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Oakmont Regional

Nashoba fends off Oakmont for big win

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BOLTON — Heading into Thursday night’s crucial Mid-Wach B league clash with Oakmont Regional, the Nashoba Regional boys basketball team entered on a seven-game winning streak.

With former coach Danny Ortiz bringing his one-loss Spartans and tough-minded defense to Bolton, the Wolves knew they would be in for a dog fight.

Instead, Nashoba left little doubt as the hosts opened up a 17-point halftime lead and held off a late fury by Oakmont to hold on for an 84-74 victory.

With the win, the Wolves ran their winning streak to eight and in doing so improved their overall record to 10-2 and 7-1 in league play while the Spartans fell to 11-2 overall and 7-2 in Mid-Wach B action.

“Oakmont is a great team,” said Nashoba first-year coach Gary Manyak. “Danny (Ortiz) does a great job with them. We knew we were going to be in a dog fight, and it was good to come away with a win. I have a lot of respect for what he does with that team, but our kids meet that challenge and came away with a win.”

The difference in this one was the size that seniors Jack Lagarde and Niklas Pavia posed inside as the two dominant the paint from start to finish. Lagarde had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the first half while Paiva added 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds over the first 16 minutes as the Wolves opened up a 43-26 lead.

Nashoba extended its lead to 20 after three quarters as the hosts held a 63-43 lead going into the final eight minutes. Seniors Brandon Hulecki (34 points) and Ryan Hulecki (19 points) did all they could to keep the Spartans in this one. The two combined to go a perfect 17-for-17 from the charity stripe.

But this night belonged to Lagarde and Pavia. Lagarde finished the game with a team-high 26 points and was a monster on the glass with 18 rebounds while Paiva finished with a double-double of his own with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Jacob Belsanti also had a strong game with 22 points on 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

“It is fun to watch both of them work,” Manyak said. “Jack (Lagarde) got hurt last year, and we didn’t have him towards the end. He spent a lot of time in the weight room this summer, and it is paying dividends for him. Every man down the roster is working hard and pushing each other in practice to get better. When their number is called, we want them to be ready.”

Sophomores Luke Pavia and Trevor Payne also chipped in for the Wolves. Luke had 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from behind the arc while Payne added five points and grabbed nine rebounds for Nashoba.

“The kids are working hard,” Manyak said. “They are playing together, and they are playing for each other. They are moving the ball and doing the little things to have some success.”

Local roundup: Falcons pile up MASCAC honors

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Good news rolled into the Fitchburg State athletic offices on Tuesday and did so in bulk.

Four Fitchburg State track and field athletes earned weekly conference honors and 124 Falcon student-athletes were named to the MASCAC Fall/Winter All-Academic team.

Junior Taban Manyok was named MASCAC Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while senior Eric Shimiyimana was selected as the Field Athlete of the Week and freshman Liam Bourassa was tabbed Rookie of the Week. In addition, Fitchburg State junior Makany Camara was named MASCAC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week.

Manyok collects his third consecutive weekly accolade after taking top honors in the 1,000 meter with a personal best and DIII New England qualifying time of 2:37.89 as well as finishing second in the mile with a time of 4:36.45 for the Green and Gold at the Wesleyan Indoor Invite on Saturday.

Shimiyimana picks up his fourth weekly honor of the season after placing second overall in the triple jump with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 13.45, while adding a third-place effort of 6.15 meters in the long jump. The fourth-year Falcon capped the day by finishing seventh in the 60 with a time of 7.64 seconds.

Bourassa earned his first weekly accolade after taking top honors in the shot put with a toss of 13.01 meters, while adding a seventh- place toss of 10.98 meters in the weight throw at the Wesleyan Indoor Invite.

Camara nets her second weekly honor on the year after finishing second in the high jump with a mark of 1.52 meters for the Green and Gold on Saturday.

The Fitchburg State indoor track teams return to action Saturday as they compete at the 2023 Panthers Invite at Plymouth State University.

In addition to showing off its athletic abilities, Fitchburg State saw its student-athletes excel in the classroom, with Falcons representing 124 of the 1,218 MASCAC academic honorees. To land a spot on the MASCAC All-Academic team, student-athletes must have achieved a 3.20 cumulative or semester-based grade point average during the Fall/Winter semester.

The Fitchburg State athletes named to the All-Academic team are below.

Men’s basketball: Aidan Finn, Clifford Fuakye, Dayne Allen, Frederick Siayor, Jordan Polanco, Joshua Okoroji-Schaeffer, Matthew Tanis, Mikal Garcia, Tajahn Joyner.

