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Season Review: Girls’ cross country ran tough

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The Panthers. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ cross country team finished the season 2-3.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ cross country team, it did what it could with what it had. 

The Panthers had just 19 runners, but were still able to find some success, posting a 2-3 record. 

“Overall, while I was disappointed with the numbers, I was pleased with the performances, effort and attitudes of each member of the team,” said seventh-year head coach Steve George. “As a team, we had only two wins, but almost every girl improved each time out. That adds up to a lot of personal victories.”

W-H beat Plymouth North (19-38) and Duxbury (15-45), but fell to Silver Lake (25-32), Hingham (22-39) and Marshfield (17-46). 

“The level of competition in the Patriot League, especially on the girls’ side, is extremely high,” George explained. “Marshfield, Hingham and Silver Lake were all top 20 teams in the state coming into the season. Our kids competed with each of them and lost, not through lack of effort.”

Junior Myah Kamperides was the Panthers’ top runner, legging out two first-place finishes, a second and a third. Kamperides was named a league all-star for the second straight fall and George said she’s only scratching the surface of her potential.

“Myah had enormous success as a sophomore and faced better competition this year and was still an impact Patriot League runner,” George said. “She loves to run. She loves to compete. But our inability to create a consistent strength training program due to the pandemic hurt Myah as it did all our girls in my opinion. We plan to incorporate a great deal of strength training into Myah’s regimen and now, after her second year of distance running, turn it up a notch to get her ready for what I know will be an incredible senior year.”

An indoor track all-star last season, senior Izzy Amado joined the cross country team this fall and provided a big boost, finishing the year as W-H’s No. 2 runner, while earning league all-star status. 

“I was pleasantly surprised when Isabelle Amado decided to join the team,” George said. “She has been an excellent track-and-field runner over the years and I always felt that could translate to her becoming an outstanding cross country runner.”

George said the high point of the season was their victory over Duxbury on the road, but not just because of the result.

“Our girls took the top six spots for the win, followed by a classy act on the part of Duxbury which gave carnations to our senior girls and cheered our bus as we left,” George said. 

As he looks to the future, George sounds optimistic about his club’s potential.

“I expect Myah to be at the front of the pack again, and she will get some help from [juniors] Anna Flynn and Sara Boulger, who were among our top five most of the season,” George said. “We have some underclassmen with potential certainly, and I was extremely happy with our freshmen who should make an impact in the years to come.”

Season Review: A championship fall for boys’ cross country

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Led by its league all-stars, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ cross country team won the Patriot League title this season.

As freshmen, Liam Cafferty, Theo Kamperides and Chris MacDonald, all competed in the Patriot League cross country championships.

What was their head coach Steve George thinking watching them run?

“I couldn’t wait until they were seniors, they would be special,” George said. 

They did not disappoint. Now seniors, the trio of league all-stars paced the program to a perfect 5-0 record and its first Patriot League title since 2013.

Kamperides led the way, winning every race during the regular season and was named the League Keenan Division MVP for the second straight season.

“Theo has been consistent in practice, attentive to instruction and gives his full effort 100 percent of the time,” George said. “These traits make him an exemplary student-athlete and I’m absolutely certain of his continued future success.”

Cafferty and MacDonald, along with fellow league all-stars, juniors Gordon Johnson and Nathan Tassey, were clutch all season for W-H, especially against Marshfield. Each finished in the top-10, lifting the Panthers over the previously undefeated Rams in a nail biter, 26-29.

“It was their (Cafferty, MacDonald and Tassey’s) consistency, along with that of Theo and Gordon Johnson that made the difference this year,” George said. 

And with Johnson and Tassey back in the fold next season, George said he’s optimistic the program can sustain its success.

“Gordon Johnson and Nathan Tassey will certainly be among the best in the Patriot League,” George said. “We also are expecting [juniors] Jonny Young and Collin O’Sullivan to continue their improvement. And we have a very good group of freshmen. Just like four years ago, three of those freshmen, Gavin McCarthy, Logan Bourgelas and Shane Johnson, competed in the league championship meet.”

Changes for winter sports

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There are multiple changes to the winter sports season.

The winter sports season is a go — for some teams.

Basketball, ice hockey and gymnastics are set to begin on Dec. 14. Indoor track has been moved to Fall II, while cheerleading and wrestling were pushed back to the spring.

“The news hurts, but was expected,” said Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz. “At this point in time there really is not much that we can do to prepare for the season. I will continue to encourage everyone to step up whatever workouts they are currently doing. If the season does happen, we need to be in top shape going in so that we can work technique right from the start. I’m not sure what will be possible. I will do whatever I can to keep the team informed and ready to go if or when we get the green light.”

Girls’ indoor track head coach Steve George also wasn’t surprised his season was moved. The Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, where his team participates in meets, hasn’t held events since March.

“We’re taking advantage of every opportunity to keep our kids happy, healthy and conditioned though,” George said. “We’ve asked that athletes continue to work independently until then. I’m happy to report that quite a few are doing just that.”

As for the cheerleading team, which also had its fall season postponed, it’s doing what it can to stay together during an unprecedented time.

“Of course, it’s disappointing to hear that we will not be starting our season,” said head coach Alyssa Pietrasik. “We’ve still been meeting and conditioning on Fridays so it has been nice to stay connected and continue building our team community. If you look at it that way — we have all this extra time to build a bond for whenever we can cheer competitively again. When the season does start and things open back up, Whitman-Hanson varsity cheer will be ready.”

Cup full of action

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The regular season has come to a close and the postseason has begun. And with no state tournament to play in, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High athletic teams took their shots at the Patriot Cup.

Boys’ cross country, bolstered by senior captain Theo Kamperides’ (16:49) first-place finish, took first at the Patriot League championships on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Senior captain Liam Cafferty (fifth, 17:40), junior Nathan Tassey (seventh, 17:58) and senior captain Chris MacDonald (ninth, 18:15) finished in the top 10.

Girls’ cross country closed its season with a sixth-place finish at the Patriot League championship on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Junior captain Myah Kamperides paced W-H, finishing ninth overall with a time of 21:01.

Field hockey (2-9-1) shutout Marshfield, 1-0, in the first round of the Patriot Cup on Monday, Nov. 9. Junior forward Olivia Phelps found the back of the net, breaking a scoreless tie five minutes into the third quarter, off a feed from senior captain Lauren Clark. … On Wednesday, W-H’s run came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Silver Lake.

Boys’ soccer (6-7) kicked off cup play with a 2-1 win over Hanover on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Senior captain Brendan Nehiley and junior Jayden Stafford had the Panthers’ goals. … On Thursday, the W-H dropped a heartbreaker to Duxbury, 3-2, in double overtime. Senior captain Peyton Collins had both goals in the loss.

Girls’ soccer (9-2-2) dropped a 3-1 decision to Scituate on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Junior Ava Melia had the lone goal. … The Panthers lived to see another day though, since they were the two seed in the Keenan Division and made the most of it, knocking off Plymouth North, 1-0, in overtime on Saturday. Senior captain Alexis Billings scored the goal off a shot from fellow senior Anna Sullivan. Senior captains Kylee Colcough and Reese Codero combined for the shutout.

Girls’ volleyball (3-10) dominated Pembroke, 3-0, in the first round on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The set scores were: 25-18, 25-16 and 25-16. Juniors Abby Martin and Lily Welch paced the Panthers with six kills apiece. … On Thursday, W-H was knocked out by Plymouth North, 3-0. The set scores were: 21-25, 23-25 and 22-25. Senior captains Caileen Hurley and Sophia Berardinelli were standouts in the defeat.

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

New boys’ hockey head coach Peters takes to radio airwaves

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The high school hockey season isn’t set to begin at Whitman-Hanson Regional High until mid-December, at the earliest.

New Panthers bench boss Rob Peters joined Four Deep Sports Talk Show on Saturday, Nov. 7 to talk W-H hockey and share his background in the game.

Take a listen:

Boys’ cross country races to Patriot League Keenan title

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The Whitman-Hanson Regional high boys’ cross county team clinched its first league title in seven years with a win over Marshfield on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ cross country head coach Steve George wasn’t sure what to expect going into last week’s meet against Marshfield with the Patriot League Keenan Division title on the line.

Junior Nathan Tassey, one of the Panthers’ top runners, felt under the weather earlier in the day. George knew they weren’t going to win without him. Marshfield, which is in its first year in the Patriot League, dominated the Atlantic Coast League before it folded, winning the league six times in a row from 2013-18. Then last fall, the Rams went 5-0 playing a Patriot League schedule.

“I was concerned when Marshfield was added to the Patriot League this year, something I advocated for actually,” George said. “Even over the past couple of weeks, each time athletic director Bob Rodgers asked if we were going to win this thing, I never expressed certainty. He however, insisted we would.”

Rodgers was right. 

W-H (5-0) placed four of the top six runners and squeaked by Marshfield (4-1), 26-29, to capture the program’s first league championship since 2013. 

Senior captain Theo Kamperides took first overall with a time of 16:34, finishing the regular season unbeaten. 

“I was really nervous, but that’s normal,” Kamperides said. “I thought we had a chance, and our coaches were very motivational and positive. I’m so proud of my team for winning the league title.”

Said George: “[Theo] is a workhorse. He simply loves running and puts in the time and miles necessary to excel. The adage is it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. Theo is putting that to the test.” 

The Panthers seniors. / Courtesy photo

The Rams placed the next two runners before Panthers senior captain Liam Cafferty (4th, 17:04) and Tassey (5th, 17:09) crossed the finish line neck-and-neck. 

