Old Rochester Regional girls lacrosse completed a South Coast Conference play with a 14-4 win over Apponequet on Monday. The Bulldogs have now gone undefeated in back-to-back season. And also with the win, ORR was crowned SCC champions for the fourth time in as many seasons.
ORR coach Scott Tavares and his senior class have won a share of the league title every year they’ve been in the program, sharing the honor with Apponequet in 2016 and then again with Apponequet, as well as Fairhaven in 2017 before winning it outright in 2018 and again this season.
“This class that I have of seniors, I have nine, they’re all A-plus kids,” Tavares said. “The attitude and the mentality that they bring helps us gel as a team. I never sense any chippiness or anything. It’s really been a great group from the top down.”
Among those who stood out in the championship-clinching win were seniors Megan Shay, who led ORR with five points and four goals, and goalie Gates Tenerowicz(11 saves). The senior goalie’s performance stood out, in particular.
The second-place Lakers had 15 shots on net in total, each being a quality attempt. Along with some pressure from the ORR defense, Tenerowicz maintained the level of play she’s put forth all season long.
“Arguably, one of the nicest things I’ve had as a coach is not having to worry about a goalie,” Tavares said. “Because it takes a special person to get between the pipes to have somebody fire a little hard ball at you. She started as a freshman; she was in a competition for the position her freshman year; she beat out a junior, and she hasn’t looked back.
“She actually loves it, works at it and she wants to be a goalie,” continued Tavares. “It’s just such a rare thing that I haven’t had to worry about for four years. It’s been a luxury that a lot of coaches in the area don’t get the ability to have, so that’s been great.”
After Wednesday’s trip to Sandwich, the Bulldogs start their preparation for the postseason as they await the announcement for state tournament seeding on Friday. Between the conclusion of Wednesday’s game and the first state tournament game, the Bulldogs have an idea of what they need to work on.
“We’re always trying to clean up our mental mistakes and just play clean,” Tavares said. “Like today – yes the score was 14-4 – but the girls will tell you that wasn’t our best effort. We’re capable of a lot better than that. Just little in-game things. Like when we’re transitioning the ball upfield, we’re throwing 40-yard passes. If we hit on it, it’s awesome; it’s like the best thing ever. But when we drop it and the other team scoops it, really good teams in the tournament will scoop that ball and score. It’s being mindful and making good decisions with the ball and just playing a cleaner game. We didn’t really play a clean game; it was kind of sloppy today.”
Meg Hughesrepresented ORR at the Eastern Massachusetts Division 4 meet well on Sunday. The senior won the 400 in 56.82 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 62.19. Hughes also won the 4×400 in 4:10.25 with Lea Bourgeois, Michaela Mattson, andEmma Carroll. Hughes qualified for nationals with her effort in the 400 hurdles, setting a meet record and a school record in the process.
Old Colony
After 15 games, Matt Bumpus, Hunter Soares, and Ryan McGuigganlead Old Colony baseball with 22 hits apiece. McGuiggan is hitting a blistering .423 on the year; yet, he’s third on the team in average. Soares is second at .449 and Bumpus stands above the rest with a .512 average. Bumpus also has eight doubles, as do McGuiggan and Jacob Worden(.354 average). Bumpus also has four triples, the most of any Cougar. Bumpus has been solid on the mound, too. He has a 2.10 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings. Worden has a 1.51 ERA and leads the Cougars with 37 K’s on the mound, while Nick Hedlundhas a team-best 1.37 ERA.
High School Sports Update
By Nick Friar