The Winter in Review
Following a fall season that saw almost no schedule changes due to weather, this winter was the exact opposite. Snowstorm after snowstorm, too much snow, too little snow, leaks in the gym; all contributed to a crazy winter season. Despite this, we had a winter that was filled with excitement and success. Thank you to everyone – fans, parents, athletes, and others who dealt with whatever was thrown our way and helped make this such a great season.
On Monday I was proud to participate in the NHIAA Scholar-Athlete ceremony with 12 of our seniors. To receive this accomplishment they had to participate in at least two varsity sports their senior year, maintain a B+ or better GPA, participate in community service activities, and follow our ACCA. Recipients of this prestigious award include: Sage Dubois, Justin Durant, Matt Lewis, Tim Meserve, Aidan Molnar, Kayl Murdough, Will Rhynhart, Joe Spalding, Isabel Tobin, Daniel Tucker, Jacob Underwood, and Henry Yianakopolos. Congratulations to all! Thank you also to everyone in our generous community who helped support the “Hoops for Hunger” program – we raised $865 and collected over 150 food items all donated to the Hopkinton Food Pantry. Thank you!!!
Dan Meserve, Athletic Director
JV Boys Basketball
Co-Captains: Evan Jacobsen and Shepyrd Murdough
The JV boys’ basketball team enjoyed an excellent regular season, finishing with a record of 15-3. After opening the first third of the schedule 3-3, the young Hawks—12 freshmen, 1 sophomore, and 1 junior—rallied off a 12-game winning streak to complete the season, highlighted by a rare road win at Conant.
Throughout the season, game in and game out, the Hawks were led by many different players at different times. Swingers Caleb Yianakopolos, Michael Baer, and Tyler Allen along with Colby Quiet and Derek West shared top performance honors on numerous occasions. In February, during the 12-game winning streak, the Hawks had back-to-back games where every player scored in both contests. When a team can receive such contributions from anyone on any single night that is when you know you have a great opportunity to be successful. A final record of 15-3 is truly special and something to be very proud of.
Coach Kevin Hill
JV Girls Basketball
Captains: Annie Bamford, Maddy McCluskey
This season brought out a lot of toughness and showed the girls true commitment to the lady Hawks JV basketball team. With low numbers from the get go and injuries throughout the season, the girls consistently practiced almost every day with the varsity team. By doing this, it forced them to play at a higher level, and the improvement that came from this from beginning to end of season was remarkable.
The team finished their regular season with a 7-10 record, but what truly stood out was the last week of the season. The girls played 6 games in 6 days and participated in the Franklin JV Tournament, where they finished 3rd place in their division and went 5-1 in the last week of play. They each held a key role on the team, and Annie Bamford and Maddy McCluskey did a great job leading the team as captains.
Coach Amy Ober
Individual Sports
After an 8 year absence, Hopkinton was back in the pool and made their return known! The team was led by Bin-Bin Schell and Sydney Stockwell who often finished first or second in their events, while the relay comprised of Sydney, Eva Piernas, and Maddie Eborn also often placed in the top 3.
Unfortunately, illness and other conflicts prevented their relay team from swimming at States, but Bin-Bin and Sydney represented! Sydney had an awesome day and earned two 12th place finishes in 100y freestyle and 100y backstroke and Bin-Bin had an 11th place finish in 100y back!
Meanwhile, senior Cole Reinacher represented Hopkinton in wrestling again, participating in the 145lb weight class and making his way to the State Tournament.
-Coaches Joanne Jackson (swim) and
Eileen Reinacher (wrestling)
Alpine Skiing
Captains: Maura Zankel, Elizabeth Berliner; Jacob Underwood, Zachary Berliner
The girl’s team was extremely young comprised primarily of 8th & 9th graders but was very talented. Addie Locke, Elizabeth Berliner, Maura Zankel, and Bea Burack were consistently our top four scorers all season long and were joined by newcomers Anna Hoffman and Renee Brogan.
On the boy’s side, our only senior - Jacob Underwood provided plenty of team leadership alongside Zachary Berliner, Zach Brogan, and Nick Higginbotham.
Season Highlights: 2nd place by one point at the Capital Cup with Addie taking home the 2nd place trophy for individual honors. The girls won two split-divisional meets as well.
Girls placing 6th in the GS and 4th in the SL at the State Meet!
The Boys finished in 6th place at States.
Qualifying for the New Hampshire Meet of Champions were Zachary with a 5th in Slalom & Addie with a 10th in Slalom.
Zachary also earned a bronze medal in the Division IV Skimeister competition in his first attempt.
