Tag: Connor Peterson

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/19/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Girls Basketball
Sharon, 39 vs. Leominster, 56 – Final

Boys Indoor Track
Oliver Ames, 44 @ Stoughton, 56 – Final – Stoughton swept the long jump and the 55M dash as well as taking both relays to pick up an impressive win over Oliver Ames, securing a second-place finish in the Davenport division. Matt Singletary’s leap of 20-04.00 took first (second best in the Hock) with Alex Huynh and Tito Nwosu rounding out the sweep for the Black Knights, while Zachary Feist (7.00) won the 55M dash followed by Matt-Andy Beauchamps and Tyler Noel. Singletary also won the high jump (6-02.00), Thomas Laz won the shot put with a throw of 40-10.50, and William Tinkham won both the 55M hurdles (7.99) and the 300M (38.18). Tinkham also anchored Stoughton’s 4×200 relay team along with Beauchamps, Feist, and Noel, setting a new school record in 1:34.12. Oliver Ames swept four events on the night: the 2 Mile (Brody Lake, Oscar Feodoroff, Jonah Sobieraj), the 1000M (Aidan Dupill, Ryan Sarney, Brendan Tomas), the 600M (Sarney, Dupill, Thomas), and the 1 Mile (Alexander Pierce, Ethan Mahoney, Landon Sarney).

Canton, 41 @ Foxboro, 55 – Final – Foxboro finished first in eight races, and took second in the other two as they earned a win over Canton. Daniel O’Malley earned 15 points with three first place finishes, winning the high jump (6-00.00), the 55M hurdles (8.56), and the 300M (37.39). Other first place finishes for the Warriors were Edosa Omeumu (long jump, 17-06.25), Joe Flanagan (league-best shot put throw of 47-03.50), Brooks Stone (1000M, 2:45.85), Stephen Haney (600M, 1:27.37), and Chris Proulx (1 Mile, 4:53.92). Trevor Palmer and Johnny Ahearn earned four points with a second-third finish in the 2 Mile, and Jaiden Jean and Ishmel Sillah did the same in the 55M dash for Foxboro. Canton’s Luke Darling won the 2 Mile (11:03.65) and Christian Hanlon took first in the 5MM dash (7.13). Canton won both relays with the 4×400 team (Dan Glemaud, Sam Vail, Austin DiBiasio, Mohith Arugollu) clocking in at 4:06.38, and the 4×200 team (Hanlon, Joshua Richards, Charlie Zack, Alex Kraslynkov) finishing in 1:40.33.

Mansfield, 74 @ Sharon, 25 – Final – Mansfield completed an undefeated dual meet season with a win over Sharon anchored by sweeps in the shot put and the 55M dash, first place finishes in six more events, and wins in both relays. The Davenport division champs picked up all nine points in the shot put led by Ayden Agbasi’s throw of 44-10.75 with Billy Gardner and Daniel Mintz rounding out the top three. Myles Brown earned first in the 55M dash in 6.76 followed closely in second by Nate Kablik (6.88) and third by Sirius Li (6.96). Talon Johnson had a league-best time in the 1000M, clocking in at 2:40.46 for first, Evan Thevenot took first in the long jump (19-11.50), freshman Joey Federline Jr. won the 2 Mile by breaking 11 minutes for the first time (10:58.15), Troy Penney won the 600M (1:29.04) by less than a second over Sharon’s Karthik Pisupati (1:29.77) with Kyle Dickinson’s PR time of 1:32.37 good for third, Colby Quersher took the 1 Mile in 4:54.12, and Grady Sullivan (37.26) and Matthew Breitenstein went 1-2 in the 300M, both setting new PRs. For Sharon, Naeem Prempin won the high jump (5-04.00) and Alexander Gong clocked in at 8.12 to win the 55M hurdles.

Attleboro, 52 @ Franklin, 48 – Final – Attleboro won both relays, setting a new school record in the 4×200 in the process, to rally for a win over Franklin and clinch the Kelley-Rex division title. Trailing by one going into the final relay, the Bombardiers 2×400 relay team of Peter DelPozzo, Michael Huntington, Jordan Rivera-Silva, and Adrian Rivera registered the best time in school history at 1:33.08 to win the relay and the dual meet. Attleboro’s 4×400 relay team of Austin Bowie, Nicolas Graber, Sean Kaswale, and Camden Martin won in 3:33.62, less than a second ahead of Franklin. Sean O’Hara-Ouellette won the high jump (6-00.00), Adrian Rivera and Jordan Rivera-Silva went 1-2 in the long jump, DelPozzo clocked in first in the 55M hurdles (8.47), and Rivera-Silva took first in the 300M. Luke Hagopian (1000M), Kamron marsh (shot put), and Graber (600M) each had key second place finishes to secure key points. Franklin picked up wins from Jacob Bowser (shot put), Tyler Apicella (2 Mile), Luke Sidwell (55M dash), Jack Halter (1000M), Jake Vaccarezza (600M), and swept the 1 Mile (Jonathan Pink, Will Boozang, Bradford Morin).

King Philip, 42 @ Taunton, 58 – Final – Taunton won both relays, picked up nine points in each the 55M dash and the 300M, and had three more first place finishes in a win over KP. Dmitrius Shearrion anchored both sweeps for the Tigers and was apart of the winning 4×200 relay. Shearrion won the 55M dash in 6.75 followed by Jonathan Trinh and Xavier Spencer, while his win in the 300M (35.30) anchored the sweep along with Jared Spencer and Chris Wallace. Sam Denis added a win in the 2 Mile (10:34.45), Andrew Cali clocked in first in the 1000M (2:50.25), and Cam Door won the 600M in 1:33.23. Degen Granese won a pair of events for the Warriors, taking first in both the long jump (19-04.75) and the shot put (41-09.00), Keagan Fletcher won the high jump at 6-00.00, Kevin Smith’s time of 8.45 won the 55M hurdles, and Nathan Sylven crossed the finish line at 4:43.44 to win the 1 Mile race.

North Attleboro, 66.5 @ Milford, 33.5 – Final – North Attleboro’s Nathan Shultz continued his dominance this season, taking three wins — all three with league-best finishes — to lead the Rocketeers to a win over Milford. Shultz was the fastest in the 55M dash, recording a league-best time of 6.69 and then posted a league-best jump of 6-06.00 to win the high jump and a Hock-best leap of 22-05.75 to win the long jump. Connor Peterson anchored a sweep in the 2 Mile with a time of 11:01.51 followed by William Atwood and Brendan Simpson. North also got 1-2 finishes in the long jump (Kyle Conroy), the 55M dash (Abraham Guir), the 1000M (Brady King, Yousef Abdalla), and the 300M (Sam Bush, Guir). Milford’s Christopher Benson won the shot put with a throw of 35-04.00 and Ben Parson took first in the 600M (1:29.99).








Girls Indoor Track
Oliver Ames, 57 @ Stoughton, 43 – Final – Oliver Ames completed its second straight undefeated dual meet season to claim another Davenport division title, their seventh overall. The Tigers swept a pair of events with Katie Sobieraj anchoring both of them. Sobieraj had a Hock-best time of 3:00.38 in the 300M and was followed by teammates Molly Capece and Erin Reilly while also winning the 2 Mile in 12:39.50 with Iole Apostoli and Brynn Cushing rounding out the top three. Jenna Gilman added a win in the 600M (1:41.67), Catie Wilson took another win in the shot put (28-03.00), and Taegan Hodges and Hailey Goldman went 1-2 in the 1 Mile race. Stoughton’s Gabriele Julien won both the high jump (4-10.00) and the long jump (15-08.50), Shayla Ford was also a double-winner by taking the 55M dash (7.56) and the 300M (42.78), and Belleya Franck added a first place finish in the 55M hurdles (9.73).

