Tag: Joe Bires

The Campus Report: A Recap of Fall 2016

Hockomock Campus Report

The HockomockSports.com Campus Report is an update on former Hockomock League athletes currently competing in collegiate sports. If you would like to submit an update, please e-mail info@HockomockSports.com.

Alex Jette had his collegiate career come to an end this Fall but wrapped things up in memorable fashion. A four-time First Team All-Ivy selection, Jette was named a First Team All-Ivy wide receiver and return specialist in 2016. Jette will go down as one of the top receivers in Brown football history, finishing his Brown career ranked ninth in both career receiving yards (1,860) and receptions (150). He was also a playmaker on special teams; Jette had a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown against Cornell and ranks fourth all-time in career punt return yards (493) at Brown. He had h 54 catches for 518 yards and three touchdowns during his senior year and was also named to the 2016 All-New England Football Team.

A pair of Framingham State Rams and former Hockomock football players were named to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Second Team. Attleboro’s Tom Burns and Stoughton’s Joe Wilder both earned the honor after leading the Rams to a 7-3 regular season. Burns, a defensive back, was second on the team in tackles with 67 (40 solo), had two tackles four loss and four pass breakups. Wilder has been a starter on the offensive line for two years now and helped pave the way for the offense. At left tackle, Wilder was a big reason the Rams rushed for over 2,000 yards.

A handful of former Hockomock players saw playing time for Mass. Maritime this season. Manfield’s Alex Ruddy was the most productive defensive player, registering 27 tackles, including two for loss, and had a pass breakup. Milford’s John Niro had five tackles, one for loss, Mansfield’s Connor Finerty also had five tackles and Canton’s Joe Bires made three tackles. Sharon’s Adam Banks, an offensive lineman, played in five games, even hauling in a pass. King Philip’s James Cooke (guard) and Chris Winbourne (tackle) started on the offensive line for the Buccaneers.

Former Milford three sport athlete Jarrod Casey capped an impressive career at Assumption with a stellar senior season. Casey, who was selected NE-10 First Team Defense for the second straight year, led the Hounds with 90 tackles and was the only player in the NE-10 with at least two sacks and two interceptions. He finished with 2.5 sacks and three interceptions while breaking up three passes. Stoughton’s Brandon Swain-Price finished his sophomore year with 18 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns.

North Attleboro’s Eric Beckwith also received NE-10 honors, being tabbed First Team Offense for the second straight year. Beckwith has been making an impact for the Falcons since his freshman year. The former Rocketeer played in 41 of a possible 44 career games, with 35 starts. King Philip’s Sam MacDonald has also beeing a cornerstone for the Falcones for four years, playing in 43 of 44 possible games. The KP alum finished his career with 17 interceptions, one shy of the Bentley record and one of the top five totals in Northeast-10 Conference history and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Football Team.

Oliver Ames graduate Cameron Williamson was a big piece of Bridgewater State’s football team this Fall. In 11 games played, Williamson was tied for fifth on the team with 42 tackles and was among the best on the team with 36 solo tackles. He had one interception, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries for the Bears.

Franklin’s Brandon Eccher was named to the Liberty League Football All-Conference Second Team while Stoughton’s Dan Eckler received honorable mention honors. Eccher was second in the Liberty League with 72 points (12 touchdowns). He posted 777 yards on 45 catches with 11 scores. As a punt returner, Eccher picked up 160 more yards on 17 tries with a 78-yard TD against Union. He ends his career third in the WPI record book with 132 career receptions and fifth in career receiving yards with 1,949. Eckler was one of the top four quarterbacks in the league this season. He amassed 1,900 passing yards on 118 completions with 18 touchdowns and the best efficiency rating of 166.8 in eight contests. Eckler also rushed 76 times for 235 yards and four scores to rank in the top 20. In 29 games, he piled up 5,571 yards on 404 completions with 44 touchdowns in the air and 783 yards on 266 rushes and nine touchdowns on the ground. His name is currently first in the WPI record book with 6,534 career yards of total offense (passing and rushing) and career passing yards, as well as third in career attempts (704) and completions.

King Philip’s Christian Vellante finished with 37 tackles, good for seventh most for Curry this season. Of his 37 tackles, 24 were solo takedowns, he had two tackles for loss, registered one fumble recovery and had one reception on offense. Over two years, Vellante had 78 tackles for the Colonels and seven tackles for a loss.

Former Franklin standout Craig Anderson became the first ever Endicott player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors twice. After being rewarded last season with the same honor, Anderson was back again this season with a 3.89 cumulative grade point average in the classroom and 28 tackles (15 solo), four sacks, two quarterback hurries and a blocked kick on the football field. Anderson, who earned All-New England Football Conference first team honors for the second straight year, finished his career with 21.5 sacks, second-best in school history, while recording 204 tackles (95 solo) and 40.5 tackles for loss.

Former Mansfield Hornet James Comer received Eastern Collegiate Football All-Conference honors after a strong senior season. Comer was named to the All-Conference First Team for the first time in his career, after posting 36 tackles – 4.5 of them for a loss – recovered a fumble and had 1.5 sacks.

Former King Philip linebacker and current Nichols standout Brett McEvoy was named to the New England Football Conference ALl-Conference Second Team. McEvoy was second in the conference in tackles (94) and notched five games with at least 10 tackles, including a 16 tackle game against MIT. The junior also recorded 9.5 tackles for a loss and had two interceptions. Attleboro’s Brenden Massey was second leading receiver for the Bison, hauling in 41 catches for 759 yards and six touchdowns.

Attleboro grad Brendan Nunes enjoyed a successful rookie campaign at Salve Regina. The former Bombardier playmaker was all over the field for the Gull. He caught 10 passes for 183 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. He had two carries for 12 yards and was a primary return man – taking 11 kick offs for 276 yards and a touchdown and pulling down seven punts for 58 yards. Franklin’s Danny McDermott was a versatile option for the Gulls, completing 9 of 11 passes for 113 yards, rushing for 26 yards and even catching a 20 yard pass.

Trinity senior defensive back Paul McCarthy earned All-New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference First Team honors for the second straight season. McCarthy, a former North Attleboro Rocketeer, was a key piece for the Bantams with 27 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups. For his career, McCarthy had 84 tackles and an impressive nine interceptions.

A pair of former Taunton players and current UMass Dartmouth teammates were honored by the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference for their strong seasons. Austin Peters, a starting guard, helped anchor the Corsairs to a record breaking year and was named to the MASCAC First Team. UMass Dartmouth recorded 4,641 yards on offense – a school record. Marcel Flynn was named to the MASCAC Second Team after posting a career-high 40 tackles in his fourth year as a starter. Flynn was also a force on special teams as he registered a career-high and MASCAC-best four blocked kicks in 2016. Mansfield’s David Collins finished second on the team with 80 tackles with eight tackles going for a loss.

Men’s Soccer

Former Attleboro goalie Spenser Powell was named to the 2016 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-America Second Team following a strong year for Adelphi. Powell was among the best in the nation in both goals against average (0.498) and save percentage, stopping 86.8% off all shots on goal. Read more about Spenser here.

Taunton’s Dan Belair finished his career at American International College, registering his first career point in his senior season. Belair started in 33 games over his four year career, including four in his final season. He picked up his first assist in a 5-0 win over Bentley in October.

Not many players have seen more minutes over the past four years for Assumption men’s soccer than Franklin grad Zach Scafati. The inaugural HockomockSports.com Co-Player of the Year, Scafati started in 63 games (of 64 games played) for the Greyhounds. He scored a goal in each of his sophomore and junior season and was a two-year captain.

North Attleboro’s Josh Ocel was named an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association for the second straight year. Ocel, who earned third team honors this season, was the team’s leading scorer with six goals and 15 assists – the fifth most assists in all of Division III. His 15 assists were also just one shy of Brandies’ single season record. Read more about Ocel’s season and Brandies’ Final Four run here.

Foxboro’s Sawyer Fleck was earned All-Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference honors for the second straight season playing for Bridgewater State. Fleck was named to the All-MASCAC Second Team after scoring a goal and notching a team-best four assists. He is tied for sixth in the conference with his four assists. In 77 career games, Fleck has two goals and 13 assists for 17 points for the Bears. Foxboro’s Brian Bortolotti scored two goals and had an assist this season and Milford’s Justin Borges scored his first career goal.

Former Oliver Ames standout Adam Borberly ranked near the top for minutes played for Colby-Sawyer this season. Borberly started 15 matches this season, playing over 1,000 minutes while registering three goals and three assists. In four years, Borberly started in 59 matches for the Chargers.

North Attleboro’s Justin Freitas was named an All-American by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association following another outstanding year for Dean College. Freitas was named to the second team following a season in which he scored 16 goals – three of which were game-winning tallies – and had six assists. Attleboro’s Kyle Lameiras scored three goals and had three assists in 18 games played while Matt Rodrigues, another former Bombardier, had an assist from his outside back spot in 10 games played.

Despite playing in just two games because of injury during his senior season, OA grad David MacKinnon had a memorable career at Hartford. The inaugural HockomockSports.com Boys Soccer Co-Player of the Year was named to the America East All Conference Second Team his sophomore year and was named to the All-Rookie team in 2013. He set the program record for shutouts in a single season during his freshman year with nine. He ranks second in Hartford history in career shutouts (19) and fourth in career victories (25).

