Whitman-Hanson Express

You are here: Home / Archives for College Commitment

Vassil brothers commit to play basketball at Quincy College

By

Brothers Tom Vassil (left) and Ryan Vassil (right) sign on to play basketball at Quincy College. / Courtesy photo

Brothers Tom and Ryan Vassil will play basketball together at Quincy College next year.

Ryan Vassil estimated he grew 3 to 5 inches from his sophomore to junior year of high school last year.

His older brother Tom, who stands at 6-foot-11, was gearing up for his senior season on the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ varsity basketball team. So Ryan wanted to give the game a try.

“I had a big growth spurt,” Ryan said. “I was talking with [W-H] head coach [Bob] Rodgers and said, ‘Hey, I want to try out basketball.’”

Rodgers admitted this surprised him.

“You don’t normally have a kid approach the varsity coach when he’s never really played basketball and say, ‘I want to try and learn basketball. I see what my brother does and I want to give it a shot,’” Rodgers said.

But that’s what Ryan did. He attended basketball camp in the fall and earned a spot on the junior varsity team that winter. Then when the state tournament rolled around, the varsity team called him up, and he joined his brother. They ended the season as state champs following an 18-point win at TD Garden. Tom scored seven points in the victory.

“It was an awesome experience,” Tom said.

Said Ryan: “It was definitely a special moment, getting to play with Tom.”

Now the brothers will be teammates on the court again after signing on to join the Quincy College men’s basketball team.

“It means the world that we get to play basketball together,” Tom said. “But having him, someone who lives with me, we get to work all the time.”

Tom would have been going into his sophomore year of college this upcoming fall but opted for a post-grad year at Springfield Commonwealth Academy. He only played in three scrimmages before the went fully remote. He decided to unenroll. The good news? He was able to attend all of his brother’s home games this past season.

“It’s been really cool to see how much he’s improved because when he started — just like me — we couldn’t make wide-open layups, we weren’t catching the ball, so just to see the strides that he’s made is incredible,” said Tom, who didn’t begin playing basketball until his freshman year of high school. “He’s a really hard worker.”

The two have hit the court together as much as they can together — even before Tom departed briefly for school.

“When COVID started in March, we weren’t allowed to play basketball anywhere,” Tom explained. “We went to the police station and got kicked out because we weren’t allowed to play.”

Shortly after they started seeing a skills development coach, Chantel Jordan of Champ City.

“She helped me a lot with my skill and confidence,” Ryan said. “I started getting more confident putting the ball on the floor and creating my own offense. Before that, I was an offensive rebounder and then I started making my own plays.”

Ryan averaged 4.8 ppg this past season as a senior for W-H, which went 12-0 and captured the Patriot League Keenan Division crown.

“He wasn’t just a big strong kid, he became a skilled kid,” Rodgers said. “He became somebody with great hands around the basket. He became somebody who understood the game and the little nuances of how to read a defense and how to react to what defenses do. He did it in a short period of time.”

But it’s more than what Ryan did on the court that caught Rodgers’ eye.

“I always tell my team that you win with character first and Quincy College is getting two kids that are off the charts with that,” Rodgers said.

Quincy College men’s basketball coach Doug Scott said he’s excited to infuse some of the winning mentality they established at W-H into his program.

“We are very excited to have both of them,” he said. “I love recruiting guys that come from a winning culture and great coaching. Basketball aside, we are getting two great young men that can be very successful if they put the hard work in.”

Their goals before college?

“I want to get quicker and also stronger and be able to play about the rim,” Ryan said. “I want to be able to hopefully initiate some plays — have a better game off the dribble, not too much catch and shoot.”

Said Tom: “I just need to get back into shape and get my body right. I haven’t had the opportunity to play basketball on an actual court since November. I’m really looking forward to playing with Ryan again — just having that brother connection.”

Future Nittany Lion: Borgen bound for Penn State

By

Olivia Borgen is Penn State-bound. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson Regional High junior Olivia Borgen will take her talents to Penn State University.

Her decision is in. 

Whitman-Hanson Regional High junior Olivia Borgen has committed to play soccer at Division 1 Penn State University. 

“Penn State has a very competitive soccer program and I definitely want to be challenged and improve my soccer game and I feel that Penn State will help me get to the next level,” said the Hanson native. “They are a very big sports school and I love that about Penn State.” 

