Here are highlights from Stoughton's 41-6 win over Foxboro in the HockomockSports.com Game of the Week. Click HERE for a written recap of the game.
By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
NORTH EASTON, Mass. - When Oliver Ames and Milford met for the first time earlier this season, Milford took a late lead that eventually saw a equalizer from the Tigers. On Friday afternoon, the Scarlet Hawks wasted little time to claim the lead but Oliver Ames not only equalized but found the game winner late in the second half for a 2-1 win over their Davenport rivals. "We'll take it," Oliver Ames head coach John Barata said. "At the end of the day, whoever was watching the game will know we carried the play. The challenge was finishing and we let up a soft first goal. The good thing is we were able to build some character and get back into it. We're going to have to learn not to give up a goal and play from behind." Just under seven minutes into the game, senior star striker Justin Asam chipped a ball into Juan Quintero, but the ball bounced and senior Luciano Vieira pounced on it from 12-yards out, blasting a shot into the back of the goal for an early 1-0 lead for Milford. The teams continued a strong midfield battle with small chances falling to both sides but nothing serious. As the time ticked down in the first half, Oliver Ames almost grabbed the equalizer as senior Lucas Araujo's left footed free kick sailed just over the bar with over two minutes to go. After a timeout, Oliver Ames was able to knot the score. Senior David Stapleton collected the ball about 30 yards away from goal despite a Milford player chopping at his feet from the ground. Stapleton then smartly played a cheeky chip over the top of the defenders to classmate Chirs Goncalves. Goncalves was able to fire a shot from just inside the 18, hitting the far post and the ball bounced in to equalize just before half. The second half saw more see-saw action from the two sides, with no serious threats coming from either offense - at least not until the final 10 minutes. The Tigers were able to draw a corner kick with just over 7 minutes to play and Araujo - a captain - was able to curl the ball low and into the net at the near post. Barata said the ball didn't bounce off anyone and that Stapleton was key in helping guide the ball in. "Overall it was a good performance and we're happy with it," Barata said. "At this point of the season when everyone is scrapping for points, we'll take two points and a win." Oliver Ames improves to 10-0-5 with one game left, a home game against Sharon. Milford falls to 6-6-5 and will need at least a tie in their last game against Nipmuc to qualify for the state tournament. "They'll make some noise when they get into the tournament," Barata said of the Scarlet Hawks. "I know they have to get one more point but they're a good team and they have some dangerous players." Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. By Jonathan Geromini, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter
FRANKLIN, Mass. - Mansfield took their undefeated record into Pisini Field against Franklin on Friday night and once again improved their resume with a 35-13 drumming of the Panthers. The Hornets wasted no time getting on the board as quarterback Kyle Wisnieski connected with wide receiver Mike Hershman for a 10 yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. Franklin responded with a 20 yard field goal but Mansfield struck right back with Miguel Perez running in a touchdown from five yards out of the end zone. Mansfield concluded the half with star wide out Brendan Hill catching an 8 yard touchdown pass from Wisnieski just when time expired. Miguel Perez added another running touchdown in the third and the Hornets added another score wrapping the game at 35-13 improving the Hock leaders to 7-0 on the season. “We did well with executing drives,” Mansfield coach Mike Redding said. “We had a lot of guys who contributed in a big way for us which will be important as we move along with the season.” Mansfield has accomplished many things in the season and have positioned themselves for a run at another Super Bowl title. “To be honest the Super Bowl is not really in sight for us,” Redding said. “There are a lot of tough teams in our division that we have to get by. We just have to take it one Friday night at a time and make sure to keep executing our plays and working hard as a team.” Both Mansfield and Franklin will await their opponents for the upcoming MIAA tournament and as both teams seem to be heading in two different directions, as Mansfield seems primed to push through the stretch run and into the playoffs. Both teams will learn of their opponents on Sunday. By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Senior quarterback James Kummer threw two touchdown passes in the first half and ran for two scores in the second to lead North Attleboro to a comfortable 34-12 victory over Taunton in Friday night’s regular season finale at Community Field. “He’s been that dual threat that we want,” said head coach Don Johnson about his senior signal caller. “We haven’t done a good job of giving him an opportunity to do more. We haven’t protected him well, in the pass game in particular, but tonight I thought we protected him and gave him the time.” The Rocketeers got off to tough start as they tried to deal with the Tigers unique rushing attack. The bunched, triple option look of Taunton seemed to confuse North in the opening half, although Taunton’s first score would come through the air. Quarterback Kyle Maderia took advantage of play action on a third-and-four play to find a wide open Tyler Manoli for a 41-yard score. The home crowd was stunned by the touchdown, but as the team has done all season, North responded. Kummer hit captain Jack Blasé on the near sideline and he took it 39 yards to put North ahead 7-6. The crowd would be shocked again as Taunton marched 59 yards on eight plays, highlighted by a 34-yard run by Lazare Joseph, to take back the lead. Steven Harrison finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown dive. Once again, the extra point attempt failed but the Tigers held a 12-7 lead early in the second quarter. “I think their tough defense had a little to do with our struggles on offense and their unconventional offense,” explained Johnson. “We made one bad play on the touchdown, that was a blown coverage, but that kind of offense can do that to you.” Taunton would miss several opportunities to break the game open as North struggled to find a rhythm offensively. Kummer was intercepted by Gerald Cortijo as he tried to look for Jake Lang downfield, but the Tigers went three and out. On the next North possession, Blasé fumbled and it was recovered by Nicholas Ruiz, but again Taunton did not get a first down. The Rocketeers got the ball back with 1:40 remaining in the half at their own 10-yard line. Two runs moved the ball to the 20 and then Kummer hit Blasé