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soccer

    ON THE PITCH

    Free-Scoring Avellar Sets Single-Season Goal Mark

    Her 41 goals this year is the most ever by a Nauset soccer player

    By

    DENNIS — Senior Olivia Avellar needed just three goals to break the Nauset Regional High School single-season scoring record set by current boys coach John McCully in 1979. She scored four before halftime in the Warriors’ 8-0 drubbing of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional on Oct. 24.

    “I’m super happy for her and the girls are all proud of her, too,” said first-year coach Evan Botting.

    Avellar, who lives in Orleans, credits her current and former teammates for all the assists they’ve provided throughout her four years. “It’s a team effort,” she said. “This isn’t just my record, it’s their record, too.

    “There are always goals you remember, certain special moments you have, like a first goal or a favorite goal,” Avellar said, “but the record hasn’t been on my mind until recently when everyone has been talking about it.” She felt the pressure, she said, “but I think it becomes more for me about what we’re accomplishing as a team.”

    Avellar launches a corner kick during the Dennis-Yarmouth game on Oct. 24. (Photo by Allen Gunn)

    There was, for example, that standout goal against Martha’s Vineyard where she converted an acrobatic bicycle kick on a corner kick from fellow senior Caroline Kennard. It was a moment Avellar said she’s thought about all season.

    The record-breaker, though, came when Avellar dribbled through the Dolphins’ defense before calmly dispatching a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper. It was a trademark move for the midfielder who has made defenses across the Cape look like they’re standing still.

    When the ball is at her feet, Avellar can appear to glide across the grass. Her ability on and off the ball translated into interest from NCAA Division I teams and her eventual commitment to Boston University.

    “Goal scorers feed off confidence,” said Botting. Avellar’s confidence-boosting record, he said, comes at a good time. “Going into the playoffs, it could be really huge if we can ride that momentum,” he said.

    Senior co-captain Olivia Avellar looks to get around a defender during Nauset’s game at Dennis-Yarmouth on Oct. 24. (Photo by Allen Gunn)

    Avellar has won many honors. She’s the reigning Cape and Islands League MVP — and in position for a second straight award. And she was a Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection in 2022. She was on every “watch list” heading into the season and has lived up to those expectations, all with the goal of a state championship for Nauset driving her forward.

    Avellar has been part of four straight Cape and Islands Atlantic Division championship teams. This year the Warriors eased into the title with an 11-1-0 league record, scoring 68 goals in the process and conceding just 11 goals. They have 10 clean sheets in 15 games and are unbeaten at home.

    “That was the first thing that we thought of coming into this season: winning the league again,” said Avellar. “Each game we’ve come with a little more spark, a little more energy, and that’s what helps us get to these moments.”

    Now with 91 goals across four years of varsity play, she’s close on the heels of McCully’s son James, who holds the school’s all-time scoring record with 97.

    She thinks about that “a little bit,” she says. But for now, “It’s nice to have your name on something and know it will be there in the record books even if it gets beat — and I’m hoping it will.”

    PLAYOFFS

    Boys’ Soccer Season Ends With a Heartbreaker

    Warriors push Longmeadow ‘to the brink,’ but penalty kicks seal the game

    By

    EAST LONGMEADOW — One of the most thrilling high school soccer matches this season took place on Nov. 14 as the eighth-seeded Nauset boys played the top-seeded East Longmeadow Spartans in the Round of 8 in the Division 2 MIAA state tournament.

    After two overtime periods ended in ties, the Spartans prevailed in a penalty-kick battle, 6 to 5.

    Nauset Head Coach John McCully and his coaching staff were struck by the singularity of the match. “We’ve all played at different levels, college, semi-pro, pro,” McCully said. “We’ve never been in a game like that before. Never.”

    Nauset star junior forward Nate Watring scored a hat trick in the first half to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead at halftime. The team looked poised to claim an upset victory and move on to the Division 2 Final Four.

