RHS Sports Roundup

RHS Boys Track Wins GBL Meet in Final Event

For the second year in a row, the Revere High boys indoor track and field team captured the Greater Boston League Championship Meet in dramatic fashion by the slimmest of margins, defeating their nearest rival, Somerville, by just two points, 89-87, thanks to a victory in the final event of the meet, the 4 x 400.

However, the final outcome hinged on many of the other events that preceded the 4 x 400.

Arguably, it could be said that Revere’s victory was decided by .01 of a second. That was the margin by which Patriot Davi Barretto defeated a Somerville opponent for third place in the 55 meter dash. Davi’s sprint of 6.88 seconds (which qualified him for the D-1 State Meet) earned six points for the Revere side of the scoresheet, leaving the Somerville runner taking just four points with his fourth-place clocking of 6.89.

Had their positions been flipped, Somerville would have won the meet — a narrow, but decisive, margin that occurred in some of the other events throughout the evening (see below) and that proved crucial to the Patriots’ winning tally.

In addition to the team championship, three Patriots were crowned individual GBL champs.

JV Cunha won the 600 meter dash with a clocking of 1:25.06, which was more than three seconds faster than the second-place runner.

“JV ran a confident race,” said RHS head coach David Fleming. “He’s so strong at this point in the season. He ran 1:25 for the 600 meters and made it look easy. I can’t wait to watch him run in the divisional championships.”

Sophomore Isaiah DeCrosta put the finishing touch on his perfect season with a first-place performance in the 55 meter hurdles in 8.19. Isaiah also had the fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries with a clocking of 8.28. DeCrosta’s winning time qualified him for the Division 1 championship meet.

“Isaiah is so smooth over the hurdles,” Fleming said. “He looks like a senior. The coaching credit goes to our girls coach, Racqel MacDonald, who is the coach for this year’s boys and girls (Liv Yuong) GBL-champion hurdlers.”

Richard Vilme was the Patriots’ third individual GBL titlist, winning the high jump with a leap of 5′-10″.

“This is Richard’s first year competing in track, and now he’s a GBL champion,” noted Fleming. “I think he sometimes surprises himself with what he can do. He’s really fun to watch.”

However, it was their teammate, senior captain Sami El-Asri, who was the Patriots’ top individual scorer for the meet. Sami added 19.5 points to the Revere scoresheet with a pair of second-place finishes in his individual events and then running in two of the relays, including the meet-clinching 4 x 400.

Sami took second in both the 300 meter dash in 36.65 (which was just .81 behind the winning time) and in the long jump (an event that is not part of the dual-meet season) with a flight of 19′-7.5″.

“As he’s been all year, Sami was a beast in this meet,” said Fleming. “He ran a 36.65 in the 300 meters and jumped almost 20 feet. During indoor, we don’t have a place to practice the long jump, so that effort came directly from Sami’s competitiveness and pure athleticism. He’s a natural leader.”

Kenan Batic scored six points for the Patriots with a third-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:58.53, which was less than five seconds behind the first-place runner.

“We knew the top two Somerville distance runners were running both the 1 mile and the 2 mile,” said Fleming. “Kenan’s job was to run as hard as he could, make them work, and try to tire them out. Kenan went out fast, led most of the race, and finished strong in 4:58.”

Versatile Javan Close scored 6.5 points with his third-place finish in the 55 meter hurdles in 8.54 and also added a 1/2 point with a tie for sixth place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-4″.

Teammate Giancarlo Miro, who also cleared the bar at 5′-4″, provided the other 1/2 point for Revere.

The sixth-place performances of Javan and Giancarlo proved essential to the ultimate Revere victory, because they outleaped a Somerville foe, who had to settle for an eighth-place finish that was out-of-the-money.

Similarly, Kevin Purciful added a crucial point with his sixth-place performance in the shot-put with a throw of 34′-7.5″. The significance of Kevin’s contribution is that he edged a Somerville opponent for sixth. If Purciful had not done so and the Somerville boy had taken the point, Revere and Somerville would have tied for the championship with 88 points apiece.

