Baseball
Oliver Ames, 5 @ New Bedford, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames Chris Pearsons had two hits and tossed a scoreless inning in relief but the Tigers suffered a loss on the road.
Milford, 4 vs. Framingham, 6 – Final
Sharon @ Holliston – Postponed to TBD.
Softball
Attleboro @ Marblehead – Postponed to TBD.
Milford, 3 vs. Westboro, 8 – Final – Milford jumped out to a 3-0 lead and had a one run advantage through five innings, but Westbro struck for six runs in the sixth to pull away. Junior Kathryn Watson had a two-run double for the Hawks while junior Taylor Waldrup went 1-1 with an RBI.
Sharon, 2 vs. Norwood, 5 – Final
Boys Lacrosse
Oliver Ames, 12 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Shane Kilkelly recorded six points while Colin Bourne and Frankie Ireland had five points each in a non-league win over Attleboro. Kilkelly scored four goals and had two assists, Bourne scored four times and had one assist, and Ireland netted one goal and had four helpers. Shane Murphy, Matt Saba, and Ty Campbell had solid games defensively and Nick Gillis played well in net.
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 19 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Maddie Kullen made 11 saves in net while Olivia Piazza and Ella Hogan each scored seven goals to help the Tigers knock off visiting Attleboro in a non-league tilt. Piazza added four assists, Olivia Carroll had three goals and two assists, and Emma Pereira and Emma Sharkansky each netted one goal.
Franklin, 20 vs. North Andover, 9 – Final – Seven Panthers found of the back of the net as Franklin rolled to a win over visiting North Andover. Junior Erin Walsh led the way with six goals and six assists while junior Kelsey MacCallum (two assists), freshman Stella Regan, and freshman Kenzie Baker each scored three goals.
Baseball
King Philip, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final (12 Inn.) – In a game continued from Tuesday, Attleboro earned a walk off win on a sacrifice fly in 12 innings to beat King Philip. In the bottom of the 12th, Robbie Furtado walked, stole second, moved to third on a single from Sam Larkin and scored the winning run on Troy Van Vliet’s sacrifice fly. Eoin Kelleher pitched three scoreless innings in relief on Wednesday, which started in the top of the 10th inning after the game was called through nine innings due to darkness on Tuesday. Ryan Morry had a strong outing, going 6.2 innings while Max Amaral tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Sharon, 6 @ Canton, 21 – Final – Canton senior Matt Pigeon went 5-for-5 with an RBI and five runs scored to pace the Bulldogs to a big win over visiting Sharon. Matt Connolly added three hits, three RBI and two runs scored for Canton, which totaled 19 hits as a team. Paul Corcoran knocked in a team-high four runs on two hits and three runs scored.
Stoughton, 8 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Stoughton pounded out 12 hits and scored at least once in each of the first five innings, including three runs in the fifth to jump out to an 8-1 lead over Foxboro. Junior George Currier led the way with three hits, an RBI, and a run scored while Robbie Seaman (RBI, two runs) and Michael Nazzaro (two doubles, RBI, run scored) each had two hits for the Black Knights, who had seven stolen bases on the day. Anthony Mollica and Joe Cavaleri each had two hits for Foxboro. Stoughton’s Evan Jackman earned the win on the mound, allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings of work with five hits, five walks, and three strikeouts.
Mansfield, 7 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Mansfield uses a five-run fourth inning to create the necessary separation in a win on the road at Frothingham. The Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third and added another single run in the fifth inning. Chris Jenkins had a team-high three hits out of the nine hole, adding an RBI and two runs scored for the Hornets. Dan Saraceno (RBI), John Carney, and Nick Dumouchel (two runs, RB) each had two hits for the Hornets. Carney got the win, allowing just four hits and two walks in six shutout innings, striking out eight. Nick Boudreau had a strong relief performance for the Tigers, allowing one unearned run on six hits, three strikeouts and no walks in 3.1 innings of work.
North Attleboro, 5 @ Milford, 3 – Final – North Attleboro broke a tie game with a run in the top of the fifth and added an insurance run in the seventh to get a win on the road at Fino Field. The Hawks scored in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead but North Attleboro plated three runs in the top of the third to jump ahead. Jared Penta reached on an infield error, stole second, got to third on a ground out and scored on a Todd Robinson fielder’s choice. Brendan McHugh drew a two-out walk, stole second, scored on a Nick Raneri single to right. Raneri advanced to third on a Dennis Colleran double and scored on an infield single from Jake Palmer to make it 3-2. Milford tied the game in the bottom of the fourth but the Rocketeers jumped back ahead a half inning later. After North loaded the bases with no outs, Milford sophomore Mario Lee came in and limited the Rocketeers to just one run on an infield error. Milford nearly had the tying run in the bottom of the sixth but a terrific relay throw from Shawn Watters was in time for the out at home. Matt Seavey came on in relief for North Attleboro, getting two outs with the tying run at third.
Softball
Attleboro, 3 @ King Philip, 6 – Final – King Philip erased a 3-0 deficit, plating three runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to secure a win over the Bombardiers. Paige Berdos and Ryan Stagg had singles to start the fifth and both scored on a single from Meg Gorman. Gorman stole home to tie the game 3-3. Gorman came up big in the sixth, knocking in Grace Kelley and Stagg, who had both singled. Faith Turinese pitched a solid game, striking out 6 with six hits allowed and one walk.
Taunton, 1 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Franklin junior Sarah Jackson hit her second home run in as many games, this one a solo shot that broke a 1-1 tie to give the Panthers an upset win over Taunton, snapped the Tigers’ 28-game win streak dating back to last April. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Hanna Aldrich drove in Jaime Brown (two hits, two walks). Ally Shea led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and moved to second on an infield error. Courtesy runner Molly Collins scored on a two-out single from Maddy White to make it 1-1. Jackson broke the tie with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth. Jackie Cherry earned the win, allowing five hits while strikeout out four. Kelsey White was solid in the circle for Taunton, striking out six.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 12 – Final (5 inn.) – Sarah Cahill tossed a five-inning shutout and Ella Verheggen paced the Mansfield offense with three hits and five RBI to help the Hornets extend their win streak to four games. Cahill allowed only three hits and struck out six. Kara Bendanillo also had a pair of hits for Mansfield. Katie Abreu hit a double and Emma Varella added a single for the Tigers.
Milford, 0 @ North Attleboro, 16 – Final (5 inn.) – North Attleboro junior Bella Erti struck out 14, recording her 300th career strikeout, to lead the Rocketeers to a win over visiting Milford. Erti, Mandi Hanewich, Katie Daby, and Annebelle Hebard each had two hits to pace the North Attleboro offense. Abby Gallagher scored three runs and Alivia Byrne scored twice for North.
Boys Lacrosse
Stoughton, 2 @ Canton, 13 – Final – Canton scored less than a minute in, raced out to a 6-0 lead after a quarter, and never looked back in a win over Stoughton. Tommy Vaughan led the way with six goals and one assist for the Bulldogs. Griffin Roach, Andrew Canto, and Brendan Clifford each scored two goals and Dan Cohen added one as well.
Attleboro, 5 @ Mansfield, 14 – Final – Mansfield built a 7-2 lead at halftime and carried that momentum in the second half to earn a win over Attleboro. Brady Kessler paced the offense with a team-high seven goals while Connor Quirk had four goals and Jake Quirk finished with eight assists. Aidan Sacco and Brian Grant each scored once and had one helper and Jake DiSangro scored once for the Hornets. Joe Plath made seven saves in three quarters of play.
Sharon, 2 @ Franklin, 25 – Final
King Philip, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames opened with a pair of leads (1-0, 2-1) but King Philip answered to take a 3-2 lead at the end of one quarter and never surrendered the advantage after that. The Tigers got within one, down 5-4, in the second but KP rattled off three straight goals, including a final tally from Robbie Tartaglia (two goals) with under a minute to go that was set up by a tremendous defensive play by Sean Cullugh. Colin DeVellis led the way with three goals, Andrew Sajdak added two goals and an assist, and Brian McCarthy scored one and had one helper. Tyler Bartlett, Matt Minkwitz, and Kevin Riggs each scored once for KP. Shane Kilkelly led Oliver Ames with three goals while Nick Gillis had a strong game in net for the Tigers.
North Attleboro, 9 @ Milford, 1 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
Mansfield, 21 @ Attleboro, 9 – Final – Katy Garvin scored seven times and also recorded seven assists to power Mansfield to a road win and its second straight game with 20-plus goals. Lauren Whitman added six goals and Olivia Murray had a hat trick for the Hornets. Kerry McCabe, Grace Fernandez, Annemarie McCoy, Maggie Danehy, and Paige Peterson all scored once for Mansfield.
Taunton, 7 @ Foxboro, 18 – Final
Franklin, 19 @ Sharon, 6 – Final – Annie Walsh had nine points, five goals and four assists, to lead Franklin to the win. It was the third straight game that the Panthers had held an opponent to six goals or fewer. Kelsey MacCallum added four goals and Jackie O’Neil had a goal and three assists in the win. Franklin goalie Gianna Cameron made six saves. Sharon was led by Emma Eberhardt, who scored four of the team’s six goals. Jenna Goldstein and Bridget McManus each scored for the Eagles and McManus also had a pair of assists. Rose Wald came up with 12 saves against the Franklin attack.
Oliver Ames, 6 @ King Philip, 19 – Final – KP continued its strong start to league play with a convincing win on home turf. Olivia Tormey was the top scorer for the Warriors with five goals and a pair of assists. Mackenzie Mazur and Caroline Klim each had hat tricks and Jess Sullivan added a two goals and an assist for KP. Victoria Tormey (two goals) and Shayla Weitzman (goal and an assist) each scored two points and Haley Izydorczak, Dana Truini, and Lily Brown each had a goal. Weitzman also scooped five ground balls and Ava Tormey had a strong defensive game for the Warriors, according to KP coach Kourtnie Wilder. Caroline Watson had four saves in the win. Oliver Ames’ Olivia Piazza had two goals and three assists while Maddie Kullen made 15 saves in net for the Tigers.
