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Whitman-Hanson Express Postseason Accolades: Fall Sports

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Athletes of the Season

Boys’ cross country: Theo Kamperides | Junior – The junior was the Panthers’ top runner this fall, placing first overall in seven of eight Patriot League dual meets. Selected as the Patriot League Keenan Division’s MVP, Kamperides earned a spot in the Division 1 Championship meet and finished the season with a personal best time of 15:50.

 

Girls’ cross country: Myah Kamperides | Sophomore – In her first year running cross country, the sophomore placed first overall in eight of nine meets during the regular season en route to league all-star status. Kamperides posted a personal best time of 19:32.

 

 

Field hockey: Maddy Tassey | Senior – The senior captain potted a team-high 4 goals, while adding three assists for a total of seven points on the season. Tassey scored with three minutes remaining on Sept. 25 to give the Panthers a 3-2 win over Plymouth South for their first victory of the season.

 

 

Football: C.J. Giuliani | Senior – A Patriot League All-Star, Giuliani was a two-way starter for the Panthers. The senior captain rushed for 689 yards out of the backfield, while posting 68 tackles and five sacks on defense.

 

 

Boys’ golf: Aidan Miller | Junior – The junior represented the Panthers in the Div. 2 state finals, where he finished 51st out of 102 golfers. In three of W-H’s four wins, Miller was its low scorer. 

 

 

Boys’ soccer: Jason Brodeur | Senior – A two-year captain, Brodeur was selected as a Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star. The forward led the Panthers in goals each of the past two seasons and netted a career-high 17 this fall. He will play at Endicott.

 

 

Girls’ soccer: Olivia Borgen | Sophomore – The sophomore was both a first-team EMass selection and Patriot League All-Star. A midfielder, Borgen paced the 16-win Panthers with 22 goals and 13 assists, bringing her career totals to 30 goals and 17 assists.

 

 

Girls’ volleyball: Lily Welch | Sophomore – Voted as the team’s Rookie of the Year, Welch posted 89 kills, 57 solo blocks, 13 kills and five aces in her first campaign on the varsity club. She garnered 19 kills and a team-high five solo blocks in the Panthers’ first-round tournament mach against Durfee.

 

Coach of the Season

Girls’ volleyball: Samantha Richner – The Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum took over the reins of the girls’ volleyball team this fall and led it to the tournament for the first time since 2016. The Panthers finished the season with a 12-9 record. Richner said after the year: “I am very pleased with the way the season played out. The team and I set a goal at the beginning of the season, which was to make tournament, and we were able to achieve that.”

 

*All photos by Sue Moss

Welcome to the club: Josh Rice joins his dad in Eastern Nazarene’s 1,000-point club

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Josh Rice (left) and his father Jon after the game. / Courtesy photo

Josh and Jon Rice become the first father-son duo in Eastern Nazarene College history to both score 1,000 points.

There was already plenty to celebrate.

Friday, Nov. 22 was both Jon Rice and his wife Nancy’s birthday. Their son Josh gave them a memorable present — at the place they first met.

Josh, a senior swingman on Eastern Nazarene’s men’s basketball team and 2016 Whitman-Hanson Regional High graduate, entered his game that night against Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the verge of school history. He needed 14 points to join his dad in the college’s 1,000-point club — and to become the first father-son duo in program history to do it.

After hitting four quick 3-pointers, Josh was just two points away. Then, with 5:17 left in the first half, he got a screen, a pass from his teammate Noah Cheney, spotted up from the top of the key and connected on another one from beyond the arc. This one, pushed him over the 1,000-point mark.

“I definitely don’t think I could have asked for a better present,” said his father Jon, who ranks 18th all-time on Eastern Nazarene men’s basketball’s scoring list with 1,226 points that he scored from 1986-90. “And to do it at my alma mater — I’m so proud of Josh.”

Said Josh: “I’m definitely proud of it, especially since it’s the same school that my dad went to. He’s a big reason I went here. It‘s nice for us to have and be able to share that forever together. It was a great feeling — especially for him to be there.”

And it was appropriate for Josh, a Hanson native, to reach the milestone with a 3-pointer. He’s connected on 199 of them so far during his college career.

Josh said his father molded him into the shooter he is today.

“He didn’t let me shoot threes until I was in high school,” Josh said. “He taught me how to shoot, the form, everything.”

Jon coached his son in town and AAU basketball from fourth grade until his sophomore year of high school. Josh credits his father for helping foster him with a love for the game.

“My dad loves sports, especially basketball,” Josh said. “His history at ENC and his passion and his love and knowledge of the game really grew that passion in me.”

