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Whitman-Hanson baseball streaking as it enters key matchup

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Photo by: Sue Moss

First place in the Patriot League Keenan Division is up for grabs tomorrow as the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team kicks off a four-game week with a home contest against Plymouth North.

Three weeks ago, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning against Plymouth North, only to have the Blue Eagles put up five runs — three of which were unearned — as they handed the Panthers their first loss of the season, 8-3.

“We kicked a couple of balls on the turf that we haven’t kicked since,” W-H head coach Pat Cronin said. 

The setback occurred after an 11-day layoff due to the weather, which came off the heels of W-H opening the season 2-0. Since then, the Panthers have not lost and sit with a record of 9-1 overall and in the Patriot League as they prepare for a rematch with Keenan Division foe Plymouth North (11-2, 9-1) tomorrow. 

Set to toe the rubber for the Panthers tomorrow is junior captain Rian Schwede, who sports a 3-1 record and 1.84 ERA. Schwede excited the earlier game against Plymouth North with a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. 

“He’s clearly established himself as the ace, and that game got away from us down there in Plymouth,” Cronin said. 

Schwede’s emergence as the ace came after 2017 Patriot League Keenan Division MVP James Dolan exited W-H’s second game of the season — against Plymouth South — with tendentious. Dolan, who boasted a 6-1 mark and 0.35 ERA over 40 1-3 innings last spring, hasn’t thrown since, which makes the Panthers’ 9-1 start even more of a surprise to Cronin. 

“Given that we lose the MVP, one of the best pitchers in the league to start, anyone who evaluates it and access it has to say this is really remarkable,” Cronin said of his team’s record. “So, I am thrilled but also I live with these guys now.” 

Also logging some significant innings for the Panthers have been seniors Korey Howard (1-0, 1.97 ERA, 10 2-3 IP), Jason Green (2-0, 1.50, 14), and junior Ethan Phelps (2-0, 0.44, 16). 

“I know what they’re capable of and having coached a long time you can project into the future what is their possibilities — what is possible if they work hard, so on the other side they never really surprise me either,” Cronin said. 

At the plate, senior Ryan Sawtelle is hitting at a .407 clip to pace the Panthers. 

“He’s another guy that’s been there for three years with us and he’s worked his way through” Cronin said. 

The Panthers’ most recent victory (3-0 over Hingham last Thursday) marked their seventh victory in an eight-day span. Other victories came over Quincy (13-1 on May 2), Pembroke (6-0 on May 3), Hanover (3-2 on May 4), Duxbury (5-2 on May 5), North Quincy (7-5 on May 7) and Silver Lake (11-2 on May 9).

“What I did this week is when I got to Friday and I got up in the morning and I was tired Friday morning,” Cronin explained. “Seven games in nine days and I was tired and I’m saying — If I’m tired and I’m coaching, these kids are taking AP exams last week, they have National Honor Society, I said, ’It’s a beautiful day, give them Friday off, give them Saturday off, let all the arms recover.’”

Cronin said keeping his players fresh and not overworked is a constant battle for him. 

“You have to find ways and I get torn because old school says work ‘em, work ‘em, work ‘em,” Cronin said. “These kids are so busy that if they’re playing well — I learned that from my old football coach here at Whitman-Hanson, Bob Tan — I mean we hardly ran any conditioning because we were undefeated, and if you’re successful, keep them fresh and keep them enjoying the game so I don’t know if I’m always right, but I’m always trying anyway.”

Cronin said he tries to keep his practices in the range of an hour and a half to at most two hours during the heart of the season.

“One day I could see we were a little tense, I brought in 20 pizzas into the dugout and I called them in and I had them go to my car and get the pizzas and they go crazy for food,” Cronin said. “You have to do things like that. We bring them in and had some pizza and then they did a little 10 minutes of work and I sent them home. We’ll play a little bunting game out here, we try to compete and have fun in games when we can.”

