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Season Review: Boys’ soccer rises to meet challenge

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The Panthers after a Nov. 4 win over Catholic Memorial in the opening round of the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer team – under the watch of first-year head coach Dave Leahy – qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2014.

At the outset of the season, first-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer head coach Dave Leahy acknowledged there were challenges ahead.

“I am looking for our players to face the multiple challenges each game throws at us in a positive, unified effort. If we can stay together as a family throughout the first two weeks, we will be able to face any challenge going forwardtogether,” he said.

The Panthers entered the new year trying to put a wretched one-win 2016 campaign in the rearview mirror.

W-H opened 2017 with a 3-2 loss to Silver Lake, and eventually finished out its first week of play at 0-3. It was tough, but the Panthers remained confident they had what it took to be successful.

In their second week of action, the Panthers had turned the corner. It started with a 3-2 win on the road against Plymouth South and carried over to a 3-0 victory over Plymouth North three days later.

“We started to believe and we kept pushing forward each day after that,” Leahy said. “We had some setbacks but it was never for too long. We had a few bad halves, but never a bad game. We kept learning and improving.”

W-H, driven by a sheer desire to succeed, would then go on to claim victories in eight out its next 13 games to cap off the regular season at 10-7-1. In the midst of the Panthers’ surge, a 2-1 triumph over Quincy qualified them for the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament for the first time since 2014. Leahy said it was just a case of getting his team to buy into the fact it could be successful.

“For whatever reasons the team had been unlucky for a few seasons, and as a result we had learned that we were typically on the losing end at the end of the game,” he said. “So, getting this belief changed for us was the biggest.” In the preliminary round of the tournament, No. 13 W-H downed No. 21 Catholic Memorial, 2-1, in game that was decided with penalty kicks.

However, in the next round, the Panthers’ run came to an end at the hands of Oliver Ames, 4-0.

“The biggest advantage was playoff experience,” Leahy said. “They wanted to jump out early and try and end the game quickly. And they succeeded in doing so.”

While postseason maturity may have worked against W-H this November, the script may be flipped next time around. The Panthers will have an abundance of young talent back in the fold next season, which includes four of their top-five goal scorers in sophomores Jason Brodeur and Adam Milewski, and freshmen Joel Arsenault and Brendan Nehiley.”

The majority of teams that win championships were in the playoffs in prior years,” Leahy said. “So, playoff experience is integral to a successful program.”

As for departures, W-H will lose 11 seniors – headlined by captains Kyle Nehiley, Anthony Pasciuto and Cameron Rogers. Their shoes won’t be easy to fill.

“They came into preseason motivated,” Leahy said. “They worked hard in the offseason and were ready to play hard this summer. Each day they all worked hard to improve and their efforts were noticed by our underclassmen. They took their role seriously and led with courage. They were outstanding for us.”

As the Panthers embark on the offseason, there is a lot more clarity now then there was just a few short months ago.

“I am extremely proud,” Leahy said. “This team had to learn a lot and do it quickly together. They came together and worked hard for each other and kept pushing forward. It was a fun ride.”

Season Review: Golf stays on course: Panthers put forth another solid season

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The Whitman-Hanson Regional High golf team. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ golf team qualified for the state tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years this season.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ golf team turned in another steady campaign on the course this fall.

Under the watch of head coach Brian Dempsey, the Panthers posted a 9-8 record and qualified for the state tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years.

In the Division 2 South (Cape & Islands) Sectional qualifying round – held at Easton Country Club on Oct. 24 – W-H was represented by seniors Tommy Bombardier, JP Drier (captain), Nick Duffy and Anthony Palmacci, junior Owen Manning (captain) and sophomore Matt Korzec.

The Panthers shot a 336 as a team, which was good for ninth. Manning was W-H’s top performer as he carded a 79 and missed the state tournament by one stroke.

“Every year, the team’s main goal is to quality for the state tournament, which puts us in a position to give six of our players a chance to move on to the state finals,” Dempsey explained. “I definitely consider this year a success – entering this year, our team was pretty much unknown around the league, and in my opinion, was probably written off. Though we had a slow start, we not only found our identity, but shocked a few teams.”

Shocked a few teams is right — on Oct. 11, with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Panthers downed Duxbury by a final score of 232-241. The triumph was the their first ever over the Dragons. Dempsey said going into that match his team’s mindset was to play smart, consistent golf.

