https://www.ajtraub.comRSS Feed for AJ TraubenFri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/11/sports/wayland-boys-volleyball-championship-westfield/Everyone knew where the final ball was going, and Finn Bell would not be denied. Career kill No. 1,485 — more than anyone in Massachusetts boys’ volleyball history — was destiny off the senior’s outstretched hand from the back row, completing an 18-4 run to end it after the team’s No. 2 outside went down with an injury. Top-seeded Wayland (23-2) is a state champ for the first time in its fourth final appearance. “It’s amazing,” Bell said after the 25-15, 25-21, 12-25, 25-13 win at Worcester North High. “It’s what I’ve been chasing the last four years in my career. Having the final kill too, it’s surreal. The best feeling I’ve ever had on a volleyball court.”Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/11/sports/wayland-boys-volleyball-championship-westfield/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/sports/bishop-feehan-needham-boys-basketball-playoffs/Jake Webster passed along the baseline to Egan Gill, who lobbed it across the court back to a streaking Webster, who floated a pass to Brody Bumila on the left side for the layup with one second left, tying the second overtime. It would eventually take four overtimes, but No. 14 Bishop Feehan stunned No. 3 Needham — and a crowd so packed that there were rows of standing fans on each side of the court — in its own building, 94-87, in a Division 1 second-round game that lasted more than two hours. “We just worked harder,” said Bumila, who racked up 49 points, 22 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and just 3 turnovers. “We outworked them, we got the 50-50 balls, made the free throws when we had to, and we took the W.”Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/sports/bishop-feehan-needham-boys-basketball-playoffs/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/31/sports/duxbury-mateo-goldman-wrestling-cancer/A year ago, as a sophomore at Duxbury High, Mateo Goldman decided to try wrestling for the first time. He’d already won his first two bouts. “I’ve been through hell,” said Goldman. “And [wrestling] is nothing compared to what I’ve been through.” In October 2021, he beat acute lymphoblastic lymphoma for a second time and has been cancer-free since. He returned to the football field as an eighth-grader, but the cancer stunted his growth, and the 5-footer soon realized his size capped his ceiling. He never thought he’d be “good at sports or have anything to accomplish in sports.”Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/31/sports/duxbury-mateo-goldman-wrestling-cancer/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/20/sports/james-tildsley-bossi-lowell-holiday-wrestling/Fifty-four minutes, 38 seconds. That’s how long James Tildsley spent in his career wrestling at the George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament, racking up five championships at five weight classes and becoming the first five-time winner in the history of the prestigious event. A 12-1 major decision at 157 pounds at the Tsongas Center on Saturday was the last of 31 consecutive wins, 25 of which were pins.Sun, 21 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/20/sports/james-tildsley-bossi-lowell-holiday-wrestling/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/20/sports/history-of-girls-wrestling-massachusetts/Though the match was drawn out due to a scoring issue, most of it remains a blur for Mila Boucher. But she remembers two distinct moments: the opposing coach telling his wrestler that he would win because Boucher is a girl, and her hand being raised.Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/20/sports/history-of-girls-wrestling-massachusetts/https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/preston-burroughs-places-fourth-at-fargo.htmlFor his first act as a Fargo All-American, Preston Burroughs sprung a cartwheel into a backflip on the Fargodome’s featured stage. The 165-pounder went 5-2 to earn fourth place in the 16U men’s Greco-Roman tournament. He secured three technical falls to reach the quarterfinals, a 14-9 decision in the quarters, and a pin in his consi-semi. “It feels amazing,” Burroughs said. “I’ve wanted to place at Fargo ever since eighth grade, first time I heard about the tournament. It’s an unreal place. I didn’t really think I could.”Sat, 19 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/preston-burroughs-places-fourth-at-fargo.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-greco-roman-update-through.htmlFor the second time in under a week, Alex Bajoras and Myles Burroughs have reached the second day of a tournament at Fargo. Bajoras, who placed sixth last year in Greco-Roman, earned a pin and two technical falls to advance in the consolation ladder. He said the wrestling style is similar to how he often wrestles as a heavyweight. “It’s so much [about] who’s the stronger and tougher guy,” Bajoras said. “When I go out there, I’m used to wrestling [Chelmsford’s Thomas Brown]. I’m used to wrestling good competition, so these matches where it comes down to who’s stronger, I just am.”Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-greco-roman-update-through.