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Season Preview: Panthers wrestling team no longer lacks experience

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Tyler Cullinan records a pin in the Panthers’ opener. / Photo from: Gary Rabinovitz

The Panthers look to snap a streak of two seven-win seasons.

What was once a weakness is now a strength for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team.

“We were very young last season and all of our returning wrestlers gained valuable varsity time,” said third-year head coach Gary Rabinovitz. “In wrestling, experience and mat time counts and we have a lot of that returning this year. Taking your licks one year makes you a better wrestler the next.”

The Panthers return all three of their Div. 2 South Sectional qualifiers and their top two wins leaders, as they try to push past the seven-win mark, where they’ve been stuck on for the past two winters.

“The goal has been to grow this program to the next level and that has not changed,” Rabinovitz said. “We will look to improve on our dual meet win-loss record and then qualify several wrestlers for the D2 state championships in February.”

The program’s youth is its best chance to propel it to the next level. Junior captain Steve Brooks returns to the mat to compete in the 152-pound weight class yet again after posting a team-leading 19 victories and 15 pins to qualify for Div. 2 South Sectionals last season.

“Steve worked hard in the offseason wrestling at Dungeon Training Center in Hanover,” Rabinovitz said. “With two sessions of offseason wrestling under his belt, Steve should be a more competitive wrestler this year.”

Sophomores Matt Butler, Damari Goldsmith-Greene and Myles McInnis headlined an impressive core of freshmen to hit the mat last season. The three combined for 38 wins. Butler returns to the 126-pound weight class after he ranked second on the team with 16 victories, placed in three tournaments and qualified for the Div. 2 South Sectionals.

“Matt Butler brings a lot of energy and experience to this year’s team,” Rabinovitz said.

Goldsmith-Greene produced 11 victories and 55 points out of the 132-pound weight class last winter. “Damari has been working very hard every day in practice and looks like a seasoned veteran,” Rabinovitz said. “Damari will start the season in the 138-pound weight class and looks to drop to the 132-pound weight class before too long.”

Myles McInnis also racked up 11 victories, but in the 106-pound weight class. This winter he’ll compete at 113 pounds. His brother Joel McInnis, a senior, was the team’s other sectional qualifier after a 12-win season at 145 pounds, a weight class he’ll return to.

“Both were varsity starters last season and have tons of experience,” Rabinovitz said.

Junior Tyler Cullinan will serve as one of the captains and bump up to the 170-pound weight class from 160, where he tallied 11 wins last season.

“Tyler surprised many as a wrestler last season with a deadly headlock that I know he will be using again this season,” Rabinovitz said.

Junior Matt Rock will provide the team with some much-needed depth due to his ability to compete at both 120 and 126 pounds. Senior captain Christian Schneider is back from a knee injury and will wrestle in the 195-pound weight class. A pair of freshmen in Joe Boss (106 pounds) and Jason Rapoza (182) will be looked upon to have an immediate impact.

“I look for this team to grow week after week so that we peak at the proper time, that being sectionals and then the state tournament,” Rabinovitz said.

The Panthers return to mat Saturday at Dec. 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. for a super-quad meet in Marshfield. 

“Dec. 19 at Silver Lake will be a real barn-burner, as we have split the last two seasons,” Rabinovitz said. “Jan. 30 should also be a big match with Duxbury as we surprised them last year at Duxbury.”

Season Preview: Health, leadership key for boys’ hockey

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Senior captain Ed Scriven (top), senior assistant captain Owen Manning (bottom left) and junior assistant captain Adam Solari (bottom right). / Photo by: Sue Moss

After missing out on the tournament by two points last season, the boys’ hockey team is healthy and ready to go.

After an injury-riddled second half of the season led to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team missing out on the playoffs by two points last winter, everyone’s healthy, and the team is looking to show what it can do when it has a clean bill of health.

“It’s safe to say one of the goals is to qualify for the state tournament,” said ninth-year head coach Chris Googins, in the third season of his second stint with the club. “It hasn’t happened for a while and it would be pretty neat for the kids.”

Sophomore defenseman Kevin Willis, who sustained a torn ACL last season, is one of the key players back from injury for the Panthers. He, along with classmates Jack Allen and Josh Pike and junior Reed Watson, will see significant time on the blue line.

