ESPN

Brooks School recently made a new hire as head football coach, tapping Pat Foley, an experienced veteran with almost a decade of college coaching experience.

Foley, a Newburyport native and Bates College graduate, comes to the North Andover campus after four years as co-defensive coordinator at Colgate University. Prior to that, Foley had stops at Allegheny (Penn.) College, Amherst College and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He is also the son of current UConn offensive line coach Mike Foley, considered one of New England's best recruiters.

Monday night, Foley chatted with ESPNBoston.com about coming back to the high school ranks, his lineage as a "football lifer", and the rebuilding challenge with a program that has gone 1-23 since the beginning of the 2010 season.

Why he came back to the high school ranks: "It was really two big things. First was, I had coached in college for 9 years now, absolutely loved the football part of it, but I was looking for a way to be more involved with other aspects of kids lives I think. At the college level, it got to a point where the only interaction I had with kids was on the football side, between practices and team meetings. At Brooks, I'll be more involved in other aspects of their lives. The second thing, seeing the campus and everyting, it's a great place live and raise a family, and that's something I look forward to as well."

On growing up around football with his father: "It was great, growing up around college football. It's obviously a time-consuming thing, there were certain things where he was away from home a lot. But as a young kid that really liked football, I got some awesome opportunities to be around it. I got to see the inside of things that a lot of kids probably don't get the opportunity to see."

His offensive philosophy: "I think in order to be successful you have to be able to run the ball. I understand a lot of offenses are going to the spread thing, but teams can be spread and run the ball. I think you have to be able to run the ball, whether it's out of spread looks or going under center. We're not gonna be one of these teams that throws the ball 55 times a game. We may have spread elements, but it is to run the ball first and foremost."

On the ISL going forward: I think it's a great league. As a college coach, I recruited all of the New England states so I got to see talent all over the place. I got to experience first hand the caliber and type of student you can recruit [in this league], all the ISL schools have great players. A lot of times they may get overlooked, but it's on the rise. The players and competition are only going to get better. At Brooks we hope we can be on the top side of the curve, and increase the talent level there and everything."

Assessing the talent at Brooks: "I'm going into it with a totally open mind. I'm hoping to meet the team later this week, and I'm going in with an open mind. Obviously they've struggled the last few years, but I'm going in with a totally open mind. Between now and when I get on the practice field for the first time, I'm not gonna put too much weight on the past, and see how the guys do moving forward."

FIRST LINE
F - Alison Butler, Sr., St. Mary's
This year's ESPN Boston Miss Hockey award winner, Butler captained the Spartans to their fourth Division 1 state title, scoring the game-winning goal against Arlington Catholic at the Garden. The St. Anselm's commit was third in Division 1 in scoring with 37-25-62 totals. It is her second ESPN Boston All-State nomination.
F - Hannah Murphy, Sr., Duxbury
The fulcrum to Duxbury''s run of three straight Division 2 state championships. Murphy, a three-sport athlete, finished fifth among all Division 2 scorers, putting up 29-24-53 totals. Murphy will play lacrosse at UMass-Amherst.
F - Kayla Smith, Sr., Woburn
One of the most talented pure scorers in the state, Smith finished second in Division 1 across the state in scoring with 34 goals and 24 assists for 63 points. The three-time ESPN Boston All-Stater will continue her hockey career at Salve Regina.
D - Cassandra Connolly, Sr., Woburn
The repeat ESPN Boston All-Stater finished fourth on the Tanners in points (2-15-17) while helping goaltender Courtney Davis notch seven shutouts on the season. Connolly will continue her playing career at the University of New England next year.
D - Hannah Wright, Sr., Arlington
A shut-down, physical blue-liner, Wright also finished tied for fourth on the Spy Ponders with 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists). She will attend Castleton State College next year where she will play hockey.
G - Shannon O'Neil, Sr., Austin Prep
Pitched a remarkable 10 shutouts on the season, along with a dazzling 96.8 save percentage. O'Neil, a Franklin Pierce commit, was also among the statewide leaders in goals against average with a 1.08 marka.
SECOND LINE
F - Kaleigh Finigan, Sr., St. Mary's
Despite missing time with an injury, Finigan still managed to finish second on the Spartans in scoring - following Alison Butler— with 17-28-45 totals. The Medford resident is also a standout on St. Mary's softball team.
F - Jane Freda, Sr., Hingham
A two-time ESPN Boston All-State selection, the Harborwomen captain finished among the Top 10 scorers in the state, tallying 31 goals to go along with 16 assists.
F - Ashley Moran, Jr., Woburn
The rangy winger made great strides this season, finishing among the Top 10 scorers in the state, posting 25 goals and 31 assists.
D - Brooke Matherson, Jr., Walpole
The blue-liner led the Rebels in scoring this year with 33 points points and her 24 goals were also a team-best. Matherson is also a standout player on Walpole's field hockey team.

D - Annie Messuri, Jr., Acton-Boxborough
Messuri was named the DCL/MVC Large division Most Valuable Player this year after posting 13-17-30 totals.
G - Courtney Davis, Jr., Woburn
Led the Tanners to an undefeated regular season while registering seven shutouts. The three-year starter registered a 92.1 save percentage while posting a 1.35 goals against average.

BEST OF THE REST - HONORABLE MENTION
Forwards
Carolyn Avery, Sr., Lexington
Megan Barrett, Frosh., Acton-Boxborough
Christie Caliendo, Sr., Billerica
Leah Cardarelli, Soph., Acton-Boxborough
Molly Connolly, Sr., Wellesley
Amanda Conway, Soph., Tewksbury/Methuen
Gabby Crugnale, Sr., St. Mary's
Jackie Denning, Sr., Lexington
Cecily Docktor, Soph., Wellesley
Kara Donati, Sr., Winthrop/Lynn
Erin Dwyer, Sr., Archbishop Williams
Marissa Fichter, Soph., Duxbury
Ela Hazar, Jr., Westwood
Shannon Hickey, Sr., Arlington
Emily Kelly, Jr., Norwood
Olivia Konaxis, Sr., Beverly/Danvers
Brittani Lanzilli, Jr., Medford
Maggie Layo, Jr., Sandwich
Sara Lehman, Sr., Lexington
Emily Lissner, Jr., Woburn
Kim Lizotte, Sr., Westford Academy
Emily Loprete, Soph., Watertown/Melrose
Meaghan McKenna, Sr., Canton
Rachel Moore, Soph., Falmouth
Ali O'Leary, Frosh., Reading
Adrieana Rossini, Soph., Arlington Catholic
Nicole Woods, Jr., Beverly/Danvers

Defense
Allison Cunningham, Soph., Arlington Catholic
Tatiana Doucette, Jr., St. Mary's
Erin Ferrara, Sr., Fontbonne Academy
Hannah Ghelfi, Soph., Falmouth
Alexandria Gong, Sr., Hingham
Ally Hammel, Jr., Duxbury
Melissa Richard, Sr., Arlington Catholic
Caroline Seibold, Frosh., Reading

Goalies
Megan Messuri, Jr., Arlington Catholic
Rachel Myette, Jr., Duxbury
Madison Scavotto, So., Falmouth
Lauren Skinnion, Jr., St. Mary's

Coach of the Year
Frank Pagliuca, St. Mary's (Lynn)
While piloting to the Spartans to four Division 1 state championships, perhaps Pagliuca's finest job behind the bench came this year, as St. Mary's knocked off Catholic Central rival Arlington Catholic in a rematch of the 2012 title game.

Finalists:
Todd Fletcher, Westford Academy
Michael Golden, Reading
Friend Weiler, Duxbury

It was Friday, March 8, and inside the walls of the brand-new Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, the boys’ basketball team was still practicing. The Beavers were preparing to venture into unfamiliar territory. It had been 19 years since Putnam basketball had played this long into the season. The following night, the Beavers would square off with the defending state champions -- a rival school less than a mile down Roosevelt Avenue -- Springfield Central.

The Golden Eagles were expected to play for the Division 1 Western Mass. title that Saturday night while the Beavers still had its fair share of doubters, yet none of them were in that gymnasium that Friday.

Putnam head coach William Shepard talked to his team each day after practice, though, he tweaked the postgame speech a bit that day. Each member of the team read a line from Marva Collins’ poem “The Creed.”

“It applied to basketball,” Putnam senior forward Kayjuan Bynum said. “But it also applied to life.”

The poem represented the new culture of Putnam basketball, one that Shepard brought into the school four years ago when he decided to leave his head coaching job at Springfield Technical Community College, a position he held for a decade.