    But East Longmeadow did not quit. The Spartans scored two goals within eight minutes to make the score 3-2, and with just five minutes left, they tied it up, sending the game into a 10-minute sudden-death overtime.

    Neither team scored in the first or second overtime periods. That meant penalty kicks would decide their fate.

    The back-and-forth battle continued. One team scored; the other team scored. One team missed; the other team missed. Finally, with each team having netted five of eight shots, Nauset’s Caelan Donovan missed high on the ninth shot attempt.

    That allowed East Longmeadow’s Aman Khurana to walk up and bury the Spartans’ ninth kick to win the game.

    A sea of red jerseys flooded the field to celebrate what had seemed like an improbable outcome.

    East Longmeadow Coach Dave Serafino said Nauset “pushed us literally to the brink of our season before we were able to prevail. I have been coaching for over 30 years, and this was an awesome display of courage from our boys.”

    “The moment overwhelmed us a little bit,” McCully said. He called East Longmeadow “by far the best team we’ve played this season.”

    All six goals scored during what was otherwise a defensive battle were impressive.

    With about eight minutes left in the first half, Watring controlled a floating pass from fellow junior forward Arlo Lawless and faced off one-on-one with East Longmeadow defender Patrick Stevens just outside the penalty area. Watring, to the right of the goal, shot from a tough angle across his body. The ball stayed on the ground and slipped past Spartan goalkeeper Ben Giroux for the first goal of the game.

    Later, with just under three minutes remaining in the half, Watring controlled a pass in front of the net and beat Giroux for his second goal.

    Just a couple of minutes later, with Nauset up 2-0, junior midfielder Grayson Farber booted a corner kick into the goal area. Watring found himself at the top of the box and kicked a volley past Giroux for his third score.

    Meanwhile, East Longmeadow had its fair share of chances that didn’t find the net.

    McCully said the 3-0 halftime lead wasn’t a wholly accurate reflection of the dynamics of the game.

    “Us being up 3-0 was very deceiving,” he said. “It could have just as easily been 3-3.”

    At halftime, the team talked about how to protect its lead, McCully said. They knew they’d have to play with a great deal of composure, he said.

    East Longmeadow came out in the second half playing more aggressive offense. The Spartans’ Ryan Morneau scored off a rebound after Nauset junior goalkeeper Chase Lemieux saved a would-be goal with 28 minutes left in the second half.

    Then, with 21 minutes to go, East Longmeadow’s Sonny Mazza controlled a bouncing ball on the left side of the penalty box and fired a strike across his body that landed in the far side of the net. The score was now 3-2.

    As the sky grew darker, it was looking like Nauset might come away with a win. Then, with five minutes left, East Longmeadow’s Colin Evans found himself in front of the net as a cross from Mike Monroe in the far corner came through. Evans stuck his leg out and with one touch directed the ball into the back of the net. Tie game. The fateful penalty kicks followed.

    Seniors and coaches, left to right: Assistant Coach Ron Fancy, Jordan Martin, Samuel Coelho, Owen White, Pat Pinto, James Rose, Head Coach John McCully, Will Schiffer, Caelan Donovan, and Jason Perry. (Photo courtesy Nauset Sports)

    The Warriors finished the season 17-2-1 and will graduate eight seniors from this year’s team, including Will Schiffer, who was one of nine players named to the Eastern Mass. All-Region Team.

    But a lot of young talent will return next year, including Watring, who led the team in goals this season. He tallied five goals and two assists in tournament play. Charlie Cushing, a sophomore midfielder, and Colton Higgins, a junior midfielder, will also look to get back on the pitch next season.

    “We had a few injuries that hurt us,” McCully said. “Charlie Cushing was out; Colton Higgins wasn’t able to make it. We just didn’t have the depth to compete in the end.

