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Season Review: Fine-tuning for softball’s future

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Photo by: Sue Moss

Working out the kinks was key for the softball team.

After a 10-0 loss to Hanover dropped the Whitman-Hanson Regional High softball team to 1-5 on the season, first-year skipper Jordan McDermott realized changes had to be made. So, she held a lengthy team meeting and made some tweaks.

“We extended our practice hours, we made sure that we were hitting more and made sure we were doing more defensive and offensive drills,” she explained.

It worked. The young Panthers, who started just one senior, swept the following week, posting wins over Quincy (11-6), Hingham (8-3) and Pembroke (6-4).

“I think in the beginning of the season we were still trying to work out some of the kinks,” McDermott said. “We had tryouts and then two weeks later we had our first game, so I don’t think we were getting enough reps. We didn’t really know exactly what to practice because we weren’t in a game yet.”

But the Panthers’ tough schedule and youth caught up to them. The Panthers, whose seven best hitters were freshmen, sophomores and juniors and lone two pitchers were a freshman and sophomore, dropped their next six en route to a 7-13 campaign.

“I think overall the season went the way we wanted it to in terms of team building a program and setting small goals for us,” McDermott said. “They all had a purpose on that field. The whole theme of the season was that you have a purpose and you have quite confidence.”

Two players who exhibited that quite confidence were freshmen Annie Cook and Erin Burke. A league all-star at third base, Cook led the team in steals (seven), was second in hits (21), tied for third in runs (11) and fourth in average (.344) and on-base percentage (.397). Burke pitched to the tune of a 3.36 ERA over 50 innings of work, while smacking a pair of doubles at the plate.

“Their poise makes them special,” McDermott explained. “They’re very calm, very simple, very hardworking athletes. They’re very poised. They know a lot about the game. They’re both confident but not cocky and hardworking kids.”

At second base, junior Victoria Ryan was the Panthers’ other Patriot League All-Star. She paced the team in average (.390), hits (23), home runs (two) and was third in on-base percentage (.419).

“She is a confident player, she’s not cocky,” McDermott said. “She flew under the radar, but she was still known for making great plays or getting those hits to get us back in the game. She is confident in the box that she’s going to get that job done.”

Sophomore Emily McDonald was the team’s MVP, after scoring a team-high 13 runs, leading the club with a .448 on-base percentage and ranking second in average at .373. She had 12 hits, scored nine runs and had five RBIs in Panthers wins.

“The thing about Emily is that she always has a very not-going-to-give-up attitude,” McDermott explained. “She is always willing to grow as a player. She always has a smile on her face. On the field, she has a great eye. She is very quick to a lot of the balls, too. A lot of the times I had no idea how she was able to catch that. She is one of the most scrappy players I’ve coached.”

Flanking McDonald to her left in the outfield was Sophia Molinari. The junior hit .347 with 17 hits and seven RBIs, but it was her defense that set her apart.

“Plymouth South was probably the game where she finally realized how to read the batter and how to track the ball better off the bat,” McDermott explained. “In the beginning of the season I was the one positioning the outfielder, and then one day we were at Plymouth South and one of their batters had a swing and Sophia changed the whole outfield without me having to do it.”

McDermott said there is a silver lining of being infused with so much youth, especially for her.

“I think the benefit is that I am able to build the program with the younger kids and make it my team, my group of girls,” she said. “It really started with Annie and Erin and hopefully I can get some more freshmen and sophomores.”

Season Review: Under first-year head coach Tyler Sabens, boys’ lacrosse team lays foundation for going forward

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The boys’ lax team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ finished the year with nine wins after winning seven games combined the previous two springs.

Building a lacrosse program is a lot like building a house. For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ team, step one is now complete.

“We laid a great foundation for going forward – for seasons to come,” said first-year coach Tyler Sabens, whose team finished the spring 9-11 after winning seven games combined the previous two seasons.

It starts with establishing a positive culture and is coupled with inserting a love for the game into each athlete.

“We made huge steps in doing that and that wouldn’t have been able to be possible without the senior leadership to lay that framework to keep building that positive culture toward making lacrosse special at Whitman-Hanson and the weight that that carries and how important that is for them as individuals and us as a program,” Sabens said.

The team’s MVP, senior Mario Troiani helped lead the way. For as good as he was in net (stopped nearly 60 percent of shots and was a Patriot League All-Star), he was just as helpful out of it.

