| WILDCAT HEADLINES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 25, 2009 |
| The Thrill Of Victory And The Agony Of Defeat: Boys Varsity Lacrosse Season Comes To An End |
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| Wildcats celebrate victory over Mystic Valley Charter last Tuesday |
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| Wildcat Juniors Peter Von Rosenvinge, Timothy Batter and Freshman Jared Fong at Norwell last Thursday |
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5-28-09, Weston/Norwell- It turned out to be a true Yin-Yang of a week for the Wildcats Boys Varsity Lacrosse team. Opening the MIAA Division 3 Tournament at home last Tuesday, the team experienced the Yang of all things good, with a 17-1 win over the #22 seeded, Mystic Valley Charter.
"It was just a great team effort," said Head Coach Jim Wilcon. "All around, offensively and defensively."
The Wildcats started out with a quick, agressive style of play that paid off. Wildcat Senior Justin Pomerance and Junior Thomas Slotpole both contributed four goals each, Freshman Adam Guerin had two goals and Seniors Jackson Vescuso, Ethan White, Junior Will Harris, Sophomores Kyle Knickerson, Robert Crockett, Kerry Ecker and Chase Williams combined for the Wildcat scores.
"I think the kids really wanted to kind of prove a point," said Coach Wilcon. "To show that we got the 11th seed and it wasn't a fluke. We worked hard this season to earn our position in the tournament."
Tough defense and capitalizing on posessions were the keys to the victory, with the Wildcats maintaining posession of the ball throughout most of the game.
"Our defense locked down and our offense was good," said Wildcat Will Harris.
"We moved the ball, we weren't selfish." said Chase Williams. "We got ground balls, we won face-offs and we played good defense."
The Wildcats had little time to savor their first round tournament win. Their next opponent, 6th seed Norwell, who they would face in just two days, were present in their post-game thoughts.
"We need to take care of business and just go out and do our job," said Coach Wilcon. "Norwell is a very good team that plays a very strong schedule and have beat teams that we have lost to throughout the season. It's going to be a challenging game."
"Norwell is a good team and we are going to have to play the best we have played all year," said Will Harris. "They are a good team, but so are we."
After the game the coach from Mysic Valley Charter told Coach Wilcon, "You guys are as good as any team we have seen this year, and you guys can play with a lot of teams in this tournament," Wilcon said. "It was nice because the kids deserve all the credit."
Two days later, the Wildcats would travel to Norwell armed with their tournament hopes to "win and advance" and since Yin and Yang are opposing forces that are bound together, for the Wildcats, the Yin was to come next. Weston would get on the score board first, on Junior Jack Rodday's goal, assisted by Justin Pomerance at 6:22 in the first. The two teams would play it back and forth, seemingly taunting each other for offensive dominance, when Norwell's Ryan Moore would match the score less than a minute later. Adam Guerin put the Wildcats up 2-1, but Norwell's Moore scored twice to end the first up 3-2.
Norwell would score three more goals in the top of the second, the third goal on a man-down opportunity, to give Norwell a 6-2 lead, but the Wildcats would not give up. Will Jenkins and Justin Pomerance would strike with back to back goals to bring the team within two with a minute left to play in the half. A Weston penalty gave Norwell the advantage with 52 seconds left and they capitalized on it, sending Weston to the sidelines at the half, down 7-4.
"We made a couple of mistakes early that put us behind," said Coach Wilcon. "You can't make mistakes against really good teams in a tournament and they took advantage of it."
The Wildcats would continue to play tough, but inconsistent in the third quarter. Norwell scored two more goals before Freshman Joey Pasquale would score on a great pass from Kerry Ecker at 4:25, making the score 9-5, but Norwell would answer back and end the third with a 10-5 lead.
"Teams match up differently with different styles," Wilcon said. "Unfortunately we were playing a little bit uphill because we got behind early. We forget they are 15 and 16 year-old kids out there and they can sometimes be a little inconsistent."
In a fitting tribute to a great Wildcat lacrosse career, Senior Co-Captian Jackson Vescuso would score 2 goals at 10:53 and 9:40 in the fourth, to bring the Wildcats within three and fuel the team to keep going. Norwell would score the last goal of the game with 29 seconds left to get the victory, making the final score 11-7.
"Even though we didn't play our best on Thursday, we never gave up and made an impressive comeback that fell a little short," Wilcon added. "That just shows how much heart this team has, how much effort they give for they guy playing next to them and does not put a damper on a very successful season and a lot of fun. I am very proud to be coaching such a fine group of men and Weston is a great place to coach with the parent and community support."
Wildcat Weekly would like to add congrats on a great season and thanks to the entire Wildcat Boys Varsity Lacrosse team. A special thanks to the Wildcat Seniors: Mike Spector, Justin Pomerance, Jackson Vescuso, Ethan White, Edward Pendergast, Brian Fratto and team managers, Christina Howe and Lauren Mackie. Thanks for giving the Wildcats your all during your four years at Weston High and best of luck in the future.
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| Wayland Weston Crew Celebrate State Championship |
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| Wayland Weston Girls Varsity Crew Team |
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| Wayland Weston Boys Varsity Crew Team |
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| The 2009 Crew Championship Trophies |
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5-28-09, Weston- The Weston High School cafeteria played host to the Wayland Weston Crew team awards night last Wednesday. The Team celebrated their recent State Championship win for the spring crew season. Wayland Weston crew are certainly no strangers to the state title, as they have been Champions for the last 4 years running, in both fall and spring .
"This is probably the best coaching experience I've had so far," said first year Girls Varsity Head Coach Matthew Henig. "To say that you enjoy a high school program and think that it's set up better than a lot of college varsity programs, is saying something."
The Wayland Weston crew team are a tight knit group, and this year's graduating seniors see this win as a special one.
"This one was important to us because all four years we have been a part of the team, we have won the state championship," said Girls Crew Co-Captian, Wayland Senior Cara Rapoport. "It meant a lot to us to be able to finish off this season with a win."
Both the WW Girls and Boys crew teams won their overall points trophies to combine to give the team an overall team point trophy and their State Championship victory.
"We have been a pretty successful crew at the Mass State Championships," said Boys Crew Co-Captian, Wayland Senior Michael Paresky.
"It has become the goal for other teams to beat Wayland Weston Crew," said Boys Crew Co-Captian, Wayland Senior Matthew Bailey.
"We are very unified and very committed," said Paresky of his team."It's something I'm very proud to be a part of."
"We are a group of guys who care a lot about each other,"said Bailey. "Everybody is out there racing each race for the guy in front of them and the guy behind them."
Boys Varsity Head Coach Thomas Collins sees the depth of the team as the key to his team's overall success.
"This is a line-up that keeps everyone honest and working hard, " Collins said. "I was blessed this year to have a group who were proud to row in any of the boats and they really see the value of contributing to the team."
The WW Boys and Girls Crew team will travel to Cincinnati in June12-14th to race in the Nationals and will compete with high hopes and higher expectations.
"Having been there last year, I will have a better game plan of how to prepare," said Coach Collins. "Our training regiment over the next two weeks is geared to prepare us for three consecutive days of racing."
"Last year we had no idea how strong we were," said Girls Crew Co-Captian Wayland Senior Hannah Sieber. "This year we have more of an idea and more expectations on our boat."
The Wayland Weston boats in the State Championships:
First Place boats:
Girls 1V 8+ (cox: Cara Rapaport, stroke: Jillian Zieff, Alexandra Hill, Kristi Wagner, Catherine Chappell, Margo Cox, Claire Barkin, Hannah Sieber, bow: Sophie Gavell)
Girls 2V 8+ (cox: Rachel Regent, stroke: Melissa Otis, Haley Sacra, Lizzie Becker, Emmie Perry, Becky Paresky, Katie Perry, Melanie Wong, bow: Robyn Manley)
Girls 3V 8+ (cox: Suzie Freedberg, stroke: Anna Keery, Adrienne LaFarge, Annie Culver, Leah Mycofsky, Anna Wiegand, Susan Cunningham, Hannah Blahut, bow: Sarah Keane)
Girls Novice 2 8 (cox: Meredith Braunstein, stroke: Hayden Bock, Danielle Boykin, Marina Tanimoto, Hannah Sacra, Libby Menders, Becky Chinman, Katie Bui, bow: Megan Conway)
Boys 2V- 8 (cox: Nick Kwan, stroke: Henry Gula, Alex Coburn, Tom Peebles, Kep Edwards, Oliver Pucker, Brandon Blaesser, Dan Cohen, bow: Dave McCarthy)
Boys 3V- 8 (cox: Gabe Lozano, stroke: Luke Defren, Rohan Kashalikar, Nick Kossack, Josh Picard, James Sykes, Chris Baim, Nick Van Sciver, bow: Stuart Yamartino)
Second place boats:
Girls Novice 1 8+ (cox: Alex Potts, stroke: Merideth Galang, Emily Mead, Elaine Hunt, Sarah Perry, Antonia Vitagliana, Francesca Howe, Sam Kolovson, bow: Jordan Bunn)
Boys 1V-8 (cox: Amy Hachigan, stroke: Mike Paresky, Alex Newell, Will Purman, Matt Bailey, Adam Pitel, Michael Wu, Bobby Dresser, bow: Stephen Freidburg)
Boys Novice 1-8+ (cox: Kyle Kosky, stroke: Jonathan Heinlein, Ryan Leddy, Jakub Buczek, Bijan Khaksari, Jason Nazarian, Fernando Roman, Chris Kussmaul, Asa Hecker)
Third place boat:
Boys Novice 4 (cox: Karl Kuhn, stroke: Chad Tyra, Williem Wang, Max Meltzer, Evan Tyra)
Fifth place boat:
Girls Novice 4 (cox:Meredith Braunstein, stroke: Meredith Miller, Karina Calderon, Elena Drews and Rebecca Goldberg)
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| Wildcat Juniors D'Angelo, Marvel and Nickerson Power Girls Varsity Lacrosse In Tournament Win Over Triton |
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| Wildcat Senior Kelsey Nickerson faces two Triton defenders at Saturday's tournament game at home. |
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5-30-09, Weston- The Wildcats Girls Varsity Lacrosse team got their second consecutive win in the MIAA Tournament, beating Triton Regional High 15-6 in the quarter-finals at home on Saturday.
