Two More Wins for RHS Boys Track; GBL Title on the Line This Week
The Revere Hgh boys outdoor track and field team moved two steps closer to completing an undefeated dual-meet season and clinching an undisputed Greater Boston League (GBL) title with a pair of runaway victories over GBL rivals Lynn English and Medford in the past two weeks.
In Thursday’s 108-28 triumph at Medford, the Patriots captured first place in all but two events, the 100 meter dash and javelin. There was no discus event because of an unsuitable throwing area at the Medford track facility.
Ricardo Goncalves was a double-winner for coach Sam Ros’s squad, finishing first in the 110 meter hurdles in a time of 15.9 seconds and the triple-jump with a final landing of 36′-11″. Ricardo also captured third place in the 400 meter hurdles with a clocking of 70.2 to finish with 11 points on the day.
Ramadan Barry scored 10 points with two victories, the high jump with a leap of 5′-6″ and the long jump with a flight of 19′-1″.
JV Cunha turned in a grueling double-triumph, running to first place in the 800 meter event in 2:09.4 and outdistancing the field in the mile with a time of 5:05.
Keny Guerrero took first in the 400 dash with a clocking of 53.2 and sprinted to second place in the 100 dash in 11.7.
Tom Desir finished first in the 400 hurdles in 65.3 and took second in the high jump with a leap of 5′-6″.
Additional first-place finishers for the Patriots were: Mark Marchese, who dashed to victory in the 200 in 23.4; Kenan Batic, who outran the field in the two mile in 11:30.5 (which was almost a full minute faster than his closest Medford rival); and Moe Hussein in the shot-put with a throw of 37′-1″.
Adding three points to the Revere total with second-place performances were: Mario Ramirez in the long jump (18′-1″); Ahmed Bellemsieh in the triple jump (35′-5″); Anwar Maroouh in the shot-put (33′-6.5″); Isaiah Decrosta in the 400 hurdles (65.8) and the 110 hurdles (18.2); Latrell Ashby in the 200 dash (23.6); Mohamed Ouakani in the mile (5:14); and Sami Elasri in the 800 in 2:12.2.
Contributing single points to the Revere cause with third-place efforts were: Javan Close in the high jump (5′-4″) and the javelin (90′-10″); Sami Elasri in the triple jump (35′-2″); Allen Hou in the 100 dash (11.8); and Ahmed Bellemsieh in the 400 dash (58.1).
In the 89-42 victory two weeks ago over English at Harry Della Russo Stadium, Revere captured first-place in nine of the 14 individual events. The first-place finishers for the Patriots were: Marchese in the long jump (16′-11″); Bellemsieh in the triple jump (31′-8″; Close in the 400 hurdles (63.9); Decrosta in the 110 hurdles (20.6); Guerrero in the 200 dash (24.2); Cunha in the 400 dash (53.8); Zaraius Bilimoria in the 800 (2:38.2); Elasri in the mile (5:14); and Batic in the two-mle (11:16.6).
Second-place finishers for Revere were: Felipe Maia in the long jump; Zakaria Benkirane in the triple jump; Anwar Marooh in the discus; Hou in the 100 dash; and Cunha in the 800.
Third-place finishers for the Pats were: Close in the long jump; Desir in the high jump and 400 dash; Eric Sekenski in the triple jump; Hussein in the shot-put; Walter Rodriguez in the discus; Carlos Rizo in the javelin; DeCrosta in the 400 hurdles; Close in the 110 hurdles; Ashby in the 100 dash; Marchese in the 200 dash; Bellemsieh in the 400 dash; Ouakani in the mile; and Besmir Collaku in the two-mile.
Head coach Sam Ros and his crew, who now stand at 5-0, will seek to complete an undefeated dual-meet season and capture an undisputed GBL crown when they engage in a tri-meet tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon against Chelsea and Malden at Chelsea Stadium.
Cunha Wins the 800 at State Fr.-Soph. Meet
Revere High freshman JV Cunha brought home a championship medal for his performance at the MSTCA Freshman/Sophomore Meet that was held this past weekend at Plymouth South High School.
