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MEDFIELD, Mass. -- The noticeable glare emanating from the Medfield sideline during the second half of Sunday's nonleague matchup with Western Mass. power Longmeadow wasn't so much from the sun as it was from the smiles on the faces of Warriors coaches Mike Douglas and John Isaf.

Like many other teams, Medfield has suffered from the loss of several starters due to injury, most notably top scorers Conor Roddy (concussion) and Matt Crowell (knee). What the coaches, players and fans saw on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon should give them great optimism in regard to the remainder of the Warriors season.

Andrew Melvin led the offense with two goals and three assists, Chris Diana, Cal Given and Matt Ruzzo each scored twice and No. 10 Medfield used a 6-0 run in the second half to pull away from the No. 25 Lancers for a 12-7 victory at Medfield High School.

With Roddy and Crowell on the shelf for the time being, the Warriors (9-3) have been looking for some of their younger players to step up and help fill those voids. Sophomores Tyler Hagan, Jack Isaf and Matt Cahill each had scores and helped do exactly that.

"It was nice to see some of the younger guys step up," Douglas admitted. "It's a tough spot. You're playing for a good team and you've got sophomore stepping in that are used to being role players or secondary players and there's a learning curve there."

"If those guys can continue to build off this, when we get our big guns back, we're going to be much stronger team overall," he continued. "Hopefully, this will benefit us down the road."

The two teams traded goals back and forth in the first half with neither side able to get more than a one-goal lead. Dave Parsons potted a critical goal with just one second left in the first quarter that pulled Medfield back to a 3-3 tie.

Late goals proved big for the Warriors, who scored in the final minute of each frame. Given got one with 52 seconds left in the first half to make it a 5-5 game, and the Warriors retired to the sideline determined to start finishing plays they felt they had left out there for the taking.

"We felt like in the first half we beat ourselves a lot. We left a lot of plays on the field that we should have finished off," Douglas said. "We felt like we were playing well, but we weren't finishing plays. Once we got a couple goals in a row we thought we could push the game out of reach."

Although the Lancers opened the third with a snipe by John Mentor (two goals, assist), Medfield finally put together spurt it was looking for. With Clay Richard turning in another dominant performance on faceoffs (14-for-19), the Warriors started cashing in on those possessions.

Given got Medfield back to even and a minute later, Chris Diana ripped a laser through for the go-ahead goal. That started a string of six straight tallies by the Warriors with Isaf, Ruzzo, Cahill and Diana again closing out the run.

Frankie Elder potted his second for Longmeadow to stop the bleeding, but Medfield was able to hold the Lancers off and added a final tally by Ruzzo to close things out.

"We've struggled a little bit against better teams this year and in the last couple of games we've had with Wellesley and Dover-Sherborn and it was good for some of these young guys to step up," Douglas said. "That's something we hope that these guys can build off of - being able to have some success in an important spot against a really good team."

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Historically speaking, geography makes the best rivalries. The proverbial border wars that come year in and year out are must-see matchups regardless of records.

A rivalry brought on by nearly unmatched success between two teams over a certain timespan, however, shouldn’t be discounted. And in the case of Westfield and East Longmeadow, two of the premier baseball programs in Western Massachusetts year in and year out, that rivalry has never been better.

Sunday’s latest installment was a testament to that.

Westfield, the No. 14 team in the latest ESPN Boston MIAA Baseball poll, used a three-run first-inning and an efficient and otherwise dominant complete-game effort from senior Lee Albertson to knock off No. 4 East Longmeadow. It was the first loss of the season for the Spartans (12-1) while the Bombers improved to 11-1.

With four-year starter and URI commit Steve Moyers on the mound, Westfield didn’t waste any time or allow him to settle in. A leadoff single from Conner Laraway followed by a sacrifice attempt turned two-base throwing error led to early scoring opportunities for the Bombers. Billy Smith, Adam Mayhew and Dan Jacques all drove in runs in succession, giving Westfield a 3-0, first-inning lead against the usually unflappable Moyers.

“[Moyers] is a great pitcher and we’ve seen him before,” said Mayhew, who finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. “We wanted to get to him early and get deep in the count. This is definitely a statement win for us.”

The Spartans grabbed a run in their half of the second inning but that was as much offense as they’d see the rest of the night thanks to Albertson.

The senior righthander threw a complete-game and improved to 4-0 on the season. He allowed just two hits and struck out five, gaining momentum as his efficient outing progressed. He closed out his 79-pitch masterpiece with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, including a punch out for the final out.

