Baseball
North Attleboro, 9 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Buoyed by a big start, North Attleboro went on the road and returned home from Fino Field with a 9-2 win over Milford. The Rocketeers scored three runs in each of the first two innings and then tacked on single runs in three straight innings to get the win. Tyler DeMattio brought in the first run in the top of the first with a sacrifice fly and Jordan Paradis drove in two runs with a single to center to an early 3-0 lead. The Big Red doubled the advantage in the top of the second right after David Floyd escaped a bases-loaded situation in the bottom half of the first. DeMattio drew a bases loaded walk to bring in a run and Danny Curran followed with a two-run double to right to make it 6-0. Gio Martello (sac fly), Floyd (bases loaded walk), and DeMattio (sac fly) each brought a run in over the next three innings for North. Grant Scudo had an RBI single and scored after Damien Carter reached on an error. Floyd got the win, tossing four shutout innings with five hits, three walks, and five strikeouts. Paradis pitched three innings in relief with two runs (both unearned) allowed on three hits and a walk, striking out three.
Taunton, 8 vs. New Bedford, 0 – Final
Franklin, 8 vs. Framingham, 6 – Final – Franklin rallied to erase an early deficit and went ahead with a big fifth inning, let the lead slip away, but rallied once again to secure a win over Framingham. The visiting Flyers struck for three runs in the second and once in the top of the fifth to claim a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. Franklin’s offense came alive with five runs for a 6-4 lead but that quickly evaporated after Framingham tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth. But once again Franklin responded as Joe Tirrell delivered an RBI triple to score Ben Jarosz (triple) and Ryan Gerety followed with an RBI single to left to put Franklin ahead for good. Gerety had two hits while six other Panthers had one hit, including Evan Raider who had two RBI on the day. Raider, the Panthers’ fourth pitcher, earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk, striking out four in 2.2 innings of work. Austin Campbell tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in relief early in the game, allowing one hit and two walks with one strikeout.
Softball
Franklin, 3 vs. Abington, 9 – Final
Sharon, 0 @ North Attleboro, 17 – Final (5 inn.) – Mandi Hanewich had a big day at the plate and Zoey McDonough was dominant in the circle as the Rocketeers grabbed a big win over Sharon. Hanewich broke the game open in the second inning, blasting a three-run home run as one her four hits on the day. Ally Levine, Grace Simmons and Kelly Colleran had three hits apiece for the Rocketeers. McDonough tossed a no-hitter, retiring 15 of the 16 batters she faced with 10 strikeouts. Offensively, she helped her cause with a three-run home run while Emma Hanwell and Grace Barry each had a double, and Shaelyn Burns reached base three times.
Foxboro, 8 @ Uxbridge, 5 – Final – Foxboro went on the road and knocked off Uxbridge to make it four straight wins. Vittoria Cuscia tossed a complete game for the second straight game, striking out eight in the win. Offensively, she helped her cause with two hits while freshman Ava Hill drove in a pair of runs for the Warriors.
Boys Lacrosse
Milford, 5 @ North Attleboro, 16 – Final – North Attleboro took down visiting Milford and clinched the Davenport division title in the process. Connor Ruppert scored a pair of goals, including the 100th of his career, while Matt Antonetti added two goals and freshman Brady Backner scored three goals.
Mansfield, 4 @ Foxboro, 8 – Final – Conor Noone and Lincoln Moore each had five points as Foxboro doubled up on rival Mansfield. Noone had two goals along with three helpers while Moore scored a hat trick and added two assists in the win. Jack Avery and John Sacchetti each had a goal while Nate Urman made three saves in the fourth quarter for Foxboro.
Girls Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ North Attleboro, 10 – Final
Sharon, 7 @ Milford, 10 – Final – Milford erased an early deficit to tie the game by halftime, and then outscored the visiting Eagles to secure a win on senior night. Milford scored the first goal of the second half to make it 5-4 but two straight from Sharon put the visitors back in front with 12 minutes to go. Milford came right back with four straight goals to take the lead for good. Sharon cut the deficit down to two late but Emily Croteau put the game away with a late goal.
Boys Tennis
North Attleboro @ Oliver Ames – Postponed
Franklin, 5 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Franklin beat both the rain and rival King Philip, taking a 5-0 sweep on the road to clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title. The Panthers took all five matches in straight sets with Vayshanv Malhotra (6-1, 6-2), Sameen Shaik (6-1, 6-0), and Drew Mahoney (6-2, 6-1) taking care of business in singles action, and the teams of Thomas Broyles and Tyler Fitzpatrick (first doubles, 6-2, 6-3) and Jay Gorgas and Ahan Shetty (second doubles, 6-3, 7-5) sweeping doubles action.
Mansfield, 4 @ West Bridgewater, 1 – Final – Mansfield took both doubles matches and two more victories in singles action to sweep the season series against non-league foe West Bridgewater. Freshman Neema Khosravani earned a straight set win at second singles, dropping just two games on his way to a 6-1, 6-1 verdict while sophomore Iniyan Karruppusami prevailed from a hard-fought battle at third singles with a 7-5, 6-4 win. The team of Jonah Fine and Nikhil Nain earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at first doubles and Jacob Weiner and Josh Weiner rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Behind two wins from both singles and doubles action, Foxboro earned a division win over Canton at home. Athena Li rolled at first singles 6-0, 6-0 while Hailey Kornbluth added a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles. The team of Abby Costa and Juliana Preston secured a 6-4, 6-2 win at first doubles for the Warriors and Emily Stow and Sydney Lebow added a 6-4, 6-2 win at second doubles. Canton’s Olivia Maloney emerged from a hard-fought, competitive match at third singles with a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 10-7 win.
King Philip @ Franklin – Postponed to 5/25
Milford @ Whitinsville Christian, 3:30
Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 @ King Philip, 0 – Final
Milford, 3 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 0 – Final
Baseball
Sharon, 4 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final (8 inn.) – After seeing its two-run lead disappear, Sharon tacked on two runs in the top of the eighth to get an extra-innings win on the road over Attleboro. The Eagles had a 2-0 lead after an inning of play but the Bombardiers put up one in the third and one in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Nate Yaffe led off with a walk and Ryan Baker reached on a bunt. A sac bunt from Will Hippler moved both runners up and Dan Okstein drove in Yaffe with an RBI single. Baker then came home on a double steal to put the Eagles ahead 4-2. Sophomore Luke Meixel got the win, tossing an eight-inning complete game. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and three walks, striking out four. Sharon took the lead in the first in similar fashion to how they scored in the eighth with Yaffe walking and Baker reaching on a bunt. Hipper had an RBI single and Baker came home to score on an error. Attleboro cut the deficit in half in the third when Cooper Johnson walked and courtesy runner Evan Houle came around to steal home. In the bottom of the seventh, Billy Saltmarsh had a lead off single and pinch runner Ethan Lako stole second, and took the next two bags, each on a passed ball.
Mansfield, 10 @ Canton, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Mansfield senior Anthony Sacchetti dazzled on the mound, allowing just one hit and one walk in five shutout innings of work to lead the Hornets to their fourth straight win. The Bulldogs had a two-out walk in the second and Matt Chafin had a leadoff single in the fourth, but Sacchetti retired the side in order in the first, third, and fifth innings and finished with eight strikeouts. Offensively, the Hornets continued to get the offense going early with three runs in the first, three more in the second, and two apiece in the third and fourth innings. Conner Zukowski (two hits, run), Matt DeShiro (two hits, two runs, walk), and Connor Curtis (hit, run) each drove in two runs for the Hornets.
Milford, 1 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final (10 inn.) – Foxboro senior Liam Mulkern had a one-out single with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Warriors walked off with a win over Milford. Jack Watts led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a walk to Louis Carangelo. After a strikeout, Tom Marcucella drew a walk to load the bases and Mulkern hit a 1-1 pitch into left to bring in Watts for the win. Sean O’Leary got the win in relief, tosing 5.1 shutout innings with just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Matheiu Sullivan got the start for the Warriors, allowing one earned run on three hits and two talks, striking out three in 4.2 innings. Foxboro took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth when Kenny Mello tripled and then scored on a wild pitch. Milford answered in the top of the fifth when Grant Scudo walked, was sacrificed over to second by Tyler Lane, and scored on an RBI double from freshman Ian Carter. Junior Tyler Caldon was strong on the mound for the Hawks, allowing just one run in eight innings, with just five hits and two walks along with 11 strikeouts.