“High school is the place I wanted to be at from the start,” Shepard said. “I knew there could be great things to be accomplished. I always knew there was talent here.”

Shepard made the transition to high school ball to tap into the talent at an earlier age and develop these gifted players into discipline young men. When he began at Putnam, he set the expectations high, never lowering them until the goals were met. Four short years later, Putnam will add its first state title banner. More importantly, Shepard is challenging these student-athletes to apply the hard work and success they’ve achieved on the hardwood to the classroom and the community. There is one particular line of Collins’ poem that underscores how Shepard is changing the perception of Putnam basketball and the city of Springfield.

Society will draw a circle that shuts me out, but my superior thoughts will draw me in. I was born to win if I do not spend too much time trying to fail.

The bus ride to UMass-Amherst for the Western Mass. title game was loose, according to the players. They were listening to music, joking, but when they walked into Curry Hicks Cage, they had the opportunity to dethrone Central as the city/sectional power.

A year earlier, Putnam earned the No. 2 seed to Central, only to be bounced in the quarterfinals. The top two seeds remained the same this season with Central receiving the top spot for a tougher schedule. Sharing the same street puts Putnam in the figurative and literal shadow of Central, where the history of on-court success includes three state titles while producing NBA talent in Travis Best. Despite the 20-1 record, Putnam was still doubted for much of the season.

“It really got me mad when they thought we were Division 2,” junior guard Dizel Wright said, referring to one of the criticisms the team heard during the season.

The shifting of the powers started to begin when David Murrell launched a half-court shot, and, as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, Murrell’s heave banked in, putting Putnam up nine.

“I let it go and I was like ‘We got this.’” Murrell said. “We got to take over now.”

From there, Putnam cruised to its first sectional final, 61-45, and the school’s first ever boys’ basketball title. Putnam was still the underdog in the state semifinals where the Beavers beat Milford. 52-39.

That trend continued in the state final against Mansfield. And it wasn’t until Ty Nichols hit a pair of free throws in overtime, as the Beavers held on for a 50-48 win, before Shepard’s mission became a reality.

Shepard, who was born and raised in Springfield, understands this wasn’t the only time his players had been counted out.

Failure is just as easy to combat as success is to obtain. … I have the right to fail, but I do not have the right to take other people with me.

Every day after practice, Shepard talked to his team, less about basketball and more about life and how the choices they make.

“I’ve told them, you’ve overcome adversity already,” Shepard said. “Basketball is the easy part.”

Shepard refers to his players dealing with the pressures of a city with many temptations and as a court officer in Springfield for 14 years. He has seen countless teenagers walk in and out of courtrooms for whatever reasons over the years, whether it is drugs, gangs, etc.

“We talk about a lot of life issues,” Shepard said. “It’s just not being a follower. To be honest some of their friends are selling drugs, not doing the right thing. They have a choice.”

“It’s easier for anyone to get caught up in that life,” Bynum added. “We use basketball as a sanctuary. We don’t need a gang family. We are each other’s family.

“No one needs to be out there when you can be in here with us, having fun, practicing, winning state championships.”

Through his time at Putnam, Shepard has become a role model and a father figure to those who needed the influence of a male role model in their life. Shepard is like his players, born and raised in Springfield. He won the Lahovich Award (awarded to the region’s top player) when he was in high school before starring in college at Western Connecticut State.

In his post-practice speeches, Shepard tells his players to not become followers, and challenges his team to be successful outside of the basketball court and in the classroom. Putnam serves as the city’s trade school, although, its six rotation players – Bynum, Murrell, Wright, Nichols, Jonathan Garcia, and Kishawn Monroe – all plan on attending four-year colleges. Within the first two years of his coaching tenure at Putnam, Shepard began to attract the attention of the city’s top players. Those, who had a passion for the game and were willing to be a part of something bigger then themselves.

“I had watched them play Northampton in 2011,” sophomore Jonathan Garcia said. “I remember I came to watch them and saw Putnam pull out a close one.

“I actually had to beg my mom to let me go to school here. She wanted me to go to Central.”

No longer was Central the place where all the talent in Springfield went. Putnam offered a solid education along with a trade in addition to what Shepard had to offer as a basketball coach. That’s exactly what Shepard and Putnam provided kids in 2012-2013.

Time and chance come to us all. I can be either hesitant or courageous. I can swiftly stand up and shout: "This is my time and my place. I will accept the challenge."

Ty Nichols stepped to the free throw line with the score tied, 48-48, in overtime of the state championship. He buried the pair of free throws, but coincidentally, the sophomore standing on the free throw line was the one that wanted to quit the team during his first season with Putnam.

“He wanted to quit,” Shepard said. “I have to give credit to his mother. She brought him into practice that day.”

Nichols, a transfer from Chicopee Comprehensive High School, admits it took some time for him to get used to the brand of basketball Putnam was building.

“Earlier in the year I wasn’t used to playing with these guys a lot,” Nichols said. “I was used to getting the ball, scoring more. I had to get used to passing the ball, so I had to adapt to how they were doing things at Putnam.”

Nichols, who transitioned into the sixth-man role this season for Putnam, will be one of the key players returning to next season’s team along with Murrell, Wright, Garcia and Monroe. After four years and with a new $114 million the perception of Putnam have been altered in the city of Springfield.

“Putnam is the place to be here,” Shepard said.

Thursday afternoon the team was getting their state championship rings sized. Bynum, a senior is done playing high school basketball as he is on his way to Southern Connecticut State to play football. He’s still pulled aside by Shepard as the two have a conversation in the school’s cafeteria. Times have changed at Putnam and with Shepard in the mix, it only serves as a positive for the team and provides a guiding influence to the city’s youth.

The middle of a recent school board meeting turned into a gripe session about the Winslow athletic director.

In early March, Travis Lazarczyk of the Morning Sentinel wrote a column about the situation of Johnny Lagasse, a sophomore wrestler at Winslow, who was seeded second in his class but did not compete at the regional or state meets. According to Lazarczyk's column, Lagasse was reported as failing an English class taught by Mark Pelletier, which would have made Lagasse ineligible to compete.

“Johnny emailed his English teacher, Mark Pelletier,” Lazarczyk wrote. “On Friday afternoon, Pelletier double-checked the grade. Pelletier said he found a calculation error that caused not just Lagasse, but the entire class, to receive a failing grade.”

When wrestling coach Kevin Fredette was not notified in time, Lagasse was ineligible for regionals, which made him ineligible for states. Lazarczyk wrote that because the school had an in-service day, Lagasse could not go directly to athletic director Carrie Larrabee to fix the mistake.

“Even so, Larrabee and Pelletier were both at Winslow High School that day,” Lazarczyk wrote. “After hearing from the Lagasse family, Larrabee could have gone to Pelletier's classroom to double check the grade.”

The last year has been tumultuous for Winslow athletics. Last spring, girls basketball coach Tom Nadeau resigned suddenly after compiling a 76-40 record over six seasons.

“Maybe, under different circumstances, I might not have stepped down,” Nadeau told the Sentinel. “Without getting into a lot of detail, I think there comes a time when one knows it's time to move on, and I think that time has come for me.”

Just two weeks later, Winslow softball coach Steve Blood resigned in preseason. Blood had won three state titles over three different coaching stints. In an interview with the Sentinel, Blood cited numerous complaints, including the administration not doing enough to field a junior varsity team that spring. Blood also said the school rarely had buses ready on time for road games, and that he felt compelled to mow the outfield himself three times the previous season.

On the other hand, Larrabee's recent hires have been well-received. She hired Lindsey Welch to replace Nadeau, and Welch was named Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Coach of the Year. Jared Browne led Winslow to the Eastern B tournament this season, and new softball coach Steve Bodge, who stepped in just before preseason, is a well-liked coach with experience.

This winter, boys’ hockey assistant coach Andrew Cyr was removed from his job for reasons that have not been made public. Cyr's supporter's started an online petition, and the page “Save Mr. Cyr” on Facebook has nearly 800 “likes” (Winslow High School currently has less than 500 students).

A post on the page asked Cyr's supporters to come to a Winslow school board meeting in late March. More than an hour into the meeting, the board members tried to go into executive session to discuss another matter. A few dozen people who had come to support Cyr began yelling that they needed to be heard. When Superintendent Eric Haley and a board member explained that they couldn't discuss Cyr because he wasn't present and hadn't asked for a discussion, the crowd turned on Larrabee, who was at the meeting.

