Category: Hockomock League

Foxboro Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class

Foxboro Football
Foxboro football coach Jack Martinelli addressed the crowd at a ceremony renaming the Ahern Middle School field in his honor. in 2017 (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Just under two years ago, Foxboro athletic director Joe Cusack announced the creation fo the Foxboro High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Cusack’s goal was to recognize and preserve the deep tradition of success of past Warriors. On Thursday afternoon, Cusack and the Foxboro administration announced the inaugural class, highlighted by current football coach Jack Martinelli, one of the state’s best ever high school basketball players Sarah Behn, and professional football player Tom Nalen. Below is a press release announcing the first six individuals and the first team for the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Release

Foxborough High School is pleased to announce the creation of our Athletic Hall of Fame to honor former student-athletes, coaches, supporters, and championship teams. This year’s class of inductees will be recognized at an event at the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 21st at 6PM. This event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased through the MRPAC box office or online.

“Foxborough High School has an incredibly rich tradition of athletic success both at the team and individual level. Starting a Hall of Fame is long overdue and will give our community something to celebrate, our inductees something to be fiercely proud of, and our student-athletes something to aspire to become a part of,” said Joe Cusack, Foxborough Athletic Director.

After two years of accepting nominations and research, the first class of inductees was selected by a six-person executive committee, which included the Foxborough High School Principal, Athletic Director, and four committee members who are former student-athletes, current or former coaches and/or school staff members.

This year’s Induction class includes Bobby Moreshead, Joe Heinricher, Sarah Behn, Tom Nalen, Joan Goodwin, Jack Martinelli, and the 1987 State Champion Girls Soccer team. (Individual athletes are listed by their year of graduation.)

Bobby Moreshead is a 1973 graduate of Foxborough High School who was a three-sport standout in football, wrestling, and baseball. Bobby was the football team’s MVP in 1972 and won the 1973 New England Championship in wrestling. Bobby graduated from Foxborough HS with a career wrestling record of 52-2 and was the head coach and later an assistant coach for the wrestling program for many years after graduation.

Joe Heinricher was a 1975 graduate of Foxborough High School who excelled in both football and track & field. Joe was a star two-way tackle for the football team, and he still holds the school record in the discus. During a career spanning more than three decades, Joe served as a teacher, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal, and coach for both football and track & field.

Sarah Behn is a 1989 graduate of Foxborough High School and was a three-sport standout on the soccer, basketball, and softball teams. Sarah led the softball team in batting for her junior and senior seasons. In soccer, Sarah was the starting goalie for the 1987 State Championship Team, was selected as an All-American, and graduated with 50 career shutouts. Sarah is best known for her accomplishments on the basketball court, where she set the state scoring record with 2,562 points and was selected as an All-American. Upon graduation, Sarah attended Boston College, played professional basketball, coached at the collegiate level, and at Foxborough High School.

Tom Nalen is a 1989 graduate of Foxborough High School who excelled on the football, basketball, and track & field teams. Tom was a dominant lineman for the football team, a power forward for the basketball team, and a thrower on the track team. Upon graduation from Foxborough HS, Tom went on to play football at Boston College and won back-to-back Super Bowl championships as a member of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Tom was previously inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame in 2013.

Joan “Joanie” Goodwin has lived in Foxborough for over 70 years and has garnered the moniker “Mrs. Foxboro.” Joanie played basketball and softball in her youth and first became involved as a volunteer with Foxborough Youth Football in the 1960s. She was President of the FHS Touchdown Club for over 30 years. Joanie was a bus driver for the Foxborough school district for over 40 years and is a former head of transportation for the district. In this role, she transported generations of athletic teams to their contests and was always a fixture in the stands cheering our student-athletes and teams on. You can still find Joanie in the stands or on the field supporting the Warriors and watching her son-in-law and grandson, who coach baseball together at FHS, as well as her granddaughter, who coaches softball.

Jack Martinelli, known to most as “Coach,” has been the head football coach at Foxborough High School since he was hired in 1982. During his 40-plus year head coaching career in Foxborough (and 55 years in total), Jack accumulated nearly 300 career wins, placing him in the top five all-time in Massachusetts. He has also captured four MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) Super Bowl titles in eight appearances and twelve league championships while leading the Warriors. “Coach” is a steady fixture at Foxborough HS and has worked with generations of student-athletes.