Franklin, 8 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Holding a 1-0 lead after four innings, Franklin scored seven runs over the final three innings to pull away for an 8-0 victory on the road at Stoughton. The Panthers had 11 hits as a team with Ryan Gerety (two RBI, run), Jack Marino (RBI, run), and Joe Tirrell each recording two apiece. Jace Lyons recorded three RBI on the day while Marino, Chris Goode, and Evan Raider each drove in one. Jacob Jette earned the win on the mound with six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts for the win. Evan Voellmicke tossed a scoreless inning in relief, walking one and striking out three.
King Philip, 9 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – King Philip scored once in the fourth, twice in the sixth, and then exploded for six runs in the seventh to secure a big win on the road at Frothingham. Senior Quin Garstka had the best start of his career, tossing a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out seven for the win. Matt DiFiore drew a two-out bases loaded walk to bring Brendan Sencaj home for the first run of the game in the fourth. The Warriors plated two more two-out runs in the sixth as Max Robison had an RBI double to score Rudy Gately (walk) and Robison eventually came around to score on a wild pitch after back-to-back walks to DiFiore and Eli Reed. KP loaded the bases again in the seventh and Will Astorino was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, Robison drove in a pair with another double, Reed plated two with a double of his own, and Travis Crawford had an RBI triple to left to make it 9-0.
Taunton, 10 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final (6 inn.) – Taunton junior Ryan MacDougall tossed a one-hit six inning shutout while striking out nine and the Tigers used a seven-run sixth inning to put the game away. MacDougall issued just two walks with the lone hit coming with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Offensively, Taunton took a 1-0 lead in the third on a solo home run from Braden Sullivan, and then pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs (MacDougall and Evan Cali RBI). Dawson Bryce cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the top of the sixth, Sullivan brought in two more, Colby DeCouta had an RBI, and AJ Lewis singled in the final run to make it 10-0.
Softball
Sharon, 0 @ Attleboro, 17 – Final (5 inn.)
Canton, 5 @ Mansfield, 17 – Final (5 inn.) – Mansfield erased a five-run deficit by scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning, all with two outs, to take the win over the visiting Bulldogs. Canton went up 1-0 in the third and tacked on four more in the fourth for a 5-0 lead but the Hornets’ bats came alive to surge ahead. With the bases loaded in the bottom half, Cate Kipp had an RBI single, Callie Lake and Liv Madeira drew back-to-back walks, and Casey Mousette (two hits, three RBI) had a two-run hit. After two walks loaded the bases again, Molly Kucharshi (three hits, four RBI) had a bases-clearing double for a 9-5 lead. Olivia DeTrolio added a two-run single two at-bats later for an 11-5 lead. The Hornets stayed hot in the fifth as well with Mousette, Alanna Conley, Jill Koppy (two RBI), and Kucharski all driving in runs. Amanda Schwarz and Julia Kelly shared pitching duties for the Hornets, allowing seven hits.
Foxboro, 9 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Peyton Feldman shined defensively for the Warriors, setting the tone in a 9-2 win on the road. Feldman put the end to a Milford rally with a terrific diving play up the middle, and also turned a double playe later on with a great catch on a ball destined for the outfield. Emma Callahan got the win in the circle. Milford sophomore Camille Bonina had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for the Scarlet Hawks.
Stoughton, 5 @ Franklin, 11 – Bottom 4th (Delay)
Oliver Ames, 4 @ King Philip, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Lexi Galsband blasted a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to put the Tigers ahead 2-1 but KP responded with three runs in the bottom half and three more in the fifth and emerged with a win over a game OA squad. After Galsband’s blast, KP’s Liv Petrillo answered with a two-run double to put the hosts back ahead, and two at-bats later, Sarah Cullen followed with a two-out RBI double for a 4-2 lead. In the fifth, Meg Sherwood sent a leadoff solo shot over the fence in left and two batters later, Taylor Regan drove one just inside the foul poll for another solo shot. Charlotte Raymond singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI ground out from Mia Bennett for a 7-2 lead. OA got one back in the sixth on an RBI single from Emily Martin, and Caitlin Miller drove in a run with a two-out single in the seventh. The Tigers brought the tying run to the plate but Jordan Bennett got a ground out to second for the final out.
North Attleboro, 4 @ Taunton, 16 – Final (6 inn.) – Taunton belted out 15 hits and stole seven bases on its way to a big win over visiting North Attleboro. North took a 1-0 lead after an inning but the Tigers pushed across six run in the seven and scored multiple runs in each of the next five innings. Senior Katelyn Bizarro led the charge with a team-high four hits and scored three runs while Ava Venturelli went 3-for-4, with a home run and two doubles, driving in three and scoring three. Brooke Aldrich, Liv Mendonca, and Cate Larson all drove in a pair of runs in the win as well. Larson got the win on the circle, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and no walks, striking out six in six innings of work. North senior Shaelyn Burns went 3-for-3 on the day, including a double, and drove in three runs.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 11 @ Sharon, 13 – Final – Sharon used a balanced attack with six different goal scorers to earn a close win over visiting Attleboro. Ben Shocket (24-for-28 on faceoffs) and Brady Daylor each had three goals to lead the charge, Sam Rothbaum, Ryan Brown, and Edward Bondar each scored twice, and Matt Harsfield added one goal in the win. Matt Powers made eight saves in net for the Eagles.
Mansfield, 6 @ Canton, 8 – Final
King Philip, 12 @ Foxboro, 10 – Final – For Foxboro, Conor Noone (three assists) and Tony Sulham each had a hat trick, Lincoln Moore added two goals, and Dylan Kerrigan and Jon Sacchetti each scored once.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 24 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
Sharon, 2 @ Attleboro, 16 – Final – For Sharon, Bailey Garte scored both goals.
Canton, 10 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Canton built a four-goal lead at halftime but had a to hold off a pesky Mansfield squad for a one-goal win on the road. The Bulldogs took a 6-2 lead at the break but the Hornets continually came back, making it a one-goal game at 7-6, 8-7, 9-8, and eventually the final score of 10-9. Ella Yeaton led the offense with four goals, Fay Gallery added two goals and two assists, Emily McCabe scored a hat trick, Allie McCabe chipped in with one goal, and Devan Spinale had one helper. Elyse Broderick made five saves in net for the Bulldogs.
Foxboro, 9 @ King Philip, 10 – Final – King Philip built a four-goal lead at halftime and then held off second half push from Foxboro to secure a key league win. Lily Brown (one assist), Makenzie McDevitt, and Abby MacDonald each scored a pair of goals to lead KP’s balanced attack. Both McDevitt (eight draw controls) and Julia Marsden (five controls, one goal) did well on the draw while Haley Izydorczak (one goal, four assists) helped set the offense in motion. Emily Campbell had a huge game in net for the hosts, making eight saves to help KP hold on for a one-goal win. Foxboro also had a balanced attack with Mya Waryas, Paige Curran (assist), Val Beigel (two assists), and Cate Noone finding the back of the net twice apiece. Mary Collins added one goal and Audrey Campbell had five saves in net for Foxboro.
Franklin, 20 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final
Taunton, 6 @ Milford, 12 – Final – Milford’s Aislinn Bennett scored five goals as the Scarlet Hawks picked up their second straight win at home, this time over visiting Taunton. Emily Croteau added two goals in the win while Carly Haley, Jill Araujo, Jordan Douglas, Erin Michelson (three assists), and Ava Lebel (first career goal) each found the back of the net once. Caitlyn Bangert made six saves in net while junior Molly Hartman had a standout performance defensively. For Taunton, Cali Melo scored a team-high four goals while Maddison Szala and Caroline Vallarelli each scored once for the Tigers.
Boys Tennis
Sharon, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Sharon went on the road and took all five matches in straight sets to take down the Bombardiers. Matthew Lally picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win at first singles, Alex Budovalcev added a 6-3, 6-0 decision at second singles, and Jacob Slavsky secured a 6-1, 6-1 victory at third singles. In doubles action, Mitch Weiss and Ruemon Bhattacharyya continued their stellar season with a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles while Savir Basil and Sava Kassev added a 6-2, 6-3 win at second doubles.
Canton @ Mansfield – Delayed
Foxboro @ Milford, 3:45
Stoughton, 1 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Behind two wins from singles action and two wins in doubles play, Franklin defended home court against visiting Stoughton. Vayshnav Malhotra didn’t drop a set in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at first singles while sophomore Ahan Shetty added a 6-4, 6-0 win at third singles for the Panthers. At first doubles, the team of seniors Tim O’Keefe and Aidan Karlowicz grabbed a 6-0, 6-4 win while the team of sophomore Jay Gorgas and junior Tyler Fitzpatrick emerged with a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Stoughton senior Anish Sinha prevailed 6-3, 6-0 at second singles.
