By Lenny Megliola, Globe Correspondent

Troy Flutie is following in the footsteps steps of his father, Darren, his Heisman Trophy-winning uncle, Doug, and his first cousin, Billy, to play football at Boston College.

On Wednesday, the Natick High junior quarterback verbally committed to attend BC with the Class of 2014, accepting an offer from first-year coach Steve Addazio after an on-campus visit. He had made quite an impression on the coaching staff in a workout at The Heights on Sunday.

“It’s an athlete-slash-wide receiver scholarship,” said Flutie, who also plays baseball and basketball at Natick High.

“The second half of the workout they put him at receiver,” said Darren Flutie, who snared 134 catches in four seasons (1984-87) for Jack Bicknell's Eagles before starring with three franchises (BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats) in the Canadian Football League, where he ranks third all-time in receptions.

It’s too early to say if Flutie will get a chance to play quarterback at BC. His uncle, Doug, went to BC in similar fashion. He was thought to be undersized and was given no promises that he’d play quarterback. But he rose on the depth chart and went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1984.

“The recruiting similarities between Doug and Troy are unbelievable,” said Darren Flutie.

A terrific two-way threat, Flutie utilized his nimble feet (167 rushes, 1,075 yards, 14 TDs) and accurate right arm (3,153 yards, 35 TDs, 8 interceptions) to direct the Red Hawks to the EMass. Division 2A Super Bowl last fall.

As with Doug, there have been concerns with Troy’s size. “He’s just under 6-feet and 178 pounds,” said Darren, about the same size Darren was when he played for the Eagles.

Darren said there were doubters whether Troy had “the size and arm strength to play Division 1.”

Addazio may use the versatile Flutie in creative ways on offense. “He was very honest with me,” said Troy.

For the past three months, he has worked with former BC quarterback Mark Hartsell at East Bridgewater High and St Sebastian’s in Needham. “He helped me most with technique and getting more power in my throwing,” said Flutie.

He also worked out for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “I thought that went well, but I threw the ball better at BC," he said.

If BC hadn’t come through, Flutie said “I had no clue where I’d go. Maybe Rhode Island, UNH, Maine.”

That’s reminiscent of Doug Flutie’s recruitment days also.

He is the sixth in-state recruit to commit to BC for 2014, a group that includes Millis-Hopedale lineman Jon Baker and Connor Strachan, a linebacker from St. Sebastian's in Needham.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

With 11 seconds left in the game, junior Derek Butler rattled a shot off the crossbar, nearly sending Natick to the Division 1 South quarterfinals.

This time, Butler made sure not to ding any metal as he rifled the puck into the back of the net four minutes into overtime, lifting the Red Hawks to a 3-2 victory against Framingham at Loring Arena Wednesday night.

"That's what high school hockey is all about," Natick coach Karl Infanger said. "There wasn't a seat in the place – it was rocking and it was just a madhouse. To take that win was special for the kids."

Butler's late-game heroics helped stave off a furious comeback by Framingham. Junior Jack Murphy scored a pair of goals to give Natick a 2-0 lead, but the Flyers scored two in the third period to even the score.

Framingham sophomore Drew McKinnon delivered the game-tying score with 3:30 left in the final stanza.

"They know you can never be too high and never be too low," Infanger said. "And [in overtime], emotionally, they went to work."

On Sunday, Natick (No. 9) will face No. 1-seeded Archbishop Williams (12-5-4) which lost to Malden Catholic in the Super 8 play-in game.

"They're going to play hard," Infanger said. "We're going to have to bring our A-game and keep it going. No matter who you play, you're in for a fight."

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Natick beat Walpole 21-14 Friday night, with quarterback Troy Flutie throwing two touchdown passes and running for another. But it wasn't just Flutie's offense that helped the Redhawks beat the Rebels. Instead, Natick made a number of key defensive plays to help the Redhawks eke out the win. See the highlights above.

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 Emily Wright, Globe Correspondent

The Scituate Sailors got their legs in the second quarter of Saturday’s Div. 2 South girls championship game at UMass Boston and blew the challenger, Natick, out of the water with a 55-38 victory.

The No. 4 Sailors take on No. 2 Reading at the TD Garden on Tuesday.

Scituate (24-0) faltered in the first quarter, trailing 15-10 at the buzzer, but coach Brian Buckley knew they had it in them to make a comeback later in the game.

