Sports 05-11-2017

WHS SPORTS roundup

Wallace shines again in 5-1 win over Swampscott

Jack Wallace continued his superb string of performances for the Winthrop High baseball team, leading the Viking to a 5-1 victory over Swampscott this past Monday.

Wallace spun a two-hit gem in which he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, striking out 11 and walking only two.

“It was the best game Jack has pitched this year, and perhaps in his high school career,” said WHS head coach Frank DeMarco of the right-hander. “He was overpowering.  Only two balls were hit to the left side of the infield in the entire game.”

Wallace also had an RBI to help his own cause. Viking teammates who provided the offensive firepower were Chris Zuffanti, who had an RBI and scored a run; Jaidon Brown, who was on base three times and scored two runs; and Jake Adamson, who had two hits and scored a run. Adamson also was cited by DeMarco for a solid defensive effort.

Winthrop was scheduled to travel to Peabody yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Gloucester Monday. They will go to Medford next Wednesday.

 

Boys lacrosse team defeats Swampscott

The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team improved to 8-4 on the season with an impressive 9-5 victory over a strong Swampscott squad this past Saturday.

Pat Sennot reached the back of the Swampscott net for the Vikings’ first three goals and teammate Brian Chalmers would score four of his own throughout the contest. WHS senior captain Steven Rodgers accounted for the other two Winthrop tallies.

A key to the Viking victory was the performance of the defense. “Our defense, led by seniors Kevin Barrera, Jonathan VanDalinda, and Neville Nowack, held a powerful Swampscott offense to only five goals,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly. “Our goalie, Andrew DiMento, had 12 massive saves.

“We have six games left and want to finish as strong as possible going into the playoffs,” added Donnelly.

The Viking laxmen were scheduled to play at Gloucester yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Malden today (Thursday) at Cellucci Field. They will travel to Lynn English Monday and entertain St. Mary’s of Lynn Wednesday. Revere will come to Cellucci next Thursday for what should be a hard-fought battle.

 

WHS sailing team defeats Beverly

The Winthrop High sailing team, under the direction of coach Catherine Domina, earned its first victory of the season recently against Beverly in a regatta held at the Cottage Park Yacht Club.

The winning boats  for the Vikings consisted of the teams of Ella McCarey & Emily Donovan, Andreas Simon & R.J. St. Jean, and Stephen Tracy & Elizabeth Collins.

“It was a close match, and as it was team racing, all three scores combined had to beat the three combined scores of the opponent’s team,” said Domina.

The Viking sailing team this year is made up of long-time sailors as well as newcomers to the sport of sailing.

“The mixed skill-level makes a good opportunity for the more experienced sailors to take on a leadership role,” noted Domina, who cited the positive influence of  team captains Ella McCarey ‘20 and Andreas Simon ‘19.

“Samantha Skobeleff ‘19, Elizabeth Nolen ‘19, and Carly Zinko ‘20 are our totally new sailors, who nonetheless have braved the cold, wind, rain, and sea,” noted Domina, referring to the less-than-ideal conditions of what has been a raw and rainy spring season on the water. “Their efforts are also notable for being adventurous enough to try a new sport. We also have a couple of eighth grade sailors, Antea Schlichting and John Cataldo, who show promise for the varsity team next year.”

Domina said that her squad, which practices out of the Cottage Park Y.C., has shown a desire to work hard and improve. “Their ability to work as a team has been demonstrated not only in the motions of sailing itself, but also in the hard work of lifting boats to and from the water and even learning how to assemble a small sailboat from its pre-season condition,” said the coach. “As a team they have refined their sailing skills since the beginning of the season.”

Domina and her crew were scheduled to travel to Swampscott yesterday (Wednesday).

 

WHS girls lacrosse defeats Malden, 15-8

 

The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team improved to 3-5 for the season with a 15-8 triumph over Malden last Wednesday.

Emma Carleton, Abby Carleton, and Deanna Pucillo scored the goals for the Lady Vikings. Coach Ben Cimmino awarded the Offensive Player of the Game (POG) to his entire offensive unit. Jean Guerra received the Defensive POG honors and Fatma Tufa took home the Berserker Award for her incredible effort in goal.

