Where Are They Now: Men’s Edition

By Jay Turner

Earlier this season, the Citizen highlighted some of the top female athletes from Canton who have made a name for themselves in their respective college programs. However, it’s not just the local ladies who are having success in their post-high school careers. A number of the town’s male athletes are also getting it done on the field this year, and several more are expected to play key roles for their teams in the upcoming winter season.

Ray Bass '09

On the college gridiron, at least three current players claim Canton roots, and one of them — Stonehill’s Ray Bass — has emerged as a defensive force at linebacker after two seasons in a reserve role.

A 2009 graduate of Canton High School, Bass had his best game in a Skyhawks uniform last week in a 35-7 victory over Saint Anselm, recording 10 tackles and two sacks to help his team retain the “Ol’ Bronze Hawk” trophy for the seventh straight year. The junior criminology major is now fourth on the team in tackles with 43, second in sacks with three, and second in tackles for a loss with eight.

Meanwhile, over at Endicott College, one of Bass’ former Bulldog teammates, Izzy Abraham, has enjoyed tremendous team success as a member of the 9-1 Gulls. A former All-Hockomock selection, Abraham (CHS ’08) is listed as a fullback but has contributed in various phases of the game, albeit in a limited role. His team is now headed to the Division III postseason after finishing second in the New England Football Conference (Boyd Division) behind Western New England.

Chris Tamasi '11 (Xaverian Bros.)

Also finding success at the D3 level this season was Canton native and Xaverian Brothers graduate Chris Tamasi, who played in five games for Amherst College. A freshman inside linebacker, Tamasi recorded eight tackles and a fumble recovery for the undefeated Lord Jeffs (7-0), who captured the New England Small College Athletic Conference title with a win last Saturday over Trinity College.

Staying in the same conference but switching to another sport, Canton’s Rob Donahoe, a sophomore at Middlebury College, had quite an impressive season for the Panthers’ golf team. A graduate of St. Sebastian’s in Needham, Donahoe finished first or second on the team in five out of six tournaments, including the recent Manhattanville/NYU Classic, where he finished fourth overall with a two-day total of 156. He also led the Panthers to a fifth-place finish at the 24-team Duke Nelson Invitational and a third-place finish at the 16-team Hamilton Fall Invitational, where he placed sixth out of 91 golfers with a score of 150.

Ramon Ambrosio '11

While Donahoe shined on the links this season, two other Canton athletes made their mark on the soccer field: Ramon Ambrosio (CHS ’11) at Bridgewater State University and David Corcoran (CHS ’10) at Bentley University. Both players were standouts for the Bulldogs, earning All-EMass and All-State honors while leading Canton to league titles.

Ambrosio was also the Bulldogs’ leading scorer during last season’s run to the state semifinals, and he made a smooth transition to Bridgewater this year, starting 11 games as a true freshman and finishing fourth on the team with five points.

Corcoran, meanwhile, saw playing time in seven contests as a member of the Bentley backfield, tallying one assist. A competitive program, the Falcons went 9-7-2 this season and made it to the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament before being eliminated by Southern New Hampshire.

Heading south to Rhode Island, another CHS alum, Matt Carney, is having a solid season as a member of the Roger Williams University men’s cross country team. Although his team struggled in the recent ECAC Championships on November 5, finishing 30^th overall, Carney was the Hawks’ top runner with a respectable time of 29:33.21. He also earned the eighth and final spot on the team for the upcoming New England Championships.

Bryan Rooney '09

Looking ahead to the winter season, all roads seem to be pointing to Easton, where a trio of hockey players have teamed up at Stonehill under the direction of CHS alum Pat Leahy (’94).

The team, which is off to a slow start at 0-3, features former Bulldog co-captains Bryan Rooney and Sean McNeil, who helped lead Canton to the state championship game in 2009. Rooney, a former Hock MVP, currently leads the Skyhawks with two goals. Last year, he finished second on the team with ten goals and earned a spot on the NE-10 Conference All-Rookie Team.

McNeil tallied two goals and two assists last season as a sophomore and is off to a strong start with one goal through three games.

Also joining Stonehill this season is Canton native Kevin Aufiero, a former three-sport athlete at Xaverian who graduated in 2010. Aufiero, who has one assist, played a year in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League where he helped lead the Walpole Express to a third-place finish at the national championships in Minnesota.

Dan Pendergast '08

Meanwhile, another Junior Hockey veteran, Chris Rooney, recently began his third season as a center for the Division 1 Providence College Friars. The son of former NHL player Steve Rooney, who won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens, Chris tied for sixth on the team in points last season with 12 and currently has one goal and one assist through the Friars’ first eight games (4-3-1).

Lastly, at least one former Bulldog, 2008 graduate Dan Pendergast, will represent Canton on the hardwood this season. A former three-sport captain at CHS, Pendergast was named co-captain of the Colby-Sawyer men’s basketball team, which kicks off its season this Saturday against Keene State.

Did we miss your collegiate accomplishments? Send us an email at submissions@thecantoncitizen.com.

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