On the final drive of Saturday’s game with Tabor Academy, Lawrence Academy coach Jason Swepson took the advice of his offensive line.

Instead of breaking a late tie with a field goal, the Spartans went for a touchdown, and got it, to earn a 28-21 win between two Independent School League unbeatens.

With the win, Lawrence Academy stays perfect with a 6-0 record, while Tabor drops to 5-1. Both are in good position to make a NEPSAC bowl game.

That final drive started at the Lawrence 35-yard line with 3:23 to go. Lawrence had been mounting long drives all game.

“Perfect amount (of time), because we have a kicker (Rollin Hughes),” Swepson said. “We’ve just got to get in field-goal range. We got into field-goal range, and then the o-line said, ‘We want to score a touchdown.’ I was playing for a field goal. O-line said, ‘Hell no, let’s score a touchdown.’ Credit to them.”

The 10-play drive featured eight runs, capped by a 2-yarder from Jordan Johnson, who finished with 59 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Michael Landolfi added 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also completed 16 of 22 passes for 159 yards.

“He’s one of the better players I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around some great ones, with Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Hasselbeck,” Swepson said. “You go right down the line, and this kid is with them with composure, leadership skills. Bottom line is he’s a winner. Colleges need to recognize that. He’s a winner.”

“There could have been a minute left, I feel confident in my guys that we can go down there and score,” Landolfi said. “The o-line played really well. This was like a turning point for them. Tabor Academy, that’s a completely different team from last year. Oh, my goodness! They’re really well coached. They’re a really good team. They’ll be good. But, yeah, full confidence in my guys. There could be 30 seconds on the clock, I’ll feel comfortable. The way we can burn the clock, that really helped, too.”

After Johnson’s touchdown, Tabor only had 11 seconds to answer, and the Spartans stopped the final drive.

Lawrence opened the game with a 14-play drive that ended in a 32-yard field goal from Hughes.

Tabor answered with the sensational Hugo Djeumeni on a 55-yard touchdown run. Djeumeni finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

Landolfi ran in a 4-yarder and a two-point conversion late in the second quarter, but Tabor answered. Quarterback Timothy Bengston scored from a yard out just before the half after a perfect hook and ladder to receiver Kaiden Drinkwater and Djeumeni netted 39 yards as the Seawolves took a 14-11 lead.

Another Hughes field goal, again from 32 yards out, tied it up in the third quarter. After the Lawrence defense made a stop, Darnell Cicero-Bronson rumbled for a 22-yard touchdown over the left end.

Djeumeni struck again, this time from five yards out with 3:29 left, but that was too much time for Lawrence.

But the Scarlet Hawks still have a healthy Nick Araujo, and that can be plenty.

Behind another monster effort from Araujo and a smothering defense, Milford rolled to a 24-0 win over Franklin on Friday night.

Milford (7-1) projects as a high seed in the D3 playoffs. Franklin falls to 5-3.

“It’s obvious, we’re down some kids right now,” Milford coach Dale Olson said. “Lost a couple kids for the year, starters. Hopefully, we’ll get one back if we make a little run. Nick’s a heck of a player. We gave him 16 touches in the first half, only gave him one that was on purpose in the second half. Defense was lights out tonight. Not too often that an (coach) Eian Bain Franklin team gets shut out, so I’m really proud of our kids tonight.”

Araujo had 165 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He was also 3-for-3 on extra points, and drilled a 39-yard field goal. He missed a later one from 46, but it was an otherwise flawless performance from the senior who can do a little bit of everything.

“A lot of dudes stepped up,” Araujo said. “We have a sophomore starting at outside ‘backer (Joey McGee), and he had a huge pick to turn things around in the third (quarter).”

Anthony Maietta had two interceptions for Milford, which scored on its first possession and never looked back. Quarterback Jack Buckley threw for 76 yards and rushed for another 52.

It took only five plays for Milford to drive 60 yards and score on the game’s first possession. Araujo blasted right up the middle for a 41-yard touchdown, and Milford held a 7-0 lead just 1:28 into the contest.

Early in the second quarter, Buckley kept it for a 1-yard touchdown, and the Scarlet Hawks held a 14-0 lead with 8:20 left in the half. At the end of a 13-play drive, Araujo hit his 39-yard field goal, and Milford went into the break with a 17-0 lead. After McGee’s pick and 35-yard return, Araujo scored from a yard out to help complete the scoring.

Franklin’s Andrew Fraulo rushed for 55 yards for the visitors.

“There’s going to be no letdown between Milford and Franklin, I can promise you that,” Olson said on the possibility of a letdown following the KP loss. “This dates back a long time. Like I said, I’m just proud of our kids. It’s a good way to get ready for the playoffs. We’ll wait until Sunday, Monday, whenever they tell us who we’re playing. We’ll be ready for the Division 3 playoffs, that’s for sure.”

“Oh my God, yes. The running joke right now is, I always tell guys is if something’s going wrong, or you’re struggling, or something in school happens, just think: what would Christian do?” Flores said. “Usually if you do that, you’re going to end up in the right situation. I’ve used that a couple times myself. What would Christian do here, you know what I mean? He (has a) very cool demeanor. I can be a little hot sometimes when things go wrong. Sometimes, just, what would this kid do?”

“He actually has used that once,” Zamor said. “We were at a dinner with the guys, and he mentioned that. Yeah, I appreciate coach, and we have a great relationship. I strive to be the best person that I can be, and I appreciate the way that he supports me, and acknowledges the things that I do.”

On the field or off, Zamor has been a positive influence for Everett his whole career. One of the state’s top recruits, Zamor is committed to continue his career at Boston College, where his brother, Ish, is a wide receiver.

Pegging a position for Christian is a little bit more difficult. Over the course of his time with Everett, Zamor has played running back, wide receiver, safety, and outside linebacker. He will likely play defense at the next level. This season, Zamor has made nine receptions for 248 yards and five touchdowns, and has carried the ball 16 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns.

He is the type of player who puts himself in a position to succeed with how he prepares each week.

“I love watching film,” the 6-2, 195-pound Zamor said. “I don’t know, I really enjoy it. I really love math, so when things click and I’m able to see how things work … I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just a great experience. I love being able to understand the game at that level.”

“He understands the offense a little bit better than some people do, I feel like on their own offense, sometimes,” said Flores, who is in his first year at Everett. “He understands route combinations. He understands watching the o-line, where they’re going, what that means for him. He’s a very cerebral player. He studies a lot, too. He studies in the books at school, but he studies film unlike any of these guys out here. I think that’s where his real advantage comes in, and why he’ll be so good at the next level, too.”

In school, Zamor excels. In addition to math, he likes science, and takes that part of his life seriously. He also values the role his Christian faith has, and has designs on being a pastor someday.

“My faith is everything,” Zamor said. “My faith in Jesus Christ is everything. It’s how I live my life, whether it’s here playing football, or in school. I strive to do everything to the best of my ability for the glory of God, and it’s a standard that I live by.”

It has worked out well for him. Now Zamor finds himself the next in line of a long tradition of great Everett players. As the Crimson Tide stand at 6-1 heading into Friday night’s game with Lynn Classical, Zamor and his teammates hope to improve on a power ranking that just sits at No. 16 in D1. It is just another opportunity for Zamor to etch his name with the other Tide greats.

“It’s amazing. It’s awesome,” Zamor said of playing for Everett. “There are great expectations here. I think that there’s a mindset of excellence. I think being able to be here, the history itself, it pushes you because you want to uphold that history. You want to uphold the atmosphere and reputation that Everett has.”

NAME: Christian Zamor

SCHOOL: Everett

AGE: 18

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2, 195

POSITION: WR/LB/DB

NICKNAME: Chris

FAMILY: Pierre (father), Marie (mom), Ish (brother), Jerol (brother)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Scholarship to Boston College, All-Scholastic last year, All-State last year

FAVORITE PERSONAL MOMENT IN SPORTS: Win over BC High

FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Math

LEAST FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Computers

FAVORITE PIGOUT FOOD: Haitian food

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Friday Night Lights

FAVORITE MOVIE: Black Panther

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Maverick City

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Madden

FAVORITE SMARTPHONE APP: Instagram

FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Patriots

FAVORITE ATHLETE:  Julio Jones

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A GAME: Get locked in to zone, listen to music get mind right

CAREER AMBITIONS:  Be a pastor

On Saturday, St. Pierre had to like the answer he received on that.

St. John’s Prep ran the ball well and stopped the run in a 19-8 victory over Catholic Memorial in a steady downpour.

This was the first loss by the Knights (4-2) to a Massachusetts team since a defeat to the Prep (7-0) in the 2019 D1 state title game at Gillette.

“I thought our lines, both sides of the ball, dominated the game,” St. Pierre said. “Against that group, against the size they have, the injuries. We started a freshman right guard today: Cayden Blanchette. He just turned 14 this summer, I think. Proud of our guys, that’s all I can say. Our lines won the day. I believe, the coaching staff, we believe in the trenches and winning up front … I thought we won the trenches on both sides.”

It was an accurate assessment. The Prep rushed for 306 yards. The leading ground gainers were running back Cam LaGrassa, who had 254 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and Wildcat quarterback Jimmy Nardone, who rushed for 41 yards.

All this while Prep lost top back Dylan Aliberti to a leg injury in the first quarter.

Catholic Memorial was limited to less than 50 yards rushing, and never got anything consistent going on offense, although quarterback Peter Bourque passed for 202 yards, most of which came in the second half with the Knights playing from behind.

“This game proves a lot,” LaGrassa said. “We were working really hard all week throughout practice. A lot of people think that we weren’t really capable of doing what we did, so it was to build on that reputation.”

After a scoreless first half, Prep took over in the third quarter. LaGrassa rushed for a 43-yard gain to start, which helped set up Deacon Robillard’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Merrick Barlow on a ball that looked tipped. Nardone added the two-point rush on the conversion, and Prep led, 8-0, with 8:25 to go in the third.

CM punted on its next possession, and Prep faced a third and 7 from its own 25-yard line. LaGrassa took the handoff, and went right up the middle untouched for a 75-yard touchdown. Nardone ran it in again and the Prep held a 16-0 lead with 4:55 left in the quarter.

The Knights battled back, as Bourque hit Isaiah Faublas for an 80-yard touchdown over the middle. Another Bourque pass, this time to Michael Hegarty, earned the two points, and CM trailed just 16-8.

CM’s DJ Overall fell on a Prep fumble early in the fourth quarter, but near midfield, the Knights turned it over on downs.

The Eagles sealed it with a 21-yard field goal from Langdon Laws to complete the scoring with less than two minutes to go.

“When you get turnovers in a game like this, we didn’t have any,” CM coach John DiBiaso said. “They had four. We didn’t take advantage. We did not take advantage of the opportunities. But, hey, they have a great team. They played hard. Brian’s a very good coach. They’re well prepared. We had trouble stopping their run.”

And the way it has been lately, that’s just how the host Warriors like it.

In a back-and-forth affair, King Philip provided the finishing touches in the second half of a 23-14 win.

With the victory, KP improves to 7-0, and Milford drops to 6-1, and the former clinches at least a share of the Hockomock League Kelley-Rex title with a 3-0 mark.

“It was nice to see everyone, in all things, contributing,” KP coach Brian Lee said.

True to form for KP, the Warriors came through with maybe their biggest plays on defense. Brandon Nicastro made two interceptions, including a pick six, and Hayden Schmitz made another in the first quarter.

Offensively, the running game again proved critical for the Warriors. Andrew Laplante rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Sophomore Tallan King had 52 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Laplante, over the last few weeks, has separated himself as the top back in the rotation that also includes Aidan Astorino.

“You just need that dude,” Lee said. “(Laplante)’s not playing a lot of defense for us right now. . . . It was just nice to see, he’s kind of becoming the guy, the number one guy. And then everybody else can split those carries after that. Having someone that you know what you’re getting and that stability, is nice.”

Nicastro’s pick six was immense. Milford led 7-3 and had the ball deep in its own end. Scarlet Hawks quarterback Jack Buckley lofted a pass toward the near sideline. Nicastro intercepted it, gathered himself and raced down the sideline for a 40-yard score as KP took a 10-7 lead into the break.

“I saw the route. I’ve been watching a lot of film all week,” Nicastro said. “They went to the slant earlier, in the beginning of the game. I know they weren’t going to do it again, because I broke that one up. I was waiting for the slant and go. I saw the ball in the air, jumped up, and made the play.”

But Milford wasn’t done. Buckley (101 yards passing) hit Jason Stokes with a 36-yard scoring pass over the middle early in the third to give the Scarlet Hawks a 14-10 lead.

KP answered, as King ran it in from a yard out on the ensuing possession to give the Warriors a 16-14 advantage.

The Warriors blocked an Araujo (92 yards rushing on 17 carries) 46-yard field goal attempt at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Laplante then put it away when he took an option pitch to the right for a 6-yard touchdown to help complete the scoring.