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-greco-roman-update-through-3.htmlFor every move by his opponents, Preston Burroughs had an answer. With two technical falls, the 165-pounder is flying into the second day of the 16U Greco-Roman tournament at Fargo nationals. It had been a while since he wrestled this style, but that didn’t show. “I was just looking to come out here and do whatever I want,” he said. “I didn’t really have a strategy. I’m just going with the flow.”Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-greco-roman-update-through-3.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-greco-roman-update-through.htmlFor the second time in under a week, Alex Bajoras and Myles Burroughs have reached the second day of a tournament at Fargo. Bajoras, who placed sixth last year in Greco-Roman, earned a pin and two technical falls to advance in the consolation ladder. He said the wrestling style is similar to how he often wrestles as a heavyweight. “It’s so much [about] who’s the stronger and tougher guy,” Bajoras said. “When I go out there, I’m used to wrestling [Chelmsford’s Thomas Brown]. I’m used to wrestling good competition, so these matches where it comes down to who’s stronger, I just am.”Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-greco-roman-update-through.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/isaac-novod-leads-team-massachusetts.htmlWin after win, Isaac Novod bulldozed his way through the consolation bracket. Though he ended up one match shy of placing, the 126-pounder from Medford racked up a team-high seven wins at the Fargodome. “I trained for this,” said the rising junior at Belmont Hill. “I trained my cardio a lot, so I just kept going and took the loss lightly. I kept my head in the game and didn’t worry about it, didn’t worry about how many matches I needed to win, just my next match.”Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/isaac-novod-leads-team-massachusetts.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-freestyle-update-through-4.htmlAs the last minute ticked away, Julian Rios made sure the lead he built was just enough. The 113-pounder from Lowell scored a takedown, rolled Analu Woode (Hawaii) for more points, and built up an early lead. Though he allowed two takedowns in the last minute to tie, Rios knew he had the criteria advantage, and held on with an 8-8 result. The rising senior at Phillips Andover will wrestle on the third day at Fargo for the first time.Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-freestyle-update-through-4.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-freestyle-update-through-4.htmlOn the heels of a tough loss, Preston Burroughs seized his very next opportunity. The 165-pounder saw an opening and pounced, pinning Arizona’s Ryland Moss in 49 seconds. It was a bright spot to end the day where the rest of the 16U men on Team Massachusetts bowed out. It’s also the first time Burroughs will wrestle on the third day of the tournament at Fargo.Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-freestyle-update-through-4.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-freestyle-update-through-2.htmlCombining to earn eight technical falls and a decision, five Team Massachusetts junior men’s wrestlers made it through to the round of 32. The lone decision of the top side wrestlers saw Declan Bligh (165 pounds) rebound from a 0-3 start to win 14-5, a point shy of a tech fall over New Jersey’s Barry Norman Jr. Julian Rios (113) spent a total of 2:29 on the mat, not allowing a point to either opponent on the first day. Ryan Meier joins Bligh as 165-pounders to stay in the winners’ bracket into Tuesday.Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-mens-freestyle-update-through-2.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-freestyle-update-through-2.htmlNearly 12 hours passed from when the first matches were underway at the Fargodome before Preston Burroughs took to the mat. It didn’t bother him. The 165-pounder completed the technical fall in two minutes flat, joining Johnny Woodall (106 pounds) as the two 16U men to reach the second day of the tournament still top side.Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-mens-freestyle-update-through-2.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/corynne-mcnulty-wins-third-place-at.htmlHer back to the mat while trying for her final turn, Corynne McNulty thought about trying to get back to her feet. Instead, she put her energy into completing that move. Because she knew this was her match. After a run of intense rounds, Corynne McNulty put away her 130-pound third place bout in 42 seconds, earning a 10-0 technical fall over Ohio’s Abigail Mozden and giving Team Massachusetts a placer in the women’s tournaments at Fargo nationals.Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/corynne-mcnulty-wins-third-place-at.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/mens-fargo-preview.htmlWith 20 wrestlers providing points in the junior men’s freestyle category, Team Massachusetts vaulted to 16th place (32 points) in the U.S. Marine Corps Nationals tournament last year. The performance, highlighted by Elliott Humphries earning second place at 165 pounds and Matthew Botello finishing fourth at 132, is something coach Matt Dehney said was “special” and “will be hard to match.” Humphries returns at 175 this year for his final high school contest after that inspirational run. Though he does not base expectations on previous tournaments, he leads a group looking to prove Massachusetts can be formidable again.Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/mens-fargo-preview.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-womens-freestyle-update-through.htmlTwo bouts. Two minutes and two seconds on the mat. With a technical fall and a pin, Livi Polansky (95 pounds) reached the quarterfinals (to continue Sunday) starting at 10 a.m. eastern, looking for her first placement at Fargo nationals. "It's amazing," she said, "Especially going into quarters. I dropped a weight class this year, because I was thinking the 100-pound girls are cutting down to 100, and it's only a five-pound step for me.Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/junior-womens-freestyle-update-through.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-womens-freestyle-through-4-rounds.htmlKate Osakwe waited all day for her first matchup at the Fargodome, and couldn't come away with the win. She didn't let it faze her. The 207-pounder from Boston wrapped herself around Ohio’s Hailey Oloshove-Burle to record a pin in half a minute.Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/16u-womens-freestyle-through-4-rounds.htmlhttps://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/womens-fargo-preview.htmlA championship run without an opponent reaching the second period, Skylar Hattendorf’s 2022 triumph burst open the door by winning the Commonwealth's first Fargo junior national title. Jackie Dehney (Pelham, N.H.) and Samantha Bertini (Ludlow) followed Hattendorf (Hooksett, N.H.) by winning junior national titles in 2023 and 2024, respectively, to make it a hat trick for the Bay State.Fri, 11 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://teammafargo2025.blogspot.com/2025/07/womens-fargo-preview.htmlhttps://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/03/sports/miaa-boys-volleyball-milford-marcelo/Every time Ike Asiegbunam plays volleyball against Milford High, he looks for Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Before the Taunton boys advanced with a 24-26, 27-25, 25-15, 25-16 win in the second round of the MIAA Division 1 tournament, Asiegbunam and fellow senior Danny Freitas coordinated their teammates wearing white T-shirts saying FREE MARCELO during warmups. They joined the sea on the Milford players and in the bleachers. The crowd was there to support the host Scarlet Hawks, but also to show that everyone wants Marcelo Gomes da Silva back home after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday.Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/03/sports/miaa-boys-volleyball-milford-marcelo/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/18/sports/massachusetts-wrestling-chelmsford-afghanistan-masih-sadat/After racking up points on the mat for Chelmsford each Saturday, Masih Sadat spends his Sundays working a 12-hour shift at Market Basket. Each month he sends his earnings to the family he longs to reunite with. In two years, the 165-pound senior has made himself a wrestler the Lions rely on, improving his record from 4-12 to 16-6. Putting in hours during the offseason, Sadat made strides as a grappler, and improved his English to tell his story to his peers. It was 1 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2021, when Sadat saw a pair of guns pointing at him through the Afghan desert night. The bombing the day before scattered citizens around Kabul International Airport, leaving the 13-year-old lost without his family and famished, wandering away from the sound of gunfire.Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/18/sports/massachusetts-wrestling-chelmsford-afghanistan-masih-sadat/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/21/sports/massachusetts-girls-wrestling-lowell/As a freshman, Amada Moundele signed up for the Lowell girls’ wrestling team. She found out there wasn’t one, yet. “I’ll never forget,” she said. “My first day, I walked in and everybody looked at me like I was an alien that just landed on Earth.” As a senior, the defending Division 1 165-pound girls’ champion and first female captain of the entire Lowell team looks to lead the Red Raiders to a second straight All-State girls’ championship.Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/21/sports/massachusetts-girls-wrestling-lowell/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/13/sports/massachusetts-wrestling-disabled-athletes/Every time Dominic Staunton looks in the mirror, the scars across his body retell the same story from his childhood. When he steps on the wrestling mat, he writes his own history. The Wellesley sophomore does not see himself as a disabled wrestler. He’s just a wrestler, and he dominates.Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/13/sports/massachusetts-wrestling-disabled-athletes/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/07/sports/miaa-super-bowl-shawsheen-division-5-sid-tildsley/Having won All-State wrestling championships in overtime and triple overtime, Shawsheen’s Sid Tildsley was ready for his clutch moment at Gillette Stadium. Plunging in for 1- and 2-yard touchdowns to account for the only scores of the Division 5 Super Bowl, a 14-0 win over Foxborough, the senior quarterback and wrestling star added the football championship that had eluded him as a sophomore, when he took the Rams to the Super Bowl, and as a junior, when they were eliminated by Foxborough in the semifinals.Sat, 07 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/07/sports/miaa-super-bowl-shawsheen-division-5-sid-tildsley/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/16/sports/newton-north-gets-ace-service-sasha-selivan-division-1-title-sweep-over-brookline/Sasha Selivan galloped to the service line and unleashed full force, like how she burst onto the high school volleyball scene already a premier player. The sophomore’s serving runs were game-changers for Newton North — a five-point run in the first and a four-point run in the second — to propel the top-seeded Tigers to a 29-27, 25-22, 25-14 Division 1 championship victory over No. 2 Brookline at Billerica High. It is the third in a row and sixth all time for North (24-1).Sun, 17 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/16/sports/newton-north-gets-ace-service-sasha-selivan-division-1-title-sweep-over-brookline/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/10/sports/dennis-yarmouths-vivian-castano-old-rochesters-aubrie-letourneau-set-tone/Over 4,500 assists, 130 wins, three Division 3 state semifinal appearances, and a title between them, Vivian Castano and Aubrie Letourneau are two of the finest setters the state of Massachusetts has seen. Each a four-year varsity starter and two-year captain, Castano at Dennis-Yarmouth and Letourneau at Old Rochester, the duo have been making history since they stepped into the high school spotlight, becoming the nuclei of a thrilling rivalry. On Nov. 20, 2021, Old Rochester prevailed in a rare battle of freshmen setters in a state title match.Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/10/sports/dennis-yarmouths-vivian-castano-old-rochesters-aubrie-letourneau-set-tone/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/29/sports/jeremy-bullard-smith-finds-sanctuary-in-needham-boys-volleyball/It is hard to be an varsity student athlete. For Jeremy Bullard-Smith, it was even tougher when getting to and from school was a daily challenge. Between practices, going to the gym, and an uncertain commute, there were days where he would wake up in the early morning, and only get home at 9 or 10 p.m. and get going on his schoolwork. Then last summer, due to family circumstances, he no longer had a place to live. Ten months later, the Needham High junior is starting on the top-ranked boys’ volleyball team in the state, raising his grades to A’s and B’s from B’s and C’s, and able to walk home from school if he needs to. It started with middle school friendship.Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/29/sports/jeremy-bullard-smith-finds-sanctuary-in-needham-boys-volleyball/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/28/sports/natick-captures-miaa-division-1-unified-track-and-field-title/The only thing sunnier than the 80-degree weather at Memorial Field in Natick was the energy from all the unified track and field teams that saw all their work come together in the MIAA championships. Methuen’s Donovan Rice crossed the line first in Heat 1 of the 400-meter dash, with a smile on his face and his fists in the air. It’s an energy he matched for his teammates, Ryan King and Jonathan Bueno. “It makes me feel happy,” Rice said. “It’s a lot of fun.”Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/28/sports/natick-captures-miaa-division-1-unified-track-and-field-title/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/17/sports/outdoor-setting-park-has-led-success-indoors-many-lowell-volleyball-players-teams/When Greater Lowell boys’ volleyball coach Nate Howe ventured to the Pailin courts at Clemente Park in Lowell to see his players compete in a tournament, he expected them to dominate. Instead, it was a foursome of older gentlemen who put the match away. They didn’t overpower his team’s athletic core, but racked up points with plays like dumps, tips, and sets over the net to weak spots that counted just the same as powerful kills. Located in the Cambodia Town area of Lowell, the gravel courts reward finesse, and it’s been the supplemental education that is leading Lowell-area teams to thrive indoors.Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/17/sports/outdoor-setting-park-has-led-success-indoors-many-lowell-volleyball-players-teams/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/26/sports/girls-wrestling-lowell-boston-city-schools/Amelyiah Martinez isn’t often tested on the wrestling mat. But on Friday, in a match between Martinez’s Lowell squad and a co-op team of Boston City Schools “All-Stars,” she found herself locked in a tight battle. By the second round, she found her footing, won by fall, and completing Lowell’s 24-21 comeback from down 21-6 with a third straight pin. “It’s amazing when you walk in and see those other 15 girls,” Martinez said. “You want to have that want, that need to win. That primal urge to win. Your teammates banging on the hardwood floors, when the ref is counting off back points, that’s what makes you put that extra 5 percent in.”Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/26/sports/girls-wrestling-lowell-boston-city-schools/