Revere Girls Win GBL Meet; Yuong Is Triple-Champion; Stamatopoulos Wins Two
The Revere High girls indoor track and field team, which compiled a perfect dual-meet record of 7-0 to win the Greater Boston League regular-season championship, capped off their brilliant 2024 campaign with a first-place finish among all eight of their GBL rivals at Friday’s All-GBL Meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. The Revere girls finished with 106.33 points, easily outdistancing second-place Medford, which had 91 points, and third-place Chelsea with 71 points.
“It was so amazing to see this team back up their undefeated league championship season with a massive win at the GBL championship meet. There were PRs (personal records) left and right and so many strong performances,” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Giambelli.
Leading the way for the Lady Patriots was junior Liv Yuong, who scored 30 points, the most of any athlete (girl or boy) at the meet, with first-place finishes in three events: Liv won the high jump with a leap of, 4′-10″; the 55 meter hurdles in a clocking of 9,57 seconds; and the long jump with a flight of 15′-7.75″, clocking new PRs in the hurdles and in the indoor LJ.
“All of these events overlapped and Liv was still able to give her all in each of them. It was great prep as she works towards school records in the LJ and pentathlon,” said MacDonald-Giambelli of Yuong, who will be headed to States in both the HJ and hurdles.
Teammate Gemma Stamatopoulos also was a standout for the Lady Patriots, capturing two events, the 600 meter dash with a state-qualifying clocking of 1:47.11 and the two-mile run with a time of. 14:12.95 Gemma, who is a sophomore, also took third place in the high jump with a PR leap of 4′-8″ for a total of 26 points on the day.
“Gemma truly has such a strong competitive mentality and is so eager to get out there and race. Each race she comes in with a new goal and gets there,” said MacDonald-Giambelli. “Gemma and Liv accounted for more than half of our team’s points total. Absolutely incredible.”
Sophomore Olivia Rupp captured a GBL title in the mile with a time of 6:16.56 in a close race in which she edged her second-place opponent by 1.93 seconds. “Olivia ran a super strong race considering she was out front from the start and had to run it on her own,” said MacDonald-Giambelli.
Additional point-scorers for Revere were:
— Jaliyah Manigo, who scored two points with a fifth-place effort in the 300 dash in a PR of 46.91. (Teammates Danni Hope Randall and Rania Hamdani also set PRs in their 300 dashes);
— Hiuba El Bzyouy, who added four points with fifth-place finishes in both the 1000 meter run with a clocking of 3:52.05 and the two-mile with a time of 15:35.71;
— Freshman Genevieve Zierten, who earned a total of five points, four points for her fourth-place finish in the mile in 6:40.32 and a point for her sixth-place finish in the 1000 in 3:53.29, both of which were personal records for Genevieve;
— Senior Yara Belguendouz scored two points for her fifth-place finish in the 55 hurdles in 10.65;
— Sophomore Basman Sahibi added a point for sixth place in the 55 hurdles in a PR of 11.00;
— Junior Ashley Rodriguez, who earned a sixth-place medal in the 55 meter dash with a PR sprint of 7.83. (Senior captain Giselle Salvador also set a PR in the 55m with her dash of 7.99 in the prelim round, which qualified Giselle for the final eight.)
— Sophomore Basma Sahibi, who shared a sixth place point in the high jump with a three-way tie with her PR jump of 4′-2″;
— Freshman Neylas Vranic, who scored two points with a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a PR leap of 13′-7″; and
— Junior Francoise Kudjo, who scored a point in the shot-put with a sixth place throw of 26′-6.25.”
Revere scored a total of 22 points in the three relay events. The Lady Patriot quartet of Giselle Salvador, Danni Hope Randall, Jaliyah Manigo, and Ashley Rodriguez won the 4 x 200 with a time of 1:56.14, just .01 of a second ahead of the team from Lynn English.
“This was a huge win for our 4 x 200 relay team, defeating Lynn English at the line,” said MacDonald-Giambelli. “This pushes them closer to a state-qualifying time and also is only one second away from the school record.”
The Revere foursome of Rania Hamdani, Gianna Chiodi (who ran a PR in her individual 600 race), Giselle Salvador, and Danni Hope Randall took third place in the 4 x 400 in a time of 4:55.11. And in the 4 x 800, the team of Olivia Rupp, Yasmin Riazi, Hiba El Bzyouy, and Gizelle Rodriguez took third place with a time of 12:44.23.
“This team came in with a goal this season to top the GBL and they proved themselves week after week, meet after meet,” said MacDonald-Giambelli. “This GBL Championship win was so well deserved since I see them work so hard at practice each day. Every single athlete has improved from December and it is so rewarding to work with them and watch their confidence as student athletes grow.”
