Hockomock Sports

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Two Hockomock schools have been recognized by The Boston Globe on Boston.com. 

The Globe has added Canton and King Philip to the Globe Top 20 volleyball rankings.

Canton, who is the only undefeated team left in the league, debuts in the poll at #5. Six of Canton's wins have come against Hockomock teams, including a 3-1 decision over a very talented North Attleboro to open the season. The Bulldogs also have a win over Quincy, who is ranked #14 in the Globe Top 20.

King Philip comes in at 8-1 and ranked #18. KP has picked up 5 league wins and 3 non-league wins. Their lone loss came to the aforementioned North Attleboro squad. 

Canton and King Philip will have their lone meeting of the year October 9th at Canton High School.

Click here for The Boston Globe Top 20 Volleyball Rankings

WRENTHAM, Mass. – Six of the twelve teams in the Hock participated in the Frank Kelly Invitation Cross Country Meet on Satruday at the Wrentham Development Center. Foxboro sophomore Liz Holmes had the best finish of the day, taking the top spot in the Division 2 Girls 3.1 Mile Run.

In the Division 1 Boys 3.1 Mile Run, Oliver Ames junior Dan Moverman had the best finish at 11th with a time of 16.29.7. Moverman's finish helped the Tigers finish 10th out of 34 teams, with an average time of 17.22.90.

Sharon finished in 17th, led by junior Adam Selsman's 16.54.8 run, good for 31st place. Franklin finished 19th, Attleboro 22nd, and Taunton came in 24th.

Click here for D1 Boys Hockomock Results from the Frank Kelly Invitational.

For the girls, Oliver Ames finished 6th out of 25 teams. Junior Emily Newman (26th) and senior Megan Fitzgerald (27th) finished .3 seconds apart to lead the Tigers. Franklin came in 8th and were also paced by back-to-back finishes. Senior Lauren Hagen finished 15th while junior Caroline Knous came in 16th.

Attleboro's Shelby Cuddeback was the best performer among Hockomock participants, finishing 7th, but Attleboro placed 19th overall. Tauton placed 23rd.

Sharon senior Caroline Sun finished 20th overall, but Sharon only had two runners and therefore didn't place. 

Click here for D1 Girls Hockomock Results from the Frank Kelly Invitational.

Foxboro was the only school from the Hockomock that competed in the D2 races. Despite, Holmes' first place finish, the Warriors placed 14th. On the boys side, the team placed 9th out of 21 teams, paced by senior Kevin Aldrich's 18th place finish. 

Click here for D2 Hockomock Results from the Frank Kelly Invitational.

Name: Noah Phelps
School: Attleboro High School
Year: 2013
Height: 5'8"
Position: Outside Midfielder
Favorite Subject: Math

Why do you play soccer?
 I am the youngest of 4 children who all played soccer growing up, so I would be pulled around to each game and would always have a ball with me. I always wanted to play in my brothers games and be just like them. The reason I play it now is simply that I love the game.

Why is 2012-2013 going to be a good year for Attleboro High School?
Despite the sevreal injuries from the start of this season, I believe that we are a family not just a team on the field and we will fight for each other. Instead of 22 teammates, I see 22 brothers. Sure brothers fight and make fun of each other, but when it comes to gametime we unite and stand up for one another.

What is your favorite Attleboro soccer memory so far?
Lifting the Leach & Garner cup my freshman year. It helped me realize Attleboro Varsity Soccer, any year, can do big things.

What were your emotions when you played your first varsity game?
"Your hard work got you here, so don't mess up."

What makes playing for Attleboro High School so special?
I grew up watching my brothers play and wanted to follow in their footsteps. My second oldest brother took Attleboro High the farthest they've ever been, Semi-finals of States when he was a Senior Captain. In there last game he tore his hamstring. Now I feel like I'm picking up where he left off. So playing behind the same crest he did, makes it special to me.

When you’re not practicing, what are you usually doing?
Homework, juggling, or watching the English Premier League with my family.

What are your top 3 pregame pump up songs?
Hell Yeah by Tiësto vs Showtek
Worldwide Chopper by Tech N9ne
Bangarang by Skrillex

By Dan Libon, Contributor

SHARON, Mass. – As the Taunton Tigers scored their third touchdown of the game with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, it looked like Taunton was going to get by with a 20-14 win and hand the Sharon Eagles their first loss of the year. Yet with timeouts left and decent field position on their own 32-yard line, the Eagles were not ready to be counted out yet.

“Before the final drive we said ‘we have 30 seconds we gotta make it happen. We got timeouts, I knew with good field position we could make it happen,'” Eagles head coach Dave Morse said.

