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UCTC progresses on Campus Trail Connector
Committee takes steps toward Campus Trail Connector Public invited to Oct. 2 meeting
By Michelle Sanford Contributing Writer
Members of the Upper Charles Trail
Committee (UCTC) continue to make progress on the Campus Trail Connector initiative, a 2.5-mile path connecting Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton Middle School and Marathon Elementary School. When completed, the trail will permit students, parents, runners and other residents easy travel between the three schools and the downtown area. The initiative has been in the works for some time, but the UCTC is bringing it to fruition by taking it one step at a time.
“It’s a plan that has evolved,” said UCTC chair Jane Moran. “We saw this as a natural egress that’s part of our trail network.”
The trail network Moran is referring to actually began in 2014 when the Select Board formed the Upper Charles Trail Committee, whose members were charged with developing a multi-use, recreational path using the former Penn Central Railroad right of way. When complete, the hard surface trail will run continuously for more than six miles through parts of Milford and Hopkinton to the border of Ashland.
Although the Campus Trail Connector is a separate project, the committee anticipates it will eventually become part of the multi-community recreational path.
According to Moran, the School Committee has been supportive of the Campus Trail project, with a portion of it already cleared. And now the UCTC is hoping to take another step forward that will help defray costs associated with project.
“Only recently we heard about the MassTrails Grant,” said Moran, explaining the committee has applied for a grant from the MassTrails organization hoping to attain funds to help with engineer
A map shows the outline of the impending Campus Trail Connector.
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A section of the new trail already has been cleared and graded.
ing studies that need to be completed.
MassTrails is a program started by the administration of Gov. Charles Baker last year that provides matching grants to municipalities to help with trail and trail network initiatives. If the grant funding is awarded to the UCTC, Moran said the Mass TIP program could then provide additional funding to construct the trails.
Today, guidelines to construct new trails are very specific. They must be ADA complaint and have proper lighting and signage, among other standards.
Throughout the progression of the Campus Trail Connector, Moran said the committee has been “actively engaged with abutters,” keeping them abreast of the initiative.
She recently spoke during a Select Board meeting concerning its headway and provided updates on UCTC’s other projects.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Upper Charles Trails Committee is holding a public meeting at the Hopkinton Public Library beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting is for residents to learn more about the Campus Trails Connector initiative as well as voice concerns and ask questions.
“We want as much input as possible. We want everyone to be comfortable with what we’re doing,” said Moran.
The committee chair encourages residents to visit uctc.hopkintonma.gov/ campus-trail-connector to learn more about the project. The web page also allows residents to email questions to committee members.
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By Melissa Orff Contributing Writer
AHopkinton resident and prominent
Boston attorney has been elected vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Attorney Thomas M. Bond was chosen to serve for the 2019-20 year, starting Sept. 1. He said he was honored to be elected.
“I am going to enjoy the change to working to help bring everyone together,” he said.
The MBA is a nonprofit organization that serves the legal profession and the public by “promoting the administration of justice, legal education, professional excellence and respect for the law.” The MBA represents a diverse group of attorneys, judges and legal professionals across the commonwealth.
Bond is a founder and managing partner of the Kaplan/Bond Group in Boston. A trial lawyer and admiralty lawyer who has specialized in maritime and construction personal injury litigation for more than 30 years, Bond’s trial practice includes admiralty and maritime law, construction, product liability, automobile, personal injury and general liability. He has tried numerous cases and has argued or briefed more than 25 cases before various courts of appeal, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the Supreme Courts of Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Tom Bond was elected vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
In addition to serving as MBA vice president, Bond is a member of the MBA’s Executive Management Board and Budget & Finance Committee. He also serves as a chair of the MBA’s Judicial Diversity Task Force. He previously served as chair of the MBA’s Judicial — Thomas M. Bond
Administration (JA) Section, where he also chaired the section’s Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Diversity, which successfully introduced a resolution at the MBA’s House of Delegates supporting efforts to increase diversity in the court system. Bond is a frequent moderator of the MBA’s Judicial Administration Section’s “View from the Bench” CLE series, which features judges as panelists.