“I’d say the level of importance on defense is our strength,” Googins said. “It’s one of the first couple of things we discuss through the course of the year, whether on or off the ice, and they really bought into it the first couple of days it looks like they’ve been doing a good job just defending.”

Junior forward Chris Stoddard, who was tied for fifth on the team with nine points through 12 games last winter, was sidelined for the final three weeks. This season, he’ll be joined by classmates John Hagan and Eddie Collins on the second line.

“They’ve been in the program for three years,” Googins said. “There’s high expectations for that group.”

LEADERSHIP

On the first line for the Panthers will be senior captain Ed Scriven, senior assistant captain Owen Manning and junior assistant captain Adam Solari. All are multi-sport captains and provide the team with substantial leadership.

“We have three really good captains this year,” Googins said. “They’re also good mentors.”

Scriven’s 11 goals were second on the team last season, and he’ll be relied upon heavily to make up for the production lost with the gradation of league all-stars Korey Howard and Alex Uva, who combined for 27 goals and 26 assists.

“Ed’s got a dynamic shot,” Googins said of Scriven, who also captained the golf team. “He’s got a very hard shot, and he’s put in a lot of time. He’s put in a lot of work in the offseason. He’s a very good and a very fluent skater with a dynamic shot, so that’s a good combination to have in high school hockey.”

Manning, who was also a golf captain, scored seven goals and dished out six assists last winter.

“Owen is a highly respected kid on and off the ice,” Googins said of Manning. “Owen brings a nice level of grittiness and he’s got a real good hockey IQ. He knows when to shoot and he knows when to pass. I consider him to be one of our top playmakers.”

Solari’s eight-goal, 11-assist campaign last winter shined a light on what he can bring to the table. But so did his election as an assistant captain.

“It speaks for himself as a junior to be elected a captain by his peers,” Googins said of Solari, who also captained the boys’ cross country team. “He’s very well respected by his peers. He’s got a really quick release, a real quick release, and he’s got a knack for the net, and I’m hoping that can carry over from last sea son.”

In net, it’s a three-player battle between junior R.J. Flynn, sophomore transfer from Archbishop Williams Bobby Siders and freshman Erik Dean to take over the reins from Ricky Welch.

“Competition is healthy, it really is,” Googins said. “It makes everyone better.”

The Panthers open the season Saturday, Dec. 8 at 3:10 p.m. at Hobomock Arenas against league opponent Pembroke.

“The kids are very receptive to learning, very knowledgeable of the game,” Googins said “They know the level of intensity that needs to be present at practice, and there’s minimal motivating at practice because it’s pretty up tempo. They know what the barometer is now.”

Season Preview: Lots of depth on girls’ basketball team

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Jenna Olem talks to her team against Scituate last season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers return a lot from a team that posted an eight-year best 13-9 record last winter, as head coach Jenna Olem begins her sixth season at the helm.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ basketball team, the pieces to the puzzle are there, now it’s just about connecting them.

“It has a been a four-year process of them all coming together for this year particularly,” said sixth-year head coach Jenna Olem.

The Panthers return all but three players from last winter’s roster that led the program to an eight-year best 13-9 record. Almost all the seniors have been with Olem since at least their sophomore seasons, while the returning three juniors and two sophomores received significant playing time last season. The core showed signs of greatness, displayed by their 7-0 start last season, but stumbled down the stretch, going just 6-9 the rest of the way. Olem said she believes this season’s team is more prone to halt a slide like that.

“I think last year, we did have a younger team, with only two seniors,” Olem said. “The juniors, now seniors were getting their first taste of real playing time as were the sophomores and freshmen. It’s natural to hit some bumps within the mid-January stretch, but I think the girls are experienced enough to stop the bleeding quickly when they face adversity.”

Senior two-year captains and Patriot League All-Stars Kathryn Dunn and Erin Leahy will lead the way once again this winter.

Dunn led the team in nearly every statistical category last season, including points (11.3), assists (1.9) and steals (1.8). Her 5.7 rebounds per game, ranked second. Dunn will be used mostly as a stretch four to open up the court.

