here. They might not all be friends in their peer group, but when they step on the basketball court, they’re equal. At this level, with these guys, with this talent that loves to play together, it makes me look good … but it’s not about me.”

The players, however, say they like playing for Karlan the way he handles things might go along way to the team’s success.

“He’s a great coach,” said Chris Glynn, another senior. “It’s a good mixture of fun and intensity. I’d say it’s the perfect mix.”

Karlan doesn’t preach winning. He barely mentions it.

“I never talk about winning,” he said. “I talk about hustle and playing together and playing in our system and they buy into it. When they buy into it, it’s easy.”

Undefeated is never easy, though.

But that’s what the Boys Third team is eyeing moving forward – being the most successful basketball team on the GFA campus this season.

 It was high school wrestling’s version of making lemonade out of lemons.

And what a sweet idea it turned out to be.

When Greens Farms Academy’s opponent for Friday’s Pack-The-House event backed out on the Dragons less than a month before the scheduled date, Coach Jack Conroy’s team appeared to be left standing alone in the spotlight.

Then an idea which had festered for a couple of years suddenly came to live.

Introducing the battle for the Westport Town Crown – a hopefully annual exhibition match against Staples High School, the town’s public school located up on North Ave.

“This way is better,” Conroy said, comparing the new idea to the previously scheduled match.

Conroy and Staples coach Jesse Koproski have a past.

The two were club teammates during middle school and during their early high school years.

When the date opened up, Conroy approached Koproski to see if the Wreckers had an open date.

“It’s been an idea I’ve been playing around with, but we never had a date both of us were excited for,” Conroy said. “They had an opening on their calendar this year, so I said, ‘Let’s get this started. Let’s make it an annual tradition.’”

This year’s inaugural match will begin at 6:15 p.m.

“It’s something for the last few years, we would have been a lock to win, but Staples has really come up this year,” Conroy said. “They’re strong where we’re weak. Their upper weights are really strong and we’ll give them some forfeits up top, but we’ll count on our lightweights to be competitive.”

And, let’s not forget, this is only the beginning.

“I think it’ll be great for building wrestling in the area,” Conroy said. “It’s not necessarily about who wins the crown town every year. It’s about building and promoting wrestling.”

The GFA girls basketball team needed a second-half spark and Bella Litt ’18 was there to provide it.

Litt, one of the Dragons most high-profile three-sport standouts, will be the first person to tell you that basketball ranks third on her list of sports played behind lacrosse and soccer, respectively.

But when Litt laces up her high tops, pulls on that Dragons jersey, she’s going to give her team 100 percent.

That’s the only way Litt knows how to play.

“She has no fear,” GFA coach Jennifer Harris said.

So when Convent of the Sacred Heart came calling at Coyle Gym on Tuesday afternoon, and GFA found itself in a tight battle, Harris needed a third Dragon to step up.

Everybody knows much of GFA’s hoop success rides on the shooting touch of Georgetown-bound Lexi Kimball '17. She has shot her way into the hearts and minds of GFA fans – and opponents – and in the first half of Tuesday’s game she netted 18 of her team’s 20 first-half points.

And the Dragons led 20-16.

As great as Kimball is, though, she needs help and in the second half, Litt led the charge.

She matched Kimball’s scoring output with six points, including a huge lay-in from the low post in the closing minute that helped the Dragons secure their four-point 38-34 victory.

“I mean Lexi had that incredible first half, but I think they figured out what to do and we needed to step up,” Litt said. “We knew (Lexi) was going to be under a lot of pressure, so I just wanted to help out anyway I could.”

Usually, Litt is helping out on the defensive end of the court, where her athleticism makes her one of the team’s top on-the-ball defenders.

She’ll also grab her fair share of rebounds.

Points?

That’s new.

“She stepped up in huge moments,” Harris said. “She made shots she needed to make in big spots. She steps up on the defensive end and she rebounds, but offensively today she did more than we could have asked her.”

Growing up, Litt had always played basketball. But she was hurt her freshman season and didn’t play as a sophomore, opting instead to focus on her fall and spring sports.

She missed playing a winter sport, though, and returned to the court this season.

“Getting back into it was rough, but it’s becoming normal again,” Litt said.

Litt said her main role is defensive, but she knows her offensive is a work-in-progress .. and getting better.

“My shot isn’t great, but it’s getting there,” she said. “I feel I need to get stops on defense and get rebounds. The points help, but I think those other things help, too.”

With Kimball and sophomore guard Katherine Marcus '19 present a nice one-two scoring punch for the Dragons, a third option is going to be key to the team’s success going forward.

Litt could be it.

“I hope it gives her a lot more confidence,” Harris said. “Even with the misses she had, we’re happy she’s shooting the ball. It changes our game when she does that. It gives us that third offensive person.”

To quote the late, great Paul Harvey (Sorry, kids, you’ll have to Google him), “Now you know the rest of the story.”

At least The Masters School does.

Well, at least they now know the whole story.

The Panthers fell victim to the Greens Farms Academy boys basketball team on Wednesday at Coyle Gym as the Dragons posted a 68-54 victory.

The difference between this game and Masters 76-72 win in New York back on Jan. 10 can be summed up in 6-feet, 5-inches.

Or, in this case, the height of forward Greg Lawrence ’19.

Lawrence missed the first go-round between the FAA rivals with an injury.

When Masters came to Westport, this time they had to face the full force of the Dragons’ arsenal.

And that’s a team that has shown in can compete with anybody in the league and NEPSAC so far this season.

GFA hasn’t been a whole unit for a while with a number of players missing games or playing with tweaks, bumps and bruises.

That changed on Wednesday.

“This is the first time since winter break we’ve been healthy so it was a lot better,” captain Evan Roteman ’17 said. “The starting five is a very cohesive unit and we feel each other on the court.”

One of the Dragons’ bigs are the toughest players to lose, according to coach Doug Scott.

“When we’re healthy, if you’re going to take something away, we’re going to have something be open,” Scott said. “But if we’re missing, that’s 20 percent less that is taken away … especially a good team that rebounds so well.”

The team has been recently without Henry Holzinger, as well, but he’s part of a triumvirate of Dragons guards who can shoot or slash depending on what the defense gives him.