The Lady Vikings’ next game is set for today (Thursday) at home against Gloucester at Cellucci Field. They will host Swampscott Monday and then hit the road to Saugus on Tuesday and to Essex Tech on Wednesday.

 

Down-to-the-wire: Girls track defeats Classical in final event

 

The Winthrop High girls outdoor track & field team needed every point Monday to pull off a victory against the Lynn Classical Rams.

When the contestants lined up for the last individual event of the day, the 200 dash, Classical held a 62-59 lead. In order for the stage to be set for a winner-take-all showdown in the final event of the day, the 4 x 400 relay, Winthrop needed at least four points in the 200.

Winthrop speedsters McKayla Norris and Jenna Dorr did their part, with McKayla grabbing a strong second place for three points and Jenna finishing centimeters ahead of her Classical opponent to earn a point for third-place.

Their efforts left matters at 67-63 in Classical’s favor, with the five points at stake in the 4 x 400 relay looming as outcome-determinative of the meet.

The Winthrop quartet of Fiona MacPhail, Clare Nargi, Regina Garufo, and Heidy Benson rose to the moment, with all running a clean relay to secure a Lady Viking victory.

Christa Vaccaro led all scorers on the day with 16 points that included a trio of first-place finishes in the 400 hurdles in 72.6, the 100 hurdles in 17.2, and the long jump with a leap of 14’-6”. Christa continues to close on the 80-point mark for the season.

In addition to her heroics in the 200 dash, Norris placed first in the 100 dash in 12.5 and third in the high jump, clearing the bar at 4’-6”.

Garufo won the 400 dash in 66.2 and Benson remained undefeated in the 800 with a clocking of 2:32.

Other first-place finishers for Winthrop were Mary Kate Pote with a shot-put toss of 26’-4”; Gabby Hinchion with a spin of the discus of 76’-7”; and Caroline Zuffanti in the mile with a clocking of 6:54.

Second place finishers for Winthrop were: Camila Miranda Llovera in the two mile in 13:36 (Camila also grabbed a key third place in the 800 in 3:01); MacPhail in the 400 dash in 66.5; and Shanel Turansky in the high jump with her leap of 4’-8”.

Alex Gibbons had what WHS head coach Warren MacPhail termed “an awesome personal record” in the triple jump with a final landing of 27’-6”.

The recipient of the Milano Cookie Award was Dorr, who came through with the  biggest point of the day with her third place performance in the 200 in 31.6.

“Jenna came through with an outstanding performance when we needed it the most,” noted MacPhail.

The Lady Vikings, who now stand at 5-1, cruised past Salem last week, 110-16, in a meet that saw Winthrop win 11 of the 13 events. Zuffanti was the recipient of the Milano Cookie Award in recognition of her 13 points on the day, which included wins in the mile and javelin.

 

Miranda-Llovera wins NEC Frosh/Soph Meet

 

Lady Viking Camila Miranda-Llovera became a Northeastern Conference champion by winning the two-mile event in a time 13:13. Camila out-sprinted a Peobody runner down the stretch to secure the victory. Teammate Fiona MacPhail also had a strong performance at the meet, coming home with a third-place ribbon in the 400 hurdles in a clocking of 76.4.

On the boys’ side, Tony Nargi ran a superb race in the 800 to earn a second-place medal in a time of 2:11. ) Cormac MacPhail came ever-so-close to breaking the five-minute mile barrier with a clocking of 5:00.23.

 

WHS boys track performs well

 

Although the Winthrop High boys outdoor track & field team has come up short in recent meets, a number of Vikings have performed well and have combined to make every meet competitive.

Andrew Mcgrail has been a beast in the discus and shot-put all year for coach Mark D’Amico’s squad. Dave Navarro has been a double threat in the sprints and jumps, while Will Holden has been super strong in the mile.

Tony Nargi has brought his Irish roots to middle distance by running like the wind in the 800. Cormac MacPhail has filled up the hurdle void (which has been missing for years ) by stepping up for Coach D and becoming  a triple treat athlete in the hurdles/jumps and distance

Nick Beshere’s two-mile times continue to drop weekly.

 

WHS softball team defeats Beverly, 5-1

 

The Winthrop High softball team earned what coach Dave Guffey termed “our best win of the season” with a 5-1 victory at Beverly Tuesday.

