Qawnimvm Wilmington
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
QawniMvm Wilmington fiONEfkisffcRI E-MAIL: JAMIEgYOURTOWNCRIER.COII WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29,sum 2010 Wilmington Town Criafc 2010 Male Athlete of the Year: Sean Hanley By JAMIE POTE curveball." Sports Editor Besides excelling both as an Sean Hanky is a very quiet, outfielder and pitcher, Hanley reserved and humbled kid. did pretty good with the stick. But on the athletic fields he His batting average wasn't as makes a lot of noise high as he would have liked, On the baseball diamond but coming out of the clean- this past spring, he finished up spot he finished second on with a perfect 3-0 record with the team in both RBI (11) and two saves including an 0.00 stolen bases (8) and was third ERA as he tossed 18.1 score- on the team in both hits (18) less innings of relief helping and runs scored (12). the Wildcats finish 12-10 Now that he's not going to including making a second play basketball this winter, round trip into state tourna- the time off allows Hanley to ment play. get bigger and stronger for He carried that success over this upcoming baseball sea- to the football field, where as son where once again he'll be a quarterback, he threw 1,065 asked to play a significant yards in the air and tossed 12 role touchdown passes, while "This spring I'm hoping that rushing in seven more scores Sean can continue to write helping the Wildcats finish his baseball history with us," with an 8-3 overall record. In said Caira. "His teammates addition, he intercepted five have so much confidence in passes as a defensive back, him that they have elected made 46 tackles, was named him as one of their co-cap an all-league selection for the tains this year. Because Sean second year in a row, and was had such a fine year with us named a Lowell Sun First in 2010, I'm expecting bigger Team All-Star for his out- and better things from him in standing two-way play. 2011. And finally during this cal- "He doesn't know this yet or endar year, he was a role at least I don't think he does, player on the basketball but with the loss of all three team, which also reached the of my starters last year I'm state tournament losing to hoping that Sean will be able Dracut. to take the role of our No. 1 While he put up very good starter and lead us to a great numbers in two of his sports - season. This is another chal- - while his three teams com- lenge for Sean that I'm sure bined for 32 wins - he also he is going to embrace, just comes from a tremendous like he did when he was a family, and one that has a sophomore breaking onto the rich background in sports varsity. (I'm confident that) between Wilmington and he'll do it. Not because he's Tewksbury. Between his been a starter before but great-grandfather, grandfa- because he'll put the team ther, uncles, cousins and his first as he's done throughout twin sister Taylor - who is his career here at WHS." also a three-sport athlete at WHS - there's been plenty of The front of the jersey accolades when it comes to Wilmington High senior Sean Hanley went 3-0 with two saves and an 0.00 ERA this past spring as a pitcher for the baseball After the Thanksgiving Sean's family and sports. But team His is this year's choice as Town Crier Male Athlete of the Year. (photo by JoeBrownphotos.com). Football game in 2008, the for the past 12 months, Sean thought of replacing a quar- Hanley earns his own acco- terback who rushed for over lade, as the No. 1 choice for Town Crier's Male Athlete of "The best way to describe "I wish he came out for the left fielders in the Cape Ann 1,000 yards, who threw for the 17th annual Wilmington the Year. Sean is he personifies what a team this year because he League," said Caira. "Since over 700 yards and who Wildcat should be," said var- would have helped us, but playing in those games as a totaled 114 points, certainly sity baseball coach Aldo (kids) make their own deci- sophomore, his confidence wouldn't be easy. Stephen Caira. "(He's) fast, athletic, sions," said Maiella. "He's (improved) and my confi- Stewart had a tremendous teachable and more impor- just one of those kids who dence in him made it easy to career and season as the [Town Crier Male tantly, he is a team player always works hard, never put him out there." Wildcat quarterback, but lit- first and an individual sec- says boo - I don't know what But Hanley admitted that tle did he or anyone else know ond. He's always putting the he's like in baseball and foot- after the first two weeks of at the time, that the kid on Athlete of the Year good of the team before any- ball, but on the basketball tryouts, he wasn't quite sure the JV team named Sean thing personal that he might court he was very quiet. where he would end up. Hanley also could play. attain." Sean's just a great all-around "Before the season started, "It was completely different 2010 Sean Hanley kid and I just wish him the it really wasn't set if I was (playing varsity compared to A tough decision best. He's a great choice (for going to pitch or not, but then JV)," said Hanley about the 2009 Caleb Rogers Sean Hanley was a reserve the Athlete of the Year)." I started to get into games leap. "The game is a lot guard on last year's varsity and had a pretty good sea- faster and it's more intense. 2008 Stephen Stewart basketball team He didn't Throwing a curve son," he said. "I didn't It's just a total different story. expect to have that much suc- play much - obviously not as Before the baseball season I had my doubts but after the 2007 Ernie Mello much as he would have liked- started, it was unsure where cess but the entire pitching first game, I was able to set- but still was productive com- Hanley would fit in. The staff we had was pretty good tle in and get some confi- 2006 Greg Stewart ing off the bench when called Wildcats returned a lot of tal- so it wasn't that hard to come dence." upon. He was very quick and ent, and had a lot of arms to in and relieve." Stewart and Hanley had a Besides playing an excellent athletic, played tough defense choose from between Nick lot of similarities and traits. outfield, Hanley came out of 2005 Joe Herra and just did a nice job with Boutoures, Michael Murphy, Both of them come from very his role for a team that fin- Vin Scifo, among others. As a the bullpen seven different well known athletic families times over 22 games. In those 2004 Joe Herra ished 12-9 overall including a sophomore, Hanley played in in town, and both are very loss to a very good Dracut 13 games, mostly as an out- seven games, he threw 18.1 good athletes, who can throw, innings, with opponents bat- 2003 Derek Trueira team in the first round of the fielder, although he came up and be extremely quick and Division 2 North sectional as an infielder. ting a miniscule .147 off of agile while getting out of the tournament. "As a sophomore on a pretty him, while he struck out 11 pocket and running with the 2002 Derek Hanley batters and walked six. He "Sean's a tremendous kid veteran team Sean knew that ball. Hanley immediately finished 3-0 in relief, with two who always works hard," said he was a role player filling in came on as a junior and was Ryan Layton saves, the second coming in 2001 basketball coach Joe Maiella. for injuries and alike, but he fantastic in his first season as the first round of the state "I don't think any coach could was always ready to play QB. He finished throwing for 2000 TimRiley ever get on him for not work- when ever he was called on," tournament as he recorded over 1,300 yards, and tossed the final out in the team's 9-6 ing hard. Sean always gave a said Caira. "He was called on 13 touchdown passes, the 1999 EricBanda 100 percent on the court for us mostly as an outfielder, a win over Winchester. third most in the Cape Ann "It's different being a reliev- last year and be always did position that I knew he could League, while being named er, but you end of getting used the right thing." handle because of his athleti- an all-league player. 1998 MarkDiGiov to it," he said. "It's just dif- Hanley said the win over cism but one that I also knew "Sean's a great kid," said ferent coming in when the Masconomet in the team's he didn't want to get 'stuck' football coach Mike Barry. 1997 Scott Swiezynski game isn't M." second match-up was proba- with because he was an "He never missed a practice. bly the biggest victory of the infielder.