2016-2017

Story 3: Our Founding Fathers' Final Goodbye

by Big Classy, TommyV, and DJames

When a bunch of sweaty, shirtless men are screaming out insults about each other on football’s practice field, you know the next school year is right around the corner. As official practices for the 2017-18 school year are about to begin, we’ve figured that it is finally time to formally pass this account down to Incumbent President Jason McNeany, VP Aidan Harding, and Assistant to the President, Todd Robinson. But not without one last story. Without further ado, here goes:

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What a year. From broadcasting Sam Taggart's record breaking performance in the Powderpuff football game (8-12, 216 yards, 3TD), covering Boys Basketball's magical run back to the playoffs, and officially naming Scott Holcomb as the GOAT, we had a lot of fun covering sports (and other topics) during this past school year.

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What started out as a joke, blossomed into a way to report scores and relay information to all of Rocketeer Nation, as well as to the rest of the league and state, influence snow days (unofficially), and have a lot of fun doing so.

 

On a serious note, the school's first year in the Davenport was a success, gathering 13 out of 25 league championships, in Football, Girls Soccer (First ever), Golf, Boys and Girls XC, Boys Winter Track, Girls Swim, Gymnastics, Basketball (First in 15 years), Wrestling (Again), Boys and Girls Spring Track, and Boys Lacrosse (First ever). None of us are math majors, but that’s more than half of the league championships we competed for with 5 other schools in our division. Dominance.

 

On a less serious note, we had a few ideas that we were unable to carry out, the most popularly requested one being “The NASPY’s”. So here are a few of our award winners that didn’t end up getting an NASPN Certificate handed to them by guest host John Nally. We apologize this didn’t make it to air.

• Mr. Rocketeer - Kyle McCarthy            

• Ms. Rocketeer - Liz Morehouse

• Coach of the Year - Mr. Mulkerrins (Boys Basketball)

• Manager of the Year - John Roache (aka JayHawk)

• PowderPuff Player of the Game - Sam Taggart

 

Lastly we’d like to thank a few people that made this year possible:

 

-Hockomock Sports. By Ryan Lanigan and Josh Perry taking us seriously, NASPN picked up a ton of followers, and grew to become an official score reporter to the rest of the state. We can’t thank them enough for that.

 

-Guest Reporters. As a small group of student-athletes ourselves, it was impossible to be at every event going on. Everyone who, took over our account, texted us scores, or tweeted at us to RT, was vital in this account’s success. We’d especially like to thank Mr. Feid, who made a regular habit of doing this over the winter.

 

-Coaches. Coaches taking us seriously (Especially Mr. Mulkerrins and Mr. Herber) made it much easier to relay information to the public, and that’s more fun for everyone.

 

-The Rowdy Crowd. Must we explain?

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Not to mention we went 5-0 vs our “Rivals” from the south in @RowdyCrowd2k16 sponsored games, bringing Hilda home, and preventing our “tiny” gymnasium from being painted.

 

Remember that? They actually threatened that our gym was going to be painted blue. Fake News! Weakest chirp of all time.

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-The Fans. We never thought this would take off as far as it did. But it succeeded because you tapped a heart button on some of our tweets. Your support meant a lot to us. Tom was so proud of this account he put it on his college application. Not a joke.

 

We hope this account continues to run smoothly and grow, bringing scores and info to all Rocketeers wherever your path may take you. We’ll be back to live tweet the Thanksgiving Day football game when we mop up the floor with our neighbors to the south on Community Field.

 

 - Cam Crosman, Tom Vidal, & David James

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Story 2: Boy’s Basketball Mid-Season Report

by Tom Vidal
 

To preview, I would like to say I am fully qualified to write this article. In 8th grade Rec-League basketball, I single handedly lead the Magic to an 0-8 record, while leading the team in turnovers and missed free throws. I also have bought every NBA 2K since 2013, so my basketball analysis is top notch. Without further ado, let's break this season down.

 

At this point, North Attleboro is 8-4, while being 5-3 in the league. Can't complain too much. Although the team has had a few games they wish they had back, the wins they've had are building blocks towards their No. 1 goal: playoffs. It's not outlandish to think North can make it into postseason, as fourth year head coach Sean Mulkerrins has improved his teams record over the past three seasons. By having many experienced players on the roster, the team has the formula to get to the promised land.

