CHS Roundup
CHS football team explodes for 34-6 win
The Chelsea High football team earned its first victory of the season in spectacular fashion last Friday evening, defeating Minuteman Regional, 34-6.
The Red Devils seized the initiative from the outset and never looked back, as Chelsea took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in just seven plays, capped by senior Nick Ieng’s five yard burst into the end zone
The Chelsea defense then took its turn in the spotlight, thwarting Minuteman on its ensuing possession with a sack by senior Kevin Ruiz on a third-and-long forcing Minuteman to punt.
The CHS offense went right back to work, mixing runs and passes nicely, to drive 58 yards in eight plays for another TD, this one coming on a four yard run by Red Devil quarterback T.J. Patterson, for a 12-0 CHS lead before the end of the first quarter.
The Chelsea defense continued to assert itself, with senior defensive lineman Pedro Rodriguez recovering a Minuteman fumble near midfield. Chelsea took full advantage of the Minuteman turnover, with Patterson connecting with Ieng for a 45 yard pass for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Luis Jiminez then scampered in for the two-point conversion to make it a 20-0 Chelsea bulge.
Minuteman began to move the ball on offense, picking up a pair of first downs, but the Chelsea defense forced another turnover, this time via an interception by senior cornerback Bryan Rivas.
Chelsea once again capitalized on the Minuteman turnover by going 70 yards on 8 plays with the capper coming on a 37 yard TD pass from Patterson to Ellinson Cruz. T.J. added the two-point conversion to make it a 28-0 Chelsea advantage.
“We were very pleased with the way we started the game. We were able to put together a few successful offensive drives, and create two turnovers,” said CHS head coach Jack Halas. “That kind of football will result in many victories.”
The Red Devils were not done before the half ended, however. After forcing Minuteman to turn the ball over on downs, the Chelsea offense launched its fifth scoring drive of the half, this time rolling 44 yards on six plays to pay dirt. Patterson covered the final 27 yards on a superb run, beating the Minuteman outside linebacker to the edge with pure speed, cutting back against the field, and then zig-zagging through the Minuteman defense.
With Chelsea firmly in control, 34-0, at the half, the Red Devils eased off the gas after the intermission. Minuteman finally got on the board with a 90 yard drive on 14 plays at the end of the game.
“It was great for us to get our first win,” said Halas. “This was a complete team victory. The offense moved the chains, the defense made stops and created turnovers, and everybody got to contribute a piece in this victory.”
Halas and his crew will host Mystic Valley Friday evening under the lights at Chelsea Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:00.
“Mystic Valley is a very good football team,” said Halas, “and it will take another great team effort to get a win.”
CHS boys soccer defeats Lynn Tech
The Chelsea High boys soccer team improved its record to a sterling 9-3-2 and remained undefeated in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference with a 3-1 victory over Lynn Tech last week.
The victory allowed CHS head coach Mick Milutinovic’s squad to keep pace with Northeast Regional in the battle for a share of the championship of the Large Division of the CAC. Both are undefeated in league play, with their sole blemishes a pair of ties with each other.
Kevin Valle gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when he delivered a penalty kick to the back of the Tech net after Red Devil Carlos Cartagena was taken down in the box.
However, Tech brought matters back to level before the half ended, taking advantage of a breakdown in the CHS backfield.
Melvin Gare then stepped forward to don the hero’s cape for Chelsea after the intermission, delivering a pair of cannon shots from the top of the box at the 60 and 70 minute marks to provide the Red Devils with the 3-1 victory.
Monday evening Chelsea made the short trip across the Parkway to Everett Stadium to take on the archrival Crimson Tide and came up short by a score of 4-0.
“Everett has an exceptionally strong team this year,” said CHS assistant coach Evan Protasowicki, of the Tide, who sport an 8-2-4 record, including two victories over Chelsea. “They’ve beaten some top Division 1 teams and figure to do well in the D-1 state tournament.”
The Red Devils, whose only losses have come to D-1 powerhouses Everett and Somerville, were playing without key starters Cartagena (back injury), Carlos Cruz (ankle), and keeper Angel Figueroa (shoulder). Although other members of the team have stepped up, especially Diego Granados in goal, the Red Devils are hoping that they will return to full strength in time for the post-season state tournament.
The Red Devils travel to Greater Lowell today (Thursday), trek to Greater Lawrence Tuesday, and entertain Wachusett in the regular season finale next Thursday at 6:00.
CHS cross country teams win tri-meet
The Chelsea High boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Minuteman Tech in Lexington last week to compete in a tri-meet against Minuteman Tech and Northeast Regional Vocational School. Both teams made the long trek a worthwhile endeavor, returning home with twin wins against their opponents.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Red Devils narrowly edged Northeast, 26-31, and shut out Minuteman, 15-50.
Chelsea Sophomore Yarid Deras continued her winning ways, running 18:44 over the 2.7 mile course that was two minutes faster than her closest competitor from Northeast.
CHS senior captain Melanie Nguyen was third overall, coming home in 21:06. Teammate Jocelyn Poste took fourth spot in 21:39. Freshman Karina Avalos ran her best race of the year by far and finished in sixth place, essentially clinching the meet against Northeast.
“Karina is getting better every week and making significant improvements in every meet,” said CHS head coach Don Fay. “She had a couple of girls behind her and if they had beaten her, we would have lost the meet to Northeast.” Freshman Sandra Tun ultimately clinched the meet for the girls by finishing in 14th place overall for Chelsea.