Coach Bob Berliner
Varsity Girls Basketball
Captains : Abby Houston, Taylor Signor
The Hopkinton Varsity Girls basketball team entered the season as the youngest squad in division 3 with a team comprised of mostly sophomores and freshman. With junior co-captains Abby Houston and Taylor Signor the only returning upperclassmen and a schedule that featured 8 of the top 9 teams in the division, the young Hawks faced a big challenge. The girls finished the season with a 6-12 record placing them in a tie for the 16th seed. Along the way the Hawks had many memorable performances including two battles with highly regarded Kearsarge, taking undefeated Sanborn to overtime, and finishing with a victory over Hillsboro on a unique 'senior night' held at NHTI. The girls finished the season on a high note, winning their final three games (on three consecutive days), including a victory over Newport.
With the entire group returning and a year of experience against the best teams in division 3, the future looks bright for the youthful Hawks.
Coach Pat Roye
Nordic Skiing
Captains: Justin Durant and Carley Kanter
The 2016-2017 Nordic season saw many changes in both the boys’ and girls’ teams. At least this year, the snow cooperated for the most part allowing most training to actually be on snow!
For the boys, last year’s D IV champs, the team lost its top five scorers with graduation. However, the team fought hard throughout the season, led by Simon Doneski who finished 5th at the D IV Championships in both races and earned a spot to compete at the Meet of Champions. The boys’ team stayed committed, worked hard, and finished in a solid third position at the D IV Championships. In the D IV Skimeister division, Zach Berliner finished third overall.
The girls’ team started off with some uncertainty, as only one skier from the previous year returned. Luckily, a new batch of freshman girls moved up and helped form a strong top four scoring group. This small team consistently battled much larger teams throughout the season and was always within a few points of last year’s D IV champs. At the D IV Championships, an unfortunately timed illness plagued every girl on the team. However, the girls stayed focused and determined, gave everything they had, and skied two hard races to come within a few points of second place. Top scorers for the girls were Lily Sabol who finished 5th in both races and Emma Rothe who finished 7th in the first race, then came back to win the afternoon race, becoming the D IV skate race champion.
Both teams look to strengthen and gain some support next year as a portion of a very large Middle School Nordic team moves up.
Coach Rob Rothe
Ice Hockey
Hopkinton Captain: Tim Sawitsky
John Stark-Hopkinton hockey team was in a rebuilding year but finished with a winning record of 11-7-1, good for 5th place. We added 10 freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, meaning that we started the season with 19 of 27 players who were either freshman or sophomores. The season was a true rollercoaster this year, as the most wins we could string together was three. Weather also affected us: there was a 21-day period during the middle of the season that we only had 2 practices because the others were cancelled because of snow. The team, however, persevered and worked hard.
With so many players, for the first time ever we were able to play a five game JV schedule. The JV team was 4-1-0 beating several D-I schools along the way.
Our Senior leadership will truly be missed in the years to come. Aidan Molnar (HOP), Tim Meserve (HOP), Tim Sawitsky (HOP), Cam Bourque (JS) and Justin Bowen (JS) have played a huge role in our defensive play the 4 years they have been on the team.
Coach: Denis Kolehmainen
Varsity Boys Basketball
Captain: Cam Cyr, Henry Yianakopolos
The Boys Varsity Basketball team had a very successful season making it to the Final Four. The overall record was 19-4 despite only having 5 players with much varsity experience from last year. The season was about family and these 13 boys came together and worked hard every single day in practice and games. There were many obstacles for this team, none bigger than losing your home gym for the last 3 weeks of the season. The team never complained about the unfortunate situation they were in and had to have senior night and the two “home” playoff games at other venues, not including getting bussed to every practice at another school. Despite all that happened, I could not be prouder of this team.
We want to wish the best of luck to all 5 seniors who will be missed. Captains Cam Cyr and Henry Yianakopolos, Liam Flanagan, Kayl Murdough and Tucker Windhurst. We wanted to give a shout out to Henry Yianakopolos for making 1st team, Cam Cyr 2nd team and Kevin McGrath and Zachary Signor for making Honorable Mention as well as Cam Cyr, Henry Yianakopolos and Kayl Murdough for making All-Academic Team. Thank you.
Coach Steve Signor
News and Notes
Following a fall season that saw almost no schedule changes due to weather, this winter was the exact opposite. Snowstorm after snowstorm, too much snow, too little snow, leaks in the gym; all contributed to a crazy winter season. Despite this, we had a winter that was filled with excitement and success. Thank you to everyone – fans, parents, athletes, and others who dealt with whatever was thrown our way and helped make this such a great season.
