Archive for January, 2009

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   The Needham, Natick and Brookline wrestling teams had two things in common Saturday.
First, all three teams were at Walpole High School, hosted by the Rebels as an all-Bay State Conference quad meet. Second, each visiting team had a “Marked man” at 171 pounds.
   Picking up where he left off at last month’s Marshfield Holiday Tournament, senior Captain Mark Ellis started another tear this week by pinning all three opponents Saturday, including Natick’s Kevin Duffy, in a totally dominant mat display.
   Ellis wasn’t alone, either. Saturday was a banner day for all three tri-captains as Dave Wyman pinned all three as well at 189 and Ryan Murphy scored two pins before losing to Brookline’s Joe Dowling at 152.
   Walpole failed in its biggest goal, which was knocking off defending and perpetual Bay State Herget champion Natick, but still gave the Red and Blue a mild scare to remember the next time they meet, which the Rebels hope will be in this year’s Metro Div. 2 championships again.
   Natick, which proved still too talented and experienced despite graduation losses, walked out of Walpole with a 47-27 victory, but the Rebels were able to sandwich 47-24 and 47-12 wins over Needham and Brookline around that. That raised their season dual meet slate to 13-2, with three left, including 16th-ranked Weymouth Feb. 10.
   The morning started with Needham which gave the Rebels trouble until they got to the middle weights, and then he Rebel heavier weights took over.
   The match started with freshman Tommy Lee dominating Stephen Bannon the first period, building a sizeable lead, and then coming out and pinning him 16 seconds into the second.
Needham battled back with James Carroll’s 8-2 win over Dan Palmer at 112, and took a quick pin by max Zeiger over Paul Cunniff at 119 for a 9-6 lead.
   Sophomore Steve Shevory, also unbeaten on the day, returned the lead to Walpole with a second-period pin at 125, but Justin Flynn lost a tough, 6-3 decision to Logan Turnbull at 130 to knot the score at 12-all.
   Needham’s top wrestler, eighth-ranked Jordan Michelson, was next and gave Needham a boost when he pinned Kevin Hickey at 2:39. Walpole’s deficit then grew to 12 (24-12) when Sean Coyne suffered a similar fat at 140.
   Fortunately, the Rebels had another of their own hot at men up next, 145-pounder Johnny White, and he used a busy second period to maul his opponent with a major decision, 21-5. White had a near pin at the end of each period.
   From there, the rest of the Rockets went down like singlet-laden dominoes. Murphy, 160-pounder Evan Locke, Ellis, Wyman and 215-pounder Ryan Wasilunas all pinned their opponents, Locke in 25 seconds after a quick takedown and Wyman in 57 seconds.
Inexperience showed when they faced the Red and Blue, however. Those little things that are instilled into Natick wrestlers to make the difference, made the difference.
   Both Mike Siteman, at 112, and Cunniff were pinned to put Walpole down 12-0 before Shevory won, 1-7 to break the ice.
   The Red and Blue ran off four more wins, however, two by pin and one by major decision, to build a 35-3 lead before Murphy snapped the streak with a 65-second pin of Chris Finell.
Travis Moran then pinned Chris True at 160 before Ellis and Wyman pinned, Wasilunas was pinned by Tim Brann and heavyweight Adam Reigel in his first day back from injury won by forfeit.
    “I was standing there looking at him, waiting to go,” said Reigel, whose other two matches were washed out by a lack of competitor at his weight. “The coach looks at me, and then he looks at him. Then he looks at me, and he looks at him. Then he does this (Reigel shakes his head) at him and that was it.”
   Lee lost a tough one to finish, 5-3, when Zach Alpmas scored a reversal in the third at 103 and then slowed down to where he could have been hit with a stall.
   Things went better against Brookline. Cunniff started off with two near pins before winning by major decision. Shevory pinned in 59 seconds, before Flynn hiked the team score to 14-0 with a 9-4 decision.
   Hickey took a forfeit at 135 before Coyne lost a tough, 7-4 match, with Jordan Dowling using a scissors lock on him in the third to keep him from escaping and getting points.
   White lost an exciting match to Chris Williams who used a cradle to build a 4-1 first-period lead, and Brookline cut the deficit to 20-9 when the only scoring at 152 came when Joe Dowling had an early takedown.
   Locke fell 8-4 to Taeho Yoon at 160 to cut the lead to 20-12 and complete the comeback try.
Then the heavier weights took over again with Ellis pinning in 51 seconds, Wyman in 55 seconds and Wasilunas in 26 seconds. The match ended with Lee winning 10-3 and Siteman pinning at 112.
   “We gave up too many pins,” offered Coach Bobby Lee. “Natick didn’t go to their backs as often as we did; they wrestled better than us. Hopefully we bounce back Wednesday against Braintree.”
   The quad came after the locals knocked off Herget rival Dedham 46-25, the previous Tuesday.
   In that one it was the lower weights who led the charge, with Lee pinning at 103, Palmer winning at 112, Cunniff enjoying a major decision at 119, Shevory Pinning at 125 and Flynn, Hickey and White all winning by pin before Dedham got on the board.
   After the Marauder took the 145-pound match, Murphy got the Rebels back in the win column with another pin. Dedham bounced back in the heavier weights, but was only able to score one pin. From 171 on Locke, Ellis and Wyman all bumped up a weight and suffered a loss as a result.
 

