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Teams of the Decade #17: 2014 Franklin Wrestling
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Teams of the Decade #18: 2011 Mansfield Indoor Track
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Teams of the Decade #19: 2017 Sharon Girls Tennis
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Teams of the Decade #20: 2019 Milford Boys Soccer
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Teams of the Decade: Top Playoff Runs
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.
Teams of the Decade Project Announcement
There has been a lot of talent in the Hockomock League over the past decade, and we’ve seen first hand the ups and downs that happen throughout each season. Some of my favorite memories from covering high school sports are the moments following state championship games, seeing all of the hard work from the athletes pay off. I’ve always said it takes a perfect storm for teams to win a state title, it’s an incredible achievement.
We are excited to announce a new feature that we will be working on with the goal of publishing by the end of the school year: The HockomockSports Teams of the Decade Project. This website has covered the league for nearly the entire decade, but both Josh and I were freelancing with other publications in the area prior to that. We have covered countless games, interviews hundreds of coaches and athletes, and covered some incredible teams during the last decade and we’re hoping this will be a fun project for all involved.
This is going to be one list, roughly 15-20 teams, with all sports considered. That means we’ll be comparing baseball teams with field hockey teams, football teams with softball teams, lacrosse teams with gymnastics teams, and so on. The only requirements are that the team competed in the Hockomock League and competed between Fall 2010 and Spring 2020 (yes, this school years teams are eligible). This will be a list of specific teams (e.g. 2018 Franklin baseball), not just a program. Some squads will have state championship trophies, but it isn’t a requirement. There are a lot of great teams that came up short for a variety of reasons. Of course, it’s tough to judge different sports against one another, and there are a lot of factors we’ll be considering as we construct this list.
We started the project over the summer, and from our research, there were over 30 teams that won state titles in this decade alone, so there will be tough decisions to make. We’re creating this list in good fun and there is no right or wrong. We’ll have a group of honorable mentions and a write up on each team that makes the list; it will be a fun trip down memory lane. We are hoping to do something a little more in-depth for the top three or five teams.
While we are making the final choices on our list, we want to hear from you. Use the contact form below to let us know which team you think should be on the list and how high up. Make sure to include some details and any info you think we should know. You can always contact us through our social media platforms, @HockomockSports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And of course, shoot us an email info@hockomocksports.com if that is best for you.
Let the debate begin!
[contact-form-7 id=”91777″ title=”Teams of the Decade”]
LANIGAN: Thankful For Five Unforgettable Years
This past Monday was similar to the one before it, and many Mondays before that – a drive into Newton from my house in Brockton. Too much traffic on Route 24 North followed by too much traffic on 95 North because of the construction in the Needham area highlighted my morning commute. When I got to work, I went to my weekly Monday morning meetings and focused on being the editor of SearchVMware.com, a job I’ve held since 2013.
This might come as a surprise to many that visit this site on a daily basis, or even occasionly, but HockomockSports.com is not my “full-time” job – in fact, we don’t have anyone on our “staff” that is full-time. If you count the hours that I spend working on the site, it certainly fits the criteria but the fact is, this website is what I do in my spare time. The same can be said for Josh Perry. Nearly all of our contributors are former or current Student Reporters.
I mentioned this past Monday, the 21st, because it happened to be the 5th Anniversary of the launch of HockomockSports.com. I am so proud that the anniversary came just two days after our Third Annual HockomockSports.com Charity Soccer Event. With over 300 people in attendance and over 70 players participating, we were able to raise over $1,000 to donate to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute on behalf of Taunton HS junior Marc deSousa.
That’s what this website is about for me.
Those that have followed HockomockSports.com from its inception know that there haven’t been many columns written by myself or anyone on staff. In fact, I believe this is the first time in our five years I have penned one.
For me, HockomockSports.com is a place for me to tell your story, not mine.
But when I realized we turned five years old, I knew this column was necessary – not for me to give you my opinion on the current state of our professional teams or my opinion on the recent election, but rather to give thanks to those who have made HockomockSports.com what it is today.
And for me, it’s necessary to start with how thankful I am to all of you, the reader. Josh laughs at me because of how glued I am to our Google Analytics account, comparing day to day, week to week, month to month data or watching real time traffic. But the fact is, you have all been tremendous. Our traffic continues to grow, year over year, by large percentages and I can’t thank you all enough to choosing us as your go-to source. I truly believe we are most viewed independent high school website in the commonwealth.