Canton, 77 @ Foxboro, 23 – Final – Canton collected key points by sweeping both the shot put and the 1000M in a win over Foxboro to conclude the dual meet season. Emma Massih anchored the sweep in the shot put along with Allie Wong and Jess Brathwaite while Tahlia Weaver led the charge in the 1000M with Daphne Golden and Sarah Dempster rounding out the top three. Katie Oliver was a double-winner for the Bulldogs, taking first in both the 55M hurdles and the long jump, Maggie McCready had a 10-second personal best time while taking first in the 1 Mile, and Lexi Piazza won the 600M race, setting a new PR by seven seconds.

Mansfield, 74 @ Sharon, 24 – Final – Mansfield took first in 10 events plus one relay to claim a big win over Sharon. The Hornets swept the shot put (Caitlin Garrahy, Juliana Machado, Joselyn Saba), the 55M dash (Abigail Scott, Chloe Guthrie, Meghan Driscoll), and the 300M (Olivia Barry, Brooke Penney, Alexandra Leman) for a total of 27 points. Guthrie also won the long jump (15-10.00), Elyssa Buchanan won two events, taking first in the 55M hurdles (9.47) and the high jump (4-08.00), Anna Moore won the 2 Mile in 12:10.00, Norah Puleo took first in the 1000M (3:23.01), Avery Hawthorne added five points by winning the 600M (1:50.11), and Alexandra Petrova clocked in at 6:09.78 to win the 1 Mile. Olivia Nau had six points for the Eagles, taking second in both the long jump and the 55M hurdles.

Attleboro, 9 @ Franklin, 90 – Final – Franklin swept eight events in a dominant showing, finishing off a 5-0 season to clinch the Kelley-Rex division crown for the first time since 2018. The Panthers swept the high jump (Abigail Griffith, Sarah Dumas, Vera Hansen), the long jump (Dumas, Barra Pfluke, Cailyn Bruno), the shot put (Lily DeForge, Elizabeth Hopkins, Darby Nicholson), the 55M hurdles (Ella Chandaria, Hansen, Bruno), the 55M dash (Dumas, Chandaria, Sophia Cuneo), the 1000M (Gwenyth Holland, Allison Powderly, Katie Barrow), the 600M (Bruno, Anna Cliff, Ella McLaughlin), and the 300M (Cuneo, Olivia Costa, Cassidy Carmignani). Mackenzie Mann added a win in the 2 Mile, clocking in at 13:43.88. Attleboro’a Emilia Smith won the 1 Mile in 5:39.10.

King Philip, 54 @ Taunton, 45 – Final – King Philip won the 4×200 relay by less than two seconds to secure a win over Taunton in a close battle. The Tigers won the 4×800 relay in 4:25.63 (the team of Phylicia Dias, Braelyn Nichols, Sydney Martin, Caelyn O’Leary) to have a shot at the win but KP’s 4×200 relay team of Sarah Glaser, Madeline Hill, Ali Gill, and Alex D’Amadio finished in 1:52.79 to secure the win. D’Amadio collected six points from a first place finish in the 300M (43.25) and a third place in the 600M (1:51.23), Gill and Glaser finished 1-2 in the 55M dash, and Hill added 10 more points by winning both the long jump (15-05.00) and the 55M hurdles (9.74). Katherine O’Neil added a win in the shot put (32-00.50) and Cheyanne Kelley won the 1000M in 3:34.06. Taunton’s Colby Dunham won the 2 Mile in 13:09.23, Emersyn DePonte and Sarah Mendonca went 1-2 in the 1 Mile, and Dias and Martin finished first and second in the 600M.

North Attleboro, 50 @ Milford, 50 – Final – Milford and North Attleboro entered the relays tied, and after splitting the relays, finished that way in a 50-50 tie. There was no separation between the Hawks and the Rocketeers, who had 45 points apiece before the relays. Milford won six of the 10 events but North had key depth by getting points from second and third place finishes. Kiyanna Simas won both the long jump (17-04.00) and the 55M dash (7.43), both were league best finishes on the night. The Hawks also got wins from Kay Wheelock (55M hurdles, 10.16), Carly Haley (1000M, 3:30.71), Sydney Kalil (1 Mile, 5:40.35), and swept the 300M (Gabby Peniche, Kaylee Whitney, Wheelock). North picked up wins from Sydney O’Connor in the high jump (4-08.00) with Caroline Folan and Megan Ladd rounding out a sweep, Sienna Newth in the shot put (32-06.50), Ellie Fournier in the 2 Mile (13:34.87), and Faith Wilder in the 600M (2:06.43).

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/08/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Indoor Track
Oliver Ames, 52 @ Canton, 48 – Final – Oliver Ames took the top two spots in four events to secure a tight win over upset-minded Canton. Ryan Sarney picked up right where he left off from a dominating cross country season to take first overall in the 1000M, clocking in at a league-best 2:45.32 while Alex Callanan took second in 3:06.71. OA also went 1-2 in the 1 Mile (Aidan Dupill, 5:11.64 and Brendan Thomas, 5:11.71), the high jump (Nolan Querzoli, 5’2″ and William Sobieraj, 5’2″), and the shot put (Peter Andromalos, 37’5.5″ and Frederick Hakimdin 33’1.5″). Sobieraj also won the 55M hurdles in 9.92. For Canton, Luke Darling won the 600M in his indoor track debut, clocking in at 1:35.57 while Christian Hanlon took first in the 55M dash in 7.28.

Stoughton, 29 @ Mansfield, 71 – Final – Mansfield made a big statement in its first meet as a member of the Davenport division, sweeping three events and both relays while taking the top team in the league in two more events in a win over Stoughton. The Hornets took the top three spots in the 1 Mile, won by Marco Geminiani (5:00.84) followed by Sam Taylor and Collin Fine, swept the 1000M with Talon Johnson (2:54.11), Colby Quersher, and Sean Higgins going 1-2-3, respectively, and also swept the 2 Mile run as John Sylvain (11:23.60) led the pack, followed by Ben Dury and Sean Whittaker. Junior Evan Thevenot won the long jump with a league-best leap of 19’9.75″ while senior captain Grady Sullivan had the fastest time of all runners in the 300M at 1:28.16. Ayden Agbasi and Billy Gardner went 1-2 in the shot put for the Hornets. Mansfield also swept the relays with the 4×200 (Myles Brown, Evan Rawlings, Nolan Clark, Thevenot) finishing in 1:38 and the 4×400 (Tommy Giudicianni, Troy Penney, Johnson, Sullivan) recorded a league-best time of 3:41. Stoughton’s William Tinkham won the 55M hurdles with a league-best time of 8.27 and Matt Singletary won the high jump (5’10”).

