Once again, Taunton is the rule of the roost.
For the third time in four years Taunton captured the Div. 1 state championship as it rolled past BC High, St. John’s Shrewsbury, and Hockomock Kelley-Rex league rival Franklin to capture the title.
The Tigers are just the fourth Div. 1 team since 1990 to win three state titles joining New Bedford, BC High, and Xaverian.
While Taunton won the crown, Methuen stole a lot of hearts and minds as the No. 21 seeded Rangers defeated No. 12 Andover, No. 5 Xaverian, and No. 4 Central Catholic to reach the state semifinals. Matt Pappalardo asserted himself as one of the state’s best.
Brendan Morrissey’s Milton crew won their second straight title, again defeating King Philip in the season finale. Owen McHugh and Scott Longo formed one of the premier 1-2 combinations in the state while Tommy Mitchell provided key relief in the postseason.
Whitman-Hanson showed it may be primed for contention for the foreseeable future. The young Panthers won the Patriot League Keenan crown while also reaching the state semifinals.
Mansfield pulled off one of the tournament’s more notable upsets as the No. 15 Hornets defeated state championship contender Leominster on the road in the Round of 16.
Medfield saw a Div. 3 state title slip through the cracks at the hands of Oakmont as the Spartans overcame a seventh-inning deficit to win in extra innings. Oakmont’s run to the title cannot be overstated as the Spartans defeated Tantasqua, Taconic, and the aforementioned Warriors.
Bishop Stang notably got revenge on Foxboro from a season ago with Aiden Cardoza twirling a gem to lead the Spartans past Foxboro to reach the state semifinals.
Div. 4 had a pair of state semifinal games to remember as Abington defeated Northbridge in 14 innings before Seekonk knocked off previously unbeaten Boston English.
It was quite the tournament for South Coast Conference most valuable player Tyler Kropis, who finished off the run with a 12-strikeout performance to lead the Warriors to their first state title.
Bourne finished a memorable season with a state championship. The Canalmen survived a slugfest with Hopkin’s Academy to capture the crown.
Worth noting: At a time when many are clamoring for a return of the Div. 1A Super Eight Tournament, all 10 state finalists hailed from public schools.
On the softball front, Taunton proved once again that it has no peer. The Tigers defended their Div. 1 state title in dominant fashion, winning all five postseason games by a whopping 36-2. They were able to avenge their only regular season loss in the semifinals, beating King Philip, 2-0.
What appeared to be an easy championship game win for Burlington turned into an epic battle as Tewksbury rallied with five runs in the seventh to tie the score, only to watch as the Red Devils scored in the eighth to take home the Div. 2 title, 10-9. There wasn’t as much drama in the Div. 3 state final as Middleboro brought its bats and cruised to a 15-3 win over Norton.
It was another banner for the southeastern part of the state, which has long prided itself as a softball hotbed. Case was yet another team from the area to win a championship, handling Hampshire 7-2 to leave with the Div. 4 title. Greenfield handled traditional power Turners Falls 10-2 to win the Div. 5 championship.
- The MIAA had a golden opportunity in the state semifinals to bring large crowds out to the game when a matchup aligned between Whitman-Hanson and Milton. Instead of putting the matchup at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton — a venue the association had available — the team’s were sent to Fraser Field in Lynn to play. Even more astounding was the fact that initially the MIAA baseball tournament committee elected to put St. Mary’s on its home field in the state semifinals. The ability to use Polar Park for the state finals was an excellent achievement by the MIAA, but the tournament needs to do a much better job of selecting sites for teams to avoid deserved criticism.
- On a handful of times this year, pitch count infractions rose to the forefront when the two teams had a discrepancy on the amount of pitches thrown by respective starters. Umpires have never had a role in keeping pitch counts between the two sides but it may be time they do. Since the National High School Federation’s influence caused the MIAA to adopt a pitch count rule, the two coaches on each side have been responsible for calculating pitch counts with differential treatment going to the home team. It’s time umpires and officials take control of the situation to ensure teams do not manipulate numbers to allow starters to last longer.
- The MIAA needs to incorporate a “win minimum” in order to qualify for the state tournament. While the move to a power rating system that incorporates strength of schedule has been acclaimed, it’s important that the teams earn their spot in the postseason with success on the field. A 40-percent winning percentage seems like a potential compromise between the old school format of 50-percent qualification and the new school of thought.