Below are the seeds and matchups for Hockomock teams in the MIAA playoffs. Seeds, times, and dates are subject to change and we will update this post with any changes.
Boys
Division 1
#7 Attleboro (20-2) will host the winner of #26 Methuen (9-11)/#39 Everett (12-10) on Thursday, 2/26 at 6:30.
#36 Franklin (11-10) will travel to #29 Lowell (11-9) at a date and time to be determined.
#37 Taunton (10-10) will travel to #28 Brookline (12-8) at a date and time to be determined.
Division 2
#5 Mansfield (17-5) will host the winner of #28 Walpole (10-10)/#37 Fitchburg (11-9) on Thursday, 2/26 at 7:00.
#7 Oliver Ames (18-4) will host #26 Canton (10-10) on Friday, 2/27 at 7:00.
#16 Foxboro (12-8) will host #17 Shepherd Hill (16-4) on Thursday, 2/26 at 7:00.
#26 Canton (10-10) will travel to #7 Oliver Ames (18-4) on Friday, 2/27 at 7:00.
Girls
Division 1
#12 King Philip (14-6) will host #12 Malden Catholic (13-7) on Thursday, 2/26 at 6:00.
#15 Franklin (13-8) will host #18 Arlington (16-4) on Thursday, 2/26 at 6:00.
#26 Attleboro (9-13) will travel to #7 Braintree (15-5) at a date and time to be determined.
#29 Taunton (8-12) will travel #4 Andover (19-1) at a date and time to be determined.
Division 2
#4 Foxboro (19-1) will host the winner of #29 Westwood (8-12)/#36 Shepherd Hill (12-8) on Thursday, 2/26 at 5:00.
#7 Oliver Ames (15-5) will host the winner of #26 Bedford (14-7)/#39 West Springfield (12-8) on Friday, 2/27 at 5:00.
#10 North Attleboro (13-7) will host the winner of #23 Milton (12-9)/#42 Doherty (12-8) on Friday, 2/27 at 6:30.
#12 Mansfield (13-8) will host #21 Danvers (19-1) on Thursday, 2/26 at 5:00.
#25 Milford (9-11) will #40 Somerville (15-5) at a date and time to be determined.
#32 Canton (6-14) will host #33 Somerset Berkley (10-10) at a date and time to be determined.
Below are the seeds and matchups for Hockomock teams in the MIAA playoffs. Seeds, times, and dates are subject to change and we will update this post with any changes.
Boys
Division 1
#30 Franklin (7-13-1) will travel to #3 St. John’s Prep (15-3-2) at a date, time, and location to be determined.
Division 2
#1 Canton (19-1-0) will host #32 Somerset Berkley (9-10-1) on Wednesday, 2/25 at 5:00 at the Metropolis Rink.
#10 King Philip (13-5-2) will host #23 Algonquin (8-9-3) on Wednesday, 2/25 at 5:30 at the Foxboro Sports Center.
#15 North Attleboro (13-6-1) will host #18 Newburyport (12-7-3) on Wednesday, 2/25 at 8:00 at New England Sports Village.
#27 Mansfield (6-11-1) will travel to #6 Westwood (17-2-1) on Tuesday, 2/24 at 7:45 at the Canton Ice House.
Division 3
#18 Taunton (12-7-2) will travel to #15 Middleboro (14-5-1) at a date, time, and location to be determined.
Girls
Division 2
#5 King Philip (19-2-1) will host #28 Whitman-Hanson (2-17-0) on Wednesday, 2/25 at 7:30 at the Foxboro Sports Center.
#12 Canton (11-7-2) will host #21 North Quincy (7-12-1) on Tuesday, 2/24 at 5:00 at the Metropolis Rink.
Once the calendar flips to February, the postseason for winter sports starts heating up. The Hockomock League hosts championship meets for swimming, wrestling, indoor track, and gymnastics, and those sports are the first to continue on to sectional, divisional, and state championship tournaments.
With so much happening, we’ve created a Postseason Central that will help track all of our coverage and all of the student athletes’ achievements. Below, you can find links to championship meet coverage, meet records, MIAA tournament results, photos, and more.
The HockomockSports Winter 2026 Postseason Central tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. The HockomockSports Winter 2026 Postseason Central tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. The HockomockSports Winter 2026 Postseason Central tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. The HockomockSports Winter 2026 Postseason Central tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more. tracks championship coverage, meet records, MIAA results, photos, and more.
Former Canton star Johnny Hagan is having his best season yet with Southern Maine and has the Huskies in third place in the LEC. (University of Southern Maine Athletics) By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor
Two minutes into overtime of Southern Maine’s game against Keene State at the USM Ice Arena, Johnny Hagan took a pass at center ice and started a two-on-one break. He picked out Owen Drummey, who carried it into the zone and then made a nice feed back to Hagan to bury the game-winner.
