RHS Girls Track Finishes at 7-0 to Win GBL Title
The Revere High girls indoor track and field team defeated Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Everett and Medford in a tri-meet last Tuesday to finish their regular season with a perfect 7-0 dual-meet record and capture an undisputed 2024 GBL title.
“The girls absolutely crushed it, defeating Everett and Medford. This makes us the GBL regular-season indoor champions!!!!” said their jubilant head coach, Racqel MacDonald Giambelli, whose squad now will compete in the All-GBL Meet this Friday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.
Both Revere and Medford had entered the tri-meet with perfect 5-0 records, which meant that the GBL title hinged on the outcome of the competition between the Lady Patriots and the Lady Mustangs. As expected, the meet was a close battle, but in the end, Revere prevailed by the slim margin of 52-47. (In the portion of the meet with Everett, the Lady Patriots ran away with a 75-17 victory.)
The top scorers for Revere vs. Medford were junior Liv Yuong and sophomore Gemma Stamatopoulos, both of whom scored 13 points with a pair of first-place finishes plus a second-place performance. Yuong captured the high jump with a leap of 5’-10” and the 55 meter hurdles with a clocking of 9.86 and took second in the long jump, while Gemma took first in both the 600 meter dash in a time of 1:51.74 and the 2-mile run in 14:40.63, and second in the high jump.
However, in a meet full of heroines for Revere, it was Stamatopoulos’s winning effort in the 2-mile event that stood out. “Gemma ran the 2-mile for the first time this season in an especially strategic manner to give us that extra five points to beat Medford,” noted MacDonald-Giambelli of Stamatopoulos’s performance in which she edged her closest Lady Mustrang rival by less than seven seconds. Gemma’s five points in the event, which was the last individual race before the two relays, gave Revere an insurmountable lead, 52-37, which made the outcome of the relays a moot issue.
Other notable performances for the Lady Patriots came from sophomore Olivia Rupp, who smashed her 1-mile personal record (PR) by seven seconds to break the six-minute barrier with a time of 5:55.47. “Olivia ran an incredible and strategic race and I know she will finish the season getting that time down even further based on her workouts,” said MacDonald-Giambelli.
Francoise Kodjo scored five points vs. Medford with her winning effort in the shot-put with a throw of 24’-5”.
Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez won the long jump vs. Medford with her flight of 14’-4.5” and grabbed third in the 55 meter dash. She scored 11.25 points vs. Everett with wins in the 55m dash, the long jump, and as a member of the 4 x 200m relay quartet.
Hiba El Bzyouy also hopped into the 2-mile along with Stamatopoulos to help secure a third place and add another point to the team total. “This was a new event for Hiba that she ran for the team,” noted MacDonald-Giambelli.
A number of Revere girls established a personal record (PR) in the meet: Genieve Zierten in the 1-mile, Rania Hamdani in the 300m, Daniela Santana Baez in the 2-mile, and Giselle Salvador in the 55m dash.
“This team really stepped up,” said MacDonald-Giambelli. “We knew Medford would be our biggest competition this year due to their strength in the distance events. The girls geared up with some intense speed workouts last week and showed their strength in the field events to get us this last win. Their willingness to jump into new events for the team to secure some critical points truly shows that they recognize that track is still a team sport. I am so proud that this team will get a banner in the high school gym. It is so well-deserved.”
In addition to the point-scoring efforts noted above, the other Revere point-scorers vs. both opponents were:
55 meter dash: Giselle Salvador, 2nd vs. Everett;
300 meter dash: Rania Hamadani, 3rd vs. Medford and 1st vs. Everett; Danni Hope Randall, 2nd vs. Everett;
600 meter dash: Giselle Salvador, 3rd vs. Everett;
1000: Hiba El-Bzyouy 2nd vs. Medford and 1st vs. Everett; Yasmin Riazi, 2nd vs. Everett;
1-mile: Olivia Rupp, 2nd vs. Medford and 1st vs. Everett; Genevieve Zierten, 2nd vs. Everett;
2-mile: Hiba El Bzyouy, 2nd vs. Everett;
55 hurdles: Yara Belguenodouz, 2nd vs. Medford and 3rd vs. Everett; Basma Sahibi, 3rd vs. Medford;
4 x 200 relay (Giselle Salvador, Ashley Rodriguez, Danni Hope Randall, Jaliyah Manigo): 1st vs. Everett.
Long-jump: Hiba El Bzyouy, 3rd vs. Everett;
Shot-put: Ashley Chandler, 2nd vs. Medford; Francoise Kodjo, 3rd vs. Everett.
RHS Girls Basketball Tops Malden, Qualifies for Tourney
The Revere High girls basketball team enjoyed a successful week, winning both of its contests against Greater Boston League rivals Chelsea and Malden. The double victories achieved two goals for the Lady Patriots — punching their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney and keeping pace with Lynn Classical in the battle for the GBL championship.
