Category Archives: Triton

February 3, 2017 · 11:41 pm

Second half eruption sends Newburyport past Triton 83-68

Triton’s Jack McCarthy shoots a free throw facing the active Newburyport student section

Brendan Powers (guarded by Liam Spillane) had an 18-point third quarter

(Newburyport MA) You knew going in that something had to give. It would either be Triton’s perfect road record (6-0) or Newburyport’s lengthy win streak (eleven).

Turned out it was Triton’s road record that took a hit as Newburyport erupted in the second half to down the Vikings, 83-68, on Friday night before a full house.

The Newburyport (12-2) winning streak now reaches twelve. They have not lost a game in 2017.

Who saw the amazing Clippers second half coming? Not anyone crowded into the NHS gym in the first half. Newburyport averages 65 points per game and they had twenty-six in the first half. A little more offense and the Clippers would reach their game scoring average in the second half.

But what we saw was a point-adding barrage by Newburyport. Twenty-nine in the 3^rd. Twenty-eight in the 4^th. That’s NBA level!

Will Parsons in the lane with Casey McLaren

It is fair to say that in a normal high school game a team could well have one big quarter. Two quarters like that…..not so likely.

For those who haven’t seen Newburyport, and this was my first look, they can score in a hurry. Looking for some long-range offense? The Clippers made thirteen 3’s. Want some layups? The Clippers spread the floor and penetrated off the dribble often.

The most noticeable thing about Newburyport, in my opinion, was their ability to break after baskets and long rebounds. They caught Triton (10-5) frequently this way.

At the money end of many of the breakouts was Brendan Powers (22 points). You talk about going wild in a quarter: Brendan had eighteen points in just the third quarter.

Triton did not go quietly in this one. Will Parsons (27 points) and Jack McCarthy (20 points) wouldn’t let it happen.

Jack McCarthy drives baseline

The Vikings were still standing after the Clippers 29-point 3^rd quarter because they had nineteen points of their own.

In fact, three minutes into the final quarter, the visitors only trailed by four (60-56) after a Will Parsons triple.

The Clippers had put ten unanswered together in the 3^rd quarter. With a four-point lead in the final quarter they created a second run of the same size. There was no recovery for the Vikings this time.

The decisive run of ten points included an arc-three by Casey McLaren (14 points), an old-fashioned three by Nick Rogers (17 points), and layups by Cam MacRae (12 points) and Robbie Shay (16 points). That run took just under two minutes to put together.

Now down, 70-56, Triton did not have the time or energy to cut into the lead the rest of the way.

Terrific crowd. Plenty of support for both teams. I am a fan of chanting as long as it doesn’t get personal. The Triton side was quick to reference football while those on the NHS end referenced the scoreboard. Good clean fun, I thought.

Nick Rogers and Chris Trotta

The moment in this game that made me laugh was in the final two minutes and Newburyport in command with a 75-64 spread. There had been a timeout and I’m sure that NHS coach Tom L’Italien stressed taking time off the clock. Ten seconds into the next possession Nick Rogers, who had made a three just thirty seconds earlier, could not resist launching a three from in front of the NHS bench. On this night, Nick hit that shot (his 4^th three of the game) and that left Coach L’Italien with his hands on his head wondering why the shot was even taken.

The Clippers lost to Lynnfield, 67-48, at LHS in December. The rematch will be in two weeks. The Pioneers are undefeated in the Cape Ann League.

Both Triton and Newburyport are in Division 3 and have qualified for the post-season tournament.

Colin Brennan (11 points) and Liam Spillane (10 points) reached double figures for Triton.

Newburyport box

Triton box

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

End of game

Nick Rogers

Robbie Shay blocks Liam Spillane

Cam MacRae

Brendan Powers gets two of his eighteen third quarter points

Colin Brennan

George Coryell defends Dylan Shute

Colin Brennan looks to get away from Robbie Shay

Jack McCarthy (21) tries to get a shot off against Casey McLaren

George Coryell

Will Parsons launches a three

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Filed under Newburyport, Triton

Tagged as Brendan Powers, Cam MacRae, Casey McLaren, Colin Brennan, Jack McCarthy, Liam Spillane, Nick Rogers, Will Parsons

January 27, 2017 · 11:46 pm

Lynnfield runs streak to eight with 52-46 win over Triton

Billy Arseneault (22 points) guarded by Dylan Shute

Liam Spillane’s collects a rebound

(Byfield MA) Lynnfield defeated Triton, 52-46, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

The Pioneers (11-1) have now won eight straight. Their lone loss was in December to non-league Melrose.

