Worth the wait

Congratulations to Bartlett soccer coach, Ryan Renauld

By Steev Riccardo

Greeting Sports Fans!

Congratulations to Bartlett High School soccer coach Ryan Renauld who won his 100^th game as the Indians soccer team defeated Blackstone-Millville 2-0 on Saturday at Bartlett High School.

“It was shocking because I didn’t think I would be around long enough to do it,” said Renauld, “but it’s not really me that does it, it’s the guys on the field that do it.”

Renauld started coaching in 2004 and is in his ninth year as the Indians coach. “I have been fortunate enough to have good quality guys who have been willing to work hard and trust each other. They treat each other like a family and I am very proud of the fact that this program is a family.  The guys can come back. I have two guys that were on the team last year that came back to run sidelines for me, not because I asked them to, they came back because they still want to be a part of it and that means a lot to me and that is what high school sports should be.”

“To see him get his 100^th win today makes me feel very proud of him. Playing for him was a great experience, he was a great coach,” said 2012 graduate Christian McManus, who was on hand to see his former coach’s achievement.

After a slow start this season, the 6-7-2 Indians suddenly find themselves in position to get a playoff berth if they can win two of their final three games. 

“I am proud of the guys, we battled a lot of adversity at the beginning of the year. We had a lot of injuries and we were playing the beasts of SWCL. The guys stayed positive and it never weighed on them. We are better than our record and we are young so it took a lot of mental toughness and it started to come. There is a lot of young energy out there.”

The View’s Top 5 performers of the week:

1 Taylor Daniels, (above, center) Shepherd Hill Girls Soccer: There were lots of stars this past week for the Shepherd Hill Rams girls soccer team, so it’s hard to single out just one, but all you have to do is watch senior Taylor Daniels play and you will get it. She is one of the best two players in Central Mass and along with Oxford’s Emily Dawidczyk definitely one of the most physical. It’s hard not to notice her game.

2 Akeem Belnavis, Bartlett Indians Football: Akeem Belnavis rose to the occasion in a big way last Friday in the Indians’ 26-20 win over Millbury.  The senior co-captain scored four times, including an amazing 80-yard catch in the final minutes that won the green the game.

3 Shepherd Hill Football Team: Many people picked Northbridge to beat the Shepherd Hill Rams this weekend and I am not going to lie, I was one of them. The Rams proved everyone wrong and put up 42 points against a very good Northbridge team and deserve a lot of credit.

4 Kody Morio, Bartlett Soccer:  Kody Morio scored two goals in the Indians’ win over Blackstone Millville. Morio has been playing very well, as has his team, which is on a roll and making a late push for a playoff spot.

5 Ricky Spooner, Bartlett Indians Football: A lot of people have been waiting for Ricky Spooner to arrive and this past Friday night the junior quarterback did just that it a huge way, helping his team beat Millbury in an important game for the Indians.

Shepherd Hill Boys Soccer: The Shepherd Hill boy’s soccer team tied Auburn 1-1 last Thursday night.

Senior Adam Darling, who battled back from two injuries to play said, “We dominated the whole game, Matt (Beauregard) scored an awesome goal and we held the lead for the entire game and we were dominating and they scored that late goal. We are healthy now which is the most important thing and we clinched a spot in the districts”.

Photo Of The Week: Shepherd Hill field hockey girl’s battle against Auburn last week.

Game Of The Week: Bartlett at Leicester. This should be a real battle between two teams that beat on each other pretty good last year and have a lot at stake with a playoff berth looming.

Until next week, see you on the sidelines! Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any sports news and check out the new View From The Sidelines Facebook page with exclusive photos and news at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines