The sports season was decked with numerous storylines, highlights and memories this year at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.
From August to June, it was a grind to the end. Here is a complete look back on all the action.
FALL
FOOTBALL
Storyline: Junior-laden football team inching toward ultimate goal.
The rundown: For the third straight season the football team finished the fall at 7-4 and fell in the first round of the tournament (30-21 to Stoughton). However, of the Panthers’ four losses, three came by two touchdowns or less and in the other (23-9 against Duxbury), they maintained a brief 7-0 lead before it spiraled out of control. The Panthers will return a solid core of nine rising seniors with starting experience under their belt as they look to get over the hump.
Top game: 28-24 victory over Plymouth North on Oct. 6 in which junior quarterback Ethan Phelps drove down the field 60 yards with 50 seconds to go for the game-winning score.
Top quote: “I’m very proud of this team. I’m very happy with the way that the seniors handled things and I’m very happy with the way we’re moving.”– head coach Mike Driscoll
FIELD HOCKEY
Storyline: Field hockey nets success, posts best season in over 30 years.
The rundown: In its third campaign back at the varsity level after a 30-year hiatus, the field hockey team – led by a 15-player senior class – set highs in goals scored (30) and wins (six). Three teams deep, the program fielded a record 64 girls. It’s going to be a new-look varsity team this coming autumn, but the upcoming girls now have the experience from the lower levels.
Top game: 8-2 victory over Norwell on Oct. 27 during the final game of the season that saw all the Panthers goals come from seniors playing in their final game. Captain Tina Woodward led the way with four tallies.
Top quote: “I can’t even begin to tell you how special that group is. They’ve been with me since the beginning. They shaped [and] molded the entire program and just their positive attitudes and their willing to take risk has elevated our entire program, and I couldn’t be more proud of them and grateful.”– head coach Todd Humphrey on his senior class
BOYS’ GOLF
Storyline: Consistency lies on the green.
The rundown: As under-the-radar as it flies, the boys’ golf team is one of the most consistent programs Whitman-Hanson offers. The Panthers – paced by seniors Tommy Bombardier, JP Drier (captain), Nick Duffy and Anthony Palmacci, junior Owen Manning (captain) and sophomore Matt Korzec – finished the year at 9-8 and qualified for the tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years. W-H will look to regroup on the fly as it will lose nine seniors off its roster.
Top match: 232-241 victory over Duxbury on Oct. 11 for the program’s first ever win over the Green Dragons.
Top quote: “I’m very proud of the recent success of the program. I give all the credit to the leadership on the team each year. The commitment of players to the sport continues to grow every year.” – head coach Brian Dempsey
BOYS’ SOCCER
Storyline: Boys’ soccer turns it around under first-year head coach Dave Leahy.
The rundown: W-H made short memory of a one-win 2016 as it finished 11-8-1 this fall under the watch of new head coach Dave Leahy. Included in the Panthers’ 11 wins was a 2-1 triumph over Catholic Memorial in the preliminary round of the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament before a 4-0 loss to eventual sectional champion Oliver Ames in the first round. W-H will return many of its top offensive threats this coming fall, but has big shoes to fill in net with the departure of Anthony Pasciuto. There will be no easy replacement for captain Kyle Nehiley either.
Top game: 2-1 victory over Catholic Memorial Nov. 4. Seeded No. 13, W-H faced a 1-0 deficit to No. 20 CM with 20 minutes to go before knotting it at 1-1 and winning it in penalty kicks thanks to an epic performance by Pasciuto in goal.
Top quote: “I am extremely proud. This team had to learn a lot and do it quickly together. They came together and worked hard for each other and kept pushing forward. It was a fun ride.”– head coach Dave Leahy
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Storyline: Girls’ soccer flexes depth amid injures.
The rundown: The girls’ soccer team’s miraculous season was halted in the Div. 1 South Sectional semifinals with a 2-1 overtime loss to Newton South. The Panthers, who finished the year with a 17-2-1 record, battled through a rash of injuries over the fall, including playing the entire season without All-American Taylor Kofton. In Kofton’s absence, fellow senior Lauren Bonavita took her game to a new level, notching 43 goals and breaking the school-record with 113. The Panthers graduated a hefty senior class, but return significant key pieces, such as goalie Skylar Kuzmich and defenders Olivia Johnson and Sammy Smith, among others.
