Boys' Soccer Coach Reflects on Historic Season

By Kevin Agostinelli, staff reporter

The Sturgis East boys soccer team recently completed its historic season, finishing with an 11-4-1 record including the playoff loss to Seekonk, and longtime head coach Brian Hastings certainly played a major part in the success of the squad. Coach Hastings, a retired Sturgis teacher who also coaches the girls’ tennis team in the spring, took the time to speak with the Stormwatch about his experiences and perspectives on the soccer season.
    When asked the popular question of whether this was the best year in Sturgis boys’ soccer history, Coach Hastings made sure to acknowledge the success of all Sturgis soccer seasons.
    “Every team has been challenged yet able to be 'first' at some milestone in our program. This year's team had the best record by far, was the first team to shutout and not to lose to Nantucket, and had the highest seed ever in the State Tournament. From that aspect, yes, this team accomplished the most; but I wouldn't want to slight the other years for what they accomplished too.  I am proud of all of them and I always will be.”
    Despite the best efforts of the Storm in the state tournament, they lost 2-1 to Seekonk at home to put a sad ending onto what was otherwise a fantastic year. Coach reflected on this disappointing loss, “Just by the nature of sports, you don't win all the time…In our game with Seekonk, I don't think we played our best but we did try as hard as we ever have.  I think we were nervous and made some mistakes. That's life!”
    Arguably the greatest addition to this year’s soccer season was the East-West rivalry that now has enough drama, controversy, and passionate fans to last for many years. Coach Hastings gave several words of wisdom while discussing this rivalry:
    “Rivalry and competition are not bad things as long as we never lose sight of the fact that all of athletics is just a game…Sometimes I think we have to work harder, when the opponent is our sister school, at playing hard but leaving the game on the field.  Fans sometimes don't understand that.  Having said all this --- GO EAST!”
    Furthermore, Coach Hastings could not have been more proud of the senior class this year, especially senior captains Chris Dennison, Chris Dedecko, Ben Duncan, and Kyle Garvey: “I always count on all of the seniors to set an example for the rest of the players…the captains this year were very influential in keeping our team on track to the successes that we achieved.”
    The boys’ soccer team will definitely be a new-look team next year, with six starters and nine overall varsity players being seniors. State tournament qualification hopes aside, Coach Hastings gave a simple answer to his expectations for next year’s squad:
    “Each team builds its own attitude and character.  My expectations are always the same:  To help to develop a group of young men to maximize their potential and see where that takes us all.”

Turkey Basket Collection a Success

By Meghan Agostinelli and Alicia Pollard, staff reporters

Jack Goldstein and Kit Freddura preparing the turkey baskets in Dr. Albis' room.

On November 16, Sturgis advisories finished their turkey basket collection for the 2012 holiday season. At Sturgis twenty-one baskets were collected for the program, which donates items for Thanksgiving meals to local needy families.

Sturgis's efforts were spearheaded for the second time by Latin teacher Dr. Albis. He said, "This was definitely a success. This year, it was different in that we had to deliver the baskets."

Jack Goldstein, Kit Fredeura, James Peterson, and Bella Springer helped Dr. Albis deliver the baskets to the Hyannis Harbor Hotel where the Community Action Committee of Cape Cod and the Islands picked them up to distribute them. Fredeura, a junior, remarked that he could tell "the people were especially grateful." 

Jack Goldstein, Kit Freddura, Bella Springer, and James Peterson with a pickup full of turkey baskets

Peterson, also a junior, said: "There was more than I thought there would be. It was good to know that there would be a lot of baskets going to families who needed it."

Dr. Albis.

Leadership Key to Successful Girls' Soccer Season

Sara Sweeten

Hayara Cardosa

By Jacob Tobey, staff reporter

“Rebuilding” was a term that was going to be used a lot around the Girls Varsity Team this past season, but instead they quickly turned a “rebuilding” season into a season of excitement and surprise.  If you were the coach of a team that lost eight starters, nine seniors overall that previous year, wouldn’t you be thinking, “Rebuilding?”  That’s just what coach Steve Austin was thinking as he entered the 2012 campaign.  But he was way off and that’s what you’ve got to love about sports: There are tons of things that will surprise you and make you think, “Wow.”  The Storm had seven Cape and Island League All Stars on the team: Hayara Cardoso, Dorothy Paul, Maggie Paul, Lindsey Allin, Brittany Gayton and Kaleigh Fallon.

With nine seniors leaving after the 2011 season, the seniors of 2012 had to step up big in the leadership department, especially the two captains Hayara Cardoso and Sara Sweeten. Starting forward Cardoso had an excellent year in which she scored 11 goals.  She was a leader on and off the field.  Every game Cardoso tried to keep the team’s heads in the game and tried to pump them up by giving pep talks during the pregame and halftime.  She was a very good captain and also one of the more skilled players on the field.  Her other captain, Sweeten was a leader by example as well.  “As seniors and captains, we knew that as the leaders of the team, it was most important to lead by example. We wanted the new players to feel welcome and involved.”  Brittany Gayton was the leading scorer on the team with 13 goals this season.  Gayton and Cardoso were feared by other teams as they were a talented forward combo.  Sweeten, who led by example, had a very good season playing the field.  She was a midfielder and helped distribute the ball to the forwards and also got back on defense and stood her ground. Having two really good captains on this team really helped the young players grow and mature, and Cardoso and Sweeten helped make each and every player better.  The two captains wanted the team to bond together.  “We had a movie.  But most importantly, we built our relationships on the field in games and at practice,” said Sweeten.  She was rewarded with her work on the field with the MVP award.   

        The team started off the season a little slow with a couple blowout losses to Pope John Paul II and Nantucket.  In their first 5 games, they started out 1-3-1.  That’s not what they planned on doing.  This record woke them up and this is when they started playing better.   They Storm in another stretch of the season went 2-2-2.  Playing much better on offense and defense, the Storm knew that their hopes for making the tournament could be filed.  They then found themselves in the State Tournament and ready to make a solid playoff run.  They played Cape Cod Academy at home and they lost 1-0.  Coach Austin had some thoughts on the game, “Against Cape Cod Academy we had early chances to score a goal. Their keeper had a great game and we missed several good chances. They defended our forwards well and we probably should have dropped more balls back to the midfielders for shots from farther out.” CCA scored with only about eight minutes left in the game and the Sturgis could not make a comeback.

Hayara Cardoso commented on the chemistry of the team throughout the season, “Our chemistry became stronger throughout the season. We got better at communicating on and off the field and working collaboratively with each other. The chemistry between the central mids (kaleigh and Sara) and the forwards (Brittany and me) were really strong and beneficial.”  Both Captains gave an A- for their season grades of the team/season.  The Storm really played every game with an attitude that they could win every time.  Both captains are seniors and were starters on this team.  There are big shoes to fill for whoever steps up into those positions.  “My hope is that we will once again have a good chance to qualify for the tournament and this time win at least one game,” says Coach Austin.  With the talent the Storm still has this should be a realistic goal for the girls.

        There will be a change in leadership next season.  Brittany Gayton and Kaleigh Fallon will be the new captains.  The Sportsmanship award went to Lindsey Allin who showed how to be a very humble player who had very good sportsmanship toward opposing players and the referees.  The Most Improved Player award went to Dorrie Paul.  She really worked on her skills throughout the season and you could see the effects of that hard work.  The Coaches Award went to the captains of 2013: Brittany Gayton and Kaleigh Fallon.  As I said before this season was full of surprises and will never be forgotten by the 2012 Sturgis Storm Girls Varsity soccer team.