“Halfway through the season, I couldn’t ignore the positive influence he was having on the rest of his teammates – whether in practice, film sessions or in games and named him a captain,” Sabens said. “From his first day of tryouts he had that let’s-get-better mentality. He took to my coaching so well. His leadership ability was never in question. He was our coach on the field.”

Senior captain and defender Ryan Trongone was another coach on the field.

“He was incredible,” Sabens said. “Ryan Trongone really led those guys on the backend. His presence and playing ability together helped us turn things around on the back end. He was always comminuting and helping out his teammates whether he was trying to build that culture with myself and other seniors of leading by example. You wish you had 18 or 19 Ryan Trongones.”

Senior captain and midfielder Mason Gorman carried that culture to the offensive side of the field, where he led the team with 58 points, striking for 32 goals and 26 assists.

“He was another coach on the field,” Sabens said. “His lacrosse IQ and knowledge of the game skyrocketed this year. He was so hungry to get better and thirsty for that knowledge to make himself better and that made him a dream to coach.”

Fellow senior captain, midfielder Ryan Downing, potted a team-high 49 goals and dished out eight assists.

“He’s a freak athlete,” Sabens said. “He was fun to watch. You can’t not notice Ryan Downing. He jumps off the field when you’re watching him. He looked like a free safety or slot receiver out there playing lacrosse. He won a lot of games for us.”

Sabens also lauded the leadership and production of senior captain and attack Shane Ross (35 goals and 18 assists) and fellow senior attack Sean Joanis (31 goals and 21 assists).

What the Panthers had been building all season flashed in pieces during their final game of the season, a loss to Marshfield, which eliminated them from playoff contention. Sabens said he took a lot of positives out of that one, despite the 13-3 score.

“It was a one-goal or two-goal game in the first half,” he said. “We had the framework and team offense and team defense to get it done, they knew that, they could feel that, but at some point when you don’t have the amount of horses that you need to beat a team as deep as a Marshfield, the score is going to separate. Those teams that have that depth are going to breakaway.”

With the impending departure of nine seniors, most of whom are offensive guys, the Panthers’ strength is now their defense, where they’ll return the likes of juniors Declan Meehan and RJ Flynn and freshman Bobby Hunter, among others.

“We’re going to have to claw and grind every step that we have,” Sabens said. “But going forward – year three – we’re going to have some guys with serious experience. Not to say year twois going to be a flop, but I’m excited to see what year three and year fourare going to bring us because we’re going to have so much depth.

“Next year is going to be another learning year, another building year. We’re going to have to keep our eye on the prize and focus on the little things – the little successes day in and day out. I think those are the little steps that are going to prove to build us up.”

Sabens said it’s imperative his guys are around lacrosse in one way or another during the offseason.

“They can see how the Duxburys and the Hinghams, Scituates operate, but if they don’t want to do the work on their own, it’s going to be very hard to build this,” Sabens said. “The guys gotta do some of the work, like wall ball and shoot on your own in order to get better as individual players. And also, just watch lacrosse. The more you watch it, the more you’re around it, the more the fundamental concepts tend to sink in that are important to building a successful program.

“It’s not going to happen tomorrow or next year, it’s going to be a long-term plan that hopefully the program can get better and better as it goes along.”

Season Review: Girls’ tennis picks up speed, has historic season

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

The girls’ tennis team made history this spring.

As the spring wore on, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ tennis team had come into its own.

It flipped a 2-3 loss against Plymouth North into a 3-2 victory nearly three weeks later and topped league foes Hanover (5-0), Quincy (3-2) and Pembroke (4-1) down the stretch.

“I think our girls picked up speed as the season went along and gained confidence,” said sixth-year head coach Sue Sookiasian.

They turned that extra speed and confidence into history. After meeting their first goal of making the tournament, it was then a belief they could win a match in it. With a 4-1 victory over Bishop Feehan in the preliminary round, they did – the  program’s first tournament win on record.

Sookiasian said confidence was crucial.

“I knew they had that in them, it was just my job I feel to present that,” said the coach, whose team was knocked out by Wellesley in the next round, finishing the season at 11-11. “I knew they could do this, I didn’t know if they knew they could do this and that was my role and my assistant Sue Moss’ role to get them to that point. They have the talent, they just needed to believe in themselves.”

Sookiasian also said the constant mindset that tennis is a team sport not an individual sport played a large role in the Panthers’ run.

