It’s the second to last Friday in March and the temperature is finally feeling at least a tad more spring like. It also means it’s time for another edition of Raider Friday Trivia. Today’s question is… what was the furthest boys lacrosse made it in the tournament under former coach Rocky Batty? Answer tomorrow!

As we enter our second to last day of spring sports previews we take a look today at the boys and girls spring track teams who are both coming off of very successful 2017 seasons. The boys finished last year a perfect 6-0 in the regular season, before finishing 5th at the all state meet. After a very successful last few seasons it should be another fun season to watch for the boys.

Similarly the girls also enjoyed an impressive 2017 season, finishing 5-1 in the regular season before finishing third at the state meet. Look for the girls to once again be right at the top of the conference and look for another high finish at the state level. Tomorrow we will round out our spring season previews with girls golf and boys volleyball.

It’s the second to last day of our winter sports season reviews as today we are taking a look at the gymnastics and wrestling seasons. The gymnastics team finished their season at 500 with a 4-4 record, before competition in the Bay State championships to end the year. The team had multiple individuals make it to the state level in the individual competition and will look to build on that momentum as they look to regain top spot in the conference next season.

Wrestling meanwhile bumped up their record quite a bit from previous seasons as they finished the year 5-10-1 earning a spot in the sectionals. They also had several successful individual seasons including Josh Cohen who ended up finishing third at the all state meet. Despite losing Cohen among others the team will look to continue their upswing in 2018-19.

On this 3rd day of spring sports previews we take a look at two teams that had a tremendous amount of success last year, the boys and girls tennis teams. The boys once again were on top of their game last year going 16-2 in the regular season and then defeating, Framingham, Barnstable, BC High, and Newton North to win the D1 South title before falling to Acton Boxborough in the state semifinals. This team is always at the top of the Bay State and D1 and this year should be no different.

The girls meanwhile went a perfect 16-0 last regular season, coming off a state title year in 2016, and made it through Bishop Feehan, North Attleborough, and Newton North before unfortunately falling to Sharon in the D1 South finals. Make no mistake though this years Raider team will look to use that loss as motivation as they’ll be gunning for their second title in three years! Stay tuned tomorrow as we’ll preview track and field!

As we continue our season reviews for the winter season we now take a look back at both the boys and girls indoor track seasons which saw both teams attain extremely impressive results especially at the state meet level. The boys team finished their regular season 4-2 before achieving a 7th place finish at the state meet. The team is always a contender at both the conference and state level and will look to do the same next season as well,

The girls season was about as perfect as you could ask for as the girls finished the regular season 7-0, followed by both a conference championship and an all state championship. Looking ahead to next year the girls will be in prime position to defend their title!

On day 2 of our spring sports previews, we take a look at the boys and girls lacrosse teams who are always contenders in the always tough Bay State Conference and D1 South. The boys will be entering a new chapter this year as Jim Connolly takes over as head coach for Rocky Batty and will be guiding a Raider team who finished 13-5 a year ago and defeated Mansfield in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Duxbury in the quarterfinals. As I said though this Raider team is always a contender and it should be no different this year.

Girls lacrosse also finished 13-5 a year ago and advanced to the south semifinals after wins over Milton and Braintree, before falling to eventual state champion Needham. The girls will once again to look to battle for a top spot in both league and tournament play and should be a tough out for any opponent once again this year. Stay tuned tomorrow as we look at both tennis teams.

On day 2 of our winter season reviews we take a look back at both the boys and girls basketball teams who once again tasted postseason play in 2017-18. The boys team finished out their regular season 14-6 earning a trip to BC High in the first round of the D1 South sectional where unfortunately their run came to an end as they fell to the Eagles 54-42. Despite the early exit this year the team will be looking next year to once again make a run at both the Herget and D1 crowns despite losing some key talent to graduation.

Girls basketball meanwhile finished their regular season 15-5 and earned the 6 seed in D1 South. After a home first round win over Whitman Hanson, the girls faced an always talented Mansfield squad in the quarterfinals and despite leading at halftime came up a bit short falling 48-35 to the Hornets. With the likes of Gianna Palli and Brooke Guiffre returning next season look for the Raiders to be right back in the thick of things in the Herget and D1 South.

With the winter season concluded it’s time now to turn our attention to the spring season as practices got underway today despite the snow on the ground. First off in our week of spring sports previews we take a look at baseball and softball who both have different expectations entering this new season. The baseball team is coming off of tremendous postseason run a year ago as after finishing the regular season 11-9 the team went on a cinderella run to their first ever state title appearance  before falling 5-1 to Taconic. With several key returners including D1 commit Henry Weycker the team is poised to be a favorite to contend in D1 once again.

Softball meanwhile is looking to finally get a taste of postseason play this spring after coming up short the past few seasons. Despite finishing 5-15 a year ago the Raiders did win their last 2 games which hopefully will give them momentum as they enter a new season. With a solid core coming back look for the Raiders to vie for that elusive postseason berth. Tomorrow we will preview both boys and girls lacrosse.

Fresh off girls hockey’s state title glory yesterday, what a fitting way to kick off a week of winter season reviews with both the girls and boys hockey teams. The girls skated to a 15-2-3 regular season record and yet another Herget Division crown and then wen through Winchester, Norwell, and Algonquin before finally pulling out a 1-0 victory over Canton to take home the title at TD Garden for the first time since 2006! The Raiders should be among the favorites to repeat next season with Liddy Schultz back in net, and the likes of McKenzie ONeil and Bliss Vernon returning as well.

The boys meanwhile captured a Herget crown of their own going 15-2-2 in the regular season and knocking off Framingham 4-3 in the first round of the D1 South sectional before unfortunately falling to Xaverian 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The boys however will also be favorites in the Herget and D1 South next year as they return Andrew Hubbard in net among others.

Spring sports season officially gets underway today, and girls hockey is still basking in the glow of their state title from yesterday. It also is Monday which means another edition of Monday Poll. Today’s poll question is…will a Raider spring sports team win a sectional or state championship this season? Comment with your answers!