Category Archives: Newburyport

February 3, 2012 · 11:57 pm

Brooke Stewart (27 points) leads Masconomet past Newburyport (60-49) in girls basketball

Brooke Stewart (27 points) fires up a long one.

Brooke Stewart drives the lane

(Newburyport) Brooke Stewart is going to Division One William & Mary next year on a basketball scholarship.

Those on hand at Newburyport last night saw why, as she tortured the Clippers with twenty-seven points leading Masco to a 60-49 win in Cape Ann League action.

This was my third look at Brooke.  The other two times were against Pentucket, both losses.  In those games Brooke faced total denial defense and had limited opportunities to do damage.

Against Newburyport, she had the ball plenty and had all the shots working.  Brooke hit four 3’s and had numerous slashes to the basket.  Defending her was simply a nightmare.

Lilly Donovan (14 points) open in the lane

Newburyport (11-4 overall / 6-1 CAL) had won eight straight, and despite Brooke’s heroics only trailed by three (46-43) a minute into the final quarter.

But a minute later, a Brooke layup followed by a three from Chelsea Nason (assisted by Danielle Davis) and Masco shot up by eight (51-43) and the Clippers couldn’t get closer than six the rest of the way.

A big part of the Chieftain success was limiting Newburyport’s top scorer, Beth Castantini, to four points all late in the game.  Foul trouble and facing Brooke as defender made for a long night for the talented senior.

The Clippers went down ten (18-8) in the first quarter but rallied all the way back with five each from Lilly Donovan and Molly Rowe.

Newburyport was again down ten (31-21) in the second quarter and answered with nine straight (Molly Rowe-3, Lea Tomasz-2, Lilly Donovan-4) to get within one (32-31) with five minutes left in the third quarter.

Thanks to Brooke (sixteen points over the final thirteen minutes) Newburyport never caught up the rest of the way.
The eleven-point spread (60-49) at the end was an inaccurate indicator of the difference between the two teams.

Masco (11-2 overall / 7-1 CAL) has now won eight of their last nine games and will be at Triton on Tuesday.

Masco made seven 3’s.  The Clippers lone three was a Molly Rowe (11 points) buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter.

Molly Rowe came out of this scramble with a back injury.

Molly was injured (back) in a scramble midway through the last quarter and never returned.

Sophomore Lilly Donovan ended up chasing Brooke around most of the game yet still had enough energy to put up a team-leading fourteen points.

Chelsea Nason and Danielle Davis each had ten points for the Chieftains.

Both teams have qualified for post-season play.  Masco is in Division 1 and Newburyport in Division 3.

The two referees arrived late for the second half.  I trust that they did not assume that the cheer they received upon arrival was affectionate.

Masconomet box score

Newburyport box score

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

Molly Rowe jumper

Taylor Evans

Beth Castantini sees rare opening

Danielle Davis goes in against Mary Pettigrew

Brooke Stewart steals from Mary Pettigrew

Chelsea Nason put up two in the lane

Aly Leahy

Julie Simonetti trapped by Mary Pettigrew and Lea Tomasz

Hannah Kiernan ganged up on by Lilly Donovan and Aly Leahy

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January 25, 2012 · 12:40 am

Strong Finish Gets Hamilton-Wenham Past Newburyport 55-50 in Boys Basketball

Shane Jenkins scores a crucial basket in the last minute with a backdoor cut and getting a pass from Stephen Tam.

Colton Fontaine (12 points) drives past Jimmy Campbell

(Newburyport)  Hamilton-Wenham (8-3) broke away from a 47-47 tie in the last two minutes and defeated Newburyport, 55-50, on a warm Tuesday night at Newburyport.

The Clippers (10-3) had won the December meeting between these two (45-39) at HW. In this one the home team couldn’t hold a ten-point (30-20) second quarter lead or execute very well on either end in the final two minutes and it cost them dearly.

While the Generals looked to be in deep trouble trailing by ten points in the second quarter, the Clippers looked done when they fell behind, 45-39, in the fourth quarter.  Both teams recovered nicely and turned it into an exciting two-minute game.

Freshman James Foye (10 points) opened the scoring in the “end game” with two clutch free throws.  After a Newburyport miss, Stephen Tam (12 points) dribbled around near the top of the key appearing to be intent on taking a shot.  Wrong assumption!  Shane Jenkins (9 points) made a backdoor cut and caught the Clippers napping and made a layup.  Then a Colby Morris turnover sent James Foye off for another layup.  That put the Generals ahead by six (53-47) with only twenty-eight seconds left.

