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Season Review: No-quit mentality: W-H girls’ lacrosse never backed down — and it paid off

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The Panthers huddle around head coach Dave Rowell on April 30. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ lacrosse team, which started the year at 1-6, cracked the tournament for the fourth time in five seasons this spring.

Heart, resiliency and perseverance were at the forefront of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ lacrosse team’s play this spring.

Sitting at 1-6 with 11 games remaining — the Panthers could only afford to drop three more tilts the rest of the way to make the postseason. That was no issue at all and it was almost like déjà vu for fifth-year head coach Dave Rowell.

“The past two years, we scrimmaged very talented teams in the preseason and started with our league leaders in wins — Scituate, Hingham and Duxbury — in the first half of the season,” he explained. “Both years we started the season in with a 1-6 record and both seasons we fought for a trip to the tournament.”

Even after an 18-1 setback to Duxbury — the defeat that dropped them to 1-6 — Rowell had a feeling that his club would turn the corner.

“I knew with every fiber of my being that we were a good team,” Rowell said. “I saw in that Duxbury game, that I had a team that wouldn’t quit even when we were down 18-0 and they were still trying to score on us. I played everyone in that game so they could each gain experience against the best team in our league.

“We lost the game, but everyone fought for every loose ball and never quit … I always tell them that if we truly want to make tournament, then we have to earn it.”

And earned it the Panthers did by winning eight of their next 11 to make their fourth trip to the Division 1 South Sectional tournament in the past five years. So, what was the key?

“We just had to work that much harder and execute better,” Rowell said. “Every day I encouraged them and focused on our weaknesses. I kept them focused, the captains led by example, and everyone bought in.”

Making the tournament certainly came down to the wire for W-H because after a 14-5 loss to Silver Lake, it had to win out in its final two games, which were on back-to-back days. But, after an 8-6 home victory against Abington, the Panthers clinched in their final game of the regular season with an 8-5 triumph over Hull.

In the Panthers’ last eight regular-season wins, their defense — which was a focal point at outset of the season to improve — allowed just a tick over 5.5 goals a contest.

The defense was led by defenders Cam Boyce and Camille Miller and goalie Kasey Molito (Patriot League All-Star), who set the Panthers’ single-season saves record (268); all were captains.

“Every player I had learned how to play good, legal defense,” Rowell said.

TOURNAMENT RUN

That defensive mindset flowed into the tournament as the No. 17 Panthers held No. 16 Nauset to four goals in a 10-4 road victory.

W-H faced an early 3-0 deficit and was down its center 10 seconds into the game due to a yellow card, but it hadn’t laid down all spring and it wasn’t about to that game either.

“This moment was indicative of our whole season,” Rowell explained. “We don’t panic and we certainly don’t start blaming each other. We collected ourselves and executed what we worked on all year. We came back and never took our foot off of the gas pedal.”

Senior Lauren Bonavita – like she did all season — led the offense with five goals and eight draw controls. Bonavita finished her campaign with 67 goals, which included the 100th of her career.

“Lauren was just awesome,” Rowell said. “She was at every practice and always gave 100 percent. She really became a great lacrosse player, not just a great athlete that played lacrosse.”

However, the Panthers would fall to top-seeded Norte Dame Academy (Hingham), 18-3, in the first round. Regardless, it was one memorable ride.

“I absolutely would say this season was a success,” Rowell said. “If you came to any practice, whether we were winning or losing, the girls were always working hard and still having fun. The most important thing for me is that they get better every day and enjoy the sport. I find that if that is the foundation, wins are a byproduct.”

A LOOK TO FUTURE

As the Panthers turn for next season, they’ll have some holes to fill with the impending departure of eight of 12 starters. However, the return of rising seniors and captain-elects Anika Putur (defense), Samantha Whitman (eight goals, two assists) and Zoe Lydon (30 goals, 23 assists) along with rising junior Riley Bina (29 goals, 21 assists), provides them with a solid core to build around.

“This program keeps getting bigger and better,” Rowell said. “I feel like we always have a next girl up mentality and we will be ready to go in March. Three pillars of our system will always guide us: belief in each other, 100 percent effort every day, every play, and perseverance.”

Season Review: Baseball team turns focus to next spring

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The Panthers during their tournament game against Nauset. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers have already turned their focus toward next year.

While the 2018 season came to an abrupt ending for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team, veteran skipper Pat Cronin is not shocked it concluded the way did, and is already thinking ahead.

Seeded third in the Division 2 South Sectional tournament, W-H hosted No. 14 Nauset. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they ran into Warriors ace Stephen Kalinick, who was sidelined for most of the spring, which played in to the Warriors’ then 6-12 record. However, the southpaw didn’t skip a beat, shutting the Panthers out 3-0.

