McClelland Miscellanea

May 9, 2021 · 11:10 am

Brandon Caston gets first win

Brandon Caston wins first Bandits feature

(Oxford ME) Two weeks ago, Brandon Caston took the lead early in the Bandits feature…..and lost it at the end.

Not this time.

It was Brandon’s first win at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Brandon Caston across the finish line with Jeff Libby second

“I’ve been chasing this for four years,” said Brandon afterwards. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Jeff Libby was the guy in Brandon’s rearview mirror as he navigated lap-after-lap of the 20-lap feature in front.

Two weeks ago, it was last year’s points winner, Alex Mowatt behind him.

“It was the first race of this season,” recalled Brandon. “I was out there getting used to the car. I had the lead and then I saw Alex coming. I had watched him for two years and I knew he was quick. I was like, ‘Oh, no. Here we go.’ I overdrove the car and lost the lead. I was, however, happy to get my first trophy.”

This time around Brandon kept the challenger (Jeff Libby) in his rearview mirror in the closing laps and secured his first top spot.

Alex Mowatt finished third after winning the first two weeks.

“It’s good to get on the podium with Jeff and Alex,” said Brandon. “They’re really good people.”

Brandon Caston (middle) makes his move on the leaders

One of the appealing trademarks for spectators of Bandits features is that the more successful a driver has been, the further back he is placed to start in future races. (I’m not sure the drivers are thrilled with this!)

“I was pretty nervous going into the feature,” said Jeff Libby, “because I was starting in the middle of the pack. There were guys up front with less experience.”

Accurate split decisions become essential for the previously successful drivers if they are to finish at, or near, the front as they have done before.

“I knew going into the race that I had to get to the outside,” said Brandon. “The car was really fast out there. To get there early I ended up pushing Caleb (Proctor) out three wide. I didn’t mean to do that. I thought there was room.”

Brandon Caston (14) gets the lead with Jeff Libby (44) following

But Brandon did get outside and quickly was by early leader Josh Lovell and on his way to the front for the rest of the race.

Brandon’s move helped Jeff Libby.

“Our buddy Brandon poked a big hole for us, and we followed him through it,” said Jeff. “It worked out for the best for us tonight.”

Jeff and Brandon both won their heats.

Jeff was able to hold off Alex Mowatt in his heat.

“Alex is very fast,” said Jeff. “We did everything we could to keep him behind us.”

Brandon Caston: “Three years ago I started racing using Caleb’s old O4. It didn’t go too well and so I took a couple of years off. Last year, I did a little bit and finished 4^th in my first race back (July 18^th). I decided to buy another car this year and go for the points and see how it would do.”

Jeff Libby: “The car is going very good (4^th and two 2nds). We’re running a different tire this year and that seems to be helping quite a bit.”

Overcast weather looking as if it might rain but it didn’t.

Lengthy time in post-race tech for the Bandits drivers after new regulations kicked in.

Good to finally be at OPS in person although the videos of the races from the previous two weeks have been very helpful is seeing how things are going at OPS.

The Bandits feature today was restart free. Maybe the “inexperienced” drivers are getting better at navigating the early laps? Last season that first corner was close to a fender-bender certainty!

Josh Lovell (42) and Nick Wilson (53) collide

It took Jeff Libby nine weeks last season to get his first-ever top finish. Hasn’t had one after three weeks this season. About due?

Expecting something special from Alex Mowatt in Week Four.

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

Early going in first heat – Jeff Libby leading Caleb Proctore and Alex/Luke Mowatt

Start of the second heat with Josh Lovell in front

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Filed under Oxford Plains Speedway

Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Brandon Caston, Caleb Proctor

May 7, 2021 · 10:27 pm

Triton gets twenty-five hits defeating Pentucket 27-12

Haleigh Harris had one of Triton’s three home runs

(Groveland MA) “Triton is a crazy hitting team,” said Pentucket coach Deb Smith afterwards.

No chance of an argument on that one from anyone at Groveland Pines this afternoon.

Triton put on a hitting show defeating Pentucket, 27-12, in a game called after five innings.

“We can hit,” said Triton coach Alan Noyes, “and when our pitching develops, we’re going to be pretty good.”

Triton coach Alan Noyes and Emily Johnson

The Vikings (1-1) climbed off the bus hitting today jumping into a seven-run lead in the first inning.

Credit Pentucket. They put a six-run inning together in the second inning and the game was tied, 7-7, after two innings.