“I thought [Natick] dominated in the first quarter with their physical toughness inside,” Buckley said. “They got all the loose balls.”

Natick senior guard Lexi Gifford (28 points) took advantage of the scoring opportunities, shooting 3 for 4 from deep in the first quarter alone. She added another trey in the second quarter and finished with 20 points in the first half.

“Lexi was hot early and I think she lost her legs in the second half a little bit,” Buckley said. “That was kind of our gameplan, to wear her down. She played so well in the first half I said I don’t know if we’re going to be able to wear her down.”

The Red and Blue held onto a dominant lead in the second quarter, going up by 8 with 2:45 left until halftime (23-15), but Scituate went on a 7-2 run to tighten it up.

Coach Buckleyn made sure his team knew that they were going to have to play tough, fundamental basketball in the second half if they wanted to advance to the Div. 2 State semifinals.

“I said ‘If you want to win this, you’ve got to do what you’ve been doing all year, which is be aggressive’,” Buckley said. “I think they had their legs under them at that point and they really played up to their potential.”

The pep talk worked. Scituate came out and blazed a trail to the top, taking its first lead of the game just under a minute into the third quarter, 28-26 after Shannon Brady (14 points) and Megan Otto (14 points, five rebounds) hit back to back jumpers.

It was back and forth for the next two minutes, but Scituate went on a 11-0 run to end the quarter and had a 43-32 advantage going into the fourth. Natick went 3 for 11 in the third quarter, compared to 9 for 14 from the Sailors.

Defense, which coach Buckley believes won the game, was key in the fourth quarter. Neither team scored more than 10 points but Scituate outrebounded Natick 5-1 to clinch the win.

“The defense really won the game for us, although I thought our offense clicked in the second half a little bit better,” Buckley said. “The kids took pride in the defense.”

By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent

Natick High School students and administrators are mourning the death of Justin Bailey, 17, a high school senior who died in his home last night.

According to an email sent out by Natick Superintendent Peter Sanchioni, Bailey passed away unexpectedly from natural causes.

Sanchioni wrote that Bailey was a member of the varsity hockey team, and was well-liked and respected by his classmates and teammates.

Bailey’s mother works as the Kennedy Middle School’s cafeteria manager. He has two brothers who also attend Natick public schools.

Varsity hockey coach Karl Infanger said he talked to Bailey Tuesday.

“You couldn’t ask for a nicer kid,” said Infanger. “I meet with the kids after every five games to go through what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, what to work on and that stuff. And Tuesday, I met with him – and this will resonate with me for the rest of my life – he said, ‘I know I’m not playing, I know why I’m not playing, I just want to win. I want to help out any way I can, but I just want to win.’

“And to hear that it from a senior, it puts things in perspective. You can’t say a bad thing about him. A super nice kid who was always smiling and laughing.”

Infanger said he learned of Bailey's death from the boy's father Wednesday afternoon.

The coach met with his team on Thursday and will meet with them over the next few days, but Saturday’s scheduled game with Milton has been postponed. The Natick girls' squad was also supposed to play Milton, but that game has been postponed as well.

Wednesday's game against Needham was also postponed.

Infanger said there was some chatter among the players about creating a uniform patch to remember Bailey, but no decisions have been made yet.

“The kids were one big family,” the coach said. “They really pull for each other and we’ll get through this together. But that sense of invincibility that a high school kid has can come crashing down pretty quick.”

Sanchioni said guidance counselors at all Natick school buildings will be available for any students or staff members experiencing grief and sadness due to Bailey’s death.

“On behalf of all the Natick Public Schools community, our deepest sympathy during this time of great sadness goes out to Justin's friends, family and teachers. He will be greatly missed,” Sanchioni wrote.

Natick Police confirmed that they responded to a medical call last night, but could not comment further.

Cara O’Brien, spokesperson for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone’s office, said they are not investigating the death, as it does not appear to be suspicious.

Natick Athletic Director Tim Collins said Thursday proved challenging for faculty, students, and coaches alike.

"Justin was a terrific kid, and was really loved by his classmates and teammates," Collins said. "He was someone who sort of transcended groups, and was friends with a whole variety of kids."

Both the boys and girls hockey teams spent the day together, remembering Bailey over pizza and water, Collins said.

He said the students are holding off on planning a memorial event until Bailey's parents are ready to become involved, giving them space and time to grieve for their son.

