Wellesley's Jackson shines in equestrian national finals

Kara Jackson was 6 years old when she first rode a horse. She's been saddling up ever since.

``I just loved riding from the start," she said. ``There's something special about bonding with a horse."

Jackson, a 15-year-old freshman at Wellesley High, has since taken her skills to a national level. Last month, she competed in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association finals in Wilmington, Ohio, and was crowned reserve champion (second in the country) in the varsity intermediate flats division.

The results surprised her.

``I had no idea I'd do that well," she said of the competition that included about 20 other riders. ``I felt like it was going well as it was happening, but not that well. It was real exciting."

Riders were judged based on their ability to walk, trot, and canter with their horses. Jackson explained that the judges in the flats competition base their marks on the chemistry between the rider and horse, looking at whether ``you're agreeing and not fighting each other."

Jackson has been honing her skills locally with the Ridgetop Equestrian Team in Millis. She is coached by Allegra Vallberg and Sara Delvecchio and leases a horse, Tyler.

``I ride about three, four times a week," said Jackson, who also likes to snowboard. ``It's a small barn and everybody knows everybody. We're all family out there."

Looking ahead, Jackson said her goal is ``getting into bigger shows and succeeding there."

A sparkling new scoreboard at Holliston's Kamitian Field

Kamitian Field at Holliston High has undergone a makeover in the last year. In addition to a new synthetic grass surface, the school's primary athletic field now has a digital scoreboard.

``It's phenomenal," said Holliston High athletic director Jim Carboneau . ``We had four merchants in town who donated it. It's a great boost to the program."

The Holliston Boosters Club provided the funds to install the scoreboard. The old scoreboard was taken down on May 15 and the new scoreboard was erected the next day, then used immediately.

Also in Holliston, the school budget that was approved this month included funds for four new sports teams at the middle school level. The sports are cross-country, field hockey, volleyball, and wrestling.

``We chose those four to start with because those are sports that don't have youth teams in town," Carboneau said. ``Instead of trying to compete with youth teams, we figured we'd offer something else."

Westborough's Smotherman finishes strong for Tufts

Zak Smotherman of Westborough capped off his baseball career at Tufts University with two honors: He was named to the All-New England Small College Athletic Conference second-team all-star squad and to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District baseball team.

Smotherman, a left-handed pitcher, was the ace of the Tufts staff in 2006, finishing with a 6-2 record and 2.71 earned-run average. Opponents batted just .238 against him.

``He had a tremendous season for us," said head coach John Casey, who lives in Milford. ``He was probably our most consistent pitcher over the last two years. This year, we probably wouldn't have done much without him."

Tufts finished with a 24-14 record and a 9-3 mark in conference play. Smotherman took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of his final regular-season start, against Bowdoin on May 14. The no-hitter was broken up by a bunt single.

``That was the exclamation point on his career," Casey said. ``He reminds you of a guy like Curt Schilling in that he's poised and knows exactly what he wants to do. He just pitches and competes, and is unflappable.

``In that no-hitter, he was pretty spent after seven innings. He came to the bench and said, `I guess I have to keep going for the no-hitter.' Then he had a five-pitch eighth inning. He was tired but when he came back to the dugout, he said, `I guess I'm going out for the ninth.' It was just amazing."

Academically, Smotherman posted a grade-point average of 3.60. He majored in quantitative economics.

More excitement for Tufts baseball

Smotherman's excellent season wasn't the Tufts baseball team's only headline-grabbing story. Another milestone was Casey's 400th career victory.

``To get 400 probably says more about longevity than anything else," said the coach. ``Tufts got stuck with me, and no one else was dumb enough to hire me. The best part of it was that after the game the kids presented me a ball [as a tribute]. I looked into their eyes and it was nice to see that they felt they were part of something special. That made me feel good."

Casey's two sons, Brian and Kevin, both play for Tufts. They recorded the final out of their father's 400th victory.

``That stands out in my mind," the coach said. ``It was neat to have them there and be a part of it."

Casey also announced that Mike Colbrook, a left-handed pitcher for St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, will play for Tufts next spring.

``We're real excited about him," Casey said. ``We think he can be something special."

Softball coach making her mark

The Watertown High softball team had yet to record a win through 12 games this season, but athletic director Elaine Paradis said the squad remains in high spirits. She credited first-year coach Ginny Walsh .

``The kids are having a terrific experience," Paradis said.

Walsh was Ashland High's softball coach for seven years before resigning after the 2004 season. She has worked in the Watertown school system for about 20 years, Paradis said, making her a natural fit on the diamond.

``We're already seeing great skill improvement in the players from the first half of the season to the second half," said Paradis, noting that Walsh also has focused her energies on starting a middle-school program.

Walsh succeeded Donna Ruseckas at Watertown.

In Ashland, one of Walsh's highlights was directing the Clockers to the 1998 Division 3 state championship.

Extra points

The men's lacrosse team at Merrimack College this season was bolstered by the contributions of Matt Herrold of Sherborn. A freshman, Herrold split time between the attack and midfield positions, and finished with five goals and four assists. The team posted an 11-5 record.

Jackie Thomas of Needham, a junior on the Tufts University women's lacrosse team, was named to the All-New England Small College Athletic Conference all-star squad. Thomas led Tufts (10-5) with 33 ground balls and 23 forced turnovers.

Arch Mitchell , a graduate of Framingham High, was named the most valuable player of the Newbury College men's basketball team for the 2005-2006 season. He averaged nearly 19 points a game.

Mike Reiss can be reached at 508-820-4234 or mreiss@globe.com.