The Vikings (8-4) started slow and ended even slower. In between? Wow! They dropped five 3’s (three by Colin Brennan and two by Will Parsons) on the visitors in third period and turned a 32-24 halftime deficit into a 42-41 lead at the end of the 3^rd.

Triton was still close enough to taste it after Jack McCarthy put in a runner in the lane with 3 ½ minutes left in the game. The Vikings, at that juncture, were then only down by one, 45-44.

The rest of the way belonged to Lynnfield. Led by Billy Arseneault (22 points) the Pioneers tallied the next seven points to gain outcome-deciding separation.

Junior Billy Arseneault had a hand in all seven crucial points. He started with a triple, followed with a drive down the left side of the lane, and then missed a free throw. On this night, even the missed free throw turned out good for LHS as Lou Ellis snared the rebound and put in the rebound.

Triton ended up with a 4-point final quarter and I’m guessing you don’t win very often doing that.

Lou Ellis defends Colin Brennan

A factor in the Triton drought was the move by Pioneers’ coach Scott McKenzie to put Lou Ellis on Colin Brennan (16 points) in the final quarter. Lou is taller than Colin and he made the clean looks vanish for the Triton junior.

Both teams had players willing to take the ball to the basket.

One concern for Triton going into this game was if they could rebound against Lynnfield. It turns out that they could. What they couldn’t do was make shots in the last quarter.

Key player in the game? Easily Billy Arseneault: Clever off the dribble and able to make 3’s, jump shots, and layups. In the last minute, he had a steal and there were assists earlier. Other than that…………..

Jack McCarthy (12 points) and Will Parsons (10 points) struggled to finish around the basket. Along with Liam Spillane, the Vikings had chances in close but they weren’t falling on this night.

Lou Ellis ended up with seventeen points getting thirteen of them in the first half. His late-game defense was significant.

Mike Carangelo (11 points) also reached double figures for the Pioneers.

Both teams played man-to-man for the most part with an occasional zone defense tossed in.

Lynnfield box

Triton box

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

Liam Spillane

Lou Ellis takes a three from the corner

Triton cheerleaders

Bryant Dana

Mike Carangelo

Jack McCarthy with the ball

Colin Brennan

Will Parsons among Pioneers

Liam Spillane on the ball

Chris Trotta got the worst of a collision

Billy Arseneault covers Gabe Butts

Colin Brennan (16 points) to the hoop

Lou Ellis (17 points)

Billy Arseneault steals from Jack McCarthy.

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Filed under Lynnfield, Triton

Tagged as Billy Arseneault, Colin Brennan, Lou Ellis, Will Parsons

January 23, 2017 · 11:22 pm

Manchester-Essex gets 39-34 road win over Triton

Kaitlyn O’Connell (#23) makes a key left-handed layup over a Triton defender.

Kaitlyn O’Connell (led all scorers with eleven points)

(Byfield MA) Freshman Kaitlyn O’Connell sparked a fourth quarter rally that gave the Manchester-Essex Hornets a 39-34 win over the Triton Vikings on Monday night in Cape Ann League action.

Both teams entered the game with eight W’s. Tonight’s ninth for the Hornets moves them one game closer to the ten wins needed to qualify for the MIAA tournament.

This was a poor-shooting affair with few fast-breaks. The half-court defenses for both teams were excellent forcing low-percentage shots and limiting second-change opportunities.

Kaitlyn’s heroics came in the second half as she canned all eleven of her points. Her last-minute three in the third quarter moved her team to within three (27-24).

Early in the fourth quarter ME sophomore Grace Brennan struck from beyond the arc and added two free throws to give the Hornets the lead for good, 29-28, with 6:22 remaining.

