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Kelly making a name coaching at college level

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Whitman-Hanson Regional High grad Marina Kelly is an assistant women’s soccer coach at one of the winningest programs in the country.

Marina Kelly’s goal is to become a head college soccer coach some day.

It would appear that she’s well on her way. 

Kelly, a 2014 Whitman-Hanson Regional High grad, was hired by the University of Scranton as an assistant women’s soccer coach this past fall. 

The school went on to finish the season 18-1-1, won the Landmark Conference title and advanced the Div. III Sweet 16. 

The Scranton staff was tabbed the United Soccer Coaches 2021 Coaching Staff of the Year for Region V as well as the Landmark Conference Staff of the Year. 

“My experience at Scranton has been awesome,” Kelly said. “I work with a great coaching staff and an awesome group of student-athletes here.

“It was a lot of long days in the office and on the field but it was worth it and great to see us accomplish so much in one season as a program.”

Kelly is directly involved in recruiting, film analysis, team travel and on-the-field coaching. 

“Marina is extremely hard working, competitive and a quick learner,” said Scranton women’s soccer head coach Colleen Pivirotto. “Marina took the lead in watching and scouting our opponents.”

That was a crucial role, especially during the rigorous NCAA tournament schedule. 

“We had to prepare for three teams at once,” Pivirotto said. “Marina’s hard work allowed us to be prepared for all our opponents and key to helping us to advance to the Sweet 16.”

Kelly, who played both basketball and soccer in college, began her coaching career in 2017 while attending Clarion University when she was named the head coach of the Clarion River Valley Strikers, a competitive club soccer team. She continued to coach club when she returned home while also personally training players. In 2018 she was named girls’ soccer’s head junior varsity coach. Later that winter she was hired by her alma mater, W-H, as a varsity girls’ basketball assistant and head junior varsity coach, a post she held for three seasons. For the last two autumns she has worked as a graduate assistant women’s soccer coach at Regis College. An impressive résumé for sure, which made her an attractive candidate for Pivirotto to add to her bench.

“Marina’s previous coaching experience allowed her to hit the ground running since she started in early August,” Pivirotto said. “I am fortunate that Marina had a lot of experience prior to arriving at Scranton. I did not have an assistant coach for over a year so it was a tremendous help to have Marina join our staff.”

Kelly said she has soaked in a great deal of knowledge during her first year in Scranton. 

“I have learned a lot about soccer, coaching in general, and even about myself,” Kelly said. “Looking at film differently, focusing on specific tactics, working more with a specific position group for a period of time during practice, [and] how to communicate effectively with the girls at this level to get a positive response from them,” Kelly said. “Overall, I have learned a lot from my head coach Colleen Pivirotto on being a young female coach in the coaching world.”

Kelly attended the United Soccer Coaches convention in Kansas City, Mo., last month. The rest of her offseason will feature recruiting, hosting clinics on campus and analyzing film before the non-traditional season gets going in the spring. 

“My goal right now is continuing to learn and grow as much as I can as a coach and a mentor to student-athletes,” Kelly said. “I love coaching at the college level and I plan to stay at this level. My overall goal is to be a head college coach of my own program some day.”

W-H boys’ basketball captain Vallancourt bounces back from cancer

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Ryan Vallancourt has scored in double-digits in six of the Panthers’ first seven games. / Photo by: Sue Moss

After a bout with cancer over the offseason, Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball senior captain Ryan Vallancourt is grateful to be back on the court.

Ryan Vallancourt was going up for a routine layup during a summer league game this past July when life took an unexpected turn for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball captain. 

“I just felt, not like a shock, but a tingle throughout my body,” Vallancourt explained. “It was right in my balls, so I was like, ‘What the hell?’”

He felt a lump in the area the next day, so he texted his mom, who works in the emergency room at South Shore Hospital. He went down for an ultrasound and blood work. The next stop was Boston Children’s Hospital later that night for the results. 

“I had testicular cancer,” Vallancourt said. “I was shocked and I was scared, for sure. You never think it’s going to be you at 18. That became a bigger than basketball moment for me. I just remember the guy told me and I remember leaning my head back like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ I kind of broke down from there. It was a tough night for sure.”

For Vallancourt, life went from perfect to unknown in an instance. 

“Thirty five-game winning streak, at that point, best team in the state, only captain of the team, your life is going great right into college admissions time, you’re feeling good and then the next thing you know you’re a cancer patient at Dana-Farber,” said Vallancourt, Patriot League All-Star last season.

