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For Costa, hard-nosed basketball is fundamental

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Mike Costa with Bob Rodgers over his shoulder. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

Fundamentals are key for new girls’ basketball coach Mike Costa.

A fundamentally sound and hard-nosed team.

That’s what new Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa is envisioning.

“Ideally, we’ll be closing out hard, playing tough defense, sharing the ball on offense, but just really being locked in at all times and doing things the right way,” Costa said.

Costa, who was hired in May, takes over for Jenna Olem, who guided the team to the tournament in four out of her six seasons before stepping down last March.

“Obviously, Jenna and the staff before did a great job with the program,” said Costa, who is inheriting a team that went 12-9 last winter. “They were a very successful team the last couple of years making the tournament, so I just felt like it was a great situation to be in.

“Usually when you get your first head coaching job, the team is not very good, but that’s not the case with this situation I’m in right now.”

Costa comes over from the boys’ side, having spent the past five seasons assisting W-H head coach Bob Rodgers. His tenure included a pair of trips to TD Garden. Prior to that he was an assistant for the East Bridgewater boys’ team. This will be his first time working with a high school girls’ team, but he said he isn’t worried one bit.

“At the end of the day, basketball’s basketball,” Costa said. “It just depends on what your personnel is obviously. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity because we do have a lot of talent coming back. I’ve coached for and played for a ton of great coaches who have helped me prepare for this moment.”

Further preparation has already begun.

“Being new to the girls’ side, I reached out to some different coaches as for what to look for being a new coach on the girls’ side,” Costa explained. “I’ve also watched a lot of film from last year just to get familiar with our opponents in the Patriot League, what some of the tendencies are for the girls, where they like to catch the ball and where can they score from, be effective, so I’ve done a lot a lot of film sessions on them. More importantly, I’ve sat down with all the girls in the program to build that relationship and get to know them a little better and let them know the expectations moving forward.”

The expectations are pretty straightforward.

“We want to come out and we want to compete every game,” Costa said. “We want to be the better prepared team and I think having a ridiculous attention to detail in everything we do, especially what people from the outside might not see. When people watch us play, I want to them to see us really loving the game and pulling for each other. When people watch Whitman-Hanson play, I really want them to say, ‘That’s a team. They all pull for each other and they compete their butts off.’”

Season Review: Fine-tuning for softball’s future

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Photo by: Sue Moss

Working out the kinks was key for the softball team.

After a 10-0 loss to Hanover dropped the Whitman-Hanson Regional High softball team to 1-5 on the season, first-year skipper Jordan McDermott realized changes had to be made. So, she held a lengthy team meeting and made some tweaks.

“We extended our practice hours, we made sure that we were hitting more and made sure we were doing more defensive and offensive drills,” she explained.

It worked. The young Panthers, who started just one senior, swept the following week, posting wins over Quincy (11-6), Hingham (8-3) and Pembroke (6-4).

“I think in the beginning of the season we were still trying to work out some of the kinks,” McDermott said. “We had tryouts and then two weeks later we had our first game, so I don’t think we were getting enough reps. We didn’t really know exactly what to practice because we weren’t in a game yet.”

But the Panthers’ tough schedule and youth caught up to them. The Panthers, whose seven best hitters were freshmen, sophomores and juniors and lone two pitchers were a freshman and sophomore, dropped their next six en route to a 7-13 campaign.

“I think overall the season went the way we wanted it to in terms of team building a program and setting small goals for us,” McDermott said. “They all had a purpose on that field. The whole theme of the season was that you have a purpose and you have quite confidence.”

Two players who exhibited that quite confidence were freshmen Annie Cook and Erin Burke. A league all-star at third base, Cook led the team in steals (seven), was second in hits (21), tied for third in runs (11) and fourth in average (.344) and on-base percentage (.397). Burke pitched to the tune of a 3.36 ERA over 50 innings of work, while smacking a pair of doubles at the plate.

“Their poise makes them special,” McDermott explained. “They’re very calm, very simple, very hardworking athletes. They’re very poised. They know a lot about the game. They’re both confident but not cocky and hardworking kids.”

At second base, junior Victoria Ryan was the Panthers’ other Patriot League All-Star. She paced the team in average (.390), hits (23), home runs (two) and was third in on-base percentage (.419).

“She is a confident player, she’s not cocky,” McDermott said. “She flew under the radar, but she was still known for making great plays or getting those hits to get us back in the game. She is confident in the box that she’s going to get that job done.”