2015 HockomockSports.com Boys Soccer Player of the Year Devante Teixeira saw plenty of time in his rookie season at Southern Connecticut. Playing in 15 of 17 games, Teixeira notched his first career goal and added one assist. He had a clear attacking mindset, uncorking 25 shots – second on the team. Attleboro’s Alain Laurent finished the year with a goal in 17 games played.

Oliver Ames alum Keegan Nutt was just one of four players – and the only freshman – to start every single game for the Stonehill Skyhawks in 2016. Patrolling the center of the pitch, Nutt scored his first career goal in September against Franklin Pierce and had two assists – one against Saint Anselm and one against Assumption.

2015 HockomockSports.com Best XI selection Joe Kellett played a major role in UMass Lowell’s historic season. Kellett was named to the America East All-Rookie Team. Kellett started all 16 games and was only off the field for a total of 12 minutes during his freshman campaign. The midfielder tallied the game-winning goal against Vermont in October and had an assist on the game-winning goal against Boston College later the same month.

Franklin product Joe Kalil was selected to the Commonwealth Coast Conference First Team after another great season for Wentworth. Kalil has helped Wentworth post five shutouts and on the offensive end, has scored four goals and an assist for nine points. For his career, he has started 53 of the 55 games in which he has played in. Kalil has 10 goals and a pair of assists for 22 points in three years. Canton’s Connor Erickson led Wentworth to a 13-4-4 record in his fourth year – the team has 28 wins in past two years alone.

Women’s Soccer

Three former Hockomock players saw a lot of action for the Assumption women’s soccer team this Fall. Taunton’s Tayla Morais and Franklin’s Alexis Stowell each appeared in all 18 games for the Hounds, with Morais getting the starting nod twice and Stowell on ten occassions. 2016 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Victoria Stowell appeared in 16 games for the eight-win Greyhounds. Alexis Stowell was third on the team in points with two goals and one assist while Morais added one goal.

Franklin’s Nicole Ellin is becoming a mainstay on Bard’s backline. As a sophomore, Ellin started in all 17 games and played 1,277 minutes on the season. On nine occasions, Ellin went the full 90 for the Raptors. In two years, Ellin has started in all 34 games possible for Bard.

Former Canton standout and Hockomock League MVP Lauren Berman started all 19 games for Boston College this Fall. She was fourth on the team in points with 16, behind only All-ACC selections McKenzie Meehan and Hayley Dowd. Berman led the Eagles in assists with eight, while scoring four goals. She was third on the team in minutes player (1,572).

Jamie Grinavic finished her collegiate career by helping Bentley earn its most wins in a season since the 2003 season. Grinavic has been making an impact on the offensive end for the Falcons since her freshman year – she’s scored at least one in every season. The former North Attleboro Rocketeer finished with five career goals and four assists for 14 points.

Taunton graduate Alana Vincent had a terrific rookie season for Bridgewater State and was named to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team. She led the team with six goals and 13 points in 17 games; two of her six goals were game-winners. Vincent finished third in the MASCAC in goals and sixth in points. Mansfield’s Molly Shield (one goal) started in 18 games and Katie Bongarzone started in all 19 of the team’s games – just one of five players to do so.

Former Milford Scarlet Hawk Kaley Pratt made a big impact off the bench for Eastern Connecticut State for this season. Despite starting just one of 18 games played, Pratt was third on the team in scoring – netting five goals with three assists for 13 points. Stoughton’s Rachel Berkowsky was in a similar situation, coming off the bench in 14 games to net four goals and one assist. Berkowsky set the school record for fastest hat trick recorded. She scored three goals in a matter of 4:46 in a win over the University Southern Maine in October.

Former Oliver Ames product Nicole Taylor was selected to play in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association Senior Bowl following another great year at Endicott. Taylor started all 15 matches that she played in, missing time briefly for an injury. The co-captain finished her career with 28 starts in 48 matches played, making 27 of those starts over the last two seasons.

Stoughton’s Shelby Sprague was named to the NJCAA All-Region 21 First Team following another explosive season with Massasoit. Sprague scored 30 goals, topping Region 21 and ranking third in the nation. She also added six assists to give her 66 points, also ranking third in the country. She finished her illustrious career with 55 goals, 10 assists for 120 points. This marks Sprague’s second All-Region 21 First Team selection.

Stonehill’s Brianna Duserick was named to the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association Division II All-New England First Team. The Canton product was part of the back line this year that held opponents to 19 goals against, while also being part of the Skyhawks’ offense that has scored 39 goals in the 22 games this season. She scored one goal this year, making her career total to two with one game-winning goal. Duserick led the team with five assists this year, ranking eighth in the conference, totally six in her career.

It seems like just yesterday that Franklin’s Kristi Kirshe was scoring in the MIAA D1 State Final to help the Panthers claim their first title in program history. Now, Kirshe has finished her collegiate career with a NCAA DIII National Championship (2015) and her name attached to a couple of school records at Williams. For a terrific senior season, Kirshe was named to the NSCAA All-American First Team. She had 26 points during her senior year, including a team-best 12 assists. She finished her career with a school record 114 points (43 goals, 28 assists in 86 games).

Volleyball

Canton’s Elizabeth Hamilton had a successful freshman year for Johnson & Wales volleyball and was named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Third Team. The former HockomockSports.com Player of the Year was fourth in kills on the team with 202 and had the most assists for an attacking player with 40. She added 34 blocks (fifth on the team), was second on the team with 302 digs and had 37 aces.

Attleboro’s Michelle Sheehan made an impact during his freshman year with Mass. Maritime. The former Bombardier was second on the team with 240 assists. The freshman also had 194 digs and 51 kills for the Buccaneers.

In her sophomore season at Salve Regina, Canton grad Erin Proctor was second on the team with 339 assists in just 38 sets played – an impressive 8.92 assists per set. She added 99 digs and even chipped in with 14 kills. The sophomore had a season-high 57 assists in September against WPI.

Another former Canton standout, Chidera Nwankwo was second in kills for a young Suffolk squad. The sophomore had 138 kills with a team-high .238 attacking percentage. The middle hitter was second on the team with 43 blocks. Taunton’s Alyssa Gibson added 18 kills and eight blocks in her freshman season.

UMass Boston’s Julia Murphy was named an All-American by the Volleyball Coaches Association – one of three players from UMass Boston. After being named an honorable mention for the honor the last two years, Murphy was selected to the Second Team. Murphy was also named the Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the fourth straight time – the first time in history a player has accomplished that. Murphy’s senior campaign has seen the Canton native set new program marks in solo blocks, block assist, total blocks, while also hitting a career-high .409. In 32 matches played, Murphy sits with a career-high 339 kill. She also boasts 42 solo blocks and 65 block assists for an impressive 107 total blocks.

King Philip alum Brigid Murray posted an impressive 712 assists this season while serving as Westfield State’s primary setter. She helped set up an offense that had 903 kills and 13 wins. Younger sister Micaela Murray made a splash in her first season by leading the Owls with 69 aces.

During her sophomore season, former Taunton standout Lauren Murphy had 55 kills for Worcester State. Former Mansfield standout Lauren Beecher recorded 95 kills during her junior season for Dickinson. Canton star Avery Devoe made a big impact with DI Ball State, notching 115 kills in 2016.

At WPI, the Engineers had three former Hockomock players help lead the way to a 22-win season. KP grad Melissa Daigle had 117 kills, 56 digs and 14 blocks. Franklin’s Shay Feeley was the primary setter, finishing her senior season with 491 assists and 173 digs.

Field Hockey

It was only fitting that the NCAA Division II National Championship and semifinals were hosted at Stonehill College in Easton. After all, there were plenty of familiar faces in the Hockomock town. In a semifinal matchup between LIU Post and Saint Anselm, there was a combined six former Hockomock players on the field. OA’s Molly Cunha played in 17 games for LIU Post, who lost in the finals.

Saint Anselm has plenty of Hockomock players. Former Franklin standout Elizabeth Alie was named NE-10 Defender of the Year and also earned Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American First Team Honors. Alie helped anchor a defensive back line that finished sixth in the country and second in the NE-10 in goals against average (1.02). Alie leaves the program having started all 75 games she has played in while helping the team improve from giving up 2.60 goals per game her freshman year, to the program-best 1.02 GAA the Hawks posted this season.

Oliver Ames’ Hannah Friend, a former HockomockSports.com Player of the Year, was tied for first in goals scored for the Hawks with seven. North Attleboro’s Rose Mooney was next on the team with six goals and three assists and Franklin’s Maddie Bressler followed her with four goals and five assists. Canton’s Mary Nee saw action in 19 games as well and recorded one assist.

For the second straight year, Canton’s Mary McNeil earned Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American honors. As a star player for Merrimack, McNeil earned First Team All-American honors following a season in which she led the Warriors in assists with seven and ranked third on the team with seven goals and 21 points. Her assist total was also tied for second in the NE-10 this season. Franklin’s Hannah Magerman added three goals and two assists for the Warriors, while Canton’s Lindsey Nolte and Milford’s Jess Palmer – both freshmen – saw action this season.

Former Foxboro star Katie Notarangelo continues to rack up recognition at the next level. Playing for MIT, Notarangelo was selected to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference First Team for the second straight year. Patrolling the midfield, Notarangelo helped generate a 341-171 margin in shots, a 224-106 advantage in shots on goal, and a 200-97 difference in penalty corners. She contributed to a defense that produced a 1.32 goals against average, which ranked second in the NEWMAC. Offensively, Notarangelo found the back of the net twice.

