RallyNorth.net

Whittier seniors close out historic year

Tuesday, June, 15 By Jeff Hamrick

BROCKTON — A blowout loss in the Division 3 baseball state semifinals wasn’t the way any of the Wildcats wanted to finish an unprecedented school year at Whittier Regional High School, but leave it to an administrator to put perspective on the matter.

“You end your career here on a tough note and that isn’t fun,” athletic director Kevin Bradley said. “But you need to look at all the great things you did to get here and what’s happened to you the last four years.”

The sting of a 21-4 defeat yesterday afternoon to Norton at Campanelli Stadium might linger for awhile, but the upper classmen from the school’s first North Division championship squad just needs to put some distance behind the loss. After all, this was a squad that defied expectations by going 19-5 and advancing past the divisional first round for the first time in school history.

“What they can take from all this is knowing they were probably the best senior class in school history for all the things they accomplished in their entire career,” said Bradley, also the school’s football coach. “They had a dream season, but actually it was a dream career. because all the way through they’ve done very well and have been very fortunate.”

Bradley should know, considering five of the players on this year’s baseball squad also played key roles on the football team that won the school’s first Super Bowl title last fall — two years after falling short in their first championship appearance.

“They had quite a high school career that they can talk about the rest of their lives,” Bradley said.

Five baseball seniors — Dillon Ryan, who tied an area record with 23 touchdown passes; Steve Surette, the recipient of many of those TD completions; Nate Allen, a hard-hitting linebacker; Jordan Britton, who anchored a dominating offensive line; and Shane Surette, who played defensive back — were playing for their second Eastern Massachusetts title of the year yesterday.

Unfortunately, Allen, who had two hits including a double for one of Whittier’s two RBIs, was the only one of the bunch to play up to standards against Norton (17-8).

“It was a tough, tough loss,” said coach Joe Boland, who’s squad had nine hits and scored four unearned runs. “It was uglier than ugly, but as I told my kids this was all gravy. We had played well prior to this, and we had one heck of a season. I’ve seen baseball games this bad, and unfortunately it was the way we finished the season.”

Even though the season finale proved less than scintillating, the opportunity to play such a meaningful game midway through June wasn’t something anyone would have thought possible when the Wildcats opened the campaign three months earlier.

“This year definitely went better than I was expecting,” said senior Billy Lafferty, who garnered the pitching loss. “At the beginning of the year I was saying we could go to the state championship, but I didn’t really think it would happen. But we made it pretty far, and I’m pretty pleased how it worked out.”

Actually, the Wildcats had time yesterday after falling behind 16-4 in the fourth inning, to begin reflecting on their success.

“We were all in the dugout the last inning and saying that no one’s ever been this far I don’t think from a Haverhill school,” said Ryan, who is headed to play football at Dean College. “It’s amazing what we’ve done this year. To come all the way down here and play in Brockton in state was an opportunity I’m going to have for a lifetime. I’m real proud of my team and the accomplishments we had this season. It’s pretty awesome.”