When he was out, guards like Roteman and Cole Prowitt-Smith were there to pick up some of those slots. Plus, off the bench, GFA is deepest at the guard slot.

With Lawrence sidelined, you’re losing a double-double player with younger, more raw players picking up the minutes.

Masters saw the difference between GFA whole and some of GFA’s holes.

Scott was pleased to see his team play up to its full potential again.

“It felt like we were a pretty good team, making great progress and then suddenly we’re keeping it all together with baling wire and whatever the word is, spit?” he said. “This felt like a good win over a good team.”

Even role players shined back in their regular roles as Bennett Close ’18 hit two big 3-point shots off the bench and Teddy Brown ’19 supplied some hard-nosed defense against a big Masters lineup.

Bottom line, the Dragons are getting healthy at the right time, too.

Nine games remain in the regular season and GFA is hoping to contend for both a league and New England title.

Playing at 100 percent capacity is vital to both goals.

“It’s definitely a key coming down the stretch,” Roteman said. “We have to finish league play strong and go into the playoffs with everything figured out.”

And, Scott will tell you, that’s the whole key.

GFA girls squash players practice together on a well-used court in Southport.

History was made at the Coyle Gymnasium on Friday night as Lexi Kimball ’17 became Greens Farms Academy’s all-time leading scorer, male or female, in varsity basketball.

Facing a very physical Cheshire Academy team, Kimball willed her way to a 27-point effort in a heart-breaking 50-47 loss.

The points gave her 1,377 points in her career, just two more than former boys varsity player Lee Isenstein ’87, who was in attendance for the GFA boys win over Capital Prep Harbor later in the evening.

“I don’t think I’ve really processed it yet,” Kimball said. “It’s just a testament to the many, many players I’ve played with who have gotten me the ball over the years. It’s a testament to (Coach Jen Harris), who trusts me enough to take all those shots in a game. It’s a testament of my love for this team and what I want to do to help our team be successful.”

The historic moment came with less than two minutes left in a tight game, when Kimball powered her way up for a layup in the low post and scored.

Harris called a quick timeout and the moment was announced to the large and growing crowd, which was part of the school’s annual “Pack The House” night.

Later, before the start of the boys game, Isenstein presented Kimball with a ceremonial ball honoring her status as the school’s highest scorer. (See photo above).

“That’s so cool to me. It shows how far the girls program has come,” Kimball said. “He seems like a really cool dude and it was interesting to meet him and see what the past has done and what the future is.”

Isenstein, who was an outside shooter who played before the 3-point line was established, played for four years at GFA, graduating in 1987.

Kimball started for GFA as an 8^th grader, but she lost almost a full season after she tore her ACL her sophomore season.

“She’s overcome a lot and she’s worked hard and earned every point,” Harris said.

Kimball remains overwhelmed at where basketball has taken her – and where it will take come fall when she joins the Georgetown Hoyas women’s basketball program in Washington, D.C., and the Big East.

“If you were going to ask me if I was going to accomplish this my eighth grade year when I started on varsity, I’d say you were crazy,” Kimball said. “I never expected to fall in love with the sport that way I did and I never expected all these awards. I’m just on a high right now. It’s like, ‘What’s next?’”

After Lexi Kimball’s historic career is GFA fans asking the same question.

Life can be a funny thing.

That’s something our young Dragons are learning every day as they grow up in front of us.

Over the years, the world will throw people at you. From the left, from the right. Only time can tell you what to expect from each one of them. There are stars of the show, bit players, role players, directors, all coming at you in the casting of friends, teammates, casual acquaintances and total strangers.

Some stick while others pass right on through like bus boys and waitresses in some big city restaurant.

For Lee Isenstein ’87 and Dan Tower ‘88, history brought them together right here in the halls of Greens Farm Academy.

They both grew up in Fairfield and knew of each other, but didn’t really know each other.

It was only when they became Dragons that their friendship and kinship grew ever tighter.

Today, all these years later, they remain close friends; bonded together by a love of sports, a passion for basketball and a mutual affection for another that shines through an e-mail chain that goes back and forth between the two.

If the names sound familiar to any GFA student who has walked into Coyle Gymnasium, they should.

Isenstein (right in lower photo) scored 1,376 points in his GFA basketball career. That puts tops on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Tower (left in lower photo) scored 1,117, leaving him fifth on the boys list.

Their names are forever stitched into the school’s sports history by a banner overlooking Coyle, pronouncing both of them as 1,000 point scorer – the first two, in fact.

Isenstein arrived first and Tower played one more season beyond, but together they represented a total of five seasons as part of the Dragons’ program.

On the court, together, they gave GFA a one-two punch that laid down a foundation for the future of basketball on Beachside Ave.

• • •

Today, Isenstein is the Chief Operating Officer at Basketball City, located at Pier 36 in Manhattan, so, yes, basketball still consumes him.

But, he readily admits, when he looks back on his time spent at GFA 30 years ago, he does so with extreme fondness.

“I had a fantastic experience at the school,” he said. “Those are some of the best years of my life and I fondly remember them. It wasn’t just the relationships with the other kids, but teachers and coaches, many of whom I still have relationships with today, 30 years later. I love the school.”

Growing up in Fairfield and shooting a basketball at any hoop he could, Isenstein arrived on the GFA campus during his seventh grade year.

“I had an older sister go there, two years older than me, and my parents wanted me to give it a shot,” said Isenstein, whose family later moved to Westport. “Then, I just fell in love with the school.”

His freshman year at GFA, Isenstein, a shooting guard with a deft touch from way outside, made the varsity team.

“It’s always hard being a freshman on a varsity team, but luckily I was a contributor,” Isenstein said. “I came off the bench. But the older guys treated me great.”

Team success, though, was fleeting.

“It was tough and embarrassing at times,” Isenstein said. “My freshman year, I think we were 2-18 and my sophomore year wasn’t much better. I hate to say it – we weren’t a laughingstock, but we were not very competitive.”

Two years later, though, a new kid was added to the varsity roster – a sophomore named Dan Tower.