Then Kaitlyn put her own six-point package together and this run gave the visitors the separation needed to win this one.

Kaitlyn’s three baskets in crunch time gave a glimpse of the kind of player she could become at ME. The first one was a floater in the lane. (The floater is the great equalizer for a point guard shooting over shot blockers.) In the second one, Kaitlyn stole the ball from Tessa Lafrance and turned it into a layup. In the final basket, the freshman got down the lane and successfully used her left hand to keep her layup attempt from being blocked.

Kaitlyn’s 6-point run gave the Hornets a 35-30 lead with 1:10 to go.

Alex Kennedy tries to find a way to get a shot off against Sarah Robinson.

In the last minute, Triton (8-5) had free throws by Alex Kennedy and a cashed jump shot from Izzy Cambece but those scores were offset by four ME free throws (Mel Carter and Sarah Robinson).

Another key to the Hornets’ win? High-scoring Tessa Lafrance was held to only four points. Credit Mel Carter with a little help from Bridgett Kiernan and Emily Jacobson for denying Tessa many clean looks.

Triton’s best moments were when they put nine unanswered points together to turn a 14-10 deficit in the first half into a 19-14 lead in the first minute of the second half.

In that mix of points was an old-fashioned three by Alex Kennedy (feed from Tessa Lafrance) and a Tessa fast-break layup after a ME turnover.

The Vikings had the lead to six (27-21) late in the third period before Kaitlyn O’Connell influenced the outcome in favor of ME in the final going.

The Vikings have only played at home five times in thirteen games. On Friday night they will host winless Lynnfield.

Manchester-Essex (9-3) have won all five games at home including victories over Pentucket and North Reading.

My previous looks at both teams had two things in common: the teams lost (ME to Newburyport, and Triton to Amesbury) and both had one very bad quarter.

The Hornets visit 12-1 Amesbury on Friday night.

In Triton’s last win (40-38 over Ipswich), it was Erin Savage making two free throws in the last minute that got the job done.

Classy move by ME’s Sarah Robinson

Classy move by ME’s Sarah Robinson. After Erin Savage made an all-out attempt to make a steal in the last minute of the game (and was called for a foul), Sarah talked to Erin and patted her on the back.

I was impressed with the gritty style of Bridget Sheehan and Alex Kennedy. Both play serious defense and are willing to take the ball to the basket.

Prettiest play of the game? Triton fast break in which Tessa Lafrance found Alex Kennedy breaking in from the left for a layup.

Manchester-Essex box

Triton box

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

Izzy Cambrece and Kaitlyn O’Connell

Bridget Sheehan locates the ball

Bella Pomeroy defends a Tessa Lafrance layup attempt

Bridget Sheehan gets her shot blocked by Mel Carter (#12) and Sarah Robinson (#24).

Mel Carter plays denial defense on Tessa Lafrance

Mel Primpas sets up teammate Bridgett Sheehan for a layup with a nice pass

Mel Primpas sets up teammate Bridget Sheehan for a layup with a nice pass

Alex Kennedy guarded by Kaitlyn O’Connell

Kaitlyn O’Connell hits a third-quarter three

Bridgett Sheehan covered by Grace Brennan

Bridget Sheehan covered by Grace Brennan

Bella Pomeroy shoots in the lane

Erin Savage gets a rebound

Bella Pomeroy looks for a pass

Sarah Robinson

ME coach Lauren Dubois and Bridgett Kiernan

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Filed under Manchester-Essex, Triton

Tagged as Grace Brennan, Kaitlyn O'Connell, Tessa LaFrance

January 16, 2017 · 11:27 pm

Third quarter surge key in undefeated Amesbury’s 44-30 win over Triton

Flannery O’Connor (#12) had ten points for Amesbury in the third period.

Tessa Lafrance (15 points) was shadowed by Maddie Napoli

(Byfield MA) Amesbury (11-0) remains unbeaten after defeating Triton, 44-30, on Monday night in Cape Ann League action.

This game was anything but pretty as the two teams combined for forty-three turnovers and nineteen missed free throws.

