You could say it’s a good time to be a St. Mary’s track and field fan. After the boys and girls teams captured Catholic Central League regular season titles, the Spartans impressed once more during Tuesday’s league championships in Boston.
The boys were victorious with 132 points, while the girls (2nd – 90) were edged by Cardinal Spellman (93) in a close one.
“I’m very proud of both teams,” said St. Mary’s coach Tristan Smith. “We are onto state championships next week full of inspiration.”
St. Mary’s was led by Princess-Kailyn Njika (55m – 3rd – 7.82), Jimmy Jennings (300m – 1st – 37.32), Lea Deronja (300m – 2nd – 42.89), Lucian Paula (600m – 3rd – 1:30.33), William Potter (1,000m – 1st – 2:45.83), Mia Tatis (1,000m – 4th – 3:27.97), John Bettencourt (mile – 1st – 5:08.59), Kelsey Kwiatek (mile – 1st – 5:15.81), Nicholas Fusco (2-mile – 1st – 11:03.34), Jacob Gil (2-mile – 2nd – 11:58.84), Chloe Mahoney (2-mile – 3rd – 14:07.47), Josiah Madden (high jump – 3rd – 5-02), Jazmin Rodriguez (high jump – 2nd – 4-08), Penelope Rodriguez (high jump – 3rd – 4-08), Mirabelle Calaunan (high jump – 4th – 4-06), Jacobi James (long jump – 2nd – 19-02.25), Jed Ocio (long jump – 3rd – 19-01.75), Lea Deronja (long jump – 3rd – 15-10), Paolo Meho (shot put – 1st – 39-03), Matthew Rivera (shot put – 5th – 32-05), Harmony Hope (shot put – 3rd – 28-02), both 4×400 relay teams, and the boys’ 4×800 relay team.
“Having a championship meet come down to the relays on both sides is a great feeling and adds to the importance of every single person we brought today doing their best, and we walked away with a lot of personal bests,” Smith said. “On the boys side, they needed to win that last relay and they did. On the girls side, although we did win the last event, not enough teams displaced Cardinal Spellman and they were able to get the points to win. Our dual-meets against them this season were close on both sides, so I’m not surprised about tonight.”
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Lynn Tech 168
Lynn Classical/Lynn English 141
The Tilley Cup belongs to Lynn Tech, which won Tuesday’s Lynn City Meet against the Classical/English co-op.
The Tigers — who won the title for the fourth consecutive season — were led by Hunter Carmody, Hunter Flores, Johndeiry Batista, Felipe Oliveira, and Isaac Powers.
“So many great swims and great athletes on both teams,” said Tech coach John Hogan.
Classical/English was paced by David Gamero, Henry Limkol, Daniel Fontes, Solomon Srey, Mohamed Sherata, Oghosa Osaheni, and Naddlie Mazile.
“I’m so proud of all the (personal) bests tonight and the great camaraderie my team shows at every meet,” said Classical/English coach Denise Silva. “There were so many great swims and close finishes — this is a win for Lynn swimming.”
BOYS BASKETBALL
Lynn Tech 81
Greater Lowell Tech 51
The Tigers (10-4) qualified for a state tournament spot behind Keith Chandler’s 30 points, five steals, and five rebounds. He was followed by Andy Batista’s 21 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Peabody 65
Gloucester 61
With Mark Mendonca (29 points, 6 steals, 7 threes) and Thad Broughton Jr. (20 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals) leading the way, Peabody (5-11) extended its winning streak to three games.
“Mark was on fire from outside and hit some huge shots for us all game,” said coach Thad Broughton. “Thad hit some key buckets late in the fourth (quarter) when we needed them. It was a great team win.”
Lynnfield 83
Bishop Fenwick 67
Brandon Doherty (20 points), Harris Hadzihasanovic (19), Grant Neal (18), and Justin Flores (15) led a versatile offense as Lynnfield improved to 12-3.
Beverly 69
Swampscott 56
Despite strong performances from Connor Chiarello (game-high 21 points), Teddy O’Neill (17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), Mike Lutko (8 points) and Chase Groothuis (8 points), the Big Blue fell to 11-4.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Swampscott 53
Beverly 51
Swampscott shot 3-for-4 from the free-throw line late to seal a win against the Panthers. The Big Blue — riding a six-game winning streak — improved to 11-4. Anna Kanders (28 points) and Cecilia Tripp (10) led the offensive charge, while Maddie Lilley came up big on the glass with eight rebounds.
Marblehead 46
Salem 23
Using a dominant 33-13 first half, Marblehead celebrated Senior Night in style. Samara Dosch, a senior captain, started her first game after a knee injury and scored the first two points of the game. Seniors Greta Sachs, Tess Andriano, Hailey Schmitt, and Nora Mahan all played well, according to coach Paul Moran.
Peabody 68
Gloucester 38
Peabody took care of business and qualified for a state tournament spot with win No. 10. The Tanners were led by Olivia Gaynor (15 points), Avery Bettencourt (13 points, 6 steals), and Ava Ryan (9 points, 3 steals), while coach Stan McKeen secured his 150th win.