    “I’m just heartbroken for our seniors,” McCully said. “But we expect to be back next year fighting for a state championship. Our guys played with a tremendous amount of heart.”

    East Longmeadow was scheduled to face Canton in the Final Four on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m.

    HALL OF FAME

    Nat Santoro’s American Soccer Journey

    From small-town Sicily to a national championship

    By

    EASTHAM — Nat Santoro, who moved here from Connecticut 22 years ago, was born in Floridia, a small town in the Italian province of Sicily, in 1945. It’s where he learned to play soccer.

    Almost every family was poor. “Nobody had a ball in my town,” he says, “and the only one who could afford a car was the doctor.”

    Nat Santoro at his home in Eastham. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Floridia’s children would take old newspapers and tie rubber bands around them to create a makeshift soccer ball. One year, Santoro received an actual rubber ball for his birthday — a major gift. The kids played with that rubber ball until Santoro visited his cousins in Palermo and brought the ball there. It got caught on a fence and broke.

    The Santoros immigrated to the U.S. in 1956, when Nat was 11. They settled in New Britain, Conn., and later moved to Hartford. Nat was amazed to see all the soccer balls.

    “When I got here, every kid on the street had a real soccer ball,” he says.

    Santoro played on the street before being introduced to the Italian American Stars, an amateur team that competed all around New England. Most of the teams, he said, were made up of immigrant kids from Italy, Portugal, Poland, and a few other countries.

    The Stars had three divisions: A, B, and C. Santoro started on the C team as a defender, but quickly moved up to the B team.

    “At the end of one of the games, one of the big shots for the Stars asked if I could play another game with the A team,” Santoro says. “I started on the A team and was on it from then on.”

    Santoro was 15 when he started playing for the Stars, and he stayed with the team until he was 23. During that time, the Stars were increasingly dominant, winning multiple league championships, Saturday night tournaments, and six-on-six tournaments.

    The biggest accomplishment, though, came in Santoro’s last year with the team, in 1967. The Stars had their best squad ever and made it all the way to the National Amateur Cup finals, to play a team from St. Louis that had won multiple national championships.

    The Stars won the game 2-0 — the team’s first National Cup title. The match included a couple of goal-saving defensive plays by Santoro.

    The occupation of most of the guys on that championship team? “Bricklayers,” Santoro says.

    Santoro also played four years of Division 1 soccer at the University of Connecticut, from 1963 to 1967, and was named to the All-Yankee Conference team. He helped win the conference title.

    The 1967 Italian American Stars championship team. (Photo courtesy Nat Santoro)

    After college graduation, Santoro worked as a teacher and soccer coach at St. Thomas More, a prep school in Oakdale, Conn., and at Windsor Locks High School. “When you have the right attitude, you can change kids’ lives,” he says. His Windsor Locks team went undefeated for three or four years.

    But a teacher’s pay wasn’t enough to support a family, so Santoro eventually got into real estate. He kept coaching, first in a women’s league, and then in a youth league, before tearing both of his ACLs. Then it was time to leave the game entirely.

    In 2004, his 1967 Stars title team was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame. The Stars operated as a club until the early 2000s, but players began looking to get paid, which the amateur team declined to do. Communities took more pride in their local teams in the 1950s and ’60s, says Santoro, who is now 76, and still works as a certified commercial investment adviser for Kinlin Grover in Orleans.

    “Back then, it was a big deal,” he says. “Especially when we won the title.”

    There’s an Italian American Stars page on Facebook that says it’s an Italian social club now. The most recent posts show photos of people celebrating in the streets of Hartford after Italy won the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) championship for the first time this year since 1968.

    SUMMER BALL

    Two Sunday Hours Offer Joy on the Pitch

    Jamaican players make time for both pickup and organized league soccer

    By

    WELLFLEET — Sunday mornings on the Outer Cape are, for many people, about relaxing at home or enjoying a leisurely walk on the shore. But for some 20 Jamaicans, Sunday mornings are a sacred time for soccer at Baker’s Field in Wellfleet.