First-year head coach Ariana Rivera and her crew, who now stand at 10-5 on the season with five games to play, are assured of finishing with the .500 record that is needed to automatically qualify for the MIAA’s post-season state tourney. They sport a 9-2 mark in the GBL, tied for first place with defending champ Lynn Classical. The two teams split their head-to-head contests with both games being decided by a single point. Classical’s other loss came to Lynn English, while the Lady Patriots fell to Medford.
In the 61-23 victory over Chelsea last Tuesday, Belma Velic led Revere with 15 points and snared six rebounds. Nisrin Sekkat reached double-figures with 10 points. The RHS bench made a nice contribution, chipping in with 22 points.
The Lady Patriots engaged in another defensive struggle last Thursday with Malden — Revere prevailed by a score of 25-22 in their first encounter earlier this season — and once again came out on top by the narrow margin of three points, 35-32.
Velic led the way in the scoring department with nine points to go with five rebounds. Alisha Jean hit for seven points and snared eight boards. Rocio Gonzalez came through in a big way, chipping in off the bench with seven points.
“This was a hard-fought win,” said Rivera. “We had trouble offensively and struggled with turnovers in the first half. However, our second half play was more our style and up-tempo. Smart play and valuing the basketball during the final minutes are what got us the victory.”
Revere was scheduled to host non-league opponent Greater Lowell this past Monday night and then will close out their 2024 GBL season with three contests against GBL rivals, starting with Everett tomorrow (Thursday) evening in the RHS gym for a 6:00 opening tip.
They will travel to Lynn English next Tuesday and to Somerville next Thursday before wrapping up their regular season at non-league opponent Gloucester on February 9.
RHS Boys Basketball Defeats Malden, 60-47
The Revere High boys basketball team earned a split in its two contests this past week against Greater Boston League (GBL) opponents Chelsea and Malden.
Coach David Leary and his squad made the short trip down Broadway last Tuesday night to try to avenge their one-point loss to the Red Devils of Chelsea in late December. The Patriots came out flying, playing an uptempo style of basketball. Junior guard Avi Lung (6 points 4 steals) got things going with a three-pointer from the corner, senior co-captain Andrew Leone made a layup, and junior guard Ethan Day (15 points in the first quarter) hit a few fast break layups, made a few tough floaters in the lane, and sank three free throws, propelling Revere to a 22-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The second period proved to be another story however. Chelsea adjusted to the frantic Revere pace and the Red Devils’ defense slowed the Patriots down. In addition, Chelsea’s aggressive defensive pressure created turnovers that led to easy buckets.
As half-time approached, the Revere lead had completely dissipated with only a free throw by Patriot forward Erick Mayorga providing the Patriots with a one-point lead, 27-26, at the half.
Chelsea kept up its momentum after the intermission and scored the first eight points of the third quarter to go up by seven. Leary called a timeout and made a few adjustments to get his squad back on track. The Patriots switched to a zone defense and got going on offense. Junior guard Josh Mercado (5 points, 3 assists) made a layup, plus the free throw, and a jump shot, senior center Amir Yamani scored in the post, and Day (who finished with 27 points and 6 rebounds) got to the basket twice more, allowing Revere to claw back to trail, 37-36, with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Chelsea coach Cesar Castro then called a timeout to try to stop the Revere run and it worked. The Red Devils made a few baskets and tightened up its defense to take a 44-39 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter belonged to Chelsea. Revere sophomore forward Sean Burnett made an athletic finish on the fast break and a nice put-back rebound, but the Red Devils found their touch from behind the three-point arc. There was very little Revere could do to match it and Chelsea ran away with the victory, 62-47.
Two nights later the Patriots hosted the Golden Tornadoes of Malden. The teams already had met twice this season, splitting the two tilts, so Thursday night’s meeting was their rubber match. Revere, which was hoping to end a four-game losing skid, came out fast once again. The Patriots featured a balanced attack, as senior center Amir Yamani (who had a nifty double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds) scored inside, junior guard Avi Lung (9 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) drained a wing three, senior forward Ryan El Babor (4 points) drove to the hoop for two, and senior co-captain Andrew Leone (7 points, 7 rebounds) made two free throws. Day made two layups and a free throw and Revere led 14-11 to end the opening frame.
The second quarter also was played very evenly, as both teams picked up their intensity on defense and on the boards. Yamani scored twice more inside, Lung had a nice finish on a break and sank two free throws, and Day made a floater.
