Max Trudeau '14 commits to Sacred Heart University Football

Max pictured with (from left) Principal Dr. Robert Perrotta, Prep Head Football Coach Tom Shea '73, and Asst. Coach Keith Hellstern

As an athlete, student and young man, Max Trudeau has developed well in his Fairfield Prep years. As a senior Max recorded his strongest academic year and performed at his highest level in his Prep football career. Max was a key reason Fairfield Prep advanced to the Class LL finals in 2013. He led the defense with 126 tackles (88 solo and 38 assists). He forced 5 fumbles and recovered 1, and had 11 QB sacks. He was also a ferocious special teams player and blocked a punt which he returned for a TD and blocked an XP.

Max was selected to the Connecticut Post ALL 33 All-Star 1st team, the New Haven Register All-Area 1st team and the MSG Varsity All-CT 2nd team as an OLB. He is also a defenseman on the Prep lacrosse team.

Beyond the field and the classroom, Max is committed to the service of the community at the Kennedy Center in Bridgeport where he works with young people with cognitive disabilities. Max plans to pursue a plan of study in business or finance at Sacred Heart University, and play football for their Division I AA team.

Prep response to CIAC action concerning basketball probation

Fairfield Prep is deeply affected by the negative press concerning events associated with the state championship basketball game. We have investigated and are addressing the show of unsportsmanlike conduct. Where warranted, we have taken appropriate action with regard to behavior that we consider contrary to our values. We take any criticism seriously and see it as an opportunity for self-reflection and improvement.

Moving forward, Fairfield Prep is committed to full compliance with this action by CIAC, and will continue to take steps to ensure that all aspects of our interscholastic sports programs reflect our overall values and mission as a Jesuit, Catholic school of excellence.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano is 2014 Commencement Speaker

Fairfield Prep is honored to announce that the 2014 Commencement Speaker will be the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport. The Commencement Exercises will take place on Sunday, June 1, at 10 a.m. at Alumni Hall on campus. The bishop was formally installed as the fifth Bishop of Bridgeport on September 19, 2013. In his installation homily, the Brooklyn born and raised priest spoke of “Building Bridges of Faith” in Fairfield County and the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Bishop Caggiano comes to the Bridgeport Diocese to continue an accomplished career path that includes previous appointments as Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn and Titular Bishop of Inis Cathaig by former Pope Benedict XVI. He was born in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn on Easter Sunday March 29, 1959, the second of two children of Arnaldo and Gennarina Caggiano, both of whom came to this country in 1958 from the town of Caggiano in the province of Salerno, Italy. He grew up in Saints Simon and Jude Church and attended the parish’s grammar school. The bishop’s education continued at Regis High School in Manhattan, conducted by the Jesuits, where he was a member of the class of 1977.

Bishop Caggiano entered Yale University in September 1977 as a political science major. After further discernment, he transferred into Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in January 1978, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in June 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 16, 1987. In August 1991, the bishop was assigned to the North American College with residence at the Casa Santa Maria to pursue advanced studies in dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he was granted a doctorate in Sacred Dogma in May 1996.

Bishop Caggiano served in many important roles in Brooklyn, including parochial vicar of several parishes, Dean of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate Program and the Censor Librorum of the Diocese, pastor, Director of the Permanent Diaconate Office, and Vicar for Evangelization and Pastoral Life. He was named a Papal Chaplain by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

In addition to his work in the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Caggiano is an outstanding teacher, as is evidenced by the Holy See selecting him twice to offer catechesis to the young people at World Youth Days, in Madrid 2011 and recently in Rio de Janeiro 2013. Following World Youth Day, he traveled to Ireland where he was selected by the Catholic Bishops to help lead the “Youth 2000” Summer Retreat. During his time as pastor, the bishop also taught a number of theology courses at numerous Catholic universities, including the Staten Island campus of Saint John’s University and Saint Joseph’s College.

