Whitman-Hanson Express

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Season Preview: Ready for redemption

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Jenna Olem has her sights on the postseason for her softball team this spring.

After a playoff hiatus last season, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High softball team is eager to get back into postseason contention.

The growing pains were tough for head coach Jenna Olem’s club in 2016. One year after posting a 15-5 regular-season record and earning a spot in the Division 1 South Sectional quarterfinals, W-H entered a state of rebuild, with the departure of many core pieces. Eight of the Panthers 12 losses came when they were tied or held a lead heading into the second inning. The fourth-year skipper is confident her club, which returns nine players, has learned from its mistakes.

“Last year we struggled defensively,” Olem said. “We made a lot of errors. We also did a poor job closing out games. This season our experience going through what we went through last year and not being able to finish is the main focus.”

Leading the team this spring will be senior captains Kristin Arthur, Kelly Burke, Emily Cook and Sarah Saccardo. Cook and Saccardo (2016 Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star) have started every game at the varsity level since their freshman season, Arthur is a three-year starter and Burke is W-H’s top home run threat.

On the mound, W-H will be led by 2016 team MVP and Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star, junior Colleen Hughes.

“She pitched for us, played center [field] and second [base],” Olem said. “This year she looks to be this team’s ace after spot starting last year. She is long and athletic and has a natural downward motion on the ball so it’s tough for hitters to make really good contact on her when she can locate.”

Cook, who toed the rubber in the Panthers’ 4-1 first-round win against Bridgewater-Raynham in 2015, will play a significant role on the bump as well.

When she’s not on the mound, Cook will start at shortstop, senior Kelly Burke will man first base duties, sophomore Kayla Crawford will play second and junior Hailey Norris will start at the hot corner with Arthur returning behind the plate.

In the outfield, Saccardo anchors the group in centerfield, classmates Julia Donovan and Julia Pendrak roam left and right, respectively.

Olem said she believes her club has the potential to turn what was a weakness last season into a strength this spring.

“We moved Cook to shortstop and she has such great instincts and confidence over there, and Saccardo to centerfield which plays to her strengths of getting to every ball and has a very strong arm,” Olem explained. “So, with those two and Arthur, who is a very strong catcher behind the plate, we are solid up the middle.”

W-H will be back on the field Thursday, April 6 at 4 p.m. as it plays host to North Quincy.

“I think you’ll see a team ready to redeem themselves from last year’s subpar season,” Olem said. “[Our returning players] all came into the season a better player than they were last year. They are a team that is ready to get back to their winning ways from a few years ago.”

State cheer champs

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The day after winning their MSSAA Div. 2 state championship, the W-H cheerleaders supported the boys’ basketball team in its state title game at TD Garden. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders won a state title Sunday.

On Sunday, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders landed two things – their routine and a MSSAA Division 2 state title.

The Panthers, under the leadership of head coach Tanisha King, boasted a 197.70 score to top North Attleboro (196.3), Shawsheen Valley (193.1), Assabet Valley (178.0), Milford (177.0), Billerica (174.5) and six other competing schools.

“It felt amazing considering especially in the fall, we didn’t place where we wanted to,” King said. “They have done amazing picking up from coming in fifth [in states in the fall] to going down to Dallas and winning the national title down there and then just keeping up the momentum all the way through states.”

With the victory, senior captains – Alison Joanis, Hannah MacDonald, Olivia Villanueva and Payton Wright – captured their sixth state title.

“They have all been four years on varsity,” King said. “Their commitment and dedication these past four years has been remarkable. They’re not only amazing cheerleaders but they’re role models.”

The win comes on the heels of the cheerleaders scoring a 202.20, which was tied for the highest out of 27 competing schools, Sunday, March 5 to claim a South regional title.

It has been a busy season for the W-H cheerleaders. They have captured an NCA national title, a Patriot League championship, a regional title and now a state title.

King said it’s easy to be complacent in the midst of winning but her team’s competition keeps it from being content, and coming in fifth during the fall season served as a wake-up call.

“It’s not an easy road,” King said. “It’s not like we’re in a division where you’re expected to win every time. Every year there is either a new team that steps up to the plate or even the teams that are hungry for their chance to win a state title. I always try to tell my team, ‘There is always someone in the gym working harder than you,’’’.

