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Leominster High School

LHS senior passing along Celebrating the Success of Women of Color speaker series baton

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LEOMINSTER — Ivy Sasu is feeling a gamut of emotions as she wraps up not only her high school career but the successful “Celebrating the Success of Women of Color” speaker series she spearheaded while at Leominster High School.

The senior, who is on the brink of graduation this coming weekend, invited former Olympian Zara Northover to address the students earlier this month as part of the speaker series she launched in May of last year.

“She discussed her journey of finding who she is,” Sasu said of the message the Jamaican shot-putter imparted to the students on May 12. “She described what it means to be encouraged but also to believe in oneself. She encouraged students to follow a method a former coach taught her — daily go into the mirror and repeat these words ‘I am great, and I will do great things.’ She told the students to believe these words and some students got the opportunity to do this at the event.”

Sasu conveyed that the speaking engagement “was very successful” and followed by a lunch with a small group “that was nurturing.”

She went on to say that she is proud of the speaker series and incredibly thankful to those who have supported it, including the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts which provided a $7,500 grant Sasu applied for to fund it and former longtime LHS Principal Steve Dubzinski, without who the series “would not have started.”

Left to right: Leominster High School senior Ivy Sasu, former Olympian Zara Northover, and LHS Principal Josh Romano. Sasu is passing along the “Celebrating the Success of Women of Color” speaker series baton to her younger sister, Princess Sasu. (COURTESY IVY SASU)

“As this was my last speaker series, it is so so bittersweet,” Ivy Sasu expressed. “I can’t believe how far the speakers series has come and I am beyond grateful for the support of [LHS Principal] Dr. Josh Romano, Superintendent Paula Deacon, and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts. With their support, as well as my amazing family, I have been able to place a home for the speakers series.”

She went on to say that her younger sister Princess Sasu, who is going into her sophomore year at LHS, will take over running the speaker series.

“She is beyond qualified, and I am excited to see what she does,” Ivy Sasu said of her sibling continuing the family legacy. “I am so glad I get to watch this grow.”

With graduation right around the corner on June 3, the hardworking and determined young woman said earning her high school degree and heading off to college as a biology major is the realization of a dream of hers.

“It’s all so exciting and nerve wracking at once,” Ivy shared. “I am so excited to see where God takes me and my peers!”

In control, Blue Devils storm to title

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SHREWSBURY — The Blue Devils were in control.

Despite falling behind by a goal early in Tuesday’s Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class A final, the Leominster High girls lacrosse team never looked rattled. Rather than get down on themselves, the Blue Devils found ways to answer.

The same goes for when Algonquin Regional rattled off a 3-0 run to make things interesting in the final moments.

But when the final horn blew at Shrewsbury High School, Leominster had defeated Algonquin, boarding the bus home with a 10-7 victory and some new hardware to show for their efforts.

“These players work hard all year and we were familiar with Algonquin, so we knew some of the key players to watch over there,” Leominster head coach Ken Aubuchon said. “Our girls get aggressive. They were excited to play today.

“I made a couple adjustments, but the players — especially with the senior leadership — are able to make adjustments themselves. They make my job easy.”

The two schools had one prior meeting this season, with the Blue Devils rolling to a 19-9 win in Northboro on April 22.

And while Tuesday’s title tilt wasn’t as lopsided, it certainly could have been. The Blue Devils — currently fifth in the MIAA’s Division 2 Power Rankings — controlled the tempo of the game and scored almost at will for most of the first half and early stages of the second.

Emma Miller Ayala and Gabriella Santucci each potted hat tricks in the win, while Kailyn Cuddahy and Kiley Cuddahy each added a pair. Netminder Laura Falandys stopped nine shots to secure the victory.

After Algonquin opened the scoring in the first minute on the first of four goals by Ava Wilde, Leominster responded with five unanswered markers over a seven-minute span to take control.

