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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 One, 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.”

Season Review: Boys’ indoor track a ‘dedicated’ team

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The boys’ track team finished 2-3.

In Mike Driscoll’s 20-plus years coaching track at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, this winter’s boys’ team holds a special place in his heart.

Not only is it his last, but it is one of the most dedicated groups he’s coached.

“I was telling some of the coaches that this is one of the hardest working groups we’ve had,” said Driscoll, who is stepping away from track to spend more time with his family. “They never complained and they just went about their business every day and it makes going to practice a lot of fun.”

It’s that sort of attitude that payed off for many of the Panthers.

Senior captain Billy Martell embodied selflessness and hard work. Already one of the best sprinters in the Patriot League, Martell took on the shot put, and flourished.

“At the beginning of the year we circled the shot put and said, ‘I don’t know how we’ll be,’” recalled Driscoll. “He goes, ‘Nah, I’ll be alright.’”

He was alright, finishing sixth at the Patriot League championships with a throw of over 41-feet-1 1/2 inches. Junior Pat Bui was another sprinter who took on the shot put, finishing eighth at the Patriot League championships with a throw of 37-feet-8 inches.

“He had a great season,” said Driscoll. “It was huge for us.”

Senior Kyle O’Brien burst onto the scene for the Panthers, who finished 2-3, posting a career year, capped by a ninth-place performance in the 600-meter run in the Div. 3 championships with a time of 1:28.35.

“He stepped it up,” said Driscoll. “He told us before the year that he was going to have a good year and he really worked his tail off to be good and it was awesome to see. Meet after meet he would get better and better. He was dedicated to his craft.”

Crossovers from cross country in sophomore Theo Kamperides and junior Brandon Hager were huge for the Panthers. Kamperides had a pair of wins in the 2-mile run.

“He was a great addition to the winter team,” Driscoll said of Kamperides. “He carried it over from the great pace that he had and he had a really good year. He ran with everybody and never backed down.”

Hager starred in the 1-mile run.

“Brandon had a lot of depth,” Driscoll said. “He’s just kind of tapping the surface of how good he can be as a runner. I really feel like those kids are going to jell in the fall. He works so hard in the races that you just see it in the guys he’s racing like, ‘Oh boy this guy’s not going to go away.’ And he doesn’t. He’s got a lot of depth.”

Driscoll said the highlight of the winter came Jan. 4 in a 51-48 victory over Pembroke, where the 4×200 relay team of Bui, Martell, fellow seniors Sean Kukauskas and Nic Fernandes clinched the win.

“That was a huge win for us,” Driscoll said. “That was a big night for the kids. [Pembroke] is someone we all respect in the track world, and to beat them was a cool thing.”

While Driscoll won’t be back next season, he said he believes the program only get better.

“I think they’re in good shape,” Driscoll said. “I think they’ll continue to grow. I think they’ll continue to get better and the numbers will grow.

“I told all the coaches, ‘I’m always going to be pushing Whitman-Hanson track. It’s in my blood forever and anything I can do to help them I will.’”

Season Review: No quit in girls’ basketball team

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The Panthers before the anthem. / Photo by: Sue Moss

W-H finished the season at 12-10.

Shortly into its first practice, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team was dealt a major blow. Senior co-captain Erin Leahy went down with an injury.

Leahy, who was a Patriot League All-Star last season after missing a chunk of her sophomore campaign with a torn ACL, was expected to be a major contributor. She wouldn’t see the floor all season.

It took the Panthers a few games to find their rhythm, stumbling out of the gate to an 0-2 record. After that second loss, 42-34 to Hingham, sixth-year head coach Jenna Olem remained assured her team would figure it out.

“We’re gonna be better than you think,” she said at the time. “It’s a work in progress.”

She was right. The Panthers locked down wins in their next five games. Two of those wins came in the Hoosac Valley tournament, as the Panthers knocked off the host Hurricanes (this season’s D3 Western Mass champions) and Greenfield (this season’s D3 Western Mass. runner-up).

The Panthers first league test was a matchup against Duxbury, and an Ann O’Neill 3-pointer sent them to victory.

W-H ended league play at 7-7. It had both Plymouth North and Duxbury, in its rematch, on the ropes, but just couldn’t finish them off.

The Panthers capped the season with wins over Abington (44-25) and Rockland (59-53), two tournament teams, to claim the Shawn Cotter Invitational Tournament. The Panthers, who allowed 37.5 points per game during their last six regular-season contests, set out to win at least one in-season tournament this winter and they won both.

In the D1 South tournament, the 11th-seeded Panthers succumbed to sixth-seeded Mansfield in a nail bitter, 45-41, finishing 12-10 on the year.

