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MIAA cancels upcoming state finals; boys’ basketball team named D2 co-state champion

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It was not the way the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team expected its season to end, but it became inevitable.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has canceled this weekend’s state finals amid the current conditions of COVID-19.

W-H was scheduled to play Taconic in the Division 2 state final on Saturday. It was the program’s first-ever state final berth.

As a result of the cancellation, both W-H and Taconic will be named co-state champions.

W-H boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers said he agreed with the MIAA’s unanimous decision.

Rodgers added: “For me, the hardest part of every season as a coach is the final game and final practice. When the realization sets in that you don’t get to coach your seniors ever again, it’s a sick feeling. It has nothing to do with winning and losing.

“Our season started with a disappointing loss, but from that adversity we grew closer as a team and stronger every day. The team was unselfish and had a tenacious work ethic to record the best season in school history ending the year with 23 straight wins and a 25-2 record.”

A career to be proud of: Ralph’s stellar run on the mat comes to an end

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Bethany Ralph with her coaches. / Courtesy photo

Bethany Ralph placed second at 120 pounds in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz called senior captain Bethany Ralph the best female wrestler he’s had.

She showed why once again today at Methuen High.

For the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament at 120 pounds, falling to top-seeded Sophia Matthews of Woburn by pin in 3:35.

Seeded third, Ralph defeated Reading’s Latoya Kibusi by pin, 4-0, in 3:27 in the quarterfinals. She then proceeded to pin Alexcia Nou of Durfee in 5:36 (10-2 win) to gain a spot in the finals.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome I expected,” Ralph said. “I don’t want to end my career like that, of course, but I can’t let it keep me down. It was another great experience, for sure. Now the next step is to decide if I go to nationals in Virginia Beach or not.”

W-H head coach Gary Rabinovitz said Ralph has set the bar high for future girl wrestlers at Whitman-Hanson.

“Bethany is highly respected by everyone that knows her, I am so proud that I was able to coach her over her high school career,” Rabinovitz said. “This respect was earned the hard way, by hard work and dedication to her work ethic, weight control and leadership. “

Solari brothers a dynamic pair for W-H boys’ hockey

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Brothers Matt (left) and Adam Solari. / Photos by: Sue Moss

Brothers Adam and Matt Solari have flourished since joining forces on the Panthers’ first line.

Separated by three years, brothers Adam and Matt Solari had never taken the ice competitively together prior to this season.

You’d never know it.

The brothers form two-thirds (along with senior captain Chris Stoddard) of a dynamic top line for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey, which after recording its best regular season in at least 15 years with a 15-5-1 record, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament, following an 8-2 win over Wareham/Carver on Tuesday.

Adam, a senior alternate captain, struck for a goal in the first-round victory, while Matt, a freshman, lit the lamp twice. Adam registered the assist on Matt’s first postseason goal. The two have wrought havoc on opponents together all year. Adam tallied 20 goals and 11 assists during the regular season en route to being named a Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star. Matt scored 14 times and recorded 14 assists.

“A lot of times, when lines in hockey have success, the ones that sustain themselves are because they stay unselfish, and I think that’s so evident with those guys,” said W-H boys’ hockey head coach Chris Googins. “They have different skill sets, but I think Matt is a great F1, which is the first forechecker, and he’ll find Adam the puck. Adam is a gifted goal scorer, and I think when Adam gets loose, he’ll try to find Matt. They use their skill set very well to find each other.”

However, they didn’t join forces until the sixth game of the season, when Googins bumped Matt up a line, as he searched for some offense.

“We shook it up and they’ve been together ever since,” the coach explained.

While the two had never suited up together until this winter, they still had plenty of practice with each other over the years.

“In the driveway, we would always play together,” Matt said.

Added Adam: “Especially when our friends came over, all we did was play hockey.”

Matt is the only freshman on the team.

