Volleyball team spikes its way into playoffs

Other teams fall short
Oct 31, 2023

Wareham's High School volleyball team enters the post season strong, having made playoffs with a 15-5 record. 

While the school's other teams fell short of receiving a playoffs berth, the season had some highlights for them as well, including a near playoffs miss for the Wareham Football Team. 

The volleyball team has a core of five seniors with years of experience in the game. 

The team comes into the playoffs ranked 22 out of 83 teams in Division 5. It plays 61-ranked Boston Collegiate Charter School in the first round, with a home game on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.

Head Coach Allyson Collette said the team has so far faced other, more evenly matched teams this year, as it is now included in the Mayflower Conference. However, she added, "Looking forward to the tournament, we might see some stronger teams and we might be a little more shell shocked when we get to those."

The Wareham football team missed playoffs by a hair. Its 5-3 record earned it a ranking of 18, just outside the 16 team playoff bracket. 

The team was largely a new one coming into this season, with only 13 players left after last year's seniors graduated. 

Head Coach Brandon Perry said he and his coaching staff put a lot of work into recruitment and ended up with a solid, hard-working core of students. 

Following a loss in the Homecoming football game, Perry said, "There hasn't been really much energy around this program for the last six to 10 years. So to even have some energy around Homecoming, whether it's a win or a loss, I think is great for the community, for the kids and for the team."

Wareham's field hockey and soccer teams ended their seasons further from a playoffs spot. 

The field hockey team ended the season 48th in Division 4, with a 2-9-4 scoreline. The girls soccer team ended the season 63rd in Division 5, with a 0-15-0 scoreline. The boys soccer team ended the season 64th in Division 5, with a 1-11-3 scoreline. 

The teams all had very young players coming into the season, says Athletic Director Edward  Rodrigues. 

The girls soccer team had only five returning athletes. Coach Megan Kashner said the focus of the season was on the fundamentals of soccer. 

The girls were learning this season to "play to each other's strengths and support each other in situations where people might not have experience,” Kashner said. 

The field hockey team as well had several graduating seniors leave, and faced change ups in coaching staff and the incorporation of new members.