Boy Soccer Wins GBL Title, Awaits Tourney Opponent
The Everett High boys soccer team concluded an amazing run over the second half of the season, in which the Crimson Tide won their final nine contests (and were undefeated at 10-0-1 in their final 11 matches), to capture an undisputed 2022 Greater Boston League championship.
The Crimson Tide set up their path to the GBL title when they knocked off first-place Somerville two weeks ago, leaving Everett (10-2-1) one point behind the Highlanders (11-2) in the standings with both having one game to play entering the final week of the season.
Everett took care of its end with a 5-1 win over Lynn Classical last Tuesday, giving the Tide a final GBL mark of 11-2-1.
Somerville then faced Revere in a make-up game on Wednesday and came up short, 4-2, leaving the Highlanders with a final league record of 11-3, one point behind Everett.
Coach Pedro Blas’s squad concluded their season on a winning note with a 3-2 victory over non-league rival Wakefield on Friday.
Blas and his crew, who finished their season with an overall record of 13-3-1, now will await word of their final seeding and first-round opponent in the upcoming Division 1 state soccer tournament.
Based upon the most-current MIAA rankings, Everett ranks 37th in the MIAA’s power rankings and would face 31st-ranked Barnstable in the tourney’s opening round.
However, the MIAA will not be releasing the official brackets and pairings until today (Wednesday).
Desir Named to GBL All-Star Team
The Everett High boys and girls cross country teams competed in last Thursday’s Greater Boston League Invitational Meet that was held at nearby Torbert Macdonald Park in Medford.
The highlight of the meet for the Crimson Tide was the ninth-place finish of senior Sam Desir in a time of 15:21 among the field of 42 runners. Sam’s top-10 performance earned him a medal and a spot on the GBL All-Star team.
Teammate Matth Telson also ran a strong race, coming across the line in 16th place with a clocking of 16:27. He was followed by Anthony Cooper (22nd in 17:04), Nischal Tamang (23rd in 17:07), David Huezo (30th in 18:21), and Shishir Pokhrel (41st in 19:48).
On the girls’ side, Luca Jean Noel was the top Everett runner, coming across the line in 16th position in 20:47 among the 37 runners. Suzanne Maharjan finished 27th in 23:23.
“We had a very good GBL meet,” said EHS head coach Brendan Hahesy. “All the athletes saved their best for last and ran their best race of the season. A special shout-out should go to Samuel Desir who finished in ninth place for the boys and earned GBL All Star status. He is a four-year member of the team and has worked very hard to become one of the best runners in the GBL. I am very proud of him and all the runners.”
EHS Volleyball Team Ends Season on Winning Note With Victory Over Saugus
The Everett High girls’ volleyball team won two of its last three matches, capping off the season with their seventh win of the season, a 3-0 victory over Saugus at Everett High School last Wednesday.
“I’m happy with how we played,” said coach Mike Fineran, who took over the head coaching responsibilities last month. “We have a strong senior group and they led us to victory.”
Fineran cited the emergence of outside hitter Sophia Sousa as a big reason for the Lady Crimson Tide’s success. “Sophia had the best week of her career when we needed it most,” said Fineran. “She did it all: passing, hitting, and serving.”
Against Saugus, who beat Everett 3-1 in Fineran’s first game behind the varsity bench earlier this season, Sousa blew the first game wide open with nine service points in a row, including seven aces, putting Everett ahead 14-1. She served the final two points of the set, which the Tide took 25-9. Seniors Julie Miranda and Vanessa Almonte added seven more service points, while senior Michelle Ngo had three of her eight kills in the opening set.
The second set was much closer, but kills from juniors Darryn Desrameaux and Nicole Brandao put Everett up 10-7. Down 21-20, Miranda took over serving and closed out the game with four straight points, including acing the last two points.
“That was a pivotal moment in the game,” said Fineran. “We’ve been about to go up 2-0 in matches earlier in the season, but we couldn’t close those games out and wound up wondering what could have been. Give credit to our players for sticking with it, not panicking, and to Julie’s mental toughness.”
Miranda added two more aces to start the third set, Ngo had two more kills, and solid passing from seniors Jane Ebay and Alejandra Cajamarca gave Everett the win, 25-18.
Sousa finished the night with 24 serves and 10 aces and a kill. Ngo was seven-for-seven on serves and was the team’s most dynamic defender. Emanuelly Fernandes and Samela De Souza played error-free. Miranda and Almonte combined for twenty-one service points.
“It was a great finish to the season,” said Fineran. “I’m proud of all of them.”
Earlier in the week, the Lady Crimson Tide honored their eight seniors last Monday when they hosted Lynn Classical, whom Everett defeated in five sets in September. Everett played a spirited match, winning the third set, 30-28 ,to offer the glimmer of hope for another comeback, but ultimately fell to the visiting Rams in four sets.
“It wasn’t how we wanted the night to end, but it was still special for the team,” said Fineran.
Miranda and Sousa had solid nights serving, combining to hit 28-out-of-30 in. Sousa served the final two points in the back-and-forth third set. She also had three kills. Brandao had 15 serves in, along with six kills and two blocks. Junior Kaesta Sandy had three blocks and a kill. Ngo had eight kills. Almonte had four.
Sophomores Emilly Nogueira and Kayleigh McMahon provided steady back row defense and hit 14-of-17 serves in. Sandy, McMahon, and Nogueira began the season on junior varsity, and will join Desrameaux and Brandao as returning players with varsity experience.
The junior varsity team, led by junior Yasmine Laabadla and a solid core of sophomores and freshmen, finished the season with three straight wins, bringing their record to 14-5. The JVB squad, coached by Charlotte Mezoff, also ended with a win, capping off a 9-8 season.
“A lot of times at the end of a season, I’m ready for a break,” said Fineran. “But we have a ton of talent and potential coming back next season, and I’m excited thinking about ways to get them to reach even higher.”
EHS Field Hockey Team Completes Season
The Everett High field hockey team wrapped up its season this past week.
The Crimson Tide deadlocked Revere last Monday, 3-3, but then came up short vs. Malden and Waltham.
Everett’s final record of 6-9-2 fell just short of qualifying for the post-season state tourney.
“We just missed the state tournament, so we are officially done,” said EHS head coach Melissa O’Donnell, whose squad entered the last week of the season with a shot at the tourney. “We had a great season and will miss our seniors.”