Through the first five games of the season Burke senior Rene Pierre led the city in hitting with a .941 batting average. (Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

It’s not quite as flashy as Babe Ruth pointing to the bleachers to call his shot, but just before every softball game she plays, Rene Pierre quietly picks a landmark in the outfield to swing toward when she steps to the plate.

“I always make a goal for every game -- how far I am going to hit -- and I always try to reach it,” said the Burke senior pitcher/third baseman. “If I’m not focused, I’m going to hit a ground ball. If I make a target, I’m going to focus on hitting that target.”

And Pierre often hits her mark. Through the first five games of the season, she was leading the Boston City League in hitting with a .941 batting average. She was 16 for 17.

When Pierre hit her target Wednesday afternoon at Kirby Field in South Boston — a tree just beyond the concrete path outlining the outfield — South Boston coach Mary Linehan couldn’t believe her eyes.

“She hit it past that tree -- I’ve never seen that,” said Linehan, who has been coaching at South Boston some 26 years, after her team lost to Burke, 21-5, in five innings. “Back in the day, but not within, I’ll say, the last 10 years. She clocks everything.

“That’s unbelievable. When I played as a kid, I got a trophy for the highest batting average. It was like .600. She’s hitting over .900. That’s unbelievable. They’ve got a nice team.”

Pierre was 4 for 4 on Wednesday, with two home runs, a triple, and four RBIs.

“I’ve been watching her for four years, working out, playing games, summer camps,” said Burke boys basketball coach Samuel Jordan, who began filling in for softball coach JoAnne Lee-Nieves when she took time off to deal with a family medical issue three games ago.

“Softball is her life. So it’s showing now. She’s made a lot of improvements in four years. She’s a great athlete. And she’s a good leader."

The team prays for Lee-Nieves’s family before each game now and shouts her name in the team huddle after each game.

“We’re doing all of this for our coach, nobody else,” Pierre said.

The most amazing part of Pierre’s hitting this season is that she only picked up the sport four years ago. She credits her success to playing RBI summer softball with a travel team called the Astros.

“I practice hard," she said. "I really take softball seriously."

Burke (7-1) has not lost since its opening game, an impressive feat for a school that has not seen much athletic success in recent years. The baseball team broke a 22-game losing streak Wednesday by beating Fenway High.

Pierre said students and teachers are taking notice of the team.

“They are like, ‘Great game ladies, great game, you’re the best team in the school for now,’ ” she said. “It makes us feel better. All the other teams are like ‘We need to get up where the girls are at,’ like the baseball team.”

That first loss of the season was 18-5 to O’Bryant. The teams don’t meet again in the regular season but could play in the city tournament.

“We’re going to beat them, I have hope,” Pierre said. “It was our first game. We had a lot of new girls and a lot of errors, so I think now that we have our team down pat we’re going to go in and go in strong. We’re not the best team but we’re getting there.”

Pierre hopes her hot hitting continues down the home stretch but she won’t get discouraged if it doesn’t.

“If I miss a ball, I’m like ‘OK, that’s all right, I’ll get the next one,’ ” she said. “I know I’ll get the next one.”

The numbers bear that out.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

A game between two teams that qualified for the city tournament last spring got interesting Thursday when O’Bryant took a one-run lead against East Boston in the fourth inning at City Yards.

But after senior Gabby Martinez’s bunt scored two runners to give O’Bryant the lead, East Boston broke open the game with a four-run fourth before ultimately winning, 13-6.

The catalyst of East Boston’s big fourth inning was junior Kayla O’Brien, who scored the go-ahead run to make the score 4-3 just moments after being inserted into the lineup.

“I don’t think it’s really that hard, I’ve been playing my whole life,” O’Brien said of coming in off the bench. “I just love being in the game. I was just excited to get that run when we were down."

After drawing a walk, O’Brien was brought home by sophomore catcher Anamaria D’Argenio, who also had an RBI double in the Jets’ six-run sixth inning that iced the game.

“It worked out for me,” said East Boston JV coach Robin Sutera, who was filling in for varsity coach Tom Elliott (who had a death in the family). “I just felt like at that point I needed to change a little bit. She wanted to play.”

It didn’t hurt that East Boston logged 16 hits on the day.

“They hit very well,” Sutera said. “We did what we had to do today, we came to play today, we all did an awesome job.”

The win puts East Boston in the driver's seat to clinch the No. 1 seed out of the North division for the city tournament over Memorial Day weekend. East Boston is 3-6 overall but 2-0 against city league opponents.

“We try so hard to get to [the city tournament] and it’s a big thing for us,” said sophomore pitcher Danielle Elliott, who got the win for East Boston by striking out seven batters.

Kristen O’Brien struck out five in a losing effort for O’Bryant (7-2) while Naya Shedd had an RBI and scored two runs.

“We came in really prepared, really excited, we wanted the game really bad,” O’Bryant coach Bridget Ryan said, “and I thought we played lights-out phenomenal up until the bottom of the sixth inning. Couple of passed balls, [gave up] some really nice hits. But we played well and we have to be happy about that."

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Despite being hatless, senior Anderson Raymond makes the defensive play for Burke in its Thursday afternoon game against Fenway(Billy Ownes /For the Boston Globe)

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

There were two outs in the top of the seventh inning and Fenway had two men in scoring position as a result of freshman Keith Foster’s double.

Burke pitcher Justin Davis had a comfortable 3-run lead but Fenway had proven they could gain momentum quickly. They had gotten the best of him in the same situation earlier in the game on multiple occasions.

“I pulled him aside and I told him that sometimes in some situations, pitchers have to block out everything and everybody and all [you] have to see is that mitt,” Burke coach Paul Duhaime said.

He saw the mitt.

Thanks to a beautiful curveball, Davis struck out senior Adonis Alcantara, sealing the 18-15 Burke win on Wednesday afternoon at Ronan Park. The win broke a 22-game losing streak that goes back to April 11, 2012.

“He got a little scared like it was going to hit him and I had a feeling it was going to drop for a strike,” Davis said while sporting his Red Sox hat. The Bull Dogs, now 8 games in to the season, have still yet to receive their team hats.

“It’s not right for our young people, for a varsity baseball team in the city of Boston, to not have hats. It’s just inexcusable,” Duhaime said. “It’s just not the way it should be.”

Despite needing bring hats from his home so that at least some of his players could have complete uniforms, Duhaime remained optimistic after the back and forth game. Burke was either tied or losing to Fenway until the bottom of the sixth inning.