An All-New England first-team selection this fall, Borgen also considered Boston College and Clemson. Ironically enough, Penn State is the only one of those schools she never visited. But, she didn’t need to. 

“My cousin, Lindsay, went there and she absolutely loved the school,” Borgen said. “I was at the 2015 [D1 NCAA women’s soccer] championship game in North Carolina, when they won and because it was in North Carolina, almost everyone was cheering for Duke, but I was definitely cheering for Penn State.”

Borgen said the first time Penn State saw her on the pitch was this past February at the Penn Fusion Showcase in Pennsylvania. She followed up with an email and asked them to watch her in game action.

“I’m glad I did because apparently, they liked what they saw,” Borgen said. 

How could you not? The Patriot League All-Star has netted 39 goals and dished out 25 assists over her first three seasons at W-H. She credited her high school head coach David Floeck for helping her become a goal scorer.

“When I came in as a freshman, I would always look to pass first, which in some cases is definitely the right move, but he always encouraged me to shoot when the opportunity was there and it really helped grow as an attacking-minded player,” said the speedy Borgen, who holds the W-H girls’ outdoor track 100-meter dash school record of 12.44. “That definitely helped my game.”

But despite her success so far, Borgen knows she has work to do as she gears up for her collegiate career. 

“I’m planning on getting stronger mentally and physically before I head to Happy Valley,” Borgen said,  “So, a lot of strength and conditioning and mental training to try and bring my game to the next level.”

Codero commits to Roger Williams for basketball

By

Reese Codero dribbles. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Reese Codero will play basketball at Roger Williams next season.

A three-sport varsity contributor at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, rising senior Reese Codero is taking her talents to the next level.

Codero has committed to play basketball at Roger Williams University, a Division III school in Bristol, Rhode Island, that competes in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.

“I felt it was a good fit for me because I think I will be able to be successful academically but also challenged at the same time,” said Codero, who is planning to study criminal justice. “I have seen the team play a couple of times [and] I really admire their style. They are a type of team who plays together and not every girl for herself. They compete at a high level and I want to be a part of that.”

This past winter, Codero emerged as the Panthers’ starting point guard helping guide the program to its best regular-season record (14-6) since 2009-10 and first playoff win in eight years. She scored 7.1 ppg and dished out 3.2 apg en route to earning Patriot League All-Star status. And she is fully expecting to elevate her game as she writes the final chapter of her W-H basketball career.

“Before I get to Roger Williams, I am looking to grow not only as a player but as a person as well,” said Codero, who also plays soccer and softball. “I want to work on my game and have my weaknesses become strengths. I plan to keep improving everyday physically and mentally. During the upcoming high school season, I want to help my team compete for a league championship and to get better as a team.”

But before basketball, she’ll take aim at another league title in the fall in net for the girls’ soccer team.

Olivia Martin commits to play basketball at Salve Regina

By

Martin with her parents. / Courtesy photo

Olivia Martin has committed to Salve Regina University.

Olivia Martin is following in her parents’ footsteps.

The 5-foot-7 senior wing from Whitman-Hanson Regional High announced on Twitter she has committed to play basketball at Salve Regina University.

Both of her parents, Brian and Kerry, played for the Seahawks and her mother is in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Salve is getting a steal,” said Martin’s AAU former coach Matt DellaBarba. “I think she’ll make an immediate impact there.”

An impact is just what Martin made in her final go-around for the Panthers this winter, scoring 9.5 points per game, on the strength of a team-high 40 3-pointers en route to being named a league all-star. She was the team’s lone captain, as well. W-H finished with its best record (15-7) since 2009-10 and won its first tournament game in eight years.

First-year W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa posted on Twitter:

At Salve, Martin will reunite with former high school teammate Meg Henaghan, a rising sophomore for the Seahawks.

Mike Buchanan finds a home on the gridiron

By

Mike Buchanan makes a block vs. Hingham. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Mike Buchanan credits football with helping shape the person he is today.

Without football, Mike Buchanan isn’t sure where or what he’d be.

When he looks down on the scale, he sees 278 pounds, but he knows, that could easily be a lot more.

“I’m big now, but without that motivation from football, I’d be way bigger,” Buchanan said. “Football has made me a better person.”

