The final score

Four graduating seniors recall sports as high point of their high school years

Tears welled up behind the black-rimmed glasses of Weymouth High senior Hilary Finnegan before she could leave the outfield. That night the Wildcats nearly beat Braintree, the area's top softball team, only to lose in the last inning of the last game of the season.

For Finnegan it was the final game of her high school career. The emotions took her by surprise. It didn't matter that she was more likely to warm up her teammates than play. Or that Weymouth won four games all season. After five years in the program, Finnegan realized softball provided her with the ultimate high school experience.

Throughout the area, seniors have played the last high school game. While some will go on to play in college, for many, this season was their last in a competitive environment. Four seniors, not playing in college next year, were asked to share the stories of their high school athletic experience.

"It's the feeling of being a part of something and knowing it's not about you; it's about the team as a whole," said Finnegan. "What you do isn't for yourself, it's for the team. There's nowhere else you can get that feeling. The feeling of being part of something that is a lot bigger than you. You can't be selfish in a setting like that, and it kind of humbles you."

Softball was Finnegan's introduction to high school athletics. She also played saxophone in the marching and jazz bands and acted in productions like "High School Musical" in the school's drama program. And year after year she saved the spring for softball.

Finnegan will tell you she wasn't the best player on the team. Her only varsity season meant less playing time.

"It didn't matter that I wasn't playing as much this year," said Finnegan, who will study nursing at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. "I wanted to be part of it. I couldn't walk away my last year."

When Finnegan wasn't playing she taught herself how to keep score, bugging coach Kate Daley with questions after each play. She warmed up outfielders before games and returned to keep those on the bench laughing.

"She's the MVP that doesn't bat third or play shortstop," Daley said. "She is the glue that pulls us together."

CARLOS ALMONTE
Blue Hills Regional baseball

Carlos Almonte hadn't played organized baseball since middle school. Yet his senior year, he tried out for the Blue Hills Regional team in Canton.

The Randolph resident earned a starting outfield spot and the respect of his teammates.

"The kids liked him so much they made him a captain," Blue Hills coach Al Dellorco said. "He's a great hustler, and a great kid who does what you tell him to do."

For his senior year, Almonte had to make a choice - he needed a job to pay for his car and all its incidentals. So he would have to work either in the winter or spring. He chose the winter and put all of his efforts into baseball season.

Baseball ended with Blue Hills falling short of qualifying for the tournament, but Almonte said he enjoyed every minute with his teammates.

"It's the feeling of being on a team and playing with others and showing them what you have," Almonte said. "When you win, you have that sensation that you want to keep doing it. That's why people play sports."

Almonte will attend community college in the fall, studying radiology. While at Blue Hills, he became a certified nursing assistant and obtained his EKG certification. He earned numerous honors in his senior year, all the while balancing his academics with athletics.

Of all the moments in his senior year playing baseball, Almonte said he will remember the bus trips.

"It was fun going to away games," he said. "Basically, that's what I will miss the most. On the bus rides we had fun, we talked about things that happened at school and sports."

KATY HOLT
Pembroke girls' track and field

Katy Holt gave up her graduation day for the Pembroke girls' track-and-field team. While her classmates were crossing the stage and receiving diplomas, Holt was throwing the javelin in the Division 4 meet at Seekonk High.

Holt finished second, contributing valuable points to Pembroke's first state title in the school's four years of existence.

"It was worth it to help my team win the state championship for the first time," she said.

At a School Committee meeting, Holt and James Hutchinson, a member of the boys' track-and-field team, were dressed in their caps and gowns and presented with their diplomas.

Holt told her parents she wanted to be at the meet for her team instead of the graduation; they approved as long as she agreed to believe in the decision no matter the result.

Pembroke coach Greg Zopatti said Holt showed leadership in the spring and was a major contributor, winning nearly every dual meet.

"She's just the heart of our team," Zopatti said. "She's the loudest kid and the one cheering for everybody. If someone has a tough day, she is the first one to give them a hug."

Holt also ran cross country and played basketball at Pembroke, but with each meet this spring she could sense the end of her high school career. Before the all-state meet last weekend, Holt said, "I'm really starting to get into track and now there's nothing left. I'm going to practice, I can warm up, I keep wanting to go running and work out in the weight room. I just keep thinking, 'I can't be done yet.' "

In college, Holt may not play sports but the competitive atmosphere will stick with her as she attends Massassoit Community College, where she plans to study sports management.

MIKE NOTARANGELO
Norwood boys' lacrosse

There's always next year until it's your senior year. Mike Notarangelo played attack for the Norwood boys' lacrosse team this spring and was elected captain. A three-sport athlete, Notarangelo and his Norwood teammates put together a season that carried them into the Division 2 state tournament with a 15-5 record.

Norwood won its first-round game, but lost to third-seeded North Andover, 8-4, in the second. The moment the game ended, Notarangelo wasn't thinking about his career as much as the season.

"It was a hard-fought game and much closer than people thought it would be," he said. "I was fine going out like that, if I had to lose the game, I could take going out like that."

When Notarangelo reached high school he knew he would play sports. He ran cross country because his hockey teammates used the sport to get in shape for the winter season. In the spring, he chose lacrosse over baseball.

Norwood coach Tom DeMaio said Notarangelo displayed the ideal traits of a teammate and was well-liked by his team this spring. The school honored Notarangelo with its sportsmanship award at the end of the year.

"It was an honor to get it and just to see that other people thought that I was a good sport and helped other people," he said. "I tried to be a good teammate."

Academically, he graduated 23d out of a class of more than 200 and will attend Northeastern in the fall.

Notarangelo said he wouldn't have changed anything about his athletic experiences.

"The whole competitiveness of sports and the team atmosphere made it all one of the most enjoyable parts of high school," he said.

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.