Outside the MBA, Bond is a member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (MATA), where he has served on its Executive Committee and Board of Governors. He received MATA’s President’s Award in 2014. He also is a member of the American Association for Justice. A frequent lecturer on admiralty law at Suffolk University Law School, Bond has lectured locally at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Boston Bar Association and the New England School of Law, and nationally before the Tulane Admiralty Law Institute in New Orleans, the American Association for Justice and the American Trial Lawyers Association.
A resident of Hopkinton for the past 25 years, Bond has served the town on various boards including the Affordable Housing Task Force in the early 2000s when he was part of developing a bylaw on affordable housing in town. Bond was a member of the Elementary School Site Selection Committee in the late 1990s.
Bond said he and his wife Brenda chose to move to Hopkinton 25 years ago because of the “phenomenal” reputation of the school district.
“My [two] daughters went through elementary, middle, and high school here and the education they received in Hopkinton was better than any private school in Boston,” he said, crediting the school district and the taxpayers for their success today.
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The Historic District Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the Bobbi Gibb Marathon Sculpture Project on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Tom Carey, who owns the building at the corner of Main Street and Hayden Rowe, has offered to provide space for the life-size bronze sculpture of Gibb, a Boston Marathon women’s pioneer.
The 26.2 Foundation is coordinating the project with Gibb, who, with a background as a painter and sculptor, is creating the sculpture herself.
“For 50 years it has been my dream to sculpt a life-size woman runner to represent all the powerful women who have run Boston since 1966,” Gibb said.
Gibb first ran the Boston Marathon in 1966 despite a ban on female entrants, paving the way for the Boston Athletic Association to open the race to women.
In 2016, on the 50th anniversary of Gibb’s run, she was commissioned to create a sculpture memorializing her contribution to women and sports. The sculpture is be funded through private donations.
Those interested in contributing to the project can donate via the 26.2 Foundation website (26-2.org/initiatives/bobbi-gibb-marathon-sculptureproject1/). Additionally, Hopkinton resident and marathon runner Joy Donohue is helping to raise funds for the statue at crowdrise.com/o/en/ campaign/thegirlwhoran/joydonohue.
NEWS BRIEFS
EMC playground work slated to start
The Parks and Recreation Department expects that construction on the new playground at EMC Park will begin in mid-October. The playground area has been closed since late June due to safety concerns over outdated and broken equipment.
Meanwhile, School Resource Officer Phil Powers was encouraging residents interested in the skate park at EMC Park to reach out to Parks and Recreation to voice support, as the skate park has fallen into disrepair. The Parks and Recreation Commission is requesting funding via CPC to construct a new skate park.
Temple introduces new rabbi
Milford Regional / 2019 Fall Lecture Series Ad#1 Created 9/5/19 Hopkinton Independent / Half Page (10.25 x 7.5) CMYK Sha’arei Shalom president Kate Fialky welcomed the congregation’s new rabbi, Eric Gurvis, last month.
Sha’arei Shalom, a member-run Jewish congregation in Ashland that serves Hopkinton, formerly installed Rabbi Eric Gurvis as its new spiritual leader during its Shabbat evening services on Sept. 13.
Gurvis has has served congregations in New York City; Jackson, Mississippi; Teaneck, New Jersey; and most recently in Newton. He has long been deeply involved in youth activities and Jewish camps, interfaith and social justice work, as well as Israel programming and education. He is a past president of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, is a past chairperson of the Newton Interfaith Clergy Council, and has served on the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Great Boston. He also is
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a member of the Newton Human Rights Commission and a member of the faculty for the Hebrew College Open Circles program, which provides adult learning opportunities in communities throughout the Greater Boston area.
Gurvis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, with a B.A. in sociology and Judaic studies, and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.
Gurvis and his wife, Laura Kizner Gurvis, have four children and a 2-yearold grandson.
