WHS Sports Roundup

WHS girls 4 x 400 medals at State Meet

The Winthrop High girls indoor track & field team put an exclamation point on their outstanding season with superb performances at the Division 5 State Meet that was held this past Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.

Topping the performance list for the Lady Vikings was the 4 x 400 relay quartet of Fiona MacPhail, Nora McCarey, Sophia Munson, and Bea Holzbach, whose clocking of 4:23.45 was a season’s best that earned them an eight-place medal.

MacPhail started the girls off in strong fashion, leading the way in front of the other teams in the heat with a time of 65.0. Fiona passed off to McCarey, who ran a fast split of 67.4.

Next up for Winthrop was freshman newcomer Munson, who ran a fantastic split of 66.6. Sophia then placed the baton in the hands of Holzbach, who ran an unbelievable split of 63.0 to give the girls a final time of 4:23.45,  placing them second in their heat, a half second behind the leaders, and in eighth place overall.

The Lady Viking 4 x 200 foursome also ran a personal best time of 1:56.47.  MacPhail got the Winthrop team off to a fast start with her PR split of 28.8. Clare Nargi took the baton and sped off to a fast split of 28.5.

McCarey sprinted for a run of 29.7, passing off the stick to Izzy Mahoney, who finished strong with a split of 29.0, giving the girls a season’s best time of 1:56.47 and 12th place overall in Division 5.

In the individual events, captain Nargi turned in a fine performance in the 55 meter hurdles with a clocking of 9.74, placing Clare 17th out of a field of 32 to finish off her four-year indoor track career at Winthrop in fine style.

Captain Mary Kate Pote also came through with a strong performance, placing 15th in the shot-put with her throw of 29′-6″ to cap her six-year career (Mary Kate joined the varsity in the seventh grade) at Winthrop High.

Mahoney finished off a great season in the 55 meter dash with a time of 7.97.

“This was a great season for the Winthrop girls indoor track team,” said head coach Mark Damico. “We won an Northeastern Conference title for the first time in 32 years and the 4 x 400 team placed sixth at the Division 5 relays and then eighth in the Division 5 state meet.

“The girls have a lot to be proud of, accomplishing so many personal records,” D’Amico added. “The girls have a lot to look forward to for next year as well.”

On a side note, Fiona MacPhail did an unbelievable job singing the Star Spangled Banner for the opening of the Division 5 meet. Fiona, who has graced WHS sporting events with the National Anthem, received a huge ovation from those i attendance.

“Fiona’s performance made the hair on the back of your neck stand up, it was so unbelievably good, like a professional singer!” noted D’Amico.

Hubert just shy (0.007) of a medal at D-5 Meet

Winthrop High junior Bobby Hubert came up just short of winning a medal in the 55 meter dash at Sunday’s Division 5 State Meet that was held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

How close did Hubert come in the photo-finish? The razor-thin margin of .007 of a second (that’s seven/thousandths of a second) was all that separated Bobby from the eighth-place runner, with Hubert’s official clocking of 6.930 leaving him in ninth place behind the eighth-place boy, who finished in an official time of 6.923.

Teammate Patrick Haskell also narrowly missed earning a spot on the medal podium in the 300 dash. Pat finished in 10th place with a sprint of 37.97, which was just 0.51 behind the eighth-place runner.

The Viking 4 x 400 relay quartet of Haskell, Chris Rodriguez, James Silva, and Hubert likewise finished in 10th place with a time of 3:44.16, and likewise were barely edged out of a medal, barely behind eighth-place Austin Prep’s clocking of 3:43.52, a gap of just 0.58 of a second.

WHS girls fall short in bid for title

The Winthrop High girls hockey team fell just short in its bid for a Northeastern Hockey League (NHL) title, falling to Peabody, 2-1, last Wednesday evening at Larsen Rink.

The Lady Vikings entered the contest with a 7-2 record in the NHL, while Peabody came in at 7-1-1. Winthrop needed a victory in the contest to claim the 2020 crown — a tie would have given Peabody the title.

The battle between the top two teams in the NEC lived up to its pre-game billing, as the rivals battled to a 0-0 deadlock through the first two periods.

The Lady Tanners forged ahead when their NHL Player of the Year, Sammie Mirasolo, was the first to light the lamp.

However, the Lady Vikings responded behind a highlight-reel goal by Julia Holmes to bring the game back to level at 1-1. 

Winthrop continued to apply the pressure and almost potted what could have been the game-winner, but proved unable to light the lamp.

With 0:49 to go, and needing a win, the Lady Vikings pulled goalie Summer Tallent in favor of a sixth skater with a face-off in the Peabody end. However, the Lady Vikings lost the draw and the puck was controlled by Mirasolo, who slid it into the empty net for the game-winning — and championship-deciding — tally.

“This was a tough loess, but it was our best game of the year,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci, whose squad dropped a 7-1 decision at Peabody earlier in the season. “It was a war. The goal by Julia Holmes was one of the best goals I ever have seen in my 11 years as coach and the performance of Summer Tallent in goal was just about perfect.

“With such a young team, it was an incredible experience for all of them to play in a game of that magnitude, and for them to perform the way they did was fantastic,” Martucci added. “We would have loved to have won the game, but I was just so proud to be the coach of this team on that night.”

Three days later the Lady Vikings, who already have qualified for the post-season state hockey tournament, dropped a 5-0 decision at Billerica.

Martucci and his crew were scheduled to wrap up their regular season last night (Wednesday) against Wakefield and then will await word of their seeding and first round opponent in the tourney.

Boys hockey team splits two contests

The Winthrop High boys hockey team split its two contests this past week, defeating Peabody last Wednesday, 4-1, but then falling to Danvers, 2-1, on Saturday.

Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew were set to take on Saugus yesterday (Wednesday) in their season finale. The Vikings stand at 8-8-3 on the season and needed at least a tie with the Sachems in order to qualify for the post-season state tournament.

All star nods for WHS hockey

Six members of the Winthrop High hockey programs were selected as all-stars in their conferences this past week.

For the boys, Mike Brooks and Joey Holgersen were named to the Northeastern Conference all-star squad.

On the girls’ side, the quartet of Julie Holmes, Emma Holmes, Mia Martucci, and Summer Tallent were selected as Northeastern Hockey League all-stars.

WHS basketball teams wrap up seasons today

The Winthrop High boys and girls basketball teams will conclude their 2020 regular seasons today (Thursday).

The boys’ squad is scheduled to host Lynn Classical at the WHS gym at 2 p.m.

The WHS girls will make the short trek to Classical for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The Lady Vikings have been on a roll, winning their past four games, with triumphs over Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, and Ipswich. 

First-year head coach Joe Lowe’s and his crew already have punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney. After today’s game, they will await the announcement of their seeding and first-round pairing in the Division 4 North Sectional of the MIAA State Basketball Tournament.

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