RHS Football Team Opens Season Friday

With the double-sessions from the dog-days of August and the pre-season scrimmages now just a memory, the Revere High football team will kick off its 2013 campaign for real this Friday evening against Medford. The Friday Night Lights affair is set for 7:00 at the newly-renovated Hormel Stadium, just a short ride west on the Parkway for the RHS gridders and their faithful fans.

“We’re looking forward to the start of the season and eager to hit someone in another jersey,” said RHS head coach Lou Cicatelli, who is entering his 11th years at the helm of the Patriot football program.  “The team is upbeat and ready to get going.”

The pre-season was not kind to the Pats in the injury department with four key Patriots expected to be on the DL for the Medford contest: defensive back Mike Norton with a separated shoulder;  tight end and defensive end Steve Selevitch; cornerback Brian McNitt; and offensive tackle Kevin Madrigal.

“The injuries really have hurt us,” noted Cicatelli. “We have a young team and a lot of our underclassmen will have to step up.”

The Patriot offense will be directed by sophomore quarterback Danny Murphy, who earned the starting nod with an impressive pre-season. Joining Murphy in the backfield will be a trio of running backs in senior captain Tom Portrait, Kaleb Silva, and Brian Bonilla. David Castro and Jake Noftle will hold down the wide receiver posts with Brandon Brito at tight end.

The offensive line will feature Sarey Morm at center. Flanking Morm at the guard posts will be Martin Keutcherian on the left and Eddie Volcimus on the right. Euche Romeus will be at right tackle and Jordi Palha will be protecting the blind side.

A number of Pats will be going two ways, including Portrait and Murphy in the defensive backfield; Volcimus and Bonilla at the inside linebacker spots; and Keutcherian, Silva, and Romeus along the defensive front.

Other defensive starters include Ravi Ryland in the secondary and Mike DeBay and A.J. Matimae up front.

The opener with Medford, a former long-time rival from the Greater Boston League, figures to be a tough test for Revere. Although the Patriots have had their way with the Mustangs for most of the past 10 years under Cicatelli’s tenure,  Medford is a much-improved squad over last season with experienced players at the skill positions.

“Medford is a good team,” said Cicatelli. “They play a spread offense and feature a very quick quarterback. This definitely will be a strong challenge for our team.”

Looking ahead, the Patriots will host Malden, another former GBL foe, next Friday evening in their home opener.

Volleyball team opens
with two victories

The Revere High volleyball team opened its season with a winning formula, defeating Northeastern Conference foes Salem last Wednesday, 3-1, and Marblehead Monday with a 3-0 blanking.

“It was a nice way to start the year,” said new RHS head coach Jaime Imbracsio, who served as the Lady Patriot junior varsity coach for the past five seasons. “It was a total team effort in both matches.”

The Salem triumph saw middle hitters Natalie Colon-Martins and Helen Davis record some key blocks at the net. Setters Raela O’Donnell and Rachel DeSantis also played a key role in the Salem victory.

The 2013 squad will be led by senior captains Colon-Martins and Shannon Spillane. Other members of the team are liberos Jeana Stracchia and Odaliz Vasquez, Katie Tuck, Dzeneta Velic, and sophomores Ally Hinojosa and Natasha Iacoviello.

Imbracsio and her crew host Swampscott tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30 at the RHS fieldhouse and will travel to Beverly Tuesday.

Girls soccer team
opens with 1-0 win

The Revere High girls soccer team got their season off on the right foot with a 1-0 victory over Everett, a former long-time rival from the Greater Boston League. Senior captain and midfielder Paola Ortez reached the back of the net for the winning tally on a direct kick from just outside the box. Paolo’s well-placed shot went just under the cross-bar to beat the Everett keeper.

For new RHS head coach Megan O’Donnell, the triumph marked a successful start to her coaching career at Revere High.  “The girls played a great game from the opening whistle to the end,” said O’Donnell, who previously had been the assistant and junior varsity coach at Everett. “Everybody who played made a contribution,” although the coach specifically noted the fine man-to-man defensive coverage of junior fullback Danielle Fortuna. “The girls dug deep and made it a special way to start the season.”

In addition to Ortez, the other captains for the Lady Patriots are keeper Cassandra DiBella, who earned the shutout against Everett, and Marisa Verruto.

The Revere girls open their Northeastern Conference season with a pair of tough tests, hosting Peabody tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) at 4:00 and then traveling to Lynn Classical Tuesday.

RHS boys soccer team
opens season Thursday

The Revere High boys soccer team will open their new season with a new coach when they kick off their 2013 campaign at Peabody tomorrow (Thursday). Former RHS star Abdel Rhazi, a 2004 graduate of Revere High who played varsity ball for all four of his years at RHS, has taken over the helm of the Patriots. Rhazi previously coached the Patriot junior varsity team for a number of seasons.