 

The rest of the Rocketeers’ schedule will be a tough one, with a game @ Mansfield this Friday, Milford at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday, and multiple league games remaining down the road . Yes, those are all very talented teams, but the Hockomock league has shown that any team can beat one another. This has cost North 4 tough losses (Franklin, Oliver Ames, Canton, and B.Feehan), but have earned them promising victories over Attleboro, Taunton, Stoughton,, and Foxboro.

 

As I had previously mentioned, the team has had some ups and downs. Let's dive a little deeper into that.

 

Positives

 

+ Scoring: Jonny Friberg and Brent Doherty have proven the most dynamic scorers, both being able to put up double figures on any night. QB #1 offers great shooting that allows the boys to spread the floor, with Kyle McCarthy having great offensive game overall. When the team shoots well, it's very hard to slow them down, especially with the amount of scoring options they have.

 

+ Defense: To hold your opponents to only 55.7 points per game is pretty impressive, especially with some of the talent they've played thus far. Friberg gives the team a legit big man capable of swatting a lot of stuff that comes his way, while Tom Reynolds and Moni Cuevas have proven very capable of locking down the post as well. Doherty, McCarthy, and Josh Montague create a lot of turnovers with their good overall defense along the perimeter, creating fast break opportunities.

 

Home Record: 4-0, baby. Pickering Gym offers a great atmosphere and an even better home court advantage. The combination of a solid student section and many loud parents offers something that no team in the Hock can match: Spirit.

 

Negatives

 

-Turnovers: On too many occasions have I been standing next to Dave Engler and heard the phrase “Oop, ‘nother turnover”. Even though this was more of an early-season problem, it's still something to worry about. Bad/unnecessary passing has given opponents plenty of points off turnover opportunities, one of quickest ways to knock North off their stride. Simply can't let that happen.

 

-Fouls: Man, it must be a tragedy to be a ref in charge of any North Attleboro game. I stand in the top row of the bleachers and can see AND hear the assault the Rocketeers put upon their opponents. Do I think it's totally bad? No, gotta rattle their change, exert their physical dominance, I get that and respect it. But I swear on my grandfather’s life, If I hear another player complain about an obvious call, I may just knock over the water cooler.

 

-Rebounding: This one may be surprising, especially because of the fact the team has a kid that's 6’6”. Here's the funny part: Jonny never jumps higher than a foot off the ground. Go ahead. Watch him next time he plays. Will this article make him jump higher? Hope so, because if Jon did jump a lil’ bit higher, he’d probably be getting 20 a game. Besides Friberg, the rest of the team isn't too aggressive down on the block. Yes, Reynolds and Moni hold their own, but they are usually a little bit smaller than opponents, giving North a big disadvantage on the glass.

 

Having broken all of that down, I've got some awards to hand out:

 

Leadership Award: Kyle McCarthy

 

*Jon Gruden voice*: “Man, Kyle McCarthy is tough as nails. The way he he plays basketball reminds me of good ole’ Larry Bird. He's smooth, talented, and he gets all the ladies. Wow, what a stud he is.” For real though, McCarthy has been a integral part of North’s success. He plays excellent defense and makes his shots when it really matters. The key part to Kyle is he doesn't stop. He could be 0-7 in shooting and still have play 100% and give the team all he's got. Great player, even better leader

 

Pizazz Award: Brent Doherty

 

The kid may be a 5’9” 18 year old, but he plays like an NBA All-Star. Doherty exudes confidence, and rightfully so. In MIAA basketball, there's probably a handful of kids who can stop 7 feet before the 3-point line, shoot it, and get nothing but net. Brent is one of those guys. 6’5” player in the paint? No problem. #11 will find a way to lay it in, regardless of the angle or hand in his face, then wind up getting the and-1. Top it all off with the fact he is a precise no-look passer, and you've got a NA basketball legend.

 

“His day will come” Award: Derek Shanks

 

I've had the privilege of living down the street from Derek for a while now, and I have seen him put up hundreds of shots on his street hoop. Talk about Ray Allen in his prime. Kid can hit just about anything. Now I obviously don't see him practice against others, but I bet he can hold his own. If I were a betting man, Derek will start next year, and he can easily get at least 12 points per game. Is he the next LeBron James? Doubt it. Does he look like he could play at Duke? I'd say no. But he could be the future of N.A Basketball.

