Two Farmington High teams and one coach are nominated for a GameTImeCT Sports Award. (Soccer photo courtesy CIAC)
Two Farmington High teams and one coach have been nominated for the first GameTimeCT High School Sports Awards to recognize and celebrate the outstanding performances, achievements and sportsmanship that made this year unforgettable.
The event will be held in Bridgeport at the Hartford Health Care ampitheater in Bridgeport on Wednesday, July 16, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event is by invitation only.
Farmington High boys soccer coach Nick Boorman has been nominated for Coach of the Year, the River Hawk boys soccer team is nominated for Team of the Year and the Farmington High girls volleyball team is one of three nominees for the Championship Moment Award.
Under Boorman, the Farmington High boys soccer team won their 14th state championship with a 3-1 win over Xavier in the Class LL championship game. But the No. 7 River Hawks (17-2-4) were scheduled to be a Class L school in 2024. In the preseason, the River Hawk players voted to play at the Class LL level.
Farmington went 11-1-4 in the regular season and finished second behind Glastonbury in the CCC West. The River Hawks advanced to the CCC Tournament semifinals before dropping a 1-0 decision to Glastonbury.
But in the Class LL tournament, Farmington ran the table with five consecutive wins to win another state championship.
The defending Class L champion Farmington girls volleyball team (25-2) finished second in the CCC West behind Southington and dropped a 3-1 decision to Glastonbury in the CCC Tournament semifinals. The River Hawks advanced to the Class L championship game with three straight victories but ran into trouble in the finals against No. 10 Bristol Central.
The Rams won the first two games of the match before the River Hawks rallied to take game three.
In game four, the Rams were on a roll behind Lily Kirk with nine kills in that single game. Bristol Central was two points away from their first state championship in volleyball with a 23-14 lead.
But the River Hawks refused to yield.
Farmington scored nine of the next 10 points to tie the game at 24-24. Consecutive kills from Sydnie Smith lifted the River Hawks to a 27-25 game four victory, tying the match at 2-2.
It broke the Rams’ spirit. The River Hawks dominated game five, 15-4, to complete a historic comeback with a 3-2 victory in the Class L championship game over the Rams, 18-25, 24-26, 25-23, 27-25, 15-4.
Farmington won their tenth state title in volleyball and back-to-back chamionships for the first time since winning five in a row during the early years of the sport in the state in 1966-70.
Learn more about the other nomintees for the GameTimeCT Sports Awards.
UPDATE (Sept. 1). Manchester’s John Reisner won the Coach of the Year award, the Farmington High boys soccer team did win the Team of the Year award and the Mercy High girls soccer team won the Championship moment for girls sports with their win over St. Joseph in the Class LL final.
