Sports 12-12-2018

RhS sports Roundup

RHS girls basketball

opens season tonight

The Revere High girls basketball team opens its season this evening (Wednesday) when the Lady Patriots travel to Wellesley for a non-league encounter.

The Revere girls program will be under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Willis, who brings a wealth of experience — three years as head coach at Amesbury High and a number of years as assistant coach at Andover High — to the post.

“This has been a lot of fun and a great experience thus far,” said Willis. “The administration has been incredibly supportive. Revere is a big high school, but it has the feel of a tightly knit, smaller school.”

The 2019 Lady Patriots will be led  by senior captain Emily DiGiulio and junior captain Erika Cheever. “Both Emily and Erika have been great leaders and bring a strong work ethic that has been a great example for the team, especially our younger players,” said Willis.

Although Willis is inheriting a program that graduated a large senior class and lost all of its taller players, the Lady Patriots will be relying on speed, athletic ability, and a commitment to team play to forge a successful season.

Freshman Sklya DeSimone at point guard, junior guard Katie O’Donnell, sophomore Caroline Stacio, and freshman Carolina Batero are among the younger varsity girls whom Willis will be counting upon to mesh with the veterans to forge a pressing defense

“The team has been working incredibly hard,” said Willis, whose schedule includes tough non-league foes Wellesley, Melrose, Triton, and Fontbonne Academy. “We’re looking forward to the start of the season.”

After tonight’s opener, Willis and his crew will travel to Peabody on Friday and then will entertain Malden Monday (7 p.m. tip-off) in their home opener.

 

RHS girls track

opens with win

The Revere High girls indoor track team opened its 2018-19 season with a 44-40 victory at Danvers last Thursday evening.

“It was a great way to start the season and a very competitive meet,” said RHS heard coach Antonio LaBruna. “It’s always close against Danvers and they nipped us the last couple of seasons, so it felt good to turn the tables.”

Luana Barbosa and Kiana Napolitano led the way for the Lady Patriots, winning two events each. Luana captured the 55 meter high hurdles in a clocking of 10.4 and the high jump with a leap of 4’-7.”

“Luana ended last season high jumping 4’-6” and she ended up going 4’-7” in her first meet this year,” said LaBruna. “The state-qualifying jump is 4’10,” so that will certainly be a goal of hers this winter.”

Kiana sprinted to victory in the 55-meter dash with a clocking of 7.9 and tossed the shot-put 27’-3.5” to outdistance the field.

“Kiana had a tremendous meet,” noted LaBruna. “She’s just strong and really explodes coming out of the blocks. She can also throw shot-put and high jump, so having that type of versatility is huge for our team.”

Olivia Novoselsky was the other Revere girl to take first place in her specialty, the two mile run, with a time of 14:29.

“Liv ended up clinching the meet for us by winning the two-mile,” LaBruna said. “I put a little pressure on Liv before the race and told her that she needed to win to avoid the meet coming down to the relay (which Danvers won) and she delivered. She’s a fourth-year senior captain, so it was the perfect ending to a thrilling meet.”

Five Lady Patriots earned three points for the Revere side of the scoresheet with important second-place finishes:

Lily DellaIocono – 55M Dash – 8.3

Kathy Umanzor – 300M – 51.3

Fatima Hartout – Mile – 6:36.7

Jenna Wells – Shot-put – 26’ 8 ½”

Taylor Sujko – High Jump = 4’2”

Four Revere girls added crucial points with third-place finishes that contributed mightily to the triumph.

Jessica Vo – High Hurdles – 11.1

Taylor Sujko – 55M Dash – 8.3

Giulia Cincinnato – 600M – 2:02.3

Ghizlane Guisser – 1000M – 4:02.3

“We outscored them in the field events, 17-1, which gave us a nice cushion,” LaBruna added.

The Lady Patriots are set to be back in action for their next meet tonight (Wednesday) at the Merullo Fieldhouse when they host Everett.

 

Boys basketball hosts Peabody in opener Friday

The Revere High boys basketball team will open its season this Friday evening when the Patriots host Northeastern Conference rival Peabody. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the RHS field house.

“We obviously are coming off of a tough season last year (3-17), but we are coming back with a bunch of experience,” enthused RHS head coach Dave Leary, who guided the Patriots to a berth in the state tourney two years ago.

Senior guards Scotty Montefusco, Donato Colarossi, and Sebastian “Sebas” Vanegas return as three-year varsity players and all three will be counted upon to contribute on both ends of the floor with their three-point shooting and speed.

Senior centers Nick Ciciulla and Andres Mejia will be a presence around the basket with their ability to change shots and rebound on both ends.

Senior forwards Omar Bendjahene and John Leone will give the team a spark on the offensive end with their ability to drive and shoot the three from beyond the arc.

