RallyNorth.net

NATICK — It’s a season they’ll remember in Lawrence for a long time.

NEWTON — The Methuen offense may be peaking at just the right time.

At least it seemed that way Wednesday afternoon when the Rangers blasted Newton North 10-1 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals and, by so doing, got a monkey off their back.

North Andover scored three goals between the 50-55 minute mark and beat Newton North in girls soccer tourney play. Olivia Gotobed scored twice and senior center-mid Izzy Ceraso came off the bench and marked North's best player brilliantly.

Samantha Ahlholm scattered seven hits and allowed just one earned run in a 2-0 loss to Newton North in the Division 1 North first round. North's Mia Patriacca fanned 11 in a 1-hitter. Alyssa Roderick had the lone hit for the Knights, who finished up at 16-6 with their first tourney win since 2007.

WORCESTER — All Andover senior Sophia Ju has known during her high school swimming career is the feeling of being a champion.

And that’s never going to change.

Senior Madison Schaefer fired a two-hitter with seven strikeouts and No. 3 Newton North downed No. 6 Methuen, 4-1, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

Junior Kelsie McGonagle did her job in defeat. She scattered seven hits and all four runs were unearned. She also snared a couple of hard-hit liners.

Andover got its lone goal from Phil Amesoeder midway through the second half, and it was enough to hold on to beat Newton North 1-0. The Golden Warriors also got six saves from goalie Evan Lundgren.

Methuen took an early lead after Kat LeFebre had an RBI single following a Coralie Mathieu triple in the top of the first, but Newton North took the lead for good with four runs in the second on its way to a 4-2 win in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament.

Andover senior Pat McHardy scored his first varsity goal as the Golden Warriors beat Newton North 4-2 in the Newburyport Bank Tournament.

They are wearing stylish corn rows in their hair, wielding red-hot bats at the plate and loving life 24/7. But the magic numbers Tuesday weren't 24 and 7 but 25-1. As in No. 25 Central Catholic stunned No. 1 Newton North, 8-4, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Trailing 3-1 after four innings in Newton, Central had two out in the fifth before catching fire. Madison Borrelli singled, winning pitcher Olivia Antzcak (5-hitter, 4 strikeouts) singled and Karoline Leavitt (3 hits) tied it with a triple. Bella Jankowski reached on an error and Leila Camplese homered over the fence in left to make it 5-3. Are they the ultimate Cinderella team? Raiders coach Stacy Ciccolo said, "We never felt like a true No. 25. We had a pretty tough schedule with (perennial Maine power Scarborough twice in Florida), Reading, Newton South and North Reading. It's been a struggle. It's been a very difficult year." From floundering to seven straight wins including yesterday's historic upset. As Ciccolo said over the telephone, "We thought we might be done weeks ago." Indeed, the Raiders (13-10) were left for dead at 1-5 and most certainly at 6-10. Central Catholic won its final four straight just to eke out a tourney berth.

The cliche is that the postseason is a new season. Central believes it. Newton North, which finished up 19-3, does, too.

Every once in a great while a No. 25 team will beat a No. 1 seed. And when it does happen, generally it might be a No. 1 club from a Boston City League team which has faced extremely limited competition.

But a formidable program like Newton North, which lost in the North finals each of the last two years (in 2013 to Central)?