By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

After struggling in the first half, Malik James led Brighton in a fourth quarter comeback against Scituate for a 55-52 win in the Division 2 EMass championship and state semifinal.

Brighton will move on to play in the state championship Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Scituate went on a 10-5 run in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 49-38 lead over Brighton. Brighton then scored 7 straight points – four of them by James.

After Scituate senior Taran O’Toole connected on one of two free throws, Brighton junior Mark Mojica intercepted a pass, leading to a James transition layup. Mojica followed the play up with another steal, leading to a layup by teammate Nick Simpson off of a James assist.

After James tied the game 50-50 with a made free throw 1:15 left in the game, David Cox looked like he saved Scituate from the collapse by connecting on both of his free throws with 53 seconds to go.

However, with 8.4 seconds left, James once again rose to the occasion by tying the game with two clutch free throws at the line. He followed up with a 3-point play in transition after senior Nate Hogan forced a turnover to seal the win and keep Brighton’s season alive.

Brighton will play South Hadley in the Division 2 state final.

Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe

Brighton linebacker Torry Johnson runs through drills on the first day of football practice on Monday in Cleveland Circle.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Football is back in Boston.

And Monday's opening day of training camp marked major new beginnings at several city league programs.

Besides being the first day of practice for new coaches at Brighton High, Charlestown High and West Roxbury High, Monday was the first ever football practice for New Mission High.

New Mission secured a football program after it was announced last school year that the school would move from Mission Hill to the former Hyde Park Education Complex.

About 13 New Mission students participated in practice at Ross Field on Monday.

“This is surreal,” said New Mission coach Michael Pittman Forman, who used to coach at Cathedral High in the South End. ”I’ve been in Boston for a while and I’ve wanted to get into the city [league] and coach. It feels surreal and I’m happy for the turnout we have right now. It’s a little low but we should be getting more guys.”

Known for their formidable basketball teams, the Titans looked athletic as they ran through conditioning drills on Monday morning.

“Once we start running with helmets and shoulder pads we’ll see if they are football players,” Pittman Forman said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be great. Everything starts with baby steps and we’re taking baby steps right now. We’ll see how it goes from this point on.”

Over in West Roxbury, another new era of football started as Derek Wright was in place as head coach instead of Leo Sybertz. The 74-year-old retired after the 2007 season only to return for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Wright served as Sybertz' assistant for two seasons.

“It was a restless night, the anxiety, now it’s all on my shoulders to be the head guy,” Wright said.

The Raiders junior quarterback David Bertucci said it was strange without Sybertz at practice on Monday.

“But I’ve been with these coaches since I was a freshman and I love them all to death,” he said. “But you can’t really replace a coach Sy, it’s always tough. Coach Wright coached me since JV year so I’ve been under his tutelage. It’s always good working with a coach you’ve worked with before. It makes everything easier. I’m happy they made Coach Wright head coach, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be head coach.”

Bertucci also said it’s a little tough coming back to practice and conditioning because it means summer is over and school is about to start.

“But the football helps to remove that pit [in your stomach] and makes everything better,” said Buertucci, whose father played at Westie in the 1980s and is an assistant for the Raiders. “I’m just happy to be back. I’ve been waiting for this since the last game of the year last year against Brighton. We finished off strong and we have a good group of guys here and we’re hoping to go deep in the playoffs.”

At Brighton’s camp in Cleveland Circle on Monday, longtime Bengals’ assistant Randolph Abraham officially took over the reins from James “Timo” Philip, who retired last year after coaching the Bengals for 30 years.

Abraham played for Philip until 2000 and became his assistant coach after graduating from Nichole’s College in 2004.

“It feels awesome, this is a dream of mine, I’ve wanted to do since I was a student here,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind but I think we’ve got great coaching.”

Last week Abraham joked that he wouldn’t be surprised if Philip turned up at the first day of practice. While Philip was a no show on Monday, Abraham joked that Philip would "hate" how organized practice is.

“He likes to roll with it,” Abraham said of Philip. “Me, I’m the opposite. We’re very organized and precise as you can see. We’re getting a lot done today. It feels like we’ve been here for four hours but we’ve only been here for two. They’re working.”

During the first week of Brighton’s practice last year, Brighton's star tight end Prince Unaegbu suffered a dislocating wrist and played most of the season with a cast on his forearm.

“It feels good, I’ve been waiting all year for this," the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder said. "When I came in today it felt like I was getting ready for a game or something.”

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

The Boston Scholar Athletes program is hosting the POWERADE/AE Pre-Season Nike Sparq Football Combine on Saturday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Dorchester (650 Dudley St.).

Running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the combine will provide Boston public high school football players with a chance to receive a Nike SPARQ rating, which will allow them to compare themselves to other high school football players. The attendees will also participate in a series of Nike SPARQ training drills.

No more than 25 members of each BPS football team can attend the combine and all students must be academically eligible.

Each athlete will partake in four tests (40 yard dash, pro agility, vertical
jump, and kneeling power ball throw). At the completion each score will be put into
a computer system and the player will then receive a Nike SPARQ rating.

There will also be six stations (agility cones, speed hurdles, speed
ladder, parachutes, power ball, linear speed) with each station lasting between eight to
10 minutes.

An hour of position specific teaching and fundamentals will also be conducted.

For more information contact Chris Rooks at 617-517-4444 or crooks@bostonscholarathletes.org; or Brad Schoonmaker at 617-517-4526
bschoonmaker@bostonscholarathletes.org.

EVENT ITINERARY:

8:00am-9:00am: Registration (handled by BSA staff)

9:00am-12:00pm: Combine

12:00pm-1:00pm: Hydration & Lunch

1:00pm-2:00pm: Nike Sparq Training

2:00pm-2:10pm: Hydration

2:10pm-3:10pm: Position Specific

3:10pm-3:20pm: Hydration

3:20pm-4:20pm: Half Line Drills and Skelly

4:20pm-4:30pm: Hydration

4:30pm-5:00pm Wrap Up

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

Several teams in the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League started their seasons about a week late last week after league officials cracked down on a long-time residency rule that was never truly enforced before now.

The 43-year-old summer basketball league known as BNBL is — like all programs run by Boston Centers for Youth & Families — only for Boston residents because it’s funded by the city and its taxpayers.