How did Amesbury win? The Indians had a 19-3 third quarter. Flannery O’Connor (16 points) had ten points and two assists in the breakaway frame. The Vikings (6-4), meanwhile, had seven turnovers in that same quarter and didn’t score at all in the final four minutes.

The run of good offense/defense by Amesbury brightened a dismal 18-18 first half for both teams.

Triton “won” the other three quarters but certainly not the crucial third quarter and that cost the home team.

Another factor in the Indians’ victory was the denial defense Maddie Napoli played on Tessa Lafrance. Tessa did get fifteen points but eight of them were in the final quarter.

Outside accuracy was almost non-existent for both teams. Amesbury found layups off turnovers and rebound breakouts.

It turned out that Amesbury had an excellent 2-2-1 pressing defense but because of their infrequent baskets we didn’t see much of it in the first half.

Sophomore Flannery O’Connor

Late in the third period, however, was a different story, as AHS turned pressure into points. The Indians closed the 3^rd quarter with ten straight points. Flannery had eight of those points; two of them off Triton turnovers, one on a full-court layup, and a 4^th on a feed from Ali Napoli.

Given the opportunity in the first half to function without facing full-court pressure, Triton was much more comfortable. They passed the ball and they saw to it that Erin Savage was in a position to make plays.

Defensively in the first half, the Vikings forced long shots and really swallowed up Amesbury penetrations.

At halftime, you didn’t know how the second half might go. The Indians, however, did play most of the first half without foul-plagued Flannery. The sophomore certainly made a difference in the third quarter. She can rebound, pass, and score inside.

One scary moment in this game was when Maddie Napoli dove into the stands to save a ball. Maddie collided with a man holding a baby as she saved the ball to her sister Ali. Ali made a layup while Maddie made sure that things were okay in the stands…….and they were.

Amesbury came into this game averaging sixty-four points per outing.

Amesbury matched last season’s win total with their eleventh win.

The Vikings had won four straight before losing their last two.

The undefeated Indians have yet to face Pentucket, Newburyport, and Manchester-Essex. All of those teams have winning records.

Tessa Lafrance puts in a rebound

Amesbury’s next game is Tuesday hosting non-league Stoneham.

Triton visits Essex Tech on Wednesday.

Julia LaMontagne had five baskets and four of them were off feeds from Flannery O’Connor.

Triton box from the game

Amesbury box from the game

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

Ali Napoli scores while her sister Maddie checks on spectators.

Ali Napoli scores while her sister Maddie (in the background) checks on spectators.

loose ball

Maddie Napoli gets to the basket

Chelsea Lynch shoots over Mel Primpas

Maddie Napoli in heavy Triton traffic

Kate Carter

Tessa Lafrance on a break with Abbie Sartori chasing

Abbie Sartori tries to stop Erin Savage

Bridget Sheehan looks for an opening

Chelsea Lynch surrounded by a trio of Vikings

Abbie Sartori and Erin Savage

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Filed under Amesbury, Triton

Tagged as Erin Savage, Flannery O'Connor, Julia LaMontagne, Maddie Napoli, Tessa LaFrance

January 4, 2017 · 9:31 pm

Triton hangs on for 53-50 win over Pentucket

Liam Spillane breaks in after a steal.

Spencer Pacy (15 points) and Will Parsons (14 points)

(West Newbury MA) We all watched the last shot to see if this game would go into overtime.

When Conor O’Neil’s 3-point attempt bounced away after hitting the rim Triton had a 53-50 win over Pentucket on Wednesday afternoon/evening.

This was a close Cape Ann League game with eight lead changes in the first half and three ties in the final quarter.

The Vikings (4-2) rode Colin Brennan’s two last-minute 3’s in the third quarter to take its biggest lead of the day (41-33).

Nate McGrail (10 points) sails in for two

Pentucket (2-4) did not go away. They started the final period with eight unanswered points on 3’s by Steven Johanson and Conor O’Neil plus a Nate McGrail layin. Suddenly the game was tied (41-41) with just under six minutes left. There for either team to win.