Read “"Mark-ed’ men: Ellis pins all 3 in Saturday quad” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Some nights in the local arena there are goalies, and then there are supermen.
Despite leaving his cape at home, Walpole High junior Bill Sweeney was the latter at the Iorio Saturday night, using everything but x-ray vision to stop 51 of the 53 Needham shots as the Herget-leading Rebels earned a 2-all tie with defending Div. 1 state champion Needham, leading the Carey.
   Fortunately for the Rebels, Sweeney has also forgotten to be mild-mannered Clark Kent. Hot from the beginning of the season, he wrested away the starting position with one solid game after another, and has now led the Walpole High hockey team to an 11-2-1 season and a major role in the Bay State Herget title chase.
   But Saturday night was when the world learned Sweeney’s secret identity. There were suggestions all along about how good he is, or could be, with glimpses of brilliance in games like the rematch with Braintree for the Milbury Cup and the 2-0 shutout in Norwood.
But Saturday night Sweeney saved the world – or at least a point in the standings with a performance that still has locals talking.
   His biggest highlights came in the third period when the Rockets threw everything but the kitchen sink at him, and all the rebounds the great defensive play didn’t get to, he did.
Sweeney needed a big third because after the Rebels staked themselves to a 2-0 lead the Rockets stormed back, took the momentum away the middle part of the game, and used their outstanding team speed to keep the Rebels on the run the rest of the game. Offensively the Rebels, outshot 53-25, were playing catch-up from the time the Rockets tied with 11:42 left in the second to the final two minutes of the game, when they actually stole the momentum themselves.
   “That was Billy Sweeney’s coming-out party for sure,” offered Coach Bill Meehan. “We knew all along that he was one of the top-tier goaltenders in the league.”
   The Rebels surprised the Rockets at 3:35 of the first period when the first line of Tom Tempesta, Ty Golden and Mike Rockwood – one of the few lines around that can actually keep up with the Rockets beginning to end – gave Walpole a 1-0 lead. It was a typical goal by the three top scorers in the Bay State Conference, having replaced Needham’s first line, as they swarmed in, Tempesta leading the charge, and set up a cycling routine where the puck would eventually find Golden in front. Golden batted on net the pass from Tempesta, but Sam Gifford was there for the save. The puck then went out to Rockwood, who one-timed the rebound past Gifford before he could react.
   It didn’t take long for the Sweeney attack to take place, as the Rockets swarmed all over him like the Sioux circling Custer’s Seventh Cavalry.
   Sweeney kept the shutout intact the rest of the period, with 2:44 to go making an impressive stick save on Chris Joyce.
   With 1:25 left Tommy Coleman came flying at the beleaguered Sweeney, and Mike Semler broke up his rush and was called for hooking. It was the second of four Walpole penalties in the game as opposed to none for Needham. Despite their man-up advantage, however, the Rockets were not able to crack the penalty-killing unit of Corey Menno, Pat MacLellan, Christian Miller and Aaron McCabe that started fighting the infraction or the foursome of Golden, Tempesta, Ryan Gulla and Kevin Jelloe, which was on the ice when it ended.
   By the end of the period the Rebels had been outshot, 18-10, but still had the shutout.
A rare Pat MacLellan penalty started the second period, and the Rockets were back on the power play. The next minute and a half were insane as shot after shot was let go at Sweeney. He made four stops alone in the span of a minute as the rockets kept winning the face-offs and putting the puck back on net.
   The packed house erupted in delirium when Mike O’Coin made it 2-0, Walpole, with 12:21 left in the middle stanza, shortly after the Rebels got back to full strength.
   O’Coin had started the flurry by bringing the puck up the left side and putting a lift on net, only to have it blocked by Gifford. The puck bounced way out to MacLellan on left point, however, and the senior Captain put it right back on net. Before Gifford could get his stick on it, Tim Bailey flew in and tipped it in.
   If the first period became a bombardment after the goal, the second period offered a blitzkrieg. At 5:20 Needham got its first goal, with DJ Walsh getting the puck from Mark Joyce in the left wing circle, taking it across the front of the crease and stuffing it in from the front.
   Needham’s second score came a minute into its last power play, a goal by Sammy Kane assisted by Chris Joyce, who also set up the first goal, and Yegor Bezuglyy.
   Even that one didn’t clearly beat Sweeney The initial shot from left wing was stopped by another great save, but hit the opposite post and bounced out to Kane, who put it in.
The Rockets finished the period with two goals, but on 24 shots, one shy of Walpole’s goal total. With Needham setting up camp neat Walpole’s crease, the Rebels only had seven shots on net.
   The third started promisingly enough for the Rebels as Menno put a shot on net from the point, and Tempesta followed with a wraparound. Walpole was all over Needham the first minute.
   Then Sweeney’s siege began all over again, and he really shone in the third.
“Up in the air… it’s a bird… it’s a plane… no, it’s Sweeney’s stick.”
   With 12:12 left on the clock, Sweeney made an almost impossible save. Sweeping his stick – in his right hand – to his left post, Sweeney knocked away a shot for another save, but lost the stick. The puck rattled around and got to a left wing in the face-off circle, and he one-timed it on net. Sweeney’s arm came swiftly around, and he gloved a shot about six inches above the ice – with the stick still in the air.
   “Fighting for truth, justice and Rebel wins…”
   With 11:30 left Sweeney stoned a Kam Bumpus breakaway, and then robbed Kane on the rebound. With 8:19 left, he took a shot from Michael Cox to the midsection for another impressive save.
   “Faster than a speeding bullet…”
   A few minutes later Sweeney pushed the buttons of disbelief again as he stopped three shots in a second’s time, first a slapper from the point, then consecutive rebound attempts by Kane.
“Sometimes everything is just clicking, and everything slows down in front of you,” explained Sweeney of his performance. “Then the puck comes at you like a basketball.”
   Walpole was winning most of the battles along the boards with crunching checks, something that helped slower Rebels slow down the speedy Needham forwards. The defense kept sending out fresh legs, which also evened things a little more. It was his first day back, and although senior Kevin Jelloe looked rusty at times, he also did some very nice things, joining Menno, AJ Rossi, Ryan Gulla, MacLellan and others in shutting down the Rockets.
   The contest also marked one of the best, and smartest, games played by Tim Bailey, Aaron McCabe and Dan Matthews.
   Walpole almost pulled it out in the end, with Brendan Corcoran getting a shot off a steal with 3:12 left, and Bailey almost putting it away after a great effort with 16 seconds to go. Rockwell also took it in from the corner with eight ticks left, but Gifford lived up to his turn to be the hero.
“He played really, really well,” offered Needham Coach and Walpole native Bill Guisti of Sweeney, the third goalie in a row that has come up big against the rockets, who still lead the Carey Division. “He made some great saves and they did a nice job of clearing the rebounds. They did what they had to, to preserve the tie.”
   The tie kept them in first place in the Herget, something they gained Wednesday with a 9-0 win over Dedham, powered by Dave Conroy’s first career hat trick, dating back to Walpole-KP youth hockey.
   The Rebels took a commanding 4-0 lead after two, and although everyone played ion the third, there was no stopping the Walpole attack that tacked on five more in the final 15 minutes.
Tempesta and Golden, now second and third in BSC scoring after linemate Rockwell, each netted a pair while Semler put one in. McCabe got his first Rebel goal in the onslaught as well.
 

