Click here to refresh | Read more schools stories

Trevor Hass

WELLESLEY — As dynamic as she is on a daily basis, Medfield junior Izzy Kittredge has a habit of saving her absolute best for state championship games.

This winter, she racked up 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 3 assists to cement back-to-back Division 2 titles for the girls’ basketball program.

In Friday’s Division 3 girls’ lacrosse final against Newburyport, Kittredge exploded for a team-high 6 goals, 3 assists, and 7 draw controls to spearhead an 18-8 triumph and clinch back-to-back championships as well.

“She shows up for the big games,” said Medfield coach Mary Laughna. “She loves to compete. She loves winning. She can take over those games.”

Continue reading Trevor Hass’s story

Mike Puzzanghera

WORCESTER — In Chelmsford, they’re partying like it’s 1966.

For the first time in 59 years, the Lions are state champions, after a heroic ninth-inning rally plated six runs to topple Braintree, 8-2, Friday night at Polar Park.

But to give the town its long-awaited triumph, the 14th-seeded Lions (19-8) needed their superstar — senior Matt Stuart — to put in a herculean effort. That’s exactly what the Gardner-Webb committed righthander did.

Stuart fired a complete game, striking out six and surrendering just a pair of runs, and added three hits and a run at the plate.

Continue reading Mike Puzzanghera’s story

AJ Traub

WESTWOOD — One more point to win in his high school career. Kris Vaivars knew the ball would come his way.

The senior smashed the last of his 24 kills off defending fingertips, the ball sailing out the back as Brookline’s title drought since 1992 came to an end at Xaverian Brothers.

“It’s surreal,” Vaivars said. “Nothing feels real right now. Just being here is amazing.”

Continue reading AJ Traub’s story

No. 14 is No. 1 as Chelmsford finished off Braintree with a 6-run ninth at Polar Park, the Lions winning the school’s first Division 1 baseball state championship since 1966.

Chelmsford is on the cusp of ending its Cinderella run in the Division 1 baseball tournament as the belle of the ball.

The Lions loaded the bases with no one out in the ninth, then retook the lead in the state final when freshman Aidan Brackett — who took a ball to the neck earlier in the game — faked a bunt, then drove a ground ball through the left side.

A Matt Hall sacrifice fly made it 4-2. A John Latham chopper got through the drawn-in infield at shortstop to make it 6-2, and a wild pitch and a Will Colucci single made it a six-run inning.

Matt Stuart, who needed only 86 pitches to get through the first eight innings, sits three outs away from delivering a championship.

More zeros traded in the eighth inning at Polar Park. Peter Brooks made the final out from third base after a pair of Matt Rogers strikeouts in the top half, and Matt Stuart answered for Chelmsford in the bottom half, erasing a leadoff single.

If you’re curious, we’ve got a long way to go until reaching the record books for the longest Division 1 championship game. Chelmsford needed 14 innings to beat Stoughton, 6-5, in 1966.

Seven innings weren’t enough to decide the Division 1 baseball champion.

Three Matt Stuart strikeouts finish off the seventh, stranding a pair of runners, and a raucous crowd at Polar Park will get to see the state’s two best teams play on.

The Warriors repeat with a dominant 18-8 victory, against beating Newburyport. Izzy Kittredge injured her ankle in the fourth quarter, but not before she potted six goals for the state champions.

It’s Medfield’s third Division 3 state championship in four years.

It’s 2-2 at Polar Park.

Matt Rodgers’s sixth-inning RBI single drove in Peter Brooks, who reached base on a dropped third strike and advanced on a sacrifice bunt in the sixth, and the Division 1 baseball final is tied going into the seventh inning.

John Latham looked ready for the WooSox in the bottom of the fifth, not only running down Sean Canavan’s long shot to center field, but turning it into a double play.

The Division 1 final remains a one-run game.

A back-and-forth battle was anything but in the fourth set, as the Warriors ripped off a 15-3 run on their way to a 25-15 victory in the clincher.

With Newburyport down a player due to accumulated cards, Medfield scored the final three goals of the third, taking a 13-7 lead — its largest of the game — into the final quarter of the Division 3 girls’ lacrosse final at Babson.

The scoreboard has flipped at Polar Park.

With two outs and the bases loaded, a infield fly dropped in and scored a pair of runs, the latter via Will Colucci racing home from second.

Graham Dietz

WORCESTER — With no seniors on his roster last year, North Reading baseball coach Eric Archambault felt the road to a state championship required two seasons.

“This was really like a two-year journey for us,” Archambault said. “In our last practice, I just told them ‘This isn’t practice 38 for us. This is practice 75, 76 — something in that range.’ Because it’s a two-year journey when you don’t graduate anyone.”

Archambault’s plan blossomed into a reality Friday at Polar Park as the ninth-seeded Hornets captured the Division 3 state championship, 10-3, over No. 11 Arlington Catholic thanks to a five-run first inning.

Continue reading Graham Dietz’s story

The Warriors have made it two sets in a row at the Division 1 boys’ volleyball final, building leads of 17-12 and 20-15, then hanging on despite a run of Matty Cloonan kills to get Needham within 22-21.

