McClelland Miscellanea

December 18, 2012 · 11:57 pm

Pentucket girls defeat North Reading 57-35 after championship banner unveiled

2011-12 Division 3 state champs – March 17, 2012

championship banner unveiled

Alex Moore (11 points) fires from long range

(West Newbury) The Pentucket girls struggled mightily in the first half but returned to last year’s form in the second half as they defeated North Reading, 57-35, in Cape Ann League action on Tuesday night.

The “first half Sachems” could well have been thrown off by the festivities before the game.

The 2011-12 Division 3 state championship banner was unveiled and the thirteen team members from that 23-4 squad were reunited one last time before an adoring home crowd.

This was my first look at the team since the March 17th win over Sabis (55-32) at the DCU Center in Worcester as they captured the D3 title. Leading the way for Pentucket on that memorable afternoon were Sarah Higgins with 22 points and Kelsi McNamara with three long ones.

Elise Makowski soars in the lane over Coley Viselli during a strong Hornet first half

You know that the bar has been set pretty high for a team when they lead by three (20-17) at halftime and you describe them as, “struggling.”

But the 2012-13 Sachems (2-0) were struggling. There wasn’t a shot near or far that they could make consistently. And there were plenty of turnovers.

In the second half, a crucial ingredient in years of success returned……….shooting, and when that happened in the third quarter, the 2012-13 team started giving a great impression of the championship team of the previous season.

North Reading (0-2) actually got within two points (21-19) a minute into the second half but then the Pentucket scorers started hitting shots from everywhere, especially long range.

With shots falling, the Sachem defense could setup and pressure North Reading into a pace that created turnovers and rushed shots.

The visiting Hornets would make just one basket (Tarah Reilly) over the next six minutes while the Sachems put up twenty-one points and blew this one wide open, 42-21, with a minute left in the third quarter.

Kelsi McNamara (13 points) about to pass to a breaking McKenna Kilian (14 points)

Two treys by Alex Moore and one each from Coley Viselli and Kelsi McNamara highlighted the surge. The Sachems also added 7-of-8 free throws and a floater in the lane from McKenna Kilian.

That burst of positive production separated the two teams and North Reading was unable to get within double-figures of the Sachems the rest of the way.

Not only was the championship banner unveiled but the home fans also got a look at seven new players including five freshmen.

Sophomores McKenna Kilian (14) and Kelsi McNamara (13) paced Pentucket. Senior Alex Moore added eleven points. The Sachems next game is Friday night at Triton.

Carly Swartz (11 points) launches a last-second shot

Freshman Carly Swartz (11) led the Hornets. Carly scored all eleven in a first half in which North Reading made things very interesting for Pentucket. 6-5 freshman Jessica Lezon was a defensive presence for NR.

The Hornets will look for their first win at Masconomet on Friday night.

Quietly in the background during the pre-game celebrations was Pentucket coach John McNamara. His 136-18 record at Pentucket, and counting, is truly remarkable.

A look ahead at the Pentucket schedule has them starting off with Division 1 Billerica in January in a non-league game. Last season I saw Billerica nearly defeat Nicole Boudreau and the Andover Golden Eagles at Andover. Their key players were underclassmen. The Pentucket/Billerica contest is at Pentucket and should be special.

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

junior Sydney Snow

Coley Viselli chases a loose ball

Elise Makowski double-teamed by Alex Moore and McKenna Kilian

McKenna Kilian (14 points) and Morgan Maiola

Kelsi McNamara defends

Morgan Maiola (7 points)

Emily Dresser in close

freshman Rebecca Torrisi

Coley Viselli shoots a technical foul shot

Tess Nogueira (6 points) drives

6-5 Jessica Lezon

Coach John McNamara

Alex Moore pressures Carly Swartz

Leigh McNamara returns

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Filed under North Reading, Pentucket

Tagged as Alex Moore, Carly Swartz, Coach John McNamara, Coley Viselli, Elise Makowski, Jessica Lezon, Kelsi McNamara, McKenna Kilian, Tess Nogueira

December 14, 2012 · 9:29 pm

Pingree routs Bancroft 79-32 in Eastern Independent League boys basketball

Luke Alley (14) heads for the hoop with Alonzo Jackson (3) closing fast

Lucas Reeve (14) in close

(Hamilton) Softball has the Mercy Rule. This basketball game was begging for a similar arrangement.

Pingree routed Bancroft, 79-32, in an Eastern Independent League mismatch on Friday night at Pingree.

The Highlanders (2-2) ran off the game’s first thirteen points and never were seriously challenged by the team from Worcester. Pingree is now 2-0 in the EIL.

While Pingree rolled up thirteen points in the first four minutes, the Bulldogs (1-5) were registering seven turnovers. Two of the early Bancroft miscues led to John Spears’ (11 points) layups.