It was the first overtime goal in the former Canton star’s college career and extended his career-high point streak to six games. Just as important, it was Southern Maine’s fourth win in the last five games and kept the Huskies in third place in the LEC (just behind perennial powers Babson and Norwich).
“That was fun,” Hagan said in a phone call a few days after the win. “It was a great setup by Owen.” He added with a laugh, “I actually had a chance to end the game with 20 seconds left in regulation and just completely fanned on a puck, so it was good to get that one in OT.”
Hagan is in the midst of his best season with the Huskies. While his point streak ended the next game (a 3-0 win over Western Connecticut State), he added an assist in last weekend’s loss to nationally ranked Babson and now has five goals and nine helpers this season. He sits fourth on the team in points and tied for fourth in goals.
“I try not to harp on it too much,” Hagan explained. “It’s a long season, every game in this league matters, every weekend is the most important weekend of the year.”
After missing all but two games of his freshman season with a shoulder injury that he sustained during his year in juniors, Hagan played 14 times as a sophomore and 24 times last year, spending time both at forward and on the blue line. This year, he’s played in all 19 of Southern Maine’s games and seems more comfortable with his role and his game.
“This summer, it was kind of realizing that it’s all coming to an end and just wanted to leave it all out there and not really have any regrets,” Hagan said when asked about any changes he made coming into his senior year. “Mainly just simplifying, trying to get back to playing with confidence and just wanting to help the team in any way that I can.”
Confidence is a word that came up several times when Hagan discussed the growth of his game. As he readily admitted, during his impressive run at Canton High (both in hockey and football), Hagan never seemed to lack self-belief. College hockey is different, faster, and for the first time he’s had to work to rebuild his confidence.
“It’s something I never really thought about or had to deal with earlier in my career,” he said. “Coming into the later stages of school and everything like that, time and space and everything just shrinks. How to process things out there and have an idea of what you’re going to do before you get the puck.”
“I didn’t really understand earlier on how important [confidence] is but it really makes all the difference.”
The path to college hockey is rarely straightforward. For Hagan, as with most kids in town, it started with Canton Youth Hockey. In high school, Hagan became a star both on the gridiron and the rink. He helped the football team win back-to-back Davenport division titles, their first league championships since 1990, and make a run to the Div. 5 South title game.
Hagan had opportunities to jump to prep school hockey programs but football was one of the reasons he stuck around.
“I knew we were going to have some good teams those two years and I really just wanted to play football with my friends,” he explained. “I definitely wanted to stay and see that through.”
The hockey team benefited from that, as the program put together an incredible, undefeated season in 2019 (“Team of the Decade,” Hagan quickly pointed out) and then went back to the state title game again the following season only to have the pandemic cancel the final and the Bulldogs be named co-champs with Lincoln-Sudbury.
“Every single day, it was so much fun coming to the rink,” Hagan said about the undefeated season. “I remember we had a really good summer, worked really hard in the weight room, skated a lot, and we did everything together, off the ice things like that. It was so much fun.”
Hagan earned this site’s Player of the Year as a senior after he scored 18 goals (including four in the D2 South final) and dished out 31 assists. He had 66 goals and 99 assists over his career, lost only one league game in four seasons, and finished with a 46-1-4 overall record in his final two years at Canton.
Asked if he still carried some of what he learned at Canton with him six years later, he replied, “Coach Shuman taught me a lot. He’s ahead of his time. Even after Canton, different coaches would implement things in practice and games and it would take some guys a few days to learn it and get it down, when Coach Shuman was doing those kind of things with us at Canton a couple years before.”
Following high school, Hagan headed to Tilton School for a post-grad season with one of the only prep school leagues in the country that was able to play during the pandemic. Those dozen or so games at Tilton led to an opportunity to spend the next year with Boston Advantage and from there he got his chance at Southern Maine.
It was a long road to college hockey and one that took a turn after injury kept him out as a freshman, but Hagan is more comfortable, more experienced, and seeing his hard work pay off with results on the ice.
“You just have to put your head down and work and figure out a way to get through,” Hagan said. “It really felt like a brand new year, clean slate, what we put into it is what we’re going to get out of it. Coming in this year, being comfortable and obviously learning and gelling with the new guys has been awesome.”
The Huskies come into the weekend’s games with league power Norwich and Vermont State – Castleton at 10-8-1. It already matches the most wins the program has had in Hagan’s four years and the Huskies look capable of competing with even the league’s best.
“I’m fired up,” Hagan said. “I think we can beat anyone. We just need to focus on ourselves and what we’re doing and we should be alright.”