The Sachems were only down one (49-48) with 2:26 to go after sophomore Spencer Pacy’s layup.

The next two scores were by Triton and they were crucial to the outcome. John McCarthy’s jump shot put the Vikings up by three (51-48). Then came the killer score as Triton ran down the clock and Will Parsons made an off-balanced leaner in the lane as the shot-clock sounded.

A five-point lead with 1:13 left should be safe but not when you miss all four free throws in the last minute.

Fortunately for the winners from Byfield, Pentucket was no better at the line. After Nate McGrail converted an offensive rebound the Sachems missed two free throws including the front end of a one-and-one.

However, because Triton also missed free throws Pentucket ended up with a shot to tie. Conor O’Neil had two defenders (Liam Spillane and Chris Trotta) to shoot over but there was a window for the game-extender from the top of the key.

Colin Brennan (four 3’s)

Will Parsons and Colin Brennan each had fourteen points for the winners. Colin connected four times from long range.

Spencer Pacy (14), Nate McGrail (10), and Gus Flaherty (10) reached double figures for Pentucket.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday night but the power went out at the Pentucket gym just before the game actually started.

Triton’s Liam Spillane had an impressive first half with points, assists, and steals.

Pentucket’s Spencer Pacy had the knack of getting to the basket and finishing.

Going into this one Pentucket had won five of the six previous games against Triton.

One of Pentucket’s top three scorers from last season (Jimmy Cleary) was inactive due to an ankle injury. The Sachems could have used his outside shooting versus Triton. Jimmy should be back playing next week.

Triton was 9-11 last season while Pentucket was 9-10.

Triton box from the game.

Pentucket box from the game.

Triton hosts Georgetown on Friday night while Pentucket hosts Manchester-Essex.

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

Liam Spillane finishes

Pass blocked

John McCarthy in the lane

Gabe Butts

Spencer Pacy defended by John McCarthy

Sophomore Gus Flaherty chased by Cameron Willey

Will Parsons

Zander Willis gets two

Conor O’Neil

Conor O’Neil triple-teamed

Gus Flaherty (10 points) drives on Dylan Shute

Colin Ganzenmuller battles for a rebound

Nate McGrail covers Will Parsons

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Colin Brennan, Conor O'Neil, Gus Flaherty, Liam Spillane, Spencer Pacy, Will Parsons

October 22, 2016 · 9:42 pm

Masco runs streak to four with 15-14 win over Triton

Josh Anderson (47) brings down Lewi L’Heureux to finish the game

Time left on the clock when the game resumed

(Byfield MA) Josh Anderson of Masco stopped one Triton drive with a fumble recovery and ended the game by tracking down elusive Vikings’ QB Lewi L’Heureux.

Josh’s heroics on Saturday night were part of the resumed ten minutes of the Cape Ann League matchup. The night before thunder/lightning put an immediate halt to the game with over ten minutes still left.

Triton (5-2) started the resumed play with the wind in its face and a 4^th down on their own ten yard-line. A gutsy pass play worked between Lewi L’Heureux and Tom Lapham to extend the possession for the Vikings.

In that extended possession, however, Lewi L’Heureux fumbled the exchange and senior Josh Anderson made the recovery.

Tim Beliveau (23) followed excellent blocking for two first downs late in the game.

Masconomet (5-2) followed with several clock-killing first downs aided by a nice scramble by QB Declan Judge and some well-blocked runs by Tim Beliveau.

Triton did get the ball back on downs in the last minute but the combo of wind and Masco’s prevent defense would not allow the home team to get out of the own end.

The game concluded with Lewi L’Heureux scrambling left and then right before Josh Anderson caught up to him and ended the contest.

I was impressed by the number of folks who came out on a cold/windy night to watch ten minutes of football. The final ten minutes lasted only twenty minutes.

Will Hanson (28) chases Tom Lapham out of bounds

The Chieftains have now won four straight.

Hard to figure: Masco loses to Newburyport and defeats North Reading while Triton defeats Newburyport and loses to North Reading.

Masconomet was 4-7 in 2015.

Last season Triton topped Masco by a point.

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

Triton QB Lewi L’Heureux runs for his life on the last play of the game.

