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Dray slays Mansfield: Top Greater Taunton high school sports performers for Jan. 8-14

TAUNTON— Another week of winter high school sports action is upon us in the Greater Taunton area.

Local teams got 2024 off to a strong start last week and will look to carry that energy the rest of the way.

Here's a look at the Greater Taunton area's top performing high school athletes from the second week of January.

Sunday

Boys Basketball

Bridgewater-Raynham (5-5, 1-1 SEC) beat New Mission 56-54 in overtime at the Citi Team Hoops Classic at Emmanuel College.

Girls Basketball

Camden Strandberg led the way for Bridgewater-Raynham (7-2, 2-0 SEC) with 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks while Brenna Woodbury had 11 points, two rebounds and two steals as the Trojans fell 36-29 to Wellesley on the road in non-league action.

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Saturday

Boys Hockey

Andrew Flanagan led the way for Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth (6-3, 5-0 MAC) with a pair of goals while Nick Sturdevant had a goal and a pair of assists and Cam Perry, Thomas Leger and Cole Tammaro all found the back of the net as the Hawks beat Diman/Durfee/Westport 6-5 on the road in MAC action.

Gymnastics

Lily Moreira won the all around with top scores on the vault (9.15), bars (9.2) and floor (9.2) as Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater (1-1, 1-1 Cranberry) defeated Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) 142.95-126.75 at home in Cranberry action. Cecilia Meoli scored a meet high on the beam with a 9.5 and tied Moreira on the floor. Natalia Flores tied Moreira in the vault while Mia Witkus finished third with an 8.95. Brianna Buckley finished second on the bars with a 8.85 and Lindsay Woodbury finished second on the beam with a 9.4 and third on the bars with a 8.5.

Wrestling

Mike Leskoski (120), Landen Rodrigues (126), John Mandeville (144), Gabe Leskoski (150) and Ethan Harris (190) all won both of their respective matches as Taunton (8-4, 2-1 Hockomock) beat South Shore Tech 76-3 but fell 44-30 to Methuen in a non-league tri-meet at Methuen High School. Elijah Prophete (215) won his only match of the day against Methuen.

Luke Driscoll (175), Fletcher Rinke (190), Jackson Rinke (215) and Caiden Sewall (285) all won their respective weight classes as Bridgewater-Raynham finished third overall with 134 points at the Woburn Invitational at Woburn High School. Brent von Magnus (132) and Brenton Allain (150) both finished fourth in their respective weight classes.

More: Five reasons why Bill Belichick's next job should be coaching this high school team

Friday

Boys Basketball

Cam Santos led the way for Bridgewater-Raynham (4-5, 1-1 SEC) with 15 points while Lee Williams had 10 and Cason Faulk had eight as the Trojans fell 58-45 to Brockton on the road in SEC action.

Ryan Donovan led the way for Bristol-Plymouth (3-5, 2-3 MAC) with 22 points while Donte Morris had 20, Owen Hale had 11 and Zack Branco had nine as the Craftsmen beat Diman 68-66 at home in MAC action.

Sam Courcy led the way for Dighton-Rehoboth (4-5, 2-4 SCC) with 17 points while Aidan Marando had 16 as the Falcons beat West Bridgewater 65-49 at home in SCC action.

Girls Basketball

Camden Strandberg led the way for Bridgewater-Raynham (7-1, 2-0 SEC) with a double double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, along with a pair of blocks, while Kate Lambert had 10 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists and Reese Bartlett had nine points, five rebounds and three assists as the Trojans beat Brockton 46-25 at home in SEC action.

Gianna Viola led the way for Bristol-Plymouth (2-5, 2-2 MAC) with seven points while Alyssa Costa had four as the Craftsmen fell 34-18 to Diman on the road in MAC action.

Boys Hockey

Jonathan McGrath and Travis Cashman led the way for Taunton (7-2, 4-1 Hockomock) with a goal and a pair of assists each while Tre Nadeau had a pair of goals, Cayden Clancy had a goal and an assist, Jamie Vallarelli and Owen Hathaway both had a goal, Conner Goranson had a pair of assists and Drew Nadeau and Jake Pereira each recorded assists as the Tigers beat Attleboro 7-2 at home in Hockomock action.

Bridgewater-Raynham (1-10) fell 4-0 to Medfield on the road.

Girls Hockey

Grace Ogilvie and Riley Bain led the way for West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham/Bristol-Plymouth/Southeastern/Middleboro (4-5) with a goal and assist each while Abby Gropman recorded an assist as the Wild Vikings beat Leominster 2-1 at home.

Boys Swimming

Blake Couto was the top fininsher for Taunton (0-4, 0-4 Hockomock), coming in second in the 500 yard freestyle, as well as fourth in the 200 yard freestyle, as the Tigers fell 72-39 to Milford on the road in Hockomock action. Harrison Layden finished third in both the 100 yard butterfly and 100 yard backstroke while Danny Murudumbay finished third in the 50 yard freestyle and fifth in the 100 yard freestyle, Maddox Chaves took fourth in the 100 yard freestyle and fifth in the 200 yard freestyle and Eduardo Freitas-Gardinal finished fifth in the 50 yard freestyle. The relay team of Murudumbay, Layden, Chaves and Couto finished second in the 400 yard freestyle and fourth in the 200 yard freestyle.