“Often it’s not about baseball,” Duhaime said. “It’s being here on time, working together, perseverance, being up, being down, being up, being down and then battling a really good team that we haven’t beaten in 3 or 4 years.”

Fenway had a 14-11 lead going in to the bottom of the sixth inning. Burke senior Eric Perez got the scoring going when he hit a two-run RBI single with the bases loaded, bringing home freshman Wayne Harper and senior Anderson Raymond. Perez went 5-5 on the day with three singles and two doubles.

Fenway senior Eddie Santos then walked home the next five batters to open the game up. However, coach Dave Walsh pointed at a different reason for the loss.

“Defense is a killer, we make about five, six errors, physical errors, in a game and about a million mental errors. We’re just physically and mentally not prepared to play baseball everyday and we work on it in practice,” Walsh said.

While Davis agreed that he always has fun playing baseball, he said that leaving the diamond with a win felt a little different.

“My girlfriend goes to Fenway so I get to brag about it,” Davis said. “As soon as I’m on my way home.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

Movie star Mark Wahlberg made a surprise visit at the BSA Pep Rally on Thursday night( Pavel Dzemianok/ For The Boston Globe))

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Whether it was a legendary mayor of 20 years or a movie star holding a memorable teddy bear, hundreds came out to support the Boston Scholar Athletes program in its second annual fundraising gala Tuesday night at the Agganis Arena.

“After Mayor [Thomas Menino] and after [Suffolk Construction CEO and Chairman] John [Fish], it doesn’t make sense for me to speak much more anyway," “Ted” star Mark Wahlberg said to the crowd at center court. "I just want to thank you guys for inspiring me and instilling that Boston pride in me. I want to thank everybody who’s been a supporter of the BSA for such a long time.”

Wahlberg is currently pursuing his high school diploma from Snowden International through online classes. However, the Boston native – who will turn 42-years-old this June – didn’t have the resources in high school that BPS schools have now.

This is in large part a credit to the BSA, which raised more than $1.7 million to help city athletic teams and student-athletes on Tuesday night. The program, created by Menino and Fish, has provided uniforms for more than 157 teams and skill clinics, all-star games and banquets for 13 sports.

However, according to BSA Executive Director Rebekah Splaine, the real improvement is being shown in the classroom.

“We really know it’s about achieving in the classroom so these young people, they all also get tutored by local college students, they receive free SAT training and their SAT test scores have risen by close to 200 points,” Splaine said during the event. “They’re also graduating from high school at a 20 percent higher rate than other students in their school.”

Madison Park senior Amber Edwards exemplifies those results. The scholar-athlete, who currently holds a 3.9 GPA, was at a loss for words when trying to tell the audience how the BSA has affected her life.

“I’m like speechless right now, I don’t know what to say. It’s just so amazing," she said. "I definitely want to say that with the BSA on my side, I have a full scholarship. I’m going to the [Community College of Rhode Island]."

Witnessing the large crowd of positively effected students, like Edwards, ecstatically sporting the BSA colors, left a wheel-chair bound Menino a proud man.

“Kids are fighting to get in, to improve their education standards." Menino said. "That’s something different in Boston that we haven’t had in the past because of the excitement this program brings, the opportunity it brings for these young people and the future it brings for them also."

Fish, who addressed the crowd on multiple occasions, also took the opportunity to commend the community on staying connected even through the tragic marathon bombings the city endured.

“We are a community that helps each other and gives back to those who need it most even during the most difficult times and that spirit of compassion and positive energy permeates through this arena tonight,” Fish said.

It was clear that through all the festivities, the main goal of the night was spreading awareness of how hard the scholar-athletes have worked and how much they’ve academically improved as a result of the BSA.

“Many of us have had the opportunity to fulfill our dreams,” Fish said. “Let us give these future leaders their opportunities to win on the fields, to win in the classroom and to win in life because every individual is entitled to their dream.”
Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Latin Academy boys’ tennis captain Jimmy Ye finally returned from injury last week, only to have to fight for his No. 1 spot again — a position he held since freshman year before he went down with groin and wrist problems at the start of this season.

The senior, who recently decided to play tennis at Holy Cross in the fall, missed the first three weeks of the season.

In his absence, senior Mark Anthony Kenney filled in at the No. 1 spot superbly. Now the two will play a challenge match against each other as soon as this week to determine the true No. 1 singles player on the team.

“It’s good to be playing tennis again,” Ye said after last Friday afternoon’s practice at Carter Playground. “I think I have a shot [to beat Kenney]. It’s just how your mind-set is and how hard you fight for your spot. Mark Anthony is a terrific player, so you just have to fight for it.

“He’s been playing really well. He's basically destroyed every opponent he’s played. He had a tough match against BC High, he played Charles Shewalter, and playing a nationally ranked player is tough. He’s been terrific.”

Kenney, who attends Boston Community Leadership Academy, which feeds players into Latin Academy's tennis team, is 1-1 against Ye. But even if he does lose his No. 1 spot, Kenney said, having Ye back is a huge boost for the team because he takes pressure off everyone else.

“I know Jimmy can get wins and Jimmy plays well so that takes some pressure off me,”
Kenney said. “I don't feel like I have to maybe force or overthink my matches knowing that he has a spot behind me locked up.

“Competition between us makes us better. I'm hoping I can get this win, but he's playing a lot better since he came back. He's looking really good. Maybe he’s a little rusty but I’ve been playing rusty, too.”

Kenney said it wasn’t hard to play No. 1 singles in Ye’s absence because he’s played leadership roles on his previous teams at Boston Latin and Catholic Memorial.

“It's not hard really to try to lead the team,” he said, “especially when you have a group of guys who want do well and are looking out for each other. So me stepping into the No. 1 spot, that really wasn’t that hard.”

Kenney said he will most likely play tennis at Whittier College in Los Angeles next year.

“I went out there and those guys are really good players,” he said. “They are really supportive of each other and they train real hard, too. It’s not really going to be a different environment. That’s the kind of environment I’m used to as far as training really hard and trying to do my best each and every day.”

Ye said he met with the Holy Cross coach when the Crusaders played at Boston University recently.

“He seems to know a lot about tennis,” Ye said. “I talked to him for 30 minutes. It was by far the most tennis I’ve listened to. The guy is a genius so I’m excited. There are a lot of good players on that team. The only place to go is up.”

With two college-bound players in the lineup, Latin Academy coach Andy Crane said the sky is the limit this season.

