OA senior Eric LeBlanc is the program’s top scorer, but it was a pair of sophomores that sparked the Tigers’ attack against Old Rochester. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Oliver Ames is in the midst of the program’s best-ever season, finishing the regular season with 12 wins, but the Tigers were not content and went into Tuesday night’s Div. 2 South first round game with Old Rochester at Val Muscato Stadium looking to add another chapter to and already successful spring.
The Tigers turned to the youth on its midfield to keep the season alive. Sophomore Frankie Ireland scored five goals and classmate Shane Kilkelly added four more in their first playoff games, leading OA to a 14-10 victory and a spot in the quarterfinal.
“The advantage that I thought we had going in was athleticism,” said OA coach Ben Devlin. “We have some real fast middies that took advantage of their speed and took advantage of the situations.”
Ireland got the Tigers off to a strong start with four goals in the first half, including a hat trick in the second quarter, and Kilkelly stepped up with four goals of his own in the second half. The Bulldogs failed to contain either player one-on-one and OA took advantage of Old Rochester’s desire to press the attackers high up the field.
Devlin added, “Once they started going one-on-one and started to press us, the guys noticed that and they know they’re faster than a lot of those guys so they took advantage of their speed. We had a lot of guys who had big games.”
The sophomores added to the attacking prowess of senior Eric LeBlanc, who scored three goals and recorded three assists on Tuesday. The program’s first player to score 100 goals in his career drew a lot of attention from the visiting defense, but the Tigers showed that they can provide a balanced attack.
“We had seven different players with 20-plus goals this year,” Devlin explained. “It makes us tough to cover. You can’t just isolate a guy or two and take them away from us because, like today, Frankie steps up and has four goals early and they start concentrating on him and Shane has four goals.”
Ireland got the scoring started in the first quarter when he found himself all alone on the edge of the crease and Colin Bourne picked him out with a perfect pass. The lead was doubled two minutes later when sophomore Sam Stevens had his shot saved but another sophomore Sandro Masciarelli scooped the rebound and finished.
After scoring twice in the opening three minutes, the Tigers would fail to find the back of the net for the final nine minutes of the quarter. Masciarelli had a good chance in transition that was saved and LeBlanc saw a shot tipped onto the post by Old Rochester goalie Nathaniel King. The Bulldogs scored twice to tie the game after one.
A minute into the second Kilkelly received a pass from LeBlanc and ripped a lefty shot under the bar to give the Tigers back the lead. After a tying goal from the visitors, Ireland twice got free cutting across the middle and found the net with lefty shots to put OA ahead for good. After the Bulldogs cut the lead to one, Ireland scored for the fourth time with another shot on the run.
In the closing seconds of the half, Cullen Gallagher forced a turnover and scooped the ground ball. The junior long pole took off up field and fired a pass to freshman Remi Creighton, but the shot was off the post. On the restart, LeBlanc took it himself dodging from the ‘X’ and finishing to make it 7-4 at the break.
“None of those guys started a varsity game before this year so they’ve come a long way and they’re playing really well right now,” said Devlin of his defensive unit, which limited the Bulldogs chances in the first half with accurate checks and aggressive play in the passing lanes. Mark Vaspollo, Shane Murphy, Matt Saba, and Gallagher were consistently making plays on the defensive end.
OA broke the game open in the third quarter and it was Kilkelly that sparked the attack, scoring three times. The first goal was a rocket to the top corner and the second came off a one-on-one move where he left his marker behind and finished with a bouncing shot. The lead could have been much bigger if not for the play of King, who made 17 saves for the Bulldogs. In one sequence, he made a save on Bourne and then somehow recovered to stop Hunter Costello’s rebound effort and watch the follow-up from Spencer Kligman hit the post and stayed out.
Old Rochester scored on the break, but Kilkelly ensured the Bulldogs would not gain momentum with a spin move on the edge of the crease that freed his hands for his fourth goal of the night. LeBlanc again scored in the final minute of a quarter and made it 11-5 heading to the fourth.
Kilkelly started the final quarter by flicking a pass to Ireland, who went behind his back for his fifth and most impressive goal of the night. OA was inches from another when goalie Nick Gillis made a save and quick outlet to Jack Lang to start a counterattack. The ball was advanced to Creighton and then Owen Gallagher alone in front but King saved it and the rebound bounced off the bar.
Gallagher would get on the score sheet to make it 13-6, but the Bulldogs scored two in a row to stay alive. LeBlanc completed his hat trick from a narrow angle, squeezing the ball into the top corner to push the lead back to six. Old Rochester kept coming, scoring twice more to make it a nervy final couple minutes and provide a learning experience for the Tigers on how to close out a game.
“We want to close out a little stronger,” Devlin admitted. “We had a lead and got a little sloppy. The defense played real well today. These guys (Old Rochester) have some great shooters and good offensive players and they took a little advantage of some tired defenders at the end.”
The Tigers finished the game off and earned another win, ensuring success did not end with the regular season. Devlin said, “I told them earlier, it was the best regular season in program history but it doesn’t really matter if you come out and lay an egg in the first round of the playoffs and go home early. Our goal is not a great regular season, it’s not one tournament win; we think we can make a run.”
Oliver Ames (13-6) will travel to fourth-seed Plymouth South in the quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon.
Canton’s David Allen (44) fires a shot between OA defenders in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
CANTON, Mass. – In the opening game of the season for both teams, Canton held off a second half push from Oliver Ames to record a 12-6 win on Thursday afternoon.
The Bulldogs built a four-goal advantage over the first 24 minutes of action, taking a comfortably 7-3 lead into halftime. But Oliver Ames came out with renewed energy in the second half, scoring a pair of goals in the third while blanking Canton’s offense to make it a two-goal game (7-5) heading into the final frame.
But Canton responded well, scoring its first of four straight goals less than two minutes into the fourth to fend off the Tigers’ comeback effort.
“[OA] came out ready to go in the second half,” said Canton head coach Bill Bendell. “It’s the first game, which is part of it, but OA came out with grit in the second half and was ready to go. They took it to us in the third. Then we woke up a bit in the fourth, realized the game wasn’t over and went on to finish it. I’m really happy to come away with the win. We made our share of mistakes so we still have plenty to work on too.”
Canton started the contest strong, scoring the opening goal less than a minute in when junior Griffin Roach charged up the middle and ripped a shot into the back of the net just 55 seconds in.
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the pedal as junior Mike Shaw took advantage of an OA turnover and scored from in close after a nice shot fake, Roach took a handoff from classmate Matt Martin, changed direction to get past a defenseman and rifled one in, and Ryan Sullivan took a feed from Shaw before firing a low shot, giving Canton a 4-0 lead eight minutes into the game.
Oliver Ames picked up some momentum before the end of the quarter by getting on the board. Sophomore Shane Kilkelly dodged past a defender, faked a shot to draw the attention of two others and then slipped a pass right in front to classmate Hunter Costello for a goal in tight.
The Tigers capitalized on that momentum to begin the second quarter, cutting the deficit to two when senior Owen Gallagher used his speed to wrap around the goal and a bounce shot to make it 4-2 just 32 seconds into the frame.
Canton sophomore David Allen extended the advantage back to three when he scored from a tight angle with 6:40 to go in the first half, only for Kilkelly to answer just over 30 seconds later. Kilkelly backed his way towards goal and used a nice spin move to create space for his shot.
Roach had the answer for Canton, scoring back-to-back goals in under a three-minute space. Just a minute after Kilkelly’s strike, Roach rushed up the middle and fired a bounce shot that snuck just under the bar. The junior cashed in again up the middle, whipping a hard shot to make it 7-3 heading into halftime.
