One Halifax native has taken a leadership position in college athletics to go along with her spot on the Mass Maritime Buccaneers softball team.

Mass Maritime Academy junior Emily Goodwin, a Halifax native and class of 2015 Silver Lake Regional High School grad, was named to the NCAA Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference’s representative, earlier this month.

The announcement was made by MASCAC (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) Commissioner Angela Baumann.
Goodwin’s three-year term with the position started as soon as she was appointed to it. She will be among a group of student-athletes throughout the region on a committee discussing the issues impacting college athletics and how the student-athlete experience can be improved..

This position is a major accomplishment for Goodwin not only because she was selected of all the athletes at Mass Maritime, but because she is just the second athlete from the school in the last eight years to be appointed to this post.

Over the past two seasons, Goodwin has been a valuable piece of Mass Maritime’s lineup. In 49 games, she has hit .274, knocked in 24 runs and a owned a .745 OPS in that span.

This past season, she made 21 starts at first base for her team and the Buccaneers had their best finish in the past decade at 7-17. Playing first base required some versatility on Goodwin’s part since it was not her natural position. Her freshman year, she played shortstop at school.

The Buccaneers softball season starts back up on March 15, 2018 with a road doubleheader against the Wentworth Institute of Technology (3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. start times), weather permitting because college softball and baseball games in March are often postponed if there is still snow on the ground or if it is raining.

The Silver Lake Youth Football Midgets ended their season last week with the best outcome imaginable.

The Silver Lake Warriors had an excellent game against the Rockland Bulldogs in the Division 3 Old Colony Youth Football League Super Bowl, winning it by a score of 20-14. Not only did the Warriors win the Super Bowl, but they handed Rockland their first loss of the season in an all-around team effort.

The game was quite physical from the start. Rockland used this to their favor early on as they were able to take a 6-0 lead in the ballgame. Silver Lake was able to respond with two touchdowns of their own, however, to take a 12-6 lead. They held this lead for a bit, but the Bulldogs responded with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to take a 14-12 lead.

In the third quarter, the Warriors, still trailing, found themselves on fourth down in Bulldogs territory. They gave the ball to running back Austin Smith, and he brought in the go-ahead touchdown from 35 yards out. A successful conversion gave the Warriors a 20-14 lead.

Silver Lake had a strong drive in the fourth quarter that could have put the game away, but they were stopped on fourth down with a few minutes remaining. This gave Rockland a chance to make a comeback. However, Rockland was unable to do so because their completed pass on the final play of the game just was not long enough. With the play clock at zero, the Warriors were officially champions after this.

The Warriors championship team was coached by Brian Kennedy. He was also joined by many assistant coaches including: Ed Carroll, Steve Peterson, Ed Scigliano, Doug Gilmore, Eric Johnson and Josh Straughn.

The win is certainly a positive sign for the future of Silver Lake High football since players from this team will be contributing there in just a few years.

For the second year in a row, the Silver Lake High football team won a playoff game.

This time, they defeated Dighton-Rehoboth, 20-18, in the first round of the MIAA Division 4 South playoff bracket in the last minute of their bout last Friday night.

With 52 seconds remaining in the game, the Lakers were able to take the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Tanner Boyd. Following the score, there was not enough time left on the clock for their opponent to respond. Before Boyd’s touchdown, the Lakers did not lead at any point in the game.

The Lakers’ defense set up that go-ahead scoring drive. Dighton-Rehoboth had a 4th-and-1 on the Lakers’ 42-yard line with about three minutes in the game and, unsurprisingly, they went for it. They did not convert, however. Linebacker Matt Powell, one of the Lakers’ captains, came up with a huge tackle for a loss to give his team a shot at a winning drive.

In the early part of the game, Dighton-Rehoboth was in control. They scored on a 55-yard run in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, they took advantage of a Lakers fumble in the red zone and turned that into a scoring drive to go up 12-0.

The Lakers did not get shut out in the first half; with less than a minute remaining, Boyd threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Ohlson to make it a 12-6 game.

Midway through the third quarter, Dighton-Rehoboth intercepted the Lakers and ran in a 23-yard touchdown the next play. The Lakers nulled the score though since Diamini Williams returned the next kickoff for a touchdown. Boyd then threw a 2-point conversion pass to Ohlson, to make the score 18-14.

The Lakers move on to face Milton in the second round of the playoffs on the road (Friday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m. start time).

