NHS Wrestling Dominates

 The Norton Lancers had 4 wins last week and extended their home streak to 31 straight wins! Wednesday night Norton had a 52-18 win against Ashland-Keefe Tech. Taylor Lucero, Anthony Cardone, Kyle Pereira, Jake Burgess, & Alek Donovan all had pins, while Andy Murphy & Zach Scarpetti added major decisions.
 Saturday the Lancers had a home quad facing Sabis Springfield
(43-18), Oliver Ames (51-25), then they crushed the Mansfield Hornets (58-4). Brendan Merriott, Zach Scarpetti, Jake Burgess, Adam Marcon, Alek Donovan, and Deven Schuko were all triple winners! Deven Schuko now has a 21-1 record this season.
 Lancer JV's also celebrated a successful week with wins on Wednesday and Saturday. JV had a big day at the Holliston JV tournament where 11 out of 16 Norton wrestlers finished in the top three in their weight classes, earning medals. Devin Santangelo, Travis Felice, Connor Merriot, JT O'Brien, & Kaelan O'Neill were all champions.
 Norton faced their Tri-Valley League rivals Holliston, last night at home & they dominated of course. Norton now has a 14-3 record.
GO LANCERS!

Pats Cheat Their Way to Victory?

On Sunday, the New England Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC Championship title, defeating them 45-7. Suspicions rose after a player noticed that the ball seemed to be under-inflated. An open NFL investigation has begun and it has been proved that 11/12 footballs were under-inflated. What does this mean for the Patriots? Basically, the Pats keep giving themselves a bad name. Between vague injury reports, spygate, murderers on the team(Aaron Hernandez), signing players with intel on opponents. Belichick's reputation has pretty much plummeted over the last few years & he's just continuing to prove everybody right. Although, everybody from New England can agree that the Patriots are "just that good" and we "don't need to cheat to win." Facts are facts, and the balls were under-inflated, whether that was the reason the Patriots dominated on Sunday night I don't know. Local coaches say that deflated footballs would make no drastic difference but "it's important to play by the rules." Are we going to SuperBowl XLIX or are we watching from home?

Taunton Tiger's Coach Takes a Bite

 On the evening of January 14th, the Taunton High School hockey team faced King Phillip Regional High School which resulted in a 9-1 win by King Phillip. The THS coach, William C. Kenney III, 46, of Taunton, allegedly chest-bumped, shoved, and bit a referee after the game. Apparently upset over an icing call made during the first period of the game. The two teams were at the center of the ice shaking hands when Kenney walked from his team's bench toward one of the refs. The two argued briefly before Kenney allegedly chest-bumped the ref, then shoved him. The ref then pulled Kenney's jersey over his head, and the two began wrestling. According to witnesses, Kenney had been taunting him the whole game. 

 The referee told police that during the fight, Kenney had bit his finger, drawing blood.  Kenney's arraignment was in Wrentham District Court on Thursday. He was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty on behalf of assault & battery, and disorderly conduct charges. Kenney told the judge that he had hired a lawyer, who was not present. Luckily enough, an Attleboro police chief was in the stands when the fight broke out at Foxboro Sports Center. 

 Chief Kyle Heagney says, “I was absolutely befuddled that I was witnessing it, from start to finish. Instinctively, my law enforcement training kicked in and I assisted [a Foxborough police] lieutenant, but I was utterly embarrassed for Taunton High School,” Thursday morning, Kenney submitted his letter of resignation to the school district. Ultimately, Kenney was ordered to stay away from the referee and all youth sporting events. 

Preparing for a New Season

Coach Brad Stevens & the Boston Celtics

As the NBA season approaches many coaches are starting to reflect on last season, and beginning to review their strategies. Not for Celtics coach Brad Stevens though, he's been planning this season since the last one ended. Stevens whole summer has been about improving the team, after finishing with a 25-57 last season. "It was more about analyzing what didn't go right and figuring out what we could control to make that go better," he said. After spending all summer trying to find a way to improve the team, Stevens is glad to be back on the court. The works not over for the young coach though, as he begins to lead different groups through drills and workouts, teaching plays and terminology, and searching for possible lineup combinations. "I talked to them about, and again just hammered on, the things we have to do. We have to come together as a team, we have to be better in the details than we were..", I think the Celtics are in for a good season if they follow the lead of coach Stevens. It's been recognized that he's also been working a lot with star point guard Rajon Rondo. "He's actually the guy I call to work out with," said Rondo. "It's kind of unusual for a head coach to be the guy that you work out with, but I guess he's trying to test and see what shape I'm in. He has pretty good workouts," Rondo added, recognizing the work that coach Stevens is putting into his team. Stevens is known best for his calm, measure mien, which some Celtics are experiencing up close. Stevens is working really hard for this team, trying to better them as a whole and individually as players. With that being said, only the numbers will tell.