Oliver Ames @ King Philip, 3:45
Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon freshmen Jenny Sand and Grace Zhang rallied from a one-set deficit to secure a win at second doubles, completing the Eagles’ 5-0 sweep of Sharon. Sand and Zhang prevailed 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 while Sharon’s first doubles team of seniors Ritu Sreeram and Sasha Fein secured a 6-0, 6-1 win. Sophomore Navya Shukla earned a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 win at first singles, junior Ale Aguilar grabbed a 6-4, 6-3 win t second singles, and freshman Judy Song was victorious, 6-1, 6-1, at third singles.
Mansfield, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Mansfield took both doubles matches and added one more win in singles action to grab a 3-2 decision on the road at Canton. Jillian Hanley and Savannah Carey grabbed a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles for the Hornets and Alexis O’Keefe and Claire Copp added a 6-2, 6-2 victory at second doubles. Caroline Guralage was the lone Hornet to win in singles action, prevailing 6-1, 6-1 at third singles. Canton’s Camila Cutter earned a 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and Laura Correal added a win at second singles.
Milford @ Foxboro, 3:45
Franklin, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Franklin went on the road and won all five matches in straight sets to take down host Stoughton. Izzy Trull (6-0, 6-1), Vedika Vinayak (6-0, 6-1), and Sarah Schiavo (6-4, 6-3) all won in singles action for the Panthers. In doubles action, the team of Chloe Essam and Shriya Rajesh picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at first doubles while Chloe Fales teamed up with Ava Davies for a 6-0, 6-4 victory at second doubles.
King Philip, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames continued its recipe for success with a sweep of doubles play and another win at third singles to take down visiting King Philip. Seniors Caroline Peper and Morgan Vasiliou earned a 6-2, 6-4 win at first doubles while the team of juniors Marina Mierzwinski and Olivia Querzoli took a 6-2, 6-3 decision at second doubles for the Tigers. Elizabeth O’Brien was the lone OA win in singles action, taking a 6-3, 6-4 victory. KP sophomore Shea Mellman earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at second singles. First singles did not finish due to weather.
Boys Volleyball
King Philip @ Norton, 5:00
Milford, 2 @ Natick, 3 – Final
Taunton vs. Barnstable, 5:15
Baseball
Foxboro, 11 vs. Quincy, 5 – Final – Foxboro erased a five-run deficit with a huge fifth inning to score a win over Quincy at Adams Field. The Warriors pushed across 10 runs in the fifth inning to turn a five-run deficit into a five-run cushion. Liam Mulkern (two RBI, two run) had three hits while Sean O’Leary (RBI) and Tyler Prescott (two RBI, run) each had two hits in the win. Ryan LeClair also drove in two runs while Kenny Mello and Louis Carangelo each had one RBI. After the Warriors took the lead, O’Leary came in and pitched three strikeout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out seven.
King Philip, 7 vs. Nipmuc, 1 – Final – King Philip bounced back from its first loss of the season by taking care of business in a win over visiting Nipmuc. The Warriors plated three runs in the first, tacked on single runs in the second and fifth, and had two runs in the fourth inning. Shawn Legere and Dan Nineve (two RBI) each had singles in the first to drive take a 3-0 lead. Legere extended the lead with a second inning sac fly, and both Eli Reed and Brendan Senjac each had an RBI single in the fourth inning. Nick Viscusi had a strong outing on the mound, allowing just one run (unearned) on three hits and one walk, striking out five in five inning of work. Senior Quin Garstka tossed two shutout innings in relief, striking out four without allowing a hit or a walk.
Milford, 3 vs. Oxford, 2 – Final – Milford overcame an early two-run deficit, plating all three of its runs in the bottom of the fourth in a win over visiting Oxford. Oxford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before Milford sophomore starter Anthony LaPierre settled down, pitching five straight shutout innings after. He finished with four strikeouts, four walks, and two earned runs on six hits. In the fourth, Alex McColl singled, Tyler Lane walked, and Grant Scudo singled to load the bases for the Hawks. Ian Carter drew a walk to bring in the first run, and two at-bats later, Damien Carter laced a two-out, two-run single to left field to put Milford ahead.
Stoughton, 5 @ Brockton, 3 – Final – Trailing 3-0 after three innings, Stoughton rallied for two in the fourth and three more in the sixth to break into the win column by knocking off the Boxers. With two outs, Sean Farley reached on an error allowing both Jonah Ly and Anthony Tilton (walk) to come home to score to make it a one-run game. The Black Knights added three more runs with two outs in the top of the sixth. Farley again reached on an error as Brad Franey and Tilton came home to score, and three pitches later, Anthony Girlamo hit a single to score Farley for a 5-3 lead. Sophomore Hunter Malkin allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out four in 3.1 innings of work. Tilton was strong in relief, with just two hits and three walks allowed, striking out three in 3.2 scoreless innings.
Softball
Foxboro, 1 @ Silver Lake, 13 – Final
Sharon vs. Duxbury, 2:00
King Philip, 13 @ Milford, 1 – Final (5 inn.) – King Philip scored in each inning, including a five-fun fourth inning to blow it open for a win on the road over Milford. The Warriors had nine hits as a team, including a team-high three hits from Charlotte Raymond, who also had four RBI and three runs scored. KP also showed patience at the plate with eight walks on the day, two apiece from Meg Sherwood (run) and Taylor Regan (run). Sarah Cullen and Caitlyn Sencaj each added an RBI double in the win. Jordan Bennett and Emma Sheehan combined to allow just one run and strike out 11. Sophomore Maddie Burns had an RBI double for the Scarlet Hawks, scoring classmate Sarah Wengal (walk) in the second inning.
Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 8 @ Ashland, 3 – Final – Sam Carlino led the charge with six goals as Canton went on the road and picked up a win over Ashland. Jeffrey Chaput added two goals while Sean Connolly, Brendan Tourgee, and AJ Thomas recorded an assist. Pat Drury had a big day in net, making 17 saves in the win.
Foxboro, 12 vs. Falmouth, 8 – Final – Foxboro bounced back from a loss in the opening round of the Chowda Cup to take down Falmouth. The Warriors had a balanced attack with Tommy Sharkey (two assists) and Lincoln Moore (assist) leading the way with four goals apiece while Conor Noone scored twice and had one assist, and Jack Avery and Ian Foley both scored once. Adam Addeche made seven saves in net while Finn Stapleton and Matt Grace both played well defensively in front of the cage.
Franklin, 21 vs. Walpole, 6 – Final – After an even first quarter (2-2), Franklin dominated the second with eight goals and never looked back in a win over visiting Walpole. The Panthers will take on St. John’s on Saturday at Lexington. Jayden Consigli led the charge offensively wiht seven goals and two helpers while Jake Davis (five goals, two assists) and Tyler Sacchetti (three goals, four assists) each added seven points in the win.
Mansfield, 0 vs. Norwell, 13 – Final
North Attleboro, 17 @ Silver Lake, 16 – Final (2OT) – Silver Lake scored as time expired in regulation to force the extra period but North Attleboro recovered to get the win in double overtime. Connor Ruppert (four goals, two assists) took a pass from Clayton Billingkoff (two goals, three assists), split a double team and deposited the winner into the back of the net. Brady Backner added a hat trick, Luke Ward scored twice, and Luke Antonetti added one goal for the Rocketeers. JT Gallagher had 12 saves, including some key stops in overtime to keep North alive. Jared Vacher continued to impress from the X, winning 26 of 33 faceoffs.
Oliver Ames, 4 @ Nipmuc, 12 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
King Philip, 8 vs. Medfield, 16 – Final – King Philip trailed by just three at halftime (6-3) but Medfield had a big second half to pull away for the win. Makenzie McDevitt had four goals for the Warriors while Lily Brown added a pair of goals. Head coach Kourtnie Wilder praised the defensive effort for Margo Riley and Sammy Cloutier.
Oliver Ames senior Jack Richardson struck out 10 in a five-inning effort against Milford. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
NORTH EASTON, Mass. — Oliver Ames senior Jack Richardson had strike three called for the final out of the top of the fifth inning and headed to the dugout with five shutout innings under his belt.
But an umpiring mistake on the third strike, which was dropped with runners on first and third, ended up being corrected and it put the batter on first to load the bases instead of the third out.