“Based on the indoor season, JV is one of the top runners in the 800 at those grade levels,” said RHS head coach Sam Ros. “Going into the meet he was actually the top seed. The day was not conducive for fast times, as the weather was in the 40s with strong winds.
“Our strategy was to not concern ourselves with time, but rather on going for the win,” Ros continued. “I spoke to JV about how, based on the nature of the event, that there would only be a chance to make one strong move.
Ros instructed Cunha, “to let the race go out fast, which it always does and did happen. After the first 400 meters, JV was sitting a few steps behind the leader from Lexington. He closed the gap to be right behind him later on the back stretch. As soon as the last 100 meters hit, JV made a huge surge all the way to the finish. The Lexington runner was unable to respond and finished second to JV by two seconds.”
RHS Boys Shine at State Relays; Set RHS Record
A contingent from the Revere High boys track team who competed at the State Relay Meet that was held recently at Braintree turned in some outstanding performances.
The 4 x 110 hurdle quartet of Ricardo Goncalves, Javan Close, Ramadan Barry, and Isaiah Decrosta medaled in fourth place overall and set the RHS school record in the event.
“We led off the race with Ricardo, who was smooth through the first half of his leg, then disaster struck and he hit the last few hurdles and fell. Fortunately, he stayed in his lane and didn’t get DQ’ed,” said RHS head coach Sam Ros.
“Javan and Ramadan hit a couple hurdles during their legs as well,” Ros continued. “The surprise and savior of the race came from Isaiah, who is a freshman. Isaiah had the best hurdle race of his short career. He ran a near perfect and fast race to recover it for us. If Ricardo had not fallen, I estimated us to finish as high as second place.”
The Sprint Medley foursome of Mark Marchese (200m), Ricardo Goncalves, (200m), Keny Guerrero (400m), and JV Cunha (800m) were trying to qualify for the Nike Outdoor Nationals in that event.
“The time needed to qualify is 3:42.0,” said Ros. “I knew we definitely had a shot going into this meet. At the time, I thought this would be the only opportunity for us to qualify. Both Mark and Ricardo split their 200’s a half second slower than we wanted, but Keny made up for it by running a personal record (PR) in the 400 leg by a second.
“Going into the anchor leg with JV, we were right on pace,” Ros continued. “JV needed to run a two-minute 800 for us to qualify. The first 300 he ran the perfect start and was sitting in second place in his heat. Unfortunately, he got a little too antsy and made a move for the lead before the first 400 meters were over.
“I would have preferred that he waited until the last 250-300 meters of the race,” Ros added. “He got overtaken with less than 230 meters to go and didn’t quite have the finish to a race as he normally would. After he finished, he split 2:01.7 and our official time was 3:43.03. We missed Nationals by a touch over one second.
“The team did finish sixth overall and got a medal for their efforts,” Ros noted. “Later in the evening, as I was checking the invitational meet schedule, I noticed that we have a second chance at qualifying this Saturday at the State Coaches Invite at BC High. Look for us to go for it again then.”
RHS Girls Track Remains Undefeated
The Revere High girls outdoor track and field team posted another win this past Thursday at Medford, stampeding past the Lady Mustangs by a score of 87-31.
Senior captain Carolina Bettero had another huge meet, scoring 18 points. Carolina took first place in the triple jump with a final landing of 30′-9″; the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 76.6, which was a season personal record (PR) for Carolina; and the 100 meter hurdles with a clocking of 18.1. Bettero also scored three points with a second-place finish in the long jump with a flight of 15′-3″.
Junior Kyra Delaney also contributed mightily to the Revere cause with two first-place performances, both of which were in PR times that were less than a second off the current school records. Kyra sprinted to victory in both the 100 meter dash in 13.4 and the 200 meter dash in 27.7.
Senior Gianna Mahoney was back from injury and secured eight points for Revere. Gianna continued to excel in the javelin, taking the top spot with a left-handed throw of 69’5.5″. Mahoney also grabbed second place in the shot-put with a toss of 22′-4″.
Liv Yuong took home a first place in the high jump with a leap of 4′-8″ and a second place medal in the 100 meter hurdles in 18.6.
Sophomore Ashley Rodriguez contributed two second-place finishes for the team in the 400 meter hurdles (80.3) and the 200 dash (28.2).