Fuel assistance available
Anyone interesting in applying to the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) for fuel assistance this coming heating season should contact the Outreach Department at the Hopkinton Senior Center.The Outreach Department assists individuals and families of all ages in Hopkinton with this application.
The program runs November through April. The income guidelines are set by the state ($37,360 for a household of one, $48,855 for a household of two, etc.). SMOC assists whether a home is heated with oil, natural gas, propane, electricityor wood.Outreach also can also assist those who received assistance last year and are applying for recertification.
For more information call the Senior Center at 508-497-9730 and ask for the Outreach Department.
Mental Health Collaborative survey
The Mental Health Collaborative, in partnership with Hopkinton Youth and Family Services, is conducting an online survey to be better understand the mental health needs in the community. All Hopkinton residents ages 18 and over are encouraged to participate in this brief, anonymous online survey, which will be available through Oct. 5.
The survey can be found here: Survey.gazelleglobal.com/MentalHealthCollaborative.
The survey was developed in conjunction with Boston Research Group, and the results will be made available once the data has been collected and analyzed.
Police conduct public survey
In an effort to evaluate and formalize the vision for the Hopkinton Police Department, Chief Edward Lee has launched the process of developing a strategic plan for the department.
“All you have to do is drive around town and you can see all the change that is happening in town,” Lee said in a press release. “It is a very exciting period of growth and we want to ensure that the police department is poised to continue delivering the highest level of service to our community.”
The first phase of the strategic plan development process is to conduct a community survey in order to understand the community’s expectations. The survey — available online at tinyurl.com/ y3mowmnr — will be used to determine what the police do well, what they could do better and what additional services could be provided.
During the survey phase information also will be collected from other sources, including the business community, public officials and HPD members.
The survey will be available through Oct. 31.
The Hopkinton Cultural Council is seeking funding proposals for the fiscal year 202 grant cycle. The council The council looks for grantees in the areas ofcommunity-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs that enhance the Hopkinton community.
The Hopkinton Cultural Council is part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as such supports the overall mission that in all its forms, culture is essential to the health and vitality of our community.
The grant application deadline to file is Oct. 15 (postmarked) to be in consideration for a grant from the Hopkinton Cultural Council. The council will hold a meeting in December to make decisions on applications and begin notifying applicants of their funding status by Jan. 15.
According to the council chair Sterling Worrel, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Hopkinton, including exhibits, festivals, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures.
This year the Hopkinton Cultural Council will distribute $6,300 in grants. Previously funded projects include: The Hopkinton Music Association’s Hopkinton Summer Band, performances and programs at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, Hopkinton Public Library, Hopkinton Senior Center and theHopkinton Historical Society.
For more information, email Sterling Worrell at culturalchair@hopkintonma.gov. Application forms and more information about the program are available online at mass-culture.org/ lcc_public.aspx.
FAMILY DAY FUN
PHOTOS/JERRY SPAR
At the annual Family Day, held Sept. 14 on the field behind Hopkinton Middle School, Select Board member John Coutinho coaxed a thrower from the dunk tank (top) while third-grader Boden Mick played bean bag toss.
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Four Hopkinton High School students — Timothy Fargiano, Alexander Matsoukas, Matvey Ortyashov and Grace Ye — were named semifinalists in the 65th National Merit Scholarship Program.
H o p k i n t o n resident Hamsa Shanmugam, who attends Ursuline Academy, also was named a semifinalist.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, there are approximately 16,000 semifinalists competing for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be awarded in the spring.
More than 1.5 million students from about 21,000 high schools entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship applica
SCHOOLS NOTEBOOK
Hopkinton High School students Alexander Matsoukas, Matvey Ortyashov, Grace Ye and Timothy Fargiano were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
tion, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. Finalists will be notified in February.
HPS determines threat not credible
Superintendent Dr. Carol Cavanaugh emailed the Hopkinton Public Schools community on Sept. 25 to share that the district received a threat, but it was not determined to be credible.
