WHS SPORTS Roundup

Conway powers WHS boys basketball to three straight wins to wrap up 2021 season

The Winthrop High boys basketball team concluded its 2021 season in magnificent fashion with a run of three straight victories this past week.

“These guys came a long way over the course of 16 games,” said first-year WHS head coach Mike Triant. “It was nice that they got to see the fruits of their labor at the end and the important lesson to keep working hard and practicing doing things the right way regardless of results.”

The Vikings opened their winning week with an exciting 57-54 triumph over Salem Charter last Wednesday on the Tsiotos court at Winthrop High.

Although Winthrop led the entire way, save for a three-point bucket by Salem to open the game and an 18-18 deadlock early in the second period, the Vikings never were fully able to shake loose from the visitors, whose coach was ejected by the refs midway through the third period.

Whenever Winthrop opened up a double-digit lead, Salem stormed back to keep things close. With 3:00 to play, the Vikings held a slim 51-47 advantage — but it was at that point that senior captain Cam Conway displayed the sort of effort that senior captains are born to do.

After Cam made a nice drive to the hoop to increase the Winthrop margin to six, 53-47, with 2:10 to go, Salem struck back with a trey and then a steal (that led to two free throws), slicing the Winthrop lead to 53-52 with 1:01 remaining.

A Viking was called for an offensive foul on the ensuing possession, but when Salem failed to capitalize, Conway took a nice pass from Luca Zanelli as he cut down the lane to make it 55-52 with 24 seconds on the clock.

Salem made good on its next possession, leaving matters at 55-54, but Conway was fouled with 7.4 seconds to go, sending him to the line for a one-and-one — and Captain Cam calmly sank both tosses to complete his personal six-point run down the stretch to put the game on ice.

Although Conway led all scorers with 20 points, he had a host of teammates who made enormous contributions to the winning effort. Freshman point guard George Galuris continued to display the poise of a senior, as he has throughout the latter part of the season. George reached double figures with 12 points, including a spinning drive down the lane in which he seemingly let the ball go while his back was still to the basket, banking the ball off the backboard. 

His gravity-defying, eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head bucket came with 5:15 left in the game and stemmed a six-point Salem run that had narrowed a Winthrop lead from 45-35 at the end of the third period to 45-41.

Junior Luca Zanelli hit for seven points, including a pair of clutch buckets in the final minutes that preceded Conway’s heroics. Both of Luca’s hoops were of his patented, flash-to-the-lane jumper variety, and fended off a pair Salem three-pointers that had closed the gap to 47-44 and 49-47.

Senior Tyler Rockefeller contributed five points, including a four-point play with less than a second left in the third period. Tyler was fouled when he sank a three from the corner and proceeded to hit the free throw, giving the Vikings a nice boost for a 10-point lead, 45-35, to start the final quarter, a margin that proved invaluable when Salem fought back down the stretch.

Sophomore Zach Bogusz struck for seven points, including a pair of three-pointers. Senior Alijah Preble chipped in with two points after making a nice steal across midcourt and outracing his opponent to the hoop for a layup.

And in a game where every point mattered, juniors Mikey Chaves and Chris Cappuccio added two points apiece.

“This was a tough game,” said Triant. “I’ve been saying all year we need to learn how to win games.  This was the one.  There were still mistakes and we weren’t perfect, but we made plays to win.  We were looking to foul, up three, at the end and not give them a look at a game-tying three-point attempt. But the guys got a little gun-shy and we never did. But  thankfully George Galuris closed late on the shooter and we secured the rebound.  It was a great team win.”

Two nights later the Vikings pulled out their most significant victory of the season, overcoming a strong Swampscott that stood in second place in the South Division of the Northeastern Conference.

The contest began inauspiciously for the Vikings, who trailed 22-8 at the first buzzer.

“Swampscott was tough,” said Triant. “They came out hot and were just running us off the floor. But we made some in-game adjustments and held them to 11 points over the next two quarters.”

