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Season Review: A championship run for boys’ basketball

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The Panthers celebrate a win at TD Garden. / Photo by: Sue Moss

This season’s boys’ basketball team earned the program’s first-ever state title.

Preparation for the state championship game was underway when Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers heard his phone ring. He had a hunch what it was going to be about.

“We just finished our film session and scouting report and we were about 15 to 20 minutes into the on-court portion of practice when I got the phone call,” Rodgers said. “I stepped out of the gym to take it and walked in and I could see the kids. We all knew it was inevitable.”

The Panthers Div. 2 state title game against Taconic was canceled. While the initial reaction was heartbreaking, Rodgers said it didn’t take long to put it into perspective.

“One thing I told the kids is to look up at the banners in the gym on that boys’ basketball league championship banner, there’s a co-champion in there,” said Rodgers, who wrapped up his 20th year on the Panthers’ bench. “Nobody knows what year it is. It’s such a great accomplishment for the kids to win our first-ever state championship. It’s not going to say co-champions, it’s going to say state champions. That’s what they are.

“We were all pretty confident we were gonna be able to complete it if we were able to play that last game.”

It’s tough to argue with that. The Panthers (25-2) hadn’t lost in nearly two and a half months and were riding a state-best 23-game winning streak.

“When I realized how good of a basketball team we were was when we were at Scituate,” Rodgers said. “Scituate was an outstanding basketball team and we played near flawless basketball and made a big statement (75-45 victory).”

One of many big statements for the Panthers, who knocked off Div. 1 contenders Brockton (75-70) and Mansfield (72-59) to win the Roundball Classic, and capped the season by getting over the hump at TD Garden with an 86-68 rout of Beverly. 

“The accomplishments of the team, to end the season with a win at the TD Garden,” Rodgers said, “so many positives we can take from it.”

The Panthers were buoyed by a balanced attack all season — led by senior captain Stevie Kelly. The Clarion University commit was a stat-sheet stuffer, recording 14 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game en route to being named Patriot League Keenan Division MVP.

“Stevie is a great story,” Rodgers said. “He was cut from the middle-school basketball team and he is somebody who has a tremendous work ethic and if he’s not good at something, he’s going to keep practicing it until he gets better at it. He’s like having another coach on the team. He’s one of the all-time best players that ever played at Whitman-Hanson.”

Many of Kelly’s assists were to fellow senior captain and Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star Ben Rice. Rice, who stands at 6-foot-7, knocked down 77 3-pointers, leading the team with 14.7 PPG to complement 5.9 RPG. 

“He just had such a passion and love for basketball and the basketball gods rewarded him by making him 6-7,” Rodgers said of Rice, who will play at Connecticut College next season. “I think he played his best basketball at the end of the season.”

Juniors Cole LeVangie (11.4 PPG, 5 RPG) and Nate Amado (13.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG) were also named Patriot League Keenan Division All-Stars. The captain-elects combined for 99 3-pointers. 

“They’re both incredible, multi-dimensional basketball players,” Rodgers said. “They can shoot it, get to the hole, they can rebound, they can handle it. They both have very similar styles of play. They’re both extremely coachable, very kind and outstanding leaders. I’m really excited about having them as the foundation for trying to continue what we’ve been having going on at Whitman-Hanson for a long time.”

Seniors Tommy Vassil (headed to play at Springfield Commonwealth Academy prep school next year) and John Zeidan were also key parts of the Panthers’ run this season. 

“I consider us to be a character-based program,” Rodgers said. “We try to be the best people we can be. Not perfect people by any means but my kids take pride that they’re role models for the younger kids in the community. They have been through the Whitman-Hanson experience as kids so they recognize the importance they have on the future of Whitman-Hanson basketball and take great pride in it. For me, that’s what makes this program special.”

Season Review: Boys’ hockey team stayed on-message

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The Panthers celebrate a goal against Scituate. / Photo by: Sue Moss

It was a special season on the ice for the boys’ hockey team.

If you can get a team to collectively buy into the same message, usually good things will follow. 

So, to see his Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team go on the program’s longest postseason run in at least 15 years didn’t take head coach Chris Googins by surprise one bit. The Panthers posted a 17-5-1 record and went all the way to the Div. 2 South semifinals, where they fell to eventual co-state champion Canton. 

