The reigning Canton Men’s Softball League champions, Hanningtons finished 20-1 last season and went on to win the seventh game of an exciting championship series versus Halfway Cafe. Although Hanningtons came out strong at the Sandy Hook tournament, beating a local Connecticut team called “Trail of Terror” 18-0 by the slaughter rule, they struggled to get the bats going early in their next game against Brockton-based Southfield, the only other Massachusetts representative, and suffered a 14-11 loss.

In the third and final game of pool play, Hanningtons faced the host team, the Neils of the Wallingford Men’s Softball League. The game was back and forth throughout; however, Hanningtons’ bats and strong defense proved too much for the Neils to handle as the Canton boys came out on top 22-16, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Although manager Greg Lyons gave his players a 9 p.m. curfew on Saturday night, unfortunately it would not be enough to wake the bats up in Hanningtons’ early morning quarterfinals matchup against another Connecticut team, the Mashers, who held on to win the game 8-7, thus eliminating Hanningtons from title contention. The Mashers would go on to win the tournament, beating Southfield in the finals.

“All in all, it was a great weekend that was all for an even greater cause,” said Lyons. “As manager, I would like to thank Glen Hannington for helping to fund/sponsor us to go down there as well as everyone who helped make this tournament happen, specifically Jim Russo, the tournament director. The final amount of money raised on the weekend for the victims was right at $8,000.”

Among the top hitters for Hanningtons in the tournament were Marc Alberts (10 for 13 with four homeruns), Bill Murray (12 for 16 with three homeruns), and Chris Bell (7 for 11).

In other men’s softball news:

On Saturday, April 27, the Canton Men’s Softball League hosted its annual Preseason Tournament at Messinger and Devoll fields, and Hanningtons repeated as champions, going 4-0 and winning every game by 13 or more runs.

Hanningtons opened by beating Canton Junction 22-2 and then went on to beat Halfway Cafe 17-3 in a rematch of last season’s finals. In the third game, Hanningtons cruised past Turnpike Cafe/Matthew’s Law 19-4 to reach the finals, where they once again dominated Canton Junction 17-4 to claim the tournament championship.

All of the proceeds from the tournament went to Jay Metzger, a former Hanningtons player who is battling a life-threatening disease. Best wishes go out to Jay and the entire Metzger family.

Olivia Murphy (beaconsathletics.com)

Among the most accomplished of that group was 2012 Canton High School graduate Olivia Murphy, who went from dominating the Hockomock League to lighting up the Little East Conference as a member of the UMass Boston women’s basketball team.

A former three-sport standout athlete at CHS, Murphy led the Beacons to a 14-12 record — second-best in program history — while also finishing first on the team in points (14.5 per game), rebounds (10.2) and blocks (1.8). She was the top rebounder in the conference and the only LEC player to average a double-double for the season. She also racked up numerous awards and honors, including LEC, ECAC Division III, and D3Hoops.com Northeast Rookie of the Year — a rare trifecta unmatched in UMass Boston history.

Coincidentally, one of Murphy’s opponents this season, UMass Dartmouth, featured two other Canton High alums in Colleen Moriarty and Erika Bornemann. And just like Murphy, both girls had outstanding seasons for the 20-8 Corsairs.

Moriarty, a senior captain, was named the Little East Player of the Year after posting conference-best averages of 19 points and two blocks per game. She also finished third in rebounds per game with 8.3 and became only the sixth player in school history to score 1,000 points for her career, finishing with a total of 1,174. She was named to the All-LEC first team, the ECAC All-Region team, and the New England Women’s Basketball Association All-Northeast second team.

Colleen Moriarty (corsairathletics.com)

Bornemann, meanwhile, posted similarly impressive numbers in her third season with the Corsairs. An All-LEC second team selection, she finished second on the team in points per game with 12.4 and first in rebounds with nine per game. She also averaged 1.8 blocks per contest and finished fifth in the LEC in threes per game (1.7) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (34.6).