“People saw Nauset’s low seed and had no knowledge of their pitcher, who had had a sore arm during most of the season,” Cronin explained. “He was the reason they had one some big games early in the season, and his injury was the reason they lost their last six in a row.

“I had scouted them and knew he was a possibility. Pitching dominates at all levels; he was a dominating pitcher. He beat us and we beat ourselves on defense and at the plate. Disappointing, yes, but once I saw him, not surprised.”

Cronin added, “Whitman-Hanson is already looking forward to next season.”

So, why the optimism out of Cronin after the Panthers’ second straight campaign in which they finished 15-6, which included a first-round exit in the postseason? That would be because despite the disappointing ending, just to get to 15 wins — 13 of which came in the Patriot League as the Panthers grabbed a share of the Keenan Division title for the second consecutive season — was a success in itself.

On the mound, W-H was without its ace — senior captain James Dolan — for all but 1.2 innings due to tendonitis. Dolan was coming off a season in which he won six games and pitched to the tune of a 0.35 ERA over 40.1 innings en route to Keenan Division MVP honors.

The injury thrust junior captain Rian Schwede into the ace role, granted he pitched like one the year prior, and he collected five wins, held hitters to a .172 average and posted a 1.64 ERA. But, Schwede was going to get his innings regardless, but classmate Ethan Phelps likely wouldn’t have. However, Phelps (also hit .300) did, and hurled 36 of them, going 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA.

“Both are now seasoned veterans,” Cronin said.

Both are also captain-elects, were tabbed league all-stars and are part of seven starters set to return next season.

Along with his 1-2 in the rotation, Cronin will return junior second baseman Mike Cook and freshman short stop Danny Kent up the middle.

Cook ranked second on the team with a .394 average and knocked in a team-high 22 runs; he was also named a league all-star for the second consecutive season and is a captain-elect as well.

“He made some incredible plays at second base, and he hit for average and for power,” Cronin said of Cook. “He was almost impossible to throw out on the bases as well.”

Kent was a diamond in the rough type of find as W-H was in need of a short stop, and he was the one to answer the bell.

“We took a chance when we thought Cook would be better at second instead of short, as we had planned to move him there,” Cronin explained. “Once we saw that Kent was mature enough to handle it, we decided it was worth it to start him this year and then have them both next season together in the middle of the infield. We just let Danny play, encouraged him constantly, and tried to keep the pressure off of him. He was amazing all season. Next season he will be a year older and stronger and should be able to handle varsity pitching a little more. I think he eventually will be a very good hitter.”

Junior Derek Frank is another key returnee next season, but not to his right field post, but rather behind the plate, where he’ll have big shoes to fill. Frank, who hit .291 this season, will take over for Ryan Sawtelle. Sawtelle led the team with a .400 average and was named a league all-star.

“He [leaves a big hole] in many ways,” Cronin said of Sawtelle. “His handling of pitchers was impressive and constantly getting even better as the season went on. Most obvious was his hitting; he became a force this year by shortening his swing and being aggressive from the first pitch.

“He will be tough to replace, but we think Derek Frank will be an excellent replacement next season. Derek is an outstanding receiver himself, but did a great job in right field for us this season.”

Junior Will Newell (four RBIs) and freshman Chris Kenney (five RBIs) are the other two starters back in the fold next season.

As for departures, in addition to Sawtelle and Dolan, Caleb Burke (.294 this season) — who manned the hot corner for the last two springs — and starters Korey Howard (3-0, 1.84 ERA, 19 IP) and Jason Green (3-0, 2.30, 24.1) will be missed.

“To accomplish what they had was really quite remarkable given they did it without their ace,” Cronin said. “They have already changed the way W-H baseball is now thought of. Be proud and enjoy it.”

Season Review: Youth decks diamond this spring for softball

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The young Panthers softball team finished the year at 7-13.

It was an infusion of youth on the diamond this spring for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High softball team.

On some occasions, the Panthers had as many as six freshmen and sophomores penned into their lineup and manning pivotal positions en route to a 7-13 record.

In all, W-H worked in a half-dozen new starters while junior Kayla Crawford was converted from second base to catcher.

The Panthers did most of their business this spring without their senior captain, top returning bat and ace — all combined into one — Colleen Hughes, who hurt her patella in the third inning of the season opener, which forced her to miss the next 15 games. Hughes, a three-year starter and the team’s MVP and a Patriot League All-Star the last two seasons, entered the spring having hurled 106 of 133.2 innings last season while hitting a team-high .486 with 25 RBIs.

“She was one of the best hitters on the South Shore, in my opinion, over the course of her career,” fifth-year Panthers skipper Jenna Olem said. “No one took the injury harder than [Colleen], but she stayed so positive and became such a strong leader and even a secondary coach at practice and on the bench. She started every game for me up until this year, and picked up pitching her sophomore year out of necessity.”