“They really just stayed true to what their goal was and that was just trying to do their part to make the program better,” said the 10th-year head coach. “They didn’t care who got the points or the glory, they were just more interested in the program moving ahead. It does take a core group of kids to help establish a culture to have some relative success.”

It started with seniors Eddie Collins, Calvin Cooper, John Hagan, Adam Solari, Chris Stoddard, and Reed Watson, all of whom were four-year players who won just one game their freshman year.

“It can’t be mentioned enough of what a great character-driven core of seniors these have been,” Googins said. “None of them have left. They’ve always tried to push each other. I know there’s three kids who have letters on their jerseys, but anyone of them I would be comfortable calling a captain.”

Patriot League All-Stars Adam Solari and Stoddard keyed the offense. Adam Solari led the team with 23 goals to go with 11 assists, while Stoddard had a team-high 28 helpers to complement nine goals.

“They’re two different types of players and I think that’s why they had such a good year together,” Googins said. “Chris is more of a pass-first type of a kid and Adam is a shoot-first type of kid and it’s a great formula. They really did not care who scored, it was always about the end result.”

Freshman Matt Solari was the other piece of the Panthers’ top line and made quite the first impression, finding the back of the net 18 times with 14 assists. 

“He’s very fortunate that he played in three postseason games, three tournament games,” Googins said. “We’ve got other important kids coming back along with Matty who played significant time in the tournament.”

No one played more significant time in the tournament than junior goaltender Bobby Siders, who oftentimes stood on his head. A Patriot League All-Star, Siders recorded 26 saves in a 2-0 shutout victory over Scituate in the quarterfinals.

“Bobby is a hockey player,” Googins said. “He knows when we need a whistle and he knows when to deflect a puck in a certain corner. He’s constantly communicating. He really has been the backbone of this team. He’s going to continue and hopefully elevate his game because we are losing some production.”

Junior blueliners Jack Allen and Kevin Willis should once again form a strong nucleus in front of Siders next winter. 

“They know the system, they communicate very well with each other,” Googins said. “Looking for much bigger and better things from all of them.

“The bottom line is the heart, the desire, the work ethic, that’s there. But now there has to be a little more sport-specific training and it comes down to skating. You have to be able to skate at a higher level and make quick decisions. That starts in the weight room and working on legs.

Googins said he believes this season could be a turning point for his program, which had struggled to gain traction in the past. 

“Moving forward, the new normal is to get to this level annually and try to see if you can get some good opportunities and move forward,” Googins said. “We talk a lot about the word complacency and we try not to let it infect our team and I’m hoping getting into the tournament and trying to go deep is kind of the new normal. 

“There’s a lot of good programs at Whitman-Hanson and these kids all see it and want to try to get their program to where they’re contenders every year.”

Season Review: WHSL finds its winning ways with confidence

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Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) had nine goals this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

WHSL went 11-10 this season and made the tournament for the first time in three years.

Coming into the season, Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey head coach Kevin Marani had an idea of what it would take to jumpstart his team.

“We just need that signature win — that one signature win that we know we can do. And once that happens — winning is contagious,” said Marani back in December.

He was right. After an 0-4 start to the season, the co-op shut out Plymouth, 5-0, and finished the season winning 11 of its last 16 games for its first tournament berth in three years.

“When we started off 0-4, it was almost like, ‘Here we go again,’” Marani said. “I think the signature win was against Plymouth. They were good and we gave them a good popping and I think at that point they were like, ‘Ya know what, we really can, we can believe in ourselves,’ and they did.”

WHSL fell to Waltham, 5-3, in the first round of the Div. 1 tournament.

“Just making the state tournament is huge for this program,” Marani said. “What happens is little girls start watching you and want to be a part of the success.”

Senior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) was a huge part of WHSL’s success. The Western New England bound-forward finished the year with 31 goals and eight assists. She was named a Patriot League All-Star.

“She reminds me a lot of Mel [McAleer],” Marani said. “She just made every single person on that team better. She had that leader’s attitude. She’s a great leader and a great captain with all the skills in the world. It was always team first.”

Freshman Shea Kellleher (Kingston) was also a league all-star after finding the back of the net 13 times to go with 14 assists.

“She is really, really good,” Marani said.

Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman), who was Kelleher’s linemate, scored nine goals, but her coach said it could have been a lot more.

“She was snakebitten this year,” Marani said. “She played crazy good. Her and Shea are a great combination together. She should have probably had 20 goals.”

