Stoughton High Athletics Recognized for Sportsmanship

Last Friday , its coaches, and student athletes were recognized for demonstrating “high standards of ethics and integrity” and “leadership by example.”

Stoughton High was honored at the 18th annual MIAA/MSSADA Sportsmanship Summit, held at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 18 as the District C Sportsmanship Award recipient.

Stoughton was one of just eight schools to receive this honor out of more than 370 schools statewide.

Ryan Donahue, Stoughton High’s Athletic Director, said the award was a “testament to the kids in the school.”

For the last three school years (’08-’09, ‘09’10, ’10-’11), Stoughton High has also received the Hockomock League Sportsmanship Award.

The Black Knights win and lose with class.

Stoughton actually received an assist from another Hockomock school—Foxboro—in winning the Division C award.

Foxboro High Principal Jeffrey Theodoss is on the District C committee and made a “strong push for Stoughton,” Donahue said.

SHS principal Matt Colantonio, varsity field hockey and ice hockey coach Dan Mark, and student athletes and , all seniors, joined Donahue at the Sportsmanship Summit.

Donahue said he invited Coach Mark and girls’ basketball and softball coach Janet Sullivan (who wasn’t able to attend) to represent SHS coaches at the event since they are both “huge advocates for sportsmanship.”

Donahue said he had a lot of qualified students from which to select, but said Quattrucci, Lopes and Colling—all multisport athletes—were “easy picks” to represent the school.

“All three have exemplified outstanding sportsmanship since my tenure [as Athletic Director] began,” he said.

“You can still be competitive, but be nice about it,” Quattrucci said.

Colling said Stoughton is “looked at as a respectable town.” 

Both the coaches and students participated in a number of breakout sessions while at the summit. One of the student sessions included a presentation from faculty and students at Andover High about a program that school runs called “The Warrior Way,” an outreach program that has the student athletes at that school volunteering in the community and building relationships with younger students.

It was something that piqued the interest of Lopes, who said she would be interested in doing something similar at Stoughton High.

Coach Mark said there is nothing more important than displaying good sportsmanship.

“Sports are supposed to teach you life lessons [and sportsmanship]—that’s the most important one,” he said.

MIAA District Athletic Sportsmanship Awards

• District A: Lowell High School
• District B: Reading Memorial High School
• District C: Stougthon High School
• District D: Old Rohester Regional High School
• District E: West Boylston Middle/High School
• District F: Monson High School
• District G: Mount Greylock Regional High School
• District H: Trinity Catholic High School