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Season Preview: Football team ‘extremely happy’ to be back together

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The field on Day 1. / Courtesy photo (@coachscarps)

The football team is finally back on the field.

There’s definitely a different feeling in the air, but at the end of the day football is still football.

After being apart for nearly 15 months, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team is back on the field — and it isn’t taking it for granted.

“It felt pretty good to be running around with the kids,” said head coach Mike Driscoll, who is entering his 10th year on the Panthers sideline. “We’re very, very fortunate and we’re extremely happy to be playing football. We’re very blessed to be out there — it feels great.”

The Panthers began practice on Feb. 22 and their first game is scheduled for March 12. That’s less than three weeks to prepare.

“It’s definitely different,” Driscoll said. “In the summer, normally we have our 7-on-7s and our workouts and everything leading up to it and you kind of know what you have.”

W-H has taken a few different approaches to account for missed time.

“We can’t have our usual meetings inside, so we’ve slowed things down,” Driscoll said. “We’re going to do what we can do. We’ve limited our playbook and we’re going to teach to our best ability and get ready to go out there and compete every Friday.”

The Panthers, who are looking to bounce back from a 2-10 campaign in 2019, will have a new-look offense this season.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to our scheme and we’re hoping that scheme fits our build better than in the past where we’ve had some really good running quarterbacks,” Driscoll said. “We don’t really have that right now so we’ve gone to more of a Wing-T-type set and we’re hoping that helps us out.”

The Panthers quarterback is still to be determined, at the time. Driscoll said there are five kids battling it out. That’s because senior captain Jason Murphy, a returning Patriot League All-Star, converted back to running back after he was thrust under center last year due to an injury.

“Jason is a great kid,” Driscoll said. “He has a great work ethic and is a real leader of the football team.”

Fellow senior captain Nik Dolan could take some snaps at quarterback.

“He’s gonna play all over for us,” Driscoll said. “You could see him lineup at wingback, you could see him at wideout, you could see him at quarterback, he’s gonna play one of those positions. Defensively, he’s gonna be our safety back there and he’s gonna be running the show.”

Griffin Mountcastle, a two-year starter up front, is another senior captain.

“We expect big things out of him as well on the line,” Driscoll said.

Senior Declan Hanaphy and juniors Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder, Hunter Baker, Zach Boisjolie, and Will Stafford will also play key roles this season.

W-H is scheduled to kick off its five-game schedule at home on March 12 at 6 p.m. against Silver Lake.

“The goal is to get five games in without having any interruptions,” Driscoll said. “We’re going to be competitive every week. This team is better than any team we’ve ever had in a few years. Athletically — it’s probably the most athletes we’ve ever had. But as a unit they have a long way to go as far as jelling that together.”

Mike Buchanan finds a home on the gridiron

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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.”

Season Review: Football team shows strength in adversity

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Quarterback Jason Murphy runs away from the Hingham defender. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season en route to a 2-10 campaign.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team came out strong in it its season opener, putting up 21 points in the first half against Concord-Carlisle.

Then, the Panthers lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Conor Meehan, later in the game to a season-ending injury, throwing an immediate wrench into their plans.

“That was huge,” said ninth-year head coach Mike Driscoll. “We come out in that first game on fire and played exceptional, so now when he goes down, we had to move receivers to running back and a running back to quarterback. It was a challenge.”

It was the second straight year Driscoll lost his starting signal-caller.

“We had the eye in the system, so it definitely helped us a little bit,” Driscoll explained.

The injury to Meehan thrust junior Jason Murphy under center, a position he had experience playing, but he came into the season prepared to be W-H’s lead running back.

“Jason is a runner type, which we’ve had, we’ve had runners at quarterbacks recently, and Conor was a passer who could also run,” Driscoll said. “Conor was more of a dual threat, so teams started playing us a little different. We had to change our style back for a running quarterback and completing some short stuff.”

The Panthers dropped their opener and following two games, before the offense finally clicked, as they routed Silver Lake, 34-14, and ran past Plymouth North, 35-14. However, those were their only two wins, as they finished the year 2-10.

“We prepared every week — the will to win was there every week,” Driscoll said. “They prepared like they wanted to win and sometimes it’s tough — you got to maintain the mental side of things. It just wasn’t one of those seasons where things went our way.”

Murphy ended up being tabbed a league all-star for his play at safety and on offense.

“Jason is a great player,” Driscoll said. “He knows how to play the game, he’s physical and he’s a great student — which is huge for us.”

Behind Murphy, senior captain C.J. Giuliani rushed for a team-high 689 yards. Also a starting linebacker, he recorded 65 tackles and five sacks en route to league all-star status.