“Many of our offensive sets will be designed to get the ball in her hands to lead the offensive attack,” Olem said. “To be honest, I think Kathryn is capable of doing even more for us this year, especially as far as scoring goes. I want her to have that confidence that if she has a chance to score, we want her to score first.”

After being used mainly down low last season, Leahy will slide back into the point guard role, where she was as a sophomore.

“Her ability to see the floor, control the pace of play and handle defensive pressure are crucial,” Olem said. “Erin also presents a problem to opposing defenses because she is so much bigger than most guards. She can shoot the three, post up, and find the open man.”

Sophomore Reese Codero (4.1 ppg last season) will start at the two guard, joining Dunn and Leahy in the starting lineup. Junior Brittany Gacicia and senior Meg Henaghan are the front-runners to round out the starting lineup at small forward and center, respectively. However, Olem said she doesn’t read too much into who takes the court for the opening tip.

“The great strength about this team is that there is no real drop off between the starters and the people coming off the bench,” she said. “Everyone has something to offer. I think the versatility of our roster is balanced that we can fit a lot of people into the starting lineups depending on matchups, so I believe it will change through out the season.”

Olem said that when the 6-foot-2 Henaghan is on the court, she’ll look to her to provide a steady presence down low, due to the team’s lack ofheight elsewhere.

“She can take up space in the paint, block or alter shots and get rebounds,” Olem said. “She will have to use her skillset and her body to be that dominant player on the boards and anchor the defense down low.”

With Henaghan providing the Panthers with just about their only size down low, as opposed to last season when senior captains Halle Julian and Alyssa Nicholson clogged up the paint, Olem said their offensive philosophy will differ.

“We will be more dependent on playing with more guards, instead of traditional post play as we’ve done in the past,” Olem said. “We have so many players who can do a variety of things with the ball. Because they are mostly interchangeable skill-wise I feel confident I can use them in a variety of positions. We will have more of a spread offense look and continue to run.”

However, their aggression on defense, set and embodied by senior Olivia Johnson, will not change.

“[Olivia] brings that unbelievable sense of competition to everyone and is an absolute game-changer on the defensive end,” Olem said. “I think defense obviously sets the tone and shows the toughness of the team and will be something that we stress every day in practice. We will press and mix up our defenses depending on matchups.”

Olem noted she was pleasantly surprised to see the improvement of both junior Hannah Damon and sophomore Rylie Harlow, while she’s excited to see what junior Olivia Martin will bring to the offense this season.

The Panthers begin their campaign Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. on the road against Patriot League foe Quincy.

“There is no considerable drop off from one player to the next and many of the players have interchangeable skills, which is nice to have,” Olem said. “I think that on any given night, a different player will have an opportunity to help the team win.”

Season Preview: WHSL girls’ hockey is much improved

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Emily McDonald of Whitman keys the returnees back for WHSL. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The WHSL looks to move on from a 2-18 season last winter.

For the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team, it’s a lot more clear heading into this season than it was going into last winter, when it returned just eight players.

“It was a shock to all of us,” said fourth-year head coach Kevin Marani of the lack of familiar faces to start last season.

With the exception of a select few, Marani had no idea who was going to play, or even who could play and where.

“Last year was a trying year,” he said.

While it was a trying season, it certainly wasn’t a lost one for WHSL, which went 2-18 overall with both wins coming in the final month. The Panthers had 15 new faces, 11 of whom were freshmen.

“The first part of any freshman year, you’re just learning,” Marani said. “You think you know high school hockey and speed and you don’t.”

Nine of those now-sophomores are back, along with a handful of upperclassmen, while a former league all-star has returned and a few incoming freshmen have impressed, all combining to put WHSL in a good spot this winter.

“The experience that we have with all the sophomores that we have along with the return of [Alyssa Murphy] and there are a couple freshmen are going to be helpful for us,” Marani said. “The newness of playing in high school hockey is gone and now it’s experience. Confidence breeds success.”

Yes, junior Alyssa Murphy (Kingston), who played for the junior hockey team Walpole Express last season, has returned.

“She’s just a great kid, a great hockey player,” Marani said.

