By Steev Riccardo

A big weekend is coming up in local sports as Bartlett prepares to clash with Shepherd Hill on the basketball court this coming Friday night in Dudley. At press time, the Rams were 9-2 while the Indians stood at 8-3. With both teams having strong campaigns, something has to give on Friday.
Last season when the two teams met, the Rams came away with a 68-56 victory.  The Rams are the favorites, but the Indians are a much better team this year, which means it could be a real battle and probably will be.

Bartlett head coach Tony Paranto said, “We obviously play one game at a time but I think the kids in the back of their minds are looking at the rivalry with Shepherd Hill.”  Bartlett players DJ Kirby-Thomas and Akeem Belnavis surely remember what happened to them this past season on the football field when they were beaten badly by the Rams at home.

Matt Huberdault: Last Wednesday Bartlett junior co-captain Matt Huberdault had a break-out game against the Grafton Indians in his teams’ 79-54 victory.  Huberdault was six for nine from the floor, scoring 17 points, while dishing out five assists.

Huberdault wasted no time following up that game with another 17- point effort in Bartlett’s 74-69 win over Millbury.  Coach Paranto said his junior star was getting hot at the right time and he’s right about that.

The thing that you have to really like about Huberdault’s game is the way he plays hard the entire time he is on the court. His effort is tremendous and when he scores like he did last week, it’s an added bonus.

Slam-dunk: Bartlett’s Akeem Belnavis threw down his second outstanding dunk of the season last Friday against Millbury. Seeing this high flier, who is still a junior, show off his athleticism has been a real pleasure this season.  Things are only going to get better for the green machine with this kid around. 

Central Mass hoops scoring leaders: At press time, Bartlett’s Nick Kobel was tied for fourth in the Central Mass scoring race with a 21.4 average. Bay Path Regional’s TJ Gentry is twelfth with a 19.3 average.  Oxford High continues to get some quality scoring from Cody Stone who is at 15.3.  Shepherd Hill’s Chris Patrinos is 13.7, Kobel’s high flying teammate Akeem Belnavis is at 13.5 and the Rams Jesse Gilchrist is at 13.3.

Meghan Fornaro of Shepherd Hill continues to lead all local high school girls with a 19.5 average. Lauren Puishys of Oxford is second amongst the locals with a 12.7 scoring average.  Fornaro’s teammate Brooke Packard is at 10.5. Lindsay Bond leads Bartlett with a 10.0 average.

BHS football banquet: We are looking forward to attending the Bartlett High School football banquet at Point Breeze in Webster this Saturday. The event will feature video highlights, team awards, and dinner.  It’s a lock that the video segment will feature “The Play” from the David Prouty game at Worcester Tech. Expect a full report of the evening’s events in next week’s column.

Correction department: Last week in my story about the Bartlett high brother and sister tandem of Nikita and Deanna Truhanovitch, we called their older sister Amanda; she is actually Amber. Sorry about that kids!

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By Steev Riccardo

The Bartlett Indians and Douglas Tigers rivalry was quite evident in the bleachers this past Friday night but, we have to be quick to point out that it is a friendly rivalry because there are still a few Douglas students that suit up in Bartlett uniforms in the fall.

Nevertheless, the cheering in the stands was pretty rambunctious at times. The fact that Akeem Belnavis brought the house down with his third quarter slam-dunk didn’t hurt either. Both sides of the building were cheering that play.

You also had Conlin Postma, who plays on the Bartlett football team, on the court for the Tigers, as well as several other football players that played for the Indians in the Douglas crowd. It all made for an interesting night of high school excitement and a pretty good game too.

Shepherd Hill Boys Hoops:

The Shepherd Hill Rams suffered only their second loss (8-2) of the season Friday night to a very good Northbridge team 65-61. Jesse Gilchrist led the Rams with 21 points in defeat. The Rams play at Southbridge High School in a key match-up next Friday night.

Oxford Boys Hoops:

The Oxford Pirates record dropped to 5-4 following Friday night’s loss to Quaboag at home. Donny Freeland scored 14 in a losing effort for the Pirates, who play their next two games at home against Southbridge on Wednesday and Uxbridge on Friday night.

Local Boys Hoops Scoring Leaders:

Bartlett co-captain Nick Kobel is currently second in Central Mass scoring with a 23.9 average. Belnavis is also in the top twenty with a 14.0 average.

Shepherd Hill’s Chris Patrinos leads the Rams with a 13.5 average, while teammate Matthew Rayla is close behind with a 12.8 average.