Sophomore Emily McDonald was the team’s MVP, after scoring a team-high 13 runs, leading the club with a .448 on-base percentage and ranking second in average at .373. She had 12 hits, scored nine runs and had five RBIs in Panthers wins.

“The thing about Emily is that she always has a very not-going-to-give-up attitude,” McDermott explained. “She is always willing to grow as a player. She always has a smile on her face. On the field, she has a great eye. She is very quick to a lot of the balls, too. A lot of the times I had no idea how she was able to catch that. She is one of the most scrappy players I’ve coached.”

Flanking McDonald to her left in the outfield was Sophia Molinari. The junior hit .347 with 17 hits and seven RBIs, but it was her defense that set her apart.

“Plymouth South was probably the game where she finally realized how to read the batter and how to track the ball better off the bat,” McDermott explained. “In the beginning of the season I was the one positioning the outfielder, and then one day we were at Plymouth South and one of their batters had a swing and Sophia changed the whole outfield without me having to do it.”

McDermott said there is a silver lining of being infused with so much youth, especially for her.

“I think the benefit is that I am able to build the program with the younger kids and make it my team, my group of girls,” she said. “It really started with Annie and Erin and hopefully I can get some more freshmen and sophomores.”

Season Review: Under first-year head coach Tyler Sabens, boys’ lacrosse team lays foundation for going forward

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The boys’ lax team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ finished the year with nine wins after winning seven games combined the previous two springs.

Building a lacrosse program is a lot like building a house. For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ team, step one is now complete.

“We laid a great foundation for going forward – for seasons to come,” said first-year coach Tyler Sabens, whose team finished the spring 9-11 after winning seven games combined the previous two seasons.

It starts with establishing a positive culture and is coupled with inserting a love for the game into each athlete.

“We made huge steps in doing that and that wouldn’t have been able to be possible without the senior leadership to lay that framework to keep building that positive culture toward making lacrosse special at Whitman-Hanson and the weight that that carries and how important that is for them as individuals and us as a program,” Sabens said.

The team’s MVP, senior Mario Troiani helped lead the way. For as good as he was in net (stopped nearly 60 percent of shots and was a Patriot League All-Star), he was just as helpful out of it.

“Halfway through the season, I couldn’t ignore the positive influence he was having on the rest of his teammates – whether in practice, film sessions or in games and named him a captain,” Sabens said. “From his first day of tryouts he had that let’s-get-better mentality. He took to my coaching so well. His leadership ability was never in question. He was our coach on the field.”

Senior captain and defender Ryan Trongone was another coach on the field.

“He was incredible,” Sabens said. “Ryan Trongone really led those guys on the backend. His presence and playing ability together helped us turn things around on the back end. He was always comminuting and helping out his teammates whether he was trying to build that culture with myself and other seniors of leading by example. You wish you had 18 or 19 Ryan Trongones.”

Senior captain and midfielder Mason Gorman carried that culture to the offensive side of the field, where he led the team with 58 points, striking for 32 goals and 26 assists.

“He was another coach on the field,” Sabens said. “His lacrosse IQ and knowledge of the game skyrocketed this year. He was so hungry to get better and thirsty for that knowledge to make himself better and that made him a dream to coach.”

Fellow senior captain, midfielder Ryan Downing, potted a team-high 49 goals and dished out eight assists.

“He’s a freak athlete,” Sabens said. “He was fun to watch. You can’t not notice Ryan Downing. He jumps off the field when you’re watching him. He looked like a free safety or slot receiver out there playing lacrosse. He won a lot of games for us.”

Sabens also lauded the leadership and production of senior captain and attack Shane Ross (35 goals and 18 assists) and fellow senior attack Sean Joanis (31 goals and 21 assists).

What the Panthers had been building all season flashed in pieces during their final game of the season, a loss to Marshfield, which eliminated them from playoff contention. Sabens said he took a lot of positives out of that one, despite the 13-3 score.

“It was a one-goal or two-goal game in the first half,” he said. “We had the framework and team offense and team defense to get it done, they knew that, they could feel that, but at some point when you don’t have the amount of horses that you need to beat a team as deep as a Marshfield, the score is going to separate. Those teams that have that depth are going to breakaway.”