PJ Lidonde (12 points) surrounded by Highlanders

The Highlanders man-to-man defense forced twenty-nine turnovers during a game in which everyone in uniform played plenty.

Pingree had the long-shot available and made six (three by Reese Fulmer) but seemed content most of the game to make the extra passes to get teammates layups and high-percentage shots. It was classic unselfish basketball.

Dylan McDonough (4 points) broke the ice for Bancroft with a layup.

Later in the half Pingree had another string of unanswered points (nine) and were up, 32-6, with three minutes left in the half. Reese (11 points) had a three and a layup off a turnover in the run.

The home team put another run of nine together in the second half extending their lead to, 59-17. A layup and two free throws by Griffin Beal (8 points) were part of that run.

Pingree coach Steve Gibbs had his bench cleared in the first half and so there was plenty of PT for the Highlander reserves in the second half.

Justin Assad (24) draws a charge

PJ Lidonde led Bancroft’s scorers with twelve points. He also had one of the harder charges you’ll ever see when he ran over Justin Assad (13 points) in the first half.

Alonzo Jackson (11), Nino Leone (9), and Kyle Lentini (7) were other scorers for Pingree.

I was impressed with Pingree in my first look at them this season. Last year they were 19-6. This year’s team has added four excellent freshman – Alonzo Jackson, Griffin Beal, Justin Assad, and Nino Leone.

John Spears? I would like to know a player faster than this junior. He is definitely not someone the other point guards on the Pingree schedule look forward to facing.

Pingree’s next opponent is Berwick (EIL game) on Wednesday (4PM) at Pingree.

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

Freshmen Nino Leone (34) and Matt Zujewski (11)

Griffin Beal (21) gets a fancy pass from Reese Fulmer (0)

Freshman Griffin Beal in traffic

Freshman Justin Assad had thirteen points

John Spears (11 points)

Connor Reardon finds an opening

PJ Lidonde slices between Kyle Lentini (22) and Connor Reardon (15)

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Filed under Bancroft, Pingree

Tagged as Alonzo Jackson, John Spears, Justin Assad, Kyle Lentini, Nino Leone, PJ Lidonde, Reese Fulmer

December 11, 2012 · 10:49 pm

Newburyport wins opener 39-23 over Amesbury in girls basketball

Lilly Donovan (17 points) gets in for two

Lilly Donovan (16 points) gets in for two

Mary Pettigrew (11 points) at the line

(Newburyport) This wasn’t pretty to watch from a style standpoint but I’m sure the Newburyport girls will take the win they got in their opener, 39-23, over Amesbury on Tuesday night at NHS.

Both teams feature athletes from fall sports and you could see that the transition to basketball was a work in progress.

By my unofficial figuring, there were forty-six turnovers in this thirty-two minute game! Both teams had twenty-three miscues. It seemed obvious that at this early date in the season the defenses (both played man-to-man) were far ahead of the offenses. Those on hand saw too much dribbling and too many ill-advised passes.

No three’s were made by either team although plenty were taken.

Sarah Abraham (24) and Emily Pettigrew (10) battle

Amesbury (0-1) had all sorts of trouble generating any offense except in the third quarter. The Indians went through almost the entire second quarter without scoring a single point.

Newburyport won this game because of the play of Lilly Donovan (16 points) and Mary Pettigrew (11 points). That twosome worked together to create scoring opportunities for each other on several occasions. Both made individual moves inside to produce points for the Clippers.

Newburyport (1-0) broke out of a 2-2 tie in the first quarter with a run of eight straight featuring a converted rebound by Lilly, two layups by Mary, and two free throws by Aly Leahy.

Later starting later in the first quarter the Clippers would string twelve unanswered together to get a commanding 22-6 advantage late in the second quarter. Newburyport collected those twelve points via converted rebounds by newcomers Emily Pettigrew (freshman) and Morgan Johnston (sophomore), two layups by Lilly, a jumper by Emily, and a driving layup by Casey Barlow.

Lilly Donovan defended by Emily Martin

Only a last-minute drive by Emily Martin kept the Indians from being shut out entirely in the second quarter. Newburyport led, 22-8, at the half.

Amesbury’s best quarter was the third. They actually outscored the Clippers, 10-8. Producing points for the Indians were Janine Fatal with a layup, followed by two inside scores from freshman Megan Reid, and a converted rebound and layup by Sarah Abraham.

The Clippers iced the game early in the final quarter as a Mary Pettigrew free throw, followed by two more freebies by Lilly Donovan, and a Lilly basket assisted by Mary put the home team in front, 35-18, with five minutes left.

Plenty of reserves saw action the rest of the way.

Sarah Abraham launches a three

Sarah Abraham was Amesbury’s high scorer with six points.

