RallyNorth.net

WILMINGTON | Following a scoreless first period Saturday afternoon against Arlington Catholic, St. John's Prep head coach Kristian Hanson decided to move Colin Prior back up to his old spot at right wing on the team's first line.

Meghan Thomann's return from a knee injury sparked Andover's shooting in an impressive 64-43 victory over a solid Arlington Catholic squad. Thomann led the way with 20 points, which included four 3-pointers, while freshman Natalie Gomez (19) and Laura Renfro (17) had three and five 3-pointers. It was a career high for Gomez, who also had seven assists.

ARLINGTON | The misconception that football fans have about the spread offense is that a team is married to the passing game.

But coach Steve Dembowski's Swampscott High team isn't married to anything | except winning. The Big Blue are as resourceful as any team you'd care to name, as they demonstrated again last night against Arlington Catholic in the Division 3 playoffs.

Swampscott's passing game had been nonexistent in the first half of yesterday's Division 3 playoff semifinal against Arlington Catholic.

That was, until the final play of the half.

With two seconds remaining unter intermission and nursing a 6-0 lead, Big Blue senior quarterback Peter Kinchley launched a heave toward the right sideline, where senior wide receiver Justin Mitchell came down with it and galloped into the end zone.

Bishop Fenwick's girls soccer team won its second Catholic Central League title in the last three years with a satisfying 2-0 defeat of league rival Arlington Catholic yesterday.

"We always have high goals and one is to win the league," said Crusaders head coach Karen Guillemette. "I've been pleasantly surprised with our success."

ARLINGTON | The two or three shadows Arlington Catholic coach Serge Clivio assigned weren't enough to slow down Bishop Fenwick running back Bobby Tarr. But neither Tarr, his 325 yards rushing or the torrential rain that drifted over Arlington High School in the second half was enough to derail the Cougars' potent offense. Arlington Catholic built a first half lead and matched Fenwick's three second half touchdowns for a 42-26 win.

PEABODY | Two-thousand yards guarantees you glory, individual awards and a tired set of legs.

What it doesn't guarantee you is a championship.

Bobby Tarr, Bishop Fenwick's talented junior running back, continued his pursuit of the rare high school achievement of 2,000 rushing yards with his fourth straight 200-yard game. But this time it came in a crushing 48-26 loss to Catholic Central League rival Arlington Catholic at Donaldson Field. Tarr may very well get to breathe the rarefied air of a 2,000-yard season, but the truth is the Crusaders would probably be better off if he didn't.