Athlete Of The Week: Riley Hesse

HARWICH – Monomoy junior Riley Hesse wanted to make her mark early in Monday’s Division 4 state tournament preliminary-round game. 

 Shortly after assisting on a goal by Mackenzie Bowers that gave No. 26 Monomoy an early lead in the ninth minute, Hesse buried her first of two goals to help guide the Sharks to a 7-0 victory over No. 39 Cathedral. 

 “It was awesome,” Hesse said of the win. “I love all the seniors, they are all awesome. I’m happy we were able to play under the lights one last time and get this win.”

 Although Hesse added a second goal that gave the Sharks a 6-0 lead with 31:54 remaining in the game, her first goal came as a surprise. The junior from Harwich collected a pass in Cathedral’s box and turned and fired a shot on goal. 

 The ball ricocheted off the post and bounced off Cathedral’s goalkeeper before rolling into the net to put the Sharks on top, 2-0, with 21:43 to play in the first half.

 “Someone was blocking the ball, so I couldn’t see if it went in or not,” Hesse said. “It was a little surprising.”

 The junior’s impact did not come as a surprise to Monomoy coach Jennifer Peterson, who said Hesse and Bowers, alongside sophomore Rylie Gillis, have been key to the team’s offensive success.

“They’ve been causing trouble up in the wings all season,” Peterson said. “They are very comfortable with each other and find each other. And they are unselfish, which is great.”