Top game: 2-1 victory over Hingham on Nov. 7 in the quarterfinals. Seeded sixth, the Panthers visited the Harborwomen and rallied back from a 1-0 deficit behind a pair of Bonavita goals. W-H fell to Hingham, 3-1, in the regular season.
Top quote: “We’re fortunate that we have a number of good players and sometimes I think people who don’t know our team real well may focus on a couple players who get the headlines. We’re very fortunate to have a number of talented players.” – head coach Dave Floeck
GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL
Storyline: Young girls’ volleyball team finally finds grove.
The rundown: The Panthers entered the season with some holes to fill due to the graduation of many integral pieces from the previous fall. Sitting at 2-17 with two games to go, W-H won out, defeating Middleboro and Bridgewater-Raynham, both by 3-1 scores, to end the season with a 4-17 record. The string of success had head coach Ashley Balbian wishing there was more time left to the season. Key graduates include Amanda Anderson, Halle Julian and Tori Perry. Rising senior Allison Hanlon and rising juniors Alexis Connolly, Olivia Martin and Ella Sweeney will headline the returnees this fall.
Top match: 3-1 win over Middleboro on senior night Oct. 25. Mammoth games from seniors Julian (18 kills) and Perry (40 assists) pushed the Panthers past the Sachems.
Top quote: “It was huge boost in confidence, especially for the girls that are younger on the team and were getting more time on the court, and they feel a little more prepared coming in with the seniors leaving next year.”– head coach Ashley Balbian on the season-ending two-game winning streak
BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY
Storyline: Newman leads charge as boys’ cross country finishes 4-3.
The rundown: Senior Andrew Newman was unbeatable in his first five meets, racing to first-place finishes in everyone as the Panthers finished the season at 4-3. Senior captains Jack Ryan and Alex Uva and freshmen Liam Cafferty and Theo Kamperides played large roles for the Panthers as well.
Top meet: 15-50 win over Silver Lake on Oct. 10. This was the Panthers most convincing win — in terms of its margin. Newman won at 16:38 and finishing second through fifth were Ryan, Cafferty, Kamperides and Uva.
Top quote: “Andrew’s consistent improvement is a result of his effort over and above what we ask for. With high school runners, we’d ordinarily see a drop off in performance given the number of miles a runner like Andrew logs each week. We have not seen that in Andrew. He thrives on high mileage.”– head coach Steve George on Newman
GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY
Storyline: Norve, girls’ cross country team race to 3-4 mark.
The rundown: The girls’ team, which finished at 3-4, was in a lot of close meets, as three of its losses came by 15 or fewer points. One runner who stood out from the rest was Nicole Norve. The senior captain hustled to a first-place finish in the Panthers’ first five races. Seniors Julia Cosgrave and Camryn Boyce were about were a steady presence all season. The fall also saw 16 Panthers establish personal records.
Top meet: 27-28 victory over Plymouth South on Oct. 24. W-H, despite Norve’s second-place finish, still was able to edge the Patriot League’s other Panthers in a meet for the ages, and their final one of the season.
Top quote: “She wants to improve every time out and loves a challenge. Nicole’s success may stem from the fact that she is strong enough to run hard virtually every day, recover, and do it again the next.”– head coach Steve George on Norve
WINTER
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Storyline: Boys’ basketball overcomes tough start to make tournament and grab share of league title.
The rundown: It wasn’t your typical W-H boys’ basketball team on the floor this season as the 3-ball wasn’t one of its strengths, rather its inside game. Buoyed by Patriot League Keenan Division MVP, senior Sean Leahy (19.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG), the Panthers went 16-5, which marked the sixth straight season in which they won at least 16 games, made the Division 2 South Sectional tournament for their 10th straight campaign and grabbed a share of their third consecutive Patriot League Keenan Division title and fourth in the past five years. All that came after a 5-4 start to the season. In the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Panthers succumbed to 11th-seeded Nauset, 65-56, in the first round.
Top game: 68-51 victory at Hingham on Feb. 9. Twenty-seven points from Leahy willed the Panthers to a blowout win over the Harbormen, which moved them into a first-place tie for the Keenan Division lead. Hingham dealt W-H its worst loss in over 10 years (71-45) four weeks before. Junior Tajh Hunter held Hingham star John Gates to one point in the win.
Top quote: “It was definitely a tough matchup, he’s definitely one of the best shooters in the league. I just moved my feet, tried to stay with him and tried not to let him get in my head.”– Tajh Hunter on guarding Hingham’s John Gates
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Storyline: Girls’ basketball trusts the process.
