Sports 04-25-2018

RhS sports Roundup

RHS softball team wins three, now 5-1

The Revere High girls softball team extended its winning streak to five games with a trifecta this week, defeating three Northeastern Conference opponents.

By far the most exciting encounter of the trio was a thrilling 6-5 triumph over Saugus in 10 innings at the St. Mary’s Field.

The Lady Patriots had grabbed an early 3-0 advantage, scoring twice in the opening inning and adding another marker in the third. However, Saugus bounced back with three runs of their own to bring matters back to level in the fifth.

The teams remained at a standoff through the next four frames until Saugus broke through for a pair of tallies in the 10th.

“The team decidedly was down when we came off the field for our half of the 10th,” said RHS head coach Joe Ciccarello. “We had been ahead, but then they tied it and now they were in the lead. We hadn’t scored a run since the third inning, so it seemed like an impossible task.”

However, with one out, Alexis Iacoviello provided her team with a spark when she slammed a double into the gap in left-center. Victoria Coreia followed with a base hit, moving Alexis to third. Saugus then elected to intentionally walk the Lady Patriots’ clean-up hitter, Olivia McManus, loading the bases.

Jolie Giuliano then lofted a sacrifice fly to right that brought Iacoviello home and moved both Correia and McManus up a base.

That brought up Danielle Dion in the pressure-packed situation, and Danielle responded heroically, punching a base hit to right field. Correia scored easily and Ciccarello gave the green light to McManus (who, truth be told, is not the fleetest player on the team).

Olivia rewarded her coach’s decision and slid safely into home with the winning run for the walk-off victory.

“I figured that the right fielder had to make a perfect throw, so the odds were in our favor,” said Ciccarello,

By contrast, the Lady Patriots’ victories over Somerville the day before, 13-4, and Everett two days later, 8-0, were walks in the park.

“Everybody is contributing,” said Ciccarello, who used all 17 of his players in the Somerville contest. “We’re utilizing a nice combination of small ball — bunts that keep the defense honest, forcing the other team to make plays, especially at the top of our order with Eve (Lescovitch) and Alexis — and we’re also receiving solid hitting throughout our lineup.

“Our pitching and defense have been superb, so it’s been a total team effort to this point,” Ciccarello added.

The Lady Patriots received a scare in the Everett game when a line drive back to the mound struck ace pitcher McManus on her right wrist. Although x-rays proved negative, Olivia suffered a bruise that removed her from the game and will sideline her through the beginning of the week.

This marks the second time in the short season that Olivia has been struck by a line drive.

Freshman Adriana Keefe came on for McManus (there was one out in the fourth) and went the rest of the way, maintaining the shutout.

Ciccarello and his crew have their work cut out for them this week. They were set to play two of the top team in the NEC, Marblehead this past Monday and Lynn Classical today  (Wednesday) on the St. Mary’s field. They will host Winthrop Friday and hit the road to Swampscott Monday and to Lynn English next Wednesday.

 

RHS girls tennis defeats Malden

The Revere High girls tennis team earned its first victory of the season with a 3-2 triumph over Malden last week. Farrah Selman, playing at first singles for the Lady Patriots, defeated her Lady Golden Tornado counterpart, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Trang Nguyen won her second singles match in what RHS head coach Carla Maniscalco termed a “great comeback,” 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.

Earning the third point for Revere was the first doubles tandem of Luisa Gil & Nora Le in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.

Revere’s third singles player, Christina Restrepo, came up short in a 1-6, 4-6 decision. The second doubles duo of  sophomore Ayat Zakaria & freshman Lina Nguyen fell by a score of 2-6, 2-6.

In a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Peabody, Restrepo won her match, 6-2, 6-0. The first doubles pairing of Gil & Nora Le also triumphed, 7-5, 6-3.

Selman fell in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 1-6 at first singles, as did Nguyen at second singles, 2-6, 6-1, 3-6. The second doubles team of Taylor Le and & Zakaria fell 4-6, 1-6.

Maniscalco’s crew dropped a 5-0 decision to Saugus late last week. They were set to face Marblehead this past Monday and will play at Lynn Classical today (Wednesday) and at Winthrop on Friday. They will host Swampscott on Monday and entertain Lynn English on Wednesday.

 

RHS girls track team competes at NEC Relays

The Revere High girls track & field team competed in the Northeastern Conference Relay Meet that was held this past Saturday at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville.

“This is only the second year this meet has been run and gives many of the kids some experience running in a relay race,” said RHS head coach Antonio LaBruna. “It also allows coaches to get some times before the State Relay Meet, which will be run this Saturday.

“We had some really good times and some personal records (PRs) from many of the girls,” LaBruna added.

The following Lady Patriots achieved PR performances:

Maria Torres threw 75’-3” in the javelin, helping the javelin relay team to attain a third place finish; Olivia Novolselsky ran a split of 2:48 in the 800 to propel the Lady Patriots to a second place finish in the 4 X 800; and Emily DeMauro ran a 29.8 in her leg of the 4 X 200 relay that landed Revere in sixth place in that event.

LaBruna and his crew, who were rained out of their scheduled meet last week with Marblehead, will host Malden today (Wednesday) and Swampscott on Friday. They will face Peabody next Wednesday.

 

RHS boys tennis falls to Somerville

The Revere High boys tennis team came up on the short end of a 5-0 decision to Somerville in the Patriots’ lone match during the weather-challenged vacation week.

David Phan played at first singles for the Patriots. Riaz Butt played at second singles and Eric Meza competed in the third singles slot. The doubles duos were Siderong Men & Wellen Sok at first doubles and Michael Marchese & Ergi Ismahili at second doubles, for whom this was their first-ever match.