In net, junior Kat Gilbert (Halifax) was a rock yet again this season.

“I knew she had it in her,” Marani said. “She worked her butt off all offseason. She is the most improved player in the league by far. It was just confidence and concentration. The sky’s the limit for her. She can be the best goalie in the league, I truly believe that.”

Fellow junior Caleigh Tompkins (Kingston) was the backbone of WHSL’s defense. And with 11 rising seniors set to return next season, Marani has set the expectation high.

“If we don’t make the state tournament, it’s going to be a disappointment,” Marani said.

*This article will run in the Express’ print edition at a later date.

Season Review: Gymnastics shows progress standing on its own


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The gymnastics team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The gymnastics team improved its score in each meet.

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish — and the Whitman-Hanson Regional High gymnastics team finished strong, in its first year standing on its own.

Despite an 0-12 overall record, the Panthers showed significant growth. They opened the winter with a score of 118 and closed it with a 126.

“Overall we were happy with our progress this season,” said first-year head coach Alison Vance, who won the Patriot League’s Coach of the Year. “Each meet our team score improved and personal bests kept getting higher and higher.”

The Panthers’ improvement on the score sheet can largely be attributed to four of their vaulters, who upgraded their difficulty as the season wore on.

“Our vault scores, for the beginning of the season, were averaging around a 32.6,” Vance said. “By the end of the season, we were averaging a 34.5.”

Senior captain Sarah Bombardier was a constant for W-H, finishing the winter with a team-high vault average of 8.65.

“She is a hard worker and a great leader,” Vance said of Bombardier, the team’s lone senior. “She is always willing to try anything to help improve the team score. We were so lucky to have her lead this team. She will be greatly missed.”

Junior Savannah Poirier proved to be a pleasant surprise for W-H. After taking her sophomore year off to do winter cheer, Poirier came back to gymnastics and averaged a team-high 8.2 on the floor.

“We were so thankful that she joined us,” Vance said of Poirier, who will captain the Panthers next season alongside rising senior Madison Scaccia. “Not only did she consistently put up our highest floor score, she filled a void we had on the bars. She upgraded her skills every week.”

Freshman Riley Getchell was another standout, concluding the season with an 8.15 average on the vault.
“She was very consistent on all of her events, especially the vault and beam,” Vance said. “She worked hard to upgrade her difficulty to improve her scores and it paid off. It is tough coming in as a freshman and competing in the all-around, but Riley is very experienced and did it well.”

Vance said her team’s strength was its positive attitude regardless of how the results fell, which led to them winning the Patriot League Sportsmanship Award.

“We were excited and thankful to receive this unexpected award,” Vance said. “We knew we were coming into this league behind the other teams that have been established with their coaching staff for so many years. We just kept our spirits up and worked on improving ourselves each week.”

While Vance said it’s going to be tough losing Bombardier, a four-year gymnast, she is looking forward to seeing how the program develops.

“The team is doing a good job of getting the word out to the eighth graders about our program,” Vance said, “so we are hopeful we can make up for the loss of Sarah by the start of next season. I am also very confident in the leadership of our new captains, Madison and Savannah.”

Season Review: Wrestling moves the mat forward

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A Panther wrestler and Silver Lake wrestler. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team finished above .500 for the first time in five years.

Proud is an understatement when Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz reflects on this past season.

It’s easy to see why. W-H finished the season with an 11-8 mark, its best record in five years, sent five wrestlers to the D2 state meet and filled all 14 weight classes by early January.

“I cannot say enough about what this year’s team was able to accomplish,” said the fourth-year head coach.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Panthers, who opened the winter 5-7, before catching fire, winning six of their last seven, highlighted by a sweep of Nauset, Rockland and Hanover on Feb. 1.

“Each of my first four years as head coach we lasted a week longer than the previous year,” said the coach. “That means our wrestlers are getting better and that is all that matters.”

Senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) paced the Panthers in every statistical category, going 38-11, while posting 32 pins for 215 points en route to league all-star status.

“Steve Brooks is a pinning machine,” Rabinovitz said. “Steve had an outstanding career as a four-year starter and two-year captain for Whitman-Hanson.”

Junior captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) was also voted a Patriot League All-Star after going 32-13 and racking up 149 points. He’ll enter his senior campaign with 88 career wins.

“We can’t wait for Damari to reach the 100-win mark as only four Panther wrestlers have ever hit that mark,” said his coach.

Senior captain Bethany Ralph (120 pounds) brought leadership to the mat as well. Also, for the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

“I noticed from Day One of her freshman year that Bethany Ralph was going to be a special wrestler,” Rabinovitz said. “She brought it all to practice and competition every day for four years. She had one heck of a career.”

Seniors Mike Gardner (182 pounds) and Tyler Cullinan (170 pounds), junior Declan Hanapy (220/285 pounds) and sophomore Joe Boss (106 pounds) also heavily contributed for the Panthers this season.

Rabinovitz said the future of the program relies on numbers and offseason training.

“If we can continue to fill all 14 weight classes with quality kids we will continue to head in the right direction,” Rabinovitz said. “I believe the whole team is excited for next season, we finished on a high note and it really brought this team closer together.”

Season Review: This winter’s girls’ hoop team ‘set the tone for what this program is and what it is going to become’

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The girls’ basketball team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The girls’ basketball team finished with its best record since 2009-10, while winning a tournament game for the first time since 2012.

Coming into the season, first-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa had a hunch he had a good team on his hands.

“When I took this job, I knew what I was going to have in terms of personnel, and I knew the type of girls we had,” Costa said. “They all work extremely hard and are high character kids. Those are the two things that make teams successful. Everyone was willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. There were no egos and they all accepted and wanted to be coached.

“Obviously, you want to strive to win the league championship and we fell short of our goal, due in large part to the amount of depth and talent our league has.”

While they didn’t win the Patriot League Keenan Division title, they still made significant progress. After posting their best regular-season record (14-6) since 2009-10, the Panthers knocked off Barnstable, 45-33, in the first round of the Div. 1 South tournament, for the program’s first playoff win in eight years, before they fell to top-seeded Bridgewater-Raynham, 67-47, in the next round.

“Barnstable gave us the best chance of getting a tournament win,” Costa said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy but the girls were resilient and pulled out a first-round win. Next up was Bridgewater-Raynham. We knew it was going to be a challenge with the amount of firepower that they have but we just wanted to go in and compete as hard as we could and see what happened.”

Senior captain Olivia Martin, classmate Brittany Gacicia and junior Reese Codero were named Patriot League All-Stars at season’s end.

A wing, Martin displayed her full skill set this winter, tossing in 9.5 points per game, on the strength of a team-best 40 3-pointers, while securing 2.9 rebounds per game. She hit the game-winning triple to send the Panthers past Saint Stephen’s Episcopal (Fla.) and into the finals of the Falcon Holiday Classic, which the Panthers won.

“Olivia Martin was big for us this season,” Costa said. “Obviously being the only captain she was looked to a lot for leadership. She won us a lot of games this year with her shooting. Above all, she is just a great kid. I am glad I got the chance to coach her and our program is really going to miss her. “

Gacicia, who was also a league all-star last season as well, led the team in points (11.9) rebounds (7.1), steals (2.5) and blocks per game.

“You always knew Brittany was  going to stuff the stat sheet,” Costa said. “ She impacted the game in so many ways. Offensively, she was able to score from all three levels and defensively she was all over the place. When our team was struggling offensively, they would look to get the ball to Britt to make something happen.”

W-H’s starting point guard, Codero scored just over seven points per game, while dishing out a team-high 3.2 assists per game.

“She was just solid in every area for us,” Costa said. “She is a coach’s dream. She plays so hard and gives 100 percent effort each and every play. Sometimes you wish she would take her foot off of the gas a little bit, when she is diving for a loose ball out of bounds near the bleachers because you don’t want her to get hurt, but she knows no other way to play that’s just who she is. I am glad that I have her for another year and I expect big things from her again in her senior year.

Costa is also expecting big things from sophomores Abby Martin (4.5 pgg) and Megan Stone (5.8 ppg), both of whom he’ll have for another two years.

“They were both battling for starter’s minutes for the majority of the season,” he said. “Abby wound up starting more than Megan but really it was mostly because of matchups. They both complement each other so well. Abby was a huge piece for us defensively and really brought a toughness and physicality to our team. Megan gave us some scoring punch off of the bench. There would be games where she would only play 10-15 minutes but you look at the stat sheet and she is our second leading scorer. They both really rebound the ball at a high level and attack the offensive glass. We are excited for their growth moving forward.”

Costa said the future of the program is bright.