Winthrop sliced the gap to 28-20 at the half and then scored the first six points after the intermission on two buckets by Zanelli, sandwiched around a steal by Cappuccio. That was followed by a blocked shot by Luca that led to Cappuccio getting fouled going to the rim and making both free throws.

Conway hit a big baseline jumper to tie matters at the four minute-mark and Cap’n Cam then drained a trey a minute later to boost the Vikings into their first lead of the contest, 33-31.

Bogusz then got into the act, hitting a three on a kick-out pass from Zanelli to put Winthrop up 36-31.

Conway closed out the third period with a great bank shot off the dribble to make it 39-33 entering the final eight minutes.

Swampscott made a run to start the final period, closing within 42-41 with five minutes to go, but a pair of free throws and three-pointer by Conway forged the Vikings into a 47-43 lead.

Swampscott quickly answered with a three-pointer of their own, making it a 47-46 contest with 1:25 to go. Swampscott then came out of a timeout with some pressure and fell into a man-to-man defense for the first time of the day.

“Our guys recognized it immediately,” said Triant. “We ran a little stack set with Bogusz popping off of a Conway screen. Galuris fed Bogusz, who was strong with the ball with some tight defense on him, and made a great entry pass to Conway, who had established great position on the block.”

Cam used his position to hit a one-dribble, turnaround bank shot to put Winthrop up, 49-46, with 1:00 to go. Bogusz snared a huge defensive rebound on the next Swampscott possession, but the Vikings were unable to convert on a one-and-one.

Swampscott came down court gunning for a three and got an offensive rebound of a contested three-pointer, but then missed another contested three. Senior Alijah Preble hauled in the defensive rebound and made the front end of his one-and-one to make it 50-46. 

Zanelli grabbed the offensive rebound off the missed free throw and was fouled and sank the front end of his one-and-one to increase the lead to 51-46. Swampscott hit a free throw to close the score to 51-47 with five seconds remaining. 

Winthrop came out of a timeout and, sensing man-to-man, full-court pressure, Cappuccio inbounded the ball, with Zanelli setting a screen for Conway, who displayed his tight end skills to go deep for the long ball.

Cappuccio threw a strike downcourt on which Cam was fouled and made one of his two free throws for the 52-47 finale.

“This was a phenomenal win on the road in the NEC, which has not been easy over the past few years,” said Triant.

Conway turned in a strong double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Cappuccio reached double figures with 12 points and grabbed eight boards. Zanelli hit for six points, followed by Preble with five, Bogusz with three, and Galuris with two.

Triant and his crew then had a quick turnaround with a contest the following afternoon on Saturday at Northeast Regional.

Despite a quick start, the Vikings found themselves trailing, 22-19, at the half. 

“Northeast threw a run at us and we scrapped to stay in a tough, physical, up-and-down game,” noted Triant.

Northeast opened the second half with a 6-2 run, prompting Triant to call a timeout with his team trailing, 28-21, at the five minute mark of the third.

After Triant regrouped his troops, the Vikings went on a big (13-3) run of their own to close out the third period with a 34-31 advantage.

Winthrop held a 37-31 edge with six to go, but Northeast made two quick threes to tie it at 37.  

“One of our assistants told the kids, “It’s okay. Basketball is a game of runs and it’s our turn’.” said Triant. The Vikings then proceeded to reel off seven unanswered points to move out to a 44-37 lead. The Winthrop defense held Northeast scoreless on its final eight possessions until a meaningless three at the buzzer for the victory.

Conway capped his fine Viking basketball career with a 24 point performance.

“Cam did a great job establishing an inside presence,” noted Triant. “However, this victory was more about toughness and defense, especially late in the game. Tyler Rockefeller played most of the second half and did a tremendous job controlling the paint. Rock also had a magnificent ‘and-one’ put-back of an offensive rebound to seal the deal late in the game. Alijah Preble had two huge steals late in this one as well.

“It was a great way to end the season by winning three straight,” Triant continued. “Results will come. Hopefully the public health situation continues to improve and these wins can springboard us into a great off-season and some youth clinics and camps here in town. 

