Gemma S. sets new RHS indoor record in the 400
Revere High senior captain Gemma Stamatopoulos set a new RHS girls record in the indoor 400 meter dash this past Friday at an open meet among the schools of the Greater Boston League that was held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.
Gemma’s record-setting time of 65.32 was the fastest among the girls who entered the 400 competition.
“The 400 isn’t typically run during the indoor season (the Mass. high school indoor track season includes the 300 and 600 meter events, but not the 400), so it was exciting for Gemma to get this opportunity to add her name to another school record,” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli.
Carolina Bettero held the previous mark of 67 seconds set in 2019.
Fellow senior captain Rania Hamdani raced the mile for the first time in her career at the meet and produced a clocking of 6:30. “Rania’s time was absolutely excellent, considering she wasn’t totally sure how to run it,” enthused MacDonald-Ciambelli. “Rania has the mileage from her time on the cross-country team, but to move to the track is a tough feat. She then came back to run the 400m in 69 seconds, a great time considering the mile event was less than 10 minutes beforehand.
Dayana Ortega took first place in the 55 hurdles with a time of 10.47.
“We’re looking forward to the Northeast Invitational this coming weekend to hopefully see some other school-record performances,” MacDonald-Ciambelli added.
RHS boys defeat Malden, 64-49
The Revere High boys basketball team earned a second straight win over a Greater Boston League (GBL) opponent with a solid 64-49 triumph over Malden in the opening round of the Patriot Holiday Tournament last week.
Revere got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 14-8 lead after one period, and never looked back.
Buckets from juniors Nico Cespedes and Wesley Nunez, a fast-break layup by sophomore guard Charles Dobre, and a huge contribution off the bench from junior transfer and forward Bryan David (who put together a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds), all helped to provide the Patriots with some early momentum.
The second quarter mirrored the first eight minutes. Senior tri-captain Isaiah Llanos made a fast-break basket, senior forward Adrian Sanchez hit two free throws, Nunez had a steal which led to another fast-break layup, and Dobre scored in transition as well.
Junior Forward Lucca Albano (15 pts) made a corner three-pointer and a basket plus the foul, increasing the Revere lead at the intermission to 28-17.
The visiting Golden Tornadoes came out of their locker room like a whirlwind to start the second half, draining five three-pointers in the third period. The Patriots tried to keep pace and were able to do so with baskets from Bryan David, Lucca Albano, and Wesley Nunez. The highlight of the quarter came from sophomore guard Charles Dobre, who made a steal and a breakaway dunk to shift the momentum back to the Patriots.
Despite their hot-shooting from beyond the arc, the Tornadoes were able to trim only two points off the Revere advantage, leaving matters at 46-37 at the third buzzer.
Revere senior tri-captain Devin Berry (six points, six rebounds), who’d had a quiet first three quarters because of foul trouble, scored all of his baskets in the final quarter. Nico Cespedes had a nice drive to the basket, Albano drained another three from the top of the key, and Bryan David had a nice put-back to keep Revere ahead of the hot-shooting Golden Tornadoes.
Dobre, who finished with a stat line of 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals, knocked down a corner three and streaked ahead for another fast-break basket, extending the Patriot lead and boosting the Patriots into the tournament final with the 64-49 victory.
“It was an important win for us for two reasons,” said RHS head coach David Leary. “We obviously wanted to be in the final of our tournament, but this was also an opportunity for us to get back to a .500 record in the GBL. We were proud of the energy that the whole roster gave us.”
The victory advanced the Patriots to the tourney finale against a Stoneham Spartans team that rolled past East Boston, 96-60, in its preliminary game and that Leary described as “a very talented and well-coached team.”
The Spartans, who play in the Middlesex League, entered the tournament with an impressive 4-1 record. The undersized Patriots did all they could in the first quarter to stay with the high-powered Spartans. Sophomore guard Charles Dobre made a layup, junior guards Wesley Nunez and Lucca Albano each added a basket, and junior Bryan David had a nice put-back and drained at three from the corner, leaving matters at 13-11 in favor of Stoneham at the first buzzer.
However, saw Stoneham begin to use its size, making it tough for Revere to score. Senior tri-captain Isaiah Llanos sank a trey from the corner and fellow captain Devin Berry hit two nice shots in the lane. However, the Patriots were only able to manage one more basket from Albano and went into the half trailing, 33-20.
Stoneham came into the game averaging well above 70 points per game and their talent and shooting became evident after the intermission. Revere tried several different defenses to slow down the Spartans, but did not have success.
Dobre added two more hoops and a free throw, Albano had a strong drive to the basket, and senior forward Omar Attabou drained a three-pointer to try to keep things close, but Stoneham pulled far ahead, 55-32, heading into the final period.
The Patriots turned to a different lineup in the fourth quarter. Senior tri-captain Nick Rupp had a nice drive to the basket. Llanos would add another free-throw and junior forward Nathan Brown hit two free throws (which were Nathan’s first varsity points).
However, the Spartans just had too much firepower in the end and claimed the 2025 Patriot Holiday Tournament championship with a 69-37 victory.
Revere sophomore guard Charles Dobre was awarded the Patriot Holiday Tournament All-Star plaque, representing the Patriots in the tournament.
