Friday, December 28, 2012

X-mas Hockey off on the Wrong Skate, but X-Country Runners go All-State


La Salle College High School Routs Hendricken Hawks 8-3
by Mark Stillson
Bishop Hendricken’s first game in the 17th annual Mount St. Charles Holiday Tournament didn’t go as expected. The team faced LaSalle College High School from Wyndmoor, PA, at six o’clock Thursday evening at Adelard Arena in Woonsocket. Expectations for the Hawks were high coming into this game, as they were coming off of huge wins against the number one team in Massachusetts, Malden Catholic; tying LaSalle Academy an injury fund game prior the start of the season, in addition to wins against Burrillville 5-1 and La Salle Academy once again, 3-2.

At the start of the game both teams came out of the gates strong. Each team was great on defense and had great offensive opportunities, and both had solid net-minding by the Hawks’ Proulx and LaSalle’s Corbin Gustafson. The Hawks, though, drew first blood with a goal scored by Josh Olson and assisted by Matthew Kim at 12:11 into the period. After having taken the 1-0 lead, the Hawks seemed to lose a bit of their aggressiveness; La Salle then took the goal against and used it as inspiration, and in less than a minute LCHS had put two goals on the board. From that point until the end of the second period, the Hawks never seemed to regain the fire with which they had emerged from the gate.

The Hawks tried to rally back after having given up another two goals, but despite the goal by Andrew Fera (assisted by Jamie Armstrong and Sam Boulanger), they still never seemed to figure out how to really get to Gustafson. Another goal from LaSalle’s Jaquay gave them a 5-2 lead, and Head Coach Jim Creamer moved to his back-up senior, Craig Colson.  Colson played a spectacular rest of the second period, stopping all 7 shots faced.

After the intermission, the Hawks came out and played a hard and physical game until LaSalle scored again, at which point it was clear that our guys knew it wasn’t their night.  Overall the team didn’t play to expectations, but there were some positives. Matthew Creamer scored a goal assisted by Eddie Markowski. The goaltending by Colson was great, especially given the tough situation into which he entered the game.  Hopefully, the Hawks will be able to rally back Friday at 2 pm, against St. Joseph Collegiate.



Doyle, Tierney, and Henseler Earn First-Team All-State Cross-Country Honors


In today's Providence Journal, three of our runners were showcased as part of the First-Team All-State Cross Country squad.  Congratulations go out to Connor Doyle, Colin Tierney, and Tyler Henseler for a tremedous season.  Senior Alex Doherty also took home some of the proverbial hardware, as he was named to the All-State Second Team.  Congratulations to the entire cross country team and the whole coaching staff for their remarkable fall accomplishments.




Thursday, December 27, 2012

AAS NEWS AND EVENTS


Welcome to the NEWS and EVENTS page for Adaptive Action Sports. You will find a mixture of  upcoming and past events, news and videos that all relate to Adaptive Action Sports. Upcoming events will be listed directly below this message and in the EVENTS tab! Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Providence Journal Highlights Pre-Season Picks for Current and Past Hawks

On the front page of today's Providence Sunday Journal, Bill Reynolds presents an extremely well-written column on graduate Jeff Roy, former Hawks' all-state centerfielder, for his being named a pre-season baseball All-American for URI.  As the link to the Reynolds piece is restricted to specific Journal subscribers, readers will have to grab the actual paper in order to have a look.  Last week, however, Mike McDermott highlighted Jeff's pre-season honor in a shorter piece that deals with all of the pertinent honors that Jeff has accumulated during the course of the past several years.  The link to that article can be found here.

Below, Jeff is interviewed last season after having been named Atlantic-10 player of the Week:






The Journal also notes the results of the first R.I. Track & Field Foundation coaches' poll, in which our track team emerged as the pre-season favorite to win the state tile.  The link to that piece can be found here.

Included here is a clip from early 2011, when our runners set a new state meet and facility record in the 4 X 400 relay:






Friday, December 21, 2012

Swimming Coach Dave Hanson Notches win #300

December 19, 2012


by Mr. Feeny

The achievement of a particular milestone is often the manner by which we measure ourselves in life.  

Milestones are important, because they tell us both how much of
ourselves that we've dedicated to a particular endeavor and how much time, in addition to the degree of success that we've achieved.  In a society such as ours, in which so many things are driven by our passion for sports, we hear about athletes' achieving various milestones all the time, most often at the professional level.