• • •

Like Isenstein, Tower — who is in the digital marketing field and works for LG Electronics -- also grew up in Fairfield. His family also moved to Westport.

He had attended a handful of different schools through his early education days and GFA provided a place to stay for a while. He arrived in eighth grade … the same year Isenstein made varsity.

“Greens Farms was an opportunity to get to a place and stay,” Tower said. “It was a way to settle down and get some consistency in my academics. It’s a great school, just an amazing place I’ll always remember.”

The Tower family and the Isenstein family wound up living on the same street in Westport, and the two boys connected by the world of sports quickly became tight friends.

The two would fantasize about what they would do at GFA once they got on the court together, though.

Tower, a point guard, didn’t make varsity his freshman season, but did as a sophomore.

“We knew the trend we were going in,” Tower said. “It’s pointing one way – up.”

As teammates on the 1985-86 team, the Isenstein-Tower combination immediately started paying off.

They weren’t a big team – “We weren’t guard-oriented, we were guard-exclusive,” Tower said with a laugh – but the Dragons knew how to play together.

“I tell you what, we were vertically challenged to say the least, but we all knew how to play together and (Coach) Eric Brown let us go out there and play,” Isenstein recalled. “We were great athletes, pressed a lot, caused a lot of turnovers.”

During that first season together, the Dragons finished above .500 and knew they had enough talent coming back to make that following season special.

“We did the math and we knew if we stayed together, we could put something together that was kind of special,” Tower said.

Neither, however, thought they’d both score 1,000 career points and wind up in the top slots on the school’s scoring list.

“I love basketball and I’ve been playing my whole life,” Isenstein said. “All I knew back then was I really wanted to play in college, but I had no idea or aspirations about scoring 1,000 points or becoming the all-time leading scorer. I just wanted my team to have a winning record.”

Isenstein’s senior year was special on both a personal level and for the Dragons.

With Tower running the show from the point, and Isenstein getting as many open looks as he could, success was the story line.

“I was more of a one (point guard) mostly because we had to get Lee the ball,” Tower said. “A good chunk of my points came by getting to the foul line after driving and forcing contact. It wasn’t amazing stuff.”

Isenstein, however, was up to amazing stuff.

“He scored a ton of points without the three-point shot, too, and that was his game,” Tower said. “We would have to do some kind of student math, but he’d probably have scored 10 to 20 percent higher than he did if he played with the 3-point line.”

Isenstein, who averaged a school-record 23.5 points per game as a senior, doesn’t want to ask “What if?”

“Would I have had more points? Sure, but I don’t know how many more,” he said.

Most important to both players, though, was the fact the team was having success.

Greens Farms Academy won a divisional championship that season, but lost the FAA title game by two points.

“But it was a great run,” said Tower, who scored his 1,000^th point his senior year.

• • •

A great run is exactly what the Isenstein-Tower friendship has been for all these years.

After graduating from GFA, Isenstein met his goal of playing college basketball at Muhlenberg, where he played just one season.

“I thought I was pretty good until I saw guys six inches taller than me who could do everything I could do AND dunk,” Isenstein said. “It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, even at that level, I recognized where I was. I knew my path.”

On that path was a life-long friendship with his former GFA teammate.

“Lee and I are still super tight. To this day, we’re best friends,” Tower said.

That friendship helped them both on the court, too.

“It was like that brotherly sense of you always know where that guy is,” Isenstein added. It was always a very special time playing together with him.”

As friends are wont to do, they still tease and joke with each other when they look back over their lives and remind each of stories and games past.

They also stay in touch with each other’s families and try to play a lot of golf together.

Both also show up at Coyle Gym from time to time and proudly bask in the how far the program has come.

“Dan and I sit in the stands in awe of the talent level, the quality of play, the size,” Isenstein said. “It’s a higher quality than I ever imagined. To have GFA basketball be this prominent, to see the kids who come through here, it’s incredible.”

“Absolutely, it’s been very, very exciting to watch,” Tower concurs. “These are totally different universes from what we played in. Sports just wasn’t like that back in the day.”

Both life-long Dragons have met some of the more recent players and, as alumni, are proud to see such great character kids representing the school.

“That’s what the school instills in the students there,” Isenstein said. “It teaches you how to be a great person, have great values and always do the right thing.”

It also gives you plenty of choices of people coming in and out of your life on an everyday basis.

Some will come and go, some will fade away over time.

Others will stay around you forever, friends for life.

Just ask Lee Isenstein and Dan Tower.

It’s a question the Greens Farms Academy faithful are glad they don’t have to answer.

Who would win in an epic wrestling showdown between Hans Forland ’17 and Sam Stuart ’18?

Thankfully, Dragon Nation will never find out.

After all, the two multi-time FAA champions are on the same team.

On Saturday afternoon at Coyle Gym, where the 2017 Fairchester Athletic Association championships were being held, Forland won his fourth straight league title while Stuart won his second straight.

Forland won his at 120 pounds while Stuart won the 106-pound division.

Still, don’t you kind of wonder who might out-wrestler who in a behind-the-scenes match?

“Hans. He’d kick my butt,” Stuart said. “But only because he’s bigger.”

Forland laughed and replied, “That’s not true. He works me. He’s really strong.”

As stated, though, it doesn’t matter.

The one-two punch at the lower weights are something opponents fear and the strength of the GFA line-up.

“I thought they both wrestled really well,” GFA coach Jack Conroy said.

For Forland, a 4-for-4 finish in the FAA was historic.

“I’m really happy about it,” he said. “I have to give credit to my coaches. They’ve taught me so much and improved my game so much. I just hope I can carry this into states.”

For Stuart, he followed up his sophomore championship with another title this season.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “We get to come out and represent GFA and represent Jack and it feels good to get something out of it. It shows all our hard work is paying off.”

For the last two years, in practice, Stuart and Forland would square off a lot against each other.

“Without Hans, I wouldn’t have gotten here,” Stuart said.

A lot of young wrestlers have come into the program this season, allowing the duo to see different faces in practice.

Forland, as the team’s lone senior, is excited to see what the future will bring the younger Dragons.

“I think they just need more time,” he said. “I’m excited to see what these current wrestlers will do in the future. They showed that today.”

