Shutout Victory for WHS Boys Lacrosse in Return As Varsity Sport
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team marked its return as a varsity sport with a 17-0 victory over Salem last week.
“It was a good first start to the season,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly. “We went up pretty quickly in the first quarter with a fast run of about six goals in six minutes. This allowed us to put some of our second- and third-line guys in to get some invaluable looks early in the season.
“Assistant Jeff Parsons has been working hard with our younger guys on gaining more confidence on the field and it showed during the second half when these players got to get in,” Donnelly added. “Jeff brings an awesome level of excitement to practice that really gets the guys going.
“It was a great team effort all-around,” Donnelly continued. “We were able to control the ground ball game and in turn control possession which was great. Our defense didn’t allow one shot on net the entire first half of the game. It was great to have some upperclassmen like Welvis Acosta get his first varsity goal, which we don’t see much from a defenseman.
“It was also great to see some underclassmen like freshman Ace Daigneault and Colin Cifuni get a hat trick out there in the first game back, along with our junior captain Robert Rich getting six assists in just the first quarter. Junior Alex Daigneault, returning after a year away at Brewster Academy, also had a hat trick and will be a pivotal part of our offense moving forward,” Donnelly added.
“We have a big game this Friday against a division one Weymouth team,” Donnelly said. “We will look to continue to improve on what we did well and fix some of our issues we still need to work on. We are looking for our defense to continue to work as a unit and communicate as much as possible. Our offensive system that Rich Cifuni put in is really coming together and our players are starting to buy into the system and understand where the looks are coming from. Overall, we are excited to move forward in the season and continue to improve both individually and as a team.”
The contest with Weymouth tomorrow (Friday) is set for 5:30 on the turf under the lights at Miller Field. Donnely and his crew will host Northeastern Conference rival Swampscott on Monday at 4:30 and will trek to Bevertly next Thursday.
WHS Girls Lax Dominates in Shutout Victory
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team opened its season in impressive fashion with a 14-0 victory at Salem last Thursday.
The Lady Viking offense generated a balanced scoring attack that saw eight Lady Vikings reach the back of the Salem net and that also featured eight assists.
Talia Martucci netted a hat trick; Emma Holmes scored two goals and had three assists; Hannah Parker scored two goals and had one assist; Avalina Coffey and Kailey Sullivan both scored two goals; Sam DiMento and Mia Norris both scored a goal and had an assist; Lizzie Quinn scored a goal; Gabby Buonopane earned two assists; and Juia Holmes recorded an assist.
WHS goalie Adrianna Rizzotto (one save) earned the shutout in net.
“It was a great first game,” said WHS head coach Emma Marrs. “Overall we were able to successfully execute some of the things that we worked on together at practice and it showed what we still need to work on.
“We have a lot more time to practice this week and we are excited to face Saugus this Thursday for our home opener,” Marrs added.
The opening faceoff for today’s (Thursday’s) contest with Saugus at Miller Field is set for 4:30. The Lady Vikings will travel to Swampscott on Monday and will host Beverly next Thursday at 4:00.
WHS Baseball Team Opens With 9–1 Win
The Winthrop High baseball team opened its 2023 season with a 9-1 victory over Northeast Regional this past Monday at Veterans Field.
After spotting the visiting Golden Knights an early 1-0 lead in the opening inning on a bloop single into right field, WHS starting pitcher Zach Bogusz tossed lights-out baseball the rest of the way, finishing with 10 strikeouts over his five innings of work.
“Zach has been great for us for the past two years on the mound. He likes to pound the strike zone and mix it up well. He worked hard in the off-season, and it really showed in this game,” said WHS head coach Mark DeGregorio. “Zach did an excellent job of limiting base runners. His 2-seam fastball was the best I have ever seen it. The movement on the 2-seam away from righties was too much for the batters to handle. He mixed in his slider well and did a good job of forcing them to swing the bat and also did a good job of controlling both sides of the plate.”
The Viking offense got rolling in the second inning, thanks to an RBI triple by sophomore Matthew Noonan, who was starting his first varsity game in the outfield and went 2-for-4 in his varsity debut.
“Matthew has been great for us since day one,” said DeGregorio. “He came into the season as someone who can play infield and outfield, but we quickly realized how smooth he is in the outfield tracking fly balls.”
Winthrop broke the game open in the fourth. Billy Hayes led off the inning with a double. Petey Silverman (who was 2-for-4 on the day), who has been the Vikings’ leadoff hitter since last year, followed up with a single and advanced to second on an errant throw.
“It was a great, heads-up running play,” noted DeGregorio. “Petey is someone who puts the bat on the ball and has a knack for getting on base.”
Colin Kinsella (who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two stolen bases) then jumped all over the first pitch and launched a deep and powerful drive into the gap in right-center for a triple to drive in both runs. Colin himself then came across the plate on an errant throw.
“This is something we stressed hard in the off-season, advancing on balls in the dirt, errant throws, or dropped cuts,” said DeGregorio. “We were able to exploit that today. We want to be aggressive and put teams on their heels with pressure on the basepaths.”
