Golfers closes in on perfection
With just two home matches at Tedesco left in the regular season against rival Swampscott (Oct. 14, 3:30 p.m.) and Winthrop (Oct. 15, 3:30 p.m.), the Marblehead High golfers are closing in on a perfect record. Currently, they are 13-0 overall and 11-0 in the Northeastern Conference after beating Peabody (58.5-13.5, Oct. 5 at The Meadow in Peabody), Gloucester (47-25, Oct. 6 at Gloucester’s Bass Rocks) and Beverly (40-32, Oct 9 at Beverly’s Golf & Tennis Club) last week.
Coach Bob Green’s team started another winning week off against the Tanners, where all eight Marblehead golfers won their matches.
Co-captain Tyler Forbes shot a 36 to win his match, 6.5-2.5. Co-captain Greyson Leventhal then blew away his Peabody counterpart, 8-1.
Colby Moore, shooting a 39, came out on top, 7.5-1.5. Pete Ryan also won with ease, 6.5-2.5. Max King followed a familiar script to win 8.5-.5 after shooting a 39 over nine holes. Teddy Dulac took care of his Peabody opponent, 7.5-1.5. John Rand also dominated his match, 8-1, while Grady Coyne doubled up the opposition, 6-3.
Next up was Gloucester with pretty much the same successful results. A total of six players this time didn’t lose their individual matches.
Forbes (6.5-2.5), Leventhal (8-1), Moore (7-2), Ryan (5-4), King (6.5-2.5) and Coyne (7-2) were responsible for those wins. Dulac tied his match, 4.5-4.5.
With Beverly providing the competition, Leventhal (5.5-3.5), Will Macrina (5-4), King (6.5-2.5), Dulac (6.5-2.5) and Rand (5-4) came through with victories. Moore ended up tying his match, 4.5-4.5, while Ryan played well in the fourth spot, shooting a 38, albeit in a losing effort, according to Green.
Making their points on the pitch
The girls soccer team (4-2-5) picked up points in all three games last week to inch closer to the Division 2 state tournament. These Magicians first shutout visiting Gloucester, 6-0 on Oct. 5, before battling Masco to a scoreless tie two days later, also at Piper. They then closed out the week at Melrose, and ended up tying the Red Hawks, 1-1 on Oct. 9.
Phoebe Fontela-Tuttle ignited the offensive attack against Gloucester with an unassisted goal. She scored another goal to go along with getting two assists to help lead her teammates to victory.
Senior captain Callie Gilmore chipped in with a score, while Ainsley McDonald, also a senior captain, came through with a beautiful header off a corner kick to account for another goal. Izzie Gonzalez also had a goal from senior Alma Gaunt. Junior Laurel Kearney netted her first career varsity goal assisted by classmate Sophia Patterson.
Sophomore Abby Sheehan made one save in the second half to secure the shutout. “Abby came up from the JV team to fill-in for our junior keeper Lily Heller, who has been on the sidelines, and has worked hard,” said coach Lisa Wales. “She has a terrific attitude, and it’s wonderful to see her get a chance to play on the varsity team.”
The Masco game was “one for the ages,” according to Wales, who added that “it was exciting from start to finish.”
The Chieftains are one of the top teams in the state, and so the home team knew that they had their work cut out for them.
Senior Lucy Church drew the difficult assignment of shadowing Masco’s Maggie Blosser, who along with her sister, Lily, will be playing at the University of Maryland next year. “Lucy was incredible all game long, and was crucial to secure a point for the team in the standings,” said Wales. “This is not something that will show up in the stats, but without Lucy’s gritty play to shutdown Masco’s best player, things could have gone differently.”
Wales also credits her defense, led by Ainsley McDonald, Anna Cannuscio, Carys Moran and Cam O’Brien for the well-earned tie. They were all aggressive, which led to many winning 50 / 50 balls.
But the star of the game was senior goalkeeper Hailey Gilmore, who finished up with eight saves. “Her reach and positioning were perfect,” said Wales. “This was by far her best game, which featured a kick save to go along with a stop off a deflection.”
The Marblehead girls had many chances to win the game outright. Callie Gilmore hit a post. Fontela-Tuttle had a shot bounce off a crossbar. And lastly, freshman Maeve Korgie, back from injury, was right there on a through ball, but the Masco goalie came way off her line to stop the shot.
“Masco came into the game undefeated at 10-0, and so to come away with a scoreless tie feels really good,” said Wales, “and I would also like to thank Masco’s coach Alison Lecesse and her entire program for presenting white roses to all our players in honor of Owen Coyne. They are a true class act.”
The Melrose game was the team’s third in five days. Beyond that action on the pitch, the players, according to Wales, were also coping with the sudden passing of three-sport star Owen Coyne.