One of those younger wrestlers – sophomore Adler Viton – was a perfect example of almost breaking through.

Conroy said Viton’s 3-1 day was a great response to a disappointing match on Friday when GFA lost the “Town Crown” trophy to Staples High School in a 63-18 decision.

“Adler Viton was right there,” Conroy said. “I thought on Friday he wrestled pretty poorly, but he came out today with a fire under his butt and he looked really good. His last win, I thought, was one of his best matches and he came off and I was like, ‘Who is this kid? Where was that match last night.’”

Youth is the watch word for GFA wrestling this year.

But the veterans are doing what’s expected of them.

Winning.

Especially since they don’t have to face each other.

One of the most special nights of the winter season is “Pack the House.”

It gives the Greens Farms Academy winter sports programs a chance to play in front of especially large crowds, and this year’s packed house did not disappoint.

For the four senior members of the GFA boys basketball team, though, there was one tinge surrounding this year’s event.

It was their last one.

Sunday Okeke, Evan Roteman, Mack Muller and Jacob Manton played the final “Pack the House” night on Friday when GFA hosted Capital Prep Harbor of Bridgeport, a contest that ended in a 87-74 Dragons victory.

“It’s a celebration of this community and everything it stands for. It’s just great,” said Roteman, whose early 3-pointers got the crowd in a frenzy. “It’s just a culmination of everything about the school that is great.”

Okeke remembers coming in four years ago and seeing his first-ever “Pack The House.”

It’s hard to the believe the seniors won’t play before such a crowd again.

“It feels really great,” Okeke said. “I’m going to miss it. It’s been four years playing and the students have always come out and supported us and every time we’ve won.”

The boys varsity team wasn’t the only one showcased, either, which makes the night more special.

Girls basketball opened the night at 5 p.m. with wrestling holding its first-ever “Town Crown” showdown with Staples in Bedford Gym starting at 6 p.m.

“It’s so great to see, especially with the other two sports going before us,” Manton said. “It’s just a great event overall and it’s nice to see the whole school community coming out.”

In addition to the great crowd, the Dragons aren’t the only winners.

As the school said in a press release, “The annual event is a chance for the GFA community to rally together not just to cheer on our teams, but to support a local charity through fundraising efforts: silent auction, refreshment sales, and donations at the door. Any money raised Friday night will benefit Circle of Care, an organization that helps "children with cancer and their families from the day of diagnosis through treatment and beyond, providing direct practical, emotional, and financial support.”

Added Muller, “It’s the best of both worlds. It’s great for our home-court advantage and it’s great to get a win, but it’s great to help out a charity, too.”

Hopefully, our seniors will some day return to help future Dragons “Pack the House” again.

It was a big weekend at Greens Farms Academy. Within a 20-hour period on Friday and Saturday, history was made and championships were won.

On Friday night, as part of the school’s Pack the House night, senior girls varsity basketball player Lexi Kimball (Easton) became the school’s all-time leading scorer, netting 27 points — giving her 1,377 in her career — in a loss to 50-47 loss to Cheshire Academy.

The next day, GFA hosted the Fairchester Athletic Association’s wrestling championships and senior Hans Forland (Wilton) and Sam Stuart (Westport) both won league titles by going undefeated on the day.

Wrestling

Forland and Stuart both repeated as FAA wrestling championships in their respective weight classes during the league championship meet on Saturday at GFA. Forland won his fourth straight league title, this time at 120 pounds, by going 4-0 on the day against opponents from Brunswick, Rye Country Day, Hamden Hall and Hopkins.

Stuart, grappling out of the 106-pound division, also went 4-0 on the day to earn the title and All-League honors.

The two won their titles the day after GFA lost the inaugural “Town Crown” to cross-city Staples, 63-18.

Winners in that “exhibition match” — which both coaches hope becomes a yearly tradition — were Stuart (pin 1:59) at 106, Forland (pin 1:08) and Nick Attai (Bridgeport) at 126 (by forfeit).

Girls basketball

While Kimball set the new school record, besting Lee Isenstein GFA Class of ’87 and his boys’ best total of 1,376 points, the Dragons battled to the end with the Fighting Cats, but saw their game-winning snapped.

Hannah Kozdeba (Shelton) and Katherine Marcus (New Canaan) added eight points each while Kristiana Modzelewski (Westport) tallied four.

Marcus picked off nine rebounds, notched five steals and dished out three assists while Kozdeba grabbed seven rebounds for GFA.

Kimball also had five rebounds, four steals and four blocks, while Modzelewski hauled down five rebounds and made two steals.

Earlier in the week, GFA beat Convent of the Sacred Heart, 38-34, on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Kimball scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in the first half. GFA led 20-16 at the half, mostly thanks to Kimball's hot-shooting hand. Hannah Kozdeba added the other two points.

In the second half, though, Bella Litt (Darien) matched Kimball's output with six points, Marcus added four and Sarah Peltier (Stamford) netted two. Elyse Kimball (Easton) joined Modzelewski in playing strong defense.

Lexi Kimball also grabbed eight rebounds, made five steals, dished out two assists and had two blocks while Kozdeba added seven rebounds and a steal. Elyse Kimball also had three steals to go with a pair of rebounds.

Boys basketball

The Dragons ran their record to 11-3 — and their win streak to four — with a pair of victories last week.

A hot-shooting GFA jumped out to a big first-half lead and held on for an 87-74 win over Capital Harbor Prep, capping off the school’s Pack the House night.

Henry Holzinger (Norwalk) drained seven 3-point shots and Evan Roteman (Fairfield) added six more as the two combined for 43 points. Holzinger netted 23 while Roteman had 20.

Sunday Okeke (Darien) chipped in with 11 more while Mack Muller (Westport) scored eight. Greg Lawrence (Fairfield) also had 10 rebounds for GFA.

Earlier in the week, the Dragons defeated The Masters School, 68-54. Okeke and Holzinger both tossed in 18 points to key the offense, but it was the defense that held Masters to just 20 second half points.

Cole Prowitt-Smith (Fairfield) added 12 points, Greg Lawrence (Fairfield) 11 and Bennett Close (Norwalk) had two big 3-point shots to aid the victory.