On a similar note, I’m incredibly thankful for Josh Perry. Josh has been apart of the site from the beginning and just about a year in, he moved into the Managing Editor role. I know a lot of people in this business around the state and there’s no one I’d rather to have in this spot than Josh. We aren’t too similar beside our love for soccer and we don’t see eye to eye on everything, which is exactly why we’ve formed a great partnership over the past few years. I can’t say enough good things about Josh.
There are a lot of things I am proud of when it comes to HockomockSports.com but the crown jewel to me is the Student Reporter program. We’ve had student-reporters from over half of the Hockomock schools; our student-reporters taking their talents to UMass Amherst, Endicott, Boston University, Syracuse University and more. I am so thankful to those who display the loyalty to come back and help our coverage.
I’m very thankful that I picked the Hockomock League to cover. As an outsider (Brockton High Class of 2007), I didn’t have a relationship with a single Hock administrator when I started this website. The Hockomock League Athletic Directors have been great to us over the past couple of years. But there were three that were on our side from the very beginning, three that had my back from the get go. I’m very thankful for the support over the years from Stoughton’s Ryan Donahue, former Franklin AD Brad Sidwell and Canton’s Danny Erickson.
Speaking of the Hockomock League, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the athletes I’ve covered. For some of you, I was just a start up blog that had a couple of cool tweets. For the most recent crowd, I hope we are your go to for everything Hockomock. Although this website is somehow just five years old, I have covered a decade worth of student-athletes in this league and I’ve done my best to remember as many as I can.
A lot of people see that I went to Brockton High and see that Josh went to Bishop Feehan and wonder how this website ever came to be. While I was still in college, I began to write for StoughtonPatch and ended up as the boys basketball beat writer, covering the likes of Kris Joyce, Aaron Calixte and Marcus Middleton. I’m thankful to StoughtonPatch editor Jeff Pickette for giving me that opportunity and so thankful for Stoughton boys basketball coach John Gallivan, who allowed me to shove a camera in his face for nearly two years following every single game. There would be no HockomockSports.com without Jeff or John, that’s a fact.
ESPNBoston’s Brendan Hall is another person I’m very thankful for after five years of HockomockSports.com. Brendan was the person I chatted with as I sat on my friend’s couch, debating whether or not to launch this site. I look back today and am so thrilled he pushed me to do this. I’m also thankful for former ESPNBoston HS Editor Scott Barboza, Boston Herald HS Editor Danny Ventura and the late Bruce Lerch – I can’t thank all of you enough for your help and influence.
I’m thankful I get to work with some of the best coaches in the entire state. There are almost 300 coaches that we do our best to work with throughout the school year. There are coaches I chat with on a weekly basis, even in the offseason, and there are coaches I have to hunt down scores from every single night. No matter which category they fall under, I am grateful to have worked with every single coach across the league.
There are certain coaches, however, that deserve separate recognition. Mansfield boys basketball coach Michael Vaughan has not only been a vocal supporter but has supported us through Mass Premier Courts for many years. Mike has also been a vital reason why we’ll be hosting our 4th Annual HockomockSports.com Charity Basketball Classic in March 2017. Canton’s Ryan Gordy and North Attleboro’s Sean Mulkerrins have also been incredibly important in developing this event. Attleboro’s Peter Pereira is THE reason we have had three soccer charity events. RBI Academy’s Joe Breen also supported the site with advertisements well before he became the Hornets’ baseball coach. You can also count Oliver Ames’ John Barata among those who have not only supported us from day one, but promotes us as much as possible and I can’t thank all of them enough.
I debated whether or not I should include the next section in to this column. I have said from the start, this website will never be about me, or anyone on the staff. We aren’t TV personalities – we are here to tell your story. In this industry, I have prided myself on unbiased coverage of the Hockomock League – no favorites. However, there are some coaches who have made a huge impact on me. The fact is, I started this website when I was a young 22 years old. There are so many coaches I have to thank for making a lasting impact on my life. In no particular order, I’m thankful for: Oliver Ames’ Leo Duggan, Mansfield’s Mike Redding, Canton’s Pat Cawley, Franklin’s Chris Spillane, Taunton’s Jeff Sylvia, Milford’s Linda Zacchilli, Taunton’s Charlie Dacey, Milford’s Mike Balzarini, King Philip’s Nick Gale, Franklin’s Lisa Cropper, Oliver Ames’ Laney Clement-Holbrook, Attleboro’s Mark Houle, Franklin’s Kate Fallon, North Attleboro’s Bill Wallace, Taunton’s Dave Purpura, Canton’s Brian Shuman, Foxboro’s Jon Gibbs and Oliver Ames’ Lindsey Allison.
