2013 Review: Top Teams & Athletes

The CHS boys’ lacrosse team is the Citizen’s 2013 Male Team of the Year.

Editor’s note: The following appears in the January 2 issue of the Canton Citizen along with additional sports highlights and a review of top local stories from 2013.

Male Team of the Year: CHS Lacrosse

After flirting with success in each of the past few seasons, the Canton High boys’ lacrosse team finally put it all together in the spring of 2013, shattering countless program records and advancing all the way to the Division 3 state semifinals in a crowded 33-team field.

Led by veteran head coach Bill Bendell and a talented group of seniors, the Bulldogs reeled off 13 straight victories and finished atop the Davenport Division with an overall record of 15-1. They then continued their success in the playoffs, winning three straight games before bowing to top-seeded Cohasset in the state final four.

Top offensive performers included senior attackman and league MVP Pat Ward, as well as fellow all-stars JC Marcone and Kurt Leavitt. The team also boasted a dominant defense, led by all stars Conor O’Brien, Eric Wong, and first-year goalie Ben Lodge.

Female Team of the Year: CHS Volleyball

After a record-setting 2012 campaign that ended with their first ever sectional championship trophy, the CHS varsity volleyball team turned around and nearly did it again in 2013, battling all the way to the Division 2 central sectional finals before bowing out to eventual state runner-up Westborough in four sets.

Despite losing all but one starter from the previous year’s team, the Bulldogs were once again the team to beat in the Hockomock League, winning yet another Davenport title with a regular season record of 17-2. Earning their second consecutive No. 1 seed, the girls went on to beat Marlboro and Hopkinton and finished 19-3 overall.

Like the boys’ lacrosse team, the volleyball team boasted the league’s Most Valuable Player, senior captain Avery Devoe; an experienced and gifted head coach in Pat Cawley; and a strong supporting cast headed by sophomore outside hitter Elizabeth Hamilton and junior setter Erin Proctor.

Honorable Mention: Blue Hills Regional Girls’ Basketball (23-1 overall record, Mayflower Conference champions, D4 south sectional semifinalists, led by Canton junior Margarita Delaporta)

Male Athlete of the Year: Pat Ward

A member of the CHS Class of 2013, Ward capped off an outstanding four-year athletic career with a truly remarkable senior season, leading the boys’ ice hockey and lacrosse teams to a combined record of 34-6-2. During the winter, he was one of the region’s top offensive players, finishing among the league leaders with 17 goals and 15 assists. He then turned around and produced a lacrosse season for the ages, racking up 67 goals and 10 assists while leading the Bulldogs to the Division 3 state semifinals. He was an all star in both sports as well as a league MVP and Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection in lacrosse.

Female Athlete of the Year: Meghan Lennon

A three-sport standout athlete, Lennon joined rare and elite company when she graduated from CHS last spring with a dozen varsity letters — the maximum number attainable in a four-year high school career. As a senior, she captained all three sports (soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse) and was named a Hockomock all star in each season — including twice in 2013. During the winter, she led the girls’ hockey team to a 16-4-1 record and finished second on the team with 34 points. She then had an even better spring, amassing 72 goals to help propel the girls’ lacrosse team into the postseason. She also topped the prestigious 200-goal mark in lacrosse and finished with a whopping 216 for her career.

Honorable Mention: Sam Larson (leading scorer and All-Hockomock first team selection in basketball; starting pitcher in baseball; defensive anchor and All-Hockomock selection in soccer)

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=23644