Sports 01-31-2019

WHS Sports Roundup

Vikings win two more, skate into first place

The Winthrop High boys hockey team defeated a pair of Northeastern Conference North Division rivals this past week to move into sole possession of first place in the NEC North with a 7-1 record.

The Vikings earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Medford, which is in third place in the NEC North with a 4-4-2 mark, Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.

After a scoreless opening period, the Mustangs seized the initiative in the second period. However, the Vikings wasted little time in bringing the game back to level, with Joe Deeb, assisted by Sam Yarrow and Luke Evangleista, lighting the lamp.

Yarrow then scored what would prove to the game-winner, assisted by Brian Chalmers and Chris Finn, before the period ended.

The final 15 minutes proved to be an action-packed period of hockey, with both teams skating hard at both ends of the ice. However, the Winthrop defense and goalie Scott Skoczylas (25 saves) held firm to preserve the 2-1 triumph.

Last Wednesday the Vikings traveled to Peabody and came home with a 5-1 victory. Mike Brooks (his first of the season) from Chris Finn and Luke Evangelista, from Yarrow and Joey Holgersen, scored goals to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead at the first horn.

Corey Cherico (from Andrew DiMento and JD Parker) slid the puck home in the middle stanza and Yarrow put the game on ice with a pair of lamplighters in the third period (Luke Evangelista and Holgersen assisted on both goals) for the 5-1 finale.

Skoczylas once again was superb in goal, making 29 saves. The Vikings’ senior assistant captain sports a fine 1.60 goals-against average and has a save percentage of .934 for the season .

Senior captain Yarrow reached the 30-point plateau for the season. Sam has 14 goals and a team-high 16 assists. Assistant captain and fellow senior Luke Evangelista leads the Vikings in the goal-scoring department with 16 and has seven assists for a total of 23 points.

Holgersen, a sophomore, is next on the scoring chart with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points. Senior assistant captain Cherico is third in the goals column with seven and has four assists for 11 points. .

Senior captain and defenseman Finn has reached double figures for the season thus far with 11 points on two goals and nine assists.

Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew were set to meet Marblehead last night (Wednesday) at Salem Sate University in a crucial match-up in which the NEC North title is all but on the line. The Vikings stand in first place at 7-1 (11-3 overall) with Marblehead in second place with a 6-2-1 mark. A Winthrop victory, or a tie, will place the Vikings in the driver’s seat for the division championship, while Marblehead needs a win to remain in contention for the title.

The Vikings will host Danvers, which is in fourth place in the division with a 4-4-1 record, Saturday at Larsen at 1:30 p.m. Winthrop will be seeking to avenge its lone division loss of the season which the Vikings suffered at the hands of the Falcons on Jan. 8.

Winthrop then will travel to Endicott College next Wednesday to meet Beverly.

WHS boys basketball defeats Revere, 72-61

The Winthrop High boys basketball team overcame a slow start and then roared back in the second half to post a convincing 72-61 victory over archrival Revere last Tuesday evening at the WHS gym.

The visiting Patriots came out firing from long range from the outset, hitting on four straight three-pointers, to grab a 12-3 lead in the first two minutes of the contest.

Although Winthrop picked up the pace offensively, Revere continued with its hot shooting to hold a 37-27 advantage at the half.

However, the Vikings tightened up their defense after the intermission and began to work their way back into the game, eventually taking their first lead of the contest, 54-53, with five minutes to go, from where the Winthrop quintet pulled away for the win.

The Vikings featured a balanced scoring attack with four players in double figures. Senior Chrono Washington led the way with  23 points, followed by junior Engjell Ramadani with 14 points, junior Brayan Rodrigues with 11, and senior Chris Castro with 10. Sophomore Cam Conway made a solid contribution with nine points.

‚ÄúWe definitely responded at halftime,” said WHS head coach Dave Sacco. “We brought zero intensity on the defensive end in the first half and I let my guys know that. We‚Äôre not good enough to take possessions off and I thought that first half was our worst half of basketball defensively.

