Like all high school sports teams, Hopkinton High School boys outdoor track and field has had to stay flexible and roll with the many changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, after the team’s second mask-free practice of the year, coach Brian Prescott said the...
Chris Villani
Senior-laden HHS boys lacrosse team relishes return
After missing out on the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hopkinton High School boys lacrosse team was eager to return to the field in the final campaign for 10 seniors. “It’s great to get back,” said coach Dan Norton. “We have been excited to be back out...
HHS girls lax back after long, emotional offseason
It’s been a long two years for Hopkinton High School girls lacrosse coach Katelyn Barry and her team. The Hillers held out hope last spring that they would be able to squeeze in some form of a season despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The more they heard...
Hillers baseball seeks steady improvement in 2021
Hopkinton High School baseball coach Steve Simoes is fond of saying that his team does not make tournament goals because first the team has to earn its spot in the state tournament. The postseason is different this year, with every team automatically eligible for the...
Hillers softball brings new appreciation to field
Having a forced year away from the sport they enjoy so much has given the players on the Hopkinton High School softball team a new perspective, and that energy has been palpable through the early days of the team’s time together this spring. “The girls are really...
Wolf looks to finish UNH soccer career on high note
Jonny Wolf’s soccer career at the University of New Hampshire has included numerous peaks and valleys, and the Hopkinton native is hoping for a strong finish after he recovers from an injury that has him sidelined. Wolf, a marketing major, stepped awkwardly during the...
Kilduff reflects after alumni award
Tim Kilduff had been living in Hopkinton for several years when he attended a meeting of the first Boston Marathon committee ever formed in the town in 1979. Preparations were being made for the 1980 race, which became infamous for Rosie Ruiz, the fraudster who had...
Town basketball camps return after pandemic-imposed hiatus
For nearly 40 years, the Hopkinton Summer Basketball Camp has been an annual fixture in town. Established by legendary Hopkinton High School coach Dick Bliss in 1983, it often is referred to as “Bliss Camp.” The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the sessions last summer, but...
Video project seeks to welcome back marathoners with love
For the second straight year, Patriots’ Day will pass without throngs of runners lining up at the start line in Hopkinton and beginning the iconic 26.2 mile trek to Copley Square. But the Boston Marathon will return. If all goes well, it will be held this October. And...
Unified basketball back in Hopkinton
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for students of all ages, but the lack of routine and structure has been particularly hard on those students dealing with intellectual disabilities. But one significant piece of normalcy has returned this spring with the first...
Hopkinton-based world champion martial artist turns focus to teaching
Carlos Terrinha was a 19-year-old living in Brazil and working a delivery job when he stumbled upon the martial art known as Brazilian jiu jitsu. Next door to a spot where he was making a delivery, he noticed a gym with some practitioners of the close-combat art. “I...
HHS football has short window to make lasting impact
The Hopkinton High School football team will not have a sectional or state title to play for during the “Fall 2” season this spring, but the Hillers are taking on five teams from the Tri-Valley League, so a league title is on the table. And head coach Dan MacLean said...
HHS swim team makes splash in quiet meets
There are a lot of strange aspects to the 2021 season for the Hopkinton High School swimming and diving team. The season is just beginning, but the calendar reads March. Meets are virtual, there are only 24 swimmers allowed in the pool at a time, and, when they are...
Hopkinton’s Hervol lives pro golf dream
There are times when Hopkinton’s Jimmy Hervol might feel like he is a world away from the PGA Tour. The 2015 HHS graduate is competing on the mini-tour known as Minor League Golf. The payouts are in the hundreds or, on a good week, in the thousands of dollars. But...
‘Nothing but positive energy’ for HHS girls volleyball
In a normal year, the Hopkinton High School girls volleyball team would go into a season ready to make a deep postseason run. The Hillers did just that last year, advancing to the sectional final before losing to the eventual state champion. But this is anything but a...
HHS ski teams enjoy time on slopes
Like every other sport during the COVID-19 pandemic, skiing looked a little different this year. The Hopkinton High School boys and girls teams needed to make sure they stayed spaced out and kept their numbers down on the hill, but what they love the most about their...
Suddenly southpaw: Powers wins with off hand
The past year has been a lesson in adaptability for nearly everyone, and Hopkinton High School junior Kate Powers is no exception. A thrower for the HHS track and field teams who has competed at the national level, Powers spent most of the offseason worried that her...
HHS girls track clears pandemic hurdles
The Hopkinton High School girls indoor track and field team navigated more than just the traditional hurdles placed in its way during this pandemic-altered season, but pushed through to a perfect dual meet record and numerous strong individual performances. “The girls...
HHS boys track learning in ‘weird’ season
For Hopkinton High School boys indoor track and field coach Michael Donahue, the best word to describe the winter season is “weird.” Instead of going to large meets with over 1,000 competitors, his athletes have been competing against only a few dozen others and are...
HHS boys basketball adjusts to unique season
The pandemic has impacted the Hopkinton High School athletics program significantly this winter and, like his fellow coaches, boys basketball coach Tom Keane is doing his best to roll with the punches. The Hillers played three games before the need for COVID-19...