    “We always look forward to Sunday morning,” said Burchelle Edwards last Sunday. Edwards was a little out of breath, but he had a smile on his face that showed his love for the two hours of play he and his friends, who all live or work on the Outer Cape, get each weekend.

    The guys begin showing up at 7:30 a.m. and usually play until 9:30 with no break in the action. They’re there to have fun, but “it’s always competitive,” Edwards said.

    The skill of these players is on conspicuous display. They hustle to the ball, physically challenge their opponents, and communicate the entire time. It’s casual, yet serious.

    There’s still time for a laugh when Edwards misses a shot on a wide-open goal, or when the keeper of one team kicks the ball at an opposing player by accident and it ricochets in for a goal.

    Burchelle Edwards and AJ Mattheson share a laugh after Edwards missed a shot on a wide-open net. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Edwards, originally from Jamaica, has been living and working on the Cape for about 10 years. He currently lives in Wellfleet and works for the Wellfleet Shellfish Company. He said that, for as long as he can remember, Baker’s Field has been home to pick-up soccer matches every Sunday morning, weather permitting.

    Cricket is the national sport of Jamaica, but soccer is also extremely popular and many of the Jamaicans that come to the Cape are experienced players. Edwards is in his 40s, but the range of ages on the field was 20s to at least one 50-year-old.

    Last Sunday’s game evolved as more players showed up. At 8 a.m., it was a five-on-five match, but as the morning went on they had enough to play eight-on-eight. The field seemed to become wider with more players, but the goal nets they use, roughly four feet tall and five feet wide, make scoring difficult with a keeper standing in front. These guys are good, though, and they find the openings.

    Sunday morning soccer at Baker’s Field is casual, yet serious. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Tony Conte, who in 2010 founded the Wellfleet Breakers Soccer Club that competes in the Cape Cod Soccer League (CCSL), knows the Sunday morning soccer sessions well. They are one reason he founded the local club.

    “A lot of local kids kept seeing me and knew that I had played,” Conte said. He played high school soccer in Connecticut and then Division I ball at Providence College.

    “I was a captain and had a really good career there,” he said. “It was a great opportunity to play DI soccer in the ’80s.”

    Conte, who lives in Wellfleet, moved to the Cape in the late 1980s. A friend from college introduced him to the Chatham Fog of the CCSL. The league, founded in 1971, marks its 50th anniversary this year.

    In the late 2000s, some Wellfleet players, including Jamaicans who played on Sundays, were interested in getting a team together. Conte made it happen. The Breakers played their first five years at Baker’s Field, with help from the Wellfleet Recreation Dept. and sponsors like the Flying Fish Café and Newcomb Hollow Shop.

    The team later moved its home games to the turf field at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham, where league competitor Nauset Storm also plays. The CCSL includes the Storm, Breakers, Harwich Blues, Sandwich Knights, Mid-Cape United, and a new club called the AC Independence. The season runs from mid-June through early August. Each team has local sponsors that pay for jerseys.

    The ages of players in the league ranges from 17 to mid-30s, Conte said. This season, the Breakers are a mix of former and current Nauset and Monomoy soccer players, as well as mostly local and a few not-so-local Jamaican players. Conte said that the team’s central midfielder Joseph Leon, is from Dennis and also plays for a semi-professional team based in Boston.

    Wellfleet Breakers starting midfielder Kevaughn Fagen from Boston in action against the Nauset Storm of the Cape Cod Soccer League. (Photo Nancy Bloom)

    Keith Clark, the boys soccer coach at Monomoy Regional High School, stepped in to be the Breakers manager this season, while Conte acts as general manager. Clark brought along some talented players from the Monomoy program.

    “It’s actually a pretty cool, diverse culture,” Conte said. “The Nauset kids see this kind of meshing of the culture. On the pitch, it’s all good. One of the things we stress is communication. Share the ball and defend.”

