Tag: Sean Sullivan

King Philip Falls To Milton In Division 2 State Final

King Philip baseball Brendan Weddleton
King Philip senior Brendan Weddleton catches a throw on a pickoff attempt at second base in the Division 2 state championship against Milton. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WORCESTER, Mass. — King Philip’s quest for a state championship came up just short.

The Warriors’ great run in the postseason came to a close in the Division 2 state championship on Saturday, falling to top-seeded Milton, 4-2, at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.

“Coming in, with their bats and their pitching, I thought we were going to have to play perfect,” said King Philip head coach Jeff Plympton. “We came up a little short but I’m proud of the way the guys played. They’re a pleasure to be around all the time.

“We stuck around, which is kind of where we wanted to be. It was alright if we weren’t ahead, but as long as we were in striking distance we thought with our bats in the lineup we could make up for it, but it just didn’t happen tonight.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Walks, errors, and aggressive base running became the difference in the game as the Warriors actually recorded more hits (five) in the game than the Wildcats (four). And Milton senior Charlie Walker, who is committed to play at Northeastern next season, was on his game with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Rudy Gately had a strong showing on the mound with four runs allowed, but none of them were earned. He scattered four hits and four walks, striking out three in 5.1 innings of work. Sophomore Tommy McLeish got the final two outs in the sixth, holding an inherited runner at third with a ground ball and a pop-up.

“I had all the confidence in the world in Rudy, he’s been a hell of a pitcher for us for the past two years and I’m excited for him to come back,” Plympton said. “And then Tommy McLeish coming in in that tough spot, and as a sophomore, that’s not easy. And he showed his composure and did a fantastic.”

An infield error (on a tough hop) allowed Milton’s leadoff man to reach in the bottom of the first, a walk pushed him to second, and a single up the middle brought the run home for an early 1-0 lead. Gately got a strikeout and an infield pop-up to strand runners at second and third.

Milton’s Ryan Kelley battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a one-out walk in the second, moved to second on a single, took third on an error, and then scored after a hard grounder got the force out at second but couldn’t be turned into a double play.

King Philip got a boost from the bottom of its lineup, starting with a one-out line drive double from the No. 9 hitting Eli Reed in the top of the third, the Warriors’ second hit of the day. Sophomore Max Robison followed with a hard-hit single to center and Reed scampered all the way home to cut the deficit in half.

Gately hit a batter with one out in the bottom half but induced a 6-4-3 double play with shortstop Shawn Legere hitting second baseman Brendan Weddleton, who fired over to first where Robison made a great scoop to hold on to end the inning.

Legere was hit by a pitch to put the leadoff runner on in the top of the fourth for the Warriors, but Walker got back-to-back strikeouts against the heart of the order, and then an infield pop-up for the third out.

“He threw a lot of curveballs and has a heck of a fastball, sitting around 90 [miles per hour],” Plympton said of Walker. “That’s probably the best curveball our guys have seen this year, it’s next level and he’s going to Northeastern so that’s what you’re going to see in Division 1 baseball, and I thought we gave him a pretty good bid.”

Meanwhile, the Wildcats proved to be dangerous with two outs. An infield error put Marcus Ollivierre on, who promptly stole second, and a second error allowed Jimmy Fallon to reach and Ollivierre to take third. A wild pitch bounced past the catcher and just like that, the Wildcats had another run without a hit.

Sean Sullivan had a one-out single in the top of the fifth and moved into scoring position after an errant pick-off attempt from the catcher, but the Warriors couldn’t push him any further as Walker got a ground out and then a pick-off.

Gately erased a leadoff walk with a pickoff and then worked around a single and a walk to keep the deficit at 3-1 through five innings, but Walker was in a groove on the mound and quickly retired the side in the top of the sixth. Milton added a key run in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out single from Fallon to score Kelley, who reached on an error to start the inning.

That ended Gately’s outing and McLeish took over with a runner on third. After falling behind 3-0 in the count, McLeish induced a ground to shortstop where Legere looked the runner back before firing to first for the second out. Four pitches later, McLeish got Walker to pop up to right for the third out.

King Philip battled to the end as junior Brendan Sencaj smacked a hard-hit grounder up the first base line, and it took a friendly bounce off the wall in right as Sencaj hustled his way to a triple. A ground out to the right side from Gately brought Sencaj in, cutting the deficit to 4-2 with two outs.

But that was all the damage the Warriors would do as Walker got a strikeout and a liner to second for the final out.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“The program wasn’t in a great spot a few years back and this group of seniors has led the charge with the turnaround,” Plympton said. “We had a pretty decent season last year too. They played a little bit of an underdog role all season and I couldn’t be happier where we are as a program now and the future looks bright for next year.

“They are a resilient group and they’re able to let things go. We had a bad loss to Franklin but they were back in practice the next day ready to move on like nothing happened, which is huge. Baseball is mental…so if you’re dwelling on things, it won’t be good so I definitely learned what a resilient bunch they were.”

King Philip baseball finishes the season at 16-9.

Martorano, KP Edge Mansfield For Spot In D2 Final

King Philip baseball
King Philip’s Shawn Legere (16) and Brendan Weddleton (2) celebrate with Tommy Martorano (5) after beating Mansfield (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 BROCKTON, Mass. — Coming into the season, King Philip junior Tommy Martorano had high expectations but an injury in his first start of the season back in early April derailed his plans, forcing him to watch the entire regular season from the sidelines.

After two relief appearances earlier in the tournament, Martorano earned the start in the Division 2 state semifinals against rival Mansfield, and the left-handed pitcher delivered.

He tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and a pair of walks while striking out 12 as the Warriors edged out the Hornets, 1-0, for a spot in the D2 state championship game this weekend.

King Philip baseball

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We knew it wasn’t too serious of an injury early on but he was going to need the whole season to get back into form,” said King Philip head coach Jeff Plympton. “We wanted to get him into some games early on [in the tournament] and he was pumping, he was doing well so I just asked him, and I said do you want the ball for the semis and he lit up like a Christmas tree.

“We watched him in practice, he was painting those corners so we wanted to give him a chance and put him out for a game. I was hoping for at least four [innings] and then go from there but he was electric today, just the one hit. He had a few curveball strikes but he really had that fastball going. We were planning on going with him until he couldn’t go anymore.”

Martorano was on from the get-go, retiring the Hornets in order on 15 pitches in the top of the first order, his first strikeout coming on the third out. He didn’t retire the side in order again until the final inning, striking out all three Hornets to end the game, but he also didn’t let a runner advance past second.

King Philip baseball

“I felt pretty good in the relief appearances so I was telling coach that I was ready for a start, I was ready to go,” Martorano said. “I love being out there with my guys and now we get to play for a state championship.

“I was pumped to get back. I had a timeline to get back for the playoffs and when I was ready to come back, I made sure I was ready to help the team out and go as far as we could. We really wanted this game and now we’re ready to roll for the next one.”

Martorano’s counterpart, Mansfield senior Aaron Blinn, also had a stellar performance on the mound backed up by solid defense from the Hornets in the field and Aiden Jones behind the dish. He scattered eight hits over six innings of work, striking out four without issuing a walk.

After a clean first inning from both, Martorano worked around a leadoff walk with back-to-back strikeouts and a fly ball in the top of the second. Juniors Brendan Sencaj and Rudy Gately had the first two hits of the game, and mixed in with a balk and a stolen base, the Warriors had runners on second and third with no outs but Blinn bunkered down with a strikeout and two shallow fly balls.

The third inning presented both teams with a chance to break through on the scoreboard, but only the Warriors were able to cash in.

Sophomore Brian Butler had a one-out single for the Hornets and classmate Matt DeShiro followed with a walk. But Martorano got a line drive out to center and then a strikeout to deny the Hornets.

King Philip baseball

In the bottom half, sophomore Max Robison had a one-out single, but after Matt Kelley followed with a single, the Hornets got Robison at third after a heavy round of the bag. The rundown did allow Kelley to move to second to keep a runner in scoring position, and with two outs, senior Shawn Legere came through in the clutch with an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead.

“Shawn’s great…honestly, probably the best hitter to probably come through the King Philip program,” Plympton said. Legere was third in the Hock this regular season in average and was third in the league in hits as a junior. “He was just a little short for the best average in team history but he’s so confident, whatever the count is, doesn’t matter if it’s a fastball, a curveball, a changeup, a 3-2 count… he’s ready to go whenever.”

Mansfield got the leadoff runner on in Jake Maydak in the top of the fourth after an infield throwing error but Martorano quickly fielded the sac bunt in the next at-bat, and Robison alertly saw the runner taking off for an extra base at third and fired it over to Sean Sullivan, who applied the tag just before the slide. Another strikeout gave KP the third out.

Eli Reed had a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth, stole second, and took third on a ground out from Robison but Blinn didn’t allow him to go any further with a strikeout to end the inning.

“When you’re playing in the state tournament, every game is going to be close,” said Mansfield head coach Chris Hall. “We knew it was going to be a battle, already playing each other twice this year, and that’s exactly what it was. Martorano came out and pitched his tail off and I thought Aaron Blinn pitched incredibly on the mound and we played a clean game. But it comes down to that one run and they got it and we didn’t.

“But that can’t take away from what we achieved this year. I don’t think anyone in the state had us making it to the Final Four in Division 2, especially after starting off 1-4, but we’re here. I can’t say enough great things about this team. I’m very proud of this senior class for how they competed today and all year, such a huge positive. As far as I could find, I think this is the farthest any Mansfield team has gone so I’m just so proud.”

The Hornets got a final base runner on after an error in the top of the sixth, but once again Martorano came up with a strikeout to end the inning. Sencaj had one-out single in the bottom half to try and extend KP’s lead but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice on a grounder from Gately. With the hit-and-run on, Travis Crawford drove one to center for a single from Mansfield center fielder Jared Fraone came firing and hit third baseman Jimmy Gilleran and he got the tag down to get the third out.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“The Hockomock League in general is tough, I think it’s the best league in the state,” Plympton said. “Blinn was fantastic, he dealt a good game. He shined, and he’s accurate and does a good job keeping guys off balance. Getting him for a third time, I was hoping that we’d be on him a bit more but he came out ready to go and he wanted it just as much as we did, it made for a good game.”

The Warriors, who won just three of its final eight games, have seemed to rediscover their form from the beginning of the season (seven wins in the first eight games) and now head into the D2 state championship against top-seed Milton riding a four-game winning stream.

King Philip baseball

“They’re a fun group to be around,” Plympton said. “There’s never a dull moment at practice and there’s a lot of talent on the team too. They can hit the heck out of the ball. I just have a smile on every time I’m with them, it’s great to come this far because they’re great to be around.”