After tomorrow’s tilt with Plymouth North (4 p.m.), W-H will travel to Brockton to play the Boxers (9-3) on Tuesday, before returning to league play as it visits Duxbury (5-4, 4-4) on Wednesday and hosts Quincy (2-9, 0-8) on Thursday.

“It’s four games and we’ve set up the pitching pretty much the same way that we did it the first time, fortunately we’ve been through a four-game week,” Cronin said. “As I told the kids, ‘We’re going out there and just do it the same way.’” 

Life’s ‘a little crazy,’ but Ethan Phelps thrives on it

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Ethan Phelps delivers to the plate in a May 4 3-2 win over Hanover. / Photo by: Sue Moss

It’s been a hectic few months for Ethan Phelps, a junior two-sport athlete at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

It was directly after the conclusion of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team’s 7-5 victory over North Quincy on Monday, Ethan Phelps — still in uniform after knocking in the game-winning run — hurried up to the high school to write teacher appreciation notes as part of his National Honor Society duties. That is just a glimpse into what has been a jam-packed few months for the junior.

On Saturday, it was much of the same for Phelps, who roams center field for the Panthers. After taking the SATs in the morning, it was straight to the baseball field for an afternoon tilt against Duxbury.

“It’s been hectic,” Phelps said. “I mean, I’m absorbing all of it and taking all of it in, I’m really enjoying it, but yeah it’s been a little crazy.”

For Phelps, it’s a good busy that stems from his dedication on and off the field as a multi-sport athlete.

It was at the outset of his sophomore year when Phelps was in a quarterback battle to assume the reins under center for the W-H football team. Since then, he has accounted for 56 touchdowns and helped guide the Panthers to back-to-back playoff berths.

“Ethan is an incredible dedicated student-athlete,” W-H football head coach Mike Driscoll said. “What everyone sees on the field is also what you get in the classroom, a student who gives it his all and is not satisfied with anything but the best possible result.”

His talent on the gridiron — which has been assisted by hours of work in the weight room — along with his 4.2 GPA, are two traits that landed Phelps the MIAA Student-Athlete of the Month Award in November. They’ve also earned him some high-level college football visits.

All within a two-month span, Phelps toured Williams College and Bryant University, along with Ivy League schools Dartmouth and Harvard.

“I’m leaning towards academics,” Phelps said of what he’s looking for in a school. “I’d rather use football to get into an even better academic school.”

On the diamond, Phelps and the Panthers are in the midst of the heart of their season, fresh off a five-game week that began April 30.

Phelps took the ball last Friday for his first career start and hurled eight innings of two-run ball as W-H knocked off Hanover, 3-2. Phelps tossed 83 pitches — 67 for strikes — in the extra-innings win.

“He throws gas,” W-H baseball head coach Pat Cronin said. “He’s got untapped speed and easy power. He’s such a gamer, he wants it badly. I’m glad he’s on our side.”

The next week doesn’t get any less chaotic for Phelps, with three advanced placement exams, a college visit to Middlebury and four baseball game on his docket.

“In the classroom, I obviously want to maintain my grades,” Phelps said. “Then, on the baseball field I think all of us will come together and maybe make a state championship run.”

A career to cheer about: W-H alum McCormack takes reins of Marshfield High cheerleading

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Kayla McCormack, right, is seen with a former coach Kailyn Getchell of Whitman. / Courtesy photo

Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Kayla McCormack (’12) has been named the head coach of Marshfield High’s cheerleading team.

Kayla McCormack has spent much of her life in the sport of cheerleading, learning every step of the way, thus priming her for her newest position.

McCormack, a 2012 Whitman-Hanson Regional High graduate, was recently named head cheerleading coach at Marshfield High.

“I’m really excited, I can’t wait to get started,” she said.

McCormack began cheerleading in third grade and quickly came to the decision it was the right sport for her as it mixed two of her favorite activities.

“I did gymnastics growing up and my mom was a gymnastics coach,” McCormack explained. “I liked the tumbling aspect and I also liked doing dance, so it was like the perfect combination.”