The 1987 Girls’ Soccer Team won the MIAA state championship over Holyoke Catholic to conclude an undefeated season. At the end of the 1987 regular season, Foxborough held a 54-game regular season undefeated streak. On their path toward a state championship, the team finished the season with a 20-0-1 record, including 17 shutouts, while outscoring all opponents 117-4.

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Stoughton Hires Ireland As Next Athletic Director


Below is a press release from the Stoughton Public Schools announcing Robin Ireland as its next athletic director. Ireland replaces Chris Carbone, who was the athletic director for the 2022-23 school year.

STOUGHTON, Mass. – We are pleased to announce that Mr. Robin Ireland has accepted the position of Athletic Director for the Stoughton Public Schools effective July 1, 2023.

Mr. Ireland has been a health and physical education teacher in the Freetown Lakeville Regional School District since 2007. He has also served as the head coach of the Apponequet High School girls varsity soccer team since 2007, where his teams have won five conference titles and qualified for the state tournament 13 times. Mr. Ireland also has club soccer coaching experience and is a triathlete, serving as the membership coordinator for the Bay State Triathlon Team.

“I am looking forward to joining Stoughton Public Schools and I am excited to grow the athletic department. I would like to expand into the middle school to create more opportunities at that level for sports participation, open doors of accessibility for the entire Stoughton student population by starting a Unified Sports program, and grow connections and relationships in the Stoughton community,” Mr. Ireland said.

“I am a firm believer in the positive benefits of sports, athletics, and fitness and I know that a well run athletic department can have a positive impact not only on the athletes, but also on the entire community,” he continued.

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North Attleboro Hires Schlierf As Next Athletic Director

Nick Schlierf

Below is a press release from the North Attleboro Public Schools announcing Dr. Nick Schlierf as its next athletic director. Schlierf is currently the AD at Sharon High School.

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH – Superintendent John Antonucci is pleased to announce that Dr. Nick Schlierf has been selected as the new athletic director of North Attleborough High School.

Dr. Schlierf was appointed to the role on Tuesday, March 28, after he was recommended for selection by a hiring committee.

“It was important to us that we had a thorough and inclusive search process to find our next athletic director,” said North Attleborough High School Principal Peter Haviland. “I would like to thank the dozens of stakeholders who either served on the search committee, attended the finalist forum, or simply provided feedback to us about the candidates. It led to a great outcome.”

Dr. Schlierf will begin in his new role on July 1. He replaces longtime Athletic Director Kurt Kummer.

“On behalf of the entire district, I would like to thank Kurt Kummer for his years of dedicated service to the North Attleborough community, and to our student-athletes,” said Superintendent Antonucci. “He leaves a strong foundation for Dr. Schlierf to build upon.”

Dr. Schlierf, of North Attleborough, has served as a high school athletic director for 16 years. Most recently, he served as athletic director for the Sharon Public Schools after being hired in 2017.

He currently serves as one of the chairs of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) District Athletic Committee, where he works closely with the Executive Director of the MIAA / Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association.

While serving at Sharon Public Schools, he also played a crucial role in the process to build the new Sharon High School, from project design through the completion of the project earlier this year.

Dr. Schlierf previously served as assistant principal at the University Preparatory School in Rochester, New York as well as the athletic director and assistant principal of Our Lady of Mercy School in Rochester, New York.

“I look forward to doing the job I love in the town I call home,” said Dr. Schlierf.

He earned his Certified Athletic Administrator certification in 2011 and continues to instruct and mentor new athletic directors in developing and progressing in coaching methodology and becoming effective role models for their players.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan College and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

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Dr. Nick Schlierf

Mansfield Hall Of Fame Announces 2022 Inductees

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Below is a press release from the Mansfield High School Sports Hall of Fame announcing its inductees for the Class of 2022.

Mansfield High School Sports Hall of Fame Announces 2022 Inductees

The Mansfield High School Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce that the 2022 inductees have been selected and will be honored on Friday, November 25, 2022 at the 9th annual Hall of Fame banquet to be held at the enVision Hotel (formerly Mansfield Holiday Inn).

This year’s honorees include brothers, David Lundell (1993) and Mike Lundell (1996), each inducted into the Football and Basketball Hall of Fame: Three additional football inductees include Eric DiPietrantonio (2007), Jamel Marshall (2011), and Zack Shaefer (2012).

