Where Are They Now: Spring Edition
By Jay Turner
Dave Spinale celebrates his induction into the MSHCA Hall of Fame with his wife, Jennifer, and three children, who all play college lacrosse: Brendan (far right), Devan (center) and Shane (far left).
It’s been a spring season to remember for the Canton High Bulldogs, filled with record-breaking performances, league-leading production, and a level of winning not seen in several years. And it’s not just the current crop of hometown athletes who are getting it done this spring; several alumni have also enjoyed success with their respective college programs — including two Canton sisters who have continued their growth on the track as NCAA athletes.
The older of the two, Kayla Camille (CHS ’21), enjoyed a memorable senior season at Bryn Mawr College, where she earned All-Centennial Conference honors while also receiving the Ray Tharan Award for exceptional service to the school’s athletic department and the Bryn Mawr track team’s Dan Talbot Commitment Award.
A team captain, Kayla closed out her career by helping set a new school record and winning silver in the 4×100 relay at the conference championships. She also competed in the 100-meter dash and set a new personal record for the third time this year.
Meanwhile, younger sister Lianna Camille (CHS ’24) also made her mark as a rookie runner at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. At this year’s Liberty League Outdoor Championships, she placed seventh in the 400 meters and ninth in the triple jump to go along with a pair of top-10 finishes in the 4×400 and 4×100 relays.
While the Camilles have been busy on the track this spring, another Canton family was all about lacrosse as recent CHS grad Devan Spinale entered the college ranks alongside her two older brothers.
Devan would see action in eight games as a reserve midfielder at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH while chipping in with two goals and two assists for a Hawks team that went 12-7 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. About an hour’s drive west in Rindge, NH, oldest brother Brendan Spinale also saw his share of playing time at Franklin Pierce University, appearing in a career-high 11 games while notching a goal and an assist. A former standout athlete at Blue Hills Regional, Brendan also played ice hockey at Franklin Pierce and was recently honored as the school’s first ever winner of the J. Thom Lawler Award, a prestigious honor given out by the Eastern Mass. Hockey Officials Association to a team leader who “leads by example on and off the ice.”
Unfortunately for middle sibling Shane Spinale, an injury kept him off the lacrosse field this season at Skidmore College (NY), but he stayed focused on his rehab while his team enjoyed a solid season, finishing at 8-7 overall.
Shane, like both of his siblings, grew up playing ice hockey and he went on to play for four seasons at Xaverian Brothers, where his father, Dave Spinale, is the longtime head coach. In his 24 seasons at the helm, Coach Spinale has compiled nearly 300 victories while leading the Hawks on several deep postseason runs — including back-to-back state finals appearances in 2022 and 2023. Last month, Spinale received a well-deserved acknowledgment as he was formally inducted into the Mass. State Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. On hand for the induction ceremony were all three of Spinale’s children along with his wife, Jennifer, who is a former college athlete herself.
Also enjoying success this spring at his latest stop was another legendary coach with Canton ties — former Bulldog Jayson King — who joined the staff of the Vanderbilt University baseball team as an assistant coach after seven seasons as the head coach at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Prior to Dayton, King spent 18 seasons as the head coach at Franklin Pierce, where he transformed the Ravens into a perennial DII powerhouse, leading them to 10 conference titles and seven trips to the College World Series. This year at Vandy, King helped coach the Commodores to an SEC tournament title and a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. And while the season ended in disappointment with an early exit in the Nashville Regional, Vanderbilt was still one of the best teams in the country this year …
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Posted by Jay Turner
on Jun 7 2025. Filed under Featured Content.
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