Teams of the Decade: Top Playoff Runs

Teams of the Decade

Over the past couple of months, our staff has reviewed hundreds of championship-caliber Hockomock League teams from the past decade (Fall 2010 through Winter 2020) and selected its Top 20 “Teams of the Decade.” During that process, we came across so many talented teams that accomplished so much. Below is a list of teams that just missed out on the final list but stood out for their postseason performances.

2019 Taunton Baseball

Record: 21-7
Division 1 State Champions

The stars aligned perfectly for the Tigers when the postseason rolled around. Although Taunton finished in third in the Kelley-Rex division in the regular season (behind Super 8 selections Franklin and Mansfield), the Tigers took full advantage of their opportunity in Div. 1 South. At 11-7 midway through May, Taunton won four straight to finish the regular season at 15-7 for the fourth seed in the D1 South bracket. After dispatching Marshfield, the Tigers rallied to stun Catholic Memorial with a seventh inning rally, scoring the game-winning run off a bunt from Lucas Martins. Taunton followed with a shutout of Catholic Conference power Xaverian before taking down Hockomock rival Attleboro, 6-1, to win the South.

The magic continued for Taunton, head coach Blair Bourque, and its playoff hero Nic Notarangelo in the D1 State Semifinals. Against a powerful Lincoln-Sudbury side (21-2 entering the game), the Tigers fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning. Logan Lawrence had a huge game, hitting a two-run home run in the first and pitching four scoreless innings in relief. Notarangelo smacked a hard hit to right to score sophomore Ty Cali in the bottom of the ninth inning for the game-winning run. Taunton capped its magical run with a 5-3 win over Shrewsbury and 6’8 Boston College-commit John West. Josh Lajoie made his first start of the playoffs, senior Evan Melo put a cherry on top of a special individual postseason by driving in the game-winning run, and both Notarangelo and Lawrence – as they had done all tournament – made key plays in the final innings to help Taunton secure its first-ever Div. 1 State Championship.

2016 Franklin Boys Hockey

Record: 18-4-5
Division 1 State Champions

Just one year removed from a historic trip to the Super 8, and after graduating 21 seniors, Franklin showed off the depth in its program and erased its demons at the TD Garden, ending a three-decade wait for a second state title. A team without a true star, Franklin’s depth and its work rate were its greatest strengths. The Panthers were 12-3-5 and the fourth seed in Div. 1 when the playoffs began, but it felt like a wide open bracket. The tournament run began with a 2-1 win against Wellesley, followed by a 1-0 win against Walpole in a jam-packed Pirelli Rink.

After dispatching a third straight Bay State Conference team, Newton North, in the semifinal, Franklin avenged a late-season loss against highly-regarded Marshfield. In the state title game at the TD Garden, a place where Franklin and head coach Chris Spillane had come up empty three seasons in a row earlier in the decade, the Panthers led 3-1 heading into the third period against St. Mary’s (Lynn), a team that just missed out on a Super 8 berth. The game went to double overtime before senior Jake Downie assisted on sophomore Luke Downie’s dramatic game- and title-winner and secured a first state title since 1983.

2018 Franklin Baseball

Record: 21-5
Division 1A (Super 8) State Champions

It was a season that started with high expectations and ended in history, but it was hardly a straight and easy path for Franklin. Few will remember because of how the season ended, but the Panthers opened the season by being shutout by Foxboro, were swept by Taunton, and finished a game behind Mansfield in the league. Through it all, Franklin put together a good enough resume that it was selected for the Super 8 for the first time in program history. The Panthers (21-5) entered as the No. 7 seed, but once the playoffs began everything seemed to fall into place.

Thanks to the dynamic duo of Jake Noviello and Bryan Woelfel and a lineup filled with clutch hitters, Franklin beat Wachusett in the opening game and then proceeded to beat St. John’s Prep and Central Catholic (twice). The final three games were all one-run wins. In the Super 8 finale against the Raiders, head coach Zach Brown brought Noviello into the bottom of the eighth in a tie game with runners at second and third. He struck out three of the next four batters (hitting one in between) to somehow keep it tied and in the top of the ninth Evan Wendell’s perfect suicide squeeze plated Steve Luttazi with the title-winning run.

2016 Foxboro Girls Tennis

Record: 19-2
Division 2 State Champions

The third time proved to be the charm for the Foxboro girls’ tennis team. After coming up short in the state final in 2014 and 2015, the Warriors took a 3-2 decision over Wayland to clinch the title. The Warriors dropped two matches all season, both 3-2 to eventual Davenport division champion Sharon, as Foxboro finished second in the division at 14-2. The sister combination of Diana Prinos at first singles and Sophia Prinos at second singles gave Foxboro a huge advantage while junior Lexi Nelson was such a steady presence at third singles.