He underwent surgery the following Monday. Then in September he began chemotherapy, which lasted until mid-October. 

“That was tough — I’m not gonna lie,” Vallancourt said. “It was pretty intense chemo. I was on like three different kinds, I missed almost like the first month of senior year, which was tough for sure.” 

Despite bouncing in and out of the hospital, Vallancourt wasn’t about to be kept off the court. After all, it was the only place he could find peace and solace from the rigorous grind of chemotherapy.

“I was playing on the weekends during our AAU tournaments and that meant the world to me,” he said. “I just wanted to be with the guys. But honestly, the nights just being at the high school getting shots up in an empty gym was the best therapy I could have had, honestly. Just knowing I was going to get through it and keep that positive mindset. I would just say being in the gym made me forget about everything, honestly.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

W-H boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers was in constant contact with his captain throughout the process. Rodgers said the conversations shed even more of a light on Vallancourt’s character and leadership off the court. 

“He would be texting me in the middle of his chemotherapy telling me how bad he felt for the little kids he saw going through it,” Rodgers said. “In my mind I’m thinking, ‘Wow, this kid is battling it himself and what he’s caring about the most is what he’s seeing other people do.’ It just says a lot about who he is and that he thinks about others first — and that’s what makes him a special leader.”

Not only did he feel bad for the children going through chemotherapy, but he took action. During the football season this past fall, Vallancourt organized a pediatric cancer night fundraiser. He and a few of his teammates helped raise $750 to buy gifts and essentials for the children at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

“Seeing all those kids in there, I wanted to do something that would raise awareness and make other people get checked and be more cautious about it,” Vallancourt said. “That night (fundraiser) really meant a lot to me.” 

BACK TO BASKETBALL 

Vallancourt has that same unselfish mindset on the court. 

“If you watch him in practice, he is trying to make everyone around him better,” Rodgers said. “He spends so much of his time trying to make them better and so much of his time trying to make our team better.”

Vallancourt’s teammates agree. 

“Ryan’s leadership is a special thing,” said junior Cole Champingie, one of eight first-year varsity players under Vallancourt’s watch this season. “He really helped me coming up this past year. I had no confidence in my game and felt out of place, but he boosted my spirits all the way up through tryouts and pushed me to get better in every workout we did and every practice.”

Vallancourt has also helped first-year varsity player, sophomore Evan Yakavonis, expand his game. 

“I would say Ryan is a terrific leader,” Yakavonis said. “I have learned so much from him on the court and off the court. He has helped me become a better defender by instructing me on what I could do better and showing me how to do it.”

Vallancourt’s work ethic is what rubbed off the most on sophomore Cian ÓBroin , also in his first year on varsity. 

“He’s helped me get better as a player because looking at how much work he puts in on and off the court it shows what I need to strive for,” ÓBroin said. “Sometimes when I was in the gym getting a workout in I would see Ryan come in and do simple shooting drills, all while doing chemotherapy, just to continue working.”

Now cancer-free, Vallancourt has developed a new perspective on basketball following his recent bout. 

“It has made me appreciate the time I have on the court and go that much harder,” Vallancourt said. “Just going to practice, like a Wednesday night practice, some kids may be like, ‘Ah, I got practice.’ But for me, you never know when it’s going to be your last day on the court. It could have been for me if I didn’t get it checked out.”

So far this season, Vallancourt has picked up where he left off last winter (scored 16 points in the Patriot Cup final against Hingham). He pumped in double-digits in six of the Panthers’ first seven games — in which they’re 5-2 — highlighted by a 25-point outing on Tuesday against Hanover, a 19-point outburst against Cypress Creek (Florida) and a 15-point performance against Silver Lake. He and the Panthers are scheduled to be back in action Friday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. on the road against Marshfield. 

“This season means the world to me,” Vallancourt said. “I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life — going to the camps when I was younger and working my way up from junior varsity to a lower varsity guy and to now here.”

Borgen, Manning & Melia the ‘driving force’ behind girls’ soccer’s title run

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Four years ago, Olivia Borgen, Nora Manning and Ava Melia cracked the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team as freshmen. 

They made an immediate impact. 

Borgen and Manning netted eight goals apiece, which was good for second on the team. Melia was a standout on the back line. 

Four years later, they depart as the senior captains of the program’s first-ever state title. 

