WHS Sports Roundup

Big Game for WHS Boys Lacrosse Today

The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team will be seeking to claim the championship of the South Division of the Northeastern Conference when coach Brian Donnelly and his squad host Gloucester today (Thursday) at Miller Field.

The opening draw is set for 4:30.

“This game is a big one,” said Donnelly, whose Vikings are ranked 17th in Division 4 in the MIAA’s power rankings. “We are hoping to win the NEC South at home.”

The Vikings came up short in a pair of hard-fought contests this past week with NEC rivals Peabody and Masconomet.

In a 10-8 loss to Peabody last Wednesday, Jack Hayes scored three goals and Robert Rich earned five assists. Goalie Hunter Fife recorded 17 saves.

“We just got out-worked,” noted Donnelly.  “Peabody just brought more energy than we did.  We had sparks of greatness from Jack Hayes and Robert Rich, and Hunter Fife was excellent in goal, but it was a frustrating loss. However, there were a lot of good takeaways that we can learn from about the importance of working through frustration and sticking together.”

In the contest with a strong Masconomet team this past Monday, Winthrop took an early 3-0 lead, but the Chieftains, who are ranked 27th in Division 2, eventually prevailed.

“Masco is probably the best overall team we have seen all year and I think we just ran out of energy in the tank,” Donnelly said. “Welvis Acosta and freshman Colin O‚ÄôLeary played excellent defense. We went into the half down just 7-5, but couldn‚Äôt find the fire to mount a comeback.

“Colin Cifuni had some great goals to start us off and despite efforts by our offense, we just couldn‚Äôt seem to get our engines going,” Donnelly continued. “We didn‚Äôt win the ground ball game, which we stressed was going to be the difference-maker.

“We hope to turn it around against Gloucester and we will continue to look to our captains and leadership to fix up some of the mistakes and continue to take steps forward in becoming a better, more well-rounded team as we head into the back half of our schedule,” Donnelly added. “We are really proud of where our guys are so far and how they have grown as both individual players and a team. We just want to focus on continuing to improve fundamentals and finding the next level of intensity when things begin to get difficult.”

After today’s contest with the Fishermen, Donnelly and his crew will trek to Salem on Monday and to Marblehead next Thursday.

 WHS Baseball Team Ranked 23rd in D-4; Hosts Masco Saturday

The Winthrop High baseball team is ranked 23rd in the MIAA’s power rankings this week.

Coach Mark DeGregorio and his crew are scheduled to travel to Beverly today (Thursday) and will entertain Masconomet this Saturday afternoon at Veterans Field at 2:00.

They will host Saugus next Wednesday at 4:30.

WHS Softball Team Triumphs on Senior Night

The Winthrop High softball team celebrated Senior Night on Monday in appropriate fashion with a 24-1 victory over Boston Collegiate at Cellucci Field.

The Lady Vikings put on a show of support for graduating seniors Lily Tallent, McKenzie Margardo, Juliana Demers, Gia Bakos, Samantha Harrison, and Gabrielle Golden, who were recognized before the game for their contributions to the WHS softball program with flowers, a trip around the bases, and photos with their families.

“This group of seniors will be incredibly missed,” said WHS head coach Erin Vercruysse.

As for the game itself, Margardo allowed only one run in five innings of pitching to record the “W.” Tallent led the Lady Viking offensive attack with five hits, including a triple, double, and three singles and three RBI. Golden cleared the bases for three RBI with a bases-loaded triple and also had a nice lefty slap up the third base line for a single.

Demers delivered five RBI and Amelia Spencer contributed a pair of ribbies.

In contests last week, the Lady Vikings came up on the short end of their contests with top-ranked Peabody, Masconomet, and Salem.

In the 8-5 loss to Masco, Tallent turned in a fine all-around game with three hits to go with three put-outs and three assists in the field. Lily combined with first baseman Samanatha Harrison for two assists and fired the ball to Zoe Bakos at third for her other assist.

