Reveling in spring fling Highlights of stellar high school season
Like the season itself, the spring high school sports season is fleeting, seemingly ending right after it begins, so let's stop and smell the proverbial roses by looking back at the players and teams, the moments and memories that made this spring season short but sweet for local sports fans.
Best team
St. Mary's of Lynn golf -- Five years ago, St. Mary's was a club team. Now the Spartans are state champions. St. Mary's brought home the region's only state title this season, traveling all the way to Western Massachusetts -- Worthington, to be exact -- to claim the Division 3 boys' crown. The team went 15-0 to extend its regular-season winning streak, which dates to 2003, to 34 consecutive matches. The Spartans' success was a result of their depth; led by Globe Player of the Year Matt Price, they twice surpassed the school record for points in a match, ringing up 215 against Bishop Fenwick and 218 against Cardinal Spellman on their way to the title.
Best without a state title
Lynnfield baseball -- The hard-hitting Pioneers bashed their way to the Division 3 state title game, only to suffer a one-run defeat. Leading, 2-0, in the sixth, Lynnfield was four outs away from winning its first state championship since 1961, but Nipmuc Regional rallied for a stunning 3-2 victory. Led by Columbia-bound pitcher-shortstop Mike Roberts, the Globe's Division 3 Player of the Year, the Pioneers accepted the loss with class. ''I'm not hanging my head, and neither are my kids," said Lynnfield coach John O'Brien, who led the Pioneers to a 21-4 mark. ''They played hard all year. from the first game in April."
Game of the season
Winthrop 13, Swampscott 7 -- Winthrop only qualified for the state baseball tournament because of an MIAA rule that allows teams that play more than 70 percent of their games against larger schools to throw out those games when evaluating their record. But the Vikings, who went 6-14 during the regular season, proved they weren't a charity case when they staged the most memorable comeback of the season. One out away from elimination in the preliminary round and trailing Swampscott by 6 runs, Winthrop took a 7-6 lead. Swampscott sent the game to extra innings with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but two innings later Winthrop's Jarrett Herdt cracked a grand slam that powered the Vikings to an improbable victory.
Most Valuable Player
Ashley Waters, Amesbury -- It's a good thing Amesbury's softball ace is moving on to the University of Maine next season, because there are few more superlatives to describe her play. In the pitching circle and at the plate, Waters was nothing short of sublime this season, leading the Indians to a 25-1 record. The lone loss came in the Division 2 state championship game, where Amesbury fell to undefeated Turner Falls, 2-0. Waters turned the no-hitter into a ho-hum occurrence this season, tossing seven, including three perfect games. After tournament play, she finished the season with a 0.21 ERA. At the plate she batted .639, while slugging 11 home runs, best in Eastern Massachusetts.
Sticking out
Heather Popp, Peabody High -- In her four years at Peabody, Popp helped elevate the Tanners girls' lacrosse program to elite status. Popp led Peabody to its second straight Greater Boston League title, fourth in four years. The slick attacker and midfielder wrote her name in the Peabody record books this season for goals in a game with 10 against Lexington in a 19-9 win on April 11. She ended her career as Peabody's all-time leading scorer with more than 200 career goals.
Fastest learner
Amanda Martin, Triton Regional -- Martin was the feel-good story of the spring. The senior from Rowley suffered a devastating knee injury playing basketball last December. The injury prevented her from playing softball this spring, so she turned to track and field, taking up the javelin. As Triton girls' track coach Shawn McElligott said, Martin accomplished more in one season throwing the javelin than most athletes do in four. She broke the school record in the event with a throw of 128 feet 3 inches and went undefeated during Cape Ann League competition. Martin won the Division 3 EMass title and finished third at the All-State meet.
Streak snappers
Danvers High boys' tennis -- The Falcons did what no team in the Northeastern Conference had done in nearly four years, defeat Marblehead. Danvers snapped Marblehead's 67-match conference winning streak with a hard-fought 3-2 victory May 18. Playing a hunch, Danvers coach Mike Nickerson paired sophomores Gardner Trask and Zach Levesque for the first time. They responded by stealing a doubles contest. The Falcons then got wins from two of their three singles players to secure the victory, including a gutty 7-5, 7-6 point from Brian Stevenson that clinched the win.
Off and running
Salem boys' track and field -- The Witches captured their first Northeastern Conference outdoor title since 1995. Led by University of Miami-bound runner Patrick O'Donnell, who switched to track from baseball two seasons ago, Salem raced through the NEC undefeated and sent nine athletes to the Division 2 EMass championship, where O'Donnell won the 800-meter crown. But the highlight of the season was a 64-63 win over perennial power Gloucester, which paved the way for the NEC title.
Remember the Vikings
Rockport softball -- The residents of tiny Rockport will remember the 2005 edition of Vikings softball for a long time, as it became the first team to qualify for the state tournament in at least 25 years. It had been so long that no one at the school could determine just when the Vikings last played a postseason game. Although they were bounced in their one and only tournament game. seniors Jen Muise, Heather Stanger, Brittany McKechnie, Michelle Harrington, and Brittni Wall left an indelible mark on the program.
Honorable mention
The St. John's Prep lacrosse team defeated powerhouse programs Malden Catholic and Beverly this season, snapping long losing streaks in each case. St. John's went five years between victories against MC and hadn't downed Beverly since 1999. . . . Fueled by Jessica White and Alex Mack, the Masconomet Regional girls' track team repeated as Division 2 EMass champions.
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com. 
