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Free pizza, play points and money: These programs will keep your kids reading this summer
It may be summer vacation for students, but that doesn't mean the reading fun has to come to an end. It can be a daily struggle trying to keep your child engaged and interested in reading when there are so many other things vying for their attention. When school ends for the summer, reading can feel like a chore when there are video games to play, crafts to create, and forts to build. As a parent, it can feel like a never-ending battle to maintain consistent reading habits throughout the summer and cultivate a love for reading. That's where summer reading programs come in handy, with these companies offering incentives from pizza to actual money to inspire your kiddos to read during summer vacation. Here are free reading programs to help you encourage reading this summer: Pie in the sky idea: Should Massachusetts have a state pizza? One lawmaker wants it to be this type The Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program is a fun and easy way for students in grades 1 through 6 to foster their love of reading and earn free books. It's simple, all your child has to do is read 8 books, write about their favorite part in the Reading Journal, and bring the completed journal to Barnes & Noble bookstore, at 392 State Road, Dartmouth, between July 1 and Aug. 31. Once they complete the journal, they get a free book from the store. Find out more at Where to find a Labubu: These dolls are one of the hardest trends to get right now. 3 MA stores you can buy one Your child can earn a reward for their love of reading with Chuck E. Cheese. If they complete a book, have them fill out the "Page-Turning Pro" award on the Chuck E. Cheese website. Then, bring it to their location at 412-418 State Road in Dartmouth to receive 10 free play points. Encourage them to continue reading daily by filling out the Reading Rewards Calendar. After two weeks of consistent reading, they will earn another 10 free points. Check it out at "BOOK IT!" has now been upgraded with an easy-to-use app that tracks and rewards your child's reading habits. Throughout June, July, and August, children in pre-K through 6th grade who reach their parent-set reading goal each month will be awarded a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut. To qualify, the child must read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day for 15 days. To redeem your reward code, head over to locations at 914 Mount Pleasant St., New Bedford; 155 Hope St., Fall River; or 579 GAR Highway, Swansea. To download the app, go to Personal and commercial banker Rockland Trust is holding its 17th annual Reading Makes Cent$ program, which encourages kids to keep up their reading and add to their bank accounts. For students entering grades 1 through 8 this fall, kids can earn up to $25 in a Rockland Trust savings account — $2.50 for each book they read, up to 10 books. The program, which began June 1, runs through Aug. 31. To grab a summer reading journal, visit any Rockland Trust branch or print one out online. Rockland Trust has branches in Fairhaven, Fall River, New Bedford and Somerset. This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Summer reading at Pizza Hut, Chuck E. Cheese, and Barnes & Noble
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Follow all South Shore high school MIAA state tournament scores right here