While at W-H, McCormack was a four-year varsity cheerleader and helped the Panthers to three state titles (fall of 2008 and 2011, winter of 2011) and a national crown (2010). She captained the team her senior season.

McCormack also served as an assistant coach at the youth level during her time at W-H. It was in the capacity that she developed even more of a fire for the sport.

“I kind of learned my passion for it a little more,” she said. “It helped me realize that I like helping other people who share the same passion.”

McCormack then went on to Quinnipiac University, where she captained its acrobatics and tumbling team, earning NCATA All-America honors. McCormack’s time there was a major stepping-stone for her.

“I think Quinnipiac helped me a lot, growing up a lot being away at college and learning to be on my own,” McCormack said. “As I got older there, I helped the incoming freshman and the underclassman kind of adjust – adjust to college and adjust to being on a Division I sports team.”

After graduating from Quinnipiac in the spring of 2016, McCormack’s next stop was a return to her high school alma mater. McCormack served as an assistant coach on the W-H cheerleading team for the 2016-17 school year, putting the skill set she had been developing over the years to use.

“I helped them out a lot with their tumbling and I was kind of just there to assist the head coach,” she explained. “[I] helped them with their technique and all of the things that I’d learned from Quinnipiac.”

The Panthers claimed their first national title in four years during McCormack’s 10-month stint.

Her ties to the Marshfield cheerleading program stem from her time working as a tumbling instructor at a nearby gym, Cheer Essentials, a post she began in 2010.

“I believe I’ve learned a lot from coaching in the past,” McCormack explained. “I worked with Marshfield because they would come into my gym sometimes and have practices there. So, I know a lot of girls. I know what the program has kind of done in the past and I just think I have a lot of knowledge about cheerleading that I can help them be really successful because they have a lot of talent.”

As for what McCormack learned at W-H that she will try to implement at Marshfield, she replied, “How to work really hard and efficiently.”

A visit with W-H’s new cheer coach Alyssa Hayes

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Alyssa Hayes, a Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum, has been named the school’s head cheerleading coach.

Alyssa Hayes, recently appointed head coach of Whitman-Hanson Regional High’s cheerleading team, shared her opinion on what makes the program so special and how she aims to continue its legacy.

After the resignation of the previous head coach in February, Hayes was one of three coaches who stepped in and helped guide the program to its 13th state title.

Hayes, a 2012 graduate of W-H, is in her first year as an English teacher and head coach of the boys’ tennis team at the school.

Q: When did you first get involved in cheerleading?

A: “I’ve been in the world of cheerleading probably since I was about 4 years old as a mascot cheering on my little sister, they actually made me my own uniform. This was right in Hanson Youth Cheer.”

Q: What do you find most fascinating about cheerleading?

A: “The ability to have so much skill within one sport. All sports are difficult and I think cheerleading is such an individual sport and such a team sport all at once, which I think is really impressive. You need every single person on that team in order to make that routine successful.”

Q: When somebody says “cheerleading”, what are the first three words that come into your mind?

A: “Perseverance, team- work and motivation.”

Q: When did you begin coaching cheerleading?

A: “I’ve cheered my whole life, and then when I moved up to the high school I started coaching at the youth level, along with cheering at Whitman-Hanson. Then my senior year of high school I added the role of choreographer to my coaching and started actually helping to create the routines for Hanson Youth, and then I never stopped coaching all through college.”

Q: Being an English teacher, do you see any parallels between that role and coaching?

A: “Absolutely, there are so many. I think coaching is actually what got me into teaching because you have to show up for the kids and you have to be consistent and give them a sense of a routine. Otherwise, they don’t know what to expect. Kids need consistency. If you don’t have that you’re not going to have a successful classroom, you’re not going to have a successful sports team.”

Q: What, if anything, did you change with the program when you came on board?

A: “I think last year my biggest thing was teamwork and positivity. Looking at the future, I’d love to build the numbers back up, I’d love to have another JV team and maybe even a freshman team if we can get the numbers that high. When I was here, we had upwards of 40 kids, so I think building numbers is always a great thing.”