KP scored first on a Woods 25-yard field goal to start the second quarter. Araujo plowed in from a yard out in the second quarter to take the lead before Nicastro’s heroics.

“We had a couple kids get dinged up pretty good tonight, starters,” Milford coach Dale Olson said. “Sophomores went in and played tremendous for us tonight. We’ll rebound just fine. That’s a solid Division 2 team. We’re going to move on and play in the Division 3 playoffs, but we’ve got to get ready to play Franklin, a very good Franklin team.”

Maybe the Seawolves are a bit ahead of schedule.

Behind a strong running game and big plays in the passing game in the second half, Tabor beat St. Sebastian’s Saturday, 38-28, to improve to 4-0.

St. Sebastian’s drops to 2-2 with the defeat.

“Feels great,” Moore said. “The biggest thing is the players. They work really, really hard. They’re very unselfish. They really love each other. It’s an important piece to what we do. I’ve been fortunate. I have a great group of kids. The record last year doesn’t tell justice of the leadership that we have, the camaraderie that we have. All the kids that were already here. They’ve done a phenomenal job of being leaders, as well. So, we’re really fortunate for where we’re at.”

Junior running back Hugo Djeumeni rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries for Tabor. Senior quarterback Timothy Bengston threw for 166 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Freshman wide receiver Kaiden Drinkwater caught five passes for 104 yards and also made an interception on defense.

“A lot different than last year,” Bengston said of last season’s 3-5 team. “Feels good to be 4-0, way better than 3-0. We’re just getting started.”

Tabor trailed, 21-14, at the half, but turned it around in the second half. Bengston hit Dameer Phifer for a 44-yard touchdown right up the seam on the Seawolves’ first drive of the third quarter.

After a St. Sebastian’s turnover on downs, Tabor embarked on a 10-play, 61-yard drive that ended in a Djeumeni 10-yard blast right up the middle, as Tabor took a 28-21 lead with 2:53 left in the quarter.

Drinkwater and Rafael Montero had interceptions for Tabor sandwiched around Garrett Salit’s 25-yard field goal that gave the Seawolves a 31-21 advantage.

St. Seb’s battled back, as Tedy Frisoli made a nice catch on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ty Ciongoli (247 yards passing) to slice the lead to 31-28.

But Tabor answered with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that Djeumeni finished off from 3 yards out with just 43 seconds to play to account for the final margin. The big play there was a 57-yard completion to Drinkwater down the left sideline, as the receiver made a spectacular, fingertip catch on third and 17.

“We’ve got a good team,” Bengston said. “We’ve got a great coaching staff. We just keep going every week.”

It was a back and forth first half. Arrows running back Justin Bourque (127 yards rushing on 16 carries) hit the end zone first from 3 yards out in the first quarter.

Tabor took a 7-6 lead on a Djeumeni 3-yard jaunt, but St. Seb’s grabbed it back when Isaiah Simmons hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ciongoli.

Bengston ran in a 17-yarder in the second quarter, but Kaelan Chudzinski grabbed an 8-yard touchdown reception from Ciongoli. George Kelly’s two-point rush had his team ahead, 21-14, at the break.

The Warriors suffocate opponents on defense, and bludgeon them in the running game.

Using that successful formula again, KP earned a 13-7 win Friday night at Foxboro in a Hockomock League crossover.

KP improves to 6-0, while Foxboro took its first loss at 5-1. The victory also prevented Foxboro coach Jack Martinelli from winning his 300th game for at least a week.

“It’s tough to make a living just lining up and pounding straight ahead when everybody knows what you’re going to do,” King Philip coach Brian Lee said. “At the same time, you’re working a little clock trying to keep them off the field. We really missed some big opportunities. Missed a field goal, (didn’t convert a) fourth and 1. We missed them, they stopped us. Those things kept them in the game, fighting until the end like they always do.

“It’s always a battle over here. Did I expect a battle when I come here? Yeah. Always. And they play their hearts out for Jack. There’s a lot on the line for them, and those kids gave everything they had for him.”

One kid who laid it all out for Lee was junior running back Andrew Laplante. He carried the ball 32 times for 162 yards. He did not score, but he made one hard run after another, and led a KP rushing attack that was relentless.

Fullback Jack Berthiaume rushed for touchdowns of 1 and 7 yards, and Aidan Astorino had another 37 yards rushing.

KP took over in the first half then held on in the second. The Warriors went 80 yards on 11 plays to start the game, as Laplante had 46 of those yards on six attempts. Berthiaume punched it in from a yard out and KP led, 7-0, 6:13 left in the quarter.

The Warriors then got great field position in the second quarter at the Foxboro 28, and Berthiaume cashed in from 7 yards out to make it 13-0 with 4:53 left in the half.

KP made two interceptions — by Brandon Nicastro and Thomas Kilroy — in the third quarter, but Foxboro running back Ben Angelini executed a perfect double-pass for a 69-yard touchdown to wide receiver Nolan Gordon in the fourth quarter. Angelini had 51 yards rushing on 11 carries, and Foxboro quarterback Mike Marcucella threw for 85 yards.

But Foxboro could not put together a late drive, and KP held on.

“It’s something we put in this week,” Martinelli said of the double pass. “I’m proud of them. We lost to a damn good football team. Hung in there right to the very end. We made how many fourth-down stops? I don’t know. If there is a lesson to any of this, the rest of your life is not going to be all balloons and candies. We hadn’t trailed in any game at any juncture to this point. They had a little adversity. KP is tough as nails. We knew that. They’re big, strong, and powerful. Proud of the kids.”

Behind a stalwart defensive effort, and some big plays from Teigan Pelletier on both sides of the ball, St. Paul’s earned a tough 12-9 victory over host Dexter.

And the Big Red did it in front of a star-studded audience, as Penn State coach James Franklin was in attendance to see Nittany Lions verbal commit Liam Andrews, Dexter’s offensive and defensive star.

Dexter falls to 3-1 with the loss, while St. Paul’s improves to 2-1.

“Their line’s so big,” St. Paul’s coach Craig Vandersea said. “Being able to just be a team defense, and knowing our D-line had to sacrifice, take on blocks, get them down on the ground so our linebackers could make tackles. We just changed up a little bit of coverage. Our (defensive backs), we didn’t give up a big play. We gave up some third downs and some fourth downs. They have a great pass game also. We knew early, if we didn’t stop the run, it was going to be a long day.”

But it proved to be a longer day for Dexter. Although the hosts held a 7-6 halftime edge, St. Paul’s came out to start the second half and grabbed the lead. Quarterback Daniel Sullivan hit Pelletier for a 47-yard bomb down the right sideline, which set up a 6-yard touchdown scamper from Michael Seward to give St. Paul’s a 12-7 lead.

Pelletier caught five passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, and also made two interceptions.

His second was the biggest. Dexter sliced the lead to 12-9 when Alex Saunders tackled Sullivan in the end zone for a fourth-quarter safety.

But the last two Dexter possessions ended in turnovers. The first, a bobbled snap, led to a fumble recovery by St. Paul’s defensive lineman Ernest Obiorah. On Dexter’s final possession, Pelletier picked off a pass over the middle to seal it for the Big Red.

“Unequivocally, one of those days where it seemed to be out of 11 jobs on the field, one didn’t go on a certain play,” Dexter coach Casey Day said. “It ended up costing us in the end. You said it right, you can’t turn the ball over against a great football team and expect to win the game.”

Dexter jumped out to a 7-0 lead when quarterback Joe McCauley (156 yards passing) hit Joshua Berglund for an 11-yard gain, but the ball popped loose. Santana Cardoso picked the ball up from the St. Paul’s 4-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown.

Sullivan and Pelletier then hooked up for a big play in the second quarter, when the quarterback found the receiver for a 57-yard touchdown, as Pelletier sprinted past the secondary and into the end zone.

It stayed 7-6 until the second half, when the Big Red made seemingly every big play.

Although the game was a disappointment, Andrews was happy to see Franklin supporting him.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s awesome. Not the outcome I wanted, but it’s a blessing,” Andrews said. “A kid from Massachusetts, a little state not necessarily known for football. To have the Penn State coach here, and the opportunity to play there at the next level is a blessing. Really, really cool to see that, for sure.”

Lasean Sharp threw a halfback option touchdown pass to Michael Hegarty as time ran out in Catholic Memorial’s stunning 41-38 comeback win at Xaverian.

Asked how often the Knights practice that trick play, CM (3-1) coach John DiBiaso smiled and said, “Every day.”

The play came on the back end of a furious final drive. Xaverian took a 38-35 lead when quarterback Henry Hasselbeck hit Jonathan Monteiro for a 10-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left. Denzil Pierre, who rushed for three touchdowns and 111 yards, caught the two-point conversion. Hasselbeck finished with 157 yards passing and two touchdowns on 10-of-16 completions.

But CM was not done. Quarterback Peter Bourque hit big completions to George Mather, Caleb Garrity, and Isaiah Faublas on that last drive, and finished with 194 passing yards.

The Knights moved to the Xaverian 6-yard line with just two seconds left. After a timeout, CM came out in a full-house backfield, and Bourque took the snap and pitched it to Sharp. The junior ran to his right, gathered the ball in his right hand, and threw a low pass to Hegarty, who did well to catch it with no time on the clock.

“It’s a trick play designed for me,” Sharp said. “We came out, practice it every day. He called it at the perfect time. Coach Dibs, he’s so smart. You never know what he’s going to do. He said, ‘We’re going for the win,’ and that’s what we did.”

“You’ve got to save it for the right time,” DiBiaso said of the play.

Most of the game, Xaverian (3-2) appeared to be the better team, and led for most of the night.

Pierre scored on an 8-yard touchdown on the opening possession. Although CM tied it when Chris Sanchez struck from three yards out, Xaverian struck twice more in the second quarter. Caleb Brown scored on a beautiful 25-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck.

When Pierre scored again on a 5-yard run, the Hawks led, 20-7, and had all the momentum.

But every time, CM answered. Sanchez had a 1-yard scoring run, and Xaverian went into the break with a 23-14 lead after Joseph MacDonald’s 28-yard field goal.

CM kept chipping away. Zach Brown scored a 4-yard touchdown, but Pierre made a rugged, 33-yard touchdown run over left tackle to push the lead back to 30-21.

Sharp, who had a tremendous second half and finished with 119 yards on 21 carries, had scoring runs of 10 and 2 yards as CM took its first lead with 7:25 to play.

Xaverian was able to get back in the end zone, but left too much time for Sharp and the Knights.

“I’m very proud of all of them,” DiBiaso said. “We had guys out (injured) all over the place. We lost two kids with dislocated shoulders. … Our death was greatly exaggerated. We came right out of the grave tonight.”

What a difference a year makes.

Behind sophomore quarterback Owen Mordas and a talented group of pass catchers, Pinabell went with his passing game in a 31-6 romp over Archbishop Williams on Saturday.

“Air Pinabell this year,” the Feehan coach joked after the game with a big grin on his face.

“It’s funny, in my 18 years now as a head coach, there’s a system,” Pinabell said. “I understand. As I’m getting older, I’m just taking the kids we got and trying to build a system that best exemplifies their talents. If that means we have to throw the ball, we throw the ball. If we run the ball, we run the ball. But you’ve got to gear your systems toward what you have. That’s what we have.”

The aerial assault proved explosive for the Shamrocks (3-1). Mordas completed 10 of 16 passes for 217 yards, four first-half touchdowns, and an interception in the second half that came well after this was decided. Jacob Ferrao caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Ferreira caught three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.

“Last year we had Yanchuk and that O-line,” Mordas said. “There’s a lot of change this year with the team, and I think we’re adapting really well to that.”

He won’t get any argument from the Bishops (2-2), who were led by quarterback Joseph Schwartz (15 of 26 passing for 173 yards).

Feehan scored first in the first quarter when Mordas threw deep down the right sideline for a 47-yard touchdown to Ferrao. In the second quarter, Feehan doubled its lead to 14-0 when Mordas hit Finn McHale on a 20-yard touchdown.

Mordas added another with 4:58 left in the half when he hit Devin Ferreira with a 27-yard touchdown.

Ferrao struck one more time when he took a pass in the flat from Mordas, then weaved his way for a 51-yard touchdown as Feehan took the 28-0 lead into the break.

Austin Clemente was 4-for-4 on extra points, and booted a 37-yard field goal with room to spare in the third quarter.

Schwartz completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tommy McDonagh in the fourth when the game was on running clock.

“I’ll always say we can play better,” Pinabell said. “I’m trying to think big picture at the same time. We’re going week to week. I thought our defense did a good job in setting the edge, containing No. 4 (Schwartz). We didn’t give up any big plays, which is definitely a plus. I’m pretty happy with how we played defensively.”

