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Olivia Martin commits to play basketball at Salve Regina

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Martin with her parents. / Courtesy photo

Olivia Martin has committed to Salve Regina University.

Olivia Martin is following in her parents’ footsteps.

The 5-foot-7 senior wing from Whitman-Hanson Regional High announced on Twitter she has committed to play basketball at Salve Regina University.

Both of her parents, Brian and Kerry, played for the Seahawks and her mother is in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Salve is getting a steal,” said Martin’s AAU former coach Matt DellaBarba. “I think she’ll make an immediate impact there.”

An impact is just what Martin made in her final go-around for the Panthers this winter, scoring 9.5 points per game, on the strength of a team-high 40 3-pointers en route to being named a league all-star. She was the team’s lone captain, as well. W-H finished with its best record (15-7) since 2009-10 and won its first tournament game in eight years.

First-year W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa posted on Twitter:

At Salve, Martin will reunite with former high school teammate Meg Henaghan, a rising sophomore for the Seahawks.

Season Review: Wrestling moves the mat forward

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A Panther wrestler and Silver Lake wrestler. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team finished above .500 for the first time in five years.

Proud is an understatement when Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz reflects on this past season.

It’s easy to see why. W-H finished the season with an 11-8 mark, its best record in five years, sent five wrestlers to the D2 state meet and filled all 14 weight classes by early January.

“I cannot say enough about what this year’s team was able to accomplish,” said the fourth-year head coach.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Panthers, who opened the winter 5-7, before catching fire, winning six of their last seven, highlighted by a sweep of Nauset, Rockland and Hanover on Feb. 1.

“Each of my first four years as head coach we lasted a week longer than the previous year,” said the coach. “That means our wrestlers are getting better and that is all that matters.”

Senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) paced the Panthers in every statistical category, going 38-11, while posting 32 pins for 215 points en route to league all-star status.

“Steve Brooks is a pinning machine,” Rabinovitz said. “Steve had an outstanding career as a four-year starter and two-year captain for Whitman-Hanson.”

Junior captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) was also voted a Patriot League All-Star after going 32-13 and racking up 149 points. He’ll enter his senior campaign with 88 career wins.

“We can’t wait for Damari to reach the 100-win mark as only four Panther wrestlers have ever hit that mark,” said his coach.

Senior captain Bethany Ralph (120 pounds) brought leadership to the mat as well. Also, for the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

“I noticed from Day One of her freshman year that Bethany Ralph was going to be a special wrestler,” Rabinovitz said. “She brought it all to practice and competition every day for four years. She had one heck of a career.”

Seniors Mike Gardner (182 pounds) and Tyler Cullinan (170 pounds), junior Declan Hanapy (220/285 pounds) and sophomore Joe Boss (106 pounds) also heavily contributed for the Panthers this season.

Rabinovitz said the future of the program relies on numbers and offseason training.

“If we can continue to fill all 14 weight classes with quality kids we will continue to head in the right direction,” Rabinovitz said. “I believe the whole team is excited for next season, we finished on a high note and it really brought this team closer together.”

Season Review: This winter’s girls’ hoop team ‘set the tone for what this program is and what it is going to become’

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

The girls’ basketball team finished with its best record since 2009-10, while winning a tournament game for the first time since 2012.

Coming into the season, first-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa had a hunch he had a good team on his hands.

“When I took this job, I knew what I was going to have in terms of personnel, and I knew the type of girls we had,” Costa said. “They all work extremely hard and are high character kids. Those are the two things that make teams successful. Everyone was willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. There were no egos and they all accepted and wanted to be coached.

“Obviously, you want to strive to win the league championship and we fell short of our goal, due in large part to the amount of depth and talent our league has.”

While they didn’t win the Patriot League Keenan Division title, they still made significant progress. After posting their best regular-season record (14-6) since 2009-10, the Panthers knocked off Barnstable, 45-33, in the first round of the Div. 1 South tournament, for the program’s first playoff win in eight years, before they fell to top-seeded Bridgewater-Raynham, 67-47, in the next round.

“Barnstable gave us the best chance of getting a tournament win,” Costa said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy but the girls were resilient and pulled out a first-round win. Next up was Bridgewater-Raynham. We knew it was going to be a challenge with the amount of firepower that they have but we just wanted to go in and compete as hard as we could and see what happened.”