Newburyport is coming off a 14-7 in 2011-12 while Amesbury was 1-18 last year.

Beth Castantini, 2012 NHS grad, was in the house. She is now playing basketball for UMass Dartmouth.

There were several folks in the house with clipboards including one from Pentucket and two from Hamilton-Wenham. They just happened to be in the neighborhood??

I thought that the lighting at the Newburyport gym was much better than it was last year.

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

Mary Pettigrew and Courtney Borkowski battle

Aly Leahy

Lea Tomasz defends Amanda Martin

Rebecca Kell shoots over Megan Reid from the corner

Emily Williams

Freshman Emily Pettigrew shoots inside

Amy Sullivan heads for the hoop

Jaycie Triandafilou gets in close

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Filed under Amesbury, Newburyport

Tagged as Lilly Donovan, Mary Pettigrew, Sarah Abraham

December 10, 2012 · 11:21 pm

St. John’s Prep overwhelms St. Mary’s 67-43 in boys basketball opener

Drex Costello (13 points) breaks away for a layup after a steal.

Tommy DeVeau (14 points) closely guarded by Mike Bisson

(Danvers) In the season opener for both teams, St. John’s ran away from St. Mary’s in the second half winning, 67-43, on Monday night in non-league play.

The Eagles (1-0) blew open a relatively close first half (32-24) with twenty-two points in the third quarter while limiting the Spartans to only four points. When that dust cleared The Prep was in total charge, ahead by twenty-six (54-28).

St. Mary’s (0-1) opted to play a zone defense against the taller Eagles for much of the game but the long-range shooting of St. John’s wrecked that strategy.

Max Burt (30) scored thirteen for the Eagles

Both Drex Costello (13 points) and Max Burt (13 points) connected three times from downtown as part of ten successful 3’s by the Eagles.

The Spartans best quarter was the second when seven points from Tommy DeVeau (14 points) and a couple of three’s had them outscoring St. John’s, 17-16. But beyond that a very good Eagles man-to-man defense kept the Spartans away from too many high-percentage shots.

Matt Manning had ten points for St. Mary’s.

Spartan starter John Teehan left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury.

St. Mary’s didn’t do itself any favors with their foul shooting – 19-for-33 with a number of the misses coming on the front end of one-and-one’s.

Division Four St. Mary’s has a state finals rematch with Cathedral on Friday night (7PM) at Cathedral.

Division One St. John’s will be hosting Lynn Classical on Saturday at 5PM.

St John’s box score

St Mary’s box score

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

Josh Syska defends

Matt Manning (10 points) looks for room

Tyler Dooley cuts between Kyle DeFillipo and Nick Amenta

Ben Judson shoots over Kyle DeFillipo

loose ball

Drex Costello gets a layup

Johnny Teehan looks for room

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Filed under St. John's Prep, St. Mary's

Tagged as Ben Judson, Drex Costello, Matt Manning, Max Burt, Tommy DeVeau

December 5, 2012 · 11:50 pm

New Hampton School downs Brewster Academy 66-58 in boys basketball

Travis Jorgenson (3) led New Hampton School with sixteen points

Noah Vonleh (14 points) defends Chris McCullough (18 points)

(Wolfeboro NH) New Hampton School (6-1) jumped all over Brewster Academy (5-3) in the first half and that carried the visitors to a, 66-58, win on Wednesday night at Brewster Academy.

Part of the first-half breakaway was an 18-2 run by the Huskies that turned a Bobcat lead (4-2) into a Bobcat deficit (20-6) after eight minutes played.

Travis Jorgenson (16 points) had two three’s and two assists in that important NHS surge.

A Brewster timeout and some loud-volume instruction/correction from Coach Jason Smith steadied things for a while. But before the half ended New Hampton ran nine straight and were up, 35-14, with three minutes left in the half.

Lincoln Davis (15 points) gets to the basket

Lincoln Davis (15 points) was key in that run with a layup, a converted rebound and two free throws.

NHS led 37-19 at halftime.

I suspect that the halftime chatter in the BA locker room was mostly about playing better defense. And that’s what we saw……..and it worked as the Bobcats started 10-2 in the first 6 ½ minutes to close to ten – 39-29. All five baskets were layups.

Later, the home team lowered the Bobcats’ lead to 54-45 (with 6 ½ minutes left) on two free throws by Kyle Washington (5 points) and a runner in the lane by Martez Harrison (10 points).

But back came point guard Travis Jorgenson with an end-to-end layup, followed by a back-breaking Noah Vonleh three. The quick five-spot pushed the Huskies’ margin into the comfort zone (59-45) with 5 ½ minutes to go.

BA closed strongly (10-2) riding a couple of three’s by Ron Patterson (10 points) but there just wasn’t enough time or stops to get all the way back.

