There were plenty of memorable moments among SouthCoast sports in 2024 from the youth level up to college and beyond.
From back-to-back state champions in basketball and a state-wide scoring record in football to a historic win at the Country Club of New Bedford’s Men’s Four-Ball and a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nomination, there were a lot of exciting sports news making headlines locally.
Here’s a look at the five biggest sports stories involving SouthCoast athletes, coaches and teams from the past year:
‘It means everything’:2024 Otto Graham Award winner took his program to another level
Season Preview:Breaking down the 2024-25 boys basketball season for SouthCoast’s nine teams
New Bedford resident Paul Debortoli became the first golfer to win four Country Club of New Bedford Four-Ball titles in the tournament’s 94-year history.
Debortoli and partner Dean Snell rallied to defeat Doug Glassman and Ryan Meggison to win 1 up on the 18th hole to capture their second CCNB Four-Ball championship together.
“This one was special,” said Debortoli, who also won two Four-Ball titles with Steve Rooney in 1995 and 2004. “This one feels really good just because I wanted to get to that fourth one. No one has won four. There were nine guys that had won three, and I was one of the nine, and now I have four.”
The underdog Bulldogs shocked everyone when they made a trip to the Div. 3 state championship with five different starters from the previous season when they had reached the Final Four.
In its first state final appearance in nine years, Old Rochester lost to Charlestown 61-40 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.
The Bulldogs reeled off 13 straight wins to capture the South Coast Conference Blue Division title and reach the Div. 3 state title game.
“They did things this year that not a lot of people expected them to, but I knew I had a good team,” said Old Rochester head coach Steve Carvalho. “It’s tough that we lost, but I’m proud of this team.”
It was a spring to remember for Apponequet sports as the Lakers reached the state semifinals for baseball and softball.
The softball team made its first state semifinal appearance in 25 years, but lost to Hudson 6-4 in the Final Four.
“Disappointed ultimately, but very proud of how we played this year,” said Apponequet head coach Nate Farrington. “I’m just incredibly proud of the way they played and how they played this year. The girls should be proud.”
The Lakers had won nine straight games and 17 of 18 to wrap up a share of the South Coast Conference Blue Division championship and reach the state semifinals.
Apponequet’s baseball team became just the second squad in the program’s 65-year history to reach a state semifinal and the first since 2011.
The Lakers lost to defending state champion Oakmont Regional 5-1 in the Div. 3 Final Four.
“It just didn’t work out for us today, but it doesn’t take anything away from this particular group as a team and how proud we are of them, especially our eight seniors,” said Apponequet head coach Cabucio, whose team won a share of the South Coast Conference Blue Division championship. “We’re extremely proud of them.”
Behind another record-breaking season by running back Justin Marques, the Blue Devils made a return trip to the Div. 6 state championship, but lost to Hudson 21-14 in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. Marques was sidelined for most of the title game with an injury.
“I’m glad our last game was up here,” said Fairhaven head coach Derek Almeida. “There are a lot of people in the state that are home watching. We got to play our last game here. I know you want to win it, but just to get the opportunity to come up here and play good football.”
Marques, the 2024 Otto Graham Award winner, became the state’s all-time career touchdown leader with 110 TDs after scoring a school-record 42 his senior year. Fairhaven beat Maynard, Lynnfield and Swampscott to get back to Gillette.
Led by three-time Standard-Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Ajay Lopes, the Vikings captured their second straight Div. 4 state championship, capping off a 23-3 regular season.
Lopes scored a game-high 25 points as Wareham beat rival Bourne 86-71 in the state final to become just the third SouthCoast boys basketball team to ever win back-to-back state titles. New Bedford High won two straight from 1992-93 to 1993-94 with current Wareham athletic director Ed Rodrigues as the head coach while Fairhaven captured back-to-back crowns between 1949-50 and 1950-51.
Wareham’s championship squad featured nine seniors.
“I feel like these kids have had a storybook,” said Wareham head coach Steve Faniel. “Every year is another chapter of a book. Every game is another chapter of a book. It wasn’t like it was instant success. They built and built and built until the last two years. They set out a goal.”
Lopes became the first boys basketball player from Wareham to ever win the Dave Cowens Award in its 35 years.