The MIAA spring state tournament is here. Tennis kicked off the action on May 27, which is also the same day the rugby and boys volleyball pairings were released. Baseball, softball and lacrosse brackets are set for release on May 28. Advertisement The South Shore will be well represented, as always, across all the sports. It will be a busy grand finale to the 2024-2025 high school sports season, but follow all the scores and schedule throughout the tournament for area teams right here. More: Scoring queen: Braintree High girls lacrosse has a new record-holder Today's schedule Friday, June 13 Baseball D-1 – Braintree vs. Chelmsford, 7 (Polar Park in Worcester) Past results Thursday Softball D-2 – Silver Lake 1, Westfield 0 Girls lacrosse D-4 – Norwell 9, Cohasset 8 Wednesday, June 11 Baseball D-1 – Braintree 8, King Philip 3 D-2 – Walpole 10, Plymouth North 2 Advertisement Boys lacrosse D-1 – BC High 14, Acton-Boxboro 11 D-3 – Scituate 11, Medfield 9 D-4 – Cohasset 11, Nantucket 2 D-4 – Norwell 15, Manchester Essex 6 Girls tennis D-2 – Longmeadow 3, Hingham 2 (St. John's Shrewsbury) D-2 – Wayland 4, Notre Dame Academy 1 Tuesday, June 10 Girls lacrosse D-2 – Reading 8, Notre Dame Academy 7 D-4 – Cohasset 19, Sandwich 11 D-4 – Norwell 19, Ipswich 1 Monday, June 9 Boys tennis D-2 - Duxbury 3, Hopkinton 1 D-4 – Manchester Essex 5, Cohasset 0 Sunday, June 8 Baseball D-1 – Braintree 2, Natick 0 D-2 – Plymouth North 6, Westwood 3 D-3 – Sandwich 1, Norwell 0 Softball D-1 – Taunton 2, Bridgewater-Raynham 0 Advertisement D-2 – Silver Lake 7, Middleboro 0 Boys lacrosse D-3 – Scituate 10, Dracut 7 Girls lacrosse D-2 – Reading 10, Hingham 6 Girls tennis D-2 – Hingham 5, Amherst-Pelham 0 D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 5, Westboro 0 D-2 – Wayland 5, Duxbury 0 Saturday, June 7 Softball D-1 – Bridgewater-Raynham at Taunton, 6 - POSTPONED Boys lacrosse D-2 – Reading 11, Duxbury 10 D-4 – Norwell 18, Oakmont 6 D-4 – Cohasset 12, Littleton 3 Girls lacrosse D-3 – Newburyport 12, Hanover 4 Friday, June 6 Softball D-4 – Case 5, East Bridgewater 1. D-4 – Uxbridge 1, Abington 0. Boys lacrosse D-1 – BC High 10, Bishop Feehan 3. D-2 – Mansfield 12, Hingham 11. Advertisement Girls lacrosse D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 16, Longmeadow 6. D-2 – Westwood 6, Duxbury 5. D-4 – Norwell 16, Hamilton-Wenham 5. D-4 - Cohasset 20, Nantucket 3 Boys tennis D-2 – Westboro 4, Hingham 1. Girls tennis D-2 – Longmeadow 3, Milton 2. Boys rugby D-2 - Hanover 64, Algonquin 5. Thursday, June 5 Baseball D-1 – Braintree 4, Leominster 1 D-3 – Norwell 5, Dighton-Rehoboth 2 D-5 – Hopedale 6, Carver 3 Softball D-2 – Silver Lake 10, Wakefield 1 Boys lacrosse D-2 – Westwood 11, Marshfield, 10 D-3 – Nauset 20, Hanover 14 Boys rugby D-1 – BC High 68, Weymouth 14 Boys tennis D-2 – Duxbury 4, Wayland 1 D-2 – Sharon 5, Scituate 0 Advertisement D-4 – Cohasset 3, Fairhaven 2 Wednesday, June 4 Baseball D-1 – Saint John's 15, BC High 8 D-2 – Plymouth North 3, Billerica 0 D-3 - Bishop Stang 4, Hanover 3 D-4 – Hamilton-Wenham 5, Cohasset 1 D-4 – Northbridge 4, East Bridgewater 2 Softball D-1 – Taunton 7, Weymouth 1 D-2 – Middleboro 8, Plymouth South 2 D-2 – Walpole 17, Stoughton 0 D-2 – Bedford 10, Duxbury 0 D-4 – Abington 9, Wahconah 4 Boys lacrosse D-2 – Hingham 12, Minnechaug 3 D-2 – Duxbury 10, Sharon 3 D-2 – Longmeadow 14, Plymouth South 5 D-4 – Oakmont 14, Abington 11 D-4 – Norwell 11, North Reading 2 Girls lacrosse D-2 – Hingham 19, Northampton 3 D-3 – Hanover 10, Falmouth 9 Advertisement Girls tennis D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 5, Canton 0 D-4 – Hamilton-Wenham 4, Cohasset 1 Girls rugby D-2 – Lincoln-Sudbury 48, Weymouth 33 TUESDAY, JUNE 3 Softball D-3 – Norton 7, Archbishop Williams 0 D-4 - East Bridgewater 3, Lynnfield 0 Boys lacrosse D-1 – BC High 