In the case of our community, we should take a moment to note and salute head swimming coach Dave Hanson, who with last night's 75-19 decision over LaSalle, racked up his 300th career win at Hendricken, which is a testament to his dedication to the school, our students, and his ability to motivate and teach.  He has been a steady presence for more than twenty years here at our school, and in tallying 23 consecutive state championships, has managed to consistently keep our swimming team on top of both the Rhode Island and national charts.  The number of our swimmers who move on to compete at some of the best colleges and the best programs will continue to be the lasting testament to his success. The Providence Journal notes Coach Hanson's accomplishment here.

Here's a clip from the end of last season, an interview with swimmers Andrew Robinson and Alex Powers after our guys had captured yet another state crown:


While as a sports-crazed society we tend to worship at the altar of the big four - football, basketball, baseball, and hockey - it is worth our time to stand and applaud Coach Hanson and all his swimmers from the past two decades for achieving yet another milestone and for a job well done.



Interview with Mr. Richard Angeli, Asst. Coach for Hockey and Newly-Appointed Head Golf coach

December 17, 2012


by Tyler Lancaster

I was lucky enough to get an over-the-phone interview with Mr. Richard Angeli, Hawks’ assistant hockey coach and first-year head coach for the golf team. Mr. Angeli has been coaching high school sports for over 20 years. When he was a student at Hendricken, he ran cross-country and outdoor track, played hockey, and eventually became serious about hockey after his years at college. Mr. Angeli was not able to see the golf team play last year but knows that they did extremely well at last season’s states. He’s also looking forward to the returning players having a positive influence on the underclassmen joining this year.

“Golf is a physical but a very mental game,” says Mr. Angeli. At the beginning of the season he expects the players to do well but by the end intends the players to have improved their game by two strokes, though everything depends on the player. “Assistant coach Norm Alborido and I intend to improve the game of the player, but everything takes time. The players will get what they put into it.

“The transition from coaching hockey to coaching golf will be easier than everyone expects. The two games are very physical. Hockey is more fast-paced, but golf is more mental. Golf is very unforgiving; if you don’t put in the work to prepare, then you will definitely not do well. I think all golf coaches want our sport to be like all the other big sports in Rhode Island, just like basketball, football, and baseball.

“Barrington has won nine out of ten championships in the last decade, but this year we want to be the favorite. We might have to change the way we practice and the way we prepare for a match, but what needs to be done will be done. This year’s team will need to be strong, especially guys out of the top six. We will need to push the guys in the top six to do better.”

This Time It's Hockey: Hawks 3, LaSalle 2

December 15, 2012

Our winter sports season has gotten off on the right foot, as our varsity basketball team has taken its first two contests, the opening win a blowout over crosstown rival Toll Gate, which was then quickly followed up by an extremely-tightly contested and exciting one-point win over the state's pre-season #1, Hope.  Last night our hockey guys picked up where the football team left off in the Super Bowl by taking down LaSalle, 3-2.  So far, so good.  

The link to the Providence Journal's photo gallery from the game can be found here.

Hawks Top Poll as #1

December 7, 2012


The Providence Journal notes the results of the final rankings from the high school football media poll

THREEPEAT


December 2, 2012

It'd be easy to say that the Hendricken Hawks "shocked the world" yesterday in the Division I Super     Bowl at Cranston Stadium, but after knocking off undefeated LaSalle last year, this year, and winning three in a row, well.....maybe it isn't so shocking anymore.
http://www.providencejournal.com/incoming/20121202-23.jpg1.ece/BINARY/w700x467/23.jpg
Despite having been beaten decisively on our home field by the Rams only a couple of weeks ago, 28-7, the Hawks had put that loss in their rear-view mirror and came ready to play, knowing full well what most prognosticators around the state were generally predicting for a result.  The pictures (more below) tell the story, and a link to important game details is included.




http://www.providencejournal.com/incoming/20121202-13.jpg1.ece/BINARY/w700x467/13.jpg
http://www.providencejournal.com/incoming/20121202-21.jpg1.ece/BINARY/w700x467/21.jpg










http://www.providencejournal.com/incoming/20121202-01.jpg1.ece/BINARY/w700x467/01.jpghttp://www.providencejournal.com/incoming/20121202-09.jpg1.ece/BINARY/w700x467/09.jpg

Hawks Wake Up in 2nd Half, Knock Off Bolts, Head to Super Bowl Against LaSalle

November 29, 2012

article by Mr. Feeny
post-game interview by Tyler Lancaster

The re-match is looming, and there'll probably be plenty of copies of "The Catch" floating around Cranston Stadium this Sunday, when our guys meet up with heavily-favored LaSalle for the second consecutive year in the Division I Super Bowl.  The Rams trounced Portsmouth in the other semi-final.


The game last night against the Cranston East Thunderbolts was expected to be a tough match against two even teams.  The Hawks had taken the regular-season contest, 21-14, which was the tie-breaker that gave our guys the home field.  The first half played out pretty much as everyone probably thought it would, perhaps even more nerve-wracking for Hawks' fans than they would have liked.  The Thunderbolts had quite a bit of success moving the ball throughout the half, led by running back EJ Isom, and put up a pretty staunch defensive front against the Hendricken offense.  Just before the half, however, Isom went out with what appeared to be an injured ankle and didn't return, something that had a decided effect on East's offense in the second half.  The Hawks, trailing 14-7 at half, went into intermission determined to make some adjustments.  Coach P explains:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1085361-post-game-interview-with-coach-p

Full-Game Broadcast of the Semi-Final Win over the Cranston East Thunderbolts Available Right Here


Looking toward this Sunday's title game, there's no doubt that LaSalle will be and deserves to be the heavy favorite, as their high-powered offense has pretty much cut a clean swath right through Division I competition all season, including a dominant victory over our guys at Hendricken, 28-7, a couple of weeks back. As with last year's game, however, anything can happen in a single matchup. There's no doubt that the Hawks will have put the earlier loss to the Rams behind them and will be ready to battle for a third consecutive state championship.

Hawks Crush Titans on Thanksgiving; Play East Tonight in Playoffs

November 27, 2012


by Bobby Bordieri

Last Wednesday night on Thanksgiving Eve, the Bishop Hendricken Hawks met the Tollgate Titans in the annual renewal of their cross-town tradition. The Titans’ punt following the game’s opening series set the tone for the rest of the game, as Marco DelVecchio blocked it to put the Hawks inside the Toll Gate 10-yard line. On the next play the Hawks scored a touchdown, and the rout was on -   our guys went on to defeat the Titans, 33-0.

With the win, the Hawks finish the season with a 6-2 record and the number two seed in the playoffs. The Hawks will play Cranston East tonight, Tuesday, November 27th at Hendricken. The winner will move on to the Division I Super Bowl against the winner of the LaSalle-Portsmouth semi-final, which is also being played tonight, at LaSalle’s home field.

Weather conditions for the game are expected to be tough, with cold temperatures and snow, sleet, and rain expected intermittently throughout the course of the day.  Fans should dress accordingly and should be aware of the very slim chance of the game’s being postponed to tomorrow night, if, in fact, weather conditions do not permit the game’s being played.

Hawks XC takes 5th Place in the NorthEast Regionals

November 25, 2012

The Providence Journal notes the success of our Cross-Country team at the New England Regionals:

http://news.providencejournal.com/sports/high-school/2012/11/tierney-guides-hendricken-harriers-to-fifth-at-nxn-northeast-regionals-1.html

Hawks Clinch 2nd-Place Seed in State Football Playoffs

by Mr. Ben and Mr. Feeny 

November 23, 2012


With Cranston East's victory over Cranston West in their annual Thanksgiving Day grudge match, the Hawks have secured the second seed in the Division-1 playoffs for this season.   We will host Cranston East this Tuesday night at home.

As mentioned, East will be coming off  a tough outing against West,  as they scored 19 points in the last 13 minutes to lock up the victory.  With a three-way tie for second place,  Hendricken secured the #2 seed and home field in the semi-final round of the Division 1 playoffs with their win over Cranston East back in October.  The Providence Journal previewed that mid-season matchup, which was then and still is expected to be a hard-fought one:


Undefeated this season, LaSalle is the #1 seed and has to be seen as the early favorite to go the distance, much as they were last season.   They will face fourth-seeded Portsmouth at home in their semi-final round contest.

The first-round winners will face off in the 2012 Super Bowl at Cranston Stadium, which could well end up being a repeat of last year's Super Bowl.  Our guys have a had a great season and have every reason to be confident as they head to the post season.  Hopefully, Tuesday night will be the first step on the road to a repeat of last season's success.

