Sports Roundup: Football Scores 55 Points Against SJP, Field Hockey Keeps Winning
David Creed •
It was a busy but successful weekend for Whaler sports, which was kicked off on Friday with a 55-point performance for the Nantucket football team at home, followed by the boys soccer and field hockey teams celebrating their senior players during senior game victories. This roundup also includes an update on the girls soccer team following a road victory and the volleyball team.
Football Beats SJP 55-0
The Nantucket football team took command of Friday’s game early and ran away with a 55-0 win over the St. John Paul II Lions to earn their second win of the season behind three touchdowns from senior captain and running back Owen Sullivan.
“We had to take care of business today," Whaler head coach Reese Everett said Friday evening. "First actual league game and sending a message to our entire league that we're here to play, we're here to compete. We definitely needed to get this one before we go into next week. We have a very tough opponent. You got to get ready for them."
Sullivan ran the first of his three touchdowns in from three yards out with 3:56 to go in the first quarter to make it 7-0 and then just over two minutes later, junior quarterback Brock Beamish connected with senior wide out Brady Tilton for a 43-yard touchdown through the air to make it 14-0 with 1:41 to play in the opening quarter.
“Owen Sullivan has been a light all year round," Everett said. "I think he's starting to wake up a little bit and starting to get a little bit of confidence, and this goes back to the whole team aspect. We lacked confidence for a while, and I think we're getting that back. So especially going to next week, we needed that.”
Then on a 3rd & 4 situation, Sullivan ran in his second touchdown from 27-yards out to make it 21-0 with 7:26 to go in the second quarter. The Whalers added one more score in the first half when junior wide out Arann Hanlon dashed into the end zone from nine yards out. The extra point attempt was no good, and the score was 27-0 going into halftime.
Sullivan kicked the second half off with a 67-yard touchdown run just 53 seconds into the third quarter. After forcing an SJP punt, Hanlon returned the punt 62 yards with 9:25 to go in the third quarter while making it a 41-0 game.
"That's exactly why we needed to set the tone for our league," Everett said of this game being a confidence-booster for his team moving forward. "Just to give them that confidence and show them that we're capable of doing anything we put our minds to."
Senior Brian Cuello made it a 48-0 game after running into the end zone untouched from three yards out, and then junior running back Canton Jenkinson added the final score of the game on a 53-yard scamper into the end zone.
Nantucket is now 2–5 this season and they will try to win their second consecutive game on Saturday, October 26th when they travel to face Div. 1 Newton North at 12:30 p.m.
You can view more photos from this game by clicking here.
Field Hockey Earns 11th Win Of Season On Senior Day
For the 10th time of the 2024 fall season, the Nantucket field hockey team shutout an opponent. On Sunday, they beat the Marshfield Rams 2-0 to improve their record to 11-2-2 on senior day.
"It's just another really good win," Whaler head coach Dan Weber said. "I thought we really grinded this one out big time. I think that we very clearly were the more skilled team, but (Marshfield) had some real grit on defense. They make it hard to score, and I thought we just stuck in there and kept going, kept going, kept going - finally put the ball in the back of the net.”
The Whalers and Rams were scoreless going into halftime, but Weber credited assistant head coach Elizabeth Weber for some in-game adjustments that included keeping senior Sam Zadroga parked in front of the Ram’s goalie, which resulted in two second half goals.
"She looked at me and she said, 'I need Sam to just sit right in front of the other goalie,'" Weber said. "And so I called Sam over and right after that, Sam scored and then a few minutes later, Suz (Peraner, senior captain) scored with Sam sitting right in front of the goalie. She's great at that in-game adjustment stuff. To be able to see that and know we just need some more traffic in front of their goalie, and just almost took a player out of the play to just stick them (there), but it worked immediately. So really a big, huge adjustment there. The girls did a nice job. I thought that was really just a gritty game.”
After the game, Weber praised his group of seniors for their work ethic and chemistry. He said he remembers the days when they were in eighth and ninth grade where they’d spend time working on their skills and techniques at 8 p.m. on a freezing cold night down on the football field. He said they have done a great job creating a tight-knit culture that has allowed the program to grow and enjoy some of its most successful seasons in program history in recent years. He believes their competitiveness and team-first culture will carry on to the younger players on the team as they take over next season.