Kris Vaivars helped close it out, 25-22, and Brookline is within a set of its first state title in more than 30 years.

Reese Bromby and Avery Tahnk pulled Newburyport within 6-5 with the first two goals of the second quarter in the Division 3 girls’ lacrosse final, but Izzy Kittredge ripped off three straight for her team in response.

She has five goals, and it’s a 9-6 lead for top-seeded Medfield at the half.

Trevor Hass

WELLESLEY — After each Walpole goal, coach Mike Tosone put his head down, briskly paced the sideline, then immediately returned to his home base, bent over, and placed his hands on his knees.

Even as the Timberwolves’ lead ballooned once, then again after a Reading comeback, Tosone wouldn’t allow himself or his team to get complacent.

For a perennial contender appearing in its fifth state title game in the last 10 years, including last spring, Friday’s Division 2 girls’ lacrosse championship game served as an opportunity to finish what they started.

Walpole didn’t squander it, earning a hard-fought, 16-11, victory at Babson College.

Continue reading Trevor Hass’s story

Connor Grieve smacked the last of three two-out singles in the bottom of the third, giving the Wamps an early edge on upset-minded Chelmsford in Division 1 baseball.

The defending champions scored five of the first six goals in the Division 3 final, but after a pair of Newburyport tallies, Izzy Kittredge built the lead back to three goals with a free position shot 12 seconds from the end of the quarter.

The Rockets pulled out to leads of 6-1 and 13-9 in the second, but the top seeds battled back to pull even at 18-18. The teams largely traded points into extras from there, and after Needham squandered multiple chances at a two-set lead, an Amir Tomer kill and an Alex Smagula block finished it, 27-25.

In just four minutes, top-seeded Medfield has built a 3-0 lead as it seeks to again beat No. 2 Newburyport for a state championship.

Izzy Kittredge, Kendall Herrick, and Mia Macropoulous have the goals, the last coming with 8:16 left in the opening quarter.

It’s not the matchup anyone expected, except maybe these two teams, as eighth-seeded Braintree (16-8) takes on 14th-seeded Chelmsford (18-8).

Will McDonald sealed the first set, 25-20, for the Rockets.

Andrew Kurdziel started the match with a pair of kills and Needham is up 6-1 in the first set. Timeout Brookline.

After the timeout Needham continued to extend its lead, going up 13-6 in the first set.

Top-seeded Brookline (22-1) is making its first title-game appearance since 1992, while No. 3 Needham (21-5) is here for the fifth-straight year in an all-Bay State final at Xaverian.

Final: Walpole 16, Reading 11

Caitlyn Naughton, Jenna Wong, and Ava MacLean all scored four goals for the Timberwolves, who end their title drought.

Walpole playing keep-away, up 15-10 with 3:30 to play in the Division 2 girls’ lacrosse championship game.

Walpole 15, Reading 9, 9:23 left 4th quarter

With back-to-back goals from Ava MacLean, the Timberwolves have built their largest lead of the game.

Final: North Reading 10, Arlington Catholic 3

The ninth-seeded Hornets led the entire way to capture their first crown in 13 years.

Nick Torra was 3 for 4 at the dish with a double and three RBIs, Matt Mancinelli went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and Christian Lava was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

North Reading 10, Arlington Catholic 3, bottom 6th

Matt Macinelli doubles to deep left, scoring Christian Lava and Gavin Brady as the Hornets are now three outs away from their first state championship since 2012.

Timberwolves end the quarter on a 6-1 run to build a five-goal lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

North Reading 8, Arlington Catholic 3, bottom 6th

Walpole 10, Reading 7, 4:41 left 3rd quarter

Caitlyn Naughton’s third goal of the day put the Timberwolves up 8-7, Lily Rodgers completed her own hat trick shortly after, and Emily Hagan pushed the advantage to three goals.

Walpole 7, Reading 7, 8:15 left 3rd quarter

A minute out of halftime, Walpole’s Riley Halloran scores for a 7-5 lead, but Libby Quinn scores on a free position shot to make it 7-6 before Lily Rodgers nets her third goal of the game for a 7-7 tie. Reading is on a 6-1 run since falling behind 6-1.

North Reading 6, Arlington Catholic 3, top 6th

The Hornets scored in the bottom of the fifth for the first time since the first inning when Matt Mancinelli raced from first to score on a bloop single to center.

There’s also a pitching change to start the sixth. North Reading starter Dylan Matthews pitched five innings, pitching around eight hits and five walks to allow three runs. Glenn Melo coming on in relief.

Arlington Catholic also went to its bullpen in the sixth, pulling starter Patrick Clair after he allowed eight hits, two walks, and six runs in five innings. EJ LaValle relieves him.

The Rockets scored three unanswered goals to end the second quarter and got six saves from Addyson Mathews to get right back in this game. Reading’s final goal of the half came from Abby Shanahan off a feed from Molly Trahan.

The Cougars put two on with one out in the fifth but a 6-4-3 double play from North Reading ended the threat.