Miller Ayala scored twice during the surge, while Santucci, Kailyn Cuddahy and Kiley Cuddahy had single markers.

Leominster's Gabriella Santucci, left, controls the ball during Tuesday's win over Algonquin Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)
Leominster’s Gabriella Santucci, left, controls the ball during Tuesday’s win over Algonquin Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

“We work on ball control all season and making good choices. They still test that a little now and then, but today they made really good decisions, especially early on,” Aubuchon said. “It allowed us to get out front and play a little differently down the stretch instead of pressing.”

Leading 7-3 at halftime, the Blue Devils put the game out of reach early in the second, pushing the advantage to 10-4 with 14:34 left in the contest.

Algonquin did manage to make a run late, closing with three unanswered goals to make things interesting. Turnovers in Leominster’s end led to easy looks and the Titans made it a three-goal game with 59 seconds remaining after Grace Chiota scored.

Falandys made three key saves in the final four minutes to keep the Titans from drawing any closer.

“When you’re a goalie, you’re kind of on an island sometimes and making the clearing passes can be tough, but Laura came up with some saves tonight,” Aubuchon said. “I’m proud of the effort.”

But Leominster won the ensuing draw and was able to possess the ball for the final minute, running out the clock and claiming the title.

Fitchburg, Leominster to start tourney at home

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The trio of teams which split the Mid-Wach boys volleyball title this spring found out their MIAA tournament destinations on Tuesday.

And for two of them, the road to a state championship starts at home.

Leominster and Fitchburg will host round of 32 contests to open the Division 2 tournament, while North Middlesex Regional will travel to North Andover in the opening round of the Division 1 tourney. Dates and times for those contests were not immediately available.

Leominster drew the 10th seed in Division 2 with its 17-3 record. The recently-crowned Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association tournament champion Blue Devils will host No. 23 Granby (13-6) to start things off.

Fitchburg (16-3) is the 16th seed in D2 and will host No. 17 Keefe Tech (17-3) in its opener.

In the Division 1 tournament, No. 20 North Middlesex (14-3) starts on the road, heading to 13th-seeded North Andover (15-5) in the round of 32.

Tennis

Nashoba Regional will have a chance to vie for both the Division 2 girls and boys tennis titles, with the tournament kicking this week.

The Wolves’ boys tennis team finished the season 13-5 and drew the 21st seed in the Division 2 tourney. Nashoba opens play Thursday at 4 p.m., traveling to No. 12 Plymouth South (14-4) for a round of 32 matchup.

The Nashoba girls (9-9) are the 36th seed in D2 play. The Wolves head to No. 29 Tewksbury (11-6) Wednesday afternoon in the preliminary round, with the winner advancing to face fourth-seeded Masconomet Regional (15-0) on Thursday.

Leominster’s girls are the 37th seed in Division 2 after closing the spring with an 11-8 mark. The Blue Devils will head to North Easton on Wednesday to face No. 28 Oliver Ames (10-6) in a prelim at 4 p.m., with the winner moving on to play No. 5 Minnechaug (16-2).

Blue Devils determined to succeed

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LEOMINSTER — The fist pumps and the show of emotions said it all.

There had been wins before this one and will very likely be more to follow, but the truth of the matter was simple: There’s a distinct excitement that comes from beating strong competition and coming together to do so.

Ignore the fact that the Leominster High baseball team is 17-1 and the latest victory propelled it into the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class A final.

Day in and day out, the Blue Devils care about what they do on the diamond and not letting one another down. And following a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over St. Paul that saw the hosts strike for two runs in the bottom of the sixth and close the door in the top of the seventh, the emotions poured out.

“It’s really like a family here. We’ve been through the COVID year and reaching the state semifinals and having that heartbreak and we just want it. Everyone here wants it so bad,” said pitcher Ryan Garner, who tossed 5.2 innings of relief to earn the win, striking out eight. “When somebody’s down, we pick them up. That’s what happened tonight in this game and it’s because we want to win.”

Garner got the call from the bullpen in the second inning as starter Tyler Godin struggled early on.

No worries for the Blue Devils. In the rare instance that someone isn’t on on any particular day, the team has embraced a next-man-up mentality.

“It’s a full team, every night. Tonight, our starting pitcher didn’t have his normal stuff, but we were 100% confident going to the bullpen,” Leominster head coach Richard Barnaby said. “If Ryan got tired or reached his pitch count, we Nick Massa or Reece Lora, guys ready to come in. In any part of the game, whoever we put in any position, we’re confident they’re going to step up.

“It was a good one tonight and I got a little emotional. I usually try to keep my poker face, but when you beat a good team like that in a big moment. … Now we have a chance on Wednesday night to get another banner.”

The Blue Devils advance to Wednesday’s Class A final at Tivnan Field in Worcester, where they will take on Tantasqua — 1-0 winners over Wachusett Regional on Friday — at 6:30 p.m.

“This tournament is important to us because the power rankings came out and Milton is still ahead of us,” said senior first baseman Jake Richard, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBI. “If we win this tournament against good teams, it gives us a chance to push ahead. These games are just as important as any other.”

The Blue Devils are second in the latest MIAA Division 2 power rankings, trailing only Milton. Tantasqua is the fifth-ranked program in Division 3.

Jake Richard drove in four runs for Leominster in Friday;s victory over St. Paul. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)
Jake Richard drove in four runs for Leominster in Friday’s victory over St. Paul. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)

None of that would have mattered had Leominster not pulled off the comeback Friday night.

Down 5-4 in the sixth, the Blue Devils rallied. Richard plated Mark Garner with a one-out single to right to pull the hosts even before a squeeze play at the plate was botched, resulting in the second out of the frame.

Thomas Gosson came through next, chopping a ball to third and then beating the throw to first to reach base safely, allowing Richard to come in from third with the go-ahead run.

“Everyone here is a leader in their own way,” Richard said. “We have key bullpen pieces like Ryan, we have big starters like (Angel Baez and Tyler Godin, (Tony Salvatelli and Nick Massa) will hit bombs, me and (Alexander Oquendo) do our little things, getting base hits and stealing bases. … When it all comes together, we can compete with everyone.”

Leominster trailed 2-1 early in the game, but came back to grab the lead in the third on a two-run single by Richard. The game remained close throughout, with St. Paul plating a pair in the top of the sixth before Leominster’s final rally.

“Credit to St. Paul, but every time they threw a punch, we threw a counterpunch. Every time they put up runs, we’d come back and put up runs. We’ve got a team that has confidence and has won games in the fifth, sixth, seventh innings all year,” Barnaby said. “We can’t wait to get to practice and work on some things we need to. It’s good to win and work on some of those mistakes.”

Baez, Salvatelli power Blue Devils to win

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LEOMINSTER — If there was even a hint of pressure coming down on the Leominster High baseball team on Tuesday, it didn’t show.

The top-seeded Blue Devils did what is expected of No. 1 teams come tournament time, storming past eight-seeded Doherty, 10-1, in a Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class quarterfinal at Doyle Field.

The Blue Devils (16-1) advance to the Class A semifinals, where they will host St. Paul on Friday with a time to be announced.

“They’re a really good eight seed with good pitching,” Leominster head coach Richard Barnaby said. “We hit the ball hard the first time through, but didn’t get anything out of it. We the second and third time through, we could get to them.”

It took some time for Leominster’s offense to get going, but once it did, it erupted, scoring six times in the fifth to blow open a 2-0 game

And while the bats were quiet early on, junior ace Angel Baez was electric on the mound, striking out 10 in 5.2 innings. He allowed just two hits and walked one, with Doherty’s lone run charged to Baez after a lengthy delay due to an injury in the sixth.

