Category Archives: Manchester-Essex

May 5, 2022 · 10:15 pm

Vaughn O’Leary tosses 2-hitter as Manchester-Essex shuts out Pentucket 4-0

Colin Coyne scores the first Hornets run

Ethan Hunt had 12 K’s in six innings of relief

(Groveland) The two runs that Manchester-Essex put up in the first inning didn’t seem like too much at the time.

But then the pitching of Hornets starter Vaughn O’Leary kicked in and those runs grew in size as the innings rolled by.

Manchester-Essex defeated Pentucket, 4-0, on Thursday afternoon at Groveland Pines.

Vaughn finished with a two-hitter and collected eleven strikeouts.

“The umpire was giving me the outside corner and I was able to command all my pitches,” said Vaughn afterwards. “I know I’m on when I can start with off-speed pitches against 3-4-5 hitters.”

“I give their pitcher a lot of credit,” said Pentucket coach Kevin Murray. “He didn’t throw many balls. He came right at our hitters and attacked us all game. He lived on the outside and we didn’t do a great job of adjusting to that.”

A walk (Colin Coyne), and a double (Ryan Andrews) were followed by a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice. The result was a two-run first inning for the visitors.

“Obviously, getting two runs in the first helped us a lot,” said Hornets coach James Weed post-game. “It puts pressure on the other team.”

Coach Murray brought on Ethan Hunt to pitch in the second inning. The UMass Boston commit struck out twelve Hornets over the next six inning of relief.

“Ethan pitched very well,” said Coach Murray. “Even during the inning with the runs, the hits weren’t hit that hard.”

Pentucket’s best chance to get back in the game was in the third inning. An infield error and a Max Ligols’ single put two runners on with no outs. Vaughn then struck out the next three batters to end the threat and the inning.

Manchester-Essex (6-3) added two more runs in the sixth inning. The Hornets had two hits early in the inning (Ryan Andrews, Henry Otterbein) and two hits later on (Mike D’Oreo, Zak Porat) to drive in the runs.

Pentucket (5-5) got two runners on with two outs in their half of the sixth inning, but Vaughn ended the threat by getting Chase Dwight to fly out deep to center.

Vaughn O’Leary: “I couldn’t have done it without my defense. We could have lost this game if they hadn’t made plays.”

Coach Weed: “This team reminds me of the 2019 state champion team. They’re not as talented but they’re proving a lot of doubters wrong. They’re hitting as well as the 2019 team. They’re fun to coach. They play with energy.”

Kyle Ventola and Max Ligols had Pentucket’s two hits.

Ryan Andrews and Mike D’Oreo each had two hits for Manchester-Essex.-

The weather was perfect. Not too hot. Not too cold with sunshine.

Manchester-Essex 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 = 4

Pentucket 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 0

(The pictures will enlarge.)

2B Justin Majka waits to tag Colby Doane

Leave a comment

Filed under Manchester-Essex, Pentucket

Tagged as Coach James Weed, Coach Kevin Murray, Ethan Hunt, Vaughn O'Leary

February 9, 2022 · 12:03 am

Amesbury downs Manchester-Essex 58-38

(Amesbury MA) “We couldn’t find the basket and they couldn’t miss,” said Manchester-Essex coach Lauren Dubois.

“We came out on fire,” said Amesbury coach Gregg Dollos.

The Indians (13-3) put the Hornets (3-12) away early and coasted to a, 58-38, win on Tuesday night.

Amesbury played a tight half-court, man-to-man defense and didn’t hesitate to initiate fast breaks. In their half-court offense, the passes were quick, and the layups and open looks were plentiful.

“We’ve been slowing down and not moving the ball enough lately,” explained senior McKenna Hallinan afterwards. “We want to pass quickly and get open shots and that’s what we did tonight.”

The Indians got off to an impressive 12-0 lead in the first 4 ½ minutes. Senior Liv DeLong was the key in the fast start. Liv nailed a jump shot (from McKenna), a layup (from Avery Hallinan), and then put in a rebound.

Emma Fitzgerald broke the ice for the Hornets and then Amesbury went off on another run of unanswered points.

This time it was fifteen straight. Avery Hallinan and Gabby Redford did most of the scoring damage for the Indians.

Avery found room in the lane for four layups. Gabby put in a rebound, connected on a three (from Sami Kimball), and hit a runner in the lane.

Avery finished the night with eighteen points while Gabby led all scorers with twenty-two points.

“They’re a great team with a lot of weapons on the offensive end,” said ME coach Lauren Dubois.

“They went box-and-one on Avery, but other players scored and then Avery started to score,” recalled Coach Dollos.

“We did what we had to do,” he added.

The two long runs of consecutive offense by Amesbury put them in front, 27-2, early in the second quarter. The Hornets didn’t have the firepower on this evening to get much closer. Both coaches substituted liberally thereafter.

“We have been trying to fix the problems we’ve been having,” said McKenna. “We want to make fewer mistakes with the playoffs coming up.”

The Indians are in Division 4 and according to the most recent MIAA power ratings are in third place. The top thirty-two teams make the playoffs. The higher seeds get the crucial home games in tourney play.

I asked McKenna about her sister reaching 1000 points: “It was great that Avery got 1000. I got to assist on the basket that she got it on and that was the best part.”

Coach Dubois: “We wanted to make sure that we were fighting all the way through tonight and we were.”

