Natick July 2016

July 2016 Local Town Pages www.naticktownnews.com Page 13
Sports
25 of 31 Teams in the Playoffs
Natick High’s Athletic Success for
2015-16 was Remarkable
By Ken Hamwey,
Staff Sports Writer
To say that Natick High’s
athletic teams produced good
results during the 2015-16 school
year would be a huge understatement.
Give the Redhawks’
squads straight-A’s in each of the
three seasons.
Consider this statistic—Natick
High currently has 31 varsity
teams and 25 of them qualified
for post-season activity after
the fall, winter and spring campaigns.
That number translates
to 81 percent of all of Natick’s
varsity teams extending their seasons
into the playoffs.
“Our success for the 2015-16
school year was the best we’ve
had in my six years as athletic director,’’
said Tim Collins. “The
combined effort of our boys and
girls teams gave us lots of visibility
in tournaments. And, we’re
pleased with the participation
rates for each season. It’s about
60 percent of the student body.’’
When the regular season
concluded in the fall, Natick
had eight of its 10 varsity teams
preparing for tournaments and
meets. The eight squads that
qualified were golf, girls soccer,
girls volleyball, football, girls and
boys cross-country, girls swimming
and cheerleading. Individual
honors in the fall went to
junior Tom Downing, the Bay
State Conference champ in golf,
and freshman Grace Connolly,
who finished sixth in the Division
2 All-State Cross-Country Meet.
“Our fall teams competed
hard,’’ Collins said. “I was traveling
to tourney games one right
after the other. There were times
when we had conflicts with two
events scheduled on the same
day. Hats off to our coaches and
student-athletes who displayed
Athletic Director Tim Collins
great dedication, excellence and
commitment.’’
The winter season was more
of the same—nine of Natick’s
11 varsity teams had dates in the
playoffs. The nine squads that
qualified were boys and girls ice
hockey, girls basketball, wrestling,
girls and boys track, girls and
Andrew Pierce and Chad Connors
Awarded Eagle Scout Badges
Andrew Pierce (l) and Chad
Connors were awarded their
Eagle Scout badges by Troop
1775 at the Natick on June 5.
Having met numerous mandatory
requirements, the boys
choose a community project,
which required planning, organizing,
acquiring the necessary
materials and people, and
then overseeing its completion.
Pierce’s project was the
rehabilitation of an overgrown
walking path adjacent to Memorial
Elementary School in
South Natick. Connors’ project
was the cleaning up of Camp
Arrowhead for amputee/paralyzed
veterans on Lake Cochituate.
Troop 1775 has one of
the highest rates of Eagle Scout
attainment in Massachusetts.
boys skiing and girls gymnastics.
Two teams that put an exclamation
point on winter competition
were the boys ice hockey
squad and the girls basketball
contingent.
The boys finished 15-4-1 in
the regular season and their victory
over Wellesley clinched the
Herget Division championship.
The girls, led by Justine Gaziano
who’ll play basketball at Brown
next year, overcame numerous
early-season injuries, finishing at
12-8. But that was just the start
of the excitement. Coach Dan
Hinnenkamp’s group defeated
Acton-Boxboro, Algonquin and
Wachusett to win the Sectional
crown. The Redhawks then
downed Chicopee Comprehensive
in the state semifinals before
bowing in the state title game to
Bishop Feehan.
In track, Myles and Lucas
Holt won individual and relays
titles and competed in the nationals
in New York City.
“What was unbelievable about
the winter playoffs was we played
on the first day of the post-season
and also competed on the
last day,’’ Collins noted. “It was
a great time for the entire community.
Townspeople got behind
our teams and we had dozens of
spectator buses. Lots of credit
goes not only to the coaches and
student-athletes, but also to volunteers
and booster clubs.’’
The spring season ended with
eight of 10 varsity teams rolling
into the playoffs. The squads
included girls and boys lacrosse,
boys and girls tennis, boys volleyball,
girls and boys track and
sailing. The boys tennis teams
compiled an admirable 12-6
regular season record and the
boys 4x400 relay team (Myles
and Lucas Holt, Brian Holihan
and Matt Walak) finished first at
the New England track meet, setting
a school record in a time of
3:18.25.
“Spring can be a tough time
for coaches and players,’’ Collins
emphasized. “Both have to deal
with a variety of events and situations
other than sports. Games
have to be scheduled around the
prom, the senior trip and graduation.
The coaches and the athletes
did very well maintaining
concentration and keeping their
competitive abilities at a high
level.’’
Collins also lauded the work
of Natick’s athletic trainer,
Aimee Mendoza, and office assistant
Kathy Larkin. “Aimee has
been with us a long time and her
role has changed, especially in
dealing with concussions,’’ Collins
said. “She has lots of responsibility.
And, Kathy has been with
us since 2010, fulfilling so many
administrative roles.’’
Although Collins is quick to
credit others for Natick’s amazing
year, he, too, deserves mention
for his leadership and guidance.
The 46-year-old administrator
is a Walpole High and Bates College
graduate who later earned
his master’s in education from
Suffolk University. He taught
English at Walpole High and also
was boys’ basketball head coach
and an assistant in track. He later
worked as an assistant men’s basketball
coach at Babson College
before joining the Natick faculty
as an English teacher and boys
varsity basketball coach.
“Natick is a town rich in athletic
tradition and there’s little
doubt that its residents provide
lots of support for our coaches and
athletes,’’ Collins emphasized.
The source of Natick High’s
athletic success in 2015-16 came
from many avenues. But, as the
school year concluded, it seemed
like all roads led to tournament
venues.