Yuong is 3X-champ, leads RHS girls to GBL title
The Revere High girls indoor track and field team capped a perfect season, in which the Lady Patriots were undefeated in the dual-meet regular season against their seven Greater Boston League opponents, with a smashing victory last Monday in the GBL Championship Meet.
Revere topped the scoring chart with 126 points, with runner-up Somerville scoring 106. Third-place Medford was well back with 55 points, followed by Chelsea in fourth place with 50 points and the other four GBL schools (Malden, Everett, Lynn Classical, and Lynn English) in the bottom half of the table.
“The girls came into the meet with a goal to back up their undefeated season with a win and they did it,” said a jubilant RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli. “It was a tough meet with the score going back-and-forth the whole time until we really pulled away at the end. We were also battling some sickness and injuries throughout the team, so it was really a full-team effort to crank this out.”
Leading the way for the Lady Patriots, as she has since her sophomore year, was senior captain Liv Yuong, who scored 30 points (Liv was the leading scorer in the meet for both boys and girls) with three first-place finishes (for the second year in a row) in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 9.2 seconds, the long jump with a flight of 15′-7″, and the high jump with a leap of 4′-10″.
In the LJ, Yuong outdueled Chelsea sophomore sensation Thania Simon (who herself scored 28 points on the night with wins in the 55m and 300m dashes) to edge Simon by three inches.
“Liv went three-for-three again to be the GBL champion in all three of her events,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “Liv started out the meet with a huge 0.3 second personal record (PR) in the 55m hurdles, running a 9.25. She came back in the finals to better her PR by .01 with a 9.24. She three-stepped the whole race, which has been a huge goal for us. With some fine tuning, she should be able to get that time to 9.1 by D-1 states.”
Junior Gemma Stamatopoulos tallied 26 points with two first-place finishes and a third place. Gemma continued her undefeated GBL run in the 600m with a clocking of 1:43.72, which was three seconds faster than the second-place runner. She then came back to take the GBL title in the two-mile in 13:46.81. “The two-mile is an event that Gemma does not commonly run, but she is always willing to step in to gain some points for the team,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “She then took third in the HJ after running the two-mile. Jumping 4′-‘6″ on tired legs is not easy, but Gemma manages to handle multiple events in every meet.”
The sixth GBL championship won by the girls came in the 4 x 800 relay with the quartet of Genevieve Zierten, Gianna Chiodi, Zizi Kalliavas, and Olivia Rupp zipping around the track with a clocking of 11:41.51, which was 18 seconds faster than their second-place Somerville rivals.
“Gianna and Zizi are brand-new to the 800m and really stepped up for the team here when we were faced with illness and injury,” noted MacDonald-Ciambelli. “Zizi, a truly exceptional freshman, ran the 4 x 800m and then came back to run a 4 x 400m with only about six minutes to recover. That 4 x 400m relay quartet took third overall, so Zizi came away with two medals. I’m so proud of her.”
Olivia Rupp tallied 18.5 points for the Lady Patriots with second-place finishes in the 1000 and the one-mile to go with her stellar anchor leg of the winning 4 x 800 relay.
“Olivia took two massive second-place finishes for the team in the mile and 1000m,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “She ran a 5:42.82 in the one-mile, which bested her previous PR by another two seconds and qualified her for the D-1 State Meet. She then came back to take second place in the 1000m (3:26.55), running only one second off her lifetime PR. It’s clear that Olivia is at peak physical fitness right here and should be able to break that 5:40 mark at States.”
Francoise Kodjo added eight points for the Lady Patriots with her second place in the shot-put in which Francoise delivered a massive PR throw of 28′-3.5″, a performance that topped her previous PR by almost a full foot.
Valeria Sepulveda took home two fourth-place medals in the 1000m (3:38.57) and two mile (15:02.45) to contribute eight points to the Revere tally.
Third-place medalists, who scored six points each, were Gigi Zierten in the mile (6:17.05) and Basma Sahibi in the 55m hurdles (9.86). Gigi was only one second off her lifetime PR and Basma set a new PR in the 55m hurdles by over 0.5 seconds.
Neyla Vranic scored two points with her fifth place in the long jump (13′-10″). Contributing single points with their sixth-place finishes were Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez in the 55m dash (8.02), Danni Hope Randall in the 300m dash (46.91), and Jocelyn Lazo in the shot (24′-10″).