Cody Stone leads the Oxford Pirates with a 15.5 average. Pirate teammate Mike James is behind Stone with an 11.1 average.

Local Girls Hoops Scoring Leaders:

Shepherd Hill hoop star Meghan Fornaro currently leads all Central scorers with a 19.2 average. Brooke Packard is averaging 9.7 for the Rams.

Lindsay Bond leads the Bartlett girls in scoring with 11.5 points a game.

Lauren Puishys leads the Oxford Pirates with a 11.5 average.

Bartlett Track N Field Results:

Bartlett competed in an indoor track event last Wednesday night against Woodstock Academy, Auburn High School, Grafton High School, Millbury High School, Quaboag Regional, Southbridge High and Uxbridge High School at Northbridge High School.

Rocco DiStefano and Nikita Truhanovitch finished first and second in the 55 meter dash.

DiStefano also finished in third place in the 300 meters, while Chris Czernicki finished in 16th place.

Truhanovitch continued his dominance, winning the 55-meter hurdle race. Czernicki also fared well, finishing in 12th place for the Indians.

In other results, Truhanovitch came in seventh place in the high jump. Jeremy Guyette finished in second place in the 1000 meters, Arthur Hackenson placed third in the 16-pound shot put. Eddie Hackenson placed seventh in the 12-pound shot put, while teammate Brody Miller came in 13th place in the junior varsity competition.

On the girls’ side, Alicia Garamy placed fifth in the women’s shot put. Amy Panczyk finished 16th in the 55-meter dash and in 16th place in the 300 meters. Leah Dunbar placed 16th in the 1000-meter dash.

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By Steev Riccardo

The excitement in the air at the Bartlett High School gymnasium Friday evening for the contest between the hometown Bartlett Indians and the visiting archrival Southbridge Pioneers was at fever pitch to say the least.

Besides all the great action on the court, the chants coming from the fans were priceless. I still haven’t gotten completely comfortable with the Bartlett fans chanting “It’s All Over” before the opening tap off. It’s easy to understand how that could tick off the opposition, but then again, Bartlett does have a little edge these days.

Back to the chanting war, the Southbridge fans proved they can be a little edgy as well as they chanted “What about football?” with their team down by 21 on the basketball court. You really can’t make this stuff up.

The rivalry is definitely beyond the football field with these two teams. Just like the good old days, this is a feud that is never going to end.

If anyone knows what it’s like to wear the Bartlett green and be part of the rivalry, Southbridge High Basketball coach and former Bartlett hoopster and graduate Bob Fowler does. Fowler, who graduated in 1975 and played power forward under Don Cushing, has witnessed and taken part in the rivalry on both sides of the court.

Speaking of coaches, it was good to see Bartlett High football coach Dane Laboissonniere in attendance at courtside on Friday. One player the coach must be curious about is Bartlett’s Alex Givens-Perry, who transferred over from Doherty, missing football season. The word is that Alex is an outstanding football player who surely will be part of Laboissonniere’s plans for next season.

Former Bartlett High Football coach Chris Nassas, who also saw his share of battles with Southbridge both on and off the field, was also in attendance.

Indoor Track meet at Tantasqua:

Last Wednesday eleven Central Mass teams, including Bartlett, Shepherd Hill, and Oxford all competed in a regional indoor track meet at Tantasqua Regional in Sturbridge.

Bartlett’s record setting phenom Rocco DiStefano and Nikita Truhanovitch finished first and second in the 55-meter dash while Jacob Jachimczyk of Shepherd Hill finished third and teammate Brad Picard finished sixth. Nick Rivelli from Oxford High placed seventh and Joseph Wheeler from Shepherd Hill finished ninth.

DiStefano also finished in third place in the 300 meters while Adam Banks from Shepherd Hill finished fifth.

Shepherd Hill’s Leonard Harmon and Daniel Stomski placed first and second in the 600 meters.

Harmon won the 1000 meters, while his teammate Wesley Nelson came in third place.

Shepherd Hill’s Robert Chevalier finished second in the mile run, while his Rams teammate Daniel Stomski won the two-mile run with an impressive time of 10:49.

The Indians Truhanovitch finished second in the 55-meter hurdles and Shepherd Hill’s Jacob Grotton and Pat Tilly finished tied for fourth.

Bartlett’s Arthur Hackenson finished second in the shot put, while teammate DiStefano finished sixth. Nick Rivelli from Oxford High School was eighth.