“Pentucket girls don’t quit,” added Coach Noyes. “A lot of these kids play together on club teams.”

“I liked the way we came back after falling behind early,” said Coach Smith.

The good news for the Sachems (0-2) was the early comeback. The bad news was that the Vikings weren’t done scoring.

The visitors from Byfield sent fourteen batters to the plate in the third inning adding nine runs. In the fifth inning it was sixteen batters and ten more runs.

“Triton hit the ball so hard and so well and they were very disciplined waiting for their pitch,” said Coach Smith. “It was hard to defend.”

Haleigh Harris, Natalie Indingaro, and Mallory Johnson had over-the-fence home runs for Triton.

Sophomore Grace Romine took the win going four innings in relief of starter Mallory Johnson. Grace also scored three runs, had four hits, and drove five runs in.

Freshman Mallory Johnson collected three hits (including the HR), scored two runs, and added six RBI.

Sophomore Natalie Indingaro contributed four hits (including the HR), scored two runs, and drove in six.

Everyone in the Triton starting lineup had at least one hit.

Pentucket did end up getting twelve runs which would be enough to be competitive with many Cape Ann League teams.

Sophomore Ella Agocs and junior Bailey Stock each had three hits for the Sachems.

“There’s nothing we can do but get better,” said Coach Smith. “I’m not worried. We’ll learn from today and hopefully get some wins next week.”

Coach Noyes: “Seven of our starters are either freshman or sophomores. Twelve of the thirteen kids on our roster had never dressed for a varsity game.”

Coach Smith: “We have almost all new players with only one returning starter.”

Senior Charlotte Latham and junior Meg Hamel did the pitching for Pentucket.

It may be early, but Triton’s freshman shortstop Kyla Story looks to have the range and arm of her predecessor CAL All-Star Bridget Sheehan. Kyla had three hits and scored three runs.

I haven’t done a Pentucket softball game for a while. Last time for me may have been when Julie Freitas (assistant coach) pitched the Sachems past Newburyport. Julie is now at UNH playing club softball.

There was plenty of “action” beyond the leftfield fence if dogs barking is your thing. One of Triton’s home runs gave those dogs something to bark about landing in the midst of them.

I’ve done a few games and the pattern is for the visiting team to be late arriving. Learned why today. It’s because of a shortage of bus drivers due to Covid-19. A driver has to finish his/her route before bringing a team to a game.

Sunny afternoon but breezy.

When I get into Groveland Pines it takes me back to college days when I used to come here to watch drivers such as Bentley Warren and Ollie Silva in action.

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

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Bailey Stock, Ella Agocs, Grace Romine, Haleigh Harris, Kyla Story, Natalie Indingaro

May 6, 2021 · 11:20 pm

Newburyport hits and fields its way to a 10-4 win over Triton

Jax Budgell slides home safely during Newburyport’s six-run fourth inning

(Rowley MA) Newburyport made full use of the equipment they brought.

The Clippers collected twelve hits defeating Triton, 10-4, at Eiras Park in the season opener for both teams on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

And then there were the gloves.

Sometimes you’ll get one catch that earns a star in the scorebook. On this afternoon, all the Clippers outfielders (Ryan Archer, Jake Buontempo, Jax Budgell) had highlight moments.

“We have some great outfielders,” understated NHS starter Jack Fehlner afterwards.

Newburyport picked up six runs in the fourth inning with two outs and Triton couldn’t completely recover.

The Vikings did recover enough to close to 6-4 with a run in the 4^th and three in the 5^th.

Newburyport starter Jack Fehlner ended both of Triton’s run-producing innings with called strikeouts to limit their comeback attempts.

Jax Budgell makes a diving catch to end the game

“Triton is a very good hitting team,” said Jack.

Ryan Archer scored twice for the Clippers

“When Triton was down by six, I told the team between innings that they won’t lay down,” said Coach Mark Rowe, “and they didn’t.”

Catcher Nick White, usually known for his defense behind the plate, was instead recognized (by me) for his hitting. And why not, he had three hits and four RBI.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a hitting game like this before,” explained Nick.

“With the rain recently, we’ve done a lot of hitting under the stadium and I think it paid off,” said Coach Rowe.

Senior Ryan Archer also had three hits that turned into three RBI.

“Newburyport is a good team,” said Triton coach Ryan McCarthy. “They have returning players and they’re aggressive at the plate.”

Triton managed seven hits with senior Brady Lindholm getting two hits for the Vikes.

