The Revere High football team came out on the short end of a 14-0 decision to Salem Friday evening at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
Although it was the day after Halloween, the Witches still had a few tricks left up their sleeves for the Patriots in the form of a 38 yard touchdown pass in the opening period and a four yard run for a TD in the final frame to seal the Patriots’ fate.
The Revere offense meanwhile, proved unable to break the defensive hex spun by the Witches and suffered their first shutout of the years.
The teams were meeting for the second time this season thanks to the new MIAA playoff format in which many schools that did not qualify for the playoffs found themselves playing each other again. Salem won the first encounter, 21-14, three weeks ago.
“It was a very close game,” said RHS head coach Lou Cicatelli. “We were only trailing by 7-0 at the half and it stayed that way until five minutes to go until the fourth period.
“We played well on defense,” added the coach, noting the fine play of Mike Norton, Damien Strait, Steve Noel, and Ed Volcimus, all of whom were in on a number of tackles.
“However, our offense was another story. It was our worst performance of the year;” said Cicatelli, citing the lack of blocking, dropped balls, and turnovers. Revere had a chance to tie the game when the Pats moved inside the Salem 10 yard line, but they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Tight end Steve Selevitch, who made some nice catches, was a bright spot for the Pats’ offense.
Cicatelli and his crew, now 1-6 on the year, travel to Dracut for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday evening.
Boys soccer team falls to Lexington in tourney
The Revere High boys soccer team, which completed the best-ever regular season in the history of the boys program, fell in the opening round of the MIAA Division 1 North Sectional to Lexington, 5-0, Sunday afternoon in a contest played at Revere.
The Patriots entered the tourney as the sixth seed in the D-1 North with an 11-3-4 record. Lexington was the 11th seed with a 9-3-6 mark.
Lexington drew first blood with about 10 minutes left to play in the opening half and then scored on a penalty kick a few minutes later for a 2-0 lead at the intermission.
“We played well in the first 30 minutes of the game, but their two goals late in the half changed the game’s momentum ” said RHS head coach Abdel Rhazi. “We tried everything we could and played hard. But in the end, Lexington was a tough and well-organized team and we made a few mistakes that hurt us. It simply was not our day.”
RHS volleyball team wins regular season finale; ousted from tourney
The Revere High volleyball team, which finished the regular season with a sterling 13-7 record under first-year head coach Jaime Imbracsio, fell to Quincy, 3-0, Saturday evening in the opening round of the MIAA state tournament.
The Lady Patriots, who punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney three weeks ago when they won their 10th game of the year, came into the tourney as the ninth seed in the Division 1 Central-East Division, just behind eighth-seeded Quincy, which compiled a slightly-better 14-7 regular season mark.
Although her squad came out on the short end of their tourney contest, RHS head coach Jaime Imbracsio was pleased with her team’s effort.
“Quincy beat us 3-0, but the girls never gave up and that was what was most important to me,” said Imbracsio. “They fought for every ball and left everything on the court. While it was disappointing because we really wanted to move on in the tourney, the girls played well and I couldn’t be prouder.”
The Lady Patriots put the finishing touch on their outstanding regular season by defeating Medford in a close and exciting match, 3-2, last Monday. Medford took the first game, 25-20, but Revere rebounded to capture the next two games, 25-23 and 25-14. However, Medford refused to buckle and fought back to even the match at 2-2 with a 25-17 victory in the fourth game, setting the stage for what would prove to be a dramatic fifth and deciding game, which Revere won by the narrowest of margins, 15-13.
“It was a great game and the girls wanted nothing more than to win,” said Imbracsio. Among the statistical leaders for Revere were Natalie Colon-Martins with nine digs, four kills, and seven blocks; Shannon Spillane with two kills and 10 digs; Helen Davis with five blocks and 10 digs; Ally Hinojosa with nine digs; and Raela O’Donell with five aces.
“We ended the regular season 13-7 and with the tournament game we were 13-8,” said Imbracsio. “It was one of the best records the volleyball at Revere High has ever had. We are already looking forward to next season.”
Nelson, Puopolo win medals at Coach’s Meet
The Revere High girls cross country team traveled to Wrentham Saturday to participate in the State Coach’s Invitational. There were 65 teams participating in the Division 1 meet, with well over 400 girls running in three separate races. The freshmen girls ran a 3K (1.8 miles) race, while all other ages ran a 5K (3.1 miles).
Lady Patriot freshmen Vanessa Puoplolo and senior Nikki Nelson each medaled in their races, taking 28th and 43rd places respectively. The entire contingent of Revere High girls ran very well, with 15 personal best race-paces being set.
“For most girls, this was their last race of the season and for almost every runner, it was their best,” said RHS head coach Katie Sinnott. “It was a perfect ending to a fun season.”
In addition to Puopolo, the Lady Patriots competing in the freshman race were Rajaa Belhaouari, Emily Brawley, Megan Erwin, Nicole Paddock, Joanna Severino Perez, Alyssa Silveira, Lani Stevens, and Vivian Vo.
Revere girls participating in the sophomore 5K were: Jaclynne Dion, Suellen Guerreiro, Catherine Monroy, Meloee Nazaire, Kasey Sierra, Michelle Vargas, and Jessica Ventura.
Two Lady Patriots participated in the junior/senior 5K, Nelson and Hayley Mangino.
Next Saturday, the top seven Revere varsity runners, Nikki Nelson, Taylor O’Neill, Hayley Mangino, Jaclynne Dion, Suellen Guerreiro, Nicole Paddock, and Vanessa Puopolo, will participate in the Eastern Mass. Divisional race,
RHS field hockey bids farewell to 11 seniors
The Revere High field hockey team recently concluded its most successful season in many years last week, coming out on the short end of a 3-2 decision to Swampscott and then tying Peabody on Senior Night, 1-1. Noelle Macdonald and Angela Curtis scored the Revere goals in the Swampscott contest and Michaela Elliot struck the backboard in the deadlock with Peabody.