Canton was also represented on the men’s side as junior Ryan Hayes suited up for the Stonehill College basketball team while freshman Joe McCabe carved out a role for the Framingham State Rams. A former league all star while at St. Sebastian’s, Hayes was a member of the 2010-11 Stonehill squad that went 25-6 and made it all the way to the Division II NCAA final four. McCabe, a former Hockomock all star, appeared in 22 games this season for FSU, averaging 3.9 points while racking up 37 rebounds and 14 three pointers.

Moving from the basketball court to the ice hockey rink, the Citizen found at least 14 Canton natives who laced up their skates for a collegiate program this winter, including Norwich University sophomore Gerard McEleney, who tallied six goals and four assists for a Cadets team that went 24-4-1 and reached the Division 3 national semifinals.

Also enjoying lots of success this season were Providence College teammates and cousins Chris and Kevin Rooney, who were part of a Friars team that came within a couple of victories of reaching the NCAA Division 1 men’s hockey tournament. Chris, a senior, recently signed a contract with the Wheeling Nailers — a minor league affiliate of the Pittsburg Penguins — after finishing his Providence career with 33 points, including 26 assists. His final assist was particularly memorable, as it came on freshman Kevin Rooney’s first career goal in the Hockey East semifinals at the TD Garden. Kevin, who was a key cog on the Bulldogs’ 2010 state championship team, appeared in 29 games this season and finished with four points.

Bryan Rooney (stonehillskyhawks.com)

While the Rooney cousins were busy winning 17 games for the Friars, Kevin’s older brother, Bryan Rooney, was piling up goals for the Division 3 Stonehill Skyhawks. A former Hockomock League MVP like his little brother, Bryan finished second in the Northeast-10 Conference with 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) while collecting a pair of NE-10 Player of the Week honors.

Rooney was actually one of five Canton natives on the Skyhawks this season. Head coach Patrick Leahy also grew up in the town, as did teammates Kevin Aufiero, Sean McNeil, and Thomas Jenkins.

A former three-sport athlete at Xaverian, Aufiero turned in a strong sophomore season, finishing among the team leaders with 19 points (10 goals, 9 assists), including his first career hat trick. McNeil, a 2009 graduate of CHS, added two goals and four assists in his final season, while Jenkins, another Xaverian alum, chipped in a goal and an assist in 14 appearances.

Stonehill went 11-14 this season before bowing out in the NE-10 Conference semifinals against top-seeded St. Anselm, yet another team with a Canton connection. Sophomore defenseman Matt Buckley, a member of the 2010 Canton High state championship team, appeared in seven games this year for the Hawks, who went 16-8-3 and won their fourth straight conference title.

After knocking off Stonehill in the semis, St. Anselm went on to defeat second-seeded Franklin Pierce, which boasted a Canton player of its own in senior forward Dino Federico. A CHS graduate and former member of the Walpole Express, Federico tallied four goals and three assists in 24 games and finished his career with 35 points.

Other Canton natives who saw ice time at the collegiate level included Robbie Donahoe of Middlebury College and David Lazaro of Suffolk University. Donahoe, a junior defenseman, tallied six goals and 10 assists for the 13-11-2 Panthers, while Lazaro, a freshman, finished third on the Rams with 14 total points.

A handful of Canton women also skated for area schools this season, including Canton High record holder Brittany Lyons, who scored 16 goals while leading the Division 1 Quinnipiac Bobcats to a 20-12-4 record. A senior forward, Lyons finished her four-year career with 39 goals and 28 assists.

Also representing Canton were a pair of freshmen: Erin Martin of Amherst College and Sarah Quigley of Buffalo State. Martin, a graduate of Milton Academy, finished third on the Lord Jeffs with seven goals, and Quigley, a goaltender, collected 75 saves in nine games for the Bengals.

L-R: Kelcie Finn, Kathleen Fowkes, Julianne Landry and Jacqueline Seymour

Canton resident Jacqueline Seymour, a junior defenseman on the Thayer Academy girls’ hockey team, will compete alongside three of her teammates in the upcoming USA Hockey Girls National Championship Tournament in San Jose, California. Seymour, a fifth-year varsity player and assistant captain, will be skating for the East Coast Wizards U19 team. She will be joined by Kelcie Finn of Weymouth, Kathleen Fowkes of Braintree, and goaltender Julianne Landry of Hanover. In addition to playing hockey, Seymour also competes on Thayer’s varsity track and field team.