“We were able to accomplish things that the girls program has not been able to do in a long time, and I think that gives the girls some confidence heading into the offseason and next season,” he said. “We were young this year, only having two seniors, which I think bodes well for this group. It is nice to give such a young group experience playing in the tournament. Now they have been there in those types of environments which should make it more comfortable for them the next time around. This group has set the tone for what this program is and what it is going to become.”

Season Review: Boys’ indoor track finds success

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers finished the year 3-2.

It was a winning campaign this winter for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ indoor track team.

The Panthers finished the season 3-2, which included league wins over Duxbury and Silver Lake.

“The high point was the excitement we experienced with seeing our athletes get better and being competitive within the league,” said first-year W-H indoor track head coach Stephen Schlicting. “Having three wins and losing a fourth by only two points fueled excitement and a feeling that no challenge was insurmountable.”

Junior Theo Kamperides picked up where he left off in the cross-country season, earning league all-star status once again. He set a school record in the 5k at 15:52.61, before capping the year by setting a personal record in the 2-mile run at the Div. 3 state indoor track meet with a time of 10:06.32.

“Theo Kamperides was outstanding this winter,” Schlicting said.

Kamperides was one of a bevy of veterans to impress Schlicting this winter.

“Many had career personal records,” the coach explained. “Our top scorers, with one exception, were all returners. Graham Stewart, Theo Kamperides, Jake Caterer, Brandon Hager, Liam Cafferty, Chris Blackman, Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Nathan Tassey scored the majority of our points. They all pushed themselves, and set the example for newer teammates.”

Blackman, Cafferty, Hager and Tassey led the way in the distance events, which Schlicting coined as the team’s strength.

“They were dependable, hard workers who excelled on the track and set a great example in practice,” Schlicting said.

“We had some younger distance athletes in Gordon Johnson and James Molito who will make an impact in the future. Cullen Poth was our Rookie of the Year, winning shot put in four of the five dual meets. We had some great performances from Seniors Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Matt Avery in our middle-distance races. We had some younger athletes who will be scorers in the future in Jacob Donovan, Mike King, Ryan Smith and Sean Kelly.”

Schlicting said he has a simple message to his athletes with the hopes of carrying this momentum into the spring.

“Build on what you have done this winter,” he said. “Bring a friend,  we are interested in anyone willing to learn, listen and challenge themselves to get better. We especially welcome freshman athletes or those who may be on the bench or not an important part of another sport. No one sits in track and field — everyone plays.”

Season Review: Football team shows strength in adversity

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Quarterback Jason Murphy runs away from the Hingham defender. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season en route to a 2-10 campaign.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team came out strong in it its season opener, putting up 21 points in the first half against Concord-Carlisle.

Then, the Panthers lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Conor Meehan, later in the game to a season-ending injury, throwing an immediate wrench into their plans.

“That was huge,” said ninth-year head coach Mike Driscoll. “We come out in that first game on fire and played exceptional, so now when he goes down, we had to move receivers to running back and a running back to quarterback. It was a challenge.”

It was the second straight year Driscoll lost his starting signal-caller.

“We had the eye in the system, so it definitely helped us a little bit,” Driscoll explained.

The injury to Meehan thrust junior Jason Murphy under center, a position he had experience playing, but he came into the season prepared to be W-H’s lead running back.

“Jason is a runner type, which we’ve had, we’ve had runners at quarterbacks recently, and Conor was a passer who could also run,” Driscoll said. “Conor was more of a dual threat, so teams started playing us a little different. We had to change our style back for a running quarterback and completing some short stuff.”

The Panthers dropped their opener and following two games, before the offense finally clicked, as they routed Silver Lake, 34-14, and ran past Plymouth North, 35-14. However, those were their only two wins, as they finished the year 2-10.

“We prepared every week — the will to win was there every week,” Driscoll said. “They prepared like they wanted to win and sometimes it’s tough — you got to maintain the mental side of things. It just wasn’t one of those seasons where things went our way.”

Murphy ended up being tabbed a league all-star for his play at safety and on offense.

“Jason is a great player,” Driscoll said. “He knows how to play the game, he’s physical and he’s a great student — which is huge for us.”

Behind Murphy, senior captain C.J. Giuliani rushed for a team-high 689 yards. Also a starting linebacker, he recorded 65 tackles and five sacks en route to league all-star status.