“He’s a stud,” Bendell said of Roach. “He’s a junior captain for us, he can go left or right hand, he gets back and plays defense. He’s just an all-around great player, he’s the hardest worker on the team…exactly what you want from a captain.”
OA got off to a strong start in the second half when senior Jack Lang put the Tigers on the board 38 seconds in, making it 7-4. That goal seemed to set the tone for the period as OA controlled for the majority of the 12 minutes.
But it wasn’t until the final two minutes that OA cashed in again. Sophomore Frankie Ireland made a nice hustle play at midfield to gain possession and then came sprinting into the zone. He found Costello in the middle, who instantly returned the pass on a give-and-go and Ireland tucked his shot from in close just under the bar at a tight angle it to make it 7-5.
“In the third quarter we started executing our offense,” said OA first-year head coach Ben Devlin. “We controlled the ball a little bit more, we worked it around, and we were running our offense the way its supposed to be run. In the fourth, we started to press a little. We were chasing the score. I think the kids thought the deficit was a little bit more than it was so they started to force a little bit. We started playing aggressive and they were able to beat it at times.
“Bill [Bendell]’s a smart coach, we know his offense can kill a lot of clock so we had to press. It all came down to execution…when we won ground balls, won faceoffs and ran our offense, we were right in the game.”
Canton put an end to that momentum early in the fourth. Albert found Shaw cutting through traffic in front less than two minutes in to make it 8-5.
“We were better when we moved the ball and moved around,” Bendell said. “We did a ton of standing around on offense. We tried changing formations…the guy with the ball would end up just standing, or maybe he was moving but then everyone else was watching. I think that’s early stuff, but we talked about moving off the ball a little bit more in the second half. It got better as the game went on, and then in the fourth, they had to press us and that made us move more.
Roach (with 8:14 left), Albert (7:43) and sophomore James Murphy (5:49) scored in succession during the fourth to pull away from the Tigers. Costello added his second, again on an assist from Kilkelly with 2:35 left.
Albert completed his hat trick with just over a minute left to cap the scoring.
“Our guys were really amped up for the game, they knew they had a chance to win it,” Devlin said. “We knew if we executed, we could win. I was encouraged by our scrimmages, I thought we looked really good. But we just didn’t put it on the field today and execute at our best.”
Bendell also noted he felt that freshman TJ McCabe’s performance at the faceoff X was a big factor in helping the Bulldogs earn the win. Canton senior Charlie O’Connor, the team’s normal FOGO specialist, is out hurt and Bendell said McCabe filled in admirably.
“One of the things I thought we did well today was on faceoffs,” Bendell said. “With Charlie out hurt, TJ took them and he competed on every single one and that really gave us a chance.”
Oliver Ames (0-1, 0-1) will try to bounce back on Friday when it hosts Foxboro.
2017 Record: 8-10 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Kevin Koppy
After coming up just one game shy of the postseason, Attleboro is aiming to make the playoffs for the first time in program history in 2018.
The Bombardiers doubled their victory total from 2016 to 2017, going from four to eight in the win column. Attleboro returns 11 players from last year’s squad and has a total of 12 seniors on the team. Now in its fourth year, interest in the program is growing rapidly with 17 combined freshmen on either varsity or the JV roster.
There will be a lot of experience on the defensive end for Big Blue. Junior captain Trevor Koppy is back for his third year as the Bombardiers’ starting goalie. He turned away 306 shots last year with a 64% save percentage. In front of Koppy, senior captain Dan Perry is back to anchor the defensive unit which features all seniors.
“Dan is a physical defender that has excellent field awareness and leads by example,” said AHS head coach Kevin Koppy. “He’s constantly hustling and fighting hard for loose balls.”
Perry is joined by classmates Jim Nordberg and Chris Reynolds on close defense while Matt Potter will man LSM and Matt Jiminez brins an extra long pole presence to the defensive unit. Another returner is senior Kyle Henry, resuming his role as the team’s primary faceoff man. Henry had a successful 2017 season in that role and Big Blue will rely on him to spark the offense once again.
Seniors Jimmy Burke and Aidan McKenna, junior Cam Littig, and sophomore Thomas Shipman return to the midfield for Attleboro. Big Blue will have some new faces on the attack with seniors TJ Infante, Shane Joubert, and Aidan Downey leading the way. Freshman Mike Strachan and Matt Perry will also be involved in Attleboro’s attack.
2017 Record: 8-10 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Bill Bendell
The Bulldogs found themselves in an unfamiliar position at the end of last season: on the outside looking in for the postseason.
Canton is looking to get back into the postseason this year after coming up just one game shy of qualifying. The Bulldogs won three straight to give themselves a chance but fell just short on the road against Abington in the final game of the season.
Using that as motivation, look for the Bulldogs to be right back in the mix this season. Leading the way will be senior captains Kevin Albert, Charlie O’Connor, and Griffin Roach. All three patrolled the midfield last season but could see time in other spots depending on how the lineup comes together.
O’Connor will step in to handle faceoffs but could miss some time early along with defensemen Brian Ghostlaw and Brendan Albert. Until Canton gets back to 100%, it will rely on senior Gabe Galeotos, junior George Kent, and sophomores Nick Mackay and Jace Emma to provide protection in front of sophomore goalie Jack Connolly. Connolly had a superb freshman season in the cage for the Bulldogs and will try to build upon that his season.
Junior Mike Shaw is back for his third year on attack for Canton, providing experience and leadership up front. Juniors Matt Martin and Dan Cohen, along with sophomores Chris Lavoie and David Allen will also figure into the Bulldogs’ offense this season.”
“We have a great group of kids this year with a nice blend of experienced players and new faces,” said CHS head coach Bill Bendell.
2017 Record: 11-9 2017 Finish: Reached D2 Central/East First Round Coach: Matt Noone
It’s safe to say Foxboro head coach Matt Noone is optimistic about the 2018 season.
The Warriors graduated just three players total and return their starting goalie, the entire defensive unit, and top three scorers from a season ago. Foxboro’s record was a bit deceiving based on how much talent they had, with five one-goal losses and two two-goal losses. The Warriors were dropped in the opening game of the playoffs by just one goal after holding a multi-goal lead in the second half.
With so much of the line up back, Noone is hoping to turn those close losses into wins.
“We’re going to be a better team than we were last year,” Noone said. “We have to play within our system, and do the simple things…if we do that, we will be very good and very tough to beat. If they don’t, we’ll be losing those one-goal games again.”
It all starts with defense in Foxboro with Jake Addeche returning in the cage for his third season. Addeche (185 saves) is one of the best goalies in the region and will have a very experienced defense in front of him. Senior Pat Kaveny and junior Pat Stapleton will anchor the defense, both with equipped with plenty of skill and experience, while sophomores Ronnie MacLellan and Matt Lathrop each already have a year of varsity experience under their belts.
Junior Brendan Tully (24 goals, 15 assists) will pace the Warriors in the midfield (“His lacrosse IQ is off the charts,” Noone notes). Tully can help transition Foxboro from defense to offense, and his ability to keep possession helps the Warriors control the tempo. Tully is complemented in the middle by seniors Louis Blake and Mike Collins while both Shayne Kerrigan and Bobby Yerardi will be in the mix as well.
Offensively, the Warriors look to be well-balanced with Louis Piccolo (25 goals, 13 assists) back this year along with senior Mike Moses (18 goals, 20 assists), junior Pete Conley (15 goals, 23 assists) and senior Andrew Whalen.
2017 Record: 16-5 2017 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round Coach: Lou Verrochi
Expectations are high for the 2018 season based on the talent the Franklin Panthers boast this year.
“We return a very good team,” said FHS head coach Lou Verrochi. “We have a very good and deep bench too, we’re looking forward to the season.”