“We talked about holding them to 25 points in the second half in order to get ourselves back in the game and we did that,‚Äù Sacco added.

Winthrop traveled to Malden Friday evening and came up on the short end lof a 69-42 decision to the Golden Tornadoes.

‚ÄúAnytime you get on a bus and go in the road in the NEC, you have to bring your ‘A’ game,” noted Sacco. “It‚Äôs hard to win on the road in this league and right now we‚Äôre not doing the little things to win, no excuses.‚Äú

Sacco and his crew were set to host Marblehead this past Tuesday and will trek to Swampscott Friday evening. Next week they will entertain Peabody on Tuesday and make the long bus ride to Gloucester on Thursday.

Tip-off time for all games is 7:00.

Up-and-down week for WHS grils hockey

The Winthrop High girls hockey team clinched a spot in the post-season state tournament with a 7-2 victory over Beverly last Wednesday on the Lady Panthers’ home ice at the Ray Bourque Arena at Endicott College.

Senior captain Emma Carleton, the Lady Vikings’ leading scorer this season with 18 goals and 12 assists, was a one-girl wrecking crew, accounting for four goals and two assists. Teammates Olivia Driscoll, Kaiya Rodrigues, and Bella Perotti also lit the lamp.

WHS goalie Summer Tallent turned in another superb performance in the net. Summer played for 40 of the 45 minutes without allowing a goal. Senior Hayley McSwiney came on in the final part of the game and yielded two power play goals.

“Hayley has been a great soldier for our team,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “She works so hard at practice and is a great locker room kid. It was nice to get her in the game and to see her make some saves.”

Three days later the Lady Vikings traveled to St. Mary’s of Lynn for the annual rivalry game between the two schools. Winthrop dominated the first period, but could not finish their chances.

The second period showed why the Lady Spartans are among the top-ranked teams in the state as they reached the back of the Lady Viking net for five goals in a span of just seven minutes.

“We just made mistakes and they capitalized,” said Martucci. “They are a well-coached and very disciplined team. You make mistakes and they will make you pay and they did.”

The final 15 minutes were back-and-forth, with St. Mary’s netting the lone goal for the 6-0 final score.

This past Monday Winthrop dropped its second game in a  row for the first time this season with a 5-3 defeat to non-league rival Belmont.

“This was a tough one to swallow,” noted Martucci. “We dominated in every facet of the game except on the scoreboard. We just could not bury our chances and we had plenty.”

Perrotti (unassisted), Carleton (from Mia Norris and Brooke Costin), and Olivia Driscoll (from Abby Stafford) lit the lamp for the Lady Vikings.

“This was just another game where we made too many small mistakes that came back to bite us,” added Martucci. “We are struggling to pick up people in front of our net. Summer Tallent has been incredible all year, but right now she needs more help with picking up the other team’s sticks after she makes the first and second save.

“Jenna Dorr played well in this game,” continued Martucci. “She has a very good hockey mind and is a tireless worker. She battles so hard and knows where to be. Olivia Driscoll (seven goals, eight assists this season) gets better with each game. She is putting up points and doing pretty much everything for this team. She has really flourished in a major role for us this year.”

Martucci and his crew will trek to Salem State on Saturday for a 4:30 encounter with Marblehead and then will entertain Peabody next Wednesday evening at Larsen at 6:10 in a key battle with first-place implications in the Northeastern Hockey League.

WHS boys track defeats Classical

The Winthrop High boys indoor track & field team defeated Lynn Classical, 45-37, last Wednesday at Revere.

The Vikings won five individual events: Bobby Hubert, a double-winner, taking the shot put with a toss of 37’-3” and the 50 yard dash with a sprint of 5.8 seconds; Cam Martin in the hurdles in 8.5; Pat Haskell in the 600 dash in 1:41.3; and Cormac MacPhail in the 1000 in 3:02.6.