The rundown: The girls’ basketball team – boasting just two seniors – finished the winter with an eight-year best 13-9 record. The Panthers opened the season 7-0 – which included a 3-0 trip to Florida that resulted in a tournament title – but scuffled in the second half, going 6-9 the rest of the way. But, for a young team (six juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen), the second-half dip was not a surprise. In the tournament, W-H – back in Div. 1 South for the first time since 2012 due to realignment – bowed out to Wellesley, 46-37, in the first round. Fifth-year head coach Jenna Olem will return a bevy of key players this coming winter as rising seniors and captains Kathryn Dunn and Erin Leahy will lead the way.
Top game: 56-34 win at Hanover on Dec. 21. Behind 12 points and six rebounds from Dunn and 10 points and three blocks from senior Alyssa Nicholson, W-H stunned the Indians for the first time since 2011.
Top quote: “It was just important to stay focused and stay positive each day. To play present was also a point of emphasis. No season goes by without having to withstand some adversity.”– head coach Jenna Olem
BOYS’ HOCKEY
Storyline: Boys’ hockey flips the script on last season, narrowly misses out on tournament.
The rundown: The boys’ hockey team knew it was better than what its previous season’s record indicated, and that was certainly the case. The Panthers increased their win total from one to eight this winter and just missed out on the tournament by two points. After a 6-3-1 start, injuries took a toll on W-H as it finished the year at 8-10-2. Senior Ryan Sawtelle led the defense and classmates Korey Howard (18 goals, 10 assists) and Alex Uva (9 goals, 16 assists) provided a chunk of the offense. Key returnees next winter include: rising seniors Ed Scriven (11 goals, 11 assists) and Owen Manning (7 goals, 6 assists) and rising junior Adam Solari (8 goals, 11 assists). Rising sophomores Jack Allen, Josh Pike and Kevin Willis also form a solid nucleus set to return inside the blue line.
Top game: 6-1 victory over Plymouth North on Lori Sawtelle Night Jan. 6. The Panthers honored the late mother of its captain Ryan Sawtelle and potted five goals the game’s final nine minutes for the victory.
Top quote: “We definitely knew what we were playing for tonight and this whole season, too, so it meant a lot.” – Ryan Sawtelle of the win on Lori Sawtelle Night
GIRLS’ HOCKEY
Storyline: Girls’ hockey mounts some success amid rebuild.
The rundown: Head coach Kevin Marani didn’t want to use the term “rebuild” at the outset of the winter, but after the final whistle was blown there was really no other way to describe the season. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake entered the year tasked with making up for the loss of over 80 percent of its offense from the previous season and many key defensemen. The young Panthers – who sported 15 new players – hung tough, and finished the year with a 2-18 record. Freshman Emily McDonald, from Whitman, ranked third on the team with three goals.
Top game: 3-2 victory over Plymouth on Feb. 2. WHSL stunned a white-hot Plymouth team, which had beaten it 8-1 earlier in the season.
Top quote: “In the tryouts, she was pretty good and every game she got better. Now she’s one of the better players. We expect big things from her next year, absolutely. She’s a very, very smart player, got great hands, strong skating. She’s got all the ability. You could see if by the end of the year, she was carrying the play. She’s a good player, very good player.” – head coach Kevin Marani on McDonald
WRESTLING
Storyline: Youth takes over wrestling mats.
The rundown: The future is bright for the wrestling team, which finished the year at 7-13. Of the Panthers top four wrestlers, three are set to return next winter. Rising junior Steve Brooks led the team with 19 wins, rising sophomore Matt Butler was second with 11 and rising senior Joel McInnis posted 11 pins, which was good for third.
Top meet: 45-36 victory at Duxbury on Jan. 10. Butler, Ben Cordingley, Damari Goldsmith-Greene, Myles McInnis, Theo Kamperides, Steve Osborne and John Youngman all posted victories in the triumph.
Top quote: “We had a great group of freshmen this season and I am looking forward to many of them playing a big role in next year’s team. These kids are the future of our program. With another class like these guys next year, we could be a force before too much longer. I really see us winning 75 percent of our dual meets next year, [but] time will tell.”– head coach Gary Rabinovitz
GYMNASTICS
Storyline: Blackstone, gymnastics team surprise many.