Senior captain Olivia Martin, classmate Brittany Gacicia and junior Reese Codero were named Patriot League All-Stars at season’s end.

A wing, Martin displayed her full skill set this winter, tossing in 9.5 points per game, on the strength of a team-best 40 3-pointers, while securing 2.9 rebounds per game. She hit the game-winning triple to send the Panthers past Saint Stephen’s Episcopal (Fla.) and into the finals of the Falcon Holiday Classic, which the Panthers won.

“Olivia Martin was big for us this season,” Costa said. “Obviously being the only captain she was looked to a lot for leadership. She won us a lot of games this year with her shooting. Above all, she is just a great kid. I am glad I got the chance to coach her and our program is really going to miss her. “

Gacicia, who was also a league all-star last season as well, led the team in points (11.9) rebounds (7.1), steals (2.5) and blocks per game.

“You always knew Brittany was  going to stuff the stat sheet,” Costa said. “ She impacted the game in so many ways. Offensively, she was able to score from all three levels and defensively she was all over the place. When our team was struggling offensively, they would look to get the ball to Britt to make something happen.”

W-H’s starting point guard, Codero scored just over seven points per game, while dishing out a team-high 3.2 assists per game.

“She was just solid in every area for us,” Costa said. “She is a coach’s dream. She plays so hard and gives 100 percent effort each and every play. Sometimes you wish she would take her foot off of the gas a little bit, when she is diving for a loose ball out of bounds near the bleachers because you don’t want her to get hurt, but she knows no other way to play that’s just who she is. I am glad that I have her for another year and I expect big things from her again in her senior year.

Costa is also expecting big things from sophomores Abby Martin (4.5 pgg) and Megan Stone (5.8 ppg), both of whom he’ll have for another two years.

“They were both battling for starter’s minutes for the majority of the season,” he said. “Abby wound up starting more than Megan but really it was mostly because of matchups. They both complement each other so well. Abby was a huge piece for us defensively and really brought a toughness and physicality to our team. Megan gave us some scoring punch off of the bench. There would be games where she would only play 10-15 minutes but you look at the stat sheet and she is our second leading scorer. They both really rebound the ball at a high level and attack the offensive glass. We are excited for their growth moving forward.”

Costa said the future of the program is bright.

“We were able to accomplish things that the girls program has not been able to do in a long time, and I think that gives the girls some confidence heading into the offseason and next season,” he said. “We were young this year, only having two seniors, which I think bodes well for this group. It is nice to give such a young group experience playing in the tournament. Now they have been there in those types of environments which should make it more comfortable for them the next time around. This group has set the tone for what this program is and what it is going to become.”

Season Review: Boys’ indoor track finds success

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers finished the year 3-2.

It was a winning campaign this winter for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ indoor track team.

The Panthers finished the season 3-2, which included league wins over Duxbury and Silver Lake.

“The high point was the excitement we experienced with seeing our athletes get better and being competitive within the league,” said first-year W-H indoor track head coach Stephen  Schlicting. “Having three wins and losing a fourth by only two points fueled excitement and a feeling that no challenge was insurmountable.”

Junior Theo Kamperides picked up where he left off in the cross-country season, earning league all-star status once again. He set a school record in the 5k at 15:52.61, before capping the year by setting a personal record in the 2-mile run at the Div. 3 state indoor track meet with a time of 10:06.32.

“Theo Kamperides was outstanding this winter,” Schlicting said.

Kamperides was one of a bevy of veterans to impress Schlicting this winter.

“Many had career personal records,” the coach explained. “Our top scorers, with one exception, were all returners. Graham Stewart, Theo Kamperides, Jake Caterer, Brandon Hager, Liam Cafferty, Chris Blackman, Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Nathan Tassey scored the majority of our points. They all pushed themselves, and set the example for newer teammates.”

Blackman, Cafferty, Hager and Tassey led the way in the distance events, which Schlicting coined as the team’s strength.

“They were dependable, hard workers who excelled on the track and set a great example in practice,” Schlicting said.