“C.J. was the heart and soul of our football team — both sides of the ball,” Driscoll said. “He’s a great player, student of the game, and a tough, hard-nose, gritty football player.”

Another two-way player, senior Devin Coulstring was named a league all-star. The Panthers starting fullback, Coulstring helped pave the way for a rushing attack than ran for 141 yards a game. At cornerback, he tallied 12 pass breakups.

“I talked to him about how impressed I was with him,” Driscoll said. “He worked hard and waited his time out behind some really good players he had a great year for us.”

Starting center Declan Meehan was also key in the run game. The senior started on the defensive line as well and was named a Patriot League All-Star.

“I’m so happy for him,” Driscoll said. “He’s someone who works really hard and linemen don’t always get recognized, but he’s in there playing both ways for us and really grinding it out for us every week.”

With Meehan and Murphy keying the Panthers’ returnees next fall, they also return a steady diet out of the backfield, which includes the likes of: sophomore Will Stafford and junior Nik Dolan.

“It’s a great core coming back,” said the coach. “We have up to seven or eight guys that started on that defense this year and that’s same on offense. The kids are already in the weight room.”

Season Preview: W-H football is looking to surprise some people

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A recent Panthers scrimmage vs. EB. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers enter the new year with a bevy of lost production, but they think they have the answers to fill those shoes.

Nine-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High football head coach Mike Driscoll knows well what his team is tasked with replacing.

That’s seven starters on offense, eight starters on defense and 21 players in total, who produced 2,472 yards of offense, 33 touchdowns, 594 tackles, 21.5 sacks and eight interceptions last fall alone. While the losses are eye-popping, Driscoll said the cover isn’t as bare as it may appear. 

“In all honesty, we have probably eight guys who started games on defense for us and we have another six who started games on defense for us due to injuries or something else that happened during the season,” said Driscoll, whose team finished 8-3 last season. “So we have experience.”

While the offense will likely take some time to develop with the bevy of new faces, Driscoll said the Panthers are going to rely heavily on their defense. W-H held opponents to just over 11 points per game last fall.

“We feel really good about our defense,” Driscoll said. “They’re flying around. We’re quick and we’re going to come at you from all different angles this year.”

The secondary will key the unit with senior captain Tommy George (22 tackles and two interceptions last season) back as a starter at cornerback. Senior Devin Coulstring will start opposite George, while junior Jason Murphy will start at strong safety as will senior Jon Zeidan at free safety. They all have some experience under their belts.

“We have a lot of depth there with those guys back,” Driscoll said. “Jason is one of the better strong safeties in the area.”

Senior returning starters, captain C.J. Guiliani (55 tackles and three sacks last season) and Joseph McStravick (25 tackles last season) headline a strong linebacking core. 

Junior Zach Boisjolie (nine tackles and a sack last season) returns as the starting nose guard and will anchor a new-look defense line that will also feature sophomore Malcom Alcorn-Crowder and seniors Jared Homes and Declan Meehan.

Though, Declan Meehan’s value comes more on the offensive line, where he’s the only returning starter at right guard.

“That’s where we took the biggest hit,” Driscoll said. “We lost four really good linemen. That’s going to be a work in progress.”

Declan’s brother, sophomore Conor Meehan, will man the duties under center.

“He’s got great poise and he’s got one heck of an arm,” Driscoll said. “He’s kind of like our typical quarterbacks that we’ve had, where he’s got great feet but he’s definitely got a great arm and he knows the game very well.”

Conor will have the 6-foot Zeidan, Giulliani (four catches for 37 yards, TD last season) and George as returning targets.

Murphy, who can also play quarterback, will be the bell cow out of the backfield.

“Jason Murphy makes us a better team playing running back, defensive back and returner for us,” Driscoll said. “Jason is dynamic. He’s the fastest player we got. He’s also a weight room warrior. He’s a leader of the team.”

Junior Max Rodri will take over the kicking duties, a role Jake O’Brien handled for the past two seasons.

“He’s a fabulous kicker,” Driscoll said of Rodri. “He worked his tail off in the summer and is kicking them into the endzone on kickoffs already. He’s going to be huge.”

Driscoll said he wouldn’t be surprised at all if it took a few weeks for his team to come into its own.

“We can talk to them about it, but it’s the speed of the game and that they’re going to realize that speed is a lot different than where it is in the scrimmages or practice,” said the coach. “It’s a whole different atmosphere on Friday nights. Once they got to get through that once, I think they’ll be all right.”

The Panthers are scheduled to open their season at home Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. against Concord-Carlisle.