“We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to our school administration, our superintendent, and our town health department for all of the hard work in making this season a reality. I cannot imagine the lives of any of our coaches or players without the experiences we have had together over these past 10 weeks.

“I am really proud of our guys for believing in themselves and in one another. Even during the moments when others may have strayed the course, we didn’t.  We worked harder and trusted more.”

Triant also gave a nod to the efforts of coach Rockefeller. “The weather postponed our Gloucester game, which enabled us to watch some film from Salem Charter and practice. I want to give a huge shout-out to coach Rockefeller, who is our video guy and is always downloading and uploading for us. He’s a huge part of what we are doing here.”

WHS girls hockey team wraps up fine season

The Winthrop High girls hockey team concluded a highly-successful 2021 season with three contests this past week.

Last Wednesday the Lady Vikings hosted Beverly for Senior Night festivities.

“This was a night to honor two of the classiest players we have had in this program,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “Antea Schlichting and Jenna Lindinger have given everything to this program, and never expected anything in return. Both of these players worked their hearts out every single day, they led by example, and they were an excellent representation of our program. They will be sorely missed.”

However, Beverly did not join in the celebration, handing Winthrop a 2-1 defeat.

“I have to take my hat off to the Beverly team, and especially their goalie, senior Maddie Delano, who stood on her head to ensure a victory for her team,” said Martucci. 

Winthrop’s lone goal was an unassisted tally by Mia Norris. 

“Mia has been amazing all season, but in the last five games she really bailed us out with some tremendous plays,” said Martucci. “Summer Tallent was also excellent in this game. We just could not get the puck past Delano, and believe me, we had our chances.”

A few days later at Larsen, the Lady Vikings avenged an earlier loss this season with a 3-1 triumph over Masconomet Regional.

“This one was a game we had circled after the way they beat us up in Haverhill,” noted Martucci. “They gave us our first loss of the year (by a score of 8-6) and to be honest, we just were not on that night. So we wanted this game badly, and the team was amped up for it.”

Winthrop took a 1-0 lead at 10:13 of the first period when eighth grader Talia Martucci fired a shot from a tough angle to the right of the Masco goalie and found the back of the net.

“Talia’s goal was great,” noted Martucci. “She ripped a shot off the face-off after a nice win by Lily Tallent, and it snuck through the Masco goalie.”

The Lady Vikings extended their lead to 2-0 at 3:50 of the second period when Emma Holmes found the range. Mia Martucci took the puck away from a Masco defenseman and gave a nice pass to Holmes in the slot area, who was skating in from the point. 

Masco made things interesting, scoring a shorthanded goal at 4:04 of the third period to make it 2-1, but the Lady Vikings were not to be denied. Winthrop continued to dominate the action and Mia Martucci removed all doubt when she slammed home a rebound off a Julia Holmes shot with 7:18 to play.

Tallent, who made some nice glove saves throughout the contest, and the Winthrop defense held firm the rest of the way for the win.

The Lady Vikings then took on Marblehead at Cronin Rink in Revere for the season finale and battled their chief rival of the Northeastern Hockey League to a 1-1 draw.

Winthrop took an early lead on a goal by Emma Holmes, a margin that held up until Marblehead eventually brought the contest back to level in the third period.

“This was a good game,” said Martucci. “Marblehead played really well. Summer Tallent was great for us.”

The Lady Vikings concluded their season with a superb record of 10-3-1 for their 2021 pandemic season, placing them solidly in second place in the NHL, behind only 12-1 Peabody, whose only loss came from Winthrop.

“This was a very different year, but I am so proud of this team, and their ability to play through all of the rules and regulations due to the pandemic,” reflected Martucci. “This team carried themselves with dignity and respect. They played hard, they played together, and they left it all on the ice in every contest. The one thing I will never forget about this team is their elite response. We were down in a few games, but we never wavered. This team had an elite response all season long and it was the difference in winning games.”

Martucci expressed thanks on behalf of his team and coaching staff to Winthrop High School Athletic Director Matt Serino, the staff at Larsen Rink for their help this year through the COVID protocol, and all of the parents for their support.