“I can’t remember a time where I was as excited for the guys on the team than I was for them this year after upsetting Duxbury,” Dempsey said. “You can’t strategize or plan for things to happen in golf like you can in most other sports, but on that day, it was as if we executed our game plan perfectly, which is why, as a whole team, we were able to beat Duxbury for the first time; everyone did their part, and everyone earned the win.”

In the victory, Palmacci scored a 1-over-par and Manning, who was paired with him for the match, shot a 2-over par to help set the tone.

Just a week prior, the Panthers took a tough Hingham team down to the wire before falling, 223-230.

However, it wasn’t always easy sledding this autumn for the Panthers who sat at 1-3 after a 261-266 loss to Plymouth South on Sept 14. Dempsey said he believes strength of schedule played into the Panthers’ struggles as their first three losses came to Silver Lake (231-239), Hingham (256-279) and Plymouth South, all of which ended the season with winning records.

But following that Plymouth South defeat, W-H turned a corner, and turned it the next day by downing East Bridgewater, 263-312. The victory propelled them to wins in five of their next eight matches which pulled them above .500 at 7-6 as a bevy of players began to step up. One player who was a pivotal part in the Panthers’ success this fall was Manning, who was their top golfer. Dempsey said Manning is a true role model on and off the field and he is excited to have him back in the fold next season.

“His approach to the game is so calm and methodic, which is what allows him to play so consistently throughout the season,” Dempsey, who will lose nine seniors off this team’s roster, explained. “He has improved so much from where he was last year as not only a player, but as a teammate and leader as well. What I appreciate about Owen so much is his ability to remain calm throughout his round and to be able to focus on the next hole.”

As the Panthers head into the offseason, one thing is certain: they’re in a good spot.

“I’m very proud of the recent success of the program,” Dempsey said. “I give all the credit to the leadership on the team each year. The commitment of players to the sport continues to grow every year.”

Season Review: Field hockey nets some success

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The Panthers during a 6-2 win over East Bridgewater. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High field hockey team set highs in goals and wins this season.

It was back in 2014 when the Whitman-Hanson Regional High field hockey program was revived after a 30-year hiatus.

W-H head coach Todd Humphrey said he remembers it like it was yesterday.

“I look back at the past and four years ago, it was 28 girls with me in the middle of a grass field trying to figure out field hockey,” Humphrey said. “That’s where we were at.”

The following fall, W-H, which competed at the junior varsity level during its first season back, was granted a varsity team. As expected, it was a struggle for the Panthers who didn’t manage a single victory and scored a mere three goals.

Last season, the program formed a freshman squad as participation numbers boomed to nearly 60. At the varsity rank, W-H battled through its first 17 games without a single win, before fielding a 3-1 victory over East Bridgewater in its final game of the season.

This autumn, the Panthers – led by senior captains Colleen Hughes, Ashley Memmolo and Tina Woodward – roared to new heights. For starters, their win total climbed to six. Humphrey said that despite the challenges his group has faced in the past, it never hung its head, and it paid off.

“It’s just a matter of learning from our mistakes or learning from losing really,” the fourth-year Panthers head coach said. “If you don’t learn from losing then you’ll never know how to win, so I think that’s kind of our philosophy.”

On the field, one aspect W-H honed in on improving was ball movement and it showed as its goal total spiked 11 last season to 30.

“It definitely helped, and how we took care of the offensive zone was big too,” Humphrey said. “The way the girls positioned themselves and we capitalized on scoring chances for sure, a lot better than last year.”

Humphrey said he felt his club’s biggest advantage was its speed, which was on prime display in the Panthers’ final game of the season, an 8-2 win over Norwell on Oct. 27.

“They were flying, everybody was giving everything they had,” he said. “It was really fun to watch the girls play all-out as much as they did. We were flying.”

For Humphrey, despite the result, it was a bittersweet ending as he was forced to say goodbye to his senior class of 15 players. About half of those girls were part of the 28 Humphrey was in the middle of a grass field with trying to learn field hokey a few years ago.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how special that group is,” Humphrey said. “They’ve been with me since the beginning. They shaped [and] molded the entire program and just their positive attitudes and their willing to take risk has elevated our entire program, and I couldn’t be more proud of them and grateful.”

Humphrey said he is highly optimistic for the continued success of the program, which had a record 64 girls in it this fall.

