WHS Flag Football Team To Play at Gillette Friday for State Championship
The Winthrop High flag football team will compete in the state championship playoffs tomorrow (Friday) evening at Gillette Stadium.
Coach John Cross’s Lady Vikings are among the eight teams who have qualified for the playoffs. Winthrop finished in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 16-3 record, behind only 19-0 St. Mary’s of Lynn. The Lady Vikings will take on the Leominster 2 team, which finished in third place in the Central Conference, in a quarterfinal matchup at 5:30. The winner will advance to the semifinal round at 7:00, with the championship game to be played at 7:45.
The eight teams competing in the playoffs are as follows:
Eastern Conference:
St. Mary’s (19-0)
Winthrop (16-3)
Pentucket (12-7)
Peabody (12-5)
Central Conference:
Leominster 1 (19-0)
Fitchburg (13-6)
Leominster 2 (15-5)
Ayer-Shirley (11-8)
Information for fans attending the games (parking and admission are free) is as follows:
3:30 PM: Parking lots and gates open. Fans and spectators should park in lot 22 and enter through the CVS Health Gate. This is on the west side of the stadium.
4:30 PM: Pre-game ceremonies begin. All 23 teams are invited to be on the field for pre-game ceremonies. Teams will take a team photo with a photographer. The teams will be announced and will run through the Patriots helmet. Everyone will be on the field for the welcome from the Patriots (who are sponsoring the league), announcement of the All-Conference team, MVPs, and the National Anthem.
The full playoff schedule is as follows:
5:30 – 6:15 PM: Quarterfinals
Field 1 –Leominster 1 vs. Peabody
Field 2 – Winthrop vs. Leominster 2
6:15 – 7:00 PM: Quarterfinals
Field 1 – St. Mary’s vs. Ayer-Shirley
Field 2 – Fitchburg vs. Pentucket
7:00 – 7:45 PM: Semifinals
7:45 – 8:30 PM: Championship
Concessions will be open on the west side of the stadium for fans to purchase. Competing athletes will be given food vouchers to use at the concession stand.
Winthrop qualified for the championship playoffs with an outstanding performance in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Lady Vikings had a bye the first round and then defeated Needham in the second round, 22-8. Freshman Angela Coscia (two interceptions) turned in a huge effort for Winthrop in the victory.
That win guaranteed Winthrop a spot in the championship playoffs at Gillette and the Lady Vikings then played for seeding, first defeating Peabody, 28-0, in the semifinals in which the Brodin sisters (Kate and Reese) worked together for a huge interception at a crucial point of the game. The Winthrop offense meanwhile, took care of business, scoring with ease.
That win advanced Winthrop to the Eastern Conference championship match-up against undefeated St. Mary’s of Lynn.
“The game was punch-for-punch, with huge play from our quarterback, Sammy ‘Dimes’ Dimento,” said Cross, “who tossed a bomb down the field to Kaylee Farrell who reeled it in for the TD. Sammy continued to find the open receivers and showed great poise in the pocket. We came up just short, 27-21.”
Vikings Come Up Short in Tourney; Conclude Season With Awards Banquet
The Winthrop High baseball team came up short in the opening round of the Division 4 state tournament with a 2-0 loss to South Hadley last Saturday (June 1) at Veterans Field.
The Vikings were the number 32 seed in the tourney with a 7-13 record, while So, Hadley was the 33rd seed with a 15-5 mark.
Jay Fotiades earned the starting nod from coach Mark DeGregorio and turned in a fine performance, allowing only five hits in his five and 1/3 innings of work.
“We decided to give the ball to Jay, who was coming off a very strong outing against Manchester Essex in his last outing and really stepped up when we needed it after the loss of one of our starting pitchers a few games ago,” said DeGegorio. “We also really liked the matchup based on our scouting reports of South Hadley and Jay did not disappoint. He attacked the strike zone all day and the defense behind him was excellent.”
The Winthrop offense put pressure on So. Hadley throughout the contest, but the Vikings proved unable to push across any runs.
“We had a good amount of base runners in scoring position, but were not able to get the timely hit we needed at the right time to drive those runs in,” said DeGegorio. Petey Silverman as usual was a thorn in the side of the opposition, with a base hit, a walk, and two stolen bases. The two steals gave Petey over 50 steals for his career and made him a perfect 24-for-24 on the season.
Phil Boncore reached base three times with a hit and two walks. “Phil did a great job of managing the strike zone,” noted DeGregorio. Billy Hayes also had a hit and got hit by a pitch.
“Overall, our offense came up short despite a good pitching performance from Jay and Matthew DeCarney, who came in relief and struck out two in one and 2/3 innings of work,” said DeGregorio. “It was tough to lose the tournament game 2-0 after having some chances, but it sort of fit the theme of what happened frequently to us this year. We had so many close games and chances that we could have easily changed the outcome of our season by at least five or so games. I was proud of how the team fought until the end.”
The Vikings concluded their 2024 season on a high note with the annual break-up and awards banquet on June 10.
“It is a special night for the program as a lot of alumni come back to join in and support the program, as well as present the awards that we have named after them,” said DeGregorio. “We were able to recognize some players who had excellent years, some guys who have bright futures in the program, and some individuals who showed excellent leadership.
“Only one alumnus was unable to make it unfortunately in David Tallent Sr. who was All state for Winthrop, All Conference at UNH, and a Cape Cod player. We also named an award after the late Dolores Fabiano in honor of all that she did for the Winthrop community and in support of assistant coach Frankie Fabiano.”
Among the Viking alumni who were in attendance and who have some of the awards named in their honor were former Winthrop High coach, Winthrop Hall of Famer, and current Curry College AD Vinnie Eruzione; former coach of Winthrop High and the only coach to win a state championship for Winthrop (1981) and current Tufts baseball coach Barry Rosen; niece and nephew Emily and Russell Nichols, who presented the award in honor of Winthrop Hall of Famer Michael Mason; Colin Cash, a former Winthrop High player under Barry Rosen, amongst the all time leaders in RBI’s at Tufts, and current owner of Atlantic Equipment; former outstanding pitcher for Winthrop High and former draft pick of the Texas Rangers, Michael Soper; Nancy Morelli and Joyce Morelli, who presented in the honor of former great Winthrop High player William Morelli Jr.; former Winthrop High standout, NCAA record holder for most consecutive games with a hit at 34, and former draft pick of the Chicago Cubs, Stephen Coffey; former state champion, former coach, and current owner of the Pro Shop, Jimmy Gillis; Winthrop Hall of Famer, Boston Metro League Hall of Famer, and former closer for Dartmouth, Dan Godfrey; and messages from two alumni who live out of state, Hall of Famer, state champion, and two-time Big East All Star at Boston College, Joe Giaquinto, and Winthrop High stand-out, All American at UMaine, and Chicago White Sox reliever, Larry Thomas.
“This night is special for the program because it shows how many special people came through this program,” said DeGregorio. “Many WHS alumni had such great accomplishments, but not many people know of these accomplishments in this current generation. I am in awe of the support from these alumni and hope to continue to build a program that they can be proud of and maybe one day have a few players and teams be recognized in the way that they are.”