The squad vies for a Division 2 New England crown Saturday, March 18 at Providence Career and Technical Center at 10:30 a.m. This will be the last competition of the year for W-H.

“Since Dallas, we’re trying to go for that perfect record,” King said. “Go out and perform your routine one more time, the best you can and hopefully come home with the New England title again.”

Panthers’ run ends

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Photo by: Sue Moss

Playing in front of a sea of red Monday evening at historic TD Garden, Whitman-Hanson fell to Brighton by the final score of 94-48 in the Division 2 state semifinals.

BOSTON — The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team’s improbable tournament run has come to a close.

Playing in front of a sea of red Monday evening at historic TD Garden, Whitman-Hanson fell to Brighton by the final score of 94-48 in the Division 2 state semifinals.

North champion Brighton (22-5) stepped on the gas pedal early on and never let up, as its 3-point shooting and presence inside proved too much for South champion W-H (19-4) to handle.

“They’re an outstanding team, they have so much talent,” W-H head coach Bob Rodgers said of Brighton. “They’re so talented, so athletic, can shoot the ball so well. They shot the ball great tonight. They’re very skilled. They deserved to win this game tonight.”

The 94 points are the most allowed by the defensive-minded Panthers all season.

The Bengals darted out of the gate – connecting  on seven of their first 11 attempts – and a Tyrone Perry 3-pointer gave Brighton a 16-7 lead with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter.

“Usually you got to take one thing away and then hopefully the other thing doesn’t beat you,” Rodgers said. “We really didn’t do a good job at either one of those. They were able to get to the paint anytime they wanted and every time they had a wide-open three they took it and when they missed, they did a great job at rebounding.”

Down 18-7, the Panthers would score the next five points via a Luke Tamulevich layup and Nikko Raftes trey, to pull back within single digits, 18-12.

However, Brighton would respond – outscoring W-H 11-2 to close the opening frame to push ahead 29-14.

“We had a bit of momentum,” Rodgers explained. “I said, ‘Maybe we’ll get to halftime and get it under 10.’ But the fact is it just wasn’t Whitman- Hanson’s night, it was Brighton’s.”

The Panthers buckled down on defense in the second quarter – limiting the high-powered Bengals offense to 16 points – but could only muster 12 points themselves and fell behind 45-26 at halftime.

The third quarter proved decisive for Brighton – which shot 10 of 13 from the field – as it outscored W-H 31-9 to build a commanding 76-35 cushion.

“Our identity all year has been to play great defense,” Rodgers said. “When you’re facing a team like that and you have to deal with their ability to penetrate, it’s really hard to get out on their shooters as well.”

Up substantially, Brighton didn’t let up in the final frame – holding W-H to 13 points while pumping in 18 (six via treys) itself to further pad its victory.

Sophomore guard Tajh Hunter netted four of the Panthers’ fourth-quarter points.

W-H, despite the loss, was able to cycle in all of its players onto the court.

Seniors Raftes and Tamulevich, like they have done all season, led the Panthers in scoring with 11 points apiece. Junior Sean Leahy chipped in five points and four boards as nine Panthers, including seven players set to return in 201718, tallied points.

“It was awesome that a lot of the guys were able to get some points and get that ability to play at the [TD] Garden, it will be a life memory for them, and I guess that was one of the bright spots when you have a game like that,” Rodgers said.

Sachems end WHSL season: Team finishes best campiagn

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The teams shake hands at game’s end. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey bowed out of the Div. 2 state tournament with a 2-0 loss to Winchester.

KINGSTON — They say all good things must come to an end. For the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey team, that proved true Sunday.

The co-op gave it everything they had, but came out on the wrong end of the stick in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Winchester in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament held at The Bog Ice Arena.

Sixth-seeded WHSL (15-4-3), which was in the midst of its best campaign since its inception in 2014, allowed a quick goal 3:05 in, and could never recover, as No. 11-seed Winchester added another tally late in the third to secure its victory. The Sachems silenced a WHSL offense, which found the back of the net 120 times coming in, and had only been shut out once (5-0 against Duxbury Feb. 5) all season.

“They did a good job shadowing Hannah [Tracy] and Mel [McAleer] all game, taking away time and space for them to create offense,” WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “They played a strong game.” 