 

Better Waterboy Award: Nate Gonsalves

 

Tightly contested race, but Nate gets the win. He has incredible delivery time and hasn't spilt a cup once. Bring that to the court and you have a budding star.

 

Most Valuable Player: Jonny Friberg

 

I spent many days and nights thinking of who to give this award to. I asked many of my peer,  but in the end, Jonathan got the nod. Jonny started out freshman year as an incredibly overconfident, lanky kid in dire need of a haircut. Fast forward to Senior year, where Jonny can now dunk, score in the post, hIt the occasional three, and block almost anything. The growth of his game has also drawn the attention of the rest of the league, as he draws 2-3 defenders at a time, giving his teammates numerous open looks.

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Story 1: Track Mid-Season report

By Joe Bagarella

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Last year, the North Attleboro Boys Winter Track team had over 70 members. This year, the team only had 53. Size in a track team usually makes a difference and this year, it made a difference that benefitted the boys from Big Red.

 

The 2016 graduating class saw All-State hurdler Gareth King, State Finalists Pat Johnson and John Thompson and many other varsity runners leave. The 2016 season also brought an end to North’s time in the Kelley-Rex division, as 2017 was their first season in the Davenport side of the Hockomock League. Captains Leo Charlebois, Nick rajotte, and Matt Reimels all went into the season with significant state and hockomock level experience, but several runners expected to compete in varsity meets were rookies to the sport. Mario Bresko and Skyler Poirier went into the season with skills from Spring Track and Cross Country in their respective areas. Pressure also went to returning runners like Liam Monahan, Jon Shutlz, Matt Tarantino, and James Elia.

 

In their very first meet against Canton, the Rocketeers had to overcome challenges. As well as trying to overcome first-meet jitters, the team had to overcome Bresko, Tarantino, and Omar Jasseh all not competing. Despite not having a strong jump crew, the boys were able to leave Reggie Lewis center with a 86-14 victory over the Bulldogs, including first-place finishes from Poirier, Monahan, Rajotte, Shutlz, and Brett “burly boy” Cloutier .

 

The next meet pitted North Attleboro against Sharon, their leading competitor in the Davenport division. A fiery speech during the week of practice from Coach Scott Holster helped the team deliver a fiery performance. But these efforts were just matched by the Eagles. In the most dramatic fashion possible, Sharon won the 4x200m relay by 0:00.04 seconds setting up a 4x400m race that would decide the meet, and ultimately, the Davenport division dual meet championship. The Dream Team 4x400 consisting of Elia, Cole Jarchow, Shutlz, and Reimels were able to finish first with a time of 3:43.75. On the day, the Rocketeers had 5 first-place finishes and 9 state-qualifying performances. Pretty good for a 53-man team.

 

Upon returning from a week-long break from school and competing, the Rocketeers faces off against the Black Knights from Stoughton. Final score: 83-17 Big North. Shoutout to Mackey in the 1000. With the next meet came Milford, featuring some of the top individual runners in the Hock. Luckily enough for North Attleboro, they featured one of the top teams in the Hock. Despite a school-record-breaking race from the Milford 4x400m team, the Rocketeers took this one with the score totaling 71-29 with Personal Records being broken throughout the team.

 

Next up for Big Red was Division III State Relays. Being 2 years removed from winning the same meet in 2015, the team entered with the thought that another trophy was coming home with them. After winning 1st in 3 relays, (Shuttle Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump), 4 other relays were able to score points in a state meet. Again, pretty good for a “small team”. 

 

All that stood in Big North’s path of becoming dual meet champs were the Warriors of Foxboro. With almost every member of the team competing the night before mid-terms, the boys in red won 79-21, capping off an undefeated dual meet season.

 

At the end of the dual meet season, 21 members had earned a varsity letter, almost half the entire team. That fact alone shows you how well this group was able to perform at a high level. Despite being in the “weaker” division, this team was able to win State Relays and send over 15 kids to the Division III state championship meet. I’ll say it one more time; pretty good for a team of 53 guys.

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