Thanks to the record-breaking snowfall from this past winter, the Old Rochester Regional High School spring sports teams, which began practicing on March 18, have had to postpone and reschedule many of their games in order for the muddy fields to get in order. Luckily, a few teams managed to get their seasons started this week with promising results. Here is a look at the first week of scheduled games for ORR spring athletics.
Boys’ Tennis: After a conference championship last spring and very few starters graduating, the boys’ tennis team has high expectations for this season. If their season-opener is any indication, the Bulldogs are not only ready to meet those expectations, but to exceed them. In their season-opener, the boys shut-out what was considered to be their toughest competition in the conference, Dighton-Rehoboth, 5-0 without losing a single set. Owen Sughrue, a freshman who quickly locked up the first singles spot, won his match in an easy 6-0, 6-0 to add a point to the Bulldog’s victory. Other wins for the Bulldogs came from Alex Bilodeau (second singles), Sam Pasquill (third singles), Josh Lerman and Maxx Wolski (first doubles), and Stephen Burke and Jahn Pothier (second doubles). Proving that they are certainly capable of defeating one of the top teams in the conference, the boys’ tennis team will look to claim an undefeated SCC title this spring, as well as a strong state tournament run.
Girls’ Tennis: Like the boys’ team, the girls’ tennis team opened up their season with a 5-0 victory over Dighton-Rehoboth, and followed it up later in the week with another 5-0 shutout, this time against Bourne. In both matches, senior star Julia Nojeim played as her usual consistent self at the first singles position, easily defeating the top players on the opposing teams by large margins. Morgan Middleton, who played second doubles last year, proved herself very capable of playing in the second singles position, winning both of her matches as well. Other scorers for the Lady Bulldogs were Olivia Bellefeuille (third singles), K.K. Bindas and Charlotte Levine (first doubles), and Sophie Church and Emma Collins (second doubles).
Boys’ Lacrosse: The ORR lacrosse programs also had excellent opening weeks. In their home-opener, the boys’ lacrosse team defeated non-conference Dartmouth in an exciting 10-8 victory. Dartmouth, who has had their lacrosse program much longer than Old Rochester, is generally considered one of the toughest teams in the area, but thanks to strong efforts from veterans and debut players alike, the Bulldogs managed to pull ahead in the final minutes to secure the victory. Sophomore Landon Goguen was the lead scorer for ORR, recording four goals. Other goals for the Bulldogs came from Taylor Hatch (two goals), Ethan Lizotte, Pat Kiernan, and freshman Thomas McIntyre, who scored two goals and recorded three assists in his debut high school game. The Bulldogs also played well defensively, thanks to a strong backfield of Dakotah Jones, Hunter Cooney, and West Point bound goalie Gerald Lanagan. The strong start bodes well for the Bulldogs, who will look to reclaim their SCC championship status for the second year in a row.
Girls’ Lacrosse: Going into their season-opener against Division 1 Dartmouth, many did not expect the girls’ lacrosse team to emerge victorious. The Lady Bulldogs shattered all expectations this week, however, defeating the Lady Indians for the first time in program history with a score of 15-11. Led by senior Chloe Riley, who scored an incredible seven goals, the Lady Bulldogs battled back from a two-goal deficit at halftime to outscore Dartmouth 9-3 in the second half and win their first game of the season. Other goals for ORR came from Mikayla Demanche, Sarah Ryan, and freshmen Maggie Adams, Ali Hulsebosch, and Maddie Cooney. Though the Lady Bulldogs have a very young team, they more than make up for it in talent, as some of the freshmen recruits have already begun to stand out on the varsity level.
Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of April 5.
Baseball: (0-0-0) (0-0-0); Softball: (0-0-0) (0-0-0); Boys’ Track: (0-0-0) (0-0-0); Girls’ Track: (0-0-0) (0-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (1-0-0) (1-0-0); Girls’ Tennis: (2-0-0) (2-0-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (1-0-0) (0-0-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (1-0-0) (0-0-0).
By Michael Kassabian