Q: What was so special about that roughly month-and-a-half experience you had coaching this team in the winter?

A: “Coming back to Whitman-Hanson was a blessing in itself. But, then just all the adversity I saw those girls face first hand, and just handle with grace and motivation and never take a step backwards. They just continued to push forward and continued to get better and work together and I think that’s really special.”

Q: Is there anything specific you learned from your cheerleaders last winter that helped you develop as a coach?

A: “I think you learn from every team you coach, every team is different. One thing that was special about last season was some of the flexibilitythat I gave the girls because I was coming in mid-season so a lot of it was learning through them, learning what their typical day was like. I think that was the first time in my coaching that I had to step back a little bit and see what they already had at hand, what they were already used to. Then, we kind of made a new consistency together, which for me was a really unique experience as a coach.”

Q: What is it that makes this Whitman-Hanson cheerleading program so special?

A: “A lot of people ask me that and I often ask myself that. It’s been such a strong and successful and special program for so long and I think it’s just the heart. We’ve got a great program and we’ve got kids that just consistently care about the program.”

Q: What are your goals for the program?

A: “I absolutely want to build numbers. Like I said, I’d love to have a JV and a varsity team. Not only two teams, but two decent size teams where we can get as many girls on there as we can and maybe even the potential for co-ed, you never know. And I also want to continue to build that legacy, continue to build the Whitman-Hanson cheerleading name while also giving these kids a special experience. There’s absolutely nothing like your four years of high school sports.”

Q: Finally, is it safe to say this is your dream job?

A: “Without a doubt.”

Julian Eastern Nazarene’s net gain: Halle Julian commits to play volleyball

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Whitman-Hanson Regional High School senior Halle Julian has committed to play volleyball at Eastern Nazarene College.

“For a while I was down to the top four and within the past two months I made it down to the top two decisions and it was very difficult for me to finally choose one,” Julian said. “But, over April break I went back to both of them and at Eastern Nazarene I met most of the girls on the team and just the way everyone interacted with each other, it felt like such a close community that I really wanted to be a part of. Just being there, it felt like the right fit for me.”

Julian was a three-year starter at middle hitter for the Panthers. Julian, who first began playing competitive volleyball her freshman season, is the school’s all-time leader in blocks (316) on record. During her junior campaign, she led the state in blocks with 124, helping to lead W-H to its second straight tournament appearance.

“[Eastern Nazarene] is getting the whole package,” first-year W-H girls’ volleyball head coach Ashley Balbian said. “They’re getting an energetic player, someone who’s really passionate about sports. It seems like she lives, breathes and eats volleyball.”

This past season, in what was her third on varsity, Julian assumed the role of co-captain, leading her team in a variety of community service projects.

“She puts it all into everything she does, as far as academics and school,” Balbian explained. “She’s the one going the extra mile, organizing the T-shirts, bringing the snacks or whatever it might be. She’s the full package.”

In her role as co-captain, Julian served as a mentor to the younger players in the program and would often take the time during practice to lead the junior varsity and freshman teams in a specific drill.

“I love working with the younger girls, it’s so interesting to see how willing they are to learn and open to trying new things,” Julian said. “I really think that helped me develop as a leader, especially seeing the girls before me do it, and I want to be like them, and it’s always been great.”

Julian’s work with the younger players shined during the Panthers’ final contest of the season, a 3-1 win over Bridgewater-Raynham.

“In that game specifically, I remember the first set I played mostly seniors and starters,” Balbian explained. “And then the second set, I put in a lot of those girls that she had been working with, a lot of the girls who had come up from JV. So, to be able to see the seniors and the really experienced varsity players start off the game and then to have those other girls kind of step into their shoes, and still win, was great to see. It was like seeing them kind of pass the torch on.”

Julian said her fondest memory on the court at W-H came during her sophomore campaign, when the program qualified for the postseason for the first time in recent memory.