On Monday I was proud to participate in the NHIAA Scholar-Athlete ceremony with 12 of our seniors. To receive this accomplishment they had to participate in at least two varsity sports their senior year, maintain a B+ or better GPA, participate in community service activities, and follow our ACCA. Recipients of this prestigious award include: Sage Dubois, Justin Durant, Matt Lewis, Tim Meserve, Aidan Molnar, Kayl Murdough, Will Rhynhart, Joe Spalding, Isabel Tobin, Daniel Tucker, Jacob Underwood, and Henry Yianakopolos. Congratulations to all! Thank you also to everyone in our generous community who helped support the “Hoops for Hunger” program – we raised $865 and collected over 150 food items all donated to the Hopkinton Food Pantry. Thank you!!!
Dan Meserve, Athletic Director
JV Boys Basketball
Co-Captains: Evan Jacobsen and Shepyrd Murdough
The JV boys’ basketball team enjoyed an excellent regular season, finishing with a record of 15-3. After opening the first third of the schedule 3-3, the young Hawks—12 freshmen, 1 sophomore, and 1 junior—rallied off a 12-game winning streak to complete the season, highlighted by a rare road win at Conant.
Throughout the season, game in and game out, the Hawks were led by many different players at different times. Swingers Caleb Yianakopolos, Michael Baer, and Tyler Allen along with Colby Quiet and Derek West shared top performance honors on numerous occasions. In February, during the 12-game winning streak, the Hawks had back-to-back games where every player scored in both contests. When a team can receive such contributions from anyone on any single night that is when you know you have a great opportunity to be successful. A final record of 15-3 is truly special and something to be very proud of.
Coach Kevin Hill
JV Girls Basketball
Captains: Annie Bamford, Maddy McCluskey
This season brought out a lot of toughness and showed the girls true commitment to the lady Hawks JV basketball team. With low numbers from the get go and injuries throughout the season, the girls consistently practiced almost every day with the varsity team. By doing this, it forced them to play at a higher level, and the improvement that came from this from beginning to end of season was remarkable.
The team finished their regular season with a 7-10 record, but what truly stood out was the last week of the season. The girls played 6 games in 6 days and participated in the Franklin JV Tournament, where they finished 3rd place in their division and went 5-1 in the last week of play. They each held a key role on the team, and Annie Bamford and Maddy McCluskey did a great job leading the team as captains.
Coach Amy Ober
Individual Sports
After an 8 year absence, Hopkinton was back in the pool and made their return known! The team was led by Bin-Bin Schell and Sydney Stockwell who often finished first or second in their events, while the relay comprised of Sydney, Eva Piernas, and Maddie Eborn also often placed in the top 3.
Unfortunately, illness and other conflicts prevented their relay team from swimming at States, but Bin-Bin and Sydney represented! Sydney had an awesome day and earned two 12th place finishes in 100y freestyle and 100y backstroke and Bin-Bin had an 11th place finish in 100y back!
Meanwhile, senior Cole Reinacher represented Hopkinton in wrestling again, participating in the 145lb weight class and making his way to the State Tournament.
-Coaches Joanne Jackson (swim) and
Eileen Reinacher (wrestling)
Alpine Skiing
Captains: Maura Zankel, Elizabeth Berliner; Jacob Underwood, Zachary Berliner
The girl’s team was extremely young comprised primarily of 8th & 9th graders but was very talented. Addie Locke, Elizabeth Berliner, Maura Zankel, and Bea Burack were consistently our top four scorers all season long and were joined by newcomers Anna Hoffman and Renee Brogan.
On the boy’s side, our only senior - Jacob Underwood provided plenty of team leadership alongside Zachary Berliner, Zach Brogan, and Nick Higginbotham.
Season Highlights: 2nd place by one point at the Capital Cup with Addie taking home the 2nd place trophy for individual honors. The girls won two split-divisional meets as well.
Girls placing 6th in the GS and 4th in the SL at the State Meet!
The Boys finished in 6th place at States.
Qualifying for the New Hampshire Meet of Champions were Zachary with a 5th in Slalom & Addie with a 10th in Slalom.
Zachary also earned a bronze medal in the Division IV Skimeister competition in his first attempt.