Bridgeport’s Monsignor Jerald A. Doyle, administrator of the Diocese, praised the bishop, “The Holy Father has blessed us with a priest, pastor and teacher with extensive experience at every level of diocesan ministries. Most importantly, he is a man of deep faith, love for the Church and commitment to the Gospel. On behalf of the Clergy, Religious and Laity, we welcome him with open arms and with our prayers that God will bless him as the Shepherd of our diocese.”

Fairfield Prep visits Boston Alumni

Fr. Jack Hanwell, S.J., pictured with (from left) Larry Makovich ‘73, Fr. John Fagan, S.J., Brian Ferguson '86 and Dick Lynch '69 CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Fairfield Prep visited Boston on May 1 for two great alumni events. The Boston Business Breakfast featured guest speaker Larry Makovich ‘73, VP at Information Handling Systems (IHS). Larry's story gave the Jesuit messages of open to growth, intellectually competent and committed to doing justice by focusing his speech on two topics: energy and the poor. Larry enlightened his Boston area alumni audience with a mind opening, educationally “green” speech regarding energy socioeconomics, the impact that energy bills hold on the underprivileged, and the scientific scope of contemporary global energy situations with high carbon emissions affecting our everyday lives.

Additionally, the Prep alumni office hosted a pizza lunch at Boston College offering Boston area college alumni a chance to unwind and catch up on the latest happenings from campus with Rev. John Hanwell, S.J.

Prep Students triumph at Connecticut Latin Day

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW SLIDESHOW. SEE VIDEO OF TUG OF WAR BELOW.

On Friday, May 2, twenty-two Latin scholars, accompanied by Ms. Koren Mumma and Mr. Robert Bernier, attended the annual Connecticut State Latin Day at Holiday Hill. Beautiful weather, a plethora of activities, and endless food combined to give students an excellent day. When not feasting and socializing (sometimes even with girls!), students attended presentations, such as “Legal Latin” and “The Roman Legion,” and enjoyed tennis, badminton, Gaga, soccer, kayaking, canoeing, basketball, and miniature golf. On a lighter note, Daniel Hamar ’14 and Zachary Hamar ’16 were acknowledged by the tunic police for looking especially snazzy, and Justin Han ’14 managed not to fall into the lake this year. Finally, the 2014 Tug of War team, after easily advancing through rounds of competition, triumphed in the final round earning 1st place ribbons and eternal glory.

Tyrone Fleurizard ‘14 Places 2nd in Rotary Club Speech Contest

Tyrone receives award from State Rotary representatives

On March 11, Tyrone Fleurizard ‘14 represented Fairfield Prep at the Fairfield Rotary Club’s annual Four Way Test Speech Contest, which was held at the Gaelic American Club. Tyrone won 1st place and earned himself a spot in the semi-final round on April 6. In the semi-final round Tyrone placed 2nd and moved on to compete in the finals on April 27. The finals were held in Mystic, CT, in front of 300 Rotarians and their District Assembly guests. Tyrone placed 2nd once again and collected a total of $900 in prize money throughout the entire contest. Tyrone’s speech applied the Four Way Test to judging lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people. Fleurizard dealt with what may be a touchy subject to many who do not live in the teenagers’ world, but for many of them is reality - in their schools and in their larger worlds.

Spring Concert is May 14

Come enjoy performances by Select Choir, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Orchestra, Jazzuits, and Encords. From Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind, & Fire to Stravinsky and Offenbach, the concert includes a lovely mix of songs that will lift your spirits and put you in a spring time mood.

The performance is one night only on Wednesday, May 14, in the Kelley Theater at the Quick Center. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets can be ordered by calling the box office at (203) 245-4010 or can be purchased at the door. Tickets are $5.

Flag Football Champs are crowned!

The Black Mambas:
Top Row, left to right- Lucas Lazarre, Yanni Tsiranides, Sam Smit, Harry Malloy, Mike Yonnone
Bottom Row, left to right- Sam Nardone, Zach Oracheff  Not pictured- Gaetano Ciambriello

For the third year in a row, Fairfield Prep students met on The Hill to compete in the Intramural Flag Football league officiated by Mr. Dennis. This year, Intramural Flag Football consisted of 12 teams made up of over 90 players! Teams from the AFC and NFC competed against one another for over six weeks until a champion was eventually determined. For the first time in the three year history of Intramural Flag Football, a non-senior team won the championship. Capping off an undefeated season, The Black Mambas put an exclamation point on their season-long performance by becoming the 2014 Intramural Flag Football Champions! Watch Prep YouTube video highlights!