The Basketball Hall of Fame includes two additional new members: Jess Eason (2010) and the all-time winningest girls’ basketball coach, Mike Redding.

The Soccer Hall of Fame will also induct four new members: Kristen Young (1997), Jacqueline MacPherson (2010), BJ Knights (1999) and Matt Noonan (2000).

The Field Hockey Hall of Fame will induct four new members: Christine Sarro (1985), Stacey Sheridan (1998), Elise Galvanin (2000) and Erin Keogh (2010).

The “Legend of Women’s Sports Hall of Fame” will induct Stephanie Grubeck (1966).

All former Mansfield High student-athletes, Hall of Famers and fans are invited to attend the ceremony and dinner. Cocktail hour begins at 5:45 pm and the banquet begins at 6:30 pm. Reservations are $45 per person and tables of ten can be reserved for $450.

Checks should be mailed no later than November 15, 2022 to:
• Hall of Fame Committee, P.O. Box 481, Mansfield, MA 02048;
• or register to attend at the Mansfield Athletics webpage Hall of Fame link;
• or via VENMO @MHS-HOF02048

Please include the name of each attendee for seating plan purposes. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Stoughton Tabs Carbone As New Athletic Director

Photo courtesy of Stoughton Public Schools

Below is a release from Stoughton Public Schools:

Dear SPS Families and Staff:

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher Carbone has accepted the position of Athletic Director for the Stoughton Public Schools effective July 1, 2022.

Please join me in thanking Mr. Ryan Donahue for his many years of service to the athletes of Stoughton. After 13 years as Athletic Director, Mr. Donahue is stepping down from his current position to be more available for his growing family. We are excited that he will continue working here at SPS, taking on the role of physical education and health teacher at the O’Donnell Middle School. We are grateful that Mr. Donahue will be available to Mr. Carbone to assist with his transition to Stoughton.

Mr. Carbone is currently the Athletic Director for the Uxbridge, MA Public Schools, where he has served in that role for the past four years, managing a large high school and middle school interscholastic athletic program. Previously, Mr. Carbone was an Athletic Department Assistant at Milton Academy where he also served as the strength and conditioning coach and the head track and field and cross country coach. Mr. Carbone has his Master’s of Education from Endicott College, majoring in Athletic Administration and is a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA).

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Carbone! We look forward to Mr. Carbone bringing his knowledge and experience to Stoughton.

Sincerely,

Dr. Thomas R. Raab
Superintendent of Schools

Foxboro Announces Creation Of Athletics Hall of Fame

Foxboro Hall of Fame
Foxboro dedicated its turf field to Sam Berns in June 2014. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Foxboro High School has a rich history in athletics and now there will be an entity to recognize it.

FHS Athletic Director Joe Cusack recently announced the creation of the Foxboro High Athletic Hall of Fame in an effort to recognize and preserve the deep tradition of success of past Warriors.

“I’m really excited to have the chance to start formally recognizing the tremendous athletes, teams, coaches, and other supporters who have been a part of creating an incredible athletics history at Foxboro High School,” Cusack said. “There are so many deserving people.  I’m sure we will learn even more about our athletics history as a part of this process, which is a part of why this is so exciting.

“Over time, a lot of things can change, coaches leave, people move, students graduate…this is a great way to preserve the history and achievements of Foxboro athletes. This lets us keep a record of our history.”

Cusack first thought of the idea when he was coaching cross country and track and field at the school, trying to find a record book of times and distances from previous teams.

“I thought, ‘why don’t we have one here?’ It seemed out of place considering the tradition we have in athletics here at Foxboro,” Cusack said.

Foxboro currently has two jerseys hanging inside the school’s gymnasium: Sarah Behn’s basketball jersey and Tom Nalen’s football jersey. Both numbers are considered retired but there is no official record in the school.

While Behn was an All-American in hoops, she also played soccer and set records for shutouts as a goalie. Nalen was known for his play on the gridiron, and rightfully so after he went on to play at the collegiate level at Boston College and played nearly 200 games in the NFL for the Denver Broncos. But what most don’t know is that Nalen is one of the best throwers on the track and field team, Cusack said.

Those two are perfect examples of what it means to be a Foxboro athlete. The majority of Warriors, both past and present, play at least two sports with a good chunk playing a sport in each the fall, winter, and spring. The newly created Hall of Fame will now be able to recognize those contributions.