“We want to grow and be competitive in this awesome Patriot League and I think we’re going to surprise some teams as we go along,” said Driscoll. “These guys have a chip on their shoulder. The other teams will look at you a little different, but they’ll find out once the games start that we’re still a pretty good football program.”

Hanson’s Sweeney ready to tackle freshman campaign for Springfield College football team

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Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Quinn Sweeney is a freshman on the Springfield College football team.

Growing up, Quinn Sweeney’s father Keith always had a simple message for him when it came to the college selection process.

“He just said to pick the school that was the right fit for me,” said Quinn, who hails from Hanson.

So, that’s what he did, and his choice just happened to be Springfield College, where his father achieved all-star status as a defensive back. He’d also get the opportunity to play football there, but education was a bigger factor in Quinn’s decision.

“Toward the end of my sophomore year, I decided I wanted to become a physical education teacher,” Quinn said. “We researched a bunch of schools and Springfield and Bridgewater [State University] were my top choices. I felt most comfortable at Springfield. Following in his footsteps is like icing on the cake.”

His offseason was busy.

“[I] lifted three times a week and did conditioning three times a week,” Quinn said. “The strength and conditioning staff is really big on recovery and giving your body time to recover from workouts. I was lucky to get to play in the Shriners [Football Classic] game in June, so that was kind of like a mini camp to get back into the football mode.”

Whitman-Hanson Regional High football coach Mike Driscoll often lauded Quinn, who was a Patriot League All-Star last fall as a senior, during his playing days for the Panthers, coining him the “energy guy” and an essential part of the “heart and soul” of the line at either his end position on defense or post at tackle on offense.

“He loves football,” Driscoll said of Quinn last August. “He’s just the type of kid who can get off the ball and he’s worked on a lot of his quickness.”

Now, as Quinn readies to kick off his freshman campaign on the Pride, he’s is taking it one practice at a time.

“Preseason camp goes until Sept. 4,” he said. “I’m just trying to get better every day and put together a string of good practices. If I do that, everything will take care of itself.”

Springfield begins the season Saturday, Sept. 7 on the road against Western New England at 1 p.m.

“I have been given an amazing opportunity and I want to take advantage of everything the school has to offer,” Quinn said. “Football-wise, I’d love to be part of the team — brotherhood is what we call it here. Just do my part to help our team have success.”

Season Review: Boys’ indoor track a ‘dedicated’ team

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The boys’ track team finished 2-3.

In Mike Driscoll’s 20-plus years coaching track at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, this winter’s boys’ team holds a special place in his heart.

Not only is it his last, but it is one of the most dedicated groups he’s coached.

“I was telling some of the coaches that this is one of the hardest working groups we’ve had,” said Driscoll, who is stepping away from track to spend more time with his family. “They never complained and they just went about their business every day and it makes going to practice a lot of fun.”

It’s that sort of attitude that payed off for many of the Panthers.

Senior captain Billy Martell embodied selflessness and hard work. Already one of the best sprinters in the Patriot League, Martell took on the shot put, and flourished.

“At the beginning of the year we circled the shot put and said, ‘I don’t know how we’ll be,’” recalled Driscoll. “He goes, ‘Nah, I’ll be alright.’”

He was alright, finishing sixth at the Patriot League championships with a throw of over 41-feet-1 1/2 inches. Junior Pat Bui was another sprinter who took on the shot put, finishing eighth at the Patriot League championships with a throw of 37-feet-8 inches.

“He had a great season,” said Driscoll. “It was huge for us.”

Senior Kyle O’Brien burst onto the scene for the Panthers, who finished 2-3, posting a career year, capped by a ninth-place performance in the 600-meter run in the Div. 3 championships with a time of 1:28.35.

“He stepped it up,” said Driscoll. “He told us before the year that he was going to have a good year and he really worked his tail off to be good and it was awesome to see. Meet after meet he would get better and better. He was dedicated to his craft.”

Sophomore Theo Kamperides and junior Brandon Hager, two crossovers from cross country, were huge for the Panthers. Kamperides had a pair of wins in the 2-mile run.

“He was a great addition to the winter team,” Driscoll said of Kamperides. “He carried it over from the great pace that he had and he had a really good year. He ran with everybody and never backed down.”

Hager starred in the 1-mile run.

“Brandon had a lot of depth,” Driscoll said. “He’s just kind of tapping the surface of how good he can be as a runner. I really feel like those kids are going to jell in the fall. He works so hard in the races that you just see it in the guys he’s racing like, ‘Oh boy this guy’s not going to go away.’ And he doesn’t. He’s got a lot of depth.”

