Massachusetts
Eight high school takeaways from the midst of the state tournaments, plus a new Attleboro football coach – The Boston Globe
Throw in Newton North winning its first state gymnastics title in 54 years, two Natick runners (and one from Oliver Ames) capturing New England titles, a last-minute goal from St. John’s (Shrewsbury) boys’ hockey to eliminate BC High, and plenty of overtime thrillers, and you get an all-time action-packed day.
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▪ With a deep 3-pointer in the first quarter of Greater New Bedford’s 68-43 win over Springfield International, junior Jai-Ana Silva became the program’s leading scorer, surpassing Stephanie Antoine’s 1,493 points, set in 2012. Silva finished with 31 points and now sits at 1,513. Earlier this season, she became the fourth female 1,000-point scorer in school history.
▪ With 30 points in a 90-68 win over Quincy, Beverly senior Jacob Klass surpassed Peter Wynne’s scoring mark of 1,351, set in 1981. Klass, who reached 1,000 earlier this season, has 1,371.
▪ Concord-Carlisle senior goalie Sam Griswold made 44 saves, including the 1,000th of his career, in a 2-1 win over Woburn.
▪ Hoosac Valley senior Qwanell Bradley joined the 1,000-point club on a 3-pointer during a 78-59 Division 5 first-round win over Pacific Rim Charter.
▪ A pair of Bulldogs reached 100 points in Canton’s 9-0 smackdown of Somerset Berkley. Senior defenseman Teddy Shuman got there with a goal and three assists, and senior center Joey Ryan also reached the mark with three helpers.
▪ Taunton junior Jamie Vallarelli matched the school’s points record, joining Jeff Gallagher (’94) with 139, by notching a goal and adding an assist on the overtime tally that kept the Tigers’ season alive with a 3-2 win over Middleborough.
The single-digit seeds are starting to fall.
Saturday saw the first three top-five seeded teams sent home, with No. 3 St. John’s Prep boys’ hockey getting taken down by No. 14 Arlington Catholic in Division 1 action — the highest seed sent home through the first five days of the tournament.
The highest-ranked team to be bounced from the Division 2 boys’ hockey bracket became No. 5 Woburn. It fell, 2-1, to No. 12 Concord-Carlisle, which got an incredible 44-save performance from senior Sam Griswold and goals from Ben Brooks and Joe Grasso.
Division 3 also saw a top-five falter, as No. 5 Pembroke was clipped by No. 13 Norwood, 3-1, in the second round. John Lynch, Anthony Parise, and Mark Trahon provided the goals.
Not to be left out, Division 4 boys’ hockey also saw a significant upset, with No. 23 Bourne riding Jackson Palmborg’s 26 saves to a 3-2 first-round win over No. 10 Hudson.
On the hardcourt, No. 24 Pembroke boys’ basketball didn’t mind a morning ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard, taking down the ninth-seeded hosts, 65-50, behind Will Farrell’s 24 points.
▪ Seventh-grader Effie Parsons found the net with 31 seconds left in overtime as No. 2 St. Mary’s girls’ hockey escaped a strong upset attempt from No. 18 Winchester, which led, 2-1, before Alyssa Norden tied it up in the third period.
▪ Reading sophomore Payton Curran not only delivered the equalizer in the final minute of regulation, but provided the overtime winner to lift the Rockets to a 3-2 girls’ hockey win over Waltham.
▪ Nantucket’s Gaven Smith forced overtime against Swampscott with a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation, but the fourth-seeded Big Blue rode 26 points from Connor Chiarello and 25 from Teddy O’Neill to a 67-61 win over the No. 29 Whalers.
▪ No. 25 Bishop Fenwick girls’ hockey nearly upset No. 8 Bishop Stang, which would have eliminated both of last year’s Division 1 finalists, but the Spartans survived, 1-0, on junior Alexis Pettinato’s overtime winner.
▪ Braden LaChance netted the overtime winner for Taunton, which survived Middleborough, 3-2, in the third matchup between the two programs in 12 days. The Tigers won, 4-1, on Feb. 16 at Aleixo Arena before Middleborough prevailed, 4-0, on Feb. 18 at Bridgewater Ice Arena.