Walpole 6, Reading 3, 6:57 left 2nd quarter

Walpole’s Jenna Wong scores 13 seconds into the second frame for a 6-1 lead, but sophomore Lily Rodgers gets one back for Reading, still in the opening minute of the second quarter.

Caitlyn Naughton’s second goal gave the Timberwolves a four-goal advantage after the opening 12 minutes.

North Reading 5, Arlington Catholic 3, bottom 4th

For the third-straight inning, the Cougars cut their deficit by a run, this time on an RBI single from Trey Flaherty.

Walpole 4, Reading 1, 1st quarter

Emily Hagan, Sophia Fruci, and Ava McLean scored in a 70-second span for the Timberwolves.

The Hornets haven’t put one on the board since the first, while the Cougars have scored one run in each the second and third innings.

Jacklyn Shimansky scored for Reading and Caitlyn Naughton answered for Walpole and it’s only three minutes into the game.

Tyler Valente singled to center, scoring a run and pulling the Cougars within 5-2 in the top of the third.

Second-seeded Walpole will face fourth-seeded Reading at Babson College.

Walpole looking for its first state title, despite playing in its fifth championship game, while Reading, also looking for its first title, is coming off an upset of top-ranked and three-time defending champion Notre Dame (Hingham).

North Reading 5, Arlington Catholic 1, middle 2nd

Connor Fleming-Benison, the No. 9 hitter, gets ahold of an RBI double, sending it to deep center and scoring Patrick Clair (walk) for the Cougars’ first run.

When it was all said and done, the Hornets scored five runs in the bottom of the first, the last two coming home on Nick Torra’s single to left.

North Reading 3, Arlington Catholic 0, bottom 1st

Christian Lava’s RBI single scored Antonio Ricca for the game’s first run and moments later, Gavin Brady’s RBI groundout scored Jason Curran and Max Forristall added an RBI single for a 3-0 North Reading lead, still in the first.

Arlington Catholic leadoff hitter Trey Flaherty got on base with a single through third base, and Matthew Toland was intentionally walked to put two Cougars on base. Both were stranded.

Semifinals:

North Reading 6, Wakefield 0 — North Reading starting pitcher Ethan Quan felt shaky. His curveball wasn’t turning. His changeup wouldn’t dip.

But he trusted his gut through a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, and completed all seven innings in shutout fashion, clinching the ninth-seeded Hornets (20-4) a spot in the state championship at Polar Park.

“My arm couldn’t feel any better,” Quan said. “Wasn’t the best start, had the bases loaded, but I have a great staff. My pitching coach over there, my coaches and my teammates, they helped me keep the ball low and that seemed to be effective.”

The North Reading baseball team is headed to the Division 3 championship game after taking down Wakefield, 6-0.Graham Dietz

Quan only registered two strikeouts but limited No. 13 Wakefield (18-6) to zero runs on four walks and five hits.

“Honestly, the key to the game for him was those first three innings,” North Reading coach Eric Archambault said. “I think they had base runners in all three innings, and for him to be able to work out of those jams — I mean, if they rip a double there it’s a completely different game.”

North Reading centerfielder Gavin Brady (3), right fielder Max Forristall, and second baseman Antonio Ricca celebrate after Forristall caught the final out of the Hornets’ 6-0 win over Wakefield Wednesday at Fraser Field in Lynn. North Reading will face Arlington Catholic in the Division 3 championship.Robert Marra Photography

Christian Lava scooted a two-run single through the right side of the infield to put the Hornets on the board in the top of the third inning. A Glenn Mello moonshot scored Nick Torra in the top of the fifth, and effective baserunning led to two more North Reading runs.

Jason Curran scored on a passed ball, and Gavin Brady raced home on a sacrifice bunt by Max Forristall.

North Reading players swarm the mound to celebrate their 6-0 win over Wakefield Wednesday at Fraser Field in Lynn.Robert Marra Photography

Archambault wisely chose to intentionally walk Wakefield junior Jack Pennacchia whenever he stepped up to bat. Andrew Nemec led the Warriors with a single and a double.

“We just weren’t going to let [Pennacchia] beat us,” Archambault said. “He is such a phenomenal player. I’ve seen him in person, seen his highlights, talked to a few people and I know he’s a key cog when he gets going.”

Junior Ethan Quan pitched a complete game and shut out Wakefield 6-0 at Fraser Field in Lynn to lead North Reading into the MIAA Division 3 baseball championship this weekend against Arlington Catholic.Robert Marra Photography

Arlington Catholic 5, Sandwich 4 — With Tyler Valente singling home Matt Toland with the winning run in the top of the eighth, the 11th-seeded Cougars (16-6) clawed past No. 7 Sandwich (18-6) and into the championship game. Toland finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Patrick Clair pitched three hitless, scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts after starter Tyler Nelson went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

The first game of the day is the Division 3 baseball final, pitting ninth-seeded North Reading (20-4) and 11th-seeded Arlington Catholic (16-6) and Graham Dietz will have coverage from Worcester.

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.