Update from WH Athletics

Here is this week’s update from Whitman-Hanson athletics.

1)      The golf team pulled off the biggest upset of the week defeating one of the top teams in  the league, Hingham High School.  The Panthers won by a single stroke which demonstrates the importance of every single golfer on the team.  Junior captain Shane Devlin fired an even par 34 which helped WH cap a perfect week in which they won all 3 matches to improve to 5 and 5 on the season.

2)      The volleyball teams hard work is really paying off.  The girls won two straight this week beating one of the best teams in the league, Hanover, by a score of 3-2, including a thrilling 15-13 win in the final set.  Erin Clifford and Samantha Richner both had 5 kills while Hailey Murray led the way with 6.  The girls also posted a straight set, 3-0 win over Plymouth North.  Even though it was straight sets, it was very close the whole way as the Panthers won the first set 26-24,  the second 25-22 and the third 25-19.  Senior Charleigh Cooke had 6 aces and Senior captain Sammie Richner delivered 7 kills.

3)      The girls soccer team keeps rolling along as they collected two more wins – 2-0 at Pembroke and 3-1 at Hanover.  The girls faced a scare on Friday when Hanover grabbed a 1-0 lead which they held into halftime.  It was the first goal the girls have given up all season, but that didn’t get them rattled at all as they came out in the second half and exploded for 3 goals (Nicole Galewski, Kelsey Gilbert and Lindsey Anderson). The girls are now 7-0 on the season and are in great position for their 8^th straight league title.

4)      The boys soccer team picked up a point this week when they played to a scoreless tie with Pembroke. Tom Lombardo and the defense recorded their first shutout of the season.

5)      The football team suffered a setback on Friday with a 19-3 loss at Pembroke on a miserable rainy afternoon.  The only score of the day for the Panthers came off the foot of senior kicker Chris Ryan who booted a 20 yard field goal.  The team looks to bounce back next Saturday when they play at Hanover at 2pm.

6)      The cheerleaders battled the rain and supported the football team on Friday, but their real work has been taking place daily in the gym where they are preparing for the competition season which is ready to begin.  Their first competition will be Sunday October 14^th at Medway, then the following week they travel to Milford on October 21^st before hosting the Patriot League champions and open invitational on October 27^th .  The JV will also compete in all 3 events.

7)      The boys and girls cross country teams passed their toughest tests of the season this week when they both defeated Hingham which virtually wraps up another Patriot League title for both teams.    The girls won by a score of 22-36 taking places 2 through 5 (Gianna Ciacciatore -19:23, Sam Coletti – 19:39, Rachel Baker – 19:45, Abby Baker – 20:23).  The boys had a nail biter and for a while it looked like Hingham would pull off the upset but The Panthers pulled it out 26-29.  Senior captain Nate Stephansky ran a season best time of 16:41  to lead the way while Senior Pat Mulrey placed 3^rd at 17:25.  Junior Brian Shep[ard was 5^th and Junior Steve Smart came up huge with a 7^th place finish.  Both teams are still undefeated.

8)      Our student-athletes continue to make a difference in the community.  Several captains helped out with the Kids Fitness festival last week while the girls soccer team helped the Whitman police with their first bike safety day.  Every team at Whitman-Hanson has committed to serving the community in some way this school year. 

9)      Finally, we are committed to bringing Homecoming back to Whitman-Hanson and making this a great community event for both towns.  Last year was our first step but this year promises to be even better.  The Panthers football team will be playing host to Quincy on Saturday October 13^th at 1:30pm.  As part of the day’s events, all of the sports teams will have tables setup featuring items for purchase related to their programs.  In addition, various clubs and activities will also have a table.  At halftime, we will have our parade of champions as last year’s champs will be recognized with their new banners.  Our student council is hard at work with their own ideas and they will have lots of surprised on the field that day too.  The night before the game, the students will help celebrate Panther Pride with the Homecoming dance.  Please note that the game is on Saturday 10/13 not Friday 10/12.