Chimdi Ogbuagu’s Track Commitment Leads to Record-Setting Run

Chimdi Ogbuagu PHOTO COURTESY OF CHIMDI OGBUAGU

Chimdi Ogbuagu’s senior season with the Southington High School track & field team etched his name permanently into the Blue Knights record books. But it was his journey to the finish line that really defined the new graduate’s legacy.

Growing up, Ogbuagu was always a football player. He got into the sport after watching with his babysitter at the time. When fourth grade came around, he joined the Southington Knights youth football league.

The sport immediately clicked with Ogbuagu, who says he got even more into it every year. It helped shape him and taught him the discipline he needed to succeed off the gridiron. By his junior year with the Blue Knights, Ogbuagu had become a starting varsity cornerback.

“My junior year I made a big jump from my sophomore year,” Ogbuagu said. “I jumped a couple guys ahead of me to be able to start that year. I really worked. It also meant a lot to me. Football was my thing, I loved football.”

However, his time as a starting cornerback, and football player overall, ended quicker than Ogbuagu anticipated when a rash of injuries changed the course of his athletic career.

Ogbuagu Suffers Injury Deja Vu

During his sophomore season, Ogbuagu had broken his tibia and fibula. It came on a non-contact injury while he was simply guarding a route. It was the first time Ogbuagu had to deal with such a serious injury. It meant basic motor skills could no longer be taken for granted.

“It was honestly a lot. It was my first time dealing with a real injury. It took a toll on me,” Ogbuagu said. “I had to learn how to walk again. It was like starting all over again. I couldn’t even do a calf raise. It was a lot honestly.”

The graduating senior ultimately decided not to undergo surgery and was able to make a full recovery prior to his junior year. His determination then earned him his starting spot.

“I just wanted to get back to playing football. It was really big for me to come back,” Ogbuagu said. “I was thinking, ‘I can’t get injured again, I have to make myself stronger.’ I was telling myself, ‘I got to be better than last time.’ Everyone else isn’t just going to wait for me to get healthy. They’re going to get better as well. I need to get twice as better to compete with them.”

But in the fourth game of the season, disaster struck. An opposing player who was getting tackled landed right on Ogbuagu. Once again his tibia and fibula were broken. All his work to recover suddenly seemed in vain.

“When I broke my leg, honestly, I didn’t know if I’d ever play sports again,” Ogbuagu said. “I knew I was going to miss another track season. Football was going to be hard; I broke my leg twice, it’s not going to be an easy comeback. My initial goal was just to be back for track. I wasn’t looking at times or trying to be fast, I was just looking to be healthy.”

When senior season came around, Ogbuagu was forced to make a decision. Football had been his passion for his entire life. But now a pair of serious injuries threw a major obstacle into his plans on the field.

Rather than race back, Ogbuagu fully committed to track & field. He knew leaving football would ultimately be best for his health and well-being. But at the same time, he was confident going all-in on track could produce special results.

“It’s my senior year. I’ve been injured a lot, it has taken a toll on me. I just want to be healthy, I don’t want to have to recover,” Ogbuagu said. “I also believed in myself. If I really committed to track, I believed I could be really good.”

Track Offers a New Lease on Life

Ogbuagu originally joined the Blue Knights’ track & field team as a freshman. He knew he had speed and thought the sport would be a good fit. Soon after joining, he realized track would give him an opportunity to gain more than just quickness.

“Initially I just thought I was fast and joined track. But it was a really nice experience,” Ogbuagu said. “All the guys were good people, they made track fun. It was different, going from all the hits, to just running.”

From the minute he joined the squad, Ogbuagu was a sprinter. He doesn’t have much time to adjust during a race. But he trains with that in mind. He wants his body to be conditioned to do the right thing.

“It’s consistency. When you’re running races like that, you don’t have time to think. It all goes in a blur,” Ogbuagu said. “The most important thing you could do is train your body to naturally do things. You’re not going to remember this, remember that. But if you can train your body to do it naturally, consistency through practices and meets, eventually things will start to click.”

His senior season was the only year Ogbuagu competed in both indoor and outdoor track. He also took part in cross country’s sprints program. The graduate focused on his consistency, knowing that one bad week could throw off his progress entirely.

Ogbuagu had a plan in place. In his final year with the Blue Knights, he wanted to “prove to myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to.” With a full commitment to Southington’s running program, Ogbuagu had the tools necessary to succeed.

“It kept me structured. I wouldn’t slack off for a week. It gave me reminders to keep working,” Ogbuagu said. “It was also big to get to know my coaches more. It’s not like they didn’t know me, but I really was only there for my freshman year. It really helped me to get to know them better and be more familiar with the training and what we do.”