Regis College claimed the New England Collegiate Conference championship back in November with Oliver Ames product Yvonne Abate playing a big role. After Elms College took a lead in the first half, Abate stepped up to take a penalty stroke and beat the keeper to level the score. Abate was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Stoughton’s Ashley Chipman also started for Regis in the win, her 11th start of the season. Chipman finished tied for second on the team with six goals.

Former Franklin Panther Sammy Rondeau earned conference honors after a strong Fall season for Simmons. Rondeau was selected to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Second Team after ranking among the GNAC’s top top in points (23, 9th), goals (nine, 8th) and assists (five, 7th). The junior was one of two Simmons players to start all 19 matches and scored three game-winning goals for the sixth-most among league leaders. The forward registered at least one point in eight contests, including a career-high of six on two goals and two assists against Nichols.

A trio of former Hockomock players helped Springfield College pick up nine wins this Fall. Mansfield’s Allie Skinner started in 18 of her 19 games played, even registering an assist from her position on defense. Hannah Boylan, another former Hornet, started in 15 games, scoring a goal against Mount Holyoke. North Attleboro’s Emily Knobel saw action in 16 games, scoring two goals and adding three assists.

At UMass Dartmouth, a pair of former Hockomock players helped the Corsairs win seven games this season. Offensively, Taunton’s Katelin Morrissey was second on the team with 20 points – scoring eight goals and adding four assists. In goal, Franklin’s Allison Burke started five games and made a team-high 48 saves for a team-best .774 save percentage.

Oliver Ames’ Carly Cidado had a successful first year at WPI, finishing the season as one of the top scorers for the Engineers. The former Tiger had four goals – tied for fourth best on the team – and three assists, totaling 11 points, best among any freshmen or sophomores on the team.

Cross Country

Bridgewater State University might have been the biggest beneficiary from the Hockomock League across all sports. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams received a big boost from a Hockomock grad. Taunton’s Trevor Wysong had a fantastic rookie campaign for the Bears and was named MASCAC Rookie of the Year. At the MASCAC Championships, Wysong finished the 8k with a time of 26:33, good enough for fourth. For the girls, Milford’s Jenise Madden was also named MASCAC Rookie of the Year. She finished the MASCAC Championships (5k) in 19:40.

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/02/16

Today’s playoff games are listed below.

Baseball
D1 South
#2 King Philip, 3 vs. #15 Catholic Memorial, 4 – Final

#4 Taunton, 1 vs. #13 Brookline, 2 – Final (8 inn.) – Luke Figueira pitched seven innings without surrendering an earned run but the Tigers couldn’t overcome a run by the Warriors in the top of the eighth inning. Figueira struck out seven and allowed three hits and four walks in a no decision. Christian Simoes, Jack Moynihan and Matt Machado each had two hits for Taunton, which totaled 11 hits as a team.

#9 Franklin, 4 @ #8 Durfee, 6 – Final – Franklin took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning but the Hilltoppers climbed back into the game with four in the bottom half and added single runs in the second and third. Offensively, Nick Santucci went 1-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored, Brad Jarosz was 2-3, Mike Skaza knocked in a run and both Steve Ferguson and Alex Bissanti scored a run for the Panthers. Sophomore Jake Noviello pitched well in relief for the Panthers, tossing four innings with just one run allowed while striking out five.

#12 Attleboro, 1 @ #5 Norwood, 0 – Final (9 inn.) – Click here for a recap of the game.

D2 South
#12 Oliver Ames, 0 @ #5 Nauset, 9 – Final – Oliver Ames only registered a pair of hits against Nauset pitcher Paul Prue, who tossed a complete game shutout with seven strikeouts. Senior Josh Minuskin had a triple and sophomore Matt Muir had a single for OA.

#14 Canton, 1 @ #3 Middleboro, 0 – Final (9 inn.) – Canton senior Kevin Powers tossed a complete game, nine inning shutout to lead the Bulldogs past the defending D2 State Champions. Powers worked around a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the eighth and the Bulldogs went on to score the winning run in the top of the ninth. Jim Jenkins had his second hit of the game, a double, and moved to third on a bunt from Jimmy Hamrock. Sean Doyle then connected and Jenkins came home to score on an error. Powers stretched his scoreless inning streak to 24 straight, scattering five hits while striking out six batters. Mike McMahon also had two hits for Canton while Joe Peccia (11 putouts), Joe Bires and Matt Casamento each had a hit.

D3 South
#17 Foxboro, 1 @ #16 Scituate, 2 – Final

Softball
D1 South
#14 North Attleboro, 7 vs. #19 Walpole, 8 – Final – North Attleboro rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning but were unable to push the tying run across the plate. Liz Morehouse connected for a two-run home run and Kaylea Sherman had three hits on the day.

#15 Franklin, 4 vs. #18 Somerset Berkley, 6 – Final (8 inn.)

#16 Mansfield, 4 vs. #17 Notre Dame Academy 0 – Final – The Hornets scored all four runs in the third inning and senior pitcher Maddie Letendre struck out 12 while allowing just two hits as Mansfield advanced in the tournament. Megan Letendre and Marissa Staffier (2-3) each knocked in a run and Maddie Letendre (1-3) singled to score them both to take a 4-0 lead. Bri Homer and Jocelyn Reardon (1-2) scored runs for the Hornets. Mady Bendanillo, Kara Bendanillo and Rachel Carafa each added a hit for the Hornets.

#23 Oliver Ames, 4 @ #10 Norwood, 8 – Final – Oliver Ames scored three runs in the first inning and added another in the second but the Mustangs offense proved to be too much. Missy Krim (2-3, run scored) reached on a single to left, advanced on a bunt single from Rachel Han and bunt single from Victoria Ziner (2-4, run scored) loaded the bases. Jamie Gottwald (1-4, RBI, run scored) batted in a run for OA and then scored off a two-RBI hit from Caroline Mahoney (2-3, two RBI).

D3 South
#21 Foxboro, 9 @ #12 Westwood, 6 – Final

Boys Lacrosse
D1 South
#5 Franklin, 17 vs. #12 Bridgewater-Raynham, 2 – Final – Austin Kent scored four goals and had three assists for the Panthers, who also got four goals and an assist from Eric Civetti. Chase Tanner added three goals for Franklin and Jake Alexander had two, as well as winning 21-of-23 face-offs.

#11 King Philip, 6 @ #6 Mansfield, 5 – Final – Click here for a recap of the game. Click here for a photo gallery from the game.

D2 South
#8 Oliver Ames, 0 @ #1 Hingham, 17 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
D1 East
#1 Franklin, 11 vs. #8 Newton North, 3 – Final – Franklin raced out to a 7-0 lead at half and held the Tigers of Newton North scoreless for the first 35 minutes of the game. Kenzie Pleshaw had four goals to lead Franklin while Julia Jette had one goal three assists, Diana Griffin scored twice and had a pair of assists. Head coach Kristin Igoe credited her defense with a very strong game, led by Sam Jones, who won six draws and two ground balls.

D2 East
#8 North Attleboro, 10 @ #1 Walpole, 20 – Final – Hana Caster scored four goals for the Rocketeers and Mackenzie Rosenberg added three in the loss.

Boys Tennis
D1 South
#13 Mansfield, 1 @ #4 Franklin, 4 – Final – Franklin got a pair of wins in both singles and doubles to advance in the MIAA tournament. Junior Eli Brooks battled back for a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 win at second singles and freshman Dan Barrow won 6-4, 6-2 at third singles. Tom Mancini and James Johnston continued their stellar seasons with a 6-2, 6-1 win at first doubles and Jeremy Gan and Derek Wu won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles. Mansfield’s Benny Lin won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles.

#6 North Attleboro, 5 vs. #11 Brockton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro won four of the five matches in straight sets to knock out the Boxers. Mitchell Dyer won 6-4, 6-3 at first singles, Zack Pfeffer won 6-1, 6-1 in second singles and Barsomo Nuay won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles. Jeff Yao and Ben Pfeffer won 3-6, 7-5, 8-6 at first doubles and Jake Fontes and Daniel Zhang won 6-0, 6-2 at second doubles.

D2 South
#13 Canton, 3 @ #4 Dighton-Rehoboth, 2 – Final
#14 Foxboro, 0 @ #3 Plymouth North, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
D1 South
#14 Taunton, 4 vs. #19 Bridgewater-Raynham, 1 – Final

#18 Franklin, 5 @ #15 Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Franklin won all three single matches in straight sets and won both doubles matches in tie breakers to get the sweep. Hannah Sweeney won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Anna Humphreys won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and Anja Deric won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. Stephanie Schaivo and Katelyn Davenport won 0-6, 7-6 (8-6) at first doubles and Selma Wu and Halle Love won 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2) at second doubles.

#20 Mansfield, 3 @ #13 Marshfield, 2 – Final – The visiting Mansfield Hornet swept doubles play and sophomore Sarah Doyle scored a big win at third singles to get the upset win. Doyle won 6-1, 6-2 to get Mansfield’s lone point in singles play. Senior Cathryn Heavey and junior Chloe Peterson won 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) and freshmen Tessa Garufi and Elizabeth Elsner won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles.

D2 South
#4 Foxboro, 3 vs. #13 Westwood 2 – Final

Milford Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive With Win at Canton

Milford baseball
Nate Irwin threw three scoreless innings of relief, including a two-on, no outs jam in the fifth to pick up the win. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


CANTON, Mass. – The tournament has started early for Milford. The Hawks entered Monday afternoon’s game with Davenport rival Canton sitting on 10 losses and needing six wins in a row to try and qualify for the postseason.