“A league championship is the goal right now. We’ve got about a month and change left and then we can have some fun.”
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Former Attleboro standout Meg Gordon recently reached the 1,000-point mark for her college career in a win against Franklin Pierce. (SNHU Athletics) By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter of Southern New Hampshire’s visit to Franklin Pierce, the Penmen were leading by nine against the bottom team in the NE-10, but the Ravens were making a push.
The ball swung out to the left wing and senior forward Meghan Gordon drilled a three with a hand in her face. After a stop at the other end, Gordon again got the ball on the left side and this time driving past the defender and finishing with her right hand at the rim for her 21st point of the night and the 1,000th of her college career.
Franklin Pierce called timeout a few seconds later and Gordon’s teammates raced to mid-court to celebrate the milestone with her. Gordon didn’t reach the 1,000-point mark in high school (she’s not exactly sure how many points she finished with) but she set her sights on reaching that mark at the collegiate level.
“It’s awesome,” the former Attleboro star said. “It’s a huge accomplishment and it’s something that has always been my goal since the first day that I walked onto the court at SNHU. I’m really proud of myself, it wasn’t easy, and it took hard work and determination to get to that goal.”
Asked how it felt in the moment, Gordon replied, “I was just kind of on a mission. I really wanted it that night to help my team. We struggled a little in the first half but they needed me and I came through.”
She finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. It was SNHU’s third straight win (the Penmen extended that streak to five in a row as of Thursday). The team is now 11-6 and jumped to fourth in the NE-10 standings, just half a game back of American International (who they face next).
The importance of picking up a win made the personal accomplishment more meaningful.
“Not only did I score 1,000 points but I helped my team win as well,” Gordon explained. “That’s kind of always the player I’ve been — team-first, I want the team to win, that’s my No. 1 priority.”
This has been the best season of Gordon’s career. She is averaging nearly 15 points per game (up three points per game from the past two seasons), while grabbing more than seven rebounds and dishing out nearly two assists per game and has twice been named NE-10 Player of the Week (including this past week). She is particularly proud of her field goal percentage, which has jumped to 50 percent this season.
As a freshman, she played in 30 games but didn’t break into the starting lineup and averaged 14 minutes and four points per game. She started working that summer with former Mansfield and Bridgewater State standout Rocky DeAndrade and X Factor Hoops Training. She’s started 69 of the 73 games SNHU has played over the past three years.
“I knew there were so many things I could improve and get better at,” Gordon said. “I was in the basketball gym, I was lifting, working on getting bigger, faster, stronger, and my skills improved so much. That jump was insane for me and I’m forever grateful for the trainers at the gym who believed in me and what I could do.”
She added, “I don’t think I’d have 1,000 points without Rocky.”
Gordon also saw huge improvement in her high school career, progressing from an athletic rebounder and defender into one of the Hockomock League’s most versatile all-around players. As a senior, she averaged 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game and was named to the HockomockSports.com First Team (along with Taunton guard and current SNHU teammate Kameron St. Pierre).
“I’m not just okay with being okay and just being average,” she said. “I always strive to be better and that’s why I work so hard every day. Even now, there’s so much more I can improve on and get better at and I think that mindset truly has allowed me to succeed and see that jump every year since I was a freshman in high school.”
A two-year captain at SNHU, Gordon is sharing that mindset with a relatively young Penmen roster that has only one grad student, one senior, and two juniors.
“Being that person to bring the team up, stay positive, during those hard times is something I’ve gotten a lot better at,” Gordon said. “I’m excited to share my energy, share my advice with the team during those hard situations so we can get through them.”
She credits the team’s chemistry for helping the Penmen rebound from a tough start to the season (they were 2-4 out of the gates) and turn things around after the holiday break. Now, SNHU heads into the second half of its league campaign with confidence that it can compete with the top teams in the NE-10.
“Oh 100%, our league is tough, there are so many great teams, but that also goes with the fact that anyone can beat anyone on a given day,” Gordon said. “Game by game, we just continue to build confidence. We’ve got some big teams coming up so it would be great to see a big win.”
The ultimate goal is of course to end her college career with another trip to the NCAA Tournament, something Gordon experienced each of her first two seasons in Manchester.
“We tell the younger girls, the NCAA Tournament means so much,” she said. “It’s so much bigger and what you’re competing for is huge. We’ve put so much time and love and energy into creating a great team where we can all succeed together. To bring a trophy home at the end of the season with this team that we’ve built would be amazing.”
Heading into the final month-plus of her college career, Gordon is allowing herself time to enjoy the experience and reflect on what’s gotten her here.
“I’ve just been feeling extremely grateful recently for all the support I’ve had the past few years and all the people who’ve believed in me and supported me,” Gordon said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Of course, there are still games to win and a lot more to achieve on the court too.