“Lee is throwing harder now than he was in the beginning of the season and that’s helped him,” said Westfield head coach Rich Discenza. “He throws the cutter and that’s what helped him today. He’s around the plate and is able to get out of tough spots and get back on track.”

This was the fifth time these two teams have met since the 2009 season. East Longmeadow came out on top last season, defeating Albertson, 4-2. In 2010, the Spartans beat Westfield twice, 3-2 in the regular season and again by the same score in the sectional semifinal. The Bombers avenged a regular season loss in 2009 by knocking off the Spartans in the Western Mass. championship game.

If recent history is any indication, these two teams haven’t seen the last of each other this season. With Westfield’s win over East Longmeadow, there are now only three one-loss teams in the region (Springfield Cathedral is the other). Westfield was the only team to knock off Cathedral and the two rivals play again May 18. East Longmeadow and Cathedral square off Wednesday.

“Now it’s back to work for us,” said East Longmeadow shortstop and UConn signee Matt O’Neil. “They beat us today, they were a better team. If anything this loss will help us out a bit. If we see them in playoff time, we’ll have this thought in the back of our minds.”

Moyers lost his first of the year, falling to 4-1. He scattered nine hits and struck out five.

Conner Laraway had two hits and scored twice and Tim Donahoe had a pair of hits, including a double, for Westfield. Moyers and Brian Casey had East Longmeadow’s two hits.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Perhaps Special Olympics of Rhode Island Program Director Chris Hopkins said it best when discussing the relationship between the Rhode Island Unified Basketball League and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League.

“Sports comprise a great vehicle to do some great things in schools,” Hopkins said of the program which is in its fourth season.

The Unified Basketball League is a cooperative venture between the R.I. Interscholastic League and the Rhode Island Chapter of Special Olympics.

It comes under the Project Unify umbrella and is designed to allow people with intellectual disabilities to play sports with varsity student-athletes.

The program is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education and other grants.

“As far as we were concerned, we thought it was a natural fit for our schools and us,” said R.I.I.L. Assistant Director Mike Lunnie. “The partnership with Special Olympics has been tremendous from the start. The program keeps growing each year because word gets out about the positive aspects of it.

“Being part of it on two sides (i.e. Lunnie was the Director of Athletics at Portsmouth High before he was appointed to his current position), I believe it’s one of the more important issues the league has taken on.”

How has the basketball program grown?

“In Year One we just had bowling,” said Hopkins. “In Year Two we had 10 basketball teams. In Year Three we had 10 volleyball teams and 18 basketball teams. This year, we have 25 basketball teams.

“It’s through word of mouth and through administrators and athletic directors who’ve espoused that it’s a viable program (which has led to the addition of more basketball teams).

“In many cases,” continued Hopkins, “it’s changed the entire climate of many of the schools.”

Lunnie expanded on Hopkins’ rationale for the acceptance and growth of the basketball program.

“The term we use is this program changes the culture within the schools,” he said. “It’s the vehicle schools use to provide acceptance for all of their students. It’s something all the students can rally around.

“When the first concept was thrown out, the focus was on providing opportunities for the kids. It transcended the sport. It’s not only a great opportunity for special needs students but also for the partners (i.e. the varsity athletes). It allowed (students with intellectual disabilities) to represent their schools in a way that couldn’t before this program was established.”

Because varsity student-athletes are on each team with students who have intellectual disabilities what’s the criteria for determining who’s allowed to participate?

“Our basic rule is you can’t be a varsity athlete in the sport in which you’re participating,” said Lunnie. “For basketball, you can’t be a varsity basketball player. Again, the perspective is you’re trying to keep the playing field as level as possible.

“It’s as much a positive experience for the partners as it is for the special needs players.”

Gary Martinelli, who coaches the Ponaganset varsity girls’ basketball team, also coaches the school’s Unified basketball team.

“I was a little apprehensive at first because I had just finished (coaching) basketball,” said Martinelli. “But that disappeared after I held the first practice.

“When I come to a practice and see them all light up, it’s fantastic. All you have to do is see the smiles on their faces. Ironically, before the kids used to call me Mr. Martinelli. Now, they call me ‘Coach.’ They love having a coach, being a team and riding on a bus. [The team] really has had a positive impact on our school this year.”

Perhaps even more ironic is the fact the R.I.I.L. approached Rhode Island Special Olympics regarding lending the proverbial helping hand.

“Right from the start, we wanted to bring athletes in our program together with high school students,” explained Hopkins. “In the second year, the Interscholastic League approached us and asked ‘What could we do together?’

