Sports 09-26-2018

RhS sports Roundup

RHS football team knocks off

Classical in dramatic OT victory

When Lynn Classical took the field at Harry Della Russo Stadium Friday evening, the Rams were riding high with a 2-0 record. They had demolished their two previous opponents, Medford and Malden, by lopsided margins (52-8 and 41-8 respectively) and were ranked 13th in the polls in Eastern Mass.

Revere, on the other hand, had dropped both of its season-opening contests to Gloucester and Marblehead.

However, by the end of a long night that stretched into overtime, the Patriots emerged triumphant, 19-16, in one of the gutsiest and most dramatic victories for an RHS football team in many years.

The visiting Classical squad appeared destined to make the Patriots their third victim in a row when the Rams drove 60 yards, capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass, to move out to an early 8-0 lead after the two-point conversion.

However, it soon would become apparent that the Rams were not going to enjoy a third straight cakewalk. Fleet Revere tailback Lucas Barbosa took a handoff from quarterback Jonathan Murphy on a jet sweep and scampered 84 yards to paydirt.

Although the Patriots fell short on their two-point attempt, a staunch Revere defense forced Classical to punt on the Rams’ ensuing possession. With Murphy at the helm, the Patriots proceeded on a long drive, keyed by a nice pass from Murphy to Eric Bua on a third-and-eight for a first down. The drive was capped by a short TD run by Murphy — followed by what would prove an invaluable extra point by sophomore place-kicker Rayan Riazi  — for a 13-8 Revere lead at the half.

The third period became a war of attrition, with Classical winning the battle of field position with each ensuing turn-of-possession. At the start of the fourth period, the Rams not only scored a touchdown, but also sacked Murphy in the end zone for a safety, resulting in a 16-13 advantage, with 5:00 to play.

Classical got the ball back after the Revere free kick, but the Patriot defense held firm, forcing a Ram punt and giving the Patriot offense one last shot with about three minutes to go, albeit from deep in its own territory.

Revere took full advantage of the opportunity, with nice runs by Barbosa, Darius McNeil, and Zach Furlong moving the chains. The big play however, was a 30 yard pass from Murphy to Bua that brought the ball to the Classical 25.

When the Patriot drive stalled at the Classical 18, RHS head coach Lou Cicatelli turned to his kicker, Riazi, for the tying field goal. Rayan rewarded his coach’s faith in him and calmly booted the 35 yard field goal through the uprights to bring the score back to dead-even at 16-16 with less than a minute to play.

The teams went into overtime and Revere got first crack, starting at the Classical 20. Although the Patriots were unable to make a first down, Cicatelli once again sent in Riazi for the field goal attempt, this time from the Classical 12.

With Murphy adroitly handling a high snap, Rayan drilled the pigskin through the uprights for a 19-16 Revere lead.

Classical then took its turn with the ball and appeared poised to win the game when the Rams moved to the Patriot two-yard line. However, Revere senior captain Frank Sims then made the defensive play of the game when he burst through the line and dropped the Classical ballcarrier for a five-yard loss on second down.

The Rams’ tried a pass on third down, but it failed, resulting in their own attempt for a tying field goal. However, the kick fizzled, falling far short, and the Patriots and their jubilant fans — who filled HDR almost to capacity on a beautiful night for Friday Night Lights football — exulted in their big win.

“That was a total team effort,” said Cicatelli. “We were missing four starters because of injuries, but our younger players stepped up in a big way.”

Murphy was a perfect 4-for-4 in the passing game, in addition his rushing TD, and also intercepted a Classical pass on the Revere one yard line with an acrobatic catch. “Jonathan did a great job at quarterback for us, especially considering that we had terrible field position almost the entire game,” said Cicatelli.

The veteran RHS coach was especially proud of the play of his defensive unit, citing a host of Patriots, including Sims, sophomore defensive end Mazer Ali, Robert Alba, Zack Carifeo, and Joe Allano, among others, for their superb efforts.

“Our offense was spotty, though we made some key plays when we had to, but our defense was solid all night,” said Cicatelli.

The Patriots now will travel to Peabody this Friday evening for an encounter with a much-improved Tanner squad. Although Peabody stands at 1-2, the Tanners’ two losses came to Danvers and Marblehead, two of the best teams in the Northeastern Conference.

“This will be a tough challenge for us, especially on the road,” said Cicatelli. “We know we will have to be at our best if we hope to come home with a win.”

 

RHS girls split

with Everett, Danvers

 

The Revere High girls cross country team split its tri-meet with Everett and Danvers last Monday on the Belle Isle course, defeating Everett, but falling to Danvers.

Leading the way for the Lady Patriots was junior Erika Cheever, who finished in fourth place overall. Senior Leila Cesic placed fifth overall, followed by senior Olivia Novoselsky (13th overall), sophomore Soleil Yuong (14th overall), and sophomore Yulissa Santana Baez (15th overall).

“This was a tough day for the team, with many runners not feeling 100%,” said RHS head coach Katie Sinnott. “I feel that if we were in our top shape, our race with Danvers would have been closer.  We will have another chance to face them at the League Meet and I anticipate a closer competition.”

Overall Results

Revere = 15, Everett = 50

Danvers = 21, Revere = 40

Individual Results

Erika Cheever – 4th overall, 21:27

Leila Cesic – 5th overall, 21:52

Olivia Novoselsky – 13th overall, 25:13

Soleil Yuong – 14th overall, 25:52

Yulissa Santana Baez – 15th overall, 28:08

Skyla McNamara – 16th overall, 33:45

Gabriela Mogavero – 17th overall, 34:32

Maajda Louaddi – 18th overall, 34:33

Salma Hazimeh – 19th overall, 35:00

Nawal Khan – 20th overall, 35:02

Dianne Mancio – 21st overall, 35:03

Belma Mujic – 22nd overall, 43:17

Three days later Sinnott and her crew trekked to Peabody to take on a very strong Peabody team on the Lady Tanners’ new course.

“The course was quite challenging, though scenic,” noted Sinnott. “With three meets in a span of just seven days, the team definitely was feeling the effects of these strong efforts.

“I am proud of all the girls, despite the loss,” Sinnott added. “They continue to work hard and not give up, the sign of true athletes.   The team is looking forward to a more typical weekly workout schedule that will lead them to greater improvements.”

Overall Results –

Revere = 50, Peabody = 15

Individual Results

Erika Cheever – 7th overall, 24:49

Leila Cesic – 9th overall, 25:41

Soleil Yuong – 11th overall, 26:53

Carly Bennett – 13th overall, 28:49

Gabrielle O’Brien – 14th overall, 31:10

Yulissa Santana Baez – 15th overall, 31:10

Skyla McNamara – 16th overall, 31:11

Salome Gezehagn – 17th overall, 35:35

Gabriela Mogavero – 18th overall, 38:32

Maajda Louaddi – 19th overall, 38:32

Belma Mujic also competed, but got lost on the course and thus did not receive an official time.

The Lady Patriots are scheduled to host Malden today (Wednesday) and travel to Lynn English next Thursday.

 

RHS field hockey team wins three in a row

 

The Revere High field hockey team won three games in a row in impressive fashion in the past week.

On Monday evening, September 10, the Lady Patriots played in monsoon-like conditions, overcoming both the pelting rain and a visiting Everett squad, to post a 5-0 victory.

“The rain would not let up or give our team a break,” said RHS head coach Briana Scata. “The girls were warriors that night and fought the whole game, resulting in a well-deserved 5-0 win. Our goalie, Chloe Giordano, was a brick wall that night, stopping every shot that came her way. She had a phenomenal game.

“Our forwards also had an amazing night,” continued Scata. “We had three athletes, Jessica Vo, Joselin Bonilla, and Katie O’Donnell, score their first varsity goals.”

The triumph over Peabody three days later on September 13 was a battle from the start to finish.

“The girls did their job to add another ‘W’ to our scorebook,” said Scata. “With the help of her relentless defenders, Chloe Giordano had another shut out in the goal.”

On offense, Joli Giuliano created two breakaway opportunities for herself and on both of those opportunities, Joli put the ball in the net to win the game, 2-0.

The third victory in the skein came at Haverhill on Saturday, September 15, and was what Scata termed a “feel good” game.

“I can confidently say as a coach that every player had fun on that field,” Scata said. “We were calm and in control throughout the entire game, which is a huge gain for our team. We continued to almost effortlessly score all game long. We sought out the opportunities and used them to our advantage.”

Jenna Wells led the Lady Patriot offensive outburst with three goals. Vo hit the back of the box for two goals and single tallies were recorded by Giuliano and O’Donnell.