Second-place finishers for Winthrop who added three points to the Viking cause were: Ryan Kfoury in the 300 in 42.7; Matt Skoboleff in the 600 in 1:47.9; Ryan Cash in the mile in 7:46.5; and Michelangelo Marcoccio in the two-mile in 14:17.

Adding single points for third-place efforts were: Cody Wojcik in the hurdles in 9.1; Mark Goudge in the 600 in 1:48.3; and Andrei Opincaru in the two-mile in 16:00.

The Vikings also won the 4 x 400 relay with a time of 4:07 compared to Classical’s 4:19.

WHS girls edged by Classical, 46-40

The Winthrop High girls indoor track & field team dropped a close 46-40 decision to Lynn Classical last week.

Four Lady Vikings won their events: Marykate Pote with a shot put throw of 28’-2”; Daniella Zanelli in the hurdles in 8.2; Soneida Dahlquist in the 600 in 1:58.2; and Camilla Miranda-Llovera in the two-mile in 12:59.

Second-place finishers for the Lady Vikings were: Alexandra Gibbons in the dash in 7.3; Nora McCarey in the 300 in 51.3; and Brianna Marley in the mile in 6:40.3.

Third-place performances that scored single points for Winthrop came from: Clare Nargi in the hurdles in 8.8; Gianna Knapp in the dash in 7.5; Katerina Thano in the 600 in 2:11.4; Catherine Zuffante in the 1000 in 4:07.1; Mary Teixiera in the mile in 8:00.6; and Anyra Silva in the two mile in 14:57.

The Lady Vikings captured the 4 x 400 relay in a clocking of 5:07.8, 10 seconds faster than Classical’s quartet.

WHS gymnasts win two-of-three meets

The Winthrop High gymnastics team won two of its three meets this past week.

The Lady Vikings celebrated Senior Night in fitting fashion with a season-high point total to claim a 134.15-127 victory.

After the first event Winthrop led the Lady Panthers 33.1 to 32.75. Starting Winthrop’s vault line up was Julianna Guzman with a 7.4. Mary O’Donnell scored 8.15 with Megi Zogasi and Danielle Carter, scoring an 8.2.

Brandi Dicicco took third place with an 8.35. Leading the Vikings was Rachel Farley with her signature, full-twisting handspring, scoring 8.4 for second place.

Uneven bars proved to be a clutch event for the Lady Vikings, outscoring Beverly 33 to 29.45. After two events the Vikings took the lead 66.1 to 62.2.  Charlotte Hurley started the scoring with a 7.2, followed by Mary O’Donnell with 7.8.

Alayna Ronan was up next with a 7.9 and Rachel Farley turned in a clean routine receiving an 8.1. Megi Zogasi hit her routine scoring an 8.3 with Brandi Dicicco taking first place with an 8.7.

The Beverly team fought back on balance beam, scoring 32.3, but Winthrop outmatched them routine-for-routine. Sage D’Amelio started beam off with a 6.7 and Jillian Lerner scored a 7.45. Mary O’Donnell next in the line-up scored 8.05, followed by Megi Zogasi’s clutch beam routine scoring an 8.3.

Alayna Ronan breezed through her routine with an 8.45. Taking first place for the Vikings was Brandi Dicicco with a season-high and first 9.05 on the balance beam for the Vikings all season.

After the third event Winthrop led by a small margin, 99.95 to 94.5. Leading off the floor exercise, Emily Rodriquez scoring an 8.05 followed by Alayna Ronan’s 8.15. Danielle Carter was up next with an 8.35. Gabriella Giuffre tied with Rachel Farley, scoring 8.5.  Close behind but not outdone, Brandi Dicicco scored an 8.85, tying Beverly for first place.