Milford @ North Attleboro, 3:45
Boys Tennis
Canton, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip won all five matches in straight sets, earning a win over visiting Canton. Nick Putney won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles, Jack Cannon earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Zak Ryan prevailed 7-5, 6-2 at third singles. The team of Nate Ihley and Tyler Dowd picked up a 6-1, 6-2 win at first doubles while Jake Mager and Max Goreham secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at second doubles.
Foxboro, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final
Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin’s Liam Marr prevailed in a battle with Stoughton’s Waseem Sablon in a battle of two of the top sophomores in the league, securing a 6-4, -5 win to complete the Panthers’ sweep. Rohan Herur won 6-3, 6-2 at second singles, and Vayshnav Malhotra didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. Saketh Saripalli and Lucas Gulick won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles while Saket Gandham and Shoumik Sompally didn’t lose a game at second doubles.
Sharon, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Sharon won all five matches in straight sets to sweep the Tigers on the road. Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-2, 6-4 at first singles. Alberto Olivei earned a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Rueman Bhattacharyya won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. The team of Max Brody and Max Chen secured a 6-2, 6-1 win at first doubles while Alex Aspel and Jake Ross teamed up for a 6-4, 6-3 win at second doubles.
North Attleboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – North Attleboro earned a win over Milford, winning all five matches in straight sets. Jonah Manso prevailed 7-5, 6-1 at first singles, Alex Pfeffer earned a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Sam Gallagher won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles. Vikram Senthilakumaran teamed up with Tomas Bentley for a 6-1, 6-1 win at first doubles while Will Redding and Isa Siddiq secured a 6-1, 6-3 win at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
King Philip, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Canton won a pair of matches in both singles and doubles action to secure a win over visiting King Philip. Rachel Kupferman picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles while Natalie Keppler won 6-4, 6-4 at second singles. The team of Stelina Michaelidis and Rose Hazam notched a 6-4, 6-4 win at first doubles while Kiara Cerruti teamed up with Lily Hazam to win 6-3, 6-2 at second doubles. King Philip’s Mia Valencia won 6-2, 3-0 (injury) at third singles.
Oliver Ames, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro swept doubles action and won two more matches in singles action to take down visiting Oliver Ames. Pam Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles while Julia Muise secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Kendall Milender and Paige Krockta prevailed 6-4, 7-5 at first doubles while Maggie McAuliffe and Neha Jammula won 6-0, 6-2 at second doubles. Oliver Ames’ Maura Kiernan recorded a 6-0, 6-4 win at second singles.
Franklin, 2 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final
Taunton, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon swept singles action and earned one more win in doubles play to get a win over visiting Taunton. Nupur Shukla was impressive in her match, winning 6-0, 6-0 at first singles. Charlie Martinez added a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5) win at second singles and Sophia Fein picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win at third singles. The team of Lauren Glass and Maikala Cheung secured a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win at first doubles. Taunton’s Ogechi Ariguzo and Kayla Parrett earned a hard fought 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) win at second doubles.
Milford, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – The Rocketeers took two wins in singles action and one more in doubles play to defend home court against Milford. Tara Nair won 6-3, 6-2 at first singles and Olivia Wills earned a 6-3, 6-2 win at at third singles for North, while the team of Sam Martino and Hayley Strom picked up a 7-6 (7-1), 6-0 win at first doubles. Juliana France (second singles, 6-1, 6-4) and the team of Cristielly Prado and Ketny Sousa (second doubles, 3-6, 7-6 [7-5], 10-6) won for Milford.
Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 3 vs. Keefe Tech, 0 – Final – King Philip defended home court on Wednesday evening, earning a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-19, 25-15) over visiting Keefe Tech. Kyle Desrochers had a strong day serving with 13 service points and anchored the defense with a team-high eight digs. Max Armour added seven digs and Cam Corey (24 assists) added six digs. Eric Altobello (nine kills) and Jimmy Peterson (eight kills, five blocks) anchored net play for KP.
Taunton, 3 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 0 – Final – Taunton’s Alex Tavares (eight kills), Damir Santiago (seven kills), Tyler Stewart (six kills), and Gage Kingman (five kills) combined for 26 kills in a well-balanced attack, leading the Tigers to a 3-0 sweep (25-15, 25-21, 25-19) of Dighton-Rehoboth. Tavares also had a block and three aces, Santiago chipped in with a block, Stewart was strong with four blocks, and Kingman finished with 10 digs and two aces for the Tigers.
Baseball
Attleboro, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final (6 inn.) – Attleboro scored scored once in the second, added three runs in each the third and fifth innings and put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning to walk out of Frothingham Park with an 11-1 over the Tigers. Senior Eoin Kelleher shined on the mound as well as at the dish to pace the Bombardiers. He went six innings, scattering four hits and striking out six with one run allowed. He added a double, an RBI, and a run scored offensively while Sam Larkin (two RBI), Tim Callahan (two RBI), and Mason Houle (double, RBI) each had a pair of hits for Attleboro.
Canton, 2 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Canton jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Stoughton scored four runs, all on two-out hits, over the final three innings to earn the win. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second and made it 2-0 in the top fo the fifth. In the bottom half, Robbie Seaman (2-for-3) connected for a two-out, two-run single to knot the score. The Black Knights added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. Sophomore Brady Conlin (2-for-3) led off with a single and pinch-runner Jake Queeney came around to score on a two-out single from Mike Nazzaro (2-for-3). Zak Paquette then knocked in Nazzaro to make it 4-2. Paquette earned the win on the mound, tossing a complete game allowing six hits with two runs (0 ER), two strikeouts, and three walks.
Foxboro, 7 @ Milford, 8 – Final – Milford sophomore Carter Scudo put the ball in play and senior Matt Shaver scored from third as the Scarlet Hawks walked off with a win over visiting Foxboro. The Warriors held a 7-6 lead entering the final inning but were done in by three fielding errors in the bottom of the seventh. Scudo finished with a double, RBI, and a run scored while senior Tyler Almeida drew three walks and scored twice. Danny Corsini went five innings on the mound for the Hawks while Nick Marcolini earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one in two innings of work. Foxboro’s Michael Devlin went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, Brian Duncan added three hits, an RBI, and a run scored, and Joe Cavaleri and Sean Yoest each recorded two RBI for Foxboro.
King Philip, 1 @ Taunton, 0 – Final (10 inn.) – Both King Philip starter David Morganelli and Taunton starter Logan Lawrence pitched into extra innings in a terrific pitchers’ duel on Wednesday afternoon. The Warriors were able to string together three hits in the 10th, the last being an RBI single from Morganelli to score Matt Munnafo for the winning run. Morganelli tossed 8.1 scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing five hits and two walks. Chris Sawyer earned the win in relief with 1.2 scoreless innings. Taunton junior Logan Lawrence pitched eight scoreless innings for the Tigers, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Mansfield @ Franklin – Postponed to Saturday, 4/13 at 6:00.
Sharon @ North Attleboro – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Softball
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Attleboro, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Attleboro’s Makenzie Killough had four hits, including a home run, and McKenzie Bergdoll allowed just three hits as the Bombardiers earned a win over visiting Oliver Ames. The Tigers scored a run in each the first and second innings but the Bombardiers’ offense proved to be too much. Killough also had two doubles and finished with two RBI, Kayla Baptiste went 3-for-3 with two RBI, Jordyn Lako had two hits, including a triple and three RBI, Lindsay Perry had a double and two RBI, and Bergdoll added two hits and two RBI at the plate. OA sophomore Grace Simone was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Anna Balestino was 1-for-2 with an RBI while senior Colleen Larson scored the other run for OA.
Canton, 4 @ Stoughton, 7 – Final – Stoughton belted out 14 hits on its way its third win of the season, knocking off rival Canton, 7-4. Each player in the Black Knight recorded at least one hit with Karly Estremera leading the way with three. Jordan Lyons, Nikki Coppola and Lexi Baptista each had two hits for the Knights. Nicole Baker had another solid performance in the circle to earn the win. Canton’s Liz Bickett went 3-for-4 with a triple, a pair of singles, and two RBI for the Bulldogs.
Foxboro, 21 @ Milford, 5 – Final (5 inn.) – Riley Martignetti had three hits and drove in five runs and freshman Peyton Feldman had three hits and three RBI from the lead-off spot to power Foxboro to a big win on the road. Camryn Willis also had three hits for the Warriors, while Morgan Sylvestre went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Emma Rohan went the distance in the circle to get the win. Foxboro coach Mark Maguire called it a complete team performance, as Foxboro got contributions throughout the lineup and all nine starters recorded at least one hit. Milford sophomore Carly Ferreira went 2-for-2 with two RBI, two runs scored and two triples while junior Amanda Wenckus smacked a two-run home run for the Hawks.
Franklin, 11 @ Mansfield, 6 – Final – Mansfield scored three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut Franklin’s lead to just three runs (8-5) but the Panthers responded with three runs in the top of the seventh to secure the lead and a win on the road. Franklin jumped out to an 8-0 lead, with Gabby Colace (2-for-2, double, three runs, five RBI) putting the Panthers ahead with a two-run home run in the second inning. The Panthers added five runs in the second and one in the fourth for the 8-0 advantage. After Mansfield cut it to 8-5 through six innings, Franklin senior Jackie Cherry launched a three-run home run to give the Panthers breathing room. Ally Shea (double), Anna Balkus, Peyton Aronne (two RBI), and Maddy White (RBI, run) each had two hits for Franklin. Mansfield left runners on base in every inning but the fourth, including leaving the bases loaded in the first, third, and the seventh. Ella Verheggen went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the loss and the Hornets also got two hits apiece from Mary Muldoon and Sarah Cahill. Emma Roche came off the bench with her first hit of the year to start a sixth inning rally.