Milford got a little help from the Bulldogs to keep its playoff hopes alive, as seven Canton errors led to 10 unearned runs for the Hawks in a 14-6 victory. The Hawks lost a 5-0 lead and fell behind 6-5 in the fourth, but used a seven-run sixth inning (fueled in part by three errors) to break the game open.

“I think the important thing was we put the bat on the ball and put the ball in play and we took advantage of some miscues,” said Milford coach Paul Pellegrini. “If this was the fifth game of the year this might not have happened but the kids are starting to get it a little bit more as the year goes on.”

The visitors jumped out to a lead in the top of the first against Canton starter Sean Doyle. Alex Coady drew a one-out walk and scored on Aidan Wilde’s double to left center. Wilde was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Blake Hill singled to continue the inning and after a walk, a fly ball to left off the bat of Anthony Arcudi was dropped allowing the Hawks to take a 2-0 lead and setting the tone for a tough day in the field for the Bulldogs.

In the second, Milford added two more runs. Brian Ireland started the inning with a homer to right and a two-out walk to Coady would lead to another. Wilde was up next and was hit by a pitch and Hill drew a walk to load the bases. Zack Tamagni drew the inning’s third walk to earn an RBI.

Coady would make it 5-0 in the third with a two-out fielder’s choice that scored Ireland, but Canton rallied in the bottom half of the inning. Joe Peccia drilled a two-run homer to right to get the Bulldogs on the board.

In the fourth inning, Canton took its first lead. Kevin Monagle led off with a walk and Doyle followed with a single to right. After a wild pitch, Daniel Harnett hit into a fielder’s choice that scored one run, but Doyle got caught in a run down for the first out.

Matt Cassamento and Mike McMahon both singled to load the bases and a wild pitch brought in the second run of the inning. Peccia added his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game at 5-5 and when Griffin Jerrier’s grounder was not fielded cleanly, Canton took the lead.

Another error led to another unearned run for Milford in the fifth and tied the game again.

“Of the 14 runs they scored, I think four or five were earned runs,” said Canton coach J.P. Scott. “We seemed to struggle to make the defensive plays. I think we’re a team that has to make all the defensive plays, we can’t make mistakes, to win in this league.”

Canton had a chance to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth after Hill walked Jim Jenkins and Monagle with no outs. Milford turned to junior Nate Irwin, who induced a 6-3 double play from Doyle and a pop up into shallow left for Wilde to track down and end the threat. Irwin would allow only one hit and two base runners in three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win.

“Nothing bothers him, just came out and he did his job,” said Pellegrini. “He doesn’t get upset, doesn’t bother him; he just comes out and does his job.”

The game was won in the sixth. Milford scored seven runs on three hits off Peccia, who took the mound in the fourth inning in relief of Doyle. Canton also made three errors in the inning, extending the at-bat for Milford and leading to 11 hitters coming to the plate in the frame.

With one out, back-to-back errors and a hit batter loaded the bases. Irwin hit a grounder towards third, but the attempt to get the lead runner was bobbled allowing everyone to reach safely. Chris Speroni’s grounder also got away from a fielder to bring in a second run. Coady singled to left and it was 9-6 for the Hawks with the bases still loaded.

Peccia struck out Wilde to get the second out, but he could not limit the damage, as Hill drilled a line drive double to right center that if not for the fence could still be traveling. The hit cleared the bases and Hill came home one batter later on a single by Tamagni.

“He’s been really killing the ball this year,” said Pellegrini of Hill. “I haven’t seen someone who hits the ball as hard as him in a long time.

“He hit a ball against Franklin that I still haven’t seen a ball hit that far at Fino. It hit the branches halfway up the tree at the ‘432’ sign and came down and hit the fence. It was a triple.”

Alex Macek doubled to start the seventh and would eventually score on a wild pitch to wrap ip the scoring for the Hawks (5-10, 5-9), who will need to win all five of their remaining games to earn a spot in the tournament.

“We’ve got some work ahead,” said Pellegrini. “We’re not giving up and we’ve got some tough games coming up, but if we hit the ball like that we’ll be okay.”

The loss could prove pivotal for the Bulldogs as well. Canton (6-9, 5-9) now needs to win four of its last five games to return to the postseason. Scott said, “It’s a question of desire and how much fight do we have.”

He continued, “I think we have the talent, just have to make sure everyone shows up ready to play… We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/11/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Taunton, 8 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Taunton senior Charles Hearrold III earned the win on the mound, tossing five innings with just one earned run, three hits and two walks allowed. Hearrold III also paced the Tigers at the plate with a pair of hits and a pair of RBI. Luke Figueira and Matt Machado each had a pair of hits for the Tigers as well. Max Bowden knocked in a pair of runs and sophomore Joe Manchester had one RBI.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Canton, 8 – Final – Senior Griffin Jerrier stole the show on the mound for Canton, striking out nine in a complete game effort, scattering six hits and only allowing two earned runs. Mike McMahon (double, RBI) and Joe Bires (run) both had a pair of hits for Canton while Jim Jenkins and Sean Doyle each knocked in a pair of runs for the Bulldogs. For Oliver Ames, sophomore Matt Muir had two hits.

Milford, 5 @ Foxboro, 6 – Final – Foxboro’s Jesse Galanti connected for a two run single, turning a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead in the sixth inning and the Warriors were able to hold on. Nick Wright picked up his third save of the season, pitching a scoreless top half of the seventh inning. Andrew Block tossed six innings for the win for Foxboro. Aaron Wentling pitched in with a team-best three hits while Darren Kelly and Wright each had two hits for the Warriors.

Mansfield, 1 @ Franklin, 12 – Final – The Panthers’ offense roared to life with all nine players in the lineup getting either a hit or scoring a run. Nick Santucci and Ryan Hodgkins each had a pair of hits and a pair of RBI for Franklin while Josh Macchi knocked in four runs and had a double. Jake Lyons, Mike Skaza, Jason Ulrickson and Alex Bissanti each had an RBI for Franklin as well. Ulrickson got the win on the mound for Franklin, tossing six innings with just two hits allowing and four strikeouts. Classmate Matt Foley closed the game with a scoreless seventh inning.

North Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – Jack DiCenso tossed a complete game shutout for the Warriors, scattering five hits while striking out six in the win. King Philip scored both of its runs in the first inning. After Kyle Guenthner walked, junior Will Weir plated him with an RBI double. Weir then came around to score on a single from DiCenso.

Sharon, 2 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Nico Parmeggiani threw a complete game for Stoughton, scattering five hits with only one walk and seven strikeouts to earn the win. Stoughton broke the tie game open with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sharon sophomore Max Tarlin had his second straight strong start for the Eagles, going 5 2/3 with five strikeouts and two earned runs, while allowing just two hits. Junior catcher Jake Marglous had a two RBI single for the Eagles.

Softball
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 9 – Final – Aimee Kistner (four innings, win) and Courtney Fisher (three innings) combined to throw a four-hit shutout and totaled 12 strikeouts in the win. Kya Enos had two hits, including a two-run home run while Jordan Wade had a pair of hits and a pair of RBI, Meghan Navarro had a triple and two RBI and Liana Duarte had a pair of hits for the Tigers.

Canton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final – Oliver Ames freshman pitcher Kayla Georgeu only allowed three hits, striking out four in a complete game effort. Missy Krim went 2-3 with a pair of runs scored and had one stolen base, Jamie Gottwald was 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored, Victoria Ziner was 2-3 with a pair of RBI and Katie Pursley (1-2) knocked in a pair of runs for the Tigers and also scored a run. Also for the Tigers, Katie Mills (1-1) knocked in Jordyn Leite (1-1, double).

Mansfield, 2 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Mansfield senior pitcher Maddie Letendre kept the Panthers at bay, allowing just four hits while striking out seven. Freshman Megan Letendre paced the offense with three hits while junior Liz Mackin socked a pair of hits. Mady Bendanillo (RBI) and Amanda Giambanco each had a hit for the Hornets. Mansfield cashed in for both of their runs in the fifth inning with Bendanillo single knocking in Megan Letendre and Maddie Letendre knocking in Bendanillo.

King Philip, 6 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – After having just one hit through five innings, North Attleboro rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game. But King Philip sophomore Elise Pereira’s solo home run to lead off the seventh inning proved to be the difference. Kali Magane came in and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to preserve the win for the Warriors. After KP scored two runs in both the second and fifth innings, North Attleboro used a grand slam from Kaylea Sherman to tie the game in the sixth. Christa Wagner, Pereira, Magane, Brooke Taute and Meghan Gorman all had two hits for KP. Mycala Moody and Gina Miceli each had a pair of hits for the Rocketeers.

Stoughton, 5 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Stoughton’s Shannon Flaherty tossed a complete game without surrendering an earned run. Flaherty also struck out nine while issuing three walks. Jeni D’Andrea, Gina Caraffa, Karly Estramera, Sam Tullis and Flaherty each had hits for the Black Knights.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final – Oliver Ames senior attack Matt Gilson scored four goals and sophomore attack Eric LeBlanc added a pair of goals for the Tigers.

Canton, 14 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Jack Dillon, Matt Mackay and Dan Cohen all scored their first career goals in the win for the Panthers. Dylan Cunningham had a pair of saves in a shutout fourth quarter in the cage. Canton head coach Bill Bendell said DJ Trerice played well at midfield and both Brian Albert and George Kent played great defense.

Foxboro, 3 @ Franklin, 11 – Final – Click here for a full recap.