Residents brought up the Johnny Lagasse situation, and Haley apologized for it. As residents criticized Larrabee, saying among other things that the school should investigate whether she is pulling her weight, Haley did not show any signs of agreeing with the residents or defending Larrabee, who was in the audience.

BANGOR'S SANDERSON WINS TRAVIS ROY AWARD
Bangor forward Parker Sanderson won the Travis Roy Award, given annually to the top Class A senior player in the state. Sanderson had 25 goals and 26 assists this season, leading the Rams to the Eastern A final.

Sanderson is the first Bangor player to win the award since it was instituted in 1996. The other finalists were Scarborough's Nick Bagley, Grant Carrier of St. Dominic, and Cam McLain of Cheverus.

The best line of the day came from Carrier, a goalie at St. Dom's. The Lewiston Sun Journal reported that Carrier, in thanking his parents during his speech, said, “For those who don't know, St. Dom's tuition is not chump change, no matter who you are, and a set of new goalie equipment can be equal to the price of a used car.”

DOUBLE DUTY FOR MESSALONSKEE COACH
Tom Sheridan is preparing for another season as the Messalonskee boys' lacrosse coach. That's not unusual – he's in his 19th year. What is unusual is that he's also coaching the University of Maine at Farmington men's lacrosse team, which began its regular season two weeks before Messalonskee's first practice of the spring.

Sheridan is officially UMF's interim coach. He said there was one conflict where he would have had to be at two games at the same time, but that UMF changed that game.

“That's my life,” Sheridan joked to the Morning Sentinel. “I'm a three-season coach. Now I coach four teams.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Earlier this week, Alison Butler was honored as ESPNBoston.com's Miss Hockey, an award that recognizes the top female high school hockey player in the state. On Saturday, the St. Mary's of Lynn star suited up for the final time as a high schooler, taking part in the inaugural Aleppo Shriners MSHCA High School All-Star Classic.

As she has done throughout her tenure at St. Mary's, which included a Division 1 MIAA state championship a couple of weeks back, Butler, yet again, put her pure offensive talents on display as she scored a pair of goals to help lead the North All-Stars to a 4-2 victory over the South All-Stars at the DCU Center.

"I hadn't skated in nearly two weeks so it took a couple of shifts to get my hockey legs back," said Butler, who now set her sights on playing for St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. next season.

Butler scored the lone goal in the opening period _ a hard wrist shot from the low right slot that slipped underneath the catching glove of South goaltender Mimi Borkan (Medfield) coming with only seven seconds left. She would add her second tally during the final minute of the second period, tipping in a rebound past Braintree netminder Rachael Brazil which would stake the North squad out to a 3-1 advantage.

"It's kind of sad that (high school hockey) is over for me," said Butler. "I wish I could play another year because it has been a lot of fun but I also can't wait to go to St. Anselm. I'm excited the way things have gone for me (at St. Mary's). My hard worked has paid off."

It was looking as though the opening period would result in a scoreless standstill. But with time ticking down, Butler, with the puck on her stick, was left all alone coming down the right side. Seeing her opportunity, Butler ripped a shot past Borkan giving her squad the early lead.

"Alison is such a great player," said North head coach Amanda Ciarletta, who is also coaches the Lexington High girls team. "I don't have the privilege of coaching her over the season but she hustles all the time, is fast and makes smart plays. It was fun being able to coach her today."

Just 1:11 into the middle period Westford Academy's Kim Lizotte would extend the North advantage to two goals after gaining control of a loose puck inside the South crease and sticking it into the back of the net.

Throughout the early portion of this contest, the South team was having its fair share of difficulty trying to generate much offense. That would change, however, at 7:28 of the second period after Duxbury's Hannah Murphy flew down the right halfboard and
blasted a shot from 25 feet out that snuck underneath the cross bar making it a 2-1 game.

"This was a fun event for everyone," said South and Franklin High head coach Margie Burke. "A lot of these girls have played against one another in high school and club teams so it is great for them to comeback and play together on one team. It's an all-star game and it's all about having fun."

North was able to cling to its one-goal lead until Butler netted her second score seven minutes later.

The final period became an old-fashioned offensive shootout with each team getting quality chances on net. Falmouth High product Alexa Scribner managed to inch her club closer by putting back a rebound score coming at 4:07 which made it 3-2.

Hoping to sieze momentum off of that goal, South spent the remaining minutes of the period working feverishly in attempting to notch the equalizer. But such hopes were cast aside after Lexington's Sara Lehman broke into the South zone, skating past two defenseman and beating Duxbury netminder Rachel Myette with a pretty backhand goal at 8:12 which gave North back its two-goal cushion and the victory.

"That's a typical Sara Lehman goal," Ciarletta said. "She one of my players on my team at Lexington and it's always great to see her hands working and moving the puck. Today she got the goalie beat which was great. She practices those kinds of plays all the time in practice. I'm really happy she was able to get a goal for us, especially on a play like that."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Several times during Saturday’s Fourth Annual Aleppo Shriners MSHCA High School Classic, South All-Star head coach Chris Ross commented to his assistant coaches Karl Infanger (Natick) and Derek Harrington (Medway) how amazing it was to be able to coach so many talented hockey players in one setting.

Ross was right. The level of talent he had at is disposal was eye-popping and certainly lived up to its billing inside the DCU Center.

Catholic Memorial’s Liam Coughlin, Natick’s Matt Kustra and Barnstable’s Max Wilman each netted a pair of goals in leading South to a 9-2 demolition of the North All-Stars.

“All of us coaches were remarking on the bench about the amount of great talent that was out there on the ice today,” said Ross, who serves as head coach at Medway High. “Our overall skill level was tremendous and it was a lot of fun to watch and coach these kids. I joked with our other coaches saying ‘don’t you wish you had this kind of talent during a regular high school season?’ For me personally, this event is great and it is a lot of fun to be a part of.”

South left little doubt as to who was the stronger team on this day. Four goals in a span of 5:26 of the opening period made believers out of everyone, including North. Xaverian’s Eddie Pratt got things started with a long-range goal from the high right slot coming at 5:31. Four minutes later Wilman bagged his first with a nifty right-to-left cross over in front of Burlington High goalie Derek Decastro, beating him with a back hand for a two-goal lead. South was not done by a long shot. A Coughlin laser low glove side was followed up by a Kustra marker just 14 seconds apart giving South a commanding 4-0 lead.

“To play in a game like is pretty awesome," said Coughlin, who scored 26 goals this past season for the Knights. “It was kind of weird though playing on the same side with some guys who were our main competitors and rivals during the season. We didn’t talk much but overall it was a lot of fun.”

North finally broke its offensive drought early in the second as the Chelmsford High duo of Tommy Bishop and Drew Dawson joined forces. From behind the South goal, Bishop lifted a perfect feed to Dawson, out in front, who one-timed his shot past Duxbury goaltender Chris Johnson to make it a 4-1.

But any thoughts of a comeback were short-lived. Kustra made it 5-1 late in the period to send South into the intermission on top by four goals.

“At the end of this season I sprained my ankle so this was the first time I had been on the ice since then," said Kustra. “I expected to play a few shifts but to score two goals is something I never expected to have a game like this."

As if leading by four goals wasn’t enough. South came out for the final period looking for more and got it.Wilman, voted the game’s MVP, and Medway’s Jack Kilty each found the back of the net to continue South’s lamp-lighting ceremony.

“Since we hadn’t practiced together prior to this game it took a little time for all of us to get use to one another on the ice but once we did we started to click,” Wilman said. “For me, it’s an honor to be named the MVP. I never expected to win it especially with (Liam) and a bunch of other guys who deserved it as well.”

Bishop got one back for North but Dennis Medeiros (Catholic Memorial) and Coughlin closed this one out with a late goal each.

Videographer Greg Story followed Mansfield basketball during its run-up to the Division 1 state championship game and championship Saturday at the DCU Center.

The result is "Inside the Nest", which we are pleased to present to you here as an ESPNBoston.com original full-length documentary.

We hope you will enjoy:

THE SUPER TEAM
G - Kayla Burton, Sr., Newton South
Heralded as one of the state's premier lead guards, the 5-foot-9 Burton lived up to the hype in her senior season, leading the Lions to a surprise appearance in the Division 1 South semifinals as a No. 16 seed, which included a first-round upset of top seed (and archrival) Newton North. Burton will continue her career next year at Lehigh University.

