Boston, MA

Div. 1-2 players to watch, alignments

Published

1 year ago

September 4, 2023

Press Room

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ALIGNMENT

EMASS DIV. 1

Acton-Boxboro

Andover

Attleboro

BC High

Braintree

Brockton

Brookline

Central Catholic

Durfee

Everett

Framingham

Franklin

Haverhill

Lawrence

Lexington

Lincoln-Sudbury

Lowell

Methuen

Natick

Needham

New Bedford

Newton North

Newton South

St. John’s Prep

St. John’s (Shrewsbury)

Taunton

Westford Academy

Weymouth

Xaverian

EMASS DIV. 2

Arlington

Barnstable

Belmont

Beverly

Bishop Feehan

Bridgewater-Raynham

Cambridge

Catholic Memorial

Chelmsford

Concord-Carlisle

Diman

King Philip

Marshfield

North Andover

North Quincy

Peabody

Plymouth North

Quincy

Waltham

Wellesley

Winchester

DIV. 1-2 DANDY DOZEN

Thomas Brown, Jr., OL, 6-4, 270, Chelmsford: One of the premier junior linemen in the state, Brown has been outstanding on the football field and the wrestling mat.

Kieran Corr, Sr. PK, 6-3, 175, Winchester: The Harvard-bound Corr recently won a national kicking contest and has made field goals beyond 60 yards.

Andrew Dufault, Sr. OL/LS, 6-2, 250, Xaverian: The Penn State-bound Dufault is rated one of the top five high school long-snappers in the nation.

Drew Eason, Sr., QB, 6-2, 185, Methuen: Eason completed 150-of-215 passes for 2,307 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. He also rushed for 163 yards and five touchdowns.

Shane Eason, Jr., RB, 5-11, 175, Methuen: An All-Scholastic last year, Eason rushed for 1,077 yards and 23 touchdowns on 138 carries. He caught 44 passes for 766 yards and nine touchdowns.

Henry Hasselbeck, Sr., QB, 6-3, 170, Xaverian: The Michigan State-bound quarterback guided the Hawks to seven wins in his first season at the school after transferring in from Belmont Hill.

Blake Hebert, Jr., QB, 6-4, 210, Central Catholic: A verbal commit to Clemson, Hebert completed 108-of-185 passes for more than 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns, while running for 300 yards and four scores.

Guerby Lambert, Sr., OL, 6-7, 280, Catholic Memorial: A star on the field and in classroom, Lambert holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame, Boston College and a host of other colleges.

Cameron Monteiro, Sr., WR, 6-3, 175, Brockton: Used in a variety of positions last year, the Pittsburgh-bound Monteiro amassed 1,550 total yards and 22 touchdowns.

Jonathan Monteiro, Sr., WR, 6-3, 190, Xaverian: The Liberty-bound Monteiro caught 21 passes for 525 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also returning a pair of kicks for touchdowns.

Brandon Sullivan, Sr., OL, 6-3, 295, Catholic Memorial: A mainstay behind one of the top lines in the state, Sullivan is headed to Harvard following his senior season.

Christian Zamor, Sr., WR/DB, 6-1, 197, Everett: A multi-talented player who can make an impact on both sides of the ball, Zamor has committed to Boston College.

OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH IN DIV. 1-2

Peter Abair, Sr., WR (Lincoln-Sudbury), Amin Abbassi, Sr., LB (Bridgewater-Raynham), Jayden Abreu, Sr., QB (Lawrence), Karens Antoine, Jr., DB (Brockton), Jayden Arno, Sr., QB (Belmont), Aiden Astorino, Jr., RB (King Philip), Marquese Avery, Sr., LB (St. John’s Prep), Andrew Bamberg, Sr., WR (Brookline), Eli Baptista, Sr., WR (Peabody), Brady Bekkenhius, So., OL (Arlington), Dante Berger, So., RB (Andover), Jacob Bierenbroodspot, Sr., RB (BC High), Peter Bourque, So, QB (Catholic Memorial), Paxton Boyd, Sr., WR/DB (Newton South), Darius Braithwaite, Sr., RB (Lincoln-Sudbury), Dezmond Brunskill, Sr., WR (New Bedford); Vincent Busa, Jr., LB (Xaverian), Declan Byrne, Sr., QB (Bridgewater-Raynham), Matt Callahan, Sr., LB (St. John’s Prep), Mario Capone. Sr., RB (Lexington), Devin Carreiro, Sr., WR (Haverhill), Jackson Chandler, Sr., OL (Acton-Boxboro), Aaron Chiocca, Sr., DB (Methuen), Will Claude, Sr., LB (Catholic Memorial), Ryan Conley, So., WR (Lowell), Yeandiel Cora, Sr., WR (Framingham), Dayton Costa, Sr., LB (Plymouth North), Jake Cullen, Sr., QB (Westford Academy), Nic Cupples, Sr., RB (Marshfield), Chris Czado, Sr. OL/DL (Westford Academy), Mike Davide, Sr., RB (Franklin), Nate Day, Sr., WR (Newton North), Will Devine, Jr., DB (Marshfield), John Droggitis, Sr., LB (St. John’s Prep), Cam Durkin, Sr., DB (Lowell), Malakai Everett, Sr., DB (Chelmsford), William Everett, Sr., TE (Lexington), James Farrell, Jr., QB (Haverhill), Danny Fasy, Sr., DB (Bishop Feehan), Teddy Ferrucci, Sr., RB (Natick), Jimmy Festa, Jr., LB (Peabody), William Finklea, Sr., OL (Brookline), Tajardo France, Sr., RB (Barnstable), Maxwell Galvin, Sr., WR (BC High), Wells Gillett, Sr., OL (St. John’s Prep), Henry Goldberg, Sr., LB (Framingham), Adrien Gurung, Sr., RB (Belmont), Jake Haarde, Sr., DB (Lincoln-Sudbury), Ryan Halloran, Sr., OL (Belmont), Ben Herring, Sr., LB (Beverly), Tate Hoffmeister, Sr., RB (Needham), Brian Hnat, Sr., DB (Andover), Jackson Huntington, Sr., LB (Attleboro), Alex Jackson, Sr., OL (Peabody), Gio Joseph, Jr., DB (Marshfield), Josh Karp, Sr., QB (Brookline), Dillon Keough, Sr., LS (Winchester), Brendan Koss, Sr., DE (Bishop Feehan), Tommy Kubera, Sr., LB (BC High), Josh Kwayke, Sr., DB (Methuen), Brendan Large, Sr., OL (Franklin), Connor Lebrun, Sr., DB (Andover), Brian Logan, Sr., WR (Belmont), Eric Lovell, Sr., DB (Barnstable), David Manon, Sr., LB (Lawrence), Jared Marcus, Sr., OL (Natick), Thomas McLeish, Sr., QB (King Philip), Joey McCullough, Sr., DB (Waltham), Brody McKenna, Sr., LB (Attleboro), Michael McNaught, Sr., DB (North Andover), Brian McSweeney, Sr., LB (Andover), Mason McSweeney, Sr., DE (St. John’s Prep), Jhamir Mercedat, Sr., RB (Cambridge), Logan Mercer, Sr., RB (St. John’s Shrewsbury), Leo Meuse, Jr., OL (Franklin), Aiden Milinazzo, Sr., LB (Lowell), Kayden Mills, Sr., RB (Arlington), Zayn Moselhy, Sr., P (St. John’s Shrewsbury), Amari Mow, So., WR (Lexington), Aiden O’Shaughnessy, Sr., WR (Methuen), Domenic Papa, Sr., LB (Everett), Joe Pendergast, Sr., NT (Braintree), Jaxon Pereira, Sr., DB (Central Catholic), Sam Perry, Jr., QB (Diman), John Pignato, Sr., LB (Acton-Boxboro), Jacob Plakins, Jr., OL (Beverly), Max Poirier, Sr., DB (Wellesley), Jayden Prophete, Sr., DB, Everett, Jake Reiser, Sr., LB (Needham), Marshall Rice, Sr., RB (BC High), Adrian Rivera, Sr., RB (Attleboro), Gabe Rodrigues, Sr., RB (Quincy), Ben Ryan, Sr., OL (Franklin), Jake Saalfrank, Sr., DE (North Andover), Domenic Scales, Sr., K (Peabody), Chevy Shakespeare, Jr., WR (Barnstable), Frendy Soler, Sr., LB (Lawrence), Keron Spann, Sr., LB (Lawrence), Keith Strong, Sr., QB (Durfee), Cooper Tarantino, Sr., QB (Lincoln-Sudbury), Henry Tassmer, Jr., DT (Arlington), David Timson, Jr., LB (Catholic Memorial), Presley Titus, Sr., DT (Central Catholic), Graham Tonkonogy, Sr., WR/DB (Newton South), Jose Touron, Sr., WR (Taunton), Logan Van Vaerenewyck, Sr., OL (King Philip), Kyle Wilder, Sr., QB (Chelmsford), Aengus Wilson, Sr., DE (Concord-Carlisle), Zach Wolinski, Sr., RB (North Andover), Nick Wood, Sr., OL (Durfee)

