The Somerset Sentinel (2025)

27/09/2025

SBRHS girls' soccer team suffers first loss

By GEORGE AUSTIN
The Somerset Berkley Regional High School girls' soccer team suffered its first loss of the season to Natick tonight, 3-0.
The Blue Raiders battled Natick, as the teams went into halftime in a scoreless tie. But Natick scored three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half, all off of corner kicks.
Traore, who is in his second season of coaching SBRHS, said he thinks the Blue Raiders played the best he has ever seen them play in tonight's game against Natick. SBRHS, which is a Division 2 team, was playing a Division 1 team in Natick. Traore wanted to have some tough teams on the schedule like that to get the Blue Raiders ready for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 State Tournament.
Traore said the Blue Raiders dominated the game from start to finish which was shown in their ability to move the ball and control it without panic. He said the Blue Raiders were consistently winning 50/50 balls and creating chances in front of the Natick net. He said the Blue Raiders were not lucky when trying to finish on their shots. .
"We competed really, really, really well today," Traore said.
Traore said the team has to work on its transition defense. He said they were spread out too much at times.
Traore said goalkeeper Sophia Thornton handled the pressure well, making three saves. Thornton just took over the goalkeeper duties for the Blue Raiders. Traore said she is trying to get comfortable in the position, but has looked very solid.
With the loss to the non-conference opponent, the Blue Raiders have a 6-1-1 record, overall. Because they went undefeated in the regular season last year, it was the first time the Blue Raiders have lost a regular season game since 2023. The Blue Raiders are scheduled to play at Apponequet on Monday.

27/09/2025

SBRHS football team falls to Durfee

By GEORGE AUSTIN
SOMERSET - The Somerset Berkley Regional High School football team lost to non-conference opponent Durfee tonight, dropping its record to 0-4 on the season, but SBRHS head coach Nick Freitas said the team will now concentrate on winning the South Coast Conference championship which they can still win.
The Blue Raiders lost 27-13 to the Hilltoppers tonight, but their next four games are against SCC opponents.
The Blue Raiders started off the game well with Sam Melo intercepting a Matthew Sherry pass in the beginning of the game. But, as has been the case in the first four games of the season, the SBRHS defense could not make many stops on the Durfee offense and the Somerset Berkley offense was not generating enough points.
"The stops are what's killing us," SBRHS head coach Nick Freitas said. "Offensively, we shot ourselves in the foot here and there."
Sherry scored on a two yard touchdown run with eight minutes and 54 seconds left in the second quarter. Sherry also kicked the extra point to give his team a 7-0 lead.
SBRHS running back Liam Meehan scored on a six yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the first half. Gavin Camara kicked the point-after attempt through the uprights to tie the game, 7-7.
Durfee got good field position off the ensuring kick-off and a few plays later, Sherry hit Moziah Cousins with a short screen pass and Cousins ran the ball 23 yards into the end zone with 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give Durfee a 13-7 lead. Sherry hit the extra point again.
The Blue Raiders got the ball at the start of the second half with a chance to tie or take the lead in the game. The drive started with lots of penalties, before the Blue Raiders started to move the ball. On Durfee's 44-yard line, SBRHS went for it on fourth and one and the Hilltoppers stopped them.
Durfee then brought the ball back up the field and made it a two-score game when Sherry scored on a 13 yard touchdown run with two minutes and 25 seconds left in the third quarter. After Sherry made the extra point, the Hilltoppers had a 21-7 lead.
Meehan scored a touchdown on a two-yard run with seven minutes and 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which was plenty of time for the Blue Raiders to come back.
Meehan was the lone bright spot for the Blue Raiders. The senior running back rushed for 152 yards on 21 carries.
Durfee blocked Somerset Berkley's extra-point kick after Meehan's touchdown and then responded with a score of their own on a 16 yard scamper into the end zone by Sherry with three minutes and 45 seconds left in regulation. The Hilltoppers tried a conversion attempt after the touchdown but the SBRHS defense stopped them.
Freitas said the game comes down to ex*****on and fundamentals. At the end of the day, he said the Hilltoppers executed, while his team did not. He said the Blue Raiders have been spending a lot of time working on defense and trying to figure it out.
Somerset Berkley is scheduled to face South Coast Conference opponent Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School next Friday. Freitas hopes some games that the Blue Raiders have played against some tough non-conference teams, like Hanover, Durfee and Malden Catholic, have prepared the Blue Raiders for their conference schedule.

