The elite eight

Region - Missed your favorites last week? Maybe they'll show in our rundown of the elite eight local sports stories. So here goes our cap on the year. Has there ever been a stronger elite eight than these? Very impressive! Congrats to all for making 2007 arguably the best yet on the local sports scene. #8 - Pioneers ski to state title

The town of Shrewsbury has become the high school ski enter of Massachusetts as St. John's won the boys MIAA Alpine Ski state title at Berkshire East Ski Area, far outracing the competition, including runner-up St. John's Prep (Danvers). The Pioneers carried the pressure going into the state meeting with a perfect 20-0 regular season mark under coach Sandy Genna.

The Pioneers' top skier at the states was Andrew Montgomery, who finished third in the giant slalom and ninth in the slalom competition. Montgomery was consistent all season in pacing the team at the top. Other Pioneers included Dan Christo, Chris Galkowski, James Kowal, Brian Mulcahy, Nick Angelo, Tyler Sleeper, Chris Syslo, Chris Stiffler, and Mike Rogers.

The St. John's win follows 2005 and 2006 Shrewsbury High girls downhill state titles. The Colonials finished a commendable ninth in this year's competition.

PHOTO/SUBMITTED St. John's celebrates their state ski title slope-side, an accomplishment worthy of an elite eight spot. #7 - Lady Cols win first-ever field hockey title

Sports history was being made by Shrewsbury High's field hockey team and that earns the Lady Cols a spot in our elite eight. Shrewsbury's girls advanced to the D1 state finals before losing to Acton Boxborough, but that can't take away from this dream season. Shrewsbury defeated Westborough, 1-0, in the Central Mass. finals to win their first-ever field hockey title.

The Colonials didn't have an easy path to the states, having to take down second ranked Notre Dame Academy before knocking out top-ranked Westborough on Alyssa Ineson's goal and the defense and goaltending of Kim Ryan, who didn't allow a goal in the Central Mass. playoffs.

The Colonials had lost to

#6 - Algonquin makes pitch at states

Algonquin continued its run right at the top of the state baseball world. The T-Hawks dropped a tough 3-2 decision to Lincoln-Sudbury in the D1 state baseball championship in an attempt to defend the 2006 state title.

PHOTO/LOUIS DEFELIPPI The Algonquin baseball team ponders the moments before their state semifinal, 14-7 win over East Longmeadow, which earned them a return to the state finals. Algonquin rolled to the Central Mass. championship with a 10-0 win over Milford behind the pitching dominance of Neil Hesek, who struck out 17 batters and tossed a nineinning complete game. The Hawks followed that up with a win over East Longmeadow to return to the state final game. Hesek returned to pitch in the state finals and threw well, going seven innings and allowing three runs, but a T-Hawk rally in the ninth came up just short against Lincoln-Sudbury.

Algonquin has proven to be one of the dominant teams in Central Mass. (and beyond) having made four CMASS final appearances in the last 10 years, winning three championships. both those teams during the regular season, their only two losses before the state finals. They gladly traded those losses for wins when the games counted most. #5 - Shrewsbury strikers win CMASS, reach state finals

PHOTO/BILL BRYANT Hudson made all the plays, getting timely hitting, strong pitching and outstanding defense such as this tag play by shortstop Laura Bowens, in a 22-1 season, culminating with a state championship. It was a historic run for Shrewsbury High's girls soccer team that earns the program a high spot in our annual rundown. The Colonials won the Central Mass. D1 championship, and the state semi-final round before losing a hard one-goal game to Acton-Boxborough before an overflow crowd in the game played at Westborough High..

Shrewsbury's 3-2 overtime win over Algonquin in the CMASS final was an instant classic. The underdog T-Hawks appeared finished in regulation before Samantha Friday scored with just four seconds left, forcing the overtime. Shrewsbury coach Chip DelPrete told the media it was his "worst nightmare." But these Colonials refused to lose and when Erin Kinback set a ball in the box for Emily Benjamin, the junior didn't miss, giving her team the 3-2 overtime victory and putting the Cols on the road to the state championship game.