“[Making the tournament] was the first time I realized how important [volleyball] is to everybody else and how important this is to me,” she said. “It was just incredible to see how everyone else reacted. It just helped me learn how to make a difference.”

Eastern Nazarene, which competes in the Commonwealth Coast Conference of NCAA Division III, finished 11-19 last season.

“Right now, I’m on an elite team and we have the championships coming up for the whole thing and I think it would be really great if we can finish really well in that,” Julian said.

Brain Marathon effort aided therapy horse program

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Courtesty photo

Rebecca Brain of Hanson ran the 2018 Boston Marathon for Ironstone Farm in Andover.

When Rebecca Brain second-guessed running the Boston Marathon or contemplated stopping nearly midway through the race, she got the extra motivation she needed to persist — one way or another.

The 23-year old Brain was one of two runners representing Ironstone Farm, a working farm in Andover that provides beneficial therapy using horses for people with a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. After applying to a bevy of charities in November, Brain was selected as one of Ironstone’s runners in February after a visit to the farm.

“Seeing the farm itself definitely made it more real and more exciting when I found out they had accepted me to run,” Brain explained. “When they called me after I visited and told me they would love to have me run, it was super exciting. I went and told my mom and all that and I went for a run that day too, and I think I just smiled the entire run.”

It’s a cause that touches close to home for the Hanson native.

“I’ve had family members with Down syndrome,” Brain said. “My aunt had breast cancer, my grandfather had cancer. I have family members who could have definitely utilized their organization.”

With the Boston Marathon less than two months away at the time, Brain had to kick her training — which consisted of hill climbs in Newton on Tuesdays and longer runs in Boston on Saturdays — into full gear. Brain felt ready to go, but things changed when she looked at the weather forecast.

“I was talking to my mom the Saturday before and I was just really, really nervous about everything and the weather conditions were getting me down,” Brain explained.

So, what kept her going?

“Sunday before the race I went for the last quick run just keep my muscles loose and in my head I was thinking these people who utilize Ironstone, they have a lifetime of struggles,” Brain said, “so I can have an uncomfortable five-hour run ahead of me and in those five hours I can experience sort of the daily struggles that these other people go through.”

The day of the Boston Marathon was something Brain could have never imagined. Frigid winds and torrential downpours put a damper on her 4:30 finishing goal. At mile 15, she nearly quit.

“I was just in a pretty rare state and my mom, my aunt, my grandmother and a bunch of other family members were waiting for me right at the Welcome to Newton sign,” Brain said, “right at mile 16 and my uncle was there with them and he ran in 2003 or 2004 [and] he jumped in with me and ran until the Newton firehouse and he was super motivational and was like, ‘You got this, you got this.’

“That was a super important time because I was really feeling it at mile 15 and wanted to be done, but he pushed me to keep me going.”

Brain finished in 5:10.14. More importantly, she has raised about $5,000 thus far for Ironstone Farm.

“I would love to be able to do it again, especially for Ironstone,” Brain said. “I definitely want to keep running more marathons. I joked the other day that I want to run a marathon in every state so I think that’s my very long goal ahead of me. But definitely Boston comes first, I’d love to be able to run many more Boston Marathons and hopefully qualify one day.”

To donate to Brain’s Ironstone fundraiser, visit: https://challengeunlimitedironstone.causevox.com/rebeccabrain.

They’re armed and ready: Josselyn brothers join forces at Bridgewater State

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Colin (top) and Matt (bottom) Josselyn. / Courtesy photos: Bridgewater State University Sports Information Office

Brothers Colin, a junior, and Matt Josselyn, a freshman, both of Hanson, joined together to play baseball for Bridgewater State University this season.

When freshman Matt Josselyn of Hanson decided he no longer wanted to attend the University of New Hampshire, he knew right where he wanted to go. With his brother Colin, a junior, attending Bridgewater State University, it seemed like the perfect fit.

“He had a big impact just to go somewhere where I was more comfortable and had a way in at the school, with my brother being there, was very influential,” Matt, who transferred to the school this semester, said of his older brother.

The move certainty grew their relationship, which already was close.