Oliver Ames baseball
Milford cashed in when sophomore Keith Lee snuck a grounder up the middle to plate two to make it 5-2, and the tying run came to the plate. But Richardson quickly jumped ahead of the next batter and induced a fly ball to left that was hauled in by a sliding Ian Kelly to get the third out, again.
That was the only damage done by the visiting Scarlet Hawks, as OA junior reliever Andrew Zagami pitched out of a bases-loaded threat an inning later and the Tigers secured a 5-2 win at Frothingham Park.
“We try to do one thing at a time and we focus on what we can control,” said Oliver Ames head coach Joe Abarr. “We don’t let the calls influence us, we ignore what’s going on in the stands, we just focus on the next pitch and try and be as competitive as possible. And I think Jack has bought into that completely. You see it at the plate, he’s unshakable in the box. He’s been a tremendous leader for us at the plate, on the mound, he’s been phenomenal.”
Richardson (5IP, 2R, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 10K) worked around a leadoff walk (erased by catcher Nathan Carpentier at second) in the first, stranded runners at second and third with a big strikeout in the second, and retired the side in order in the top of the third.
OA left a runner at second in both the first and second innings but finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Nathanial Lewis reached on a one-out single and advanced to second on a single from Patrick Finnerty. Lewis came in to score on a single from Ian Kelly, and both Finnerty and Kelly moved up a bag on the throw.
A walk to Jake Waxman loaded the bases and Richardson came through to help his own cause, smacking a single to bring in two runs. Two batters later, Joe Cicchetti was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Carpentier connected on a two-out single to bring in two more runs for a 5-0 lead.
“I think we’re getting a little more confident at the plate, we had good at-bats both yesterday (at Canton) and today,” Abarr said. “And it’s getting to be contagious too. Now we have a little bit of a gap until our next game next week so we have to keep that mindset rolling until then.”
Oliver Ames baseball
Milford sophomore Anthony LaPierre (6IP, 5ER, 7H 3BB, 4K) bounced back with a strikeout to end the inning, stranding runners at first and second.
LaPierre finished the game strong, only allowing three Tigers to reach in the final three innings. The tall righty sat the home side down in order in the fourth, erased a walk with a 6-3 double play by shortstop Damien Carter to first baseman Evan Cornelius, and ended the inning with a fly ball to center after an infield single from OA’s Jack Muir.
“I thought Anthony LaPierre did a really good job for his first varsity start as a sophomore, before and after that inning really settling down keeping them five to give us an opportunity,” said Milford head coach Alex Dion. “Obviously we didn’t capitalize on it, but for his first varsity start, I was impressed with that.
“I think we’re seeing some growing pains right now, when we have the opportunity to make a play, we just aren’t making. We were a play or two away from getting out of that inning with two runs instead of five, and then it’s a different game.”
After OA’s big third inning, Cornelius drew a one-out walk but Richardson got all three outs via strikeout.
“I told him that was one of the best high school pitching performances that I’ve seen,” Abarr said. “He had great stuff, he had swing and miss stuff, but he was willing to attack and get those swinging strikes. And he himself made a couple tremendous defensive plays. I give him a tremendous amount of credit and I think the rest of the guys saw what he was doing and bought into it.”
An infield error allowed Ian Carter to reach in the top of the sixth for the Hawks and a passed ball and wild pitch moved him all the way to third. After Tyler Lane drew a walk, the Tigers went to their second reliever of the day in junior Andrew Zagami.
Zagami got the second out with a pop-up to the shortstop Jack Morley but a two-out walk to Grant Scudo loaded the bases for the Hawks, with Scudo representing the tying run at first. Zagami induced a grounder to third and got the force out at the bag to escape any damage.
Zagami closed the game by retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh.
“He fills up the strike zone, that’s his thing,” Abarr said of Zagami. “He’s worked on holding runners and looked pretty good today in that regard. He loves baseball, he wants to get out and throw strikes, work with his catching staff, and he went out there and did exactly what we needed him to do today.”
Oliver Ames baseball (4-1 Hock, 4-1 overall) is off until next Wednesday when it hosts non-league foe Dighton-Rehoboth at Frothingham. Milford (2-2, 2-2) returns home for a date with Mansfield on Friday.
2021 Record: 5-11 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round Coach: Steve Dunlea
With a good mix of new faces and experienced veterans, Attleboro is aiming to be in the mix of a loaded Kelley-Rex division. For the Bombardiers, it will lean heavily on a deep pitching staff.
It starts with seniors Billy Saltmarsh, who is committed to UMass Dartmouth, and Cian Kelleher, who is committed to Stonehill. They’ll be joined in the rotation by junior lefty Danny Johnson while senior Jamie Bloch and junior Sean O’Hara lend strength to the relief corps. Sophomore Matt Harvie, sophomore Johnny Pagano, and freshman Tyler Dunlea will also be in the mix to see innings on the mound.
Senior captain Owen Taber (UMass Dartmouth) will be an anchor of the Bombardier defense at second base while juniors Peter DelPozzo and Cooper Johnson, along with Pagano, look to fill in at shortstop as senior captain Evan Houle works his way back from an injury from basketball season. Johnson, DelPozzo, and Dunlea are in the mix for the starting job at third while Bloch (committed to UMaine Farmington) and Christian Dame provide depth at first base.
In the outfield, senior Nate George will cover a lot of ground from his spot in centerfield, and the Bombardiers will rotate between Parket Sacket, Hayden Hagerty, Ben Hochwarter, Danny Johnson, Brody McKenna, and Harvie for the other two outfielder spots. Junior Aidan Hochwarter provides a steady presence both at the dish and behind the plate at catcher.
“The strength of this team is its chemistry,” said Attleboro head coach Steve Dunlea. “We have a great group of returning players who have really worked hard to build a team bond through the pandemic. I give a lot of credit to the captains from last year and this year. Despite the challenges they faced with COVID, they were able to rebuild the chemistry of the Attleboro baseball program that was lost when the 2020 season was canceled.”
2021 Record: 8-7 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South First Round Coach: Ben Shuffain
Canton got off to a great start to the 2021 campaign, winning six of their first seven games but ended up with a first-round exit in the playoffs. With a strong core of returning players plus a couple of promising young players, the Bulldogs are aiming to get back to the postseason again this season.
The Bulldogs certainly have some holes to fill with the loss of a talented senior class and the departure of ace Andrew Middleton. Fourth-year head coach Ben Shuffain will lean on captains Andy Butler and Matt Chafin to lead the charge this season, along with three-year players Nico Bonanno, Matt Quan, and Zach Peters. Chafin was one of the best offensive players in the league last year, finishing second with a 0.442 average.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
Shuffain has a lot of options for pitching, with at least a dozen choices to fill out the rotation and relief corps. Jay Kelleher, Hayden Rose, and Owen Lane will all be in the mix for innings on the mound. Matty Lesser, James Young, Jack Digirolomo, and freshman Kyle Redquest will work the infield while the catching duties will fall to Sean Sullivan and Matt Hart.
“We are a very experienced team with a lot of guys with a lot of innings pitched from last season and wins under their belt,” Shuffain said. “With a few of last year’s backups moving into starting roles and the addition of a few younger guys and the experienced upperclassmen this team should have a good season as they will continue to work hard on the field and in the weight room.”
2021 Record: 5-10 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 3 South Preliminary Round Coach: Derek Suess
Foxboro has some of the top returning talents in the league but will look for some of its younger players to provide the depth needed to compete for a division title this season.
Junior captain Sean O’Leary is one of the top arms in the league and has a lot of varsity experience under his belt already. He will be the ace of the staff that will also feature junior Mathieu Sullivan, who made his varsity debut last season, and freshman Nolan Gordon, who has impressed during the preseason. Pitching depth will come from seniors Andrew Peterson, Tom Marcucella, Liam Mulkern, and junior Alex Stern.
Senior captain Tom Marcucella is one of the most experienced players in the league and his versatility gives head coach Derek Suess a lot of options in the infield. Marcucella can play at any of the four infield spots but will spend the majority of his time at first base. Junior Ryan LeClair is back in the mix at shortstop after a breakout season a year ago, sophomore Tyler Prescott is back for his second year with the squad, and freshman Ryan O’Leary offers a solid bat and glove. Senior Kyle Smith and junior Josh Connolly provide solid depth in the infield.
Senior captain and three-sport star Jack Watts will patrol center field for the Warriors and will be flanked by juniors Kenny Mello and Louis Carangelo, all three looking to make an impact with their bats this season. When not pitching, Gordon will also be in the mix for some innings in the outfield and sophomore Shane Henri gives Suess another solid option. Mulkern is the starting catcher with freshmen Ben Angelini and Mike Marcucella in the mix as well.