“He’s a physical kid, he can skate well and he’s got a good hockey IQ,” Googins said. “That’s something you really can’t teach in three or four months or in a season. You have to have that, and he does.

“He is only going to get better. He is going to make the underclassmen and the upperclassmen work harder. He’s just going to elevate his other teammates’ play.”

Despite being a freshman, the younger Solari has aimed to be on the varsity team for the last few years.

“I always came to his (Adam’s) game,” Matt said. “I would see who was leaving to see if I could make the team.”

Adam admitted that he’s a little jealous of his younger brother.

“I wish I could have done that as a freshman,” he said with a laugh. “It’s wicked cool to see him lighting it up, though.”

But Matt gives his older brother a ton of credit for his success.

“He absolutely makes me a better player,” Matt said. “He does. He gives me advice, a lot of the time. Growing up, I would watch what he did and try to replicate it.”

Their athletic bond doesn’t end at the rink, though.

“He plays lacrosse too, which is pretty cool,” Adam said.

Pretty cool for them, but a nightmare for the rest of the Patriot League.

The Panthers return to the ice for the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Feb. 29.

“We don’t want to come up short again this year,” Adam said.

Said Matt: “I think it would be awesome if we could go to the Garden. That would be awesome.”

Sister act: Martins court crossover success

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Sisters Olivia (left) and Abby Martin. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

The Martin sisters are making it a memorable time playing together.

For sisters Abby and Olivia Martin, it all starts at the dinner table.

“That’s where we game plan,” Olivia said.

And when your sister is on your team, that is the type of advantage you have.

“And then, mostly after every game, we go on Hudl and we watch the game with our family,” Abby explained. “Even though we were just in it, we want to watch it to see what happened and review it together.”

Their strategies have worked. After leading the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team to its first tournament appearance since 2016 in the fall, as starters, they’re both starting again this winter and have the girls’ basketball team headed back to the playoffs with its best regular-season record (14-6) since the 2009-10 season.

Olivia, a senior, is in her third year on the varsity team. She captains both sports. Abby, a sophomore, is getting her first experiences at the varsity level.

“It’s so much fun having her by my side,” Olivia said. “It’s really bonded us closer together.”

Said Abby: “I think it’s a lot of fun, and I can learn a lot from her as a player and as a person. She teaches me that there’s always room where you can grow and use different skills to win against different types of teams.”

During the fall, Olivia started at right side hitter, while Abby led the girls’ volleyball team in kills and ranked second in solo blocks at middle hitter.

“[Olivia] certainly lived up to the title [of captain],” said W-H girls’ volleyball head coach Samantha Richner. “She was a player that was constantly looking to improve on her game and would put in the work to achieve what she wanted to.”

“Abby was a huge player for us. We are so fortunate to have Abby returning to the team for another two seasons, she is definitely a player we need on the court.”

In basketball, Olivia is starting at shooting guard and Abby plays forward.

“Olivia has done everything we’ve asked her to do,” said W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa. “She’s getting to the line and she’s shooting the ball when she’s open. Hopefully, we can give her a memorable senior year.

“I’ve been really happy with Abby. I like her versatility — her aggressiveness, she is very long. Defensively, she has been pretty vocal and she’s starting to have a voice on the team. She’s fearless, she’s not afraid of anybody. We like the toughness she brings to our group.”

Sophomore Lily Welch has taken the court with the Martin sisters in both volleyball and basketball season this year.

“I would describe their mentality as working hard in each sport, but still having as much fun with it as they can,” Welch said. “I think they both play a huge role in bringing each team to tourney.”

The Martins credit a large part of their success to each other and their competitive nature at home.

“Ever since we were little, we always competed outside — no matter what it was — soccer, softball, anything we did, we just wanted to be better than each other,” Abby said.

Replied Olivia laughing: “Oh, yeah.”

“Even though she beat me every time, it just brought me to think that you always have to compete for what you want and if you want it, you have to go get it on your own,” Abby said.

