Franklin High School Wraps Up Successful Fall Season, 3 Coaches Awarded

Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Athletic Director Karrah Ellis are pleased to share that, with 460 student-athletes participating, Franklin High School wrapped up its fall sports season with every team qualified for the MIAA state tournament and a chance to win a championship title.

Some of the highlights for the fall season at Franklin High School include the following:

• The Franklin High field hockey team finished the regular season as Hockomock Kelly-Rex Champions, advancing to the Elite 8 Round in the MIAA state tournament. 
• The volleyball team finished second place in the league and advanced to the Round of 8 in the MIAA state tournament.
• The Panthers cheer team went undefeated in all of its competitions, finishing the season as Hockomock League champions, MSAA South Regional champions and MSAA state champions.
• The varsity football team qualified for the MIAA state tournament as the No. 9 seed, playing in the Round of 16.
• The boys soccer team finished the season as Hockomock League Kelly-Rex division champions, advancing to the Elite 8 Round in the MIAA state tournament.
• The girls soccer team finished in second place in the Kelly-Rex division, advancing to the Round of 16 in the MIAA state tournament.
• The boys cross country team finished in second place in its league for regular season meets, and the team qualified for the MIAA Division 1 Championship Meet.
• The girls cross country team finished the season as Hockomock League Kelly-Rex Champions. The team also qualified for the MIAA Division 1 Championship Meet.
• The Unified basketball team played in the Special Olympics Jamboree held at Sharon High School to cap off the regular season. The team also hosted a special community night on Nov. 25, playing against another team composed of representatives from the Franklin Police Department, Franklin Fire Department, Franklin High School faculty and Unified alumni.
• The Franklin High golf team finished its regular season as Hockomock League Kelly-Rex co-champions, and the team qualified for the MIAA Division 1 state championship final.

Looking toward the winter, Franklin High is supporting a new sport: varsity level alpine skiing. Franklin participates in an “alpine ski co-op” with Nipmuc Regional High School. Practices and races will be held at Ward Hill in Shrewsbury. Participation in the co-op comes at no cost for Franklin High School.

FHS Sports: Fall 2024

“We are thrilled to be able to add a new sport and provide opportunities for our student-athletes,” said Athletic Director Karrah Ellis.

Franklin High School is also continuing to support girls ice hockey, as critically low participation rates currently challenge the program. There are currently only 15 student-athletes on the girls ice hockey team at Franklin High. However, the team is seeking additional players, including a group of eighth graders that will soon be added to alleviate the problem, as permitted through a waiver filed with the MIAA District Athletic Committee by the school.

“Unfortunately, as is the trend across the state, numbers for girls ice hockey are down significantly,” Athletic Director Ellis said. “Those numbers are critically low safety wise in Franklin, but the addition of eighth graders will alleviate that issue.” 

In addition to the regular season success of all its teams, three Franklin High School coaches were named Coach of the Year for 2023 through 2024 for their respective sports by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The Coach of the Year award recipients, who were recognized during an MIAA banquet on Dec. 11, include CJ Neely, head coach of the boys varsity basketball team, Lisa Burger, head coach of the Unified track team, and Jess Pridham, former coach of the boys and girls swim team.

Superintendent Giguere congratulated these coaches and all the student-athletes for their victories in fall 2024, while wishing Franklin High School’s winter sports athletes a safe, successful season ahead.

“Thank you to Athletic Director Karrah Ellis and all of our coaches who do so much work behind the scenes to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to succeed,” Superintendent Giguere said. “Thank you to all of the families, faculty, community members and student athletes that helped make this fall a successful season for all of our teams at Franklin High School.”

Franklin Public Schools Appoints Todd Kiley as New Head Varsity Football Coach

Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Athletic Director Karrah Ellis are pleased to share that Todd Kiley has been appointed as Franklin Public School's new head varsity football coach.

Kiley comes to Franklin from Holliston Public Schools where he served as head football coach for Holliston High School and currently serves as a physical education teacher for Sam Placentino Elementary School and Miller Elementary School in Holliston.

Kiley has served as head coach of the Holliston High School football team for the past 21 seasons, during which time he led teams to state championships in 2010, 2014 and 2015.

Additional coaching roles for Kiley included junior varsity basketball coach for Natick Public Schools, junior varsity baseball coach for Holliston Public Schools, and head coach of Holliston Youth Football.