Behind interim head coaches CJ Neely and Jon Montanaro, the Warriors earned the fourth seed in the Division 2 South bracket and survived an early scare with a 3-2 win over Westwood. The second doubles team of Michaela McCarthy and Morgan Krockta helped the Warriors knock off a strong Hingham team in the quarterfinals and Foxboro swept singles action in both the sectional semifinals and finals to defeat previously unbeaten and top-seeded Apponequet and Hopkinton, respectively. After dropping a singles match in the state final, the Warriors had to show off their depth as a team and the first doubles pairing of sophomore Kayla Prag and freshman Julia Muise pulled out a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 win to secure the title.

2012 Sharon Football

Record: 10-3
Division 3 Eastern Mass. Champions

It’s hard to think of a more special individual season than the one the Sharon football team had in 2012. To put things in perspective, the Eagles had just won seven games over a seven-year span in the previous decade and its last winning season came in the late 1980s. Head coach Dave Morse led Sharon to four wins in his first year in 2011 but that turned out to be just a preview of what was to come. The Eagles had a special group of players come together and accomplish something a lot of people thought they would never see: bringing a Super Bowl title back to Sharon.

While it wasn’t a perfect season, the Eagles got it done against division foes. Sharon knocked off Canton in overtime, scored with under a minute left to stun previously unbeaten Stoughton, and used a gutsy fourth-quarter fourth-down conversion touchdown to secure a win over Foxboro and clinch its first Davenport division title. In the playoffs, the Eagles held on for a 7-6 win over Pembroke when the Titans’ two-point conversion with a minute to go fell short. In the Super Bowl, senior running back Sean Asnes capped a terrific season with a pair of touchdowns as Sharon notched a 12-3 win over Wayland in a freezing cold game at Bentley University.




2018 Mansfield Boys Basketball

Record: 27-2
Division 1 State Champions

Mansfield’s playoff run during the 2017-2018 season was as close to perfect as you can get in basketball. The Hornets were very good during the regular season, but they were close to unstoppable once the state tournament rolled around. Mansfield suffered two setbacks during the season, one in December to BC High and a 15-point loss on the road to rival Franklin in January. Head coach Mike Vaughan has said that second loss might have been the spark that ignited one of the most impressive playoff campaigns of the decade. With seven seniors (John McCoy, Tyler Boulter, Ryan Otto, Nick Ferraz, Alex Ferraz, Justin Vine, Sam Hyland) and a trio of talented juniors (Damani Scott, Tommy Dooling, Khristian Conner), the Hornets made the most of the playoff opportunity.

The top-seed in Division 1 South, Mansfield rolled through the bracket — and we mean rolled. Mansfield beat all four of its opponents by double figures, dismissing Newton South (76-49) in the first round, avenging its loss to BC High (71-58) in the quarterfinals, eliminating a very good Newton North (70-50) team in the South semis, and beating a talented Brockton (79-65) squad to win the South championship. The momentum continued as the Hornets secured a spot in the state final with an impressive win over Everett (73-65) at the TD Garden. In the D1 State Championship, the Hornets capped a terrific postseason run by taking down rival Franklin (67-54); the matchup marked the first time a pair of teams from the same league met in the D1 final.

2017 Franklin Boys Basketball

Record: 22-5
Division 1 State Finalists

This Franklin boys team might not have won it all, but it packed some of the most memorable games into its great postseason run. The Panthers were good throughout the regular season, and they certainly had their fair share of impressive wins including one over league champ Mansfield, one over a very good Cardinal Spellman team, and concluded the regular season with arguably its best win, a 70-53 decision over a good Tech Boston team. But there were five losses too, including on the road at Canton, and early season tilts against Malden Catholic and Catholic Memorial.

The wins over Spellman and Tech Boston to finish the regular season were a clear sign to head coach CJ Neely that this squad was ready to make some noise in the state tournament. Junior Jalen Samuels helped the hosts knock off upset-minded Acton Boxboro in the opening round and senior Connor Goldstein gave Franklin a needed spark in its semifinal win over St. Peter Marian. In the Central final against perennial power St. John’s Shrewsbury, freshman Chris Edgehill sank a huge three with just over a minute left in overtime and then hit two from the free throw line in the final seconds to help secure Franklin’s first sectional title. In the state semifinal against Springfield Central, the Panthers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with an improbable 8-0 run in the final 20 seconds to force overtime. Four minutes later, Franklin was on its way to its first state championship. Although the Panthers ran into a juggernaut in Cambridge, the run that the Panthers had leading up to that point was a very memorable one.

