EHS softball comes up short in tourney
The Everett High softball team, which compiled an 18-2 record during the regular season and was the co-champion of the Greater Boston League with Medford, came up on the short end of a 2-0 decision at Belmont in the opening round of the Division 1 state softball tournament last week.
The Lady Crimson Tide entered the tourney as the #33 seed in D-1, while Belmont was the #32 seed with a 10-8 mark.
Pitcher Peyton Warren went the distance for Everett and turned in an outstanding performance for the Tide, allowing just six hits over her six innings of work.
However, the Everett offense never shifted into gear. The Lady Tide loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning on walks to Emilia Maria-Babcock, Jayla Davila, and Arabella Cvitkusic, but were unable to push across any runs.
The Lady Marauders put together three base hits to produce their two runs in the bottom of the second and that proved to be the difference.
Bryanna Mason had a base hit for Everett in the third, but was left stranded. The Lady Crimson Tide threatened again in the fifth, filling the sacks with two outs on a walk to Cvitkusic, a base hit by Emma Longmore, and a walk to Alexa Uga, but once again proved unable to bring anyone home.
“We just didn’t have the bats,” said EHS head coach Stacy Poste-Schiavo. “This was a frustrating loss because the girls played great defense to support Peyton, who pitched an amazing game, and Emilia supported her throughout the game behind the plate.
“This was not the strong-hitting team that we have been this entire season,” continued Poste-Schiavo. “Their pitcher was not overpowering and we should have hit her better. We made contact, but directly to their players. We had to take advantage of our bases loaded opportunities, but we hit balls directly to them.
“Coach Nigro and I are extremely proud of this team with their hard work and determination all season,” the coach added. “They are a great group of kids who worked well together on and off the field. We would like to thank everyone for their support this season.”
Masucci named MVP; four named GBL stars
Everett senior shortstop Gianna Masucci was named the Most Valuable Player in the Greater Boston League by a vote of the league’s coaches.
Four of Gianna’s teammates were named to the GBL all-star team:
— junior catcher-Emilia Maria-Babcock;
— senior second base Emma Longmore;
— senior first base Bryanna Mason; and
— junior pitcher Peyton Warren.
Interestingly, Revere head coach and Everett native Megan O’Donnell, an Everett High grad who played under EHS head coach Stacy Poste-Schiavo, was named the GBL Coach of the Year.
EHS boys volleyball falls short in tourney
The Everett High boys volleyball team came up on the short end of a 3-0 decision at Durfee High in the opening round of the MIAA Division 1 state volleyball tournament last Thursday.
Coach Michael Fineran’s Crimson Tide entered the tourney as the #39 seed in D-1 with an 11-9 record, while Durfee (13-7) was seeded #29. After battling Boston traffic on the long trek to Fall River, Everett then had to battle the Hilltoppers.
After overcoming some opening jitters at the start of the first set, three serves from senior assistant captain Mark Pierre brought the Tide within striking distance, 13-10. However, Everett could not contain the Hilltoppers’ attack after that. Henrique Franca had four kills and Matheus Queiroz had a pair of kills and blocks in the 25-15 loss.
The Tide came out much stronger in the second set, with Franca tallying five kills and a block, and Steve Flores, Kalleb Miranda, Jefferson Umana, and Hyan Soares adding kills. Miranda also added a pair of blocks. However, Everett missed five serves in the set, which the Tide was unable to overcome, and dropped the second set, 25-20.
Everett battled to a 10-10 tie to start the third set, but Durfee’s experience came through in a 25-12 win.
“It was a great experience for the program to see what playoff competition is like,” said Fineran, whose 2024 squad is the first in the boys’ program’s history to have qualified for the tourney. “I loved our compete level and we represented ourselves well, even though we fell short. It happened fast, but I’m proud of the way we kept battling.
“I told the players before the game to enjoy the experience,” Fineran added. “I told them after the game that just making the tournament is the bare minimum goal next year. We know what it’s like now. The four other GBL teams that qualified all hosted a playoff match this year, and we’re part of a league that is on the rise. It won’t be easy, and we will miss our senior leaders, but we have 11 varsity players returning, and more than a dozen eager, hungry underclassmen. It will be tough to get all of these talented players into the rotation next season, but that’s a nice problem for a coach to have.”
Fineran and his crew closed out their regular season the week before with a 3-0 win over Pioneer Charter in what Fineran labeled “our most complete performance. Since we had already clinched a spot in the tournament before playing Pioneer, we could just go out and play and have fun. Without any pressure, we looked like the team I knew we could be all season: confident, versatile, and solid from top to bottom. Pioneer is a talented team that also went to the tournament, but we held the lead pretty much wire-to-wire, thanks to a relentless attack, commitment to defense, and consistent serving.