North Attleboro, 14 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – North Attleboro junior pitcher Bella Erti allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out 11 to help the Rocketeers pick up a win on the road. Annabelle Hebard paced North Attleboro’s offense by going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Ashley Cangiano and Belle Clarkin each had three hits while Emily Nardelli (home run), Katy Daby, Erti, Alex Moulson and Emma Bailey each had two hits. North freshman Mandi Hanewich had a hit, stolen base, RBI, and a run scored. Julia Earley hit a two-run homer for the Eagles in the third inning.
Taunton @ King Philip – Postponed to Thursday, 4/11 at 3:45.
Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 7 @ Sharon, 8 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. 0 The Eagles took control of the game with a 4-0 run in the second half that turned a 5-3 halftime deficit into a 7-5 lead with eight minutes to play. Sharon made a defensive stand over the final minute to keep the Bulldogs out and hold on for the victory. Rowan Barnes had a goal and assist in the first quarter as Sharon jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Tommy Vaughan scored to cut the lead in half and then had a behind the back pass to David Allen for the tying goal early in the second. Vaughan then forced a turnover that led to a Chris Lavoie goal to put Canton in front 3-2, but Dan Lillenfeld responded immediately, catching the Bulldogs in transition, to tie it. In the final minute of the half, Griffin Roach and Matt Martin each scored to make it 5-3. Lillenfeld scored the lone goal of the third quarter to make it 5-4 and the Eagles tied it on a Drew Litner goal early in the fourth. Litner added his second to put Sharon ahead and Lillenfeld secured his hat trick with Sharon’s seventh. Roach got Canton back within one but Zack Waxman scored a man-up goal to double the lead. Vaughan got free for his second goal with two minutes left and Canton had possession in the final minute of the game but Adam Rabb made a big save and the Eagles held on.
Milford, 9 @ Attleboro, 8 – Final (OT) – Milford’s Josh Ligor scored the game-winner in overtime to deliver the Scarlet Hawks a dramatic win on the road. Ryan Hazard paced the Hawks’ offense with five goals and an assist while Brendan White scored twice and Mike Demko had one goal. Milford coach Jacob Scordato said Danny Farrell and Jack LeBlanc had great defensive performances in front of Evan Hazard (22 saves).
Franklin, 20 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – Franklin senior Jacob Alexander won 21-of-27 faceoffs, helping the Panthers control possession in a 20-6 win on the road at North Attleboro. Matt Lazzaro paced the Panther offense with five seven goals and four assists, Jake Davis added five goals, Ben Greco chipped in with two goals and two assists, and Alexander added a pair of goals and assists in the win.
Mansfield, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 11 – Final – Mansfield scored the first goal of the game but Oliver Ames rattled off seven straight to take a commanding lead at halftime and never surrendered that advantage. OA junior Shane Kilkelly scored three goals and assisted on four more while Colin Bourne had a strong game with four goals. Sam Stevens and Sandro Mascierelli each added a pair of goals while Nick Gillis made 13 saves in goal. Mike Reed scored twice and had an assist for the Hornets, Aidan Sacco scored once and had one helper, and Tom Norton and Brad Grant each scored once.
Foxboro @ Stoughton – Postponed to Thursday, 4/25 at 3:45.
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 13 @ Milford, 14 – Final – Annie Flanagan scored five times and Emily Haley added four to lead the Hawks to a come from behind victory. Milford scored the game’s final four goals, including Flanagan’s winner with only 35 seconds remaining. Elena Bon Tempo and Riley Campbell each scored twice for the hosts, Sophia Bucal added one, and goalie Savanna Rosado made critical saves down the stretch to help the Hawks come out on top. Attleboro’s Kyra Lyons scored a game-high 10 goals while Rylee Fontes added two and Sydney DiLiddo added one for the Bombardiers.
Sharon, 8 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Rose Wald made nine saves in goal and the midfield collected 13-of-15 draw controls, including a team-high six by Bridget McManus, to help the Eagles hold off Canton in a big Davenport matchup. The Sharon attack clicked today, with five of the eight goals coming off assists. Emma Eberhardt was involved in all eight goals, scoring five and assisting on three others. Jenna Goldstein scored twice, Cass Barbera added one, and Mia Lappen had an assist for the Eagles. Kaitlyn Goyetch scored a hat trick for Canton in the loss.
Foxboro, 14 vs. Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final
North Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 19 – Final – Franklin notched its third win of the season with a big victory at home over visiting North Attleboro. Annie Walsh led the way with five goals and two assists while Kelsey MacCallum scored six goals with one helper. Franklin coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Hailey Toolin had a strong day in the midfield and on defense with three draw controls.
Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 15 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Mansfield pulled away in the second half to earn the Kelley-Rex division win. The Hornets led 7-5 at the half and just 9-8 early in the second half but closed the game on a 6-1 run to seal the victory. Katie Garvin scored seven times for Mansfield and Hayleigh Crawford added four. Katie McCarthy made three saves in the win and the Hornets got strong play on draw controls by Lauren Whitman. Maddie Kullen had a big game for the Tigers to keep the game close and head coach Nicole Lang rued OA’s inability to capitalize on the offensive opportunities it created.
King Philip, 19 @ Taunton, 7 – Final – Nine different players scored for the Warriors in a big road win. Caroline Klim led the way with five goals and Dana Truini added four for KP. Ali Wilson had two goals and Jessica Sullivan scored twice and assisted on a third, while Victoria Tormey and Jenna Hitchen each scored once. Three players scored their first varsity goals for the Warriors. Haley Izydorczak had her first two goals and an assist, Lily Brown scored her first goal and had an assist, and Julia Marsden opener her varsity account with a goal as well.
Boys Tennis
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final
Stoughton, 2 @ Canton, 3 – Final – Canton freshman Suraj Ramanathan won his third match of the year at first singles, picking up a 6-0, 6-4 win to pace the Bulldogs to a win over Stoughton. Sophomore Minh Duong added a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles and the team of Tyler Duffy and Justin Luk were winners at second doubles won 6-1, 6-4 at second doubles for the Bulldogs. Stoughton freshman Anish Sinha won 3-6, 6-3, 12-10 at third singles while the team of Hassan Khan and LJ Ferrandiz secured a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles.
Milford, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro earned a pair of wins in both singles and doubles action to pick up a 4-1 victory over visiting Milford. Sophomore Jason Kandula won 7-5, 6-4 at second singles and freshman Bo Canfield earned a 6-1, 6-4 decision at third singles for the Warriors. The team of senior Brian Gardner and junior Sean McAvoy won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles while junior Noah Hicks and sophomore Justin Neale prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Milford’s Brendan O’Shaughnessy won 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 10-5 in a hard fought match at first singles.
Franklin, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Franklin swept doubles play and earned one more win in singles action to edge Mansfield at Memorial Park. Rohan Herur was the lone singles winner for the Panthers, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles. The team of senior Saketh Saripalli and freshman Vayshnav Malhotra won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and juniors Shoyaib Shaik and Shoumik Sompally prevailed 7-6 (3), 7-5 at second doubles. Mansfield’s Luke Nickerson won 7-5, 6-1 at first singles and Nilay Pangrekar scored a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles.
North Attleboro, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – North Attleboro sophomore Jonah Manso prevailed in a three-set match at first singles but Sharon picked up wins in the other two singles matches while sweeping doubles play. Junior Alberto Olivei won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory at third singles. Sharon’s Max Brody and Max Chen earned a 6-3, 6-0 win at first doubles while Alex Aspel and Jake Ross prevailed 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 in a tight match at second doubles. Manso won 7-6, 1-6, 6-1 at first singles for Big Red.
Taunton, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip won all five matches in straight sets to secure a sweep of visiting Taunton. Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Nick Putney earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles, and Jack Cannon didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles. The team of Nate Ihley and Zak Ryan secured a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles and the team of Jake Mager and Tyler Dowd prevailed 7-5, 6-3 at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames swept singles play and added one more win from doubles action to pick up a victory over visiting Attleboro. Senior Sarah Leger battled back to win 4-7, 6-2, 11-9 at first singles, junior Maura Kiernan earned a 6-2, 6-4 win at second singles, and Kate McCormick picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Sarah Barron and Morgan Vasiliou won 6-2, 6-4 at second doubles for the Tigers. Attleboro’s Nicole Matheson and Lauren Anthony won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles.
Canton, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Canton picked up a win on the road over Stoughton, winning all five matches in straight sets. Rachel Kupferman didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, Natalie Keppler picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Sarah Hernandez earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at third singles for the Bulldogs. The team of Stelina Michaelidis and Jamie Cree won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles while Kiara Cerruti and Lily Hazam secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory at second doubles.
Foxboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Foxboro continued its unbeaten start to the season with a sweep on the road at Milford. Pam Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, Sarah Prag prevailed 6-3, 6-4 at second singles, and Maggie McAuliffe earned a 7-5, 6-2 win at third singles for the Warriors. The team of Kendall Milender and Paige Krockta secured a 6-3, 6-4 decision at first doubles while Kethry Milne and Neha Jammula won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles.
Mansfield, 5 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Mansfield picked up its second win of the season with a sweep on the road at Franklin. Senior Lizzy Elsner didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, freshman Kate Martin won 6-1, 7-5 at second singles, and sophomore Aryana Khosravani earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of senior Hannah Podolske and sophomore Alex Burnham won 6-1, 6-2 at first doubles while junior Tori Detch and sophomore Alex Wendland prevailed 7-5, 6-1 at second doubles.
