WHS sports roundup
WHS girls soccer tops Lynn English, 3-2
The Winthrop High girls soccer team earned its first victory of the season with a come-from-behind, 3-2 triumph at Lynn English Tuesday evening.
The Lady Vikings were trailing 2-0 with just a few seconds left in the first half when Francesca Capone, assisted by Heidy Benson, reached the back of the English net for a huge goal just before the half ended.
The goal gave Winthrop the momentum heading into the intermission and carried over into the second 40 minutes of play. Kelsey Griffiths, assisted by Capone, drew Winthrop back to level and then Benson delivered the game-winner with a well-placed direct kick.
The Winthrop defense, led by junior sweeper Gabby Hinchion, who has been playing a fast and smart game for the Lady Vikings in the backfield, shut down English the rest of the way for the victory.
The triumph proved a bright spot in what had been a frustrating week for the Winthrop girls. The Lady Vikings dropped a 1-0 decision to Revere in a contest in which Winthrop dominated the game from the outset, outshooting Revere 25-3. However, the Lady Vikings could not find the finishing touch, while Revere took advantage of an indirect kick to notch the game-winning goal.
Winthrop then turned in a  superb effort against Beverly, but came out on the short end of a 5-0 decision.
Coach Tracey Martucci and her crew host Gloucester today (Thursday) and entertain Swampscott Monday. They will trek to Marblehead Wednesday and travel to Salem next Thursday.
WHS golf team tops Marblehead, Peabody
The Winthrop High golf team enjoyed its best stretch of the season this past week with back-to-back victories over Northeastern Conference rivals Marblehead and Peabody at the Winthrop Golf Club.
In Monday’s 37.5-34.5 triumph over Marblehead, senior captain Jack Wallace shot an even-par 35 to defeat his Magician counterpart at the No. 1 position, 6.5-2.5.
Other Vikings who defeated their Marblehead rivals were Colby Dassau at No. 3 and Drew DiMento at No. 4 by scores of 5.5-3.5 and Nathan Rich, who was a 5-4 victor at No. 6.
Patrick Stafford, the Vikings’ No. 2 man, halved his match, 4.5-4.5. Alex Pesiri at No. 5 and Sean Alioto at No. 8 added four points each to the Winthrop cause nd and Richard Fucilo at No. 7 contributed 2.5 points.
In a 38.5-33.5 win over Peabody Tuesday, DiMento was the big winner, 7-2. Wallace won 6.5-2.5, as did Stafford (5.5-3.5) and Dassau (5-4). Fucillo halved his match. Pesiri won four holes, Alioto added 3.5 points, and Rich contributed three points to the Viking cause.
“It was nice to see the team’s hard work this year pay off with a pair of victories, especially in their final home match against Peabody,†said WHS head coach Peter Lyons, whose squad has four wins on the season. “It’s been a tough year and they could have thrown in the towel, but they kept working and improving and it showed in these two matches.â€
Lyons and his crew will wrap up their 2016 season today (Thursday) against Malden Catholic on the course at Mt. Hood.
Wallace will represent Winthrop at the upcoming Division 3 State competition Monday at Hillview in No. Reading. If Jack finishes among the top 10 percent of all competitors, he will advance to the D-3 finals the following Monday.
This coming Wednesday, Wallace and teammate Pat Stafford will represent the Vikings at the Northeastern Conference Open to be held at the Gannon course in Lynn.
Boys soccer team drops three contests
The Winthrop High boys soccer team dropped three contests this week, falling to Revere, Beverly, and Lynn English.
In Thursday’s contest with Revere, the Vikings turned in one of their best defensive performances of the season against a strong Patriot team.
However, a “soft†call for a penalty kick provided Revere with a 1-0 lead in the opening half and a goal off a corner kick after the intermission made it a 2-0 finale.
“We had some solid chances which we should have put away,†said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “We also had a non-penalty kick call go against us. Had we finished our chances or had some calls, we could have pulled off a better result. Senior captain Kevin Barrera had a great game in net for us.â€
The Vikings dropped a 6-0 decision to Beverly on Friday.
“We were able to possess a bit better, but Beverly’s finishing was unreal,†noted Gagin, who was able to use some of his younger players, sophomores Asa Baurle, Riley Bosse,  Rilind Bytiqi, Tony Nargi, Jack Silva, and Pat Sennott and freshman Joe Mahoney, who  were able to get some minutes.
“They fought hard and it was great to see them get experience since they will be leading the program in a few years,†said the coach.
In a 2-0 loss to Lynn English Tuesday, the Vikings were unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
“It was pretty much a game of English finishing their chances and we couldn’t finish ours,†said Gagin. “The second half was pretty solid, we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. Defensively I thought we played well. We were able to possess better than earlier in the season, too.
