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Overcoming the odds: Kamperides runs to Bryant

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Kamperides sings her letter of intent to run for Bryant University. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior cross country captain Myah Kamperdies will run at Bryant University.

Myah Kamperides was bullied so bad her freshman year that her mother was ready to send her to a private school. 

Then she discovered running. 

“I didn’t think Whitman-Hanson was for me and wasn’t going to come back,” Kamperides said. “But then I joined the track team that winter and later that spring I decided to join cross country and knew I couldn’t leave. It wasn’t only because of the sport, but because I was so quickly making friends on the team and had such amazing coaches I just could not leave.”

She is glad she stayed. 

Now a senior captain, Kamperides is a three-time cross country team MVP, indoor track MVP and five-time Patriot League All-Star. She recently committed to continue her running career at Division 1 Bryant University. 

“I toured it and absolutely fell in love,” Kamperides said. “They are a small school which is what I need. I also met the team and coaches and every single person was so welcoming. I even communicate daily with the other commits and love them already.”

She will run both cross country and track for the Bulldogs.

“Running has changed my life in so many amazing ways,” Kamperides said. “I eat well and am constantly bettering myself. After a rough day at school, the only thing I look forward to is seeing my team and running.” 

Rough days at school are few and far between for Kamperides, who boasts a 3.94 GPA in the classroom, while taking AP Spanish, AP psych, AP English literature, and AP statistics. She is also a member of the National Honor Society. 

“I love to challenge myself and feel it makes me work harder,” she said. 

Kamperides ran 30 varsity races in cross country since she joined the team her sophomore year. She was the Panthers’ top finisher in each one. 

“She has set the bar rather high in cross country,” said W-H head coach Steve George. “She has dominated the sport at Whitman-Hanson during that time.” 

George said it is no secret why she attained a high level of success. 

“She is not only an extremely hard worker but she has supported our training plan to the letter without question,” George said. “Myah encourages her teammates to do the same without question.” 

That is not the only reason she has been a two-year captain. 

“In a literal sense Myah has provided leadership by training at the front of the pack every day for the past three years,” George said. “But it goes beyond that. She organizes summer strength and conditioning for the team. She is a vocal supporter for all her teammates. She approaches and completes each and every training session with a smile. Her enjoyment is infectious among the rest of the squad. I’ve had many incoming athletes how they can be like Myah. I suggest they follow her around — if they can.” 

And that is just the leader Kamperides wants to be. 

“I strive to be the person the underclassmen look up to,” she said. 

Kamperides and the Panthers open the indoor track season on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. 

A big hit: Welch wins MVP in girls’ volleyball

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Lily Welch was named league MVP. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball senior captain Lily Welch was tabbed the Patriot League Keenan Division MVP.

Gyms were closed and the state was locked down. 

Remember that last year?

Of course you do. 

But it did not stop Lily Welch from getting in her reps. 

“I set up this old badminton net between two trees in my yard so I could practice hitting and peppering over it with my mom,” Welch said. 

Later that fall, Welch and the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team stumbled to a 3-9 record during a COVID-shortened campaign. 

“It just felt like every game I was putting in my everything, during remote school I would lift before going to practice, and I wanted it so bad, but we would come so short every game,” Welch said. 

She decided to take a year off from playing basketball to focus solely on volleyball. 

It paid off. 

Welch racked up 263 kills, 190 digs and 140 blocks this past season, propelling W-H to a program-best 13-6 record. She was named the Patriot League Keenan Division MVP. 

“Aside from her dedication, her talent is what sets her apart from others on the court,” said W-H head coach Samantha Richner. “Lily is dripping in athleticism, but she is constantly working on being better. She never settles and always wants to be better, and is shows.”

Welch was the catalyst in upset wins over both Hingham (17 kills and eight blocks) and Duxbury (15 kills). 

“During the game versus Duxbury at Whitman-Hanson, she showed so much leadership,” said fellow senior captain Abby Martin. “She was telling us everything she knew about the team the day before and was getting everyone hyped up before the game.”