“We have great leadership from our captains and upperclassmen which has set the tone for the rest of our guys,” Suess said. “The underclassmen have bought in and can contribute right away. We must embrace the daunting challenge of playing in the Hock, and compete with confidence to give ourselves the best chance to reach our goals.”
2021 Record: 16-2 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Final Coach: Zach Brown
Franklin graduated some of the best players in the league after last season, but the Panthers still have a loaded lineup and a deep and talented pitching staff that could result in a very deep playoff run.
Not many teams could lose one of the best hitters in the league (Nate Cooke, 0.429) and one of the best catchers in the league (Jake Fitzgibbons, 0.353) and still boast one of the best lineups in the league but that’s how deep the Panthers are. Jack Marino, Ben Jarosz, and Chris Goode were all among the league leaders offensively a season ago, and Franklin also has sophomore Henry Digiorgio and junior Eisig Chin back after picking up a year of varsity experience. Junior Ryan Gerety, a Northeastern commit, is one of the best fielders in the region and is very dangerous at the plate.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
And after surrendering a league-low 40 runs last season, Franklin returns its entire rotation. Jacob Jette had a great junior season and will be one of the best pitchers in the Hock while junior Alfred Mucciarone will look to build upon a solid sophomore campaign. Relievers James Kuczmiec and Ethan Voellmicke dominated last season, coming in time after time and shutting opponents down.
2021 Record: 8-8 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round Coach: Jeff Plympton, Jr.
It was a good start for head coach Jeff Plympton as the Warriors won eight games last season and went to the playoffs, bowing out to eventual state champions Xaverian.
King Philip has the majority of its lineup back and will be looking to make some noise in a very competitive Kelley-Rex division. After averaging almost five runs a game last year, the Warriors have some key bats back in the lineup this year. Senior Shawn Legere is a returning league all star that starts at shortstop and is coming off a season in which he hit 0.386 and scored a league-best 16 runs. Rudy Gately had a breakout sophomore season and will be a key bat in the lineup again this year.
Gately will also be a go-to option on the mound for Plympton after going 4-0 last season, striking out 33 in 34.1 innings of work with an impressive 1.03 ERA. Tommy Martorano also gained a lot of experience last year as a sophomore and will give the Warriors a solid 1-2 punch for its starting rotation.
“We have a lot of arms to roll out if we need them which is great,” Plympton said. “Shawn Legere provides great leadership to the team and demands hard work at practice and games. Our fielding should be strong this year but I’m looking forward to watching our offense. Last year we struggled at the plate but this year looks promising. Last season we notched our first playoff win in over a decade and we look to keep those strides moving forward this year.”
2021 Record: 8-8 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round Coach: Chris Hall
With a talented and experienced pitching staff and a list of players eager to make a name for themselves at the dish, Mansfield enters the season with the goal of challenging for the Kelley-Rex division title.
The Hornets were young last spring, and a lot of players earned their first varsity starts on the mound and at-bats. Mansfield has the majority of its team back and will be looking to turn that valuable experience into a successful 2022 campaign. They certainly aren’t shying away from testing that talent with defending state champions Xaverian, Maryland powerhouse Archbishop Spalding, and other top teams on its schedule along with a loaded Hock schedule.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
Seniors Anthony Sacchetti, Aaron Blinn, Jimmy Gilleran, and Colby Geddis highlight a deep and talented pitching staff for the Hornets. All of those arms got their feet wet during last year’s season and now give head coach Chris Hall a lot of flexibility with his rotation. There won’t be a drop off as the games go on with four solid options.
The big challenge for the Hornets a season ago was offense, scoring a division low 57 runs. With a strong offseason under their belts, there are a lot of names eager to step up and improve that number. Sacchetti, Gilleran, Geddis, and classmates Andrew Slaney and Jared Fraone will try to lead the way while juniors Conner Zukowski, Sam Martin, Caden Colby, Aidan Jones, and Rocco Scarpellini are all in the mix. Sophomores Connor Curtis and Jake Maydak both played varsity last year and could be impact players right away. Behind the dish, Aidan Jones and Wyatt Bolduc are battling for the starting spot at catcher after the Hornets lost senior Liam Anastasia to an injury.
“The keys to success this season rely heavily on every player doing their job,” Hall said. “The Hornets bring a well-rounded roster to the table and expect to compete all season long. Pitching and defense continue to be a strength for the Hornets. Offensively, the Hornets look to use a variety of talent to score runs and win baseball games.”
2021 Record: 5-9 2021 Finish: Missed Postseason Coach: Alex Dion
There were some growing pains for the Hawks a season ago with a young squad, but with just five players graduated from a year ago, the Hawks are hoping to be a contender in a deep Kelley-Rex division.
Head coach Alex Dion plans to get contributions from all four classes this season, starting with a strong group of seniors that cover the field. Tyler Lane and Grant Scudo will see time in the outfield, Justin Luchini mans first base, Alex McColl can play in a number of spots in the infield, Cole Forrest is a versatile weapon, and John Denegris is an option on the mound.
The rotation will be anchored by junior Evan Cornelius, junior Tyler Caldon, and sophomore Anthony LaPierre. Cornelius started every game for the Hawks last season and will play at first when he’s not on the mound. Caldon and LaPierre, both right-handed pitchers, are up from the JV squad and have impressed in the early going.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
Offensively, sophomore Keith Lee picked up valuable experience after starting nine games as a freshman last season. He will start behind the dish and be one of the most important bats in the lineup. Sophomores Damien Carter and Sean McGee also started last season and will make up Milford’s middle infield.
“I am excited about the potential that this group has,” Dion said. “With strong senior leadership and varsity players in all four grades we have an opportunity to compete this year and for years to come. This is a great league and I have a lot of respect for the other teams in it. It starts on the mound and if we can get quality pitching out of the arms that we have here we have a chance to compete. We will have to win games in a variety of ways and I believe that we have the athletes to do that.”
2021 Record: 12-5 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Semifinal Coach: Mike Hart
After splitting the division title a season ago, the Rocketeers enter the 2022 campaign with a chance at winning back-to-back division titles for the first time in 30 years.
Replacing ace Dennis Colleran won’t be easy but North Attleboro has some solid arms on the mound including senior Danny Curran and senior David Floyd, who missed last season. Curran went 2-0 last year and struck out 22 in 23 innings of work with a 3.65 ERA. Head coach Mike Hart also has pitching options in senior Anthony Wescott, and juniors Jordan Paradis, Derek Maceda, and Ayden Delaney.
One of the big reasons the Rocketeers had such success last season was their offense, which scored a Davenport division 110 runs. Maceda was one of the best bats in the league and will patrol the outfield for the Big Red along with Curran, Paradis, and senior Christian Bates. In the infield, Floyd will be joined by classmates Brody Rosenberg, Gavin Wells, and Nik Kojoian, and senior Tyler Bannon will patrol shortstop. Junior Aidan Conrad had a breakout season starting behind the dish a year ago.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
“We’re going to look to put a lot of pressure on other teams offensively,” Hart said. “We have many capable pitchers who can provide quality innings. We feel our defense will limit mistakes and not give many runs away. If we want to have a successful season we will need contributions from everybody on the roster on a daily basis. We will rely on our senior leadership and experience to guide us through the season. We need guys to excel in their role and focus on the job at hand.”
2021 Record: 9-6 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South First Round Coach: Joe Abarr
After earning a share of the Davenport title last season, the Tigers have the pieces in place to make another run at the division crown this year.
A combination of veterans and new faces eager to make an impression gives head coach Joe Abarr a nice mix to work with. Offensively, the Tigers will look for their senior captains to lead the way. Jake Waxman will play first base and potentially some outfield and is one of the best bats in the Hockomock League while Joe Cicchetti could also see time at first as well as the outfield, and is a strong two-way player. Patrick Finnerty is back in the mix after a strong junior season.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
On the mound, OA has a pair of lefties at the top of the rotation. Nick Clark (3-0, 2.78, 32K) and Jack Richardson (2-2, 2.07, 21K) are both coming off great junior seasons and will give the Tigers a solid 1-2 punch on the mound this year. Richardson will also see time in the outfield and will be a key piece of the lineup offensively.
“We have a good mix of returners and young talented players looking for opportunities to help our team win,” Abarr said. “We are excited for a full ‘normal’ season back in the Hock.”