Murphy scored 20 goals and dished out 23 assists as a freshman. WHSL scored just 31 goals last winter.

“When we let up a goal, we’d be defeated,” Marani said. “We could not score. She’s also a lot faster from when she was a freshman, she’s probably one of our faster, if not fastest girls.”

Murphy will captain the team with senior Maddie Soule (Hanson).

“She’s a great leader and great kid,” Marani said of Soule “I believe the two captains that we choose, we could not be happier.”

Emily McDonald (Whitman), who scored three goals last season, will be looked upon to produce even more in her sophomore campaign.

“This year, I can see the strength,” Marani said. “She’s stronger. Her shot’s better. Her passes are more crisp, pure strength.”

Sophomores Caity Hazley (one goal, nine assists last season) and Ellie Grady (one goal, two assists), both of Kingston, also provide some goal-scoring potential on the wing.

Senior Zoe Lydon (Hanson) and sophomores Neve Corkery (Kingston) and Caleigh Thompkins (Kingston) will help sure up the blue line with the transfer of junior Natalie Nemes (Kingston), the team’s lone league all-star last season, to Tabor Academy.

GOALKEEPERS

After entering last season with no goalies, the Panthers embark on their upcoming campaign with two sophomores Kat Gilbert (Halifax), who is the starter, and Rylee Moran (Whitman). Both have been working with a goalie coach brought on about midway through last season.

“Kat had started and just didn’t know the nuances of being a goalie and this summer, both her and Rylie have gone to multiple, multiple goalie clinics and it’s just about knowing how to play the position,” Marani said.

Marani said he’s put a heavy emphasis on improvement in two key areas thus far that go hand in hand with success in the win column.

“It comes straight down to passing and shooting, and that’s something these girls have been working on in every practice, along with [then] going home and shooting against a garage door or a wall and passing it against a wall,” he said “They see the teams we play and how good of a passing team they are. If we can improve our passing and our shooing, hitting the open net, we’ll score a lot of goals.”

Marani said he’s excited to see what his sophomore-driven team does in the future.

“Going through tough times makes you closer,” he said. “You can either get closer or start fighting with each other. They want to take a team that was 2-18 and make the state tournament and maybe one day win a league championship. There’s still three years to go. They’re only going to mature more and they do have the talent.”

WHSL will open the season Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. against Dennis-Yarmouth at Troy Kent Arena.

“I just want to see competitiveness,” Marani said. “I want them to be a competitive team. Go out and play like you can win and let the chips fall in the net. If we don’t win, that’s fine. I want to see we’re competing and improving every game and if we can do that by the end of the year, we’re going to be fine.”

Season Preview: Boys’ basketball team aims to form own identity

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The Panthers during practice. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers are tasked with replacing all five starters for the second time in three seasons.

Another season, another opportunity for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team.

It’s a chance for it to make its own mark in the history of a program that, over each of the past six seasons, has won at least 16 games and has qualified for the last 10 Div. 2 South Sectional tournaments, while making a pair of trips to the TD Garden for the state semifinals.

After the graduation of all five starters from last season’s 16-5 team, the starting lineup – similar to 2016 – is blank after the first week of practice, just waiting for five players to emerge.

“We graduated everybody off of that [2015]-2016 team,” said 19-year head coach Bob Rodgers. “The only kids that had any kind of experience at all were [Luke] Tamulevich and Nikko Raftes, and both of those guys, their minutes were in a very complementary role.”

That team went on to win the league title and compete in the state semifinals at the TD Garden.

“It’s just a matter of getting the guys on the same page and trying to figure out what we have in terms of assets,” Rodgers said.

Also similarly to the 2016-17 team, Rodgers said he expects the Panthers to return to being a good shooting team from inside and outside the arc. Last season’s team struggled with its ability to knock down shots.

“I think you always have to go with whatever your personnel strength is,” Rodgers said. “Last year, going inside was something that was an advantage for us. This year we do have a lot more shooters, more guys that can hit the outside shot, so it’s something where we’ll look a lot more like the teams of 2016 [and] ’17 than 2018.”