Shepherd Hill finished second in 4X200 boys relay.

On the girl’s side, Oxford High star Emily Dawidczyk had a great meet winning both the 300-meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles.

Shepherd Hill’s Haley Chamberlin and Emily Thibaud both did well in the 600 meters, finishing third and fourth.

The Shepherd Hill girls also did well in the 1000 meters with Stella Worters and Kaleigh Durkan placing second and third.

Worters also won the one-mile run for Shepherd Hill, while Durkan came in second in the two-mile race ahead of third place finisher Shelby Stretton of Oxford High School. Bartlett Kellie Powers finished ninth.

Shepherd Hill’s Katie McCambridge won the girls shot put competition. Bartlett’s Alicia Garamy finished fourth.

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By Steev Riccardo

Happy New Year sports fans! This week The Central Mass Fall All-stars were announced and the locals were heavily represented with Bartlett three-sport star Nick Kobel leading the list.

CENTRAL MASS FALL ALL-STARS

Nick Kobel of Bartlett and Niko Kittredge of Shepherd Hill were named Central Mass Boys Soccer All-Stars. This was Kobel’s second year in a row named to the squad for his immense soccer skills.

Lauren Barton of Shepherd Hill was named to Central Mass Girl’s Soccer All-Stars. Only a junior, Barton looks to anchor the Rams’ defense next season.

Michelle Williams, of Oxford High School, was named to the Field Hockey all-star team. Lauren Pushys of Oxford and Molly Covill of Shepherd Hill were Honorable Mention All-Stars.

Shepherd Hill Girls Volleyball star Lauren Gorodeckas was Honorable Mention for Central Mass.

Shepherd Hill’s trio of Kevin Leblanc, Anthony Wilga, and Samuel Cooke all received honorable mention in Division 2 Central Mass football. Mile D’Alio of Oxford High was an honorable mention in Division 4. Bartlett’s Arthur Hackenson and Rocco DiStefano were honorable mentions in Division 6.

Of course, in every all-star selection, there are always omissions that make you shake your head. Locally in high school football there were a few glaring ones. DJ Kirby-Thomas from Bartlett had an outstanding year on both sides of the ball and could have easily been an all-star. The same goes for Shepherd Hill running back Cody Peck, who was a key player for the Rams all year, and a case could also be made for Oxford’s Tyler Barrie.

Rocco’s Records:

Rocco DiStefano has amassed a long list of records in track and field and football during his four years at Bartlett; just for the record here are some of his many accomplishments:

Track and Field

200 - 23.2 (previously held by Jonathan Lavalley)

50 m dash - 5.7 (previously held by Jake Fowler)?

55 m dash - 6.7 (previously held by Jonathan Lavalley)?

300 m dash - 38.8 (previously held by Jonathan Lavalley)?

4 x 220 - 1:37.39

4x200 mixed team

Football

Longest play from scrimmage school and state records?99 yards in Vs. Nipmuc Regional

Most Career Rushing Yards- 4027 yards

Most Career Touchdowns – 48

Track Meet in Tantasqua Tonight

The Bartlett Indoor Track team is at Tantasqua Regional tonight in a meet that includes David Prouty, Leicester, and Notre Dame. The Bartlett boys’ squad is led by Nikita Truhanovitch and Rocco DiStefano, while the girls’ squad is led by Amy Panczyk and Kellie Powers.

Baseball Ramblings

Bartlett Athletic Director Rene Langevin tells us that the search for a new baseball coach at the High School is on. The team has a solid nucleus returning, including co-captains Nick Kobel and Connor McCarthy.

BHS Hall OF Fame

The Bartlett High School Hall of Fame Inductees for 2012 have been chosen and an announcement will be made in the next few weeks. The 2012 class will be honored in October at Thompson Speedway in a semi-formal event.

Upcoming Boys Hoops Schedule

Wednesday January 4 - Oxford at Leicester

Wednesday January 4 - Shepherd Hill at Quabbin

Friday January 6 – Southbridge at Bartlett

Tuesday January 10 - Bartlett at Uxbridge

Tuesday January 10 - Northbridge at Oxford

Tuesday January 10 – Leicester at Shepherd Hill

Until next week, take care Sports fans!

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By Steev Riccardo

Hello sports fans! I finally had the chance to witness Bartlett senior Captain Nick Kobel in action, and after watching the Indians’ first three games, I know what the hype is all about. The kid is the real deal.

Kobel looked great against David Prouty on opening day scoring 19 points, but that was nothing compared to the back-to-back games he played last week against Leicester and Northbridge.