Callie Gilmore scored off a free kick from Ainsley McDonald halfway through the second half to give their teammates the lead, albeit briefly. “Callie is a smart player, who sees the field incredibly well, and her teammate Phoebe Fontela-Tuttle also played well in this game,” said Wales.
Melrose eventually tied it up with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. Goalie Hailey Gilmore made three crucial saves to do her part to preserve another point for the team.
Field hockey looks to bounce back from last week’s losses
The field hockey team (4-5-1) dropped two games last week to Swampscott (1-0, Oct. 6) and Beverly (3-0, Oct. 9).
“We always enjoy playing Swampscott, and have been looking forward to this game for quite some time,” said coach Alison Carey. “Swampscott is fast, and its defense challenged us, but our offense and midfielders still kept the pressure on to keep the game close.”
Forwards Zoe Dwyer, Emma Ryan and Layla Dulac did a great job moving the ball closer to the goal, according to Carey, while Lucy Rogers also played a particularly strong game. “Lucy is a smart player, who isn’t afraid to challenge the opposition,” said the coach. “She had a few excellent opportunities to score against Swampscott, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.”
Volleyball beats two conference foes
The volleyball team (7-3) defeated visiting Masco (Oct. 5) and host Saugus (Oct. 7) by identical 3-0 scores, before dropping a 3-0 decision to non-league Reading at home on Oct. 8.
Sydney Da Silva turned in an impressive performance to help lead her teammates past the Chieftains. Altogether, she had seven aces and 19 assists. Lila Moniz and Sammy Walker dominated on offense, both walking away with nine kills apiece.
First-year coach Shelley Burns and her team then hit the road for Saugus to take on the Sachems.
Cassidy Klock produced five aces and 10 digs to help pace the winning effort. Sydney Faris and Moniz each collected five kills. Da Silva once again had the most assists on the team with 18.
But then, Reading humbled these Magicians at home. “We fought hard, but fell to a stronger Reading team,” said Burns afterwards.
Taylor Walker led the team on offense with five kills, while Da Silva collected 13 assists. Faris chipped in with 20 digs on defense. Eliza Bland was credited with three blocks. On the service line, Moniz came up with two aces.
Harriers sweep Danvers
The boys cross-country team (3-2) defeated visiting Danvers, 19-43 on Oct. 7 to secure its third win of the year.
“This was the last home meet of the season at the Lead Mills Conservation Area,” said coach Brian Heenan. “The boys were led once again by a first-place finish from senior captain Filip Grubor, appropriately on Senior Day. He continues to have a great season, and was supported by freshman T.J. Waters (third), sophomore Isaac Durand (fourth), senior captain Felix Regnault (fifth), sophomore Ivan Monin (sixth) and freshman Dylan Boland (seventh).”
The Marblehead boys also competed in the annual Frank Kelley Invitational at the Wrentham Industrial Park on Oct. 3, taking part in four different races.
In the freshman 3K race, Waters (third) and Boland (14th) earned medals for their solid finishes. Ronan Lewis, Ethan Smith and Milo Calechman also performed well, according to Heenan.
In the sophomore 3K, Durand (10th) and Monin (11th) ran their best races so far this fall. They too earned medals.
In the Junior / Senior 3K, Cenzo Vorn (30th), Regnault (32nd) and Noah Vanden Heuvel (50th) represented the Magicians.
In the 5K, Filip Grubor (18th) secured a medal, and Victor Pechhold also had a strong showing. “What made their performances even more impressive was the fact that they did this within 24 hours of hearing the news that their indoor track teammate Owen Coyne passed away,” said Heenan. “Members of both the boys and girls teams wrote “For OC” and the No. 18 on their arms and / or faces. I heard several of them say, “That was for OC,” after they crossed the finish line.
The girls team (5-0) also took care of Danvers by a similar score, 19-42 to remain undefeated on the season.
“It was another strong team showing, with Marblehead’s Sarah Munroe (first), Eleanor Morgan (second), Norah Walsh (fourth) and Evelina Beletsky (fifth) leading the charge out front,” said coach Will Herlihy. “The team’s depth was also on display once again. After our top four runners completed the home course, we still had five runners finish in the Top 11 against the Falcons, and they included Jesslyn Roemer (seventh), Nadia Siragusa (eighth), Ginny Donato (ninth), Sophia Letwin (10th) and Charlotte Sheridan (11th).”
In the aforementioned Kelley Invitational, the Marblehead girls competed, while also honoring the memory of Owen Coyne with “OC” and “18” (Owen’s football jersey number) painted on their arms. They wore ribbons on their jerseys, as well.
In the 5,000-meter race, the girls finished second only to Northampton during this statewide competition.