Sharon, 5 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Sharon’s three singles players had a terrific showing, all winning in straight sets without dropping a game in a win at North Attleboro. Senior Nupur Shukla, freshman Valeria Barajas, and junior Makaila Cheung each won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second, and third singles, respectively. The team of Sophia Fein and Sachi Basin earned a 6-0, 6-3 win at first doubles and the team of Lauren Glass and Anjali Jha won 6-4, 6-0 at second doubles.
King Philip, 4 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – King Philip won two matches in both singles and doubles action to secure a victory on the road at Taunton. Junior Erin Regnier won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles while sophomore Katarina Schneider picked up a 6-1, 6-1 decision at second singles for KP. The team of Grace Ely and Katie Welch, both juniors, won 6-2, 6-2 at first doubles while sophomores Laura Davenport and Meghan Powers prevailed 7-5, 6-2 at second doubles. Taunton sophomore Jocelyn Pagliuca battled back to win 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 at third singles.
Canton junior Griffin Roach scored with 1:38 remaining in the first overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a dramatic victory over Scituate in 2018. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
2018 Record: 5-13 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Kevin Patton
The Bombardiers will boast a relatively young group in 2019 but are still ready to compete in a difficult Hockomock League.
With a total of 14 underclassmen – eight sophomores and six freshmen – there will certainly be learning curves and some ups and downs throughout the year, but those new faces are hungry to improve throughout the season.
Attleboro’s strong suit will be in net as Hockomock League All-Star Trevor Koppy, a captain for this year’s team, returns to the cage. Koppy is one of the most experienced netminders in the league and the Bombardiers will be relying on him for his play plus his leadership as a captain. Attleboro will also rely on the leadership on and off the field by junior captain Tom Shipman, who will be a key piece in the midfield.
Shipman will be joined by senior Zach Thomas and sophomores Michael Strachan and Aidan Diggin in the midfield. All four have plenty of varsity experience so Attleboro will certainly rely on them to guide the way as the younger players are incorporated into the lineup. Sophomore Matthew Perry returns up front while junior Jack Handy is back defensively.
The Bombardiers are hoping junior Bryson Friess and freshman Fred Wheaton will make an impact defensively while freshmen Keigan Conley and Jack Lamothe will bolster the attack. Freshman Ryan Betts will also be apart of the midfield unit this season.
We are a young team…but they’re all ready to contribute quality minutes,” said Attleboro coach Kevin Patton, who switched from the girl’s team to the boys this Spring. “With Trevor Koppy and Tommy Shipman, our captains, they are prepared to lead the team to the next level. I’m looking forward to the future of the program!”
2018 Record: 10-8 2018 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinals Coach: Bill Bendell
After missing out on the playoffs in 2017, Canton put together a memorable 2018 campaign that ended in the D2 South Sectional Semifinals. The Bulldogs are looking to replicate that success and make another deep tournament run again this year.
And with a good amount of players back from last year’s squad, there is a lot of optimism that tournament run can happen. Senior Griffin Roach, a HockomockSports.com Second Team selection, will pace the offense again this year. Roach had 30 goals and 17 assists last year and his competitiveness is contagious to those around him. Roach will be joined by classmate Dan Cohen, a Hockomock League honorable mention selection. Cohen is a dangerous player, scoring 24 goals in the regular season last year.
David Allen, Chris Lavoie, Brendan Clifford, and Matt Martin are great athletes and capable scorers as well, while Tommy Vaughan will look to make an impact with his playmaking ability. On defense, the Bulldogs will turn to Brendan Albert and Nick Mackay, who head coach Bill Bendell called two of the most underrated players in the Hockomock League. Both possess a boatload of experience at the varsity level and will anchor the Bulldog defensive group. George Kent and James Murphy will also be apart of Canton’s defense while Shane Marshall, Sam Walsh, Jack Albert, and Carson Campbell will all see time and make key contributions this seasons, Bendell said.
Sophomore Dylan Coyne will take over in net for the Bulldogs and has had a strong preseason so far. Bendell believes Coyne is poised for a breakout year. Jeff Fitzgerald, Tommy Ghostlaw, and Mackay will all be in the running to handle faceoff duties.
“We are very excited about our offensive and defensive potential,” Bendell said. “Our varsity depth is not what we would like it to be at this point, but a few players have shown flashes of potential that make us think we will be much deeper come Memorial Day.”
Foxboro will have a young squad with just five seniors this year but that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of experience from the defending Davenport division champions.
Senior Brendan Tully sets the example with his work ethic but is also one of the most dangerous players in the Hockomock League. A Providence College commit, Tully has tormented defenses for the past two seasons. He had 44 goals and 22 assists last year and will be one of Foxboro’s main weapons. Tully will be joined by Bobby Yerardi, who had over 40 points as a sophomore and has improved his game in the offseason. His ability to finish right or left makes life difficult for opponents.
The Warriors bring back junior Shayne Kerrigan for faceoffs. Kerrigan is one of the best in the area on the draw and puts Foxboro in good positions time after time; he will be a key piece in the midfield for the Warriors. Junior Pete Conley, Aiden Stapleton, and Charlie Baughan will make the up the attacking group for Foxboro this year.
Pat Stapleton is one of the most experienced players in the league as well as one of the top defensive players. He will anchor a defensive unit that has been one of the best in the region over the past couple of seasons. He will be joined by juniors Ronnie MacLellan and Will Morrison. All three players have the ability to move up to LSM when needed.
One question mark for the Warriors could be goalie, as Foxboro graduated Hockomock League MVP Jake Addeche. Head coach Matt Noone is confident in his options this season, with four players competing for the time in the cage. Freshman Matt Tully is beginning the season as the starter.
“I am really looking forward to this season as we are young but dangerous,” Noone said. “The best thing about this team is our depth, there is competition for every spot and they love to compete! What more can you ask for?”
Franklin has had a lot of success in recent years, and that trend looks like it will continue in 2019.
“The outlook for this season is very good,” said Franklin head coach Lou Verrochi. “It could be one of the best teams we’ve had at FHS.”
The reason for the high expectations is the amount of talent returning from last year’s Kelley-Rex team that reached the D1 South Quarterfinals. Although the Panthers graduated two-time All-American and two-time HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Eric Civetti and starting goalie Connor O’Rourke, Franklin has experience and talent back at each position.
It all will start with senior Jacob Alexander, who has been arguably the best faceoff man in the entire state over the past couple of seasons. Alexander’s ability to consistently win draws gives Franklin a huge advantage and sets the offense in motion. Patrick Morrison, a second-team All-American selection last season, will anchor the defensive unit for the Panthers this year along with Will Harvey, who was one of the most underrated players last year. Will Davis, who saw time in net some last year, is set to take over in the cage and could be one of the top netminders in the league.
The Franklin midfield will consist of Nitin Chaudhury – one of the hardest working athletes in any sport – along with Owen Palmieri and Ben Kolb, who has really impressed in scrimmages during the preseason. Franklin’s attack could be among the most dangerous in the league this year with three legitimate options. Jake Davis (32 goals, 23 assists), Matt Lazzaro (30 points), and Ben Greco are all unselfish but can also finish.
2018 Record: 9-10 2018 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinals Coach: Hal Bean
King Philip is hoping that a good amount of returning experience from last year’s team will result in a successful season and possibly a run through the D1 South bracket.
The Warriors have one of the most experienced attackmen in the league in Colin DeVellis, who has been one of the best finishers in each of the last two years. He finished fourth overall in points his sophomore year (22 goals, 36 assists) and again his junior year (45 goals, 29 assists) and is the top returning scorer back from last year. His ability to finish in close makes life tough for opponents but he’s also able to find teammates when the defense focuses on him. Andrew Sajdak and Sam Mattson will also be key pieces on the attack and the three showed good chemistry in their first game this year.
Wes Bishop, who is committed to play at UMass Boston, is a great leader that will anchor the defensive unit. He has a lot of varsity experience and is the type of player that leads by example. Luke D’Amico is another experienced defender that will stand out for KP this year. Tyler Bartlett, Aiden Bender, Chris Longobardi, and Garrett Maxwell give coach Hal Bean a large group of experienced players.
Junior Andrew McKinney is back in goal after splitting time in the cage last season.
2018 Record: 9-9 2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round Coach: Tim Frias
Mansfield has made the state tournament in each of the last four seasons and will be looking to make it five straight in 2019.
It all starts in the midfield with senior Aidan Sacco. Sacco, who played quarterback this past fall for the Hornet football team, is like the quarterback for the Hornet boys lacrosse team. A lot of the offense will run through Sacco because of his vision and ability to share the ball. He is also a key part of the Hornet defense. His ability to get back and track opponents while also causing turnovers and transitioning defense into offense will be key for Mansfield.
On offense, the Hornets have an experienced stick in the hands of Mike Reed, who will be relied on to lead the Hornets into the playoffs down the stretch. Connor Quirk will also be a key cog for Mansfield this year while Joe Plath, Sean Weber, and Will Nelson are going to be important pieces in the defensive unit.
The Hornets have a strong piece in Nico Holmes at the face-off X. Holmes picked up varsity experience at the position last year and he will look to give Mansfield extra possessions this year in their push for the state tournament.
Coleman O’Brien and Brian Rockwell are battling for the starting spot in the cage.
2018 Record: 6-11 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Jacob Scordato
After increasing their win total from 2017 to 2018, the Scarlet Hawks will be looking to continue that trend in 2019.
With returning starters back in a lot of positions, second-year head coach Jacob Scordato is hopeful that Milford can make a run at a state tournament berth.
“Our Goal as a team is to make the playoffs, this program hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2012,” Scordato said. “But this group of extraordinary young men are highly motivated on achieving that goal.”
The Scarlet Hawks bring back their leading scorer in Brendan White, who had 45 points last season (31 goals, 14 assists). White is a strong, physical forward with a strong shot. His ability to finish through contact makes him one of the top attackmen in the league. In the midfield, junior captain Danny Farrell is back after a standout sophomore year. Farrell, an LSM, led the team last season with 64 ground balls.