Gymnasts top Fenwick, set new school mark (again)

The Winthrop High gymnastics team completed its 2021 season with a bang. Not only did the Lady Vikings defeat Bishop Fenwick in their season finale, but they set a new WHS record of 142.15 points, eclipsing the mark of 141.5 that the team had set only the week before when they broke the previous school record of 141.4 that had stood for 10 years

“The seniors were simply on a mission to set the bar as high as possible and they didn’t disappoint,” said WHS coach Pete Gobiel.

Starting the Lady Vikings off on bars, as she has all season, freshman Shannon Abbott hit her routine and scored her highest score all year with an 8.3.

Eighth-grader Isabella Rice hit her bar routine with her highest score of the year, an 8.4.

Next up was Megi Zogasi, who has been dealing with a nagging back injury for the last two weeks. However, Megi hit her routine to score an 8.8.

“We’ve had to limit Megi’s practices and save her for competition,” said Gobiel. “She’s been an unsung hero for the last two meets.”

 Brandi DiCicco and captain Danielle Carter both hit their routines for an 8.7. Last up for Winthrop was the team’s anchor for the bar lineup, Mary O’Donnell, who scored her highest score of the season with the only 9.0 score for the last three years for Winthrop on the uneven bars.

“By this time in the season the girls have figured out if they score 35 on four events, it comes out to 140 and puts them in the hunt for a new record,” said Gobiel, who noted that the team’s score on the bars came to 35.1.

Heading to the balance beam, which has been hit-or-miss this season for Winthrop, the first three scores tied at 8.2, putting a lot of pressure on the remaining athletes to hit their routines. 

Sophomore standout on beam Alayna Ronan hit her routine, scoring a 9.0. Captain Danielle Carter and junior Brandi Dicicco, who are riding a six-meet, no-falls-on-beam season ( which hasn’t been done in the history of Winthrop’s team), both stuck their routines for a 9.1 and a season-high of 9.3 respectively.

“Simply put, both Danielle and Brandi have been unbelievable this year and true leaders for our team,” said WHS coach Daria Milerick.

“We scored 35.6 points on the beam,” said Gobiel, “and at this point it was like sharks smelling blood in the water. The girls knew they had a chance to set a new record and started to get really psyched up.

“However, our next event was the vault, which we knew would be a tougher challenge because we wouldn’t be throwing two of the flipping vaults,” noted Gobiel. “The first person up sets the stage for the rest, so hitting it is important, as well as establishing the highest score possible.”

Isabella Rice was the team’s first vaulter and did a clean vault for an 8.25. Captain Rachel Farley hit her vault for an 8.3, followed by Carter, who scored an 8.5. With the last trio of the Winthrop vaulters needing to be as clean as possible, Alayna Ronan, who has been a steady force on vault all year, scored an 8.75. Mary O’Donnell had to stick her flipping vault to give the Lady Vikings a chance at the record and Mary came through to score an 8.9. 

Anchor Brandi DiCicco, who has been having her best year ever, hit her vault, scoring a 9.2.

The vault team score was 35.35 and to hit a 142, the team would have to average four 9.0’s on the floor exercise, not an easy feat.

Isabella Rice and Ellie O’Donnell led off for Winthrop, both scoring an 8.5 with clean routines. Senior floor specialist Gabriella Elsa Guiffre, competing in her last floor routine as a Lady Viking, went out and nailed it, scoring her season-high of 8.8.

“We are going to miss Gabriella’s signature jumps and leaps next year,” said Gobiel.

Ronan was up next and performed outstandingly to receive a mark of 9.2, her highest score of the season. Captain Danielle Carter followed, hitting her routine and scoring a 9.1.

The pressure then fell on DiCicco, the all-around leader of the team, whose specialty is the floor exercise. Brandi came through with a clutch performance  to score a 9.0 and pushing the team’s final floor score to 36.1,  thereby giving the Lady Vikings a final score of 142.15 (Fenwick scored 124.95) and establishing a new school record. 

