It took No. 8 North Reading 17 games to suffer its first loss, a 2-1 decision to Masconomet on Saturday. The loss dropped Frank Carey’s crew one spot from last week, giving Danvers the No. 7 spot after a 2-0 week. The Falcons defeated Winthrop and Marblehead by a combined 13-2.

Also moving up a spot was No. 3 Newton North after an undefeated week.

The top 20 added four newcomers to the bottom four spots. No. 17 Central Catholic currently leads the Merrimack Valley Conference and No. 18 Medford clinched the Greater Boston League title this week. No. 19 Bishop Fenwick is also leading the Catholic Central. The Crusaders’ consideration was also helped by its upset of Peabody.

Former top 20 teams in Lincoln Sudbury, Acton-Boxborough, and Malden Catholic all lost at least two games last week.

By Alex Hall, Globe Correspondent

1. Chelmsford knocks off Billerica – The Lions went to Billerica’s home diamond Monday and knocked off the previously unbeaten Indians. Chelmsford struggled out of the gate against pitcher Robby Gambale but put everything together in the third inning. After watching the Lions collect three extra-base hits and drive in nine runs in that inning, there’s no reason to leave them off ths list.

2. Down goes Newton North – Newton North also saw its undefeated streak end Monday, losing to Natick, 9-8. The Tigers committed five errors and couldn’t finish a rally in the ninth inning. Newton North had the tying run on base but couldn’t drive it in. The Tigers got close to keeping their undefeated streak alive ... but a loss is a loss.

3. Walpole next on Natick’s list – The Rebels are not undefeated, as Newton North was, but they’ll take on Natick today in what should be a fun game at the Redhawks' home diamond. The Rebels' only loss in their 9-1 season was on the road against none other than Newton North. Natick will be looking not only to improve its 2-5 league record but also knock off the No. 1 team in the Bay State’s Herget Division after knocking off the top one in the Carey Division.

4. Xaverian fighting to get to .500 -- While Walpole and Natick are jockeying for position in the Bay State Conference, Xaverian will be hoping to get back to .500. The Hawks have split their last four contests. They defeated Natick and Brockton before dropping two straight games against Catholic Memorial and BC High. Xaverian will have to knock off the new top dog in the Catholic Conference, St. John’s Prep, to get to 6-6 today. The Hawks have their work cut out, but a win against the Prep would be a huge confidence boost.

5. North Reading continues dominance – While the list of undefeated teams in the state continues to dwindle, North Reading continues to march on. The Hornets trounced Trition, 10-0, in their latest game after defeating Hamilton-Wenham, 7-2, on April 25. The closest call came April 23 against Masconomet, a 6-5 victory. Other than that, it’s been relatively smooth sailing for North Reading, with little reason to doubt the team going forward.

By Michelle Fenelon

Only two big games matched up teams in the Top 20 this week, meaning little change in the rankings.

St. Mary's completed its season sweep of Arlington Catholic with a 58-48, victory on Friday, moving the Spartans up one spot to No.15, while the Cougars drop to No.16.

Andover also suffered a drop to No.17 after losing a Merrimack Valley Conference match to No.4 Billerica.

This may come as a surprise to many, but Newton North jumped to No.13 in this week's poll. No, the Tigers did not beat any team in particular and No.19 Duxbury and No. 18 Ipswich did not lose this week. We just feel that Newton North is better than a 19th-ranked team.

The Tigers, winners of 13 straight games, will be right there in the tournament, and as long as they continue to win games they will continue to climb to the top 10.

This Saturday, September 29th, Concord-Carlisle High School will play host to the sixth annual Kicks for Cancer to support cancer research.

Twelve teams will gather for a day-long event filled with superior soccer action, raffles, food and more. The same teams return from last year’s event, all of which were participants in the 2011 MIAA postseason tournament and four of which are currently ranked in the Globe’s Top 20.

Despite dreary conditions last year the event still managed to raise over $27,000 with proceeds benefitting the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and in total Kicks for Cancer has raised over $71,000 as it has grown from a one-game event to six-game extravaganza.

