Sports 09-17-2015

CHS Roundup

Red Devils drop opener, face Revere Friday night

Although the Chelsea High football team dropped its season opener to Lynn Tech, 20-6, Friday evening, CHS head coach Jack Halas saw a lot of good signs from his Red Devils, who trailed 20-0 at the half. .

“Halftime was kind of a gut check for our players,” said Halas. “Despite being down 20-0, I was pleased that we continued to play the rest of the game hard.  That’s very encouraging and something we can build upon.  We shut out Lynn Tech for the remainder of the game, holding them to less than 50 yards total offense. There was a response and a fight in our kids.“

The Red Devils were bedeviled from the outset. Chelsea fumbled the snap and exchange on the first two plays of the game, then took a sack and was forced to punt. The Chelsea defense played well, forcing Tech into a three-and-out, and a bad snap on the LT punt attempt was recovered at the Tech 10 yard line by Dashuan Alves.

However, the Red Devils were unable to punch the ball into the end zone, marking the first of four fruitless visits to the red zone by Chelsea on the day.

Tech took over on downs and marched the length of the field for a touchdown, the capper coming on a 46 yard run around left end. A Chelsea fumble on the ensuing possession was scooped up by a Tech player, who rambled 43 yards for another TD, leaving the Red Devils reeling from a 13-0 deficit that arose in the span of about a minute.

However, the real backbreaker occurred at the very end of the half when Tech completed a 42 yard pass on a fourth-and-15 that brought the ball to the CHS two yard line with 0:02 showing on the clock. Tech scored the TD on the final play of the half to take a 20-0 advantage into the locker room.

However, Chelsea shook off its early misfortune and asserted control of the contest after the intermission. The Red Devils’ efforts paid off with a 23 yard TD pass from senior quarterback Mike Rowan to senior wide receiver Jahro Marshall late in the third period.

Chelsea soon had another opportunity to narrow the gap when junior linebacker Javier St. Leger intercepted a Lynn Tech pass. Despite some strong rushing by junior running back Jahhaiha Carr, the Red Devils squandered another trip to the red zone.

“We had five trips into the Lynn Tech red zone, but we were only able to muster six points,” said Halas, “and that proved the difference.”

Halas noted the fine, all-around play of a number of his players, led by senior two-way lineman and captain Dennys Hernandez on both sides of the ball; junior lineman Nick Ieng, another stalwart on both the offensive and defensive lines; junior Jahhaiha Carr, who shone as both a running back and a linebacker;  junior Javier St. Leger at linebacker; junior Dashuan Alves at defensive end; and junior -Bryan Rivas at cornerback.

“We just need to keep coming to practice with energy and enthusiasm, and keep working and grinding, and we’ll improve as a football team, no doubt in my mind,” said Halas. “For most of these guys, it was their first varsity football experience.”

The Red Devils will face a strong challenge this week when they make the short trip down Broadway to take on Revere under the lights Friday night on the Patriots’ renovated Harry Della Russo Stadium. Kick-off time is 7:00.

The contest will mark the renewal of the schools’ ancient gridiron rivalry which has been reignited — after an absence of about 20 years — during the past few winter seasons thanks to the basketball teams’ games that have featured packed crowds in both schools’ gymnasiums. The atmosphere of Friday night’s Battle of Broadway no doubt will remind old-timers of the schools’ legendary contests more than a half-century ago when more than 5,000 fans would fill the stands and surround the fields at the old Chelsea Memorial Stadium and the former Paul Revere Stadium for the schools’ annual match when they both were members of the Greater Boston League.

“Revere blew out Medford, 35-0, this past week, so it will be a good challenge for our boys,” said Halas.

 

Boys soccer team

wins pair, now 3-0

The Chelsea High boys soccer team won both of its matches this past week to remain undefeated at 3-0 early in the season.

Coach Mick Milutinovic’s crew opened the week with a 14-0 win against Minuteman Regional. Nine Red Devils reached the back of the Minuteman net, paced by sophomore Carlos Alfaro-Cruz who accounted for a quartet of tallies.

Elias Sahile and freshman Dan Sabu both added two goals for Chelsea. Single goals came from Anibel Alfaro, Erik DePina, Kevin Umanzor Torres, Melvin Godoy, Yefferson Padilla, and Derilson DePina.

The score was 5-0 in Chelsea’s favor at the half, and though Milutinovic subbed his entire starting lineup after the intermission, the CHS offensive onslaught continued in the latter 40 minutes.

The goalkeeping duo of Angel Figueroa and Cruz Barrientos split the duties in net to earn the shutout victory.

Chelsea could have borrowed a few of those goals for its next contest, a battle against always-tough Lynn Tech Monday. Though the Red Devils managed to post a “W”, the 2-1 final score was a sharp contrast to the Minuteman runaway.

Carlos Cartagena gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead at the 30-minute mark of the first half when the talented sophomore gathered in a long punt by keeper Figueroa, beat two enemy defenders, and broke in alone on the LT net.

Fifteen minutes after the intermission, Cartagena sent a nice through-pass off a corner kick from the top of the LT box to a streaking Derilson DePina on the right side to make it a 2-0 affair.

However, a hand ball resulted in a penalty kick for Tech (on which Figueroa got a piece of the ball and almost made the save) with about 15 minutes to play, setting up a tense conclusion of the contest for Milutinovic and his squad.

“We controlled possession, but we never were able to get into a rhythm,” said CHS assistant coach Evan Protasowicki. “The closeness of the game shows that we still have a lot of work to do.”

The Red Devils will host always-tough Commonwealth Athletic Conference rival Greater Lowell Friday and then entertain Greater Lawrence Tuesday. Both games will be played on the CHS field starting at 4:00.

