By Jason Mastrodonato, Globe Correspondent

Eleana Cardarelli, the Globe's Division 1 Athlete of the Year in field hockey last fall, has committed to Providence College.

The 5-foot-8-inch junior from Acton-Boxboro had 29 goals and 15 assists this season, leading the 22-1-1 Colonials to their third state title in six years.

Providence's field hockey team posted a 9-9 record last fall and has qualified for the four-team Big East championship in five of the last seven years.

Cardarelli has also been a standout on the girls' lacrosse and ice hockey teams at Acton-Boxboro, and each team she is on seems to experience success. The girls' ice hockey team advanced to the Division 1 state final two years ago while the girls' lacrosse team is having its best season since 2010, off to an 8-4-1 start.

Cardarelli's sophomore sister, Leah, has been a standout across the three sports as well.

By Colleen Casey,Globe Correspondent

The seniors on the Watertown field hockey team have never lost a game in their four-year tenure. They finished like they started, with another Division 2 state championship. Four straight state championships and a perfect 23-0 earned the Raiders the No. 1 slot.

Acton-Boxboro finished No.2 after earning its third Division 1 state championship in six years. The Colonials' 1-0 victory over No. 3 Walpole in the EMass final forced the Porkers down a slot.

Weston shot up to No. 4 after a deep run in the playoffs. The Wildcats defeated No. 5 Chelmsford 3-2 in OT in the North semifinals. Duxbury finishes eighth after falling to No.7 Franklin in the playoffs. No. 12 Monomoy came close to their first South crown, but fell to No. 10 Apponequet 2-0 in the finals.

No. 15 Lincoln Sudbury jumped ahead of No. 20 Westford with a 2-1 playoff victory.

See the final Boston Globe field hockey Top 20 here.

By Mike Giesta, Globe Correspondent

St. Mark’s won the NEPSAC Class B final, 1-0, in double overtime against ISL-rival Brooks Sunday afternoon (in Connecticut).

St. Mark's finished the season 14-2 and were ISL co-champs for the first time since 2004. The Lions had eight shutouts on the year, allowing only 13 goals in 16 games.

It was a tight defensive game until early into the second overtime. A corner eventually found its way to junior Sophia Millerick, and then the back of the net, giving the Lions their first Class B Championship since 1997.

“I had a feeling last season that this year could be our year,” said coach Jodi Dolan. “This is an extremely talented team, we had every component needed to win, we knew we could do it.”

The Lions got it done Sunday and the entire season with strong defensive play and terrific performances from senior goalie Paige Duffy, who had eight saves in the final.

“She’s a very strong goalie, and has been for the three years she has started here,” Dolan said.

They also happen to be strong offensively, scoring over 40 goals as a team. Alexa Mackintire led the team in goals and was second in assists. She was named the tournament MVP.

“The other players use her as a role model, she inspires them,” said coach Dolan. “They see the way she’s able to control the game, and they work to improve their own skill.”

Alexa Mackintire is a member of the U-19 national team and has already verbally committed to Duke.

Coach Dolan had a feeling that this was a special group. “We had strong seniors, a great supporting cast, great chemistry, I knew if we were going to do it, it would be this year.”

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

The 15th-seeded Reading field hockey team squeezed into the first round of the Division 1 North State Tournament after a 1-0 overtime performance against 18th-seeded Needham on Thursday.

Needham set up Reading’s lone goal of the night with a corner play after committing a stick interference penalty. Following the penalty, senior left midfielder Maddie Davis inserted the ball to junior center midfielder Sarah Hart. Hart passed the ball to sophomore forward Rachel Thompson, who fired the goal from the striking circle.

“That overtime period was a case of being all out. The girls couldn’t say I am a defender and I am a forward, they had to say I am a two way hockey player and all six field players knew that the game was in their hands,” said coach Mim Jarema.

The first two halves were a different story, as Needham had Reading on its heels with an aggressive offensive attack.

“Throughout regulation we were trying to get our kids playing up to speed and for whatever reason we came out flat,” said Jarema. “Needham came out very, very strong and they were aggressive and they were quick. We were just in first gear and couldn’t change the pace.”