The nomination process will open in early October and be available through the Athletics page on the Foxboro Public Schools website. Guidelines and criteria for nominations will also be posted there. Anyone can submit a nomination and all athletes who fit the criteria are eligible to be nominated.

“I want to thank Superintendent Amy Berdos and FHS principal Diana Myers-Pachla for their support, they are both really excited about this,” Cusack said.

While there will certainly be a lot of eligible nominations when the submission process opens, it’s important to note that not everyone will make it during the first year. While the inaugural class might be bigger than future classes, a no this year doesn’t mean a no forever, Cusack said.

“This is something we want to do every year, we want this to be an annual tradition,” Cusack said. “We’ll have a panel to help decide the first class but once we have members of the Hall of Fame, they’ll help determine future classes.”

Below is a section of the by-law for the Hall of Fame:

In order to preserve our athletic history, the Foxborough High School Athletics Hall of Fame is being established in 2022. The Athletics Hall of Fame is organized for the purpose of recognizing the rich tradition of athletic success at Foxborough High School.  It serves as a means of honoring and recognizing the athletes, teams, coaches, administrators, and supporters who made significant contributions to the Warriors’ tradition of excellence.  The Athletics Hall of Fame intends to honor the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals and teams who are worthy of recognition as examples for others to emulate.  Induction ceremonies are intended to be held annually.

Hockomock League Honors 2021 Scholar Athletes

Below is a release from the Hockomock League regarding the 2021 Scholar-Athletes as well as the event program with student photos.

The Hockomock League Principals and Athletic Directors are pleased to announce the 31st Annual Hockomock League Scholar Athlete Awards. The twenty-four athletes that are being honored have been selected by the Administration of their respective schools and represent the top student athletes in the Hockomock League based on academics, athletic participation, sportsmanship, leadership, and citizenship. They have all successfully balanced a demanding academic schedule along with participation in athletics as well as many extra-curricular activities during their high school career. To be selected for this award represents four years of dedication and commitment, and we are proud of all their accomplishments. We hope that these student-athletes will put all of their experiences over the past four years to good use and that those experiences will help guide them through the challenges ahead.

We congratulate the parents and guardians for your contributions and guidance as you have enabled your child to reach this level of excellence. We are certain that the foundation you have given them will carry them through future endeavors.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2021 SCHOLAR-ATHLETES:

ATTLEBORO: Diana Blouin and Michael Strachan Jr.
CANTON: Stephanie Trendell and Jack Hernon
FOXBORO: Emma Dahl and Christian Cusack
FRANKLIN: Katelynn Taylor and Colman Flynn
KING PHILIP: Katarina Schneider and Cole Breen
MANSFIELD: Lindsay Devine and Jack Taylor
MILFORD: Eva Parson and Jack Jansons
NORTH ATTLEBORO: Olivia Etienvre and Andrew Faris
OLIVER AMES: Samantha Streton and Matthew Nikiciuk
SHARON: Brynne Aidlin-Perlman and Kiran Chandrasekaran
STOUGHTON: Emily Pham-Nguyen and Nikhil Khond
TAUNTON: Olivia Dias and Nolan Tavares

[pdf-embedder url=”http://dev.hockomocksports.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/HockSportsBanquet-Prog-2021.pdf” title=”HockSportsBanquet Prog 2021″]

Hock Moves Volleyball, Rejects Out-Of-Season Coaching

Oliver Ames volleyball Jordan Bennett
Oliver Ames junior Jordan Bennett tips a ball over a double block in the fourth set of the match against Barnstable in the 2019 D1 South Sectional Final. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
The Hockomock League officially announced the move of girls volleyball to the Fall 2 season in a statement released on Saturday afternoon. The announcement follows Thursday’s meeting with league athletic directors and principals.

Volleyball joins football, competitive cheerleading, and unified basketball in the Fall 2 season, which is slated to start on February 22. Boys and girls soccer, field hockey, golf, and cross country are scheduled to start on September 18 at the earliest, with some schools pushing the start date until September 21 due to Rosh Hashanah. The MIAA announced its guidelines and modification for those sports on Friday, which can be found at here.

“The Hock realizes the reality of many schools starting in a remote-only structure, keeping buildings closed, as well as hybrid schools not having appropriate access to their gymnasiums,” the statement said. At least five Hockomock schools – Canton, Franklin, King Philip, Mansfield, and Taunton – are set to start the school year fully remote.

