The milestone of the day came from Methuen senior captain Jared Cripps, who surpassed 200 career points in a 19-11 win over Triton.
A snowy, rainy Saturday featured some lacrosse and volleyball action, but the biggest news came from the HR department, where Noble & Greenough announced the hiring of a new football coach, Jim O’Leary, who just wrapped up a 14-year stint at Governor’s.
1. Coaching carousel
For the third straight season, Noble & Greenough will have a new football coach. Longtime Governor’s Academy coach Jim O’Leary announced he will be taking over at Nobles after 15 years with the Governors, including 14 as head coach.
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O’Leary had announced he was stepping down at Governor’s in November, and now will take over a Nobles team coming off a 7-2 season and a win over Kingswood Oxford in the NEPSAC John Mackay Bowl under coach Mike Curran, who had replaced Rob Murray following a 3-5 campaign in 2023.
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O’Leary went 83-37 at Governor’s, winning five ISL championships and three NEPSAC bowl games. He previously coached at Triton.
His son, Peyton, is a wide receiver at Michigan with one more season of eligibility remaining. Another son, Shane, is a graduate student boys’ lacrosse player at Ohio State after playing four seasons at UMass.
North Andover has promoted Dave Duquette to offensive coordinator after he coached both lines for the Knights last season. Previously, Duquette had stops at Burlington, Lowell, Austin Prep, and Andover.
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2. Commitment corner
Billerica senior Nyrah Joseph, a two-time MSTCA pentathlon champion, has committed to run track at UMass Lowell.
Billerica senior Kaylie Govoni announced she will play soccer at Long Island.
Methuen lineman Joshua Najeeullah has committed to play football at Bridgewater State. The 5-foot-9-inch, 250-pound senior played center and nose guard for the Rangers.
North Andover held a signing day Friday for several athletes committed to continue playing in college. Jessica Vautour will play softball at Emmanuel, Luke Yorba will play baseball at Westfield State, Trevor Hunter will run track at Saint Anselm, Jake Jackson will play football at RPI, Quinn Bennett will play hockey at Anna Maria, Anya Buyea will dive for Tufts, Niko Catalano will play basketball at Endicott, Trey Kean will play lacrosse at RPI, Nicole Kroon will run cross-country and track at Bryant, Emmett Larosa will run cross-country and track at Central Connecticut State, Dylan Lawrence will play baseball at Bentley, Meg Rozzi will play soccer at Savannah College of Art & Design, Virginia Smith will play field hockey at Plymouth State, Luke Sutera will play football at Endicott, Jack Ventre will swim at Bryant, and Zachary Faro will play baseball at Keene State.
3. Daily lacrosse leaderboard
Goals
Jack Balfour, Mashpee, 8
Willy Robinson, Scituate, 6
Avery Valicenti, Archbishop Williams, 6
Quinn Garry, Weston, 5
Maeve Kelly, Medfield, 5
Lexi Davos, Norwell, 4
Kendall Herrick, Medfield, 4
Jayson Kelleher, Bridgewater-Raynham, 4
Izzy Kittredge, Medfield, 4
Joe Ladosci, Weston, 4
Connor O’Neil, Pingree, 4
Points
Balfour, Mashpee, 8
Kelly, Medfield, 8
Kelleher, B-R, 7
Robinson, Scituate, 7
Dominic Matteodo, Mashpee, 6
Clare O’Keefe, Archbishop Williams, 6
Valicenti, Archbishop Williams, 6
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Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts high school sports highlights for April 12, 2025