And with her older sister set to graduate in a few months, that message will resonate even more with Abby.

“It’s going to be wicked hard when she leaves me,” Abby said. “But I’m here to carry on what she left behind.”

A triple threat: Codero a 3-sport standout at Whitman-Hanson

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Codero dribbles the ball. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Since she was a freshman, all Reese Codero has ever known is being on the varsity team— in three sports.

Reese Codero’s refrigerator at home is littered with magnets. It’s what happens when you‘re a three-sport athlete.

But not only is the Whitman-Hanson Regional High junior a three-sport athlete, but she’s a three-sport varsity athlete, and she has been since her freshman year. That’s rare.

“I like it because it’s three different groups of girls I get to see each season,” Codero said. “I really like seeing different faces.”

Codero is a goalie on the soccer team, a point guard for the basketball team and a shortstop in softball. While Codero doesn’t have an offseason, she doesn’t need one because each sport prepares her for the next.

“With soccer, you see everything, so I feel like that helps me with basketball because when I’m setting up the offense I can see everyone, and obviously the hand-eye coordination is big,” Codero said. “And with soccer you’re moving laterally a lot. I feel like that helps with softball and even playing defense in basketball.”

“And I’m always sacrificing my body,” Codero added with a laugh. “The turf — I’ve grown an immunity to it so now the hardwood has no effect on me, and then going on to the dirt — it’s even better.”

That sacrifice is something first-year W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa noticed immediately.

“She’ll run through a wall for you,” Costa said. “She puts her body on the line.”

She’s always had the drive, but she’s developed the skill this winter as well, emerging as the tournament-bound Panthers’ starting point guard.

“She is probably our best ball handler with the guards,” Costa said. “I just feel comfortable with her with the ball in her hands and calling any play she sees. She’s good at seeing the game, so I trust her. She is going to be a big part of what we do moving forward the rest of the season.”

In the fall, she was part of a goalie tandem that helped the girls’ soccer team to a 15-1-2 regular season, winning the Patriot League Keenan Division title. Next season, she’ll serve as a captain.

Codero makes a save in soccer. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“Reese is a rare athlete these days; one who excels in three different sports,” said W-H girls’ soccer head coach David Floeck. “She has improved every year and I think that the skills required for her as a goalkeeper are reinforced with the other sports she plays. As a young lady, she is a leader and well respected by all her teammates. She is a top-notch kid and a talented athlete.”

This spring will be Codero’s third as the softball team’s starting shortstop. W-H skipper Jordan McDermott also raved about her leadership and attitude.

“Reese brings a lot of toughness to the Whitman-Hanson programs that she is involved in,” McDermott said. “I enjoy watching her teammates look up to her, but what I enjoy most is seeing the youth players in Whitman and Hanson support her and be her biggest fans — other than her family.

“She is never one to ask about her personal stats, but about the team stats. She’s never one to drop her body language when she makes a mistake or when a teammate makes a mistake. She is what being a student-athlete is all about.”

Codero fields the ball at shortstop. / Photo by: Sue Moss

So how does Codero juggle being a three-sport athlete with school?

“Time management is a big thing,” she said. “Obviously, studies come first, and I think I do a pretty good job of managing my time, making sure I get my homework done before I come to practice, staying after school if I need extra help. If you have time management, it’s really easy to balance.”

And it’s that sort of life lesson that Codero said she appreciates the most about playing high school sports.

“There’s big wins, there’s how to balance your time with school and there’s preparing you for college,” she said. “It’s really got everything.”

Hoop squads on fire in Week 8

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Week 8 has concluded at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, so let’s take a look back.

Boys’ basketball (15-2) won its 13th straight, topping Plymouth South, 62-35, on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Seniors Liam Keane and Tommy Vassil both had 12 points to pace the Panthers.