26/09/2025

Craft fair to be held at church

SOMERSET - A fall craft fair will be held at St. John of God Church on Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be vendors, malassadas, baked goods and raffles. The church is located at 1036 Brayton Ave. in Somerset.

26/09/2025

SBRHS field hockey team ranked third in Division 2 power rankings

By GEORGE AUSTIN
SOMERSET - The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has put out its first power rankings for the fall season and Somerset Berkley Regional High School has three teams ranked in the top 10 in different sports.
The power rankings are based on average margin of victory, which is capped at certain margins for different sports, and the power rankings of opponents. The power rankings are also adjusted for forfeits, based on the power ranking of the team that forfeited. Other than in football, the top 32 teams in the power rankings qualify for the MIAA State Tournament, regardless of record. Other teams can make the tournament if they have a record of at least .500 in their division. In football, the top 16 teams with at least three wins make the State Tournament. The rankings also impact seedings for the State Tournament and getting home games in the postseason.
The highest ranked team for SBRHS is the field hockey team that is ranked third out of 55 teams in Division 2. The Blue Raiders. who are the defending Division 2 State Champions, had a big win on Tuesday when they snapped the 103 game winning streak of Watertown which is ranked sixth in Division 3. SBRHS, which has a record of 4-1, is behind number one ranked Hingham, which has a record of 8-0, and number two ranked Nashoba Regional, which has a 7-0 record, in Division 2. Dighton-Rehoboth also forfeited a game against SBRHS because the Falcons don't want to play against teams that have boys on them.
The SBRHS field hockey team is scheduled to play Durfee tomorrow.
The SBRHS girls' soccer team is ranked ninth in the power rankings out of 63 teams in Division 2. The Blue Raiders have a 6-0-1 record. The number one ranked team in Division 2 is Duxbury with a 5-2-1 record. Duxbury is ranked higher than SBRHS because it has a stronger strength of schedule. The Blue Raiders are scheduled to play Natick today. Natick is ranked 10th in Division 1, so a win over that team could help Somerset Berkley in the rankings.
The SBRHS boys' soccer team is ranked 10th out of 61 teams in Division 2. The Blue Raiders have a 7-1 record. Northampton is ranked first in the division with a 7-0 record.
The SBRHS volleyball team, with a 6-3 record, is ranked 25th out of 57 teams in Division 2. Oliver Ames is the number one ranked team in that division.
The SBRHS football team, which has an 0-3 record, is ranked 25th out of 37 teams in Division 4. The Blue Raiders are scheduled to play Durfee tonight at home. Tewksbury Memorial, the team the Blue Raiders lost to in the State Tournament last season, is ranked number one in the division with a 2-0 record.

26/09/2025

ZBA gives approvals for oil change business

By GEORGE AUSTIN
SOMERSET - The Zoning Board of Appeals last night gave approvals for a planned development and special permit for a drive through oil change facility that would go on the corner of Route 6 and Brayton Point Road.
The property where the oil change facility would go is in a business district.
The petitioner for the oil change facility proposal is Jay Patel of Andover.
Andrew Arseneault, of MDM Transportation Consultants, Inc., which is doing the peer review of the oil change facility plans for the town, said he was satisfied with the applicant's analysis of traffic, queueing and parking.
Arseneault said the original plan was going to allow drivers to take left or right turns to access the driveway of the business, but said the new plan only allows a right turn. He said his firm thinks that is an improvement to the plan.
Arseneault said there also should be a management plan for delivery trucks coming to the business. He said they should enter the property from Route 6, rather than from Brayton Point Road.
Melissa Restrepo, an associate senior transportation project manager for Howard Stein Hudson, the applicant's transportation consultant, said she agreed with Arseneault's comments. She said she did not have issues or concerns with them, but had a question about a crosswalk in the area where the oil change facility would be located. She said the crosswalk used to be used for a bus stop, but said the bus no longer stops there. She said on one day, one pedestrian was observed using the crosswalk and on another day, there were four pedestrians. She said she did not think there was a need for it.
Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Steven Cadorette said the town will probably mill and overlay the street where the crosswalk is located and may move the crosswalk to the corner of Brayton Point Road and Lepes Road when it does. He said he thinks that people in wheelchairs from a local apartment complex use the crosswalk to cross the street and then continue down the sidewalk to the corner of Route 6 and Brayton Point Road to get to a crosswalk there to go to the shopping plaza in that area. He said that is why the town would probably want a crosswalk to remain in that area.
Restrepo said a study could be done to see if the crosswalk is needed.
Attorney Thomas Killoran said that traffic accessibility and vehicles lining up at the drive through oil change facility were issues that were brought at the hearing with the ZBA in May. He said those issues have been addressed.
Killoran said old oil would be moved off the site. If there are spills, he said there are spill kits and shop vacuums to clean the oil up and a containment tank to put it in so that it can be removed from the property. He said there are minimal spills because of the way the roll trays are used in the facility. Killoran said there are federal, state and Occupational Safety and Health Administration reviews on such facilities.
Killoran said the neighborhood would be well screened from the business and when the business closes, there will only be security lighting on that will not shine off the property. He said the hours for the operation will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Killoran said that with the approvals of the ZBA, the proposal will go to the Planning Board for approval of a storm management plan. He said the storm runoff on the property can't be increased.
Cadorette said that questions about traffic review and other concerns were answered, so he was in favor of approving the project. Zoning Board of Appeals members Bernard Miranda and Michael Martin also voted in favor of the planned development and special permit.