“He’s over almost every day to play video games and relax,” Colin said of Matt.

Not only do they share the same couch and television on occasion, but they rep the same Bears uniform out on the diamond as well, and it’s been a special season for them both.

The brothers — despite their ties — didn’t get to play much competitive baseball at all growing up together due to the near two-year age gap. All they had was a season of fall ball and a summer of Legion ball together, and Matt wasn’t ready to advance to the varsity level at Whitman-Hanson Regional High until after Colin graduated.

“Being able to work together at it is something we had never really done,” Colin explained. “We played catch all through the summer and a little bit in the fall, and now him standing next to me on the foul line playing catch everyday has definitely grown our relationship a little more.”

Bridgewater State head coach Rick Smith said having the Josselyn brothers — who are both pitchers — on his club adds a sense of family in the team dynamic, and he likes it.

“It’s always good to have a brother combination because one looks out for the other,” Smith said. “Right away I could notice Colin was kind of taking Matthew under his wing and making sure Matthew was adjusting well.”

For Colin, last year was tough as he suffered a season-ending labrum tear in his throwing shoulder before the Bears’ annual season-opening trip to Florida. In his return to the bump this season — which came March 6 against Eastern Nazarene — he was lifted after 5.2 innings. With a runner on second base and two outs, there was a call to the bullpen for his younger brother Matt.

“I thought it was pretty amazing,” Matt said of what was his first collegiate appearance. “I don’t think I’ve ever pitched on the same mound that he has ever in my life. So, it was pretty special to come in and I know it was pretty special for our parents to watch that of him handing the reins and putting his confidence in me to continue pitching a great game, which he did before me.”

Colin said when he saw his younger brother warming up between innings, he tried to give him a jolt of confidence.

“I just said, ‘Hitters aren’t as good as you think they are. I know it’s college and they’re probably a little better [because] your above-average high school players are playing in college. But, you’re an above-average high school pitcher so just go out and do you,’’’ Colin said.

Matt fired 1.1 scoreless frames in relief.

“It was very cool to watch and early in the year I kind of tried to play on it,” Bridgewater State pitching coach Josh White said. “And I said to Colin, ‘Listen, your brother is going to pick you up right here.’ And we tried to use that as a motivational thing and it was pretty cool to watch though and it’s something I’ve never seen.”

Colin said he’s used his little brother as motivation for some time now.

“In the competitive spirit of it, since I’ve been in college, I’ve always heard stories of him excelling at the high school level,” Colin said, “so it made me try harder to have my parents go back from my game and say, ‘Hey, Colin looked good today too.’ Just because of that little brother competitive rivalry aspect, so it kind of propelled me to work harder and it also helped him.”

Having an older brother who grew up as a talented baseball player certainty had its benefits to Matt.

“I think he definitely has [made me a better player],” Matt said. “I saw him when I was in middle school and through high school [where] he was a three-year varsity player and I knew I wasn’t as good as him, but I always tried to be as good as him, so to finally get my chance and play on the same team as him, it’s pretty cool.”

Since that outing, both Colin and Matt have seen action in three games apiece and shared the hill April 11 against Curry.

“It is pretty cool,” Colin said. “For him, I think he gets to see a familiar face. I think I get more nervous watching him pitch than he is. It’s very nice to have him around.”

Boys’ lacrosse rallies past Cardinal Spellman

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Panthers score five unanswered goals to down Cardinal Spellman for first victory of the season.

WHITMAN – It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ lacrosse team erased an early two-goal deficit Friday afternoon and notched a 12-6 win over Cardinal Spellman to earn its first victory of the spring.

“To come in here and get a victory [gets] the ship going in the right direction,” W-H head coach Rob White said. “It’s a long season, we’re nowhere near where we can be at the end of it. Against Hingham (17-2 loss), we crawled, Scituate (13-6 loss) we walked and today we ran.”

The Panthers certainly did run … away with it in the second half. After Spellman drew within, 7-6, 1:40 into the third quarter, W-H (1-2) settled down.

