Matt Feld: 10 MIAA Athletes Who Have Stood Out Amongst The Rest

BC High's Will Bowen is one of the better pure athletes to come through the MIAA in recent years. A star on the football and lacrosse fields, Bowen is currently in his sophomore year at UNC.

By Matt Feld (@MattyFeld612)

Throughout my tenure as a high school sports writer - first with ESPN Boston, then as a member of SuiteSports and now still with the Boston Herald - I have had the honor of covering some of the top players to come through Massachusetts across all sports.

I've covered Division 1 athletes, McDonald's All-American nominees, Gatorade Player of the Year Award winners, hundreds of state champions, and potential future professional athletes. There's nothing more humbling as a sports writer than turning on ESPN or FOX and seeing a player you covered back in high school facing off against some of the top college programs in the country.

One of the more unique aspects of high school sports, particularly here in Massachusetts, is that the players who rise to the top may not always be the most talented. The stories that grab your heart strings or make you fall in love with the game do not necessarily involve players headed for future stardom, but those who are stars right there in the moment. They may never be the top player to come out of Massachusetts, but they may just be the top player to come out of their school.

High school athletes become unique in their own way. What draws coverage towards them may be talent, an innate ability to fill out the stat sheet, or sheer dominance. There are other reasons, however, why an athlete may see a community rally around them. Whether it be their competitiveness, candor, personality, or leadership, high school sports in Massachusetts allows players to rise to town-fame when they otherwise may be forgotten.

Over the last half decade I have had the chance to cover players who fit both these descriptions. Some players who stood out from the moment they stepped on a field as a freshman, and others who blossomed as seniors. 

Here are 10 MIAA Athletes over the course of the last five years I have had the pleasure of covering who stood out amongst the rest.

Newton South Girls' Hoops Captures Tournament Title against Archbishop Williams

By Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

Woburn, Mass. - In one of the best girls' high school basketball games played this season in Massachusetts, Archbishop Williams (17-3) and the Newton South Lions (19-1) tangled in the championship game of the Comast-D’Vinci Tournament held at Woburn High School.

According to Danny Ventura of The Boston Herald, the Bishops sit at #7 and the Lions hold down the #9 spot in the paper's latest power rankings. Neither team disappointed Monday, in a 56-53 game taken by the Lions.

Bishops guard Asiah Dingle (Kent State ’22 commit) and Lions guard Veronica Burton (Northwestern ’22) have been both friends and adversaries on the basketball court since the age of nine.

“It is a good opportunity to play against someone that is actually as good as you,” Dingle said of competing against Burton. “It’s fun to see if we can take each other out of the game, both mentally and defensively, but also match each other offensively.”

Thomas Shaughnessy Leads No. 3 Needham Past No. 11 Newton South in D1 South Quarterfinals

Needham junior Thomas Shaughnessy piled up 23 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks to power the Rockets past Newton South

By Nate Weitzer (@Nweitzer7)

NEEDHAM, Mass. - Thomas Shaughnessy was in complete control from the opening tip of Needham’s Division 1 South quarterfinals matchup against Newton South.

Behind a game-high 23 points and six assists from their star junior, the third-seeded Rockets pulled away from No. 11 Newton South by 20 points early in the third quarter and never looked back on their way to a 68-49 victory and a trip to the sectional semifinals. 

“[Shaughnessy] is the energizer and he’s our emotional leader,” said Needham head coach Paul Liner. “He played great defensively and on the offensive end, played within himself and within the game. He brings it every night and he did a great job for us tonight.”

Newton South Girls Complete Sweep, Take Down Newton North in D1 South

Newton South's Veronica Burton dropped her second straight double double to lead her team over rival Newton North

By Nate Weitzer (@Nweitzer7)

NEWTON, Mass. - Veronica Burton and Sayawni Lassister grew up playing on the same teams for their native town of Newton and now they’re the best players on fierce rivals in Newton South and Newton North.

The two stars traded blows while playing all 32 minutes in a Division 1 South showdown at No. 3 Newton North on Thursday night, but in the end, Burton’s sixth-seeded Lions proved stronger, as they earned a 59-45 victory to advance to the regional semifinals.

Newton North pulls off incredible comeback to down rival Newton South

Ethan Wright battles for an offensive rebound during Newton North's win over rival Newton South

By Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)

NEWTON, Mass. - Throw out the records when these two rival high schools face off, because they always battle for pride more than another notch in the win column. 

More often than not, that leads to close games, but the most recent installment of Newton North versus Newton South provided a stunning turnaround, as the host Tigers came back from a 16-point second-half deficit to down the Lions 64-53 in a thrilling win.