Meghan Lennon scored her 200th career goal in the regular season finale. (Mike Barucci photo)

The resurgent Bulldogs also out-dueled Norwood in Monday’s regular season finale and will head into the playoffs with an overall record of 9-7-2 and plenty of momentum on their side. They also happen to boast one of the region’s most prolific scorers in senior captain Meghan Lennon, who recently surpassed the 200-goal plateau after a blistering four-game stretch.

Lennon now has an incredible 68 goals on the season, including five or more in each of the three games last week as well as the go-ahead goal against Norwood with only 20 seconds left in the game.

Head coach Chris Murtagh described that game as a “tale of two halves” as Canton had raced out to an 11-4 lead before eventually squeaking by with a 16-15 win on Lennon’s late-game heroics.

“We knew Norwood was a very good team and it was just a matter of when they were going to wake up,” said Murtagh. “It was like we played two different games.”

Senior captain Jen Martin and junior Jackie Merrigan paced the Bulldogs with three goals in the victory, while Lennon finished with a pair — the 200^th and 201^st of her career.

As for last week’s games, the Bulldogs once again proved why they are one of the top teams in the Hockomock League as they dominated both Sharon (17-9) and OA (21-9) and nearly pulled off an upset against a one-loss Foxboro squad.

Hosting the Warriors last Wednesday at the CHS turf field, the girls found themselves locked in a defensive battle and trailing by a pair of goals in the second half before storming back to tie the game at nine-all.

Lennon finished with a team-high five goals in the game, including the equalizer with 1:20 remaining. Senior Kaitlin Phillips had two goals, while Mary McNeil and Erin Proctor added one apiece.

The Canton defense also came up big in the game, led by goalie Isabelle Hegland (10 saves) and senior captain Amanda Crowley.

“We talk about heroes of our team, [Crowley] has been a rock for us,” said Murtagh. “Unfortunately, there are no statistics for how many passes she has blocked, or how many times she’s directed our defense to crash on a shooter. But Amanda’s had a tremendous impact on our team this year.”

“All three of our captains have really been an amazing part of this turnaround,” he added. “We’re starting to play the kind of lacrosse I always knew we could play.”

Murtagh also singled out the play of Merrigan, who he said has had a “phenomenal” season at center and had another big week in the scoring department, tallying a combined 10 goals in the wins against Sharon and OA. Other key contributors who figured in the scoring last week were seniors Kaitlin Phillips and Meaghan McKenna and junior Sam Sullivan.

Now firing on all cylinders, the girls will await their seeding in the upcoming sectional tournament, which gets underway early next week.

Junior Ben Lodge (Mike Barucci photo)

The heartbreaking loss came with just two games to go in an otherwise perfect season, and head coach Bill Bendell was not shy afterward in admitting that the Bulldogs wanted that one badly.

“We all wanted it,” acknowledged Bendell, who has loved nearly every minute of his ninth season as coach. “All of the players, the coaches wanted [to finish undefeated]. We were all disappointed, but we weren’t crushed. I think our goals are bigger than that and we’re more worried about the state tournament.”

And despite the end result, Bendell said he was very much impressed with how his players responded against a talented and hungry Warrior team on the road, especially after falling behind 4-1 at the half.

The Foxboro lead actually got to 5-1 at one point early in the third quarter before Canton made its run — a 3-0 burst fueled by senior Pat Ward, who scored two of the goals and further solidified his case as a deserving MVP candidate.

Also producing big goals were sophomore Paul Swart and senior Kurt Leavitt, while the Canton defense turned up the pressure and pitched a shutout over the final quarter and a half of play.

Ward’s second goal made it a one-possession game with under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and then Leavitt won a faceoff with about 30 seconds remaining to give Canton one final shot to tie it.

It was similar to the Bulldogs’ last meeting with Foxboro — a 7-6 win in double overtime back on April 24 — only this time they were unable to find the net on their final possession as the Warriors held on for the one-goal victory.

“We definitely had the momentum,” lamented Bendell after the game. “We just came up short.”

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, the week was not a total disappointment as they managed to collect an easy, 12-1 road win over Sharon two days earlier.

Canton scored the first five goals and led 8-1 at halftime before Bendell switched to his reserves for the final two quarters.

“It was just never in doubt,” Bendell said of the Sharon game. “We won every faceoff. We absolutely dominated possession time, and we kept scoring at will.”

