Youth and High School Sports in Walpole, Massachusetts
Archive for December, 2008
Two sign on to play Div. 1 lacrosse
December 11, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
While the Walpole High football team was en route to the Super Bowl, the other Rebel team that played in a state title game in the last year was also making news.
Both Michael Connors and Davis Butts got the next phase of their lacrosse careers off to a promising start last month when each joined Div. 1 college programs.
While each got into his top choice, the only thing ironic about Connors accepting an invitation to the University of Vermont and Butts Loyola College is that Butts was the one once a champion skier.
Both Rebels are accomplished players who have excelled in high school and will continue to do so in college. Now they know where.
The colleges are confident they will deliver and so is Rebel mentor Jason Andalo, who has them back for one more crack at the state title.
“I’m excited for both guys,” offers Andalo. “They got an opportunity to play in college and to continue doing what they love doing. We’ve got more guys who are going to play in college too; they just don’t where yet.”
Among the Bay State Conference champions narrowing their choices are Leo Ajemian, taking a hard, long look at Springfield and Michael White, still on visits this winter. Like his teammates, White is undoubtedly looking forward to getting the process out of the way before the Rebels resume their quest for the school’s first-ever state title.
This year will be more challenging than last just because of the increasingly tough schedule, which includes Division 3 state champion Scituate, which rolled over Cohasset in the title game, 16-5, and Dover-Sherborn, which Scituate’s Sailors barely got by 9-8 in the previous game. The gem in the schedule however, is a showdown with Div. 1 power St. John’s Prep, ranked second just ahead of the Rebels, after an 18-3 campaign.
At least one challenge is out of the way for Butts and Connors.
But even still, waiting on a school probably would not have affected the pair much. Both are used to challenges as they pursue their goals.
Butts, an All-American middy, has a knack for getting nicked up on the field whether in soccer, where he’s also a league all-star or lacrosse where he also knows no fear when either chasing down a loose ball or taking the ball down the throat of an opposing defense.
While not scoring in outrageous spurts through his three varsity years, Butts is uncannily consistent, which has allowed him to steadily creep up on explosive teammates and position himself to take over the Walpole High all-time scoring record sometime this spring. He also enters this year with 127 goals.
“Greg Nash has it now but when all is said and done, Davis has a chance to be the guy at the top,” declares Andalo. “Davis was much stronger last year than when he was a sophomore, and he grew into his role. We didn’t go 20-1 because he didn’t get better.”
Connors’ challenges are also physical, but not his own. His mom has been courageously battling illness the last couple of years and the challenges the family has faced has made him even tougher and more mature than the roles he plays on the football team as a place-kicking holder or defensive back.
Connors is never the biggest lacrosse defenseman on the field but pound for pound is often the toughest. A major reason why the team only allowed 86 goals in 22 games is that Connors usually got to the loose ground balls first.
In fact he led the team the last two years and has been among the league leaders, earning him an all-star nod in 2008.
“The drawback of playing defense,” says Andalo, “is that in the end the game is driven by stats and ground balls are not glamorous.”
But if Connors was in it for the glamor, he wouldn’t be holding the ball for the place kicker either. His game is do what it takes to win.
“I’ve always played defense,” says Connors, whose dad, Brian, is Andalo’s assistant coach. “I’m a defensive-minded person. I only play defense in football and in basketball when I played that. I always wanted to use one of the bigger sticks in youth lacrosse (employed by long-stick middies) and I love shutting them down.”
One problem Butts had a couple of years back was what sport he wished to pursue. A skier who trained out of Vermont in junior high, he turned into a top player both in soccer and lacrosse.
“Playing one sport is not as useful as playing more than one sport,” explains Butts. “The biggest problem is that you can get pressure in lacrosse when you’re successful in other sports, but it’s also an expectation that makes it more challenging.
“You can gain success from success in other sports. Like in soccer, I’ve done the most conditioning I’ve ever done in any sport, but that’s an advantage if you’re better conditioned than the other team. If you’re on a better conditioned team in soccer you can still potentially win.”
Connors agrees with the conditioning philosophy.
“We get pretty good conditioning in football,” offers Connors. “Between gut camp and every Monday a conditioning practice, I think we were the best conditioned team in every game we played.”
Connors and Butts are two more examples of what a successful program can bring. Since 2002, when trendsetting twins Sean and Nick Crowley went to Div. 1 Manhattanville, the Rebels have had over 20 players play post-high school, including four at Div. 1. They include Matt Shakespeare (Brown) where he is expected to make an impact this year for the defending Ivy League champs, and Mike Glennon (Hartford).
The Walpole legacy also gets leadership roles. Since the Crowleys were at Manhattan seven former Rebels have been captains, the latest Dan Maiorana at Plymouth State and James Brady at Colby, each recently voted in. Others now playing include Brian Flanagan (UMass-Dartmouth) and Greg Nash (Guilford).