The celebrating begins for Masconomet

Tom Lapham gets a first down in front of Masco’s Danny Monagle

Ball on the ground with Josh Anderson (47) set to recover

Ball on the way to Danny Monagle (10) with Lewi L’Heureux defending

Declan Judge (11) breaks away from John Falasca (75)

Tim Beliveau (23) heads up the middle

Lewi L’Heureux (19) gets great protection from Kenny Shute (59), John Falasca (72), and Jack McCarthy (58).

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Filed under Masconomet, Triton

Tagged as Declan Judge, Josh Anderson, Lewi L'Heureux, Tim Beliveau

October 8, 2016 · 4:12 pm

Triton stays undefeated with 38-21 win over Newburyport

Bryan Hughes (21) tries to trap Clipper QB Rob Shay in the end zone

Triton QB Lewi L’Heureux turns defender after giving up an interception to Brian Toolan.

(Newburyport MA) I took in my first football game at Newburyport’s refurbished stadium on a pleasant Friday night of Cape Ann League action.

Wow! That place is terrific. Turf is wonderful.

Great crowd saw plenty of back-and-forth action.

In the second half, Triton (5-0) shifted into a level of offense that the Clippers (2-3) couldn’t cope with.

I found the lighting to be very good for action shots. Guessing where the action is going to happen is a significant part of shooting sports. Sometimes you get it right. Other times you don’t.

Disclaimer: All of the pictures in this entry are from the first half.

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

Clippers onto the field.

Jack McCarthy (58) has Newburyport QB Rob Shay by the ankle.

Ball in the air after one of several high snaps.

Tom Lapham (2) loose around the right end.

Myles Maloof (9) chases his own fumble.

Jack McCarthy (58) and John Falasca (75) sack Rob Shay.

Lewi L’Heureux surrounded by Clippers

Penalty flag (holding) flies during Lewi L’Heureux run

Rob Shay and Ronnie Mwai chase a high snap.

Brendan Powers (81)

Joel Skaff kicks an extra point after Newburyport’s first touchdown

Chris Goullaud (5) jars the ball loose from Gunnar Gustafson (13)

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Filed under Newburyport, Triton

Tagged as Brendan Powers, Bryan Hughes, Jack McCarthy, Lewi L'Heureux, Rob Shay, Tom Lapham

October 6, 2016 · 10:48 pm

Emma Richardson 2nd half goal gives Amesbury 2-1 win over Triton

Alex Kennedy (14) kicks in traffic

(Byfield MA) Amesbury ended a two week, win drought with a 2-1 Cape Ann League victory against Triton on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

The Indians (4-2-4) used a second-half score (see above) by senior Emma Richardson to get the job done.

Triton (2-6-1) played well enough to win but, thanks to a solid Indians defense, were limited to long shots for most of the afternoon.

Junior Meredith Kennedy drilled home one of those long shots for the Vikings that led to a 1-1 halftime tie.

Chelsea Lynch set to score first AHS goal

Amesbury arrived late (to Triton) but started fast. Sophomore Chelsea Lynch broke in very early with pregame space and time to dribble closer, look up, fire, and score. At that point I suspected that Triton might be in for a long afternoon. But it wasn’t that way at all.

The Vikings defense tightened up considerably and Amesbury chances were few. On the other hand, Triton made runs down the sidelines on several occasions.

Junior Meredith Kennedy made one of those runs down the left sideline midway through the first half. Meredith’s left-footed shot sailed over Amesbury goalie Alli Napoli to tie things.

Second half? Amesbury had chances. Triton had chances.

The Indians got in real close a number of times but senior Triton GK Dayna Rybicki had answers.

Mikayla Porcaro

The Vikings had shots on net and several corner kicks but AHS senior defenders Julia LaMontagne and Mikayla Porcaro helped keep things long range.

Emma Richardson registered the game-winner midway through the second half. The senior took a feed from teammate Emma DiPietro and raced down the right sideline. As Emma cut toward the net she lifted a shot over Dayna Rybicki.

That goal held up.