“It was a final tribute to our seniors for a remarkable year,” noted Gobiel. “The future looks bright with juniors Mary O’Donnell, Megi Zogasi, and all-around Brandi DiCicco coming back. Isabella Rice, an eighth grader, who has been compared to Christa Vaccaro, the most decorated Winthrop gymnast, has already set her goals for next season. Most girls take a few days off after the season ends, but Isabella asked to increase her time in the gym.”

Gobiel also mentioned that the team wished former Lady Viking star Christa Vaccaro good luck in her upcoming final collegiate meet for Rhode Island College against Springfield College. 

“Christa will be graduating this year and plans to start coaching next fall,” noted Gobiel.

Holgersen, Hovermale lead the way for Viking victory

The Winthrop High hockey team earned a victory in its final game of the 2021 pandemic season in fitting fashion with a 5-1 triumph over Beverly that was attributable principally to the Vikings’ senior captains, forward Joe Holgersen and goalie Ryan Hovermale, this past Saturday at Larsen Rink.

After spotting the visiting Panthers a 1-0 lead in the first 21 seconds, the Vikings took control of the contest. Freshman Peter Silverman, assisted by senior Charlie Lane and assistant captain Joey Hayes, brought Winthrop even with a power play goal at 4:08 when Peter neatly redirected a shot by Lane from the left.

The Vikings enjoyed another power play a few minutes later and once again took advantage of the opportunity. Winthrop worked the puck around the perimeter adroitly, with Hayes at the right point passing to Lane at the left point, and Charlie sliding the puck to assistant captain J.D. Parker on the left wing, who in turn fed a nice pass to Silverman, who was alone in the slot. Peter one-timed his shot to beat the Beverly goalie cleanly for a 2-1 Winthrop advantage.

Holgersen then took over the game. The Viking captain scored the first of his three goals on the afternoon with 1:11 left in the period when he flipped the puck past the Panther netminder from just outside the crease. The goal culminated Viking pressure in the Beverly end, with asst. captain Chris Ferrara and senior Connor Hurley earning assists.

Holgersen then executed one of the most beautiful individual plays by a Viking this season in the second period. Joey picked up a loose puck at mid-ice and split two Beverly defenders as he accelerated past the Panther blue line. 

That created a 1-on-4 situation, with Holgersen squarely surrounded by four Panther defenders, the two he had left behind in his ice chips and the two he was facing as he approached the Beverly goal.

Rather than attempting to split the remaining two defenders, Holgersen skated to his right to take on a Panther 1-on-1. He burst past him, switching to his backhand, and as he swung past and around that defender, shielding the puck with his body, he lifted a backhander high to the far post from a tough angle to beat the Beverly netminder.

Joey’s spectacular goal brought to mind one of those Amazon AWS Next Gen sports ads (like the ones with Christian McCaffrey and Russell Wilson), because there is no doubt that his probability of scoring a goal in those circumstances was under 10 percent.

Holgersen’s final goal of his high school career, as well as for the Vikings’ 2021 season, came at 4:29 of the third period. Linemate Ferrara did a nice job to keep the puck inside the Beverly zone at the blue line and gave Holgersen a pass on the left wing board. Joey skated toward the net and, from about 18 feet out, let go a wrist shot from what seemed to be an impossible angle. However, Holgersen had found a small window and sniped his shot to beat the Panther goal high to the short side.

Hovermale was perfect for the remainder of the game’s 44:08, turning aside 24 Panther shots en route to the victory.

Winthrop concluded its season with a record of 8-2-3, a mark that earned Dale Dunbar’s crew an unofficial Northeastern Conference North Division title (the NEC’s athletic directors had agreed that there would not be any official league championships because of the uncertainty created by COVID). The Vikings’ accumulation of 19 points was tied with Masconomet for the top spot in the NEC North, but the Vikings earned three of a possible four points from Masco in their two head-to-head matchups.

It is hoped that the team will be able to get together at some point for a break-up banquet to recognize the players and acknowledge the team’s accomplishments.