The rundown: Perhaps the biggest surprise of the winter was the success of the gymnastics team. The Panthers went from just three wins the year prior, which was its first season, to a 9-4 record this season. Senior first-year member Britney Blackstone seemed to be the missing piece W-H needed as she put together a spectacular campaign which ended in postseason competition.
Top meet: Dec. 19 victory over Pembroke/Silver Lake (123.3), Marshfield (123.05) and Hingham (121.75) with a score of 125.1. With the win, the Panthers matched their win total from the previous season.
Top quote: “I like to think that I’m very approachable and they think of me as a good role model. The big sister, someone fun that they can talk to and then they can put any stresses or worries away and bring their positive attitudes into the gym and use that to help them perform their best.” – head coach Rachel Sferruzza
BOYS’ SWIMMING
Storyline: Pham, W-H dives into boys’ swimming/diving.
The rundown: W-H expanded its partnership with Middleboro – which already included a girls’ swimming/diving team – with the formation of a co-op boys’ swimming/diving team. Freshman Brian Pham took the pool by storm, qualifying for sectionals in a pair of events. Junior Nate Manley also chipped in by scoring in a few meets for the co-op, which finished with a 3-5 record.
Top meet: 80-62 win over Rockland on Jan. 9. Pham swam a 1:09.41 in the 100-meter breaststroke in the victory.
Top quote: “We are one team – Middleboro and Whitman Hanson. W-H having a boys’ team allows us to increase the numbers for that team and it also gives us depth as a team.”– W-H head coach Sean Siciliano
GIRLS’ SWIMMING
Storyline: Girls’ swimming/diving swims to success.
The rundown: The co-op – under the leadership of senior captain Phoebe Bonney – improved on its season last winter with a 5-3-1 record. Rising juniors Niki Kamperides, Madison Navicky and Sabrina O’Connor, all from W-H, performed well in the pool.
Top meet: 90-69 victory over Rockland on Jan. 9. O’Connor posted her highest score ever with 185 in diving and Navicky also swam to a first-place finish.
Top quote: “She can swim pretty much anything and she is just fun to have at practice. She is an amazing swimmer and an amazing leader and she is so coachable. I think that she will be one of the biggest contributors for the girls team this season.” – W-H head coach Sean Siciliano on Navicky
BOYS’ INDOOR TRACK
Storyline: Seniors dominate for boys’ indoor track.
The rundown: The Panthers, who finished the season at 2-3, owned wins over Duxbury (55-45) and Silver Lake (54-45) and were clipped by Hingham (57-43) and Pembroke (57-41). Senior captains Brian Edwards and Andrew Newman (Patriot League All-Star) and classmates Brett Holmes (Patriot League All-Star) and Jack Ryan (Patriot League All-Star) all qualified for the Div. 3 All-State meet. Junior Billy Martell also put forth a solid season in the 300 meters and on the 4×200 relay team.
Top meet: 55-45 win over Duxbury on Dec. 19. The Panthers won the final two events – 4×200 and the 4×400 relays – to hand the Green Dragons their first loss of the season.
Top quote: “These kids worked really hard. We had a small senior class with only six seniors, but four of them are state-level competitors. I’m happy with the young kids, I’m happy with the older kids, we had a lot of freshmen, we had a lot of new kids this year, so the numbers are good.” – head coach Mike Driscoll
GIRLS’ INDOOR TRACK
Storyline: Girls’ indoor track puts rough start behind it, finishes season at 1-3-1.
The rundown: After an 0-3 start to begin the season – partly due to injuries – girls’ indoor track bested Silver Lake (51-49) and tied Pembroke (49-49) to finish the winter strong. Senior Nicole Norve was the team’s lone league all-star and represented the Panthers in the Division 3 All-State meet, where she placed 10th in the 1,000-meter run (3:09.28) and 12th in the 1-mile run (5:26.81). Seniors Camryn Boyce and Julia Cosgrave provided a steady presence. Freshmen Isabelle Amado, Hailey Minicucci, Alaina Mutascio and Emma Rogers all showed some real ability in multiple events.
Top meet: Jan. 24 51-49 victory over Silver Lake. Trailing by three, the relay team of Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue, Cosgrave, Courtney Woodward and Victoria Boss bested its competition, winning the meet for W-H.