2018 North Attleboro Baseball

Record: 22-2
Division 2 State Champions

North Attleboro rolled through the regular season, finishing 14-2 in the league and 18-2 overall. Big Red ended a 12-year wait for a league title and took the top seed in Div. 2 South. North’s run to a first-ever state title was hardly a surprise, but the way that the Rocketeers rolled through the South bracket was more than impressive. North scored at will over the first three games of the tournament, out-scoring its opponents 41-4, including a 20-2 win against Dartmouth in the semifinal and a 19-2 win against Oliver Ames in the final.

Behind the pitching of Nick Sinacola and the clutch bat of Zach DeMattio, the Rocketeers were unstoppable heading into the final against Beverly and jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the state championship game (all four runs driven in by DeMattio). The Panthers got to Sinacola for three runs in the fifth to cut the lead to just one run, but he settled down, with the help of his defense, to get through a scoreless sixth and seventh inning and becoming the second Hockomock League baseball team in a week to win a state title.

2018 Taunton Softball

Record: 26-2
Division 1 State Champions

Taunton had lost in the first round in each of the past two postseasons, both times on its home field and both times to league opponents (King Philip in 2016 and North Attleboro in 2017), but the Tigers put it all together in 2018 to erase those playoff struggles. Always one of the most feared lineups in the state, the Taunton offense exploded for 44 runs in six playoff games. The Tigers, under the guidance of legendary coach Dave Lewry, scored nine runs against Dartmouth and Bishop Feehan, six against Newton North, and 13 in the state final against previously unbeaten Wachusett.

The toughest, and arguably most memorable, game of the playoff run was the Div. 1 South final against KP. The Warriors won the league title and had also scored 21 runs in three games to get to the final. After rallying to tie the game in the fifth, Taunton scored the game-winning runs on a single down the third base line by surprise starter and No. 9 hitter Rylie Murphy. KP got the tying runs on base in the seventh, but freshman starter Kelsey White escaped the jam and the Tigers went on to win their first state title in 11 years in blowout fashion (13-2 over Wachusett).

2016 King Philip Softball

Record: 24-4
Division 1 State Champions

There is nothing unusual about King Philip softball going on a playoff run, after all this was the program’s third state title in seven seasons, but the Warriors entered the season as the No. 7 seed in Div. 1 South, had lost the Kelley-Rex title to Taunton, ending a run of nine straight league championships, and lost four times during the regular season. Once the playoffs began, the Warriors flipped a switch. Thanks in large part to a dominant run of games from starting pitcher Kali Magane, KP allowed only two runs in six playoff games and outscored opponents 29-2.

The Warriors beat Taunton in the quarterfinal, winning the season series against the Tigers, and avenged an extra-inning loss from 2015 by beating defending South champion Silver Lake in the final. Magane saved the best for last, striking out 13 and tossing a one-hit shutout in the state title game against Doherty. Magane finished the season by striking out the side in the seventh and closing out an unlikely championship campaign.

2018 HockomockSports.com Baseball Awards

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2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars

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Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/06/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Super 8

#5 Mansfield, 3 @ #4 Central Catholic, 8 – FinalCentral Catholic used two hits and two Mansfield errors to score five unearned runs in the first inning in a first-round Super 8 matchup. The Hornets cut the deficit to three (6-3) with three runs in the fifth inning but CC added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth for insurance. Tyler Dalton let up three hits and walked three with six unearned runs allowed in four innings of work. Sophomore Chris Jenkins had two hits on the day while Dan Saraceno, Justin Pena, and Dalton each had an RBI for the Hornets.

#7 Franklin, 8 @ #2 Wachusett, 5 – FinalWachusett erased a four-run deficit in the seventh inning to tie the game but Franklin responded by scoring in each the eighth and ninth innings to prevail in the program’s first-ever Super 8 game. Wachusett tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the seventh but Franklin was able to get a runner out at third trying to advance to erase any further damage. Bryan Woelfel earned the win in relief, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two. Jake Noviello had a strong outing on the mound, scattering five hits, four walks, and six strikeouts over six innings of work. Franklin’s offense had a strong day with Cooper Ross leading the way with three hits and two RBI. Colby Fitzgibbons (run), Scott Elliott (double, four RBI), Alex Haba (triple, two runs, two stolen bases), Jake Macchi (RBI, run) and Evan Wendell (two runs) all had two hits apiece for Franklin.