King Philip baseball and Milton are scheduled to face off on Saturday at Fitton Field on the campus of Holy Cross with the first pitch scheduled for 6:00.

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/11/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Division 1
#9 Bridgewater-Raynham, 0 @ #1 Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin scored all five of its runs between the fourth and fifth innings and senior Jacob Jette tossed a complete game shutout to lead the Panthers to a spot in the Division 1 Final Four. The Panthers had a run on in each of the first three innings before finally cashing in in the fourth inning, sparked by a leadoff single from Evan Raider. Pinch runner Jacob Crisileo moved to second on a ground out and then to third on a single from Jase Lyons. Eisig Chin smacked a two-run double to score the first two runs, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a squeeze bunt from Ben Jarosz. In the fifth, Ryan Gerety led off with a double, took third on a passed ball, and came home to score after a dropped third strike. Chris Goode, who earned a one-out walk and stole second, came in to score on an RBI single from Henry Digiorgio. Jette worked around a bases-loaded situation in the first, getting his second strikeout in the inning to end the frame. After that, he only allowed one hit (one-out single int he fifth) and one walk (lead off in the fourth) while retiring the side in order in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings, finishing with eight strikeouts. Franklin will play #4 Shrewsbury in the D1 Final Four with a date and time to be announced.

#10 Braintree, 0 @ #2 Taunton, 3 – Final – Behind a complete game shutout from Evan Cali and some timely hitting, Taunton blanked Braintree, 3-0, to advance to the Division 1 Final Four. Cali allowed just four hits and one walk, striking out one to deny the visiting Wamps. Offensively, Taunton took the lead with one run in the second inning and then pushed across a pair of runs in the fourth. Dawson Bryce smacked a double and came around to score on a single from AJ Lewis, and then singles from Lewis and Colby DeCouta put a pair of runners on in the the fourth and this time it was Shawn Cali who delivered the big hit, cranking a double to the outfield for two runs and a 3-0 lead. Taunton will play #3 Catholic Memorial in the D1 Final Four with a date and time to be announced.

Division 2
#7 Plymouth South, 3 @ #2 King Philip, 14 – Final – King Philip saw its early lead disappear in the top of the fourth inning, but the Warriors responded in a big way with 10 combined runs over the next two innings in a win over Plymouth South that booked a spot in the Division 2 Final Four against Hock rival Mansfield. KP seized a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run single from junior Brendan Sencaj, who finished the day with six RBI for the Warriors, but Plymouth South cut the deficit in half with a run in the third and then took its first lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. Eli Reed got things started in the fourth by taking first after being hit with a pitch, and an error on Max Robison’s bunt put two runs on. An RBI double from Matt Kelley brought Reed home to make it 3-3, and after an intentional walk to Shawn Legere loaded the bases, Sencaj blasted a shot well over the center fielder’s head — a likely home run in most parks in the league — that turned into a three-run triple. A single from Rudy Gately added another run and gave KP a 7-3 lead. Gately (6IP, 3H, 3ER, 3BB, 3K) retired the side in the top of the fifth and the Warriors capitalized on the momentum with five more runs in the bottom half. Robison lined an RBI triple, Kelley drove in a run with a single, an error allowed Sencaj to reach and bring a run in, Matt DiFiore drew a bases loaded walk, and a sac fly from Sean Sullivan made it 12-3. Gately capped the scoring with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. King Philip will play #3 Mansfield in the D2 Final Four with a date and time to be announced.

#6 Hopkinton, 6 @ #3 Mansfield, 7 – Final – A strong start and a key run in the sixth inning lifted the Hornets to a win over Hopkinton and into the Division 2 Final Four, booking a date against Hock rival King Philip. Mansfield scored twice in the first inning and then added three more in the bottom of the second right after the visiting Hillers had scored twice to tie it. A run in the fourth extended the lead but Hopkinton scored once in the fifth and twice in the sixth to close within one run. Mansfield answered with what turned out to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth as Cian Goulet drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Conner Zukowski, who had reached on an error. Hopkinton threatened in the seventh with a leadoff single and a walk but the Hornets got a key force out at third on the same play the Hillers scored, and then got a grounder to first to end it. Jimmy Gilleran got the win on the mound, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and six walks, striking out seven while also helping his cause with a big three-run home run in the second inning. Connor Curtis came in and earned the save in 1.1 innings of work. Brian Butler had two hits and scored a run for the Hornets while Jake Maydak drove in a pair of runs with a hit and a walk. Mansfield will play #2 King Philip in the D2 Final Four with a date and time to be announced.

#21 Falmouth, 5 @ #4 North Attleboro, 8 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.








Boys Lacrosse
Division 1
#10 North Andover, 7 @ #7 Franklin, 12 – Final – A dominant first half paved the way for Franklin in a win over North Andover, earning the Panthers a date with Lincoln-Sudbury in Round of 8. A pair of goals from Luke Davis and one from John Walshe presented the Panthers with a 3-0 lead after a quarter, and Franklin followed with a 6-0 second quarter to seize a 9-0 lead by halftime. A dominant defensive performance kept North Andover in check through three quarters, as Franklin took a 10-2 lead into the final frame. Davis finished with five goals, Jayden Consigli added a pair of goals and three helpers, and Tyler Sacchetti chipped in with a hat trick and an assist. Matt Corvi made 19 saves while Justin Alexander went 18-for-23 at the faceoff X. Franklin will travel to #2 Lincoln-Sudbury on Tuesday at 6:30.

Division 2
#24 Mansfield, 5 @ #8 North Attleboro, 11 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Matt Antonetti scored five goals and Brady Backner had a hat trick, as North earned its second win over Mansfield this season and its second win over a Hock opponent in the tournament to reach the D2 Elite Eight. It was the Hornets, who upset KP in round one, who got off to the quick start, as Grady Sullivan scored and assisted on an Andrew Burnham goal to make it 2-0. North would turn things around with a four-goal burst. Backner and Antonetti each scored twice in that run, with Clayton Billingkoff assisting on both Antonetti goals. Antonetti added his third in transition early in the second (North’s fifth straight goal) but that would be the lone goal of the quarter. Mansfield goalie Ryan DeGirolamo came up big on a pair of North breakaways and had five of his 15 saves in the quarter to keep the Hornets in it going into halftime. Drew Sacco took advantage of a turnover to get Mansfield within two just 20 seconds into the third, but North scored the next three to push the lead back to five. Antonetti again had the answer, first dodging from the X to his left and then getting space to fire in a righty shot. He then teed up Connor Ruppert for a bounce shot that went just under the bar. North kept rolling in the fourth with Jack Regan, Antonetti (from Backner) and Backner getting on the board. Tommy Smith and Sullivan also scored for the Hornets. North advances to the Elite Eight to face the winner of No. 1 Longmeadow and No. 16 Wakefield.




Girls Lacrosse
Division 1
#19 King Philip, 2 @ #3 Lincoln-Sudbury, 15 – Final – King Philip scored the first goal of the game to seize an early lead on the road but couldn’t keep pace with state powerhouse Lincoln-Sudbury. Seniors Julia Marsden, Haley Izydorczak, Lily Brown, Colleen Crowther, Margo Riley, Morgan Cunningham, Ally Peterson and Rachael Anderson all played well.

#22 Lexington, 2 @ #6 Franklin, 19 – Final – The Panthers pumped in a dozen goals in the first half and pitched a second half shutout in a big win over Lexington. Franklin raced out to an 8-2 lead with 10 minutes in the half and then outscored the visitors 4-0 before halftime for a 12-2 lead. Franklin went on to win the second half 7-0. Stella Regan scored five goals, including her the 100th of her career, and added an assist, Kaitlyn Carney also had five goals and one helper, while Katie Peterson (three goals, one assist) and Lindsay Atkinson (one goal, two helpers) also had a part in the attack. Head coach Kristin Guarino praised her defense for a great effort in the second half shutout.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/08/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Division 1
#16 Chelmsford, 2 @ #1 Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin overcame an early two-run deficit and escaped a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning to slip past upset-minded Chelsmford. After the visitors staked a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, Franklin plated a single run in the bottom half of three straight innings. In the bottom of the second, junior Eisig Chin brought home Evan Raider with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half, and in the bottom of the third a two-out single from Chris Goode brought courtesy runner Luke Sidwell (Joe Tirrell walk) to tie it 2-2. After a 1-2-3 inning from junior Alfred Mucciarone (6IP, 4H, 2ER, 0BB, 5K) in the top of the fourth, the Panthers pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom half. Jase Lyons led off with a single, took second on an error, and advanced to third on a ground out. After back-to-back outs, Tirrell delivered a single to left to bring Tirrell home to make it 3-2. Mucciarone kept rolling, retiring the side in order again in the fifth and sixth innings. Chelmsford threatened in the final inning against Franklin’s bullpen with a one-out single, a two-out walk, and then an infield error to load the bases, but James Kuczmiec induced a grounder to second for the final out.

#15 Natick, 2 @ #2 Taunton, 8 – Final –

Division 2
#18 Plymouth North, 5 @ #2 King Philip, 12 – Final – After a scoreless first inning left the hosts on the wrong end of a one-run game, the Warriors’ offense roared to life with five straight scoring innings to knock off visiting Plymouth North. The visiting Eagles took advantage of a leadoff walk and an RBI double to seize an early 1-0 lead but after the first inning, it was all KP. Matt DiFiore knotted the score at 1-1 with an RBI single in the second, and a sac fly from Rudy Gately followed by an RBI double from Travis Crawford gave the Warriors the lead for good. Brendan Sencaj was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth, and Gately followed with a walk to bring in another run for a 5-1 lead. Plymouth North made a game of it with three runs in the top of the fifth to get it back to a one-run game but KP answered with three of its own in the bottom half, with a two-run triple from Max Robison and a sacrifice fly from Matt Kelley to make it 8-4. In the sixth, three straight singles from Sean Sullivan, Eli Reed, and Robison each brought in a run, and Shawn Legere was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in KP’s 12th run of the game.

#14 Marblehead, 1 @ #3 Mansfield, 5 – Final – Buoyed by a big start offensively and a pair of terrific pitching performances, Mansfield picked up a win over visiting Marblehead. The Hornets scored three runs in the bottom of the first and never trailed, tacking on two key insurance runs in the sixth inning. Matt DeShiro and Conner Zukowski drew back-to-back walks, and the former came across to score on a passed ball. Anthony Sacchetti was hit by a pitch and Jake Maydak walked to load the bases, and a two-out single from Jared Fraone saw two runs come home for a 3-0 lead. Marblehead got a run back in the fifth inning but a two-out, two-run single from sophomore Brian Butler in the sixth inning restored Mansfield’s lead. Aaron Blinn earned the win on the mound for the Hornets, allowing just one unearned run on two hits and five walks, striking out one. Connor Curtis tossed three scoreless innings in relief, allowing just three walks and no hits, striking out a pair.

