Sports 12-28-2016

RhS sports Roundup

Patriots defeat English, 60-57

The Revere High boys basketball team broke into the win column in a big way with an exciting 60-57 victory over Lynn English this past Thursday at the Revere High fieldhouse.

Buoyed by a stern defensive effort, the Patriots grabbed a 23-17 lead at the half, setting the stage for a wild final two periods that saw the teams trade the lead several times.

English went on a big run in the middle of the third frame to move out to a 38-36 lead, but the Patriots counterpunched with a pair of buckets before the end of the period to grab a 40-38 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The battle remained closely-contested until the Patriots broke matters open with 3:38 to go thanks to a flurry of three, successive three-pointers from Curtis High (who turned in a powerful double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds), Gerald Jean-Charles (11 points), and another from High to open up a nine-point bulge that carried Revere to the victory.

Senior forward Brendan Hayes had some huge defensive rebounds down the stretch to help seal the win.

“We were able to frustrate English with our defense in the first half,” said RHS head coach David Leary, who chalked up his first victory at the helm of the Patriots’ program. “Curtis and Marvin Urdaneta (20 points, six rebounds) were huge for us offensively, but the poise from sophomore guard Marcus Brunson-Perez (six assists) was the key for us. We had some bad turnovers early, but Marcus calmed us down and set guys up against their pressure.”

Last Monday night the Patriots dropped a hard-fought battle to Lynn Classical, 61-51, a final score that was not indicative of the closeness of the game. The teams battled to a 25-25 deadlock at the intermission and were separated by just two points, 39-37 in Classical’s favor, after three frames.

Classical maintained its slight edge through the fourth period, forcing Revere to foul down the stretch. The Rams sank their free throws, allowing them to open  up some daylight in the closing minutes.

“I was so proud of our defensive intensity and communication,” said Leary. “Classical came into the game averaging nearly 80 points per game, so I knew we had to control the tempo, and our players did a fantastic job with the game plan.” Seniors Urdaneta (14 points, six rebounds) and Jean-Charles (11 points, five assists) paced the Patriots in the scoring column.

Leary and his crew were set to take on former Greater Boston League rivals Medford last night (Tuesday) and Malden tomorrow evening (Thursday) in a Christmas tournament this week.

Sinatra, Toglan, Mejia

win for RHS track team

Although the Revere High boys indoor track team came up on the short end for the first time this season with a 51-35 loss to Marblehead, a number of Patriots turned in fine performances.

David Sinatra captured first place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-8″. David also took a second in the 50 yard hurdles in a clocking of 7.3 seconds to finish as the Patriots’ high scorer with eight points.

The next leading-scorers for Revere with five points were: Zach Gentile, who tied for second place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-6″ and took second in the 1000 in a time of 3:02.4; Morris Toglan, who won the shot-put with a throw of 43′-10″, easily outdistancing his closest Marblehead competitor by 2′-7″; and Sebastian Mejia, who cruised to victory in the two-mile run with a time of 11:40, 24 seconds faster than the second place runner, teammate Jonathan Nushi.

Patriots who added three points to the RHS side of the scoresheet with second-place performances were: Nushi in the two-mile run in 12:04; Christian Molina in the 600 dash in 1:38.6; and Jonathan Hysenaj in the 300 dash in 39.1.

Third place finishes came from Nathaniel Eam in the 600 in 1:39.1; Arthur LaCerda in the mile in 5:24.5; and Cristian Acuna in the 1000 in 3:10.3.

Fitzpatrick wins 1000

event in Beverly meet

Hannah Fitzpatrick took first place in the 1000 yard run in a time of 3:23, which was five seconds faster than her closest competitor, to highlight last week’s meet with Beverly for the RHS girls indoor track team.

Two Lady Patriots grabbed second place in their respective events, Claritza Vasquez with a high jump of 4′-4″ and Rachel Shanbar with a shot-put toss of 29′-1″.

Three Revere girls added single points to the Revere scoresheet with third place performances: Giana Berkowitz in the 50 hurdles in 9.1; Helen Perez in the 600 dash 1:57.8; and Monica Posada in the mile in 6:11.

