Three SCC finals are on tap this evening.
Branford reached the finals of the boys' and girls' soccer final for the first time in school history. The boys face Fairfield Prep at 7:30, preceded by the girls, Branford vs. Shelton, at 6 at West Haven High. Follow @nhrJoeMorelli on Twitter for all of the up-to-the-minute updates.

Cheshire faces Hand in the SCC field hockey final at 6 at Cheshire. Follow @nhrDanNowak for updates on that contest.

Here is the latest SCC tournament schedule update:


Boys’ soccer

Semifinals

Monday’s result

No. 3 Branford 3, No. 2 Amity 2 (2 OT)
Championship

Today

at West Haven

No. 1 Fairfield Prep vs. No. 3 Branford, 7:30 p.m.

Girls’ soccer

Semifinals

Monday’s result

No. 6 Branford 1, No. 7 Hand 0

Championship

Today

at West Haven

No. 4 Shelton vs. No. 6 Branford, 6 p.m.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

Quarterfinals

Monday’s result

No. 3 Amity 3, No. 6 Branford 1

Semifinals

Monday’s result

No. 1 Cheshire 3, No. 4 Sacred Heart Academy 0

Today

No. 3 Amity at No. 2 Mercy, 5 p.m.

Championship

Wednesday

at North Haven

No. 1 Cheshire vs. No. 2 Mercy/No. 3 Amity, 6 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY

Semifinals

Monday’s results

No. 1 Cheshire 0, No. 4 Branford 0 (Cheshire advances 4-2 on penalty strokes)

No. 2 Hand 2, No. 3 Guilford 1

Championship

Today

at Cheshire

No. 1 Cheshire vs. No. 2 Hand, 6 p.m.

Here is the complete list:


BASEBALL
Non-league
Platt Tech at Career (West Rock Park), ppd. to Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
O’Brien Tech at Westbrook, ppd. to Wednesday, 4:45 p.m.
NVL
Ansonia at Kennedy (Municipal Stadium),ppd. to Friday, 3:45 p.m.
Seymour at Watertown, ppd., TBA
Derby at St. Paul, ppd., TBA
SCC Housatonic
Sheehan at Shelton, ppd. to Thursday, 5 p.m.
SCC interdivision
Branford at Fairfield Prep, ppd. to Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
SCC Hammonasset
Foran at Law,ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.
SOFTBALL
NVL
Kennedy at Ansonia, ppd. to Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
Naugatuck at Crosby, ppd. to Friday, 3:30 p.m.
St. Paul at Derby, ppd. to Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Watertown at Seymour, ppd. to Wednesday, 5 p.m.
Non-league
East Haven at Platt Tech (Foote Field), ppd. to Wednesday at East Haven, 5 p.m.
Morgan at Wilcox Tech, ppd. to Thursday, 4 p.m.
Berlin at Hale-Ray, 7 p.m.
SCC interdivision
Lyman Hall at Foran, ppd. to Wednesday, 5 p.m.
SCC Quinnipiac
Sacred Heart Academy at Hamden, ppd. to Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Shoreline
Old Saybrook at Westbrook, ppd. to Friday, 3:45 p.m.
SWC
Pomperaug at Stratford (DeLuca Field), ppd. to Friday, 4:15 p.m.
FCIAC
St. Joseph at McMahon, ppd. to Thursday, 2 p.m.
BOYS’ LACROSSE
SCC
Cheshire at Xavier, ppd. to Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
Non-league
Morgan at Stonington, ppd., TBA
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Shoreline
Old Lyme at Haddam-Killingworth, ppd. to Tuesday, 4 p.m.
SCC
Cheshire at Hand, ppd. to Wednesday, 7 p.m.
BOYS’ OUTDOOR TRACK
SCC West Sectional at Amity, ppd. to Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.
Shoreline
Hyde, Westbrook at Morgan (Peters Complex), ppd. to Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
GIRLS’ OUTDOOR TRACK
SCC West Sectional at Amity, ppd. to Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.
Shoreline
Coginchaug, Cromwell at Valley Regional,ppd. to Wednesday, 3:45 p.m.
Hyde, Westbrook at Morgan (Peters Complex), ppd. to Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS’ TENNIS
Preps
St. Luke’s at Hamden Hall, ppd., TBA
SCC
Foran at West Haven (Painter Park),ppd. to Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Shelton at North Haven, ppd. to Monday, 3:45 p.m.
Shoreline
Portland at Westbrook, ppd. to Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS’ TENNIS
NVL
Watertown at Seymour, ppd., TBA
Non-league
Stratford at Law, ppd.to Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.
East Lyme at Guilford, ppd., TBA
SCC
Branford at Shelton, ppd., TBA
West Haven at Hillhouse/Career (East Shore), ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS’ GOLF
CSC
O’Brien Tech at Goodwin Tech (Stanley GC), ppd., TBA
SCC
Xavier at Cheshire (Farms CC), ppd., TBA
Hand at East Haven (Alling GC), ppd., TBA
Hamden at Shelton (Brownson CC), ppd. to Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Lyman Hall at Foran (Grassy Hill CC), ppd. to Wednesday, 3 p.m.
Guilford, Foran at Branford (Pine Orchard CC), ppd., TBA
Fairfield Prep at Amity (CC of Woodbridge), ppd., TBA
GIRLS’ GOLF
Haddam-Killingworth, Sacred Heart Academy at Canton (Tower Ridge CC), cancelled

Saturday's tripleheader scheduled for the Ballpark at Harbor yard in Bridgeport was postponed Friday due to possible inclement weather. Two have already been rescheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday: Shelton at Amity and Xavier at Foran. The Seymour-St. Joseph game is ppd. indefinitely.