Sophomore Janaya Ruperto took second place in the 400 dash with a season PR of 65.1, which is less than two seconds away from the school record. Janaya also took third in the 100 dash (14.1).
Natalia Lopez was another first-place finisher for the Lady Patriots, winning the shot-put with a throw of 22′-11″.
Second-place finishers included: Joelyn Lazo in the javelin (48’3.5”), Alannah Burke in the 800 (2:38.1), Rocio Gonzalez in the mile (6:57.2), senior captain Fatima Hartout in the two mile (15:24), and senior captain Jerelys Canales in the 200m (13.9).
Third-place finishers included: Sandra Torres in the shot-put (17’1”), Hiba El Bzyouy in the 400 hurdles (90.4), Yara Belguendouz in the 100 hurdles (19.4), and Sam Solais in the mile (7:07.9).
Coach Racquel MacDonald’s Lady Patriots now stand at 5-0 on the season and will be looking to clinch an undisputed Greater Boston League championship when they make the short bus ride down Broadway tomorrow (Thursday) for a tri-meet at Chelsea Stadium with GBL rivals Chelsea and Malden.
“The girls have been working so hard to remain undefeated,” said MacDonald. “It’s been amazing to see everyone’s willingness to compete in multiple events in each meet to keep our scores high. They are all working so well together and their improving times, jumps, and throws just continue to prove their dedication each week.”
Twins Wins for RHS Girls Lacrosse
The Revere High girls lacrosse team enjoyed a successful week with a pair of victories over Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Medford by a score of 5-4 and Malden by a score of 14-1.
The win over Malden was a nail-biter in which the Lady Patriots held onto their one goal lead, 5-4, for the final 12 minutes.
“We scored with about 12 minutes left in the game,” said RHS head coach Amy Rotger. “We were able to hold the ball a majority of the end of the game which helped us get the victory.”
Revere was led offensively in both victories by Skyla Desimone, Lynberlee Leng, Mariah Rogers, Zoey LeGrand, and Angela Hyunh.
Rotger and her crew are scheduled to host Cambridge tomorrow (Thursday). They will travel to non-league foe Melrose on Monday and return home to face Malden on Tuesday.
RHS Boys Lacrosse to Host Hull Friday at 5:00
The Revere High boys lacrosse team will host Hull this Friday evening on the turf at Harry Della Russo Stadium at a special starting time of 5:00.
Coach Zach McDannell’s Patriots played only one game this past week in which they came up short against Boston Latin.
Among the highlights for the Patriots were the 10 saves in net made by goaltender Vinny Snyder and the play of defenseman Adam Aguaouz, who caused five enemy turnovers.
McDannell and his crew will host Matignon on Monday and Lynn on Wednesday.
Two Big Victories for RHS Boys Volleyball
The Revere High boys volleyball team earned a pair of big victories this past week, defeating non-league opponents Essex Tech last Monday and Arlington last Wednesday by identical scores of 3-1.
RHS head coach Lianne Mimmo had high praise for her whole team and singled out a few players who have been key contributors.
“Christyan Berger has consistently been averaging 20 assists per game. He is a junior captain and growing as a leader on and off the court,” said Mimmo.
“Altin Haziri has been great at the middle hitter position, scoring points with kills, blocks, and serving aces. Altin is the driving force of many of our offensive runs,” Mimmo continued.
“Ruben Rodrigues has been consistently good at the right side position, in serve/receive, and in all aspects of the game. He is also a great communicator and brings up the energy and spirit on the court,” Mimmo added.
The twin wins brought Mimmo’s squad, who now stand at a sterling 9-4 on the season, within one victory of qualifying for the post-season state toumey.
“This would be a huge accomplishment, because we are only a second-year program and only three boys have played on a team before,” Mimmo noted.
The Patriots are scheduled to play at Madison Park today (Wednesday). They will host Malden tomorrow (Thursday) and make the bus ride to Essex Tech in Danvers on Monday for a return match with the Hawks.
RHS Softball Team Defeats Northeast
The Revere High softball team earned an 18-12 win over non-league opponent Northeast Regional last Thursday.