Read “Sweeney’s 51 saves are key to 2-2 tie” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

Daniel Villa’s pre-trial conference, set for tomorrow morning, has been moved to March 12.

    The 44-year old former Walpole head football coach and Athletic Director pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and enticement of a minor in December. He is currently living in a residence outside of Walpole after being released from jail earlier this month.

    Villa’s movements are being monitored by police via a GPS bracelet.

    Pre-trial conferences are scheduled to lay out an itinerary for the case at hand.

     District Attorney Spokesman David Traub said the rescheduling was agreed upon by both sides.

Read “Villa’s court date moved” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   While competing for time has never been a part of gymnastics, one has to hand it to a few members of the Walpole High gymnastics team for their timing last Tuesday.
   Wellesley had arrived at Paradise Gymnastics for an anticipated showdown between the upstart Raiders – unbeaten after not fielding a team the past two years – and the defending Bay State Conference champion Rebels.
   Based on this year’s scores alone the Raiders, led by Megan Lapp and Flo DiBiase, were projected to win as they were scoring solidly in the 130s while the Rebels were stuck around 129. Walpole was riddled with illness and injuries, however, and Tuesday night was the first time they had senior Captain Ally Jenks and Kerri Clark this year. Still, Walpole raised its record to 3-0 with a spirited come-from-behind 136.9 to 134.65 win.
   Midway through the meet things looked dire for the host Rebels, who trailed 69.9 to 67.05 after competing on vault and bars while Wellesley had finished beam and floor. The Raiders, led by Lapp’s 9.6 and scores over 9.0 by both DiBiase and freshman Carly Daniel, were dominant in their best event, floor.
   Wellesley’s 33.6 on beam, forged with the help of Daniel’s 8.6, matched Walpole’s 33.6 on bars, but the Raiders’ 36.3 on floor gave the an almost three-point lead when Walpole’s first event, the vault, was factored in.
   Last year the Rebels were very strong on vault, thanks greatly to the stratospheric scores turned in by school record holder Kady Sullivan.
   But without Sullivan and the injured Clark, unable to compete because her surgically repaired wrist was still not ready, the Rebels still held their own. Jackie Rando scored a 7.95, a shade below her personal best while Lauren Kemple had a persona best with an 8.0. Kesley Cofsky scored a 9.0 and Amanda Carney an 8.5. Carney had put together quite a routine, and if she could only stick her landing, she could have approached a 9.4.
   Carney scored a personal best on bars with 9.2, nailing her dismount. Then Cofsky scored a 9.1 to go along with Rando’s 7.8 and Jess Olsen’s 7.5.
   Down three, the Rebels rebounded the second half of the meet, getting PRs of 8.1 and 8.2 on beam by Jenks and Jackie Rando, respectively, and a clutch 8.6 on the apparatus by Clark, just back after wrist surgery.
   That set up a showdown in the final event for both teams with Walpole closing out on floor. Stephanie Habib got things off to a great start with a personal best 7.7.
   Kemple had a PR mark of 7.2 to the tune of J. Geils’ Freeze Frame, followed by Kelly Meredith’s 7.5. Amanda Carney, Clark and Kesley Cofsky then clinched the meet win with scores of 8.7, 9.1 and 9.5.
   The meet started as a duel between Lapp, with a 9.4 on beam and Cofsky, but the Walpole senior won the all-around with a 36.65 score and Walpole came out on top in vault, beam and bars.
   “Ally Jenks did excellent, her best beam routine by far,” offered Coach Inez May of her firs comeback girl. “And Kerry coming back off her wrist injury was outstanding too.”
   “Whether they won or lost, I was very impressed with the girls tonight,” interjected assistant Coach Wendy Lewis. “They were up almost seven points from their last meet.”
   May explained that many scores slid up via minor adjustments made by the girls, but in Habib’s case, which was a key to the win, it was just a grl putting it all together in a strong routine. Her 7.7 was almost a whole point higher than her previous best of 6.9.
   The joy was short-lived, however, as the Rebels were ambushed by a steadily improving Newton North, which had also been scoring in the high 129’s all season.
   The Rebels dropped back below 130 while the Tigers rose above it, handing the hosts their first loss since early 2007.
   The Rebels still have this Friday afternoon’s meet at Brookline, as well as meets at Weymouth and Braintree and a rescheduled event against Framingham to go before the season ends. Framingham is now expected in Walpole at 7:30 next Wednesday (Jan 28).
   What the Rebels have to hope is that Wellesley can come along and do to Newton North what they hoped to do to Walpole when the two meet Friday, and create a three-way tie for the Bay State Conference crown.
 

