Let’s just call him a blast from the past.

Tom Heise returned to some very familiar landscape this fall: patrolling the sidelines for the Big Green boys varsity soccer team. Heise, who spent the past seven years coaching the Deerfield JV program, tutored the varsity for 11 years, from 1993 to 2004 and during that time, took them to six tournament berths and to one Western New England Prep School Soccer Association title, that coming in 1995.

“It seemed good to get back into the swing of things on the varsity level,” said Heise, who filled in for Jan Flaska, who is spending the year on hiatus at the University of Chicago. Unfortunately, it took a little time before everyone really got into the swing of things.

The Big Green went 0-4 in September, but bounced back for a 5-3-1 mark in October and then finished with a 2-1 showing in November. “We got off to a slow start this season,” said Heise, “but I’m really proud of the way the kids bounced back. In fact, I think if we could have come up with another win or two, I think we could have made the tournament.”

Deerfield Academy’s final overall record read 7-8-1 following an 0-4 start, and 6-6-1 in league play, “and we finished 13^th out of a field of 57 teams,” said Heise. “This is a very highly competitive league, so that says a lot about the way the kids were able to battle back.”

During those first four games, Deerfield went up against some of the league’s best, falling to a future No. 2 seed Worcester Academy, 5-1, and a Kent School squad, 4-3, that would eventually earn a fourth seed in tourney play. The other two early setbacks came at the hands of Suffield, 2-0, and Taft, 3-0.

“Following that loss to Kent on September 29, we started October off with three wins and a tie and went 7-4-1 the rest of the way,” said Heise. And one of those victories proved to be a 3-2 decision over Hotchkiss, which would later earn fifth seed in tourney play. Other tourney-bound teams Deerfield hung tough with during regular season play were No. 3 Exeter, which edged the Big Green, 1-0, sixth-seeded Loomis, meanwhile, prevailed, 2-1. Deerfield earned a 2-1 win over seventh-seed Andover, while eighth-seed Choate rang up a 1-0 victory.  

As is the case with most early season slumps, the losing team scores less goals than it allows, and such was the case with Deerfield. It was shut out twice during the early going, while being outscored by a 14-4 margin. Ironically, the Big Green would allow just 28 goals all season long, meaning after allowing 14 goals in its first four games, it would allow only another 14 through the remaining 12 games of the schedule. Offensively, it would produce 20 goals over those last dozen games.

“We were in every game we played this season,” said Heise, and one of the biggest reasons that Heise could make that statement was his goaltender Andrew Shedlac (13), as “he put on one of the finest goaltending performances this season that I’ve ever seen.” Even after allowing 14 goals in his first four games, the postgraduate from Winchester, Mass., settled down and finished with a 1.87 goals against average. In order to accomplish that feat, Shedlac allowed one goal or less (three shutouts) in nine of his final 12 games and earned All-New England laurels for his efforts.

“After those first four games, I think we started to jell,” said Shedlac, who posted a 30-2-4 record during two years of goaltending at Winchester High School and is looking to play Division III soccer in college next year. “Our ability to bounce back from that slow start is a real credit to the entire team. This was a group of guys who were outstanding athletes and although soccer isn’t the No. 1 sport for many of them, they never stopped working … they never gave up. And it paid off … we came within a win or two from making the playoffs.”

Up front, Jackson Dayton (13), who shared this year’s Holbrook-Ellis Cup as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award with Shedlac, led the offensive charge, as he produced 15 points on 12 goals and three assists and was later named to All-New England squad as well as the All-League team. Dan Blohm (13) was the club’s second leading scorer, with six goals and seven assists for 13 points, while Steve Baisch (14) earned All-New England and All-League status after a season that saw him finish third in scoring with nine points on three goals and six assists. Luke Walsh (13) meanwhile, had quite a season for himself on the scoring charts as well. Although he tallied just four goals on the season, three of them ended up being game winners in a 2-1 win over Northfield Mount Hermon, a 3-2 victory over Hotchkiss and 1-0 win over Avon.

Other key contributors this fall were midfielders Conner Romeyn (13) and Zz Salvador (14) while Adam Phille (13) and Cole Horton (14) stood out on defense.

Baisch, Horton and Salvador will be next year’s tri-captains.

Big Green girls cross country coach Dennis Cullinane isn’t the least bit shy in explaining his interpretation of why his runners have been doing so well so far this season.

“This is the best girls cross country team Deerfield Academy has had since the school went coed back in 1989,” said Cullinane.

In other words, the veteran mentor is saying this is the best girls cross country team Deerfield has ever had, and although he has only been here for six of those years, there’s plenty of evidence to back up his sentiment – evidence that would include some hardware already earned this fall. 