    Conte said it’s a great chance for younger players to develop their skills and for older players to continue to compete in an organized fashion.

    The Breakers are relatively new to the league, and it took a few years for the team to be competitive against established teams like the Storm or Harwich Blues. The Blues, currently undefeated, are the reigning champions.

    “They are a very strong team of mostly Brazilian players,” Conte said.

    In 2019, the Breakers reached the playoff semifinals. This year, the squad has been holding steady, with a record of four wins and four losses. Their most recent game was a 3-1 loss to the Nauset Storm (6-2) on July 25.

    Kevon Campbell of Eastham in action with the Wellfleet Breakers against the Nauset Storm, two of the teams in the Cape Cod Soccer League. Campbell, from Jamaica, is the Breakers’ second-leading scorer. He also plays pickup soccer on Sundays in Wellfleet. (Photo Nancy Bloom)

    Conte said he’s seen increased interest from players this season, since the league did not compete last summer due to the coronavirus. “The demand is as high as it’s ever been,” he said. “Our rosters are full.”

    The team with the best record at the end of the regular season is awarded the Davis Cup and then the league hosts its playoff tournament. The top two teams in the league are given a first-round bye while the other four teams face each other based on regular season records in a single elimination round. The last remaining team is crowned champion.

    As the playoffs are set to begin, the Breakers have earned a home quarterfinal match against the AC Independence on Sunday, August 1.

    Visit @wellfleetbreakers on Facebook for more information on the club.

    ON THE PITCH

    Soccer Players Face a New Game

    Covid rules include no headers, no throw-ins, masks, and in-game social distancing

    By

    As high school sports seasons progress, the Independent will be reporting regularly on how the pandemic is affecting the games, players, coaches, and fans.

    PROVINCETOWN — “I thought it would be over by now.”

    That’s what Anthony Lovati said about the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on high school sports. Lovati, who lives in Provincetown, is a senior captain on the Nauset Regional High School boys soccer team. Like all the other seniors participating in fall sports, Lovati faces a different game from the one he envisioned at the beginning of his high school career.

    Practice normally starts in August, and teams gear up with a preseason tournament. This year, though, the soccer season will go from Sept. 21 to Nov. 20. Teams will play just 8 to 10 games (a normal season would have about 20), with a league tournament at the end of the regular season, but no statewide soccer playoffs to look forward to.

    New rules for this fall include required face coverings during practices and games while maintaining six feet of distance from each other. But other guidelines issued by the Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) will change the game in many more ways. The regulations prohibit heading the ball, throw-ins after the ball goes out of bounds, slide tackles, intentional body contact between players, and goal kicks through the air.

    The full document of modifications for soccer alone is seven pages long. Violation of these new rules will result in an indirect kick for the opposing team, or yellow/red cards for the offenders, according to the MIAA.

    On the field for Nauset last season are #19 Anthony Lovati and #23 Shavar Champagne. (Photo Liz Lovati)

    “I think it’s going to be really hard,” Lovati said. “I’m going to have to do a lot of homework on what I can and can’t do.”

    “With the new rules, it will be very tricky and definitely a game changer,” said junior Isabel Cook of Wellfleet, captain of the Nauset girls soccer team.

    Playing defense will be difficult, since intentional contact is not allowed. As a defender, it’s tough to take the ball away from another player without making any body contact.

    “I play physical,” said Cook. “It will be very hard to adjust with no contact, since I’ve used it in the way I’ve played for the last 10 years.”

    Lovati agreed that physicality is a strong suit at Nauset and has helped the boys team win Division 2 state championships in two of the last four years (2016-17, 2018-19). They were state playoff contenders in the other two years.

    “Contact, for my team, is a big part of the game,” Lovati said, adding that Nauset players are bigger than most of those they play against. “Coach has us in the weight room all year,” he said.