The 6’1” point guard was unstoppable with 35 against Leicester and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, he scores 37 against Northbridge. It’s not just the shooting either, the kid is also an excellent playmaker and a very good defender. He has all the skills to play college ball, but for now he and his excellent supporting cast have a chance to do some real damage this year in Central Mass.

Coach Tony Paranto and the Indians also have to be excited about the emergence of sophomore transfer Alex Givens-Perry, who is an outstanding athlete who can shoot, rebound, and defend with authority at a young age. His 16 rebounds and overall play against Northbridge was a real eye opener.

With Kobel’s leadership, newcomer Perry, the solid threesome of DJ Kirby-Thomas, Akeem Belnavis, and Matt Huberdault, the Indians starting five looks good. They also have a solid bench to go along with the starters. They will be looking to continue their winning ways at home on Friday night against Quoboag.

Jackie Finkel

Bartlett High School Boys Basketball team Manager Jackie Finkel has some serious basketball roots in her family. Her Grandfather Henry “Hank” Finkel played center for the Boston Celtics and was part of the 1974 World Championship team.

The elder Finkel started his career as a Los Angeles Laker but played most of it with the Celtics and served as the back up to Hall of Famer Dave Cowens. Jackie, who has a great knowledge of the game, hopes to attend college and pursue a career in coaching. She certainly has the skills and the roots!

Bryana Poulin

Patriot sportswriter Don Cote pointed out that Bryana Poulin, one of Bartlett’s most recent 1000-point scorers in basketball and all-star soccer star was in attendance this Friday night. She is currently attending Southern Connecticut University where she is a member of the soccer team. She was a four-time Southern Worcester County League All-Star at Bartlett in soccer as well.

The Oxford Pirates Boys Basketball team, coming off a big win over Auburn, will be at Nipmuc Regional tonight. The 1-2 Pirates, who have been led by a couple of juniors in Cody Stone (22 points against Auburn) and Tyler Barrie will be looking to put some wins together. They also play the David Prouty Panthers on Friday night at home.

 The Shepherd Hill Rams boys squad, who are off to a fantastic 4-0 start, play Quoboag tonight and Auburn on Friday.

The View would like to wish a Happy New Year and a thank you to everyone that has contributed and supported us: All my family and friends, The Patriot newspaper staff, All the sports programs at Bartlett High School, Shepherd Hill Regional High School, Oxford High School, and Nichols College, Kevin Wells, Dennis “The Bear” Tremblay, Don Cushing, Dane Laboissonniere, Tony Paranto, Sean and Alex Hetherman, Rocco DiStefano, Jackie Finkel, Sean Halloran, Jeff Parcells, The East Main Street Café, and especially all the View readers! See you on the sidelines!

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View12-21

View From The Sidelines

By Steev Riccardo

Walking into the old gym at David Prouty High School in Spencer last Friday night felt like walking on to the set of Hoosiers 2.

As the Bartlett Indians were about to take on the David Prouty Panthers in the Indians’ season opener, it was hard not to look around at the gym and marvel. The David Prouty gym is one of the oldest gyms in the area and it just feels like high school basketball when you are in that joint.

Once the reminiscing was over it was time to play basketball and it was good to see Bartlett in action. They look like a pretty athletic unit this year and took care of the Panthers fairly easily in this, their season opener.

The Indians have a trio of captains in Nick Kobel, DJ Kirby-Thomas and junior Matt Huberdault that form a solid nucleus. They are joined by a couple of impressive underclassmen in junior Akeem Belnavis and sophomore transfer Alex Givens-Perry, who came over from Doherty High School this fall. The five give Coach Tony Paranto a speedy athletic unit.

Belnavis had three steals which seemed par for the course for the same guy who picked off five passes while playing cornerback for the Indians this past season on the football field. Givens-Perry looks like he could be a real player and his debut performance of 8 points and 9 rebounds was living proof of this assessment.

Paranto and the Indians will be looking to use their speed against some of the bigger teams they will face such as the Northbridge Rams, who they will meet this Friday night in their home opener.

In other High School action this Friday, the 2-0 Shepherd Hill Rams will travel to Tantasqua Regional in Sturbridge and take on a tough Quoboag team next Wednesday night.

The 0-1 Sean Halloran-coached Oxford Pirates, coming off a loss to Shepherd Hill on Friday, host rivals Auburn High School.