Michael King Signs Letter of Intent to Boston College for Baseball

November 21, 2012


by Niko Spentzos

On Monday, November 19th, 2012 senior Michael King signed his letter of intent to Boston College, receiving an opportunity to play college baseball for the Eagles. The room was filled with a great deal of excitement, and Michael received support from his family, coaches, and especially his teammates, who cheered seemingly the entire time.

Mr. Curtis, Director of Communications, came out first and acknowledged Michael’s devotion to the sport and wished him the best of luck for the opportunity that his next four seasons with the Eagles will bring. Mr. Brennan’s comments to those assembled were directed at not only his devotion and hard work on the field but also for his effort in the classroom.

After Michael King thanked everyone for their support - especially that which he continues to receive from his family - he put on the Hendricken Baseball Cap and signed his letter to the sound of applause all the way around.

Congratulations and best wishes to Michael for his success at Hendricken and what is to come for him in the future.

Despite Loss in Super Bowl, Freshman Hawk Gridders Have Successful Season


by Bobby Bordieri

November 19, 2012

On Saturday November 17, 2012 the Bishop Hendricken Freshman football team were scheduled to play the Lasalle Freshman team at 1:00 pm at Cranston Stadium for the Freshmen Super Bowl. The morning didn't start off well for the Hawks, as the buses were supposed to pick up the Hawks at 11:30; however, due to some communication errors, the bus thought the pick-up was at 1:30. After a few calls had been made, the buses arrived and brought the Hawks to the stadium.

The miscommunication with the bus may have actually been a harbinger of the day ahead for the young Hawks.

When the Hawks walked on to the field, the crowd erupted with excitement. After that there was very little time until the game started. At the beginning it was a very close battle, with one big touchdown run being the difference at halftime. Lasalle started off the third quarter by scoring an early touchdown capped off by a two-point conversion to make the score 14-0. The Hawks still believed that they could pull out the victory, regardless of their deficit.

Things started to get out of hand at the end of the third quarter. On a run by Hawks' quarterback Billy Mueller, a Lasalle player fell on and broke his ankle. Coach Manning ("Junior") then tried to rally the team and told them that they needed to stick together and not to quit. After a Hendricken fumble which was later followed by a Rams' touchdown, the game was out of reach. The final score was 30-0, with the Rams' taking home the Freshmen State Championship.

The Hawks fought hard throughout the game and left it all on the field. The Hawks had an incredible season, finishing with only two losses. More important than anything else, the Hawks created an incredible bond together and became a family. They played their hardest to represent their school, which is more important than any State Championship.
Enjoy the highlights.

Film work by David Sarazen.



Hawks XC Runners Head to the Northeast Regional Next Weekend

November 17, 2012

Stone Freeman interviews Cross Country coaches Doyle and Brennan, along with runner Colin Manning, about the team's tremendous success this season as both state and New England champions.  The Hawks head to the Northeast Regionals next weekend in New York. 



Thursday, December 20, 2012

Alex Perreault Signs Letter-of-Intent to Johns Hopkins University for Lacrosse


By Jim Kent
Nov.16, 2012

A full house was on hand to see Alex Perreault sign his letter of intent to Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Brennan set the stage for Alex and complimented his character as a Hawk by pointing to the dedication and commitment that Alex maintains and devotes to track and his track teammates, despite the fact that he is committed to playing lacrosse in college. Mr. Brennan went on to say how rare it is to see this degree of dedication to more than one sport while playing for Hendricken.

Mr. Curtis, Hendricken's Director of Communications, further explained the significance of a student athlete from Rhode Island earning the opportunity to play for such a lacrosse program, one with a national spotlight such as Johns Hopkins'.

I would like to wish Alex the best of luck and look forward to seeing him play on the ESPN Networks during the next four years.

The full signing of the letter of intent can be found below.


Coach Croft Speaks to HSN about the LaSalle Game


November 15, 2012
by Tyler Lancaster

Obviously, the results of the game against LaSalle last Friday night left our players and fans a bit unsettled.  Going into the game and based on the Hawks’ 6-1 record to that point, everyone had high hopes that we could walk away with a result similar to last year’s Super Bowl.  Count Coach Croft amongst those who felt pretty confident going into the game.  He was gracious enough to share his thoughts with HSN both before and after the game.  