Two key free throws by freshman James Foye (10 points) late

A triple by Colby Morris (11 points), assisted by Brett Fontaine, quickly had Newburyport within three with twenty-two seconds left.  After a timeout, the pressuring Clippers got the turnover they needed but just as quickly turned the ball back over to HW.  Off went Stephen Tam with the fumble for another layup and this game was over.

Tough loss for the Clippers.  This makes them 4-2 in the Cape Ann League D2 standings.  HW is now 4-1. The Generals have won the division the last two seasons.

Newburyport got that ten-point lead in the second quarter thanks to a 9-2 run over three minutes.  Colby Morris (11 points) had two assists and a triple in that surge.

It took HW 2 ½ minutes to get nine of those points back.  The killer basket in their nine straight was Jake Lindland’s desperation long one at the buzzer.  It was another case of Newburyport heavily defending Stephen Tam and last year’s CAL D2 Player of the Year finding an open teammate.

The Clippers looked cooked when HW put a 13-2 run on them during a 3-minute segment that stretched into the final quarter.  Stephen Tam scored off a turnover and added a three.  Ryan Richard came off the HW bench to contribute two baskets from in close.

Brett Fontaine (8 points) shoots over Shane Jenkins (9 points)

That 45-39 lead looked solid but four minutes later the hustling Clippers earned a 47-47 tie.  Two of the Clipper baskets were converted rebounds by Colton Fontaine (12 points) and Alex Losh (10 points).

Stephen Tam did a nice job defending Brett Fontaine.  Ian Michaels did the same defending Stephen Tam.

Ryan Willis (9 points) had three long ones for the Generals.

Colby Morris has three 3’s for Newburyport.

Senior Jake Lindland is recovering from a preseason knee injury.  His minutes have been limited so far.

Hamilton-Wenham was very content to run an offense on the perimeter looking for an opening for a long one.  The Clippers looked to get closer to the basket.

HW is 38-9 over the last 2+ seasons.

HW boxscore

Newburyport boxscore

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

Stephen Tam

Jake Lindland (#3)

Brett Fontaine

Stephen Tam

Colby Morris

Ryan Beckett defends

Ian Michaels sees a lane

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January 17, 2012 · 4:24 pm

Newburyport Defeats Marblehead With Late Surge 43-25 in Girls Basketball

Beth Castantini (20 points) puts up a lefthanded layup.

Emily Freedland (8 points) defends Aly Leahy (12 points).

(Newburyport) Newburyport defeated non-league Marblehead, 43-25, thanks to dominating (16-3) final quarter on Monday (MLK Day) afternoon at NHS.

This game was as much about who didn’t play as it was about who did.  Kathryn DiGiammarino and Sydney Pliner for the Magicians and Molly Rowe for the Clippers did not play.  All three girls had injuries.

(To get a sense of the level of loss this was: Kathryn had twenty rebounds and fourteen points in Marblehead’s last game, Sydney generally defends the other team’s best player, and I saw Molly put up twenty-six points and handle the ball versus pressure against a strong Ipswich team.)

Let’s just say both coaches (Greg Dollas & Skip Likins) were looking at Plan B in this matchup.

Beth Castantini layup in traffic

How did Newburyport (8-3) win the game?  The Magicians had no answers for Beth Castantini.  The Clipper senior saw large and small defenders but never was discouraged from taking shots and putting up twenty points.  She dominated the boards and held Marblehead’s inside player (Lindsey Cohen) to a quiet four points.

Minus someone to defend Beth, the Magicians (7-5) were going to have to score a lot of points to win.

But, this is one of those games where the final score would give the wrong impression of how the game went.  That’s one of the reasons I script games……so I can sort games out for those who are interested yet couldn’t attend them.

Marblehead, despite its undermanned status, was very much in this one until the final quarter.  How?  They refused to go away.  Down 15-4, after four minutes in the second period, they put together a 12-4 response to trail just, 19-16, three minutes into the third quarter.

The Magician rally featured making eight of ten free throw attempts plus two McKenna Barrett layups.

McKenna Barrett layup

The visitors completed the comeback when a McKenna jump shot tied the score at 22-22 with only a minute to go in the third quarter.  Unfortunately, for Marblehead, the rest of the quarter shows a Beth Castantini triple, two missed free throws (Mia Bongiorno), and two Aly Leahy free throws – 27-22 after three periods.

The fourth quarter started harmlessly enough – an Emily Freedland layup and a McKenna free throw surrounded a Beth Castantini converted rebound of her own miss – 29-25 with 6:50 left.  No one on hand expected what happened the rest of the way.

