St. John’s (Shrewsbury) vs. BC High, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Division 2

Plymouth North vs. Walpole, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Division 3

St. Mary’s vs. Oakmont, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Division 4

Pittsfield vs. Seekonk, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 5

English High vs. Georgetown, Sunday, 10 a.m.

Softball

Division 1

King Philip vs. Taunton, Sunday, 3 p.m.

Division 2

Westfield vs. Walpole, Saturday, 5 p.m.

Division 3

Hudson vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Division 4

Tyngsborough vs. Joseph Case, Sunday, 12 p.m.

Division 5

Georgetown vs. Turners Falls, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Boys’ lacrosse

Division 1

St. John’s Prep 17, Needham 13

St. John’s Prep wrapped up a fourth straight championship and a 29th straight in-state victory by outdueling Needham in Saturday’s Division 1 state final, sealing senior Jake Vana’s fourth title as a member of the boys’ lacrosse program, and his seventh ring overall counting titles in hockey and soccer.

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Marshfield vs. Longmeadow, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 3

Medfield 13, Scituate 4

The Medfield seniors saved their best performance for last: a commanding victory over second-seeded Scituate for the Division 3 boys ‘ lacrosse title at Westwood High. Senior Tim Collins collected three goals and an assist, junior defenseman Ben Lusby had three goals, and senior captain Joe Bartolotta scored twice as the No. 1 Warriors (20-3) captured the program’s eighth title, but first since winning D2 in 2016.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Sandwich vs. Nantucket, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Girls’ lacrosse

Division 1

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Central Catholic 14, Wellesley 9

Senior Nicolette Licare poured in five goals and junior Kerri Finneran added four to fuel the No. 1 Raiders (24-2) to their first state title in program history. Sophomore goalie Anne Cashman was sharp, and Kierstyn Zinter, Olivia Rondeau, and Abby Yfantopulos were a few of many other contributors.

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Notre Dame (Hingham) 14, Walpole 10

The dynasty rolls on for Notre Dame Hingham girls’ lacrosse, as the top-seeded Cougars battled past second-seeded Walpole, 14-10, to win their third consecutive Division 2 state championship. Senior captains Siobhan Colin and Jane Hilsabeck scored four goals each for the Cougars (22-1) to secure the program’s fifth overall state title since winning Division 1 titles in 2013 and 2019.

Read the game story here.

Division 3

Medfield 14, Newburyport 10

Throughout the season, members of the Medfield girls’ lacrosse team used last year’s Division 3 semifinal loss to Norwell as motivation. They reminded themselves how empty they felt, and they vowed to write a different story this time around. Thursday night, they accomplished that mission, outlasting Newburyport to capture their second Division 3 state championship in three years.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Cohasset 14, Ipswich 9

Third-seeded Cohasset was sharp in every facet of the game in Thursday’s MIAA Division 4 final, outlasting No. 4 Ipswich at Turco Memorial Field at Walpole High for the program’s third championship. Senior Laney Larsen scored twice in the final game of her high school career. Sophomore Avery Regan tallied a game-high six points (5 goals, 1 assist), and junior captain Libby Schiffmann recorded a hat trick for the Skippers (19-3).

Read the game story here.

Boys’ tennis

Division 1

Concord-Carlisle vs. St. John’s Prep, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2

Duxbury vs. Westborough, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Division 3

Weston 3, Bedford 2

With six-time defending champion Weston tied, 2-2, in its Division 3 boys’ tennis final against Dual County League rival Bedford, the match came down to first singles, Max Ding vs. Dillon Denny-Brown. It was Ding, a senior playing his final match for the Wildcats, who wore down Denny-Brown, a junior, to close out a 3-2 victory as Weston (14-6) earned its seventh consecutive title (5 in D3, 2 in D4), and 13th overall.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Manchester Essex vs. Lynnfield, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

Girls’ tennis

Division 1

Wellesley vs. Boston Latin, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2

