Hillcrest head coach Jordan Fielding had an answer for what made this year’s team final-four caliber.

They were sitting next to him — juniors Jayven Jones and Kyrese Simpson.

“It wasn’t some magical formula,” Fielding said. “It’s just hard work every day in practice.”

While the Hornets (21-10) fell short against MICDS in the Class 5 state semifinals on Friday, Hillcrest will look to end the season with a win against Raytown South (18-12) in the third-place game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re really going to find out what we’re made of tomorrow, just like anyone does in the third-place game,” Fielding said.

Hillcrest started strong, trailing by just four points at the end of the first quarter, but struggled down the stretch, losing 62-35 to the St. Louis-area Rams.

“They’re really big,” Simpson said of MICDS. “They clogged up the gaps a lot.”

Simpson scored 14 points, and Jones added 11.

“They exerted their will, and we really didn’t have an answer tonight,” Fielding said. “We didn’t shoot well, but I think that had a lot to do with MICDS.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Hillcrest basketball falls in state semifinals

RAPID CITY — The No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln boys basketball team had to weather a 12-5 run from No. 4 Harrisburg to open the third quarter to win 53-48 and advance to the SDHSAA Class AA state championship game.

Harrisburg trailed 26-25 at halftime before going on its surge.

Lincoln head coach Luke Hannemann decided to turn up the heat, going to a full-court press even on misses and turnovers. That rattled the Tigers, and the Patriots responded with a 22-11 finish to the game.

"We just knew at that point we had to go," Hannemann said. "We couldn't let them have a lead on us and we had to really go. Our defense helped propel some of our offense."

Harrisburg head coach Scott Langerock felt he didn't do enough to prepare his guys for the pressure and thought he deserves the credit for the final Lincoln run.

"I didn't rep it enough in practice, and it's hard to simulate that kind of pressure," Langerock said. "There were a lot of banana cuts, soft cuts, hopping, not screening with a purpose and popping back to the ball. And it's the pressure, right. It's a big-time game and you have the undefeated giant in the state on the ropes, so you get excited then a little doubt creeps in."

Harrisburg stayed in it the rest of the way, and David Doe Jr. had a chance to make it a two-point game late. Sam Ericsson, who shot just 2-for-10 in the game, came in to block the shot and seal the win.

"I just pride myself on showing up for my team in some way," Ericsson said. "If my shot's not falling, then I'm going to find other ways to show up and find a way to get a win."

.@HarrisburgBBB with the runout and Sam Ericsson with the huge block on David Doe. @SFLHSBoysBball up 49-45 with 1:19 to play. @ArgusSportspic.twitter.com/Y8QnO83EPz

— Paul Cifonelli (@PCifonelli) March 21, 2026

The Patriots' offense revolved around Sam DeGroot, who was named South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year earlier Friday morning. He proved the voters right, going for 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting, five rebounds and four blocks.

"It's been a good day," DeGroot said. "The award's nice, but I like the team victory more. It was an intense game. We battled all the way through and came through in the end. It was a good win for us."

Lincoln lost in this spot — the top seed in the semifinals — last season, but the Patriots responded to adversity this year and punched their ticket to the final.

"It's just a resilient group," Hannemann said. "They've put in the time, they do things the right way, they're great kids off the floor, and usually karma comes around."

DEGROOT FOR THE TIE, PLUS ONE. @SFLHSBoysBball senior makes it 38-37 Lincoln with 3 left in the third. @ArgusSportspic.twitter.com/0lJsj8wKm6

— Paul Cifonelli (@PCifonelli) March 21, 2026

Brody Schafer added 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists, Ericsson tallied nine points and four steals and Owen Duffy contributed seven points for Lincoln.

Lincoln will play either No. 2 Sioux Falls Roosevelt or No. 3 Huron in the Class AA state championship game at 6:45 p.m. MT/7:45 p.m. CT.

Harrisburg was incredibly emotional after having poured every ounce of fight and effort into the loss. Langerock got teared up talking about this group and the way they battled to reach the semifinals and have a chance at a trip to the state title game.