That’s nothing new for Milton. The Wildcats are now 4-0 with four lopsided wins, and look every bit the D3 state title contender a year after losing to Wakefield at Gillette Stadium.

But the postgame celebration was muted, even though Weymouth entered 3-0. Although it may not look like it, there are corrections for Milton to make.

“We’ve just got to keep getting better,” Milton coach Steve Dembowski said. “Week 4 of the season is nothing. Where you are right now in any poll, any stat, is really meaningless. Hopefully, we have enough maturity in the group to focus on things we can correct and keep grinding away. The league is going to be tough this year.”

Dembowski had contributions up and down the roster.

Quarterback Patrick Miller completed 12 of 22 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Ehui rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries. Ronan Sammon caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. The defense narrowly missed a shutout, and kicker Aidan Rowley was perfect on four PATs, and kicked a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Miller started on defense last year and sat behind quarterback Owen McHugh, who is now starting at Williams.

“He’s a dual threat,” Dembowski said of Miller. “He showed some of his legs tonight. He worked the ball around. He has a lot of ability, and he has a lot of choices to make. He’s out there making them and we’re moving the ball. He’s doing a good job, and we’re playing really good team football.”

“It’s been awesome watching those guys since my freshman year,” Miller said. “They’ve always made nice decisions, good decisions. I’m trying to be like them. Coming out here with this offense, I’m trying to do what they did, winning games. Coach Dembo, what he did for our program, he made our culture a winning culture. I’m trying to do my best to take part in that.”

Weymouth had success running the ball, as Anthony Smith rushed for 107 yards on 16 carries, and Cam Aieta had 67 yards on 13 attempts. The visiting Wildcats moved the ball well on their first series, but turned it over on downs in Milton territory.

Milton drove right back the other way, though, and scored on Miller’s 1-yard sneak to start the second quarter.

Miller struck again on Milton’s next drive, as he hit Sammon over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown.

The host Wildcats then executed a perfect, two-minute offense to end the half up, 21-0. Miller completed passes to AJ Cicerone for 8 yards, Sammon for 24, then picked up another 8 with his legs, before Luke Haley scored from 7 yards out on a jet sweep.

Milton made it 28-0 in the third quarter when Harrison Hinckle ran for an 18-yard touchdown.

Weymouth popped in its only score when Dante Tordiglione caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Nordstrom. First-year coach Michael Donovan had his Wildcats fighting, but could not make a significant dent on Milton’s lead.

Rowley’s 24-yard field goal completed the scoring.

When he came to CM, 6-foot-7, 300-pound Guerby Lambert had no designs on playing football at all.

“I came here for the academics and the brotherhood,” Lambert said at practice Wednesday. “I planned to play soccer and basketball. I didn’t come for football.”

Now, however, Lambert had scholarship offers from the likes of Ohio State and Alabama, and also Harvard and Yale.

It was on that soccer pitch that DiBiaso discovered Lambert, who was not the size he is now, but still on the bigger side.

“My first impression was, we were going to get him to play football,” DiBiaso said. “And after we got him out here, we noticed he had great feet from soccer, naturally, you know, running around. He was very light on his feet. I remembered something they said about Patrick Ewing when he played basketball. They said he had great feet for a big man because he played soccer as a young kid. I remembered that, and this was very similar.”

You can see that nimble nature in Lambert today. As the starting right tackle for the Knights, on Wednesday, he hustled out into the secondary to block a safety on a screen pass. It is the type of play that makes most offensive linemen look robotic, but not Lambert. He is fluid in his movements and able to make blocks others can’t.

“He’s very loose in his hips,” DiBiaso said. “He’s flexible. He’s got all those intangibles that you just can’t teach.”

Another quality sought in an offensive lineman is someone who “plays mean.” That doesn’t comes as natural to Lambert.

“People call me a gentle giant usually,” Lambert said. “When I play football, I feel like I flip a switch when I’m playing.”

And Lambert puts his smarts to good use when he’s diagnosing something on the gridiron.

“I’ll give you another SAT word. He’s very cerebral,” DiBiaso said. “When you give him an assignment he thinks it through. He makes sure that the little details, the technique, footwork are always impeccable.”

It wasn’t always that way. For someone in his third year playing the sport in organized fashion, Lambert was a quick study, but there was a grace period. At first, he had a cursory knowledge of the game.

“I knew what an average fan would know,” Lambert sad. “I didn’t really pay attention to offensive linemen.”

Over time, though, that got better. And he was named the Catholic Conference Lineman of the Year in 2022. It took a bit for him to gain confidence in himself as a player.

“I think it was halfway through my sophomore year, because freshman year, everything was just so new to me,” Lambert said. “I was just trying to learn how to take the right steps and everything. I worked hard my freshman summer going into my sophomore year, and midway through, I just started picking everything up.”

Not a surprise that Lambert mastered something once he put his mind to it. He now plays on the same side as Brandon Sullivan, who will continue his career at Harvard.

For Lambert, the recruiting process was difficult, because he had so many good choices. In the end, he picked Notre Dame.

“It’s going to challenge me academically,” Lambert said. “It’s going to set me up for the next 40 years, but also it’s going to challenge me on the football field, as well.”

NAME: Guerby Lambert

SCHOOL: Catholic Memorial

AGE: 18

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-7, 300

POSITION: RT

NICKNAME: Guerb

FAMILY: (Father, mother, brothers and sisters): Father Kesner, mother Guerline, brother Ralph, sisters Keshanne and Guermayda

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Won Notre Dame Book Award, English Award, role model, Lineman of the Year

FAVORITE PERSONAL MOMENT IN SPORTS: State title 2021

FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Math

LEAST FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: History

FAVORITE PIGOUT FOOD: Mac and cheese

FAVORITE TV SHOW: The Office

FAVORITE MOVIE: Lion King

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Rod Wave

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: NBA 2K

FAVORITE SMARTPHONE APP: Tik tok

FAVORITE TWITTER ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW: His mom

FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Patriots

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Sauce Gardner

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A GAME: Pray

But there were still games to be played, and CM had strong players ready to step in.

Behind the running of Chris Sanchez and Lasean Sharp, CM rolled to a 50-36 victory Saturday against St. Francis of New York.

With the win, CM improves to 2-1, while St. Francis drops to 0-4.

“We have very limited depth,” CM coach John DiBiaso said. “We go from seniors and juniors down to sophomores and freshmen real fast. We’re very fortunate. We had three guys at the beginning of the year. We lost one. We still have two.”

“The Florida game, it was obviously very humbling,” Sanchez said. “We came off good, but we had too many injuries. (Against St. Francis), we just played CM football, really.”

Sanchez rushed for four touchdowns — all in the first half — and finished with 118 yards on nine carries. Sharp rushed for 140 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 18 attempts. CM quarterback Peter Bourque added a 54-yard touchdown run, and also completed 15 of 23 passes for 169 yards.

After suffering the lopsided defeat in Florida, the Knights were instead dishing it out Saturday. The final score was a little misleading, as the two St. Francis touchdowns in the fourth quarter came against CM’s backup defenders.

Still, the first half was competitive. Sanchez opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 20-yard touchdown and two-point rush.

After St. Francis tied it on the next possession, Sanchez scored on a 16-yard run in the second quarter. Again, St. Francis answered, this time on a Kion Ulanga rush, and the PAT had the visitors in front.

Two possessions later, Sanchez had his third on an 8-yard touchdown run. St. Francis tied it at 22 when Terrence Pendergrass capitalized on an interception and scored from 2 yards out.

Sanchez scored his fourth touchdown on a 29-yarder, and CM went into the break with a 29-22 lead.

From there, CM pulled away. Sharp had a 9-yard touchdown run, and Bourque had a magnificent, 54-yard touchdown scramble in the third quarter. Sharp rushed for a 23-yard score to start the fourth quarter.

St. Francis has been in many out-of-state games over the years, and was asked how CM measured up against those other opponents.

“These guys are one of the bigger teams, size-wise,” St. Francis coach Jerry Smith said of CM. “Their offensive and defensive lines are bigger than we faced in a long time. Maybe Akron (Archbishop) Hoban comes close to them. I know their best back wasn’t even playing. I saw him. He’s faster than anybody else they’ve got. I’m not glad to see he’s got an ACL. I wish he could have had something where it was just against us. Sad to see that, along with (Eric Perkins). He’s got it going on here, John. He’s doing a great job with these guys.”

Well, in Friday night’s nonleague game at the Hawk Bowl, Xaverian answered each Central flurry with one of its own.

In the end, Central was too much — but just barely — in a 44-41 shootout victory for the state power from Western Mass.

“There’s no moral victories, but it’s always good when your team does not quit against what seemingly may be insurmountable odds, one play at a time, one series at a time,” Xaverian coach Al Fornaro said. “Offense played very well this evening. (Quarterback) Henry (Hasselbeck) played very well, and that’s always a good thing.”

Fornaro wasn’t kidding. Hasselbeck may have played his best game as a Hawk, as the Michigan State-bound quarterback completed 22 of 34 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Liberty-bound receiver Jonathan Monteiro caught 12 passes for 108 yards and two scores. Running back Denzil Pierre rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts.

As good as those numbers were, Central (2-1) was even more explosive. Freshman quarterback Jareth Staine completed 8 of 14 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Junior receiver Mattias Barbour caught all three of those scoring strikes, and finished with six receptions for 240 yards. Junior running back JayCion Cox rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.

“I think we’ve played two good teams from the state of Massachusetts, Central Catholic and Xaverian, and we’ve been able to do some good things,” Central coach Bill Watson said. “We also saw some holes that we can now go in and fix and can try to prepare for, to make a postseason run.”

As good as the offenses were, the game may have turned on a defensive play. Central (2-1) held a 22-14 lead late in the first half, and Xaverian had the ball deep in its own territory. The Golden Eagles popped the ball loose on a Xaverian run, and Isaiah Jones returned the fumble 19 yards for the score. After a Cox two-point rush, Central led 30-14.

In the third quarter, Staine hit Barbour for a 12-yard touchdown, and Central led, 38-14. Barbour had touchdown catches of 79 and 89 yards in the first half.

“We put a lot of work in in the offseason,” Barbour said. “Again, I’m really proud of my quarterback. Freshman, he’s coming in, just working hard. He’s in the playbook every day. We’re just trying to get to another level. We still haven’t scored 50, but we’re trying to get there.”

Xaverian, down 24, kept fighting. Pierre had a 40-yard touchdown run, after a 63-yarder to start the game. After a Hawks fumble recovery, Hasselbeck hit Jordan Wilson for a 36-yard touchdown to bring the Hawks to within 38-28.

Cox burst free for a 62-yard touchdown, but again the Hawks fought back, and Hasselbeck kept it himself for a 5-yard score on the next drive.

Xaverian scored once more, when Hasselbeck hit Monteiro for an 18-yard score, and after Joseph MacDonald’s PAT, it was 44-41, Central.

But that’s how it stayed, as Xaverian got a late stop but could not punch in a final score.

It was as entertaining a high school game as you’ll find, and one that you may see again, as both will be factors in the D1 postseason.

“Believe it or not, it just sailed through,” said Araujo, who added, “and had a good amount of leg, too.”

Since coming to the high school, Araujo has been the team’s kicker since his freshman year. But that is only the beginning of his contributions to the Scarlet Hawks. He has started at linebacker since his sophomore year. Last year, he was the second running back to Romeo Holland. And now Araujo starts at running back, strongside linebacker, kicker, and punter.

But more than just the sum of his positions, Araujo represents an example of the ascent of Milford football. In many ways, he is the quintessential Scarlet Hawks football player: big, tough, hard-nosed, and smart.

“You give me a team full of Nick Araujos and I’d be a very happy coach, and probably win a lot of football games, for sure,” Milford coach Dale Olson said. “I know they tease him that Nick should have his hand on the ground playing offensive guard. I think in a lot of programs, Nick probably would as a 6-foot, 230-pound guy. Here, we’re just blessed that we can use him the way we use him. He’s a talented kid.”

And Araujo has showed off that talent in a myriad of ways already this season. A captain, he has carried the ball 12 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns, and kicked field goals of 45, 41, and 26 yards. He does not look like your typical kicker, but he gets the job done.

“I think a lot of people are pretty surprised (when they see me),” Araujo said. “You look at other teams, all of the kickers are (180 pounds). They’re not too big, and they’re only kickers. When you look at me, I’m just a pretty big dude out there kicking the ball.”

Over this past summer, Araujo won a kicking competition at a University of Alabama camp.

“The competition was unreal down there,” Araujo said. “Kids from everywhere were flying in. I was talking to people that flew in from New York, some close to here. When I finally kicked that 54-yard field goal (to win it), it was just a relief. I was filled with excitement.”

And while he says he enjoys kicking the most, Araujo excels on offense and defense, too. Olson said teams try the same strategy when he is carrying the ball.

