Wave rides Klein back to D7 South final

When Jim Kelliher first walked out to the practice field for preseason workouts this past summer, he really was unsure as to what type of a team he had as he entered his 45th year as coach at Abington. The only thing he did know was that junior Will Klein was about to emerge as a star. Months have past, and Klein has only solidified that prediction. The junior had his latest outstanding performance last night, finishing with 136 all-purpose yards and a pair of scores as No. 2 Abington coasted to the Division 7 South final with a 36-14 victory against No.6 Nantucket. “Will Klein is the epitome of what every coach should have on their basketball team, their baseball team, their soccer team, their football team,” Kelliher said. “You marvel at some of the things that you see, that he does, his exploits,” In a rematch of last year’s Div. 7 South semifinal, Abington (8-1) took Nantucket’s best punch early. Just minutes into action, the Whalers struck as Torane Burton broke multiple tackles on his way to a 46-yard touchdown run. Suddenly, the Green Wave trailed 6-0. It didn’t take long for a response. On the ensuing drive, senior Colin Leary provided just the answer Abington desperately needed, busting into the secondary before taking off for 73 yards and a score. Moments later, Colby Augusta picked off Nantucket’s Malique Bodden, setting up Klein’s first score of the night – an 8-yard rush that put the Green Wave in front, 14-6 with 5:23 to play in the first quarter. “That was big,” Kelliher said. “We had just had the ball, and they’d had it for a couple of downs. And all of a sudden, we got the ball back. And without a doubt, that puts a little ‘Aww, shoot,’ in the other side.” Looks like it. From that sequence on, it was all Abington. Defensively, the Green Wave were able to contain the three-headed monster known as the Nantucket backfield, holding Burton to 98 yards rushing while shutting down Devonte Usher and Victor Gamberoni. Burton led the Whalers (6-3) with a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Senior Christian Labossier finished 7-of-11 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns for the Green Wave. Seth Russell rushed for three first-half touchdowns as top-seeded Stoneham scored 26 unanswered points in the second quarter en route to a 48-20 win over No. 4 Bishop Fenwick in a Div. 6 North semifinal. Russell finished with 136 yards and four touchdowns. Stoneham (9-0) scored on its first seven drives.

Field hockey

Jane Feeney scored midway through overtime as No. 17 Scituate (9-6-4) edged No. 16 Mansfield, 1-0, in Div. 1 South. … Avery Hannigan scored to give No. 12 Braintree (12-5-2) a 1-0 win over No. 21 Oliver Ames. Maddie O’Brien scored twice as No. 6 Swampscott (11-2-6) advanced to the Div. 2 North quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over No. 11 Marblehead. … Callie Beauparlant talled twice as No. 10 Newburyport (11-7-1) eliminated seventh-seeded Danvers, 3-1. Volleyball Caroline Dent and Charlene Fibbe turned in strong all-around performances as No. 15 Hamilton-Wenham (12-9) handled No. 18 Madison Park, 3-0, in a Div. 2 North preliminary round contest.