This is a message for specific people. For the kid who helps out each year with a particular team, secretly longing to join the competition, but just...can't. For the one who dreams of getting in the game or racing down the track to beat the clock, but who instead listens to the voices of others saying “nope” and remains sidelined. I was there. I get you. Now hear me: your time is now. When I was a kid, my sib...

BROCKTON ─ When the Monomoy boys basketball team stepped onto the court in Brockton for their Div. 4 South final game against Cathedral, they knew they’d be in for a tough battle. Though the Panthers cruised to a 100-44 victory, the Sharks took it in stride, knowing they’d already made history. The moment Monomoy reached the finals, not only had they become the only Cape team to make it that far in tournamen...

HYANNIS/HARWICH/SANDWICH ─ When the regular season of the Monomoy boys basketball team ended and the postseason began, head coach Keith Arnold had some important words for his Sharks. “You guys are winners,” he said. So far in the MIAA Div. 4 South Sectional tournament, Arnold hasn’t been wrong, as the Cape and Islands League Champions have now defeated Sturgis East, Southeastern Regional, and as of Tuesd...

HARWICH ─ The Monomoy girls put forth an admirable effort in last Thursday's tournament game at Cathedral, but the No. 4 Panthers ultimately overtook the No. 13 Sharks en route to a 62-38 first-round victory. “The first quarter went well,” said Monomoy head coach Pete Richer. “We were behind 10-8 after the first and did a very good job defensively containing their three-point shooters and their center, a six...

HYANNIS/HARWICH ─ Two games, two opponents, and 116 total points later, the Monomoy boys varsity basketball team has made its way to the MIAA Div. 4 South semifinals, thanks to big wins against Sturgis East in the first round and Southeastern Regional in the quarterfinals. The noise was nothing short of deafening in the gym of the Hyannis Youth and Community Center last Thursday when the No. 9 Sharks faced t...

It's been quite a season for Chatham's Carlisle Nash, whose prowess in the pool with the Nauset swim team not only earned him a trip to the state championship, but has also made Nash one to watch next year during his senior season. Just don't blink when he's in the water, or you'll likely miss him. Nash started competitively swimming about six years ago, having gotten his start in the sport after being enrolle...

ORLEANS ─ Dan Eberly put his hockey pads away some time ago, but each year without fail he can be found on the ice in Boston once again, presenting a key award at the annual Beanpot Tournament. It's an award he knows well, especially since the Eberly Award is named after him and his brother. First presented in 1974, the award is given annually to the goalie with the best save percentage in the tournament. Th...

Imagine you're a high school student athlete. You've dedicated yourself to a sport you love, putting in long hours training both in formal practices and on your own. Now imagine it's game day. You're pumped. You're ready. But because you're a girl, the stands – in stark contrast to boys' games – are pretty much empty. It happens each season to almost every girl's team, and it's time for a change. The disparity...

It's tournament time again. That means that in the next few weeks, teams from myriad schools, including Monomoy, will set out on a quest, competing not only to advance, but ideally to win. Though the members of these teams are probably already overloaded with advice, I'd like to offer my own, and it's fairly simple: remember why you play. Most often, a sport becomes a favorite early on, perhaps in childhood, b...

HARWICH ─ The Monomoy boys varsity basketball team put doubters in their places last Thursday night when they defeated Cape Cod Tech 78-63 to claim the Cape and Islands League Championship outright. “One of the best things in life is doing what others say you can't,” said Monomoy senior and team tri-captain Chris Mazulis. “They said we wouldn't get three wins and we proved them wrong by making the tournament...

PLYMOUTH ─ Sundays are typically a chance for most high school student athletes to kick back and chill. For members of the Monomoy boys lacrosse program, though, Sundays are a time to head to the Plymouth Sports Complex and get their game on. For much of the winter, a number of players who will soon take to the turf at Monomoy High have been making almost weekly trips to Plymouth to compete against opponents...

HARWICH ─ The New England Patriots’ historic win of Super Bowl LI happened more than a week ago, but for Eric Adler it feels like it was yesterday. It helps that he’s been perusing more than 20,000 images captured during the big game and subsequent celebratory parade, and this die-hard fan, who now works for his favorite team, wouldn’t have it any other way. To some degree, Adler’s tale is your classic small...