Junior goalie Kayla Raneri carried Reading with 13 saves, nine coming in the second half. She also denied three breakaway goals.

“Kayla was outstanding. She has been playing great ball the past three weeks of the season. She is the first year starting goalie as a junior and she is really coming into her role,” said Jarema.

Reading travels to second-seeded Masconomet, who had a preliminarly round bye, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for its first round match.

“We are a young team. We have two sophomores for each senior on the team. We got over our first day jitters today and we will make the adjustments to grass tomorrow and go after it,” said Jerema. “I hope on Saturday we come out fast and pick up the tempo.”

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

High school football, soccer, volleyball and field hockey teams in Massachusetts are helping raise awareness for breast cancer with more than 30 "Pink" games slated around the state as a part of "Coaches vs. Cancer" charitable drive.

October is breast cancer awareness month and the telltale signs of high school teams acknowledging, as well as fund-raising, for the cause is represented in the flair. Players have been sporting pink cleats, gloves, and streaking patches during this month's games.

It's the second year New England teams have participated in the program, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and has partnerships with the NFL and NBA. The region raised $400,000 toward breast cancer research and treatment last year with Massachusetts accounting for more than $100,000 of that total, according to the program's regional coordinator Janice Portlock.

"They made us a priority this year," Portlock said. "This time last year, you had six [pink] games here. Now it's up to 35."

The New England Patriots kicked off pink October with their "Crucial Catch" game last week.

For more information on the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org. For more information on "Coaches vs. Cancer" in Massachusetts, contact Janice Portlock at janice.portlock@cancer.org.

By Colleen Casey, Globe Correspondent

It doesn't happen very often but when it does, people notice. Two-time defending state field hockey champion Andover lost its first Merrimack Valley Conference game in five years Saturday, falling to Chelmsford, 3-1. As a result, Andover drops from No. 2 to No. 5, while the Lions leap-frog Andover to take the No. 4 spot.

Watertown remains No. 1 but Duxbury slides into No. 2 just ahead of Walpole. Those three schools are the only remaining unbeaten teams in EMass field hockey. Hingham is the lone newcomer to the Top 20, jumping in at No. 10.

By Colleen Casey, Globe Correspondent

With the season off and rolling, there are a few big changes to the Globe field hockey Top 20. There’s no surprise that the top four teams haven’t moved.

Watertown, Andover, Duxbury and Walpole haven’t lost a game yet. Walpole and Andover are playing each other next Monday, so there could be some movement next week. The Porkers haven’t let in a goal so far.

Chelmsford moved up after defeating No. 8 Acton-Boxboro, 1-0. But the Colonials 7-1 start gives them a significant bump up.

Westwood makes their debut at No. 9 after earning the top spot in the Tri-Valley Conference these past few weeks.

Scituate claims the 11th slot after beating No. 12 Monomoy and No. 13 Cohasset. Monomoy defeated Cohasset 1-0 to put them ahead.

Oliver Ames rounds off the Top 20. A 7-0-1 mark puts them at the top of the Hockomock Davenport, a highlight of their season was a huge 2-2 tie with No. 6 Canton.

See the full field hockey Top 20 here.

By Colleen Casey, Globe Staff

After dropping a close 1-0 game earlier in the week to Chelmsford, the Acton-Boxboro field hockey team knew it needed to win Wednesday. The Colonials came out determined and played with passion from the first whistle to the last to beat visiting Weston, 3-0.

Elena Cardarelli, her younger sister Leah Cardarelli, and Katherine Gnall each put a point on the board for the No. 15-ranked Colonials.

“We had a really rough game against Chelmsord in the grass,” said A-B coach Mae Shoemaker. “We have a lot of speed on our team and a lot of real young inexperienced girls and they’re just now starting to click together. This was a real big test because Weston is always terrific.”

The Colonials scored off their first corner opportunity 10 minutes into the game. Elena Cardarelli inbounded the ball to Cara Conery and Conery passed back to Cardarelli, who tipped it past the left post. Shoemaker said the team had gone through the set play in practice the day before.