Chris McCullough (18 points) paced Brewster. Among those points was a crowd-pleasing jam late in the first half.

In the same half, Lincoln Davis had the highlight-film jam with a spectacular putback of a missed shot. Lincoln is listed at 6-2 but believe me he plays a lot taller!

Martez Harrison and Travis Jorgenson

The key player for New Hampton School? No question to me that it was Travis Jorgenson. The 6-foot playmaker was able to handle the ball under relentless man-to-man pressure with few turnovers. He also broke down the tight defense numerous times for scores or for layups for teammates.

This was my first look at Noah Vonleh (14 points). Noah (6-9) is committed to Indiana. I was impressed. He didn’t force his offense and he could handle the ball if Travis needed an outlet. His passing was sound enough that Coach Pete Hutchins had Noah inbounding the ball against pressure.

Noah did get into a one-on-one moment with 6-9 Chris McCullough on one possession from above the key. It didn’t end well for Noah as Chris picked his pocket and led a fast break.

Noah did have the game’s biggest shot in my opinion when he drained his only three to put NHS ahead, 59-45, with 5 ½ minutes left.

Tory Miller (12 points) scored eight of them in the second half. He tipped in teammate Mike LeBlanc’s missed free throw late in the game.

Good crowd on hand to see these New Hampshire rivals.

Last time I was at Brewster the place was packed as the Bobcats faced, and defeated, Tilton. I’m still trying to get over seeing Nerlens Noel as a 6-11 point guard in that game. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of that happening at Kentucky!

Brewster gets another chance with New Hampton at New Hampton on January 16th (5PM). It might be worth a look.

Brewster has several players committed to D1 colleges: Ron Patterson and Chris McCullough (Syracuse), John Edwards (UNH), Kyle Washington (North Carolina State), and Elijah Macon (West Virginia).

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

Travis Jorgenson (6 foot) and Chris McCullough (6-9)

loose ball

Martez Harrison defended by Cole McConnell

Jared Terrell

Brewster Academy crowd

Elijah Macon in heavy Huskie defense

Mike LeBlanc

Chris McCullough

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Filed under Brewster, New Hampton

Tagged as Brewster Academy, Chris McCullough, Elijah Macon, Kyle Washington, Lincoln Davis, Martez Harrison, New Hampton School, Noah Vonleh, Ron Patterson, Travis Jorgenson

November 23, 2012 · 11:09 pm

Immaculate defeats Portland 5-0 to win Class S girls soccer title fifth straight time

2012 Class S champions – Immaculate High School

Immaculate captains Lindsay Jossick (3 goals) and Sierra Stein (1 goal) head out for championship award.

(Waterbury) That’s five straight Class S girls soccer titles for the Immaculate Mustangs.

The ten-time champs from Danbury overwhelmed Portland, 5-0, on Friday afternoon at Waterbury Stadium.

The Mustangs (17-1-2) had great chance after great chance in the first half but their only score was a Natalia Diaz penalty kick with 3:49 left.

During the second half those great chances, that missed in the first half, turned into four Immaculate goals in the first 12 ½ minutes.

Up 5-0, Mustang coach Nelson Mingachos began pulling starters with twenty-five minutes left. Good move on his part because the Highlanders could not defend the straight ahead attack of Immaculate. Things could have become more embarrassing then they had already become for Portland.

Lindsay Jossick takes PK

Senior Lindsay Jossick had a second-half hat trick and was named tourney MVP. Coach Mingachos probably sealed the award for her when he let her take the penalty kick that gave her the hat trick.

The number of clean-look opportunities the Mustangs had in the first half was mind-boggling. And we’re not talking long shots either. Sierra Stein, Lindsay Jossick, Hailey Davis, Caitlyn Linden, Madeline Horosky, and Natalia Diaz all were in position at one time or another to notch Immaculate’s first tally. But credit the Mustangs they never seemed too bothered when they didn’t score……they just kept coming back into the Highlanders end for more.

Portland goalie Marisa DiMare was huge in the first half positioning herself perfectly for several of the point-blank attempts. A couple of the other threatening shots were either wide or high.

Natalia Diaz prepares to take a first-half penalty kick that produced the first Mustang goal.

However, when Emilie Hernandez got called for a handball at 3:49 the string of missed opportunities came to an end. Natalia Diaz took the shot and hit the net to Marisa’s right to give Immaculate a 1-0 advantage.

Portland (16-3-1) probably had their best scoring chance of the game before the half ended. Nicole Caruso got in close on Mustang goalkeeper Ashley Houghton’s right but her shot went just wide.

In the second half, Immaculate capitalized early and often.

The dangerous Natalia Diaz reached the end line and gave teammate Lindsay Jossick a glorious setup in the middle. Lindsay put a foot on the aerial pass and Immaculate was up 2-0 with less than two minutes gone by.

