RHS girls track opens season with dominating victories
The Revere High girls indoor track and field team opened its season on a high note with victories over Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Medford and Everett last Thursday in a tri-meet at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury.
Coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli’s squad had little trouble dispatching of both opponents, cruising past the Everett Crimson Tide, 83-10, and the Medford Mustangs, 66-27.
Leading the way for the Lady Patriots were the duo of senior captain Liv Yuong and junior Gemma Stamatopoulos, both of whom scored 14 points against each opponent.
Liv took first in the long jump with a leap of 15′-5.25″ and in the 55 meter hurdles in a clocking of 9.98. Gemma took firsts in the 600m dash (1:47.14) and the two-mile run (15:57.42). Both tied for first place (four points each) in the high jump with a leap of 4’8″.
Oliva Rupp scored 10 individual points vs. Everett and eight individual points vs. Medford with a first place in the mile with a personal record (PR) time of 5:50.57. Olivia came back to get first vs. Everett and second vs. Medford in the 1000m with a clocking of 3:33.26, which was just .52 behind the first-place Lady Mustang. Olivia also ran the third leg of the winning 4 x 400 relay team vs. both Everett and Medford.
Senior Captain Francoise Kodjo took first in the shot-put against both opponents with a toss of 26′-9″. Senior captain Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez took first in the 55m dash vs. Everet and a third vs. Medford with a sprint of 8.18. Ashley also took second place in the long jump behind teammate Yuong vs. both Everett and Medford.
Junior Rania Hamdani took first vs. Everett and second vs. Medford in the 300m dash with a clocking of 47.24. Rania also ran the anchor leg of the 4 x 400.
Junior Basma Sahibi had a huge PR in the 55m hurdles (10.60) to finish second only behind Yuong vs. both opponents. Basma also took third in the long-jump vs.Everett with a leap of 12′-5.5″.
Sophomore Gigi Zierten doubled in two events in the meet, competing in both the mile (6:28.56) and the 1000m (3:53.14) alongside Rupp, and placed second in both events vs. Everett and third in both vs Medford.
Among the additional point-scorers for the Lady Patriots were: Danni Hope Randall in the 300m dash with a third vs. Medford and a second vs. Everett in a time of 48.04; Jocelyn Lazo with a second-place in the shot-put vs. Medford with a throw of 23′-3″; Daniela Santana-Baez with second-place finishes in the two-mile vs. both Everett and Medford with a clocking of 15:58.03; Zacharani Kalliavas with a third vs. Everett in the 300 (50.12); Gianna Chiodi with a second in the 600 vs. Everett in a time of 2:08.65; Amina Larzhal with a third vs. Everett in the 600 in 2:10.35; and Valeria Sepulveda with a third in the 1000 vs. Everett in 3:56.62.
The winning 4 x 400 team consisted of Ashley Cabrera-Rodriguez, Zacharani Kalliavas, Rania Hamdani, and Olivia Rupp.
What was even more amazing about the Lady Patriots’ twin triumphs is that many of the Revere girls finished among the top performers among the eight GBL schools, all of which were competing at the Reggie in their own meets.
Rupp was #1 in the mile and #3 in the 1000; Stamatopoulos was #1 in the 600 and #1 in the high jump (in a three-way tie for first); Yuong was in a three-way tie for #1 in the high jump, #2 in the 55 hurdles, and $2 in the long jump; Ramdani was #2 in the 300; Sahibi was #3 in the 55 hurdles; Cabrera-Rodriguez was #3 in the long jump; and Zierten was #4 in the 1000.
“Overall, it was an absolutely incredible start to the season for these girls,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “They have been putting in so much work and they are far surpassing what they did last year. The captains are absolutely stepping up big time. We knew Medford would be one of our hardest meets of the season and for them to come out and put up those numbers is truly impressive. They set the tone for the season and are ready to take on the GBL again.”
The Lady Patriots’ next contests vs. their GBL opponents is scheduled for January 9 when they will engage in a tri-meet with Lynn Classical and Malden at the Reggie Lewis Center, which is the venue for all of the GBL meets this season.
In the meantime, three team members (Olivia Rupp, Gemma Stamatopoulos, and Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez) will compete in the MSTCA Holiday Challenge at the New Balance track on December 28 and on January 4 there is the MSTCA Frosh/Soph Meet at the Reggie.
RHS boys edge Medford, 48-46
The Revere High boys indoor track and field team opened its season on a positive note with victories over Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Medford and Everett in a tri-meet last Thursday at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center.
In the victory over Medford, which was by a razor-thin margin of 48-46, Patriot Jeremy X. was the top scorer with 13 points, taking first places in the 55 and 300 meter dashes and a second in the long jump. Jeremy sped to victory in the 55 with a sprint of 6.85 and in the 300 with a time of 38.42. His long jump of 17′-6.5″ was good for second place.
The other first-place winners for the Pats were Oliver Escobar in the high jump with a leap of 5′-10″ (Oliver also took a third in the 55 dash); Kepler Celamy in the long jump with leap of 17′-7.5″; Bryan Maia, who led a Revere sweep in the shot-put with a toss 35′-11″; and Youness Chahid in the two-mile run with a clocking of 10:44.81.
Adding three points with second-place performances were Fajr Riazi in the shot-put; Edwin Alarcon in the mile; Adam Ourazzouk in the 1000; and Kenan Batic in the 600.
Contributing single points in a meet where every point mattered with third-place efforts were Amir Mustedanagic in the shot and Joey Angiulo in the 300.