“One girl might have a great day and come through with a win and the next time we could play the same team and it might not be the same result she had prior but then another member might have lost the previous match and then won,” said the coach. “But they banded together and got the job done.”

W-H’s strength was its dominance in No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Junior captain Abby Pulling posted a 12-6 mark in the No. 2 spot, while sophomore Julia Benvie went 9-2 at No. 3 after being inserted into the position shortly into the season.

“They both had fantastic records,” Sookiasian said. “They were really our strong holds. I could rely on them.”

Going against the best the opposition had to offer, junior captain Lexi Connolly went 9-9 at No. 1 singles and was a league all-star.

“In the Patriot League, when you play towns like Hingham and Scituate and Duxbury, their kids play year-round,” Sookiasian said. “So, it’s tough.”

The doubles teams took a bit longer to round into form. After beginning the season in No. 2 doubles, sophomores Rylie Harlow and Kyla Faghan were bumped up a spot after beating Hingham. Junior captain Nandita Kumar, her sister, sophomore Divya Kumar, and junior captain Chloe Wilson shared time in No. 2 doubles.

“The doubles teams, along with the team, I think picked up speed as the year went along,” Sookiasian said. “Doubles is a little tougher because what you think to start the season might work out, it usually doesn’t – you have to juggle the teams around a bit and that’s what we did. It probably took us 6-8 matches in to really determine who was going to be the best fit with each other.”

Sookiasian said she already has her eyes set on next season. It’s tough to blame her because the Panthers are set to return everybody.

“I’ll have higher goals for next year,” she explained. “I would love to see them playing more tennis this offseason. I’m really encouraging them to obviously play outdoors from the summer into the fall, but definitely play around January. That makes a big difference in their game. If they play three months prior to the season, that will make us that much stronger.”

Season Review: Injuries hamper girls’ lacrosse

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The girls’ lacrosse team vs. East Bridgewater. / Photo by: Marcus Casey

The girls’ lax team had a 7-11 record and bunch of injuries.

It was yet another injury-riddled campaign for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ lacrosse team.

Senior captain Annika Putur (whole season), senior goaltender Marie Foscaldo (out for season after spring break), senior starting defenders Chloe O’Neil (six-plus games) and Gabby Trongone (seven-plus games), junior starting midfielder Riley Bina (seven games), sophomore Maggie Newcomb (six games), freshman starting goalie Ava Barry (last four games) and junior defender Treasa Duffy (missed most of the first half of season) missed significant time as the Panthers missed out on the tournament for just the second time in the last six years with a 7-11 record.

First-year head coach AC Decker said that despite the sub-.500 record, he felt the season went well.

“I feel I met the team where they were at and threw a lot of new concepts their way as the season went on,” he said. “I think they really gelled as a team.”

The Panthers’ performance in a rigorous Patriot League didn’t do them any favors. They went 2-9 against their league foes.

“It’s a tough league to move up in,” Decker said. “We had a pattern of starting games slowly and that let teams get out to an early lead. It’s hard to play from behind on a regular basis. We did better with this as the season went on, having some game where we played the full 50 minutes, but this is still a work in progress.”

What’s not a work in progress is Bina. Not even missing nearly 10 games could hold her back. She led the club with 37 goals, which she complemented with 13 helpers en route to Patriot League All-Star status.

“Riley earned the respect of her teammates due to her competitive nature and also her pure skill to transition the ball and find the back of the net with great shooting percentage,” Decker said. “She also tended to score more goals in competitive games than against easier opponents.”

Senior attack and captain Zoe Lydon was the lynchpin to the offense, racking up 35 goals and a team-high 53 points.

“Zoe leaves everything she has out on the field,” Decker said. “She takes it to the goal when needed and rides all the way to the other restraining line. She was one of the few players who consistently put in solid 50-minute games.”

Senior captain Sami Whitman (25 goals and nine assists), classmate Taylor Ross (20 goals and seven assists) and freshman Brooke Connors (12 goals and seven assists) also put forth solid offensive seasons.

One player that surprised Decker wasn’t on offense, but rather the other side of the field. It was freshman Joli Flamos, who started every game.

“Joli Flamos, who had not played before, was showing incredible speed, agility and a great sense of where to be on defense,” Decker said. “I took a risk and put her on varsity and the rest is history.”

Decker said the high point of the season for him wasn’t a win, a goal or a great play, but watching the girls gel – older and underclassmen.

