With the spring season officially over and state champions crowned over the weekend, I decided to look at some athletes who shined when the lights were the brightest.
On the baseball diamond, it’s hard to look past St. Mary’s duo Josh Doney and Devin Duval.
Doney was the ace for the Spartans and delivered each time he got on the rubber. In the Elite 8, he fired his team into the Final Four with a 10-strikeout, one-hit performance.
Teammate Duval was a catalyst in St. Mary’s stellar defense all season. The center fielder is one of the fastest players in the area and can cover ground in an instant. Not only is Duval fast, but he also has a rocket of an arm, just ask Tantasqua.
In the Final Four, a ball was hit in the gap between center and right field. Duval got the ball and fired it to the cut-off (Mike DeMaino) and then DeMaino fired it home to tag the runner trying to score.
In the same game, Duval caught the winning out, but he made it look easier than it was as he had to cover some distance to catch the ball.
In softball, there are two names that spring to mind. Marblehead’s Tessa Francis and St. Mary’s Brooke Moloney.
Francis, the pitcher who helped the Magicians reach the semi-finals, had a postseason to remember. As the ninth seed, Marblehead had to play No. 8 Nashoba, No. 1 Silver Lake, and No. 4 Westfield. On the road against Nashoba and Silver Lake, Francis had to overcome hostile environments and remain cool on the mound.
Against Nashoba, Francis allowed one run on four hits while striking out ten. In the next round at top-seeded Silver Lake, Francis struck out four in the 4-3 upset victory. Despite not having as many strikeouts, Francis made the right pitches and kept Silver Lake from doing damage.
For the Spartans Brooke Moloney showed up each game. As the center fielder and leadoff hitter, Moloney leads in more ways than one. The UMass-bound star has elite speed and uses it to chase down long hits making diving catches and keeping runners from taking more than one base.
On offense, she can get on base in several ways whether it be through a bunt or a base hit. Once she’s on base, head coach Colleen Newbury has no hesitation telling Moloney to swipe second or third base.
Moving on to the lacrosse field, Swampscott’s Timmy Sheehan, Coco Clopton, and St. John’s Prep Jake Vana all had great performances in the tournament.
Starting with the state champion, Vana scored five goals in the championship game and final game of his career. The title gave Vana his fourth straight lacrosse championship to go along with one soccer title, and two hockey titles.
Although his high school career is wrapped up, Vana will go down in St. John’s Prep history, going a perfect seven for seven in championship games. He’ll travel south to play lacrosse at Princeton.
The Big Blue wouldn’t have made it to the Final Four without their goalie Timmy Sheehan. Against No. 4 Lynnfield in the Elite 8, Sheehan stood tall in goal registering nine saves in Swampscott’s 9-7 win.
Then in the Final Four, despite not advancing, Sheehan made 12 saves against top-seeded Nantucket.
Fellow Big Blue, Coco Clopton started the tournament with two goals and three assists as Swampscott beat Oakmont Reg. 13-3. The Big Blue were eliminated by a talented Sandwich squad, but Clopton rose to the occasion scoring three and assisting one in the 16-10 loss.
Earlier in the season, Clopton achieved over 200 career points, it was a great career for a great player.
Last but not least, and these two athletes are usually first in their respective sports, are Peabody’s Alex Jackson and Alessandra Forgione. Both Jackson and Forgione placed at New England’s earlier this month.
Forgione, in the javelin, only needed one throw since all of her throws would have been good enough for first place. Forgione’s first throw ended up being her best as she threw a 129-feet-11 inches throw to claim gold.
For Jackson, the football and track star placed fourth in the discus (166-feet-four inches) and second place in the shot put. In the shot put, Jackson threw a 61-feet 3/4 inches throw which earned him silver at the event.
These stars rose to the occasion and for the seniors, they left a lasting impression. For the underclassmen, they set a benchmark that they will look to exceed next year.
