Boys Lacrosse Team Beats Gloucester To Claim NEC South Title
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team, who are ranked 14th in Division 4 in the MIAA’s power rankings, defeated Gloucester, 15-5, to win the championship of the South Division of the Northeastern Conference last Thursday.
“This was a great bounce-back victory,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly, referring to the Vikings’ previous two contests in which Winthrop suffered its first two losses of the season “We really wanted to win this at home and it was awesome seeing our players celebrate on their home field surrounded by their teammates, friends, and family.”
Robert Rich helped lead the Viking offense, scoring four goals and earning two assists. Freshman Ace Daigneault continued to put together an amazing freshman year at attack, scoring four goals and adding three assists. Midfielder Mike Holgersen turned in an impressive performance with three goals and four assists.
“Jack Hayes and Alex Daigneault continue to be rocks of our offense and helped set things up for other guys and came in the clutch when we needed it,” Donnelly said. “Our defense really showed up to play in this game as well, keeping their offense to minimal shots.
“I cannot say enough about our coaching staff in preparing these guys to get where they need to be,” Donnelly continued. “The number of hours and amount of effort that Rich Cifuni has put in in encouraging these guys to play since they were in the youth program, having them buy into our offensive systems, and just encouraging them to be the best player and people they can be, has been amazing. He is the life force of Winthrop lacrosse.
“Jeff Parsons also is just an amazing hype man for our players and does some amazing, individualized adjustments and builds up our players in a way that is unmatched,” Donnelly added.
This past Monday the Vikings made the long trek to Salem and returned home with a 13-0 victory to complete a sweep of their opponents in the NEC South.
Winthrop had some big early goals from Colin Cifuni, “who has made huge strides this year with his shooting and overall offensive prowess,” said Donnelly, who had an opportunity to give his younger and less-experienced players some valuable playing time, including three freshmen who scored their first varsity goals.
Donnelly and his crew are scheduled to travel to NEC North opponent Marblehead today (Thursday) to take on the Magicians, who are 13-1 overall and in first place in the NEC North.
“Marblehead will be one of the best teams we have seen this year, so we are very excited to see how we match up,” said Donnelly, whose squad now stands at 11-2 on the season. “We have a couple of tough away games that we want to be competitive in and just continue to improve as we head into the end of our season and look forward to the playoffs.”
The Vikings will travel to non-league foe Weymouth on Saturday and to Lynnfield on Monday before returning home to host Revere on Tuesday at 6:00 under the lights at Miller field and Malden next Thursday at 4:00 to wrap up their regular season.
WHS Girls Lacrosse Wins Two Matches; Ranked 22nd in D-4
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team turned in a solid two-way effort to claim a 16-6 victory over Northeastern Conference South rival Gloucester last Thursday.
“It was a tough one and the girls really had to battle the entire game,” said WHS head coach Emma Marrs. “It was a huge team win. We were making connections across the field, our defense was working together as a solid unit, and our attack was structured and patient. But most importantly, we played as a team.”
Leading the Lady Viking attack were Hannah Parker, who scored seven points with five goals and two assists, and Emma Holmes, who notched six points with five goals and an assist.
Mia Norris reached the back of the Gloucester net for two goals. Also contributing to the WHS offense were Kailey Sullivan and Elizabeth Quinn with a goal and an assist apiece, Kira Diaz and Tegan Pereira with one goal each, and Julia Holmes with two assists.
WHS goalie Emily Maddalone made five saves.
This past Saturday morning Marrs and her crew hosted non-league opponent Cambridge and earned a 12-9 victory.
“We did not know what to expect going into this game and it was another tough battle,” said Marrs. “Cambridge never let up. We saw success again because we played together and we were doing exactly what we needed to. Cambridge has an excellent goalie. We had a hard time finding the back of the net throughout the game. The Cambridge goalie (sophomore Olive Berotta) made 15 saves.”
Hannah Parker and Emma Holmes each had three goals and an assist. Julia Holmes scored two goals with an assist and Talia Martucci tallied two goals. Kailey Sullivan and Elizabeth Quinn scored a goal apiece and Mia Norris earned an assist.
Emily Maddalone recorded five saves.
Marrs and her crew, who are ranked 22nd in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings (the top 32 teams automatically qualify for the state tournament), will wrap up their regular season in the coming week with five games in eights days, all of which will be on the turf at Miller Field:
They will host Northeastern Conference North opponent Marblehead today (Thursday) at 4:00; non-league opponent No. Reading on Saturday at 11:00; Salem on Monday at 5:30; Revere on Tuesday at 4:00; and Malden next Thursday under the lights at 6:00.
Cappuccio is Triple Champ at Fr.-So. Meet
Winthrop High track and field standout Nicholas Cappuccio took first place in three events at the Northeastern Conference Freshman-Sophomore Meet this past weekend.
Nicholas won the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 11.37, the 200 dash with a time of 23.38, and the long jump with a leap of 18′-8.25″.