Top quote: “The Patriot League is an extremely competitive league with some enormously talented athletes. We faced the very best teams during those first [three] weeks. While we kept it close with most, we had some key athletes go down with injuries.”– head coach Steve George
CHEERLEADING
Storyline: Cheer on: Cheerleaders capture state title No. 13.
The rundown: The Panthers – brought together by the phrase “we believe” – overcame heaps of adversity to capture their 13th MSAA Division 2 state title. W-H – captained by rising senior Anna Franklin – also won the Patriot League title.
Top competition: March 11 state title competition. On its home floor, W-H boasted a 200.1 score to claim the title. Milford, which finished second with a score of 196.2, edged the Panthers, 195.40-194.70, the week before in the South regional competition.
Top quote: “They came together, they worked hard from the second they arrived on Sunday to the second they left. I could see it in their face. I could tell that this is what they worked for and they weren’t going to let anything stop them.” – head coach Alyssa Hayes on her team’s state title win
SPRING
BASEBALL
Storyline: Baseball team looking ahead to next spring.
The rundown: Not even two games in, the baseball team was dealt a major blow when it found out its ace and reigning Patriot League Keenan Division MVP – senior James Dolan – wasn’t going to be able to pitch due to tendonitus. While that would have been the downfall for many teams, it certainly wasn’t for the Panthers. Rising senior Rian Schwede (5-3, 51.1 IP, 1.64 ERA) asserted himself as the ace and classmate Ethan Phelps (3-0, 36.0 IP, 1.36 ERA) burst onto the scene on the hill. W-H finished 15-6 and grabbed a share of its second straight Patriot League Keenan Division crown, but was subject to a first-round exit in the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament via a 3-0 loss to Nauset. Schwede, Phelps and fellow rising senior Mike Cook (.394, 22 RBIs) key the returnees next spring; all were league all-stars. Dolan (.317) and classmates Ryan Sawtelle (.400) and Caleb Burke (.294) are the only three starters to graduate.
Top game: 3-2 victory over Hanover on May 4. In his first varsity start on the mound, Phelps dazzled the Indians, hurling a complete-game win while throwing just 16 balls. It was one of only three losses over the course of the regular season for Hanover.
Top quote: “I’m just having so much fun coaching these guys, they’re a blast.”– head coach Pat Cronin
SOFTBALL
Storyline: Softball builds for future.
The rundown: Like the baseball team, the softball team went the entirety of the spring without its ace as an injury in the first game of the year sidelined senior Colleen Hughes for all but four games. In her absence, freshman Abby Cleary tossed 94.1 of W-H’s 125.1 innings and collected five wins. Senior Hailey Norris paced the young Panthers offense – which had as many as six freshmen and sophomores penned into their lineup and manning pivotal positions – with a .418 average, 15 runs and 18 RBIs. Sophomore Victoria Ryan was not far behind Norris, hitting at .382 with 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Freshman Reese Codero hit at a .377 clip and scored 13 runs.
Top game: 15-6 victory over Hingham on May 10. Up 1-0 entering the bottom of the first, W-H surrendered six runs in the bottom of the frame. Stagnant on offense until the fourth, the Panthers busted it open with four runs in the frame, followed by a three-run fifth, a two-run sixth and a seven-run seventh.
Top quote: “They definitely showed glimpses of potential and how good they could be when they put it all together. Whether it was for a few innings or a few games, we did a lot of good things this year despite our record.”– head coach Jenna Olem
BOYS’ LACROSSE
Storyline: Boys’ lacrosse hangs around.
The rundown: Boys’ lacrosse concluded the spring with a 2-16 mark, but dropped six of those tilts by five goals or less. Junior defender Ryan Trongone was the team’s lone league all-star and classmates Mason Gorman, Sean Joanis and Shane Ross found the back of the net many of times.
Top game: 12-6 victory over Cardinal Spellman on April 3. The Panthers rallied back from an early deficit to claim their first win of the season as eight different players scored. Rising senior Mario Troiani had 22 saves in net.
Top quote: “To come in here and get a victory [gets] the ship going in the right direction. 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.” – head coach Rob White on the win over Cardinal Spellman
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Storyline: Girls’ lacrosse never backed down.