The long list of returning talent starts with All-American and 2017 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Eric Civetti. Civetti (Rutgers commit) has been tormenting opposing defenses since his freshman year. He scored 70 goals and notched 24 assists as a sophomore, and then netted 79 goals and 21 assists last year, totaling 194 points between the two years. The Panthers will also boast senior Zach Alexander and freshman Matt Lazzaro on attack.
The midfield will be loaded with two talented lines available. Captains Kyle McEniry (10 goals, 21 assists) and Chase Tanner (29 goals, 10 assists) will be joined by the speedy Nitin Chaudhury (24 goals, 10 assists) on the Panthers first unit while Jake Davis, Johnny O’Glishen, and Owen Palmieri give Verrochi an incredibly talented second unit.
As if the midfield wasn’t loaded enough, the Panthers have 2017 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year Jacob Alexander back to dominate the faceoff X. Alexander, who is committed to play at Bryant University, has dominated at the X for the past two years and really gives the Panthers an advantage in terms of getting possession. “He’s arguably the best FOGO in Mass,” Verrochi noted.
The defense will be anchored by junior Patrick Morrison (Rutgers commit) along with Trevor Raffin, Jack McGrath and Spencer Briggs. Sean Lazzaro will be our top LSM while the Panthers have plenty of talent as SSDM with Will Harvey, Ben Kolb, and Aaron Mollo in the mix. Backstopping the team in goal will be Colorado commit and captain Connor O’Rourke (169 saves, 64% save percentage).
2017 Record: 13-9 2017 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinals Coach: Hal Bean
The Warriors will be looking to replicate the success they had in the 2016 season again this year.
After finishing 9-2 in league play (second in the Kelley-Rex), the Warriors had an impressive postseason run, competing with top-seeded and eventual sectional champ BC High in the D1 South Quarterfinals.
A big reason why KP has had a lot of experience over the past four years is goalie Paul Macrina. Macrina is now manning the cage at Drexel University, so there are big shoes to fill in the cage this season for KP.
King Philip also has to find replacements for the production lost by LSM Zach D’Amico, attack Tim Watson (56 goals, 28 points – second in the Hockomock League), and defenseman Connor Khung – the first two selected to the 2017 HockomockSports.com First Team and Khung apart of the Second Team.
All is not lost though as the Warriors have junior Colin DeVellis back to spearhead the attack. DeVellis was fourth overall in the Hockomock League in points last season, scoring 22 goals and notching 36 assists (58 points). Another key piece will be senior Nate Minkwitz, who can make an impact on both ends of the field. Minkwitz had 13 goals and five assists last season and will aim to improve on that. Expect LSM Wesley Bishop and midfielder Aidan Bender to factor in this season as well.
2017 Record: 12-7 2017 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round Coach: Tim Frias
Mansfield returns a good amount of talent from last year’s playoff squad so the Hornets will certainly be looking to book a return trip as well as compete for a Kelley-Rex title.
The Hornets return one of the most dangerous attackmen in the area in senior Hunter Ferreira. Ferreira’s combination of size, speed, and strength – as well as finishing ability – make him a must-watch for opposing defenses. Most will dedicate two defensemen his way but Ferreira still finished fifth in the league in points with 34 goals and 19 assists. Ferreira will be joined by returners Aidan Sacco and Mike Reed, giving the Hornets an experienced three-headed monster on offense.
The midfield is also loaded with experience behind returning starters Joe Cox (19 goals, 14 assists) and Danny DeGirolamo (17 goals, 15 assists). Cox, who was named to the 2017 HockomockSports.com Second Team, muscles his way through opponents, while DeGirolamo can use his speed to cause problems. Haig Megerdichian, Brett Kessler, Connor Quirk, and Brad Grant will all see time in the midfield as well.
Tommy Donnelly will anchor the defensive unit but the Hornets will have some new faces in back. Dan Plugis and Chris Copponi will both see a lot of minutes for the Hornets in front of goalie Jack Munroe, who stepped in last season and impressed in the cage.
“Our strength this year will be at the midfield with lots of legs,” said MHS head coach Tim Frias. “We should be good in transition as well.”
2017 Record: 4-13 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Jacob Scordato
Milford hasn’t had a ton of success overall since it joined the Hockomock League, but new head coach Jacob Scordato is hoping to change that going forward.
Scordato takes over a team that had just four wins a year ago and is the third coach in the past three years for the program.
“Our players are focused on making our program a successful one,” Scordato said. “Boys lacrosse in the Hockomock is known for being a tough league, and Milford lacrosse is going to be making a lot of noise from here on out.”
Although the Hawks don’t have an incredibly deep roster, the optimism stems from the experience returning on offense. UMass Boston commit and senior captain Andrew Gallagher (16 goals, 7 assists) will be a key weapon up front along with junior captains Ryan Hazard (41 goals, 10 assists) and Josh Ligor.
Scordato also expects junior newcomer Brendan White, who has had successful football and basketball seasons so far this school year, to make a big impact on offense for Milford. Defensively, Milford will rely on senior captain and midfielder Chase Blanchette.
2017 Record: 16-3 2017 Finish: Reached D2 Central/East Quarterfinals Coach: Kevin Young
North Attleboro graduated a lot of talent from last year’s squad, so it’s no surprise head coach Kevin Young believes this season will be a big challenge for his young squad.
Although he expects it to be a challenge, the Rocketeers have built a strong program and will likely be in the mix for the division title with Foxboro. Big Red will be anchored by defenseman and captain Tom Lockavitch (Roger Williams commit) and senior LSM Max Fontes. Both Lockavitch and Fontes had tremendous junior seasons and were both honored by HockomockSports.com (first and second teams, respectively). Sophomores Brett Labonte and Will Yeomans will round out a strong defensive unit.
One of the biggest tasks will be filling the void left in goal with Hock MVP and long-time starter Dan MacDonald now graduated. The Rocketeers have three goalies in the mix with Young noting all are working hard to claim the starting spot. Junior Jack Puccio and sophomores Nate D’Amico and Jake McNeany will all be in the mix.
Captain Tommy Lindstrom (Springfield commit) will pace the offense with the help of sophomores Jack Connolly and Andy DeMattio. Faceoff specialist Jason McNeany (Cocker College commit) is also back and will be a key piece of the offense. Nick Ward, Damien Curtis, and Dan Conroy should carry the transition in the midfield with help from Ryan Rajotte and Matt McSweeney.
2017 Record: 8-10 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Ben Devlin
Oliver Ames nearly made it two straight years in the postseason but came up just one game shy of qualifying in 2017. So the goal is simple for the Tigers in 2018: get back to the tournament.
The Tigers return their top six scorers from last season, and now with a year more experience under their belts, should be ready to take on some of the top defenses in the league.
Assistant coach Ben Devlin takes over the reigns of the program, and the familiarity should help make for a smooth transition. Senior captains Eric LeBlanc (30 goals, 13 assists) and Owen Gallagher will spearhead the attack while senior captain Jack Lang will make an impact on both ends of the field while also handling faceoff duties. Junior Colin Bourne and sophomores Sam Stevens and Shane Kilkelly give the Tigers varsity experience in the midfield. Sophomore Frankie Ireland and freshman Remi Creighton will also figure into the mix on offense.
Devlin will have holes to fill on the defensive end but its excited about the skill that the Tigers have. Shane Murphy, Cullen Gallagher, and Matt Saba will be relied upon to carry the defensive unit while Rory Madden will handle LSM duties after missing last season. Nick Gillis will take over for Sean Cosgrove in net after impressing at the JV level.