Golden had a nice day at the plate with two hits.

In last Friday’s encounter with Salem, an 11-3 loss, the highlights for Winthrop were Tallent with a double, Golden with a base hit, and Spencer with a single and a stolen base in her return from a severely sprained ankle that had kept her out for two weeks.

Vercruysse and her crew are scheduled to host Danvers today (Thursday) and Marblehead next Wednesday. Both games will be at the Little League field at 4:00.

Girls Lacrosse Falls Short in Three Contests

Although the Winthrop High girls lacrosse dropped its two contests last week, WHS head coach Emma Marrs saw some positive signs from her squad..

The Lady Vikings fell just short to Malden Catholic, 10-9, last Wednesday. Emma Holmes led the Winthrop offensive attack with five goals. Talia Martucci and Hannah Parker both tallied two goals and Sam DiMento earned an assist.

Adrianna Rizzotto recorded 13 saves in goal.

“We made some adjustments during practice which we benefited from,” noted Marrs.

Two days earlier, the Lady Vikings had dropped a 16-2 decision to Swampscott. Hannah Parker and Sam DiMento each had a goal and Kira Diaz and Emma Holmes each had an assist.

“It was pretty awesome to see that both goals scored were assisted,” said WHS head coach Emma Marrs. “It shows that we are looking for each other out there on the field.”

Rizzotto came up big with 16 saves in goal.

Marrs and her crew make the long trek to Gloucester today (Thursday) and will host Cambridge Saturday morning at 11:00 on the turf at Miller Field. They will entertain Marblehead next Thursday afternoon.

Cappuccio Scores 18 Points in Danvers Meet

Winthrop High track and field standout Nicholas Cappuccio scored 18 points in last week’s meet with Danvers in which the Vikings came up on the short end of a 95-31 decision.

Nicholas won three events, leaping to victory in the long jump with a flight of 19’-6” and flying past his Falcon foes in both the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 11.0 and the 200 dash in a clocking of 23.2.  He also took second in the high jump, clearing the bar at a height of 5’-6”.

Teammate George Galuris scored four points on the day, with a second in the 100 dash (11.7) and a third in the javelin with a throw of 105’-6”.

Adding single points to the WHS scoresheet with third-place finishes were: Daniel Guauque in the discus (89’-2”) and the 200 dash (24.9); Benjamin Prew in the 400 hurdles (1:14.2); and Liam Kenney in the 800 (2:25.7).

Winthrop also won five points in the 4 x 100 relay.

The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Saugus tomorrow (Friday) and will entertain Beverly this coming Monday afternoon at Miller Field.

Strong Efforts From WHS Girls Track Team

Although the Winthrop High girls outdoor track and field team came up short by a score of 97-39 in its recent meet with Danvers, there were a number of highlights for the Lady Vikings.

Winthrop swept the javelin, led by Oliovia Skomro with a winning toss of 63’-6” and followed by teammates April Ferguson (63’-1”) and Arianna Cappuccio (61’-5”).

Shannon Abbott led the scoring for Winthrop with 11 points. Shannon won the long jump with a leap of 14’-3.5” and took second in both the high jump (4’-4”) and the 100 hurdles (19.3).

Earning three points with second-place efforts were: Daniela Gomez in the discus (58’-1”); Arianna Cappuccio in the 100 dash (13.5); and April Ferguson in the two mile (15:02.8).

Scoring single points with third-place efforts were: Mary Healy and Marwa Mimouni, who tied for third in the high jump (4’-2”); Haven Pereira in the long jump (13’-5.55”); Lylah Cassidy in the triple jump (26’-8.5”); Jillian Buonopane in the 400 dash (1:15.5); and Olivia Nystrom in the 800 (2:55.3).

The Lady Vikings are scheduled to travel to Saugus tomorrow (Friday) and will host Beverly this Monday afternoon at Miller Field.