“They try to tackle him low,” Olson said. “He’s thick in his lower half. Nick made a conscious effort this offseason to trim up, get rid of a little of the baby fat. He actually increased his speed. It shocked me, when we scrimmaged Springfield Central, he took off on a 50-yard run, and there was nobody catching him. To see that, against Springfield Central, with the speed that was on the field … Listen, get a 230-pound back at the second and third level, there’s not too many kids that want to tackle that when he’s at full speed.”

Araujo has both individual and team goals he wants to accomplish this year. Milford made the Final Four in D2 the last two years, but has not made it to Gillette. This year, the Scarlet Hawks have a chance to make some noise in D3.

“Our team goals are to get over that final hump,” Araujo said. “For the last two years, we’ve only made it to the Final Four. We fell short. So we’re trying to get over that hump. My personal goal is to kick in college, and try to rush for over 1,000 yards this year.”

NAME: Nick Araujo

SCHOOL: Milford

AGE: 18

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-0, 220

POSITION: Kicker, running back, linebacker

NICKNAME: Kicker

FAMILY: (Father, mother, brothers and sisters) Robert (dad), Maureen (mom), Abby, Anna, Jillian (sisters)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Rookie of the year sophomore year

FAVORITE PERSONAL MOMENT IN SPORTS: Longest field goal 52 yards against Attleboro last year

FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Spanish

LEAST FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Math

FAVORITE PIGOUT FOOD: Cheeseburger

FAVORITE TV SHOW: All American (Netflix)

FAVORITE MOVIE: Ted

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Don’t have one, just hip hop

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Madden

FAVORITE SMARTPHONE APP: Snapchat or Twitter

FAVORITE TWITTER ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW: @AdamKurkjian

FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Patriots

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Justin Tucker

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A GAME: Eat, then Power Nap, sit and relax, don’t listen to music

IF YOU COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE: The Rock

CAREER AMBITIONS: Law enforcement or criminal justice

That’s because MacCormack, the game-changing running back for the Knights, does so much more than just run the ball well. His versatility is undeniable.

The play in question actually came on special teams two years ago, when the Westford native was a freshman.

“Bo’s obviously special. He’s been special since he got here,” Willey said. “I think one of the things that really set a memory in my mind is we’re playing Governor’s, always a well-coached team. He was starting running back that game and played outstanding on offense. But he was also on the kickoff (return) team, and he recovered a surprise onside kick, where it took a lot of courage to go in there and get it. I was like, ‘Wow, this kid is carrying the football for us. He’s making that type of play. This kid’s going to be something special.’ ”

MacCormack remembers it well.

“That was the first game of my career here. That was my freshman year,” MacCormack said. “I hadn’t played an offensive snap yet, I don’t think. That was one of the first things I did. They called an onside kick and I went and got it.”

But, make no mistake, MacCormack’s play as a running back is quite outstanding, as well. Speed? Check. Running with power? Check. Tackle-breaking ability? Check. Catching the ball out of the backfield? Check. Pass protection? Check.

His freshman year, MacCormack rushed for 1,178 yards and 12 touchdowns on 189 carries (6.2 yards per rush). Last season, MacCormack rushed for 1,308 yards and 11 touchdowns on 233 attempts (5.6 yards per carry). He also made 56 tackles on defense, and caught seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown.

And MacCormack is the perfect back for the BB&N offense. Willey loves to run the ball behind the Knights’ typically big front, and he feeds his back early and often. The Knights never abandon the run, and MacCormack — a 6-foot, 194-pounder — gets better as the game goes along.

“In the offseason, I do some pretty crazy conditioning with my dad,” MacCormack said. “It’s a lot harder conditioning with him than it is in a game. What he always says to me is when I’m running sprints, and I do sprints up hills with the ball making moves all the way up the hill, and he tells me, ‘Picture the defense. Keep your mind in the same spot when you’re going through.’ I keep my head in a spot the whole way through. … When they’re all tired, you can just run over them.”

And he has run over a lot of tired defenders over the years. His recruitment — as a junior still — includes offers from Nebraska, UConn, UMass, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, Rhode Island and East Carolina.

He will likely get more, but right now, MacCormack is focused on the opener against Milton Academy. BB&N tied for the ISL-7 title last year. Milton is one of the teams that stands in the Knights’ way if they hope to do that again.

“Especially for these seniors, this will be their last time doing it, and their last time going at it,” MacCormack said. “We really want to get an outright ISL championship and a (NEPSAC) bowl win this year. That’s what we’ve been working toward every year. This year more than any year, I feel like we have the talent to do it. That’s where everyone’s head’s at. That’s definitely the goal.”

And more than just MacCormack’s heroics, his teammates love playing with him.

“They love him because of how hard he works and how much he cares about BB&N football,” Willey said. “Bo is a great player, and could be all about individual stuff, but that is the exact opposite. He is a great teammate. He cares about BB&N football tremendously. They see that and are like, ‘OK, this is great. He’s our guy.’ Couldn’t be a better teammate.”

With that, plus a dominant effort on the ground from its two-headed monster at running back, St. John’s Prep earned a 30-28 win over Central Catholic on Saturday at Glatz Field.

The sequence in question came at the end of the first half. Central (0-2) held a 14-13 lead, but the Prep (2-0) was driving. The Eagles moved out in front when Prep quarterback Deacon Robillard hit running back Dylan Aliberti for a 30-yard touchdown over the middle.

The Eagles were not done. Defensive back Grayson Ambrosh made a nice interception and run back to put the ball at the Central 15. Kicker Langdon Laws then drilled a 32-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half. That gave Prep a 23-14 lead at the break.

“It’s the difference in the game. We won by two, that field goal (was the difference),” Prep coach Brian St. Pierre said. “We shouldn’t have put ourselves in that situation. Left a couple plays on offense. Defensively, we’re not where we need to be. That’s just period, point blank.”

It was the running back duo who sealed it. Aliberti — although he caught two touchdown passes — rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, and teammate Cam LaGrassa had 117 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

“Yeah, right now, that’s what we are,” St. Pierre said. “We always want to be physical. We pride ourselves on being physical. That’s how you beat them, be more physical than them. But we have a lot to work on.”

“We react to what we’re given,” Aliberti said. “Normally we draw up some stuff, during halftime we’ll figure out what we’ve got to do for the second half. So, yeah, second half is definitely better because we know what we’re doing.”

The whole game was a back-and-forth affair. After Aliberti’s 18-yard touchdown catch from Robillard on the game’s first drive, Prep scored again on a LaGrassa 7-yard run with 1:47 left in the quarter to make it 13-0.

But there was no blowout coming, as Central’s Mason Bachry broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-7.

Jaxon Pereira, who filled in for injured starter Blake Hebert, ran in a 2-yard touchdown with 5:51 left in the half, as Central grabbed a 14-13 lead.

Thanks to that end of the half sequence for Prep, the Eagles held a 23-14 edge at the break.

Pereira helped get Central back in it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jack Steen, but Prep’s ground assault was too strong. The Eagles went on a 13-play, 70-yard drive, which culminated in Aliberti’s 4-yard touchdown run with 5:01 to play as Prep took a 30-21 lead.

Although Pereira (150 yards passing, 31 yards rushing) scored on a 5-yard rush with 1:57 to play, it was too little, too late.

And with a tight, comeback win in enemy territory, Duxbury showed everyone that — despite that early setback — the Dragons still know how to win, thank you very much.

On the back of a Finn Carley fourth-quarter touchdown run, Duxbury (1-1) earned a 21-17 win over the host Hornets (0-2).

“Just really proud of the guys,” Duxbury coach Matt Landolfi said. “This is a big game for both teams. (Mansfield coach Mike) Redding’s an unbelievable coach. They have a historical program, and just coming here to play here, we’re going to get better just doing that. I think today we got better vs. last week. Happy for the kids.”

“Last week, we kind of beat ourselves,” Carley said of the loss to Hanover. “It was a discipline thing, It was a physicality thing, penalties. This week, we just didn’t hurt ourselves, you know? We played more as a team, instead of as individuals. It feels great to get that team win, especially against a good Mansfield team.”

Despite giving up the game’s first touchdown, Mansfield took a 17-14 lead into halftime. It stayed that way for most of the second half, but a fake punt run for a first down by Trevor Jones sparked the game-winning drive. The 14-play, 77-yard march concluded with Carley making a 7-yard touchdown run as the Dragons took a 21-17 lead.

Carley alternated snaps at quarterback with Jones, and each made big plays, with Carley’s touchdown run the biggest.

“I think the thinking is, really, one’s gassed and one’s not,” Landolfi said of when to switch players. “We’re trying to rest them with both starting on defense (Carley at linebacker, Jones at defensive back). Finn, we know, is a big-play kid. He’s a great defensive player, but he made some big plays today, so we’re really happy about that.”

But the biggest defensive play was yet to come. Mansfield drove into Duxbury territory and faced a fourth down with less than two minutes to go. Junior Jack Rees then flew into the backfield and stopped Mansfield quarterback Connor Curtis (54 yards rushing) short of the first down.

Duxbury scored first as a Robert Heppenstall interception set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Jones.

Mansfield rallied, as Curtis threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Matt Tourigney to tie it with 5:48 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Tommy Smith (64 yards rushing) ran five yards to the Mansfield 1 and fumbled, and Trevor Foley fell on the ball in the end zone for a Hornets touchdown.

Mansfield upped its lead to 17-7 with 3:02 left in the half when Evan Hefez booted a 23-yard field goal.

Duxbury answered, as Jones threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Adam Barr, and it was 17-14 at the break. Running back Alex Barlow rushed for 57 yards on 12 carries for Duxbury, while Carley rushed for 32 yards.

On Friday night, behind senior back Denzil Pierre, Xaverian ran to its heart’s content in a 32-21 season-opening victory over Everett.

Pierre rumbled for 204 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while Michigan State-bound quarterback Henry Hasselbeck rushed for three scores.

It was uneven at times, but Fornaro will take the victory over a quality opponent and move on.

“Very good,’ Fornaro said of Pierre’s play, which also included a two-point rush. “And we had the other guy, Mike O’Connor (54 yards on eight carries) play a little bit. The ability to run the ball does a lot of good things. It keeps it out of their hands. I’m not Woody (Hayes) out of Ohio State, saying three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad, but when we wanted to, we did. I thought we dominated them in the first half. But we proved to be able to run the ball when need be.”

Pierre is a bruiser who carried defenders for extra yardage all night. He was not eligible last season because he started it with Boston English and practiced there before transferring. The Hawks are happy he’s playing now.

“Ever since I was young, ever since I got on the gridiron, I always run hard,” Pierre said. “My coaches are telling me, ‘Don’t look for the contact, just go around.’ But I love it so much. I can play any type of way, but I just thank my team because they’re allowing me to do that. They’re allowing me to play any way I want to play. So it’s just an honor to be out here, and execute how I’m supposed to execute.”

To start, Xaverian recovered a muffed kick and scored on a 1-yard Hasselbeck sneak to take a 6-0 lead less than three minutes in.

It stayed that way until the second quarter, as Pierre rushed all six plays for 39 yards, capped by a 2-yard touchdown and two-point rush as the Hawks pushed their advantage to 14-0.

Everett found some momentum on the next drive though, as Yuriel Ortiz caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carlos Rodrigues to slice the deficit to 14-6.

But the Hawks went into the break up two scores after a Joseph MacDonald 29-yard field goal.

It felt like Xaverian would run away with after a pair of 4-yard Hasselbeck touchdown runs in the second half, but Everett kept fighting back.

First, Rodrigues hit Christian Zamor for a 33-yard touchdown pass. Then, a Jayden Prophete interception preceded a 74-yard touchdown on a double pass from Damien Lackland to Zamor, a Boston College recruit. Following a two-point pass from Rodrigues to Jaysaun Coggins, the Xaverian lead was down to just 29-21.

But the Hawks answered with a good drive, and MacDonald’s 21-yard field goal completed the scoring.

“I was hoping (the offense would be this good),” Fornaro said. “Our scrimmages weren’t the best for us. But it was really good for us to show people that you better defend everybody. As a defensive guy, that’s hard. You have to defend six guys out there: the wideouts, the tight end, the quarterback, the fullback, the running back. That’s difficult.”

Against Mansfield in a non-league opener for both teams Thursday night, Catholic Memorial did just that, and rolled to a 41-14 win.

With an opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Eric Perkins, a pick-six by Chris Sanchez, and a long touchdown run by Mekhi Dodd, CM was up 20-0 before Mansfield knew what hit it.

It was an impressive performance.

“I thanked the special teams coach and the defensive coordinator,” CM coach John DiBiaso said. “Kids played well. Played well in all the facets early. We made some mistakes in the second quarter, but nothing that’s not correctable.”

Dodd rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and caught a 19-yard touchdown to end the first half. He had four receptions for 59 yards. Quarterback Peter Bourque completed 11 of 21 passes for three touchdowns and an interception. Caleb Garrity caught two of those scoring tosses and had 75 yards on five receptions.