Sophomore Youness Chahid made a major contribution, scoring four points with his fourth-place finish in the highly-competitive two-mile run in which the top four runners were separated by just 2.06 seconds, as Youness’s time of 11:45.79 was just 2.06 off the winning time of 11:43.73.

Teammate Ahmed Bellemsieh added a point with a sixth-place clocking of 1:34.64 in the 600.

Patriot junior captain Allen Hou just missed the medal podium in the 55 dash with a time of 6.97, which was a nose behind the sixth-place finisher, who also had an official clocking of 6.97.

“Allen has battled nagging injuries this season,” said Fleming, “but he set a personal record in the 55m with a 6.97.”

With all of the individual events completed, Revere held a 71-63 lead over Somerville as the teams prepared for the final three events, the 4 x 200, 4 x 800, and 4 x 400 relays.

In the 4 x 200, the Revere quartet of Javan Close (junior), Allen Hou, Latrell Ashby (junior), and Sami El Asri finished in fourth place to earn four points for the Patriots.

“Everett pulled away, but this team battled hard against Somerville and Malden for an important fourth place,” said Fleming.

However, Somerville’s second-place finish cut the Revere margin in half to four points, 75-71.

In the next relay, the 4 x 800, the Patriot quartet of Kenan Batic (soph), David Rorth (freshman), Matt Pereira (junior), and Youness Chalid (soph) picked up another important four points by finishing fourth.

But Somerville, led by its two outstanding distance runners, won the race to score 10 points, moving out to an 81-79 advantage as the teams toed the line for the final event, the 4 x 400 relay.

The Revere unit, which consisted of Medy Bellemsieh (junior), DeCrosta, El Asri, and Cuhna, took the lead from the outset and never looked back, blazing around the Reggie track for a final time of 3:39.87, which was seven seconds faster than the second-place Medford team and 8.13 seconds faster than third-place Somerville.

“We were trailing Somerville 81-79 coming into this event and needed a win,” said Fleming. “Medy set the tone by running a fast  53-second opening leg. Isaiah did his job running a solid second leg, and Sami put it away with a 54, allowing JV to cruise home to the win.

“I’m so proud of this team, how hard they worked, and how they came together for this meet,” said Fleming. “As a first-year head coach, my goal for the season was to maintain the high standards that Sam Ros and Racquel MacDonald have built here at RHS. Fortunately, the kids made it easy to do.”

With their 2023 GBL season now in the record books, five Patriots, DeCrosta (55 meter hurdles), Barreto (55m dash), El Asri (300m), Cuhna (600m), and Vilme (HJ), will represent the Revere colors at the D-1 state meet later this month.

Yuong is Double-Champ, Top-Scorer at GBL Meet

Revere High sophomore track and field standout Liv Yuong brought home a pair of championships from last Friday’s Greater Boston League Meet that was held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

Liv captured the 55 meter hurdles with a clocking of 9.87, the only girl to break the 10-second mark. Her time of 9.78 also led the qualifying round and marked a personal record (PR) this season.

Yuong made it a double-title day with a victory in the high jump with a leap of 5′-0″.

“The championship season really is just getting started for Liv in high jump,” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald. “We’ll have States in the next couple of weeks and then head to Nationals in March. She has been competing so well this year and I am so excited to see her continue to develop.”

Liv then added six more points to the Revere column on the scoresheet with a third-place performance in the long jump (an event that is not part of the GBL’s dual-meet season) with a flight of 14′-6″.

“Liv was so strong,” said MacDonald, “especially considering this was her first time ever competing in the event.”

Yuong’s total of 26 points was the highest of any girl or boy among the eight GBL schools who competed at the meet.