"This is tournament time, second round, big crowd, the girls were a little nervous at first," said Head Coach Kelly Trahon. "Once the girls settled in and gained a little confidence I think they knew that they had it."
Wildcat Juniors Abby D'Angelo had four goals and Julia Marvel and Senior Kelsey Nickerson came up with three goals each to give their team the offensive spark for the win. Weston would score first, on Junior Meredith Kassler's first of two goals at 18:36. Triton would then tie the game at 17:50, and less than a minute later, score again to give them the 2-1 lead, the only lead they would have for the rest of the game. Wildcat Senior Co-Captian Kelsey Nickerson would take a pass in the defensive zone from Sophomore Lindsay McCabe and take it downfield for the score at 13:28 to tie the game at 2. Julia Marvel got her first of four goals at 7:43 on a pass from Nickerson that caught the top left corner of the net, putting Weston ahead 3-2. Abby D'Angelo would strike less than 30 seconds later, her first goal, to give the Wildcats a 4-2 lead.
"We had good composure and good transition in the mid-field," Julia Marvel said. "We had good one on one skills and everyone went out hard."
The Wildcats didn't get a chance to sit on that lead because Triton came back quickly, scoring at 4:26 and 3:35 to tie the game at 4-4. Marvel would take the Wildcats into half-time with a 5-4 lead, on her second goal, a penalty shot with 49 seconds left in the first half.
"We never let up," said Abby D'Angelo. "We realized everyone needed to play their hardest to win."
The Wildcats opened the third quarter with a 4 unanswered goal surge. D'Angelo would get her second and third goals at 24:39 and 22:38, then Junior Katie Daly would net her first of two at 21:48. Marvel would round out the quarter with her third goal on a shot in front to give the Wildcats a commanding 9-4 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Wildcat goalie Senior Co-Captian Cyana Chilton was undoubtedly the MVP of the fourth quarter. While the offense did it's job, Chilton's skills at net kept Triton off the score board with some big saves; one after another.
"She played an amazing game," said Coach Trahon. "Cyana has been the starting goalie since her freshman year and she has a 51 percent save percentage. She's having a great senior year."
The Wildcats would score six goals in the fourth quarter to Triton's two goals. Wildcats Lindsey McCabe, Abby D'Angelo, with her 4th, Meredith Kessler, with her 2nd, Kelsey Nickerson's second and third, and Katie Daly's second goal combined to give the Wildcats a 15-6 final score and the quarter-final win.
The Wildcats will face Pentucket Regional High School at home on Procter Field on Tuesday of this week. Coach Trahon sees experience as key to the game.
"They are a strong team. I think in order to take control of our nerves, we are going to lean a bit more on our seniors," she said. "We need to go out confident and the underclassmen will follow their lead and move forward from that."
"I want us to go out hard every game," said Abby D'Angelo. "We can't worry about whether a team is good or bad, we just need to go out and play our game."
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| Wildcat Of The Week: Weston High Sophomore Sarah Keane |
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| Wildcat Sarah Keane |
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5-29-08, Weston- 15 year-old Wildcat Sophomore Sarah Keane started with the Wayland-Weston crew team as a novice both fall and spring of her freshman year. As a sophomore this year, she began the fall season as a member of the Wayland Weston Girls Varsity Crew team. The crew team that just captured the State Championship title.
"It's kind of a torturous sport," she said. "There's something about it, I don't really know what, but it makes you want to come back and do it again."
During the year when she's not rowing, Sarah keeps in shape for crew as a member of the Weston High School swim team. She swims the 50 yard free and the 100 yard free in competition and during the summer she runs and trains on the ERG machine she has at home.
"The ERG tests your power and your arm and leg strength," Sarah said. "It gives you the distance you rowed and the amount of time you rowed. It also give you your split, and your stroke rate which is important for training."
Sarah says being a varsity rower means you work harder, knowing exactly what you have to do on the boat, as opposed to a novice, while competing, is still learning. The coxswain, who directs the boat while the others are rowing, Sarah says, "is everything".
"When you're racing you can't really think for yourself because you are concentrating so hard on pulling," she said. "The coxswain sees everything and tells you when to do "power tens", when the sprint is and how far through the race you are."
If the cox is the brains of the boat, the stroke seat sets the rate for the boat and the girls must focus on their swing, making sure they are together so that the boat will race fast and strong.
The Wayland-Weston Girls Varsity Crew team are a close group, who work to make sure they are in synch as a team both in the water and out. They watch their diet before a race; no dairy, they carry their boats to the water, rig the boats, carry the oars and race the race, together as a team. Immediately following the race, they carry the boat back to the trailer, de-rig the boat, bungee the seats and do whatever it takes to ensure that the boat is secure. The boat line-ups change regularly, determined by ERG tests and weight adjustments, to ensure for the strongest and fastest combinations.
"For me, weight adjusted helps me a lot," Sarah said. "It makes me more conscious and gives me a better time and makes me faster."
The Varsity 3V boat that Sarah rowed on this year, went undefeated in competition and capped off the year with a State Championship, their 4th consecutive spring and fall championship.
"It's great to win," she said. "It's kind of the way Wayland Weston is. We work hard for it every year."
And work hard they do; they practice at the Wayland Town Beach from 3:30 to 6 daily, leaving just a few short hours to finish homework. She has enjoyed her Weston High experience thus far, and says that being involved in sports has been the best part of high school.
Sarah is an honor roll student who says that biology and math are her favorite subjects and that college is definitely in her future. She is not yet sure where she will go or what she will study, but she is pretty sure her college experience will include crew. In the summer, Sarah spends a lot of time sailing at the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, MA. She is a member of the Mountain Sports Club at Weston High and enjoys sculpting with clay in her spare time.
She lives at home with her mom and dad and is the oldest of her siblings. Her brother Alex, 13, is a Weston Middle School eighth grader who enjoys sailing and skiing. Her sister Victoire, 12, is a sixth grader at the middle school who plays tennis and soccer and enjoys skiing. Sarah has a Facebook and say it can be "addicting", but is a great way to talk to her friends. Her favorite book is Twilight, the first book in the hugely popular Stephanie Meyer series, but said that she has read only the first two of the four books. Her favorite movie is The Pursuit of Happyness, and says that cookie dough is probably her favorite food and from scratch, as the batch never makes it to the oven to bake. She has traveled to India and seen the Taj Mahal, which she found "exotic" and said that the country was so different from ours.
"I think being Wildcat of the week is awesome," she said. "It's exciting because I wasn't really expecting it. I'm happy."
We're happy for you too, Sarah. Congratulations.
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| Wildcat World Blog: Pondering The Post Season |
This really isn't a blog post about the Wildcats athletic post-season. The topic here actually is about the post-season, but a one of a different sort. The post-season of life.
For all you Wildcat seniors who are graduating and moving on, it may serve you well to know that in life, it's not all about the trophies. It's about so much more. Yes, the trophies are great and will serve as a nice remembrance of a job well done, but the relationships and the lessons you learn along the way are the more valuable trophies that will never collect dust. Armed with your diploma and hard work you will prepare to enter into the biggest race of all, the human race. Be forewarned, some days, you are out in front, like a well trained tri-athlete and some days you are just another face in the crowd of marathoners with a number attached to your shirt. And that's OK too. We can't all be the first to cross the finish line every day.
The keys to success all lie within yourself, your work ethic and your drive. Today more than ever, you will be faced with a changing world and an instantly accessible one. Be smart. Challenge yourself as you have done so on the fields of your high school for the past four years. In other words, GO FOR IT. If you don't, someone else will, and they will achieve it before your regret has a chance to settle in their dust. Nothing is NOT possible with a determined mind and a pure heart. You may even end up surprising yourself. Follow your dreams with a logical mind and take advantage of every opportunity presented. This is your chance to fly, and it is a limit-less sky.
