Let's dive into some takeaways, both from Thursday night and catching up on some coaching awards.
Max Finney waited more than eight months to score his 1,000th point. The Old Colony senior captain spent all offseason sitting one bucket shy of the milestone, then made quick work of it in an 86-35 season-opening home win over Tri-County. Finney finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds with the program's only other 1,000-point scorer, Jake Jason ('19), in attendance.
Dover-Sherborn/Weston and Hanover played one of the longest back-to-backs you'll ever see. They played in the final game of the 2023-24 campaign, with D-S/Weston capturing its first state championship with a 5-1 win in the Division 4 title game. On Thursday, they opened the 2024-25 season by meeting in the first round of the Jim Gormley Cup at Gallo Arena in Bourne, and it lived up to its billing. After tying, 3-3 in regulation -- it will go down as a tie for tournament purposes -- Hanover's Connor Hines scored in double-overtime to lift the Hawks into the final against Norwell, which won 2-1 over Sandwich in the other semifinal.
Let's rip through a few more highlights from Thursday: Framingham 157-pound wrestler Dan Sullivan collected his 100th win by beating Weymouth's Mike Brooks ... Bridgewater-Raynham girls' basketball won its seventh straight season opener, 45-16, over Rockland ... First-year Archbishop Williams girls' basketball coach Sarah Behn, a former Foxborough and Boston College standout and Brown University coach, got her first win with the program, 48-21, over Cohasset ... After going 0-20 last season, Cambridge girls' hockey opened with a 5-4 overtime win over Stoughton ... Medford boys swimming defeated Malden for the first time in more than 15 years ... North Andover softball player Jessica Voutour committed to play at Emmanuel.
St. Mary's will honor its longtime athletic director Jeff Newhall by naming the basketball court in Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium after him in between girls' and boys' games at the Mosakowski Tipoff Classic on Friday against Andover. The girls' game tips at 5:15 p.m., followed by the boys' at 7 p.m. Newhall, class of 1994, has served as the school's girls' basketball coach since 2005 and its athletic director since 2007. Newhall has led St. Mary's to five state championships, five North sectional titles and has compiled a 394-149 career record. Fifteen of his former players have earned full scholarships to Division 1 or 2 schools. The school has won 23 state championships in his tenure as AD. He also coached the Spartans' golf team to a state title in 2006, and is the assistant director of the Agganis All-Star Games.
The night before the winter season kicked off, the MIAA held its annual awards banquet in Milford and honored its 2023-24 coaches of the year:
The NFHS Northeast Sectional coaches of the year were also honored: Foxborough's Lisa Downs (girls' basketball), Quaboag's John O'Neill (field hockey), Old Colony's Brandon Mendez (football), Waltham's John Maguire (boys' ice hockey), Shrewsbury's Matt Wheeler (boys' soccer), Mansfield's Kevin Smith (girls' soccer), Central Catholic's Stacy Ciccolo (softball), Lincoln-Sudbury's Julie Nocka (girls' swimming and diving), Plymouth South's Scott Johnson (boys' tennis), Milford's Peter Boccia (wrestling).
Norwell athletic director Scott Paine received the John E. Young Distinguished Service award. West Springfield athletic director Glenn Doulette, former Silver Lake athletic director Martha Jamieson, and Mary Lou Thimas were honored with Distinguished Service awards.
On Tuesday, Needham football coach Doug Kopsco was named New England Patriots Coach of the Year after leading the Rockets to a 12-1 season and their first berth in the Division 1 championship game in 13 years. Kopsco, a 1999 graduate and former linebacker for the Rockets, took over the program seven years ago. He led a group headlined by 2024 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year Aidan Williams, a running back and linebacker who is committed to Lehigh. The Rockets' offense line was led by Holy Cross-bound Charlie Simeone and Will McDonald, who is headed to play at Army, was the spearhead of a defense that allowed just 7.5 points per game in the regular season.
"As someone who's always appreciated great defense, this Needham team embodies everything we love about the game," said Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett. "They play with heart, resilience, and a mindset that no moment this season has been too big for them. Under Coach Kopcso's leadership, this team has truly risen to greatness. Congratulations on an incredible season, and it's my honor to present the Patriots Coach of the Year award to Coach Kopcso and the Needham Rockets football team."
The Patriots presented a $2,000 donation to the Needham football program on behalf of the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.