But in past years, a player’s residency was only checked if it was challenged by another team during the course of the season. BCYF Director of Recreation, Sports and Fitness Ryan Fitzgerald said the policy was too hard to enforce once the season already started.

So this year BCYF officials required BNBL players to prove residency before the season started by showing a report card, birth certificate or another document that proved their address is in Boston — a process that delayed the start of the season for some teams.

“This is no different from what a lot of programs and leagues in the city require anyway,” Fitzgerald said. “We had many coaches and players and participants in the program voice concerns on the issue so we’ve taken steps to address it and minimize the infractions.”

While Fitzgerald said he hopes the missed games will be made up on off days, many teams and players a still irked.

“It’s very frustrating because I wanted to play basketball and I wanted to be with my team last week when we should’ve started,” Jaleel Bell of the Dorchester YMCA team said after his squad played its first game last Wednesday night at the Perkins Community Center in Dorchester.

“In Massachusetts you’re a Massachusetts player, if other people want to play its OK. We’re all playing basketball, it’s for the youth, we’re not doing anything dangerous, we’re not doing drugs; we’re playing basketball so it’s something positive.”

Dorchester YMCA coach, Andrew Angus agreed that the league should be open to everyone because it helps keeps kids off the streets.

“We also go down there and join their leagues too, it goes hand-in-hand, I think we’re Massachusetts it’s not anything else, we’re all one,” Angus said.

The former BNBL player, who won three MIAA state titles as a player with Charlestown High from 2000 to 2003, said competing against players from outside the city in the summer made him a better player during the school year.

“It kind of made the league a little better with people who come from all over to just play BNBL [from outside the city]," he said. “That’s just bringing different talent inside the city. You’re just playing everybody. So trying to keep it in the city you kind of take away a little bit but it’s what the city wants I guess.”

Fitzgerald, who played in the league himself as a youngster, said he sees both sides of the issue.

“I can certainly see that point of view,” he said. “As a young kid I was excited to play against all competition no matter where it came from. I get that. The only problem is this is a program run by the City of Boston with city resources so it becomes complicated about who we can provide services to.

“For every person that has [Bell and Angus’] opinion there is another one who feels that it should be City of Boston kids and that’s what the program was started for. I’m not saying either one is wrong but as it is currently constituted that’s what we have to do.”

Perkins Community Center coach Eric Bradshaw said the residency issue has been a problem since he started coaching BNBL 20 years ago. He said he doesn’t’ have a problem with cracking down on residency but said that that BCYF should start figuring out who can and can’t play earlier in the school year.

“Every year it’s always been the same thing,” he said. “I don’t know why it took so long to be honest with you but it’s been an issue for 20 years.”

Fitzgerald said they notified coaches and players of the new policy starting in May.

“We feel there was ample amount of time to get this information,” he said. “But I don’t begrudge anyone who had trouble and I certainly understand it takes more work to collect it. … We knew it might be a little bumpy this year. When things are new and different, especially when they were done the same way for such a long time, there are hiccups.

“But I think next year when people are prepared for it I anticipate it to be a lot more smooth.”

One of the league’s founders, Alfreda J. Harris, said she would’ve liked to see the policy shift happen years ago.

“It’s very simple, the program originated 43 years ago and it’s for Boston residence,” said Harris, who is a school committee member in Boston. “The money comes from city of Boston tax payers, it’s always been that way. It’s better to get it clear now than wait till the end of the season when teams lost to teams because they had illegitimate players.

“I think it was a good idea for Ryan [Fitzgerald] to clamp down and get the paperwork in at the beginning of the season.”

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

Photo courtesy of John Maconga

Lou Bergholz leaps to make a save for the combined PW Global Advisors/Edgework Consulting team during last year's SCORES Cup at Gillette Stadium.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The eighth annual SCORES Cup corporate charity soccer tournament returns to Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

The 32-team tournament benefits America SCORES Boston, a non-profit organization that uses soccer to inspire literacy and health in Boston public schools.

The seven-on-seven coed tournament provides corporate soccer teams the chance to show off their skills on the Gillette Stadium turf before watching the New England Revolution play the Seattle Sounders FC.

Each team will play a minimum of three 30-minute games.

Participants also receive an Official SCORES Cup Adidas jerseys, their company logos in the game day program as well as post-tournament activities at Patriot Place.

Some of Boston's largest companies will participate in the event that is expected to raise close to $200,000 for SCORES.

For more information contact Alex Maeder at 617-553-4703 or amaeder@americascores.org. Or you can visit www.AmericaSCORESBoston.org/SCORESCup.

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

The Boston Scholar Athlete program will conduct a free six-week fitness program for Boston public school athletes beginning next month.

The BSA Summer Fit 2012 program will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays from July 9 to Aug. 15 at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on Dudley Street in Dorchester.

"BSA Fit is open to every male and female athlete (or prospective athlete) in our schools," according to the BSA's most recent monthly newsletter. "Come and get ready for the fall season with BSA Fit!"

The six-week program will be operated by BSA fitness and training partner, Athletic Evolution.

"Athletic Evolution’s philosophies are to help athletes train the correct way, while always keeping in mind the reason for training," according to the BSA newsletter. "While mastering the skills of a sport is one element of becoming a better athlete; mastering the training techniques for that sport along with the skills will breed ultimate success in sports."

The BSA is also looking for "smart and driven scholar-athletes" to participate in its three-day Summer Zone Program, from July 25-27.

The program, which will take participants to institutions such as Boston College, is free for qualifying BSA Zone members.

"The program offers an opportunity for scholar-athletes to interact and learn together in a healthy and fun environment with emphasis on leadership skills, team building, and reinforcing athlete self-confidence," the newsletter says. "Activities include a ropes course, team activities, mental and physical challenges, in addition to career and life skills training."

Interested Zone members can apply on the BSA website.

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

Brighton senior Luis Nunez qualified for the All-State meet last Saturday after clearing 6-feet-2-inches at the Eastern Mass Division 1 state meet. (Photo courtesy of Gerald Howland)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Qualifying for the All-States meet during the indoor track season was a natural progression for Luis Nunez considering he practiced high jump at the Reggie Lewis Center three days a week. Qualifying for Monday’s outdoor All-States meet in high jump, however, was a much bigger feat for the Brighton senior considering he hardly ever practices high jump during the outdoor season.