“We had some younger distance athletes in Gordon Johnson and James Molito who will make an impact in the future. Cullen Poth was our Rookie of the Year, winning shot put in four of the five dual meets. We had some great performances from Seniors Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Matt Avery in our middle-distance races. We had some younger athletes who will be scorers in the future in Jacob Donovan, Mike King, Ryan Smith and Sean Kelly.”

Schlicting said he has a simple message to his athletes with the hopes of carrying this momentum into the spring.

“Build on what you have done this winter,” he said. “Bring a friend,  we are interested in anyone willing to learn, listen and challenge themselves to get better. We especially welcome freshman athletes or those who may be on the bench or not an important part of another sport. No one sits in track and field — everyone plays.”

MIAA cancels upcoming state finals; boys’ basketball team named D2 co-state champion

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It was not the way the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team expected its season to end, but it became inevitable.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has cancelled this weekend’s state finals amid the current conditions of COVID-19.

W-H was scheduled to play Taconic in the Division 2 state final on Saturday. It was the program’s first-ever state final berth.

As a result of the cancellation, both W-H and Taconic will be named co-state champions.

W-H boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers said he agreed with the MIAA’s unanimous decision.

Rodgers added: “For me, the hardest part of every season as a coach is the final game and final practice. When the realization sets in that you don’t get to coach your seniors ever again, it’s a sick feeling. It has nothing to do with winning and losing.

“Our season started with a disappointing loss, but from that adversity we grew closer as a team and stronger every day. The team was unselfish and had a tenacious work ethic to record the best season in school history ending the year with 23 straight wins and a 25-2 record.”

A career to be proud of: Ralph’s stellar run on the mat comes to an end

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Bethany Ralph with her coaches. / Courtesy photo

Bethany Ralph placed second at 120 pounds in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz called senior captain Bethany Ralph the best female wrestler he’s had.

She showed why once again today at Methuen High.

For the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament at 120 pounds, falling to top-seeded Sophia Matthews of Woburn by pin in 3:35.

Seeded third, Ralph defeated Reading’s Latoya Kibusi by pin, 4-0, in 3:27 in the quarterfinals. She then proceeded to pin Alexcia Nou of Durfee in 5:36 (10-2 win) to gain a spot in the finals.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome I expected,” Ralph said. “I don’t want to end my career like that, of course, but I can’t let it keep me down. It was another great experience, for sure. Now the next step is to decide if I go to nationals in Virginia Beach or not.”

W-H head coach Gary Rabinovitz said Ralph has set the bar high for future girl wrestlers at Whitman-Hanson.

“Bethany is highly respected by everyone that knows her, I am so proud that I was able to coach her over her high school career,” Rabinovitz said. “This respect was earned the hard way, by hard work and dedication to her work ethic, weight control and leadership. “

Solari brothers a dynamic pair for W-H boys’ hockey

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Brothers Matt (left) and Adam Solari. / Photos by: Sue Moss

Brothers Adam and Matt Solari have flourished since joining forces on the Panthers’ first line.

Separated by three years, brothers Adam and Matt Solari had never taken the ice competitively together prior to this season.

You’d never know it.

The brothers form two-thirds (along with senior captain Chris Stoddard) of a dynamic top line for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey, which after recording its best regular season in at least 15 years with a 15-5-1 record, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament, following an 8-2 win over Wareham/Carver on Tuesday.

Adam, a senior alternate captain, struck for a goal in the first-round victory, while Matt, a freshman, lit the lamp twice. Adam registered the assist on Matt’s first postseason goal. The two have wrought havoc on opponents together all year. Adam tallied 20 goals and 11 assists during the regular season en route to being named a Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star. Matt scored 14 times and recorded 14 assists.

“A lot of times, when lines in hockey have success, the ones that sustain themselves are because they stay unselfish, and I think that’s so evident with those guys,” said W-H boys’ hockey head coach Chris Googins. “They have different skill sets, but I think Matt is a great F1, which is the first forechecker, and he’ll find Adam the puck. Adam is a gifted goal scorer, and I think when Adam gets loose, he’ll try to find Matt. They use their skill set very well to find each other.”

However, they didn’t join forces until the sixth game of the season, when Googins bumped Matt up a line, as he searched for some offense.

“We shook it up and they’ve been together ever since,” the coach explained.