“I thought my fastball velo was there, my offspeed was great and I knew we were going to get hits, so I was confident on the mound,” Baez said. “We started off slow, but we were never worried. We knew the hits would come and I just needed to pitch.”

Baez sat the Highlanders (9-8) down in order in four of the six innings he started.

“The margin for error is a little higher when you have Angel on the mound,” Barnaby said. “When you score two runs with Angel on the mound, it feels like seven. He’s pitched like an MVP all year. He’s an absolute competitor and anytime we put him on the mound, we have a lot of confidence.”

Held without a baserunner in the first two innings and without a hit through three, Tony Salvatelli put the home team on the board with a two-run blast to left in the fourth inning. After taking the first pitch outside, Salvatelli sat on a Nigel Cross fastball and launched a majestic shot over the fence in left, bringing in Thomas Gosson.

From there, the floodgates opened. By the end of the game, the Blue Devils notched 12 hits and had every batter in the lineup reach base at least once.

“We go up there every time thinking we’re going to hit the ball and score some runs,” said Salvatelli, who finished 3-for-4 with a double, home run and five driven in. “We’re confident at the plate. … (My home run) was a big relief. It changed the momentum of the game.”

With Baez mowing down hitters and a lead established, Leominster (16-1) chased Cross from the game after a leadoff single by Mark Garner in the fifth. Reliever Sam Conrad didn’t fare any better, as the Blue Devils scored six runs in the frame, highlighted by a three-run shot over the left field fence by Baez.

Leominster's Angel Baez blasts a three-run home run during Tuesday's win over Doherty. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fourner)
Leominster’s Angel Baez blasts a three-run home run during Tuesday’s win over Doherty. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fourner)

“I sat on the offspeed pitch and when I saw it, I knew it could hit it hard,” Baez said.

Thomas Gosson finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored, while Alex Oquendo was 2-for-3 with a run.

Leominster's Thomas Gosson notches a base hit during Tuesday's win over Doherty. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fournier)
Leominster’s Thomas Gosson notches a base hit during Tuesday’s win over Doherty. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fournier)

Doherty broke through for its lone run in the sixth after leadoff hitter Yedan Diaz broke up a no-hit bid by Baez with a two-out single.

The Highlanders suffered a scary moment before scratching across their run. After Boris Valdez singled to left, Diaz went down in pain as he reached second base. The game was halted for nearly 25 minutes as an ambulance was called to Doyle Field for an apparent severe lower body injury to Diaz.

Once play resumed, Reece Lora relieved Baez on the hill, with the Highlanders scoring on a wild pitch before the Blue Devils closed out the frame. Lora ended up going 1.1 innings, allowing no hits, while walking two and striking out a pair.

Canuto continues to smash records

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One thing has become very apparent over the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons at Leominster High School: Diamani Canuto has not come anywhere near her athletic peak just yet.

The senior track star signed her National Letter of Intent to run at Sacred Heart on Friday and promptly smashed another school record the following day, toppling the Leominster High mark in the high jump at the District E Division 1 championship meet at North Middlesex Regional High School.

The latest benchmark comes just three days after Canuto claimed the program record in the 100 with a time of 12.5 seconds. On Saturday, she bested the high jump mark by a full inch, clearing 5-5 to win the event by three inches over the nearest competitor.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Leominster senior also ran to victory in the 200 (25.76) and took second in the 400 (1:01.49). With her remarkable showing, Canuto was named the outstanding female athlete of the meet, bringing home some additional hardware.

While Canuto may have been the most prominent of Leominster’s track stars over the weekend, she wasn’t the only one shining in Dudley. Tishany Delarosa was fifth in the 200 (27-23), while Kenzie Cumming took fifth in the javelin with a toss off 96-0 and Jillian French was eighth (84-3).

Leominster’s girls finished seventh as a team with 37 points. Algonquin Regional claimed the team title with 126.