Read “Rebels floor Wellesley” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Having just witnessed a barn-burner between two previously unbeaten girls’ basketball teams, fans at a rare Walpole High School varsity doubleheader were treated to a second straight thriller Friday night as the Walpole and Wellesley boys went down to the wire before Walpole pulled out a 66-60 win, upping its record to 6-2 in the league and 7-3 overall.
   The loss was the first after a five-game streak for the red-hot Raiders.
   The game had a little of everything, including major momentum shifts, numerous lead changes and a smaller Wellesley team playing as perfect a game as it could against a bigger Walpole team – including a flawless 9-for-9 performance at the line – and losing in the end when the Rebels hit six straight free throws.
   At first the game appeared to be a blowout in the making when the Rebels, led by Ryan Terp (game-high 23, 3 steals) and Derek Hand (10 points, 12 rebounds), forged a 12-0 lead with 4:44 left in the first quarter.
   Terp got things going when he collared Hand’s opening jump ball and put it in just two seconds into the game. Then Chris Ferro (6 points, 5 boards, 5 assists) drilled a trey from the corner and Hand kicked a pass out top to Chris Cameron (8 points) for a 7-0 lead two minutes in.
   A Marven Toussaint-forced turnover resulted in a Hand hoop, and Terp ended the run by converting a three-point play.
   Then it was Wellesley’s turn.
   Evan Kulak (19 points) hit a long jumper and three-pointer to quickly cut the deficit to seven, igniting a run of 13 points in the last 3:32 to give the Raiders a 13-12 lead after one.
The skein stretched to 15 and into the second quarter before Terp ended it with a three-point bomb, knotting the score at 15.
   The teams then traded blows, including a three-pointer cashed by Ryan Izzo, answered by a coast-to-coast lay-up by Joel Pollick (12).
   The Rebels trailed by two at halftime, and tied 24-all on a Hand putback to start the third quarter. That led to a period in which the score was tied eight times before an 8-2 run gave the Raiders a 47-41 lead a minute into the final quarter.
   Among the best hoops in the third were back-to-back baseline leaners by Terp and Casey Tanner, a Kulak three-point lay and a power move inside by Hand.
   The Raiders made a move to put space between themselves and the Rebels at the end of the third, but when the lead got to four, Joe Rogers made a great play by flying in for an offensive rebound and nailing a turnaround putback in the paint.
   The third ended with Wellesley up 45-41, and the Raiders scored again to start the final period.
   A Danny Rosenberg (13 points) hoop had Wellesley’s lead peaking at seven (50-43) with 4:47 left, but the Rebels responded with a 12-point run, keyed by two Terp treys and two Toussaint (12 points) steals to give the hosts a 55-50 lead with 2:52 left.
   Down 50-45, Ferro picked off a pass and dished to Toussaint for a lay-up, and when he was fouled, he made both shots. Then Izzo took the rock to the top of the key and dished to his right for Terp’s fourth trey of the game and a 50-all tie.
   Wellesley tied once more at 55, but two Izzo free throws and a Toussaint three-point bomb put it out of reach.
   The win came three days after the boys lost to Milton, 65-52, and dropped out of first.
The game was equally league favorite Milton winning and Walpole losing it as the Rebels missed all but two of 22 from the arc in the second half as the Wildcats settled into a zone.
   The Rebels actually raced to a 28-18 lead in the second quarter before the Wildcats ripped off nine straight points, closing the first half trailing Walpole by just one, 28-27.
   The teams went back and forth for a while in the third before the Rebels went cold and the Wildcats pulled away.
   While the Rebels fell further behind they began fouling, and Milton hit them with astounding accuracy, netting 18 of 22 from the line.
   “We just couldn’t get it going,” lamented Coach Dave St. Martin. “We got good looks and couldn’t make them. We just went ice cold.”
   Terp led the attack with 13 points and seven boards despite fouling out. Anthony Conway added eight, and Ferro dished four assists. The Wildcats did well on the boards, limiting Hand to a season-low four.
WALPOLE 66 – Wellesley 60
    At Walpole High School
    WELLESLEY (60) — Casey Tanner 3 0 7; Danny Rosenberg 5 2 13; Justin Kaufman 2 0 4; Joel Pollick 5 2 12; Evan Kulak 7 3 19; Duncan Johnson 1 2 5; Wes Spiro 0 0 0. Totals 23 9 60.
    WALPOLE (66) — Ryan Terp 8 3 23; Chris Cameron 3 2 8; Derek Hand 5 0 10; Marven Toussaint 4 2 12; Chris Ferro 2 2 6; Joe Rogers 1 0 2; Ryan Izzo 1 2 5; Anthony Conway 0-0-0; Mike Gallivan 0-0-0; Rory Quinlan 0-0-0; Brian Merrigan 0-0-0. Totals 24 11 66.
    Score by Quarters — Wellesley 13-11-21-15 — 60. Walpole 12-10-19-25— 66.
    Three-point FGs — Wel, Kulak 2, Johnson 1, Tanner 1, Rosenberg 1. Wal, Terp 4, Toussaint 2, Izzo 1.
 

