Girls Soccer

It was a thrilling postseason for the girls soccer team. After a rough start to the season, the team won 14 consecutive games on its way to the Div. 3 South tournament final.  With a 10-5-4 record and an undefeated second half, the squad was seeded 10th heading into playoffs. They beat 7th seed Seekonk 5-1 on Nov. 3, 15th seed Bishop Stang 4-0 on Nov. 5 and 14th seed Dover-Sherborn 3-1 on Nov.  7.

With momentum on their side, Hanover took on top-seeded Norwell (19-2-1) for the division title on Nov. 11 in Milford. In a gutsy battle from both teams, the game went into overtime. Despite a stellar performance, Hanover fell to Norwell 3-2.

Strong performances came throughout the season from senior captain Lindsay Maslow, junior Dottie Tilden, sophomore Gillian Kenney and freshman Molly McGlame.

Girls Soccer Photos

More Girls Soccer Pics

And a few more

Boys Soccer

The team celebrated its huge roster of seniors with a 4-0 win over Hull on Oct. 25.  Seniors Cole Sweeney, Andrew Ferreira, Collin Wright and Sam Perkins all scored goals in the win, which brought their record to 8-6-4. Senior Joe Clinton and sophomore Collin Frucci combined for the shutout in goal.  The squad, earned 16th seed in the Div. 3 South tournament.  Clinton has been strong in his first year ever as a goalkeeper. Senior captains Perkins and James Clarkson have led them team in tough, physical play all season.

Preliminary tournament action kicked off at home against 17th seed Joseph Case High School (7-6-3) on Nov. 2.  A 1-0 win set up a matchup with top-seeded Norwell on Nov. 4. Norwell best the Indians 3-0 to bring the season to a close.

Despite the early exit from tournament play, Hanover’s motto of “Team First” showed through at every practice and game. Clarkson, Perkins, Caleb Pongratz and Jake Heyl were named Patriot League All Stars. Haraden Bottomley earned the league Scholar Athlete Award and Wright received an Individual Sportsmanship Award. Ferreira led the team with 13 goals on the season; Pongratz had eight.

Boys Soccer Photos

More Boys Soccer

Field Hockey

After finishing the season with three wins in three days, the team earned a 9-5-2 record and the the Patriot League Fisher Division title. Seeded 14th in the Div. 2 South tournament.  In their first round game at home on Oct. 31, they beat 19th-seeded Middleboro 5-0. Goals were scored by five different players: seniors Morgan Foley and Meghan Rice, and juniors Olivia Hussey, Julia Dunderdale and Cory Worrall. They traveled to third seed Medway on Nov. 2, but lost 3-0 to end the season.

Foley and Hussey were named Patriot League All-Stars along with senior goalkeeper Maegan Amsler and senior Kathryn Fallon.

Field Hockey Photos

Senior Night

Volleyball

The team qualified for the Div. 2 South tournament in their final home game Oct. 22, celebrating Senior Night and their first trip to the postseason in several years. With a 10-10 record, Hanover earned 11th seed and a first-round matchup against league rival and 6th seed Pembroke. The schools had met twice in the regular season, each taking a win in five sets. In the playoff on Nov. 1, senior co-captains Emily Sullivan and Jill Poirier combined with classmates Jacqui Manning and Caroline Zielinski to lead their team in giving their all.  Hanover lost the first two games, but roared back to win the third game 25-22 and lead the fourth game 23-22 before Pembroke scored three consecutive points to win the match. Despite falling short, Hanover’s rally highlighted the hard work and passion this team has brought to the court all season long.

With only four seniors graduating and a strong roster of juniors and sophomores, coach Dave Jakub has high hopes for the future.

Volleyball Photos

More Volleyball

Football

After finishing the regular season 5-2, the team had high hopes for the post-season. Earning 5th seed in the Div. 5 South tournament, the team lost in the first round to 4th seeded Canton, 27-13, on Oct. 26. Canton took a 14-0 lead in the first half. Hanover roared back in the second half with a 60-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Andrew Carroll to senior Drew Berard and a 66-yard TD run by senior Ethan Ritchie. But unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

Despite the early exit from tournament play, the team had many memorable moments this season. Senior quarterback and captain Andrew Carroll led the team with his skillful passes. One of Carroll’s best moments was in the final 30 seconds against Plymouth South, when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Pat Damon,  pulling the Indians ahead of Plymouth 13-12. The Indians later won the game 15-12. Damon was another valuable player, catching four touchdown passes in the first five games. In the defeat over Pembroke, Damon scored three touchdowns in one game.