“Our strength is our singles,” he said, “and when Jimmy is there, whether he plays No. 1 or No. 2 -- and in the end, we still have to decide that -- and then Ricardo Bailey is No. 3, it’s a very strong lineup.”

Last week Ye played No. 2 singles and won two matches against Medford and BC High. His 6-4, 6-4 win against BC High’s Jeremy Mendoza was Latin Academy’s only point in that match.

Crane said he wanted to make sure Ye’s injuries didn’t flare up for one full week of play before he set a challenge match against Kenney.

“He’s rusty,” Crane said. “That’s why we haven’t had another challenge match, because he’s still rusty.”

No matter who plays No. 1 singles, Latin Academy’s goals are the same.

“That’s the goal, state championship,” Kenney said.

The other goal will be to beat BC High on May 13.

“We lost to them, 4-1, yesterday, so that left a sour taste in my mouth along with the rest of the guys,” Ye said last Friday. “That's the one that we are going to look at and say, ‘We are going to beat these guys.’ ”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Just as Brighton started to gain a little momentum in its game against Boston English on a beautiful Monday afternoon, English coach Ricardo Figueroa’s team showed just how good its offense can be.

“We are a great team, they are a great team, but we beat them," said English junior Miguel Lorenzo after his team's 15-4 win. "We are better. One thing we all have is that we are all one team. We are together."

The Bengals scored two runs in the fourth inning after English had led, 6-1, through three. The life in Brighton’s dugout was apparent, and momentum began to shift.

They kept it going in the fifth when sophomore Jonathan Gonzalez came home on an RBI single by junior Jairo Veras. It looked as though the Bengals would cut further into the lead when English’s Nelson Barreiro walked sophomore Ramon Morales with two outs.

However, with runners on first and third, Barreiro got out of the inning with a strikeout and the lead remained 6-4.

From there, it was all English. In the bottom of the fifth, with a man on first, Lorenzo hit a triple to deep right field. He already had doubled in the second inning.

“That was great hitting by him, hit the ball in the gap and cleared the bases," said Figueroa. "That changed the attitude and everyone started to hit the ball good. It changed the momentum.”

English went on to score two more runs in the fifth and sealed the game with a six-run sixth. Juniors Frankely Gonzalez, Miguel Calderon, and Barreiro had singles and Stanley Vargas showed his strength with a ground-rule double.

Brighton just couldn’t overcome its error-filled performance.

“We’re looking for a big, big tent to put around the circus that we put on today,” coach Bill Mahoney said. “When you can’t catch the ball and you throw to the wrong bases and you get picked off and you make all kinds of mental mistakes, you don’t expect to win.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Brighton at Boston English at Rogers Park, 3:30 p.m., Monday

After winning a rematch of last year’s city championship against Latin Academy, Boston English is playing like the confident young squad that it is.

English has a right to be confident, too – it has the second-best defense in the City League.

While Brighton has the worst defense in the North Division, it should go into this game with some momentum after a 10-9 win against Madison Park.

O’Bryant at East Boston at East Boston Stadium, 3:30 p.m., Thursday

East Boston continues to try to separate itself from Boston International in the Central Division, but O’Bryant isn’t far behind both teams in the standings.

After a tough 12-2 loss to Latin Academy, the Tigers should go into this game with a chip on their shoulder.

Latin Academy at Boston International at Fallon Field, 3:30 p.m., Friday

Both squads suffered tough losses last week to division foes, with Latin Academy falling to English, 3-2, in extra innings and Boston International losing to East Boston, 7-1.

The city tournament is getting closer, so expect some intensity in this one.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Burke at South Boston, Wednesday, 3 p.m., at Kirby Field

With a 4-1 record, Burke is the surprise team of the season so far. It is in third in the North Division, behind East Boston and O’Bryant after beating Fenway, Madison Park, West Roxbury, and Boston International. All of those victories were by considerable margins except for the 13-11 win against West Roxbury.

South Boston (1-2) is trying to get its act together after a 14-3 loss to New Mission April 22.

O’Bryant at East Boston, Thursday, 3 p.m., at City Yards

This should be a good one, despite the team records being almost opposite of each other.

East Boston (1-4) is battle-tested against nonleague opponents Rockport, Billerica, Lynnfield, and Bishop Fenwick and is still at the top of the North Division with a 1-0 league record.

O’Bryant 7-0 in the north division, therefore this game could have huge implications for the city championship seeds when things shake out at the end of May.

New Mission at Brighton, Friday, 3:30 p.m., at Cleveland Circle

With New Mission's team almost entirely made up of Boston Community Leadership Academy students who were part of the Brighton softball team last year, emotions will be running high.

And even though the Titans are sitting in second place in the South Division with a 2-2 record, the last-place Bengals (0-3) will be up for this one as well as they look to get their first win of the season against their old teammates.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

The winners of the Boston City League All-Star Game finally got to have their photo taken on the floor at a Celtics game, doing the honors at Game 4 Sunday against the Knicks. The players were supposed to have their photos taken at the April 7 game against Washington but a miscommunication left them in their seats during halftime. (Photo courtesy of Boston Celtics)

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

The city all-stars finally got their acknowledgement from thousands of fans at TD Garden Sunday at Game 4 of the Celtics Knicks first-round playoff series. The boys and girls were split into two co-ed teams and played a seven-minute scrimmage at halftime in front of a crowd of 18,624 fans.

“It was exciting, exhilarating," said Ceejae Agnew-Carter of Dorchester. "There was a whole bunch of things going through my mind at that time."

The honor came after the all stars were overlooked during the Celtics-Wizards game April 7. The players were supposed to be honored either during pregame or halftime, but no one ever came to get them from their seats.

After that game, the Boston Scholar Athletes program and the Celtics organization vowed to make up for the mistake.

“They’re a classy organization,” BSA director Chris Rooks said of the Celtics. “They’re one of our best partners overall and we were really happy they were able to bring our kids out on to the court and showcase their accomplishments amongst 18,000 or 19,000 people at the TD Garden.”

Brighton’s Hugh Coleman and Latin Academy’s Emily Coleman led the all-stars onto the court as the recipients of Coach of the Year honors. The couldn’t express enough appreciation for the Celtics and the BSA.

“They went above and beyond by even providing us with jerseys, and it was great," said Emily Coleman. "Trophies, acknowledgement at the halftime so it was great. It was great. I really appreciate the Celtics but also the BSA making it right."

Latin Academy’s Fiona Sugrue and Agnew-Carter took home MVP honors from the scrimmage.

