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Whitman-Hanson baseball streaking as it enters key matchup

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Photo by: Sue Moss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Halle Julian (No. 42) goes up for a block in an Oct. 26 game. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Halle Julian, a three-year starter for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team, will play at Eastern Nazarene College next year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: When did you first get involved in cheerleading?

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

Q: What do you find most fascinating about cheerleading?

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

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

A: Perseverance, team- work and motivation.

Q: When did you begin coaching cheerleading?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What are your goals for the program?

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

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

A: Without a doubt.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matt fired 1.1 scoreless frames in relief.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boys’ lacrosse rallies past Cardinal Spellman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Season Preview: Boys’ lacrosse ready to rebound

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Photo by: Brian McLoughlin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As for goals – White is cautious to set them.

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

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

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

Season Preview: Boys’, Girls’ outdoor track teams sprinting into spring

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Photo by: Brian McLoughlin

Both Whitman-Hanson Regional High track teams will rely on their legs this spring.

There is no secret as to what will power the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ and girls’ outdoor track teams this season. It’s their running.

BOYS’ TEAM

Seniors Jack Ryan (grey) and Alex Uva (black). Photo by: Brian McLoughlin

As Stephen Schilicting enters his first season at the helm of the boys’ outdoor track team, he’s excited by what he’s seen.

“We have some very talented boys,” Schilicting, who takes over the team that finished 2-4 under Mike Driscoll last spring, said. “Our running program, I think, is going to do very, very well. Our distance runners are excellent. Jack Ryan, Andrew Newman – they’re really, really great runners.”

Newman and Ryan, who are both seniors, are about as good as it gets. Newman has taken his game to a whole new level this season, racing to first-place finishes in his first five meets during the fall in cross country while garnering Patriot League All-Star recognition. He was also a league all-star in the winter as well. As a junior, Ryan was a three-season Patriot League All-Star in cross country, indoor track and winter track.

Ryan captains the team alongside classmate Alex Uva and junior Billy Martell.

“I’m very comfortable with them,” Schilicting, who served as an assistant coach at W-H during the cross country and indoor track season, said. “I’ve seen Jack up close and Alex up close and I had Billy in winter track working with him in the sprints so I’m sure he’s going to do a great job.”

Martell is going to play a key role in what Schilicting coined the strength of the team – distance running.

“Billy Martell is a very good sprinter, he’ll be doing the 100 [and] the 200,” Schilicting explained. “(Senior) Scott Mateus will be running in the 100 and the 4×1. They’re kind of my experienced veterans coming back.”

Schilicting has some pretty good hurdlers as well, led by a pair of juniors.

“I’ve got Dan Kline, who qualified in high hurdles last year, he’s coming back,” Schilicting explained. “He’s going to be doing high and low hurdles and Shane Schraut, who did cross country for the first time this year and he did indoor track, and he’s getting better and better in the hurdles.”

The Panthers, who opened the season with a 125-10 victory over North Quincy yesterday, will be back in action Tuesday, April 10 at 3:35 p.m. on the road against Hingham.

“I’m really excited,” Schlicting said. “There’s over 50 boys on this team. We’re up as far as numbers are concerned [from the winter season].”

GIRLS’ TEAM

As for the girls’ outdoor track team, its seen a participation increase as well – up from 34 athletes last season to 42 this spring. Fifteen freshmen and 15 sophomores will account for roughly 70 percent of its roster.

“We’re still trying to find our way right now,” fourth-year W-H head coach Steve George said. “… we’ve got a lot of kids who are inexperienced.”

Freshman Isabelle Amado. / Photo by: Brian McLoughlin

Freshman Gabrielle Coste is one of those newcomers.

“She has high jumped 5 feet as a middle school student so I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do at this level,” George, whose team finished 2-4 last season, said.

While Coste may headline the first-year participants, senior captains Nicole Norve and Lilly Perkins lead the returnees. Norve, an Adams State University commit, has been a league all-star three times in cross country, twice in indoor track and once for outdoor track. Perkins will anchor the 400-meter dash and long jump – two events she excels in.