However, a Malden bucket as time expired at the half left the teams at level, 24-24, at the intermission. The third quarter was all Patriots on both ends of the floor. The Revere defense made it tough for Malden, limiting the Golden Tornadoes to just one point over the eight minute period. After Andrew Leone sank a corner trey on a fast break, Day (23 points, 5 rebounds) decided to take over. The junior guard made a put-back on an offensive rebound in traffic; hit a smooth, spinning layup; made two of his patented floaters; and drained a three-pointer to open up the lead for Revere to 42-25.
Malden was not going to go away easily and trimmed the Patriots’ lead down to 10 points with four minutes left in the game. However, the senior trio of El Babor, Yamani, and Leone each hit a basket, Day sank another floater and a trey from the corner, and Revere again extended its lead. Senior guard Domenic Belmonte got a fast break layup, sophomore forward Sean Burnett hit a jump shot, and then, after a Malden technical foul, Leary substituted recently-promoted junior Jayden Balogun and sophomore Devin Berry to shoot the technical free throws. Both sank their techs to score their first varsity points and the Patriots emerged victorious, 60-47.
Leary expressed his happiness for his team after the game. “It’s been a tough few weeks for these guys, with injuries, illnesses and losing some really close games,” said the coach. “We needed this one tonight. Everyone on this roster contributed, which is great, and obviously Ethan (Day) put us on his back there for a little bit in the third quarter. We can definitely see the improvement and hopefully that leads to more wins here down the stretch.”
Revere is now 4-9 on the season and was scheduled to travel to non-league opponent Greater Lowell this past Monday night. The Patriots then will take on the two top teams in the GBL in back-to-back contests: They will make the short trek to Everett tomorrow (Thursday) evening and will host Lynn English next Tuesday. Both of those contests will tip off at 7:00.
Boys Track Tops Everett, Medford
The Revere High boys indoor track and field team concluded its dual-meet season on a high note with victories over Greater Boston League rivals Medford and Everett in a tri-meet last Tuesday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. In the Medford portion of the meet, the Patriots corralled the Mustangs by a score of 57-43. Winners in their individual events vs. Medford were: Allen Hou in the 55 meter dash with a sprint of 6.78 seconds to lead a Patriot sweep of that race; JV Cunha in the 600 dash with a time of 1:33.17; Oliver Escobar in the high jump with a leap of 5’-6”; Isaiah DeCrosta in the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.43; and Kevin Purcifull in the shot-put with a toss of 42’-3” that paced a Revere sweep. The Patriots also won both relays. In the 4 x 200, the quartet of Yousef Benhamou, Oliver Escobar, Geo Woodard, and Jeremy X came across in a clocking of 1:39.01, four seconds ahead of their Medford rivals, and in the 4 x 400, the foursome of Isaiah DeCrosta, Medy Bellemsieh, Kenan Batic, and JV Cunha finished in a time of 3:44.17, which was six seconds faster than their Mustang counterparts. In the Everett part of the tri-meet, the Patriots handily swept past the Crimson Tide, 68-32. First-place finishers for Revere vs. Everett were: Hou in the 55 dash; JV Cunha in the 600; DeCrosta in the 55 hurdles; Purcifull in the shotput; Edwin Alarcon in the 1000 with a time of 3:01.39; and Youness Chahid in the mile with a clocking of 5:03.44. Both of the relay teams also defeated their Everett counterparts. The full results of the tri-meet with all of the Revere point-scorers are as follows: — 55 meter dash: Oliver Escobar, 2nd vs. Medford and 3rd vs. Everett; Jeremy X., 3rd vs. Medford; — 300 meter dash: Jeremy X, 3rd vs. Medford and 2nd vs. Everett; Geo Woodard, 3rd vs. Everett; — 600 meter dash: Medy Bellemsieh, 2nd vs. Medford and Everett; Kenan Batic, 3rd vs. Everett; — 1000 meters: Edwin Alarcon, 2nd vs. Medford; Mohamed Fares, 3rd vs. Everett — 1-mile: Youness Chahid, 2nd vs. Medford; Adam Assour, 3rd vs. Medford and 2nd vs. Everett; — 2-mile: Mohamed Fares, 2nd vs. Everett; — Long-jump: Medy Bellemsieh, 3rd vs. Medford and 2nd vs. Everett; Kepler Celamy, 3rd vs. Everett; — 55 meter hurdles: Fajr Riazi, 3rd vs. both Medford and Everett; — Shot-put: Allen Hou, 2nd vs. both Medford and Everett; Glenn Kule, 3rd vs. both Medford and Everett; — High jump: Isaiah DeCrosta, 3rd vs. Medford. Coach David Fleming and his squad, who finished with a 5-2 dual-meet record, will compete in the All-GBL Meet this Friday at the Reggie and will be looking to make a run (pun intended) at Malden and Somerville, the two teams who defeated Revere earlier this season.
