WHS Sports Roundup

WHS Boys Lacrosse Wins at Peabody, Edges Swampscott in OT

The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team traveled to a pair of Northeastern Conference rivas this past week and came home with impressive victories.

Last Thursday, the Vikings trekked to Peabody and held on for a 10-8 triumph.

“Winning on the road always presents challenges and we were able to hold onto the win after they rallied late in the game,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly.

Michael Holgerson turned in an outstanding game with two goals and three assists. “Michael was all over the field all game and his effort on both sides of the ball has been tremendous for us this year,” said Donnelly. “He has improved so much and his work ethic on the field is excellent.”

Alex Daigneault had another big game on offense, scoring three huge goals and getting an assist. Alex also had some pivotal ground balls that made a huge difference.

Colin Cifuni scored the last goal for Winthrop to ensure the win with a nice corner snipe.

“Peabody rallied late in the game and gave us a run for our money, but our defense was able to hold them off,” noted Donnelly.

Viking freshman goalie Nick Romano got his second full win of the year and made over 19 saves, including many when it counted.

This past Monday Donnely and his crew made the short ride up the coast to NEC South rival Swampscott and earned a dramatic, come-from-behind, 10-9 win in overtime.

Winthrop grabbed an early 3-0 lead with a trisector of goals from Alex Daigneault, Robert Rich, and Jack Hayes.

“We were hoping to keep that lead for a while, but we kept making penalties that they were able to capitalize on and silly mistakes that led to turnovers,” said Donnelly. “We had a pretty sloppy middle of the game that we really can’t afford as we move deeper into the season. That being said, our players still fought it out the whole time and were able to fight through adversity to get the win. 

“Our defense was outstanding playing 6-on-6, with some great takeaways by all three of our defensemen, Welvis Acosta, Donovan Cassidy and Dan Thomai,” Donnelly continued. “Dan especially has been improving amazingly in both his defensive prowess and clearing ability, which is great to see. 

“Freshman Sean Dolan stepped up as a long stick middie and Resean Bebri got some good minutes in man-down situations,” said Donnelly. “Nick Romano had another great game in net, coming up with some big saves when it mattered.”

The end of the contest proved to be dramatic. With the Vikings trailing 9-8 with less than a minute to go, Rich was able to get one of the Big Blue’s short stick defensemen down at the crease and muscled in a huge goal for the tie, sending the game into OT.

Winthrop went into the OT session a man up and Ace Daigneault, who already had three assists and a pair of goals, was able to find his brother Alex open for the game-winner.

“It wasn’t the game that we wanted to bring, but it always takes that extra resolve in overtime to grit out those wins, so we were happy to come away with the road win,” Donnelly said. “We hope to continue to improve and come together more as a team headed into the second half of the season.”

Donnelly and his crew, who took on Peabody in a rematch yesterday (Wednesday), have two big upcoming contests when they host Masconomet on Monday at 4:00 and Gloucester next Thursday at 4:30. Both matches will be held on the turf at Miller Field.

WHS Baseball Hosts Swampscott Next Wed.

The Winthrop High baseball team will entertain Northeastern Conference South Division rival Swampscott next Wednesday at Veterans Field at 4:00.

Prior to that contest, the Vikings will be on the road tomorrow (Friday) at Northeast Regional and Saturday at Wakefield.

Winthrop took on Masconomet yesterday (Wednesday) in hopes of getting back on the winning track after losses to Salem (7-4) and Peabody (7-2) this past week.

In the contest at Salem, the Vikings received a fine effort from starting pitcher Zach Bogusz.

“Zach continues to show why he has been so good on the mound for us this year,” said WHS head coach Mark Degregorio. “Zach pitched great.  We feel like every time he goes out there he is gaining more confidence and his stuff is getting crisper as the season wears on.”

The Vikings grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Ryan Gagnon, who has come on strong at the plate in the middle part of the season, led off with a single. After Will Murphy moved Ryan to second on a perfectly-executed sacrifice bunt, Gagnon raced home on an RBI single from Colin Kinsella.

The Vikings clung to the slim advantage going into the fifth, but some costly mistakes allowed the visiting Witches to push across four runs on some misplayed balls and errors. Salem then added three more in the sixth.

