CHS Roundup
Ieng scores three TDs as CHS football team posts first win with 28-0 romp over So. Boston
The Chelsea High football team posted its first win of the season with a 28-0 shutout of South Boston Friday evening.
“It was a total team effort,” said CHS head coach Jack Halas. “Every member of the team saw the field and contributed.”
Junior captain Nick Ieng turned in a herculean performance, rushing for more than 100 yards and scoring touchdowns on runs of 26 and 45 yards. Nick also returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown, his third kickoff return for a TD this season.
Sophomore David Bui also struck paydirt for the Red Devils, reaching the Southie end zone on a 38 yard jaunt.
The Red Devil defense was immense throughout the contest. “Many guys stepped up to contribute,” noted Halas, who in particular lauded the performances of senior captain Dennys Hernandez and Bui with four tackles apiece; Bryan Rivas with three tackles and an interception; and the duo of Christian Caceres and Jacinto Hernandez with three tackles each.
“I am very happy for the boys to have earned their first win, and to do it in a team fashion is even better,” said Halas.
Halas and his crew were back to work this week, preparing for their next opponent at West Roxbury, whom the Red Devils will face Friday evening at 7:00.
CHS boys soccer team opens tourney play Saturday
The Chelsea High boys soccer team will undertake their annual Journey to the Tourney Saturday evening when coach Mick Milutinovic and his crew host the winner of the Woburn vs. Greater Lowell contest (which was played yesterday [Wednesday] as the Record was going to press) in the first round of the Division 2 North Sectional of the MIAA state soccer tournament. Kick-off time is set for 6:00 under the lights at Chelsea Stadium.
The Red Devils enter the tourney as the top-seeded team in the D-2 North with a sterling 15-1-2 record. Chelsea encountered its lone setback of the year in the season finale Thursday afternoon against Winchester. The Red Devils’ quest for an undefeated season fell short, 4-1, to a strong Winchester squad that sports a 10-3-5 mark (and which is seeded fifth in the D-2 North).
Chelsea took a 1-0 lead with about 10 minutes left to play in the first half when Derilson DePina timed a nice pass from Oscar Murillo to get past the Winchester defense, and then neatly chipped the ball over the Winchester keeper from the 18 yard line.
However, Winchester struck back two minutes later to bring the teams back to level and then took the lead five minutes later for a 2-1 advantage before the half. Both Winchester goals came off corner kicks.
“We lost some of our composure when we took the lead,” said CHS assistant coach Evan Protasowicki. “We did a poor job marking their players on the corner kicks and Winchester took advantage of our mistakes. But that gave us some insight into what we need to work on as we prepare for the tournament.”
If the Red Devils prevail in their first round match, they will host the winner of the Danvers vs. Masconomet contest Monday in the D-2 North quarterfinals.
CHS cross country teams compete in CAC meet
Last Saturday the Chelsea High boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Andover where Greater Lawrence was hosting the Commonwealth Athletic Conference league meet.
In the boys race, the Red Devils’ senior first-year runner Jose Aguiar ran a tremendous race to finish fourth overall in the CAC Upper Division.
“We ran here two and a half weeks ago and in that race Jose was a little too aggressive and suffered in the second half of the race,” said CHS head coach Don Fay. “But today he went out a lot smarter and was able to pick people off during the race. He was sixth with just under a mile to go and passed two more in the latter part of the race.”
Since the top eight finishers are named to the CAC all-star squad, Jose earned a spot on the team. His time was 58 seconds better than his previous race on the same course.
Chelsea’s next four runners across the line finished within 27 seconds of each other: Adriel Cedano was 26th in a time of 19:06; Johnny Gomez was 27th in 19:12; Jansel Claudio was 28th in 19:22; and Diego Estrada was 29th, finishing in 19:33.
The boys finished fifth in the upper division meet. “We really worked hard as a team,” said Fay. “We had a lot of individual personal bests throughout the year. The team should be proud of how they performed this season. There never were any excuses, never any complaining. Just toughness and a great work ethic.”
On the girls’ side, CHS senior captain Wendy Becerra missed repeating as an all-star by five seconds. Wendy finished in 10th in 21:41. (The top eight girls are named all-stars.)
“In the latter part of the race, Wendy usually is picking off anyone near her, but today she seemed a little flat,” said Fay afterwards. “But this doesn’t take away from another great year that she had. Wendy was very dominant and was either first or second in every race but one.”
Finishing right behind Becerra was freshman Jocelyn Poste, who ran a personal best time on the Gr. Lawrence course of 22:21 to finish 12th. Melanie Nguyen was 15th in a PR clocking of 22:40. Freshman Yarid Deris also had a PR and was 24th.
Senior Cynthia Guzman came across in 32nd place overall to finalize the scoring for Chelsea. The Lady Red Devils finished in fourth place, just three points behind third-place Whittier.
“This was a good group of girls that we finished with,” said Fay. “They were hard working and positive and, like the boys, saw a lot of individual improvement. I really liked our Saturday morning long runs. After we finished running between 7-9 miles, we would have our bagels and peanut butter for breakfast.
“I hope everyone continues running indoor and outdoor track and continues to get faster and stronger throughout the year,” added the coach.
Tammi Piermarini, Armando Ayuso dominate at Suffolk Downs
Saturday’s eleven-race card at Suffolk Downs on Breeders’ Cup Day was dominated by jockeys Tammi Piermarini and Armando Ayuso who each notched three victories before an enthusiastic crowd of 10,521 fans on hand for third and final live racing and food truck festival of the year.
Piermarini, the third all-time leading female rider in history, began the day with a 4 ½ length victory aboard Miss Wilby ($2.40) in the $75,000 John Kirby Stakes for Marcus Vitali. She wheeled back to sweep the early double with Dr. Blarney ($2.60) in the $75,000 Norman Hall Stakes. She was back in the winner’s circle following a narrow victory aboard the favored Lillie’s Answer ($4.80), a maiden winner for trainer Christophe Clement.
Ayuso kicked off his tripe with Luckystrikedelcoco ($6.80) on the turf for trainer Derek Ryan. He teamed up again with Ryan to win the eighth race with Red Letter ($7.60) and the tenth race with Dubai Time ($11.80).
The track remains open year round for simulcasting. Parking and admission are always free.
For more information, visit www.suffolkdowns.com
About Suffolk Downs:
Built by 3,000 workers in just 62 days when Massachusetts authorized pari-mutuel wagering in 1935, the historic track has been a showcase for some of the most famous names in Thoroughbred racing history, including Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, John Henry, Cigar and Skip Away.