“These last two months, I’m going to enjoy them but we’re also here to get a job done.”
It was a busy week in the Hockomock League, especially with three championship meets over the weekend. We’re going to try something new with this post, recapping all of our coverage and all of the accomplishments in the past week.
We take pride in the amount of events we go to — it’s a bit old school, but we feel its important to show up and cover as many games and meets in person that we can. Our goal is to revamp our homepage this coming summer so more of our content lives there longer. With our current setup, stories and photo galleries quickly cycle off the homepage so this weekly roundup gives us a chance to make sure our readers see all of our content.
For championship meet photos, use code HOCKS for 30% off your entire order.
Player of the Week
With such a busy weekend, our Player of the Week Poll was delayed until today. Voting will last through Tuesday and we’ll announce the POTW one day late this week on Wednesday. A reminder – anyone can submit nominations for the POTW Poll!
Hock 5 Rankings
Each week, we update our Hock 5 rankings for boys and girls basketball, boys hockey, and wrestling. Monday’s update was our Boys Basketball Hock 5. Girls basketball is updated on Tuesday, boys hockey is on Wednesday, and wrestling is typically the end of the week but with the postseason around the corner, wrestling will see fewer updates.
League Leaders
We also update our four league leaders pages on Monday’s — here is this week’s most updated stats. We ask all coaches for basketball and hockey to submit their stats to us weekly and we update our leaders with those who do. We appreciate coaches who continue to send in stats on a weekly basis, and we really appreciate all of the coaches who send in scores/highlights after each game. That’s how we’re able to highlight accomplishments in our scoreboards.
Swimming Championships
The Hockomock League held its annual Bob Sondheim swimming championship meets on Friday and Saturday at Milford. After an undefeated Davenport season, Canton’s depth was on full display as the Bulldogs took the boys title without winning a single race. On the girls side, Franklin continued its dominant run with its sixth straight win.
For championship meet photos, use code HOCKS for 30% off your entire order.
All 11 Hock wrestling squads converged on Foxboro High on Saturday for the annual league wrestling championships. Milford secured its third straight team title and had three individual champions. For the second straight year, the Hock had a girls showcase as more female wrestlers had the opportunity to compete at the league meet.
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We still have indoor track and gymnastics championships coming up this week. We’ll have full coverage of both with photo galleries as well. Our contributor Tom O’Brien has done a great job highlighting the track and field athletes all season, including standouts from each of the dual meets plus the MTSCA meets and more. You can check all of our indoor track coverage so far this season here.
Attleboro senior Ladainian Rodrigues became the second player this season to score his 1,000th career point, joining teammate Connor Houle. Rodrigues hit the milestone on Sunday in a game against Catholic Memorial.
The girls hockey title race is heating up with just a couple of games left, and it got a little tighter on Saturday night when Canton and King Philip skated to a scoreless tie — just the second-ever 0-0 girls hockey Hock game.
The girls hockey title race is heating up with just a couple of games left, and it got a little tighter on Saturday night when Canton and King Philip skated to a scoreless tie — just the second-ever 0-0 girls hockey Hock game.
Franklin girls basketball has pushed their win streak up to 10 after beating Milford on Sunday. Before that win, the Panthers pulled out a thrilling win over fellow division title contender King Philip with a huge shot from junior Ava Bonney in the final seconds. Check out the recap, photos, and video of the game-winning shot.
King Philip had to play a stretch of tough opponents without senior forward Finn Cunningham due to injury. In first game back, the Southern New Hampshire lacrosse commit scored a hat trick to lead the Warriors to a win over rival Franklin.
Before heading to Hocks on Saturday, North Attleboro pinned down a win over Foxboro in the final league dual meet of the season to clinch the Davenport division title for the second straight year.
Weather forced some schedule changes earlier in the week but the early start time on Wednesday didn’t stop OA senior Avery Gamble from continuing her torrid scoring streak in a win over Taunton.
Mansfield and Franklin, one of the best hoops rivalry of the last 15 years in the Hock, renewed acquaintances on Tuesday. The Hornets pulled out a tight win in a defensive battle between the Hornets and the Panthers.
Photo Galleries
We had 15 photo galleries from the last seven days, and we’re over 85 for the winter already. Check out all of our Winter photo galleries here, and use code HOCKS for 30% off your entire order.
King Philip senior Liam King tackles North Attleboro sophomore Nathaniel Robin in the backfield in the first half of the Division 3 state championship at Gillette Stadium. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
FOXBORO, Mass. – Late in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s Div. 3 Super Bowl, North Attleboro quarterback Dylan Brousseau swung a pass out to running back Nathaniel Robin. King Philip senior Luca Angelucci was able to get a hand on the back to slow him down and classmate Liam King came through with a thumping hit, stuffing the play for a one-yard loss right in front of the Warriors bench.