Senior Sierra Stein set up the third goal. She took one direct kick from close to the right sidelines which reached PHS goalie Marisa DiMare on the fly.

Sierra Stein direct kick gets by Jackie Otake (18) and Hailey Davis (99).

Sierra’s next direct kick, from almost the same spot, curled across in front. Hailey Davis took a wild kick at the ball and missed so the ball kept going and Lindsay Jossick was all alone at the far post for an easy tap in. That gave the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

The 4th Immaculate score was nicely arranged by freshman Caitlyn Linden. Caitlyn dribbled in from the wing past two Portland defenders and passed into the middle to Sierra Stein. Sierra drilled a rocket to the left corner that GK Marisa DiMare never had a chance on at 28:36.

The last Mustang goal came at 27:25. Lindsay Jossick broke into the box and Emilie Hernandez kept her from scoring but drew a penalty. Lindsay Jossick took the PK and her shot to her left broke through Marisa’s hands into the net.

Marisa DiMare makes a save in traffic for Portland

Shortly after that fifth score the serious substituting started off the Immaculate bench. Didn’t see many changes on the Portland side. Natalia and Lindsay were back in the last five minutes and I assumed that they might combine for a sixth goal. Credit the Highlanders defense for preventing it.

This may not be the last trip for either of these teams to a big Class S soccer game. I could find only two seniors on each team.

I was impressed with the all-around play of Portland’s McKenzie Riemondo and Amanda Ghent.

The big excitement at the game was actually outside the park. About fifteen minutes into play there was a tremendous bang up on the nearby roadway. I never saw the vehicles involved but police cars and an ambulance were soon on the scene. Kind of puts real life into perspective when you’re enjoying a soccer game and something like that happens.

I didn’t see a lot of tears from the Portland side with the loss. It helps when there aren’t many seniors I suspect. I did hear the girls laughingly chanting on the way to the bus, “We’re #2, we’re #2.”

The only game Immaculate lost was 1-0 to Weston on September 12th.

Waterbury Stadium was built in 1930 as a dog track. The original bleachers were off in the distance. Eastern League baseball (AA) teams played there until 1986.

I don’t know if Neil Cavuto (Fox Business News) was in the house but he is an Immaculate graduate.

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

Natalia Diaz (72) threatens in the first half

Caitlyn Linden (18) and Natalia Diaz (72) threaten early in the first half

Sierra Stein (00) about to drill home Goal Four with a nice assist from Caitlyn Linden

Emilie Hernandez (14) trips Lindsay Jossick in the penalty area

Immaculate keeper Ashley Houghton

Portland coach Sandy Booth accepts runner-up award

Emma Ruppert (2) and Natalia Diaz (72)

Portland goalkeeper Marisa DiMare

Caitlyn Linden (18) gets a good look in the first half.

Natalia Diaz (72) is about to set up teammate Lindsay Jossick for the second Mustang goal

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Filed under Immaculate, Portland

Tagged as Ashley Houghton, Caitlyn Linden, Coach Nelson Mingachos, Coach Sandy Booth, Hailey Davis, Jackie Otake, Lindsay Jossick, Marisa DiMare, Natalia Diaz, Neil Cavuto, Sierra Stein

November 21, 2012 · 11:10 pm

Newtown stuns Masuk 21-14 to take SWC football championship

Cooper Gold of Newtown scores the eventual game-winner through the tackle of Fabio Romano (23).

Cooper Gold (222 yards) holds his MVP plaque.

(Newtown) It would have taken a pretty significant dose of optimism to favor Newtown in a football game with powerhouse Masuk.

But there was Newtown (10-0) defeating the Panthers, 21-14, before a huge crowd (3000) at Blue and Gold Stadium on Wednesday night. The victory gave the Hawks the SWC championship.

Newtown pulled this off with Dan Hebert (arguably the Hawks best player) on the sidelines out of uniform wearing a cast.

I’ll admit I was leery of Newtown’s chances after absorbing some of the Newtown hype before last year’s 46-7 blowout.

But this time around the Hawks (9-1) weren’t the defensive sieves Masuk, led by QB Casey Cochran, made them look like in 2011. In fact, they shut out the Panthers (#1 in the state in total offense) in a second half in which they would rally from a 14-7 halftime deficit and get two touchdowns of their own. Masuk averaged 49 points per game during their first nine games.

Game MVP Cooper Gold (222 yards) ran around and over people all night and tallied two touchdowns including the game winner early in the final quarter.

Hawk QB Drew Tarantino tossed his 20th touchdown pass of the season (to Julian Dunn) and had no interceptions.

Thomas Milone (22) follows blocker Frank Bacarella for a thirty yard touchdown late in the first half.