#13 Westfield, 1 @ #4 North Attleboro, 15 – Final – North Attleboro’s offense stayed red hot, belting out 13 hits to the tune of 15 runs in a big win over Westfield at DiNardo Field. After leaving a pair of runners in scoring position in the first inning, the Rocketeers didn’t squander many chances in the next five innings, scoring in each of them. Gio Martello got the scoring started with a one-out single to score Gavin Wells (walk) and David Floyd (double), and Tyler DeMattio doubled the lead with a two-out, two-run line drive single to left. Danny Curran cleaned things up with a an RBI single to push the lead to 5-0 after just two innings. Wells added a third inning sac fly to plate Jordan Paradis, and both DeMattio (triple) and Curran (error) scored in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 8-0. Paradis had a two-run hit in the sixth and Jack Munley cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the sixth to make it 15-1. Floyd earned the win on the mound, allowing just one run on three hits and one walk, striking out eight in 4.2 innings of work. Dillon Harding finished the game off, issuing just one walk while striking out a pair in 2.1 scoreless innings.

Division 3
#12 Sandwich, 6 @ #5 Foxboro, 7 – Final – For the second game in a row, Foxboro used a walk-off home run to rally for a win in the final inning. After using back-to-back homers on Monday in the seventh inning to knock off Saugus, Foxboro senior Liam Mulkern launched a two-out, two-run home run to hand the Warriors a dramatic 7-6 decision over Sandwich. The host Warriors rallied for three runs in the fifth to stake a 5-3 lead but the visiting Knights tied the game with two runs in the sixth and took the lead back with a two-out run in the top of the seventh. In the bottom half, sophomore Tyler Prescott kept the game alive with a two-out walk. Mulkern battled his way to a full count, and with the Warriors down to their final out, the senior sent a fastball over the fence in left for his first career homer and a walk-off win for Foxboro. Sean O’Leary (single) and Prescott (squeeze bunt) each brought a run home for the hosts for an early 2-0 lead. Sandwich leveled the scoring in the second and went up a run in the fourth before the Warriors pushed three across the plate in the fifth: an RBI single from Prescott followed by a two-run single from Mulkern. Tom Marcucella pitched well in relief for Foxboro, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, striking out two in three innings of work.








Softball
Division 1
#15 St. Paul Diocesan, 4 @ #2 King Philip, 6 – Final – King Philip plated five runs with two outs in the fourth inning and that was enough to hold off an upset bid from visiting St. Paul Diocesan (formerly Holy Name). The Warriors carried a 1-0 lead (Taylor Regan RBI in the first inning) into the into the bottom of the fourth. Mia Bennett was hit by a pitch with one out and Sarah Cullen followed with a two-run opposite field blast over the fence in left, her second two-run homer in as many games, to make it 3-0. Ava Kelley kept it going with a single, and scored on a double from Ava Lanza (three hits, two runs, RBI). After Meg Sherwood was hit by a pitch, an infield error brought a run home. Charlotte Raymond tacked on an RBI single to make it 6-0. The visitors rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth but Jordan Bennett (7IP, 5H, 4R, 0ER, 1BB, 6K) put an end to the rally by inducing an infield ground out and retired the side in order with a pair of strikeouts in the sixth. St. Paul reached on an error to lead off the seventh but Bennett snagged a trailing line drive and doubled the runner up at first and Bennett got the final out with a fly ball to Cullen in center two at-bats later.

#14 Bridgewater-Raynham, 3 @ #3 Taunton, 4 – Final – Taunton senior Kylie Thorpe launched a two-out home run over the fence in left in the bottom of the seventh to give the Tigers a walk-off win over Bridgewater-Raynham. The visiting Trojans twice took a lead in the game, first with a single run in the top of the first inning to make it 1-0, and then used two runs in the third to stake a 3-2 lead over the Tigers. Taunton rallied in the sixth as Kyleah Plumb dropped a bunt down the third base line and moved all the way to second when the throw was high. After a wild pitch moved Plumb to third, junior Ava Venturelli dropped two-out bunt down to bring in the run to make it 3-3. Freshman Cate Larson (5IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 4K) needed just six pitches for a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, setting up Thorpe’s winning home run. Taunton took its first lead in the bottom of the first as Plumb and Angie Lynch both reached on a bunt, an error on the latter allowing the former to come all the way home. Kaysie DeMoura followed with a double to center to bring Lynch in for a 2-1 lead. Larson came on in the third after B-R took its lead, and after a single loaded the bases with no outs, Larson got a strikeout, fielded a grounder and got the force out at home, and Hayley Krockta fielded another bunt to get the third out at home.

Boys Lacrosse
Division 2
#24 Mansfield, 7 @ #9 King Philip, 4 – Final
#26 Sharon, 8 @ #7 Minnechaug, 16 – Final

Division 3
#28 Bishop Fenwick, 5 @ #5 Foxboro, 16 – Final – Foxboro outscored visiting Fenwick 7-1 in the second quarter and closed the game on a 5-0 run to get the win and advance. After trading early goals, the Warriors staked a 4-2 lead at the end of the first quarter before dominating the second to grab a 11-3 lead at half. Fenwick scored two quick goals to start the second half but Foxboro blanked the visitors the rest of the way, scoring five straight. Conor Noone was involved in over half of the goals with five goals and four assists, Lincoln Moore added five goals and a pair of helpers, and John Sacchetti netted four goals and two assists. Tommy Sharkey and Finn Stapleton each added a tally in the win.




Girls Lacrosse
Division 1
#19 King Philip, 11 @ #14 Needham, 9 – Final – King Philip built a lead by the halftime break and stayed ahead throughout the second to earn an upset on the road over #14 Needham. Lily Brown led a balanced offensive showing for the Warriors, scoring four goals and adding one assist for the Warriors, who led 7-5 at half. KP outscored the hosts 4-2 to extend their lead before the Rockets made a late push to get within two. Julia Marsden and Makenzie McDevitt each had a hat trick in the win, Morgan Cunningham added one goal, and Emily Campbell made six saves in net for the win.

Division 2
#22 Canton, 2 @ #11 Burlington, 11 – Final
#23 Oliver Ames, 8 @ #10 Holliston, 20 – Final

Division 3
#27 Bishop Stang, 4 @ #6 Foxboro, 21 – Final – Mya Waryas scored seven times and Paige Curran racked up 11 points as Foxboro rolled in its opening round game against Stang. Waryas also added an assist, while Curran finished with four goals and seven helpers. Val Beigel also had a big day with five goals and Cate Noone chipped in with a hat trick and a pair of assists. Mary Collins (one assist) and Kaelin Connors also found the back of the net for the Warriors. Audrey Campbell made seven saves to record the win in goal. Foxboro will host No. 11 Hanover in the next round.

Boys Tennis
Division 2
#10 Mansfield, 1 @ #7 Walpole, 4 – Final – Mansfield’s season came to a close on the road at #7 Walpole, winning just one match. Sophomore Iniyan Karruppusami didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 victory at third singles for the Hornets.

Girls Tennis
Division 2
#22 Minnechaug, 1 @ #6 Sharon, 4 – Final
#13 Oliver Ames, 0 @ #4 Masconomet, 5 – Final

Division 3
#10 Whitinsville, 3 @ #7 Foxboro, 2 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Division 2
#13 Lowell Catholic, 0 @ #4 Milford, 3 – Final

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/14/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 12 @ Cardinal Spellman, 5 – Final – Trailing by 5-2 after four innings, Canton plated three runs in the fifth inning to tie it and then exploded for seven runs in the sixth to pull away for a win on the road in Brockton. Jack Digirolamo and Matt Hart each had an RBI double, and Nick Gillis followed with an RBI single to center in the top of the fifth inning to bring the Bulldogs level at 5-5. The Bulldogs (17 hits overall) had a hit parade in the top of the seventh: Matt Chafin drove in a run with a single to center, Digirolamo brought a run home with a single to left, Hayden Rose smacked an RBI double to left, Gillis added an RBI double, Sean Sullivan and Matt Quan had back-to-back RBI singles to center, and Matt Lesser singled in Canton’s 12th run with a ground ball up the left side. Quan got the win in relief, tossing three innings with one run allowed on three hits and one walk, striking out four. Andy Butler added two scoreless innings out of the bullpen with two hits and four strikeouts.

Softball
Attleboro, 8 @ Natick, 3 – Final – Attleboro scored three runs in the fifth inning to break open a tie game and added key insurance runs in the final two innings to secure a win over Natick at the Maple Street Fields on the campus of Framingham State. Arianna Amaral had a big day for the Bombardiers with a pair of hits and three RBI while both Lily Routhier and Lauren Eby had two hits and two RBI apiece. Routhier (3IP, 1H, 2K) and Lindsey Perry (4IP, 6H, 2K) shared pitched duties for Attleboro.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Coventry (RI), 13 – Final

Oliver Ames, 0 vs. Abington, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames junior Maddie Homer reached base three times but the Tigers were unable to push a run across in a shutout loss to Abington, who is ranked in the top 10 in D4 in the latest MIAA rankings. Katie Melendy, Paige Taylor, and Katherine Farley each had a hit for the Tigers while Melendy pitched a complete game, allowing just one earned run with four strikeouts.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 7 @ Hanover, 16 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Franklin, 10 @ Bishop Guertin (NH), 12 – Final – Franklin went up to the Granite State and challenged one of the best teams in the region but fell just short against powerhouse Bishop Guertin. Kate O’Rourke (for draw controls) and Kaitlyn Carney (seven draw controls) each had four goals while Jackie O’Neil added one goal and one assist. Brigid Earley made 10 saves in net for the Panthers.

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/05/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Mansfield, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final (8 Inn.) – Mansfield pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth and then scored three in the top of the eighth to secure an extra innings victory on the road at Attleboro. The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the third after Owen Taber singled, stole second and third, and eventually scored on an error to make it 1-0. After being shutout over the first five innings, Mansfield plated the tying run. Conner Zukowski was once again the catalyst for the offense with a leadoff double, and scored on a one-out single from Anthony Sacchetti. In the top of the eighth, Sacchetti struck again with one-out, this time with a solo home run to left field to make it 2-1. Jared Fraone tacked on two key insurance runs with a two-run, two-out double to left to bring Andrew Slaney and Connor Curtis home. Aaron Blinn had another strong start on the mound, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, striking out seven in six innings of work. Jake Maydak got the win with a scoreless inning of relief, and Curtis recorded the save, getting three strikeouts including the tying run at the plate for the final out. Billy Saltmarsh pitched well for the Bombardiers, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks, striking out six in six innings.

