Why was Newton South athletics picked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated?
By Matt Rocheleau and Ben Terris
Globe Correspondents
Sports Illustrated editor and writer for high school sports Kevin Armstrong said he chose Newton South High School as the top athletics program in the state for its running program’s achievements and consistency.
The year-round process to determine the state’s top athletic programs consisted of looking at Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association statistics, determining the level of competition for each school and interviewing coaches, athletics directors and fans throughout the state, Armstrong said. SI ranked the top school programs in each state.
“We want firsthand information. We don’t just look at the broadsheets or just at a school’s reputation,” said the 25-year-old Boston College alumnus who toured South’s athletic facilities earlier this year.
The ranking was reported by Boston.com/Newton earlier this week.
This is the third year Sports Illustrated has ranked the top program in each state. And, Armstrong who has helped compile the list in each of the three years, said he doubted South’s Lions would have even been in the state’s top five programs in the previous two years.
“Obviously, [South’s] track program, as well as cross country, were excellent,” said Armstrong, who worked parttime in the Boston Globe sports department while in college. “That kind of consistency stood out.”
Armstrong said in determining a school’s overall athletic ranking, a sport’s popularity is not a chief factor.
Sports like football, baseball, basketball or hockey, “get most of the attention,” he said, but “track and cross-country are right up there with participation.”
According to the website, the top schools were determined by ‘‘sifting through state tournament results for the 2008-09 school year, contacting athletic directors from top programs, examining all-around success rates as well as weighing the importance of producing star athletes and teams that excelled on a national level.’’
The recognition came as a surprise for some, as Newton South did not field particularly noteworthy teams in the big three high school sports: baseball, football, and basketball. Baseball went 9-11 this year, football 4-7, and boys basketball just managed to finish above .500 at 10-9. But South’s track and volleyball programs apparently made up for it.
‘‘I’m surprised that Sports Illustrated picked us, but not because I don’t think we deserved it,’’ said Tom Haskin, the former editor in chief of the student paper, The Lion’s Roar, and player on the baseball team. ‘‘It all stems from our incredible running teams.’’
Newton South excelled in its running and volleyball programs in the spring, with girls’ track winning the Division 1 title and finishing second at the All-State meet, boys’ track finishing seventh in the division and seventh at the All-State meet, and volleyball losing in the state semifinals.
Likewise, last fall the girls’ cross country team won the Division 1 title while the boys finished seventh, and in the winter girls’ track tied Mansfield High for the all-state title and won the Division 1 meet.
The Sports Illustrated rankings indicated that other notable Bay State programs included Boston College High School’s and St. John’s Preparatory of Danvers.
Coaches and athletic directors who were interviewed for the rankings did so under the assumption that their names and comments would not be made public, said Armstrong. This was done so they could speak openly and give fair assessments about competing programs, he said.
Besides visiting South, Armstrong said he attended athletic events in the state from time-to-time, including track and field events at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury and a basketball tournament in Springfield. He also recalled attending a B.C. High football game this year.
Armstrong said he chose the programs for about 20 to 25 states on the national list, including the top schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The online list was posted to the magazine’s website, SI.com, on Monday, July 6.
On a national level, Armstrong said Massachusetts’ top high school athletic programs would place in the middle if ranked against the other states’ programs. Sports Illustrated only ranks the top 10 programs nationally. Punahou in Honolulu, Hawaii ranked first nationally. South did not make the top 10.
Armstrong grew up in Nanuet, N.Y. and went to high school in New Jersey. He graduated from Boston College in 2006 where he covered sports for the college’s newspaper, The Heights,. He also worked for the New York Post’s sports section before joining Sports Illustrated nearly three years ago.
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wow that's pathetic! the guy must not have looked at many other schools
This whole system of ranking interscholastic athletics programs -- including the Globe's -- contravenes the very philosophy of sports at this level, placing the won-loss record on the highest pedestal. Check the MIAA's mission statement and see if it is consistent with these ranking systems.
Hey guys, it is not just about boys football, basketball and baseball. Girls sports are just as important. And, there is more than just a good track team at South. The South girls soccer team and girls volleyball team were among the best in the state last year. The girls basketball team went to the semi-finals in the state tournament. South kids personify the best qualities of student athletes. They are smart kids who are also committed athletes and are consistently recognized for their sportsmanship. The sports program has good leadership from an energetic AD, a top notch field house and a new field complex under construction. South plays in probably the toughest league in the state. Success is not just about won-loss records.
Shocked but proud!! South's athletic program's reputation just got a great boost.
