The best sports movies are usually about underdogs.
From Rocky to Hoosiers and Miracle to The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (maybe one of these movies doesn’t belong), there’s something about the longshot finding a way to triumph that resonates.
We’re only about a month into the winter high school season, but these 12 South Shore high school teams are exceeding (outside) expectations. Each of those teams has a unique reason why they’re having success. Let’s take a peak behind the curtain and focus on some of those pleasant surprises and see what’s been the key.
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In no particular order…
Plymouth South boys basketball
Secret to success: Cohesiveness
This is not a team that will overwhelm opponents with flashy passes and a dynamic offensive attack. The Panthers want to muck up the game and make every basket a pain to score. They’re the kind of team opponents don’t like playing. Plymouth South defends as a unit and spreads the wealth on offense.
The team buy-in starts with junior captain Declan Davis. Dave Costa describes Davis as a “We guy not a me guy,” and that attitude flows throughout the team.
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“That goes a long way when your captain is more concerned about his teammates than himself,” said Costa.
The Panthers opened the season by winning their first four games, including rallying back from double-digits to defeat Hingham and Scituate.
Pete Lamborn has hit some clutch shots and is a high-motor veteran for the Panthers this season. Ricky Sheppard is an undersized big who brings toughness to the team. Cam Sullivan is a sharpshooter.
Costa says the team is off to a strong start because of contributions from players 1-16. The work is far from over for the Panthers. The Patriot League Fisher Division, which was incredibly deep during the football season, is a gauntlet.
Pembroke boys basketball
Secret to success: Change
In the span of one offseason, the Titans have torn down the program and built an entirely new foundation. Under first-year coach Matt Vincenzi, Pembroke has changed everything. There’s a new attitude with the program. The offensive and defensive schemes have evolved and the preparation process is entirely different. That’s led to a drastic change in the results. The Titans are off to a 5-0 start with some impressive wins. Most notably, Pembroke knocked off Hingham for the first time since 2014 and also defeated a then-unbeaten Archbishop Williams team.
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Offensively, the Titans have a balanced scoring attack. Joey Dwyer is leading the way at 15.4 points per game. Not far behind him is Brady Spencer, who is averaging close to a double-double (13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds). Connor Lockhart is at 10.6 points per game, plus he brings it defensively. Tom Considine is a shade under 10 points per game to go with 8 rebounds. Devanti Perry is a quintessential pass-first point guard who controls the game.
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Pembroke has a loaded slate ahead this week, but they’ve been mighty impressive early.
3. Archbishop Williams boys basketball
Secret to success: Depth
The Bishops entered the week with the same number of wins (five) and different starting lineups (five). Archbishop Williams lost its starting point guard due to injury early in the season and lost some huge players from last season. The Bishops had a strong season last winter, but a pair of Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics are gone in Jack McCarthy (graduation) and Andre Mills (transfer). Mills starred as a sophomore, averaging 18.4 points per game.
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The Bishops have gone 11 deep to find ways to win games. Junior Josh Campbell and senior Kevin Hamilton have led the scoring effort and are off to scorching starts. Campbell, a guard from Plymouth, is averaging 25.5 points and 8 rebounds per game while shooting 67 percent from the field. Hamilton, a forward from Abington, is at 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while scoring at a 60 percent clip.
“The 11 that have consistently played have bought into their roles and they can all impact winning on any given night,” said coach Brian Holden.
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The Bishops rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to defeat Bishop Feehan and have solid wins over O’Bryant and Bishop Stang.
North Quincy girls basketball
Secret to success: Selflessness
It’s not a surprise that North Quincy is off to a great start this season, but there are aspects that are surprising. Some unforeseen challenges have pushed first-year assistant coach Matt Ramponi to the head-coaching job. Sophomore Orlagh Gormley entered the season as one of the top players in the area, but she’s tossed her name into the best players in the state conversation already. The Raiders have a very young team, but they play with a level of composure that’s unexpected for a sophomore-laden club.