Read “Rebel hoopsters get their revenge” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   The bad news for Walpole High basketball fans is that visiting Wellesley, the defending Div. 2 girls’ state champion, eked out a thrilling, 59-57 win over host Walpole, the defending Bay State Conference champion in a widely anticipated showdown between the two powerhouses Friday night.
   The good news is that there is still at least one rematch and if last year’s trio of barnburners is any indication the Raiders, now the only unbeaten team left in the BSC, is far from out of the woods yet.
   Friday night was another indication that the next time these two rivals meet it should be just as intense.
   The contest pitted Walpole’s uptempo offense and masterful defense against Wellesley’s height and inside presence, but unfortunately the work inside by 6-foot center Jesse Miller and cohort Carly Stone, a couple of turnovers leading to Raider hoops and struggles at the free throw line (8-for-18) and from beyond the arc (3-for-16) did the Rebels in.
   “We shot 57 percent from the floor, but it was not enough,” offered Coach Stacy Bilodeau. Wellesley went to the line three times and we went to the line 18 times, and we lost. It was reminiscent of the boys’ game last year in the tourney.”
   Free throws aside it was a great effort by the Rebels, especially Molly Grimes, who added five rebounds and three steals to her 16 points. Michaela Cosby also turned in a great game; despite dealing with the twin towers inside, the 5-foot-7 small forward hauled down six boards, had four steals, doled out two assists and scored 15 points.
   “She has to use her athleticism to get up above everybody,” said Bilodeau.
   The largest lead either team enjoyed came late in the first quarter when a 9-point run gave the Raiders a 32-23 lead, but the Rebels quickly closed the gap and the game never got more than six apart from then on.
   The Raiders jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, before Grimes buried a three-pointer, and from there neither lead got larger than three until the end of the first, when Blake Dietrich scored on a floater to give Wellesley a 15-10 lead after one.
   The Raiders were hitting shots at a high rate of success in the first but also found themselves handcuffed time and again by Walpole’s defense. The first included an excellent steal of an inbound pass by Sydni Salvatore off which she scored, another steal by Grimes, a steal off which Lauren Baryski nearly scored on a lay-up and an outstanding stab at a steal by center Sarah Roof on which she ended up in the Walpole stands.
   It was that kind of defensive pressure that kept the Rebels in the game and had them tied at 55-all in the final quarter.
   The second quarter for the most part was a back-and-forth affair that had the teams tying four different times until Wellesley ran off nine straight points, taking advantage of two costly turnovers. With 39 seconds left in the half Mary Dixon (15 points) banged in a long jumper from the top of the key for a 32-23 lead.
   Michaela Cosby came back and made both ends of a one-and-one however, and then buried a three-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer to close the gap to 32-28.
   The third quarter was even tighter, although the Rebels were playing catch-up all the way. Ann McGraw’s jumper with 7:16 left made it a six-point Wellesley lead (36-30) but the Rebels fought right back to tie, with Cosby hitting a hoop inside, Salvatore finishing a lay-up and Roof putting a way a loose ball.
   Before the Rebels could take the lead Dietrich drilled a three-pointer, and the Raiders took a one-point lead into the fourth.
   The deficit grew to six again with 4:25 left, but the Rebels never gave up. A beautiful Grimes leaner kissed off the glass and in with 2:10 left to cut Wellesley’s lead to 55-54, and with 44 seconds left Cosby kicked a pass outside to Salvatore for a trey that tied it at 57.
   Walpole at its chance for the lead with 14 seconds left at the line but missed them both, and with one second left Miller took an inbound pass and set up Dixon’s game winner.
   The loss came on the heels of Tuesday’s 68-54 victory over Milton, spearheaded by Salvatore’s fine effort that included a game-high 21 points. Our gal Sal almost couldn’t miss, hitting five of her six two-pointers, draining the one trey she took and making eight of nine attempts from the free throw line.
   Salvatore’s effort was augmented by the usual balanced scoring that included 12 from Cosby, a career-high 10 by guard Liz Malone, eight each from Roof and Grimes and six from Baryski. Brooke Waite also chipped in two points and Devon Black made a free throw.
   The split left the Rebels a game behind Wellesley in the standings, but also at 7-1, just three wins from getting back into the state tourney.
   Both teams now move ion to their next games, but each has to be aware of the rematch on Feb. 12 at Wellesley High.
 