S-T-E-V-E M-C-C-H-E-S-N-E-Y
That is a joke......I went to CM, and I would even say that BC High has to have the best athletics in the State. I understand that there are no girls that go there so it may not be fair. Although you can penalize the achievements made by those students athletes because of the schools enrollment policy. At the same time everyone knows Newton North would just about crush South across the board. I smell fix in this article.
I'll bet our boys/girls hockey programs could kick Punahou's ;-)
These rankings are um, just a little subjective.
so if bc high wins the 2008 baseball state championship, and the 2008 football super bowl, and the 2009 winter track states, and finishes top 5 in swimming, and wins the 2009 baseball state championship, and finishes top 5 in spring track, and had a high jumper who is one of 3 in the country to jump over 7 feet, they don't get to be number 1 in the state. they're at least top 10.
I'm kind of shocked that some people want to throw cold water on this wonderful award ! The track team at South is totally outstanding. I as a parent, and sideline fan of many other sports, have found this team to be like no other. And adding to the strengths of this team, there is a very devoted parent-organization involved, to boot! All the right ingredients for a highly successful team.
We all know that St. John's Prep is the best, this guy going to a couple of games doesn't mean he knows squat about Mass High Shool Athletics
Typical BC homer...... must have skipped the schools that are good at sports
Newton South over Boston College High School?
This year, BC High won state championships in football, baseball (both Div1), and sailing. Swimming finished fourth at the state championship meet and won South Central Sectional championship. Student Athlete Bill Kiley was featured in Sports Illustrated´s Faces in the Crowd section for his athletic prowess.
But chosing South over BC High for their track and field program? Did no one tell Armstrong that BC High won the state relays for winter track AND spring track? And has he ever heard of Corey Thomas?
Come on.
To base so much on the success of a school's track team is unjust. Obviously the same athletes that are good runners during fall, are also good runners during winter's indoor track, and then again during spring's outdoor track. Find me a school with a different group of runners each season that wins three championships, and I'll bow down to them anytime. Granted Newton South's other teams may be doing well for now, but I'm still not convinced they're the best in the state. In fact if I was a student from Newton South, I'd be embarrassed to have been ranked number one in MA.
When there's some debate whether you even picked a TOWN's best program, you know there's issues.
Clearly, BC High is the call, but the no girls factor sunk them.
But if SI really wanted to pick something unconventional, then Amherst Regional would have been the way to go with its national prominence in ultimate frisbee. The rest of their "big" sports are usually as equally mediocre as Newton South.
I would not want to be a football player for NSHS next season.
Well, well, well, so many experts doing so little homework. I understand our New England Sports mentally is a little narrow minded but I'm glad to see SI is not afraid to look beyond what we in NE think! Sorry BC and STP but you don't have to deal with the reality of a public school. Facilities, Recruiting, Girls, Alumni, Money, Special coaching (wink,wink) I could go on but I don't have the time.
Lets get back to Newton South and few facts that I was able to find:
14 of 26 programs were in the top 10 in the state.
7 of 14 were top 4 in the State.
Please note Golf, Wrestling, Girls Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Ski ,Girls Basketball, Boys Cross Country, and Girls Cross Country contributed to success of this Award along with the noted Boys Volleyball, Boys Indoor Track, Girls Indoor Track, Boys Outdoor Track & Field, and Girls Outdoor Track & Field.
*Note I believe South had more ALL AMERICANS than any other HS in Mass. I realize that some athletes repeat in different sports season but that takes another season of full training and new competition.
In the State of MA the league records are not the best test for a true champion. The level of competition from league to league is very different. The DCL is the toughest league to play in period. Please look at all the STATE results from all SPORTS BOYS and GIRLS Combined! (sorry BC, SJP)
PS We should be happy that a national Media outlet is willing to publish any HS sports rankings even if we don't agree.
in response to the above post..
if you are saying you think public school student athletes have more to deal with, then I'm afraid you are dead wrong. BCH and the Prep are top tier academic schools, and the workload their students have to do deal with make going to Newton South look like a fun little game. If students in public schools had to deal with the same workload, you would be seeing lots of academic suspensions.
BCH
Football- D1 Superbowl champs. 2nd straight championship in by far the toughest football conf. in the state.
Basketball- Conf. Champs for 11th straight year
Winter Track - D1 State champs
Swimming- SS champs.
Lax- Lost to eventual champ Dux in the final four by 1 goal.
Baseball- Second straight staight champ. 3rd straight south sectional
Spring Track- 2nd in state tourney
Sailing- 2nd state straight champs.
8 sports where BCH has a decisive edge over Newton South.
Newton South has an edge in- Girls sports and Cross country.
Please don't ever say again that Dual County is the toughest league. It is in no way even close to the Catholic Conf.