He added that the first quarter featured some of the best offensive lacrosse that Canton has ever played. “We were unselfish, we moved without the ball, and good things were happening,” he said.

Ward led a balanced scoring attack with three goals and one assist, while senior captain JC Marcone, junior Tommy Galvin, and Swart finished with two goals apiece. Eric Wong, Ben O’Neill, and Jack Rooney rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs.

Now 13-1 and with the Davenport Division already sewn up, Canton was hoping to finish strong and bolster its case for a top seed in the tournament with a strong showing this week against Abington and Westwood.

Last Monday’s match against Sharon resulted in a 4-1 loss. The shining star of the team — and of the league for that matter — continues to be senior Erika Nannery. With a seamless 6-0, 6-0 win, Nannery remains undefeated.

At second singles, senior Eleni Papadopoulos couldn’t find her rhythm and was defeated 3-6, 6-7. Junior Amberly Diep at third singles fell in straight sets, 4-6, 0-6. And despite competitive matches in doubles play, the Bulldogs couldn’t hold it together for another win. Senior Aimee Pina and junior Pranathi Ganni lost 4-6, 3-6, while seniors Kristen Burns and Pujitha Ganni took it to three sets but ultimately fell 2-6, 7-6, 0-6.

With Foxboro’s match canceled due to bad weather, the only other play of the week occurred at the individual state tournament. Papadopoulos played well against Sharon’s number-one player and the sixth seed of the tournament. Bringing her to three sets, Papadopoulos ultimately lost and did not advance further.

Teammate Nannery, however, continued her winning streak. Seeded second, she crushed the 17^th seed from Archbishop Williams 6-0, 6-0 and similarly dominated the seventh seed 6-0, 6-2. With these two wins, she advances to the semifinals and will be one of the final eight singles players who will compete for the title this weekend at Old Rochester High School.

Head coach Bill Kates was impressed with Nannery’s play and believes “she has a good chance of becoming the south sectional champion.” Nannery’s advancement to the semifinals brings her many accolades, including All-Scholastic recognition from the Boston Globe, Patriot Ledger, and Boston Herald.

Looking for at least one more win of the season, the team hopes to deliver against Stoughton on Monday, May 20, and Foxboro on Tuesday, May 21.

Senior Justin Rudy (Mike Barucci photo)

Canton can enter the tournament, which begins after Memorial Day, with a win over Dedham at home on May 21 or a win over Cardinal Spellman at home on Friday, May 24. The Bulldogs beat Dedham last week 14-7 but lost to Cardinal Spellman 7-1 in Brockton earlier in the season. Canton was also due to face Stoughton at home on May 20.

Under MIAA rules, teams that play a majority of their games against higher division opponents can still make the playoffs if they finish .500 or better against teams in their own division, regardless of overall record.

Besides the win against Dedham last week, the Bulldogs also fell to Sharon 8-5 and lost a tough one to Foxboro 1-0 despite a stellar pitching performance by Sam Larson.

In the Foxboro game, Larson shut down 21 of 23 batters he faced and allowed just two hits while striking out seven batters. Head coach JP Scott said he decided to let pitching coach Greg Lyons call the pitching selections. “I think it really helped Sam get confidence in throwing all three of his pitches,” said Scott.

Against Dedham, Canton’s Jimmy Fitzgerald pitched a complete game, allowing five earned runs on five hits while striking out seven batters and walking two. The difference was Canton’s hitting attack, led by Justin Rudy, who went 3 for 3 with two runs and a stolen base, and Kevin O’Brien, who was 1 for 3 with two RBIs, four runs scored, and three stolen bases.

In the loss to Sharon, Pat Vartanian pitched five innings and allowed three hits, three runs and struck out two. He also chipped in offensively with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Kevin Powers also delivered a hit which scored two runs.

Senior captain Jen Martin (Mike Barucci photo)

Last week, the girls continued a season-long trend with a convincing victory over Milford and a close loss to Ursuline Academy, putting them at 6-7-1 with four games to play. The Bulldogs will need to win three of those remaining contests to clinch a spot in the Division 2 south sectional tournament.

Playoff chances aside, Canton has all but wrapped up second place in the Davenport Division after last Monday’s 19-8 win at Milford, which brought the girls’ record to 6-3 against Hockomock League opponents.

Playing in their final road game of the regular season, the Bulldogs effectively dominated the winless Hawks from start to finish, racing out to a 13-5 halftime lead before finishing them off in the second half.