15, Central Catholic 5 D-4 – Cohasset 19, Winthrop 2 Girls lacrosse D-2 - Duxbury 16, Scituate 1 D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 20, Methuen 3 D-4 – Cohasset 17, North Reading 1 D-4 – Norwell 16, Lynnfield 5 Boys volleyball D-1 - Lexington 3, Weymouth 0 Boys tennis D-1 – Winchester 3, BC High 2 D-2 – Walpole 3, North Quincy 2 D-2 – Hingham 4, Burlington 1 D-4 – Cohasset 5, Falmouth Academy 0 Advertisement Girls tennis D-2 – Milton 3, Westwood 2 D-2 – Hingham 5, Ursuline Academy 0 D-3 – Weston 4, Hanover 1 MONDAY, JUNE 2 Baseball D-1 – Braintree 4, Springfield Central 3 D-1 – BC High 9, Waltham 3 D-2 - Plymouth North 11, Bay Path 3 D-2 – Westwood 4, Plymouth South 2 D-2 – Dartmouth 7, Oliver Ames 0 D-2 – Grafton 14, Middleboro 9 D-2 – Melrose 3, Milton 1 D-2 – Shepherd Hill 6, Canton 3 D-3 – Norwell 4, Oakmont 2 D-3 – Hanover 10, Holliston 1 D-4 – Cohasset 4, Case 0 D-4 – Hamilton-Wenham 3, Blue Hills 0 D-4 – East Bridgewater 4, Hampshire Regional 0 D-5 – Carver 4, Mystic Valley 2 Softball D-1 – St. Paul 4, Marshfield 1 Advertisement D-1 – Bridgewater-Raynham 4, Central Catholic 1 D-2 – Silver Lake 12, Milton 0 D-2 – Stoughton 14, Norwood 2 D-2 – Duxbury 5, Milford 2 D-2 – Middleboro 9, Hingham 2 D-2 – Westwood 10, Whitman-Hanson 3 D-2 – Plymouth South 6, Agawam 4 D-2 – Bedford 11, Oliver Ames 0 D-3 – Tantasqua 5, Fontbonne 2 D-4 – Gardner 8, Cohasset 5 D-4 – East Bridgewater 19, Sutton 1 D-4 – Abington 9, Manchester Essex 0 D-5 – Turners Falls 12, Rising Tide 0 Boys lacrosse D-2 – Agawam 17, Silver Lake 11 D-2 – Mansfield 16, Bridgewater-Raynham 4 D-2 – Plymouth South 11, West Springfield 6 D-2 – Longmeadow 12, Milton 1 D-3 – Scituate 17, Dover-Sherborn 8 Advertisement D-3 – Old Rochester Regional 11, Pembroke 8 D-4 – Abington 8, AMSA 6 D-4 – Norwell 22, Dennis-Yarmouth 2 Girls lacrosse D-1 – Franklin 21, Weymouth 7 D-3 – Hanover 19, Essex North Shore 8 D-4 – Hamilton-Wenham 18, Rockland 5 D-4 – Norwell 22, Seekonk 2 Boys volleyball D-1 – Acton-Boxboro 3, Braintree 1 D-2 – Boston Latin Academy 3, Milton 0 Boys tennis D-2 – Scituate 4, North Attleboro 1 D-2 – Dartmouth 3, Plymouth North 2 Girls tennis D-2 – Westboro 5, Oliver Ames 0 D-2 – Duxbury 4, North Attleboro 1 D-4 – Cohasset 5, Lenox 0 SUNDAY, JUNE 1 Baseball D-1 – Leominster 2, Weymouth 0 D-1 – Wellesley 12, North Quincy 5 Advertisement D-1 – Andover 7, Bridgewater-Raynham 5 D-2 – Billerica 4, Hingham 3 D-2 – Bristol-Plymouth 5, Duxbury 1 D-2 – Hopkinton 1, Whitman-Hanson 0 D-4 – Millbury 10, West Bridgewater 1 D-4 – Northbridge 9, Rockland 3 D-4 – Stoneham 3, Abington 1 D-5 – Hopedale 13, Hull 4 Softball D-1 – Weymouth 6, Beverly 2 D-1 – Bridgewater-Raynham 13, Acton-Boxboro 3 D-2 – Tewksbury 12, Notre Dame Academy 7 D-3 – Bishop Fenwick 22, Hanover 14 D-4 – Tyngsboro 13, Rockland 0 D-4 – AMSA 16, Blue Hills 1 D-4 – Uxbridge 13, West Bridgewater 1 Boys lacrosse D-2 – Hingham 17, Plymouth North 7 D-2 – Marshfield 17, Masconomet 4 D-3 – Hanover 12, Bedford 9 Advertisement D-4 – Cohasset 17, Hull 0 Girls lacrosse D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 19, Westfield 4 D-2 – Melrose 16, Whitman-Hanson 3 D-2 – Hingham 19, Malden Catholic 3 D-3 – Ashland 14, Pembroke 7 D-4 – Cohasset 20, Hoosac Valley 3 D-4 - Swampscott 18, Hull 5 Boys tennis D-2 - Duxbury 5, Marblehead 0 Girls tennis D-2 – Notre Dame Academy 5, Reading 0 D-4 – Nantucket 4, Randolph 1 SATURDAY, MAY 31 Softball D3 - Medway 5, Cardinal Spellman 4 D5 - Rising Tide 6, Bromfield 5 Boys lacrosse D2 - Duxbury 13, Milford 2 D3 - Arlington Catholic 14, Archbishop Williams 2 D3 - Scituate 18, Tewksbury 1 D4 - Manchester Essex 17, East Bridgewater/West