It began when Josh was in elementary school and his father Jon was the head boys’ basketball coach at Hingham High.

“I would bring him with me to practices and games,” the elder Rice said. “There was one time, I remember coaching a game in Weymouth and we had just enough seats for everybody on the team and the last seat was for the water cooler. Josh was in second or third grade at the time. There was one of those big, heavy water coolers, and he was like, ‘Well, dad said I could sit on the bench this game, so I’m just going to move this water cooler.’

“So, he attempts to move the water cooler and it falls over and it floods the court, so that was certainly an everlasting memory.”

Jon eventually gave up his spot on the Hingham bench so he could coach his son.

“It was one of the toughest decisions I had to make,” Jon said. “It was hard, but I don’t regret a second of it. I cherish the memories I have coaching Josh and my other two boys, as well.”

But the memories that stick out to Josh occurred in the driveway, where he and his younger brother Tyler, a former starter on the W-H basketball team, who graduated in 2018, played against their youngest brother Ben, who is a senior on the Panthers now, and their father.

“I just remember how intense those games would be going down the stretch, being like 20-20 and the first to 21 wins,” Josh recalled. “Losing to my brother and my dad motivated me to work even harder.”

It’s what happened after the game when no one was watching that defines Josh’s work ethic.

“The next day, I’d be out working on the shot I missed in those games,” Josh said. “Those games were so valuable growing up. We all wanted to win so badly.”

Josh entered this season just 40 points away from the 1,000-point mark. His offseason was rigorous, but typical. 

“I would work out wherever I could,” Josh explained. “When Whitman-Hanson was open, I’d get in there when I could, I’d drive up some nights to ENC. I also work at the YMCA in Hanover, as a camp counselor, so I’d go early and get a workout in, and then after my shift was up I’d get shots up.”

His drive, determination, and prowess on the court are a few aspects of Josh that stick out to ENC head men’s basketball coach Scott Polsgrove. They explain why he’s a captain for the Lions.

“He’s a great leader for us,” Polsgrove said. “His teammates all know that he cares about them, and he’s a fun, loving, player who has an infectious attitude and energy about him that draws people to him. We rely on him heavily.”

While Josh finishes his ENC career, he’ll forever have a memory in the college both he and his father called home.

“I’ll be able to take my kids to an ENC game one day and say, ‘That’s your grandfather and that’s me,’” Josh said.

Big goals for Sam Smith at Boston College

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Sam Smith controls the ball against Northeastern. / Courtesy photo

Sam Smith led the Boston College women’s soccer team in goals as a freshman.

Shortly after Boston College named Jason Lowe its next women’s soccer head coach in January, he took a trip to the South Shore to watch some of the program’s incoming players.

Sam Smith, a reigning All-American at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, was one of them.

“You could tell she was a pretty technical player, but mostly off the field, I would say one of the biggest personalities in the freshman group, so we kind of clicked right away,” Lowe said. “Really great kid and really into soccer and could tell we were going to get along really well.”

The Hanson native arrived on campus a few months later.

“She came right in and just from our initial fitness test, she’s probably one of our fittest players on the team — definitely one of our fittest freshmen, so she definitely made a good first impression in the early days of preseason,” Lowe said.

And a strong preseason helped the freshman earn a starting role on the Eagles. After netting the winning goal in the Eagles’ opener against UMass, Smith did the same in the second game as well. By BC’s fifth contest of the season, she had four goals, three of which were game-winners.

“She didn’t overthink it too much,” Lowe said. “She got the ball and was playing with her first touch, and then she just drove into the 18 and got good shots off and did a really good job keeping the ball alive and just sort of staying in the moment.”

That was just a part of her success.

“I’d do film with her, and she actually is really good at breaking down her game and watching film,” Lowe said. “When we come in to watch it, she has already watched it and broke it down herself and had her own opinions.

“Every Monday, on our free day, she is out with the other freshmen working on their game. A combination of both of those helped her get off to a good start and helped her stay in our starting lineup.”

Smith entered Atlantic Coast Conference play with five goals. Lowe said her non-conference success wasn’t a surprise to him, but he wanted to see if she could perform against ACC competition. She did.

Smith netted two goals against Florida State in the conference opener and another against Miami (FL) the following game.

“That surprised me when she was able to do it against some of the top 10 teams in the country,” he said. “Her header against Florida State was probably one of the most perfect goals we scored all year.”

But that’s where the goal scoring would end for Smith because, with each goal, she started to become even more of a focal point of the opposing team’s defense — to the point where teams double-teamed her.

“There’s no secrets in our conference,” Lowe said. “They watched the film and figured out. She is certainly no secret.”

But despite not scoring again, she still led the team with eight goals this season.