With 3:39 remaining in the third period, junior Ryan Downing pushed the Panthers’ lead to 8-6. Senior captain Kyle Nehiley (two goals, two assists) made it a 9-6 advantage 3:25 later with a bullet from in the crease that beat Spellman goalie Sean Berry. The Panthers were not done there.

Junior Shane Ross (two goals, two assists) – from the 21-yard line – took a feed from Nehiley and ripped one past Berry to extend the W-H lead to 10-6 with 9:21 remaining in the game. Classmate Sean Joanis (two goals, two assists) poked home a rebound with 4:04 left to extend the Panthers’ advantage to 11-6.

“Patience,” White said of the message he relayed to his team at halftime. “We have a set offense and running down and just being hurky jerky, we need to set it up and execute it and once we started doing that, the goals started to come.

With 1:09 remaining, junior Mason Gorman (three goals, two assists) capped off the scoring and a hat trick with a blast that beat Berry, making it a 12-6 final.

“He had patience, he slowed everything down,” White said of Gorman, who received player of the game. “He was instrumental in a number of clears from his position down there at attack, so he was all over the place.”

However, the Cardinals, who defeated the Panthers twice last season, looked to be on their way doing that once again, as two quick tallies in the opening 2:40 sprung them in front 2-0.

Freshman Kyle Hamilton would kick start the W-H offense at the 7:59 mark of the first quarter with his first of two goals, which was followed by back-to-back tallies from Ross and Gorman, pushing the Panthers ahead 3-2.

“Even though we were down in the beginning, everybody was up [and] looked good,” White said.

After Spellman battled back to tie it at 3-3 and then 5-5, the momentum swayed back W-H’s way. With 6:45 remaining in the second quarter, Joanis, with one hand on the stick, snagged a pass from Gorman and drilled it past Berry to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead.

Freshman Aiden McCarthy made it 7-5 in the waning seconds of the first half with an acrobatic shot that somehow found the back of the net.

W-H junior goalie Mario Troiani (22 saves) made a pair of key stops late as part to help maintain the Panthers’ offensive onslaught.

“He’s got the attitude,” White said of Troiani. “We were warming up today and someone hit him in the stomach with a shot and he wasn’t even looking and he didn’t flinch. He’s got the attitude for net. He’s got a short memory.”

The Panthers will be back in action on Thursday, April 19 at 11 a.m. as they play in an annual four-team tournament.

“We’ve got a little mini tournament coming up and then after that I’ve got 60 goals back (with the return of Jake Long and Riley White),” White said. “They were first-line middies for us the last two years, so we’re going to be even more explosive.”

Taking on the Tough Ruck challenge: Panther alum DeMinico takes on a unique marathon-length march

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Former Panther and Nittany Lion Brody DeMinico, seen in front of the Penn State mascot statue, will march 26.2 miles with a 40-pound pack to raise funds for veterans on April 14. / Courtesy photo

Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Brody DeMinico (’13), a four-year high school wrestler and boys’ lacrosse player, is marching for a cause Saturday, April 14.

Over the Old North Bridge, onto the roads of Concord and through the Minutemen Trail, Hanson resident Brody DeMinico will carry an immense weight on his shoulders.

DeMinico will participate in this year’s Tough Ruck on Saturday, April 14. The course, which commences at the historic Old Manse, is a 26.2-mile march along the Battle Road Trail in Concord. “Ruckers” also carry a rucksack, weighing a minimum of 15 pounds along the marathon, and ribbons in memory of fallen service members.

For DeMinico, his rucksack will weigh 40 pounds and he will carry a yellow ribbon to remember Army veteran, Sgt. Ryan Patrick Goggin, who lost a battle with leukemia March 31, 2017. Goggin is the late cousin of Hanson resident Robert Goggin, who reached out to DeMinico on his fundraiser page for the event in early April to wear Ryan’s name.

“It’s a huge honor to know that someone sacrificed their life so that I could do this,” DeMinico said. “It’s a huge weight on my shoulders to honor someone that fought and died for this country.”

