High School Sports
BREAKING
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 3-star IOL Zach Lewis of North Gwinnett High School. He ranks as the nations’s No. 69 IOL and the No. 780 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 93 IOL and No. 969 […]
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 3-star IOL Zach Lewis of North Gwinnett High School. He ranks as the nations’s No. 69 IOL and the No. 780 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 93 IOL and No. 969 overall.
Zach Lewis visited UGA over the weekend and it didn’t take him long to figure out where he wanted to play college football.
It was where he always wanted to play college ball.
Lewis is from a family of Dawgs. Not just folks with the vanity license plate or the baseball caps. That family is full of those that have been barking and yelling at the TV over the years.
The wins? Glory Glory. The losses? Gutpunch time.
The fact he just publicly committed to UGA will have them barking again.
“They were stoked,” Lewis said of the silent commitment he made over the weekend. “My mom is a die-hard Georgia fan and my Dad is the same.”
Lewis, a 3-star IOL prospect at North Gwinnett High School, will carry the same team name over to his new college home.
“I knew the first day at my [official visit] that something was different,” Lewis said. “The way the coaches acted and the way the players interacted with us was different than any other college.”
“UGA had always held a special place in my heart and the fact that I can go play there and get developed there is a real dream come true.”
Lewis was offered as a center. He chose the Dawgs over strong interest in Georgia Tech, North Carolina and South Carolina, among others.
Why was it Georgia?
“What I like best about UGA is the developmental piece of the program and how they practice and play and the speed and detail they put into it all,” he said. “Also, it is very obvious that the coaching staff and support staff wants players to be successful on and off the field.”
He had other official visits planned, but those got pancaked over the weekend.
“I have cancelled all of my other OVs for this summer,” he told DawgNation.
There’s an interesting recruiting climb here. Don’t get swept up in his rankings as a prospect. Lewis has constantly been evolving as a player. The more he put on weight, the more he rose as a prospect.
It wasn’t that long ago he was a 240-pounder playing defensive line for the Bulldogs at North Gwinnett. He actually converted from the DL to the OL. Lewis will also be playing both ways for the Bulldogs in his senior season.
He’s got good feet. His prospect page on HUDL lists him with a 5.08 time in the 40, but that’s likely gone up a bit as he’s bulked up.
Check out his junior film below. That was eight months and about 20-25 pounds ago.
Lewis now becomes the 13th commitment in the class. He’s the seventh in-state commitment, the seventh commitment for the offensive side, and the second commitment for the offensive line this cycle.
The decision moves Georgia ever closer to Penn State for the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class on the 247Sports Composite team rankings for 2026. The Nittany Lions and their 19 commitments currently hold a 234.98-231.40 edge on Georgia.
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
Zach Lewis: What is Georgia football getting here
The newest Georgia football commit also played basketball growing up. He played for the North Gwinnett basketball team last season.
Lewis was at right tackle as a sophomore for North Gwinnett. He started there for that entire season. There is some tight end in his background and he actually caught a pass that was thrown his way during the 2023 season. It went for about 15 yards.
The unique wrinkle here is he weighed about 214 pounds back then. Georgia got on Lewis late, but so did the majority of college programs.
It was just a different evaluation seeing Lewis on film and in person as he grew from 214 to 245 to 265 to now 286 pounds.
The more weight he put on, the more the college attention spiked.
“I’ve been telling college coaches that he’s going to fill out,” Godfree said. “He’s got a great frame. The way he plays football, he could be an interior NFL lineman one day because he is so athletic and he plays so physical and so hard once his body fills out.”
During his junior year, he played right tackle and rotated across the defensive line.
He’ll play center and right tackle this fall and grab even more first-team reps on the defensive line.
“He plays with a super-high motor,” North Gwinnett head coach Eric Godfree said. “He’s physical. It is going to be great for us him being able to snap the ball as well and him being able to match him up what would give us our best opportunity to score points and win a game.”
That’s what stands out on his junior film. He’s coming off the ball, blocking down, getting to linebackers and just getting his hands on people and finishing blocks.
“He plays the game the right with his relentless effort on the field,” Godfree said. “He plays from whistle to whistle. He is trying on every single snap to dominate the person in front of him. He plays with that amount of nastiness that you need, but then off the field he’s an incredible kid.”
“He’s a competitor. It is hard to get offensive linemen to play that physical and that hard every snap. He does. He plays that physical and that hard every snap. He wants to dominate the man in front of him every play.”
