A pair of Lynnfield residents recently captured two New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) New England championships.
Matt Relihan, a former St. John’s Prep basketball standout, helped lead the St. Andrews School in Barrington, R.I. to the NEPSAC Class AA Boys Basketball championship. The No. 1 seeded Saints secured the title with an 84-72 win over No. 2 Cushing Academy March 3 at Western New England University in Springfield.
Relihan, a 6’5″ 200-pound guard, helped the cause with 10 points and eight rebounds. He averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game during the season and received NEPSAC Class AA Honorable Mention honors.
The Saints, who finished the season at 26-7, opened the tournament with a 68-58 win over defending champion and No. 8 Tilton School in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Saints defeated No. 5 Vermont Academy 81-68.
Relihan is a postgraduate student. He is currently being recruited by several Division II programs.
Former Lynnfield High and Malden Catholic hockey standout Jagger Benson, a defenseman on the Tilton School boys hockey team, helped the top-seeded Rams hockey team capture the NEPSAC Small School Boys Hockey championship earlier this month. The title was Tilton’s first NEPSAC championship in 17 years. Benson scored the Rams’ second goal in their Piatelli/Simmons Small School Hockey championship-clinching 5-2 win over Lakes Region rival Holderness at St. Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena. His efforts earned Benson game MVP honors.
The Rams, which finished the season 22-8, opened the championship with a 4-1 win in the quarterfinals over No. 8 Pomfret School at their home rink in the MacMorran Field House. Benson notched a goal and one assist. Tilton advanced to the championship game with a 4-1 over No. 5 seed St. Mark’s School.
Benson is a member of Tilton’s Class of 2020.
