~ Revere High School Sports Roundup ~

By Dom Nicastro

Revere coed cheerleaders win Greater Boston League title

The Revere High School varsity basketball cheerleaders won the Greater Boston League coed division against Somerville on Sunday, Feb. 23.

“They have been working hard all season to perfect their routine and have overcome many challenges,” said Revere cheerleading coach Sabrina Sloan, who coaches alongside Kayle Pezzuto in their second season. “As coaches, we are most impressed by not only their talent, but their grit and resilience. They are determined and excited for a challenge next Sunday (March 2) at the North Regional competition at Billerica High School, where they will face competitors from four other schools.”

The team captains this year are Vita Somboun and Geovanny Acetty. This winter marks Somboun’s seventh season with Revere cheerleading.

“She is a skilled athlete who pushes herself to work harder and be better every day,” Sloan said. “She encourages her fellow teammates to work hard and serves as a role model to others on the team. Geo, a junior at RHS, has been with the team for four seasons now. He is an asset to the team. He is a driven, talented athlete who serves as both a leader and a confidant to our underclassmen, often offering his support and guidance. Together, Vita and Geo have been fantastic co-captains.”

The two other seniors on the team, Jaelynn Smith and Jayla Foster, have both provided monumental support to their teammates and have worked exceptionally hard this season, according to Sloan, who added, “They are excellent role models to others, and their drive has been inspiring to witness.”

The coaches love the team’s determination. Coming off of a tough end to the fall season, nearly all of the team’s athletes returned ready for a chance to work harder and come out stronger this season.

“The most rewarding part of coaching this program has been the positive environment we have been able to cultivate,” Sloan said. “The athletes on this team genuinely want each other to succeed both as individuals and as a collective unit. They are just great kids.”

Revere had 52 student-athletes try out for winter cheerleading this year, a number the coaches were excited to see. The Patriots ended up with a team of 28, many of whom had never cheered before. And, for some, this is the first sport they’ve ever done.

“They have worked incredibly hard,” Sloan said, “and we are proud of the progress they have made.”

The team is having a trivia night fundraiser this Saturday, March 1, from 6-10 p.m. at Casa Lucia in Revere.

Revere girls basketball team falls in opening round of tourney

The Revere High School girls basketball team saw its winning season come to end with a 49-34 loss to Shrewsbury in the preliminary round of the Division 1 tourney. Revere, the 36-seed in the 38-team tourney, finishes the season 11-10.

Allyson Ollivierra had a couple of early 3-pointers, and Revere had a 7-2 lead. Shayna Smith’s putback gave Revere a 9-4 lead after the first quarter. Revere’s lead got to 12-4 in the second quarter when Nisrin Sekkat stuck a 3-pointer.

Shrewsbury, however, went on 11-2 run to take a 15-14 lead at the half and never trailed from there. The lead got to 20-14 to open the second half before Revere broke the 16-2 run with a basket from Ollivierra on a jumper near the top of the key. She drilled another runner in the lane to cut the lead to 20-18.

But it was as close as Revere got in the second half. Shrewsbury got back into a rhythm and led, 35-28, heading into the final quarter. The hosts comfortably stayed around a double-digit lead before securing the victory.