Leominster senior Ricky Encarnacion won the triple jump at Saturday's District E Division 1 meet. (Courtesy Leominster High Athletics)
Leominster senior Ricky Encarnacion won the triple jump at Saturday’s District E Division 1 meet. (Courtesy Leominster High Athletics)

On the boys’ side, senior Ricky Encarnacion won the triple jump ( 43-8.75) and took ninth in the long jump (19-10) for the Blue Devils, while classmate Stefano Penniman was second in the javelin at 147-2.

Sophomore Darius Davison had a strong day for Leominster, taking fourth in the 400 hurdles (1:01.18) and sixth in the 110 hurdles (16.28), while senior Ivan Koduah 12 Leominster tied for seventh in the high jump (5-6) and classmate Conner Fournier was 10th in the shot put (40-5).

Nashoba’s boy took fifth at the meet with 42 points, with several Wolves coming up with big showings, led by junior Sawyer O’Riorden winning the high jump with a leap of 6-0 and claiming eighth in the 110 hurdles (16.35). Classmate Andrew Smits was fourth in the high jump, clearing 5-8.

The 4×100 relay took third, as did senior Gabriel Merrrow in the 400 (52.19). Sophomore Jacob Sutt was fourth in the long jump (20-3.75) and fifth in the 400 (53.0), while junior Thoedore Stanton was fifth in the javelin (138-1). Camden Bettez was eighth in the 800 (2:08.45) and junior Jack London was 10th in the mile (4:51.66)

Nashoba’s girls took 11th, with senior Bella Cotter’s winning toss of 93-6 in the discus leading the way.

Freshman Ella Rogers was third in the mile (5:22.93), sophomore Hannah Benoit was third in the high jump (4-10) and classmate Erin Farmer took sixth in the long jump (15-10). Freshman Ella Kerr was eighth in the triple jump (32-9), while the 4×100 relay was seventh and the 4×400 took eighth.

Oakmont Regional’s boys were 11th with 22 points, while the girls were 12th with 23.

The Spartan boys were paced by junior Travis Rusak, who won the javelin (151-2), while sophomore Jared Morrison took seventh (135-7) in the event.

Senior Russell Hertel claimed fourth in the 400 (52.55 4) and the 4×800 relay was fourth.

For the girls, senior Jada Sibley was fourth in both the long jump (16-1) and triple jump (33-9), while junior Lindsey Elliot was fifth in the long jump (15-11) and 10th in the triple jump (32-5). The 4×100 relay was fifth, and senior Rylee Dionne took sixth in the pole vault (9-0), followed immediately by classmate Madison O’Brien in seventh (8-0). Junior McKinley Chabot took 10th in the mile (5:49.62).

Led by Stephen Bate, the Fitchburg boys finished 12th with 21 points. The senior won the long jump (21-1.5) and was fourth in the 200 (23.24).

Freshman Kingston Aldrich-Cooper was sixth in the 400 hurdles (1:02.34), the 4×100 relay finished sixth and sophomore Ryan Tamfu had a 10th-place showing for the Red Raiders in the triple jump (39-8).

Fitchburg High sophomore Athena Williams took ninth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:15.86.

North Middlesex’s boys took 16th with 13 points, with the girls claiming 18th with three.

Senior Cedrik Phan came up big for the Patriots, winning the shot put at 48-6 and coming in eighth in the discus at 120-7. Junior Kristopher Cummings was ninth in the shot put (41-5).

Junior Samuel Donovan took seventh in the two mile (10:54.90) and senior Connor Lavery was 10th in the 400 (55:34).

For the North Middlesex girls, sophomore Samantha DiFonte led the way with a seventh-place showing in the 200 (27.72). Classmate Samantha DiFonte was eighth in the 100 (12.93), junior Norah Tesini was ninth in the javelin (79-1) and junior Caitlin Campbell claimed ninth in the two mile (13:26.78).

Junior Abigail LaCourse finished ninth in the 400 (1:04.76) and classmate Anna Green took 10th in the discus (72-11).