Athletics of the Decade

The Rebellion Reflects on the Best Athletes, Teams and Programs of the 2010s

The past decade has been an exciting time to be a Rebel. As the 2010s come to a close, Walpole High School sports continue to excel as an overall program. In the last 10 years, WHS has built athletes of strong ability and character. 

Winning countless awards, championships and achievements, WHS Athletics is run by Athletic Director Ron Dowd. With recommendations from Dowd, here is Walpole Athletics’ decade wrapped. 

 

TEAMS OF THE DECADE

Photo/ The Rebellion

Boys Hockey Super 8 Run- 2017

Coached by Dowd, Walpole finished the 2017 regular season with the best record in school history of 21-0-1. Walpole qualified for the Super 8 Tournament for the first time in the history of the program as well as the Bay State Conference Herget Division. Adding to the competition of the Super 8 Tournament, Walpole was up against six other private school recruiting teams. After beating Catholic Memorial High School in a play-in game to determine entry to the Super 8 Tournament, Walpole was one of the best eight teams in Massachusetts. Walpole advanced to play their first series against Boston College High School. After beating BC High in game one, BC High then defeated Walpole in the final two games of the series to advance in the tournament. Captained by goalie James Corcoran, Pat Donovan and Owen Hunter, Walpole’s 2017 Boys Hockey team made school history.

Field Hockey Wins State Championship- 2013

Photo/ The Rebellion

Coached by Marianne Murphy, the Porkers completed their regular season with another historic record of 23-0-1. The first half of the Porker’s season was completed with an 11-0-1 record, while only letting up three goals against and scoring a total of 50 goals. Captained by Caroline Feeley, Brooke Matherson and Ashley Waldron, the Porkers defeated Longmeadow in the State Finals. Caroline Feeley totaled 25 goals and 35 assists in her Porker career, along with earning a handful of awards such as the Bay State League All-Star and MVP, before continuing her athletic career at Amherst College. Brooke Matherson totaled 41 goals and 13 assists with the Porkers while also receiving many awards such as the Bay State League All-Star and the Boston Herald/Globe All-Scholastic, before continuing her career at Boston College. Ashley Waldron totaled three goals and 25 assists with the Porkers also while receiving many awards such as the Bay State League All-Star and the Boston Herald All-Scholastic, before continuing her career at Brown University. Together this award-winning trio made Porker History and started their competitive reputation. 

Boys Baseball Super 8 Run- 2019

Photo/ The Rebellion

Coached by Chris Costello, the Rebels were seeded third in the Super 8 Tournament. The 2019 season marks the furthest the program has advanced in the Super 8 Tournament in school history, surpassing last year’s run that ended the first round as the Rebels were seeded eighth. The Rebels defeated sixth-seeded Braintree 4-1, which advanced them to round two. The Rebels were then defeated by second seed John’s Prep in the second round of the Super 8. Captained by Cam Schlittler who continued his career at Northeastern University, Matt Donato who continued his career at Tufts University and Matt Falvey; the Rebels made history twice in the span of two years. 

 

PROGRAM OF THE DECADE

Walpole Girls Lacrosse

Photo/ The Rebellion

Coached by Mike Tosone, the Walpole Girls Lacrosse program has continued to make its presence known in the Bay State Conference. Beginning their tournament appearances in 2015, the team lost to Medfield in the South-Sectional Final. In 2016 and 2017, with a 42-7 record and back-to-back state championship appearances, Walpole Girls Lacrosse established itself as the top program in Division II over the span of two years. After an MIAA realignment, Walpole was bumped up to Division I for the 2018 season. Captained by Emily Curtis and Celia Walsh alongside junior Audra Tosone, this trio helped their team to enter the playoffs with their first undefeated season in program history. After making a third consecutive state championship appearance against Wellesley in 2018, Walpole then finished with a state semi-final appearance in 2019, against Notre Dame Academy of Hingham. 

