Mansfield gets its due
SCHOOLS
Mansfield baseball coach Joe Breen said the suspense over the Super Eight selection process was more stressful than proposing to his girlfriend.
He kept his emotions bottled up well, but when the Super Eight committee named Mansfield as one of the teams in the field, he pumped his fist and embraced his assistant coach Chris Hall.
“I can’t wait to get back and see the video of the kids when they learned they got it,” said Breen, whose team was seeded fifth and will travel to No.4 Central Catholic on Wednesday. “I’m very happy for the senior class. They’ve put together a couple of good seasons and we came into this season thinking the Super Eight was within reach.”
Mansfield is one of four making a first appearance in the Super Eight. Joining the Hornets are No. 6 Lexington, No. 7 Franklin and No. 8 Walpole.
“We tried to pick the best eight teams,” tournament director Don Fredericks said. “I’m really excited for the four teams that made it for the first time. I’m sure there is a great deal of excitement for the kids and the school.”
Lexington made it two straight years that a team from the Middlesex League made the Super Eight. Minuteman coach Zack Friedman feels the league is finally getting some respect.
“I think people see that our league is mostly Div.2 and sometimes doesn’t get the appreciation they deserve,” said Friedman, whose team will travel to No. 3 St. John’s Prep on Wednesday. “Belmont did well last year and we’re hoping to come in here and win some games.”
Walpole drew the No. 8 spot and will face No. 1 BC High on Wednesday. Rebels head coach Chris Costello said this was the culmination of a three-year journey for his team.
“This is great for our team and community,” Costello said. “We had a good group of young pitchers coming in three years and worked to prepare them for this.”
Franklin was seeded seventh and will head to Wachusett. The Panthers won 17 games and feel their nonleague schedule prepared them for this.
“We’re heading back to the school for a scrimmage and I know the kids will be happy,” said Panthers coach Zach Brown. “They have worked so hard for this. I’m happy for us and very happy for Mansfield as well.”
Basketball
The BABC freshman and junior squads celebrated yesterday’s annual Boston Shootout at Cathedral High School with a pair of victories.
The BABC freshmen opened the day against the Albany City Rocks and rolled to a 70-53 victory. Stretch forward Shea Doherty led the way with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
In the junior game, the hosts faced the Northeast Elite and emerged victorious, 64-49. Mitchell Doherty racked up 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and blocked a shot.
Football
Several Catholic Conference football coaches and administrators were bracing for the day that Malden Catholic would decide to no longer play them in football. It came sooner than expected.
Malden Catholic officially dropped the hammer last week, informing the four member schools that they won’t be competing against them in football starting this fall.