New weighty rules due for wrestlers
New weighty rules due for wrestlers
Changes are in store for high school wrestlers this season following the passage of a rule change by the National Federation of High Schools, which governs school sports throughout the country. The new rule changes the way wrestlers are evaluated for minimum weight, and each state will be responsible for implementing its own program. Wrestling and crew are the only two high school sports that require competitive weight classes, and now each state must assure that no male school wrestler will compete below 7 percent body fat and that no female wrestler will compete below 12 percent body fat. The federation hasn't set any rules for crew. In addition, the rule mandates that each state sponsor a weight-management educational program. To comply, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is sponsoring four regional workshops to help coaches, wrestlers, and parents understand the new guidelines. Topics will include how to best prepare, proper hydration, nutrition, conditioning, and weight management. Workshops will be held Tuesday at Duxbury High, Oct. 17 at Central Springfield High, and Oct. 24 at Lexington High. The fourth site is yet to be determined. All seminars run from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Suspensions hurt Merrimack hockey
The road through its Hockey East schedule was going to be tough enough for Merrimack College, but it got a lot bumpier with the recent season-long suspension of sophomore Rob Ricci and six-game suspension of sophomore Patrick Watson. Coach Mark Dennehy would not comment on the reasons why either was suspended, other than to say that Ricci violated team rules and school policy and Watson broke team rules. The suspensions affect both the offense and defense of Merrimack, which struggled through a 6-23-5 season last year. Ricci, a 5-9, 165-pound forward from Brampton, Ontario, was the team's leading scorer as a freshman with 10 goals and 16 assists for 16 points. One half of his goals came on the power play. His performance earned him a spot on the Hockey East All Rookie Team. Watson is a 6-2, 190-pound goalie from Waltham and, based on his performance of a year ago, was projected as the top candidate between the pipes. He played in 15 games, starting 10 of them and compiled a 2-7-3 record. His goals against average was 2.72 and he made 380 saves in 727 minutes of play for a .920 save per centage. Merrimack opens its season Friday against Alaska-Anchorage in the opening round of the Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage.
Scholastic
odds 'n' ends
Rivers (Weston) School senior Mark Goodrich of Westford has been offered and will accept a scholarship to play lacrosse at John Hopkins University. Goodrich was ranked 18th in the September issue of Lacrosse Magazine, which published its Top 50 Rising Stars. In the article, it says of Goodrich, ``He wowed the coaches this summer at Jake Reed's Blue Chip Camp. He has size at 6-3, 192 pounds and can work inside the goals." The Jake Reed Blue Chip Camp selects 112 players from across the country to show off their talents to dozens of Division 1 coaches. Johns Hopkins is one of the premiere lacrosse programs in the country. It was just one of 14 Division 1 schools that offered Goodrich a scholarship. At Rivers, Goodrich also plays football and basketball.
Acton-Boxborough and Andover both had 9-0 starts, but were on different ends of the spectrum in the latest Boston Globe Girls Top 20 soccer poll. A-B was No. 1 and Andover No. 20. In between was Westford (5-3-1) at No. 8, Winchester (8-0-2) at No. 9, and Belmont (8-1-1) at No. 16. . . .Talk about a balanced attack. North Andover got goals from Katie Borings, Liz Day, Katie Sullivan, Lauren Gaffny, and Kristen Steigerwald in a 5-0 field hockey win over Rockport.
The Salem (N.H.) boys volleyball team just keeps chugging along. It chalked up its 47th straight win against Keene. In three years of varsity volleyball, Salem has yet to taste defeat. . . . Emily Jones finished first and teammates Eliza Ives and Liz Lee fourth and fifth to help Bromfield top the Division 2 field in the Boston Cross-Country Invitational at Franklin Park.
Freshman forward Jared Joaquin of North Andover scored the game-tying goal with just one second left to give Bentley's men's soccer team a 1-1 draw with No. 13 Southern Connecticut State. It was Joaquin's third goal of the season.
Former two-time Globe All-Scholastic Chip Palumbo of Winchester, now a sophomore at Fairfield, won the ECAC North Open Championship recently to help Fairfield successfully defend its title. Palumbo, a runner-up last year, defeated Vassar's Mike Mattelson in straight sets.
Merrimack sophomore Chris McNeil of Burlington and senior Matt Mikaitis of Chicago were named Northeast-10 offensive and defensive Players of the Week following their performances in a 35-27 win over Southern Connecticut. McNeill was responsible for four of the Warriors five touchdowns, hauling in three touchdown receptions and recovering a fumble in the end zone. He had five catches for 132 yards. Mikaitis, meanwhile, led all defenders in tackles with 16, a dozen of them solo. He also broke up a pass.
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