A senior starting left tackle at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, Buchanan recently committed to play at the next level for Bridgewater State University.

Football’s always been Buchanan’s passion and his weight has always been his biggest challenge. The two have crossed paths often.

In third grade, he was 40 pounds over the weight limit to make the Hanson Youth Football mites team. So he took the field with players who were two to three years older than him as a member of the peewees, instead.

“It was tough,” Buchanan said. “I almost quit after the first practice because I was playing with fifth and sixth graders.”

But his coach took him aside after that first day.

“He talked me into keep playing,” Buchanan said. “He knew I loved the game, I always have.”

From that point on, Buchanan had a new outlook on his playing career — no matter how tough the road would get.

“I was like, ‘If I’m going to stick with it now, I’m going to stick with it forever,’” he recalled.

That would be challenged again a few years later, when in seventh grade, he found himself 40 pounds over the peewees’ weight limit. So, he ended up suiting up for Weymouth Youth Football, where the teams were decided by grade not weight.

“It made me kind of nervous playing there,” Buchanan said. “You’re 12, 13 years old, going to a totally different town with totally different people. You’ve never talked to these people in your life.”

Buchanan credits his youth career for helping him morph into the player he is today.

“The coaches taught me so much,” he said. “That team in Weymouth is when I realized that football is just awesome because there were so many guys and we were so good.”

This past season, Buchanan helped spearhead a Panthers’ rushing attack that averaged 141 yards per game.

“Every time we needed a play, we went behind Mike,” said W-H football head coach Mike Driscoll. “He was the leader of our offensive line.”

Buchanan had never started a varsity game coming into the fall but put together an “amazing” offseason, according to Driscoll.

“He earned that spot,” Driscoll said. “He went in at left tackle the first practice and never left. He came into this season, determined to be the leader, determined to work hard every practice, there was never a practice where Mike didn’t want to be there.”

Buchanan said he’s going to build up his speed and strength before he heads to the collegiate level next fall.

“I’m already one of the biggest guys on the team,” he said. “I can’t be one of the weakest or slowest. I plan on getting there this year.”

Big senior season lands Martell at Mass. Maritime

By

Billy Martell / Photo by: Sue Moss

Billy Martell is headed to Mass. Maritime.

When he met with Whitman-Hanson Regional High head football coach Mike Driscoll to discuss his junior campaign, Billy Martell was told something he’d work tirelessly over the next year to make a reality.

“Coach Driscoll said, ‘You’re one of a few kids who has the talent to play in college,’’’ recalled Martell.

After an offseason consisting of many grunts, followed by a Patriot League All-Star season, Martell has committed to play football at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“Mass. Maritime is getting a great young man and someone who can play football at a pretty high level,” Driscoll said. “He will do big things for Maritime.”

Martell, who said he’s looking into studying emergency management, has had his eyes on attending the Buzzards Bay-based college since August.

“I was thinking about my future and their employment rate is almost 100 percent,” Martell said. “I didn’t want to go too far, and I didn’t want to go on a huge campus.”

After converting to wide receiver as a sophomore, Martell transitioned back to running back this season and flourished, taking 73 carries for 518 yards and three touchdowns. His 7.1 yards per carry led the team.

Martell had his best outing against Bridgewater-Raynham, gashing the Trojans’ defense for 104 yards and a score.

On defense Martell, a two-year starting safety, posted 52 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions.

“I just wanted to show everyone who I am this season,” Martell said.

Martell said it was a rewarding season for him.

“At the end of last season we were in the weight room right away,” Martell said. “I worked much harder this offseason than I ever have. We did our offseason lift and we got a strength coach which helped us a lot and then we had passing leagues.”

Driscoll constantly lauded Martell’s speed throughout the season, calling him “the fastest player on the team.” Whether it was at running back or tracking down the ball carrier, Martell was instrumental in the Panthers’ success.

“He’s very dynamic in the backfield but his defense was really, really impressive at safety,” Driscoll said. “You didn’t have to worry about too much with him in the back.”

Mass. Maritime, which competes in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III, finished 2-8 last season.

“I’m looking to work on my speed and improve my footwork,” Martell said.

Smith is headed to ‘dream school’

By

Smith in the Panthers’ home tilt against Pymouth North last season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Senior Sammy Smith, an Eagle in waiting, wants to finish her senior season with a “bang.”