Lady Viking pitcher Kaitlyn Carter turned in her top performance of the year, pitching six innings in which she allowed just three hits, while walking only two and striking out two.

Stephanie Strangie came on in the final frame to earn the save, yielding just one base on balls and getting all three outs via pop-ups.

Winthrop did most of its damage in the third inning. After Callie Peterson singled and Ashley McGoinagle walked, Maddie Fainga’a singled to load the bases. Carter executed a bunt to squeeze home Petersen. A ground out by Bella Perrotti brought in McGonagle and Fainga’a scored on an error by Beverly on a grounder by Jess Martin.

The Lady Vikings added two more in the fourth. After McGonagle singled and Fainga’a drew a base-on-balls, a Beverly error on a Perrotti grounder and a base hilt by Martin produced the pair of Winthrop tallies.

Last week the Lady Vikings outslugged Malden to come away with a 14-13 victory in extra innings. Emma Carney delivered a double in the eighth to score Maddie Silverman with the winning run.

Coach Dave Guffey and his crew, who stand at 4-7 on the season, have a busy week ahead. They were set to host Peabody yesterday (Wednesday); entertain Pope John of Everett tomorrow (Friday); play Gloucester in a doubleheader Saturday morning at Bentley College starting at 10:00; host Medford next Wednesday; and trek to Greater Lowell Tech next Thursday.

 

 

 

From the Press Box

The Century Mark

By: Jim Lederman

For two Vikings the lacrosse program at Winthrop High School is a few years old. Last week two outstanding Viking ‘Lax’ players, reached a milestone for their respective lacrosse teams.

Abby Carleton and David Barry are two three-sport standout athletes. Abby and David reached the 100-point club recording their 100^th goal in their Viking careers. The two senior athletes are cousins and outstanding student-athletes at WHS.

Abby is a three-sport captain, soccer, hockey and lacrosse. David is also a three-sport captain. Abby will head to Amherst to study at the Eisenhower School at the University of Mass in September. David will travel to Connecticut to study at Quinnipiac College.

Abby hit the century mark with four goals in a (16-11) loss to Matignon. ON Tuesday, Abby added 9 goals in a Lady Vikings (15-8) victory over the Malden Golden Tornadoes. The Vikings are crushing the new GBL schools (Everett, Malden, Somerville and Medford). Abby was voted to the All-Star teams in hockey (Lady Bu8lldawgs) and she is a definite Lax all-star.

David Barry was named to the prestigious NEC hockey all-star team, playing for coach Dale Dunbar’s hockey sextet.

Raise the Stix!

We salute Abby and David!

Let the Games Begin!

 

Doctor Harry

There have been many people who have served our wonderful community in many professional ways, but Harry Oficos was admired by many generations over the years.

Harry passed away last Friday after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Harry started his career as a pharmacist at Samuels Pharmacy.

In 1984, Harry purchased Brown’s Pharmacy, serving our community for 32 years. Harry assisted many close friends and life-long customers.

In speaking with many friends, they would often comment on his patience and advice on family health issues.

Harry would start his long day with a quick stop at the ‘legendary’ Kane’s Donuts in Saugus.  His day began at 9 a.m. behind the counter serving coffee and donuts. He would work seven days a week filling prescriptions and offering advice to many families.

Harry leaves his wife Jeanine, sons Jonathan and Matthew and daughter Alyssa.

Winthrop was blessed to have a caring professional like Harry O.

May he rest in peace!

 

 

Wallace-King of the Hill

The Vikings defeated the ‘Big Blue’ of Swampscott (5-1) behind the masterful pitching performance of senior Jack Wallace, ‘on the hill’ at Veterans Field.

Jack spun a two-hitter, striking out 11 (eleven) ‘Big Blue’ players. The ace of the Winthrop staff is one of the top pitchers on the North Shore and a NEC All-Star on the mound.

The Vikings improved their record to (5-9) and knocked off one of the top teams in the conference.

The Vikings received key hits from Luigi Spinazzola and Jack Wallace.

The Vikings are shooting for a playoff game in the MIAA Division 4 playoffs. The Vikings play the Gloucester Fishermen next Monday (May 15^th) at Veterans Field.

Let’s Go Vikings!

Let the Games Begin!