Thomas Milone (165 yards) surely scared the Newtown faithful half to death every time the ball was in his hands. The talented senior raced in for two first-half scores and was a threat to do almost anything when he lined up to punt.

Thomas has committed to Uconn for a baseball scholarship.

I was impressed with the execution of Newtown on the touchdown pass to Julian Dunn. The Hawks had run the play earlier with the pass going high. On the one that connected, the ball was in the air from QB Drew Tarantino long before Julian reached the end zone. Julian made a leaping catch over Kyle Fontneau and landed on his back.

Masuk QB Malik Cunnings suffered two interceptions in the second half. He had only two interceptions during the first nine games.

This was a battle for the SWC title.

Terrific field with wonderful lighting. That still doesn’t explain why there were no programs available but maybe everybody knows everybody?

The halftime show put on by Newtown was simply awesome.

This was the first time Newtown entered the final game of the season undefeated since 1996.

Both football teams are in the playoffs and should be hosting quarterfinal games.

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

Dan Hebert

Chris Devaney (3) goes high for a pass

loose ball

Julian Dunn still has the ball in the end zone after colliding with Kyle Fontneau (21)

Jack Kearney (31) prepares to intercept a pass intended for Thomas Milone (22).

Justin Devellis of Newtown closes out Masuk with this interception in the last minute.

Bryan Monaco

Newtown QB Drew Tarantino chases a bad snap.

Thomas Milone (22) plows in for the first Masuk touchdown.

Cooper Gold gets outside Masuk defender Brad Swain on his way to a 9-yard touchdown run

Cooper Gold runs free

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Filed under Masuk, Newtown

Tagged as Cooper Gold, Dan Hebert, Drew Tarantino, Julian Dunn, Justin Devellis, Malik Cummings, Thomas Milone

November 20, 2012 · 11:04 pm

Darius Watson (30 points) carries Albertus Magnus past Western Connecticut in men’s basketball

Darius Watson (25) powered Albertus Magnus past Western Connecticut.

Darius had fifteen points in each half and added six rebounds and five blocks.

(Danbury) Both teams had graduated All-Time scorers so there was no certainty about where the points would come from.

However, while Western Connecticut State returned four players from a 21-7 team, Albertus Magnus returned four starters from a 29-2 team.

And it was returning starter Darius Watson (30 points) who carried Albertus Magnus (1-0) to a 85-79 nonleague win on Tuesday night at Feldman Arena.

The 6-5 junior played the entire game. He had fifteen points in each half and added six rebounds and five blocks.

The home Colonels (0-3) went behind early but came back to catch the Falcons and lead at halftime, 38-37. The Colonels shot nearly 50% (15-31) and had nine different players contribute points.

You sensed that if the Colonels could slow down Darius Watson (he already had fifteen points) in the second half the visitors might be in trouble.

James Jennings (20), shooting above the foul line, finished with thirteen points.

But they couldn’t slow Darius down (he got fifteen more points) and teammate James Jennings (13 points) put up eleven points in the second half to help the Falcon cause.

Western’s last lead was 56-55 with 11:38 left. Over the next 7+ minutes Albertus outscored the Falcons, 22-9, to grab a 77-65 advantage with four minutes left and put this one in the win column.

During the winning run, Darius had two baskets, two rebounds, a steal and a block. He was the difference maker all game long.

The graduated All-Timers were Ray Askew for team from New Haven and DaQuan Brooks for the team from Danbury.

Ray averaged 24.2 points per game in 2011-12. The 6-6 graduate also holds the Falcons school record in rebounds.

DaQuan totaled 2269 points during his career with Western. He is also the all-time assist leader at WCSU.

Ryan Pelletier (4) fires a three over James Jennings (20).

On a first look it seemed apparent to me that Western is still trying to sort out who will be carrying the scoring load. Colonel coach Bob Campbell had eleven players score but Ryan Pelletier’s fourteen points was high for the game.

Albertus, on the other hand, seemed quite certain about where the production would come from. Five player played twenty minutes or more and three players (Jefferson Lora, James Jennings, and Mike Sweeney) also reached double figures. Mike Sweeney (6-6) was the big surprise getting eleven points in seventeen minutes.

Albertus Magnus is from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. They dominated that league last year (18-0) and are favored by the ten other coaches in that league, in a preseason poll, to dominate again.

The Falcons finished the 2011-12 season ranked 20th in D3 Hoops national poll.

Western will next host Trinity on November 28th at 7PM.

box score

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

WSCU coach Bob Campbell afterwards

Russell Payton (12) looks for an opening.

Phil Starks (3) looks to the basket

Ryan Pelletier

James Economopoulos

Russell Payton (12) tries to stop Julian Sanders (22)

Luis Bridtter (0) shoots over Lemar Larsen (30)

Leroy Mayers under heavy Falcon defensive pressure.

Julian Sanders gets medical attention.