While the two had never suited up together until this winter, they still had plenty of practice with each other over the years.

“In the driveway, we would always play together,” Matt said.

Added Adam: “Especially when our friends came over, all we did was play hockey.”

Matt is the only freshman on the team.

“He’s a physical kid, he can skate well and he’s got a good hockey IQ,” Googins said. “That’s something you really can’t teach in three or four months or in a season. You have to have that, and he does.

“He is only going to get better. He is going to make the underclassmen and the upperclassmen work harder. He’s just going to elevate his other teammates’ play.”

Despite being a freshman, the younger Solari has aimed to be on the varsity team for the last few years.

“I always came to his (Adam’s) game,” Matt said. “I would see who was leaving to see if I could make the team.”

Adam admitted that he’s a little jealous of his younger brother.

“I wish I could have done that as a freshman,” he said with a laugh. “It’s wicked cool to see him lighting it up, though.”

But Matt gives his older brother a ton of credit for his success.

“He absolutely makes me a better player,” Matt said. “He does. He gives me advice, a lot of the time. Growing up, I would watch what he did and try to replicate it.”

Their athletic bond doesn’t end at the rink, though.

“He plays lacrosse too, which is pretty cool,” Adam said.

Pretty cool for them, but a nightmare for the rest of the Patriot League.

The Panthers return to the ice for the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Feb. 29.

“We don’t want to come up short again this year,” Adam said.

Said Matt: “I think it would be awesome if we could go to the Garden. That would be awesome.”

Sister act: Martins court crossover success

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Sisters Olivia (left) and Abby Martin. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

The Martin sisters are making it a memorable time playing together.

For sisters Abby and Olivia Martin, it all starts at the dinner table.

“That’s where we game plan,” Olivia said.

And when your sister is on your team, that is the type of advantage you have.

“And then, mostly after every game, we go on Hudl and we watch the game with our family,” Abby explained. “Even though we were just in it, we want to watch it to see what happened and review it together.”

Their strategies have worked. After leading the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team to its first tournament appearance since 2016 in the fall, as starters, they’re both starting again this winter and have the girls’ basketball team headed back to the playoffs with its best regular-season record (14-6) since the 2009-10 season.

Olivia, a senior, is in her third year on the varsity team. She captains both sports. Abby, a sophomore, is getting her first experiences at the varsity level.

“It’s so much fun having her by my side,” Olivia said. “It’s really bonded us closer together.”

Said Abby: “I think it’s a lot of fun, and I can learn a lot from her as a player and as a person. She teaches me that there’s always room where you can grow and use different skills to win against different types of teams.”

During the fall, Olivia started at right side hitter, while Abby led the girls’ volleyball team in kills and ranked second in solo blocks at middle hitter.

“[Olivia] certainly lived up to the title [of captain],” said W-H girls’ volleyball head coach Samantha Richner. “She was a player that was constantly looking to improve on her game and would put in the work to achieve what she wanted to.”

“Abby was a huge player for us. We are so fortunate to have Abby returning to the team for another two seasons, she is definitely a player we need on the court.”

In basketball, Olivia is starting at shooting guard and Abby plays forward.

“Olivia has done everything we’ve asked her to do,” said W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa. “She’s getting to the line and she’s shooting the ball when she’s open. Hopefully, we can give her a memorable senior year.

“I’ve been really happy with Abby. I like her versatility — her aggressiveness, she is very long. Defensively, she has been pretty vocal and she’s starting to have a voice on the team. She’s fearless, she’s not afraid of anybody. We like the toughness she brings to our group.”

Sophomore Lily Welch has taken the court with the Martin sisters in both volleyball and basketball season this year.

“I would describe their mentality as working hard in each sport, but still having as much fun with it as they can,” Welch said. “I think they both play a huge role in bringing each team to tourney.”

The Martins credit a large part of their success to each other and their competitive nature at home.

“Ever since we were little, we always competed outside — no matter what it was — soccer, softball, anything we did, we just wanted to be better than each other,” Abby said.

Replied Olivia laughing: “Oh, yeah.”

“Even though she beat me every time, it just brought me to think that you always have to compete for what you want and if you want it, you have to go get it on your own,” Abby said.

And with her older sister set to graduate in a few months, that message will resonate even more with Abby.