“I remember at the end of season, at Pembroke during the JV game and the varsity players were sitting on the track joking with each and had to quiet themselves down,” he recalled. “I watched how the younger players were as much a part of it as the seniors. I remember smiling, thinking, ‘This is what it is all about, seeing them together as a team.’”

Decker said he has his work cut out for him over the next few months.

“In the offseason, I plan to go back through the game film and pull out select clips of things we do well and need to continue to do,” he said. “I will also take clips of what the other teams are doing well that we need to do. I also know what we need to work on and I will plow through my drill books and create some new drills to address our weaknesses.

“Also, due to all the injuries, we ended the season with 27 players on the roster, so we return 18 players for next season, all of whom were with the team since spring break.”

Season Review: Net gains for boys’ tennis

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The boys’ tennis team had 14 new players this season.

With 10 freshmen and a total of 14 new players, there were some growing pains for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ tennis team, which finished the season 3-13. But, there was also a ton of progress.

“I definitely would call this season a success due to the growth and depth we were able to gain within the team,” said second-year head coach Alyssa Hayes.

Hayes said learning to work together was the most obvious area of growth.

“We had a good nine guys that would swap in and out in varsity matches which started to teach them to be flexible in doubles, not always knowing which partner they would be playing with,” she said.

Sitting at 1-12 entering the final week of the season, the Panthers flexed that growth with back-to-back wins over Pembroke (4-1) and Spellman (5-0).

“It was definitely a highpoint and included a team trip to DQ (Dairy Queen),” Hayes said.

Junior captain Brian Fox was the Panthers’ lone Patriot League All-Star, after leading the club with five wins while playing against the best the opposition had to offer in No. 1 singles.

“Brian is an all-around leader,” Hayes said. “He takes charge in anything I ask of him. Even without asking, he is the first to communicate with the team, make sure they’re all ready, show up early to practice, he really gets the job done. It is clear Brian is also a mentor to some of the younger players. He is going to lead the team to great things.”

In addition to Fox, there were many other key contributors for W-H this spring.

“We had a lot of new guys which was great because I saw a lot of growth,” Hayes explained. “Cam Lindsay came out for the team as a sophomore and not only grew in his tennis playing but ended up becoming a captain, alongside Brian, for next season. Seniors Griffin Pulkinen and Jared Badger came out for the team as seniors and worked their way into first and second doubles spots.”

It wasn’t just the new guys showing improvements, either.

“[Senior] Matt Hickey, who was on the team for four years, showed insane growth this season moving to second singles,” Hayes said. “He played like a back.”

Hayes said she was surprisingly impressed with the progress of Aidan Hickey, Dan McDevitt and Will Mulligan, and senior Nolan Smith, all of whom fought their way into varsity spots.

Hayes said winning the Patriot League’s Keenan Division sportsmanship award was the highlight of the year for her.

“Wins are nice, of course every coach hopes for them,” she said. “At the end of the day, seeing these talented athletes grow into respectful and graceful young adults surpasses it all.”

Hayes said she hopes to see the kids hit the courts in the offseason.

“My hope is that the players will play summer tennis,” she said. “Keeping consistent play is important.”

Season Review: Girls’ spring track squad is sprinting toward bright future

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The team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The girls’ team had a combined 35 freshmen and sohpomores.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ outdoor track team received some high praise this season. It wasn’t just from its own coaching staff, either.

“The Hingham coach said nobody will enjoy facing us over the next few years,” recalled fifth-year W-H head coach Steve George.

That feeling could be because of several factors. After a 2018 season that saw just 35 girls competing, the number of freshmen and sophomores alone matched that number this spring. That’s a good place to start.

“I expected improvement over last year from Day 1, when more than 60 girls attended our first practice,” George said.

A lot of them were big contributors also, such as freshmen Olivia Borgen and Myah Kamperides.

Borgen, who is also known for her prowess on the soccer field, was unbeaten in both the 200- and 400-meter dash during the Patriot League season, while only losing once in the 100-meter dash. She already holds the school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.44, which she raced to May 7, and was the team’s second leading scorer.

“[She] is an incredibly talented sprinter,” George said.

Kamperides was third on the team in scoring with solid showings in the 2-mile run and discus.

“The sky is the limit for Myah, who is already comfortable running the practice paces of her male counterparts,” George said.