"There are plans in the works, but we're waiting for his family to really dictate when they’re ready for that and what type of memorial they want to be a part of as well," Collins said. "We will do a number of things, but haven’t put anything into motion yet."

Collins said he has no further information on the cause of Bailey's death.

Friends of Bailey started a Facebook page dedicated in his memory, and many users have changed their profile pictures to a red image with the number 17 – Bailey’s playing number in hockey – and text that reads, “#17 Justin Bailey/Forever in our hearts/Never forget.”

As of 3:15 p.m., 771 Facebook users have “liked” the page honoring Bailey.

Globe Correspondent Jason Mastrodonato contributed to this report. Follow Jaclyn Reiss on Twitter @jaclynreiss. Contact her via e-mail at jreiss.globe@gmail.com.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Bob Holmes, the Globe's high schools sports editor, puts Everett quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso's state record for touchdown passes in perspective in this week's edition of The Huddle. Also, highlights from Natick's 49-24 win over Needham and a look ahead at Bridgewater-Raynham against Barnstable.

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

By Eric Russo, Globe Correspondent

After struggling in his freshman year at Natick High, Troy Flutie, the nephew of New England football legend Doug Flutie, started off his sophomore campaign in style. In a 21-7 victory over Brookline, Flutie completed 19 of 27 passes and threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

The Red and Blue star also contributed with a big day on the ground, rushing for 110 yards on nine carries.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Because of low participation numbers, Burke has forfeited today’s game with Boston English. It will be credited as a win for English, which went 0-11 last fall.

It wasn’t the only news of the day for English, which also learned that former Natick coach Tom Lamb has been hired as an assistant coach. Lamb coached for 38 years, most at Natick High, and finished with 248 career wins. He retired as Natick football coach in December of 2009.

Two city football games were moved because of playing conditions. East Boston's game with Blue Hills was moved to the artificial turf at East Boston. And the North Quincy vs. Boston Latin game was moved to Madison Park.

By Paul Sulzer, Globe Correspondent

Just before the start of the biggest game in school history, Natick girls’ lacrosse coach Ashley Mabardy decided to make a change. The team’s defense had struggled all season. She decided the Red and Blue would go with a four-man defense if they started to get worn out.

The decision was the right one. Natick beat visiting Weymouth, 17-7, yesterday to clinch the program’s first state tournament berth.

‘‘Making adjustments 25 minutes before the game and having them work shows we’re ready to go on short notice,’’ Mabardy said. ‘‘Our seniors were so psyched and they wanted it so badly. They were willing to do anything to win.’’

The player Mabardy called on to switch positions and protect the second-half lead, however, was a freshman. Midfielder Megan Tingley, who usually is deployed as a defensive wing, switched to the point on defense to give the Red and Blue the boost they needed. Although Natick led, 11-2, at halftime, Mabardy said Weymouth’s speed was exhausting her players.

She didn’t want to take any chances.

‘‘We were getting burned in transition,’’ she said. ‘‘Normally, we rely on the attack wings to help out on defense, but it was too much for them in the first half. Knowing they had extra support on defense was really helpful. They communicated really well at the restraining line.’’

Tingley’s versatility and stamina allowed her teammates to get the rest they needed to close out the win.

‘‘She will do whatever you ask,’’ Mabardy said. ‘‘She can shadow players. Sometimes we’ll ask her to play man-to-man while everyone else is in zone. She’s quick enough to do it.’’

Tingley wasn’t the only player to lock down the Weymouth attack, though. Hayley O’Loughlin made 11 saves.

‘‘One of our biggest challenges has been goaltending,’’ Mabardy said. ‘‘We have three fairly new goalies, and it’s been a struggle. Halfway through the season, we went with our hockey goalie [O’Loughlin], who had played attack for us. She’s been great.’’

Junior wings Cat Steckbeck and Annie McElaney generated most of the offense. Steckbeck registered four goals and five assists and leads the team in both categories. McElaney added four goals and three assists.

Not much changed in terms of the top 10 except for St. Mary's falling one slot to No. 11 after losing to No. 3 Central Catholic, 63-44. No. 1 Andover through No. 9 Scituate held strong. Each team added at least one W to the win column despite another snow-riddled week.

A little bit lower in the Top 20, Braintree dropped two spots to No. 18 after a 49-40 defeat by unranked Newton North. Natick switched places with Braintree after two victories over Newton North and Walpole. Stoneham's back-to-back losses earlier in the month bumped them out of the rankings and made room for Woburn at the No. 19 spot.

No. 20 Duxbury barely held on to its spot after taking a beating from Quincy 59-40 on Friday night, but the real test of the Green Dragons on-court prominence will come against No. 7 New Bedford tonight at home at 6:30 p.m.

Division 1A: Westford Aims to Continue Success

At the beginning of each season it is a safe bet to assume Acton-Boxboro and Lincoln-Sudbury would duke it out for the Dual County (Large) title.

However, last season another player entered the ring. Westford swooped in and won the league title and nearly pulled off an upset of Gloucester in the first round of the MIAA playoffs.

This season, the Grey Ghosts expect to be back in the hunt for a DCL (Large) title.
The Grey Ghosts return a handful of offensive weapons from last year’s squad that averaged more than 30 points per game. Patrick Dugan returns at quarterback. He threw for 25 touchdowns last season. 17 of those touchdowns went to Mark Cornelius, who is also returning. Mark Hennessy and Zach Ingalls return in the backfield. The two combined for 1700 rushing yards a year ago.

“It’s not just talent that is coming back but also a lot of leadership,” said coach Rich McKenna.

Elsewhere in Division 1A, Gloucester looks to be the favorite again in the Northeastern (Large) Conference. Nipping at its heels are Lynn English and its high-flying offense and Lynn Classical.

In the Bay State Carey, Weymouth and Framingham lead the pack. In the Old Colony League, the race is a toss up between Taunton, Bridgewater-Raynham and Barnstable.

FULL ENTRY

Today's Globe featured a story about 22 football players who will be honored by a football foundation.

Here are the bios of the 22 players selected as Scholar-Athletes by the Jack Grinold EMass Chapter of the National Football Foundation:

John Bumpus, Concord-Carlisle — The 6-3, 210-pound Bumpus was a two-year starter at tight end, linebacker, and defensive end. He was a member of the Coaches All-State team at linebacker. He will attend Brown.

James Collins, Reading — Playing guard and defensive tackle for the unbeaten Super Bowl champion Rockets, Collins was a Globe All-Scholastic and a two-time Middlesex League All-Star. The 6-2, 247-pound Collins was also an all-star wrestler.

Cameron Colwell, Xaverian — At 6-5, 275 pounds, Colwell was hard to miss on the Xaverian line. A member of the Coaches All-State team, he was a Globe All-Scholastic and led the Hawks to the Division 1 Super Bowl title.

Joseph Cookson, Belmont Hill — A three-year starter at wide receiver and defensive back, Cookson will play lightweight football at Penn. A talented singer as well, he was a class officer and captain of the football team.

Patrick Crosby, Lincoln-Sudbury — A member of the Coaches All-State team as well as an All-Scholastic, Crosby was the Dual County League’s lineman of the year. The 6-3, 290-pound tackle was a three-year starter at L-S and will attend Lafayette.

FULL ENTRY

By Megan McKee, Globe Correspondent

Natick High has selected former boys' basketball coach Tim Collins to replace the retiring Tom Lamb as athletic director. 

“I have absolutely loved teaching and coaching in town,” said Collins, who currently teaches English at the high school. He said he’s looking forward to “the opportunity to remain at Natick High School and take on a new adventure.”

Natick principal John Hughes said Collins is "highly respected" among his students and peers.

“He's got quite a resume,” said Hughes.  “He has the knowledge of the Bay State League having coached at Natick. He has knowledge of the college landscape. He has college contacts.”

Collins beat out two other finalists for the position, Dedham High AD Thomas Arria and Sandy Mincone, the AD at Martha’s Vineyard. 

Tom Lamb "was a big piece of me coming back to Natick," said Collins. "He's been a huge resource for me and a great help." 

A Walpole native, the 39-year-old Collins played basketball at Bates College. After college, he worked at his alma mater and coached the boys' basketball team. He worked as an assistant coach at Babson College before joining the Natick High faculty in 2003. He was the boys' basketball coach form 2005-2008. 

An avid runner, he has run two marathons, including Boston, and competes in triathlons around New England.

His first day on the job is July 1. Mark Mortarelli, a longtime assistant under Lamb and a 1992 Natick High grad, has already been named head football coach.