The postseason kicked off for the remaining Bulldogs’ sports teams this week, and there was plenty to cheer about. Chief among Bulldog triumphs were the Volleyball team’s Thursday win over Hingham, Boys’ Soccer’s 3-1 defeat of Bourne on Wednesday, and Football’s 44-22 victory over Case on Friday night.
Football: The Bulldogs rocked the Bourne Canalmen 44-8 last Friday, and they traveled to Case this week to begin a mini-road trip and continue their non-playoff post-season competition. For the 4th game in a row, the Bulldog offense lit up the scoreboard by capturing 40+ points in a 44-22 victory. The star was senior running back Darien Dumond who racked up 193 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns (two running and one receiving). Most of Case’s scoring occurred later in the game, after victory was secured; for example, the Bulldogs led 38-7 at one juncture. Their other scoring came on a touchdown run from junior back Nathan Hall and two scores via the run by junior quarterback Cam Hamilton. Next Friday, the Bulldogs head to Rockland with hopes of extending their winning streak to five and getting back to a .500 winning percentage.
Boys’ Soccer: The Bulldogs started the MIAA State Tournament at Bourne on Wednesday. The team captured an emotional 3-1 win, thanks to some stellar defense from junior goalie Sam Henrie and senior midfielder Hunter Parker. The goals came from senior Alex Tavares, senior Shane Desousa, and junior Alex Sousa. The boys’ Round 2 opponent was Norton High School. Facing them on Friday night, the boys lost 4-0 to end their season. Norton was aggressive and had many shots on goal, and Henrie made several excellent saves to keep the Bulldogs in the game. Congratulations are in order to seniors Tavares, Parker, Desousa, Kyle Medeiros, and Brett Noone on an excellent season. Also, the work of Henrie and fellow junior Sousa cannot go unnoticed, as they were two of the team’s strongest players throughout the season and hope to return the squad to the playoffs next season.
Girls’ Soccer: Away at Bishop Stang to begin the MIAA State Tournament on Thursday, the girls lost a close 2-1 game. Despite a late comeback attempt, the girls’ season unfortunately came to an end with a loss against the Spartans. The Lady Bulldogs’ lone goal was scored by sophomore Ava Ciffolillo off an assist from freshman Maddie Demanche. Although he received the usual fantastic play of seniors Amy Bichajian and Sarah Beaulieu, Coach Jeff Lombard was able to develop some solid young players to earn another winning season. Sophomores Caitlyn Kutash, Leah Przybyszewski, and Ciffolillo, as well as freshmen Demanche and Jillian Kutash, are inspiring a good deal of optimism for the future of the program.
Boys’ Cross Country: This week, the team’s non-varsity runners competed at the State Coaches’ Invitational meet in Wrentham. There were three different races for the Small Schools section of the meet: Junior/Senior; Sophomore; and Freshman. Among the standouts in their respective races were juniors Ryson Smith and Jacob Spevack, sophomore Evan Tilley, and freshman Patrick Janicki. Next week, the Varsity unit competes in the D-4 State Meet, which is also being hosted in Wrentham.
Girls’ Cross Country: On the heels of last week’s victory in the SCC Championship, the Lady Bulldogs’ varsity runners earned a well-deserved rest day and the non-varsity runners got the chance to compete at the State Coaches’ invitational meet in Wrentham. As was mentioned in the Boys’ Cross Country write-up, Saturday’s races were split up by the runners’ grades. Some of the top runners on Saturday for the girls in their respective races were junior Avery Nugent, sophomore Samantha Ball, and seniors Haily Saccone, Nicole Mattson, and Rachel Scheub. The Girls’ Varsity team heads to Wrentham on Saturday, this time to run in the D-4 State meet.
Volleyball: The girls opened up the week at home against non-conference Somerset-Berkeley on Monday. The girls captured a much-needed victory on four sets. The biggest contributors were a quartet of seniors: Zoe Smith (seven straight service points); Michaelah Nunes (a staggering 32 assists); Hayli Marshall (13 kills); and Olivia Bellefeuille (10 digs). On Thursday, they began the much-anticipated postseason tournament against Hingham. The Lady Bulldogs came out hitting as Nunes (10 service points), Smith (four kills), Bellefeuille (24 service points), and Marshall (six blocks) powered them to a victory on three consecutive sets. The scores were 25-18, 25-23, and 25-16. In the second round, the girls will face off against the well-regarded Notre Dame Academy on Monday.
Field Hockey: The Lady Bulldogs started the week with a rare Sunday game against Falmouth High to close out their regular season. They lost that decision 1-0 despite playing competitively throughout the game. Up against Medway at home to begin the D-2 South section of the MIAA State Tournament on Tuesday, the girls lost a hard-fought 2-0 battle. Once again, sophomore goalie Riley Goulet played exceptional in goal, but the offense couldn’t get the job done. Despite losing 13 seniors from last year’s team, Field Hockey had a successful year thanks to a developing core of young stars. Among the players slated to make an impact in the future are Goulet, junior Sophia Church, sophomore Alexandra Hulsebosch, and sophomore Arissa Francis. The girls had a winning record this season, but expect even more as they hope to go deeper in the playoffs next year.
Below are the overall fall team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of November 8.
Boys’ Cross Country: (6-1-0)(6-1-0); Girls’ Cross Country: (7-0-0)(7-0-0); Golf: (17-1-0)(16-0-0); Football: (4-5-0)(4-4-0); Volleyball: (13-10-0)(8-9-0); Field Hockey: (9-7-4)(8-2-4); Boys’ Soccer: (9-11-2)(8-8-2); Girls’ Soccer: (10-9-2)(9-6-1).
By Patrick Briand