Sometimes being in the trenches can make it hard to stand out, but this was a moment to shine for one of King Philip’s unsung heroes. Not for the first time during KP’s come-from-behind, 21-10 victory, King let out a roar as fired up coaches and teammates rushed to celebrate with him.
“He brings the emotion, you can definitely say that,” explained senior quarterback Zach Gebhard. “He’s loud and everyone else gets loud right behind him.”
King is one of the emotional leaders on both sides of the ball and an example to his teammates, even on a roster with 26 seniors who are just as committed to continuing KP’s amazing run of success.
“He is so awesome,” KP coach Brian Lee said of King. “He’s so athletic, so strong in the weight room, he’s a killer, and he’s got this personality that just makes you love him.”
Lee added, “He is, I thought, probably one of the best defensive players in the Hock this year and he’s not sure if he’s going to play next year so this was very emotional. You want it so bad for those guys. Kinger is such a dude, he works so hard, and I can’t say enough great things about him.”
It is well-known that KP relies on the running game, which makes the offensive line critical to the team’s success. On Friday night, King, the left guard, and the rest of the KP front controlled the line of scrimmage. The Warriors rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns and the offense had 21 first downs.
“We all lift together and Coach Lee runs the o-line and gets the boys to know what we’re doing,” King, a two-year starter, said about the cohesiveness that has developed along the experienced front five (which includes seniors Aidan Lyons, Nate Crisci, Lex Chatham, Angelucci, and King). “Nate Crisci, our center, phenomenal player, and the communication up front is huge. Of course, our backs are absolute dudes.”
Putting in the work year-round has been a mantra for the program since Lee took over and King has embraced that mindset. He is a firm believer that the success on the field starts with the effort the team puts in off it. It also creates a lasting bond among teammates.
“It’s the grit,” King said about what makes KP so close. “It’s really a brotherhood – the coaching staff, the players. It’s really just another family. It’s crazy. The second we come to Gut Camp, we’re all together and we’re ready to work and motivated to get a ring.”
This is the fourth Super Bowl appearance in a row for King and the other seniors and they won a title as sophomores against Marshfield, but this year’s game was different (and not just because they were playing a league rival).
“I said yesterday to the team, that ring really didn’t mean as much to us as sophomores because that team was senior-dominated like it is now,” King explained. “Losing last year just absolutely killed me and getting the ring this year it’s just a great feeling to win one last time with my boys.”
Defense is a constant focus at KP and King has excelled this season. Senior running back and linebacker Tallan King (no relation) said that the team charts a variety of defensive stats and that Liam is always at the top.
“He has a huge impact on this team,” Tallan said. “This year, he took it to a whole new level. He’s been No. 1 on the D-chart for every stat leading up to this moment. He’s such a great teammate and he’s such a great captain and leader, it’s great to have him on this team.”
When it was mentioned that Tallan had been talking about the D-chart after the Super Bowl win, Liam quickly replied, “I think me and him are competing for the top of the D-chart after this game, so we’ll have to see who won it. I hope it was me but he made some big plays tonight too so we’ll see.”
There are a lot of intricacies to offensive line work, but his approach to defense is pretty straightforward. “Always have that mentality that I’m going to smash the person in front of me,” he said. “Just always work to get to the ball carrier and tackle him.”
It’s a simple approach but an effective one. He has been one of the team’s leading tacklers all season and he closed out the third quarter of the Super Bowl with a sack and started the fourth with another big hit on a short run.
Standing on the field at Gillette Stadium, having closed out his high school career with a perfect season and a state title, King was clear about what it takes for a program to go on the run that the Warriors have been on for a decade.
“Countless hours in the weight room, summer practices, always working, always have that mindset that we want to get back here,” he said.
“It’s what we do at King Philip – we get to Gillette and we win. That’s what we do.”
FOXBORO, Mass. – Over the past decade, it has become commonplace for King Philip to be on the field at Gillette Stadium. Friday night’s Div. 3 Super Bowl was the eight time in the last nine opportunities (there were no playoffs in 2020 due to COVID) that the Warriors had reached the state title game.
This year was a little different, as the Warriors were playing in D3 for the first time and on the opposite sideline was a familiar foe – league rival and defending champion North Attleboro (10-3).
No surprise given the teams’ similar styles and rosters that the game was a grind. North twice took the lead in the first half, but KP battled back, getting touchdowns from three members of a large senior class that was playing in its fourth straight Super Bowl and pulling out a 21-10 victory.
With the win, KP improves to 4-4 in its eight Super Bowl appearances.