▪ Nico Santella scored on a stick-side snipe with 42.2 seconds left to propel St. John’s (Shrewsbury) past BC High, 2-1, in a Division 1 second-round matchup of Catholic Conference rivals.
Cal Atherton, Newburyport — The senior erupted for 31 points, guiding the Clippers to a first-round win over the defending Division 2 champions, Somerset Berkley.
Allen Brown Jr., Holbrook — The senior poured in 32 points, the highest total reported to the Globe on Saturday, to lead the Bulldogs past Boston Prep, 66-45 and into the second round.
Amelia Crowe, Pentucket — Amelia Crowe caught fire from deep, draining eight 3-pointers en route to 27 points and a 40-33 first-round win over Seekonk.
Addy Harrington, Duxbury — The senior produced one of the night’s three hat tricks, scoring thrice in a 4-2 second-round win over Melrose.
Levi McNally, Barnstable — Just a sophomore, he netted a hat trick for the Red Hawks in a 5-2 first-round win over Minnechaug.
Cam Melone, Hanover — The senior went for 5 points, scoring twice and assisting thrice in a 6-1 second-round win over Lynnfield.
Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan — The junior scored a natural hat trick in the first period and finished with four goals in a 6-2 second-round win over Acton-Boxborough.
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick — The senior captain contributed across the board, providing 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 steals for the top-seeded Crusaders in a 58-27 waxing of Wilmington.
Jackie Pohl and Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater — Pohl, a sophomore, and Oman, a junior, were everywhere in a 63-39 first-round win over Bellingham. Pohl finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Oman had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Attleboro High has a new football coach. Lamont Penn, a Bridgewater-Raynham assistant under Eian Bain, will take over the Bombardiers. They went 3-8 last year under Jim Winters, who helmed the program for four seasons, going 14-30.
Penn served as Norwood’s offensive coordinator from 2018-21. He was introduced to the team Friday.
Providence junior Jon Mignacca, a Bishop Feehan graduate from Seekonk, won the Big East high jump championship, clearing 6 feet, 8.25 inches (2.04 meters) to beat out UConn’s Enaji Muhammad (6-7).
▪ UMass Dartmouth sophomore Ancil Alexander, a Taunton graduate, was named Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year for men’s indoor track after taking second at the LEC Championships in the shot put (51 feet, 3.75 inches). He won the event three times during the season.
▪ UMass Dartmouth freshman Michael Veegh, a Bishop Stang graduate from Tiverton (R.I.), was named Little East Conference men’s indoor track Rookie of the Year. He won the 400 at the LEC Championships (50.54 seconds) and was part of the second-place 4×400 relay (3:28.67). He was also named All-LEC first team.
▪ Keene State junior Tyler Bolaske, a Palmer graduate, was tabbed as the Little East Conference’s male Track Athlete of the Year after leading the Owls to their first indoor championship since 2008. Bolaske won the mile at the LEC Championships in 4:11 and was runner-up in the 800 (1:59.25).
Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan, 4
Addy Harrington, Duxbury, 3
Levi McNally, Barnstable, 3
Riley Bergeron, Acton-Boxborough, 2
Brayden Boczenowski, Arlington Catholic, 2
Cate Buckler, Barnstable, 2
Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2
Payton Curran, Reading, 2
Hannah D’Angelo, Pembroke, 2
Luke Dickson, Medfield, 2
Colman Donohue, Hingham, 2
Will Doucette, Canton, 2
Ryan Elrick, Canton, 2
Jack McCourt, Catholic Memorial, 2
Cam McKenna, Hingham, 2
Cam Melone, Hanover, 2
Joe Pumphret, Winthrop, 2
Nolan Russell, Arlington, 2
Sabrina Stone, Milton, 2
Ella Sullivan, Pembroke, 2
Connor Hines, Hanover, 3
Cam Melone, Hanover, 3
Joe Ryan, Canton, 3
Teddy Shuman, Canton, 3
Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2
Kellen Labanara, Canton, 2
Hunter McClain, Bourne, 2
Sam Griswold, Concord-Carlisle, 44
Stephen Camara, Arlington Catholic, 33
Jackson Palmborg, Bourne, 26
Jaxson Fleming, Catholic Memorial, 24
Jim Lyman, Winthrop, 22
Colin McCarthy, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 21
Lydia Barnes, Methuen/Tewksbury, 18
Dom Conte, BC High, 18
John Snider, Arlington, 15
Vivienne Melo, Bishop Stang, 14
8. Basketball leaderboard
Allen Brown, Holbrook, 32
Cal Atherton, Newburyport, 31
Jacob Klass, Beverly, 30
Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 30
Mike Berry, Cape Cod Academy, 28
Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 28
Tyler Staiti, Abington, 28
Amelia Crowe, Pentucket, 27
Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 27
Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 26
Sysy Emmanuel, St. Mary’s, 26
Dom Taylor, Somerset Berkley, 26
Michael Cimetti, Hull, 25
Grant Neal, Lynnfield, 25
Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 25
Will Farrell, Pembroke, 24
Logan Volkringer, Plymouth South, 24
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 23
Julian Allison-Cardoso, Dedham, 22
Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 22
Tori White, Canton, 22
Tori Adams, Walpole, 21
Liam Conneely, Hull, 20
Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 20
Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 15
Krem Amparo, Latin Academy, 14
Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 14
Bella Bingham, Walpole, 13
Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 13
Devyn Walsh, Pentucket, 13
A’laya Colbert, North Quincy, 12
Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 12
Mike Ekweanya, New Mission, 11
Chase Groothuis, Swampscott, 11
Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 11
Brooke Connor, Canton, 10
Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater, 10
Hannah Thorell, Old Rochester, 10
Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 8
Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 7
Jacob Klass, Beverly, 6
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 6
Luke Tirrell, Bridgewater-Raynham, 6
Sydney Bosma, Old Rochester, 5
Cason Faulk, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5
Manny Valentino, New Mission, 5
Grace Goudreau, Seekonk, 4
Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 4
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 8
Emma Farrell, East Bridgewater, 6
Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 5
Sienna Miranda, Seekonk, 4
Brooke Connor, Canton, 3
Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 3
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
New Bedford MS-13 Member, Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Role in Brutal Murders In Massachusetts, Virginia
Frankli
Police shot and killed a man who officials say rushed officers with a knife during a call in Lexington, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said the situation started around 1:40 p.m. when Lexington police received a 911 call from a resident of Mason Street reporting that his son had injured himself with a knife.
Officers from the Lexington Police Department and officers from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), who were already in town for Patriots’ Day events, responded to the call.
Police were able to escort two other residents out of the home, initially leaving a 26-year-old man inside. According to Ryan, while officers were setting up outside, the man ran out of the home and approached officers with a large kitchen knife.
She added that police tried twice to use non-lethal force, but it was not effective in stopping him. The man was shot by a Wilmington police officer who is a member of NEMLEC. The man was pronounced dead on scene and the officer who fired that shot was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
The man’s name has not been released.
Ryan said typically in a call like this where someone was described as harming themselves, officers would first try to separate anyone else to keep them out of danger, which was done, and then standard practice would be to try to wait outside.
“It would be their practice to just wait for the person to come out. In the terrible circumstances of today, he suddenly rushed the officers, still clutching the knife,” Ryan said.
The investigation is still in the preliminary stages and more information is expected in time. Ryan said her office will request a formal inquest from the court to review whether any criminal conduct has occurred, which is the standard process.
This happened around the same time as the annual Patriots’ Day Parade, and just hours after a reenactment of the Battle of Lexington, which drew large crowds to town.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Massachusetts
‘An impossible choice’: With little federal help to combat rising costs, Head Start looks to Massachusetts for more help – The Boston Globe
In Massachusetts, roughly 1,300 slots for children across Head Start’s 28 agencies have been eliminated in the last three years because federal funding has plateaued over that time, while the cost of running the program continues to rise, according to the Massachusetts Head Start Association. Nationally, Head Start enrollment dropped from 1.1 million kids in 2013 to around 785,000 in 2022, according to research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
“If they didn’t get into a Head Start program, they would be sitting at home,” said Brittany Acosta, a Head Start parent in Dorchester.