Women’s basketball: Amricyan Fernandez-Scherington, Ephemian Bailey, Juliana Davis, Lindsay McDonald, Morgan Genness, Rylie Harlow, Stephanie Hart.

Women’s cross country: Diana Marquez-Frias, Kathleen Messer.

Field hockey: Carley McCaie, Emma Ganley, Grace Kerr, Jenna Morse, Jessica Morse, Lena Kassel, Lena Spadafore, Olivia Narkevicius, Samantha Rozum, Sophia Piper, Sophia Yates, Joyce Arbia.

Football: Amzie Hinkley, Calvin Guillaume, Cameron Monette, Christopher Emslie, Dylan Cosner, Elijah McKnight, Frank Opoku, Giancarlo Marazzo-Henry, Jakob Lufkin, John McGarry, Keyshawn McCurdy, Logan Perez, Nicholas Notenboom.

Ice hockey: Anthony Ceolin, Antoine Gignac, Brendan Walk, Cameron Isabelle, Christian Halbig, Cole Archambeault, Egan Wolford, Gene Bouthiette, Hunter Fortin, Jack Johansen, Jack Saavedra, Jeremy Maillet, Joseph Gilbert, Joshua Miller, Matthew Radder, Michael Macchioni, Nolan Sargent, Oliver Cookson,
Rece Bergeman, Samuel Rennick, Toivo Kramer, Trenton Skaggs, Wyatt Wilmshurst.

Men’s indoor track: Chris Morales, Ryan Parisi, Zion Barber-Amado, Cole Donelan, Aidan Cattelan, Andrew Bedard, Benjamin Sacramone, Brady Madigan, Cameron Davis, Nathaniel Felix.

Women’s indoor track: Cassandra Israelson, Grace Casale, Makany Camara, Olivia Kephart, Trishannah Scott, Emily Russo, Abigail Murphy, Courtney Brouillet, Erin Donelan, Jenna Aubuchon, Lilah McAndrew, Maria Burnett, Marjorie Veliotis, Skye Goba, Sophie Geremia.

Men’s soccer: Bennet Jorgensen, Brian Doyle, Collin Robson, Edward Paiva, Francesco Campione, Juan Sambrano, Kenny Cherry, Luke Speers, Rizkhan Muhwezi.

Women’s soccer: Abaigeal Gilman, Adrianna Westcott, Alisha Praileau, Allison Gough, Charlotte Meixsell, Jessica St. George, Katie Moran, Kayleen McCormack, Kendra Peretzman, Madison Hippert, Regina Pallotta, Sera Gagnon, Sophia Moore, Taylor Rodriguez, Taylor Senecal, Zoe Chrisostomides.

Volleyball: Alissa Olmsted, Catherine Goodearl, Emily Gelinas, Meredith Taylor, Samantha Mirra, Shianne Harewood, Stephanie Sardella, Sariah Dyer.

Boys basketball

Fitchburg 55, Shrewsbury 31: Omar Rodriguez had 17 points to lead the Red Raiders to a road win, while Victor Kukta added 10 points in the victory.

North Middlesex 67, Westboro 55: Brian Morse led four Patriots in double figures with 17 points. Mike Reardon added 12 and Jake Steinmann and Cade Callahan each had 10.

Girls basketball

Shrewsbury 56, Fitchburg 30: Shamarie Rodriguez led the Red Raiders (1-13) with 12 points. Ella Kitchin added eight points in the loss.

The Lunenburg High girls basketball team was defeated by Tyngsboro on Tuesday. (Courtesy Tyngsboro Athletics)
The Lunenburg High girls basketball team was defeated by Tyngsboro on Tuesday. (Courtesy Tyngsboro Athletics)

Westboro 62, North Middlesex 41:  The loss drops the Patriots to 4-9.

Marlboro 58, Oakmont 54: Victoria Mays scored 14 points to lead the Spartans (5-7).

Tyngsboro 55, Lunenburg 40: The Blue Knights drop to 1-11 with the loss.

Local roundup: Wolves stop streaking Rams

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The Nashoba Regional boys basketball team knocked visiting Shepherd Hill from the ranks of the unbeaten Tuesday night with a 61-54 victory in Bolton.

With the victor, the Wolves improve to 7-2. The Rams are now 12-1.

Ayer-Shirley 82, Murdock 48: Zach Iannacone led the Panthers (8-3) with 19 points. Brian Holmes added 17 and Cam Marshall scored 14 points for Ayer-Shirley.

Girls basketball

Ayer-Shirley 73, Murdock 18: Ava Murphy scored a game-high 16 points for the Panthers (7-2), while Taylor New and Emily Churchill each had 11 points. Tess Arakelian added 10 points in the victory.