“Every morning, four days a week, these boys have been grinding in the weight room,” said senior running back Tallan King. “Blood, sweat, tears, everything, this team has poured everything into this. I’m just so happy to win it with the kids I grew up with. I’m on top of the world right now.”
Senior lineman Liam King (no relation to Tallan) added, “Countless hours in the weight room, summer practices, always working, always have that mindset that we want to get back here. It’s what we do at King Philip – we get to Gillette and we win. That’s what we do.”
After North was forced to punt to start the game, KP took over at its own 23 and started driving behind its two star running backs King (23 carries for 149 yards) and Keigan Canto-Osorio (22 carries for 103 yards). After Zach Gebhard (6-of-10 for 65 yards) hit Liam McGrath to convert on third and five, the Warriors were on the verge of taking the lead.
Ryan Thompson came up with a big play for the Rocketeers, stripping the ball loose and Sean Cornell jumped on it. Two plays later, facing third and five, Dylan Brousseau (5-of-13 for 147 yards) fired a strike deep downfield to Nathaniel Robin for 56 yards to the KP 13.
The game changed two snaps later. North’s leading rusher Frankie Strachan stayed down after a short run and was forced to the sideline with what turned out to be a broken foot. Brousseau would convert on fourth down to keep the drive going and Robin would dive in from the two to put Big Red in front 7-0.
It was a great start for the defending champs, but losing Strachan, who had done so much to get the Rocketeers back to Gillette, made things significantly tougher on both sides of the ball.
“He’s been the heart and soul of our team all season,” Mike Strachan said about losing his star. “He makes everything calm down, he’s just been a great leader for us all season. But, I’m proud of our kids for bouncing back. We didn’t quit and they’re a great football team and they were better tonight.”
KP head coach Brian Lee commented, “It just sucks. It’s just the worst part about football. A kid like that is obviously the heartbeat, everybody looks to him, he’s a winner, he’s so much more than just a player – he’s the team. To see him go out is just heartbreaking.”
KP answered right back with an 11-play, 67-yard drive. King took a stretch play 17 yards to get the ball to midfield. Gebhard hit a wide open Kyle Danson in the flat for another 17 into North territory. Canto-Osorio found a seam for 12 yards to the 11 and, three plays later, on fourth down Gebhard was able to sneak in from the two. Nate Crowley tacked on the tying extra point.
Without its workhorse back, North leaned on big plays in the passing game. Brousseau was able to get rid of a pass seconds before being crushed by Tallan King and hit Ryan Gustafson in stride for the second 56-yard completion in as many drives. He just missed a touchdown pass to Thompson on first down and the KP defense would hold, forcing North to settle for a 27-yard kick from Nick Torres to move back into the lead.
It wouldn’t last to halftime. KP responded with another impressive drive (10 plays, 68 yards). Gebhard again found Danson in the flat for nine, then King then bounced a run to the outside for 13 to the North 34. McGrath made a great catch against two North defensive backs for 15.
Gebhard scrambled to his right, getting around the corner and taking off down the sideline. He was met at the pylon by Joseph Ruggiero and forced out at the one. Both players stayed down, so Brody Zolak came in for the next snap. Ryan Greenwood got the inside handoff and powered into the end zone to make it 14-10.
North had only 43 seconds left in the half but gave itself a shot to add more points. Brousseau (11 carries for 34 yards) gained 21 on two plays and Milo House made a terrific grab while falling on the far sideline for 19 to the KP 38. Danson would ensure KP held its lead with a sack to end the half.
The Warriors got the ball to start the third quarter and nearly scored again. After Gebhard hit Greenwood in the flat to convert third and six on the 10th play of the drive, KP had first down at the North 14. Canto-Osorio went around the left side and found the end zone, but holding and a personal foul meant that instead of six points KP now faced first and 30.
Gebhard nearly turned it into a touchdown anyway but Kenny Jean laid out to tip a pass away from Connor McDonald and prevent the score.
It could have been a momentum-turning stand for the Rocketeers but on the second play of the next series Patrick Terio stepped up and picked off a pass to give KP the ball right back.
This time, the Warriors would finish off the drive. King went for 13, Canto-Osorio gained eight, and then King muscled his way for 10 more. on first and goal, Canto-Osorio found a hole and burst through it for an eight-yard TD.
“It started freshman year,” King said about the one-two punch of him and Canto-Osorio. “We were the two star running backs, both splitting the carries, and we’ve created such a good chemistry and bond. That’s my brother right there.”
Lee noted, “Holding them to that field goal was huge for us and then we could get [into halftime] with some breathing room. Once we were up 11, I felt alright. If we can get the ball back and grind a little bit, we’re going to be okay.”