While the Tough Ruck’s main mission is to honor fallen service members, fundraising is a key component of the event. Each “rucker” must raise up to a certain benchmark, depending on what rucksack they strive to wear, to compete in the event. DeMinico has raised just shy of $1,000 for The Wounded Warrior Project.

DeMinico himself has been a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard since 2013.

“My grandfather was in the military, so I just followed in his footsteps,” DeMinico, a 2013 Whitman-Hanson Regional High graduate, said.

It was in Pennsylvania, while studying at Penn State, and participating in its ROTC program, that DeMinico grasped the true understanding of how tough it is to lose someone in the line of duty.

“I’ve known instructors that have seen people die in front of them, and it’s just been a heavy weight knowing there are soldiers that have gotten the chance to go across the ocean in other countries and have fought for our freedom and died,” DeMinico said. “I want to deploy so I can feel the honor that they’ve had.”

The Tough Ruck will begin at 7:20 a.m. and “ruckers” have nine hours to complete the trek.

“I’m doing this for everyone that’s had a family member that’s fallen or is wounded,” DeMinico said. “I’m doing this for everyone in the Whitman-Hanson area.”

Season Preview: Boys’ lacrosse ready to rebound

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Photo by: Brian McLoughlin

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ lacrosse team is ready to put a tough 2017 behind it.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ lacrosse head coach Rob White strongly believes last season was an outlier.

Due to a whole host of different reasons the Panthers were down key pieces throughout the course of the campaign, resulting in a 5-14 record. It was the first time they had missed the tournament since White took the position in 2014.

“We lost Jake Long, one of our top players, like the fourth game in for the season – that really handicapped us,” White said. “We had a number of boys, for reasons beyond our control, were not available during games. It was a tough year last year.”

But, last season is a thing of the past. As for this spring, W-H returns a strong core of starters across the field, led by its senior captain and midfielder Kyle Nehiley, who has started since he was a freshman. Nehiley, as a captain, helped engineer the boys’ soccer team’s turnaround in the fall as well.

“I’ve spoken to him numerous times that we hope he saved some of that magic to spread here,” White said. “He’s a great kid, I’ve known Kyle and have coached Kyle since he was like 8 and I’ve seen him grow up and he’s a tribute to his parents. As good of a lacrosse player [he is], he’s an even nicer kid.”

Juniors Ryan Downing (midfielder), Mason Gorman (attack) and Sean Joanis (attack) have also been peened into the starting lineup since they joined the team.

Long’s return will also provide the Panthers with an immense boost at midfielder.

“You’re getting a league all-star back,” White said of Long. “And he was on his way to a bang up season last year when he had [about] 20 goals and he was on fire and he blew out his knee and he was done for the year. Having him back is tremendous.”

Junior defensemen Ryan Trongone and Jacob Nixon and sophomore defenseman Declan Meehan will also be relied upon heavily in front of what will be a platoon in net to replace outgoing goalie Quinn Sweeney.

“We’ve got an open competition this year between freshman Nathan Morse and junior Mario Troiani,” White explained. “We’re gonna go with the hot hand this year.”

White added that Morse has been a pleasant surprise thus far.

“[It was his] first time picking up the stick and for anybody that’s ever played lacrosse knows goaltending requires an extra gear and Nathan’s shown a fearlessness and a confidence that you need to play goalie in boys’ lacrosse,” White explained. “That ball’s coming at you 90 miles an hour and you’ve got very little protection.”

As for goals – White is cautious to set them.

“We have a one-game season,” White said. “Every game is different; every game is important. We don’t even look to the tournament.”

The Panthers, who opened the season with a 17-2 loss to defensing Division 1 state champion Hingham yesterday, will resume play Tuesday, April 10 at 4 p.m. at home against Scituate.

“We always talk about you wanna play like a man does,” White said. “You might not come out on the winning end, but you want to be able to look them in the eyes at the end of the game and he knows he played a worthy opponent regardless of the score.”