“We decided to use both organizations to kick off this [basketball] program. At the time, there was money from the [U.S.] Department of Education that got this off the ground. It really was a good match between the R.I.I.L. and Special Olympics doing something for the first time in Rhode Island.”

The program has been such a success that, at times, the phone almost rings off the hook at the Rhode Island Special Olympics office.

“We continue to get inquiries around the country regarding how we got the program started,” Hopkins said. “We’ve been told by the National Project Unified office that we’re way ahead of the curve as far as our collaboration with the Interscholastic League is concerned and the fact we can provide a varsity experience for these athletes with intellectual disabilities.

“What we’ve done is what other organizations are trying to establish. Plus, we’ve already had inquiries from schools that might want to participate next year.”

The MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll is updated here.

For the first time this season, our top five remained locked in from last week's poll. However, there was movement to the back end of the top 10, with both Dover-Sherborn and Acton-Boxborough making moves on the heels of some huge league wins.

We also welcome two new teams to the poll this week, with both Grafton (No. 16) and South Hadley (24) made their first-ever Top 25 appearances.

DUXBURY, Mass. -- Duxbury had a sterling opportunity to notch the game-winning goal in the final minute of their stalemate against New York state power Niskayuna on Saturday.

The Dragons went on the man-up inside of a minute remaining, looking for the go-ahead. The Silver Warriors held, but not for good, as Sam Sweet netted the game-winner with 13 seconds to play for an 8-7 Duxbury win.

The strike came better late than never for the Dragons (13-2) who used some nifty transition offense and a 25-11 ground ball advantage to beat the 10th-ranked team I the latest ESPNHS FAB 50 national poll.

“We had a set play set up and we have to keep it in the box because there was a stall warning that kind of screwed with it,” Sweet said. “Then, it got hectic.”

He added, “The penalty expired and I had a shorty on me, so I just took it to the net,” Sweet said.

Without the services of attack Paul Hellar (shoulder injury) through the second half, Duxbury spread out its offensive load. Sweet and fellow attack Seamus Connelly, along with long-stick midfielder James Burke had two goals each.

Burke was also a defensive catalyst, gathering a team-leading six ground balls.

“Duxbury’s a really good team, really athletic,” Niskayuna head coach Mike Vorgang said. “They want to pressure you all over the field and make you put the ball on the ground. They got us out of some of the things we wanted to do on offense, but we were resilient and came back.”

The Silver Warriors (11-1) came back to tie the score on three different occasions in the second half before Sweet’s winner.

“What it told me is that we were able to put together a full 48-minutes of good Duxbury lacrosse, which we’ve kind of been missing until now,” Duxbury head coach Chris Sweet said. “In practice, we went back to basics, passing and catching, and scooping ground balls.”

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME
The teams played a riveting fourth quarter, as the teams traded tallies.

Each time Niskayuna knotted the score up in the period, the Dragons responded within 20 seconds in both instances.

While the Silver Warriors showed glimpses of the offense which has averaged nearly 20 goals per game in the Empire State’s uber-competitive B division, Duxbury’s short-handed attack was ready to counter.

“It’s shows that we can keep our composure, which is huge heading into the playoffs because you’ve got to be able to work through adversity,” Sam Sweet said. “That’s what we were able to do. That’s huge.”

STEPPING UP
While Hellar’s injury is a situation worth watching, what was impressive is that the Dragons didn’t seem to miss a beat without him in the second.

“He creates so much out there,” Chris Sweet said of Hellar. “I don’t think he’s going to be out too long, hopefully he bounces back quickly. It was an adjustment, but the guys that were out there, stepped up. They kept cool and, again, they didn’t try to do too much. They made plays when they needed to.”

BOSTON -– Matt Owens woke up this morning, and felt some deep jitters he hadn’t sensed since the last football game of his high school career last December.

The Boston Cathedral High senior was getting ready to toss out the first pitch at this afternoon’s contest between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, at Fenway Park, where he would be flanked by over two dozen of his high school football teammates.

“I was really nervous,” he said. “But it was a special moment, mainly for my team. Just seeing them smile and have a good time out there, that’s what was most important.”

Owens became the subject of a national controversy last December, when he was flagged for an excessive celebration penalty on the potential game-winning fourth quarter touchdown of the Division 4A Super Bowl against Blue Hills. Pundits locally and nationally took heated sides on the debate over whether Owens’ brief point to the sky before crossing the goal line was enough to warrant the flag.