He has been recognized with various Coach of the Year honors by the MIAA, the NFHS, the Metrowest Daily News, the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald. 

Kiley holds a bachelor's degree in movement science from Westfield State College and a Master's of Education from Cambridge College. 

"Coach Kiley brings a wealth of football experience and knowledge to Franklin," said Athletic Director Ellis. "We are excited to welcome him to the district and see him work alongside our staff and students as he coaches our team this upcoming season."

Franklin Public Schools Appoints Todd Kiley as New Head Varsity Football Coach

Franklin Public Schools Appoints New Girls' Varsity Volleyball Coach and New Boys' Varsity Soccer Coach

Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Athletic Director Karrah Ellis are pleased to share that Emily Carens has been appointed as the new Girls Varsity Volleyball coach and Nick Goldman has been appointed as the new Boys Varsity Soccer coach.

“We are so excited to have Coach Goldman and Coach Carens as part of Franklin Athletics," said Director Ellis. "Both Emily and Nick bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our varsity teams. We are looking forward to a great season ahead."

Emily Carens

Emily Carens - Varsity Girls' Volleyball Coach

Carens has been a member of the FHS Volleyball staff for the past two seasons. She played four years of women's volleyball at Worcester State University where she was a two-time captain and a three-time MASCAC Volleyball 1st Team All-Conference player.

Nick Goldman

Nick Goldman - Varsity Boys' Soccer Coach

Goldman served as Head Coach of the Nipmuc Regional High School Varsity Boys Soccer Team for the past two seasons and for the nine years prior he was a member of the Franklin Boys Soccer coaching staff. Goldman played four years of men's soccer at Endicott College.

Franklin High School Names Jodi Klein Head Varsity Girls’ Soccer Coach

Franklin High School is proud to announce the appointment of Jodi Klein as the new coach for the Varsity Girls’ Soccer team. Coach Klein has been a part of the FHS athletic program since Fall of 2018. She has since served as the Freshman Coach, the Junior Varsity Coach, and one year as the interim Varsity Coach. Additionally, Coach Klein is employed as a physical therapist for Franklin Public Schools.

Jodi Klein

Coach Klein is a former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 collegiate athlete, playing four years of Women’s Soccer at Stony Brook University.  She is also a former New England Club Soccer League Head Coach, and U.S. Soccer Federation C Licensed. 

“We are excited to have Coach Klein step into this new role and lead our Girls’ Soccer Program!” said Karrah Ellis, Director of Athletics at Franklin High School.

Coach Klein is “excited and honored to be given the opportunity to lead the Franklin High School Girls' Soccer program.” thanks “Coach Geysen for his career-long commitment to this program and for building us such a strong foundation" as she looks towards leading the team in this new chapter.

New K-12 Art Director & FHS Athletic Director announced

Franklin Public Schools (FPS) and Franklin High School (FHS) are thrilled to announce the appointment of two most recently vetted and signed directors for our Art and Athletic Department.  Please join us in welcoming Adam Gooder and Karrah Ellis as members of our leadership team.

Adam is a highly qualified visual arts educator, currently teaching full time at Concord-Carlisle High School since 2012. Before that, he taught film at the college level for fifteen years. Adam created the Filmmaking and Digital Photography programs at CCHS, which include both Introductory and Advanced curricula, guest speakers, field trips, a yearly film festival and gallery shows.  Adam earned his undergraduate degree from New York University and earned master's degrees from both Lesley University and Simmons College.  

Karrah has been an educator for twenty-one years, beginning her career as an English teacher and coach at Grafton High School in 2001. Karrah transitioned to the role of athletic administrator and physical education teacher in 2007, and for the past 15 years has served student-athletes of Grafton, Algonquin, and Tantasqua Regional High School.  A focus for Karrah has always been the growth of the leadership skills of her student-athletes and as such she has developed numerous leadership summits to develop their skills.  Karrah has also created a curriculum for coaches on the social and emotional needs of student-athletes.  Karrah has many times been recognized by her peers; awarded State Athletic Director of Year as well as the prestigious State Award of Merit.  Karrah earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and her Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Worcester State University.