Senior Ryan Pearl will anchor a defensive unit that is looking to improve on last season. Sophomore Evan Hazard had a standout freshman campaign between the pipes last year. He will be relied upon this season to help keep Milford in games as they make a push for the postseason.
2018 Record: 15-5 2018 Finish: Reached D2 Central/East Quarterfinals Coach: Kevin Young
After coming close to the Davenport title a year ago, the Rocketeers are ready to make another run at the division title and as well as a deep playoff run.
While the Rocketeers graduated some top talent in the league such as midfielders Jason McNeany and Max Fontes, defenseman Tommy Lockavitch, and attack Tommy Lindstrom, North Attleboro has talent and experience in every position. Juniors Nate D’Amico and Jake McNeany are back after splitting time last season and will be competing for minutes again this season.
Defensively, the Rocketeers bring back three starters from a unit that allowed a league-low 95 goals last year. Junior Brett Labonte had a terrific season and will be joined by classmate Will Yeomans and sophomore Tyler Sarro. Head coach Kevin Young said the trio is tough, vocal, active, and play very well together. In the midfield, senior captains Nick Ward and Ryan Boyle will be key pieces. Ward will also see time at attack while Boyle will be a defensive minded midfielder.
“Nick is a very smart, sneaky threat with great IQ and stick skills,” said North Attleboro coach Kevin Young. “Ryan is just a grinder that all coaches appreciate.”
Junior Dan Conroy takes over as the main faceoff guy and will be joined by Ryan Rajotte, Damien Curtis, Nick Morse, Jack Puccio, Cam Cornetta, and Joe Milosh in the midfield.
The attack will be spearheaded by junior Andy DeMattio, last year’s HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year. DeMattio had a tremendous season, scoring 52 goals and adding 22 assists for a team-high 74 points. “He should be fun to watch as he’s picked up some size and speed,” Young said. DeMattio will be joined by junior Jack Connolly and freshman Matt Antonetti.
2018 Record: 14-7 2018 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinals Coach: Ben Devlin
Coming off the best season in program history, Oliver Ames is aiming to have another successful year and hoping to replicate last year’s playoff push.
The Tigers reached the D2 South Sectional Semifinals last season and bring back five of the top seven scorers from a year ago. While the top two scorers — Eric LeBlanc and Owen Gallagher — and their 146 points graduated, there is a lot of optimism in the program because they have reloaded for this year.
Oliver Ames will be young on the attack with junior Sandro Masciarelli and sophomore Remi Creighton, but there is still experience in the position. Masciarelli had 25 goals last year while Creighton will see more minutes this year. The strength of the program will be in the midfield with the likes of senior captain Colin Bourne (30 goals), junior Shane Kilkelly (32 goals), junior Sam Stevens (23 goals), and junior Frankie Ireland (29 goals). That group was a big reason for OA’s memorable season last year and now have a year of experience playing together under their belts.
Defensively the Tigers are looking for senior captains Shane Murphy and Matt Saba to lead the way. Both players were apart of the defensive unit last year and have been a big reason for the program’s improvement over the past couple of seasons. Senior LSM Cullen Gallagher will be a key defensive midfielder while junior Tyler Campbell will likely factor into the Tiger defense this year. Junior Nick Gillis returns as the starting goalie while senior Steve Heino is an experienced backup.
“Our goal is to keep improving each day and keep building on last year’s success,” said OA head coach Ben Devlin. “The kids have bought into the program and are excited and enthusiastic about the season. We don’t expect anyone or two players to replace the production we graduated, but if all our returners can progress like they did last year, we should be in the mix for a tourney berth.”
2018 Record: 12-7 2018 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round Coach: Jon Shocket
Sharon has a strong mix of returners and new faces and is hoping that combination will result in a return trip to the state tournament.
The Eagles will have an experienced defensive group with all three starting defensemen back this year, and all three are seniors. Sam Spencer, Coleman Loftus, and Ronin McCabe are back to give the Eagles a formidable defensive group. Having an experienced defensive in front of new goalie, sophomore Adam Rabb, will help as the season gets underway.
Sophomore Drew Litner is back after a terrific freshman year. Litner can score but he is one of the most unselfish players in the league and does a terrific job finding teammates on the move. He was among the league leaders in assists last year, dishing out 28 helpers. Litner will be joined by senior Brandon Buckman and freshman Zack Waxman in the attacking group.
The midfield will also have a good amount of experience with seniors Daniel Lillenfeld and Mitchell Director leading the way. Nick Stamm and Rowan Barnes have impressed this preseason and should be apart of the group as well. Junior Max Posner could be poised for a breakout year while sophomore Cobe Jacobson and freshmen Brady Daylor and Jace Nestler will be in the mix too.
Returning LSM Tyler Freedman is back after a terrific rookie campaign and could be a top player for the Eagles while there are high hopes for freshman faceoff specialist Ben Shocket, who could be an X-factor for the Eagles.
2018 Record: 1-15 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Pat Healey
The Black Knights enter their third season as a varsity program and are looking to continue to grow as a program in a difficult league.
After being inexperienced last year, the Black Knights are hoping the lessons learned from last year will pay off this year. It starts with the four captains: Sean Doherty, Luke Bainton, Alex Wilson, and Nate Wilson. Doherty and Bainton will do a little bit of everything for the Black Knights and will be two of the top options offensively. Alex Wilson and Nate Wilson will anchor the defensive unit, bringing plenty of lacrosse experience to that group.
Stoughton is also looking for a big season out of junior Foster McLeod. McLeod has shown in the past the ability to beat defenders and create opportunities for others. Sophomores Max Huminik and Mike McLaughlin will also see increased roles after impressing during their rookie seasons in 2018.
Sophomore Thomas Ratcliffe, a Hockomock League honorable mention last year, returns in the cage and gives the Black Knights a steady presence between the pipes. Sophomore Marty Barrett returns as a long pole and will be a key piece of the Knights’ defense.
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.
Baseball
Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 2 – Final (8 Inn.) – Franklin senior Colby Fitzgibbons laced a two-out single into left center field to drive in Shane O’Neil as the Panthers walked off with a win over Attleboro. Fitzgibbons had two hits on the day, Steve Luttazi had an RBI, and Jake Macchi had a hit and a run scored for Franklin. Bryan Woelfel struck out 10, walked one, and scattered six hits in 6.1 innings of work. Attleboro threatened with runners on first and third in the top of the seventh but Jason Ulrickson (1.2 IP, win, 2 K) made an appearance in relief, getting a strikeout and then Attleboro was caught trying to steal home. Attleboro’s Matt Callahan (two hits) reached base four times, Alvaro Espinal had two hits and an RBI and Ryan Morry had a hit and a run scored. Eoin Kelleher allowed just four hits while striking out six.
Canton, 5 @ Foxboro, 10 – Final – Foxboro exploded for six runs in the fourth inning to break open a 3-3 game and never looked back to beat the visiting Bulldogs. Robert Theriault had a big day for the Warriors, going 3-for-4 with three RBI while Joe Freitas (RBI, two runs) and Joe Cavaleri (run) each had two hits. Chad Bearce added a double and an RBI for Foxboro. Steve McLaughlin struck out four, walked four, and allowed six hits in four innings of work while Sean Yoest struck out four and allowed five hits in three innings of relief. Canton’s Matt Pigeon went 3-for-3 with two runs, Nate Quan had three hits and two RBI, and Jake Aronson had two hits and an RBI.
King Philip, 1 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Mansfield was limited to just one hit but cashed in on its opportunities to beat King Philip. Sophomore Chris Jenkins drew a walk in the third inning, stole second and came around to score on two passed balls. Jenkins reached on an error in the fifth and came around to score after a throwing error on Michael Hargadon’s bunt. Sam Nugent executed a safety squeeze to bring Hargadon home from third. Connor Sheehan earned the win, striking out seven with one walk and six hits allowed in a complete game effort. KP’s David Morganelli was the tough-luck loser, allowing just one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks in a complete game. Liam Rohan had a hit and a run scored for KP.
North Attleboro, 6 @ Milford, 2 – Final – North Attleboro went on the road and clinched at least a share of the Davenport division title with a win over Milford. Big Red’s offense got off to a strong start with two runs in the first inning behind a Nick Sinacola RBI double (Brendan McHugh single, run) and a Zach DeMattrio triple and passed ball. Sinacola added another RBI in the third with a single that plated Aidan Harding. Milford cut the deficit to two with a run in the bottom of the third when Justin Applebee scored on a single from Matt Shaver. North responded with two runs in the top of the fourth when Nate Pearce drove in a pair with a double. Big Red added an insurance run in the sixth when Sinacola (three hits) singled and eventually scored on another double from Pearce. Aidan Wilde added an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh for Milford. Peter Cohen pitched a complete game for North, scattering six hits while striking out three.
Oliver Ames, 5 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Oliver Ames did all of its damage offensive during the second inning, plating all five of its runs in the frame. Jacob Levine (2-for-4) and Mitch Goulet each had two RBI hits in the inning while Jake Erlich had two hits and had a strong game behind the plate for the visiting Tigers. Michael Mulrean struck out nine with just two walks in 5.2 innings of work without allowing an earned run. Jakob Roberts was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Logan Lawrence added two hits for Taunton.
Stoughton, 7 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Stoughton’s Zak Paquette needed just 80 pitches for the complete game shutout, allowing four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Evan Gibb (2-for-3, three runs, stolen base) and Mike Nazzaro (2-for-3, RBI) led the Black Knights’ offense.
Softball
Franklin, 4 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Franklin junior Jackie Cherry struck out nine in a complete game shutout to lead the Panthers to a win on the road. Franklin scored a pair of runs in the first, built a 3-0 lead in the second and tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning. Ally Shea went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Maddy White reached base twice, scored once, and had an RBI. Franklin’s Peyton Arone helped end an Attleboro threat in the fourth, making a catch in left and getting a double play at second.