Boston Mayor Tom Menino invited the Cathedral team to lunch later that month, where they were also joined by Red Sox President Larry Lucchino and manager Bobby Valentine. Lucchino reached out to the team at this time, asking them if they’d like to come and throw out a ceremonial first pitch during the season; a date was nailed down last month.

Owens called it “a good consolation prize” –- the latest in a not-so-bad series of consolation prizes, if you will. During baseball season, his signature outpitch is a low-80’s fastball (“But I’m still working on it,” he chuckled). But once he took the mound, the lefty exhaled a deep breath, and tossed a looping pitch up and in, and pointed in both directions to the crowd cheering him on.

“The mound looked like it was 500 feet away,” Owens laughed. “That was nerve-wracking, but it was pretty cool too.”

Owens was an integral part of the Panthers’ storybook run to the Division 4A Super Bowl, which included a Catholic Central Small title, an undefeated regular season, and the school’s first postseason appearance since 1994. He is still undecided on college plans, but is also considering a post-graduate year at prep schools such as Canterbury and Tilton.

BRAINTREE, Mass. -- The Archbishop Williams boys’ lacrosse team has brown bagged it to an undefeated record through the first half of the season.

So it was no surprise the Bishops put in a little overtime to extend their season-long unbeaten streak to 12 games in a 6-5 triple-overtime win over Catholic Central rival Austin Prep on Friday.

“We talk about coming to work and punching in,” Archies head coach Bob Joyce said. “Your lunch break is halftime and you punch back in for the third quarter.”

Senior attack Cam Dillon used some extra elbow grease not only to notch the game-winner, but also to tie the game for the Bishops late in the fourth quarter. While the Bishops’ offensive chances were few and far between in the first two overtime periods, Dillon wasted little time in the third. Just 19 seconds in, he swooped around the Cougars cage to deposit the game-winner.

“I made my fake to Nick Menzel on the wing, then I just went to the cage and scored.’ Dillon said.

Archies took a commanding 3-0 lead through the first, but AP (5-4) came back in the second with back-to-back goals, including Drew Landry’s first of two tallies. However, the Bishops struck back seconds after Landry’s strike, with Cam Joyce reestablishing a two-goal lead.

The Cougars’ comeback charge came in the second half and they went on to take a 5-4 lead on Landry’s second of the game, which came a man-down and with a nice dish from Will Kramer.

CHECKMATE FOR BISHOPS
Although they were held in check by the Cougars’ defense, the Bishops have thrived this season behind attacks Nick Menzel, Cam Joyce and Dillon.

“They work well together,” Bob Joyce said. “We’re usually able to score more than today, but hats off to Austin’s defense.”

According to Dillon, the trio’s success all comes down to communication – some of which is nonverbal. He set the game-winning goal in motion with a perfect fake, selling the outlet pass to Menzel while darting to the cage.

That’s all an effect of everyone knowing just what to do.

“We’re always there, and we always finish,” Dillon said.

CHELMSFORD, Mass. -– Chelmsford starting pitcher Tanner Houle tossed a complete game on Friday afternoon to pick up the win as Chelmsford (9-4) defeated Merrimack Valley Conference rival Lowell, 4-2, for their second victory over the Red Raiders this season and their fifth win in a row.

The Lions wasted little time getting on the board as they plated three first inning runs, sending seven batters to the plate in a 15-minute opening inning.

Chelmsford senior first baseman Thomas Murphy struck the biggest blow in the inning as the lefty clean-up hitter took a breaking ball the other way for a two-run double over the head of the left fielder. The RBI double plated Matt Rabbito and Michael DeDonato. Rabbito had previously raked a double off the left field rock wall that scored lead-off man Mason Trubey.

“I was down in the count so I was just trying to battle back,” said Murphy. “He left one over the plate so I was just trying to go the opposite way.”

The Lions would score their fourth run in the third inning as Russell Olive walked with the bases loaded to force DeDonato in for his second run scored of the game.

With a 4-0 lead Houle made quick work of the Red Raiders in the fourth inning as he did a great job of mixing up his pitches and keeping the Lowell hitters off balance all afternoon. The only trouble that Houle encountered on the day came in the fifth inning as Lowell mounted a rally behind a leadoff single from R.J. Noel and an RBI double from Joe Parisi that would lead to two runs in the inning.

“It feels real good as last year they got us pretty good both games,” recalled Houle. “To get them back this year makes me so happy.”

Houle also picked up the win out of the bullpen during the first meeting between the two teams on April 13. Chelmsford defeated Lowell 11-5 in that contest.