W-H was paced by the play of senior forward Kathryn Dunn (11.5 ppg , 8 rpg and 3.5 apg) and junior Britany Gacicica (8.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg) this season, both of whom league all-stars. O’Neill, juniors Olivia Martin (third on team with 6.6 ppg) and Hannah Damon (second on team with 2.5 apg) and sophomore Reese Codero all stepped up in spurts.

Season Review: Girls’ indoor track team put forth strong effort

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The Panthers set many individual marks.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ indoor track team, the record wasn’t there, but the effort was.

The Panthers, despite an 0-5 mark on the season, did what they could.

“Indoor track is always a tough sell because we train in the cold and there are, admittedly, other options for the student-athletes,” said head coach Steve George. “I couldn’t have been more pleased with their efforts.”

George credited the 0-5 campaign to a lack of depth. The Panthers had nearly 40 participants, which is low compared to the rest of the Patriot League.

“We are rarely shut out in any single event, but while we have one athlete scoring, our opponents have two,” said George, whose team dropped three meets by 18 points or less. “It’s tough to win when you’re outmanned to that degree.”

The Panthers did still have their share of wins, even if they didn’t show up in their record.

“Victories for a team like ours come every week in individual events, so each time we compete there are bright spots,” George said. “We were competitive each week overall.”

Junior Courtney Woodward was one of many bright spots for W-H.

“[She] moved from distance to mid-distance this year and ran the team’s best times in the 300- and 600-meter runs, along with jumping in with our 4×200 and 4×400 at times, [and] was a major contributor,” George said. “The switch to mid-distance, which she suggested following last year’s campaign, was the right move at the right time for both Courtney and the team.”

Just a sophomore, Izzy Amado was a key contributor.

“In my opinion, [she’s] the strongest athlete since Samantha Coletti graduated three years ago,” George said. “Izzy is a very good miler, an extraordinary 1,000-meter runner and closes the gap or extends the lead in incredible fashion in every relay she enters. One of our spring heptathletes.”

Amado’s classmate, Anna Sullivan, was also strong in bevy of events and is another spring track heptathlete.

“[She’s] our top miler and two miler and anchors our 4×400 and 4×800 relays,” George said. “Just a gifted distance runner who impressed in her first indoor season.”

George coined Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue as a ‘senior who can do it all.’

“She can sprint, hurdle, high jump, long jump and run mid-distance and relay events,” George said. “[She] competes in both the Indoor pentathlon and spring heptathlon and is a leader in track and in the classroom.”

Senior captain Ally Bartlett was W-H top points getter, scoring in nearly 40 percent of the team’s points.

“[She is] the team’s best in hurdles, long jump and shot put,” George said. “Also a pentathlete/heptathlete and team MVP and Commitment Award recipient.”

George said his vision for the program remain unwavered.

“The goal is to increase participation and with more athletes, achieve greater success in competition,” he said. “Our kids are out there spreading the word that track is not all work, it can be a lot of fun, too.

“What I always hear is that kids just don’t want to put in the effort involved in the sport. While that may apply to some, I don’t think it can be universally applied to our students. All I hope for is that kids will try it, then decide. Nearly 50 years ago I did and fell in love with the sport.”

Season Review: Togetherness a strength for wrestling team

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The wrestling team finished with a 7-20 mark, but was white-hot in the homestretch.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling coach Gary Rabinovitz is coining the 2018-19 season a success.

For the Panthers, who finished the year with wins in four of seven matches, despite their 7-20 mark, they made progress. They sent three wrestlers to state tournaments, as opposed to zero last season, had a sectional finalist and their first tournament champion in two years.

Sophomore Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) was a standout for W-H all season long, collecting a team-high 29 wins, placing in four tournaments and finishing seventh at states.

“Damari is a very coachable student-athlete and gives it 100 percent every day in both practice and matches,” Rabinovitz said. “He is a class act and has not even come close to reaching his potential as of yet. I like to say when a wrestler really gets it that he flicks the switch. Damari has certainly flicked the switch and this happened at the sectional tournament. Going forward he will not look back.”

Rabinovitz credited junior captain Steve Brooks (152), who missed 17 matches, with providing the Panthers with their first high point of the season with a win at the Weymouth Tournament on Jan. 12.

“Steve does a great deal of offseason wrestling and I believe that is the key to his continued success,” Rabinvotiz said. “Steve is in the same zone as Damari, he too believes he can win every match that he competes in.”

Junior Bethany Ralph provided the Panthers with another high point, finishing second in the first ever girls’ wrestling state championship.

“For the past three years Bethany Ralph has been a model of consistency for our team,” Rabinovitz said. “She is one of the hardest workers on our team day in and day out, giving 110 percent every single day. She took a big lead this season and I look forward to her senior leadership next season. Bethany has proven that hard work does pay off.”

