Old Colony Archives
Old Colony sets surprising standard for success in the area
By Buddy Thomas, Standard-Times Senior Sports Editor
February 8, 1998
Question.
Which area team boasts the best regular-season record over the last two seasons?
I'll give you a hint.
The team competes in the Mayflower League, the coach's name is Buddy Perry and the school is located in the town of Rochester.
That's right. The area's winningest team since the start of the 1996-97 season is none other than Old Colony.
Heading into Tuesday's scheduled game at Tri-County, the Cougars have played a total of 36 regular-season games over the past two seasons and boast a record of 31-5.
Last season, Perry guided his team to the best record (16-4) in school history and went three games into the postseason tournament before losing to unbeaten and eventual Division 4 state champion Avon in the South Sectional Finals.
This season, Perry and company are on track to set a school standard after winning 15 of their first 16 games and have long-since clinched a fifth straight berth in the postseason classic.
Much of the credit for the Cougars' success goes to Perry, who endured a painfully long stretch of less than mediocre seasons before turning the program around in 1993-94. Over the last five seasons Old Colony has finished the regular season with a winning record and boasts a combined regular-season record of 67-31.
This year's team might be the most talented Perry has ever coached.
The starting unit is diverse, with two outstanding scorers in Thiago Leonor and Mark Teixeira (who, incidentally, could play for any team -- including New Bedford), a solid man in the middle and big rebounder in Ian Nielsen, a nice role player in Joey Hardin and solid ball-handler and outside shooter in either James Tagger or Mike Trahan, depending on which one Perry chooses to start.
Perry can comfortably go seven players deep, but 11 players have broken into the scoring column to date.
Of the remaining teams on the schedule, the Cougars already have beaten all four and should be looking at finishing with either a 19-1 or 18-2 regular-season record.