Three plays later, the Eagles were preparing to take the lead and win with an extra point to take the game and improve to 4-0. The Tigers now stand at 1-3.

It was a huge game for Eagles quarterback Sean O’Neil who threw for 118 yards and two touchdowns along with a third score on the ground.

"I wouldn't call it a break out game," Morse said. "Sean's the kind of guy you want on your team. He prepares well, he works hard, and he's a very diligent student of the game."

After recovering a pair of Taunton fumbles earlier in the game, Sharon capitalized on the turnovers with a 27 yard pass from O’Neil to Sean Asnes that gave the Eagles an 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

O’Neil helped keep the Eagles in the game when he capped off an eight play drive with a QB keeper at the goal line to tie the game at the start of the fourth quarter.

Down by six with time ticking away, a 50 yard pass from O’Neil to Jared Fogel got the Eagles down to the Tigers’ 18 yard line where they would have a couple of shots at the end zone with 11 seconds left. After throwing the ball away, the Eagles tied the game up on a Brad Kaufman catch right in the center of the end zone with no time left on the clock.

Needing the extra point to win, Eric Lesser’s kick split the uprights to keep Sharon undefeated.

After falling behind in the first quarter, the Tigers thrived on 4th down conversions during the second quarter as a tipped pass that looked to be a Sharon interception turned into a Tyler Manoli touchdown reception to make it a 7-6 game after a failed two point conversion.

Facing fourth and seven with 30 seconds left in the first half, a pass to Domingo Jenkins gave the Tigers the lead along with a successful two point conversion.

A final touchdown that was thought to be the game winner came off of a seven-yard run from Jenkins but a missed extra point gave the Eagles the small opening they needed to win.

With the Tigers out of the way, the Eagles move on to Canton for their first division game of the season next Friday at 7:00 p.m. while Taunton will play at King Philip.

Here are Saturday's Hockomock games.

Football
Taunton, 20 @ Sharon, 21 - Final
Oliver Ames, 14 @ Franklin, 21 - Final

Boys Soccer
Taunton @ Coyle Cassidy, - Postponed

Girls Soccer
Lowell, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 2 - Final - Goals by Kendall Andrew and Carroline Connly on assists from Nicole Taylor and Erin Decoste.
Taunton @ Coyle Cassidy - Postponed

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – On a night in which the Davenport Division would turn the league on its head, the Attleboro Bombardiers used two second half touchdown passes from Tim Walsh and several big defensive stands to hold on for a 26-20 victory over the visiting Canton Bulldogs.

Attleboro coach Kevin Deschenes spoke after the game about the plan for the second half being to grind out yards and time of possession, but he recognized the need to keep teams honest with the passing game. 

“We have to balance it with what you saw tonight and Timmy was able to get a couple passes. Timmy got the protection he needed and our guys got open. Some of the passes he threw tonight picked up some important yards for us.”

With the game tied at 14, the Bombardiers took the opening drive of the second half deep into Canton territory on a 37-yard completion from Walsh, the junior quarterback, to senior wideout Cotey Martinez. The drive stalled, but on fourth down from the Canton 10-yard line, Walsh hooked up with Martinez for the go ahead score.

Following a Bulldogs punt, Attleboro (4-0) found the end zone again when Walsh hung in the pocket to find tight end Luke Morrison wide open for a 36-yard touchdown. A failed two-point conversion kept Canton within 12 points at 26-14. Walsh would finish 4-10 for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Canton (1-2) would not go away. Following a poor Attleboro punt, Canton took over at the 20-yard line. The Bulldogs capitalized on the short field when captain Elias Camacho forced his way in from three yards out.

Attleboro forced a Flavin fumble with just under two minutes remaining and a chance to run out the clock. After three short runs, the Bombardiers lined up to punt only to see a low snap skip past the punter and be downed back at the 25-yard line. Canton had 19.2 seconds to try and tie the game, but great pressure from the Attleboro defensive line forced an intentional grounding by Flavin that pushed the Bulldogs back to the 42. Sean Curran would intercept the final pass well short of the end zone to preserve the win.

Deschenes spoke in glowing terms about the defensive effort that his team produced in the victory, “The defense played extremely well tonight. One thing that the kids showed tonight was a lot of heart. We came up with the plays when we had to come up with them.”

Attleboro opened the scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run by Malique Clark, but the running back fumbled on the next possession at his own 4-yard line. Canton fullback Shane Nordgren scored to bring them back within one. On the next possession it was tailback Dexter Green (18 carries, 90 yards) who steamrolled tacklers on his way to a 54-yard score.

