Esquivel Rushes for 218 Yards, Three TDS in 26–7 Chelsea Victory
The Chelsea High football team earned iits second victory of the season with a 26-7 victory over Keefe Tech of Framingham last Friday evening at Chelsea Stadium.
Senior captain Herman Esquivel once again was a one-man wrecking crew for the Red Devils on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
On offense, Herman rushed for 218 yards and scored three touchdowns, while on defense, he terrorized the Keefe ballcarrers, making 12 tackles, including two for losses.
The Red Devils took a 14-0 lead into the intermission on touchdowns by Esquivel and quarterback Duane Davis, but Keefe got on the board early in the second half to make it a 14-7 affair.
The momentum squarely seemed to be in Keefe’s favor when they forced a three-and-out on Chelsea’s next possession, but on the ensuing Red Devil punt, the ball hit a Keefe player’s leg and Chelsea recovered the loose pigskin.
Esquivel then punched in his second TD to make it a two-score game once again. Although the Keefe offense proved productive thereafter, the CHS defense bent, but didn’t break.
With about six minutes left in the contest, Esquivel scored his third TD of the contest to put the game away.
In addition to Esquivel’s stellar performance, CHS quarterback Davis had a fine evening, hitting on 5-of-12 pass attempts for 96 yards and rushing for 23 yards on five carries with a touchdown.
Jadiel Arias joined Esquivel as a star on the defensive with seven tackles and three pass deflections.
Coach Michael Jackson and his crew are scheduled to make the short trek down the Parkway to take on Medford at Hormel Stadium this evening (Thursday). The opening kick-off is set for 6:00.
CHS Volleyball Team Celebrates Senior Night; Clinches Tourney Spot
The Chelsea High volleyball team celebrated Senior Night in fitting fashion with a 3-0 victory over Greater Boston League rival Lynn English last Friday.
“The seniors did a fantastic job,” said CHS head coach Gabriel Morales, “with some great attacks by senior captain Dhalia Christmas.”
This past Tuesday, Chelsea trekked to non-league rival New Mission High in Hyde Park and came home with a 3-1 triumph.
The two victories were a nice bounce-back for the Chelsea squad after dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 contest to GBL foe Medford last Wednesday, a battle in which the Red & Black came up short by as close a margin as you can get in a volleyball match, with the last set being decided by a score of 15-13.
However, the twin wins assured the Lady Red Devils of a .500 record, thereby punching their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney. Morales and his crew now stand at 10-6 on the season with just one contest left in the regular season when they meet Mystic Valley next Monday.
CHS Boys Soccer Tops Lynn English
The Chelsea High boys soccer team overcame the rain and an early 1-0 deficit to post.a 2-1 triumph over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Lynn English last Thursday on the turf at Chelsea Stadium.
After conceding a goal to the visitors, the Red Devils asserted control of the contest, dominating most of the possession. However, scoring chances were difficult to come by, which led to Chelsea taking shots from distance.
However, a nice strike from more than 30 yards out by Steven Gamez found the bottom right corner of the English net after sliding along the slippery turf to bring the contest back to level at the intermission.
With the slick conditions making it difficult for both teams to mount an effective attack, the contest appeared headed for a deadlock until the waning moments of the game. Chelsea had a free kick and Jefferson Ruiz delivered his version of “Bend It Like Beckham,” delivering a low shot that bent around the Lynn English wall, depositing the ball into the bottom right back of the net to give the Red Devils a dramatic 2-1 victory.
This past Monday’s contest with Revere played out in reverse fashion for Chelsea.
The Red Devils started quickly, grabbing a 1-0 lead when Ruiz sent a nice ball for Olvan Mendez, who then ran with the ball straight at goal and buried a shot into the back of the net with a nice strike across the goal mouth that beat the Revere keeper.
However, the Patriots soon brought the contest back to level with a penalty kick and then a defensive error left a Revere attacker one-on-one with the CHS keeper to carry the Patriots into the half with a 2-1 lead.
Chelsea regained the momentum after the intermission when Mendez returned the earlier favor from Ruiz with a nice through-ball that sent Jefferson in on the Revere goal. Ruiz dribbled past the Patriot keeper and scored into the open net to make it a 2-2 affair.
However, a poorly-defended corner kick and another defensive error resulted in a pair of Revere goals for the 4-2 finale.
Coach Mick Milutinovic and his squad, who stand at, 7-5-1 on the season, need just two more points — via either a win or two ties — in order to achieve a .500 record and qualify for the post-season state tourney .
The Red Devils are scheduled to play at GBL rival Medford today (Thursday) and will host non-league opponent East Boston on Monday. They will travel to GBL foe Lynn Classical next Thursday and then will wrap up their season on Monday, October 31 vs. non-league opponent Charlestown.
Red Devil Runners Unable To Corral Mustangs
The Medford Mustangs, one of the top teams in the Greater Boston League, ran past the Chelsea High boys and girls cross country teams in their dual meet last Wednesday at Macdonald Park.
The boys fell by a score of 17-42. Red Devil Alex Flores finished as the top Chelsea runner, taking fourth place by covering the 2.65 mile course in a time of 16:18. The full results for the Chelsea boys were as follows:
4. Alex Flores 16:18
7. Alejandro Zepeda 16:51
8. Nate Nadow 17:06
13. Kyle Leong 18:22
17. Austin Freeman 18:49
18. Jose Amaya 19:23
19. Josue Hernandez 19:26
23. Heriberto De Jesus 23:05
24. Jimmy Merino 24:00
On the girls’ side, Chelsea came up short by a score of 21-40. Two Lady Red Devils, Gizelle Rodriguez and Darily Sanchez, cracked the top five. Gizelle finished in third place with a clocking of 18:37 and Darily came across the line in fourth spot in 20:39. The full results for the CHS girls were as follows:
3. Gizelle Rodriguez 18:37
4. Darily Sanchez 20:39
11. Rosalinda Rojas 24:48
12. Reina Moreira 27:08
15. Iyssis Henderson 31:00
Despite the outcome, CHS head coach Reegan von Wildenradt was pleased with the performance of her charges.
“Shout-outs to Alex, Alejandro, and Nate for staying well within the top 10 against a strong Medford team,” said von Wildenradt. “Josue Hernandez also had an impressive run for his first official race of the season.
“On the girls’ side, I was really proud of all five girls for fighting,” the coach continued. “This was our first race of the season almost completely on grass, and they worked hard to hold a strong race pace and held their positions well throughout the race. We were happy to see Darily and Gizelle get top five finishes against a solid Medford girls’ team.” Von Wildenradt and her crew were scheduled to run at Pine Banks against GBL rival Malden yesterday (Wednesday).
Next Wednesday, they will make the short ride west down the Parkway for a return visit to Macdonald Park for the GBL championship meet.
Girls Soccer Ties English
The ever-improving Chelsea High girls soccer team trekked to Manning Field to take on Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Lynn English and battled to a 0-0 deadlock with the Lady Bulldogs. “The team played very well and pressured the Lynn team throughout the whole game,” said CHS head coach Randy Grajal. “Our defense was solid and it was very difficult for the English attackers to get past them. Our midfielders had control of the game and our forwards had several chances on goal, but none closer than Alessandra Campos’ shot that bounced off the upright in the first half. “The team demonstrated great passing and it was definitely obvious the improvement the team has made this season,” Grajal added. The Lady Red Devils have a busy week ahead: They are scheduled to host GBL foe Medford today (Thursday); travel to Burke tomorrow (Friday); play at non-league opponent East Boston on Monday; and entertain Revere next Tuesday. They will conclude their 2022 season next Sunday (October 30) at Framingham.