Foxboro, 10 @ Canton, 5 – Final
Mansfield, 0 @ King Philip, 12 – Final (6 inn.) – King Philip’s Jess Bonner launched a pair of home runs and Faith Turinese threw a no-hitter as the Warriors blanked Mansfield. Bonner finished with five RBI, Allison Kuchy had a three-run home run, and Hailey McCasland contributed three hits for KP. Turinese didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven in a complete game effort.
Milford, 5 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Milford junior Emily Hartman had a day to remember at the play and senior Emily Piergustavo set a new program record in a win on the road at North. Hartman went 3-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run, finishing with five RBI. Piergustavo had two hits, including the 144th of her career to set a new Scarlet Hawk record. Kate Irwin (double, triple) and Maddie Bonvino each added two hits. Kelley Reichert earned the win, allowing just five hits with four strikeouts in a complete game. North scored its lone run in the fifth inning when Olivia Capobianco drove in Andrea Miceli with a single.
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Taunton, 9 – Final – Jaime Brown had two hits and knocked in three runs and Kya Enos added two hits and an RBI to lead Taunton past OA. McKenzie McAloon also had two hits, including a double, while scoring two runs. Jaylin Couto struck out nine with two walks and five hits allowed in seven innings of work. OA scored three runs in the first inning with Caroline Mahoney (1-for-3, RBI, run) knocking in Lexie Campbell (2-for-4, run) on a double to right center. Katie Abreu and Rachel Han each knocked in a run in the first inning as well.
Sharon, 0 @ Stoughton, 12 – Final (6 Inn.) – Stoughton’s offense belted a season-high 19 hits while Gina Carafa allowed just two hits in six innings of work for the Black Knights. Jordan Lyons led the offense by going 4-for-4, Brianna Ferrandiz was 3-for-4 with an RBI, Karly Estremera had a two-run double, and Val Whalen and Sarah McGrath each had two hits and an RBI.
Stoughton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 20 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Eric LeBlanc was one of nine Tigers to find the back of the net in a win over Stoughton. LeBlanc scored his 100th career goal in the win while Nick Gillis recorded the shutout.
Girls Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ Taunton, 10 – Final – Maggie Connolly and Leah McClellan both had hat tricks for the Bulldogs, as Canton pulled out a second straight one-goal win. Connolly also had an assist. Kaitlyn Goyetch scored twice and assisted on two other goals, while Molly Colburn and Caroline Tourgee both scored twice and Alexa Maffeo had a goal and an assist.
Attleboro, 3 @ Sharon, 17 – Final – Sharon coach Shara Ginthwain said that the Eagles “played great as a team” with six different goal scorers and assists on eight of the goals. Rose Wald made eight saves in the Sharon goal.
King Philip, 18 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Lauren Anderson paced the Warriors with four goals and Caroline Klim had a hat trick and an assist. KP also got a pair of goal from Ali Wilson and single goals from Claire Lawler, Callie Sullivan, Victoria Tormey, and Christina Hathaway.
North Attleboro, 17 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final – Katy Garvin scored seven times and Hannah Sternburg made 15 saves as Mansfield pulled out an important win on senior night. Olivia Murray scored a hat trick and Ann Maher, Hayliegh Crawford, Lauren Whitman, and Emily Vigeant all scored two goals for the Hornets. Maggie Danehy also scored in the win. Katie Lindstrom scored nine goals for the Rocketeers in the loss.
Boys Tennis
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Franklin freshman Liam Marr didn’t lose a game in his match and the Panthers won all five in straight sets to pick up a win on the road. Marr won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles, Rohan Herur recorded a 6-2, 6-0 win at first singles, and Saketh Saripalli won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles. The team of Tony Calderone and Shoumik Sompally prevailed 6-2, 6-1 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Tyler St. Marie lost just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 decision at second doubles.
Foxboro, 5 @ Canton, 0 – Final
Mansfield, 1 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip’s Sean Desroches and Nate Ihley rallied from a one-set deficit to pick up a win at first doubles in KP’s 4-1 win over Mansfield. Desroches and Ihley won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 while Nick Ihley and Aidan Ignatius prevailed 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles. Nick Putney dropped just two games in a 6-2, 6-0 win at second singles and Jack Cannon earned a 6-2, 7-5 win at third singles for KP. Mansfield’s Luke Nickerson won 6-1, 6-4 at first singles.
Milford, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro’s Alex Rinaldi and Sam Gallagher didn’t drop a game in their match at second doubles to help the Rocketeers beat Milford. Rinaldi and Gallagher won 6-0, 6-0 while Ben Pfeffer and Vikram Senthilakumaran won 6-2, 6-1 at first doubles. Richard Bermudez and Jonah Manso both won 6-0, 6-0 at first and second singles, respectively, for North. Milford’s Zach Austin won 6-3, 6-4 at third singles.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton lost just two games total between its five matches to move within a game of qualifying for the state tournament. Francois Hennaux won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles while Brett Beaulieu (second), Mike Briggs (third), Charlie Fiske and Dylan Kullas (first doubles) and Kyle Dennehy and Trevor Hart (second doubles) all won 6-0, 6-0.
Sharon, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Sharon senior Andre Olivei prevailed in a tiebreaker to pick up a win over Stoughton freshman Waseem Sablon to complete the Eagles’ sweep. Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-0, 6-1 at second singles and Ashwin Sreevatsa didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. Max Brody and Russell Rapaport won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles and Alex Aspel and Jake Ross won 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles for Sharon.
Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 2 – Final
Canton, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Freshman Pamela Nelson prevailed with a 6-3, 6-4 win at second singles over Canton freshman Natalie Keppler in a battle of two of the best young players in the league to help Foxboro earn the win. Sophia Prinos won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and Kayla Prag won 6-1, 6-3 at third singles. The team of Sarah Prag and Julia Muise earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at first doubles and Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender picked up a 6-1, 6-3 victory at second doubles.
King Philip, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – King Philip won all three singles matches in straight sets in a sweep at Mansfield. Erin Regnier won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Meghan Sepich picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles, and Caitlin Gonser was victorious (6-2, 6-2) at third singles. Grace Ely and Mia Valencia prevailed with a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at first doubles and Lucy Barnard and Katarina Schneider won 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles.
North Attleboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – North Attleboro earned its third straight 5-0 sweep, this time taking down Milford on the road. Jordan Willis won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Emily Chiasson didn’t lose a game at second singles, and Tara Nair won 6-1, 6-2 at third singles. Azka Siddiq and Shurobhi Nandi teamed up for a 6-2, 6-0 win at first doubles and Leah Marceau and Samantha Martino won 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles.
Taunton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Taunton’s second doubles team of Amanda Pugh and Brianna Fevrier emerged with a win in a three-set thriller to help the visiting Tigers pick up a win. Pugh and Fevrier won 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-2 to help Taunton win. McKenzie Lucie and Samantha Martin won 6-2, 7-5 at first doubles and Jillian Pagliuca picked up a 6-2, 7-5 win at first singles. OA’s Tate Hadges lost just two matches in a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles and Maura Kiernan picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win at third singles for the host Tigers.
Stoughton, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon’s Alysha Posternak played in her first varsity match, teaming with with Lauren Glass to pick up a 6-2, 6-2 win in doubles play. Emily Wen won 6-2, 6-0, at first singles, Katie Merport earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory at second singles, and Sachi Bhasin didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles for the Eagles.
Boys Volleyball
Milford @ Catholic Memorial, 6:00
Taunton, 3 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 0 – Final
Baseball
Attleboro, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final (8 Inn.) – Milford junior Nick Marcolini earned the win on the mound and scored the game-winning run as the Hawks took down visiting Attleboro in extra innings. Marcolini led off the eighth with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third. He came in to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly from Colby Pires. In a relief appearance, Marcolini tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts to get the win. Luke Rosa was the starter for Milford, allowing two runs in five innings with four strikeouts. Matt Swanson added two hits, including a double and a run scored, for the Hawks.
Oliver Ames, 13 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro held a 4-2 lead after an inning of play but OA chipped away and used five runs in the third inning to seize an 8-4 lead and never looked back. Jack Erlich went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI and Mitch Goulet had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and four RBI. Nick Zwerle and Tom Parker combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless relief for the Tigers. Foxboro’s Chad Bearce was 2-for-4 with a triple while Joe Cavaleri and JT Burke each drove in a pair of runs.
Taunton, 7 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Taunton’s Trevor Pietrzyk (two doubles, triple) set the tone, going 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot with an RBI and a run scored as the Tigers notched a win on the road. Jakob Roberts added two hits and two RBI while Ben Joyce drove in a pair of runs. Tyler Medeiros and Jacob Crawford each had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored for the Tigers. Medeiros got the win on the mound, scattering three hits over five innings of work with five strikeouts. Brendan Bignar and Logan Lawrence each tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
Franklin, 14 @ Stoughton, 10 – Final – Franklin scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 9-9 tie and emerge from Stoughton with a win on the road. JB Flores went 4-for-4, including a double and an RBI while scoring a pair of runs. Evan Wendell also had a strong day for Franklin with a pair of doubles, runs scored and four RBI. Jake Macchi added three hits and three RBI for Franklin while both Scott Elliott and Colby Fitzgibbons had two RBI apiece. Ben Guzman got the win in relief, allowing three hits and one run over three innings of work. Stoughton’s Matt Hadley and James Genest both went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Geroge Currier and Cian Swierzewski each drove in two runs for the Black Knights.