The statement included a total of five key bullet points, including a vote against out-of-season coaching. The MIAA Board of Directors voted on August 19 to “allow out of season coaching from September 18th, 2020 through July 3rd, 2021, as approved by the member school principal.” The Hock voted unanimously to “continue to follow the MIAA Handbook guidelines on out-of-season coaching until at least November 1. Rule 40, titled “Out-of-Season Coach-Athlete Contact Limitations” partially reads that “between seasons a coach may conduct a meeting(s) with team candidates only to elect captains, collect equipment, issue equipment, to provide for physical examinations, to conduct legitimate fund-raising events, or to offer wellness workshops or activities.” You can view the entire MIAA Handbook at here.

The statement also notes this includes the fall sports (football, volleyball, competitive cheer, unified basketball) that were moved to the wedge season, noting “There will be no practices conducted for these sports until the issue is re-investigated on or before November 1.” Multiple sources have indicated that most leagues in the region will be making the same decisions regarding out of season coaching.

The Hockomock League also announced a new spectator policy in accordance with the most recent guidance that was issued by the MA Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. There will be a limit of 50 spectators while face covers and six feet social distancing are required. Only spectators associated with the host school will be allowed into the facility and the league says spectators are “strongly discouraged from traveling to away games, especially since they will not be allowed into the host school’s facility when they arrive.”

Below is the complete statement from the Hockomock League:

Fall 2020 Sports are now moving forward to implementation. Several Hockomock League School Committees approved this week a return to the slate of Fall I sports put forth by MIAA. The MIAA Sports Committees completed their task of providing modifications to their sports to abide under the restrictive DESE and EEA guidelines issued on August 13. The MIAA Board of Directors approved and published these modifications on August 28.

The Hockomock Principals, following the recommendations of their respective Athletic Directors, made some important decisions regarding the sports offerings and procedures for the upcoming season. Their goal, as always, is to keep the League united and consistent in its competitive offerings. Here are the motions as approved by the Principals:

1. Start Date – The MIAA start date for Fall athletics is Friday, September 18th. This is the first day of the religious holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The League Principals voted to leave the start date up to the individual school. Therefore, some schools will begin practices on September 18 and others on Monday, September 21.

2. Sport Offerings – Guidelines from DESE/EEA/MIAA allowed schools to play Golf, Field Hockey, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys and Girls Soccer and Volleyball. As other conferences have done, including Central MA, all of District 3, and the Tri-Valley League, the Hock Schools agreed it would be best to move Volleyball to the new Fall 2 “wedge season” which will start on February 22. The Hock realizes the reality of many schools starting in a remote-only structure, keeping buildings closed, as well as hybrid schools not having appropriate access to their gymnasiums.

3. Out-of-Season Coaching – The MIAA approved Out-of-Season Coaching from September 18th to July 3rd. This in fact would allow any and all athletic programs to run practices all year. In order to minimize the amount of student extracurricular activity and limit student cohort interactions, the Principals voted for the League to continue to follow the MIAA Handbook guidelines on out-of-season coaching until at least November 1.

4. Football, Volleyball, Unified Basketball and Competitive Cheer Practice – These sports have been moved to officially practice and compete in the Fall 2 season that begins on February 22. In similar fashion to the motion above on out-of-season-coaching, the Principals approved the motion to govern these four sports under the MIAA Handbook guidelines. There will be no practices conducted for these sports until the issue is re-investigated on or before November 1.

5. Spectators
In an effort to organize the safest athletics experience possible for our student-athletes, the Hockomock League will be following the most recent guidance that was issued by the MA Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. In the most recent guidance, issued on August 13th, the following details are specific to spectators regarding “Outdoor Capacity Limits”:

No more than 50 people excluding players, coaches, referees, or facility/activity workers in the aggregate in, on, or surrounding any surface / playing area or start/finish lines at any one time, provided that there is adequate space for all players, coaches, referees, or facility/activity workers and spectators to maintain at least six feet of social distancing.

Spectators must wear facial coverings and maintain six feet of social distance at all times.

In order to enforce this STATE-MANDATED restricted attendance, the Hockomock League will only be allowing spectators associated with the host school into their facility. All spectators are strongly discouraged from traveling to away games, especially since they will not be allowed into the host school’s facility when they arrive. The method by which each host school chooses to admit, or not admit, fans will be decided at the individual District level.