G - Sara Ryan, Sr., Archbishop Williams
The Catholic Central League's MVP was the catalyst for the Bishops' blitzkrieg through the Division 3 state tournament, winning by an average margin of 19.8 points over six games and culminating with the program's third state title in eight seasons. Ryan will continue her career next season at Southern New Hampshire University.

G/F - Donnaizha Fountain, Sr., Cambridge
The Georgia Tech signee averaged 19.5 points per game, along with 9.5 rebounds, 3.6 steals and more than two blocks per game this season. Fountain nearly averaged a double-double for her Falcons career, with 16.4 points per game and 9.7 rebounds.

G/F - Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading
The 5-foot-10 Richmond signee will go down as one of the most decorated players in school history. She is the school's all-time leading scorer, recipient of this year's ESPN Boston Miss Basketball Award as well as the state's Gatorade Player of the Year, and catalyst for the program's first-ever state championship last season. Healy led the state in scoring average (27.5 points per game), and shot 54.1 percent from the field -- including a 41 percent clip from three-point range. She also averaged 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 3.8 assists per game. The Rockets went 86-7 in her four-year career, including a 48-game win streak from December 2011 to the Division 2 Eastern Mass. Finals earlier this month.

F - Casey McLaughlin, Sr., Central Catholic
After missing most of her junior season with a knee injury, the 6-foot forward came back this season more determined than ever, and elevated her game exponentially in the playoffs. The Raiders captured their second Division 1 state championship in five seasons this season on the back of McLaughlin, who scored 27 points in the state final win over Holy Name. McLaughlin will continue her career next season at Stonehill College.

BEST OF THE REST
Caitlyn Abela, Sr. F, Oliver Ames
Molly Bent, Soph. G, Barnstable
Jazmine Collins, Sr. G, Sabis
Brianna Frias, Jr. C, Holy Name
Jen Gemma, Sr. G, Fontbonne
Alana Gilmer, Jr. F, Archbishop Williams
Bridget Herlihy, Soph. F, Braintree
Sarah Hope, Sr. F, Medway
Samantha Hyslip, Jr. F, Westford Academy
Jaszala Laracuente, Jr. G, New Mission
Brittany Lomanno, Sr. G, Billerica
Morgan Lumb, Sr. G, North Andover
Kelly Martin, Sr. G, Scituate
Danielle Nickerson, Sr. F, Billerica
Lauren Petit, Jr. G, Medfield
Jen Narlee, Sr. C, Medfield
Michaela North, Sr. F, Duxbury
Molly Reagan, Soph. C, Braintree
Stephanie Young, Sr. F, Lee
Masey Zegarowski, Soph. G, Ipswich

March was a pretty good month for Missisquoi Valley Union's Matt St. Amour.

After being selected as Vermont's Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball, St. Amour finalized his college plans by choosing to continue his basketball career at Division III Middlebury College. St. Amour's other options included walking on at the University of Vermont.

"I've always been a Vermont kid and I felt I always wanted to continue to play in front of my Vermont fans," St. Amour told the Burlington Free Press. "UVM would have been a great opportunity, always been one of my dreams to play for them, but I feel Middlebury was a better fit."

St. Amour, a 6-foot-3 guard, was also named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior. He averaged 30.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game as a senior, when he helped the Thunderbirds (13-9) reach the Division I quarterfinals. He completed his high school career as the No. 3 scorer in state history (2,064 points).

Middlebury has qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament in each of the last six years. The Panthers reached the quarterfinals this season, and finished with a 25-4 record.

"Middlebury told me I was their No. 1 option all along,” St. Amour said. “I know I can be an important role on their team. I felt they were interested in wanting me to play there," St. Amour said. "Middlebury doesn't like to lose that much and that's something that I enjoy.

"I plan on having a successful career and win a national championship -- that's definitely a goal."

TWIN-STATE GAMES MAY RETURN
After the Vermont boys and girls played New Hampshire in the 2010 Twin State All-Star Senior Basketball Classic, many thought the event was dead and buried.

The games lacked interest – primarily on the New Hampshire side – and sponsors became hard to find. Vermont recently received a commitment from the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches' Association, however, and the event may return as soon as this summer. Representatives from each state are scheduled to meet in April in an attempt to bring the games back to life.

The Twin State Classic has always been a doubleheader with the top girls basketball players from each state facing one another before the boys game. The games were last held at the University of Vermont's Patrick Gymnasium.

The New Hampshire boys and girls teams each hold an 18-12 edge in the series.

SHRINE ROSTER RELEASED
There are still three spots to fill on the Vermont Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl team, but a preliminary roster was released in mid-March. Vermont will play New Hampshire on Aug. 3 (5:30 p.m.) at Dartmouth College's Memorial Field. It will be the first night game in the event's history.

Jason Thomas of Burr & Burton Academy is Vermont's head coach. Mascoma Regional's Ray Kershaw is coaching New Hampshire's.

New Hampshire won last summer's game 62-24 to extend its winning streak to 12 games. New Hampshire leads the series 44-13-2.

Vermont roster: Zachary Rawling (Bellows Falls), Zachary Tarvit (Bellows Falls), Darren Callan (BFA-St. Albans), Dylan Callan (BFA-St. Albans), Lucas Kelsey (BFA-St. Albans), Doug Saffo (BFA-St. Albans), Ryan Wimble (BFA-Fairfax), Tyler Higley (Brattleboro), Billy Katon (Burlington), Chris Redding (Burr & Burton), Jake Stalcup (Burr & Burton), Alec Distler (Champlain Valley), Harvey Ottinger (Champlain Valley), Bobby Brigante (Colchester), Noah MacGillivary (Essex), James Olsen (Essex), Joey Picard (Essex), Joseph Ramada (Essex), Cody Bradish (Fair Haven), Dakota Euber (Fair Haven), Josh Claflin (Hartford), Nolan Frechette (Hartford), Taylor Potter (Hartford), Walter Odell (Middlebury), Wade Steele (Mount Abraham), Carter Glenn (Mount Mansfield), Dan Warnecke (Poultney), Billy O'Brien (Rice), Matthew Hock (Rutland), Jon Kilian (Spaulding), Ed Doton (Woodstock), Travis Gault (Woodstock), Jalen Peterson (Woodstock).

WINTER RECAP
Scores from the championship games in basketball and hockey:

Boys' basketball
Division I: Rice 48, St. Johnsbury
Division II: Vergennes 62, Burr & Burton 49
Division III: Williamstown 63, Thetford 39
Division IV: Rochester 68, West Rutland 43

Girls' basketball
Division I: Champlain Valley 47, Rice 42
Division II: Mount Abraham 44, BFA-Fairfax 28
Division III: Winooski 52, Williamstown 48
Division IV: Proctor 55, Arlington 38

Boys' hockey
Division I: South Burlington 4, Champlain Valley 2
Division II: U-32 5, Burr & Burton 2

Girls' hockey
Division I: BFA-St. Albans 3, Essex 0
Division II: Harwood 1, North Country 0

Roger Brown is a staff writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader and has been covering high school sports throughout New England since 1992.

Doherty High junior wide receiver/defensive back Isaac Yiadom told ESPNBoston.com on Thursday night that he has committed to Boston College for the fall of 2014.

Yiadom was officially offered a scholarship from the Eagles following his visit to Tuesday’s spring practice, an offer that he said he was both expecting and hoping for. UConn followed up with an offer on Wednesday, but he said at that point his mind was just about made up.

“After spring practice, I was with one of the assistants. He said everything is great about the school -— the athletics, the school...The city of Boston," Yiadom said. "They treat me as a son, like family, like I’m part of their family."

Yiadom led the Highlanders to a 9-3 record last year, compiling 1,267 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns on offense, as well as 78 tackles and 6 interceptions on defense. He picked up offers earlier this year from Holy Cross and Bryant, and had also seen varying amounts of interest from UMass, and Virginia Tech. Yiadom is originally from the Virginia area.

“When I went to spring practice they had been showing interest a lot, I knew they were going to offer me. I’m close with [defensive coordinator Don Brown],” he said. "It means a lot to me, they’re definitely going to turn their program around. I want to be part of that, we’re the first recruiting class that they’re recruiting.”

He also said that the academic aspect that goes along with being a student-athlete at BC was an attractive factor to him. Yiadom has maintained a 3.6 GPA in the classroom and wanted to pick a school where he could get a great education.

“That’s why my dad loves BC, he wanted me to go there," Yiadom said. "I wouldn’t have trouble getting a good job if I don’t [go to the NFL]. If I had to choose any school in New England, close to my family, or really any school in the country, it’s BC. Everybody there is real.”

