Highlights from Massachusetts high school sports March 20

“Thank you Archbishop Williams for an amazing year,” Garrity wrote on social media. “I appreciate your welcoming me to your incredible community. Thank you to the Landolfis, the coaching stff, the media, and the amazing students and fans for all their support. I am proud to have been part of such a special team, family, and historic season.”

Garrity, an All-American who has offers from Syracuse and UMass, will take over for Qur’an McNeill at Milton Academy. The Buffalo-bound McNeill led the Mustangs to a Kevin Macdonald Bowl win and graduates this spring.

With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicking off Thursday, several Massachusetts products took the court, highlighted by BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa.

The Brockton native, who played his freshman season at St. Sebastian’s before transferring to Prolific Prep, and then Utah Prep, went off for 35 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-71 first-round loss to No. 11 Texas, which upset the sixth-seeded Cougars. He became the first freshman to score 35 points in his tournament debut.

Dybantsa said after the game he will take a “couple of weeks” to decide whether he will enter the NBA Draft, where he is in consideration for the No. 1 overall selection. He averaged 25.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for the season.

After an incredible Ivy League championship game performance, Shrewsbury’s TJ Power, a Worcester Academy product, struggled in the first round of the NCAA men’s tournament after not practicing Wednesday with an illness, submitting 6 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound in 30 minutes of a 105-70 loss to Illinois. Teammate Jay Jones, a Rivers School graduate from Chestnut Hill, added 2 points and two assists.

Dion Brown, a Vermont Academy graduate from Great Barrington who played at Monument Mountain, scored a team-high 18 points for Saint Louis in its 102-77 first-round win over Georgia.

Tennessee State senior guard Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester South) went for a team-high 21 points, adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in a 108-74 loss to Iowa State.

Redshirt sophomore Marvin Musiime-Kamali, a Cushing graduate from Brockton, played three scoreless minutes for Akron in its 91-71 loss to Texas Tech.

Siena’s Reid Ducharme (Brewster/Milton), Hofstra’s Jaeden Roberts (Putnam Science/Boston), and Penn’s Ryan Altman (Rivers/Chestnut Hill) were eliminated without playing. Duke’s Sebastian Wilkins (Brewster/Boston) did not see the court in a win over Siena.

Playing late Friday: Purdue’s CJ Cox (Milton Academy/Lexington), UConn’s Alex Karaban (IMG/Southborough), and Furman’s Alex Wilkins (Brooks/Mattapan).

▪ Central Catholic announced the hiring of John Dubzinski as its head football coach. Dubzinski coached North Andover for a decade before stepping down following the 2024 season. He led the Scarlet Knights to a Division 2 championship in 2018 and a pair of Merrimack Valley Conference titles. He also served as head coach at Arlington from 2011-14 and as an assistant at Leominster, Everett, and Medford.

Dubzinski comes from a coaching family. His father, John Sr., coached 25 years at Leominster, winning five Super Bowls. His grandfather, Walt Dubzinski Sr., coached Gardner for 20 years. His uncle, Walt Jr., has coached Gardner since 1986, and his cousin, Michael, coaches Wachusett.

“Coach Dubzinski comes from a proud football family and brings a deep passion for the game, along with a clear vision for building a program centered on toughness, character, and excellence,” said athletic director Zach Blaszak in a statement.

Central Catholic is coming off an 8-4 season (3-1 MVC D1) that saw Raiders reach the Division 1 semifinals before falling to St. John’s Prep. John Sexton coached the Raiders for the past three seasons before stepping down in January.

▪ Central Catholic is also welcoming in a new boys’ soccer coach this fall, with Dimitrios Petrides taking the helm.

Petrides coaches with NEFC North Shore and previously served as an assistant for MeEdford from 2014-19, helping the program reach a pair of Division 1 North finals while going 80-23-19 over six seasons. He teaches history in the Lawrence Public Schools system.

