Trendell and Hernon Honored for Academic/Athletic Excellence

Each May, the Hockomock League celebrates educational athletics by honoring a male and female graduating senior from each of our 12 schools.  These 24 graduating seniors represent the best from their collective schools when it comes to excelling both in the classroom and on the playing field.

Ordinarily, our league's 12 principals and ADs host a banquet at Lake Pearl in Wrentham where the 24 amazing student athletes and their parents convene to be celebrated and honored. Due to Covid-19, this event will not be held for the 2nd year in a row. It is a shame as it is always a highlight of the athletic year. 

Stephanie Trendell 

Although we won't be meeting to celebrate these two high achieving Bulldogs, our Canton recipients deserve our recognition and praise.  Canton's recipients of this year's Scholar-Athlete awards are Stephanie Trendell and Jack Hernon. They both value and understand the responsible balance between academics and athletics and, as a result have achieved great heights in both.

Stephanie Trendell has been a standout at CHS for the past four years in both the Volleyball program and the Softball program.  She played a major role in the Bulldogs winning their first-ever State Championship in Volleyball in 2019.  She has been a four-year varsity player in Softball where she is currently serving as a captain.  She is heading off to Emerson College in Boston in the fall where she will continue her softball career as well as pursuing a journalism major. 

Jack Hernon

Jack Hernon has been a huge member of our Cross Country, Indoor Track and Track & Field teams since walking into the doors of CHS four years ago. He has earned an incredible 12 varsity letters (including one in Swimming his senior year) over his time wearing the green and white.  He has also served as captain of XC, Indoor and Track & Field.  He has been a major contributor to all of his teams but is the epitome of a team-first teammate. He is heading to West Point in the fall. 

CHS is proud of both of these shining examples of student athlete excellence, as well as the hundreds of other Bulldogs who also commit fully to excelling in the classroom and in the athletic arena.  Stephanie and Jack were two of many deserving Bulldogs in these areas of excellence.

Thank you and Congratulations to Stephanie Trendell and Jack Hernon- 2021 Hockomock League Scholar Athlete Award winners.

McCabe and Gilmore latest Bulldogs to commit to college programs

In a brief ceremony held at CHS on Friday, May 21st, TJ McCabe and Mia Gilmore each signed their commitment letters to continue their academic and athletic careers this fall.  Gilmore will be heading "west" to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute while McCabe will be heading "east" to attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  Both will be joining theschools' soccer programs this August. 

Both McCabe and Gilmore have been at the forefront of their respective soccer programs here at CHS with both playing at the varsity level for four years and each serving as a captain this past fall. 

Mia Gilmore has had an amazing Bulldog career which culminated in leading the team to its first Hockomock Davenport Championship in 11 seasons this past fall. Gilmore has been a force in the Bulldog midfield since arriving at CHS. She earned All-Hockomock and Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic honors for the fine 2020 season.

In reflecting on her CHS soccer career, Gilmore had this to say- "Playing for CHS has been an amazing experience.  Being able to play with my sister and my childhood friends has created so many special memories for me." She added, "My favorite memory is winning the Davenport Championship this past fall." She was also filled with gratitude upon the signing, adding, "I want to thank coach Idris for pushing me this season to practice and play harder than ever before, and for reminding me how much I love this sports.  I also want to thank my parents for sticking through the long college soccer process with me for the past couple of years and for taking me all over the United States to play."

Gilmore will be playing for Stephanie Riley-Schafer as she laces up her boots in Worcester.  The Engineers advanced to the NEWMAC Final in 20219 and will be looking for Gilmore to help them get back there soon. 

TJ McCabe has been a huge part of the CHS Boys program over the past four years contributing greatly to three winning seasons in a variety of ways.  "TJ is one of the most talented soccer players to come through our program in recent years," praised long-time coach Danny Erickson. "His journey has not been a smooth one, with injuries and pandemics in the way, but TJ never quit and his performance as a captain this past fall played a big role our great season."