Girls’ basketball (12-5) beat Plymouth South, 41-29, on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Sophomore Abby Martin (five points) sparked a fourth-quarter run, when she dove on a loose ball and fired a cross-court pass, while still on the ground, and found senior Brittany Gacicia (13 points) for a layup. … On Friday, Mike Costa’s club pulled away from Duxbury, 63-53. Gacicia (19 points) and senior captain Olivia Martin (15 points) led the way on senior night. Junior Rylie Harlow added 15 points in the win.

Boys’ indoor track finished sixth at the Patriot League championship on Friday, Feb. 7. Junior Graham Stewart had a second-place showing in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.38.

Girls’ indoor track also placed sixth at the Patriot League championship on Friday, Feb. 7. Sophomore Myah Kamperides placed first in the 2-mile run with a time of 11:49.

Boys’ hockey (12-5-1) fell to Duxbury, 5-2, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Freshman Matt Solari and senior Eddie Collins had the W-H goals. … On Sunday, W-H tied Dedham, 1-1. Senior captain Chris Stoddard has the goal and junior netminder Bobby Siders starred in net.

Girls’ hockey (7-8) held off North Quincy, 9-7, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Freshman Shea Kelleher (Kingston) led the offensive barrage with five goals and an assist. Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) scored a goal and added three helpers.

Gymnastics capped the season scoring a 126 at the Patriot League meet on Saturday, Feb. 8. Senior captain Sarah Bombardier led the way with an 8.8 in the all-around, which was good for eighth.

Wrestling (11-8) beat Plymouth North, 58-21, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) and classmates Tyler Cullinan (170 pounds) and Mike Gardner (182 pounds) all registered pins in the win. … On Saturday, W-H capped the dual-meet season by beating Bristol Plymouth/Coyle-Cassidy (54-20) and Everett/Malden (66-15), while falling to Norwood (45-30). Brooks tallied three pins on the day.

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

All over record book, Navicky still adding to legacy

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Maddie Navicky diving off block. / Courtesy photo

After wrapping up her high school swimming career, Maddie Navicky is trying to leave a lasting impact on a soon-to-be program.

Maddie Navicky’s high school swimming career is over.

Navicky, a senior captain on the Middleboro/Whitman-Hanson co-op girls’ high school swimming/diving team, had an impressive tenure. She’s a three-time South Shore League All-Star, two-time team MVP and is on the Middleboro all-team top 10 list in three events. It’s a list that dates back to 1981, but didn’t start to feature W-H swimmers until eight years ago when the two schools formed a co-op. Navicky loved the co-op aspect of the sport.

“I love the fact that I got to make a lot of new friends and the team all pushes each other to do our best,” she said.

A two-year W-H captain, Navicky was tasked with helping the younger swimmers fit in.

“I love being a captain,” Navicky said. “I think it’s so cool I get to be a person the team can look up to and go to for help. Because I’m the only Whitman-Hanson captain, I also help the underclassmen become friends with some of the Middleboro kids.”

But this is the last year of the co-op, with the two schools going in separate ways.

“It is sad that they are not having the co-op,” said Middleboro head coach Everett Clark. “Maddie [has] truly been a pleasure to coach.”

Clark isn’t the only one upset to see the co-op come to an end.

“A lot of the other swimmers are extremely disappointed in the fact that they’re not going to be together,” Navicky explained. “If I was still swimming, I would be sad too.”

W-H will be forming its own program that will likely swim out of Massasoit Community College. And while Navicky’s time in the pool is up, she’s doing everything she can to help.

She’s compiled a check list of the items the program will need to get started, created timer sheets, scoring sheets and has designed practice sets based on what she learned during swim camps and college visits.

“I have also been talking to a lot of my friends and I have been getting other current swimmers to try and talk to their friends to get people to swim next year,” Navicky said. “I want the program to succeed.”

Heading into the homestretch

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The winter sports season is heading into the homestretch at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, with a few teams having already wrapped up play.