“We are  young team and we do not have a lot of experience,” noted RHS head coach Mike Flynn, whose first-singles player, Phan, played at second doubles last year. “But the effort is there and the team is improving day-by-day.”

Flynn and his crew were set to face Marblehead this past Monday. They will host Lynn Classical today (Wednesday) and Winthrop on Friday. They travel to Swampscott on Monday and to Lynn English on Wednesday.

A woman for all post seasons

Scholar-athlete DiGiulio leads RHS teams to 9 straight tournament appearances

By Cary Shuman

Emily DiGiulio is quietly becoming one of the winningest athletes in Revere High School history.

A junior and already a two-sport captain and two-sport All-Star, DiGiulio has played on eight RHS varsity teams and all eight have qualified for the State Tournament.

And the multi-talented, 5-foot-7-inch standout is on her way to post-season appearance No. 9 as the girls lacrosse team is generating victories under first-year coach Manny Lopes.

DiGiulio has been a mainstay and leader on the volleyball, basketball and lacrosse teams, especially so on the basketball court where she has been a starting guard for Lianne O’Hara’s Northeastern Conference championship program that roared to the No. 1 ranking in all of Massachusetts in the 2016-17 season by winning 18 games in a row.

An excellent playmaker and defensive player known for her mastery of the fundamentals, DiGiulio took on a vital role in penetrating opposing defenses and consistently creating scoring opportunities for 6-foot-2-inch center Valentina Pepic, the Lady Patriots’ three-time, NEC Most Valuable Player.

“I’ve been playing basketball with Valentina as far back as I can remember,” said Emily. “We became really good friends. She’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever played under on a team. She puts in so much work that it’s contagious. I have no doubt that she will succeed at [Division 1] Niagara.”

DiGiulio’s own contributions to this season did not go unnoticed. The NEC coaches recognized DiGiulio’s offensive skills and valuable defensive presence by naming her to the conference All-Star team.

 

An early start in basketball

Sports have been a constant theme for Emily, who started playing basketball when she was four years old under the guidance of her father, retired Revere schoolteacher Peter DiGiulio.

“She always played against older players,” recalled Peter, who was his daughter’s coach through sixth grade.

The road to success started in the Revere Recreation program at the Beachmont School and continued on the Revere Bombers travel team and later for Revere middle school teams led by coaches Anthony Palermo and Erin Parker.

Emily made her varsity debut for Diana DeCristoforo Finn’s varsity team as a freshman for an NEC title team that advanced to the Division 1 North sectionals.

When O’Hara took over the program, DiGiulio became a starter and the team now has a superb 58-9 record during the past three seasons.

She praises O’Hara for her leadership in the volleyball and basketball programs.

“She’s my coach in two sports and one of the most committed coaches I’ve ever had,” said Emily. “You can just tell she loves the team and every girl, and she puts her heart and soul in to coaching and in to us personally. She knows how to handle us and in tough situations, she knows what to do and entrusts us to do our jobs.”

 

A three-sport scholar-athlete at RHS

 

 

Emily took up volleyball as a freshman and has become a strong outside hitter for the varsity, reuniting with  O’Hara who took over the program last fall. She was  named a captain for the 2018 team.

“Volleyball was new to me freshman year, and I just fell in love with it – it’s a close runner-up to basketball as my favorite,” said Emily.

Lacrosse is a relatively new addition to the DiGuilio resume, but she’s become increasingly skilled and an All-Star in the sport after starting in the Revere youth program under the direction of Karen Atkinson. Emily’s uncle, Steve Magno, was the architect of the successful boys youth lacrosse program.

She enjoys her current role on the RHS varsity playing alongside Kiana Napolitano, one of the premier lacrosse players in the area.

“We work so well together,” said Emily. “Kiana has so much talent – she’s like the Valentina of lacrosse, she loves it and puts everything she has in to it.”

Emilyis now considered one of the school’s best all-around athletes, a record of success that is complemented by her academic excellence. She has a 4.0 grade point average, is ranked in the top 10 percent academically in the Class of 2019, and a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. The University of Michigan, Boston College, and Clemson are among the schools she is considering as she looks ahead to the college admissions process.

“I love Revere High School, and Mr. [Michael] Bonanno, who is my intro to psychology teacher, is my favorite teacher,” said Emily. “

Athletic Director Frank Shea, a multi-sport athlete himself at Saint Dominic Savio (Savio Prep), understands the commitment it takes to play and excel in three sports today at the high school.

“What Emily DiGiulio is accomplishing in three varsity sports is very impressive,” lauded Shea. “It takes excellent time management and dedication to excel as she has in our athletic program and in the classroom. She is setting a great example for all students, and the fact that she is currently a captain in two sports speaks to the high regard that she is held by her coaches and teammates. She’s a great kid and real credit to her family.”

 

 

Support from her proud parents

 

Emily said her success in sports and academics would not have been achievable without the support of her parents, Peter DiGiulio and Deb Peczka, who is the administrative assistant and scheduler for Mayor Brian Arrigo.

“They’re my biggest supporters, 100 percent,” said Emily. “I don’t think my dad has missed one of my games, home or away, since I’ve been playing. My mom has always been there for me every step of the way. I’m lucky to have them as my parents.”

Peter DiGiulio looks forward to continuing to be a supporter at all of Emily’s RHS games.

“We’re just very fortunate that we have two children [son Benjamin is an RHS graduate and a senior at Syracuse University] who are great kids,” said Peter. “I’m so proud that Emily is a very good athlete. When I think of three-sport athletes, I think of [RHS graduate and Assumption College softball player] Ally Hinojosa and that’s great company to be in. She was a great role model for Emily.”