Things did not go Triton’s way in Newburyport’s six-run fourth inning. The Vikings nearly had baserunner Charlie Forrest picked off. Later in the same inning, Newburyport loaded the bases with two outs and no runs in at this point. An infield grounder didn’t result in an inning-ending force-out and two runs scored. Four more Clippers runs would follow before Triton could stop the damage.

“It stung that they got six with two outs,” recalled Coach McCarthy.

The Vikings rallied back in the 4^th and 5^th. Cael Kohan’s bases-loaded single gave Triton its second run.

Kyle Odoy followed with a grounder to 3B Demetri Connor. Demetri tried for a force at home, but his throw was wide, and two Vikings crossed the plate.

“I thought Jack (Fehlner) pitched great,” said Coach Rowe. “We made some mistakes in the inning they scored three runs.”

Sophomore Owen Tahnk pitched the last two innings for Newburyport.

Owen’s pitching probably won’t be remembered very much because it was during his two innings that Newburyport’s outfield trio put on their show.

In each of the catches, the outfielder had to dive forward to get the ball………and it worked for all three of them.

Plenty of sun and plenty of spectators.

“It was great weather, and we had a chance to play the game we love,” said Coach McCarthy.

Nick White: “Any time you can put up double-digit runs you’ve had a good hitting night. I think that our two pitchers (Jack Fehlner, Owen Tahnk) will be among the best in the league.”

Besides getting twelve hits, the Clippers took eight walks. Triton had only one walk.

Not counting today’s game, the last eight times these teams had met they had each won four times.

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

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Filed under Newburyport, Triton

Tagged as Brady Lindholm, Jack Fehlner, Jake Buontempo, Jax Budgell, Nick White, Ryan Archer

May 3, 2021 · 7:52 pm

Chase Dwight puts on a show in scrimmage against Ipswich

Chase Dwight pitched four shutout innings

(Groveland MA) Impressive.

Chase Dwight had a 3-run homer in the 4th inning against Ipswich

Chase Dwight in the midst of the HR celebration

Pentucket sophomore Chase Dwight pitched four shutout innings and drilled a 3-run homer.

Chase’s shot over the fence in left center in the 4^th inning off Ipswich relief pitcher Jake Reily scored Joe Lynch and Andrew Melone.

It was only a scrimmage so overreacting in any direction is folly.

However, it seems quite certain that Chase Dwight will play a prominent role for the Sachems in the Cape Ann League regular season which starts later this week.

The Monday afternoon event was played at Groveland Pines.

The prevailing winds there made every ball in the air toward right field an adventure for the fielders. Several drives that way either sliced away, or dropped in front, of fielders.

That same wind turned things from cool to cold for those of us spectators. I lasted four innings.

As is the habit with a scrimmage, there were no numbered uniforms worn or rosters available. I took pictures but won’t be putting names to most of them.

I do plan to post the unnamed ones on Instagram (mcclellandmiscellanea) asking for IDs. Once I get the names, I will add that picture to my online blog (McClelland Miscellanea) coverage of the scrimmage.

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

Trevor Kamuda scores for Pentucket against Ipswich

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Filed under Ipswich, Pentucket

Tagged as Andrew Melone, Chase Dwight, Ethan Hunt, Joe Lynch

April 30, 2021 · 7:28 pm

Baseball is back

Newburyport’s Mark Rowe and Amesbury’s Joel Bierley meet pregame

(Newburyport MA) It’s been nearly two years for the Cape Ann League.

Today baseball resumed and I decided to catch a look.

Didn’t keep score because it was only a Friday afternoon scrimmage at Pettingell Field.

But it was high school baseball between familiar foes Amesbury and Newburyport.

The players were not in game shirts and the scoreboard was not being used. The atmosphere was relaxed.

The scrimmage was the first chance to get back doing something the participants, including the coaches, missed badly.

Baseball in April around here? You know the weather will be a factor! Today, we had cloudy (Will it rain?) mixed with sunshine (Is it June?). The wind didn’t disappoint. Gusty at times, causing outfielders to misjudge flies in right field. The Clippers, in fact, collected two runs on a wind-influenced single to right.

Without rosters I won’t attempt to put names to all the pictures. I am, however, planning to post the pictures from this blog entry onto my Instagram site (@mcclellandmiscellanea) and if I get identifications, I’ll edit them into captions on this entry. Give me some help, would ya!