Winchester (14-4-4) will meet No. 14 Canton (12-4-6) in the quarterfinals Saturday at 5:15 p.m. at Galo Ice Arena.

At the 11:55 mark of the first period, the Sachems’ Mariah Redler snuck behind the WHSL defense and found herself all alone with netminder Melissa Crone and flung a shot on goal. The senior goaltender looked as if she had made the stop, the referee at the goal line signaled for the save, but the referee at center ice overruled him.

“It absolutely did not go in the net, but sometimes you’ve got to fight through those things,” Marani said. “Melissa was great in goal all game, like she’s done for us all season.”

The Sachems had a few more quality chances on net – including a Redler blast from the face-off circle – but Crone stood strong in goal. WHSL found itself on the power play with 9:14 remaining in the second period, but failed to even record a shot onnet. Late in the second period, Mary Kate Webb ripped a blistering shot on Winchester goalie Baile Lazarus, who turned the senior captain away with a glove save.

With time winding down in the second frame, Tracy found herself in 1-on-1 with Lazarus, who yet again rose to the occasion to preserve the shutout.

2:59 into the third period, Meave Hickey beat Crone on a wrist shot to push the Sachems ahead 2-0, and that is where it would stand.

Over the past three seasons, the Panthers have snatched back-to-back SEMGHL Northeast titles, have not missed the MIAA tournament and have gone 3819-5. 

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Melanie McAleer (Hanson) was a focal point of the Sachems’ defense. / Photo by: Sue Moss

But this go-around had the makings of something special. Not only was it the first year WHSL had made it out of the preliminary round of the tournament, it was the last season on the ice sporting red and black for seniors Tess Corkery, Crone, Sophia Dauksevicz, Katie Johnson, McAleer, Tracy and Webb. 

If there was ever a lining coming from the defeat, it is the mark all seven of them have had on the underclassmen of the team. They helped establish a culture, a tradition, a foundation and most importantly a hockey program.

“They’re a great group of girls,” Marani said. “With them, they brought girls that could have gone to other schools and now that they get the fever of WHSL hockey, I think they’re going to stay.”

All-Star skaters: McAleer, Tracy named to Shriners team

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Hanson’s Mel McAleer and Hannah Tracy have been selected to skate in the Shriners All-Star Classic on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m.

Two members of the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team have been tabbed to skate in the Shriners All-Star Classic.

Hanson residents and WHSL captains Mel McAleer and Hannah Tracy will be representing the co-op as members of the South roster in this year’s event on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. at the Canton Ice House.

The Shriners All-Star Classic features the best players in the state and squares off the North against the South. After the rosters are finalized, each player is tasked with raising money for Shriners Hospitals for Children, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals.

WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said he couldn’t be more proud to have two of his players in this prestigious contest.

“It means a lot to our program because of the game and what the game represents,” Marani said. “I’m very happy.”

MCALEER

For McAleer, this will mark her second straight trip to the event. “I would say being nominated for the Shriners [All-Star Classic] twice was absolutely my biggest achievement on the ice,” McAleer said.

McAleer, who has scored a lot of goals — 110 to be exact — in almost four seasons competing for Whitman-Hanson/Pembroke and then WHSL said it’s a great honor to be known as one of the best hockey players in Massachusetts but that says little about her as a person.

“Being able to be use my ability to create [an] opportunity to give back to those who really need it as much as I do is a greater accomplishment that any number of times I can put a puck in a net,” McAleer said.

With the Division 2 state title game slated to take place in mid to late March, this will be the final time McAleer skates as a member of the Panthers.

“I am most excited for the game because it will be a great completion and it will ultimately be the last time I represent WHSL on the ice,” McAleer said.

TRACY

For Tracy, who was on the bubble of cracking the roster last season, this will be her first time in the Shriners All-Star Classic. The Whitman-Hanson senior said she received word of her nomination while skimming through her email and almost accidently deleted it.

“I was excited that I’m going to be playing up against the best in the state in a game that has such a strong meaning behind it,” Tracy said. “Playing next to some of the best and some of the girls I’ve played with over the years is exciting, so it will be a fun time.”

Tracy has racked up 21 goals and dished out 22 assists thus far this season and has been an integral part of WHSL’s success since its inaugural campaign in 2014— helping the co-op reach the postseason for its third straight year. In this contest, she said she isn’t worried about the fi- nal score.

