Sunday, October 30, 2016

Update from WH Athletics

The first term of the school year is coming to a close and student-athletes are reminded that in order to remain eligible for the fall athletic season and to be able to participate in the winter season, you must pass 5 full credit classes.  Staying after for extra help or to make up work is always allowed and coaches will admit you to practice late without penalty as long as you bring a note.  Academics MUST be your top priority as we have no flexibility on this rule as it is mandated by the MIAA. 

This is such an exciting time of year with teams celebrating their seniors with recognition nights while at the same time battling for post season contention.  Things are always changing so technology is the best way to stay on top on what is going on.  Download the MIAA app by going to the APP store and searching MIAA. Once you download it, simply favorite Whitman-Hanson and then favorite whatever teams you want to follow.  You can turn on notifications and get alerts when a score or recap is posted as well as any scheduling changes.  You should also follow us on  twitter @whathletics and check out our website at www.whathletics.com .

By the way,  signup meetings for winter sports take place this week.  Student-athletes should check out the website for all the times and locations.

Here is the latest update:

1)      We couldn’t be more proud of the Boys Cross Country team who saved their best performance for the final meet of the season – the Patriot League Championship Meet.  The Panthers edged second place Duxbury over the 5K course by only 2 points to win the title!  The team's scorers were outstanding on the way to beating favorites Plymouth North and Hingham as well.  Junior Captain Jack Ryan placed 4th overall in a time of 17:23 over the wet and muddy terrain to lead W-H.  Whitman-Hanson had its other top finishers finish in the top 20.  SR Captains Lukas Moscoso (10th, 17:42) and Bryce Pulkinen (16th, 17:49) ran extremely well in their final Patriot League meet.  Juniors Andrew Newman (15th, 17:45) and Cam Wilson (19th, 17:55) will be counted on, along with Jack Ryan to defend W-H's title in 2017.
Following the meet Ryan, Moscoso, Newman and Pulkinen were named to the Patriot League's Keenan Division All Star team.
2)      The girls also had a strong performance.  The Panthers were only beaten by ranked teams Pembroke and North Plymouth on its way to a third place finish at the Patriot League Championship Meet.  As they have done all season Captains Nicole Norve (6th, 20:08) and Olivia Morse (18th, 21:21) led the way.  Julia Cosgrave (34th, 22:17), Camryn Boyce (42nd, 22:54) and Maeve Rooney (44th, 22:56) closed out the scoring.
The Lady Panthers also had several team members selected for the Keenan Division All Star Team.  Nicole Norve, Olivia Morse and Julia Cosgrave were named to the 15 member squad.
3)      The football team ran into a tough challenge Friday night in the first round of the sectional playoffs losing on the road to North Attleboro, 33-8.  The Panthers were hanging tough trailing by only 2 scores before 3rd seeded North Attleboro exploded for two touchdowns in the final 1:15 of the first half, including a 25 yard TD as time expired to put a lock on the game.  Quarterback Ethan Phelps hit Ryan Kennedy on a 31 yard touchdown to account for the WH score.  With the loss, the Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs but will still play 2 consolation round games before hosting Abington on Thanksgiving.  Whitman-Hanson will travel to Scituate Friday night (11/4) for a 7pm game and then host Rockland on Friday 11/11.
4)      Our cheerleaders turned in a spectacular performance at the Braintree Invitational to win the championship and get them ready for the Patriot League championships a week from today, 11/6 at 3pm here at Whitman-Hanson.
5)      The field hockey team wrapped up its second varsity season (third overall) since returning from a 30 year hiatus and wow what a day.  Senior Kristen Arthur picked a fine time for her first two goals to lead the Panthers to their first win since the 1980’s, a 3-1 win at East Bridgewater.  Senior Mikayla White also scored in the win.  The team finished the year with 1 win and 4 ties and gained a lot of respect around the league with how much progress they have made under the direction of head coach Todd Humphrey.  For their efforts, they were awarded the sportsmanship award by the league.
6)      The Whitman Hanson Panthers traveled to Easton Country Club today to compete in the Division II State Tournament Qualifying Round. The team sent six players to represent the team - John Murphy, Luke Tamulevich, Owen Manning, Matt Josselyn, JP Drier, and Nick Duffy. 
The team played well, defeating three of their fellow Patriot League opponents (Scituate, Pembroke, and Silver Lake) with a team score of 326. Individually, Murphy shot 77, Luke Shot 78, Drier shot 85, and Josselyn, Manning, and Duffy each shot an 86. Each player resented their school and team well with their individual play, but none as much as senior captain John Murphy, whose 77 tied for 9th place out of the 91 golf participants, which earned him a spot in the Division II State Finals to be held on Halloween next Monday at Black Swan Golf Course in Georgetown, MA. This marks the fourth time in the past five years that a player from Whitman Hanson has advanced to the state finals. 
We wish Murph luck tomorrow in his final competitive event in a Panther golf uniform!
7)      The Whitman Hanson girls' soccer team defeated Weymouth 5-0 in a non-league game on Saturday night to wrap up the season at 16-1-1.  The girls have locked up home field advantage in the playoffs securing a top 4 seed. Whitman Hanson opened the scoring when Taylor Kofton finished off an Eve Montgomery cross. Lauren Bonavita doubled the score when she fired a 15yd blast past the Weymouth keeper. Bonavita added another when she faked the keeper and tucked the ball in to the lower corner. Up 3-0 at the half, Whitman Hanson kept up the pressure and got to 4-0 when Kofton fired a shot in the top corner for her second goal of the night. A few minutes later Bonavita completed the hat trick with a deep blast. Bonavita now has 100 career points.  The girls will await the MIAA tournament seedings which will be completed Wednesday morning and announced on twitter @whathletics .  It is likely the girls will play at home Friday or Saturday.
8)       The boys soccer team has battled through a rebuilding season and while most of their games have remained close, they only have been able to manage one win and one tie.  That hasn’t stopped the boys from competing very hard though.  In their final home game of the season on Friday, it was fitting to see three seniors score goals – Tom McGahan, Bobby Whitman and John Camirand.  Freshman Jason Brodeur and Junior Drew Tassey also scored in the 6-5 loss.  The Panthers will wrap up their season tomorrow at 3pm at Cardinal Spellman.

9)      Finally, the volleyball team has had an exciting year.  It all comes down to tomorrows match at Plymouth South.  If the WH Panthers beat the PS Panthers, they will advance to the MIAA tournament.  If they lose, their season comes to an end.  The girls started slow this season but have really turned things around nicely.  Good luck girls!

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