RHS Boys Are #1 at GBL Meet; Cunha Sets Record
The Revere High boys indoor track and field team put it all together at Friday’s All-Greater Boston League (GBL) Meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center to finish in first-place among their seven other GBL opponents. The Patriots tallied a total of 124 points, ahead of second-place Somerville (111 points) and third-place Medford (57 points).
“We knew it was going to be a close one with Somerville,” said RHS head coach David Fleming, “but it was amazing to watch the team come together and pull this out.”
There were many highlights and noteworthy performances by Fleming’s Patriots, but the one that is most likely to stand the test of time was the effort by senior JV Cunha, who won the 600 meter dash with a time of 1:23.42 that broke Shane Weiner’s RHS school record that had stood since 1996.
“JV’s record was almost an afterthought,” said Fleming. “More impressive was his race strategy. Prior, he told his teammates to let the Medford runner lead the race and then when JV made his move, they should follow. It resulted in JV winning, Medy Bellemsieh coming in second, and Kenan Batic finishing fourth. In the 600 alone, we outscored Somerville 22-1. That was by far the biggest point differential in any event.”
Two other Patriots were GBL champions in their individual events.
Senior Allen Hou won the 55 meter dash with a sprint of 6.65 seconds, edging his closest competitor by .06 of a second. Allen had placed first in the preliminary round with a personal record (PR) time of 6.64. “The PR qualified Allen for the 2024 Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City,” said Fleming. “Allen was so mentally tough in this race. He actually got off to a poor start, but made a huge move in the middle portion and simply refused to let anyone beat him. This win is a big breakthrough for Allen.”
Hou scored another point for Revere cause when he took sixth place in the shot-put with a throw of 41′-9″.
Senior Richard Vilme claimed the third Revere title of the day when he won the high jump with a leap of 6′-00″. “You can’t say enough about Richard,” said Fleming. “He’s a tremendous athlete who battled through a tough competition with a monster 6-foot jump. Also extremely important was Oliver Escobar, who set a new personal record by clearing 5’-8” for second place.”
Junior Youness Chahid tallied a team-high 16.5 points with a second place in the 1000 in 2:52.28 and a third place in the mile in 4:57.07, as well as being a member of the winning 4 x 800 relay. “If he could have, Youness would have run in every race,” said Fleming. “Nobody wants to win more than Youness. He put his heart and soul into his races and helped lead the team to the win.”
Other Patriots who added individual points to the championship effort were:
— Senior Medy Bellemsieh with a second-place effort, good for eight points, in the 600 dash in a clocking of 1:25.19. “Medy Bellemsieh has had an MVP-like season,” said Fleming of Bellemsieh, who also ran a leg of the second-place 4 x 200 relay.
— Sophomore Edwin Alarcon in the 1000 with a third place, good for six points, in a time of 2:56.72;
— Junior Isaiah DeCrosta with a third place in the 55 hurdles in 8.32 for six points;
— Junior Kenan Batic in the 600 dash with a fourth place in the 600 dash in 1:28.85 to score four points;
— Sophomore Oliver Escobar scored 12 points in two events, four points in the 55 dash with a fourth place finish in a time 6.87 and eight points in the high jump with his second-place leap of 5′-8″;
— Sophomore Jeremy X scored six points with a third-place in the 300 dash in 38.15;
— Sophomore Yousef Benhamou with a point for sixth-place in the 300 dash in 39.40;
— Junior Adam Assour scored four points with a fourth in the two-mile in 11:18.36; and
— Junior Danny Hou scored four points with a fourth-place in the long jump with a flight of 18′-09.25″.
Revere accumulated 28 points in the three relays, the best by far of any other team. “The relay teams were important to the win,” noted Fleming. In the 4 x 200, the squad of Medy Bellemsieh, Oliver Escobar, Geo Woodard, and Jeremy X took second-place with a time of 1:35.14, which was 2.14 seconds behind the winning Somerville team.
In the 4 x 400, the foursome of Isaiah DeCrosta, Medy Bellemsieh, Yousef Benhaou, and JV Cunha edged their Medford rivals in an exciting race by just .51 of a second with a time of 3:34.30. And in the 4 x 800, the quartet of Kenan Batic, Edwin Aalrcon, Mohammed Fares, and Youness Chahid won their race with a time of 9:18.32, which was 10 seconds faster than second-place Somerville.
“Kenan’s incredibly strong first leg put us in a lead that we never gave up,” noted Fleming. “I decided to move Yousef Benhamou out of his usual spot in the 4 x 200 and into the 4 x 400. This allowed us to move Kenan Batic into the 4 x 800, which gave us much more balance. The second leg of the 4 x 800 was run by sophomore Edwin Alarcon, one of the unsung heroes of the meet. Edwin got spiked during the baton exchange and ran the entire leg with just one shoe. Somehow he was able to extend our lead,” said Fleming.