It’s teachers are drastically underpaid, and there’s a serious need for a rainy day-type fund should the federal government shut down again, the association says. As they’ve done in years past, state lawmakers have offered to provide financial relief, but the Massachusetts Head Start Association’s request for 3 percent above the amount it received last year, an additional $4.6 million to help its staff keep up with the state’s rising cost of living, so far has not been allocated.
Last year, President Trump’s leaked budget proposal revealed he considered eliminating Head Start entirely. Then, in the summer, he cut off Head Start enrollment for immigrants without legal status. And during the fall’s government shutdown, four Head Start centers in Massachusetts closed because they couldn’t access their funding.
Trump’s latest budget proposal shows a fourth year without increasing funding for the program, which was established in the mid-1960s.
Michelle Haimowitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, said the program doesn’t want to eliminate more child slots than it already has, but paying teachers a competitive salary is equally important in order to keep them from leaving for higher paying jobs. Head Start teachers make under $50,000 annually compared to over $85,000 for the average Massachusetts kindergarten teacher.
“It’s an impossible choice,” Haimowitz said. “When we reduce the size of our programs, we’re not reducing the size of the need.”
Massachusetts is one of few states that supplements federal funding for Head Start, and last year it increased the program’s state grant from $5 million to $20 million, adding to the $189 million in federal aid it receives in this state.
“We can’t run a program without giving staff a raise for three years,” Haimowitz said. “Our next fight now is not just for survival, but it’s for thriving and growth.”
The Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday released its budget, which doesn’t grant Head Start’s request of a 3 percent boost. But state Representative Christopher Worrell filed an amendment for additional funding. Worrell, whose district covers parts of Dorchester and Roxbury, said he loves Head Start’s embrace of culture, recalling one visit to a center where he could smell staff cooking stew chicken, a traditional Caribbean dish.
“I’ve been to dozens of schools throughout the district, and you don’t get that home-cooked meal,” Worrell said. “[The state is] stepping up and doing the best we can with what we have.”
At the Action for Boston Community Development’s Head Start and Early Head Start center in Dorchester, the children of Classroom 7 arrived one Monday morning and dove into bins of magnetic tiles before their teachers, Paola Polanco and Leolina Rasundar Chinnappa, served breakfast. Acosta dropped off her 4-year-old daughter, Violeta, before reporting to her teaching position at the center, where several other Head Start parents also work.
“It’s important for all Head Start parents to have the opportunity to give their child an experience in a learning environment before they actually start kindergarten,” Acosta said.
Beyond providing early education and care to children of low-income families, from birth to age 5, the program helps them access other resources, including mental health services, SNAP benefits, homelessness assistance, and employment opportunities.
It also serves as daycare for parents who might not be able to afford it, while they’re at work.
Research has shown the importance of preschool in a child’s development with one 2023 study, focused on Boston public preschools, finding that it improves student behavior and increases the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment.
For Rickencia Clerveaux and Christopher Mclean, the Dorchester Head Start center is the only place they feel comfortable sending their 3-year-old son, Shontz, who is on the autism spectrum. Shontz’s stimming — repetitive movements that stimulate the senses — has reduced, and his speech has improved since he joined the center in 2024, Clerveaux said.
His parents say he’s also come out of his shell. Mclean now drops his son off and gets a simple “bye” as Shontz joins his classmates, he said.
He and Clerveaux said they appreciate the specialized attention Shontz can receive from teachers, such as when staff identified that Shontz might have hearing issues. His parents were able to follow up with their doctor and get Shontz to have surgery to improve his hearing.
“It’s a safe net for parents,” Clerveaux said. “There’s so many ways that him being here helps him grow better.”
Without Head Start, Clerveaux said a lot of pressure would be put on parents to find care for their children, “knowing that they’re already struggling or not getting the ends to meet.”
“That’s a burden for everybody in the community,” she said. “If there’s no funding, there’s no daycare and parents cannot work.”
Lauren Albano can be reached at lauren.albano@globe.com. Follow her on X @LaurenAlbano_.
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