She was almost a Wildcat, but then the Eagles came soaring in.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer senior captain and back Sammy Smith was committed to the University of New Hampshire for soccer — a decision she made as a freshman — until a roster error paved the way for her “dream school” to come calling.

“For my club — the U-18 team that I play on — I’m like the youngest player on that team, so I qualify to play with the U-17 team and everyone on that team is good,” Smith explained. “They want to go to college and they’re seriously looking into college soccer.

“So, I played with them (the U-17 team) in one tournament and on the roster — the manager of that team — didn’t have me committed to UNH. So, all the coaches who came to that game were like ‘Who’s this? She’s not committed? I thought she was committed to UNH.’’’

So, the phone calls began as coaches tried to lure the two-time Patriot League All-Star and reigning first-team EMass selection onto their respective campus.

“One of the coaches at my club was like ‘All these colleges are contacting you, do you want to look into them?’’’ Smith recalled.

Smith obliged and she’s happy she did because Boston College was one of the them.

“In the end, BC has always been my dream school,” said Smith, who committed there in June. “I’m so happy to be able to play there next year.”

Smith might not even be the happiest one in her family about the decision.

“My parents are happy,” she said. “My parents are ecstatic. They didn’t mind the UNH — like two hours away — but right down the road, 40 minutes to BC, and plus my mom went there.”

W-H girls’ soccer head coach David Floeck said Smith, who has started for him since she was a freshman, is one of the most athletic girls he’s ever coached.

“She’s super quick and everything else, but her ability to change directions — while being full speed when most kids can’t do that, they have to take an extra step — gives her the advantage,” the 23rd-year head coach said.

“She is tremendous in tight spaces and if she gets in open space, she covers 60 to 70 yards dribbling the ball faster than people can do it without a ball. She’s just a supreme talent and that’s why BC snatched her.”

Panthers senior goalkeeper Skylar Kuzmich said having a player on the field of Smith’s caliber — someone who can excel at multiple positions and on both ends of the pitch — is an immense asset.

“Sam is a great player and it’s funny because she already does play offense when she’s on defense because she dribbles through everyone and then goes up field, but with her there, I feel great, but without her [at defender] we’re going to score goals,” Kuzmich said.

Smith said she doesn’t let the fact that she’s going to a top collegiate women’s soccer school alter the way she goes about her business.

“I try to get touches on the ball every single day,” Smith said. “There’s no moment where I’m not thinking about soccer. I watch soccer, I play it every single day, but I try to not let it get to my head. I don’t want to have a big head, like, ‘Hey, I’m going to BC,’ I don’t let it get to me. I play like a normal player.”

Smith’s commitment adds to a long list of Panthers girls’ soccer players to head to the Division 1 ranks. Lauren Bonavita and Taylor Kofton, both of whom graduated last spring, are in their freshman campaigns at UMass Amherst and Boston University, respectively.

For Smith, the goal this season is to end it and her Panthers soccer career with a “big bang.”

“Oh, I want to win a state championship,” she said.

Rejoining a W-H teammate at Curry: Anderson commits to play volleyball

By

Amanda Anderson, a senior at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, will continue her volleyball career at Curry College next season.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior Amanda Anderson has committed to play volleyball at Curry College.

A key factor in Anderson’s decision was the ability to reunite with former W-H girls’ volleyball teammate and good friend Jordyn Keith, a rising sophomore on the Curry women’s volleyball team.

Amanda Anderson, front, sets for a return during action at W-H this fall. She has signed on to join former teammate Jordyn Keith at Curry College in the fall. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“I went to one of her games in September and October and then in between that time I also visited their school and talked to the coach there,” Anderson explained. “And then he saw me playing for my club team. Once I saw their team play, I really wanted to join the team. Jordyn was always talking about how great her new coach is and stuff and it made me excited to talk to him and stuff, too.”

Anderson was a two-year starter at outside hitter for the Panthers and co-captained the club this past season. She ended her career with 104 digs, 94 kills and 76 aces.

“Amanda had been preparing to be a senior varsity captain her whole volleyball career and fit in naturally to the role working along with Halle (Julian),” first-year W-H girls’ volleyball head coach Ashley Balbian, who coached Anderson at the junior varsity level her sophomore season, said. “In my opinion, what made her excel was her positive outlook and attitude.”