“It was a really good idea to have us play to show what we can do and how we’re all together,” Sugrue said.

Agnew-Carter said he would love to return to the court – as a member of the Celtics.

“I’m going to try and go to college, get an education, and then try and pursue those dreams,” Agnew-Carter said.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

Steve Marantz’s new book about a former baseball player at Fenway High called Next Up at Fenway: A Story of High School, Hope and Lindos Suenos was published earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of Steve Marantz)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Former Boston Globe reporter Steve Marantz’s new book about a former baseball player at Fenway High called Next Up at Fenway: A Story of High School, Hope and Lindos Suenos was published earlier this month.

Marantz, who currently works for ESPN E:60, took a few moments last week to answer some questions about the book via e-mail. (Full disclosure: Marantz asked me to review an early draft of the book.)

JAR: Can you give me a quick summary of the book?

SM: "Next Up at Fenway" is the story of Fenway High, located next to the ballpark, and Marcos Baez, a kid from the Mission Main projects who went to the school. Fenway High is one of the gems of the Boston public schools, recognized for its success with Latino students. Marcos loved baseball and he hoped Fenway High would help him toward a career in baseball. But Fenway did what it does best -- turned Marcos into a student. On the back cover, the summary is this: "Marcos Baez had many loves. First was his mother. Next came baseball. Reggaeton and bachata. A girl stole his heart. Then he realized a love greater still. Learning."

JAR: Can you tell me a bit more about Marcos and why you chose to follow him and his story?

SM: Marcos had an unusually articulate and sensitive writing voice. His written assignments, and his college essay, drew my attention. When I met him, he was comfortable talking about his classroom work, his life at Fenway High, his aspirations, and his perspective as a teenager and a Latino. Both he and his mother seemed interested in my project, and wanted to share their stories.

JAR: What was it about Fenway High that attracted you? Why did you think they had a story to tell?

SM: How many high schools are next to a major league ballpark, let alone one as iconic as Fenway Park? There had to be a story at Fenway High. I knew it had a solid academic reputation. That was important. I did not want to write about an underperforming school -- what's the point?

JAR: How did you get unlimited access to the school? How did you build rapport with students, staff and most importantly parents?

SM: Access was granted by headmaster Peggy Kemp. I laid out my proposal and she accepted it, perhaps because she felt Fenway High's success had been overlooked, or underappreciated. Rapport was built by spending time at the school, in the classrooms and assemblies, and getting to know teachers and students, day by day. My work with ESPN did not permit me to be at Fenway on a daily basis, but I tried to be there at least two days a week.

JAR: What were you surprised to learn about the school and its community once you got in there and started reporting?

SM: Fenway High operates on the "Essential" school model, developed in the 1980s by former Harvard educator Theodore Sizer. The "Essential" philosophy was new to me. The curriculum is deep rather than broad. Teachers don't lecture so much as they coach. Sizer stressed that teachers express, in deed and tone, the values of trust, fairness, generosity and tolerance. He believed that character could be taught as a kind of non-cognitive intelligence equal in value to cognitive skills. Latino students thrive at Fenway because it has a kind of family closeness that they value at home.

JAR: What is the relationship between the school and the Red Sox?

SM: The Sox Foundation chose Marcos for its summer Lindos Suenos program, which pairs up 10 American kids with 10 Dominican kids at the Sox academy in the D.R. Marcos loved it and used the experience to write his college essay. Marcos also did a "job shadow" at the office of the Red Sox Foundation. A few Fenway High kids have been chosen for the Red Sox Scholars program. The Sox Foundation gives $5,000 to the school foundation each year. And each spring the Sox send over about 200 bleacher tickets for a day game. But overall, the school would like more of a relationship -- particularly for its senior internships.

JAR: What role does the baseball program play in the school's culture?

SM: The Fenway baseball program is hugely popular with Latino students. They put up with a lot of inconvenience -- practices are a 30-minute bus ride to Dorchester -- but the kids do it because they love baseball. The girls' softball program also is popular; they play over at the Fens.

JAR: Spoiler alert: What is Marcos doing now? Is he playing baseball?

SM: Marcos is finishing up his sophomore year at Holy Cross. He tried out for the team and didn't make it But he knows there are a lot of jobs in baseball that don't involve playing. He loves the game. He could end up in the front office of some organization.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Rafael Perez gets to the bag before East Boston's Connor Henry during the Jet's victory against Boston International on Wednesday afternoon. (Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe)

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

His teammates call him “Mikey Baseball” for a reason.

Junior pitcher Michael Theriault delivered for East Boston in Thursday’s Central Division game at Boston International, going all seven innings with 12 strikeouts in a 7-1 win.

“Any division game, we've got to get a win, and I felt good today," said Theriault. "I got lucky. Everyone played good behind me, good defense, everybody was hitting today. It was just a good day for all of us."

The pitcher also managed to provide the spark on offense that broke the game open in the fourth inning.

After Boston International pitcher Eriken Calderon walked home a run with the bases loaded to give East Boston a 3-1 lead, Theriault lined a two-run single.

“That broke it open, and then after that I didn’t need anything else,” Theriault said. “I just felt good today. [Catcher] Ramon Quinones was good behind the plate, called a good game, and everything was going. Every pitch was working with me today.”

Daniel Marifiote completed the four-run fourth inning for East Boston when he came home on a balk by Boston International pitcher Angel Concoso.

Concoso, who relieved Calderon in the inning, was the third pitcher used by coach Christian Irizarry. Sophomore Christopher Reynoso started the game but came out in the second inning after throwing consecutive wild pitches.

Errors plagued Boston International throughout the day and resulted in two East Boston runs, including its last run in the seventh inning. Junior Bryan Estrella came home on a wild throw to third by catcher Derlin Tejeda.

“I’m surprised," said Irizarry. "I don’t know if it’s the excitement or them just wanting to do extra. That’s where they’re making a lot of the little mistakes. I expected that to happen maybe today, but they’re getting there, they’re working hard.”

Irizarry added that his players might have gotten too excited, knowing that East Boston is their biggest competition in the Central Division.

However, that excitement proved to be just what East Boston needed to make a statement.

“We made the [city tournament] last year, they made the [city tournament] last year," said coach Phil Brangiforte. "We knew they were a good team. They moved up to our division. We didn’t take anything for granted, we just played East Boston High School baseball. That’s how we wanted to do it.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

Arcibiadez Pena scored two runs for English after coming off the bench in the sixth inning (Billy Owens/ Boston Globe))

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Coach Ricardo Figueroa said his English players were more excited than usual going into Wednesday’s game against Latin Academy, which was a rematch of last year's city championship.