King Philip, 8 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – King Philip tied the game in the fifth, took the lead in the sixth, and then tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh inning to complete a comeback from at Sharon. KP took a 3-0 lead in the second before Sharon pulled ahead with four runs in the third. Pat Limerick had three hits and one RBI, sophomore Chris Sawyer had two hits and two RBI, and Tyler Nault delivered with an RBI pinch-hit single for the Warriors. Terry Murray earned the win in relief, throwing three scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Mansfield, 3 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Mansfield senior Kevin Dow had a dominating performance on the mound, throwing a complete game with just two hits allowed and no walked and one unearned run allowed to lead the Hornets to a win over previously unbeaten North Attleboro. Dow struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk to get the win. Offensively, Dow went 2-for-4 and had an RBI triple in the third inning that put Mansfield up 2-0. Dow then scored on an RBI single from senior Tyler Dalton. Mansfield took the lead in the top of the second when Cullin Anastasia scored. Zach DeMattio and Brendan McHugh (run) each had a hit for Big Red.
Softball
Milford, 12 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Milford plated six runs in the sixth inning to break open what was a two-run game to grab a win on the road. The Hawks took a 5-3 advantage into the sixth before exploding for six runs. Jess Tomaso (2-for-4, three RBI) hit a home run in the sixth for her 100th career hit. Emily Piergustavo added two hits, two runs, and four RBI, Maddy Bonvino went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and two-run home run and Kate Irwin had three hits, three runs, and an RBI for the Scarlet Hawks. Kelley Reichert got the win in the circle, striking out nine. Attleboro leadoff hitter Jordyn Lako went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and MacKenzie Killough blasted a two-run home run in the third inning.
Canton, 0 @ Taunton, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton sophomore Jaylin Couto struck out 10 while allowing just two hits and one walk to help the Tigers notch a win over visiting Canton. Couto improved to 3-0 with five scoreless innings. Offensively, Kelsey White went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and a stolen base, Kya Enos had two hits including a double, a run scored and an RBI, Abbie McDonough recorded two hits, scored three runs, stole a base, and had an RBI, and freshman McKenzie McAloon drove in three runs for the Tigers.
Foxboro, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Foxboro senior Mandy Ryan had an RBI single in the top of the seventh to help the Warriors come up with a win on the road. Hannah Davis and Chelsea Gibbons each had two hits while Emma Rohan earned the win in the circle, striking out four. Oliver Ames’ Caroline Mahoney went 2-for-4 with RBI, Katie Mills was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Marissa Guarino had two hits and an RBI, and Alexis Campbell had two hits and a run scored for OA. Freshman Emma Varella pitched a complete game for OA, striking out three.
Stoughton, 2 @ Franklin, 12 – Final
North Attleboro, 7 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – North Attleboro broke open a two-run game with four runs in the last two innings to make it two wins in two days for the Rocketeers. Bella Erti struck out 11, allowing only four hits and no walks to pick up the win. Abby Warren and Olivia Capobianco paced the North offense with three hits apiece, while Ashley Cangiano and Katie Daby each had two hits. Katherine Munley came through with a couple of nice grabs in the field, according to North coach Bill Wallace, and Cangiano threw out her third runner attempting to steal in two days. Mary Muldoon drove in the lone Mansfield run in the second, singling in Caty DeMassi. Kara Bendanillo went 2-for-3 for the Hornets.
Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Canton raced out to a 5-1 lead at half time and never looked back to beat Attleboro. The Bulldogs, who never trailed in the game, had seven different goal scorers including senior Joey Vaughan.
Foxboro, 11 @ Sharon, 5 – Final
Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 20 – Final
King Philip @ Taunton, 3:45
Mansfield, 9 @ Oliver Ames, 12 – Final – OA goalie Nick Gillis had a huge game in the cage and Frankie Ireland netted three goals to help the Tigers score a big win over Mansfield. Eric LeBlanc and Sam Stevens added two goals each in the win.
Milford, 3 @ North Attleboro, 17 – Final – For Milford, Josh Ligor, Andrew Gallagher, and Mike Demko each scored once while Cullen Burns recorded an assist.
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Canton, 15 – Final – Caroline Tourgee had four goals, Molly Colburn scored three goals and had a pair of assists, and Maggie Connolly had two goals and four assists for the Bulldogs. Leah McClellan and Kaitlyn Goyetch each added two goals and an assist, while Alexa Maffeo scored once and had a pair of helpers. Rachel Beatty scored once for Canton and Vicky Revanche made 12 saves in the Bulldogs net.
Taunton, 2 @ King Philip, 19 – Final – KP used nine different goal scorers to put an end to it two-game losing streak. Alli Meehan (one assist), Caroline Klim, Mackenzie Mazur, and Ali Wilson all recorded hat tricks for the Warriors, while Jess Sullivan scored a pair. Izzy Agricola, Jenna Hitchen (one assist), Olivia Tormey, and Dana Truini also scored for KP.
Sharon, 8 @ Foxboro, 19 – Final – Sabrina Robbins and Emma Eberhardt both had hat tricks for Sharon in the loss. Robbins added eight draw controls, while Eberhardt also had two assists and four draw controls. Maxine Gordon and Abbi Solomon scored the other goals for the Eagles and Taylor Kim scooped four ground balls.
Franklin, 15 @ North Andover, 10 – Final
Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final – The Hornets won for the second time in three days to get back to .500 on the season and move into a third-place tie with OA in the Kelley-Rex division. Mansfield had six different goal scorers in the game, led by Katy Garvin’s six and Maggie Danehy’s four. Hannah Sternburg made six saves in the Mansfield goal.
North Attleboro, 15 @ Milford, 2 – Final – North Attleboro had its passing game working on Wednesday, getting an assist on all 15 of its goals. Freshman Maggie O’Brien notched her first varsity goal in the win and also had four assists on the day. Julia Tolfa chipped in with six draw controls for the Rocketeers.
Boys Tennis
Milford, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Attleboro swept doubles play and picked up one win in singles to get a win over visiting Milford. Jared Cooper won 6-3, 6-1 at third singles while the team of Ryan Gordon and Estrada won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and Luis Sandoval and Eli Araujo didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Milford’s Brendan Shaughnessy won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles and classmate Cam Doherty took a 7-5, 6-3 decision at second singles.
Canton, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton picked up its second straight win by sweeping visiting Sharon, taking all three singles matches in straight sets without dropping a game. Francois Hennaux (first singles), Brett Beaulieu (second singles) and Mike Briggs (third singles) all won 6-0, 6-0. The team of Charlie Fiske and Dylan Kulas won 6-3, 6-2 at first doubles while Kyle Dennehy and Alex Pugh prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 10-1 at second doubles.
Foxboro, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final
Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin’s doubles teams combined to drop just one game total in a sweep over visiting Stoughton. Tony Calderone and Derek Wu won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles while Shournik Sompally and Saket Gandham won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles. Rohan Herur won 7-5, 6-3 at first singles, Liam Marr dropped just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles, and Tyler DiPalma won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles.
Sharon, 3 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – King Philip pushed Sharon to the edge but the Eagles prevailed, keeping their lengthy league win streak alive. Senior Andre Olivei won 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 at first singles and sophomore Alberto Olivei recorded a 6-2, 6-3 win at third singles. Sharon’s third win came from Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan, who won 6-4, 6-2 at second doubles. King Philip’s Nick Putney won 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (4) at second singles and the team of Sean Desrochers and Nate Ihley picked up a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) win at first doubles.
North Attleboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – North Attleboro swept singles play in straight sets and took another win in doubles play to record a win on the road at Mansfield. Richard Bermudez won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Christian Bermudez notched a 6-2, 6-0 win at second singles and freshman Jonah Manso took care of business with a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. North’s second doubles teams of Alex Pfeffer and Sam Gallagher won 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles. Mansfield’s Jalaj Singh and Sethu Odayappan won 6-3, 7-5 at first doubles.
Girls Tennis
Taunton, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Taunton’s first doubles pairing of McKenzie Lucie and Samantha Martin overcame a one-set deficit to record the third and final point to help the Tigers beat Canton. Lucie and Martin won 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 while Taunton’s second doubles team of Amanda Pugh and Brianna Fevrier won 6-0, 6-3 at second doubles. Freshman Jocelyn Pagliuca won 6-4, 6-3 at third singles for Taunton. Canton freshman Natalie Keppler won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and classmate Rachel Kupferman didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles.
Attleboro, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro’s Sophia Prinos and Pamela Nelson won their singles matches in straight sets to help the Warriors earn a victory. Prinos won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Nelson notched a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Kayla Prag emerged with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 win at third singles. The Warriors’ team of Sarah Prag and Julia Muise won 6-1, 5-7, 11-9 while Olivia Dantona and Kendall Millender recorded a 6-1, 6-4 win at second doubles.
Franklin, 4 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final
King Philip, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon picked up a pair of wins in singles play and two more in doubles to get a win over King Philip. Nupur Shukla won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles while Lulu Yuan emerged with a 6-1, 6-2 win at second singles. Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-2, 6-1 at first singles and Sophia Fein and Rithika Neti recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win at second doubles.
Mansfield, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro swept singles play, taking all three matches in straight sets, to defend home court against Mansfield. Jordan Willis won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Emily Chiasson took a 6-4, 6-0 decision at second singles, and Azka Siddiq didn’t lose a game in a win at third singles. North’s team of Leah Marceau and Tara Nair won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles. Mansfield’s first doubles team of Tessa Garufi and Hannah Podolske won 5-7, 6-4, 10-7 for the Hornets.
Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 @ St. John’s Shrewsbury, 1 – Final
Taunton, 3 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton went on the road and returned with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-17) win over New Bedford. Lens Esquil notched 11 kills and four blocks, Collin Hunter added five kills and four blocks, Malik Charles chipped in with four kills and a pair of blocks, and Alex Tavares notched four kills and a block. Freshman Tyler Stewart recorded his first two career kills in the win.
Baseball
Mansfield, 9 @ Attleboro 2 – Final – Mansfield struck for five runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back on the road at Attleboro. Senior Tyler Dalton earned the win on the mound, striking out six in five innings of work with three hits and two runs allowed. Jake Gerraughty and Justin Pena each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Kyle Moran (RBI), Dan Saraceno, and Kevin Dow (three RBI) each had two hits apiece to pace the Mansfield offense.