The 4 x 200 (Rania Hamdani, Danni Hope Randall, Dayana Ortega, Jaliyah Manigo) and 4 x 400 (Danni Hope Randall, Dayana Ortega, Zizi Kalliavas, Ashley Cabrera) relay teams each contributed six points to the Revere championship with third-place performances.
“The 4 x 200m third-place was crucial in putting us over Somerville,” noted MacDonald-Ciambelli. “Danni Hope Randall, the anchor leg, took the lead over her Somerville competitor right at the finish line with an absolutely incredible lean. Danni then came back to lead off the 4 x 400m relay with minimal rest in between. Dayana Ortega also was added to both the 4 x 200m and 4 x 400m teams at the last minute and helped us secure those crucial 12 points.
“What an absolutely incredible season it’s been and we’re still just at the start of championship season,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “The girls have been wearing pins on their uniforms this year in remembrance of former RHS track coach Peter Digiulio, who passed away in December. Peter was not only my track coach, but so many of the girls knew him through his time in the school system and his time as a track official. The RHS track program owes so much to this man and we are eager to ensure that his memory lives on.”
A number of the Lady Patriots who have qualified will be competing in the Division 1 State Meet that is set for today (Wednesday) at the Reggie.
RHS boys track wins GBL Championship Meet
The Revere boys indoor track and field team, which captured the regular-season Greater Boston League (GBL) title with a perfect 7-0 dual-meet record, took first place at the GBL League Championship meet that was held at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Boston last Monday.
Coach David Fleming’s Patriots scored 108 points, topping their closest rival, Somerville, by 14 points. “We knew it would be close against Somerville and that they would start strong,” said Fleming. “I told the team we might be down 15-20 points early on, but don’t panic. The plan was to pick up points as the meet went on.”
Leading the way for the Patriots was senior Youness Chahid who scored a team-high 24 points with a performance worthy of superhero Ironman, grabbing second-place finishes in three events, the 1000 meter (2:52), mile (4:43.17), and two-mile (11:11.09)
“Youness was a workhorse in this meet,” said Fleming. “I can’t say enough about his performance. He single-handedly kept us in it during the middle part of the meet.”
Sophomore Joey Angiulo was next on the scoresheet for the Patriots with 16 points. Joey took second place in the long jump with a flight of 18′-9.5″, third-place in the 300m dash with a clocking of 38.28, and ran a leg of the second-place 4 x 400 relay.
“Joey had an incredible rookie season for us,” said Fleming of Angiulo, who will be playing baseball this spring. “He’s an exceptionally great athlete. He works hard and always wants to get better. And he’s just a sophomore. He’ll be a force next season.”
Junior captain Jeremy X was the next leading-scorer for Revere, tallying 14.5 points for the Revere column on the scoresheet with a second-place in the 300m dash in 36.69 (which was just 0.01 behind the first-place winner), a fourth place in the 55m dash with a sprint of 6.77, and anchoring the winning 4 x 200 relay team.
“Jeremy’s a complete professional and can absolutely fly,” said Fleming. “He was less than a half-inch away from a win in the 300. He’s so fun to watch on the track.”
Senior Isaiah DeCrosta scored in double-figures for the Patriots, tallying 12 points with a third in the 55m hurdles in a clocking of 8.13, a fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5′-“4, and running a leg of the second-place 4 x 400 relay team.
Oliver Escobar also hit double-figures, scoring 10.5 points with a third in the high jump with a leap of 5′-6″ and as a member of the winning 4 x 200 and second-place 4 x 400 relay teams.
A key to the Revere victory was the team’s dominance in the relay events in which the Patriots outscored Somerville 28-16 with wins in the 4 x 200 and 4 x 800 and a second in the 4 x 400, showcasing Revere’s depth.
The 4 x 200 quartet of junior Oliver Escobar, junior Kepler Celamy, freshman Anthony Pelatere, and junior Jeremy X, who have qualified for the upcoming State Meet, won their race with a time of 1:36.65, which was 0.28 of second faster than second-place Malden.
“As he’s done all season, Oliver rocketed out to the lead and handed to Kepler, who ran his best relay leg of the season,” said Fleming. “Anthony (who is only a freshman) ran a hugely important third leg, fighting off other teams to keep the lead. And once he handed it to Jeremy, we knew it was all over.”