Notre Dame (Hingham) vs. Longmeadow, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Division 3

Pembroke 3, Weston 2

With the final tied 2-2, Pembroke sophomore Nicole Makarewicz edged Olivia Rome at first singles, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, to lift the third-seeded Titans to a 3-2 win over No. 4 Weston for the program’s first title.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Hamilton-Wenham 5, Lynnfield 0

Junior Naomi Provost and Emma Jani powered the Generals to their third straight Division 4 state championship, sweeping Lynnfield at MIT. Provost (6-0, 6-0) finished first her match first, with Jani (6-0, 6-1) close behind, both in under an hour. The second doubles team of junior Maddie Minich / senior Angelina Meimeteas secured the title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Senior Ellie Holbrook (6-2, 7-6/7-1) won at third singles and the first doubles pair of senior Sienna Gregory / Emily McIntosh (6-4, 7-5) prevailed in straight sets.

Read the game story here.

Boys’ rugby

Division 1

Xaverian vs. BC High, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 2

Hanover vs. Weymouth, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Girls’ rugby

Division 1

Weymouth vs. Belmont, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Boys’ volleyball

Division 1

Newton North 3, Needham 2

Senior Adam Christianson came into the season learning to set for the first time, and he ended the year with a 15-kill, 14-assist, 3-block performance that gave the second-seeded Tigers (22-3) the title in a five-set thriller — 23-25, 25-12, 17-25, 25-22, 15-8 — over the top-seeded Rockets (24-3).

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Westfield 3, Wayland 2

Senior Miles Shepard recorded the biggest of his 19 kills to finish the game, finalizing a chaotic comeback in the Division 2 title match — 11-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-13 — for top-seeded Westfield (23-3), which captured its fifth title.

Read the game story here.

Emma can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @_EmmaHealy_.

Boston, Massachusetts

As New Englanders, you don’t have to tell us that Boston is a city that will give you plenty of physical activity if you are looking for it.  Whether you are into walking long distances, going to a playground, or playing tennis or basketball, Boston has plenty of places for you and your family to play, so much so that Beantown was named one of the top 12 cities in the nation for recreation.

According to WalletHub, recreation for each city in the country was ranked based on the number of public golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, basketball hoops, baseball and softball diamonds, parks, and playgrounds.

The rankings were also based on how accessible the recreation places were, and how many walking trails, bike trails (lanes), and shopping centers there were.

If you’re looking for an example of a good walk in Boston, check out the Freedom Trail. It’s one of my favorites because it has the most history to explore about the American Revolution.  You are likely to see many joggers and other walkers on this route.  It’s just over three miles, and is pretty easy.

If you are just looking for a scenic route, check out the Neponset River Reservation.  It’s a scenic and easy walk.

Portland, Maine, Was #2 Best City in the Country for Recreation Spots

Boston isn’t the only city that made the list.  Portland, Maine, was ranked even higher, coming in at #2 for recreation.  The whole state of Maine, in my opinion, ought to rank excellently for recreation.  It has the best hiking in the country, but I might be biased.

WALTHAM, MA — Massachusetts saw the biggest year-over-year decline in opioid deaths in two decades last year, and Waltham numbers matched that trend.

Massachusetts opioid overdose deaths increased every year between 2019 and 2022, reaching an all-time high of 2,357 in 2022. An estimated 2,125 died in 2023, and deaths over the first three months of 2024 were trending lower than in previous years, the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday.

In Waltham, six people died from opioid overdoses in 2023, a decline from 14 in 2022.

It’s the lowest mark for Waltham since 2020, when only four people died from opioid overdoses. In the period from 2016 to 2023, only 2018 marked lower death numbers than those two years, when just three people died.

State officials attributed the reduction to increased investments in treatment programs and housing, the distribution of nearly 200,000 naloxone overdose kits and increasing access to medications to treat opioid-use disorder. The state has focused its efforts especially on people living in rural areas and in communities of color.