The Hornets have beaten Swampscott twice and also have a win over Georgetown.

Amesbury has won five straight.

Amesbury 23 19 10 6 = 58

ME 2 17 9 10 = 38

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Amelia Donnellan splits two Amesbury defenders

Leave a comment

Filed under Amesbury, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Avery Hallinan, Coach Gregg Dollos, Coach Lauren Dubois, Gabby Redford, Liv DeLong, McKenna Hallinan

December 18, 2021 · 12:55 am

Manchester-Essex holds off Amesbury 53-51

(The pictures below will enlarge when you click on them.)

Brennan Twombly (18 points) surrounded by Amesbury defenders

(Amesbury MA) “It was hard to defend them early,” said Manchester-Essex junior Brennan Twombly afterwards.

Amesbury jumped out to a 9-0 lead, and it looked like a long night for the Hornets.

But the Indians cooled off and ME took the lead for good three minutes into the fourth quarter.

The final was Manchester-Essex 53, Amesbury 51.

This was a one-possession game for the last three minutes, but Amesbury couldn’t put a stop together with points.

“It was our first game,” said Amesbury coach Tom Comeau post-game. “We’ll get better.

Matt Welch (22 points) led all scorers.

The Indians raced out with scores from four different starters (Cam Keliher, Rocco Kokinacis, Max LaPointe, Matt Welch) and had their student section roaring with each possession.

“Amesbury stuck it to us a little bit in the beginning,” said ME coach Tim St. Laurent afterwards.

“We had a lot of success against Newburyport in the zone,” added Coach St. Laurent, “but tonight we made a good adjustment to man-to-man and rebounded.”

The Indians kept on putting up points, however, and led, 26-13, 3+ minutes into the second quarter.

Key moment was Matt Welch getting his third foul at that point and sitting out the remainder of the second quarter.

While Matt sat, the Hornets reeled off nine straight points. The contributors were; Patrick Cronin, Brennan Twombly, Cade Furse, and Sam Athanas.

The Amesbury lead was reduced to 28-24 at halftime.

Rocco Kokinacis surrounded by Hornets defenders

Both teams had plenty to get excited about in the third quarter. There were five lead changes. Matt Welch and Cam Keliher (17 points) carried the Indians.

“They (Amesbury) have two guys who can really score,” said Coach St. Laurent.

The Hornets were led by Brennan Twombly (18 points) and Cade Furse (15 points).

Amesbury took a, 38-35, lead into the final two minutes of the third quarter.

Manchester-Essex took over from there running nine unanswered points. A Sam Athanas triple ended the streak of consecutive offense with the Hornets now ahead, 44-38, three minutes into the final quarter.

Amesbury was unable to recover.

“I think we got a little tired in the second half,” said AHS coach Tom Comeau. “We didn’t rebound as well.”

“It was great team defense that won this game for us,” said ME coach Tim St. Laurent. “We defended the ball.”

“We came out with more energy after those first couple of minutes,” recalled Brennan Twombly.

Patrick Cronin (10 points) was the third Hornet in double figures.

Endicott commit Cam Keliher made a three to start the game and closed a game with a fall-away three that put him into the Amesbury student section.

Cam had Sam Athanas on him most of the game and found very little open space.

“Cam knows that the teams we face will try to find ways to stop him,” said Coach Comeau.

Returning Hornets starter AJ Pallazola was not in uniform. He told me pre-game that he was injured playing football and that it would be several weeks before he would be playing basketball. He also told me that he hadn’t made a college choice yet.

That the Hornets could defeat both Newburyport and Amesbury without AJ in their lineup suggests that they should have a very good season.

Manchester-Essex 10 14 15 14 = 53

Amesbury 18 10 10 13 = 51

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

Brennan Twombly (18 points) at the line late in the game

Matt Welch (22 points) gets off a shot near the basket

Leave a comment

Filed under Amesbury, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Brennan Twombly, Cade Furse, Cam Keliher, Coach Tim St. Laurent, Matt Welch, Patrick Cronin

December 15, 2021 · 1:07 am

Newburyport defeats Manchester-Essex 53-26

(Click on the pictures below and they will enlarge.)

Plenty of pressure applied by the Clippers

(Newburyport MA) Don’t let the final score fool you.

The final was Newburyport 53, Manchester-Essex 26.

But the Hornets were more than holding their own into the second half.

In fact, the visitors were ahead, 22-21, 2 ½ minutes into the second half.

But the one constant was the Newburyport pressure defense. In the second half, that defense created points in bunches and ME couldn’t keep up.

“We had a great first half,” said ME coach Lauren Dubois afterwards, “and we handled their pressure better.”

“We struggled, however, against it in the second half,” she added. “Newburyport picked up the intensity and we ran out of gas a little bit.”

MaKenna Ward stole the ball and went the full length of the court to give the Clippers the lead for good, 23-22, in the second half.

After that the non-stop pressure set up a steady flow of productive possessions for Newburyport.

“When we play our defense,” said MaKenna Ward, “we get steals and we run.”

Olivia Foley and MaKenna Ward turn up the defensive pressure

“We work on a lot of different defenses,” added MaKenna.

In the first half, the Clippers were primarily man-to-man and while they created twenty turnovers (by my count) those turnovers weren’t leading to a flow of points.

In the second half, the double-teams started. Makenna Ward, Deirdre McElhinney, and Olivia McDonald swarmed the Hornets’ ballhandlers into miscues. In the second half, the takeaways often turned into points.