With the impending departure of nine seniors, most of whom are offensive guys, the Panthers’ strength is now their defense, where they’ll return the likes of juniors Declan Meehan and RJ Flynn and freshman Bobby Hunter, among others.

“We’re going to have to claw and grind every step that we have,” Sabens said. “But going forward – year three – we’re going to have some guys with serious experience. Not to say year twois going to be a flop, but I’m excited to see what year three and year fourare going to bring us because we’re going to have so much depth.

“Next year is going to be another learning year, another building year. We’re going to have to keep our eye on the prize and focus on the little things – the little successes day in and day out. I think those are the little steps that are going to prove to build us up.”

Sabens said it’s imperative his guys are around lacrosse in one way or another during the offseason.

“They can see how the Duxburys and the Hinghams, Scituates operate, but if they don’t want to do the work on their own, it’s going to be very hard to build this,” Sabens said. “The guys gotta do some of the work, like wall ball and shoot on your own in order to get better as individual players. And also, just watch lacrosse. The more you watch it, the more you’re around it, the more the fundamental concepts tend to sink in that are important to building a successful program.

“It’s not going to happen tomorrow or next year, it’s going to be a long-term plan that hopefully the program can get better and better as it goes along.”

‘I’m going to miss the heck out of them’: W-H baseball senior captains leave legacy

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The W-H baseball senior captains. / Photo by: Sue Moss

W-H’s baseball senior captains helped lead the program to two Patriot League Keenan Division crowns, a pair of playoff wins and a 61-25 record.

When Pat Cronin returned to his alma matter, Whitman-Hanson Regional High, four years ago to coach the baseball team after spending the previous 35 springs as East Bridgewater’s skipper, he had a lot of work to do.

That included several decisions, such as: finding out what had and hadn’t worked, deciding who could and should play where and assessing who could be a contributor.

Three then-freshmen —Mike Cook, Ethan Phelps and Rian Schwede — made his life a little easier. They only required a few minutes of observation before making a decision.

“I saw their love for the game — they love baseball — and I saw they were natural athletes,” Cronin said. “They could play at the varsity level.”

So Cronin, who made a four-year commitment to W-H when he was hired in 2016, decided he wanted to take them on the ride with him.

Four years later, the program appeared in the tournament each season — which ended an eight-year playoff drought — captured two Patriot League Keenan Division crowns, won a pair of playoff games and racked up a 61-25 record.

“They’re my three,” Cronin said. “They’re my guys that have been with me since Day 1. They’re legacy is very much tied to those championships.”

A three-time all-star, Cook, who is headed to play college baseball at Babson, was a constant at second base and in the middle of the order for the past three years. He never hit below .300.

“He can run, he can make things happen, so he’s solid,” Cronin said of Cook. “Mike is even going to be better in the next four years when he gets to Babson and starts to really compete against some really good players. You’re going to see him get much better.

Mike Cook never batted below .300. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Cook said the groundwork for the Panthers’ success during his tenure was laid by the seniors when he was just a freshman.

“They set the tone,” Cook said. “Nick Haley, Nate Perkins, Jared Pendrak, the three captains, they were unbelievable for us. They we had year after year guys that came through and did what they needed to do.”

Schwede agreed.

“We really turned it around my first year with Nick Haley, Brenndan Rogers and Nate Perkins and it was cool to play with them the first year and understand what it’s like to be a part of a really winning program,” Schwede said.

But without Schwede’s arm, that success may not have continued. W-H’s ace for the past two seasons and a league all-star since he was a sophomore, the Endicott College baseball-bound righty pitched to the tune of a 1.47 ERA over 146 2/3 innings. Cronin didn’t mince words when talking about Schwede’s impact.

Rian Schwede was W-H’s ace for the past two seasons. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He was the guy,” Cronin said. “He was as good as there is in this league. He learned what pitching is all about. He has the big pitchers’ body. He has the big right arm and he understands exactly how I want it done.”

Phelps — Schwede’s partner in the outfield when he wasn’t on the mound — turned in a solid career bouncing between the mound and centerfield.

Ethan Phelps was a league all-star as a junior. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He grew a lot,” Cronin said of Phelps. “Our seniors are the guys who hit above .300 and he was one of them.”

Phelps said he felt the culture shift when Cronin took the helm.

“It’s a great program, a lot of history in the past few years,” Phelps said. “When Cronin started, he pretty much changed around the whole program.”

Cronin said his senior captains helped establish the baseball program as a team that’s serious about winning.