“The most exciting part about playing in this game is even if my team wins or loses we still win by helping out the Shriners Hospital,” Tracy said.

The 1-2 duo of McAleer and Tracy is split up most of the year due to their instant impact on whoever they play with, and Tracy said she is hopeful the two can skate on the same line in this event.

“It’s a good feeling knowing you can play with a teammate,” Tracy said. “We don’t play together much during the season, but when we do we areunstoppable.”

FUNDRAISING

In preperation for the game, the two participants have set up GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for the Aleppo Shriners Children’s Transportation Fund.

McAleer’s page can be found at: https://www.gofundme. com/shriners-all-starclassic- hockey

Tracy’s page can be found at: https://www.gofundme. com/3c9qoa8?lang=en-US

WHSL hockey nets second consecutive league title

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Players shake hands after the game. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers have locked up the SEMGHL Northeast Crown for a second straight season.

PEMBROKE – The Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team continues to show unprecedented success in just its third season.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, WHSL notched a convincing 9-2 victory over Scituate at Hobomock Arenas. The win gave the Panthers their second straight SEMGHL Northeast crown.

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WHSL players celebrate a goal. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“It’s a big deal,” WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “Anytime you win your league it’s a big deal and to do it two years in a row with such a young program is pretty good.”

Mel McAleer (Hanson) and Hannah Tracy (Hanson) combined for five goals and two assists as starting defenseman Katie Johnson (Kingston) and Delaney Grace (Halifax) rose to the occasion on the backline to power the Panthers to their third straight victory.

It took WHSL (13-3-2, 9-0-1) all of 30 seconds to get on the board as McAleer was there to clean up a rebound and snipped a shot on Scituate (3-10-2, 3-7-0) goaltender Annabel Christenson that beat her stick side, pushing the Panthers in front 1-0.

Just 59 seconds later, Tracy lit the lamp with a goal that beat Christenson top shelf, glove side off an assist from captain Mary Kate Webb (Kingston) to make it 2-0.

Alyssa Murphy’s (Kingston) 16th tally of the season extended WHSL’s cushion to 3-0 3:41 into the contest.

Tracy and Webb added two more goals in less than a minute as the Panthers held a 5-0 advantage at the end of the first period.

At two minutes into the second frame, sophomore Zoe Lydon (Hanson) joined in on the offensive outburst with her second goal of the season, off assists from Emily Knight (Whitman) and Sarah Govoni (Hanson), making it a 6-0 game.

GAME PLAN

“We wanted to go out and have a good solid first period and [we wanted to] get all the girls that come to practices at 5 a.m. and deserve [it] to get in the game and we did,” Marani said.

Two quick WHSL penalties put the Sailors on a 5-on-3 power play, and Alaina Roman was finally able to break through Panthers netminder Mellissa Crone (Kingston) for a goal to pull Scituate within five, 6-1, with 6:35 remaining in the second period. 

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Hannah Tracy skates into position during her three-goal/one-assist game. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“It was at that point and they had 5-on-3 and we were just having fun at that point, so it was lack of breakdown probably,” Marani said.

Unfortunately for the Sailors, who were still on the power play, WHSL was far from done and Tracy’s short-handed goal less than a minute later, giving her a hat trick – made it 7-1.

“She’s been key all year,” Marani said. “Obviously, she and Mel are a class of their own.”

Both teams would poke home one more tally apiece as McAleer and Liv Haley found the back of the net to make it an 8-2 game at the end of the second period.

Sophomore Maddie Soule (Hanson) capped the scoring with 5:09 remaining in the game with her first goal of the season to push WHSL’s lead to 9-2 and that’s where it would stand.

YOUNG TALENT

“We have a good group of young talent and they’re learning from very good players,” Marani said. 

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Co-captain Mel McAleer scored two goals and an assist. / Photo by: Sue Moss

WHSL’s one tie in the league came in a 2-2 decision against Cohasset/Hanover Wednesday, Dec. 21.

The Panthers have pumped in 27 goals over their past three outings and are outscoring opponents 97-36 through their 18 games.

“They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do all year,” Marani said. “By no means is this the finish, like we just talked about, we want to compete for the state championship and I’m very proud of every single girl in there.”