Sean Leahy, now playing at UMass Dartmouth, willed the Panthers to many victories last season, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a contest en route to Patriot League Keenan Division MVP honors. Fellow senior captain and Patriot League All-Star Jacob Hanson-Bartlett pumped in 12.3 points a game. Both of their production will be missed. Rodgers said it’s really hard for him to pinpoint who will shoulder the load on offense this season.

“One of the beauties of this roster is we have a lot of guys that can score,” Rodgers said. “Colby Ahern can shoot it. Ben Rice can. Stevie Kelly. John Zeidan.”

Of the Panthers’ returnees, senior guard Tajh Hunter has the most experience under his belt, having accumulated 381 minutes on the floor last winter. Senior guard Cole Lewis and junior guard Max Borgen are the only other two returnees with over 200 minutes of varsity playing experience. Senior guard Joey DePina, who received just 90 varsity minutes last season, will captain the team.

Rodgers said that while he isn’t returning a ton of experience at the varsity level, he can’t complain about the work put in by most of his players over the offseason.

“They’re in the gym all the time,” Rodgers said. “From the time the season ended last year to where we are right now, you see the improvement. So many of these guys are just head and shoulders of where they were when the season ended.”

Rodgers said he believes his team’s strength is its togetherness, and his players will deal with adversity as a unit.

“They’re such good kids that they get along really well and support each other,” Rodgers said. “I think they’re ready to grow together and help each other grow and deal with the pressures that are different on varsity than JV.”

Rodgers said he’s focused on getting everyone working toward the same mission, while improving along the way.

“We have a really young team,” he said. “Really the goal right now is just to try to get everybody on the same page, so that they’re playing the style that we believe in which is playing together, unselfish, build new character and let the record take care of itself.”

The Panthers open the season Tuesday, Dec. 11 at home against league foe Quincy at 6:30 p.m.

“I’ve never made predictions of where we’ll finish,” Rodgers said. “All I can say is we’ll play the game the right way. No matter what the record is, we’ll practice hard every day and we’ll get better every day.”

Season Preview: Experience, leadership key for W-H cheerleading team

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GIVING A CHEER: Children in kindergarten through grade eight joined the W-H Cheerleading team in a Panther Club Clinic on Friday, Sept. 14, culminating in a chance to cheer for the football team under the Friday Night Lights. / Photo by: Sue Moss

All eyes are zeroed in on state title No. 14.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders are back on the mats and in full force.

Forty kids turned out to tryouts in late August, enough for first-year head coach Alyssa Hayes, who took over the team on a temporary basis in February, before being named to the position full time in April, to fulfill her goal of forming a junior varsity team.

“This is the first time in a long time that we’ve had a JV team, which coach Keryn Cordo and I are so excited about,” said Hayes, a 2012 W-H graduate. “Having two solid teams again would be ideal.”

Decorated seniors Anna Franklin and Shelby Newcomb captain the varsity team alongside junior Ryley Hurley.

“They, honestly, the three of them are the best of friends, and that’s how they treat the rest of the team,” Hayes said.

The trio doesn’t just guide the team on the mats, but through the halls as well.

“We’ve got a lot of new freshmen and even [on the] first day of school, I saw them walking the freshmen around,” Hayes said. “They’re just going to lead this team 24/7, not just at practice.”

Hayes is expecting the same positive attitudes to push the Panthers forward this fall that did last winter, which culminated in state title No. 13.

“They seem to all really get along and love each other, which is something you usually have to build up to,” Hayes said.

The Panthers have seven returnees from that title winning team. In addition to their three captains, senior Maddy Anderson, junior Kaylee Diehl, and sophomores Olivia McCarthy and Savannah Po- irier are all back.

“I’m so excited,” Hayes said. “I can’t wait to get going. We already have our competition schedules ready, so I can’t wait to get started. I feel like I’ve been waiting for the beginning of the season for a while.”

And, first up on that competition schedule is the Oliver Ames Invitational on Sunday, Oct. 21. Six days later –on Oct. 27 – will be the Braintree Invitational.

“Now it’s just let’s start practicing those skills,” Hayes said. “You get the routine in August, so we’re trying to get some reps in and build up to states in November.”

Season Preview: Golf team shooting for competitiveness

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The Panthers during their Sept. 10 match. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High golf team is shooting to remain on course.