Winthrop then traveled to Essex Tech for their first competition at the agricultural school. Both teams were locked into the closest meet of the season. After the first event Winthrop was behind 33.8 to 33.325. Up first for the Vikings, Juliana Guzman scoring a 7.7. Megi Zogasi vaulted next, scoring an 8.1. Brandi Dicicco scored an 8.25 with Mary O’Donnell and Rachel Farley tying with an 8.3. Taking third was Danielle Carter with an 8.495.

Heading to their second event Winthrop fought back, outscoring Essex 32.2 to 31.5 to take a slight lead after two events, 65.525-65.3. Starting the bar scoring were Megi Zogasi and Mary O’Donnell with 7.6 and 7.7, followed closely by Danielle Carter and Alayna Ronan with 7.8 and 7.9.

Rachel Farley turned in a personal best on bars with an 8.2 and leading the Vikings was Brandi Dicicco with an 8.3.

The third event, balance beam, started off with solid performances by Sage D’Amelio, scoring a 7.25, and Mary O’Donnell with an 8.0. Finishing extremely close were the next three Vikings, Megi, Brandi, and Danielle, scoring 8.25, 8.3, and 8.325.

Taking first for the Vikings with another clutch beam routine was Alayna Ronan, scoring an 8.65.

Heading to floor exercise with a slight lead of 99.05-97.15, Emily Rodriquez started the Vikings with a season-high of 8.15, followed by Alayna Ronan 8.4. Brandi Dicicco posted an 8.6 with Gabriella Giuffre and Danielle Carter tying with an 8.8. Leading the Vikings and taking first place in the meet was Rachel Farley with a season-high of 8.975 for a final score of Winthrop 134.225- Essex Tech 131.05.

Heading into the last dual meet of the season vs. Danvers, the Vikings were in second place in the Northeastern Conference with a record of 6-1, tied with Danvers. The Vikings headed into the meet a slight underdog and knew they had to be at their best.

First up on vault was Juliana Guzman, scoring a 7.2, followed by Megi Zogasi sticking her vault for an 8.05 and Mary O’Donnell’s 8.15. Rachel Farley did her signature full-twist, scoring an 8.5. Danielle Carter was next up for the Vikings, trying a new flipping vault and scored an 8.3.

Trying to make up for a Danvers lead on vault, Winthrop’s all around Brandi Dicicco followed Danielle and tried a round off back somersault over the vault. Coach Pete Gobiel said, “That’s The first time she’s ever tried that vault in competition.” Landing her first vault a little short, Brandi made the right adjustments and nailed her second vault for a season-high and personal best of 9.15.

Heading into bars a little behind, the Vikings had to hit all their routines. Leading the way, first-up Mary O’Donnell hit her routine for an 8.0, followed by Rachel Farley who hit her routine for an 8.05. One by one the Vikings kept hitting their bar routines with Alayna, Danielle, and Brandi scoring 8.2, 8.3, and 8.35.

Finishing off the bar lineup, freshman Megi Zogasi scored a personal best and season high of 8.4.

On the balance beam, first-up Jill Lerner scored a 7.35, followed by Megi Zogasi scoring an 8.15. Sophomore Danielle Carter and freshman Mary O’Donnell both hit their routines for an 8.4 and 8.45. Tying Danvers for second place was eighth grader Alayna Ronan with a season high and personal best 8.7.

Finishing up for the Vikings was freshman all-around Brandi Dicicco, performing a flawless routine, hitting her season high and personal best 9.2.

The Vikings beat Danvers on balance beam 34.75 to 34.55.

The final event, the floor exercise, was next. Leading off for the Vikings, Emily Rodriquez scored a 7.6. Alayna Ronan came through with a clean routine, scoring an 8.45. Gabriella Giuffre and Brandi Dicicco both hit their routines for an 8.65 and 8.7. Sophomores and best friends, Danielle Carter and Rachel Farley, both performed great routines, tying for second place with 8.9’s. The final score had Danvers winning, 140.7-137.25.

Next up for the Vikings is the conference meet Saturday at the Yellow Jackets facility in Middleton at 5:30.