Okeke had 13 rebounds, Lawrence hauled in 10 rebounds, Prowitt-Smith dished out 9 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds and Holzinger finished with 6 assists.

Girls squash

The Dragons fell 6-1 to Westover on Saturday, Jan. 28, with Katie Mackle (New Canaan) notching the one point with a 3-2 (11-9, 11-3, 6-11, 11-13, 11-9) win.

Ellen Burbank (Southport), Julia Edwards (Westport) and Eva Ebbesen (Westport) all took single games off their opponents in defeat.

On. Jan. 25, the Dragons took on FAA rivals Hopkins at home, losing 7-0.

Despite being down two starting players, the team played some competitive matches. Burbank played an exciting five game match but lost in the fifth (11-1, 11-13, 12-10, 10-12, 4-11). Mackle also played a competitive four-game match, losing in the fourth (4-11, 10-12, 11-5, 10-12).

Sophomore Alex Nesi (Fairfield) took a game from her formidable opponent (7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 10-12).

The day before, during a 5-2 loss to Holy Child, Mackle earned a three-game sweep from the No. 1 spot while Burbank notched a victory further down the line-up. Lucy Holzinger (Norwalk) pushed her opponent to the limit before falling by a 3-2 score.

Boys squash

The Dragons had a 2-0 week in squash, topping Canterbury 7-0 and defeating rival St. Luke’s 4-3.

The boys varsity squash team took on Canterbury school at home Jan. 25, defeating their opponent 7-0, despite missing their No. 4 Andy McIlvaine (Darien). Captain Duda Voldman (Stamford) defeated his opponent in four games (7-11, 1-11, 2-11, 4-11).

Playing in the No. 2 spot, Jack Soper (Southport) dispatched his opponent in three games (11-6, 11-5, 11-6) while John Selkowitz also had a good outing, defeating his opponent in three (11-6, 11-4, 11-4).

Marshall Bessey (Darien), Jeb Rooney (Darien), brothers Giani and Piero Panariello (Westport) and Blake Newcomer (Greenwich) all were victorious, as well.

GFA grinded out a thrilling 4-3 win over St. Luke's on Thursday, Jan. 26. Victories were picked up by Soper (3-1), Selkowitz (3-0), Rooney (3-1) and Giani Panariello (3-0) to clinch the match win.

Fencing

On Saturday, Jan. 28, GFA's Zach Rothwell (Fairfield) placed second out of 38 fencers in the Connecticut high school fencing novice tournament. The novice tournament is an annual event for Connecticut high school fencers who have not previously fenced in a high school tournament.

Rothwell went undefeated in his pool (placement round) and turned around a few crucial bouts after falling behind a few points.

According to head coach Matt Steinschneider, Rothwell “demonstrated strong adaptability, as well as impressive endurance, throughout the entire nine hours of the tournament.”

When you get compared to Lionel Messi, you know you’re in rarified air as a soccer player.

When Paul Hennessey compared Greens Farms Academy girls soccer standout Clare Mengel ’17 to Messi – and you took the comparison exactly how it was intended – it still spoke volumes about her ability as a player.

On Wednesday morning, Mengel signed her official Letter of Intent to play soccer at Division 1 Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.

Hennessey, while talking about Mengel’s ability to adjust to the Division 1 level, then drew a comparison to Messi to paint a picture of how ready she is to make the jump from the FAA to the NCAA.

“Appearances can be deceptive,” Hennessey said. “You think, or opposing coaches think, you can take her out of a game and it couldn’t be less true. She’s tough. I don’t think she has to get very strong. She is very strong. It just doesn’t look like it sometimes, but if you look at Messi, he’s not the biggest, strongest player in the world, but it’s hard to knock him off the ball. She’s like that.”

They don’t make them much tougher than Mengel, who verbally committed to Lafayette as a freshman and stood by her word.

“I really wanted a combination of good academics and Division 1 athletics and Lafayette was that for me, so that’s why I chose it,” Mengel said. “The coaching staff was amazing. I got a tour the first day and it was just so welcoming. I fell in love right away.”

This past season, Mengel scored 14 goals and dished out seven assists for GFA, which went 10-6-3 and lost in the FAA quarterfinals (1-0 to Greenwich Academy) and in the New England Tournament quarterfinals (penalty kicks to St. Luke’s).

While Hennessey had always seen Mengel’s talents be the best on the field, this year he saw a different player.

“Her biggest attribute is her control and ability to beat the player, score goals and maintain possession,” Hennessey said. “The fact she’s so technically gifted is something that comes naturally to her. But this year she really emerged as a leader.”

Mengel is confident enough to know she belongs on a soccer field surrounded by the best players.

After all, whether playing for Beachside or CFC, or even at GFA, she’s always had talent around her.

“She’s not expecting to walk on a field and get playing time,” Hennessey said. “She’s willing to work for it.”

Her talents, though, should get her on the field quickly, the coach added.

“Even at the college level, she’s a step above in terms of some of the things she can do with the ball,” he added.

Mengel is the second player in two years, and third player in four years, to leave GFA for college ranks, joining Erin Reilly ’16 (George Washington) and Caroline Kruk ’14 (Fairfield).

“We have some great soccer players, and Clare is just another example of a great athlete getting a fantastic education and playing soccer at a high level, too,” Hennessey said. “That’s something we can always help facilitate here.”

This week's Throwback Thursday photo takes us into the past only 17 years, to 2003. But the guy on the left should look pretty familiar to those who foray down to the athletic wing of the school. Yes, it's wrestling coach Jack Conroy as a freshman.

They tried to jazz it up, setting up a special alley-oop play that would be slammed down into the Greens Farms Academy boys basketball history books.

Had it gone as written on the chalkboard, Sunday Okeke ’17 would have joined the GFA 1,000-point club in style.

That’s just not the Okeke way, though.

The play misfired and it would be a couple more minutes before Okeke would take a feed in the lane from Henry Holzinger ’18, and softly laid career points number 1000 and 1001.

Okeke finished the day with 13 points, giving him 1,010 on his career, as the Dragons defeated Hyde-Woodstock 84-59.

