The Rhode Island Interscholastic League and Amica Mutual Pavilion are pleased to announce that the finals of the 2026 RIIL Girls and Boys Ice Hockey Championships, presented by Ortho Rhode Island, will be played at The AMP on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. “We are grateful to Amica Mutual Pavilion General Manager Lawrence Lepore and the staff at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for their support in providing the opportunity to bring our schools and the entire Rhode Island hockey community together in solidarity for this special night at the AMP,” RIIL Executive Director Mike Lunney said. Daniel McConaghy, Executive Director & CEO of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority said, “We are incredibly proud to host the RIIL 2026 State Hockey Championship games at the AMP, bringing together the best of Rhode Island high school hockey in one unforgettable celebration of competition, sportsmanship, and community. It’s an honor to welcome teams, families, and fans from across the state and to support the entire Rhode Island hockey community as we showcase the passion and talent that make this sport so special.”

Get ready to challenge minds and spark some friendly competition! We’re excited to bring back the Financial Trivia Challenge, open to RIIL-member high school and middle school students and sponsored by Navigant Credit Union. The Financial Trivia Challenge presented by Navigant Credit Union, is a fun, digital competition designed to assess and strengthen students’ financial literacy! The contest opens February 2 at 7 a.m. Students can take the quiz up to 30 times through 11:59 PM on March 17th. Students and schools can win prizes totaling $10,000. Get ready to test your financial knowledge & win cash prizes for yourself and your school!

More than 250 Rhode Island high school students and chaperones representing 30 schools attended the third annual RIIL/KyleCares Teen Mental Health Summit, held January 8th at Gaige Hall on the Rhode Island College campus. The workshop - provided free of charge to students from RIIL member high schools – was part of a unified proactive approach by the RIIL and KyleCares - also made possible with the support of RIC's Student Success - to advocate for mental health awareness across the RIIL community. The goal was for students to leave the Summit armed with knowledge about how to help both themselves and their peers and inspired to positively impact their schools, by leading a change in culture as mental health advocates.

The RIIL is pleased to announce its continued partnership with UA Local 51, the trade union for plumbers, pipefitters and refrigeration technicians in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. As part of its partnership with the RIIL, Local 51 will provide a $500 trade scholarship to one graduating senior interested in pursuing a career in the trades industry.

Each year, the National Federation of State High School Associations recognizes coaches and officials around the country for their outstanding service and unselfish devotion to interscholastic athletics. Individuals selected to receive the Coach of the Year honor are chosen based upon their performance as a coach on and off the field and the positive work they have done with the athletes in their program. Nominees for the Official of the Year award must exemplify the highest standards of ethical conduct, moral character and carry the endorsement of their respective state high school association. They also shall have made a recent significant contribution to high school officiating in their state. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League congratulates the following individuals selected as 2024-25 NFHS R.I. Officials and Coaches of the Year in their respective sports. The honorees will be recognized during the RIIL Winter Championships at an event to be determined.

The final item of business at the Principals’ Committee on Athletics’ November meeting was a bittersweet one as its members recognized outgoing chairperson Dan Warner for his more than 20 years of dedication and service both to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s governing body and to the tens of thousands of high school and middle school students across the state who play interscholastic athletics. “It was 2004 when Dan rolled onto this committee,” said RIIL Executive Director Mike Lunney, as he presented Warner with a commemorative plaque at the November 17th meeting in the RIIL office. “That was quite a few years ago. I was an athletic director at the time and just getting involved at the state level, and I know that the amount of institutional knowledge that Dan has is immense. So we’re definitely going to miss that, and his leadership of this organization during a really difficult time, as well. These past few years have been really challenging, and you’ve had a steady hand in leading us through all of that.”

“The space where ideas are shared, decisions are made, and the future of Rhode Island athletics and activities continues to evolve now bears the name of the man who helped shape its past and present.” Shortly after convening for its November meeting in the conference room of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s Warwick office, the Principals’ Committee on Athletics then dedicated that very meeting space to the individual who was instrumental in the RIIL relocating to its current home on Centerville Road. Joined by members of his family and many current and former members of the PCOA with whom he had worked beside for decades as both a principal and the Executive Director of the RIIL, Tom Mezzanotte and his wife Kathy unveiled a plaque in what is now known as the “Thomas A. Mezzanotte Conference Room.”