Freshman Brady Tallent earned a fifth-place ribbon in the 110 meter high hurdles with a clocking of 21.58.
Freshman Liam Kenney finished eighth in the 800 with a clocking of 2:26.87, which was the second-fastest time for a freshman.
The Beverly boys won the meet with 96 points and Marblehead took second with 89 points.
Winthrop finished in eighth place with 32 points.
On the girls’ side, freshman Ariana Cappuccio scored eight points for Winthrop with a second-place performance in the long jump with a leap of 15′-6″. Ariana also did well in the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 14.14, which was good for eighth place in the large field of 54 competitors.
Marblehad won the meet with 138 points and Gloucester was second with 115 points.
WHS Baseball Team Tops Swampscott, 3-1
The Winthrop High baseball team earned a 3-1 victory over Northeastern Conference South Division rival Swampscott last Wednesday in a well-played contest at Veterans Field.
“It was a good game by both teams,” said WHS head coach Mark Degregorio. “Both teams really excelled defensively and pitching,”
However, it was the Viking pitching combo of starter Matt DeCarney and reliever Jay Fotiades who proved to be just that much better than their Swampscott counterparts. Matt allowed only one earned run and fanned six Big Blue batters through the first five frames, while Fotiades, a sophomore, came on in the sixth to wrap up the save on only 25 pitches over the final two innings,
Evan Rockefeller provided some timely hitting, including the game-winning RBI in the sixth, to provide the winning margin.
“This was a nice bounce-back game for us after losing a heartbreaker to Wakefield, 3-2, on the previous Saturday,” noted Degregorio.
The Vikings then took on a pair of teams from the NEC North, Beverly last Thursday and Masconomet this past Saturday.
“They are two of the best teams in the NEC,” said Degregorio. “They have been beating almost everyone and we were really excited to try and see how we stacked up against them.”
Sophomore Timmy Vargus had his first varsity start of the year in the Beverly contest. “Timmy is a kid whom we have worked really hard with this year because he probably has some of the most electric stuff in the program,” said Degregorio. “He started out the first two innings by holding Beverly to zero runs and really did a good job of mixing in his fastball and curve. Unfortunately, there were a few errors in the third inning that led to some Beverly runs and we were not able to recover.”
Colin Kinsella had a nice day at the plate with two hits, including a double.
In Saturday’s match Masco, which was a make-up of a rained-out game, Zach Bogusz, who has been the Vikings’ ace this season, earned the starting nod.
“Zach is someone whom we know when we hand him the ball is going to compete and not back down from any opponent,” said Degregorio. “That is something the coaches love about him. He is the definition of a true competitor.
“That is exactly what Zach did,” continued Degregorio. “He threw his fastball with conviction and his slider was tight and kept the Masco batters off-balance through the first four innings.”
However, Masco was able to get on the scoreboard thanks to some untimely errors and costly mistakes by the Vikings.
“It was a frustrating game from a coaching perspective because we were in the game, 5-4, going into the fifth inning and we let it slip away from us,” Degregorio said. “We have been working with the players all year on trying to play loose and confident. Sometimes it doesn’t go our way, unfortunately.”
Despite the loss, there were some highlights for the Vikings.
“We had some great fielding from Peter Silverman,” said Degregorio. “It was easily his best game at shortstop all year. He made two unbelievable plays that we didn’t think he would get to. He has turned into a phenomenal shortstop for us.”
At the plate, Winthrop had some nice hits from Matthew Noonan, Ryan Gagnon, and Bogusz.
“Despite the two losses, the coaching staff continues to have all the confidence in the world in these young men,” Degregorio added. “They show up to practice each and every day with great attitude, and are eager to learn, improve, and work hard. That is all we can ask for. We will continue to push and try to find a way to get into the tournament.”
Winthrop presently is ranked 29th in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings. The top 32 teams automatically qualify for the post-season state tourney.
Degregorio and his crew hosted Saugus yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Salem tomorrow (Friday) to meet the Witches on the Salem State University field.
They will travel to Marblehead on Monday and return home to host Ipswich next Wednesday for Senior Day.
Boys Track Team Tops Saugus, 76-57
The Winthrop High boys outdoor track and field team earned a 76-57 victory over Saugus last Friday.
George Galuris was the top performer for the Vikings, scoring 15 points on the day with three first-place performances.
George won the triple jump with a landing of 36′-7.5″, the javelin with a throw of 127′-7″, and the 200 dash with a sprint of 25.1.
Nicholas Cappuccio scored 10 points with victories in the long jump with a leap of 18′-4.5″ and the 100 dash with a sprint of 12.2.
Liam Kenney was another double-victor for the Vikings, taking the 800 with a clocking of 2:33.5 and the mile in a time of 5:48.4.
Additional Vikings who won their events were Brady Tallent in the 110 hurdles in a clocking of 22.6 and Thomas D’Amico in the two-mile with a run of 13:11.9.