Juniors Ryley Hurley and Samantha Perkins were also big contributors who will be back next season.

In her first year doing outdoor track, Hurley was the team’s fourth leading scorer. She qualified for states in both the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, is a 4-foot-6 high jumper and among W-H top 100- and 200-meter sprinters.

“Despite being a newcomer to our sport, she is already a valued, and contributing, member of our team,” George said.

Perkins, a captain, was the Patriot League’s top javelin thrower thanks to a 111-foot-1-inch heave May 7.

“[She is also] one of our top sprinters and hurdlers as well,” George said.

Senior captain Ally Bartlett put forth another season to remember, participating and scoring in the maximum of four events ever dual meet. She was the team’s top points getter and one of eight seniors who left a lasting impact.

“All were on the team for several years and will be missed by their teammates and by me, certainly,” George said. “The group is pretty diverse in terms of talent, but they are all quality kids with bright futures ahead of them.”

The Panthers finished the spring with wins over Plymouth North (69-67), Scituate (91-45) and Duxbury (72-64), while losing to Hingham (85.8) and then Silver Lake (73-63), due to the unavoidable absences of several athletes for a school commitment.

“I was asked recently about the importance of winning, and frankly, my response drew some surprise when I replied that winning was unimportant,” George said. “But in our sport, the focus, as well as each athlete’s goal, is to improve each time out. We try to motivate our kids to establish a personal record every time out. While it may seem unrealistic, we had several meets where PRs totaled in the 60s. Each one is a win for me. Team wins will ultimately follow if every athlete does his/her part to improve.”

George said he believes the season was a success.

“I’ve been fairly consistent during my time here stating that the strength of any track and field team lies in the number of participants, and those among that number willing to put in the effort every day to improve,” he explained. “This year, our overall numbers rose and among our newcomers there were quite a few who were willing to accept the challenge of giving it 100 percent for the nearly three months we spent together.

“But, in my opinion, it is the rest of the coaching staff (Stephen Schlicting, Rob Bunszell, Samantha Richner, Jen Scarpelli, Kim Coletti, Denise Taylor and Julia Cosgrave), which justly, in addition to the kids, deserves credit. “[They’re] all former athletes, are working hard to return W-H to the position it once held in the sport.”

Season Review: Boys’ outdoor track yields success

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The team / Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ outdoor track team went 3-2 this spring.

For head Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ outdoor track coach Stephen Schlicting, it was tough to ask for a better campaign from his squad.

“This was a very successful season, in my opinion,” said the second-year head coach. “We started the season with over 70 boys on the roster and we finished with 60 active members. Recruiting and keeping a large number of athletes who strive to improve is a key to a track and field program remaining competitive in this league. Those athletes had hundreds of improvements over the course of the season. That’s how I gauge the team’s success.”

In the Panthers’ last three dual meets of the season – which featured wins over Duxbury (75-61) and Silver Lake (73-63) and a loss to Hingham (103-34) – athletes improved more than 50 times

“Our goals going into the season were to recruit a larger number of athletes than in the previous years,” explained Schlicting. “We wanted those athletes to improve. We wanted to participate in the major invitational meets (state relays, Patriot League meet, Div. 2 state meet and the MSTCA decathlon.) All those goals were met.”

The Panthers’ win/loss mark wasn’t too shabby either, as they finished the spring 3-2.

“We had a great group of boys on this year’s team,” said the coach.

Senior captain Dan Kline was named the team’s MVP after having a monster spring in both the 110-meter hurdles and javelin, while also contributing in the 400-meter hurdles.

“[He] was our best 110 high hurdler and javelin thrower,” Schlicting said.

Sophomore Theo Kamperides improved on an impressive freshman season, setting personal bests in both the 1- (4:45) and 2-mile run (9:58.37) en route to being tabbed a league all-star.

“He’s our team’s best 2 miler,” Schlicting said. “Theo came in first in the 2 mile at the Patriot League meet and had a great run, personal record of 9:58.37 at the Division 2 state meet.”

Junior Cullen Poth burst onto the scene in the discus and shotput, filling two major holes for the Panthers. His 39-foot-9 shot put throw and 117-foot-5 hurl of the discus were both personal bests this season.

“Cullen was our best discus and shot put thrower,” Schlicting said. “He was co-winner of our most improved award this year.”

Senior captains Shane Schraut (400-meter hurdles and 4×400 relay) and Billy Martell (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×100 relay) were also key.

