From hot practices in August to frigid tournament games in November, the past four months have been action-packed. Some seasons ended with heroics – others, heartbreak. But through wins and losses, smiles and sadness, and the thrill of competition, the fall season came with some intriguing storylines that could be remembered for years to come.
Reilly to the rescue after ‘season-ending’ injury
His doctors told him his season could be over. That’s because he broke his navicular bone toward the beginning of the fall. But with soccer star Dillon Reilly, of Lynnfield, he defied the odds. Reilly missed the entire regular season, but returned just in time for Lynnfield’s state title defense in the Division 4 tournament. Although the Pioneers fell just short of back-to-back championships after a title-game defeat against top-ranked Cohasset, Reilly led the way during Lynnfield’s five-game run. He scored three of his team’s first six goals in the tournament, then scored three more against Hampshire Regional, Frontier Regional, and Cohasset.
“It feels amazing,” Reilly said. “I was told I wasn’t going to play this whole year, so to be able to get back a month early and get the maximum out of games with my brothers feels amazing. We threw the kitchen sink at it. We did everything the doctors recommended and just hoped to get good news, and we eventually did.”
Record after record from Lynn Classical volleyballers
The Lady Rams secured back-to-back Greater Boston League championships, with a few record-holders leading the way. Amanda Hughes eclipsed the 500-kill mark, Emma Chevalier crossed the 1,000-assist mark, and Mia Pento joined the 500-dig club.
“All of those achievements were achieved during the same week this season,” said coach Chris LeBlanc. “Our team went 18-4 this season, won the GBL for the third time in four seasons, and advanced to the round of 16 in the Division 3 state tournament for the second straight year.”
Kwiatek, O’Connell were off to the races
Two of the top cross country runners in the state, St. Mary’s Kelsey Kwiatek and Marblehead’s Marrietta O’Connell, continued to make names for themselves this fall. Truth be told, after the Spartans or Magicians competed in meets, the only place to look for these names was up top. Kwiatek, just a sophomore, ran a 19:04.7 in the MSTCA Cape Cod Invitational, was named Catholic Central League MVP, and was a Lynn All-City champion. O’Connell, a junior, recorded a time of 18:05 this season, which beat her best time last year by 20 seconds.
Putting some English on a season turnaround
The 2023 season wasn’t what Lynn English football fans had in mind. The Bulldogs went 3-8, culminating with a loss on Thanksgiving that saw English score just six points. But fast forward a year under first-year coach Tyllor McDonald, and the Bulldogs were a new breed on the gridiron. They went 7-4, reached the Division 3 state tournament, and capped off the fall with a convincing Thanksgiving Day victory over Classical last week. English scored 132 points in 2023, compared to 243 this season.
“Super proud,” McDonald said. “It all starts in the offseason, but once the holiday season is over, we’ve got to get right back to it. It (Thanksgiving game vs. Classical) was everything I thought it would be.”
Even from Georgia and Texas A&M, they made their homes proud
Lynn’s Joenel Aguero and Marblehead’s Miles O’Neill shined on the national football stage. Aguero, a St. John’s Prep graduate and current sophomore, made 22 tackles for the Georgia Bulldogs, including five in one game against Kentucky. As for freshman O’Neill, he threw his first career touchdown last month in a Texas A&M win against New Mexico State.