He’s a better run blocker at this stage, but he’s still a high-level pass protector right now.
There was a story that Godfree shared after his sophomore season. It was between him and the school’s athletics director. The North Gwinnett AD named two players that he said were the two that he loved to watch compete the most.
It was rare to hear someone single out an offensive lineman, but Lewis was one of the two Bulldogs that he named. Especially after he had just switched from DL to OL for that season.
“He said that just because of the way he played the game,” Godfree said. “He plays so passionately and is finishing blocks. Again, just plays the game right. … It is physical and it is nasty.”
“That story put a huge smile on my face and a lot of pride when an offensive lineman stands out like that and somebody enjoys watching them play. That’s somebody who is playing the game right.”
Look for Lewis to be a team captain this fall at North Gwinnett. He’s that type of leader on his football team.
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
3-star IOL Zach Lewis has committed to Georgia football. The 6-foot-4, 286-pound rising senior plays for North Gwinnett High School. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below
SENTELL’S INTEL
(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
High School Sports
District 6 Summit Highlights Progress
1 hour ago CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Community members gathered for a summit hosted by Councilmember Jenni Berz to reflect on progress and priorities in District 6. The event focused on economic development, housing, transportation, and other efforts to improve the quality of life across the district. We spoke to Richard Johnson, Chair of Midtown […]
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Community members gathered for a summit hosted by Councilmember Jenni Berz to reflect on progress and priorities in District 6.
The event focused on economic development, housing, transportation, and other efforts to improve the quality of life across the district.
We spoke to Richard Johnson, Chair of Midtown Connects, and this is what he had to say about today’s events and Jenni Berz:
“Well, I’m very pleased that Councilwoman Jenni Berz is carrying on the tradition that Carol Berz had for a number of years. This is, I think, probably the ninth year the summit has been in play. I think it’s probably the first district that’s had this Summit, and the summit, as I say, is just a state of the community.”
The summit brought neighbors, leaders, and city officials together for meaningful dialogue and community connection.
High School Sports
Six high school takeaways, with New Balance track, coaching moves, college commitments …
Ryan Kyle was named the Gatorade Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year after breaking the state record in the 400-meter hurdles during a Meet of Champions win. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff After a record-breaking outdoor season, Westford Academy’s Ryan Kyle has been named the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year. […]
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
After a record-breaking outdoor season, Westford Academy’s Ryan Kyle has been named the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior, who has committed to Rhode Island, won both the 400-meter and 110 hurdles, as well as the decathlon, at the Division 1 championship, then broke his own state record in the 400 hurdles at the Meet of the Champions, winning in 51.72 seconds.“These last couple years, I’ve learned not to put limits on the times I can run or the achievements I can get,” Kyle said after the Meet of Champions. “Once I beat the state record at the league championships, I knew I could keep climbing.” Kyle went on to finish ninth at New Balance Nationals in the 400 hurdles (52.50). 
Ryan Kyle of Westford Academy was all smiles after seeing his 110-meter hurdles win displayed on the scoreboard during the Division 1 championship. Barry Chin/Globe Staff“Ryan is the athlete every coach dreams of having: talented, driven and never satisfied,” said Westford coach Philip Archambault. “All are terrific attributes, but his ability to bring others along and make them a critical part of the team is what makes him one to watch.” Kyle, who graduated with a 3.27 GPA, volunteers with the Special Olympics and as a youth football and basketball coach. With one more announcement to be made (girls’ track) the 2024-25 Gatorade winners are:Phillips Andover’s Tam Gavenas (boys’ cross-country), Needham’s Greta Hammer (girls’ cross-country), Milton Academy’s Josh Partal (boys’ soccer), Hopkinton’s Maddie Recupero (girls’ soccer), Needham’s Aidan Williams (football), Newton North’s Sasha Selivan (girls’ volleyball), Bedford’s Alyx Rossi (softball), Austin Prep’s Bradley McCafferty (baseball), CATS Academy’s Jaylen Harrell (boys’ basketball), and Noble & Greenough’s Christina Pham (girls’ basketball).
1. Bay Staters go national
Kyle wasn’t the only Massachusetts track star to shine at the New Balance Nationals last weekend at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
While there were no national champs from the Bay State, there were three runners-up. Gavenas was second in the boys’ two mile in 8:53.71, Marblehead senior Nate Assa placed second in the 5,000 in 14:25.19, and Brookline’s distance medley relay of Theodore Butty, Elijah Sweeney, Harry Flint, Altamo Ashkenasy snagged silver in 9:55.24.