The team will play its traditional Thanksgiving Day game in Norwell this year.

Photos from Homecoming Game

Photos from game vs Plymouth South

Cross Country

With an impressive 8-0 record, the boys team cruised to the Patriot League Fisher Division Championship. The girls put in solid races on the way to a 4-3 record, led by senior Captain Alyssa Nee, who won all seven league races and was named Patriot League Fisher Division MVP. At the State Coaches Invitational Meet on Nov. 3, the freshmen boys placed 2nd and junior boys placed 3rd. With snow on the course and a chill in the air at the Division 2 All-State Meet on Nov. 18, Nee finished in the top 50 to cap off a stellar final season.

Individual runners  racked up personal records all season, which they credit to their average 10 hours of training and 25 miles per week.

Cross Country Photos

Golf

The team finished the regular season with a 9-7 record and qualified to compete at the MIAA D2 South Sectional Tournament.  The team finished 8^th out of 14 teams competing and was led by sophomore Gavin Graybill.  Graybill finished the round tied for 6^th and qualified for the D2 State Championship on Oct. 30 at Marshfield Country Club.

Golf photos

Cheerleading

The squad earned its second straight Patriot League Fisher Division championship on Nov 3. The title followed a 2nd place finish among Div. 3 teams at the Braintree Invitational on Oct. 27. After a strong performance at the MSAA Sectionals in Franklin on Nov. 11, the team finished 8th at the state championship at Worcester State University on Nov. 18.

Homecoming Photos 

More photos

And still more

By Joe Clinton

The Boston Red Sox have had a historic season and are looking to make it even better. The Red Sox ended the season 108-54, the best record in the history of a franchise that has been around for more than 100 years. They’ve been led by the bats of Mookie Betts and JD Martinez, both in the running for the American League MVP. Betts, who hit .346 avg, 32 home runs and 80 RBIs, also has shown strong defensive play in the field, alongside Jackie Bradley Jr. This record-breaking season has come under the leadership of first-year manager Alex Cora.

The Red Sox secured home field advantage by clinching the top seed against the New York Yankees in the Divisional round of the playoffs. The Sox struggled and split the first two games at Fenway against the Yankees. They survived the first game 5-4, led by JD Martinez’s first postseason home run with the team, but suffered another postseason loss by David Price in game two. In the Bronx, it was a much different story. The Red Sox came out to play and won a great game three, 16-1, powered by Brock Holt, the first player in Major League Baseball history to ever hit for the cycle in the postseason. They then finished off the series with a 4-3 win in yet another nail biter which could’ve gone either way in the 9th. For the first time since 2013 the Red Sox advanced to the ALCS to play against the Houston Astros.

The Red Sox were not favored going into this series against the defending World Series champions, especially after losing game one at Fenway 7-2. They bounced back in game two with a 7-5 win due to a huge three-run homer by Jackie Bradley Jr. The next three games were played in Houston, and the Sox surprised many by winning all three: 8-2, 8-6 and 4-1. The performance secured the Red Sox’s first trip to the World Series since 2013.

In the World Series, they will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers,  who finished the regular season 92-71 and first in the NL west division. The Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games to win the NL pennant. Game one starts Tuesday, Oct. 23, and if the series goes to seven games, is scheduled to end on Halloween.

Featured Photo from The Washington Times

By Matthew O’Hara

The Hanover Indians cross country teams have had an extremely successful season, with the boys going undefeated (8-0) and winning the Patriot League Championship. The girls have put in solid races on the way to a 4-3 record. Individual runners  also have racked up personal records all season, which they credit to their average 10 hours of training and 25 miles per week. While their training is long and tough, the cross country teams appear to love this year’s season, describing it as “the best ever” and “a lot of fun.” They also say they appreciate the support they have received from their hardworking coaches Timothy Brown and Andrew McLean and their fellow teammates.