 

Cross-country teams

run well vs. Somerville

The Chelsea High boys and girls cross-country teams opened their season Monday, hosting Somerville of the Greater Boston League on the Admiral’s Hill course. Although both CHS teams fell short in close contests, they turned in strong efforts against their Somerville counterparts, who traditionally have one of the strongest track programs in the area.

In the boys race, Jose Aguiar finished second overall for Chelsea in his first-ever cross country race.  Finishing two seconds behind Jose was captain Jonathon Gomez.  Jansen Claudio was next for the Red Devils in seventh place, followed by Jose Cintron in ninth and Alecio Dasilva in 10th to complete the CHS scoring. The final count showed Somerville winning by a slim 24-31 margin.

“We had a good first meet,” said CHS head coach Don Fay. “We have a lot of new cross country runners who are getting used to the distance.  We had a competitive first meet with Somerville and we are looking forward to our future meets where we can improve on our performance as we continue to work hard.”

On the girls side, a 25-30 Somerville win, CHS captain Wendy Becerra was third overall in a time of 23:32.  Melanie Nguyen was fourth and Cynthia Guzman was fifth.  The next two spots went to Somerville to ultimately earn the Lady Highlanders the victory.

Lady Red Devil Jennifer Navarro took eighth spot in her first cross country race and Yarid Monzon was 10th to finish the scoring for the Chelsea girls.

“We had a good showing,” said Fay. “We have three freshmen who are getting used to what cross country running is like. Unfortunately, when a team goes 1-2 on you, it puts them in good shape to win the meet. We had 3-4-5, but we were one runner away from winning.”

Yesterday (Wednesday) the teams traveled to Tyngsborough to face Notre Dame Academy (for the girls only) and Presentation of Mary. Both the boys and girls will host Lynn Tech and Whittier on the Admiral’s Hill course next Wednesday at 4:00.

Bruins Beat by Bob Morello

Bruins ready to melt the ice

It’s time to ‘drop the puck’ as the Bruins started Training Camp today (Thursday), with off-ice testing. The Bruins recently announced that there will be two practices open to the public at TD Garden during the 2015 Bruins Training Camp, on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20.

Fans may enter TD Garden beginning at approximately 9:30 am, or 30 minutes prior to the start of the Bruins first practice. The first practice is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am on both Saturday and Sunday and will feature three sessions. Saturday’s sessions will end at approximately 2:15 p.m. and Sunday’s will end at approximately 1:30 p.m. Limited concession items will be available for purchase during the open practices. The ProShop on level 2 of TD Garden will also be open to fans during the open practices. Please note that all practices that take place at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington during Training Camp are open to the public.

Following Sunday morning practice, the Bruins will head to Providence’s Dunkin Donuts Center for their first pre-season game versus the New Jersey Devils (7:00pm).

Twice-a-day practices resume on Garden ice with Monday (9/21) at 11:00am and 1:15pm, and Tuesday (9/22) 10:00am and 11:15am, before playing their first home pre-season game against the Washington Capitals (9/22, 7:00pm). Wednesday practices are set for 10:00am and 12:15pm. Thursday (9/24) 10:00am and 11:15am, with pre-season game #2 versus the New York Rangers on Garden ice at 7:00pm. Friday (9/25) will resume with practice at 10:00am and 11:15am at Ristuccia Arena, Wilmington. Saturday (9/26) continues with 10:00am practice at Wilmington to prepare for Boston’s second road preseason game versus the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena (7:00pm).

The Bruins return to TD Garden ice for Sunday (9/27) practices at 10:00am and 12:15pm. Monday’s (9/28) practice at 10:00am will serve as preparation for the team’s pre-season rematch by hosting the Red Wings at 7:00pm. Tuesday (9/29) practices at Ristuccia Arena are at 10:00am and 12:15. Bruins will practice on Wednesday (9/30) at Ristuccia Arena, traveling to New York to take on the Rangers in a 7:00pm contest. Thursday has a lone 10:00am practice scheduled at Ristuccia Arena, with the final day of camp winding down with a 10:00am practice at TD Garden, before heading to Washington to take on the Capitals for their final preseason contest at 7:00pm. Boston’s home opener will be versus the Winnipeg Jets at 7:00pm.

‘Behind the B’ will debut on Thursday, September 17 at 6:00 p.m. on NESN with an hour-long premiere. A total of 13 episodes of “Behind the B” are slated to air during the 2015-16 season. For the third straight year, the Bruins have granted “Behind the B” cameras unprecedented access into the team’s locker room, executive boardroom, and player’s homes that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the organization throughout the duration of the 2015-16 campaign.

The hour-long season premiere episode documents the team’s off-season, beginning with the hiring of Don Sweeney as General Manager, continuing through the NHL Draft, Development Camp and the informal practices that began in September. Other exclusive “Behind the B” related content will be available on BostonBruins.com and the Boston Bruins Digital Entertainment Network (Bruins DEN) throughout the season.

In the spirit of “giving back,” Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs has donated $30 million to the University of Buffalo. The University’s medical school is scheduled to move into a new building in downtown Buffalo in 2017. President Satish Tripathi has stated that the facility will be named the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The Jacobses have given a total of $50 million to University of Buffalo over the years.

A second show of support had the Boston Bruins Foundation and the Boston Bruins Alumni marking the 20th anniversary of Travis Roy’s devastating accident while playing hockey for Boston University. The two organizations sponsored a golf tournament and donated the proceeds – a $50,000 check, to the Travis Roy Foundation. The money will aid in helping spinal cord injury survivors, and aid in the research to reverse the paralyzing effects of spinal cord injuries.

 

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