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Matthew Gutschenritter | WSPN

The Wayland High School girls' swim and dive team took to the podium and senior captain Saya Higano held the championship trophy after the team won its sixth division two state championship in seven years.

The girls swim and dive team won the MIAA division two state championship at Blodgett Pool at Harvard University Sunday night.

The title was the teams’ sixth in seven years; last year they finished second to Marblehead.

The Warriors did not win any individual races, but beat second place Weston overall, 349-299.

The team was led by senior captains Hallie Cramer, Carolyn Jones, Erin Curtin, Courtney Owens and Saya Higano.

On Friday, the Warriors took on the Waltham Hawks for the DCL title. The Warriors came back from a double-digit deficit to win, 51-47.

Jake Adelman | WSPN

The Wayland-Weston rivalry is especially intense in football because before playing at the high school level, players were teammates on Pop Warner.

The exact date and motives behind the the start of the rivalry are unclear, but according to Wayland High School’s Dean of Students, Scott Parseghian, the rivalry is a result of Wayland and Weston being neighboring towns.

“It’s only right because they’re our bordering towns. They’re the kids that you run into at Papa Gino’s or somewhere else. So you know, school pride; you just want to bolster your school,” said Parseghian.

Many students agree with Parseghian, but others take a different stand on the rivalry.

“I think it just randomly happened one year after a loss,” said Andrew Bachman, a junior at Wayland High School. “Ever since that, rumors have just escalated and kids just pick fights with Weston.”

As both towns evolved over the years, some Wayland teams combined with Weston.

The crew team, which won the MPRSA Spring State Championship Regatta for six consecutive years, is a mix of both Wayland and Weston students. This is also the case for the girls hockey team.

So far, the hybrid Wayland-Weston crew team has proved to be very successful. Since 2007, the WW crew has earned 54 first place finishes, 20 second places finishes and five third place races at the Massachusetts Public School Championships.

But the crew team is not the only Wayland-Weston team doing well; this year’s girls varsity hockey team’s record currently stands at 10-6.

“We don’t ignore the rivalry at hockey, but when we say things about it we just kind of joke around,” said junior Jane Haffey, a member of the girls varsity hockey team.

While some Wayland-Weston teams have found success in their seasons, many others teams look forward to their games against Weston and continuing on with the old rivalry, a tradition that has been around for over 75 years.

In 1934, Wayland had it’s first Thanksgiving football game against Weston High School. Wayland won the first game with a score of 7-6, and the tradition for the annual Thanksgiving game was born.

This year, as Wayland fans gathered in the stands on Thanksgiving morning, they watched in awe as parachuters landed on the field, carrying the Wayland flag and the American flag. At the end of the game, Wayland had clinched another win on home turf, claiming the trophy for another year. With this year’s game, the Wayland v. Weston Turkey Day overall record favors Wayland, 45-29-3.

Wayland wrestlers also have an annual match against Weston on Christmas Eve and the swimmers have their Wayland-Weston meet during Christmas break.

But no matter for what team, for almost a century, the Wayland-Weston rivalry has continued to bring out the competitiveness in both towns whether it be against each other on Christmas Eve or together for a state championship.

The Wayland High School ski team competed in the last nordic ski race of their regular season. Unlike most races, which typically range from three to five kilometers, the last race was about one kilometer long.

Emotions were high as the Green team faced off against the Black team in the Intramural Basketball League (IBL) Championship. The Green team, led by senior captain Oliver Levin, won, 40-38, sending Black home with its first loss of the season.

(Credit: Elizabeth Karpacz/WSPN)

This past Wednesday, the Wayland Warriors lost their wrestling meet against the Waltham Hawks, 45-25.

“We’re struggling. Record wise [3-7-1], we are not doing as well as teams have done in the past,” said head wrestling coach and history teacher Sean Chase.

The meet started off with junior Kevin Skowronski at the weight class of 152. Skowronski won his match, 18-4. He earned four points for Wayland, making the score 4-0.

After Skowronski’s win, a Wayland wrestler forfeited and a Wayland wrestler lost, leaving the score at 12-4, Waltham.