 

 

The Old Field House

I watched the construction company tear down the ‘old Miller Field House’ last week. The ‘old building’ had plenty of memories. The House was built in 1940.

I had to reflect back to my last shower on ‘Turkey Day’ in 1959. The old rapid transit bus brought me back after a thrilling (22-16) victory over Danvers on the holiday.

I am sure players like Bob Milne, Mike Williams, Frank ‘Buster’ Ferrara, the DeFelice boys – Frank and Bobby, Richard Lawton, Tony Brogna, Bob McDuffee, Kenny Goddard, Steve Calla, John Tipping, Bob Katz, Ray Yavner, Tommy Trainor, Dick Morgan, Bob DePippo and many more Viking football p layers, remember their ‘ locker room’ and showers in the field house circa (1950-1960’s).

The old Miller Field track also had loads of outstanding trackers coached by Wallace B. McClean and Matty Boyle, inductees in the prestigious “WHS Athletic Hall of Fame.”

I can recall Gus Foley and Tommy Cardoza establishing new records in the mile. Mike Williams setting scoring records in every track meet in 1959 (Mike played football at Southern Illinois). Arnie Springer, setting a new record in the high jump (broken by Lou Hinckley) old shot putters like David Davis, Herb ‘Tiny’ Shuman, Randy Herdt, Michael Brenner (tackle on the 1981 super bowl champs), Mike played at Rutgers University, Gus Martucci broke the record of eating the most sub sandwiches (from the legendary Terrie’s Sub Shop).

There are so many memories of the old stadium and field house – I think I will write a book “Miller Memories.”

We all look forward to the first football game on the new football turf stadium. The track could have the Pat McGee Track, label on the new track to begin in 2018!

Yes, a lot of progress has taken place and we hope it will be done for the Winthrop-Revere game in November 2017!

Let the Games Begin!

 

 

Faces in the Crowd

I watched a ‘father and daughter’ playing golf at the Winthrop golf Club from the 19^th hole on a sunny, Thursday afternoon!

Peter Finn and Kristen Finn were on the green on the sixth hole. Kristen was a NEC all-star basketball and softball standout for the Vikings and at Bates College.

John Tipping – WHS Hall of Fame inductee in the 1964 undefeated NEC champs was on the course, Charlie ‘Big Cat’ Jesson was telling stories, a couple of 90-year old players, John ‘the Barber’ Cimmino and Richie Minichello were in the house.

A proud father David Barry was leaving to watch his son David play lacrosse. Davis’s mom – Katie was at Celluci Field to watch David score a goal in the battle with the ‘Big Blue’ of Swampscott. Lloyd Lyons, enjoying his retirement and John Lyons were cheering for Christian Lyons on the lacrosse field for the Vikings.

President Joe Ferrara (number 53) the bartender was enjoying lunch. Paki the cousin of the Duke – Gino Dawson also in the house.

The course looks great at the legendary Winthrop Golf Course.

Let the Games Begin!

 

Mike Williams cruising in his new Corvette. The speedster held the 100-yard dash records for 25-years at WHS. Mike was a free agent tryout with the Boston Patriots before tearing his knee. Steve Staffier 1984 trackster ran in the finals in New England – Staffier played football at the U of Miami – another Division One Bob DeFelice graduate. Go Hurricanes!
 

The Spartans are Coming

The rivalry with St. Mary’s of Lynn has heated up over the past four years for Vi kings teams.

The battle between the Lady Vikings hoop team and St. Mary’s for the ticket to the North Division title at Esser Tech was a classic.

The Lady Vikings led by the Tsiotos twins – Poli and Niki and Kristen Siscamanis was won by the Lady Vikings in 2015 was a classic.

St. Mary’s had an undefeated football team in the football game played at Manning Field. St. Mary’s won a decisive game the Spartans lost in the super bowl.

This past winter St. Mary’s had a championship hockey team. Many of the Spartans players are on the St. Mary’s lacrosse team.

The Vikings lacrosse team is led by Dave Barry, Mike Lane, Brian Chalmers and Pat Sennott. The Vikings vs. St. Mary’s battle will be next Tuesday, May 16^th – 4 p.m. at Cellucci Field. – 4 p.m.

Let’s Go Vikings!

Let the Games Begin!