Momentum killer: The Red Raiders scored two runs in the fifth inning and were looking for more as they had runners on the corners with one out.

Rabbito would then come up with the game’s biggest play as the junior backstop threw out R.J. Gray trying to steal second base. The caught stealing halted a feverish Lowell rally and gave Chelmsford a key second out to help curb the Lowell comeback.

“Knowing I have him makes me so happy out there,” said Houle of his battery mate. “I can throw a slow curve and he can still beat them out there and if I throw it in the dirt he will knock it down.”

The Beauty of Ayotte: Ayotte Field in North Chelmsford is one of the classic fields in Eastern Massachusetts as it sports a short, sloped rock wall in left field that often draws the attention of batters. The neighborhood ballpark is set on the banks of Freeman Lake and is named after legendary long time Chelmsford coach Harry Ayotte, who passed away last year.

Friday afternoon was no different, as Rabbito pelted the rock wall on the fly, resulting in a first inning RBI double.

“The rocks are there and that ball that he hit could have bounced any direction,” said Chelmsford head coach Mike O’Keefe. “It is a unique field and we are happy that it is ours.”

Red Hot Lions: The Lions have now won five games in a row, and eight out of their last nine, as they head into the home stretch of their schedule.

“We are working on team chemistry as we go along,” explained Murphy. “Each game we seem to be getting better and I am excited to play the next couple of games.”

The Lions get back to action on Monday as they host Andover in another MVC Large battle. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. at Ayotte.

“We are starting to understand who we are and what we do well,” O’Keefe said. “As long as we don’t beat ourselves it gives us an opportunity to do what we did today.”

TAUNTON, Mass. -– To say Coyle-Cassidy lefthander Mac Curran flies so far under the proverbial radar screen that he’s almost invisible would be a major understatement.

“I think he definitely has (flown under the radar screen),” coach Ken Lalli said Friday after Curran blanked Somerset-Berkley, 10-0, in an Eastern Athletic Conference game. “He doesn’t worry about exposure. He just comes and does his job and does it very well. That’s what he focuses on.

“Some kids are out there looking for the exposure and when people come they’re not as good as they say. He just figures when he’s rolling along people are going to know about him because he’s doing very well.”

Curran, a 6-5, 240-pound junior pitched extremely well against the Raiders (4-8, 1-3).

In going the distance, he allowed one hit plus one walk and struck out 10.

Curran threw 62 of 85 pitches for strikes and faced only three batters over the minimum (one Raider reached on an error).

“He’s very humble...he always stays humble,” said Lalli. “He really matured in the last year and is very mature now.”

Curran’s maturity is reflected in his stats.

In five starts, he’s 4-0 with a microscopic 0.22 ERA in 32 innings. In addition he’s allowed only 17 hits plus 19 walks and has fanned 39.

“I’ve been working on my control and the last couple of outings have been okay,” said Curran. “In this one it all came together with my best stuff.

“I worked all week. I did what I had to do and it worked out well.”

One reason Curran’s performance against the Raiders “worked out well” was that he had command of four pitches: a two-seam and four-seam fastball, a knuckle-curve and a changeup.

“My knuckle-curve slides across most of the time,” said Curran. “I like when it slides because it works a lot better.”

Because all of Curran’s pitchers have been working “better,” he’s not afraid to throw any pitch regardless of count and the situation.

“I can throw my curveball and my changeup whenever I want,” said Curran. “I think I threw probably five or six changeups. My curve was my off-speed (pitch) today.”

Since many high school pitchers –- even seniors –- are fortunate to have two pitches, Curran without question is the exception rather than the rule.

“Most people have two pitches and he has four,” said Lalli. “What I’m really impressed about is no matter how far down in the count he is or if we’re losing, he never loses his composure. He’s always like ‘Give me the ball. Let’s keep working. I’m going to get this done for you.’

“He’s definitely a competitor who works out real hard.”

Curran briefly flirted with a no-hitter today, since he retired the first 10 Raiders without a single ball being hit out of the infield.

Brett Turner’s one-out single in the fourth ended that bid but, otherwise, Curran didn’t allow any Raider to advance as far as second base.

The Warriors (11-2, 5-0), who’ve already clinched a berth in the MIAA playoffs, gave Curran all the support he would need when they scored three runs in the third.

As Lalli alluded to, Curran’s success hasn’t reached the point where he needs his head measured for a larger cap.