“That’s Sunday. I basically had to beg him and get his permission to di it fancy and it’s just not in his nature,” GFA boys basketball coach Doug Scott said.

Okeke became the ninth player – and seventh boy -- in GFA history to surpass the 1,000-career point milestone.

Earlier this season, Okeke also passed the 1,000 rebound mark.

“It feels good,” Okeke said after greeting a throng of admirers post-game. “We drew up that play, and I was just like, let’s play the game of basketball. I don’t want to worry about 1,000 points. There’s still a lot of big games ahead. This isn’t the end of the road.”

As a player who has 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining former Dragon Sean Obi, Okeke was asked what he felt better about accomplishing.

“

I think the rebounds mean more because I love rebounding the ball, but points do mean a lot,” Okeke said. “My name will up there (on the school’s 1,000-point banner) and when I come back in five years, I’ll be able to look up there and remember what I’ve accomplished.”

Four years ago, Okeke arrived at GFA from Nigeria as a wide-eyed 14-year-old not knowing exactly where his future was going to take him.

“The interesting thing is we don’t know him and he doesn’t know us. It’s a totally blank slate,” Scott said. “All you really know is you’ve got a 14-year-old who’s willing to go halfway around the world. After that, everything else is easy.”

In front of the entire GFA community, Okeke has grown as a basketball player, yes, but more importantly as a young man.

“He’s just such a genuine great kid,” Scott said. “It’s been more about the ride on the bus with him, and I mean the proverbial bus. It’s like you planted a seed and this incredible crop blossomed. That’s what it’s all about and I’m talking the person as well as the basketball player.”

He has also embraced all those who have embraced him, but the Litt family in Darien – his “home” away from home – to his peers and classmates who look up at him as he strolls the hallways of 35 Beachside Ave.

It really has been a love-love relationship, 1000 times over.

“It means a lot, all the support I’ve gotten for four years,” Okeke said. “People coming to my games, supporting me, to be here to see me get this achievement. I’d like to thank everybody for their support.”

No Sunday.

Thank you.

For 1,000 points. For 1,000 rebounds. For being you the last four years and representing GFA as well hope all our students do.

As Kaly Houston ’17 wraps up her time at Greens Farms Academy in the coming months, it’s hard not to think of where she came from as an athlete.

She grew up a gymnast, flipping her way into the hearts of judges and rising all the way up to Level 9 – just two steps below the level of “elite” gymnast you see at the Olympics.

A back injury, however, ended Houston’s gymnastics career but she has found a home as a Dragon on GFA’s girls soccer and basketball teams.

Last week, after a GFA hoops win over Christian Heritage, Houston, a resident of Norwalk, took the time to have a Dragon Chat with us about her past, present and future.

Dragon Nation: How did you wind up coming to Greens Farms Academy?

Kaly Houston: Well, I went to Greenwich Country Day School my whole life, from first grade through ninth grade. I just ended up applying here, got wait listed and had a chance to come, and it’s been great.

DN: What do you think is the best thing about the school?

KH: Just the community, honestly. Interacting with the kids every day, and the relationships with the teachers are the best I’ve ever had.

DN: If you could change one thing about the school, what do you think it would be?

KH: Probably just more time to get to know everybody in the school. Everyone has a story and who they are, and I’d like to leave knowing everybody’s name.

DN: What teacher or coach do you think has had the biggest impact on your during your time here at GFA?

KH: Umm, I think my biggest influence here is coach Pete Karlan, by far. I played JV soccer for him and in my time as a student, as like a person, he’s been such a great role model for me. He’s my biggest influence, by far.

DN: You wear uniform No. 13, which a lot of people would be worried about since it’s considered an unlucky number. Why do you wear it?

KH: When I played soccer at Greenwich Country Day, I missed the day we were choosing jerseys. My coach gave me No. 13 because that was the number he wore when he played, so it was just an honor to be able to wear his number and it just carried on.

DN: Do you consider yourself a superstitious person?

KH: I don’t think I’m superstitious because I wouldn’t be wearing No. 13 if I was.

DN: What’s your earliest sports memory?

KH: Definitely in gymnastics. I’ve been doing gymnastics since I could walk. I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t do a somersault or a handstand or something like that.

DN: How good were you?

KH: I was a Level 9, and then I hurt my back. I started at Arena Gymnastics (in Stamford) and ended up at the Darien YMCA.

DN: Now you’re a senior at GFA, what do you consider your role on this year’s girls basketball team to be?

KH: Well, definitely not having not as much experience as the other girls, and having taken my junior year off and coming back, it’s just willing to learn and willing to be a person on the team who brings a positive attitude. That’s what I’m known for, being a positive person, and I just wanted to be leader.

DN: What’s your best basketball moment?

KH: I don’t know if I have a best moment. For me, it’s just me being able to be there for the girls, and having them come to me. When they do come to me, that’s my best moment I think.

DN: Getting away from sports, what scares you?

KH: What scares me is not living up to my potential or being afraid to be great, being afraid to try something because of the fear of failure. I just want to go out on a limb, try something new and see what happens.

DN: What’s something nobody knows about you?

KH: It might be my gymnastics career because all that happened before I got to GFA.

DN: What’s your favorite motivational quote or saying?

KH: Probably just ‘Be fearless.’ Good things come out when you’re not afraid to try. I think that would be it.

DN: What’s your perfect breakfast?

KH: Chocolate chip pancakes.

DN: Midnight snack?

KH: Cookies and cream ice cream.

DN: Favorite home-cooked meal?

KH: Pasta.

DN: What was the last movie you saw and give us a one-sentence review?

KH: I saw ‘Stick it’ recently. It’s a gymnastics movie and one of my favorite movies, so I’d say it’s one of the best movies of all time.

DN: What’s the last book you read that wasn’t for school?

KH: Actually, I just started, ‘Eat, Pray Love’ (by Elizabeth Gilbert). I love reading. That’s something I do a lot, one of my biggest hobbies out of athletics.

DN: You get one do-over in your life. What would it be?

KH: I don’t think I’d have a do-over. I just feel like everything I’ve done, even my mistakes, I’ve learned from it, so I don’t think I’d do one. Maybe one time, if I didn’t give 100 percent or something.