It was that kind of leadership which is why Welch was a two-year captain. 

“She makes everyone around her better by honestly showing up to practice everyday and staying late after practice helping girls on the team,” Martin said. “She has a passion for this sport like no one else and she is just happy doing it.”

There is more. 

“During the offseason, Lily is constantly in communication with me and her team working on ways to improve for the upcoming season,” Richner said. “She dedicates her time to hosting and participating in clinics, volunteering to help run camps, and hosting captain’s practices.”

Welch believes her passion set her apart. 

“I practice almost everyday all year, I believe there’s always a way you can be getting better,” Welch said. “You can be talented or athletic but if you don’t want it, all of that means nothing. Volleyball is something I love so much and when I’m on the court there’s nothing I want more than to be the best I can be for my team.”

While Welch doesn’t have plans to play at the next level, she intends to stay involved in the game she loves. 

“Wherever I end up, I want to coach or teach lessons for volleyball and I will definitely be back to help and watch the younger players at Whitman-Hanson,” she said.

Season Preview: Girls’ basketball out for revenge

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Senior captain Abby Martin during the Panthers’ scrimmage. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team is once again shooting for a league title.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team is not happy about how last season ended. 

That was with a loss to Hanover in the Patriot Cup final. A week before, W-H was shut out in the fourth quarter and fell to Scituate. 

The Panthers still finished the season with a 9-4 record. Not bad, but not good enough for a team itching to bring the program its first league title since 2010. 

As it sets its sights on the 2021-22 campaign, W-H will have a chance to avenge a few of those late-season losses right away. 

Its first three games of this season are against Scituate, Silver Lake and then Hanover. 

“The girls definitely, at the end of last year, were a little disappointed,” said head coach Mike Costa, who enters his third year on the Panthers bench. “I don’t think we played the way we wanted to and it did kind of left a little sour taste in their mouth.”

So they put in even more work this offseason. 

“They played all spring and summer with their AAU teams,” Costa explained. “They played summer league, they played fall AAU together — something that they haven’t done in the past — to try and build that chemistry on the floor.” 

The Panthers boasted a trio of league all-stars last season in Reese Codero, Rylie Harlow and Abby Martin. 

Codero is now playing at Roger Williams, while Harlow is on Fitchburg State’s roster. However, Martin, a senior captain and forward, is back and that’s good news for the Panthers. 

Martin took over games at times last season. She netted 14 points and snagged 21 rebounds in a win over Marshfield, and pumped in 17 points and corralled nine boards in a statement win over Plymouth North. 

“We relied a lot on her last year — both offensively and defensively,” Costa said. “She kind of carried our team offensively last year. We expect big things from her again this year, especially losing two other starters in Reese and Rylie — everybody has got to pick up the slack, but we’re leaning heavily on Abby to control both ends of the floor.”

Starting point guard Caitlin Leahy (junior) and starting shooting guard Lauren Dunn (senior captain) are also back.

 

Senior captain Lauren Dunn during the Panthers’ scrimmage. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“If you look at any of the good teams, if you have a really good backcourt that can carry you,” Costa said. “Our staff is completely confident in both Caitlin and Lauren and think they’re probably two of the top guards in our league.” 

Costa said Dunn is the Panthers’ best on-ball defender and Leahy is their best passer. 

Senior captain Meg Stone is also back in the middle. Costa said he expects her and Martin to be a force on the glass together. 

“I think it’s going to be tough for teams to match up with our size,” Costa said. “We just look to exploit the matches we’re given any night. We’re versatile that we have multiple people that can score in different ways.”

Freshman Cassidy Briggs, Lillie MacKinnon and Taryn Leonard will give the senior-laden Panthers some youth. 

“They’ve been great additions to the team,” Costa said. “We’re losing so many seniors so we have to start to mold some of these younger players.” 

W-H opens the season Tuesday, Jan. 14 when it hosts Scituate at 6 p.m. 

“We’ll take it game by game and practice by practice and see what happens,” Costa said. “At the end of the day, we’re just going to trust the work we put in and let the chips fall.” 

