LOWELL, Mass. — Tears streamed down Caden Sullivan’s face when the final buzzer sounded, and continued as he embraced his teammates while they waited to receive the trophy. Moments later, as he stood in the locker room holding the trophy, the tears were evident from the red around his eyes.
For Franklin, this meant even more.
Powered by Sullivan’s legendary 31-point performance, the Panthers won their first state championship in program history in an instant classic 55-52 victory over Newton North, but that only began to tell the story of the emotion. This was about community, this was about winning for something bigger than themselves.
Two years ago, they tragically lost two classmates, Nick Gaspar and Anthony Gates, less than a month apart. The reminders continued this week. Two days before Sunday’s final, Franklin head coach CJ Neely got an email from someone who said his team was helping him get through his wife’s passing. At Saturday’s practice, Neely had a friend, Greg Walsh, talk to the team about how big of a fan his dad was, and what they meant to him.