Considering how his team overcame a late rally by the Dragons, it looks as though he was right.

“We’re going to beat them next time,” said English senior pitcher Nelson Barreiro after his team's 3-2 extra-inning win. “We’re going to beat them. They are a good team, but we are better.”

While Barreiro pitched great -- going all 8 innings, with 13 strikeouts -- the win was far from easy. After English took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, Latin Academy found itself in need of a spark.

Latin Academy pitcher Vincent Lopriore drew a walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, then senior Dan O’Connell reach first on an error, advancing Lopriore to third.

The late defensive woes for English continued when catcher Miguel Calderon overthrew the second baseman on a steal attempt by O’Connell. The error allowed Lopriore to score and O’Connell to advance to third.

“I was so sad because the defense couldn’t make the play," said Barreiro. "I was so mad."

But the rally wasn’t over. Junior Mark Guerard hit an RBI single to left to tie the game up.

“They had a really good pitcher throwing, down 2-0 in the last inning, but our guys kept fighting and had some good at-bats and they never gave up, which is good," said Latin Academy coach Anthony Bernazzani. "That’s what we need."

However, the defending city champions didn’t give in. With one out in the eighth inning, English had runners on first and second. On Frankely Gonzalez's grounder, Latin Academy made the forceout at third, but an overthrow at first allowed Arcibiadez Pena to score.

“You have two good pitchers going at it like that, it’s going to be a low-scoring game, so any run could be the difference," said Bernazzani. "So you've got to make sure you play tight defense."

It looked like Latin Academy had one last rally in it when senior Patrick Owens hit a shot to deep center in the bottom of the eighth. He appeared to have an inside-the-park home run -- but the umpires ruled that he did not touch second base.

“He missed second base," said Bernazzani. "The umpire said he missed second base so that’s an out."

Figueroa had nothing but great things to say about Barreiro.

“He’s been awesome all year long," said the coach. "This guy’s unbelievable. This guy’s got a good arm, he throws strikes, and he knows what he is doing on the mound."

Gonzalez also had a great game, with a double and an RBI triple.

With the Memorial Day city championship approaching, the first-year English coach said he felt confident with his squad as it goes deeper into the season.

“We can have a good run this year but we need some additional players because I’m running short of players on the bench," said Figueroa. "When next time comes, there’s going to be more competition."

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

The following are the most recent makeup dates for BPS baseball and softball games:

-O’Bryant vs. Boston International at Fallon Field, varsity only, at 3:30 p.m. on May 23.

-West Roxbury vs Boston International varsity baseball at Fallon Field at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

-Latin Academy vs East Boston varsity baseball at East Boston at 3:30 p.m. on May 6.

-Brighton vs Boston English varsity baseball at Rogers Park at 3:30 p.m. on April 29.

-Brighton vs. Boston English JV baseball at McKinney Field at 3:30 p.m. on April 29.

-Dorchester at Burke varsity softball at Casey Field at 3:30 p.m. on May 21.

-South Boston vs Cathedral varsity baseball at 3:30 p.m. at King Field on May 2.

-Dorchester vs. New Mission varsity baseball at 3:30 p.m. at Ross Field on May 20.

-Latin Academy vs. South Boston varsity baseball at King Field at 3 p.m. on May 21.

-Fenway vs Madison Park varsity softball at Madison Park at 4 p.m. on May 24.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Due to inclement weather in Tuesday's forecast, all Boston public school baseball and softball games were postponed late Tuesday afternoon.

Stay tuned to find out when Tuesday's games will be rescheduled.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Not a lot of people would expect anybody to be playing catch on a cold winter day in Dedham, let alone in the parking lot behind a Stop & Shop. But for Boston Latin pitcher Patrick “Packy” Naughton and his father Michael, it is a place of solitude.

The 300-foot long toss in 35-degree weather is nothing new for the father and son; they do it almost every day in the winter. The parking lot just happens to be best open space with the least amount of gathered snow.

According to Patrick, it is this kind of dedication which opened up the opportunity for him to commit verbally to the Virginia Tech baseball team in just his junior year of high school.

“Everyday at the field, he’s always there making sure I play proper catch and everything and he paid a lot of money for my pitching coach and he’s pretty much the reason I’m committed to Virginia Tech right now,” Naughton said of his father.

For Michael Naughton, all of the sacrifices are worth it, whether it’s hiring former St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Ace Adams or helping out Patrick himself.

“I’m part of it but when I step back I feel how fast everything has moved over the years. I can see him yesterday throwing the ball when he was 4-years-old to me and now we’re talking about college,” Michael Naughton said.

It was at that time, when Patrick Naughton was just 4-years-old, that his father realized he was going to be baseball player. At that early age Naughton could catch the ball properly with two hands and didn’t need his father to throw to him underhand like his peers.

The young pitcher couldn’t stay away from the diamond, even if it was shagging balls or throwing batting practice for his older brother Jake.

“Jake would be six and “Packy” would be four and he wanted to do everything his brother did,” Michael Naughton said. “Playing out in the backyard with Jake, he’d be right next to him, so we’d have to do a three-way catch.”

When his older brother graduated from the Latin school last year to attend Fairfield University, Naughton took over as captain of Latin.

In his sophomore campaign, he was a Dual County League all star with a 1.47 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 13 walks. The great performance on the mound led to a 6-0 undefeated record.

The junior has followed up last season well thus far with 2-0 record. In his most recent win against Concord-Carlisle, Naughton threw 18 strikeouts, his second time doing so in his career, while giving up just two hits and two walks over 7 innings.

The accomplishments would already make a worthy resume for colleges, especially considering Patrick was also a member of the 2008 Parkway National Little League that played in the New England championship against New Hampshire. Had they won that game, the Latin player would’ve pitched in a Little League World Series game in Williamsport, Pa.

“We won the state tournament out in Worcester and we just went there and we had a ball, it was so much fun. My whole team was great and I remember every minute of it,” Naughton said.

Whether it is pitching for Parkway, Latin, practice with Ace Adams, or just one-on-one time with his father, Naughton said that the baseball mound is where he feels most comfortable.

However, even though he has already verbally committed, the junior knows that a starting position is never safe.

“I am trying not to be as complacent as I can because I know once I start being complacent then the other kids that are right below me, they’ll start to work harder than me and they’ll pass me,” he said. “That’s one of my biggest motivations that I want to be the best that I can be.”