The winning 4 x 800 foursome of captain Kenan Batic, Edwin Alarcon, captain Mo Fares (captain), and Adam Ourazzouk crossed the line in 9:25.79, four seconds ahead of second-place Medford.
“We saved Kenan and Mo specifically for the 4 x 800,” said Fleming. “Kenan and Edwin got us out to a big lead and Mo and Adam held on strong for the win.”
The 4 x 400 squad of Edwin Alarcon, Joey Angiulo, Oliver Escobar, and Isaiah DeCrosta scored eight points with their second-place finish in a time of 3:44.67, which was just 0.78 behind the winning Chelsea team.
Additional point-scorers for the Patriots in their individual events were: Bryan Maia with a third in the shot-put with a throw of 42′-7″; Edwin Alarcon with a fourth in the 600 in a time of 1:28.79; and Kepler Celamy with a fourth in the long jump with a flight of 17′-9.25″.
“Over the past few years, we graduated several superstars like JV Cunha, Medy Bellemsieh, and Sami El Asri. In many ways, this is a new group,” said Fleming. “They blended really nicely with veterans like Isaiah DeCrosta and Kenan Batic, who came up under Sam Ros. It was exciting to see what they were able to accomplish this season.”
A number of the Patriot trackmen who qualified will be competing in the Division 1 State Meet that is set for today (Wednesday) at the Reggie.
RHS girls hoop defeats Somerville, qualifies for tourney
The Revere High girls basketball team punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with a 47-41 victory at Somerville last Tuesday. The triumph raised Revere’s overall record to 10-7, thereby assuring the Lady Patriots, who have three games left to play, of the .500 record that is needed to qualify for the post-season.
Coach Ariana Rivera’s Lady Patriots had dropped a 42-27 decision to the Lady Highlanders in the teams’ first meeting earlier this season, but Revere turned the tables in the rematch, overcoming a 25-20 deficit at the half with a ferocious defensive effort after the intermission that limited Somerville to just 16 points.
“We struggled to box out and rebound in the first half, leaving us down by five,” said RHS head coach Ariana Rivera. “We came out in the second half with some more urgency and showcased what it means to be ‘#RevereTough.’
“We interrupted their offense with lock-down defense and protected the paint at all costs,” Rivera continued. “Somerville had a couple of strong rebounders and most of their points had come from offensive boards in the first half. We adjusted and were able to gain momentum.”
The Patriots’ defensive performance was led by senior captain Marwa Riad and junior Shayna Smith, who combined for 15 rebounds. “Both Marwa and Shayna were faced with the two best players for Somerville,” said Rivera. “They were instructed to take these players out of their groove and they did exactly that. It was a great showcase of owning their roles on the court. “
Senior capt. Belma Velic turned in a powerful double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Senior point guard Nisrin Sekkat hit for 15 points while directing the Revere offense.
Captain Lea Doucette turned in one of her best games this season, chipping in with eight points and providing what Rivera termed “an unmatched spark off the bench.”
A key to the Revere victory was the Lady Patriots’ ability to protect the ball, resulting in fewer than 12 turnovers in the contest.
“We valued the basketball and played our game,” added Rivera. “We did not let Somervlle dictate either our offense or our defense and we came up with the win.”
Rivera and her crew have three games left in their regular-season schedule. They took on Boston United this past Monday, Everett last night (Tuesday), and will travel to Swampscott tomorrow (Thursday), which is a make-up of their game that was postponed because of last Thursday’s storm.
RHS boys need to run the table to reach tourney
The Revere High boys basketball team came up short in both of its contests this past week to Greater Boston League rival Somerville and non-league opponent Chelmsford.
In last Tuesday’s match with Somerville, the Patriots fell by a score of 73-64. This past Saturday the Patriots hosted Chelmsford and dropped a 51-47 decision.
The Patriots now stand at 6-10 on the season and will need to run the table in their final four contests in order to achieve the .500 record that is needed to qualify for the post-season and punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.
Revere was scheduled to travel to Tewksbury last night (Tuesday) and will host Brooke Charter School tomorrow (Thursday) that will tip off at 6:00 in Merullo Fieldhouse. They will participate in the General Patton Tournament during the holiday week at Hamilton-Wenham next Monday and Tuesday.