Boys Lacrosse
D1 South

#13 Mansfield, 7 @ #4 Franklin, 13 – FinalClick here for a recap of this game.

#15 King Philip, 4 @ #2 BC High, 19 – Final

D2 Central/East
#6 North Attleboro, 12 vs. #11 Belmont, 3 – FinalClick here for a recap of this game.

Boys Tennis
D1 South

#4 Sharon, 1 vs. #13 Wellesley, 4 – Final

#6 King Philip, 0 vs. #11 Needham, 5 – Final

#9 Franklin, 0 @ #8 BC High, 5 – Final

#14 Taunton, 0 @ #3 Brookline, 5 – Final

D2 South
#12 Foxboro, 0 @ #5 Duxbury, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
D1 South

#3 Sharon, 5 vs. #14 Braintree, 0 – Final

#6 Taunton, 2 vs. #11 North Quincy, 3 – Final

#10 North Attleboro, 0 @ #7 Brookline, 5 – Final

#12 Oliver Ames, 2 @ #5 Weymouth, 3 – FinalOne match went to three sets and another a second set tiebreaker but Weymouth won both to edge Oliver Ames. OA’s Rachel Stryke and Olivia Groebe won 6-1, Def. at second doubles for the Tigers.

D2 South
#5 Foxboro, 5 vs. #12 Falmouth, 0 – FinalFoxboro opened its 2018 playoff campaign with a sweep of visiting Falmouth. Sophia Prinos won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Pamela Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Julia Muise earned a 6-2, 6-2 decision at third singles. The team of Kayla Prag and Sarah Prag won 6-3, 6-4 at first doubles while Olivia Dantona and Kendell Milender won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.


Franklin Prevails In Extras Against North Attleboro

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Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/24/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Stoughton, 4 @ Attleboro, 5 – FinalAttleboro’s Tim Callahan drove in the winning run with a two-out hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Bombardiers a walk-off win. Senior Gavin Wildrick earned a one-out walk, senior Brian MacDonald (2-for-2, run, RBI) singled, both advanced on a passed ball, and Waldrick scored on Callahan’s hit. Jon Candiales pitched a complete game for the win, striking out three without issuing a walk. Evan Gibb had two RBI for the Black Knights while Ruben Gonzalez added an RBI triple.

Mansfield, 15 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final (6 Inn.)Mansfield’s offense continued to roll, collecting 18 hits and scoring double-digit runs for the second straight game. Thirteen different Hornets collected a hit, with Tyler Dalton (3-for-4, four RBI, two runs), Kevin Dow (two RBI, three runs), Justin Pena (RBI, run), and Kyle Moran (RBI) each having multiple hits. John Carney earned the win, scattering six hits over six innings of work with eight strikeouts and just one walk. JT Burke had two hits for Foxboro.

Franklin, 4 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 1 – FinalSenior Colby Fitzgibbons and juniors Scott Elliott and Cooper Ross each had two hits to help the Panthers pick up a win over the Warriors in the first round of the Pedroli tournament. Fitzgibbons had two doubles and scored a run while Elliott had a triple, a run scored and an RBI in the win. Evan Wendell (hit) and Alex Haba (RBI) each added a run scored. Bryan Woelfel earned the win, scattering eight hits, striking out six, walking one and allowing just one run in 5.2 innings of work. Jason Ulrickson earned the save with 1.1 perfect innings of relief.

Milford, 3 vs. Hopedale, 0 – FinalMilford senior Andrew Fauerbach allowed just three hits in a complete game effort to earn his first career win. Senior Matt Nickerson went 2-for-3 and knocked in all three of the Hawks’ runs.

Sharon, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 9 – FinalOliver Ames senior Matt Muir collected three hits and drove in three runs to help the Tigers defend home field against rival Sharon. Chris Pearsons added two hits and also had three RBI while Jacob Levine added a hit and an RBI for the Tigers. Tom Parker tossed a complete game one-hitter, striking out seven to pick up the win. Ben Schwartz went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Sharon.