Wrote Cavanaugh: “Overnight, the school district received a threat that warranted the involvement of the Hopkinton Police Department. The Police have checked in with the intelligence community as well as with the New Bedford Police Department, where the alleged aggressor resides.
“At this time, we do not feel that the threat is credible. That said, we will have increased police presence in all of our schools today.
“Schools will proceed with their normal operations.”
School Committee sets goals for 2019-20
By Melissa Orff Contributing Writer
The Hopkinton School Committee laid out its goals for the 2019-20 school year during its Sept. 19 meeting. The goals include supporting the rapid enrollment growth, documenting School Committee practices and procedures, and streamlining roles and responsibilities.
School Committee chair Meena Bharath presented the second draft of the School Committee’s goals, getting feedback from all the members.
“As part of best practices and to give a focus and bring some assessment of how we are doing as a committee,” Bharath said of the development of the goals for this year.
The first goal is to develop a support plan for the growth in the district: 1. The rapid and unprecedented growth in the district has brought forth needs which must be fulfilled to maintain a quality learning environment. The School Committee will support short- and long-range growth-related needs (facilities and other) but working with the Superintendent and engaging the community in dialogue in the planning process.
Bharath said that some of the measurements of achievement for this goal will be to support the superintendent in communicating needs to the community, to participate in discussions with town leaders and planned public forums and assist in the planning process for longrange facilities needs.
“We are already in a reactionary, catch-up mode,” she said. “We have work to do in this area.”
The second goal is regarding School Committee practices and procedures: 2. Standardize and document School Committee practices and procedures. Standardize and document 2-3 policies by the end of 2019-20 school year.
“This is more about looking at best practices of other districts and standardizing and document some of the knowledge that we have,” Bharath said. “This would be extremely important for
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“I think having best practices written down is a good idea,” commented School Committee vice chair Nancy Richards-Cavanaugh.
The third goal is related to School Committee efficiency: 3. Improve School Committee efficiency and respect members’ time commitments by planning ahead and streamlining roles and responsibilities across subcommittees, liaison roles, working groups, etc.
Bharath said the main focus of this goal is to make sure that each member has plenty of notice for events, meetings and forums.
“If we know ahead of time, rather than things happening in the moment, it is helpful,” she said.
Several School Committee members agreed that the goal should continue into this school year.
“We are already benefitting from it,” commented Amanda Fargiano.
The fourth goal has to do with learning: 4. Identify and invest time and effort to improve awareness on topics of importance for the School Committee for 2019-20 such as growth, diversity, finance terminology, best practices, etc.
“Learning as a committee about best practices from other districts,” said Bharath, who added that the committee would endeavor to take a deeper dive into some of the important topics that affect the district.
Fargiano suggested that the committee cover two or three manageable topics for the year, and the rest of the committee agreed.
After a lengthy discussion about a draft goal regarding the committee overseeing standardizing reporting by the district to the School Committee, the goal was taken off the list.
The committee also agreed to have a self-assessment and get feedback from the community and district as to how it is performing.
By Melissa Orff Contributing Writer
The Hopkinton Public School District will be looking for support from the town for a significant budget increase for next school year as enrollment continues to climb.
Superintendent Dr. Carol Cavanaugh spoke about the challenges the district will be facing as they start building their 2020-21 budget during the Sept. 19 School Committee meeting. With the launch of the budget season beginning on Sept. 24, the district already has begun discussing its needs for both its FY21 operational and capital budgets.
“Ninety-eight percent of our classrooms at the high school are at full capacity,” Cavanaugh said. “The freshman and junior classes are so large they can not even all fit in the auditorium.”
The district recently hired DRA Architects in Waltham to conduct a capacity study in the school buildings after the district has experienced unprecedented enrollment growth over the past few years. The capacity study was to look at not only the potential for additional classroom space, but also to ensure the current space was being used efficiently. The full report is due back to the district at the end of November.
The high school is one of the buildings that is being evaluated closely, with students being turned away from classes due to space constraints, very few teacher workspaces to collaborate, students taking study halls in large spaces that are not conducive to quiet study, and some classes being taught in rooms with no windows for natural light.