Girls’ soccer wins first-ever state title

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They say it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team proved why.

Down 1-0 late in the Div. 2 state final to Silver Lake, a team the Panthers hadn’t scored against in their previous two meetings, they finally broke through — erupting for three goals in the final 11 minutes to capture their first-ever state title.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said 26-year W-H head coach David Floeck. “We’ve worked so hard. This is a tremendous accomplishment for them.”

Senior Olivia Borgen, who was knocked out of the Panthers’ state semifinal win Wednesday with a sprained right ankle, snuck home the equalizer in the 69th minute.

“She is gutsy,” Floeck said. “She has been in a [walking] boot all the way until we got on the bus for the game. She said, ‘Coach, I’m taping it. I’m going to give everything I got.’”

“I just needed to give it my all,” Borgen said. “It was the last game. Even if I was in a boot 30 minutes before I came here, I just needed to push through and give it my all. We’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m just so proud of this whole team.”

It remained tied until the 77th minute when Lakers goalkeeper Emma Hudson got called for a foul, taking down a W-H senior captain Nora Manning in the box. The result? A penalty kick.

Fellow senior captain Ava Melia buried it for a 2-1 lead.

“Its just the best feeling ever,” Melia said. “I could not be happier. This team deserves it.”

Manning sealed it with a goal of her own in stoppage time.

“I’m so excited,” Manning said. “It was our goal from the beginning of the season. It feels so amazing to finally achieve that.”

Cheer wins another Patriot League title

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Their reign continues. 

For the 28th straight season — between fall and winter — the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders are Patriot League champions. 

“A lot of our message this season has been a focus on having the team compete against themselves instead of others,” said head coach Alyssa Pietrasik. “We want to focus on beating our own last best record and continue to improve. We definitely did that in the league championship which I am insanely proud of.”

The Panthers topped their competition last Sunday, Nov. 7 on their home mats. 

“This is definitely one of our sweetest,” Pietrasik said. “The league championship is so important at Whitman-Hanson. It’s something we take pride in. Before results were in I let them know that either way, after their performance I was extremely proud of them. But I do have to say, it was great to win in our house on our mats with alumni, fans, families, and other W-H sports teams surrounding us.”

The Panthers have a quick turnaround time before their back on the mat. They’ll travel to Marshfield for the South regional championship this Sunday, Nov. 14. 

“Our goal is to continue to solidify this routine and master it,” Pietrasik said. “There’s potential to add a skill or two as well.”

The Panthers are captioned by seniors Jazzy Gomes, Tiffany Joyce and Samantha Sicuranza.

Volleyball sinks Hingham punching tourney ticket

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Lily Welch vs Hingham. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Last Friday was Lily Welch’s mother’s birthday. 

That wasn’t all she ended up celebrating. 

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball senior captain registered 17 kills and eight total blocks to power the Panthers to a 3-1 upset win over Hingham. 

“[She’s] unstoppable,” said W-H head coach Samantha Richner of Welch. “Her athleticism just drifts. She gets up so high, but she’s also a player that works hard. Lily wants to be the best and she does it 365 all year.” 

“I literally just cried,” Welch said. “I’m so happy. We’ve never beaten Hingham. They’re an amazing team, they’ve been an amazing team. This just shows how talented we are.” 

It sure does. 

Welch and the Panthers got the home crowd into it early, setting the tone and taking the first set, 25-14. 

However, the Harborwomen turned the tide in the second set, sinking W-H, 25-18, and opened the third set on a 7-1 run. But the Panthers battled back to take set, 25-22, and never looked back. W-H clinched the win with a 25-14 victory in the fourth set. 

“When our girls are up and they play they’re game, they’re unstoppable,” Richner said. “We know the talent we have and I think they’re sick and tired of getting beat by these teams. They know what had to do and they did it.”

Fellow senior captain Abby Martin added eight kills, while classmate Riley Scott tallied 12 digs in the win, which secured W-H a spot in the Div. 2 state tournament. 