Marblehead didn’t score another point while the Clippers totaled fourteen.  That’s a long time to go scoreless……and very frustrating to be on the scoreless end.  Coach Skip Likins picked up a technical near the end and was seen looking for the names of the officials afterwards.

Aly Leahy (12 points) scored seven in the final run including 3-of-4 from the foul line.

Emily Freedland was Marblehead’s top scorer with eight points.

The effects of an afternoon holiday game?  The Clippers missed five shots on their first possession and neither team scored during the first four minutes.

A key in this game was Aly Leahy’s ability to handle Marblehead pressure.  Usually she shares that responsibility with Molly Rowe.

Mark Rowe & Molly Rowe

Molly was in uniform and looked ready to play despite an icepack on her knee before the game.  Instead, she sat this one out next to her father on the NHS bench.

Newburyport’s next game is home on Friday night against North Reading.

Why is this entry so late?  Good question.  I had the opportunity to go to the Celtics reunion with Kendrick Perkins (Oklahoma City Thunder) and took it.  TNT made a game that started shortly after eight last nearly three hours.  Then the ride home……….Route 1 and 128 snowy, icy and untreated!  That resulted in an arrival time home (Newburyport) after 12:30AM.  That’s the best excuse I could think of for the delay………and I’m sticking with it!

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

Beth Castantini fouled

Lindsey Cohen shoots against Lea Tomasz

McKenna Barrett (20) & Mary Pettigrew (33)

Mia Bongiorno collides with Cady Bennett

Lindsey Cohen shoots – Casey Barlow defends.

Emily Freedland shoots free throws at the end of first half.

Caroline Helms

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January 7, 2012 · 12:44 am

Molly Rowe (24 points) Leads Newburyport Past Ipswich 55-53 in Girls Basketball

Molly Rowe (24 points) dribbles past Caroline Soucy.

Beth Castantini (15 points) hit two free throws with twelve seconds left.

(Newburyport) The Newburyport girls surprised a whole bunch of folks as they upset Ipswich, 55-53, Friday night at NHS in Cape Ann League action.

Molly Rowe led the way for the Clippers (5-3) with twenty-four points including eleven straight free throws after missing her first two attempts.

Eight days ago, same place, same teams, Ipswich (6-1) had won easily, 46-27.  A rematch seemed like a good opportunity for the Tigers to stretch their unbeaten streak to seven and the Clippers looked willing to do their part as they got down by ten early in the second quarter (16-6).

What happened next was unexpected.  Instead of fading further away, the Clippers ran twelve unanswered points over the next four minutes to take a shocking, 18-16, lead with 2:42 left in the second period.  Aly Leahy had a layup and Molly Rowe hit a jumper but the rest of the points were on 8-for-8 foul shooting.

The next ten minutes were entertaining, back-and-forth action, with eight lead changes, until Newburyport took the lead for good, 42-41, on two Molly Rowe free throws with thirty seconds left in the third quarter.

The Clippers extended that lead to five (51-46) on a daring three by Beth Castantini (15 points) with 1:24 left.  Game over?  Not quite!  With defender Mary Pettigrew sidelined, Julia Davis (11 points) notched a layup and thirty seconds later Brigid O’Flynn (10 points) did the same thing.  Now that Newburyport lead was only, 51-50, with plenty of time (twenty-eight seconds) left.

Julia Davis (32) layup late in the game.

If you want to pinpoint where the Clippers won this game, it was at the foul line the rest of the way.  Molly Rowe got the first chance with 26 seconds left shooting one-and-one.  How large were these when you’re only ahead by one?  She makes both.

Aly Leahy then fouls out fouling Shannon McFayden.  Shannon makes one of two – Newburyport 53-Ipswich 51 with nineteen seconds left.

Now it’s Beth Castantini’s turn to face the pressure with twelve seconds left, shooting one-and-one.  She makes both.  Brigid O’Flynn puts in a layup for Ipswich at the buzzer to close out the scoring.

This was clearly one of those games where you never had a clear sense of how it would end up………….until it ended up.

Credit Newburyport’s Mary Pettigrew for limiting the inside for the Tigers’ Julia Davis (11 points) and forcing the Tigers to launch long ones.  Ipswich made five from out there but I’m guessing they took at least twenty 3’s, if not more.

Aly Leahy (10 points) layup

Aly Leahy (10 points) and Masey Zegarowski (10 points) were the best matchup to watch on both ends of the court – athletic, tireless, and adept at getting the ball into the front court.

This was a game with very few turnovers and many missed shots.  The shooting exception was in the second period when Newburyport tallied 24 points and Ipswich 21.

