Category Archives: Amesbury

February 15, 2018 · 11:13 pm

Defense leads Ipswich to 74-69 overtime win against Amesbury

Jason Finkst (24) shoots over three Indians

Izzy Morrissey (10 points) made a huge three in overtime

(Amesbury MA) One team had trouble making shots while the other team had trouble with turnovers.

In overtime, it was Ipswich that made a big shot (Izzy Morrissey) to give the Tigers an exciting, 74-69, win over Amesbury on Thursday night.

The Indians (7-11) honored their seniors pregame and there were 3^rd & 4^th graders playing at halftime. That brought out an enthusiastic crowd and there was plenty for them to get revved up about.

The most excited person after the game may have been Ipswich coach Alan Laroche. “Wow, that was nice,” said the Tigers’ coach. “After the season we’ve had, to get that win sure felt good.”

Ipswich (6-15) had W’s over Rockport (twice) and Georgetown (once) in the Cape Ann League before tonight’s victory.

I saw Amesbury in their home opener against Hamilton-Wenham. The Indians lost only by three points in that one despite thirty turnovers.

Tonight’s loss had a similar flavor for the home team. They were in the 30’s again in turnovers and still could have won this game.

“What turned the game for us,” said Coach Laroche, “was our defense. We pressured them into a lot of turnovers.”

Senior Zach Labrecque eyes the hoop

The pass attempt after an Ipswich double-team seemed to be the one that led to the most Amesbury miscues.

Amesbury shot their way into sizable leads in every quarter; 18-12 in the first, 26-16 in the second, 45-34 in the third, and 62-54 in the fourth.

However, in every quarter the visitors would rally back, driven by their defense.

In the last quarter Ipswich actually rallied into a three-point lead with fifteen seconds left on a turn-two by Izzy Morrissey plus a free throw. But Nick Everett had the answer as he drained a three of his own from in front of the Amesbury student section sending those folks into a frenzy and this one into overtime.

In overtime, Zach Long made two straight free throws and Billy Sydlowski answered with two free throws with 1:43 remaining.

For Amesbury, there were three turnovers before Billy made two of his four free throws and there were two more miscues after the free throws. Those final two killed Amesbury’s comeback plans.

Zach Long (20 points) shoots over Jaden Kelher

After the AHS free throws tied the game (69-69), Izzy Morrissey took a pass from Ben Yanakakis and hit what turned out to be the game-winning three with 1:25 left.

Jason Finkst’s two free throws with nine seconds left finished the scoring.

“We made some big shots down the stretch,” said Coach Laroche. “Izzy’s three in OT was huge for us.”

Coach Laroche: “It was one of those games where we didn’t melt when we got behind. Our defense was key to our comebacks.”

Zach Long (20), Ben Yanakakis (19), Izzy Morrissey (10), and Jason Finkst (12) led the Ipswich scorers.

AHS coach Tom Comeau gave minutes to everyone on his team and ten of them scored points. Billy Sydlowski (16), and Thomas McAndrews (14) led the scorers.

On January 5^th Amesbury won at Ipswich (75-63) as they had four players reach double figures.

Ipswich had lost three straight games prior to tonight’s win.

Dan Stedman turned a teammate’s missed free throw into an old-fashioned 3-point play as part the Tigers comeback in the 4^th quarter.

Freshman Thomas McAndrews was 6-for-6 from the foul line

Freshman Thomas McAndrews looks like a player with a bright future with Amesbury. He made all six free throw attempts and had a high degree of success dribbling the ball and passing the ball against the Ipswich defense.

Amesbury box

Ipswich box

(All of the pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

John and Billy Sydlowski were two of the seniors honored before the game

Andrew Spanoghe (2) tries to defend driving Jack Norris

Jacob Eliopoulos passes to a teammate for a layup

Billy Sydlowski (16 points) gets to the basket

Nick Everett in the lane

Nick Everett passes in flight

Tight Ipswich defense

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Ben Yanakakis, Billy Sydlowski, Izzy Morrissey, Zach Long

February 1, 2018 · 11:43 pm

Alli Napoli (30 points) carries Amesbury past Georgetown 50-41

Alli Napoli (30 points) chased by Lyla Krol

Alli was Amesbury’s point guard

(Amesbury MA) Way too much Alli for Georgetown.

“She’s probably the best I’ve seen in the league this year,” said G’Town coach Hilary Glynn afterwards.

“There’s nothing she can’t do.”

Sophomore Alli Napoli had the whole basketball package working as she led Amesbury to a 50-41 win over the Royals on Thursday night in Cape Ann League play.

Alli had thirty points but it was the things beyond the points that led the Indians to their tournament-qualifying 10^th win.

The “other things” that I noticed were; rebounds, blocked shots, assists, steals, and bringing the ball up the court.

Nicole Donnelly reaches in on Alli Napoli

“Sometimes I forget that she’s only a sophomore,” said AHS coach Matt Willis. “We’ve had a captain who didn’t come out and a captain (Flannery O’Connor) who is out but Alli has stepped up.”

The two teams faced each other less than a week ago. Amesbury survived, 51-47, in that one. “In both games, we’ve had big leads, but they came back,” said Coach Willis. “They don’t quit.”

That lack of quit showed itself in the fourth quarter. The Indians (10-4) had a comfortable, 46-29, lead one minute into the final quarter. Good time to pack it in if you’re Georgetown, but they didn’t.