Junior Kevin Kelley, who is normally in weight class 182, was bumped up to 185 for this meet. Kelley pinned the Waltham wrestler in the first round, ending the match and making the score 18-10, Waltham.

Senior John Monahan’s match ended early because the Waltham wrestler was injured. Then Waltham forfeited the next weight class making the score 22-21, Wayland.

After a few other matches, junior Jesse Goddard of weight class 126, won his match, making the score 36-25, Waltham. After this, there was one more match which Wayland lost.

The final score of the meet was 45-25, Waltham.

Senior John Monahan

“There were a couple different ways that we could have won it. I don’t think the score was reflective of how close the match really was. Kevin Skowronski at weight class 152 [wrestled well]. Kevin Kelley and John Monahan came through in their matches tonight as they always do,” said Chase.

“Tonight we were focusing on personal goals. It was meant for individual improvement,” said Kevin Skowronski.

Their next meet is Saturday, January 14th against DCL opponents Concord-Carlisle, Boston Latin, and Acton-Boxborough. The meet will take place at 10am in the Field House.

Girls' basketball Coach Brewster Cupid directs one of his players. (Credit: Martin Narciso/WSPN)

At the start of the 2011-2012 girls’ varsity basketball season, two new coaches were hoping to lead the team. Amber Wantman was chosen as head coach with Coach Brewster Cupid as the assistant.

Wantman had only been coaching the team for a week and a half when she was let go. This came as a surprise to the team.

“So am I surprised? No. Am I shocked? Not really. I am just very grateful for this opportunity,” said Cupid, who is now the head coach. “I learned a long time ago that at any given day you can be asked to step up to the plate.”

Cupid, a University of Massachusetts-Amherst graduate, has been coaching basketball and football for eight years, and found out about Wayland through the Dual County League’s reputation.

“If you are a follower of girls high school basketball, you know that the DCL is the place to coach,” said Cupid.

Cupid looks to keep Wayland’s reputation as one of the strong teams in Dual County League.

“The bar is certainly set high for us as a team to really build on the chemistry that coach Thompson has established over the last 15 years,” said Cupid. “That’s something that I’ve noticed and appreciated that coach Thompson did.”

Despite an 0-7 record, Cupid hopes to pick up where Coach Thompson left off and finish strong.

“We’re going to be stronger, we’re going to be more conditioned and we’re going to be fundamentally based,” said Cupid.

Katherine Goguen scores the game winner against Boston Latin. (Courtesy of Grace Cartwright)

It had been two seasons since the Wayland-Weston girls hockey team won a game. On Saturday, December 17, the losing streak ended in dramatic fashion. The Wayland-Weston “Warcats” were tied 0-0 against Boston Latin, in the final minute. With just 14 seconds remaining, freshman defenseman Katherine Goguen of Weston netted a goal to put the Warcats up 1-0. Fourteen seconds later the buzzer rang and the Warcats won their first game.

“Last year, we would have been happy with tying Boston Latin. This year, we wanted to win,” said senior captain Jess Greenwood.

With two seasons of misery behind them, the Wayland-Weston girls did not stop there.  They went on to beat Brookline 10-1, Newton South 7-2 and Lincoln Sudbury 1-0, to improve to 4-1 on the season.

“We want to keep up what we started. Four wins in a row is pretty good,” said Greenwood.

“It was exciting, and it felt really good since we never had it before,” said junior Jane Haffey.

The previous seasons’ losses haven’t lowered expectations. “It was tough, it was very frustrating and at times discouraging, but people kept their heads high and kept trying to play their best. This year, my expectations were to be more successful and maybe make it to the playoffs, said Haffey.”

With a huge monkey finally off their backs, the Warcat’s look to continue their success this year.

“This season is different,” said Haffey.

“We are a young team, we have a lot of new freshman and a couple eighth graders as well.  Everyone is starting to put it together,”  said Greenwood.

The girls continued their win streak on Saturday, beating Mansfield 9-0, making their record 5-1. Their next game is home against Dover-Sherborn on Wednesday, January 11.

The Wayland High School girls basketball team took on DCL Small rival Concord-Carlisle. After a hard fought battle, the warriors lost in the final seconds, 39-38.