Sharon, 2 @ Franklin, 12 – Final (6 Inn.) – Locked in a one-run game through three innings, Franklin scored nine runs over the final three innings, punctuated by walk-off grand slam from Eisig Chin, to take a win over Sharon. The visiting Eagles took a 2-1 lead on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third but Franklin quickly took the lead back with two in the bottom half, added two more in the fourth, one in the fifth, and six in the sixth to end the game. Chin finished 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored while Chris Goode also went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the Panthers. Jack Marino and Evan Raider also drove in a pair of runs each for Franklin. Ethan Voellmicke earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with no hits allowed, three walks, and three strikeouts. Drew Yaffe drew the bases-loaded walk for the Eagles and Will Hippler had an RBI single in the first inning to put Sharon ahead 1-0.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Buoyed by a three-run second inning and another strong start from freshman Nolan Gordon, Foxboro secured a 4-1 decision over visiting Canton. Foxboro got three straight walks from Ben Angelini, Matheiu Sullivan, and Tom Marcucella to load the bases, and Jack Watts’ sacrifice fly brought in the first run of the game. Louis Carangelo drew a two-out walk to load the bases again and Ryan LeClair delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 3-0. Canton got one back in the top fo the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Sean Sullivan but Foxboro restored the three run lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single from Caranagelo. Gordon tossed a complete game for the win, allowing one run on three hits and four walks, striking out nine. Zach Peters pitched well in relief for the Bulldogs, allowing one run on four hits and two talks, striking out three in four innings.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ North Attleboro, 7 – Final – After Oliver Ames plated two runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game, North Attleboro responded with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead back for good. The Rocketeers staked a 2-0 lead on a two-run single from Dillon Harding in the bottom of the second but OA’s Nathan Carpentier and Patrick Finnerty had back-to-back RBI singles to bring the visitors level. In the bottom of the third, Tyler Bannon (walk) scored after a throwing error on Derek Maceda’s bunt, Danny Curran singled in Maceda, and Harding collected another two RBI, this time on a two-out double to center to make it 6-2. Maceda added an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2. David Floyd picked up the win for the Rocketeers, tossing a complete game with two runs (none earned) allowed on five hits and no walks, striking out 10. Ian Kelly pitched well in relief for the Tigers, allowing one run on one hit and three walks, striking out five in 2.2 innings.








Softball
Franklin, 16 @ Sharon, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Franklin pushed across seven runs in each the second and third innings on its way to a big win on the road over Sharon. Marley Allen led Franklin’s offense with three hits while Aislinn Lavery, Kiera Kotwicki, and Sarah Boozang each had two hits in the win. Kotwicki also drove in a team-high four runs while Katy Liberman and Julia White each drove in three runs apiece. Kotwicki pitched three scoreless innings with one hit and one walk allowed and Madison Bergeron pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Attleboro, 14 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Attleboro pounded out 20 hits on its way to a win on the road over Mansfield. Mansfield led 1-0 after one inning, but the Bombardiers found a groove at the plate and pulled out a big road win, scoring four in both the third and fourth innings, two in the sixth, and four more in the seventh. Lindsey Perry got the win the circle, striking out six with one walk and six hits in a complete game effort. Perry helped her cause big time at the dish, going 4-for-4 with four runs scored while Sarah Maher (two runs) and Lily Routhier (four runs) each added four hits as well. Kayla Goldrick had a three-run home run in the third that sparked the offense and Rylie Camacho added two hits. The Hornets jumped in front when Callie Lake singled and aggressively advanced to second. She reached third on a passed ball and came home on a ground out by Liv Madeira. Mansfield got one back in the fifth when Cat Kipp singled to plate Molly Kucharski. The Hornets scored a third in the seventh. Julia Kelly singled and came around to score on an Olivia DeTrolio base hit. Mansfield finished with seven hits as a team, including a pair for Alanna Conley, who also made a nice defensive play in left.

North Attleboro, 7 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – North trailed 1-0 heading to the top of the seventh but rallied with seven runs to pull out the win. Mandi Hanewich started things with a one-out triple and tied the game on a single by Ally Levine. Kelly Colleran singled Levine to third and the winning run came in on a double steal. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Emma Hanwell knocked in one, Grace Simmons walked, and Maddie Bailey brought in two more with an infield single. Colleran dominated on the mound, striking out 15 and taking a no-hitter into the seventh (despite trailing 1-0). Colleran and Levine each finished with two hits and Shaelyn Burns reached base three times.

Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 15 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton scored two in the first, added five in the second, and then sealed the win with an eight-run fourth. Liv Mendonca (three innings) and Cate Larson (two innings) combined on the shutout, allowing only two hits. Angie Lynch powered the Tigers on offense, going 2-for-4 with a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored from the leadoff spot. Ava Venturelli (1-for-3) drove in two and scored three runs. Brooke Aldrich (1-for-3) also drove in two and Hayley Krockta (2-for-3) and Katelyn Bizarro (2-for-3) each drove in one.




Boys Lacrosse
Milford, 1 @ Bellingham, 13 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Franklin, 16 @ Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – In a battle of unbeatens, Franklin rolled to a big win over Bishop Feehan with a dominating performance on the road. The Panthers built an 11-3 lead by halftime and didn’t allow a second half goal until three minutes left in the game as Brigid Earley had five saves in net and Anna Grasso played well defensively. Kaitlyn Carney paced the offense with six goals and two assists, Katie Peterson (three assists) and Kate O’Rourke each had a hat trick, Kenzie Baker added two goals, and Jackie O’Neil (goal, assist), Lindsay Atkinson (goal, assist), and Stella Regan (two assists) each had two points apiece.

Milford, 9 vs. Bellingham, 3 – Final – After a slow start that resulted in a mere one-goal halftime lead, Milford turned it on with a big second half to pull away from Bellingham. Aislinn Bennett scored a pair of first half goals and Fiona Jordan added one to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead at the break. In the second half, Carly Haley had a pair of goals and an assist, Emily Croteau scored once and had one assist, and Erin Michelson added a goal and one helper. Caitlyn Bangert turned away 11 shots in net while Mya Mitchell and Sophia Soares anchored a stellar defensive effort for the Scarlet Hawks.

Boys Tennis
Foxboro, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Foxboro sophomore Ryan Fossella and freshman Luca Meyer overcame a 0-3 deficit in the third set to prevail in a tiebreaker, clinching the final point for the Warriors’ 3-2 win over Canton. Fossella and Meyer, playing at first doubles, won the first set 6-4 but dropped the second 4-6 to force the deciding third set. Canton raced out to a 3-0 lead before Fossella and Meyer rallied and won the third set 7-6 (7-1) in the tiebreaker. Foxboro also picked up a win at second doubles from sophomores Visruth Chavalam and Nate Cote (6-1, 3-6, 6-3) as well as freshman Raj Jetty at third singles (6-2, 6-0). Max Kupferman and Suraj Ramanathan won at first and second singles for the Bulldogs.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro went on the road and took all five matches in straight sets to knock off host Taunton. Senior Will Folan picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, junior Brody Carter added a 6-1, 6-2 verdict at second singles, and freshman Darren Liang grabbed a 6-1, 6-0 third singles victory. The first doubles team of Griffin Rodden and Arnav Raghuvanshi emerged with a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win for the Rocketeers while sophomore Quinn DiFiore and senior Aashman Gupta prevailed 6-0, 6-2 at second doubles.

Mansfield, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Mansfield won all five matches, all in straight sets, to secure a road win over Oliver Ames. Sophomore Kailash Elumelai secured a well-played 6-3, 6-3 win at first singles, freshman Neema Khosravani took a 6-1, 6-1 decision at second singles, and sophomore Iniyan Karruppusami completed the singles sweet for the Hornets with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at third singles. The team of Benson Delaney and Jonah Fine earned a 6-3, 6-1 first doubles win while Jesse Colchamiro and Jacob Weiner earned a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at second doubles.

Sharon, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – In a battle of undefeated division leaders, the Davenport-leading Eagles of Sharon handed Franklin its first loss of the season. Sharon secured the victory with a pair of wins from both singles and doubles action for a 4-1 verdict. Alex Budovalcev earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at second doubles and Jacob Slavsky added a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at third singles. The team of Mitch Weiss and Ruemon Bhattacharyya overcame a one-set deficit to emerge with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win. The team of Sava Kassev and Hyojae Park also prevailed in three sets, taking a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win at second doubles for the Eagles. Franklin’s Vayshnav Malhotra earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at first singles.

Girls Tennis
Taunton @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Franklin, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – The Davenport-leading Eagles of Sharon swept all five matches, handing Kelley-Rex leading Franklin its first Hock loss of the season. Navya Shukla took a 6-1, 7-5 win at first singles, Ale Aguilar added a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles, and freshman Judy Song prevailed 6-0, 6-0 at third singles for the Eagles. The team of juniors Abby Vilk and Sophia Oh earned a 6-4, 6-1 win at first doubles and the Eagles got another point from freshman Olivia Landstein and junior Ellie Zhao at second doubles (7-6 [5], 6-0).

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/27/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 10 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Canton senior catcher Sean Sullivan threw out the tying run at third in the top of the seventh and junior Matt Lesser finished off the save in the same at-bat for the final out as the Bulldogs outlasted King Philip on the road. The Bulldogs scored in each of the first innings, taking advantage of a handful of KP defensive miscues to eventually lead 8-3 after four innings. King Philip cut the deficit down to just a run with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles from Brendan Sencaj and Rudy Gately. Jay Kelleher’s single — Canton’s fourth straight to start the sixth — brought in Matt Chafin and Jack Digirolamo (three hits) to put the visitors ahead 10-7. KP bounced right back in the bottom half with two runs of its own, a long triple from Sencaj (three RBI) to bring in Matt Kelley and Shawn Legere. KP got the tying run on with a single and a steal, but Sullivan gunned him down at third after a ball in the dirt. Travis Crawford also had two hits and two RBI for the Warriors.

