Cappuccio Wins NEC 200 Dash Crown, Takes 2nd in the 100 and Long Jump
Nicholas Cappuccio turned in one of the most outstanding performances in Winthrop High track history at this weekend’s Northeastern Conference championship meet, taking first place in the 200 meter dash and grabbing second place in both the 100 dash and the long jump.
Nicholas, who is only a freshman, sped to victory in the 200 with a time of 22.92 and came across the line in second in the 100 with a sprint of 11.45. He traded places in those events with his chief rival, Masconomet senior Alex Kessel.
Kessel edged Cappuccio in the 100 by 0.18 of a second, but Nick came back to win the 200 by a margin of 0.53.
Cappuccio’s flight of 21′-7″ in the long jump was just 1/4 of an inch behind the winning jump of 21′-7.25″.
Altogether, Nicholas scored 26 points on the day, earning him the ranking as the top individual scorer at the conference meet. He also was the lone Viking to score a point.
Cappuccio now will set his sights on the upcoming state meet.
On the girls’ side, junior Sophia Munson earned a medal with a sixth-place finish in the 100 dash with a clocking of 13.65.
WHS Baseball Team Tops Peabody With Last-Inning Rally
The Winthrop High baseball team earned one of its most scintillating victories of the season with a come-from-behind victory over Northeastern Conference rival (and Division 1 foe) Peabody.
The Vikings overcame a 3-1 deficit entering the top of the seventh with a three-run rally.
Pinch hitter Anthony Indrisano got the ball rolling for the Vikings with a lead-off base hit.
Pete Sliverman then came through with his second hit of the day to put the tying run on base,
“In that situation we wanted to bunt the two men over with our number three hitter coming up,” said WHS head coach Mark DeGregorio.
However, Jay Fotiades who had entered the game to pitch in the previous inning, exceeded his coach’s expectations of a sacrifice by laying down a perfect bunt that he beat out to leave all three runners safe.
Peabody got the next Viking hitter, but Matt DeCarney stepped up to drive in two runs with a clutch base hit, tying the game at 3-3.
That brought up Joseph Hayes, who has had some big hits for the Vikings this season, and Joe belted a deep drive to centerfield that was hauled in by the Peabody centerfielder, but still allowed the go-ahead run to score all the way from second.
That left matters up to Fotiades, who had come on in the middle of the sixth for starter Cam Martin. Jay, who is a freshman, handled the pressure situation with aplomb and set down the Tanner hitters to preserve the 4-3 win.
“We were able to compete at a very high level against a very good team.,” said DeGregorio. “We got a great pitching performance from Cam Martin, who went five and one-third innings, striking out three, and from there we turned the ball over to Jay, who has been spectacular on the mound for us as a freshman.
“He does not care the team, or the moment,” DeGregorio continued. “He is ready whenever his number is called. He was able to limit Peabody to one hit the rest of the way which allowed us to initiate the comeback, and he ended up getting the win on the day.
“It was a great game and the players believed in themselves from start to finish,” DeGregorio added. “We got some great defensive play from Pete Silverman, Chris Gibbons, and Colin Kinsella. Colin was able to control the game behind the plate as he threw out two runners on three steal attempts. It was also an errorless game for us, which at the high school level is a rare feat.”
Winthrop received some strong hitting performances from Kinsella, who was 2-for-4, and DeCarney who also was 2-for-4.
The Vikings did not enjoy similar success in their next two encounters against NEC rivals Swampscott and Gloucester.
“We lost both games,” noted DeGregorio. “We had some costly errors early against Swampscott. We were unable to overcome the early errors and misplays in the field. It was a shame because the coaches, including myself, thought it was the best the ball game out of starting pitcher Zach Bogusz’s hand since early in the season.
“Zach had his curveball working and his fastball seemed to have some extra zip on it. Unfortunately, we were not able to make the plays behind him and we lost a tough one,” DeGregorio said.
“We also lost a tough one to Gloucester,” said DeGregorio. “We got a solid pitching performance from Cam Martin, who went the first five innings. allowing only two earned runs.