Never be afraid of adversity, for a challenge handled shows the true mark of a soul with purpose. Instead, use adversity as a guide to the strength of your character and be prepared for change, as it will most certainly come. Learn from those who have taught you well and teach to give back the value of those lessons. Pay it forward. Never let fear dictate your actions, instead challenge the fear and educate yourself and those around you with your persistence.
Marianne Williamson, a best selling author and inspirational speaker has said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us."
How true those words are.
Let nothing hold back what you feel you can accomplish. Remember, Bill Gates and Paul Allen started out with nothing more than an idea that they cultivated in a make-shift office in the garage of their homes. Proof that the American dream is for those who dare to grab hold of it.
Go out and inherit the world with a proud responsibility to take care of it and come back to your roots and share your experiences. Approach these challenges with the strength of a lion, but remember that you will always be a Wildcat at heart.
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| WILDCAT HEADINES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 18, 2009 |
| Wildcats Varsity Baseball Captures First DCL Small Championship Title In 53 Years |
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| The DCL Small Co-Championship Weston Wildcats Baseball Team |
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5-20-09, Arlington- The last time a Weston baseball team won a division championship title it was 1956 and Elvis was the reigning King of rock and roll. Fast forward 53 years and the 2009 Wildcats Varsity Baseball team have successfully brought their winning ways into the new Millennium. In a 6-3 victory over Division 1 Arlington last Wednesday, the Wildcats captured a share of the first DCL Small Championship in 53 years.
"It's pretty crazy and it hasn't really sunk in yet," said Wildcat Senior Scott Scarpato. "It's nice to get a DCL Small title, but we want more and a state championship is what we're playing for now."
Starting pitcher Senior Sahil Bloom and the Wildcats took the field at the start of the game ready and armed with a game plan.
"We knew Arlington was a good team because they beat us the first time around," said Junior Chris Conlan. "So we went in knowing we had Sahil on the mound and our mentality was to come out swinging and hope for the best."
Arlington would score one run early in the first inning, but the Wildcats would battle back in the second on a Chris Conlon's, 2 run, inside the park home run, giving the Wildcats the edge they needed.
"Chris came through and dropped that bomb and that really lit the fire under everyone," said Senior Joe Dell'Erario. "We didn't let them get back into the game from there."
Arlington would tie the game at 2 in the end of the third, but these Wildcats would not be denied.
"We went up 4-2 with some key base running and hits by some of the guys doing anything they could to get on," said Scarpato. "Arlington then battled back to cut the lead in half to make it 4-3 going into the seventh."
"We were able to get our bats going, scoring runs off their best pitcher which gave us some confidence," said Conlan. "But they never quit, so it was a hard game all the way to the seventh inning."
In the top of the seventh, the Wildcats, with men on second and third, got a key break on a Johnny Young grounder that bounced over the head of Arlington's shortstop, knocking in two runs giving the Wildcats a 6-3 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Bloom would take care of business in a one, two, three inning giving the Wildcats their biggest victory in decades.
"I think the story of the day was us battling, playing good defense, and I threw strikes" said Bloom. "It was just a great game for us."
Bloom would total 10 strike-outs on the day and is proud of his team's achievements.
"We're not satisfied though," Bloom said. "53 years and a DCL Championship is one thing, but we have never won the states, ever. That's another thing."
After the game Coach Beverly announced to the team that four teammates, Senior Eddie Blum, Junior Chris Conlan, Senior Reed Chapman, and Senior Sahil Bloom were named to the DCL All-Stars and that Wildcat Sahil Bloom captured the DCL Small MVP award.
"Sahill deserves it," said Conlan. "He works so hard. Not many people know how hard he works over the off-season."
It was only a matter of time before this group of one-time little league superstars got their due. More than a few of these Wildcats were members of the 2003 Weston Williamsport League team that would be one of the only teams to one time beat the Saugus team that eventually went all the way to the US Championships.
"Our expectation on the season were nothing less than a state championship," said Conlan. "We know our coaches want it, they work extremely hard. We are going to do our best work as hard and hopefully win a state championship."
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| Wildcats Boys Varsity Tennis Team Improve Record With Win Over Bedford |
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| Wildcat Sophomore Will Spector |
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5-19-09, Weston- The Wildcat Boys Varsity Tennis team defeated Bedford in four out of five matches last Tuesday at the Weston High School tennis courts. The win improves Westons overall record to 11-2 with three matches left to play in the week. Wildcat First Singles Sophomore Will Spector defeated Bedford Senior James St.Onge in a two set match, 6-1, 6-0. St. Onge is an opponent Spector has faced and defeated twice before.
"Coach wanted me to step into the court a lot and hit winners," said Will. "But in the second set, my back started to hurt, so I got it done with serving and volleying."
Spector played in the Ma State Individual Tennis Championships in the North division last weekend, where he made it all the way to the championship match. He was defeated by Concord Carlisle's Alex Steinroder in a three set tie-breaker, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
"It was a real hard fought match," said Wildcat JV Coach George Conlin said of the North State Championship match. "Spector lost on one break in the first set. He won on a break in the second set and then just kind of ran out of gas in the third set."
The second victory for the Wildcats came from the First Doubles team of Wildcat Junior Duncan VanNest and Sophomore Matt Gorelik. They defeated Bedford Sophomore Mali Mardini and Junior Dan Kipp in two sets. 6-4, 6-4.
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| Wildcats Duncan VanNest and Matt Gorelik |
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| Wildcats David Borczuk and Jason Mazzella |
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| Wildcat Mike Glen |
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"We served pretty well, " said Matt. "Duncan only got broken once and I held. We broke them when we needed to."
Duncan and Matt are nearly undefeated; their only loss of the season coming against Concord Carlisle's First Doubles team last Monday.
Second Singles Mike Glen defeated Bedford Sophomore Alex Rosier next, in two sets, 6-1, 6-1. The match was a fast-paced athletic effort that went Glen's way.
"I was able to step up on the big points today," said Mike Glen. "I volleyed on the crucial points and I wasn't afraid to attack the net. I think that made a big difference."
Glen's win gave the Wildcats the team victory on the match.
Third Singles Senior Jeff Greenberg came up with the Wildcats fourth win on the day, in a super tie breaker. Greenberg took the first set, 6-3, lost the second set 2-6, and since the Wildcats already had clinched the team victory, their match would be decided by a one game super tie-breaker. The first to score 10 points in the game and win by two would capture the win. Greenberg won 10-7.
"It was close," said Greenberg. "But I've changed my mental game so that I can stay in the game mentally and not get frustrated."
Second Doubles teammates Sophomore Jason Mazzella and Junior David Borczuk were defeated by Bedford teammates Junior Nick Giglio and Ray Maladawitz, 3-6, 7-6, 11-7. After loosing the first set, Mazzella and Borczuk came back to take the second set.
"In the first set we were hitting shots inconsistently," said Borczuk. "In the second set we put more pressure on them with consistent shots."
The match came down to the super tie-breaker, where Bedford's Giglio's put away shots proved to be too much for the Wildcats.
"We need to learn from our mistakes," Borczuk said. "This match was a match of inconsistencies, and if we play smarter and stronger we will be able to pull it off."
The Wildcats played five matches last week and Head Coach Chris White wants to rest his team for what lies ahead. Weston will play in the DCL Division three post-season tournament and are looking forward to the competition.
"I'm excited about the prospects," said Coach White. "The boys are excited and have worked hard this year. I like our chances."
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| "Win and Advance" Wildcat Boys Lacrosse Announce 2009 Tournament Seed |
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| Wildcat Co-captians Jackson Vescuso, Mike Spector, Justin Pomerance and Coach Jim Wilcon present a check to Melody from the Autism Speaks Foundation |
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5-22-09, Weston- Boys Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Jim Wilcon gathered his team in the Weston High Media room last Friday to announce the team's 2009 MIAA State Tournament seed.
"I'm glad to be back in this room," Wilcon said. "This is where we started."
Before getting down to the business of the tournament announcement, the Weston High Lacrosse team presented the Autism Speaks Foundation with a check for $5,350.00, raised at last months first annual "Weston Lacrosse Night" at Weston High. Coach Wilcon said that since the fundraiser, additional funds have been pouring in, as recently as that day, to bring the grand total to $6400.00.
"This is amazing," said Melody from Autism Speaks. "This is the most anyone has ever raised for us. Unbelievably great. Thank you."
Next, it was on to the announcement. The Wildcats are the 11th seed in the MIAA State Tournament and will be facing Mystic Valley Charter School at home on the Turf field, Tuesday, May 26th at 5 pm.
Coach Wilcon reminded his team, "Win and advance. That's what it's all about."
Show your support for the team by attending the game and proudly wearing your Wildcat colors!
The Boston Sunday Herald picks the Wildcats in Boys Division Three as: "UPSET SPECIAL: No.11 Weston over No. 6 Norwell".
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| Wildcat Of The Week: Senior Sahil Bloom |
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| Wildcat Sahil Bloom |
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5-20-09, Weston- It could be said that in life people fall into two categories; viewers and do-ers. Wildcat graduating Senior and Varsity Baseball stand out Sahil Bloom is undoubtedly a do-er.