Senior captain Allanah Burke scored eight points for the Lady Patriots with a second-place finish in the 1000 meter event with a time of 3:31.41, which was a PR for Alannah

In the mile, freshman Olivia Rupp took third place to score six points with a clocking of 6:02.60, which also was a PR by 20 seconds

“Olivia has been developing so quickly and is truly shining as a mid-distance runner,” noted MacDonald.

Both Burke and Rupp were part of the second-place Revere quartet in the 4 x 800 relay — the other two members included sophomores Reyhan Bensadok and Hiba El Bzyouy — who clocked an 11:52.25.

Senior captain Kyra Delaney earned a sixth-place medal in the 55 meter dash with a time of 8.06. Kyra had the third-fastest clocking in the prelims with a sprint of 7.86, which not only is a PR, but also is .3 away from qualifying for the state meet and just .6 off the RHS school record.

“Kyra has been an excellent leader all season and I am so excited to see her season continue into the championships,” said MacDonald.

Delaney also ran a leg on the fourth place 4 x 200 meter relay team, who finished in 1:59.04. The other three members of the quartet were sophomore Ashley Cabrera, freshman Danni Hope Randall, and junior Giselle Salvador.

In the final event of the day, the 4 x 400 relay, juniors Giselle Salvador and Yasmin Riazi, sophomore Rania Hamdani, and senior Luisa Khorsi brought home second-place ribbons with a time of 4:56.33.

Other notable performances included:

— A seventh-place finish by freshman Danni Hope Randall in the 300 meter dash in a time of 48.26, which was just .88 off the sixth-place time.

— Sophomore Hiba El Bzyouy also finished just out of the money with her seventh-place performance in the 600 meter dash in 2:02.24.

— Sophomore Daniela Santana Baez also just missed the medal podium with a seventh-place clocking of 16:08.31, just 2.4 seconds off the sixth-place time.

— A seventh-place effort by sophomore Ashley Rodriguez in the 55 meter hurdles in 10.82, which was just .14 off the sixth-place time. Ashley had the second-fastest clocking in the prelims in 10.31. Ashley also finished seventh in the 55 dash with a sprint of 8.14. Her time of 8.01 was good for fifth in the prelims.

MacDonald’s squad, who compiled a 5-2 dual-meet record, finished in third place among the eight GBL schools with 61 points, behind Somerville with 73 and Medford with 103.

“Overall, I am so proud of how the team worked together this year,” saId MacDonald. “We had a lot of injuries, but girls were constantly stepping up for one another and for the sake of the team. The girls consistently hit new PRs every week and are becoming stronger athletes with each workout. I am so proud to be their coach.”

MacDonald will be bringing a number of her crew to the upcoming Last Chance to Qualify Meet this Saturday.

“Hopefully, we will have some more RHS girls joining Liv at States,” said MacDonald.

RHS Swimmers Wrap Up Winning Season

The Revere High swim team, which achieved a successful season with a 5-4 record, competed this past week in the Greater Boston League (GBL) championship meet last Thursday at Medford High School.

Among the chief highlights for coach Chris Hill’s squad were:

— Juan Cano was first in the boys’ 100 backstroke, joined by teammate Vilson Lipa, who  placed fifth.

— In the boys 200 free, Matthew Terrell and Nate Hill finished 1-2 respectively. 

— In the boys 200 medley relay, the quartet of Juan Cano, Alem Cesic, Gavin Rua, and Harrison Rua took second.

— In the girls 200 free, Jannet Sehli came in fourth overall

— In the girls 50 free sprint, Luana Carvalhais came in third and Dayanara Sanchez fifth.

— The boys 50 free saw Cano take fourth in 25.68,  Cesic seventh in 26.45, and Gavin Rua ninth in 27.88, all personal bests for the season. 

— In the boys 100 fly, Terrell and Gavin Rua took second and fourth.

— In the girls 100 free, Sanchez came in third, Denis Quijada seventh, and senior Samantha Stevens 10th.

— The boys 100 free saw Cesic place third and Lipa seventh.

— Nate Hill placed second in the boys 500 free race.