Bridgewater 4 Advertisement Girls lacrosse D1 - Lexington 18, Bridgewater-Raynham 10 Boys volleyball D2 - Longmeadow 3, Randolph 0 FRIDAY, MAY 30 Baseball D2 - Marblehead 4, Marshfield 2 D2 - Oliver Ames 13, Doherty Memorial 4 Softball D1 - Marshfield 3, New Bedford 0 D2 - Notre Dame Academy 3, Lynn Classical 2 D3 - Archbishop Williams 7, Taconic 2 D3 - Essex North Shore Aggie 7, Southeastern 2 D3 - Fontbonne Academy 4, Greater Lowell Tech 2 D4 - Sutton 16, Randolph 2 D4 - Blue Hills 4, Southwick 1 Boys lacrosse D2 - King Philip 9, Canton 6 D2 - Milton 17, Southeastern 2 D4 - Hull 14, Granby 5 D4 - Pentucket 17, South Shore Tech 6 Girls lacrosse D1 - Belmont 12, Braintree 6 Advertisement D2 - Scituate 10, Algonquin 8 D2 - Duxbury 16, Shepherd Hill 3 D2 - Burlington 14, Marshfield 13 Boys volleyball D1 - Braintree 3, Arlington 1 D1 - Acton-Boxboro 3, Brockton 0 D1 - New Bedford 3, BC High 1 Boys tennis D1 - Newton North 5, Quincy 0 D2 - Duxbury 5, Billerica 0 D2 - Hingham 5, Somerville 0 D3 - Falmouth 5, Cardinal Spellman 0 Girls tennis D2 - Hingham 5, Stoughton 0 D2 - North Attleboro 5, Plymouth South 0 THURSDAY, MAY 29 Baseball D1 – Bridgewater-Raynham 4, Lynn English 0 D4 – West Bridgewater 7, Saint Bernard's 1 D4 – Blue Hills 6, South Hadley 3 D5 - Hull 4, Avon 3 Softball D2 – Milton 4, Masconomet 2 Advertisement D2 – Oliver Ames 4, Bay Path 2 D4 – Rockland 12, Cristo Rey Boston 0 D4 – West Bridgewater 6, Old Colony 5 Boys lacrosse D1 - BC High 17, Attleboro 4 D2 - Plymouth North 20, Bristol-Plymouth 9 D4 - Sandwich 13, Rockland 3 Girls lacrosse D-3 – Nauset 17, Archbishop Williams 15 Boys tennis D1 – BC High 4, North Andover 1 D2 - Hopkinton 5, Whitman-Hanson 0 D2 – North Quincy 4, Plymouth South 1 D2 – Scituate 4, Melrose 1 Girls tennis D2 – Ursuline 3, Scituate 2 D2 - Milton 5, West Springfield 0 D2 - Duxbury 5, Burlington 0 D3 - Bishop Fenwick 3, Norwell 2 D4 – Hamilton-Wenham 5, Rising Tide 0 Boys volleyball D1 – Woburn 3, North Quincy 1 Advertisement D2 – Milton 3, Academy of the Pacific Rim 0 D2 - Randolph 3, Salem Academy Charter School 0 Boys rugby D2 - Chelmsford 28, Hingham/Norwell 23 WEDNESDAY, MAY 28 Boys tennis D2 – Longmeadow 3, Canton 2 D2 – Westwood 4, Oliver Ames 1 D2 – Somerville 3, Marshfield 2 D3 – Apponequet 5, Hanover 0 D3 – Cape Cod Academy 4, Pembroke 1 D4 - Cohasset 4, Mashpee 1 D4 – Nantucket 4, Rockland 1 Girls tennis D1 – Framingham 5, Brockton 0 D1 – Bishop Feehan 5, Bridgewater-Raynham 0 D1 – Lincoln-Sudbury 5, Plymouth North 0 D2 – Stoughton 5, Grafton 0 D2 – Oliver Ames 3, Holliston 2 D2 – Minnechaug 3, Cardinal Spellman 2 D2 – Reading 4, Whitman-Hanson 1 Advertisement D2 – Plymouth South 5, Doherty 0 D3 - Hanover 4, Dedham 1 D3 – Wilmington 5, Pembroke 0 D4 – Cohasset 5, Hampden Charter 0 Boys volleyball D1 – Weymouth 3, Wellesley 1 TUESDAY, MAY 27 Boys tennis D1 - Needham 5, Braintree 0 D2 - Whitman-Hanson 3, Bridgewater-Raynham 2 Girls tennis D1 – Beverly 4, Braintree 1 D2 – Dartmouth 5, North Quincy 0 D2 – Canton 3, Ludlow 2 This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: MIAA high school state tournament South Shore scores
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Prep hex strikes again: BC High lacrosse falls to St. John's Prep in OT in Div. 1 final