The Bombardiers responded on the very next possession. Walsh hit Clark for a 50-yard pass play that put the ball inside the Canton 5. After a false start penalty, Clark (25 carries, 141 yards, and 1 reception for 50 yds.) took a toss sweep into the end zone for his second score of the day and 8th of the season.

Canton will host Sharon next week in the first divisional game of the season for both teams. Attleboro will start a three-game road trip at Alumni Field against the Mansfield Hornets, who were beaten by Stoughton in the HockomockSports.com Game of the Week.

By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief

STOUGHTON, Mass. – Through three games, the Stoughton Black Knight’s defense has used the saying, “bend, don’t break.” On Friday night, they didn’t even bend as they beat Mansfield, 25-6, in the rain for the second straight year. 

It wasn’t exactly déjà vu for the teams, but the result was the same. Stoughton followed up last year’s 8-0 shocker over the Hornets with a relentless run game that saw senior Frankie Morris go for 198 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. 

“I think we’re improving,” Stoughton head coach Greg Burke said. “We played better than last week. That’s our goal is to play better than the week before and every week we’ve played a little better.”

After Mansfield opened the game on a quick three-and-out, Stoughton took over at midfield. 10 players later – all rushing plays – Morris collected his first touchdown from four yards out.

On Mansfield’s ensuing possession, which started at their own 21, Adam Leonard was able to get to Mansfield quarterback Kyle Wisnieski and force a fumble which was recovered by Stoughton senior Shawn Connolly at the five yard line. Three plays later, Morris doubled his total with a 1-yard run and gave Stoughton a two-score lead, 13-0, with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter.

“He’s what you call a real horse,” Burke said of Morris. “He’s big, there’s no one bigger, there’s no one stronger in this area. When he gets going it’s like a locomotive.”

Mansfield was finally able to get a drive in gear in the second quarter, going from their own 22-yard line to Stoughton’s 12 in 11 plays. But when faced with 4th and 7 and only 2:10 in the second quarter, Mansfield went for it. Wisnieski’s pass went incomplete and Stoughton had the ball to run out the first half.

But they didn’t just run it out – they scored. On third down from their own 14, Morris took a toss to the right, cut in left, and then back out right to a wide open lane along the sideline. 86 yards later, Morris had a hat trick of touchdowns and the Black Knights had a 19-0 halftime lead.

“They've got a good line,” Mansfield head coach Mike Redding said. “This is as good of a backfield as I’ve seen with a complete fullback running the ball and two good half backs.”

The second half didn’t start much better for the Hornets. After Andrew Kelly sacked Wisnieski, they were forced to punt after an incompletion. Stoughton used their running game once again to their advantage.

On the first three plays, the Black Knights alternated from Morris, to Aaron Mack, to Malachi Baugh. On the next play, they went back to Morris who went for 18 yards. Next, it was Mack’s turn, as the senior exploded for a 33 yard run before tripping up yards short of the goal line.

From five yards out, Stoughton was able to punch it in again by – no surprise – Morris. 

Mansfield was able to get on the scoreboard their next go, as they used 14 plays before Kevin Makie ran it in from 10 yards.

“They brought their ‘A’ game and we brought our ‘D’ game and that’s not a good recipe against them on the road,” Redding said. 

The win improves Stoughton to 4-0 while Mansfield drops to 2-2. 

Stoughton will host Foxboro next week, who is fresh off a big upset of North Attleboro, in a key Davenport Division battle. Mansfield will host a dangerous Attleboro team.

Here are Friday's Hockomock games.

Game of the Week - Football
Mansfield, 6 @ Stoughton, 25 - Final

Football
Canton, 20 @ Attleboro, 26 - Final
North Attleboro, 0 @ Foxboro, 21 - Final
Dartmouth, 7 @ King Philip, 20 - Final

Boys Soccer
Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 4 - Final
King Philip @ Franklin, 6:30 - Postponed
Mansfield, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 - Final - Taylor Christo netted two goals, including the game winner in the last minute.
Milford @ Stoughton, 3:45 - Postponed.
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Sharon, 0 - Final - Lucas Arajo (5th goal) and Chris Concalves (8th goal) scored.

Girls Soccer
Canton, 6 @ Foxboro, 0 - Final - Lauren Berman netted two goals.
Franklin @ King Philip, Postponed
North Attleboro, 3 @ Mansfield, 1 - Final
Stoughton, 0 @ Milford, 3 - Final

Volleyball
Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 3 - Final
Sharon, 0 @ Canton, 3 - Final
Milford, 0 @ Foxboro, 3 - Final
Franklin, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 - Final
Taunton, 0 @ Mansfield, 3 - Final
Stoughton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 1 - Final