Perkins took the opening kickoff down the right sideline for a 90-yard score. On Mansfield’s first possession, Sanchez made a great break on the ball, bobbled it, then caught it and ran 20 yards for the pick six.

When CM finally took over on offense, Dodd went over the left side, found daylight, and raced 81 yards for the score.

It was over fast, and Mansfield never really had an answer.

“I was telling you in the preseason, Mekhi Dodd is the real thing,” DiBiaso said. “He reminds me a lot of the great running backs we’ve had here and at Everett. He’s only a junior. Jeff Hafley, the BC coach, was here tonight. I think they were very impressed.”

Dodd was certainly impressive, as was Bourque. After Dodd’s touchdown run, Bourque hit Garrity over the middle for a 9-yard touchdown. On the next CM drive, Bourque found Garrity again, this time for a 32-yard touchdown in which the receiver was wide open.

Mansfield quarterback Connor Curtis (173 yards passing) hit Brandon Jackman for a 43-yard touchdown after that, but it was too little, too late.

Dodd made a 19-yard catch-and-run as the half ended, and ensure a running clock in the second quarter.

There was some curiosity to how CM would perform this season. Dodd was a backup in 2022 as a sophomore. Backs Datrell Jones (BC) and Carson Harwood (Rhode Island) had most of the carries. But Dodd proved Thursday night that he is capable.

“It is really just fun to have my own show now,” Dodd said. “I’m not behind anybody. I’ve got my own show, but they really mentored me to get to this level right now. Way more to come now. Way more.”

CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 41, MANSFIELD 14

Mansfield (0-1) 0 7 0 7 —  14
Catholic Memorial (1-0) 27 14 0 0 — 41

C — Eric Perkins 90 kickoff return (James Sansone kick)
C — Chris Sanchez 20 interception return (kick failed)
C — Mekhi Dodd 81 run (Sansone kick)
C — Caleb Garrity 9 pass from Peter Bourque (Sansone kick)
C —  Garrity 32 pass from Bourque (Sansone kick)
M — Brandon Jackman 43 pass from Connor Curtis (James Warren kick)
C — Dodd 19 pass from Bourque (Sansone kick)
M — Trevor Foley 75 pass from Curtis (Warren kick

He’s 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, and when he lines up for Mansfield at wide receiver, he draws a lot of attention.

What is quite difficult, though, is being able to stop him. No one has done that yet, and the Hornets are hoping that continues in his senior season.

With many taller receivers, running routes can be a bit awkward at the high school level. But Foley’s footwork and ability to change direction on a dime make him a tough cover.

“Just practice, practicing over and over again, offseason, in season, after practice, before practice,” said Foley to explain his route-running prowess.

“Usually, the tall, rangier kids that are that big, they’re good targets, but they’re not great getting in and out of cuts,” said Mansfield coach Mike Redding. “But he’s got great feet. His out cuts, he’s in and out and he’s got good length. You can run those outs to him, but you get one-on-one and you throw the ball up on the fade, and even though he’s covered, he’s going to make the play. He gives you a lot of different things.

“This year, we’re going to move him around. Obviously, teams are going to want to bracket him and get some doubles as much as they can. We’re going to move him. We’ve got four or five spots we can put him. We’ve got a nice, complementary group around him.”

Foley started as a sophomore and was instantly a hit. He was a Hockomock League All-Star that year, and just beginning to scratch the surface of what he could be.

Then, last year, even knowing defenses would key on him, Foley produced again. He caught 43 passes for 817 yards, a 19.0 yards per catch average, and 12 touchdowns.

Foley is also a standout basketball player for the Hornets. He says playing two sports has helped his game in each.

“They both help in some way, lateral movements,” Foley said. “Getting up for rebounds is like getting up for contested catches, and vice versa.”

Mansfield, which will compete in Div. 3 this season after playing in Div. 2 previously, will be one of the favorites in that bracket to make a deep run. And Foley loves playing for Redding and the Hornets.

“It’s very important,” Foley said. “We’ve built a family around here. We’re a tight group of guys. We all work hard together. We’ve all been through the ups and downs. We all love it here and the atmosphere the fans bring, and all that.”

Over the weekend, Foley committed to play his college ball at Brown. But he still has unfinished business at Mansfield.

“Win as many games as possible,” Foley said. “Definitely win the Hock title, and have a deep run into the postseason.”

Redding has confidence that Foley can do whatever he puts his mind to.

“The icing on the cake is the leadership that’s developed,” Redding said. “He’s a great leader in our football and basketball programs. He’s a first-class young man who’s a great athlete that loves playing. It’s been fun. We’re looking forward to this year, seeing what he can do after two great years.”

Spread across in white lettering on the black shirts, it read “Nothing Goes Unnoticed.”

That idea, a pledge to detail and accountability, acts as Wiggins’ main message as he replaces Peter Colombo. Before Colombo, Peter’s late father, Armond, led the Boxers, as the program had a Colombo leading the way every year since the late 1960s.

But now, it’s a new day, and Wiggins, a former New England Patriots tight end, knows there isn’t anything he will do as coach of the Boxers that will go unnoticed. After practice Friday, Wiggins seemed excited to get started.

“And it’s ‘Nothing Goes Unnoticed’ good or bad. So if you’re doing good things, it’s being noticed. If you’re doing bad things, it’s being noticed,” Wiggins said. “That’s kind of been our mantra all summer long with our workouts. It’s just nothing goes unnoticed in the weight room. Everything. The way you pick up the field. The way we talk to each other. We notice everything, and that’s been the mindset we’re building into them. No matter whether it’s good or bad, nothing goes unnoticed. These are things, as coaches, we talk about, which is going to help these kids make the team, and make them better players and better young kids.”

The Boxers have a small senior class, but leading the way is wide receiver Cam Monteiro, who verbally committed this offseason to continue his career at the University of Pittsburgh. He said he can already see Wiggins’ influence on the program.

“It is definitely a culture change,” Monteiro said. “We’re more together. Started summer workouts early. Everyone showed up. Unlike years before where 10 kids would show up, everyone is showing up. Coach is holding kids accountable. It’s been a big change, huge change.”

Brockton is one of the cornerstone programs in New England, but the Boxers have not won a state title since 2004 and 2005. Wiggins wants to change that.

“(It feels real) because it’s football now. Now, it’s football,” Wiggins said. “Now, it’s what everybody’s been waiting for. All summer long, we’ve been working out, lifting weights. Now it’s where we can actually come out here and get out here and play some football and have some fun. Not only teach them how to be better football players, but also give them the opportunity to show them what we’re looking for.

“We’re setting a standard. We’re setting a standard that’s very high. We want to win. We want to win a championship. That’s what we’re trying to do: win a Super Bowl. So those are the expectations that we’re setting for ourselves, and the first day of practice is when you start working towards that.”

Wiggins’ message seems to hit home with the players.

“It just shows coaches are watching all the time, evaluating,” Monteiro said. “As you know, we graduated a huge senior class. Everybody’s coming up from JV, a whole bunch of new guys, so he’s letting them know that he’s watching every play. Everything that he can see, he’s evaluating. Every spot is open, up for grabs.”

It came as no surprise that Methuen and Milton were the last teams standing.

In a hotly-contested game, Methuen earned a 22-19 victory, and with that the Rangers have earned a boost heading into the fall.

Methuen won the North regional a few weeks ago, and only lost to Peabody on Thursday.

“That definitely gives us a lot of momentum now,” said Methuen quarterback Drew Eason, who is going into his third year starting for the Rangers. “Obviously, we know we can be at the top and win like this, against good teams, too. It gives us a lot of momentum going into the season.”

Rangers coach Tom Ryan was pleased with how 7-on-7 has impacted his squad.

“I think, honestly, the synergy between the quarterback and wide receivers (stands out),” Ryan said. “That’s always the best benefit of 7-on-7. Defensively, it’s kind of like a monstrosity of schematics. But the synergy between those are great. And we actually found some receivers that we didn’t know we had through this process. So that part’s been awesome. So now I feel real good about our receiving corps going into the season.”

And Ryan definitely feels great about his quarterback. Eason was tremendous Thursday, as he has been all season — and, for that matter, his career. Eason showed accuracy to all points on the field, and is one of the best quarterbacks in a state that is overflowing with good ones.

“He’s been our starting quarterback for three straight years, and we’ve won (regionals) three years in a row,” Ryan said. “He can sling it with the best of them. I don’t think anyone else is better than him. I don’t make those decisions, I guess. But I’m glad he’s our quarterback for sure. He’s unbelievable.”

Also playing well for Methuen were running back Shane Eason, wide receiver Adrian Blake, tight end Nolan Smith, and linebacker Matt McCormack, who had a big pick-six in the semifinals against Central (R.I.).

Milton had a great run to the finals, led by quarterback Patrick Miller. Other standouts included Harry Hinkle, Ferris Collins, Ronan Sammon, Will Renz and Luke Haley.

The Cinderella of the group was Carver, which competes in Division 8 during the season. But the South Shore contingent was impressive all summer. The team features quarterback Ty Lennox, wide receiver/cornerback Robbie Peterson, wide receiver Derek Lopes, defensive end/offensive tackle James Callahan, running back/cornerback Patrick Attaya, wide receiver/outside linebacker Nate Helms, and athlete Jameson Helms.

Central, under coach Mike Washington, made a terrific run in what was a strong showing from Rhode Island. Quarterback Avani Rodrigues, defensive back/running back Ramel Richards and wide receiver/defensive back Damarion Kyne all stood out.

Or, for that matter, anywhere but Massachusetts.

But in another sign that times are changing in the football recruiting world, the state has suddenly produced a boatload of quarterback talent.

In the classes of 2024 and ’25, some major talents from the Bay State have committed to the most big-time of big-time powerhouse programs. And the party feels like it is going to continue.

In the ’24 class, Xaverian’s Henry Hasselbeck has pledged to Michigan State. Marblehead native Miles O’Neill, who will attend his senior year at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., has verballed to Texas A&M. Central Massachusetts natives Dante Reno of Cheshire Academy, and Ryan Puglisi of Avon Old Farms, are committed to South Carolina and Georgia, respectively.

For the ’25 class, Central Catholic’s Blake Hebert has already committed to Clemson.

That all followed Springfield Central’s William “Pop” Watson III going to Virginia Tech in the 2023 class.

Again, if this were, say, Western Pennsylvania, maybe no one bats an eye. But for this state, it is truly revolutionary.

“No, never. Absolutely not,” said Al Fornaro, Hasselbeck’s coach, on if there is any precedent for this here.

“Oh, no. This is definitely an outlier,” said Bill Mella, Reno’s coach. “I’m thinking back, and no. No. I’ve never, ever seen it like this.”

There are plenty of factors at play, but to start, these are truly gifted athletes that those interviewed seemed to think would get offers in any time period.

“I think part of it is they’re all the right size, right?” said John Sexton, Hebert’s coach. “We’ve had a lot of kids in this state that have been 6-feet tall and electric and won a lot of games and ran for a lot of yards, passed for a lot of yards, scored a lot of touchdowns. But they haven’t had the physical stature that these guys have.

“I think the other part of it is if you have the means, you can get year round instruction now. That really is a cottage industry in and of itself that has really blown up in the last five to ten years. It was happening in other parts of the country before that, but it’s really kind of blown up and gotten hot here lately.”

Hasselbeck is an interesting case, because even though he is the son of former Xaverian standout and NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, he is also a lacrosse standout who was once a Maryland commit in that sport. But the 6-foot-3 signal-caller picked up a run of offers this offseason and made the switch to Michigan State.

“In my own quarterback world, I would say, I take a lot of pride in my off-the-field abilities, and controlling the controllables at practice, uplifting my teammates, and just being a leader,” Hasselbeck said. “On the field, I would say, I’ve played multiple sports my whole life. I wasn’t a specialized (athlete). My athleticism is something I would take a lot of pride in. I just want to continue to grow in that area.”

The ability to beat teams mentally is an aspect of Hasselbeck’s game that he enjoys.

“There are a lot of things that go into my game on the field that don’t start with arm power, accuracy, being a good athlete, being fast,” Hasselbeck said. “I would say it’s a lot of off the field stuff, behind the scenes, mental stuff, film stuff. A lot of that.”

“I tell all the coaches who care to hear me blabber, (I) said, if you want to do the Jon Gruden, put a play up on the board, erase it, and tell him to do it backwards, and he’ll do it for you,” Fornaro said. “He’s a smart kid. He’s a smart athlete.”

Hebert recently committed to Clemson after a terrific sophomore season for the Raiders. At 6-4, 218 pounds, he has the size requirement down, is a good leader, and a gifted athlete.

“I think the two things that stood out the most and that I heard the most from coaches were my poise in the pocket and my ability to kind of look defenders off and read a defense,” Hebert said.