“We are a couple years into rebuilding this program, which is difficult while playing in such a tough conference against some of the best players and coaches in the state,” Devlin said. “We’re young and inexperienced, but talented on defense. All I can ask is for my kids to play to their capabilities. If we do that I think we can win enough games this season to reach our goal.”
2017 Record: 7-11 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Jon Shocket
New head coach Jon Shocket is excited and optimistic that the 2018 season will be a successful one on the lacrosse field for the Sharon Eagles.
Shocket believes the Eagles have the lacrosse IQ and skill to get back to the postseason after missing out on qualification by two wins. A big reason for the optimism is the senior class.
“I have a really good senior group,” Shocket said. “If everyone buys into the system and trusts the process, this should be a fun season. This year, we have to make better decisions and move the ball around. It’s about working as a team instead of as individuals.”
The Eagles have experience at all positions on the field, starting with returning goalie Johnny Greenberg. Greenberg enters his third year as the starting goalie and will have good size in front of him. Both Sam Spencer and Coleman Loftus stand at 6’2 and look to be key pieces in the Eagles’ defensive unit.
In the midfield, Jimmy Fitzhenry, Chase Waxman, and Spencer Hall give the Eagles a well-balanced and experienced group. The three provide a combination of speed, strength, and skill that will help Sharon transition from defense to offense. Junior Matt Callan will handle faceoff duties while freshman LSM Tyler Freidman will be in the mix as well.
Senior Brett Litner brings a strong shot to the offense and will be tough to stop on the inside. Classmate Kadin Nestler gives the Eagles speed on the outside and makes the move from midfield to attack this year. Freshman Drew Litner rounds out the Eagles’ attacking unit.
2017 Record: 4-12 2017 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Pat Healey
After winning four games in its inaugural season at the varsity level, Stoughton boys lacrosse is hoping to continue heading in the right direction this spring.
The Knights picked up wins over Milford twice, Taunton, and Norton and will look to be in competition with those squads again this year. Leading the blue collar group will be captains Justin Ly, Sean Doherty, and Danny Nakhili. Ly is a three-sport athlete that is willing to do the dirty work, Nakhili provides a lot of leadership in the midfield and uses his speed to give the offense a boost, and Doherty will handle the faceoff duties and provide an offensive punch.
Twins Nate and Alex Wilson bring skill to the long poles, Marty Barrett and Josh Cohen will be key pieces on defense, and Charlie Morgan, Luke Bainton, and Mike Tracey will all be in the mix offensively.
“I’m hoping for more wins,” said SHS head coach Pat Healey said in an interview with Stoughton Media Access. “Last year we got four under our belt which is great for a first-year program. We brought up a lot of freshmen this year from the youth program. But baby steps, this is a tough league so we’ll do as best as we can.
Now in its third year as a varsity program, Taunton is aiming to progress day by day to continue to build the program.
The Tigers went without a win last season but bring seven starters back with another year of success on their belts. Junior goalie Ryan Williams returns in cage to give the Tigers a familiar face on the defensive end. Williams has been manning the cage for Taunton since the team moved to a varsity schedule.
In front of Williams will be junior Justin Demoga, a captain, that handles close defense. Head coach Brendan Chambers noted Demoga is great with positioning, takes a great approach, and is willing to learn and improve every day. Chambers noted Demoga will be tasked with menacing opponents’ best attack throughout the season.
In the midfield, junior captain Dylan Nichols provides leadership and experience for the Tigers. Nichols has the speed to make an impact on both ends of the field and Chambers is hoping for some offensive production out of the junior. Nichols will be joined by senior Chris Kanabayashi who will contribute to the offense with his hard shot.
Junior Noah Kuczewski is making the jump from JV to varsity and will be one of the Tigers’ main pieces on attack. Chambers is also relying on junior captain Joel Delgado, who put a lot of time in during the offseason to improve, to be an important part of the offense.
“Our goal this year is to continue to build on what we did last year,” Chambers said. “We want to increase our lacrosse IQ and try to be more competitive in all our games. Ideally, we’ll win a couple games and get better every day.”
Baseball
Mansfield, 1 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final (8 inn.) – Mansfield notched its fifth straight win and qualified for the state tournament behind a complete game shutout from sophomore Connor Sheehan. Sheehan struck out a career-high 10 batters in eight innings of work, allowing just four hits and two walks. Zach Peterson knocked in Matt Farragher (2-for-4) with a double in the top of the eighth for the lone run. Kevin Dow went 3-for-3 for Mansfield as well. Attleboro’s Eoin Kelleher had another solid outing on the mound, allowing just the one run in eight innings of work with two strikeouts. Matt Callahan had two hits for Big Blue.
Milford, 8 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Milford’s offense exploded for five runs in the third inning to extend its lead to six and tacked on two more in the sixth before holding off a seventh inning rally from Canton. Alex Macek got the win, tossing 6.2 innings with no runs allowed, five strikeouts and six hits. Ryan Goncalves went 2-for-4 with two runs, Anthony Arcudi was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and Luke Allegrezza had two hits and two RBI. Canton’s Kevin Monagle went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Stoughton, 8 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Stoughton senior Justin Hutchinson needed just 88 pitches to toss a complete game shutout on the road at Foxboro. Hutchinson allowed just four hits, struck out five and didn’t issue a walk to earn the win.
Taunton, 1 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Franklin emerged from another pitcher’s duel with a close 2-1 win over visiting Taunton. FHS junior Jason Ulrickson tossed a complete game, scattering five hits, issuing one walk and striking out five to earn the win. Taunton’s Tyler Medeiros also allowed five hits with just one talk, striking out seven in six innings of work. Tyler Gomes had a double and a run scored for the Panthers while Ulrickson accounted for the other run. Sophomore Alex Haba was 2-for-2 with an RBI and Cam Lupien brought the Panthers’ other run home with a sacrifice fly. Taunton’s Christian Simoes was 2-for-3 and scored on an RBI double from Joe Manchester.
King Philip, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Oliver Ames broke a tie game open with five runs in the bottom of the second inning, giving sophomore Tom Parker a lead he wouldn’t relinquish in a complete game effort. Parker allowed just three hits while walking two and striking out a pair. Both Alden Newman and Kyle Gagliardi went 1-for-2 for the Tigers, each scoring a run and each knocking in one as well.
North Attleboro, 7 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – After allowing the first four batters to reach, North Attleboro’s Matt Iaconis settled in to toss a complete game with just one run allowed and two strikeouts to help the Rocketeers pick up a win on the road. After North went up 1-0 in the top of the first, Sharon rattled off three straight singles and tied the game on a hit batter. From there, Iaconis escaped the bases loaded jam with three straight outs. He allowed just four hits the rest of the way and didn’t issue a walk. North tacked on two runs in the top of the second, three in the third and one more in the fifth. John Brennan went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, Kyle McCarthy was 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI, Zach DeMattio went 2-for-3 including a triple and Aidan Harding had a pair of hits and an RBI.
Softball
Attleboro, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – Attleboro rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a one-run victory. Jenna Gittle led off with a double to start the seventh inning and hits from Emily Gittle and Ashley Macia pushed across the tying and winning runs for the Bombardiers. McKenzie Bergdoll earned the win, tossing a complete game with seven strikeouts, allowing just four hits. Mansfield scored both of its runs in the second inning. Liz Mackin led-off with a single and, after a sacrifice bunt, scored on a single by Sarah Cahill. Caty DeMassi singled in the second run. The Hornets loaded the bases in the final frame but could not push across the tying run.
