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.

On the ground, the Silver Lake High football team established themselves as the dominant side on Sept. 15, at home in their second game of the season.

The Lakers were able to rush their way to a 28-12 victory improving their record to 2-0 after beating Oliver Ames.

Running back Phil Lashley led the way for the Lakers, goiing 180 yards on just 12 carries (15 yards per carry) and had three of his team’s four touchdowns of the night.

To start the game, the Lakers found themselves on the attack, but it did not take them long to score. On the fourth play of the game, Lashley punched in a 34-yard touchdown run to give the home team a 6-0 edge.

The two sides exchanged turnovers and when Oliver Ames got the ball back, they scored, but the Lakers would take the lead once again late in the second quarter. Their quarterback, Tanner Boyd, who ran for 60 yards on the day, had a 15-yard touchdown run prior to halftime to give his team a 12-6 lead.

In the second half, Lashley had two more touchdown runs: one for seven yards and another for 38 yards. On both scores, Boyd ran in the 2-point conversion himself, helping pad the lead.

Late in the third quarter, Oliver Ames made it an 8-point game on a touchdown run, but Silver Lake was comfortable once again because they scored on the next drive.

Oliver Ames got intercepted by the Lakers on their final offensive stand with about three minutes left, hindering any chance they had left of winning the game. The Lakers continue their season with a home bout this Saturday, Sept. 23, against the winless Quincy High Presidents (2:30 p.m. start time).

This is one of those years where the Silver Lake High boys’ soccer team can be really confident in what they have coming back on the pitch.

Sure, last year they may have been uncertain of how they would perform, but they enjoyed plenty of success throughout the year as they went 16-5, won their second straight divisional and made it to the playoffs. They earned the No. 3 seat and fell to Wellesley in double overtime in the first round.

All of the team’s top players from last year have returned. The Lakers had four Patriot League All-Stars on their team in 2016: Pat McMahon, Owen Nally, Mike Donovan and Justin Keating. Each of the four is back once again which makes the Lakers a strong contender once again this season.

McMahon had a team-high 17 goals (plus nine assists) last season while Donovan added nine goals and 12 assists last year. In net, Justin Keating recorded nine shutouts last year and Nally excelled as a midfielder and had five goals and three assists.

The defense also has some valuable experience at the varsity level. Colin Canniff, Casey Grindle and Brian Reilly were all major varsity contributors. Mike Carey was a forward last year, but he has since swapped positions and will help out defensively while Jeremy Gallagher and Michael Chun are returning varsity starters in the midfield.

Despite all this experience, the Lakers have six sophomores on their varsity squad, so they have a strong mix of youth and elders on their team. It also indicates they will not be in rough shape in the future when they lose some of their top players to graduation.

The Lakers next home game is next Monday, Sept. 18, against Pembroke High School. The start time in that one is set for 3:30 p.m..