Boys head coach Nick Migani certainly took notice of Ogbuagu’s all-in approach. He was well aware of his background and the injuries he had to overcome. The way Ogbuagu did so, and the heights he eventually reached, were what truly impressed Migani.

“What’s impressive is how he’s responded,” Mogani said. “Going into his senior year, he made the decision to step away from football and fully commit to track. He ran cross country in the fall to rebuild his fitness and durability, and that work has clearly paid off."

“He opened his indoor season by setting the school record in the 55 meters, which speaks to both his natural speed and the work he’s put in to get back to this point. He’s also part of a competitive family—his twin brother is a very successful wrestler—so that drive and toughness is just part of who he is.”

“Chimdi’s story is really about resilience,” Migani concluded. “He’s a kid who faced significant setbacks but stayed committed, and now he’s putting it all together in his senior year.”

Ogbuagu the Record Breaker

Ogbuagu set a number of school records during his senior season. He started his campaign with a Southington-best 6.57 55-meter dash during the indoor season. During the outdoor season, he was a part of the 4x100 team that beat their own school record (41.44) numerous times.

At the 2026 Central Connecticut South Division Championship, Ogbuagu set another record he won’t soon forget. He knew his starts during the season hadn’t been great, but felt he was beginning to find his stride. When he saw the weather was nice, Ogbuagu “felt like it could be a big day.”

Crossing the finish line at 10.79 in the 100-meter race made that prophecy a reality. Ogbuagu had broken the school record, something he couldn’t believe was real when he was informed.

“Honestly, no. It took a while for it to hit me,” Ogbuagu said. “I heard one of my teammates say 10.79. I was like, ‘For him?’ I honestly couldn’t believe it.”

“I didn’t expect to get 10.79,” he continued. “I surprised myself with that too.”

Breaking any record was meaningful for Ogbuagu. Confronting the injury problems as he did, he worried whether he would be able to return to his peak athletic form. Even in his freshman year, Ogbuagu admits he had doubts of reaching his peak potential.

His senior year journey put those concerns to bed. Others may have been satisfied with running again after breaking a leg twice. But for Ogbuagu, if he was going to make his return at all, he was going to make it count.

“Never be satisfied with good. For me, I like to be as good as I possibly can,” Ogbuagu said. “It’s more about doing the little things really well, perfect. No lapses in concentration. The little things are as important as the big things.”

Ogbuagu’s Run Won’t Stop in College

Now having graduated from Southington, Ogbuagu will be attending the University of Rhode Island and will major in computer science. In addition to that, he will be walking on their track & field team.

Playing sports in college was a goal Ogbuagu had when he entered the program. Having to take so much time off due to injuries made that dream more distant during his sophomore and junior seasons. Yet it never went away. Now, he’ll get his chance to run at the college level and continue improving on the track.

“It means so much to me,” Ogbuagu said. “My freshman year, that was the goal. My sophomore and junior year, I was like, that’s still the goal but it’s going to be really hard to get there. My mind was really off of that. I’m just happy to have a chance to be at that level.”

The fact that it will be track instead of football came as a surprise to Ogbuagu. He never thought he would leave the gridiron. Ultimately, however, he has come to love his new sport. It has become his new obsession. Ogbuagu wears his running badge with beaming honor.

“I really loved football. If you told me my freshman year I wouldn’t be playing football, I’d be like, ‘What?,’” Ogbuagu said. “But this has really shown a development. It shows I’m able to adapt to different things and not just be in football with track on the side. Now it’s track.”

Whatever the sport, Ogbuagu was always repping Southington. That only helped to grow his love of competition. He will now leave the Blue Knights with a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten. At the same time, Ogbuagu won’t forget the town that stuck with him during his setback and ultimate glory.

“This community is amazing. I feel like it’s nothing but support from this community, everyone backs each other,” Ogbuagu said. “It really makes me feel proud to represent Southington. It’s just great people.”

Matos One-Hits Southington as Cheshire Repeats as Class LL Champion

Matos sending one of her signature fast balls to the plate. AJ ANGELILLO PHOTOS

STORRS — Cheshire senior pitcher Jenica Matos one-hit Southington and struck out 15 in a complete-game shutout Saturday morning at the University of Connecticut.

For the second straight postseason, Cheshire’s ace stood between Southington and a state championship. Cheshire ended Southington’s season a year ago, when Matos one-hit the Blue Knights and struck out 13 in a 6-0 semifinal.

The Rams went into the championship game this year unbeaten at 26-0 and the St. John’s commit never let the Blue Knights believe the streak would end.

Matos entered the day having allowed two earned runs all season across 146 innings and she reached her 1,000th career strikeout in the conference final last month.

Southington senior pitcher Angela Insogna refused to let the game get away. She escaped an early jam in the first, pitching around two hitters and three stolen bases to keep the game scoreless, then settled in.

Insogna scattered three hits over six innings and held the most dangerous lineup in the state to two runs, hitting four batters but walking none. She kept the Blue Knights within reach deep into the game, even as her offense went silent.

Cheshire broke through in the second as Insogna hit sophomore designated player Blake Hall and freshman Chloe Marciano came into run.

Senior left fielder Addison Coffey would then line a single to center, which allowed Marciano to reach third and junior right fielder Avery Miramant dropped a bunt in front of the plate. Insogna fielded it but could not get the throw home cleanly and Marciano scored to put Cheshire ahead 1-0.

From there, Matos took complete control of the game. She struck out the side in the fourth and retired the first 14 Southington batters in order. The Blue Knights did not reach base until the fifth, when right fielder Savanna Eliasson lined a single up the middle for the only hit and the only baserunner Matos would allow.

She answered by striking out freshman first baseman Abby Lockwood to close the inning and the threat went nowhere.

Insogna, meanwhile, kept getting out of danger when, in the fourth with two outs, Coffey would be hit by a pitch, after Southington protested the previous pitch, after it was originally ruled that Coffey was hit when she wasn’t. Insogna shrugged it off, retiring Miramant on a fly out to left to strand the runner.

The Rams add on an insurance run in the sixth when Senior first baseman Lyla Blair opened with a hard liner to left and senior Celeste Elliot came in to run.

Senior shortstop Avery Radford moved Elliot to second with a sacrifice bunt and sophomore third baseman Olivia Rydzy followed with a double to left that brought Elliot home for a 2-0 lead.

Southington went down swinging in the seventh as senior center fielder Alexa Poutouves opened with an 11-pitch at-bat, fouling off four of her final five pitches before striking out.

After senior second baseman Olivia Gombotz filed to center, senior third baseman Aubrey Perugini battled through eight pitches in the final at-bat of her high school career.

Matos finished it the way she had handled the Blue Knights all morning, with a swing and a miss and the Cheshire team sprinted to the circle to mob her. Both teams lined up along the foul lines afterward for their medals, with Cheshire collecting the winner’s plaque.

The game closes a dominant era for Cheshire, which leaned on its senior class all spring behind Matos and UConn-bound senior second baseman Jordan McCue. They walk away as back-to-back state champions, handing the program its third title overall.

Matos took home the most valuable player honors for the championship. It was a remarkable achievement for the star pitcher, made all the more impressive by the fact that Matos has a rare genetic condition that makes her legally blind.

Southington finishes 22-5 and loses a deep senior core, including Insogna, Insogna, Poutouves, Perugini and University of Hartford commit Gombotz. The Blue Knights have sophomore shortstop Nerea Maule and catcher Addie Wanner with a young supporting cast that now knows just how the climb back to glory can be.

Matos with her MVP award.

Softball Falls in CCC Finals, Enters State Tournament as No. 2 Seed

The Blue Knights softball team competes at home DAN FAPPIANO PHOTOS

Southington softball’s topsy-turvy run through the Central Connecticut Conference Tournament didn’t end the way they wanted it to. But the Blue Knights have another opportunity to add to their legacy when they compete in the Class LL State Tournament.

Entering the CCC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, Southington began their journey with a home matchup against No. 8 Glastonbury. The Blue Knights were pushed to their breaking point, trailing 9-7 entering the bottom of the seventh inning.

After scoring a run via an error and another from a sacrifice fly from freshman Abigail Lockwood, junior Addie Wanner hit a pop-fly that ultimately scored the winning run. With a 10-9 victory, Southington moved into the semifinals. But they knew they’d have to do more to defend their CCC crown.

Southington Advances to CCC Finals

On May 27, while taking on No. 5 Rocky Hill, Southington went down a run early via a two-out single. But the Blue Knights had an immediate response, as a two-run home run from senior Aubrey Perugini capped off a three-run first inning. The Blue Knights tacked on an extra run in the second via a sac-fly from senior Olivia Gombotz.

The score remained 4-1 until the bottom of the fifth inning. After an RBI single drove in a run, senior Alexa Poutouves cleared the bases with a three-RBI double. Helped by some slick defensive plays in the final inning, Southington advanced to the CCC Championship with an 8-1 win.

For Poutouves and Perugini, the win gave the Blue Knights an opportunity to find their swagger again. After barely scraping out a victory in the first round, Southington looked more like themselves against Rocky Hill.