“It was definitely frustrating to hear the other team always say, ‘Double team No. 9,’” Smith said. “It can get to you. See, I don’t think eight goals is a lot, I want to score more.”

Additionally, Smith earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team and was tabbed to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s All-Atlantic Region third team.

For as big as the goals Smith has garnered at BC were, bigger ones await.

“The sky’s the limit for her,” Lowe said. “I was talking with the U-20 [U.S. Women’s National Team] coach, and I think she is definitely on their radar in a really good pool of forwards and attackers.”

“That’s always been my goal,” Smith said.

W-H football gobbled up by Abington

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Junior Nik Dolan. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team dropped its 109th Thanksgiving Day game with Abington, 27-14.

For Abington High football head coach Jim Kelilher, there is no bigger game than Thanksgiving.

This is his 52nd season as a part of the Green Wave’s Turkey Day game against Whitman-Hanson. The rivalry turned 109 this season.

So, despite punching their ticket to the Div. 7 Super Bowl, there was no way Kelliher was going to sit his starters, as some other Super Bowl-bound coaches did across the state. He had too much respect for the rivalry.

“It’s a football game and we play our starters each and every Friday or Saturday,” Kelliher said. “We weren’t going to do any different today. You’ll remember this one (game) the most.”

And the Green Wave’s starters shone. Senior captain Will Klein scored two of his three touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Green Wave a 14-0 lead en route to a 27-14 victory.

A 57-yard pitch and catch from Colby Augusta to Drew Donovan pushed the Abington (10-2) lead to 21-0 before the half. For a team that lost its starting quarterback in its first game of the season, the Panthers (2-10) proved to be scrappy, pulling within 21-7 right before halftime on a 60-yard touchdown run by Nik Dolan.

Klein was just too much, though, scoring his third touchdown of the game in the third, ballooning Abington’s advantage to 27-7. W-H countered late with a 40-yard strike from Andrew Cloutman to senior Colby Garden, but it wasn’t enough.

W-H still leads the all-time series with Abington, 60-46-3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q&A with new W-H gymnastics coach Alison Vance

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The Whitman-Hanson Regional High gymnastics team has a new coach. Alison Vance will take over the reins of the team this winter.

The Express caught up with Vance to get her outlook on the state of the program and find out how she aims to build it up.

Q: For those who don’t know, what’s your connection to the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District?

A: “I have been a seventh grade math teacher for 16 years at Whitman Middle School.”

Q: What’s your background in gymnastics?

A: “I was a former competitive and high school gymnast. I coached recreational gymnastics for six years, and I was the coach of the Excel competition teams at Mass Gymnastics Center in Pembroke for the previous 13 years.”

Q: What makes this new role a good fit for you?

A: “I am finally at a place in my life where I can dedicate the amount of time needed to coach this program. I stepped down from coaching the Excel teams last June. My twin daughters are 10 and can understand why I might be out of the house several nights a week. My husband is super supportive and able to help bring our daughters to their various activities while I am coaching. I am ready to take on this new challenge.”

Q: What do you feel like you bring to this program?

A: “I bring a lot of gymnastics coaching experience to this program. I also bring a lot of experience with building strong and supportive relationships with my students/gymnasts.”

Q: Participation is obviously a concern in gymnastics. How do you hope to grow the sport at W-H?

A: “This is a relatively new program for W-H and we have struggled to get students to participate. We have sent emails, posted on social media, made announcements at school, etc. One of the challenges is that there are not any gymnastics studios in the two towns to recruit kids from. We have to spread the word to the several different gyms in the South Shore area. Also, not all gymnastics studios are supportive of their gymnasts participating in high school gymnastics, which is a real shame. We are hoping that more students will get involved now that I am able to spread the word at Whitman Middle School.

“I have several close colleagues at Hanson Middle School that I am hoping to spread the word for us as well. I am hopeful that girls with gymnastics, cheerleading, tumbling or dancing experience will see how our team is improving each year and want to join us next year.”

Q: What are your short-term goals for the program?

A: “With such a small and young team, I am hoping that this is a year for us to spread the word about the program and encourage other girls with gymnastics experience to get involved going forward. I am hopeful that they will see the progress we are making in our league and want to join us in the future. For this year, I am hoping the veteran girls improve upon their scores from last year. For the freshmen, I want to see them become familiar with the very different rules of high school gymnastics and get as much competition experience as possible.”

Q: Five years from now, where do you want this program to be?

A: “Five years from now I would like to see this team have as many members as some of the other south shore teams. I would like us to be competitive in our league and be able to bring some gymnasts to the state individuals. I plan on sticking around as the coach for a long time, so I am hoping that will help make a difference, too.”