Senior guard Wilkens Altenor is a very good athlete and will help defensively and on offense as well. Junior EJ Leone returns for another year and will be asked to score, defend, and rebound. Junior point guard Amara Bockarie will help with pressure defense and his ability to attack on offense.

Junior big man, bruiser Scott Toglan, will be a presence on the boards. Junior guards Michael Hayes, Robert Raduazzo, and Derek Avery will be asked to help off the bench with their three-point shooting ability and tenacity on defense. Sophomore forwards Dillan Day and Wilfredo Martinez will certainly be a factor on both ends of the floor and have fit in nicely in the pre-season with a veteran group.

The Patriots have had three very-competitive scrimmages starting with the Burlington Jamboree against North Quincy and Burlington last Saturday. Revere then traveled down the highway to face East Boston and Hamilton-Wenham in a tri-scrimmage Tuesday night and held their own.

The Patriots showed up to the Lynn Jamboree Friday night to oppose Lynn Classical and were able to hold on after 16 minutes with a 23-14 advantage.

Revere was scheduled to have one more tune-up scrimmage against charter school power EMK from Boston last night (Tuesday) before the big home opener this coming Friday evening against Peabody.

“The coaching staff is very pleased with the commitment these guys have shown in the off-season and more importantly, with the commitment and growth they have shown towards each other,” said Leary. “They understand it is a privilege and not a right to wear that Revere jersey and represent this city.

“We play in a very tough league with no nights off,” Leary continued, “but if we stay together and stay positive, we think we have the talent and toughness to compete every night. The coaches are excited to see this group take on the challenge night in and night out.”

After the opener on Friday, the Patriots will make the short trek down Broadway and into Chelsea Monday night to take on the archrival Red Devils at Chelsea High at 7 p.m.

 

RHS hockey team

opens season this weekend at Bourne Tourney

The Revere High hockey team will open its season this weekend when the Patriots travel to the Cape for the annual Bourne Tournament.

Coach Joe Ciccarello and his crew will meet Dartmouth in the tourney opener Friday evening and then will face either Bourne or Westfield the following night. As usual, the team will stay overnight on the Cape on both Friday and Saturday evenings thanks to funds raised by the parents and the players in what always proves to be an early-season, team-bonding experience.

The Patriots will be facing some challenges this season with the loss to graduation of last year’s top-scoring line and starting goalie and the loss to injury of junior Mark Giordano (who tore an ACL during lacrosse season) and last year’s backup goalie, Brendan Sweeney, who is out with a hip injury.

However, Ciccarello has 21 players — of whom seven are seniors and three are sophomore goaltenders — and the RHS program, with the addition of some middle school players, will have a junior varsity team for the first time in a few years.

“The key to our success this year will be whether we play together as a team,” said Ciccarello, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the RHS program after eight years as the head coach at Savio Prep. “Whatever we are capable of achieving, it will be accomplished only if everyone is trying their best and moving in the same direction.”

The Patriots’ home opener is set for next Wednesday when they host Swampscott at Cronin Rink. Face-off is set for 6:30.

 

RHS boys track edged by Danvers

The Revere High boys indoor track team dropped a close, 48-38 decision at Danvers last week in the Patriots’ season-opener.

The outcome of the meet came down to the final event, the 4×100 relay. Danvers held a 43-38 lead going into the race, but a victory by Revere — giving the Patriots five points — would have ended the meet in a 43-43 deadlock. However, the Falcon foursome edged the Patriot relay team by five seconds with a winning time of 3:54.

Victor Pelatere and Fraynel Amparo Del Rosario took first place in individual events for Revere. Victor outran the field in the two mile run in a time of 11:10 and Fraynel captured the 55 meter hurdles in 8.8. Fraynel also earned a point with a third-place finish in the high jump with a leap of 5’-6”.

A number of Patriots turned in fine efforts to take second place in seven of the nine events: Lucas Barbosa with a high jump of 5’-6”; Rayan Riazi in the shotput with a toss of 35’-8” and the 55 meter hurdles with a clocking of 9.1; Cal Capozzi in the 55 dash in 7.2; Samuel Gonzalez in the 600 dash in 1:34; Christian Madrid in the mile in 5:04.5; and Jonathan Nushi in the two-mile in 11:19.

Adding single points to the Revere side of the scoresheet with third-place efforts were: Michael Adolphus in the hurdles in 9.5; Sebastian Bolivar Vanegas in the dash in 7.3; Yussuf Ali Buda in the 300 in 42.5; Erica Bua in the 600 in 1:37.2; Brian Perez Lara in the 1000 in 3:11.6; and Fabio Tran in the mile in 5:15.3.

The Revere boys are set to be back in action tonight (Wednesday) at the RHS field house when they host Everett.

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