King Philip, 11 @ Sharon, 9 – Final – King Philip overcame from a four goal deficit at halftime and a three minute locked in penalty to start the fourth quarter to beat the Eagles. Sharon held a 3-0 lead after a quarter and a 5-1 lead at the break. Sharon led 7-5 going into the final quarter but an illegal stick forced KP into a man down situation for three minutes locked in. KP senior Steven Eaton kept the Warriors rolling, setting up a pair of man-down goals for KP to tie the game less than halfway through the final quarter. Junior Tim Watson scored one of his three goals with just 2:51 left to put KP up 10-8. After KP pulled within one, Eaton iced the game with a goal with 15 seconds left. Watson finished with three goals and four assists while Sam Agricola found the back of the net four times. Harry Fallon scored twice and had one assist, Anthony Truini scored once and Michael Curtin had one assist for KP. Junior goalie Paul Macrina notched 13 of his 21 saves in the second half for KP.

North Attleboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 11 – Final – Mansfield senior defenseman Josh Schafer set the tone early for the Hornets, going coast to coast and finding the back of the net for the first goal of the game and Mansfield held a 4-1 lead at the halftime break. The Hornets continued the attack with a 7-3 second half. Ryan Smith scored three goals and had an assist and Jon Reed found the back of the net twice for Mansfield. Connor Finerty, Billy Grant (two assists), Jarrett Saunders, Hunter Ferreira (assist) and Sam O’Connell each scored once for Mansfield.

Taunton, 4 vs. New Bedford, 9 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Oliver Ames @ Attleboro, 5:00

Milford, 3 @ Canton, 17 – Final – Mary Nee found the back of the net four times for the Bulldogs.

Franklin, 13 @ Foxboro, 8 – Final – Franklin senior goalie Dani Lonati made 11 saves to hold off the Davenport division leading Warriors. Franklin’s Julia Jette scored three goals and had two assists while Kendall Reardon had two goals and three assists and Emily Spath found the back of the net three times.

Sharon @ King Philip, 6:00

Mansfield, 10 @ North Attleboro, 19 – Final – Hana Caster led the Rocketeers with five goals and five assists, while sophomore Mackenzie Rosenberg added six goals for North. Brooke Ebert played well in goal, according to North coach Mike Vitelli.

Taunton, 5 @ New Bedford, 8 – Final – Taunton goalie Lorna Li made 20 saves in the cage for the Tigers but the Whalers were able to get the close win. Abbey Kingman scored twice and Kayla Phillips, Lindsay Sneyd and Riana Winslow each scored once for Taunton while Annie Tate had an assist.

Boys Tennis
Taunton, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – The Tigers got a pair of wins in singles play and clinched the win with a win at first doubles. Freshman Brett Beaulieu won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles for Taunton and Mike Briggs picked up a 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. The team of Connor Briggs and Charlie Fiske won 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 at first doubles for the Tigers. Attleboro’s Timothy Vermilyea won 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles and the team of Shaun Gordon and Gaashaan Yusuf won 6-3, 6-0 at second doubles for the Bombardiers.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ Canton, 3 – Final

Milford @ Foxboro, 3:45

Franklin, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – Franklin got a clean sweep at doubles and freshman Dan Barrow won at third singles to secure a win for the Panthers. Junior James Johnston and senior Tom Mancini won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and sophomores Tyler DiPalma and Derek Wu won 6-1, 6-4 at second doubles for the Panthers while Barrow won 6-4, 6-3 at third singles.

North Attleboro, 3 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – King Philip’s Cole Ginter won at first singles, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-4 and the team of Justin Rohan and Marco DiStefano won 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles.

Sharon, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Sharon freshman Danujan Thirumavalavan picked up a 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, sophomore Andre Olivei won 6-1, 6-1 at second dingles and senior Andrew Tarnoff swept 6-0, 6-0 at third singles. Sophomore Russell Rapaport and freshman Max Brody teamed up for a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles for the Eagles and junior Sharov Mikhail and senior Jing Huang won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – It was a clean sweep for the Tigers, who won in straight sets in each match. Jordan Paglica won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Olivia Sweeney won 6-1, 6-4 at second singles and Kelsey Hebert won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles for the Tigers. The team of Ashleigh Eason and Emily Moor won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles for Taunton and Caroline Hebert and Jillian Pagliuca won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.

Canton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Canton got wins at first and second singles as well as first doubles to get the win. Tiffany Ha and Sarah MacQuarrie picked up their third win in as many days, notching a 6-0, 6-1 win at first doubles. Carly Scanlon won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles and Skyler Jabbour won via forfeit (injury) at second singles. OA’s Sarah Leger won 6-3, 7-6 at third singles and Rachel Stryke and Claudia Ferrera won 6-2, 6-3 at second doubles.

Foxboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final

Mansfield, 3 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Mansfield swept both doubles matches and got a win from sophomore Sarah Doyle at third singles to edge the Panthers. Doyle won 6-0, 6-3 at third singles while Cathryn Heavey and Chloe Peters won 6-1, 6-3 at first doubles. The team of freshmen Tessa Garufi and Elizabeth Elsner took a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win at second doubles to help clinch the win for the Hornets. Franklin’s Anna Humphreys won 7-6, 7-6 at first singles and junior Anja Deric won 6-0, 6-2 at second singles for the Panthers.

King Philip, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final

Stoughton @ Sharon, 3:45

Boys Volleyball
Milford @ Millis 6:00
Taunton @ North Quincy 4:00

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/09/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Franklin rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, the second scored by Jake Lyons (1-3, BB) on a wild pitch as the Panthers walked off with the win. Junior Tyler Gomes went 2-3 with a pair of RBI and Mike Skaza also added two hits for Franklin. Nick Santucci added a double, a walk and two runs scored. Ryan Morse earned the win after pitching a scoreless top half of the seventh. Bryan Woelful pitched a scoreless sixth in relief while sophomore Jake Noviello got a no decision after five innings of work, striking out seven with four walks. Attleboro’s Nate Tellier pitched six innings, striking out eight and scattering six hits. Jon Dunn went 3-3 with a walk for the Bombardiers, James Weir went 2-4 with two RBI and Patrick Collins had two hits, including a double.

Canton, 12 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Kevin Powers knocked in four runs and Mike McMahon had four hits as Canton’s offense tied its highest output of the season. McMahon was 4-5 with three runs scored and a stolen base while Powers had two hits, including a triple and a run scored. Joe Peccia added three RBI, connecting for a home run and three runs scored, Joe Bires knocked in a pair of runs and Jim Jenkins also had an RBI. Daniel Harnett went 1-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and sophomore Matthew Casamento was 3-4 with two runs scored. Powers got the win on the mound, throwing four innings with seven strikeouts and two earned runs allowed. Steve Gorham pitched the final three innings with four strikeouts.

Mansfield, 6 @ King Philip, 7 – Final – Senior Jake Cavanagh took the mound in the seventh inning with the Warriors clinging to a one run lead, inheriting runners at second and third with just one out. But Cavanagh got out the jam, inducing a grounder to short and a fly ball to center to notch his first save of the year. Will Weir, Kyle Guenthner, Jake Lannigan and Jon Rolfe each had two hits for the Warriors. Rolfe got the win on the mound for KP, going 5.2 innings.

Sharon, 0 @ Milford, 8 – Final – Milford junior Blake Hill needed just 81 pitches in a three-hit complete game effort, striking out eight on the mound to earn the shutout win. Hill helped his cause at the plate, going 2-4 with two RBI and a triple. Sophomore Aidan Wilde also had two hits for the Scarlet Hawks, going 2-3 with a double and three RBI.

Taunton, 5 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final

Oliver Ames, 12 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Josh Minuskin led the way with four hits for the Tigers while Chris Romero recorded three hits in the game.

Softball
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 12 – Final (5 inn.) – Clara DeCarvalho belted a three run home run and Julia Arms, Olivia DiGiacomo and Maddie Connelly all knocked in a pair of runs in Franklin’s big win. DeCarvalho went 2-4 with four RBI on the day while Connelly was 2-4, Arms went 2-2 with a walk and DiGiacomo was 1-3. Alex Niss added two hits at the plate for the Panthers. Kim Moulton and Amanda Mandall connected for a 6-3-2 double play, halting a threat from the Bombardiers. Caroline D’Aprile tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts while Emily Sawyer pitched a scoreless final two innings.

Foxboro @ Canton, 3:45

King Philip, 6 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – King Philip scored a pair of runs in each the fourth and fifth innings and capped it with another run in the seventh inning. Kali Magane pitched five innings, allowing just two hits and one unearned run while Jenn Hutynan pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit. Magane helped her cause by knocking in a pair of runs in the top of the fourth and then Hailey McCasland knocked in Christa Wagner and Elise Pereira knocked in McCasland. Sydney Phillips knocked in a run with a triple in the seventh. Liz Mackin, Rachel Carafa and Megan Letendre each had a hit for the Hornets, who received a strong pitching performance from Maddie Letendre. Letendre struck out seven while scattering six hits.

Milford, 12 @ Sharon, 0 – Final (6 inn.) – Milford’s Kelley Reichert took a no hitter into the sixth inning, eventually finishing with a one-hit complete game shutout effort, striking out six for the Scarlet Hawks. Megan Jacques went 2-3 with a double and two RBI, Emily Hartman had a triple and an RBI, Jess Tomaso had a triple and two RBI and Kate Irwin was 2-3 with two stolen bases for Milford.