“He really only gets to practice during meets at White Stadium,” said Brighton track coach Sara Voss Geiman, noting that during the outdoor season they usually practice at their school or at Madison Park’s track, which doesn’t have the high jump set up. “To get to [White Stadium] from Brighton is a trek. The fact that he does what he does with virtually no practice is a testament to what an amazing athlete he is.”

After finishing tied for third at the Eastern Mass Division 1 track meet at Durfee High School last weekend with a leap of 6-feet-2-inches, Nunez will be the No. 15 seed at the All-State meet on Saturday at Fitchburg State University.

“I’m really excited about it, I can’t wait for it to come,” Nunez said. “I really want to improve myself at get into the Top 5.”

Nunez has jumped as high as 6-4 during the indoor season and he said he probably would have a better shot at his goal of qualifying for the outdoor New England meet this weekend if he could practice more. But he also said that he doesn’t mind not being able to practice high jump in the spring because he doesn’t have to worry about over-thinking his jumps.

“For me I have the muscle memory and things like that so it comes naturally,” he said. “That’s kind of one of the things, when I think about it I kind of get nervous, I try to do all types of stuff. When I’m not really thinking about it I jump and do better than when I actually think about it.

“[But] training and everything, I would definitely be better, there’s no doubt about it.”

Nunez has a 4.1 GPA and said he wants to try to walk on to the track team at UMass Amherst in the fall. He said it's not frustrating that he can’t practice high jump in the spring because it allows him to focus on his other events, including the 100- and 200-meter dashes, the long jump and the 4x100-meter relay.

“I want to be able to do different events,” he said.

Nunez’s teammate, senior Laquasia Anderson, will also run at the All-State meet as the No. 11 seed in the 200-meter dash. Anderson was seeded No. 1 in the 200-meter in the Division 1 meet last weekend before finishing second with a time of 26.13 seconds. She also helped Brighton’s 4x100-meter relay team finish 12th with a time of 52.18 seconds.

“There is a part of me that knows she competed well but saved a little bit of herself for the 4x100 so I’m excited to see what she can do with only one race to focus on,” Voss Geiman said.

Anderson had ankle surgery last year after seriously injuring herself during a basketball game.

“I was surprised myself,” she said of how fast she recovered from surgery. “But over the summer last year I played basketball and ran a lot on the weekend and my basketball coach had me running a lot. I just kept running, pushing myself and when I came to track I pushed myself even harder and that was the outcome.”

Anderson, who will try to walk on to the track team at UMass Dartmouth in the fall, will be making her first All-States appearance this weekend.

“I just want to push myself, I’m not worried about being No. 1 and winning, I just want to push myself so I finish,” she said. “One of the things I’m going to take away from track is [my coach] helped me believe in myself because at one point I didn’t and that’s something I’m going to take with me to college and after that.”

The only other athlete from a Boston public school that will be competing in this year’s All-State meet is O’Bryant’s state champion hurler, senior Adrienne Thornton, who won the discus at the Eastern Mass Division 3 meet with a toss of 132-09. She finished third in the shot put with a toss of 38-08.5.

At All-States, Thornton will be seeded No. 1 in discus and No. 3 in shot put behind Mahar Regional’s Sabrina Silva and Wakefield’s Elizabeth Bray.

Thornton’s coach Jose Ortega said their goal is to win both.

“It’s not going to be easy but hopefully she can pull it off,” he said. “She just has to relax and allow her talent and technique to take over. She has it in her to perform well she just has to relax and let it flow and go.”

Ortega, who has won 18 outdoor city championships and 16 indoor city championships at O’Bryant, said that only sending three athletes from Boston public schools to All-States is a “typical” year. Ortega said more city athletes could qualify if more city schools were in lower divisions, where the qualifying standards for the division meets are lower as well.

“That would give us more athletes to qualify for states and a chance to move on to All-States rather than be in their respective divisions and work twice as hard to get to All-States,” he said. “If you want the programs to be more successful you should look into all the teams in Boston being put in one division and more kids would qualify and advance to All-States.”

Ortega lobbied Boston Schools’ Athletic Director Ken Still a few years ago to petition the MIAA with proposal to move the city track teams into Division 4.

“He said present your proposal and to give him data, that’s the hard part is going through and finding all the data to prove our point,” Ortega said. “Without data he cannot present it to the MIAA, which is a legitimate reason.”

Schools are put into division by the size of their student body.

“That’s the problem, our school may be a bit big, but if you look at all the kids coming out for track and field it doesn’t make sense,” Ortega said. “So what if we have 2,200 students, you only get 10 of those 2,200 who come out for track.”

Voss Geiman said she was bummed more athletes from Boston schools didn’t qualify for All-States.

“I was kind of sad because there is such a great camaraderie between the coaches in track and field and actually once we get done with the city meet all the BPS kids feel like we are on the same team,” she said. “It’s too bad there weren’t more people that could go and represent Boston.”

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

Pavel Dzemianok / For the Boston Globe

Latin Academy pitcher Sam Steeves dives into third base during a loss to Brighton on Wednesday afternoon at English High.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

With a trip to the Boston City League tournament on the line, the Brighton baseball team had to pull out a 4-3 win over Latin Academy on Wednesday afternoon at English high school, but they're status is still up in the air.

With the victory, the Bengals aren’t guaranteed a spot in the tournament. They're currently tied with the Latin Academy. A set of various tie-breakers will determine which team makes the tournament. Had Brighton lost, the Bengals would have been eliminated from the city's postseason.

“I don’t understand how the tie-breaker go. It has all kind of mumbo-jumbo,” Brighton coach Bill Mahoney said.

The Dragons scored two runs in the seventh inning before Brighton was able to stop the bleeding and claim the win.

The Bengals got off to an early start, scoring a run in the first inning, stringing together two hits, a hit batter and aggressive base running to score.

Latin Academy answered in the bottom half of the first. Pitcher Vincent LoPriore (3 for 4, 2 RBIs) singled in first baseman Kevin Moran who reached after getting hit by a pitch.

Brighton pitcher Chris DeLouchrey settled down after the first, getting 1-2-3 innings in both the second and fourth frames. He finished the game with seven innings pitched and 12 strikeouts. He allowed six hits and walked five.

“We had the big guy on the mound, he’s a force,” Mahoney said. “He was good when he had to be. He had two strikeouts in the seventh and was cruising and then all of a sudden they had a chance to win the ballgame.”

