High School

07/24/2007

R.I. hoopsters are on fire this summer
If summer is indeed the season for basketball players to whip their skills into shape, things are going very well for several Rhode Island natives.

07/13/2007

Coffey's hard work pays off
Genetics made Ryan Coffey one of the biggest student/athletes in the state; hard work made him the best and brightest.

Ruggieri hits mark on, off field
Julie Ruggieri was one of the most successful athletes in the history of Rhode Island high school girls sports.

Woonsocket teen makes headlines
He grew up in a city that isn’t always portrayed in a favorable light by Rhode Island media.

Boys Honor Roll past winners

Girls Honor Roll past winners

Reynolds Award past winners

The complete Providence Journal Honor Roll
Geographically there were only a few miles between where Winston Smith and Christina Nelson received their high school educations.

Athletes net $5,000 scholarships
Burrillville’s Ryan Coffey, Barrington’s Julie Ruggieri and Woonsocket’s Andrew Marsella each will receive $5,000 scholarships as recipients of The Providence Journal Honor Roll Boy, Honor Roll Girl and Dick Reynolds Correspondent awards, respectively.

07/09/2007

Steroid testing, but at what price?
They were thinking big in New Mexico. Encouraged by the Drug Enforcement Agency, state officials staged a national summit to discuss solutions for the growing problem of steroids in high school sports.

The truth be told, we’re all at the root of escalating problem
The fact that we now need to test our high school athletes for steroids speaks volumes about where we are in America today.

State-by-state steroid testing policies

07/06/2007

Boys Volleyball All-States

Softball All-States
FIRST TEAM

Boys Outdoor Track All-States
FIRST TEAM

07/05/2007

For athletes, spring starts cold, then heats up
Most of them started practicing in near-freezing temperatures in the middle of March and many of them ended their season in near-record heat in late May and early June. In between there were proms, award nights, final exams, the challenge of looking for a summer job and, for some, graduation.

07/06/2007

Huskies, Bolt win plaudits
It was a simple observation, but it told everything you need to know about why the Mt. Hope boys track team is the recipient of one of the Providence Journal/R.I. Interscholastic League Injury Fund Dick Reynolds team sportsmanship award this spring.

07/05/2007

Boys Lacrosse All-States 2007
FIRST TEAM

Girls Lacrosse All-States 2007
FIRST TEAM

Boys Tennis All-States 2007
FIRST TEAM

Baseball All-States 2007
FIRST TEAM

Golf All-States 2007
BOYS FIRST TEAM

Girls Outdoor Track All-States
FIRST TEAM

07/06/2007

Rachel Isser
A second-team All-State selection last year, Isser moves up to the first team after helping Moses Brown regain both the SENE regular-season and tournament championships. The senior defender played in all 53 games during her three varsity seasons. This year, she led Moses Brown with 45 caused turnovers, was third on the team with 53 ground balls and had 14 draw controls. She also contributed three goals and one assist.

Matt Maroni
Maroni earned first team All-State honors this season by being one of the most talented defenders in the state. His ground-ball skills helped set up North Kingstown’s offense. He also locked down the Skippers opponents’ best offensive player. "Matt is a strong one-on-one player who anchored our defense," North Kingstown coach John Holmes said. "He is a great defensive player and a good leader."

Chris Eggeling
Eggeling jumped from second team All-Division last season to first team All-State this season by displaying an array of offensive skills. Eggeling was second on his team and second in the state in goals scored, notching 48 goals with 20 assists. Eggeling will continue his lacrosse career at Lynchburg College in the fall.

Colin Briggs
Arguably the best boys lacrosse player that the R.I. Interscholastic League has ever seen, Briggs was a four-time first team All-Stater and a three-time All-American. Briggs scored 40 goals this season to help lead Hendricken to the Division I state title. He was named the MVP of the championship game after scoring six goals in a victory over PCD. Briggs has accepted a lacrosse scholarship from the University of Virginia.

Bruce Fisher-Messier
A second-team All-State selection as a junior, Fisher-Messier, with his exceptional speed and stick skills, moved up to first team this season. He helped power a potent PCD offense by scoring 25 goals. He helped lead the Knights to a 9-3 record and all the way to the state championship game.

Rob Walsh
Walsh, who led the state in scoring for the second consecutive season, is making his second first- team All-State appearance. Walsh tallied 54 goals and was selected as an All-American. He averaged more than 50 goals during his three-year varsity career. Coach Kevin Murray said that Walsh is the "best attack finisher" he has ever coached. Walsh, a member of the National Honor Society, will play lacrosse at Connecticut College.

J.J. Gilbane
Gilbane led the state in scoring for the second consecutive season with 54 goals and 46 assists, and was named a Lacrosse Coaches Association All-American for the second consecutive season. A second-team All-State selection as a freshman and a sophomore and a member of the 2006 National Honor Society, Gilbane, who tallied 334 points at PCD, will take his talents to Deerfield Academy.

Greg Fallon
Whenever North Kingstown needed a clutch goal, the Skippers looked to Fallon. He led North Kingstown’s offense with 32 goals and 19 assists for 51 points. "Greg anchored our attack the whole year for us," North Kingstown coach John Holmes said. "He is a talented all-around player and our team leader. He was our go-to-guy when we needed to get something done."

Connor Moore
Moore played a big role in the midfield and defensive backfield throughout his career. Making his second first-team All-State appearance, Moore’s ability to pick up the ball on the run and clear the defensive zone kept the opposition away from the cage and helped the Hawks set up their attack. Moore, who was also a first-team All-State hockey selection, will play junior hockey in New Hampshire before attending Providence College.

Stephen Devereaux
As one of the most dominant defenders that the R.I. Interscholastic League has ever seen, Devereaux is making his third straight first-team All-State appearance. Devereaux consistently displayed his take-away skills as well as his transition skills during his three-year varsity career. Devereaux will play lacrosse at Bryant University.

Ben Barlow
Barlow played only two full seasons as the Knights’ goaltender, but that didn’t stop him from making first team All-State both times. An attack and midfielder during his freshman campaign, Barlow moved into the cage halfway through his sophomore season. He stopped 72 percent of the shots that came his way this season. Barlow made 17 saves in the state championship game this year.

David Porcaro
Porcaro defended the Rams’ opposition’s best attacker one-on-one and, more times than not, shut him down. In addition to his tremendous defensive skills, Porcaro scored a goal and had seven assists. "He was our leader on the field, our go-to-defender, and well respected throughout the state," said La Salle coach Steve O’Donnell. "He’s not a big kid, maybe 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, but he’s fast, quick and crafty.”

06/29/2007

Special moments in school sports
Here’s a look some of the special accomplishments I remember from the 2006-07 school season.

06/28/2007

Varadian’s gift: ability to unruffle feathers
If the late President Ronald Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator,” then Haig Varadian — who died on June 21 at the age of 81 — was surely “The Great Conciliator.”

06/26/2007

Chief justices slam gavel on recruiting youths
A few bits and pieces as we wrap up another high school sports year.