When asked of his team’s goal for the new season, Whitman-Hanson Regional High golf head coach Brian Dempsey replied with a two-part answer.

“This year, our day-to-day goal is to stay competitive,” Dempsey said. “Our team this year is very inexperienced, which can definitely make things a little unclear when it comes to matches. That being said, we have some players that have a lot of talent and many others that have the potential to make a big impact.

“Ultimately, our larger goal is to qualify for the state tournament. If we can stay focused, learn from our teammates’ and our own play, I’m confident we can accomplish both.”

As Dempsey had hinted, achieving competitiveness can often lead to making the tournament. That’s a feat W-H’s accomplished four of the last five seasons.

The Panthers will have their work cut out for them, however, after the graduation of nine players, headlined by three of their top four golfers – JP Drier, Nik Duffy and Anthony Palmacci.

Palmacci, one of W-H’s two Patriot League All-Stars last season, shot a 1-over-par to help the Panthers knock off Duxbury for their first win ever over the Dragons.

“Losing Palmacci in the lineup is definitely tough, but with three of the top four spots open this year due to graduating seniors, I’m really excited to see some of our younger guys step in and have the chance to shine,” the seventh-year head coach, whose team went 9-8 last season, said.

The Panthers do return their top golfer and senior four-year player Owen Manning. The two-time captain was a league all-star last fall and posted a 4.1-over-par average.

“Owen is a special player not just because of his ability, but his approach and demeanor before, during and after play sets him apart as well,” Dempsey said.

Fellow senior Ed Scriven will serve as a captain along with Manning. Scriven, who has been on the team since he was a sophomore, emerged as a vital part of W-H’s rotation last fall when he shot a 6-overpar at Furnace Brook Golf Course, a place he shot nearly a 60 the season prior.

“Aside from Ed’s impressive jump in the lineup because of his skill, Ed is really special in terms of his personal leadership,” Dempsey said. “He’s always looking to lend a helping hand, give advice, or share stories, there are few times you will see this kid without a smile on his face.”

Dempsey noted sophomore Aidan Miller and juniors Matt Korzec and Ian Brown will be key this season, while senior Pat Dever could surprise some people.

W-H will be back in action Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. with a home contest at Ridder Farm Golf Course against league rival Duxbury.

“In the opening weeks, we have some tough matchups for sure, but if we can stay competitive, and not get caught up in the upcoming weeks of the season, we should be alright,” Dempsey said. “I always tell my guys to play present and focus on the task at hand, one shot at a time. If we can stay true to that, I think we can not only reach our season goals, but maybe even surpass them.”

Season Preview: Girls’ volleyball ready to carry over last fall’s late-season success

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The Panthers in their home opener against Silver Lake, a 3-2 win. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Panthers are looking to continue their upward trend this season.

It was an end of the season that had Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball head coach Ashley Balbian wishing last fall would never end.

Sitting at 2-17 with two contests remaining, the Panthers won out, defeating Middleboro and Bridgewater-Raynham — both by 3-1 scores — in a three-day span as it all started to come together.

“I think at the end we kind of found our groove,” Balbian said. “We had a lot more energy. A lot of younger girls felt more comfortable right as the season was ending, so now those girls are the leaders now so I could tell first practice that was the team, even better than before.”

Now the Panthers are back on the court, and Balbian, who is entering her second year leading the them, couldn’t be more ready to go.

“I’m really excited,” Balbian said. “I think that the girls coming in are just night and day compared to last year. They’re like different players. They’re more comfortable on the court, they’re confident and they’re having fun.”

Nine players return from last fall, all of whom received playing time.

“It’s invaluable,” Balbian said of her returning players’ experience. “I can already see the difference in practice.”

The Panthers do have their fair share of losses though. Halle Jillian (the program’s all-time blocks leader on record), Amanda Anderson and Tori Perry leave big holes.

Senior Nicole Scott and juniors Lexi Connolly and Olivia Martin replace Anderson and Julian as captains.

“I think it’s great to have three captains because the more, the better and they’re great leaders,” Balbian said. “They’re really positive and they always have a smile on their face.”

Scott, who was on junior varsity last season, brings an outsider perspective to the Panthers, which can’t hurt.