Leading the way for the Lady Patriots was sophomore pitcher Isabella Qualtieri, who helped her own cause by blasting a solo home run in the opening inning.
Lea Doucette had a big day at the plate. Lea went 5-for-5 with three RBI. Junior Emma Cassinello was 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Riley Straccia, Astrid Noriega, Lilian Calderon, and Luiza Santos played solid defense in the field.
Last Monday the Lady Patriots came up on the short end of an 18-13 decision to Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Lynn English in a back-and-forth battle.
Doucette once again was a force with her bat with a perfect 5-for-5 day. Luiza Santos and Astrid Noreiga both went 2-for-4.
“We had some solid defense from Ally Straccia, Riley Straccia, and Brianna Miranda, all making big plays when it counted,” said RHS head coach Megan O’Donnell. “Isabella Qualtieri has been strong on the mound for us all season and Lilian Calderon and Arianna Keohane have been strong behind the plate for us.”
Although Revere dropped an 18-1 decision to GBL foe Medford two days later, there were some highlights for the Lady Patriots.
“We had some great fielding plays by freshman newcomer Kelren Diaz, who played second base and left field, ” said O’Donnell. “Ally Straccia, Bella Stamatopoulos, and Lilian Calderon also all came up big with some tough plays in the field.”
Revere’s lone run came across on an RBI triple by Qualtieri, who drove in Straccia, who had reached on a sacrifice bunt.
“Our bench has been the best supporting cast this season by keeping the girls focused and positive all season,” O’Donnell added.
The Lady Patriots, who are heading into the last two weeks of the season, were scheduled to take on Chelsea this past Monday and Northeast Regional yesterday (Tuesday).
They will entertain GBL rivals Malden today (Wednesday) and Everett on Friday at 6:00.
They will host non-league opponent O’Bryant High next Monday and Somerville next Wednesday.
RHS Boys Tennis Team Drops Hard-Fought Match
Although the Revere High boys tennis team came up on the short end of a 5-0 decision to Medford last week, a number of the Patriots played well against their Mustang counterparts.
Ashton Hoang, playing at first singles, battled through three long sets, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, before falling in an epic third set.
“Ashtoin had a great, competitive match that lasted over two hours,” said RHS head coach Mike Flynn.
“Matthew Chianca played well against a good player and lost, 6-1, 6-0, at second singles,” added Flynn, “and Rayan Sarhrani had an opportunity to play third singles and lost to a good player, 6-0, 6-0.”
In the doubles matches, the first doubles duo of Kenny Le and Alex Waxer fell by a score of 6-1, 6-3 in which they played a strong second set.
At second doubles, the tandem of Walid Ichcho and Moises Alfaro fell by a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Flynn and his crew were scheduled to play at Medford today (Wednesday) and will host Malden at the Gibson Park courts tomorrow (Thursday).
Strong Efforts for RHS Girls Tennis
Although the Revere High girls tennis team came up on the short end of its matches this past week, a number of the Lady Patriots turned in strong performances.
In a 3-2 loss to Medford last Tuesday, junior Nandy Vilson defeated her Lady Mustang counterpart at third singles in a closely-fought match, 7-6, 6-4.
The first doubles duo of juniors Tenzin Chime and Christy Ly triumphed in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.
In a very close match at second singles, senior Sofia Lee Li came up short in a tight three-setter, 6-7, 6-1, 4-6.
“The whole team played really well,” said RHS head coach Carla Maniscalco.
In a 4-1 loss to Somerville this past Friday, Sofia Lee Li played first singles and won in a hard-fought two sets, 6-4, 7-6.
Nandy Vilson had a close match at second singles and lost, 6-7, 3-6.
“Kathy Trinh lost 1-6, 3-6, at third singles, but played well,” noted Maniscalco. “First doubles also had a very close match. Christy Ly and Tenzin Chime lost in three sets, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6.”
At second doubles, the duo of sophomore Lesly Calderon and freshman Ivana Nguyen came up short in their match, 1-6, 2-6.
Maniscalco and her crew were set to play at Lynn Classical yesterday (Tuesday) to complete a match that was stopped because of the rain. The Lady Patriots were leading in three of the five matches when the raindrops fell. They will host Medford at Gibson Park next Monday.
