Massachusetts high school sports highlights for Dec. 10

Stepping up to replace Walsh on an interim basis is Mark Garrity, who has served as Walsh’s assistant for 15 years.
“His experience, leadership, and familiarity with the program position him well to lead the team into the upcoming season,” read the statement. “We are confident coach Garrity will continue to build upon the strong foundation established under coach Walsh’s direction and we offer him our full support as he steps into this new role.”
The Lancers, who went 91-19 under Walsh, are coming off a 22-2 season and a loss to Somerset Berkley in the Division 2 championship game.
Overall, Walsh is 266-58 over 14 seasons, including three at Central Catholic that included a Merrimack Valley Conference championship and a Division 1 North final appearance in 2019, and six years at Danvers where he won three state titles, five Northeastern Conference crowns, and two Globe Coach of the Year awards.
Malden Catholic opens its season Friday at Burncoat (6:30 p.m.). The Lancers’ home opener is Dec. 19 vs. Greater Lawrence (6:30 p.m.).
▪ Attleboro has dismissed football coach Jim Winters, according to the Sun-Chronicle. Winters coached the Blue Bombardiers for four seasons, going 14-30, including a 3-8 mark this fall. Winters previously served as head coach at Silver Lake from 2015-18, and as an assistant at Norton and Oliver Ames.
▪ Nicki Henrique is leaving Joseph Case to take over the softball program at Durfee, where she has served as field hockey coach for 13 years. Henrique was an assistant for the Cardinals softball team as it captured a Division 4 three-peat.
“After 13 years of field hockey [at Durfee] it’s become my home,” she wrote on social media. “Gained a whole new world of experience under Shannon Silva. What a ride.”
▪ Bishop Stang swimming has added Mary Ellen Clark as diving coach. Clark is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in diving (1992, 1996) and a seven-time national champion. She has more than 40 years coaching experience, with stops at Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Wellesley, and currently coaches the divers at Bryant.
▪ Chelmsford baseball coach Lou DiStasi was honored as the 2025 NFSBCA Region 1 Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to the Division 1 title.
The MIAA dove into its finances during Wednesday’s Board of Directors meeting in Franklin, and executive director Bob Baldwin warned that with tournament revenues falling and expenses rising, change could be on the horizon.
Baldwin explained that the net haul from its state tournaments was in the negative about $550,000 for the 2024-25 school year, and has been moving in a downward trajectory for four years due to a combination of declining attendance and increasing expenses.
“It’s not just ticket sales, it’s paying site fees, security, athletic trainers, and what have you, they have all gone up,” Baldwin said. “It’s an issue that the tournament net keeps going down. We have to look at it systemically. You can’t always do things the way we’ve always done things. We have to make some difficult decisions, and those are just the beginning.”
Baldwin did praise the organization’s savings on the operational side, noting that when removing tournaments, the organization was running $600,000 in the black, despite legal fees rising $100,000 from the previous year, thanks, in part, to an offsetting $120,000 rise in corporate sponsorship and downsizing at the league offices.
“We have less people doing more efficient and effective work and doing it in a more effective and efficient manner,” Baldwin said.
Vice president Charlie Conefrey, the Malden athletic director, noted the MIAA’s assets-to-liabilities ratio had improved from 3:1 in 2001 to 7.8:1 in 2025 and that a recent audit came back clean.
“We are very healthy,” he said.
▪ The board unanimously approved a new baseball rule, which was recommended 15-1-1 by the baseball committee, that courtesy runners may be used for pitchers and catchers. The same runner may not be used for both, and players who participated in the game in any other capacity are unable to serve as courtesy runners.
▪ Thayer senior CJ Talabi-Oates, a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound edge rusher from Holbrook, has commited to play football at Wagner.
▪ Amherst senior Natalie Stott, a Williston Northampton graduate from Franklin, and Williams sophomore Annie Gallagher, a Wellesley High graduate who played at the North American Hockey Academy, were named NESCAC Women’s Hockey Co-Players of the Week. Stott became the NCAA Division 3 record holder for career shutouts with 36 after stopping 10 shots in a win over UMass Boston. Gallagher scored both goals in a 2-1 win over No. 9-ranked Plattsburgh State.
▪ Williams sophomore Jack McManus, a Belmont Hill graduate from Winthrop, was named NESCAC Men’s Hockey Co-Player of the Week after recording three goals and two assists in two games.
▪ New Hampshire junior Grace Blume, a Dedham graduate, was named America East Diver of the Week for the third time this year. Blume swept the diving events against Northeastern with a score of 265.43 in 3-meter and 266.63 in 1-meter.
▪ Emerson sophomore Jessie Silk, a Beaver Country Day graduate from Newton, was named to the NEWBA Weekly Second Team after averaging 17.5 points on 73.7 percent shooting as the Lions split two games. Silk hit 6-of-7 3-pointers, and added 8.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
▪ Emerson junior Claire English, a Winchester graduate, was the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for women’s basketball for a second time this season. English averaged 3 blocked shots, 2 steals, and 7.5 rebounds per game in a 1-1 week.
▪ Westfield State senior Eliza Lee, a Walpole graduate, was named MASCAC women’s indoor track Field Athlete of the Week by turning in a pair of strong performacnes at the Springfield College Season Opener. Lee won the long jump with a leap of 5.31 meters, and took the top spot in the triple jump at 11.17 meters.
▪ Trinity senior Jarrel Okorougo, a Brimmer and May graduate from Stoneham, was named NESCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. He averaged 23 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in a 2-0 week for the top-ranked Bantams. He also became the 33rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
▪ Keene State junior Tyler Bolaske, a Palmer graduate, was named LEC Track Athlete of the Week after finishing ninth in the 5,000 meters (14 minutes, 56.89 seconds) at the New Balance Early Bird Invitational.
▪ Westfield State freshman Isabella Zeppa, a Monson graduate, was named LEC Swimming Rookie of the Week after winning two individual events and swimming on one championship relay at the Bridgewater State Invitational. Zeppa won the 50-yard freestyle (25.20) and 50 backstroke (29.05) and was on the winning 400 freestyle relay.
▪ The Cambridge Athletic Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for the 2026 induction ceremony, which will be held Nov. 21, 2026. Nominations can be submitted here. Nominations must be received by March 27, 2026.
▪ The 32nd annual Paul Duchane High School Girls Basketball Jamboree will be held Saturday at Lynn Classical. It will feature Prospect Hill Academy, Lynn Tech, Peabody, Lynn English, Saugus, Southeast Voc-Tech, Bedford, Bishop Fenwick, Billerica, St. Mary’s, Hamilton-Wenham, Malden Catholic, Lynn Classical, and Winthrop. Games begin at 1 p.m.