“Those spaces are not sustainable for a high school this size,” Cavanaugh said. “The demand is much greater than [the rooms can] supply.”
Each of the schools in the district are facing similar issues as the enrollment increases exponentially each year. On the first day of school, enrollment had increased by 240 students from the end of the previous school year. As of Sept. 19, that number had already increased to 251.
At Hopkins Elementary School, that enrollment growth is going to equal a large budget increase, as an estimated five additional teachers will need to be hired by next year to keep class sizes down to a reasonable 21-22 students per class. An additional five teachers would mean a budget increase of $400,000 for Hopkins alone.
Cavanaugh told the School Committee that going into the FY21 budget season, the district plans to bring forth a number of requests both capital (modular classrooms and expansions to existing buildings) and operational (full-time educators).
“I have been saying that we have been absorbing growth without adding an enormous number of staff, and now we are bursting at the seams,” Cavanaugh said.
The year over year budget will already begin with a 3 percent increase for contractual salary raises, according to Cavanaugh, and that is without adding any new staff. A 1 percent increase for each building to bring in staff to keep up with the increase in enrollment could add up to a 9 percent increase for just the operational budget alone.
“I hope that people will be willing to support a budget that will be very big operationally,” Cavanaugh said. “As will the capital budget as well.”
By Melissa Orff Contributing Writer
After weeks of discussion on moving a bus stop at the intersection of Legacy Farms North and Frankland Road to a different location, the bus stop will remain where it is.
Approximately 70 students gather each morning to board a bus to one of the Hopkinton Public Schools from the Legacy Farms North/Frankland Road stop. The gathering of that many students and parents (with and without cars), has created traffic and safety issues, causing several residents to approach the Select Board for a solution.
While Legacy Farms continues to add homes and families, the main road through the north side of the development remains a private way, so buses are not able to drive down and pick up students in the development.
Over the summer, the Planning Board had entertained a suggestion that would encourage the town to accept Legacy Farms Road North as a public road with conditions, with the goal of eliminating traffic and safety issues related to school bus pickup and drop-off.
DPW director John Westerling appeared at the Aug. 14 Planning Board meeting and expressed his concerns with taking the road while the development remains a work in progress.
“That is a highly unusual suggestion,” Westerling responded at the meeting. “My initial reaction is that it would not be in the best interests of the town. There are too many elements of the construction that have yet to be completed.”
Legacy Farms developer Roy MacDowell also appeared at the August meeting and stated that the road could be paved by his company in a matter of four or five days should the town decide to accept it. He added that he was looking at other options to solve the problem, including employing a shuttle to take children from their homes to the bus stop.
School and town officials met at the location of the bus stop at the beginning of the school year, trying to come up with a safe solution that would meet with the residents’ approval.
During an Aug. 29 School Committee meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol Cavanaugh told the committee that she, town officials and the developer were proposing to change the bus stop from the intersection of Legacy Farms North/Frankland to the intersection of Legacy Farm North and Route 135.
Several Legacy Farm residents turned out for the meeting to voice their concerns over the proposed change, stating that the new location would not be safe for students, especially during the winter months when snow and ice would be a factor.
Cavanaugh thanked them for their feedback and informed the committee that the district planned to send out a survey asking parents in Legacy Farms if they would like to change the bus stop or keep it where it is for the time being.
Cavanaugh presented the results of the survey during the Sept. 19 School Committee meeting, stating that a “resounding” 92 percent of parents (of the 70 that responded to the survey) voted to keep the bus stop where it is currently located.
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Hopkinton continues pipeline to Salve Regina football
There are seven Hopkintonians on the football team at Salve Regina: (from left) Kyle Stukel, Jack Guelfi, Jake Kelleher, Haiden Pereira, Ryan Kelleher, Nicholas Poillucci and Lucas Moynahan. PHOTO/SALVE REGINA ATHLETICS
By Chris Villani Contributing Writer
“The Big Picture in a Small Town” A tradition of producing talented football players and a college program that has produced a positive experience for those who attend has led to a steady pipeline of Hopkinton High School graduates making their way to Salve Regina University, including seven members of this year’s roster.