Their final home meet on Oct. 16, in which they bested the Duxbury Dragons, exemplified the teams’ success. While tensions were high, their camaraderie and lightheartedness hyped up the runners and prepared them for the 2.5 mile course. The boys ran first, and had a fantastic race, with sophomore Chris Pacino taking first with a personal record time of 14:06. Senior Nick Courtney finished third with a time of 14:19, junior Thomas McDonough took fifth in 14:23, junior Ethan Bush was sixth in 14:47, and sophomore Sean Dewitt came in seventh at 14:51. The girls race also went exceptionally well, with senior Alyssa Nee finishing first in 17:02. Junior Audrey Wheeler came in second with a personal record time of 17:25, sophomore Kelly Taft took fourth in 18:15, and senior Jordanna Laprise finished sixth in 18:30. In addition to Pacino and Wheeler, several runners earned their PR times including sophomore Colin Jenkins, senior Nick Mirosola, junior Sean Smith, senior Joseph Petrocelli, and sophomore Talha Mehmood 

Hanover also displayed a fantastic amount of good sportsmanship, as they applauded all the runners that crossed the finish line from both the Hanover and Duxbury teams.  After the meet, the team stayed behind to clean up, chat, and take pictures with the seniors, who had just competed in their final home meet.

While dual meets against other schools have ended, the remainder of the season will include a variety of invitational meets for the teams’ top runners. Coach Brown seems optimistic about the rest of the season, and while he acknowledges the “strong opponents ahead,” he is “excited for the invitationals, because they show the improvement that the team has made all year long.” 

Photos of the XC team by DJ Meads

Featured photo courtesy of DJ Meads

By Andrew Carroll

After a rough start to the season, the New England Patriots appear to be back on track. After losing their first three games, they’ve won four straight, capped off by their 38-31 victory in Chicago on Sunday. At season’s start, the Patriots had trouble scoring the ball on offense, but in their last four outings, they averaged 39 points per game and outscored their opponents 157 to 102. The return of Julian Edelman from suspension has been a major factor for the offense. Adding star receiver Josh Gordon has been another key.

Two weeks ago, the Patriots handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season. The Patriots got off to a hot start, scoring 24 points in the first half and forcing two turnovers while holding the Chiefs to 9 points. But in the second half, the Chiefs showed why they might have the most high-powered offense in the league. On their first three drives after halftime, the Chiefs scored, leading 30-26 going into the fourth. But the Patriots were able to withstand the blow, winning on a last second field goal from Stephen Gostkowski.

On Sunday, the Patriots showed what their offense was capable of, scoring 38 points against the Bears’ top-rated pass rush defense. Brady looked strong, throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns. But the story was the Patriots special team doing some heavy work. They scored on a 95-yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson, then a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Kyle Van Noy. The Bears made a late attempt to come back, but the Patriots’ defense held them on the last play of the game, securing the win and improving to 5-2 on the season.

The Patriots play the Buffalo Bills next Monday night at 8:15 pm in Buffalo on ESPN.  

 

Featured photo is from The Chicago Tribune

In the opening games of the 2018-2019 season, the Hanover Indians have become a force to be reckoned with. So far, the Indians have played Cardinal Spellman, East Bridgewater, Pembroke, Plymouth South and Scituate High School and have beaten all of them except Scituate, earning a 4-1 record.The Indians are second in their division, just below the undefeated Scituate Sailors.

Many standout players have contributed to the Indians’ success. Senior quarterback and captain Andrew Caroll has led the team with his skillful passes. One of Caroll’s best moments was in the final 30 seconds against Plymouth South, when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Pat Damon,  pulling the Indians ahead of Plymouth 13-12. The Indians later won the game 15-12. Damon has been another valuable player, catching four touchdown passes in the first five games. In the defeat over Pembroke, Damon scored three touchdowns in one game.

Other major contributors this season include junior Ethan Ritchie, who played an important role in demolishing East Bridgewater with some incredible carries, and junior James Byrne who has one touchdown, one interception, and one two-point conversion. Senior Steven Gill scored two touchdowns against Cardinal Spellman, and senior Kyle Galvin widened Hanover’s lead against Pembroke with two  touchdowns in the fourth quarter of that game.