"I love that I can play a game like baseball," said Sahil. "And maybe I'm not as talented or as athletic and big as another kid, but I can beat him with my head."
And beat them with his head and a few other great mechanics, he does. 18 year-old Bloom is co-captain of the 2009 Wildcats Varsity Baseball team, the first team in 53 years to win a DCL Small Championship title. Clinching a share of the DCL Small Championship with last Wednesday's victory over Division 1 Arlington, Bloom is proud to be a part of it.
"It's just a great chemistry that we have going right now," Sahil said. "So many guys are contributing and that's we look for and why we have such a great team."
Sahil has also been awarded another distinction that he may add to his impressive resume; the DCL Small MVP of the league. Bloom, along with three other of his Wildcat teammates, have also been chosen DCL Small All-Stars.
Bloom started playing baseball at the young age of three years-old, playing catch with his dad. He played for Weston Little League and remembers playing, and at one time beating, that famed 2003 team from Saugus, that eventually went on to loose in the US Championship, but placed fourth in the world in the Williamsport league.
"It was a bunch of the same guys that we have on our team now, so it was nice," said Sahil.
He also played basketball for Weston High his freshman year and ran cross country in his sophomore year, but began focusing on baseball as a junior with a year-round strength and conditioning program.
"The winter of my junior year I pitched in a showcase," he said. "I pitched well and got great references and they invited me for a visit in February."
The "they" he refers to is Stanford University, where Bloom was chosen early acceptance and will attend on a baseball scholarship in the fall. Sahil says he may choose to focus on Statistics or Economics at Stanford, his mom is a statistician and his dad, an economist, and that academics is a priority to him.
"I'm going to Stanford for a reason," he says. "I'm going to get a get a degree and play baseball, and in that order."
He is a high honors student maintaining a 4.1 GPA and enjoyed his AP Statistics class at Weston High. Sahil may be clairvoyant too, as he is certainly the master of his own destiny. He told a story about writing a letter to himself in school when he was in sixth grade. The letter, which was recently mailed to him from the school system upon his graduation, read in the last line, "I someday hope to play baseball on a scholarship at either Rice or Stanford."
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I was a little kid with big dreams, I guess."
Sahil is a big believer in giving back in life. He completed a mentor program for his baseball coach, Jon Beverly, where high school athletes spoke to middle school kids about the issues they may face in high school and provided them with strategies for handling the issues. He also coaches younger baseball players and says it has been a very rewarding experience.
"The ceiling is very high for Sahil," said Wildcat Varsity Coach Jon Beverly. "He has unbelievable mechanics and work ethic and he has drive."
As co-captain of the Wildcats, Sahil says he would like to think he leads by example. He is focused on helping his team succeed and has made a "mental shift" this season to thinking about the importance of being a team player.
"I go out there everyday with the mentality that I just want to out work the competition and help the team win," he said.
Sahil's role models in life live under the same roof as he does. He credits his parents and his sister Sonali, a soon-to-be graduate at Yale, with setting a great example for success.
"My father is the best human being I've ever met," he said. "His mental strength and his kind heart is something I want to emulate and be like when I get older."
Coach Beverly, he says, is also a perfect role model for how to act on and off the baseball field and that his guidance has proved to be invaluable. Sahil believes that this Wildcat team is not done yet. While winning the first DCL Championship in 53 years is great, they have never won a state championship and Bloom believes that by playing "Weston Baseball" they may be able to pull it off.
"Weston baseball is all about team and everyone being involved and everyone going all out on every pitch of the game," Bloom said. "The intensity, the hustle and the commitment to what we are all about is huge for us. I think that's a big part of our success and people are just happy to help the team win."
Shail has a Facebook and as a DCL Small Champion and MVP of the DCL Small, his status at the time of the interview was, of course, baseball related; "Sahil is so pumped up!" and he has reason to be. Sahil's favorite book is one he read called, "The Last Best League" by Jim Collins, which is a story about the famed Cape Cod Baseball League that showcases college players who are "on the threshold of stardom".
"It sounds like such an exciting environment and I hope to have an opportunity to play there one day," he said.
Troy is his favorite movie and Sahil says he likes the main character's mentality and the theme of making a name for yourself and creating your own destiny.
As I said before, Sahil is most certainly the master of his own destiny, one who truly works hard and plays a game simply because he loves it. He says he feels blessed to be able to go out and play everyday and he strives to make his parents proud all the while grateful for everything he has been given.
"I think being Wildcat of the Week is a great honor," Sahil said. "To be recognized as one of the athletes in the school that is hopefully a role model for younger kids is exciting to me. I'm honored be a representative of our town and of the future Wildcats."
Shail, you are one Wildcat we will be watching and cheering for in the future.
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| The Changing Face of Sports |
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| Crimson Hero is a volleyball manga by the mangaka Mitsuba Takanashi |
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By Malvika Mishra
Weston High School Class of 2009
Sports have been around since ancient times. They are a timeless activity, one that has united people of different race, nationality, religion, and age. In America, sports like baseball and football have grown to be loved by many. Famous athletes have woven their influence into our society by becoming important role models in the lives of our young children.
One example is Tiger Woods; the man that changed the face of golf in our lifetime. Although the history of golf in unclear to historians, the most accepted theory of the origin of golf dates back to twelfth century Scotland, where men knocked stones into rabbit holes. Ancient tablets discovered in Egypt have also shown to depict a primitive form of the game of golf. Before Tiger Woods, the game of golf was not as popular in our society as it is today. It was once considered a sport of rich men who spent their days on the golf course. Woods was very young when he started to play. He first appeared on TV on the Mike Douglas Show when he was two, putting alongside comedian and golf enthusiast Bob Hope. Since then, Tiger Woods has competed all over the world and changed the face of golf as we know it.
The origins of spectator sports have changed through the centuries, starting with the Olympics. The earliest record found of the Olympics was from 773 BCE and was held in Olympia, Greece. The Olympics was, and still is considered the most popular sporting event in history to date. Although not a lot is known about the origin of the Olympics, there are numerous myths and legends that surround it. The Olympics took place every four years. This four year period was called an Olympiad. Women were not allowed not to participate in the sporting event, nor were they allowed to attend the event. The only female permitted attendance was the high priestess of Demeter, to ensure that the Olympic rituals were done properly.
Today, there are entire classes of medaled sporting events for women in the Olympics. In women's Beach Volleyball, American's Misty May-Treanor and Keri Walsh have dominated the event winning 2 gold medals in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and then defending their title in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. They have proven the strength of women in the Olympics, as has one of the most famous female Olympic athlete's from the United States, Mary Lou Retton. She is the first American female gymnast to win a gold medal, when she won five in gymnastics while competing the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Her greatest achievement is being the first American woman to win the Olympic All-Around title in gymnastics. Although the Olympics is the worlds most famous sporting event, Americans will always love their baseball.
Since the 1800's baseball, or as it was once called,"Rounders", was played primarily in England. It wasn't until 1845, when Alexander Cartwright wrote the formal rules for baseball that it took off as an American sport. The first recorded baseball game took place in 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The teams participating in that game were Cartwright's team; The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City and the team that defeated them; The New York Baseball Club. In 1857, the first baseball league was created, called the National Association of Base Ball Players. During this time, the United States was in the midst of the Civil War and loosing it's teams and players because of the war. It wasn't until the end of the Civil War that the league gained more teams then ever. Historians believe that the Union soldiers, during times of quiet, passed on the game of baseball to their fellow soldiers, who then went on to join the league.
During that period, baseball was only for amateurs and no one was paid. It wasn't until 1871, that the idea of professional baseball players was accepted into society and the National Association became the first pro baseball league. Then, in the 1920s, during the era of "The Roaring Twenties", baseball's favorite son, George "Babe" Ruth, came onto the scene. Thus began the dawn of baseball as America's favorite past time. Today baseball is loved by people from all walks of life, but our modern day baseball heroes have not been without controversy. Recently, some of baseball's biggest superstars have made bad decisions by using banned substances to enhance their performance, leaving a cloud of skepticism over the validity of their athletic achievements.
The passage of time will prove that the culture of baseball will indeed change again, leaving us to ponder the changes in other sports in the years to come.
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| WILDCAT HEADINES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 11, 2009 |
| Wildcat Girls Tennis Team Makes A Clean Sweep Over Tyngsborough |
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| Wildcat Varsity Tennis Junior Brooke Elman |
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| The Wildcat Girls Tennis Team |
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5-11-09, Weston-The Wildcats Girls Varsity and JV Tennis team defeated Tyngsborough in a sweep of all eight matches in match play at home on Monday. The line-up was rearranged, to give several of the Varsity tennis players a much needed rest after competing in the MA Individual State Tournament over the weekend. Wildcat Junior Brooke Elman played First Singles, a change from her Third Singles position on the team. She defeated Tyngsborough First Single Junior Irene Soth in two sets, 6-0, 6-0. Elman, who was the deciding factor in last week's team victory against Boston Latin with her tie-breaking win in the Third Singles match, was focused.
"It's scary to go up to First Singles," said Elman. "But it was good. I had to come to the net and kept consistent with my ball placement."