“Kalleb Miranda had two blocks early on that established the tone for us and helped neutralize Pioneer’s offense. Senior captain Hyan Soares had three service points and two kills, and junior Jefferson Umana had three blocks and a kill as we built on a 12-6 lead to make it 19-11. Senior assistant captain Mark Pierre was five-for-five serving, and he set up Franca seven times in the 25-19 win,” Fineran said.
“We had a more balanced attack in the second set, with seven players tallying kills, including four from junior Bryan Soares Gomes and two from right side hitter Matheus Queiroz,” Fineran continued. “It’s been tricky this season finding the right line-up, because we have a ton of talented hitters, but there are limited spots on the floor. Bryan has been hitting well lately, and he’s a smart, crafty player. Matheus has been patrolling the right side, which does not get set as often as outside, but he has made the most of the opportunities he gets and adds another layer to our offense.
“Senior assistant captain Nischal Tamang was four-for-four serving, bringing his season average to team-high 95%,” the coach added. “Sophomores Christian Ramirez and Noel Lopez Ardon helped set up the 16 kills in the 25-16 win, with Ramirez serving the last two points.”
In the third set, junior Steve Flores was four-for-four serving with an ace, Hyan Soares was seven-for-seven, and Franca was five-for-six with three kills.
“But the star of the set was Bryan Soares Gomes, who nailed nine kills, six of them coming after Pioneer rallied from a 14-6 deficit to tie the set at 15-15,” said Fineran. “He just took over, and he showed off his full repertoire, using power on some hits, placement and touch on others.”
Miranda, Franca named GBL stars
Two members of the Everett High boys volleyball team, Kalleb Miranda and Henrique Franca, have been named to the Greater Boston League all-star team.
Miranda, a senior middle hitter, racked up 50 blocks during the season, nearly 30 more than his closest teammate. Franca, a junior outside hitter, led the team with 261 serves, 256 kills, and 39 aces.
“Those two have been integral parts of the team, and big reasons for our winning record in our second year as a varsity program,” said EHS head coach Michael Fineran.
EHS girls tennis falls in state tourney
Although the Everett High girls tennis team dropped a 5-0 decision at Central Catholic last Wednesday in the opening round of the Division 1 state tourney, EHS head coach Courtney Meninger praised her team’s performance.
The Lady Crimson Tide entered the tourney as the #39 seed in D-1 with a 7-7 record, while Central Catholic was the #26 seed with a 9-4 mark.
“Unfortunately, we came up short to a tough Central Catholic team,” said Meninger, whose 2024 squad is the EHS first girls tennis team in many years to have qualified for the post-season. “We went into the tournament with our strongest line up, with our senior captain, Yasmine Laabadla, leading the charge at first singles.
“Yasmine and her opponent challenged each other for every single point earned in the match,” Meninger said. “Yasmine was such a leader on the court this season, showing her teammates the confidence and the mental toughness that is required at a very competitive position. She won seven of her matches this season at first singles, which is not an easy feat to accomplish at that position.
“Junior Tracy Pham played at second singles, again rallying and fighting for every point. She did win a set in her match, proving she is going to be a force on the court next season,” noted Meninger. “Tracy stepped up big for us as well this season, also winning seven matches at the singles position.
“We had senior (and salutatorian for the class of 2024) Simran Tamang closing out the last singles match for the Tide,” the coach said. “Simran grew so much as a player this season, it was so enjoyable to watch her build her skill and most importantly, her confidence on the court everyday this spring. Her nerves settled down after a few games, and she won two games in her set as well.
“For first doubles we had the tenacious duo composed of senior captain Rebecca Hickey and junior Nga Do,” Meninger continued. “It was so much fun to watch Rebecca and Nga be matched up as doubles partners and really connect this season. They were able to make that connection and figure out early in the season the best strategy for them to be successful on the court.
“And closing out the match was another competitive pair this season, which was made up of senior Rosena Pun and junior Jessica Du,” Meninger said. “They had practiced and worked hard last summer and it was obvious this season, making them a powerful pair on the court for the Lady Tide, also winning seven of their matches this season.
“I would also like to recognize our last two seniors, Alanna O’Brien and Kirsty Hall, who proved to be two very versatile players, stepping up anytime I needed them at any position for the last four years,” Meninger added.
“I am so proud of the girls for making it to the tournament this season,” said Meinger, reflecting on the season. “At one point we were 1-4 and we went on a five-match win streak and never looked back. I feel very honored to be able to have coached such a special group of girls who worked so hard on and off the courts. They are so passionate about tennis and were always looking to improve their game.”