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(Emma Oyomba, who is going to be a senior at Norwalk High School, has attracted interest from colleges to play basketball and lacrosse. It is both a great and confusing situation, made more so because Emma is uncertain if she even wants to play a sport in college. Emma has agreed to write Emma’s Dilemma for Overtime so we can follow her along on the process to her ultimate decision.)

Hi everyone! Some of you may know me as the tall forward who plays for Norwalk High’s girls basketball team. But, after this past lacrosse season, you may also know me as the tall attack on Norwalk High’s girls lacrosse team.

Either way, my love for these two sports has landed me with this blog. Emma’s Dilemma is an account of my journey through deciding on not only if I want to play a sport in college, but which sport I want to play.

First, let me warn you that this blog is not for the faint of heart. I can be very indecisive and change my mind at any time. This blog isn’t a walk in the park, it is a roller-coaster. So be prepared to strap in and join me on this journey.

I have been playing basketball since I was in 5th grade. I was coerced into playing by a bunch of my friends and ever since then basketball has been my life. The number of hours spent practicing, playing and thinking about it is endless. I always thought this would be the only sport I would play … then I came to high school.

My freshman and sophomore year I was a three-sport athlete, playing field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. I had some experience with field hockey but absolutely none with lacrosse. The spring of my freshman year was the first time I had picked up a lacrosse stick, and to this day I love the sport.

Let’s rewind to December of my sophomore year. I was having a great basketball season and the future looked bright for me and my team. A couple of games into the season I got hurt. Now, I am not one to get seriously injured. The worst injury I had was a sprained ankle. So when I found out I tore my ACL, my mom and I took a boat home because I cried myself a river. I was completely devastated not only because I had to get surgery and rehab but because I had to miss the rest of basketball season and lacrosse.

After 11 months of rehabilitation, I was ready to go for basketball. I had not played in almost a year, and getting back into the shape I was in wasn’t a walk in the park. The season started off slow, with three straight losses.

But the only way you can go from there is up. Our team got it together and our fourth game marked the beginning of a nine-game winning streak. During this time I loved my team, the fans, the school spirit and most importantly, the game. The highlight of my season was scoring 33 points and grabbing 31 rebounds against New Canaan. This game was the icing on the cake that sparked some interest from a few colleges. Ending the season with a division title under our belt, making it to the second round of states and receiving second team All-FCIAC was great, but I was ready to move onto lacrosse and see how the season would turn out.

At the beginning of lacrosse season, my coach told me I was on varsity but would most likely not be on the field. He thought this season would be for regaining my stick skills and getting back into the swing of things. To his surprise and mine, a couple of games into the season I was in the starting lineup. As the season progressed I was playing almost the whole game and putting in goals. Our team had made school history in several ways and boasted five tremendous seniors going to D1 and D3 schools for lacrosse and one for field hockey. The way our team came together and my raw talent for the sport sparked some surprising interest by colleges.

So you may ask yourself “what is the so-called dilemma?” The problem is that I never pictured myself playing a sport in college. Maybe it is just my modesty but I really didn’t consider myself good enough. Aside from that, I have been playing sports since 5th grade. Balancing academics, work and sports is no easy task.

I want to enjoy my college years and maybe get an internship or job, even study abroad. If I do choose to play, it is a major commitment that I don’t know I’m ready for. As if deciding isn’t enough, I have interest from colleges in a sport that I have been playing at the varsity level for just one season. All of these opportunities are coming so fast hopefully this summer will help me realize what path I want to take.

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The Trumbull baseball team celebrates its win over Greenwich in the FCIAC championship game.

The Trumbull baseball team and Ridgefield boys volleyball coach Lidania Cibere are, respectively, the Overtime Spring FCIAC Team and Coach of the Year.

The Eagles will receive custom-made T-shirts courtesy of BlueStreak Sports Training, Garden Catering, Karl Chevrolet, Innovative Health & Rehabilitation, Chelsea Piers, New Balance of New Canaan and the Stamford Advocate.

Cibere will receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.

The Eagles won a close vote over the Ridgefield boys volleyball and New Canaan girls lacrosse teams, plus two others.

Cibere won the vote over New Canaan girls lacrosse coach Kristin Woods and seven others.

These were the final votes for the 2011-12 school year. Thank you to all the sponsors that participated this year, plus all the athletes, coaches and administrators, both for their support and success.

We will be back with the first votes of the 2012-13 school year in September.

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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New Canaan football coach Lou Marinelli.

The FCIAC-SCC football series proposed for the 2013-14 seasons took another step toward becoming a reality Monday afternoon when the FCIAC coaches voted in favor, based on matchups predicated for the most part on the winning percentages of schools over the last five years. The FCIAC schools were listed top to bottom based on their five-year records, while the SCC were for the most part.