Fairfield Prep blossoms in Connecticut high school baseball

The Prep athletic department has been on a roll in recent seasons in a variety of sports. Now its baseball team has joined the formula of success, winning 14 of its first 16 games and gaining the No. 1 ranking in Connecticut.

By Ned Griffen, MaxPreps.com, May 15, 2014, Photo by Kevin Pataky

The Fairfield Prep baseball team has spent the past few years building its program back up. If there was any season they should’ve finally broken through, it was this one.

Fairfield Prep athletics in general are in the midst of a strong run. The hockey team repeated as CIAC Division I champions last winter. Both the football and basketball teams played for state titles in 2013-14. The swimming team placed second at both the Class LL and State Open championships to Greenwich, arguably the best program in all of CIAC sports. The perennially strong Prep lacrosse team is looking for its third straight Class L crown this spring, and is ranked No. 18 in the super-competitive Tri-State area by LaxLessons.com.

Jesuits baseball has kept pace with their brethren. They're 14-2 and ranked first in the New Haven Register Top 10 poll.

"There's a culture in the school with guys who want to compete and do their best," Prep coach Rudy Mauritz said. "They're very proud of where they play, the school they represent, and the values that our school has. I think they enjoy it, that competitive spirit, that competitive fire."

"Having been involved in hockey as a coach and as a player, we've had a culture of success in that program that's been very significant. I think it's spilling into other sports. I give a lot of credit to the guys in each individual sport. It's been a really good time to be involved as a teacher and as a coach at the school."

The baseball team would have had lofty expectations no matter where Prep's other teams set the bar. They went all the way to the state Class LL semifinals last season before losing to eventual winner Amity, and returned seven of their 10 starters.

"We knew we had a good group of guys coming back," said Mauritz, whose chief assistant is Prep's imminently successful hockey coach, Matt Sather. "It was just a matter of finding the right guys to replace the key guys that we lost.

"I think many of them were maybe a little surprised by how they did (last season). But on the other hand, I think deep down, they knew they had it in them. Getting that far and getting a taste (of success), getting a whiff of it, really made them hungry. They're a pretty driven group."

The Jesuits have used baseball's tried-and-true blueprint for success this spring — pitching and defense. The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.50, and opponents are hitting just .264 against it. Junior Kevin Stone leads the team in wins (5-0), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (34).

Prep's defense has a .956 fielding percentage and has turned 10 double plays.

"It (the pitching) has been really good," Mauritz said. "(Stone) had a very good sophomore year and stepped up to be our Number One-A or Two. He started in the state semifinal for us last year, and he came up big in the first round of the state tournament. He put the stop on Simsbury after it gained a significant lead on us. He's a pretty confident guy who has three solid pitches that he throws for strikes, and he throws relatively hard for a junior in high school.

"We've gotten some solid starts out of some of our other juniors, such as Dan Schemdlin (2-0). Last week, a young guy, (junior) John Carroll (2-0), who had been working as a reliever the last few years, got his first start and got a win, so he'll probably get another start or two as we work our way through this year."

Sophomore Grant Stone (2-2) has been another key player in the rotation.

The offense has been led by first baseman Shawn Blake (.381, 9 runs, 8 RBI); outfielders Joe Ganim (.300, 10 runs, 9 RBI) and Brett Stevenson (.531, 7 runs, 9 RBI); third baseman Simon Whiteman (.444, 14 runs), and Kevin Stone (.333, 12 runs, 10 RBI). Blake is a senior, the rest are juniors.

Seniors Jake Berry (catcher, team-high 12 RBI) and Dean Lockery (shortstop, 10 runs) have both played well, too.

