~ The Old Sachem ~ Sachems in the early Seventies Seasons

By Bill Stewart

The Lynn Item recently had two items of interest; the first was for listing their all-time football players of the year: John Dancewicz (1966), Dan Hearey (1970), John Nicolo (1975), Joe Barressi (1987) and Raphael Zammit (1998). The second was listing Art Spinney, who was All-Scholastic in 1944 in their all-time list.

Hockey was once again a prime sport in the winter season. The 1970 Sachems won the N.E. Conference Championship with a record of 11 wins, 1 loss to Beverly, and ties to St. John’s Prep and Winthrop. The first line of George Lasquade, Dan Heaney and Bob Tilley were outstanding, as were the defense of Mike O’Hearn and Bill Babcock, and Bud Merrifield in net. In 1972 the Sachems’ record was 11-5-4 and they beat Woburn in double overtime 3-2. Captains were Mike Ferreira, John O’Neil, Rich Murphy and Jeff Blanchard. Other players included Mike Whyte, Keven Wall and Jeff Blanchard.

The 1971 soccer team was the first ever for the Sachems. The 1974 squad was the first SHS soccer team to play in the league, which they won. The team included Will Stewart, Jimmy Scannell and the Couterier boys, Scott and Dave. They made the state tourney for the first time but were beaten by a team that had played the game for years, Newton.

The boys’ gymnastic team of 1971 recorded 9 wins and 2 losses. Captains were Andrew Johnson and Gerald Desisto.

The 1972 boys’ basketball team qualified for the state tourney. Their captain was Bill MacDonald. Vern Spinosa and Scott Millea were selected to the Northeastern Conference All-Stars. Their record was 14 wins and 6 losses. In the State Tourney, they beat Lynn English, 59-58, then lost to Andover 36-55. The 1974 team had a record of 15 and 3, second place in the N.E. Conference, and in the Tech Tourney, they beat Chelmsford and lost to Melrose. Rick Lanney was the star and Mike Spinosa and Doug Ross contributed largely.

Girls’ sports were getting attention in the fall seasons of the seventies. The Sachems had a field hockey team in 1973 that made it to second place in the Northeastern Conference. Their record was 5 wins, 2 losses and a tie. The captains were Joan Romejko and Margaret Crotty. Other players were Joanne Maheris, Maureen Sullivan, Maura Mansfield, Betty Hubner, Beverly Howard, Audrey Golden, Felice Napolitano, Denice Marshall, Sandy Dorgan, Julie Wright, Nancy Barrett and Kathy LeGrow.

The girls’ gymnastic team competed for the first time in 1973 led by seniors Janet and Jeanne Keohane and Debbie Smith. The squad in 1974 was captained by Andrea Pelosi and Kathy Cargill, who competed in state competition.

Girls’ basketball had a successful season in 1971 with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses. Captains were Meredith Maxwell and Debbie LeDrew. Other players were Lew Anne Wall, Linda Scaramozzino, Christine Rossetti, Susan Canfield, June Cristiano, Krista deSteuben, Darlene Barrett, Rose Marston, Diane Carr, Susan Bishop, Pat Melchianno and Kathy Koschei. The 1972 team ran a record of 9 and 1. Margaret Crotty and Joan Romejko were captains and Scaramozzino was the star with 104 points. The team included Terry Green, Judith Tremblay, Deborah Kornatowski, Kathryn Bucold, Penelope Boucher, Krista de Steuben, Theresa Colyer, Beverly Stead, Wendy Waybright and Kathleen Koschei.

  (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, who is better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” writes a weekly column about sports – and sometimes he opines on current or historical events or famous people.)