I didn’t want to include the last paragraph because I want to stress we don’t play favorites. In fact, there are a handful in that list that I’ve had contentious interviews with. With HockomockSports.com, I have done my best to bring unbiased coverage, including games that include the coach’s I listed above, win or lose.
I’m also thankful for our competition – we wouldn’t be what we are today if we weren’t pushed to be the best. Those at the Sun Chronicle have turned from competition to friends over the past couple of years. I’ll never forget Mark Farinella showing up to our first annual Charity Basketball Classic – that meant so much to us. I’ll always remember my conversations with Peter Gobis at Revolution games, as our chats over dinner always turned to the high school beat. Dave Carty of the Foxboro Reporter has turned from colleague to coworker and friend and I’m thankful for Chris McDaniel and Greg Dudek, both formerly of the Brockton Enterprise, for their friendships.
I’m incredibly thankful for the support of my parents. Usually the 22-year old right out of college starting his own website is reserved for the movies…my parents lived it. I can’t thank them enough for their support, or their snack stand work at our soccer events.
I’m also very thankful for a handful of close friends. I’ve been blessed to have the same group of friends since before high school. If you’ve come to any of our charity events – soccer or basketball – you’ve met John Giuggio, who is the only other person to be at every single event we’ve hosted besides me. Alex Prager and Joe Tarr are my other two best friends who have sacrificed time for our events and I’m forever grateful.
And finally, I’ve thankful for every single parent or player who has taken time to talk to us. Whether you’ve sent an email complaining about something on the site, or you’ve reached out to compliment us, I’ve read each email — every single one. Your comments are what keep me going so I thank every and anyone who has submitted one.
And to every person who has purchased a photo or a t-shirt, I’m more thankful than you could imagine. HockomockSports.com is something I started from the ground up and for anyone – student, parent, teacher, coach, etc – to spend any money on our work, is incredibly rewarding.
I’m so thankful for the past five years and I look forward to what the future brings.
Hockomock Teams Partake in #ALSIceBucketChallenge
Whether it be players from The New England Patriots or the Boston Bruins or billionaire Bill Gates, people getting buckets full of ice dumped on their heads has taken over social media and it’s all for a good cause.
Here’s a look at some of the Hockomock teams and coaches that have completed the challenge.
You can donate to ALS research at www.alsa.org.
Top 15 Countdown – Honorable Mention: The Finalists
Our honorable mention for the HockomockSports.com 2013-2014 Top Moments Countdown is a look at all the Hockomock teams that were able to reach sectional/state finals.
Foxboro Girls Tennis In State Finals
This one is a small exception compared to the rest of the talented teams that are listed in this post. Foxboro had reached the South Sectional Finals before — more than once — in the last half decade. But the Warriors had been unable to break through.
That all changed in 2014 with unbelievable singles play. The Warriors took home a 3-2 decision over #4 Nauset in the South Sectional Finals (played in Scituate nonetheless). However, Foxboro came up just short in the Division 2 Girls Tennis Finals.
Ryan Lanigan recapped the D2 Finals for HockomockSports.com.
Foxboro girls tennis reached the Division 2 State Championship for the first time in program history but were unable to dethrone Concord-Carlisle, who earned it’s third straight D2 State Championship with a 3-2 decision over the Warriors.
The Patriots – who have just one loss in three years (57-1) – made quick work by sweeping doubles play and then after roughly a 30-minute rain delay, earned the third and clinching point at first singles for the win.
Foxboro finishes the season 19-2 overall after earning their first ever South Sectional title.
“They lived up to the school name, they are Warriors,” Foxboro first-year head coach Alan Lightbody said. “Every one of them is a Warrior. I’m just so proud of these girls, they worked so hard all year long. We gave it our best shot. We had a really good run this year and we look forward to getting started for next season already and see if we can get back here.”
