Brookline boys' volleyball sends Acton-Boxborough packing, setting up all-Bay State Conference D1 final foursome
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
First-year coach Lexi De La Cruz said it shows the depth of the team that the players were able to take the second set despite 17 errors, and that the 'kids are ready to fight until the last point.'
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Previously Wellesley's coach, De La Cruz never advanced past the round of 32. His Brookline squad has its sights on two more wins and he credits the players and assistant Justin Soohoo, who has been with the program over a decade, with accepting his changes and making his strategies work.
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'I wouldn't be able to do my job this season if the kids didn't trust me,' he said. 'I came with new game plans, new style of play. This makes my job way easier. It makes me want to fight harder for them, work hard at practice, so we can win the state championship.'
Brookline's Alec Smagula (center) and Luka Gallucci (right) combined to block a ball hit by A-B's Matan Wurcel (left).
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Brookline's victory sets up an all-Bay State Conference semifinals in D1, to be held on Tuesday at Concord-Carlisle High. The last time the Warriors reached this point, they lost a five-set thriller to Newton North. This time, it's Brookline coming in as the higher seed.
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'It's definitely something in the back of our minds,' Vaivars said. 'That was the furthest we've gone the past couple years. To have that rematch is great, even though the teams are very different.'
Brookline will advance to play Newton North in a rematch of last year's semifinal, won by the Tigers.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Brookline and A-B players line up for handshakes after the Warriors win.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Brookline's Liam Raybould (center) leads the celebration after winning a point against A-B.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
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New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ben Healy on his stellar Tour de France: ‘I was climbing up the Hautacam with a massive smile on my face'
'I just felt like a deer in the headlights, really. I've done this amazing thing, but I was so starstruck by it. I didn't know what was going on. So many cameras, so many people, phones going off all around you. I was just like: 'What's going on here?' 'It wasn't until the stage when I lost it, and was looking down at the yellow bike, riding up the Hautacam with everyone cheering my name, looking at the names on the road, that I thought: 'What have I just done?' So even though I was losing the jersey, I was climbing up the Hautacam with a massive smile on my face. That was the first time I really appreciated being in yellow, because the rest of the time was so crazy.' Advertisement There are many adjectives which could be used to describe Ben Healy's 2025 Tour de France. Combative. Successful. Yellow. But sometimes the best words are images, the slow, sideways rotation of his head as he suffers: taking a stage, saving the maillot jaune, sprinting up the final hairpin of Mont Ventoux. In many ways, this was Healy's Tour. Outside of its overall champion Tadej Pogacar, the Irishman was its compelling force, winner of flowers, minds, and the race's super-combativity prize. This is his Tour in his words. In April's Ardennes Classics, Healy was on top form. He finished third at the historic Liege-Bastogne-Liege, having challenged throughout the week. But by the time the Tour's build-up rolled around, he felt sluggish. Healy's Criterium du Dauphine in June, traditionally the warm-up race for most Tour de France competitors, was anonymous. 'It really wasn't smooth,' he says, speaking just over a week after the end of the Tour. 'No major dramas, but it just didn't feel like anything was clicking for me. So I think me and quite a few people in the team were a bit stressed. 'The quiet Dauphine was a product of me not feeling good. I just didn't seem to be responding to training that well, struggling to lose weight. It was a bit of a panic.' There was a lot on the 24-year-old's shoulders. Richard Carapaz, who was expected to lead the EF Education-EasyPost team after his Giro d'Italia podium, had withdrawn one week before the Tour with a gastrointestinal infection. The Ecuadorian had been coveting the polka-dot jersey. Now, the team's only goal was stage wins. With around a dozen of their rivals holding similar interests, the approach was high-risk — but the American-based squad had no choice. 'Last year, I just went for it every day without really thinking too deeply,' Healy explains. 'And I definitely paid for that in the second and third week. So it was really early in December that I started thinking: 'How am I going to win this year?' And then I sat down with my coach and the DSs (directeur sportifs), literally one or two days before the Tour, went through the roadbook, and we were all in agreement. The first one (to target) was stage six.' Advertisement The stage-win hunters had needed to wait their turn, with Thierry Gouvenou's Tour route prioritising opportunities for the sprinters and GC riders for much of the first week. But the 201.5km from Bayeux to Vire Normandie presented a genuine chance — up and down all day, with over 3,550m of climbing. It meant the breakaway was strong — including Mathieu van der Poel, one of cycling's Big Four, American champion Quinn Simmons and this year's Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates. 'It's a funny thing to say, but my mindset wasn't really affected by who was in the break,' says Healy. 'No matter who was in it, I knew how I had to win, and that didn't really change. I knew I couldn't take Van der Poel to the finish, but to be honest, I don't really want to take anyone to the finish. 'I knew I had to go solo, but then you've also got to be sneaky, because if you do it on the steepest part, everyone's going to be aware of that. 