OVERVIEW

The Catholic Conference had a monopoly on state championships in the higher divisions last year. St. John’s Prep captured the Div. 1 state title by shutting out Springfield Central, while Catholic Memorial defended its Div. 2 championship for the second straight year at the expense of King Philip.

Despite losing a quartet of Boston Herald All-Scholastics, St. John’s Prep figures to be in the mix once again along with Catholic Conference rival Xaverian. Methuen reached the semifinals last year and return a solid nucleus as does Lincoln-Sudbury out of the Dual County League. Andover lost the lethal 1-2 punch of Scotty Brown and Lincoln Beal, but there is enough left to ensure another competitive season.

New coaches will be roaming the sidelines at Central Catholic (John Sexton), Brockton (Jermaine Wiggins) and Everett (Justin Flores).

Over in Div. 2, more than a few eyebrows were raised when the MIAA realignment came out and Catholic Memorial remained in Div. 2, much to the dismay of the rest of the field. The Knights are the overwhelming favorites to bring some more hardware to Baker Street in early December.

Aside from two-time Div. 2 finalist King Philip, Barnstable is a team which is capable of making noise as several top players are back. Bridgewater-Raynham, North Andover, Chelmsford, Marshfield and Peabody should be in the upper echelon of Div. 2 teams.

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Boston, MA

Below freezing temperatures again today

Published

5 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

The winds are still going Wednesday, but the air temperatures remain at respectable levels. Highs will manage to weasel up to 30 in most spots. It’s too bad we’re not going to feel them at face value. Instead, we’re dressing for temps in the teens all day today.

Thursday and Friday are the picks of the week.

There will be a lot less wind, reasonable winter temperatures in the 30s and a decent amount of sun. We’ll be quiet into the weekend, as our next weather system approaches.

With mild air expected to come north on southerly winds, highs will bounce back to the low and mid-40s both days of the weekend.

Showers will be delayed until late day/evening on Saturday and into the night. There may be a few early on Sunday too, but the focus on that day will be to bring in the cold.

Highs will briefly sneak into the 40s, then fall late day.

We’ll also watch a batch of snow late Sunday night as it moves up the Eastern Seaboard.

Right now, there is a potential for some accumulation as it moves overhead Sunday night and early Monday morning.

It appears to be a weak, speedy system, so we’re not expecting it to pull any punches.

Enjoy the quieter spell of weather!

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Boston, MA

Boston City Councilor will introduce

Published

14 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

BOSTON – It could cost you more to get a soda soon. The Boston City Council is proposing a tax on sugary drinks, saying the money on unhealthy beverages can be put to good use.

A benefit for public health?

“I’ve heard from a lot of residents in my district who are supportive of a tax on sugary beverages, but they want to make sure that these funds are used for public health,” said City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who is introducing the “Sugar Tax,” modeled on Philadelphia and Seattle. She said it’s a great way to introduce and fund health initiatives and slowly improve public health.

A study from Boston University found that cities that implemented a tax on sugary drinks saw a 33% decrease in sales.

“What it does is it creates an environment where we are discouraging the use of something that we know, over time, causes cancer, causes diet-related diseases, causes obesity and other diet-related illnesses,” she said.

Soda drinkers say no to “Sugar Tax”

Soda drinkers don’t see the benefit.

Delaney Doidge stopped by the store to get a mid-day pick-me-up on Tuesday.

“I wasn’t planning on getting anything, but we needed toilet paper, and I wanted a Diet Coke, so I got a Diet Coke,” she said, adding that a tax on sugary drinks is an overreach, forcing her to ask: What’s next?