down the right sideline on blown coverage by the Tigers. The senior would race 80 yards for a stunning touchdown that gave North a 14-12 lead and momentum at the break. North got the ball to start the second half and moved right down the field. Kummer went 5-5 on the eight-play, 68-yard drive and finished it with a five-yard touchdown run that gave North a little cushion. After another Taunton three-and-out, North went 69 yards on its next drive to put the game away. Kummer again scored the touchdown this time from 17 yards on a keeper. He commented after the game, “I just think we knew that we had to score in the first possession after halftime. We knew that we could stop them on defense; we just had to get the offense going.” The defense did get going in the second half as it shutout the Tigers rushing attack and pressured Maderia anytime that he tried to drop back and pass. Johnson admitted that the team had issues in the first half, but said that there were few adjustments that needed to be made at halftime. He said, “We just got better at what we were trying to do. The problem with that kind of offense is that it’s hard to duplicate in practice with our kids, so when you see it live guys start cheating in their gaps or going too wide. So, we just had to tighten up a little bit.” North would make it three touchdowns in three second half possessions when Kyle Rodrigues broke several tackles and powered his way to a 13-yard touchdown run that made it 34-12. The victory, which came over a team in a higher division, could be enough to give North a home game in the first round of the Division 3 Southwest playoffs, which is something that coach and player are excited about. Johnson noted, “I think this win might get us a home game because I think we might be in the top four. We’re excited about that; our seniors get another opportunity to play on Community Field and that’s motivation enough.” Kummer agreed, “We get to play here again; every time we play here it’s special.” Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10. By Josh Perry, Managing Editor NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH – Second half goals from juniors Nicole Chretien and Courtney Hewitt allowed North Attleboro (11-3-4) to celebrate the final regular season home game for its seniors with a 2-0 win over rival Attleboro (5-11-2). The victory also allowed the Rocketeers to keep hold of the Red-Blue Cup for the third straight season. Senior captain Jill Costello was thrilled at the team effort that it took to overcome the Bombardiers for the second time this season. “We played awesome and it was a team effort,” she gushed. “Pretty much everybody from the bench got in and everybody played their butts off.” Head coach Doug Wheldon could only marvel at the way the Rocketeers came together over the course of the season. He also noted how important this game could be with the playoffs on the horizon. Wheldon remarked, “It’s all the kids. They work hard and we had talked about it; we wanted to get some momentum heading into the tournament. I’m just so happy for them; these guys are awesome.” The final score was comfortable for North, but the game was very difficult, as the Bombardiers tried to impose themselves physically. As she has been for most of the season, sophomore Hana Caster provided the best outlet for the Rocketeers to try and get behind the Bombardiers defense. Her runs down the left provided two openings for Jenny Thorpe in the first half but the senior midfielder shot over the bar.
Chretien also had a great first half scoring opportunity, but pulled her shot wide and the two teams huddled up at halftime still scoreless. Wheldon knew that it would be a difficult game when playing Attleboro for a trophy. He noted, “It’s such a rivalry and it was there last game, so they came at it like it was a tournament game. But, you know, going into the tournament we want to play this type of soccer.” North started to get more control in the second half again using Caster and Chretien as the main attacking threats. But for solid goalkeeping by Beth Clifton, preventing a Caster cross from getting to a teammate and robbing Shannon Knigsley with a diving save from close range, North could have run away with the game. It was Chretien that opened the scoring 15 minutes into the second half as she collected a ball in thew box and was able to chip the onrushing Clifton. Costello was not surprised that it was Chretien and Caster that gave the Attleboro defense fits. “They have their one-two combination that they always have and they run the whole field the whole time and they just finish each other beautifully.” Instead of spurring the Rocketeers on, the goal seemed to awaken the Bombardiers, who started attacking with more purpose after falling behind. Erin Grimes found space down the right to play in several dangerous crosses, while Kerri Beland and Chelsea Ferreira combined on the left to push the Rocketeers back towards their own goal. North was increasingly pinned back and one loose ball into the box caused an injury to keeper Brittany Oullet, who was forced to leave the game. Thorpe came in as a makeshift keeper and made one save and stopped a cross in the final minutes. Thorpe would be named North's Player of the Game. Despite the pressure and a couple of corners, Attleboro struggled to create clear-cut chances and North would wrap up the cup in the dying minutes. Hewitt lined up a 25-yard free kick and curled it over the wall and into the corner of the net to make it 2-0 with nearly the last kick of the game. Wheldon spoke highly of his seniors, who were also celebrating Senior Night in addition to the cup game. He said, “Their very first game as freshmen was the Red-Blue Cup. We played it the first game that year, so we’ve come full circle.” North Attleboro will now look forward to a playoff run and trying to better last season’s run to the quarterfinals. Wheldon is unsure where North falls in the seedings but it hopeful that the Rocketeers will get another chance to play at Kelly Field. “Hopefully we can get a home game… I’m just so proud of these guys.” Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10. By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