Anderson dealt with her fair share of adversity on the court. After an injury cut short her junior campaign, she fractured her foot in the first practice of this past season. While the injury kept her out of game action for the opening month, it didn’t hinder her from making a making a positive impression. 

“Of course, she was upset but bounced back and showed up the next day on crutches asking what she could do to help,” Balbian said. “During the season when our record wasn’t great and Amanda was stuck on the bench she set such a great example for her teammates and younger girls in the program. Her positive encouragement while injured became an inspiration for us. I really respect how she handled that whole situation.”

While Anderson provided the younger girls an example on the bench, she did in practice as well, leading the junior varsity and freshman teams in a variety of drills during the course of the season.  

“Helping the younger girls is very good for our program for getting them stronger to be good players and be leaders and take over Halle and my spot,” Anderson said. “I love helping them because I want them to fill in my shoes when all the seniors are gone to keep the program going and winning games.”

Anderson’s work with the younger players shined at its brightest in the Panthers’ final contest of the fall, a 3-1 win over Bridgewater-Raynham. After starting her regulars, Balbian lifted them in the second set and inserted a bevy of girls who had come up from junior varsity, many that Anderson mentored.

“It made me feel proud of being their captain and looking back and knowing that it was because of all us seniors who helped get them this far,” Anderson said. “And definitely keeping the attitude going because that’s how people win games, you have to keep your attitude very positive at all times.”

Anderson said her fondest memory on the court at W-H came during her junior season in a 3-2 victory over Pembroke.

“We were in the fifth set and it was 13-13 and there was a play where the ball went up and I had to kill it and I broke the tie and then it was 14-13,” she explained. “The moment was so intense and it was so awesome because all I saw was Halle looking at me and she’s like, ‘Don’t mess up.’

“And I got it and she got the winning point right after me and that was the best feeling in the whole world getting those two points because it felt like the most intense game we’d ever played as a team.”

Balbian said Curry is receiving a natural leader on and off the court in Anderson.

“Curry College is getting a dedicated student athlete who is excited about her major in psychology but also passionate about playing volleyball and being part of a team,” Balbian explained. 

Curry, which competes in the Commonwealth Coast Conference of NCAA Division III, finished 11-18 last season.

“I definitely want to improve on my back row playing time and my hitting on certain spots and stuff like that,” Anderson said. “Just like little detail things to help me improve and get better. The goal of all of it is to be a starter on their team, but it’s going to be a lot of work.”

Sister act on the diamond: Colleen Hughes to join sister Caitlin at Westfield State

By

unnamed-1.jpg

Colleen Hughes attended accepted students day at Westfield State on Tuesday, April 3. / Courtesy photo: Michelle Hughes

Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior Colleen Hughes will play softball with her sister Caitlin next season at Westfield State University.

Colleen Hughes could not pass up the opportunity to play with her sister for one more season.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior will join her sister Caitlin on the diamond as a member of the Westfield State University softball team next year.

“She played a pretty big part in me going there,” Colleen said of the elder Hughes who is one of the Owls catchers. “She plays softball as well so I thought it gave me a great opportunity to play with her. She’s a great role model to look up to and it will be a good transition into college just to start out.”

This will not be the first time the two siblings will share the same field together. They were starters on the W-H softball team in 2015 that stunned defending state champion Bridgewater-Raynham, 4-1, in the opening round of the Division 1 South Sectional tournament. Caitlin, a then-senior captain, caught the entire game and had a key RBI. Colleen, a freshman at the time, roamed left field.

“She was a very good role model to look up to,” Colleen said. “She had a really big impact on the team, so it was awesome to play with her.”

Caitlin concluded her Panthers career as a four-year letter winner, and Colleen is in line to reach that feat as well. The younger Hughes has started every game since her freshman campaign. Last season Colleen led W-H by hitting at a .486 clip with four home runs and 25 runs batted in en route to being tabbed the team MVP and a Patriot League All-Star for the second straight year. In Caitlin’s final season with the Panthers, she hit .446 and knocked in 26 runs.

