The 26-year-old Higgins solidified his latest run to the top of the MGA’s point standings with a come-from-behind victory in the New England Amateur in July, erasing a three-stroke deficit on the final day of the three-round tournament.

Higgins earned 250 of his 796 points at the NE Amateur en route to becoming just the fifth player in 34 years to repeat as Player of the Year.

A member at Franklin Country Club, Higgins said he was both humbled and proud of his accomplishment.

“It’s the top honor in Massachusetts amateur golf, and I feel very fortunate to have earned it, given the depth of great players in this state,’’ said Higgins, who also reached the quarterfinals of the Massachusetts Amateur and captured the Worcester County Amateur. Higgins was also a repeat qualifier for the US Amateur and US Mid-Amateur championships.

For Moore, athleticism simply runs in the family Medfield’s Colin Moore is contributing strong two-way play for the Harvard men’s hockey team. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound junior forward scored his first goal of the season in a 4-2 victory over St. Lawrence, kills penalties, and has carved out a role as a stellar defender.

A two-time ECAC All-Academic selection, Moore has helped Harvard lead the nation in scoring defense and rank second in penalty killing through four games. An assistant captain for the US U-17 National team and a member of the U-18 squad, Moore played hockey and lacrosse at Belmont Hill School.

“Colin is a high-character person who has a tremendous work ethic and is a natural leader who is very well respected by his teammates,’’ said Harvard head coach Ted Donato. “He’s a talented player we use in all situations and is a guy we really count on, especially in shorthanded situations and to play against other teams’ top offensive players.’’

Moore’s parents were standout athletes at Michigan State — his father, Keith, was a track All-American, and his mother, Lisa, was a four-year varsity cross-country and track team member. Moore’s grandfather, George, played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in the 1950s.

At Babson, Palazini picks up where he left off in Franklin Matt Palazini, a 1,000-point scorer and Globe All-Scholastic at Franklin High, is making a rather seamless transition to the next level. He netted a team-high 22 points in his collegiate debut for Babson, an 83-71 win over Curry.

Palazini, who can play shooting guard or small forward, made 6 of 12 field goal attempts, including 4 of 7 three-point shots.

“Matt has been an impact player for us since the first day of practice,’’ said Babson coach Stephen Brennan. “He plays with a quiet confidence and possesses a high basketball IQ. Most importantly he is an excellent competitor who plays with no fear.’’

Unheralded Slein keeps defense at bay for Bentley Offensive linemen typically do not receive much glory, but Bentley junior left tackle John Slein (6-4, 295) has earned high praise from his position coach after the Falcons finished 5-4 and earned a share of the Northeast-10 title.

“Though John was dinged up at times, he took on some of the top pass rushers in our league and made them nonfactors, including sack leader Clark Leger from Stonehill in our final game victory,’’ Bentley line coach Adam Griggs said of the former Ashland High standout.

“He took every snap for us on the line and is a big reason we only gave up nine sacks out of over 300 attempts. John also spent extra time watching film and getting himself ready for the schemes and players he was going up against every week,’’ Griggs said.

Five area players at Wheaton grab league soccer honors Five area players from the Wheaton College men’s soccer team (11-6-3) were cited by the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference for their efforts this fall.

Seniors David Ferriero (Medway High) and Josh Solomon of Acton became just the second and third Lyons to be named to the conference’s first all-star team three times.

Senior Yuri Moreira of Marlborough (Northfield Mount Hermon) was a first-team pick for the second consecutive year, sophomore Cecil Jeffrey of Framingham (Rivers School) also earned first-team honors, while senior Alex Redding of Newton (Northfield Mount Hermon) was a second-team selection.

Ferriero anchored the backline from his center back position; Solomon was third in team scoring with seven goals and 17 points; Moreira shared the team lead in points (20) with Redding, and also wound up as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 44 goals and 96 points; and Jeffrey was an offensive and defensive force at midfield, according to Wheaton’s staff.

Walker follows Brother’s footsteps Bates College senior linebacker Myles Walker of Needham was named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference first all-star team after leading the conference with 80 tackles. Walker also had two sacks, seven tackles for a loss, an interception, four passes defended and a forced fumble.

After not seeing any playing time as a freshman, Walker finished his Bates career with 218 tackles (146 solo) in 24 games.

His brother, Jamie Walker, was an All-NESCAC honoree on offense as a senior running back for Bates in 2006.

Marvin Pave can be reached at marvin.pave@rcn.com