Joe Llanos named Globe Player of the Year

Revere High’s outstanding football player, Joe Llanos, who led the Patriots to the most successful season in their history this past fall, was named as the Division 4 Player of the Year by the Boston Globe this past week.

Llanos led the Patriots to their first-ever 10-win season in which they advanced to the D-4 North final, where they fell to eventual state champion Melrose.

Llanos ran for 2,020 rushing yards and scored 30 all-purpose touchdowns, tying a Revere record. On defense he picked off seven opponents’ passes (returning two for touchdowns) and was a strong tackler in the open field from his safety position.

On special teams, he ran back two kickoffs for TDs.

RHS swim team tops Somerville

The Revere High swim team started its season in fine fashion with an 83-56 victory over Somerville last week at the Garfield School pool.

The Patriots dominated the meet, taking first place in every event and second in all but two.

Junior David Del Rio turned in an outstanding performance for the first meet of the season. David qualified for sectionals in the 200 IM and States in the 100 backstroke, winning both races.

Junior Reked Caushaj won his two races, the 200 free and 100 butterfly.

Sophomore Ashton Hoang took first in the 100 free and 100 breast-stroke.

That trio then combined with sophomore Jeffery Martinez to win the 400 free relay and 200 medley relay, just missing sectionals in the latter.

Senior Ahmed Khalid won the 50 free in a personal record time of 24.75.  Sophomore Mohammed Benzerbjeb took first in the long distance 500 free.

Khalid and Benzerbjeb then teamed with junior Lucas Mejia and sophomore Miguel Leonarte to win the 200 free relay.

Junior Isabella Veraldi earned a pair of second place finishes in the 200IM and 100 back.

Coach Chris Hill and his squad are off until after the New Year when they will take on Malden on Jan. 3.

Girls basketball tops Somerville

The Revere High girls basketball team earned its first victory of the season with a 51-42 triumph over Greater Boston League opponent Somerville this past Thursday at the Merullo Fieldhouse.

Chloe Giordano turned in what head coach Matt Willis termed “an all-around great game” at both ends of the floor. Chloe led the Lady Patriots in the scoring department with 10 points, while also pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds and moving the ball effectively on offense.

“But it was a full team effort, with every girl on the roster contributing,” said Willis. “Freshman Elaysia Lung and Junior Isabella Cuartas were strong off the bench, and Lynzie Anderson played an outstanding defensive game.”

Last Monday the Lady Patriots came out on the short end of a 68-39 decision to Everett, the defending GBL champion (the Lady Crimson Tide won the last GBL title before the league disbanded to join with the Northeastern Conference three years ago.)

Revere kept matters close through the first half, but Everett pulled away after the intermission. Skyla DeSimone led Revere with 12 points and Willis praised the play off the bench from Nina Cassinello and Frankie D’Angelis.

Willis and his crew, who now are 1-2 on the season (1-1 in the GBL), were set to meet non-league opponent Newburyport this past Monday and will trek to another non-league opponent, Billerica, on Saturday. They will return home to host Chelsea this coming Monday at 1 p.m.

RHS girls track runs past Everett

The Revere High girls indoor track & field team opened its 2020 season with a 60-25 victory over Everett last Wednesday evening at the Merullo Fieldhouse.

“It was a great start to the season,” said RHS head coach Antonio LaBruna. “We finished first in seven of the nine events and pulled away from them pretty early.”

Luana Barbosa was the top scorer for the Lady Patriots with a team-high eight points. Luana grabbed first place in the high hurdles with a time of 8.43 and took second place in the high jump with a leap of 4’-8”.

Teammate Lorina Tran earned first place in the high jump, crossing the bar at a height of  4’-8” and winning the event thanks to fewer misses.

“Lorina tied a personal record in the high jump,” noted LaBruna. “She is in her second season and has a ton of potential. She’s been working with the hurdle coach and will hopefully be hurdling in a meet soon.”

Other first-place finishers for Revere were: Kathy Umanzor in the 300 dash in 48.7; Astrid Umanzor in the 600 dash in 2:04.3; Kyara Rodriguez in the 1000 in 4:18; Fatima Hartout in the two-mile run in 15:09; Allanah Burke in the mile in 6:43; and the quartet of Nubya Filho, Astrid Umanzor, Kathy Umanzor, and Allanah Burke in the 4 X 400 relay in 5:24.

Adding three points for the Revere side of the scoresheet with second-place performances were: Salome Gezehagn in the two-mile in 17:23; Crystal Valence with a shot-put toss of 26’-4”; Nubya Filho in the 600 dash in 2:05.3; and Yaritza Ganoza in the 1000 in 4:20.

