Here is a look at the seventh week of scheduled games for Old Rochester Regional winter athletics.
Boys’ Basketball: The Bulldogs continued their season of excellence this week, defeating two more SCC teams to remain perfect in the conference. The boys first defeated Apponequet 68-53 thanks to strong performances by junior Will Santos, who scored 18 points, freshman Noah Fernandes, who scored 15 points, and senior Jordan Menard who recorded a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). The win had extra significance, as the Bulldogs officially qualified for the state tournament, becoming the first team in the Southcoast to do so. Later in the week, ORR defeated GNB Voc-Tech in an 82-41 blowout. The boys got out to a 30-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, with four Bulldogs scoring in the double-digits. Menard was the top scorer on the night with 20 points.
Girls’ Basketball: The girls had a tough week, losing to both Apponequet (54-38) and GNB Voc-Tech (66-34) to drop their conference record to 6-6 overall. Sophie Church led the Lady Bulldogs offensively in both games, scoring 15 points against Apponequet and 11 against GNB Voc-Tech. Morgan Browning also played well against GNB Voc-Tech, recording 10 points on the night. With an overall record of 7-5, the girls will need to play consistently in order to keep their record above .500 to qualify for the state tournament.
Boys’ Track: This week, the boys’ team finished off their regular season with two wins against Diman (66-20) and Seekonk (57-29). Kevin Saccone won both the hurdles and high jump in both meets, and against Diman, Hunter Parker won the mile, while sophomore Will Hopkins won the 300 meters. Later in the week, several of the team’s top athletes took place in the MSTCA Coaches Invitational/Elite Meet, with several posting impressive results. The highlight was once again Saccone, who placed fifth in the hurdles and won the long jump, defeating some of the state’s best athletes with a monster leap of 22’1”. Next week, the team’s freshmen and sophomores have a chance to shine in the annual Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet.
Girls’ Track: The girls’ team also notched another two wins to close out their regular season, while in the process clinching their fifth consecutive undefeated SCC title. Despite having several girls out due to sickness, the girls managed to defeat Seekonk (70.5-15.5) and Diman (82-4). Winners for the Lady Bulldogs included Nicole Mattson (600 meters), Maggie Adams (55-meter dash), Zoe Smith (55 hurdles), Sam Ball (1000 meters), and Maddie Meyer (two mile, mile). The Lady Bulldogs’ freshmen and sophomores will also be competing in the Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet at GNB Voc-Tech on Saturday, January 31.
Boys’ Swimming: The boys’ swim team suffered another tough loss this week to Dighton-Rehoboth, falling to the Falcons by a score of 82-36. Despite the loss, freshman Gabe Noble-Shriver swam well, winning the 50-freestyle in 27.38 seconds. Teammate Nate Wentworth was the only other Bulldog to win an event in the meet, claiming the 100 breaststroke in 1:23. With the loss, the boys’ record now stands at 1-5 overall.
Girls’ Swimming: The Lady Bulldogs’ swim team had a great week, claiming their second victory of the season with their win over Dighton-Rehoboth, 94-75. The girls had several winning performances on the day, including Teagan Walsh (diving), Julianne Mariner (100-breaststroke), and Cate Feldkamp (500-freestyle). In addition, the 400-freestyle relay team of Colleen Beatriz, Megan Field, Molly Richards, and Erin Burke took home first place, adding valuable points to contribute to the girls’ win. ORR’s record now stands at 2-4.
Ice Hockey: This week, the ORR/Fairhaven hockey team faced off against SCC rival Dighton-Rehoboth for the first time this season. Just prior to the end of a Bulldog-dominated first period, Dighton-Rehoboth managed to get one past the ORR defense in the final five seconds, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage going into the second period. However, the Bulldogs responded with five goals in the second period that would prove pivotal in their eventual 6-2 win. Scorers for the Bulldogs included Jeremy Lawton, Jake Durocher, Sam Henrie, Shane Matthews, Zach Peterson, and Mike Lygren. The win was a very important one for the Bulldogs, as it knocked D-R off the top of the SCC rankings, which ORR/Fairhaven now shares with Bourne.
Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 25.
Boys’ Basketball: (11-1-0) (11-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (6-6-0) (5-5-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (1-5-0) (0-5-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-4-0) (1-3-0); Ice Hockey: (7-2-0) (7-0-0).
By Michael Kassabian