Boys’ hoops net first back-to-back league titles

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The Panther players and coaches gather for a team photo after winning their second consecutive league title Feb. 10. / Photo by: Sue Moss

With a 56-42 victory over Hingham, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team has won its league for the second straight season.

WHITMAN – On Friday, Feb. 10, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team felt a sense of accomplishment. 

The Panthers defeated Hingham, 56-42, to capture the Patriot League Keenan Division, giving the program back-to-back titles for the first time.

W-H, which graduated eight seniors, including its entire starting five, from the roster that made it to the Division 2 state semifinals last year, has defied all odds thus far.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Panthers head coach Bob Rodgers said of the win. “I think when a lot of people don’t give you a chance to do something, in particular these kids that had to keep hearing about last year’s team. They wanted their own identity and they came into this season with just some thing to prove.”

When W-H (13-3, 11-2) needed a basket, Nikko Raftes was there to deliver. The Panthers, who led by as much as 10 in the fourth quarter, watched their advantage shrink as Hingham (8-8, 8-5) sliced its deficit to five, 45-40, midway through the final frame. On W-H’s next trip down the court, Raftes drilled a turnaround jumper to push the Panthers lead to 47-40.

“Such a big play,” Rodgers said. “That was probably the dagger when he hit that.”

On the ensuing W-H possession, the senior captain then spotted up from beyond the arc and drilled a 3-pointer to push the Panthers cushion to 10, 50-40, all but sealing their victory. 

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Lucas Franklin, who had six points in the game, adds two to the tally. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He’s amazing,” Rodgers said. “He’s just one of the best shooters we’ve had and we’ve had a lot of good shooters.” 

Two Raftes free throws in the final minute made it a 56-42 game.

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Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Moss

However, the Harbormen, who were out to avenge a 52-37 loss to W-H Jan. 13, gave the Panthers a bit of a scare early on. Luke Tamulevich (16 points in first half) kick started the Panthers offense with a 3-pointer, steal and layup to push W-H in front 5-0Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Mos

“Luke has been one of the biggest offensive weapons we’ve had all year,” Rodgers said. “He’s somebody who can get it done on both ends of the floor.” 

Hingham would battle back behind the play of center Logan Larsen, and pulled ahead 12-11 at the end of the opening quarter.

W-H would begin to drive to the basket to begin the second quarter, despite the lengthy presence of Larsen inside, which opened the floor for four treys in the frame.

With W-H trailing 24-23, Raftes drilled a 3-pointer to push it ahead by two, igniting an 8-0 run.

Hingham followed up the triple with a pair of fouls, two missed field goals and a turnover.

Tamulevich’s trey with under a minute remaining in the second quarter – giving W-H its largest lead of the first half, 31-24, –capped off the run.

The Harorbmen sliced their deficit to as few as six in the third quarter, but W-H allowed just three field goals in the stanza to retain its lead. 

The victory extends the Panthers winning streak to four games, which they are holding opponents to 44 points per contest

Tamulevich led all scorers with 19 points, Raftes chipped in 15 and Jacob Hanson-Bartlett added 10 points and seven boards (five offensive).

“We just have to keep doing what we do,” Rodgers said. “Great plays don’t win championships, the boring plays win championships. All the little things [such as] boxing out, closing out and all of that.”

3 wrestlers head to states

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Seniors Jake Filicicchia, Alex O’Roak and John Will have advanced to the Division 2 state tournament after placing in the top four of their respective weight classes in the Division 2 South Sectional tournament held Saturday at North Attleborough High School.

Three members of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team are moving on.

Seniors Jake Filicicchia, Alex O’Roak and John Will have advanced to the Division 2 state tournament after placing in the top four of their respective weight classes in the Division 2 South Sectional tournament held Saturday at North Attleborough High School.

Filicicchia came in as the No. 2 seed in the 113-pound weight class and took care of his first opponent, Will Stern of Sharon, besting him via pinfall in 1:28. He then claimed victory over Sam Roberts of Duxbury by pinfall 0:25 in. Filicicchia then met Silver Lake’s Daniel Walsh, who he toppled 6-0 to avenge an early season loss to the Laker. Filicicchia wrapped up his day falling 7-0 to top-seeded Jacob Garcia of Marshfield.