Foxboro, 2 @ Franklin, 8 – Final – Franklin pushed across three runs in the first inning, two more in the third, and never looked back in a win under the lights over Foxboro. Evan Raider and Henry Digiorgio had back-to-back sacrifice flies to plate a run apiece and Jase Lyons had a two-out RBI single to plate Chris Goode (HBP) to seize and early 3-0 advantage. Digiorgio added an RBI double to score Goode (double) in the third, and Lyons added another RBI base hit to extend Franklin’s advantage to 5-0. Eisig Chin added an RBI triple in the sixth for the Panthers, and Joe Tirrell brought two home with a base hit to left. Jacob Jette got the win on the mound for the Panthers, allowing two runs (one earned) one three hits and one walk, striking out four. Ryan LeClair had two hits and scored a run for Foxboro.








Softball
Mansfield, 13 @ Sharon, 0 – Final (5 Inn.) – Mansfield made it three wins in a row with a shutout of Sharon. Julia Kelly and Amanda Schwarz combined on a one-hitter for the Hornets, who also pounded out 14 hits as a team. Mansfield took a 4-0 lead in the first. Callie Lake singled and would score on a base hit by Liv Madeira. Jill Koppy and Molly Kucharski also had RBI singles in the inning. The Hornets doubled their lead in the second. Kelly led off with a double and would score on an error, while Madeira and Alanna Conley both drove in runs with singles. Mansfield completed the scoring in the third with five more runs. Lake drove in one and Casey Moussette plated a pair. Madeira and Conley each finished the day with three hits and Lake had a pair.

Milford, 3 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – North continued to get dominant pitching to extend its win streak to four games. Zoey McDonough was in the circle and struck out 15 batters, while allowing only five hits and a walk, to pick up the victory. Mandi Hanewich had a pair of hits, a walk, and two RBI to pace the offensive attack. Kelly Colleran had a double and drove in two, while Emma Hanwell and Ally Levine each had a hit and an RBI. Maryellen Charette and Shaelyn Burns both had a hit and a run scored for North.

Boys Lacrosse
King Philip @ Attleboro, 3:45

Canton, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final – For Oliver Ames, Ben Reardon (two goals, three assists) and Ryan Jaco (three goals, two assists) each had five points while Wyatt Fritchman recorded a pair of goals. Noah Isleib was terrific in net for the Tigers with 21 saves.

North Attleboro, 13 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Behind a strong defensive effort and a standout performance from Jared Vacher at the face off X, North Attleboro secured a quality win over a quality opponent on the road at Sharon. Vacher won 12 of 18 face offs in a battle of two of the top faceoff specialists in the Hock against Sharon’s Ben Shocket. Senior Clayton Billingkoff scored a team-high five goals to pace the offense while senior Connor Ruppert added four goals. JT Gallagher had a big game in net with 10 saves for the Rocketeers.




Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 2 @ King Philip, 15 – Final – Julia Marsden, Makenzie McDevitt, and Morgan Cunningham each recorded four points to lead King Philip to a big win over visiting Attleboro. Both Marsden and McDevitt scored four goals apiece while Cunningham had one goal and three assists.

Oliver Ames, 8 @ Canton, 12 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – The Bulldogs remain unbeaten and in a tie for first in the division by holding off the Tigers. Canton closed out the half with four straight goals to take a two goal lead into the break and extended the lead to as many as five goals in the second half. Emily McCabe led the way for the hosts with four goals and two assists. OA held a 4-3 lead midway through the opening half. Hailey Bourne got her first to start the scoring before McCabe answered back. Canton then jumped in front when Carly Fitzgerald’s pass in front was tipped home by Ella Yeaton. Catie Wilson tied it for OA and Gergia Costello made it 3-2. After Devan Spinale tied it again, Bourne got her second and Wilson added another for a 5-3 lead. Off the draw, McCabe found Shannon McGrann for a goal to cut the lead to one and McGrann tied it three minutes later from a free position. Spinale and Fay Gallery added two more, the last coming with 22.1 on the clock, for a 7-5 lead. Early in the second half, Costello got OA within one but Allie McCabe spun through the heart of the OA defense to restore the two-goal lead. Jess Widdop made a couple of saves on Canton free positions before Emily McCabe dodged from the top and found her way to goal. McCabe added another just seconds later to make it 10-6. A steal by Olivia O’Rourke led to a goal for Wilson but Yeaton found McCabe cutting through the middle to make it 11-7. Allie McCabe added her second for the Bulldogs before Wilson wrapped up the scoring in the final minute. Elyse Broderick made seven saves in goal for Canton.

Foxboro, 18 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mya Waryas scored five goals and dished out two assists and the Warriors rolled to another big league win that keeps them in a tie for first place in the Davenport division. Paige Curran (two assists) and Mary Collins (one assist) each added four goals apiece for Foxboro, which also got two goals and an assist from Cate Noone, a goal and an assist from Kate Collins, a goal and two assists from Val Beigel, and a goal from Grace Riley. Audrey Campbell made 10 saves to pick up the win in goal.

Taunton, 3 @ Franklin, 20 – Final – Franklin had over a dozen players find their way onto the scoring sheet in a big win over visiting Taunton. Kenzie Baker and Jamie Tanner finished with three goals apiece to pace the offense. Cali Melo, Maddison Szala, and Aria Cordeiro each scored for Taunton.

Sharon, 2 @ North Attleboro, 15 – Final – Bailey Garte scored both goals for Sharon and Ava Jacobson had an assist.




Boys Tennis
Taunton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final – Oliver Ames defended home court by winning all five matches against visiting Taunton. The freshmen duo of Alex Efrimidas and Patrick Dolan had a standout performance in the win, both playing strong at the net to secure a 6-3, 6-3 win at first doubles.

Mansfield, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon secured a pair of wins in both singles and doubles play to grab a win over visiting Mansfield. Sophomore Matthew Lally emerged victorious after a tenacious battle with Mansfield freshman Neema Khosravani, taking first singles 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 10-8. Freshman Jacob Slovsky added a 6-4, 6-4 win at third singles for the Eagles. Seniors Ruemon Bhattacharyya and Mitch Weiss won at first doubles (6-1, 6-1) while juniors Kevin Li and Hyojae Park took the win at second doubles for the Eagles. Mansfield sophomore Kailash Elumalei rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-6 win at second singles.

Milford, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – After splitting the first two sets, North Attleboro’s first doubles tandem of junior Griffin Rodden and sophomore Arnav Raghuvanshi prevailed in a third set tiebreaker to complete the five-match set for the Rocketeers. Rodden and Raghuvanshi won 6-2, 5-7, 10-7 while sophomore Tim Le and junior Brody Gaulin rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at second doubles. Senior captain Will Folan secured a 6-0, 6-0 first singles win, junior Brody Carter added a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and freshman Darren Liang took home a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles.

Girls Tennis
Oliver Ames, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Elizabeth O’Brien overcame a one-set deficit to earn a win in a third-set tiebreaker to complete the sweep on the road over Taunton. O’Brien rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 win at third singles, Hannah Farber added a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles, and Mia Corradini prevailed with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win at second singles. The team of Morgan Vasiliou and Caroline Peper grabbed a 6-1, 6-0 win at first doubles while Marina Mierzwinski and Olivia Querzoli battled to a 6-3, 6-3 second doubles win.

Sharon, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – Sharon won both doubles matches in straight sets to highlight a 4-1 win over Mansfield. The team of senior Ritu Sreeram and sophomore Sophia Oh grabbed a 6-0, 6-3 win at first doubles while seniors Alice Zaniewski and Rachel Rashukin emerged with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second doules. Junior Ale Aguilar added a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles.

Stoughton, 1 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Attleboro swept both doubles matches in straight sets and added two more wins from singles action to secure a win over visiting Stoughton. The senior tandem of Saharla Yusuf and Tina Lam grabbed a 6-2, 5-1 (inj.) win at first singles, and sophomores Kyra Johnson and Presley Biller didn’t drop a single set in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles for the Bombardiers. Senior Ella Lynch-Bartek added a 6-1, 6-2 first singles victory and sophomore Maddie Fulscado earned a 6-0, 6-3 win at second singles. Stoughton’s Stefani Reznikow emerged with a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles.

Boys Outdoor Track
Attleboro, 97 @ Milford, 39 – Final – Attleboro’s Kaiden Murray took first in three individual events as Attleboro grabbed a big win on the road over Milford. Murray won the 100M, the 110M hurdles, and the long jump while Chris Leonardo was a double-winner in the shot put and the discus. Jack Blouin and Ethan Sylvia went 1-2 in the 1 Mile, and Sylvia added a win in the 800M for the Bombardiers. Adrian Rivera was second in the 200M dash (won by Jordan Rivera-Silva), took third in the high jump, won the triple jump, and was apart of the winning 4x100M relay team. (with Rivera-Silva, Zyeem Charles, and Josh Codella)

Girls Outdoor Track
Attleboro, 73 @ Milford, 63 – Final – Emilia Smith and Jahela Douglas each won a pair of events to lead the Bombardiers to a close win over Milford. Smith anchored a sweep of the 1 Mile (followed by Taylor DeCristoforo and Bailey Ellis) and the 2 Mile (followed by DeCristoforo and Kacey Parker), and Douglas took first in the triple jump and led a sweep of the 200M (followed by Alexis Cincotta and Sophia Lyons). Rebecca Rainey led a sweep of the 400M hurdles (along with Zenda Gjoni and Allie McNamara) and Aariana Ridge won the long jump (followed by Natalie Berganza and Katerina Trieb).

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Taunton, 0 @ Xaverian, 3 – Final

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/12/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Oliver Ames, 13 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Holding onto a one-run lead, Oliver Ames pushed across six runs in the fifth inning to pull away for a win over Canton. Jack Muir had a pair of hits, including a double, and paced the offense with five RBI for the Tigers. Nathanial Lewis (two RBI) and Jack Richardson (two runs) each added two hits in the win. Lucas Riley (2IP, 2K) and Patrick Finnerty (1IP, 1K) combined to close out the game for OA. Matt Chafin (triple, RBI, stolen base), Hayden Rose (three RBI), and Andy Butler (two stolen bases) each had a pair of hits for Canton.

Girls Tennis
Franklin, 3 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – Franklin took two wins in singles play plus one more in doubles to take down the Rocketeers. Chloe Essam earned a win at second singles (4-6, 1-2/inj.), Sarah Schiavo added a 6-3, 6-0 victory at third singles, and the first doubles tandem of Amulya Jayam and Shriya Rasish emerged with a 7-5, 6-3 win. North Attleboro’s Lauren Hunt won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles while Ashlyn Cziria and Teresa Fan prevailed with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win at second doubles.