“We were able to control the draws,” said head coach Chris Murtagh, “and we had the game in hand pretty much the whole time.”

The Bulldogs got monster offensive performances from junior Jackie Merrigan and senior Meaghan McKenna, who accounted for more than half of the team’s scoring total with six and four goals, respectively. Senior captains Meghan Lennon and Jen Martin added two apiece, while Kaitlin Phillips, Christine Ward, Caitlyn Feeney, and Sam Sullivan finished with one goal each.

The team was also supposed to play Oliver Ames last week, but the game was postponed due to wet weather. The girls then welcomed nonleague Ursuline to town on Saturday night, and while they had no trouble scoring in the game, they allowed too many the other way as the Bears held on for a 20-17 win.

Murtagh said his team seemed to be knocking on the door for most of the game but just couldn’t get over the hump. They trailed by one at halftime (11-10) and were still down one late in the second half when Ursuline converted back-to-back goals to put the game out of reach.

“We played with them the whole game, and they were able to just add a couple of quick ones over the final three minutes,” Murtagh said afterwards.

Besides losing the game, the Bulldogs also lost an important contributor in Jackie Martin, who will miss the rest of the season after fracturing her leg. Only a sophomore, Martin had emerged as a key cog on defense and will be sorely missed, according to Murtagh.

After playing mostly away games throughout the early part of the spring, the Bulldogs will close out the regular season with four straight at home, including two this week against Sharon and Foxboro. They will also play a makeup game against OA and will wrap things up on Monday, May 20, against nonleague Norwood.

Both CHS Athletic Director Danny Erickson and head track coach Dan Ashman described the performance of Mellyn Costello as “incredible.” She won the 100-meter hurdles, 200, long jump, and triple jump. “This was an incredible day for one of the most accomplished track athletes in recent Bulldog history,” said Erickson.

“Mellyn’s 100 hurdles matched her best time ever (16 seconds),” said Ashman. “Her long jump (16’9.5”) and triple jump (33’8”) were both the best of her career, and she is now qualified for states in both.”

Rachel Campagna turned in another outstanding performance, winning the 100 and placing second in the long jump (15’5.5”) and triple jump (32’2”). Both jumps were career bests, and she is now qualified for states in the triple jump.

Also scoring in multiple events was Amanda Eagles, who won the mile in 5:52 — topping her previous best mark by 10 seconds — and placed second in the two-mile (13:08).

Samantha Koplik improved nearly three seconds in the 400-hurdles (72.4) to finish second and also ran the lead leg on the winning 4×400 relay team.

Michaela Kelley won the 400 with a time of 64.1 seconds, and Hannah Jankowski tied for first in the high jump at four feet, four inches.

Canton swept two events: the 100-meter dash behind Campagna (13.4 sec), Alexa MacQuarrie (13.5), and Masha Smirnova (13.6), and the long jump behind Costello, Campagna, and Wonser Mahn (14’10”).

Also scoring in the meet were Jenn Dever, third, 400 hurdles, 73.6 sec; Courtney Loughnane, third, mile, 6:11.20; Ellie Teague, second, 100 hurdles, 17.6; Sarah MacQuarrie, second, 800, 2:39.2; Emily Breviglia, third, 800, 2:40.6; Hailee Duserick, second, 200, 28.6; Alana Murphy, third, discus, 61’, and third, shot put, 23’3.25”; and Alexa MacQuarrie, third, javelin, 59’8”.

The leading scorer for the boys’ team was senior Peter Sheehan, who won the shot put (40’3”) and discus (121’3.5”).

Brothers Ian and Craig Mills tied for first place in the 400 as both ran a personal-best time of 52.0 seconds. Joe Clancy improved from 11:30.2 to 11:24 in the two-mile, and Mike Rota improved from 2:18.0 to 2:12.2 in the 800 with a second-place finish.

Both teams are now preparing for the Hockomock League Championships, which get underway Sunday, May 19, at North Attleboro High School.

Freshman Kevin Powers has played well at shortstop and on the mound. (Mike Barucci photo)

The CHS baseball team lost twice last week but might have found a new pitching prospect in freshman Kevin Powers.

In a 3-1 loss to Oliver Ames, Powers threw seven strong innings, scattering six hits while striking out three.