Head Coach Chris Landolfi believes the team’s tremendous hard work and skill will lead them deep into the playoffs. “Every week they find new challenges and try to improve and learn from their mistakes,” he said.

photos in story by Ralph Stevens for HHS Athletics

More pictures from Homecoming Game

Pictures from game vs Plymouth South

Last Sunday night, the New England Patriots suffered a 26-10 loss to the winless Detroit Lions. This was one of the worst performances by the Patriots on both offense and defense in recent years. They managed only 209 total yards on offense and just 12 first downs, compared to the Lions’ 414 yards and 25 first downs. This was the Patriots’ second consecutive loss early  in the season, and some are starting to doubt the franchise.

Reasons not to Panic

Pats fans should be familiar with the team starting the season slow. In the last 10 years, Belichick’s record in September has been 26-13. This doesn’t scream success, especially when the Patriots averaged 12.5 wins a season over these  10 years. This just goes to prove that Belichick doesn’t put a lot of stock in winning in September. His focus, instead, is on winning games in November, December and January.

After this Sunday’s game against  the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots will get back their best wide receiver in Julian Edelman. Edelman was suspended the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and it has been difficult to fill his spot in the slot. The Pats have lacked a consistent receiver so far this season, with arguably the worst receiving corps that Brady has ever had. In an attempt to save the offense, the Patriots traded for troubled but  talented receiver Josh Gordon. This move is a boom or bust trade for the Patriots. If it works out, it could be the reason the Patriots start to pick it up offensively.

Lastly, the Patriots have three consecutive home games coming up. The team is very good at home in the month of October. This will be a very important stretch for the Pats as they face the Miami Dolphins and then the Kansas City Chiefs, who both have started the season undefeated. I believe the Patriots will once again prove everyone wrong and get back to the top of the AFC by the end of the season. They have the best quarterback in the league along with the best coach.    

 

Rugby

One year ago, in its first season as a varsity sport, Hanover brought home the inaugural Division 2 State Title. This year, having stormed through the tournament, the team had hoped for the same outcome. But despite a strong season, it was not to be.

The Indians lost to Milton, their opponent in last year’s title game as well at Newton Douth High School on June 23. Hanover took the early lead on a score by Ethan Davis and kept the game close through the first half.  But they could not stop third-seeded Milton, who finshed 6-2 on the regular season. Final score was 32-14.

Led by captains Rian Boutin, JT Galvin, Jack Randall and Stephen Zinke, Hanover went 4-2 and earned 4th seed in the tournament. They beat 5th seed Weymouth (4-2-1) in the quarterfinals June 7 by a score of 48-33. In the semifinal June 14, the boys crushed top seed Catholic Memorial, 70-14. Corey Dooley, Cade Frucci, Jack Delahunt and Sam Perkins all scored for Hanover.

Dooley, Perkins, Zinke, Frucci and John Dailey were named League All-Stars. Frucci and Dooley also earned Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic.

Hanover Mariner Pictures

Baseball

This powerhouse team, loaded with players who had started for three or four years, hoped to go deep into the Division 3 South tournament. With pitcher Aidan Henderson going 9-0 on the mound, the team finished the regular season 17-3 and took home the Patriot League Fisher Division championship. They were seeded 2nd going into the tourney and scored a first-round bye.  But a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to 16th seed Falmouth knocked the team out in the second round.

Henderson, Aaron Boise, Liam Flynn and Andrew Carroll led the team as captains. The Simon brothers drove the offense, with Steve leading the league in batting for the second straight year and Mike taking the number 2 spot. Henderson, Flynn, both Simons and catcher Zach Stone were named league All-Stars. Henderson and the Simon brothers were also named Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics, while Steve received a further nod from the Boston Herald. In addition, Steve Simon was chosen to play in the MBCA Junior Select State All Star Game at Bentley College on June 17.

With Carroll, Mike and Steve Simon, and other underclassmen returning next year, hopes are high for another strong season.

Softball

Led by senior captains Lauren Gelly and Cameron Porzio, the team was a force to reckon with all season. They went  16-4 to earn 6th seed in Division 3 South. Gelly, Maegan Amsler, Caroline Zielinski and Katie Doyle were named Patriot League-Fisher Division All Stars. Zielinski, a consistent standout on the mound with 170 strikeouts on the season, also picked up league MVP.  After getting a first-round bye, the team topped 11th seed Medford 3-1 on June 9. They took 3rd seed Middleboro to 10 innings in the sectional quarterfinals on June 12, but lost 3-2.