“Then we’d have to tax everything else that brings people enjoyment,” Doidge said. “If somebody wants a sweet treat, they deserve it, no tax.”

Store owners said they’re worried about how an additional tax would impact their businesses.

Durkan plans to bring the tax idea before the City Council on Wednesday to start the conversation about what rates would look like.

Massachusetts considered a similar tax in 2017.

Logan Hall

Logan Hall is an Emmy award-winning reporter who joined WBZ-TV in November 2024.

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Boston, MA

Patience over panic: Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics struggles

Published

22 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Patience over panic: Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics struggles

The Celtics aren’t playing great basketball. Coincidence or not, this stretch has coincided with the return and reintegration of Kristaps Porzingis. In 23 games without the big man, Boston has a record of 19-4—with him in the lineup, that falls to a much less flattering 9-7 record.

This has put his value on trial, and opened the door to discussions about whether a move to the bench could be helpful for everyone involved. It’s not a crazy idea by any means, but it’s shortsighted and an oversimplification of why the team has struggled of late.

While Kristaps attempts to slide back into his role, there’s an adjustment period that the team naturally has to go through. That’s roughly 13 shots per game being taken from the collective and handed to one individual. It’s a shift that can impact that entire rotation, but it’s also not unfamiliar to the team—by now, they’re used to the cycle of Porzingis’ absence and return.

KP hasn’t been the same game-breaking player that we’ve come to know, but he’s not that far off. He isn’t hunting shots outside of the flow of the offense, and the coaching staff isn’t force-feeding him either.

This table shows a comparison in the volume and efficiency of Kristaps’ most used play types from the past two seasons. Across the board, the possessions per game have remained very similar, while the efficiency has taken a step back.

He’s shooting below the standard he established for himself during the championship run, but the accuracy should come around as he gets more comfortable and confident in his movements post-injury. Porzingis opened up about this after a win over the Nuggets, sharing his progress.

“80-85%. I still have a little bit to go.” Porzingis said. “I know that moment is coming when everything will start clicking, and I’ll play really high-level basketball.”

In theory, sending KP to the bench would allow him to face easier matchups and build his conditioning back up. On a similar note, he and the starters have a troubling -8.9 net rating. With that said, abandoning this unit so quickly is an overreaction and works against the purpose of the regular season.

It may require patience, but we’re talking about a starting lineup that had a +17.3 net rating over seven playoff games together. Long term, it’s more valuable to let them figure it out, rather than opt for a temporary fix.

It can’t be ignored that the Celtics are also getting hit by a wrecking ball of poor shooting luck in his minutes. Opponents are hitting 33.78% of their three-pointers with him on the bench, compared to a ridiculously efficient 41.78% when he’s on the court. To make matters worse, Boston is converting 37.21% of their own 3’s without KP, and just 32.95% with him.

Overall, there’s a -8.83% differential between team and opponent 3PT efficiency with Porzingis in the game. This is simply unsustainable, and it’s due for positive regression eventually.

Despite his individual offensive struggles, Porzingis has been elite as a rim protector. Among 255 players who have defended at least 75 shots within 6 feet of the basket, he has the best defensive field goal percentage in the NBA at 41.2%. Players are shooting 20.9% worse than expected when facing Kristaps at the rim.

Boston is intentional about which shooters they’re willing to leave open and when to funnel drives toward Porzingis. Teams are often avoiding these drives, and accepting open looks from mediocre shooters—recently, with great success. Both of these factors play into the stark difference in opponent 3PT%.

The numbers paint a disappointing picture, but from a glass-half-full perspective, there’s plenty of room for positive regression. Last season, the starting lineup shot 39.31% from beyond the arc and limited opponents to 36.75%. This year, they’ve struggled, shooting just 27.61% themselves, while opponents are converting at an absurd 46.55%.

Ultimately, the Celtics’ struggles seem more like a temporary blip, fueled by frustrating shooting luck and a slow return to form for Kristaps, rather than a reason to panic. The core of this team has already proven their ability to perform together at a high level, and sticking with the current configuration gives them the best chance to break out of the slump.

Allowing Porzingis to round into shape and cranking up the defensive intensity should help offset some of the shooting woes. As Porzingis eloquently put it, “with this kind of talent in this locker room, it’s impossible that we don’t start playing better basketball.” When water finds its level, the game will start to look easy again.

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