After Bogusz worked his five innings, DeGregorio handed the ball over to Jay Fotiades, who shut down Northeast over the final two frames.
“Jay is another player who is always consistent for us,” said DeGreglorio. “He throws strikes, mixes it up with his off-speed pitches, and just goes out and competes every time he takes the mound.”
The Vikings also received strong contributions from Phillip Boncore, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base; sophomore Michael Donahue, who started his first varsity game in center field and provided solid defense; junior Evan Rockefeller, who started in left field; and junior Jackson Andy at third.
“We executed well and it was a great team win,” said DeGregorio. “We had a great week of practice and an excellent scrimmage against Stoneham to help prepare us for our first game. The kids were focused and ready to compete from the first pitch.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season,” continued DeGregorio. “We are returning a nice young core group of players. We have what I consider to be a deep roster with a lot of positional flexibility. I think that may have been something we needed more of last year and I believe with this current roster, we are set up better for that.
“We are returning a captain from last year in senior Colin Kinsella, who was a tone-setter for us as a team,” continued DeGregorio. “Rounding out the captaincy spots this year are senior Zachary Bogusz, junior Peter Silverman, and junior Matthew DeCarney. These three players had really good years for us last year. Zach returns as a key pitcher for us and first baseman. Peter Silverman is our leadoff hitter from the year before and just has a knack for the game. Matthew DeCarney was a phenomenal hitter last year for us and we are excited about his pitching development as well.
“We also have a great group of players that round out the roster from last year to make this year something to look forward to. We are returning sophomore Phillip Boncore who literally plays any position and is a really tough out at the plate,” said DeGregorio. “Jackson Andy has been working very hard in the offseason and looks really comfortable at third and on the mound.
“In the offseason we put together a much more challenging schedule for this upcoming year, knowing that you have to play a tough schedule with the new tournament formatting,” DeGregorio added. “This year we have added Wakefield, who is a perennial contender in Division 2; Ipswich, who finished five spots ahead of us in the tournament last year; Sharon High, who plays in the toughest division in the state with teams like Franklin and Taunton; and Cardinal Spellman also was added this year.
“The coaches have done a great job for us at the beginning of the year trying to get this team ready and focused for the task at hand,” DeGregorio said. “The support and hard work they put in shouldn’t go unnoticed as Michael Vatalaro, Joseph Murphy, Anthony Sorrentino, Neil Cacciola, and Frankie Fabiano have been instrumental to ensuring that the program be further ahead this year than we were last year up to this point. We also added Jack Wallace to the staff this year. He has brought some great insight with him and experience having played five years of college baseball.”
DeGregorio also mentioned the strong pre-season effort of his team that featured a visit to Boston College by the Vikings.
“We played a scrimmage against Newburyport and competed well against a great Cape Ann League (CAL) team,” DeGregorio said. “They have been the cream of the crop for the CAL conference for years now and are very well-coached. We did some really good things against them and got to see all 20 players that we wanted to see in the game.
“It was essential for us as coaches to be able to see some of our guys play different positions and we got to see eight different pitchers compete. I thought we did a really good job overall seeing our first live competition,” DeGregorio noted.
The day after the scrimmage the entire program went to Boston College to watch Boston College play N.C. State.
“It was a great experience for the program,” said DeGregorio. “We were able to tour the facilities, the locker rooms, the Frates Center, and watch batting practice, allowing us on the field and in the dugouts. It was very hospitable of them to allow us to have access to those things. It was a great day for all.
“We want to thank Casey Goll for allowing us to use the Arms afterwards for a team lunch after the game,” DeGregorio added. “The Winthrop community has been really supportive of the program. These are just some of the things we want to continue to do for the program. It is great for bonding and team-building.”
DeGregorio and his crew will host Northeastern Conference (NEC) foe Peabody today (Thursday) at 4:00.
“Peabody always is tough and competitive. They always seem to replenish every year no matter how many seniors they graduate. They are well-coached by Mark Bettencourt, who has been coaching them for a long time. We are looking forward to our first conference game,” DeGregorio said.
The Vikings will entertain non-league foe Rockport on Saturday morning at 11:00 and will host Danvers next Wednesday at 4:30.
WHS Softball Team Opens 2023 Season
Although the Winthrop High softball team came out on the short end of an 18-6 decision to O’Bryant High in its season-opener this past Monday, there were a number of highlights for first year head coach Erin Vercruysse’s squad.
Four Lady Vikings — Gabrielle Golden, Amelia Spencer, Samantha Harrison, and Izzy Cash — had two hits apiece and Lily Tallent, Zoey Bakos, and McKenzie Magardo contributed RBIs.
The Lady Vikings also pulled off a triple play when shortstop Izzy Cash snared a low line-drive, threw to first baseman Sam Harrison to double-off a runner, and Harrison fired back to second to double-off another O’Bryant runner.
Vercruysse and her crew have a busy week ahead. They were scheduled to host Swampscott yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Salem tomorrow (Friday). They will entertain Excel Academy on Monday at the Little League field at 4:00 and will travel to Beverly next Wednesday.