Foxboro, 54 @ Sharon, 40 – Final – Anchored by a sweep in the shot put and wins in six other events, Foxboro got the season started with a win over Sharon. Joe Flanagan had the second best throw in the league in the shot put, leading a sweep with a toss of 44’7″ followed by teammates Harrison Keen and Nicholas Higgins. Daniel O’Malley was a double winner for the Warriors (high jump, 5’8″ and 300M, 37.60) while Chris Proulx (2 Mile, 10:56.94), Brayden Pace (1000M, 3:16.02), Stephen Haney (600M, 1:33.71), and Brooks Stone (1 Mile, 5:05.94) also had first place finishes for the Warriors. Sharon swept both relays and got a pair of wins from Elijah Wisdom (long jump, 18’11.5″ and 55M dash, 6.96) and one win from Alexander Gong (55M hurdles, 8.76).

Taunton, 31 @ Attleboro, 64 – Final – Attleboro swept the 55M hurdles, the 600M, and the long jump on its way to a win over Taunton. Adrian Rivera, who also won the 55M dash for the Bombardiers, led the sweep of the long jump (19’7.75″) followed by Joshua Codella and Jordan Rivera-Silva. Peter DelPozzo won the 55M hurdles (8.68) with Sean O’Hara-Ouellette and Ian Miller rounding out the top three, and Jacob Blazek won the 600M (1:31.67) followed by Sean Kaswale and Austin Bowie. O’Hara-Ouellette and Jake Stromfors also tied for first in the high jump for the Bombardiers. Taunton’s Brayden Cali won both the 1 Mile (5:09.19) and the high jump (5’6″), Sam Denis took first in the 2 Mile (10:48.65), Peter Moor won the shot put (40-02.50), and Andrew Cali clocked in at 2:54.08 for first in the 1000M.

North Attleboro, 36 @ Franklin, 64 – Final – Franklin’s depth proved to be key as the Panthers took two of the top three spots in eight individual events, including sweeps in the 2 Mile and the 600M, to take down North Attleboro. Jonathan Pink clocked in at 11:13.06 to win the 2 Mile, followed by Luke Paragona and Sean Giuliano, while Jake Vaccarezza won the 600M in 1:33.84 with Fraser Baird and Jake Lorenzo rounding out the top three. Franklin also got wins from Harry Gurney (55M hurdles, 9.24), Luke Sidwell (300M, 37.74), and Will Boozang (1 Mile, 5:01.03). North Attleboro’s Nathan Shultz continued his dominance in the winter, taking first in a pair of events: the high jump in a league-best 6-06.00 and the 55M dash in 6.76. The Rocketeers also got wins from Kyle Conroy (long jump, 18-04.75), Mark Etienvre (shot put, 50-04.00), and Connor Peterson (1000M, 2:48.29).

Milford, 36 @ King Philip, 59 – Final – Buoyed by a sweep in both the 55M hurdles and the high jump, along with six more individual wins, King Philip took care of business with a win over Milford. Luca Giardini (8.72) Kevin Smith, and Jack McKenna swept the 55M hurdles while Dylan Woods (5-10.00), Degen Granese, and Keagan Fletcher took the top three spots in the high jump for KP. Granese added two wins of his own in the long jump (19-09.25) and the shot put (36-11.50), Giardini added another win in the 1000M (3.01.38) while Pranav Srinivasan (600M, 1:41.68), Nathan Gebhard (300M, 38.99), and Noah Lerner (1 Mile, 5:19.37) each won. Milford’s Andrew Fletcher (2 Mile, 11:16.17) and Jarret Brown (55M dash, 7.06) each won for Milford.








Girls Indoor Track
Oliver Ames, 54 @ Canton, 38 – Final – Julia Maclaine won a pair of individual events and was apart of the winning 4×200 relay team to lead Oliver Ames to a win in the season opener. Maclaine clocked in at 45.03 to take first in the 300M and won the high jump at 4’8″, and then teamed up with Grace Okocha, Aubrey Thibault, and Catie Wilson to take the relay in 1:56.12. Okocha also won the 55M dash for the Tigers (7.88), Thibault won the long jump (15’7.5″), and Oliver Ames swept the 600M with Deanna Flaherty (2:00.16), Kensie Graham, Erin Reilly, and Brynn Cushing taking the top four spots. For Canton, Jayda Proffit (10.59) and Katherine Oliver went 1-2 in the 55M hurdles, Emma Massih won the shot put (28’2″) with Allie Wong taking third, and the Bulldogs’ 4×400 relay team of won by .27 seconds.

Stoughton, 45 @ Mansfield, 51 – Final – Trailing by four points going into the the relays, Mansfield won the 4×200 by less than a second and then the 4×800 by less than six tenths of a second to earn 10 points and pull out the win over Stoughton in a terrific back-and-forth battle. Rosie McIntyre, Taylor Palinski, Avery Hawthorne, and Brooke Penney clocked in at 4:37.59 — just ahead of Stoughton’s 4:38.57 — while the Hornets’ 4×400 relay team of Abigail Scott, Meghan Driscoll, Olivia Barry, and Chloe Guthrie won in a time of 1:52.39, just ahead of the Black Knights at 1:52.95. Guthrie also won the long jump (31-09.00), Anna Moore was first in the 2 Mile (12:50.02), and Elyssa Buchanan won the 55M hurdles (9.34). Stoughton’s Shayla Ford won a pair of events, first in both the 300M (44.84) and the 55M dash (7.78), Julie Richardson had a dominate win in the 600M (1:51.6), Gabriele Julien won the high jump (4-10.00), Elaine McCarty won the 1000M (3:40.17), and Lily Branco crossed first in the 1 Mile (6:41.84).

Foxboro, 62 @ Sharon, 35 – Final – Foxboro won both relays and took first in seven more events to open the season with a big win over Sharon. The Warriors picked up wins from Chloe Davies (high jump, 4-10.00), Dalia Fitzgerald (long jump, 14-06.50), Erin Haney (shot put, 22-11.50), Aine Fitzpatrick (2 Mile, 13:36.40), Casey Dahl (1000M, 3:35.75), Ella Campbell (300M, 46.77) and Brooke Davies (1 Mile, 6:20.62). Sharon’s Maude Kilmer won two events, taking first in the 55M hurdles (9.20) and the 55M dash (7.60), while Eva Olszewski won the 600M in 1:53.91 for the Eagles.

Taunton, 46 @ Attleboro, 54 – Final – Down to the relays, Attleboro secured the win by taking the 4×200 relay in 2:00.19 to finish off a win over Taunton. The team of Zenda Gjoni, Gabriela Sprovieri, Lindsey Anastasia, and Jessica Jennison were the winning relay team for the Bombardiers. The Bombardiers also got key points from a sweep in the shot put, led by Kimberley Packard-Flores’ winning throw of 26-02.00 with Arianna Amaral and Ella Blaisdell taking second and third, respectively. Gjoni added a win in the 55M hurdles (10.64), Anastasia took first in the 55M dash (8.08), Rebecca Rainey won the high jump (4-08.00), Emilia Smith took first in the 2 Mile (12:56.10), and Alexis Cincotta crossed first in the 600M (1:57.74). Taunton picked up wins from Isabella Leiete (long jump, 13-10.75), Braelyn Nichols (1000M, 3:40.96), Ava Uhl (300M, 46.64), and Emersym DePonte (1 Mile, 5:46.44).