“They’re the leaders who talk the game and walk the game in school too, and now the kids in school look at the game differently,” Cronin said of his captains. “It’s manifested in who they are as people. So when they see Schwede or they see Cook or they see Phelps and they know they’re baseball players and they respect them, then they respect the game. I think we’re in a good place.”

Each captain said the biggest thing Cronin taught them was how to stay level headed.

“I think just being a leader,” Cook said. “I’ve always been a hot head growing up. I used to always be the kid crying on the field and throwing a tantrum, but coach and everyone else has always stayed on me and helped me be more composed and that’s definitely helped me a lot.”

Said Phelps: “He taught me to keep my temper at ease because a lot of the times it gets out of hands.”

Said Schwede: “Freshman year I was a little bit antsy, I didn’t really know how to control a lot of things, but I think over the last four years, he’s kind of really kept it pretty strong on me.”

Cronin said there’s really only one way to term these past four seasons. That’s exciting.

“They knew what I thought and knew what they thought and it made it a nice smooth ride,” said the skipper. “We had a lot of great wins here. They’ve helped a lot. I will miss them. It’s been great having them, and I’m going to miss the heck out of them.”

W-H athletes shine as Patriot League All-Stars

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The Patriot League has released its 2019 spring all-stars and Whitman-Hanson Regional High is well represented.

BASEBALL

Mike Cook— A three-time league all-star, the senior hit a team-high .364 and drove in a team-best 14 runs. In the field, he had a .983 fielding percentage at second base.

Rian Schwede— Also a three-time league all-star, he pitched to the tune of a 7-2 record and 0.79 ERA over 62 1/3 frames, while striking out 61 and walking just seven. He was also second on the team with a .356 average to go with six RBIs.

SOFTBALL

Annie Cook— Freshman third baseman hit .344 and drove in nine runs out of the leadoff spot. She led the team with seven runs scored.

Victoria Ryan — A repeat league all-star, the junior led the team in average (.390), hits (23), and slugging percentage (.542) and OPS (.961), while cranking out a pair of home runs.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Mason Gorman— Senior midfielder and captain scored 32 goals and tallied 26 helpers for a team-high 58 points.

Mario Troiani— Senior netminder, who was named a captain halfway through the season, stopped 175 shots and had a save percentage a hair under 60 percent.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Riley Bina— Despite missing seven games due to injury, the junior paced the Panthers with 37 goals and added 13 assists for 50 points, which was second on the team.

BOYS’ TENNIS

Brian Fox— Playing in No. 1 singles, the junior captain was the Panthers’ best player with a 5-11 record.

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Lexi Connolly— The junior captain was a force out of the No. 1 singles position for the tournament-bound Panthers with nine wins.

BOYS’ OUTDOOR TRACK

Theo Kamperides— A sophomore, he was the Patriot League’s top 2-mile runner, placing first in league meet with a time of 10:40.00.

GIRLS’ OUTDOOR TRACK

Ally Bartlett— The senior captain was W-H’s top scorer, scoring in the maximin of four events every meet.

Season Review: Girls’ tennis picks up speed, has historic season

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

The girls’ tennis team made history this spring.

As the spring wore on, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ tennis team had come into its own.

It flipped a 2-3 loss against Plymouth North into a 3-2 victory nearly three weeks later and topped league foes Hanover (5-0), Quincy (3-2) and Pembroke (4-1) down the stretch.

“I think our girls picked up speed as the season went along and gained confidence,” said sixth-year head coach Sue Sookiasian.

They turned that extra speed and confidence into history. After meeting their first goal of making the tournament, it was then a belief they could win a match in it. With a 4-1 victory over Bishop Feehan in the preliminary round, they did – the  program’s first tournament win on record.

Sookiasian said confidence was crucial.

“I knew they had that in them, it was just my job I feel to present that,” said the coach, whose team was knocked out by Wellesley in the next round, finishing the season at 11-11. “I knew they could do this, I didn’t know if they knew they could do this and that was my role and my assistant Sue Moss’ role to get them to that point. They have the talent, they just needed to believe in themselves.”

Sookiasian also said the constant mindset that tennis is a team sport not an individual sport played a large role in the Panthers’ run.

“One girl might have a great day and come through with a win and the next time we could play the same team and it might not be the same result she had prior but then another member might have lost the previous match and then won,” said the coach. “But they banded together and got the job done.”