For all your up-to-date high school baseball news, follow Henry Chisholm at http://nhrbaseball.blogspot.com/.

You can do the same on all your softball updates by following Mike Pucci at http://nhrsoftball.blogspot.com/.

The February list of 15 scholar-athletes from the Southern Connecticut Conference has been announced.

Shelton's Kathleen O’Brien has been named the winner of the ninth annual Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Journalism Scholarship, given by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance.

O'Brien will receive the award at the Alliance’s 71st annual Gold Key Dinner, scheduled for 4 p.m. April 29 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

Check out more information on the award and the dinner.

Shelton girls' soccer player Jessica Hartmayer will sign a National Letter of Intent on Monday to play at Division I Marist.
A co-captain, Hartmayer helped lead Shelton to the SCC Housatonic Division championship this year and to the SCC and Class LL state tournament titles in 2010.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and unfortunately, in the high school football world, it’s hard to get too many impressions on a team.

With 10 weeks in the season and most of the games happening at the same time (although we’ve had a couple of Saturday rain make-ups), some teams just get missed.

Or, in my case with Shelton, they have one chance.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL COLUMN

No. 2 seed Shelton beat No. 3 Amity 1-0 Thursday night to get a chance to defend its SCC championship on Saturday. Standing in the way is No. 4 seed Cheshire, which advanced past top-seeded Sacred Heart Academy in penalty kicks in the semifinals. game time is 5 p.m. at East Haven High. This is the third matchup between the two Housy rivals with Shelton going 1-0-1.
That will be preceded by the SCC boys final at 3 p.m., pitting No. 2 Fairfield Prep against No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven, a 1-0 winner over top-seeded Cheshire. Prep beat Guilford 3-0 on Wednesday and went 1-0-1 against ND during the regular season.

Wednesday's games are complete and now, the SCC tournament pairings are set for boys soccer for Saturday's quarterfinals. Times will be announced later today:

No. 8 Hand at No. 1 Cheshire
No. 5 Career/Hillhouse at No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven
No. 7 Shelton at No. 2 Fairfield Prep
No. 6 Hamden at No. 3 Guilford

The semifinals are Monday at the higher seed and the final is next Wednesday at East Haven High at 5 p.m.

As first reported right here, the pairings are set for the SCC girls' soccer tournament. The schedule is below:

Quarterfinals - Saturday, October 29 @Higher Seeds
No. 8 North Haven at No. 1 Sacred Heart Academy - 11 a.m.
No. 5 Cheshire at No. 4 Guilford - 3 p.m.
No. 7 Mercy at No. 2 Shelton - 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 West Haven at No. 3 Amity - 2:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Monday, October 31 @Higher Seeds - times TBA
Championship Game - Wednesday, November 2 @East Haven HS - 7 p.m.

The boys' pairings will be finalized on Thursday.

Fairfield Prep is the only boys' soccer team in the Southern Connecticut Conference to have won a division title, clinching the SCC Quinnipiac.
Three are up for grabs Saturday. The Guilford-Hand winner claims the Hammonasset. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Surf Club in Madison.
Shelton could only manage a scoreless tie with Amity Thursday night, failing to clinch the Housatonic. That means Cheshire can earn a share of the title with a win over Shelton at home on Saturday. Shelton can still clinch with a win or tie. Game time is 11:30 a.m.
And if North Haven beats Branford tonight (6:30 in Branford) and East Haven Saturday (5:30 at North Haven), it clinches the SCC Oronoque. If it slips up, there could be a four-way tie for the division with North Haven, Branford, Wilbur Cross and Career/Hillhouse.

In girls' soccer, Sacred Heart Academy has clinched the Quinnipiac, North Haven has won the Oronoque and Guilford has won the Hammonasset.
That leaves the Housatonic and Saturday's big game between Cheshire and Shelton at Shelton at 6 p.m. Cheshire won at Amity Thursday to stay alive in its defense of the title. Saturday's winner is the division champion.

A huge game in girls' soccer this evening as Amity travels to Finn Stadium to take on Shelton at 7:30 p.m. The two teams tied earlier this season. The game could go a long way in determining the SCC Housatonic Division champion.

To read more about unbeaten Amity click here


Also tonight, defending Quinnipiac Division winner Hamden invades West Haven, also at 7:30 p.m. West Haven won at Hamden earlier this season.

