Sports 06-06-2018

RhS sports Roundup

RHS girls lacrosse enjoys superb season

Although the Revere High girls lacrosse team dropped its first-round contest in the North Sectional of the Division 1 MIAA state tournament to Boston Latin on Monday by a score of 16-4, this has been a banner season for the Lady Patriots, who captured the Northeastern Conference South Division title for the third year in a row with a 10-0 record and achieved the best overall record in the program’s history under first-year coach Manny Lopes.

The Lady Patriots finished their regular season in fine fashion at 13-5 after winning their final two contests last week against Gloucester and non-league foe North Reading.

The Lady Patriots received strong play at both ends of the field throughout the 2018 campaign. Senior goalie Shataya Travis once again was solid in net and received strong support from a seasoned senior defensive corps of Danela Ortez (a team-high 22 knockdowns), Marina Robinson (18 knockdowns), and Allegra Penn (six knockdowns).

The Revere offense has been led by junior Kiana Napolitano, one of the premier players on the North Shore, who had a team-high 101 goals and 64 assists, the tops in the NEC this season. Kiana also broke the 300-point mark for her high school career.

Juniors Taylor Sujko (30 goals, 29 assists), Jenna Wells (16 goals, 33 assists), Emily DiGiulio (13 goals, 15 assists), Lili Dellacono (seven goals, nine assists), and Jannel Mercado (13 goals, 10 assists) also have played key roles in the Revere offense.

Junior midfielders Jessica Haggerty (eight goals, 10 assists) and Crystal Valente (six goals, five assists) and freshman Caroline Stasio (seven goals, three assists) also have made strong contributions to the Lady Patriot cause.

Revere’s contest toward the end of the regular season against perennial NEC North Division powerhouse Swampscott demonstrated how far the RHS girls lax program has come in the past few years.

The Lady Patriots trailed by an 8-2 margin at the half, but battled back after the intermission to bring the contest back to level at 9-9 with five minutes to play.

Although Swampscott fought back to score the game-winner and prevail, 10-9, Lopes was pleased with his team’s resiliency and effort.

“Strong team play and defense on both ends contributed to our comeback,” said the coach. “Draw control is 60-percent of the game. In the first half we won only 10-percent of the draws, but in the second half we won 90-percent of them.

The Lady Patriots were hoping for a high seeding in the state tournament, but were seeded 14th out of the 16 teams in the D-1 North. “We’ve been eliminated in the first round in the past two years, having played two of the top schools (#1 seed No. Andover in 2016 and #2 seed Winchester in 2017),” said Lopes. “We felt that if we received a seeding in the middle, we could make a nice run in the tourney.”

However, with the #14 seed, the Lady Patriots drew #3 seed Boston Latin, a team that had defeated Revere 16-10 in the regular season, as its first-round opponent.

However, despite the defeat, 2018 will go down in the record books as a superlative year for Revere High girls lacrosse.

 

A fitting Senior Night for RHS softball team

The Revere High softball team celebrated Senjor Night last Friday evening at the St. Mary’s Field in appropriate fashion with an exciting 4-3 victory over Cambridge.

The team members of the Class of 2018 who were honored before the contest for their contributions to the softball program were Victoria Correia, Alina Giuliano, Melaina Polan, and Mackenzie and Madison Cunningham.

The Lady Patriots had entered the contest with an 11-5 record, but had dropped a 3-1 decision to Cambridge two weeks previously. However, Revere turned the tables on the visitors in the rematch, thanks to timely hitting by Alexis Iacoviello, Olivia McManus, Alina Giuliano, and Victoria Correia that produced the Revere runs.

RHS starting pitcher McManus tamed the Lady Cantabs through the first six frames, limiting the visitors to just one run. However, a two-out rally in the top of the seventh — that began with Revere’e first and only error of the game — left the large crowd of Lady Patriot rooters on the edge of their seats. The error gave Cambridge some life, and the visitors took full advantage, reaching McManus for three straight hits that produced two runs and placed the tying run on first base.

However, Olivia bore down and notched the final out to preserve the victory.