“It says so much about the other schools and their communities,” said Concord-Carlisle head coach Ray Pavlik. “The volunteers and the kids do such an amazing job with this and we couldn’t be more proud of the efforts they make each year.”

The event began back in 2007 to honor the memory of Lois Wells, mother of Concord-Carlisle assistant coach Steve Wells. Each team wears pink or blue jerseys with the name of a loved one who has or is battling this disease emblazoned on their back.

The games will begin at 1:00 p.m. with simultaneous action going off on side-by-side fields behind Concord-Carlisle High School at 500 Walden Street in Concord. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

The following is the day's schedule of games:

1:00 p.m., Game One, Turf 1 – Lexington vs. Belmont
1:00 p.m., Game Two, Turf 2 - Stoneham vs. Wakefield

3:30 p.m., Game Three, Turf 1 - Brookline vs. Newton North
3:30 p.m., Game Four, Turf 2 - Reading vs. Woburn

6:00 p.m., Game Five, Turf 1 - Concord - Carlisle vs. Lincoln - Sudbury
6:00 p.m., Game Six, Turf 2 - Acton – Boxborough vs. Wayland

For additional information, including directions to the fields, click here.

For those who are unable to attend the event, but still wish to make a donation to Kicks for Cancer, click here for the Dana Farber donation page.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Newton North junior Carla Forbes followed up an indoor season in which she won the national title in the triple jump by winning the same event at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals Friday in North Carolina.

Forbes jumped 42-feet, 9.25-inches, a best in the nation for 2012. Forbes jumped 40-0 to win the All-State title two weeks ago.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

Entering with a nine-game unbeaten streak, third-ranked Cambridge hit a roadblock Monday night when Peter Haskin and No. 10 Newton South delivered a 3-0 upset, winning, 27-25, 25-19, 25-13.

“They went into someone’s house and played them well. We’re on pace and where we need to be,” said Lions coach Todd Elwell. “We’re going to be dangerous. It’s not a secret.”

Haskin led the way for the Lions, finishing with six kills and seven service aces.

“One thing I appreciate is that they pass at a high level, giving us more opportunity to attack,” said Newton South coach Todd Elwell.

“Peter was serving pinpoint and picking on the right people. We’re hitting seams much better this year,” he said.

First-year starter Paul Vasiloff hit seven-out-of 11 kill attempts in the middle, which gave the Lions some versatility at net that put pressure on Cambridge’s passing.

“It’s not a power issue. This team likes to swing and go big,'' said Elwell. "The issues are when you need to be gentle. When they learn to be powerful but gentle, the combination gets deadly. A couple more pieces came into play, and we finally trusted our middles with some balls.”

The switch of Jordan Lee (10 assists) to the middle has upped the Lions' level of play, which they hope will act as an advantage as they head into the second half of their season.

“In the beginning of season, everyone knew where we were going, but now we set middle as much as outside,” he said.

By Zach Vierra, Globe Staff

St. John’s Prep and BC High lead off our baseball Top 20 this week. Both teams have 7-1 records and seem to be evenly matched so far this season. The two teams were scheduled to play for the first time Monday at BC High before weather stepped in postponed the game. It will now be played Friday.

Former No. 1 Xaverian dropped to eight after losses to Brockton and Wellesley early in the season. The Hawks were to be tested by No. 11 Catholic Memorial Monday. The only losses for the Knights came against St. John’s Prep and BC High.

Walpole was a big mover, jumping from 15 to 3. The Rebels are 7-0 and have quality wins against Braintree and Wellesley. Lowell (5-1) and Franklin (4-1) have been solid so far and stay at spots four and five respectively.

Marshfield is the first new addition to the Top 20. The Rams look to be the class of the Atlantic Coast League with an 8-0 record, which puts them at the seven spot in front of conference rival Plymouth North. Marshfield has scored 10 or more runs three times so far and has not allowed more than four runs in a game.

Barnstable (5-1) has also not allowed more than four runs and moves up one spot to nine, while Lincoln-Sudbury (5-1) closes out the top 10. The Warriors are 3-0 in the Dual County Large and had a big 8-7 victory at BC High Saturday.

Newburyport and Reading are both 4-0 (the Rockets loss was an exclusion game to BC High) and each moved up in the standings. The Clippers are 12th while the Rockets are 13th.

Wellesley (5-2) is added to the top 20 at number 14. The Raiders started their season with a win against Xaverian and look to be the biggest competition for Walpole in the Bay State Herget division.

Newton South (5-0) hasn’t lost and should challenge Lincoln-Sudbury in the DCL Large. The Lions are new to the top 20 at the 15 spot.

Lexington (3-2) drops down from 7th to 16th after losses to Lowell and Melrose. Danvers (6-1), Dighton-Rehoboth (7-0), Peabody (5-2) and Austin Prep (6-1) are all new additions and round out the Top 20.

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 Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

It was a good sign for Newton South coach Ron Jordan that John Jennings was able to throw 60 pitches over four innings, giving up only one run on two hits while striking out seven. He hadn't thrown all spring due to arm soreness. But the senior UMass-Amherst commit was back to form for the Lions’ season opener.

However, it was his offensive performance that had Jordan in disbelief.

Jennings homered with two strikes in three of his four plate appearances -- good for six RBIs -- in the Lions’ 10-1 victory over Wayland.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen a kid hit three homers like that and dominate on the mound like that,” Jordan said.

After a solo shot in the third inning, Jennings went yard in consecutive innings during the Lions’ seven-run outburst over the fifth and sixth innings.

“He’s a heck of a player. We’re going to have to rely on him in our league,” Jordan said. “It was a good sign to see him go out there and throw four innings.”

Jennings mostly plays first base when not on the hill for the Lions -- Jordan likes to rest his arms as much as possible during the regular season -- but is also a viable option at third. He pitches and plays both corners of the diamond for AAU Northeast.

But perhaps the biggest testament to his athleticism besides what he does in the summer is what he does in the fall. Jennings is ranked as a top-50 field-goal kicker in the nation, and can also punt and put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs. He plans to walk onto the Minutemen football squad when he arrives in Amherst.

“Tremendous athlete. And if you looked at him, you’d say he doesn’t look it,” Jordan said. “But he really he is ... he can even screw around on the basketball court and do very well out there ... he’s very, very athletic.”

Duxbury's Kane Haffey celebrated a goal against St. John's Prep in boys high school state lacrosse championships last June. Duxbury is primed for another state title run. (Adam Hunger / File photo for the Boston Globe)

By Jason Mastrodonato, Globe Correspondent

Early season rankings (or preseason rankings, still, for some teams) are always difficult to craft considering we haven’t seen a lot of these teams in action yet, and most of the coaches don’t even know what they’re squad is going to give them.

But at least at the very top of the Boston Globe boys lacrosse Top 20, the choice was easy.

There’s little doubt around Massachusetts that Duxbury is the clear No. 1. Boasting a slew of Division 1 recruits (12, to be exact) and eight of the last 10 state championship trophies, the Dragons have gained national attention as one of the premier teams in the country. But that doesn’t mean no one else has a chance.

Of the other “Big Four” teams – Lincoln-Sudbury, St. John’s Prep and Billerica – No. 2 L-S appears most primed to make a run. The Warriors had an up-and-down season last year filled with injuries, but a lot of young players earned some valuable experience and coach Brian Vona will have a ton of talent to work with.

No. 6 St. John’s Prep is very raw, but talented, and John Roy always seems to have his team in top form by tournament time, and that’s when it counts.

No. 7 Billerica, meanwhile, could really sneak up on people. The Indians are being discounted after the graduation of Grant Whiteway, but Cam Slatton and Ben Melaugh have formed a dangerous 1-2 punch at the attack, on perfect display during a 6-5 win over Wellesley on Thursday when the two combined for four goals and three assists. And with goalie DJ Smith between the pipes, the typical hard-nosed Billerica defense could give any team trouble.