There was game-long whining from both sidelines and stands.  You know how partisan the complaining is when every call results in a noticeable negative reaction from one side or the other.

No question there were plenty of foul calls and foul shots.  Newburyport missed ten free throws but made four straight in the final twenty-six seconds.

Newburyport next plays Lynnfield at home on Monday (7PM).  Ipswich is at Triton on the same night (6:30PM).

Newburyport box score

Ipswich box score

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

Brigid OFlynn looks to shoot

Caroline Soucy shoots

loose ball

Masey Zegarowski (5) and Cady Bennett

Coach Mandy Zegarowski and the referee

Molly Rowe surrounded

Beth Castantini three

Lily Donovan drives

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January 5, 2012 · 10:48 am

Newburyport Narrowly Defeats North Reading 5-4 in Cape Ann League hockey

North Reading presses for tying goal late in the third period.

Cooper Hines (17) congratulated by Travis Wile (5) and Cam Roy (4) after scoring 4th Clipper goal.

(Newburyport) Newburyport (2-3-1) scored a couple of goals early in the third period (Cooper Hines & Matt Kelleher) and then hung on for dear life before defeating North Reading, 5-4, at Graf Rink on Wednesday night.

The Clippers, 2-2 in Cape Ann League games, had plenty of shots (38) but they neutralized that advantage by surrendering power play goals to the Hornets.

One of the more remarkable things I’ve ever seen at a sporting event happened even before this game started.  NHS coach Paul Yameen’s young daughter was delivering a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem when the Graf Rink microphone kicked off.  What next?  The crowd picked up right where she left off and delivered a rousing conclusion to the song.  Spontaneity at it’s best!

North Reading (2-5 overall/0-4 in CAL) rode a hot goaltender (Keith Linnane – 38 saves) and power play advantages and were tied, 3-3, after two periods.

National Anthem soloist

But in the final period, the relentless Clippers were rewarded twice (Cooper Hines & Matt Kelleher) early to get what, at the time, looked like sufficient separation from the Hornets.  It didn’t work that way.   Defenseman Connor Wile ended up in the penalty box and Mike Moscaritolo beat Clipper goalie Dan Murphy to make things a very interesting, 5-4, late in the game.

NR pulled their goalie and the action thereafter was in the Newburyport end.  A number of “ooh’s” and “ah’s” indicated how close the Hornets came to tying this one with the extra forward in the mix. But Newburyport prevailed.

They face North Andover (5-1) on Saturday at 7PM at the Graf Rink.  The Knights lost to Triton, 3-1, last night.

Newburyport goal scorers were: Travis Wile, Jared Bradbury (2), Copper Hines, and Matt Kelleher.  Cam Roy had three assists.

North Reading goal scorers were: Mike Brandano, Timmy Potter (2), and Mike Moscaritolo.

NR is at Pentucket on Saturday (7PM).

(All pictures enlarge to normal size if you click on them.)

loose puck in NR end

Timmy Tannian (5) & Tim Brennan (15)

Clipper crowd

Clippers collide

Mike Moscaritolo

Erik Morrison

Travis Wile

Matt Kelleher – winning goal

Cam Roy (4) & Tommy Potter (21)

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December 17, 2011 · 12:25 am

Late Rally Gets Newburyport Past North Reading 53-48 in Boys Basketball

Colby Morris launches big three late in the game as Clipper reserves watch.

Carl Lipani (44) takes the last shot for North Reading.

(Newburyport) The Clippers put together a nice package of scoring and defense in the final 4 ½ minutes and defeated North Reading, 53-48, in nonleague play on Friday night at Newburyport High School.

This game was entertainingly close throughout.  The Hornets had seven points leads in the 2nd and 3rd quarters while the best the Clippers could do up until the final minute was a 3-point advantage in the third period.

The Clipper defense limited North Reading to only one point over the final 4+ minutes.  Alex Losh had a huge block when this was a one-point game down the stretch.

Big block by Alex Losh (12) on Mike OBrien (32) late in the game.

The late-game Newburyport offense fell into the able hands of Brett Fontaine trailing 47-42 with 4 ½ minutes left.  On three straight possessions he took the ball right at the Hornet defense and came away with two baskets and two made free throws.  Brett’s work gave the Clippers a slim 48-47 lead with 1 ½ to go.

After an NR miss, the Clippers Ian Michaels broke into the middle of the Hornet defense and drew defenders with him thinking he would drive to the hoop.  Instead he tossed the ball to Colby Morris alone in the corner in front the Newburyport bench.  Bang! The Clippers had a 4-point lead (51-47) with a minute left.