FOXBORO, Mass. - No Baugh, no problem. With star running back Malachi Baugh injured for the rest of the season, people - including some in our Game of the Week section - have questioned what Stoughton would be able to do, even after their 26-3 win over Sharon last week. But no one will be questioning them anymore as they turned it on in the second half on their way to a 41-6 win over Foxboro in the HockomockSports.com Game of the Week. "I don't know who writes things about us not having a team without Baugh," Stoughton head coach Greg Burke said. "That irritated my whole team and my whole staff. Yes, Malachi is an unbelievable player but we have some other tough ones too. That was just motivation for us." Junior Joe Girolamo carried the load in the backfield going for 125 yards on 13 carries and 2 touchdowns, both coming in the second half. Stoughton only had a 7-0 lead heading into halftime behind a 6-yard QB keeper from sophomore Jake Gibb and made a key fourth down stop inside their own 5 just before the end of the second quarter. After some adjustments in the locker room at the break, there seemed to be no stopping the Black Knights. The away side took the opening drive of the second half 78 yards on just six plays and it was capped off by a 17-yard touchdown run right up the middle by Girolamo. The Black Knights had rushing plays of 25, 12, 14 and 8 before the Girolamo touchdown run made it 14-0 Stoughton. Foxboro then elected to go for it on fourth down at the Stoughton 46 on 4th and 6, but an incomplete pass gave the ball back to Stoughton quickly. On the very first play, Gibb went play action and connected with Kevin McDonald on a deep slant and the senior took it to the house for a 54 yard touchdown to make it 21-0. The Warriors took the ensuing drive from their own 36 to the Stoughton 41, but on 3rd and 10, Foxboro quarterback Nolan Rogers saw his tipped pass intercepted by Jovani Pires and returned all the way to the Warrior 18 yard line. Three plays later, Girolamo went up the middle again, this time from 7-yards out for a touchdown to make it 28-0. "You don't get any tougher than that kid," Burke said of Girolamo. "He's only a junior and there's no one tougher around here, I don't care what anyone says. He's got great balance and he can hit and take a lick. He's a terrific, terrific ball player. He pass blocks too, he's the full package." Foxboro was able to get on the board on their next drive as Rogers connected with junior Derek Gilreath just over the goal line for the Warrior's lone score of the game. There was a little more hope for Foxboro when they came up with an interception of Gibb on the ensuing drive but their drive ran out of gas inside Stoughton territory. After Girolamo took it 24 yards into Foxboro territory, Lennox Green took it 40 yards for another Stoughton score. On the play, the ball was snapped before Gibb was ready but he picked it off the ground and made the quick toss. The final score came with mostly back ups in the game as senior Taylor Calisi broke out to the right and took it 69 yards for Stoughton. With the loss, Foxboro is most likely eliminated from the playoffs but will be back in action against another team from Division 4 who didn't make it. For Stoughton, they will be one of the eight teams in the Division 3 Southwest bracket, alongside Hockomock teams North Attleboro and Oliver Ames. "Season one is down and now we're into the second season," Burke said. "I hope we're getting better. We're not pretty but I didn't know this was a pageant. We're playing tough and we're not always perfect we're just hoping we can continue to play good." For Burke, the playoff system - for various reasons - has been a long time coming. "It means a lot to get into the playoffs. I was involved in the system and I'm so happy it happened. There is a lot of excitement around the state. You have 96 teams playing in a playoff next week and that's the best thing thats ever happened to football." Foxboro finishes divisional play 3-2 and Stoughton finishes in second with a 4-1 mark. The Black Knights will learn of their opponent on Sunday. *Check back on Saturday for full highlights of the Game of the Week. Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. Here are Friday's Hockomock games.
Game of the Week - Football Stoughton, 41 @ Foxboro, 6 - Final Football Attleboro, 19 @ King Philip, 12 - Final Mansfield, 35 @ Franklin, 13 - Final Taunton, 12 @ North Attleboro, 34 - Final Boys Soccer Canton, 2 @ Stoughton, 0 - Final - Damian Kozak and Liam Collins scored in the second half, both assisted by Bart O'Brien. Foxboro, 1 @ Sharon, 0 - Final - Riley Fleck scored the lone goal of the game on an assist from Brian Bortolotti after a free kick from Jeff Melo. Mansfield, 1 @ Franklin, 4 - Final - Joe Kalil scored a hat trick with assists from Cal Harmon and Derek Field. Tim LaRowe scored an unassisted goal for the Panthers final goal. Jimmy Murphy scored Mansfield's goal. Taunton, 4 @ King Philip, 2 - Final - Federico Micozzi, Tyler Diniz, Drew Worden, and Alec Austin scored for the Tigers while Joe Kellett scored twice for King Philip. Taunton qualified for the state tournament with the win. Milford, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 2 - Final - Chris Goncalves scored on an assist from David Stapleton and Lucas Araujo scored directly from a corner kick for Oliver Ames. Luciano Vieira scored for Milford on an assist from Justin Asam. Girls Soccer Attleboro, 0 @ North Attleboro, 2 - Final - Nikki Chretien and Courtney Hewitt scored for North Attleboro. Stoughton @ Canton, 6:30 Sharon, 2 @ Foxboro, 3 - Final King Philip, 3 @ Taunton, 0 - Final Oliver Ames, 0 @ Milford, 1 - Final - Jennifer Beaulieu scored for the Scarlet Hawks. Volleyball North Attleboro, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 - Final Canton, 3 @ Stoughton, 0 - Final Foxboro, 2 @ Sharon, 3 - Final Mansfield, 3 @ Franklin, 0 - Final Taunton, 0 @ King Philip, 3 - Final Milford, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 3 - Final Field Hockey Franklin, 0 @ Mansfield 2 - Final Stoughton, 2 vs. Brockton 1 - Final For information on Stoughton @ Foxboro, visit our Game of the Week page for a overview of both games, what to expect from all four teams, and predictions from our Game of the Week staff, ESPNBoston.com staff, and The Boston Herald staff. Attleboro (5-1) @ King Philip (5-1), 7:00 King Philip's vaunted defense will get another huge test this week against the second best offense in the league when Attleboro visits on Friday night. Attleboro's Tim Walsh has the Bombardiers clicking and has shown the ability to grind out drives with short passing and the running game, but also can hit the deep ball and big play as well as any team in the league. Attleboro has a number of targets including Brenden Massey and Luke Morrison, as well as speedy back Damon Belin. Defensively, the Bombardiers have also been very strong, but have yet to face a running attack as powerful as that of the Warriors and its three backs: Joe Johnston, Christian Flaherty, and Mark Glebus. KP will try to keep the ball as long as possible and keep Walsh off the field. Both teams seem secure in the playoffs but would qualify for sure as the second best team in the division. The Pick: Ryan Lanigan: King Philip 21, Attleboro 20 Josh Perry: Attleboro 27, King Philip 20 Mansfield (6-0) @ Franklin (2-4), 7:00 Mansfield will travel to Franklin as league champions and with the top team in the state, according to several media outlets. The Hornets have guaranteed themselves a spot in the ultra-competitive D2 South sectional, but Franklin will know that a win is a must, if there is any hope of snagging a top eight ranking in