“It was not our best defensive effort of the year, but errors happen,” said Degregorio. “We have had some great games where we have played errorless ball, but that is very rare.  Unfortunately for us, we weren’t able to hold on.”  

Winthrop closed the gap with three runs in the bottom of the sixth on a triple by Colin Kinsella to score Petey Silverman, followed up by RBI’s from Bogusz and Phil Boncore, but was unable to draw closer than 7-4.

“Salem is a very good team,” noted Degregorio of the Witches, who currently stand at 8-2 on the year.

The Vikings then trekked to Peabody the following day.

“We were really excited for this game after letting a game slip through our fingers against them earlier in the year,” said Degregorio.

Winthrop jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on RBIs from Michael Donahue and Zach Bogusz. 

“Michael really has been great for us over the past couple of weeks offensively,” noted Degregorio. “He is a patient hitter who puts the ball in play and makes hard contact.  He is someone that impacts the game in so many ways.”

Matt DeCarney got the start, but was struck by a hard line drive off his ankle in the first inning.  

“Matt was able to battle through it for a few more innings, but we could tell that it was impacting his ability to get on top of his curve,” Degregorio said. ” We were happy to see him try and battle through it, but unfortunately, Peabody’s offense got hot and started hitting the balls in the gaps and getting extra bases. Peabody had five doubles on the day and it was too much for us to overcome.”

“We had a great hitting performance from Zach Bogusz, who went 3-for-4 on the day,” added Degregorio. “He is a hitter who has been seeing the ball very well this year at the plate and is making hard contact.  We have been very impressed with his approach.”

WHS Girls Lacrosse Tops Saugus, 17-5

The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team made the short bus ride to Saugus last Monday and came home with a 17-5 victory.

“We started off slowly, but then seemed to quickly put the pieces together to get a win,” said WHS head coach Emma Marrs..

Emma Holmes led the Lady Viking offense with six goals and an assist. Talia Martucci reached the back of the Saugus net for four goals and Kira Diaz rang in three goals.

Mia Norris made a solid contribution with two goals and two assists. Julia Holmes added a goal and an assist. Tegan Pereira struck for a goal and Kailey Sullivan earned an assist.

Goalie Adrianna Rizzotto made four saves on the day.

A few days earlier, Winthrop came up just short in a contest with Danvers, 8-7.

“We had a really good, focused game against them,” noted Marrs. “At the half it was tied up at 4-4. Our defense looked really good, they were talking with each other and playing as a unit.”

Emma Holmes once again was the top goal-scorer with five goals. Martucci and Elizabeth Quinn scored a goal apiece.

Tegan Pereira made nine saves.

Marrs and her crew travel to Masconomet on Monday and to Gloucester next Thursday.

WHS Softball Nips Salem Charter, 9-8

The Winthrop High softball team earned a 9-8 victory at Salem Charter Academy last Thursday.

Lily Tallent led the Winthrop offense with four hits, a walk, and an RBI.

Izzy Cash made a solid contribution at the plate with three hits and an RBI and in the field, Izzy made a great tag at second to catch a runner stealing with an assist from catcher Gaby Golden.

Other notable efforts for the Lady Vikings were turned in by Hannah Barrett, who made a superb backhand stop at third base, and Samantha Harrison, who showed her leadership with patience at the plate with three walks. Samantha also made two unassisted put-outs at first base.

“Overall, the girls played as a team and kept their heads in the game to come out on top,” noted WHS head coach Erin Vercruysse.

Two days earlier, the Lady Vikings dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 decision at Swampscott in extra innings.

Winthrop received a strong effort from pitcher McKenzie Margardo who tossed all nine innings in which she fanned four enemy batters.

Izzy Cash delivered three hits and two RBI and both Golden and Tallent contributed two hits and an RBI.

Vercruysse and her crew have a busy week ahead with four games in seven days. They will host Salem tomorrow (Friday) at the Little League field at 4:30 and Boston Collegiate Charter Academy  on Monday under the lights at Cellucci Field at 6:00. They will travel to Saugus next Wednesday and return home to entertain Danvers next Thursday.