“We’re looking forward to getting started,” said Rhazi.  “The team has been working hard and is eager to get the season underway.”

Leading the 2013 Patriots will be a trio of captains, seniors Younes Hartout and Tarik Maddrey and junior Abel Alcantar.

Rhazi has two strong players at the all-important keeper position in sophomore Talal Hamza and junior Gesus Landeverda. “Both Talal and Gesus have been playing well,” said Rhazi. “We’re fortunate to have two boys who play well at the keeper position.”

After tomorrow’s encounter at Peabody, Rhazi and his crew will host Lynn Classical on Tuesday in their home opener.

RHS boys cross country team ready

Thanks to a quirk in the schedule, the Revere High boys cross country team will have to wait until next Wednesday before it opens its season with a tri-meet at Beverly with the host team and Lynn English.

“We’re looking forward to the start of the season,” said RHS coach Mike Flynn. “We have a lot of new members of the team and we’ll be measuring our success by how much we improve week-to-week.”

The Patriots will be led by senior co-captains John DellaRusso and Jay Mistri. “Both John and Jay have been really good leaders,” noted Flynn.

Among the juniors on the team are Bounlaing Chea, Domenic Giangregorio, John Simonini, Jeremy Delgado, John Erazo, David Landeta, Ahmed Ouldzenagui, Carlos Pena, and Nelson Cevallos.

Sophomore Chris Genty, senior Satyak Som, and freshmen Farmi Ochman, Vinicio Baez, and Sebastian Meja round out the Patriot squad.

After next Wednesday’s meet, Revere will be back in action the following Tuesday (Sept. 24) at Gloucester.

RHS girls cross country

opens next Wednesday

The Revere High girls cross country team opens its season next Wednesday (September 18) at Beverly in a tri-meet with Lynn English.  Leading the way for Coach Katie Sinnott’s Lady Patriots will be the senior captain duo of Nikki Nelson and Evelyn Bonilla.

“Both Nikki and Evelyn are really taking the role seriously and have come up with great team ideas,” said Sinnott.

Other team members are senior Taylor O’Neill; junior Hayley Mangino; sophomores Ghizlane Benzerdjab, Trisha Cheever, Jaclynne Dion, Suellen Guerreiro, Catherine Monroy, Meloee Nazaire, Kasey Sierra, Michelle Vargas, and Jessica Ventura; and freshmen Rajaa Belhaouari, Emily Brawley, Megan Erwin, Nicole Paddock, Vanessa Puopolo, Joanna Severino Perez, Alyssa Silveira, Lani Stevens, and Vivian Vo.

Sinnott said that among the new Lady Patriots who show a great deal of promise in helping the team are Suellen Guerreiro, Taylor O’Neill, Nicole Paddock, and Vanessa Puopolo.

“I’m pleased to see a large number of freshmen again,” noted Sinnott. “With time I expect these younger girls to improve.”

Former RHS coach

Nik Tower off to Berlin

Former RHS boys soccer coach Nik Tower is off to Berlin,  Germany, where he will be earning a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Education at Freie University.

“I lived in Germany when I was younger. My mother was of German birth,” said Tower.

“Intercultural Education focuses on the integration of immigrant groups into the existing school system,” said Tower. “It’s a year-long program. At some point I decided I needed a hiatus from Revere.  I love it there and hope to return (I am on a leave of absence). But I thought this would be a great opportunity to broaden my horizons.  The kids I have worked with, especially the soccer boys (90% of them are first or second-generation immigrants), have taught me there are still many obstacles in their way.  I hope this program gives me some ideas to help them overcome those obstacles.”

Tower also reflected on his time at the helm of the boys soccer program.

“It’s been my greatest pleasure coaching the boys and helping the girls softball team,” said Tower. “I am indebted to those who have helped and supported me along the way.  I would like to thank all the players for their efforts over the past years.  They helped bring this program to new heights with two consecutive tourney bids and the first tournament win in Revere High history (1 to 0 over East Boston in 2011).

“I would also like to thank the coaching staff, including Revere High employees Wesley Pierce and Conner O’Keefe, and a former RHS grad, Ashley Barrios.  I’d also like to thank both athletic directors, Keith Correia and Shaun Hart.  Both were extraordinarily helpful over the years,” noted Tower.

“It was a difficult choice to leave the program, but I’d like to think I left it with a bright future.  I hope the boys and the future staff carry on with the traditions of hard work and good sportsmanship that have brought us so much success,” Tower added.