Seven other individuals and four relays turned in top-10 finishes: Catholic Memorial sophomore Amar Skeete of West Roxbury placed third in the boys’ triple jump (50-5.25), Westford junior Abigail Hennessy took third in the girls’ mile (4:34.69), Peabody senior Alessandra Forgiona placed third in the javelin (144-1), Lexington junior Aubrey Deardorf was fifth in the girls’ long jump (19-9), Belmont Hill senior Josiah Gomes, of Dorchester, was sixth in the boys’ discus (188-7), BB&N senior Avery Hart was eighth in the girls’ long jump (19-4.5), Weymouth senior Ainsley Weber was eighth in the javelin (134-8), Lexington junior Ainsley Cuthbertson claimed ninth in the girls’ hammer throw (160-8), and Hopedale junior Ari Levine was ninth in the boys’ shot put (60-6).
The Lexington girls’ 4×800 relay, made up of Callie Glenn, Natalie Bielat, Jane Conrad, and Amelia Whorton, placed fourth in 9:09.84, while Conrad, Glenn, Whorton and Lucy Kontos teamed up to give the Minutewomen a seventh-place finish in the 4-by-mile (20.41.66). The Old Rochester boys’ 4×110 shuttle hurdles relay (Wesner Archelus, Calder Eaton, Malik Washburn, Sebastian Harrigan) placed seventh in 59.88, as did the Boston Jesuit 4-by-mile, with Shamus Larnard, John Wilson, Owen Geagan, and Greg McGrath finishing in 17:29.22.
Other top 20 finishes included Holliston senior Connor Teague in the long jump (18th at 22-6.5), North Reading girls’ shuttle hurdles (14th in 1:06.61), Winchester girls’ distance medley (19th in 12:19.47), Weymouth’s girls’ distance medley (20th in 12:19.50), Danvers senior Kye McClory in the javelin (16th at 173 feet), Hennessy in the 800 (12th in 2:08.22), Acton-Boxborough senior Emerson Gould in the girls’ pole vault (15th in 12-1.5), Lexington junior Franz Schroder in the boys’ hammer throw (29th in 188-1), Weston junior Oscar Torres in the boys’ triple jump (47-4.25), Lincoln-Sudbury senior Gabrielle Pierre in the girls’ triple jump (12th at 39-9.25), Natick junior Chloe Elder in the girls’ 400 (16th in 54.73), Natick’s mixed 4×400 relay (11th in 3:40.32), Lowell’s mixed 4×400 relay (14th in 3:41.29), Natick senior Sydni Chandler in the girls’ heptathlon (14th with 4,100 points), North Reading senior Giuliana Ligor in the 400 hurdles (14th in 1:00.76), Weston junior Solana Varela in the 400 hurdles (18th in 1:00.84), Lowell’s boys’ sprint medley relay (17th in 3:30.38), Haverhill’s Madeline Goncalves in the girls’ shot put (14th at 41-10), Arlington’s Bella Hayes in the girls’ shot put (17th at 41-5), and Peabody’s Alex Jackson in the boys’ discus (12th at 183-10).
In the middle school competition, Charlet Livingston of Boston, who competes for the MetroCobras Track Club, placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 41-0.5. Other Top 20 middle school finishers included West Roxbury’s Desmond Sullivan, who runs with the FXD Hawks Track Club, taking 15th in the 800 (2:02.94) and 16th in the mile (4:37.66), Millis’s Emma Genovese placed 15th in the mile (5:07.97), Sterling’s Annika Kindorf was 16th in the 800 (2:17.09), and Lexington’s Daniel Sun finished 19th in the shot put (42-8.75).
2. Commitment central
After an incredible career at Medfield, including a Division 3 state championship in 2024 and All-American honors, senior FOGO Johnny Olenik will continue his lacrosse career at Syracuse, owner of 15 national championships, and a Final Four participant in 2025.
Congrats to #MedLax’s John Olenik (2025, FOGO) on his commitment to @CuseMLAX
#LetsGo @MedfieldAD @NELaxJournal @bostonlaxnet @BostonHeraldHS @Prep_Lacrosse @ILPreps @coachpughlax @GlobeSchools @HometownWeekly @nweitzer7 @toplaxrecruits @tyxanders @BConn63 pic.twitter.com/VdEbDi8wOi
— Medfield HS Lacrosse (@Med_Lax) June 25, 2025
Randolph’s Amahn Williams, a rising senior at Tabor Academy, announced his commitment to play football at Central Florida. The 6-foot-5-inch, 280-pound interior offensive lineman had offers from BC, UMass, UConn, Buffalo, Old Dominion, and Sacramento State.