Even if his fastball and changeup may be more advanced, Patrick knows that he still has room to improve and has set goals to do it.

“I want to have a perfect season,” Naughton said. “I want to win eight games or however many I start and I want to throw a no-hitter and a perfect game. Those are my goals for this year so hopefully they come through.”

His confidence and hard work has won the confidence of his coach, too.

“He knows he has a job to do and that’s to lead our team to, with [much] luck, the first DCL title in awhile,” Rene Gauthier said.

Patrick described the day he accepted the verbal commitment to Virginia Tech as the best day of his life. That, plus the goals he has laid for himself, has left Michael Naughton a very proud father.

“I give him all the credit in the world. He’s a hard working young man and I think he has a goal in front of him and he sees what he wants but he knows how hard it is and he knows how hard he has to work to get it.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Latin Academy at South Boston, 3:30 pm, Tuesday

It will be interesting to see how Latin Academy responds to their 10-3 loss against Westwood after winning their first four games with ease.

Latin Academy’s defense is noted as the strongest part of their young team so South Boston coach Victor Pereira will hope that the speed of his players will match the skill.

English at Latin Academy, 3:30 pm, Wednesday

English was thought of as one of the best programs coming into the season and so far they have not disappointed. In their last two games, they’re offense has scored a combined 25 runs.

However, North division opponent Latin Academy should prove to be a good test for English in the early part of this season.

East Boston at Boston International, 3:30 pm, Thursday

Here’s a stat: Boston International hasn’t failed to score double-digit runs once this season.

It’s going to be a hard game for an East Boston team that has yet to score more than 7 runs and whose only win has come against O’Bryant.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

The following baseball and softball games have been rescheduled:

-West Roxbury vs. Boston International varsity softball was rescheduled from April 12 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Hemenway field.

-Snowden and New Mission varsity baseball was rescheduled from April 1 to 3:30 p.m. at Ross Field on Thursday.

-Brighton vs Boston English varsity baseball was rescheduled from April 12 to next Monday at 3:30 p.m. at Rogers Park. The JV teams will play at 3:30 p.m. next Monday at McKinney Field.

-Madison Park vs. West Roxbury was moved from April 12 to May 13 at Jefferson Field. Both JV and varsity games start at 3 p.m.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Snowden at Dorchester, 3:30 p.m. Monday

In their first game after spring break, both Snowden and Dorchester will try to not only try to shake off the rust on Monday afternoon but also try to get back to business as usual after last week’s Boston Marathon bombing.

Dorchester is 1-1 with a win against Madison Park and a one-run loss to New Mission. Snowden beat Fenway before ending its game against Madison Park in a 13-13 tie.

Fenway at Madison Park, 4 p.m. Wednesday

Madison Park is still searching for its first win of the season and a game against 0-3 Fenway could be just what the Cardinals need to get going.

Madison Park’s last outing was a 26-14 loss to Burke and they have also lost to Dorchester. Fenway has given up more than 20 runs twice in losses to Snowden, Burke and O’Bryant this year.

O’Bryant at New Mission, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday

Testing itself against the gold standard in the Boston City League, Latin Academy, on April 8, New Mission’s revamped softball squad fell 11-1. Now the Titans will be looking to get back on track against another city league softball power, O’Bryant, on Wednesday.

But O’Bryant is also coming off a 6-2 loss against Latin Academy and will be trying to end a two-game slide against the Titans on Wednesday.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Joseph Cappellano was just a couple hundred yards from the finish line of the Boston Marathon when he was told he couldn’t go any further by police and marathon officials.

“It was just utter confusion,” said the Boston Scholar Athlete senior zone facilitator. “You’re pretty exhausted at that point and when a bunch of cops just kind of jump out and stop you, it’s literally total confusion about how they could possibly stop somebody that’s been running 26 miles.”

Cappellano had been training for the marathon for five months to raise money for his public school students from around the city.

He stood on Commonwealth Avenue, waiting in the growing crowd of marathon runners trying to make sense of what was happening as marathon and police officials tried to get the crowd to remain calm and patient.

Not exactly the easiest thing for hundreds of dehydrated runners being backed up after they had been running miles without hesitation for hours.

“A lot of people were struggling because at the finish line there’s medical tents, there’s water, there’s blankets and things so people were basically stopped without anything,” Cappellano said.

Many of the runners also didn’t run with their cell phones so they couldn’t reach their families. Cappellano’s father, who waited anxiously at the finish line, was one of those relatives.

“As we were running, we heard a couple loud booms but we were on Commonwealth [Avenue] right before you take the right on to Boylston [Street] so we couldn’t really see anything until we saw the smoke above the buildings,” he said.

That’s when the zone facilitator began to see police officials sprint towards the incident with their only concern being the safety of civilians, just like Cappellano had ran for the well being of his students.

“The race day, that’s kind of like the celebration. That’s the fun part so it’s not necessarily what your completely doing it for, it’s about the organization you’re running for,” Cappellano said. “It’s my students who I’m raising money for and the program that I love, work in and that I believe in.”

Some of Cappellano’s O’Bryant students volunteered at the race, handing out water at mile 23 in support of their zone facilitator. Some even ran with him for a mile.

“I said, ‘guys you should probably get back with your group,’ and they turned around a couple miles before the [finish]. Thank God,” Cappellano said.

Liz Collins, a project manager for people and culture at Suffolk Construction Company, which funds the BSA, was also running on Monday. She was about a mile from the finish when she was diverted off the course.

“The thing that made me so scared was that was his time, that was when Joe was supposed to cross the finish line,” Collins said. “That’s what was so crazy.”

As the crowd at Commonwealth Avenue continued to back up, Cappellano and the rest of the runners were walked to the marathon buses at Berkley Street to get their phones and contact their relatives.

“[My father] saw tons of police and civilians running in to help others and I think it’s just a tribute to the spirit of the day,” Cappellano said. “The city and the state come out to support these runners and support these causes and it’s not about you , it’s not about one person, it’s really just a selfless, selfless day and I think that showed true in the wake of tragedy.”

Cappellano’s father and friends were all unharmed by the explosions at the finish line. Just like all of the runners, the BSA will still receive all of the money that he raised through the race.

The runner estimated that by the end of the month deadline for marathon fundraising, he would have individually raised $6,000 for the BSA. Currently the program has raised $23,295.

“It’s fantastic that the charities will still be able to collect the money that’s been worked hard for these past five months,” Cappellano said.

