By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Dover-Sherborn took to the road on Monday for its Round of 16 matchup versus Scituate but was unable to come back with a win, falling 17-8. Head coach Dan Morris’ first season at the helm finishes with a 14-6 record.
“I think I was really fortunate that the timing worked out, that I could take over the team with a really strong senior group,” Morris said. “These seniors have been contributors all four years and they've really done a great job… It's a testament to what Brian McLaughlin built here that I just got to slide in and work with great kids and a great community.”
After a year as captain, senior Grant Sullivan put the leadership Morris alluded to on display against Scituate.
Heading into the second half with an 11-2 deficit, there was no relent in the Raiders’ performance, sparked by Sullivan. Scituate started the third quarter with two goals, but Sullivan found the back of the net and tried to energize his team following the score.
The captain would go on to score again in the third quarter and twice more in the final frame, rounding out a five-goal performance.
“Grant has obviously been a really big contributor for his entirety here,” Morris praised. “He's one of those captains whose word means a lot. I think it resonates really well with these kids… And I think it's a testament to what he's built and the kind of guy he is. “
Along with Sullivan, junior Robert Olsen netted two goals and junior Charlie Hartnett was responsible for another.
From the beginning of the game, Scituate seemed to have an answer for the Raiders. Sullivan scored his first goal of the game to tie things up at one apiece, but it would be all Scituate from there. They went on to score ten consecutive goals before Dover-Sherborn added onto its point total.
“You can't spot a team 11 goals and expect to be on top,” Morris said. “Credit to Scituate, they've got a really good system. They're really well coached. They have a lot of good athletes. I think on the offensive end, we just turned the ball over too many times. We didn't win as many one-on-one matchups in that first half. But in the second half, I thought we played really well. I just wish we could put two halves like that together to be a little bit more competitive.”
Morris and the Raiders can now look forward to getting ready for a 2026 season in which several key contributors will return. Morris also mentioned a strong eighth grade group that will join the program next year.
As for the seniors, eight players will be graduating from the team: alongside Sullivan are captains Simon Hart and Ronan Richards; Warren Sanders, John Gramer, Benjamin Crellin, Felix Giesen and Beau Newmarker.