    The new rules prohibiting heading and throw-ins will be especially challenging. Cook said she scored four goals last year, and three of them came from heading the ball into the net. Lovati said he’s known for his throw-ins from the sideline, which he can toss a good distance.

    “Throwing the ball in is something I’m really good at. I can throw it in like a cross,” he said, referring to a pass from the side to midfield. “I think we scored 5 or 6 goals last year off that one play.”

    Now players must kick the ball on the ground after an out of bounds. During a free kick, defensive players have traditionally lined up in a wall formation to block the shooter from having a clear look at the goal. But social distancing guidelines mean those walls will not be allowed.

    Then there’s breathing.

    “It’s definitely hard,” Lovati said of wearing a mask during play. Since Nauset practices won’t start until Sept. 21, he said the team has held some captain’s practices to try and get used to the new rules and the masks. One of those sessions happened in the rain. “When the masks get wet you can’t really breathe,” he said.

    Cook said she, too, set up practices with her team this summer at the middle school. “They were usually passing drills, shooting, and no contact, to make sure we were as socially distanced as we could be,” she said.

    Face coverings, though necessary, present a challenge, she agreed.

    “I know we can do it and make it work since we all care about each other’s well-being,” Cook said. “Although, it is really difficult, because when you’ve been running your breathing becomes heavy and the mask makes it feel like you’re suffocating.”

    Mask breaks will be allowed during games when players can maintain 10 feet of separation, according to the MIAA. These won’t be at planned intervals, but at opportune moments. For example, defensive players will likely pull their masks down for a breather when the offense is pushing the ball on the other side of the field. Instead of two 40-minute halves, games will be played in four 20-minute quarters this season — with more opportunities for players to take masks off and get water.

    Nauset has had some talented soccer teams in recent years, with a number of graduates going on to play in college. But college recruiting has also changed. “A lot of these players do want to play at the next level in college and it’s been difficult to get them out in front of college coaches,” said John McCully, the Nauset boys soccer head coach.

    Exposure is important in recruiting, and there won’t be a lot of it in this short season. But that will be true for players across the state, since it was the MIAA Covid-19 task force’s unanimous recommendation against postseason play that put a stop to playoffs this year.

    “We’re just trying to stay positive and upbeat,” McCully said. “This is a special group of seniors. I just want the most for them.”

    It’s unclear whether students or family will be allowed to sit in the bleachers during Warriors games and maintain the required distance, though there is space to stand and cheer around the field. Either way, Lovati said, he expects the student section to be less uproarious this season.

    “We are grateful they have some sort of season,” said Anthony’s mother, Liz Lovati. “But we’ve invested a lot of time, money, driving for 10 years to all different parts of this state for tournaments, games, and club practices.

    “You wait for the culmination of senior year,” Liz continued. “Now I’m not going to see him win a championship.”

    The players remain optimistic.

    “I thought everyone on the team would take it a lot harder,” Anthony said, “but we’ve all kind of just taken it, and know this is what we got to do.”

    “I know, as a team, we can face the adversity thrown our way,” Cook said. “We’ll need to lift each other up and help each other learn the new way of playing.”

    NO CONTACT

    Fall Sports to Play in Two Seasons

    Football, cheerleading, and volleyball competition is pushed to February

    By

    EASTHAM — Nauset fall sports will be a completely different game this year.

    The Cape & Islands League Executive Board voted last week to allow boys golf, cross country, boys soccer, girls soccer, and field hockey to compete in the Fall I season, which will take place from Sept. 21 to Nov. 20.

    The board also voted to move football, cheerleading, and volleyball competition to the “Fall II” season, beginning on Feb. 22 and continuing through April 25.

    On Aug. 19, the Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) presented its modified high school sports season for 2020-21 that includes the two separate fall seasons.

    “The recommendations before us may not meet everyone’s expectations, but they provide a real opportunity for our students to take part in high school athletics for the first time in months,” MIAA President Jeff Granatino said in a statement.