Freshmen Jason Rapoza (13 wins at 182) and Rocco Ruffini (10 wins at 220) gave the Panthers a quick glimpse into the future. Junior captain Tyler Cullinan boasted 19 wins, 12 of which came by pinfall, at 160 pounds.

Rabinovitz said togetherness was his team’s strength.

“The team support, especially at the end of a long season when only two wrestlers are left competing was impressive,” Rabinovitz said. “Nearly half the team showed up to practice over the final two weeks to support both Damari and Bethany.”

Sophomore Matt Butler, who was second on the team last season with 16 wins, was held to just 7 matches, in which he was 6-1 in, due to injury.

As for the future, the Panthers will return 12 of 16 tournament place winners and Rabinovitz said he has high optimism for the 2019-20 season already.

“We have several really competitive eighth graders that we have been waiting for and they will finally arrive for next season,” Rabinovitz said. “We are losing only three seniors and two were starters. Time will tell, but offseason wrestling is the key for next season.”

Season Review: Football team seniors made their mark from the start

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Seniors with trophy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The senior-laden Panthers went 8-3 on the season.

When they were freshmen, Whitman-Hanson Regional High football head coach Mike Driscoll knew there was just something different about this season’s group of seniors.

“There were a bunch of them,” Driscoll said. “They started with like 40 kids and they were rolling people and playing good football.”

But the success isn’t what caught his immediate attention.

“You could tell the core of the kids really loved the game,” Driscoll said. “We kind of knew coming into their sophomore year that we were going to get something out a few of the kids. We knew early on that they were going to be a pretty good group.”

As sophomores they helped lead the team to a 7-4 season, as juniors they did the same, but in their final seasons the 16 of them helped Driscoll hit a mark he hadn’t since his first year as head coach. That’s the eight-win plateau.

“I told the seniors how proud we were of them for their four years in the program, and I told the younger guys to remember how it feels and do what those kids did and just continue on what they did,” said the eighth-year head coach.

The Panthers posted statement wins over Marshfield (41-13) in their opener, Quincy (39-0), Silver Lake (29-6) and Abington (16-0) on Thanksgiving.

“They were a hard-working group,” Driscoll said. “They were a resilient group and they were talented.”

With its offense working through some changes throughout the season, W-H’s defense was its one constant, as it recorded three shutouts and surrendered just 11.7 points per game. The unit was led by senior captain and league all-star Mike Connors. The middle linebacker racked up a team-leading 100 tackles.

“Mike is the quarterback in the middle and made our defense run,” Driscoll said. “He knows the game inside and out and it pays off. Mike is a student of the game.”

While Connors shored up the middle, senior Billy Martell was the rock in the secondary, recording 52 tackles and three interceptions from his safety position. On offense, he chipped in 518 rushing yards and three scores. The two-way threat was also a league all-star.

“He’s very dynamic in the backfield but his defense was really, really impressive at safety,” Driscoll said. “You didn’t have to worry about too much with him in the back.”

Senior captain Quinn Sweeney and classmate Ryan Trongone were also two-way stars for W-H on the line. Sweeney was second on the team with 85 tackles and led it with 24 tackles for loss and seven sacks en route to a league all-star selection. Trongone was second on the team with 17 tackles for loss to go with 65 tackles.

“They’re the heart and soul of the team,” Driscoll said. “[They’re] gritty, tough and hard-nosed football players. They played great, but they also practiced great.”

Senior Nate Beath, a transfer from Pembroke, was a three-way asset for W-H due to his punting (31.8 punt average), blocking, rushing (244 yards, two TDs) and tackling (58 tackles and 5.5 sacks).

“Nate can do it all, he’s a really, really good football player,” Driscoll said. “I wish we had him in our program for all four years because I think he’s a legit player. He’s as good as they come.”

On offense, senior captain Ethan Phelps rushed for 654 yards and 12 TDs and was tabbed a league all-star.

“He could see the field pretty well,” Driscoll said. “We knew he was a great runner so he stepped into that role and from Day 1 he moved forward and got better at it as the season went on.”

It’s tough to find one player who had a more immense impact on the offense than senior captain Rian Schwede, who switched from wide receiver to fill a void at quarterback early in the season. In an Oct. 15 win over Quincy, he ran for, caught and threw a TD.

“Without Rian, we don’t win eight games,” Driscoll said. “That’s a fact. Rian Schwede gave up being an allleague receiver to switch to quarterback to help the team and that shows a lot about him as a person and his character.”

Driscoll said that while he’s graduating significant talent off this season’s roster, he’s optimistic about what the future holds for his program that finished off the year with a combined freshman, JV and varsity record of 20-1.

“We won a lot of football games this fall,” he said. “These kids know how to win, they work hard. They’re already working hard. We think we’re in good shape. We’re not where we want to be yet but we’re going to get there.”