Canton, 1 @ Milford, 19 – Final (5 inn.) – Milford junior Emily Piergustavo notched her 100th career hit, one of 18 that the Hawks belted out. Piergustavo went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs while Maggie Farrell went 4-for-4 with a triple, four runs scored and two RBI and Jess Tomaso went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs, four RBI and a towering home run to left. Kaitlyn DeCapua added two hits, two runs and an RBI, Shannon Cormier had two hits, including a double, and two RBI and Emily Hartman launched a three-run home run. Kelley Reichert earned the win, scattering five this with five strikeouts in a complete game effort.
Foxboro, 1 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Gina Carafa struck out 10 Foxboro hitters, including her 100th strikeout of the season, and scattered four hits to pick up the win. Nikki Coppola drove in both of Stoughton’s runs with a two-out single in the third and Shannon Flaherty was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate for the Black Knights. Foxboro cut the lead in half in the sixth inning when Kelly Fisher drove in Kelly Mccarthy with a sac fly off a great running catch by Alessandra Loffredo.
Franklin, 0 @ Taunton, 12 – Final (5 inn.) – Taunton’s offense got off to a strong start, plating a pair of runs in the first inning then blowing the game open with six runs in the second. Jaime Brown went 4-for-4 and scored four whiles while Kya Enos (two hits) knocked in four runs. MacKenzie Handrahan knocked in three runs on a pair of hits, McKenzie McAloon added two hits and eighth grader Hannah Aldrich hit her first career home run for the Tigers. Courtney Fisher struck out four without issuing a walk, allowing just one hit (fifth inning) and two total base runners.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ King Philip, 12 – Final (5 inn.) – King Philip junior Jess Bonner collected three hits and knocked in three runs and junior Elise Pereira knocked in three runs on a pair of doubles to pace the Warriors’ offense. Hailey McCasland added two hits while Jenn Hutnyan (two hits, three RBI) threw four scoreless innings, striking out eight. Victoria Ziner, Lexie Campbell and Kayla Georgeu each had a hit for OA.
Sharon, 2 @ North Attleboro, 8 – Final – Freshman Bella Erti allowed two unearned runs in the first but retired 18 of the final 19 hitters that she faced to seal the win for North and book a place for the Rocketeers in the state tournament. Erti allowed one hit and struck out 13, while adding a pair of hits at the plate. With the game tied at 2-2 in the fourth, Abby Gallagher drove in two with a single. Abby Warren, Olivia Capobianco, and Gallagher each reached base three times and Meg Barlow added a pair of hits.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 2 @ North Attleboro, 12 – Final – North Attleboro senior Zach McGowan registered six points, completing a hat trick with his 100th career strike. Owen Costello added three goals and an assist, Colin Young scored once and had two helpers, and Tommy Lindstrom and Jack Dakin each found the back of the net once and registered two assists. Hunter Sarro, Damien Curtis and Jason McNeany (nine face off wins) each scored once and Andy DeMattio had one assist. Dan MacDonald turned away 11 shots in net for the Rocketeers.
Canton, 1 @ Franklin, 7 – Final – Franklin built a 5-1 lead by halftime and shut Canton out in the second half in a low scoring frame. Franklin sophomore Jacob Alexander won all 12 face offs that he took in the game while classmate Nitin Chaudhury notched a hat trick to pace the Panthers’ offense. Eric Civetti scored twice, Chase Tanner and Jack Platner each found the back of the net once and Sam Arsenault recorded two assists. Packie Watson, Kyle McEniry and Pat Morrison each had one assist and Connor O’Rourke made six saves in net.
Foxboro, 4 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip’s Conor Khung intercepted a pass just above the restraining then launched a pass from the face off circle, finding John DeLuca, who tucked away the game-winning goal with 17 seconds left to hand KP a close win over visiting Foxboro. Tim Watson and Nate Minkwitz each scored twice while Paul Macrina made 17 saves to keep Foxboro at bay.
Mansfield, 14 @ Milford, 4 – Final
Taunton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 16 – Final – Junior Jack Lang and freshman Sandro Masciarelli each notched a pair of goals as Oliver Ames rolled to a big win. Seniors Mike Young, Robbie Almeida and Liam Brown, junior Ryan Bennett, sophomore Colin Bourne and freshman Sam Stevens each scored once for OA.
Stoughton, 4 @ Sharon, 12 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
North Attleboro, 16 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Kenzie Rosenberg scored five goals to lead the Rocketeers to the win, including the 150th goal of her career. Chloe Olsen scored three goals and had three assists for North and head coach Mike Vitelli said that Kayla Moulin played will in goal.
Franklin, 15 @ Canton, 3 – Final – Caroline Lounsbury paced Franklin’s offense with four goals while Lauren Bissanti notched a pair of goals for the Panthers. Mairead Goguen notched a goal and an assist and Annie Walsh (two goals, assists) had seven draw controls.
King Philip, 6 @ Foxboro, 15 – Final – Meg Curran scored four goals to lead the way for the Warriors, while Jackie Brion and Caroline Boudreau each scored hat tricks. With the win, Foxboro clinched the outright Davenport division title, its sixth straight league championship.
Milford, 6 @ Mansfield, 15 – Final – The Hornets had nine different goal scorers and booked a place in the state tournament with their ninth win of the season.
Oliver Ames, 16 @ Taunton, 10 – Final – Chloe Kikelly scored four goals while Liv Piazza, Sofia Masciarelli and Emalyn Duvall each recorded hat tricks in Oliver Ames’ win on the road. Alex O’Connor added two goals, Sarah Stevens scored once and Ari Waldorf recorded 18 saves for OA. Taunton was led by Abbey Kingman’s hat trick and two goals apiece from Delaney Powell, Alana Tavares, and Kayla Phillips. Lorna Li made 15 saves in defeat.
Sharon, 17 @ Ursuline, 9 – Final – Anna Crosby and Sabrina Robbins each scored their 100th career goals for the Eagles in the win.
Boys Tennis
Attleboro @ Mansfield, 3:45
Canton, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final
Foxboro, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final
Franklin, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Franklin won all five matches in straight sets, with its second doubles pairing registering a win without losing a game. Rahul Herur won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles, Eli Brooks took second singles 6-2, 6-0 and Rohan Herur won 6-1, 6-0 at third singles. The team of James Johnson and Derek Wu notched a 6-1, 6-1 win at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Rahul Hosdurg walked away with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip emerged with a sweep, dropping just two games total against Oliver Ames. Cole Ginter (first singles), Blake Ginter (second singles) and Martin Matous (third singles) each won 6-0, 6-0. The team of Ryan Gemelli and Sam Colella won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and Marco DiStefano and Jake Webster notched a 6-0, 6-1 win at second doubles.
Sharon, 4 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – For the 38th straight year, a Hockomock League championship banner belongs to Sharon. With a 4-1 win, the Eagles clinched at least a share of the Davenport division title, stretching its historic streak to 38 years, dating back to 1980. Griffin Fein won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles, Andre Olivei recorded a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles and sophomore Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles. The team of Alex Romantz and Andre Olivei won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles for Sharon. North Attleboro’s Andrew Harris and Vikram Senthilakumaran won 5-7, 6-4, 10-3 at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Mansfield, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Mansfield swept singles playing, dropping just one game, and won one doubles game without losing a game to beat Attleboro. Paulina Martin (first) and Sarah Doyle (second) won 6-0, 6-0 in singles play while Elizabeth Elsner notched a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. Mansfield’s fourth win came via a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles by Chloe Peters and Tessa Garufi. Attleboro’s Katie Furtado and Brooklyn Palermo won 6-2, 6-4 at second doubles.