“It depends on the energy you put into it as a coach and as a coaching staff and my players just believing that we can be competitive,” he said. “But we’ve come very, very, very far. It’s going to be a very young varsity team next year, but they’re going to be fun to watch.”

A new year on the pitch

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The Panthers during a September game against Plymouth North, a 3-0 win. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer team has bounced back from a one-win 2016 campaign and has qualiefied for the tournament this fall.

What a difference a year can make. For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer team, it saw what that difference can be first-hand.

After a 1-16-1 campaign last season, the Panthers now find themselves with a 10-7-1 mark. With that comes a berth in the Division 2 South Sectional tournament for the first time in three years.

The win that qualified them for the tournament was a 2-1 triumph over Quincy on Thursday, Oct. 26. First-year W-H head coach Dave Leahy said his team was a tad jittery going in.

“We were a little bit nervous about making a mistake, but we pulled it together [and] got it done,” Leahy said. “We’re on a mission.”

However, the Panthers have had their fair share of struggles over the past few months, which included starting the season with three straight losses. W-H, despite the record, didn’t hang its head.

“I believe every player that is on this team has sacrificed for each other and for themselves,” Leahy said. “And as far as sticking together, they’ve come together to become a really solid team that can face a lot of adversity.”

When you look at the Panthers on the field, it’s not just the juniors and seniors leading the way, but it’s the underclassman chipping in as well.

“The freshmen on this team, all four of them, have just really given in awesome minutes,” Leahy said. “And they’re scoring goals, they’re defending, getting assists, they’re very unselfish, they’re a great building block for this program and this team currently.”

A prime example of that was in the Panthers’ final regular season match, a 6-1 win over Cardinal Spellman, on Saturday, Oct. 28. Senior Brendan Nehiley may have paced the W-H offensive attack with two goals, but freshman Joel Aresenault and sophomore Jason Broduer each chipped in a tally as well.

In net, Leahy opted to give senior captain and starting goaltender Anthony Pasciuto the afternoon off, and sophomore Andrew Sullivan and junior Griffin Nickerson combined to get the job done.

“Tremendous growth from what I saw in the summer leagues to the preseason to the first game to the last game” Leahy said. “Just every single day there is growth, even in losses, even in wins, it was all growth.”

Leahy, who said he is extremely proud of how far his group has come from June to now, added he doesn’t want the Panthers’ next bout to be their last.

“We’re going to work as hard as possible, have fun in that first game, but we’re going to be working like we can have success every single game we play,” he said.

No. 13 W-H will open the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. when it will host No. 20 Catholic Memorial (5-10-1) in the preliminary round.

Pasciuto makes mark in the net

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Anthony Pasciuto makes a save against Silver Lake. / Photo by: Sue Moss

First-year starting goalie Anthony Pasciuto has been a key for the Panthers this season.

Starting between the pipes on a regular basis at the varsity level has been something Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer senior Anthony Pasciuto has been waiting for since he was a freshman.

Pasciuto, who has been playing on the pitch since he was in kindergarten, served as the starting goalkeeper at the lower levels during his first two high school campaigns. Last season he backed up Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star Conor Keane on varsity, while receiving reps on defense as well. This fall there was never a doubt, even to first-year W-H head coach Dave Leahy, that Pasciuto was ready to take over.

“He knew he was the starter, I knew he was the starter, he’s just, he’s a great goalie,” Leahy said.

Pasciuto, despite receiving minimal playing time in goal last season, said the move from second to first string wasn’t too much of a challenge.

“It’s not really much different because I’ve been playing goalie my whole entire life, so I’ve been playing goalie and defense so it’s really no change for me,” Pasciuto said. “I used to play goalie in club, so it’s been an easy transition for me.”

Pasciuto, who stands at 6-foot-4, has relished in the opportunity.

In 15 regular season games, he posted a 1.5 goals against average and recorded six shutouts for the Panthers (10-7-1). W-H is headed to the Division 2 South Sectional tournament for the first time since 2014.

“This year in goal I’ve been feeling really good,” Pasciuto said. “Probably my best year in goal in my whole entire life, so I’m feeling really good right now.”

Leahy said his senior goalkeeper has been everything he could have imagined this season.

“We had a tough first week going 0-3 and then from that point on, after a very important Hingham game (2-1 Panthers loss) for him, he has been outstanding in the league,” Leahy said.