Any adjustments which we are pursuing are being made in order to continue to provide a healthy and safe athletic environment for our student-athletes. We are asking our families and student bodies to respect these Board of Health limitations to spectators at sporting events.

We are grateful for the opportunity for our Fall athletes to return to the playing field. While the seasons are date-modified, the sectional and state tournaments cancelled, and the sports are modified for health and safety, the student athletes will gain competitive experience and learn life lessons in these challenging and difficult times. Our students will greatly benefit and t heir social and emotional health will prosper.

Sincerely,
The Hockomock League ADs

Mark Houle, Attleboro
Danny Erickson, Canton
Joe Cusack, Foxboro
Tom Angelo, Franklin
Gary Brown, King Philip
Mike Redding, Mansfield
Peter Boucher, Milford
Kurt Kummer, North Attleboro
Bill Matthews, Oliver Ames
Nick Schlierf, Sharon
Ryan Donahue, Stoughton
Mark Ottavianelli, Taunton

Hockomock League Makes Statement On Fall Sports

Below is the official statement from the Hockomock League regarding the upcoming Fall 2020 season.

August 20, 2020

We have all patiently, yet eagerly, awaited the Massachusetts DESE guidelines pertaining to Interscholastic Athletics for the 2020-21 school year. Late Tuesday we received those guidelines and the MIAA Board of Directors have voted to approve those guidelines. Very importantly, there is still a lot of work to be accomplished before a Fall 2020 sports season is permitted. The earliest date to begin any practices is Friday, September 18.

Each school district was tasked over the last several weeks to develop a detailed DESE-approved plan for the return-to-learning this school year. Rightly so, each district’s School Committee and Superintendent’s office is now focused on implementing that approved learning plan. Some districts have opted for a full-remote start while others have approved a hybrid model. Both come with their own obstacles that each district is aiming to overcome. Both plans will impact how Fall sports may look for that district.

We do know under these DESE-approved guidelines that the high-risk sports, Football and Competitive Cheer, have moved to a “Fall II” season with a start date of February 22, 2021. The low-risk sports, Cross Country and Golf and the moderate-risk sports, Field Hockey, Soccer, and Girls’ volleyball must undergo modifications, some significantly changing the look of the game, to adhere to the EEA/DESE guidelines. Those MIAA-sport committees are working on that goal now. Girls’ volleyball, as an indoor sport, has some very significant hurdles for high school programs to overcome.

Please be patient as our twelve districts individually tackle the DESE parameters and logistics of implementing their return-to-learning models. We hope to know more in the coming week or two what a Fall Sports season will look like. Each district’s School Committee is charged with approving the specific sports programs that will be offered at each of our schools. Once those details are gathered by our League ADs and Principals, schedules can be drawn up and approved for publication.

Please know we all want to see as many student-athletes return to the competitive playing field this Fall. The health and safety of our students is paramount in any and all of these decisions which are forthcoming.

Sincerely,
The Hockomock League ADs

Mark Houle, Attleboro
Danny Erickson, Canton
Joe Cusack, Foxboro
Tom Angelo, Franklin
Gary Brown, King Philip
Mike Redding, Mansfield
Peter Boucher, Milford
Kurt Kummer, North Attleboro
Bill Matthews, Oliver Ames
Nick Schlierf, Sharon
Ryan Donahue, Stoughton
Mark Ottavianelli, Taunton

Stoughton’s Ortiz, King Philip’s Roy Honored By PCA

Positive Coaching Alliance

Below is a release from the New England chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance. Stoughton’s Julia Ortiz (cross country, track) and King Philip’s Faith Roy (basketball) were two of five total students from New England selected as Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship winners.

Nixon, Sofia, Evan, Julia and Faith, selected from across New England as exceptional athletes and people, have endured challenges like no past PCA Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship winners. From Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, all five experienced a senior spring in lockdown with no sports, no proms, and no graduations. Senior spring is virtual, screen time is a burden, and those memories playing sports with friends are more precious than ever.

We cannot crown their senior spring by honoring them at our annual JEANS + JERSEYS: Positive Impact Celebration, which has been moved to a date TBD in the fall, so we are honoring them here, with the support of Insperity. An image, a quote, and a 1-minute video do not tell their whole stories, but know that all five have developed character, leadership, compassion, and resilience through sports, and that has helped them through life in this COVID-19 era. This group has resilience and more, making us hopeful for the future.

Join us in celebrating our 2020 Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship winners!