St. Paul 47, Fitchburg 32: Gianexis Santiago led the Red Raiders (1-10) with 12 points. Gianna Calderon chipped in with 11 and MJ Thammachak had seven in defeat.

Leominster 39, North Middlesex 21: Frankie Bello led Leominster (7-4) with six points. Taylor Boulay, Mia Keenan, Maddie Lemanski and Juliana Pompei each had five points in the victory.

The Patriots (3-6) were led by Gabby Dunham’s seven points, while Julia Landry and Norah Tesini each had six.

Monty Tech 53, Abby Kelley 33: Kylie Neseran netted 16 points to lead the Bulldogs (2-8)

Shepherd Hill 41, Nashoba 36: The loss drops the Wolves to 7-1.

Oakmont 33, Groton-Dunstable 29: The Spartans improve to 7-3.

College track and field

Fitchburg State junior Taban Manyok was selected Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week and senior Eric Shimiyimana was selected Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday afternoon.

Manyok notches his second straight week accolade on the season after collecting a pair of first-place finishes for the Green and Gold at the 2023 Branwen Smith-King Invite on Saturday. Taban placed first in the 5,000 meter with a DIII NE qualifying time of 15:22.84, while also taking top honors in the 3,000 meter with a time of 8:58.76.

Shimiyimana collects his third weekly honor of the season after placing first in the triple jump with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 13.74 meters as well as finishing fourth in the long jump with a jump of 6.42 meters for the Falcons at the Branwen Smith-King Invite.

The Fitchburg State indoor track and field team returns to action on Saturday as it competes at the 2023 Wesleyan Indoor Invite.

Bernardians win 7th straight

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FITCHBURG — There was a time not all that long ago that the questions were starting to pile up for the St. Bernard’s hockey team.

Did the Bernardians have the numbers to compete? Could they keep their composure on the ice? Would this simply be a rebuilding year for a team with a new coach?

A month ago, those were all valid concerns. But then something happened: the Bernardians simply started playing winning hockey.

Winners of a half dozen contests in a row entering Wednesday’s tilt against Oakmont Regional, St. Bernard’s hadn’t tasted defeat since last year — a 6-3 loss to Fitchburg/Monty Tech on Dec. 21, to be exact. And with some early scoring and strong play between the pipes, the Bernardians ran the winning streak to seven with a 3-2 victory over the Spartans at the Wallace Civic Center.

Hunter Lammi scored twice in the first nine minutes and Ben Stout added a third Bernardian goal before the end of the first period to give St. B’s all the offense it needed. Freshman goaltender Chase Bergeron turned aside 28 shots to secure the victory.

“We have 12 guys in the room right now and they don’t give up,” said Bernardians head coach Stephen Sylvia, whose team improved to 8-3-0 with the victory and 3-3-0 in Coughlin Conference play. “They keep coming at you and that’s what we’ve been pitching to them all season. They’re in great shape and they’re buying into that family, that team concept. We’re playing pretty good hockey right now.

“These kids go home exhausted after every game, but they’re working hard. That’s what we’re all about: hard work and blue-collar hockey. It’s hard to win games pretty, but these guys keep working.”

A shot by Oakmont's Parker Johnson is stopped by a sliding St. Bernard's Ryan Gallant and goalie Chase Bergeron Wednesday at the Wallace Civic Center. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Alan Arsenault)
A shot by Oakmont’s Parker Johnson is stopped by a sliding St. Bernard’s Ryan Gallant and goalie Chase Bergeron Wednesday at the Wallace Civic Center. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Alan Arsenault)

The Bernardians went 2-13-1 last season and were off to a 1-3 start under Sylvia, in his first campaign on the bench. But in the last seven games, St. Bernard’s has outscored opponents 53-19.

“They started buying in. They realized they were competitive in the first four games, but had to figure some things out,” Sylvia said of what changed for his Bernardians. “All of the sudden, it started clicking. They’re working well together and as first-year coach, I couldn’t be happier. They’re listening and working hard.”

To earn the seventh straight victory, the Bernardians followed their game plan perfectly. They got in front early and then played well enough in their own end with tired legs to fend off a Spartan surge.

Lammi broke the ice 4:45 in on a backhander that snuck past Oakmont goalie Cathal Wells (16 saves) for a power-play tally before adding his second with 6:07 left in the first on a rocket that got past the netminder’s glove.

Stout added St. Bernard’s third goal with just over a minute left in the opening frame, streaking past a defender and firing a wrist shot that found the back of the net.