Amsler, Gelly and Zielinski earned Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics. With Amsler, Zielinski and many others  returning next season, we’re sure to see more fight from this team.

Hanover Mariner Pictures

Girls Lacrosse

Behind the solid play of goalie Maeve McCarthy and midfielders Sydney Weber, Clare Connolly, Caitlin Park and Caroline Gordon, the team made it to the Division 2 South semifinals. Hanover finished the regular season 13-5 and earned 4th seed. The girls cruised past 13th seed Sacred Heart, 17-4 in the first round, and then topped 5th seeded Sandwich 11-6. But the championship run ended in the semifinals in a tough loss to top-seeded Norwell  on June 11.  Norwell (16-3) earned their fourth straight trip to the sectional final with a 18-2 win.

Despite the loss, the team showed great improvement from the start of the season to its end. Senior captains Jess Cully and Alyssa Wilcox set a strong example, earning MIAA Educational Athletics Achievement Awards for Leadership. Gordon, McCarthy, Weber and Megan Ross were named League All-Stars. Gordon also received a nod as a Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic.

There arehigh hopes for next season, with a lot of young talent and Cully, Wilcox and Lia Ehlers the only three seniors graduating.

Boys Lacrosse

Last year, the boys lacrosse team made it to the state semifinals of Division 3.  This year, after graduating 13 members of that team, Hanover moved to Division 2. The young team struggled with injuries and finished 4-12, earning the 15th seed and a tough first-round tournament matchup against 2nd seed Scituate. In a cold and rainy game June 4, Scituate defeated the Indians 14-6.

Team captains were Neil Calkin, Ben Fein and Chris Greene. Greene was named a Patriot League All-Star.

Pictures from the Patriot Ledger

Boys Tennis

After finishing the regular season 13-5,  the squad earned 6th seed in Division 2 South tournament. In their first-round matchup, they beat 11th seed Milton (9-9) 4-1. Nikolas Ginter racked up his 50th win during the match, on his way to becoming a League All-Star and a Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic. A 3-2 loss to 3rd seed Scituate, however, ended their season on June 8.

Captains were Ginter and Evan Suchoff.

Girls Tennis

If you could win matches based on how much fun you were having, Hanover would have been undefeated. Although the team failed to make tournament, there was a strong sense of camaraderie. They may have won only two matches, but they had a lot of fun on the courts together. Team captains were Chloe McKee and Becca Prentice, who was also named a League All-Star.

Outdoor Track

Gillian Kenney continued the legacy of her sister, Niamh, who graduated in 2017. Gillian set the school record in the mile run – twice – this season (5:03.03) and was named Patriot League-Fisher Division MVP.  The team sent several athletes to the Division 3 championship meet at North Reading High School on May 26. The boys were represented by mile-runner Chris Pacino, two-miler Nick Courtney, high jumper Jake Laprise and sprinter Garrett Madison. For the girls team, Alyssa Nee competed in the 400 meters and Audrey Wheeler ran the two mile. Nee, Wheeler, Jordanna Laprise and Erin Flynn joined for the 4×800 relay.

Captains were Bryan Hoyt, Nick O’Hara, Kevin Talbot, Jessica Blazo and Olivia Salvas.

Special Awards at HHS Sports Banquet

The recipient of the Athlete of the Year Award is a student who consistently performs at an elite level during his or her season and is integral to the overall success of the team. This year, the winners were Lauren O’Sullivan and Zach Taylor.

The Paragon Award is presented to the HHS senior athlete
that demonstrates excellence in academics, athletics,
leadership, and character. The 2018 winner was Alyssa Wilcox.

By Andrew Carroll

Growing up in Hanover, a town with 14,000 people, everyone seems to know what’s happening on any given day. During the fall, Friday night under the lights is the place to be. Hundreds of fans show up to the High School to watch an event that brings the community together. That’s the first thing that makes sports here in Hanover special: the support from our community.

