Peter's Spring Sports

The Indian Ranch Spring Athlete of the Week:
Bay Path's baseball player and pitcher, junior

Josh St. Laurent

Congratulations!

Josh St.Laurent, a junior, led Bay Path to the Upper Cape Cod Rotary Classic during school vacation week. Bay Path beat Upper Cape Cod Tech 7-3. St.Laurent struck out seven in the game as Bay Path improved their record to 4-1. Bay Path Coach Mark Sansoucy said the overnight trip was a great experience for the kids and the Bay Path Baseball program. "The kids responded on the field and that was great," said an elated Sansoucy. "The most beneficial aspect of the trip was the program represented Bay Path in a first class way. The Bay Path players and the Bay Path fans who attended the games conducted themselves on Cape Cod in the true spirit of what we are teaching at Bay Path. I was proud of the team and their actions off the field. The trip was a win–win for the entire Bay Path community," said Sansoucy. Bay Path received outstanding performances from junior catcher Andrew Richards, senior outfielder Anthony Casella, and freshman pitcher Tyler Simons, who beat South Shore Tech in the opening round. Bay Path sits pretty good at 4-1 and their eye is on making the post season tournament again under Sansoucy.

The area buzz this week is Al Dhembe’s induction into the Massachusetts High School Football Hall Of Fame. Dhembe, of Bay Path, will be honored on Saturday night at Lantana’s in Randolph. Dinner is at 6 p.m. followed by the induction ceremony at 7p.m. Dhembe’s loyal assistant coaches over the years are heading up to Randolph and past players and the administrators from Bay Path will be on hand as well. It will be a great night for Dhembe and Bay Path. Eastern Mass. will finally hear and see the truth about the best kept high school football secret in the Commonwealth over the past two decades.

Oxford is looking for a new football coach again. It seems the shelf life for that position cannot make it over five years. Oxford isn’t the only school whose head coaching life in football is short. The remedy and answer is not as easy as it looks. Young coaches today are looking to climb the coaching ladder fast and quick. The MIAA has been part of the problem with schools that can’t get over the hump. The MIAA dictates the schedule and schools like Oxford and Bartlett are at the mercy of the schedule. When you put in a rival like Auburn who has been breaking state records for victories, things get more depressing. It is tough to play on Thanksgiving Day without a shot at winning. Sure, Oxford has made it interesting over the years, but in the end, it is a loss that starts the long off season. The weight room can be a lonesome place in the off season when the chips are down. The Oxford kid is a tough kid and I really believe somebody can make believers out of the current Pirates.They have been to Super Bowls in the 90s with Coach Ron Springer Jr. and the late Paul "Bear" Brissette built the program in the 70s on toughness and Mike Fields followed with the same attitude. Auburn is on a long cycle of greatness right now, but eventually they will come down to some type of normality. The future for Oxford football is about a 5 year business plan and a commitment from the entire community. For what it is worth, there are fifty two 13 and 14 year olds in Oxford playing baseball this spring and there is a waiting list of a handful. Can the next football coach please meet and greet these 52-plus kids? It would be a great place to start the building process for Oxford football. I see 15 lineman and another 15 who can run down there at Greenbriar and Horgan field. This is just a thought.