Peter's Winter Sports

It’s hard to believe that the spring high school season will begin on March 19th. That is 12 days away if you care to count. But, before we get into the 2012 spring season, how about some reflection on the exciting local winter high school season? South County’s top player goes to Bartlett’s Nick Kobel who scored 427 points this season and his 1,000th point this season for the Indians and ended his illustrious basketball career with an amazing performance against St.Bernard’s in an opening round district game in Webster last week. Kobel and his Indians were down by 19 as they headed into the final period when lightning struck Lake Parkway. Kobel and his teammates threw the kitchen sink at St. Bernard’s and cut the lead to one point before they ran out of gas and eventually lost the game. Kobel had 5 three pointers in the comeback and 25 points in the final period to finish with a game high of 39 points. Kobel was the ultimate Indian over his career and deserves any accolades that go his way. The kid over-achieves no matter what the sport or situation is put in front of him. Bartlett finished at a very respectable 13-10 this season with a Clark Tournament semi final appearance and a host game in the districts. The Indians’ biggest win was over Division 1 Shepherd Hill.

On the girls’ side of sports, how about Shepherd Hill’s Meghan Fornaro’s 42 point performance against North Middlesex last Saturday night at Shepherd Hill in a quarter final game in Division one girls’ action. Talk about unstoppable. Fornaro and the Lady Rams head over to Clark University tomorrow night for a semi final match up against undefeated Holy Name. The Naps are 2-0 this year against Shepherd Hill, but beating a team 3 times in one season is tough to do. I like the Lady Rams to knock off Holy Name. The Lady Rams are the last local team standing and their tradition over the last 25 years has earned them bragging rights as the most consistent program in the area. That includes all sports, both boys and girls, on all levels, and all seasons. You can label the program as legendary because of the success it provides year in and year out. They know how to win once they are beyond the northern line of Route 20.

Finally, back to the boys’ side. The Oxford Pirates did it again. For the second straight season, Oxford advanced to a quarter final game. No other local boys’ team can claim this achievement. Bay Path advanced past the opening round, but did not get to the quarter final game. This year Oxford met up with Quabbin who won this year’s large school Clark Tournament. Quabbin proved to be too much for Oxford in the quarter final game in Barre. The Pirates beat arch rival Auburn in the opening round in overtime in a thriller. The Pirates were the best defensive team in the area and relied on the defense to slow teams down. March madness is approaching fast. Good Luck on your brackets.