“I think from watching on the outside and coming in this year, I’ve realized we do need that more competitive edge,” Scott, who will play libero, said. “It’s good to keep each other positive after games but we got to take the next step and say, ‘Okay, what can we do to get better?’”

Connolly and Martin had big sophomore seasons. Connolly, an outside hitter, played in 52 of 75 sets and registered 92 attack attempts, 22 kills and 70 digs. Martin, a right side hitter, played in 59 sets, had 18 kills and 61 digs.

Both Connolly and Martin agreed, expectations are heightened this season.

“Last year was a building year,” Connolly said. “This year is definitely going to be better.” Said Martin: “[We want to] build on last year’s record.”

Middle hitter Ella Sweeney is also another key returnee for the Panthers, and she’s only a junior as well. She played in all but one set last season and posted 98 kills and 62 blocks.

“She has that experience,” Balbian said. “She brings that positive energy. She’s got that upbeat energy, which I think really adds to her as a player.”

Senior Allison Hanlon will provide a steady presence at outside hitter.

As for strengths, Scott pointed to the Panthers’ togetherness, something she watched work to their advantage last season as well.

“The home game where we played Duxbury – they’re such good competition,” she said. “They’re so good – there was one set where we weren’t ever ahead of them but we were so close and you could just tell we were having fun. We weren’t stressed. We weren’t mad or upset. We were just having fun and it definite ly showed on the court.”

The Panthers will be back on the floor Friday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at home against Patriot League foe Plymouth North.

“I want to see them come out strong [and] confident,” Balbian said.

Season Preview: Despite graduating 15 seniors, W-H field hockey is aiming for playoffs

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The Panthers during an Oct. 18 game last season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers look to keep plowing ahead after the graduation of 15 seniors.

For the past five seasons at tryouts, Whitman-Hanson Regional High field hockey head coach Todd Humphrey has watched the pool of players expand and talent level rise.

That’s why after losing a 15-player senior class – albeit one that set the tone of what field hockey is at Whitman-Hanson – Humphrey isn’t using the term rebuild, but rather “transition” to describe this fall.

“We’re very, very fast,” the fifth-year head coach said. “Our front seven — our forwards and midfielders are quite fast so that is a help, a boost, having lost 15 seniors.”

Humphrey, whose team, which was brought back in 2014, set highs in wins (six) and goals scored (30) last season, even took three freshmen – Lauren Dunn, Joli Flamos and Rosie MacKinnon – on varsity, which speaks volumes of how much field hockey has grown at W-H. But for every young team, it takes veteran leaders and playmakers to steer the ship to its destination, and the Panthers have them.

Senior captain Olivia Sheehan is as good as it gets from the left corner of the defense.

“Olivia Sheehan is one of the better defenseman in the Patriot League,” Humphrey said. “She will step up and battle and the thing about Olivia [is] when she gets the ball, she has an unbelievable burst.”

Senior captain Lauren Godbout has been with Humphrey since she was a freshman and will start at right midfielder.

Senior Annika Putur, who joined the team last season, will start in the center of the field at forward and serve as a captain, a role she serves on the girls’ lacrosse team as well.

FORWARDS

“The offense pretty much centers around her,” Humphrey said. “She is a great ball mover. She’s very fast and I’ve noticed this year she’s got a little cut. She can deke on the field.”

Flanking Putur on her left will be sophomore Lauren Clark, who Humphrey expects to see big things out of.

“She was on the freshman team and I was just moving her around a lot last year just to expose her because we were so crowded on varsity last year,” Humphrey said. “I knew she was a good goal scorer and know you’re going to see the coming out of Lauren Clark.”

Clark will work in tandem with junior Robin Goyette. At right wing will be another tandem with juniors Maddy Tassey and Sophie Molinari.

Zoe Lydon, a girls’ hockey and lacrosse captain, will back up Putur, and Lauren Dunn, senior Samantha Whitman and sophomore Delanie MacDonald will see time at forward.

MIDFIELDERS

Junior Victoria Ryan, a softball captain, will go up against some of the Patriot League’s best from her spot at left midfielder, and she looks to be up for the task.

