Inside scoop from Gillette Stadium

Shepherd Hill coach Chris Limdstrom addresses his team and coaches following the Super Bowl loss.

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

Hello Sports Fans!

Normally I head straight for the sidelines or courtside or any place close to a playing surface to watch games, but once I set foot in one of the media rooms at Gillette stadium and saw the view of the field and the buffet spread, there was no way I was leaving.

The fact that I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t even want to leave the house in the morning also had something to do with staying inside, but there was no way I was going to miss the Shepherd Hill-Nashoba Super Bowl encounter. Seeing it from the press box and feasting on a breakfast and then a lunch buffet made it even more memorable.

The Rams players and coaches gave it all they had and fell a little short, but still it was something that they will never ever forget and neither will I.  The score was really no indication of how close of a game it was. The Hill had their chances and have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

Rams Head coach Chris Lindstrom gave his team an uplifting speech afterwards while Nashoba celebrated nearby. It was a pretty special moment and he let his team know that they should be proud of their accomplishments this season. 10-3 with their schedule is not too shabby. Congrats to the Rams.

Charlton-Dudley AYF Team:  The Charlton-Dudley American Youth Football team has had an amazing season. So good that they have yet to lose and are headed to Orlando to play in the nationals.  They have had an unbeaten season, won the Mass state title, and then beat Connecticut and Rhode Island in regional action to earn a shot to play in the sunshine state.  Nice job guys!

Central Mass Coaches Soccer All-Stars: The Central Mass coaches association selected its all-stars for soccer and the local schools were heavily represented:

All New England: Emily Dawidczyk (Oxford)
All State: Emily Dawidczyk (Oxford), Lauren Barton (Shepherd Hill), Amanda Keovongmanysar (Shepherd Hill)
Division I (Girls): Lauren Barton (Shepherd Hill), Meghan Dunn (Shepherd Hill), Amanda Keovongmanysar (Shepherd Hill)
Division II (Girls): Emily Dawidczyk (Oxford), Dani Stone (Bartlett)
Division I (Boys): Tyler Martin (Shepherd Hill
Division II (Boys): Evan Anderson (Bartlett)
 

The Central Mass all-star team will be announced for all sports within the next couple of weeks.  There are three local soccer players that may not make the Central Mass team but certainly deserve recognition for having excellent seasons.

Shepherd Hill’s Taylor Daniels and Oxford’s Gina Manzi may not have scored a lot of points but both were superb two-way players for their respective teams.  Bartlett’s sophomore goalie Brian Tondel is another that may not be selected but was outstanding this season for the Indians.  

Pictured above, Jordan Orrell. We heard from former Oxford Pirates track star Jordan Orrell, who had a great career for the orange and black. She is attending the University of Maine and playing intramural soccer and club track. In fact she had a meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College this past weekend. It won’t be the same not seeing her and “The Sweet Assassin” at the Oxford track meets.

Lindsay “Secret Agent” Bond:  Anna Maria College freshman and 2012 Bartlett grad Lindsay Bond helped her varsity basketball team beat Becker last weekend with an outstanding “stat sheet filling” performance with 4 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.  Not too bad Bond, who is only a freshman!

WGFP M.I.A.A Basketball Schedule:  Cool-Country 940 WGFP released their schedule for boy’s basketball this week. The outstanding duo of Pete Geanis and Matt Morway will be broadcasting 15 high school games this winter, opening with what could be a shoot-out between Southbridge and Oxford on Tuesday, December 11. 

Some other highlights include Bartlett at Oxford on Friday, December 21 and Shepherd Hill at Bartlett on Friday, December 28.

All games are broadcast live, and are subject to winter weather conditions.
 

Until next week, see you on the sidelines! Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any sports news and check out the new View From The Sidelines Facebook page with exclusive photos and news at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines