Sports 10-18-2018

CHS SPORTS ROUNDUP

CHS boys soccer

remains undefeated

The Chelsea High boys soccer team remained undefeated with a pair of impressive victories this past week, albeit by different means against very different opponents.

Last Wednesday Coach Mick Milutinovic and his crew made the long trek to Billerica to take on Shawsheen Tech in a battle for first place in the Large Division of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. Shawsheen traditionally is one of the top teams in the CAC Large and this season has been no exception.

Shawsheen entered the contest in second place behind the Red Devils, who earlier this year handed Shawsheen its lone loss in league play. The field conditions were about as difficult as one could imagine, with the contest being played on a grass field in a hard-driving rain.

Chelsea struck first on a perfectly-executed, team-oriented goal 15 minutes into the contest. CHS leading scorer Delmer Romero, who was being shadowed all game by two Shawsheen defenders, made a nice crossing pass from the right wing into the center of the field near the top of the box.

Gabriel Contreras settled the ball and then laid it off for an oncoming Carlos Lopez just outside the top of the box. Carlos delivered a beautiful strike from about 22 yards out that cleanly beat the Shawsheen keeper into the left corner of the net for a 1-0 Chelsea lead.

The teams slogged through the remainder of the half at that score, but shortly after the intermission, Shawsheen took advantage of a bad pass by Chelsea at midfield that led to a Shawsheen breakout and goal that brought the teams back to level.

However, the Red Devils showed their resiliency and immediately picked up the attack. Five minutes after Shawsheen had drawn even, Romero took a direct kick from about 20 yards out and drilled the ball to the right side of the Shawsheen keeper and into the back of the net.

The Chelsea defense made the 2-1 advantage stand up for the remaining 20 minutes for the big victory.

This past Tuesday the Red Devils hosted Presentation of Mary Academy and cruised to an easy victory in which most of the CHS reserve and junior varsity players saw action. Among the CHS goal scorers were Carlos Ayala, who potted three goals, Gabriel Contreras, Alex Uceda, Wilmer Rivera, and Victor Guzman.

With the CAC Large title firmly within their reach, the Red Devils, who stand at 10-0-2 on the season, control their own destiny.

The Red Devils host Greater Lowell today (Thursday) and will travel to Lynn Tech next Tuesday.

 

CHS cross country

teams improve to 8-1

The Chelsea High girls and boys cross-country teams hosted a tri-meet last Wednesday on the Admiral’s Hill course. Both squads took on Northeast Regional, with the girls also entertaining Notre Dame of Tyngsboro and the boys hosting Medford.

Both Red and Black squads came away with two strong victories to improve to 8-1 on the season.

For the Lady Red Devils, senior Yarid Deris ran away from the field by over two minutes in the final home meet of her superb CHS cross country career.

Saira Carrento was second overall, with Jocelyn Poste close behind in third place.  Yarelis Torres finished in fourth place and twin sister Nicole was 11th to clinch the meet for Chelsea.

On the boys’ side, Justin Turner ran the second fastest time ever on the Admiral’s Hill course with a clocking of 18:12.  Only his former teammate, Jose Leclerc, who graduated last year and is running cross country at UMass-Dartmouth, has run faster.

Julio Valladares was second, with Wuilfido Hernandez coming across in third place. Sophomore Oscar Amaya grabbed the fourth spot and Limilson Tavares finished eighth overall to round out the scoring for the Red Devils.

Both the boys and girls teams were set to to travel to Shawsheen Tech yesterday (Wednesday) for a tri-meet with Shawsheen and Essex Tech. The CHS boys will be trying to win a share of the CAC dual meet title. If they beat both teams, they will finish with the same record (10-1) as Greater Lawrence and Essex.

This Saturday the boys and girls will be traveling to Falmouth to run at the Barnstable Fairgrounds Twilight Meet. The first race is at 5 p.m. and the final race goes off at 8 p.m.

“This will be our first year running this race,” said CHS head coach Don Fay. “It is very popular and a good team-bonding meet. The race is lit up by the light towers from the fairgrounds for the three-mile course.”

 

CHS girls soccer

earns a win and a tie

The Chelsea High girls soccer team enjoyed a successful week, defeating Whittier, 4-1, and battling to a nil-nil deadlock with Notre Dame of Tyngsboro.

