In 1981, the Wilton Y Wahoos swim team wasn’t yet 10 years old, and Randy Erlenbach was a recent college graduate returning to the area after a four-year career swimming for Duke University.

For one season, the two crossed paths as Erlenbach served as part-time assistant coach under then Wahoos coach Chuck Warner.

It was the beginning of something special, for both coach and team.

In the years since, both went on to achieve great things — the Wahoos becoming one of the elite programs in the country, and Erlenbach an accomplished coach with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill men’s and women’s swimming program.

Back  in 2001, Jeff Gee heard that he had been named regional girls cross country Coach of the Year and would be one of eight finalists for national honors. But that report turned out to be erroneous, and Gee had to cancel his trip.

So when Gee, the longtime head coach of the Wilton High boys and girls cross country teams, learned earlier this spring that he had again been chosen as the regional winner, he was understandably hesitant.

“I didn’t start looking for flights right away,” he said. “I wanted to wait until I was certain.”

This time, however, the information was accurate. Gee was indeed the winner of the New England/New York region and was among eight finalists for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association girls cross country Coach of the Year award for 2008.

The Wilton Little League All-Stars opened the District 1 11-12-year-old tournament with a 10-3 loss to Stamford Federal on Wednesday night in Wilton.

Wilton got an RBI double from Quentin Harris and an RBI single from Justin Lebek.

When it went looking for the new head coach of the Wilton High football team, the school’s five-member search committee didn’t have to look past the inbox.

Once Bruce Cunningham’s application arrived there, the search was over.

Wilton’s Post 86 American Legion senior baseball team was rained out again Tuesday night. According to the schedule, Wilton should be well into the second half of its season. Instead, Post 86 has completed only 11 contests of a 27-game campaign. There is no question that make up games due to a soggy June could raise havoc with the rest of the season.

That’s the bad news. The good news? Post 86 is 7-4 and has the potential to qualify for the American Legion Zone Four tournament.

Recent Wilton High grad Jared Wyman is a member of the Fairfield County roster for the 13th Annual Hall of Fame Football Classic.

The game, which pits the Fairfield County squad against a team from New Haven County, takes place July 10 at 7 at Sacred Heart University.

Wyman played wide receiver and defensive back for the Warriors last fall. He finished with 10 catches for 170 yards and four touchdowns.

Last year, the Wilton Little League All-Stars entered the 12-year-old District 1 tournament as favorites after winning district titles as 10- and 11-year-olds. But Wilton saw its hope of a three-peat and a state tourney berth end with a 13-1 loss to Stamford Springdale in the district championship game.

There are no such lofty expectations for this year’s Wilton team. And that is fine with manager Bob Cullinan.

Following a lackluster winter sports season in which only two teams finished with winning records, the Wilton High sports program regained the bounce in its step this spring.

All nine varsity teams were .500 or better, and all nine of them qualified for the post-season.

The only letdown? No teams won a conference or state title. Both the WHS boys lacrosse and girls tennis teams lost in the state finals, and the boys golf team fell to Greenwich in a three-hole playoff to decide the FCIAC champion.

Entering his senior year, Rob Crampton had never played a match for the Wilton High boys tennis team.

But he made up for that this spring, needing only one season to put himself among the best players to ever take the court for WHS.

“It was my senior year, so I wanted to go out with a bang. I thought it would be fun,” said Crampton, who became the first Wilton singles player to reach the state finals since 1996.

Given the team’s youth, is wasn’t surprising that the Wilton High boys tennis team’s season got off to a disappointing start.

But after winning only two of their first nine matches, the Warriors found their stride, running off seven wins in a row to finish the regular season at 9-7 and earn a berth in the FCIAC playoffs.

A strong showing in the state tournaments not only capped off a great season, but raised the team’s future prospects even higher.