The Wayland boys and girls swim teams competed with the Ashland Clockers in a dual meet at home on December 14th. Both the boys and girls teams came out on top.

The Warriors took on Blue Hills Regional High School for the first game of the season but lost, 3-2.

Find out what each winter team has in store this winter. (Credit: Riley Starr/WSPN)

Boys’ Swimming and Diving:

Last year the team finished fourth in the 2011 State Championship. After losing Michael Ren (three time 100m breaststroke state champion) along with other seniors, this year looks to be a year for rebuilding. There are only three seniors on the team this year.
First meet: 12/2 DCL Relay Carnival
Swimmers to watch: Doug Curtin (junior), Mark Karlson (junior) and Matt Devlin (junior)

Girls’ Swimming and Diving:

With five state championships in the past six seasons, the most successful winter team in Wayland looks to get revenge after losing the final race of the 2011 State Championship. They have established themselves as a legacy over the past ten years and hope to keep this reputation alive.
First meet: 12/2 DCL Relay Carnival
Swimmers to watch: Megan Pierce (junior) and Molly Pierce (freshmen), diver: Carolyn Jones (senior)

Boys’ Basketball:

The defending DCL Small Champions return two starters from last year’s team. (Jaleel Bell and Tyler Mordas.) After making it to the quarterfinals last year, they return six players and have their eyes on another DCL small title.
First game: 12/9 @ Bedford.
Players to watch: Tyler Mordas (senior) and Jaleel Bell (junior)

Girls’ Basketball:

It’s the beginning of a new era for the girls basketball program as new varsity coach Amber Wantman steps in. The girls will also have to cope with the loss of DCL all-star Jen Berkowitz, who left for private school. Coach Wantman brings a new style that will be tested by the tough DCL schedule.
First game: 12/9 vs. Bedford
Players to watch: Maddie Lemmo (senior) and Katie Terranova (senior)

CORRECTION (12/9/11 – 11:15am) – Amber Wantman is no longer the coach of the girls basketball team. Assistant Coach Cupid will assume head coaching duties.

Boys’ Track:

Like the girls’ basketball team the track program also has a new coach this year. Last year’s assistant and head outdoor track coach Peter Galalis is now the indoor coach as well. The boys lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, leaving room for newcomers to step up.
First meet: 12/14 vs. Boston Latin
Athlete to watch: Tommy Hoopes (senior) and Bennett Keyes (sophomore)

Girls’ Track:

The girls are under coach Galalis as well. The girls came up one meet short a of DCL small title last season. Led by a solid returning core the ladies will hope to finish the job this year.
First meet: 12/14 vs. Boston Latin
Athlete to watch: Anna Sailor (senior) and Kelsey Burke (senior)

Boys’ and Girls’ Ski Team:

The sport that relies on winter finds itself stuck on land for now, but once the snow starts falling they’ll start racing. The team skis both cross-country and downhill. They will look to improve on last year’s solid finish.
First race: Nordic 1/3 @ Weston,  GS 1/5 Nashoba Valley
Athlete to watch: Olivia Lucier (senior) and Jakub Buczek (senior)

Boys’ Hockey:

Losing 3-2 in a shootout in the Division 3 North Semi-finals, the Warriors look to avenge their loss in the 2011- 2012 season. Leading scorer Kevin Yun and three year captain Evan Barber look to lead another deep playoff run.
First game: 12/16 vs. Ashland
Players to watch: Evan Barber (senior), Kevin Yun (sophomore) and Altan Atamer (sophomore)

Girls’ Hockey:

The girls hockey team is yearning for a victory this season, it’s been two years since their last. All of last year’s team is returning and they hope to pair that experience with some great young talent. It is only a matter of time before the girls win.
First game: 12/14 @ Chelmsford
Players to watch: Jess Greenwood (senior)

Wrestling:

Wayland’s most storied winter sport will be at it again this season. There will be a slightly different feel this season as the weight classes have changed. Regardless the wrestling team will be a force in the DCL and maybe even the state.
First meet: 12/10 @ Hudson vs. Lexington, Holliston and Hudson
Players to watch: John Grumbach (senior) and Nick Coffin (junior)