“Coach Petrides is passionate about creating a competitive environment where players grow both on and off the field,” said Blaszak. “His vision aligns with the proud tradition of Central Catholic athletics, and we are excited for the future of our boys’ soccer program under his leadership.”

The Raiders went 14-6 last year (8-2 Merrimack Valley) in its sixth season under coach John Sears, falling to Newton South in the first round of the Division 1 tournament.

Lynn native Bella Owumi was tabbed as the Gatorade Player of the Year for New Hampshire girls’ basketball after a strong season at the Tilton School.

The 6-foot junior averaged 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while leading the Rams to a 25-4 record and a trip the NEPSAC Class AAA semifinals. She averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs.

Owumi captured three state titles with St. Mary’s before transferring to Tilton and is ranked as the Class of 2027’s No. 30 prospect by ESPN.

“Owumi plays with incredible intensity,” said Proctor Academy coach Gregor Mackechnie. “She is an efficient scorer at three levels. She’s fluid in transition, tenacious defensively, and completely drive with a will to win.”

Owumi maintains an A average in the classroom and volunteer with Meals for Hope, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity.

MaxPreps has named Bishop Feehan senior Brody Bumila its 2025-26 boys’ Massachusetts Player of the Year.

The 6-9 center led the Shamrocks to a 19-7 record and Division 1 state championship as the No. 14 seed. His final season averages, including the postseason, were 30.6 points and 15.2 rebounds, while shooting 69.4 percent from the floor.

He is the first winner from Feehan since the award was introduced in 2019. Last year’s selection was Franklin’s Caden Sullivan.

▪ Wilbraham & Monson senior Chinedu Okpara has committed to play Division 1 basketball at Gardner-Webb. The 6-7 forward from New York, who also plays with the Middlesex Magic, is the younger brother of Stanford (and former Harvard) forward Chisom Okpara.

▪ Newton North senior long-stick midfielder Dylan Leone announced his commitment to play men’s lacrosse at Wentworth. He also played with 3d Lacrosse and Italia Lacrosse, and was a running back and linebacker for the Tigers’ football team.

▪ Bishop Fenwick senior Tyler Connolly, who hails from Salem, announced he will be the third member of his family to play football at Ithaca, following his father, Scott, who is in the college’s Hall of Fame, and his older brother Jake, an All-American for the Bombers. The 6-foot, 205-pound linebacker and running back has made back-to-back Division 6 All-State teams, totaling 125 tackles as a junior.

▪ Nantucket sophomore multi-sport star Burke Lombardi announced he will transfer to St. George’s school in Rhode Island. A football, basketball, and baseball star for the Whalers, Lombardi is a 6-1 quarterback and basketball guard who also plays for Team Sims.

▪ Manchester Essex junior Alex Ste. Marie announced that he will be transferring to Governor’s Academy and reclassifying to 2028. The 6-5 forward, who averaged 21.2 points and 8.0 rebonds for the Hornets, also plays with North Shore Sports Academy.

▪ Hamilton-Wenham senior Caden Schrock, a 6-2, 215-pound running back/linebacker, will spend a post-graduate year at Phillips Andover. He rushed for 1,186 yards and 14 touchdowns last fall, while making 110 tackles.

▪ Xaverian freshman Trevor Gardner, a Quincy resident, announced he will transfer to Dexter Southfield and reclassify to 2030. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 165-pound athlete also plays with Mass Elite football and the Middlesex Magic.

▪ Troy Durand a 5-11, 180-pound freshman wide receiver and safety from the Fessenden School in Newton, will enroll at St. Mark’s and reclassify as a 2030.

▪ Worcester Academy junior Gracyn Barnes, a 5-7 point guard who also plays for the Bay State Jaguars, has committed to play Division 1 women’s basketball at Stony Brook.

▪ Berkshire School senior offensive lineman Wesley Augustin has committed to play football at Dickinson.

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.