The Monday after Thanksgiving marked the opening of the MIAA Winter Season.  Now, almost two weeks later, teams have wrapped up tryouts and are ready for their first games. The Fall Sports teams at HHS had successful regular seasons but then simmered down in the Postseason. Not to take anything away from them, but this winter, HHS Athletics is primed to surpass the efforts of Fall Teams in what should be an exciting couple of months. Here’s a brief preview for some of the teams. You can find the Boys’ Hockey preview in our last edition and Boy’s Basketball in a coming edition.

Cohasset/Hanover Girls Hockey- The Cohasset/Hanover co-op program enters its 5th year and will be looking to continue its recent improvement. After a rough first couple of years, CH Puck reached the MIAA tournament for the first time last year and beat King Phillip in the first round before bowing out to Milton. The team will be very good again this year with many top returnees from both towns. Junior Goalie Shea Kearney and Senior Forward Valerie Farren will lead the Cohasset front with several sophomores. Both were huge contributors to last year’s success.  Hanover will bring back Junior Forward Samantha Taylor, Junior Defense Molly Cameron and Sophomore Callie Hoadley as some of their key players.  Deb Beal of Cohasset will be the head coach and has guided the team all five years. Their first game is Saturday, 12/13,  vs. Medway, 12:45 PM at Zapustas Arena

Swim and Dive Team- The Hanover Swim and Dive Team is looking forward to a competitive and successful season in the pool. The Boys’ team is very senior-laden, with Eddie Geswell, Joe Ferrarini, Adam Hayes and Shawn Doolin filling key roles. The Girls team is led by Junior Calley Madison, and team captains Jill Locke and McKenzie Shoff. Their first meet is Sunday, 12/14 at the YMCA versus Hingham and they are coached by Barb Toohey.

Girls Basketball- Led by a talented Senior Class and under the guidance of Coach Brian Fisher, the Lady Indians won a share of the Patriot League Title last year. They graduated four seniors who had vast varsity experience.  This year, the Senior experience will be a little less with only Marissa Nimeskern returning. She will have fellow Senior Sydney Lambert to help her lead a talented crop of players. Junior Forward Stephanie Flynn, team co-captain, will be back to start for a third straight season and was a dominant force for the Indians last year. Sophomores Megan Dixon and Meaghan Raab will also reprise their starting roles and be important to the team’s success. Juniors Kayla McMahon, the other co-captain, will join Emily Sweeney and Alyssa Delahunt to fill big roles for the Indians as well. Despite a tough Patriot League schedule, the Indians have what it takes to repeat and possibly exceed last year’s success. They open up with a game at Quincy High School on Tuesday, 12/16.

Ski Team- Based out of Blue Hills, the ski team will have its largest team in years. That gives them a good shot at finding more success than in years past. Some of the key returning members are Senior Pat Wilson, and Juniors Justin Rusko and Matt Paschal. Justin Rusko and Annika Rowland are the captains. Their coach is Robert Egan. Besides Blue Hills, the team will also have a couple events at Rugged Mountain in New Hampshire.

Wrestling- After winning a share of the Patriot League Title last season, the Wrestling team is striving for a repeat performance. Sophomore Hunter Gillis may have been the team’s most successful individual season tournament wise last year and he will be expected to perform well this year along with Senior Captain Mike McLeod and Seniors Dillon Russell, Jeff MacDonald, and Tyler Anderson.  Coach Andy Cook will be back to lead the team after many successful seasons.  Their first meet is an 8 team meet at Bristol Aggie this Sunday, 12/14.

Gymnastics- The Hanover Gymnastics team is another team with great potential. The team’s made up of talented gymnasts of all grades, but Seniors Devan Martin and Breanna Harris and Sophomores Lauren Galotti and Sophie Baker will lead the charge. They are coached by Kerriann Hart.

After nearly five grueling months of hard work and immense effort by Hanover High School’s cheerleading team, the cheerleaders were rewarded with the Division Champs title for their 2014 competition season! But it was not an easy feat to accomplish…

Leading up to their first competition on November 1st, the cheerleaders worked diligently on perfecting their skills and routine. Running a routine full-out is not something to take lightly; after nearly two minutes of vigorously clenching your muscles, forcefully yelling a cheer, running and tumbling across the mat, tossing girls your own age into the air, all while maintaining a megawatt smile, it truly takes a toll on you. Especially when you have to run that routine over and over and over until your bones are aching, your throat is sore, and your muscles are numb. But after a tough week of intense practices, the team arrived at their inaugural competition feeling confident and prepared.