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

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

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

It began before the first meet.

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

BOYS’ TEAM

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hager had a personal best time of 16:45.

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

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

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

Cafferty’s best time was 17:02.

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

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

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

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

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

GIRLS’ TEAM

Sophomore Myah Kamperides. / Photo by: Sue Moss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Season Review: Girls’ volleyball soars under first-year head coach

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers made the tournament for the first time since 2016.

First-year head coach Samantha Richner and her Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball squad came into the fall on a mission. 

“The team and I set a goal at the beginning of the season, which was to make tournament,” Richner said. 

It was certainly an aggressive goal, considering the program hadn’t experienced a postseason berth since 2016 and graduated most of its starting unit from an eight-win 2018 campaign, to boot. But the Panthers knew what they were capable of, and they were right, punching their postseason ticket with five games to spare in the regular season with a 3-2 win over Plymouth North. 

W-H entered the Div. 1 South tournament seeded 11th, which meant a trip to Durfee to take on the seventh-seeded Hilltoppers in the first round. 

The Panthers rallied from one-set deficits twice, but were ultimately unable to put Durfee away in the fifth set, falling, 15-13. Richner’s had a simple message to her team, which finished the season 12-9, after the loss. 

“I basically said that no one’s head should be hung, and that they have so much to be proud of,” she recalled. “They truly played their hearts out, and it was an accomplishment just making it to tournament.”

Sophomore hitter Lily Welch (89 kills, 57 solo blocks, 13 block assists and five aces this season) nearly willed the Panthers to victory, posting a team-high five solo blocks and 19 kills, including a dominating stretch in the fourth set to rally the Panthers out of a hole.

“Lily is a phenomenal athlete, and she stepped up for us big that night,” Richner said. “I am so excited to be able to work with Lily these next two seasons, and to be able to watch her grow and develop as an athlete.”

In the back, senior captain and libero Maya Faich (244 digs and 19 aces this season) also put forth a valiant effort in the loss, notching 15 digs and three aces. Faich was named a league all-star and the team’s MVP.

“Maya is leaving huge shoes to fill,” said Richner, whose team began the season 9-4. “She is an amazing girl both on and off the court. I am not sure if we will be able to replace her anytime soon.”

Senior two-year captain and hitter Lexi Connolly (165 digs, 49 kills and 39 aces this season) is also leaving some pretty big shoes to fill. 

“Lexi was a great player to have on the court,” Richner said. “She played both front and back row, which was unique to our team.”

Senior setter Liv Martin (34 digs and 29 kills this season) is another two-year captain, who shouldered a big load this season. 

“Liv was an amazing player to have on the team,” Richner said. “Her dedication, motivation and attitude was something special.”

Sophomore hitter Abby Martin (94 kills and 40 solo blocks this season) and junior setter Sophia Berardinelli (248 assists, 22 aces and 14 kills this season) were also crucial to the Panthers’ success. 

“Abby was one of our strongest hitters; we are so fortunate to have her for another two years,” Richner said. “Sophia is an unbelievable setter, who can also play back row and hit; she is an unbelievable all-around player.”

And with those two, along with Welch, headlining the players set to return, Richner can’t help but be optimistic about the direction of the club. 

“The future of the program is looking bright,” said the coach. “We have a lot of strong players coming back, as well as potential talent from the JV and freshman teams.”

Season Review: W-H field hockey shows vast improvement

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The defense. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers rose their win and goal totals this season.

When sixth-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High field hockey head coach Todd Humphrey looks back on the past season, he breaks it into parts.

Part one: the Panthers’ first six games, in which they went 0-5-1. Part two: their last 13 games, in which they went 4-5-4. So what changed?

“The process truly began after the fourth game of the season against Hingham, where we lost 5-0,” said Humphrey, whose team finished the season with a 4-10-5 record. “We all agreed that we should not be losing 5-0 to any team. We looked at our practices, our pregame warm-ups, penalty corners, our positioning in the offensive zone and our game plans. The process lasted throughout the season, and we got better.”

So, when the Panthers played Hingham again, 10 games later, they lost 3-0. The game was a lot closer than the score indicated Down 1-0 at halftime, W-H surrounded two second-half goals to Keenan Division MVP Catherine McNally.

“After the game, there were a number of Hingham parents that reached down to shake my hand from the stands to commend me on the improvements of my team,” Humphrey recalled. “It was quite a moment for me as a field hockey coach, to say the least.”

Also during that 13-game stretch, the Panthers bested Pembroke (2-1), posted a pair of ties against Norwell (1-1 and 0-0), tied Hanover (0-0) and beat Duxbury (3-2).