Scoring three points for the Winthrop side of the scoresheet with second-place finishes were: Demetri Koutsouflakis in the high jump (4’10”); Daniel Guauque in the triple jump (34′-10″); Benjamin Prew in the 400 hurdles (1:111.5) and the 110 hurdles (22.7); Thomas D’Amico in the 400 dash (62.1); and Liam Natareno in the mile (6:15.9).
Adding single points for the Winthrop cause with third-place efforts were: Demetri Koutsouflakis in the long jump (16′-8.5″); Daniel Guauque in the shot-put (33′-1.75″) and the 200 dash (27.0); Benjamin Prew in the javelin (112′-11″); Brady Tallent in the 400 hurdles (1:23.6); Vasili Tsiotos in the 400 dash (64.6); Liam Natareno in the 800 (2:51.6); and Owen Nargi in the mile (6:18.5).
The Vikings topped their Saugus opponents in the 4 x 100 relay with a clocking of 47.2, which was exactly one second faster than their Sachem counterparts.
In a meet with Beverly last week, the Vikings came up on the short end of a 107-27 decision.
Nicholas Cappuccio scored 12 points, winning the 100 in a dash of 11.0, tying for first in the high jump with a leap at 5′-2″, and taking second in the long jump (18′-11″).
George Galuris won the javelin with a throw of 127′-1″.
Benjamin Prew scored four points with a second-place performance in the 400 hurdles in 1:11.5 and a third in the 400 dash in 1:00.8.
Brady Tallent added three points for Winthrop with a second in the 110 hurdles with a clocking of 20.5.
Daniel Guauque scored a point with a third in the 200 dash with a sprint of 24.7, as did Liam Kenney in the mile in a clocking of 5:30.1 and Thomas D’Amico in the two mile in a time of 12:05.6.
WHS Softball Team Falls Short to Saugus, Danvers
The Winthrop High softball team took on Saugus last Wednesday and fell to the Lady Sachems, 12-0, in five innings.
Despite the loss, there were some highlights for the Lady Vikings. Amelia Spencer made an incredible diving catch behind third base and Tina Fabiano dropped one down the left field line for a double in the second inning.
“We just couldn’t bring our runners around, but are hoping that our bats will wake up in the coming games,” said WHS head coach Erin Vercruysse.
Last Thursday the Lady Vikings fell to Danvers, 20-1, in five innings.
“It was a tough loss to a good team,” said Vercruysse of the Lady Falcons, who sport a 10-5 record.
Gaby Golden drew a lead-off walk in the first inning and proceeded to steal her way around the bases and eventually to home plate to score Winthrop’s lone run. The Winthrop outfield trio of Carolina Gonzalez, Juliana Demers, and Izzy Cash played well, hauling-in multiple long fly-outs.
Vercruysse and her crew play at Revere tomorrow (Friday) and will make the long bus ride to Gloucester on Monday. They will wrap up their season at Boston Collegiate next Wednesday.
Girls Track Comes Up Short in Two Meets
The Winthrop High girls outdoor track and field team took on a pair of Northeastern Conference opponents this past week.
In a 92-37 loss to Saugus last Friday, Gabriela Currier was the top scorer for the Lady Vikings. Gabriela won the 400 meter hurdles with a clocking of 1:25.4 and the 800 with a time of 2:51.6 and took second in the 110 high hurdles (20.1) to score 13 points on the day.
Reese Brodin won the javelin with a throw of 65′-1″ to lead a Lady Viking sweep of that event with teammates Olivia Skomro (63′-4″) and April Ferguson (39′-2″).
Reese also took second place in the 100 dash (14.2) and third in the 200 dash (30.1).
Libby Carney won the mile in a time of 7:20.5 and Ferguson won the two mile with a time of 17:29.4.
Lylah Cassidy scored a point with a third-place in the 400 hurdles (1:31.9).
In a meet with Beverly this past Monday, the team came up short by a score of 86-43.
Arianna Cappuccio was a double-winner, capturing the long jump with a leap of 16′-6.25″ and the 100 dash with a sprint of 13.4.
Gabriela Currier won the 400 meter hurdles in a clocking of 1:26.7 and took second in the 110 hurdles (19.5).
Shannon Abbott tied for first place in the high jump with a leap of 4′-4″ and took third in the 110 hurdles (19.7),
Reese Brodin won the javelin with a throw of 72′-3″ and April Ferguson won the two-mile run with a clocking of 14:44.9.
Adding three points to the Winthrop cause with second-place efforts were Lylah Cassidy in the 400 hurdles (1:29.8) and Olivia Nystrom in the 800 (2:51.7).
Scoring single points with third-place finishes were Daniela Gomez in the shot-put (23′-3.5″) and the discus (52′-1″); Olivia Skomro in the javelin (57′-5″); and Libby Carney in the mile (6:51.2).