Finishing third for Revere and adding single points were: Vivian Le in the high hurdles in 9.22; Jerelys Canales in both the 50 yard dash in  7.17 and in the high jump with her leap of 4’-4”; Lilian Murcia Calderon in the 1000 in 4:58; and Yulissa Santana in the mile in 7:43.

“Jerelys Canales had a good night for us as well,” said LaBruna. “She joined the track team as a freshman and was probably our fourth-fastest sprinter and fourth or fifth best high jumper. Now as a sophomore she’s become our top girl in the dash and is quickly improving in the high jump. She’s really buying into the sport and works hard.

“We have a fairly young team this season and had nine girls make their varsity debut,” LaBruna added. “The goal is for each of them to improve their performances each and every week.”

Seven members of the team were scheduled to take part in the state-wide Speed Classic this past weekend at the Reggie Lewis Center.

The Lady Patriots’ next dual meet is scheduled for Jan. 6 with Somerville at RHS.

Boys track team cruises past Everett

The Revere High boys indoor track & field team opened its season in winning fashion with a 69-17 victory over Greater Boston League Everett last Wednesday at the Merullo Fieldhouse.

Antony Arias was a double-winner for the Patriots, capturing the 50 yard hurdles in a time of 7.56 and the high jump with a leap of 5’-8”.

The other first place winners for the Patriots, who took the top spot in seven of the one individual events, were:

Joe Llanos in the 50 yard dash in 6.05; Michael Adolphus in the 600 dash in 1:41; Christian Madrid in the 1000 in 3:05.7; Victor Pelatere in the mile in 5:13.4; and Fabio Tran in the two mile in 11:35.5.

Second-place finishers who added three points to the Revere side of the scoresheet were: Rayan Riazi in the 50 hurdles in 7.63; Billy Ginepra in the dash in 6.23; Cam Ventura in the 300 dash in 42.60; Sami El Asri in the 600 dash in 1:41.1; Carlos Quintinalla in the 1000 in 3:12.37; James Carpinelli in the mile in 5:19.3; Jaryd Benson with a shot-put toss of 40’-6.5”; and Lucas Barbosa with a high jump leap of 5’-4”.

Adding single points to the Revere total with third-place performances were: Ricardo Goncalves in the hurdles in 7.65; Mark Marchese in the 300 in 43.30; Brayden Shanley in the two mile in 13:21; Rayan Riazi with a shot-put throw on 39’-5”; and the duo of Llanos and Ventura, who tied for third in the high jump and thus each contributed half of a point, 0.5, to the Revere cause.

“The Everett meet for us went as expected,” said RHS head coach Sam Ros. “We won the events we should have won, plus an extra one or two that we shouldn’t have.”

Ros and his crew, many of whom competed in the Speed Classic this past Saturday, will host Somerville in their next dual meet on Jan. 6 at the Merullo Fieldhouse.

RHS boys basketball hosts Chelsea Monday

The Revere High boys basketball team will host Chelsea this coming Monday evening for what has become a twice-annual Battle of Broadway between the long-time rivals.

Tip-off for the encounter, which always draws an enthusiastic, capacity crowd, is set for 7 p.m. at the Merullo Fieldhouse.

The Patriots opened up their 2020 season this past week, coming up short in contests with Everett and Woburn.

Last Monday night coach David Leary and his crew hosted Greater Boston League rival Everett. The Revere offense sputtered early on, but the Patriots played tough defense, and the score stood at 2-2 mid-way through the first period.

However, the visiting Crimson Tide, who had a distinct height advantage, began to control the boards on both ends and led 15-6 by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter started out the same way and the visitors from Everett pushed their lead to 18 points. Leary was forced to use a timeout and calm down his less-experienced squad.

“I thought our guys came out super-jumpy, so we just needed to relax and play,” Leary said.

The Patriots responded with a 6-0 run of their own, led by two baskets by senior tri-captain Scott Toglan (nine points, nine rebounds for the night). The teams then played evenly throughout the remainder of the half, with Everett taking a 31-18 lead into the intermission.

Revere made some adjustments in the locker room and found their groove in the third quarter. Senior tri captain Amara Bockarie (seven points, four assists) nailed a three-pointer and a fast break basket.

Junior guard Crisrael Lithgow (17 points, five rebounds, two steals, and 9-for-10 from the free throw line) knocked down some free throws and sophomore forward John Capozzi (12 points, nine rebounds) gave the Patriots a spark off the bench, draining a pair of treys that sliced Everett’s lead to 41-36 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

However, the Crimson Tide closed out the quarter with offensive rebounds and second-chance points to extend their advantage to 50-39 at the third buzzer.

