The Varsity Insider from MassLive
|
|
|
Thursday, January 22, 2026 |
|
|
Hello, subscriber. Welcome to the Varsity Insider newsletter, an in-depth look at high school sports across Massachusetts from Jeff Lajoie and MassLive's high school sports team delivered exclusively to MassLive subscribers. |
|
|
Happy Thursday!
Believe it or not, we've moved past the midway point of the high school winter sports regular season. Now that our staff has recovered after a five-day run at the 2026 Hoophall Classic in Springfield, it's time to focus full speed ahead on a truly busy stretch from now until the middle of March.
To take you behind the curtain in how we operate during this stretch of the high school calendar, it's organized chaos. For the next couple of weeks, it's about setting the table for what subscribers to our site can expect come postseason time. That means checking out all the programs we can in order to better serve you with knowledge come the sectional and state tournaments. And then once we flip to February, it's a heavy dose of both sectional and state tournaments in wrestling, skiing, swimming and indoor track. Almost every weekend in February is a busy one, as the top athletes in the Commonwealth ramp up in hopes that they're peaking with the biggest meets and events on tap. I'm in charge of scheduling, and let me tell you, that's a job in and of itself. And with the evolving nature of sport, it's almost impossible to schedule more than a couple of days in advance. Things change, and we have to change with them. That's the job, and we're ready to do it once again this winter. So stay tuned! |
|
|
|
💡 Did you know our free news app helps you stay updated with alerts and notifications? Download the App
|
|
|
|
|
The Newton North boys basketball team has a key game against Walpole on Friday night. GAGE NUTTER |
|
|
In this section, we'll highlight the games and events we're watching each week. Consider this your heads up so you can clear that busy schedule and hit some of these games in person. |
Boys hockey: Greenfield at East Longmeadow (Thursday, Jan. 22): With less than one month left in the regular season, things have remained interesting throughout the region as most teams continue to fight for their respective league crown. The Spartans are scheduled to welcome the Green Wave to Olympia Rink at 6:30 p.m. for a shot at the top spot in the Berry standings. East Longmeadow defeated Greenfield 6-4 during its opening matchup last month.
Boys basketball: Walpole at Newton North (Friday, Jan. 23): Walpole has played some of the Bay State Conference’s best in Needham and Brookline, but the Timberwolves have yet to play the current No. 1 team in MassLive’s conference rankings: the Newton North Tigers.
The Timberwolves’s historic season has been powered so far this winter by the scoring of Ryan McDonald, with sharpshooting from Shane Harrington. This year’s Newton North team isn’t the same team that made it to the Division I state championship last season, but returning starters like Mathaios Stamm and an emerging impact player in Bryson Mercedes has Newton North set up to be a tough out again this winter.It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this conference clash on Friday.
Girls basketball: Minnechaug at Pittsfield (Saturday, Jan 24): The Falcons and Generals have quickly proven themselves among the top teams in Western Mass. This is their first matchup of the season, and both teams enter as top-3 in their division per MIAA. Girls hockey: Walpole at Needham (Saturday, Jan. 24 at Babson College): Walpole is slowly finding its way after an uneven start to the year. Needham on the other hand has struggled to keep games tight so far this season.
The Timberwolves though aren’t unbeatable. Last year the Rockets beat them twice and they are sure to look at this contest as a chance to turn things around. |
|
|
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY Each week in this space, we'll highlight a piece of local high school sports history from yesteryear. JAN. 23, 1976: This week 50 years ago, Classical's Ronnie Rose scored his 1,000th career point in an 88-77 loss to Commerce in Springfield. Rose scored 18 points in the loss, as he became the second player in Classical history to reach 1,000 points after Leo Best was the first. |
|
|
Weekly basketball, hockey rankings |
|
|
Springfield Central's Jareth Staine (1) shoots while defended by Pope Francis' Wes Gainer during the 2026 Hoophall Classic at Springfield College on Thursday, Jan. 15. (DAVE HOSMER/REMINDER PUBLICATIONS) |
|
|
Here's our latest batch of rankings, released on Wednesday. WMass EMass |
|
|
|
💡 Did you know you must be signed-in to unlock all your subscription features and benefits? Sign In Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