“Our team is fast,” said MaKenna. “When we push, we score the most.”

Newburyport’s Emma Foley (14 points) had all of those points in the second half.

“We held them to six points in the second half,” said Clippers coach Karen Grutchfield post-game. “That was the difference.”

Coach Grutchfield couldn’t help but reflect on her team’s first half: “It was frustrating. We missed a lot of layups and free throws.”

“But,” she added, “we overcame the first-half adversity and I think we can enjoy our play in the second half.”

One thing that both coaches could agree on was the impressive game that ME’s Emma Fitzgerald had.

Coach Dubois: “Emma brings intensity. She’s a great leader. She battles hard on every possession.”

Coach Grutchfield: “We had trouble with #3 (Emma Fitzgerald). She’s a very good player.”

Emma led all scorers with sixteen points. She tallied all of ME’s second-half points.

MaKenna Ward and Deirdre McElhinney both had thirteen points for Newburyport.

This was a game played almost entirely on the inside. No three’s were made and very few were attempted.

When Newburyport went into organized offense, they were intent on getting the ball inside to Emma Foley. That strategy was the key to Emma’s productive second half.

This was the season opener for both squads.

Free throw shooting was an adventure for both teams. They combined to miss twenty-five freebies. ME was 10/25 while Newburyport was 13/23.

Coach Dubois: “Newburyport is a great team with a lot of experienced players back.”

Coach Grutchfield: “The win was nice, but we all have a lot of improving to do.”

MaKenna Ward: “I think that we were a little bit scared in the first half and not playing our best defense.”

Newburyport 11 – 8 – 17 – 17 = 53

Manchester-Essex 9 – 11 – 4 – 2 = 26

The Clippers scored the last fifteen points of the game.

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

Leave a comment

Filed under Manchester-Essex, Newburyport

Tagged as Coach Karen Grutchfield, Coach Lauren Dubois, Deirdre McElhinney, Emma Fitzgerald, Emma Foley, MaKenna Ward

October 15, 2021 · 10:53 pm

Amesbury defeats Manchester-Essex 2-0

Avery Hallinan had a goal and an assist for Amesbury

(Amesbury MA) “MK (McElaney) gives great corners and they always somehow come to my head,” said Avery Hallinan.

Twice this afternoon in the first half, the Indians turned set plays into goals and defeated Manchester-Essex, 2-0, at Cashman Elementary School.

Avery ended up with an assist and a goal.

“This was the best we’ve looked for a while,” said Amesbury coach Adam Thibodeau afterwards. “We worked together as a team. We defended as a team. It was old-school Amesbury.”

Another tough outing for the Hornets (2-10-1).

Their inability to score goals this season has offset their hustle and strong goaltending (Madi Cook).

Emalia Collins (11) shoots at GK Zena Fitzgerald

The Hornets have been limited to four total goals in this season’s thirteen games. In the last nine games they have scored only once.

ME had several glittering chances today (as my pictures will show) but came up empty.

Senior Emalia Collins had a break-in from the right late in the second half that Amesbury GK Zena Fitzgerald turned away.

A goal there and that 2-0 Amesbury lead would have been cut in half and the momentum would have shifted to the Hornets.

“A 2-0 lead is the scariest lead to have,” said Coach Baker. “We just needed a goal.”

“Zena has kept us in every game this year,” said Coach Thibodeau. “We have had a string of very talented goalies at Amesbury.”

Amesbury (6-6) had defeated Manchester-Essex, 2-0, over a month ago with two second half goals.

“It took us a while to score last time,” recalled sophomore Cali Catarius. “This time we scored early.”

Seven minutes into the first half, MK McElaney sent a deep free kick toward the ME goal. As the kick came past the far post, Avery Hallinan slid in between two defenders to head the ball.

I thought Avery had headed the ball into the net because of the instant celebrating. Wrong. Avery had indeed headed the ball but back toward the front of the net.

There stood junior Lidya Belanger. Off Lidya’s shinguard went Avery’s header and into the net.

“That first goal was almost mine,” said Avery, “but it’s okay. I’ll take the assist.”

“Lidya was in the right spot,” said Coach Thibodeau. “The best goals are when you don’t have to shoot.”

It was Lidya’s first career goal.

Near the end of the first half, MK McElaney lined up a corner kick.

“We noticed last game with Manchester-Essex that the back post was a little open,” said Coach Thibodeau. “We want to create chaos in front of the net.”

The Cashman field is narrow and reaching the far post for a strong kicker like MK is a regular occurrence.

This time Avery was in the midst of several Hornets defender but elevated to redirect MK’s corner kick into the ME net.

“We’ve gotten killed on set plays this season,” said Coach Baker.

In the second half, the Amesbury senior trio of Avery & McKenna Hallinan and MK McElaney put pressure on the Manchester-Essex defense several times.

“We’ve been playing together for probably ten years,” recalled Avery. “We work well together.”

Manchester-Essex GK Madi Cook was left to face Amesbury attackers alone several times but earned a second-half shutout.

Riley Doherty: “Defensively, we held our own.”

Cali Catarius: “I am okay with playing anywhere. (Cali had been a striker.) We played well through the middle. Our passes were better than in previous games. Riley and I are a very good team back there. We’re working on turning and playing the ball up the field.”

Coach Baker: “We have a great bunch of girls. It’ll get better. We just didn’t do as well in the final third of the field as we would like. Our passing was an issue and they capitalized on our mistakes.”

Avery Hallinan: “We were a lot more focused today. All of us hustled.”

Cali was part of the Amesbury softball team that lost the one-run heartbreaker to Turners Falls in the state finals in June. “That still is a sensitive subject,” said Cali when I asked her if she had gotten over that loss. “We’ll get them next year.”

Avery Hallinan: “I want to play basketball in college. I like UMass Boston (her sister McKenna is going there for soccer), Endicott, and St. Joe’s.”

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

Avery Hallinan gets a head on the first Amesbury goal

Amesbury GK Zena Fitzgerald sees a shot by Libby Lawler

Kendall Newton (16) in on the right for a shot

Header by Avery Hallinan (11) headed for the net for the second Amesbury goal

Avery Hallinan (left) and Lidya Belanger (12) celebrate goal

Leave a comment

Filed under Amesbury, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Avery Hallinan, Coach Adam Thibodeau, Coach Bill Baker, Lidya Belanger, Madi Cook, McKenna Hallinan, MK McElaney

May 15, 2021 · 5:49 pm

Undefeated Newburyport shuts out Manchester-Essex 7-0

Jack Fehlner pitched a 2-hit complete game for the Clippers

Kellen Heney held the Clippers hitless for five innings

(Newburyport MA) The weather was perfect.

Manchester-Essex pitcher Kellen Heney was perfect…..through five innings.

But when the game ended, Newburyport was perfect (4-0) after defeating the Hornets, 7-0, on Saturday morning at Pettingell Field.

ME struggled in the field all game collecting miscues in five of the six innings.

“Our pitchers have been pitching well,” said ME coach James Weed afterwards. “I’m just not used to the kind of defense we’re playing.”

The shaky defense gave the Clippers a run in the fourth, but this was a one-run game going into the Newburyport sixth.

Then the wheels fell off for the visitors. An infield error and five Newburyport hits put six runs on the board and sealed this one for the home team.

Jack Fehlner pitched a complete-game two-hitter for the Clippers. He wasn’t overpowering (one strikeout) but gave up just two walks.

“Jack was in total command,” said Newburyport coach Mark Rowe post-game. “It was as good as I’ve seen him pitch. It was his first complete game.”

Catcher Nick White: “Jack’s fastball was working today. Usually, it’s the off-speed pitch but today the fastball was the primary out pitch. He challenged them.”

The Clippers 1-0 lead looked anything but secure heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

“The scoreboard doesn’t show how close this game really was,” added Jack Fehlner. “They’re a great team.”

Jake Buontempo had the first Newburyport hit in the 6th inning

Senior Jake Buontempo was in the middle of the Newburyport success in the sixth inning.

Jake ended Kellen Heney’s hitless streak with a double that drove in Luke Stallard who had reached on an infield error.

Rare play alert! Demetri Connor popped the ball behind the plate near the backstop. Catcher Michael Quill and pitcher Kellen Heney both went after it and Michael got it. Jake alertly took advantage and raced in from third.

Jake reached third on Nick White’s infield hit.

“I was watching to see where the pitcher was going,” recalled Jake. “He followed the catcher to the backstop, so I knew the plate was wide open and I took what I had.”

Jake also made a nice running catch in rightfield in the fifth inning and ended the game with a routine catch.

The Hornets (1-4) are the defending Division 4 state champions. I was at LaLacheur Park (Lowell) on June 22, 2019 when they defeated Tahanto, 5-2.

Will Levendusky was part of that team but a football injury has kept him from playing so far.

“It hurts not to have Will but for us it’s “next man up,” said Coach Weed. “We have three freshmen playing. We’re just trying to find the right formula. We’ll get it going. We’ll make a run.”

Freshman Kellen Heney was the starter and winner in the state title game. He’s now a junior.

“Their pitcher was good,” explained Jake Buontempo. “He could locate really well. Toward the end we started to catch onto him.”

Coach Mark Rowe: “It was two top-notch pitchers out there. Unfortunately, his defense let him down a bit. We challenged by putting balls in play and forcing them to make plays. When they didn’t make plays, we took advantage.”

AJ Pallazola and Michael Quill had the hits for Manchester-Essex.

Jack Fehlner: “It was a beautiful day to be out here with the guys. Our guys made plays. I’ll put some ice on my arm and get back at it Tuesday against Lynnfield.”

Speaking of ice, I have a picture of Will Levendusky pouring the contents of an ice bucket over the head of Coach Weed in the celebrating after the D4 title win. On that hot day and under those circumstances, it probably felt pretty good.

Remarkable weather and plenty of fans from both schools out enjoying it.

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

Luke Stallard steals 2B as Michael Deoreo tries to tag him

Jack Fehlner dives back into 2nd as Satchem Ramos tries to tag him

AJ Pallazola dives back into first as Brady Ford takes throw

Leave a comment

Filed under Manchester-Essex, Newburyport, Uncategorized

Tagged as Jack Fehlner, Jake Buontempo, Kellen Heney, Nick White

October 24, 2020 · 8:30 pm

Amesbury and Manchester-Essex settle for a 1-1 tie in CAL girls soccer

Lidya Belanger and Madison Lawler

(Amesbury MA) Girls soccer is being played in Massachusetts.

But the MIAA has taken the rivalries out of it.

Teams are happy just to be playing.

Thoughts of who the opponent is, and winning state titles have vanished.

Spectators are limited in number and visiting spectators are banned from the events. It’s a paid vacation for the officials as a result!

The games feel like scrimmages to me. But I digress……

Battle for the ball

Amesbury (3-2-2) and Manchester-Essex (3-1-2) played to a 1-1 tie this morning at Landry Stadium as part of their 10-game Cape Ann League schedules.

One player described today’s game as “fun.”

That’s not the way I recall the November get-togethers the last two seasons in the Division 4 North finals between these two teams!

The crowds were into those events and the players were as well. It wasn’t all sugar and spice for sure.

The Hornets lost one of those game in overtime and the other on penalty kicks. There was plenty of “thrill of victory,” and “agony of defeat” in both events. The winners were very happy and the losers not so much.

Getting an advantage

But then there’s today’s game.

Both coaches were happy with the result.

“It was super exciting,” said ME coach Luke Cosgrove. “It’s always a great game between these two teams.”

“I thought we moved the ball better than we have all year,” explained Coach Adam Thibodeau of Amesbury.

The goals came in the second quarter. MK McElaney (Amesbury) converted her own rebound while five minutes later Dasa Hase (Manchester-Essex) had her long shot go in off the crossbar.

ME goal keeper Leilani Brown

The goalies were terrific, and they had to be to keep the score as low as it was.

Facing shots from Division 1 commits (Alyssa Pettet-Holy Cross & Dasa Hase-Dartmouth) will bring out the best (or worst?) in a goalie.

On this day, both Julia Campbell (Amesbury) and Leilani Brown (Manchester-Essex) were very, very good.

“Their goalie was fantastic,” recalled Coach Thibodeau. “She was ultra-aggressive and took plays away at the top of the box.”

Alyssa Pettet of Amesbury was the one applying some of the pressure in the final quarter. “I had some good chances, but the goalie (Leilani Brown) made good reads coming off her line.”

One of the features of the Hornets/Indians games is the contrasting styles. ME tries to be patient and relies on a short, quick passing game. Amesbury likes to pressure the defense with long runs and long kicks, hoping for a mistake.

“It’s always exciting to watch the two styles go against each other,” said Luke Cosgrove.

Only in the second quarter were the teams able to cash in.

MK McElaney puts in a rebound

“Madelyn DiPietro got the ball forward and Ella Marinopoulos moved the ball into the middle,” said Coach Thibodeau describing his team’s goal. “MK (McElaney) came down the gut for a shot and then put in the rebound.”

MK McElaney: “I came down the middle and the ball went off the goalie. My shot went off the post and came back to me. Then I shot it in.”

The Manchester-Essex goal was set up when the Indians had trouble getting the ball out of their own end. (The MIAA rules require that the ball be kicked on the ground after some violations and clearing a ball that way is difficult especially from deep in your own end.)

Dasa Hase’s shot goes over GK Julia Campbell

Dasa Hase

“They gave Dasa (Hase) a little bit of space,” said Coach Cosgrove, “and she smashed it. We’ve seen quality play from her for four years and have no doubt she’ll continue that in college.”

Dasa Hase: “There was space, and I was able to rip it (from the right) with my left foot. I was looking high and it worked out.”

Coach Thibodeau: “We gave Dasa way too much space. It was a great shot and nothing Julia (Campbell) could have done about it.”

Dasa will be attending Dartmouth in 2021. “I started talking to them the summer of my sophomore year and I went to a bunch of their camps. They then reached out to me. I got on campus and fell in love with the school. It’s beautiful there and the coach is great. The goalie on my club team is a freshman there.”

Senior Gabby Smyth: “We really turned it around today. The goal by MK was fantastic. I expect to go to Lasell University next year. They contacted me. I like the GNAC Conference.”

Gabby Smyth

Avery Hallinan: “Our offense today was better than usual. We need to work on getting to the back post which we did at the end.”

Before today’s game, the AHS seniors on this year’s squad were honored. “We were set up a little differently today to get the seniors as much time in the game as possible,” said Coach Thibodeau.

The weather was stunning for October 24^th. Nice and warm.

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

This story/pictures will be on my McClelland Miscellanea blog, as well as Twitter (@mcclellandpeter) and Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea). I have been trying to post on Mascores, as I have in the past, but with no results so far.

MK McElaney

Elizabeth Loring and Sarah Chace

Alyssa Pettet gets an open look

Chloe Molin sent flying

Riley Doherty shadows Dasa Hase

Dasa Hase chased by Amesbury defenders

GK Leilani Brown saves in front of Alyssa Pettet

ME goal celebrated

Mercedes O’Neil and Sarah Chace

McKenna Hallinan has a chance

Amesbury goal celebrated

GK Leilani Brown lunges for a shot

Dasa Hase on the move

Leave a comment

Filed under Amesbury, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Alyssa Pettet, Coach Adam Thibodeau, Coach Luke Cosgrove, Dasa Hase, Gabby Smyth, MK McElaney

January 20, 2020 · 10:37 pm

Hot-shooting Amesbury takes down Manchester-Essex 77-58

Jaden Keliher (26 points) dribbles by Lars Arntsen

Rocco Kokinacis (11 points) splits two defenders

(Amesbury MA) There was no off button for the Amesbury Indians on this night.

Amesbury (8-3) jumped all over a very good Manchester-Essex team with a convincing, 77-58, win on Monday night in Cape Ann League action.

The Indians had a 25-5 final quarter against Hamilton-Wenham the other night and suffered a painful 63-50 loss to the Generals.

“We learned a lot from that loss,” said AHS coach Tom Comeau post-game. “We have to take care of the basketball, win the 50/50 battles, and rebound. We took care of all three phases tonight.”

Manchester-Essex (9-2) used multiple defenses but couldn’t slow down Amesbury.

Kellen Furse (11 points) passes out of an Amesbury double team

“We scored fifty-eight points,” said ME coach Tim St. Laurent afterwards. “That should have been enough to win but we couldn’t contain them on the defensive end. They were making shots and they were attacking us. We didn’t keep them from getting to the rim.”

Amesbury built up a twenty-point lead (41-21) in the first half.

The Hornets cut that lead to eleven (61-50) at the start of the final quarter.

“I thought in the second half that we could get all the way back, but Amesbury was the hotter team tonight,” said Coach St. Laurent.

When ME narrowed the lead to eleven, the Indians answered with their third nine-point run of the game and back up the lead went to twenty (70-50) with four minutes left.

Senior Jaden Keliher (26 points) scored points in the breakaway first half (19) and then handled ME’s backcourt pressure in the second half.

“We came out and played hard,” said Jaden afterwards. “We played together.”

Kyle Donovan (14 points) was a strong interior presence for the Indians

Junior Kyle Donovan (14 points) dominated the inside for AHS.

“Kyle was a ‘man’ out there,” said Coach Comeau. “He plays hard and he’s a smart player.”

Tonight’s game did not get out of hand immediately.

The Hornets trailed only, 10-7, after five minutes. But then the first nine-point run kicked in. Jimmy Gjikopulli (13 points) turned an ME miscue into a layup and followed that with a successful jump shot. Jaden Keliher added a layup and a free throw and Ethan Catania converted a rebound. Up the home team went, 19-7.

The Indians started the second quarter with another collection of consecutive points.

Play on the floor

Rocco Kokinacis (11 points) got to the rim twice. Jimmy Gjikopulli converted his own rebound and Jaden Keliher added an old-fashioned 3-point play. That boosted the AHS advantage to 28-11 only two minutes into the second quarter.

Amesbury was ahead, 43-24, at the half.

That lead would extend to 60-27 with two minutes left in the third quarter. It looked like a cruise to the final buzzer for the Indians. The Hornets, however, had other ideas!

Over the next 2 ½ minutes of playing time, the Hornets that I saw defeat Bishop Fenwick in double overtime, showed up. Their defense was effective, and they made shots. Visions of a big comeback started to take shape.

AJ Pallazola led a ME comeback attempt

Sophomore AJ Pallazola sparked the Hornets with a jump shot and two assists as ME put together a 13-1 segment stretching into the final quarter.

That 61-50 deficit looked manageable with 7 ½ minutes of playing time remaining.

“We called a timeout and things got settled down,” said Jaden Keliher. “Then we went out there and kept them from making a comeback.”

Twice Kyle Donovan scored from in close and Jaden Keliher got to the basket. Then Jimmy Gjikopulli got loose in the lane and added a free throw. Back the lead went to twenty (70-50) and the Indians were home safe.

Sometimes backcourt turnovers will lead to rallies, but the Hornets pressure couldn’t get there tonight.

Jaden Keliher

“Jaden (Keliher) is strong with the ball,” said Coach Comeau. “We have three guards who really play well so it’s hard to press us.”

Mason Paccone (15 points) led the ME scorers. The Hornets senior drained three from long range. Kellen Furse finished with eleven points.

Jaden Keliher: “We wanted to take away Kellen Furse and #12 (Jack Shaw). Kellen is a great player. I have a lot of respect for him. I’ve grown up playing him.”

Coach Comeau: “Hamilton-Wenham came back against us and we let it snowball and get away from us. We discussed before the game that we needed to learn from it. They’re fast learners!”

Jaden Keliher: “Points are nice but getting a W at the end is what it’s all about.”

The Indians were 9-10 last season.

Pentucket players were in the audience at tonight’s game.

Amesbury box

Manchester-Essex box

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

Rocco Kokinacis

Coach Tom Comeau and Jaden Keliher in the closing minute

Frank Wood

Jaden Keliher breaks past Frank Wood

Jaden Keliher in close for two

Jimmy Gjikopulli

Kellen Furse and Jimmy Gjikopulli

Cam and Jaden Keliher guard Kellen Furse

Kellen Furse pressured by Rocco Kokinacis

Kyle Donovan

Leave a comment

Filed under Amesbury, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Jaden Keliher, Jimmy Gjikopulli, Kyle Donovan, Mason Paccone, Rocco Kokinacis

January 5, 2020 · 11:53 pm

Manchester-Essex bests Bishop Fenwick 76-74 in 2 OTs

Manchester-Essex celebrates win over Bishop Fenwick

Jason Romans defends AJ Pallazola

(Peabody MA) The two coaches called the game, “great” and “awesome,” and who could argue?

Manchester-Essex defeated Bishop Fenwick 76-74 in double overtime on Sunday afternoon.

There were fifteen lead changes and six ties and there could have been one more lead change if Jason Romans (27 points) had connected on the game’s final 3-point attempt.

The Crusaders (4-2) had four-point leads in both overtimes but the Hornets (6-0) just wouldn’t go away.

Kellen Furse (29 points) down the lane

Senior Kellen Furse (29 points) had ten of his points in the fourth quarter as ME rallied back from a seven-point deficit.

“We press and we fast break,” said Kellen post-game. “I was exhausted after the first quarter, never mind after two overtimes. Our ability to sub in our one-minute guys to give us a break is huge. Our depth is awesome.”

Fenwick led, 74-70, in the second OT after a Hornet turnover led to a Kobe Estes layup with 1:34 left. Those, however, would be the last points the home team would get.

A rebound basket plus one by ME junior Jack Shaw (15 points) and an AJ Pallazola layup after a BF five-second inbounding violation put the Hornets on top for good, 75-74. Kellen Furse would add a free throw in the closing seconds.

Jason Romans (27 points)

“We competed hard,” said Fenwick coach Kevin Moran afterwards. “That’s a credit to the players. Our execution probably wasn’t as good as it should have been. That one is on the coaching staff.”

A turning point in the game may well have been when Fenwick’s tallest player, junior Christian Loescher (12 points), fouled out in the first overtime.

“My eyes lit up when that happened,” said ME coach Tim St. Laurent post-game. “Christian is a very good player. With him out, I knew that we could go right at them.”

“When we lost Christian’s presence, it made a difference,” recalled Coach Moran. “He does tend to get himself in foul trouble once in a while. He’s one of the better athletic big guys around.”

Jack Shaw at the line late in the game

The two teams were tied 59-59 with three minutes left in regulation. Neither team could score in those last three minutes. The Hornets missed four straight free throws in the final ninety seconds; two each by Kellen Furse and Jack Shaw.

“We haven’t shot much from the free throw line in a tight game like this,” explained Kellen Furse. “Tomorrow at practice we’ll most definitely be running……..and shooting free throws!”

Sophomore AJ Pallazola covered high-scoring Jason Romans during most of the game. “He’s a very good player,” said AJ. “He can shoot and he’s tough coming off screens.”

Jack Shaw finished with fifteen points including seven in the first quarter. He had two 3’s.

Teammate Mason Paccone registered eighteen points. He had four 3’s and produced eight points in the second quarter.

The Crusaders turned a 26-25 deficit in the second quarter into a nine-point lead with a run of ten unanswered points. Both Jason Romans and Christian Loescher contributed two layups and Jason added two free throws for BF.

Manchester-Essex was down 40-32 in the third quarter before consecutive three’s (Mason Paccone, Alex Furse, Jack Shaw) put the Hornets ahead 41-40.

Max Grenert (13 points)

Fenwick had thirteen points from junior Max Grenert (three 3’s) and twelve points for junior Alex Gonzalez (two 3’s).

Bishop Fenwick used a zone defense while ME pressed full-court for the first half and went to a half-court man-to-man during the second half and in the two OT’s.

Coach Tom Comeau of Amesbury was in the house. The Indians, like Manchester-Essex, are in the Cape Ann League and will face each other twice.

ME and BF played twice last season. Both games were close.

Coach Moran: “Manchester-Essex is one of the top teams in D4. We knew that they would be competitive. They have seniors with lots of experience.”

Coach St. Laurent: “This was two of the best teams in Division 4 going at it. This was high school basketball at its best. Fenwick has great guard play and they have bigs that crash the boards.”

Kellen Furse: “This was such a big team win. They are an incredible D4 team. This gives us momentum going into our league stretch.”

AJ Pallazola: “It was very intense out there. They were banging us, and we were bumping them. We have to improve our foul shooting.”

Bishop Fenwick box

Manchester-Essex box

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

AJ Pallazola

Christian Loescher

Christian Loescher (33) blocks a shot

Frank Wood (23) and Alex Gonzalez (24) reach for a pass

Jack Shaw (15 points) to the basket

Jack Shaw surrounded by Crusaders

Mason Paccone (18 points) guarded by Alex Gonzalez

Max Grenert and Jason Romans double-team AJ Pallazola

Kellen Furse draws a foul on Christian Loescher

Kellen Furse in for two

Kobe Estes (10) puts up a three in the 2nd OT

Manchester-Essex traps

Leave a comment

Filed under Bishop Fenwick, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as AJ Pallazola, Christian Loescher, Jack Shaw, Jason Romans, Kellen Furse, Mason Paccone

November 18, 2019 · 12:42 am

PKs send Amesbury by Manchester-Essex and into D4 state semi-finals

Dasa Hase and Gracie Doherty

Alyssa Pettet kicked home the game-winner in the shootout

(Lynn MA) I struggled all afternoon trying to guess how this game was going to go.

I tried the Manchester-Essex end at the start because Amesbury had beaten them twice during the season.

That put me out of close range as the Hornets dominated the first half and had a goal (Mia Cromwell at 17:16)) to show for it.

Second half I favored the Amesbury end because that was where ME had spend a lot of time in the first half.

Alli Napoli leaves the goal with Rachel Albertazzi (10) near the ball

That put me long range as Amesbury scored (McKenna Hallinan at 35:43) and carried the play in at least half of the second half.

In the final twenty minutes, both teams had chances but the goalies (ME’s Kara Glynos & Amesbury’s Alli Napoli) made plays.

Overtime? Not yet.

In the final five minutes of regulation, the Indians were called for an infraction in the box. Suddenly there would be a penalty kick (far from where I was standing!).