Wildcat Junior Jen Siebert, who plays First Doubles for the Varsity team stepped up to the Second Singles spot and her First Doubles partner, Freshman Michaela Murphy played at Third Singles.
Jen Siebert defeated Tyngsborough Sophomore Rachel Field in two sets 6-1, 6-0 and Michaela Murphy defeated Tyngsborough Senior Amy Shaughnessey in two sets, 6-1, 6-0.
"The girls did really well," said Varsity Coach Julie Hom. "They certainly stepped up to the plate and got the job done."
Wildcat Varsity doubles teams for the match were comprised of all Juinor Varsity team members. Weston Sophomore Emma Honeyman and Junior Nicole Braginsky moved up to Varsity First Doubles, where they defeated Tyngsborough teammates Senior Lainne Emond and Freshman Ally Nicoli in two sets, 6-1,-6-1. Wildcat Seniors Maddy Kettle and Meghan Leddy played Second Doubles and defeated Tyngsborough teammates Senior Nicole Shelly and Junior Bhakti Patel in two sets, 6-0, 6-0.
"Megan Leddy and Maddy Kettle were phenomenal," said JV Coach Dyanne Sainato. "They are a very strong doubles team. Going into this they had only lost one match."
The Wildcat JV team fared well against Tyngsborough, as they took all three matches in a format of one, eight-game pro set. Three JV match play matches were played, with Wildcat JV First Singles Junior Teresa Gerner, in her debut singles match, defeating Tyngsborough Sophomore Lauren Riley, 8-4. Weston JV First Doubles teammates Sohpomore Nicole Brenner and Freshman Olivia Stranberg defeated Tyngsborough Sophomores Emily Hale and Rachel Shaughnessey, 8-0. In the Second Doubles match Wildcat Sophomore teammates Lindsay Greenberg and Sara Hassan swept Tyngsborough Sophomores Nicole Wooster and Chelsea Gillis, 8-0.
"I am very proud of them," said JV Coach Sainato. "They're doing great."
The win puts Weston another step closer to getting into the post-season tournament. The Wildcats tennis team will face some tough competition in the coming weeks, in matches with Wayland, Bedford and Concord Carlisle; the top team in the DCL Small.
Wildcat Tennis Seniors Ally Hupalo and Lexi Lewtan competed in the Mass State Tennis Individual Tournaments first round on May 11th. Lexi Lewtan defeated the 7th seed in the Northern Division, but lost in the next match to Lauren Hollender from Newton South, 6-2 6-3. Ally Hupalo, seeded 4th in the North Division, defeated her first opponent, 6-1, 6-2, then defeated the 5th seed, Megan Mulrooney from Boston Latin, 6-2, 6-1. The win moves Hupalow to the finals of the North Division on Saturday May 16th, at 9 am in Lexington. Hupalow will face Acton-Boxboro's Amy Li in the North Quarter-finals. Hupalow faced Li in a DCL division match on May 8th, when Li defeated Hupalow in a third set tie breaker.
"It was a good match," Hupalow said.
Click here for updated MA State Individual Tournament scores.
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| Wldcat Boys Varsity Lacrosse WIN in Loss to Concord Carlisle |
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| Wildcat Varsity Lax Sophomore Chase Williams and Freshman Adam Guerin during Tuesday's game with Concord Carlisle |
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5-12-09, Weston- You read that headline correctly. The Wildcats Boys Varsity Lacrosse team just may have won when they lost to Concord Carlisle, 10-5 at home on Tuesday.
"Honestly, I don't know if we ever played better in the first three quarters," said Head Coach Jim Wilcon. "We played very aggressive in the first half and we didn't back down. We took it to them."
In the game against the 15-0, Division 2 Concord Carlisle Lacrosse team, the Wildcats proved that they have what it takes to play with the big boys and possibly even win. Call it a victory in their own right.
"I don't think there was a point in the game where we didn't think we could win," Assistant Coach Mike Brown said. "I think that was the difference from the first time we played them."
The Wildcat's would strike first on the field, at 9:31 in the first quarter on Junior Will Harris' shot in front of the net. The Wildcats continued to play a tight, aggressive style of lacrosse, keeping Concord Carlisle scoreless until 7:30, when CC Senior Jon Nessa scored his first of five goals to tie the score at 1-1. Wildcat goalie Freshman Jared Fong and the Weston defense kept Concord Carlisle at bay in the second until 9:24 when CC's Jon Nessa found the net again, to put his team ahead, 2-1. Weston's aggressive defense and possessions on offense paid off at 4:53 when Sophomore Greg Cohen scored on a pass from Sophomore Kyle Nickerson in front of the net to tie the game at 2-2. Cohen would strike again, two minutes later, to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead.
"Every time we got a goal it came from our movement on offense," Coach Wilcon said. "It came from somebody moving and somebody making the extra pass."
Concord Carlisle would tie the game on Sophomore Coal Fisher's first of two goals on the day, with less than two minutes remaining in the half. CC's Co-Captian, mid-fielder Joey Santullo took a shot from beside the net that found the top corner, with 23 seconds before the end of the half, to give Concord Carlisle a 4-3 lead.
"All we talked about (at the half) was continuing to do the things we did well," said coach Wilcon. "We were playing good defense and passing the ball on offense and I decided we needed to continue to do that and we'd be fine."
The starting minutes of the second half saw ball possession switch back and forth between the Widcats and CC, with both goalies putting on a show of exactly how to get keep the ball out of the net. Both Concord Carlisle's Robbie Snook and Wildcat Jared Fong play an aggressive, out of the net style when in posession of the ball, and at one point, Snook came down deep into the offensive zone to clear the ball.
"Jared plays much more skilled than a kid his age," said Wilcon. "Playing in a varsity game at this level, he's really done a great job for us."
One goal was scored in the third quarter, by Concord Carlisle's Sophomore Coal Fisher at 8:54 to give his team a 5-3 lead. At 11:46 in the fourth, Wildcats Senior Justin Pomerance took a hit in front of the net and went down, but managed to put it past Snook in goal, pulling Weston within one. Less than a minute later CC's Jon Nessa would net his third goal, then his fourth goal at 8:56, to give Concord Carlisle an 7-4 lead. Then, in what Coach Wilcon described as a "mental lapse", the game quickly got away from the Wildcats grips.
"Emotionally, we allowed the game to get away from us," said Wildcat Greg Cohen. "Physically we tired out and we just couldn't stick with them in the fourth quarter."
Concord Carlisle would continue to capitalize on an offensive surge when CC Senior Chris Gouchoe scored at 8:10, then Nessa would net his fifth goal at 6:46 making it 9-4, Concord Carlisle. CC's Joey Santullo would get his second goal at 2:21, which would put his team six goals ahead with little more than two minutes remaining. Wildcat Freshman Joey Pasquale would add another Weston goal with five seconds left to play, but CC would walk away with the win in a final score of 10-5. Concord Carlisle's 32 man roster has 15 seniors and a defensive front that has allowed no more than 4 goals a game all season.
"They are a very good team," Coach Wilcon said. "For our young team to stick with them and play them the way we did just shows how much we've improved from the first time we played them."
One of the things Coach Wilcon believes in is the significance of team unity. He carries a large piece of rope with him to the games as a symbol of unity. "After the game we talked about the rope. The rope signifies unity and when we are all pulling in the same direction that's when we are at our best. As soon as we start pulling in different directions, we are no good as a team and no longer a tight rope," he said.
"I want to make sure they are proud of their achievements and know that if they play together, they can be that good."
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| Wildcat Girls Varsity Softball Shows No Mercy In Defeat Of Wayland |
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| Wildcats Girls 2009 Varsity Softball Team |
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| Freshman Sami Gosman steals third base. |
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5-13-09, Weston- The Wildcats Girls Varsity Softball team defeated division rival Wayland, 19-4 at home on Tuesday. Weston got off to a strong offensive start, with Seniors Emily Golden and Anna Been picking up three RBI's between them to give Weston a 3-0 lead at the end of the first. Starting Wildcat pitcher, Junior Maria Posa had two strike-outs and held Wayland to one run, in four innings pitched.
"I was moving the ball inside and outside and not letting anything hang over the middle of the plate," said Posa. "I wanted to focus on my placement, my movement and my change up."
In the bottom of the third, it was Posa who got things started offensively with a line drive to right for a base hit. Batter Olivia Piccione was intentionally walked, for the second time, putting runners on first and second. Anna Been hit an RBI single, scoring Posa, then Sophomore Jessile Gross, took the out at first, which scored Piccione, advanced Been to scoring position, giving the Wildcats a 5-0 lead. Been took third on a wild pitch, and Junior Juila Bernstein came up big, with a two out, RBI single to left, bringing Been across the plate. The Wildcats would end the third up 6-0.
