Update

These are exciting times at Whitman Hanson with many of our teams poised to make the post season. While the old 50 percent standard will still earn teams automatic qualification to the state tournament there is also a power ranking system which could allow some other teams to qualify. The MIAA is releasing the rankings once per week on their website but the Boston Globe is updating them daily. You can find each sport here - https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/high-schools/?p1=BGMenu_Sections

Also, we hope to see alumni at the football game Friday as we celebrate homecoming with the Panthers taking on Plymouth North. At halftime we will hold our Parade of Champions where we honor all of the championship teams from 2020 (due to the pandemic they never had their parade) and 2021. In addition many clubs and activities will be on hand to hold fundraisers and showcase their offerings.

Now to our weekly update….


1. The volleyball team clinched a spot in the tournament with an impressive win over Hingham, 3-1 (25-14, 18-25, 25-22, 25-14) Senior Captain Lily Welch dominated on the court with 17 kills and 8 total blocks. Fellow Senior Captain Abby Martin notched 8 kills against the Harbormen while Senior Riley Scott secured the back of the court with 12 digs. The Panthers are now 8-5 in the league and 9-5 overall; they are back in action on Monday when they play Silver Lake. The team's next goal is to earn a home game in the tournament and to do that they need to finish in the top 16.
2. The Football team lost to Patriot League opponent Marshfield 41-13 but that score does not indicate how close this game was for much of the night. The Panther defense played tough and physical, causing three turnovers helping WH hold a 13-6 lead late in the first half. Senior Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder had a strip sack and fumble recovery in the first half, while senior Bobby Hunter forced another fumble in the second half. Junior Sam Pace added an interception. Offensively, the Panthers ground attack combined to rush for 129 yards, with senior Jake Guiliani leading the way; seniors Andrew Cloutman and Josh Googins and juniors Cam Burrows and Will Frazier also had success on the ground. Burrows and Cloutman each added a touchdown pass for the Panthers, with Hunter and junior Matt Phelps each catching one for a score.
3. The Panther Cross Country Boys and Girls teams traveled to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth Saturday night to run under the lights in the (Large Schools) McIntyre Twilight Meet. Adriana Kelly and McKenna McCarthy got things started with outstanding finishes in the Girls Freshman 2.1 Mile race. Adriana placed 13th overall in a field of 184 in a time of 13:38 while McKenna placed 25th in 14:12. In the Boys Sophomore 5K race in which 268 athletes competed, the team of Logan Bourgelas (32nd, 18:19), Alex Kehayias (42nd, 18:54), Gavin McCarthy (53rd, 19:11), Ryan Crowley (57th, 19:15) and Shane Johnson (63rd, 19:22) combined to place 9th overall among the 29 teams entered. Senior Captain Nathan Tassey ran a 5K Personal Record of 16:39 in the Boys Varsity race placing 27th in a field of 365 runners. Senior Captain Gordon Johnson (123rd, 17:53) also had a great outing for the Panthers. The Girls Varsity 5K race was the final event of the evening and Whitman-Hanson was again led by Senior Captain Myah Kamperides who placed 48th of 287 athletes in a season best 20:22.
4. The Panther golf squad lost their final match of the season at home vs the Pembroke Titans, 230-245 to end the season at 4-12 overall.
Despite the loss, it was the team's best overall score at home, led by senior captain Pat McBroom, who will continue his season Tuesday in the D1 South Sectional Qualifying round at Acushnet Valley, shooting a 3 over par, 37 Freshman Cooper Britton also had his best performance of the year, carding a 4 over par, 38. And sophomore Blake Belcher continues to show his improvement and capabilities with a 7 over par, 41.
It was the last time that five of the six seniors would get to represent the black and red colors, including Jack Carron, who joined the the team this year, but had a major impact on the program as a whole. Cam Murray, a four year player, has come a long way since his freshman year in more ways than just his golfing abilities, along with captains Drew Sullivan (3 year player), Matt Casarano and Chris Ross (both 4 year players).
Lastly, it was senior manager Jack Dunn's last match day with the team as well. Joining the team as a freshman, Jack has done so much over the past 4 years with the program. He has been the support for so many players, taken candid pictures and videos of the team, and even earned a spot in a match this past year. He represents everything it means to be a Panther and the coaches and program as a whole will surely miss having him around next year.
Congrats to the entire team, especially the seniors, on a great season. The team may not have many wins in the standings, but there sure have been a lot of moral victories on a team of hardworking, resilient, and respectful individuals.
5. The Whitman-Hanson Field Hockey Panthers played at home against the Hingham Harborwomen and lost 5-1. The story of the game was penalty corners. Hingham scored 4 out of their 5 goals off of penalty corners. They one open field goal in the third. The Panthers played good defense in the open field. The Panthers were able to get on the board with a penalty corner goal of their late in the fourth. Senior Midfielder Joli Flamos scored by lifting the ball high from the top of the arc. The team still has a good shot at the post season due to their difficult schedule and how that affects the power rankings.
6. The highlight of the week for boys soccer was a 2-2 tie at Plymouth North. The hosts (8-2-3 overall) tied the score off a corner kick with 2 minutes 5 seconds left in the match. W-H (1-7-4 overall) goals were scored by Ethan Fostello and Manny Osorio while Jayden Stafford assisted once. This was a great game for the Panthers who are only two spots out of a playoff spot.
7. While the girls soccer team lost a heartbreaker to Hingham Thursday, 2-1 to end any hope of a league title, earlier in the week the girls made a loud statement by avenging an earlier season loss by beating Plymouth North, 3-1. Olivia Borgen scored all 3 goals in the win. The defense of Megan Bizier, Makenna Marshall, Emily Leitch and Skylar Jordan was outstanding in front of keeper Ava Patete who made 5 saves for the win. Ava Melia, Nora Manning, Kayla Cassidy and Lauryn Fostello all had strong performances.
8. Our cheerleading team wowed the crowd Friday with a terrific halftime performance at the football game. This was only a sneak preview though for the competition season which opens Saturday at Duxbury. The video of Friday's performance can be found on our Twitter @whathletics.

________________________________

When writing or responding, please remember that the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has determined that email is a public record.

This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, or believe that you have received this communication in error, please do not print, copy, retransmit, disseminate, or otherwise use the information. Also, please indicate to the sender that you have received this email in error, and delete the copy you received.