Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/watertown-sports/page/47/)
The Raiders soccer squads take the field in early September for the beginning of the 2018 season. See the boys and girls varsity schedules below. Last season, Watertown High School’s boys team won the North Section title and made it to the MIAA state semifinal. Meanwhile, the girls hope to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2015. The girls will be the first to play at Victory Field, on Sept.
The Watertown High School field hockey team’s unbeaten streak ended last season, but the Raiders kept their run of state titles alive, winning their ninth straight in 2017. The quest for 10 titles in a row begins next week with a scrimmage, and Watertown opens the regular season on Sept. 6 at Reading. The first home game for Coach Eileen Donahue’s team will be against Stoneham on Sept. 14. The Raiders lost two All-Scholastic players, Jonna Kennedy, the goalie for the past three years, and Sydney Poulin.
The New England Patriots are not the only team in the area playing preseason games. The Watertown Raiders will hold its first scrimmage of the year on Saturday at Victory Field.
Watertown High School made the deepest run in the playoffs so far in 2017, winning the North Section for the first time and making it all the way to the state semifinals. Coach John Cacace’s team also defeated Belmont on Thanksgiving. The Raiders will play three scrimmages before traveling to face Arlington Catholic in the regular season opener on Sept. 6.
Framingham State named Watertown native and FSU alum Sean Callahan its new head baseball coach.
Callahan moves to Framingham after three years working as an assistant coach, most recently at Stonehill College. He also worked as the hitting and catching coach at UMass-Boston. “We are thrilled to welcome Sean back to Framingham State to lead the baseball program,” said Framingham State Athletic Director Tom Kelley in the announcement. “Sean brings a wealth of baseball knowledge and as a former Ram, he is familiar with the University, the baseball program, and the league. We are looking forward to Sean guiding the program into a new era.”
After 11 years, Michael Lahiff will be stepping down as Athletic Director at Watertown High School at the end of June. During that time, he helped bring WHS back into a championship winning program, with athletes who are both competitive and show good sportsmanship, and with many teams lead by teacher-coaches. Lahiff retires after 39 years in education in Stoneham, Somerville and Watertown. He spent the last 24 years as athletic director, first in Stoneham and then at WHS. “I was on the other end of the world for most of the rest of my career, Somerville and Stoneham twice,” Lahiff said.
Watertown High School senior John Korte collected another accolade on Sunday when he was named the North Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association. The MBCA players of the year are named in each section (North, South, Central and West) for both boys and girls. The honorees are selected from players from all divisions. Watertown competes in MIAA’s Div. 3.
Two Watertown High School teams took the diamond Friday in first game of the MIAA State Tournament game, one at home and one on the road. Baseball
The Raiders came up against Newburyport’s tough left-handed pitcher Casey McLaren, who blanked 17th seeded Watertown, 3-0, in Friday’s Div. 3 North preliminary round game. Watertown senior right fielder Wenston Rodriguez got the team’s lone hit. The Raiders also got a walk.
Watertown High School’s athletic successes continued into the spring season, with four teams earning spots in the state tournament.
Softball
The Raiders’ softball squad will host a home game in the MIAA Div. 3 North Tournament. Coming in with a record of 12-8, Watertown earned the 12th seed and will host Winthrop at Hosmer Field in a preliminary round game on Friday at 4 p.m.
The team enters the tourney on a hot streak. After tough first half of the year, the Raiders won 9 of their last 11. The winner of Friday’s game will take on No.