Sports 12-14-2016

RhS sports Roundup

RHS BOYS BASKETBALL OPENS SEASON FRIDAY

The Revere High boys basketball team will open its season Friday evening when the Patriots trek to Beverly.

“Things are moving quickly,” noted first-year head coach David Leary, referring to the sudden onset of the season after more than two weeks of practices and scrimmages.

The last of the Pats’ pre-season scrimmages was held last Tuesday against Lynn Tech.

“Things went pretty well,” said Leary. “They played us real tough, but we were able to pull out a close, three-point win, 61-58.”

The Patriots have voted for two captains, seniors Brendan Hayes and Marvin Urdaneta, for the coming season.

“We’re really looking forward to Friday night at Beverly,” said Leary. “Hopefully all the hard work the players have put into this off-season will pay off.” Home opener will be Monday, December 19 against Lynn Classical at 7PM.

SEASON OPENER TONIGHT FOR RHS HOCKEY TEAM

The Revere High hockey team will face-off for its 2016-17 season opener when the Patriots host East Boston this evening (Wednesday) at 6:30 at Cronin Rink.

“East Boston will present a strong challenge for us,” said RHS head coach Joe Cicarello. “They’re a physical team and have almost all of their starters returning from last year. In addition, they have picked up a few players who have returned from private schools.”

The Patriots earned their second win of the pre-season — the first time a Revere team has accomplished that feat in Ciccarello’s four years at the helm — with a 4-0 blanking of Matignon last week. Mike Giordano led the Revere

attack with a pair of lamplighters. Rich Briana and Anthony Cecca also scored for the Pats.

“We did a good job of forechecking and finishing our chances,” said Cicarello. “All three of our lines played well. It was a good game for building our confidence.”

The Patriots also received strong defensive play from senior captain Chris Anderson, who will be counted upon to be the anchor of the Revere blue line, along with sophomores Cam Mazza, Marc Giordano, and Matt Cravotta and junior Paul Genetti.

The netminding duo of Ken Uminski and sophomore Trevor Ristaino shared the duties between the pipes in earning the shutout.

The Pats will host former Greater Boston League rival Everett Saturday at Cronin at 5:10 and will entertain Lynn next Wednesday at 6:30.

RHS girls track wins season-opener

The Revere High girls indoor track team opened up its season in impressive fashion Thursday night with a 53-33 victory over Lynn Classical.

“The girls showed a ton of heart,” said RHS head coach Antonio LaBruna. “We had to come from behind in many of the races and most of the finishes were decided with just a few strides left. We are definitely not where we want to be from a conditioning standpoint so this one can be attributed to the team’s grit and mental toughness.”

The Lady Patriots captured first-place in seven of the 10 events:

Rachel Shanbar in the shot-put with a toss of 30’-1”; Estefania Velasquez in the 55M hurdles in a time of 10.2; Claritza Vasquez in the 300M dash with a clocking of 49.2; Ghizlane Guisser in the 1000M run in 4:05.9; Hannah Fitzpatrick in the mile in 5:48.8: Monica Posada in the two-mile in 14:45; and the quartet of Vasquez, Helen Perez, Velasquez, and Fitzpatrick in the 4 X 400M relay in 4:49.2.

Second place finishers for Revere were: Vasquez with a high jump of 4’-4”; Sydney Ramos in the 55M dash in 8.4; Perez in the 600M dash in 1:57.3; Taylor Giuffre-Catalano in the 1000M in 4:06.8; and Mariana Hincapie in the mile in 7:24.2.

Lady Patriots who added single points to the Revere scoresheet with third-place finishes were: Janine So in the shot-put with a throw of 25’-½”; Allegra Penn in the 55M dash in 8.5; and Marie Bernier in the 300M dash in 53.5.

A big highlight for Revere was Fitzpatrick’s time in the mile of 5:48.8. All 12 teams in the Northeastern Conference competed Thursday and the junior captain’s clocking was the fastest in the league.

“Hannah is poised for a big season,” said LaBruna. “She is extremely self-motivated and has turned a corner as far as understanding how to approach a race the right way from a strategic standpoint. She’s going to be fun to watch this year.

Vasquez scored in all three events she took part in and is certain to be one of the Lady Patriots’ most consistent scorers this season. “Claritza is very athletic and provides us some versatility that our team is lacking,” noted LaBruna. “She ran under 50 seconds in the 300M just once as a freshmen and started this season with a PR of 49.2, which was nice to see.”

LaBruna and his crew are set to be back in action today (Wednesday) when they host Danvers. “We beat them last year in a close meet, so we know they’ll have revenge on their minds,” said LaBruna. “This one should be really close as well.”

The Lady Patriots will host Marblehead next Wednesday.

Boys track team runs over Classical

The Revere High boys indoor track team opened its season on positive note with a  runaway 58-28 victory over Lynn Classical last week.