“[Powers] has been a great spark for our team,” said head coach JP Scott. “He is quiet but funny and has fit right in. He has also played a good shortstop for us. He is still adjusting to the speed of the varsity game, but he is getting better every day.

“He is very mature on the hill,” added Scott. “I look forward to coaching him for the next four years. He could be a very special talent; it just depends on how hard he works.”

In other action last week, the Bulldogs lost to Milford 8-5. Kevin O’Brien went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Steve Mullaney was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs, and Pat Vartanian, who tripled against OA, continued his hot hitting with a 2 for 3 showing, including a double.

Canton was also scheduled to host Dedham on Thursday, May 9, but the game was postponed due to rain and will be made up this week.

Including the Dedham game, the Bulldogs (2-12) will play a total of four games this week, with road games against Sharon and Foxboro and a home contest against nonleague Cardinal Spellman.

The Bulldogs will end the season next week with a home game Monday, May 20, against Stoughton and an away game against Dedham on Tuesday, May 21.

Senior captain Eleni Papadopoulos (Mike Barucci photo)

Last Monday’s match at Milford saw some lineup changes that paid huge dividends for the Bulldogs. At first singles, senior Erika Nannery kept her unbeaten streak going with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win. However, senior Eleni Papadopoulos couldn’t keep pace with her counterpart at second singles and fell in straight sets, 1-6, 4-6.

At third singles, junior Amberly Diep came out strong with a 6-1 first set but lost the next two 2-6, 1-6. Now behind 2-1, the Bulldogs looked to the doubles teams, where head coach Bill Kates decided to “do something dramatic.”

Separating the senior doubles duo of Aimee Pina and Kristen Burns, Kates opted to pair Pina with junior Pranathi Ganni — a decision that yielded a critical win. Falling short in a tiebreaker in the first set, the duo battled back and won this key match 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. It then came down to Burns and senior Pujitha Ganni at second doubles, and the pair did not disappoint, breezing to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

The 3-2 win against Milford was followed up by a home match against Oliver Ames on Wednesday, May 8. Conditions were less than optimal and intermittent rain delayed the match a couple of times. The Canton girls were not distracted by the weather, however, as they crushed the Tigers 5-0.

Nannery shut out her competitor 6-0, 6-0, while Papadopoulos found her stride for a 6-1, 6-2 win. Senior Jude Altabbaa took home her first win since her return to the squad (6-3, 6-4). Pina and Pranathi Ganni seem to be working well together and won seamlessly 6-1, 6-0. And for the fifth and final win of the day, Burns and Pujitha Ganni lost the first set but rallied in the next two for a 6-7, 6-0, 10-8 win.

Coach Kates, pleased with his squad, spent last weekend at the individual state tournament at Hingham High School, where Nannery and Papadopoulos both advanced to next weekend’s round of play. Up next for the Bulldogs are some of its most challenging matches, including Sharon on Monday, May 13, and Foxboro on Wednesday, May 15.

Senior captain JC Marcone is averaging 2 goals a game for the Bulldogs. (Mike Barucci photo)

It wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, but the Canton High boys’ lacrosse team still managed to make it 12 in a row with a hard-fought, 3-2 victory over Oliver Ames last week.

The red-hot Bulldogs, who are in the midst of an unprecedented winning streak, also defeated Milford last Monday at home on senior night. They boast the league’s best offense and its stingiest defense, and they enter this week needing just four more wins to complete a perfect regular season.

Last Wednesday in Easton, however, the boys got a reminder of just how difficult it can be to remain undefeated as they nearly gave one away against the 2-12 Tigers.

While a close game was expected given the familiarity between the two programs, Canton head coach Bill Bendell said the Tigers simply out-hustled and out-worked the visiting Bulldogs for a good portion of the first half.

“It was tough at times to watch,” acknowledged Bendell. “They just wanted it more early, beating us to every loose ball and limiting our transition game.”

The Bulldogs led just 2-1 going into halftime and were held scoreless throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth. OA managed to tie it up at 2-2, and it remained that way until senior captain JC Marcone netted the eventual game winner with four and a half minutes to go.

With about 30 seconds remaining, OA got the ball back and had one final chance to tie it, but the vaunted Bulldog defense snuffed out the play to preserve the victory.

After the game, Bendell praised the defense for a “phenomenal” performance, led by senior captain Connor O’Brien, juniors Quinn Merrigan and Matt Bagley, and junior goalie Ben Lodge. He was also quick to note the contributions of his defensive midfield line, which is anchored by Eric Wong and features a combination of Dexter Green, Tyler Murphy and Matt McHugh.