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Ramponi said Gormley is stoic and humble for her own success, but ecstatic when she sees teammates like Molly Tolland draining 3-pointers. The team, which has players who have suited up together since long before middle school, has bought into a coach who met the team for the first time on Nov. 29, 2021.
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Oh yeah, this team is pretty talented, too. Ava Bryan is a sophomore who already has gobs of starting experience. Autumn O’Campus is a double-double threat, and Bridget Capone is North Quincy’s defensive stopper.
Weymouth girls basketball
Secret to success: Enjoying the grind
Does winning make playing a sport fun, or does having fun make winning easier? It’s a classic chicken-or-egg argument, but for the Wildcats, they’re embracing the grind of the season and it’s leading to success.
Weymouth opened the season by winning three of its first four games. The Wildcats picked up a strong non-league win over Cohasset and then dropped a close game to Brookline, which won its first five games of the season. Weymouth picked up a solid win over Needham.
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There have been some ups and downs. Cancellations kept the team off the court for games for two weeks until they tipped off with Walpole on Monday. Coach Jim Dolan earned his 200th career win.
Having a point forward like Megan Doyle makes life a little easier for everybody on the team. She’s averaging 21 points per game and she’s on the short list for best players in the area. Larissa Gilberto (12 points per game) and Savannah Striano (9 points) are also off to good starts.
Silver Lake boys hockey
Secret to success: Years of building
This is a season Silver Lake’s senior class has been waiting for. The core of this team first made some noise two years ago by winning a tournament game against Holliston. Silver Lake followed that up by nearly upsetting the top seed in the Division 3 South Sectionals, but fell to Hopkinton, 5-3.
Playing primarily only Patriot League teams last season was a tough draw, and the Lakers finished 2-9. That record was a little deceiving, as Silver Lake dropped five one-goal games.
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It’s been a totally different story this winter, as the Lakers are off to a 5-2 start, including a 3-2 record in Patriot League games.
The Lakers won the Cashman Tournament over the break, but there’s no doubt what the high point of the season has been so far. Last week, the Lakers defeated Duxbury for the first time since 1997. Head coach Dan Scott was a senior on that team.
It wasn’t an easy win for the Lakers. Duxbury tied the game late, but Markie Kelleher netted the winner with three seconds remaining in overtime.
Senior captain Sam Dilley is the vocal leader of the team, and Kelleher is having a breakout season with 8 goals in seven games. Brett Evans, who plays on a line with the two captains, sets the physical tone.
Aidan Dunphy, a junior defenseman, is the quarterback of the power play. He leads the team with 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) and anchors the defense. Peter Bond has played well in net and he’s got a ton of varsity experience.
Senior JD Henley will be a midseason acquisition. He suffered an injury in the first game, but he’ll be returning as a top-six forward soon.
“We have had a pretty good core group the last three-four years, they have stayed together and now they are coming into their own through hard work, some maturity, taking the coaching taught on and off the ice, and applying it to every game,” said Scott. “They have a great work ethic when it comes to our practices, too.”
Quincy boys hockey
Secret to success: Leadership
For most successful high school teams, the captains carry the load. Given the circumstances of playing during a pandemic, that job is a little harder and has some added responsibilities. Quincy’s five captains (Will Martin, Joe Hennessy, Timmy Kelly, Zach Galligan and Cam Quigley) have risen to the occasion.
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“The most challenging part of coaching now is the fact that we never know who’s gonna be in or out of the lineup due to illness, be it COVID, flu, pneumonia, it’s really impacted our roster,” said Quincy coach Ted Walsh. “It’s certainly a test of the players’ and coaches’ fortitude and a tribute to the boys not using illness as an excuse.”
The Presidents are off to a 4-2-1 start this season after winning three games in each of the previous two seasons.
Quigley and Danny Freeman are off to stellar starts. Quigley, a junior, already has 7 goals and 3 assists. Freeman, a senior goaltender, has played well and is off coming off a shutout against Plymouth South.
Quincy will get tested with five games coming up in an eight-day span.
Hanover girls hockey
Secret to success: Energy
The Hawks are in a bit of uncharted territory this season. Hanover is fielding its own team after sharing a co-op program with Cohasset. Despite being on their own for the first time, the Hawks are off to a 3-1-1 start.