Amesbury went very cold (credit the G’Town defense) and turned the ball over nine times during the next 6+ minutes. The visitors put a run of twelve unanswered points together including a layup by Lilly Dionne (assisted by Haylee Zadina) that had the Royals trailing by only five, 46-41, with forty-two seconds left.

Haylee Zadina (2) gets to the rim

Georgetown (2-12) had another possession with that five-point deficit and missed four shots in that possession, including three 3’s. Make one of those and final seconds could have been verrrry interesting.

Things turned Amesbury’s way, thereafter. Amesbury’s Kaicey Zimmer was fouled. She missed the front end of a one-and-one with forty seconds left BUT there was a lane violation on the Royals. Given another chance, Kaicey made the free throw but missed the second. To the surprise of no one, Alli Napoli grabbed the rebound for Amesbury and was fouled. That’s twice Georgetown could have had the ball but didn’t get it.

Alli made both free throws to push the AHS advantage to eight and the Royals were done for.

“We have a tendency to start slowly,” said Coach Glynn. “We certainly came alive late in this game.”

Mary Bullis surrounded by Royals

Amesbury has now defeated Georgetown ten straight times.

Alli Napoli had twenty-six points in the first meeting with Georgetown. “We tried to use a box-and-one on her,” added Coach Glynn. “I thought that Lyla Krol played excellent defense.”

One play that was very effective for Amesbury was having Alli on one side (drawing multiple defenders) and having her throw a cross-court pass to the other side to an open teammate. Mary Bullis (8 points) ended up with good 3-point looks out of that set.

Autumn Dionne (11 points) led the G’Town scorers. Autumn wears a serious knee brace and has torn her ACL twice. She fell once in the second half and required medical attention but did return later in the game.

The Royals weren’t shy about putting up 3-pointers. Might have something to do with the fact that Coach Glynn holds the Framingham State career 3-point record.

I saw Amesbury lose a tough game to Hamilton-Wenham when Flannery O’Connor was playing. In that one, the Indians were impatient on both ends of the court rushing shots and getting out of position on defense. Not tonight. The offense was organized and the defense (man-to-man) was stable.

Two hands on the ball

Amesbury ended up with seventeen turnovers, including nine in the final quarter when Georgetown made their run. Georgetown had fifteen, but only one in the last quarter.

The Indians built up a 15-point lead in the second quarter with ten unanswered points. Mary Bullis had two 3’s while Alli turned a steal into a basket and also made two free throws.

Nine players scored for the Royals. Six different players (Maeve McNeill, Brenna Donoghue, Caitlin Donoghue, Grace MacDonald, Autumn Dionne, and Lilly Dionne) were part of Georgetown’s twelve-point streak in the final quarter.

Alli ended up with three 3’s. She had eleven points in the second quarter and twelve in the third quarter. Her rebound in the final minute sealed this one for the home team.

I bring a camera to games as well as a mopod to stabilize it. Tonight, one of the referees knew enough about my mopod to use it to loosen a basketball that was stuck against the rim.

Quiet crowd on hand. I noticed Georgetown JV’s working on homework.

Amesbury box from the game

Georgetown box from the game

(All of the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.)

Nice pass by Autumn Dionne sets up Maeve McNeil for a layup

Late-game pressure by Georgetown

Brenna Donoghue (12) puts up a shot over Catherine LaForte (13)

Lyla Krol (14) in the middle of three Indians

Mary Bullis (8 points)

Autumn (11 points) covered by Ciara Sullivan

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Filed under Amesbury, Georgetown

Tagged as Alli Napoli, Autumn Dionne, Coach Hilary Glynn, Coach Matt Willis, Flannery O'Connor, Mary Bullis

January 19, 2018 · 11:55 pm

Hamilton-Wenham rallies to defeat Amesbury 38-27

Jemma Shea and Cecily Szady double-team Flannery O’Connor

Alli Napoli (11 points) tries to get past Cecily Szady

(Amesbury MA) It looked like a long night for Hamilton-Wenham after 3 ½ minutes had been played.

The Generals trailed 11-5 and looked overmatched against AHS shooters Alli Napoli and Flannery O’Connor.

However, once the HW defense got up to speed the Indians were the ones in trouble as they fell, 38-27, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

“We pride ourselves on our defense,” said HW coach Jon Flanagan afterwards.

On this night that defense featured Jemma Shea (on Alli Napoli) and Cecily Szady (on Flannery O’Connor). “The girls did a great job of focusing in on their better scorers,” said Coach Flanagan.

Jemma and Cecily played tight man-to-man defense while their teammates sagged into the lane to give them help. The best thing that defense did was to keep Alli and Flannery on the perimeter. Tonight the AHS shots weren’t falling from the outside.

Lauren Flynn (16 points) leads a HW break

Lauren Flynn led all scorers with sixteen points. Lauren had two quick baskets in the 2^nd quarter; one on a setup by Jemma Shea and another on a well-executed inbounds play. That brought HW to within two (12-10). Then it was Lauren again in the last second of the period, setup this time for a layup by Jacqueline Fibbe. The halftime score was a very low 14-14.

The Indians (7-3) took the lead in the 3^rd period on an Alli Napoli layup and a three by freshman Mary Bullis from the corner.

Mary Bullis (15) blocks Lauren Flynn’s shot

Amesbury, however, didn’t score again for four minutes while the visitors gained separation with eight unanswered points. Senior Lauren Flynn was the key contributor with four free throws and a driving layup. Teammates Cecily Szady and Maddy Rivers added free throws. That run of points gave HW a 24-19 advantage with two minutes left in the third quarter.

AHS would get within three twice during the next 3+ minutes but they could not string points together the rest of the way.

The Generals gained final separation with six straight points; four of them were from Lauren Flynn and the other two on a drive by Jemma Shea. This stretch of good offense pushed HW ahead, 32-23, with 2:44 left and AHS couldn’t recover.

“We moved the ball well and got good looks from different people,” said Coach Flanagan. “When the opportunity arose, we took the shots that we needed to take.”

“We had a lot of assisted baskets,” added Coach Flanagan. “When we can fill the scorebook with a whole bunch of scorers, that is what we like to see.” Seven of HW’s nine players had points.

Alli Napoli led the AHS scorers with eleven points before fouling out in the last minute. A turning point in this game was when with 4:24 left, Alli picked up her 4^th foul.

Kaylie Cloutier (25) covers Jemma Shea (3)

Amesbury had only ten turnovers in the game while Hamilton-Wenham had eleven miscues.

Coach Matt Willis put getting the ball out of the backcourt entirely into the hands of Alli Napoli and Flannery O’Connor. Getting the ball inbounds was the hardest part because HW had defenders on either side of the girl getting the inbounds pass. But the talented two-some handled this part of the game flawlessly. The trouble for them was in the half-court where their perimeter shots weren’t falling, and the inside was filled with Generals.

Amesbury had won five straight games and had been undefeated (5-0) at home.

Plenty of scouts on hand from Pentucket.

HW defeated Amesbury 39-35 on December 15^th.

Hamilton-Wenham was 15-9 last season reaching the Division 2 North title game. Amesbury was 22-2 reaching the Division 3 state semifinals.

Amesbury box from the game

Hamilton-Wenham box from the game

(All of the pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Flannery O’Connor gets in for two in the first quarter

Flannery O’Connor (12) waits for a pass

Alli Napoli and Lauren Flynn battle for a rebound

Sadie Kermelewicz (4) guards Maddy Rivers

Lauren Flynn goes by Alli Napoli

Catherine LaForte defends Isabelle Dolan

Lauren Flynn looks to pass

Jemma Shea

Cecily Szady gets a layup

Jacqueline Fibbe eyes the hoop

Mary Bullis (15) fouled in the lane

Jacqueline Fibbe gets a layup

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham

Tagged as Alli Napoli, Cecily Szady, Coach Jon Flanagan, Flannery O'Connor, Jacqueline Fibbe, Jemma Shea, Lauren Flynn

December 15, 2017 · 11:14 pm

Hamilton-Wenham holds off energetic Amesbury 50-46

Jake Lanciani (18 points) guarded by Chris Chabot

Amesbury was scrappy all game long

(Amesbury MA) “We didn’t deserve that one,” said HW coach Michael DiMarino after the season opener for both squads.

And who would disagree.

Amesbury, without a starter back, looked to be a mismatch against the Generals with several starters back off a 17-4 team last season.

What the Indians lacked in finesse, however, they made up for in hustle and aggressive man-to-man defense.

“You can’t ask for much more than the kids gave tonight,” explained AHS coach Tom Comeau. “They (HW) have been very good in recent years. They’re all seniors and they expect to win and go deep in the tournament. Yet we had a shot to tie them at the end in our first game with no returning starters.”

Chris Chabot shoots for the tie in the closing seconds

This game did come down to the closing seconds as Amesbury, trailing by three, had two chances in the closing seconds to reach overtime. Both of Chris Chabot’s hurried three-point attempts missed the mark.

There were eight lead changes and six ties along the way. Separation was impossible because every shot was challenged, and accuracy suffered big-time.

Amesbury had the lead (44-42) with three minutes left before foul trouble, and clutch HW shooting, did them in. Both of the Sydlowski twins (John and Billy) fouled out in the first minute of the final three minutes. They were Amesbury’s top scorers.

The fouls on the Sydlowski’s gave HW four free throws and seniors James Lustig and Jake Lanciani made three of them to give the visitors the lead for good, 45-44, with 2:03 remaining.

Plenty of time for Amesbury, but a steal by Cam Peach set up James Lustig for an accurate top-of-the-key three with 1:38 to go.

Block or foul late in the game. Called a foul by the officials.

Later, a free throw by Jake Lanciani, after a controversial block/foul call, stretched the HW lead to 49-46. When Chris Chabot’s 3-point attempts misfired the win belonged to the Generals.

James Lustig (11 points) breaks between Chris Chabot and Austin Hallisey

“James (Lustig) is a senior captain,” said Coach Dimarino. “He is a three-year starter. That 3-point shot late was huge.”

James finished with eleven points despite spending much of the game on the bench in foul trouble. His only field goal was the decisive three in crunch time.

If you had to list just one key to the HW victory, it was their trapping defense. “Their defense is stifling,” agreed Coach Comeau. “Their whole scheme is built around it.” Put five non-starters from a year ago on the floor against it in their first game and bad things can happen and they did for the Indians.

HW pressure caused thirty Amesbury turnovers

I keep track of turnovers because they often lead to easy baskets and wasted possessions. Amesbury, and this is not a typo, had THIRTY turnovers. HW had just thirteen. That’s why is was a marvel that Amesbury made such a good game of it.