“The whole team played great, but senior Spencer Bosse definitely stood out as man of the match,†continued Gagin. “As a defensive midfielder, he was able to break up a lot of attacks and distributed the ball well. When he played center back, he blocked a number of shots, and as a winger he created a lot of problems for English’s defense. Spencer definitely was the man of the match for me.â€
Gagin and his crew make the long trek to Gloucester today (Thursday), travel to Swampscott Monday, and then will host Marblehead at Cellucci on Wednesday.
Volleyball team defeats English
The Winthrop High volleyball team easily handled Lynn English last week in straight sets, 25-12, 25-14, and 25-10.
Lady Viking Haley Holden once again was the Lady Viking powerhouse at the  net with 12 kills. Haley also served five aces. Maddie Faigna’a was a defensive force, making 10 digs, while also serving a team-high six aces. Maddie was the most consistent WHS server, successfully delivering 24 of her 25 serves for a superlative 96 percent service rate.
Deanna Pucillo contributed four aces and Lacey Scott provided 18 assists to her teammates.
The Lady Vikings host North Reading tomorrow (Friday), entertain Weston Monday, travel to Marblehead Tuesday, and trek to Salem next Thursday.
From The Press Box
The Playoffs
By: Jim Lederman
The MIAA Playoffs begin next weekend. The Vikings are in Division 3A North. The Vikings have 48 points and a 8.0 rating. Division 3A North as 12 teams, eight qualify for the playoffs. Winthrop currently is in 9th place.
Hamilton-Wenham is in 8th position with a (3-3) record and 59 points. The Generals play Lynnfield for the Cape Ann Baker Division title at Hamilton-Wenham on Saturday at 1 p.m.
A Winthrop victory over Swampscott will give Winthrop 12 points. The Big Blue is in Division 3 North. The system is 12 points for victory over a higher division, 10 points for any other victory.
Three points for each win by opponent a team defeats. One point for each win by opponent vs. which team loses.
Lets look at the Viking opponents. Revere (2-4) is in Division 1A North. The Patriots are in n in the place in their division. The Patriots play host to Salem (Division 2A North) a Salem upset victory could propel the Vikings into the playoffs.
In 1982 the Winthrop Vikings were NEC champions and undefeated at (10-0) the football ratings formula cost the Vikings a super bowl game. Revere (2-8) needed one more victory. Winthrop lost by one-one hundred of a point. A Winthrop trip to the super bowl would have given coach Bob DeFelice three super bowl titles!
The old system had teams play the Saturday following Thanksgiving in 1983 when the Vikings traveled to Foxborough. There were 13 fan buses that left Winthrop to cheer for the Vikings in their (14-3) victory over Xaverian. Winthrop has captured three super bowl titles, 1981, 1983 and 2006. The three super bowl championship teams were all undefeated.
Swampscott has two super bowl championship teams. The super bowl started in 1972. Winthrop has won Seven NEC titles: 1964, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2004, 2006 and 2014. Danvers has won one title in 60 years in 2004. Saugus has only one NEC title.
When Winthrop captured the NEC titles, there were 9 teams in the NEC. The big schools Lynn English (1,000 students), Lynn Classical (1,700 students), Peabody and Revere joined the NEC after leaving the Greater Boston League.
Let’s salute the smallest school in the NEC, the Winthrop Vikings!
Let the Games Begin!
Headline
Game Story
Vikings overcome Saugus 22-16
The Sachems wanted to celebrate Senior Day at Stackpole Field, but Viking senior captain Chris Zuffante stole the day.
Zuffante hooked up with junior Jaidon Brown for a pair of touchdowns; the second after the Sachems kicked a field goal for a (16-14) fourth quarter lead.
‘Zuf’ completed 9 of 15 passes for 157 yards. The Vikings leader tossed a 32-yard touchdown and a sensational 43-yard strike for the winning touchdown.
The Vikings opened the scoring when Zuffante connected on two key pass plays to junior Devin Pulsifer that brought the ball to the Saugus five-yard line. Jon Gonzales (20 for 78 yards) rushed up the middle with 4:21 left in the first quarter. The rush for the conversion failed.
Saugus captain M ravens Moise (24 for 118) scored on a one-yard run to tie the score. Chris McGrane kicked the extra point and Saugus had a 7-6 lead.
Jake Adamson recovered the fumble on a punt and the Vikings took advantage at the 24-yard line. The Vikings lost 10 yards on the next play. Zuffante connected with Jaidon Brown for a 32-yard touchdown. Jaidon caught the two-point conversion for a (14-7) Vikings lead. The clock showed 1:42 until halftime.