Read “Raiders win round one over Rebel girls” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

    Committees will be formed early this spring to name the high school’s next athletic director and head football coach, according to Superintendent Lincoln Lynch.
    The vacant positions come as a result of the resignation of Daniel Villa, who faces charges of statutory rape and enticement of a minor. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in district court last month.
    Villa served as both athletic director and head football coach at Walpole High.
    The search committees, one to evaluate athletic director candidates and one to evaluate head coaching candidates, should be made up of administrators, School Committee members, boosters, parents and student athletes, Lynch said at Monday night’s school board meeting.
    Those interested in serving on one of the committees are encouraged to contact acting athletic director Jim Erker at 508-660-7257.
    Lynch expects there to be some crossover in the two groups but hopes the committees will, for the most part, remain separate.
    At Monday’s meeting, Lynch formally announced Erker as the interim athletic director.
    Retired for three years, Erker is the high school’s former athletic director and a former social studies teacher.
    "We’re thrilled to have him," Lynch said.
    In an interview last week, Lynch said Erker is under contract through June but a salary has not yet been negotiated.
    The superintendent also announced Monday night that defensive coordinator and Rebel mainstay Barry Greener would serve as the interim head football coach.
    "The urgency was to get the football coach in place," said Lynch, citing a need to create stability in the program.
    School Committee Chairman Nancy Gallivan said it was important to establish immediate leadership in the football program so players can continue to celebrate their Division 2 title.
    Many see football as a fall sport only, Lynch said, but with banquets, equipment purchases, training and the preseason, it extends far beyond the autumn sports season.
    With that in mind, Lynch said Erker has recommended a head coach be appointed before the athletic director.
    Lynch said he will begin posting the jobs late next month so candidates could be interviewed as early as March.
    After Monday night’s meeting, Lynch was asked in an interview if he’d seek to recruit area coaches who may have a connection to Walpole High. He said he doesn’t solicit employees in other districts because he doesn’t like the same thing to happen to Walpole.
    Lynch did say the posting for the jobs will be well publicized and people will certainly know about the openings. He noted that calls regarding the positions have already begun to come in.
    Finalists will be announced to the public before the ultimate decision is made, according to the superintendent.
 