“They were the driving force, in a sense that they’ve experienced some big games,” said W-H head coach David Floeck. “We didn’t have the state tournament the year prior but they had the experience from their freshman and sophomore years of playing in a state tournament, so their leadership on and off the field was really invaluable for us. They were definitely the engine that made us go — those three.” 

The state championship game is a perfect example. 

The Panthers looked down and out as they trailed a Silver Lake team — that had shut them out in both of their previous two meetings — 1-0 late in the second half. 

Olivia Borgen, despite being in a walking boot with a sprained right ankle until she boarded the bus, provided the spark with the equalizer in the 69th minute. 

Shortly thereafter, Manning made perhaps the play of the game when she drew a foul on the Silver Lake keeper in the box.

Enter Melia. She rocketed home the penalty kick for a 2-1 W-H lead. 

Manning followed it up with a goal of her own to add some insurance. 

“Liv and Ava are my best friends and it is so special to me that I got the chance to spend some of the best years of my life with them,” said Manning, who netted 12 goals and dished out 15 assists. “Playing with them these past four years has been amazing. I’m going to miss playing with [them] more than anything and I still can’t believe it’s all over.”

Added Borgen, a back-to-back All-New England selection, who scored a team-high 23 goals with 14 assists: “It’s so special to have shared this journey with them. From tiny little freshman trying to fit in on the team to senior captains leading our team to a state championship, it feels unreal.”

Said Melia, a two-time EMass first-teamer: “To make varsity together as timid, young freshman to later make it all the way as captains and state champions is amazing.”

Borgen and Melia are no stranger to lifting hardware. Back in 2017, they won the National Championship together with their South Shore Select club team. 

“Sharing that with her has given us an amazing relationship,” Melia said. 

The three will head their separate ways next year to continue their soccer careers. Borgen will play at Penn State, Manning is heading to Stonehill College and Melia is going to Bryant University. 

“They led the way with their energy level and how much it mattered,” Floeck said. “They were really committed to try and bring a state championship to the school.” 

Overcoming the odds: Kamperides runs to Bryant

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

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

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

Then she discovered running. 

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

She is glad she stayed. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is just the leader Kamperides wants to be. 

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

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

A big hit: Welch wins MVP in girls’ volleyball

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

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

Gyms were closed and the state was locked down. 

Remember that last year?

Of course you do. 

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

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

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

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

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

It paid off. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is more. 

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

Welch believes her passion set her apart. 

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

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

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

Gray courting success for W-H girls’ volleyball

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

“She’s a freshman!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

W-H senior captain Lily Welch agrees. 

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

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

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

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

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

Kings of the Hills: Marshall twins leading the way on the mound

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Twins Tommy and Bobby Marshall are leading the way on the mound for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team.

Twins brothers, Tommy and Bobby Marshall have a lot in common.

That list includes tossing complete games.

Tommy opened the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team’s season with a complete-game shutout against Duxbury, striking out nine.

“Tommy came to me before the season even started and put that bug in my ear and said, ‘Coach I’m going to distance in the first game,’” said W-H skipper Pat Cronin.

Bobby had the best seat in the park for his brother’s gem because he caught it.

“I just congratulated him and wanted to match it,” said Bobby, who also plays outfield, third base, and pitcher.

He didn’t have to wait long. Bobby was on the hill the following game against Hingham. And he matched in, tossing a full seven innings, surrendering zero earned runs while punching out five in the 7-2 win.

Bobby Marshall tossed a complete game against Hingham this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“Once [Tommy] did it, you’re talking like refrigerator material in the Marshall house,” Cronin said with a laugh. “Bobby, of course, came right to me the next day and said, ‘Coach, I’m going the distance, too.’”

Tommy didn’t seem too surprised by his brother’s follow-up act.

“We’re very competitive,” said Tommy, who is coming off a 15-strike out, complete-game shutout against Duxbury last Tuesday. “Everything is a competition.”

Tommy Marshall is 3-0 with 30 strikeouts in 19.0 innings this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The two have combined to fire 31 innings and post a 4-0 record for the Panthers, who are off to a 6-1 start.

“They kind of energized the team,” Cronin said. “Everyone loves playing behind them. They love baseball, it’s all they want to do is play baseball. They’re very positive, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them negative — and then you add the skill factor. They can both bring it. They can both throw very well for high school kids. They have good skills defensively and they’re aggressive at the plate.”

Tommy is in his third season on varsity, while Bobby is in his first after getting called up during the 2019 MIAA tournament.