North Attleboro, 22 @ Franklin, 77 – Final – Franklin opened the season with a dominant showing, winning eight events, sweeping two of them and scoring in all of them, while taking both relays to beat North Attleboro. Lily DeForge, who set the school record in the shot put, won the event in 35-01.50 followed by Elizabeth Hopkins and Darby Nicholson while Sarah Dumas (9.01, Barra Pfluke, and Cailyn Bruno swept the 55M hurdles. Dumas also won the 55M hurdles (9.01) and other winners for the Panthers were Abigail Griffith (high jump, 5-00.00), Mackenzie Mann (2 Mile, 14:04.79), Sophia Cuneo (55M dash, 7.94 and 300M, 45.50), and Ella McLaughlin (600M, 1:54.14). North’s Julia Simpson (1000M, 3:34.51) and Katie Galcoczy (1 Mile, 6:07.87) each won for the Rocketeers.

Milford, 41 @ King Philip, 59 – Final – King Philip swept both the long jump and the 1000M race to collect key points to earn a win over Milford in the season opener. Alex D’Amadio (15-11.50), Ali Gill, and Madeline Hill were the top three finishers for the Warriors in the long jump while Olivia Archambault (3:42.35), Ella Lussier, and Cheyanne Kelley went 1-2-3 in the 1000M. KP also picked up wins from Gill in the 300M (43.65), D’Amadio in the high jump (5-10.00), Katherine O’Neil in the shot put (32-02.00), and Madeline Hill in the 55M hurdles (9.98). Milford had four individual winners: Sydney Kalil (2 Mile, 12:01.83), Kiyanni Simas (55M dash, 7.48), Kay Wheelock (600M, 2:02.09), and Carly Haley (1 Mile, 6:24.46).

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/20/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Milford, 46 vs. Brockton, 65 – Final

Boys Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis Center)
Attleboro, 50 @ Taunton, 49 – – Final – It came down to just one point as Attleboro clinched a win over Taunton, securing a 5-0 season and its first ever Kelley-Rex division title and first Hock title in indoor track. If Taunton had won, the Tigers would have clinched a three-way share with the Bombardiers and Mansfield. Attleboro earned a sweep in the long jump, led by Adrian Rivera’s leap of 19-01.50 followed by Kaidan Murray and Cashel Stuger. Stuger anchored the sweep of the 55M hurdles, taking first in 8.41 followed by Murray and Peter DelPozzo. Attleboro also got wins from Jacob Blazek (600M, 1:31.4), Damon Dugan (high jump, 5-08.00), and Chris Leonardo (shot put, 42-11.75). Dmitrius Shearrion (55M, 6.92), Conal Scully (300M, 37.49), Ryan Strawbridge (1000M, 2:43.49), Andrew Cali (1 Mile, 4:50.84), and Brayden Cali (10:24.23) all won for Taunton.

North Attleboro, 68 @ Sharon, 32 – Final – Nathan Shultz took first in two events and North Attleboro swept three events to score a win over Sharon. Shultz was the winner in the 55M dash (6.80) and then anchored a sweep of the high jump (5-10.00) followed by Nathan MacDonald and Aaron Levesque. Levesque took first in the long jump, followed by MacDonald and Kyle Conroy for another sweep, and Brodie Clemente, Joseph Beckett, and Mark Etienvre swept the shot put in North’s win. North also got wins from Michael Simonian (300M, 39.29), Evan Tino (600M, 1:34.99), and Connor Peterson (1 Mile, 4:52.31). Sharon’s Karthik Pisupati won the 1000M, Adam Lessard was first in the 2 Mile race, and Alexander Gong took first in the 55M hurdles (8.51).

Canton, 32 @ Stoughton, 63 – Final – Stoughton swept the 600M and the shot put, adding first place finishes in six more events and one relay in its win over Canton. Jett Tran-Burger was first in the 600M followed by Alex Huynh Joao Marotti whie Zachary Roos took first in the shot put followed by teammates Thomas Laz and Shawn Fargher. Jalen Castillo was a triple winner for the Knights, taking first in the 55M, the 300M, and the long jump while other winners for Stoughton included Thomas Brennan (1000M), Rinoldi Lauradin (high jump), and Hunter Tran (55m hurdles). Kyle Downing won the 2 Mile in 10:44.58 for Canton while Sam Vail set a new PR in the 1 Mile, taking first in 5:09.26.

Foxboro, 20 @ Oliver Ames, 72 – Final – Oliver Ames won 11 of the 12 events, including both relays, on its way to completing a perfect 5-0 dual meet season to clinch the Davenport division title. Fabrice Fouron was the big winner for the Tigers, taking three first-place finishes to lead the way. Fouron won the high jump (5-02.00), the long jump (19-01.50), and the 55M hurdles (8.90) to register 15 points on his own. OA also picked up wins from Ashton Hart (55M, 6.95), Joshua Tocci (300M, 39.31), Wyatt Fritchman (1000M, 2:55.46), Ryan Sarney (1 Mile, 4:33.01), Alexander Pierce (2 Mile, 10:24.90), and Brayden Burton (shot put, 35-07.00). Foxboro’s Jared Ciora took first place in the 600M with a time of 1:35.12.

Mansfield, 65 @ Franklin, 31 – Final – Mansfield took first place in seven events plus swept both relays to grab a win over Franklin. Jake Wall was a double-winner, taking first in both the 55M (6.79) and the long jump (21-06.25) while the Hornets also got wins from Riley Tremblay (1000M, 2:50.19), Chris Leonard (1 Mile, 4:39.97), Collin Stevens (2 Mile, 10:30.17), Evan Rawlings (high jump, 5-02.00), and Dylan Buchanan (55M hurdles, 8.54). Luke Sidwell (300M, 37.70), Tyler Powderly (300M, 1:28.58), and Emmett Lackey (shot put, 40-08.75) had wins for Franklin.

Milford, 39 @ King Philip, 60 – Final – Anchored by a sweep in the long jump and five more first place finishes, King Philip secured a win over Milford. Degen Granese anchored the sweep, taking first in the long jump followed by Luca Giardini and Turag Ikbal. Granese added a win in the high jump, Giardini took first in the 600M, Nathan Gebhard won the 300M, Noah Hurd was first in the 1000M, and Nathan Sylven won the 2 Mile race. Milford got wins from Patrick Delaney (55M), James Comisky (1 Mile), Marco Monteiro (shot put) and Samuel Borst (55M hurdles).










Girls Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis Center)
North Attleboro, 53 @ Sharon, 46 – Final – North Attleboro swept both the high jump and the shot put and recorded points in every individual event to land a close win over Sharon. Caroline Folan won the high jump followed by Sydney O’Connor and Meagan Dowd while Marissa Robinson took first in the shot put and was followed by Sienna Newth and Noemie Eugene. Dowd also took first in the 300M while Katie Galgoczy won the 2 Mile race. Sharon’s Simeone Dunbar won three events (55M, long jump, 55M hurdles) while Samantha Connors (600M), Sierra Robison (1000M), and Daphne Theiler (1 Mile) each finished first for the Eagles.

Canton, 30 @ Stoughton, 69 – Final – Stoughton’s Shayla Ford was a triple winner and Elaine McCarty won two individual events to help the Black Knights take down Canton. Ford was first in the 55M (7.85), the 300M (46.84), and the long jump (15-03.00) while McCarty won the 1000M (3:30.67) and the 1 Mile (6:23.15). Also winning for Stoughton were Julie Richardson (600M, 1:49.32), Alexis Mederios (2 Mile, 14:19.71), and Annalisa Marckmann (shot put, 29-05.00). Canton earned wins from Katie Oliver (55M hurdles, 10.70) and Ella Lewis (high jump, 4-06.00). Lewis was also third in the long jump and second in the 55M hurdles while Oliver had a second place finish in the 55M dash.