2021 Record: 3-12 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Preliminary Round Coach: Andrew Poliferno
Sharon enters the season with a roster eager to compete among the Hockomock League’s top teams, but the Eagles will have to do so all on the road this season. With the construction of the new high school currently underway where Sharon’s field was, it will be all road trips for the Eagles this season.
It will start with the 10 seniors on the team, including captains Dan Okstein and Dylan Labbe. Okstein is back after an injury limited his time a year ago and will be a key piece in the lineup offensively. He will be the anchor of the outfield, playing mostly in left but could also see time in center. Labbe has a ton of varsity experience and will be the ace of the pitching staff this year. Also on the mound returns sophomore Luke Meixel, one of the league’s breakout players last year as a freshman. junior Alex Coughlin, Ryan Baker, Zach Loomis, Jack Broughton, and Okstein will also be in the mix for innings on the mound.
Offensively, Nate Yaffe is back after a great year at the dish a year ago and will take over at shortstop. Not only is Yaffe consistent with the bat, but he’s also very dangerous on the base paths. Another speedy option at the dish will be Palash Raina and the Eagles are hoping to get key contributions at the plate from Okstein and varsity newcomer Connor Blaney. Liam Conway takes over behind the dish and Will Hippler, Owen Kevorkian, Eli Greenfield, Josh Tolentino, and Jake Loomis are all in the mix for spots in the lineup as well.
2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
“As a second-year varsity coach, I couldn’t be prouder to see how ready our players are to play their 2022 season,” said Sharon head coach Andrew Poliferno. “It is evident our players worked hard during the off-season to prepare to compete in the Hockomock. Our players are gritty, determined, and not afraid to put in the hard work that it takes to improve. In addition to their drive to succeed, the team vibe is positive and players go out of their way to encourage one another. I believe we have the makings of a very talented and passionate group of players ready to make noise for their 2022 season.”
2021 Record: 4-10 2021 Finish: Missed Postseason Coach: Kevin Carty
There will be a lot of new faces in the Stoughton lineup this season, and that goes for the dugout too as Kevin Carty takes over for Mike Armour, who was the longest-tenured coach in the Hockomock League.
Carty is going to lean heavily on his seniors, who make up over half of the Knights’ roster. There is a lot of versatility among the senior class as well with players like Joe McNulty and Jonah Ly, who could see time in the outfield, the infield, on the mound, and in McNulty’s case, even behind the dish. Brad Franey, Anthony Girolamo, Anthony Tilton, James Price, and Owen Wiesnberger are all seniors that are in the mix for infield spots.
Girolamo, Ly, and Price will be joined by sophomore Will Worsley, junior Jeriel Cuello, junior Sean Farley, junior Joe Rush, and sophomore Hunter Malkin as options on the mound for Carty.
“We have a deep group of seniors that will carry us this year,” Carty said. “These seniors are very athletic and can play anywhere on the field. They have the ability to be great leaders for the younger players. We will go as far as they carry us.”
2021 Record: 13-5 2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Semifinal Coach: Blair Bourque
Replacing a league MVP is never an easy task as the Tigers have to do with Danny MacDougall, but Taunton has a lot of depth and a lot of new faces looking to make a name for themselves as they help Taunton challenge for the Kelley-Rex title.
The strength of the 2022 Tigers will be offense and defense. Taunton has already lost some pitchers to injury so it will be a group effort on the mound this season. Coming off a season in which they scored 119 runs (nearly 7 runs a game), the offense will once again be a key component. Dawson Bryce had a breakout year after hitting 0.341 and driving in 12 runs a season ago, and junior Ryan MacDougall is one of the best power hitters in the league.
Seniors Evan Cali, Colby DeCouta, Colin Botelho, and junior Braden Sullivan are all very experienced at the varsity level and head coach Blair Bourque will lean on their leadership this season.
“Unlike in years past, we don’t have any true pitchers; our pitching staff consists of position players who will need to step up and give us an opportunity to compete,” Bourque said.”Offensively, we’ll look to have productive at-bats, be patient, and take advantage of mistakes. We should have one of the more productive offenses Taunton has had in some time. Although we’ll continue to play fundamental baseball, we hope to be able to capitalize when opportunity presents itself.”
Milford senior Tyler Lane (21) break away for a first quarter touchdown, helping the Hawks earn a win in their inaugural Thanksgiving Day game against Taunton. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
MILFORD, Mass. – Across the Hockomock League, there are Thanksgiving Day rivalries that stretch back decades. On Thursday morning, the two newest programs in the league squared off in the league’s newest holiday rivalry, kicking it off with a game that went right down to the wire.
Milford (9-3) pulled ahead by two scores in the fourth quarter but then had to hold on in the final minute, watching a deep pass drop incomplete to seal a 34-28 victory over Taunton (5-6) in their inaugural Thanksgiving Day game. It was Milford’s third win in three meetings between the two teams and during the trophy presentation both athletic directors spoke about their hopes that this will develop into a great end-of-season rivalry.
“A great program like Taunton, they’re going to continue to get better and better,” said Milford coach Dale Olson. “Milford had a great Thanksgiving opponent here back in the Mid-Wach days with Shrewsbury, hopefully we can turn that game into this game with Taunton.
Taunton coach Brad Sidwell added, “It’s great. If it’s anything like this one then it’s going to be a little bit of stress on Thanksgiving. It was back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”
Taunton had an extra week to prepare for the game, as the Hawks were playing a state semifinal last Friday, and the Tigers put that extra work into practice on the opening drive. Jacob Leonard ( 20-of-28, 202 yards) threw a perfect strike to Trent Santos (seven catches, 118 yards) for 19 to get to the Milford 37. Three plays later, Leonard’s sneak converted on fourth and inches and then he hooked up with Santos again for 25 yards and a touchdown.
The Hawks looked sluggish at the start, needing an emotional boost after the disappointment of the loss to King Philip. After a halfback pass went incomplete and Nathan LaPlante stuffed a play for a loss of five, Olson called timeout and gave his team a much-needed wakeup call.
“We sensed it. Only having a few days to prepare for a very good Taunton team, there’s a ton of skill on that team and the kids get after it, we knew we were going to have our hands full,” Olson explained.
Evan Cornelius (17-of-24, 154 yards) swung a pass to Tyler Lane for 17 and a first down. A 12-yard pass to Grant Scudo got the ball down to the Taunton 32 and Lane (16 carries, 108 yards) did the rest. The senior running back barreled through the line, breaking tackles, and then broke free in the secondary for a game-tying score.
After forcing a three-and-out, thanks to a sack by Cornelius (who was named Defensive MVP), the Hawks went right back to work. A completion to Jayden Agnew got the ball to the goal line, but then Taunton stuffed back-to-back runs, with Kasaan Jean-Baptiste and Ryan MacDougall combining to drop Lane at the four. On third and goal, Cornelius looked to the right and Faisal Mass tipped, picked off, and returned the pass 97 yards to put the Tigers back in front.
Milford’s offense was still moving the ball well and the Hawks marched right back down the field on the following possession. John Castillo sacked Cornelius for a loss of seven but on third and 17, Cornelius connected with Isaiah Pantalone (seven catches, 56 yards) for 18 and the first. Another third down and long pass hit Scudo for 25 to the one. This time, Cornelius was able to punch it in for the TD and tied it at 14-14.
Pantalone also provided a defensive spark, as his hit forced an Evan Perrotta fumble that was recovered by Alex McColl at the Taunton 41. Lane got an inch more than he needed on fourth and two to keep the drive moving but the Tigers were able to hold and force a field goal. Nicholas Araujo booted a 41-yard kick to make it 17-14.
“We get the deflection and the kid goes back 97 yards and changed the whole outlook on the game,” said Olson, “but I’m thankful we have a sophomore kicker who can kick the ball like that, he’s a huge weapon.”
The Tigers thought they had a chance to take the lead with a two-minute drive. Leonard scrambled for 21 yards on two plays to get to the Milford 22. On third and three from the 15, Leonard hit Jose Touron for 10 yards to the five and the Tigers scrambled to spike the ball and stop the clock with six seconds left. Sidwell was adamant the clock should’ve stopped seven seconds earlier on the first down and given Taunton two shots at the end zone. Instead, the Tigers got one and Scudo tackled Troy Santos a couple yards short as time expired.
Sidwell said, “The clock should stop on a first down, which it didn’t. I thought there were 12 seconds left, there were six. It was bad. It was awful. We had a timeout in our pocket to save. I’m very frustrated by the way that happened.”