Hughes returned with four games remaining and hit .467 while manning left field. However, her absence left two glaring needs: innings to be logged and runs to be driven in.

Stepping up on the bump in a big way was freshman Abby Cleary. Cleary tossed 94.1 of W-H’s 125.1 innings and collected five wins. Her finest outing came May 2 on the road against Quincy, as she went the distance and two-hit the Presidents in a 2-1 victory.

 “At first I was going to have [her and Colleen] split starts and go from there, but obviously, a lot more was put on Abby’s plate when Colleen went down,” Olem said. “When she was on and able to limit walks she got herself into a really nice groove.

“Abby has a pretty steady presence on the mound. She was able to get herself out of multiple jams this year which is a good sign going forward. I believe if she can increase her velocity and hit her spots a little better she is going to take a big leap as our ace next year.”

HOT BATS

Shining offensively were most notably senior Hailey Norris and sophomore Victoria Ryan. Both were tabbed league all-stars.

Norris hit a team-high .418, knocked in a team-high 15 runs, crossed the plate a team-high 18 times and led the team with seven steals.

“Hailey Norris has been on the varsity since her sophomore year,” Olem said. “Last year, she solidified her role as our starting third basemen and this year her offense really took off. Her batting average from last year (.200) to this year shows the huge leap she took. She also limited her strike outs from 15 last season to just three all year. Hailey always was capable of hitting for power, but bailed us out consistently this year.”

Ryan hit .382 with 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

“She looked real good in the cage from the onset of the season and [I] thought she was going to be able to handle varsity pitching just fine,” Olem said. “She did just that, and I only expect her to improve as she becomes a junior next year.”

Also, proving to be a catalyst for the Panthers’ offense was freshman Reese Codero, who hit at a .377 clip and scored 13 runs. Codero also had 68 putouts from her post at shortstop.

TALENT TELLS

“A lot of the things she does on the field are just from raw athleticism,” Olem said. “Reese improved so much over the season. For anyone, it is an adjustment to catch to varsity pitching and to try to eliminate some bad habits, but she is quite the competitor and chipped away and started to really improve with her approach at the plate (taking pitches that were out of the zone, fouling off 0-2 counts, etc.).

“Defensively, Reese is really solid. I think by the end of her career she will be an all-star and one of best shortstops in league.”

Also, catching Olem’s eye were two of Codero’s classmates — Emily McDonald and Kaitlyn McNaught.

“Emily is also another really athletic kid,” Olem said. “She started in the outfield for us and also got some good experience behind the plate. Her speed on the bases next year, along with Reese, and freshman Kait McNaught (mostly used as a DH), will definitely be a good thing to have.”

COMING BACK

Crawford, who is also set to return next season, was fourth on the team with a .431 on-base percentage.

Olem said the highlight of the season came May 10 against Hingham.

“We were still trying to stay afloat [and] it was a must-win game by my standards,” she explained. “We jumped out to a 1-0 lead [and] then gave up six in the first inning. Our offense couldn’t do anything until the fourth inning when we blew it up. We ended up winning 15-6. Abby didn’t allow a run after the first.”

The resiliency shown set the bar for the future and was a flash of what is to come for the young W-H softball team.

“They definitely showed glimpses of potential and how good they could be when they put it all together,” Olem said. “Whether it was for a few innings or a few games, we did a lot of good things this year despite our record.”

Season Review: Exceeding the expectations: Boys’ basketball found its rhythm in tough season

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The boys’ basketball team before a Feb. 16 game against Quincy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Reigonal High boys’ baskeball team made the tournament for the 10th straight season, won at least 16 games for the sixth straight winter and captured its third straight division crown.

The 2017-18 season didn’t come together the way 18-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers was expecting, but it came together in a way that he hadn’t envisioned.

“We were able to accomplish some things that I didn’t think would be on the table for us,” Rodgers said.

The Panthers went 16-5, which marked the sixth straight season in which they won at least 16 games, made the Division 2 South Sectional tournament for their 10th straight campaign and grabbed a share of their third consecutive Patriot League Keenan Division title and fourth in the past five years.

“Winning the league championship with Hingham was really a testament to how hard the kids worked and how they believed even though we hit that tough stretch in the middle of the season,” Rodgers said.

In that tough stretch to which Rodgers referred, were three straight losses to Hingham (71-45), Cardinal Spellman (78-76) and Quincy (55-54) dropped the Panthers to 5-4. But, they turned it around and rode a 10-game winning streak until Division 1 Bridgewater-Raynham topped them, 60-45, in an exclusion game for W-H. Perhaps W-H’s most impressive victory during the winning streak was a 68-51 triumph at Hingham. The Harbormen had dealt the Panthers their worst regular-season loss (71-45) in more than 10 years four weeks prior.

