Getting down to business

Region - Time to get down to business for area high school winter sports teams. Postholiday season winter sports is where things really start to get sorted out. For many teams, early-season schedules included holiday tournament games, out-of-conference games and games against teams from outside the immediate region. It is often in this part of a team's schedule where a team's personality and character are formed.

But those schedules change after the holidays, as area hockey and hoop teams get into the core of their conference schedule. This is the part of the schedule that will likely determine how a team's season ultimately will be viewed.

It is a time of the year where the entire winter sports season seems condensed into just a few weeks. It's a lot of fun for the fan, as it is all about "who is taking care of business."

Carter, Loiseau named to all-state

team The awards continue to come in for two outstanding high school football players as Marlborough's Josh Carter and Shrewsbury's Shawn Loiseau were named to the 13th annual Massachusetts All-State Football Team. The two joined Fitchburg's Jeremy Kimber as the only players from Central Mass. named to the team.

Loiseau, 6-foot, 1-inch, 220 pounder, an integral part of the 13-0, Super Bowl champion Shrewsbury Colonials, made the all-state team at linebacker, where he averaged more than 10 tackles a game. Loiseau was the heart of a team that will be long remembered for its incredible season.

In addition to his outstanding play at inside linebacker, Loiseau also averaged nearly five yards a carry on off ense.

Carter, 6-foot, 1-inch, 185 pounds, earned a spot in the defensive backfield. Carter was also arguably the region's top quarterback, with more than 1,900 passing yards and 985 rushing yards, 19 touchdown passes and 13 rushing scores, in a season that sounds a lot like that of Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Tim Tebow. Carter is believed to be the first Marlborough High School player selected to the team.

Marlborough coach Sean Mahoney has called Carter a "great player," one who makes the big plays when they are most needed.

Carter and Loiseau will be honored along with the rest of the all-state team at the Greater Boston's Gridiron Club's banquet March 2 at Lantana's Restaurant in Randolph.

Shrewsbury's

Ross among best

swimmers

Mike Ross, 39, was among the top overall swimmers at the recent New England Swimming Senior Championship meet held at Harvard. The event brought together 274 of the top swimmers from 27 swim teams in New England.

Ross, who swims for the Bluefish Swim Club, took second place in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41:85), and third places in the 50-yard free, (21:67), 100-yard backstroke (50:99), and 100-yard free (47:02), and fourth place in the 100-yard fly (51:56). Ross was a member of three winning Bluefish relay teams.

Ross does much of his training at the Boroughs YMCA. Ross was a NCAA Division All-American swimmer at Princeton University ('86-90), led two NCAA winning relay teams, and was a member of the American record-holding 200 medley relay. Ross also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in '88, '92 and '96.

Ross currently holds five Masters' world records, and nine U.S. records.

Send mail and sports ideas to ron_woodcock@charter.net.