Both Rebels are happy with their choices, and they are competitive teams. Walpole isn’t the only one upgrading its competition as the Catamounts in Vermont, an America East challenger, will be visiting the alma mater of Coach Ryan Curtis, powerful Final Four participant Virginia, on March 10.
Butts is part of a seven-man recruiting class for a Greyhound team picked to finish second in the ECAC after winning the 2008 title. In 2010 it gets a little tougher to win as five new teams join the ECAC.
That just proves that things are still more exciting than ever in Walpole lacrosse, whether in town or out.
Read “Two sign on to play Div. 1 lacrosse” on the Wicked Local Walpole website
Rebels march through Mansfield, 41-21
December 7, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
Walpole completed a perfect season for the first time since 1991 with a dominating 41-21 win over Mansfield in the Division 2 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. The Rebels piled up 375 yards of offense, with Ryan Izzo rushing 29 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He added a third score, completing a 30-yard hook-and-lateral.
The Rebels, who complete their season at 13-0, scored on five of six first-half possessions for a 34-7 lead at halftime.
Sonny Mastromatteo was 6-of-11 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Chris Cameron for a 63-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage as Walpole utilized a no-huddle offense to keep the Green Hornets (9-4) defense at bay.
Be sure to check out the Dec. 11 edition of the Walpole Times for complete coverage.
Read “Rebels march through Mansfield, 41-21″ on the Wicked Local Walpole website
Walpole Woman’s Club scholarship applications available
December 5, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
The Walpole Woman’s Club, through its affiliation with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Mass., announces that applications for 2008-09 scholarships are now available. All students who are Walpole residents are eligible to apply.
Art and music scholarships up to $800 are available to high school seniors. Also available to seniors is an education-teaching scholarship of $600.
Scholarships are also available for college undergraduates and graduates in public health, voice, communication disorder/speech therapy, study abroad, and returning to college.
For applications and information on deadlines and qualifications, interested students should contact the Walpole High School guidance office at 508-660-7257 or call Mary Ann Boragine, education chairman of the Walpole Woman’s Club, at 508-668-2454.
Read “Walpole Woman’s Club scholarship applications available” on the Wicked Local Walpole website
Bruckmann a big inspiration
December 4, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
One sees the swim cap bobbing along in the water, a few lengths behind the others surging toward the wall on the far end of the Blue Hills Regional pool.
While the other swimmers are climbing out of the pool to get towels and dry off, this last one comes down the home stretch, arms pulling, legs barely making a ripple in the water behind her.
When she finally touches, everyone else is chatting, getting their times, or leaning over at the end of her lane, exhorting her to the final instant when her fingers make contact with the edge of the pool.
She looks up with a huge grin, and starts pulling herself out of the water with a pair of strong arms. Then Walpole High swim fans and their opponents see a couple of teammates scurry over to the edge of the pool with a wheelchair and hold it in place for junior Katie Bruckmann, a three-year member of the varsity swim team. Those who hadn’t seen her get out of the chair and into the pool now realize the difference.
Such is life for 17-year-old Bruckmann, who has been a member of the town team, the Barracudas, since she was eight and the Rebels since she was 14, and finds ways to adapt to life with spinal bifada, a birth defect that can affect one’s movements and lifestyle in a number of ways depending on the severity of its form.
Having to rely mainly on her arms to pull her body through the water Bruckmann is at a major disadvantage when competing against fully able-bodied girls in the pool.
But when it comes to competing against others with similar backgrounds Bruckmann discovered this summer that she could be one of the best.
With the coaxing of Walpole High Coach Cheryl Cavanaugh and Yvonne Boness, a high school swim official and employee at Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, Bruckman finally relented and signed up for a regional meet in June, held at the school in Canton.
Bruckmann did so well that she qualified for the nationals with flying colors, and in July went to New Jersey to compete in the National Junior Disability Championship.
Not only did she do well, Bruckmann came back as the champion in both her events, the 50 free and the backstroke.
She was more surprised than anyone.
“I wasn’t paying attention to the other people when I swam the backstroke,” explained Bruckmann. “When I got to the end I toweled off, looked at my time, knew it wasn’t my best time, but thought that it was OK.
“Then I looked around and saw other people in the pool coming toward me. I thought that I came in last as I normally do, and then found out that I finished first. I’ve never been first in anything before, and then I’m first in the national championships.”
If Bruckmann wasn’t already an inspiration to everyone, she was then.
When Bruckmann got into swimming, it was actually more or less an accident.
When she was eight, she tagged along while her mom, Anne, would bring sister Bailey, two years younger, to the town pool for private lessons with Cavanaugh, who started and still directs the Barracudas.
