WHS Sports Roundup

WHS golf team tops Swampscott, qualifies for tourney

The Winthrop High golf team achieved a couple of milestones with its victory over Swampscott last Wednesday at Tedesco Country Club in Marblehead. Not only did the win mark the first triumph at Tedesco for the Vikings in more than 10 years, but it also clinched a spot in the state tournament for coach Jack Wallace and his crew for the first time since 2019. by improving their record to 9-4-1 on the season and guaranteeing a .500 mark for the season.

Among the highlights for Winthrop was the performance of junior Louk Belghiti, playing in the #2 slot, defeating his Big Blue counterpart by a decisive score of 7.5-1.5 and shooting a 3-over-par 39.

Sophomore Ryan Murphy at the #1 spot and 8th grader Max Dassau at #6 both won their matches, 5-4. Sophomore Nikita Rossi won 5.5-3.5 as his superb sophomore campaign continues. Captain Tomas Babine, sophomore Jojo Pumphret, and sophomore Paulie Ferrara all contributed 3.5 points in a full-team effort.

“The team played the course very well and hit a lot of smart shots,” said Wallace. “We look to round out our season over these next couple of weeks as we prepare for the Division 3 state tournament on October 15 at Stow Acres.”

In a 46.5-24.5 win over Salem at Old Salem Greens two weeks ago,  Murphy cemented his State Championship scoring qualification with a round of 39 and freshman Danny Connolly won his match.

“This was a great team win as it was a tough day and the course was in tough shape,” said Wallace.

In a win vs. Saugus at the Cedar Glen course last Monday, every Viking won their match in a commanding victory. Among the winners were sophomore Nikita Rossi (8.5-0.5), sophomore Jojo Pumphret at the #8 spot, 8th Grader Max Dassau, and captain Tomas Babine at #3 (6.5-2.5).

The Vikings defeated Northeast Vocational School last Tuesday, 44-28, at the Winthrop Golf Club (WGC). Highlights came from Murphy, who tied his career-low of a 33 (two under par) at the WGC to win his match, 7.5-1.5.

“Do not be surprised if Ryan makes a deep run this year in the tournament,” noted Wallace. Other victories came from sophomores Tony Bordonaro and Paulie Ferrara, who both won their matches. Captain Tomas Babine won his match, 6-3, winning the last two holes.

Junior Louk Belghiti at #2 won his match, 5-4. “Louk has been a great Swiss Army knife player, playing the 2-4 spots this year,” said Wallace.

The Vikings came up short in matches with Gloucester and Peabody. In the contest at Gloucester’s Bass Rocks, the Vikings fell by a score of 42.5-29.5. Senior Dylan Sykes won his match, 5-4, at the #8 slot. “This was a great win for Dylan at the back end of the match,” said Wallace.

Murphy defeated his Fisherman foe at #1, shooting a 2-over 38. Babine played one of the best rounds of his career to win, 5-4, at #2. “Tomas took advantage of the short course and played awesomely,” said Wallace. Junior Louk Belghiti helped the Vikings with 4.5 points.

In a 40-32 loss to Peabody at the Meadows, highlights for Winthrop came from 8th grader Max Dassau, who won his match, 5.5-3.5. “This was a very impressive win at the 5-spot on a very tough golf course,” noted Wallace.

Bordonaro was down by two early, but battled back to win 5-4 at #6. “Tony has been one of the most consistent players in the conference,” said Wallace.

Ferrara also triumphed  5-4 to continue his great season. Freshman Danny Connolly helped the Vikings with 2.5 points. Murphy contributed four points and Belghiti added 4.5 points in their  matches.

“This was a very tough week and I am proud of how we played away from Winthrop,” said . Wallace. “The future is bright and I am looking forward to playing these teams on their home courses again next year.”

Winthrop is scheduled to host Gloucester at the WGC on Monday and will take on Marblehead at Tedesco next Wednesday.

WHS boys soccer earns two Wins

The Winthrop High boys soccer team defeated Northeastern Conference opponents Salem and Swampscott this past week.

In a 3-1 triumph over Salem last Wednesday, the Viking offense came from captain Noah Bayersdorfer, who scored two goals, and from Kai Faber, who delivered a superb penalty kick.

This past Tuesday, the Vikings trekked to Swampscott (which is 6-2 on the season) for their Senior Night and turned the Big Blue blue with a 2-1 victory. The contest was deadlocked at nil-nil after the first half, but Swampscott broke the tie 10 minutes after the intermission. However, Fabiano Alcala Rodriguez reached the back of the Swampscott net to bring the contest back to level with 15 minutes to play and Eron Muja delivered a strike from 40 yards out for the game-winner with five minutes to go.

“I told the boys that Swampscott picked an early time in the season for a  Senior Night celebration, probably thinking it would be an easy win,” said WHS head coach Phil Ronan, “but we stunned the Swampscott crowd and ruined their Senior Night.”

Sandwiched between the two victories were a pair of hard-fought encounters at Peabody last Friday and at Saugus this past Monday.

“We lost 3-0 to Peabody, but the score doesn’t indicate how well we played,” said Ronan. “We had plenty of chances, but were very unlucky.”

In the match with Saugus, Viking captain Sebastian Yepes gave Winthrop a 1-0 lead, but Saugus surged ahead in the second half to take a 3-1 win.

“We played well again with plenty of chances, but unfortunately fell short,” noted Ronan.

The Vikings will play at Stoneham on Saturday and will host Masconomet on Monday. They will entertain Maimonides next Thursday at 7:00 under the lights at Miller Field.

WHS volleyball team working hard

Although the Winthrop High volleyball team came up short in its matches this past week, coach Jeremy Wein saw many positive signs from his squad.

“I have seen growth in just about every loss. We lost to Northeast Metro Tech on Monday, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. Sam Correa Betancur played lights-out defense. Zoey Bogusz does what she usually does and ran around like a maniac. Sebastian Echeverri put us in a position to get some opportunities on offense. We realized our communication needed to improve.

“We went to Swampscott Tuesday evening and the players were definitely more aggressive. Tina Fabiano was on her game. Kylie McFarland  is starting to show that she can jump through the roof if she wants to. Anastasia and Helena Gajica got some monster blocks. Lily Conway’s swing is coming along nicely. Makayla Herdt got some reps in the back row and made good use of them. Sophia Gonzalez continues to show that she’s a natural. These kids make me proud to be from Winthrop.”

Wein and his crew play at Beverly today (Thursday) and will host Salem tomorrow (Friday). They will trek to Stoneham on Monday and will entertain Saugus next Wednesday.

WHS cross country teams working hard

Although the Winthrop High boys and girls cross-country teams came up short in their meet last week at Marblehead, WHS head coach Eric Ferguson was pleased with his team’s effort.

“The course at Gatchell Park was the toughest course we have run on this season,” said Ferguson. “It was great experience for our team to run a slower, more-technical course. “

The top five girls for the Lady Vikings were Vienna Cardoza, Bailey Ferguson, Hailey DeMarco, Annabelle Giardino, Aitana Bartolome. The top five Viking boys were Liam Kenney, Gabriel Perez, Brody Burrill, Liam Natareno, Owen Nargi.

“We are in the competitive portion of our training program and both teams have been working extremely hard,” Ferguson added.

Both teams will host Swampscott next Wednesday on the course at Deer Island.