Milford, 4 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Milford swept singles play and added another win at first doubles to pick up a win on the road. Milford’s Julie Rabinowitz won 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 at first singles, Allison Buckenmaier won 6-0, 6-3 at second singles and Caitlin Carafella recorded a 6-3, 6-3 win at third singles. Victoria Beyer and Daniella Aroujo won 6-3, 7-6 at first doubles for the Hawks. Canton’s Stelina Michaelidis and Sarah Hernandez won 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles.
Stoughton, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro lost just two games in singles play in a sweep against Stoughton. Lexi Nelson won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Kayla Prag recorded a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second singles and Julia Muise won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles for the Warriors. Olivia Dantona and Morgan Krockta won 6-2, 6-1 at first doubles and the team of Jacey Nicklas and Kendall Milender prevailed 6-4, 6-0 at second doubles.
Taunton, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Taunton won four matches in straight sets, taking two wins at singles and two in doubles play. Jordan Pagliuca won 6-2, 6-0 at second singles and Jillian Pagliuca prevailed with a 6-2, 7-5 victory at third singles. The team of Ashleigh Eason and Emily Moor didn’t lose a game at first doubles and Jordan Martin and Caroline Hebert notched a 6-0, 6-2 win at second doubles.
King Philip, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – It was a clean sweep for the Warriors, winning all five matches in straight sets to earn a win on the road. Becca Ricci won 6-3, 6-0 at first singles, Erin Regnier won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and Meghan Sepich recorded a 6-0, 6-3 at third singles. The team of Megan Davenport and Carly Adams won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles and Corinne Palumbo and Gracie Jarest recorded a 6-3, 6-0 win at second doubles.
North Attleboro, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon earned a sweep and also earned at least a share of its third straight Davenport division title with a win over North. Sophomore Nupur Shukla won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles, freshman Emily Zhang won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and junior Lulu Yuan won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles. The Eagles also won both doubles matches with Katie Merport and Emily Wen winning 6-4, 6-3 at first doubles and Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein taking a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win at second doubles.
Boys Volleyball
Milford, 0 vs. Millis, 3 – Final
Taunton, 3 vs. North Quincy, 1 – Final – Taunton snapped a two game skid with a big win at home at North Quincy, prevailing 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22. Lance Law did it all for the Tigers, recording 17 kills, 10 digs, six blocks, two assists and an ace in the win. Lens Esquil added 12 kills and four blocks, Malik Charles had 19 digs, eight kills and three blocks and Nate Grant finished with 49 assists in the win.
Baseball
Attleboro @ Norwood – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
King Philip @ Milford Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Softball
Foxboro vs. Westwood – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Oliver Ames @ Walpole – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro @ Milford – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
King Philip, 5 vs. Hopkinton, 15 – Final
Oliver Ames, 15 vs. Bellingham, 2 – Final – Eight different players found the back of the net for the Tigers, who rolled to their third straight win with a rout of Bellingham. Sophomore Colin Bourne led the offense for the second straight game, recording a game-high five goals. Sophomore Cullen Gallagher (three goals) and freshman Shane Kikelly (two goals) also had multiple goals for the Tigers. Seniors Liam Brown and Robbie Almeida, junior Jack Lang and freshmen Sam Stevens and Sandro Masciarelli each scored once for OA.
Girls Lacrosse
Milford @ Attleboro – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Foxboro, 13 vs. Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final
Franklin, 11 vs. Andover, 6 – Final – The visitors scored the first goal of the second half to cut the deficit to two (6-4) but Franklin rattled off five straight goals to stretch the lead to 11-4 with just under three minutes to play. Sophomore Annie Walsh led the offense with four goals and one assist while freshmen Erin Walsh had two goals and two assists and Kelsey MacCallum recorded a pair of goals. Head coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Dana Lewandowski and Grace MacCallum both played well on defense, each grabbing two groundballs and a draw control. Freshman Gianna Cameron had eight saves in net for the Panthers.
King Philip, 11 @ Natick, 12 – Final
North Attleboro @ Norton – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Baseball
Sharon, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final (8 inn.) – Sharon overcame a two-run deficit, tying the game in the fourth inning and then taking the lead in the eighth inning. Sharon senior Jake Marglous had a two-run single in the top of the fourth to tie the game 2-2. In the top of the eighth, Danny Emerman (2-for-4) led off with a triple. Aiden Arnold brought the winning-run home. Sharon junior Max Tarlin had a strong day on the mound, allowing four hits without an earned run in seven innings of work. Tarlin struck out four as well. Brad Zongetti picked up the save with a scoreless eighth inning. Attleboro’s Eoin Kelleher also had a solid day on the mound, going seven innings with four strikeouts, four hits and one earned run.
Franklin, 4 vs. Walpole, 3 – Final (9 inn.)
Softball
Canton vs. Watertown, 10:00AM
King Philip, 11 vs. Walpole, 8 – Final – King Philip’s offense came alive, scoring a season-high 11 runs and connecting on six home runs in a win over Walpole. Betsy Walsh had two of those home runs and three RBI total, pacing the Warriors’ offense. Jess Bonner, Brooke Taute and Sydney Phillips all had home runs for KP as well. With the game tied, Meghan Gorman belted a three-run home run to put KP ahead. Elise Pereira earned the victory, giving up two runs in 5.1 innings of work.
Milford, 9 @ Hopkinton, 4 – Final – Hopkinton took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third but Milford tacked on two runs in each of the next four innings to hand the Hillers their first loss of the season. All nine players in the Hawks’ lineup hat at least one hit in the win, totaling 15 hits as a team. Katie Irwin went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, Emily Piergustavo went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, a two-run home run and three RBI total, Kelley Reichert had a pair of hits and a pair of RBI and Emily Hartman was 2-for-4 with a double. Ali Atherton earned the win, striking out six with seven hits allowed in 6.1 innings of work.
North Attleboro, 0 vs. Bishop Feehan, 14 – Final
Boys Lacrosse
Oliver Ames, 9 vs. Silver Lake, 6 – Final – Tied 3-3 at halftime, Oliver Ames’ offense exploded for six second half goals to split the season series with the Lakers. The Tigers had seven different players find the back of the net in the win, led by a hat trick from Colin Bourne. Liam Brown, Owen Gallagher, Jack Lang, Mike Young, Sam Stevens and Shane Kikelly each scored once for OA.
Girls Lacrosse
King Philip, 12 @ Canton, 2 – Final
Foxboro, 10 @ Medfield, 9 – Final
Franklin, 8 @ Walpole, 2 – Final – The Panthers dominated the second half, scoring six goals while shutting out the Rebels. “The defense was overall very solid and played as a team,” said FHS head coach Kristen Igoe Guarino. Alex Field had three draw controls, four ground balls and two caused turnovers while Gianna Cameron recorded 10 saves in net. Annie Walsh netted a hat trick on the offensive end while Kendall Reardon and Kelsey MacCallum each scored twice. Jordan Jette and Erin Walsh each had two assists.
Milford, 7 vs. Ashland, 14 – Final
Girls Tennis
King Philip @ Walpole, 10:00AM
Boys Volleyball
Milford, 0 @ Nipmuc, 3 – Final
Taunton, 3 vs. Norwood, 1 – Final – Taunton picked up its seventh win of the season with a 25-15, 25-12, 24-26, 25-23 win over the Mustangs. Lens Esquil paced the offense with 16 kills and two aces, David Fusiecki had nine kills, three aces and a block and Malik Charles had five kills, five aces and five blocks. Nate Grant set the offense up with 35 assists, five kills and an ace.