“I just try to stay humble and keep working and give it the best that I can and get on top,” he said. “Everything’s going well right now so I want just want to keep rolling.”

ESPNHS lacrosse editor Mike Loveday reports today that Governor's Academy sophomore Eliza Dorsey has given a verbal commitment to play lacrosse at North Carolina.

Dorsey plays midfield and considered Virginia and Northwestern before committing to UNC.

Burlington's Centennial Field may be the home of Vermont baseball, but for the last two years it hasn't been the home for Vermont's high school baseball championship games. That will change this June.

After a two-year absence, Vermont's four championship games will return to Centennial Field this year. The announcement was made Tuesday during a press conference that included Bob Johnson, president of the Vermont Principals' Association; University of Vermont athletic director Bob Corran; and Burlington mayor Miro Weinberger.

Weinberger played high school baseball at Woodstock, which won a state championship at Centennial in 1987.

“I am one of the hundreds of Vermonters who has had the amazing experience of playing for a high school state championship on Centennial Field,” Wienberger said. “Twenty-five yeas later my memory of that spring evening under the lights in Burlington is one of my most cherished. I am very happy today to mark the return of these championships to our city and to know that hundreds more Vermont high school ball players will participate in this grand Vermont tradition in the years ahead.”

Centennial Field is home to the Vermont Lake Monsters, Oakland's Single-A affiliate in the New York-Penn League. The state's four championship games will be played at Centennial Field for the first time since 2009. The championship games are tentatively scheduled to be played June 8-9.

“The Lake Monsters organization is thrilled to bring the high school baseball championship games back to Centennial Field and the city of Burlington,” Lake Monsters general manager Nate Cloutier said. “The Lake Monsters would also like to acknowledge the efforts from the Friends of UVM Baseball group in helping to return the VPA baseball championships back to Centennial.”

The four championship games were played at Centennial from 1993 to 2009, but were moved to Montpelier's Rec. Field in each of the past two years.

“The Vermont Principals' Association Is looking forward to the return of the high school baseball championships to Centennial Field,” Johnson said. “We appreciate the efforts of the Vermont Lake Monsters in making this happen and we look forward to working with the Lake Monsters in the future.”

(Read full post)

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- There is no question St. John's Prep is going to face adversity as its closes its season with one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Clashing against top-fifteen ranked opponents in six of his final nine games, Eagles head coach John Roy is looking to make sure his squad is well prepped for the postseason. If a three goal fourth quarter comeback and a 9-8 double-overtime victory over Catholic Conference foe Catholic Memorial on Thursday is any sign of things to come, No. 19 SJP (8-4, 5-2) is up to the challenge.

“It is nerve racking to be on the sidelines for a game like this, but it is valuable for the players to get that experience” Roy said. “This is a great way to start this final run of seven games.”

The Eagles upset the host No. 9 Knights (9-3, 5-1) at James R. O'Connor Stadium with three goals and two assists from attack Andrew Gallahue and two tallies by midfielder Drew O'Connell (both sophomores).

With Prep scoring the last five goals of the game, a 15-yard side-arm rocket by O'Connell at 2:26 in the second extra period sealed the victory for the Eagles. As Gallahue worked the sidelines midway the second overtime, the sophomore popped the ball up top to O'Connell who finished along the side post for the win.

“I saw Andrew dodging and I saw an opening,” O'Connell said. “I have been playing since the second grade (and) shooting a lot in my back yard. He had been stuffing me a lot all game, but that one went through.”

The clincher was the second assist for Gallahue, who set up the game tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation. After the two leading scorers hit net to open the fourth quarter, Gallahue ran a set play from behind the crease and cut backwards to find a slim gap on the outside to organize the third score of the period.

On his way towards the keeper, the attackman caught a slide and popped the rubber up top to fellow Eagle's sophomore Joey Cavallaro for a wide open five-yard finish.

“[Coach] wanted me to go back left, take a dodge, and feed one of the people in the crease,” Gallahue said. “I saw Joey Cavallaro come to me and I just tossed the ball.”

“We do run it in practice, (but) it did not go exactly as we had planned,” added Roy.

The Knights, who never trailed in regulation, took a 3-2 lead at 4:26 in the first quarter and led for the next 40 minutes. A side-net assist from freshman Tyler Bogart set up an open backdoor cut by fellow attacker sophomore Steve Righini to give CM the edge.

The Knights scored the next four, including a one-timer by sophomore Zack O'Brien off a steal and assist by senior Austin Bannister for a 6-2 lead at 4:57 in the second quarter.