"It wasn't anything the coaches did, these guys played for each other all year," Langerock said. "That starts in April of last year. It wasn't about one individual guy and they just believed in each other and wanted to make plays for each other, always. It's pretty easy to get behind guys like that in today's world."

👀@HarrisburgBBB. Tigers come out firing and this Crayton Jibben bucket helps them take a 36-31 lead at the third media timeout. @SFLHSBoysBball may be in some trouble and Stellen Larson is headed to the line with a chance to extend the lead. @ArgusSportspic.twitter.com/8P6T7ZKsMH

— Paul Cifonelli (@PCifonelli) March 21, 2026

Stellen Larson led the Tigers with 14 points and eight rebounds and Crayton Jibben and Cole Kooiker added 11 points each.

Langerock is happy this group gets one more chance to compete as a team, not just because of the opportunity to play for third place.

"The great thing about the AA state tournament is you get to play three games," Langerock said. "There's value in having this emotion tonight, and tomorrow the sun gets up and you go do it again. That's real life, because life's going to punch you in the face quite often and do you want to pout and forget it ever happened, or do you want to face it the next day? This is probably the best life lesson an athlete gets to experience."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lincoln tops Harrisburg, moves to SDHSAA boys basketball championship

The deepest run in Corning Hawks boys basketball history came to a close Friday, March 20 in large part because of a significant in-game run by Fairport at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.

Section 5 titlist Fairport went on a 35-11 surge that extended from the second quarter into the third before holding off the Hawks' own comeback effort in a 79-72 win in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AAA semifinal.

Corning faced a 68-60 hole midway through the final quarter and closed within three. A backdoor layup from Fairport's Alex Grejda produced a five-point advantage with 30 seconds left.

The Hawks finished with a 21-2 record and made their first appearance in a state final four.

"We had our chances," Corning head coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. "We were ahead, we blew a lead early. We started turning the ball over a little bit, not stepping to meet passes, fundamentals. Missed some free throws down the stretch that would have cut the margin.

"I think it was a well-played game by both teams. Really proud of my guys."

Fairport (23-1) secured a spot in the championship game against Albany Christian Brothers Academy, a 68-48 winner over Mamoreneck in Friday's second semifinal.

The title tilt is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at Visions Arena.

Fairport stars of the game

Grejda scored 24 points on 11-for-17 shooting to lead five Red Raiders who scored in double figures. Hadi Dergham scored 16 points, Noah Meabon 13, Jon Roessel 11, and Sam Roselli 10.

Grejda grabbed 13 rebounds and Meabon had 10. The 6-foot-4 Meabon has committed to play volleyball at the University of Southern California as an outside hitter.

Fairport's size advantage helped produce a 35-14 rebounding advantage and was a factor in the Hawks' 18 turnovers, many of which came against Fairport's full-court press and traps. Fairport had 15 offensive rebounds while Corning had one.

"The turnovers were huge and there were multiple turnovers multiple possessions in a row," Johnston said.

Corning stars of the game

The Proudfoot brothers, Carter and Nolyn, each scored 20 points to pace Corning. Carter, who had 6 steals, went 8-for-13 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Nolyn grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

Kyler Stevenson added 12 points and 4 assists for Corning before fouling out with 4:09 remaining.

Kohl Hogue contributed 12 points. Teigen Gill scored 8 points, including a pair of corner 3-pointers in the first half.

Corning led 36-17 in the second quarter before Fairport started creating turnovers while closing within 42-39 at halftime.

"We were making shots," Johnston said. "We came out with a lot of energy, we got some stops early and we could spread the margin.

"We talk about this all the time, that basketball is a game of spurts. You’re going to go on runs unless the other team is just not any good. We know when you get to this level there’s four teams that can all play basketball."

Nolyn Proudfoot, a 30 points-per-game scorer this season, ended his sophomore season with more than 1,750 career points and Johnston said there is no question he will become Section 4's career scoring leader by the time he finishes at Corning. Former Tioga Central star Jim Ryder is No. 1 with 2,238 points.

More: Seton season ends with OT loss in NYSPHSAA AA boys basketball semis

Key moments

Corning closed within 72-68 on a Carter Proudfoot 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining.