Mauritz, who played for long-time Prep baseball coach Ed Rowe while in high school and took over for his mentor in 2006, is no stranger to success himself. Besides serving as Sather's chief hockey assistant, he played four years of college baseball at Providence. His 1995 team at PC went 44-15 and appeared in the NCAA Division I regional in Wichita in one of the school's last seasons of varsity baseball.

The success lives on.

Graduation will be available on LiveStream!

The Fairfield Prep 72nd Commencement on Sunday, June 1, 10 AM will be available to view on LiveStream video cast. The video recording will be available to view several days later, and all Class of 2014 families will receive a DVD copy of the video recording.

This VIDEOCAST LINK will be live on graduation day!

Prep wins fourth straight SCC lacrosse title

By Dan Nowak, Register Staff for Fairfield Minuteman, May 29, 2014

WEST HAVEN >> Guilford boys lacrosse goalie James Bright did everything he could, making 22 saves to keep the SCC tournament championship game against Fairfield Prep a close one for the Indians.

But the constant barrage of Jesuits shots took its toll on Bright, especially the last 7 minutes of the second quarter, as Burke Smith and Austin Sims each had two goals and an assist to lead No. 1 seed Fairfield Prep to a 8-5 win over No. 2 Guilford at Ken Strong Stadium.

The Jesuits, who outshot the Indians 35-22, earn their fourth straight SCC tournament championship and 11th overall.

“You have to give a lot of credit to their goalie for keeping Guilford in the game,” Sims said. “I thought we came out with energy and eliminated our past mistakes. But he (Bright) made some big saves."

“Overall we weren’t concerned because even though it was 7-5 late we were still in control. It was great to contribute and help us win another championship.”

Prep improves to 13-5 and Guilford falls to 10-8.

“Naturally we’re disappointed with the outcome, but I’m satisfied with our effort,” Guilford coach Brian White said. “We got a great effort from our goalie, he certainly kept us in the game. But Prep’s goalie (John Connor, nine saves) is a great goalie too and made some big saves.”

The turning point in the game came midway in the second quarter after Guilford’s Robert LoRicco’s low shot gave the Indians a 4-3 lead. The Jesuits responded with four unanswered goals and the Indians never recovered.

Sims tied the game at 4 with 7:17 to go in the second quarter. Chris Brown made it 5-4 Prep with 5:50 to go, Coby Monachino scored with 4:25 left in the first half and John Edmonds gave Prep a 7-4 lead with 13 seconds left in the second quarter.

“Those four goals might have been a turning point, but Guilford’s goalie was the difference in this game,” Fairfield Prep coach Chris Smalkais said. “He made the saves to keep them in the game. We were getting frustrated and gripping the sticks too tight.

“We shot the ball poorly today. But it’s always nice to have your team play for a championship and hopefully that continues in the (CIAC Class L) state tournament.”

The game was scoreless in the third quarter and the teams traded goals in the fourth quarter. Frank Ranfone cut Prep’s lead to 7-5 with 9:43 left in the fourth quarter and Teddy Long scored for Prep with 1:14 left in the game for the 8-5 final.

“We played one of our best games of the season,” Bright said. “The result wasn’t what we wanted but we played hard and left it all on the field. I was in a zone today and I was focused, but everyone was focused on our team.

“It’s a little frustrating, but hopefully this ignites us for the (CIAC Class M) state tournament because now we know we can compete and hold our own against one of the best teams in the state.”

Frank Ranfone led the Indians with two goals.

NYC Business Breakfast features Mike Smith '67

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW SLIDESHOW. Pictured: Guest speaker Mike Smith '67 with President Rev. Jack Hanwell, S.J., and Richard Horodeck '67.

Alumni and friends enjoyed breakfast and an educational presentation by alumnus Michael P. Smith ’67, President and CEO of the New York Bankers Association (NYBA). The event was held at the Union League Club in New York on June 3. Mike spoke about the impact Fairfield Prep had on his formation, his life and his career. In a Q & A session he commented about the financial and banking industries, government legislation and regulation, and observations from the recent economic recession.

Watch Prep You Tube highlights!