Boys Outdoor Track
Attleboro, 103 @ Franklin, 33 – Final – Cashel Stuger, Ethan Syliva, Adrian Rivera each had a pair of individual wins as Attleboro ran away with a big win over Franklin. Stuger was first in both the long jump (19’4″) and the 110M hurdles (16.4), Sylvia won both the 1 Mile (4:51) and the 2 Mile (10:45.5) races, and Rivera took the top spot in the 100M dash (11.4) and the triple jump (38’2.5″). Other winners for the Bombardiers included Damon Dugan (high jump, 5’6″), Chris Leonardo (shot put, 42’1″), Ethan Gattoni (javelin, 156’8″), Isaiah Traore (discus, 109′), Jacob Blazek (400M hurdles, 1:03.3), Zyeem Charles (200M, 23.3), and Jack Blouin (800M, 2:12.4). Attleboro’s 4×100 relay (Adrian Rivera, Zyeem Charles, Jordan Rivera-Silva, Cashel Stuger) also took first in 46.5 seconds.

Sharon, 91 @ Canton, 37 – Final – For Canton, Kyle Downing was a double-winner with wins in both the 1 Mile (4:56.8) and the 2 Mile (11:10.21), Ruari Ritson added a first place finish in the shot put (36’2″), and Sean Sullivan won the javelin (104’8″).

North Attleboro, 97 @ Foxboro, 39 – Final

Taunton, 44 @ King Philip, 93 – Final

Milford, 45 @ Mansfield, 87 – Final – Mansfield’s Chamberlain Guthrie Jr. won a pair of individual races and anchored the Hornets’ 4x100M relay team to a first place finish in a win over visiting Milford. Guthrie Jr. won both the long jump (20’0″) and the 200M (23.4), and teamed up with Myles Brown, Isaiah Kind, and Dylan Buchanan to win the 4×100 relay in 45.5 seconds. Brown, a freshman, continued the strong start to his career with another win the 100M (11.5) while sophomore Ty Duffin had a big improvement in his first-place javelin throw, winning at 118’4″. Buchanan added a win in the 110M hurdles (15.3), Evan Rawlings won the high jump (5’3″), Dana Johnson took first in the triple jump (38’5″), and Charles Newcomb won the discus (104’1″). Mansfield’s 4×400 relay (Tommy Giudicianni, Talon Johnson, Marco Geminiani, Evan Rawlings) took first in 3:44.

Stoughton @ Oliver Ames, 3:45

Girls Outdoor Track
Attleboro, 16 @ Franklin, 120 – Final – For Attleboro, Emilia Smith won the 2 Mile (12:41), Elayna Marinelli (90’10”) and Meghan Barrows (68’5″) took first and second, respectively, in the javelin, Rebecca Rainey was third in the 400M hurdles (74.3), Bailey Ellis was third in the 1 Mile (6:15.4), and Dianna McArthur was third in the shotput (29’6.5″).

Sharon, 45 @ Canton, 91 – Final – Canton swept the top three spots in four different events on its way to a win over visiting Sharon. The Bulldogs swept the 400M hurdles (Jayda Proffit, Julia Donovan, Kenzie Bennett), the 400M (Liana Camill, Brianna Rosebrugh, Caira McKinney), the high jump (Talya DeGraw, Ella Lewis, Kiley Hanlon) and the 200M dash (Kiley Hanlon, Syriah McCruse, Talya DeGraw).

North Attleboro, 99 @ Foxboro, 36 – Final

Taunton, 54 @ King Philip, 82 – Final – For Taunton, winners included senior Nia Mainer-Smith in the 200M (26.8), junior Phylicia Dias in the 400M (66.1), freshman Emersyn DePonte in the 800M (2:27.6), freshman Colby Dunham in the 1 Mile (6:09.0), senior Taylor Doherty in the high jump (4’6), and junior Sayla DePina in the discus (72’10”).

Milford, 36 @ Mansfield, 99 – Final

Stoughton @ Oliver Ames, 3:45

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/05/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 10 – Final (5 Inn.) – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Alfred Mucciarone gave up one hit over four innings and Ethan Voellemicke struck out the side in the fifth, as Franklin shut out Attleboro for its second win in as many days. Chris Goode and Evan Raider each drove in a pair of runs for the Panthers. Attleboro’s best chance came in the first Nate George drew a leadoff walk and two batters later Danny Johnson hit a sinking liner to right, but Eisig Chin made a stellar diving catch. Franklin took control in the bottom half with four runs. Ryan Gerety led off with a single and Jack Marino was hit by a pitch. Attleboro failed to handle a pair of bunts and both runners came in to score. Chin drove in a run with a single and would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch. Franklin added three more in the second. One-out walks to Joe Tirrell and Gerety and an infield single for Marino loaded the bases. Goode plated one with a sac fly and Raider followed with a single to bring in two. In the third, Franklin took advantage of a couple errors to add three more runs. Ben Jarosz singled and would score on a wild pitch, Henry DiGiorgio reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on an error, and Tirrell walked and came in to score on a sac fly from Goode. Hayden Hagerty broke up Mucciarone’s no-hitter to start the fourth but Franklin’s starter retired the next three hitters to strand the runner in scoring position.










Softball
Taunton, 4 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Canton, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Chloe Guerschuny drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the top of the seventh to help the Bulldogs complete a comeback win. OA scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, including an RBI single from Katie Melendy, and two more in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run from Katherine Farley and an RBI single from Caitlin Miller. Canton responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, including a two-run base hit from Guerschuny.

Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Franklin scored once in each of the first three innings and tacked on two key insurance runs in the top of the sixth to get the win on the road over Attleboro. Julia White had a one-out single in the top of the first and came around to score after a fielder’s choice and an error to put the Panthers ahead 1-0 but Attleboro answered with a run of its own to make it 1-1. Junior Hailey Fales had a one-out single in the top of the season, and courtesy runner Kelly Moussa scored after White grounded out to second with the bases loaded for a 2-1 lead. Georgia Harvey turned a leadoff single in the top of the third into a run to make it 3-1 before Attleboro made it a one-run game with sac fly in the bottom half. Reece Allen and Moussa came around to score in the top of the fifth for insurance. Aislinn Lavery got the win for Franklin, allowing two runs (one earned) with six strikeouts and no walks. Lindsey Perry was strong in the circle for Attleboro in a complete game effort, with just earned runs allowed with two strikeouts and two walks.

Foxboro, 13 @ Stoughton, 14 – Final – A back-and-forth offensive slugfest ended with Stoughton jumping ahead in the bottom of the six and then getting a scoreless top of the seventh to get the win. Sydney Menz led the Black Knights’ offense with a pair of home runs, including a two-run bomb in the sixth that plated the tying and go-ahead runs for Stoughton, plus a triple and four RBI total. Melody Casna added a double and two RBI while Leila Alaoui and Camryn Whitman each had a pair of hits, and Kerry Driscoll and Kate Bulger each had an RBI double. Driscoll got the win in the circle while Casna, Menz, and Maddie Hinds all turned in solid defensive performances for the Black Knights.

Boys Lacrosse
King Philip, 7 vs. Walpole, 9 – Final
Mansfield, 2 @ Nauset, 16 – Final
Sharon, 6 @ Cardinal Spellman, 7 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Mansfield, 3 @ Bishop Feehan, 13 – Final
Canton @ Whitman-Hanson – Postponed to TBD.




Boys Tennis
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Franklin grabbed its second win in as many days, this time sweeping all five matches in straight sets to knock off Attleboro. Vayshnav Malhotra and Thomas Broyles both won 6-0, 6-0 at first and second singles, respectively, while Drew Mahoney earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Tim O’Keefe and Ahan Shetty battled for a 7-5, 6-4 win at first doubles while Sameen Shaik and Jay Gorgas took a 6-0, 6-2 decision at second doubles.

Milford, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – It was a clean sweep for Mansfield, taking all five matches in straight sets. Neema Khosravani, Kailash Elumelai, Iniyan Karruppusami were the Hornets’ three victorious singles players, freshman Josh Weiner and sophomore Jacob Weiner won at first doubles, and sophomores Sirius Li and Nikhil Nain won at second doubles.

Canton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Canton’s second doubles team of Kevin Moltenbrey and Max LaRose emerged victorious in a three-set thriller to clinch the win for the Bulldogs. Moltenbrey and LaRose split the first two sets before getting the win 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. The Bulldogs also got wins at first singles from Max Kupferman and at second singles from Suraj Ramanathan. OA senior Raphael Vache earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at third singles while the first doubles team of freshmen Alex Efremidas and Patrick Dolan grabbed a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Taunton, 1 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip swept doubles action and got another pair of wins from singles play to defend home court against Taunton. The first doubles team of Diego Nieto and Noah Ihley rallied from a one-set deficit to win 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 while the tandem of Leo Manning and Arjun Kollu secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at second doubles for KP. Jonathan Cohen added a 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles and Jackson Hom didn’t drop a set in a 6-0, 6-0 third singles victory. Taunton’s Michael Kimmer won 6-3, 6-1 at first singles.

Foxboro, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – A singles sweep propelled Foxboro to a second straight win to open the season, this time on the road at Stoughton. Garrett Spillane battled to a 7-6, 6-0 win at first singles, Bo Canfield fought for a 7-5, 6-2 win at second singles and Raj Jetty had a strong showing in a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. Jake Berry and Joe Mark won 6-2, 7-6 at first doubles for the Black Knights while Stoughton’s second doubles team of Paul Medeiros and Aadil Khond grabbed a 6-3, 6-1 win.




Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 2 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – For the second straight match, Franklin swept both doubles matches and had a third win from third singles to get the win. Amulya Jayam and Shriya Rasish battled to a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win at first doubles, and Franklin’s second doubles team of Chloe Essam and Sydney Tolonen secured a 6-4, 6-1 win. Sarah Schiavo earned his second win of the season, taking a 6-4, 6-4 decision at third singles for the Panthers. Attleboro’s Ella Lynch-Bartek won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles while sophomore Maddie Fuscaldo prevailed with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at second singles.

Mansfield, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – The Hornets got a pair of wins in both singles and doubles action to record a win on the road over Milford. Kate Martin won her first singles match 6-1, 6-3 while Aadi Semeer earned a 7-5, 6-3 win at second singles. Mansfield’s first doubles team of Alexis Joyce and Clair Copp battled to a 6-3, 6-0 win while Jillian Hanley and Savannah Carey notched a 6-2, 6-2 second doubles win. Milford junior Serena Borges prevailed from third singles with a 6-0, 7-5 win.