Katie says that she got bored sometimes waiting for Bailey, and Anne thought maybe Cavanaugh had something Katie could also do to help strengthen her legs.
“I went up to Cheryl to ask her about private lessons, and she said just have her come to the swim team and we’ll teach her,” recounted Anne Bruckmann. “So I said to her, you don’t understand, she is different. And when I told her how she said the same thing, bring her along and she’ll be part of the team.”
“I just didn’t see the disability,” offered Cavanaugh. “If you want it bad enough, you can do it. It’s such a great activity for somebody who has a disability. It’s great exercise.”
Katie started out with a flotation device and eventually got strong enough that she could leave it behind. She loves swimming so much she has a great attendance record and has become an inspiration to a high school team that went from a losing record to unbeaten this year. The captains and others went to the qualifying meet to cheer her on.
“I don’t think I’ve met somebody so determined,” added Cavanaugh. “It takes such courage to try something new and not caring if she was last in the pool.”
It’s Bruckmann’s indefatigable spirit, ready smile and willingness to try, try again, as well as to constantly try new things, that most notice about her.
“She is pretty positive and happy,” said Anne Bruckmann. “She always wants to try something new.”
Ironically, Bailey, now a goalie on the varsity soccer team, eventually gave up swimming but Katie took to it, well, like a fish to water.
On July 22 she competed in her first event at Rutgers University in Piscataway, the 50-meter back. At first she was disappointed in her :37 clocking, not her best time at all. But eventually she came to realize that she was first.
“For the first time in my life I was actually first in my heat, and it was a national championship,” offered Bruckmann.
Bruckmann was back in the pool the next day, for the 50 free. She finished sixth in her heat, and left disappointed. However there were swimmers of varied abilities in her heat, and later on she discovered she was actually first in the nation for people at her ability level in that event as well.
“I didn’t know for three weeks how I placed,” admitted Bruckmann. “The suspense was killing me.”
Bruckmann recalls how when she first started she had a fear of putting her face in the water.
“I hated it,” said Bruckmann. “I was actually terrified of putting my face in the water. So I thought, well, maybe I can avoid it. Then I go and Cheryl says, ‘today, we’ll be working on putting your face in the water with your eyes open.”
Somehow Bruckmann steeled herself and overcame the fear, something she has been doing all her life.
“I don’t like quitting or giving up,” declared Bruckmann. “I have a lot of challenges; I just have to work around them. I get around, I just get around differently. When I do a turn in the pool it’s one allowed by the rules, but not the same as the others.”
Bruckmann is far from taking on new challenges. She decided recently that she loves journalism, and can be seen around school taking pictures for the school paper, The Rebellion. She is also now into wheelchair tennis and basketball, and plays on a hoops team based in New Jersey because there is none in the area in her age group.
However, knowing her attitude, don’t be surprised to find her trying to start one.
Read “Bruckmann a big inspiration” on the Wicked Local Walpole website
Rebels carve Weymouth on Turkey Day
December 4, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
With the impending state playoffs shrinking the 12-minute quarters to just 10, it wasn’t difficult to figure what both Walpole and Weymouth wanted to do on Thanksgiving: strike first and fast.
An early lead could give the Rebels or Wildcats a huge advantage, allowing them to use the clock en route to victory.
It was Walpole, the league’s top scoring team, that struck first, but fast was more along the line of a biting cobra.
Mere seconds into the game at Weymouth High, 6-foot-3-inch receiver Leo Ajemian hauled in a pass from Sonny Mastromatteo and proceeded to race down the right sideline for a 74-yard touchdown strike. Only 18 seconds in, after long snapper Ryan Murphy and holder Michael Connors set up kicker Ryan Izzo’s extra point, the Rebels had a 7-0 lead they would never relinquish.
By the time it was over the Rebels had held off a spirited upset bid by the 4-7 Wildcats, led by senior back Royce Terrell, 20-6 and had completed the first unbeaten regular season by a Rebels squad since 1991. That fact alone proves how tough it actually is to run the table in the Bay State Conference.
With Ajemian and the Master Blaster kick starting the offense, all the Rebels needed was a kick start to the defense as well, and they got that at the start of the second quarter.
Weymouth quarterback John Sartucci was trying to come back with a quick Weymouth touchdown, and after an illegal procedure call set the Wildcats back five yards, was doing pretty well. He ended the first quarter with a 10-yard strike to Derek Newcomb, and had the ‘Cats at midfield.
His next pass, however, to Kenny Newcomb in the left flat, was perfectly timed by Connors, and all Newcomb could do was grab Connors. It was the beginning of the end for Weymouth.
“Connor’s interception was huge,” declared Coach Danny Villa. “They had the momentum going, and he killed it.”
Starting from their own 40 the Rebels marched back 60 yards in five plays, taking a 13-0 lead when Izzo’s kick sailed wide to the right.