“I think what really happened at that point was the guys were humbled and realized that nobody is giving Whitman-Hanson anything because it says Whitman-Hanson across your chest, and they started to work harder and we kind of found a way,” Rodgers said. “In reality, be cause Sean Leahy put the team on his shoulders and was just an immense player that was a difference-maker in a lot of the games, especially that game in Hingham. I told him before that game, ‘If you’re an MVP, if you’re a league MVP, you got to go play like it because the other guy that’s vying for league MVP is on the other team.'” Leahy poured in a gamehigh 25 points and retrieved 10 rebounds in the win en route to being tabbed Patriot League Keenan Division MVP.

However, in the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Panthers succumbed to 11th-seeded Nauset, 65-56, in the first round.

“We didn’t shoot it well,” Rodgers said. “We got plenty of shots, but we just didn’t shoot it well. We didn’t have that rhythm of guys that could stick it, so if Sean [Leahy] wasn’t scoring we were going to have difficulty putting points on the board.

“The other thing in that Nauset game [is] we made a couple little runs, but we weren’t able to get stops. We weren’t able to get the big bucket down one end and the get the big stop down the other end.” Shooting – which had always been a strength of the Panthers over the years – was an issue all season long, forcing them to form a new identity on offense.

“Jake Hanson-Bartlett shot it well, Cole Lewis shot it well, Bryan Tyrie shot it well, but other than that we really didn’t shoot the basketball well as a team,” Rodgers explained. “That’s unusual for us, that’s unusual for Whitman-Hanson basketball. So, we were able to get to the basket a little more, get some stuff off of our defense, so that was really the biggest difference. We had to score points in ways that we really didn’t do in years past.”

While there was no trip to the TD Garden like there had been the previous two seasons for the Panthers, they exceeded what Rodgers had for expectations.

“I thought when we lost [Lucas Franklin, Nikko Raftes and Luke Tamulevich] last year, I knew how important they were to our team,” Rodgers said of his former captains. “We only lost three guys, but that was three-fifths of the starting lineup and they didn’t come out a lot last year.”

The Panthers will once again have a significant number of holes to plug next season with the departures of senior captains and league all-stars Leahy (19.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG) and Hanson-Bartlett (12.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG), fellow senior and league all-star Josh Genereux (8.7 PPG), and classmates Tyler Rice (5.1 PPG) and Tyrie (5.9 PPG). But, they’re no stranger to that.

“We won’t have a lot of guys that have played a lot of varsity minutes, but we’ll have some,” Rodgers said. “And then we have some good guys in the JV that if they put in their time and get in the weight room and really spend the next month months getting better, I still think we’ll be one of the better teams.”

Season Review: Girls’ hockey improved by the day

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WHSL shakes hands with Plymouth on Feb. 10 following a 3-2 win. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team finished the season at 2-18 and had 15 new players on its roster. 

The 2017-18 campaign served as a learning experience for the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team which skated to a 2-18 record.

WHSL, which was coming to its first tournament victory since the co-op’s inception in 2014, underwent a complete roster transformation. The Panthers lost 12 players off last season’s roster, which included three of their key defensemen, their lone goaltender and 80 percent of their goal scoring. The departures paved the way for 15 new players, 11 of whom were freshmen, to join the team.

The Panthers, who started the season 0-11, finally broke into the win column with a 3-1 triumph over Scituate on Jan. 27.

“It was a nice feeling for the girls to finally feel the winning situation,” fourth-year WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “They never gave up, at practices they came upbeat, wanted to learn, practice on their skills. If you didn’t know our record, you would have never known we had no wins.”

One of those skills was passing.

“Every practice we worked on passing and we became not a good passing team to a pretty good passing team by the end of the year,” Marani said. “Because we were so young and we started off with such a tough schedule, confidence means a lot. If you don’t have the confidence, no matter how hard you’re working or how hard you practice, it doesn’t go that far. We’re losing three girls, three really good leaders, but three girls, that’s it we’re losing from this team.”

Also, midway through the season, WHSL added a goalie coach to work hand in hand with freshmen netminders Kat Gilbert (Halifax) and Rylie Moran (Whitman). Gilbert entered the season with no experience in between the pipes and Moran had little action herself.

“The improvement of those two girls from just getting that goalie coach were leaps and bounds,” Marani said. “Rylie improved unbelievable. She’s really into it, she really wants to practice. She’s playing goalie over the summer doing a bunch of clinics so she’s only going to go up. At some point, I’d love to be able to play two goalies. Kat’s really into it now and she’s starting to play. Both of them truly were the most improved players on our team.”