North Attleboro, 2 @ Taunton, 7 – Final – North Attleboro became the first team to score an earned run on the Tigers, plating a pair in the fourth inning. But Taunton pitcher Aimee Kistner only allowed five hits in the game with five strikeouts and the Tigers played “outstanding team defense” according to head coach Dave Lewry. Meghan Navarro was a perfect 4-4 at the plate with an RBI and Jaime Brown went 3-3 with three RBI. Katie Van Zandt was 2-3 with an RBI and Becka Lajoie added a base hit RBI for Taunton. North Attleboro’s Jordan Sharpe (single) and Liz Morehouse (double) were both knocked in by a Kaylea Sherman double for North Attleboro’s runs.

Oliver Ames, 10 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Victoria Ziner and Jamie Gottwald combined for 12 put outs in the field, backing up a complete game effort from pitcher Kayla Georgeu. The Tigers had 11 hits spread out through the lineup. Ziner was 2-3 with three runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI, Gottwald was 2-2 with two walks, a triple, an RBI and three runs scored, Missy Krim went 2-4 with a double and a run scored, Katie Pursley had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored for OA. Emma Papargiris and Jordyn Leite each knocked in two runs for the OA, Caroline Mahoney had an RBI and Rachel Han scored a run.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 5 @ Norwell, 15 – Final

Foxboro, 6 @ Cohasset, 13 – Final

Franklin, 7 @ Grafton, 10 – Final

Taunton, 7 @ Milford, 5 – Final – Taunton rallied three times from deficits (2-0, 4-2, 5-4) to earn the program’s first varsity win and it’s first Hockomock League win. Freshman Ryan Williams played his best game according to head coach Kris Metea, limiting the Scarlet Hawks to just one early goal in the second half. Williams made 14 saves, with six of his nine second half saves coming in the final quarter. Senior Jason Stern recorded a hat trick to pace Taunton’s offense while sophomore Cam Welby scored twice and had one assist. Eighth grader Tommy Joyce recorded two points with a goal and an assist, junior Lee Gobin scored once and senior Kyle Hebert had an assist.

Girls Lacrosse
Franklin, 4 vs. Notre Dame Academy, 15 – Final

King Philip, 14 @ Holliston, 8 – Final

Mansfield vs. Hingham, 4:00

Milford, 21 @ Taunton, 13 – Final – Abbey Kingman led Taunton’s offense with four goals while Lindsay Sneyd scored a hat trick, Kayla Philips and Bre Conlon each found the back of the net twice and Layne Kingman and Tatum Speicher each scored once.

Sharon, 20 vs. Norton, 3 – Final

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin freshman Dan Barrow didn’t drop a single game at third singles, winning 6-0, 6-0 to spark the Panthers. Junior Rahul Herur won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and classmate Eli Brooks battled back for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at second singles. James Johnston and Tom Mancini won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Derek Wu won 6-1, 6-2 at second doubles for Franklin.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final

Mansfield, 2 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip took care of business in doubles play and secured the victory with one win at singles to beat Mansfield. Sam Colella and Ryan Gemelli continued their strong season with a 6-2, 6-2 win at first doubles and Justin Rohan and Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Garrett Schneider clinched the win with a convincing 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles. Mansfield’s Benny Lin notched a 6-4, 6-4 win at first singles and Gus Daganhardt picked up a 7-5, 6-2 win at third singles.

Sharon, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final

Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – North Attleboro won all five matches in straight sets to beat Taunton. Senior Mitchell Dyer won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, junior Zack Pfeffer won 6-0, 6-3 at second singles and junior Barsomo Nuay won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. The team of seniors Jeff Yao and Nick Lockavitch won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles and senior Jake Fontes and junior Daniel Zhang won 6-3, 6-1 at second doubles for Big Red.

Stoughton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames was paced by three seniors in singles play to pick up the win. Thomas O’Leary won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles, Greg Weinstein won 6-1, 6-1 at second singles and Jared Hedlund won 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 at third singles.

Girls Tennis
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – The Panthers didn’t drop a game at first singles or doubles on their way to the sweep. Hannah Sweeney won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and the team of Anja Deric and Katelyn Davenport won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles. Steph Schiavo won 6-4, 6-1 at second singles and Madison Derby won 6-4, 6-4 at third singles. Franklin’s Hailey Strier and Kristina Stoyanova won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles.

Foxboro, 4 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Foxboro only dropped one game in all three singles matches combined to get the win. Diana Prinos and Lexi Nelson both won 6-0, 6-0 at first and third singles respectively while Sophia Prinos won 6-0, 6-1 at second singles. Diana Hickox and Michaela McCarthy added another win for the Warriors, winning 6-3, 6-4 at second doubles. Canton’s Tiffany Ha and Sarah MacQuarrie rallied for a 2-7, 7-6, 6-1 win at first doubles for the Bulldogs.

King Philip, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – King Philip took a pair of wins from doubles and won at third singles to edge out the Hornets. Juniors Corinne Palumbo and Megan Davenport won 7-5, 6-4 at first doubles and junior Carly Adams and senior Kelly Masse won 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles. Sophomore Meghan Sepich helped clinch the win with a 6-3, 6-2 win at third singles. Mansfield junior Paulina Martin won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and senior Kathleen Giffels won 6-3, 7-5 at second singles for the Hornets.

Milford, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final

North Attleboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final

Oliver Ames, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames senior captain Jackie Sulkala earned the Tigers first win, winning 6-0, 6-2 at second singles and OA rolled. Riley Spillane won 6-3, 6-0 at first singles and Olivia Groebe won 6-4, 6-4 at third singles. The team of Lark Warner and Valeria Tueme won 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles and Rachel Stryke and Claudia Ferrara teamed up for a 6-3, 6-3 win at second doubles for OA.

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 vs. Taunton, 1 – Final – After losing a close first game, Milford responded with a dominant second game scored a 23-25, 25-9, 25-22, 25-20 win over the Tigers. Senior Ryan White had 11 aces for the Scarlet Hawks along with 19 assists, six digs, six kills and six service receptions while senior Mike Haver had eight kills, four service receptions, a pair of digs and a block. Senior Juan Ruelas added six kills, five assists, a pair of digs and service receptions and a block for Milford and classmate Nick Roy had six kills, three digs and two aces. Junior Danny Zwonik also had two kills and two aces, along with a block, a dig and a service reception for Milford.

Baseball: Davenport Division Preview 2016

Stoughton junior Ryan Sullivan will look to try and lead the Black Knights to the playoffs. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
Stoughton junior Ryan Sullivan will look to try and lead the Black Knights to the playoffs. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

CANTON

2015 Record: 11-11
2015 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: JP Scott

The Bulldogs graduated a handful of key pieces from last year’s team that reached the playoffs but they also return plenty of experienced players and hope to reach the playoffs again.

“The expectation for us is to have a successful season and make a run for a small Hock title,” Canton head coach JP Scott said. “But our main goal of the season will be to make it back to the state tournament like we did in 2015.”

Canton has 11 seniors on the roster this season led by captains Griffin Jerrier and Joe Peccia. Jerrier has plenty of experience on the bump while Peccia was second on the team last year with a .393 batting average. The Bulldogs also have their top batter back in Kevin Powers, who batted over .400 last year and drove in 15 runs in the season. Powers was also one of Canton’s top pitchers after logging over 40 innings in 2015.

Scott also brings back Jim Jenkins, Mike McMahon, Sean Doyle and Joe Bires, all which have starting experience. Junior Jackson Maffeo, fresh off a tremendous season on the ice, is expected to contribute in his first season on varsity.

FOXBORO

2015 Record: 4-16
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Chris Sullivan

After just four wins last year, the Warriors look poised to improve on that this year. Foxboro graduated just two seniors year last and have seven starters back for 2016.

“This is the hardest working and most dedicated group that has come through the school since I graduated in 2002,” head coach Chris Sullivan said. “We have a ton of guys who worked hard in the weight room, in the cages, and by playing competitive summer baseball this past offseason.”

Justin Garcia will lead a strong group of experienced pitchers. Garcia had a 1.54 ERA last season, striking out nearly 50 batters to rank near the top of the league. Colin Thoener, Darren Kelly and Aaron Wentling will also all see time on the mound this season.

Chad Bearce will likely handle first base while Garcia is on the mound while Darren Kelly and John Cronin will see time up the middle. Thoener will show off his defensive prowess at third and senior Nick Wright will return for his third season patrolling centerfield for Foxboro. AJ Cavossa, AJ Bubencik and Cam Feldman will all split the other outfield time and Jesse Galanti is back behind the plate for the third consecutive season.

MILFORD

2015 Record: 11-10
2015 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Paul Pellegrini

After just getting into the postseason last year, Milford has key pieces back in key positions to try and keep their playoff streak alive.

“This team is a very athletic team with lots of versatility,” head coach Paul Pellegrini said. “If we put everything together, which I believe we will, we should be fun to watch. We will definitely be very competitive and strong team all around.”

One big reason that Milford has a shot at getting back there is sophomore Aidan Wilde, who led the league as a freshman in batting last year. He hit had 36 hits and hit .537 with 21 RBI and was selected as the HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year. Junior Blake Hill has batted .360 over the past two years and will also be a key part of the Scarlet Hawks pitching staff.

Junior Alex Macek will be one of the more experienced pitchers in the Davenport and will be relied upon as Milford tries to replace Griffin Lynch and Alex Croteau. Brian Ireland, who also is the starting third baseman, will also get innings for Milford this season.

OLIVER AMES

2016 Record: 15-7
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Leo Duggan

Losing arguably the two top players in the league will be tough for Oliver Ames but the Tigers have been the class of the league in recent years and have reloaded year after year.