“We were trying to use everybody on offense,” CM head coach Kevin Lynch said. “We have come out on the losing end of two overtimes so far and that was our third one.”

Gallahue helped Prep battle back with a pair in the final two minutes of the half, but the Eagles gave up two by CM senior leading scorers Tom Stanton (3 G, 1 A) and John Harrison (2 G) to open the third. CM had an 8-2 advantage in man-up opportunities, while outscoring the Eagles 2 -1 with the extra player.

Prep keeper Thomas Casale made 17 saves, while CM senior Miles McCarthy knocked away 14.

“Their keeper was making good saves all night,” Roy said. “We needed to move to be able to score.”

Both teams have two in-conference games remaining, with second-place Prep a game behind league-leader CM. The Eagles finish their final two weeks of the season with a pair of road games against No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury (9-2) and No. 12 Billerica (8-4) and two home closers against No. 1 Duxbury (11-2) and No. 6 Medfield (7-2).

With six total games left, Prep needs one more win to reach the postseason, while CM has already qualified.

MEDFIELD, Mass. -- No. 4 Wellesley lacrosse relied on its second-half transition, producing eight goals after the half en route to a 13-5 win over Division 2 rival Medfield.

While securing their 10th win of the season on Thursday, the Raiders defeated the Warriors for the second consecutive year in the regular season.

Senior Peter Crane, who paced the Raiders with four tallies, jump started Wellesley’s third-quarter attack with a strike at 9:11, which was followed up by an additional tally from senior netminder Connor Darcey.

“I think it was pretty much a team effort,” Crane said. “Connor makes a lot of saves, and right away he picks his head up, and we get a lot of guys to break open, even poles, and so they’ll break off to the midline and the other team usually won’t be ready for that, so they’ll get the ball. On a good fastbreak, we usually get a lot of fast breaks a game, and we were just executing them today and finishing.”

“[The transitions] were very key,” added Darcey. “In practice, all we work on is shot, save or loose ball, we get it out right away, so it’s just off a ground ball you move it and that’s basically what our team [exhibits].”

The Warriors earned their only lead of the contest at 8:43 in the first frame when senior David Parsons collected a pass from junior Matt Ruzzo before he whipped the ball past Darcey for the score.

The Raiders evened the score a minute later when senior Adam Horelick (2G) rifled a shot past senior goaltender Dougie Nelson on the man-up, which provided Wellesley with all the momentum for the remainder of the contest.

Senior Oliver Saffery (3G) sophomore John Caraviello and Crane each tallied one goal in the second quarter, which gave Wellesley a 5-3 lead at the break, which eventually blossomed into an eight-goal victory.

“Obviously, we didn’t play well,” Medfield coach Mike Douglas said. “A lot of unforced turnovers, [and] all the little things hurt us, [such as] ground balls, extra possessions, which led to extra goals, and didn’t execute on ‘man up,’ didn’t do a lot of things well.”

A TRUE RIVALRY GAME
The teams combined for 13 penalties, which resulted in four man-up goals, and was indicative of the teams' recent history.

“They probably had more penalties than we did,” Douglas said. “It’s a rivalry game. They beat us during the regular season, we beat them in the tournament, I mean it’s a rivalry game, [and] it’s game that both teams get up for and that’s going to happen.”

Medfield and Wellesley tangled twice last season, once during the regular season and once in the tournament. The Warriors defeated the Raiders, 7-5 in the D2 Eastern Mass. quarterfinals, so this particular match had a certain meaning to Crane and Saffery.

“We all know that what counts is the playoffs, but it was nice to definitely get one under our belt against Medfield,” Crane said.

“This is always a big game for us, it’s always a benchmark game of the season,” Saffery added. “[Our senior class] hasn’t wont on this field in the four years since we’ve been on the team, so we really wanted to come out tonight, send a message. We worked hard, everyone felt like we played a big game, and [we were] emotionally up, and got the job done.”

PHYSICAL PLAY HAS TOLL
Aside from penalties, both teams sustained key injuries in the physical bout.

Medfield’s Dougie Nelson endured a thumb injury late in the fourth quarter, and was replaced during the final minutes by sophomore Robert Treiber.

Meanwhile, Horelick sustained a concussion late in the second quarter after he notched his second strike of the contest.

“I’m very disappointed Adam Horelick took a shot to the head after he scores a goal,” Wellesley head coach Rocky Batty said. “That’s got to be taken out of the game. The referees need to take control, coaches need to make sure they don’t do that [going forward].”