Foxboro, 29 @ Oliver Ames, 69 – Final – Oliver Ames had two of the top three finishes in eight of the 10 individual events and split the relays to secure a big win over Foxboro, completing a perfect 5-0 dual meet season to grab the Davenport division title. Johanna Holmes, Julia Maclaine, and Amelia Andre each took home a pair of wins for the Tigers, Holmes taking first in both the 600M (1:45.64) and the 1000M (3:17.05), Maclaine winning the 300M (45.66) and the high jump (4-08.00), and Andre taking the 55M (7.99) and the long jump (14-08.00). Taegen Hodges (1 Mile, 5:40.92), Katie Sobieraj (2 Mile, 11:34.83), Emily Meyers (shot put, 23-00.50), and Tatum Fritchman (55M hurdles, 10.95) also won for OA.

Mansfield, 53 @ Franklin, 47 – Final – Mansfield took points from each individual event, getting two of the top three spots in five events to just edge out Franklin and finish the season at 5-0 for the Kelley-Rex division title. The Hornets got key points with a 1-2 finish in the 55M dash (Chloe Guthrie, Abigail Scott), the 1000M (Katherine Miller, Meghan Johnston), the 1 Mile (Norah Puleo, Alanna Conley) and the long jump (Anna Buckley, Elsie Roberts) plus first and third in the 55M hurdles (Buckley, Julia Pike). Mansfield also got key wins in the 600M (Caitlin Dumouchel) and the 2 Mile (Anna Moore). Franklin picked up wins from Sophia Cuneo (300M, 1:48.13), Abigail Griffith (high jump, 5-00.00), and Darby Nicholson (shot put, 30-08.50).

Milford, 68 @ King Philip, 29 – Final – Kiyanni Simas won three individual events and Sydney Kalil won two more to help the Scarlet Hawks land a win over King Philip. Simas took first in the 55M dash, the long jump (a Scarlet Hawk sweep), and the 55M hurdles while Kalil was the winner in both the 1 Mile and 2 Mile races. Milford also got a win from Tatiana Chaplin in the 1000M. KP’s Grace Lawler (300M), Leah Vigevani (600M), and Ahunna James (shot put) had first place finishes.

Attleboro, 53 @ Taunton, 47 – Final – Attleboro took first place in six individual events and finished second in three of them for key points in a close win over Taunton. The Bombarders went first and second in the high jump (Rebecca Rainey, Madison Ellis), the long jump (Jahela Douglas, Aariana Ridge), and the shot put (Madison Morgan, Elayna Marinelli). Attleboro also had first place finishes in the 55M dash (Douglas), the 1 Mile (Emelia Smith), and the 55M hurdles (Angela Cooney(. Taunton got wins from Nia Mainer-Smith (300M), Phylicia Dias (600M), Kiley Quinlan (1000M), and Emersyn DePonte (2 Mile).

Boys Swimming
Attleboro, 85 @ Mansfield, 66 – Final – Mansfield’s Rico Palanza and Xavier Gwynne each won an event, took second in another, and were apart of two winning relay teams. Palanza won the 50 free and took second in the 100 free while Gwynne was first in the 200 medley and second in the 100 backstroke. Senior Kevin McCarthy added a second place finish in the 200 free and a PR time for second in the 100 free while classmate Ryan Morley swam a pair of personal bests in the 100 breaststroke (third place) and the 500 free. Palanza, Gwynne, McCarthy and Morley teamed up to win the 200 medley relay, and the team of McCarthy, Neil Dalpe, Gwynne, and Palanza won the 200 free relay.

Sharon @ Oliver Ames, 4:30

Girls Swimming
Attleboro, 90 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final – Attleboro freshman Zuri Ferguson broke her third school record so far this season and qualified for states in a pair of events to help the Bombardiers take down Mansfield. After setting new marks in the 100 backstroke and 500 free earlier this year, Ferguson set a new record of 59.56 in the 100 butterfly, beating the record time of 1:01.2. Ferguson also won the 200 IM and was apart of the winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Ferguson was joined by Natalia Kotnisz, Caroline Lynch-Bartek, and Ella Lynch-Bartek on the 400 free, which qualified for states. Caroline Lynch-Bartek added wins in the 200 and 500 free on top of the two relay wins. For Mansfield, Sofia Seifert set a new personal best and qualified for sectionals in a first place finish in the 50 free and also took first in the 100 breaststroke with another PR.

Sharon @ Oliver Ames, 4:30

2017 Hockomock League Boys Basketball All Stars

Below are the official 2017 Hockomock League Boys Basketball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Sam Goldberg, Mansfield

Hockomock League All Stars

Jake Dunkley, Attleboro
Devin Foster, Canton
Tony Harris, Canton
Joe Morrison, Foxboro
Paul Mahon, Franklin
Connor Peterson, Franklin
Sam Goldberg, Mansfield
Christian Weber, Mansfield
Zack Tamagni, Milford
Brent Doherty, North Attleboro
Jonny Friberg, North Attleboro
Nick Welch, Oliver Ames
Carter Evin, Oliver Ames
Ricardo Ripley, Sharon
Cam Andrews, Stoughton
Tommy MacLean, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Andrew Milliken, Attleboro
Jake Verille, Canton
Andrew Block, Foxboro
Josh Macchi, Franklin
Seth Sullivan, King Philip
Max Boen, Mansfield
Kayden Kelley, Milford
Kyle McCarthy, North Attleboro
Dylan Mahoney, Oliver Ames
Malik Lorquet, Sharon
Cameron Gomes, Stoughton
Dante Law, Taunton

Franklin Falls To Cambridge In State Championship

Franklin boys basketball
Franklin’s Chris Edgehill attempts to dribble past Cambridge’s Kareem Octavien in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – There’s a reason that Cambridge Rindge & Latin came into Saturday’s Division 1 State Final riding a 44 game winning streak.

The Falcons’ talent was on full display, and they got the most out of their size advantage to pick up their 45th straight win and second consecutive state championship with a 70-43 win over Franklin.

While the Panthers kept close for the first quarter, Cambridge built a double-digit lead going into the halftime break and never looked back.

“It wasn’t our best game, but [Cambridge] does a lot to make that happen,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “This wasn’t like the teams we had played during the year, when you drive to the lane, you get some space, all of a sudden there’s a 6’9 guy there cleaning everything up. It’s hard, he’s a good player and a difference maker for those guys in the interior.

“I thought we got to spots we usually get to in games and we tried to find his man when he came to block shots, but we couldn’t do that. And he’s tough on the boards and it’s not just him either, there’s a bunch of them out there. It’s a tough matchup.”

The 6’9 player that Neely referenced is Cambridge senior Dimon Carrigan, who proved to be the biggest difference maker. Beyond his game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, Carrigan notched an impressive nine blocks and altering plenty of other shots, making it difficult for the Panthers to get anything inside.