Fifth-year W-H head coach Jenna Olem sees the similarity with their approach at the plate. “The way they attack the ball in the box is really something special,” Olem said. “Colleen is such a strong, powerful hitter, so that’s nice to have in the lineup. It seems almost every time she gets up, she’s gonna have a big hit for us.”

Not only does Colleen power the Panthers with her bat, but she leads with her arm as well. Last season she took over as their ace and hurled 106 of their 133.2 innings. She collected eight wins in the process to help guide W-H back to the tournament for the first time since that 2015 season. Colleen, despite all the frames tossed, is still fairly new to the position.

“She just took up pitching a few years ago and that’s just a testament to her ability as an athlete, as a competitor, to do whatever she can to help the team,” Olem said.

Colleen added that it was a difficult adjustment to begin with, but rewarding in the end.

“It was hard at first,” Colleen, who boasts a 4.3 GPA and is a member of the Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society, explained. “I did pitching lessons all summer and fall so it was a hard work up to it but it’s definitely worth it.”

This season Colleen will also captain the Panthers — a role she served in for the field hockey team during the fall and the girls’ hockey team in the winter.

“She has always had this tremendous work ethic,” Olem said. “She takes every drill seriously and competes as hard as possible no matter the circumstance. Colleen really showed her ability to lead last year just with her calmness at the plate and her ability to come through with a big hit. Also, regardless of how her pitching outing was going she was always standing, cheering, and letting her teammates know she had their backs. Everyone looks to Colleen as sort of a role model because of her approach to the game and her understanding of the game.”

Colleen’s senior season will get underway Monday, April 9 at 4 p.m. when the Panthers travel to Pembroke.

“My goal this year is to just improve as a player and improve my hitting before I take my next step to college,” Colleen said.

Jack Kelly agrees to play for Bridgewater State

By

Jack Kelly runs down field in the Panthers’ game against Abington on Thanksgiving. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Jack Kelly will play football at Bridgewater State University next season.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior Jack Kelly has committed to play football at Bridgewater State University.

“Bridgewater State is a great school for education,” Kelly explained. “My father attended there, and I am going to be a physical education major.

“The coaches who recruited me were in constant communication with me all throughout the season, and immediately made me feel a part of the program. The coaches stressed academics just as much as they did football. College football is a big deal, but they are also preparing us for our careers and to be successful in life.”

Kelly said he began being recruited by the Bridgewater State coaching staff after the New England Elite Football Clinic at Bentley University in July.

“After meeting them at the camp, the coaches stayed in constant communication through email, text and phone calls throughout the season,” Kelly said. “After the coaches had me up for two games in the fall, that solidified that Bridgewater [State] was the perfect fit for me.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Kelly played two years for the Panthers, having moved to Whitman his junior year from Brockton, where he played his freshman and sophomore campaigns as a Boxer.

This past season, Kelly started at linebacker for the Panthers and recorded 47 tackles, seven for loss, and broke up three passes.

W-H football head coach Mike Driscoll lauded Kelly’s worth ethic.

“Jack was a very, very hard worker,” Driscoll said. “He really attacked the weight room hard last offseason to get stronger and that’s why we moved him to linebacker, because he played some defensive back for us, but he worked so hard in the weight room and got so strong that we knew we had a position for him and he earned it.”

Kelly said his most memorable tilt as a Panthers was Oct. 6 when W-H defeated Plymouth North, 28-24, in the last minute.

“They were a big, physical team, and as a defense we rose to the occasion and got many hard-fought stops in the second half, which allowed us to pull out a huge win late in the game,” Kelly said.

Driscoll said Bridgewater State is landing a hard-working kid, who is going to give it 100 percent every day in Kelly.

“He’s a smart kid, he’s a good kid,” Driscoll said. “They’re getting a well-rounded individual.”

Kelly said the two main facets of being successful at football he learned as a Panther were hard work and preparation.

“At Whitman-Hanson, the entire program bought into offseason workouts,” he said. Not only did it make us bigger, faster and stronger for the 2017 season, but it really brought us together and united us as a team. For me, as a linebacker on defense, coach [Keith] Sweeney had us thoroughly prepared week in and week out with film work and attention to detail every day at practice.”

Bridgewater State, which competes in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III, finished 2-8 last season.

“College football will be a big adjustment, going from playing against boys to playing against men,” Kelly said. “However, having played for many great coaches along the way, I will be ready for the next change in my football career.”