Rocco and Hack: It was hard not to think about the play of the season in high school football while getting ready for the Bartlett-Prouty game since it took place during this season’s Indian-Panther contest. Rocco Di-Stefano’s jarring hit that forced a fumble that was picked up by DJ Kirby-Thomas and run in for a touchdown was a play that anyone who was at Worcester Tech that night and witnessed will not be forgetting too soon. That clip is up on You Tube.

Speaking of Rocco, he is currently weighing his options on college and is expected to make a decision on where he will be bringing his talents very soon.

We ran into Di-Stefano’s teammate and fellow Indian standout Arthur Hackenson, who was the anchor of their offensive line this season, at the game in Spencer. The Honors student told us that he would be attending Springfield College in Western Mass in the fall.

Lastly, the view wants to wish Boston Celtic forward Jeff Green a healthy recovery from his heart condition, which will keep him off the court all season. Of course life is more important than basketball and his well being comes first. As far as replacing him goes, that will be tough but like we said last week, in Danny Ainge we trust.

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By Steev Riccardo

Greeting Sports fans! With High School basketball getting underway this week at area schools, I have spent some time in some of the local gyms and last week I swear I saw the ghost of Billy Herrion nailing jump shots over at Oxford High School.

These are the kind of daydreams you have when you find yourself looking at a banner that has Herrion’s name on top and way ahead of everyone else in points scored in Oxford history.

Herrion’s name is up on the banner as the all-time Pirate scoring leader with 1500 points almost 500 points higher than anyone else in the school’s history. He was a legend and every player that has played for Oxford has seen that name hanging on the banner for the last 35 years.

Of course the gym I was in was not the same gym that I witnessed the former Oxford star and now College basketball coach at The University Of New Hampshire drop in 47 against Bartlett in a classic 85-83 double overtime win during the 1975-76 season.  The old OHS gym was a mere 100 yards away.

Herrion’s first six years at UNH have yielded numerous achievements such as being fifth all-time on UNH’s wins list (70), second all-time in wins during a coach’s first five years at UNH, and only the second coach in program history to reach 50 wins in less than five full seasons. He previously coached at East Carolina and Drexel, where his squad went to three NCAA tournaments and also had an appearance in the NIT.

This year’s Pirates open their season Friday night at Shepherd Hill looking to continue where they left off from their 14-9 season a year ago.

In Danny We Trust: Lets face it whether the Boston Celtics and The Los Angeles Lakers are winning championships or not, all eyes are on them in the off-season every season to see what they will do. This season has been no different, in fact it is been more interesting than most.  It’s a shame that the Celtics were not able to get Chris Paul or David West, but they still did a great job of bringing some good bench players. The Lakers have met a similar fate unable to land Paul when a trade they though they had completed was vetoed by the league.

Back to the Celtics and Ainge, you have to like the moves they have made so far. I have always liked Brandon Bass. He is a very solid power forward who can score and rebound.  Keyon Dooling was also a nice pick-up. He is an excellent defender and can shoot threes and just plays an all-around tough style. Finally, getting Chris Wilcox added good depth to the frontline, which will also include first round pick JuJuan Johnson.

The Celtics open Christmas day at The Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

Tebow: I am not a big Tim Tebow fan, never have been, but his popularity continues to grow as The Denver Broncos continue to play well. Very curious to see how he does against an inept New England Patriot defense this coming weekend. You can help but think that game will be getting a pretty viewing audience.

Oxford High Boys Hoops Schedule
Friday December 16 at Shepherd Hill
Tuesday December 20 Tantasqua
Friday December 23 Auburn
Wednesday December 28 at Nipmuc
Friday December 30 David Prouty
Monday January 2 at Grafton
Wednesday January 4 at Leicester
Tuesday January 10 Northbridge
Friday January 13 Quoboag
Wednesday January 18 Southbridge
Friday January 20 Uxbridge
Tuesday January 24 at Bartlett
Friday January 27 Grafton
Monday January 30 Millbury
Saturday February 4 at Auburn
Monday February 6 at Uxbridge
Monday February 13 at Millbury
Wednesday February 15 Northbridge

Bartlett High Boys Hoops Schedule
Friday December 16 at David Prouty
Tuesday December 20 at Leicester
Friday December 23 Northbridge
Friday December 30 Quoboag
Tuesday January 3 at Blackstone-Milville
Friday January 6 Southbridge
Tuesday January 10 at Uxbridge
Friday January 13 at Douglas
Monday January 16 at Auburn
Wednesday January 18 at Grafton
Friday January 20 Millbury
Tuesday January 24 Oxford
Friday January 27 at Shepherd Hill
Monday January 30 Tantasqua
Thursday February 2 David Prouty
Monday February 6 Leicester
Thursday February 9 at Quoboag
Monday February 13 at Southbridge
Wednesday February 15 Worcester North