At No. 3, Needham is full of promise. They’ve gained national attention in some rankings and David Wainwright returns 10 seniors, mostly on the defensive side. But with the graduation of All-American Will Stenberg, sophomore UMass-Amherst commit Mike Panepinto was expected to play a huge role, and he suffered a broken collar bone in the preseason that could keep him out all year. His brother, Nico, is a scoring threat, though, and while Needham could be one of the first teams to fall from the top-five, don’t count them out. The Rockets might just need some time to peak.

No. 5 Wellesley is loaded with talent, including All-American goalie Connor Darcey, but there’s a lot of football players on that roster and their over-aggressive style could haunt them with too many man-down situations. If the offense can score, this team could be as good as it gets.

No. 4 seems like a good spot for Medfield, which lost its coach and starting goalie, among others, but remains very deep as usual. It’s all about going back to basics for the Warriors, and if John Isaf and Mike Douglas can get their players to buy in, a three-peat is possible.

No. 14 Acton-Boxboro has a chance to really surprise people this year. The Colonials are athletic, and their schedule is tough, so if they can stay healthy and get better as the season goes on, they should be dangerous.

At the bottom of the list, Newton North is an intriguing team. Perhaps not a squad with the most talent, but there’s some serious size on that defense, and long-time head coach Bussy Adam has 14 returning players. A lot rides on junior goalie John Hogan.

Remember, there’s a lot of season to be played, and this list could look entirely different in a few weeks. See the full Globe boys lacrosse Top 20.

Qualms, comments, story ideas or anything else? Email me at jasonmastrodonato@yahoo.com

Last five out (in alphabetical order): Andover, Cohasset, Foxborough, Lexington, Walpole

@JMastrodonato

By Jake Seiner, Globe Correspondent

The standings in the Catholic Central Small division are tight this year. For at least one team in the hunt -- second-place Trinity Catholic -- the games have been even closer. Wednesday night was no exception.

The Falcons (7-7, 6-2 CC Small) overcame an early 7-1 deficit to conference leader Lowell Catholic (7-5, 6-1), picking up the win, 8-7, on Kyle Manning’s bases-loaded, walk-off single in the seventh inning.

The win is Trinity’s fourth walk-off win of the year, and fifth one-run league win.

“A lot of our league games this year have been very close,” Trinity coach Craig Genualdo said. “All four of our walk-off wins have been against league opponents. It’s a very competitive league.”

Trinity began to claw out of the 7-1 hole with a run in the bottom of the fourth, and backed that with two in the fifth and three in the sixth. Joe Brennan relieved starter Brett O’Keefe in the sixth and struck out five in two scoreless innings. Brennan’s scoreless top of the seventh sent the contest to the bottom of the frame still square at 7-7.

Trinity’s seven-hitter, George Wells, started the inning by reaching on an error. Danny Logan followed by drawing a walk, then Jose Sanchez took a hit-by-pitch to load the bases for Manning.

That bottom of the order production is nothing new for Trinity. Genualdo thinks Wells, Logan, and Sanchez have been key for his squad, which lacks elite-level hitters for the CC Small. Wednesday the trio combined to go 4 for 9 at the plate with three walks and three runs scored.

The Lowell Catholic pitcher fell into a 3-0 hole to Manning, but worked the count to 3-2. Manning fouled off a pair of 3-2 pitches, then pulled a single into left field to score Wells and clinch Trinity a key conference win.

“Kyle’s a junior who’s really coming into his own this year,” Genualdo said. “He started for us the last two years but he was kind of a ninth-hitter type of guy. After two games this year, we moved him to the leadoff spot. Even when he’s made outs, they’ve been productive outs. He hits the ball hard and has long at-bats. He’s really a prototypical leadoff hitter.”

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

On the boys’ side, Mansfield and St. John’s Prep advanced to the state semifinals, while girls’ teams from New Bedford and Andover did the same Friday night at TD Garden. Here's our video recap.

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Newton North used defense and special teams to win their second straight game and improve to 2-3, while sending Milton to 1-4.

Editor's note: Globe correspondent Mike Grossi takes a look back at the past weekend of football in Division 2 and 2A. Check back tomorrow for a preview of this weekend’s Division 2 and 2A action.

Dime Package -In this segment, I delve deeper into the games that I covered over the weekend.