WHSL surrendered just 16 goals in a four-game stretch from Feb. 3 to Feb. 16. In that span, the Panthers pulled off a 3-2 win over Plymouth. Marani sees a similarity between that Plymouth team, which went from 0-19-1 last winter to 14-4-3 this season, and his club.

“You can look at Plymouth, they had zero wins last year and they ended up having 14 wins this year,” Marani said. “I feel like we’re the exact same team Plymouth was the year before.”

Manning the blue line was sophomore and Patriot League All-Star Natalie Nemes (Kingston), who led WHSL with 14 goals.

“I believe she is the best player in our league,” Marani said. “When you’re that talented and you’re going through a tough season, she could have got down on her and her teammates, but she never did. She was always cheering on every player, no matter what the ability. She’s just a great, great kid.”

Sophomore Meagan Elwood (Kingston) also provided a much-needed spark for WHSL’s offense, ending her season with 10 goals.

“She’s a pure goal scorer,” Marani said. “She can score, she has a great shot, [and] gets to the net which is what you want. Meagan was huge.”

Freshman Emily McDonald (Whitman) ranked third on the team with three goals.

“In the tryouts, she was pretty good and every game she got better,” Marani said. “Now she’s one of the better players. We expect big things from her next year, absolutely. She’s a very, very smart player, got great hands, strong skating. She’s got all the ability. You could see if by the end of the year, she was carrying the play. She’s a good player, very good player.”

The young WHSL team will be in search of some leadership come next season as it will lose senior captains Shannon Elwood (Kingston) and Colleen Hughes (Hanson) along with classmate Emily Knight (Hanson), all of whom were four-year players.

“We’re losing three girls, three really good leaders,” Marani said.

As for the future, Marani believes his team will only get stronger due to the struggles sustained this winter.

“It’s pretty easy when you start losing to start finger point and start blaming people and there was none of that,” Marani said. “They stayed close-knit, they stayed friends, good teammates. It was a good learning situation for all of them. It was a tough season, but the way that they battled through everything and kept a positive attitude, it’s only going to make them better next year.”

Season Review: Laying the foundation: Girls’ basketball eyes long-term success

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The Panthers before a Jan. 26 game. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team finished the 2017-18 season with an eight-year best 13-9 record.

Trust the process.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team, that’s the perfect motto.

With a roster that consisted of just two seniors to complement six juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen, the Panthers boasted an eight-year best 13-9 record and cracked the tournament for the second straight season. But, back in Division 1 South for the first time since 2012 due to realignment, 11th-seeded W-H bowed out to sixth-seeded Wellesley, 46-37, in the first round.

“The most important goal we start with each year is qualifying for the state tournament,” fifth-year W-H head coach Jenna Olem said. “So, in that aspect we met a very important goal.”

W-H opened the winter red-hot, winning its first seven contests – highlighted by a 67-64 double-overtime season-opening victory over Bridgewater-Raynham, a 60-57 win at Silver Lake and a 3-0 trip to Florida which resulted in a tournament title.

“We got off to a hot start for whatever reason,” Olem said. “[It] could’ve been strength of schedule [or] new players kind of just playing without a conscious.”

But, the return trip home, which began with a 56-38 loss to Duxbury, wasn’t as kind for the Panthers as both B-R (67-47) and Silver Lake (66-52) defeated them comfortably the next time around.

“When you start seeing league teams or teams for a second time, everyone has made adjustments,” Olem said. “Most teams have gotten much better from when you see them in early December.”

But, despite the second-half struggles, the Panthers remained upbeat, improving on the little things. They finally nailed down their 11th win – to clinch a spot in the postseason – with a 51-36 triumph over Pembroke and in their second match against Duxbury, they held the Dragons to 40 points in a four-point loss.

“It was just important to stay focused and stay positive each day,” Olem said. “To play present was also a point of emphasis. No season goes by without having to withstand some adversity.”

The Panthers were often buoyed on both ends of the court by their junior captain and Patriot League All-Star duo of Kathryn Dunn and Erin Leahy.

Dunn averaged a team-high 11.3 points, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals and was second with 5.7 rebounds per game.

“She is our most reliable scorer,” Olem said of Dunn. “Kathryn plays very level-headed. She never gets too high or too low. I think a real underrated aspect of her game is her ability to defend great players and crash the boards. She is such a tough kid and seems to be involved in every play.”

Leahy, whose 2016-17 season came to an abrupt end after she sustained a torn ACL in W-H’s tournament clincher, led the Panthers on the boards, averaging 8.5 and ranked second with 9.0 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

“To not have played in one basketball game, while most every varsity player plays all offseason, and then come out and play every night and go hard every practice is very admirable,” Olem said. “I think next year, Erin will be able to play much more freely and I have a strong feeling that because she will now be able to work on her entire game over the off-season she will have a great year for us.”

