Old Colony bucked tradition years ago when they became one of the first schools in the area with a female head coach for their boys’ soccer program, Mary Anne Walker, who coached the team for almost two decades before retiring earlier this decade.
And the Cougars did it again this fall with the addition of golf coach Cathy Peterson, who got her first win versus Blue Hills.
Peterson is an accomplished local golfer and had been helping the program and head coach John Abaray run the Old Colony golf tournament as a graphic communications teacher at the school.
“She was a good fit,” Athletic Director Matt Trahan said, noting that the team is open to both boys and girls, but that this year’s is all boys. “Coaching golf, there’s a lot going on because it’s an individual sport with a team component. She’s got a lot of patience, really worked well with the kids. She doesn’t overload them with information.”
Leading the way in the win over Blue Hills was Andy Cox, who shot a 4-over-40 at the Rochester Golf Course – one of the best rounds any high schooler will shoot there this year.
It reminded Trahan of Old Colony legend Jordan Botelho, the area’s best golfer in 2007-08, who shot 1-under at Rochester and also 2-under at Acushnet River Valley.
“He was special,” Trahan said. “We’ve always had a good golf program. We’re in a bit of a rebuilding phase, but we’ll be there. We’ve seen a lot of interesting things on the golf course over the years.”
Here’s a look around the athletic fields at Old Colony, Old Rochester and Tabor Academy:
OLD ROCHESTER
It’s been a great season for the ORR football team – a thrilling win over Wareham in the opener, then back-to-back no-doubt wins.
Now it’s up to Coach Henry Quinlan and his staff to make sure the team is still doing all the little things despite the excitement. Up this week is a Friday night trip to Dighton-Rehoboth, and AD Bill Tilden knows that any trip to D-R is dangerous despite a winless record for the Falcons.
“That’s a pretty strong team, regardless of whether they’ve won a game,” Tilden said. “They are playing good football. And we’re going there, which always makes a difference. They’ll be filling the place and the band will be playing, it will be a good atmosphere.”
The Bulldogs are 3-0 and have the inside track to return to the Super Bowl playoffs.
On the soccer fields, Meg Hughes keeps turning heads with her stellar play for the still-unbeaten girls’ team. She has kept up her hot early scoring pace and has emerged as the offensive star of the SCC.
“She is burying goals right now,” Tilden said. “She’s just willing to take the shots, and she’s got rifle.”
The boys fought to a 0-0 tie with Bourne last week, James Dwyer pitching the shutout, and both teams will be busy thanks to rescheduled games from last week’s weather.
Tilden knows that fall stretches of four games in a week happen, but it’s still to be avoided.
“It kind of comes down to matchups. If you’ve got a few strong ones in a week, that’s a headache,” he said. “But these should be manageable.”
TABOR
The Seawolves have now had their first Independent Schools League debuts in all sports, including a 32-14 win over St. Mark’s of Southboro this past Sunday – a promising start for a team expected to take a bit of a step back this year against better competition.
The boys’ soccer team made its debut last week during the stormy stretch, battling the conditions in a 3-0 win over Governor’s.
Exciting news for senior Emma Squires, who announced she will be playing basketball at Richmond next year. The 6-0 guard-forward is a versatile scorer who will compete for time as a freshman at Division 1 Richmond.
In Tabor alumni news, 2016 grad Chris Muther scored the game-winner for Union in a collegiate win.
OLD COLONY
The Cougars football team is 2-1 after a shutout loss in their opener, and they’re having fun while doing their thing.
“Coach (Brandon) Mendes does an exceptional job really, taking a look at his team, spreading it out, multi formations, kids moving all over the place,” Trahan said. “I love watching our games because Brandon gets so many kids involved. I think we’re tough to prepare for.”
The Cougars’ 16-14 win over Blue Hills was one of the few versus that school in program history, and Trahan credits the kids with a hard-nosed effort.
“The kids have really bought in to remembering what their job is, and that’s pretty great to watch,” he said.
The last two minutes of the game were “hairy,” in Trahan’s words, as Blue Hills abandoned its ground game and landed long passes before falling short.
Old Colony plays at South Shore Voke in Hanover on Saturday morning at 11:00 am.
The Cougars’ big boys’ soccer showdown vs. Upper Cape was rained out, but OC hosts Keefe Tech of Framingham on Friday – always an interesting game with a roster heavy on players with Brazilian roots.
Volleyball is cruising along at 6-2 and looks set for a tournament run.
By Jonathan Comey