Oliver Ames has won six straight league titles but this season might be the biggest challenge. Hockomock MVP and HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Brendan Welch is off at SNHU now and Mike Ferrara, who set the single season hit record for the Tigers, is out at Worcester State.

However, Leo Duggan has infielder Chris Romero back to lead OA after batting .474 last year, good for fourth in the league. Romero gets it done at the plate, in the field and on the bases – stealing 18 bases last year. Romero will be joined by Josh Minuskin, who saw time all over the field last year and will settle in behind the plate in 2016.

Ryan Adams will be another key piece, playing in 18 games last year and batting .404 with 10 RBI. Sophomore Matt Muir also returns after a standout freshman year. Sam Burr, Kevin Geary, Mitchell Goulet and Nick Zwerle should all see some innings on the mound this season.

Sharon

2015 Record: 6-14
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Kee Arguimbau

For the first time in nearly a half a century, there will be a new head coach for the Sharon Eagles baseball team. After 44 years at the helm, Joel Peckham retired after last season and assistant Kee Arguimbau has taken the reigns.

Senior Isaac Miley will be a leader that Arguimbau will rely on all over the place. He’s been on varsity since his sophomore year and is returns as the starting shortstop this season and will be one of the program’s top pitchers.

Senior Mark Botaish will also see a lot of time on the mound and will man third base when he’s not pitching. Arguimbau noted Botaish’s strong junior season and is hoping that will be built on this year. Andrew Filipkowski is back in the outfield for his third season and will be relied upon to get the offense started from the leadoff spot.

Junior Jake Marglous is back at catcher again this season and classmate Aiden Arnold is back to man first base. Arnold was also one of the Eagles’ top hitters last season and will help pace the offense this year. Arguimbau also expect contributions from Rob Bayha, Mike Dumont, Jordan Chabot, Ryan Crooks and Spencer Singer.

Stoughton

2015 Record: 9-11
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Mike Armour

The Black Knights came up just short of the postseason last year but return a strong core and are poised to punch their ticket to the playoffs in 2016.

“With a mix of experience and youth, we are looking to field a competitive team this season that should be able to compete with anybody,” head coach Mike Armour said.

Jake Gibbs has been one of the top players in the league the last two seasons and will look to do the same during his senior year behind the plate. Junior Ryan Sullivan showed a lot on the mound last season and will see a lot of innings along with juniors Justin Hutchinson and Nico Parmeggiani and senior Barry Cooke.

Armour is looking for Doug Seaman to take on an expanded role during his senior season after being limited to just hitting last season. Junior Jack Connelly will man first base for the Black Knights while Joe Piana will see time at third base. Expect Chris McNulty, Nick Quattrucci, Matt Gallagher, Luke Johnson, Michael Batte to all see time in the field while Jared Maher will log some innings on the mound.

The 2015 Hockomock Football All Stars & HMs

FootballMVPs
Below are the official Hockomock League Football All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Kelley-Rex MVP

Nick Morrison, North Attleboro

Hockomock Kelley-Rex All Stars

Kyle Murphy, Attleboro
Brendan Nunes, Attleboro
Alex Silva, Attleboro
Brian Letourneau, Attleboro
Luke Gordon, Franklin
James Cooke, King Philip
Billy Dittrich, King Philip
Josh Schafer, Mansfield
Connor Finerty, Mansfield
Hunter Ferreira, Mansfield
Nick Morrison, North Attleboro
Bobby Mylod, North Attleboro
Josh Morrison, North Attleboro
Chad Peterson, North Attleboro
Connor Flynn, North Attleboro
Carlos Borrero, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Sean Donnelly, Attleboro
Nick Yelle, Franklin
John DeLuca, King Philip
Nicholas Martin, Mansfield
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro
Connor Briggs, Taunton

Davenport MVP

Jake Ragusa, Canton

Hockomock Davenport All Stars

Jake Ragusa, Canton
Joe Bires, Canton
Woanyen Mahn, Canton
Austin Ryan, Foxboro
Connor Downs, Foxboro
Connor McNamara, Foxboro
Ronnie Martin, Foxboro
Zach Lanzetta, Milford
Blake Hill, Milford
Connor Moroney, Oliver Ames
Matt Cancian, Sharon
Jake Gibb, Stoughton
Matt Soto, Stoughton
Guy Eddy, Stoughton
Ryan Sullivan, Stoughton
Donnie Foley, Stoughton

Honorable Mentions

Mack Brown, Canton
James Blake, Foxboro
Jack DeSantis, Milford
Ryan McCarthy, Oliver Ames
Tyler Smith, Sharon
Matt Medina, Stoughton

The 2015 Hockomock Football All Stars & HMs

FootballMVPs
Below are the official Hockomock League Football All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Kelley-Rex MVP

Nick Morrison, North Attleboro

Hockomock Kelley-Rex All Stars

Kyle Murphy, Attleboro
Brendan Nunes, Attleboro
Alex Silva, Attleboro
Brian Letourneau, Attleboro
Luke Gordon, Franklin
James Cooke, King Philip
Billy Dittrich, King Philip
Josh Schafer, Mansfield
Connor Finerty, Mansfield
Hunter Ferreira, Mansfield
Nick Morrison, North Attleboro
Bobby Mylod, North Attleboro
Josh Morrison, North Attleboro
Chad Peterson, North Attleboro
Connor Flynn, North Attleboro
Carlos Borrero, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Sean Donnelly, Attleboro
Nick Yelle, Franklin
John DeLuca, King Philip
Nicholas Martin, Mansfield
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro
Connor Briggs, Taunton

Davenport MVP

Jake Ragusa, Canton

Hockomock Davenport All Stars

Jake Ragusa, Canton
Joe Bires, Canton
Woanyen Mahn, Canton
Austin Ryan, Foxboro
Connor Downs, Foxboro
Connor McNamara, Foxboro
Ronnie Martin, Foxboro
Zach Lanzetta, Milford
Blake Hill, Milford
Connor Moroney, Oliver Ames
Matt Cancian, Sharon
Jake Gibb, Stoughton
Matt Soto, Stoughton
Guy Eddy, Stoughton
Ryan Sullivan, Stoughton
Donnie Foley, Stoughton

Honorable Mentions

Mack Brown, Canton
James Blake, Foxboro
Jack DeSantis, Milford
Ryan McCarthy, Oliver Ames
Tyler Smith, Sharon
Matt Medina, Stoughton

Friday's Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/16/15

Today’s games are listed below.
Game of the Week – Football
Stoughton, 14 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Izon Swain-Price 19 yard rush, Jake Gibb XP good.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (S) Ryan Sullivan 2 yard rush, J. Gibb XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Football
King Philip, 15 @ Attleboro, 25 – Final
1st Quarter: (A) Cam Furtado 40-yard pass to Brendan Nunes, Owen McKenna XP good; (A) Furtado 2-yard rush, XP blocked.
2nd Quarter: (A) Furtado 27-yard pass to Alex Silva, 2-point conversion no good.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (KP) Giovanni Fernandez 3-yard rush, Zach Boari XP good; (A) Nunes 5-yard rush, XP blocked; (KP) John DeLuca 10-yard pass to R.J. McCarthy, DeLuca to Leo Munafo for 2-point conversion.

Canton, 40 @ Oliver Ames, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: (C) Jake Ragusa 5 yard rush, XP no good; (C) Joe Bires 22 yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (C) J. Bires 1 yard rush, Woanyen Mahn 2pt rush; (C) Dennis Ross 1 yard rush; XP good.
3rd Quarter: (C) W. Mahn 35 yard rush, 2pt fail; (OA) Charlie Ryan 1 yard rush, 2pt fail.
4th Quarter: (C) Joe Mulkay 45 yard rush, XP fail; (OA) Kyle Gagliardi 60 yard rush, Leandro Moro 2pt rush.

Mansfield, 24 @ Franklin, 3 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Anthony DeGirolamo 12 yard pass to Mike Arnold, Diogo DeSousa XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) Nick Yelle 33 yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (M) D. DeSousa 16 yard field goal.
4th Quarter: (M) Connor Finerty 16 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good; (M) Nick Graham 80 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good.

Taunton, 20 @ North Attleboro, 44 – Final
1st Quarter: (NA) Nick Morrison 58 yard rush, Connor Flynn XP; (NA) C. Flynn 7 yard rush, 2pt fail.
2nd Quarter: (NA) C. Flynn 24 yard field goal; (NA) N. Morrison 6 yard rush, C. Flynn XP; Nick Rajotte 3 yard rush, Connor MacIver XP; (T) Collin Hunter 34 yard pass to Adam McLaughlin, 2pt fail.
3rd Quarter: (T) C. Hunter 33 yard pass to A. McLaughlin, C. Hunter 2pt pass to A. McLaughlin; (NA) N. Morrison 55 yard fumble return, C. Flynn XP.
4th Quarter: (T) C. Hunter 8 yard pass to Michael Fernandez, 2pt fail; (NA) N. Morrison 50 yard rush, C. Flynn XP.
Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Hatim Brahimi broke open a scoreless game with a goal in the 52nd minute for the Panthers. He then assisted on a goal by Kevin Hall, who added a second in the final minutes of the game.  

Canton,1 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Anthony Barreira put the home team up in the first but Canton’s Sam Papakonstantino leveled the match before the break. 

Mansfield, 0 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – In a battle of two of the top teams in the Kelley-Rex, neither side was able to find the back of the net. Mansfield coach Steve Sheridan credited goalie Michael Kirejczyk with a strong game in net for the Hornets.