“Our coaches call it South Hopkinton, that’s the a joke among the team because, at one point, we had nine guys on the team,” said senior captain Nick Poillucci, a defensive lineman and HHS grad who joined the Salve Regina program when there were already multiple Hillers on the roster.
“I was a little hesitant when I first came here, I wanted to meet new people and not just be friends with the same people from high school, but the worry left in the first week,” Poillucci said. “It’s been great to play with the guys again and see how we have all gown as individuals.”
The biggest recruiting boon for the Seahawks when it comes to landing Hillers is word of mouth. Poillucci had heard about the program from former high school teammates, including Haiden Pereira, a Salve Regina graduate student and a member of this year’s defensive backfield.
Poillucci, along with senior defensive lineman Jack Guelfi, spoke with 2019 Hopkinton High graduate Kyle Stukel, who arrived at the campus in Newport, Rhode Island, this fall.
“I talked to Jack and Nick, I came to a couple of their games and watched them play,” Stukel said. “They told me how much of a brotherhood the football team is is and how tight knit the community is at Salve. That was just what I wanted in a school.”
Having other Hopkinton players in the pipeline isn’t the only thing bringing more Hillers to Salve Regina. The courses of study offered by the school, the size and the setting in the shadow of beautiful Gilded Age mansions are all significant draws, but Stukel said having former teammates at the school has made a difference in his first few weeks of college.
“I had some people to help me through the process and I had my friends coming up with me to be with as well so I am not just alone,” he said. “It’s made the transition so much easier.”
In addition to Poillucci, Pereira, Guelfi, and Stukel, this year’s Salve Regina roster includes freshmen Lucas Moynahan and Ryan Kelleher and junior Jake Kelleher.
Salve Regina coach Kevin Gilmartin is in his eighth year with the program and remembers the run of Hopkinton players starting with wide receiver Alex Hulme, a 2012 HHS graduate who went on to set multiple records in college. There has been a steady stream of Hopkinton players ever since.
“First off, we are getting very good players, and secondly, we are getting leaders, we have had captains come through,” Gilmartin said. “It’s the culture, the characteristics of Hopkinton, the personality, it breeds well with what we have going here.”
A former head coach at nearby Nipmuc High School, Gilmartin has been familiar with the Hopkinton program for some time. One of the traits he has noticed over the past several years is that the former high school teammates are frequently pushing each other to be better players.
“As soon as they come in as freshmen, one, the older guys want them to be above and beyond all the other freshmen coming in,” the coach said. “They are Salve football but they are also Hillers.”
Gilmartin said the Kelleher brothers are a good example.
“Jake was leaning hard on Ryan the first couple of days to make sure he is always trying to be as perfect as possible,” Gilmartin said. “It’s kind of awesome to watch them they do that, they take pride in one another.”
Guelfi, a senior defensive lineman, said being a former Hiller also means having to live up to the guys that came before.
“When you come from Hopkinton, you’re expected to play pretty early on,” he said. “You feel that pressure.”
But the stress of expectation is eased by having so many familiar faces in the locker room right away.
“The upperclassmen have been really good to the younger guys,” Guelfi said. “It’s been easy for everyone to come in and feel comfortable and feel at home.”
HHS boys soccer works on finding new identity
Hopkinton High School senior Tim Fargiano dribbles through traffic during a game last month against Dover-Sherborn at the turf field.
PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO
By Chris Villani Contributing Writer
After graduating 13 seniors from a team that qualified for the state tournament in 2018, the Hopkinton High School boys soccer program has its sights set on getting back to the postseason with a new cast of characters in the spotlight.
With so many players who are either new to the team or new to starting roles, coach Garrett Sawyer said the leadership shown by his four senior captains has been a highlight through the first third of the schedule.
“I see that leadership as a strength because it creates a positive team culture and sets a good example in terms of having a positive attitude and getting better every day,” Sawyer said.
