HARWICH ─ When Paul “Spanky” Demanche attends Monomoy football games this fall it will be as a fan cheering on his son and not as head coach of the program. On June 22 Demanche signed his official contract to serve as athletic director of Plymouth North High School, ending his tenure in Harwich and beginning a new adventure. Demanche said he first became aware of the job when it was originally posted roughly...

CHATHAM ─ The hill on Crowell Road is always the toughest part of the annual Chatham Harbor Run, but this year it saw more smiling faces crossing the finish line than not. Perhaps it was the ideal weather on Sunday, or the fact that nearly 200 runners earned themselves the bragging rights of having finished a summertime 10K, no easy feat. Ian Nurse was the first overall runner in the event, coming down the c...

HARWICH ─ The forecast threatened rain but runners in the Harwich 5K were undaunted as they took to the streets for the annual event, running into summer in stride. Crossing the finish line first and far ahead of the pack was Sam Thomas of Brewster who posted an impressive time on the 3.34-mile course of 16:18.2, a full two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Andrew Groff of Lancaster, Pa. Emilee Palme...

HARWICH ─ The morning of her first-ever pickleball tournament, Jan Belleville was nervous. After all, it was the first time she'd taken her game to the competitive level. In the end, Belleville had nothing to worry about, ultimately playing toward a medal win in the area's first Women's Intermediate Pickleball Tourney. The event was held June 21 at Brooks Park and featured a host of local athletes competing ...

CHATHAM ─ Mother Nature certainly worked hard to keep the Chatham Anglers from getting their 2017 season started at home, but once it did the A's battled to a pair of victories in their double header against Wareham. It took until Sunday for the Anglers to see game play at Veterans Field after their official home opener against Cotuit on Friday was rained out after half an inning. Returning center fielder DJ...

HARWICH ─ An extra inning wasn't a plus for the Harwich Mariners, who fell 4-2 in their season and home opener to the Y-D Red Sox. Three days later, however, the Mariners found their stride and got a little payback when they bested the Sox on their home turf 5-2, kicking off the roller coaster ride that is Cape League baseball. The excitement was palpable at Whitehouse Field on June 14 as the Mariners got th...

Summer is upon us here on Cape Cod and that can only mean one thing (other than an uptick in traffic): It's time for the annual Harwich 5K and Chatham Harbor Run road races, happening this weekend in their respective towns. The Harwich 5K, sponsored by the Harwich Chamber of Commerce and presented by Koko Fitness, kicks off Saturday (June 24) at 9:30 a.m., with packet pickup taking place Friday from 2 to 5 p.m...

HARWICH ─ Jacob Awalt's mom was right. When encouraging her son to become a three-sport athlete, Darlene took him down to Long Pond for an introduction to rowing. Though Awalt was nervous at first, the sport quickly segued from a possibility to a passion. “He never saw it before. He said, 'I don't know how to row' and I said, 'No one does. You don't keep these boats in the backyard,'” Darlene said. “There we...

TAUNTON ─ The Monomoy girls softball team found themselves stymied by West Bridgewater in the Div. 3 semifinals June 7, the 6-2 loss bringing an end to their 2017 season, but not before the Sharks made history. This team was Monomoy's first softball team to reach the South Semifinals and they were also crowned the Cape and Islands League Champs this season, which ended with an overall record of 19-3. To g...

Dear Seniors: Don't worry. This isn't going to be one of those overly clich é-filled “OMG you made it” pieces. Instead, I'm going to say something that I hope you consider paying forward: Thank you. As only the second class of graduates from Monomoy that I've covered, I've had a little longer to get to know many of you than I did members of the Class of 2016, and for that I am immensely grateful. Why? Becau...

HARWICH ─ It's been quite a run for the Monomoy girls varsity softball team, which played its way recently into the Div. 3 South Semifinals with a commanding 10-0 shutout of Upper Cape last Thursday, followed by an equally stellar 5-1 victory against Bristol-Plymouth on Monday. The wins mark the first time the Sharks have not only won in the post-season, but advanced, with the No. 3 seeded team poised at pre...

SOUTH YARMOUTH ─ It was an afternoon of long volleys and lots of anxiety for the Monomoy girls tennis team, but in the end the Sharks prevailed, defeating Bourne 4-1 to earn their way to the Div. 3 South Semifinals for the first time in school history, and it was due in part to the success of a team freshman. Monomoy pulled ahead 2-0 when first singles player Carly Donovan and the second doubles team of H...