Things went from back to worse at the start of the second half. Milford was forced to punt, but the ball appeared to bounce up off the leg of Nathan Keenan and was recovered by Eric Landry at the 32. On third and goal from the three, Cornelius was able to power into the end zone over the right side of the line for a 24-14 edge.
A three-and-out gave Milford the ball back with a chance to make things comfortable heading into the fourth quarter, but Taunton’s defense held again, stopping the Hawks at the 28. Araujo made sure that Milford got at least three points with a 45-yard field goal.
The visitors needed a break and Trent Santos gave them some momentum with a 31-yard return out to the 48. Two plays later, Santos was able to get separation on the near sideline and pulled in a 46-yard touchdown that cut the lead to six with 12 minutes to go.
Araujo was unable to hit from 51 yards, which gave Taunton the ball at its own 20. Leonard scrambled away from pressure but then attempted an underhand pass that Scudo was able to pick off and give the Hawks the ball at the 23. Pantalone followed the block of Marco Monteiro on a sweep, scoring from 10 yards out and seemingly putting the game away.
It only appeared to be over, as Taunton roared back into the game with a huge drive. Leonard moved the chains with a 13-yard scramble and then hit Santos for 16 yards to the Milford 31. On the next play, he threw a strike to Touron, who had gotten behind the secondary. Keenan’s extra point cut the lead to six.
“Our kids fight hard all the time,” Sidwell said. “It is hard on a younger quarterback when you have to throw it and they know it. He gave us a chance to win there at the end.”
The onside kick attempt was recovered at the Taunton 48 and the Tigers had one last chance. On third and two, Cornelius and Angelo Romero combined on a sack to force fourth and nine from the Taunton side of the 50. Leonard bought time in the pocket and looked deep for Santos, who beat his man, but the throw was a yard too far and Milford took home the win.
“That’s kind of been our M.O.,” said Olson. “We haven’t done anything easy over these past two seasons. We’ve played in a lot of tight games.
“When the kids needed to dig in, they dug in today. It’s been a great ride these last two years and to finish 9-3 the future is bright here in Milford.”
Milford senior Tyler Lane (21) rushed for more than 150 yards and scored a pair of second half touchdowns in a 21-7 win over Natick. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
MILFORD, Mass. – There are days when an offense can be creative, going with trick plays, receiver screens, deep throws trying to stretch the opposition and score in a hurry. In the playoffs, sometimes a more straightforward approach is required.
In the second half of Thursday night’s Div. 2 quarterfinal, Milford decided to take a decidedly old school plan of attack. Over two drives, the Hawks ran 33 plays, covered 173 yards, used up nearly half of the clock in third and fourth quarters, and scored a pair of touchdowns. Out of those 33 plays, only five were passes.
The ground game and a stout defense proved to be Milford’s best weapons, as the Hawks pulled out a 21-7 victory that moved them within one win of a first-ever trip to Gillette.
“I just told them, buckle up, we need to run the football,” said Milford coach Dale Olson about his message at halftime. “Three down box and sometimes it was a 3-2 or a 3-1, they were so concerned about our pass game. It’s so simple, I told the quarterback if it’s a limited box then run the football. It wasn’t Evan’s best night throwing the football but he ran the ball like a man tonight.”
Natick was in Milford territory in seven of its eight drives on the night, but many times that was the result of great starting field position. The 35-yard-line was the furthest that Natick started any of its first half drives, but the Milford defense kept finding ways to keep them out of the end zone.
On the first possession, a big tackle on the edge by Nicholas Araujo and Jayden Archeval forced third and long. Grant Scudo broke up the third down play to end the drive. The second drive ended after Keith Lee stuffed a run on second down and then Scudo dropped a third-down screen pass attempt for a loss.
The visitors finally broke through on their third possession, which they started at their own 45. After converting on third down, Colby LeBlanc was able to buy time in the pocket, eluding the rush and giving time for a receiver to come free. Mathew Pole found himself open in the seam and it turned into a 43-yard touchdown.
Milford moved the ball on its second possession, with Evan Cornelius (13-of-25, 129 yards) hitting Cameron Phillipss for a big conversion on third and eight. Cornelius (11 carrries, 61 yards) also converted third and short with a 10-yard keeper. After getting inside the Natick 30, things stalled. David Seiche nearly intercepted a pass and on fourth and four a screen pass to Damien Carter was stuffed for a loss.
Its first possession after Natick took the lead ended with a Seiche interception, but Milford’s defense forced a punt and the Hawks took over at their own 20. Scudo broke an 18-yard draw up the middle that put Milford into Natick territory and, on third and eight, Cornelius looked down the near sideline to Isaiah Pantalone (four catches, 54 yards), who was finally able to get just enough separation to haul in a 34-yard touchdown and tie the game with 2:20 before halftime.
Momentum seemed to be with the home side, especially when Nizayah Montas fumbled near midfield and Scudo recovered. A big completion over the middle to Jayden Agnew (five catches, 45 yards) gained 17 and got the Hawks to the 26. They managed to spike the ball with one tick remaining on the clock, but Araujo’s 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Seiche had a big kickoff return to start the third quarter, putting Natick at the 46, but on third down and short Alex McColl was able to stop Montas for no gain and force a punt. The ball was downed at the nine and Milford went to work behind its big offensive line.
Scudo, Cornelius, and Tyler Lane were finding running room and grinding out yards and first downs. An 11-yard keeper got the Hawks out to the 35 and then Lane went up the gut for 11 more. On third and one from the Natick 35, Lane burst through the line and then bounced it out to the left, finally being dragged down after a 23-yard gain. Three plays later, he was able to cash in from the one to put the hosts ahead for good.
Milford’s pass defense continued to be excellent with Archeval and Matt Girard both breaking up passes to force another punt. This time, the Hawks started at their own 18 but 18 plays and nearly 9-1/2 minutes later they were back in the end zone.
Olson said, “I said to them we need a championship drive right now and we’re going to run the football right down their throats and, if we can do that, we’re going to go play for the right to go to Gillette.”
Cornelius started the drive with a 13-yard completion to Nick Schuler and he kept the chains moving with a five-yard pass to Pantalone for a first down at the Natick 43. Lane followed that with a 17-yard carry. Scudo, Cornelius, and Lane all got the ball, grinding down to the goal line and it was Lane (29 carries, 157 yards) who would punch it in from a yard out, making it 21-7 with just 4:27 to play.
“Tyler’s a dude,” Olson said. “I don’t want to give him the ball that much because he’s a great linebacker and early in the season we gave it to him 29 times in one game and the first two days after that game he was in an ice bath. He’s not the fastest kid in the world, but man he runs hard.” When told Lane’s stats for the game, Olson said with a smile, “That’s a great night.”
Milford (8-2) will face a rematch with a league foe in next week’s semifinal at a location to be determined. The Hawks will face either No. 3 King Philip, which beat Milford 17-14 on a last second field goal, or No. 6 Mansfield, which Milford beat 27-24 in overtime, for the right to play in the D2 Super Bowl.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this program in 20 months where it’s gone and it’s been the kids,” Olson explained. “They bought into the system and they’re playing well.”
Franklin’s Jonathan Martins (left) and Devine Johnson (right) tackle Milford quarterback Evan Cornelius in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
MILFORD, Mass. – When it comes to Hockomock League football, one of the first things you learn is to expect the unexpected.
Such was the case on Friday night as Milford and Franklin, the top two offenses in the Kelley-Rex division, ended up locked in a defensive battle. Both the Hawks and the Panthers entered the contest averaging just north of 30 points per game, but Friday’s contest featured just one trip to the end zone.
In the end, it was the Franklin defense that stood tallest, limiting the hosts to just four first downs and pitched a second half shutout to grab a 13-3 win to improve to 7-0 on the season.
The Kelley-Rex division title won’t be decided until Thanksgiving when the Panthers take on King Philip in a winner-take-all showdown. But first, the playoffs.
“I think sometimes just dictate themselves early,” said Franklin head coach Eian Bain. “There was a lot of feeling each other out early in the game. I thought we had a couple of chances to score in the first half and we only walked away with the three [points].
“In the second half, we had a really nice drive to get that score, which was huge. And we had a nice drive late [for the field goal]. It was two great defenses tonight, I think we’ve both done well against our opponents so I thought that might be the case…but it could have gone the other way too.”
Franklin had success on its early drives but its first foray into Milford territory — a nine-play drive — ended up with a turnover on downs just outside the red zone. The Panthers’ second drive lasted eight plays and got all the way down to the Milford 1-yard line, but the visitors had to settle for a 19-yard field goal from Garrett Portesi after a false start.