Mike O’Brien followed with a free throw.  He missed the second attempt but teammate Kyle Boucher got the rebound and was fouled.  He missed both – it probably didn’t help him shooting into the Clipper crowd directly under the basket he was shooting at.

The Hornets were eventually able to commit enough fouls to send Brett Fontaine to the foul line with a one-and-one.  He missed and that left NR with plenty of time, after a timeout with eleven seconds, to set up the game-tying shot.

Carl Lipani ended up taking that final shot which missed.  A couple of successful last-second Brett free throws closed the scoring.

North Reading (0-2) had seven-point leads in the middle quarters but just couldn’t put up points down the stretch.

Newburyport (2-0) has rallied late to win both games so far.

Dillon Guthro (44) goes for the block in the first half.

The home-crowd pleaser was sophomore Dillon Guthro.  He had at least four blocks by my count.

Next for Newburyport is a visit to Hamilton-Wenham on Tuesday.  HW coach Doug Hoak was on hand tonight.

North Reading next visits Ipswich on Tuesday.

Newburyport box score

North Reading box score

The pictures enlarge to normal size if you click on them.

Alex Losh layup

Chris Capozzoli gets early third foul

Mike OBrien (32) gets inside Alex Losh (12) for two.

scramble for loose ball

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December 12, 2011 · 11:43 pm

Strong Finish Gives Pentucket Girls 2011 Provident Bank Tip Off Classic 44-37 Over Newburyport

Beth Castantini surrounded by three Pentucket players.

Game MVP Coley Viselli puts up layup in traffic.

(Newburyport)  Two of the best girls’ teams in the area opened the 2011-12 basketball season against each other in the Provident Bank Tip Off Classic on Monday night.

A strong final quarter gave the visiting Pentucket Sachems a 44-37 win over the Newburyport Clippers.

Pentucket (20-5 in 2010-11) predictably came at the Clippers in defensive waves all over the court and let the long ones fly with abandon on offense.  Sometimes it worked……….sometimes it didn’t.

After a fast start (3-for-5) Pentucket’s long ball accuracy vanished, as 2-for-16 the rest of the way would suggest.  But three minutes into the final quarter junior Alex Moore hit one and was fouled by Meri Adsit.  Alex completed the 4-point play to give the Sachems a 39-33 advantage.

Newburyport rallied nearly all the way back after trailing, 18-4, early in the second quarter.  Pitiful Pentucket shooting in the 3rd quarter (1-for-13) opened the door for the Clippers (5-for-9 shooting) to erase a 27-14 halftime deficit.  A Lea Tomasz three with two seconds left put this one in the “very interesting” category (31-29) with a quarter left.

Leigh McNamara (25) sails in for a first half layup.

As I said, Alex Moore hit a huge three in the final quarter but it was the Pentucket pressure over the final 5+ minutes that really did in the Clippers.  The pressure seemed to work best in the half-court as there were no turn-2’s (steal and get a layup) in the decisive final minutes.

Newburyport got within one (32-31) on a Lea Tomasz converted rebound and two (35-33) on a Beth Castantini jump shot with 5:40 left.

Plenty of time left and certainly close enough score-wise for the home team to pull the upset.

However, the Pentucket defense gave up only one point (Beth Castantini free throw) over the next 5 ½ minutes!  Molly Rowe hit a three with a few seconds left but by then, as they say in farm country, the cows had left the barn.

The shocking numbers for the Clippers during those game-deciding 5 ½ minutes were: one point in eleven possessions, eight turnovers, three shots in one possession and only one shot in the other ten.  Those are dream/nightmare numbers depending on which bench you were sitting on.

Speaking of nightmares, Clipper coach Gregg Dollas will probably remember this game for a while as one where he learned something about the numbers on his players’ uniforms.

Cady Bennett

As the game was about to start the Clippers were assessed a technical foul because Cady Bennett was in the scorebook as #14 but was wearing #21.  Coley Viselli sank both technical foul shots.

Later in the first quarter, Lilly Donovan was put in the game wearing #9.  Players can’t wear single digit numbers above 5.…….probably because officials can’t finger signal 6-9 without possibly confusing the scorekeepers.  Coley made one of the technical foul shots.

That’s three points, and in a close game like this one, they were a tough giveaway.

Coley Viselli was chosen MVP of the game.  Good thing they didn’t ask me.  I’d have given it either to teammate Sarah Higgins and her 16 points or to Alex Moore for her 4th quarter heroics.  Alex had the 4-point play and less than a minute before that had an old-fashioned 3-point play.  Those seven points were huge in this low scoring game.