“We had seen Franklin,” said Cambridge head coach Lance Dottin. “For us, we’re just going to compete every single possession – I said to them ‘when you get can to that level, you’re going to become a champion.’ I think you saw that, especially in the second half, we competed for every single possession and we were fortunate to come out on top.”

Franklin freshman Chris Edgehill scored seven of his team-high 12 points in the opening frame to help the Panthers keep pace with the Falcons. Edgehill’s step back three gave Franklin a 5-4 lead three minutes in and a three point play from sophomore Jalen Samuels (eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks) put the Panthers up 8-6.

But Cambridge’s Malik Brandao-Correia drained a three with a minute to play and Carrigan scored inside for a 17-12 lead after one.

Although Franklin kept it close in the first, its offense stalled in the second quarter, managing just six points on 2/11 shooting from the field.

Cambridge rattled off a 10-3 run over the first six and a half minutes of the second quarter. Samuels hit one free throw with 5:44 to play in the first half, but didn’t score again until Matt Elias drained a three with 1:15 to go. In that stretch the Panthers had an uncharacteristic seven turnovers.

“We’ve some teams like that but not to that caliber,” said junior captain Paul Mahon “They’re a great team, they play well together. They have a lot of height, a lot of talent. I think we’re capable of beating that team but not tonight. They’re a very talented team.”

Also in that time span, Franklin big man Connor Peterson — the Panthers’ counterpart for Carrigan — came back in after picking up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. But his second stint was cut short because of his third foul.

“It kills you, to be honest,” Neely said of how the fouls change the game plan. “Those two quick ones — he’s our big guy, he’s going to go out there and battle. He’s usually allowed to be pretty physical, we kind of expected it not to be a high whistle game since it was the state final. We knew it’d be physical. They were both legit fouls but losing him, we had to put him back in because it’s the state final and he picked one up right away. It changes his game, he played a lot more hesitant.”

Cambridge extended its lead to 20 points just three minutes into the third quarter but the Panthers were able to claw back into the game.

Edgehill hit back to back buckets, the latter turning into a conventional three point play. Samuels then added two free throws to cut it to 13. Cambridge committed an offensive foul, Franklin broke the press and had a transition three attempt to cut it to 10, but the shot was short.

Cambridge then finished the third quarter with a 6-0 run to go up 49-30. The Falcons started the fourth with four straight points to go up 53-30. Franklin was unable to shrink the deficit the rest of the way.

“The kids have nothing to hang their heads about, they’ve gone further than any other team has in Franklin school history,” Neely said. “I told them ‘you’re going to put a banner up in the gym for being a sectional champion and you got to play in a state final. You’re probably the best Franklin team that;’s ever played. So there’s a lot to be proud of. We couldn’t get it done tonight but I think the true state champion won tonight, I think the best team in the state won. We were up for the challenge but I don’t think we were ready to play at this level.

Peterson finished with six points, Mahon added five points and senior Josh Macchi hauled in five boards.

While the Panthers will have to find a replacement for Macchi and sharpshooter Connor Goldstein, two of four graduating seniors along with James Hanlon and Michael Doherty, the future does look bright with four starters set to return for the 2017-2018 season.

“Great group of guys coming back,” Neely said. “We’ll certainly miss our seniors, they brought a lot to the table. One thing that made this team unique, and hopefully we can recreate it, is the unselfishness, the team first mentality…that’s something we try to pride ourselves on. This is the first team that really 100% bought in. There wasn’t a jealous moment, there was never an ‘I want mine’ moment, it was always about Franklin. It’s the best I’ve ever seen team chemistry come together in a season, that’s why I think we were able to make a run.”

“It’s been a crazy run,” Mahon said. “We always focus on the day to day stuff and we didn’t think we could get to this point. But we did, and it was really fun to be apart of this team. We’ll be back here.”

Franklin boys basketball finishes the season 22-5.

Franklin Advances To Title Game Behind Wild Comeback

Franklin boys basketball
Franklin’s Josh Macchi attacks the basket against Springfield Center. (Peter Raider/HockomockSports.com Student Photographer)

By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

WORCESTER, Mass. – You had to see it to believe it.

After Springfield Central’s Maickel DeJesus made two free throws to put the Eagles up 51-43 with just 20 seconds left in the game, fans started filing out of the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s a move they’ll likely regret.

On the ensuing Franklin possession, freshman Chris Edgehill (12 points) hit a an off balance three from the corner to cut the lead to 51-46, and then DeJesus immediately stepped out of bounds receiving the inbounds pass. Edgehill got fouled before Franklin even inbounded the ball, and hit both shots and then Springfield Central tipped their inbounds pass out of bounds after initially being deflected by Franklin’s Paul Mahon.

Down three with eight seconds left, Franklin went right back to Edgehill, who buried a three from almost the exact same spot as his first one to tie the game at 51 all.

With no timeout called from either side, Springfield Central hurried down the court to try to win it, and after the initial attempt by De Jesus missed, Jashidi Pressley was there for the follow and hit a floater to give Springfield Catholic what appeared to be a 53-51 win, but while the Eagles stormed the court and pig piled on top of Pressley, the referees conferred and waved off the basket, sending the game to overtime.

“We had to hustle the guys in and be like, look we got a game to play, they can be excited but we have to focus the next four minutes if we want to get it done,” Franklin coach CJ Neely said about the crazy finish.

In overtime, Jashidi Pressley (nine points) started out the scoring by hitting two free throws, but from that point on it was pretty much all Franklin, as Jalen Samuels answered back with a three and after a stop on the other end, Connor Peterson’s putback put the Panthers up 56-53 with a minute left to play.

Ahmad Conner then missed two free throws for Springfield, and Hason Ward went one for two at the line to cut the lead to 56-54 with 24 seconds left, but Franklin captain Paul Mahon — in his first game back from a concussion (12 points, seven rebounds off the bench) — iced the game with two free throws and a defensive rebound down the other end.
Peterson hit two free throws with just six seconds left, and those two would be the final points of the game as Franklin went on to win 60-54 to clinch their place in the D1 State Championship game Saturday against Cambridge Rindge and Latin.

“I actually channelled my inner Julian Edelman [at the end of regulation], I said it’s gonna be a hell of a story, and we just kept saying that at every time out, that it’s gonna be a hell of a story,” Neely said.

Heading into the 4th quarter, with both teams tied at 34, Springfield raced out to a 40-35 lead, but Franklin senior Josh Macchi (eight points, seven rebounds) had back to back conventional three point plays, putting Franklin up 41-40.

Springfield Central responded with a 9-0 run to grab 49-41 behind strong play from Maikel DeJesus (18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter) and Justin Feleciano (16 points, five in the fourth). It was a strong defensive effort from both sides as well, as Hason Ward had six blocks for Springfield Central and Franklin held a high scoring Central team (they put up 100 points in a game twice this year) to just 54 points, their season low, an even more impressive feat considering the game went into overtime.

As if Edgehill’s heroics at the end of regulation could get even more impressive, he wasn’t playing at 100%.

“He woke up yesterday with a 102 degree fever, told me, ‘don’t worry, i’ll be good’ and he always seems to make big plays in big moments, he’s a big time player,” Neely said on Edgehill.

The third quarter were a back and forth affair, as Springfield Central’s 6-0 lead to start the game would be the largest either team would hold throughout the first three frames.