“They’re multi-sport captains and they’ve had some experience at it and performed well in the past as captains and they continue to do that, despite the fact that they have less than 60 days of school left,” George said.

Juniors Ally Bartlett and Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue, sophomores Anika Floeck and Samantha Perkins, and freshman Isabelle Amado will also give the Panthers a boost this season.

“I think we’re strong in the distance events,” George said. “We have three to five girls who are very talented in multiple events so we will be good in the jumps.”

The Panthers, who opened the season yesterday with a 76-58 loss to North Quincy, will be back in action Tuesday, April 10 at 3:45 p.m. on the road against Hingham.

“A winning record [is our goal],” George said. “We have five dual meets scheduled and three of the teams are some of the top teams in the state in Hingham, Duxbury and Plymouth North High School, so they’re very difficult opponents but we hope to maybe steal one of those meets.”

Sister act on the diamond: Colleen Hughes to join sister Caitlin at Westfield State

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Colleen Hughes attended accepted students day at Westfield State on Tuesday, April 3. / Courtesy photo: Michelle Hughes

Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior Colleen Hughes will play softball with her sister Caitlin next season at Westfield State University.

Colleen Hughes could not pass up the opportunity to play with her sister for one more season.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior will join her sister Caitlin on the diamond as a member of the Westfield State University softball team next year.

“She played a pretty big part in me going there,” Colleen said of the elder Hughes who is one of the Owls catchers. “She plays softball as well so I thought it gave me a great opportunity to play with her. She’s a great role model to look up to and it will be a good transition into college just to start out.”

This will not be the first time the two siblings will share the same field together. They were starters on the W-H softball team in 2015 that stunned defending state champion Bridgewater-Raynham, 4-1, in the opening round of the Division 1 South Sectional tournament. Caitlin, a then-senior captain, caught the entire game and had a key RBI. Colleen, a freshman at the time, roamed left field.

“She was a very good role model to look up to,” Colleen said. “She had a really big impact on the team, so it was awesome to play with her.”

Caitlin concluded her Panthers career as a four-year letter winner, and Colleen is in line to reach that feat as well. The younger Hughes has started every game since her freshman campaign. Last season Colleen led W-H by hitting at a .486 clip with four home runs and 25 runs batted in en route to being tabbed the team MVP and a Patriot League All-Star for the second straight year. In Caitlin’s final season with the Panthers, she hit .446 and knocked in 26 runs.

Fifth-year W-H head coach Jenna Olem sees the similarity with their approach at the plate. “The way they attack the ball in the box is really something special,” Olem said. “Colleen is such a strong, powerful hitter, so that’s nice to have in the lineup. It seems almost every time she gets up, she’s gonna have a big hit for us.”

Not only does Colleen power the Panthers with her bat, but she leads with her arm as well. Last season she took over as their ace and hurled 106 of their 133.2 innings. She collected eight wins in the process to help guide W-H back to the tournament for the first time since that 2015 season. Colleen, despite all the frames tossed, is still fairly new to the position.

“She just took up pitching a few years ago and that’s just a testament to her ability as an athlete, as a competitor, to do whatever she can to help the team,” Olem said.

Colleen added that it was a difficult adjustment to begin with, but rewarding in the end.

“It was hard at first,” Colleen, who boasts a 4.3 GPA and is a member of the Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society, explained. “I did pitching lessons all summer and fall so it was a hard work up to it but it’s definitely worth it.”

This season Colleen will also captain the Panthers — a role she served in for the field hockey team during the fall and the girls’ hockey team in the winter.

“She has always had this tremendous work ethic,” Olem said. “She takes every drill seriously and competes as hard as possible no matter the circumstance. Colleen really showed her ability to lead last year just with her calmness at the plate and her ability to come through with a big hit. Also, regardless of how her pitching outing was going she was always standing, cheering, and letting her teammates know she had their backs. Everyone looks to Colleen as sort of a role model because of her approach to the game and her understanding of the game.”

Colleen’s senior season will get underway Monday, April 9 at 4 p.m. when the Panthers travel to Pembroke.

“My goal this year is to just improve as a player and improve my hitting before I take my next step to college,” Colleen said.