“We have a lot of fun together because we get to play together, ” said Tommy, who is also hitting a team-high .478 with seven RBI’s. “There’s nothing better than that.”

That fun will continue next year. They’ll both attend Curry College, where they plan to play baseball.

Amado, LeVangie go out on top

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Nate Amado (left() and Cole LeVangie cut down the net following W-H’s Patriot Cup win. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Nate Amado and Cole LeVangie pointed the way for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team this season.

Cutting down the net together during their senior years of high school was a moment Nate Amado and Cole LeVangie had dreamed about.

It was mission accomplished for the longtime friends and WHRHS boys’ basketball senior captains, who paced the Panthers to a perfect 12-0 record and Patriot Cup title, ending their high school careers on a 35-game winning streak.

The Patriot League Keenan Division MVP, Amado dumped in 24.2 ppg and corralled 9.3 rpg. LeVangie averaged a near triple-double, scoring 13.6 ppg, grabbing 9.1 rpg, and dishing out 8.3 apg en route to being tabbed a Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star.

“They’re two of the best to ever play at Whitman-Hanson,” said Athletic Director and 21-year boys’ basketball Head Coach Bob Rodgers.

But the two co-captains, who were the only returning starters from W-H’s 2019-20 state title team, led the way in more than just the stat sheet during this unprecedented winter season.

“Really from the first practice, I just saw that all of the players were so focused on trying to keep the Whitman-Hanson tradition going,” Rodgers said. “And Nate and Cole, being the leaders that they are, you could see them kind of take these younger players under their wing in terms of the right way to practice and approach a game.”

An example?

“Something I wanted to believe in was really keeping masks on,” LeVangie said. “I think that was the starting point and limiting our bubbles. I just really wanted to get through the season, try to provide an example for the rest of the teams in the league with just how we handled the whole situation.”

Said Amado: “If someone’s mask was down, you want to be the one to tell them to bring it up and lead by example. And on the court, we had 10 or 11 new guys to show what varsity was like.”

Junior captain-elect Ryan Vallancourt was one of those guys.

“Cole and Nate were just the best leaders and best friends I could ask for,” Vallancourt said. “They are the embodiment of what Whitman-Hanson basketball is. They have elevated me as a player as well as everyone else.”

While Amado and LeVangie often made it look easy on the court, both have gone through setbacks that they credit for helping push them to where they are today.

Amado was shooting to make the junior varsity team as a freshman. That didn’t happen. Then, he was aiming to make varsity as a sophomore but came down with the flu and wasn’t in the mix for the big club until they called him up later in the season.

“Players in all sports should look into his journey and recognize that it was his mindset and his ability and not to let those kind of setbacks derail him from his joy of the game and his goals for the game,” Rodgers said of Amado. “I’m very proud of him because a lot of guys would get negative, a lot of guys would hold a grudge, but he always just trusted us and he didn’t get negative and went out and did what he had to do. Everybody wants to point fingers when they don’t get what they want but they really have to do is ask themselves, ‘What can I do better to get what I want?'”

And that’s what Amado did.

“Nate made it such his sophomore year, we recognized what he was doing and he got brought up. What Nate accomplished is truly phenomenal.”

As for LeVangie, his basketball career was put in question at the end of his sophomore year, when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.

“I lost a lot of weight that offseason,” LeVangie said. “Going into junior year, I didn’t really know what I was going to do on the court.”

He ended up coming back even better, tossing 11.4 ppg, helping propel W-H to the Div. 2 state title.

“Just with it paying off at the Garden, me being a really key contributor, it was definitely one of the best experiences of my life,” LeVangie said.

LeVangie will continue his basketball career at Suffolk University next winter, while Amado will play at Babson College.


“They should be very proud of what they accomplished because they certainly left a great legacy,” Rodgers said.

Schwede back on bump after bout with cancer

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Rian Schwede pitches last season. / Photo by: Chris Lyons

After beating cancer, Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Rian Schwede is back on the mound at Endicott College.

Rian Schwede isn’t too used to getting hit hard.

But just about a year ago to the day he was — not on the baseball field but off it.

He received a cancer diagnosis.

“It all started when I got home,” said Schwede, a sophomore at Endicott College. “We got sent home in March, and I found out in April. I was shocked. It was kind of crazy going home and finding out about all that stuff — the season getting canceled and having to finish school, which was another element I had to deal with.”

Then a couple of weeks later, it got worse.