D1. Kyle Wisnieski is one of the most accurate passers in the league, although he struggled against KP and will hope that his various targets, including Brendan Hill and Michael Hershman can find space against a Panthers secondary, which struggled last week. The Panthers have placed a huge portion of the offense on QB Nick Zucco, especially with running back Robert Dellorco still sidelined with injury. Franklin has weapons in the passing game including Quentin Harrell and Pat O'Reilly, but Zucco will need time to find them against this strong Hornets front seven and pass rush. The Pick: Ryan Lanigan: Mansfield 28, Franklin 7 Josh Perry: Mansfield 42, Franklin 14 Taunton (2-4) @ North Attleboro (3-3), 7:00 North Attleboro hosts Taunton on Friday knowing that a win would just about guarantee a playoff spot. The Rocketeers defense has been strong over the past two weeks by taking advantage of the speed in the linebacker corps and secondary.While North's pass defense has been solid, Taunton is a team that attacks on the ground and will challenge the Rocketeers at the line of scrimmage. The Tigers have struggled in the league this season and injuries have taken a major toll on their ability to compete. Last week against Attleboro, several players went down hurt and the numbers may be against Taunton as it travels to Community Field. North's offense is growing under quarterback James Kummer and he will be looking for his two favorite targets Jake Lang and Mike Lambert. The Pick: Ryan Lanigan: North Attleboro 24, Taunton 16 Josh Perry: North Attleboro 28, Taunton 7 Saturday Milford (1-5) @ Sharon (1-5), 1:00 In the past, with these two teams standing at 1-5 this might be a game that we'd see some new faces. But with the new playoff system, it isn't crazy to think that the team that wins this one can sneak into the playoffs. The Eagles are sitting in 10th in the Division 3 Southeast and are only just a couple rating points behind the coveted 8th spot. They will be pushing for wins from Oliver Ames and Stoughton so the losses to those teams could increase their rating. They have nothing to lose at this point but neither does Milford. The Scarlet Hawks are still getting accustomed to the Hock but they too find themselves in position to possibly sneak into the playoffs. They sit at 10th in the Division 3 Southwest Division and similar to Sharon are only a couple of rating points behind 8th place. Despite this game being between two 1-5 teams in late October, this could have a playoff vibe. The Pick: Ryan Lanigan: Milford 24, Sharon 21 Josh Perry: Sharon 20, Milford 17 Canton (0-6) @ Oliver Ames (6-0), 2:00 If you think this one doesn't mean anything, you're wrong. First off, Oliver Ames hasn't forgotten last year when they were stunned on the road in overtime by the Bulldogs. They'll be looking for revenge for last year as well as looking to finish the regular season undefeated. They have already locked up the Davenport win or lose because of the tie breakers, but the Tigers would surely love to win it on their own terms and go 5-0 in league play. On the other side, Canton is going to look to pull another upset this year. They are just one of two teams left without a divisional win alongside Taunton and they would like to be able to leave their mark with a win here. The Pick: Ryan Lanigan: Oliver Ames 35, Canton 6 Josh Perry: Oliver Ames 49, Canton 7 By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
ATTLEBORO, Mass. - It hasn't exactly been the smoothest road for the Attleboro High School boys soccer team, but they had plenty to smile about on Thursday as they capped off a day full of positives with a 3-0 win over rival North Attleboro. The Bombardiers learned early in the day that they qualified for the MIAA state tournament despite having to forfeit seven games at the beginning of the season. Then they went on to extract revenge from their rivals North Attleboro, who they tied the first time around but lost in penalty kicks to determine the Leach & Garner Cup winner. MIAA VOTES ATTLEBORO INTO THE PLAYOFFS After an ineligible player forced seven forfeits from the Bombardiers early in the season, the team didn't give up and continued to battle through the season. They did enough to earn enough points that they would have qualified for the postseason without the forfeits, but their fate was in the hands of the MIAA. On Thursday, head coach Peter Pereira and eight of his players, alongside Principal Bill Runey and Athletic Director Mark Houle, presented their case to 19 members of the MIAA. Runey, Houle and senior captain Eoin Grimes were the ones to address the committee. "I just said that we shouldn't be punished for something that wasn't our fault," Grimes said. "We worked hard all season and we had nothing to show for it. The state tournament is for the best teams in the state and we're one of the best teams in the state and we deserve to be there." As the members voted in front of the group, the Attleboro players sat on the edge of their seats as the vote was split 9 against and 9 in favor with just the chairman left to vote. And for what seems like the first time this season, good fortune favored Attleboro and the chairman voted in favor of the Bombardiers qualifying for the post season. "The kids were super excited and they were jumping and hugging each other when we came out," said Pereira. "It's big to them, what happened was not their fault." The team didn't celebrate right away but as soon as they exited the room, the celebration was on. "We waited to we go outside, we composed ourselves," Grimes said with a laugh. "It was crazy we were jumping all over each other it was awesome." Pereira said that the MIAA has yet to determine how the Bombardiers will be seeded, as one committee member pointed out that putting them in with a bad seed might not be fair to a high seed. Either way, a new life has seemingly been injected into Attleboro. "We have something to play for now," Grimes said. "We have something to prove that we're one of the best teams and we deserve to be there. Even if we don't go too far, we have to play hard to show them that they made the right choice to let us into the tournament." MOMENTUM CARRIES OVER INTO SHUTOUT WIN It seemed only fitting that the first game Attleboro played after learning their playoff fate was against rival North Attleboro, the first team they played after having forfeited seven games. That game finished 0-0 and North went on the claim the Leach & Garner Cup on penalty kicks, but a rejuvenated Attleboro side extracted revenge, scoring once in the first half and twice in the second to win 3-0. "When you play North Attleboro, they are our biggest rivals and we both get up for each other," Pereira said. "We didn't particularly well in the first half but in the second half we settled the ball a little bit more and had better possession. We had some opportunities but their goalie had quite a few good saves there. We needed to come out of