Most coaches, especially Walpole coaches, will tell you that their first priority is to make the state tournament. For the most part, this goal was achieved by many Rebel sports teams. Teams that made their respective state tournament this year include boys soccer, field hockey, football, wrestling, softball, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls track, and boys and girls tennis. When it comes to each team’s regular season, the Rebels excelled. However, the Rebels did run into problems when it came to the playoffs, and the high pressure situations that came along with them. Many Rebel teams did exceptionally well this year but couldn’t seem to put the pieces together and win the title of state champs. While some Walpole teams weren’t the favorites to win (several were the number one seeds), they failed to finish the job.
For example, last fall, the boys’ soccer team had one of their best seasons ever, toting an all-time best 13-2-2 record that earned them the title of Bay State Champs. They even had All-State players, seniors Steve MacAvoy, Alan Gary, and Matt Niden leading the way. Unfortunately, the Rebels fell to the last seed Braintree Wamps in the first round of states by a score of 3-2. The once promising season ended suddenly— their aspirations of a state title gone.
Similarly, the field hockey team has been very successful in recent years and this year was no different. The Porkers had a stellar season, putting up an impressive 18-0 record and winning the South-Sectional Championship. Despite this, the Porkers were knocked out of the state tournament by the Merrimack Valley Conference champions, Andover, in a double-overtime thriller, by a score of 3-2. This loss came as a shock to Walpole, who was the top seed and favorite to win the state title once again.
In addition, this spring the softball team did extremely well. The girls improved from 13-7 last year to a remarkable 16-4. Senior captains Kelsey Cosby, Tori Richardson, along with junior captain Katie Cavaca provided excellent leadership to a young squad with little varsity level experience. Unluckily, like so many other Walpole teams this year, they were bounced out of the state tournament by the 11th-seeded New Bedford Whalers, destroying any state tournament ambitions they had.
The baseball team did astonishingly well this year, bouncing back from a poor season. With only three losses during the regular season, the Rebels finished on top of the Bay State League. This team was led by stellar pitching by senior captain Tom Ryan and fine performances in the field and at the plate by the three sets of brothers: senior Steve and junior Dan King, senior Jimmy and sophomore John Adams, and junior Craig and sophomore Cam Hanley. Regrettably, the baseball team suffered the same fate as the other top seeded Rebel teams, falling to the lowest seed left in the playoffs, the Franklin Panthers, 9-4.
Walpole teams’ inability to win under high-stress environments time and time again leads back to the same question: Why? The answer is a simple one— experience. Generally speaking, Walpole Sports is at a junction in time where young athletes, specifically freshmen and sophomores, have been thrown into intense games with high-pressure situations without much playoff experience. These young student-athletes have been put in critical positions on their respective teams.
For example, freshman Bobby Ivatts had a critical starting role, taking all the free kicks on the boys’ soccer team this year. This is no easy task for a 5-foot 3-inch tall freshman to accomplish, especially going against seniors who have been there before. Also, sophomore Bridget Nicholson starts at shortstop for the softball team and is a force on the basketball court. Nicholson has been a successful athlete in her short high school career, playing field hockey, basketball, and softball all at the varsity level. This high pressure position on the field is definitely a challenge for anyone, let alone a sophomore with no playoff experience on the softball field. When asked if the lack of experience on her basketball and softball teams played a factor in this year’s shortcomings, Nicholson said, “Yes it did, but what hurts you makes you stronger, and that’s definitely the case with us. We’ll be ready to go next year for sure.” Like Nicholson said, despite the fact that some Walpole teams’ seasons did not end the way they hoped, the experience gained from this year’s letdowns will help the Rebels excel next year.
On a lighter note, not every team suffered this fate. The Rebels swim and dive team went undefeated this year and earned both the Herget and Bay State League title. Also, Boys Cross Country sent the whole team to All-States last fall. The Rebel Cross Country team, who finished the regular season 8-3 as Herget Champs, sent 7 of their varsity members to the EMass Division 3 Championships. Two of the runners (juniors Justin Connolly and Zach Ganshirt) finished in the top 10 at the meet. This spring, seniors Amanda Carney and Alex Lee, sophomore Connor McCarthy, and the 4-by-1 team (composed of Lee, junior Joey Petruzziello, and seniors Cam McDonough and Shane Blass) went to All-States. The 4-by-1 team also went to New Englands. They did exceptionally well, finishing third and sixth respectively.
Every year students enter into the school gymnasium to take the state-administered MCAS exam. When they finish, they wait out the exam time by looking up and seeing all the State Title Banners representing Walpole High School’s proud tradition of successful athletics. They see names of former and current students they recognize and possibly even look up to. The numerous banners are an inspiring sight for these student-athletes. With so much talent in our young student body, the question is not if we will win more Titles; the questions is whether these young athletes can overcome these high-pressure situations and raise some new banners sooner rather later.