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

Killian Cronin questions the call after being picked off second by Tony Lucci

Nick White and Jake Buontempo listen to Coach Mark Rowe between innings

Josh Sorgini and Cam Stanley in the Amesbury dugout

Jaken Harring takes the throw as Finn Sullivan steals second

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Filed under Amesbury, Newburyport

Tagged as Coach Mark Rowe, Drew MacDonald, Jack Fehlner, Jeremy Lopez, Kienan Hague

April 17, 2021 · 9:16 pm

Amesbury unveils more weapons in 22-0 win over Pentucket

Nick Marden brings Andrew Melone to a halt

Kyle Donovan follows blocker Jarrid Schwindt

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury is good and appear to be getting even better.

Today the Indians (4-1) made it look easy as they defeated Pentucket, 22-0, on Saturday afternoon.

The significant issue for Amesbury ahead is whether or not they will play another game.

Next Friday they were scheduled to face Newburyport but the Clippers, for Covid-19 reasons, have cancelled that game and therefore the rest of their season.

Amesbury will try to find an opponent to fill that final slot.

“It’s a shame what happened to Newburyport,” said AHS coach Colin McQueen afterwards. “We just want to keep playing if we can.”

Kyle Heidt tackles Johnny Igoe near the Pentucket sidelines

The Indians might scare off possible opponents if the livestream of this afternoon’s game is seen.

Amesbury now has three straight shutouts and appears to be getting stingier each week.

“Our defense loves running to the football,” said Coach McQueen. “They take pride in it. They watch a lot of film and they understand the game. They have a good idea what the other team is trying to do.”

I don’t keep “official” stats, but I think Pentucket had only one first down all afternoon.

Kyle Donovan powers toward a 2-point conversion

Five of the Sachems six series ended in punts. The other series was done after a fumble.

“Amesbury was tough,” said Pentucket coach Steve Hayden postgame. “It was what it was.”

The Indians scored on both possessions in the first half and were on the Pentucket two when the half ended.

Amesbury loves to run the ball and run the clock. Teams that can’t stop the run are likely to get a non-stop dose of it.

That’s what happened to Pentucket early on.

The Indians reached the Pentucket 32 on run after run (three first downs).

JT Tilton on his way to the first Amesbury TD

A fake inside and JT Tilton went around the left side to open the scoring for his second TD of the season.

“That buck sweep today for the first touchdown may have been executed as well as we’ve done it during the four years I’ve been here,” said Coach McQueen.

“We kept on our blocks and the back let the blocks develop. He cut up like he was shot out of a cannon!”

Senior Kyle Donovan plunged over right tackle for the 2-point conversion. Amesbury was in front, 8-0, at 3:40 of the first quarter.

The AHS second touchdown drive was the one that surely would get a future opponent’s attention.

The key to the second drive was the passing of QB Drew MacDonald. Who saw this coming? To date, the AHS passing attack had been as ineffective as the running game had been effective.

QB Drew MacDonald (10) has Tyler Mazzaglia (9) open

“Drew told us pre-game that he felt good,” said Coach McQueen. “He played with confidence. He threw some awesomely catchable passes. It was certainly his best passing game.”

Completions to Kyle Donovan and Tyler Mazzaglia put Amesbury in the Red Zone. Runs by JT Tilton, Jeremy Lopez, and Kyle Donovan (1 yard score) took it the rest of the way. This was Kyle’s sixth touchdown of this season.

Drew’s pass to all-alone Kyle Donovan gave Amesbury the 2-point conversion and a 16-0 lead with 4:24 to go in the second period.

“We wanted them to pass, and we made them go to the air more than they usually want to,” said Coach Hayden.

Unfortunately, for the visitors from West Newbury, the Amesbury passing game was very good on this afternoon.

“We did pass more than we usually do,” confirmed Coach McQueen. “It’s all about what the defense will give you. They were stout in the middle and were moving defensive linemen and slanting a little bit. It was difficult at times for us to do what we wanted to do.”

The “difficulty” seemed a minor hindrance on an afternoon when the home team moved the chains twenty-two times, by my count.

The Pentucket defense had their best moments in the third quarter. On Amesbury’s first second-half series, junior Will Sutton intercepted a pass at the goal line. On AHS’s next series the Sachems were able to take over on downs.

Coach Steve Hayden and Joe Lynch at halftime

On Amesbury’s third possession of the second half, Pentucket wasn’t as fortunate. A heavy dose of Brady Dore’s running led to a score. Brady ran for three first downs in the drive and finished the final eight yards on a sweep left for his second TD of the season.