the little slump we had." The first serious chance of the game came over 30 minutes into the first half as Attleboro junior Matt Rodrigues fired a low shot from the 18 yard line that hit off the post and went wide. But just three minutes later with 4:24 remaining, Junior Coca sent in a cross that saw Kyle Lameiras coming flying into the area and head home into the far post corner to give Attleboro a 1-0 lead. "Kyle came in and created more things and got a nice goal with a nice header," Pereira said. It didn't take long for the Bombardiers to double their lead as just four minutes into the second half, a pass bounced up on a North Attleboro defender in the area and hit his hand, giving Attleboro a penalty kick. Rodrigues placed it to the right corner and into the net for a 2-0 lead. It looked as though North Attleboro had cut the lead in half just under 10 minutes later as Attleboro goalie Jason Ross made the original save but the ball bounced back in and was knocked home by a Rocketeer, however the ref signaled Ross' first attempt hit off the football goalposts and not the crossbar. Rodrigues almost had his second of the game, when Lameiras found Nathan Gale on the wing, who played a nice through ball to Rodrigues. The junior then fired from about 12 yards out but North goalie Austin Renzi dove to his right and made a super save. "In the second half their goalie stopped us three or four times so he did a great job," Pereira said of Renzi. Attleboro was finally able to tack on their third goal with just over four minutes to play as Coca picked up his second assist. He played in a free kick from near the sidelines that saw senior Connor Silva run onto and get a slight touch with the top of his foot, sending the ball skipping past Renzi and North defenders and into the far post side netting. "We came out with a lot of energy after finding out we qualified for states today," Grimes said. "We wanted this game bad with it being North and everything." With hope back for the Bombardiers, both Grimes and Pereira expect players to have a second wind heading into the postseason. "That's what I'm hoping will happen," Pereira said. Attleboro now improves to 3-10-4 and will close out the regular season on Monday with a non-league home game against Dartmouth. North Attleboro finishes their 2013 campaign at 1-14-3. Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
MILFORD, Mass. – Milford defended as well as it possibly could, but eventually the pressure from visiting Oliver Ames was too much to bear and the Tigers (13-2-2) turned their dominance into goals. The Davenport division runner-up finished with a comfortable 3-0 road victory in the final game of the regular season. Goals were not easy to come by as the game started out fairly even. The Hawks were pumped up from Senior Night festivities and created a few offensive opportunities early in the first half. As the minutes passed, the Tigers pressure steadily grew and Milford (3-15) increasingly struggled to get the ball out of its half of the field. The combination of last ditch defending by Molly Dillon and Louisa Stansbury and the solid goaltending of Joiya Sousa held OA at bay. Sousa made one sprawling save in particular just five minutes before the break that denied a point-blank scoring chance. Just minutes after the save, the breakthrough happened as Megan Bosse knocked in a loose ball in the crease to make it 1-0. In the second half, the Oliver Ames pressure was relentless and Megan Ali Friend and Nicole Johnson tacked on two more for the Tigers. “It did take us a while,” noted OA head coach Janice Sundell. “We beat them before and sometimes with a young team they get that mentality that it’s just going to come without any work and what not. It took a while, but they started putting it together and dominating by getting all those corners.” While the Tigers ended up with a comfortable margin of victory, Sundell was still counting on the team improving on its finishing as it looks to the postseason. She explained, “In the second half, [our goalie] didn’t even touch the ball. But, we had a lot of scoring opportunities and three goals is not a lot to show for what we could have put in the net.” Milford’s program is still fairly young and is trying to grow. After four wins in 2012 and three in the competitive Hockomock League this season, head coach Emily Abbondanza is pleased with the progress that the players have made. “We’ve really made improvements from last year and the year before; that’s what I’m looking for,” explained Abbondanza. “Last year we had four wins and this year we had three so we’re moving in a positive direction.” She added, “I’m losing my senior goalie, but I have a freshman that is coming up. I’m losing a few seniors but I have a lot of freshmen on varsity and some sophomores, so we’re building.” Sundell and the Tigers will now look to the playoffs with seeding coming out on Monday. She remarked, “I’m hoping for a pretty decent seed, somewhere in the top 10; I’m not exactly sure where we’ll be but get a home field game.” Sundell continued, “I think we’re doing ok; I think they’ll be ready for it, for sure.” Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10. By Josh Perry, Managing Editor The Attleboro boys' soccer team was forced to vacate its first seven wins and draws after it was determined that one of its players was ineligible. The player was a transfer student from another country and was 19 years old, which by MIAA rule requires a waiver (after a appeal, the player was granted a waiver by the MIAA for the remainder of the season). The Bombardiers self-reported the infraction and were forced to drop from the top of the Kelley-Rex division to near the bottom. On Thursday afternoon, Attleboro High principal Bill Runey tweeted his thanks to the MIAA for approving an appeal by the school to enter the Division 1 South sectional, which the team had qualified for based on its original results. Attleboro Athletic Director Mark Houle and Runey had both mentioned the possibility of an appeal to HockomockSports.com in the past month, but asked that the site wait to report it until the results were known. On Thursday, it appears that the Bombardiers, who had been living under an asterisk for the past two months, can now refocus on making a tournament run. At the time of the original report, Attleboro was 5-0-2 in the Hockomock (5-1-2 overall) and in first place in the Kelley-Rex division. The Bombardiers have gone 2-2-4 since that decision, including three straight draws in the week after the players learned of the vacated results. If original results were considered, Attleboro would have qualified on its own after a 0-0 draw with Franklin on October 11. The reaction has been as expected from the Attleboro players in the wake of the MIAA decision: It is presumed that Attleboro will enter the tournament with its record reflecting the vacated results. The Bombardiers are currently 2-10-4 with two games remaining.