“Jake has worked very hard in the offseason to improve his wrestling skills,” W-H head coach Gary Rabinovitz said. “Jake set some high goals for himself this year and has worked hard to achieve them. He also studies all of his opponents to get any advantage he can”

In the 182-pound weight class, Alex O’Roak went 2-1 on the day to earn his spot in the Division 2 state final. O’Roak, who came in as the No. 6 seed, ousted Stoughton’s Bobby Shaughnessy by pinfall in 1:27 and knocked off second-seeded Joe Freda of Hingham via pinfall in 3:24. O’Roak would then fall in the final to Marshfield’s Joe Pomella.

“Alex had an up and down season as he was nursing a shoulder injury most of the way,” Rabinovitz said. Entering the sectionals, he was 13-13 and was the last-seeded wrestler in his weight class. Alex pulled it all together and finished second and now has a season record of 15-14.”

Entering as the No. 3 seed in the 220-pound weight class, John Will earned a pinfall in 3:33 over his first opponent, Dylan Burns of Pembroke. In his second-round match against Dimitri Kalogeras of Sharon, Will took an inadvertent head butt to his right eye, but finished off his opponent by a pin in 4:40. After being cleared by the trainer and being forced to wear a head mask to prevent his eye lid from any further trauma,Will knocked out Marshfield’s Jeremy Edwards in a 4-3 decision. Will ended the day with 3-0 loss to North Attleboro’s Brad White.

“John has been a true team leader all season long,” Rabinovitz said. “He wrestles hard and never gives up. Like Jake, he works very hard every day and is pushed by my assistant coaches.”

Rabinvotiz, who is in his first season as the head coach of the Panthers, said he could not be any prouder to have three wrestlers representing his program in the Division 2 state final.

“The three finalists — Alex, Jake and John — are all four-year wrestlers,” Rabinovitz said. “I truly believe that if you put in your best effort and stay with it you can be successful in wrestling. All three of the guys have proven that.”

The Division 2 state tournament will run from Friday, Feb. 17 to Saturday, Feb. 18, at Algonquin Regional High School and kicks off Friday at 3 p.m.

To advance to the MIAA All-State Tournament, each wrestler must place in the top four of their respective weight class to guarantee a spot.

Mass. ADs to honor Sue Moss: W-H alum takes the photos that keep memories

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Whitman-Hanson Express volunteer photographer Sue Moss is being honored.

From student to teacher to coach to memory maker, Sue Moss’ role has transformed over the years at Whitman-Hanson, but her love for the Panthers has not. Now, she is being rewarded for her lifelong dedication to the school.

Moss has been selected by the Massachusetts Secondary School Athletic Directors Association as this year’s District C Joao Rodrigues Distinguished Service Award recipient. She has appeared at thousands of Panthers athletic events with camera in hand, snapping countless photos, where they soon appear on her Flickr, which fittingly features the panther statue as her profile picture, before they are used on the Whitman-Hanson athletic site and the Whitman-Hanson Express. Moss, who also takes pictures for the yearbook, said she’s the type of person who likes to fly under the radar.

“I just want to make things happen,” Moss said. “I’m very flattered and I’m very honored.”

The award will be presented to Moss March 30 by the MSSADA at their annual awards dinner held at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis.

The Joao Rodrigues Distinguished Service Award is assigned to one nonpaid individual chosen from 61 nominees put forth by the District C schools based on their continued involvement with high school activities at the local level.

Whitman-Hanson athletic director Bob Rodgers put Moss’ name forward and she was selected as the Patriot League representative in June before being tabbed as the district winner.

“This award not only recognized people who devote their time and energy to their communities, but I feel the best candidates are the people who inspire others to want to give back,” Rodgers said. “I think every student who has come in contact with Sue realizes how community service is something we should all aspire to make part of our lives.”

Moss’ time in Whitman dates to her childhood as she worked her way through the public school system. She said it was in her backend years as a student at Whitman-Hanson when she began to ascertain the true power behind giving back to her town.

“My loyalty is always there,” Moss said. “I believe in paying it forward. There were a lot of good people when I was in high school who did a lot of good things for us that they didn’t have to. But back when I was a student, there wasn’t anyone around capturing all the games so that you’d have a souvenir as you graduated from high school and went onto the rest of your life.”

