What a year it was
Champions earned what they got
The Cambridge boys basketball team had a target squarely on its back from the opening day of the season and no one knocked it off.
Led by the superb play of Herald Dream Teamers Jakigh Dottin and Dimon Carrigan, Cambridge ran the table to capture its second consecutive Division 1 state championship. Brighton won its second Div. 2 state title in five years, while Hanover carted home its first Div. 3 championship.
On the girls side, the Catholic Central Large rose to the forefront in the postseason. Archbishop Williams (Div. 3) and Cathedral (Div. 4) nabbed state titles, while Arlington Catholic fell to Medfield in the Div. 2 final. Braintree knocked off four top-10 teams on its way to the Div. 1 final.
Arlington reached the top of the Div. 1A hockey mountain as Mic Curran’s goal 15 seconds into overtime gave the Spy Ponders a 2-1 win over Central Catholic. Longtime St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee led St. Mary’s to a Div. 1 crown, while Lowell Catholic took home the Div. 2 title.
On the girls hockey front, Notre Dame rolled to its second straight Div. 2 championship. Woburn won its first Div. 1 hockey championship since 2006, knocking off Needham, 3-1.
In the world of girls gymnastics, the Olivias were the story for Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater as Olivia Keyes and Olivia Kmito led them to the state title. On the boys side, Jake Forbes rose to the challenge as the Newton co-op program won its third straight state crown.
Jake Ferri of Shawsheen and Andrew Marshall of LincolnSudbury were the only Massachusetts wrestlers to win New England individual titles. Melrose won its first Div. 3 championship, while North Andover took home the Div. 2 crown.
Collette O’Leary, Elise O’Leary and Bridget Mitchell played large roles in leading Milton to the All-State girls track title, while Newton North depended on a team-effort to win the boys crown. In the world of swimming, St. John’s Prep (Div. 1) and Wayland (Div. 2) won boys team championships, while Westford (Div. 1) and Duxbury (Div. 2) ruled the pool on the girls side.
Spring highlights
St. John’s (Shrewsbury) snapped the Bay State Conference’s monopoly on the Div. 1A baseball title, rolling through four opponents to claim the grand prize. GNB Voke was the only Eastern Mass. team to win a state title, carting home the Div. 2 crown.
Milford put it all together to win the Div. 1 state softball championship. The game of the season occurred in the Div. 2 state semifinal where Dracut’s Ryley White (12 strikeouts, seven hits) and Norton’s Kelly Nelson (28 strikeouts, five hits) matched zeroes on the scoreboard for 12 innings before the Middies reached Nelson for four runs in the 13th inning to win, 4-0.
High drama occurred at the state girls golf championship as freshmen Concord-Carlisle’s Gabrielle Shieh and Boston Latin’s Anne Walsh battled through eight sudden-death before Shieh prevailed. Wellesley rolled to the Div. 1 team title,
Lincoln-Sudbury successfully defended its Div. 1 boys lacrosse title, Hingham rolled to the Div. 2 crown and Ipswich won three one-goal games en route to the Div. 3 championship. Needham (Div. 1) and Cohasset (Div. 2) won state girls lacrosse championships.
Many great individual performances highlighted the spring track seasons. Needham’s Davonte Burnett (100, 200), Arlington’s Ryan Oosting (mile, 2-mile), North Andover’s Erick Duffy (110-hurdles, pole vault) and Old Rochester’s Danny Renwick (high jump, pentathlon) were multiple winners at the All-State meet. On the girls side, Norton’s BrookeLynn Williams (100, 200), Newton South’s Clare Martin (800, mile) and Belmont’s Anoush Krafian (100-hurdles, pentathlon) doubled up as well.
The Dual County League ruled the roost in boys tennis as Acton-Boxboro (Div. 1), Wayland (Div. 2) and Weston (Div. 3) won team titles. Sharon (Div. 1), Wayland (Div. 2) and Martha’s Vineyard (Div. 3) took home girls championships.
In volleyball, Wayland fell one match short of sending head coach Rod Fletcher into retirement with a title, falling to Westfield in the state championship. Rugby made its debut with BC High (Div. 1) and Hanover (Div. 2) winning boys titles, while Belmont captured the girls crown.
Fall highlights
Brockton broke through and captured the school’s first Div. 1 boys soccer title. They were joined in the winner’s circle by Concord-Carlisle (Div. 2), while Boston International made it to the Div. 4 before losing. Westford Academy stunned Central Catholic in the Div. 1 North final and reached the state final before losing, while Danvers (Div. 2) and Millis (Div. 4) were the two Eastern Mass. winners.
In the world of high school football, many of the same faces were the last teams standing in their respective divisions. Everett (Div. 1), King Philip (Div. 2), Mashpee (Div. 7) and Millis (Div. 8) all defended their state championships, while Melrose captured its first Div. 4 title in four tries. Middleboro (Div. 6), St. John’s (Div. 3) and DennisYarmouth (Div. 5) took home state titles.
In girls volleyball, Melrose and Westboro had an epic fivesetter in the Div. 2 state title with Westboro prevailing. Newton North stormed past state power Barnstable on its way to the Div. 1 crown. Youth was well served as Andover (Div. 1) and Reading (Div. 2) dominated the girls swimming scene.
Watertown’s saw its unbeaten streak of 184 consecutive field hockey matches without loss come to an end, but the Raiders rebounded nicely to win the Div. 2 state title. Andover was the last team standing in Div. 1, defeating Longmeadow, 2-0, in the final.
Barnstable’s Holden Elletson defeated BC High’s Jack O’Donnell in a playoff to win the Div. 1 title. O’Donnell’s effort did play a large part in BC High winning the team title. St. Mary’s doubled up in Div. 3, winning the team title, while Christian Emmerich earned medalist honors. Catholic Memorial’s Andrew O’Leary defended his Div. 2 title, while Hopkinton won the team championship.
St. John’s Prep Tristan Shelgren was the Div. 1 All-State cross-country championship, while Newburyport’s Sam Acquaviva was the Div. 2 champ. Natick’s Grace Connolly captured the Div. 1 title, while Concord-Carlisle (Div. 1) was the only local school to win a team championship.