Krause: Calichman did yeoman work with Swampscott this season

Idle chatter while awaiting the climax of this spring’s high school tournaments.It’s hard to overestimate the job Jason Calichman and his staff did with the Swampscott baseball team this spring. The Big Blue had a few things going against them, not the least of which was the suspension of a couple of key players.Calichman – brand-new as of this spring – weathered that storm, rebounding from a 1-4 start to finish at 9-11, make the tournament under the Sullivan Rule, and record one victory in the postseason before running into Frank Carey’s North Reading team.The Big Blue have nothing to be down about. Were it not for perennial coach of the year Roger Day in the Northeastern Conference/South, Calichman would have been a pretty good choice.Also, props to Calichman and his staff for honoring former coach Frank DeFelice before the last home game of the season.It’s unique to see a sixth grader dominate the way Brady Ryan of St. Mary’s did this year in boys tennis. He made the Catholic Central League all-stars, and won the only match in the Spartans’ loss Saturday to Melrose.It’s enough to send one scurrying to the record books to see how old John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were when their talents first became evident.To be clear, all-stars at the John Holland softball tournament are chosen by members of the news media who have been to all four games, along with assorted members of the game staff. And this year, because of the many times the tournament’s dates and times were changed to accommodate the wretched weather, I’d guess that the number of media people who saw every game was very, very negligible.There is no input from the coaches. And if you think about it, how could there be? The teams are announced immediately upon the conclusion of the championship game. There is no time for coaches to give their opinions.It probably made little impact around here, but there was a major disturbance in the lacrosse force this weekend. Duxbury lost.Why is that such a shock? Duxbury doesn’t lose. The last time the Dragons lost a lacrosse game, until Lincoln-Sudbury beat them this spring in a regular-season game, was in the state lacrosse final in 2010 against St. John’s Prep, on an overtime goal by James Fahey.The Dragons, who won two years previous to that, won the two years following too. They are to high school lacrosse what Everett is to football.Yet BC High beat them Saturday. There will be a new state champ this year.We have had the privilege to watch some outstanding athletes this year. But it may be the one few of us had the chance to see who had the most extraordinary season. Track and field is not on the top of too many people’s lists when it comes to spectator sports. Neither is cross country.But we have had the privilege, these last two years, of following someone as extraordinary as any athlete we’ve seen here since the days of Shalane Flanagan and Franklyn Sanchez.Catarina Rocha of Peabody High completed her second straight table-running school year. She won the state championship in cross country (and finished first in the Northeast and second in the nation); and then won titles in both the indoor mile and outdoor 2-mile (which she won this past Saturday, outkicking her rival in 95-degree heat).That’s truly inspirational.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].