The team’s first competition was an invitational held at Braintree High School, where Hanover competed against numerous teams, some composed of intimidating girls nearly twice their side. “It was definitely a nerve-wracking experience,” said Junior Charlotte Calkin. “Seeing those other girls definitely took a toll on our confidence.” But despite any lingering fears and insecurities, Hanover took the mat with large and unwavering smiles plastered on their faces, and hands clenched tightly at their sides. The girls performed the routine perfectly, until about three quarters of the way through the music section. Suddenly, their song cut out, and all 15 girls stood shocked in place, wondering what could’ve gone wrong. But in an incredible example of team work and perseverance, the team began to count out their music for the last few remaining eight counts, leading the audience in a thrilling chant that was punctuated with an eruption of praise and applause when the routine had finished. So even though the team suffered quite the mishap on the mat, they were able to power through and finish their routine without the music keeping them in line. Judges most definitely took this into account, and when the time for awards came around, Hanover was awarded first place in its division, making for a very happy HHS team.

After returning from their invitational with a large pink trophy held high above their heads, the girls knew that in order to keep their place on top, they would need to work extra hard to keep up with the other teams, who would certainly be raising the stakes of their own routines in order to compete with Hanover’s talent. But after another week of rough, dragging practices that nearly wore holes in the girls’ shoes, they felt prepared for their second competition, this time where the league title would be at stake.

November 8th brought nervous smiles and shaky knees as the team filed into Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. This was the moment they had been dreading since beginning captains’ practices in July- this was the moment that their hard work had been leading up to. Their performance time snuck up on them, and before they knew it they were huddling together on the edge of the mat preparing to begin. The girls took their last few seconds to give each other parting advisory remarks: “stay clean!” “Don’t forget to smile!” “Be loud!” And before they knew it, the DJ was announcing, “HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL, YOU MAY TAKE THE MAT.” And their routine began. After making it through without any music mishaps, the girls ran off the mat exhausted, yet invigorated with adrenaline.

Flash forward to the award ceremony — the girls were nervous, for though they had performed to their highest capacity, the judges at the league competition were known to be harsher than those at the invitational. And perhaps giving their all wouldn’t be quite enough in this scenario. The DJ stepped up to the microphone and began to announce the winning teams from each division, and when Division 4 was called, every Hanover cheerleader clutched each others’ hands with white knuckles and squeezed their eyes shut in anticipation. And in a frenzy of excited shouts and screams of joy, Hanover High School proudly took home the title of not only Division 4 champion, but of second place in the entire league, something that they have been working toward for years. The entire team was grateful for how far they came in their competition season, and their numerous awards prove how dedicated they were. They were rewarded not only with trophies and plaques, but with the support and respect of their fellow students, which is all they could ever ask for.

When asked about the hard work put in by the cheerleaders, Senior captain Skye Howard said, “this season has been one of the best for HHS cheer thanks to everyone on the team, from coming to 6 am practices, staying after school until the sun is completely gone, and coming even when they’re sick.” And all of the present seniors have expressed similar regards to their beloved teammates, mourning the end of the season and promising to return next year with new ideas for future routines. Skye said, “This has been one of the hardest seasons we’ve ever had and without the dedication of each and every cheerleader, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did.”

“Our season may be over,” says sophomore Nicole Cirafice, “But we are definitely still a team. And I don’t think that’s something that will go away”.

The Red Sox were able to lure in two mega free agents for the 2014-2015 season: Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. The team hopes the additions will mean more wins and a trip to the postseason after their disappointing performance last year.

Ramirez, who will be 31 on December 23rd, agreed to a four year, $88 million deal with a fifth year option for an extra $22 million. Ramirez, a former Los Angeles Dodger, was originally signed with the Boston Red Sox in July 2000 as an international free agent but was traded in the deal where the Sox got Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota. For most of his 10-year career, Ramirez has played shortstop but has told the Sox he’d be willing to change positions.

Pablo Sandoval signed with the Red Sox for a five year, $95 million deal with a $17 million option for a sixth year. In 2012, Sandoval was the World Series MVP and helped the San Francisco Giants win three championships. Also in 2012, he earned the nickname “Kung Fu Panda” and became a fan favorite.

The Red Sox unfortunately failed to grab Jon Lester, who signed with the Chicago Cubs, but just recently got some good trades for a couple of pitchers that will surely help this upcoming season. Just last night, the Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Wade Miley from the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitchers Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and a minor leaguer. Also, the Sox were able to trade Yoenis Cespedes to the Detroit Tigers for starting pitcher Rick Porcello.