Dergham went 1-for-2 at the line and Meabon scored on a put-back for a 75-68 advantage. Another Carter Proudfoot 3-pointer and a 1-for-2 trip to the line for Hogue brought the Hawks within 75-72 before Grejda's sealing bucket.

"Our kids are resilient. I knew they were going to keep fighting — all year long," Johnston said.

Reflecting on graduating seniors

Among Corning's graduating seniors are starters Stevenson and Gill. Stevenson is headed to Plattsburgh State to play Division III basketball and Gill ranks among the top of Corning's senior class.

"They’ve been a staple of our program for a long time," Johnston said. "Both of them have been up on varsity since 10th grade either starting or first guy off the bench. They’re competitors. Really proud of them."

More: Road to final four has been a blast for Horseheads girls basketball

A shared moment between coaches

A smiling Johnston shared an embrace and a few words after the game with Fairport head coach Scott Fitch, the 1994 NCAA Division III Player of the Year at Geneseo State. The coaches got to know each other from a regular-season game between their teams and a hoops clinic.

The court at Fairport is named Coach Fitch Court after it was originally dedicated as Jeff Fitch Court in honor of Scott's dad, who coached Fairport to 459 victories. Johnston's dad coached Elmira Notre Dame to a state title in 1978.

"I have a lot of admiration for both of them and their family," Johnston said. "It’s a neat little thing where I played for my dad and have a lot of respect for him and his accomplishments and what he did at the high school level. I know Scott feels the same about his dad, Jeff, as well."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Recap of Fairport's victory over Corning in NYSPHSAA boys hoops semis

Miami guard Tre Donaldson and Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II will meet again on a national stage Friday when their teams square off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is set for 10:10 p.m.

The matchup doubles as a reunion for the former Florida High teammates, who helped lead the Seminoles to the 2022 FHSAA Class 3A state championship under then–head coach Charlie Ward, now the head coach at Florida A&M.

This won’t be their first college meeting. Donaldson and Robinson last faced each other on March 5, 2024, when Donaldson was in his second season at Auburn and Robinson was a freshman for Missouri.

Despite facing his former teammate, Robinson remains locked in hopes of making it out of the first round.

"I try not to think about it too much. It's just another game for me," Robinson said to the Missouri media. "I'm just going to go out there and compete "

Robinson, now in his third year with the Tigers, is averaging 8.8 points per game for head coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young, the former Florida State assistant.

Donaldson, meanwhile, is on his third program. After two seasons at Auburn and one at Michigan, he transferred to Miami to play for first-year head coach Jai Lucas. He enters the tournament as the Hurricanes’ second-leading scorer at 16.5 points per game and leads the team with 5.8 assists per contest.

The Florida High roots run even deeper. Young’s son, Isaiah, was also part of that 2023 state title team, along with Trey Card, now at Tallahassee State College, and Ashton Hampton, who plays football at Clemson.

On Friday night, two former Tallahassee standouts will share the court again — this time with a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s second round on the line.

More: March Madness maternity: Couple using brackets to pick daughter’s name

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tre Donaldson vs. Anthony Robinson II: Florida High reunion in NCAA tourney

Pickerington North swimmer Jaron Schwartz was selected the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Boys Athlete of the Week for March 9-15.

A four-time state placer, Schwartz registered the most points for a North swimmer at the state meet and was a member of the first relay team to place at state in school history. At state, he finished eighth in the 200 medley relay, 200 IM and 100 breaststroke and 20th in the 200 free relay. He had four first-place finishes (200 medley relay, 200IM, 200 free relay, 100 breaststroke) at the OCC meet. At sectionals, finished second in the 200 IM, third in the 200 medley relay and fourth in the 200 free relay and 100 breaststroke.

How to nominate Athletes of Week: Here's how to nominate OSU Wexner Medical Center high school Athletes of Week in 2024-25

Schwartz received 62.1% of the vote and was followed by Watterson wrestler Michael Boyle, who received 37.6%.

Also nominated were Columbus Academy basketball player Jason Singleton and Hilliard Bradley basketball player Kypton Norris.

Boyle, the runner-up, won his third consecutive state championship, beating Napoleon's George Eggers by technical fall 21-5 in the Division II 215-pound state final.

