WHS Sports Roundup

WHS Football Team to Host Arlington Catholic Friday Night

The Winthrop High football team will host Arlington Catholic tomorrow (Friday) at Miller Field. The opening kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m..

The Vikings are coming off a 35-7 loss to the Hamilton-Wenham Generals this past Saturday.

Hamilton-Wenham built a 21-0 lead at the half on a trio of TD passes inside the red zone, but the Vikings sliced into the advantage with a touchdown on their first possession of the third period.

Winthrop surprised Hamilton-Wenham with an onside kick that Viking Julio Osorio recovered at the General’s 20-yard line. Winthrop kicker Juan Sanchez delivered a perfect chip kick over the first line of H-W players and Osorio sped downfield to pounce on the pigskin.

“It was something that we had been working on all week in practice and that we felt we could accomplish,” said WHS head coach Jon Cadigan.

WHS sophomore quarterback Mike Chaves directed the Viking offense from there, with junior Bobby Hubert (85 yards rushing on 18 attempts), going in from 10 yards out. Sanchez kicked the point-after to move Winthrop within striking range, 21-7.

However, that would prove to be the apogee of the Vikings’ comeback effort on the afternoon. The Generals responded by marching for two touchdowns, one in each of the third and fourth quarters, to claim the 35-7 victory.

“This was a very frustrating game for us,” said Cadigan, whose Vikings gained 168 yards on the ground and made 12 first downs on the day. “We moved the ball well  from the outset of the game, but we could not finish our scoring opportunities.”

Winthrop drove the length of the field on the Vikings’ first possession off the opening kickoff, but could not convert a fourth-and-two inside the Generals’ 10 and turned the ball over on downs.

Two other Winthrop forays into the red zone in the first half went for naught thanks to a pair of interceptions.

Defensively, the Vikings were led by Bryan Conceicao, Tyler Rockefeller (who was back in action after an injury), and senior Billy Hubert.

However, Winthrop was unable to contain General quarterback Ian Coffey, who tossed four TD passes and ran for another. “He was the best player we’ve seen this season,” said Cadigan of Coffey, who escaped Houdini-like from a number of apparently-certain sacks by the Winthrop defense throughout the  game, which he then turned into big plays, most notably a 19-yard pass for a touchdown on the last play of the first half.

“We have to get back to playing our style of football, especially on defense,” said Cadigan, whose Vikings now stand at 2-6 on the season as they prepare for the Friday Night Lights tilt with Arlington Catholic.

WHS Girls Soccer Wins Tourney Game in Double Overtime

The Winthrop High girls soccer team won its opening-round game of the Division 4 North Sectional of the MIAA state soccer tournament with an exciting 2-1 triumph in double-overtime over Mystic Valley this past Sunday.

The victory advanced Coach Tracey Martucci and her Lady Vikings into the quarterfinals yesterday (Wednesday) for a meeting with Amesbury.

“Yes, it was a very exciting — and stressful! — game,” said Martucci with a smile.  “We knew we were going to match up with Mystic Valley pretty evenly before the game and that became evident as the game went on. They played an interesting formation that we haven’t see at all before and it really kept us from creating any space up front.

“Their speed up front on their end was super challenging as well,” the veteran coach added.

Winthrop finally broke through to grab a 1-0 lead when junior Maura Dorr made a beautiful pass, splitting the Mystic Valley defense, to sophomore Mia Martucci, who then took two touches before delivering the ball into the back of the MV net.

However, Mystic Valley responded shortly thereafter to bring the contest back to level at 1-1 and forcing the game into OT.

The foes battled evenly through the 10 minutes of the first overtime, forcing another 10-minute OT session.

“At the break between periods I reminded the girls that we needed to take just one touch and shoot fast because their defense was collapsing on us so quickly,” said Martucci.

Just two minutes into the second OT, freshman Emma Holmes carried the ball into the Mystic Valley side of the field and made a soft touch-pass to Maura Dorr, who was in the middle of the field just outside the box. Dorr, who became the all-time leading WHS goal-scorer this season, then made a quick turn and delivered a perfect, hard strike from 20 yards out that sent the ball past the MV keeper for the Golden Goal.

Had the contest remained deadlocked after the second OT, the contest would have been decided by penalty kicks.

Martucci was effusive in her praise of her back line, which limited Mystic Valley, the eighth seed in the 10-team D-4 North with a 10-7 record (Winthrop was seeded ninth with a 10-8 regular-season mark), to just one goal through 92 minutes of soccer.

“Our sophomore goalie, Manuela Mejia, did her job to keep us in the close game,” said Martucci.  “Senior Jillian Johnson had a big game for us, stepping up and creating offense for us from the backfield. And as always, defenders Jenna Dorr, Summer Tallent, Julia Marcoccio, and Sydney Mignosa proved once again how strong they are as a unit.”

Winthrop’s quarterfinal opponent, Amesbury, is the top seed in the sectional with an 11-1-6 record. Amesbury is the two-time defending North Sectional champ and is a familiar foe to the Lady Vikings, having eliminated Winthrop last year in the opening round of the tourney.

If the Lady Vikings are victorious, they will advance to the sectional semifinal this Monday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. at Whittier Tech in Haverhill to face the winner of the Essex Tech vs. Madison Park contest.

Boys Soccer Falls Short in Tourney Bid

The Winthrop High boys soccer team saw its bid to qualify for a berth in the state tournament fall short with a 1-0 loss to Arlington Catholic in the season finale last Thursday.

The Vikings needed a tie in order to achieve the necessary .500 record against fellow Division 4 opponents, but could not find the back of the AC net.

After the teams battled to a scoreless deadlock through the first half, Arlington Catholic took advantage of a free-kick opportunity with about 25 minutes left in the game to score the game-winning tally.

“Their defense managed to stop our attacks the rest of the game,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “We played a great game offensively and defensively, and we were unlucky not to score

“Our final record (4-14) doesn’t indicate the way we played at all,” Gagin added. “I think inexperience hurt us at times, but we played well all season and kept up with teams we normally never do. Everyone improved individually and as a team throughout the year. Luckily, we have a good core crew of returners for next season.”