Nowhere was this more evident than during the 2016 season, when the HHS football team had a stellar season and went on to win the Super Bowl for the first time in 40 years. As a member of that team, it was one of the greatest squads I have ever been a part of in my life.  While on the run to the Super Bowl, we played four home games and the community came together on those Friday nights in a way I will never forget. But out of all the games we played, the most special was the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. When we got on the buses that Saturday morning to drive down to Foxbor, hundreds of parents, students, and fans of the team showed up to the High School to send us off. It really shows how much our team meant to the town. When we got to the Stadium and looked at our fan section, nearly the entire town was there, taking up half of Gillette Stadium. People closed down their local business to come watch the game. When we won the Super Bowl, it was amazing to see the joy it brought people and how much they appreciated what we did for the town. Hanover sports teams have won four State Championships since 2016, and that pride and support has followed us every season.

Winning is another thing that makes Hanover High School sports so special. When you play a sport for HHS, you are expected to win, and our teams have experienced a lot of success. Since the Super Bowl win in 2016, Hanover High has brought home championships in boys hockey, boys basketball and rugby. We’ve also had a handful of league MVPs and athletes that have surpassed 100 points in hockey and 1,000 in basketball.

The last thing that makes Sports here at Hanover special is the students, both those who play and those who come out and cheer for every game. As an athlete, I love nothing more than a packed fan section for a big playoff game in the gym. As a fan, making the drive down to Gallo to watch boys hockey is something every single student should try to experience. The fan sections show us that our classmates want to win and succeed just as badly as we do. The Hanover fan section is unlike anything I have ever been a part of. Whether it’s traveling to the Garden for hockey, Springfield for basketball or Beverly for rugby, the super fans of Hanover never fail to show up.

All of the things that make Hanover sports special can’t be found at every school. I truly believe Hanover High School is the best in the area for sports, with all the tremendous coaches we have and the drive to win from the students.

College basketball’s March Madness kicked off this past weekend and it did not disappoint — except, perhaps, when it came to your bracket. Going into the first weekend, there were more than 70 million brackets filled out around the world, and after just day two, none of those remained perfect. The teams picked most often to win the championship were Virginia, Villanova, Kansas, and Duke. The first weekend proved to be a historic one.

For the first time in NCAA history, a number 16 team defeated a number 1 ranked team. UMBC defeated Virginia, the favorite to win the whole thing, in the first round. Going into this game, 16th seeds were 0-135 against the top seed. UMBC not only defeated Virginia but absolutely obliterated them, 74-54. Although there weren’t any other upsets as shocking as this one, there were a total of 15 upsets in the first round. Buffalo, seeded 13th, destroyed a popular pick for the championship, 4th seed Arizona, 89-68.  Loyola-Chicago, seeded 11th, topped 6th-seeded Miami on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Donte Ingram.  Ranked 13, Marshall topped 4th-seeded Wichita St. led by 27 points from their star sharpshooting guard John Elmore. Syracuse’s 11th-seeded zone defense dominated  in a 57-52 victory over 6th-seeded TCU.

The second round included several exciting games: yet another thriller for Loyola-Chicago, a historic comeback from Nevada, an unbelievable shot from Michigan, a blowout by Texas A&M, another top seed biting the dust and a defensive showdown by Syracuse.

In the South region, Loyola-Chicago went on to defeat the 3rd-seeded Tennessee on yet another last-second buzzer-beater, this time by Clayton Custer. With their first two games coming down to the last second, their matchup in the Sweet Sixteen is sure to be one to watch. Loyola-Chicago will take on 7th-seeded Nevada, another Cinderella story. Nevada defeated the 2nd-seeded Cincinnati after trailing by 22 points with only 10 minutes remaining in the game. The South region has now lost its top four seeds: Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Arizona. Loyola-Chicago and Nevada.

The West region was full of action during the round of 32. The 3rd-seeded Michigan was able to keep its dreams alive thanks to a last second heave by unlikely hero Jordan Poole. The 7th-seeded Texas A&M destroyed number 2 seed North Carolina, 86-65, carried by their big men Tyler Davis and Robert Williams. Xavier, the 1st seed in the West, lost 75-70 to the 9th-seeded Florida State. The West has already lost its top two seeds as the madness continues.

The East region was calm during the second round as all the favorites survived to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The same is true for the Midwest, aside from the Cinderella story  of Syracuse, who defeated a powerful Michigan State team, 56-53.

Some headline match ups of the Sweet Sixteen include Villanova versus West Virginia, both yet to be challenged in March, and Loyola-Chicago against Nevada. This March truly has been nothing but madness as more and more unlikely teams continue to survive and advance.