BOURNE -- Looks like the law of averages has been repealed. Or maybe it just feels that way for the BC High lacrosse team. You would think that if you keep running into the same opponent in a huge playoff spot year after year that eventually it would stop being their time all the time and it would, in fact, become your time at some point. Advertisement The odds would seem to favor a change in the power structure, but it hasn't happened yet. Matched up yet again with nemesis St. John's Prep in the Division 1 state championship game, BC High again came up agonizingly short on Saturday afternoon at Mass. Maritime Academy's Clean Harbor Stadium. Top-seeded BC High staged a brilliant comeback, forcing overtime by scoring a pair of goals (by Murphy Belvin and star attackman Nick Emsing) in the final 69 seconds. But St. John's Prep senior midfielder Luke Kelly capped off the first possession of OT with a goal that gave Prep an 8-7 win and a fifth straight state crown. "My oldest brother Michael was a senior when we won the first one," Kelly said. "It means everything to keep the tradition alive and try to finish what those guys started in 2021 and before that." More: With another state title, rugby took BC High senior Mikey Smith to places he never imagined Advertisement Prep had beaten BC High in the Div. 1 final in 2021 (by an 11-7 score), 2022 (11-5) and 2023 (16-14) before switching things up a little by eliminating the Eagles in the semis last spring before topping Needham in the final. Prep also won both regular-season meetings with BC High this spring and last spring. "It's always a dogfight with these guys," Kelly said. "They know what we're doing offensively, we know what they're doing offensively. It's just a battle of attrition, who's going to grind it out." More: Scituate boys lacrosse's long journey ends with a Div. 3 state title Suffice to say, BC High has built up a deep reserve of motivation for next year, when the Catholic Conference foes collide again. Advertisement "We all sign up for it by playing sports, right?" BC High coach Marcus Craigwell said of the Prep hex. "There's gotta be a winner and a loser. It's all about preparation. It should set the next year up in terms of what (the returning players) expect. It might be Prep again (in the final). It might be Prep the next 10 years. We just don't know. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end (again). But they shouldn't hang their heads." Luke Kelly of St. John's Prep scored the winning goal in overtime as Prep defeated BC High, 8-7, in overtime in the MIAA Division 1 state championship on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Mass Maritime Academy BC High (19-4) came out flying, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first four minutes as Emsing sandwiched a pair of goals around one by sophomore FOGO Jackson Ketchen. Ketchen's goal came straight off a faceoff win just 4 seconds after Emsing's opening tally. Was No. 2 Prep (22-1) surprised by the early flurry? Advertisement "Little bit," Kelly said. "They were getting some groundballs, winning some faceoffs. It's a state championship, two best teams in the state. They're going to score some goals. We gotta get it back." Prep certainly did that, roaring back to score six straight goals to take a 6-3 lead into halftime. Cam McCarthy got Prep on the board midway through the first quarter, and the champs outscored BC High 5-0 in the second quarter on goals from Ryan McCarthy, Madden McGowan, Bo Minogue, Josh Haarmann and Mac Crawford. BC High slowly turned the tide in the second half, outscoring Prep 4-1. Emsing completed his hat trick midway through the third quarter to halt Prep's scoring binge. Beckett Lee put Prep ahead 7-4, but Jacob Adams struck to get BC High within 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter. "Hot start," Craigwell said. "We gave them a different look, and then they settled into it. We had to battle. We won the first (quarter), they won the second, we won the third and fourth." Advertisement