Westborough's Danielle Coffey and the Rangers rose above the state volleyball world this fall with a state championship and the second position in our 2007 countdown. PHOTO/PETE CAVANNA #4 - St. John's gets kicks at state soccer finals

St. John's met up with Framingham in the state championship game, and there was little to separate these two superior teams. So after scoreless regulation and overtime, 110 minutes of tightly defended soccer, the teams went to a shootout. But St. John's Chris Perkins got the best of Framingham, stopping three of five kicks and setting off a wild state championship celebration. Perkins isn't the Pioneers' keeper, but he has an ability to stop penalty kicks and was put into the position for the overtime shootout. Talk about staring down pressure, and St. John's had themselves a state championship.

The boys CMASS 1 final was what most soccer fans had wanted, top-seeded St. John's against secondseeded Marlborough, a contrast in playing styles. The Pioneers went on to a 2-1 victory in the CMASS title game after defeating Algonquin in the semifinal round and ending the T-Hawks' run of three straight titles. #3 - Hudson softball makes 'statement'

PHOTO/PETE CAVANNA This Alex Alvarez touchdown helped Shrewsbury High defeat Westborough in overtime, and preserve the Pioneers' undefeated, Super Bowl championship season, an accomplishment worthy of our top spot in 2007. Hudson High girls softball team earns a spot near the top our list, as a state title has a way of doing that. The Hawks defeated North Andover, 2-1, to win the D2 title last June, completing their dream season with their first-ever state softball championship. The Hawks won the state title game in unusual manner. The teams started playing their title game on a Saturday, and Hudson trailed, 1-0, and was struggling to find any offense, when a fortuitous line of thundershowers moved across Central Mass. and suspended the game in the fifth inning. Divine intervention?

When the teams returned to following day, the Hawks were eager and ready to cash in. In the sixth inning with two out, Hawks Jamie Millett, Cristy Jenkins and Kristen Bowen had consecutive hits as Hudson plated two, for a 2-1 lead. Kaitlin Andrews (complete game) put down North Andover in the seventh inning for the Hawk's state championship and a 22-1 season. #2 - Ranger girls win state volleyball title

Coach Roger Anderson and his Westborough High volleyball program had been pointing for this moment for at least a year. This time, dreams really did come true. Westborough defeated Bourne, 3-0, to win the state Division 2 championship last month before a large and very supportive Ranger crowd in Hudson. In the decade, the Rangers have consistently been one of the stronger programs, with gaudy regular season records, but seemingly unable to take that next step. No more. They have scaled the mountain. They are state champions.

Anderson and his team knew what they had to do to prepare. Anderson put together a rigorous non-league schedule that was going to have his team ready for the championship run. Even with that schedule, the Rangers were just once beaten (23-1 overall), and that loss, was avenged in the district playoff s.

This was very much a team eff ort, but a few who stood out and earned league all-star spots were Mina Baban, Christina Carr, Danielle Coffey, Alexa Ebert, Gayle Heim and Caitlin Piper. #1 - Shrewsbury does it perfectly

And 2007's top sports story is … it's the perfect story. Shrewsbury High's football team completed their perfect, 13-0 season with a come-from-behind 21-17 victory over Westfield in the D1A Super Bowl. Shrewsbury was down by nine points in the fourth quarter after scores by Alex Alvarez and Jawad Yatim. The bowl victory was the second for the Colonials in eight years, having defeated Longmeadow in 2000.

Shrewsbury coach Terry Walles knew he had a good team going into the season, but had to be very pleased how they grew during the regular season, one that was highlighted by a 27-25 win over St. John's, their first over their rivals in two decades, and a double overtime win over Westborough, 35-29, three weeks later. Colonial fans watched Yatim become one of, if not the most feared quarter- back in the region.

This year's run to the perfect season and Super Bowl was made even more difficult with the new playoff format that included a Central Mass. playoff game prior to the Super Bowl. Shrewsbury defeated Fitchburg in a very spirited game to advance.

These accomplishments earn the Colonials our top spot in 2007.

The ladies seemed to have the jump on things in 2007, taking two of the top three sports, and four of the top seven positions. There were many other great accomplishments, and some will disagree with my selections or perhaps where they were placed in our Sweet 16. This isn't an absolute list. There are many more great accomplishments. But that's what makes this series of columns some of the most enjoyable to write.

But what is clear: our local student athletes are doing some great things, and we're dead center of arguably the best high school sports in the state. Keep up the great work!