Crimson Tide Sports Weekly Notebook heads down the home stretch

By Joe McConnell

A near miss for Tide softball
The Everett High School softball team (9-11) missed qualifying for the postseason by just one game. The effort was there, but unfortunately it was just not meant to be in 2026.
The Tide began the final week of the regular season with a loss to Lynn Classical at home, 18-4 on May 18. But two days later, they bounced right back to takedown host Somerville, 23-10. They needed to beat visiting Cambridge last Friday afternoon (May 20) at Glendale, but the Falcons had other ideas to the tune of 17-4.
“After a tough first inning, we still stayed composed, while continuing to compete,” said coach Stacy Schiavo. “Defensively, we settled down and made several strong plays from the likes of Victoria Cutler, Olivia Dresser, Lindsey Sylva, Juliette Romboli and Kyleigh Ridlon. Overall, I was proud to see them keep on battling to find more ways to score runs.”
The Rams scored 13 of their 18 runs in that first inning to basically put this game away early.
But along came the Highlanders to get them back on the right track. Victoria Cutler pitched six innings, giving up five hits and three walks, which resulted in six earned runs. She finished up with six strikeouts.
The Tide scored three quick runs in the top of the first. Arianna Osorio-Bonilla and Meghan Comerford got the threat going with back-to-back walks, and Lindsey Sylva brought them home with a double. Sylva then moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on a fielder’s choice by Dresser.
The Highlanders scored twice to trim the deficit to one when they came to the plate, but Everett widened the gap in the second with eight more runs to take an 11-2 lead.
McKenzie Rivera got this scoring spree going by reaching safely on an error. Somerville then retired the next two batters, before issuing six straight walks that scored four runs. Bianca Moran-Leal followed with a two-run double. Rivera, coming up for the second time in the inning, followed with another double that accounted for the final two runs in the frame.
Somerville, however, scored four times in the home half to get somewhat closer, once again.
Both teams were still putting up runs in the third. The Tide tacked on one, and it all began and ended with Comerford, who walked, moved to second on a passed ball and stole third, before scoring on another passed ball.
Somerville then scored twice, but still trailed by four after three, 12-8. Everett then added four more runs in the fourth to double up its advantage, 16-8. Romboli led off with a double, and proceeded to steal third. Next up was Moran-Leal, who reached first on catcher’s interference. A Somerville error off the bat of Rivera loaded the bases for Morgan Salvi, whose double scored two. Rivera and Salvi were credited with the final two runs of the inning via passed balls.
Romboli tripled home Ridlon in the fifth, followed by an RBI for Moran-Leal on a fielder’s choice that gave their teammates a 10-run lead, 18-8.
The Tide then scored their final five runs of the game in the sixth. Sylva came through with another RBI, along with Dresser and Romboli, while Moran-Leal drove home the final two with a clean hit to the outfield.
Somerville came back with two in the bottom half of the inning, but it was too little, too late. The game ended after six, because of the mercy rule.
“This was a great team win,” said Schiavo. “The girls stayed focused, kept hitting the ball and played hard the whole game. Lindsey Sylva, Bianca Moran-Leal, Juliette Romboli and Olivia Dresser all came up with big plays for us on offense, while Victoria Cutler gave us a solid game in the circle. I was happy with the way the team responded every time Somerville tried to come back.”
But along came Cambridge in the season finale. Cutler went 3.1-innings after issuing seven hits, three walks and 10 earned runs. Mia Allen followed her to the circle, going the final three. She allowed three hits, six walks and six earned runs, while whiffing two.
The game was tied at two after one. Osorio-Bonilla tripled, before scoring the team’s first run of the game on a delayed steal. Dresser also came up with a triple later on in the first, and was brought home on a single by Romboli that tied up the proceedings.
But the visiting Falcons scored three more times in the second to take a 5-2 lead, and extended their advantage with two more in the third. They broke it open with 10 runs in the fourth to account for their 17 in the game.
Everett managed two more runs in the fifth, when Sylva walked, and scored a short time later on another triple by Dresser, who then came home on a single by Ridlon. This game also ended after six, because of the mercy rule.
“Cambridge came out swinging early, but we kept battling the whole game,” said Schiavo. “Arianna Osorio-Bonilla and Olivia Dresser gave us some big hits, while Lindsey Sylva and Bianca Moran-Leal made a few nice plays on defense. Even when we got down, we kept on competing, and never stopped working.”

Teacher Appreciation Day at Glendale Park
Prior to the Cambridge game, each Everett player gave a teacher a softball with a message written on it that expressed their feelings on how that teacher made a difference in their lives. Some thanked their teachers for always supporting them, or helping them through tough times.
“It was a special moment that showed just how much they appreciated the impact that their teachers made on them, both in and out of the classroom,” said Schiavo.