Coach Randy Grajal’s squad now stands at 4-6-2 overall and 4-5-2 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.

The offense for Chelsea in the win over Whittier was provided by Elena Ruiz with two goals and Gitu Degefa and Isabel Alvarez with a goal apiece. Ruiz and Nancy Galdamez earned assists.

Ruiz displayed some nifty, heads-up play on her first goal. Elena played a ball quickly after a free kick was awarded to Chelsea and caught the Whittier defenders by surprise.

“Elena showed great game awareness on that first goal,” noted Grajal.

The contest with Notre Dame on the turf at Highland Park was a defensive struggle owing in no small measure to the inclement weather.

“This game was played under rainy conditions, but the team showed great ball control and had several opportunities to score,” said Grajal. “However, we were not able to get the ball past their keeper. Our defense was solid and they were able to stop any scoring chance Notre Dame had.”

The weather worsened as the contest wore on to such an extent that with 23 minutes left in the second half, the referees decided the conditions were not suitable for the game to continue and ended the game.

“The team continues to work hard during games and practices and we are very excited with the success we are having,” Grajal said. “At the same time, we are working on remaining focused and pushing each other to improve.”

The Lady Red Devils are scheduled to trek to Notre Dame today (Thursday), to Minuteman next Tuesday, and to Mystic Valley next Thursday.

 

CHS volleyball

teams fights hard

Although the Chelsea High volleyball team came up short in its two recent matches with Greater Lowell and Lynn Tech, the Lady Red Devils battled well in both contests.

The hard-fought duel with Greater Lowell went to five sets, with Chelsea just falling short, 15-25, 25-17, 27-25, 9-25, and 5-15.

Some of the highlights for Chelsea were provided by:

Capt. Jessica Martinez –  2 aces, 11 assists, 1 dig, 2 kills

Capt. Masireh Ceesay – 3 kills, 3 aces, 2 digs

Iveth Rodriguez – 1 ace, 1 dig

Briana Maldonado – 6 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs

Kerstin Sabillion – 1 kill

Ana Severino – 3 kills, 1 ace, 1 block

Alex Arroyo – 2 aces

Capt. Carolina Moraes – 2 digs

Two days later, the Lady Red Devils came up on the short end of a 3-0 decision to Lynn Tech, 22-25, 18-25, and 15-25. Statistical leaders for Chelsea were:

Capt. Jessica Martinez – 4 aces, 10 assists, and 2 kills

Capt. Masireh Ceesay – 2 kills, 3 aces

Iveth Rodriguez – 1 kill, 2 aces

Briana Maldonado – 1 kill, 1 ace

Ana Severino – 1 kill, 1 block

Alex Arroyo – 1 ace

Deanna Christmas – 3 kills

Coach Serena Wadsworth and her crew will play at Whittier Tech next Wednesday.

 

CHS football team

plays at Lynn Tech

The Chelsea High football team will be on the road for a contest at Lynn Tech Saturday evening. The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Red Devils, who dropped a 26-0 decision to Minuteman this past Saturday, will be seeking their first win of the season.

Boxing’s Biggest Stage

Bay State star Mark DeLuca set for his big bout at the Garden

By Cary Shuman

Mark DeLuca grew up in the South Shore so he understands the boxing history of the TD Garden.

“This is the biggest stage and I’m honored to be fighting at the Garden where legends like Marvin Hagler and Tony DeMarco and Joe DeNucci fought,” says DeLuca, whose nickname is “The Bazooka.”

DeLuca, a former U.S. Marine will be fighting in the TD Garden on Saturday, Oct. 20, in a show that is being promoted by Ken Casey, founder of the Dropkick Murphys. DeLuca is Murphy Boxing’s biggest star.

DeLuca is well known among local boxing fans, including Chelsea City Councillor Calvin Brown, who was an amateur champion and considers DeLuca one of the rising stars in boxing and a world title contender.

“I’ll be at ringside,” said Brown, who rarely misses a big fight. “Mark is an exciting fighter who will have a ton of his supporters at the Garden. He always puts on a great show and the fans love his tenacity.”