On the other side of the field, the Bulldog offense had a rare off-day, although team scoring leader Pat Ward still made his presence felt with two goals and one assist. He now has an incredible 50 points through 12 games, which puts him among the leaders in all of eastern Massachusetts.

Marcone, who is second on the team with 40 points, also played well against OA, as did senior midfielder Shane Nordgren, whose work in the faceoff circle was the “difference in the game,” according to Bendell.

Earlier in the week, the Bulldogs honored their eight seniors in the team’s final home game of the regular season — an 8-3 victory over league newcomer Milford.

Bendell said the play was sloppy at times, although the game was never in doubt as Canton led from start to finish.

“I would’ve liked to have played better,” he said, “but the important thing is we won the game and it was a great night for the seniors.”

Seniors Ward, Marcone, and Kurt Leavitt each finished with two goals, while Nordgren, Wong, and senior captain Matt Lennon added one goal apiece. Junior Tommy Galvin and freshman Ben O’Neil each had one assist.

Bendell said Wong’s goal was particularly impressive as he came sprinting down the field in transition, zigzagged past his defender, and rifled an overhand shot into the net for the score.

The defense also played well against the Hawks, getting big contributions from seniors O’Brien and Rich Nee, while Lodge had another excellent game in the cage, tallying nine saves.

Now 12-0, the Bulldogs could lock up their first-ever Davenport Division title with a victory on Monday at Sharon. Then they close out the season with road games against three tough opponents: Foxboro, Westwood, and Abington.

Junior Tommy Galvin (Mike Barucci photo)

Canton has now beaten every team in the Hockomock League, including all four Kelly-Rex Division (large school) teams for the first time in history. That includes King Philip last Wednesday in a romp, followed by a comeback thriller over defending Kelly-Rex champion Mansfield on Friday.

The win against the Hornets was particularly impressive, not only because it came on the road at night in front of a pumped up crowd, but also because of how the first half unfolded, with the hosts jumping out to a fast start and a 7-3 lead.

According to head coach Bill Bendell, the Bulldogs fell behind early and then started forcing bad shots.

“Guys started playing individually,” he said. “Rather than letting the game come to us, everyone was forcing the action.”

His message to the players at halftime was to value each possession, noting that they were not going to “win the game all at once.”

As it turned out, the Hornets had one more goal left in them, scoring early in the third quarter to make it 8-3. But after that it was all Canton, as the visitors ripped off seven unanswered goals to claim a 10-8 victory in front of a stunned Mansfield crowd.

Bendell said the play of the game came with the team trailing 8-5, when senior midfielder Shane Nordgren collected a ground ball and sprinted down field, sending a beautiful pass to freshman Ben O’Neil, who buried the shot with his weak hand from about 10 yards out.

O’Neil, who also had a goal earlier in the week against King Philip, finished with a hat trick in a breakout performance for the Bulldogs.

“He’s gaining confidence every day,” Bendell said of his young attackman. “If he continues like this we’re going to be very, very dangerous.”

Team scoring leader Pat Ward also had three goals for Canton in the comeback effort, while fellow senior Kurt Leavitt added two goals and an assist. Senior captain JC Marcone chipped in with a goal and two assists, and Tommy Galvin also had a goal. Both Nordgren and Austin Zannino finished with one assist apiece.

Other key contributors included senior captain Matt Lennon, who picked up three ground balls and played excellent defense; junior Casey Dwyer, who played well in place of an injured Paul Swart; and junior Eric Wong, who continues to fly under the radar as one of the league’s top defensive midfielders.

In the KP game on Wednesday, the Bulldogs opened a 4-2 lead after two quarters and never looked back, winning 10-5 on their home turf.

“We were in control the whole game,” said Bendell. “It was a nice solid, sound victory.”

Five different players had goals in the game, led by Ward with five. Leavitt scored two while Marcone, Lennon and O’Neil each had one. Galvin and Zannino both registered assists. Goalie Ben Lodge also played well, tallying double-digit saves.

Now a perfect 10-0 overall, the Bulldogs went into this week with six games remaining, including the final five on the road. Their last home game was Monday versus Milford, followed by away games against Oliver Ames on Wednesday and nonleague Abington today at 4 p.m.