26/09/2025

SOMERSET SENTINEL PHOTO BY GEORGE AUSTIN
Somerset Berkley Regional High School volleyball team player Maddie Bednarz was named the Player of the Game in tonight's win over Bridgewater-Raynham. She is holding the bear that the Player of the Game brings home after each SBRHS volleyball game.

26/09/2025

SBRHS volleyball team sweeps Bridgewater-Raynham

By GEORGE AUSTIN
SOMERSET - Somerset Berkley Regional High School volleyball team coach Emily Travis said her players looked tired when they started their game against Bridgewater-Raynham tonight. They had played a tough match against Old Rochester last night. But Travis said the Blue Raiders found their energy.
And they went on to win the first three sets in a best-of-five match with B-R to get the win, 26-24, 25-18 and 25-9.
For the Blue Raiders, Lauren Kanuse had 11 kills, three aces and two solo blocks. Jaylee Lacerda had four kills and three digs. Samantha Comeau had six aces and three digs. Katie Ferrara had five kills, three aces and five digs.
Travis said Maddie Bednarz was the Player of the Game for Somerset Berkley. She had 24 assists, four aces and four digs.
With the win over the non-conference opponent, Somerset Berkley improved its record to 6-3, overall on the season. Travis said she will take that record, considering the Blue Raiders lost a close game in the first game of the season and the other two losses were against volleyball powerhouses.
"It's high-level volleyball and that's what we're aspiring to play- high level volleyball," Travis said.

25/09/2025

Commission appoints new plant manager for Water Pollution Control Facility

By GEORGE AUSTIN
SOMERSET - The Water and Sewer Commission yesterday appointed Sean Pires to be the plant manager and chief operator of the town's water pollution control facility on Walker Street.
Pires has worked as a lab technician and pre-treatment coordinator at a wastewater plant in Brockton for the last 12 years. He attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he studied marine safety environmental protection.
Pires will replace Harold Gracia who was the plant manager and chief operator of the water pollution control facility until he retired in January.
Water and Sewer Commission Chair Steven Cadorette said it has been a long process to find someone to replace Gracia. The commission has contracted with Weston and Sampson Engineering to provide someone to run the plant while the commission was trying to hire someone. Cadorette said that person will stay on for another month during a transition period when Pires will be taking over.
Pires's appointment is effective Oct. 13, contingent on him passing a physical examination and criminal background check.
The rate of pay that Pires will receive will be $59.11 per hour.
The commission is currently looking at whether to tie into the Fall River wastewater treatment system or to upgrade the current water pollution control facility in order to meet the requirements of a federal permit.
Pictured from left to right are Water and Sewer Commissioner Joseph Bednarik, Pires, Water and Sewer Superintendent Christopher Wickman, Water and Sewer Chair Steven Cadorette and Water and Sewer Commissioner Robert Lima.