— In the girls 500 free, Sehli was fifth and Kathy Trinh seventh for the girls.

— In the 200 free relay, both the girls’ team of Sehli, Carvalhais, Sanchez, and Leah Zuniga and the boys’ team of Cano, Gavin Rua, Terrell, and Cesic finished fourth and both teams did it in season-best times.

— Trinh took fifth in the girls 100 back.

—  Harrison Rua finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke.

— In the final event, the 400 free relay, the boys team of Hill, Lipa, Terrell, and Harrison Rua finished first and the girls team of Sehli, Stevens, Zuniga, and Trihn finished fourth.

RHS Girls Basketball Team Tops Chelsea

The Revere High girls basketball team earned a 61-18 victory over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Chelsea last Thursday.

Freshman starter Shayna Smith scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out nine assists.

“Seventeen points and 12 rebounds are impressive for a high school game, but those nine assists really show how much Shayna dominated that game,” said RHS head coach Chris Porrazzo. “It’s a pleasure as a coach to see Shayna succeed because she practices how she plays. Whenever she sets foot on the court she is energetic, intense, and a high-level communicator — all unique attributes for a freshman to have.

“And the best part of it all is that her teammates love seeing her succeed as well,” Porrazzo added.

Another big contributor to Revere’s win was Marwa Riad.

“Marwa scored 10 points for us and was very sound defensively,” said Porrazzo. “She might not be a name you hear much, but she’s only a sophomore — so be ready to hear her name a lot more through the next two seasons.”

Two nights earlier the Lady Patriots met GBL foe Medford and came up on the short end of a 36-32 decision.

“Medford played us tough and proved to be a much-improved team,” said Porrazzo. “They led most of the game and built their lead largely off their full-court man pressure. It was frustrating to see us struggle against their press because typically one of our greatest strengths as a team is breaking through presses. It’s certainly a focus for us in our practices.

“I will say, someone who stepped up and didn’t shy away from the pressure was junior captain Bella Stamatopoulos,” Porrazzo continued. “She really stepped up and worked hard to get open, create passing lanes for her teammates, and tactically broke down their pressure in the fourth quarter. Bella also had two clutch baskets to bring us to within four points late, but it just wasn’t enough.

 “Only giving up 36 points was a positive for us and a lot of that is thanks to sophomore captain Belma Velic,” Porrazzo added. “She really clogs up the middle for us, alters and blocks shots, and has been aggressive on the boards. Her defensive impact is as great as any high school player in Massachusetts.”

Porrazzo and his crew now stand at 6-11 overall (6-7 in the GBL).

“Despite our struggles, this has been a very enjoyable season for us,” saisd Porrazzo. “No one is looking forward to the season ending. We are focused on squeezing out the most we can from these last three games to carry with us into next year. We have no seniors, so every practice and game still have tremendous meaning for us.”

The Lady Patriots were scheduled to play their final GBL game yesterday (Tuesday) at home against Malden. They will wrap up their 2023 campaign with a pair of non-league encounters at Peabody next Thursday (Feb.16) and then the home finale against Hamilton Wenham on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 21.

The latter date will feature back-to-back games for the girls and then the boys against H-W.

RHS Boys Basketball Tops Rival Chelsea

The Revere High boys basketball team, who had been struggling of late with a 1-5 record in their past six games, celebrated Senior Night in fitting fashion last Thursday evening with a 60-37 victory over their archrival, the Red Devils of Chelsea, in what has become known as The Battle of Broadway since the schools renewed their ancient rivalry more than 10 years ago.

Revere jumped out to a quick lead behind the play of their five senior captains, Alejandro Hincapie, Vinny Vu, Sal DeAngelis, Vincent Nichols, and Domenic Boudreau. The Patriots got two quick steals and layups from Hincapie (13 points, four steals), a DeAngelis floater in the lane, and a few drives to the basket by Boudreau that gave Revere a 15-2 lead to close the first quarter, much to the delight of the hometown fans who filled Merullo Fieldhouse.