Brousseau made another great throw, dropping a pass into Gustafson for 18, and then called his own number for 11, trying to keep North in the game. Tallan King came up with another big defensive play, sacking Brousseau for a loss of eight. McGrath intercepted a pass on third down to end the drive.
North got it back one more time with a chance to cut into the lead but Luca Angelucci and Liam King stuffed a swing pass to Robin for a loss and Brousseau had a pass broken up by Zion Dumay.
“They’re physical, but I think our kids did great,” Strachan said. “We started six sophomores tonight, so our future is looking really good. We were very proud of what they did and how we got back here. It’s really hard to get back here and it’s hard to win here.”
King Philip was able to run out the clock, completing a perfect season (13-0), and sealing its second Super Bowl title in the past three years.
“I wanted it so bad for them,” Lee said about getting back on top for his 26 seniors. “The kids work so hard, I love them. I asked them tonight, what can you give extra? Because it’s going to take extra, it can’t be what you gave the first time, it’s going to be a harder game.
“I am so blessed and lucky that I found KP, and these kids, and I’m just so fortunate.”
King Philip Football King Philip Football King Philip Football King Philip Football King Philip Football
Oliver Ames senior Landon Sarney, pictured here earlier this season in a dual meet at Borderland, won the D1 All State title by less than a second. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
By Ryan Lanigan || HockomockSports.com
In a dramatic final charge, Landon Sarney powered past John Bianchi and claimed the MIAA Meet of Champions Division 1 individual title right at the finish line.
Sarney entered the final stretch behind Bianchi, but as the finish line inched closer, so did Sarney. He made his move, passing Bianchi and leaning across the finish line to win by 0.26 seconds as seen in dramatic video captured by MetroWest Daily News reporter Tim Dumas.
“I knew he had a pretty sizable gap on me, but I knew from last spring track that I could kind of close a race pretty hard,” Sarney said in an interview with BayStateRun after the race. “I knew I had some leeway and I knew I could kind of close it up a little more and I was able to get it right at the line.”
“[Winning] was definitely a goal coming into it. I never really thought anything else, you know. It’s nothing to lose at this point in the season.”
It capped a dominant season for Sarney, who went undefeated in all five Hock dual meets, set three course records, took first place at the Hockomock League championship, and was second overall in the D1C race where the Tigers took first as a team.
“For an athlete like Landon Sarney, every day, he’s trying to find a way to get just a little stronger, a little faster,” OA head coach Kyle Sousa told HockomockSports.com. “He’s trading miles for inches — hours of training for a few precious seconds on the race course. There is something special about a moment where all those sacrifices add up to achieving something amazing. I watched him pay the price of that win a thousand times over, and it was a historic moment for the team to watch Landon put it all together into such an incredible race.”
Sarney (15:33.28) is the third Tiger all-time to win an all-state title, joining Andy Powell in 1998 and Mike Moverman in 2008, who both took first in the Division 2 All State race.
Oliver Ames finished seventh overall as a team with a score of 250. Brookline had all five of its runners finish inside the top 30 and won the team title with 67 points. Devon McStowe (16:22.64) took 30th while Lawrence Dear (16:54.17) was 72nd. Colin Donahue (17:03.45) and Jake Hauvuy (17:17.58) also scored for the Tigers.
North Attleboro junior Anthony Malakidis capped a strong season with a sixth place finish in the Division 1 race, crossing in 15:58.29. Sharon’s Alex Pinnix (17:02.61), Franklin’s Kyle Twomey (17:03.38), and Attleboro’s Owen Lacaillade (17:04.82) all cracked the top 100 in the Division 1 race at Fort Devens.
In the Division 2 race, Foxboro’s Timmy Chase (17:10.55) took 42nd overall and Canton’s Tristan Grant finished in 18:09.61.
On the girls’ side, Canton junior Lauren Raffetto secured fifth overall to lead the Bulldogs to a second place finish as a team. Raffettoclocked in at 18:28.08, sophomore Adileh Azar crossed in 19:49.51, Lexi Piazza was 35th overall in 20:31.48, Isabella Holland crossed in 20:47.21, and Madeleine Driscoll was the fifth Bulldog across the line in 21:39.46.
Boston Latin Academy took first with 115 points while Canton finished with 149 points.
Foxboro sophomore Emma Dorich capped an impressive season for the Warriors with a 26th place finish, clocking in at 20:06.01.
Junior Kathleen Beaulieu was once again the leader of the pack for Hock runners in the Division 1 race, clocking in at 19:48.58 for 44th overall. The Tigers finished 18th as a team with 454 points with Devin Thomas (20:31.29), Ashley Powers (20:52.08), Erin Reilly (21:42.76), and Norah Dupill (21:49.00) also factoring into the scoring.