Saugus senior Kyle Lennan fielded the kickoff and raced 80-yards down the right sideline. The kick failed and the Vikings held a slim (14-13) lead early in the third quarter.
The Sachems behind the running of Marvens Moise reached the Winthrop ten-yard line; the key play was a Jake Adamson tackle to send the Sachems back to the 14-yard line.
Chris McGrane kicked a 14-yard field goal and the Sachems led (16-14). The Vikings called Jaidon Browns number. Zuffante hit Jaidon for a big 39-yard gain. The play was wiped out by a motion penalty.
Zuffante called the same play; Brown caught it in the same place, and flew 44 yards to the end zone. Zuffante rushed for the conversion. Vikings 22 – Saugus 16.
“I haven’t been giving my teammates everything I have said Jaidon, today I really tried and we were able to win the game, it’s a big win for our team.â€
“We played hard defensively for a Saturday morning (11 a.m.) game. We aren’t used to morning games like Saugus. Big defensive plays were by Devin Pulsifer recovering a fumbled punt and a key tackle by Jake Adamson close to our goal line†said coach Sean Driscoll.
We must shut down Big Blue quarterback Colin Frary, he passed for 159 yards in the loss to Revere (29-27). A victory over archrival Swampscott will be the third in a row over the Big Blue†said coach Driscoll.
Winthrop – Swampscott, another classic game Friday night 7 p.m.!
Skimming the Sidelines
The Vikings play host to the Big Blue of Swampscott (3-3) 1-3 in the NEC South Friday night 7 p.m. at East Boston Stadium. A Vikings victory could give the team a shot at the MIAA playoffs in Division 3A.
Chris Zuffante rushed 16 times for 46 yards. The Vikings rushed for 150 yards and passed for 173 for a total of 323 yards. Saugus rushed for 126 yards and passed for 17. The Sachems quarterback Mike Mabee was 2 for 13. The day belonged to the law firm of Zuffante and Brown. The verdict was won by the Vikings.
See you at East Boston!
Let the Games Begin!
Faces in the Crowd
A sunny Saturday filled Stackpole Field in Saugus with a large crowd of Viking faithful: Anne, Chris and Chuck Sullivan, Melissa, Diana, Scott and Ron Wasson. Helen, Elaine, Jen, Jimmy and Kevin Adamson, Kathy and Carl Tarantino, Chris and Geralyn Zuffante, Coach Jack MacDonald.
Ginny Brown, Lisa Correale, John and Peg Lyons, Larry and Nanci St. George.
Anthony, Gina and Bobby Massa, Michelle McCarthy and Sean Brown.
Jon Trenouth, Scott Sears, John Macero, Cindy and Rita Driscoll.
Jim and Gerry Magnasco, Bob Deeb, Jimmy Nelson, Betty Dalton, Nick and Debbie Spinazzola, Gene and Diana August.
Around the NEC
The Revere Patriots won a thrilling (29-27) overtime victory over the Big Blue of Swampscott (3-3); The Patriots improved their record (2-4). Revere plays host to Salem (3-3) on Friday night at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
The teams at Swampscott played a (21-21) thriller in overtime. Anthony DeStephano scored for Revere on a 5-yard run. Victor Rivera rushed for the two-point conversion. Isaiah Bacon scored on a 10-yard run. The pass failed and the Patriots celebrated Gloucester clinched the NEC South with a (48-28) victory over Salem at Bertram Field in Salem. The Fishermen entertain winless Saugus (0-6) at Newell Stadium.
Christian SanFillipo (the best back I’ve watched this season) has scored 62-points for the Fishermen. Matt Andreas has scored 48-points for the Danvers Falcons (5-1).
Danvers scored a (35-28) victory over Beverly (4-2) at Hurd Stadium in Beverly.
Marblehead (6-0) defeated Lynn Classical (1-5) 34-6 at Manning Field in Lynn. Marblehead and Gloucester will be a great game in the MIAA playoffs in Division 2A. I like the Magicians to win.
Lynn English (1-5) was run over by Peabody (41-8). The Vikings (27-25) overtime loss to Lynn English; it was their only victory in the pouring rain. Calvin Tufas’s field goal 4 seconds remaining in regulation hit the goal post.
Eddie Sullivan Revere quarterback has tossed 7 touchdowns. Oscar Lopez has 6 touchdown receptions. We will see that passing combo on Thanksgiving at Revere.
Northeastern Conference
South – Overall
Gloucester 4-0 – 5-1
Winthrop 2-1 – 2-4
Revere 2-1 – 2-4
Salem 2-2 – 3-3
Swampscott 1-3 – 3-3
Saugus 0-4 – 0-6
Trivia:
Can you name the two ex-Viking athletes that were named All-American college athletes? (Answer in next week’s column)