Sharon, 1 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Sharon’s Oliver Hu scored the lone goal of the game with just over 10 minutes to play, converting a pass from Lucas Allaria  in the 70th minute. Mike Da Silva made five saves in net for the Scarlet Hawks.

Taunton, 1 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – Gareth King scored a pair of goals inside a five minute span, lifting the Rocketeers to their first win of the season. Taunton took the lead in the second half but just 15 seconds later King finished off a through ball from Gabe Pinhancos. Three minutes after that, Kevin Aguilar set up King for the game winner. 

Stoughton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Keegan Nutt, junior Thomas McCormick and senior Chris Romero all scored goals in the first half as the Tigers built a 3-0 lead at the break. Sophomore Matt Alvarado set up classmate Cam Vella for the lone goal of the second half. Max Bamford, Nathaniel Cardoza and Vella each had assists. 
Girls Soccer
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Alexis Stowell netted a pair of goals, Emily Foley scored a goal and had an assist and Emily Spath and Abigail Gipson each scored once. Jess Kroushl, Halle Atkinson, Victoria Stowell and Meghan Dieterle each had an assist. 
Foxboro, 0 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Canton’s Sarah Collins scored an unassisted goal for the lone strike of the game to lift the Bulldogs to a win.

King Philip, 1 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Mansfield’s offensive exploded for nine goals, led by a hat trick from junior Hannah Reiter. Alle Bezeau scored a pair of goals, Emma Oldow had two goals and an assist, Jen Kemp scored once and had an assist, Bryn Anderson netted a goal and Emma Goulet and Jackie Carchedi each notched a pair of assists.
Milford, 2 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Kristen Franzini netted both of Milford’s goals while Emily Duquette had a strong game in goal with nine saves for the Scarlet Hawks.

North Attleboro, 1 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Taunton scored first in the opening half but Haley Guertin, off an assist from sister Grace Guertin, leveled the score just over 10 minutes into the second half.

Oliver Ames, 7 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Francesca Calabraro had a hat trick and added an assist for the Tigers. Jackie Mills added two goals and an assist and Lauren Wright and Annabella Walsh each scored goals. Delaney Benton chipped in with three assists.
Volleyball
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin’s Caroline Maguire had seven aces and added four kills and a pair of blocks to lead the Panthers. Maddy Kuzio had four aces and a pair of digs and Lauren McGrath had 10 assists and three aces for Franklin.

Canton, 3 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Canton got the sweep on the road 25-15, 25-14, 28-26 and clinched its sixth straight Davenport Division title and ninth straight Hockomock League title overall, dating back to before the division split. Olivia Devoe had yet another strong game on defense with 15 digs while Elizabeth Hamilton dominated offensively with 20 kills and three aces, also chipping in with 19 digs. Canton head coach Pat Cawley praised the efforts of Kaitlin McCarthy, Emma Gobbi and Emma Murphy for their strong play at the net. Cawley also noted great defensive efforts from Julia Panico, Cassie Loftus and Maria Mackie. 
Mansfield, 3 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Mansfield picked up the sweep on the road, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23. Jess Haradon had 18 digs and 11 service points for the Hornets while Cathryn Heavey had 35 assists and 10 service points. Sarah Mullahy had seven kills, seven blocks, and nine service points while Alli Belanger added eight digs and nine service points. For King Philip, Josie Rowean had 13 kills, Amelia Murphy added five kills, Emma Lopez had three kills and Micaela Murray finished with 10 digs. 
Sharon, 1 @ Milford, 3 – Final

Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final

Stoughton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Stoughton’s Bridgette Whalen had 10 digs and five kills in the loss.
Field Hockey
Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final

Overtime Heroics Carry Canton to Win At Stoughton

Jake Ragusa
Jake Ragusa (20) rushes for his second touchdown of the game to give Canton a lead in overtime at Stoughton on Friday night. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

STOUGHTON, Mass. – The Bulldogs are becoming used to dramatic finishes and overtime battles, but there was something special about Friday night’s 22-21 victory over rival Stoughton at Anthony L. Sarno Field.

When Jake Ragusa stopped Guy Eddy at the two-yard line on the final play of overtime, preventing the Black Knights from getting the two-point conversion that would have won the game, the Bulldogs stormed onto the field, cheering a win that keeps them in the Davenport title race, possibly clinches a spot in the postseason, and avenges last year’s heartbreaking defeat. 

Still, this felt like more than all of that.

Even 20 minutes after they had cleared the field, with the players piled into two buses for the short ride back to Canton, the cheering had not abated. It felt like the Bulldogs had officially arrived and earned the marquee win to prove that this is a program to watch.

“We’re just on top of the world,” said Canton coach Dave Bohane. “To have those moments like that, you cherish them.”

“I told them before the game that I think our program is heading in the right direction,” he explained. “I think we’re going to be pretty good down the road, but I think tonight is going to be a night you remember as the night that it turned.”

As has been the case all season and as would be expected against a rival and a team that has been in the running for the Davenport title each year since the league split, the victory was not easy.

The first half was ugly for the Bulldogs with the offense sputtering in the rain. Penalties and a pair of turnovers gave Stoughton the ball in Canton territory on its first three possessions. The Black Knights opened the scoring with 5:27 left in the first when Christian Hill’s 19-yard run set up a 1-yard Guy Eddy touchdown.

But that was all Stoughton would get in the first half. Ragusa sacked Stoughton quarterback Jake Gibb twice, sophomore Jude Albert showed the ability to stick with receivers downfield and the aggressive Bulldogs defense bottled up the ground game at the line of scrimmage.

“Our defense kept us in the game,” said Bohane. “Our defense gave us a chance to win that, no doubt.”

Canton finally got something going on its final possession of the half. Ragusa was the main man with nine carries for 59 yards on the drive and finished it with a two-yard dive that gave Canton the lead with 16 seconds before the break.

The lead barely lasted to halftime. Steven Elice took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to paydirt only to have his celebration cut short by a holding call at midfield.

After the break, it was more of the same. The rain may have cleared but the field was still slick and the defenses were in control. Donnie Foley, Devlin Carroll, and Josh Czuba on the Stoughton side and Woanyen Mahn, Joe Bires, and Djimon Harding for Canton were all dominating play and neither side could find any rhythm offensively.

The Black Knights finally got a spark when Elice recovered a Bires fumble at the Canton 35 with the clock winding under five minutes to play. Gibb hit Ryan Sullivan for 11 yards and a first down and then four plays later he hit Eddy in the flat and the running back took it 18 yards for the go-ahead score. The two-point conversion was no good and the lead was 12-7 with 2:41 left to play.

Canton answered right back. The drive started at the Bulldogs’ 43 and was kept alive by junior quarterback Dennis Ross, who kept a fourth down play alive long enough to find Ragusa on the sideline for the first down. Three plays later, Ross looked downfield and found Michael Harris for a 35-yard touchdown pass into double coverage.

Mahn added the two-point conversion and it was 15-12 Bulldogs with just 1:18 left.

“He didn’t get a lot of reps last year,” said Bohane of his starting QB, Ross. “We just need to get better throwing the ball so we spent a lot of time doing it this week and we did it.”

“I don’t know how pretty that play was but I’ve been on the other end of that so many times, I’ll take it.”

Stoughton coach Greg Burke was still wondering how it was that Harris got open on the play. He said, “I thought we should’ve batted it down at least. Two guys were on him, but, you know, what can I tell you.”

The Black Knights were not done. Similar to the game against Milford two weeks ago, the Canton defense let up for just a second and Gibb was able to hit Elice on a slant that went for 43 yards down to the Bulldogs seven with :32 seconds left. Gibb (8-17, 105) threw incomplete on first down, gained two yards on second and missed Eddy in the flat on third.

Facing a fourth down decision, Stoughton received a delay of game penalty that backed the Knights up to the 10. From there, Burke made the choice to go with the field goal.

“It was 10 yards and we didn’t have any timeouts left,” he said. “You just go with the percentage there. I’m going to take the chance that we kick it through. We screwed it up on the pass before that…but we had to go for that.”

Stoughton went for it and Gibb’s kick was hit by at least one Canton player (possibly two) but went through the uprights with 11 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

On its first possession, Canton faced fourth down from the two and rather than go for a Thomas Monagle field goal, Bohane went to Ragusa (24 carries, 116 yards) and the senior plowed into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.

Gibb scored for Stoughton with a two-yard run of his own. Burke decided to go for two rather than try an extra point and the Knights gave the ball to Eddy on a sweep right but Ragusa read it all the way and made the stop that gave Canton the win.

“We’re going for the win,” said Burke. “I called a timeout and the [ref] didn’t listen to me. I called a timeout; we were going to change and pass the ball. We just wanted to see how they lined up.”

“I thought we did a good job defensively…I just figured we could win it.”

About his senior captain, who made plays on both sides of the ball in overtime, Bohane remarked, “He’s like the straw that stirs the drink. Him and Joe (Bires), they’re the guys that we rally around. Hopefully we keep winning and those guys will be in discussion for MVP of the league.”

Bohane took a moment to reflect on where he was and the emotions of the evening. The Bulldogs have won four times this season and three of those were in OT, but Bohane admitted that this one felt a little different.

“Last year’s game was an absolute kick in the stomach to us, coaching staff and players, so to have this happen just…it’s just a great feeling and I’m so proud of my guys.”

Canton will go on the road to face Oliver Ames next Friday, while Stoughton will travel to Davenport leader Foxboro.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.