The Silver Lake High football team was on the wrong track for a couple of weeks as they played some of the toughest teams in the Patriot League, Keenan Division (Duxbury and Hingham).

Last Friday night was a change in pace for the Lakers, however, as they were able to come out with a big 30-6 road win over Plymouth North, who fell to 1-5 on the season. Meanwhile, the Lakers improved to 4-2 for the season. That win guarantees them a spot in the Division 4 South playoffs that start in the final week of October.

The first half of the game was a battle; it was not until the latter half of the game that the Lakers started to pull away. Phil Lashley had a 67-yard touchdown run for the Lakers with under a minute remaining in the first half. His score put the team up 6-0 at halftime.
With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Lakers, who played tough defense all day, added more points to the board. This time, Tanner Boyd hit Lashley with a 26-yard touchdown pass. Boyd then connected with Diamani Williams on his 2-point conversion pass to put the Lakers up 14-0.

Jake Waters had the interception that gave the Lakers the good field position to make the score.
On Plymouth North’s next possession, they fumbled.

This game the Lakers good field position and Boyd threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Ohlson to put his team up 22-0.

Plymouth North got on the board with a 75-yard touchdown pass with 6:03 remaining, but Lashley countered a few minutes later with a 24-yard touchdown run.

The Lakers move on to face Whitman-Hanson (4-2) this Friday, Oct. 20 (7:00 p.m. start time) on the road. If the Lakers win this one, they will likely have a home playoff game next week.

It may come as a bit of a surprise that the Silver Lake High girls’ soccer team started the year at 2-2 with the way they have been playing lately.

Although they had a .500 win percentage early in the season, they have been one of the top teams in the state since. To start the week, they had won seven straight games to improve to 9-2 on the season, putting them in position to be one of the higher ranked teams in the postseason this season. After all, at the start of the week they only needed one more win to clinch a playoff spot with about half of their season remaining.

In that impressive winning streak, the Lakers outscored their foes, 31-1. They shut out six of their seven opponents with Caity Smith giving them strong performances in net.

On the attack, the Lakers have been strong all year. In their 8-0 win over North Quincy on Friday, Oct. 6, they had many different contributors who were able to kick on goals. Calliste Brookshire, Hannah Vogt, Holly Reeder-Morning and Morgan Palma all had strong performances offensively.

The Lakers also made it to the postseason last year, but they are far and away a strong team this season. In 2016, the Lakers enjoyed success, but finished the year 8-8-2. In seven less games this season, they already have more wins.

One major reason the the Lakers have been able to enjoy this sort of success this season is because they have a massive senior class of 13 players. Those seniors include: Melanie Coughlin, Ali Crawford, Carlee Fahey, Emily Ford, Kirsten Ghelfi, Sydney Kehoe, Tayla Mayberry, Shannon Murphy, Morgan Palma, Caity Smith, Meghan Supple, Jillian Wohlgemuth and Morgan Wohlgemuth. Since the Lakers rely heavily on that highly-talented senior class, this is their year to potentially make a deep postseason run.

The Lakers next game is this Saturday, Oct. 14 (4:30 p.m.) against one of the strongest teams in the Patriot League: the Whitman-Hanson Panthers.

Once again, the Silver Lake high boys’ golf team is likely one of the stronger programs in the Patriot League.

The Lakers, who are off to a 5-2 start to start this week, are coming off a year where they had golfers make it to the Division 2 South Sectional and while that usually indicates a more experienced squad, experience has not been an issue for the team this season.

The team’s top golfer, Dillon Brown is back for his senior year–and, of course, he is the team’s captain since he was also their top performer last season. His co-captain and classmate, Owen Fontaine, also brings some experience to the mix.

Having those two guys at the top of their lineup gives off a vibe that the Lakers have an elder team, but that could not be further from the truth. Four of their six varsity starters will be back next season which could lead to further growth for the team.

What is especially beneficial for the Lakers is that their No. 3-5 varsity regulars will be back for multiple seasons after this year. That shows the potential this team has to excel for a long time. Specifically, sophomore Tyler Mason, freshman Tyler Brown and freshman Mike Sylvester are occupying those spots and the Lakers are winning matches.

Although those might be the golfers who occupy the top spots, the Lakers do have a few more players who can contribute at that level including: junior Dylan Capaccioli, sophomore Kevin Cardarelli and senior Matt Breslin. Since Capaccioli and Cardarelli are returning next season, they are both in a good position to earn everyday roles next season.