“I felt that when the season progressed, we were finding better ways to get the ball from our defenders to our front seven,” said Humphrey. “Transitioning the ball will always be a work in progress. I don’t think you can spend enough time evaluating how your team moves the ball up the field.”

An improved transition game was just a part of the Panthers’ newfound success on offense.

“Brooke Nisby (junior forward) was relentless whenever she was on the field,” said Humphrey, whose team raised its goal total from 14 last autumn to 21 this season. “We did a better job distributing the ball off of free hits, especially in our own zone. We came up with a penalty corner strategy that helped us score three goals in [the] last three games. Olivia Phelps (sophomore forward) and Lauren Dunn (sophomore forward) started doing better at controlling the ball and becoming threats to score.”

Sophomore midfielder Mary Kate Ryan was selected as the Panthers’ league all-star.

“Mary Kate hustles to get in position to make plays both offensively and defensively,” Humphrey said. “She controls the ball extremely well, especially when carrying the ball through traffic. She is a great passer and a great play maker.”

Junior captain and forward Lauren Clark (goal, nine assists), senior captain and forward Maddy Tassey (four goal, three assists) and senior forward Robin Goyette (two goals, three assists) also contributed heavily on offense.

Down the other end, senior captain Victoria Ryan and junior defenders Noelle Cornetta and Skylar Leonard were rocks in front of junior goalie Madi Savicke, who posted a 2.06 goals against average.

“Her best performance may have been the tie against Hanover,” Humphrey said of Savicke. “She made some impressive saves in that game. The Pembroke and Duxbury wins really showed how strong she is under pressure. She is an essential component of Whitman-Hanson field hockey.”

Humphrey said he expects the program to make another leap forward next fall.

“With the amount of returning players in key positions, I would say that we would have a very good opportunity to make the tournament,” said the coach. “I can see Ashley Sawtelle (sophomore defender), who will be replacing Victoria Ryan at the left defensive position, working well with veteran defensive players Noelle Cornetta and Skylar Leonard.”

Season Review: Boys’ golf found its stroke

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The Panthers. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Sitting with a 3-11 record heading into the final match of the season — against perennial powerhouse Duxbury — head coach Brian Dempsey had a clear message for his Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ golf team.

“I simply told them to go out and have fun,” said the eighth-year head coach.

The match was senior night, to boot.

“Outside of them just trying to play smart and play for their pride, I asked each player to recognize the five seniors in the lineup and play for them,” Dempsey said.

And they did. Buoyed by a 3-over par 39 from junior Aidan Miller, the Panthers beat the Dragons for the third straight year, 268-270.

“I couldn’t have been more proud of the team for not only pulling off another upset win over Duxbury, but to do it after a really mentally draining season,” Dempsey said.

And a mentally draining season it was. W-H fell to Keenan Division champion Hingham by one stroke and narrowly fell to both Fisher Division co-champions, Hanover and Scituate, by three strokes and five strokes, respectively.

“I can’t really pinpoint exactly what kept us out of the win column more, but I think overall it was as simple as inconsistency,” Dempsey said. “Although we had a handful of golfers step up for us to lead the field in scoring throughout the season, it was rare that everyone had a performance like that on the same day.  The few times that we did, we came within one stroke of taking down Hingham, we beat Duxbury, and earned our other three victories.”

Senior captain Matt Korzec and Miller led the way this season. Korzec was the Panthers’ top golfer and Miller was close behind. Korzec was the team’s lone league all-star, and Miller’s season didn’t end until the Division 2 state golf finals.

“They were less than half a of a stroke within each other in average over par,” Dempsey said. “Needless to say, they were a special duo.”

Both heavily embodied the team strength: character.

“From the important leadership of the captains, to the snacks provided by the generous parents after each match, to the goofy team text messages, this team was filled with a lot of character,” said Dempsey, whose team also received contributions from senior captains Ian Brown and Brian Fox as well as sophomores Chris Ross and Pat McBroom. “This year’s team was definitely that: a team. We’ve had a few really good teams in the past, but this year, I feel like everyone really meshed well and complemented each other’s play and personality.”

Dempsey said he firmly believes the team is in a good place heading into the offseason, but does have a lot of areas to grow.

“We have a lot of talented golfers who, should they decided to commit themselves to the game and put the time in, could really turn some heads moving forward,” said the coach. “I’m looking forward to working with a lot of these guys again next and seeing where they are at, but I’m also excited to see what kind of new talent comes out for the team.”

“Either way, I feel as though we’re in good hands moving forward because of the culture that our leaders on the team this year, and years prior, have helped to establish.”