In preperation of the new season, Pasciuto said he spent count less hours with the rest of his squad trying to get better at anything they could.

“In the summer, I was on the field four times a week just to work on goalie stuff,” Pasciuto said. “My whole entire team went every single week. We just worked really hard and that’s why we’re here right now, 10-7-1, making the tournament.”

Pasciuto said if there is one aspect of his game that separates him from his opposition on the field it’s his work ethic.

“I’ve been working really hard, I’ve been waiting for this since my freshman year,” he said. “I wanted to be the starting goalie since my freshman year. So, I’ve been waiting for this so I got to make the most of it.”

Not only is Pasciuto crucial to the Panthers’ on field performance, but he’s a leader off the field as well, serving as a captain. Those two combined make a player like him tough for a coach not to appreciate.

“He’s got the heart of a lion and he’s just a gentleman,” Leahy said. “You add all those things up, and he’s an athletic guy, he’s an outstanding goalie and outstanding captain.”

As W-H heads into the tournament, Pasciuto said it is essential for it to keep doing the things that got it there in the first place.

“We have to stay together, stick together,” he said. “One focus, we’re a family, we’re gonna go far. We just [have to] stay focused and hungry.”

Panthers return to postseason play

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The Panthers’ offensive line in a 43-20 win over Silver Lake. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson football head coach Mike Driscoll is “very proud” his team is back in the postseason, a feat it accomplished with a 43-20 win over Silver Lake.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team is back in the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

“I’m very proud,” W-H football head coach Mike Driscoll said. “They worked hard in the offseason, they worked hard in season, so they expected it. We’re just happy [with] what they’ve done so far.”

The Panthers are fresh of what Driscoll coined their best game of the season, a 43-20 win over Silver Lake. In the tilt, W-H (5-2) didn’t punt once, and the defense didn’t allow a touchdown until the third quarter, when it was a 35-6 game.

But, the playoffs present a different challenge and W-H certainly knows that. The Panthers have been subject to a first-round exit each of the past three seasons. Last fall it was North Attleboro which ousted W-H from the playoffs. In its two campaigns prior, Driscoll’s squad entered as the final team in, which is no easy task.

“I think a lot of it comes down to just match-ups, and we haven’t had good matchups for us,” Driscoll said. “Last year we had to go into North Attleboro as a young team, and that’s intimidating. We were the eight seed [two] years in a row so you’re not going to get much luck there.”

This time around, W-H which is boasting its best record since 2004, will enter the Division 3 South Sectional tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face off against No. 4 Stoughton at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at Brockton High’s Marciano Stadium.

The Black Knights, who hail from the Hockomock League Davenport Division, finished their regular season campaign at 5-2. A 28-24 triumph over Catholic Memorial in Week 3 was by far their most impressive win. Stoughton’s last loss came two weeks ago at the hands of North Attleboro, 35-21. It was the Red Rocketeers who ended the Panthers’ playoff run last season in first round of the Division 2 South Sectional tournament.

“They got a good team,” Driscoll said of the Black Knights. “They fly around on defense [and] their offense is very methodical. Their running backs are good, they have a huge tight end, and defensively they create some match-up problems for us, but I think it’s going to be a classic game.”

Since the MIAA switched to a new playoff format at the outset of the 2013 season, the Black Knights, who are coached by Greg Burke, have made it past the first round each time – which included a trip to the Division 3 state semifinals in 2013.

Driscoll said the key to this one is going to be unfamiliarity.

“When you play these teams over and over again in the league, they tend to know you, and will take away something, or will try to,” he said. “This is a little bit different match-up so teams are just going to come out and do what they do. It’s going to come down to who makes the plays during the game and who’s going to make the plays.”

LEANING ON PHELPS

W-H is going to rely heavily, like it has done all season, on the legs and arm of junior dual-threat quarterback Ethan Phelps, the repertoire he has built with his receiving corps, the steady presence of junior running back Brendan Frawley and the two-way leadership of senior Riley Holland if it’s going to upset Stoughton.

The winner will advance to play the victor of No. 8 Walpole (2-5) at No. 1 North Attleboro (6-1) in the South Sectional semifinals next week.

“I finally feel like we’re where we need to be,” Driscoll said. “We’re probably a year away, but we can be competitive in this, and I like the matchup. I think its two really even teams. If we do what we do, we’ll be pretty good in this tournament.”