There’s a lot of of sectional finalists to get to, so the best way is to go chronologically. That means starting back in the Fall, which seems like over a year ago at this point. But it wasn’t, and Canton girls volleyball probably admittedly says so.
The Bulldogs finished the season 19-3 overall but were a clear favorite in the Hockomock League. They captured the Davenport Division with a seven game margin and league MVP Avery Devoe was head and shoulders above other attacks in the league.
However, Canton’s attack was met with an equal attack and a strong defense.
For HockomockSports.com, Ryan Lanigan reported on the D2 Central Finals:
It wasn’t an unfamiliar position for Canton when they dropped the first two sets in the D2 Central Finals on Saturday, as they rallied last year in the same situation.
But this year’s rally fell short as the Bulldogs 3-1 to second-seeded Westboro to end their 2013 campaign.
“Coming in I just asked them to give it their all and leave it on the court and they did it,” Canton head coach Pat Cawley said.
The Bulldogs dropped the first set 25-15 after Westboro finished the set with a 9-2 run. In the second set, it stayed closed for the beginning but as Westboro tried to pull away late, Canton continued to rally back. Despite scoring six of the game’s last nine points, the Rangers won 25-21 after two late Canton serve errors.
But with their backs against the walls, Canton rallied in the third set. Senior captain Avery Devoe scored 6 of her 17 kills in the third set and sophomore Elizabeth Hamilton returned from a collision earlier in the set to get a kill followed by the set-winning ace.
“Avery and Elizabeth have been our two big hitters all year,” Cawley said. “Avery has lead us but Elizabeth is right on her tail Elizabeth is a very strong defensive player as well and she’s strength of character. She’s often the one rallying the troops out there. She’s only a sophomore so I look forward to two more years with her.”
The fourth set was a battle back and forth as Canton took control at 15-12 after a Devoe Kill.
“As we’ve gone on in the year, it’s something we’ve worked on, our mental toughness and the ability to come back It’s the attitude that if you have a 1% chance of winning then you have a chance.”
But the Rangers rallied off 7 straight points with a mix of kills and Canton errors to take a 19-15. Canton brought it to three at 22-19, but a defensive error and two Ranger kills ended the game 25-19 and gave Westboro the D2 Central title.
From one Canton squad to another, it was a successful year for a lot of Bulldogs. At the end of the day, Canton has to look at their hockey squad as the pride of the school. We’ll be blunt about it – with Canton losing Pat Ward, Kurt Leavitt, Bobby Mullaney and the 2012-2013 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Brian Brooks amongst others, it looked like this season was going to be a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs.
But with Brian Shuman at the helm, it was far from it – and shame of us for thinking it would be.
Shuman won his second straight HockomockSports.com Coach of the Year award but he is always quick to point of how talented his players are. We believe him – but also truly believe that those players are so good because of his guidance. Canton started #3 in our preseason poll and after a couple weeks, rocketed up to #1 and never surrendered.
Canton was the only team to post an unbeaten record in league play, clinching a Davenport title, despite having to play through a tough task. Assistant coach Corey Rocha’s wife cancer came back. It wasn’t easy for anyone associated with the program, but Shuman’s wife, Tara – who has battled cancer herself – helped lead the charge in the fight against it.
The program sold t-shirt’s that proclaimed “Fight Like A Bulldog” - a shirt that both editors Ryan Lanigan and Josh Perry have worn proudly.
In the end, Canton was the team to beat from the Hock, and proved so by advancing all the way to the D2 South Sectional Finals. But in the end, the clock struck midnight before the Bulldogs were ready.
For ESPNBoston.com, Josh Perry recapped the hectic final moments of the D2 South Final:
< blockquote> The puck sat in the crease amidst a sea of legs, sticks, and skates, but somehow no one could get enough on it to either clear the zone or put a shot on net. Instead, an agonizing final 12 seconds ticked off and Canton’s comeback attempt ended just short and Medfield could swarm onto the ice and celebrate a title.
Medfield (18-3-3) survived a late goal and a last-ditch faceoff and scramble in front of its net to win the Division 2 South sectional title 3-2 at Gallo Arena on Sunday afternoon.
In its first year in D2 and after being eliminated in the sectional semifinal three times in the last four years, Medfield reaches the state final at the TD Garden.
Canton head coach Brian Shuman said after the game that this year’s team had the most heart of any team he’s ever coached.