The two-point conversion attempt was easily Pentucket’s best defensive effort of the day. Drew MacDonald tried to roll right but at least five of the Sachems had the play figured out and drove him out of bounds with authority.

The Amesbury lead was 22-0 with 7:40 left in the game.

After Andrew Melone’s fifth punt, the Indians went heavily to their reserves.

“It’s the best when you can get everyone in,” explained Coach McQueen. “We don’t have many bodies, so everyone is involved in some capacity. They work and prepare just like the starters. I’m proud to see how happy our team was to see them out there.”

Pentucket (0-4) will get another chance to get that elusive first win on Friday against Triton.

Derek Couture celebrates a fumble recovery

Pentucket had won six of the previous seven meetings against Amesbury.

Taking pictures of the Amesbury offense in action is particularly challenging. There are often fake handoffs and many of those fakes worked against ME!

I asked Drew MacDonald about the steady flow of deception, that he’s a big part of, after the game: “It is the whole point of this offense. If the defense doesn’t know where the ball is, then they can’t stop it.” Or get many good pictures of it…..in my case.

Pentucket fumbled on the first play of three drives and were able to recover two of them.

Derek Couture had a fumble recovery for Amesbury.

It was a cloudy day, but it didn’t rain. Surprised a bit by the teams that opted to play in the bad weather of Friday night.

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

Runner J’Quan Neal faces tackler Frank Majewski

Henry O’Neill follows blocker Jarrid Schwindt

Luke Arsenault (3) takes over at quarterback

Runner Jeremy Lopez faces tackler Will Sutton

Drew MacDonald scrambles for a first down

Kyle Donovan hands the ball over after scoring

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Filed under Amesbury, Pentucket

Tagged as Brady Dore, Drew MacDonald, JT Tilton, Kyle Donovan

April 9, 2021 · 11:49 pm

Trevor Ward and Finn Sullivan shine in Newburyport’s 35-6 win over Pentucket

Trevor Ward (21) scored three times for Newburyport

Finn Sullivan had three TD passes and ran for a score

(Newburyport MA) Talk about filling the stat sheet!

Senior Trevor Ward rolled up numbers as the Clippers rolled over Pentucket, 35-6, on Friday night at Stehlin Stadium.

Trevor had a three-touchdown evening combined with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Quarterback Finn Sullivan had his best game for Newburyport. The junior threw three touchdown passes and ran for another one.

“They were better than us tonight,” said Pentucket coach Steve Hayden afterwards. “They were clearly more physical.”

The Sachems (0-3) lost two fumbles and had an interception in the first half and fell behind, 21-0. There was no coming back against Newburyport (3-2) on Senior Night.

“Their quarterback was outstanding, and their defense was tough,” explained Coach Hayden.

Newburyport had one turnover but never punted.

Pentucket struggled to stop Finn Sullivan running the quarterback option. Most of his successful QB options followed good fakes to either Trevor Ward or Jacob Buontempo.

“Shoutout to the line,” said Finn. “They made great holes. I couldn’t have done anything without them.”

No question the openings were there but it was the damage that Trevor and Finn did once they broke into the secondary that was noticeable. Both had great speed.

“That was the fastest I’ve ever seen him (Finn) run,” laughed Trevor post-game.

Trevor claimed that Finn was “throwing the ball on a dot,” while Finn claimed that “Trevor made me look good.”

It was that kind of night with plenty of happiness on the Newburyport side.

It was certainly a boost the Clippers needed after last week’s 33-6 loss to Ipswich.

“We had a tough loss last week, but we had a good week of practice this week,” said Finn. “Our goal is to win out.”

Dylan O’Rourke (22) had eleven carries for thirty yards

On the first touchdown, Trevor started left and then broke clear as he cut back into the middle.

On the second touchdown, Finn faked a handoff to Trevor and went clear up the middle.

Senior Andrew Goodwin kicked the extra point after both scores. Not surprising was that holder Trevor Ward righted a low snap to make the second kick possible.

Newburyport’s offensive line gave Finn plenty of protection. In the second quarter, that lengthy protection gave Finn time to go deep to junior Lucas Stallard for a 24-yard score.

Lucas was able to get behind defenders Ethan Ruszkowski and Joe Lynch.

Newburyport added a fourth TD in the third quarter. It looked like a harmless pass into the flat to Trevor, but his speed and shiftiness allowed him to score from nine yards out.