Shepherd Hill Boys Hoop Schedule
Tuesday December 13 Millbury
Friday December 16 Oxford
Friday December 23 at Tantasqua
Wednesday December 28 at Quoboag
Friday December 30 Auburn
Wednesday January 4 at Quabbin
Tuesday January 10 Leicester
Friday January 13 at Northbridge
Friday January 20 at Southbridge
Tuesday January 24 at Uxbridge
Friday January 27 at Shepherd Hill
Monday January 30 Grafton
Thursday February 2 at Auburn
Friday February 3 Shrewsbury
Monday February 6 Tantasqua
Wednesday February 8 at Leominster
Sunday February 12 Quabbin

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By Steev Riccardo

By the time you are reading this column, we will know the outcomes of last night’s high school football division playoff games.

At press time the Bartlett Indians were preparing to take on conference rivals Leicester Wolverines in a Division 5 battle, the Shepherd Hill Rams were ready to do battle with unbeaten Nashoba Regional in a Division 2 tilt, and the Bay Path Minutemen were about to take on Valley Tech in a Division 6 battle.  All three match-ups looked like beauties on paper.

The Indians didn’t have much time to recover from a difficult Thanksgiving morning loss to the Southbridge Pioneers, while the Wolverines from Leicester found themselves in a similar position after being upset by the David Prouty Panthers 20-12.  Both teams had identical 7-4 records, and despite the Indians’ convincing win over the Wolverines earlier in the year, were evenly matched and at this point in time know each other very well.

In their previous match-up, the Indians dominated the Wolverines 34-7. Rocco DiStefano scored three times and DJ Kirby-Thomas had a monster game with 134 yards rushing and a huge 57-yard interception.  It’s unlikely last night’s game would be the same, although it is hard to speculate on the outcome between the two well-coached teams

The Shepherd Hill Rams are one of the better teams in Central Mass, but still would have needed a huge performance from Cody Peck and company to upset undefeated Nashoba Tech, who rolled over all their opposition this season.

No matter what happens with the Rams, their season has been a huge success and they have nothing to be ashamed of. Their running game, led by Peck, Anthony Wilga, and company behind that huge offensive line, has been brutal on opponents all season.

Bay Path seems the most likely of the locals to be in the hunt for a Super Bowl win on Saturday assuming they beat Valley Tech last night. 

The Minutemen have been paced all year by a great overall balanced attack featuring Kyle Pearson (16 passing TD’s) Tyler Phillips (568 yards, 8 TD’s), and Anthony Baez (10 receiving TD’s). They know how to score in many ways and their defense has been solid.

It would be nice if all three teams were still playing on Saturday, but regardless, each of the programs should be pleased. All three had winning records and solid performances across the board and have a lot to be proud of

Don Cushing Sighting
It was a pleasure running into former Bartlett High School and Nichols College Basketball coach Don Cushing on the sidelines in Southbridge on Thanksgiving morning.  Coach Cushing was more than happy to share his thoughts on the Sports scene both new and old, and also referenced a couple of past columns.

The legendary coach reminisced about the great 85-83 double overtime basketball game between Bartlett and Oxford during the 75-76 season, which we had talked about in this very column a little over a month ago. 

It was uncanny that he recalled the key play in the game by Pirates point guard Ricky Polis. The feisty point guard made a brilliant play, saving a loose ball that was headed out of bounds, insuring the Pirates that unforgettable win. He also joked and said the Indians played a box and one against Billy Herrion and four guys guarded him and he still threw in 47 points, which wasn’t too far from the truth. Herrion was spectacular.

Cushing also was happy to read the story about yours truly having lunch at Oxford High School with Principal Kevin Wells, who not only played for the Pirates and was best friends with Herrion, but also served as an Assistant Coach to Cushing at Nichols College.

Herrion, who played at Assumption College, has had a stellar career as an NCAA Division I coach. He coached Drexel to three NCAA tournaments and is currently head basketball coach at the University Of New Hampshire.  

One of the real thrills for me being back in the area and covering local sports is being able to reminisce about some of the great sporting events from the past.  Central Mass is rich in high school sports memories and guys like Don Cushing are a big part of that.

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