Molly McDonough and Molly Rowe were given student/athlete scholarships afterwards thanks to Provident Bank.

A good crowd of Sachem support was on hand.

We saw the debut of a couple of Pentucket freshman – McKenna Kilian & Kelsi McNamara.

The Clippers will be able to count on points from seniors Beth Castantini (15) and Molly Rowe (11).  Bettering last year’s 13-7 record could well depend on steady scoring from other players.

Molly Rowe gets student-athlete scholarship from Coach Gregg Dollas.

Tess Nogueira and Leigh McNamara both spent time defending Beth Castantini.  Both players picked up their fourth foul in the final period.

The quickness and all-out approach of junior Meri Adsit was impressive.

Newburyport box score

Pentucket box score

(The pictures will enlarge to normal size if you click on them.)

Beth Castantini (10) & Leigh McNamara (25)

Coley Viselli – Lilly Donovan – Sarah Higgins

Tess Nogueira (32) & Mary Pettigrew (33)

Pentucket coach John McNamara

Beth Castantini

Meri Adsit (5) & Sydney Snow (3)

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November 30, 2011 · 1:45 pm

Late Score Gets Hamilton-Wenham Past Newburyport 7-0 in Division 3A Football Semifinals

Trevor Lyons (12) beats Evan Habib (8) and later Jared Bradbury (11) for game winner in last minute.

Luke Wendt (11) blocks Connor Wile pass attempt in first period near goal line.

(Andover)  Newburyport (9-3) squandered a chance to put points on the board early and the rest of the game couldn’t even get into Hamilton-Wenham territory at Andover High School on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the Generals (11-0) kept things very interesting by failing to capitalize on several chances of their own before getting the game-winner with only 32 seconds left.

HW’s 7-0 win, in the Division 3A semifinals, puts them into the Super Bowl against Bourne (12-0) at noon on Saturday at Manning Field in Lynn.

Both teams in the Super Bowl game are undefeated.

This game had enough suspense for even the strongest of hearts.  Games that go scoreless for 39 ½ minutes out of 40 minutes will do that to you!

The five-yard, game winner, by quarterback Trevor Lyons, was at the conclusion of a ten-play, five-minute drive that started at the Newburyport 40.  The HW advance toward the end zone and the winding down of the clock in a scoreless tie, created edge-of-the-seat drama.

Two memorable plays got HW into the Clipper end zone:

Elliott Burr (22) breaks free with a screen pass for 29 yards setting up the HW touchdown late in the game.

(1) On 3rd-and-15 from the N34, the Generals victimized Newburyport with a perfectly executed screen pass.  QB Lyons sold the play and as the Clippers poured in on him he flipped a short pass to Elliott Burr in the middle.  Elliott not only got the first down but reached the Clipper 5 with two minutes left.

(2) After trying to get Elliott Burr in on the left (twice), the Generals set up as if they would try it a third time.  However, instead, Trevor Lyons rolled right, beat the corner (Evan Habib), and jumped into a defender (Jared Bradbury) at the goal line to score with 32 seconds left.  Ironically, Trevor hit that same right corner of the end zone in HW’s 18-6 win at Newburyport on September 23rd.

Paul Kim added the extra point and that’s the summation of the scoring.

Connor Wile passes with Ryan Foringer closing fast on him.

Watching Newburyport unable to do more on offense was startling.  Clipper QB Connor Wile came in with nearly 2000 passing yards and 21 TD passes.  In this game he was just 5-for-16 and 33 yards.  The total Newburyport offense was a meager 76 yards and only 4 first downs.

Credit the HW defense.  Their front four or three were able to put enough pressure on Connor to hurry him up.  This allowed the Generals’ linebackers to drop into short coverage and the secondary to concentrate on the long ball.

The Clippers nearly connected deep, early in the 4th quarter, but Brett Fontaine couldn’t hold on to Connor’s pass.

The Newburyport faithful will recall a major squander by their Clippers in the first period.  Jimmy Conway intercepted a Trevor Lyons pass and Newburyport was golden on the Generals twenty.  Connor Wile converted a third down play with a scramble to the HW 9.  Runs by Connor and Tyler Martin brought the Clippers to the HW2 for third down.  Big defensive play alert – Luke Wendt deflected a pass attempt over the middle and Newburyport was forced to settle for a field goal attempt.  When Brandon Trego’s kick went wide left the squander was complete.

Any points in that possession would have been huge as the game wound scoreless minute after minute until the very end.