King Philip, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Both doubles matches went to a third set before King Philip swept its way to a win over Taunton. The team of Lauren Casper and Resha Ajoy prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 at first doubles while Caroline Freese and Carly Burns rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) win at second doubles for KP. Ahunna James and Shea Mellman each lost just one set in identical 6-0, 6-1 wins at first and second singles, respectively, and Sammie Taylor added a 7-5, 6-1 win at third singles for the Warriors.

Stoughton, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro defended home court with a five match sweet of visiting Stoughton, taking all five in straight sets. Athena Li didn’t drop a set in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, Hailey Kornbluth secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles and Makayla Peck earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Abigail Costa and Juliana Preston lost just one set on their way to a 6-0, 6-1 first doubles win, and Foxboro’s second doubles team of Emily Stow and Sydney Lebow emerged with a 6-4, 6-3 win.

Boys Outdoor Track
Taunton @ Attleboro, 3:45

Stoughton, 97 @ Canton, 39 – Final – Kyle Downing won a pair of events and Canton won the 4×100 relay, but Stoughton secured the win on the road to open the season. Downing won both the 1 Mile (11:12.1) and the 2 Mile (5:13.1) for the Bulldogs, and the team of Youssef Kosta, Christian Hanlon, Andres Castro Alvarez, and Favor Ugah took first in the 4×100 in 48.5. Other winners for Canton were Sean Sullivan (discus) and Graham Stemm (javelin).

Oliver Ames @ Foxboro, 4:15

Franklin, 50 @ Mansfield, 77 – Final – Anchored by double-winners Dana Johnson, Dylan Buchanan, and Charles Newcomb, Mansfield opened the season with a win over Franklin. Johnson won both the long jump (19’7.5”) and the triple jump (41’3”), and added second place finish in the 110M hurdles (16.5). Buchanan won the 110M hurdles in 15.5 and won the javelin with a toss of 112’8, and Newcomb won both the shot put (40’6) and the discus (89’0). Other winners for Mansfield included Evan Rawlings (400M hurdles, 58.3), Myles Brown (100M, 11.4), Chris Leonard (1 Mile, 4:49.9), and Chamberlain Guthrie Jr. (200M, 24.4).

King Philip @ Milford, 3:45

Sharon @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Girls Outdoor Track
Taunton, 50 @ Attleboro, 84 – Final – Attleboro swept four events on its way to a season-opening win over visiting Taunton. Rebecca Rainey and Jahela Douglas each won a pair of events, with Rainey taking first in the 400M hurdles (1:18.8) and the high jump (4-6), as well as a third place finish in the 200M (29.1). Douglas was the winner in the 100M (13.2) and the triple jump (31-5.5) and added a second place leap of 14-10 in the long jump. Other winners for Attleboro included Emilia Smith (1 Mile, 5:48.0), Elayna Marinelli (javelin, 98-1), Diana McArthur (discus, 72-2) and the 4×100 team of Jadyn Hoyt, Mabel Sandoval, Erimar Torres, and Kylee Browning.

Stoughton, 80 @ Canton, 56 – Final – Canton’s Kylie Hanlon added her name to the school record book but the Bulldogs fell at home to Stoughton. Hanlon tied the school record in the 100M, taking first in 12.4. Kiara Cerruti won the 1 Mile and was second in the 800M, and the team of Gabby Herivaux, Talya DeGraw, Katie Oliver, Syriah McCruse was first in the 4×100 in 52.3.

Oliver Ames @ Foxboro, 4:15

Franklin, 58 @ Mansfield, 78 – Final

King Philip @ Milford, 3:45

Sharon @ North Attleboro, 3:45

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

Attleboro

2020-2021 Record: 10-6
Coach: Mark Houle

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

After trotting out an entirely new lineup during the shortened COVID season a year ago, Attleboro is looking to build upon the foundation it built and contend for a Kelley-Rex title in a very deep division.

Senior Evan Houle and junior Trevor White are the two returning starters from a year ago but the Bombardiers have a lot of players back that saw valuable minutes off the bench as well. Houle and White both averaged 10 points per game a year ago and will be two of the main options on the offensive end of the court. Alvin Harrison and Joe Francois both played solid minutes last year and give the Bombardiers some size in the paint. Jake Struminski, Christian Dame, and Michael Beverly all played throughout last season and should be in the mix again this year.

The Bombardiers are getting a big boost in the backcourt with the addition of senior Colin Morais, who transferred in after playing in Rhode Island last year. Morais can score in a variety of ways and can really catch fire from three-point range so he will be a welcome addition to the lineup. Sophomore Neo Franco could see an expanded role right away and help provide additional defensive intensity and some scoring punch. Seniors Hayden Hagerty, senior Nathan Hunter-Evans, and junior Jaiden Outland give the Bombardiers some quality depth on the roster.

“I have been very impressed with our work ethic and how our players have set high standards in practice every day,” said Attleboro head coach Mark Houle. “I credit our recent graduates for the past several years who set the high expectations for our teams to work hard, be good teammates, and earn our success in practice. We’re looking forward to the always challenging Hockomock League schedule. We must be prepared and be ready to compete at a high level every game.”

Canton

2020-2021 Record: 4-9
Coach: Eric MacKinnon

A new chapter begins for the Bulldogs with Eric MacKinnon taking over as head coach after Ryan Gordy stepped down to take an athletics administrative position with Canton. MacKinnon, a former Hockomock League All-Star for Oliver Ames, has experience coaching at both the high school and collegiate levels and will try to guide a relatively inexperienced group through a tough league schedule.

Canton graduated seven seniors from last year’s team that accounted for nearly 90% of the team’s points scored last year. But with that loss comes a lot of new opportunities for new players to fit into the lineup and rotation. Senior Lanse Dorcelus possesses the most experience of anyone on the roster after getting pulled up to varsity his freshmen year and seeing an expanded role in each of the past two seasons. He could be primed for a breakout year with his ability to attack the rim, and he can score in bunches when he gets going.

Dorcelus is joined by Dillon Nguyen, Conor Hunter, and Nate Mei as returners from last year. All three of those players know what it’s like to play at the varsity level in the Hockomock League so MacKinnon will be leaning on their experience as the Bulldogs try to navigate through a very challenging schedule. MacKinnon is hoping to have the Dogs playing with pace in the halfcourt and will be looking to have a balanced attack on offense with a presence in the post but also a roster that can hit from outside.

“We have a mix of guys who have had varsity experience along with some juniors who weren’t able to swing last year because of covid protocols,” MacKinnon said. “We know we’ll need to be efficient offensively and be sound on the other end to compete every night in this league. We’ve made progress in our early practices and I’ve been impressed by our senior leadership.”

Foxboro

2020-2021 Record: 2-9
Coach: Jon Gibbs

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

There were a lot of growing pains for the Warriors last season, resulting in a 2-9 record during the shortened COVID season. But with its entire starting lineup back plus some added depth, Foxboro could be looking at a worst-to-first type turnaround in 2022.

Senior Dylan Gordon, fresh off an incredible football season for the Warriors, had a breakout season a year ago and was one of the leading scorers in the Hock at 16 points per game. He’s joined by junior Alex Penders, who had some dominant moments at times last year in the paint and averaged 13.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and juniors Ryan LeClair, Sam Golub (6.4 PPG), and Sean O’Leary. Juniors Andrew Finn and Cam Barreira both played solid minutes at points last year so the Warriors boast eight veteran players now, which is a vast difference from last year when everyone on the roster was making their varsity debut.

The Warriors will look to boast a balanced offensive attack and have the weapons to do so. Whether it’s Penders down low in the post, Gordon slashing to the basket, or Golub lighting it up from deep, Foxboro has options all over the court. Head coach Jon Gibbs is hoping the experience and chemistry the group gained last year will provide a strong foundation for this season. Defensively, the Warriors have some size and length that will allow them to protect the paint, contest shots, and rebound at a high level.

“We have a deep team this year,” Gibbs said. “Guys are pushing each other hard in practice every day as they work to carve out roles for themselves. If we can defend and rebound at a championship level, we have the potential for a very successful season.”







2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

Franklin

2020-2021 Record: 6-5
Coach: CJ Neely

Last season marked the second straight year that the Panthers graduated a large senior class and that means there are a lot of opportunities for new faces to step into the starting lineup and expanded roles this year around.

While the Panthers will have an entirely new starting lineup, Franklin will most certainly be right in the mix in a Kelley-Rex division that is jammed-pack with talent. Gone are leading scorer Declan Walmsley (17.5 points per game) along with the next two leading scorers on last year’s roster in Andrew Byfield (10.2) and Jake O’Brien (9.9). Key depth pieces like Zach Harvey (4.5) and Alex Newman (3.6) also graduated so head coach CJ Neely will be working with some new options this year.

Sophomore Henry Digiorgio burst onto the scene as a freshman a year ago and he’s the top returning scorer at 5.4 points per game, although he did reach double figures in the scoring column three times. Sean Vinson and Ben Harvey are the other two players back in the fold that saw some minutes a season ago. But something we’ve seen Franklin do year-in and year-out is reload so there will certainly be some new names to emerge over the next couple of weeks.

While the players change, the style of Franklin basketball has been consistent for years and defense remains to be the calling card under Neely. The Panthers are always a team that puts a lot of pressure, moves the ball around on the offensive end, and incorporates a lot of motion off the ball to keep opposing defenses on their heels.

“Guys have really showed up ready to compete for jobs,” Neely said. “Obviously with five graduating starters from last year’s team there are a lot of roles up for grabs and practices have been great. We have had a very competitive preseason and it has shown that we have a lot of depth and it will be an ongoing battle all year to earn your spot and maintain your spot throughout the year.”

King Philip

2020-2021 Record: 0-10
Head Coach: Dave DeStefano

With a strong mix of experienced players and new faces, King Philip is looking to make some noise in a very talented and deep Kelley-Rex division, one of the best divisions in the state.

Head coach Dave DeStefano is back after missing the COVID season due to the birth of his son and has seven seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen on the roster to work with this year. KP has a solid foundation with two returning starters back and both averaged double figures in the scoring column. Junior Will Laplante had a breakout year and will be someone every opposing defense will have to keep an eye on after averaging 16.4 points per game last year. And senior Danny Clancy is one of the hardest-working players and fights for a lot of rebounds on the offensive glass; he averaged 12.2 points per game last year.