According to Jim Rudloff, O’Neill’s coach when the quarterback was in Marblehead, the player’s strengths jump out.

“Miles is very lucky. Not only is he good enough to get the offers he got, and he earned every one of them, but he also checks every box,” Rudloff said. “He’s very fortunate. When you’re 6-5, 225 pounds, that helps a lot. He’s extremely athletic. He’s a very good basketball player. He can dunk. He’s an athlete.”

Mella counts off many strengths for Reno.

“Number one, (Reno is a) complete student of the game. Just eats it up. Wants to know more. Wants to see more film. His football intelligence is at that level,” Mella said. “It’s definitely a coach on the field level. He just eats it up. He loves training. He loves working his craft. He loves getting better. He loves throwing with the guys. He loves getting coached. He loves working out. Those two kind of intangibles are what you see out of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and in the league. They’re, for lack of.a better term, gym rats that can’t get enough of it.”

Puglisi is a childhood friend of Watson, and is heading to the back-to-back national champions. As rare as this phenomenon is, Puglisi’s coach, Jon Wholley, thinks it isn’t a flash in the pan.

“I think it’s going to continue to grow,” Wholley said. “What do they call it? The Roger Bannister four-minute mile effect? No one can break it for a long period of time, one person did, and then within a year a (bunch of) people did. Then you look at it, the Will Levises (of Kentucky) and Tyler Van Dykes (of Miami), guys that were all from this area in the past five or so years that have gone places or been high draft picks. I think that has produced the Ryan Puglisis and Dante Renos. I think it will continue to do that.”

For Milton, though, that’s not the case.

Whether it was offense, defense, or just plain making plays, Milton rolled to the Northeast 7v7 South regional title on Sunday, beating North Kingstown (R.I.) in the championship.

With the victory at Xaverian, Milton has won two regionals this summer, something that may be unprecedented with this event.

Leading the way was Milton defensive back Ferris Collins, who took back a pick-six in the semifinal against Dennis-Yarmouth and another in the title game.

It was just a complete effort from Milton, which had already advanced to Thursday’s New England finals.

“I think the key to our success is we have 18 guys and they all play and they all contribute,” Milton coach and Northeast 7v7 director Steve Dembowski said. “They’re unselfish. It was good to see a lot of guys make plays.”

“It’s definitely great to get the wins,” Collins said. “We lost a lot of great players last year. It’s reassuring to see us do well.”

It was many of the same faces for Milton that stood out in the East regional win at Bishop Fenwick. Quarterback Patrick Miller was again one of the top signal callers at the event, making pinpoint throws all afternoon. Wide receiver/linebacker Patrick Collins, cornerback/running back Nathan Ehui, and linebacker AJ Cicerone all had strong days.

In the final, Milton jumped out to an early lead and did not relent. Collins’ second pick-six in as many games provided the finishing touch.

North Kingstown acquitted itself very well, and should be one of the best teams in Rhode Island again. Wide receiver/defensive back Noah Giacastro, slot receiver/linebacker Trent Sterner, quarterback Braden Rogers, running back/linebacker Victor Encarnacion and wide receiver/safety Gian Iacuele are all names to watch for this fall.

Dennis-Yarmouth made a strong run to the semifinals, as did BC High. D-Y will be led by quarterback Jayden Barber, wide receiver Peyton Kellett, wide receiver/safety Walter Mayo, linebacker/wide receiver Jacob Bohlin, and offensive and defensive lineman Jayden Wetherbee.

For BC High, the Eagles will be led by wide receiver Marshall Rice, running back/wide receiver/safety Jacob Bieren Broodenspot, quarterback Carter Carroll, receiver Conrad Bubka and receiver Liam Callen.

Despite those strong performances all around, Milton again showed to be masters of the 7-on-7.

“I think from a camaraderie standpoint and a confidence standpoint, it makes them bond a little bit faster,” Dembowski said. “They get more on the same page. Obviously, when the pads go on, it’s a completely different game. I don’t think people realize how different 7-on-7 is from football. There’s no blocking and tackling and kicking, and obviously refs throw flags if you’re too physical. It’s a completely different game. But these guys are all still teammates, and it’s great for them to compete.”

Now? Those players still want to get better, but McCarthy is working with a way bigger pool of signal callers.

“This year we worked with over 250 kids from all different states, all throughout New England and outside of New England,” McCarthy said.

But pure numbers don’t do justice for just how deep McCarthy’s footprint is here. If you’re talking about quarterbacks in Massachusetts, the number of scholarship offers has exploded in recent years, and McCarthy has played a big role in that. Actually, it might be tougher to find quarterbacks who have not worked with McCarthy in recent years.

“My passion is seeing these guys develop, and seeing these guys grow, and then getting an opportunity to play at the next level,” McCarthy said.

He’s succeeding in that. McCarthy hails from Martha’s Vineyard, where he was on a team that made the Super Bowl. He briefly stopped at Merrimack before going to Bridgewater State, where he later coached. He eventually went with quarterback training full time, and started M2.

More and more, you began to see McCarthy’s videos pop up with players throwing. Then, when COVID struck, McCarthy’s services became essential to local quarterbacks.

“Marketing thing kind of happened naturally,” McCarthy said. “With COVID, it was a necessity. That’s when things started to pick up for us, during that COVID area, because a lot of kids were around, and they were hungry, and they couldn’t play football. So we were able to still get on the field and train, do it the right way, do it safe. But the marketing piece was so important at that time, because that’s all that college coaches had to evaluate.”

More and more kids wanted to be a part of it. And they began going to McCarthy with the blessings of their high school coaches. Then college players and even pros — like Brian Hoyer — began to take part.

The whole thing snowballed, and the athletes swear by McCarthy’s tutelage.

“It just happened naturally,” McCarthy said. “We’ve just been going and going since we started. It’s continued to grow. I said to the kids, and I try to live by this motto, ‘Stay in your three-foot world, what’s right in front of you.’ We just focus on today. Focus on what we did yesterday, how we can improve on it. Focus on how we can do better tomorrow. If we just stick with that motto and do things the right way, it’s elevated through that.”

McCarthy is always trying to improve his craft. He spends countless hours researching, picking the brains of other quarterback coaches, and discussing methods on podcasts.

The drills McCarthy uses can be innovative, trying to best simulate what players see in a game.

“Drills that are game-like experience,” McCarthy said. “The ultimate is 11-on-11. You can’t replicate that through quarterback drills and quarterback training, but what you can do is create reaction stimulus where these guys have layered decision-making that they need to make in a drill. Whether it’s different movements, different pressures, different distractions, we try to layer our drills to get them in scenarios where they’re comfortable moving inside the pocket, outside the pocket. Making different reads, getting their eyes and feet in the right place.”

And even with a much higher group of players to work with, McCarthy takes pride in fostering the bond between them.

“I think it’s the community (that is special),” McCarthy said. “The community of quarterbacks that we have and the coaches that we have around. Our coaching staff does a really good job of relationship building, and showing that we truly care about these kids and their development. The camaraderie that comes with working in a small group setting, these guys are all high-level quarterbacks, and they’re competing against each other for scholarships, but they’re genuinely happy when one has success. I think it’s the family atmosphere we’ve created and the guys I’ve surrounded myself with.

“I don’t really credit myself. I credit New England and the kids’ hunger to succeed. Really, what we try to do is give them a blueprint: ‘If you want to have success, you have to do A, B, C, and D.’ You have to do it consistently, and you have to be motivated by it. Quarterback is the hardest position in all of sports, but it’s also the most rewarding. It’s more of a lifestyle than a position, and you need to live it year round.”

The quarterback from last year? Gone. Skill players? Also, gone. Basically everyone from one of the state’s best teams? Out, and on to new adventures.

But hold on for a minute. On Saturday at Bishop Fenwick, it might be high time to start respecting the Wildcats that are coming back.

In the Northeast 7v7 East regional, Milton beat a game Peabody squad in the Open final to make it to New Englands, an event which the Wildcats won last summer.

In the Small title, St. Mary’s beat Salem on a last-second bomb.

Quarterback Patrick Miller played well for Milton, and watched as his defense picked off three passes in the win over Peabody.

“We’re all hard-working kids,” Miller said. “We’re a big family. We’re coming out here, we’re working hard. We’re going to take what the defense gives us, and just keep working hard.”

Milton coach Steve Dembowski runs the Northeast 7v7, and his teams are always competitive in it. But with the way Dembowski runs his offense, it always is a good sign when they compete at the level the Wildcats did Saturday.

“We have great kids who really like playing football and being together,” Dembowski said. “Seven-on-seven isn’t really football other than the ball. But they play year-round. They enjoy it. They enjoy each other, and they compete. I think that’s the key to most programs’ success.”

Other players who stood out for Milton were wide receiver Ronan Sammon, wide receiver Will Renz, wide receiver/defensive back Ferris Collins, and slot receiver/ safety Luke Haley.

As runners-up in the Open, Peabody had a terrific day. Wide receiver Eli Batista made plays all day, and is one of the top returning receivers in the state. He is being recruited by the likes of URI, Bryant, Bentley, and Brown.

A week ago at the North regional, St. Mary’s saw some success, but did not win the regional. The Spartans took care of that this week, with a last-second Hail Mary to beat a hot Salem team that was very strong.

On the last play against Salem, Yaniel Belliard fired a pass to the right pylon that found the arms of Tyler Guy. Other receivers that had a good day for St. Mary’s were Nick Marks, Sam Phelps, and Alef Potter.

“We lost a lot of guys, and I think it shows the character in some of the young guys we have that keep competing,” St. Mary’s coach Sean Driscoll said. “It’s special to win with these guys because they’re starting to know each other. At a private school, people come from all over. We’re starting to build something here, and I like our momentum so far.”

Alessandra Cristiani (Portsmouth Abbey) EIL girls tennis

Giulia Colarusso (Groton) ISL girls lacrosse

Caitlyn Dion (Pingree) EIL softball

Kofi Fordjour (Roxbury Latin) ISL boys track

Jonathan Garrity (Newman) MBIL boys tennis

Jackie Giordano (Brooks) ISL softball

Josiah Gomes (Belmont Hill) ISL boys track

Zuriel Jimenez (St. George’s) ISL girls track

Jaylin Johnson (Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall) MBIL boys lacrosse

Dani Longuemare (Portsmouth Abbey) EIL softball

Shannon Mahoney (Montrose) IGC girls lacrosse

Grayson McClements (Noble and Greenough) ISL boys lacrosse

Riley McClure (Pingree) EIL boys lacrosse

Brady Miller (Belmont Hill) ISL baseball

Lydia Morris-Kliment (Winsor) EIL girls track

Cole Oberg (Roxbury Latin) ISL boys tennis

Obi Onwudiwe (Portsmouth Abbey) EIL boys track

Matthew Parella (Portsmouth Abbey) EIL baseball

Nathan Rothschild (Concord Academy) EIL boys tennis

Ayla Sahin (Tabor) ISL girls track

Mariana Shulman (Newman) IGC girls tennis

Joshua Smith (Boston Trinity Academy) MBIL baseball

Zoe Sun (Dana Hall) EIL girls tennis

Cameron Traveis (Pingree) EIL girls lacrosse

Hannah Tsouvalas (Landmark) IGC girls lacrosse

Chloe Verrengia (Boston Trinity Academy) IGC softball

CJ Winchenbaugh (Belmont Hill) ISL boys golf

Marc Zeitels (Gann) MBIL baseball

Lindy Zhang (Groton) ISL girls tennis

ARI BLOOM

WARING

The junior was the top goalie in the MBIL. At 5-foot-9, 146 pounds, opposing goal scorers could not solve Bloom. Academically, Bloom takes Accelerated Physics, Honors Humanities, and Honors Math. Bloom also plays soccer, and enjoys climbing, hiking, skateboarding, and snowboarding.

ALESSANDRA CRISTIANI

PORTSMOUTH ABBEY

The No. 1 singles tennis player for Portsmouth Abbey, the junior finished 12-1 on the year, losing only 28 games all season and was the team captain and coach’s award winner. The 2022 EIL Player of the Year is a Dean’s List student who also runs cross-country and plays squash.

GIULIA COLARUSSO

GROTON

The midfielder had 95 goals, 16 assists, and 104 draw controls. The ISL MVP was an All-ISL All-NEPSAC and All-American performer. Ranked the No. 1 2024 attacker by Inside Lacrosse, Colarusso also plays basketball and soccer.

CAITLYN DION

PINGREE

The catcher and first baseman was the co-EIL MVP and a NEPSAC All-New England player. The team MVP batted .446 with three home runs and 22 RBI. The two-time team MVP was a 2022 first team All-EIL performer, and a two-time captain. Dion will play at Skidmore.