Edi Mujan was a double-winner for the Patriots, capturing first place in the high jump with a leap of 5’-6” and in the 300M dash in a time of 39.9.

Five other Revere competitors took first place in their respective events: Morris Toglan with a shot-put toss of 42’-9”; David Sinatra in the 55M hurdles with a clocking of 8.4 (David also took a second place in the high jump with a leap of 5’-4”); Zach Gentile in the 600 in 1:41.6; and Christian Acuna in the 1000 in 3:14.7.

Adding three points to the Revere side of the scoresheet with second-place finishes were: Anthony DeStefano with a shot-put toss of 38’-10”; Nathaniel Eam in the 600 with a sprint of 1:42.6; Nicolas Sujho in the 1000 in 3:15.2; Sebastian Mejia in the mile in 5:15.7; and Arthur LaCerda with a two-mile run of 12:43.

Third-place finishers for the Patriots who contributed single-points to the Revere cause were: Andy Em in the 55M hurdles in 9.7; Yussuf Buda in a competitive 55M dash in 7.1 (the winning time was 7.0); Jonathan Hysenaj in the 300 dash in 41.3; Christian Molina in the 600 in 1:43.1 (which completed an RHS sweep in that event); Amine Maihouane in the mile in 5:52.4; and Jonathan Nushi in the two-mile in 13:26.

The Patriots are set to take on Danvers today (Wednesday) and Marblehead next Wednesday.

Iacoviello’s hoop gives O’Hara and Revere 52-49 win

By Cary Shuman

When Tatianna Iacoviello hit a 50-foot three-point shot to end the first half, the Revere junior guard was just getting started.

Iacoviello swished another three-pointer to tie the game with 26 seconds left and then saved her best for last, a three-pointer with three seconds on the clock, to lift the Revere High girls basketball team to a 52-49 win over St. Mary’s of Lynn at the Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.

“It’s really scary to hit that [winning shot], I’m shaking right now,” Iacoviello told reporters moments after the game. “Last year I hit a half-court shot, so everyone is saying it’s an every-year thing so maybe I’ll hit one next year, too. At halftime when I made the shot, everyone thought the game was over and I said, ‘the game’s not over and that’s it.’”

Iacoviello’s heroics (15 points) and Valentina Pepic’s 20-point, 10-rebound performance helped pave the way to a thrilling victory for Lianne O’Hara in her first game as head coach.

 O’Hara was understandably excited about the dramatic finish and quite proud of her team for besting St. Mary’s, a contender for the Division 3 state championship.

“I don’t know if my heart has stopped pounding yet,” said O’Hara. “It was incredibly exciting, a rollercoaster of a game.”

Indeed Iacoviello’s halftime buzzer-beater (that hit off the backboard and dropped through) gave Revere a 31-18 lead at intermission.

St. Mary’s forward Olivia Nazaire led the comeback with eight points in the third period while Pepic kept the Lady Patriots in front, 41-38, with eight of her game-high 20 in the session.

The Spartans continued their surge early in the fourth period and when Revere’s starting center Meaghan Gotham (7 points) fouled out with 4:34 left in the game, the hosts ultimately took a 49-46 lead heading in to the final minute.

Iacoviello stepped up and connected from downtown to tie the game and then, after receiving a pass from sophomore Emily DiGiulio with 3.2 seconds left, she swished the shot of the night to give Revere an electrifying victory and a short but happy bus ride back to Revere.

St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall gave credit to Revere for its ability to withstand his team’s second-half comeback.

“Give Revere credit,” said Newhall.
“They led the whole game. We got the lead from them. A lot of teams would fold, but they didn’t. Iacoviello hit two big shots at the end of the game. Some positives for us, we fought back in to the game against a very, very good team.”

Newhall also praised Pepic for her double-double showing.

“Pepic was excellent. We know her as a dominant post player but I thought she was great handling the ball. She hit a couple of 5-8 footers. She’s definitely one of the premier post players in the area.”

PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK

Coach O’Hara went with a starting five of Megan Gotham, Pamela Gonzalez, Tatianna Iacoviello, Emily DiGiulio, and Samantha Woodman, choosing to bring Pepic off the bench.

Woodman provided some outstanding defense and rebounding. Gonzalez, one of the best juniors on the North Shore, had three points. DiGiulio, a talented sophomore guard, had five points.

Gotham, the 6-foot-2 senior center, has accepted a scholarship offer to Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut. Athletic director Frank Shea said he will schedule a signing ceremony at the high school soon for the RHS varsity standout.

Elizabeth Lake, a senior guard, played well in a reserve role.

Former Revere High softball great Jen Wells was in the audience at the game. Wells, a dynamite pitcher, orchestrated the biggest upset in Revere softball history, beating a powerful Bishop Fenwick team in a Division 1 state tournament game at Hill Park. Fenwick did not lose another tournament game for the next seven years.

O’Hara is being assisted by coaches Melissa Randall, Kevin Adams, and Chris Magni.

 

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