Pentucket used a trick play to get deep into Newburyport territory in the 3^rd quarter. Andrew Melone started one way but handed off to Adam Payne going the other way. The Clippers got caught chasing and Pentucket reached the Red Zone.

However, that promising drive ended with a Trevor Ward interception at the goal line.

“Trevor is great in man coverage,” said Newburyport coach Ben Smolski.

Trevor closed out the Newburyport scoring in the final quarter with a 15-yard touchdown catch.

“On that last touchdown, I figured that Trevor was there somewhere, and he was,” explained Finn Sullivan.

Pentucket’s Chase Dwight was able to get a four-yard, clock-running touchdown in the final two minutes to put the visitors on the board.

Beautiful weather. I was one of those back in the fall saying that football won’t work well in March and April because of the weather. Okay, I was wrong!

Coach Smolski: “I am happy with the way we played tonight.”

Trevor Ward: “We’re lucky to even be able to play. I’m enjoying it.”

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

Trevor (5 catches – 64 yards including 2 TDs) gets behind Will Sutton

Trevor Ward tries to escape from Joe Lynch

Nick Petty (80) set to tackle Chase Dwight (10 carries – 41 yards)

Finn Sullivan (12-for-18 passing for 127 yards) rolls right

Finn Sullivan (15 carries – 169 yards) finds a huge opening

Jacob Buontempo (10 carries – 38 yards) has many blockers

Lucas Stallard and Finn Sullivan pre-game

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Tagged as Chase Dwight, Finn Sullivan, Jacob Buontempo, Lucas Stallard, Nick Petty, Trevor Ward

April 7, 2021 · 10:49 pm

Newburyport edges Triton in back-and-forth thriller 3-2

Sydney Yim and Evelyn Pearson at the net

(Byfield MA) Triton coach Karen Christian said the game was “probably the highlight of the season,” and her team lost!

The Vikings (5-5) took Newburyport to five games on Wednesday night at Triton.

The Clippers (8-2) extend their win streak to seven. Their last loss was to Triton in March.

Newburyport won the first two games tonight, 25-19 and 25-15.

In those first two, Sydney Yim (Purdue commit) gave Triton trouble serving, setting, and finishing. Many of her finishes weren’t hard hits but, instead, dropped into open spaces.

I started thinking sweep and early evening.

The Vikings had other ideas.

“We flipped the switch in Games 3 & 4 and started making the plays we weren’t making before,” said Mia Berardino afterwards.

Suddenly the Vikings began to look like the team that had defeated the Clippers, 3-1, in March.

Triton took the next two games, 25-13 and 25-17.

The Vikings got off to good starts in both games and rode Newburyport errors to the two wins.

“We weren’t ourselves today,” said Newburyport coach Lori Solazzo post-match. “but player for player we’ve improve so much. My frustration is that I didn’t see the team I usually see most of the time.”

The level of play was remarkable at times. Hard hits were not definite winners.

Both teams had terrific setters (Molly Kimball and Sydney Yim) so there was a steady diet of hard hits provided.

There was a play in Game Four in which both Sydney Yim and Abigail Gillingham launched hard hits, only to have Triton find a way to play on and eventually get the point.

In three of the games, the team with the early lead went on to victory.

That held true in crucial Game Five. “We were overthinking it a bit early and we fell behind,” said Coach Christian.

The Vikings went down 6-1 and later 14-9. in the fifteen-point, deciding set, before turning on the “not-done-yet” button.

The Clippers struggled with four straight Evelyn Pearson serves and suddenly we had ourselves a 14-13 nail-biter!

A hard, deep hit by the Clippers was called in, and then it was called out, and then they decided to play it over again.

Fortunate for Triton because an “in” call ends the game. Fortunate for Newburyport because an “out” call ties the game at 14-14.

“Thank goodness that out-of-bounds play didn’t end it,” said Coach Solazzo afterwards.

Given a second chance to win the game, the Clippers got it done.

Newburyport seniors keyed the set/match winner. Kate Sarra received the serve and sent it to Sydney Yim. Sydney set the ball near the net for Abigail Gillingham. Abigail hit the ball through the Triton defense.

“Abigail had an amazing game,” said Sydney Yim. “She has been a huge part of our team this year.”

“The team buckled down at the end, showed some grit, and pulled this one out,” said Coach Solazzo.

“It certainly had the feel of a championship game to me,” said Coach Christian. “I would love to see them next week with the same energy.”

There will be a Cape Ann League tournament next week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

“Triton is a great team,” said Coach Solazzo. “They’re scrappy. They played their hearts out.”