W-H’s strength was its dominance in No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Junior captain Abby Pulling posted a 12-6 mark in the No. 2 spot, while sophomore Julia Benvie went 9-2 at No. 3 after being inserted into the position shortly into the season.

“They both had fantastic records,” Sookiasian said. “They were really our strong holds. I could rely on them.”

Going against the best the opposition had to offer, junior captain Lexi Connolly went 9-9 at No. 1 singles and was a league all-star.

“In the Patriot League, when you play towns like Hingham and Scituate and Duxbury, their kids play year-round,” Sookiasian said. “So, it’s tough.”

The doubles teams took a bit longer to round into form. After beginning the season in No. 2 doubles, sophomores Rylie Harlow and Kyla Faghan were bumped up a spot after beating Hingham. Junior captain Nandita Kumar, her sister, sophomore Divya Kumar, and junior captain Chloe Wilson shared time in No. 2 doubles.

“The doubles teams, along with the team, I think picked up speed as the year went along,” Sookiasian said. “Doubles is a little tougher because what you think to start the season might work out, it usually doesn’t – you have to juggle the teams around a bit and that’s what we did. It probably took us 6-8 matches in to really determine who was going to be the best fit with each other.”

Sookiasian said she already has her eyes set on next season. It’s tough to blame her because the Panthers are set to return everybody.

“I’ll have higher goals for next year,” she explained. “I would love to see them playing more tennis this offseason. I’m really encouraging them to obviously play outdoors from the summer into the fall, but definitely play around January. That makes a big difference in their game. If they play three months prior to the season, that will make us that much stronger.”

Season Review: Injuries hamper girls’ lacrosse

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The girls’ lacrosse team vs. East Bridgewater. / Photo by: Marcus Casey

The girls’ lax team had a 7-11 record and bunch of injuries.

It was yet another injury-riddled campaign for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ lacrosse team.

Senior captain Annika Putur (whole season), senior goaltender Marie Foscaldo (out for season after spring break), senior starting defenders Chloe O’Neil (six-plus games) and Gabby Trongone (seven-plus games), junior starting midfielder Riley Bina (seven games), sophomore Maggie Newcomb (six games), freshman starting goalie Ava Barry (last four games) and junior defender Treasa Duffy (missed most of the first half of season) missed significant time as the Panthers missed out on the tournament for just the second time in the last six years with a 7-11 record.

First-year head coach AC Decker said that despite the sub-.500 record, he felt the season went well.

“I feel I met the team where they were at and threw a lot of new concepts their way as the season went on,” he said. “I think they really gelled as a team.”

The Panthers’ performance in a rigorous Patriot League didn’t do them any favors. They went 2-9 against their league foes.

“It’s a tough league to move up in,” Decker said. “We had a pattern of starting games slowly and that let teams get out to an early lead. It’s hard to play from behind on a regular basis. We did better with this as the season went on, having some game where we played the full 50 minutes, but this is still a work in progress.”

What’s not a work in progress is Bina. Not even missing nearly 10 games could hold her back. She led the club with 37 goals, which she complemented with 13 helpers en route to Patriot League All-Star status.

“Riley earned the respect of her teammates due to her competitive nature and also her pure skill to transition the ball and find the back of the net with great shooting percentage,” Decker said. “She also tended to score more goals in competitive games than against easier opponents.”

Senior attack and captain Zoe Lydon was the lynchpin to the offense, racking up 35 goals and a team-high 53 points.

“Zoe leaves everything she has out on the field,” Decker said. “She takes it to the goal when needed and rides all the way to the other restraining line. She was one of the few players who consistently put in solid 50-minute games.”

Senior captain Sami Whitman (25 goals and nine assists), classmate Taylor Ross (20 goals and seven assists) and freshman Brooke Connors (12 goals and seven assists) also put forth solid offensive seasons.

One player that surprised Decker wasn’t on offense, but rather the other side of the field. It was freshman Joli Flamos, who started every game.

“Joli Flamos, who had not played before, was showing incredible speed, agility and a great sense of where to be on defense,” Decker said. “I took a risk and put her on varsity and the rest is history.”

Decker said the high point of the season for him wasn’t a win, a goal or a great play, but watching the girls gel – older and underclassmen.

“I remember at the end of season, at Pembroke during the JV game and the varsity players were sitting on the track joking with each and had to quiet themselves down,” he recalled. “I watched how the younger players were as much a part of it as the seniors. I remember smiling, thinking, ‘This is what it is all about, seeing them together as a team.’”