Singleton totaled 61 points, 14 rebounds, eight steals and six assists in Division V, Region 18 tournament wins over Africentric and Castalia Margaretta.

Norris had 25 points, including 13-of-14 shooting from the free-throw line, in a Division I, Region 3 final win over Newark. He also had 13 points in a semifinal win over Olentangy and was 7-of-8 from the line.

The Athlete of the Week voting recognizes athletes across all sports.

Nominations are due Monday mornings for competitions that took place the previous week. The boys poll is live until 4 p.m. Fridays. The girls poll is live until 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Anyone can nominate an athlete by email to bwhite1@dispatch.com or through X (formerly Twitter) tagging @BrianWhite13.

Once athletes win during the regular season, they're not eligible to be back on the ballot until the postseason. Athletes who have not been a recipient of one of the weekly awards can be nominated more than once. 

Have any questions? Email sports editor Brian White at bwhite1@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Meet OSU Wexner Medical Center's Athlete of the Week: Jaron Schwartz

ERIE – David Mills is one of the best swimmers in the state.

He proved that during the Division 3 state finals at the Holland Aquatic Center on March 13-14, taking a fourth and three fifths in his four events.

The incredible thing is that the Erie Mason junior spends less than a third as much time in the pool as his competitors.

“It’s pretty neat,” Mason-Ida swimming coach Andy Mosley said. “He doesn’t swim all year long. All the guys he competes against are year-round swimmer. It’s amazing that he can be that good swimming only the three months during the season.”

More: Erie Mason-Ida's Andy Mosley named boys swimming coach of year

More: Gibraltar Carlson's Jace Starll named Region Diver of the Year

More: Roundup of Monroe County Region results in state swimming meets

Mills is busy in the fall with cross country and in the spring with track and field.

“I haven’t even done a summer league since middle school,” he said. “I might this year since I did so well.”

On top of the phenomenal state meet where he was part of four school records, Mills was named the outstanding swimmer at the Monroe County Championships in January and won two events and was part of a winning relay in the Southeast Michigan Independent Swimming League Meet the week before the state finals.

He was undefeated in the 200 and 500 freestyle this season except for the Michigan Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association meet and the state finals.

“This season was amazing,” Mills said. “I worked so hard and I feel like I put in so much effort.”

That effort paid off with Mills being named the Monroe County Region Boys Swimmer of the Year.

Endurance is the common denominator between swimming and running for Mills.

He is a distance runner in track and specializes in the two longest events in swimming – the 200 and 500-yard freestyle.

“Coming off cross country season, I already had done a ton of endurance training,” he said. “But that’s not the hard part.”

Transitioning from one sport to another is the most difficult thing for Mills.

“Like right now, going into track season, my legs are so sore,” he said. “Sometimes I can’t even walk. It’s not the same training, but some of it like cardio and stuff is very similar. It (running) helps a little bit with my kicking (in swimming).”

Mills had plenty of kick in the state finals.

He started by wiping the oldest school record off the board when he was clocked at :47.86 for the 100-yard freestyle on the opening leg of the 400 relay.

Randy Schardt had held that record since 1989.

Before the weekend ended, Mills owned three more records.

He went 4:46.77 in placing fourth in the 500 freestyle and was part of record-setting medley (1:39.58) and 400 freestyle (3:14.97) relays.

The 400 relay shaved three seconds off the previous standard.

Mills was less than a half second off the record in the 200 freestyle. He was fifth in that event at state with a time of 1:44.52.

“I was ecstatic,” Mills said of his state meet. “To be top five in everything I did was amazing. … The 400 (relay) was pretty awesome. I was surprised to do so well in the medley.

“There was a lot of pressure on the first day. The second day I was a lot more calm and collected.”

Swimming was the first sport Mills tried as a boy.

“I was in the second grade,” the son of David Mills II and Jennifer Mominee said. “My mom wanted me to do a sport. There was an aquatic club at my school, so it was easy to do. Swimming kind of became my life.”

Running entered the picture in the fifth grade. He has been competing in cross country, swimming and track ever since.

He can’t pick a favorite.

