Former King Philip High hoopster and 1,000-point scorer Scott Smith found himself on the flip side of the recruiting process this fall at Babson College. After being granted early admission and having been sold on the notion that he would be the team's primary shooting guard recruit, he was not kept on the roster for this season, but was given the option to keep practicing with the team with an eye on the future ...

Former Foxboro High soccer standout Nicole Zielinski completed her collegiate career as Simmons College's all-time leading scorer with 57 goals and 34 assists. A four-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference pick, Zielinski had eight goals and six assists for Simmons (5-12-1) this season ...

The football season ended at Northeastern University with former Mansfield High quarterback John Sperrazza leading the Huskies in passing yards (803) with 106 completions and three TD tosses, while former Bishop Feehan receiver-returner Ron Conway was the No. 2 kickoff returner with 787 yards, also having six catches for 74 yards ...

Bishop Feehan High senior Michael Sullivan of Franklin signed a letter of intent to swim for Notre Dame University. Sullivan, the U.S. swimming backstroke champ, is ranked in the top 20 nationally and will compete in the U.S. Open national championship this weekend at Purdue University. Also in Indiana will be Shamrock swimmer Kristin Connors of Mansfield, competing in the under-16 100 and 200 breaststroke ...

Former Attleboro High soccer star Molly Byrnes, a sophomore midfielder with the U.S. Military Academy women's soccer team (4-12-2) started 16 of 18 matches this season, scoring two goals, now having played in all 37 matches over two seasons ...

Three local members of the MAPLE League's Nova Rampage S.C., are heading to the MAPS College Showcase this weekend in New Jersey - Mansfield 's Lauren Skelly and a pair of North Attleboro High standouts, Ashley Childers and Stephanie McGrath for the nationally scouted MAPS Showcase tournament. Skelly is captain-elect for the Hornets' next season, Childers was the Rocketeers' "unsung hero" and McGrath was the Rocketeers "defensive MVP." Both Childers and McGrath also compete in the USL Super Y League playing for Blackwatch, S.C. ... Former Bishop Feehan two-way lineman Justin Brunell of Rehoboth, a junior with the Ithaca College football team, was named to the second All Empire-8 Conference team ...

Attleboro High's Jenna Costa, Bishop Feehan's Liz Farrell, Meghan Zerba and Jamie Coyne along with Mansfield High's Allie Nagle returned from Florida with the Blackhawk under-16 women's soccer team with wins over Chicago and Seattle by 1-0 margins, one of the losses to defending national champion Match Fit of New Jersey ...

Captains-elect for Jeff Creamer's 2007 Seekonk High boys' soccer team will be defenders Ian Fulton, Nick Karas and Joe Pariseau ...

"Medfield and Holliston were better teams, but (losing to) Bellingham, I couldn't believe it," said Norton High football coach Robb McCoy of the Lancers' fourth loss of the season. "We had the ball four times in the second half and turned it over three times" ...

At the breakup dinner for Dan Damish's Foxboro High volleyball team, Sam Briggs received the "blocker" award and Michelle Cameron the "setter" award, while senior Katie Storer was the recipient of the MIAA Sportsmanship and Captains awards ...

"He did a real nice job for us," said Mansfield High football coach Mike Redding of senior Joe Murphy, a two-year starter at cornerback, the 5-foot-11 Murphy doing some of the dirty work that allowed Matt Alksninis to pluck off six passes on the other side. Two cousins, both wearing No. 5 lined up on the turf on Thanksgiving Day, Mansfield High's Murphy and Foxboro High's Kevin McCarthy ...

Ten-year old Sean McLaughlin of Norton is advancing to the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships next weekend in Spokane, Wash. McLaughlin finished third at the New England Championship and second at the Regional Championship in Queensbury, N.Y. In addition, he will be competing in the AAU National Cross Country Championship in Orlando, Fla., Saturday ...

Before losing to Pittsburgh the other night, Mark Schmidt's Robert Morris University Colonials had won their first four games of the season, averaging 71 points and allowing 53 ...

PETER GOBIS may be reached at 508-236-0375 or via e-mail at pgobis@thesunchronicle.com.