Revere once again managed to cut into the lead early in fourth quarter after a pair of three-pointers by Lithgow and two tough baskets around the hoop by senior tri captain Robert Raduazzo and junior forward Calvin Boudreau.

The Patriots trailed 56-49 with 5:30 remaining in the game, but that would prove to be as close as Revere would get. Everett guard Jean Monexant (26 points) caught fire, scoring 15 points in the final frame, to boost Everett to a 72-53 victory.

Despite the loss, Leary was optimistic about his team’s performance.

“That game was there for the taking,” said Leary. “If we just take better care of the basketball and be more patient on offense, we will be fine. The boys showed no quit and played extremely hard. We just need to build on this experience.”

This past Sunday afternoon the Patriots faced the Tanners from Woburn High School as part of the GBL/Middlesex Shootout at UMass Boston.

The game seemed promising early on as both teams exchanged early baskets and were tied up 7-7. Bockarie and Raduazzo each scored a basket and Lithgow sank a three-pointer for the Patriots.

Woburn began to take control from that point and Revere just could not get anything to go right. The Tanners ended the first quarter on a 17-0 run on some sharp shooting from the three-point line and led, 24-7.

The second quarter was not any different. as the frustration for Revere continued on both ends of the floor.

“We just did not execute our game plan at all in the first half on offense or defense,” noted Leary. “Give Woburn credit. They took it at us from the jump. We dug a huge hole.”

Woburn led 39-14 at halftime, but the third quarter started much better for Revere. Toglan made a pair of mid-range jump shots and junior forward Dillan Day (10 points) started getting himself to the basket and the free throw line.

The Patriots defense was much improved, holding the Tanners to just eight points in the frame. However, Revere still trailed, 47-26, as the teams entered the final eight minutes of play.

The Patriots continued to play tough on the defensive end with senior guard Michael Hayes pressuring the ball along with junior forward Calvin Boudreau (five points, nine rebounds). Senior forward Bobby Kjersgard nailed two three-pointers back-to-back and senior guard Rashawn Peete (four points, four rebounds) made a nice drive to the basket.

However, the Patriots’ comeback bid came up short and Woburn would claim the win, 59-44. “We told our guys we cannot just show up and think things are going to just happen, we have to make it happen,” said Leary. “We just did not compete hard enough in the first half and fell way behind. It is a learning experience for us and we know we have a lot more work to do.”

The Patriots travel to Wakefield High School Friday at 5 p.m. before taking on Chelsea on Monday.

RHS hockey team looks to get back on the beam in tourney

The Revere High hockey team will compete in the First Responders Tournament to be held in Cambridge this Thursday and Friday. Coach Joe Ciccarello and his squad will face Methuen in the preliminary round on Thursday and then meet either Cambridge or Somerville in either the championship or consolation game on Friday.

The Patriots will be looking to get back on the winning track after dropping their three contests this past week. A slow start in all three of the matches proved fatal.

Last Wednesday against Greater Boston League rival Somerville at Cronin Rink, Revere spotted the visiting Highlanders a 3-0 lead in the opening period.

Although the Patriots rebounded with a trio of lamplighters — off the sticks of Gerry Visconti, James Marini, and Kevin Ivan — in the middle period to knot matters at 3-3, they were unable to sustain their momentum in the final 15 minutes.

A costly penalty gave Somerville a power play that allowed the Highlanders to move ahead, 4-3, and Somerville added an empty-netter in the final minute of the game to put the game on ice.

Revere trekked to Bourne for the annual Canalmen Classic Tournament this weekend and both encounters proved to be a reprise of the Somerville contest.

The Patriots took on the host team on Friday evening and fell behind early in the opening period, 2-0. Bourne added an extra insurance marker in the third period for the 3-0 finale.

In the consolation contest against Westfield on Saturday, Revere once again yielded a pair of early lamplighters in the opening period.

Alexio Trichilio got one back for Revere in the middle stanza to slice the margin to 2-1, but a pair of late goals by Westfield in the third period sealed the deal.

“We have a lot of new guys and we’re still working to get on the same page at the start of each game,” said Ciccarello, referring to the influx of newcomers to the team from Matignon High, which this year is joining with Revere and Malden to form a new co-op team.

A bright spot for the Patriots in the tourney was the selection of senior captain and defenseman Eric Platcow to the All-Tournament team.

“Eric played very well for us, despite a bruised hip,” said Ciccarello. “He’s a tough kid and he really came through for us.”

After this week’s tournament games, the Patriots are off until after the New Year, with their next contest set for January 4 against Northeast Regional