Girls tennis completes season with pride
It was a rebuilding year for coach Courtney Meninger’s girls tennis team (4-14) after graduating 12 seniors in 2025, but the veteran mentor is still thrilled with their progress, despite losing the last three matches of the year against Revere (3-2, May 13), Mystic Valley (4-1, May 18) and Peabody (5-0, May 20).
“This season was filled with hard work, growth and great team spirit from start to finish,” Meninger said. “The team showed determination, resilience and support for one another throughout every match and practice this spring. While we came up short in our final two matches against Mystic Valley and Peabody, the players continued to compete with pride. They never gave up. I’m extremely proud of all of my players for stepping up and playing wherever they were asked to play this season.”
Meninger is thankful for her seniors, and everything they did to contribute to the program. “Their leadership, dedication and positive attitude helped shape this team, and they will truly be missed both on and off the court,” the coach said. “We are excited about who’s coming back after the (varsity) experience they had gained this year. We look forward to building on this year’s progress, while continuing to grow as a team next season.”

Boys volleyball winds down season with hard-fought win over Chelsea
The boys volleyball team (5-15) defeated Chelsea in the penultimate match of the year, 3-1 on May 20.
“This was a get even match after they beat us by the same score back on April 27 at our place,” said coach Mike Fineran. “We served well for most of last week’s match, missing only five in the three sets that we won.”
Sophomore Danilo Teixeira Fernandes was a perfect 15-for-15 in serves against the Red Devils that also included an ace and five kills.
Freshman Miguel Rodovanski didn’t miss a serve in 24 attempts. He also had two aces and five kills. Junior Akush Gurung made 18 of 19 attempted serves, and was credited with two aces and two kills, as well.
Senior Noel Lopez Ardon had a key run of six serves in a row to go along with two aces in the final set, which helped break a 10-10 tie to secure the win.
According to Fineran, senior Isaque Agostinho had his best match of the year with nine kills and a block. Senior Matheus Teixeira Fernandes led the team with 17 kills.
In the season finale against host Lawrence on May 22, Gurung collected four kills with Agostinho right behind him with three. Teixeira Fernandes chipped in with six kills and two aces. Despite those highlights, the Tide boys were still shutout by the Lancers, 3-0.

Girls lacrosse finishes season with much hope for future success
The girls lacrosse team (4-11) completed the regular season with a couple of close losses to Malden (10-9, May 14) and non-league Mystic Calley (7-4, May 20), but they did wipe out Revere on May 15, 13-4.
The Malden game was hard-fought, according to coach Nicola Jones. Amanda Verteiro led the offense with four goals, followed by Nicole Damaceno with two. Melissa Meireles, Isabela Bicalho and Isabella Aguirre Jimenez each scored once.
“Although it was a difficult loss and a game that we felt we could have won, we still responded in the best possible way the very next day against the Patriots,” said Jones. “We played our strongest game yet, and it was on Senior Day.”
Isabella Aguirre Jimenez and Amanda Verteiro helped lead the way with four and three goals, respectively. Damaceno chipped in with two. Laura Alves Dos Santos, Jacky Ramos, Saline Duck and MariaJose Cardenas accounted for one apiece.
“It was an incredible team effort on a special day, because we got to celebrate this win with our 13 seniors,” said Jones.
Before this electrifying win, the team honored seniors Nicole Damaceno, Amanda Verteiro, Lindsey Cherichel-Paul, Isabela Bicalho, Briana Sequeira, Saline Duck, Fanny Lopez-Portillo, Isabella Aguirre Jimenez, Jackeline Ramos, Annia Blaise Raccie, Ildha Fevrier, Alexandra Schmidt and Bevena Milfort for their contributions to the program the last four years.
“We are so proud of everything that they have brought to this program, and wish them nothing but success moving forward,” added Jones.
But there was still one more game to be played against host Mystic Valley. Even though the Everett girls ended up losing to their worthy non-league opponents in a close contest, they were still able to turn in one of their strongest and most determined games of the year, according to Jones.
“Going into this matchup already a player down and exhausted from a long season, they never once gave up,” added the coach. “They fought for every groundball, and supported one another at both ends of the field to truly leave everything they had out there.”
Verteiro paced the offensive attack with two goals, while Aguirre Jimenez and Duck accounted for the other two.
“While the scoreboard did not fall in our favor, the resilience, growth and teamwork this group demonstrated throughout the season was something to be incredibly proud of,” said Jones. “They finished the season stronger, closer and better than how it started way back in early April, and that says more than any final score ever could. It was a great season filled with heart and unforgettable moments, and I’m so proud of every athlete on this roster for everything they gave to the program. We are already excited to see what next season brings for our returning players.”