Mia Cromwell tried to go to the left corner with her PK but GK Alli Napoli lunged that way and the game continued.

Now we had overtime.

Ashley Flood (20) and Alyssa Pettet (5)

Last year, Amesbury defeated Manchester-Essex in double overtime in the same D4 North title game.

Both teams had chances to end it in the overtimes. Amesbury’s Alyssa Pettet came very close in the first OT but the game continued as no one was found who could finish for either team.

That opened the door for the dreaded shootout. The pressure, the lonely walk to the penalty line, and the elation/agony with the result.

The two goal scorers (Mia Cromwell & McKenna Hallinan) shot first. Mia froze GK Alli Napoli with a shot to the right. (In the PK at the end of regulation she had gone to the left and Alli was there.) McKenna’s shot against Leilani Brown was high to the left.

Bella Hadaegh & Gracie Doherty shot second. Bella also tried to go right but hit the crossbar. Gracie scored past Kara Glynos on a grounder to the left.

Grace Doherty PK

So after two rounds the score was tied. Who expected this after these teams were tied after eighty minutes of regulation and twenty minutes of overtime??

Maya Baker and Avery Hallinan were in the third round. Maya shot up the middle and Alli Napoli hardly moved to save it. Avery shot to the right and it slipped by ME GK Leilani Brown. Advantage Amesbury.

Maya Baker PK

Avery Hallinan PK

The last round this game would need to reach an outcome had Sofia Gillespie and Alyssa Pettet in it. Sofia’s shot went over the top and that gave the CAL Player-of-the-Year a chance at the game-winner. She shot hard to the upper left by GK Kara Glynos and Amesbury had a 2-1 win in PKs.

Alyssa Pettet PK

With the victory the Indians (14-1-6) capture the Division 4 North title again and will face Millis (again) on Wednesday night (5PM) at Manning Field.

The Hornets’ goal in the first half was nicely set up. “Maya (Baker) and Mia (Cromwell) worked a nice give-and-go on that one,” explained ME coach Luke Cosgrove afterwards. Mia ended up with a good look and drove her shot to the right side.

Mia Cromwell shoots

ME celebrates Mia Cromwell goal

Junior Dasa Hase started the play by getting the ball from the left wing into the middle to Maya. Dasa’s corner kicks were threatening all game long.

The Indians’ goal in the second half resulted from a halftime adjustment in their corner kick formation. Alyssa Pettet normally draws two and three defenders and usually heads close to the goal when a corner kick heads that way.

“Avery (Hallinan) suggested that having Alyssa go away from the goal would open up the front of the goal,” said Coach Adam Thibodeau.

“I ran Alyssa’s route,” explained Avery, “and no one was on me as the corner kick (MK McElaney) came in. I tipped it and then McKenna (Hallinan) put it in.”

Avery “insisted” that the shot would have gone in without her sister McKenna’s “help.” My pictures tell me, however, that McKenna’s part was essential. She dove feet first into a ball that was just about to be cleared out and sent it into the left corner of the net.

Avery (11) about to deflect to McKenna (1) in front

McKenna sees the ball near the goal line

McKenna kicks ball into corner by a defender and GK Kara Glynos

McKenna’s goal signaled by official

One thing that was certainly agreed on was the extraordinary game Alli Napoli had. “Alli is an outstanding athlete, “said Coach Thibodeau. “She took the team on her back today. She was disappointed with the first goal. She has forty-nine career shutouts for a reason.”

Waiting for the shootout

Amesbury doesn’t give up many goals (16) but they also don’t score very many (35). “We’ve had six ties this year, so we have been preparing our penalty kicks for a while,” explained Coach Thibodeau.

Senior Gracie Doherty spent most of the afternoon chasing talented Dasa Hase around. “She’s good with the ball and very fast,” said Gracie.

On her successful penalty kick: “I wanted to take my time and try to get it into a corner.”

Coach Cosgrove: “Amesbury was very good. The D4 North was a showcase-and-a-half. #5 (Alyssa Pettet) was phenomenal. Almost unstoppable.”

Avery Hallinan didn’t practice yesterday. “My ankle is killing me,” she said post-game.

On her successful PK: “I walked up and my stomach dropped. I shot it and thought, ‘Okay, it went in!”

Bella Hadaegh and Lily O’Neill

Alyssa Pettet’s game-winning penalty kick was her 4^th of the season. “PK’s are very tough mentally,” the Holy Cross commit said afterwards. “You have to tune out everything that is happening.”

On Alli Napoli: “I was confident with her in net in the shootout. She’s so athletic that she would probably be good in any sport she tried.”

Alli may have seemed calm on the field but she wasn’t. “I was nervous out there all the time,” she said.

McKenna Hallinan on the goal she scored: “Avery’s shot was NOT going in. It was a twin-to-twin effort. We have twin telepathy. We love our twin-twin moments.”

The Hornets (11-4-5) alternated goalies. Junior Leilani Brown was in net for the first half and the first overtime as well as for the first and third PK. Senior Kara Glynos guarded the goal in the second half, second overtime, and the second and fourth PK.

Overcast conditions with light rain after the game was over.

Tough day for Manchester-Essex. Their boys’ soccer team lost to Burke in the game before the Amesbury girls soccer game.

(Many of the pictures are long range. Essential that you click on them to see them enlarged. Some, also, are a bit blurry because of the distance away that they were taken from.)