“C.J. was the heart and soul of our football team — both sides of the ball,” Driscoll said. “He’s a great player, student of the game, and a tough, hard-nose, gritty football player.”

Another two-way player, senior Devin Coulstring was named a league all-star. The Panthers starting fullback, Coulstring helped pave the way for a rushing attack than ran for 141 yards a game. At cornerback, he tallied 12 pass breakups.

“I talked to him about how impressed I was with him,” Driscoll said. “He worked hard and waited his time out behind some really good players he had a great year for us.”

Starting center Declan Meehan was also key in the run game. The senior started on the defensive line as well and was named a Patriot League All-Star.

“I’m so happy for him,” Driscoll said. “He’s someone who works really hard and linemen don’t always get recognized, but he’s in there playing both ways for us and really grinding it out for us every week.”

With Meehan and Murphy keying the Panthers’ returnees next fall, they also return a steady diet out of the backfield, which includes the likes of: sophomore Will Stafford and junior Nik Dolan.

“It’s a great core coming back,” said the coach. “We have up to seven or eight guys that started on that defense this year and that’s same on offense. The kids are already in the weight room.”

Season Review: Panther boys’ soccer team has a rebound year

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Brendan Nehiley battles for the ball during the Panthers’ game against Hingham. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers made the tournament for the second time in three years.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer team set out to put a disappointing four-win campaign last fall behind it, and it did just that.

The Panthers went 10-8-2, earning a berth in the Div. 2 South tournament for the second time in three years. The Panthers, entered as the 11th seed, and fell to Bishop Feehan, 2-1, in the first round.

“This was a good year for us, and I am proud of the whole program because we seemed to have a lot of fun this season and we learned more as a result,” said third-year W-H head coach Dave Leahy.

The loss to the Shamrocks put a punctuation mark on the careers of Jason Brodeur and Stevie Kelly. Both were league all-stars and two-year captains.

A forward headed to Endicott College, Brodeur paced the Panthers with 17 goals.

“Jason came into this season having improved a great deal,” Leahy said. “He had a good overall season, but I think he started to play his best soccer toward the end of the season, and this is exactly what every leader should do. Jason grew as a leader and he was a great example for us all.”

Kelly, who was also a league all-star last season, anchored the defense and was tabbed to the EMass all-state team.

“He managed to improve even more this year,” Leahy said. “Halfway through the season, he really started to take on his leadership role and pushed his teammates to be their best, by being just a great example of how to work hard everyday, 24/7. Stevie showed this program what hard work can do for you.”

Another prime example of what hard work can do for you is senior goaltender Andrew Sullivan, who looked like a different player this past fall. He turned the goaltending position from an Achilles heel last autumn to a strength this season.  After a strong start to the year, Leahy couldn’t overlook what he was doing, so he made him a captain.

“Sully had one of the best turn around seasons I have been a part of coaching,” Leahy said. “He worked as hard as he could immediately following last year‘s season, all the way until last week. He gained confidence from this work and he became an outstanding example for his teammates and the whole program.”

The transfer back to W-H of juniors Joel Arsenault and Peyton Collins had an immense impact on the Panthers’ season as well. Arsenault had five goals and two assists, while Collins had four goals and a co-team-high seven assists, before his season was cut short due to an injury on Oct. 7 against Marshfield.

“Peyton didn‘t skip a beat, and he basically joined the coaching staff the rest of the way,” Leahy said. “What a great leader and future coach Peyton is.”

Leahy knew not having Collins on the field was going to challenge his team, which responded by winning its next game, 1-0, at Martha’s Vineyard.

“It was a character test for us and we came away with a victory and important belief,” Leahy said. “That allowed us to have success against Duxbury (2-0 win), Hingham (1-1 tie) and come very close to beating Bishop Feehan.”

With Arsenault and Collins, both of whom can play midfield and forward, headlining the returning players next fall, along with junior midfielder Brendan Nehiley (seven goals, seven assists) and sophomore center back Alex Chichlowski, Leahy is optimistic for what the future holds.

“The outlook of the program is to get back to the playoffs again next season,” said the coach. “Keep learning and keep getting better.”

Season Review: For cross country teams, it was a ‘memorable’ season

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There was no mincing words when head coach Steve George reflected on this past fall for both the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ and girls’ cross country teams.