McCabe had this to say in looking back at his CHS soccer career- "It is sad to leave the kids I've been-laying with for most of my soccer career, but it's exciting and refreshing knowing I'm starting back at square one with a new program."

He went on to share this- "I have lots of great memories from my days with the CHS soccer program but I'll never forget scoring my first goal against Norwood on the road my freshman year.  The goal secured our first road win of the season. Another highlight was being able to play with my brother Jake. He made me better by always nipping at my heals for being the most dominant player in the house and always giving me someone to train with."

He concluded with the following humble comments- "I want to thank coach Erickson and the rest of the Canton boys team for including me this season without be able to contribute on the field due to injury. I would also like to thank Coach Don Whitaker for putting me down the path of high level soccer at a young age. Finally, I would like to thank my family for keeping me motivated and striving to get better year after year."

McCabe will follow in his dad's footsteps and head to Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he will play for Coach Greg Perry.  The team will be looking to get some big contributions from McCabe as they look to rebuild after a tough 2019 and a long pandemic break. 

CHS Girls Coach Idris Senyonjo (far left) and CHS Boys Soccer Coach Danny Erickson (far right) joined the Gilmore and McCabe Families for the signing celebration. 

CHS wishes both Mia and TJ well in their upcoming college careers.  We are all very proud of you!

UPDATED Mask Protocols- 5/18/2021

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATLY-

CHS will follow the guidelines laid out by the EEA yesterday and the MIAA today regarding masking up during athletic practices and contests.

See details below. 

Reminder that masks must still be worn on buses. 

All CHS spring student athletes MUST have a mask with them (in athletic bag) at all CHS Athletic events. Some other communities may have mandates regarding masks that we must follow so always be prepared as student athletes and spectators. 

Although the mask mandate is lifted as explained below, any Bulldog who wishes to continue to wear a mask may do so at any time. 

We are so proud of all of our student athletes for following protocols all year!

MIAA ANNOUNCEMENT

 

The announcement by Governor Baker and the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) on May 17, 2021 regarding the removal of mandatory masks/facial coverings was reviewed and discussed by the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee (SMC) Monday afternoon.  The SMC voted unanimously to recommend the approval of the May 17, 2021 EEA guidelines effective May 18, 2021. This recommendation was forwarded to MIAA President Jeffrey Granatino, MIAA Executive Director Bill Gaine and Task Force Chairs, Thom Holdgate and Dr. Keith Crowley. Commissioner Jeffrey Riley and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) also reviewed this recommendation. All constituents provided full APPROVAL. You may view the updated EEA guidelines HERE.

 

To clarify, this means:

·         Athletes on spring teams in active play outdoors are not required to wear a mask/facial covering.

·         Athletes when they are on the bench or in a dugout are not required to wear a mask/facial covering.

·         Athletes in low-risk sports when indoors where a distance of at least 14 feet or more is consistently maintained between each participant, are not required to wear a mask/ facial covering.

·         Spectators and chaperones, coaches, staff, referees, umpires and other officials who can social distance while outdoors, are not required to wear a mask/face covering.

·         Visitors, spectators, volunteers, and staff while indoors are required to wear mask/facial covering.

·         All athletes participating in high school sports are considered youth and fall under youth guidelines.

 

Additionally, there are no changes to individual MIAA sport modifications other than the mask/facial covering mandate. As restrictions are lifted, a review of the EEA guidelines will continue through the MIAA governance process guided by the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee.

 

Spring User Fees now due

Reminder to our Spring Athletic Season Families-

User Fees for Spring Sports are now due.  For information on how to pay this fee, please click here. 

Reminder- Families are only responsible to pay a maximum of FOUR fees for the school year. 

Away Contest Transportation Protocols

Given the ever-evolving state regulations regarding Covid-19, our away contest transportation protocols for the CHS Athletic Department will be adjusted starting next week.