Here is how a Week 7 turned out:

Boys’ basketball (14-2) kept rolling along, handing Scituate its second loss of the season, 75-45, Tuesday, Jan. 28. Junior Nate Amado led the balanced offensive attack with 17 points. … On Friday, W-H torched Plymouth North, 75-57. Senior captain Stevie Kelly paced the offense with 20 points.

Girls’ basketball (10-5) topped Scituate, 58-45, Tuesday, Jan. 28, to punch its ticket to the tournament. Junior Reese Codero put up a team-high 14 points in the win. … On Friday, W-H was tripped up by Plymouth North, 47-42.

Boys’ hockey (12-4) was shut out by Plymouth North, 2-0, on Wednesday, Jan. 29. … On Saturday, senior captain Chris Stoddard scored with 19 seconds remaining to lift W-H past North Quincy, 4-3. … On Sunday, senior assistant captain Adam Solari netted a hat trick to pace the Panthers over Scituate, 4-1.

Girls’ hockey (6-8) toppled Marshfield, 8-3, on Thursday, Jan. 30. Senior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) struck for four goals, while junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) also found the back of the net. … On Saturday, the co-op was clipped by Mansfield/Foxboro/Oliver Ames, 3-2. Murphy had both goals.

Gymnastics (0-10) fell to Plymouth, 129.6-117.7, on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Senior captain Sarah Bombardier scored an 8.6 on the vault, while junior Savannah Poirier posted an 8.4 score on the floor routine.

Girls’ swimming/diving (5-3) fell to Cohasset, 99-76, on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Wrestling (8-7) opened the week with a 46-30 loss to Duxbury on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Sophomore Joe Boss (pin in 2:50 at 106 pounds), junior captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene (pin in 4:16 at 138 pounds), sophomore Pat Collett (pin in :55 at 152 pounds), senior Mike Gardner (pin at 182 pounds) and freshman Maddox Colclough (pin in 3:57 at 195 pounds) posted wins for W-H. … On Saturday, W-H came away with a clean sweep against Nauset (58-16), Rockland (52-27) and Hanover (53-23). Boss, senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds), Gardner and Goldsmith-Greene and junior Myles McInnis (126 pounds) all went 3-0 on the day.

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

Keeping score in Week 5

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From the pool to the mat, Week 5 is in the books at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

Here is a look back:

Boys’ basketball (9-2) routed Silver Lake, 66-36, Tuesday, Jan. 14. Juniors Cole LeVangie (15 points) and Nate Amado (12 points) combined for 27 points in the victory. … On Friday, W-H handed Marshfield just its second loss of the season, 82-68. Senior captain Stevie Kelly exploded for a triple-double, scoring 24 points, dishing out 11 assists and racking up 10 boards.

Girls’ basketball (8-3) topped Silver Lake, 54-29, Tuesday, Jan. 14. Senior Brittany Gacicia led the offense with 15 points, while junior Rylie Harlow anchored the defense. … On Friday, Harlow pumped in 11 second-half points to rally the Panthers past Marshfield, 49-41.

Gymnastics (0-7) fell to Hanover, 133.3-120.35, Friday, Jan. 17. Senior captain Sarah Bombardier tallied an 8.6 on the vault and freshman Riley Getchell led the way on the beam with a 7.85.

Boys’ hockey (7-3) skated past Southeastern/West Bridgewater, 2-1, Monday, Jan. 13. Senior assistant captain Adam Solari and his brother Matt, a freshman, provided the goals. … On Wednesday, the Solari brothers each had a goal as too did both senior captain Chris Stoddard and sophomore John Ward in a 4-1 win over Silver Lake. Junior Bobby Sidders registered 20 saves in the win.

Girls’ hockey (5-5) clobbered North/Quincy, 7-2, Wednesday, Jan. 15. Senior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) had two goals and junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) also scored.

Boys’ swimming/diving (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Bishop Stang, 88-73, Tuesday, Jan 14. Junior Brian Pham posted a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.43). 