Hanover boasts a young roster, but the effort and intensity of the program’s leaders is filtering throughout the program, and coach Pam Manning is hoping that builds a foundation for years to come.
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The Hawks have leaders all over the ice who are bringing it. Nora Manning, the team’s lone senior, is a captain and forward. Cailyn McCarthy and Merri DeCoste are the other captains. Sarah Long (defense) and Samantha Burke (goaltender) are also key leaders.
“These upperclassmen come to every practice and game ready to give it their all and it’s contagious,” said Manning. “The whole team has a great work ethic and they never give up.”
Burke and freshman Gracyn Monahan share the goaltending duties and have been solid all season.
Archbishop Williams girls hockey
Secret to success: Goaltending + young players chipping in
From the class of 2027 (seventh grade) to seniors, the Bishops are getting contributions from all over. Just look between the pipes. Senior assistant captain Amy Donnelly and eighth-grader Evelyn Lacey (an eighth-grader from Braintree) switch off games in net and it’s worked. While starting 5-1-1, Archbishop Williams has only surrendered 10 goals.
The Bishops’ roster is all different ages. Caitlyn O’Connell, Gabriella Damon and Karaline O’Toole make up the rest of the senior class. Abigail Dunn, Abigail Murphy, Cassandra Martin, Victoria Bellew, Kristin Spiro and Grace Mottau form the junior class.
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Shea Nolan, Caroline Batchelder, Lily Donovan and Alexis Galvin are the freshmen. Archbishop Williams has five eighth-graders (Rory Shielders, Chloe Couture, Kate O’Toole, Kendyl Nolan and Lacey) and three seventh-graders (Sierra Reardon, Colleen Sanone and Maeve Pugsley).
The Bishops’ lone loss this season came to St. Mary’s (Lynn), 2-0. St. Mary’s is one of the top-ranked teams in the state. Since then, Archbishop Williams is 4-0-1.
Stoughton/Brockton boys hockey
Secret to success: Sick of losing
A few years ago, both the Stoughton and Brockton High boys hockey programs were struggling with numbers. Before forming a co-op, Stoughton had 12 and 13 players on the roster.
There’s been some growing pains since the two programs joined, but after taking their lumps for a couple of seasons, Stoughton/Brockton is off to a good start this season. After going 6-24-2 over the previous two seasons, the Knight Boxers are now 4-4-2.
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The senior class determined it was time for a change. The goal this season is undeniable: Qualify for the tournament.
On the ice, the team has relied on a variety of scorers. Eight different players scored in a win over Carver/Wareham. Sean Farley notched a hat trick in that win while Aidan Obrock and Cooper Lehmann both had two goals. Colin Alessi and Joe McNulty both had goals on Saturday in a win over Cardinal Spellman. Goaltender Chris Andrade has played well in the last two games, as the team has allowed just one goal in a pair of wins.
Scituate boys basketball
Secret to success: Consistency
Last winter, the Sailors were never able to get into a rhythm. Scituate was shut down for almost a month last season and upon getting back on the court, the team was thrown into five makeup games in seven days. The team, which had graduated the core of the 2020 team that reached the Div. 2 South Sectional finals, rarely had time to practice last season.
This season, the Sailors have had more a typical season to get into the flow. The result is a 4-1 start. The lone loss came against Plymouth South, 51-49.
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The Sailors have a deep senior class. Keegan Sullivan is one of the best floor generals around. Sam Benning and John Kinsley are having breakout seasons. Clay Belmarsh, Drew Belmarsh, Nick Brown, Mike Gantt, Will Kimball and Christian Pitten make up the rest of that senior class.
Scituate’s already had some good moments this season. They ended Whitman-Hanson’s 35-game winning streak, which was a rematch of the aforementioned 2020 Div. 2 South final. The Sailors also picked up a marquee win over North Quincy, 89-82. Scituate’s Fisher Division title hopes will likely be decided in February, when the Sailors play Hingham, Pembroke and Plymouth South in the first eight days of the month.
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