“We knew Cambridge would be a tough game for us, but other than the lone error, we played well in the field, at the plate, and on the bases,” said RHS head coach Joe Ciccarello, who had words of praise for Adriana Keefe, who was involved in eight defensive plays at second base, and Melaina Poulan, who reached base on two bunts and scored two runs.

The victory was sandwiched between a pair of losses to perennial Northeastern Conference powerhouse Danvers last week and non-league foe Newton South on Sunday. In the Danvers contest, McManus spun a brilliant two-hitter, but the Lady Patriots’ bats were silent (two hits) in a 2-0 defeat.

Ciccarello and his crew closed out their regular season this past week, dropping a 5-2 decision to Chelmsford in extra innings last Tuesday, but then ending on a positive note with an 8-5 triumph at Swampscott.

In the Chelmsford contest, Revere rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the contest in regulation, but then yielded three runs in the top of the ninth.

“The Chelmsford pitcher looked very hittable, but she had a lot of spin and movement on her ball and we were unable to put our bats on it,” said Ciccarello.

However, the following night in Swampscott, the Lady Patriots’ lumber came alive. Correia blasted a two-run homer and teammates Danielle Dion and McManus also drove in two runs apiece.

The Lady Patriots also shone on defense. Freshman centerfielder Lindsay Anderson made a tremendous catch that took away certain extra bases for Swampscott and Correia made an outstanding play at third base in the game. “Lindsay tracked that ball like a pro,” noted Ciccarello. “Everyone thought for sure it was headed for the gap, but she made the play.”

The Lady Patriots, who punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney three weeks ago, were awaiting word of their seeding and first round opponent in the Division 1 North Sectional of the MIAA state tournament. That announcement was expected yesterday (Tuesday) .

 

Senior Night tonight for RHS baseball team

The Revere High baseball team concluded its 2018 campaign last Wednesday when the Patriots hosted Bedford at the high school field. The contest was highlighted by Senior Night festivities at which the members of the team of the Class of 2018 were honored for their contributions to the RHS baseball program.

There were three seniors:  First baseman Captain James O’Donnell, pitcher Shawn Goslin, and infielder Alex Baez.

Although the Patriots fell short vs. Bedford, the 2018 campaign marked a major improvement for the RHS baseball program under first-year head coach Michael Manning.

“I am very proud of the boys,” said Manning of his squad. “We had a young team, and this year was definitely step one in the process of learning all the little things – on and off the field — that translate to success. There were flashes of brilliance at times, especially in some of those one-run wins we pulled out, but there were also plenty of growing pains that come along with being so young.  We have 13 guys returning next year, many of whom had a starting role this year – so as long as they keep working in the offseason, the future is definitely bright.”

E.J. Leone was named NEC 2nd team All-Conference.  E.J. hit .448 on the season with 16 runs and 12 RBI, and contributed two wins on the mound.

Prior to the Senior Night contest, the Patriots were coming off a 14-4 victory over Matignon the previous Sunday. Revere  exploded for 10 runs in the opening inning and never looked back.

Revere starting pitcher Frank Sims went the first six innings, fanning nine opponents and allowing no earned runs.

The Patriots smacked 15 hits on the day, with E.J Leone, Kasey Cummings, Lucas Rincon, John Leone, and James O’Donnell all accounting for in multiple hits.

The contest was the consolation game of the Dick Scanlon Memorial Tournament in Wilmington. Patriots E.J. Leone and Alex Baez were named to the all-tournament team.

Revere dropped the tourney opener,  4-1, to Greater Lawrence Tech on Saturday. The Patriots managed only five hits against GLT’s starter, who went the distance.  Zach Furlong and E.J. Leone mustered two hits apiece in the losing effort.

The week before, the Patriots came up short in a 6-2 loss to Danvers despite out-hitting the Falcons, 7-6.  A lack of timely hitting proved fatal to the Patriots’ cause. Twice, in the fourth and fifth innings, Revere left runners on second and third with less than two outs, and then left the bases loaded with just one out in the sixth.

E.J. Leone led the offense, going 2-for-3.  Shawn Goslin threw five innings, yielding just three earned runs on six hits and walking two.