But for now, Nantucket still has work to do. They are now 11-2-2 this season and are currently the #10 seed in the latest Div. 4 state tournament bracket. They will attempt to build on what has already become their most successful regular season in program history when they host Falmouth High School on Tuesday, October 22 at 4 p.m.
You can view more photos from this game by clicking here.
Boys Soccer Shuts Out Falmouth Academy On Senior Day
The Whaler boys soccer team capped off an exhausting four games in five days stretch Saturday afternoon by honoring their senior players with a 4-0 win on senior day over Falmouth Academy. Nantucket finished the stretch 3-1 and are now 8-2-4 overall this season with four games remaining on their schedule.
"It was good to get all 22 players in the game starting with the seniors and rotating a full exchange two thirds of the way through the first half. So that was good,” Whaler head coach Rich Brannigan II said on Saturday. “We got some boys some minutes and I can't say that we were offensively dominant, but we dominated the game. We would like to have finished a little better, but sometimes you just fall into like cruise control mode, you know? But that's alright. The boys had fun with it.”
Senior captain Jake Johnson had a hat trick in the game and received some praise after the game from Brannigan.
"He was hungry. He wanted to go out with a bang,” Brannigan said. “Jake likes to perform. He's a showman. So it was fun to see him enjoy himself, enjoy the environment, and make his senior day memorable.”
While Johnson scored the Whaler’s first three goals, the fourth goal was scored by sophomore Jeyson Ayala.
After the game, Brannigan praised his seniors for their growth as both soccer players and young men. He commended their selflessness and understanding of playing time and that sometimes, certain players may not see the field given specific circumstances.
The Whalers will try to win their ninth game of the season on Tuesday, October 22 at 3:30 p.m. when they travel to the Cape to face the Sturgis East Storm, who Nantucket beat 5-1 on the island earlier this season on Sept. 11.
You can view more photos from this game by clicking here.
Girls Soccer Earns Another Road Win
The Whaler girls soccer team went on the road Saturday afternoon and beat Falmouth Academy 4-1 to improve to 8-3-3 this season.
Nantucket was led by senior captain Adney Brannigan, who finished with two goals and two assists, as well as junior captain Chelsea Gross – who scored two goals of her own. Freshman Harper LeBrecht had two assists in the victory.
The Whalers have won three straight matches and have outscored their opponents 10-1 in that stretch. They will try to earn their ninth win of the season on Tuesday, October 22 when they travel to the Cape to face the St. John Paul II Lions at 3:30 p.m., who Nantucket tied 3-3 on the island earlier this season on Sept. 14.
Volleyball Loses To Archbishop Williams
The Whaler volleyball team lost to Archbishop Williams on the road 3-0 Saturday afternoon and are now 5-13 this season with two matches remaining.
Nantucket was led by senior Leah Crowley, who recorded a team-high three aces. Seniors Rihanna Cranston and Ashley Vizioli were tied for the team lead with four kills. Senior captain Vicky Todorova led the team with 21 digs.
The Whalers will try to earn their sixth win of the season on Monday, October 21 at 5 p.m. when they host the Sturgis West Navigators at 5:30 p.m.
LOOKING AHEAD:
As Nantucket approaches the final 10 days of the fall regular season, here is a look at where each team stands with the state tournaments looming.
Field Hockey: 11-2-2 and ranked #10 in the Div. 4 bracket (Top 32 qualify).
Boys Soccer: 8-2-4 and ranked #18 in the Div. 4 bracket (top 32 qualify).
Girls Soccer: 8-3-3 and ranked #16 in the Div. 4 bracket (top 32 qualify).
Football: 2-5 and ranked #14 in the Div. 7 bracket (top 16 teams qualify).
Volleyball: 5-13 and ranked #21 in the Div. 4 bracket (top 32 qualify).
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Monday, October 21:
The volleyball team will be at home facing the Sturgis West Navigators at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, October 22:
The field hockey team will be at home facing Falmouth at 4:00 p.m.
The boys soccer team will be on the road facing Sturgis East at 3:30 p.m.
The girls soccer team will be on the road facing St. John Paul II at 3:30 p.m.
The boys cross country team will be on the road for a meet against Cape Cod Academy at 4 p.m.
For more updates on Whaler sports throughout the year, you can:
Follow Nantucket Current Sports on Instagram here.
Follow Sports Editor David Creed on X here.
Follow Sports Photographer Chris Tran on Instagram here.