RHS head coach Erin Parker, whose team finished with three wins and a tie for the 2013 campaign, the first wins for the program in at least five years, will be losing 11 seniors to graduation, all of whom earned words of praise from Parker:
“Amanda McCarthy was our goalie and improved significantly over her four years. Amanda was a great mentor for our freshman goalie.
“Victoria Guarino was our sweeper who played very consistently for us. She was an enthusiastic learner who continually improved every day.
“Logan DiCarlo was a four-year starter and two-year captain who was involved in every aspect of our play. Logan was a great leader and dedicated athlete.
“Jennifer Martinez was our most improved defender this year. She played well on defensive corners for us
“Julia Jones played as our center midfielder and was a quiet force for us, helping the ball up the field on offense and keeping it out of our circle on defense. Julia played every minute of every game.
“Noelle MacDonald was a former forward and our captain who dropped back to play the midfield this year. She was a quick, offensively-minded midfielder who got several points through assists and goals this year.
“Stephanie Gregorio was another former forward who dropped back to the midfield for us because to her strong understanding of game strategy. Steph was a hungry player in the circle and our best post player.
“Erica Ronga played both forward and midfield due to her strong defensive skills. Erica became an integral part of our offensive corners due to her consistent hit.
“Angela Curtis was a forward whose strong stick stopping skills and quick decision making made her the most important player on our offensive corners
“Tyler D’Angelo was a forward with strong individual stick skills that allowed her to beat defenders and helped us move the ball upfield.
“Michaela Elliott was a forward with a powerful flick that made her a great offensive threat in the circle. Michaela was a true team player.”
RHS cross country boys race in State Coach’s Meet
The Revere High boys cross country team traveled to Wrentham Saturday to participate in the State Coach’s Invitational. There were three separate races, with the freshmen running a 3K (1.8 miles) race, while all other ages ran a 5K (3.1 miles) in two divisions, sophomore and junior/senior.
Revere High freshman Sebastian Mejia brought home a medal for his finish of 43rd place among the 297 runners in the freshman race with a time of 10:55. “Sebastian just started running cross country this year and has been one of our top runners all season,” said RHS head coach Mike Flynn. “He never had run the 3K distance before this race, so we only had a week to prepare for it. But he did a super job Sebastian is one of the most talented freshmen I’ve ever coached and he’s a hard worker. It’s been fun to coach him and watch his development.”
The Patriot senior captains, John Della Russo and Jay Mistri, also turned in impressive performances. Della Russo came home in 99th position (out of 435 boys) with a clocking of 18:05 while Mistri came across the line in 19:41, almost a minute faster than his time in this same race a year ago.
Junior Christ Gentry also turned in a nice effort, finishing with a time of 21:16. “This was Christ’s first competition of this size and he ran very well,” noted Flynn.
Flynn and his crew will wrap up their 2013 season this Saturday in the State Divisional Meet, which also will be held at the Wrentham facility. The Patriots will compete in the Division 2 race. The quartet who ran Saturday will be joined by teammate Bounlaing Chea, who was resting an Achilles injury this past week and thus did not race in the Coach’s Invitational.
RHS girls soccer team ends season on strong note
The Revere High girls soccer team concluded its season on a strong note with a trio of inspiring performances against Everett, Lynn English, and Winthrop.
In the Everett game, the Lady Patriots fought all the way to the end with a big come-from- behind win in which Paolo Ortez scored two second-half goals to give Revere a 2-1 victory.
The Lady Patriots earned a 2-2 tie with Lynn English on October 25 thanks to goals by Marielos Ortez and Paolo Ortez. Revere was down 1-0 when Marielos, who battled an ankle injury during the season, scored her first goal of the season. Ortez then scored the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes remaining, but English found the back of the net with three minutes left on the clock to gain the tie.
RHS keeper Cassandra Dibella initially made six unreal saves to thwart the English comeback bid, but the last shot squeaked past her for the deadlock. “The effort and heart that the girls showed on a cold October night was awesome,” said RHS head coach Megan O’Donnell. “These young ladies always seem to surprise me and I wouldn’t ask for anything different.”
The season ended with a tough loss to a tourney-bound Winthrop squad in a make-up game last Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Patriots came out flying and played their best soccer of the year. Revere took the lead early in the first half on a goal by Immaculate Langat, who was assisted by Ortez.
Revere continued to play great soccer after the intermission, but Winthrop found the back of the net twice in the second half to eke out a 2-1 victory. “I could not have been happier with the effort in the Winthrop game,” said O’Donnell. “The underclass girls, Jade, Luana, Danielle, Marielos, Vanessa, Arianna, Maria, Manuela, Immaculate and Joseline, rallied around their senior teammates and played their hearts out. I am looking forward to a strong season next year with these young ladies who fought hard all season.
“Saying good bye to the eight seniors whom Coach Corrella and I just met two months ago is hard because these eight girls had to put their trust into two coaches whom they didn’t know,” continued O’Donnell, who is in her first year at the helm of the Lady Patriot soccer program.”The coaching staff could not be prouder of how they worked together all season and became a family that never will be forgotten. All eight of these girls always will have a special place in our hearts because all of them are not only amazing athletes, but they also are truly amazing young ladies who have bright futures ahead of them.”
The eight Lady Patriots who played their final game in a Revere uniform last week are: Victoria Coots, Amanda Carlos, Captain Paolo Ortez, Brendalisse Rudecindofajardo, Olivia King, Captain Cassandra DiBella, Captain Marisa Verruto, and Jessica Rambharose.