DeJesus scored the first bucket of the game on a fast break immediately after SC won the tip, and Jashidi Pressley (nine points) would score on the next Springfield possession, followed up by another DeJesus bucket. Connor Peterson (15 points) then hit two free throws as part of a nine point first quarter for him which kept the Panthers in the game, as they trailed 14-13 after one.

In the second quarter, backup guard Justin Feleciano would be the only source of offense for Springfield Central, as he had eight of his 16 points in the frame, and with Peterson battling foul trouble, other guys had to step up and they did, as four points from Mahon, three from Samuels (ten points), and two from Macchi would bring both teams to a 22-22 deadlock at the half.

The third quarter too would end at a 34-34 stalemate, as Mahon paced Franklin with six in the quarter off of two threes, and DeJesus would drop in six of his own in the 3rd as the two guards battled back and forth for much of the quarter.

For Franklin boys basketball, they now have to look ahead to Cambridge, the defending D1 State Champs. Cambridge went 22-0 in the regular season and beat Lawrence, Lowell, Central Catholic, and Needham to advance to the state finals this year.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 03/15/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
D1 State Semifinal
#1 Franklin, 60 vs. #1 Springfield Central, 54 – Final (OT) – With just under 16 seconds to play, Franklin trailed 51-43. By the end of regulation, the Panthers had pulled off the miraculous comeback to tie the game and send it into overtime. Freshman Chris Edgehill sandwiched a pair of three pointers around two free throws while Springfield Central had a pair of turnovers on inbounds plays in between. In overtime, sophomore Jalen Samuels hit a three to put Franklin up 54-53 and Connor Peterson converted an offensive rebound to make it 56-53. Both Peterson and Paul Mahon (12 points) hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Franklin advances to the D1 State Championship on Saturday. The Panthers will play North champion Cambridge at the MassMutual Center on Saturday.

2017 HockomockSports.com Charity Basketball Classic
Team Lanigan, 85 vs. Team Perry, 86 – Final

Girls Basketball
2017 HockomockSports.com Charity Basketball Classic
Team Lanigan, 65 vs. Team Perry, 70 – Final

Girls Hockey
D2 State Semifinal
#14 Canton, 1 vs. #7 Westwood, 0 – Final – Junior Kendra Farrelly scored the lone goal of the game, finding the back of the net in the second period to lead the Bulldogs. Canton will play #1 Notre Dame Academy on Sunday at the TD Garden in the Division 2 State Championship.

Franklin Claims First Sectional Title In Overtime

Franklin boys basketball
Franklin poses with its D1 Central Sectional title following an overtime win over St. John’s Shrewsbury. (Peter Raider/HockomockSports,com Student Photographer)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
WORCESTER, Mass. – For the past three seasons, the Franklin Panthers have had their season come to an end at the hands of St. John’s Shrewsbury.

Not this year.

The Panthers clawed back from an early deficit, took their first lead in the fourth quarter and came up with a big defensive stop in overtime to get the 67-64 win to claim the program’s first ever D1 Central Sectional title.

“It feels great,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “A lot of people were saying we can’t beat St. John’s, we hear it everywhere. I down play it as much as possible, we didn’t want to focus on one team too much. We waited until we had them on the schedule then we focused on them. I think every year it’s been a pretty good battle, I don’t think we were ever dominated but it’s nice to be on the right side of things for once.”

Franklin will play Springfield Central (West sectional champion) on Tuesday, March 14th at the DCU Center at 7:30.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said senior Josh Macchi, who was apart of the team’s last two losses to the Pioneers. “Coming off those two losses, they stung a lot. We felt like in both games we didn’t play our best and we thought they were both games we could have won. Tonight, to have to come in and grind it out and get it done, even having to go into overtime and play to the last second. It was unbelievable.”

After missing on a chance at the end of regulation, the Panthers headed to overtime with the Pioneers tied at 60-60.

SJS took the early 62-60 lead before Macchi (18 points, 11 rebounds) hauled in an offensive rebound and converted the put back halfway through the overtime period.

Franklin grabbed a defensive rebound after a missed three from the Pioneers, setting up Panther freshman Chris Edgehill (16 points) for a big moment. The rookie took a pass from Macchi, pulled up and drained a three late in the shot clock, giving Franklin 65-62 edge with just over a minute to play.

Sophomore Jalen Samuels (15 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) came away with a steal but Edgehill’s transition three came up empty with 40 seconds to play.

SJS answered with a pair of free throws to get within one and then fouled the Panthers. However, Franklin missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the Pioneers possession, down 65-64, with 13.8 left.

“I told them this game is about stops and defensive rebounding,” Neely said of the timeout before the next play. “I told them I was wicked excited that we’re in a one point game and all we needed to do was get a stop and a rebound and this game was ours. We talked about it all week, we talked about that being the game plan so let’s see if we can do it. The kids got it done.”

Samuels came up with a big block at the rim when St. John’s drove to the basket to try to take the lead. On the ensuing play, with 5.9 seconds to play, the inbounds pass went over the head of its intended target, with Edgehill tracking down the loose ball. He was fouled with 1.4 to play.

The freshman then hit both free throws and SJS’s last second chance – a heave to just over half court and a turnaround three – came up short, giving the Panthers the win.

“The moment just came to me,” Edgehill said. “On the three, teammates found me the ball. I think I got lucky on the turnover. I was in the right spot, someone just tipped it and read it and went and grabbed it. Those are the moments I like to be in. I like to be at the free throw line, up one, with just over a second to play.”

While the finish was want Franklin wanted, the start of the game was far from ideal for the Panthers.

St. John’s Shrewsbury raced out to a 9-0 lead just over two and a half minutes into the contest. Franklin was able to cut the deficit to five — 16-11 — by the end of the first quarter.

“We knew it was obviously a letdown to go down 9-0 but we just stuck with it,” Macchi said. “We knew that both teams would have their runs, that was theirs. We just had to play together, get tougher on the defensive end and we just came out and grinded. This team’s unity is unlike any other teams and that’s not a jab at the past teams, it’s just this year is on another level.”

The Pioneers quickly stretched the lead back to nine early in the second quarter (20-11) but a 10-3 run from Franklin brought Franklin right back into the contest (23-21) midway through the second quarter.

However, SJS rattled off a 7-0 run to get back up 30-21. Franklin hit back with a 6-0 run to make it a one possession game but an errant pass was picked off and SJS converted a layup at the halftime buzzer to take a 32-27 lead.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

 
“Our team motto focuses a lot on hard work,” Neely said. “I think the resiliency of the guys showed, going down 9-0 early. But the kids don’t go away. They care about each other deeply, beyond the basketball court. It’s more than just coming in and playing basketball for a couple of hours, they’re friends with each other, they care about each other. When they went down, they talked to each other and they figured it out. We knew it’d be loud and I wouldn’t be able to call plays every time so the five guys on the court had to figure it out. They stayed true to each other and I’m proud of them.”

The Panthers trailed by either three or five points for the majority of the third quarter. Finally, with two minutes to play a drive from Samuels tied the game at 40. Hunter Gorgas put SJS back ahead but Connor Peterson (eight points) responded with a basket of his own. Robert Duquette drained a three to put the Pioneers back ahead but Franklin senior James Hanlon came off the bench to score off a nice post move, cutting the deficit to one (45-44) heading into the fourth.