Decker said he has his work cut out for him over the next few months.

“In the offseason, I plan to go back through the game film and pull out select clips of things we do well and need to continue to do,” he said. “I will also take clips of what the other teams are doing well that we need to do. I also know what we need to work on and I will plow through my drill books and create some new drills to address our weaknesses.

“Also, due to all the injuries, we ended the season with 27 players on the roster, so we return 18 players for next season, all of whom were with the team since spring break.”

Whitman-Hanson Express Postseason Accolades: Spring Sports

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Athletes of the Season

Baseball: Rian Schwede | Senior – The Panthers’ ace dazzled opponents to the tune of a 0.79 ERA and 7-2 record to punctuate a four-year varsity career that included three Patriot League All-Star nods. He will play at Endicott next spring.

 

 

Softball: Victoria Ryan | Junior – She is the definition of an impact player. A repeat league all-star, the junior led the young squad in average (.390), slugging percentage (.542), on-base plug slugging (.961) and home runs (two).

 

 

Boys’ lacrosse: Mason Gorman | Senior – Selected as a league all-star, the senior midfielder fueled the Panthers’ turnaround by pumping in 32 goals and dishing out a team-high 26 assists for a team-best 58 points.

 

 

Girls’ lacrosse: Riley Bina | Junior – Despite missing seven games due to injury, the junior midfielder paced the team with 37 goals and added 13 helpers. The captain-elect was a Patriot League All-Star.

 

 

Boys’ tennis: Brian Fox | Junior – The junior captain, who was named the team MVP, led the Panthers with a 5-11 record while competing in No. 1 singles. Posted key wins against Pembroke and Spellman during the Panthers’ two-match win streak.

 

 

Girls’ tennis: Lexi Connolly | Junior – Named a Patriot League All-Star, the junior captain was terrific all season out of her post in No. 1 singles. Had a key victory in a tight 3-2 win over Plymouth North.

 

 

Boys’ outdoor track: Theo Kamperides | Sophomore – A Patriot League All-Star, the sophomore was one of the Panthers’ top scorers this spring. With a 2-mile run of 10:40.00, he placed first in the Patriot League meet.

 

 

Girls’ outdoor track: Ally Bartlett | Senior – The Express’ girls’ indoor track Athlete of the Season in the winter, Bartlett participated, and scored, in the maximum of four events in every meet. The senior captain was W-H’s top scorer.

 

 

Coach of the Season

Girls’ tennis: Sue Sookiasian – In her sixth season at the helm of the girls’ tennis team, she guided the Panthers, who received most of their contributions from sophomores and juniors, to their first ever tournament victory, a 4-1 win over Bishop Feehan. Sookiasian said after the season: “As the season progressed, our team progressed. I think our girls picked up speed as the season went along and gained confidence and we really ended up strong.”

 

*All photos by Sue Moss

Season Review: Net gains for boys’ tennis

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The boys’ tennis team had 14 new players this season.

With 10 freshmen and a total of 14 new players, there were some growing pains for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ tennis team, which finished the season 3-13. But, there was also a ton of progress.

“I definitely would call this season a success due to the growth and depth we were able to gain within the team,” said second-year head coach Alyssa Hayes.

Hayes said learning to work together was the most obvious area of growth.

“We had a good nine guys that would swap in and out in varsity matches which started to teach them to be flexible in doubles, not always knowing which partner they would be playing with,” she said.

Sitting at 1-12 entering the final week of the season, the Panthers flexed that growth with back-to-back wins over Pembroke (4-1) and Spellman (5-0).

“It was definitely a highpoint and included a team trip to DQ (Dairy Queen),” Hayes said.

Junior captain Brian Fox was the Panthers’ lone Patriot League All-Star, after leading the club with five wins while playing against the best the opposition had to offer in No. 1 singles.

“Brian is an all-around leader,” Hayes said. “He takes charge in anything I ask of him. Even without asking, he is the first to communicate with the team, make sure they’re all ready, show up early to practice, he really gets the job done. It is clear Brian is also a mentor to some of the younger players. He is going to lead the team to great things.”

In addition to Fox, there were many other key contributors for W-H this spring.