It was Izzo’s 36-yard run following an unimpeded sweep to the left that set up the score, and Izzo’s 7-yard run with 7:18 left in the half that finished it.
From then on, however, the home team played the visitors very tough, and forced the Rebels to earn their eleventh win.
After the second score Terrell kept hammering successfully at the Walpole defense until Peter Bowes read a sweep well and stopped it for a two-yard loss.
Three plays later was another Weymouth penalty, followed by a fourth-down sack administered by the combined efforts of Chris Cameron and Bowes.
Still, the Wildcats weren’t about to hand the game over. Near the end of the second quarter the teams, traded interceptions, leading to a Wildcat score.
With 1:51 left the Weymouth offense was on the move again, but two plays later a pass to the right sideline was tipped and Vinnie Lee came away with it. Mastromatteo then tried to beat the clock with three straight passes, but the second was knocked away by Mitch Temple and the third was picked off by Derek Newcomb, brought back to the 30 and then the forty by a penalty.
Terrell then ripped off 22-yard and 13-yard runs, setting up a two-ayrd plunge up the middle. That would be the final Weymouth scoring, however, as PJ Bonarrigo’s extra-point kick hit the right post.
The second half turned out better than expected with the Rebels unable to shake the stubborn Wildcats. They were, however, able to add insurance with 3:19 left in the third quarter.
A 57-yard scoring drive was keyed by Izzo’s 23-yard run through left tackle, bringing the ball to the Weymouth 10, and it ended two plays later on a three-yard carry up left guard.
Terrell (30 carries, 170 yards) continued ripping off impressive yardage, but often ran into David Conroy, having one of his best games ever. Terrell got the ball down into the red zone to start the fourth quarter, but Nick Romaine made a key stop on fourth and seven, throwing Terrell for am one-yard loss.
Walpole took over from there, eating the rest of the clock while marching the ball back to Wildcat territory.
A seven-yard Troy Salvatore sweep and 42-yard Izzo burst up the right sideline brought the ball to the 25, and then senior back Jean Medard cracked the red zone. The Rebels kept handing the ball to Medard in hopes of getting him his first touchdown, but when they got to the Wildcat eight the Rebels were stopped on fourth and six by a penalty.
The game was dictated by Walpole’s running game, featuring Izzo, who picked up 164 yards on just 15 carries.
“With 10-minute quarters, you score quick like that to try to get the momentum,” offered Villa. “Then the running game is going to run the game, especially short games.”
Again the offense was propelled by the quietly efficient front line of Dave Wyman, Adam Riegel, Bryan Norberg, Kyle Morris and Sean Driscoll.
“They’re really over-achievers,” proclaimed Villa, himself an offensive guard for 12 years in the NFL. “Ryan, he’s a special kid. But our offensive line goes a little unnoticed at times. They still have to block for the kid. We were mystified who was going to play up front at the start of the season. We knew we had Riegel and Driscoll back from last year. But Kyle never played a down of football for us in four years, and the others also stepped up this year.”
Walpole (11-0) 7 6 7 0 - 20
Weymouth (4-7) 0 6 0 0 - 6
First quarter
Wal – Leo Ajemian 74 pass from Sonny Mastromatteo (Ryan Izzo kick) 9:42
Second qarter
Wal – Izzo 7 run (kick failed) 7:18
Wey – Royce Terrell 2 run (kick failed) :15
Third quarter
Wal – Izzo 3 run (Izzo kick) 3:19
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Read “Rebels carve Weymouth on Turkey Day” on the Wicked Local Walpole website
No doubt
December 3, 2008
by Sean
in Wicked Local Sports News
From the Wicked Local Walpole website:
Walpole’s Leo Ajemian gets two touchdown signals after a clutch end zone catch assuring a 20-12 win over the Rockets in Reading Tuesday night. The win propelled the unbeaten Rebels into Saturday night’s Super Bowl. See the Dec. 4 edition of The Walpole Times for complete game coverage.
Spring 2009 registration has closed
From the Walpole Youth Lacrosse League website:
Registration for Spring 2009 has closed. We will allow registrations added on or after Monday, December 1st, to be placed on our wait list.
https://secure.adminsports.net/walpolemalacrosse
Read “Spring 2009 registration has closed” on the WYLL website
WYLL MERCHANDISE CHRISTMAS SALE!!
From the Walpole Youth Lacrosse League website:
The new WALPOLE YOUTH LACROSSE ONLINE STORE is open for business. To ensure delivery by Christmas, you will need to have your order placed in the store by this Thursday, December 4th!!
Now is your chance to pick up a hoody sweatshirt, a short sleeve t-shirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, sweatpants, mesh shorts, or a dry-fit [...]
Read “WYLL MERCHANDISE CHRISTMAS SALE!!” on the WYLL website