First place is on the line tonight in the SCC Housatonic Division tonight as the Shelton boys' team hosts Cheshire. The winner will be the only remaining unbeaten team in the division.
The same two teams battle in girls' action today at 3:45 in Cheshire. If Cheshire, the defending champ, beats Shelton, the reigning league and Class LL state champ, then Amity will be the only unbeaten in the Housy.
In the SCC Oronoque, the Career/Hillhouse-Wilbur Cross boys game has been moved to East Haven High tonight at 6 due to poor field conditions at East Shore Park. Cross is the only unbeaten team in the division.

Then you have the best rivalry in the league - Hand vs. Guilford, part I - at 7 tonight at Guilford High. Hand is the defending division and league champion.

Head on out to a game near you...

It's not just about football this evening - there happens to be a very big rematch in girls' soccer.
Defending champion Shelton hosts Hamden at 7:30 p.m. Shelton not only won the SCC for the first time last year, but also its first Class LL state championship. Shelton won its season opener 4-0 at Hand on Wednesday and features Angie Ferro and Megan Manzo, along with Mary Hunter.
Hamden returns Rachel Ugolik, the reigning Register Area MVP. The Green Dragons edged Wilbur Cross 3-2 in its opener on Tuesday.

If you are looking for an alternative to football, head out to Shelton for this prime-time matchup.
One piece of advice - dress warmly!

The Shelton boys' lacrosse team and Shelton head coach Steve Kennedy recently received the 2011 Sportsmanship Award from the Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association.
John Matthews, president of the Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association, presented the award to Kennedy at the 51st annual CLOA banquet on June 15 in Southington.
The officials that officated all high school and prep school lacrosse games for the 2011 season make the selection for the coach/team sportsmanship award.
According to a press release, Matthews stated at the banquet the award for the Shelton team was almost a unanimous decision by the officials.
"We officials look at the teams and how they represent themselves during the course of a contest," Matthews said. Matthews also stated that the Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association acknowledged that the Shelton boy's lacrosse team has improved not just in playing the game but by the respect that they showed their opponents.

Shelton senior Pat Gillen was pinned by Nick Gwiazdowsk of New York at 4:57 in the 215-pound division at the national tournament, held Sunday at Virginia Beach, VA.

Gillen finishes his career as a four-time All-American and four-time Academic All-American. He went 53-1 this year and 204-15 in his career. He set the state record for career wins at the national tournament. Gillen was a four-time Register All-Area selection and a two-time MVP.

Some information from Shelton wrestling coach Bill Maloney:

Shelton senior Pat Gillen, a four-time NHSCA All-American, is looking to become the first Connecticut wrestler to win a NHSCA Senior National title. Only two other state wrestlers have earned a spot in the senior finals – Windham High’s James Poulin at 275 pounds in 1991 and Hand’s Jim Guzzio at 130 in 1992. Both finished second.

Ledyard’s T.J. Hepburn is the only Connecticut wrestler to win a NHSCA national championship when he won a Junior National title at 135 pounds in 2006.

Gillen advanced to the championship final at 215 pounds at the national wrestling tournament after an impressive performance Saturday at Virginia Beach, Va. Gillen earned a major decision over Darren Hankins of Virginia, 15-7, to earn a spot in the finals, which will be held today at 5 p.m. Earlier in the day, Gillen pinned Blake Bean of Kansas at 2:41. Gillen will face Nick Gwiadowski of New York for the championship. Gillen is currently 53-0 on the season and has a career record 204-14.

Shelton senior Pat Gillen advanced to the championship final at 215 pounds at the national wrestling tournament after an impressive performance Saturday at Virginia Beach, Va. Gillen earned a major decision over Darren Hankins of Virginia, 15-7, to earn a spot in the finals, which will be held today at 5 p.m. Earlier in the day, Gillen pinned Blake Bean of Kansas at 2:41. Gillen will face Nick Gwiadowski of New York for the championship. Gillen is currently 53-0 on the season and has a career record 204-14.

Shelton senior wrestler Pat Gillen set the state record for career wins when he recorded his 201st during the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach on Friday. Gillen claimed the top spot after a pin over Brandon Lustgarten of FL in 35 seconds in his first match. Gillen's victory surpasses former Ledyard standout TJ Hepburn's mark of 200 wins. Gillen will face Michael Chapman of GA in the Round of 16 starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday. For brackets and results, click here.

Shelton senior Pat Gillen defeated Brendan Battles-Santos from Nauset, Mass. by technical fall in the third period to win the championship at 215 pounds.
The victory marked career win No. 200 for Gillen, which tied Ledyard’s T.J. Hepburn for the state record.
Hepburn accomplished the feat from 2004-2007.
Gillen can set the record at the national tournament, which will be held later this month.
Hand junior Joe Demichele won his first New England title after emerging with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Ben Tammany of Timberlane, N.H. in triple overtime at 285.

Four local wrestlers have advanced to the championship final of the New England Wrestling tournament Saturday at the New Haven Athletic Center. They are:


130: Ed Carroll, Hand
160: Dillon Carter, Hale-Ray
215: Pat Gillen, Shelton
285: Joe Demichele, Hand

Finals are expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.