“It’s going to be wicked hard when she leaves me,” Abby said. “But I’m here to carry on what she left behind.”

Hoop squads on fire in Week 8

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Week 8 has concluded at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, so let’s take a look back.

Boys’ basketball (15-2) won its 13th straight, topping Plymouth South, 62-35, on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Seniors Liam Keane and Tommy Vassil both had 12 points to pace the Panthers.

Girls’ basketball (12-5) beat Plymouth South, 41-29, on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Sophomore Abby Martin (five points) sparked a fourth-quarter run, when she dove on a loose ball and fired a cross-court pass, while still on the ground, and found senior Brittany Gacicia (13 points) for a layup. … On Friday, Mike Costa’s club pulled away from Duxbury, 63-53. Gacicia (19 points) and senior captain Olivia Martin (15 points) led the way on senior night. Junior Rylie Harlow added 15 points in the win.

Boys’ indoor track finished sixth at the Patriot League championship on Friday, Feb. 7. Junior Graham Stewart had a second-place showing in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.38.

Girls’ indoor track also placed sixth at the Patriot League championship on Friday, Feb. 7. Sophomore Myah Kamperides placed first in the 2-mile run with a time of 11:49.

Boys’ hockey (12-5-1) fell to Duxbury, 5-2, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Freshman Matt Solari and senior Eddie Collins had the W-H goals. … On Sunday, W-H tied Dedham, 1-1. Senior captain Chris Stoddard has the goal and junior netminder Bobby Siders starred in net.

Girls’ hockey (7-8) held off North Quincy, 9-7, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Freshman Shea Kelleher (Kingston) led the offensive barrage with five goals and an assist. Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) scored a goal and added three helpers.

Gymnastics capped the season scoring a 126 at the Patriot League meet on Saturday, Feb. 8. Senior captain Sarah Bombardier led the way with an 8.8 in the all-around, which was good for eighth.

Wrestling (11-8) beat Plymouth North, 58-21, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) and classmates Tyler Cullinan (170 pounds) and Mike Gardner (182 pounds) all registered pins in the win. … On Saturday, W-H capped the dual-meet season by beating Bristol Plymouth/Coyle-Cassidy (54-20) and Everett/Malden (66-15), while falling to Norwood (45-30). Brooks tallied three pins on the day.

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

All over record book, Navicky still adding to legacy

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Maddie Navicky diving off block. / Courtesy photo

After wrapping up her high school swimming career, Maddie Navicky is trying to leave a lasting impact on a soon-to-be program.

Maddie Navicky’s high school swimming career is over.

Navicky, a senior captain on the Middleboro/Whitman-Hanson co-op girls’ high school swimming/diving team, had an impressive tenure. She’s a three-time South Shore League All-Star, two-time team MVP and is on the Middleboro all-team top 10 list in three events. It’s a list that dates back to 1981, but didn’t start to feature W-H swimmers until eight years ago when the two schools formed a co-op. Navicky loved the co-op aspect of the sport.

“I love the fact that I got to make a lot of new friends and the team all pushes each other to do our best,” she said.

A two-year W-H captain, Navicky was tasked with helping the younger swimmers fit in.

“I love being a captain,” Navicky said. “I think it’s so cool I get to be a person the team can look up to and go to for help. Because I’m the only Whitman-Hanson captain, I also help the underclassmen become friends with some of the Middleboro kids.”

But this is the last year of the co-op, with the two schools going in separate ways.

“It is sad that they are not having the co-op,” said Middleboro head coach Everett Clark. “Maddie [has] truly been a pleasure to coach.”

Clark isn’t the only one upset to see the co-op come to an end.

“A lot of the other swimmers are extremely disappointed in the fact that they’re not going to be together,” Navicky explained. “If I was still swimming, I would be sad too.”

W-H will be forming its own program that will likely swim out of Massasoit Community College. And while Navicky’s time in the pool is up, she’s doing everything she can to help.

She’s compiled a check list of the items the program will need to get started, created timer sheets, scoring sheets and has designed practice sets based on what she learned during swim camps and college visits.

“I have also been talking to a lot of my friends and I have been getting other current swimmers to try and talk to their friends to get people to swim next year,” Navicky said. “I want the program to succeed.”