“Gloucester was able to get more runs across the board in the sixth and we were not able to capitalize, despite getting men on base later in the game,” DeGregorio added. “Their pitcher pitched a great game and we were not able to generate much offense.”
DeGregorio and his crew wrap up their regular season today (Thursday) at non-league rival Chelsea.
“We hope to get back on track and finish the season with double digit wins,” said DeGregorio.
The Vikings then will await word of their seeding and first-round opponent in the upcoming state tournament. Winthrop presently is ranked 24th in Division 4 . The top 32 teams in the power rankings receive automatic berths in the tourney, regardless of record. A team not ranked in the top 32 must attain a record of .500 or better in to order to qualify for the post-season.
WHS Girls Lacrosse Blanks Northeast, 15-0
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team earned a 15-0 victory over Northeast Regional this past Monday.
Mia Martucci paced the Lady Viking attack with four goals and two assists. Emma Holmes reached the back of the Lady Golden Knight net for three goals and added two assists.
Talia Martucci recorded two goals and two assists. Mia Norris had a goal and two assists; Reese Brodin scored two goals; Elizabeth Quinn had a goal and an assist; and Kira Diaz added one goal.
“Kira Diaz and Elizabeth Quinn each scored their first varsity goals,” noted WHS head coach Emma Marrs.
WHS goalie Adrianna Rizzotto earned the shutout with 14 saves.
In a 13-2 loss to Swampcott last week, the Lady Vikings trailed by a slim 3-0 margin at the half before the Lady Big Blue pulled away after the intermission.
Mia Martucci and Emma Holmes scored the Winthrop goals, with Holmes also earning an assist.
Rizzotto had 11 saves in net.
In a 15-4 loss to Danvers last Thursday, Mia Martucci scored all four of the Winthrop goals. Julia Holmes, Mia Norris, and Kailey Sullivan each had an assist.
Rizzotto made 16 saves in goal.
WHS Girls Tennis Awaits Tourney Matchup
Although the Winthrop High girls tennis team fell short in its matches this past week with Danvers and Beverly, the Lady Vikings turned in strong performances in both contests.
“The last two matches were tough,” said WHS head coach Mike Nickerson. “Danvers and Beverly in the past have handled us pretty easily. We lost to Danvers 5-0, but the score was so much closer.
“Four matches went to three sets and we just couldn’t seem to win the really big points to close out games,” Nickerson continued. “I am really proud of how the girls have improved because Danvers blew us out earlier this year.
“The loss to Beverly stings,” Nickerson added. “We had to play it over two days and that hurt us. We were playing really well last Friday, but the rain suspended our match and we had to finish on Monday.”
Winthrop was ahead, 2-0, when the match was suspended on Friday, with wins from Mira Ivanis at second singles and from the second doubles tandem of Ava Beshere & Casey Petersen.
“Ava and Casey played their best match of the year to get the straight-set win,” said Nickerson. “Unfortunately, the rain gave Beverly a chance to regroup and make adjustments.”
Kendall Brant lost a tough three-setter at first singles against a very talented opponent.
“I can’t say how proud I am of what Kendall has accomplished this year,” said Nickerson. “At first singles, you play the best players every match. Traditionally, first singles has been a tough spot for us because of the talent level, but Kendall has competed in every match and has won quite a few of her matches. It’s astounding to see how much she has improved and the only negative thing I can say about her is that she’s a senior. I wish I could have her for a few more years.”
Winthrop lost a tight match at second singles, with Genesis Bueno taking the loss. “Genesis fought hard against a really good player and came up just short in each set,” noted Nickerson.
“Unfortunately, we lost at first doubles as well,” added the coach. “Maddie Rossi & Emma Forsyth had leads in each set, but we just couldn’t find a way to close them out. The match was there for the taking, but we just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
Nickerson and his crew ended their season with a winning record at 9-7 and now will await the pairings to come from the MIAA for the post-season state tournament. That announcement is expected on May 31.
“This is the first time Winthrop has qualified since I have been here, so that shows the level of improvement the girls have displayed,” said Nickerson. “Hopefully, we will get matched up with a team of similar ability and we can have a competitive match.”