Evelyn Pearson: “I’m proud of my team. We pulled our energy together. Newburyport was a lot more competitive than the first time we saw them.”

Mia Berardino: “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted but I’m proud of the way we played. I think if we play like this we can go far in the playoffs.”

The Clippers ended up undefeated (5-0) on the road.

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

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Filed under Newburyport, Triton, Uncategorized

Tagged as Abigail Gillingham, Evelyn Pearson, Mia Berardino, Sydney Yim

April 5, 2021 · 11:04 pm

Newburyport runs streak to six with 3-1 win versus North Reading

(Newburyport MA) Six straight wins for Newburyport.

Tonight it was a 3-1 win against North Reading on Senior Night.

“It wasn’t our best effort,” said Clippers coach Lori Solazzo afterwards, “but I’m very happy with the win.”

Newburyport (7-2) has a win against every team in the Cape Ann League except Triton.

A rematch between those two teams is scheduled for Wednesday at Triton.

“I’ll be pretty disappointed if we play like we did last time (3-1 loss) against them,” said Newburyport senior Kate Sarra post-match.

Tonight, the sets went; 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, and 25-12.

“We came out slow tonight,” said NR coach Mike Milone. “We weren’t clicking together very well and didn’t take advantage of their errors.” NR had won two straight.

In Game One, the Hornets (4-5) trailed the entire game but were close to the lead most of the way. It was 22-19 late but the Clippers wouldn’t give in. Sophomore Ava Hartley dropped shots in and served well.

Sydney Yim has been noticeably good in every game I’ve seen her play. No surprise that she’s in D1 Purdue’s plans in volleyball.

It’s not the big hits, although you see a few of them, it’s the steady diet of consistent play. Some of her setups were so good that you actually wanted to come out of the stands and take a whack at them!

Tonight Sydney had a good eye for open spaces on the North Reading side that were reached with soft shots.

In Game Two, the Hornets started strong (9-8 lead) but then the bottom fell out. With Kate Sarra serving, Newburyport pulled away, 17-10, and NR couldn’t recover. Sophomore Sophia Messina finished the match with a neat drop shot.

The third game was the most exciting. Things were tied at 8-8 before the Hornets, led by Sarah Gerber, gained separation, 21-10. Newburyport was down, but not out yet. The Clippers put seven straight points together and suddenly the NR lead was just 23-21. But the visitors hung tough and a nice hit by the Hornets Celia Standel was the game winner.

“We may have been too cocky in the third set,” said Kate Sarra. “We had won two sets and just fell apart at the start of the third one.”

Sydney Yim was key in the decisive 4^th game. She set up teammates, especially Abigail Gillingham, and put away shots herself. A 16-11 Clippers lead was 25-12 at the end.

“We played with them a while,” said Coach Milone. “We just weren’t able to keep it up. We should have been playing like a seasoned team, but we weren’t.”

“Our energy was good tonight,” said Abigail Gillingham afterwards. “When we got down in the 3^rd game, we picked it back up in the 4^th.”

“We got the win, but I thought North Reading was scrappier,” said Coach Solazzo.

Sydney Yim (21 assists), Ava Hartley (9 kills), Abigail Gillingham (7 kills), Laney Lucci (5 digs), and Kate Sarra (5 aces) led the Clippers.

Coach Milone: “Sarah Gerber was good tonight. Her blocking, hitting, and passing were solid.”

The regular Cape Ann League season ends this week. There will be a tournament next week although there has been nothing official on how many teams will be in the tournament. Lynnfield with one loss (to Newburyport) and Newburyport with two losses (Lynnfield & Triton) will certainly be playing in it.

Coach Milone: “The season has been short and fast. I am incredibly excited that our eight seniors have been able to have a season.”

Newburyport’s four seniors (Sydney Yim, Laney Lucci, Abigail Gillingham, Kate Sarra) were honored afterwards.

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Sophia Messina and Viive Godtfredsen with Sarah Gerber

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Tagged as Abigail Gillingham, Ava Hartley, Kate Sarra, Laney Lucci, Sarah Gerber, Sydney Yim

April 3, 2021 · 8:07 pm

Amesbury shuts down North Reading 20-0

Amesbury’s blocking gave running backs openings all afternoon

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury got an early break.

A likely punt turned into a third-down retry.

Their opening drive, as a result, was kept alive, and a touchdown followed.