When you’re the state runner up, it’s quite a challenge to improve from the previous season. There’s only one step left to take, but it’s the hardest step of all. After Hanover got trounced by Shrewsbury High School (a school with 1,630 students!) at the TD Garden last year, the makeup of the Hanover program immediately changed. The Class of 2014 was incredibly talented and extremely determined to reach the state final. Replacing them will be a hard task for the Indians. They also lose a pair of key juniors because Nick Joy left for Juniors and Colin Mahoney transferred to the Nobles & Greenborough school in Dedham.

The team still has a strong chance to repeat and potentially exceed last year’s performance. Now in their second year in D3, the Indians face inferior teams except for the final three games or so in division. They are one of the most talented programs in the division and will come into  the tournament as one of the most battle-tested after a tough Patriot League schedule as well as non-conference games against top D3 foes Cohasset and Bishop Stang. In other good news, Hanover returns four of its top nine forwards from last year’s run. Junior Captain Landon Hasenfuss is back at 1st line Center.  Senior Captains Tom Martin and Tyler Powers are back as well as Junior Trevor Doucette. Martin, Powers and Doucette formed a very potent and physical 3rd line during last season. They will be reinforced by seniors Ernie Meads, Joe Maguire, and Alex O’Dowd who had minor

roles on the varsity team last year as well as a slew of JV players moving up. The Indians will need the same offensive success from last year to make a deep run.

Defensively, things are a little fresher coming into this season. In the net, the Indians will be rock solid. Junior Captain Noah Clapp returns between the pipes after leading Hanover last season to their stellar year. He will be backed up Senior Drew Zwart, a talented net minder in his own right. Senior Cole Methot and and Sophomore Mike McGlame are the only returning defensemen who saw a regular shift last year but they will be reinforced by Seniors Christian Sarruda and Shane Fallon who saw varying degrees of Varsity ice time last year. The defense will need great contributions from underclassmen this year as well for Hanover to be successful. As the cliche goes, “Defense wins championships,” and it applies especially to hockey.

As is the case in other sports Hanover competes in, we will be the smallest school in the league. That has never prohibited the program from performing well. This year’s crop of players might be slightly behind last year’s team in terms of experience and talent but that doesn’t mean they won’t attain a high level of success. In fact, if the Indians play well, we have a good chance of seeing them at TD Garden again this season.  To start the season, the Indians will play most of their games at the Hobomock Arena in Pembroke. To see their complete schedule please visit hanoverhshockey.com.

The Star-Spangled Seniors beat the General Juniors 7-0 in the annual Powderpuff football game Nov. 24. Under the lights on a windy night on Gerrity Memorial Field, with the HHS band playing on the sidelines, the winning touchdown was scored by Hana Chahid.

Senior Coach Shane Fallon credits the whole team with pulling together. “The reason we won is that we played well as a team and didn’t rely on just a few standout players.”

Powderpuff is a fun one-hand touch football game between the Junior and Senior girls. Both gradesspent weeks practicing for the big game. Seniors are usually the favorit, perhaps because many of them  have the experience of playing junior year under their belts.

“We definitely knew what was going on and instead of just trying to get a feel of the game, we got right into the plays,” said senior Amy Leonard. “We were familiar with the whole thing.”

The juniors this year put up a good challenge, according to players on both sides.

“For the whole game it was very fair,” Leonard said. “No matter what, seniors (usually) win but we won that game fair and square.”

“We had some nice offensive plays, and we were close to scoring a lot of times,” said junior Kayla McMahon. “The senior defense was really good so it was hard for us to run the ball long. ”

There is no prize for winning other than bragging rights and glory for the rest of the school year.

“Our players left their hearts on the field and made us coaches proud,” said Junior Coach Joe Byrne.

Watch a student-made video about the game.

It’s a cold, brisk fall day. The sun is out but the sky is still rather gray. You, a parent or two, and your siblings head over to the field. The orange leaves are still on the ground but fall is fading. You watch in awe as the high school plays against Norwell in front of a huge crowd. You fool around with friends on the grass, and you try to emulate the kids out on the field.  You see your neighbors and you see people who have moved away  back in town for this special event. You leave happy no matter the result, ready for an awaiting feast.

Those are the memories I have of the annual Thanksgiving football game. Thanksgiving football games are a unique tradition. Almost every school in Massachusetts plays a rival school on Thanksgiving morning. The tradition extends, in some form, to the rest of New England. Connecticut has at least 48 Thanksgiving games. Rhode Island is similar to Massachusetts in that every town has a rival. Maine only has one. Missouri has one, California has two and New Jersey has a fair amount. New York and Pennsylvania have a couple.  It’s an event for two communities that brings back alumni and former town member. The two schools create the biggest crowd some teams will play before all year. The atmosphere is very upbeat and supportive.

