Think of all the interests this world has to offer. Some cook, others dance, and — if you’re lucky — you wake up excited to perform.
Around here, in this section? Sports are like the air we breathe. Social media scrolls, restaurant talks, and weekend plans just wouldn’t be the same without them.
Seriously. Imagine Sunday afternoons without a 1 p.m. kickoff?
As for me, a young storyteller in my mid-20s, I play a very small role in a bigger story — one about local high school sports.
And let me just say: The athletes, coaches, staff members, and community heroes around here make it easy. Every day, there’s a story to tell.
I could never get to everything, but let’s take a look at some of 2025’s best . . .
A pile of state championships
For some, it’s about excellence. Look no further than St. John’s Prep and its calendar year.
In February, its swimming and diving team earned its 17th state title in 19 years. Better yet, the Eagles more than doubled their second-place opposition. Brendan Titley, Porter Mulgrew, Matthew Church, and Wes Ross made a splash in the 400 freestyle relay, clocking a stellar time of 3:12.75.
Fast forward to June. Luke Kelly ripped an overtime goal as the lacrosse team took down Boston College High 7-5 for its fifth consecutive championship.
It was only a 22-1 season for the laxmen, after all . . .
The tennis squad went 22-0, extended its winning streak to 44 matches, and clipped Lexington for the Division 1 crown. Winners that day were Rudr Malayya and the duos of Luke Prokopis/Boris Kouzminov and James de Buy Wenniger/Wade Evitts.
What a way for coach Mark Metropolis to go out, huh? He retired with six titles (his best Michael Jordan impression).
Speaking of six, St. Mary’s girls basketball coach Jeff Newhall captured that number when his Spartans defeated Norwell 46-38 for all of the Div. 3 marbles. Make it three trophies in four years for that group. Former players FaceTimed and joined the celebration inside of the Tsongas Center in Lowell.
The last time Winthrop captured a state championship in hockey was 1976, but March 16 on the TD Garden ice, helmets and gloves were hurled into the air after a 3-0 win against Dedham. Michael Holgersen (21 goals) netted a hat-trick to polish things off for the Vikings, who were once doubted with an 0-2 record in the regular season.
The history didn’t stop there, as Peabody’s boys track and field team captured the first state title in program history. Coach Fernando Braz couldn’t have spoken more highly of the group’s leadership and ability to buy in.
Athletes to remember
Hundreds of star athletes come to mind, but here’s just some of the talent these 12 months had to offer . . .
Shane Knowlton-Simard cemented his football legacy with Lynn English — not an easy thing to do. The dual-threat gunslinger compiled 2,700 yards of offense and 38 touchdowns.
Oh, and it was his first year playing quarterback. (He wasn’t a half-bad receiver, either.)
Alex Jackson made noise at Peabody High, so much so that the University of Virginia came calling. MileSplit United States named him No. 1 in shot put and No. 3 in weight throw.
Bella Owumi has taken some college calls, too. The girls basketball standout — who netted her 1,000th point as a sophomore in January — captured her third title with St. Mary’s before transferring to the Tilton School in New Hampshire.
St. John’s Prep soccer star Garrison Murphy can call himself an All-American after 2025 — how’s that? He even scored six goals across five postseason games for the Eagles, who dropped a close one in the Div. 1 state championship game.
Staying on the soccer field, Sophie Skabeikis is a Mount Rushmore kind of talent for St. Mary’s. The future UMass Minutewoman ended her high school career as the program’s all-time leading scorer (120 goals, 166 points).
Tessa Francis did it all for Marblehead’s softball squad. Earning Northeastern Conference Player of the Year, she batted .381 and pitched 131 innings with 239 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.01.
And it was hard to find a better QB-RB-WR trio than Christopher Vargas, Maxwell Parent, and Riley Selvais of St. John’s Prep. Vargas has received offers from Ohio State, Auburn, and Penn State, to name a few, while Parent rushed for 355 yards in a postseason game (school record) and Selvais scored a pair of electrifying touchdowns in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.
Heavy losses
Like a seesaw, life has its downs, too, as the area said goodbye to some athletic heroes.
Dick Jauron died in February at 74. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2001 with the Chicago Bears, broke records as a player at Swampscott High and Yale University, and coached for 28 NFL seasons.
North Shore coaching giant Frank DeFelice, who won nearly 65 percent of his baseball games at Swampscott High, died at 84. He posted a career record of 465-257 to go with three sectional titles and a state championship in 1993.
David Sibley, head PGA professional at Gannon Municipal Golf Course, died at 54 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. A student of the game, he was named 2025 Golf Professional of the Year by the Massachusetts Chapter of the New England PGA.
Family and community man Ed Toner, of Swampscott, died at 81. The former Boston Patriot played 26 professional games and was the New England Patriots’ first Alumni Volunteer of the Year in 2017.
Renowned Saugus High football coach, physical education teacher, and Athletic Director Mike Ginolfi died in December. Under his watch, the Sachems captured Northeastern Conference titles in 1975 and 1977.
Matt Murray, a standout athlete at Swampscott High who pitched for the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox, died at 54 after complications from surgery. He appeared in six major league games and tossed 14 innings to go with four strikeouts.
Joe Cawlina, a bowling legend so accomplished he was nicknamed “Mr. Grand Slam,” died at 93. He was inducted into the Candlepin Bowling Hall of Fame in 1981 and won a United States mixed doubles title with wife Barbara.
Let’s give a round of applause for . . .
Alex Kulevich, who had the athletic complex at Marblehead High named in his honor. He was a history teacher and head football coach (54-52 record, 5 winning seasons) before becoming athletic director for more than 20 years;
Joenel Aguero, a Lynn native and former St. John’s Prep Eagle who continued his football career with the powerhouse Georgia Bulldogs this year;
Former three-sport Swampscott coach Julie Halloran, who was inducted into the New Agenda-Northeast Hall of Fame. Call it a hat trick, as Halloran was inducted into the Salem High Hall of Fame in 2011 and Swampscott High Hall of Fame in 2021;
Joy Meshulam, who became Marblehead High’s first female golf captain, according to coach Bob Green. Her group finished with an 11-2-2 record and retained the Tedesco Cup;
Rashidi Ellis and James Perkins, a pair of Lynn boxers who won big-time fights in 2025. Perkins snatched the World Boxing Council (WBC) U.S.A. Silver Light Heavyweight Championship, while Ellis pounded Javier Fortuna at Mohegan Sun Arena to improve his record to 28-1;
Anna Felicio, who became the first state champion in the history of the Saugus-Peabody wrestling co-op. She was the No. 1 seed in the 107-pound weight class;
The Greater Lynn Babe Ruth 15/16U Navy All-Stars, who captured a state championship with a 6-2 victory against Braintree back in July;
The Peabody Little League 12-year-old All-Stars, who ran across Forest River Park with the District 16 banner after defeating Swampscott 4-0;
Lynnfield’s Tyler Adamo and Pentucket’s Sydney Trout, who were the Moynihan Lumber North Shore Student-Athletes of the Year. Adamo took his baseball talents to Columbia University, while Trout will suit up for Duke University’s lacrosse team.