Wayland would get on the board in the top of the fourth, when Walyand's Mead would come up with an RBI double to left, but the Wildcats continued with thier offensive surge in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Sami Gosman lead off the inning with a grounder to third and would take second on a throwing error to first base. Maria Posa then stepped up with an RBI double to right, scoring Gosman. Olivia Piccione would get her third consecutive intentional walk and Emily Golden hit a RBI single over the outstretched first baseman's glove, scoring Posa and putting Weston ahead 8-1 with nobody out. Anna Been's ground out at first sent Piccione home for another Wildcat run, and Julia Bernstein came up with the final run in the inning, on an RBI single, scoring Golden. The Wildcats would end the 4th up 10-1.
"We have taken our lumps over the season this year," said Head Coach Kelly Harrington. "So it's nice this week, to see everything coming together and that every one got into the game and played well."
The Wildcats would take a 15-1 lead in the fifth on some hot bats. Sami Gosman, Emily Golden,and Julia Bernstein all contributed with RBI singles and Anna Been hit an RBI double to further Weston's offensive dominance. Wayland rallied back in the top of the sixth, loading the bases four times but would only come up with three runs, making the score 15-4, heading to the bottom of the sixth. Weston put the game seemingly out of reach when lead-off batter, Junior Kimberly Meyers, reached first on a grounder to second. Posa smacked a hit through the hole at second, putting runners on the corners, then stole second base. Olivia Piccione saw her first pitches of the day after four intentional walks and she made Wayland pay for it. Meyers took home on a wild pitch, then Piccione hit an RBI double to center, giving the Wildcats a 17-4 lead with nobody out.
"Olivia is doing super this year," Coach Harrington said of Piccione. "In our last game she went 4 for 5 and had nine RBI's with a single, a double and two triples. That's crazy."
Emily Golden was up next and connected on a RBI single to first, then advanced to second and took third on a wild pitch. She then took home on a wild pitch. Golden's strategic base running would end the game, giving Weston a 19-4 win by the mercy rule.
The 6-8 Wildcats have made the post-season tournament by winning half of their DCL Division 3 games, and Coach Harrington believes that things are coming together at the right time for the team.
"It's always a pretty good win," said Olivia Piccione of the win over Wayland. "They are our rivals, so it's always good when we can beat them."
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| Wildcat Of The Week: Weston High School Sophomore Greg Cohen |
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| Wildcat Greg Cohen |
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5-13-09, Weston- The Weston High School Athletic program picked up a great asset last November when 16 year-old Wildcat Greg Cohen transferred in from Belmont Hill School. After attending Belmont Hill his freshman year and the first half of his sophomore year, Cohen says he knew he wanted to make a change.
"I loved the football at Belmont Hill but I wasn't really happy there at all," Cohen said. "I was always happy in Weston, so I decided to come back because I felt it was time."
Cohen, a tri-athlete, went to Belmont Hill to play football where he started as a freshman on the varsity team. He will play football and basketball for the Wildcats next year, and of course, play lacrosse.
"Greg has done a great job for us this year," said Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Jim Wilcon, "Athletically he's one of the best players on the field."
Greg started playing lacrosse in fifth grade, where he played mid-field for the U-11 Weston Youth Lacrosse program. When asked which sport was his favorite, Cohen didn't hesitate as he answered, "Football, without a doubt." Greg says that when he first started playing lacrosse he wasn't really into it, but as he started to improve and began honing his lacrosse skills, it fast became a great sport for him that he says has helped him out a lot. Wildcat Head Coach Wilcon sees Cohen developing into a better player every day.
"He's improving his game because he's starting to understand what he needs to do when he doesn't have the ball," said Wilcon.
Assistant Coach Mike Brown says that the keys to Greg's success on the lacrosse field come from using not only his athletic ability, but his smarts.
"He would use his athleticism to get him out of every situation and now he realizes he doesn't have to do that all the time," Brown said. "He can use his other weapons. He can be smart, he doesn't have to guess himself and he can pass to a teammate which makes his life a lot easier."
Wildcat Varsity Lacrosse teammate Senior Captain Jackson Vescuso, Cohen says, is a great leader and someone he looks up to.
"He works hard every day in practice and he demands the best out of us, " said Greg. "He has a lot of the qualities that I respect in a leader and as a captain. I look up to him as a person and as a player."
Before big lacrosse games, Greg is the quiet type. He likes to collect his thoughts and say a prayer before going out to play. Cohen's Wildcats played one of their biggest games of the season last week, against an undefeated Division 2 Concord Carlisle team, and although they lost the game, they learned a few things about what their team is capable of.
"We came into the game knowing they were talented across the board," Cohen said. "I thought in the first half we played our best lacrosse of the season and we played great defense with everybody playing well as a team. We gained a lot from it."
At Weston High, Cohen is a high honors student who says that history is his favorite subject because he is intrigued by learning about past leaders and heroes. His least favorite subjects are math and science. "I just hate numbers. I'd get a headache staring at numbers all day," he said.
His experience at Weston High School has been great and he is enjoying the sense of community and having more freedom. He gives back to the community by donating his time doing community service. Things like fundraising at the car wash, helping out at the WHS Haunted House and refereeing at the Special Olympics basketball events at the High School, serve to keep Greg busy when he's not playing sports or studying. His future aspirations are related to his love of sports, as he is interested in possibly pursuing a career in sports medicine and college is most definitely in his future.
"I hope to be able to play football in college," he said. "But if I can't play at a Division 1 school, I wouldn't mind playing both football and lacrosse at a Division 3 school."
Cohen lives at home with his mom and dad and has three siblings; his 18 year-old sister Ariel, a Wildcat alum in her freshman year at Skidmore College, his 25 year-old step-sister Ally, who attended CU-Bolder, and his 27 year-old step-brother Matt, a UVM alum. He has a Facebook, and says Facebook has been a great way to keep in touch with his former Belmont Hill classmates and say he has not been bitten by the Twitter bug yet. "I think it's a cool way to express your opinion and your voice," he said.
His favorite book is, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. The book tells a tragic story about a mentally challenged man and his good friend and Greg says he connected with it because it demonstrates how one will do anything in the name of friendship. His favorite movie is "Saving Private Ryan" because he is fascinated by stories of war and World War II. His favorite foods are a cheeseburger with fries and a shake, either from McDonald's or on the grill, and served up any way is good for him.
"I think being Wildcat of the Week is an honor," said Greg. "It's cool to be seen as someone who has worked hard in every day life and sports. To get rewarded with this is really neat."
The reward is ours by having a Wildcat of the Week like you, Greg.
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| The Winds Of Change Are Blowing |
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| ARE YOU A FAN? |
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The cool breeze of change is blowing through here, and change is good. Just like in sports, change takes place in many forms; roster changes, staff changes and changes in strategy all factor into the end result; a stronger team. Wildcat Weekly is changing and growing and in the coming weeks you, the readers, will be able to see the exciting changes in our team, as we put forth a new game plan. Changes are taking place all over the world in the way we get our news and online upstarts are re-defining the face of local news coverage. Our core mission is simple; promote a positive athletic community environment by giving our local teams and it's athletes recognition. Wildcat Weekly is home to the Weston sports fan.
For the next three weeks, Wildcat Weekly will partner with Weston High School in the Senior Internship Mentoring Program. We are very fortunate to have an intern helping us to produce the content for this site by providing hands-on training in the office and in the field. Her name is Malvika Mishra and she is a senior with the 2009 graduating class at Weston High School. Malvika, a Wildcat herself, was a member of the Wayland-Weston Crew team her freshman and sophomore years. She also played Volleyball for the Wildcats and was a member of the swim team. Her father is a journalist who produces the newspaper, INDIA New England, which serves the region's Indo-American Community. Since journalism runs in her family, Malvika has had a easy transition into the day to day workings of the world of online media.
Her future aspirations include a possible career in forensic science and Malvika is in the process of possibly becoming the next Stephanie Meyer, as she is currently writing a fictional story based on a dream she once had. Malvika is "having a lot of fun" here at Wildcat Weekly and learning a lot about web design, sports journalism, photo journalism, marketing and business. She is also learning about the kids in her community through sports and she's learning about sports too.
"The lacrosse game on Tuesday was definitely my favorite so far," she said.
Malvika is looking forward to her first assignment of providing the topic and writing the content for next week's Wildcat World Blog in this column. I encourage you to leave a comment on the message board and let her know that you approve of her contribution.
In the mean time we will continue to grow and change and deliver the community of Weston it's sporting news. A mentor is defined as a trusted counselor or guide. As a mentor, I am pleased to say there is a whole lot of trust, learning and guidance going on over here but it's not just the intern doing the learning. I am learning as much from her as she is from me.
And we are having a great time doing it.
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| WILDCAT HEADLINES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 4, 2009 |
| Wildcat Varsity Baseball Take Two Wins, One Loss In Three Game Homestand |
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| Wildcat teammates Senior Joe Dell'Erario and Sophomore Nick Neu after Tuesday's victory over Boston Latin |
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5-4-09, Weston- The Wildcat Varsity Baseball team went 2-1 at home this week, extending their overall record to 12-3.
"Although we would have liked to gone 3-0 this week, we will take 2-1 versus the teams we played, " said Wildcat Head Coach Jon Beverly. "All three teams (Arlington, Boston Latin, and Acton Boxboro) can really hit and are all Division 1 schools. The kids played hard and are still improving."