    Nauset Regional High football players, here huddled in a photo taken last year, won’t be able to huddle again until at least February, during the newly approved “Fall II” season. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    The hope is that, by pushing football, cheerleading, and volleyball to the second fall season, competition in those close contact sports will be possible when February rolls around. And although soccer, golf, field hockey, and cross country will be played this fall, there will be some unusual limitations.

    The state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) released safety protocols for sports in July, which ranked sports in categories of “low,” “moderate,” or “high” risk. The category determines which of four levels of practice or play teams can look forward to.

    Level 1 includes individual or socially distanced group activities (no-contact workouts, aerobic conditioning, individual skill work, drills). Level 2 includes competitive practices (intra-team or group games, contact drills, and scrimmages). Level 3 includes competitions (inter-team games, meets, matches, races, etc.). Level 4 includes outdoor tournaments.

    Cross country and golf are “low risk” sports and can compete in all levels of play, while soccer and field hockey are “moderate risk” sports and eligible for Level 3 play, as long as certain modifications can be enforced.

    Players will have to adapt to these new rules. Cross-country runners will have staggered starts. In soccer, eliminating throw-ins, headers, and physical contact completely changes the game. Field hockey will not allow physical contact among players either, which is a normal part of the game. All players will be required to wear masks.

    Nauset Athletic Director John Mattson released information specific to Nauset Regional High School on Twitter last week.

    Even though Nauset football is scheduled for the Fall II season, the team will still participate in practice sessions, beginning Sept. 28 for two or three days a week, which can include only individual or socially distanced group activities. Cheerleading and volleyball will not attempt practice sessions until the Fall II season.

    Most teams will play 8 to 10 games, and each sport will have a league tournament at the end of the regular season, according to Mattson. Practice schedules and transportation guidelines are still being finalized. A virtual parent and athlete preseason meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.

    Mattson said in a statement that the health and safety of student athletes was the top priority. He added that “despite the glaring sport modifications, shortened season, and other challenges, we are excited to offer a fall sports program at Nauset Regional High School.”

    ASSESSING THE RISK

    New Guidelines for Fall Sports Offer No Guarantees

    Soccer teams may play games, but for football the picture is clouded

    By

    Fall sports will most likely be much different than ever before this coming season. The Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) officially voted on July 15 to move the start date of the fall sports season to Sept. 14.

    The state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) then released amended safety measures for sports activities on July 24. The EEA ranked sports in categories of “low risk,” “moderate risk,” or “high risk.” The category determines which of four levels of practice and play that sport may offer.

    Level 1 includes individual or socially distanced group activities (no-contact workouts, aerobic conditioning, individual skill work, and drills). Level 2 includes competitive practices (intra-team or group games, contact drills, and scrimmages). Level 3 includes competitions (inter-team games, meets, matches, races, etc.). Level 4 includes outdoor tournaments.

    High school sports are more than just a game for players and coaches. They serve as important arenas for teaching and learning.

    “Sports teaches these kids so much,” said Nauset boys soccer Coach John McCully. “Discipline, working hard, making sacrifices, making commitments, managing your time in high school.”

    The boys soccer team has achieved great success in recent years, including Division 2 state championships in two of the last four years (2016-17, 2018-19).

    Soccer was originally placed in the “high risk” category, allowed only level 1 activities. But the amendments announced on July 24 moved the sport to “moderate risk,” which qualifies it for level 3 play.

    McCully coaches a club team in Plymouth that’s part of the Liverpool Football Club International Academy. A few Nauset students play on the club team, which McCully said has been practicing all summer. But with the recent changes, the team can now start playing real games.

    “I told the guys, let’s just make the most of the situation we’re in,” McCully said. “Let’s try to be positive, stay healthy and safe, and follow the guidelines. Let’s hope and pray that we’ll have some sort of fall season.”