DN: What one word best describes you?

KH: Probably just positive or happy. That’s my goal, to put a smile on somebody’s face.

It was a historic Saturday afternoon at the Coyle Gym as Sunday Okeke (Darien) became the ninth GFA player in school history, and seventh boy, to surpass the 1,000-career point mark in an 84-59 victory over Hyde School of Woodstock.

Okeke finished the game with 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Dragons, who improved to 14-3. Cole Prowitt-Smith (Fairfield) also had 13 points as GFA put all five of its starters in double digits.

Evan Roteman (Fairfield) netted 12 points, Henry Holzinger (Norwalk) added 11 and Greg Lawrence (Fairfield) chipped in with 10 more points to go with 10 rebounds. The two 10s gave Lawrence his 10^th double-double of the season.

Holzinger had seven assists, Brady Reynolds (Wilton) had five and Teddy Brown (Greenwich) had four blocked shots.

The win ran GFA’s record to 14-3 and win streak to seven games.

In attendance at the game were GFA's first two 1,000-point scorers, Dan Tower '88 and Lee Isenstein '87, pictured at left.

The night before the win over Hyde, GFA used a strong inside game to roll past Redemption Christian Academy, 88-73.

Okeke poured in 28 points and Lawrence added 24 more to pace the Dragons effort.

The Dragons started the week with a 68-61 win over Brunswick.

Holzinger tossed in 23 points and three other Dragons found their way into double digits, too, as Okeke added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Lawrence had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Prowitt-Smith netted 12 points. Holzinger also dished out five assists as did Roteman.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Lexi Kimball (Easton) scored 16 points in less than a half of play while the rest of the Dragons stepped up with a second-half that was good enough to win over Christian Heritage of Trumbull on Monday.

Kelly van Hoesen (Greenwich) added 7 points while Sarah Peltier (Stamford) sank 6 points and Katherine Marcus (New Canaan) 5 for GFA, which improved to 9-6. Bella Litt (Darien, 3 points), Hannah Kozdeba (Shelton, 3 points), Kaly Houston (Norwalk, 2 points) and Kristiana Modzelewski (Westport, 2 points) also found their way into the scoring column.

Houston hauled down nine rebounds and made two steals. Marcus had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Litt had 5 steals,Kimball had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 steals, Van Hoesen 5 rebounds, and Modzelewski 5 rebounds, 4 steals.

Marcus scored 15 points the next time out, but the undermanned Dragons struggled and fell at home to Holy Child, 45-29.

Kozdeba and Peltier both had six points and Litt had two for account for GFA’s scoring.

Litt had nine rebounds and three steals for GFA while Marcus had seven steals, five rebounds and four assists. Kozdeba added five boards and two steals.

BOYS SQUASH

The Dragons split a pair 6-1 matches last week, falling to Brunswick by that score before topping Fairfield High School.

Boys varsity squash challenged Fairfield Ludlowe at home on Wednesday, winning 6-1. Junior Jack Soper (Southport) played an exciting match and won in four games (11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8).

Junior captain Duda Voldman (Stamford) played a tight five game match as the one seed but lost in the fifth game (7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 2-11, 10-12). Finally, junior Jeb Rooney (Darien) challenged his opponent but defeated him in the fourth game

Missing two members of their top seven team, GFA boys varsity squash travelled to Greenwich to take on the formidable Brunswick School, losing 6-1.

Voldman played an exciting match with long points and defeated in his opponent in four games (11-6, 4-11, 13-11, 11-6).

Junior captain, John Selkowitz (Norwalk) also played a competitive match but lost in four (7-11, 5-11, 11-7, 2-11). Rooney lost in three games but battled through each individual game (5-11, 7-11, 6-11).

 GIRLS SQUASH

Katie Mackle (New Canaan) notched the lone point for the Dragons in their 6-1 loss to Rye Country Day School, winning 3-1.

Ellen Burbank (Southport) I and Eve Ebbesen (Westport) also notched games, but weren't able to pull out match wins.

The next time out, in a 7-0 loss to Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mackle pushed her opponent to the limit before falling by a 3-2 tally. Mackle lost 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11.

Clare Foley (Southport), Charlotte Cohen (Westport), Lucy Holzinger (Norwalk), Nikki Greenberg (Westport), Alex Nesi (Fairfield) and Lillian Breier (Southport) all saw varsity action.

FENCING

The GFA boys and girls fencing teams met up for a multi-way meet on Saturday.

The boys lost 13-11 to Cheshire, 16-11 to Concord-Carlisle (Mass.) and 18-9 to Hopkins.

Against Cheshire, GFA lost seven matches by default as the team only had five of the required nine fencers

Senior and captain Luke Duffy (Wilton) went 1-2, scoring 6 points in total.  Junior and junior captain Teddy Gartland (Darien) ended the round 2-1, and scored 13 points.  

The boys foil squad won 6-3 (3 losses by default). Sophomore Willem Schuddeboom (Darien) went 3-0, winning every bout and scoring 15 points.  Freshman Zach Rothwell (Fairfield) went 3-0 as well, and scored 15 points.  

The boys saber squad lost 2-4 (4 losses by default; GFA had only fencer, Cheshire had only two). Sophomore Alex Galik (Darien) won both of his bouts and scored ten points. 

Against Concord-Carlisle, the Dragons had 12 losses by default.

The boy's epee squad lost 4-5 (3 losses by default).  Duffy ended the round undefeated, going 3-0 and scoring 15 points.  Gartland went 1-2, and scored 9 points. 

Boys foil lost 4-5 (3 losses by default).  Schuddeboom went 2-1 and scored 12 points and Rothwell went 2-1 for the round and scored 13 points. 

The boys saber squad lost 3-6 (6 losses by default).  Galik won all of his bouts, and ended the round 3-0 with 15 points.  

Against Hopkins, GFA lost 12 bouts by default.

The boys epee squad lost 4-5, with 3 losses by default.  Duffy went 2-1 and scored 10 points.  Gartland ended the round 2-1 with 13 points. 

Boys foil lost 2-7, including 3 losses by default. Schuddeboom (Darien) went 1-2, as did Rothwell. 