Read “Hunt for new coach, AD to start in spring” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Right now Walpole’s Rachel Menard is feeling like she’s on top of the world, and it’s not because of the fact that this summer she will be sitting atop a gigantic black Morgan standing over 16 hands high.
   Actually it’s because of what she and one of her favorite mounts, the mare Noble Vikings Echo of Mendon, Massachusetts, did this past summer – bring back to Mendon and Walpole the national 14-17 junior title in Saddle Seat Equitation, a competition in the world of Morgan horse riding, a sport that has enamored 16-year-old Menard almost since she first learned how to ride at the age of five.
   Winning the nationals also brought another honor to Menard, who was invited to try out for the United States National team, or “Team Morgan,” that will be returning this March 5 through March 8 to a world competition in South Africa against their national team, the South African Boerperd Amateur Union (SABAU).
   Menard, who competed in the junior division when she won the national title in her field this summer was selected, and will be one of only two competitors on this year’s team not in college. She will join six others, all of whom are working to raise money to cover travel expenses and uniforms.
   Passing certain criteria in order to make the team once she was invited along with 120 others, this is just another highlight in a year of highlights for Menard, is a member of the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA), an association that supports Morgans, an original American horse breed, at shows across the nation.
   Already this past year she won the New England championship and taken the world and Grand National title at the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show, the breed’s premiere event, which occurred this past October in Oklahoma City. That was the highlight of Menard’s career, until she heard she was accepted by the national team.
   “First, we have to have won something to be considered, and then they ask us,” explains Menard with a broad smile that could win awards on its own merit. “I was surprised because of my age, and with the exception of myself and one other girl in high school, everyone else is in college.
   “We had to do a video interview, quite like a college interview. They ask questions like about how you deal with unexpected situations, and we have to have a strong knowledge of the rules and other aspects of the competition. I must have worked 30 hours on my application.”
   One of the reasons they selected Menard is the way she has proven she can work with any horse, a major criteria since they will be leaving their horses home and borrowing horses donated for the event by the home team.
   When she wasn’t able to ride her own horse in competitions, Menard hooked up with the Kaufman family in Mendon to form a winning team with their horse, Noble Vikings Echo. The Kaufmans live across the street from the stable that houses their horse, the same stable where Menard rides and works on the weekends.
   They have a younger daughter, Nicole, who rides Echo in the 11-and-under Saddle Seat equestrian competition, and the pair teamed to take second in the 11-and-under nationals. Menard loves to ride Echo, but when she moves up to open division competitions, she will need to ride a bigger horse.
   As it so happens, a “Morgan donor” recently appeared on the scene, and Menard will be leasing a big, beautiful black Morgan from Kentucky going by the handle BJL Ransom. Ranson stands 16 hands high, while Echo is a little under 15 hands.
   Horse showing in this country goes back almost as far as horse racing, and has quite a history.
   Saddle seat riding goes as far back as southern plantations, where owners and overseers needed a large horse to sit on to comfortably ride and view everything. Smooth-moving horses with a high gait were important on a comfort level, especially when riders spent hours at a time in the saddle.
   Horses best used in saddle seat, or a riding style based on a saddle that is flatter and with a riding flap that allows riders to sit far back – thus allowing fluidity in the horse’s shoulders – include Arabians, Tennessee Walking Horses and of course, Morgans.
   Morgans themselves go back 200 years, a breed begun by Justin Morgan, a Vermonter originally from Massachusetts. His bay colt, Figure, sired in 1989 by a horse named True Briton, was known widely for his attributes, and was used to sire more horses with his unique endurance, disposition and other attributes.
   The competition combines the horse’s movements in presentation, as well as appearance, both of the horse and rider. Winners are the teams that best exhibit both elegance and grace.
   “You need strength to hold up your upper body the entire time” when riding a horse in show, explains Menard. “A lot of people think you just get on a horse and it does what you say.”
   Menard’s love for horses began, she says, about as soon as she first got on one at five. Shortly thereafter she was taking riding lessons, and by seven owned UC Top Gun, or Gunner as they affectionately call him, who is now enjoying retirement.
   She still sees him regularly, and every Saturday and Sunday she works at Kelly Green Acres (KGA) in Mendon where they are all kept from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and where Menard’s trainer, Nikki Rae Woodworth, is based.
   “I’ve loved horses as long as I can remember,” recalls Menard.
   “She never wanted dolls,” interjects mom Julie Dwyer, “only horses.”
   Menard then adds, “I was never a Barbie person; unless she could be on a horse.”
   Thus is life for Menard, who hopes to ride the rest of her life and parlay her skills and interest into someday opening her own equestrian riding therapy center, where horses could be used to help people overcome disabilities through physical or occupational therapy.
   Menard, who also owns two fish named Charlie and Elvis (“he’s blue, so I thought of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’”) partially got hooked on the idea through her family having three generations of nurses before her and through riding the horse of a person who became quadriplegic after an auto accident.
   “I almost felt bad riding her horse when she couldn’t,” says Menard. “She wanted for years to get back on and went to a riding therapy center in New Hampshire. She was able to get back on with an adaptive cart.”
   She started riding competitively when she was nine in 4H competitions, and graduated to Morgan saddle seat affairs. This year she earned a slew of ribbons from the Morgan circuit alone, and enjoys competing in the Morgan saddle seat equitation.
   “The saddle seat equitation takes all the poise and strength and stamina and skills of all the other equitations,” declares Menard. “It covers form to function. You have to be able to ride and look good.”
   Riding and looking good are matters of the teamwork and communication between horse and rider, something that can take years to master for some, or sometimes a matter of just meeting one another.
   “You can’t just get on a horse and ride it,” says Menard. “It’s all about trust. You have to trust them, and they trust you.”
   That’s another reason why Menard was ultimately selected. When the team arrives in South Africa, there isn’t much time to get to know each other; horse and rider have to rely on instincts and trust. Riders who have won on multiple mounts have an advantage.
   Before the riders head to South Africa, however, there is still a lot to be done, mainly in fund raising.
   Costs can be extremely high, beginning with boarding and feeding a horse. They eat roughly two or three percent of their body weight a day, which for an average-sized horse about 1,000 lbs. can be between 15 and 35 pounds, depending on the horse’s work or workout schedule, age and other factors. A competing horse, especially 16-hand Morgan stallion, could require a lot of hay and oats.
   Most towns have zoning requirements, such as amount of acreage for owning a horse, thus many riders pay for boarding as well as transportation to get there.
   Then there is the tack – saddles, girths, bridles and cinches – and show horses often require different equipment than riding and working horses, such as the saddle seat. There are also extra costs for show horses not realized by pleasure riders or ranchers. There are groomers, who have to cut manes for their bridle paths (where the bridle lies across the horse’s head) as well as be paid to do other things, such as annually filing teeth.
   For shows, riders also need wardrobing, wearing clothes that match items worn by their mounts in color and texture.
   There are universal needs for shoers and veterinarians as well, and for transporting the animal, a trailer.
   “They require a lot of upkeep,” admits Menard, who probably prepares her horses as much as she rides them.
   “Riding is exorbitantly expensive,” adds Dwyer. “When they are prepared to show, the difference between a good show horse and others is like the difference between a Mercedes and a Ford truck.”
   Those hoping to make a donation to the non-profit American Morgan Horse Association, founded in 1909, may send it to Team Morgan, AMHECT, 122 Bostwick Road, Shelburne, VT 05482. One may also learn more about the organization by contacting it via mail, phone (802-985-4944 or on line (www.morganhorse.com).
   While riding for the US team in international competition is a thrill Menard, who still has two more years left as a junior exhibitor, has other goals she’s still seeking.
   “I would love to win the senior world championship in saddle seat equitation,” suggests Menard. “And the UPHA National Challenge Cups Finals and the AMHA gold medal. If I won all three, it would be like winning the Triple Crown.”
   Then Rachel Menard would really be sitting on top of the world.
 