The Panthers are back in action Friday, Oct. 22 when they host Duxbury at 5:30 p.m.

“We want to be the first team to win a state tournament game at Whitman-Hanson,” Welch said. 

Panthers run under the lights in Twilight Invitational

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’Tis that time of year. 

Some of the state’s best cross country runners legged it out under the lights at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in the Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 16. 

Whitman-Hanson Regional High was well represented. 

Adriana Kelly and McKenna McCarthy got it going in the girls’ freshman 2.1-mile race. Kelly finished 13th overall in a field of 184 runners with a time of 13:38, while McCarthy crossed the finish line at 25th with a time of 14:12. 

In the boys’ sophomore 5K race, in which 268 athletes participated, W-H’s team of Logan Bourgelas (32nd, 18:19), Alex Kehayias (42nd, 18:54), Gavin McCarthy (53rd, 19:11), Ryan Crowley (57th, 19:15) and Shane Johnson (63rd, 19:22) combined to place nine overall among the 29 teams that entered. 

Senior Captain Nathan Tassey ran a 5K personal record of 16:39 in the boys’ varsity race, placing 27th in a field of 365 runners. Senior captain Gordon Johnson finished 123rd at 17:53.

And in the night cap — the girls’ varsity 5K race — W-H senior captain placed 48th out of 287, clocking in at a season-best 20:22 

Football falls short at Silver Lake

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Just short. 

It’s what the Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team came up as against Silver Lake on Friday, Oct. 8. 

Down 13-6 with six seconds remaining, the Panthers were stuck on fourth-and-goal by the Lakers. 

Senior Jake Guiliani gave W-H a 6-0 lead in the second with a rushing TD, but it didn’t last as Silver Lake scored the next 13. 

Senior Collin Briggs added four catches for 60 yards in the loss. On defense, the linebacker combination of Guiliani and junior Evan Casey combined for 15 tackles and senior Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder racked up with two sacks and two tackles for loss. Junior Sam Pace added an interception.

W-H is now 0-5 and will travel to 4-1 Marshfield tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 15 for a 7 p.m. kickoff. 

— Nathan Rollins

Gray courting success for W-H girls’ volleyball

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Caroline Gray leads the team with 167 assists. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“She’s a freshman!”

The chant echoed from the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team’s bench shortly into the third set of its sweep over Silver Lake last week. 

That freshman is Caroline Gray, who was doing what she’s done all season: dominating. The first-year Panther was in the midst of a 10-point serving streak to put the Lakers away. She also went on a nine-point run in the first set, to go along with 21 assists from her setter position. 

Volleyball is in Gray’s blood. Her dad, Josh, was the head coach at W-H from 2012-16. And you bet she tagged along with him. 

“I always used to go to the games and after school I’d go to the practices and help out there,” Caroline said. “It was really cool.”

Not only did she attend practice, but she took the court, too. 

“I practiced down balls from some of best hitters on the team,” she said. “It helped me a lot advance in the sport. I got to get ahead of my age.”

Her dad had a few pointers for her coming into first high school season, too. 

“He just said take control of the court,” Caroline said. “Communicate all the time and be confident in yourself because you want to be assertive on the court and know what you’re doing.” 

She sure does. Caroline has tallied a team-high 167 assists through the Panthers’ first 10 matches, in which they’re 7-3. She had 42 of them in a 3-2 win over Hanover and another 38 in a 3-1 triumph over Pembroke. 

“With Caroline, you just see endless potential,” said W-H head coach Samantha Richner. “She works hard. She always wants to improve her game. You can tell she cares a lot about it.”

Setter is a spot Caroline has grown into. She was both an outside hitter and setter in club volleyball. Then she heard the high school team was graduating both of its setters and switched exclusively to the position last winter. 

“After losing Sophia [Berardinelli] and Caileen [Hurley], who we on the team for four years, we were worried going into the season,” Richner said. “But Caroline’s filled those shoes well.”

W-H senior captain Lily Welch agrees. 

“We thought a setter was something that we would lack and struggle with this year and she stepped up huge,” Welch said. “I think her success comes from hard work.”