“I feel like at the end of each season, that’s where my mindset lays,” he said.

Mills needs excel at time management to juggle three demanding sports and his academic workload.

“Now that I have college classes, it’s a lot easier,” he said. “They give you some hours off. I use that time to do extra stuff like lifting or even going home to rest.

“I try to keep it structured. Sometimes that’s a little difficult.”

His success in the pool this season has Mills thinking about continuing his swimming career in college.

“I’ve had a couple of D3 schools reach out to me,” he said. “It’s something I need to sit down with my parents and talk about. Swimming is something I really want to do in college.”

He hopes to study engineering, either mechanical or aerospace.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Part-time schedule enough for Mills to earn Swimmer of Year honors

MONTGOMERY, Ind. — There was a common theme relayed to members of the Barr-Reeve basketball program since last season ended.

“They’re a year away.”

It made sense to some degree ― the Vikings were comprised mostly of juniors and sophomores with a new head coach. Success isn't guaranteed.

That’s not how Barr-Reeve operates. Never has. What’s occurring only cemented this belief.

More: Princeton, Barr-Reeve win IHSAA boys basketball regional championships

The No. 2 Vikings are one of the eight teams remaining in the IHSAA Class 1A state tournament ahead of a semi-state semifinal with No. 9 Liberty Christian at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, March 21 at Washington. Common place for a program consistently among the best small schools in Indiana.

“No one outside the locker room would see us here,” junior Kierson Lengacher said. “Everyone was saying we’re a year away. It motivated us to keep working every single day.”

This attitude is partly what drew Heath Howington to Daviess County.

Spending the last five seasons at Memorial, highlighted by back-to-back 18-win campaigns and a sectional championship, he had no intention of looking elsewhere. Until Barr-Reeve called. Not only did it make sense as a family ― his wife, Megan, was named the assistant principal for grades 6-12 — but on the basketball court.

Barr-Reeve has won 11 games or more in 51 straight seasons. Among its accomplishments (including this year): 19 sectionals, 10 regionals, seven semi-states and two state championships (2015, 2021). The Vikings graduated three of their top four scorers but still produced another worthy season for the archives.

“There’s a standard of excellence,” Howington said. “We wanted to make sure we kept that intact but also put our own stamp on it this season. Our guys have an outstanding job."

The summer helped both players and coaches work out any bugs after Howington was hired in May. He genuinely hasn’t run into any true issues. Since day one, the program has remained on the same page. Barr-Reeve opened the season with nine straight wins until losing by eight against similarly successful Brownstown Central on Jan. 6. The Vikings (25-1) are perfect on the scoreboard ever since.

That young roster? It doesn’t play like one. Lengacher (13.9), sophomore Jaylon Graber (11.4) and sophomore Braxton Neidigh (10.1) average in double figures, but Howington isn’t afraid to go eight deep in the rotation. Barr-Reeve is ninth across all classes at 41.0 points allowed per game.

It beat defending state champion Orleans twice, rivals Loogootee and North Daviess twice, sectional champion North Dubois and regional champion Bloomfield. Even close games aren’t an issue: seven victories by five points or less since January.

“It’s an unselfish group,” Howington said. “They’re playing for the name on the front, not the one on the back. Our balance on the offensive end has been a big asset late in the season, but we’re fueled by our defense. We’ll go as far as that will take us.”

Despite the accumulated win total, the true marker for Howington came two weeks ago. Barr-Reeve won three rematches by an average of 21.3 points to win the sectional title at Loogootee. A 55-53 regional victory against West Washington was closer than it should have been after the Vikings missed several free throws in the fourth quarter.

More: Pocket Athletic Conference adds two-division setup starting in 2027-28

“I think it hit during sectional week this is where we’re supposed to be,” Howington said. “This community has been nothing but welcoming to our entire family.”

There’s an argument for all four teams arriving at The Hatchet House to represent the South at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Liberty Christian is long and athletic with multiple playmakers. No. 11 Bloomfield might have the best player in Blake Neill, plus a supporting cast around him playing their best ball. No. 3 Hauser is the Sagarin favorite with an offense averaging 70.4 points. There’s a lot of talent, both playing and coaching, arriving in Washington on Saturday.