“We made some adjustments in our trapping defense at halftime, “said Coach DiMarino. “We were having trouble scoring and hoped for some easy baskets.” Those adjustments were golden as the home team has possession miscues thirteen times in the third period alone and HW collected fifteen points while holding AHS to seven.

But even with the turnover disparity AHS hung in. How did they do it? If Amesbury had trouble taking care of the ball, Hamilton-Wenham had trouble at the foul line. HW missed THIRTEEN free throws including the front end of three one-and-one’s.

The Generals led 41-35 after three periods, and then missed seven of their next eight free throws. AHS said “Thank you” and ran seven straight unanswered points to take the lead.

Cam Grinnell (13 points) caught everyone napping after he missed a first-half free throw

Surprise play of the game? With less than two minutes left in the first half, Cam Grinnell (13 points) was at the line shooting one–and-one, BUT he was the only one who knew it was a one-and-one. Cam missed the first free throw and no one reacted so he picked the rebound off the floor and got a layup. Later in that same quarter the senior pulled in a rebound and nailed a fadeaway at the halftime buzzer.

The Boston Herald chose Hamilton-Wenham to finish 4^th in Division 3 North. James Lustig and Billy Whelan were listed as players to watch.

Billy Whelan is still recovering from a collarbone injury suffered in a football playoff game.

I asked Coach Dimarino when Billy would be back: “Not soon enough,” he answered.

Hamilton-Wenham box

Amesbury box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge if you click on them.)

Cole Dwyer (33) and Zach Labrecque battle for position

Sophomore Jaden Keliher (15) shadowed Jake Lanciani

Noah Lynch

Billy Sydlowski (10 points) takes off after a steal

John Sydlowski (5) heads for the basket

Zach Labrecque (22) on the move

Alex Renaud chases a loose ball

John Sydlowski (5) had eleven points for Amesbury

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham

Tagged as Bill Sydlowski, Jake Lanciani, James Lustig, John Sydlowski

November 12, 2017 · 10:38 pm

Amesbury glides by St. Joseph’s Prep 6-0 and into the D4 state semifinals

The Amesbury Indians are the Division 4 North champions

Maddy Creps (2) ripped a goal from the left side in each half.

(Lynn MA) This was not a game to come late to.

Two minutes into it the Amesbury Indians had two on the board against St. Joseph’s Prep on Sunday afternoon.

The final was 6-0 and with the win Amesbury reaches the Division 4 state semifinals.

The Indians (16-5-1) will face Millis (16-2-2) on Wednesday night (5PM) at Manning Field in Lynn.

Amesbury has had few games this season in which they dominated a team the way they did in this one. “Being in the Cape Ann League has helped prepare us for the tournament,” explained AHS coach Adam Thibodeau.

Chelsea Lynch gets a full swing at a shot from very close.

Newburyport, also from the CAL, reached the D3 state semifinals on this same Sunday at Manning Field.

“Amesbury came out with the horses and we just didn’t match up, “said St. Joseph coach Damian Shiner afterwards. “We gave them the freedom and opportunity to take the shots they wanted.”

It was a busy and dangerous afternoon for Phoenix netminders Maria DiFelice (first half) and Shannon Daly (second half). Both girls allowed three goals.

Michaela Halloran and the ball arrive at the same time.

I say dangerous because multiple times those goalies and incoming Amesbury players were on collision courses chasing an incoming ball.

Sophomore Maddy Creps paced the Indians with two goals and an assist. Both of Maddy’s tallies were similar. In each she found an opening on the left side and was on target with her left foot. Both shots in each half ended in the upper right corner above the Phoenix goalie. “I wasn’t aiming for that spot,” Maddy told me. “I was just trying to get it on net.”

Chelsea Lynch, Ashley Pettet, Brooke Taylor, and Maia Esty had Amesbury’s other goals.

While the Indians had a feast of opportunities the team from Boston didn’t. AHS goalie Alli Napoli touched the ball for the first time fifteen minutes into the game.

Credit the Amesbury defense. Hannaih Burdick, Ashlee Porcaro, Alyssa Pettet, and Madison McGrath were terrific in their half of the field. There were few panic kicks and plenty of passes to each other to keep St. Joseph’s from threatening.

Anne McElroy and Maddy Creps battle for a loose ball

Despite the mismatch, St. Joe’s and their fans never quit. “We’re a young team,” said Coach Shiner. “We’ll be back next year.”

The Indians notched their first goal (Chelsea Lynch from Brooke Taylor) at 38:47. Thirty-three seconds later, Maddy Creps had her first successful blast from the left on a pass from Ashley Pettet. A timeout by the Phoenix quickly followed.

“I told them to calm down and relax,” said Coach Shiner. “We had plenty of game left but Amesbury is an excellent team.”

The prettiest goal of the game was the third one, Ashley Pettet’s. The Cape Ann League Player-of-the-Year dribbled past two defenders into the middle of the field and ended up with a straightaway, clean look which she buried.

Nice November weather. Temps in the upper 40s with sun and little wind.

AHS coach Adam Thibodeau cleared his bench early and often. Freshman Julia Campbell played the final nine minutes in net for the Indians.

Anne McElroy and Molly Wheet were tireless on defense for the Phoenix.

Ashley Pettet fires a shot.

Covering games is never easy during the regular season. Many teams have no scoreboards. Rosters are seldom available. In the tournament you expect better. Well, the scoreboard at Manning Field worked. The rosters? Not so much. I noticed right away that the two St. Joseph goalies had numbers that aren’t on the rosters the MIAA handed out on the way into the game. I chased down Coach Shiner afterwards to get the names of the two goalies he used. Then there was the Amesbury roster. I knew that roster because I had done their game with St. Mary’s. I never looked at it until I was home. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the Amesbury roster was the 2016 edition!

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Amesbury seniors with Coach Adam Thibodeau and the D4 North trophy

Coach Damian Shinere, Nailah Khoory, Hannah Sansone, Assistant Coach Lindsey Hughes

Maia Esty (15) after scoring the 6th Amesbury goal

Second half action in front

Maddy Crep’s 2nd goal celebrated

Brooke Taylor (7) shoots

Goalie Shannon Daly and Chelsea Lynch

Michaela Halloran on the doorstep in the first half

Freshman Alyssa Pettet

Emma DiPietro

Chelsea Lynch and Camille Taylor

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Filed under Amesbury, St. Joseph's Prep

Tagged as Ashley Pettet, Brooke Taylor, Chelsea Lynch, Hannah Sansone, Maddy Creps, Maia Esty

November 5, 2017 · 11:25 pm

Amesbury advances to D4 semis with 2-0 win against St. Mary’s

Amesbury put pressure on the St. Mary’s defense. Here Sherly Feliz (24) is chased by Brooke Taylor (7)

Michaela Halloran’s tap heads for the goal line as a lunging Morgan Mackie tries to stop it.

(Amesbury MA) The scoreboard at Landry Stadium wasn’t up to speed but the Amesbury girls’ soccer team sure was as they defeated St. Mary’s, 2-0, in the Division 4 North quarterfinals.

The Sunday evening matchup featured a heavy dose of pressure by the Indians on the Spartans. There were plenty of passes away from the middle that gave Amesbury’s speedsters opportunities to create scoring chances.

“When we play fast, we play our game,” said Amesbury coach Adam Thibodeau afterwards.

Ashley Pettet (8) chased by Joslyn Deschenes (16)

The Indians (14-5-1) scored both of their goals (Hannaih Burdick, Michaela Halloran) in the first half. Instead of playing conservatively in the second half, Amesbury just kept attacking.

And there was only one reason why this didn’t end up being a seven or eight goal game: Alex Iacoviello. The St. Mary’s goalie faced shots from just about everywhere in the second half and dazzled everyone with the saves she came up with.

“She (Alex) kept us in the game,” said Spartans coach Jim Foley. “Several of her saves were unbelievable.”

Chelsea Lynch stopped by Spartans goalie Alex Iacoviello

“Their goalie was absolutely spectacular,” said AHS coach Adam Thibodeau.

By keeping the heat on the St. Mary’s defense, Amesbury was able to limit the chances the Spartans had. But the team from Lynn did have several anyhow.

St. Mary’s top scorer (Kayla Demers) had a good look in the second half.

There was also a situation where Amesbury GK Alli Napoli had the ball get away from her after attempting a save. The ball was loose close to the corner and a St. Mary’s player was about to take a shot at an unguarded net but three Amesbury players slid in to block any straight shot at the goal.

That’s what makes Amesbury so tough: Not only are they fast into the attacking zone but they are also fast to get back to help on defense.

Amesbury GK Alli Napoli (green) gets help from three teammates

“Amesbury is probably the best team in the D4 North,” explained Coach Foley. “We ended up meeting them a little earlier than I had hoped.”

The #6 Indians will meet #2 Essex Tech in the semifinals on Wednesday night at Manning Field in Lynn.

Freshman Alyssa Pettet (5) pressured by Kayla Demers (27)

Hannaih Burdick’s goal was set up by Emma DiPietro seventeen minutes into the first half. A throw-in from the left side reached Emma. Instead of trying to go toward the goal, Emma passed further right to an uncovered Hannaih.

The shot was a long one but Hannaih had experience taking it from that far out. The shot was a high one and sailed into the top of the net on the left side.

“I thought that the shot had gone over the net,” recalled Hannaih afterwards.

The battle AFTER Michaela’s shot had crossed the line

The second Amesbury goal was set up by Chelsea Lynch. Down the middle she came with defenders on either side. Alex Iacoviello came out to challenge and Chelsea’s shot bounced off her and over her. The ball headed ever so slowly toward the net. Michaela Halloran saw it and tapped it just enough to get it across the goal line. Michaela and Morgan Mackie battled for possession inside the net, but the goal had already been scored.

In the second half, St Mary’s (9-8-3) couldn’t get the goal that would have made things more interesting down the stretch. “We’ve had trouble scoring all season,” added Coach Foley.

The speed of Amesbury has been noted. Also important is to have players in the midfield who have the dribbling skills to make players miss. Most opponents attack someone with the ball at full speed. The talented players often make those attackers miss by pulling the ball back. Those of us who enjoy watching Charlie Brown attempt to kick a football with Lucy holding the ball know what I mean! Midfielders Ashley Pettet and Emma DiPietro make players miss on a regular basis.

Freshman Susannah Cornell (17) and senior Ashley Pettet (8)

Morgan Mackie was a standout on defense for St. Mary’s.