Here are Thursday's Hockomock games.
Boys Soccer North Attleboro, 0 @ Attleboro, 3 - Final - Kyle Lameiras, Matt Rodrigues and Connor Silva scored for Attleboro and Junior Coca had two assists. Sharon, 0 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 - Final - Both Eric Hefez and Ryan Riley played strong in net for Sharon. Field Hockey Attleboro, 2 @ North Attleboro, 0 - Final Stoughton, 1 @ Canton, 2 - Final Sharon, 0 @ Foxboro, 4 - Final King Philip, 2 @ Taunton, 0 - Final Oliver Ames, 3 @ Milford, 0 - Final By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
STOUGHTON, Mass. - Sophomore Joe Kellett entered this week with the second most assists in the league, but Wednesday afternoon he was on the finishing end, scoring twice in King Philip's 2-1 win over Stoughton. Kellett doubled his season goal total, scoring in the 53rd and the 70th minute putting the Warriors ahead on both occasions. "It's such a small field and Stoughton has been playing real tough soccer the last few games and they've really picked their game up," said King Philip head coach Kip Lewis. "Martyn is a good coach and they've been figuring things out so we knew it was going to be a tough battle. It's a tough win and it's a good win." The first half finished scoreless between the two sides with the Warriors controlling possession and led in scoring chances. They had a chance early on when the ball bounced into the area and junior striker looked to have an open shot, but his attempt was blocked by a Stoughton defender. Stoughton had their best chance of the first in the 23rd minute, as Josh Mitchell played a ball that was headed by Melvin Amado. Amado's header went against the run of play but KP goalie Stephen MacDonnell was able to reach back and come up with the save. KP had one of their best chances just seconds later and Kellett played a ball into the area to a charging Stephen Beattie, but the captain was unable to get a solid touch on it and the attempt went wide. "They were very committed to getting guys in the box [defensively] so there wasn't a lot of space in there," Lewis said. "I felt like we had plenty of opportunities but it had to be a scrappy game to get the W today so we'll take it." After neither side had too many chances through the first 10 minutes of the second half, Kellett was able to opening the scoring the the 53rd minute. After some back and forth touches in the midfield, a ball was misplayed backwards off a header from Stoughton and the defense wasn't able to control it as it bounced into their own area. Kellett continued his run and worked hard, sliding to get a touch and finding the back of the net. The Warriors almost doubled their lead 10 minutes later as junior Jack Staal unleashed a rip from about 25 yards out, but Stoughton goalie Kyle Silverman timed it right and was able to punch it over the bar, which proved to give the Black Knights some momemtum. Two minutes later, senior Michael Gallagher used his long throw to put the ball into the area for Stoughton and after the ball bounced around, Junior Correia was able to push it across off his stomach to tie the game 1-1. The Warriors went right back to work offensively though as Kellett served in a cross that Allen was able to get a touch on but Silverman made the save. The rebound fell right back to Allen but the sophomore goalie was able to make the save while on the ground. But as Kellett continued to press, his hard work paid off as he drew a penalty kick with less than 10 minutes left. Kellett then placed the ball towards the side netting of the right side for the winning goal. "In my opinion he's one of the best players in the league," Lewis said of Kellett. "He's just relentless, he reads the game, he's very composed on the ball and it's very hard to get the ball off his feet and he's got a nose for the game. We're lucky to have him he really earned his goals today." Stoughton falls to 5-11-1 overall and will host Davenport rival Canton on Friday to conclude their season. With the win, King Philip improves to 9-5-2 and have won five of their last seven games. Their last regular season game will be on Friday against Taunton, who need a point to get into the playoffs. "Psychologically its huge for us because going into the tournament we have to get up the ladder on the seedings," Lewis said of Wednesday's win. "We don't want to be going into the tournament close to .500 because then you have to play one of the top teams. We feel like on a good day we could beat anybody in the state but we all have to put our A games out there." Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. Here is our fifth Podcast, a new weekly feature on HockomockSports.com. We'd like to thank Stoughton Media Access for their studio, as well as our guest David Carty of The Sun Chronicle and the Foxboro Reporter.
In this episode, editors Ryan Lanigan and Josh Perry talk about last week's football games, this week's match ups, along with this week's Game of the Week - Stoughton @ Foxboro. They also answered a lot of questions submitted by you on our Ask.fm account. Feel free to submit a question at ask.fm/HockomockSports and it might be answered on the podcast. FEEDBACK: We need your feedback to improve our podcast. Please let us know what you think by taking our quick feedback survey found HERE. Here are Wednesday's Hockomock games.