“This has been my most memorable season thus far at Whitman-Hanson, and I can’t say enough about this great group of coaches and kids,” said the sixth-year head coach.

It began before the first meet.

“Starting this season with my coaching dream team of Steve Schlicting and Kim Coletti got things off on the right foot,” George said.

BOYS’ TEAM

Theo Kamperides leads the pack. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ team posted a 6-3 record — highlighted by wins over Plymouth South (25-34), Plymouth North (26-30) and Scituate (22-39) — during the dual-meet season, which was followed by a first-place finish at the Patriot League meet.

The leap of the junior Theo Kamperides to stardom and improvements from the rest of the Panthers’ pack were pivotal.

Kamperides posted a season to remember, culminating in a 66th-place (out of 181 runners) finish in the Div. 1 Championship meet. Kamperides finished in first place in all but one dual meet and was tabbed the Patriot League Keenan Division’s MVP.

“Theo had a remarkable season,” George said of Kamperides, who owns a personal best time of 15:50. “He is a hard-working, dedicated athlete and brings it every time out.”

Senior captains Brandon Hager and Adam Solari, junior Liam Cafferty and sophomore Nathan Tassey were also named league all-stars.

Hager had a personal best time of 16:45.

“When he arrived four years ago, his running mechanics were — by his own admission dismal,” George said. “Brandon worked on his form and worked hard. He perfected it over the past year and it has paid off.”

Tassey had a top time of 16:53 in his first season on the team.

“I am happy he chose cross country,” George said. “He is a gifted runner with an incredible attitude and a great sense of humor. He keeps us all laughing on the road. He has also remained healthy all season despite this being his first exposure to high mileage.”

Cafferty’s best time was 17:02.

“Liam, It didn‘t start off well for [him] with blistering that kept him out of action for a couple of weeks, but he turned it on when he got back,” George said. “Another kid with an outstanding attitude and dedication to the team. He has been a major contributor since his first day as a freshman.”

Solari, known more for his prowess on the ice, put together a productive campaign, finishing one second off of Cafferty’s time at 17:03.

“He has extraordinary leadership skills,” George said. “He has never let us down in any competition and always rises to the occasion at big meets. His incredible effort at the Patriot League meet put us over the top and he ran a great race at EMass.”

George said while he’s excited for the short-term future of the program, he has some concerns down the road.

“My philosophy has always been to encourage kids to participate in something, whether it be another sport or drama, band, robotics, anything; but be involved and take advantage of these opportunities,” he said. “I’ve got to somehow get the message out that running in general has a positive impact in every aspect of life. I‘ve experienced that on a personal and familial level and we are planning some projects to promote our sport and get more kids involved.”

GIRLS’ TEAM

Sophomore Myah Kamperides. / Photo by: Sue Moss

While the postseason success wasn’t there for the girls’ team, it exceeded George’s expectations, posting a 4-5 record for its best mark in four years.

“Going into the season, I anticipated a drop off from last year, but with the addition of Myah Kamperides and Bryn Miller, and an outstanding season from Anna Flynn, the ladies fared well overall,” George said.

Like her cousin, Myah, a sophomore, posted wins in seven of her eight dual meets en route to being named a league all-star, in her first year on the team after playing soccer as a freshman. Myah finished the season with a personal best time of 19:32.

“We thought Myah would be a major factor this year but had no way of knowing just how good she could be,” George said. “Myah exceeded expectations. Myah’s success came as a result of hard work, training with the boys’ squad several times per week and staying healthy throughout the season.”

Also an ex-soccer player, Miller, a junior, posted a top time of 21:11 in her first year on the team.

“Bryn is a bit of a worrier and that should ease as she gains confidence,” George said. “She has enormous potential, paired with a desire to improve. She doesn’t know how good she can be.”

Just a sophomore, Flynn ended the season with a personal best time of 21:19.

“Anna is probably our most fit athlete,” George said. “She works hard in the weight room and has increased her strength tremendously. She improved her time by over five minutes since last year and will drop a couple more before she’s through.”

Senior captain Tori Boss, senior Niki Kamperides, senior captain Tori Carleton and sophomore Sarah Boulger rounded out the Panthers’ top seven.

George said he’s already begun planning for next season.

“I’d love running at Martha‘s Vineyard in early September, but in retrospect our goals would have been better served had we run the Coaches Invitational in November and been more prepared for EMass,” he said. “We’ll be back, stronger and faster in 2020.”