On Monday, the Wildcats suffered their third loss of the season to Arlington, 9-7. What started out looking like a Wildcat route in the first four innings, fell apart quickly with Weston unable to recover.
"We had an approach and then we got away from it," Beverly said of Monday's game.
Wildcat starting pitcher Senior Sahil Bloom had two of his four strike-outs on the day, in the first inning and Weston Junior Chris Conlon sparked the offense surge with a line drive double in the bottom of the first. Bloom would follow with an RBI triple and Wildcat Senior Reed Chapman picked up an RBI double, giving the Wildcat's a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Matt O'Connor's base hit combined with Senior Joe Dell'Erario's two-out RBI triple, and Senior Johnny Young connecting on an RBI double to left, ended the inning with the Wildcats up 4-0.
Arlington would add a run in the top of the second, but Wildcat pitcher Sahil Bloom would pick up his third strike-out, and end the inning catching Arlington's Jack Powers, leading off at second base. The bottom of the inning saw the Wildcats bats continue to produce. Senior Eddie Blum stole second after a base hit and Bloom and Reed Chapman both connected for RBI singles, with Chapman's shot to center, just short of the fence. The Wildcats would end the inning with a 6-1 lead.
Wildcat pitcher Bloom got his fourth strike-out of the day in the top of the third, but Arlington continued to chip away at the Weston lead.
"They didn't let up, to give credit to them," said Bloom. "They kept pushing and putting the ball in play and they got a couple of loop hits."
Arlington Sophomore Christian Sleeper's base hit sparked a two out surge for his team, which scored two more runs, cutting Weston's lead by half at the end of the inning. Arlington's offense went on a tear in the 5th and 6th innings, adding a run in the 5th and five runs in the 6th. Wildcats pitcher Sophomore Robert Charpie, relieved a 106 pitch count, Bloom in the 6th. Arlington Freshman Dan Fitzgerald got things started with the first of his back-to-back, at bat, triples. Senior Justin Connor hit a blooper to right with the bases loaded, causing the Wildcats to pick up a fielding and a throwing error, which sent home three of Arlington's five runs on the inning. Arlington Senior Mike Griffin then connected for a two-run homer to give Arlington the 9-6 lead.
"We field the ball fairly well, so it is uncharacteristic of us." Coach Beverly said of team errors."You can't give a team that can hit as well as Arlington extra outs, and we did."
Wildcat Joe Dell'Erario's RBI single in the bottom of the 7th put the final score at 9-7, Arlington.
In Wednesday's match up against Boston Latin, the Wildcats would find their groove. Johnny Young took to the mound, and Boston Latin would strike first. Boston Latin lead off hitter, Senior Sean Hee hit a double to left and Junior Trevor Sybertz hit an RBI single through the hole at second to give Latin a 1-0 score at the top of the first. Wildcat lead off hitter, Eddie Blum took first on a walk, advanced to second on a sac bunt, and crossed the plate on a one-out chopper to third to tie-up the end of the first at 1-1.
"The key to today was discipline at the plate," said Coach Beverly. "They were disciplined at the plate and made their pitches work a little better than we have in the past."
The Wildcats would add two more runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Nick Neu smashed an RBI double to center, then Sophomore Tom Wells picked up an RBI single to end the inning with the Wildcats leading, 3-1. Boston Latin would then add a run on a Trevor Sybertz solo home run, but the Wildcats answered right back. Joe Dell'Erario hit a RBI, power bunt that dropped in right, giving the Wildcats a 4-2 lead. Boston Latin found their bats in the 5th, tying-up the game on a Sean Hee, two-run homer.
Wildcat Reed Chapman hit a lead-off solo home run in the bottom of the 5th, to give Weston the lead, but in the top of the 7th, Latin would come from behind to tie-up the game for the third time, at 5-5. The Wildcats brought Eddie Blum to the mound, after Latin got the lead-off hit and Boston Latin pinch runner, Junior Mike Gertz would be the tying run off Freshman Brad Petipas' line to center. Wildcat Coach Beverly certainly wasn't thinking exrta-innings.
"You're just trying to win it," he said. "You get to the bottom half of the seventh and situationally you've got to do something,"
In the bottom of the seventh, lead-off man Joe Dell'Erario, got caught in a pickle at first and was able to make it to second safely on a Latin error. Sophomore Nick Neu stepped up to the plate to deliver the game winning, RBI to left, giving Weston the 6-5 victory.
"Coach said you gotta get on base anyway you can", said Dell'Erario. Nick Neu added, "I was nervous but as soon as I hit it I thought, this might work. And it did."
The Wildcats completed their homestand with a 6-1 victory over Acton-Boxboro on Thursday. Sophomore Robert Charpie pitched a complete, 4 hit game with 1 earned run and a solo HR in the 3rd. Reed Chapman went 2-3 with a home run and 2 RBI's and Joe Dell'Erario went 2-3 with 2 RBI's. Robert Charpie added an RBI single in the 7th.
"Charpie was magnificent on the mound," Coach Beverly said. "He really hit his spots and competed the whole game. He has been working so hard and it is great to see him have this success."
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| Wildcat Girls Varsity Lacrosse Beats Division Rival Wayland At Home |
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| Wildcat Girls Varsity Lacrosse Teammates Freshman Emma Dagres, Senior Kelsey Knickerson and Junior Abby D'Angelo are all smiles after Thursday's win over Wayland |
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5-7-09, Weston- The Weston Girls Varsity Lacrosse team came out with a big victory on Thursday against division rival Wayland, 16-14. In what was a close game throughout, fourth year Head Coach Kelly Trahon advised her girls to give it their all.
"I always tell the girls that if they put their heart into it, chances are they'll win," Trahon said.
Top scorers, Junior Abby D'Angelo, 5 goals, Senior Kelsey Nickerson, 4 goals and Freshman Emma Dagres had 3 goals on the day and Juniors Katie Daly and Junior Julia Marvel each had two goals.
Freshman Emma Dagres put Weston on the board, with her first goal, slipping in from behind the net, and Abby D'Angelo would follow minutes later, with her first to give the Wildcat a jump start and a 2-0 lead.
Wayland Junior Lindsey Shelton, grabbed a pass in the defensive end and took it down field to score the first Wayland goal, then Wayland Junior Katie Miller would tie-up the game at 2-2, with her first of five goals. Wayland's Hannah Pepper, would then grab a pass in front of the net to put Wayland ahead 3-2 at the end of the first quarter. Wayland would score to start the second, but Wildcat Abby D'Angelo crept into the fray in front of the net, to score her second goal, bringing Weston within one, at 4-3. It was then that Wayland's aggressive play, possession on the draws and hard work began to pay off. Wayland scored three unanswered goals, giving them a 7-3 lead and putting the pressure on the Wildcats.
"This is the second time we have played them this season," said Emma Dagres . "They came out at us much harder this time. The first game (Weston won 10-7) was not as close."
The Wildcat's then seemed to find an offensive groove when Julia Marvel scored her first of two goals and Emma Dagres took a pass from across the net and capitalized on the opportunity, netting her second goal on the day. Kelsey Knickerson was next, with her first of four, when she took the ball upfield to score, putting Weston one goal behind Wayland, 7-6 . Wayland's Katie Miller would strike again, but Wildcat Katie Daly would find the net for her first of two goals and Kelsey Knickerson would finish off a pass from Dagres, her second goal, tying-up the game at 8-8. Wayland Junior Mel Sperling would score her first of three goals and teammate Katie Miller would put Wayland ahead by two at the end of the first half, 10-8.
"During the half, Coach talked to us about draw control, ground balls and that we needed to put heart into the game," Abby D'Angleo said.
Coach Trahon's motivation worked because the momentum shifted and the second half was all Wildcats. In the third quarter the Wildcat's scored 6 goals to Wayland's 2, with Julia Marvel, grabbing her second, Abby D'Angelo, her third and fourth, Emma Dagres, netting her third and Kelsey Knickerson scoring back-to-back goals, her third and fourth. Weston ended the quarter up, 14-12. The Wildcat's would take control in the top of the fourth with Abby D'Angelo netting her 5th goal, giving Weston a three goal lead. The Wildcats took a 3 minute penalty and a yellow card, putting them in a 2 man-down situation, which resulted in Wayland Senior Lilly Friedberg capitalizing on the opportunity to bring Wayland within two, 15-13.
"It's really nerve-wracking because you want to win so badly," Wildcat Emma Dagres said. "You're afraid that if you mess up it's going to be your fault. But really, the team does it together so you just have to believe."
And believe they did, when Weston's Katie Daly came up with the ground ball from a mid-field scrabble and netted her second goal, to give the Wildcats a three goal cushion in the final minutes of the game. Wayland's Lilly Friedberg would score again, but without enough time, making the final score, 16-13, Wildcats.
"We just lost a close game to Tyngsboro the other day which was down to the last minute," said Kelsey Knickerson. "Coming off that game, and when it's close like this, we didn't want that to happen again so everyone was trying really hard."