“I really was concerned when Nathan (Tassey) couldn’t practice on Tuesday, the day before the meet,” George said. “He had some doubts about his ability when he arrived prior to the meet, but that ended when the gun went off.”

Senior captain Chris MacDonald (6th, 17:37) and junior Gordon Johnson (10th, 18:18) rounded out the scoring for W-H. 

“Until this season, I was never certain every athlete bought into what we were trying to accomplish and how to get there,” said George, who took over the program in 2014. “With so many fourth-year runners and dedicated captains, it wasn’t just the coaching staff trying to impress the team, it was their peers also. We had three adult coaches and a couple dozen student-athletes coaching as well. I’ve looked forward to this year as the season when we could go wire-to-wire.”

George said he hopes this season’s success will help shine a light on the cross country program moving forward. 

“Seeing our athletes, who are a very happy and cohesive group has to have an impact on some of them who may think cross country is worth a try,” George said. “We’ve got room on our teams for anybody interested. I’ve never met a cross country athlete who regretted the decision to run.”  

And you don’t have to look any further than Kamperides.

“Joining the cross country team was the best decision of my life,” he said. “The chemistry on this team is like no other. Everyone worked so hard in order to win and they all truly deserve it.”

Ups and downs on the playing fields in Week 5

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The fall sports season is beginning to wind down at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

Here’s a look back on Week 5:

Boys’ cross country (5-0), led by a first-place finish from senior captain Theo Kamperides (16:34), edged Marshfield, 26-29, on Wednesday, Oct. 28 to capture the Patriot League Keenan Division title for the first time since 2013. Senior captain Liam Cafferty (17:04) placed fourth, junior Nathan Tassey (17:09) came in fifth, while senior captain Chris MacDonald (17:37) came across the finish line sixth. 

Girls’ cross country (2-3) fell to Marshfield, 17-46, on Tuesday. Oct. 27. Junior captain Myah Kamperides (20:20) paced W-H with a fourth-place finish. 

Field hockey (0-7-1) suffered a 5-1 setback against Plymouth North on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Junior Olivia Phelps had the Panthers’ goal. 

Boys’ soccer (4-4) beat Silver Lake, 2-1, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Sophomore Manny Osorio and junior Jack Allen scored for W-H, both coming on assists from senior captain Peyton Collins. Senior Randy Elfman had some key saves late. 

Girls’ soccer (7-0-1) shut out Silver Lake, 3-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Junior Olivia Borgen scored twice and sophomore Kayla Cassidy added a goal in the win. Senior captains Kylee Colclough and Reese Codero split the duties in net to earn the shutout.

Girls’ volleyball (2-7) opened the week with a 3-0 sweep over Silver Lake on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The set scores were: 25-23, 25-23 and 25-18. Junior captain Lily Welch paced W-H with 10 kills, junior Abby Martin tallied nine, while senior libero Sarah Byers racked up 12 digs. Senior captain Sophia Berardinelli recorded 27 assists, a season-high for the setter. … On Friday, W-H was shut out by Plymouth North, 3-0. The set scores were: 20-25, 22-25 and 5-25. Junior Anna Stone and Byers had 16 serve receives apiece in the loss.

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

Future Falcon: Harlow commits to play basketball at Fitchburg

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Rylie Harlow is introduced. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball senior captain Rylie Harlow has committed to play at Fitchburg State University.

Rylie Harlow is taking her game to the next level. 

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior has committed to play basketball for Fitchburg State University.

“I did a tour early September, and I pretty much knew right away even before I had visited the campus I wanted to go there,” Harlow said. “When I went to Fitchburg, I loved the campus and I automatically connected with the coach.”

W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa said the Falcons are getting a player who is constantly working on ways to improve.

“She is extremely coachable and will do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “She has worked so hard on her game and has improved so much since the end of last season.”

Harlow is headed into her fourth year on the varsity team and was elected as a captain for the upcoming season.

“I definitely think that it’s a huge honor,” Harlow said. “I’ve had some great captains and hope to leave my teammates proud.”

Last season, Harlow was a pivotal player for the Panthers, who posted their best regular-season record since 2009-10 and collected their first tournament win in eight years. 

“Rylie was our rock last year — just a solid player all around for us,” Costa said. “Rylie doesn’t force anything. She lets the game come to her and gives the games what it needs. Defensively, she turned into our best all around defender and was tasked at guarding the other team’s best offensive player on most nights.”

“Offensively, she didn’t have eye-popping numbers but was known for hitting some big shots when the game was close and on the line.”

The 5-foot-8 Harlow, who recorded 34 steals and averaged 5.1 ppg last season, said her basketball IQ is a big reason for her success on the court. 

“Because of my height, I usually ended up having to know the positions of the guards and post players, so I would say that I have to be pretty versatile,” she said. 