The Lakers next meet is Tuesday, Oct. 10 against the Quincy Presidents at home (3:30 p.m. start time). The Lakers play their home matches at the Country Club of Halifax.

Lily is a lifesaver. As a seizure alert dog she works 24/7 as a medical necessity.

Her owner and handler is Anders Skjerli who lives in the Monponsett side of Hanson with Kristen, his wife of 11 years, and their son Kieran, 4.   

A Newfoundland breed, Lily, doesn’t go unnoticed — resembling a hefty bear. At seven years old, she’s a leisurely 100 pounds, mild and affectionate in temperament, yet vigilant.

Skjerli who is now 31, was diagnosed with a seizure disorder at the age of 16, following numerous staring events or focal seizures. During soccer practice he suffered a tonic-clonic seizure (also known as a grand mal seizure).

It became apparent that due to the severity of his illness he required another level of assistance.

In the past, Skjerli has been intubated and has had some grave health scares. Lily, along with safety and alerts, also relieves stress on his family.

Lily gives Skjerli about an hour and a half warning before an episode

“It allows me to talk with my wife (Kristen) knowing the dog is alerting me,” he said. “I can tell her ahead and just let her know that the dog is giving me a warning in case something happens.”

Several of the most significant things individuals need to understand or when dealing with a “working” service dog include respecting that the dog is working. Skjerli needs her to be on her guard alerting him to a possible life threatening emergency.

“Ideally it is better for a person not to interact with Lily but talking to me (the handler) is fine,” he advises. “I always say ‘no’ to patting her because she is distractible. It is better not to acknowledge the dog.”

In educating others Skjerli realizes by nature people are curious and they have every right to ask about the dog, however delicate questions on his medical history can becoming invasive so he adopts the policy of less is more.

When approached at a public location such as a restaurant or business he does say “yes, Lily is a service dog”.

“I acknowledge the dog is for me. Sometimes the questions begin with “are you training her?” and I simply answer ‘no’, she is for me,” he said.

There are just questions that you wouldn’t ask someone about their medical history, he said.

Lily is Anders’s second dog. His former service dog, Mater, began having hip issues and was being considered for retirement.

“He would jump away and leave me so I wouldn’t fall on him as his way of alerting me,” he said.

Personality in a trained service dog is important as a service dog is trained to work. Mater had trouble transitioning to the down time of retirement.

“The dog doesn’t understand,” Skjerli said. “He wants to work.  They can become frustrated and act out against the handler or in the home.”

Simply enough Mater chose to move on. He fell in love with the administrative assistant at Skjerli’s place of employment, he recalled with a chuckle. Mater is a king now living the high life and the Skjerlis see him regularly.

“Having a new canine was a tough transition at first but now Lily, who came from Colorado-based Noelle’s Dogs 4 Hope gives me independence,” he said.

He is a teaching assistant at a local school serving students ages 3-21 with severe, multiple disabilities, many of whom have complex medical needs. They are used to therapy dogs coming in. Lily is at his side at work every day.

His disability is not a visible one, so on occasion he has had people tell him he “doesn’t look sick,” which made him hesitant to obtain a service dog.

“It took me a long time before I accepted the idea of having a service dog,” he said. “It was like I was proclaiming my disability. … Having the dog greatly improves my life.”

Besides having a full time-job and a busy family life, the Skjerli family attends The Well Community Church in Halifax. He also walks Lily in the Hanson-Halifax Monponsett area. She keeps him busy caring and grooming her, even as she is always keeping her ears and eyes on him.

When the day comes that Lily shows signs she is not as vigilant as she was in her younger years she will retire.

Skjerli said the most important thing he can offer to educate others is interpretation. Lily is a highly trained piece of medical equipment a slight comparison to a walker or cane.

“She is there for a medical purpose, and medical support,” he said. “The dog is not here to comfort me.”

The website Skjerli refers to most, especially when documenting his right to bringing Lily in a business or public place is ada.gov.

The website offers information for people with regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act, but is also an educational tool for anyone who would like to understand the differences between a regular pet and a service animal.

Recent news coverage on the need for companion animals, has revealed that some canine owners vest their dogs with a ‘fake’ service label to allow their pets’ access to similar places as a medical alert dog. The differences in training and also extreme necessity have been debated. As recently as last week in Boston at the State Gouse supporters rallied to pass a bill against owners who fake a service dog as a crime with a fine of $500.