After that the Indians (3-1) were overpowering on both sides of the ball, registering a 20-0 shutout against North Reading on Saturday afternoon.

Amesbury struggled on their first possession. A Zach Sampson sack and a Kyle Donovan fumble (recovered by Amesbury) had the Indians in trouble. Their third-down play went nowhere BUT the whistle of a sidelines official had gone off enabling the home team to try that third down play again. A first down resulted and Amesbury was literally off and running.

JT Tilton brought down by Robbie Tammaro

“If that inadvertent whistle doesn’t happen on their first drive, it’s fourth-and-four and they’d have to punt,” said North Reading coach Eddie Blum afterwards.

But the replay was rightly allowed, and Amesbury took full advantage cashing from the NR 37 with three minutes left in the first quarter.

Senior Kyle Donovan scored twice in the first half.

The first one went thirty-seven yards up the middle. “I just shot the gap and was free,” said Kyle. “One kid was there and I high-stepped by him.”

That TD was the longest AHS run of the day but certainly not their last run.

“We try to attack multiple gaps on either side of the football from a balanced look,” explained AHS coach Colin McQueen post-game.

“Their interior linemen took our traps away,” said Coach McQueen. “When one thing is taken away, generally something else is there. Today we moved the ball pretty well off tackle.”

The ball-handling of quarterback Drew MacDonald was impressive for Amesbury. I will admit to following the wrong ball carrier on a number of occasions. I am quite certain that I wasn’t the only one.

“Each guy on defense has read keys and responsibilities,” said Coach Blum. “Amesbury is a senior-laden team that has been running that offense for a while. Give credit to their offensive line and their blockers.”

The Amesbury defense, led by Nick Marden, made is tough for the Hornets (2-2) to put any drives together.

Drew MacDonald tacked a two-point conversion onto Kyle Donovan’s first touchdown and Amesbury led, 8-0, after a quarter.

Nick Marden ended NR’s first possession with a fourth-down fumble recovery.

Nick Marden (32) keyed the Amesbury defense

Nick came off the edge to give the Hornets trouble all afternoon.

Drew MacDonald had a TD and a 2-point conversion

“Nick is a physical specimen,” said Coach McQueen. “Having him on the edge can be dangerous for the other team.”

Coach McQueen referenced former coach Geno Burnham who died this week. “I coached with Geno and in our staff meetings he always wanted to ‘fire off the edge.’ We decided today that we were going to send a couple ‘off the edge’ today in Geno’s honor.”

Nick turned the ‘off the edge’ approach into run stops and sacks for the Indians this afternoon.

After Nick’s fumble recovery the Indians started at their own 46. The rest of the drive was all runs with four first downs along the way.

Kyle Donovan hit the middle from four yards out and backed into the end zone for a second score. The rush for two failed but AHS now led, 14-0.

The Hornets followed with a 40-yard kickoff (Robbie Tammaro) return to set them up at the Amesbury 35. NR nearly got a score as Will Taylor ran a down-and-out into some serious open space, but Brian Heffernan’s pass sailed over his head.

Twice Amesbury ran their way deep into North Reading territory in the second half with nothing to show for it. In both tries, fourth-down passes fell incomplete.

The Hornets had a 4^th down converted but a fumble (recovered by Chip Kelley) gave the ball back to Amesbury with 4:43 left in the game.

Amesbury completed a pass to Tyler Mazzaglia for a first down and two more chain movers set the home team up on the NR four.

Jarrid Schwindt congratulates Drew MacDonald after his TD

QB Drew MacDonald faked a handoff up the middle and rolled left to score with a minute left in the game.

“We had two TDs at the end of sustained drives,” said Coach McQueen. “Our goal is to wear people down. We want pads on pads and for our backs to run hard.”

Coach Blum: “Our defense battled all day. You just have to turn the page after you learn what you can learn. We’re on to Triton.”

Coach McQueen: “Kyle is a tough runner. Any time we put the ball in his hands he has a chance to go. It comes down to him getting the second and third level and making some guy miss.”

Kyle Donovan: “It was a great all-around team effort. Our offense was at its finest and our defense held up.”

The weather was sunny and remarkable for early April. Temps were in the upper 40s and I was over-dressed for sure.

The Amesbury ground game was so good that their passing game stood out as needing to improve considerably. Of course, if the Indians can get early leads, they won’t be forced into any passing catch-up attempts.

The Landry Stadium scoreboard has a habit of not consistently working. More of that today.

Is there a turf football field in Amesbury’s future?

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