'I also knew I had good legs. I warmed up the day before at the time trial (in Caen), and remember thinking: 'I've done that as well as I've ever done.' And that doesn't just disappear straight away. And so as soon as I hit those first few climbs, I could just feel that I was floating on the pedals.' Healy attacked the group with 42km to go — going over a small roller during a false flat downhill, a spot picked by DS Tom Southam in the EF team car. Healy then averaged 6.2 watts/kg for the next 22 minutes to open up the decisive gap: 'We'd discussed it before. It was all about finding that inconspicuous place, and we'd loosely identified the area — and then when I made the break, I radioed the team car to find the spot. 'I came from the back with a bit of speed, and when you come past at five kilometres per hour faster than anyone else, everybody looks at each other and thinks: 'I don't want to do that.' Then it was just head down and go.' ⚠️ Ben Healy solo ride alert! The Irishman launched a blistering attack that left his breakaway companions stranded. He's already 25" ahead! ⚠️ Alerte numéro solitaire de Ben Healy ! L'Irlandais a placé une attaque foudroyante qui a laissé sur place ses compagnons d'échappée.… — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 10, 2025 From the outside, including in EF's team bus, where The Athletic was embedded during that stage, Healy always looked under control. His lead was over a minute with 30km remaining, and only increasing. 'We weren't getting any time gaps, so I was always a bit anxious about it,' he says. 'It was a Tour de France stage on the line, and I was getting a bit stressed because I had no idea (of the situation behind him). The last few climbs were really difficult, and I was really starting to feel it in the legs. Advertisement 'I hit the penultimate climb and tried to pace it as best as I could, but I could really feel the tank was starting to empty. But thankfully, I got a time gap over the top, and then I could start to relax, because I saw two minutes on that board.' Healy coasted through to win the stage — his first ever in the Tour de France, and second in the sport's three Grand Tours after one in the 2023 Giro d'Italia. It was the biggest moment of his career. But just four days later, Healy arguably eclipsed it: escaping in the Massif Central on stage 10, the race's first mountain day proper, to gain over four minutes on the peloton. In finishing third, he seized the yellow jersey — Ireland's first in the Tour since Stephen Roche won the race in 1987. 'I don't think yellow was on the team's mind (entering stage 10), but it was definitely on my mind,' Healy says. 'After stage six, I wanted to hang in there in case of that opportunity, because a lot of the time, you've got to have a lot of things lined up for yellow, if you're not entering aiming to win the race. 'So we entered focused on the stage win, there was a big break, and (rival team) UAE didn't seem too interested in keeping it tight and under control. So halfway through the stage, we realised this was a realistic thing, and we could throw resources at it. At 80km to go, we switched mindsets, using Harry Sweeny, and then Alex (Baudin), and trying to keep the group rolling so it wasn't only down to us. 'Then, when those guys were done, I could either have gambled (on the stage win), and potentially come away with nothing, or go head down and go for yellow.' Up the road, Yates and Thymen Arensman duelled it out for the stage victory, with the other members of the breakaway sitting on Healy's wheel, knowing the Irishman was compelled to work. He beat the remainder across the line anyway. Advertisement Late that night, in an emotional moment, he was reunited with his teammates at a truck stop on the way to the rest day in Toulouse. 'The stage was what I really wanted from the start, because yellow always felt impossible,' explains Healy. 'So I think I'm more proud about going into yellow, but the stage win brought more emotion, because it was all I wanted, it was the first thing that I did, and it was just such a release from the pressure and the stress and everything that comes with the Tour. 'I felt really emotional about it; it was a massive relief. And yellow just came so fast, I wasn't expecting it.' Healy's time in yellow was a whirlwind. Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference in the reception area of an airport hotel the next day, he emphasised his intention to honour the jersey — despite knowing it would be a near-impossibility to keep it through the Pyrenees. He had, however, switched to GC mode, with team boss Jonathan Vaughters excitedly speaking about podiums and top 10s. 'I didn't take it too seriously in a lot of ways,' laughs Healy, discussing whether that added undue pressure. 'I wanted to race GC and not lose time on purpose, but I wasn't too stressed if I did lose a load of time — I knew that with some stages that still suited me, it wouldn't be the worst thing if I lost time.' Stage 11 was a loop around Toulouse. At times, the start area that day felt dominated by the green T-shirts of the Ben Healy Fan Club — initially made as a present for Healy's father, but which had snowballed at stage finish lines into a lawn of colour. His dog, Olive, became a breakout star of the Tour as well. A post shared by EF Education–EasyPost (@efprocycling) Healy kept the jersey over the final bumpy kilometres — even playing an important role in the peloton's decision to wait for Pogacar after the race favourite crashed in the closing stages, conversing with Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel to slow the bunch down. The next day, however, on the Hautacam, was when Pogacar seized control of the race. Healy was separated on the penultimate climb of the day, the Col du Soulor, eventually losing over 13 minutes to the Slovenian. Advertisement 'I was never fully confident of keeping the jersey, racing against Tadej and the like, but I was still confident that I could put in a better performance than I did. It just crumbled around me a little bit,' Healy says. 'I really struggle in the heat; it's a recurring weakness of mine. I could feel I had really good legs, but once I get to a point of overheating, it's just so hard for me to come back from that. That's when Sweeny came in and just poured every bottle he could over the back of my neck. 