Also factored in was the SCC has four divisions instead of the FCIAC’s three, and moves team up and down based on prior success. Arranging games based on the past competitive levels of the schools was prioritized.

The leagues’ respective commissioners, John Kuczo of the FCIAC and Al Carbone of the SCC, stressed that a final agreement is still not in place and it is possible for changes to occur.

I communicated with Carbone via Twitter last night and he sent me the following message: “I will say this – we are moving in the right direction and the 19 matchups will be fair and competitive and great for both leagues.”

Here are the proposed matchups the FCIAC coaches voted on Monday, with the schools’ five-year percentages in parenthesis:

New Canaan (.902) vs. Daniel Hand (.804)

Staples (.857) vs. Xavier (.804)

Darien (.745) vs. Shelton (.726)

Ridgefield (.745) vs. Cheshire (.667)

Greenwich (.725) vs. West Haven (.580)

St. Joseph (.627) vs. Notre Dame (.660)

Bridgeport Central (.600) vs. Hillhouse (.726)

Trumbull (.592) vs. North Haven (.706)

Norwalk (.551) vs. Amity (.471)

Stamford (.500) vs. Fairfield Prep (.380)

Wilton (.470) vs. Branford (.441)

Fairfield Warde (.431) vs. Foran (.451)

Trinity Catholic (.392) vs. Sheehan (.422)

Brien McMahon (.392) vs. Wilbur Cross (.382)

Danbury (.353) vs. Hamden (.373)

Fairfield Ludlowe (.235) vs. Lyman Hall (.412)

Westhill (.235) vs. Guilford (.402)

Bassick (.118) vs. East Haven (.078)

Warren Harding (.102) vs. Law (.353)

The proposed games will be a home-and-home series to open the 2013-14 seasons, when the calendar schedule will allow for one extra game.

One can only imagine the excitement: New Canaan and Hand, and Staples and Xavier played each other in state finals last fall. Stamford and Fairfield Prep were long-time Thanksgiving Day rivals until 1977.

The FCIAC coaches met prior to Monday’s league picnic in Fairfield, which was attended by six of the coaches.

“I think it’s good for our league, I think it’s good for their league. It’s good for football,” New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli said. You are going to open the 2013 season with some great games.”

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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After a long list of memorable accomplishments over the last 10 weeks, it is time for you to decide who was the very best of the best. We have selected 5 outstanding finalists for our annual BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Team of the Year award.

The winner will receive custom-made T-shirts from BlueStreak Sports Training, Garden Catering and the Stamford Advocate.

Here are the finalists:

DARIEN BOYS LACROSSE: The Blue Wave were nationally ranked throughout the season and finished with a 20-2 record. They reached the FCIAC semifinals and won the CIAC Class M championship.

GREENWICH BOYS GOLF: The Cardinals completed the season 21-0, won both FCIAC (by 21 strokes) and state championships and had a state-record 3.8 team handicap.

NEW CANAAN GIRLS LACROSSE: The Rams finished the season 21-1, including 16-0 during the regular season, and won the CIAC Class M state title.

RIDGEFIELD BOYS VOLLEYBALL: The Tigers finished the season 20-2 and won their first-ever FCIAC championship. They also advanced to the finals of the state tournament.

TRUMBULL BASEBALL: The Eagles, who needed a five-game winning streak just to qualify for the FCIAC Tournament, stunned unbeaten Greenwich in the final for their first title since 2005, allowing just one run in three games.

Those are the 5 finalists. You have until noon on Wednesday to select the 2012 BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Team of the Year.

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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After a long list of memorable accomplishments over the last 10 weeks, it is time for you to decide who was the very best of the best. We have selected nine outstanding finalists for our annual BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Coach of the Year award.

The winner will receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.

Here are the finalists and their accomplishments:

JEFF BABINEAU, ST. JOSEPH SOFTBALL: The Cadets, with a starting lineup that included four freshmen and three sophomores, had a 16-game winning streak and finished the season 19-5, reaching the FCIAC semifinals and the second round of the state tournament.

JEFF BRAMEIER, DARIEN BOYS LACROSSE: The Blue Wave were nationally ranked throughout the season and finished with a 20-2 record. They reached the FCIAC final and won the CIAC Class M championship.

LIDANIA CIBERE, RIDGEFIELD BOYS VOLLEYBALL: The Tigers finished the season 20-2 and won their first-ever FCIAC championship. They also advanced to the finals of the state tournament.

ELAINE GRATRIX, NORWALK SOFTBALL: The Bears finished the season with a 15-9 record, their most victories and best winning percentage since 2007, the last time they qualified for the FCIAC Tournament until this year. They reached the league semifinals for the first time since 2006.

BEN LEVY: STAMFORD GIRLS LACROSSE: In just their third season of existence, the Black Knights, who won 0 and 6 games their first two years, finished 11-5 and qualified for the state tournament for the first time ever.