Baseball
Sharon @ Attleboro – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Stoughton, 8 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Mansfield scored all nine of its runs in the first three innings and then held off a last inning rally from the visitors to get the win. The Hornets plated three runs in the first, four in the second and two more in the third while Stoughton scored twice in the first, once in the second, twice in the third, and once in the fourth. Stoughton pushed across two more runs in the seventh inning and had the bases loaded but the Hornets escaped the jam for the win. Kevin Dow was 2-for-3 with two RBI and earned the win on the mound in relief, tossing 3.1 innings with two runs allowed and three strikeouts. Colin Gibbons also went 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored while both Max Boen and Aidan Cahill had two hits and two runs scored each. Stoughton’s Justin Hutchinson went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run while Ruben Gonzalez, Pat Hagerty, Luke Johnson, Evan Gibb and Nick Hardy each had one RBI for the Knights.
Taunton @ Milford – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
North Attleboro @ Oliver Ames – Postponed to Tuesday, 4/11 at 3:45.
Softball
Attleboro, 8 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Jordyn Lako had two hits and drove in two runs, Julya Woyton went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and freshman Jenna Gittle went 3-for-4 for the Bombardiers, who had 12 hits as a team. On the mound, Gittle allowed only two hits in a complete game shutout.
Mansfield, 2 @ Stoughton, 10 – Final – Gina Carafa went the distance in the circle for the Black Knights, scattering 11 hits while striking out 11 Hornets, while also going 2-for-4 at the plate. Shannon Flaherty went 3-for-3 with two doubles, scored a pair of runs and drove in two others, Val Whalen had a pair of hits, and Nicki Coppola had three RBI for Stoughton, which scored seven runs in the first inning to take control. Megan Letendre struck out seven for Mansfield and Liz Mackin went 3-for-4 in the loss.
Oliver Ames @ North Attleboro – Postponed to Tuesday, 4/11 at 3:45.
Boys Lacrosse
Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 15 – Final – Nine different players found the back of the net for the Hornets as Mansfield beat Stoughton in the Black Knights’ first ever varsity game. Joe Cox (three goals, one assist), Hunter Ferreira (two goals, three assists), Sam O’Connell (two goals), Aidan Sacco (two goals) and Cullen Murphy (two goals) paced the offense. Haig Megerdichian (assist), Brady Kessler, Josh London and Liam Carey each scored once. Mike Zampine and Mike DuBreuil both had strong games defensively for the Hornets. Stoughton’s David Cellucci scored the program’s first ever goal in the first quarter.
Milford, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 13 – Final – Oliver Ames junior attack Eric LeBlanc led the way with four goals for the Tigers, while both junior midfielder Jack Lang and senior midfielder Liam Brown registered a pair of goals. Senior Robbie Almeida, junior Owen Gallagher, sophomores Colin Bourne and Cullen Gallagher and freshman Sam Stevens each scored once for OA.
North Attleboro, 12 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Colin Young, Damien Curtis and Andy DeMattio (assist) all found the back of the net twice as the Rockteers rolled to victory at Aleixo Stadium. Nathan D’Amico, James Young and Nick Ward all scored once and had one assist for North Attleboro.
Girls Lacrosse
Canton, 2 @ Foxboro, 15 – Final
Oliver Ames, 16 @ Milford, 5 – Final – Oliver Ames sophomore Olivia Piazza scored a career-high six goals to pace the Tigers on the road. Junior Emalyn Duvall added a hat trick while juniors Sofia Masciarelli and Chloe Kikelly each registered two goals. OA goalie Ari Waldorf made 13 saves in the cage.
North Attleboro, 16 @ Taunton, 7 – Final – Julia Dakin scored three goals and recorded two assists for the Rocketeers. North also got hat tricks from Kenzie Rosenberg and Camille Pizarro and a goal and three assists from Chloe Olsen. Alana Tavares and Bre Conlon each scored a pair of goals for the Tigers and Lorna Li made seven saves in the loss.
Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – The Eagles didn’t drop a single game at either second singles, third singles or second doubles and took all five matches in straight sets against Attleboro. Senior Griffin Fein won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles while junior Fred Bondar and sophomore Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-0, 6-0 at second and third singles, respectively. The team of juniors Arie Chinnappan and Ashwin Sreevatsa won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and sophomores Max Brody and Russell Rapaport won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.
Mansfield, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Mansfield sophomore Luke Nickerson and senior Gus Daganhardt won in straight sets, with neither dropping a game, at first and second singles, respectively, to lead the Hornets. Junior Ben Salden won 6-2, 6-1 at third singles, the team of Jalaj Singh and Sethu Odayappan won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and sophomores Max Bank and Luke Devine won 6-3, 6-3 at second doubles.
Taunton, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final
Oliver Ames, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – North Attleboro won all five matches in straight sets, dropping just a combined three games in a win over Oliver Ames. Senior Zac Pfeffer won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and classmate Barsomo Nuay won by the same score at second singles. Junior Alex Rinaldi won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles while senior Daniel Zhang and junior Ben Pfeffer won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Vikram Senthilakumaran and Mayank Wadekar won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Sharon, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Sharon turned in another dominant performance with all three singles matches winning in straight sets without dropping a single game. Nupur Shukla, Emily Zhang and Lulu Yuan won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second and third singles, respectively. The team of Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.
Stoughton, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mansfield’s Jessica Hanley and Hannah Podolske won a tiebreaker to win at second doubles, completing the clean sweep for the Hornets. Hanley and Podolske won 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4) at second doubles while Chloe Peters and Tessa Garufi won 6-4, 6-1 at first doubles. Mansfield had strong performances at singles as well as Paulina Martin (first singles) and Sarah Doyle (second singles) both won 6-0, 6-0 and Elizabeth Elsner picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles.
Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton won in straight sets in all five matches but the Hawks won at least one game in every set except for won. Olivia Sweeney won 6-4, 6-2 at first singles, Jillian Pagliuca won 6-1, 6-3 at second singles and McKenzie Lucie won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles for the Tigers. Emily Moor and Ashleigh Eason won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Carline Hebert and Jordan Martin won 6-1, 6-1 at second doubles.
North Attleboro, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – The Rocketeers didn’t lose a single game at first or second singles as well as first doubles in a win on the road at OA. Emily Chiasson and Jordan Willis each won 6-0, 6-0 at first and second singles, respectively, while Katie Demontigny and Hana Hershey won at first doubles by the same score. Azka Siddiq won 6-2, 6-3 at third singles for the Rocketeers. OA freshmen Tate Hadges and Maura Kiernan won 7-5, 1-6, 10-5 at second doubles for the Tigers.
Boys Volleyball
Milford, 1 @ Millis, 3 – Final
Taunton, 3 vs. Greater New Bedford, 1 – Final – Taunton overcame a one-set deficit to pick up a win over previously unbeaten Greater New Bedford Voke Tech. GNBVT entered the match ranked #3 overall in the state by Mass Boys High School Volleyball while the Tigers were ranked #25. The Bears won the first set 25-15 but Taunton rallied to win the next three, 25-16, 25-17, 25-21. Lance Law led the way with a team-high 17 kills and added a block. Lens Esquil had 11 kills and six blocks, Malik Charles added seven kills and a block and Collin Hunter chipped in with six kills and a block.
Today’s games are listed below. We will update this post with any changes we receive.
Baseball
Attleboro, 9 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Attleboro senior Tyler McGovern tossed four-plus innings with just one hit allowed, striking out six to earn the win. Sophomore Troy Van Vliet paced the offense, connecting for a pair of doubles, knocking in three runs and scoring two runs of his own.
Franklin, 5 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Five different Panthers recorded a hit and junior Jake Noviello shined in his season debut on the mound to lead Franklin past North Attleboro. Noviello tosses six inning, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Bryan Woelfel struck out two in a shutout inning in relief. Noviello also recorded a hit and scored a run on offense. Sophomore Alex Haba went 1/3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored, senior Cam Lupien added a hit, a run and an RBI, senior Josh Macchi had a double and a run scored and senior Jake Lyons had an RBI and a hit for the Panthers.