For the teams, it might be the biggest game all year. It’s the rivalry game, and it’s a game participants remember all their lives. Everyone wants to win the Thanksgiving game, and for most teams, it’s their seniors’ last game and eternal bragging rights are on the line. In Hanover and lot of other schools, it is the only time they play this rival all year and since most varsity careers are only 2-3 years, it’s a rare opportunity to play in a game of such magnitude.  Some schools have bitter rivalries and Thanksgiving is their chance to leave it all on the field.

The Hanover/Norwell rivalry isn’t all that bitter, though both sides want to win more than anything on that given Thursday. This year, Hanover goes to Norwell while on a 6 game win streak, and a lot of those wins came at Norwell, 4 out of 6 to be exact. That being said, both teams had solid regular seasons. Hanover made the playoffs but has lost 5 games in a row. Norwell played well this year, but did not make the playoffs. Hanover should be the favorite going in but Norwell will be a challenge for them as always. Seamus Boutin of Hanover and Dan Hilson of Norwell are the offensive weapons to watch in this game.

Recently, the aura surrounding Thanksgiving football has changed a little bit. Due to the new playoff system with the games occurring well before Thanksgiving,  things have changed. Thanksgiving  games don’t determine playoff spots anymore whereas in the past there was always a spot or two riding on the result of the game.  There are also a couple more teams who now know they have a game after Thanksgiving and strategically do not play their best players, which takes away the spirit from the game.

Also, because of the new system, for some teams the Thanksgiving game is no longer a once a year affair. For example, Cohasset and Hull will face each other for the second time this year on Turkey Day. They had to play a regular season game against each other in the South Shore Small Division and they could have played again if Hull made the playoffs. Central Catholic and Andover will face each other three times now in one season. First in league play, second in the opening round of the playoffs, and finally on Thanksgiving. The familiarity definitely takes away a little bit of excitement from the game for everyone involved. However, those are minors kinks that can maybe be worked out in the future. The system was implemented on a two year trial basis and will be up for review. Although the the likely decision will be to keep the system the same, it would be a good opportunity to address some of those issues.

Either way, Hanover and Norwell’s tradition looks to be going strong. The game will be at Norwell High School’s new field (which marks another end of an era for a lot of people who usually go, as both teams now have new turf fields) around 10 or 10:30 a.m. on Turkey Day.

The New England Patriots are hoping to extend their winning streak to seven games this Sunday when they play the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium.  Game time is 1 pm.

The Lions have the best run defense in the league so the Patriots will not be able to use running back Jonas Gray, who played a big role in last week’s win against the Indianapolis Colts. Gray,  who made his first appearance on Oct. 16 because of an injury to running back Steven Ridley, had four rushing touchdowns and 199 rushing yards in the 42-20 victory.

The Pats will  have to rely on receivers Rob Gronkowski, Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman when they take on the Lions. They’ve won their last 14 games at Gillette, so hopefully the home field advantage will be with them.

I expect the Pats to beat the Detroit Lions by at least 10 points by the way they have been man-handling opponents.

Cross Country

XC had its sectional meet over the weekend. Everybody who participated ran their best. It was the final Cross Country meet for most of them.  Junior Steph Flynn was the only team member to qualify for states. Some boys ran well too. Alex O’Dowd, Tim Good, and Will Deboer made up their top three. O’Dowd ran a 19:04, Deboer a 18:52, and Good a 18:08.

Boys Soccer

The boys soccer team had their season cut shorter than they would have liked last week. Top seed Medway defeated them in Medway on a cold, rainy night. The score was 2-0 but it could have been a high scoring game. In the first half, Medway pounded on the Indians, who were down Jason Gallagher and Joe Maguire due to injuries and Jack Phelan because of a suspension. Medway put in two goals and had many scoring bids. Hanover’s Johnny Ferrarini made some big plays and Zach Chase had a goal saving play with his foot. In the second half, play evened out a lot and Hanover had some opportunities to score, including a penalty kick.  Medway was an extremely athletic and skilled team but they had to earn this win. It was a tough loss for this close-knit team, but the season went well for them despite the loss.

Week One of tourney time for HHS sports team didn’t go how many would have hoped.

Field Hockey had a tremendous regular season but bowed out in the first round of the tournament. They fell to Dedham 2-1 at home. Dedham is still playing after upsetting Cohasset as well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Girls Soccer also was defeated in its first game. They lost to Old Rochester Regional 1-0 in a night game at their place. The Indians arguably played better and had some good chances but couldn’t get an equalizer and their season is over.

