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 Boys Basketball Awards

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Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/28/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
D1 South

#1 Mansfield, 76 vs. #16 Newton South, 49 – Final – Mansfield junior Damani Scott poured in a career-high 25 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range to lead the Hornets to an opening-round win over Newton South. Mansfield led 13-9 after the first quarter but scored 44 points over the second and third quarters, limiting the Lions to just 21 in that same span. Tyler Boulter added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists and Justin Vine finished with 13 points. Mansfield will host #8 BC High, just one of two teams that beat the Hornets this year, on Friday at 6:30.

#14 Attleboro, 48 @ #3 Brockton, 71 – FinalClick here for a recap of this game.

#15 Taunton, 53 @ #2 Needham, 66 – FinalTaunton opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run over the first 2:32 to get within one possession (49-46) but never got closer. The Tigers were within seven (55-48) with 3:30 to play but the second-seeded Rockets finished with an 11-5 run. Senior Malik Charles led the Tigers with 13 points while classmate Lens Esquil added 12 points.

Girls Basketball
D1 Central

#5 Franklin, 39 @ #4 Natick, 53 – Final

D2 South
#1 Foxboro, 64 vs. #16 Milton, 30 – FinalFoxboro senior Ashley Sampson scored 24 points to pace the top-seeded Warriors to a big win in its playoff opener. Foxboro will host #8 Stoughton on Friday at 6:30.

#12 Canton, 46 @ #5 Silver Lake, 53 – Final

Boys Hockey
D1 South

#3 Franklin, 0 vs. #14 Barnstable, 1 – Final

#9 Mansfield, 2 vs. #8 Xaverian, 6 – FinalClick here for a recap of this game.

D2 South
#9 North Attleboro, 2 vs. #8 Medfield, 9 – Final

#10 Oliver Ames, 2 vs. #7 Westwood, 3 – Final (OT) – – Click here for a recap of this game.

Girls Hockey
Division 1

#21 Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 3 @ #12 Plymouth, 0 – FinalMOA freshman Alex Ledin scored the game-winner goal just over six minutes into the third period and the Warriors tacked on a pair of empty-net goals to earn the first postseason win in program history. Mackenzi Fraser and Cat Luciano scored empty netters to ice the win. Freshman Cate Gallagher recorded the shutout in net. #21 Mansfield/Oliver Ames will play #5 Barnstable on Sunday at 6:00 at Kennedy Rink.

Division 2
#14 King Philip, 2 vs. #19 Bishop Fenwick, 1 – FinalSenior Talia Quinn opened the scoring in the first period and senior Olivia McCarthy scored the game-winner early in the third period to lift King Philip to its first ever postseason win in program history. #14 King Philip will take on #3 Archbishop Williams (14-4-2) on Saturday at 3:00 at Zapustas Rink in Randolph.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/13/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 44 @ Franklin, 59 – FinalFranklin led by three at halftime (26-23) but broke the game open with a 24-point third quarter. The Panthers outscored the visitors 24-13 in the third quarter to create the big lead. Junior Jalen Samuels led the Panthers with 18 points.

Canton, 34 @ Foxboro, 39 – FinalClick here for a recap of this game.

King Philip, 39 @ Mansfield, 79 – FinalMansfield built a 17-6 lead after eight minutes but broke the game open with a 27-point second quarter. The Hornets put the game to bed with a 19-9 fourth quarter. John McCoy (six rebounds, four steals) led the Hornets with 20 points while Damani Scott (five rebounds) and Tyler Boulter each had 10 points apiece. The Hornets hit 13 three-pointers as a team with eight different players connecting for at least one.

North Attleboro, 36 @ Milford, 58 – FinalMilford hit three of their six three-pointers in the first quarter and held the Rocketeers to just one field goal, building an 18-4 lead and never looking back. Junior Brendan White scored 17 points, Andrew Fraioli scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and senior Zach Tammaro had 15 points for the Hawks. Josh Montague led Big Red with 15 points while classmate Jake Petersen had 10 points.

Taunton, 71 @ Oliver Ames, 44 – FinalTaunton sophomore Dante Law scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter, helping the Tigers race out to a 25-10 lead after eight minutes of play. Taunton led 48-22 and then held the host Tigers to just seven points in the third quarter. Senior Lens Esquil added 16 points for Taunton while classmate Tyler Medeiros chipped in with nine points. Jack Spillane had a team-high 12 points for OA.

Stoughton, 76 @ Sharon, 81 – FinalSharon senior Malik Lorquet led the Eagles with 22 points while both Jimmy Fitzhenry and Demetri Mousis chipped in with 14 points apiece. Sharon led 36-33 at halftime and 59-52 at the end of three quarters. Cam Andrews had a team-high 21 points for Stoughton while David Bell had 16 points and Colin Sanda chipped in with 12 points for the Black Knights.

Girls Basketball
Franklin, 46 @ Attleboro, 39 – FinalAli Brigham dominated the game for the Panthers, recording 27 points and 28 rebounds in the victory.

Foxboro, 81 @ Canton, 32 – FinalAshley Sampson and Katelyn Mollica each scored 23 points to lead the Warriors, who are one win away from a perfect league campaign. Canton needs one win in its final two games to clinch a spot in the postseason.

Mansfield, 51 @ King Philip, 32 – Final – Mansfield broke the game open in the second half after leading 19-16 at the break. With the win, the Hornets clinch the outright Kelley-Rex division title. Maggie Danehy led the way for the Hornets with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Ann Maher added eight. Faith Roy was KP’s top scorer with 13 points. KP coach Amy Siggens called it a “total team effort” and praised her team’s “aggressiveness” on both ends of the floor.

Milford, 45 @ North Attleboro, 55 – FinalClick here for a Recap and a Photo Gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames, 63 @ Taunton, 34 – FinalOliver Ames led by just five at halftime (28-23) but won the game behind a dominant second-half performance. Senior Kayla Raymond had a team-high 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds and Tate Hadges added 10 points and seven boards.

Sharon, 37 @ Stoughton, 55 – FinalStoughton won for the ninth time in its last 10 games to bounce back from a 1-7 start to the season and clinch a postseason berth with two games left in the regular season. The Black Knights also clinched second place in the Davenport division. Aliyah Wright (four steals) was the top scorer with 16 points, while Lindsay McDonald and Sydnee Hyacinthe (eight assists) each added 10. Kaitlyn Wallace had 12 for the Eagles and Miranda Cheung had nine.

Girls Hockey
Stoughton, 0 @ Canton, 10 – Final