By Maile Biehl
The 2021-2022 girls varsity basketball season is quickly coming to an end.  Just like every season, the last home game will be the host of Senior Night.  Senior night is an event that takes place prior to the game that celebrates the seniors on the team.  Friends, family and teammates gather to support their seniors before their last home game.  This year's girls varsity basketball senior night will take place on February 15 at 6 pm.  The team will be playing Cohasset High School.

After their coach left the job in the fall, the team was unsure of where this season was going to go.  The athletic department hired Jasmyn Silva to be their girls varsity coach.  To the team, she is known as Coach Jazz.  She has led the team in a remarkable season, standing strong with a record of nine wins and two losses.

This year, Mashpee will be celebrating seniors Ellie Mitchell, Cheyenne Hendricks and Skyla Rimple.

​By Ava DeSimone
For the Mashpee boys varsity basketball team, much has changed since the start of their season. They were 3-1 going into the holiday break. However, there was a COVID outbreak on the team coming off of the vacation, which negatively impacted the Falcons and since then they have struggled to get back on their feet. 

The COVID pause led to much more challenging competition, and their losses had a lot to do with their stamina, according to Coach Justin Clark. Even after a few weeks of recovery, the team is experiencing frustrations and are not where they were in the beginning of the season. 

It’s never easy getting back into something after some time off and even having to adjust due to player injuries and COVID. Junior forward Braden Fraser shared with the Falconer that, “The most challenging part has been team chemistry. Since we were hit with COVID we’ve had different injuries and different players in different roles so we haven’t really been able to find consistency."

Their current record is 5-8, and they are aiming for more success throughout the duration of this 2022 season.

Interview by Brody James
The Falconer: To start our interview off I’d like if you tell the readers about yourself and the role you see yourself playing as a part of the Mashpee baseball team.
Colton Colleran: Hey… I’m Colton Colleran, I have been playing baseball ever since I’ve known how to walk. Baseball is my life. I’m now going into my junior year of baseball which will be huge for my college recruiting process. My role for the Mashpee team will most definitely have to be a big one since I have the most varsity experience of anyone. I will have to be a leader and help my teammates to get better each and everyday.

By Ava DeSimone
The Mashpee Falcons Girls Varsity Lacrosse team defeated Middleboro High School 17-6 at home last Tuesday in a big first round South Shore League playoff win.

The Lady Falcons went on to lose an away game to Norwell High School on Thursday, ending their South Shore League tournament run in the semi-finals. 

The team’s season will continue with the MIAA tournament at home on Friday at 5:45, when the #6 seed Lady Falcons will host Cardinal Spellman.

Their first SSL tournament game, however, was high stakes for Mashpee girls lacrosse. Winning the game meant they were going to move on in the tournament, which is always an exciting achievement. Many Mashpee High School students filled the bleachers and were eager to watch the Falcons dominate their game against Middleboro. 

“We saw what we were doing wrong, we fixed it, and then we came out the better team,” Mashpee coach Todd Franks said in an interview after the game.

By Ben Kennedy
As the temperatures start to drop, a favorite high school sports season approaches: basketball season. For the Mashpee High School Boys Varsity team, most eyes are on the senior leadership that the team possesses, as well as the methodical yet exciting style of basketball they play.

The Falcons have talent all over the court, but fans should make sure they look out for Ryan Hendricks and Matt Bowen to lead the pack and put in a bid for South Shore League All Star positions.

Interview and text by Ben Kennedy
One thousand points.  The most valued individual benchmark of a high school basketball player.  Senior captain Ashley Keleher of the Mashpee girl’s basketball team just recently joined the elite club, as she joins Mashpee alumni Devaun Ford and Joey Lopes as the only people who have reached this impressive milestone here at MMHS.

Keleher, a five year member of the team, broke into four-digit points on January 28th in a loss to Middleboro, continues to score for the Falcons as they try to make a late push for playoff birth.  We sat down with her and asked a few questions about her milestone and her journey to get where she is today.

The Falconer: What was your first thought when you saw the ball swish through the net?
AK: I was fouled while taking a 3-point shot, and knowing that I was only two points away from 1,000, and I rarely miss my foul shots, I knew I was going to score it when I stepped up to the line. I made my first shot, then I missed the second shot, but I like to say I missed that second shot on purpose. When I made my third foul shot, I was overcome with joy and relief that I finally reached the milestone after five long years.

By Conor Baron
Positivity and practice. That’s what Coach Clark says are the most important things for the Mashpee High School boys varsity basketball team this year. 

In an interview last week, Coach Clark emphasized the importance of both keeping confidence through ups and downs, as well as working on their mental and physical condition in order to be the best team they can be and achieve the goal of qualifying and winning the South Shore League Tournament.

Coach Clark explained the importance of confidence, “Well yeah, sometimes there’s some lack of confidence. It's important to have it because when kids don’t have it, they second guess every move the make. And that doesn’t just affect the player, it affects the team and that is hard to get past.”

By Ben Kennedy
Winter sports seasons are quickly approaching, with many tryouts and practices already starting to take place after the conclusion of a successful fall season for the Falcons.  One of the sports that has caught the eye of many this year as a potential competitor is the boys and girls winter track teams. Some of the Falcons major competitors have been moved to a new division, where their meets will be occurring at Wheaton College, while Mashpee will remain at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.

These competitors include the likes of the Sandwich Blue Knights, the Falmouth Clippers, and the Marshfield Rams, who all yield extremely competitive track teams.  The size of both of these schools greatly outnumbers the size of Mashpee. All of these teams among others that are being moved to Wheaton College typically have 75 or more athletes running for them, where Mashpee usually strives for around 50.

By Noah Tellez
Xavier Gonsalves certainly exploded onto a multitude of college football coach radars in his time here at Mashpee High School. The senior defensive and offensive end has blown up numerous plays for the Falcons and made countless important catches. All of Xavier’s hard work has continued to pay off, with a new door officially opening yesterday.

By Adam Henschel
After starting 10-2 on the season and qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since 2012, the Mashpee Girls Varsity Basketball team appeared to be unstoppable. However, this initial success was followed by tough losses to the likes of East Bridgewater, Rockland, Middleborough, and Norwell.

Slipping to 10-6 and losing their top spot in the tournament seeding, the Lady Falcons were in desperately need of a momentum swing. Monday's senior night game provided just that against a Dennis-Yarmouth squad who Mashpee had routed earlier in the season. They were able to secure a hard-fought 45-40 victory over a much improved D-Y team, gaining a boost of confidence as they near the state tournament.

However, the night was not merely about winning. Seniors Cassie Baker, Sarah McNamara, Bailey Hutchenrider, and Alexis Wenzel were all being honored for senior night before the game, as their final season in Mashpee blue comes to an end.