Derby History Quiz

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Derby High School

1996 Connecticut State "S" Baseball Champions

The team pictured above was the last Derby High team to win a state championship. The 1996 team finished the regular season with a misleading 10-10 record. Playing a schedule that was packed with much larger schools, the Red Raiders defeated larger rivals such as Shelton and West Haven and were well prepared for play against schools their own size in the Class "S" tournament.

Coach John DeFrancisco's team posted five straight wins in the tournament capped by a memorable 8-5 win over Shepaug Valley in the title game. They had previously knocked out Windsor Locks (6-0), Vorwich Tech (11-2), Sacred Heart (3-0) and Immaculate (2-1). The title was DeFrancisco's second as head coach as his 1992 team also captured the Class "S" title while posting a 17-8 record and winding up ranked 7th in the final State Coaches Poll of all schools in the state.

This quiz proved to be very difficult as only three people had both the accomplishment and the year: Joe Romano, Ron (no last name), Walt Mayhew

The following get partial credit for knowing that the team won the state championship, but could not name the year: John Rak, Mary Lou Boroski, Robert Hyder, Ray Allen, Ken Dupke, Markanthony Izzo, Ann Searles, Randy Ritter, and Mayor Marc J. Garofalo.

To see our other earlier quizzes and learn more about Derby's unique history, click here.