Sports

Foxborough's Top 10 Sports Moments of 2012

State tournament berths, division titles, personal records and a memorable football game made this year's best sports moments.

Editor’s note: This list is limited to Foxborough High Schol sports moments.

Athletic programs at Foxborough High School enjoyed plenty of success in 2012 as several teams qualified for postseason play, others won division titles and the Foxborough High School football team did something it hadn’t done in five years … beat Mansfield. With the year drawing to a close, Foxborough Patch looks back at the 10 best sports moments from Foxborough High School this year. 

Here is a look at Foxborough’s 10 best sports moments in 2012:

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10. Foxborough Voters Say ‘Yes’ to Turf Field Project

Foxborough is finally getting a turf field.

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This is not necessarily a sports moment but it should be mentioned because it is a big win for local athletics and the town’s youth in the coming years.

After years of planning, fundraising and volunteering, Turf's Up's proposal passed its final test on Dec. 11 at Special Town Meeting when 260 of 389 voters said "yes" to Article 6, effectively bringing a community turf field to Foxborough High School.

Turf's Up is a local committee comprised of volunteers and chaired by Foxborough resident and Board of Selectmen chair James DeVellis. The committee's vision for a turf field in Foxborough began four years ago and culminated when Article 6 passed Special Town Meeting, 260-129.

DeVellis says construction of the field will follow an “aggressive” timeline to have it completed sooner rather than later.

9. Foxborough Girls’ Volleyball Advances to MIAA D2 Central Quarterfinals

After starting the season 0-2, Foxborough rattled off eight wins over its next 10 matches and went on winning streaks of five and four matches to earn a MIAA Division 2 Central state tournament berth. The Warriors defeated Hudson, 3-0 in the first round of the state tourney before falling to unbeaten Canton in the quarterfinal round.

8. Foxborough Boys’ Lacrosse Wins Hockomock League Title

The Foxborough High School boys’ lacrosse team was the top team in the Hockomock League in 2012, earning both the league and Davenport Division titles enroute to a state tournament appearance. The Warriors defeated rival Mansfield, 8-1, in May to clinch the Hockomock League title.

7. Foxborough Boys’ Hockey Clinches Final State Tournament Seed

For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, the Foxborough High School boys’ hockey team made the state tournament in 2012, earning the 23rd and final seed. The team would lose to eventual state champion Medway but the season was deemed an overwhelming success. Thus far in 2012-13, the boys’ hockey team has compiled a 4-2-1 record with a big game against rival Mansfield coming up on Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. in Foxborough.

6. Boys’ Tennis Makes State Tournament for First Time in Recent Memory

The Foxborough High School boys’ tennis team went from a two-win season in 2011 to a state tournament team in 2012 with the foundation of young talent in place to improve in 2013. In the tournament, Foxborough knocked off Dedham in the Division 2 South Sectional preliminary round, 5-0, before being eliminated by the bracket’s number two seed, Hingham, 5-0 in the first round. The win over Dedham was Foxborough’s first tournament victory in recent memory.

5. Foxborough Girls’ Lacrosse Wins First Ever Davenport Division Title

The Foxborough High School girls’ lacrosse team reigned supreme in the Hockomock League Davenport Division in 2012 for the first time in the program’s history with a 12-9 victory over Canton in May.

4. Kiivone Howard Runs Fastest 300m in the Nation

Coming off a stellar fall season running the football, Foxborough High School senior Kiivone Howard began the 2012-13 indoor track season as the best 300m runner in the state.

On Dec. 15, in a Hockomock dual meet at Boston University against Stoughton, Howard clocked a time of 34.96 seconds in the 300m, which is currently the fastest indoor time in the nation and the second-fastest time in Massachusetts since 2007.

Last February, Howard won the Hockomock League title in the 300m with a time of 35.32.

3. Girls’ Tennis Falls Short of Unbeaten Season

The Foxborough High School girls’ tennis team won 20 straight matches in 2012 and appeared to be headed for a state championship before falling to Hopkinton, 3-2 in the MIAA Division 2 South Sectional finals. Despite the heart-breaking defeat that ended the Warriors’ hopes of a perfect season, the team enjoyed tremendous success throughout the year.

2. The Rise of Liz Holmes

A star was born in 2012 as Foxborough sophomore Liz Holmes emerged as one of the best track and cross country runners in the state. In her freshman year, Holmes won the indoor track Hockomock League title in the 1,000m run with a time of 3:04.12. In the spring, Holmes won the Hockomock League title in the mile with a time of 5:09.47 and won a state title in the MIAA Division 3 mile with a time of 5:03.

This past fall, Holmes won her first Hockomock League Cross Country with a time of 18:39.15, shattering the girls’ course record at Borderland State Park she set in September (18:54) by more than 15 seconds.

1. Foxborough Football Comes Back to Defeat Mansfield on Thanksgiving Day

It was a memorable Thanksgiving Day 2012 in Mansfield for the Foxborough High School football team as it snapped a five-game losing streak against its longtime rival.

After an ineffective first half put Foxborough in a 14-0 hole, the Warriors responded with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead with 9:54 left in the fourth quarter.

These Warriors chose to leave a lasting impression in the 82nd game of the Foxborough-Mansfield Thanksgiving Day series and perhaps one of the best non-playoff teams in the program’s history.

Foxborough’s Kiivone Howard was awarded the Vincent Igo MVP award for his outstanding play Thursday. Howard finishes the season with 23 rushing touchdowns.

The memorable victory was our top choice for Foxborough’s best sports moment in 2012.

What's your favorite moments? Tell us in the comments section below!


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