Harlow said she hopes to have a “somewhat” normal season this winter. 

“I feel like as a team we should have a strong season depending on what happens with COVID,” she said. 

Week 4 in review

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Week 4 is in the past at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

Here is a look back:

Boys’ cross country (4-0) remained perfect, racing past Duxbury, 16-39, on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Senior captain Theo Kamperides took first overall with a time of 15:24. Senior captain Liam Cafferty (2nd, 15:33), junior Nathan Tassey (3rd, 16:17), senior captain Chris MacDonald (4th, 16:22) and junior Gordon Johnson (6th, 17:07) also scored in the win. 

Girls’ cross country (2-2) took the top five places and topped Duxbury, 15-45, on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Junior captain Myah Kamperides won the race with a time of 20:24, while senior Izzy Amado (2nd, 20:48), junior captain Anna Flynn (3rd, 21:22), freshman Sky Bucci-Anderson (4th, 21:58) and senior captain Bryn Miller (5th, 22:06) rounded out the top five. 

Field hockey (0-6-1) was shut out by Silver Lake, 2-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 20. … On Thursday, Todd Humphrey’s team picked up its first point of the season, with a 2-2 tie against Duxbury. Senior captain Lauren Clark and junior Olivia Phelps had the Panthers’ goals. 

Boys’ golf (1-10) dropped a 233-256 decision to Silver Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Senior captain Aidan Miller shot a 3-over par 37 in the loss. … Then, on Wednesday, Brian Dempsey’s club wrapped up its season with a 224-258 loss to Marshfield. Miller finished his high school career with a birdie putt, to end the day with a 2-over par 36. Junior Pat McBroom shot a 6-over par 40. 

Boys’ soccer (3-4) was edged by Duxbury, 2-1, on Monday, Oct. 19. Senior captain Peyton Collins fed junior Jack Allen tying the score at 1-1, before the Dragons scored the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick in the third quarter. … On Friday, W-H routed North Quincy, 8-0. Senior captain Brendan Nehiley netted a hat trick, while classmate Joel Arsenault had two goals and an assist. Junior Ethan Smith and senior Randy Elfman combined for the shutout in net. 

Girls’ soccer (6-0-1) defeated Duxbury, 4-1, on Monday, Oct. 19. Junior Skylar Jordan, sophomore Ella Nagle, junior Olivia Borgen and senior captain Alexis Billings scored in the win. … On Wednesday, David Floeck’s team beat Marshfield, 4-1. Freshman Makenna Marshall snapped a 1-1 tie in the third quarter with a score from 20 yards out. Billings, Borgen and sophomore Kayla Cassidy also scored for W-H.

Girls’ volleyball (1-6) dropped a 3-1 decision to Duxbury on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The set scores were: 12-25, 9-25, 25-18 and 15-25. Junior Abby Martin (seven kills) and Anna Strone (five kills) were standouts in the loss. … The Panthers closed the week with a 3-1 loss to Marshfield. The set scores were: 15-25, 25-17, 12-25 and 17-25.  

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

Season Preview: For boys’ soccer team, improving is the goal

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The boys’ soccer team is looking for constant improvement this season.

The goals are pretty simple this fall for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ soccer team.

“Keeping our health is No. 1,” said fourth-year head coach Dave Leahy. “Then improving and having fun are right behind our health.”

Leahy’s messages have resonated since he’s taken the helm of the Panthers, leading them to the tournament in two of the last three seasons, including last fall. There may not be a state tournament to aim for this season, but the philosophy doesn’t waiver. 

“To keep building the program, we have to look at how hard we worked in the off-season, and I’d say that as a group this W-H team worked very hard in the offseason,” he said. “Now we just put all that hard work into a team effort and keep improving each day together.”

The departure of League All-Stars and two-year captains, Stevie Kelly and Jason Broduer, left immense voids for W-H. Brodeur, who is now at Endicott College, paced the Panthers with 17 goals last season, while Kelly anchored the defense and was named to the EMass all-state team. Fellow captain and netminder Andrew Sullivan also graduated. The trio has passed the torch to now-seniors Peyton Collins, Dalton Desrocher, Brendan Nehiley and junior Sean McAlpine this fall.

“They all bring great leadership intangibles to the team, and each has something different to add to the group,” Leahy said of his captains this season. “This is an extremely hard time to be a captain, [but] they have been outstanding thus far.”

Senior Randy Elfman has replaced Sullivan in goal.

“Using Sully’s example, Randy worked extremely hard since the end of last fall to make himself into the best goalie he could, and he definitely has improved a lot,” Leahy said. “He looks to have a strong senior season.”

W-H will be back on the pitch Tuesday, Oct. 27 at home against Silver Lake at 4 p.m.

“[We] are a unified team that works hard each and every day,” Leahy said. “I’d like to see this continue.”