KOFI FORDJOUR

ROXBURY LATIN

The top distance runner in the ISL was the New England Prep champion in the 1,500 meters, the New England Prep Champion in the 3,000 meters and third place in the New England Prep 800 meters. He was the ISL champion in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters, and runner-up in the 800 meters. The ISL MVP finished seventh in the country at New Balance Nationals in the 5K.

JONATHAN GARRITY

NEWMAN

The senior was the No. 1 singles tennis player at Newman. This spring, he went 7-1, losing his only match when he withdrew because of injury. An MBIL all-league player last year, he only had one loss in MBIL play. The National Merit Scholarship winner will attend Swarthmore.

JACKIE GIORDANO

BROOKS

As a sophomore she earned ISL MVP honors, and was an All-NEPSAC player in leading Brooks to a 9-0 league record and 15-3 overall mark. She struck out 124 and walked 11 in 70.1 innings with four shutouts. She had a 1.99 ERA and .938 WHIP, and batted .364 with three home runs.

JOSIAH GOMES

BELMONT HILL

The top thrower in the ISL, this 6-foot-5, 260-pounder had a terrific junior season. He was first in the ISL at the discus, second in the shot put, and was named the ISL field MVP. At New Englands, he was second in the discus, and third in the shot put. He is aspiring to be a Div. 1 thrower.

ZURIEL JIMENEZ

ST. GEORGE’S

The winner of the Hersey Track Cup was the ISL Championship Meet MVP. She set school records at St. George’s in both the shot put and javelin. An All-ISL and All-NEPSAC performer, she was a NEPSTA DIIII Championship individual event winner in the discus, shot put, and javelin. She will continue her career at Columbia.

JAYLIN JOHNSON

CHAPEL HILL CHAUNCY HALL

Only a sophomore, Johnson was named the co-MVP of the MBIL. Johnson led his team in goals and was second in assists. He finished with 39 goals and nine assists in 15 games. He collected a team-high 83 ground balls.

DANI LONGUEMARE

PORTSMOUTH ABBEY

A senior pitcher, Longuemare was the co-EIL Player of the Year. She struck out 71 batters in 56 innings with an ERA of 0.58. She pitched a no-hitter on senior night. Offensively, had a .440 average with a .610 slugging percentage. A two-time EIL All-Star, she helped Portsmouth Abbey to back-to-back undefeated EIL seasons.

SHANNON MAHONEY

MONTROSE

A junior midfielder, Mahoney was the team MVP. She scored 31 goals, and was an IGC league all-star, team captain, and IGC League co-MVP. For her career, Mahoney has 88 goals, and won the 110 percent award her freshman and sophomore year. A junior and senior captain, Mahoney is a member of the National Honor Society.

GRAYSON McCLEMENTS

NOBLE AND GREENOUGH

An attack for the ISL champions, McClements finished with 81 goals and 55 assists for 136 points. He broke the ISL single-season points record, was name the ISL Player of the Year, and the ISL Playoffs MVP. An All-American, he was an All-ISL and All-NEPSAC player. He will continue his career at the University of Pennsylvania.

RILEY McCLURE

PINGREE

A senior midfielder, McClure scored 53 goals with 35 assists in an All-American season. He was named the EIL Player of the Year and was named a NEPSAC All-Star. For his career, he scored 102 goals with 58 assists, and was a two-time NEPSAC All-Star. He will continue his career at Bates.

BRADY MILLER

BELMONT HILL

A junior left-handed pitcher for Belmont Hill, this 6-4, 215-pounder had a dominant season on the mound. The ISL MVP, he had an ERA of 0.60 in 48.2 innings. He threw 53 strikeouts and only allowed four earned runs, as Belmont Hill won the ISL. Miller also enjoys fishing and golf.

LYDIA MORRIS-KLIMENT

WINSOR

The senior broke a school and EIL record in the 100-meters, posting a time of 12.59. A two-time EIL champion in the discus and long jump, she anchored the school’s successful 4×100 meter relay. A four-year varsity regular in soccer and basketball, Morris-Kliment earned all-league honors in soccer. Morris-Kliment will be running track and field at Swarthmore College in the fall.

COLE OBERG

ROXBURY LATIN

This sophomore was stellar this spring as the ISL MVP in boys tennis. The first singles player helped his team to a 17-0 record in the league with a league title and an overall record of 19-1 Oberg was 19-1 at first singles, the ISL MVP, and a New England Class B finalist. He also plays hockey.

OBI ONWUDIWE

PORTSMOUTH ABBEY

This senior cleaned up the field events for Portsmouth Abbey this spring. He was the EIL champion in the shot put, high jump, and triple jump. He was also the New England champion in the triple jump. He has the school record in the triple jump at 44-2.5, and owns a 6-4 high jump. Onwudiwe was part of a 4×100 relay team which posted a school-record time of 44.73.

MATTHEW PARELLA

PORTSMOUTH ABBEY

This senior pitcher stands 6-foot-5, 175 pounds, and he led the way in the EIL. He was the EIL Player of the Year with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. A Dean’s List student, Parella will continue his career at Rhode Island College.

NATHAN ROTHSCHILD

CONCORD ACADEMY

A senior, Rothschild was the captain and No. 1 singles player for Concord Academy. An EIL All-Star, Rothschild was 12-0 in the No 1 singles position, a NEPSAC All-Star, and the EIL Player of the Year. For his career, Rothschild was 24-1 in the No. 1 singles position, leading Concord Academy to the NEPSAC Class C finals in 2022 and 2023.

AYLA SAHIN

TABOR

A junior, Sahin had a tremendous spring competing in the sprints for Tabor. An All-ISL performer in the 200 meters and 100 meter hurdles, she was awarded the ISL’s Outstanding Track Athlete. A NEPSAC Div. 2 All-Star and MVP, she was No. 3 in Massachusetts with a 100-meter hurdles time of 14.78 seconds.

MARIANA SHULMAN

NEWMAN

The sophomore was the MVP of the IGC. A two-time New England sectionals winner, she has had a great career so far at Newman. Her hobbies include spending time with friends, working, and reading. She hopes to stay in the northeast for college and play Div. 1 tennis.

JOSHUA SMITH

BOSTON TRINITY ACADEMY

This junior catcher and pitcher was the top player in the MBIL this spring. For the season, Smith batted .348 and struck out 18 batters over 15 innings. He was named the team’s MVP, an MBIL All-Star, the MBIL co-MVP, and was part of a MBIL championship team. A varsity soccer player, he hopes to play baseball at a four-year college.

ZOE SUN

DANA HALL

The No. 1 singles player for Dana Hall, Sun completed her senior season with a 10-0 singles record, giving her a career mark of 25-3. Her hobbies and interests include studio arts and crafts, and playing piano and guitar. She will play her college tennis at Bowdoin.

CAMERON TRAVEIS

PINGREE

This midfielder completed a stellar athletic career at Pingree this spring. Traveis had 58 goals, nine assists, 94 draw controls, 30 ground balls, and 22 caused turnovers For her career, she scored 166 goals, with 225 draw controls, 89 ground balls, and 69 caused turnovers. A field hockey and basketball player, she will play lacrosse at Cornell.

HANNAH TSOUVALAS

LANDMARK

This senior stood out for Landmark this spring as a lacrosse goalie. The winner of the team award, league MVP, ad coaches award, not many could beat Tsouvalas this season. Also a standout hockey player, she is a two-time coaches award winner and an MVP. She will continue her hockey career at Johnson & Wales.

CHLOE VERRENGIA

BOSTON TRINITY ACADEMY

This senior catcher for Boston Trinity had an exceptional season. The IGC MVP, she had an on-base percentage of .782, with eight home runs and 38 runs batted in. She was the IGC MVP for both 2022 and 2023. She will attend Gordon College to study clinical psychology and play softball.

CJ WINCHENBAUGH

BELMONT HILL

This junior is coming off an outstanding season on the links for Belmont Hill. The ISL and team MVP, he was the Kingman Winner this year. He has had two consecutive undefeated seasons, and is an honor roll student. He will play golf at Georgetown.

MARC ZEITELS

GANN

The junior right-handed ace also played third baseman and first baseman for Gann. In 20.1 innings pitched, he struck out 39 batters, with five walks, three earned runs, and an ERA of 1.27. He batted .500 with 18 RBI, 11 runs, an OBP of .617 and slugging of .833. He was the MBIL co-MVP, an all-star, and co-captain.

LINDY ZHANG

GROTON

The No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles player for Groton, this sophomore had a standout year in the ISL. She was the ISL MVP, and an All-ISL and All-NEPSAC performer. She was ranked in the top 10 in the U14 USTA New England. Zhang also competes in cross country and swimming.

LEAGUE ALL-STARS

EASTERN INDEPENDENT LEAGUE

BASEBALL
Matt Parella, Mitch Canuel, Levi Maguire, Chris Hahn (Portsmouth Abbey); Cole Perkin, Quinn Moses, Jaylon Richardson (Pingree); Ian Kula, Zack Hawrylciw, Sage Beebe-Jenny (Berwick); Lazarus Giardina, Theo Masella (Landmark); Cooper LeBlanc (Bancroft); Lorenzo Figueroa, Harris Hackel (Beaver); Charlie Seston (Concord Academy)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Matt Parella

BOYS LACROSSE
Cam Dick, Rogan Cardinal, Colin McLoy, Mekhi Taylor, Riley McClure (Pingree); Jack Lucey, Joe Verderber, Charlie Townsend, Luca Sanders (Portsmouth Abbey); Elijah Chilicki, Christopher Peracchi, Mateo Corcoran (Berwick); Sebastian Goldberg, Timmy Brown, Finn Ruddy (Beaver); Kyle Weldon, Brendan Murphy, Sean Hoyey (Landmark); Eli Stephenson (Bancroft); Diego Alonzo (Concord); Lucas Viana (Lexington Christian)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Riley McClure

GIRLS LACROSSE
Megan Madison, Lucille Condron, Katherine Perkins, Lucie Rynne (Winsor); Stephanie Copeland, Lily Heald, Avery Mather (Dana Hall); Bridgette Cassidy, Bella Coughlin (Bancroft); Teagan Fitzgerald (Beaver Country Day); Alexis Dahlberg, Sadie Polgar (Portsmouth Abbey); Lauren Collins, Meghan Collins, Schuyler Lloyd, Waters Lloyd, Cameron Traveis (Pingree); Ava Lynch, Emma McCann, Mairead Westover (Newton Country Day); Cameron Hamilton, Ella Souza (Berwick Academy); Reagan Fish (Lexington Christian Academy); Anna Hutter, Phoebe Fritz (Concord Academy)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cameron Traveis

SOFTBALL
Dani Longuemare, Sarah Edwards, Erin McNamara, Ashtyn Bringardner (Portsmouth Abbey); Caitlyn Dion, Marah Goldman, Antonella Najim (Pingree); Sarah Brody, Norah Coburn (NCDS); Chloe Santilli, Layla Anderson (Dana Hall); Riley Anderson, Alexa Scanlon (Beaver); Hannah Fish, Nadia Athanasiadis (LCA); Gricelda Castro, Gwendolyn Castro (Winsor); Sophie Dornstein (Concord)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dani Longuemare, Caitlyn Dion

BOYS TENNIS
Nathan Rothschild, Ben Lee, Marshall Fisher, Hugo Marquis, Alex Eckford, Kefan Cui (Concord Academy); Alexander Gough-Schnapp (Beaver); Sean Blundin, Kyle Greason (Pingree); Fletcher Reilly, Ryan Ma, Manuel Gavito, Sergio Ley, Will Hurlbut (Portsmouth Abbey);

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nathan Rothschild

GIRLS TENNIS
Zoe Sun (Dana Hall); Alessandra Cristiani (Portsmouth Abbey); Julia Bae, Karina Artemiev, Jiwon Lee, Camille Eckert, Remy Kim, Avery Harrison (Winsor); Evin Cosar (Bancroft); Ritika Sinha, Peper Granskog, Isabella Ginsburg (Concord); Avery Grover, Victoria Hauser
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Zoe Sun, Alessandra Cristiani

BOYS TRACK
Obi Onwudiwe, Jermaine Anson, Bernard Dushie (Portsmouth Abbey); Sam Graubart, Mark Graubart, Aakash Nandipaku, Chris Colby (Pingree); Elijah Anderson, Kaden Jacobs, Maddox Devine, Will Filosa, Milo Capodieci (Landmark); Malcom Barnard (Bancroft); Ben Bartlett, Axel Bostrom (Concord Academy)

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Obi Onwudiwe

GIRLS TRACK
Lydia Morris-Kliment, Maddie Cheng, Yemisi Adetowubo, Desiree Winston-Johnson, Jemma Kuriyel, Helena Nguyen, Lara doRosario,Natalie Cooper (Winsor); Asia Jaycobs, Grace Chen (Concord); Clare O’Holleran, Ashra Odiase (Pingree); Sophia Capone (Portsmouth Abbey); Parke Harnden, Bridget Sachs (Concord)