Gorgas hit two free throws but Edgehill responded with a triple to tie the game early in the final period. The Panthers’ first lead came with 6:35 to play in regulation on a three point play from Macchi, who went up and under and converted while being fouled. He hit the free throw to make it 50-47.

SJS’s Alex Bradley cut it to one but Peterson got one right back. After a miss from Franklin, Steven Bucciaglia drained a three to tie the game with four minutes to play.

Two free throws from Edgehill preceded a missed three from SJS and then two points from Peterson to make it 56-52.

Tyler Mola (22 points) responded with traditional three point play for the Pioneers, who got the ball back after taking a charge. Mola then drained a three with just over two minutes to play to put SJS back up 58-56.

Franklin missed on the other end but Macchi was there for the offensive rebound and hit the put back to tie the game at 58.

Mola once again came up big for the Pioneers, hitting a tough layup to make it 60-58. Franklin had a turnover but forced a double dribble by the Pioneers to get the ball back.

Samuels used a strong take to the left to tie the game with just under a minute to play.

“If you didn’t see it in the book before the game, you probably wouldn’t think Chris is a freshman and Jalen is a sophomore,” Macchi said. “They’re playing at an upperclassman level right now and they’re helping us a lot right now. We trust them with the ball at any time and that’s how this team is, we have a lot of trust in each other.”

The duo of Edgehill and Samuels combined for 28 points in Franklin’s playoff opening win over Acton-Boxboro, 20 points against St. Peter Marian and then 31 points in the section final against the Pioneers.

“Those two guys have been huge all playoffs,” Neely said. “All three games that we’ve played, it’s really been those two guys taking the lead. Both games before this they hit the big shots. You can see Chris isn’t afraid of the big shot, which is what we talked about in the locker room. We told them if they wanted to win the game, they had to take it…no one is going to give it to you. You can’t wait for missed shots, you have to go find it.”

Edgehill, who started the season on the bench, was quick to credit a teammate for how far he’s come this season.

“The team definitely helped me through the season, going from the bench to the lineup,” Edgehill said. “I want to thank Jack Rodgers, he works me every day in practice and makes me a better player. Props all to him, he makes me better every single day and that’s what teammates do.”

Franklin boys basketball (21-4 overall, 21-2 tournament record) will tip off against Springfield Central on Tuesday at 7:30 at the DCU Center.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Franklin Advances To Central Final With Win Over SPM

Franklin boys basketball
Franklin sophomore Jalen Samuels drives to the basket in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
WORCESTER, Mass. – There are a lot of teams in the state that preach the mantra of “next man up.” And then there are the teams that actually follow through.

The Franklin Panthers are one of them.

With junior captain Paul Mahon sidelined with an injury, senior Connor Goldstein stepped into the starting lineup and delivered, dropping a career-high 23 points to pace the Panthers to a 54-44 win over #6 St. Peter Marian in the D1 Central Semifinals.

Top-seeded Franklin will take on #2 St. John’s Shrewsbury on Friday, at Worcester State at 5:45.

“It’s just the next man up for us,” Goldstein said. “Everyone on the team can do it, I was just the one chosen so I had to do my part. First quarter I happened to have the hot hand so I was thankful I could help out.”

Goldstein was Franklin’s offense in the first quarter, scoring all 14 of the team’s points as the Panthers held a 14-13 lead after eight minutes.

The senior drained his first shot of the game – a three – to put Franklin up 3-2 and then drove to the basket to make it 5-4 in favor of the Panthers. After SPM went up with a three, Goldstein hit back-to-back triples to give the Panthers an 11-7 lead. Goldstein hit his fourth three pointer with 20 seconds to left to help the Panthers lead by one.

Goldstein then added seven more points in the fourth quarter to help the Panthers ice the game.

“Goldstein’s started some games for us this season so we know he’s capable,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “I’ve said it before, all of these guys are pretty good players, we trust all of these guys but losing your captain, a guy who’s one of our top scorers and one of our top performers, that hurts the team. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. But I’m proud of the way everyone kind of rallied around it. Goldstein started it but then guys like [Matt] Elias came in and played well, Jalen [Samuels] had another nice game, Chris [Edgehill] picked his game up. And that’s kind of how it’s been for us, being one team instead of one guy.”

The Panthers had their worst quarter in terms of scoring and defense in the second frame, allowing SPM to score 14 points while the Panthers put up just nine.

A 6-0 run to start the quarter from the Guardians gave SPM a five point lead early in the second quarter before Franklin got on the board. A free throw from Jalen Samuels (five points, 11 rebounds) got the Panthers within one, Connor Peterson (eight points) scored in low and Goldstein converted an offensive rebound to put the Panthers back ahead 23-20.

But the Guardians had their best spurt of the game over the final 90 seconds of the half. Quion Sneed Jr. and Juan Zorilla (10 points) each hit three free throws before Jeffrey Sullivan drained a three to give SPM a 27-23 lead at halftime.

SPM took its largest lead early in the third quarter (29-23) but the Panthers turned it on – on both ends of the court – to turn things around.

Peterson’s bucket inside started a 12-0 game-changing run for the Panthers. After a missed three, Josh Macchi grabbed the offensive rebound and earned two free throws to get the Panthers within two and Samuels drove to the basket to tie the game with just under five minutes to play.

Franklin got a stop on its next possession. Freshman Chris Edgehill (15 points, four assists) delivered the big shot, stepping back and hitting a three to make it 32-29, forcing a timeout from the Guardians.

The run continued for Franklin out of the timeout as Samuels forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds and found Edgehill for another triple, capping the run and putting Franklin up 35-29.

“I thought in the first half we didn’t really come out,” Neely said. “Goldstein was ready to play but outside of him, we were a little soft. We weren’t taking it to the rim aggressively. I felt like rebounding wise they were getting the better of us, they were getting on the offensive glass, we weren’t putting bodies on people. We challenged them at halftime. We told them that [SPM] wanted it more in the first half. I thought we did a really nice job rebounding in the second half, we kept them out of the paint more and limited the inside touches. We challenged [SPM] to shoot a bit more and they weren’t able to convert as much as that helps. As a whole, I was proud of the way they battled through the adversity.”

Franklin led 39-35 through three quarters.

Goldstein got going again in the fourth quarter, draining a three to spark the offense early. The teams traded free throws for the next three minutes. SPM pulled within seven on an offensive put back from Shamar Simms but any momentum that the Guardians had was short lived as De Marr Langford was hit with a technical foul for a shove after the shot.

Edgehill hit both technical free throws to put Franklin up 48-39 with 2:57 to play.

“It’s nice to have a team where you can go into a game and the other team can’t say ‘If we can shut this one guy down we’ll be alright.’ If you do that, you’re at a disadvantage,” Neely said. “We move the ball well enough, we get good looks for different guys and they’re capable of knocking them down.”

SPM got within six with under two minutes to play but the Panthers quickly broke the press and got an easy layup from Goldstein. SPM didn’t cut the deficit to under eight the rest of the way.

“I just thought offensively [in the second half] we did a better job of curling screens,” Neely said. “They were switching a little bit so we curled a bit more. We got some looks off that. With the denials and the way they were defending us, it opened a lot of driving lanes we weren’t taking advantage of in the first half. We were able to get downhill in the second half and then get some looks.”

Franklin boys basketball will take on St. John’s Shrewsbury for the fourth straight year. The Panthers lost in the sectional final in 2014 and 2016 and in the semifinal in 2015.