The Panthers also received significant contributions in spurts from freshmen Reese Codero (10 points Dec. 19 vs. North Quincy) and Rylie Harlow (seven points Dec. 21 vs. Hanover), sophomores Brittany Gacicia (nine points Feb. 8 vs. Plymouth North) and Olivia Martin (22 points Feb. 15 vs. Quincy) and juniors Leah Badger (seven second-half points Feb. 6 vs. Pembroke), Anna O’Neill (14 points Jan. 23 vs. Plymouth South) and Olivia Johnson (nine points Jan. 23 vs. Plymouth South).

“I thought everyone made solid progress and jumped up to another level this season,” Olem said.

Olem also lauded her two seniors and quad-captains – Halle Julian and Alyssa Nicholson – for assisting the Panthers’ transition to a significantly younger team than the year prior when they had five seniors.

“Halle and Alyssa are great kids,” Olem said. “They did a great job keeping everyone together and keeping everyone positive all season long.”

Olem said she fully expects the Panthers to take another step forward next winter.

“I think the girls all got a taste of what it means to be a successful team, what it means to work hard, and the importance of doing the little things on the floor,” she said. “In the offseason, I know most of my players play together in summer league, summer tourneys, and fall league as well as on other AAU teams. I expect everyone to take a big jump next year because they had a ton of experience this year.”

Season Review: Girls’ indoor track regained its footing

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The Panthers during a Dec. 13 meet. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Through their first three meets, the Panthers sat at 0-3 with losses to Hingham (87-17), Duxbury (54-46) and Plymouth North (67-33).

After a rocky start, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ indoor track team regained its footing to finish the season strong.

Through their first three meets, the Panthers sat at 0-3 with losses to Hingham (87-17), Duxbury (54-46) and Plymouth North (67-33).

“The Patriot League is an extremely competitive league with some enormously talented athletes,” W-H head coach Steve George said. “We faced the very best teams during those first [three] weeks. While we kept it close with most, we had some key athletes go down with injuries.”

Reinforcements would be on their way, however, and in the Panthers’ fourth meet of the season Jan. 24, they scored a nail-biting 51-49 victory over Silver Lake.

Trailing by three with one event to go – the 4×400 relay – the Panthers’ crew stepped to the line. Coincidentally, W-H was missing three of its four runners who had competed on the team all season long, leaving junior Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue as the only one who had previously done the event. So, the Panthers went with a next man up approach, inserting senior Julia Cosgrave and sophomores Victoria Boss and Courtney Woodward into the lineup.

The tandem finished the course in 4:39.56, besting Silver Lake by nearly 13 ticks to lift the Panthers to victory.

The girls then carried that momentum into the final meet of the season, two weeks later, tying Pembroke, 49-49, to cap off the winter at 1-3-1. The Panthers were led by first-place finishes from DiMascio-Donohue (55-meter hurdles, 10.17), junior Allison Bartlett (long jump, 15-foot-2), junior Maeve McDonough (2-mile run, 13:16.77), freshman Isabelle Amado (600-meter dash, 1:52.16) and senior captain Nicole Norve (1-mile run, 5:26.63).

It was one of many top-place finishes for the Adams State-bound Norve, who was tabbed as the team’s lone Patriot League All-Star. Norve also represented the Panthers in the Division 3 All-State meet, where she placed 10th in the 1,000-meter run (3:09.28) and 12th in the 1-mile run (5:26.81).

“Nicole has literally led by example during her four years at Whitman-Hanson,” George said. “I recall as a freshman cross country runner we saw that she was talented and invited her to run at the Martha’s Vineyard Invitational. She initially declined, I think feeling a bit uneasy as the only freshman entry. But she ended up running that meet and since then has worked tirelessly to improve. It’s as simple as – she loves running.”

Norve was one of a few runners who impressed George this season.

“I would have to say seniors Julia Cosgrave and Camryn Boyce were as consistent as it gets,” George explained. “Each could be counted on to participate and score in multiple events each week. Maeve McDonough has really worked hard to become a very good distance runner.”

George added he was pleasantly surprised with a handful of freshmen who burst onto the scene this season as well.

“Isabelle Amado, Hailey Minicucci, Alaina Mutascio and Emma Rogers all showed some real ability in multiple events and should make an impact over the next three years,” George said.

Next up for many the girls is the spring campaign.

“Many of our kids run all year long and our between-season goal is just to get them rested so they can be healthy going into the outdoor season,” George said.