While Newburyport was kept out of HW territory the rest of the way the Generals had no such problem.  They just couldn’t finish…….until the very end.

The Generals reached the Clipper 20 twice, had a 68-yard TD run by Trevor Lyons called back on a penalty, and had a TD pass dropped (Matt Putur) in the Clipper end zone just before halftime.  HW racked up 198 yards and 9 first downs.

Brett Fontaine (10) intercepts pass intended for Matt Putur (21) in 4th quarter.

Hamilton-Wenham also had two interceptions.  The second one, in the final quarter, would have been one that the HW would have been lamenting forever if they had lost.  The Generals reached the Clipper 20 with seven minutes left in a scoreless game.  On 4th-and-14, they decided to have runner Elliott Burr throw a pass.  Bad idea alert – Brett Fontaine took in the floater intended for Matt Putur and the Clippers were still alive.

But on this day, the HW’s inability to finish was offset by their terrific defense, and only one score was needed.  Undefeated Bourne may require more HW points on the board in the Super Bowl game.

The sky was overcast with a little drizzle before the game.  The temps were in the 50’s.  Was it really November 29th?

Great turf field at Andover.  Lighting was spectacular.  The track, however, kept fans a bit distant from the action.

Good crowd on both sides.  HW band impressed me.

This is the best season HW has had in its 52 football seasons.  Wouldn’t a Super Bowl championship be the frosting on the cake!

(I collect my own information and take my own pictures.  I apologize for any mistakes in advance.)

The pictures enlarge to normal size if you click on them.

Trevor Lyons

HW coach Andrew Morency after touchdown

Connor Wile (12) scrambes away from Luke Wendt (11)

Elliott Burr (22) uses Taylor Drinkwater (55) block.

Brett Fontaine open deep in second half.

Trevor Lyons (12) tackled by Colton Fontaine (7)

Trevor Lyons fair catch

68 yard Trevor Lyons run on first play……called back.

Kevin Anthony (58) Elliott Burr (22) Shane Jenkins (57)

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November 21, 2011 · 6:33 pm

Some Questions for Congressman John Tierney about Patrice and the IBEW protest in Newburyport against Anna Jaques Hospital

A union (IBEW), generously supportive of Congressman Tierney, continues to protest in Market Square in Newburyport months after losing on a bidded job at Anna Jaques Hospital.

Dear Congressman John Tierney,

Congressman John Tierney

I have two “paying attention” questions for you:

(1) Am I to believe that you weren’t paying attention when your wife Patrice managed a $10 million bank account of laundered gambling money for seven years from your home?

(2) Are you paying attention to the representatives of the IBEW who are still protesting daily in Market Square in Newburyport?

John, regarding the first question, you’ve been married nearly fifteen years.  You learned early on that Patrice’s family was in trouble with the law.

Don’t tell me that the indictment of her two brothers on 442 counts, including racketeering and money laundering, didn’t stir some concern.

Don’t tell me that her management for seven years of a $10 million account for them wasn’t worthy of additional concern.

You claim that you paid no attention to what your wife did.  How many husbands out there would have done the same thing?  Maybe for seven days but not seven years!

I say you were paying attention to what your wife was doing.  I also say that you chose, for political reasons, not to pay the type of attention almost every other husband would have paid to a wife of 14+ years.  You could have insisted she stop. Certainly as a lawyer, you knew the possible criminal implications of her activities.

My second paying-attention question for you relates to those protesters persisting in Market Square here in Newburyport.  They have a right to be there but what is their point, months later, beyond trying to disparage Anna Jaques Hospital endlessly for turning them down.

When I see those protesters, I know that they represent the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).  That union is very powerful and politically involved.  They are 9th nationally in campaign donations ($34,445,372.00) from 1989-2011.  97% of their donations have gone to Democrat candidates.  You know the last part, John, because they’ve been funding you generously since 1996.

Support for Anna Jaques Hospital is seen all over Newburyport.

The IBEW doesn’t have one supporter in Newburyport willing to step up and admit it.  Visual support for AJH is everywhere.  Many stores, lawns, and cars display evidence that the good guys are the hospital while indirectly revealing with the signs their dislike for the IBEW union.

A rally was held this summer in Newburyport to support AJH.  I’m told that you were invited but chose not to come.  How did you make that choice?

You receive significant financing from the IBEW, and might have been someone that union might listen to on our behalf.  Is their money keeping you from having an active role in opposition to their Newburyport activities?

There still are many potential voters who have not yet made the connection between you and the IBEW.  If they do, I guarantee that they will support AJH before you.  The two are incompatible to anyone paying attention.