25/09/2025

S.A.F.E. Day to be held on Saturday

SOMERSET - The Somerset Annual Fall Extravaganza (S.A.F.E.) Day is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Somerset Berkley Regional High School with lots of free activities and food geared for families.
The Home Depot kids workshop, airbrush tattoos and petting zoo will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be hayrides from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Kids can participate in an election to choose the design for the town dog tags from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lunch will be served between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream.
There will be a pie eating contest at noon.
Judging for pumpkin decorating and the costume contest will be held at 1 p.m.
Police officers and firefighters will be doing demonstrations.
There will be an appearance by the Rhode Island Football Club mascot.
There will also be a raffle.

25/09/2025

Raider of the Month Awards presented at Somerset Middle School

SOMERSET - Raider of the Month Awards for September have been presented at Somerset Middle School.
The recipients include eighth grade students Bianca Silvia and Jamarie Swift-Camacho, seventh grade students Cooper Waclawik and James Raposa and sixth grade students Colin Cabral and David Oliveira. The students are pictured with Somerset Middle School Principal Dr. Kerri McKinnon and Assistant Principal Tanya Benoit.
The students are being honored for their resiliency this month.
Bianca has shown remarkable strength and resiliency, and has continued to make her education a priority. Bianca comes to school daily with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She is a pleasure to be around and has shown everyone at the school her bravery during such a trying time in her life.
Colin has transitioned tremendously well to middle school. He is a wonderful, hardworking student. He is friendly with classmates and respectful with his teachers. He has faced the challenge of middle school wonderfully.
Cooper exemplifies resiliency in many ways.Cooper has proven early on in the school year that he can overcome any obstacle.
Since coming to Somerset Middle School, Jamarie has been working diligently to ensure that her transition into the district was seamless. She quickly formed relationships with students and staff, and is a welcome addition to the school community.
Seventh grade teachers have seen James exemplify resiliency. He shows resilience by maintaining focus and composure, even when working in and with less-than-ideal circumstances.
David is a hardworking student who perseveres through struggles.

25/09/2025

SBRHS golf team beats Westport

By GEORGE AUSTIN
The Somerset Berkley Regional High School golf team beat Westport, 5 1/2 to 3 1/2, in match play yesterday at Acoaxet Country Club.
The Blue Raiders had four players who had a five over par round of 40 over nine holes. They included Cole Souza, Nate Huer, Michael German and Finn McDonough.
"Four scores of 40 is fantastic," SBRHS coach Ben Machado said. "On a day when it was windy and rainy, those are really good scores, especially on a course they are not familiar with."
Souza had a birdie on the par five eighth hole. He was able to play the ball out of the fescue to score a four on the hole. German birdied the par four third hole which has a dog leg left that goes up a hill. He won his individual and team matches. Huer birdied the par four first hole.
Other SBRHS golfers in the match were Mike Cabral with a 46, Carter Silvia and Brayden Kitchen each had a 50 and Gavin Silvia with a 51. Machado said Cabral made a great chip on the par three seventh hole to win the hole.
Machado said rain softened up the greens at Acoaxet Country Club, which is on the ocean, so the players shot right at the flags.
Machado said the Blue Raiders play in a match play match once a year. In those types of matches, he said it is important for the players to keep the pressure on the other team and not to give up holes.
"The kids did a good job with that," Machado said.
With the win over the non-conference opponent, Somerset Berkley improved its record to 6-5, overall.
With the rainy weather today, it is likely the Blue Raiders will not play their scheduled match against Dighton-Rehoboth. SBRHS has four matches in four days scheduled for next Monday through Thursday with two of them being against Durfee, one against Greater New Bedford Voke and the other against Bourne.

25/09/2025

SBRHS volleyball team shut out by Old Rochester

SOMERSET - The Somerset Berkley Regional High School volleyball team lost in three straight sets in a best-of-five match against Old Rochester tonight.
The Bulldogs beat the Blue Raiders by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-11 in the three sets.
"It was a high energy night and we did a lot of great things," SBRHS coach Emily Travis said. "We fought till the end, unfortunately it wasn't enough tonight."
For the Blue Raiders, Kaely Dos Santos had three kills, two digs and two blocks. Lauren Kanuse had three kills and one ace. Katie Ferreira had three kills, two assists, three digs and one block.
Travis said Ryleigh Brown was the player of the game for the Blue Raiders. She had 17 digs and numerous hustle plays to keep the rallies going for her team.
With the loss to the South Coast Conference opponent, Somerset Berkley now has a record of 5-3, overall, and 3-3 in the SCC for the season.

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