“The reason I chose her at left midfielder was so I can deal with all these right wings that are so fast,” Humphrey said. “I figure that she can trail them.”

Flamos will also see time at left midfielder and junior Abby Repoza at center midfielder, while seniors Emily Stearns and MacKinnon will be up the middle.

“I want to get a lot of speed in the midfield and I’d love to see our midfielders enter the offensive zone – that half circle – and join the offensive attack,” Humphrey said.

DEFENSE

In addition to Sheehan on defense, senior Kathryn Dunn – a girls’ basketball captain – will roam the middle with sophomores Skylar Leonard and Noelle Cornetta to her right. Sophomore Madi Savicke takes over for Molly MacKinnon in goal.

“She’s been playing in a lot of leagues and getting in shape,” Humphrey said. “She’s looked great and definitely has a very bright future.”

The Panthers are back on the field Friday, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. as they play host to non-league rival East Bridgewater. 

“In terms of wins and losses, I’d love to make the tournament, Humphrey said. “I think there might be some growing pains at first. We’ll see where we’re at one game at time, but we may have ourselves a playoff team.”

Season Preview: Panther cross country teams are warming up

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Both teams at a beginning of the year practice. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Head coach Steve Goerge is expecting the boys’ team to be competitive while he doesn’t know what to expect from the girls’ team just yet.

Personal bests are always key in the sport of cross country. Without shooting for them, you’re doing your team a disservice.

Cross country is also one of the rare sports that celebrates the lowest score, not the highest with a first-place finish yielding one point, a secondplace yielding two and so on.

At Whitman-Hanson Regional High, fifth-year head coach of the boys’ and girls’ teams Steve George is hoping to see his runners flourish thus producing some positive results.

GIRLS’ TEAM

On the girls’ side, senior captain Maeve McDonough will lead the way.

“She’s a surprise,” George said. “When she first came here, one of my better runners said, ‘You won’t find a sweeter kid. She’s not a great runner but you won’t find a sweeter kid.’ Well, she was a sweet kid and right now she’s our top girl runner.”

Runners two through four will be juniors Niki Kamperides, Tori Boss, Tori Carleton and at No. 5 will be senior captain Maeve Rooney.

“She works hard despite the fact that she’s a dancer,” George said of Rooney. “She does Irish step dancing, which to me is as difficult as running is.”

Said Rooney: “I think if I’m doing good, I can motivate others to do good which would result in more wins for the team.”

George said freshmen Anna Flynn and Sarah Boulger have impressed him early on while seniors Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue and Gabbie Trongone figure to factor into some meets.

“I think everyone has a lot of potential and they don’t realize it until they actually start getting serious about it,” McDonough said.

The girls return to the course Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. on the road against league opponent Hanover.

“It’s just a matter of improvement for them,” George said. “I haven’t even thought about wins and losses and that’s never been my criteria for a successful season. I’d like to see a steady improvement over the season.”

BOYS’ TEAM

The boys’ team has “the makings of a very good team”, according to George.

Sophomore Theo Kamperides is the Panthers’ top returning runner and junior Brandon Hager is their second best.

Adam Solari, W-H’s third best returning runner, will captain boys alongside senior Shane Schraut.

“Adam comes from hockey and he’s a tremendous hockey player, strong hockey player,” George said. “He’s well-liked by his teammates. I think the fact that he’s well-liked is going to help him with leadership.

“Shane is on the quiet side and he’s a quiet leader. He’s shown some leadership in and outside of cross country.”

Schraut said the Panthers like to encourage each other regardless of where they stand on the totem pole, which will work to their advantage this season.

“Say one guy is straggling, one guy from behind will tell him to keep going and just keep pushing him to do harder and better,” Schraut said.

Solari echoed Schraut’s views.

“I think if we push each other, we’ll be a really good team,” Solari said.

Juniors Matt Avery, Dylan Burns and Nick Hanley along with , sophomores Matt Butler, Liam Cafferty and Chris MacDonald and freshman Evan Jewett will also make impact for the Panthers, who return to action at Hanover on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m.

“We have the makings of a very good team,” George said. “Perhaps not this year, but next year. One of our captains is a junior and then the next top seven is made up of juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”