Football also lost on Halloween to Middleboro. They traveled down to the home of the Sachems for a rematch in the first round of the D4 South playoffs. After a 26-0 whipping, the Indians lost only 22-13 and were a couple missed opportunities away from advancing. Seamus Boutin had two touchdown runs, both from less than five yards. Hanover’s biggest play might have been when Seamus Boutin blocked the punt and Matt Lanagan returned it to the 2 yard line. The opening drive, Dimitry LaForest had a big run and Hanover had the ball on the three, but an offside set back 5 yards and they had to attempt a field goal, which they missed. They are not done, however, as they will play Apponequet at home, have another assigned game and then the big Thanksgiving clash versus Norwell.

Now on to the winners.

Boys Soccer lived to fight another day after finally overcoming  season nemesis Rockland. They defeated Rockland 2-1 in extra time Monday. Hanover controlled play in the first half and despite making some unforced errors, outplayed the Bulldogs easily. Dan Padula scored in the first half after finding some space and putting a good shot on frame. The second half was  dominated by Rockland, although Hanover had its chances. Rockland applied lots of pressure and the Indian defense crumbled at points. A Rockland forward beat a Hanover defender on the wing, keeper Johnny Ferrarini came out to challenge, and the forward rolled the ball in with a nice touch.

When the game went to Golden Goal (sudden death) extra time, Hanover would net the game winner. Hanover held an edge in possession for most of the 10 minute overtime period. With a little more than a minute remaining in the first OT, Hanover took a corner from the near sideline. Joe Maguire made a play to prevent a clear and keep the ball in the 18, and after a quick scrum, the ball popped over to junior Dave Burton who tucked a perfect shot just past the diving goalie’s outstretched hands in the bottom left corner. It was a great sight as he walked casually away while the rest of the team erupted and swarmed him. Credit to Rockland for battling and giving Hanover three of the best games all year.

The boys play a tough Medway team on Thursday, Nov 6.  Medway is the top seed in the sectional and beat Dennis-Yarmouth 4-0 in its initial game. The game is at 6:00 at Medway High School and there will be a fan bus. Either way, try to support the team as they keep HHS alive in the MIAA fall Tournaments.

 Cross Country is still going, with the EMass sectional meet is this weekend. They are still working hard and hoping for big results. The previous weekend, in an invitational meet, a Hanover squad not competing at full strength had a solid weekend. There are 9 boys and 6 girls running for Hanover. The boys are Alex O’Dowd, Ernie Meads, Tim Good, Pat Wilson, Kenny Croke, Brian Gill, Dan Hamza, Will Deboer, Bryan Connors. The Girls are Steph Flynn, Christina Nee, Joy Replogle,  Sarah Ryan, Emma Buckley, and Erin Smith. At least a couple are expected to move onto the state meet the following weekend.

Do you remember what you were doing in the eighth grade? Probably spending most of your time playing Call of Duty or Facebook.  I know I was.  Standing apart from this group was Nick Schoff, brother of HHS senior Mackenzie Schoff, who created Jam Quest Hoops as an eighth grader in 2007.  Jam Quest is a three-on-three basketball tournament that raises money to help the impoverished orphans of Kenya.  With a mission “to bring faith, hope and love to kids in need around the world through the care and service of young athletes,”  the organization has raised over $50,000 to help countless Kenyan children.  They have also spoken at over 5,000 middle schools and high schools across the country in order to  inspire another generation of leaders to accomplish feats like this.

In Kenya, 700 children are orphaned every day.  A third of them lose parents due to AIDS. Also, 12-15 percent of homes in Kenya are run by an orphaned sibling.  Thanks to the work of Nick Schoff and hundreds of volunteers, we are given an opportunity to do something about this.  By playing in this tournament, you can join this movement that has truly changed the lives of those in need.  Not to mention the fact that you get the chance to show off some basketball skills.

It has been clear in the past couple weeks that Hanover pride is the strongest ever this year.  (If you won’t take my word for it, check out our spirit week photo gallery.)  We have given spirit weeks, rallies and tourney games our absolute all.  Let’s carry this energy into this basketball tournament on November 15, and show everyone the capacity Hanover High has to help others.

What: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament To Help Kids in Poverty in Kenya, Africa

When: Saturday, November 15th, 6pm to 9pm

Age Brackets: 12-15, 16-18, 18+

Cost: $20 per person (includes wristband and t-shirt)

Check Out The JamQuest Hoops Website For More Information:

http://jamquesthoops.com/jqh-2013-14-video/