AGTG
pic.twitter.com/BB86xfjnPO
— Amahn Williams (@justamahn) June 16, 2025
Burlington senior Grace Seaman, the two-time Middlesex League Freedom Division MVP, announced she will play volleyball at Hamilton. The Red Devils’ single-season record holder for aces and kills, Seaman also holds career marks for aces, digs, and kills.
— BHSdevilsVBALL (@BHSdevilsVolley) June 26, 2025
Carver senior Jack Balzarini, a 6-2, 190-pound quarterback, has committed to play football at Hudson Valley Community College. He threw for 2,229 yards and ran for 546 as a senior, totaling 40 touchdowns and throwing for a state-record seven scores in a win over Bourne.
JUCO – Hudson Valley Community College pic.twitter.com/AIX0hWzMAy
— Michael Balzarini (@Balza79Michael) June 24, 2025
Former Sandwich hockey standout Chris Cotillo, who last played for the Smith Falls Bears in the CCHL, has committed to skate for UMass Dartmouth.
COMMITMENT ALERT
Bears ‘05 Forward Chris Cardillo has committed to NCAA UMass Dartmouth for the 2025-2026 season.
Congratulations Chris!!
: Chris Uhlig pic.twitter.com/qPvfX5zNW2
— Smiths Falls Bears (@SFBears) June 25, 2025
Eldon Terry, a 6-9, 210-pound center who attended Brockton High and CASH in Boston, announced he’ll be leaving Quincy College to play basketball at Concord University, a Division 2 school in West Virginia.
— Eldon Terry (@Eldon173) June 18, 2025
Former Amesbury and Austin Prep baseball standout Jake Harring is transferring from Hofstra to Salve Regina. The 5-7, 155-pound rising sophomore played in 15 games for the Lions.
Excited to announce I will be transferring to Salve Regina University. pic.twitter.com/HBEELmGUs3
— Jake Harring (@jakeharring2024) June 26, 2025
Patrick Otey, a Westwood resident who just finished his sophomore season at CATS Academy, announced he will be transferring to St. Thomas More (Conn.). A 6-5 guard and the No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2027, he has offers from Providence, Florida State, and Villanova.
SOPHOMORE Pat Otey just added a ton of value to a hot RWE squad
@otey_patrick pic.twitter.com/zLMHiaTFk7
— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) January 20, 2025
Tabor added a pair of recruits with size: 6-9 junior forward Isaac Saas, a rising junior from Beverly, and Billy Stewart, a 6-7 rising junior forward from the Bancroft School who hails from Auburn.
Please join me in WELCOMING 6′-9″ Junior Isaac Saas to the Tabor Basketball Family!
– Coach Willard pic.twitter.com/4QhQfZlSwu
— Tabor Boys Basketball (@TaborHoops) June 25, 2025
Please join me in WELCOMING 6′-7″ Junior Billy Stewart to the Tabor Basketball Family!
– Coach Willard pic.twitter.com/dpUKO6UFhQ
— Tabor Boys Basketball (@TaborHoops) June 25, 2025
3. Coaching carousel
Leshon Crawford, a former football and basketball star at Rockland, will take over the girls’ basketball program at Weymouth. Crawford has served as an assistant at Quincy College and is director of the Level Up Hoops AAU program.
Weymouth is coming off an 0-19 season, but was 20-5 and reached the Division 1 quarterfinals in 2023-24 with Doug Kirby at the helm.
Wildcat Nation please welcome Coach Crawford to the family !!!!! Go Cats …. pic.twitter.com/FtwT6N02Iz
— Rob O’Leary CAA (@wildcatnationAD) June 23, 2025
BC High announced that Mark Whitehouse has been promoted to head soccer coach. Whitehouse has coached at the school since 2011, working his way up from freshman assistant. Whitehouse also coaches rugby and teaches math at BC High, which went 7-6-7 in its final season under Billy Ryan.
“I’m truly excited to get started,” Whitehouse said in a statement. ”My goal is to take the next big step with the program —modernizing our style of play and competing to win the state championship.”
Whitehouse played at Long Island and with the Longridge Town Football Club in the English Conference League, and has coached club and youth teams.
“Mark has a clear vision for the soccer program,” said BC High AD Tom Conley in a statement. “I am confident our young men will develop as players and he will help them reach their goals and get them to the next level while becoming better men.”