Girls Swimming

Abigail Fernandes led the way for Taunton (2-2, 2-2 Hockomock), winning both the 200 yard individual medley and 500 yard freestyle as the Tigers beat Milford 81-77 on the road in Hockomock action. Lilia Ballantine won the 100 yard breaststroke, as well as fifth in the 200 yard individual medley, while the relay team of Megan Viveiros, Eliana Gay, Mila Dafov and Fernandes won the 400 yard freestyle. Gay came in second in both the 100 yard butterfly and 100 yard breast while Viveiros finished second in the 100 yard freestyle and third in the 200 yard individual medley and Dafov finished second in the 100 yard backstroke and fourth in the 100 yard butterfly. Elizabeth Tobolski finished second in the 50 yard freestyle and fifth in the 100 yard butterfly while Rachel Maynard finished third in both the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke and Trinity Wilson finished third in the 100 yard freestyle and fourth in the 200 yard freestyle. In relays, the relay team of Maynard, Victoria Tavares, Ballantine and Tobolski finished second in the 200 yard freestyle while the relay team of Dafov, Ballantine, Gay and Fernandes finished second in the 200 yard medley and the relay team of Maynard, Tobolski, Viveiros and Gabi Taforo finished third in the 200 yard medley.

Taunton's Abigail Fernandes competes in the 200 yard individual medley during a Hockomock dual meet against Milford.
Taunton's Abigail Fernandes competes in the 200 yard individual medley during a Hockomock dual meet against Milford.

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Thursday

Boys Basketball

Troy Santos led the way for Taunton (6-3, 3-3 Hockomock) with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists while Cyrus Morissette and Dray Thielker each had 12 points and Kenzel Jeanmichel had 11 points, including a game-sealing dunk, and nine rebounds as the Tigers beat Attleboro 60-56 on the road in Hockomock action.

Girls Basketball

Taryn Campbell and Cali Melo led the way for Taunton (8-1, 5-1 Hockomock) with 12 points each while Jillian Doherty had eight as the Tigers beat Attleboro 47-41 at home in Hockomock action.

Boys Indoor Track

Dmitrius Shearrion won both the 55 meter dash (0:06.7) and the 300 meter (0:35.39) while Ancil Alexander won the shot put (41'5") as Taunton (1-3, 1-3 Hockomock) beat King Philip 63-33 but lost to Franklin 76-24 in a Hockomock double dual meet. The 4x200 meter relay team of Kadon Jordan, Carlos Cruz, Jaden Spencer and Shearrion finished second overall (1:34.26). Scoring dual meet wins over the Warriors were Drew Alves, who finished sixth overall in the 55 meter hurdles (personal record of 0:08.58) and Anthony Petijohn, who finished 12th overall in the high jump (5'4") and seventh overall in the long jump (personal record of 19'11").

Taunton’s Dmitrius Shearrion. (File photo)
Taunton’s Dmitrius Shearrion. (File photo)

Girls Indoor Track

Braelyn Nichols was the top finisher for Taunton (0-4, 0-4 Hockomock) coming in fourth overall in the 600 meter (1:49.66) as the Tigers fell 81-19 to Franklin and 65-35 to King Philip in a Hockomock double dual meet. Earning dual meet wins over the Panthers were Grace Inacio, who finished eighth overall in the 55 meter dash (0:07.82) and Emersyn DePonte, who finished fifth overall in the two mile (12:52.81). Along with Nichols, the 4x200 meter relay team of Ava Uhl, Brooke Aldrich, Inacio and Nevaeh Young finished seventh overall (1:55.43) to earn a dual meet win over the Warriors.

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Wednesday

Boys Basketball

Donte Morris led the way for Bristol-Plymouth (2-5, 1-3 MAC) with 17 points while Ryan Donovan had 14 as the Craftsmen fell 63-39 to Upper Cape Tech on the road in MAC action.

Girls Basketball

Emma Ericson and Mari Albon led the way for Bristol-Plymouth (2-4, 2-1 MAC) with eight points each while Christele Derogene and Alyssa Costa each had four and Jaden Drinkwater scored her first varsity point as the Craftsmen fell 57-28 to Southeastern at home in MAC action.

Lucy Latour led the way for Dighton-Rehoboth (1-10, 0-5 SCC) with seven points and seven rebounds while Megan Keane had seven points as the Falcons beat Nipmuc 27-25 on the road in non-league action.

Boys Hockey

Cayden Clancy led the way for Taunton (6-2, 3-1 Hockomock) with a pair of goals while Matt Maher, Jonathan McGrath, Braden Lachance and Conner Goranson each had a goal and an assist, Travis Cashman had a goal, Tre Nadeau had three assists, Jamie Vallarelli had two assists and Owen Hathaway recorded an assist as the Tigers beat Stoughton/Brockton 7-4 on the road in non-league action. Cam Tomaszycki made 20 saves in net for Taunton.