Boys Soccer Franklin, 2 @ Foxboro, 1 - Final - Joe Kalil scored on an assist from Jack Vail and Austin Kent scored on an assist from Kalil for Franklin. Brian Bortolotti scored and Pete McCoy played strong defensively for Foxboro. King Philip, 2 @ Stoughton, 1 - Final - Sophomore Joe Kellett scored two second half goals for King Philip while Junior Correia scored for Stoughton. Mansfield, 1 vs. Xaverian, 1 - Final Milford, 3 @ Marlborough, 0 - Final - Justin Asam scored a brace and Juan Quintero added one for the Hawks. Girls Soccer Stoughton, 0 @ King Philip, 2 - Final Milford, 1 vs. Marlborough, 0 - Final - Milford's Julia Masionis scored the lone goal of the game. Volleyball Taunton, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 - Final Mansfield, 1 @ North Attleboro, 3 - Final Milford, 0 @ Stoughton, 3 - Final - Stoughton won 25-15, 25-22, and 26-24. Ashley Medeiros had 6 kills, 12 digs, 19 service points and 7 aces. Bridgette Whalen had 9 kills and 12 blocks. Oliver Ames, 3 @ Sharon, 0 - Final By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
CANTON, Mass. - After one half of play on Tuesday evening, it looked as though Canton and Foxboro were set to finish just like they did in their first meeting - a scoreless draw. But instead, Bart O'Brien and the Bulldogs had other plans, creating more opportunities in the second half and converting on three of them to beat Foxboro 3-1, and qualified for the state tournament. Canton controlled the first half but were unable to muster any real chances while Foxboro had the best chance as Brian Bortolotti's shot with under three minutes left forced a save from Canton goalie Art McNally. The second half was a different story though as Canton created a lot of chances in the final third and struck first less than three minutes into the half. O'Brien, a junior, served in a ball that wasn't controlled by either side but was there long enough for senior Eric Wong to get a touch and finish it for a 1-0 lead. "I thought we played 80 great minutes," said Canton head coach Danny Erickson. "We've played a lot of great minutes this year and they haven't all resulted in us being very creative in the final third. The first half of this game was just that. I thought we dominated territory and dominated possession and really had them defending most of the first half but we didn't create chances and they probably had the two best chances of the half on counter attacks. In the second half, we stepped it up. We played the same way I thought from 18 to 18 but added an element of a little bit of a bite in the box." In the 54th minute, Canton doubled their lead as senior Andre Dorofeev carried the ball near the sideline and looked to cross the ball. He put in a low service that seemed to be misjudged by Foxboro goalie Nick Adair and Dorofeev's cross turned into a shot that found the side netting of the back post. "In the first half we were pinging it around but we didn't get too many shots off," O'Brien said. "In the second half we pulled through and finished." Foxboro was able to cut the lead in half in the 67th minute as a cross wasn't cleared by Canton and sophomore Devante Teixeira was able to get a touch to it and find the back of the net. Instead of the Warriors tying the game, O'Brien helped Canton push forward and instead were able to get an insurance goal. Canton found themselves with another corner kick and sent O'Brien and classmate Damian Kozak to the corner, which they had done on a handful of the previous corners. This time O'Brien touched it through Kozak's legs who took it up the end line. As the defender approached, Kozak laid it off for O'Brien who had taken off on a run. The play called for O'Brien to serve back post but the junior saw something else. He looked up and nailed a shot that curved near post and found the upper 90 for a possible goal of the year candidate, leaving no chance for Adair to make a save. "I think they were more worried about Sam [Larson] back post but it worked out there was only one defender on us," O'Brien said. O'Brien finished with a goal and an assist and with Kozak still not at 100% because of an ankle injury, was a huge factor in Canton's strong play. "Bart was man of the match no question," Erickson said. "He was our best player on the field today and he was everywhere. He was a class in the box and really poised and deserved that great goal at the end to ice it." Canton improves to 8-6-3 overall and will conclude the regular season on the road with a game against Stoughton. Foxboro drops to 5-6-4 but is right back at work on Wednesday with a home game with Franklin. They have two more games after that with a road game Friday at Sharon and a home game against Dedham on Saturday. Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
STOUGHTON, Mass. - Freshman Loubensky Lucas scored twice in the first half and junior Melvin Amado added two of his own in the second half as Stoughton downed Milford 4-2. With a different look squad, the Black Knights scored twice in the final 11 minutes of the first half, just 55 seconds into the second half and added an insurance tally with just under 14 minutes left in the game. "It was excellent," Stoughton head coach Martyn Emery said. "We've struggled about half of the season so to get a performance like that is good. We mixed the team about because we have three games this week." Amado and Lucas teamed up to open the game's scoring as Amado played a tempting ball over the top to Lucas. As Milford goalie Michael Da Silva came out, Lucas took a touch right and slotted home his first goal. Lucas struck again in the final seconds of the second half, taking possession of the ball and cutting in and out of Milford defenders inside the area before firing home his second goal, sending the Black Knights into halftime with a 2-0 lead despite Milford winning the possession battle and offensive pressure. "Pretty much every team we play is able to control the ball we just seem to be good on the counter attack," Emery said. "Loubensky, he's strong as a 14-year-old and he's scoring goals and his goals today were typical of how he's played. Now we're just learning to defend a lot better than we have in the past." It didn't take long for Stoughton to add on to their lead as Amado found himself running at goal and firing a low bouncing shot to the far post. Da Silva looked to guide it wide but the ball was able to sneak inside the side netting to give Stoughton a 3-0 lead just 55 seconds into the second frame. "We've created chances in every game we've played but unfortunately not taking them," Emery said. "Today we took them and that's the difference." Milford didn't go down without a fight though, striking back just seven minutes later as junior Juan Quintero fired a rocket shot from 35 yards out, nailed the bottom half of the crossbar and the ball bounced down and across the goal line, cutting the lead to 3-1. Ten minutes later, Quintero then help set up Milford's next goal, sending in a long ball from the side, finding a wide open Justin Asam, who headed home the Scarlet Hawk's second goal. "At 3-1 I was biting nails and at 3-2 I was just looking at the clock and I just started to make changes," Emery said. "We just weathered the storm. We might have gotten a bit fortunate in the box but at the same time at 3-1 we could have been it 4-1 when Loubensky hit the post so it a bit of both ways." Amado iced it for Stoughton in the 67th minute though, as junior Evan Schulze - a normal starter who was playing limited minutes because of the busy week - played a through ball to Amado, who took it alone on goal before sniping it upper 90 in the top left corner. Emery said his team has been consistently creating chances but the lack of finishing has haunted them. "We're finally getting it together and we're taking our chances," he said. "Thats the difference, a couple weeks back we were creating the chances and not taking them and we were punished. Now we seem to be taking them and getting in front. They know they have something to play for now when you're 2-0 up you have something to play for because when you're 2-0 down you lose your head. I was very pleased today." Stoughton improves to 5-10-1 and is back in action on Wednesday, hosting King Philip in a make up game. Milford falls to 5-5-5 but is also back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Marlborough. Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan. By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