The rundown: Staring at a 1-6 record with 11 games remaining, if the girls’ lacrosse team was going to make the tournament then it could only afford to drop three more contests. The girls won two must win games – on consecutive days – to close on the regular season, punching their ticket to the postseason for the program’s fourth time in five years. In the tournament, W-H downed Nauset on the road, 10-4, in the preliminary round, before succumbing to top-seeded Notre Dame Academy, 18-3, in the first round. The season saw senior captain Kasey Molito set to the single-season saves record – which now stands at 268 – and classmate Lauren Bonavita become to first W-H athlete ever to score 100 goals in two sports. The Panthers’ final record was 10-10. The Panthers will graduate eight of 12 starters, but rising seniors and captain-elects Anika Putur (defense), Samantha Whitman (eight goals, two assists) and Zoe Lydon (30 goals, 23 assists) along with rising junior Riley Bina (29 goals, 21 assists), provides them with a solid core to build around.
Top game: Preliminary round victory against Nauset, 10-4, June 5. W-H faced an early 3-0 deficit, but never backed down and rallied for a win behind five goals from Bonavita.
Top quote: “I’m actually really proud. It’s something I’ve been aiming to work on, aiming to get.”– Kasey Molito on setting the single-season saves record
BOYS’ TENNIS
Storyline: Stability at the helm of boys’ tennis team.
The rundown: The boys’ tennis team – under the watch of first-year head coach Alyssa Hayes – finished the year on a three-game winning streak with victories against: Quincy (3-2), Cardinal Spellman (5-0) and Braintree (4-1). Sophomore Brian Fox, despite a slow team start, rallied off four straight victories in No. 2 singles from May 2 to May 7. The Panthers finished the season with a 5-12 record.
Top match: 5-0 sweep of Cardinal Spellman on May 23. Victories from singles players Tyler Rice, Brian Fox and Eric Muha and the doubles teams of Sean Leahy/Jason Bannon and Stephen Collins/Matt Hickey sparked the Panthers.
Top quote: “I think consistency is so important in any sport, in any classroom, so if I can give them that consistency and kind of just make sure that they know practice is important, matches are important, being here is important, that it’ll kind of carry forward into their matches.”– head coach Alyssa Hayes
GIRLS’ TENNIS
Storyline: Girls’ tennis almost makes tournament.
The rundown: It was a tale of two halves of the season for the girls’ tennis team. The Panthers put a tough 1-5 start to the spring behind them, pulling off wins in their next four contests to reach the .500 mark. Sitting at 9-10 with one match to go, W-H had to win to make the tournament, but was swept by Duxbury, 5-0, ending the season with a 9-11 mark. The Panthers return a heavy dose of their team next spring with No. 1 and No. 3 singles players and rising juniors Alexis Connolly and Abby Pulling back. Julia Benvie (rising sophomore), Nandita Kumar (rising junior), Divya Kumar (rising sophomore) and Chloe Wilson (rising junior) also contributed in doubles play. Senior captains Jess Green and Hannah Faghan will be missed.
Top match: 5-0 victory over Cardinal Spellman on May 1. Wins by Connolly, Green and Pulling in singles, coupled with doubles wins from Faghan and Nandita Kumar and then Chelsea Getchell and Benvie propelled the Panthers to the sweep, and the match was the start of a four-match winning streak, pulling them to .500.
BOYS’ OUTDOOR TRACK
Storyline: Boys’ outdoor track battles tough.
The rundown: The boys’ outdoor track team – under the direction of first-year head coach Steven Schlicting – finished the spring with a 1-4 record. W-H captured that win in its first meet of the season with a 125-10 rout of North Quincy. Senior captain Jack Ryan, classmate Andrew Newman and junior Billy Martell were standouts all season long.
Top meet: 125-10 win over North Quincy on April 3. Martell led the way for the Panthers with wins in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and triple jump.
Top quote: “I’m really excited. There’s over 50 boys on this team. We’re up as far as numbers are concerned [from the winter season].”– head coach Steven Schlicting
GIRLS’ OUTDOOR TRACK
Storyline: Girls’ outdoor track finishes 1-4.
The rundown: Competing against some of the top competition in the state, such as Duxbury, Hinghan and Plymouth North, the girls’ track team raced to a 1-4 record. In their fourth meet of the season, the girls clipped Silver Lake by the final score of 73-63. W-H had a solid mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen contributing all season. Freshmen Isabelle Amado and Anna Sullivan were standouts.
Top meet: 73-63 victory over Silver Lake on May 8. Junior Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue led the way with wins in the 400-meter hurdles and high jump as eight Panthers recorded victories in the triumph.
Top quote: “A winning record [is our goal]. 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.”– head coach Steve George