“We need to score early. When you don’t have that depth, you have to do that,” Sylvia said. “If you can get in front, you go to work after that, running traps and different things. We’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

Oakmont (2-8-0, 1-5-0) scored once late in the second and once early in the third to make things interesting Wednesday. Cooper Carignan got the Spartans on the board off a feed from Nate Hylan with 3:41 remaining in the middle frame before Joe Catalfamo snapped home a shot on a pass from Blake Riggins 2:21 into the third to cut the lead to one.

With just two lines, the Bernardian skating was visibly slowed early in the third. But Stout broke in alone on Wells with nine minutes left and though the senior was denied, the opportunity gave St. Bernard’s some renewed vigor down the stretch.

Bergeron was steady throughout and spectacular at times for St. Bernard’s. The freshman backstop denied Parker Johnson on a 2-on-1 midway through the second before making his best save of the evening on Hylan, who had broken in alone on a shorthanded bid with 10:26 left in the middle period.

“Chase has been a rock all year,” Sylvia said. “He’s played really. He’s been solid in every game and they’re playing well in front of him, which is important.”

The Bernardians will look to make it eight straight Saturday night when they travel to Boston to face St. Joseph at Warrior Ice Arena.

Spartans bested by Rams

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ASHBURNHAM — The much-anticipated heavyweight battle did not go as planned for the host Spartans.

In a clash of unbeaten programs, Oakmont Regional’s boys basketball team welcomed Shepherd Hill Regional to Ashburnham Tuesday night. But even on the road, the visiting Rams made themselves right at home.

Shepherd Hill raced out to a sizeable lead in the first quarter, added to it before halftime and never looked back, handing Oakmont its first taste of defeat this season with a 60-39 drubbing.

Senior forward Ryan Brooks scored 15 of his game-high 24 points for the Rams after halftime as the guests improved to 11-0 on the year. Junior Lucas Miglionico chipped in with 14 points in the win.

“I thought we did a good job executing offensively,” Shepherd Hill head coach Michael Rapoza said. “Oakmont came out in a 1-3-1 zone to start and we took advantage of that. In the second half, when they played man-to-man, they made it tough on us. We knew what we were going to look to do and we were able to do that early on.”

The Rams spread out the scoring in the opening half, racing out to an 18-6 advantage after eight minutes and a 33-15 lead by the halftime whistle. Though the Spartans (8-1) came out with renewed vigor in the third quarter, the deficit proved to be too much.

Oakmont Regional's Isaiah Smith puts a shot up over Shepherd Hill's Lucas Miglionico during Tuesday's game. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)
Oakmont Regional’s Isaiah Smith puts a shot up over Shepherd Hill’s Lucas Miglionico during Tuesday’s game. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

“They took it to us, especially in the first half,” Oakmont head coach Danny Ortiz said. “I thought we played them pretty even in the second half, but we were in so much of a hole that it was tough. Credit to them, we had a tough time scoring tonight. It’s a credit to their defense.”

Senior Ryan Hulecki paced the Spartans with 16 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Senior Brandon Hulecki added 14 points in the loss.

The hosts put together several runs in the second half, including a 8-2 to close third to cut the Rams’ lead to 43-28. Ryan Hulecki, Seven Pridgen and Brandon Hulecki rattled off baskets before Brooks answered. Brandon Hulecki drained a pair from the free throw line to give the Spartans a bit of momentum heading to the fourth.

But after a Ryan Hulecki 3 made the score 43-31, the Rams turned up the intensity, going on an 9-2 run over a two-minute span to push the lead to 52-33. Miglionico capped the run with 3 to take the wind out of Oakmont’s sails.

The Rams were able to take advantage of Oakmont’s aggressive defense in the game, going 12-for-16 from the free-throw line. The Spartans were just 5-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Local gridiron stars earn MHSFCA honors

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The Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) recently released its Divisional All-State teams, with players from several local programs earning honors.

The Division 7 All-State team saw a trio of St. Bernard’s players honored, as well as one each from Lunenburg High and Ayer-Shirley Regional. Bernardian seniors Damien Jones (running back), Stefano Allen (offensive line) and Rocco LaMonica (defensive line) earned spots on the D7 team after helping St. Bernard’s reach the state championship game.

Lunenburg senior receiver Dylan Adamson earned a spot on the Division 7 team, while Blue Knights sophomore Alex Figueroa was an honorable mention. Ayer-Shirley senior Cam Marshall earned a D7 all-state spot in the secondary and teammate Brian Marshall, a junior, was named an honorable mention.

In Division 2, Leominster senior Ricky Encarnacion was selected as a wide receiver, while classmates John Escabi and Giovanni Roman were tabbed honorable mentions.

The Division 5 All-State selections included Monty Tech senior running back Logan Quinn, while in Division 6, Oakmont Regional junior Sam Curtis was an honorable mention.