CC is the best conference in
Hockey Baseball Football Lacrosse Swimming and Track
In response to the above reply. If you take the time to review the shear volume of facts you would understand what is being said. You are missing a lot of information.
Heres a hint: ALL SPORTS BOYS AND GIRLS COMBINED PLUS ALL AMERICANS = DCL POWER!
Have a great sumer! peace out!
I've got to agree with just plain wrong.
The DCL doesn't measure up to the Catholic Conference in a single sport.
If you review the "shear volume" of facts then it would become even more apparent that the Catholic Conference is the best conference in the state, and the DCL should be grateful to be considered for second place. A very distant second place I might add.
Tell me why I shouldn't think the DCL is completely inferior, and use your "facts" to back it up.
South? this whole article basis it off how track and croos country are so popular at South? Now maybe im biased but North has not lost in track in over 11 years indoors and out. I also was a football captain at north and was a big fallower of other sports and i would have to say that most sports are close with the obvious sligt edge to North. there was definately some biased in the article, i am not even trying to say that newton south or north is the best i would go with Brockton personally maybe BC high if you rule out girls sports, but North owns south and north isnt the best trust me. someone needs to be slapped for choosing south
Hell yeah STEVE MCCHESNEY!!!
FTD!!!!!! That guy impacted my entire life. What a coach and person!
After looking at several of these blogs there are a lot of people OFF SUBJECT with their responses. STATE and NATIONAL results were the initial criteria. Best athletic program for the 2008-2009 season ONLY. We need to throw out league, conference championships (all leagues are not created equally) and result from previous years. I know BC might be the best Boys Athletic program but I believe the Newton South Girls out match their accomplish on their own with student who live in their own town. Private school need their own Division because they recruit from all over and don't have to deal with Title IX.. I believe the Globe has a several awards based on the best winning % based on regular season records. Most of the comments need to wait on the Globes Awards in the Fall. Once Again SI was looking at State and National results. Lets talk about who competed at the National level first then talk about State comp later . NS Girls XC #6 in the Country to start. Is there a football team in MASS 2008 ranked in the top 100? Maybe MASS Football, Basketball, LaX, and Baseball should stat playing some CA, Texas, or FLA team so they could break the top 100 in the Nation. SI is a national magazine that understands some teams will compete at a National level and other will only be State or Sectional Champions. Hope this info helps everyone stay on track with their blogs. I know the good old boys are so sad to see Girls Sports lifting an Athletic Program to a National Award but times are changing.
no not all conferences are equal the Catholic Conf is by far the best..
why does town matter at all? If anything that should add to the respect of students who have to juggle a greater workload and a greater commute.
MIAA schools don't recruit. Unless you have solid proof we can all see, don't even bring it up.
Pre-season rankings mean absolutely nothing. The NS girls XC didn't even win states. You want a national athlete? How about Corey Thomas, one of the best track athletes in America this year, or one 15+ athletes who received offers from D1 colleges for sports. ( 5 seniors committed 10+ underclassmen received interest)
BCH baseball broke the top 100, football I believe was in the 200s.
Newton South won ONE state championship with girls and boys sports combined.
State Title Contenders
Newton South ( boys and girls sports)- 1 championship, 1 more contender
BCH ( only boys)- 4 state championships, 3 more contenders.
Unless the judge puts a MUCH higher premium on the less popular women's sports then on men's sports, then there is just no way that this can be justified.
This shows that public schools are getting better at sports in general. NSHS has a great all around athletic program. Another program that deserves attention is Walpole, they may not be the best, but they might deserve a most improved award. Everyone here goes on and on about the CC and how great it is. I'm not saying that it isn't good, it is one of the best in the state, ONE OF. As in there are more conferences that just as good or better. Oh Scott, Newton Public Schools actually have outstanding academics. I'm sure the NSHS kids could do fine academically at any CC school.
This is an award that the Newton South track and cross country (and volleyball this year) teams can enjoy. The rest of the teams in the program are just hopping along for the ride and are a joke..... just another giant thumbs up for that happy go-lucky Newton South community.... more cake and candy for the hard working 25% of the student athletes at South..... "Oh, they won 2 games this year..... but the kids had a GREAT time and learned SOO much" a direct quote from a sugar coating Newton South parent, which seems like the norm over there. Either that or they are calling AD Scott Perrin about their childs playing time, 22 times a day.
Newton South 2008-09 Information:
Girls XC # 6 at NATIONALS , ALL STATE Champs with losest score in history., DIV. 1 Champs as well.
