Mass Prep Stars Weekly 8-22-14
Welcome to our NEWEST weekly column,
Mass Prep Stars Weekly
Welcome to our third addition of our NEW weekly column, Mass Prep Stars Weekly. We are launching this column this summer with the intent of making it a weekly (Wednesday) column during the school year. This column is intended to update readers on athlete news, athlete interviews, recruiting information, links, twitter updates, photos, videos, and everything else Mass Prep Star related. We will use this column to update all four of the sports Mass Prep Stars covers (Football, Girls and Boys Basketball, and Boys Lacrosse).
Please email [email protected] with any athlete news items or athlete features that you would like included.
Football
- Mount Greylock senior OT / DE Jake Benzinger '15 will be headed to Wake Forest University next year to suit up for the Demon Deacons in the competitive ACC,
Benzinger's father John confirmed to Mass Prep Stars on Thursday evening that Jake chose Wake Forest after a recent trip (see photo above left) to the Winston-Salem, NC University.
Benzinger, who had received interest from a number of IVY league schools and FCS programs is projected as a tackle, with great size, athleticism and footwork.
Benzinger also plays basketball for Mount Greylock and is a double-double scoring and rebounding Center for their basketball team.
According to his father John, the 6-foot-8, 260 pound OT / DE is excited to play at the highest level of college football and for such a prestigious academic institution.
- As we approach the start of the 2014 high school football season, we will be rolling out some heavy pre-season coverage in the next two weeks. We begin our advanced coverage on Monday and Tuesday, with our Second Annual Mass Prep Stars & First String Performance Super Teams.
The Offensive and Defensive Pre-Season Super teams will feature some of the top players in Massachusetts football (Public and Private - playing football in Mass.).
Next week will also be rolling out our first Mass Prep Stars collaborative player rankings for the Class of 2015, with a Pre-ranking look at some of the top talent in the Class of 2016. Also be on the lookout for enhanced video coverage and player interviews all season with Mass Prep Stars. Please stay tuned for more football updates as we ramp up for a BIG 2014 season of coverage!
Girls Basketball
- A few weeks ago we featured one of the busiest and most sought after prospects in Massachusetts. Boston native and Vermont Academy (VT) guard Bruce Brown '16 was on a feverish pace this off-season, as the rising junior collected high major offers from some of the nations top schools and top conferences.
Each time we saw Brown's name associated with a new offer, we also noticed another local star keeping pace.
Rising New Hampton School (NH) sophomore Rebecca Ripley '17, formerly of Ipswich, Mass., had a breakout summer, playing with the Rivals Basketball Club.
The 5-foot-11 guard exploded on the scene last year, playing for head coach Freddy Petkus at New Hampton. At New Hampton Ripley was the only freshman to be named a Class A All-Star in 2013-2014.
"She works relentlessly on her game in the gym but also has the desire to stretch her cerebral ability by constantly possessing the passion to be a student of the game," Rivals Coach Maureen LaRoche told Mass Prep Stars. "She watches her position both live and on television during the college and WNBA season. During workouts, practices, and games she asks questions and has the innate ability as a player, to make adjustments to beat the opposition. In addition Becca is very much part of her own recruiting process as she handles her own affairs on the telephone with coaches and while on campus during college visits with her parents. Even though she is only a rising Sophomore, she brings maturity to both the game and her team that is rare these days.”
Ripley is being heavily recruited by mid to high major Division I programs across the country in the ACC, Big East, Atlantic 10, SEC, Big 10, and the Pac 12. She has been offered full scholarships by Providence College, Clemson, UMass-Amherst, Bryant, Fordham and URI. Ripley is also being recruited by other top schools such as Boston College, University of Kentucky, and LSU.
At a recent summer visit to the University of Kentucky Elite Girl’s camp in Jun, where Coach LaRoche was a UK Camp staff coach, she led her team to winning the 3-on-3 competition, while also making an impact during every drill and scrimmage session.
“The staff loved her during those two days and they especially were impressed by her physical presence, maturity, and how well she read the game,” added LaRoche.
Mass Prep Stars is excited to follow Ripley's rapidly ascending development over the next three seasons of New England Prep School basketball.
Check out Ripley's freshman highlights below.
Boys Basketball
- After narrowing his list of potential suitors earlier this month, Tilton School (NH) guard Terance Mann '15 announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he had committed to Florida State University.
The 6-foot-5 former Lowell, Mass. resident and son of current URI women's head basketball coach Daynia LaForce had another productive summer, starring for BABC on the NIKE EYBL circuit.
See some of Mann's summer action below as well as his Twitter announcement to FSU.
Boys Lacrosse
- The 2014 summer lacrosse schedule has come to an end. Here are some links to four of the top Club programs in Massachusetts and their updated college commitment lists.
Jack Siebert '16 of Melrose High School and the Fighting Clams (pictured above) recently announced via Twitter that he has committed to Lehigh University.
Please follow Mass Prep Stars for live game coverage and athlete updates on Twitter @masspreps. Please also stay connected with us on our Facebook page. You can also check out our NEW Instagram page, where we will bring you live shots and clips from Mass Prep Stars in action. Lastly, make sure you create your Mass Prep Stars athlete profile and use it as as your Scholastic Athletic Resume. You can create and update your bio/profile, statistics, photos, videos and news links and keep everything in one accessible location!
Please follow Mass Prep Stars for coverage and athlete updates on Twitter @masspreps. Please also stay connected with us on our Facebook page. You can check out our NEW Instagram page, where we will bring you live shots and clips from Mass Prep Stars in action. Lastly, make sure you create and update your Mass Prep Stars athlete profile, by going to http://massprepstars.com/players/profile-options and use it as your Scholastic Athletic Resume. You can create and update your bio information, statistics, photos, videos and news links! Please Email us with any questions!
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