Girls’ swimming/diving (5-1) posted a win over Bishop Stang, 97-78, Tuesday, Jan 14.  Senior captain Maddie Navicky had victories in the 100 free (1:01.26), 100 back (1:12.78) and was part of the victorious 400 free relay.

Wrestling (5-3) bested Pembroke, 48-34, Wednesday, Jan. 15. Freshman Maddox Colclough led the way with a fall in 30 seconds at 220 pounds. … On Saturday, W-H picked up wins over Josiah Quincy, 42-33, and Northbridge, 64-12, but fell to Oliver Ames, 46-33. The Panthers were led by three pins apiece from senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) and classmate Mike Gardner (182 pounds).

*Express weekly roundups include scores from Sunday to Sunday. 

Kelly points the way for W-H boys’ basketball

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Stevie Kelly slices to the hoop for two. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Stevie Kelly is the floor general for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team.

At the outset of last winter, Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers wasn’t sure who was going to emerge as his team’s starting point guard.

It didn’t take long to figure out. Insert Stevie Kelly, a then-junior coming off a Patriot League All-Star season as a center back in soccer.

“Pretty much our first game (we knew he was our point guard),” Rodgers said. 

Kelly was no stranger to Rodgers, but like most young players — he had some work to do entering the year.  

“I’ve known Stevie since second grade and watched him coming to my camps,” Rodgers said. “I’ve known him his whole life, he’s always been a great athlete, and when he was a freshman and sophomore, I always saw great potential in him, but he had to mature.”

He did and became a Patriot League All-Star on the court in the process, dishing out 136 assists and steering the Panthers to the Div. 2 South semifinals, which included a stunning upset over top-seeded Randolph, a game in which Kelly hit a clutch layup in the final minutes to help seal the victory. 

“I didn’t expect to have as big of a junior season as I had,” Kelly said. “I just went in working hard.”

Said Rodgers: “Stevie is tough as nails. He’s one of the best competitors I’ve ever coached. He just competes hard all the time.” 

This season, Kelly, who is now a senior captain, has elevated his game to another level, despite an extended soccer season that culminated with a spot in the EMass All-Star game in late November. 

“After soccer practice, I would come up into the gym and take some of my teammates and if they’re not up here, I’m up here by myself,” Kelly said. 

Rodgers noticed the dedication.  

“He’s improved immensely,” Rodgers said. “His shooting and passing are both better.”

But where Kelly has shown the most growth from last winter is with his communication on the court. 

“Talking is probably the hardest skill to be taught to any basketball player,” Rodgers said. “Stevie was at the point where he could talk about what he was doing and where his game was or his defenders were. Great point guards see it all. We’ve started to see Stevie do that more. The great point guards that we’ve had at Whitman-Hanson are the guys that make everyone around them better.”

Kelly has been doing just that. He posted a triple-double in win over Marshfield on Friday, Jan. 17, scoring 24 points, dishing out 11 assists and corralling 10 rebounds.

“I look to attack first and I try to get by my guy and if someone helps, I’ll just hit Ben Rice or someone in the corner or J.Z. (John Zeidan) down low, but if nobody stops me, I’ll just go to the hoop,” he said. 

 Kelly also had 11 assists in a win over Pembroke earlier in the season on Jan. 8. 

“He’s obviously one of the best in the league at getting to the basket,” said Rice, a fellow senior captain. “He’s quick. He can do a lot of things. He helps me get open because he has really good court vision.”

The Panthers are off to a 10-2 start so far this season, and if they’re going to get where they want, Kelly is going to be key. 

“If you look in the gym at the banners of the South Sectional titles, those teams communicated,” Rodgers said.  “And if Stevie does that, then it becomes contagious and the rest of the guys do that. Out of all the things we try and work on with the team — communication and sharing the ball are the two things we need to do to reach our potential.”