🥎 Darien Softball: A Surge, A Setback, and Still in the Hunt

At 8–2 and sitting No. 4 in the GametimeCT Top 10, the Blue Wave softball team has carved out one of the most dominant stretches of the spring. After dropping the opener to Foran, Darien ripped off seven straight wins, piling up 50 runs and throwing four shutouts along the way. The centerpiece of that run has been ace Vivian Knott, who has been nothing short of untouchable. Across 15 innings, Knott has allowed just three hits while striking out 35, a pace that would make any lineup tighten its grip on the bat.

Wednesday brought a gut‑punch: a 1–0 loss to Trumbull, a game that slipped away despite strong pitching and tight defense. But the Wave didn’t dwell on it long — they came back with a 19–0 demolition of Bridgeport Central, a reminder of how quickly this team can flip the switch. The FCIAC East race is taking shape: New Canaan holds the top spot at 7–0, with Ridgefield close behind at 7–1. Darien, at 6–1.

TRACK

With the outdoor season settling into full rhythm, Darien’s track and field athletes are beginning to look like a group hitting their stride at exactly the right time.  In league competition, the Blue Wave have been nearly untouchable. They’ve opened 3–0, rolling past St. Joseph, Andrew Warde, and Norwalk with the kind of across‑the‑board depth that wins dual meets long before the final relay hits the track. 

The larger invitationals have offered a different kind of test — and Darien has held its own there, too. At the O’Grady Relays at Danbury High School, the boys finished 11th among the Large Schools divisions, while the girls delivered an impressive 8th‑place showing in their Large School field. It was the kind of meet where every point matters, and Darien found ways to collect them.

A week earlier at the Hillhouse Outdoor Invitational on April 18, the Wave picked up two standout performances that signaled just how high their ceiling might be. Sophomore Chase Larsen broke through in the sprints, ripping a personal‑best 11.24 to take second in the 100 meters, a time that puts him firmly on the conference radar. In the field events, Andrew Khouw continued his steady climb in the pole vault, clearing 12'6" for second place and showing the kind of progression that suggests bigger heights ahead. 

BASEBALL

The Blue Wave have hit their first real wobble of the season, slipping to 5–6 after a pair of one‑run losses that felt like they could have gone either way. First came the gut‑punch at Staples on April 27 — a 6–5 heartbreaker that swung late — followed by a 2–1 grinder against Trumbull where every pitch felt like it carried the whole afternoon. It’s a two‑game slide, but not the kind that suggests a team unraveling. If anything, Darien has been right there, a swing or a bounce away from flipping both results.

Now comes a chance to steady things. Up next is a road trip to Greenwich, a team struggling at 3–9, followed by a home date with New Canaan, sitting at 8–4 and always a measuring‑stick matchup. Two games, two very different challenges — and a chance for Darien to reset the trajectory of its season.

Darien Lacrosse Among Nation’s Best

Darien Girls Lacrosse: Nine Straight and Still Climbing

Darien girls lacrosse is in full sprint mode, stacking nine straight wins and looking every bit like the national powerhouse their ranking suggests. The Wave handled a tough Bayport‑Blue Point squad 11–9 on Saturday, then turned around and put on a clinic at Westhill, rolling to a 20–0 victory on Tuesday — remarkably, the program’s first shutout of the season.

Nationally, Darien sits at No. 2 in the US, trailing only undefeated Maryvale (MD) at 14–0. The Wave have been relentless on both ends of the field, outscoring opponents 119–51 and showing the kind of balance that travels deep into May. Next up is the one everyone circles: a home showdown with arch‑rival New Canaan, who enters at 6–3 and always brings an edge to this matchup. With Darien rolling and the Rams looking to spoil momentum, it has all the makings of another classic in this rivalry.

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Darien boys team faced off Saturday against Brunswick, a match of two nationally ranked teams. Brunswick ranks No. 2 in the USA Lacrosse National Top 25 and Darien is No. 6 in the Public Schools Ranking. Brunswick went up early, jumping to a 3 – 0 early in the 2nd quarter. But the Wave answered with three straight goals of their own to knot the score at 3-3. The Bruins regained the edge just before halftime and carried a 4–3 lead into the break. 

The third quarter swung sharply back to Brunswick. Three quick strikes stretched the margin to 7–3, threatening to break the game open. Instead, Darien dug in again. The Wave ripped off a four‑goal surge to close the gap to 8–7 entering the fourth, then tied it at 8–8 to reset the contest with momentum on their side. But Brunswick had one more push. The Bruins closed the afternoon with three unanswered goals, finally creating the separation they couldn’t find earlier. “We played hard and we were right there to have a shot, and that’s all you can ask,” said Darien coach Jeff Brameier. Darien falls to 7–2.

 Theatre 308:  Student Creativity at Darien High School

For decades, Theatre 308 has been one of Darien High School’s most vibrant student‑run organizations. The troupe mounts three major productions each year—a straight play, a full musical, and a student‑directed one‑act festival—while offering hands‑on training in every aspect of the theatrical world. Students learn performance, design, stagecraft, promotion, and management, gaining real experience in what it takes to bring a show from script to stage.

⭐ Recent Productions

Almost, Maine

The group’s fall production, Almost, Maine by John Cariani, charmed audiences with its blend of whimsy and emotional truth. The play unfolds through nine short vignettes set in a mythical northern town where love, heartbreak, and magical realism mingle under the glow of the aurora borealis. Since premiering in 2004, Almost, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced plays in the United States—an ideal vehicle for young actors to explore character, connection, and comedic timing.

The Lightning Thief

Theatre 308 just successfully finished a modern favorite: The Lightning Thief, based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling novels. The story follows twelve‑year‑old Percy Jackson, who suffers from both ADHD and dyslexia, and is on the verge of being expelled from boarding school again. But academic trouble quickly becomes the least of his worries. Mythological monsters and Greek gods begin appearing in his everyday life, and Percy soon discovers he’s at the center of a divine crisis: Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Along the way, Percy must confront the father who abandoned him, decipher the Oracle’s ominous warning of betrayal, and uncover a conspiracy more dangerous than the gods themselves.