Driscoll said the highlight of the winter came Jan. 4 in a 51-48 victory over Pembroke, where the 4×200 relay team of Bui, Martell, fellow seniors Sean Kukauskas and Nic Fernandes clinched the win.

“That was a huge win for us,” Driscoll said. “That was a big night for the kids. [Pembroke] is someone we all respect in the track world, and to beat them was a cool thing.”

While Driscoll won’t be back next season, he said he believes the program only get better.

“I think they’re in good shape,” Driscoll said. “I think they’ll continue to grow. I think they’ll continue to get better and the numbers will grow.

“I told all the coaches, ‘I’m always going to be pushing Whitman-Hanson track. It’s in my blood forever and anything I can do to help them I will.’”

Big senior season lands Martell at Mass. Maritime

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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.

Season Preview: Boys’ indoor track has some big shoes to fill

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Returner Billy Martell last season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ indoor track looks to build over the season.

Head coach Mike Driscoll’s expectation of his Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ track team is for it to show constant improvement.

The Panthers, who finished the year 2-3 last winter, have some large voids to fill with the graduation of all four of their Div. 3 All-State qualifiers in Brian Edwards, Brett Holmes, Andrew Newman and Jack Ryan.

“Those holes are big with those guys, and they create some problems in our lineup, but there will be kids stepping into their roles,” said the team’s sixth-year head coach. “I don’t know if they can say they’re going to step into Jack Ryan’s shoes or a Brett Holmes’ shoes or Andrew Newman’s shoes, but we certainly have kids who are ready.”

W-H does return its fair share of talent. Senior captain Billy Martell emerged last season as one of its top sprinters and relay runners. This season, he’ll throw the shot put in addition to running the 55-meter dash, 300-meter dash, long jumping and running a leg of a relay.

“He’s just a fast kid,” Driscoll said. “He can throw the shot put up to 40 feet. He fills a lot of holes on a track team.”

Martell, along with fellow senior captain Dan Kline, classmate Brandon O’Brien and junior Kyle O’Brien, are at the center of the Panthers’ strength – their sprinting.

“We feel like the sprinting group is our top group,” Driscoll said. “We have some really good distance runners, too.”

The distance runners are led by a bevy of cross country runners from the fall.

Senior captain Shane Schraut, a boys’ cross county captain, will run distance and relay in addition to hurdling as well.

“He’s a great leader and a passionate kid about track,” Driscoll said. “He’s very dynamic. He can cover a lot of ground in a lot of events. He can go from the 600 down all the way down to the 55 dash.”

Other cross country runners in the fall bolstering the Panthers in the distance events will be junior Brandon Hager and sophomores Liam Cafferty, Theo Kamperides and Chris MacDonald.

Kline will also throw shot put, and chip in running a relay and hurdle.

“Dan is one of the best hurdlers in the league,” Driscoll said. “He’s a very hardworking kid.”

Junior Pat Bui fills gaps in the 55-meter dash, 300-meter dash and shot put.

The Panthers are back in action Friday, Dec. 21 at 4:30 p.m. against Hingham at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury.

“We’ll see where we matchup with Hingham,” Driscoll said. “We still might have enough depth to win a league championship but we’ll compete.”

Season Review: Football team seniors made their mark from the start

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Seniors with trophy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The senior-laden Panthers went 8-3 on the season.

When they were freshmen, Whitman-Hanson Regional High football head coach Mike Driscoll knew there was just something different about this season’s group of seniors.

“There were a bunch of them,” Driscoll said. “They started with like 40 kids and they were rolling people and playing good football.”

But the success isn’t what caught his immediate attention.

“You could tell the core of the kids really loved the game,” Driscoll said. “We kind of knew coming into their sophomore year that we were going to get something out a few of the kids. We knew early on that they were going to be a pretty good group.”

As sophomores they helped lead the team to a 7-4 season, as juniors they did the same, but in their final seasons the 16 of them helped Driscoll hit a mark he hadn’t since his first year as head coach. That’s the eight-win plateau.

“I told the seniors how proud we were of them for their four years in the program, and I told the younger guys to remember how it feels and do what those kids did and just continue on what they did,” said the eighth-year head coach.

The Panthers posted statement wins over Marshfield (41-13) in their opener, Quincy (39-0), Silver Lake (29-6) and Abington (16-0) on Thanksgiving.

“They were a hard-working group,” Driscoll said. “They were a resilient group and they were talented.”

With its offense working through some changes throughout the season, W-H’s defense was its one constant, as it recorded three shutouts and surrendered just 11.7 points per game. The unit was led by senior captain and league all-star Mike Connors. The middle linebacker racked up a team-leading 100 tackles.

