EASTHAM — The Nauset High Warriors will field nine varsity sports teams in five winter sports: basketball, hockey, indoor track and field, swimming, and wrestling.
After their heartbreaking loss in the MIAA Division 3 State Tournament, boys hockey coach Connor Brickley had to deal with the loss of eight seniors. There was also a shakeup in goal with Arthur Figueiredo’s transfer to Trinity-Pawling, but Brickley has junior veteran goalie Matthew Swanson along with Zach Coelho.
Brickley knows his team has a tough schedule. “Every single day it matters because they understand there’s going to be a tough opponent and they need to make sure their game is exactly where we want it to be,” he said.
The Warriors will be led by junior Logan Poulin, who tallied 23 goals and 18 assists last year. Senior Cam Connery (21 points) and sophomore Jake Eldredge (15 points) will factor into the offense for a team with Cape & Islands and state championship aspirations.
“Going to the Garden — it’s that simple,” said Poulin when asked what Nauset’s potential is.
The boys team went 16 and 6 in Brickley’s first year. They open the season against Sandwich High School at Gallo Ice Arena on Dec. 9.
The “Cape Cod Furies” are no more. The combined team of Nauset and Monomoy high schools will fall solely under the Nauset umbrella this year. The Warriors, who lost just one senior from the team that reached the second round of the state tournament, know if there were a time to put it all together it’s now.
Their 13 freshmen all got crucial varsity experience, led by Cape & Islands All-Star Gaby Bassett. All-Star junior goalie Olivia Avellar returns, and the defense will be spearheaded by another All-Star selection in senior Sienna Reeves.
With so much depth at his disposal, second-year coach Zack Welles hopes his team can finally get over the second-round hump.
The girls hosts Pope Francis at Charles Moore Arena to begin the campaign on Dec. 10 at 11:20 a.m.
Nauset’s boys didn’t miss a beat en route to a Cape & Islands Atlantic Division championship in 2023, but the Warriors will be without Dillon White, Andrew Berardi, Patrick O’Keefe, and Nico Harrington.
“We’re going to be a different team than we were last year,” said Coach Kevin Harrigan, “Without the size that Nico and Dillon gave us inside, we’ve had to devise a whole new offense and identity, but the early returns look good.”
Jordyn Streitmatter, Gabby Foster, and Jill Ernstrom will be at the forefront of trying to put together a senior season to remember for the Warrior girls, who haven’t had a winning record since the trio were freshman.
“We’ve been playing together since we were in middle school, so my teammates and I are eager to have a great final season,” said Foster, who committed to Framingham State in October.
Girls indoor track is coming off a 5-0 season, while the boys had just one blemish on their record. The girls team will be headlined by juniors Madeline Mahoney and Rihanna Sutherland and sophomore Violet Roche.
Senior Damien Bebber and junior Aidan Brown are the names to watch on the boys team. Bebber placed first in all regular-season dual meets in both the 300 meters and the 600 meters.
Swimming starts the season off with a bang at the Cape & Islands Relays hosted by Sandwich High School on Dec. 9. The boys went undefeated last year while the girls finished last year unbeaten at 5-0-1 — their one tie came against a tough Nantucket team. Both earned at least a share of the Cape & Islands crown.
The boys will be led by a cast of seniors, including the Crowell brothers, Will and Charlie, and Tom Foley. The girls team was hit hard by graduation, losing six seniors. But they are bolstered by senior Isabelle Hardwicke and junior Erin McFarland.
Upcoming games
Friday, Dec. 8
Girls basketball: Nauset opens the season by hosting Plymouth North at Nauset Regional Middle School. Tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Wrestling: Nauset heads to Sandwich for the Sandwich Quad starting at 10 a.m.
Boys and girls swimming: The Warriors are at the Cape & Islands Relays hosted by Sandwich High School, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Boys basketball: Nauset tips off their regular season schedule at Stoughton High at 3 p.m.
Boys hockey: The Warriors travel to Gallo Arena for an 8 p.m. faceoff against Sandwich.
Sunday, Dec. 10
Girls hockey: The Warriors are in action against Pope Francis at Charles Moore Arena with faceoff scheduled for 11:20 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Boys and girls track: Nauset meets Nantucket and St. John Paul II at Wheaton College beginning at 3 p.m.
Girls basketball: The Warriors travel to Martha’s Vineyard for a 4:30 p.m. tipoff.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Boys and girls swimming: Nauset goes to Nantucket for a 5 p.m. meet.
Boys hockey: The Warriors play Nantucket High at 5:15 p.m. at Nantucket Ice Community Rink.
Boys basketball: Nauset hosts Martha’s Vineyard at Nauset Regional Middle School at 5:30 p.m.
Wrestling: The Warriors are at Scituate High for a match beginning at 6 p.m.
Girls hockey: Nauset takes on Falmouth at Falmouth Ice Arena at 7 p.m.