Lemar Larsen (30) flies in for two.

Joseph Groski (left) and Jefferson Lora (right)

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Filed under Albertus Magnus, Western Connecticut

Tagged as Darius Watson, James Jennings, Russell Payton, Ryan Pelletier

November 14, 2012 · 11:54 pm

Franklin reaches state Division 1 girls soccer finals with 2-0 win over Beverly

Kristi Kirshe (12) nets her 100th goal on this first-half direct kick.

Kristi is all smiles afterwards

(Lynn) Undefeated Franklin moves on to the Division 1 state girls soccer finals after defeating Beverly, 2-0, on Wednesday night at Manning Field.

(Both teams are the Panthers so I will avoid the nickname.)

Franklin (21-0-1) will now face Nashoba Valley (18-0-4) on Friday night at Worcester State University at 5PM. NV has only lost once in two years. What a great matchup!

Franklin senior Kristi Kirshe got the, “will she get her 100th goal,” suspense behind her in the first half on a direct kick.

In the second half, sophomore Taylor Cogliano broke past Beverly goalie Rachel Kenney for a Franklin insurance goal.

The South champs had the better of the midfield play most of the game. I could hear Beverly coach Kristin Simpson yelling to her team that Franklin, “was winning all of the 50/50 balls.” Kristi Kirshe had plenty to do with that domination.

Franklin GK Dani Lonati deflects a corner kick over the net as Caitlin Harty (6) lurks nearby.

Beverly (18-4-0) had several good chances by their 50-goal scorer Caitlin Harty but for the most part Caitlin had trouble getting any operating room. Julia Bireley shadowed Caitlin throughout the game.

Much of the Beverly offense was setup by the individual skills of sophomore Eva Gourdeau.

Franklin (21-0-1) was able to get deep on Beverly numerous times off of the dribbling and passing of Kristi Kirshe and Taylor Cogliano.

Kristi hit the crossbar near the end of the first half while Taylor had shots go wide on either side of the Beverly net in the second half.

Kristi’s milestone goal was off a direct kick at 33:54 in the first half. Kristi’s dribbling set up the direct kick as she was dropped by Beverly’s Kristen O’Connor.

Kristi faced a wall of Beverly defenders but her hard shot hit the left goalpost and caromed to the right into the net behind Beverly GK Casey Cook.

Eighteen minutes after Kristi’s goal in the first half, Beverly had two back-to-back corner kicks from both sides. Caitlin Harty came close to getting a head on the first while Eva Gourdeau did get a head on the second. Neither resulted in a goal but Franklin coach Tom Geysen called a timeout right after that to settle things down.

I happened to catch some of Coach Geysen’s halftime talk and believe me he wasn’t handing out accolades. The memory of a 3-0 halftime lead against Oliver Ames in the South finals, turning into a 3-2 nail biter, was probably still fresh in his mind.

About ten minutes into the second half the Beverly coach moved Kristen O’Connor further up the field to be part of the attack hoping that a tying goal would result. Kristen was already taking all the Beverly corner kicks and direct kicks.

That player switch led to a goal at 11:33 after Taylor Cogliano broke open down the middle. The tricky sophomore had time to fake past the Beverly goalie, dribble a couple more times, and then casually tap the ball into an open net.

Now up, 2-0, the Franklin defense and offense never let up, avoiding another Oliver Ames type late-game scare.

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Franklin tied Walpole, 2-2, in the last game of the regular season.

Franklin has never won a girls soccer state title. They reached the state semifinals in 2010 losing to Central Catholic in overtime.

That Beverly reached the state semifinals was a surprise to many. During the regular season the Panthers lost twice to Peabody and once to Danvers.

Caitlin Harty

Junior Caitlin Harty scored twenty-seven goals in 2011 and twenty-three this year. Teammate Eva Gourdeau tallied twenty-five in 2011 and fourteen this season.

Caitlin is the top student in Beverly’s junior class with a GPA of 4.7348. She is taking all honors classes.

Nice late fall night at Manning Field. It was cold but there wasn’t any wind.

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

Taylor Cogliano sails in for a shot

Rose Terner

Bailey Knous collides with the BHS goalie

Kristen OConnor lines up a shot

Franklin coach Tom Geysen afterwards

Eva Gourdeau (16) tries to get by Nicole Ellin (11)

Grace Conley (23) guards the post during a corner kick.

Kristen OConnor (10) chases Kristi Kirshe (12)

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Filed under Beverly, Franklin

Tagged as Caitlin Harty, Coach Tom Geysen, Dani Lonati, Eva Gourdeau, Kristen OConnor, Kristi Kirshe, Taylor Cogliano

November 12, 2012 · 6:54 pm

Weston ousts Ipswich in Division 3 North finals, 2-0, in girls soccer

Weston – Division 3 North girls soccer champs

(Lynn) Same teams. Same field. Same weather. Same tournament. Same results.