Coach Bob Berliner
Varsity Girls Basketball
Captains : Abby Houston, Taylor Signor
The Hopkinton Varsity Girls basketball team entered the season as the youngest squad in division 3 with a team comprised of mostly sophomores and freshman. With junior co-captains Abby Houston and Taylor Signor the only returning upperclassmen and a schedule that featured 8 of the top 9 teams in the division, the young Hawks faced a big challenge. The girls finished the season with a 6-12 record placing them in a tie for the 16th seed. Along the way the Hawks had many memorable performances including two battles with highly regarded Kearsarge, taking undefeated Sanborn to overtime, and finishing with a victory over Hillsboro on a unique 'senior night' held at NHTI. The girls finished the season on a high note, winning their final three games (on three consecutive days), including a victory over Newport.
With the entire group returning and a year of experience against the best teams in division 3, the future looks bright for the youthful Hawks.
Coach Pat Roye
Nordic Skiing
Captains: Justin Durant and Carley Kanter
The 2016-2017 Nordic season saw many changes in both the boys’ and girls’ teams. At least this year, the snow cooperated for the most part allowing most training to actually be on snow!
For the boys, last year’s D IV champs, the team lost its top five scorers with graduation. However, the team fought hard throughout the season, led by Simon Doneski who finished 5th at the D IV Championships in both races and earned a spot to compete at the Meet of Champions. The boys’ team stayed committed, worked hard, and finished in a solid third position at the D IV Championships. In the D IV Skimeister division, Zach Berliner finished third overall.
The girls’ team started off with some uncertainty, as only one skier from the previous year returned. Luckily, a new batch of freshman girls moved up and helped form a strong top four scoring group. This small team consistently battled much larger teams throughout the season and was always within a few points of last year’s D IV champs. At the D IV Championships, an unfortunately timed illness plagued every girl on the team. However, the girls stayed focused and determined, gave everything they had, and skied two hard races to come within a few points of second place. Top scorers for the girls were Lily Sabol who finished 5th in both races and Emma Rothe who finished 7th in the first race, then came back to win the afternoon race, becoming the D IV skate race champion.
Both teams look to strengthen and gain some support next year as a portion of a very large Middle School Nordic team moves up.
Coach Rob Rothe
Ice Hockey
Hopkinton Captain: Tim Sawitsky
John Stark-Hopkinton hockey team was in a rebuilding year but finished with a winning record of 11-7-1, good for 5th place. We added 10 freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, meaning that we started the season with 19 of 27 players who were either freshman or sophomores. The season was a true rollercoaster this year, as the most wins we could string together was three. Weather also affected us: there was a 21-day period during the middle of the season that we only had 2 practices because the others were cancelled because of snow. The team, however, persevered and worked hard.
With so many players, for the first time ever we were able to play a five game JV schedule. The JV team was 4-1-0 beating several D-I schools along the way.
Our Senior leadership will truly be missed in the years to come. Aidan Molnar (HOP), Tim Meserve (HOP), Tim Sawitsky (HOP), Cam Bourque (JS) and Justin Bowen (JS) have played a huge role in our defensive play the 4 years they have been on the team.
Coach: Denis Kolehmainen
Varsity Boys Basketball
Captain: Cam Cyr, Henry Yianakopolos
The Boys Varsity Basketball team had a very successful season making it to the Final Four. The overall record was 19-4 despite only having 5 players with much varsity experience from last year. The season was about family and these 13 boys came together and worked hard every single day in practice and games. There were many obstacles for this team, none bigger than losing your home gym for the last 3 weeks of the season. The team never complained about the unfortunate situation they were in and had to have senior night and the two “home” playoff games at other venues, not including getting bussed to every practice at another school. Despite all that happened, I could not be prouder of this team.
We want to wish the best of luck to all 5 seniors who will be missed. Captains Cam Cyr and Henry Yianakopolos, Liam Flanagan, Kayl Murdough and Tucker Windhurst. We wanted to give a shout out to Henry Yianakopolos for making 1st team, Cam Cyr 2nd team and Kevin McGrath and Zachary Signor for making Honorable Mention as well as Cam Cyr, Henry Yianakopolos and Kayl Murdough for making All-Academic Team. Thank you.
Coach Steve Signor
News and Notes
- Spring sports start next week, March 20th. Please make sure all paperwork is up-to-date.
- For those of you planning ahead, high school fall sports will start on August 14th with the exception of football which starts August 9th. Also, Homecoming next year will be on September 23rd.
- The Booster Club needs help! Please consider joining this group who help support all of our athletic teams. Please talk to any current members or the Athletic Director about how you can get involved. In particular, help is needed for the “Color Run” this spring!
- If you haven’t already, please join the athletics listserv at www.hopkintonathletics.com