Yiadom grew up watching former Doherty star Yawin Smallwood, who is a redshirt junior at UConn. Smallwood led the Huskies’ defense last year with 120 tackles.

“I talk to him pretty often, when he comes home I see him. We usually just talk about his life at college and things like that,” Yiadom said.

Yiadom is also the first scholarship player from the Worcester-based Inter-High Conference to commit to BC since former New England Patriots defensive tackle Ron Brace joined the Eagles in 2005, out of Burncoat High, Doherty's archrival.

Boston College has one other commitment so far in the 2014 class, from Norwich Free Academy (Conn.) running back Marcus Outlow. Head coach Steve Addazio and his staff are making a strong push towards several in-state products in the 2014 class. So far they have offered St. John's Prep running back Jonathan Thomas, Millis/Hopedale lineman Jon Baker, St. Sebastian's linebacker Connor Strachan, Everett defensive back Lubern Figaro, and Tabor Academy athlete Miles Wright.

FIRST LINE
F - Liam Coughlin, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Finished third among all Division 1 players in scoring, while leading the Knights back to the Super 8 for the first time since 2009-10. The South Boston native put up 28-20-48 totals, tied for first among Catholic Conference scorers this season.

F - Ara Nazarian, Soph., Malden Catholic
ESPN Boston’s Mr. Hockey award winner this season, Nazarian had 26-22-48 totals for the regular season, along with nine goals and five assists during the Super 8 tournament for the three-time defending champions. The Boxford resident and center is the first underclassman to win the Mr. Hockey award.

F – Brian Pinho, Sr., St. John’s Prep
The Providence College commit led the Eagles to a No. 1 seed in this year’s Super 8 tournament. The North Andover resident compiled 12-24-36 totals this season and, in January, was ranked No. 117 among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings.

D – Casey Fitzgerald, Soph., Malden Catholic
The North Reading resident earned his second Super 8 title with the Lancers, playing on all defensive units and is one of two players making a second-straight appearance on our All-State team. The Boston College commit had 5-17-22 totals on the season and recently was accepted in the United States National Team Development Program’s U-17 team.

D – Matt Foley, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
The two-way blue-liner finished third on the Panthers in scoring with 10-16-26 totals this year while leading them to another Super 8 apperance. A Longmeadow resident, the captain is deciding among prep schools for next year, as well as offers to play in college.

G – Peter Cronin, Sr., BC High
The only repeating First-Team All-Stater this year, Cronin finished in the top five among Division 1 netminders in both goals against average (1.40) and save percentage (94.6) while starting all 23 of the Eagles’ games. He is currently considering colleges among playing opportunities at the prep school and junior levels.

SECOND LINE
F – Tom Besinger, Jr., BC High
The Eagles’ top center and captain was force to reckon with in the circle, in addition to leading the Eagles with 35 points (10 goals and a team-best 25 assists).
F – Cam Owens, Sr., Wilmington
Finished his high school career with back-to-back Division 2 state championships. Owens racked up 30 points, playing alongside All-State honorable mention Brendan McDonough. Owens is currently weighing prep and junior options for next year.
F – Nolan Vesey, Sr., Austin Prep
The senior captain led the Cougars back to the Super 8 for the first time since the 2009-10 season and all the way to a finals appearance at the Garden. Vesey led AP in goals (18) and points (31) while kicking in 13 assists.
D – Nick Gorski, Sr., Central Catholic
A player who head coach Mike Jankowski repeatedly called his “most improved player” since freshman year, the Raiders captain played on all units, leading Central to another Super 8 appearance.
D – Jack Williams, Sr. Springfield Cathedral
A major component to perhaps the state’s best blue-line core, Williams did a little bit of everything for the Panthers, including playing forward on power-play units. The Suffield, Conn. resident tallied four goals and 19 assists for 23 points. He is currently weighing his playing options for next season.

G – Colin Soucy, Jr., Central Catholic
The break-out star of this year’s Super 8 tournament, Soucy nearly delivered the Raiders to a quarterfinal-round upset of No. 1 seed St. John’s Prep in his first year as Central’s starting netminder.

Best of the Rest – Honorable Mention
Forwards
Tyler Bird, Jr., St. John’s Prep
Tommy Bishop, Sr., Chelmsford
Matt Brazel, Jr., Hingham
Brian Brooks, Jr., Canton
Mike Carbone, Sr., Marshfield
Bobo Carpenter, Soph., Austin Prep
A.J. Couto, Sr., Danvers
Ben Cox, Sr., Medfield
Peter Crinella, Soph., Springfield Cathedral
Cam Curley, Sr., Franklin
Sam D’Antuono, Jr., Hingham
Jordan Dow, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Josh Edwards, Sr., Blue Hills
Brendan Greene, Jr., Winchester
C.J. Grinnell, Sr., Burlington
Marc Happy, Jr., Wachusett
Lloyd Hayes, Jr., Central Catholic
Kevin Hock, Frosh., Catholic Memorial
Mike Iovanna, Sr., Malden Catholic
Andrew Irving, Sr., Beverly
Connor Irving, Jr., Beverly
Ryan Jones, Sr., Coyle-Cassidy
Jack Kilty, Sr., Medway
Pat Kramer, Soph., BC High
Tom Koopman, Jr., Marblehead
Matt Kustra, Sr., Natick
Brendan McDounough, Jr., Wilmington
Anthony Lespasio, Sr., Bedford
Jack O’Hear, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Derek Petti, Sr., Tewksbury
Eddie Pratt, Sr., Xaverian
Nolan Redler, Jr., Winchester
Tyler Sifferlen, Jr., Malden Catholic
Mike Sorenti, Jr., Archbishop Williams
Sean Spohr, Sr., Westfield
Max Turcotte, Sr., Holliston
Max Willman, Sr., Barnstable

Defense
Matt Burchill, Sr., Marshfield
Derek Butler, Jr., Natick
John Carlson, Jr., Hingham
Adam Crowley, Jr., Burlington
Nick Edwards, Jr., Blue Hills
Sean Heelan, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Kurt Leavitt, Sr., Canton
Bryan Nelson, Soph., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Nick Rolli, Jr., Malden Catholic
Ryan Shea, Frosh, BC High
Sam Topham, Sr., BC High

Goaltenders
Tim Birarelli, Soph., Beverly
Alex Buckley, Sr., Newburyport
Brandon Collett, Frosh., Catholic Memorial
Jordan Davis, Sr., Norwood
Derek DeCastro, Sr., Burlington
Drew Foley, Jr., Wilmington
Nolan Greene, Jr., North Quincy
Elijah Harris, Soph., Austin Prep
John Liquori, Jr., Springfield Cathedral
Al Lynch, Jr., Framingham
Evan Morelli, Sr., Reading
James Offner, Soph., Winchester
Nick Russo, Sr., Waltham
Jimmy Tierney, Soph., Oliver Ames

Some final thoughts as we put a close on the 2012-13 high school basketball season...

***

A FLU SHOT HE'LL NEVER FORGET

After committing to Vanderbilt last August, Lynn English's Ben Bowden told ESPNBoston.com he was leaning towards not coming back out for basketball his senior year, saying "it delayed my pitching", that he lost "alot of interest" from some colleges "because I didn't throw hard as they wanted me to."

"I'm leaning that way so I can be fully prepared, because we've got the [MLB] draft and everything," Bowden told us at the time. "Where it's at right now, I don't see myself playing. But it was fun while it lasted."

Bowden, a 6-foot-4 lefty flreballer, is one of the state's most heralded prospects following his junior season, which started with a perfect game against Marblehead and ended with a spot on ESPN Boston's All-State Team and whispers of draft potential. He was 10 minutes away from spending his winter in the gym sharpening his craft, on his own; but a chance encounter on the first day of basketball tryouts changed all that.

The school was conducting flu shots that day, and the location just happened to be near basketball coach Mike Carr's office. As Bowden's girlfriend was getting her shot, Carr light-heartedly ribbed him about spurning one last winter with the team. After Bowden wished Carr good luck and the two parted ways, Bowden bumped into a half-dozen Bulldogs players, who gave him even more ribbing.

Bowden went home, thought about it, and by 5 p.m. had changed his mind.

And boy, was he glad. The Bulldogs captivated the City of Lynn over the second half of the season and throughout their sudden run to the MIAA Division 1 North finals, with Bowden starting at power forwrad, drawing fans from all four of the high schools to come see their wildly-entertaining brand of run-and-gun. He called the Bulldogs' wild 94-87 win over Everett in the D1 North semifinals "the best atmosphere I've ever played in any sport", and doesn't regret a minute of his time this winter.