Part of the scoreboard was not working.

The lighting in Landry will test the quality of the best of cameras.

Pleasant night in the 50’s.

Pretty good crowd for a Sunday night.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Captains Brooke Taylor (7) and Caitlin Foley (3)

Chelsea Lynch assisted on Amesbury’s second goal

Morgan Mackie

Alex Iacoviello

Maddy Creps in for a testing shot that went just wide.

Michaela Halloran surrounded by Spartans

Chelsea Lynch in on goal

Jenna Foley (22), Maddie McGrath (4), Maddy Creps (2), and Kayla Demers (27)

Waiting to head

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Filed under Amesbury, St. Mary's

Tagged as Alex Iacoviello, Ashley Pettet, Chelsea Lynch, Emma DiPietro, Hannaih Burdick, Margan Mackie, Michaela Halloran

October 6, 2017 · 11:13 pm

Ipswich pulls away from Amesbury 42-21 with strong second half

Pat Gillis (three touchdowns) finds space and blocking (Tommy Herron 82 and William Ginolfi 65)

Amesbury’s Zack Levarity (2) gets the signal that he has scored at touchdown.

(Amesbury MA) Giving up 30+ points per game won’t win many of them and that logic held true for Amesbury Friday night as they fell, 42-21, to Ipswich at Landry Stadium.

Amesbury (0-5) was in a tie with the Tigers (3-2) in the second period, 14-all, but stayed quiet thereafter offensively until a last-minute tally versus the Ipswich reserves.

Two rushes into the game Ipswich was on the board with sophomore Justin Moran in the Amesbury end zone. It looked to me as if the same play was used to get Justin to the Amesbury 25 and later in for the score.

Justin Moran (5) off to an early Ipswich touchdown.

The ease of the Ipswich touchdown had me thinking early on that the Amesbury defense was going to be severely tested……….and they were.

I wondered if the Indians could generate enough offense to hang around in a high-scoring matchup.

It turned out that Amesbury could put up points. The home team answered the first two Tigers’ touchdowns with ones of their own. Junior Patrick Birmingham figured in both of them. His 17-yard run in the first quarter put Amesbury on the Ipswich five where Zach Levarity scored from. In the second quarter, Patrick found daylight on the right and QB Blake Bennett tossed him a 13-yard catch-and-run tally.

Patrick Birmingham hauls in a TD pass from Blake Bennett.

So Amesbury wasn’t going away. It was a matter of which team would be unable to answer first.

Ipswich responded to the tie score in the 2^nd quarter with the second of Pat Gillis’ three TDs. I am not sure if Pat was even touched on any of his touchdowns. Good blocking and good deception within the Tigers offensive schemes created some serious openings in the Amesbury defense.

Amesbury didn’t get the score back in the first half but they received the kickoff in the 2^nd half.

Something transformed the Ipswich defense in the second half. The Indians tried a variety of plays in that second half but seemed to be confronted with multiple tacklers much of the time and held to short gains.

Pat Gillis (44) finds a huge opening to score

The Tigers gained two-TD separation in the third quarter. A pass from QB Ben Yanakakis to senior Alex Bruhm had Ipswich cooking at the Amesbury five. Pat Gillis finished in the end zone several plays later.

You’re trailing by fourteen points late in the third quarter so you dust off the passing attack. Amesbury went that route with absolutely disastrous results.

Two straight Amesbury series ended up in touchdowns……..for Ipswich. Interceptions.

Trying to get credit straight in sports is an interest of mine. Christian Fabbri and Alex Bruhm ran back interceptions for touchdowns for Ipswich. I took enough pictures so that I could see contributors to those pick-six plays. Pete Spinale was bringing AHS quarterback Blake Bennett down as he tossed the first interception. On the second one, Ben Yanakakis was in Blake’s face, certainly affecting Blake’s view downfield.

Christian Fabbri has an interception and blocking to get him into the Amesbury end zone.

Alex Bruhm takes an interception to the Amesbury end zone with Jacob Hamel chasing.

Needless to say, that revived IHS defense put fourteen straight points up for the visitors and put this game well out of reach.

Captain Connor Whitley among those honored pregame at Landry

Nice crowd at Landry Stadium as the senior athletes and cheerleaders were recognized.

Nice weather too. I’ll take low 60’s, without a breeze, anytime at night in early October.

On one play in the second half, Ipswich had only ten players on defense and still held the Indians to a small gain.

I was completely fooled by Amesbury when they went for the first of two their extra points. Why? They had no holder just #90 (Ruairi Cleary) back there. I assumed a timeout was coming but instead the ball was snapped to Ruairi and he dropkicked it for the extra point. Didn’t Doug Flutie do that once for the Patriots?

Ruairi Cleary drop kicks.

When the attempt for the second Ruairi extra-point attempt occurred I was camera ready and got a shot of the sophomore doing it.

Plenty of helpful information from the public address announcer.

Ipswich had lost its other two road games to Newburyport and Triton.

The Tigers have defeated Amesbury four straight times.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Amesbury gang tackles Pat Gillis

Ben Yanakakis stopped by Amesbury at the goal line.

Ben Yanakakis pressures Amesbury QB Blake Bennett and an interception resulted.