Boys saber lost 3-6, with 6 losses by default. Galik capped the day undefeated, winning all three of his bouts and scored 15 points. 

GIRLS FENCING

GFA girls varsity fencing competed against Cheshire, Concord-Carlisle (Mass) and Hopkins last weekend.

Against Cheshire, the Dragons lost 15-3, but the lone fencer competing won all three points.

Senior and captain Shira Friedson (Trumbull), fencing epee in this round, went 3-0, winning every bout and scoring a total of 15 points.  

Against Concord-Carlisle, a 24-3 loss with all 24 defeats coming by default, Friedson competed in saber and concluded the round 3-0, winning every bout and scoring a total of 15 points.  

Versus Hopkins, a 26-1 loss, Friedson stayed with saber this round, went 1-2 and scored 9 points.  

WRESTLING

The varsity wrestling squad saw its only scheduled match of the week wiped out because of the weather.

The team is gearing up for the WNEISWA Tournament at Salisbury School this coming Saturday.

Jack Ramsay walked off the Coyle Gym court, sat himself down on the bench and looked over at whichever of his teammates were listening.

“We did it,” he said with a sly smile.

They did it.

The Greens Farms Academy Boys Thirds basketball team capped off an undefeated season with a 42-23 win over the Brunswick School freshman team on Tuesday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on a perfect 12-0 season.

It is the first time a Boys Thirds team has ever gone undefeated at GFA – which means a banner will soon be hanging from the Coyle Gym’s walls.

In such a historic season at Coyle -- the same place where girls varsity player Lexi Kimball ’17 became the school’s all-time leading scorer, and the place where boys varsity star Sunday Okeke ’17 became only the second GFA player to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in his career – the Boys Thirds team stood just as tall in school history.

“They played their best when they had to and we did that tonight,” Thirds head coach Pete Karlan said. “Championship teams do that. Not that we’re a championship team, but you want to peak at the end and we saved our best for last, that’s for sure.”

A mix of seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen, the Dragons came together on the court.

After a hot start to the season, the goal quickly became putting up a banner.

For Tim Mira ’17 and his fellow seniors, they now get that moment.

“It’s a great feeling,” Mira said.

The Dragons found themselves in a tightly contested first half against Brunswick.

It was 11-10 with four minutes left to play in the first half when Ramsay sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 17-10.

At halftime, GFA led 19-13.

While Brunswick scored the first three points of the second half, senior Tim Mira drained a 3-pointer to start a 14-1 GFA run that blew open the game.

When Jack Brown found Charley Benson in transition – and Benson one-timed a pass to Jack Beaumont for an easy lay-up – the scored jumped to 33-17 and the Dragons were able to coast in and cap off an undefeated season.

Ramsay led the Dragons effort in their final game, netting 13 points. Brown added 10 points while Mira chipped in with seven more.

Coming into the season, Karlan knew the team had talent.

He weaved his line-up in and out over the season, always finding the right recipe for success.

Going undefeated was far from his mind.

“Going undefeated? I never would have thought that and it really didn’t dawn on me until a week or so ago when we were at 9-0, 10-0,” he said. “They really earned it. They just put it all together.”

Before the game, Karlan didn’t even mention anything to do with a banner.

“I just said you’ve had a great season, go out and have fun and the rest will take care of itself,” said Karlan, who has coached at GFA for more than two decades. “Their chemistry is so good. It’s just a wonderful team and it’s been such a pleasure to be out there every day with them.”

The 2016-17 Boys Thirds Team at GFA included: Jack Beaumont, Jack Ramsay, Jack Brown, Tim Mira, Aaron Miller, Will Byrne, Charlie Benson, Jordan Liu, Mike Canning, Sean Hogan, Chris Glynn, Ethan Phan, Ian Brown, Miles McDonald, Andrew Chen, and Ian Epps.

And, together, they made history.

The Greens Farms Academy boys squash team won its opening-round match at the 2017 HEAD U.S. High School National Team Championship Tournament.

The Dragons eked out a 4-3 win over Friends Central to advance to Saturday’s Division V quarterfinals against the Taft JV team.

John Selkowitz ’18, pictured above on right with Coach Attila Agh, earned a 3-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-4) win in the third match while Marshall Bessey, Giani Panariello and Piero Panariello all notched wins, as well.

Bessey (12-10, 11-5, 11-4) and Piero Panariello (11-5, 11-9, 11-5) both won in three games while Giani Panariello (11-5, 4-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6) went five games to allow the Dragons to clinch the match.

At No. 1, Duda Voldman fell in four games (13-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9) while Jack Soper lost a five-game heartbreaker (5-11, 11-6, 2-11, 16-14, 11-6) at No. 2. John Rooney (3-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10) also lost in five games at No. 4.

The GFA boys squash team’s hopes for a national title were squashed, if you will, by the Taft JV team, which bested the Dragons 5-2 in their Division V quarterfinals on Saturday.

Duda Voldman, pictured above, right, and John Selkowitz both notched 3-0 victories to earn GFA its only points in the match. Voldman coasted to an 11-6, 11-4, 11-3 win while Selkowitz won 11-7, 11-3, 11-7.

Jack Soper (11-6, 12-10, 4-11, 6-11, 11-7) and Marshall Bessey (11-2, 5-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-4) both loss heart-wrenching five-setters.

Giani Panariello fell 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-5), John Rooney was defeated 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 14-12) and Andy McIlvaine fell 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 12-10).

With the loss, GFA slipped into the Classic Plate Consolation Semifinals, where they lost 5-2 to University School of Hunting Valley, Ohio.

Voldman (11-5, 11-7, 11-3) and Panariello (11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10) earned wins for the Dragons.

Selkowitz fell in five (7-11, 2-11, 11-8, 11-5, 14-12), Rooney in four (10-12,12-10, 11-7, 11-5) and Soper (12-10, 11-9, 11-4), Bessey (11-5, 11-9, 11-8) and McIlvane (11-2, 12-10, 11-4) in three.

The Dragons defeated Friends Central 4-3 in a first-round game on Friday.

To view squash photos from the US Nationals, and from other points during the season, please click here.