No.9 Weston had a few opportunities to score before the end of the half, sending two balls from outside the circle into the net, but couldn’t find anyone inside the circle to tip them in and make them count.

The Colonials emerged on fire in the second half, outshooting Weston 7-1. Gnall tipped in a rocketed pass from Leah Cadarelli with 21:16 remaining in the game to give A-B a 2-0 advantage.

A-B still wasn’t satisfied. The speedy forward line forced seven more penalty corners before the games end, while the defense allowed only one for Weston.

“I think our girls just were hungry after having the one loss and that difficult game,” said Shoemaker. “They were just determined. We were really good playing through from beginning to end.”

Fast-footed Elena found her sister Leah for the final goal with 8:14 remaining.

"I love working with her,” said the elder Cararelli.  “We both talk to each other and we know where each other is going to be. It’s so much fun to play with her.”

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

High school principals and athletic directors have until next Wednesday to nominate student athletes for the 16th annual Massachusetts Student-Athlete Citizenship Awards Ceremony on April 24 at Northeastern University.

This awards ceremony and program are designed to recognize Massachusetts high school student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in three disciplines: academics, athletics and citizenship. The ceremony will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Curry Student Center Ballroom at Northeastern University.

The theme of this year’s event is “How Can Student-Athletes Make a Difference in the Community?”

The event, which is being sponsored by Sport in Society at Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, is open to schools in Districts A, B, C, D, E and H.

Each school can nominate two male and two female students that merit this recognition and have participated in community service. One faculty member, coach, or parent representative should also be willing to provide transportation and accompany the students.

For more information contact Ted O’Reilly at 617-373-4025 or m.oreilly@neu.edu.

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Concord-Carlisle's Andrea and Mike O'Brien are All-American soccer players in addition to being Boston Globe All-Scholastics. (Essdras M Suarez / Globe Staff)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Boston Globe Fall All-Scholastics are out, available for view on Boston.com. More than 200 high school athletes from nine different sports have been selected as All-Scholastics, marking the end of the fall season.

On this season's cover is Concord-Carlisle brother-sister duo Mike and Andrea O'Brien, who are both All-American soccer players for the school. They highlight the level of talent of the many individuals selected this season.

Take a look at who was recognized in football, boys soccer, girls soccer, volleyball, field hockey, boys cross country, girls cross country, girls swimming and golf.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

It was a long weekend in Massachusetts high school sports. The MIAA awarded championship trophies in soccer, volleyball, cross-country, swimming and field hockey. And a week before that, golf champions were crowned. Here's a roundup of all the games and state championships from the fall. You can also find all of our stories and photos at our Fall 2011 Championships page.

Div. 1 girls soccer

Peabody rides defense to title - Katie Brunelle’s goal with 3:26 remaining in the first half helped the Tanners beat East Longmeadow 1-0.

Div. 2 girls soccer

Canton can't halt Auburn - Alysha Brunelle’s strike was all Auburn would need, as the Rockets capped off an undefeated season and claimed the Division 2 girls’ soccer state title, 1-0, over Canton yesterday at Worcester State.

Div. 3 girls soccer

Dover Sherborn edges Hopedale - After losing in the EMass title game last year, the Dover-Sherborn girls’ soccer team had one goal this season, and that was to finish the job with a state championship. The Raiders completed the mission with a 2-1 victory over Hopedale.

Div. 1 boys soccer

Ludlow beats Masconomet - Kyle Tomas scored two second-half goals to lead Ludlow to its third state title in four years and 17th overall.

Div. 2 boys soccer

Groton-Dunstable derails Concord-Carlisle - Daniel Beyh and Alex Merlino scored in the second half as the Crusaders (20-1-1) won their first championship since 2001 in beating the two-time defending state champs.

Div. 3 boys soccer

Sutton proves too much for Georgetown - Despite late momentum by Georgetown, Sutton prevailed, 3-1.