WRENTHAM, Mass. – The Franklin Panthers clinched a Kelley-Rex division title on Tuesday night at King Philip with a 2-0 victory over the Warriors. Lindsey Mastaj had a goal and assist to lead the defending state champions and ruin senior night for the hosts. Franklin dominated the opening half despite struggling to get its passing game going do to the rough condition of the field. The combination of forward Bailey Knous, winger Alexis Stowell and junior Taylor Cogliano, who had dropped into a midfield role behind the striker, forced KP keeper Emma Piscitelli into several saves in the opening 30 minutes. In the 16th minute, Franklin got the breakthrough, although in a fairly fortuitous way. Mastaj sent a corner into the six-yard-box that Piscitelli could only get a fingertip to before it hit off the back of a defender. Alexis Stowell was judged to have knocked the ball across the line to make it 1-0. “It’s almost impossible to break anybody down on this field,” said Franklin head coach Tom Geysen. “Invariably when you’re a possession team, which we’re trying to be, all it takes is one bad bounce and it’s all over.” He continued, “That first goal we just kept at it and sometimes you just get lucky.” The turning point of the game came with just five minutes left before halftime. KP played the ball through the Franklin back line and keeper Dani Lonati allowed it to slip out of her gloves on the slide. Warriors senior striker Haley Keegan was on hand to tap into the empty net and seemingly equalize, but the officials waived it off for a very tight offsides call. “I think if they allow the goal, which I believe they should have, we would have kept momentum and then who knows what can happen,” said KP head coach Gary Pichel. “I thought we outplayed them in the second half; we had more shots. It’s a big turnaround from when we played them earlier in the season.” As league champions usually do, Franklin took advantage of the call. Just two minutes later, Mastaj, the right back, made a long run down the sideline from her own half of the field and took it all the way into the box before playing a cross that eluded Piscitelli into the far corner. It was a quick turnaround that gave Franklin a comfortable halftime lead. Geysen was glad to see one of his outside backs getting forward into the attack. He remarked, “There was a lot of space for them to run into and they can both handle the ball very well. Leah [Benson] didn’t handle ball as well as she usually does, but I think a lot of that was the field; at least they’re thinking about it.” The second half was far more even as the Panthers started to play the ball over the top more rather than trying to keep the ball on the ground through the midfield. One of the players to shine was KP sweeper Audrey Foxx, who consistently cleaned up Franklin attacks. Geysen commented, “Foxx was incredible for them at the back; she cleaned up everything that we sent in. She couldn’t have been a better sweeper than she was tonight.” Pichel agreed, “She’s our best player. As a sweeper, I think she’s one of the best in the state. She cleaned up everything.” Neither team created too many chances as both struggled to make room for shots on goal. Alexis Stowell had the best chance of the second half as her shot from the edge of the 18 clipped off the top of the bar. “The second half I wasn’t too pleased,” admitted Geysen. “I thought we got caught up a little in the kick and run and got out of our game, but that’s going to happen at times. I’m pleased at the performance.” He continued, “I told you this several times; back in preseason we were terrible. We weren’t doing anything right. We’re still a work in progress, but you can see the understanding. Meanwhile, Pichel was very happy with his team’s effort and the progress that it has shown to put it only a point away from qualifying for the state tournament. He noted, “The Canton game was pivotal because we went to a different formation with four at the back and a sweeper and we play from the back forward. This is our first loss since that time.” Pichel added, “I think we’re peaking at the right time and will be ready for the playoffs.” Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10. Here are Tuesday's Hockomock games.
Boys Soccer Taunton, 2 @ Attleboro, 0 - Final - Juniors Federico Micozzi and Nelson Roias scored for the Tigers. Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 3 - Final - Eric Wong, Andre Dorofeev, and Bart O'Brien scored for Canton while Devante Teixeira scored for Foxboro. King Philip, 0 @ Franklin, 1 - Final - Cobi Frongillo scored off an assist from Tim LaRowe in the 65th minute. Mansfield, 0 @ North Attleboro, 0 - Final Milford, 2 @ Stoughton, 4 - Final - Loubesnky Lucas and Melvin Amado each scored twice for Stoughton. Juan Quintero and Justin Asam scored for Milford. Girls Soccer Attleboro, 1 @ Taunton, 0 - Final - Olivia Reyes scored on an assist from Paige Medeiros for the lone strike of the game. Canton, 0 @ Foxboro, 1 - Final - Caroline Will scored the lone goal of the game. Franklin, 2 @ King Philip, 0 - Final - Franklin clinches the Kelley-Rex division. North Attleboro, 1 @ Mansfield, 1 - Final - Nikki Chretien and Sophia Busharis were the goal scoreres in the tie. Stoughton, 2 @ Milford, 5 - Final - Kristin Franzini scored twice and Kaley Pratt, Jennifer Beaulieu, and Brianna Doyle added single tallies. Sharon, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 2 - Final - Sam Bamford and Erin DeCoste score for Oliver Ames. Field Hockey Attleboro, 2 @ Taunton, 0 - Final - Bombardiers qualify for the state tournament. Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 1 - Final - Annie McGeary scored for Foxboro. Franklin, 2 @ King Philip, 0 - Final - Sammy Rondeau and Maddie Bressler both scored early in the second half on assists from Marta Versprille while right back Ally Bailey had a strong game for Franklin. North Attleboro, 1 @ Mansfield, 4 - Final Stoughton, 4 @ Milford, 1 - Final - Anna Russell scored twice and Samantha Mattie and Emma Sinkus each scored once. Seven Hockomock schools competed in sectional qualifiers and here are the results. Division 1 Taunton, 6th Place - 323 Franklin, 9th Place - 331 Mansfield, 12th Place - 342 D1 Team Scores:
Division 2 Oliver Ames, 1st Place - 310 Sharon, T-7th Place - 321 King Philip, 9th Place - 324 Canton, T-11th Place, 327 James Shaloup (OA), Mike Pergola (KP), and Sam Riemer (CAN) finished among the top 9 players. D2 Team Scores:
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August 2015
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