"It got me into very good shape, obviously I have no regrets at all," he said. "Even if I got hurt, I wouldn’t have regretted playing at all. It was an awesome experience."

Vandy head coach Tim Corbin encourages multi-sport activity out of his high school recruits, a sentiment many high school baseball coaches support for a multitude of reasons -- primarily, that it encourages competitive spirit, and also works different muscle groups to keep the body in prime shape.

Carr heavily emphasized conditioning this year with his team, concluding practice each day with a grueling 10-minute session up and down the school's four flights of stairs, and it's paid off for Bowden. Headed into his first start of the spring, currently slated for April 10, he says this is the "best I've ever felt going into a baseball season."

"I feel my legs are stronger, I'm pushing off the mound better," Bowden said. "My core has gotten stronger. Everything we did for basketball has helped me in a positive way for baseball."

Talking about keeping his arm loose, he added, "I feel the best I've ever felt going into a baseball seasons, and I think it's because I've lost quite a bit of weight. I'm feeling a lot better and a lot lighter, and also because I was throwing more...By the time baseball started [this season] I was on my seventh week of throwing. I was a lot more ready than I was in any other season. I was smart about my decision to play basketball because I knew I had to get throws in."

As basketball becomes more individualized at younger and younger ages in this AAU-ized era of specialization, we sometimes forget that these sports can bleed into each other. Notre Dame hoop coach Mike Brey first heard about Pat Connaughton after a tip from the Irish's baseball coach. Soccer prowess helped Danvers' Eric Martin and Melrose's Frantdzy Pierrot become more elusive runners in the open floor. And some are quietly wondering if football may end up being the meal ticket for Wakefield super-sophomore Bruce Brown, who excels with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) but also turned in a pretty nice campaign last fall at wide receiver. Same with another budding BABC star, Brendan Hill of Mansfield.

Unless you're one of the top players in the country at your position, I'll never understand why some physically-mature high school guards don't at least give an additional sport a try -- but that's a probably a topic for a whole other day. Know that for as much accolades as we've all poured on English's talented trio of guards, Bowden may have played the most important position of all -- the Joey Dorsey, the rock-solid post player down low counted on for rebounds that can keep possessions alive, and facilitate a whip-quick fast break going the other way.

And to think, if his girlfriend hadn't gone to get a flu shot that first day of tryouts, we might be talking about a whole different story in Lynn.

***

MORE THAN JUST 'WANTING IT MORE'

You have to think long and hard to find the last time a kid in the Merrimack Valley Conference went from benchwarmer on one team in one season, to league MVP on another team the next.

Chris Bardwell's transformation from garbage-time go-getter at Central Catholic in 2012 to an ESPN Boston Super Team selection at North Andover in 2013 is one that will be held up as a model example of will power. At least, that was the rhetoric being told this winter -- that if you want it bad enough as Bardwell, if you train hard enough, you can make the jump.

Sure, some of this transformation has to do with the mental element. But Mansfield wanted it just as bad as Putnam in the Division 1 state title game, and was unable to prevent the Beavers from continuously leaking out for some uncontested fast break points. Scituate wanted to just as bad as Brighton in the Division 2 Eastern Mass. title game at the Garden, but couldn't cleanly escape on-ball pressure from Nate Hogan long enough to prevent Malik James' last-second heroics.

I think of Bardwell -- also a lefty pitcher with reportedly mid to high-80's velocity -- and I think back to my first months at ESPNBoston.com, in the summer of 2010, when St. John's Prep star Pat Connaughton was one of the hottest names nationally on the recruiting front. In basketball, he was an ESPN 100 prospect with a lengthy list of suitors east of the Mississippi. On the mound, he was an overpowering righty with first five round potential, named by Baseball America as one of the nation's top 100 high school prospects.

Connaughton had big hype, and in turn put in a legendary summer workout regimen to back it up, sometimes putting in eight hours of training a day -- quite literally, treating it like a 9-to-5. After signing with Notre Dame, the results spoke for themselves -- a state championship, All-State recognition in both sports, and a Day 3 selection by the San Diego Padres.

OK, so Bardwell's not Connaughton. The point is, situations like Bardwell's are the product of both opportunity and preparation, and all that will power is for naught if you're not training right. Bardwell came into the last offseason more determined, but he also upped his daily cardio, played more basketball, and changed his diet, cutting out junk and carbonated beverages and increasing his protein intake. Training for both basketball and baseball certainly helped him stay sharp.

Let's not forget had Bardwell stayed at Central, he would have been battling for playing time among a deep stable of forwards, duking it out with the likes of Doug Gemmell, Nick Cambio, Joel Berroa and Aaron Hall. At North Andover, he could fit in snugly as a terrific compliment to one of the state's best bigs in Isaiah Nelsen -- though in the end, obviously, Bardwell turned out to be the star of the show.

Success stories come from anywhere. Just take a look at another former Central Catholic baseball product, Dennis Torres, who was cut four times by the varsity during his high school years yet was drafted by the Orioles last June after walking-on at UMass.

Like Bardwell, he wanted it badly. Clearly, Torres was sick and tired of being sick and tired. But as usual, it's never as simple as pure will power and mental maturation. There's a method, and Bardwell played it right.

***

RE-BIRTH OF THE RUN?

When you think of the MIAA's most dominant running teams of the 21st century, there are two programs that come to mind. One is the Charlestown juggernaut of the early 2000's, ranked nationally by USA Today and led by electric scorers like Rashid Al-Kaleem, Tony Chatman, Ridley Johnson and Tony Lee. The other is Newton North, winners of back-to-back D1 state titles behind one of the East Coast's best backcourts in Anthony Gurley and Corey Lowe.

Not about to call it a renaissance, but if there's one thing I'll take away more than anything else from this MIAA season, it's the return of quality running teams to the upper echelon. The two best running teams we saw this season represented two different styles.

There was Lynn English, pushing a white-knuckle pace, using more than 15 seconds of the shot clock only sparingly, and blitzing the opposition coming the other way with in-your-grill, full court man-to-man pressure. It took about half a season for Mike Carr's unique system to click -- but once it did, they were firing on all cylinders. The Bulldogs' backcourt of Freddy Hogan, Stevie Collins and Erick Rosario was as good as any in the state the second half of the season, with the former two earning ESPN Boston All-State honors earlier this week.

With just one real post pivot, senior Ben Bowden, the Bulldogs relied on their guards to generate transiton by forcing turnovers, sometimes flat out ripping the ball out of players' grips for easy fast break points. Carr's emphasis on conditioning was well-known, the the Bulldogs never looked tired.

Many will point to Central Catholic's stark rebounding advantage as to why they were able to lay a dump truck on English in the D1 North Final (they held a 28-7 advantage at the half), but -- follow me here -- that was practically by design. The Bulldogs flat out bailed on offensive possessions once the shot went up, surrendering the advantage and forcing Central's guards to make plays (they did, and did often).

That philosophy stood in contrast to what I felt was the state's best running team this year, Division 1 state champion Putnam. They seemed to play a physical brand of basketball in the City of Springfield this year, and nobody exemplified this better than the Beavers, who made up for lack of height with plenty of linebacker-like bulk in forwards KayJuan Bynum and David Murrell, both ESPN Boston All-State selections.

Throughout the season, Putnam coach William Shepard demonstrated enough faith in Bynum and Murrell's ability to get defensive rebounds that the Beavers' guards could continually leak out of possessions early to get fast break after fast break (Bynum and Murrell combined for 11.4 defensive rebounds, and 19.6 overall, per game this season). When an opposing team's shot went up, guards started strafing up the sidelines in anticipation of a long outlet pass. This led to a slew of production in the D1 state title game from guards Ty Nichols, Dizel Wright, Ki-Shawn Monroe and Jonathan Garcia.

Best of all, these two squads return a ton of talent to keep them in Top 10 consideration for the next two seasons. Both teams must find a replacement for their best big (English with Bowden, Putnam with Bynum), but feature a slew of talented backcourt and wing players to keep the tempo frenetic and the opposition uncomfortable.

***

INTERVIEWS OF THE YEAR

My personal favorites for interviews of the year. First, the short category...



And now, the long category...



***

WILL JACK EVER COME BACK?

After Brighton won its first ever state title, Bengals coach Hugh Coleman held court in the media room at the DCU Center, dedicating the state title trophy and season to his lifelong mentor, legendary former Charlestown boss Jack O'Brien.