The Blue Hills girls’ basketball team has won 47 games over the past 2 seasons.

It was a season to remember for Canton’s Margarita Delaporta and the Blue Hills Regional girls’ basketball team as the Lady Warriors racked up win after win en route to a Mayflower Conference title and a jaw-dropping record of 23-1.

Until recently the girls had been chasing perfection — stringing together 23 straight victories before being eliminated in the Division 4 south sectional semifinals by eventual champion Greater New Bedford by a final score of 57-42.

It was the second year in a row that Greater New Bedford has ended the Warriors’ season, with last year’s defeat coming one round later in the south sectional championship game 70-66.

Blue Hills’ 2011-2012 squad had been similarly dominant, compiling an overall record of 24-4 with many of the same players from the current roster.

“It’s been a good run,” acknowledged third-year head coach Tom McGrath. “These kids have been terrific.”

McGrath, who previously coached the junior varsity team for seven seasons, also gave credit to his predecessor, Chris Flynn, who racked up 400 wins over his 32-year career at Blue Hills. Flynn retired in 2010 after leading a senior-laden team to an 18-4 record, and McGrath took over the following season with a brand-new group of players.

Included in that group were a trio of freshmen who have been a big part of the team’s success these past three years: Sinead Dacko of Holbrook, Michaela Adams of Braintree, and Delaporta of Canton.

McGrath raved about all three girls, calling Dacko a “great outside shooter” and an excellent defender from the small forward position, while praising Delaporta and Adams as arguably the best guard tandem in the Mayflower Conference.

McGrath described Delaporta, who also excels on the soccer and softball teams, as an ideal player who does all the “little things” that a coach expects.

Margarita Delaporta

“She’s an incredible all-around player,” said McGrath. “She can run the point or play [off guard]. She’s very unselfish; she doesn’t care who scores a basket.”

In addition to the three junior starters, the team also got solid production from sophomore center Tayler Wornum of Randolph and senior Bethany Richards of Holbrook. Richards is the only starter who will graduate this season, although McGrath said the team will sorely miss the contributions of its five senior bench players: Kristen Peterson (Randolph), Amanda Donohue (Dedham), Janessa Merard (Randolph), Melonie Fedorchuk (Dedham), and Rachael Straehle (Norwood).

“One through ten I need every one of these kids,” said McGrath. “I go deep into my bench. Whether they play one minute or 10, 15 or 20, they’re always ready.”

Overall, McGrath said he could not be prouder of his players and what they were able to accomplish this season, which includes both a conference championship and a state vocational title. As for their lone loss to Greater New Bedford, he said the girls gave it their all and certainly made their coach proud.

“We hung with them for three quarters,” he said, “but when it got to be the fourth quarter we just ran out of gas. But I have nothing but good things to say about my kids. They worked so hard and had a great season.”

Kyle Darrow at the New England Indoor Track and Field Championships

Kyle Darrow of Canton, a senior at Xaverian Brothers High School, recently completed his indoor track season with a highly successful month.

Over five consecutive weekends Darrow won the long jump in the Tri-County League Championships and the Division 1 State Championships, placed second in the All-State Championships and the New England Indoor Track and Field Championships, and then capped his winter season with an eighth-place finish in the New Balance National Indoor Track and Field Championships at the New York Armory in New York City.

He also placed fourth in the Division 1 55-meter dash with a time of 6.53 seconds. Darrow, who has competed in track and field since his sophomore year, will attend college in the fall at one of three local colleges and plans on continuing his long jumping career.

Colleen Moriarty

An All-LEC first team selection, Moriarty led the conference with 19 points and two blocked shots per game while ranking third in field goal percentage (49.4 percent) and sixth in rebounds (8.3 per game). The senior forward started every game, scored in double figures on 26 occasions, and scored 20 or more points 12 times. She also became the sixth player in school history to score 1,000 points for her career, hitting the mark on January 26 against Plymouth State with a career-high 35 points. She finished her career with 1,174 points.

