WETHERSFIELD – The Granby field hockey team has won 14 state titles, its last in 2019.
Sarah Pliszka, who has been in charge since taking over for long-time coach Sandy Wickman Mason, said her staff’s dream is to bring a championship back to Granby.
The Bears were regulars in the state championship game, winning six titles between 2000-11 and one more in 2019. They also advanced to the finals four times between 2011-18, but they have not been back to the final since ’19.
Saturday, the top-seeded Bears came close but fell to No. 2 Immaculate, 3-2, in the Class S championship at Wethersfield High. Immaculate won its first title since 2018 when it beat Granby, 3-0.
Abby Hall scored on a deflection, off an assist from Emma Scheckner (her third of the game) with 5:35 left to give Immaculate (19-3-1) the win.
Immaculate’s Mikayla Hanel attempts to score on Granby goalkeeper Abbey Heller in Immaculate’s 3-2 victory over Granby Saturday morning in the Class S championship game in Wethersfield. (Photo by Lori Riley)
Immaculate lost seven starters to graduation so coach Shannon Horosky wasn’t sure what to expect this season. But her veterans helped the new players adjust all season.
“We knew they had it in them,” Horosky said. “You saw the experience of our seniors today.”
Granby scored first on a Cam Schantz goal in the first quarter but Immaculate tied it up on a Mikayla Hanel goal with 9:33 left in the first half. Schantz scored her second goal with 5:34 left in the half and Granby led 2-1 at halftime.
But Immaculate rallied with a Hanel goal with 34 seconds left in the third quarter to tie the score and then had the game-winner.
“We knew they had incredible defense and great small passing,” Horosky said of Granby. “We worked on cutting off the lanes. We marked their No. 2 (junior Tia Angelis) because we know how great she is. We marked her the entire game and tried to keep the ball off her stick. They’re a very talented team.”
Schantz said it was the team’s goal to make it to the final.
“We were really happy and proud to make it this far,” she said.
Schantz is one of Granby’s 13 juniors.
“The whole team is coming back,” Pliszka said. “We’re ready for next year.”
