In 2003 the Boston Red Sox introduced a new player. In 2016, some 13 years and 483 home runs later, David Ortiz marked his final game in Boston with a bittersweet farewell as more than 20,000 fans cheered, clapped, and cried. Now this fan is left with one question: what do you say to someone like that? Every sports fan has their player, the one person they hold in high esteem always, through highs and lows and...

This week, for the second time, I heard former pro basketball player Chris Herren talk about his battle with drug addiction. Herren, a former member of the Boston Celtics, spoke about his illness and its toll in a stirring talk at Monomoy Regional High School on Monday. While much of what Herren said struck me, one comment in particular stood out. A question he'd ask if his own kids started using illicit subst...

HARWICH ─ Thanks to an unprecedented display of athleticism, the 2016 Harwich Cranberry Harvest Half Marathon will be one for the history books. Each of the top three men's runners – Jim Spisak, Amos Sang, and Glarius Rop – soundly broke the record for fastest Cape Cod half marathon set in 1991 by Larry Bartholomew. Bartholomew claimed victory in the Hyannis half marathon with a finish time of 1:06:56, which...

HARWICH ─ Though the Monomoy boys golf team didn't clinch the Cape and Islands League crown, they've got their sights set on the South Sectional Championship, and with the team's top three packing a punch on the links, it's possible the team will add another trophy to the high school case. Last week the Sharks suffered a challenging loss to Sturgis West, falling 128-148. But other matches this season have be...

HARWICH ─ After just one year on the job, Monomoy Athletic Director Brendan Case has resigned, according to an email sent by Superintendent Scott Carpenter to families in the school district on Saturday. Frustrations had been mounting regarding Case's accessibility, though the email states that the reason for Case’s resignation, effective Sept. 23, is to “explore other options and have more time with his you...

Cyd Zeigler has a feeling about being gay that might surprise some people. “Being gay is one of the best things that ever happened to me,” said Zeigler, co-founder of OUTsports.com and a graduate of Harwich High School. But he hasn't always felt that way. There was a time when the realization of his sexuality was unsettling, especially when it came to participation in sports. To help athletes, teammates, co...

HARWICH ─ Before the start of the Monomoy football team’s game Friday against Avon/Holbrook, team captain Nathan Amaker gathered the team in a huddle and led them in a passionate victory chant. It was magic that worked for the Sharks, who cruised to a 41-16 win in their inaugural outing in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Comprehensive. “They’re an undermanned team, and our kids came out and did what they h...

HARWICH ─ The power of youth was evident in the Monomoy girls varsity soccer game against St. John Paul II when an eighth grader proved instrumental in the Sharks’ Cape and Islands League win. Monomoy bested their opponents 3-0 last Thursday in a dominant outing in the Shark Tank in which Monomoy held sway over their visitors for much of the game, even as the Lions heightened their defense in the game's seco...

In an unassuming warehouse in Dennisport, women are doing push-ups on roller skates. If you think that's tough, you should see them skate. Roughly 100 fans did just that on Saturday night when the Salty Dolls of Cape Cod Roller Derby held their first home bout after years of travel competition. Cape Cod Roller Derby is the brainchild of Lynne Duquette Perera, AKA Lulu Nori Morse, who, with Talia Arone, found...

SOMERVILLE ─ With minutes left in their Saturday's contest against Matignon/St. Joseph's Prep and trailing 8-0, the Monomoy Sharks needed a spark. Thanks to Zach Souza and Eli Nickerson, they got an inferno, stunning the Warriors as they soared to a 16-8 win. “Unfortunately we started a little bit flat,” said Monomoy head coach Spanky Demanche. “I'm sure the long bus ride had something to do with that.” D...

HARWICH ─ Cape Tech's Sept. 17 football game against Tri-County came to a frightening end when a player from the opposing team was left unconscious after a defensive hit. An eerie silence fell upon the field when Tri-County linebacker Colin Cicchetti lay motionless on the field after a hard hit. He was unconscious, according to Cape Tech head coach Chris Leonard, for nearly 20 seconds. Though the clock read ...

HARWICH ─ Thanksgiving Day is still months away, but one of the bigger local football rivalries hit the gridiron on Friday night when the Monomoy Sharks hosted Cape Cod Tech in their season and home opener, with the dominant Sharks coming away with a 22-6 victory under the lights of the Monomoy Athletic Complex, otherwise known as the Shark Tank. Fans packed the stands and stood along the fences surrounding ...