While it wasn’t his first Boston Marathon, Cappellano planned on this race being his last. But despite what happened yesterday, he has a feeling he won’t be able to be kept away from his goal – crossing the finish line.

“We’re not going to let fear stop us from this great tradition and this great wonderful day that will be such a big part of Boston’s history,” Cappellano said.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Because of the Boston Marathon bombing, Tuesday's four-team softball tournament in the North End has been postponed and rescheduled for Thursday at Woburn's Liberty Park.

Boston Latin Academy will play Winthrop at 10 a.m. and O'Bryant (Boston) will play Woburn at noon.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Running the Boston Marathon separately Monday morning, Elizabeth Collins and Angeli Kadade were stopped about a mile away from the finish line’s carnage.

Collins, a Boston resident who was raising money for the Boston Scholar Athletes program for the second straight year, was able to navigate the chaos and make her way to family relatively easily, But Kadade, who was in town from New York City to run for the Dream Big! foundation, was totally lost in the aftermath.

“I’m not familiar with Boston at all," said Kadade. "I was asking other people where the Westin is. I was in panic mode to get there."

Kadade didn’t meet up with family at the hotel until after 8:30 p.m. -- and after strangers let her wash up at their room in the Sheraton.

“I think after running 26 miles you're already so drained, then it was pure adrenaline," she said. "We were upset we weren’t able to finish, then we were cold and our body heat dropped. Then once we found out what happened, everyone considered family and friends were like, ‘Get me out of here.' ''

Initially, Collins was just as disappointed as Kadade that she wasn’t able to finish. After getting news of the bombing that killed three and injured scores, Collins was just as panicked (and freezing) as Kadade.

But being a Bostonian made meeting up with family much easier for Collins.

“My family came to find me and I went to Mass Ave. to walk down the river to Beacon Hill to get away,” Collins said. “It was like a total free-for-all.”

While the experiences of these two strangers are on the opposite ends of a spectrum in one sense, it no doubt was a shared experience for two women running for causes that benefit Boston Public School students by promoting physical activity.

The Boston Scholar Athletes program and Dream Big! were two of several nonprofits entirely or partially dedicated to BPS students that raised money through the Boston Marathon Official Charity Program and John Hancock's Marathon Non-Profit Program.

Several other charities that benefited BPS students that were contacted Tuesday morning reported that their runners were unharmed. They include MetroLacrosse, Playworks, Tenacity, and America SCORES Boston.

Together, the Boston Marathon Official Charity Program and the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program are expected to raise $18 million this year.

So far, BSA has raised $23,295 and counting, while Dream Big! surpassed its $80,000 goal Monday and Tenacity netted more than $100,000. The Special Olympics has raised $31,658 and Healthworks raised $40,000. MetroLacrosse has raised $19,298, with more to come, America SCORES Boston logged $26,248 and counting, while Playworks has raised $80,000.

“It's a hard day for everyone," said Playworks executive director Max Fripp via email,
"but at the core, I wonder if the values we teach 15,000 Boston elementary school students through daily recess and play might lead to shifts in how people feel about themselves and the communities where we live and work.”

Fripp noted that his organization recently completed a two-year random control trial with Mathematica with two important findings: 1. Playworks schools have less bullying and aggressive behavior; 2. Their students feel more safe and connected.

Other local nonprofits that benefit some BPS students such as AccessSports America canceled events scheduled for Tuesday evening because of the bombing.

Both BSA and the Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester were prepared to help students at their Spring Break camps process the traumatic situation.

“In general, I am asking staff to avoid having conversations in front of the children about the events that unfolded yesterday and not to have the lobby television on news stations that will constantly loop the footage,” said Sportsmen’s executive director Toni Wiley in an email to members. “However, children are likely to bring this up in conversation, so we should be as prepared as possible to handle it."

Kadade wasn’t so sure about sliver linings as she prepared to return to New York Tuesday.

“I'm not sure there is a silver lining except that my family is safe,” she said via email. “But there are many families that are not, and that are in hospitals. I keep thinking about my race and where I slowed down. If I was two minutes faster, my story could have been different.

“Running for charity and hearing, ‘Dream big, Angeli,’ throughout the race is why charity runners run. The medal is mine and I didn't get that yesterday but yes, I'm still helping hundreds of girls in the Boston area. And nobody can take that away.”

Collins was back at her desk at Suffolk Construction’s Roxbury headquarters Tuesday morning.

“I just couldn’t watch the TV any longer,” she said in a telephone interview. “I needed to be around people. I’m still a little sore but a little better than last year, which is good.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

John Lara of the Hernandez School in Roxbury became the first Bostonian to win an event in the Boston Athletic Association’s scholastic invitational races at the Boston Marathon finish line on Sunday morning. He blew away the field with a time of 2 minutes 54.7 seconds. (Pavel Dzemianok / For the Boston Globe)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Hoisting a silver trophy above his head on the podium at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Sunday morning, John Lara had the crowd eating out of his palm.

After Lara became the first Bostonian to win an event in the Boston Athletic Association’s scholastic invitational races, the public address announcer joked that the eighth grader at the Hernandez School in Roxbury might even take his job one day.

But during the post-race press conference, Lara — who blew away the middle school 1000-meter boys' field with a time of 2 minutes 54.7 seconds — could barely string two words together as he doubled over breathlessly.

“It was a pretty long race … when you do your first loop … I practiced hard to work my stamina up and to do better this year,” was all he could muster when asked how finishing second last year helped him win this year.

His teammate, Jovan Talavera (3:05.1) finished second and could say even less: “I go to the same school as [Lara].”

Their cross country coach, Michael Baugh, explained that they aren’t tight lipped. He said they just left everything on the course.

“John took it out,” Baugh said. “He’s very much the class of the field and he runs all out, it doesn’t matter if he’s last or first, he’s done that since fourth grade. So when he’s [doubled over] like that it’s just because he has nothing left. And the kid who came in second he’s the same way. He’s my kid too. He does the same thing. They are both competitors.”

The race — which loops around Boylston and Newbury Streets before finishing on the Boston Marathon’s finish line — began with high school mile events in 2009. The middle school races were added in 2010.

The race features two athletes from each city or town along the Boston Marathon course.

Lara finally got his breath back when he came down from the podium. Especially when he was informed that he was the first Bostonian to win at the event. (To date, no student from Boston has won the high school events).

“Oh really,” he said. “[I feel] honored actually, to win it for my city, I’m honored. I gotta represent Boston, I’m from here.”