Season Review: Battling through a tough season

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The Panthers during a Jan. 17 game against Hanover. / Photo by: Sue Moss

One season after posting a single win, the Panthers raised that number to eight, as they just narrowly missed out on the tournament by two points with an 8-10-2 record.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team knew it could improve, and a fixation on its vision fueled its turnaround this winter.

One season after posting a single win, the Panthers raised that number to eight, as they just narrowly missed out on the tournament by two points with an 8-10-2 record. W-H head coach Chris Googins said the success had nothing to do with anything he tweaked, but was largely in part due to what his returning juniors and seniors set out to accomplish.

“It has a lot has to do with the players that came back,” Googins said of the turnaround. “The core group that came back from last year were very serious about improving and they showed that in the offseason. A lot of the kids played summer hockey, a lot of the kids played fall hockey and I think they saw the fruits of their labor of putting in that extra work.”

Through their first 10 games, the Panthers sat at 6-3-1, highlighted by a 1-1 tie against Duxbury, a pair of wins – 7-3 and 4-2 – over Abington and a 3-1 triumph over Silver Lake. All those teams would go on to make the tournament, but W-H would not, as some of the aspects that you can’t control in sports caught up to it.

“It’s pretty evident that three kids went down with significant injuries [and] along with any other team, we had a bout of the flu,” Googins explained. “At times, there were kids playing that weren’t used to playing so much. We had a lot of key players out.”

At one point, the Panthers were dealing with a pair of broken wrists. Senior defenseman Ryan Lincoln had one of those, and he even returned with a week remaining and a cast on to try and salvage the Panthers’ playoff chances.

“Ryan Lincoln [is a] high-character [kid],” Googins said. “He’s just a tough kid who said I want to come back, got cleared and really couldn’t even shoot the puck, but it showed he wanted to come back, and he was a kid that was out for a while that we needed.”

Kevin Willis was another key defenseman out of the equation after suffering a torn ACL toward the latter half of the season.

“You’re talking two of your top four defensemen out,” Googins said. “It hurt.”

Sophomore Chris Stoddard, who was tied for fifth on the team with nine points through 12 games, would also be sidelined for the final three weeks.

But, despite the injuries, there was no lack of drive from the Panthers, especially out of their elder statesmen.

“The best thing that stands out was the group of seniors that every night just gave their best effort, they really did,” Googins said. “I don’t think it was one particular game or one shift. Just every night it seemed like whatever seniors were in the lineup, they would just almost be like assistant coaches and help out. They were just there to get the kids fired up, and I appreciated that. It was such a pleasure to come to the rink every day. It really was, based upon those kids.”

It is certainly a unit – led by captain Ryan Sawtelle and assistant captains Korey Howard and Alex Uva – Googins will have tough time replacing.

Howard (18 goals, 10 assists) and Uva (9 goals, 16 assists), both of whom were Patriot League All-Stars, paced the team in points. But, ranking behind them were junior Ed Scriven (11 goals, 11 assists), sophomore Adam Solari (8 goals, 11 assists) and junior Owen Manning (7 goals, 6 assists). Sophomore goalie R.J. Flynn, who posted a 3.22 GAA in limited action, is likely to take over the reins from senior Ricky Welch. Freshmen Jack Allen, Josh Pike and Kevin Willis also form a solid nucleus set to return inside the blue line.

“I’m very optimistic of the retuning players,” Googins said. “What they need to understand is that they need to take a couple months off from the game, but then you have go to start to re-fire the engines up again.”

Season Review: Boys’ indoor track made strides

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The Panthers during a Dec. 13 meet. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers, who finished the season at 2-3, owned wins over Duxbury (55-45) and Silver Lake (54-45) and were clipped by Hingham (57-43) and Pembroke (57-41).

Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ indoor track head coach Mike Driscoll is pleased with the effort put forth by his team this winter.

The Panthers, who finished the season at 2-3, owned wins over Duxbury (55-45) and Silver Lake (54-45) and were clipped by Hingham (57-43) and Pembroke (57-41).

“With the exception of the Plymouth North meet (70-30 loss), who were the [league] champions, we hung with some really good teams,” Driscoll explained. “We beat Duxbury, we beat Silver Lake, and Duxbury is a really good track team. We got within two events of beating Hingham, which we haven’t done in a long time.

“These kids worked really hard. We had a small senior class with only six seniors, but four of them are state-level competitors. I’m happy with the young kids, I’m happy with the older kids, we had a lot of freshmen, we had a lot of new kids this year, so the numbers are good.”

The four Panthers to crack the Division 3 All-State meet, which was held Feb. 18 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, were senior captains Brian Edwards and Andrew Newman (Patriot League All-Star) and classmates Brett Holmes (Patriot League All-Star) and Jack Ryan (Patriot League All-Star).

Edwards finished the contest tying his career-best of a 6-foot high jump, which was good for eighth place and a medal.