Girls VB Sectional Finalist Div. 1 East (State trophy)
Boys Golf Div. 1 North Champions ( state trophy)
Boys XC top 10 in the entire STATE
Girls Soccer Ties National ranked AB and Strong tourney showing.
Girls Indoor Track & Field ALL STATE CHAMPS, Div. 1 Champs, *National Champ relay team.
Boys Indoor Track & Field * Top 7 in the entire State.
Girls Basketball reaches Semi-Finals in State tourney
Boys Wrestling Div. 1 Central East Sectional Finalist (State trophy)
Boys Volleyball Div. 1 South Champions (# 2 team in entire state by 1pt.)
Girls Outdoor Track & Field Dominate Div. 1 Championship meet, #2 in ALL State Meet *National Relay Champs
Boys Outdoor Track & Field top 7 in State (National Relay team # 11)
Boys Tennis Top 10 in the State
Girls Tennis Top 10 in the State
16 ALL-AMERICANS HONORS
PS National and State info for the 2008-09 season only!
If your into league or conference awards wait until the Fall Boston Globe Awards.
SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Ok, congrats you have an awesome girls cross country team, and a good vball team, those have both been discussed ad nauseum by the NS supporters.
Boys Golf- BCH D1 South champions. finished 2nd in state tourney ( NS was 5th)
edge BCH
Boys XC- NS 3rd in tourney, BCH 13. edge NS
Boys Indoor Track- BCH state champs. Edge BCH
Boys Vball- who cares? honestly does anybody care? edge NS by default
Boys outdoor track- 2nd in state tourney. edge BCH
Tennis- NS lost in the first round, BCH made it to the quarter finals. Edge BCH
Football, basketball, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, sailing, crew, all MASSIVE edge BCH.
The girls sports were pretty good, but for them to counterbalance the God-awfulness of the boys sports they would have had to have been truly dominant.
The article above is about why Newton South was chosen for this honor despite being terrible in all the popular sports, if there were in fact 16 All Americans from Newton South don't you think they would have mentioned it?
Consider the money shown.
If this is public schools it is Duxbury HANDS DOWN. If you include the private schools then yes BCH.
I completely agree with #20. I am a graduate from Newton North, i was an 8 season varsity member of the track and field program, and i played soccer all four years as well. the problem with picking South is that they aren't even the best athletic program in NEWTON not to mention all of Massachusetts. I can affirm the fact that North track hasn't lost a meet indoors or outdoors in 11 years. and the meets weren't even close. while i was there wed win meets by scores of 95-8 on a regular basis, and from what i understand the track program as well as the dominant cross country team we had while i was there, continues to get better.
Comparing south to north would be easier if they played in the same league too. North has been consistently dominant in track, XC, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, gymnastics, swimming (they have all their meets on the road too), basically everything besides football. and that is in the bay state league, the hands down strongest athletic conference in MA. South plays in a creampuff league with every hyphenated named team in the state. North would destroy south in any sport if they played one another. but they dont, which i always found sad.
im not making the case for NNHS to be the top program, but south cant be the top program if they are #2 in newton.
GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!
I certainly agree with Chad (28) ! Although, DHS was not as successful in X-C and Track and Field, how about the THREE STATE Championships and numerous Patriot League Championships this past year??? Also, the #1 Sailing Team in New England and national ranking? All due respect to NSHS but.....,?
best public school programs ( in no order)
Andover
Brockton
Duxbury
But Prep is head and shoulders above all of them, and BCH is head and shoulders above the Prep.
In what boys sport is the Bay State League better then the Catholic Conference?
They might compete for best public conference, but don't kid yourself, the Catholic Conference is the premier conference in the state.
I go to South, and while it certainly invokes a lot of pride to be named #1, it certainly isn't right. Let me start by saying that the track teams, specifically the girls', are simply otherworldly. With all due respect, I think that no matter what league we were in, the girls' track/XC team would not be beaten. However, other than that, there is no great program. Tennis, boys' volleyball, and gold are all very good. Baseball, basketball, and football are all improved but nothing special. Practically everything else is a joke. Maybe they considered mock trial? Anyway, even if we DID deserve it (and I do think no girls did BCH in), it doesn't feel right. Athletics take a very clear back seat in this school and I haven't been compelled with school spirit enough to attend a single event in my life. If the teams keep improving, then maybe I will. That's what I hope the new principal will bring. Anyway, I wish that this award was sort of a culmination of a transformation into a big athletics school, because I still feel inferior to North even. Perrin sucks, the coaches (besides pretty much only McChesney) suck, and this will get to their heads. I hate it. I think this will turn us downhill, honestly, falsely acknowledging any progress that has been made, effectively erasing it. So it is quite the honor, but all I ask is why?