Latin Academy eight grader Catherine Van Even finished the girls’ middle school race in eighth place with a time of 3:45.7.

“In the second lap I got tired as we kept going,” Van Even said. “I think I started too fast. I think it will help me push harder and try harder in other races.”

Sarah Kiamie of Boston Latin finished with a time of 3:52.2 for a 12th place finish.

“It went a lot faster than I thought it would,” Kiamie said. “I haven’t been feeling really well lately. I didn’t do as well as I hoped I would. It was a great experience and I wish I could do it again but I’m in eighth grade. Maybe next year I can do the mile.”
Boston Latin sophomore Alannah O’Brien did the mile for the first time this year. She finished 11th with a time of 6:04.7.

“It was really fun because there’s a lots of people cheering and it was just a great atmosphere,” she said.

For the second straight year Boston Latin senior Michael ward ran the high school invitational mile. Last year he finished in fourth and this year he was disappointed with his eighth-place finish and time of 4:45.

“It’s a really awesome event,” he said. “I took it out pretty hard and then didn’t really hold it very well. I fell back a lot. I wasn’t really happy with how I ran it but it’s a great event. You can’t complain; it’s awesome.”

Ward, who qualified for indoor and outdoor states meets the last three years for the 1000 meters and mile, said he still had a bit of a hangover from running the 1000 meters at the indoor national meet last month.

“Last year I got fourth [here] and it really helped a lot,” he said. “I beat a lot of guys I hadn’t beaten before. This was kind of a switch. I ended up in the back and I wasn’t really happy about it. My season only started a few weeks ago. I haven’t really gotten back much so I think if I keep up the work I’m doing by the end of the season I’ll be in good shape.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

After helping the Murphy school win its first middle school city championship on Friday, Jordan Galloway was named MVP. (Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe)

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Murphy weathered a second-half storm by Curley Friday afternoon to win the school’s first boys' middle school basketball city championship with a 42-39 victory.

“That’s how they played all year,” coach David Rennie. “We’re not the biggest team, but their compete level is off the charts, we have some good skilled guards, and our big men played great today. But we won as a team.”

One of those skilled guards was eighth grader Jordan Galloway, who showed he could close games even at his young age.

After Curley came back from a 16-point deficit thanks to 14 second-half points by Dominic Jones, Galloway was fouled intentionally and sent to the line with just a 3-point cushion. He hit three out of four free throws without hesitation, sealing the win for Murphy as he ended his middle school career.

“We did it as a team, we did it together," said Galloway. "We played well the last three games and made it here and we took it home."

Jones led the way for Curley, scoring 18 points overall. He and Alex Delarosa had all but two baskets for Curley in the second half.

“It hurts now, but I am so proud in every possible way," said Curley coach Draylin Beaudrault. "We are a complete team and we’re proud of everyone who tried their best. They love each other and they play for each other.”

Galloway led Murphy scorers with 18 points and got help from backcourt mate Dajour Dunkley, who had 12.

“I just wanted to win,” Galloway said. “I just wanted to help my team win and it was just in my head the whole game.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.

Edwards School guard Alexis Jordan rises for a jump shot against the Curley School in the Boston Middle School Basketball championship game on Friday. The Edwards school won the championship by completing an undefeated season. (Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The Edwards Middle School girls’ basketball team overcame a poor opening half Friday afternoon at the Shelburne Community Center to cap an undefeated season with a city championship.

“It feels good -- hard work pays off,” said seventh grade forward Asya Sullivan, who was named MVP after a 29-22 victory over the Curley School.

But after falling behind, 12-9, at the break, Edwards didn’t seem to be on the way to a 12-0 season.

Sullivan, who tied for a team-high 9 points (along with eighth grade guard Aneytra Williams), said the girls remained positive at halftime and had to “just play our defense how we play in practice.”

Much of that defense was provided by sixth-grade guard Dasiah Thorton (12 steals and 7 rebounds).

“We just played hard and played defense,” said Edwards coach Laurence Ollivierre. “That’s our theme: scholarship, teamwork, intensity, and confidence. That’s what we’re all about. We believe in working hard. ”

Curley (8-4) was led by eighth-grade guard Iriani Casimil, who scored most of her game-high 15 points on baseball passes heaved in transition despite injuring her groin in the semifinals Thursday.

“I knew eventually they would run out of gas, so I just wanted to keep playing our game,” Ollivierre said of Curley’s transition game. “I made a few adjustments [at halftime] and told them to stay with [Casimil].”

Curley coach Geju Brown said his team was hurt by foul trouble down the stretch. He also noted that after knocking off the No. 1 seed on his side of the bracket (the Edison School) in Thursday’s semifinals, beating another undefeated team was going to be a tall order.

“They came a long way,” he said. “You can’t run up against the No. 1 seed twice. We were hoping to get some luck and have someone else beat them on the other side of the bracket. I’m really proud of them. They played their hearts out.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

While the elite runners and professionals are looking forward to Marathon Monday, middle school and high school track athletes have Sunday’s Boston Athletic Association Scholastic Invitational Mile.

“It’s an honor,” said O’Bryant track coach Jose Ortega. “It’s an opportunity to run on the biggest stage of cross-country or marathons in the world.”

While the high school students will run a 1-mile race, the middle school race will be just 1 kilometer.

Both races, which loop around Boylston and Newbury Streets before finishing on the Boston Marathon’s finish line, will feature student-athletes from all around the state.

Catherine Van Even of Latin Academy will participate after winning the mile in this winter’s indoor city championship.

“It will be exiting because I’ve never done something like that before,” the eighth grader said.

According to Latin Academy coach Brian Luessler, excitement as well as anxiety are common feelings for an eighth grader running in a race of this magnitude.

“She asked me if I was going to be there and I said, ‘If I go, I won’t be able to get anywhere close to you, I’ll be so far in the back,' '' said Luessler. "They're going to let a parent in with you, there'll be youth stands set up."

It should also excite the students that a professional race will be held right after the youth races. Nick Willis, a silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, highlights the men's field, and 2010 World Indoor Championships 1,500-meter gold medalist Kalkidan Gezahegne leads the women.

John Lara and Jovan Talavera of the Rafael Hernandez K-8 school will run in the middle school race for the second straight year. Lara came in second last year. And just like last year, coach Michael Baugh, who also coaches track for English, will be there to support him.

“It’s just fun to watch because they do it from middle school all the way [to] the pros,” Baugh said. “It’s really, really fun to watch.”

The first middle school race begins at 9:30 am.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at kannoyoungs.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @KannoYoungs.