“Brian is just a natural high jumper,” Driscoll said. “That’s his event, it’s been his event since he was a freshman and it’s just a natural event for him. He can get up over that bar at six feet like it’s nothing and it’s pretty fun to watch.”

Newman also medaled with a seventh-place finish in the 2-mile run at 10:08.66.

“Andrew is one of the examples of a kid that if you just stick with something, you’re gonna be good at it,” Driscoll said. “Andrew came in as a freshman and he was maybe a little below average. And now with all the hard work he’s put into this program, and into himself and running, he’s an above-average runner now and he’s earned everything.”

Holmes and Ryan missed out on medals in the long jump and 1,000-meter run, respectively.

The Panthers were also bolstered this season by the addition of indoor track newbie and the progression of a seasoned veteran.

“[Junior] Billy Martell had a great year for us, his first year doing winter track, in the 300 meters and our 4×200 team,” Driscoll said. “And then senior Joey Coletti had another spectacular year in the 600 meters and 4×400 for us.”

Driscoll said Coletti was the biggest surprise of the winter.

“I wasn’t sure what we were gonna get out of him,” Driscoll said. “I knew he was a senior, [but] he really bought into the team this year and bought into the running, and I think he had an outstanding year for us.”

Coletti was a leg on the 4×400 relay team, along with sophomore Kyle O’Brien, Ryan and senior Andrew Tassey, that finished in 3:51.62 to help the Panthers edge Duxbury on Dec. 19.

“I think that was our best meet,” Driscoll said. “Beating that team with a lot of depth. We really, really ran well and jumped spectacular that night. We had to hit all our marks and all our spots and we did that night. “

Driscoll said he hopes to continue to develop the indoor track program by attracting more student-athletes over the offseason.

“We’d love to have every kid come out for track, but we get kids need rest after their fall seasons,” Driscoll said. “We just really want to build the program back to where it was.”

Season Review: Youth takes control on wrestling mats

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The Panthers during a Jan. 3 meet against Plymouth South. / Photo by: Sue Moss

One season after boasting a core of six seniors – three of which competed in the Division 2 state tournament – the Panthers had an infusion of young talent this winter.

The 2017-18 campaign served as a bridge year for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team, which finished the winter at 7-13.

One season after boasting a core of six seniors – three of which competed in the Division 2 state tournament – the Panthers had an infusion of young talent this winter. Not only did they boast 10 freshmen and eight sophomores on their roster, but a significant number of them ended up playing large roles.

For starters, sophomore Steve Brooks (152 pounds) seized the most of his opportunity, racking up a team-leading 19 wins, after just three the year prior. Freshman Matt Butler (126) also took his opportunity by storm, ranking second on the team with 16 victories to conclude his inaugural campaign. Second-year Panthers wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz admitted he wasn’t expecting much out of either at the outset of the year.

“We really had two big surprises this season,” Rabinovitz said. “First is freshman Matt Butler. Matt placed in three tournaments this year. The second surprise is sophomore Steve Brooks, [who also] placed in three tournaments for us. Steve proved that offseason wrestling really works.” Screen Shot 2018-02-24 at 12.02.00 PM

Also, bursting onto the scene for W-H were freshmen Damari Goldsmith-Greene (132), Theo Kamperides (113) and Myles McInnis (106).

“We had a great group of freshmen this season and I am looking forward to many of them playing a big role in next year’s team,” Rabinovitz said. “These kids are the future of our program. With another class like these guys next year, we could be a force before too much longer. I really see us winning 75 percent of our dual meets next year, [but] time will tell.”

While the youth movement was evident, the Panthers still received plenty of production out of their two senior captains – Ben Cordingley (138) and Steve Osborne (182). The two combined to win 28 matches and account for 154 of W-H’s points this season.

“Both Ben and Steve have been great leaders for our squad this year,” Rabinovitz said. “Ben was a four-year wrestler and was very consistent this year winning some big matches for us.

“Steve was a very vocal leader always putting the team ahead of himself and his leadership was very much appreciated. Steve was a three-year wrestler for us. Both Ben and Steve led by example throughout the season.”

For the Panthers as a team, they began the season at 4-5 after a 45-36 victory over Duxbury on Jan. 10, before dropping to 5-12 with one meet remaining. And in that final tri-meet Feb 3, the Panthers went 2-1 with wins over Norwood (46-36) and Everett (30-24) to cap the season off on the right note.

Rabinovitz said that despite the team falling a bit short of his expectation, which was at least 10 wins, he is looking for his players to remain driven.

“Offseason wrestling is a critical part of our growth as a wrestling program,” Rabinovitz said. “All of the kids are encouraged to participate in offseason wrestling or play another high school sport.”