Franklin’s Victoria Courtright-Lim capped her senior season with a time of 20:18.69 while King Philip junior Ashley Cleverdon crossed the finish line at 20:57.44.
Franklin senior Makayla Kuykendall celebrates after winning a point in the Division 1 state championship game against Newton North. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
The senior gave every last ounce of energy and effort on Saturday night in the Division 1 championship game against powerhouse Newton North. But she had just enough left for one more swing.
That swing hammered to the floor in the back corner, the clinching point to finish off Franklin’s comeback and secure a 15-12 win in the fifth set to clinch a 3-2 (25-15, 25-27, 19-25, 25-23, 15-12) victory over the Tigers. It was the final point of the season, and fittingly, it came off the hand that has steadied the Panthers over the past four years.
“I’m feeling great, but I’m dead [tired],” an exhausted Kuykendall relayed after the marathon match inside a quite warm Billerica gymnasium. “That took so much out of us. You could tell how badly we wanted it at the end. Personally, I did not want to lose that game at all. It was the last game of the season no matter what, so you may as well go out giving everything you have. And everyone did.”
Kuykendall has been a starter since she first put on a Franklin uniform, growing from a promising underclassman into the program’s heartbeat. When the Panthers trailed 2-1 in the match, it was the senior who kept demanding the ball, kept taking the tough swings, and kept pulling her teammates back into the fight with words of wisdom and encouragement after each and every point.
“She wanted that one [before] really badly,” said first year Franklin head coach Chris Ridolfi. “Then she went and she made a really good shot up to win it for us. So, you know, I’m proud of her. She’s the kind of kid that just makes everybody better. And she’s willing to do whatever she has to do to make us better. So it’s great that she got the chance to have that last one.”
From the start of her career, Kuykendall has been a massive bright spot in the lineup. Not only has she been one of the best players the program has seen, her energy has been infectious. Whether it was a Tuesday evening in September, or the state championship game, Kuykendall has brought the energy for four years.
“Anytime there’s a good point or a bad point, she brings us together,” said sophomore Emerson Delleo, who started last year as a freshman like Kuykendall did in 2022. “When it’s tense, when we’re nervous, she helps us get through it and figure out how to get those points back.”
“She has so much energy. I look up to her so much and I love playing with her. She’s amazing.”
Statistically speaking, there haven’t been many in the program, or in the Hockomock League, that have contributed across the board. She finished her career with over 950 kills on over 2500 attempts, over 200 aces, over 1,000 digs, and nearly 300 sets played.
“I’m so fortunate to have this as my town volleyball team,” Kuykendall said. “You don’t have to go to a club to find a good team — we have so much talent in Franklin. Every year we bring in strong players. Even the eighth graders coming up, you can tell we’re going to have another good team. The Franklin volleyball program is just great, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”
Kuykendall smacked down a kill on the third point of the fifth set, and then had back-to-back kills, including a nice roll shot that dropped in, as Franklin’s lead jumped to 6-2. Delleo added a kill to put the Panthers ahead 8-4 at the switch.
As Newton North continued to push back, a kill off the block brought the Panthers within two at 13-11, but Kuykendall got a set and made no mistake with her swing, hitting the back corner to make it 14-11. The Tigers got one point back, but the final serve was received by junior Gianna Laurello, freshman Phoebe O’Connor put it up in the air to the outside, and Kuykendall flew through the air, drilling one to the floor one final time as a Panther.
“I didn’t want to lose,” Kuykendall said. “Every chance I saw to get a kill, I took it. Just swing until it doesn’t work anymore, and for me it worked. And Phoebe knows exactly where to put the ball. She makes it easy to just go up and kill it.
“I just wanted to end it. I was confident in myself that I could get that last one for us. You could hear me screaming, ‘Give me the ball!’ I wanted it so bad. Literally this has been on my mind all season. Since August, we’ve been saying state championship.”
Kuykendall also had five key kills in the fourth set, the one that kept the match going for the Panthers. She slammed a pair early, had two in a row midway through — one off the block, and another on a roll shot, and then when Franklin’s once-eight-point lead was cut in half, the senior rose up once again and delivered to keep Franklin a safe distance ahead.
“I feel like it’s just like the perfect way that it could have ended,” said Franklin senior and fellow captain Olivia Alberti. “Because like she came in here like as a freshman, starting outside. She did so good then and she’s just continued to be so good every year. So for her to close it out was just like the perfect way to end everything.
“She really kept us in it, making sure that we were pushing hard throughout the whole game. She wanted to make sure that we were there mentally because we knew that we could be there physically but you just have to have the right mindset.”
Kuykendall is taking her energy, skill, and championship pedigree to Bentley University next year.