Milford, 2 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip senior Chris Wing tosses six innings, allowing just a pair of hits while retiring the side in order in each the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Sophomore Jack Webster recorded the save. Offensively, the Warriors notched eight hits as a team with Collin Cooke (RBI) and Ryan Coulter each recording two. Ben Furfari knocked in a pair of runs and Webster also had an RBI.
Stoughton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Oliver Ames scored a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings while tacking on single runs in the first and sixth innings to open the season with a win. Junior Matt Muir went 2-for-4 with a pair of triples and a pair of runs scored while senior Kyle Gagliardi was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Sam Burr earned the win on the mound, scattering six hits over 6.1 innings with two runs allowed.
Sharon @ Taunton – Postponed to Friday, April 21 at 11:00AM.
Softball
Attleboro, 7 @ Canton, 5 – Final
Franklin, 1 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – North rallied from a run down in the bottom of the seventh inning to open the season with a win. Sam Courtemanche led-off the inning with a double. Ashley Cangiano came in to run and scored on an Abbie Gallagher grounder. With the bases loaded, Meg Barlow (2-for-3) provided the walk-off hit with a double. Bella Erti threw a complete game for North with four strikeouts and five hits allowed.
King Philip @ Milford – Postponed to Friday, May 5 at 3:30.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Stoughton, 6 – Final – Gina Carafa threw a five-hit shutout for the Black Knights, striking out eight and only walking one. Alessandra Loffredo provided Stoughton with offense from the nine-hole, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth. Victoria Ziner went 2-for-2 and reached base three times for OA.
Sharon, 0 @ Taunton, 19 – Final (5 inn.) – The Tigers got off to a dominant start behind three, one-hit innings and six strikeouts from Courtney Fisher, who also went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Jamie Brown went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and an RBI and Kya Enos, Jaylin Couto, Hannah Aldrich, and Rebekah Lajoie each had two hits apiece for Taunton. Lajoie drove in four runs.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final (2OT) – Zach Thomas scored his second of the game with less than a minute to play to tie the game and junior Alex Banner netted the game-winner in double overtime to lift the Bombardiers past OA. Cam Littig added a pair of goals for Attleboro while senior Andrew Milliken scored once. Banner, Seth Lombardy and Zach Viau each notched an assist as well. Sophomore Trevor Koppy made 14 saves in net for the Bombardiers, who battled back from a 3-1 deficit at halftime. Head coach Kevin Koppy credited the play of defensemen Jim Nordberg, Matt Potter, Chris Reynolds and Tyler Koppy for holding the Tigers to just two goals in the second half. For Oliver Ames, Eric LeBlanc scored a pair of goals while Owen Gallagher, Jack Lang and Colin Bourne each scored once.
Foxboro, 17 @ Norwood, 2 – Final
North Attleboro, 7 @ Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final (OT) – North Attleboro senior Colin Young scored his lone goal of the game in the overtime period to lift the Rocketeers. Tommy Lindstrom netted a hat trick while Zach McGowan added a pair of goals and one assist and Jack Dakin notched three assists. Nick Moore scored once and set up Young for the game-winner. Dan McDonald had 13 saves in the cage for Big Red.
Sharon, 6 @ Westwood, 10 – Final
Taunton, 3 vs. Norton, 12 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
Oliver Ames, 16 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Eight different players found the back of the net as Oliver Ames cruised to a non-league win on the road. Kendall Clifford accounted for five goals while Sofia Masciarelli scored our and Liv Piazza had three goals. Ariana Waldorf recorded 13 saves in goal for the Tigers.
Canton, 6 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final
Foxboro, 16 vs. Norwood, 4 – Final
Franklin, 13 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 7 – Final – Franklin built a 6-3 lead by halftime and then continued its strong offensive showing in the second half. Sophomore Annie Walsh and freshman Erin Walsh each scored goal goals apiece and Caroline Lounsbury added a pair for the Panthers. Dana Lewandowski played well on defense with three ground ball and freshman Gianna Cameron made nine saves in net.
Sharon, 19 @ Milford, 6 – Final
Taunton, 16 vs. Norton, 8 – Final – Delaney Powell scored six goals and Alana Tavares added five for the Tigers, who opened the season with a non-league win. Annie Tate and Abbey Kingman both had hat tricks for Taunton and Lorna Li had 12 saves.
Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final
Mansfield, 3 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final
Franklin, 4 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Senior Rahul Herur and freshman Rohan Herur each won in singles while while the Panthers swept doubles in a victory over North. Rahul Herur won 6-3, 6-1 at first singles while Rohan Herur took third singles, 6-1, 6-1. The team of James Johnstone and Derek Wu won 6-3, 6-1 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Saketh Saripalli won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 at second doubles. North Attleboro’s Barsomo Nuay won 6-4, 6-1 at second singles.
King Philip, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – An experienced King Philip team opened the season with a sweep on the road at Milford. Cole Ginter won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Martin Martous won 6-0, 6-2 at second singles and Blake Ginter took third singles 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Ryan Gemelli and Sam Colella teamed up for a 7-5, 6-4 win at first doubles and Jake Webster and Marco DiStefano took a 6-4, 6-0 win at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton got wins at first and third singles as well as first doubles to earn the program’s first win in two seasons. Senior Stevens Bontemps won 6-2, 6-3 at first singles and sophomore Alex Bernstein picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win at third singles. The team of senior Jon Podesta sophomore Erik Anderson clinched the win with a 6-2, 7-5 win at first doubles. Oliver Ames junior Joseph Lorizio won 7-5, 6-1 at second singles and Greg Mueller and Michael Souza won 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 at second doubles for the Tigers.
Taunton, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final
Girls Tennis
Canton, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Attleboro picked up wins at first and second singles and another at first doubles to edge Canton. Torey Lussier won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at first singles while Brianna Aronne won 6-1, 6-2 at second singles. The team of Taylor Palermo and Merri Piazza came back to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at first doubles. Canton’s Jamie Cree won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at third singles and the team of Stelina Michaelidis and Kiki Karavas won 6-2, 6-3 at second doubles.
Foxboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final
North Attleboro, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – North Attleboro didn’t drop a game at either second singles or first doubles while also getting victories at third singles and second doubles. Jordan Willis won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and the team of Gabby Duva and Azka Siddiq won with the same score at first doubles. Shurobhi Nandi won 6-1, 6-2 at third singles and the team of Katie Demontigny and Hana Hershey won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Franklin’s Hannah Sweeney won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles.
Milford @ King Philip, 3:45
Stoughton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames swept singles play and also got a win at second doubles to earn the win over Stoughton. Sarah Leger won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles, Claudia Ferrara won 6-2, 6-1 at second singles and Mandi Miller swept third singles 6-0, 6-0. The team of Kristin Bloumbas and Olivia Groebe won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles. Stoughton’s Alex Soto and Amanda Gallant won 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 at first doubles.
Sharon, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Sharon didn’t drop a single game in singles play and also won both doubles matches to get the sweep. Sophomore Nupur Shukla, freshman Emily Zhang and junior Lulu Yuan all won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second and third singles, respectively. The team of juniors Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-4, 7-5 at first doubles while junior Rithic Neti and sophomore Sophia Fein won 6-1, 6-1 at second doubles.
Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 vs. St John’s Shrewsbury, 1 – Final
Taunton, 3 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton notched its second won of the season with a 26-24, 25-18, 25-17 win on the road over the Whalers. Lance Law led the way with 10 kills, four aces, six digs and one block while Lens Esquil had nine kills and two blocks and Nate Grant had 30 assists, three kills and a block.