Read “U.S. riding champ Menard heading to South Africa” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Norwood High’s hockey goalie, Cory Sennott, is one of the best netminders in the league, and proved it last year when the Mustangs took it to Walpole in their home rink in Canton, avenging a 4-1 loss at the Iorio, 5-2.
   Even Sennott had to be impressed with counterpart Billy Sweeney Wednesday night, however, as he played like the next coming of Patrick Roy, stifling the high-flying Mustangs 2-0.
   These games always bring out the best in the archrivals and this one certainly did. Norwood threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Walpole junior in the first 15 minutes, and against anyone else other than an All-Scholastic goalie, would have gone into the locker room leading, 2-0.
   Instead Sweeney, who stopped 37 Mustang shots in all, was wearing a “hunka burning glove” that night, making eight stops with his mitt alone.
   Sweeney’s net work spearheaded a great effort by the whole team, including a defense that played the game as intensely as their netminder. Among the extra special efforts were performances by center Brendan Corcoran and defensemen A. J. Rossi and Cory Menno.
   Menno’s two best moves came almost at opposite ends of the game. The first, early in the second period, was a slap shot from right point that he somehow got on net while getting crushed sideways into the boards, giving the Rebels a 2-0 cushion. The other came in the third when a Mustang for the second time in the game crashed into Sweeney and tried to get him to lose his cool and spend some time sitting out. Instead Menno went to Sweeney’s rescue and took the heat.
   Unselfish play and increased productivity have earmarked the Rebels’ 8-1 start, backboned by Sweeney’s netminding and a strong defense.
   Those were never more apparent than the first period at the Metropolis Rink
Norwood took it to the Rebels the first few minutes and by the 5-minute mark the Mustangs, led by Sean Keady and Steve Cottens, were swarming all over Walpole’s zone on high-speed breakaways.
   With seven minutes to go in the period Keady picked off a pass and sent it back to Bill Glynn on the point. Glynn then gave it back for a Keady backhander all alone that Sweeney picked off.
For the first few minutes of the game the Rebels couldn’t even get near Sennott, such as a slapper by Ryan Gulla getting blocked and taken away by Al Morteo.
   The action quickly went back to Walpole’s end with Sweeney under fire. The Mustangs apparently jumped ahead 1-0 with 5:10 left on a power play, but the officials whistled the goal off when they called a crease violation.
   Frustrated, they began a bombardment that didn’t end until the period did. Sweeney gloved a Chris O’Brien lift with 4:53 left, and a few seconds later stopped a Cottens wrister from the wing after he beat a defender to the circle.
   Mike Coughlin stole the puck and gave it to Pat Cavanaugh for another quality shot and again he was denied. Captain Pat Coskren ripped a slapper from the left point that Sweeney stoned and Steve Mahon raced to the rebound for another shot.
   Another Coskren slapper fell by the wayside and in a span of just a couple of minutes the Mustangs had unloaded five quality shots on net.
   The second period began with Mahon stealing the puck from Walpole Captain Ty Golden, just before shooting, and then Norwood unloaded two more shots on net.
   It didn’t look good until 2:07, when left wing Tim Bailey swooped up right wing, crossed the crease and put a wrist shot past Sennott.
   The Mustangs kept outshooting the Rebels, but Walpole started evening out the ice, beginning with a power play with 11:09 left in the second.
   Menno and the first line of Mike Rockwell, Tom Tempesta and Golden started asserting itself, and they were on the ice for the second goal, along with defenseman Mike Semler.
   The Mustangs had managed to fight off the power play but a half minute later Semler made a pass out of the zone to Rockwell. Rocky then passed from the wing back to Menno on right point, and at 5:28 Menno immediately blasted a slap shot while being forechecked into the boards, totally off balance. It proved to be insurance, however.
   Revitalized, the Rebels pounced on the ’Stangs. Walpole won the face-off and Semler took a shot from the point. Dave Conroy then stole a clear from Mahon, but after a brief domination the Rebels were back on their heels and Sweeney saved their bacon with two more quality saves.
   With 6:38 left the Rebels were shorthanded, but Sweeney stopped a wraparound by Cottens. The Rebels went down a skater again with 5:05 left, but consecutive Norwood power plays didn’t faze Sweeney. He and Golden, Mike Rockwell, Rossi and Captain Pat MacLellan shut down another one.
   Sweeney had his biggest save of the second with 1:43 to go. Cottens came flying up ice, faked a defender, veered off to right wing, and tried for the upper shelf over Sweeney’s shoulder. It was gloved.
   Walpole started taking over more in the third. Corcoran won two straight face-offs, Sennott had to make a stick save on a Menno slapper and Rossi kept peppering him with shots from the point.
   With 12:16 left there was a pile-up in Walpole’s net on Sweeney, and Menno flew over to protect his goalie. Both Menno and Mike Verrochi left the rink, but Walpole ended up with a power play and renewed determination to hang on to the shutout.
   Saturday’s game at the Iorio against Brookline was the opposite in terms of intensity. Walpole gave its fourth line plenty of shifts and It responded with a couple of goals.
   Sophomore left wing Brendan O’Neil scored the game winner with his first varsity goal just 3:25 in, tipping in the rebound of Mike Nadeau.s shot.
   At 5:43 Mike Rockwell added his tenth goal of the year, a one-timer from the slot that finished off a great job of cycling the puck down low by Tempesta and Golden.
   The fourth line struck again at 7:30 when Nick Rockwell scored his first varsity goal as well. This time he skated in on Brookline goalie Mackie Anderson on a 2-on-1 with Nadeau, and poked home a Nadeau pass.
   The lead grew to 4-0 at 11:30 of the first when Menno unloaded a slapper from the point and center Christian Miller tipped it home.
   The Rebels only scored once in the second, when Miller stole the puck and took it in himself, and let up with just two goals in the third as they did everything to slow down the action.
   Still, Tempesta scored at 7:28 of the third with a lift over Anderson’s shoulder set up by Semler and Rockwell, and Ryan O’Coin finished things with a rebound shot assisted by Corcoran and Bailey.
   In the end the Rebels had outshot Brookline 45-12, and Sweeney and back-up goalie Kyle Musco shared a second straight Walpole shutout.
   Sweeney came out of the game with a 1.28 goals against average, trailing only Needham’s Sam Gifford and Milton’s Nick Hailer in the league.
   Just as impressive are the 36 goals in nine games by the offense. Last year it took 14 games to reach 36 and they only scored 52 the whole season.
 

Read “Sweeney shuts down Norwood, 2-0″ on the Wicked Local Walpole website