What really brings Cullinane’s opinion into focus, however, is the fact that his squad finished second at the New England Championships last year, “and we have everyone returning from that team.”

 Getting the current season off and running by capturing the Canterbury Invitational – which annually boats a 25-team field – for the third consecutive year certainly won’t hurt expectations any. Then, one week later, they lugged the Westminster Invitational trophy home with them after successfully defending their title in that 10-team affair.

This is not the only girls team that is enjoying success so far this fall, however, as the school’s other three programs have also been ringing up way more wins than losses and if this trend continues, the Big Green could be sending all four of its girls teams into tourney play for the first time ever.

“I think the goal of any athletic director is to be competitive in every sport,” said Chip Davis, the school’s AD, “It’s always nice to have those one or two teams that are considered to be the frontrunners but ideally, it’s great to see the wide-spread competitive success we’re enjoying so far this fall … especially from our girls teams”

 Heading into this weekend’s action, Deerfield’s other three girls squads (field hockey is 7-3, soccer is 6-3 and volleyball is 5-3) are enjoying great starts and most of the boys teams are doing well, too. The Big Green’s defending New England champion water polo team currently stands at 11-3, cross country has won the coveted Canterbury crown and placed second at the Westminster race. The soccer team (3-5-1) has rebounded from an 0-4 start to go 3-1-1, while football “has been ravaged by injuries this season,” said Davis, and has played a big part in a 1-3 start. Despite the injuries, which include a broken foot to quarterback Damien Vega, the Big Green has hung tough, dropping a 27-26 decision to Taft and a 21-14 game to Hotchkiss.

“We’ve got a big D on our front and a big target on our back,” quipped Cullinane, but it’s no laughing matter, especially for Deerfield’s opponents. His team, which went undefeated during the regular season and has bested about 28 teams during that streak, isn’t about to sneak up on anyone with that sort of resume.

Cullinane’s niece, Devinne Cullinane (14), has made him proud. After placing sixth at last year’s New England meet, she has shown this year that that was no fluke, winning at Canterbury in a time of 19:41, and was first to finish at Westminster as well.

Even with such solid foes as Exeter, Andover and Northfield Mount Hermon still remaining on the schedule, Cullinane feels he has the depth for his squad to continue its winning ways hopefully to and through the New England Championships.

That depth includes senior tri-captains Tatum McInerney, Rose Fisher and Dashiell Shulte, as well as Emma DeCamp (13), Molly Hunt (14), Lilah Lutes (14), Olivia Mehm (14), Kyle Davis (14), Lauren Isley (17) and Phoebe Morss (15).

Boys Cross Country

After finishing second at the New England Cross Country Championships the past two years, the Big Green boys are hoping to make it up that last rung of the ladder this fall to give Deerfield its first boys and girls sweep of the championship in school history.

All the pieces were in place, as coach Mike Schloat lost just one of his top five runners to graduation. He had the horses up front and the depth as well this fall to allow this Deerfield mentor to be thinking  “this could be the year.” Those hopes and dreams were put on hold, however, shortly after the Canterbury race when Reed Horton (14), Deerfield’s No. 4 runner who placed 11th at the invitational, developed a stress fracture in his leg a few days later.

“He will have an X-ray taken next week,” explained Cullinane. “If it has healed, he could probably make it back in time for the New England meet. If it’s not, it’s doubtful he would have enough time to get himself back in running shape for the championship race … we should know by Wednesday.

With Horton on the sidelines, the Big Green may not end up with enough points to finish on top or to even finish second for a third consecutive year. With three weeks remaining until show time, however, it’s so far … so good.

That’s because Deerfield’s one … two … three punch has been pretty much finishing one  … two … three. Robert Beit (13) placed second at Canterbury (16:38), while he won the Westminster race in a meet record time of 16:55. Ben Wood (13) and George Reich (13), who, along with Teddy Romeyn (13), serve as tri-captains, have also been chipping in. Wood was fifth at both Canterbury and Westminster, while Reich was seventh at Canterbury and third at Westminster.

“With Horton in the lineup at No. 4, he helps bridge the gap to our second wave of runners,” explained Schloat. That second wave consists of Ethan Brand-LaBarge (16), Romeyn, Gene Thagard 915) and Warner Brown (13).

Field Hockey

If there is one thing you can count on during the fall at Deerfield Academy, it’s that the Big Green field hockey team will earn a berth in the playoffs. This program, which has captured six Western New England titles over two decades of playing time, has extended its season on 16 occasions. And from the looks of things, another invite should be in the mail soon.

