In Sandwich, the beat goes on for revered coach and her unbeaten field hockey team

“Sadie’s family had three siblings, and I coached all of them,” Beaton said, recalling Clarkin’s older sisters, Lily and Zoe. “There is always that one kid where you say, ‘Oh gosh, I can’t not coach them in their senior year.’ ”

So for Sadie Clarkin and the rest of the seniors, Beaton let that annual thought to leave the sidelines dissipate. She’s glad she did.

On Saturday, Sandwich did something they had not done in Beaton’s tenure, which dates back to 1999: beat three-time defending Division 1 champion Walpole, which it did 3-0.

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“Having coached as long as I have, I had never beaten or tied them until last year when we tied them,” Beaton said. “Then this year, we beat them. So I feel bad because I do really like [Walpole coach Jen Quinn] and respect their program completely, but for us, that was just a huge win.”

Ranked No. 1 in Tuesday’s MIAA Division 3 power rankings, the 15-0-0 Blue Knights carry the top rating (4.6808) across all four divisions.

Field hockey success has been consistent at Sandwich, even before Beaton’s tenure; the Blue Knights have been a force since the mid-1980s. The introduction of the statewide tournament in 2021 did not change that.

A pair of stellar scorers, Quinn Jordan and Khloe Schultz, graduated. But Beaton’s system allows for smoother transitions with graduation departures.

“I have a big team,” Beaton said. “I’ll have a big practice squad. They’re practicing with me every single day. I feel like having them there, knowing who I am, knowing how I run a practice, knowing what my expectations are, really does help.”

Beaton sets high goals, whether it is with the field hockey program, or lacrosse in the spring.

“I think she is such a good coach because she’s hard on you,” said Clarkin, who is committed to Quinnipiac. “It’s because you know that she thinks that you can do better.

“Personally, I’d like to be told what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve. I think that sometimes it can be hard, but I think that you see that it works in how we win games.”

Each of her teams carve their own path.

“This team is very different [from last year’s],” Beaton said. “They’re very fiery and very fast. The athleticism is really high. They are very motivated.”

Clarkin, a midfielder, shares captain duties with forward Elisabeth Stutzman, the team’s leading scorer, and defender Bella DiGiacomo. The trio is pleased with how the Blue Knights have come together.

“I honestly don’t think we’ve ever looked like this before,” Clarkin said. “I think that even though it is a newer starting lineup, it honestly looks like we’ve been doing this for years.”

The Blue Knights are having fun, and so is Beaton. She loves coaching, and this year’s squad rewards that devotion.

“I love being around the kids, and I love all the little intricacies of coaching,” Beaton said. “The strategy, the scouting. It’s something that I enjoy doing and I’m doing OK at it, you know? Maybe if I wasn’t doing well, it might be easier for me to say I’m done. We still have fun and we’re still successful.”

▪ No. 1 in the Division 4 power rankings, Cohasset (12-2-0) is led by a senior class that has played together for four years. The Skippers kept it going with a 1-0 win over Notre Dame (Hingham) Monday, with senior captain Liv Appel tallying the lone goal.

Coach Laura Giuliano says the group is “very goal-oriented,” and the focus has been consistency “from the first whistle to the last,” and being efficient in front of the cage.

“They want to have the best season of their high school careers. That’s what really drives a team,” said Giuliano. “Our bench is also really deep and that’s what I think one of our successes this year has been.”

Senior captains Grace Kiernan and Libby Struzziero spearhead the attack, Appel plays both defense and offense “remarkably well” according to her coach, and Eva Harries is another senior leader on the field.

“The team is like a family. They play that way, they take care of each other that way and they teach each other in that way,” said Giuliano. “It’s critically important because we’re playing for the postseason and building for the next year.”

The players pass their skills and knowledge down to the younger ones through Cohasset’s long-running youth field hockey program now run by Natasha Misanko.

▪ Ipswich (11-2-1) continues to get its spark from junior midfielder Ava Poire. She scored the only goal in a 1-0 Monday win over Hamilton-Wenham (8-6-0) after she had a goal and two assists Friday in a 3-1 win over North Andover (6-4-4).

Thursday, Watertown at Belmont, 4:30 p.m. — The fifth-ranked Raiders head next door to Belmont, which dealt the Raiders their lone loss.

Thursday, Lincoln-Sudbury at Attleboro, 5 p.m. — L-S, No. 1 in the Divisoin 1 power rankings, journeys south for a stiff test against a solid Attleboro squad.

Friday, Uxbridge at Winchester, 6 p.m. — The reigning Division 3 champions continue their challenging nonleague schedule with a road trip to Winchester.

Monday, Canton at Dover-Sherborn, 4 p.m. — An intriguing nonleague matchup between two top 10 teams.

Monday, Milton at Walpole, 4 p.m. — The Porkers try to avenge their 2-1 loss at Milton on Oct. 7.

Correspondent Inaaya Omer contributed to this story.

From the source Kat Cornetta can be reached at [email protected].