Chelsea came out much better in the second quarter, applying an aggressive pressure defense and causing Revere to turn the ball over. The Red Devils went on a quick 8-0 run to make it 15-10, but Nichols (six points, five rebounds) made a layup, Hincapie went 5-for-6 from the free throw line, and junior forward Luke Ellis (six points, five rebounds) made a hook shot in the lane and a free throw to give Revere a 30-20 lead at halftime.

The Patriots’ defense was much better to start the third quarter and their offense began to improve. Ellis hit a three-pointer, Hincapie made two drives and finishes, and Boudreau (22 points, 13 rebounds) hit a three-pointer and three two-point baskets to give the Patriots a commanding 49-33 lead to end the period.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, as Revere clamped down on the defensive end. Vu (four points, five assists) and DeAngelis (five points) made two free throws each, Nichols drained a trey from the wing, sophomore guard Ethan Day scored a layup on a nice back-door cut, and sophomore guard Sami Mhgizou sank two free throws to close out the 60-37 victory.

The triumph ended a stretch of tough losses for the Patriots, which included an overtime loss to Medford two nights earlier last Tuesday.

Revere came out strong in the first quarter, with DeAngelis (six points, five rebounds) knocking down a deep three-pointer and a making nice drive to the basket, Nichols (13 points, five rebounds) also sinking a corner three-pointer, and Vu and Boudreau also hitting baskets to give the Patriots an 18-11 first quarter lead.

The second quarter went back-and-forth for the entire eight minutes, as both teams were answering basket-for-basket. Nichols hit another three from the top of the key and had two athletic finishes at the hoop. Ellis came off the bench to knock down two three-pointers from the left wing and Boudreau, who was returning from an ankle injury, made two fast-break layups to leave Revere with a 35-28 advantage as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime.

The third quarter was a momentum switch, as the Patriots struggled to score. Medford came out and scored the first nine points of the quarter to take the lead, causing RHS head coach David Leary to call a timeout.

Hincapie (four points, four rebounds, three steals) got to the basket, as did Vu and Day, who got fouled shooting a three-point shot. Ethan sank all three of his free throws, but that was all Revere could manage in the period, leaving the Patriots trailing, 45-42, heading into the final period.

The first few minutes of the fourth quarter also went Medford’s way and the Patriots found themselves down by nine points with just over five minutes remaining.

But that’s when Boudreau (21 points, 13 rebounds) finally found the hot hand, knocking down a few free throws, a three-pointer, and two layups, and Vu had a nice drive and made two free throws of his own to cut the lead to 59-56 with just under a minute remaining.

Revere needed to get a stop on defense to give themselves a chance and they did just that. Hincapie grabbed the rebound and Alejandro pushed the ball up the floor, kicking it to the corner to Vu (16 points, five assists) who calmly drained a shot from behind the arc to level the game at 59 with 17 seconds left.

Medford held the ball for the last shot, but missed at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

The OT session proved to be a “fast and furious” five minutes of basketball, with both teams going back-and-forth. Vu and Boudreau both drove and scored for Revere, but Medford answered with a basket and two three-pointers to take a four-point lead, 67-63, with 1:17 remaining in the game.

Vu again found himself open behind the three-point line and drained it, but Medford made one of two free throws on its next possession to leave matters at 68-66.

Revere then came down and got a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key from Boudreau to take a 69-68 lead with 15 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, Medford star forward Sam Orcutt hit a deep three-pointer, and Revere’s desperation shot failed to go in at the buzzer, for the 71-69 finale.

“We had our chances,” said Leary after the tough loss. “We just need to learn how to win games that are close-and-late. That is five losses now by one possession and three went into overtime. We have to focus better for the entire game, but there were a lot of positives. We just need to keep working.”

Leary and his crew were scheduled to meet Malden yesterday (Tuesday) and will host nin-league rival Edward M. Kennedy School tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 5:30.

They will travel to Everett next Wednesday.