CHS Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams Top Malden
The Chelsea High girls and boys cross country teams defeated Greater Boston League rival Malden last Wednesday on the Red Devils’ home course at Admiral’s Hill.
On the boys’ side, after Malden captured the top two spots, a parade of Chelsea runners came across in places 3-7 to clinch the meet.
Ian Padilla led the Red Devil pack, finishing in a time of 18:44, which was just 16 seconds behind the first-place Malden runner.
Ian was followed by Alejandro Zepeda in 20:00, Johnny Maldonado in 20:20, Ruben Padilla in 20:29, and Alex Estrada in 20:36.
Austin Freeman ran a strong race, finishing in ninth place in 21:28. Juan Alfaro grabbed 10th spot in 21:40 and Nate Nadow finished 11th in 22:45.
Jose Olivar came across in 12th spot in 25:14, Jimmy Merino finished 14th in 25:54, Carlos Alfaro grabbed 15th in 25:58, and Marcos Hernandez came across in 18th position in 26:23.
The final score showed the Red Devils winning the meet, 25-32.
For the CHS girls, who cruised to a 17-38 victory, Gizelle Rodriguez finished in first place in a clocking of 22:07. Darily Sanchez grabbed second place in 25:52, followed by Gigi Olivar in third in 26:26, Holly Hattleberg in fifth in 26:31, and Rosalinda Rojas in sixth in 26:55.
Coach Sam Fogel and his crew were set to compete in the GBL Meet that was scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday) at Torbert Macdonald Park in Medford.
CHS Boys Earn 1-1 Tie with Revere
The Chelsea High boys soccer team engaged in a fierce battle with Greater Boston League rival Revere, which entered the game with a winning record and in third place in the GBL, and deadlocked their Beach City rival to a 1-1 standoff.
Christian Palacios gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead in the opening half, but the Patriots brought the contest back to level midway through the second half on a free kick.
“With 29 minutes to go in the first half, we got a throw-in near the corner flag and Jefferson Ruiz made a long throw-in,” said CHS assistant coach Luis Cruz. “A Revere defender headed the ball out of their box, but Christian was right on the 18 yard line.”
Palacios then delivered a powerful shot that found its way through a group of Revere defenders and into the back of the Patriot net for his second goal of the season.
“From that point on, Revere was trying to tie the game, but our whole squad kept on fighting and Revere was unable to score,” noted Cruz. “However, with 21 minutes left in the second half, Revere had a free kick and scored from a set piece. They crossed the ball and one of their players headed it. Our goalkeeper tried to save it, but he just couldn’t reach it.
“This was a very intense game and I’d say it was the best game we have played so far,” Cruz continued. “We kept on fighting and believed that we could win. It was nice to see the boys fighting for each other on the field.”
Two days later the Red Devils took on the first-place and undefeated Medford Mustangs — who have yielded just nine goals in 14 GBL contests — and came up on the short end of a 5-0 decision in their season finale.
“Our last game of the season didn’t go as we expected it,” said Cruz. “Medford (which needed a victory in order to stay ahead of Everertt for first place in the GBL standings) came in hungry, but we were sloppy from the opening kick-off.”
CHS Girls Soccer Just Short Vs. Salem
The Chelsea High girls soccer team turned in a fine effort, but came up just short in a 1-0 loss to Salem this past Friday.
“This was a real back-and-forth game,” said CHS head coach Randy Grajal. “Salem scored their goal at the 10-minute mark in the first half, but after that we made a few changes in our tactics and were able to neutralize Salem’s best player/goal scorer.
“The team played with poise and they played extremely well the rest of the match,” Grajal continued, “but we were not able to score the tying goal. I am extremely proud of the progress the team has made throughout the season and I am also very confident the team will continue to improve as we move onto our final week of games.”
Earlier in the week, the Lady Red Devils played well in a 2-0 contest at Lynn English.
“The team played a solid game,” said Grajal. “We had many opportunities to score, but could not capitalize. The team showed great chemistry and they were able to maintain good control of the ball in the midfield. Lynn English scored their two goals on breakaways and that proved to be the difference.”
Grajal and his crew were scheduled to conclude their season yesterday (Wednesday) at Northeast Regional.