“We had a lot of new guys which was great because I saw a lot of growth,” Hayes explained. “Cam Lindsay came out for the team as a sophomore and not only grew in his tennis playing but ended up becoming a captain, alongside Brian, for next season. Seniors Griffin Pulkinen and Jared Badger came out for the team as seniors and worked their way into first and second doubles spots.”

It wasn’t just the new guys showing improvements, either.

“[Senior] Matt Hickey, who was on the team for four years, showed insane growth this season moving to second singles,” Hayes said. “He played like a back.”

Hayes said she was surprisingly impressed with the progress of Aidan Hickey, Dan McDevitt and Will Mulligan, and senior Nolan Smith, all of whom fought their way into varsity spots.

Hayes said winning the Patriot League’s Keenan Division sportsmanship award was the highlight of the year for her.

“Wins are nice, of course every coach hopes for them,” she said. “At the end of the day, seeing these talented athletes grow into respectful and graceful young adults surpasses it all.”

Hayes said she hopes to see the kids hit the courts in the offseason.

“My hope is that the players will play summer tennis,” she said. “Keeping consistent play is important.”

Season Review: Girls’ spring track squad is sprinting toward bright future

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The team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The girls’ team had a combined 35 freshmen and sohpomores.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ outdoor track team received some high praise this season. It wasn’t just from its own coaching staff, either.

“The Hingham coach said nobody will enjoy facing us over the next few years,” recalled fifth-year W-H head coach Steve George.

That feeling could be because of several factors. After a 2018 season that saw just 35 girls competing, the number of freshmen and sophomores alone matched that number this spring. That’s a good place to start.

“I expected improvement over last year from Day 1, when more than 60 girls attended our first practice,” George said.

A lot of them were big contributors also, such as freshmen Olivia Borgen and Myah Kamperides.

Borgen, who is also known for her prowess on the soccer field, was unbeaten in both the 200- and 400-meter dash during the Patriot League season, while only losing once in the 100-meter dash. She already holds the school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.44, which she raced to May 7, and was the team’s second leading scorer.

“[She] is an incredibly talented sprinter,” George said.

Kamperides was third on the team in scoring with solid showings in the 2-mile run and discus.

“The sky is the limit for Myah, who is already comfortable running the practice paces of her male counterparts,” George said.

Juniors Ryley Hurley and Samantha Perkins were also big contributors who will be back next season.

In her first year doing outdoor track, Hurley was the team’s fourth leading scorer. She qualified for states in both the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, is a 4-foot-6 high jumper and among W-H top 100- and 200-meter sprinters.

“Despite being a newcomer to our sport, she is already a valued, and contributing, member of our team,” George said.

Perkins, a captain, was the Patriot League’s top javelin thrower thanks to a 111-foot-1-inch heave May 7.

“[She is also] one of our top sprinters and hurdlers as well,” George said.

Senior captain Ally Bartlett put forth another season to remember, participating and scoring in the maximum of four events ever dual meet. She was the team’s top points getter and one of eight seniors who left a lasting impact.

“All were on the team for several years and will be missed by their teammates and by me, certainly,” George said. “The group is pretty diverse in terms of talent, but they are all quality kids with bright futures ahead of them.”

The Panthers finished the spring with wins over Plymouth North (69-67), Scituate (91-45) and Duxbury (72-64), while losing to Hingham (85.8) and then Silver Lake (73-63), due to the unavoidable absences of several athletes for a school commitment.

“I was asked recently about the importance of winning, and frankly, my response drew some surprise when I replied that winning was unimportant,” George said. “But in our sport, the focus, as well as each athlete’s goal, is to improve each time out. We try to motivate our kids to establish a personal record every time out. While it may seem unrealistic, we had several meets where PRs totaled in the 60s. Each one is a win for me. Team wins will ultimately follow if every athlete does his/her part to improve.”

George said he believes the season was a success.

“I’ve been fairly consistent during my time here stating that the strength of any track and field team lies in the number of participants, and those among that number willing to put in the effort every day to improve,” he explained. “This year, our overall numbers rose and among our newcomers there were quite a few who were willing to accept the challenge of giving it 100 percent for the nearly three months we spent together.

“But, in my opinion, it is the rest of the coaching staff (Stephen Schlicting, Rob Bunszell, Samantha Richner, Jen Scarpelli, Kim Coletti, Denise Taylor and Julia Cosgrave), which justly, in addition to the kids, deserves credit. “[They’re] all former athletes, are working hard to return W-H to the position it once held in the sport.”