RHS Girls Hoop Wins Two More
The Revere High girls basketball team improved to 12-5 on the season with a pair of victories this past week. Last Monday the Lady Patriots earned a 50-30 victory over non-league opponent Greater Lowell Tech.
Belma Velic paved the way for the Lady Patriots with a near double-double of 15 points and eight rebounds. Shayna Smith also almost attained the double-double plateau with 10 points and nine boards.
“It was a solid win with great offensive tempo,” said RHS head coach Ariana Rivera. “We were able to share the basketball and create open looks. Our disciplined defense led to our success on offense.”
Three nights later the Lady Patriots hosted Greater Boston League (GBL) opponent Somerville on Senior Night and celebrated the occasion in appropriate fashion with a 51-30 triumph. All of the seniors played key roles in the win, including Alisha Jean (16 points, 7 rebounds), Haley Belloise (11 points, 3 steals), Bella Stamatopoulos (7 points, 2 steals), Rocio Gonzalez (2 points, 4 rebounds), and Juliana Bolton, who provided “some great hustle, plays and minutes,” said Rivera.
“Congratulations to all the seniors and the rest of the squad for getting the win on Senior Night,” said Rivera. “It was a great defensive effort across the board. We saw a lot of success in our full-court press, causing chaos and following it up with some nice transition offense.”
Rivera and her crew, who remain tied for first place in the GBL with Lynn Classical with a 10-2 record, were scheduled to play at GBL foe Lynn English last night (Tuesday) and will travel to GBL rival Somerville tomorrow (Thursday) evening. Victories in the two contests will assure the Lady Patriots of a GBL co-championship. They will conclude their 2024 regular season at non-league opponent Gloucester this Friday.
RHS Swimmers Shine at GBL Championship
The Revere High swim team turned in a number of superb performances at the recent GBL Championship Meet that was held at Medford High School. “It is a non-scoring meet, used as more of a time trial than a competitive meet,” said RHS head coach Chris Hill. “However, after the meet one of the league’s athletic directors asked that a score be provided for the meet anyway. The Revere boys scored 372 points and came in first, while the girls scored 101 points to finish fifth.
The girls were led by senior co-captain Jannet Sehli, who took third in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 500 free. Sophomore Leah Zuniga grabbed sixth in the 200 free and the 500 free. Senior DeAndre Quijada took 10th in the 100 free. That trio were joined by senior Victoria Vilaca in the 200 free relay and came in ninth.
The boys had a strong meet right from the start. Seniors Juan Cano, Matthew Terrell, Alem Cesic, and Nate Hill won the 200 medley relay. Terrell and Hill followed that by going 2-3 in the 200 free. Cesic took 1st in the 200 IM. Revere had three top-10 finishers in the 50 free; Cano took 2nd, freshman Wilson Feng 6th, and senior Harrison Rua 9th.
Terrell squeaked out a win in the 100 butterfly by 0.2 of a second. Feng and senior Vilson Lipa took 4th and 8th in the 100 free. Cesic took 1st in the 500 free with Hill coming in 2nd. The Revere 200 free relay team of Terrell, Lipa, Rua and Cano took 2nd place in the 200, while the Patriots’ other team in that race, the quartet of Feng, fellow freshman Danny Hallak, and sophomores Marcelo Fermin-Cuartas and Nicholas Pedroza Avila came in 8th.
In the 100 back, Cano took 1st place, Lipa was 3rd, and Hallak 6th. Rua was 7th in the 100 breaststroke. In the final event, the 400 free relay, the foursome of Hill, Lipa, Rua, and Cesic took 1st place, winning by 18 seconds. For Cesic, it was his fourth 1st place finish of the meet.
RHS Boys Basketball Tops Greater Lowell
The Revere High boys basketball team made their long bus ride to Tyngsborough last Monday night worth the trip, returning home with a 58-49 victory over Greater Lowell Tech.
The first quarter was played at a screechingly-high pace by both teams. The Patriots took the lead right from the outset as senior co-captain Luke Ellis (5 points, 4 rebounds) drained a three-pointer from the wing, Sophomore forward Sean Burnett hit a bucket plus the foul and senior co-captain Andrew Leone sank a trey.
Greater Lowell however, also came out on fire, matching baskets with Revere, which was paced by junior Guard Ethan Day (18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), who scored eight points in the frame on a few layups and floaters, leaving the teams level at 17-17 at the end of the quarter.
The second period was played a little slower and more under control. Revere got a spark off of the bench from senior forward Ryan El Babor (6 points, 4 rebounds) with three nice drives to the hoop and senior guard Domenic Belmonte (7 points, 2 steals) with a fast-break layup. The Revere defense also tightened up in the quarter, boosting the Patriots into a 29-26 advantage at the half.
