~ RHS SPORTS ROUNDUP ~ Revere High winter squads tip off, take off on the track and hit the ice strong

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School Patriots’ winter season is officially underway. The boys basketball team opened with an overtime thriller; the girls indoor track team sprinted out to a 2–0 start with dominant showings across the board; and the boys hockey co-op scored a big win on the road. From freshman debuts to senior leadership, Patriots across all three teams showed they’re ready for a competitive season.

Here’s how each team fared in its first major action of 2025–2026.

Boys basketball celebrates Day, falls short in opener

The Patriots opened their 2025–2026 season in front of a packed home crowd and honored last year’s senior standout Ethan Day with a pregame ceremony for his 1,000-point milestone. But the energy and emotion weren’t quite enough to get past Arlington Catholic, as Revere dropped a 62–55 overtime heartbreaker.

Head Coach David Leary said his young team — with only three players returning with varsity experience — showed early nerves, shooting just 2-for-15 in a first quarter that ended with an 8–6 deficit. “We just couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” Leary said. “Not terrible looks. Just might have been nerves.”

Revere trailed 24–16 at the half but stormed back in the third quarter behind sophomore Charles Dobre and senior Zaney Kayembe. The Patriots took a four-point lead into the fourth and were up three with under 20 seconds remaining before an eighth grader from AC nailed a corner three at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

“We played man-to-man. We thought they’d go quick and then foul,” Leary said. “But they moved the ball around, drove, kicked, and the kid hit it. And in OT, we kind of lost our way.”

Dobre had a strong start to his sophomore campaign with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Kayembe, who spent most of the first half in foul trouble, finished with eight points and 12 boards.

“I was proud of the way we competed on the boards,” Leary said. “They were definitely taller than us at pretty much every position, but we did compete.”

Self-inflicted wounds — turnovers, a lane violation on a made free throw, and some missed assignments — proved costly. Still, Leary emphasized the effort. “There are a lot of things we need to grow from,” he said. “But I like the energy we have. We’re way deeper than we were last year.”

The Patriots now face two of the GBL’s toughest, Lynn Classical and Lynn English, both on the road this week.

Girls track opens season 2–0, dominates at Winter Fest

Revere’s girls indoor track and field team wasted no time making an early statement, starting the season with convincing wins over Malden (63–28) and Lynn Classical (81–12). Coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli credited her senior captains for leading the way across multiple events:

• Gemma Stamatopoulos scored 15 points in both meets, winning the high jump, long jump and 600-meter.
• Olivia Rupp posted first-place finishes in the mile and 1,000-meter.
• Rania Hamdani swept the 55-meter and 300-meter sprints and anchored a victorious 4×400 relay vs. Classical.
• Dayana Ortega won the 55-meter hurdles in both meets and placed second in the long jump each time.
• Basma Sahibi won the shot put against Classical with a throw of 23’11.5″, her first time in the event.

Other standout performances included junior Emma DeCrosta, who won the two-mile vs. Malden (15:37.14), and several newcomers. Freshman Annalise Rodriguez and sophomore Zizi Kalliavas both impressed in the 600-meter, finishing just seconds apart against Malden. Bianca Rincon also posted a strong third-place hurdles debut.

“I’m really excited about what this team can produce,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “A willingness to try new things and act for the team’s benefit is what really sets this group of girls apart.”

At Sunday’s MSTCA Winter Fest, the top performances continued:

• Stamatopoulos won the 600m (1:47.07) and placed third in the high jump (4’8″).
• Hamdani was 8th overall in the 300m (46.25), already close to her PR.
• Kalliavas notched a 2-second PR in the 300m (48.81).
• In the 55-meter, Lesley Mendoza, Jaleeyah Figueroa and Jade Dang all competed.
• Aidah Louaddi marked her first throw of the season in shot put (21-10.5).

Boys hockey opens season with win behind Annunziata’s hat trick

The Revere–Everett–Malden-Mystic Valley boys hockey co-op opened its winter with a 4–2 win over Somerville, powered by a hat trick from Revere senior Frankie Annunziata and a stellar performance in net by Everett’s Ray Blauvelt. Blauvelt turned away approximately 30 shots — “the best game of his high school career,” said Head Coach Craig Richards — while Mystic Valley’s Martino Carbo sealed the win with an empty-netter off a neutral-zone steal with 40 seconds left. Other contributors included Malden’s Tommy Cronin, Everett’s Ben Saia and Mystic Valley eighth grader Cam Macone, who all tallied assists. On the defensive end, Everett senior Charlie Govostes and eighth grader Bradley Roach stood out.

“Our three captains — Annunziata, Saia and Cronin — have done an amazing job taking our young team under their wings,” said Richards. “We couldn’t be happier with how they’ve approached this season and look forward to more positives.”