Everett rolls past Medford in GBL opener
By Cary Shuman
The Everett High football team began its final run through the Greater Boston League with a solid-from-start-to finish 49-0 victory over Medford Friday night at Hormel Stadium.
Senior running back Marvin Fedna scored two touchdowns on runs of 32 and 39 yards, representing his only carries of the game. Quarterback Jordan McAfee was 5-of-6 for 131 yards with touchdown passes to Anthony Norcia (25 yards) and Theo Zidor (77 yards).
Chris Jenkins contributed a 25-yard touchdown run in the first quarter while Jacob Miller (1 yard) and Yirah Irung (35 yards) also rushed for scores in what was a dominating performance by the offensive line.
Everett head coach John DiBiaso said his team executed well in all categories. “I thought the offense, defense, and special teams played well – we played well in all three facets of the game. It was a nice bounce-back from the Billerica loss.”
Everett (3-2) hosts Somerville (3-2) Friday at 7 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium.
TIDE NOTEBOOK
Sophomore placekicker Gabe DeSouza was a perfect 7-of-7 on PATs.
Everett is 25-0 versus Medford in the John DiBiaso Era. For the series, Everett is 69-42-5 versus the Mustangs.
This is the final season of football for the Greater Boston League. Medford, Malden, and Somerville will play football in the Northeastern Conference in 2017 while Everett will be a Division 1 independent. Medford and Malden have pledged to continue to play Everett while Somerville has decided to discontinue its rivalry with Everett.
Jordan McAfee, who is heading to the Division 1 UConn football program, has 2,902 career passing yards and could surpass the 3,000-yard milestone versus Somerville.
Everett holds the No. 5 ranking in the Boston Herald’s Sweet 16 and is fifth in the Division 1 North football ratings that determine playoff seedings. St. John’s Prep plays Division 1 South’s top-rated team, BC High, in a big game this week.
EHS Roundup
EHS volleyball team defeats Lynn Classical
The Everett High volleyball team is halfway toward its goal of making the state tournament for the first time since 2010. The Lady Crimson Tide have five wins and sit in second place in the GBL after splitting games against Lynn Classical and Medford last week.
On Monday, Everett hosted Lynn Classical, an opponent that had defeated the Tide by a shutout of 3-0 in the second game of the season. However, the rematch proved to an another story altogether, as Everett’s hitters combined for 35 kills, powering the Lady Crimson Tide to a 3-1 victory.
“That was a great win,” said head coach Mike Fineran. “It wasn’t easy, but it felt good to prove what we are capable of. Last year, we played one of our worst sets against them. We were down 22-0, I think. We were more competitive in the first match with them this year, but we hadn’t yet learned how to win,” said Fineran. “We’re a different team now, a better team.”
Everett won the first set behind a balanced offensive attack, with six players earning kills. Senior captain Nyomi Dottin was outstanding all around, earning three kills, two blocks, 13 service points (two aces), and a number of assists. “Nyomi did everything for us. She is such a competitor, and she raises her game when the team needs her most,” said Fineran.
Junior setter Yasmeen Guerrier added six service points to put Everett ahead in the set 18-13, and senior captain Ariele da Cunha served the final two points of the set, which Everett won 25-22. The second set was another tight one, but Everett missed four serves at key times, helping Lynn steal it, 25-18.
“It wasn’t a matter of effort or focus. We just didn’t execute,” said Fineran. There was a silver lining in the loss, as Everett’s junior middle hitter Isabella Lyles racked up six kills and two blocks. “Bella was unstoppable, and we saw an opportunity to use that to our advantage the rest of the way,” said Fineran. “If they can’t stop her, keep feeding her the ball.”
Lyles finished the match with 17 kills, including seven in the third set, which Everett won again by a score of 25-22. Senior outside hitter Jalissa Harding had three kills and two aces in the set, and Guerrier and senior Danielle Burge each tallied a block.
Everett’s defense stepped up in sets three and four, with stellar performances from seniors Brennan Moore and Lisa Quang, and freshman Bianca May. Seniors Daniella Duperior and Mia LaRosa helped Everett maintain a lead in the fourth set, and senior captain Sabrina Moreta came off the bench and nailed a hit down the line to close out the match, 25-21.
“I’m very proud of this team. They didn’t get rattled, they pulled for each other and picked each other up. They knew they could win and went out and got it,” said Fineran.
Everett rode the momentum into a showdown for first place in the Greater Boston League against Medford on Wednesday, but fell in straight sets. “We were beaten by the better team,” said Fineran. “They are 4-0 in the league for a reason. We didn’t play poorly. But they hit better than we did, they defended better than we did, and they served better than we did.”
However, the Everett mentor said his team was able to take away some positive aspects from the match. “Our back row defense was at its best when they hit their hardest,” said Fineran. Seniors Yasmim Silveira and Nathanny Balbino made impressive digs on balls rocketed their way. Thaliany Beltran and Mariah Matos also contributed key plays to keep the match competitive. “No matter who was out there, we competed hard and we made plays. We never gave up,” said Fineran. “We just ran into a hotter team.
“We are going to need contributions from everybody going forward,” Fineran continued. “We have a number of winnable games coming up against teams we have already beaten this year. But as Medford proved, we’re not the only team getting better as the season goes on. We can get to 10 wins and we can secure second place in the league. We can, and we should. But we have to go out and make it happen.”
Fineran and his crew were set to travel to Triton this past Monday and to host Lowell yesterday (Tuesday) and Malden tomorrow (Thursday).
They face cross-town rival Pope John this coming Monday and make the trek to Methuen next Wednesday.
EHS boys soccer team ties Medford
The Everett High boys soccer team earned a 2-2 tie at Medford last Thursday. The deadlock moved the Crimson Tide within three points of clinching a berth in the post-season state tournament with seven games left to play.
Everett appeared to be in the driver’s seat in the contest when Diogo Battista scored his second goal of the game early in the second half to give the Crimson Tide a 2 to nil lead. Gabriel Meriles assisted on the goal. Battista had reached the back of the Medford net in the first half to put Everett on the board before halftime, assisted by Kyle Costa.
However, the departure from the pitch of some key Everett players because of injuries set the stage for a Medford comeback. The Mustangs drew within one with 20 minutes to play and then brought the game to level with five minutes left on the clock.
“We played well for most of the game, but the injuries hurt us,” said EHS head coach Oswaldo Constanza.
The Crimson Tide hosted Lowell Saturday morning and came out on the short end of a 3-0 decision. “We started the game flat and fell behind early,” said Constanza. “We still are missing some of our players with injuries, but that means that others will have to step up.”
Constanza and his crew, who now stand at 6-2-3 on the season, have a busy stretch this week. They were set to host Brockton yesterday (Tuesday) and will entertain Malden tomorrow (Thursday) under the lights at the Stadium at 7:00.
They trek to Methuen Saturday morning and will host Chelsea at the Stadium Monday night at 7:00.
The Chelsea contest should draw a big crowd to watch the Parkway rivals meet on the pitch. “We have a large core of fans who really support us,” said Constanza. “It’s nice to see such a large base and hopefully, it will spark interest in soccer in the city of Everett.”