The Patriots topped Everett by a comparatively wide margin, 53-47.
First-place finishers were Youness Chahid in the two-mile; Kepler Celamy in the long jump; Oliver Escobar in the high jump; Edwin Alarcon in the mile; Adam Ourazzouk in the 1000; and Kenan Batic in the 600.
Second-place points came from Kevin Vargas in the 55 hurdles; Mohammed Fares in the 1000; and Jeremy X. in three events, the 300 and 55 dashes and long jump.
Third-place efforts that added one-point to the Revere cause came from Bryan Maia in the shot-put; Joey Angelo in the 300 dash; and Oliver Escobar in the 55 dash.
Many of the Patriots’ performances ranked among the best in the GBL that night (all of the GBL schools were competing in meets at the Reggie at the same time).
Chahid was the top two-miler; Escobar was #1 in the high jump; Jeremy X. was #3 in the 300, #3 in the 55 dash, and #4 in the long jump; Ourazzouk was #2 in the 1000; Batic was #3 in the 600; Celamy was #3 in the long jump; and Alarcon was #3 in the mile.
Coach David Fleming’s crew will resume their GBL season on January 9 when they engage in a tri-meet with Lynn Classical and Malden at the Reggie.
RHS boys hoop looking for first win in tourney
The Revere High boys basketball team will be seeking its first win of the season this Friday when coach David Leary’s Patriots take on East Boston in the first round of the Malden Tornado Classic at 4 p.m. If the Patriots beat the Jets, they will play on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the championship game (if they lose, they will play in the consolation game at 4 p.m.) against either Malden or Stoughton.
The Patriots dropped a pair of contests this past week to Greater Boston League foes Medford and Lynn English.
In last Tuesday night’s match at Medford, Revere trailed 16-11 after the first quarter after a back-and-forth first five minutes. Senior tri-captain Josh Mercado (six points, three steals) made a corner three-pointer and senior forward Erick Mayorga (13 points, nine rebounds) had a few nice drives to the basket to pace the Patriot offense.
The second quarter was more of the same, as senior swingman Gio Alexandre (five points, six rebounds) came off the bench and drained a three-pointer and senior tri-captain Avi Lung nailed a trey and got fouled as time expired to leave matters at 33-27 in Medford’s favor at the half.
The third quarter did not start off well for the Patriots, as Medford scored the first three buckets after the intermission to push the Mustangs’ lead to 12. Senior tri-captain Ethan Day (31 points, seven rebounds, five assists) came out of the timeout with a purpose. The Patriots’ leading scorer struck for the next 13 points while the Patriot defense stymied the Mustangs, propelling Revere into a 40-39 advantage.
Medford called a timeout of their own and it led to the Mustangs ending the period on a 12-4 spurt to regain the lead, 51-44, heading into the final quarter.
The Patriots came out hot to start the final eight minutes with a Gio Alexandre put-back, an Erick Mayorga floater in the lane, and an Ethan Day three-pointer and a traditional three-point play bringing the contest back to level at 56-56 with about four minutes to play.
However, Revere could not stop Medford’s top guy, Justin Marino (24 points, 12 rebounds), and the Patriots offense came up dry at the biggest part of the game. The Mustangs ended the game on a 15-5 run to claim a 71-61 victory.
“We have some work to do, but we lost to a very good team,” said Leary after the tough loss. “I thought we fought back a few times in this game as we did against Everett the previous week, so I like our toughness when we face adversity. We just need to keep grinding and getting to know each other so we can win games and not just keep them close.”
Two nights later the Patriots made the short trrek to Lynn English, the defending GBL champions, but faced an uphill battle before the game started thanks to the flu, which sidelined two of Revere’s starters.
The Bulldogs, the perennial Big Dogs of the GBL, are a tough team to deal with, especially in their house, and the undermanned Patriots fell behind in the opening minutes, 11-4. English continued to expand their margin, taking a 24-11 lead at the first buzzer.
The Patriots seemed to calm down to start the second period and tried to take a bite out of the Bulldogs’ lead. Day made a few nice drives to the hoop and sank a pair of three-pointers, but Revere still trailed, 32-20, midway through the period. English then applied their aggressive full court press and the lead swelled before halftime, thanks to a lethal combination of scoring on turnovers and offensive rebounds, to move out to a commanding 52-28 at the intermission.
The second half proved to be a mirror image of the first 16 minutes, but a few Patriots made notable contributions, including Alexandre (six points, four rebounds), sophomore forward Nico Cespedes (four points, eight rebounds), and Mayorga (nine points, six rebounds). Day (23 points, four rebounds) continued to make some tough shots over the tall Bulldog defenders, but it was not enough to bring the game within reach.
The English defense suffocated the Patriots offense for the most part the rest of the way, handing Revere an 82-48 loss.
“No excuses, we just have to do a better job executing and becoming more consistent,” said Leary. “We have shown flashes in all three games, but we have also gone in long droughts without scoring. English is a well-coached and talented team and they took it to us. All we can do is keep learning, working, and improving so we can start winning games — and It starts in practice!”
RHS girls hoop hosts Malden Monday
The Revere High girls basketball team, which came up short to non-league opponent Whittier Tech, 49-37, this past Friday, will host Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Malden next Monday (December 30). The opening tip at Merullo Fieldhouse is set for 1:30.
Coach Ariana Rivera and her crew’s next contest is set for Thursday, January 2, when they will entertain Lynn Classical at 6:00.