About the Franklin Public School District:

The Franklin Public School District strives to nurture a safe, supportive, inclusive and collaborative learning environment in each of our 10 schools. We believe in providing an engaging and rigorous curriculum with exemplary instructional practices that will support and challenge students to reach their full potential through personalized learning opportunities. Our goal is to develop the necessary social-emotional, academic, and career skills for each Franklin student, so that they will be a productive citizen in an ever-changing world.

 

FHS Panthers

Tri-County AD, Sara Martin, was recognized with the Theodore “Ted” Damko award by the Massachusetts’ Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Associations (MSSADA)

Over five years ago, Sara Martin accepted the position of Athletic Director (AD) at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School. Martin has been a history teacher for more than 20 years at Tri-County and coached girls soccer, girls basketball, and track and field before her AD appointment.

Martin’s passion and dedication is being recognized as she has been selected for the Theodore “Ted” Damko Award from the Massachusetts’ Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Associations (MSSADA). This award is presented annually to an athletic administrator with 3-5 years of experience who has exemplified the highest standards of their profession and has made significant contributions to their school and community. “Sara is a dedicated and passionate Athletic Director. She is constantly supporting and cheering on our athletes. She is engaged with our athletes during and outside of games, always committed to their well-being. As a coach, I appreciate her support during the seasons, she makes sure that we always have what we need. She is always brainstorming new ideas to bring in culture to our athletic program. The athletes appreciate her support of them!” says Julie Caffrey, coach and Special Education teacher.

Martin was a three-sport athlete at North Smithfield High School in Rhode Island and a graduate of Providence College. Her dedication to the students’ well-being both on and off the field speaks volumes about her character. She feels that education and sports go hand-and-hand. “Sports are an extension of the classroom. The things that students are learning in the classroom, they can take with them out on the field,” remarks Martin.

One of the biggest challenges Martin has faced is the uncertainty of the pandemic. With games being canceled and attendance restricted, Martin and Tri-County coaches had to adapt and meet the challenge with passion. “Kids aren’t going to remember the scores, wins and losses. They are going to remember the memories that they make with their teammates,” Martin says. This mindset helped the Athletic Department persevere, so the students could continue participating in the activities they love.

“Sara is unafraid to try new things in order to create opportunities for our teams. She communicates in an organized and professional manner. All of the coaches and Sara share a common vision- centered around the success and development of our student athletes. Put simply, Sara is certainly deserving of all of the accolades she receives,” remarked Steven LaPlante, coach and English teacher.

“I’d like to recognize the herculean efforts of my coaching staff before, during, and after the pandemic. They have worked tirelessly to keep kids engaged over the last two years. The amount of time and energy they invest in their athletes and helping them be the best versions of themselves goes unrecognized. They embody the values of the Tri-County Community and the mission of the Athletic Department,” commented Martin.

We extend our congratulations to Martin and wishes for continued success both on and off the field.

 

Tri-County AD, Sara Martin, was  recognized with the Theodore “Ted” Damko award by the Massachusetts’ Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Associations (MSSADA)

FHS Athletic Director Tom Angelo & All about FHS sports - 12/09/21 (audio)

FM #677 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 677 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Franklin High School Athletic Director Tom Angelo. We had our conversation in person at FHS. The office was mostly quiet although you’ll catch the bell to change classes during our session.

We talk about: 

• How Tom got to FHS in 2016

• Program insights including the development of the Unified teams

• Credit goes to the coaches, the student athletes, and the community

• Shout outs to HockomockSports.com and Franklin TV for coverage of the sports

• Special shout outs to Trainer Jen (Jen Edmunds) and Athletics Secretary Susan Jacobson

• Retirement at end of school year and how Tom will keep busy 

Links to the key references are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 47 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Tom Angelo

** Audio file ->  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-677-fhs-athletic-director-tom-angelo-all-about-fhs-sports-12-09-21

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FHS Athletics link ->   https://www.franklinps.net/franklin-high-school/athletics-department 

 

FHS Athletics Twitter account ->  https://twitter.com/FHSSports 

FHS sports twitter listing -> https://twitter.com/i/lists/823290154886512641 

 

HockomockSports.com web page -> https://hockomocksports.com/ 

Franklin TV - event streaming ->  https://franklintv.vod.castus.tv/vod/?nav=live%2Fch2 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

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The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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FHS Athletic Director Tom Angelo & All about FHS sports