DARCEY LIGHTS IT UP
It’s not too often that fans witness a team’s goaltender scoring a goal. Although, against Medfield’s midfield and defense, Darcey collected a pass following a dead ball at the midfield and then dodged his way through the Warriors' zone to net a goal at 7:13 in the third quarter.

“It was basically just off a dead ball, and I saw the attack crowd [around] the midfield line, so I just went up to midfield, caught it, other [defensemen] pushed out, basically the same thing like last year, they all pushed out during slide and I just let it go,” he said. “I’ve been shooting a lot in practice, so I was ready for it.”

Darcey, who has now recorded two goals against Medfield, explained that this particular strike wasn’t has exciting as the one he scored against the Warriors in Wellesley last season.

“[My last goal] was at home, so that was pretty exciting, and that was definitely a closer game. That was definitely more exciting, but when I score, I find it pretty exciting, it’s nice."

Former New Mission guard and Marianapolis (Conn.) post-graduate Kachi Nzerem has committed to the College of St. Rose for the 2012-13 season, according to New Mission head coach Cory McCarthy.

Nzerem, a Hyde Park resident, was fielding interest from several other Northeast-10 schools in addition to St. Rose, including Southern Connecticut State, New Haven and Franklin Pierce. He also fielded Division interest to varying levels at times in his high school career, including Maine, New Hampshire, Sacred Heart, Tulane and Florida International.

"I thought they were a good fit from day one when they called about him," McCarthy said. "They wanted him the most and he appreciated that. When it comes this time of year, you go where you're wanted most. He felt like they recruited him the hardest. They wanted him from the jump."

The 6-foot-5 Nzerem was an integral part of Mission's abrupt rise in the MIAA basketball landscape, helping the Titans win the Division 4 title in 2010 and then Division 2 in 2011. It was the first time in MIAA history that a team won back-to-back titles in different divisions.

Nzerem was also named to ESPN Boston's inaugural MIAA All-State Team in 2011, after averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. He is the third member of Mission's backcourt from 2010-11 to continue their career at a Northeast-10 school, joining Samir McDaniels (New Haven) and Darius Davis (Bentley).

After nearly two decades as a basketball power atop the NEPSAC's highest level of competition, Winchendon School Athletic Director Daniel Chretien told ESPNBoston.com tonight that the school's boys program will no longer be competing in Class AAA.

The NEPSAC expanded to six divisions starting in the 2010-11 season, with Winchendon competing in its highest class of AAA. The Green Wave had been one of the most dominant programs in the NEPSAC's Class A for the last two decades, first under current Maryland assistant Scott Spinelli (1993-95), then current Robert Morris assistant Mike Byrnes (1995-2010), sending countless players to Division 1 colleges.

Winchendon won NEPSAC Class A Championships in in 1997 and 2004, and is also the alma mater of two NBA Draft picks -- Bruno Sundov (Mavericks, 1998) and Francisco Garcia (Kings, 2005). A third alum, Randell Jackson, went undrafted but enjoyed a brief NBA career with the Wizards.

The Green Wave are currently coached by Matt Quinn, and went 9-23 this past season. Two former MIAA school stars did post-graduate years at the Winchendon, Mass. campus this season, and signed National Letters of Intent to Division 1 schools -- Newton North's Tevin Falzon (Sacred Heart) and Charlestown's Akosa Maduegbunam (Penn State).

Chretien explained the decision in an email tonight to ESPNBoston.com:

We are repositioning our program to one that better serves multi-year, student-athletes who are committed to our academic mission and aspire to matriculate and potentially play basketball at competitive colleges. This decision comes after careful consideration and the evaluation of many factors, most importantly the School’s mission, strategy, and the potential benefits to the greatest number of students.

Our goal is to transition to a varsity basketball program that serves a significant portion of underclassmen as well as seniors who have been students at Winchendon for multiple years. We would like to have this team compete in a division with schools of similar size, goals, and visions. The emergent program will provide those qualified athletes with aspirations to play at college with visibility, and our target will be to regularly qualify for post-season play in the appropriate division. A junior varsity team will provide a developmental opportunity for those students who have the passion for basketball and want to further develop their skills, hopefully to at some point step up to the varsity team.

For classification purposes, we expect to maintain our boys’ enrollment at approximately 140 and our girls’ enrollment at 100. I believe our enrollment places us in class C, but understand that the coaches’ association plays a role in making that determination and that it may be some time before that reclassification occurs. Please contact me with any questions regarding this transition, as I move to restructure our basketball schedule.