The Bengals added a run in the second off an RBI single from leadoff hitter Jesus Soto. They scored two more across in the fifth, taking advantage of walks and miscues from the Dragons defense. Randi Herrera (0 for 3) picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

“We don’t score a lot of runs as a team,” Mahoney said. “Four is what we have been scoring the last few games.”

DeLouchrey and the Bengals were on cruise control heading in the bottom of the seventh frame, and the star pitcher struck out the first two batters.

But Latin Academy hung tough, stringing together three hits and a walk to net two runs. Moran picked up an RBI on a single up the middle and LoPriore picked up his second RBI with a single to short right field.

Mahoney called a timeout to speak to DeLouchrey.

“I told him to look into the bullpen and see our relief pitching, and there is nobody there,” Mahoney said. “So it’s all your game.”

With runners on second and third, two outs and a trip to the city tournament on the line, the senior pitcher came through, striking out the final batter to cement the victory.

Brighton needs to win one of its next two games to qualify for the state tournament.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Tuesday's full slate of Boston schools' baseball and softball games has been canceled due to inclement weather, wreaking havoc on the race for the city championships. The softball and baseball city championships are slated for this weekend but mother nature is making it difficult to determine who will be playing.

In softball, East Boston (9-6, 8-0) and O’Bryant (7-5, 7-3) are poised to represent the North conference in the city championships while Latin Academy (9-10, 7-0) and South Boston (9-3, 9-3) and Dorchester (8-3, 8-3) are fighting for the South conference slot.

The forecast isn’t much better for Wednesday, when Brighton and Latin Academy are slated to square off in a baseball battle that could be the key to determining who represents the North conference in the baseball city championships.

In baseball, the top two teams from the North conference qualify for the tournament so
English High is also in the running to make cities.

The top team from the Central and South also qualify for cities. East Boston is looking like the runaway leader in the Central conference while Boston International and Fenway are battling to represent the South conference.

International (8-3, 5-1), which has already had eight or nine rain outs this year, has several conference games to make up this week. They are slated to play a double header against Charlestown on Thursday and back-to-back games against Snowden and Burke on Friday.

Boston International coach Christian Irizarry said he has plenty of pitching to get his team through the nonstop schedule of games.

“I have five arms besides my regular pitcher,” he said. “So for our league we are pretty good in terms of pitching.”

Fenway (9-7, 7-3), which clinched the state tournament for the first time in eight years on Monday, feels like they deserve to be the South representatives in the city tournament, especially because they defeated Boston International, 8-4, on Saturday. International beat Fenway 6-5 earlier in the season.

First-year Fenway coach David Walsh said his team would go to cities if the tiebreak came down to runs scored.

“We would definitely do damage in the cities,” he said. “If we don’t get in at least I know we’re in states.”

If the remainder of Boston International’s league games are rained out, it’s unclear how they will be counted in the standings.

“If I don’t play anyone because of the weather why should [Fenway] be on top?” Irizarry said.

The baseball city championship semifinals will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday at English High. The title bout will be on Monday at 10 a.m.

The softball semifinals will be at 11 a.m. at Clemente and Cobe Fields in the Fens. The championship game will be at 10 a.m. on Monday at Cobe Field.

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 Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

Following are games of the Week in the city league for May 14-19:

BASEBALL

Monday: East Boston at English, 3:30 – Both teams are off to a strong start to the season, but will need to continue that success to guarantee themselves a place in the postseason. Monday's game could be a jumping off point for both teams.
Wednesday: Brighton at Madison Park, 3 – After going to the city championship game last season, the Cardinals have had a rough start this year. They can still finish on a high note but will have to get through a Brighton team that has only one loss.
Wednesday: English at Latin Academy, Town Field, 3:30 – The two squads are neck and neck for a shot at the postseason with identical 5-2 league records. The Blue & Blue have a slight advantage with a 7-4 overall record to the Dragons’ 6-5 standing. Wednesday’s game will be big for both teams.
Thursday: Dorchester at Boston International, 3:30, Fallon Field – Boston International still boasts an undefeated league record at 4-0, but Dorchester sits in third in the standings and is hungry to solidify themselves as playoff contenders. An upset for Dorchester could give them the momentum they need heading into the final week and a half of regular season action.
Saturday: Brighton at Wellesley, 12 p.m. – Brighton has a solid record at 6-1 and is sitting on top of the standings with a trip to the postseason in sight. They haven’t played any non-league games, however, and Saturday’s tilt will be a good measuring stick for just how good the Tigers are.

SOFTBALL

Monday: Boston International at Burke, Casey Field, 4 – Boston International has had a strong season with a young team of players. They currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture, but could make a late push to make the tournament. A win over a struggling Burke (3-5) could be a jumping off point.
Monday: Charlestown at Madison Park, 3 – Madison Park is coming off a big win over West Roxbury, but needs to keep raking in the victories if they want to qualify for the tournament. A win over struggling Charlestown (1-5) could be what the Cardinals need to get the ball rolling.
Tuesday: East Boston at Bishop Fenwick, 3:30 – Eastie is a strong 5-0 in conference action, but has yet to win a non-conference match-up with a 0-4 record in non-league match-ups. A win against Fenwick could give the Jets a ton of confidence heading into the final weeks.
Thursday: Dorchester at O’Bryant, Madison Park, 3:30 – O’Bryant is currently in position to make the tournament, while Dorchester sits just out of reach. The game will be more important to the Bears, but both teams could use a win as a turning point.
Thursday: West Roxbury at Snowden, Fens (Cobe), 3:30 – The Raiders have just one loss, a 14-6 setback to Madison Park. They’ll look to get back on track against a Snowden team that needs wins down the stretch in order to make the tournament.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Former NBA employee Christopher Rooks started his new job as the Boston Scholar Athletes program's athletic director last week.

Rooks will manage all athletic programs run by the nonprofit organization designed
to support Boston Public School athletics.

“What I’m really excited about is the opportunity to work with the kids, work with the constituents in Boston and grow a program that helps them use the foundation of athletics to improve themselves as individuals, academically as well as in life,” Rooks said during an interview on Tuesday morning.

Founded in 2009 by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Suffolk Construction CEO and chairman John Fish,  the BSA provides support to all 19 Boston Public High Schools, 157 athletic teams, 3,900 players and 132 coaches.

The program, which was started after the Globe ran a seven-part series on the sad state of the district's athletic program called Failing our Athletes, has also established learning centers for athletes at each of Boston’s public high schools known as the BSA Zones.

“I am excited to have Chris on the BSA team,” Fish said in a statement.  “The
experience and relationships he gained working for the NBA, combined with his
passion for athletics and professional development, will elevate the BSA
athletic program to a whole new level as we work to help Boston’s
scholar-athletes play to achieve.”

Rooks spent more than 11 years working for the NBA. He was most recently a senior manager
for player development who was responsible for the creation and administration
of athlete life skills programs, transitional workshops, awareness and prevention seminars and professional development resources.

“I come from a background of business development and player development,” Rooks said. “For the last six years I worked in the player development department where our role was to work with teams, players and our partners to try to benefit the personal, professional and social development of our players."

Rooks said his background in the NBA will help him build rapport with the BPS student-athletes.

“One of the things we wanted to make sure that the [NBA] understood is that the fame and the popularity of both [the players] and their sport kind of obligates them to take a position in social responsibility because of so many people who are looking up to them,” Rooks said. “It’s one of
the things we really pushed hard was that guys do more in the community so they can
be seen because of the impact they have."

At the BSA, Rooks will be responsible for building long-term local and national
relationships as well as providing leadership, strategic direction, management
and coordination for all aspects of the BSA’s athletic program. Rooks will
also be responsible for the development of relationships with the BSA’s current
and potential markets along with increasing the program’s athletic support for
players and coaches.

Rooks received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Ohio State in 1994 and he earned his master’s degree in sport administration in 2000 from OSU. Rooks replaces Evan Davis, who is currently the chief operating office at the Sports Legacy Institute.

“I’m really excited to be here working with the quality staff at BSA, the folks at BPS athletics and our athletic community here throughout all of Boston,” Rooks said.

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

Pavel Dzemianok for the Boston Globe

The high school boys got off to a fast start in the Boston Athletic Association Scholastic Invitational Mile on Sunday morning.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Ben Groleau is hitting .500 lifetime at the boys’ Boston Athletic Association Scholastic Invitational Mile.

Running the race — which loops around Boylston and Newbury Streets before finishing on the Boston Marathon’s finish line — Sunday morning for the fourth straight year, the Framingham High senior had a winning time of 4 minutes, 27.2 seconds. The race features two athletes from each city or town along the Boston Marathon course.

“That was rough,” said Groleau, who also won the race as a sophomore. “Coming into it I knew it was going to be a hard field, I knew I was going to have to take it out early, but man I didn’t know I had [that kind of kick] in me. I’m excited. I guess experience paid off a lot.”

Groleau said he was surprised to win by such a large margin. Justin Keefe from Newton North (4:39.7) finished second and Tim Bolick of Hopkinton (4:40.4) was third.

“You can’t get caught up behind anyone right off the bat,” Groleau said when asked about what he’s learned from running the race in the past. “On a course with this many turns, you get boxed in way too much on the corners so you have to take it out. I knew that going in, so I jumped in front at the beginning of the race and I figured I’d let those guys figure it out.”

In the girls’ race, Newton North sophomore, Evelyn Heffernan, won with a time of 5:23.1. Shelby Aarden (5:24) of Hopkinton was second and Melissa Lodge (5:24.8), also of Hopkinton, third.

“It was great,” Heffernan said. “The crowd is incredible and they are really helpful. There are people all around and they just push you through the whole thing and it’s great.”

A freshman, Aarden was running the race for the first time.

“I was trying to keep up with the leaders,” Aarden said. “At the end I had some more energy so I went ahead, I passed one or two in the final 100 yards.”

The morning also featured a boys’ and girls’ middle school 1-kilometer race. Zachary O'Leary of Ashland won the boys’ race in 2:54.5, ahead of John Lara of Boston (3:00) and Thomas D’Anieri of Wellesley. Leah Metzger of Newton won the girls' race in 3:35.9, ahead of Piper Higgins of Wellesley (3:43.3) and Nicole Anselmo of Natick (3:44.5).

“I was really nervous so I just decided to go out and have fun,” Metzger said.

O’Leary said, “John Lara caught me at the end of the first lap; I had to pump through it. I couldn’t feel my legs. The first lap I had to pump it. Then I said to myself ‘I have to kick it in.’

"I can't feel my legs right now but it was worth it."

In the high school boys’ race, Newton North’s Keefe didn’t have enough kick to eclipse Groleau. Keefe was running the race for the first time.

“I was hoping for the win but what can I say, he has the most experience,” Keefe said of Groleau. “He’s a strong kid. I’ll get him later in the season.”

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

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The six Boston Marathon runners raising money for the Boston Scholar Athlete Program have received words of encouragement from friends, family and colleagues during training.

But they never expected a pep talk from Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

“This weekend is marathon weekend, I want to congratulate the runners who are running the Boston Marathon for the Boston Scholar Athlete Program, I’ll be watching you,” Menino said during the first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party on the floor of the TD Garden on Tuesday night.

The gala raised $1.9 million for the program which has established a dedicated, staffed learning center for athletes inside each of Boston’s 19 public high schools. The program was co-founded by Menino and Suffolk Construction CEO and Chairman, John Fish.

“That was great, I didn’t expect that at all," BSA Academic Associate Colin Campbell said. "To have him recognize us meant a lot to us. Even though it was at such a big event, where people are putting a lot more into it than we are to fund raise, and [for him to] recognize us along with everyone there to support our program overall was great.”

Besides Campbell, Nicole Reither of Swampscott, Michelle Nielsen of Falls Church, Va., Kate Hensley of Quincy, Joseph Cappellano of South Boston and Liz Collins of Boston are the other BSA or Suffolk Construction employees running.

So far they have raised about $23,000 for the BSA.

“Every one of the runners for our team has a connection to BSA which is unique,” Campbell said. “I think that’s something you don’t see in a lot of other charity teams. They don’t have that connection. So for us explaining BSA [to donors] has been great."

Each runner has a month after the marathon to raise a minimum $5,000 or the difference comes out of their pocket. And in these tough times many charity runners have had a hard time finding donors to reach their goals.

Joseph Cappellano, a senior facilitator for BSA who works with athletes at Boston Latin School, said it can be tough to raise money since they all know each other and are all raising money for the same cause. But he also said they’ve come up with creative ways to raise money such as conducting a March Madness bracket.

“Most of us have reached [$5,000] or are close but obviously our goal is not to stop at $20,000 but go beyond it,” Cappellano said.

The South Boston native said his friends and family are receptive to helping Boston Public School athletes.

“As soon as I tell them we’re trying to revamp high school sports in Boston they are kind of like ‘I wish they had that when I was there,’ ” he said. “So people are very, very receptive.”

Another challenge is the fact that while the group trains together, Hensley is the only one with marathon experience.

“It’s interesting, we were all athletes in high school and college and we all have old injuries and they start to come back to haunt you,” Cappellano said.

On Monday, the group plans to start the race together and then branch off as the race progresses. They hope to all run under four hours.

“It’s a little up in the air,” Cappellano said when asked what time he is shooting for. “Before Tuesday would be nice.”

For more information on the BSA runners, go to their fundraising website.

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

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

The Boston City League track teams were in action on Thursday’s rainy afternoon as the city schools competed in a dual meet at White Stadium in Dorchester.

Nine girls teams and nine boys teams came out to compete in the second meet of the season.

The boys’ results were highlighted by a tie between East Boston and Latin Academy at 52 points. O’Bryant picked up the most points in the meet with 72 in a win over West Roxbury, who collected 13 points. O’Bryant also defeated Brighton 61 to 39. Madison Park picked up 58 points in a win over Charlestown (nine points) and West Roxbury lost their second match-up with 12 points to Brighton’s 43. South Boston defeated New Mission 47 points to 34 points.

O’Bryant picked up wins in three events, including both relays. The Tigers won the 4x100 in 50.70, over a second ahead of second place finishers South Boston. They also took the 4x400 relay in 4:40:00, 10.1 seconds faster than Madison Park, which finished second.

The Tigers’ third win came in the 800-meter, which Patrick Powell finished in 2:17.70.

Also picking up three wins was South Boston, who controlled the field events. Carson Passes won the discus, throwing for 99 feet and 11 inches. Tony Nguyen took home the shot put with a distance of 37 feet, 5.5 inches. The Knights’ third victory came in the 400 meter, where William Arrington finished in 55.2 seconds for a full three-second victory.

Madison Park, East Boston and Brighton each picked up victories in two different events to help bolster their point totals.

Boston Latin Academy, who won the Boston City League indoor track championship this past season, finished in the top three in six of the 15 events, including a win in the 1-mile from Sonny Finch who finished in 5:25.40.

West Roxbury and Madison Park took the jumping events with the Raiders’ Jonas Ogaus taking the long jump at 18-feet 1-inch and the Cardinals’ Kevin Bevnardez winning the triple jump at 35-feet 2-inches.

In girls’ action, Brighton picked up the largest point total of the afternoon with a 67-18 win over West Roxbury. The Raiders also picked up a loss to O’Bryant, 60-18. O’Bryant’s second win came with a 52-46 takeover of Brighton. Latin Academy defeated East Boston 54-44 and New Mission/English defeated South Boston 49-19. The biggest margin of victory came in Madison Park’s 40-8 defeat over Charlestown.

O’Bryant’s Adrienne Thornton, the state record holder in the 20-pound throw and defending New England champion in the discus, won the discus throwing for 120-feet, 3-inches.

Latin Academy won six events on the girls’ side including both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Each of the four individual events won by the Dragons was claimed by a different athlete, marking the team’s depth.

Brighton took three events highlighted by Jaquasia Anderson’s narrow defeat of New Missions Akkeia Dickerson. Anderson finished in 26.3, just three tenths of a second ahead of Dickerson. Brighton’s Esther Hkwah won the long jump at 15-feet 1-inch and also won the 100 meter hurdles as the only female racing.

New Mission, Madison Park, South Boston, and East Boston each had a winner in one event.

Justin A. Rice for Boston.com

Boston Scholar Athlete program founder and Suffolk Construction CEO and Chairman, John Fish, speaks at the first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party was held on the floor of the TD Garden Tuesday night. The gala benefited the two-year-old program that has established learning centers for athletes at each of Boston’s 19 public high schools.

“The Boston Scholar athlete program believes there is a link, a proven link, between athletics and academic achievement,” said BSA founder and Suffolk Construction CEO and chairman John Fish.
.
Fish and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino collaborated to create the BSA after the Globe ran a seven-part series on the sad state of the district's athletic program called Failing our athletes.

“The mayor called me about two and a half years ago and said, ‘John we have some challenges with the Boston Public Schools athletic program, I think we can make a difference by putting some additional resources and putting some advice and guidance into it,’” Fish said. “That’s all our team needed to hear was [that we had] an opportunity to work with Boston Public Schools and [Superintendent] Carol Johnson.

“As a result of that phone call we are sitting here tonight and we’re impacting over 4,000 high school athletes in the city of Boston.”

The program — which also provides uniforms for more than 157 teams, skill clinics, all-star games and banquets for 13 sports — has kept 92 percent of its participants eligible to play their sports and has increased SAT scores by an average of 150 points, according to Menino.

“We know it’s working, so let’s come together to reach even more of the young people in our city,” Menino said.

Menino said while Fish defers credit he actually deserves most of it.

“I can remember the day he came to my office after it was reported [in the Globe] about the athletic programs in the Boston Public Schools, he came with the idea and he said ‘I’m going to make sure we have a program in Boston that works both scholastically and athletically for the young people in our city,’” Menino said during the event. “John worked at it, he put his resources behind it and built a great team.

“We wouldn’t be here without the foundation John set up, the Suffolk Red and Blue foundation. … enough can’t be said about this great program. This is a true public private program that is helping the Boston Public School students excel in the classroom, on the field and after graduation.”

West Roxbury High senior football and basketball player Muller Mirville said his GPA increased from a 2.0 to a 2.6 after attending the Zone.

“As of right now it’s getting higher and higher,” he said. “The Zone is a place where people that were in your footsteps help motivate you to become in a position that they are in, which is successful. The experience tonight went well; I see the people that are helping me out and are funding what’s helping me become a successful person.”

BSA Executive Director Rebekah Splaine Salwasser said some of the students in the program have increased their GPA from 1.0 to 4.0.

“And all have improved their chances of graduating from high school by 28 percent as members of our program,” she said. “Tonight we are here to honor the commitment that all these young people have made to improving their opportunities for success.

“All of us in this room contributed to that opportunity. We must continue to work together to provide structured, enriching, sustainable academic and athletic support for our youth."

She said the program is beginning to change the culture of athletics in the district.

“Together with our partners we are starting to see an increase in school and community pride and a renewed sense of confidence," she said, "particularly with our young female athletes.”

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

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Scholar Athlete Program announced the official girls and boys basketball rosters for the second annual Dr. Joseph D. Warren Memorial Boston City League Basketball All-Star Game.

The All-Star game, which will be held Saturday, March 31 at Northeastern University's Cabot Center, will feature 61 student-athletes from Boston Public Schools split by the North and South.

The girls' game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Here is the rosters:

Girls North

Boston Latin Academy: Virginia McCaughney, Julia Rosario; Charlestown: Sara Centeio, Shannon Simpson; East Boston: Maria Delvecchio, Marta Chacon; Fenway: Tajanay Veiga Lee, Kayla Cox, Julissa Ross; Madison Park: Krystal Edwards, Khiyana Isaac, Amber Edward; Snowden: Jovanna Sandifer, Tania Ortiz; South Boston: Elaina Wright McCarthy, Daitannah Smith.

Girls South

Brighton: Amy Bernardez, Shantal Solomon; Dorchester: Shyla Fitzpatrick, Kymesha Kelley; English: Trayana Mair, Timilia Lattimore; O'Bryant: Araion Bradshaw, Raven Kelsey, Kiana Daley; Burke: Briana Hooks; New Mission: Tianna Johnson, Jazala Laracuente, Tiffany Williams; West Roxbury: Marissa Sarette, Makayla Williams.

The boys' game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday. Here are the rosters:

Boys North

Boston Latin Academy: DeVaughn Riley; Charlestown: Tyrese Hoxter, Rony Fernandes, Omar Orriols; East Boston: Travon Moore, Kyle Jimenez Fox, Zack Gattereau; Kenny Ramos Fenway: Jonathon Roman; Madison Park: Rayshaw Matthews, David Stewart, Dakim Murray, O'Shea Joy; Snowden: Paul Maurice; South Boston: Alexander Brown.

Boys South

Brighton: Jerard Mayes, Decorsie James, Tre Downman, Malik James; Dorchester: Jedaun Langston; English: Kwame Townshend, Bryanne Toney; Community Academy of Science & Health: Josh Baptista, Anthony Ware; Burke: Charles Slayden; New Mission: Leroy Hamilton, Isshiah Coleman; West Roxbury: Sterling Brown, Freddie Oliveira; O'Bryant: Wesley Ogebeveon.

Boston Public high school student-athletes were chosen by their coaches.

The event is sponsored by Boston Scholar Athletes and the Boston Center for Youth and Families.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER -- Phil DiPhillo came up with a critical block and a game-clinching free throw in the final seconds to wrap up Mahar’s first ever Division 2 state title on Saturday, as the Senators defeated Brighton, 45-41, at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“[DiPhillo’s] a gamer,” said Mahar coach Chad Softic of his 5-foot-10 shooting guard. “He’s a four-year starter. He broke his hand late in the season and we didn’t know whether we’d get him back, or what condition he’d be in. Luckily, we did. I just knew he could make the game-winning plays in crunch time because he’s done it for us for four years and he did it again today.”

Mahar’s defense was the difference in the game, as the Senators held the Bengals (21-4) – who scored just 3 points in the first quarter – 27 points below their season average.

Mahar's help defense did a solid job of stepping up and prevented Brighton point guard Malik James (10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists) from getting into the paint where he could create shots for himself and teammates all game.

“We were going to make James show us that he could shoot,” said Softic, whose team led 23-14 at the half. “If they were going to beat us, they were going to have to knock down some shots. We just said, collapse, take charges, and make sure we get on the defensive glass.”

DiPhillipo (12 points, four rebounds) and fellow senior guard Jesse LaCroix (16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) led the Senators (22-3) on offense, while senior forward Travon Godette chipped in with 8 points and five rebounds.

Mahar entered the fourth quarter up by 2, but quickly watched its lead disappear, when James found a cutting Jerard Mayes (8 points) for an alley-oop to tie the game at 33.

However, the Senators remained composed, scoring the game’s next six points to go up 39-33 with five minutes to play.

The Senator lead remained at 6 until the 2:02 mark, when Mayes put back an offensive rebound to give Brighton just its third and fourth points of the quarter. The teams then traded baskets before Theo Oribharbor knocked down a 3-pointer to bring the Bengals within three, 43-40, with one minute to play.

After the two teams traded free throws, the Bengals took the ball out down 3 with 11 seconds to play and that's where DiPhillipo came up with the defensive play of the game, blocking a potential game-tying 3-pointer and corralling the rebound.

“I just knew that they had to shoot a 3 because there wasn’t a lot of time left,” DiPhillipo said. “I was just trying to get to whoever had the ball and hopefully block it. And I did.”

DiPhillipo, who was immediately fouled, confidently hit his first free throw to make it a two-possession game and force the Bengals to wait at least one more year for their first-ever state title.

“It’s incredible,” DiPhillipo continued. “I was excited just to win Western Mass, winning states is just ridiculous.”

“You have to take your hats off to Mahar,” said Brighton coach Hugh Coleman. “They made some big plays. They made some big shots. I don’t know what you can do about that.”

“It’s been a beautiful season for us,” Coleman continued. “It has surpassed our expectations. We struggled at the very end of the regular season and entering the playoffs, then we clicked a little bit, so it’s been special. This is the first time our school has made it this far. That’s a great accomplishment. This is something we will learn from.”

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Central and Western Massachusetts teams played Tuesday to decide which teams would be paired with the EMass champions for the state basketball finals Saturday.

Springfield Central beat St. John's of Shrewsbury 52-47 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield in the Division 1 matchup. Tyrell Springer led Central with 16 points.

Mahar will take on Brighton in the Division 2 state championship after beating St. Bernard's Tuesday night 58-36. Mahar's Travon Godette led all scorers with 20 points.

St. Joseph Central beat Whitinsville Christian 61-59 in the Division 3 matchup. Joseph Wiggins led Central with 17 points. They'll face Danvers.

The state finals will be held on Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

- Div. 1: Brockton vs. Springfield Central
- Div. 2: Brighton vs. Mahar
- Div. 3: Danvers vs. St. Joseph Central

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

The Brighton Tigers held Stoughton to 4 of 20 shooting in the second half and got 11 points from sophomore guard Malik James to lead them past the Black Knights, 53-42, for the Division 2 EMass title Monday night at TD Garden.

“It feels good in the moment,” said Brighton coach Hugh Coleman. “In this moment, for this game it feels great.”

Stoughton came out shooting in the opening minutes of the game, netting a quick three and another layup before Brighton managed a basket. Sophomore guard Malik James kept the Bengals in the game with his team’s first four points. Brighton handed the Black Knight’s four first-quarter points with fouls under the basket. Stoughton went 4 for 4 from the line in the opening eight minutes, including capitalizing on two three-point plays, giving them the 16-13 lead after the first.

“It was kind of difficult because during crunch time we weren’t playing to the best of our ability. We had to get everyone together, get them focused,” James said. “As soon as we started playing like a family again we just put them away.

The two squads traded baskets to open the second quarter before Brighton’s Daivon Edwards tied the game with a long trey with 2:15 remaining in the half. The Bengals took the lead for the first time in the game with a basket from Prince Unaegbu with just seconds remaining in the half but Stoughton's Antonia Ferreira raced the ball up the court to cap the half with a monster dunk and 26-26 tie.

The Bengals stepped up their defensive pressure in the second half, limiting Stoughton to six third quarter points. Brighton played a box-and-one defensively, with James going one-on-one with Stoughton’s best player, 6-foot guard Aaron Calixte. Calixte managed to net 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Brighton.

“I told my coach, ‘we go box and one on him.’ I’ll step up and take the responsibility so we can put them away early,” James said. “I played good defense on him, got a few steals and helped my team. I think that’s what helped us get this victory tonight.”

Transition offense accounted for six of Brighton’s nine points in the third. Edwards again hit a big three to give the Bengals the 33-32 lead with 1:07 remaining in the quarter. Theo Oribharbor put Brighton up 35-32 with a steal and a layup in the offensive end, to give the Bengals the lead after three.

Brighton kept Stoughton from netting any points for the first four minutes of the third quarter. The Black Knights' Mauro Oliveira bucked that trend with a 3-pointer to narrow Brighton’s lead to six, 45-39, with 3:59 left in the game. But once again it was Edwards with the big three for Brighton. He hit his third trey of the game with 1:15 remaining to open up a nine-point lead for the Bengals and essentially seal the game.

“Daivon is a really really good shooter,” Coleman said. “There have been stretches where he has just come out and hit big shots and he’s more than capable of doing it.”

Brighton will move on to the Division 2 state championship on Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worchester. They’ll face the winner of Wednesday night’s game between St. Bernard’s and Mahar.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL -- Last year, Brighton guard Malik James left the Division 2 North sectional title game in tears after falling to eventual state champion New Mission.

On Saturday night, he nearly did the same, albeit for different reasons.

Brighton (20-3) went on an 11-2 run to open the section title game at the Tsongas Center and never trailed at any point, leading by as many as 14, en route to a 66-59 victory over fifth-seed Wakefield.

“Going into this game I was very nervous," said James, who led all scorers with 19 points. “As soon as I walked into the arena, I remember the moment that I cried, we were in the locker room ... I went home and it was all on my mind, and knowing that we came out with a victory I want to cry again, but tears of joy this time.”

After faltering last year on the same stage, the Bengals enter the state tournament for the first time in school history. They'll play Stoughton in the Division 2 Eastern Mass title game.

“It feels good,” Brighton coach Hugh Coleman said. “We know that there’s two more games to go, and we’d like to come out on the upside of those games as well, so for this moment it feels really good.”

Brighton’s quick start was helpful, but Coleman also had his team well prepared for any problems along the way, of which there were plenty despite leading by double digits for nearly the entire 32 minutes.

“I said [to the guys] 'listen, some things are not going to go our way, but we just got to continue to play through it,' " Coleman said. "We know that were capable to come out on the other side of those [types] of games."

Bengals shooters had trouble finding a rhythm early on, particularly from beyond the arc. Poor shooting and untimely turnovers allowed the Warriors (17-7) to hang on just enough to avoid a blowout.

Despite missing their best rebounder, 6-foot-5 center Tre Dowan, who was out with a broken finger, Brighton outworked Wakefield on the Warriors’ offensive glass throughout the first half, taking away any second chance opportunities Wakefield could have had. Brighton led, 36-22, at halftime.

“Last year really showed us when our guards are rebounding we have a great advantage,” Coleman said. “So we tried to emphasize that all year. I felt when we played Melrose, our guards didn’t do a great job rebounding .. so I made a big deal, guards have to rebound.”

Wakefield was able to cut the deficit to seven points with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Leading 63-56, James missed what could have been four critical free throws if Wakefield had been able to convert on their end of the court. But twice the Warriors came up with the ball after missed shots and twice they were unable to cut into the Bengals’ lead.

“They were the better team, for us, it was they were better than we were,” Wakefield coach Brad Simpson said. “[Malik] got them off to a great start and then they just kept control of the game. They were just better than us.”

There were tons of great games in Week 2 of the high school football season and we've got a few featured in The Huddle, including a look at Dennis-Yarmouth's close win over Barnstable and Central Catholic's overtime win over St. John's Prep. There's plenty to enjoy in the highlights.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Also: Coaches or parents who would like to contribute video for The Huddle are encouraged to contact me via email to make arrangements to supply short clips.

Northeast (11-2) scored five unanswered touchdowns in the first half to topple Brighton 38-14 in the Division 4A Super Bowl at Curry College.

Bobby Novello (2 TDs), Donato DiPietrantonio (1 TD), Mike Cross (1 TD) and Brandon Sullivan (1 TD) scored for the Golden Knights. All but one was on a running play. Cross caught the only touchdown pass, 35 yards from DiPietrantonio.

Novello tallied 113 yards over 18 carries and DiPietrantonio recorded 64 yards of combined offense.

Brighton (9-3) shut out Northeast in the second half, but couldn't overcome the deficit.

Dwight Kennedy and Damien Robinson each caught a touchdown pass from Jonathan Marrero in the second half for Brighton. Kennedy's for 10 yards and Robinson's for 19. This was the fourth time in five years that Brighton appeared in a Super Bowl game.