When the Griswold Wolverines opened the 2024 campaign, the outlook seemed bleak. After dropping just one win in their first nine games, the team hovered near the bottom of the Eastern Connecticut Conference standings. Yet under the steady guidance of Coach Tim Lake, the Wolverines began to rewrite their narrative, clawing back to finish the regular season at 8‑14 and clinching a berth in both the ECC Division 2 tournament and the CIAC Class M state tournament.
A Late‑Season Surge
The turnaround found its spark in a dominant 10‑0 victory over Windham, a game that showcased the pitching trio of Kymani Boyce, Caleb Dutrumble and Mikel Brockway, who combined for six strikeouts while surrendering only a single hit. Offensively, Anthony Rackcliff’s two‑run single in the second inning ignited a 5‑0 lead, and the Wolverines rode that momentum through six wins in eight outings, including triumphs over St. Bernard and Abbott Tech.
Although the quarterfinal matchup against Ledyard ended in a narrow defeat, the loss did little to dim the team’s optimism. With a roster that blends junior standouts such as Cameron Deskus and Sunny Botello, senior shortstop Hunter Dupont, senior first baseman Sam Cayer, and sophomores Drew Fabry, Dutrumble, Rackcliff and Brockway, Griswold now looks to carry its late‑season form into the state tournament.
The program’s legacy adds extra weight to the current push; Griswold once captured six Class S state championships between 1969 and 1981, and their last appearance in a state final came in 1994. Coach Lake, now in his third season, previously led the Wolverines to the 2024 ECC Division 3 regular‑season title, underscoring a resurgence that could extend the school’s storied postseason tradition.