Anyone familiar with the bond between O'Brien and Coleman knows it is strong. O'Brien came into Coleman's life at a very hectic time -- being born when his mother was 20, becoming the man of the house at just 6 years old, and watching a number of his family members get rung up on drug arrests. He was under supervision of the Department of Social Services when he first met O'Brien as a freshman at Charlestown in 1993.

O'Brien is probably most known for his run of five D2 state titles in six seasons from 1999-2005 at Charlestown, and Coleman was an assistant on the last three. It's worth noting the 2003 squad, which Coleman's brother Derek captained, was the last squad to win both a city and state championship before Brighton did it this year.

"The way Jack O’Brien came into my life...He never recruited me, no one ever said I was going to Charlestown, I ended up going there by chance, he ended up going to Charlestown and it was special," Coleman said. "I lucked out and got the Brighton job four years ago. I probably wasn’t supposed to get it, but I did. A lot of people recruited him out of middle school to go to different schools, but he ended up at Brighton with me. So I think that’s such a great blessing. I’m glad that I’ve been able to be a part of his life, and him a part of my life. He’s made me a stronger person and I hope that I was able to rub off on him. He led us to victory this entire season, including today.

"I definitely want to dedicate this to Jack O’Brien. He should be coaching. He should be coaching, and I have no idea why he’s not coaching in the state of Massachusetts. In my opinion, he is the best coach in the state of Massachusetts. He is, and not just because he won games. He changed the lives of so many of us young men at Charlestown during that time. We went on to go to college. We went on to be great men, fathers, husbands, and you know what? It’s because of what he helped us do from the inside out. He helped us to be great men.

"I’ll be honest with you, I coach and I took the coaching job because he’s not coaching. I couldn’t allow that to...When they said he couldn’t coach, or they wouldn’t allow him to coach for whatever reason, I said I’ve got to keep the legacy going. He’s healthy, he’s a 10 times better man, whatever lesson I guess he was supposed to learn. It’s a shame he’s not coaching, because he is all that and then some."

Wherever he has gone, O'Brien has had dramatic results, producing McDonald's All-Americans at Salem High and nationally-ranked squads at Charlestown. But he has remained out of coaching since his 11th-hour departure from Lynn English hours before the first practice of the 2006-07 season. His name has been linked to jobs throughout Eastern Mass. over the years, most notably Somerville in 2008, but it's unclear when he'll return to coaching.

Still, with 400-plus wins, six state titles, some of the Bay State's most captivating running teams of the last quarter-century, and his age (he just turned 55 last month), there remains faith that he will turn up somewhere. Just where is anyone's guess.

***

HALL'S TOP 10 FOR 2013-14

1. Mansfield
Hornets lost just one senior from their 2013 Division 1 state championship run and return the most talent of anyone in the state, including reigning Hockomock MVP Brendan Hill. A healthier Michael Hershman should bolster an already-deep lineup featuring Rocky DeAndrade, Michael Boen, Ryan Boulter, Kevin Conner and Kyle Wisniewski.

2. Lynn English
The returning backcourt of Freddy Hogan, Stevie Collins and Erick Rosario, along with wing Danny Lukanda, makes this team a preseason Top 5. Key will be the development of promising 6-foot-6 sophomore Johnny Hilaire, whose pogo-like leaping ability has begun to draw comparisons to former All-Stater Keandre Stanton.

3. St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Pioneers return arguably the state’s best backcourt in Davon Jones and Adham Floyd, along with a dynamic frontcourt of T.J. Kelley, Drew Vittum and Charlie Murray. Next year gets interesting in D1 Central, with stalwarts such as Franklin, Westford and Acton-Boxborough joining the fray.

4. Central Catholic
A returning core of Tyler Nelson and Nick Cambio makes the Raiders one of the premier perimeter teams in Eastern Mass once again. Six-foot-6 junior Aaron Hall has big shoes to fill in the frontcourt, with the graduation of center Doug Gemmell.

5. Brookline
If all goes as planned and everyone returns, you’re looking at a coach’s dream. Elijah Rogers is a virtuoso at the point, and a supporting cast of Obi Obiora, Anthony Jennings, Tyler Patterson and Mark Gasperini makes them a formidable foe on size and skill alone.

6. Springfield Putnam
Beavers stand a legitimate chance at going back-to-back as D1 state champs as long as they can find an able replacement for graduating senior post KayJuan Bynum. By season’s end this was the best running team in the state –- who knows what another season of David Murrell, Dizel Wright, Jonathan Garcia, Ty Nichols and Ki-Shawn Monroe will bring?

7. Brighton
All signs point to Malik James having played his last game as a Bengal in the state championship game, but freshman Javaughn Edmonds shows promise to potentially fill the point guard role. Should All-State forward Nick Simpson return, you’re looking at a front line of Simpson and 6-foot-5 sophomore Jason Jones that is as good as any across Division 2.

8. Melrose
Scary as his junior season was, reigning Middlesex League MVP Frantdzy Pierrot could turn in an even more monstrous senior campaign in 2013-14 for the Red Raiders. With realignment shifting many teams in the North, and a quality stable of underclassmen led by freshman point guard Sherron Harris, next year is as good a time as any to strike.

9. Wakefield
Sophomore Bruce Brown is expected to return next season, and that alone makes the Warriors a favorite in D2 North. The question will be whether they can turn their early-season promise into deep playoff production, and whether they can get past the semifinal round.

10. Springfield Central
The Golden Eagles are not without talent, with one of the state's most promising big men in sophomore Chris Baldwin. The question will be if the guards and forwards can get on the same page, and we think after some growing pains this year, cousins Ju'uan and Cody Williams will make this team sharper coming off a disappointing Division 1 state title defense.

Others to watch: Acton-Boxborough, Andover, Braintree, Boston English, Catholic Memorial, Danvers, Haverhill, Holyoke, New Bedford, New Mission, Newton North, St. John’s Prep, Wachusett, Watertown

Martha Veroneau’s season was driven by one memory, and capped with a flashback to another.

Veroneau was the star player on one of the most exciting teams in the state — the Waynflete girls, who won this year’s Class C state basketball title by defeating Calais in the final girls high school game ever at the Bangor Auditorium.

Although Veroneau set individual records in the 2012 tournament with 47 points and nine 3-pointers in a game, the Flyers lost to Hall-Dale in the regional final.

“Last year, after we lost in the regionals, everybody remembered sitting in the locker room and being so disappointed,” Veroneau said, “because we were so close.”

Veroneau was the major reason there were no such regrets this year. In five postseason games, she averaged 27.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 6.2 steals per game. She scored 19 points in the fourth quarter of the state final as Waynflete won by four.

“She’s the most impressive athlete I’ve ever coached — male or female,” said Waynflete coach Brandon Salway, who has also coached boys' basketball and soccer in his 24 years on the sidelines. “She raises the level of every team she’s plays on.”

The state final was Veroneau’s last high school game. She finished with 1,465 points and 186 3-pointers.

“She had the green light since she was a freshman — a bright green light,” Salway said.

Veroneau stands five-foot-six, but sometimes played the post on defense for Waynflete. On offense, the ball was in her hands as much as possible.

“She had tremendous ball-handling skills,” Salway said. “We really haven’t been pressed in four years. Teams try occasionally, but she was just able to break through the press with her speed and agility.”

Salways and Veroneau also brought up how much Veroneau enjoyed playing on this team with this group of girls. The Flyers got together recently in Salway’s office and watched the state championship game.

That night, things didn’t go so well for the Flyers for much of the game. Calais led 34-22 at the half, was up by as much as 14 in the third quarter, and still held a 44-36 lead after three quarters.

“I think we all could see [watching the game] that we were a little nervous to be on that stage,” Veroneau said. “Coach told me, ‘You’re better than this.’ I was shooting some way deep 3-pointers that I normally wouldn’t have, just because I was so nervous. I think I was trying too hard.”

The turning point, Salway said, was when tournament officials brought out the Gold Ball trophy and set it on the scorer’s table. Salway said Veroneau changed when she saw that, and Veroneau dominated the rest of the game, hitting several key free throws in the final two minutes.

It brought back memories of Veroneau growing up and shooting in her driveway, imagining that the state championship was in the balance and she was shooting the crucial foul shots.

“Those scenarios that I made up as a kid, I was actually in them,” Veroneau said. “It was just surreal.”

Salway said Veroneau has drawn a lot of attention from Division II and Division III schools, and there’s little doubt she’d be an impact player at the Division III level.

