Boston, MA
Boston Herald girls wrestling All-Scholastics and league All-Stars
Hannah Bryson (Wilmington)
Adriana DeGroat (Framingham)
Mia Dineen (Hingham)
Madison Dowd (Tri-County)
Shelby Galex (Northeast/Bishop Fenwick)
Madeline Li (Andover)
Hillary MacDonald (Lawrence)
Ameliyah Martinez (Lowell)
Tessa Master (Watertown)
Olivia Polansky (Bridgewater-Raynham)
Nora Quitt (Ashland)
Brooke Weafer (Bristol-Plymouth)
Meghan Wiebe (Sharon)
HANNAH BRYSON
WILMINGTON
The Middlesex League Female Wrestler of the Year, the 126-pound senior captured the Div. 3 State and All-State titles then advanced to the New England finals. As a junior, Bryson was third at both the All-States and New Englands. The National Honor Society member will major in English at Boston University.
ADRIANA DEGROAT
FRAMINGHAM
The impressive freshman won the 120-pound title at the Div. 1 State and All-States before taking a fifth in the New England and is the 2023 U15 New England champion. The honors student trains in the offseason at the Metrowest United Wrestling Club.
MIA DINEEN
HINGHAM
The 107-pound junior posted a 33-14 record, winning the All-State title and placing third in the New Englands. The Patriot League All-Star was sixth at the Marshfield Holiday Tournament and runner-up at the Phillips Academy Girls Wrestling. The high honors student trains at both Riptide Wrestling and MetroWest United Wrestling.
MADISON DOWD
TRI-COUNTY
Dowd was one of the best 132-pounders in New England, winning the Div. 2 State and All-State title as she helped lead her team to the Div. 2 state team title. The Mayflower Athletic Conference Female Player of the Year was fourth at the New Englands. The honor roll student has committed to wrestle at Western New England University.
SHELBY GALEX
NORTHEAST/BISHOP FENWICK
The junior went 20-1 on the season and won the 145-pound title at both the Div. 2 girls state and All-State tournaments before taking a second in the New Englands. Galex also captured the Phil Tomkiel Tournament, Brendan Grant Invitational and Senators All-Girls titles. A member of the National Honor Society, Galex has a 41-16 career record.
MADELINE LI
ANDOVER
The 114-pound senior went 15-2 against female competition and took home the Div. 1 State, All-State and New England title. During the season, Li also won the Phillips Academy Invitational Tournament on her way to being named a Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star and team co-MVP. An excellent student with a 4.0 GPA, Li trains in the offseason at Doughboy Wrestling.
HILLARY MACDONALD
LAWRENCE
The sophomore captured the 185-pound title at both the Div. 1 State and All-States before winning two matches at the New Englands. A member of both the Prophecy Wrestling Club and Be Well Wrestling Club, MacDonald’s long term goals are to major in cardiology in college.
AMELIYAH MARTINEZ
LOWELL
The sophomore was the heavyweight champion in both the Div. 1 State and All-State tournament. The All-Merrimack Valley Conference performer also won the Senators All Girls Tournament as well as the Timberlane Invitational. In the offseason, Martinez trains at the Doughboy Wrestling Club.
TESSA MASTER
WATERTOWN
The junior co-captain was the Div. 3 state champion at 152 pounds, then won the All-State title a week later. Master took a third at the inaugural New England Girls Tournament. A three-time All-State place-winner, Master trains at Doughboy Wrestling Club with a goal to wrestle in college.
OLIVIA POLANSKY
BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM
An all-Southeast Conference selection as a freshman, Polansky split her season between girls and mixed-gender meets, winning 34 matches and taking a third at the Div. 2 South sectionals. In the girls tournament, Polansky won the Div. 2 state title at 107 pounds, took second at the All-States and sixth in the New Englands. An excellent student with a 4.0 GPA, Polansky trains at both the Doughboy Wrestling Club and Brickroad Wrestling Club.
NORA QUITT
ASHLAND
The 138-pound senior was the dominant wrestler in her weight class in New England, rolling to the Div. 3 State, All-State and New England titles. Quitt earned All-American status by placing third at the Nationals. Quitt plans to attend UMass where she will be majoring in Kinesiology and taking a pre-med track.
BROOKE WEAFER
BRISTOL-PLYMOUTH
The 114-pound sophomore was named the Co-MVP of the Mayflower Athletic Conference after winning the Div. 3 State championship and placing second at both the All-State and New England tournaments. A two-time MAC All-Star and member of the National Honor Society, Weafer has already won 72 matches in her short career.
MEGHAN WIEBE
SHARON
The 165-pound was undefeated against female competition during the season, winning the Div. 2 State, All-State and New England tournament. Wiebe went on to place fourth at the Nationals, earning All-American status in the process. The first female wrestler to be named a Hockomock League All-Star was a captain of the soccer team and in the offseason competes at both the MetroWest Wrestling Club and Seacoast Soccer Club.
LEAGUE ALL-STARS
COMMONWEALTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Lillie Normandie (Greater Lowell); Jerymar DeJesus, Marisol Almanzar (Greater Lawrence); Natalia Jaramillo (Nashoba Tech); Shelby Galex (Northeast Metro Tech/Bishop Fenwick)
MAYFLOWER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Brooke Weafer (Bristol-Plymouth); Hannah Dyckman (Bristol Aggie/Dighton-Rehoboth); Luca Marshall, Madi Dowd (Tri-County); Gianna Cycan (South Shore)
MVP: Brooke Weafer, Madi Dowd
MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Alexia Henriquez (North Andover); Madeline Li (Andover); Brooke Lightfoot (Tewksbury); Hillary MacDonald (Lawrence), Daniela Garcia (Lawrence); Siima Wambuzi, Ashley Dehney (Central Catholic); Vivi Gonzalez (Methuen); Amanda Moundele, Amelyiah Martinez (Lowell); Meaghan Irwin (North Andover)
MIDDLESEX LEAGUE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Ava Svistunov (Belmont); Logan Murray (Woburn); Hannah Bryson (Wilmington); Kamila Vizcinesk (Arlington); Tessa Masters (Watertown)
WRESTLERS OF THE YEAR: Hannah Bryson, Tessa Masters
TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE
Angie Nommi, Nora Quitt, Kirrane Quitt (Ashland); Saddie Herrman (Holliston)
MVP: Nora Quitt
FIFA World Cup host cities lay out security plans ahead of matches
Host cities ramp up security and anti-human trafficking efforts ahead of FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S.
The FIFA World Cup is coming to Massachusetts, and when it comes to having a place for people to hang out together, there will be a free fan zone where everyone can celebrate the big event.
Seven World Cup matches will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA this summer, and the first one is right around the corner, to be played on June 13, with Scotland taking on Haiti.
Fan Zones are a public space to watch the game for people who don’t have tickets to the actual game. Held in public places, they broadcast the mach on giant screens to offer an immersive experience to watch the game, according to FIFA>
“At the heart of FIFA Fan Festival Boston, (a) Cultural Showcase will ignite the stage with a vibrant celebration of the spirit, creativity, and cultural heartbeat of Boston and communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” FIFA said.
Where will the fan zone be located when the World Cup games start in just 11 days?
Where is the World Cup fan zone going to be in Massachusetts?
The official FIFA Fan Festival for the 2026 World Cup in Boston will be located at Boston City Hall Plaza at 1 City Hall Sq. Boston, MA.
“The festival will run daily from June 12 through June 27, offering live match broadcasts, cultural showcases, food vendors, and entertainment,” according to FIFA.
The fan zone will open between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will stay open until after dark, between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. according to reports.
Activities at the fan zone
Here are some of the offerings at the fan zone in Boston, according to the FIFA website:
- Live broadcasts: Giant outdoor screens that broadcast tournament matches in high-definition.
- Entertainment & music: Live concerts, DJ sets, and performances celebrating global culture.
- Interactive activations: Skills challenges, mini-pitches, inflatable games, and sponsor booths.
- Food & merch: International food stalls, local beverage offerings, and official tournament merchandise.
How to go to the fan zone
While the game is free, you do need to register in advance.
“You can select which days and matches you plan to attend through the FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 website or the Meet Boston events page. Up to six people can register on a single application,” the World Cup Boston website says.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Despite an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix for a playoff spot. At least according to FanGraphs, who gives the club a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.
Boston’s likely path to October means winning the wild card. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 26.1% chance of winning an American League wild card. The team currently sits threes games back of the third and final wild card, despite a record of 25-33.
Don’t look for a division title this year in Beantown. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 1% chance of winning the AL East. Which makes sense, since the team currently sits in last place, 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But SI’s Tom Verducci and Will Laws thinks Boston has a much tougher chance of making the playoffs. In their deep dive of the postseason, the pair came up with what they call the “Line of Doom.” According to their research, a team that starts “no better than 23–31 and your season is almost over only one-third of the way through the schedule.” Here’s why.
“In the wild card era (since 1995), only one team made the postseason starting with less than 22 wins in the first 54 games, the 2005 Astros (20–34). Of the 231 teams to start 23–31 or worse, only seven made the playoffs—once every 33 times,” Verducci and Laws note.
“Since the postseason field expanded in 2022, 31 teams began 23–31 or worse. Only one, the 2024 Mets (22–32), made the playoffs. That leaves such slow starters with a 1 in 31 chance—virtually the same as the larger sample size,” the pair add.
“The fact is one-third of the season does a good job separating pretenders from contenders. And as the calendar flips to June, understand that the playoff spots won’t change very much. In the four seasons with 12 playoff spots up for grabs, teams in playoff position when May ended kept a playoff spot 73% of the time—35 of 48 teams,” Verducci and Laws conclude.
So what does this have to do with the Red Sox, you ask? It’s Boston’s record after 54 games: 23-31. The “Line of Doom.”
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