Belvin made it 7-6 with 1:09 left, and Emsing netted his fourth of the day with just 28 seconds left to tie it up. "With 2 minutes left we could have bagged it in, down two," Craigwell said. "But we plugged away and stayed consistent. Couldn't have asked for a better effort." BC High appeared to have all the momentum heading into the extra period, but they never touched the ball. "We were just staying calm," Kelly said of Prep's mental approach to OT. "We've been working on relaxation for the past 45 days, I think. So just staying calm and keep playing (assuming) it's going to come. We've worked too hard to lose it. We knew we were going to win." Advertisement That they did, as Kelly fired a bullet just over the right shoulder of BC High junior goalie TJ Emsing (Nick's brother), who had made a pair of saves just before Kelly's final statement. Could he have written a better ending to his Prep career? "No, I don't think so," Kelly said. "I started out as a water boy in the program seven years ago. I love this team. Coach (John) Pynchon has made me the man I am today. I love St. John's so much. To end it like this is magical." This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: BC High lacrosse rallies late but falls in OT in Div. 1 state final
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'They loved every minute': Led by singles star, Duxbury boys tennis claims D-2 state title
CAMBRIDGE — They long awaited Part 3 of the trilogy. Same court. Same opponent. Same day every year. On Sunday, Duxbury High boys tennis team collided with Westborough in the Division 2 state championship on the DuPont Courts at MIT on Sunday for the third consecutive season. Advertisement In 2023, Duxbury won a competitive back-and-forth match. In 2024, Westborough did the same. This year, the Duxbury seniors brought their best. Led by Tim Vargas and Bennett Stout, two singles stars bound for the college ranks next spring, the fourth-seeded Dragons swept seventh-seeded Westborough to capture the sixth state championship in program history. 'They played their best tennis on the biggest stage," head coach John Bunar said. Vargas, who will continue his career at Colgate University in New York next year, won his first singles match decisively (6-0, 6-0). Stout (second singles) and senior Taylor Bettencourt (third singles) also won each of their matchups -- 6-1, 6-0. Advertisement The doubles duos of sophomore Willie Pierce and senior Peter Burnham (first; 7-5, 4-6, 10-7) and junior Nick Gallagher and sophomore Lucas Pratt (seconds; 6-4, 6-3) also took their matches to seal the championship win. 'We went down hard (last year)," said Vargas. "To come back and win, especially against Westborough, it's very special.' 'The sweep is the best way to win, seeing everyone do their thing and take care of business," Bettencourt said. More: 'We rose to the occasion': Norwell boys lacrosse rallies past Cohasset to win state title Stout won a 15-volley final point to clinch his individual match -- Duxbury's third overall team point of the day -- and the state championship officially. Advertisement As a junior last year, Stout made the Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic team alongside then-senior Tucker Catalano in doubles, going 12-0 in the run to the Division 2 final. Stout, who will play at St. Lawrence University in college, bumped up to second singles this season following his former partner's graduation. 'He's got an all-purpose game and he worked on it more," Bunar said of Stout. "I think (the new spot) suits him well. He made the jump all the way to (No.) 2 and he won at 2.' Duxbury boys tennis players and coaches celebrate winning the Division 2 state championship vs. Westborough at MIT on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Prior to when this group of seniors were on the team that it all in 2023, the Dragons' last previous state championship came in 2013. Before that, Duxbury won in 1990, 1984 and 1981. Advertisement Duxbury won 13 straight matches to open the season, and went on a playoff run that featured triumphs No. 29 Billerica Memorial, No. 13 Marblehead, No. 5 Wayland, No. 1 Hopkinton and No. 7 Westborough en route to the title win. 'I'm just so grateful for (this program) and the fact we play tennis, and are successful, and we had the opportunity to come here (to the state championship at MIT) frequently and play on the highest stage," Bettencourt said. "It's so much fun.' Duxbury graduates an eight-man senior class: Vargas, Bettencourt, Stout, Burnham, Jared Campbell, William Marani, Christopher McWilliams and Noah Williamson. 'They gave an example of wanting to be on the tennis court for hours," Bunar said of the seniors. "They loved every minute of being on this surface. That's going to be passed down. They taught the younger ones how to be men. ... They sacrificed a lot to do it and get as good as they could.' Advertisement 'I've learned a lot over the years here and I think the program treated us well," said Vargas, a perennial All-Scholastic selection. "It takes care of us and gives us everything we need to make the finals. I love this program. I love Duxbury boys tennis. I'm going to miss it. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Duxbury boys tennis sweeps Westborough to win state championship
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'We rose to the occasion': Norwell boys lacrosse rallies past Cohasset to win state title
BOURNE — No person in Massachusetts has ever made snow angels in June. Well, actually, scratch that. The Norwell High boys lacrosse team knows a guy. Matt Panttila was knocked down upon firing in his third goal late in the Division 4 state championship game against Cohasset when the junior attack landed on his back and performed a new celebration. Advertisement 'I saw it on Instagram, so I might as well do it," Panttila said with a laugh. "After, the ref came up to me and said, 'Don't do any more of that.' … But it felt amazing.' The rally continued as Panttila later scored for a fourth time to seal the Clippers' 11-6 victory at Mass. Maritime Academy in Bourne on Saturday. The win stamps Norwell's third title in the last four years. The Clippers won Division 3 crowns in 2022 and 2023 before dropping down to Division 4 last year. Norwell, the bracket's third seed, knocked off the rival Skippers (No. 1 seed; 21-3) to top last springs finish in the semifinals and send its seven seniors off with a third state title in their careers. 'It's an amazing experience for all of those kids," head coach Josh Stolp said. "I think they come to practice wanting to win another state title. Maybe it's a little greedy, but that's just how it is.' Advertisement For Panttila, Saturday's four-goal burst was fueled by a little friendly trash talk at home. His older sister, Holly, a future Vanderbilt University student, powered the Norwell girls lacrosse team to a state championship win over Cohasset two days ago. 'We were talking about who was going to do better," said Panttila. "We both thought we were going to win; we 're confident and we love our teams.' More: Silver Lake softball wins first ever Division 2 state championship Panttila and a majority of his teammates were in attendance at Babson College in Wellesley that day to witness the girls team get the job done, and perhaps to also see an early example of how to outlast nemesis Cohasset. Advertisement 'We saw them win and said, 'Now, we have to win,'" said senior attack Oliver Rice, who graduates as the Clippers' all-time leading points scorer. "It definitely put the pressure on, but we rose to the occasion. We got it done.' 'We were actually nervous because it's so hard to do that," Stolp said of the two programs winning in the same year. "We made sure that (our players) understood that was (the girls') moment (on Thursday), and we had to focus on our moment. Now, they can both celebrate that together.' Players lift the state championship trophy for the fans to see. Norwell boys lacrosse beat rival Cohasset at Mass Maritime Academy in the MIAA Div. 4 championship on Saturday June 14, 2025. On Saturday, sophomore FOGO Wyatt Franssen starred in the circle to hand possession to the Clippers' attack unit of Panttila (4 goals), junior Jake McGuirk (2), senior Joey McCarthy (2), Rice (1), junior Teddy Glynn (1) and freshman Drew Vroman (1). Advertisement 'He was unreal all year," Stolp said of Franssen. "He's been a huge force for us.' More: Scituate boys lacrosse's long journey ends with a Div. 3 state title Vroman struck with 7:01 remaining to build the Clippers' largest lead of the day, 10-5. On the possession prior, a goal by Cohasset's Gus Greene (7:34) was wiped away by an offensive penalty. Vroman's score continued a run of four straight Norwell goals from the 4:05 mark of the third quarter to the 7:01 mark of the fourth, when Panttila put the finishing touches on the win with a goal in the crease after the Skippers' scrambling defense momentarily left an unoccupied cage. Advertisement 'He's one of those players that sometimes gets overlooked," Stolp said of Panttila. "But when he's on, he can be very dangerous turning the corner. He's got a great shot when he's pulling it right. Today, he had no fear.' 'It was definitely hard," Panttila said of his four-goal performance. "I was getting beat. My arms are all swollen, but I just decided I was confident in myself and I thought I could beat the guy in front of me. I guess it worked out.' Norwell finishes the season with a 17-6 record. The team endured two rough spots this spring -- a skid of three losses in four games in mid-April, and then a three-game week of setbacks from May 19-26 which was started by a dramatic defeat at Cohasset in OT. In total, those regular-season losses came to Falmouth (6-5), Westford Academy (14-9 final), Westwood (11-5 final), Scituate (14-13 final), Newburyport (10-7 final) and these Skippers (12-11 final). Advertisement All of those opponents, aside from the Skippers, are in higher divisions. Norwell's South Shore neighbor, Scituate, won the Division 3 championship on Saturday. 'They braced playing these harder teams all year long," Stolp said. "We have a very difficult schedule and we lose a lot of games because of it. We get beat up a little bit, but they've learned a lot from it. I think they embrace that challenge.' The Clippers graduate seven seniors from this year's championship team -- Rice, McCarthy, midfielder Andrew Lazcano, defender Matt Cerrutti, attack Nolen Lestage, midfielder Thomas Scully and defender Ryan Daly. A class of 16 juniors is poised to defend the hardware come next spring. Advertisement 'It's an unbelievable feeling," Rice said. "Couldn't do it with a better group of guys. ... At Norwell, we're a bunch of dogs. That's all we got.' This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Norwell boys lacrosse defeats Cohasset to win state championship