“The aforementioned seniors, Dan Kline, Shane Schraut and Billy Martell, will be missed in terms of the points they earned at meets,” Schlicting said. “Their leadership and spirit will be hard to replace.”

Freshman Jake Caterer will not be missed, however, as he’s just getting started with his W-H track career – and in a big way, setting the freshman school record in the 100-meter dash and tying it in the 200-meter dash.

“Jake is a freshman sprinter and jumper,” Schlicting said. “He [also] ran on the 4×100 relay team that qualified to compete at the state Division 2 meet. Jake is an excellent high jumper and long jumper [also].”

Schlicting said he’s already looking forward to next season.

“My hope is that the strength and spirit our seniors brought to this year’s team will be replaced and surpassed as the underclassmen step forward to lead next year’s team,” Schlicting said. “Some of those others who will step forward will also include Pat Bui, Brandon Hager, Graham Stewart, Nick Hanley, Dyllan Burns, Mike King, Chris Blackman, Nathan Tassey, Will Stafford and Zachary Standish.”

Season Review: Boys’ basketball courts success

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ basketball team finished the year 18-7, including a pair of playoff wins.

Once again, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team was tasked with replacing its entire starting five at the outset of the season. Once again, it was no problem as the Panthers marched to their 11th straight tournament appearance.

“It sets the foundation for future teams to build on,” said 19-year head coach Bob Rodgers, whose team finished the year 18-7. “It’s now an expectation that we’re gonna make the state tournament.”

However, unlike last season, the Panthers advanced in the tournament, winning their first two games as the eight seed. In the first round of the Div. 2 South playoffs, they knocked off ninth-ranked Dennis-Yarmouth, 60-57, followed by a win over top-seeded Randolph, 60-51, in the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the season,” Rodgers said. “It was really a case of a really balanced team. We didn’t have anyone who scored 15 or 20 points per game. I couldn’t be more happy than what this team accomplished and how we grew from the beginning of the year to where we were at the end.”

In their third trip to the semifinals in the past four seasons, they succumbed to second-ranked New Mission, 79-70, in overtime.

The Panthers were indeed led by a balanced effort on offense with five players contributing 5.5 ppg or more.

“We didn’t have any inside presence, in terms of pounding it into a post player, but we really got to the hoop really well,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of guys that could drive and knock down the 3 really well.”

The Panthers certainty did knock down the 3 ball really well. After connecting on just 149 triples last season, one that Rodgers coined an apparition, they sunk around 200 this year.

Junior Ben Rice scorer led the 3-point barrage with around 50. He also led the team in scoring with over 11.6 ppg.

“Ben is an absolute gym rat,” Rodgers said. “He’s always in the gym working on his shot. He had steady improvement in his game in terms of becoming a better defender and becoming someone we can rely on to do more than just shoot the ball.”

With an ability to get into the lane for a quick two and knock down a shot from beyond the arc, sophomore Cole LeVangie produced close to 10 ppg, which was good for second on the team.

“He can handle the ball and can shoot it,” Rodgers said. “He’s very unselfish and plays a total team basketball game.”

Junior Stevie Kelly was a sparkplug at the point for the Panthers’ offense, delivering over 130 assists on the season and averaging right around 8.3 ppg.

“He’s just a hard-nosed, tough player who can affect the game on both ends of the court,” Rodgers said. “He’s a terrific defensive player. He’s physically stronger than most guards he goes up against. He was an outstanding player for us this year.”

Rodgers said he knows exactly what he is looking for from his players this offseason.

“It’s going to take the entire group to committing to getting stronger and basically playing the game together, and still improving our shooting and still improving our basketball skill,” said the coach. “It’s going to depend on which guys are bringing guys into the gym with them, not just going into the gym themselves.”

Season Review: Boys’ hockey team leaves Googins with many reasons to be proud

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Many stepped up this season to push the Panthers to their first tournament appearance since 2013. (Photo by Sue Moss)

After the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team fell to Westwood, 5-1, in the first round of the Division 2 South Sectional tournament, head coach Chris Googins had a simple message for his team.

“I told them, ‘Don’t underestimate what we achieved as a team this year. It was a few years since we’ve been to the tournament. There were a lot of good things that were accomplished this year,’” said the eighth-year coach, in his third season of his second stint with W-H.

A few years is an understatement. It had been since 2013 when the Panthers last made the playoffs. After coming within two points last season, they made it by one point this time around with a 10-9-1 mark.