Boys Track Tops Salem

The Winthrop High boys outdoor track and field team earned its first victory of the season with an 81-41 triumph over Salem this past Friday at Miller Field.

Nick Cappuccio led the Vikings with 18 points. Nick won the high jump with a leap of 5′-5″, the 100 meter with a dash of 11.3, and the 200 dash in a clocking of 23.1 and took second in the long jump with a flight of 19′-1″.

Daniel Guauque added 10 points to the Viking scoresheet over four events with a win in the shot-put with a throw of 32′-7.5″, a second in the 200 dash (25.4), a third in the discus (70′-0″), and a third  in the triple jump (33′-10″).

George Galuris contributed nine points with a first in the javelin with a throw of 112′-0″, a second in the 100 dash (11.9), and a third in the long jump (17′-11″).

Vasili Tsiotos also scored nine points with a trifecta of second-place performances in the shot-put (36′-3.25″), the discus (72′-0″), and the 400 dash (62.8)

Other first-place finishers for Wnthrop were: Benjamin Prew in the 400 hurdles with a clocking of 1:17.1; Brady Tallent in the 110 hurdles in a time of 22.2; Liam Kenney in the 800 with a clocking of 2:24.3; Liam Natareno in the mile with a time of 6:03; and Thomas D’Amico in the two-mile with a time of 12:31.2.

Adding three points to the Winthrop scoresheet with second-place finishes were Prew in the javelin (105′-10″) and Owen Nargi in the mile (6:15.3)

Contributing single points with third place performances were Liam Natareno in the triple jump (29′-1″) and Owen Munson in the 400 dash (69.2).

The Athletes of the Meet for the Vikings were Nicholas Cappuccio and Vasili Tsiotos. Previous Athletes of the Meet, which is awarded by the coaches based on performance and improvement,  have been Daniel Guauque, Liam Natareno, and George Galuris.

“It was an exciting first win for both the boys and girls track teams,” said WHS coach Warren MacPhail. “The goal for both teams was to fill up the score card which we did. It was a terrific full team win.”

WHS Girls Track Runs Past Salem

The Winthrop High girls outdoor track and field team cruised to a 100-14 victory over Salem last Friday at Miller Field.

Shannon Abbott led the Lady Vikings with 18 points. Shannon won the high jump, clearing the bar at 4′-6″, the long jump with a leap of 14′-6.25″, and the 110 hurdles with a time of 19.6, and took second in the 200 dash with a sprint of 30.6.

April Ferguson scored 15 points with first-place performances in the javelin with a throw of 67′-11″, the 800 in a clocking of 3:07.2, and the two-mile with a time of 14:41.5.

Danella Gomez scored 11 points with victories in the shot-put with a throw of 25′-6″ and the discus with a spin of 55′-8″ and a third in the 200 dash (32.4).

Jillian Buonopane also tallied 11 points with wins in the 400 hurdles with a clocking of 1:21.8 and the 400 dash with a time of 1:15.2 and a third in the long jump (13′-3″).

Reese Brodin was another 11-point scorer for the Lady Vikings with a first place in the 200 dash with a sprint of 30.4 and second-places in the shot-put (20′-0″) and the javelin (66′-5″).

Other Lady Vikings who won their events were: Lylah Cassidy in the triple jump with a final landing of 27′-7″;  Arianna Cappuccio in the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 14.0; and Libby Carney in the mile with a time of 7:01.2.

Gabriela Currier claimed a pair of second-place finishes in the 400 hurdles (1:23.9) and the 110 hurdles (21.4).

Adding third place points were:  Mary Healy in the triple jump (25′-5″); Delia Parco in the discus (41′-7″); Olivia Skomro in the javelin (53′-5″); Lylah Cassidy in the 400 hurdles (1:26.8) and the 400 dash (1:20.6);  and Chelsea Long in the 110 hurdles (25.0).

Reese Brodin and Danella Gomez were named the Athletes of the Meet for the Lady Vikings, which is awarded to members of the team based on performance and improvement.

Previous Athletes of the Meet have included Shannon Abbott, Lylah Cassidy, and Jilliam Buonopane.

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