'I recovered a bit on the descent but when you arrive at the Hautacam already 10 minutes back, there's not a lot you can do. I just went as hard as I could to the line, and tried to take it all in as well.' Healy's aims were now clear: protect his top 10 position on GC — uncharted ground for him — and use the relative freedom of no longer being a podium threat to chase more stage wins. His next opportunity came on stage 16, up the legendary Mont Ventoux. A large breakaway was slowly trimmed down until a leading trio of Healy, Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago went clear. Despite appearing the strongest rider, often forced to pull in the closing kilometres, Healy was outsprinted by Paret-Peintre in the final 100m drag to the finish. Despite all the success of his 2025 Tour, was a tiny part of Healy still dwelling on that near miss? 'I think it's still more pride, to be honest,' he answers, after a slight pause. 'I can't be too disappointed — I wanted to race, I wasn't able to pull it off, and Valentin was also super-strong. It was still a really good day and a really good battle with him. For sure, I'm a little gutted to finish second, but that's bike racing. You can't win everything.' Healy explains that he felt he couldn't attack Paret-Peintre too early — with Enric Mas up the road, the trio could not squabble among each other too early, for fear of the Spaniard riding away to the stage win. Television footage showed him animatedly reinforcing his point to his breakaway companions. 'Mas is a good bike rider — we couldn't let him walk away with it,' Healy says. 'I felt like I could separate from them, but chose not to, because if I reached Enric after a big effort in the headwind, then I might not be able to drop him. It was better to work with the other guys. 'I also wasn't sure if I had the legs to go for a super-long solo on Ventoux, so I played it safe, I guess. The attacks unfolded after Chalet Reynard (at an altitude of 1,400m/around 4,500ft), but the headwinds and slightly shallower gradients made it harder to attack Valentin, and I think that's how it ended up in a sprint. Advertisement With hindsight, I probably should have gone before Chalet Reynard, because Enric probably wasn't as strong as I feared he would be, but I'm still not disappointed with the decisions I made or the way that I raced.' His racing style was recognised with the super-combativity prize at the end of the Tour, an award given to an aggressive rider who is seen to have animated the race as a whole over the three weeks. It is not generally seen as a major honour, but it was significant to Healy. 'It's definitely something that appeals to me,' he says. 'As a byproduct of how I race, that's a cool thing for sure. And getting to stand on the podium on the Champs-Elysees… how many riders ever get to do that?' Olive made it to the cloakroom just short of the podium itself. So what now? Healy does not plan to chase GC at future Grand Tours, at least as a Plan A. 'I really enjoy being aggressive, and that's how I want to go forward. If I believe I can contend for a podium, then maybe my focus will switch. But right now, going for stage wins and being kind of backdoor on GC is how I want to go forward.' The big target for the rest of the season is the World Championships in Rwanda at the end of September. It will be a tough day of racing: 267.5km, with 5,475m of climbing. Pogacar will go in as favourite, having beaten Healy over similar terrain at Liege-Bastogne-Liege this year, but the smaller team sizes allowed this time could lend itself to the type of chaotic race in which Healy excels. 'That's definitely the big goal for me,' Healy says. 'Whatever it takes to get there in the best shape I can, that's what I'm going to do.' In finishing third behind Pogacar at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Healy jokingly asked the Slovenian: 'When are you going to retire?' 'I have a contract until 2030, so that's the year maybe,' came the response. After his 2025 Tour, Healy's rivals may now be asking the Irishman the same question. For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Cubs calling up top prospect Owen Caissie in huge move
The Cubs are making a splash. Chicago is calling up outfield prospect Owen Caissie from Triple-A Iowa, ESPN reported Wednesday night. The expectation is that Caissie, an Ontario, Canada native, will join the team for its series final against the Blue Jays. Advertisement National League outfielder and highly touted Cubs prospect Owen Caissie drives in a run during the seventh inning against the American League during the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park on July 12, 2025. Brett Davis-Imagn Images The 23-year-old Caissie — the top Cubs prospect and No. 45 overall on MLB Pipeline — is in the middle of a fantastic season in the minor leagues. In his second full season in Triple-A, he's hit .289/.389/.566 with a career-high 22 home runs. Advertisement Across 499 games in the minors, he has totaled 81 home runs with an .873 OPS. He's always had plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, though, this year included, with a 28 percent punchout rate. The move comes amid a complete upheaval in the standings over the last month, which has seen the Cubs go from one game up in the National League Central on July 19 to 7 1/2 games back of the Brewers as Milwaukee rides a 12-game winning streak. Chicago does sit 4 games up in the NL wild-card race despite the recent stretch, however. Over the last two weeks, Chicago's offense has completely sputtered, coming into Wednesday night's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays with a .230 average and a .644 OPS over the last 14 days. Top Cubs prospect Owen Caissie looks on during the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park. Getty Images Advertisement Chicago will now be without catcher Miguel Amaya, who was carted off the field on Wednesday after he sprained his ankle while running out a ground ball. 'It's swollen up pretty good already,' Counsell told reporters after the game. 'It's an IL [trip]. It's bad luck, unfortunately, and we're going to miss him.'