“Revere is a true underdog team, but we are battling to make our names known this season,” said Scata. “Winning three games in a row is a huge improvement for Revere field hockey. So far we have won three games this season and we intend to break our record of five wins from last season (which broke a 20-year record). We also have scored 14 goals this season, already surpassing through six games our entire output of 13 goals all of last season.

“We have a long season ahead of us and this is just the beginning, but we are fighting and I cannot wait to see where this season takes our team,”  Scata added. “I think it is safe to say our new team motto suits us perfectly, ‘We’re just getting started’.”

Scata and her crew were set to play at Danvers yesterday (Tuesday) and will host Gloucester tomorrow (Thursday). They will play at Saugus Monday and host Swampscott next Wednesday.

 

RHS girls soccer defeats English

 

The Revere High girls soccer team earned its first win of the season this past Thursday, defeating Lynn English. Freshman Carolina Bettero scored her first career hat trick and freshman Madeline Yanes scored her first career goal to pace the Lady Patriots to the victory.

“We have a solid team this year and have been improving every game,” said coach Megan O’Donnell, whose squad has played well in its other contests.

In the season-opener against Winthrop, the score was deadlocked through the first 60 minutes until Winthrop got on the board.

Revere responded to bring matters back to level when Lady Patriot Doaa Halty took advantage of a penalty kick to notch Revere’s first goal of the 2018 season.

Winthrop scored the next two goals, but freshman Bettero set up junior Luana Barbosa with a nice cross that Luanna converted for her first high school goal to make it a 3-2 affair. However, the Lady Patriots were unable to attain the equalizer before the ref sound his final whistles.

The Lady Patriots dominated their next game with Gloucester, but could not find the back of the net, dropping a 1-0 decision in heartbreaking fashion when the Lady Fishermen took advantage of an opportunity with about one minute to play.

“We had solid defense from Allison Guevara, Ghizlane Guisser, and Angie Guevara and stellar performances by our keeper, Camila Perez, who has been solid in goal for us all season, and senior Ana Ferro,” noted O’Donnell.

In a 3-1 loss to Lynn Classical last Tuesday evening, the contest was deadlocked at 0-0 midway through the second half when Classical broke the ice to take a 1-0 advantage.

The Lady Patriots responded when Halty, assisted by Jackie Zapata and Barbosa, reached the back of the Lady Ram net to even the count at 1-1, but Classical scored two more late in the game to claim the victory.

O’Donnell and her crew are off this week, but will host Everett next Tuesday (October 2) and will travel to Malden next Thursday (October 4).

 

Boys cross country team tops Everett

 

The Revere High boys cross country team defeated Everett, 18-41, in a tri-meet last Monday that was held at the Belle Isle course. The Patriots came up short with the third team in the meet, Danvers, by a score of 16-45.

Sophomore Wil Martinez paced the Patriots, coming across the line in fifth place overall in a time of 18:11. Senior captain Scott Montefusco turned in one of the best performances of his career, grabbing seventh place overall in a clocking of 18:30.

Freshman Victor Pelatere finished in 10th place overall in 18:55. Senior captain Jonathan Nushi, 11th place overall in 18:59, and Fabio Tran, 12th place overall in 19:01, completed the Revere scoring.

A number of other Patriots also ran strong races: Christian Madrid came across in 13th place overall in 19:03, followed by Ronald Pineda (20:17), Antony Arias (20:42), Marco Cerbone (22:05), Hassan Gliel (22:11), Stephen Leone (22:12), Samuel Gonzalez (23:00), and Jose Arias (28:36).

Last Thursday the Patriots trekked to Peabody to take on the powerful Tanners, always one of the top schools on the North Shore, on their new, 5K (3.1 miles) course.

Although Revere came up on the short end of a 15-50, decision, RHS head coach Mike Flynn was pleased with his team’s effort. “Despite the outcome, the team ran well,” said Flynn.

Revere’s effort was hindered when the Patriots’ top runner, Cristian Acuna, rolled his ankle on the course. The first five finishers for Revere were Martinez in 20:22, Madrid in 21:04, Nushi in 21:21, Montefusco in 21:43, and Tran in 22:18.

Flynn and his crew take on Malden today (Wednesday) at the Belle Isle course and will travel to Lynn English next Thursday.