They showed why in the third period of the D2 South Finals but the puck wouldn’t bounce their way in the final seconds and the Bulldogs fell short, losing 3-2 to Medfield.
Trailing 3-1 in the third period, Canton pulled the goalie with 2:04 left and 30 seconds left on the power play. They weren’t able to convert with the two-man advantage but during 6 on 5 play, Medfield was unable to bury an empty netter. Sophomore John Femia took a feed from freshman Jerry Harding and burst into the offensive zone and sniped one top shelf to cut the lead to one with 21 seconds left.
Medfield iced the puck trying to score a long empty netter giving Canton an offensive zone face off with 12.4 seconds left. The Bulldogs were able to get possession and tossed the puck towards the goal, but as the puck bounced around the edge of the crease and players tangled in close proximity, no one was able to get a stick on it and the final horn sounded.
With two Canton teams mentioned, it’s only right to transition to another school with two sectional finalists.
That would be Sharon, on the same day, just hours apart.
It ended as a historic run for the Eagles, as the girls’ hoops team reached the sectional finals for the first time that anyone could recall, while the boys did the same with a late surge to upend Walpole.
It was a big day for Sharon, who was led by a trio of 1,000 point scorers this season. Brian Mukasa and Jimmy Firtzson both eclipsed the mark for the boys team – something to remember for sure – and Karlie O’Driscoll did so for the Davenport champion girls team. All three of those players will be highlighted in the countdown in the coming weeks.
Dan Libon, a contributor to HockomockSports.com, recapped the loss for Sharon girls basketball:
The game may not have gone the way the Sharon Eagles had hoped, but for the seventh seed, their appearance in the Division 2 South Sectional final was an accomplishment in itself against a strong Duxbury Dragons team.
The Eagles had their chances but the tall and athletic Dragons proved why they are undefeated in the 41-26 victory over Sharon.
“We were the seventh seed, we’re at UMass Boston. We just had some shots that didn’t fall. We held a good team to 41 points, I thought we were going to have to score 55 to beat them,” Sharon coach Kate Horsmann said.
After fighting and clawing the send the game into overtime, Sharon’s magic ran out in overtime, falling 71-69, as their last second shot from just over half court fell short.
Trailing 62-59 with 26.7 seconds left, Jimmy Fritzson missed his straightaway three-pointer, but sophomore Jordan Mello-Klein came away with the rebound, passing to Matt Lowerre who immediately skipped it over to Brian Mukasa. Mukasa’s three went long though but the offensive rebound was tracked down by senior captain Erik Kushner, who quickly dished back to Mukasa. This time the 1,000-point scorer buried a deep there with 2.8 seconds left. Milton’s long shot was off the mark to send the game into overtime.
But in overtime, trailing 71-69 with 5.3 seconds left, the Eagles were tapped just as they got over half court and Mukasa’s desperation heave fell short.
“I’m very proud of the kids,” said Sharon head coach Bruce Jackman. “We scrapped, we did everything we could. Obviously we were outgunned on the boards but that’s not an excuse because its been that way pretty much all year long. They played as hard as they possibly could. It just came down to one error at the end but you make it an error in the first period, its the same thing. It makes no difference. Our foul shooting fell apart for us which is rather surprising for us because we have such good shooters and that led to some issues for us.”
And the most recent sectional finalist goes to the D1 Softball South runners-up, North Attleboro. From the start of the season, the Rocketeers were always a threat thanks to Meg Colleran, who went on to achieve the Mass. Gatorade Player of the Year, the Hockomock League MVP and more. She’s still in contention for the HockomockSports.com Player of the Year, ESPNBoston Miss Softball and other media awards.
At the end of the day, it was North Attleboro that proved to be the top team in the Hock. They advanced to the D1 South Semifinals, joined with Bridgewater-Raynham, Hopkinton and their opponent (and of course, Hock foe) Franklin. After taking down the Panthers in a rubber match, North Attleboro advanced to their first ever softball D1 South Sectional Final.
Ryan Lanigan described the sectional final for HockomockSports.com:
Bridgewater-Raynham scored a run without getting a hit in the first inning and turned the only hit of the game into their second run in the third inning and that was all the Trojans needed, taking down North Attleboro 2-0 in the D1 South Sectional Finals.
B-R pitcher Sarah Dawson tossed a no-hitter and allowed just one walk in seven innings of work to lead the Trojans to the D1 South Sectional Title.