“The big difference is there was a little bit more depth this year,” Googins said. “There’s some kids that emerged. A lot more depth was the key to it and when we did have injures this year, there were kids that stepped up and filled the voids and we moved on.”

Some games the Panthers were even able to roll out a third line featuring sophomore Josh Pike and juniors Calvin Cooper and Reed Watson.

“It’s the first time in my three years [back] here I can actually say we played at times three lines,” Googins said. “They did a real nice job.”

The Panthers’ top line was where of course they received a bulk of their production. Junior Adam Solari paced the Panthers with 10 goals and 14 assists and classmate Chris Stoddard was close behind with 13 goals and 10 assists.

“Adam had a nice season offensively,” Googins said. “When given time and space, he’s pretty creative.

“Chris Stoddard had multiple games with multiple goals. It was to absolute no surprise he could do that. He’s a gritty little kid who has good hockey IQ. He’s a very deceptive player.”

Senior assistant captain and forward Owen Manning was also a playmaker up front, potting six goals and dishing out 14 assists. Along with being one of two Panthers league all-stars, he was selected a Shriners All-Star Classic participant.

Senior captain Ed Scriven (11 goals and 12 assists) started the season on the first line but converted to defense to fill a void. He was also named a league all-star. Behind Scriven, sophomore goalie Bob Siders, a transfer from Archbishop Williams, emerged as a rock. He held Duxbury, the eventual Division 1 state champion, to three goals over six periods of action and won consecutive do-or-die games down the stretch.

“He was given the opportunity to come in and earn the starting job, he did and for the most part he was steady,” Googins said of Siders.

Googins said he can visualize Whitman-Hanson hockey becoming a contender in the not so distant future. It all starts in the spring.

“The kids are really buying into the importance of how much you have to work in the offseason and getting out of your comfort zone,” he said. “Whether it’s working out or whether it’s trying to play high-level hockey in the offseason to compete with surrounding towns. It’s happening. Kids are actually taking this sport seriously and realizing that you got to play the game and train for the game year round if you want to compete.”

Season Review: For WHSL, ‘We’re so close’

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WHSL skated to a four-win season. (Photo by Sue Moss)

Inconsistency. It was a thorn in the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team’s side all season.

“We’ll play two really good periods and have one really bad period and every time we had a really bad period, it hurt us,” said fourth-year WHSL head coach Kevin Marani, whose team finished the winter 4-13-2.

The co-op’s youth played a large factor in its inability to string together a full three periods. Fifteen of its 19 skaters were either freshmen or sophomores. They dropped five games by two goals or less. Wins came against Stoughton (twice), Quincy/North Quincy and Shawsheen.

“I said to the girls, ‘We’re so close. Once you start to win, it becomes a habit,’” Marani said. “We had a ton of one-goal games, two-goal games with an empty net.”

The Panthers did make strides from last season, doubling their win total, upping their points total from four to 10 and potting 62 goals as opposed to 31.

Back with WHSL  after playing club hockey last season, junior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) was a force on offense, netting 27 goals and dishing out 15 assists. She was in on 67 percent of the team’s tallies.

“She’s such a good talent,” Marani said. “Her talent speaks for herself. She was very unselfish, all about the team. Everything she does is team first. “

Sophomore Emily McDonald (Whitman) was second on the team with 15 points (6 goals and 9 assists). Not only did she play on the same line as Murphy, but she’ll serve as a captain with her next season as well.

“She’s another great kid,” Marani said. “She’s a leader. She is a quiet girl that leads by example. She is probably the hardest working player on our team. Every practice she is there. She is exactly what we want from every single player. If we had 20 Emily’s we’d be very, very good.”

Surprisingly enough, Marani said the strength of the team was defense. To be strong on defense, you need a steady presence in net, and sophomore Kat Gilbert (Halifax) provided that, turning away 481 shots.

“Kat is becoming a really goalie,” Marani said. “She is one of the better goalies in the league and that is a big part because she was committed. A lot of her issues were concentration.”

Freshmen Lilly Ulvila (Kingston) and Abby Powers (Kingston) provided the Panthers with a look into the future. The two combined for 11 goals and 10 assists.

Marani said he has the same expectations heading into the offseason as he did coming into this year.

“We should make the state tournament next year,” said the coach. “If we don’t, it’s going to be a disappointment.”