As to what he felt were positives for the Hawks going into the game, Coach Croft felt that the success that his squad has had so far this year, the week of solid practices leading up to the game, and the specter of last season’s win over the Rams in the Super Bowl all helped to contribute to a general sense of momentum for our guys' heading toward the playoffs.  He felt, however, that in order to be able to truly stay toe-to-toe with the Maroon, his team would need big, step-up type performances from Jared Witherspoon, Marco DelVecchio, and Mario Mclean (who was injured in the first quarter).  The big matchup on the field, according to Coach, would be our defense's facing off against their powerful offense; Coach Croft is well aware of their ability to both move the ball and score points nearly at will, and that their quarterback, Francis (tremendous arm) and running back, Morris (very explosive) had the ability to cause headaches for the Hawks all night long.  Coach felt that in order for our defense to be able to stay with the Rams, the guys would have to come out big, put them in bad spots on offense, and to be physical all game long.
While Coach Croft had a good sense of what was needed for success, things didn’t go the way that he had planned or hoped.  After the game, he agreed to talk about it.

HSN: Have you had time to digest what happened in the LaSalle game?


Coach Croft: Yes, we’re obliviously not happy with the result of the game. LaSalle out played us.

HSN: What part of LaSalle’s game was the most effective against you guys?


Coach Croft: Their defense put a lot of pressure on our quarterback, and our line did not block well.
LaSalle’s passing game was also tough to stop.

HSN: There were times that our guys played well, but it seemed that we had some difficulty moving the ball, any clear reasons for that?


Coach Croft: Blocking was our weakness that game, and losing Mario McClean early in the first quarter didn’t help matters.

HSN: Speaking of Mario, he and Joe Vincent both went down with injuries during the game. Will that effect you guys going into the game against Toll Gate or in the playoffs?

Coach Croft:  It won’t affect us much for the rest of the season, but we hope to have them back for the playoffs.

HSN: How are your preparations going into the Toll Gate game and the playoffs?


Coach Croft: We’re splitting the practice week up to get ready for both.  We’re confident going forward.

HSN: Thanks for your time, Coach, and best of luck in trying to bring a third title in a row home to Hendricken.


Tough Night for the Hawks

November 10, 2012
by Mr. Feeny


#Mangate was there in full force, some 250 strong.

Mr. Brennan's 40th class reunion was in attendance under the alumni tent. 

The crowd was enormous.

And a Super Bowl re-match between the state's football archrivals was center stage.  Plain and simple, the joint was jumpin'.

As 6-0 LaSalle Academy came marching into our house Friday night, our entire community - especially #Mangate - was more than prepared to remind the Rams and their fans of "The Catch", as pictures of it were everywhere.  While there was certainly no one prepared to pull a Joe Willie Namath and guarantee a victory against such a talented and determined team, almost to a man everyone expected a battle.  A gridiron war.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way.

The Rams' powerful, talented, and extremely fast offense was on full display and in high gear, as they jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and then methodically and seemingly at will moved the ball up-and-down the field en route to a 28-0 fourth quarter lead, the only hiccup in their evening coming when our guys managed to punch one across the goal line late in the game.

Final Score: Rams 28, Hawks 7.

Admittedly, the night belonged to the Rams; however, our guys fought all night, as evidenced in some of the game's highlights:


Knowing our players and coaches as we do, there's no question that any of them will offer excuses for the defeat and will more than likely tip their helmets to the Rams and accept the defeat as the result of having been beaten, plain and simple.  I expect our guys will lick their wounds, deal with it, and then move on.  There's a regular season to finish and playoffs for which to prepare.

As we all know, if last year is any lesson, anything can happen, and it's not as though our guys won't be prepared to succeed later this month and early next month.


While the Hawks were clearly outplayed, our cause wasn't helped by the injury to Mario McClain; as more than a few people pointed out, once the big guy went down - even though our linemen continued to fight - the line as a whole seemed to be somewhat out of sorts.  That, however, clearly does not in any way provide a reason for the scope of the loss.


The Hawks are off until Wednesday night the 21st, when they'll meet Thanksgiving rival Toll Gate the night before the holiday.  Game time is 7:00 pm.  In our house.


Hopefully, the joint will be jumpin' once again.  And the Hawks Sports Network will be on the scene.