State Volleyball championships

Barnstable adds No. 14 to dynasty; Marlboro tops Melrose; Frontier bests Case - Barnstable’s dynasty grew by beating Central Catholic, 3-0, in the MIAA Division 1 championship; Marlboro rallied to complete an undefeated 23-game season, finishing off Melrose 3-1; and Frontier capitalized on the power and athleticism of junior Cassidy Stankowski, who drilled 24 kills in the Red Hawks’ victory in a marathon 3-2 match.

Boys X-country championships

Bishop Feehan edges Pembroke in photo finish - Bishop Feehan placed four runners in the top 17, overcoming three Pembroke top-10 finishes, to win the MIAA boys’ Division 2 cross-country state championships.

Girls X-country championships

Whitman Hanson girls pull a fast one - All five of Whitman-Hanson’s scoring runners crossed the finish line in under 20 minutes.

Swimming championships

Andover girls glide to 12th title - The Golden Warriors got off to a rousing start when the 200-yard medley relay team of Maeve Awiszus, Ashlee Korsberg, Rachel Moore, and Emma Cammann cruised to a win in 1 minute 49.76 seconds, nearly five seconds in front of runner-up Framingham.

Div. 1 field hockey

Andover repeats as state champions - Sophomore Julia LeBlanc redirected a pass from Meagan Keefe in the second half as the Golden Warriors (22-0-2) defeated Longmeadow, 1-0, for their second consecutive state title.

Div. 2 field hockey

Watertown sinks Oakmont - Watertown (21-0-1) defeated Oakmont, 3-1, to extend its unbeaten streak to 69 games and lock up its 12th state title since coach Eileen Donahue took over in 1986.

Div. 1 golf

St. John's Pandelena takes crown in playoff - Nick Pandelena of St. John’s Prep won a three-man playoff to take the Division 1 individual competition, and St. John’s (Shrewsbury) won its fourth state championship in six years at Glen Ellen Country Club.

Div. 2 golf

May, Masconomet rule roost - ith all eyes on Charlie May, the Masconomet junior calmly rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to clinch the Division 2 state individual championship.

Div. 3 golf

Westwood gets the drop on Medfield - Pat Frodigh -- Westwood High’s No. 1 golfer -- eagled on a crucial 13th hole to spur his team to victory.

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

Freshman Katherine Goguen erupted with two goals in the final five minutes of action Thursday to help keep Weston's field hockey team undefeated and down Dual County League rival Westford Academy, 2-0.

After Westford (6-4-2) suffered a corner penalty with five minutes left on the clock, Weston’s head coach Laura Galopim called a timeout and encouraged her team to be aggressive and take advantage of their eight on five situation.

"In the timeout I wanted to motivate them because we are trying to stay undefeated," Galopim said. "I took time to settle them down and prepare them for what was our best chance to score."

Following the timeout, senior midfielder Grace McCurdy found Goguen underneath the left post and the freshman forward shot a reverse stick flick to the right-side of the goal post to propel the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead.

One minute later, Weston (11-0-2) recovered the ball and Goguen flicked a strong-side shot to the left goal post off of a rebound from the goalkeeper with 2:03 left in regulation to score her seventh goal of the season.

"Goguen was playing very aggressively, she wanted to be the one to put the ball into the net," Galopim said. "During both of her goals she came out strong and beat out her defender."

Junior Sara Coburn recorded her seventh shutout this season and her fifth in the row. The goalkeeper’s gritty defensive play was an answer to Westford’s offensive surges as she finished with a season-high 12 saves.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Games at Georgetown high school today were called off after a cluster of mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus, said athletic director Guy Prescott.

"We're shutting the whole school down," Prescott said.

Seven games were affected, including four soccer games and two field hockey games today. Saturday's varsity football game, which was scheduled to be hosted at the North Shore school, has been moved to West Bridgewater at noon.

Prescott said the board of health alerted Georgetown's school district at 2:15 p.m. of its findings. It's especially disturbing, said Prescott, because of the stream that surrounds the school "like a moat."

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

Junior forward Casey Connors scored a hat trick in her varsity debut as the Hanover field hockey team defeated East Bridgewater, 4-2, at Harry Gerrish field in Hanover.

Connors’s goals came in the second half and were all assisted by junior forward Molly MacNeill.