Impressed with Meredith & Alex Kennedy. Both are returning CAL All-Stars. Defender Apphia Donoghue was very good handling AHS pressure.

Another returning CAL All-Star, Ashley Pettet, did a nice job passing and defending for Amesbury in the midfield area.

Senior Mikayla Porcaro was the ideal defender in front of AHS freshman goalie Alli Napoli. Tall and experienced (Bishop Fenwick), Mikayla cleared numerous Triton attempts before they reached the AHS net minder.

Dayna Rybicki saves for Triton

Next for Amesbury is a game tomorrow (Friday) at home against seriously depleted Pentucket.

Triton will be at Ipswich on the same afternoon.

AHS has now scored ten goals in ten games while giving up seven goals.

Triton has tallied seven goals in nine games while giving up twenty-eight goals. I have no doubt that the Vikings defense I saw this afternoon is a whole lot better than it was earlier in the season!

Instead of punting the ball out, Alli Napoli often passed the ball toward the sidelines. That strategy led to several quick Triton counter-attacks.

Sara Stackpole was on the sidelines for Triton.

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

Emma Richardson (25) and Madison McGrath (4) challenge Triton keeper Dayna Rybicki

Vikings celebrate Meredith Kennedy’s goal

Chelsea Lynch (12) and Apphia Donoghue (4)

Ashley Pettet (8) and Skyla Lewis (13)

Elizabeth Lindholm (24), Ashley Pettet (8), and Michaela Halloran (9)

Meredith Kennedy (14) and Michaela Halloran (9)

Alex Kennedy

Julia LaMontagne

Action in front of the Triton net

Josie Smith

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Filed under Amesbury, Triton

Tagged as Alex Kennedy, Alli Napoli, Apphia Donoghue, Ashley Pettet, Chelsea Lynch, Dayna Rybicki, Emma Richardson, Meredith Kennedy, Mikayla Porcaro

May 21, 2016 · 11:46 pm

SC 2016 Cape Ann League Outdoor Championship Track Meet

Meet MVP Alec Reduker

Meet MVP Carolyn Modlish

(Boxford MA) The team winners at the 2016 Cape Ann League outdoor championship track meet were the Amesbury boys and the North Reading girls on a cloudy Saturday afternoon at Masconomet.

Amesbury held off second-place North Reading 113 to 100 while the NR girls had a 125.75 to 91 advantage over runner-up Hamilton-Wenham.

Newburyport’s Alec Reduker and Pentucket’s Carolyn Modlish were selected by the CAL coaches as the top performers at the meet.

I was at Masco for the afternoon part of the event.

OFFICIAL STATS FROM THE MEET

Girls’ team stats

Boys’ team stats

(All of the pictures in this blog entry will ENLARGE considerably if you click on them.)

Alex Reduker

Alec Reduker (Newburyport), Brandon Amello (Triton) – 110 meter hurdles

Daniela Garcia (Hamilton-Wenham), Brooke Taylor (Amesbury), Caroline Schissel (Amesbury) – 100 meters

Keith Merchant (Amesbury), Ian Riaf (Hamilton-Wenham), Jackson Hastings (North Reading) – 100 meters

lunge for the finish

Sam Coppola (Pentucket), Jack Carleo (Newburyport) – 800 meters

Carolyn Modlish (Pentucket), Julia Koenig (Hamilton-Wenham) – 400 meters

Daniel Allara (Hamilton-Wenham), Fred Halloran (Amesbury) – 400 meters

Geena Gangi (Masco), Carolina Ivanov (Ipswich), Brooke Taylor (Amesbury) – 200 meters

Relay start

Keith Merchant and Nick Copelas

Jack Carleo and Joe Molvar exchange the baton for Newburyport

Katryn Dwyer (Pentucket), Daniela Garcia (Hamilton-Wenham), Jenna Raffael (North Reading) – 4X100 relay

Tight relay finish

Passing the baton

Amanda Recupero ((pswich), Sarah Maggiacomo (Triton) - 4X400 relay

Amanda Recupero (Ipswich), Sarah Maggiacomo (Triton) – 4X400 relay

Ipswich baton exchange

Keith Merchant

Sam Coppola (Pentucket), Fred Halloran (Amesbury), Tom Helms (North Reading) in 4X100 relay