JOHN REISERT, FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE GIRLS TENNIS: The Falcons had their best regular season ever with a 16-2 mark a year after graduating seven seniors, had six players qualify for the State Open and Reisert is a finalist for National Coach of the Year.

JEFF SANTILLI, GREENWICH BOYS GOLF: The Cardinals completed the season 21-0, won both FCIAC (by 21 strokes) and state championships and had a state-record 3.8 team handicap.

PATRIK VICIAN, WESTHILL BOYS TENNIS: The Vikings finished the regular season 12-4, their best record in two decades, won a match in the opening round of the FCIAC Tournament and produced the winning doubles team in Class LL and the State Open.

KRISTIN WOODS, NEW CANAAN GIRLS LACROSSE: The Rams finished the season 21-1, including 16-0 during the regular season, and won the CIAC Class M state title. Woods was named both FCIAC and State Coach of the Year.

Those are the nine finalists. You have until noon on Wednesday to select the 2012 BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Coach of the Year.

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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Greenwich's Dylan Callahan

St. Joseph's Jenn Vazquez

Dylan Callahan of the Greenwich baseball team and Jenn Vazquez of the St. Joseph softball team have been voted as the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Players of the Year.

Callahan and Vazquez will each receive trophies from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.

Vazquez batted .468, with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 30 RBIs, 37 hits and struck out just twice in 84 at-bats. A catcher, there were just three stolen bases against Vazquez all season. She won a close contest with Staples’ Lexie Schachne, Greenwich’s Brooke Nethercott and six other female athletes.

Callahan had a 5-1 record with a 1.42 earned run average as the Cardinals went unbeaten during the regular season. Offensively, Callahan batted .333, with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 11 RBIs and 20 runs scored. Callahan won a tight battle with Staples’ Henry Wynne, Wilton’s Chris Nugent, Darien’s Case Matheis and six other male athletes.

The final votes of the school year, for the BlueStreak-Overtime Coach and Team of the Year, will begin on Sunday.

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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Former Danbury catcher Lindsay Trohalis tags out a runner at the plate.

(This is the first in a summer series that will profile former FCIAC athletes from the last decade.)

Lindsay Trohalis laughs at the memory of playing for her father last year. Harry Trohalis was named the interim coach of the Danbury High School softball team last spring — he has since shed the interim tag — and his daughter, a catcher recovering from an injured ankle, was put in the outfield.

“He pulled me out of a game once,” Trohalis said with a chuckle. “I dropped a ball in leftfield. I came in and he asked to see my glove and chucked it into the woods.”

That’s when it was decided that Trohalis, a three-sport standout who also played basketball and volleyball, would remain behind the plate.

“Sometimes he just doesn’t think at all,” Trohalis said. “We get along really well. We talk softball a lot.”

A softball junkie, Trohalis is currently playing in the Danbury’s women’s league. “I’ll definitely be doing it for a while,” she said.

Trohalis just completed her freshman year at Western Connecticut State University. She considered continuing her career in college, but decided to focus on to the next stage of her life. She is majoring in Justice & Law Administration.

“I want to work in drug and alcohol enforcement,” she said. “I don’t know why, it just interests me. I’m not someone who can sit in an office all day. I’m very fidgety.”

Asked about her somewhat unusual professional path, Trohalis said, “I didn’t want to go into the medical field because I can’t be in a hospital all day. If you are a police officer you are out patrolling. I always wanted to be a cop. I never really thought about anything else.”

Trohalis stayed close to her former team this spring.

“I still sat on the bench and sometimes I did the book, and I coached first base a few times,” she said. “But it wasn’t like I was playing. I’d be sitting at a game and wanting to go in and play. I went to about half of the games, but it was hard because of my work schedule and school schedule.”

Trohalis recalled that though the bond is tight with her father, their headstrong ways led to a few battles in the dugout.

“A few times it would be like World War III,” she said. “He’d want to do this and I’d want to do that. He thought differently than I did.”

Trohalis was asked about the possibility of one day being confronted with possibly having to shoot a criminal.

“I thought about it and I could do it,” she said. “The one thing I couldn’t do is shoot a deer. I love animals. That’s why I want a job where I can work with a dog.”

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)

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After a long list of memorable accomplishments over the last 10 weeks, starting on Sunday morning it is time for you to decide who was the very best of the best. We have selected six outstanding finalists for our annual BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Team of the Year award.

The winner will receive custom-made shirts from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.

The six finalists are:

Darien Boys Lacrosse

Greenwich Boys Golf

New Canaan Girls Lacrosse

Ridgefield Boys Volleyball

Staples Boys Track

Trumbull Baseball

The voting will run from Sunday morning until next Wednesday at noon, so check back and be prepared to vote.

(Become a fan of the Overtime blog Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook symbol at the bottom of this post. Follow me on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter symbol at the bottom of this post.)