“[Moriarty] established herself as one of the all-time great players in our program,” said UMass Dartmouth head coach Amanda Van Voorhis, according to corsairathletics.com. “No player to date has left a mark in so many statistical categories … She had a stellar season and earning LEC Player of the Year caps off her outstanding career.”

Erika Bornemann

Also garnering All-LEC recognition for the Corsairs was another Canton native, junior forward Erika Bornemann, who was named to the conference second team after posting averages of 12.4 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Bornemann’s rebounding totals were tops on the team and third best in the conference, and she also emerged as a three-point threat, finishing fifth in the LEC in threes per game (1.7) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (34.6).

Besides their impressive individual numbers, Moriarty and Bornemann also helped lead the Corsairs to their most successful season ever, as they won a school-record 20 games, including eight conference games, and advanced to the LEC championship game for the first time in program history.

L-R: Coach Arunas Kuncaitis, Kim Frazier, Rye Verille, Kelly Dever, Danielle Arthur, Ariana Sanusi, Julia Mackie, Chidera Nwankwo, Desire Pinkney, and head coach Ale Kuncaitis

The Canton Cobras U16 volleyball team won its first New England Region Volleyball Association tournament of the 2013 season with a series of impressive performances on Sunday, March 3, in Nashua, New Hampshire. The Cobras defeated two teams from Andover in the semifinals and finals to capture the 16A championship. Also competing in NERVA tournaments on March 3 were three U14 teams and one U18 team from Canton. All five teams are part of the Cobra Volleyball Club, a 12-year-old offseason Junior Olympic program founded by Arunas Kuncaitis.

Mo Hurst (left) and Stephen Cesso

Hurst, a 6’2”, 295-pound defensive tackle and the No. 2 recruit in Massachusetts, signed a national letter of intent to play for the University of Michigan, and Cesso, a 6’2”, 225-pound defensive and offensive lineman, formalized his commitment to play for St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.

The two longtime friends and Canton residents were joined by three of their teammates: Hunter Taute of Norfolk, a highly rated inside linebacker who signed a national letter of intent for Bryant University; Ray Gobbi of Brockton, who committed to Merrimack College; and Jordan Bayuk of Foxboro, who committed to Bowdoin College in Maine.

“Myself and our entire football staff were privileged to have the opportunity to work with these fine young athletes,” said Athletic Director and head football coach Charlie Stevenson in a statement issued to the press, “and we certainly wish them the very best of success as they move forward in their football lives.”

Hurst, who fielded offers from more than a dozen top colleges — including Boston College, Michigan State and Nebraska, among others — was a defensive force during his four years with the Hawks, compiling 131 tackles, 21 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. He was especially dominant during his senior season, racking up 11 sacks while also running for five touchdowns as a part-time running back.

He was named the Catholic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and he recently shined at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Los Angeles, where he finished with three tackles and a sack to help lead the east team over the west team 17-14 in front of a national television audience.

“Defensively, he made me a better player,” noted Cesso, who is proud of his friend’s success. “I went up against him in practice a lot. He’s really quick off the line and he’s really strong.”

Cesso, meanwhile, has put together a pretty impressive resume himself during his time at Xaverian. A three-sport athlete, he has twice been awarded most improved player — once as a sophomore in track and field and again as a junior in football. He also competes in powerlifting and is considering going out for the track team for shot put and discus next year at St. Lawrence, although he acknowledged that playing just one college sport is already very time-consuming.

An honor roll student, Cesso said he chose St. Lawrence not only for a chance to play football, but also because of its impressive academic track record. He also has a family friend who went there and had a “good experience” as a member of the football program.

A two-way player in high school, Cesso said he enjoys playing on the defensive side of the ball more and is hoping to focus on defense in college. His college coach has already informed him that the “best players play,” regardless of experience level, and he is already looking forward to the start of preseason in August.

As for Hurst, he too is an honor roll student and is thrilled to be attending an institution that is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation. He plans to study criminal justice at Michigan, while Cesso is currently considering economics.

In his biography, prior to finalizing his decision, Hurst wrote, “I am looking for a school that will offer me an excellent education in my area of academic interest [and] provide an opportunity to play football at a top level. I am also looking for a coach that will challenge me and help me further develop for the next level.”