Ronan O'Malley scored the lone goal for Bridgewater-Raynham (1-9), assisted by Matt Lydon and Anthony Mussari, as the Trojans fell 7-1 to Falmouth at home.

Cam Wilbur and Kacey Brown led the way for Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth (5-3, 4-0 MAC) with a pair of goals each while Thomas Leger and Nick Sturdevant each had a goal an an assist and Trevor Lodge found the back of the net as the Hawks beat Blue Hills 7-2 at home in MAC action. Cam Teague made 18 saves in net for the co-op.

Adam Bastis led the way for Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk (6-3, 2-1 SCC) with a hat trick and an assist while Brett Axon had a pair of goals, Brady Fitzpatrick had a goal and two assists, Aidan Boothe had a goal and an assist and Evan Silvia recorded an assist as the Falcon Warriors beat Narragansett/Chariho (R.I.) 7-4 at home in non-league action. Sam Bastis made 29 saves in net for DRS.

Girls Hockey

Keira Sweeney scored the lone goal for West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham/Bristol-Plymouth/Southeastern/Middleboro (3-5), assisted by Cindy French, as the Wild Vikings fell 7-1 to Pembroke on the road.

Wrestling

Mike Leskoski (120), William Buffington (165), Kingston DaCosta (175) and Ethan Harris (190) all won their respective matches as Taunton (7-3, 2-1 Hockomock) fell 47-21 to Milford on the road in Hockomock action.

Olivia Polansky (106), Daniel Tashner (120), Matthew Fernandes (126), Brent von Magnus (132), Jack Alves (138), Brady Gregory (144), Brenton Allain (150), Cameron Abrams (165), Luke Driscoll (175), Fletcher Rinke (190), Jackson Rinke (215) and Caiden Sewall (285) all won their respective matches as Bridgewater-Raynham beat Durfee 78-6 on the road in an SEC dual meet.

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Tuesday

Boys Basketball

Aidan Marando led the way for Dighton-Rehoboth (3-5, 1-4 South Coast Conference) with 11 points while Dennis Correia had nine as the Falcons fell 59-45 to Apponequet at home in SCC action.

Girls Basketball

Lucy Latour led the way for Dighton-Rehoboth (0-10, 0-5 SCC) with seven points while Caraline Corvi had six as the Falcons fell 59-20 to Apponequet on the road in SCC action.

Boys Swimming

Bridgewater-Raynham (2-1, 0-1 Southeast Conference) fell 111-61 to New Bedford on the road in SEC action.

Girls Swimming

Bridgewater-Raynham (2-1, 0-1 Southeast Conference) fell 109-69 to New Bedford on the road in SEC action.

Vote: Who is the Taunton Daily Gazette Athlete of the Week for Jan. 1-6?

Monday

Boys Basketball

Troy Santos led the way for Taunton (5-3, 2-3 Hockomock League) with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists while Dray Thielker had 15, including the game-winning 3-pointer, and Cyrus Morissette and Kenzel Jeanmichel each had nine as the Tigers beat Mansfield 70-67 at home in Hockomock action.

Taunton's Troy Santos. (File photo)
Taunton's Troy Santos. (File photo)

Ryan Donovan led the way for Bristol-Plymouth (2-4, 1-2 MAC) with 18 points while Donte Morris had 15 and Greg Aisku had 10 as the Craftsmen defeated South Shore Tech 60-32 at home in Mayflower Athletic Conference action.

Girls Basketball

Cali Melo led the way for Taunton (7-1, 4-1 Hockomock) with 16 points while Taryn Campbell had 11 as the Tigers fell 56-43 to Mansfield on the road in Hockomock action.

Reese Bartlett led the way for Bridgewater-Raynham (6-1, 1-0 Southeast Conference) with a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, as well as five assists, while Brenna Woodbury had 17 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals and Camden Strandberg had 14 points and three assists as the Trojans beat North Quincy 70-46 at home in non-league action.

Boys Hockey

Nick Falcione led the way for Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth (4-3, 3-0 MAC) with a pair of goals while Cam Wilbur and Andrew Flanagan both found the back of the net and Nick Sturdevant recorded a pair of assists as the Hawks beat Apponequet 4-0 on the road in non-league action. Jack Kelly recorded his first career shutout in net for the co-op.

Gymnastics

Cecilia Meoli had the best result for Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater (0-1, 0-1 Cranberry League) finishing second on the beam with a 9.3 as the Trojans fell 143.5-141.2 to Brockton/East Bridgewater/Cardinal Spellman at home in Cranberry action. Lily Moreira came in third in both the beam with a 9.3 and the bar with an 8.8 while Natalia Flores came in third in the vault with a 9.45 and Lindsay Woodbury tied for third on the floor with an 8.8.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Top Greater Taunton high school sports performers (Jan. 8-14)