Nick Skiba, Owen DiNicola, Tyler Zanini and Tim Fargiano have answered the call to be leaders for the Hillers this fall. Skiba has played on the defensive side of the field primarily but has been willing to shift positions when needed.
“He is a really hard worker and he is willing to do whatever it takes or play wherever I want him on the field,” Sawyer said. “I have moved him around a bit and he has responded.”
DiNicola similarly has been moved around the field to different spots, seeing time both on defense and attack. Saywer extolled the senior as a positive leader who has been vocally picking people up throughout the season.
Zanini has also shown a team-first mentality by being willing to step aside from the starting goalkeeper spot for junior Patrick Crantz and find ways to contribute elsewhere on the field.
“He hasn’t skipped a beat in terms of doing what it takes to win and make progress as a team, even though there is a younger guy starting ahead of him,” Sawyer said. “That shows great leadership.”
Sawyer praised Fargiano for his intelligence on the field and the unselfish style of his game form the center midfield position.
Sophomore Owen Schnur has stood out among the underclassmen.
“I think he has the maturity of an older player,” Sawyer said.
The Hillers posted a 2-2-2 record through the first six games of the season after finishing 10-6-4 a year ago. This year’s group is focusing on establishing its own winning track record.
“We had a really good season last year, a strong, winning record,” Sawyer said. “With so many guys graduating, people wonder, ‘How are they going to do with all these guys leaving?’ So for the seniors this year it’s about proving they can be successful as well.”
Success equals a sectional tournament berth, not an easy feat in the competitive Tri-Valley League.
“We have a tough league, the teams are good, the competition is good, it’s a good measuring stick to be at least .500,” Sawyer said. “I think there is a lot of room for improvement this year because so few guys started last season, so individual progress is also a goal.
“I have a group of players who want to work hard,” the coach added, “and we are getting better every week.”
Tennis Tournament crowns champions
Ben Daly was a winner in the advanced men’s singles and advance men’s doubles divisions of the 12th annual Hopkinton Tennis Tournament, which was held Sept. 13-15 at the Hopkinton High School courts.
Daly defeated Austin DeLasse in the singles final, 6-2, 6-1, then paired with DeLasse to roll to the doubles title.
Other winners included Greg DiCenzo, who won an exciting intermediate men’s singles final over Vikram Koganti, 0-6, 6-4, 10-8; Bharath Padala and Bryce Denney, who captured the intermediate men’s doubles title; Ginger Lino and Nancy Driscoll, who won the advanced women’s doubles crown; Blanca DeLasse and Ann Dekruyff, who won the intermediate women’s doubles title; and Kim Pulnik and Jim Rosenberg, who teamed up to win the intermediate mixed doubles division.
SPORTS ROUNDUP
HHS VB off to strong start
The Hopkinton High girls volleyball team cruised through the early part of its season, winning its first seven matches. The highlight came on Sept. 13 when the Hillers knocked off 2018 Division state finalist Barnstable in a statement win. The stands were packed at HHS to see the two powerhouses face off, and the home team did not disappoint. Senior setter Angie Grabmeier had 22 assists, nine kills, nine
Soccer sandwich
Ben Daly returns a shot during his semifinal match of the Hopkinton Tennis Tournament on Sept. 15. Daly went on to win the advanced men’s singles and doubles title.
digs and 17 service points to spark the win. Senior middle blocker Ashley McDermott had six kills and five blocks, while senior libero Morgan Allen contributed 22 digs and solid passing.
Hillers football struggles early
HOUSE WASHING
“The Big Picture in a Small Town”
The HHS football team dropped its first two games under first-year coach Dan MacLean.
In a visit to Hingham on Sept. 20, Hopkinton fell 41-23. Quarterback Robby Bernardin threw two touchdown passes, Sports Roundup | 20
Hopkinton fourth-grader Aidan Pritchard (middle) battles two Newton players for the ball during a recent soccer game at the Fruit Street fields.
