Class of 2021 Recognized for Athletic Achievement

The CHS Athletic Department recognizes annually, the many athletic achievements of our graduating seniors. This year is no exception. At last night's Senior Gala, we disclosed the names of all of the members of the class of 2021 who earned a varsity letter during their four years here as well as those who received individual honors. 

The link below brings you to a slide show that we used at the Gala. Please check out carefully the students who earned varsity letters, All-Hockomock, State Championships, captaincies and some amazing individual honors.   We also highlight those graduating seniors who will be playing a sport in college next year and also our student athletes who are moving on to serve in our Armed Forces. 

The slides are set for 30 second transitions so it takes 13 minutes for the entire deck to cycle through, but  you can also navigate through on your own quicker. Either way works!

Congratulations to all of our Seniors!

CLICK HERE to see the Slide Show. 

The Face of the CHS Athletic Office Retiring

After a nearly twenty years of running all of the comings and goings of the CHS Athletic Office, Denise Duffett is retiring at the end of the week.  It has been an amazing career that has seen Mrs. Duffett contribute to so many of our CHS student athletes' experiences.  

Denise Duffett

Most of Mrs. Duffett's contributions have been behind the scenes- just the way she likes it.  She has been the gatekeeper of student rosters, user fees, officials management, buses and so many other essential pieces of the athletic office. She has also prided herself on her meticulous tracking of student athlete varsity letter acquisition and archiving. Thanks to her hard work, we have exceptional record keeping of all varsity letter winners over the past two decades. She has always been committed to and so proud of rewarding graduating seniors each year at the annual senior banquet (on hiatus since 2019).  Her most important contribution- by a mile- has been the positive environment she set for student athletes, coaches and anyone else who has visited our office. She has been greeting everyone with a smile and lots of cheer for twenty years!

Mrs. Duffett started her journey in the Athletic Office under former Athletic Director John Piemontese.  After just one year under Piemontese, she had to train her next AD- Danny Erickson.  She has been (trying) to make Mr. Erickson look good ever since!   A long time resident of Canton, she and her husband John raised two daughters here- Emily and Ashley.  Both are graduates of CHS.  John and Denise are heading to the Cape to enjoy their retirement together there.  Canton will miss them!

A Personal Note-  The Athletic Office will not be the same without Denise.  She has been the perfect partner.  Any Athletic Director would have been lucky to have had someone of her care, work-ethic and commitment. Most importantly- it has been so much FUN working together. The laughs and memories will last a lifetime. Thank you Denise! You are the best!

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