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Yankees fail to sweep Twins, blow chance to gain ground in AL playoff race
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free Even the Yankees' long-standing dominance of the Twins is not boundless. Aaron Boone's team wasted an opportunity to gain ground on several contenders in the American League playoff chase, getting shut down by All-Star righty Joe Ryan and two relievers in a 4-1 loss Wednesday to deadline-gutted Minnesota at the Stadium after taking the first two games of the series. Advertisement The start was delayed nearly two hours by heavy rain, and the Yankees could not take advantage of losses by the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Guardians and Rangers earlier in the night. 4 Yerry De los Santos heads back to the mound after giving up a two-run hit to Kody Clemens on Aug. 13, 2025. Robert Sabo / New York Post With their first loss to the Twins in their past 10 head-to-head meetings, the Yanks (64-57) slipped 1 ¹/₂ games behind Boston for the second AL wild-card position and remained one game ahead of Cleveland for the final playoff spot. Advertisement The Yankees, who will open a five-game road trip Friday in St. Louis, still own an overall winning percentage of .735 (125-45) against the Twins since 2002. Rookie righty Cam Schlittler completed at least five innings for the fifth time in six major league starts, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts before manager Aaron Boone replaced him in a 1-1 game with Yerry De los Santos — after 86 pitches — to start the sixth. De los Santos faced three batters and gave up three hits, with all three runners scoring in the inning. The 24-year-old Schlittler retired the first nine batters he faced on just 34 pitches through three innings, including three consecutive strikeouts bridging the latter two frames. Advertisement 4 A frustrated Giancarlo Stanton walks back to the dugout after striking out in the sixth inning of the Yankees' loss to the Twins. Robert Sabo / New York Post The Yankees opened the scoring against Ryan (12-5) in the third on a two-out solo home run by Cody Bellinger, his second blast of the series and 22nd of the season. But that was their lone run against Ryan before he departed with two outs in the seventh. Giancarlo Stanton, who started his third straight game in right field, nearly took Ryan deep in the first on a scorched ball that was hauled in at the center field wall by Byron Buxton. Advertisement 4 Cody Bellinger belts a solo homer in the third inning of the Yankees' loss to the Twins. Robert Sabo / New York Post 'Starting with a great fastball, unique slot, kind of that low [angle]. So that really plays up, strike-thrower, so he's gonna make you earn it,' Boone said of Ryan before the game. 'Couple of good secondary offerings, but it starts with the fastball that's very unique. And if you're gonna have success, you gotta get to it a little bit.' CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS The Twins had their first base runner against Schlittler on a leadoff walk to Trevor Larnach in the fourth and their first hit when Buxton followed with a 10-pitch double into the left field corner. An infield out by Luke Keaschall evened the score, but Buxton was stranded at third by Schlittler on a strikeout of Kody Clemens and a pop-up by Matt Wallner. 4 Minnesota starter Joe Ryan, who pitched into the seventh inning, held the Yankees to one run. AP Ryan struck out Stanton, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe in succession following Bellinger's blast. Advertisement The 1-1 knot remained until the Twins plated three runs against De los Santos in the sixth on two infield singles and a two-run double by Clemens, the son of former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Royce Lewis made it 4-1 with a two-out RBI double against Mark Leiter Jr. Advertisement Volpe got as far as third after doubling off Ryan in the seventh, but lefty reliever Kody Funderburk struck out Austin Wells for the third out. Boone said after the game that righty-swinging Paul Goldschmidt was not available to pinch-hit in that spot due to a right-knee injury that may require an IL stint.