Moss jumped into teaching at Whitman-Hanson in 1971 and spent 35 years as a physical education and then technology educator.

While there, she played an integral role in the athletics of the school. Moss helped to create the first girls’ cross country team and first girls’ outdoor track team in the early ’70s.

“Back in those days, Kevin Black and I used to take slides,” Moss said. “When we put a banquet on at the end of the season, we’d have those pictures to share with the parents and everybody else. I had a habit at the end of the year, after the banquet, I would pull out all the senior slides and I would give them to them.”

None of Moss’ images have ever been for purchase and that’s something on which she prides herself.

“All my images are up there in cyberspace, as the saying goes,” Moss said. “They can go get them anytime they want. The parents can go find the ones that they want so it’s good and they don’t have to pay for them. You shouldn’t have to pay for all that stuff. None are mine are for sale, even for the visiting team that might get an occasional shot. I just tell them where to find them and they can download them for free.”

Moss, who retired in ’06, said she has always and will continue to strive for the perfect image that can last a lifetime.

“I keep looking for that ‘wow’ photo,” Moss said. “Every once in a while, you get one, not every year, but you get one. It’s the joy that the kids take seeing themselves captured, whether I shoot a funny one or I shoot one where they don’t know that I’m shooting, which I try to do a lot. Those are the ones that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

W-H falls to Westwood in Hingham Holiday Hoops Classic

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Senior captain Taylor McVeigh (22) and sophomore guard Kathryn Dunn (33) join the battle for ball control under the boards vs. Westwood in the Hingham Holiday Classic. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

The Panthers dropped to 2-3 on the season with a loss to Westwood.

HINHGAM – A late Panthers charge was not enough Friday evening as the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team fell to Westwood 47-40 in the consolation game of the Hingham Holiday Hoops Classic.

“I told the girls it’s never a matter about play as hard as we can, you always bring that intensity,” W-H head coach Jenna Olem said. “It’s about playing a little bit smarter, taking care of the ball a little bit better and really just our Achilles’ heel all year has just been being able to put the ball in the basket when it counts.”

The Panthers hung with the Wolverines for a majority of the contest but a tough third quarter proved too much to overcome.

W-H (2-3) found itself in a hole early on as Westwood opened the game on a 7-2 run, sparked by five points from senior captain Haley Connaughton, as the Wolverines knocked down three of their first seven shots from the field.

The Panthers, despite nine turnovers in the quarter, clawed their way back to tie the game at 10-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Westwood (5-1), which connected on four of its first seven field goals to begin the second, started to ramp up the defensive pressure on the Panthers — limiting them to eight points in the quarter — and took a 23-18 advantage into halftime.

The Wolverines opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run to push their lead to double digits at 28-18.

Back-to-back field goals extended the Wolverines, who missed a string of nine consecutive field goals in the quarter, lead even further as they held W-H to four points to extend their lead to 35-22 entering the final frame.

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Senior captain Sarah Saccardo spots up for a potential 3-pointer. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

“Sometimes we’re just beating ourselves in not being able to capitalize on the chances we need to and not go on enough runs,” Olem said. “We’ll get stops, but we won’t get any baskets to counter those stops.”

Back in it

Trailing 43-32 with 2:08 to go, things started to jell for the Panthers offense as they went on an 8-2 run — capped by Erin Leahy’s 3-pointer — to slice the Wolverines lead to 45-40 with nine ticks remaining.

However, Westwood was able to successfully inbound the ball after the make and two makes from the charity stripe squashed the W-H comeback.

“We only scored four points in the third quarter and then I put my defensive lineup in there a little bit and we held them and we scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and definitely gave ourselves a chance to win,” Olem said

McVeigh paced the Panther attack with 11 points as O’Brien chipped in nine.

At the conclusion of the game, McVeigh and O’Brien were named to the All-Tournament Team.

“They’re phenomenal,” Olem said. “I can’t ask for better coached players, better leaders, more experienced good kids. They’ve given me everything they got every time and they’re a great model for the entire program.”

Season resumes

W-H returns to Patriot League action at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 at Plymouth North.

“We just got to get back to work,” Olem said. “We’ve been practicing really hard. We have to try to win one game each week to get into the tournament.”