Duxbury 16-Plymouth North 12

-This was the best game that I saw this weekend. The ending featured a touchdown pass as time expired, and a well-timed blitz that caused Plymouth North to fail in its conversion attempt. The attempt was intercepted and then returned for two points. Here is a link to interviews with Duxbury coach Dave Maimaron and Plymouth North coach Dwayne Follette.

-Both teams were very sloppy during the first half, but both also showed that they are dangerous. The physicality of both defenses really impressed me. Duxbury didn’t allow any running room for Plymouth North’s bulldozer, Matt Walsh. The Eagles also didn’t allow much running room for Duxbury.

- Duxbury seems to be the more complete team of the two. They have a good passing attack that features Kane Haffey at quarterback and Matt Hallisey as the primary target. The Green Dragons didn’t have a problem finding open receivers.

- Plymouth North needs some more refinement in the passing game. It is obvious that the Eagles are built to run. Cody Merritt overthrew some easy targets and that led to a couple of turnovers. For the Eagles to be successful this season, they will have to get a lead, because they just aren’t equipped to make big comebacks on a regular basis.

- It is my feeling that Duxbury will represent the Patriot (Keenan) in the playoffs. Plymouth North has a tougher road ahead but still has a shot. The Eagles have to play Falmouth and Dennis-Yarmouth, both of which have looked strong this season, as well as an always tough Marshfield squad.

FULL ENTRY

Last year, Newton North (5-1) freshman varsity golfer Brendan Ryan spent much of the season living in the shadow of his older brother T.J., who was the team’s No.1 as a junior.

After the pair’s one-two performance yesterday against Weymouth (0-6) at their home Weathervane golf course -- where T.J. shot an even 36 and Brendan a 1-over 37 to lead the tTgers to a 66.5-41.5 victory -- it may be time for the elder Ryan to give his brother a share of the limelight.

“He’s a good golfer and he’s always shown promise,” said Tigers’ coach Bob MacDougall. “Hopefully today he realizes how good he can be by shooting 1-over at a pretty difficult course, one he hasn’t seen before.”

As is often the case with athletically inclined siblings, the two are very competitive. Though T.J. was happier to come out the victor, MacDougall said he was proud of his younger brother’s performance.

“T.J. was very happy that he shot lower than Brendan, but I think deep down inside he was happy that Brendan shot so well,” said MacDougall. “They’re brothers, they compete. They don’t want to lose to each other but they’re happy when either one of them does well.”

Sophomore Mark Vrahas matched the younger Ryan’s 37 to help edge out the Wildcats.

Coach MacDougall said he is counting on his talented underclassmen, of whom Brendan and Vrahas are highlights, to keep Newton North near the top of the Bay State standings.

“We have a lot of promising young players, so for Brendan to do well it’s a boost,” said MacDougall. “I’ve got some other underclassmen who are performing well. We don’t rebuild, we reload.”

By Paul Sulzer, Globe Correspondent

Second-seeded Newton South will meet crosstown rival Newton North in the Division 1 South volleyball sectional final on Tuesday after both schools won today.

After losing the first set 25-23, the Lions (21-1) won the next three sets 25-17, 25-22, and 30-28. The attacking trio of Alex O'Hagan (16 kills), Ethan Landzberg (15 kills), and Josh Horenstein (14 kills) set the tone for the match with their play at the net.

Setter Eugene Kirimov notched a career-high 50 assists.

The Tigers (14-4) earned their berth in the final by handing No. 1 Barnstable its first loss of the season. Newton North fell behind by two sets (25-17, 27-25) before claiming the final three (25-16, 25-16, 15-10) to pull off the upset.

By Julie Gray, Globe Correspondent

The Newton South boys beat out Newton North, 7-6, marking it the first time in eight years that Newton South has overtaken Newton North in baseball.

Newton South was trailing 4-0 until the fifth inning, scoring three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, and two more in the seventh to earn the win. Sophomore John Jennings was a key element in South's win, with two hits and three RBIs.

Senior Chris Lewis hit in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh with a base hit over the center fielder's head.