What can you say? There was Weston defeating Ipswich in girls soccer, 2-0, at Manning Field to capture the Division 3 North finals in beautiful weather. Two years ago (November 14th) exactly the same thing happened.

Juicy rebound early led to first Weston goal by Katie Marlow-Benedick

In this Monday morning event, the Wildcats stunned the Tigers with a goal in the first thirty seconds (Katie Marlow-Benedick) of the game. The insurance for Weston kicked in during the second half on a goal by Maddie Linde.

Weston (11-7-4) moves on to the D3 state semifinals against South champs Norwell at 5:30PM at Veterans Stadium in Quincy on Wednesday. The D3 state finals are at Worcester State College on Saturday (10AM) morning.

Ipswich (11-5-7) had enough defense, led by Courtney Long, to keep the Wildcats from adding more goals in the first half after the depressing start.

The Weston defense, led by Sarah Peters, gave the Tigers few instances of control deep in their territory. Ipswich had several corner kicks but was unable to turn up threats on WHS goalie Alissa Duffey.

The Tigers best chance was on direct kick from straight away by Courtney Long late in the first half. Katie Monahan was bearing down on Alissa as she made the catch. Any sort of bobble there could have been a Tiger goal.

Weston’s first goal happened so fast!

The Wildcats started with the ball. Freshman Emma Marlow-Benedick broke past the Tiger defense in front of the Weston sidelines and dribbled in on the right. Instead of taking a long shot at GK Molly Markos, Emma sent a pass into the middle to senior Maddie Linde. Maddie had time to drill a shot that Molly got a piece of but couldn’t control. The result was a juicy rebound for Emma’s twin sister Katie to tap into the open net.

Down 1-0 in a game not even thirty seconds old was not what the Tigers needed. However, the Wildcats were kept from threatening the rest of the half. Ipswich had several corner kicks but didn’t endanger the Weston shutout.

The Wildcats turned up the pressure in the first fifteen minutes of the second half. They had four dangerous corner kicks before capitalizing.

Maddie Linde (20) about to head home the second Weston goal.

The goal came when senior Hannah Graves sent a corner kick over the reach of goalie Molly Markos. Teammate Maddie Linde was perfectly positioned and headed home Weston’s second goal, fifteen minutes into the second half. Maddie’s height gave her an advantage and Hannah’s kick was right where Maddie could convert.

The Wildcats had several dangerous shots the rest of the way, a couple by Lane Cronin, and one by Jackie Foody.

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Ipswich knocked Weston out of the tournament (1-0) last year at Ipswich on a Hannah Weagle score.

Maddie Linde had both goals in the Wildcat win two years ago at Manning Field.

Kudos to Weston’s Jackie Foody. Her collision with Tiger Lia Ziegler sent the Ipswich senior to the turf but after the Tiger medical staff took care of Lia, Jackie came over to make sure her opponent was okay. Classy move!

Lane Cronin (17) gets a yellow card.

I also congratulate WHS coach Rich Daestrela. When one of his players (Lane Cronin) drew a yellow card for angrily kicking a ball out of play, she had to leave the game. I have seen other coaches immediately put the carded player back in the game. Not Coach Daestrela. He kept the offending party off the field for the last nineteen minutes of the first half. A teachable moment?

Weston can certainly be thankful for the Sullivan Rule. That unique Massachusetts rule allowed the Wildcats to qualify for the MIAA tourney despite a 6-7-4 record. Winning 50% of games against same-division opponents qualifies a team for the tournament……and that’s how Weston got in.

Weston competes in the very tough Dual County League. The beatings they absorbed from D1 powerhouses like Acton-Boxborough, Concord-Carlisle, and Lincoln-Sudbury obviously toughened them up for the Division 3 tournament. The only disadvantage was that Weston got a low seed (#17) and had to win early-round games on the road to get to the finals.

Coach Daestrela commended the Cape Ann League afterwards. He faced Georgetown first and needed penalty kicks to win. He said that the games in between Georgetown and Ipswich were not very competitive and allowed him to use substitutes for most of the second halves.

Maria Balzer (5) and Katie Marlow-Benedick (7)

Coach Daestrela on the undersized freshmen Marlow-Benedick twins: “I don’t care what size they are, they can play, and will play.”

This was Courtney Long’s last soccer game for Ipswich. What a defender she was with a strong leg. She took care of all the goal kicks and direct kicks. I wonder what she would have done on corner kicks?

Some doctors do house calls. Dr. Hugh O’Flynn does field calls! The Ipswich surgeon helped tend to several injured Tigers in the first half.

Good Ipswich sports trivia question: Name the first Ipswich girls soccer coach – Doug Woodworth.

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