I suspect that you are fully informed of what the IBEW has been doing in Newburyport.  I am sure that many residents have attempted to contact you to get you to do something.

These potential voters want you to step up against the IBEW in word and deed.  They want you to tell the union that you disapprove of their continued presence and are willing to accept the consequences because you represent us rather than the IBEW.

I doubt you’ll do this because I think that you’re paying more attention to the potential disaster it would be for you to stand up to the IBEW.  That union didn’t get their way with AJH and look at the nuisance they’ve become.  What would happen to you, and the heavy support they usually give you,  if you got on their wrong side?

My conclusion is that your attention span is politically-motivated.  It certainly should cost you votes in Newburyport if enough folks make the connection between your support from the IBEW and your refusal to speak/act against them in their feud with AJH.

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November 8, 2011 · 10:23 pm

Newburyport Survives Belmont Rally in Girls Soccer 1-0 to Reach D2 North Semis

NHS goalie Lilly Donovan chases ball to her right that would go off the goal post in the last minute of regulation.

Kerry Johnson (4) heads in the game winner as Liza Twomey gets tangled up with BHS goalie Nina Perrotta.

(Newburyport) A year ago the Belmont Marauders girls soccer team defeated the Newburyport Clippers, 1-0, in the Division 2 North quarter finals at Belmont.

This time around, with a change of locations, it was the Clippers besting the Marauders, 2-1, at Cherry Hill Field in Newburyport on sunny Tuesday afternoon.

The victory gets Newburyport to the D2 North semifinals with Gloucester on Thursday (7:30PM) at Woburn High School.

The Clippers (15-2-3) picked up their two goals in the first half and had to hold on for dear life in the second half as Belmont (10-7-2) came incredibly close to getting all the way back.

The constant pressure Newburyport attackers put on defenders paid off big-time in the last ten minutes of the first half as two direct kicks (by Hannah Martin) turned into goals.

Hannah Martin direct kick bounces over goalie for first Clipper goal.

Maryam Moshrefi drew the penalty that led to Hannah Martin’s direct-kick goal at 30:43.  BHS goalie Nina Perrotta had Clippers coming at her as Hannah’s kick took an astro-turf bounce into the net.

Later, Liza Twomey was taken down by Belmont’s Izzy Goldstein for another goal-resulting direct kick by Hannah Martin.  This time the BHS goalie got tangled up (What is goalie interference?) with Clipper Liza Twomey and a rebound was left that Kerry Johnson put home at 38:00.

That lead looked safe for the longest time in the second half.  Things seemed to change, however, when Maryam Moshrefi inadvertently kicked the BHS goalie in the head.  Belmont coach Paul Graham, who had been riding the far side official a good part of the game, was infuriated by the lack of a call.  His persistence earned him a yellow card at 25:51 of the forty minute second half.

Three minutes later it was the Marauders’ persistence in the offensive end that turned up something good for them – Aly Leahy got called for a hand ball in the box.

Izzy Goldstein (6) finds the right corner with her second half penalty kick.

Izzy Goldstein took the resulting penalty kick and beat NHS goalie Lilly Donovan with a shot just inside the right goalpost.
So with 11 ½ minutes left, Belmont only trailed, 2-1, and they pressed in with numbers every time they had the ball in the Newburyport end.

The, “Remember when,” sequence from this game was in the last minute of regulation as Belmont attacked from the right side.  I was too far away to name one of the Marauder players involved but I did see Emma Teach rip a direct kick toward the Newburyport goal. A rebound resulted close to the goal, and a second shot from in close went past Lilly Donovan off the far goal post and off to the left with twenty-four seconds left.  I saw the final BHS shooter afterwards with her hands on her head in amazement/disappointment that the shot hadn’t gone in.  But it hadn’t and time ran out for Belmont.

Carly Brand heads out a Marauder shot in the first half.

Carly Brand headed out a near-goal in the first half.

Belmont wore shirts with numbers on both sides and their names on the back of the shirt…..a photographer’s delight.  Then there was Pentucket, two days ago, with numbers only on the back.

Ideal weather conditions for November 8th……..temps in the 60’s with hardly a breeze.

(I take my own pictures and write my own commentary.  I own any mistake.)  All the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.

Emma Teach (22) & Aly Leahy (1)

scramble in the Newburyport end in the first half

Izzy Goldstein eyes ball in the air near Clipper goal in the second half

loose ball in the Belmont end in the second half

Maryam Moshrefi inadvertantly kicks the Belmont goalie.

BHS coach Paul Graham gets yellow card.

Charlotte Alexander

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