The Big Green has won eight of its first 10 games and outscored its opponents by a 3-to-1 margin: 31-10.

“We’ve gotten off to a terrific start and I just hope it continues,” said coach Kristen Viega. “We’re a young team … we have only five seniors on the roster … but the few seniors we do have, have shown great leadership and have helped instill confidence in the younger players and made this a very determined team. “

Three Big Green players have collected two-thirds of Deerfield’s goals this season. Mettler Growney (13) has 12 points on eight goals and four assists, while Lucy Lytle (15) has six goals and three assists for nine points.  Maggie Shilling (14), meanwhile, has eight points on seven goals and one assist.

Things have been going quite well down at the other end of the field as well, as goalie Katherine Heaney (16) has allowed just 10 goals in 10 games.

The rookie netminder has received a great deal of help from her defensive corps in front of her, which includes Emily Yue (16), Louisa Hanson (13), Julia Hamilton (14) and Lindsey Ziglar (13).

Girls Soccer

The Big Green has scored just 18 goals in nine games so far this season, but they are making them count. The Deerfield girls soccer team has already won more games this season than it did during the entire 2011 campaign. A year ago, the team finished at 5-6-3. This year, it’s off to a 6-3 start, thanks in large part to a defense allowed just 13 goals for a stingy 1.44 goals against average.

“We’ve really got a great team here this year,” said Heidi Valk. “We’ve got a good blend of veterans and a bunch of new kids who are really chipping in and making their presence known and the blend has been really paying off for us … the entire team is playing with much more confidence this season.”

Tally Behringer (14) has been the Big Green’s leading goal getter this fall with six, while Vanessa Avalone (13), Claire Goss (13) and Mercedes Fissore-O’Leary have also helped bolster the Deerfield offense.

Goaltender Libby Murray (14) has orchestrated Deerfield’s stingy defense by registering a pair of shutouts and allowed just a single goal in four other outings and has come up with an average of seven saves a game.  She has been ably assisted by some strong defensive play by Cate Wadman (13), Julia Fissore-O’Leary (15), Caroline Coppinger (15) and Allie Roberts (16).

“We’ve beaten some pretty strong soccer programs this season in Exeter, Milton and Williston,” said Valk, “and that’s helped build our confidence. We’ve still got a long way to go and a bunch of tough teams remain on our schedule, but we’ll see how far our talent and confidence will take us.”

Volleyball

Deerfield’s volleyball team has rung up a 5-3 record so far this season and appears to be taking advantage of a strong corps of returning veterans and a bunch of capable newcomers.

The top returnees are Hannah Insuik (13), who earned Boston Globe All-Scholastic honors for her play around the net last season. Plus, she also earned a berth on the Western New England All-Star squad, along with Ashley So (13).  With those two leading the way on the Big Green side of the net, Caroline Dye (14) has also returned to the fold, as has Kate Ginna (14). Some of the younger faces who have been contributing so far belong to Zahra Rawji (15), Claire Collins (15) and Maggie Kidder (16).

“This is a great bunch of kids to work with,” said coach Jon Pineo, “they really work hard, they’re focused. We still have a lot of things to work on, but they’re showing more and more improvement every time they head out onto the court.”

Last year’s squad which won just seven games during the regular season earned an invite to the A Division tournament, so this year’s edition should have a good chance as well as it enters the home stretch.

“They take the top eight teams in each of the brackets,” said Pineo, “and right now, I’d say we’re probably ranked sixth or seventh in the standings.”

Water Polo

“We’re still working to be at our best when it counts the most,” said Big Green water polo coach Mark Scandling of a program that has exhibited that trait quite frequently over the past few years. Over the past few years, Scandling has gotten his teams to just about walk on water as they have won two straight New England championships and four of the past five crowns and with an 11-3 record on the season, opponents better have their lifeguards on duty when the Big Green shows up.

“We’ve been improving primarily because of our commitment to team defense,” said Scandling, “and I think we demonstrated that sense of purpose in defeating Choate a couple of weeks ago. During the first game of the season, we allowed them to score 13 goals on us. In our second meeting this season, they scored just five.”

Overall, Deerfield’s defense has stood up to its opponents, allowing 116 goals in 15 games for an average of eight per game The Big Green offense, meanwhile, has found the back of the net 150 times. The guys in the green caps have reached double figures in 10 of their 14 contests, while opponents have reached that mark just five times, and only once in the past eight outings.