Despite the one-sided outcome, Leary kept things positive, “Stoneham might be the best team we face all season long,” said Leary. “I felt like our game plan worked in the first half, but once Stoneham found their groove, unless we shot the ball ‘lights out,’ we thought it would be tough to keep up with those guys.
“Our kids should be proud of the way they competed in this tournament,” Leary continued. “Hopefully this gives us a lift heading into the GBL part of our schedule.” Revere was scheduled to host their crosstown rivals, the Red Devils of Chelsea, last night (Tuesday) in Round 1 of the Battle of Broadway, and then will travel to Malden tomorrow (Thursday) night.
They will host non-league rival Northeast Regional next Monday at 6:00 and entertain GBL foe Everett next Tuesday at 7:00.
RHS track girls do well in meets over vacation break
A contingent from the Revere High girls indoor track and field team competed in the recent Mass. State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) Boston Holiday Challenge at the Track at New Balance and in the MSTCA Distance Classic at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Senior captain Gemma Stamatopoulos competed in both meets and turned in superb performances. In the Holiday Challenge, Gemma put up two season-bests in the 600m and the high jump. In the 600m, Gemma took 14th overall in a super-competitive field with a time of 1:45.18.
“This wasn’t a personal record (PR) for Gemma, but this is exactly where we want her to be at this point in the season,” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli. “In a season that goes until February, I really want her to hit her peak at that time and this race proves she’s on the right trajectory.”
Gemma also jumped 4′-10″ in the high jump, which tied her lifetime PR and qualified her for the Division 2 state meet in February.
The following day in the Distance Classic, Gemma came back to run the 800m, placing fourth overall in another competitive field with a time of 2:30.18. “It was an Incredible weekend for Gemma as usual,” added MacDonald-Ciambelli.
Senior Captain Rania Hamdani also competed in the Holiday Challenge and raced to a lifetime PR of 45.93 in the 300m. “We have really been pushing for Rania to break that 46-second mark this season and it’s so great to see her do that so early on. Rania also led off our 4x200m relay squad at that same meet, splitting a 28-second 200m leg. The relay team of Rania, Jaliyah Manigo, Danni Hope Randall, and Zizi Kalliavas put up a 1:57.55.”
Senior hurdles captains Basma Sahibi and Dayana Ortega competed in the 55m hurdles in the Holiday Challenge and put up two season PRs, with Dayana running a 10.40 and Basma a 10.52.
Additional Lady Patriot competitors in the meets were senior captain Olivia Rupp and junior Emma DeCrosta. Olivia competed in the 1-mile in the Holiday Challenge and finished in 6:02, despite feeling under the weather. Emma competed in the 800m at the Distance Classic and ran a lifetime PR of 2:58.87.
RHS track boys do well at the GBL Open
A number of members of the Revere High boys indoor track and field team turned in strong performances at last Friday’s Greater Boston League (GBL) Open track and field meet that was held at the Reggie Lewis Athletic and Track Center in Roxbury.
The meet featured competitors from five of the eight GBL schools in a non-scoring format that gave the athletes a chance to stay sharp over the vacation break, as well as to compete in some events that typically are not part of the indoor track and field season.
Oliver Escobar was a double-winner for the Patriots. Oliver finished in first place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-8″ and outsprinted the field in the 55 dash with a time of 6.94.
Teammate Joey Angiulo was third in the 55 with his sprint of 7.02.
Kepler Celamy finished second in the 200 dash in 26.12.
Edwin Alarcon finished second in the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.86. Joey Angiulo was third in the 400 with a clocking of 56 flat.
Bryan Maia finished second in the weight throw with a toss of 41′-10.5″.
The 4 x 800 relay quartet of Thomas Waldron, Kosta Stamatopouls, Jacob Cantarero, and Carlos Perez-Acosta finished in second place with a time of 9:59.75.
A contingent of Patriots competed in the recent Mass. State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) Boston Holiday Challenge at the Track at New Balance
The top Patriot performances came from Jeremy X with an eighth-place finish in the 200 dash with a sprint of 23.03; Edwin Alarcon with an eighth-place in the 800 in 2:04.81; and the 4 x 200 relay quartet of Oliver Escobar, Joey Angiulo, Edwin Alarcon with a seventh place medal in a time of 1:34.46.
Noah Villaca shines for GBL wrestlers
Revere High’s Noah Villaca recently turned in an outstanding performance at the recent Wilmington Sons of Italy Tournament, placing second in the competition in the 215-pound weight class, for the Greater Boston League (GBL) co-op wrestling team.
“We have had a strong start to our season with multiple placers at tournaments,” said GBL head coach Eli Guttentag. “We are still looking for our first dual win of the year, after losing close in our home opener to Cambridge Rindge and Latin. This week we head to Boston Latin Academy and Excel High School. The team is full of first-year wrestlers who are being thrust into varsity competition and competing fiercely. I have no doubt that we will continue to improve and will be a force to be reckoned with come February.”
RHS girls basketball to host Malden
The Revere High girls basketball team, which returned to action after the vacation break yesterday (Tuesday) with a contest at Chelsea, will host Malden tomorrow (Thursday) evening at the Merullo Fieldhouse. The opening tip-off is set for 6:00.
Coach Ariana Rivera and her squad, who stand at 2-2 overall (2-1 in the GBL). will travel to Everett next Tuesday.
