{"id":45397,"date":"2023-08-31T15:47:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T15:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelandmark.com\/?p=45397"},"modified":"2023-08-31T15:47:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T15:47:34","slug":"accomplishments-and-recognitions-continue-for-leary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/2023\/08\/31\/accomplishments-and-recognitions-continue-for-leary\/","title":{"rendered":"Accomplishments and recognitions continue for Leary"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Orrell<\/em>
\nLandmark Correspondent<\/em><\/p>\n

HOLDEN \u2014 In a relatively quiet and unassuming way, Wachusett Regional High\u2019s Rileigh Leary has become one of this region\u2019s premier lacrosse players, a contention that is barely debatable. That opinion is buttressed by coaches and team supporters who have had the opportunity to observe her special talents on the pitch, which include the following: 200 career points,100 career goals, MA\/RI Team 2 that competes at National USA tournament women\u2019s lacrosse, Mid-Wach A MVP, Mid-Wach Team1 all-star, Coaches MVP and selection as team captain for the 2023-2024 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cRileigh Leary is just one of those players you love to watch,\u201d said Mountaineer head coach Jill Liposky. \u201cFrom her footwork approaching the draw to her high-powered shots, every second she has the ball is thrilling to watch. Rileigh is an exceptional player who has a real understanding of the game. She is a key contributor to the midfield unit, winning over 115 draw controls and 52 ground balls this (past) season. Rileigh is a selfless player within the attacking unit, sharing nearly as many assists to goals (52G\/56A). She brings passion, persistence and determination to every game. It\u2019s a coach\u2019s dream to have a player like her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to have her say that about me. She\u2019s always been my biggest supporter,\u201d Leary, a 2024 senior, said. \u201cShe does everything to see me succeed, and I have to thank her so much for everything she\u2019s done for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to try and get the ball around,\u201d Leary said in explaining her goals-to-assist record. \u201cThe drive is not always there, and a lot of times when I drive I see more defenders coming on to me, and it leaves my teammates wide open. I don\u2019t even have to think about it. Passing comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of understanding of the game comes from watching it and playing it so much. It becomes easier to pick up. My team is so important to me. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to achieve the accomplishments I did without my teammates by my side helping and supporting me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leary, the youngest of eight children in her family, credits her siblings and parents for her achieving her accomplishments. In particular she thanks her dad, who has taken her to many events across the country to both observe and participate in elite level competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll my siblings growing up played basketball, and I started playing young because they all played it,\u201d Leary said. \u201cI\u2019d play with my brothers. Then I joined the Holden Youth League and the Wachusett League for lacrosse, then played club for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

She competes for the Bay State Bullets club team.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in my family, everything was a competition. Everybody played sports, and I just grew into it with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad usually takes me when we have to travel. He\u2019s always supported me with everything. He\u2019s at every game and takes me to all of the practices. He\u2019s my biggest supporter. I wouldn\u2019t be able to do anything without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leary more than holds her own in terms of academics and community volunteering. She is a National Honor Society member and a coach of a first- and second-grade Wachusett lacrosse team. She hopes to compete in lacrosse when her Wachusett days conclude, and had already begun exploring recruiting opportunities this past spring. Those opportunities are likely to expand this fall. She is also a contributing member of the Wachusett Regional High girls\u2019 varsity basketball squad. Leary is most proud of her WRHS days and contributions that will bring forth lifetime memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take a lot of pride in playing sports for Wachusett. I love my school,\u201d she said with deep sincerity. \u201cI\u2019ve always taken a lot of pride watching the older girls play. To be able to come in my freshman year and put on a varsity jersey meant a lot. There\u2019s a lot of pride beyond the name, and I really cherish that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Orrell Landmark Correspondent HOLDEN \u2014 In a relatively quiet and unassuming way, Wachusett Regional High\u2019s Rileigh Leary has become one of this region\u2019s premier lacrosse players, a contention that is barely debatable. That opinion is buttressed by coaches and team supporters who have had the opportunity to observe her special talents on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}