A trio of players has been defending the Deerfield goal this season, “and doing it very effectively,” according to their coach. Those three are Francesco Franzinetti (14), Patrick Hadley (14) and Tyler Early. A newcomer, Hugo Marsans (14) “has been playing excellent defense at the 2-meter position for us this season,” said Scandling.

Leading Deerfield’s high-powered offense this season has been Oscar Miao (13), Quinn Smith (14) and Conor Sullivan (15).

Boys Soccer

The Big Green boys soccer team hits the half-way mark heading in the right direction. It didn’t start out that way, however, as an 0-4 beginning had “long season” written all over it. Following a tough 4-3 loss to perennial powerhouse Kent, however, interim coach Tom Heise, who is filling in for Jan Flaska this fall, got his charges to make a U-turn in south-bound traffic and got them heading in a northerly direction.

That means Deerfield has run off a 3-1-1 showing so far in the month of October, the highlight of which being a stunning 3-2 victory over defending New England champion Hotchkiss, “and we haven’t beaten them in quite some time,” said Heise. Jackson Dayton (13) the team’s leading scorer, led the way to the upset with a pair of goals on the day, while Luke Walsh (13) scored the game winner. Andrew Shediac (13), meanwhile, turned in an outstanding performance in goal for the Big Green.

Others contributing up front for Deerfield have been Stephen Baisch (14) and Zz Salvador (14), while Adam Philie (13) heads up the defensive crew.

“I’m really proud of this entire team,” said Heise. “They’re just a wonderful group of kids and it’s been a tremendous thrill for me to have been able to coach them.

“They’re a hard-working bunch as well, “ added Heise, ”and I think that hard work is beginning to pay off.”

Football

What began as a promising season following a commanding 33-7 victory over arch-rival Northfield Mount Hermon School, has dipped to a 1-3 showing at the halfway mark as this Deerfield squad has been besieged by a rash of injuries.

Despite the loss of players, the victories haven’t come easy for the Big Green’s opponents. It lost to Taft by a 27-26 margin in what Chip Davis, the team’s defensive coordinator described as “our best played game of the season.” Then came a loss to Hotchkiss by a 21-14 count.

The biggest loss of the season was quarterback Damien Vega (13) who suffered a broken foot against Taft and will miss the remainder of the season.

As far as Saturday’s game at Exeter (4-0 on the season), Deerfield will head into the game without any official captains suiting up. Both co-captains – linebacker and fullback Ray Horgan (13) and linebacker and center JR Mastro (13) – are on the shelf with knee and shoulder injuries respectively.

Billy Smith (13), who is primarily a receiver but who played quarterback in high school has filled in for Vega at quarterback, while John Jackson (14) has proven to be the Big Green’s leading rusher.

Jan Flaska’s glass is always half full. He’s the type of coach who can describe a final record of 2-11-3 as “a good season.”

The Deerfield Academy boys soccer coach will tell you he expected his team to be a good one this season. He’ll tell you he had three players on this year’s roster who earned All-League honors. He’ll tell you he had an outstanding defensive team this fall, one that allowed only 29 goals in 16 games, an average of just under two goals a game. He’ll tell you his team played well in close games. Unfortunately for Flaska, there were just too many close games this fall.

Of Deerfield’s 11 setbacks this season, seven games were decided by a single goal – three by a 1-0 margin and four more by a 2-1 deficit. Then if you throw in a trio of 1-1 ties the Big Green was forced to settle for, it’s easy to see its offense simply wasn’t able to keep pace with its defense. While the Big Green defenders were allowing just 1.8 goals per game, the offense mustered just 13 tallies, or 0.8 goals per game.

Deerfield’s three entries on the Western New England Prep School Soccer Association All-Star roster were, needless to say, concentrated on the defensive end of the field. That list included goalie Ben Bolotin ’12 and midfielders Kurt Heise and Sean Connors, who were both co-captains this season. In fact, Heise was the recipient of this year’s Holbrook-Ellis Cup for his contributions to the game at Deerfield.

Three other contributors on this fall’s defensive unit that Flaska pointed out were Colin Crihfield ’12, Colten McCormick ’12, and KC Beard ’12.

As for the offense, Jackson Dayton ’13, who was voted captain of next year’s squad, headed up the Big Green’s stat sheets with seven points on five goals and a pair of assists, with one of those scores coming in a 1-0 victory over Avon.

Flaska also pointed out Deerfield’s win over Salisbury, as well as a pair of hard-earned 1-1 ties.  One came against Worcester Academy, during which Alex Osgood ’13 scored Deerfield’s lone score, while the other was the season finale against Choate.

Flaska’s optimistic attitude has already set on next year’s fortunes, as the Big Green returns 14 lettermen from this fall’s squad.