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| Weston Little League National League Rockies Pick Up Win On Opening Day |
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| Wildcat Little Leaguers Rockies after their win at Burchard Park |
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5-8-09, Weston- Weston Little League National League Rockies picked up their first win of the Championship season on Friday night against the Braves, 13-12 at Burchard Park. The Rockies got off to a slow start with the Braves capitalizing on an offensive surge scoring, five runs in the second inning and one run in the third inning.
"We were down 6-1," Rockie Hunter Clutz said. "I thought we were all done."
The Rockies would battle back in the bottom of the third inning, with singles by Rockies Will Greenberg, Caleb Kussmaul, and Charlie Siegrist. Rockie Tom Dell'Erario hit a 3-run double to bring his team within 2.
The Braves would score two runs in the top of the fourth, but the Rockies would answer with four runs in bottom of the fourth to tie the score at 8-8.
"We got a rally going," said Rockie Chase Peatman. "We did really good in the field too."
In the top of the fifth, the Braves scored two more runs, giving them a 10-8 lead, but the Rockies would battle back to tie the score at 10, on a Brad Peters, two-out double to left. Rockie Peter Noonan then hit an RBI double to left and Will Greenberg added an RBI flare to center and Caleb Kussmaul added another RBI double to end the inning with the Rockies up 13-10.
The Braves came up with two more runs in the top of the sixth, but it was the Rockies who came up with the win, 13-12.
"Down 6-1, it was nice to see the kids didn't give up," said Rockies Coach Mark Lucas. "Fundamentally the kids played very well in the field."
In other the other National League games Friday night, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 12-0, and the Giants defeated the Mets 12-10.
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| Wildcat Of The Week: Weston High School Freshman Emma Dagres |
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| Wildcat Emma Dagres |
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5-7-09, Weston- 14 year-old Weston High Freshman Emma Dagres was surprised when Wildcats Girls Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Trahon read her name off the varsity team list.
"I was surprised because I thought they were going to keep all the freshman together. I didn't think I (a freshman) could be on varsity, " she said. "Now that I'm on it, I am so happy that I am on this team. I wouldn't want to be on any other team."
Coach Trahon agrees. Emma is one of the team's top scorers, "Emma is great. She's a great kid and to have her come on the team as a freshman and produce offensively as well as she does is amazing," said Coach Trahon.
Emma started playing lacrosse in 7th grade for Weston Youth Lacrosse. In youth lacrosse, Emma played mid-field, but in high school varsity lacrosse she plays Attack, the farthest attack, closest to the goal. "I think it's fun because you get to play with your friends," Dagres said. "It's not all about winning but it's about having fun and bonding as a team."
Emma says she likes lacrosse because she loves to run, which is a good thing, because there's a lot of running in lacrosse.
"I like catching the ball," she said. "I feel that when I catch the ball it's such an accomplishment, even though it's just catching a ball, it feels good."
Emma also says she likes the fact that lacrosse is a team sport, and that the team works together to win and improve.
As for being a freshman on varsity, Emma has great upperclassmen girls to serve as positive role models. She says the girls are "so nice", and that she looks up to Wildcat Junior Abby D'Angleo and Senior Kelsey Nickerson, as they play similar positions to Emma's.
"I hope that when I am a junior I am as accomplished as them," she said. "I really want to have good stick skills like they do and be confident when I go to goal."
Coach Trahon is a big believer in the power of positive thinking and she tells the girls to work hard on the little things, like getting ground balls, possession off the draw and giving it your all.
"Coach always tells us it's not about winning or loosing, but it's about improving and putting heart into the game," said Emma. "At half-time, Coach gives us a talk about how we need to believe and put heart into the game and we'll win."
The 9-4 Wildcat Girls Varsity Lacrosse team has made it into the post-season tournament, and Emma says Coach Trahon also knows how to get the girls pumped up before a big game at home. Her rally cry in the huddle, "Whose house is this?" to which the Wildcats reply, "Our house!" serves the team well to get them "pumped up" to play.
Emma also plays Soccer and Basketball for the high school and can't choose a favorite amongst them because she loves each sport while she's playing them. She likes being in high school and says she was nervous at first, but once she got adjusted to the school she loved it. Especially the freedom.
"I love having more freedom," she said. "I like being able to go outside during to lunch, or go see teachers during study halls if you need to."
She says English is her favorite subject and enjoys writing creative essays and poetry. Physics is her least favorite, the subject she says is, "not really my thing".
Evidently, History is Emma's thing because she and fellow freshman classmate, Sami Gosman, entered into a National History Day contest. NHD is a six-month project and contest for all Honors-level history students and Emma and Sami are now going to Washington, DC to compete in the Nationals for their State winning project on Wilma Rudolph. Chosen by Weston High School, along with 14 others, to go to the District competition in Worcester, Emma and Sami's entry took second place, sending them to the State competition where they took first place. The win now sends them to Washington DC, on June 14-18, to compete in the Nationals.
"We were so surprised, " Emma said. "We have been working on improving it over the past couple of months and now we are really excited to go."
Emma says college is definitely in her future, but that she's not sure where she wants to go and that even though she is a tri-athlete, she's not quite sure where the athletics will take her. She is a member of Chorus and the Jewish Student Union at the high school and performs community service when her busy schedule allows her the time to do so. She also loves to draw and since both her Aunt and Uncle are artists, she believes the artist gene may be in the blood. She has a Facebook and says it is a great way to keep in contact with her friends.
"I go on Facebook every day after school," she says. "It's a great way to contact my friends if they are not answering their text messages."
Emma has a Twitter account and says had one before anyone else, as her dad was one of the initial investors in the internet sensation. This summer will be her sixth year at Fernwood Cove Summer Camp in Maine, where she will be a senior camper in her last year. She lives at home with her mom, her brother Jason, a Weston High Sophomore, her eight year-old sister Eva, a second grader at Country School, and their two cats, Maya and Sahsa .
"Jason and I have gotten closer over the years," Emma says. "He'll be driving me places soon because he just got his permit."
Her favorite book is, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, which she read in eighth grade. Emma says she found it interesting to read a book written from a nine-year-old's perspective and says that it wasn't boring. Her favorite movies are The Lion King and Titanic and says that bagels with butter are, by far, her favorite food.
"I think being Wildcat of the Week is a very big honor," she said. "I never thought I would be chosen and I got really excited when I found out."
We, at Wildcat Weekly, are very excited to have the opportunity to watch you grow and develop into an incredible high school student and athlete, Emma.
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Manny is uncharacteristically talking to the media.
He's even eating a slice of proverbial humble pie. Choking on it, is more like it, because Manny messed up, big time. Like the thief who's not the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly sorry he got caught, Manny has successfully destroyed his status as "the greatest right-handed hitter in baseball".
He didn't burn that bridge, he blew the sucker up.
Manny being Manny just ain't what it used to be and it will never be again. It can't. He will be forever marked with the Scarlett Letter of major league baseball; the asterisk. Greater men have been here before him and now he must take his place in line behind them. Clemens, Bonds and McGwire have all been warming up a spot in the un-esteemed Cheaters Club, and Manny just passed his initiation.
And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
There can be no doubt that Manny has been cheating. None. He got caught using HCG, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a female fertility drug that is commonly used by "dopers" to re-start the body's testosterone production and mask anabolic steroid use and MLB suspended him for 50 games. Now, why would a doctor be prescribing Manny a fertility drug??
We know exactly why. And so does he.
The usually smug Ramirez issued an official statement the day the story broke, apologizing to the LA Dodgers owners, coach and fans. saying, "I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about the whole situation." He also said a lot more.
"I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons," Ramirez said in his statement.
We are sure what you meant to say, Manny, is that you figured out how to beat the system for all those years and all those seasons, including the ones you spent in Boston. Sports journalist and life-long Red Sox fan, Bill Simmons sums it up best in his Page 2 column on ESPN.com. In his May 7th, 2009 piece titled, "Confronting my Worst Nightmare", Simmons talks to his 6 1/2 year-old son about the prospect of the "taint" which now looms over the 2004 Boston Red Sox Championship team.
"But Manny was your favorite hitter on that team. And he tested positive later. Is he still your favorite hitter?"
"Yes and no," I say. "No, because he cheated. Yes, because whether he was cheating or not, I can't forget watching him hit baseballs on a daily basis. I just can't. You should have seen him. Perfect swing, perfect balance, perfect everything. He was a hitting savant. That's the funny thing -- he didn't NEED to cheat. The guy was put on the earth to hit."
Eventually the mighty fall hard and Manny has been nothing but self-serving and arrogant throughout his entire career. He had a swagger that went unmatched, BECAUSE he was Manny, and he thought he was above everything and everyone; including the game itself. No more than two months ago, Manny was asked in a TV interview by a female reporter if "too much was being made of the steroid story in the major leagues.
"I don't think about that," Ramirez said. "I just play the game, go home and move on."
Manny needs to think about the fact that Manny can no longer just be Manny. He will be back in July, no doubt, and will continue to produce for the Dodgers. The question is what will happen to his swing now? Every move he makes will be scrutinized, criticized and analyzed. His career and his integrity gone, like that deep, driving shot to left field over the monster.
All because Manny decided to get high with a little help from his friends.
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