Softball
Attleboro @ Stoughton, 3:45

Foxboro, 21 vs. Medway, 9 – Final

Franklin, 0 @ Milford, 12 – Final (6 inn.)Milford senior Kelley Reichert fired a no-hitter to lead the Hawks to a win over Franklin. Reichert struck out eight without issuing a walk for the Hawks. Offensively, Kate Irwin (two runs, stolen base), Sabrina Haarstick (double, two runs, RBI) and Antonia Bonina (two runs) had three hits apiece for the Hawks while Jess Tomaso (two doubles, four RBI) and Maddy Bonvino (two-run home run, three RBI, two runs) each recorded two hits.

Oliver Ames, 12 @ Sharon, 3 – FinalOliver Ames had four players record three hits on the day as the Tigers picked up their second win in the last three games. Lexie Campbell (three runs), Caroline Mahoney (three RBI), Katie Mills (three RBI), and Rachel Han (RBI, three runs) each had three hits in the win. Campbell pitched five innings with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed while freshman Emma Varella struck out one in two innings of work. Rebecca Clayman had a triple for Sharon.

Taunton, 10 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 4 – FinalWith the game tied 1-1, Taunton’s offense exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning to pick up a big win over a top team in the state. Mackenzie Handrahan went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI while Liana Duarte added three hits, including a triple, and had two RBI. Kya Enos (double, two RBI) and Alexa White (RBI) each added two hits for the Tigers. Freshman Kelsey White (complete game) earned the win in the circle, striking out five with three earned runs allowed on 11 hits.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 7 @ Norton, 0 – Final

Foxboro, 21 @ Milford, 5 – FinalFoxboro’s Louis Piccolo scored three goals and had four assists to pass the 100-point mark on the season.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 12 vs. Norton, 11 – FinalAttleboro’s Kyra Lyons scored just as time expired to give the Bombardiers the close win over Norton.

Milford, 0 @ Foxboro, 16 – Final

Franklin, 8 vs. Notre Dame Academy, 15 – FinalFranklin cut the deficit to just three late in the first half but the visitors scored three goals inside the final minute to push the lead to six, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. Erin Walsh had three goals and an assist and Katie Jones scored twice and had an assist. Head coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Annie Walsh (seven draw wins) played well in the midfield and Grace MacCallum had a strong game defensively.

King Philip, 10 vs. Medway, 7 – Final

Oliver Ames, 8 @ Milton, 18 – FinalChloe Kilkelly scored three goals while Olivia Piazza scored two goals but the Tigers fell on the road to Milton. Sofia Masciarelli, Emalyn Duvall, and Ella Hogan each found the back of the net once.

Boys Tennis
Mansfield, 5 vs. Westwood, 0 – FinalMansfield picked up a sweep at home, though three matches were forced to either a third set or a tiebreaker. Luke Nickerson earned a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles, Max Bank prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5) at second singles and Luke Devine emerged from third singles with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win. Sethu Odayappan and Jalaj Singh won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and Danny Radev and Ben Salden notched a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win at second doubles.

Milford vs. Medway, 3:30

Sharon, 3 @ Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – Sharon showed off its depth with a 3-2 win on the road over Feehan. Andre Olivei earned a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles and junior Danujan Thirumavalavan had a strong performance with a 6-2, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan moved up to first doubles and recorded a 6-0, 7-5 win for the Eagles.

Girls Tennis
Foxboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – FinalFoxboro’s three singles players combined to drop just one game as the Warriors went on the road and swept Taunton. Sophia Prinos won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Pamela Nelson earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Julia Muise picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Kayla Prag and Sarah Prag earned a 6-1, 7-5 win at first doubles and Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender prevailed 6-4, 7-5 at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – FinalIn a rematch from earlier this week, Oliver Ames prevailed with another win by the same score. The Tigers picked up wins at third singles (Maura Kiernan, 6-0, 6-1), first doubles (Kristin Bloumbas and Emily Yu, 6-4, 6-0), and second doubles (Olivia Groebe and Rachel Stryke, 6-2, 6-2). Mansfield’s Sarah Doyle won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles and Elizabeth Elsner earned a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at second singles.

Bishop Feehan, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – FinalSharon defended its home court with a sweep over visiting Bishop Feehan. Lulu Yuan completed her second straight undefeated regular season with a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles. Seniors Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein notched a 6-2, 6-0 win at second doubles.

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 @ Milford, 0 – FinalIn a clash between conference champions, undefeated Taunton prevailed with a 3-0 sweep of Milford (25-15, 27-25, 25-23). Lens Esquil (12 kills) and Lance Law (11 kills) paced the offense while Malik Charles added nine kills and Collin Hunter chipped in with seven kills. Ricardo DaFonseca finished with 37 assists.