Canton, 7 @ Norwood, 9 – Final
Foxboro, 1 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Stoughton edged Foxboro in a pitchers duel between Zak Paquette (S) and Steve McLaughlin (F). Paquette allowed just one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in a complete game effort. McLaughlin allowed two runs in over five innings of work for the Warriors. George Currier (2-for-3) came up with the big hit for Stoughton, connecting on a two-strike, two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning.
Franklin, 1 @ Walpole, 0 – Final – Franklin senior Jake Noviello dazzled in a complete game effort, helping the Panthers pick up a 1-0 win. Noviello blanked the Rebels through seven innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six. Franklin’s lone run came off the bat of James Leofanti, scoring classmate Steve Luttazi (2-for-3) on a sacrifice fly. Jake Macchi and Jack Nally also had two hits for the Panthers.
North Attleboro, 8 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – North Attleboro turned a pitchers’ duel into an impressive with behind a big fifth inning. The Rocketeers pushed eight runs across in the fifth inning, all with two outs. Big Red loaded the bases (Nick Sinacola single, Zach DeMattio walk, Nate Pearce walk) to get things started. Nolan Buckley had a two-run single, Aidan Harding (4-for-4) knocked in a run with an infield single, Sinacola (4-for-5) got back up and plated two with a single and Jeff Gale capped the scoring with a two-run single. Sinacola got the win on the mound, throwing a complete game with 10 strikeouts and just two walks. He had a no-hitter through four innings of play.
Sharon, 1 vs. Archbishop Williams, 6 – Final
Taunton, 6 vs. Durfee, 5 – Final – Taunton scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to knot the score at five and scored the game-winning run an inning later to stay unbeaten so far this season. Christian Simoes (two RBI), Tyler Medeiros (two hits), and Jack Moynihan (two hits) all had RBIs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Trevor Pietrzyk (two hits) drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Medeiros earned the win on the mound, striking out five with six hits allowed in six innings. Josh Lajoie pitched a scoreless seventh inning to record the save.
Milford, 2 vs. Concord-Carlisle, 3 – Final
Softball
Foxboro, 2 @ Stoughton, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Foxboro opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning but Stoughton answered with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead and never look back. The Black Knights added single runs in each the second, third, and fourth innings and then exploded for eight runs in the fifth to get the win. Gina Carafa (three doubles) and Nikki Cappola (two doubles) each finished with four hits and three RBI to pace the Stoughton offense. Lexi Baptista and Bri Ferrandiz each had two RBI as well. Hannah Davis had two hits for Foxboro, including the 100th of her career. Carafa got the win in the circle, striking out eight with three hits and two walks allowed in five innings of work.
Franklin, 1 @ Taunton, 14 – Final (5 inn.) – The Tigers scored in four of the five innings of play in a big win over visiting Franklin. Jaime Brown (three runs), Liana Duarte (three RBI), Mackenzie Handrahan (two RBI) and Kelsey White (two runs) each recorded two hits for Taunton while Payton Ceglarski chipped in with a pinch-hit two-run home run and Rylie Murphy had a pinch-hit two-run single. Jaylin Couto struck out three with four hits allowed in four innings of work. Alexis White recorded three strikeouts in one inning of relief. Ally Shea went 2-for-3 for the Panthers. Kylie Bouzan knocked in courtesy runner Maggie Hobby in the fourth inning for Franklin’s run.
King Philip, 16 @ Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final – King Philip’s offense roared to life, belting out 16 hits in a big win on the road at Bishop Feehan. Hailey McCasland and Jessica Bonner (three RBI) each had three hits for the Warriors while Marjorie Guerrier, Meghan Gorman (three RBI), Brooke Taute, and Sydney Phillips each had two hits. Bonner put the Warriors ahead, 8-6, with a hit in the top of the sixth inning. Faith Turnese allows just one hit in three innings of relief work to earn the win.
Milford, 11 vs. Hopkinton, 2 – Final – Milford’s offense continued to roll, putting up 11 runs against neighboring Hopkinton. Jess Tomaso had a big day at the plate with three hits, including a home run and a double, whiling knocking in four runs and scoring once. Kelley Reichert went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and earned the win in the circle, striking out six without allowing an earned run in five innings of work. Kate Irwin (double, stolen base), Emily Piergustavo (RBI, run), Emily Hartman (double), and Shannon Cormier (double, two runs) each had two hits for the Hawks.
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Coyle & Cassidy, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Kayla Georgeu was 2-3 with a single and an RBI double while Abbi Holmes and Colleen Larson both had RBIs as well. Lexie Campbell (1-4), Caroline Mahoney (1-3) and Katie Mills (1-2) all scored runs for OA.
Mansfield 13, @ Needham, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Sarah Cahill struck out seven and allowed only one hit as the Hornets starter and Felicity McMullin struck out one in relief. Mansfield started well with a run in the first before breaking the game open by scoring five runs in each of the second and third innings and adding a pair in the fourth. Caty DeMassi went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Kerran Holmes went 2-for-2 with an RBI. The Hornets also got hits from Kara Bendanillo, Megan Letendre, Mady Bendanillo, Grace Benton, and Mary Muldoon.
Boys Lacrosse
Stoughton, 1 @ Canton, 16 – Final – Canton jumped out to a quick start, building an 11-1 lead by halftime. The Bulldogs had nine different scorers including first-career goals from senior Brian Ghostlaw and sophomore Tommy Ghostlaw. Freshman Dylan Coyne had a shutout in net in the fourth quarter for Canton.
Milford, 16 @ Northbridge, 5 – Final – Milford freshman Jack LeBlanc was impressive at the face off X in his first varsity game, winning 8-of-13 attempts to help the Hawks pick up the win. Brendan White (five goals) and Andrew Gallagher (two goals, four assists) paced the offense while Ryan Hazard had a strong all-around game with four goals and five ground balls.
Oliver Ames, 20 @ Milton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames received strong defensive efforts from Shane Murphy, Matt Saba, and Mark Vasapollo to help goalie Nick Gillis record a shutout on the road against Milton. Owen Gallagher paced the offense with six goals while Eric LeBlanc added three tallies.
Girls Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 19 – Final – Emalyn Duvall, Chloe Kilkelly, Ella Hogan, Olivia Piazza and Sofia Masciarelli all tallied points for OA while Ariana Waldorf had a strong game in net. Maggie Connolly scored four goals for the Bulldogs and Vicki Revenge stepped in as the back-up goalie to make 11 saves in the loss.
Mansfield vs. Watertown, 12:00
Milford vs. Ashland, 12:30
Sharon, 8 @ Hopkinton, 13 – Final – Sabrina Robbins scored four goals and grabbed five ground balls for Sharon and Emma Eberhardt added a hat trick of goals, four assists, and six draw controls. Jenna Goldstein scored Sharon’s other goal and Bridget McManus led the Eagles defense with an interception and three ground balls.
Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final
Girls Tennis
Mansfield, 3 vs. Norton, 2 – Final – Mansfield notched two wins in singles play and one in doubles to pick up a non-league win over Norton. The team of juniors Tessa Garufi and Hannah Podolske had the game of the match, earning a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6) win at first doubles for the Hornets. Senior Sarah Doyle won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles while junior Elizabeth Elsner recorded a 6-4, 6-3 decision at second singles.
Baseball
Sharon, 0 @ Weymouth, 1 – Final – Sharon limited Weymouth to just one hit but could only muster one hit itself in a loss on the road. Junior starting pitcher Noah Kamens struck out six in five innings of work while senior Ben Schwartz pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning.
Foxboro, 1 vs. Medway, 16 – Final
North Attleboro @ Bishop Feehan – Postponed to Wednesday, 4/18 at 3:30.
Stoughton, 4 vs. Brockton, 10 – Final – Stoughton’s James Genest and Robbie Seaman each had three hits, while George Currier added a pair of hits for the Black Knights.
Taunton, 15 @ Coyle & Cassidy, 4 – Final
Softball
Sharon @ Norwood – Postponed to TBA.
Boys Lacrosse
Foxboro, 12 vs. Falmouth, 4 – Final
King Philip, 7 @ Medway, 11 – Final
Mansfield, 8 vs. Scituate, 15 – Final
North Attleboro, 8 vs. Silver Lake, 7 – Final
Oliver Ames, 20 vs. Bellingham, 6 – Final – Oliver Ames’ offense exploded for 20 goals in a win over Bellingham. Sam Stevens led the way with four goals while Eric LeBlanc and Owen Gallagher chipped in with three apiece. Nick Gillis had a solid game in net for the Tigers.
Sharon, 2 @ Shrewsbury, 6 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
Medfield, 7 @ Franklin, 6 – Final
North Attleboro, 7 @ King Philip, 8 – Final (OT) – King Philip’s Caroline Klim scored 44 seconds into the overtime period to give the Warriors a come-from-behind win over North Attleboro in a non-league clash. Klim scored on a restart with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 7-7. King Philip, which improved to 5-0, overcame a 4-1 deficit at halftime.
Boys Tennis
King Philip, 3 @ Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – The shorthanded King Philip Warriors picked up an impressive win over Bishop Feehan to move to 4-0. Junior Zak Ryan stepped up into singles play and won 6-4, 6-1 at third singles, Nick Ihley and Nate Ihley earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at first doubles and juniors Jake Mager and Tyler Dowd picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Stoughton, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro defended home court with a clean sweep of the visiting Black Knights. Sophia Prinos (6-0, 6-0), Kayla Prag (6-2, 6-1) and Pamela Nelson (6-0, 6-0) swept singles play for Foxboro. Julia Muise and Sarah Prag (6-4, 6-0) and Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender (6-2, 6-1) both won at doubles for the Warriors.
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.”