DeLuca (21-1-0, 13 KOs) has been training under the tutelage of Hector Bermudez at the Bayshore Athletic Club in Braintree.  He just returned from California where he sparred with Demetrius Andrade, who will be fighting in the main event at the Garden.

Bazooka, 30, will be stepping in to the ring in a rematch against Walter Wright, who handed him the first loss of his career in a controversial 12-round decision.

“I’m going to try to revenge my defeat,” said Bazooka, a three-time national junior champion.

Bazooka will carry his family’s esteemed, pugilistic tradition in to the ring. His father, Mark DeLuca Sr., was a former amateur and professional boxer and Massachusetts state boxing commissioner who used to run the South Shore Police Athletic League gym in Quincy.

“My father used to take me to all the fights at venues like the Roxy in Boston and the Roseland Ballroom in Taunton,” said Mark Jr. “He’s been a great motivator for me throughout the years. My father did a lot for me, bringing me to the gyms and the fights. When you become involved in sports at a young age, your parents have to be just as dedicated as their children are.”

DeLuca, who is 5-foot-9, is hoping that a win at the Garden will move his closer to a shot at the world championship. “I’m happy where my career is right now. I’m progressing well, but we all want a world title shot.”

He is expecting a lot of friends and neighbors to be in his corner at the Garden.

“I’m getting a lot of messages on Facebook inquiring about tickets to the fight,” said DeLuca. “People love the atmosphere of the Garden and being in the city.”

Travis Mazic Gambardella, a Revere native, will also be fighting on the undercard.

 

Bruins Beat

by Bob Morello

Bruins on the road again

The Bruins on Tuesday, embarked on their four-game trip that includes three stops in Western Canada to face the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers tonight (Thursday 9 p.m.), and Vancouver Canucks (Saturday 10 p.m.), with their final stop coming against the Ottawa Senators (10/23 7:30pm), before returning to Garden ice October 25 to host the Philadelphia Flyers. The benefits of this long and early West coast trip, which usually occurs later into the schedule, is the team bonding, plus the chance for Head Coach Bruce Cassidy to get some final questions answered that he may still have before solidifying his roster. A recent release from Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated that veteran forward Lee Stempniak who was on a professional tryout agreement at the Bs training camp, will not be signed by Boston at this time. The Bruins’ decision came prior to this road trip in order to allow Stempniak to move forward with any other options he may have available to him.

Cassidy did answer the question regarding his goaltending tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak for the next two games, confirming that Rask would be the starter versus Calgary on Wednesday (last night), and Halak would be in net to face Edmonton tonight, Thursday (9 p.m). At this point, Cassidy’s goaltending decision has been to regularly alternate both goaltenders, and it has worked out well as their four-game win streak coming into Calgary will attest.

Boston’s top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, continue to impressive with their scoring prowess, having notched 30 points together in the five games prior to Calgary. The trio’s total to date is comprised of Bergeron (5-6-11) to lead the team in scoring, Marchand close behind wit (1-9-10), and the man with the fascinating moves – Pastrnak third in team scoring with (7-2-9).

The National Hockey League added to the accolades by naming Bergeron the NHL First Star of the Week ending October 14. The honor is well deserved as Bergeron also posted his fourth career hat trick versus the Ottawa Senators in Boston’s home opener – in which his choice of hats was to keep a cowboy hat thrown on the ice by a celebrating fan. Having played all 15 NHL seasons with the Bruins, Bergeron this year will reach the 1,000 NHL games played mark, barring any injuries in December. Injured Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (left ankle) is not on the West Coast trip, but plans are for him to resume skating this week to see how his injury handles the contact.

On Wednesday, November 28th, at The Sports Museum’s 17th annual fundraising gala, The Tradition will honor former Bruins coach (1974-1979), Don Cherry, as the 2018 Hockey Honoree, with Bruins legend Terry O’Reilly scheduled to make the presentation. The remaining Honorees are, Paul Pierce (Celtics), Jim Lonborg (Red Sox), Deion Branch (Patriots), Julie Foudy (USA Women’s Soccer), and Richard Petty (NASCAR). Watch ‘Bruins Beat’ for more info in the coming weeks regarding this worthy event which allows fans to enjoy great food, mingle, associate and get photos and autographs from the honored celebrities, and to learn who will be presenting the awards to the honorees, and more.

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