Revere Youth Baseball and Softball approach playoffs

By Jonathan Chang

Revere Youth Baseball and Softball (RYBS) is now wrapping up its regular season play and is approaching the playoffs, which begins either June 10 or 11, said RYBS Vice President Jason Smith.

The first round will be played a single-round elimination, while the next round will be either be a three-game series or a round-robin tournament based on the division’s size.

RYBS is a teaching league designed to teach kids “how to love baseball, respect themselves, teammates, coaches and umpires, and at the end of the day to have fun at what they’re doing,” Smith said—but it’s also trying to build a sense of community:

“People will not necessarily just come to their children’s games, but they’ll go to other people’s children’s games,” Smith said. “It’s more of a total experience than ‘let me come and watch my kids play baseball.’”

All teams will enter the playoffs, which makes the postseason competitive, but Smith said the competition isn’t the league’s priority.

“People really want to win, but that’s not the most important part,” he said. “The most important part is for the kids to have fun, and we try to fulfill that–win, lose or draw.”

Following the playoffs will be the All-Stars, when RYBS will send two Babe Ruth teams, four major and minor league teams, and two softball teams to the district tournament.

RYBS plays under the Cal Ripken division of Babe Ruth League.

Notes from RYBS VP Jason Smith

“Major League: Costa Beechin hit his first home run for the Diamondbacks this year, and boy did he make it count. The shot flew straight out of Baseball Field and ended up in the JV Field wowing the spectators and players as well.

AAA: Dom Belia pitched a gem, striking out 16 in six innings as the Angels defeated The Brewers 8-2.

Minor League: Mike Vetere was in a tricky situation, men on second and third and no outs in the last inning of a one run game. He rose to the challenge and struck out the side to preserve the victory for the Athletics.

T-Ball: Big Ben Lundy crushed the ball for the Hawks this weekend and made plays at shortstop that would make Derek Jeter blush.

Softball: We had another successful pitching clinic this weekend. The next generation of Revere Twirlers were hard at work perfecting their craft.”

Boston College High School announces new head football coach, Jonathan Brillo ’99

Athletic Director, Jon Bartlett, announced that Jonathan Brillo would take over the reigns as the Head Football Coach for Boston College High School beginning on July 1. Bartlett announced his departure on April 12 to focus on his role as Athletic Director of the all-boys, Jesuit, Catholic school.  Bartlett will continue to oversee the 19 varsity sports and hundreds of athletes in grades 7-12.

Brillo has been a part of the BC High football program for many years, serving as an assistant coach on the 2008 and 2011 championship football teams. “We are extremely happy that Coach Brillo is our next head coach. For the past 10 years on the BC High Staff, Coach Brillo has coached multiple positions and has coordinated both sides of the ball. He has without a doubt been one of our hardest working coaches, with the hours and preparation he puts in on the field and off. This work ethic and his ability to relate to our student-athletes will make him a successful head coach” said Jon Bartlett, athletic director. In addition to his commitment to football, he has been an instrumental part of the indoor and spring track teams, assisting in the 2009 indoor track championship team.

Jonathan is a graduate of BC High Class of 1999 where he played played football and participated in track. “I am confident that Jonathan Brillo will be a strong leader for the football program. I know he will continue to mentor and challenge our student-athletes to be their best selves in the classroom and on the field,” said President Grace Cotter Regan.

Brillo takes over a program that has seen great success under the leadership of Jon Bartlett. Each year, a number of student-athletes go on to play at the collegiate level. Brillo will seek to continue that record of achievement.

“I am truly honored and excited to be named head football coach of the Boston College High School Eagles. I want to thank President Regan, Principal Hughes, Athletic Director Jon Bartlett and those who sat on the search committee for this incredible opportunity.  I am eager to get to work and will strive to build on the current success of the program, and uphold the wonderful tradition that is BC High Football.”

Brillo graduated from Assumption College in 2003 and works for the City of Quincy. He resides in Rockland with his wife, Lindsay and daughter, Emma.

Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men in Grades 7 to 12. Founded in 1863, the school enrolls approximately 1,600 students from more than 140 communities in eastern Massachusetts. For more http://www.bchigh.edu.

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