‘‘[Connors] sat out for a few minutes in the second half with leg cramps and then asked to be put in and went crazy on offense,’’ said coach Judy Schneider.

Hanover (1-0) looked out matched early on, as the Vikings (0-1) controlled the flow throughout the first half. Forward Sophia Cacciatore deflected a hard shot into the goal to put the East Bridgewater up, 1-0, at the half.

‘‘The first half of the game, East Bridgewater kept us on defense,’’ said Schneider. ‘‘We were nervous early on and we didn’t have a chance to go up field and try to score.’’

The Indians came out firing in the second half as Connors drilled her first goal from midfield off a cross-field pass from MacNeill. Forward Meg O’Brien fired a pass from a melee near the net to sophomore forward Angela Katsikis, who deposited a shot into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.

Connors then added the cushion, scoring twice more to complete her hat trick.

‘‘They are very inexperienced but they didn’t quit and they didn’t give up,’’ said Schneider. ‘‘This team is very young and we only have eight seniors so we are still trying to get better.’’

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

It’s been 36 years since a boy first joined a varsity field hockey team in Massachusetts, but controversy continues to surround their participation. Watch the video above as we explore the issue that currently surrounds mix-gendered teams.

For a young and inexperienced playoff team like Medway’s field hockey squad, a first-round win against a similar-seeded team — and an overtime squeaker at that — is one thing. A victory against an undefeated first seed? That’s another thing entirely.

As they took to the muddy field at Bishop Stang in Tuesday’s Division 2 South quarterfinal contest, the odds were not on the Mustangs’ side. Apparently nobody told them that.

The Mustangs pulled themselves back from an early deficit to take a 2-1 win, handing Bishop Stang its first loss of the year.

“Our belief is that we’re a good team, and if we come to play, we should be able to hang with anybody,” said Mustangs’ coach Mary Ellen Hasenfuss. “Their attitude is good. I think they’re starting to believe.”

Spartan Margaret Ferrari scored the first goal of the contest at just under the 20-minute mark in the first half, but Medway refused to submit.

“Once the other team scores, two things can happen: the team can fire up and say they can get it back, or they can give up,” said Hasenfuss. “We didn’t give up.”

Andrea Giaccobe netted the equalizer less than six minutes later, and the teams entered halftime tied, 1-1.

After 22 scoreless minutes, Medway’s Colby Marchetti broke the tie after beating her defender, who had slipped in the mud, on a rebounded shot.

Keeper Kasey Citron, who had 14 saves in the game, made four of her stops in the final minutes to help the team clinch its first semifinal berth in several years.

Though the Mustangs now carry considerable momentum going into Thursday’s game against Old Rochester on its home turf, Hasenfuss is stressing to her team that they must continue to take it one game at a time.

“We’re always cautiously optimistic. If we can beat a No. 1 seed, we should be able to beat a lower-seeded team, again, if we show up to play,” said Hasenfuss. “It’s all if we show up to play."

By Gabe Souza, Globe Correspondent

For the host Groton Zebras, a goal from visiting BB&N in the closing minutes of Saturday's field hockey contest was nearly demoralizing.

With four and a half minutes left, the Knights broke what seemed like an eternally scoreless tie when Meghan O'Donnell rocketed a shot past Groton goalie Kaly Spilhans to give BB&N the 1-0 lead.

"It was just a beautiful shot," said Groton coach Martha Gracey. "It was high and just inside the left post, from about 16 yards out. I think it would've been really easy for the girls to just give up at that point."

But they didn't.

Just two minutes later, junior Talia Simon tied the game for the Zebras, scoring from about six yards out, and the two teams battled through a scoreless overtime to finish with a goal each.

Gracey said Groton played well for most of the game, controlling possession with 16 penalty corners and limiting BB&N to just a few shots on goal.

"This is a real big improvement," said Gracey about her team that is now 2-4-3 on the year.

In Gracey's first year as Groton coach in 2007, the Zebras didn't win a single game, she said. But since then Groton has steadily improved.

The Zebras dropped both of its previous matches against BB&N in the last two years, Gracey said. She thinks the tie will serve as a confidence boost for her team.

