WHS lacrosse wins tourney opener; travels to #1 seed Cohasset
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team opened play in the MIAA Division 4 state lacrosse tournament with an impressive 10-6 victory over Tyngsborough Sunday afternoon at Miller Field,
The Vikings entered the tourney as the #16 seed in D-4 with a 14-4 record. Tyngsborough was the #17 seed with a 10-6 mark.
“We had a huge team win against a solid Tyngsborough squad,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly. “We came out hard and fast, which is what you need to do to be successful in playoff games.
“We had six different guys find the net for us which is what you want in these types of games,” Donnelly said. “We truly play our best lacrosse when everyone is firing on all cylinders and sharing the load.
“I can’t talk enough about how our defense played,” the coach continued. “Our long pole middie, Paul Ferrara, was all over the field covering their best guy and had some huge stops for us. The defensive unit of Sean Dolen, Steven Lindinger, and Declan Howard played excellently, limiting them to only six goals.”
Donnelly also made mention of the strong performance of Nick Romano, the Vikings’ goaltender.
“Nick had some game-changing stops and has just been a consistent force,” said Donnelly. “He also had some huge clears that led to goals. With Nick in net there is just a huge sense of confidence that can be felt by the whole team.
“Going into the game we were a bit worried about face-offs, but Matt Madalone won well over half of them and it was a huge part of the win,” Donnelly said. “Matt has taken on a huge role this year and has been so solid for us taking faces and playing shut-down defense.
“Michael Holgersen stepped up huge for us in this game. He had four assists and two goals. He is such an amazing team leader and really steps up into any role you ask of him,” the coach continued. “All three of our attackmen, CJ Cifuni, Luke Githinji and Charlie Ferrara, stepped up huge and had two goals apiece. They also worked super hard on our rides, forcing Tyngsborough to turn the ball over a bunch and really putting pressure on their defense. Colin Cifuni played solidly on both sides of the ball and had an excellent outside shot as well.
“One of the best moments of the game came when Tony Bordonaro found the net for his first varsity goal about midway through the third,” Donnelly added. “It was a huge goal to give us a comfortable lead. He has had an expanded role since Seth Sacco got hurt, so it was great to see him finally find the net. Overall, it was an excellent team win and it’s always great to get the win at Miller Field.”
The Vikings were scheduled to travel to #1 seed Cohasset this past Tuesday evening as the Sun-Transcript was going to press. The Skippers compiled a 17-2 record and defeated Hull, 17-0, in their opening-round contest.
5 Viking laxers name NEC stars
Post-season accolades for the Winthrop High boys lacrosse team, the champion of the South Division of the Northeastern Conference, were announced this past week.
Two Vikings, Seth Sacco and Michael Holgersen, were named to the All-Conference team of the Northeastern Conference as voted by the NEC’s coaches.
“Seth Sacco has been a beast all year and I think he is the most explosive player in the NEC,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly. “He ended the year with 80 goals and 25 assists. He is just an excellent player who can create an opportunity to score from anywhere on the field at any time.
“Michael Holgersen is an amazing captain and team leader who creates opportunities for everyone around him,” Donnelly said. “He leads the team with a confidence that is contagious in big moments. Michael scored 18 goals and had 15 assists. He very rarely comes off the field and can play almost any role on the field.”
Three Vikings also were named South Division All-Stars.
“CJ Cifuni has 48 goals so far on the year with 49 assists,” said Donnelly. “From his stats you can see that CJ is not selfish with the ball at all and creates scoring opportunities for players around him. He has become an excellent dodger and has a great lacrosse IQ.
“Nick Romano has been averaging over 13 saves a game and is among the best goalies in the NEC,” the coach said. “Nick is excellent at finding open guys in our clears and is as dynamic as a goalie can get. He is an excellent leader on game days and has stepped up massively in high situations.
“Sean Dolen is our fearless leader on defense,” Donnelly said. “Sean consistently shuts down the opposing team’s best attackman and has had some huge takeaways. He is a ground-ball machine and is one of the most athletic guys on the field, which allows massive opportunities for us during clears. Sean has six assists on the year and a huge goal, which defensemen rarely see. He leads our defensive unit through excellent communication and leadership.”
Two medals for Cappuccio at D-5 State Meet
Winthrop’s outstanding sprinter, Nick Cappuccio, earned fourth-place medals in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes at this past weekend’s MIAA Division 5 State Track and Field Meet that was held at Westfield State University.
In the 100, Nick (who holds the WHS record in the 100 at 10.8) came across the line in a time of 11.00. The winning time was 10.72.
In the 200, Cappuccio’s clocking of 22.22 also placed him fourth amidst a tightly-contested event in which just 0.93 of a second separated the first-place (21.93) and eighth-place (22.86) runners.
Teammate Aaron Armitstead also competed in the meet (for which competitors must achieve a qualifying time) and placed 11th in the 110 hurdles with a time of 16.06.