Also, please leave us alone. We didn't ask for this to happen (well, obviously someone inside did, but still). No need to bash the school for something a national publication named its athletic program. Yes, by the way, I do hate it here sometimes and many of you are correct about the rich, pampered, elitist attitude of families around here and I can't stand a lot of it. It's been that way my whole life so I'm used to it. Yes, our academics are exceptional and I doubt that a BC High curriculum would fail the students. But, that has nothing to do with sports. The students are mostly nice people and the athletes are mostly very committed students as well. I, and other students/alumni, willingly admit that this was most undeserved, so please don't bash us all to hell. Thanks.
First of all I am surprised that the Boston Globe has taken a pot shot at a program in their readership. If they feel so strongly that sports is about the "big three". then why not do away with the rest of the Boston Globe All Stars. It seems to me that their way of thinking is pretty outdated and should not represent the Globe. In terms of kids going onto the next level it seems that other sports have done much better in terms of producing Olympians and stars at the next level than their "big three" sports. Please guys, read your own pages even if it is relegated to the small print.
If these two had bothered to read the actual phrasing of the criteria of how the award was given they may not have written the above.
It states that examining all around success as well as weighing the importance of producing athletes and teams that excelled at the national level. It seems to me that #16 showed the all around success of the NS program. It may not be the very strongest and there may be some co-ed programs that are better than the all around success and have a claim to this award. But that is the first half. The challenge is to another program that has produced athletes and teams at the national level.
There is the rub.
Private one gender programs have no business to claims of being the best high school sports team due to the fact that they are missing one half of what this award is about. I also challenge any defenders of those schools to list the kids that grew up in the school district and would have gone there naturally. Private schools are so quick to clam that they do not recruit, but the rest of know the huge advantage that they have.
If NS could operate as privates schools do they would have the pick of best athletes from Newton North, Brookline, Lincoln-Sudbury and many other places. Private schools do not have either better coaches or better programs. They simply have a far wider gene pool and still they do not dominate.
Someone above was wrong. NS girls won the All State track title in 08, not only won All State but also placed 6th in the nation in cross country in 08, tied for first in state in indoor 09 and placed 2nd in outdoor in 09. That is a bit more than winning one title. The also won the national indoor title in the 4 x mile in what was listed as the 6th best time ever run and placed 2nd in the nation in the 4 x 800 with according to the press the 3rd fastest time ever run in the USA. Their 4 x 200 also managed a 12th place in the nation. Outdoors they again won the national title in the 4 x mile with again one of the fastest times in national history and placed 4th in the nation in the distance medley. NS broke the New England record indoors in the 4 x 800 by 18 seconds and destroyed the 4 x mile record by more. Outdoors they broke the New England distance medley record and broke their own New England 4 x Mile record. That does indeed add up to 16 All American honors between those national relay placings. They also had a boys team won the state hurdle title and a 4 x 800 that also won All state. The NS boys went on to place 11th in the nation in the 4 x Mile.
So I guess my question is simply this. What other team has had this kind of success on the national level? It seems that SI thinks that NS has.
According to the criteria with a weight on a national scale what program has a a larger national impact?
This just goes to show SI was trying to be politically correct. After BCH and SJP won this award, they had to give it to a lesser school, but one with girls sports.
The only way giving this award to Newton South can make sense is to say women's sports are considerably more important then men's sports, and in terms of participation, competitiveness, and MOST IMPORTANTLY fan following, this is simply not the case.
Who comes away from this happy? BCH and SJP both deserved this ( I'm a Prep guy but I've got to give BCH the nod, they've been truly dominant over the last 5 years and last year was more of the same) but they were robbed, they can't be happy. The other public schools who boasted much more balanced and successful programs in both sexes like Andover, Duxbury, and maybe Brockton cannot be happy, and the boys of Newton South who had this award given to them despite being one of the worst programs in D1 must be either ashamed or indifferent.
The only people who come away feeling like they contributed to this are the the girls track and XC teams.
as well as weighing the importance of producing star athletes and teams that excelled on a national level.’’
AS WELL AS. That means national success comes second to state success.
But if you truly want to be such an advocate for national success, then I'd like to point out that Andover had the best high school swimmer in America this past year, BC High had one of the best track stars in the nation, and BCH and SJP each had 20+ athletes commit to participate in NCAA sports. But hey I guess a girls track team that didn't even get mentioned by Boston.com is cool too... :/
Give the fans what they want. The overwhelming majority of high school sports fans ( and sports fans in general) do not care about girl's sports, do not care about track, and do not care about cross country.
This was a flawed choice and I look forward to SI making a more educated selection next year.
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