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Lydia Morris-Kliment

INDEPENDENT GIRLS CONFERENCE

GIRLS LACROSSE

Shannon Mahoney, Olivia Mahoney, Kenzie Cassler, Vivian Krawiecki, Maddy Grigg (Montrose); Taylor Tucker, Gaelyn Grant, Maggie Halvorsen, Sophia Sakellariou (Boston Trinity Academy); Hannah Tsouvalas, Lia Carr, Ella Graham (Landmark); Olive Sauder, Bella Fedele (Waring); Amalyah McCoy (Gann); Hadley Reardon (Brimmer)

MVP: Shannon Mahoney, Hannah Tsouvalas

SOFTBALL

Erin Kampersal, Megan Cloherty, Chloe Munroe, Anna Proscia (Montrose); Chloe Verrengia, Nora Verrengia, Eva Balboni (Boston Trinity Academy); Mary Grace Banona, Ruth Gittleman (Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School); Libby Barker-Hook, Kaylee Rivera (Brimmer and May); Shirley Whitmore (Covenant Christian Academy); Ariel Konstantine (Gann)

MVP: Chloe Verrengia

GIRLS TENNIS

Mariana Shulman, Caitin Tyrell, Amanee Miller (Newman); Ariel Skolnick, Julia Wilder (Gann); Joyce Zhang (CSW); Abbi Large (Landmark); Audrey Be (Brimmer); Gabriela Long (CH-CH)

MVP: Mariana Shulman

MASSACHUSETTS BAY INDEPENDENT LEAGUE

BASEBALL

Zak Adler, Julian Tague (Brimmer); Jihoon Park, Theodore McCafferty (CHCH/CSW); Joshua Smith, Luke Hodge, Caleb Pucci (Boston Trinity Academy); Caleb Glashow, Marc Zeitels, Ilan Newman, Lev Kotler-Berkowitz (Gann Academy)

MVP: Joshua Smith, Marc Zeitels

BOYS LACROSSE

Jaylin Johnson, Jaehong Kim, Romeo Martinez, Jack Logan (Chapel Hill/Chauncy Hall); Jack Fawcett, Theo Van Alen, Ari Bloom (Waring); Ben Wecker, Hunter Gannon, Matt Haber (Gann); Owen Williams (Brimmer)

MVP: Ari Bloom, Jaylin Johnson

BOYS TENNIS

Gann Maor, Elan Cohen, Ed Browne (Gann); David Sadka, Ajay Raman (BU Academy); Nate Dodge (CH/CH); LJ Filerman-Shen (CSW); Aaron MacLean (Brimmer); Jonathan Garrity (Newman); Daniel Shi (BTA)

MVP: Jonathan Garrity

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL LEAGUE

BASEBALL

Brady Miller, Anthony Pellagrini, John Milewski, Brennan Barlage, Charlie Walsh (Belmont Hill); Gabe Fitzgerald (Brooks); Alex Sandell, Brady MacCutcheon (BB&N); Aidan Sengenberger, Christian Oliveira, Corey Aubuchon (Governor’s Academy): Dylan Vigue (Groton); Justin Morris, Ted McLaughlin (Lawrence Academy); Chester Boynton (Middlesex); Ben Waterman, Matt Higgins, Will Cannata (Milton Academy); Alastair Rose, Jack Murray (Noble and Greenough); Mark Herlihy, Jack DosSantos (Rivers); Antonio Morales, James Henshon, Tom Pender (Roxbury Latin); Jake Athanasoulas (St. George’s); Dante D’Avanzo, Braden Michaelson (St. Mark’s); AJ Lysko, Jack Volo, Hagan Ward (St. Sebastian’s); Owen Cassidy, Cole Taylor, Javar Williams, Gus Ackerman (Tabor); Peter Fischer (Thayer Academy)

MVP: Brady Miller

BOYS GOLF

CJ Winchenbaugh, Aidan Monahan (Belmont Hill); Payne Plum, Mason Malouf, Jack McDermott (Brooks); Henry Kirk (BB&N); Max McColgan (Lawrence Academy); Lucy Wang, Andrew Cao (Middlesex); Reese Jensen (Milton Academy); Alan Rose (Middlesex); Rocco Biafore (St. George’s); Beckett Sloan, Robbie Lifson (Tabor); Sascha Robinson (Thayer)

MVP: CJ Winchenbaugh

BOYS LACROSSE

Eli Goldstein, Eli Friedman, Charlie Hazard, Finn Fox, Matthew Torrey (Belmont Hill); Brock Geraci, Pearce MacDonald, Owen Umansky (Governor’s); JP Charpentier, Luke Romano (Groton); Owen Crann, Matt Egan, John McKinnon, Andrew Materese (Middlesex); Grayson McClements, Tuck Gilbane, Henry Tweedy, Christian Grosso, Thatcher Bernstein, Tommie Schwartz, Matt Tully (Noble and Greenough); Anthony Stillwell, Brendan Poirier (Rivers); David Sullivan, Johnny Price (Roxbury Latin); Charlie Hoffman, Matt Swirbalus (St. Sebastian’s); Evan O’Neil, Logan Styles (Tabor); Brady Monturio, Tucker Chanenchuk, Connor Foley (Thayer Academy)

MVP: Grayson McClements

GIRLS LACROSSE

Madeline Egan (BB&N); Molly Driscoll, Lydia Tangney (Brooks); Callie Batchelder, Cece Batchelder, Molly Vana (Governor’s); Guilia Colarusso, Maddie Cronan, Allie Kandel (Groton); Alexandra Petrone, Caroline Cervini, Sydney Cogliano (Middlesex); Caroline Curtis, Emily Counihan (Milton Academy); Fiona O’Keeffe, Maddie MacDonald, Tori Balser, Tierney Smink, Sophie Majernik (Noble and Greenough); Cece L’Esperance (Rivers); Izzy Lahah (St. George’s); Thais Jackson (St. Mark’s); Juliette Piersol, Ellie Amato (Tabor); Izabella Amonte, Coco Hauck, Celia Benson (Thayer)

MVP: Giulia Colarusso

SOFTBALL

Sophia Alvarez-Backus, Jackie Giordano, Maria Pierce (Brooks); Cecelia Wilson, Maddie Maguire (BB&N); Addison Jay, Angelina Moroz (Governor’s); CJ Jahnle (Lawrence Academy); Nia Phillips (Milton Academy); Sophia Hahn, Delaney Benevides, Laney Mead (Noble and Greenough); Abby Matsuyasu (Rivers); Kaitlyn Breslin, Juliana Kiley (St. Mark’s); Bella Moore (Tabor); Alena Mulhern (Thayer)

MVP: Jackie Giordano

BOYS TENNIS

Ernest Lai, Bobby Cooper (Belmont Hill); Larry Li, Tripp Wright, Griffin Gura (Groton); Lachland McCaghren (Middlesex); Max Donovan (Milton Academy); Alex Yi, Jack Babka (Noble and Greenough); Charlie Shalanker (Rivers); Eric Diop, Akshay Kumar, Cole Oberg (Roxbury Latin); Johnny Hayes (St. Sebastian’s) MVP: Cole Oberg

GIRLS TENNIS

Lindy Zhang, Caiyu Yang, Ella Farahnakian, Aimee Zheng, April Li, Julie Xie (Groton); Devon Connerly (Milton Academy); Shelley Tang, Olivia Golhar (Noble and Greenough); Katelyn Yang, Emma Schillinger (St. Mark’s); Claire Hayes (Thayer); Jaqueline Lee (Rivers)

MVP: Lindy Zhang

BOYS TRACK

Josiah Gomes, Will Lloyd, Samson Onuoha (Belmont Hill); Peter Lichtenberger (BB&N); Quinn Clubb, Salim Hill (Groton); Joey Casper, Malcolm Clark, Tim Gachuki, Justin Li, Yared McDonald, Lucas Mylon, Matthew Wing (Middlesex); Kofi Fordjour (Roxbury Latin); Daithi Quinn (Tabor); Kyle Dargie (Thayer)

OUTSTANDING ATHLETE: Kofi Fordjou, Josiah Gomes

GIRLS TRACK

Avery Hart, Scarlett Hawkins (BB&N); Amina Cifric (Governor’s); Nicolette Key (Lawrence Academy); Cassidy Bruno, Addie Creelman, Sadie Millet, Kennedy Wilson (Middlesex); Zuriel Jimenez (St. George’s); Teresa Adams, Ayla Sahin, Bradley Weldon (Tabor); Callie Ahern, Eliza Farley, Aoibhe Gormley, Elle Grant, Sophia Hansen, Taryn Madsen, Shea O’Neill (Thayer)

OUTSTANDING ATHLETE: Ayla Sahin, Zuriel Jimenez

Would the Rangers have enough firepower to do it again? Why, of course they would.

Methuen beat Central (R.I.) in the open division final at Exeter High School to grab the program’s third straight Northeast 7v7 regional title. The Rangers will have a chance to compete for the New England title.

Dedham won the small school crown.

“I think we have a depth of skill kids,” Methuen coach Tom Ryan said. “That’s what you need. It’s so hot. If you have a lot of depth at the skill positions, you’ve got a chance. If you don’t, the heat will get you. And, having a great quarterback helps, too.”

That great quarterback was rising senior Drew Eason. He was tremendous, and is poised for a big year. He picked apart a good Central team in the final, with accuracy on short throws and touch on deep ones. Massachusetts is loaded with talented signal-callers, and Eason is in that top group.

“Honestly, we have a lot of talented players and a great coaching staff, that’s for sure,” Eason said. “We always want to compete. We always want more, and just keep fighting and striving for the better and more. We never settle for failure. We always want success.”

Other players who stepped up for Methuen were running back Shane Eason, running back/wide receiver Josh Kwakye, tight end Nolan Smith, and wide receivers Aidan O’Shaughnessy and Kian Greeley.

Central had a great day to reach the final, led by defensive back Demetrius Outland, wide receiver Joseph Forbes, quarterback Avani Rodrigues and running back Ramel Richard.

In the small final, Dedham turned away Tewksbury, as Marauders defensive back AJ Pinet made a great break on the ball to force a turnover on the last defensive possession.

In addition to Pinet, linebackers Thomas Quinn and Will Fitzgerald, wide receiver/running back/safety Gianni Gasbarro, quarterback Joe Gaffredo and cornerback/wide receiver Ben Bogie all had strong days.

“He’s a special player,” Dedham coach Mike Cloutier said of Pinet. “I can’t speak highly enough of AJ Pinet and who he is. He’s the heart and soul of our team as a 16-year-old kid. He does it both ways. He’s just very passionate about this thing. He’s passionate, he cares, and he works his butt off. Doesn’t surprise me.”

For Tewksbury, quarterback Vinny Ciancio had a great day. Tailback/linebacker Hunter Johnson played well, as did safety Braydon Aylward, safety/wide receiver Colby Flahive and wide receiver/cornerback Cam Kearney.

In Sunday’s Div. 1 title game at Babson College, the Wolverines again had the better start, and maybe just had the formula for beating L-S.

Or maybe, this time, things were a little different. L-S was better on the draw, and made the most of its opportunities, as the Warriors earned a thrilling 10-9 victory to claim the state title.

L-S finished with a 21-2 mark, while Westwood, the two-time defending D1 state champs, finished at 22-4.

“For us, it was like, ‘We’ve been here before. We know we can do it,’ ” L-S coach Kaillie Kelly said of her team’s early 3-0 deficit.

The game was tied 8-8 late in the second half, when sophomore Ella Ryan (3 goals) scored off a free position with 7:39 to play. Then, with the benefit of a nifty spin move, Ryan scored again to make it 10-8, L-S, with just 6:08 to play.

Westwood went down fighting, though, as Ava Connaghton scored her fifth goal of the game with 4:13 to play.

But the Warriors held on. Sophomore goalie Lydia Mossi made two big saves off free positions in the final minutes, and the Warriors were able to run out the clock.

“2018 was my first season,” Kelly said. “We didn’t qualify for the playoffs the year before. So it’s just kind of been, all right, back to the playoffs, fell short. Every year we were able to take one step forward. To be able to get back here for the first rime in our program since 1990, and to win it for the first time since 1988, I’m just so incredibly proud of these girls. They’re the most resilient people you will ever meet.”

Reagan Malo scored three goals for L-S. Harper Friedholm scored twice, and Georgia Buendia and Lili Reilly each netted one goal.

Lil Hancock scored three goals for Westwood, and Caroline Nozzolillo had another.

“Our team has battled through adversity all season,” Ryan said. “We’ve been preparing all season for that moment. Our coaches and alumni sent us a video cheering us on, and we knew that we had it in us to win.”

Westwood jumped out to that 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, but L-S answered to take a 4-3 halftime lead. Friedholm scored the first goal of the second half, but the lead changed hands twice more after that in the back-and-forth affair.