Milford didn’t have much success early on, punting on its first two drives. But the Hawks were able to orchestrate a response after Franklin took the lead. The hosts took advantage of a good kick return from Jack Veo, covering 39 yards on nine plays.
Facing a 4th and 2 at the Franklin 32-yard line, the Hawks elected to go for it and quarterback Evan Cornelius scampered for 19 yards to move the sticks. But the drive stalled from there as the Franklin defense limited the Milford offense to just two yards over the next three plays and the Hawks went with a 28-yard field goal from Nick Araujo with 7:21 left in the quarter.
After trading punts, Franklin marched into Milford territory late in the first half but Milford’s Angelo Romero and Mason Baldic combined for a sack, and Jared Arone’s (11/17, 129 yards) third down pass to Will Tracey was ruled incomplete, despite what looked like a good circus catch over the middle between two defenders, and the teams went into halftime knotted 3-3.
Franklin started the second half with a big bang, going with some misdirection to the left before Arone went back to the right and hit Shane Kindred in stride. Kindred used his speed to race away for a 71-yard completion down to the Milford 11-yard line.
Three plays later, Arone went with a bootleg and hit Tracey streaking across the back of the end zone for the lone touchdown of the game and a 10-3 lead less than a minute into the second half.
“We definitely want to make sure we’re getting our playmakers touches, and I think everyone had a touch or at least a target,” Bain said of going to Kindred early in the second half. “We had set up a lot of things but we didn’t get to them because of some situations in the first half.”
Franklin relied heavily on running back Mack Gulla (35 carries, 200 yards) for the majority of the game, but even more so in the second half. Of their 31 plays run in the second half, the Panthers handed the ball off to Gulla on 21 of them. Although he didn’t find the end zone in the game, his work rate and ability to get positive yards on almost every play helped the Panthers dominate the time of possession.
He carried the ball nine times for 48 yards on Franklin’s second possession of the second half which, after a costly false start, finished just an inch short of a first down after a 19-yard pass and catch from Arone to Kindred on fourth down.
“It’s awesome to get those carries but that’s my job, I only play one way so I think I’m conditioned enough to do that,” Gulla said. “It definitely feels like a special season. No one expected us to do this this year, no one saw us coming undefeated against one of the hardest schedules in the state. Now we just have to keep pushing going forward.”
A second down sack from Joe Tirrell stunted any momentum the hosts had. Jonathan Martins and Emmett Lackey also had sacks on the day while it seemed Franklin was able to pressure the passer on almost every drop back with linebackers Nick Quintina and Cullen Pek finding their way into the backfield often. Cornelius tried getting the ball into the hands of Nick Schuler and Grant Scudo, as it looked like junior wideout Isaiah Pantalone battled through an injury.
“Most of their passes are out in about 2.2 seconds,” Bain said. “We wanted to try and do is try to elongate the drop back game. It hurt us early because he’s scrambled and he’s a good runner, got an early first down. But with any quarterback, you’re just trying to get him off their spot, doing things they don’t like to do. I think something like 88% of their passes are in the pocket so we tried to design some pressure to try and spill that out, set some things up. They are tough to defend and they do a good job of putting their quarterback in successful situations.”
Gulla went right back to work when the Panthers got the ball back. This drive, Gulla had eight carries that went for 50 yards and took up a lot of clock between the end of the third and nearly half of the fourth quarter.
“I think it speaks to having talent but also working hard,” Bain said of Gulla’s large workload. “You put your body in a good position to last for four quarters, seven games into the season, eight weeks into the season. There’s a lot of kids out there that work hard but when one of your best players is your hardest worker, those things happen. He’s kind of built that up for himself and that’s through all of his hard work and dedication and setting the example.”
Franklin’s third down pass was knocked down on a jump ball in the end zone and Portesi delivered his second field goal of the game, this time a 25-yard boot to make it a two-score game with 4:44 left.
“I think you saw two of the best kickers around,” Bain said, also recognizing Milford’s Araujo. “[Portesi] was a soccer guy, came out in the spring for the first time. He’s worked hard, he comes to practice every day and he’s always working, working, working, and you have to trust the kids that put the work in.”
Milford showed some life as Cornelius hit Jaden Agnew over the middle for a 41-yard gain on third down to move into Franklin territory on the ensuing drive but two plays later, Franklin junior Luke Davis hauled in an overthrown pass in the end zone for a touchback, putting an end up any comeback hope.
“They got us on that deep ball and that was alright because that’s going to happen, they’re going to make plays,” Bain said. “But a lot of it is that when the big play happens, you have to bounce back. We gave up a couple of completions that were good plays but eventually that pressure, that frustration we created, I think that disrupted the passing game as a whole.”
Franklin will likely enter the playoffs as the top seed in the Division 1 bracket while Milford will likely be one of the top seeds in the Division 2 bracket. The MIAA will release official ratings and playoff information on Sunday.
Football
Franklin, 21 @ Attleboro, 19 – Final 1st Quarter: (A) Anthony Salviati 25-yard field goal; (F) Jared Arone 31-yard pass to Will Tracey, Garrett Portesi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (A) A. Salviati 35-yard field goal; (F) Mack Gulla 3-yard rush, G Portesi XP good; (A) Matt Harvie 11-yard pass to A. Salviati, Josue Salguero XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) J. Arone 57-yard pass to W. Tracey, G Portesi XP good; (A) Adrian Rivera 3-yard rush, 2pt pass failed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Foxboro, 42 @ Canton, 8 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (F) Tom Marcucella 8-yard pass to Rashaad Way, Sam Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 76-yard pass to R. Way, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) Dylan Gordon 7-yard rush, S. Carpenter XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) T. Marcucella 45-yard pass to Dylan Gordon, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 20-yard pass to Tom Sharkey, S. Carpenter XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) D. Gordon 9-yard rush, S. Carpenter XP good.
4th Quarter: (C) Colin Albert 3-yard rush, Charlie Cox 2pt rush good.
Taunton, 8 @ Mansfield, 24 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (M) James Gilleran 32-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 11-yard pass to Trevor Foley, J. Gilleran XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) Rocco Scarpellini 11-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good; (M) C. Zukowski 19-yard pass to T. Foley, J. Gilleran XP good; (T) Jacob Leonard 13-yard pass to Jose Touron, Trent Santos 2pt rush good.
Stoughton, 7 @ Milford, 27 – Final 1st Quarter: (S) Jarred Daughtry 25-yard pass to Emmett Pearl, Jonah Ly XP good; (M) Nicholas Araujo 36-yard field goal good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Grant Scudo 7-yard rush, N. Aruajo XP good; (M) Evan Cornelius 11-yard pass to Isaiah Pantalone, N. Araujo XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) E.Cornelius 10-yard pass to I Pantalone, N. Araujo XP good; (M) N. Araujo 30-yard field goal good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
North Attleboro, 42 @ Oliver Ames, 12 – Final 1st Quarter: (NA) Tyler Bannon 3-yard rush, Tyler DeMattio XP good; (NA) T. Bannon fumble recovery in the end zone, T. DeMattio XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Greg Berthiaume 32-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (OA) Collin Williamson 72-yard rush, XP failed; (NA) Chase Frisoli 27-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (NA) C. Frisoli 15-yard pass to Jack Munley, T. DeMattio XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) Garrett Inglese 1-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (OA) Chad Silva 2-yard rush, XP failed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Sharon, 14 @ Hull, 35 – Final
Boys Soccer
Mansfield, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin scored twice inside a five-minute span in the first half and tacked an important insurance goal just minutes into the second half to get a win over Mansfield, pushing their unbeaten streak to five games. Senior Jack Moran opened the scoring in the 15th minute on a pass from sophomore Sean O’Leary and then junior Ben Costa doubled the advantage in the 20th minute on an assist from classmate Max Tobin. O’Leary extended the lead to 3-0 in the 44th minute, finishing off a chance created by junior Will Krysak.
Milford, 3 vs. Medway, 0 – Final – Sophomore J’remy Chaves scored his first career goal and then added his second to lead Milford to a non-league win over Medway, one of the top rated teams in Division 3. Junior Eduardo Santana put the hosts ahead in the first half on a pass from junior Arthur Tome, a lead the Hawks carried into halftime. Chaves’ first goal came off a pass from junior John Borges while his second was set up by sophomore Nate Dinis.
Sharon, 2 vs. Walpole, 2 – Final
Field Hockey
Foxboro, 3 vs. Medfield, 0 – Final
Milford @ Bellingham, 4:45
Sharon, 1 @ Norwell, 4 – Final