The families of both Canton players, including Hurst’s mother, Nicole Page, and Cesso’s parents, Stephen and Sheila Cesso, could not be prouder of the two boys’ academic and athletic achievements, and the two close friends are also proud of one another and will be rooting each other on from afar when the college football season gets underway next fall.

The defending Canton Men’s Softball League champion Hannington softball team, sponsored by Attorney Glen Hannington, has accepted an invitation to participate in the Sandy Hook Memorial Softball Tournament in Wallingford, Connecticut over the weekend of April 13 and 14. Sixteen teams are competing in the tournament, with all proceeds going to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, run by the United Way out of Newtown Savings Bank. Twenty children and six adults lost their lives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14.

Several of his teams did very well this season, including the Hannington’s of Massachusetts Over 70 team, which has won several state, regional and national titles in 2012. Other teams included Hannington’s, which won the Canton Men’s Softball League championship, the Hannington’s Bay State Bombers Over 55 team, and the “The Hub” fall baseball team.

Hannington was also a sponsor of the Wareham Gatemen, who won the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League title this summer. The nation’s best college baseball players compete in this league before departing to professional baseball teams. The Gatemen were under .500 for part of the season before they made a great comeback to win the championship.

The Hannington’s Over 70 team, managed by Joe DeFelice — described as the “Red Auerbach” of Hannington’s softball teams — had the most tournament wins in 2012, including the Tournament of Champions in Lakeland, Florida; the Atlantic Coast Tournament in Sterling, Virginia; the Ocean State Classic in Warwick, Rhode Island; the Cape Cod Classic in Harwich; the Bay State Tourney in Wayland; the Canadian-American Tourney played in Mesquite, Nevada; and the World Senior Games in St. George, Utah.

In the Senior Games, Hannington’s was the top team out of 32 over 70 year old teams competing. The roster included Justin McGrath, Bud Dodge, Ed Finnegan, Sheldon Ganz, Charlie Howe, Don Murphy, Art Robinshaud, Angie Scarcella, Tom Silvia, Al Spirdione, Lee Southworth, Rene Vigneault, Spider Walsh, Pat Romano, and Peter Keville.

Hannington has sponsored a team in the Canton Men’s League since 1986, and the team has won the title in nine of the last 10 years. This year’s team came back to win in a dramatic seven-game series to reclaim the title. Greg Lyons was a player manager and led a team that included Paul and Jon Medeiros, Bill Murray, Kevin Aufiero, Ryan Collins, Kyle Yasi, Josh Goodrich, Chris Bell, Marc Alberts, Jeff Shea, AJ Nichols, Jesse Goodrich, Matt Wedge, and Donald Daley.

Hannington also sponsored “The Hub,” a fall team playing in a Boston league. They are the defending league champions and will be looking to repeat again this coming season. This year’s roster included Jon Bunker, Kevin Decelle, Justin Donahue, Jeffrey and Nickolas Dostoomian, Robert Healey, Bryan Holtzman, Cory Johnston, Chris Leaver, Shawn Leonard, Luke Lysak, Dan McNeil, David Muradian, Mike O’Brien, Joseph Pascarelli, Dan Pozner, Michael Rudenauer, and Robert Shea.

The roster for the Hannington’s Over 55 Bay State Bombers included Paul Casey, Bill Curry Sr., Mark Davis, Ken Day, Paul Frigon, Pat Gordon, Andrew Harmon, Ron Kenyon, Wayman Lee, Kevin Lipsett, John McGraw, Larry Moone, George Morse, Fred Shields, Dan Sides, Marvin Sims, Curt Snow, Mike Swinamer, Tony Tager, Tom Veo, and Glen Wilbur. Hannington noted that Curry sent a $1,000 donation, which was matched by the Wareham Gatemen, to send 40 children to summer camp.

The annual George Macari Exceptional Sportsmanship Award was presented to Paul Medeiros of the Hannington’s team in the Canton Men’s Softball League.

The special guest speaker was Jim Corsi, a former Red Sox relief pitcher, Newton native, and NESN TV sports analyst.