RHS boys basketball hosts Everett in opener
The Revere High boys basketball team under the direction of head coach David Leary will entertain the Everett Crimson Tide tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 7:00 in their 2025 season-opener. A large crowd is expected to be on hand at Merullo Fieldhouse to root on the Patriots against one of their chief rivals in the Greater Boston League (GBL).
Leary, who is entering his ninth season along with JV coach John Leone and freshmen coach Bob Sullivan, is hoping to lean on the experience of some familiar faces to bring success in the upcoming campaign.
Senior tri-captain and GBL All-Star Ethan Day, who returns for his fourth season at the varsity level, was the Patriots’ leading scorer last year and is poised to have a big senior season.
Day will have a lot of help around him. Senior tri-captain Josh Mercado returns for his third year and will provide the team with excellent on-the-ball pressure and three-point shooting.
Senior tri-captain Avi Lung returns in his role as the Patriots’ point guard. Avi, who was injured in his sophomore year, came on late last year to be the team’s second-leading scorer and assist leader.
Senior forward Erick Mayorga will give Revere solid scoring and rebounding around the basket and also can step out to three-point range. Senior guard Jayden Balogun will deliver a spark off the bench with his three-point shooting and intensity on defense.
Senior center Noah Ramos has good size and can score, block shots, and rebound inside. First-year player and senior Gio Alexandre, who had a great year on the football field for Revere, will have a major impact in the team’s success as their most versatile athlete.
Senior transfer Peter Decelien is also going to help off of the bench defensively with his speed and jumping ability.
Junior forwards Devin Berry and Zaney Kayembe continue to improve and will provide the team with interior scoring, tough defense, and rebounding. Junior guard Isaiah Llanos is a good knock-down shooter and plays extremely hard on the defensive end to lift his team, while Senior Guard Nick Rupp will be a jack-of-all-trades with his speed on defense and getting to the basket on offense.
Sophomore center Nico Cespedes, who has good size and plays with a very high motor, will provide scoring, defense, and rebounding around the basket. Sophomore point guard Adnane Ammime is a very fast and shifty defender who figures to drive the opposing teams’ point guards crazy.
Leary is optimistic about his squad’s upcoming season, but is also preaching patience early on, “We are in the same boat as everyone else, but with Thanksgiving so late, we really have been limited as far as practice time goes,” Leary said. “With a lot of new faces, we are going to have to lean on our experienced guys to lead us as we all figure out our roles to help the team win games.”
The Patriots had a scrimmage against Brighton High School on Saturday in the Keith Nance Memorial Classic at East Boston High. They also traveled up to Saugus High for a scrimmage on Monday night in preparation for what should be an electric home-opener at Merullo Fieldhouse tomorrow evening against Everett.
The Patriots will meet GBL opponents Chelsea, Lynn Classical, and Medford twice each and battle GBL foes Somerville, Everett, Malden, and Lynn English once. Non-league opponents include Chelmsford (2), Tewksbury (2), and Edward Brooke Charter. They also will participate in two holiday tournaments over the Christmas and Presidents Day breaks.
Leary and his crew will trek to Medford on Tuesday and to Lynn English next Thursday.
RHS girls basketball looking forward to 2025
Coach Ariana Rivera and her Lady Patriots will kick off their 2025 season when they make the short trek westward on the Revere Beach Parkway for their season-opening tip-off at 6:00 tomorrow (Thursday) at Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Everett.
“We are very excited to start the season and very hopeful with a strong freshman class,” said Rivera.
The 2025 edition of the Lady Patriot squad will be led by a group of six seniors: captain Belma Velic, Marwa Riad, Nisrin Sekkat, Daniela Murillo, Lea Doucette, and Kritanjely Ruiz.
“I started my RHS girls basketball coaching career with this year’s senior class, so it will be a bittersweet season,” noted Rivera.
They will be joined by juniors Shayna Smith, Zohra Benkreira, Sara Sbai, and Sonia Haily; sophomore Sarah Lechheb; and freshmen Allyson Ollivierra, Rebecca Mercado, and Valentina Cruz Martinez. Rivera noted that some of those underclassmen will swing between the varsity and JV squads and (as of press time) other girls could be added to the varsity roster.
“Our lone captain so far is Belma Velic, but we plan to add at least one more captain this week,” said Rivera.
The Lady Patriots scrimmaged with Lynnfield this past Friday in which the teams did not keep a running score.
“We were able to iron out some line-ups and figure out what worked best for us and what we have,” said Rivera. “There was a lot of good and a lot of bad. I am grateful we have this week to prepare for our season-opener against Everett on Thursday.”
Rivera and her crew will take on all seven of their Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals this season, meeting Everett, Lynn English, Lynn Classical, Somerville, Medford, and Malden twice apiece and Chelsea once. Five non-league opponents, Whittier Tech (2), Swampscott (2), Salem, Winthrop, and Horace Mann, will round out their 20-game schedule.
After tomorrow’s opener, Rivera’s crew will host Medford on Tuesday and Lynn English next Thursday. Both games will tip-off at 6:00 at Merullo Fieldhouse.
RHS winter sports season gets underway this week
The 2025 winter sports season is set to get underway this week for Revere High athletes.
The RHS boys and girls basketball teams will get things going tomorrow (Thursday) with contests against Greater Boston League rival Everett.
The RHS boys and girls indoor track teams, headed by coaches David Fleming and Racquel MacDonald respectively, will open their season next Thursday (December 19) with a tri-meet against GBL foes Everett and Medford at the Reggie Lewis Center. All of the GBL’s indoor meets this season once again will be held at the Reggie. Each of the eight GBL schools will compete in three tri-meets and one dual meet.
In addition, they will participate in the usual MSTCA and MIAA state meets throughout the season, the first of which is the MSTCA Winter Festival this weekend.
The RHS swim team, led by new coach Gesar Tsering, will open its season next week, entertaining GBL rivals Somerville (Tuesday) and Medford (Thursday) at the Garfield School pool.