She’s seen Caroline’s commitment to the game up close. 

“Her dad ran clinics for us last spring and Caroline and I had a lot of late nights working together in the gym,” Welch said. “Our chemistry definitely comes from those nights and she barely missed any volleyball during the summer either.”

W-H is back in action Friday, Oct. 8 when it hosts Plymouth South at 5 p.m. 

“I just want to enjoy the season and get to know all the players even more and we really want to go to the tournament,” Caroline said.

Keeping score in Week 4

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The first month of the fall sports season is over at Whitman-Hanson Regional High. 

Here are the scores from Week 4: 

Boys’ cross country (3-1) ran past Plymouth North, 21-36, on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Senior captains Nathan Tassey (17:36) and Gordon Johnson (17:56) placed first and second, respectively, while sophomore Logan Bourgelas finished third with a time of 18:20. Also scoring for the Panthers were sophomores Alex Keheyias (seventh, 19:06) and Gavin McCarthy (eighth, 19:07).

Girls’ cross country (2-2) dropped a nail-biter to Plymouth North, 27-28, on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Senior captain Myah Kamperides led the way for W-H with a second-place finish, clocking in at 20:53. Also scoring for the Panthers were freshman McKenna McCarthy (fifth, 22:09), senior captain Sarah Boulger (sixth, 22:20), freshman Adrianna Kelly (seventh, 23:05) and sophomore Caroline Poth (eighth, 23:49.)

Football (0-4) was shut out by Hingham, 35-0, on Friday, Oct. 1. Senior Rocco Ruffini led the defense with nine tackles, including three for loss. Junior Matt Phelps had an interception, while classmate Will Frazier had a tackle for loss and fumble recovery. 

Field hockey (1-5-1) picked up its first victory of the season with a 3-0 shutout win over Duxbury on Thursday, Sept. 30. Senior Ally Ayers opened the scoring in the first half with her third goal of the season, while classmate Joli Flamos and sophomore Paige Cosgrove added some insurance. 

Boys’ golf (2-8) opened the week with a 247-267 loss to Marshfield on Monday, Sept. 27. Senior captain Pat McBroom was again the team medalist, carding a 6-over 42. … On Wednesday, W-H fell dropped a 223-248 decision to rival Duxbury. Despite the loss, McBroom was the match medalist with an 1-over par 35. … On Thursday, the Panthers were clipped by Plymouth South, 253-267. Freshman Cooper Britton led the charge on the day for the home team, shooting his best round of the year with a 6-over par 40 in the loss. 

Boys’ soccer (0-6-2) allowed two goals in the final four minutes and fell to Cohasset, 2-0, on Monday, Sept. 27. … On Thursday, Tony Reis’ club suffered a 5-2 setback against Marshfield. Freshman Jah Estrela scored his first career goal and senior captain Jayden Stafford (also an assist) added another in the loss.

Girls’ soccer (6-2-1) received a pair of goals from senior captain Nora Manning to down Scituate, 4-0, on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Fellow senior captains Olivia Borgen and Ava Melia added single tallies of their own in the win. … Then, behind two goals from junior Kayla Cassidy and another from Melia, W-H topped Marshfield, 3-2, on Friday. 

Girls’ volleyball (6-3) went three-for-three. On Monday, Sept. 27, W-H swept Silver Lake, 3-0 (25-9, 25-16 and 25-9). Freshman Caroline Gray tallied 21 assists, while senior captain Lily Welch led the Panthers with nine kills. … On Wednesday, Samantha Richner’s team swept Scituate, 3-0. The set scores were: 25-22, 25-23 and 28-26. Welch led the team with six solo blocks and 15 kills and Gray added 28 assists in the victory. Senior captain Abby Martin and classmate Riley Scott led the team in digs with 16 apiece. … On Friday, W-H best Marshfield, 3-1. The set scores were: 25-18, 25-21, 17-25 and 25-8. Welch tallied 12 kills and six total blocks and sophomore Riley Codero notched 21 assists at setter in the triumph. 

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday.