D-S skiers win their league title again
Fred Sears could not have asked for a better winter.
The Dover-Sherborn cross-country ski coach, who recently wrapped up his 18th regular season with the Raiders, got just what he wanted: Plenty of snow and plenty of victories.
The Dover-Sherborn boys and girls each went 5-0 to win the Mass Bay East League for the third straight year.
At least one Dover-Sherborn team has now won the league title every year since Sears started the program.
''I get great kids," said Sears, whose teams were scheduled to race yesterday at the MIAA state championships at Notchview Reservation in Windsor.
''We have the attitude that we don't care who wins the [individual] race as long as we finish third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh and get the most points. It's like the Patriots. We're a team. It's such a basic philosophy, but it works."
Last week, the Raider boys upset state power Concord-Carlisle in a relay race pitting schools from the Mass Bay East (Brookline, Dover-Sherborn, Newton North, Newton South, and Wellesley) against the Mass Bay West (Algonquin, Bedford, Concord-Carlisle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Nashoba, and Wayland).
The Dover-Sherborn team of seniors Chris Black, Caleb Weintraub, Brett Guenther, and sophomore Peter Rummel won their 3-kilometer race at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle by 20 yards.
''They were head-to-head for most of the race, but Peter was able to get the lead and hold on," Sears said. ''It was as exciting as a son of a gun."
The Raider girls also enjoyed a big week. Junior Leila Malcom won the Weston Sprints at the Weston Ski Track, while senior captain Katie Mitchell fought off leg cramps to finish in the top five.
''If Malcom and Rummel can stay healthy, they both have a shot to be among the top 10 in the state next year," Sears said. ''They're on the right track."
Malcom and Rummel were among seven Dover-Sherborn skiers recently selected to the Massachusetts state teams that will compete over the next two weekends at the Eastern High School Ski Championships at the Bolton Valley Nordic Center in Vermont.
Rummel, Black, Guenther, and Malcom will compete on the high school division team, while sophomores Mari Burruss and Lauren
''Overall, it's been a nice year," Sears said. ''We had a lot of snow and we accomplished most of our goals. The kids skied hard. Sometimes they need encouragement. But then there are those moments where they realize, 'My God, I can do this.' That's what's really encouraging."
Mazzola sweeps gymnastic events
Framingham gymnast Jacqui Mazzola closed out her Bay State Conference career in style last week, sweeping all four events in a 136.4 to 96.3 victory over Newton North at the Gymnastics Training Center in Holliston.
In her last regular season high school meet, the senior won the bars (8.7), beam (9.3), vault (9.4), and floor exercise (9.0) to take the all-around in 36.4.
Teammate Jen Burg finished second in the bars, beam, floor, and third in the vault, amassing 34.7 points to take second in the all-around.
Framingham, which went 11-1 and finished second in the Bay State Conference behind Braintree, is one of the favorites to win today's MIAA East/Central Sectional championships at Hudson High School.
A top finish this evening will earn the Flyers a spot in next Friday's state meet at Shrewsbury High School.
For Marian track, 10th straight title
The Marian High School coed track team won all four relay events and eight individual events to win the Tri-County League Meet for the 10th consecutive year.
League MVP Amy Papalia won the high jump (4 feet 10 inches) and the 600 meters (1 minute 44 seconds), while Helena Halterman won the mile (5:38.6) and Cara Garvey won the 55 dash (7.7 seconds).
Peter Martinez led the boys with victories in the 300 (37.9) and the high jump (5-9). Tim Connor won the 55 hurdles (8.8), while Pat McAllister capped the day with a win in the 2-mile (10:16).
Marian, which also won the Tri-County League dual-meet title for the 10th straight year, finished the meet with 206 points, well ahead of second-place Austin Prep (115.5).
Quick hits
Franklin hired former Shrewsbury coach Dave Niro last week as its new head baseball coach. Niro, who coached Shrewsbury from 1991-2001, was an assistant the last three years under Peter Pasquarosa, who left Franklin in December to become an assistant coach at Boston College.
Niro takes over a team that went 10-10 last year before losing to Bridgewater-Raynham in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament. . . . The Rivers School girls' hockey team continues to impress in its first season. Sarah Kohn scored three goals and added three assists and goalie Bridgette Parker made 20 saves to lead Rivers to an 8-0 win at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. The victory improved Rivers to 7-8. . . . After going 12 games without a loss, the Waltham boys' hockey team tasted defeat for the first time, falling, 4-1, to St. John's Prep last week at the Ristuccia Center in Wilmington. . . . Milford's Phil Negus scored the game-winner as Phillips Exeter Academy (15-6-2) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Milton Academy 5-4 last week. Negus popped in a rebound off a shot from Norfolk's Phil Clark with just 21 seconds left. Negus ranks second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 11 assists. . . . The Weston Ski Track is hosting the first Weston Sprint Relays, a team-style cross-country ski race, on Feb. 27. The race features four divisions (open, high school boys, high school girls, and college), and is open to skiers of all ages. For more information, call 781-891-6575 or visit www.ski-paddle.com/skitrack/skitrack.shtml.
James Whitters can be reached at whitters@globe.com.
