Canton Citizen Winter Athlete Salute

Ruairi Ritson capped his wrestling career with an impressive postseason medal haul.

The Canton Citizen is pleased to announce its 2023-24 winter all-star selections. The full list, complete with write-ups for each athlete, appears in the April 25 print edition as part of the Citizen’s annual winter sports wrap-up section.

Boys MVP

Ruairi Ritson (Wrestling)

A two-time winner of this award, Ritson capped his legendary high school wrestling career with a senior season for the ages, culminating with his first-ever trip to the New England Championships. While he didn’t place in his final meet, he collected plenty of hardware along the way, including a second straight sectional championship, a silver medal at both the Hockomock League and D2 state meets, and a fourth-place finish at the All-State Championships. He also captured the gold at three different regular season tournaments and finished his three-year career with an overall record of 50-8. “He’s one of Canton High’s all-time greats, and his leadership won’t ever be touched in my opinion,” said head coach Nick Matt.

Girls MVP

Katie Oliver (Indoor Track)

With apologies to Annie McLean and Izzy Cusack, Oliver earns the slight nod as girls MVP by virtue of her record-setting run to the New England Championships and her program-best performance in the state pentathlon. In her best event — the long jump — Oliver was not only crowned the Hockomock League champion; she then went on to twice break the team record in the event, placing third at the Division 3 Championships and fifth at the MIAA Meet of Champions. She also excelled in several other events, finishing tops on the team in total points while posting the third fastest 55m time and fourth fastest 55 hurdle time in program history. “She is a true testament that hard work and consistency pays off,” head coach Anna Amico said of Oliver.

Citizen All-Stars

Boys Hockey: Brendan Tourgee, Matt Anderson, Teddy Shuman, Patrick Drury

Girls Hockey: Izzy Cusack, Kate Budway, Kayleigh Koen, Devan Spinale

Boys Basketball: Jerry Predin, Zaza Francouer, Jamaal McConnell, Owen Lane

Girls Basketball: Fatima Sidibay, Mercia Kolokithas, Ava McCoole

Boys Swimming: Talis Veidis, Hunter Rice/Charlie Smith/Daniel Bui

Girls Swimming: Annie McLean, Keeley Harney, Atina Lee, Olivia Hickey

Wrestling: Ruairi Ritson*, Max Kupferman, Seamus Brown

Gymnastics: Jayda Proffitt, Abby Silvasy

Boys Track: Parker Allen, Luke Darling

Girls Track: Katie Oliver*, Nora Giannacopoulos, Lianna Camille

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