“I think this win was great momentum going into the CCC Championship,” Poutouves said. “Yesterday was a good win but a tough game, we didn’t play our best. Today we really stepped it up, energy wise, hitting wise, fielding wise. We stood behind Ang on the mound. That really helped us get our confidence back.”

“A big point of emphasis today was to really work together as a team,” Perugini added. “Our jump from yesterday to today was huge. We just need to carry that energy through the tournament.”

Head coach Michelle Boisvert shared the same attitude as her center fielder and third baseman. When she watched her team play, she saw a cohesive unit in action.

“It put them in the right mindset,” Boisvert said. “They had fun, they were happy, there was joy, they trusted their pitcher. They knew they could get it done today. There was never a doubt. They played as a team, for each other, with each other. Mindset going forward is we’re going to work hard, back up our pitcher, they’re going to make plays, timely hitting and they’re going to have fun.”

On the mound, senior Angie Insogna allowed three hits and four walks while striking out six. She found herself in a particularly tricky situation in the top of the third inning after three straight walks loaded the bases with only one out. Insogna managed to get the next batter to pop out before ending the inning with the bases stranded on a strikeout.

Boisvert has come to expect those kinds of resolutions from her senior pitcher. Even if the moment is tense, Insogna isn’t one to get rattled. As Southington continues their postseason, they’ll be rallying around their starting pitcher.

“Ang is someone who doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” Boisvert said. “But you can tell she’s in that mindset. She’s always, ‘I’m gonna get ya.’ Whether it’s a strikeout or a play, she’s like ‘I’m going to get you.’ She’s not afraid. She’ll challenge their hitters. She trusts herself, she trusts her defense. We can’t pitch around them, you’ve got to pitch to them. And that’s what she does so well.”

At the same time, Insogna was quick to credit the defense behind her. The Blue Knights made numerous web gems during their Rocky Hill win. But the pitcher knows just having consistent performances in the field gives Southington an edge.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my teammates. Tthey were great in the field for me today,” Insogna said. “Going into this game we really wanted to keep the energy high. That’s exactly what we did.”

“Having a defense like that can make or break a game,” she continued. “Today it made the game. It gets me very excited. I’m glad to have teammates who are willing to do that for me.”

Perugini was excited to begin the game with a home run, but she has fully bought in on the team’s defensive strength as well. She hopes to “put some defense to our name” through the remaining State Tournament.

That’s a message Boisvert has preached throughout the season. There are only so many defensive drills the team could run. As they finish out their season, everyone on Southington must be willing and prepared to walk the walk when it comes to the Blue Knights’ defensive prowess.

“Defense for me is just desire,” Boisvert said. “Doing whatever you can to give your team the win. Go out, dive, get dirty. They’re gritty. They don’t quit. If there’s a play they can make, they’ll do as much as they can to make it. It sets the tone. Somebody makes a good play, it gets you pumped, ready for the next inning. Helps you stay motivated and work hard. If you see your teammate doing that, it’s contagious.”

CCC Setback Leads To Class LL Opportunity

Southington took on No. 2 Enfield in the CCC Tournament finals on May 29. While the Blue Knights earned a 14-3 win in their regular season clash, the results were different this time around.

Enfield opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single. Southington answered right back to take a 2-1 lead with a triple from Lockwood and a double from Wanner. From there though, the Blue Knights were stymied.

The Eagles would tie the game on a single in the third and then take the lead with a double and triple in the top of the fifth. With two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, Enfield secured a 5-2 victory and ended Southington’s five-year run as CCC champions.

Despite the loss, the Blue Knights’ season is not over. They will now have an opportunity for redemption as the No. 2 seed in the Class LL State Tournament. Southington advanced to the semifinals in 2025.

After receiving a first-round bye, the Blue Knights will take on No. 18 Conard at home on June 3. If Southington were to advance, they would host the winner of No. 7 NFA and No. 10 Newtown in the quarterfinals on June 5.

After winning their CCC semifinal matchup against Rocky Hill, Insogna said that Southington “works really hard for moments like this.” They’ll have an opportunity for more unforgettable wins in the State Tournament. As they enter battle, Boisvert wants Southington to remember what got them this far and to never stop competing as a team.

“We want you focused. We definitely want you having fun. We want you to be the best teammate you can be for each other. Play together, we’re a team,” Boisvert said. “Softball is tough, it’s an individual sport. But when they’re talking and communicating, it makes such a difference. Now they trust each other, they know where they’re going to be. The hitting is contagious too.”

“I think they expect it now. And that’s okay, I expect it too. When hitters get up, I’m like, ‘I know they’re going to get a hit.’ I trust their decision making,” she concluded. “They’ve started to believe in their ability and each other. That’s what you need, you have to be one unit, one team. We are that one team.”