“Mike is the quarterback in the middle and made our defense run,” Driscoll said. “He knows the game inside and out and it pays off. Mike is a student of the game.”

While Connors shored up the middle, senior Billy Martell was the rock in the secondary, recording 52 tackles and three interceptions from his safety position. On offense, he chipped in 518 rushing yards and three scores. The two-way threat was also a league all-star.

“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.”

Senior captain Quinn Sweeney and classmate Ryan Trongone were also two-way stars for W-H on the line. Sweeney was second on the team with 85 tackles and led it with 24 tackles for loss and seven sacks en route to a league all-star selection. Trongone was second on the team with 17 tackles for loss to go with 65 tackles.

“They’re the heart and soul of the team,” Driscoll said. “[They’re] gritty, tough and hard-nosed football players. They played great, but they also practiced great.”

Senior Nate Beath, a transfer from Pembroke, was a three-way asset for W-H due to his punting (31.8 punt average), blocking, rushing (244 yards, two TDs) and tackling (58 tackles and 5.5 sacks).

“Nate can do it all, he’s a really, really good football player,” Driscoll said. “I wish we had him in our program for all four years because I think he’s a legit player. He’s as good as they come.”

On offense, senior captain Ethan Phelps rushed for 654 yards and 12 TDs and was tabbed a league all-star.

“He could see the field pretty well,” Driscoll said. “We knew he was a great runner so he stepped into that role and from Day 1 he moved forward and got better at it as the season went on.”

It’s tough to find one player who had a more immense impact on the offense than senior captain Rian Schwede, who switched from wide receiver to fill a void at quarterback early in the season. In an Oct. 15 win over Quincy, he ran for, caught and threw a TD.

“Without Rian, we don’t win eight games,” Driscoll said. “That’s a fact. Rian Schwede gave up being an allleague receiver to switch to quarterback to help the team and that shows a lot about him as a person and his character.”

Driscoll said that while he’s graduating significant talent off this season’s roster, he’s optimistic about what the future holds for his program that finished off the year with a combined freshman, JV and varsity record of 20-1.

“We won a lot of football games this fall,” he said. “These kids know how to win, they work hard. They’re already working hard. We think we’re in good shape. We’re not where we want to be yet but we’re going to get there.”

Panthers stem the Green Wave: W-H football finally hits 8-win mark, gobbles up Abington 16-0

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Entire team with Dennis. M. O’Brien Trophy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers received big-time production from their seniors en route to a Turkey Day win over Abington.

When the Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team bowed out of the playoffs, the heartbreak didn’t last for long.

“After one or two days, we said, ‘We need to step it up and let last week go. The past is in the past. We’re now in the present and we need to move on,’” W-H senior captain Quinn Sweeney said of the team’s emotions after a 21-13 loss to North Attleboro in the first round of the playoffs.

Yes, the disappointment still lingered, but the Panthers still had something to play for, and that’s where they shifted their attention. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Panthers – 5-3 at the time – were aiming to win eight games, a feat the program hadn’t accomplished since 2011. Reaching the eight-win mark was personal, especially for most of the 21 seniors who watched this team go 7-4 for the past three seasons, and played major roles in the past two.

“The next week comes,” Sweeney said, “and we’re like, ‘Bishop Feehan. We have three more games together as a team. We need to finish strong.’”

The Panthers knocked off Feehan, 21-20, and fended off Bridgewater-Raynham, 15-14, the following week to put them one win away from No. 8 with a Thanksgiving tilt with rival Abington standing in their way. After three-plus hours of football in the subfreezing temperatures, they can finally call themselves an 8-3 football team.

Backed by a dominating defensive effort and a second-quarter scoring spurt, W-H shut out Abington (8-3), 16-0, in the 108th Thanksgiving Day meeting between the two.

Senior captain Ethan Phelps starred out of the backfield for W-H, carrying the ball 16 times for 148 yards.

Leading 6-0 after a Nate Beath (seven carries for 69 yards, TD) 6-yard TD run, Phelps took a handoff and darted 65 yards inside the 25-yard line. A few plays thereafter, senior Jake O’Brien drilled home a 23-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, a Green Wave fumble landed in the hands of Panthers senior Ryan Downing. On the next play, Phelps connected with senior captain Rian Schwede on a 25-yard TD to put the Panthers up 16-0 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

“It feels so good,” said an emotional Phelps after the game. “I’m just really happy we could pull it together and go 8-3.”

W-H’s defense, keyed by three fumble recoveries by Beath, took care of business the rest of the way.

Driscoll stressed the importance of his strong senior class playing in their last ever high school football games.

“It’s all about the seniors,” Driscoll said. “The seniors carried this game today.”