Staples seniors Isaac Paparo, Lucas Jackson, Peter Richards and Christopher North Woods penned their letters of intent on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Paparo is headed to the University of Massachusetts, his “dream school,” to play lacrosse.
“Ever since I was a kid that was where I wanted to go… to finally have it come true it’s a privilege,” Paparo said.
A three year starter on varsity, Paparo received numerous awards, including a 2014 All-FCIAC Honorable Mention. He is known for his great speed in the midfield, which will be an asset for a Umass team that was ranked 21st in the nation last year.
Jackson excelled on the lacrosse field as well, earning himself a spot as a captain on the boys’ lacrosse team in 2015.
“He proved that if you want to do something, you want to be a lacrosse player, you work at it, and he blossomed into an excellent player and an excellent leader,” Staples Lacrosse Head Coach Paul McNulty said.
He impresses with his size and quickness and will provide a stout defensive presence at number seven ranked Loyola team next season.
Richards will attend Lafayette College (PA) to play golf, after earning First Team All-FCIAC honors at Staples. He shot a 73 at the 2014 FCIAC tournament last spring, which was good for third place, and will bring those talents to a Lafayette Men’s Golf Team that won the 2014 Patriot League Golf title.
“[Lafayette] was just a very welcoming school, in academics, athletics, a perfect fit,” Richards said.
Woods will also head to Maryland with Jackson to swim at Loyola University.
“I’ve known Christopher North Woods since he was a shrub, and now he’s a big tall redwood,” introduced Staples Swimming Head Coach Frisk Driscol.
Towering over the podium at 6’2, Woods recalled his favorite moments as a Staples Wrecker, “succeeding at the conference and state levels and also getting the team to higher scoring, it’s awesome to be a part of.”
Woods was a state finalist in 2014 and led the team to a fourth place finish at the Class LL Championships.
Each athlete hopes to continue the success they had at Staples at their respective colleges.
Full Video Interviews: https://vimeo.com/112459802