“At least one Division Three coach told me if she was his point guard next year, he’d be an NCAA tournament team the next four years,” Salway said.

The catch is that Veroneau won’t be anybody’s point guard next year. She’s headed to Boston College, she’s going to focus on nursing, and she won’t be playing sports.

“I just love the atmosphere there,” Veroneau said. “I’ve had second thoughts if that was the right call, because I’m missing basketball so much these past few weeks, but I think it will all work out.”

For Veroneau, it might be even tougher for her to realize that her high school basketball career is over.

“We had a great run at it,” she said. “We had memories together, and we had friendships that will last forever.”

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STAR EYES TRANSFER
Only a couple weeks after leading Penquis Valley High School to the Class C boys’ basketball state title, Isaiah Bess made it public that he wants to transfer to Hampden Academy. The Broncos won the Class A state title this year.

Marc Calnan of Examiner.com originally reported that Bess was transferring, then later reported the same day that the transfer was unofficial.

“I think the move will help me in terms of education and will help me prepare for college in a few years,” Bess told Calnan. “I am definitely a people person so seeing 750 new faces which involves meeting new people will be fun for me, also experiencing new challenges every day. The sports seasons should also be a good time.”

MAGNUSSON RESIGNS AT CONY
After leading the Rams to the Class A state championship game in 2012 and the regional final from the No. 9 seed this winter, Cony girls’ basketball coach Karen Magnusson resigned. Magnusson and her husband, Travis, the boys’ basketball coach at Dirigo, are due to welcome their first child in August.

“I felt like I was choosing between my own kid and my basketball family,” Magnusson told the Kennebec Journal. “It hurt because I want to be there. It’s going to hurt until I have my baby then I want to spend time with my child. I want to be a great mom.”

Magnusson was a star player at Cony and then the University of Maine at Farmington. Even while Cony was making a run through the Eastern A tournament. she provided color commentary on television broadcasts of some games in other brackets.

Magnusson told the Kennebec Journal she plans to return to coaching in two of three years. Cony athletic director Paul Vachon added that Magnusson “can work for us anytime.”

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League has held boys’ hockey state tournaments since 1933. From that year until the present, one school has dominated regardless of division alignments.

This season, the RIIL implemented a Super Four championship which involved the top four teams in the state based on a power-point system. New format or not, the final result was the same: Mount St. Charles emerged with its fifth state championship in the last six years; its 31st in the last 36 years; and its seemingly-incredible 43rd in RIIL history.

What made Mount’s conquest this season even more impressive was the fact that, in its best-of-three series with La Salle, the two games coach Bill Belisle’s team needed to annex another title weren’t even close.

Mount blew out the Rams, 7-0, in Game 1 and closed the deal with a 5-2 victory in Game 2.

The Mounties led 2-0 after one period in Game 1 only because of stellar goaltending by Tyler Walsh, who stopped 18 of 20 shots.

Walsh made 22 more saves in a scoreless second period. But in the third the Mount erupted for five goals – the first a power-play score by Dan Glod (his second of the game).

After that, it was all downhill for Mount as Brian Belisle (the coach’s grandson), scored to make it 4-0.

In the end, Mount outshot La Salle by a whopping 67-24 margin.

Mount only led 1-0 after the first period of Game 2 on a goal by Patrick Holmes. But Devin Votta’s second-period goal made it 2-0 and Glod scored twice in the third period which ended any suspense.

Glod, a senior forward, was voted the Super Four MVP after scoring three goals in two games.

EAGLES DEFY ODDS
Barrington finished a lackluster Division I regular-season record of 3-14-1.

But just like Superman stepping into a telephone booth and emerging as the antithesis to Clark Kent, the Eagles took flight and captured the Division I Tournament by beating Burrillville, two games to one, in the best-of-three series.

Truth be told, eight of Barrington’s regular-season losses were at the hands of the Super Four Tournament teams. But in tournament play, the Eagles were 4-1 and captured the school’s first boys’ hockey title in 18 years (Barrington won the Division II title in 1995).

Barrington set off a wild celebration after blanking the Broncos, 2-0 in Game 3, due in large part to tournament MVP Andrew Galbraith.

A senior goaltender, Galbraith stopped a hefty 52 shots after stopping 28 in a 1-0 victory in Game 1.

Barrington scored the only goal Galbraith would need barely four minutes into the first period on a shot by Brett Fay.

Mike Lombardi’s power-play goal early in the second period provided an insurance goal. Lombardi, a freshman, scored the only goal in Game 1 as the Eagles prevailed, 1-0. But the Broncos kicked up their heels in Game 12 and clipped the Eagles, 7-2, behind a hat trick by Chad Stone.

LIONS PERFECT
With the exception of a tie, Lincoln completed a spectacular 23-0-1 season by sweeping the best-of-three Division II championship series against Prout by scores of 3-2 in each game – the second in overtime.

The title was the first for the Lions since the 1984-85 season.

With Game 2 tied 2-2 in OT, Griffin Hevey’s shot from the blue line at 3:36 eluded Crusader goalie Austin Gemma. In Gemma’s defense, Lincoln caught Prout during a line change.

Previously, Hevey scored an overtime goal against East Greenwich which clinched the quarterfinal series.

Lincoln sophomore goalie, Chris Leclaire, stopped 34 shots to earn the victory while Lincoln’s other goals were scored by Ryan Krohto and Jerzy Polak – the latter during a power play.

Leclaire was solid in Game 1 as he turned aside 30 shots and kept Lincoln’s deficit at 1-0 until late in the second period when Krohto scored twice in a span of 3:20.

KNIGHTS SPEAR TIGERS
Three years ago, West Warwick was dropping hockey due to a lack of participation.

So, West Warwick and Exeter/West Greenwich formed a co-op team and in March it did something that was totally unimaginable: win a state title.

West Warwick/EWG swept Tolman by scores of 5-2 and 5-1 to annex the Division III title and erase the sting of a 5-11-0 record the team posted last season.

In addition, it enabled coach Pete Ethier’s team to finish with a 20-0-0 record.

The Wizards/Scarlet Knights scored a hefty 142 goals during 16 regular-season games. And it was more of the same against Tolman, which will be dropping hockey (does this sound familiar?) due to a lack of boys willing and able to play hockey.

Troy Sankey scored the Wizards/Scarlet Knights’ first two goals and Anthony Ventura buried a rebound early in the third period for what proved to be the game-winner.

The victors also boasted the tournament’s MVP in Antonio Rei, who scored the game’s final goal.

Sankey came up big in Game 1 when he scored a power-play goal in the first period to tie the score at 1-1. Ventrua followed suit, and after Tolman’s Chris Baldwin tied it, Rei scored the eventual game-winner at 7:47 of the third.

Mike Scandura has been covering high school sports, college basketball, football and hockey plus minor league baseball in Rhode Island since the early 1970s. A native of Oswego, N.Y, he’s a member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame which is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

ESPNBoston.com and its High School section today announced that Alison Butler, senior forward for the St. Mary’s Spartans, is the recipient of its third annual "Miss Hockey" award, presented to the top female high school hockey player in Massachusetts.

The Miss Hockey Award winner was chosen by a panel of experts made up of ESPNBoston.com staff, correspondents and high school hockey coaches. Butler will be presented with the award at a later date.

“St. Mary’s has earned the reputation as the MIAA’s premiere girls’ hockey program, but this year’s championship might have been its most remarkable and Alison was no small part of that,” said Scott Barboza, co-editor of ESPN Boston High Schools and coordinator of the site’s hockey coverage. “While injuries constantly threatened the Spartans’ run, she was the one constant, scoring timely goals and providing leadership.”

Butler led the Spartans to their fourth overall Division 1 state title last Sunday in a 2-1 win over Catholic Central rival Arlington Catholic.

The Danvers resident tallied 37 goals and 25 assists for 62 points on the season, while leading a short-handed Spartans bench squad back to the TD Garden. There, Butler finished her high school career on top, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period against Arlington Catholic, repaying the Cougars for state championship win over St. Mary’s a year ago.

“Alison had a tremendous year,” Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. “She made a tremendous impact on the ice for our team. The best parts of her game are the little things that she does on the ice that sometimes are overlooked and do not show up on a stat sheet.

“More importantly, Alison was a great leader and captain off the ice. She was the glue that held the team together and really got the team to believe in themselves. I truly believe that she was the best player in the state this year for these reasons.”

Butler will continue her hockey career at Saint Anselm College.