The Lady Red Devils were set to host their last home meet of the season against Shawsheen Tech and Esssex Tech yesterday (Wednesday).
“It will be one last chance to improve on our times at home,” noted Fay. “Yarid will be tested by the Essex girls in this meet. They have a solid pack of runners.”
On the boys’ side, the Red Devils breezed against both opponents, defeating Northeast, 18-42, and Minuteman, 16-45.
Red Devil Jose Leclerc was the overall winner in 15:39, followed closely by teammate Demitrius Martinez, who was just two seconds behind Jose.
Alex Pedrero was fourth overall, running 17:21 on the 2.7 mile course. Captain Adriel Cedano crossed the line three seconds after Alex. Clinching the meet for Chelsea was Wuilfido Hernandez, who ran 17:39 and was seventh overall.
Also contributing to the scoring was freshman Abraham Barrientos, who was 10th overall at 18:39.
The CHS boys are now 3-4 in the league and are hoping to win at least two of the meets this coming week against Shawsheen, Lynn Tech, and Essex Aggie to finish at .500 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.
CHS track to hold Turkey Trot
The Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 19, the Chelsea High track program will be hosting its second annual Turkey Trot 5K run/3K walk at 10:00 at Admirals Hill.
There is a $25.00 entry fee for adults. Middle and high school-age children are free. All registered runners will receive a T-shirt.
All proceeds will benefit the Chelsea High track program.
Register at www.chelseahightrack.com.
Bruins Beat
by Bob Morello
Bruins home opener and Orr…
Thursday (tonight) marks the 50th Anniversary week of Bruins legend, Bobby Orr’s National Hockey League debut. In a handful of excellent articles in The Boston Globe, the magic of Orr’s first game on the old Garden’s ice recounted the memories of the Bruins’ resurgence following the Parry Sound native’s arrival. Orr made his actual NHL debut on October 19, 1996, at the tender age of 18, playing his first NHL game in the season opener against the Detroit Red Wings and their 38-year-old legend, Gordie Howe. During Boston’s 6-2 victory, Orr assisted on a goal by Wayne Connelly, earning him his first NHL point in front of the Garden capacity crowd of 13,909.
His arrival from the Oshawa Generals, the Bruins’ junior hockey affiliate was much heralded, as the Bruins had not made the playoffs in seven years, having finished at the bottom of the league, in five of the previous six seasons. Despite his being on the Bruins roster, the team again finished last, but it was the start of a legendary career, and Orr’s recognition as ‘the greatest defenseman of all time.’ His performance earned him the Calder Trophy (the league’s most outstanding rookie player), and a second-team All-Star selection. The 1970’s showed the magic of Orr, as he set league records and standards for defenseman, especially during the 1969-70 season in which he became the only player to ever win the Norris (defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season, the greatest all-round ability in the position), Hart (league’s most valuable player), Ross (league leader in total point) and Smythe (most valuable player for his team in the playoffs) trophies in a single season.
At this point the Bruins had not won a Stanley Cup since 1941, but with Orr, things were about to change for Boston, as he helped pave the way to their capturing the Stanley Cup in both 1970 and 1972, twice scoring the winning goal and earning playoff MVP honors. Orr’s Cup-clinching goal in 1970 has been seen many times, as he is flying through the air in front of the St. Louis Blues’ net after taking a pass from Derek Sanderson, and depositing the puck between goalie, Glenn Hall’s pads for the victory. The Bruins’ loss in the 1974 Stanley Cup final was the start of the end Orr’s illustrious career in Boston, as the 1975-76 season would prove to be his final. In 1996, following the advice of his agent, Alan Eagleson, Orr departed Boston as a free agent, signing on with the Chicago Black Hawks. His number of knee injuries having taken their toll, and the 30-year-old Orr retired in 1978, appearing in only 26 games over the next three seasons, retiring in 1978. Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, at the age of 31, after the Hall waived the customary three-year waiting period, making Orr the youngest inductee at that time.
The Bruins’ ProShop powered by Reebok on Level 2 at TD Garden will celebrate Orr’s 50th anniversary since joining the Bruins, by offering his exclusive collection of hats, jerseys, jackets and more. This commemorative apparel is also available online at BostonProShop.com
Tonight (Thursday) the Bruins drop the puck for the first time on Garden ice to signal their 2016-17 regular season opener versus the New Jersey Devils (7:00pm). The Devils come to the Garden with a record of 1-1-1 (3 points). The Bruins are riding a record of 2-1-0 (4 points), and a promising recent win over the Winnipeg Jets, ending their brief three-game road trip. Boston’s current three-game homestand will continue, following the Devils’ contest with a Saturday night encounter facing division-rival and Montreal Canadiens (10/22, 7:00pm), currently at 2-0-1 (5 points), and finishing up with the Minnesota Wild, (10/25, 7:00pm) currently at 2-1-0 (4 points), before heading out on the road to take on the New York Rangers. Possibly making their initial regular season opening, home ice debut will be newbies, Austin Czarnik, Danton Heinen, Brandon Carlo, and Rob O’Gara. While not as heralded as Orr’s arrival, these youngsters will likely relish their initial appearance before the home crowd. Still on the injury list and probably questionable pre-game decisions will be Patrice Bergeron and Adam McQuaid, as the hole left on defense with Kevan Miller’s absence being filled by rookies Carlo and O’Gara.
Let the games begin!