Dan Massar
With energy and enthusiasm, he has covered 79 Natick athletic events in the last four years
When the 15-year-old student volunteered to work for Natick's local cable television channel, the 72-year-old veteran announcer issued his marching orders: Show up at the hockey rink.
Al DelMonte, who had been broadcasting local sports games for years, figured he could give Dan Massar a break, and give himself one, too.
``Have you ever been to a high school hockey rink?" DelMonte asked in a recent interview. ``It's cold. Real cold. Dan showed up for one broadcast, and I told him he could do the games and I'll stay home. The rest is history."
Massar might have been given the hockey gig because he could endure bone-chilling temperatures, but he has since grown into a respected voice of all Natick High sports. He's been at the mike for 79 sporting events over the last four years and has hosted 61 episodes of a popular sports talk show that features interviews with Natick High athletes.
``If not for Dan, there would definitely be less games on TV," said Natick High athletic director Tom Lamb. ``I think the kids might be spoiled with how well the games are done and how much time high school sports is on Natick cable. Dan is a big reason for that."
DelMonte believes ``there is a faction of people who look for his talk shows" because Massar ``is knowledgeable and does a great job mixing high school and pro sports."
On the air, Massar is excitable and sometimes sarcastic. His commentary is peppered with ``wow " and ``outrageous, " and he has been known to mention classmates he spots in the crowd as part of his ``celebrity sightings."
It's not just show biz for Massar. He takes the job seriously.
``You have to do your homework before a broadcast," he said. ``I go online, check out stats, and talk to players before games."
Massar started dreaming of becoming a sports announcer when he was 10.
``I remember grabbing a tape recorder and making up games in my head and announcing them," he said of contests in which Michael Jordan would lead the Chicago Bulls against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks.
While he's yet to add the Bulls or the Knicks to his repertoire, Massar has broadcast Natick High baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and boys' and girls' volleyball.
The signature broadcast? That's easy. Massar was the play-by-play voice when Natick High won a Super Bowl last fall.
The most exciting? A state tournament boys' volleyball match in which Natick came back from a 2-0 deficit against Millis to nearly pull off an upset.
``The crowd was into it; everyone was excited," he said. ``It was a special moment."
The toughest broadcast? It was baseball, when the team was struggling and Massar tried hard to entertain by talking up the team's bright future.
DelMonte marveled at how Massar would play in junior varsity basketball games, change quickly, then race to the broadcast booth so he could announce varsity hoop contests.
Massar, who plans to study broadcast journalism at Emerson College in the fall, already has built a following. He said people stop him in town and in the halls of Natick High to chat about his broadcasts.
``Sports are an important part of Natick, and it's important to get games on TV," he said. ``I think it brings the community together in some ways."
Massar also enjoys the camaraderie he shares with fellow broadcasters, including Natick High students Greg Mercuri and Matt Lodi. He calls the late Johnny Most, a legendary broadcaster with the Boston Celtics, his idol. Massar said he enjoys ``getting excited about games," but cautions that ``it's important not to go over the top -- the game itself is most important, not the announcer."
DelMonte, who has watched Massar blossom, believes Natick will be proud of the young sports broadcaster in the future.
``The one thing I told him was to remember me when he makes the big time," he said. ``I'll be looking for tickets."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 