"We're the smallest school in the ISL [Independent School League]," said Gracey. "So any victory, any tie we can get, we feel good when we can do that."

Meghan McCarthy, a former student at Tewksbury Memorial High School who died from a malignant brain tumor last January, was honored Monday night at the school’s Play for the Cure field hockey event.

Her former teammates wore pink shirts on their way to a 3-1 win over Chelmsford in the battle for second place in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

All donations from concessions and sales of pink ribbons during the game will be donated to the American Cancer Society in McCarthy’s name. Chelmsford also donated money in her name, and Andover’s three captains surprised McCarthy’s mother, Lee, with flowers.

McCarthy, also a member of the basketball team, played her last game in a Tewksbury uniform for the field hockey team last fall.

“So many of the kids on my team are still connected with her,” said coach Pat Ryser. “That’s why we ended up doing this. The girls wanted to do something in memory of her so I figured it was a good thing. Many kids still on the team were very close to her.”

The players also supported cancer research by collecting more than $1,000 and walking in the breast cancer event held in Boston earlier this year. Ryser is unsure of how much money was raised on Monday night, but she said it appeared to be quite the contribution.

“Some of the coaches called and wanted to know what they could do to help,” she said. “Everyone has just been really supportive.”

McCarthy's friend and basketball teammate, Danielle DePierro, scored her 1,000th career point last winter while wearing McCarthy's No. 24 uniform.

Defending Division 1 state champion Acton-Boxboro returns a senior-laden team for coach Mae Shoemaker. That’s bad news for the rest of the state. The Colonials will be led by senior captains Molly Feit, Nathalie Gruet, and Lindsay Dibbs. Add senior mid Sarah McNichols and you can see why Shoemaker said, “I’ve got a lot of really strong girls returning.’’ A-B finished 24-0 in 2009, edging Dual County League rival Weston, 2-1, in overtime to win the North title before beating Walpole and Longmeadow for the state crown.

Walpole again could stand in A-B’s way. The Porkers went 20-1-2, losing only to A-B in the state semifinals. Coach Marianne Murphy graduated 13 seniors but returns captains Caroline Malone, Sarah Buckley, Hannah Feeley, and Michelle Lennon. Look for Wellesley to push Walpole in the Bay State Conference. The teams meet Thursday.

Winning never gets old for defending Division 2 state champion Watertown.

The title was coach Eileen Donahue’s 10th with the Red Raiders. With 2009 in her rearview mirror, Donahue has two goals for the early portion of this season: “We’re working on leadership and keeping the game simple.’’ The Globe’s reigning Division 2 Coach of the Year will look to seniors Bianca Jones, Jessica Doggett, Kaylee McNamara, and Katie Carlson, and Middlesex League leading scorer Erika Kelly.

If Watertown survives the early postseason gauntlet, Canton could be waiting again in the state semis. Canton went 17-2-3 and beat top-seeded Harwich in the South final.

By Jonathan Raymond, Globe Correspondent

Paisley Kirkland was the star of the night for Silver Lake in a tight, 2-1 victory over Plymouth North. She turned away 14 shots in the game, which turned out to be the difference maker in a 1-goal nail-biter.

Chrissy Kadigan and Courtney Bombardier provided her with the support, each scoring a goal for the Lakers.

Marlborough High school is looking for a number of head coaches to fill vacancies for Fall 2010.

Among the coaching openings are:

- Varsity Cheerleading Coach
- Varsity Boys Cross-Country Coach
- Varsity Girls Cross-Country Coach
- Varsity Football Coach
- Varsity Field Hockey Coach
- Varsity Golf Coach
- Varsity Boys Soccer Coach
- Varsity Girls Soccer Coach
- Varsity Girls Volleyball Coach

Interested applicants are being asked to apply online at Marlborough.schoolfusion.us.

A number of area senior student-athletes are making their college commitments official this week, with the early non-football signing period now in play (Nov. 12-19).

Correspondent Brendan Hall checks in with an updated list of commitments:

Baseball
Sahil Bloom, Weston (Stanford)
Kevin Brown, Algonquin (Bryant)
Peter Castaldi, St. John's Prep (Northeastern)
Jon Leroux, Auburn (Northeastern)
Derek Lowe, Lincoln-Sudbury (William & Mary)
John McKenna, Algonquin (UMass-Amherst)
Justin Quinn, Lincoln-Sudbury (Rollins College)
Fran Whitten, Westborough (Maine)

Basketball
Antoine Allen, Notre Dame Prep (Providence)
Russ Braithwaite, St. Mark’s (Babson)
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Tilton/Boston (UConn)
Courtney Finn, Winthrop (Bentley)
Dave Johnson, St. Mark’s (Quinnipiac)
Erik Murphy, St. Mark’s (Florida)
Alex Oriakhi, Tilton/Lowell (UConn)
Dartaye Ruffin, Stoughton (Drexel)
James Southerland, Notre Dame Prep (Syracuse)

Field hockey
Kara Mackintire, Shrewsbury (Boston College)

Golf
Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury (Virginia)

Lacrosse
Quinn Cully, Duxbury (Notre Dame)
Hakeem Lecky, Duxbury (Syracuse)
Colin O'Rourke, St. John's Shrewsbury (Wagner)
Alex Papoojian, St. John's Shrewsbury (VMI)
Chris Pellichero, King Philip (Providence)
Kristen Scopetski, Algonquin (UMass-Amherst)

Soccer
CC Jensen, Acton-Boxborough (Elon)
AJ Millet, Westford (Harvard)
Sarah Wooley, Duxbury (Siena)

Softball
Nicole D’Argento, Ashland (Boston College)
Jessie Bryant, Marlborough (Providence)

As the 2008 fall season goes into full swing, we've invited a handful of local standouts to write about their seasons on our Player Diaries blog.

I'll allow our contributors to introduce themselves:

Abbie Brown, Westwood, Field hockey

So, two years ago, Westwood field hockey wasn't the best team in the state, nor are we now, but we are working our way to tournament again. Last season, we went to the tournament for the first time in nine years which was a big accomplishment for the us. This year we hope to do the same thing and get further than last year. As of right now, the Westwood Wolverines field hockey team is 2-0 from beating Stoughton and Scituate in two nonleague matchups. We still have a long way to go until we make the tourney, but our team is willing to do whatever it is to make it again.

I play field hockey and lacrosse, and run winter track. This past spring my team was the 2008 Division 1 girls' lacrosse state champions.

Mike Savery, Hingham, soccer

My name is Mike Savery and I play midfield for the Hingham boys' soccer team. We were 6-6-6 last year, making the playoffs for the ninth straight time under our coach Ken Carlin. However, our worst season under coach Carlin ended just as horribly, losing to Oliver Ames in the play-in round, 1-0. This year, however, will be much different. We are returning eight starters, and have 15 senior players, myself included. I will be looking to split some time this year on the right side, as we have yet to figure out the winning formation. Along with playing on the soccer team, I am a four year varsity skier, two of those years as captain.

Kara Dunford, Notre Dame Academy, cross country

I'm at senior at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham. I'm running cross country in the fall for the first time. Besides cross country, I am one of the captains of the indoor and outdoor
track teams. I am also editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and I am interested in pursuing a career in Journalism in the future.

Check back on our Player Diaries page for much more from this trio as the season goes on. If you're interested in writing for us, drop us an email with your name, school, sport, and a quick note on why you'd like to contribute.

We're dusting off our Player Diaries blog for the fall season and we're looking for athletes who might be interested in chronicling their seasons on Boston.com.

Last fall, Mansfield football standout Mike McPherson and Ursuline volleyball All-Scholastic Caitlin Burchill kept us updated on their exciting seasons. Now we want you to tell us all about your fall season.

Interested? Drop us an email with your name, sport you play, and a brief bio about yourself. Remember, you don't have to be the team superstar. Heck, if you're the stats keeper and you want to tell the world about how your team is doing, we want you, too.

We'll pick a handful of our favorites to handle the Player Diaries this fall. Hey, it doesn't look bad on a college resume, either.