Senior Charlie Grant, fresh off leading the King Philip football team to the state final at quarterback, is confident with the ball in his hands and will be like a quarterback for the offense by setting the tempo. Seniors Sean Sullivan and Braeden Sottile will be looking to build on their minutes from a season ago and could see expanded roles this go around. Seniors Will Martorano (6’5) and Drew Danson (6’3) should give the Warriors a big, physical presence in the paint. DeStefano is also expecting juniors Tommy Martorano, Grant Kinney, and Collin Peck to be in the mix after improving a lot over the offseason.

“The boys have really committed this offseason,” said DeStefano, who is hoping a combination of athleticism and physicality lead to success this year. “The practices so far have been really competitive and physical. We know that everyone in this league can score the ball and if we want to be successful we are going to have to commit on the defensive end of the floor. We want to make our opponents uncomfortable and focus on working together to get stops. On offense, we are looking to have a balanced attack and create great scoring opportunities as a team.”

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

Mansfield

2020-2021 Record: 15-1 (Kelley-Rex division champions)
Coach: Mike Vaughan

Mansfield won another division title last season and expectations are sky high yet again this year, as the Hornets look to win their 10th straight Kelley-Rex division title and go on a deep tournament run.

While the Hornets reload every year, they have a pretty good head start this season already with senior Matt Hyland and junior Chris Hill back in the lineup. Both boast a lot of experience at the varsity level and are capable of being the best player on the court. Mansfield lost 1,000-point score Matt Boen (just the second player to reach that milestone under head coach Mike Vaughan despite all of the program’s success) to graduation so both Hyland and Hill will take on more responsibility on the offensive end of the floor.

Seniors Jack Lasbury-Casey, Andrew Slaney, and Anthony Sacchetti, along with sophomore Trevor Foley, all saw minutes during last year’s shortened COVID season and could be in line for expanded roles this year. Sacchetti has impressed in the preseason so far and the Hornets have played well with him on the floor, Foley (6’5) creates a lot of matchup problems with his size and athleticism, and both Lasbury-Casey and Slaney can give the offense a boost with their outside shooting.

Caden Colby, Dante James, and JT Veiking all are coming off very successful seasons of JV and the same goes for sophomore Eddie McCoy, who had a strong year on the freshmen squad. All four players are all in the mix for minutes and give the Hornets a very deep roster. The Hornets are looking to use their size and length to their advantage, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

“Overall the expectations are the same, we want to qualify for the tournament as quickly as possible by playing one game at a time, win the league title, and win multiple tournament games,” Vaughan said. “With the quality of the league and our tough non-league schedule, we have a challenge ahead of us but I think we have the pieces to be a very talented and quality basketball team on both ends of the floor.”




Milford

2020-2021 Record: 3-9
Coach: Paul Seaver

It’s not uncommon for a program to graduate its entire starting lineup, and it’s not even uncommon to see the majority of a roster turnover because of graduation. But Milford is in a unique situation in which it graduated its entire team. That’s right, Milford will boast a roster full of players without a minute of varsity experience.

Head coach Paul Seaver has four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen as the Hawks write a new chapter book in program history. Coaches in the Hockomock League will be checking in with their subvarsity coaches, and maybe even their metro coaches, to try and get an idea of what to expect from the Hawks this year.

While we’ll learn more about the Hawks as the season goes on, we do know one thing. Seaver will be leaning on the leadership of senior captains Nick Schuler and Paul Roberts. Both Schuler and Roberts have varsity experience in other sports so their leadership will be key for a program that will be experiencing this level for the first time.

“With a brand new crop of guys this season, we look to compete on both sides of the floor this year while working towards reestablishing the culture and environment of Milford basketball,” Seaver said.

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

North Attleboro

2020-2021 Record: 8-3
Coach: Sean Mulkerrins

The Rocketeers have a roster mixed with new faces and a handful of experienced players and are hoping that combination can lead to some success in a loaded Hockomock League.

After graduating just two seniors two years ago, North lost half of its roster from last year and all five were players that saw valuable minutes for head coach Sean Mukerrins. But on the plus side, the four players back all played a lot of minutes including starters and potential league all-stars Brody Rosenberg and Casey Poirier. Rosenberg was second on the team last year in scoring with 10.4 points per game last year and will need to take on more responsibility on the offensive end this year. Poirier is a capable guard that is confident with the ball in his hands and likes to spread the rock around.

Seniors Gavin Wells (6’3) and Nate Bennett (6’3) are the other two returners for the Big Red and both improved as the season went on last year. Wells emerged as a threat from the perimeter, dropping a season-high 13 points in a road win over Foxboro last season. Bennett can play in a variety of roles and he gives North some good size on the defensive end.

North has developed a reputation for being disciplined and well-prepared on the defensive end of the court, and that will likely be the strength for the squad again this year. On the offensive end, the Rocketeers will follow the lead of Rosenberg and Poirier as an unselfish group that is always looking for the best shot.

“We are excited to get the season started and see where we stack up against the rest of the Hockomock League,” Mulkerrins said. “After graduating a tremendous 2021 class, this group is excited to step in and carve our roles that will help our team succeed.”

Oliver Ames

2020-2021 Record: 9-1 (Davenport division champions)
Coach: Oliver Vil

Oliver Ames had a terrific showing during the shortened COVID season, winning the Davenport division in its first season back after four years in the Kelley-Rex division.

Oliver Vil takes over as head coach of the program after the untimely passing of legendary and Hall of Fame coach Don Byron in June. Byron coached through his battle with cancer for the past couple of seasons, leading the Tigers to the Davenport crown with a 9-1 record last winter.

Vil and the Tigers will honor Byron this season when they play Abington; Byron coached the Green Wave to a sectional title in his final season there before coming to Oliver Ames. The Tigers will be raising funds for Coaches vs. Cancer when they host Abington on December 23rd.

Vil, who was an assistant under Byron before taking the head coaching job at Walpole, has two key pieces back from last year’s squad. Senior Drew Baxter is a crafty guard that can really get going on the offensive side of the ball and score in a variety of ways; he will spearhead the offense while Jake Grimaldi, a senior co-captain, gives the Tigers some size down low. After graduating nine seniors from last year’s roster, there are a lot of opportunities for new faces to take advantage of.

“I look forward to continuing the great tradition at OA,” Vil said. “There are big shoes to fill, but my mentor Don Byron has prepared me for this position. I’m excited for this opportunity and challenge.”




2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview

Sharon

2020-2021 Record: 4-9
Coach: Andrew Ferguson

Sharon built a solid foundation during last year’s COVID-shortened season and now expectations are high as the Eagles look to build on it and compete for the Davenport division title.

The Eagles have a good chunk of the roster back from last year, all with an important year of experience now under the belt, and an impressive group of young players that are ready to make an immediate impact at the varsity level. Senior John Baez is in his fourth year with the varsity team and will be joined by senior Ryan Zunenshine in the backcourt to give the Eagles an experienced duo spearheading the offense.

The strong senior class also features Sam Cohen, Will Hippler, Donyae Pierre, Nate Yaffe, Ryan Baker, and Brent Cham. Cohen burst onto the scene at the end of his sophomore year and can light it up from three-point range while Hippler is a versatile player that gives the Eagles defensively flexibility. Junior Matt Baur is poised for a breakout season and might be the best player on the court on both sides of the court for the Eagles.

Sophomores Nate Katznelson and Jacob McLoughlin impressed in their first year playing high school ball last year and now will make the jump to the varsity level and could make an immediate impact. Juniors Jack Bates and Tyler Goodman give Sharon quality depth at the guard position. Sharon is hoping to get all five guys on the court involved on the offensive end of the court while a revamped defense could be the spark the Eagles need.

“We are thankful to be playing another season and thank the work of the athletic directors of the league to ensure a full season,” said head coach Andrew Ferguson. “We have been working extremely hard throughout the offseason and the early season to hit the ground running. We have a tight-knit team who have been growing together over the past few years and we can’t wait to get the season started.”

Stoughton

2020-2021 Record: 4-9
Coach: Evan Taylor

With just one starter back from last year, second-year head coach Evan Taylor is relying on a mix of new faces and some returners to make up the nucleus of this year’s squad.

Connor Andrews is the lone starter back for the Black Knights after averaging 8.5 points a year ago. But Stoughton also has a pair of juniors in Josh Rivera and Cashmere Mathurin, along with junior Rayan Sablon, that played meaningful minutes and are in line for expanded roles for the 2021-2022 season. Andrews can do it all on the offensive end and does a lot of the little things right. Not only can he light up the scoreboard with his outside shooting, but he also sets the tone with his hustle and rebounding.

Rivera is a capable ball-handler and likes to get his teammates involved; his energy will set the tone of the defensive end. Matherin’s size and athleticism will give a lot of teams trouble this year and Stoughton is looking for him to be one of the best rim protectors in the league. Sablon will play a variety of roles for the Knights, capable of playing as both the one and the two depending on the scenario. Freshman Matt Greenspoon is a player to watch as the season goes on.

Taylor is putting a big focus on the defensive end of the floor during the preseason. The Black Knights allowed the second-most points against in the Davenport division this year so a renewed focus on defense — with an emphasis on using their speed and athleticism to cause havoc — will be something to keep an eye on.

“We are very pleased with the energy and competition level at practice and we are expecting to be very competitive in the Davenport division this season,” Taylor said.

taunton

2020-2021 Record: 10-1 (Kelley-Rex division champions)
Coach: Charlie Dacey

Last season will always be “what if” for the Tigers, who won their first Hock title by sharing the Kelley-Rex division title with Mansfield. But the past is the past and Taunton is focused on the future, which could be another league title.

There will certainly be a bit of a new look for Taunton with the centerpiece of the offense from the past two seasons Tyler Stewart now causing problems for opponents in the Commonwealth Coast Conference as a member of the Wentworth men’s basketball team, and three-year starter Josh Lopes now suiting up for American International College.

But not all is lost as the Tigers have its three other starters from last year’s squad back in the mix and ready to challenge for another Kelley-Rex crown. Trent Santos is now a three-year starter and led the Tigers in scoring last year with 15.2 points per game and he will be one of the top players in the league again this year. Tristan Herry made a huge jump between his sophomore and junior year and is looking to continue that trend this year, the heart and soul of the defense. And Faisal Mass made a big splash last year and can hurt teams in a variety of ways.

The Tigers are getting a boost with the addition of Jordan Costa, who provides a big boost in the rebounding category and can cause some damage around the rim. He’ll be joined by junior Matt Small (6’4) to give the Tigers another option down low. Sophomores Troy Santos and Morrisette could be contributors to the lineup right away for Taunton.

“We’re looking to be aggressive defensively and dynamic offensively with varied skills being able to finish from different spots and different personnel,” said Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey.

2021-2022 Hockomock Boys Basketball Preview