Beginning on Monday, May 10th, bus capacity for away trips will be back to two student athletes per seat. The previous protocol was one per seat but the new protocols now match state requirements. 

It is important to note the following items related to this shift:

• Most of our trips will have buses roughly 70% full. 
• If parents/guardians are more comfortable having their child drive themselves or driving their own child to an away contest, they are able to do so. This must be communicated to coach the day BEFORE the contest. 
• Under NO circumstance may students carpool/ride-share to an away event. 
• All passengers must wear masks the entire bus trip. 
• Windows will be down on buses (unless poor weather prevents this) to ensure proper air circulation.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to the athletic office- 

781-821-5050x6

ericksond@cantonma.org

Spring Season Contests start today!

Today, Thursday, May 6th marks the beginning of our spring 2021 athletic competitions. It has been nearly two years since these teams took the field, court and track to represent our school and town. We are so proud of them as they get back out there. 

Click Here for a reminder of our Spring Spectator Policy and be sure to wish our spring student athletes well!

Go Dogs!

Thursday's Action (5/6/2021)- 

HOME-

Varsity Baseball at CHS's Gibson Field vs. Attleboro at 3:45pm

Varsity Girls Tennis at CHS's Tennis Courts vs. Attleboro at 3:45pm 

AWAY-

Varsity Boys Tennis at Attleboro Tennis Courts at 3:45pm 

Varsity Girls Lacrosse at Attleboro High Stadium at 3:45pm 

Varsity Boys Lacrosse at Attleboro High Stadium at 5:30pm 

Varsity Softball at Attleboro Softball Field at 3:45pm 

Boys and Girls Track and Field at Foxboro High School at 3:45pm 

Friday's Action (5/7/2021)

Girls Varsity Lacrosse at King Philip at 3:45pm 

Freshmen Softball vs. Plymouth North at CHS's Fallon Field at 3:45pm 

Varsity Wrestling vs. King Philip at CHS Masciarelli Gym at 5:30pm 

Spectator Expectations for CHS Spring Sports Season

We are fired up to get our spring sports teams in action this week as all teams will play their first contests by Friday. 

We are also excited to be able to host spectators at our events.  Below is a simple guide to our protocols for spring sports spectators:

Indoor Sports (Wrestling, Cheer)- We will follow the same protocols from Fall 2 season. 

• Immediate family members of home participating student athletes may attend. Two immediate family members of visiting participating student athletes may attend. 
• Must wear a mask at all times regardless of your vaccination status. 
• Must remain socially distanced from other family groups. 

Outdoor Sports (Track&Field, Tennis, Softball, Baseball and Lacrosse)- 

• We expect that only family members of our participating student athletes will attend our outdoor spring events.  We cannot have packed stands so please only attend our contests if you are a family member. 
• Must wear a mask at all times regardless of your vaccination status.
• Must remain socially distanced from other family groups. 

Reminder to all fans- if you are not feeling well, please stay home!

According to EEA guidelines, Canton High School must have Covid-19 protocol compliance personnel around campus during events. Please cooperate with these folks as they ask spectators to meet all expectations. It's not fun to be the mask/social distancing police!

Thank you and go Dogs!

Rising Freshman Athletic Assessment opportunity

Canton High School Strength and Conditioning and Athletic Training will host the first ever Rising Freshman Athletic Assessment for all incoming freshman student athletes.  The RFAA will take place over the course of 1 week for female and 1 week for male athletes who will be attending Canton High School starting in the fall of 2021.  

To kick off the RFAA we hosted a parent and student-athlete zoom meeting to lay out more specifics and details about this event. The live session was recorded as a webinar for families to watch in the event they can’t make the live session. 

Click Here to view the 30 minute webinar

This is an extremely exciting moment that we are thrilled to have the chance to offer for all of our incoming freshman athletes to help assess them and set them up for a very healthy and successful athletic career here at Canton High School.  Please register for the live event at the link below.  If you can’t attend the live event a webinar link will be sent following the live session.