    Based on the recent guideline changes, those prayers might be answered.

    Even if the boys and girls soccer teams are able to play games this season, it’s unclear what their schedules will look like, since the start date has been pushed back. McCully said he expects the MIAA to come out with guidelines for the number of games a team must play to qualify for postseason play and if nonleague or just interleague games will be allowed.

    Nauset football might not be as lucky, as the sport remains on the “high risk” list.

    “It’s tough,” Coach Bruce Strunk told the Independent. “Football is unique. It’s a collision sport and there’s a lot of contact. A lot more people are involved. If someone’s running the ball you might end up with five, six, seven guys in a pile.”

    But Strunk said it’s a mistake to categorize football as the only true contact sport.

    “There’s a lot of contact in those other sports as well,” he said.

    Strunk is waiting for the Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer guidelines on how school will proceed this fall. Once that happens, he said, he should have a better idea of how to put together a workout program for the football team.

    Nauset football may not be able to line up in a game this season due to new state guidelines on organized sports. Football is listed as “high risk,” qualifying it only for individual or socially distanced group activities like no-contact workouts, conditioning, and drills. Pictured is a play from Nauset’s playoff win against Dighton-Rehoboth last fall. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Other fall sports at Nauset include boys and girls cross country, girls field hockey, girls volleyball, boys golf, and cheerleading. The only sports in the “low risk” category that qualify for normal play, including matches and outdoor tournaments, are cross country and golf.

    Nauset Athletic Director John Mattson said the school plans on merging boys and girls cross country into one program this season and is currently looking for a new head coach.

    There are still certain guidelines that all participants must follow this fall, no matter the sport they’re involved in.

    “For team and group sports, no more than 25 players or participants can be on a single playing surface/area/court at any one time,” according to the EEA. “The number of coaches and staff should be limited. Larger playing areas and surfaces, such as athletic fields, tracks, and facilities that have multiple courts or playing areas, may be used by more than one group at one time, provided that adequate social distance and group separation can be maintained.”

    Six-foot social distance and masks are required when participants are not actively engaged as well.

    Strunk hasn’t been able to meet with his players face to face. He texts them to check in and has been sending conditioning workouts to all players to keep them engaged and in shape.

    “I’m trying to stay optimistic whenever I chat or text them because I don’t want them to lose hope or be unprepared,” he said.

    Nauset football might not have a follow-up season after winning the first ever playoff game in school history last season.

    Both McCully and Strunk said they hope the absence of a normal sports season won’t affect the kids’ development, especially in high school.

    “For young people, there’s different ways to build character, and sports is one of them,” Strunk said. “Sports affects a large group of kids in their development both mentally and physically.”

    WARRIORS WATCH

    Football Team Falls in Semi-Finals

    A weekly wrap-up of Nauset High sports

    By

    Note: Team records are listed as of the Independent’s deadline.

    Thursday, Nov. 14

    Boys soccer: The Warriors (18-0-2) will play the Oliver Ames Tigers (15-3-0) in a Division 2 South Sectional semi-final game at 7 p.m. at Sandwich High School. The winner will earn a spot in the championship.

    Nauset defeated Duxbury 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

    football photo
    The Nauset football team is out of playoff contention.

    Saturday, Nov. 16

    Football: The Warriors (6-3) will play an away game against the Silver Lake Lakers at 5 p.m. Nauset lost 35-14 to the Plymouth South Panthers in the Division 4 South Sectional semi-finals on Nov. 8, which knocked the team out of playoff contention.

    While the Warriors will no longer compete in the playoffs, they will play against the Lakers in their last game of the regular season before the annual Thanksgiving game.

    Cross country: The boys and girls teams will compete in the All-State meet at the Gardner Municipal Golf Course at a time to be determined.

    Sunday, Nov. 17

    Cheerleading: The Warriors will compete in the state championships at Shrewsbury High School at a time to be determined.

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