Matt Warren (50) recovers a fumble

Logan Burrill gang tackled by the Tigers

Izzy Morrissey hit hard by Zack Levarity

Pat Gillis breaks free

Pat Gillis races alone into the end zone

Caleb Comeau kicked five extra points.

Pete Spinale pressures Amesbury QB Blake Bennett and it leads to an interception.

Ipswich quarterback Ben Yanakakis

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Alex Bruhm, Ben Yanakakis, Blake Bennett, Christian Fabbri, Justin Moran, Pat Gillis, Patrich Birmingham, Ruairi Cleary, Zach Levarity

May 28, 2017 · 3:02 pm

Amesbury loses 3rd straight with 9-2 loss to non-league Concord-Carlisle to end regular season

Concord-Carlisle catcher Virgina Ryan had a huge day for the Patriots with two HRs and 6 RBI

Emma DiPietro tagged out at 2B by Emma Della Volpe

(Amesbury MA) Three days don’t make a season but the last three have been a disaster for the Amesbury Indians softball team.

I checked in (late) to the final of the three games this morning and saw Amesbury lose, 9-2, to Concord-Carlisle.

Trusting Mascores to have the right starting time cost me. They said 11AM but the game started at 10AM.

Looking for a game story? This wouldn’t be your place but I do have pictures and some general commentary.

The loss today was the Indians (14-6) third loss in three days. Lest you think that Division 3 Amesbury has run out of steam late in the season, you need to check the caliber of the final trio: Andover (Division 1), Whittier (17-2), and Concord-Carlisle (Division 1, 17-2).

Alyssa Attonito avoids Maddie Napoli’s tag at 2B

The season now moves into the “one-loss-and-done” tournament section.

Nicole Small went the distance for the Patriots giving up six hits and striking out five Indians.

Virgina Ryan finishes her first inside-the-park homer in today’s game

Catcher Virginia Ryan was the hitting hero for the visitors. I saw her hit two home runs. She ended up with six RBI.

On one of Virginia’s at-bats, she had a loud foul down the leftfield line before, several pitches later, lining a 3-run homer to right over Brigid Ramsden’s head.

In the Amesbury fifth, Sage Dodier singled and was replaced by pinchrunner Abby Aponas. That move paid off as the speedy Abby scored on Alli Napoli’s double.

Junior Caity Baker had a solo homer to left center for the home team in the sixth.

Perry Field is fenceless therefore to hit a homer requires a pretty good belt. CC had their outfielders playing shallow which explained Caity’s home run. Amesbury, however, was positioned much deeper so the two Virgina Ryan HRs were extremely well hit and would have left most fenced fields.

SS Maddie Napoli makes a great stop to force Maeve Devlin at 3B

Amesbury’s three seniors (Mikayla Porcaro, Brigid Ramsden, Maddie Napoli) were honored before the game……I am told. Mikayla will be at Salem State next year. Maddie is going to UMass Amherst.

Shortstop/Pitcher Emma Della Volpe will attend Tufts this fall.

The tournament placements come out on Tuesday. Those final three losses could cost Amesbury a home game. However, facing strong non-league opponents is a great way to get ready for good teams ahead in the tournament.

Any plans the Indians have to get to the state semifinals in Division 3 will certainly mean getting by either 17-2 Whittier and/or perennial powerhouse St. Mary’s. Tough road for sure but successes in soccer and basketball this school year might make a difference in the big games ahead.

Concord-Carlisle is a tourney regular. No state titles yet for the softball team but they’ve been close a number of times. The Patriots have plenty of pitching as well as power. Defensively, they are well-schooled. I never saw a throw anywhere that wasn’t backed up.

(All pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Caity Baker

Caity Baker finishes trip around the bases

Ball falls in front of LF Caitlyn Lewis

AHS seniors honored

2B Jill Chelton

Emma DiPietro and Emma Della Volpe

Emma DiPietro tries for 3B

young fan

CF Catherine Kingman

Alli Napoli

Abby Aponas scores the first AHS run

Virginia Ryan slides home safely

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Filed under Amesbury, Concord-Carlisle

Tagged as Alyssa Attonito, Caity Baker, Maddie Napoli, Nicole Small, Virginia Ryan

May 13, 2017 · 7:03 pm

Hamilton-Wenham rallies dropping Amesbury 11-5 in eight innings

Adam Parady hustles out an infield hit as Derek Beaupre stretches for the throw

Jake Lanciani touches home with the tying run in the 7th inning

(Amesbury MA) Very close…..but I’m sure that isn’t any consolation.

Amesbury put a solid six innings together and looked to be on the verge of ending a 10-game losing streak.

Hamilton-Wenham, however, opted not to cooperate.

The Generals (7-5) tied the score in the top of the 7^th and then exploded in the extra inning for an 11-5 win.

This was a Saturday afternoon Cape Ann League contest played in cold (upper 40s) conditions.

Winning pitcher Jake Lanciani

Jake Lanciani (2^nd team CAL All-Star last year) had plenty to do with the HW victory. Jake had three hits and scored three runs. He also transferred from shortstop to pitching in the 5^th inning and was the winning pitcher.

The Indians (1-13) broke a 2-2 tie during Jake’s first inning of relief. AHS collected three runs as the HW defense (Michael Crowley, Nick DiMarino) gifted the scores with drops in the infield.

After that rough fifth, the HW errors ended and Jake held the home team hitless and notched three strikeouts.

While Amesbury struggled in the late innings, the visitors tallied nine hits in the final two innings after having just four hits in the first six innings.

