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By Joe McConnell
Everett ranks 11th in early season D-1 poll after big win over the Eaglets
In back-to-back weeks, the Everett High football team (2-1) went up against two perennial Catholic Conference powerhouses. The Xaverian Hawks took them to school at the Stadium on Sept. 18 to the tune of 53-6, but they must have learned their lessons well, because the following week they won a close battle at BC High’s James Cotter Field, 22-19. As a result, the Everett boys ended the month of September as the 11th seed in Division 1, according to the Sept. 29 MIAA power rankings, just ahead of the 12th-seeded Eaglets.
It was definitely a seminal win for a program that has longed for one seemingly for years, and Coach Rob DiLoreto couldn’t be any happier.
“(Last) Friday night’s win was hard fought, and a complete team effort,” he said. “We made big plays in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams – and the players in each group contributed a great deal to this victory.”
DiLoreto knows that BC High is traditionally a talented Catholic Conference opponent, and he’s “very proud” of the way his players bounced back from the previous week’s loss to Xaverian. “Our players showed tremendous belief in each other by coming from behind twice (against BC High),” he added.
Everett enjoyed a 14-7 lead at halftime. The Eaglets trimmed that lead to one after three, 14-13, and took the lead themselves in the final period, 19-14, only to see freshman quarterback Michael Walsh (7 completions for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns) take it right back on a 69-yard bomb to Jamauri Dulin (3 receptions for 87 yards). The tandem then hooked up again on the conversion try to account for the final margin of difference.
That was Walsh’s second 69-yard touchdown pass of the game. He previously found Jeremiah Joseph (3 catches for 80 yards) for a long-range scoring strike in the second quarter. Luca DaSilva then made his second extra point of the first half. The first one came after Tyler Freni’s three-yard run to the endzone earlier in that frame. Throughout the game, Freni carried the ball 19 times for 78 yards, and caught one pass for another 21 yards.
Freshman quarterback Michael Walsh connected on “some beautiful passes,” said DiLoreto, “while showing tremendous composure directing our offense.”
DiLoreto also singled out running backs Roshon Beloney (6 carries, 39 yards) and Freni for their contributions to the offense, while on defense, linemen Kamari Washum (1 solo tackle, 3 assisted tackles) and Michael James (2 solos, 7 assisted tackles) were solid on that side of the ball.
DiLoreto also mentioned those in the defensive backfield like Godson Dellisme (2 assisted tackles) and Phil Pimenta (1 solo tackle, 8 assisted tackles), who helped slow down the BC High offense.
DiLoreto continues to be amazed by the composure of his young quarterback. “I’m very impressed with Michael’s poise as a quarterback,” he said. “He’s doing a nice job of staying in the moment, playing one play at a time, which is helping him stay grounded in each game. Every high school quarterback enjoys a huge growth curve in their first year as a starter, regardless of their age, but being a freshman makes the growth curve even more impactful. His confidence is a key component to his performance and success. I have 100% faith in him that he’ll continue to get even better.”
The Tide begins the Greater Boston League schedule Friday night (Oct. 2, 6 p.m.) against the host Golden Tornadoes at Malden’s Macdonald Stadium. Like Everett, Malden is also 2-1, and is coming off a solid win over Lowell Catholic. They have a high-powered running attack, led by extremely talented backs, according to DiLoreto.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Malden) Coach (Witche) Exilhomme, and I know he will have his team ready for this rivalry game,” DiLoreto said.
Tide girls soccer extends winning streak to four
Entering this week, the Everett High School girls soccer team (5-1-1) was riding a three-game winning streak that included shutout road victories over Revere (3-0, Sept. 22) and Lynn Classical (4-0, Sept. 24). They then made it four in a row after a non-league home win against O’Bryant, 2-1 on Monday, Sept. 28.
Against Revere, the Everett girls turned in a complete team effort, according to coach Dom Persuitte. “(Their play) looked and felt great,” said a very enthusiastic Everett coach afterwards.
Odalis Sandoval and Johanna Flores were the goal scorers against the Patriots. Sandoval’s goal came off a corner kick, followed by a scramble in the box. Senior captain Sofia Arana-Quintanilla was credited with an assist on the play.
Flores scored the team’s second goal from Brianna Santos, and Persuitte then praised both players after the game. He said of them: “They are both making a name for themselves this season (as fine soccer players).”
But as the Everett coach said, it took a team effort to beat rival Revere. Midfielder Kayla Andrade, outside winger Connie Paz-Hernandez, winger Bella Mitrono, speedy freshman reserve Mahiya Begum and Sofia Arana-Quintanilla were also standouts among others in his mind.
Two days later against the Rams, it was more of the same.
“We are really starting to see the team come together, and play as one,” said Persuitte once again after this contest.
Santos, only a freshman, paced the offensive attack with her first varsity hat trick. Classmate Melany Arana-Quintanilla assisted on her second score. She scored both goals in the first half, and added the third goal for the hat trick late in the game.
Sofia Arana-Quintanilla netted the team’s final marker on a penalty kick. “Sofia was cool, calm and collected when she shot the PK into the net,” said Persuitte.
Persuitte also specifically singled out Santos, Sandoval, Flores, Begum, Gissell Lemus, Rosa Romero and Sofia Arana-Quintanilla for their extra effort.
“Overall, I’m very pleased with our play. It’s been fun to watch them move the ball around, and see the hard work they have been putting in so far this year pay off,” the coach said.
The Everett girls went up against visiting Revere on Sept. 30 after press deadline, before heading to Waltham’s Leary Field on Friday (Oct. 2, 4:30 p.m.) to take on the non-league Hawks. They will then return home to play host to Malden (Oct. 5 at the Stadium, 7 p.m.), Lynn Classical (Oct. 6 at 7-Acres, 4:15 p.m.) and Lynn English (Oct. 9 at 7-Acres, 4:15 p.m.) next week.
Tide boys soccer looks to bounce back following close losses to Revere, Arlington
After winning two in a row, the Tide boys soccer team (2-5) lost twice last week to Revere (5-3, Sept. 22 at 7-Acres) and non-league Arlington (4-2, Sept. 25 at the Stadium).
“The game against Revere went back-and-forth in the first half,” said coach Rodney Landaverde. “We went goal for goal with them for a while. Revere then scored three goals, which helped put the game out of reach. But we continued to create opportunities until we finally got one back with 10 minutes left in the game.”
Daniel Henriquez led the way for the Everett boys with two scores. Saymon Coelho accounted for the other tally.
Arlington then came to Everett to take on the Tide last Friday afternoon at the Stadium.
Throughout the first 25 minutes of this game, it was a battle, but Arlington still led at halftime, 2-0.
‘We continued to fight back, but Arlington was still on the attack, and was able to sneak in two more goals,” said Landaverde. “With 10 minutes left, we subbed-in senior Jorge Ayala to add more to our attack that also included Saymon Coelho and Daniel Henriquez. As a result, we were able to score three times, and (Ayala) picked up an assist on each goal.”
The Tide was scheduled to go up against Lynn English at home on Oct. 1 in their only game this week after press deadline. But next week, they have a couple of road encounters against Lynn Classical (Oct. 7 at Manning Field, 4:30 p.m.) and Marblehead (Oct. 9 at Piper Field, 7:30 p.m.) on tap to hopefully begin another winning streak.