“Monica, our senior captain, ran a personal record (PR) mile time of 6:11 and has a realistic shot to break 6:00 in the mile this year,” said RHS head coach Antonio LaBruna. “She has been bounced around from the two mile, mile, and 1000 throughout her track career, but the mile seems to be her best event.

“Giana Berkowitz ran a PR time of 9.1 in the 50 yard hurdles,” continued LaBruna. “She’s worked extremely hard for us and gotten much better over the past year. Last year she joined us as a first-year junior and provided us some depth in the hurdles, but struggled to break 10 seconds initially. She is now our number two hurdler and shaved five-tenths off her previous best time of 9.6.”

The next meet for the Lady Patriots comes this Saturday in the annual Northeastern Conference Freshmen/Sophomore Meet.

The team’s next dual meet is not until January 12 against Saugus.

Gonzalez scores 18 in Revere’s win over English

By Cary Shuman

The Revere High girls basketball team is making the most of its early-season visits to the city of Lynn.

After besting St. Mary’s of Lynn in the opener and Lynn Classical in Game 3, the Lady Patriots took care of a pesky Lynn English team, 63-49, at the Paul Cavanagh Fieldhouse. Add in a win over Beverly as well and the Patriots are rolling along at 4-0.

Junior guard Pamela Gonazlez had an excellent game for the Patriots, scoring 18 points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds to go along with four assists.

Senior forward Samantha Woodman, one of the captains, was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 10 points and made her presence felt on the boards with six rebounds.

“Samantha played her best game of the season to-date,” said coach Lianne O’Hara. “She really stepped up. She’s the heart and soul of the team. She goes 100 percent on every drill in every practice and in every game.”

Junior forward Valentina Pepic again played at an All-Scholastic-caliber level with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. Freshman guard Erika Cheever coolly hit all four of her free throws in the final quarter to help Revere maintain a comfortable margin.

Senior center Meghan Gotham contributed nine points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Emily DiGiulio had five points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a strong effort at both ends of the court.

Coach O’Hara said she was pleased to see her team undefeated through four games. Revere is also the No. 1-ranked team on the North Shore and No. 5 in eastern Massachusetts.

“It feels good to be 4-0, but I’m looking forward to the competition over the next few games,” said O’Hara. “I don’t want the team to get too comfortable thinking they don’t need to improve. But we have played well.”

Revere will be tested in the Acton-Boxboro Holiday Tournament tonight (Wednesday) with a game against the perennial Dual County League title contenders, the Acton-Boxboro Colonials.

Should Revere win, it would play the winner of the Littleton-Holy Name Central Catholic of Worcester game Friday night. In other words, the best team in the north is taking its show on the road to take on the best in central Massachusetts.

A Season to Remember

Revere Pop Warner ‘B’ team reached NE title game

By Cary Shuman

When the Revere Pop Warner Junior Patriots ‘B’ team was at 0-3, head coach Eddie Sullivan encouraged his players to stay true to its motto, which was to “finish.”

“We told the players, who were mostly eighth graders moving on to high school, to finish their Pop Warner careers in a fashion befitting the high standards of our organization,” said Sullivan. “The boys came out and finished.”

That they did.

The Revere ‘B’ team won seven of its next games against Division 1 and Division 2 competition and primed itself for a run in the playoffs versus the top teams in New England.

The Patriots really turned on the jets in the playoffs, beating Mattapan, 7-2, New Hampshire state champion Merrimac, 33-2, and Brockton, 33-6, in the Mass. state championship game.

In the New England finals at Foley Field in Worcester on Thanksgiving weekend, Revere saw its hopes for a trip to Disney denied by Rhode Island state champion Warwick, 26-0.

“Warwick had two good running backs, an awesome offensive line, and were well-coached,” said Coach Sullivan. “They were just a better team.”

But the Revere coaches and players can take pride in the fact they equaled the great 2010 Revere Pop Warner team as having advanced the farthest in the New England playoffs. Revere was undefeated throughout that season before dropping a 6-0 decision to King Phillip in the final at Foley Field. Interestingly Eddie Sullivan was also the head coach of that powerful contingent that was quarterbacked by his son, Eddie Jr., this year’s RHS starting signal caller.

Calvin Boudreau, quarterback for the 2016 New England finalists, was an excellent team leader, according to Sullivan.

“Calvin was our quarterback the last three years and he really led the team – he could throw, he could run.”

Royal Bragman and Teo    formed a potent running back tandem for the Junior Patriots while also excelling on defense. Bragman was the team’s leading scorer with 16 touchdowns while Teo provided plenty of offense and was a force at linebacker.

Revere also benefited by having two outstanding players at the tight end position, Ryan Doucette and Dylan Day. “They both had six TD receptions and they were very good this season.”

Linebacker John Tran and safety Anthony McDonald were also instrumental in the Patriots’ stellar defense that allowed only one touchdown in three state playoff games.

Sullivan thanked his assistant coaches, Craig Elam, Jeff Doucette, and Jimmy Rabideau for their efforts all season.

Sullivan said this group of players accomplished a lot, advancing to the Eastern Mass. semifinal and finals the past two years before capturing the state championship this season.

Revere Pop Warner’s success comes at a time of much optimism for the Revere High football program which had a winning season, capped by a victory over rival Winthrop on Thanksgiving.

“I believe these eighth grade football players can be successful in high school,” said Sullivan. “They’re a bunch of good players. If they all decide to go to Revere High, then Revere High has some good up-and-coming players.”

Revere Pop Warner will honor the ‘B’ team with special awards at the banquet in recognition of its state championship season. It will be an appropriate “finish” to one of the best seasons in the organization’s proud history.

RHS sports Through the Years

10 years ago

December 27, 2006

Despite injuries to key players, coach Jim Palumbo’s RHS hockey team has sprinted to a 4-0 start. In dominating victories of 7-1 over Lynn English and 5-1 over Swampscott, Anthony Morico scored four goals and had two assists vs. English, while Anthony DelloIacono scored a hat trick vs. Swampscott. The team was saddened to learn this week that two of their teammates, Paul Pelletier and Eric Noel, were seriously injured in an auto accident on the Lynn Marsh Rd.

Coach Steve Pavey’s boys track team chalked up two wins this week, defeating Swampccott, 44.5-41.5, and Saugus, 57-29. Patriot star hurdler John Driscoll remained undefeated on the season with two more wins.

The RHS boys basketball team dropped contests this week to Lynn English, 71-60, and Swampscott, 70-47. Chris Flint led the Pats in scoring in both games with 20 and 21 points respectively.

20 years ago

December 24-31, 1996

The RHS boys indoor track team defeated defending GBL champion Somerville, 43-38, in the season opener. Samnang Ros paced the Patriots with a victory in the two mile run in 10:53.6. Other notable winners for coach Steve Pavey’s Revere team were Nick Piscitelli in the hurdles in 6.7 and John Burke with a high jump of 5’-10”.

Coach Jim Palumbo’s RHS hockey team thrashed Cambridge, 11-0, in the season-opener. The Patriot defense did not allow a single shot on goal in the first period.

Diana DeCristoforo poured in 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but coach Bob Ardolino’s RHS girls basketball team dropped a 61-56 decision to Somerville in the GBL season-opener.

Sophomore Derek Anemoduris scored 20 points in his varsity debut, but first-year coach Tony Ferullo’s RHS boys basketball team dropped an 80-56 decision to Somerville in the season-opener

30 years ago

December 31, 1986

The RHS boys basketball team defeated No. Quincy, 65-60, behind the 25-point, eight-assist performance of Sal Bottari. Gary Fusco, Revere’s 6’-4” pivotman, added 12 points. The Patriots now are 2-1 on the season.

Patrice Misiano scored 21 points and pulled down 19 rebounds to lead the RHS girls basketball team to a 64-44 rout of Cambridge. In a hard-fought, 57-56 loss in overtime to sixth-ranked No. Quincy, Kim Kelley led Revere with 19 points.

40 years ago

December 22-29, 1976

Steve DiCarlo scored seven goals and added four assists to lead the RHS hockey team to a pair of victories, 10-3 over Haverhill and 9-3 over Somerville. The Patriots now are 4-0 for the season.

Sophomore Vinny Martelli scored 19 points to lead the RHS basketball team to a 58-53 upset over Medford. RHS captain Kinton Talbot scored 11 points and Leo Burke added 10.