Zach Prentiss pitched his arm off for Amesbury. He scattered four hits during the first six innings. The AHS senior was the frustrated losing pitcher.

In the comeback top of the 7^th, HW had the three runs they needed back in a hurry. Cam Vautour walked, and then consecutive singles by Conor Evers, Sal Gaurino, and Jake Lanciani followed. A sacrifice fly by Hunter Wilichoski (3 RBI) tied the score.

In the put-away 8^th inning, HW again started strong with a hit batsman, single, walk, and another hit batsman before AHS had an out registered. Three straight singles followed and the Generals had a six-run, game-winning inning.

Ball drops in near CF Pat Birmingham

The ball did not seem to carry at all on this cold afternoon. HW had a number of bloop hits landing just in front of diving AHS fielders.

Freshman Will Jones went the first four innings for the Generals. He was adept at escaping jams. Will stranded three in the first and two in the third and fourth.

Freshman Conor Evers had two hits and scored three runs.

Ray Arsenault, DJ Grandmaison, and Luke Lagos each recorded two hits for Amesbury. The Indians had nine hits through five innings but none after that.

Adam Parady showed his speed beating out an infield hit in the HW seventh.

Luke Lagos pitched an inning of relief for Amesbury.

The two teams will go at it again on Monday at Hamilton-Wenham.

Right fielder DJ Grandmaison nearly had a force out at home after an apparent hit. It became a hit after the runner scored.

The umpire ruled that shortstop Jake Lanciani missed the bag on this play

Hamilton-Wenham had two double plays nullified on close plays. One involved touching second base before the relay to first.

(Retweeting this story is greatly appreciated.)

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Nick DiMarino

Shortstop Derek Doherty

HW starter Will Jones

Ian Coffey greeted after scoring the go-ahead run in the 8th inning

Reliever Luke Lagos

Cam Vautour beats a force play at home

Hunter Wilichoski drove in 3 runs including the tying run in the 7th inning

RF DJ Grandmaison sets to throw home

Out at second

Zach Prentiss, covering 3B, avoids a sliding runner as HW coach Reggie Maidment and AHS coach Gene Burnham watch

SS Jake Lanciana drops a popup

AHS starter Zach Prentiss

Catcher Scotty Franco between innings

Michael Crowley set to apply the tag to Zach Prentiss

Logan Burrill

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham

Tagged as Conor Evers, DJ Grandmaison, Hunter Wilichoski, Jake Lanciani, Will Jones, Zach Prentiss

May 8, 2017 · 9:32 pm

Amesbury takes out Pentucket 13-4 with seven-run 4th inning

Sage Dodier had a 2-run homer in the decisive Amesbury 4th inning

AHS starter Hayley Catania allowed just three hits after the third inning.

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury (7-2) blew open a close game with a 7-run fourth inning and defeated Pentucket, 13-4, on a chilly Monday afternoon of Cape Ann League softball.

The Indians sent eleven batters to the plate in the deciding 4^th and rattled seven hits around Perry Field including home runs by sophomores Kaylie Cloutier and Sage Dodier.

This game started as a slugfest with loud outs and hits by both teams.

The Sachems (8-4) were ahead 3-1 after 2 ½ innings thanks to an RBI triple by Taylor Fitzpatrick and a home run by Madi Codair.

The rest of the way AHS winning pitcher, Hayley Catania, limited the visitors to only three hits and one run.

The Indians pushed ahead in their half of the 3^rd inning. A dropped throw (2B Caitlin Kutcher) in the infield and a ball misplayed in the outfield (LF Mo Quinn) were crucial in allowing the home team to get three runs and take the lead (4-3) for good.

Caity Baker (3 hits, 2 rbi) drops down a bunt

Everything went right for the Indians in the game-deciding 4^th inning. There were solid hits, bloopers, and bunts to clog the bases and big hits (triple Hayley Catania) to clear them.

What happened after Mikayla Porcaro drove in the 4^th run of the inning was what did in Pentucket. Kaylie Cloutier, who had looked overmatched in striking out the inning before, got into a Julie Freitas fastball and lined it over the head of RF Taylor Fitzpatrick and circled the bases.

After Abby Aponas walked, Pentucket coach John Walsh brought in junior Mady Gatchell to face pinch-hitter Sage Dodier. The sophomore matched the Cloutier shot over RF and also ran the bases.

Now in front, 11-3, the Indians had the margin to thwart any comeback plans by the Sachems the rest of the way.

Caity Baker paced the AHS attack with three of their sixteen hits. Maddie Napoli, Emma DiPietro, Hannaih Burdick, Hayley Catania, and Mikayla Porcaro each had two hits.

Madi Codair homered in the 3rd inning

Junior Madi Codair had two hits and two RBI for Pentucket.

Busy schedule ahead for both teams as they have three more games this week.

Neither team had lost in May coming into this afternoon’s game. Pentucket had won six straight. Amesbury had now won four in a row.

Both teams have losses to North Reading.

The temperatures were in the mid-50’s even though the sun was shining.

It struck me as odd to have someone named “Autumn” (West) playing third at Amesbury. Brought back memories of Autumn Kligerman. What a senior year she had!

(All the pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

(Retweets are appreciated. If you were interested enough to read this far, and look at the pictures, then you probably have Twitter followers who would have a similar interest.)