“They said it was Stage 3 at first,” Schwede recalled. “Then I got a call one afternoon saying, ‘Hey Rian, we got some bad news. The blood work came back, and you’ve been upgraded to Stage 4.’ I took that phone call by myself in my room.”

Fortunately for Schwede, it was a pretty curable form of testicular cancer with chemotherapy and then a final surgery.

“I started chemo in early June to mid-August,” he said. “Every three weeks, I’d have to go in for one week, and then I’d come out and have a three-week break and go in for another week.”

Baseball helped take his mind off the process, beginning with his team at Endicott.

“Every single week I was in the hospital I’d get a text from the whole team,” Schwede said. “Everyone would be saying, ‘Yo, good luck. You got it.’ And I get some calls from my close friends on the team.”

Schwede, a three-time Patriot League All-Star on the diamond at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, also played in the local Ted Williams League in between treatments.

“I was like, ‘I’ll go there, I’ll throw and take my mind off things,’” Schwede said. “It was a really good time. I would do it with my friends from home, too.”

In October, Schwede was officially cancer free. And while one battle was down, there was still another to go. He’d lost about 10 to 15 pounds during chemotherapy and knew he had to build himself up before the college baseball season. After a few months, he was even bigger than he was before – weighing in at 215 pounds.

“I kind of just flipped the switch to get back to normal,” he said. “I had a set routine of going to the gym and going to my trainers. It was a really good, productive offseason going from absolutely nothing in the fall to just work my butt off to get back to where I am now.”

He spent part of that offseason working with Diamondbacks pitching prospect Matt Tabor.

“He really helped me pitching-wise,” Schwede said.

Schwede’s commitment this offseason paid off. He took the ball for Endicott in its conference opener against Wentworth on Saturday, March 27. Schwede struck out four over 3 2/3 innings in a 4-3 win.

“It was great to get back out there,” said Schwede. “It’s been a grind the last month or two.”

Said Endicott skipper Bryan Haley: “The fact that he’s gone through what he’s gone through and he gets the ball in a big game for us is definitely special.”

Haley said Schwede’s journey gives the team a different perspective on life.

“We get caught up a lot in our day-to-day, the wins and losses and these little things that we make much bigger than they are,” Haley said. “Then Rian gets cancer and it kind of just hits the breaks on everybody and says, ‘Hey, listen. What are we really worried about here?’ We’re pretty lucky to be out here competing.”

Sevieri making his mark on the world

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Former boys’ basketball team manager and football player Anthony Sevieri has found a passion.

Anthony Sevieri had a bird’s eye view of the boys’ basketball games during his time at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

He could usually be found either way up in the stands or up above on the walking track filming the game. His position was team manager.

“I was just chilling in Mr. [Bob] Rodgers’ room before the Scituate (playoff game), and he out of nowhere asked if anyone wanted to film the game and get in for free,” Sevieri said, “so I said, ‘Why not?’ It became my role from there.”

In the fall, he suited up for the football team. They called him Big Tony.

He also developed a passion for music in high school.

“Freshman year, I had gone through a bit of a mess-up situation and the best way I figured I could cope with that was writing music and it kind of became my thing,” said the 2018 W-H graduate. “I would write music for how I was feeling pretty much.

“My nickname on the football team was Big Tony and I kind of went with that for my stage name, and in 2018 I put out my first couple of songs and figured at some point I wanted to make merchandise to promote that and promote that anyone can pretty much do anything if they put their mind to it.”

Fitting for what Sevieri’s been going through.

“It was a day in September and I was with my trainer and I noticed my breathing wasn’t right,” he said. “It was feeling very different than how it felt before.”

So he alerted his mother about it.

“She said I had a doctor’s appointment that Wednesday, so I went in and explained how I was feeling,” Sevieri explained. “Despite there not being any signs on any scans or anything she ordered the X-ray and they found a 15-by-11 centimeter mass in my chest.”

Additional tests down the road revealed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He finished his final chemotherapy treatment last month.

And while he wasn’t able to socialize with his friends during that period, Sevieri found other ways to pass the time. He began to expand his brand, unveiling Big Tony Brand T-shirts in February.

“I haven’t been able to go out much, so it’s given me a lot of time to figure out internal things I can do, such as making the brand he said.

At last count — in early March — there’s about 100 floating around.

“I definitely want it to be a brand people will like and a brand people will see on shelves and see say ‘I like it, I’ll buy it,’” Sevieri said.

“Everything I make just helps me refund the company.”

To buy one: search @bigtonybrandofficial on Instagram.