What could allow the Vikings to cut down the nets?

“Be us,” Graber said. “Play our hardest and wear the team down. Everybody is doing their role in practice, helping us out and getting the varsity ready. We have a good team coming in on Saturday. It’s going to be tough, but the way we’ve been practicing we’ll be good.”

The expectation remains the same: play hard and see where the chips fall. That’s what guided Barr-Reeve basketball to success for five decades. It remained true over the last four months. New coach. New players. Same program.

Next stop could be a trip to Indianapolis.

“It’s a loaded field,” Howington said. “If we can make it more of a possession game, we’ll have a better opportunity to play Saturday night. Everybody told them before the season, ‘They’re a year away.’ We are pretty young. They’ve used that as fuel to have the best season they could.

“Just a competitive group of kids that play for each other and aren’t ready to be done.”

Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: How Barr-Reeve basketball remained a contender under Heath Howington

MURFREESBORO — Brentwood junior Davis Cochran went to the bench after being whistled for his fifth foul and took a deep breath as he watched the final seconds of the season trickle away. 

A large group of Brentwood students applauded his effort, and rightfully so. 

Four-star junior recruit Dylan Jones scored 22 points for Bartlett and five-star sophomore DJ Okoth added 18 points in the top-ranked Panthers' 65-56 victory over Brentwood in the Class 4A TSSAA boys basketball state tournament quarterfinals on March 19 at MTSU's Murphy Center. 

But it wasn’t the blowout some expected, and on a crowded floor of high-level recruits, Cochran stood out with a game-high 28 points and added eight rebounds for the Bruins (30-4). 

More: Why Ty Cobb's explosive game, fiery passion is what Upperman basketball needs

More: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament. What to know about 2026 championships

Bartlett (33-4) advances to play Bearden (37-1) in the state semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on March 20. 

“Davis is an amazing player,” Jones said. “I played him this summer actually in Augusta (Georgia). He played for Brad Beal and I played for Team Thad. He was an amazing player then and he’s only gotten so much better. Just his post game. And he’s a three-level threat. We have to guard (his) jump shot, we have to guard the hooks. He’s an amazing finisher, good touch. He made some good reads as well. Davis is definitely one of the better players we played this year.”

Jones’ offers include Memphis and MTSU. Okoth’s include Tennessee, Memphis and Mississippi State. 

If any college coaches watch the pair’s clips from the 4A quarterfinals, they’ll definitely notice Cochran, whose current offers are largely mid-majors like Lipscomb University, Belmont, Austin Peay and Samford.

Cochran was 10-of-15 shooting, 7-of-7 from the free-throw line and had two assists and two blocks. 

“Honestly, I know people talk about it a lot, but I don’t really care what the rankings say. I think I can compete with anyone in the country, anyone in the state,” Cochran said. “I went out there with the mindset that I've got to prove to myself and everyone else that I feel like I can compete with anyone.”

Brentwood never trailed by more than nine and battled back to take two second-half leads, but those were short lived. 

Brentwood coach Troy Crane texted his players clips from “Rocky IV” this week to illustrate what people were saying about the Bartlett matchup. It was billed as David vs. Goliath. 

It was a tough draw, the Bruins were told.

They got tired of hearing that.

“A lot of (the motivation) was the stuff we were hearing on the outside,” said Brentwood senior guard Hudson McKnight, who scored 12 points. “We didn’t want to come in here and feel sorry for ourselves. We wanted to throw the first punch.”

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bartlett defeats Brentwood in TSSAA boys basketball state tournament

Hudson Garrity's high school football career is on to its second chapter.

On Thursday, March 19, the Hingham-born freshman quarterback announced that he will transfer to Milton Academy this fall, after spending his eighth-grade year at Archbishop Williams.

Garrity secured Division 1 college football offers from UMass and Syracuse before ever playing high school football. The Minutemen were first to submit an offer in Oct. 2024, when Garrity was 13 years old.

"Grateful to my family, amazing coaches and mentors who are on this journey with me," Garrity wrote in an Instagram post declaring the move.

View this post on Instagram