Maddie Quigley and Morgan Snow

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham, Ipswich, North Reading, Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Alec Reduker, Brooke Taylor, Daniel Allara, Daniela Garcia, Geena Gangi, Keith Merchant, Sam Coppola

May 9, 2016 · 9:59 pm

Newburyport loses to Triton 13-11 despite eighteen hits

Senior Julia Hartman had three hits, scored three runs, and homered in Triton’s win over Newburyport

Freshman Bridget Sheehan started a crucial double play for Triton in the 7th inning

(Byfield MA) This game could have used instant replay, a scoreboard, and a calculator!

Triton managed to defeat Newburyport, 13-11, in a wild Cape Ann League softball game on Monday afternoon at Triton.

The Clippers (6-7) trailed 12-3 after four innings but exploded for an eight-run fifth to make things very interesting.

Because of all the activity in that wild Newburyport fifth I lost track of the score and didn’t realize until later that the Clippers were just a run back after that half inning.

Senior Julia Hartman’s solo homer in the bottom of the fifth gave the Vikings (7-3) a two-run cushion (13-11) that barely held up.

Newburyport had the bases loaded in the seventh inning after consecutive singles (Caitlin Clarke, Olivia Salvatore, Emily Dobson). Key play of the game? Next batter (Skyla Harrington) hit a hard liner that Triton shortstop Bridget Sheehan speared to her right. NHS pinchrunner Megan Rogers took off from third on contact and Bridget doubled her off. Triton pitcher Grace McGonagle was then able to end the game with a caught looking on Colleen Twomey.

Emily Dobson had a homer and a double in the Newburyport 5th

That Triton “limited” Newburyport to only eleven runs was truly remarkable. The Clippers had eighteen hits and stranded thirteen baserunners in a seven inning game! The Clippers left the bases loaded in the 7^th and two on in the 2^nd, 4^th, and 5^th. Twice innings were ended on the base paths: baserunner interference (Emily Dobson) and caught stealing (Stephanie Gleason). I am not sure that I have ever seen a game in which there were more wasted opportunities.

The visitors led 3-1 going into the Triton second. There the Vikings dropped seven runs on the Clippers. The Vikings had only two hits in the inning but a bad mix of walks, wild pitches, and errors helped Triton. Key hits by Zoe Cesati and Julia Hartman drove in runs. Stephanie Gleason came on to relieve NHS starter Paige Gouldthorpe and pitched the rest of the game.

Bridget Sheehan tags out Stephanie Gleason to end the Newburyport 6th inning

The Triton lead expanded to 12-3 with three runs in the 4^th inning. RBIs in that inning were collected by Emma McGonagle, Julia Hartman, and Chelsea Gordon.

Thoughts of the Mercy Rule danced in my head after Triton led 12-3 but the Clippers in the fifth inning were anything but done. They whacked Grace McGonagle for nine hits including a homer (Stephanie Gleason) and double and a homer for Emily Dobson.

And anyone at this game will tell you that there was a play during that inning that was hard to figure out. Bases loaded for Newburyport. A full-swing squibber rolls just beyond home plate. The batter drops the bat as she runs to first and the bat lands on top of the ball. The call? Batter is out and the runner who was on third is also out. Nifty double play. Despite that call Newburyport sent thirteen batters to the plate and tallied eight runs to close to a run.

Zoe Cesati had three hits for Triton

Everyone in the Newburyport batting order had at least one hit and scored at least one run. Junior Emily Dobson topped the Clippers with four hits. Stephanie Gleason and Olivia Salvatore had three apiece.

Julia Hartman and Zoe Cesati paced Triton with three hits each. Julia’s homer in the 6^th inning was a key piece in the Triton victory.

This was the rematch of an 11-4 Triton win in Newburyport in April.

Plenty of sports activity at Triton on this afternoon. Besides two softball games there were two baseball games, a tennis match and lacrosse practice happening.

Good to see work being done on Triton’s new football stadium. Supposed to be ready in the fall.

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