Ryan retired in May after coaching BC High for 32 years, winning more than 300 games and a state championship.
We are proud to announce Mark Whitehouse as the next Head Varsity Soccer Coach! Coach Whitehouse, who has been a dedicated member of the BC High soccer program since 2011, is also a Math teacher and Head Development Rugby Coach at BC High.https://t.co/1kMI5uApoj pic.twitter.com/RQA7Rm5Bxk
— BC High Athletics (@BChighathletics) June 20, 2025
After 11 seasons, Anthony Palladino is stepping down as the Joseph Case football coach. He will remain the school’s athletic director. Palladino, who played at Bridgewater State, helped turn the Cardinals around, leading them to a South Coast Conference title in 2019, their first in 27 years. Assistant coach Alex Monteiro, also a BSU graduate and assistant coach with the Bears, will serve as Case’s interim head coach for the 2025 season.
After three straight seasons struggling to compete in the Patriot League, Quincy and North Quincy will be combining their hockey programs for the 2025-26 campaign and 16-year North Quincy coach Matt Gibbons will take the helm of the co-op. They will continue to compete in the Fisher Division.
The Presidents and Raiders combined to go 11-29-1 last season, and the last winning record between them was Quincy’s 12-8-2 mark in 2021-22. They’re a combined 27-91-5 since.
Robbie Winter is taking over as the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey coach. W-H/S-L is coming off an 11-10 record and a Division 1 tournament appearance under Jim Stone.
Winter, who played men’s hockey at Curry, is director of Boston’s Eastern Hockey Federation, the largest club youth hockey league in the country. He has coached the Boston Jr. Terriers U14 Tier 1 team for six years, is a member of the Massachusetts Hockey Board of Directors, and served as girls hockey director of the South Shore Eagles.
“We are excited to welcome coach Winter to our program,” said Whitman-Hanson AD Bob Rodgers in a statement. “His extensive experience in girls hockey and proven track record of player development make him an ideal fit.”
Keith Davie will be taking over as Newton South athletic director after Patricia Gonzalez retired after 11 years in the position. Davie is being promoted from assistant AD and has experience as athletic director at Nyack College.
Richkaard Verrier is the new athletic director at Westwood High. Previously the assistant AD at Needham and Brookline, he also worked for the New England Revolution for five years. He has coached boys’ JV soccer at Milton and Foxborough and played at Curry. He succeeds Matthew Gillis, who announced his retirement earlier this month after 33 years in the school district.
4. ‘Wally’ Seaver Invite adds North tournament
The 14th “Wally” Seaver High School Invitational has a new addition this year, with a North event to be held at St. John’s Prep on Saturday and Sunday, followed by the main event at Mass Premier in Foxborough and The Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton July 26-27. More than 150 teams are slated to compete between the two events.
Our inaugural “NORTH” Event at SJP takes place this upcoming weekend! The new satellite event preludes our annual “MAIN EVENT” in late July.
155 (and counting) HS teams between the 2 events, ready to play and #FightALS. @PF3Foundation
NORTH SCHEDULE: https://t.co/QCsB2OLjK8 pic.twitter.com/zqvXD7dINu
— “Wally” Seaver HS Invitational (@WallyHSInvALS) June 26, 2025
5. Red Sox hand out scholarships
One hundred public high school graduates from across New England received $1,000 college scholarships the Red Sox Foundation as part of the New England Service Scholarships.
The recipients, 31 of whom are from Massachusetts, will be honored before the Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game Friday at Fenway Park. They were selected for their meaningful impact through local community service.
Malden’s Abigail Lee will receive the inaugural Somers Scholarship, which honors the late Helen Somers, a 1946 Malden graduate and the mother of Fenway Sports Group partner Steve Somers.
The program has provided scholarships to more than 1,900 students since 2010.
6. NFHS teams with RefReps
The National Federation of State High School Associations is entering an exclusive deal with RefReps as its officiating education technology and curriculum partner.
The NFHS, and the MIAA, have previously worked with RefReps, which led to the launch of NFHS Digital, a mobile app for distributing and accessing official rules publications.
“Making this partnership official was an easy decision,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS CEO and a Marblehead High graduate (Class of ’83). “RefReps reimagined the officiating education experience, and it is easy to see the remarkable impact that it has had on the industry. What they have accomplished with their digital platforms and curriculum is reshaping the future of sports as a whole.”
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
