Piazza and Ramanathan honored by The Hock

Bharat Ramanathan and Alexi Piazza-
CHS's Hockomock Scholar Athletes- 2026

Thursday night saw the Hockomock League hold one of its most cherished, special events of the year when it hosted the Hockomock League Scholar Athlete banquet. 

Each year for more than 30 years, the Hockomock comes together in May to honor two student athletes from each of the 12 Hock schools.  Two graduating student athletes from each school are selected for excelling in both the classroom and on the playing field. It is really the award that best exemplifies and honors those who embrace the mission of educational athletics. 

It is extremely difficult to select recipients given that so many Bulldogs prioritize the "student" part of being a student athlete.  Canton's two award winners this year were Bharat Ramanathan and Alexi Piazza  Both Ramanathan and Piazza have earned amazingly high GPA's during their four years at CHS, while also contributing greatly to the many teams they have been a part of.  

Bharat Ramanathan has been a force on the CHS Boys Tennis team since he walked onto the Bulldog court 4 years ago. Following in his older brother Suraj's footsteps, Bharat made a major impact right away on the tennis team. He has been a Hockomock All-Star and a strong league 1st singles player. He has also contributed greatly to the Boys Cross Country team's continued growth. All of this while earning phenomenal grades in every one of his classes. 

Alexi Piazza has played a major role in the resurgence of both the Girls Cross Country team and the Girls Track and Field teams. Piazza is a major point-getter for the Girls Track team that has clinched at least a share of the Hockomock Davenport title this year. She is also a top runner on the championship Girls Cross Country team. She, like Ramanathan, has done all of this while performing like an MVP in the classroom as well. 

The CHS Athletic Department proudly wishes both of these soon-to-be graduates, the best of luck in the next chapters of their lives. 

The twenty-four Hockomock League Scholar Athletes from our League's 12 schools

Thank you Coach Shuman

Coach Shuman on the bench at
the Boston Garden- a familiar
spot for him over the years 

Last week, CHS Head Boys Varsity Hockey Coach Brian Shuman announced his retirement from his position here as a Bulldog. It is impossible to overstate the impact that he has made here over his more than two decade career. 

I will highlight Coach Shuman’s amazing career numbers and highlights further down this page, but to start with his statistical successes would distract from his real successes over the past 21 years at CHS. 

I recently was listening to a podcast where the Athletic Director at Middlebury College in Vermont was the guest. The interview made a major impact on me. He shared that the stated goal of Middlebury College Athletics is to “make the world a better place.” He goes on to explain that they strive to make that happen by “developing our student athletes to be the best individuals and team members they can be so they will go out in the world and make the world a better place.”

Hearing that immediately made me think of Coach Shuman. It is impossible for me to come up with someone who has made a greater impact on so many here at CHS over the past 21 years.  Coach Shuman sits atop a long list of transformational coaches I have worked with over the years. Through his coaching, he truly has “made the world a better place.”  

Observing and speaking with Coach Shuman over the years, it is clear to me that the following values/concepts are just some of the many that he demands, fosters and models:

• Teamwork

• Grit

• Hard work

• Gratitude

• Humility

• Perseverance

• Bravery

• Selflessness

• Pride

• Love

• Compassion

• Accountability

• Respect

As a result, hundreds of his alumni are making the world a better place by being amazing dads, coaches, friends, co-workers, husbands, role models, and just great people. He has made a huge positive difference in the lives of so many young men….and thus….in our world. 

Coach Shuman with his son and 
captain Teddy

As I transition into a list of his unparalleled successes on the bulldog bench over the years, I would be remiss if I did not state that Coach Shuman did “start at 2nd base” when he took over the Bulldog Boys Hockey program early this century.  Canton Hockey had been well established in this town since the middle of the 1900s. We had had many, many championship seasons prior to the arrival of Coach Shuman.  Our Youth Hockey program has been a bellwether for other communities to model. Our CHS Boys Hockey alumni from the 1900s will remind us all that we have always been a dominant program.  And they would be correct. However, Coach Shuman created something in the CHS Boys Hockey program that redefined what a successful, championship program really looks like.

Our run of success over the past 15 years is unlike anything the program had seen in the past. The team this year played a level of hockey rarely seen in any high school team…period. 

In no way am I diminishing those that helped make CHS Boys Hockey a powerhouse in the past. To the contrary, I would assume that all of those great players and teams are beyond proud of the foundation they built and the legacy that they have seen develop. The success of the Bulldog Boys Hockey team under Coach Shuman is something that our entire Canton community, and more specifically, our hockey alumni community, should be enormously proud of. 

Finally, with one of Coach Shuman’s own important values in mind- gratitude- I want to thank Coach Shuman for everything.  For being a great role model for his student athletes and his fellow coaches. For dedicating so much of his time, love and care to our boys. For setting a very high bar of excellence for all CHS coaches to continue to strive towards. And for making the world a better place. 

Coach Shuman by the Numbers- 

Coach Shuman (yes, that's him!) with his 2010 State Champions

• Career Record- 371-72-38

• Winningest coach in Canton High School history (all sports!)

• 5 MIAA State Championships

• 19 Hockomock League Titles

• USA Today’s NATIONAL High School Hockey Coach of the Year in 2019

• 3-time Boston Globe Coach of the Year

• Averaged 18 wins per season….with a typical regular season schedule of 21 games

• More than a dozen Sportsmanship Awards

• 2026 inductee to the Massachusetts Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame

Upcoming Fall Sports Info Meetings

Typically in May and June, many of our fall sports programs host informational meetings for students who are interested in participating.  As those meetings get added, I will share them through this blog entry.

Also and FYI- Fall sports begin on Monday, August 24th. 

BOYS SOCCER- Important informational meeting for any boy interested in joining the Boys Soccer program in the fall...Wednesday, May 13th at 12:30pm in the Distance Learning Lab at CHS. NOTE- This is an early dismissal day for GMS and CHS.  Unable to attend but interested in joining the program? email coach Erickson- ericksond@cantonma.org

GOLF- Important meeting for anyone currently in grades 8-11 interested in trying out for the golf team this fall on Tuesday, June 2nd at 2:45 in the CHS Distance Learning Lab.  Any questions or can't make it? Contact Coach Barucci baruccim@cantonma.org