Revere picked up the pace after the intermission, led by the trio of senior center Amir Yamani (9 points, 10 rebounds), who had a strong fast-break finish and a tip-in basket, junior guard Avi Lung (5 points, 3 steals), who had a fancy finish on the fast-break, and Ellis, who knocked down an elbow jump-shot. Day made two free throws and another floater while Belmonte drained a deep three-pointer that got the Revere bench energized and the Patriots led 46-38 going into the final eight minutes
The fourth period was more of the same for the Patriots. Their defense was smothering the young guards of Greater Lowell and Yamani got two more baskets inside to extend the lead. Day drove in for another basket and Belmonte scored on the fast-break again. Revere junior forward Erick Mayorga scored on a nice cut to the basket and the Patriots closed the game out with a 58-49 victory.
“We did a nice job getting off to a fast start and maintaining it throughout the four quarters,” said RHS head coach David Leary after his team’s first road win of the season. “In some games this year we started out fast, but then let up for a number of reasons. But against Greater Lowell, we got a lot of contributions from our whole team, which was important.”
Two nights later Leary and his crew made the much-shorter trip to Everett to take on the Crimson Tide, who are in second-place in the GBL, with hopes of sweeping the season series after having knocked-off Everett, which at the time was in first place in the GBL, a month ago.
The Patriots seemed up for the challenge. Junior guard Josh Mercado (4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) opened up the scoring with a three-pointer from the wing, Junior point guard Avi Lung got to the basket and also sank three-of-four free throws, while senior co-captain Andrew Leone (13 points, 5 rebounds) drained a corner three-pointer.
However, Revere trailed 14-11 at the end of the first quarter. The Patriot offense continued to perform well in the second period, with sophomore forward Sean Burnett (4 points, 4 rebounds) hitting a turn-around jump shot, junior guard Ethan Day (15 points, 5 rebounds) getting to the basket twice, senior co-captain Luke Ellis nailing a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Leone adding another trey, but Everett’s athleticism proved a little too much for the Patriots and the Crimson Tide held a 37-25 advantage at the half.
Revere needed to make an adjustment defensively in the locker room and Leary’s crew did just that. After Everett hit a three-pointer early to put the Tide’s lead at 15, the Patriots went on a huge run. Leone knocked down another three-pointer and Day got to the basket three more times, including an ‘and-one’, but the big story that quarter was Revere junior point guard Avi Lung’s (20 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) break-out game offensively. Avi sank a pair of treys, made a fast-break layup, and hit two free throws in the frame to lead a Revere counterattack that left matters at a level 47-47 at the third buzzer.
The fourth quarter started out slowly for both teams, but then Everett’s size and athleticism began to take over. The Crimson Tide stretched their lead to 55-47 midway through the quarter on a few offensive rebounds and put-backs. Leary called a timeout to settle down his team and to refocus in order to come back again and the Patriots responded.
Junior forward Erick Mayorga scored inside, Burnett hit a jump shot, and Lung drained another shot from three-point land to make it 57-54 with 3:19 remaining.
However, Everett’s size once again took over around the basket. The Tide got to the free throw line a few times to extend the lead to 61-56 with 1:49 remaining. The Patriots began to foul to stop the clock and Everett missed a few free throws. After Day got to the basket with 14 seconds to go, the Patriots got a tie-up on a deflection and the possession arrow favored Revere. Down 64-61, Leary called his last time-out and drew up a play for the tying three-pointer. The Patriots executed the play to perfection and got an open look at a trey, but the ball rattled in-and-out, which meant that Revere had to foul again with six seconds remaining. This time the Tide player sank both free throws and Everett held on to win, 66-61, surviving the Patriots’ great comeback effort.
Leary had nothing but praise for his team after the tough loss. “We told the kids how proud we are of them as a staff,” said Leary. “We had a few opportunities to give in when things didn’t go our way, but we showed no quit. It was the best I think we’ve played as a team all season and we are getting contributions from a bunch of guys now.
“Avi had a great night and Andrew and Ethan were efficient as well. The zone in the first half gave them too many openings, but our man-to-man in the second half was fantastic. We can definitely see the improvement each week and hopefully our best basketball is still ahead of us.”
The Patriots will need to do so moving forward. The loss leaves Revere at 5-10 on the season, which means they will need to run the table in their last five games in order to qualify for the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament.
Revere was scheduled to host GBL powerhouse Lynn English last night (Tuesday) and then will hold Senior Night festivities tomorrow (Thursday) evening in the Merullo Fieldhouse with GBL foe Somerville as the opponent. They will entertain Greater Lowell on Monday. All of those home games will tip off at 7:00.
