New High School Football Playoff System Set for 2013 After MIAA Schools Approve Plan

Schools are broken into six divisions for high school football, starting in 2013, after a MIAA vote was taken Friday.

This could be the last year of regional champions in high school football after the MIAA member schools voted 161-131 in favor of a new playoff format, which would crown state champions, starting with the 2013 season, according to the Boston Herald. The plan was previously approved by the MIAA Football Committee and Tournament Management Committee, but needed a vote of approval from the general assembly, which took place Friday morning at Assabet Valley Regional in Marlboro. After two years of the pilot program, the plan will be reviewed. Highlights of the plan include: What it means locally: A copy of the MIAA proposal and a full breakdown of divisions are posted in the media galery.

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Softball Riding 3-Game Streak, Leads Herget Division

Pitcher Brooke Sheehan is shining once again in the circle.

  Softball (8-2, 5-2) April 26: Dedham 14, Framingham 2 (6 innings) Brooke Sheehan scattered two hits over 6 innings of work. She struck out 10 and earned the win. Sam Girard led the Marauders with three hits and three RBI. April 27: Dedham 11, Walpole 2 Brooke Sheehan gave up five hits and fanned eight batters en route to the win. Brianna Dozier knocked a two-run homer for Dedham and Meaghan Paton added a solo shot of her own. April 30: Dedham 8, Milton 2 Brooke Sheehan pitched 7 innings, striking out 13 and allowed 3 hits for the complete game win. Senior Emily Mosca went 4-for-4 at the plate. The three-game win streak has the Marauders atop the Herget Division standings. Baseball (2-8, 1-7) April 24: Framingham 8, Dedham 1 April 25: …

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Players 'Shocked' By First Girl's Lax Win Since 2009

Dedham girl's lacrosse players are out to change the perception of the team.

  It's all about attitude for the Dedham High School girl's lacrosse team - theirs and the school's. And the Marauders made a strong statement Saturday, beating North Quincy 15-3 for the team's first win since 2009. "It's going to carry into our next game. We're going to go in confident," said junior captain Jodi Munchbach. "Last year, we would go into a game expecting to lose. And now we know we can win." Winning her first game in a Dedham uniform, junior Haley Driscoll said the win felt unusual to her and the majority of the team. "It was unfamilar because it had never happened before," Driscoll said. For first-year coach Jessie Koffman, her first DHS win started her off on the right foot and boosted the team's confidence, she said. "…

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Get Out

5 Things to Do This Weekend: March 2-4

Escape to the Community House, catch high school playoff action and take the kids skating.

  It's Thursday, and you've got no idea what you'll do for the weekend. Dedham Patch is coming to the rescue.

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Dedham Boy's Basketball Clinches Tourney Berth

Dedham escapes Weston on the road and in overtime.

Needing one more win to clinch the Division III MIAA tournament, the Dedham High School boy's basketball team rode the hot hand of Rohit Kumar, (10 points) who sank six free throws in the extra session, which lifted the Marauders past the Weston Wildcats, 62-58. The win marks Dedham’s seventh of the season, as well as their second consecutive year of playoff basketball.    “I’m excited for our guys because they’ve worked hard, and now we’re going to try to improve our seed,” said Dedham head coach Mike Plansky.    “It feels good,” said Marauders forward Vinny Iarrobino, who turned in 17 points. “We’re in the playoffs now, and now we’ve got to get back to practice.” As for Weston, this was once again another learning opportunity for a team …

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Extra Point: Top Dedham Sports Stories of 2011

A look back at the top sports stories of the year.

Between changes at the top, runs for league titles and new homes, there was plenty of action on the field in the past year. Several Dedham High School teams made the postseason in the calendar year of 2011 - girl's soccer, softball, baseball and field hockey. And 2012 looks brighter after the athletic department at DHS implemented a hard-nosed summer conditioning program open to all athletes. Here are our top five sports stories of 2011: DHS Coaches Praise Conditioning Program Results New Football Tradition Starts at Dedham High School Flynn Set to 'Right the Ship' on Dedham Football Field Dedham 10s Win 2 Games, Repeat as Cal Ripken District Champs Dedham Soccer Advances to Semifinals on Penalty Kicks What do you think were the biggest …

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DHS Boy's Basketball Cruises Past Weston

Boy's hockey fell to Wellesley on Saturday.

The Dedham High School boy's baseketball team earned its first win under new coach Michael Plansky on Sunday evening against Weston. Dedham poured it on in the first half and marched out to a 43-12 halftime lead en route to a 73-54 win to improve to 1-1 on the season. Junior Jeremy Clifford led the Marauders in scoring for the second consecutive game with 27 points. Mike Ryan added 14 and Rohit Kumar scored 13. Dedham knocked down five 3-pointers in the first half to climb out to their large lead. Ben Walsh led the way defensively as the Marauders put the pressure on Weston, Plansky said. The Marauders will face Wellesley on Wednesday on the road. Boy's Hockey Narrowly Loses to Wellesley Sophomore defenseman Justin Nee put Dedham up early…

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Dedham Basketball Falls in Plansky's Coaching Debut

Needham pulled away late in the fourth to secure a Bay State win Friday evening.

Dedham High School athletic director Michael Plansky has taken the reins of the boy's basketball team, a small, but quick team that displayed their game plan Friday in a 60-49 loss to Needham at home. Planksy plans an uptempo style to push bigger, slower teams by implementing full-court press in an attempt to generate turnovers. "We're really going to try to fast-break and spread the floor," Plansky said in an interview this week. The Marauders are led by junior Jeremy Clifford - who poured in a team-high 19 points against the Rockets on Friday - and senior Rohit Kumar, who scored 15 on Friday, including nine in the fourth quarter. "We only have three or four guys that have varsity experience - so everything is new," Plansky said. After a …

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Late Push by Needham Lands Dedham in Loss Column

The DHS girl's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Friday evening.

With less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and Needham trailing by four points, junior co-captain Maddie Ganser, (10 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals) sank back-to-back shots, as well as two critical free-throws, which helped the Rockets hand the Dedham High School girl's basketball team its first loss of the season.   “We did a great job for 30 minutes, [but] we decided not to cover [Ganser] the last two minutes of the game,” said Dedham coach Don Savi.  “She [had] to work hard all game long,” said Needham coach Meagan Puopolo, when asked about Ganser’s last minute heroics. “She did a good job of [handling Dedham’s pressure].  The Rockets 48-42 win on Friday also marked Puopolo’s first official …

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Girl's Basketball, Hockey Notch Wins

Dedham beat Needham on the ice and the Marauders took care of Innovation Academy on the hardwood.

The Dedham High School girl's basketball team blew out its second opponent in as many games as they defeated Innovation Academy Charter School 50-28 on Wednesday evening. The Marauders received 10 points from senior Jenna Savi, her second consecutive double-digit scoring effort of the season, and nine points from junior Emily Hill. With a 35-11 halftime lead, Dedham spread the ball around in the second half as all 10 girls on the roster made it into the scoring column. Dedham travels to Needham Friday to open Bay State competition. High Scoring Hockey Propels Dedham The Dedham girl's hockey team improved to 2-0 in the Bay State and 3-0 overall Wednesday evening with a commanding 6-1 win over Needham. Sophomore Colleen Downing and freshman …

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