 

FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE DECADE

Sydney Scales- 2016-2020

Photo/ Tim Hoffman

As a three-sport athlete, Sydney Scales has been a varsity player for all three sports- field hockey, basketball and lacrosse- since her freshman year of high school. Scales captained her senior season of field hockey and has been a captain since her junior years in both basketball and lacrosse. Scales will play Division I lacrosse next year for Boston College. In her junior year, Scales won First Team Bay State League All-Star in all of her sports. Scales also was named the Bay State League MVP and the Boston Herald and globe All-Star for lacrosse. Finishing off her junior year, Scales was named the EMASS All-Star, All American and the Under Armour Underclassmen All-American in lacrosse, all while leading her team to a state championship runner-up title. In her senior year so far, Scales has doubled the number of awards she has received in past years, for field hockey. Scales was named the Bay State League All-Star and MVP, Best of 60 Star, Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Boston Globe Player of the Week, Team Best Offensive Player of the Year and Sue Rivers Holiday Classic MVP. Currently, in season for basketball, Scales looks to finish off her senior year strong. 

Audra Tosone- 2015-2019

Photo/ Tim Hoffman

Audra Tosone, another dominant athlete in all three of her sports, graduated last year and is attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst to play Division I lacrosse. Tosone played field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse at the varsity level throughout her four years at Walpole High School. Tosone was named Bay State League All-Star and MVP for lacrosse during her senior season. In her high school lacrosse career, Tosone led her team to two Herget Titles, Two Bay State Titles, a Division II East Sectional Championship and a runner-up finish in the Division II State Championship in 2017. Tosone was named the Bay State League All-Star for ice hockey, while also making the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team-the first-ever in program history. There are high hopes for Tosone’s athletic career as she begins her first season with the Minutemen. 

Melanie Weber- 2013-2017

Photo/ The Rebellion

Melanie Weber was also a three-sport athlete and played on a varsity team for 12 seasons of field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She was a lacrosse captain her senior season and captained her other two sports both junior and senior year. Weber led her field hockey team to two state championship titles in 2013 and 2016. Additionally, the Boston Globe awarded the Field Hockey Player of the Year Award to Weber for her performance in the 2016 season. In 2017, Weber led the WHS girls lacrosse team to an Eastern Mass title. She was a six-time Bay State Conference All-Star, a two time Bay State Herget Division MVP, on the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team for field hockey three times, and twice to the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team for field hockey also. Weber was also awarded the John B Turco Award for her performance here at WHS. Finally, Weber was honored with the Doug Flutie award after graduating, to recognize her dedication, sportsmanship, leadership and character. Currently, in her third year at Northeastern University, she plays Division I field hockey. 

 

MALE ATHLETES OF THE DECADE

Johnny Adams- 2009-2013

Photo/ The Rebellion

Johnny Adams played both varsity baseball and basketball, where he was a captain for both his senior year. During his baseball career at WHS, Adams was a three-time first-team Bay State League All-Star, the Bay State League MVP, and Walpole’s 2013 Male Athlete of the Year; additionally, he earned first-team all-state honors, Rawlings Northeast All Regional second-team accolades in 2013 and made the USA Baseball North Atlantic team roster in 2011. Adams played Division I baseball for Boston College, where he became the starting shortstop as a freshman. Adams also played for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod Baseball league, where he was awarded the Manny Robello Tenth Player Award and Harwich’s MVP award. In the 2017 MLB Draft, Adams was drafted to the Seattle Mariners. Adams currently plays AA Minor League for the Modesto Nuts. Adams was a very successful player during his time at WHS and Boston College. 

Ian Fair- 2011-2015

Photo/ Ali Fair

Ian Fair played both varsity baseball and soccer since his freshman year of high school. During his senior season of soccer, Fair battled injury up until the start of his baseball season. Fair persevered and was named the Bay State League All-Star in his senior baseball season, as well as the Bay State League MVP in both of his sports. Fair played Division I baseball at Northeastern University where he continued his success. 

Cam Hanley- 2009-2013

Photo/ The Rebellion

Cam Hanley played both varsity baseball and football, where he was a captain for both his senior year. In football, Hanley received the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and led his team in tackles, dethroning two-time All-Star Dave Conroy. Starting his freshman baseball season, Hanley had one of the highest batting averages in the Bay State League, where he batted .375 as a senior. Hanley was also a two-time Bay State League All-Star. After graduating, Hanley played Division I baseball at Northeastern University, where he was named to the Colonial Athletic Conference all-rookie team as a freshman, and started 21 games. Finding success throughout his college baseball career, Hanley is named one of the top athletes to come out of Walpole High School.