Wachusett Regional

Fitchburg earns a memorable victory

April 6, 2023 by pkzadmin

FITCHBURG — The Fitchburg High boys volleyball team made first-year head coach Cedric Robinson’s inaugural contest a memorable one.

The Red Raiders had little trouble with visiting Wachusett Regional Thursday afternoon as Fitchburg cruised to a 3-0 win at the Doug Grutchfield Field House.

Fitchburg took care of the Mountaineers by scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-19.

“I was very excited about what I saw out of my guys today. We had some big plays from some of our big players,” said Robinson, who was the program’s junior varsity coach last season. “We don’t have a team that is loaded with height,but we have some really strong players up front around the net who have big arms. It was a strong team win and I’m happy we could get the first one out of the way.”

When asked about jumping into the varsity head coaching role this season, Robinson says that trust is really important between the coaching staff and the players.

“One of the biggest things about me stepping into this position is I want to make sure these guys trust me as much as possible,” said Robinson. “Trust and communication are really important when coming into a position like this, especially if we have players that are new to the volleyball game.”

Following a 25-20 win in the first set to grab control early, Fitchburg looked to push the Mountaineers on the edge of defeat in the second set.

Strong net play from Saiyin Vue and Broley Vue highlighted early play for the hosts in the second set.

With the match deadlocked at 15, Fitchburg’s Brian Vega showed some strong service from behind the line as he registered a handful of service points and added an ace. Vega’s ace gave the Red Raiders a 21-16 lead and the hosts never looked back as it locked up a six-point victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

To the Mountaineers credit, they never gave up. In the third set, the tourists hung tough. An unforced error by the Red Raiders pulled Wachusett even at 13 more than halfway through the set. However, Fitchburg answered with five straight points, highlighted by a kill from Kyu Yang.

With the Red Raiders up 18-13, the Mountaineers (0-1) would be forced to play catch up the remainder of the match. Fitchburg maintained the upper hand the remainder of the way, scoring four of the final five points to secure the set and the match victory.

“We are fortunate that we have a strong group that shows great athleticism,” said Robinson. “It’s tough to get a gage on your opponent when it’s the first match of the season, we didn’t know much about this Wachusett team. One thing I will say is shout out to Wachusett’s setter. He’s improved a lot from when we played them last year.”

The Red Raiders return to action on Monday afternoon when they welcome Leominster High to the Grutchfield Field House for an early season clash between the rival schools.

Local roundup: Mountaineers top Red Raiders for Mid-Wach A crown

February 17, 2023 by pkzadmin

The Wachusett Regional boys basketball team nipped Fitchburg High, 47-41, Friday night at the Doug Grutchfield Field House to capture the Mid-Wach A championship.

Winners of 10 straight entering the contest, the Red Raiders fall to 12-5 (5-3) while the Mountaineers improved to 7-10 (6-2).

Victor Kukta scored 17 points to lead the Red Raiders in the loss.

Oakmont 59, Watertown 45: The win lifts the Spartans to 13-5.

Girls indoor track and field

Lunenburg High finished third overall out of 56 schools at the Division 5 state meet on Thursday with 37 points.

Abby Rodriquenz placed second in the 1,000m run with a time of 3:05.30 and was part of the 4×800 relay team that took second as well along with Lauren Long, Breanna Bajko and Olivia Coronella. Rodriquenz competed in the 4×400 and finished eight with Rylan Arnold, Emma King and Karynna Long.

Carli Stanford was third in the long jump (16-7) and Alexa Jenkins placed third in the shot put with a PR of 33-8. Sarah Viveiros took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 33-7 and Arnold claimed sixth in the 600 in 1:43.9.

College softball

Fitchburg State was picked fifth overall in the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Preseason Coaches Poll, amassing 23 points.

Bridgewater State, Worcester State and Framingham State finishing in a three-way tie for first, with Bridgewater and Worcester each notching three first-place ballots, while the Rams tallied the remaining two first-place votes.

Westfield State followed in fourth with 33 points, while the Falcons were slotted fifth.

Salem State was sixth with 21 points, while MCLA landed in seventh with 12. Rounding out the poll was Mass. Maritime with nine points.

Bernardians to square off with Spartans

November 10, 2022 by pkzadmin

What will it take to stop the Bernardians on the gridiron?

That’s the question sixth-seeded Uxbridge has likely pondered for several days leading up to tonight Division 7 state quarterfinal in Fitchburg, a game moved from Friday night due to forecasts of heavy rain.

Aside from a loss to Division 6 contender Stoneham early in the season, no one has been able to slow St. Bernard’s, let alone shut its offensive juggernaut down. The elusive running tandem of Damien Jones and Antonio Mancini have put up some remarkable numbers over the course of the season, combining for more than 2,000 and finding the end zone a combined 32 times.

Then there’s the matter of cracking the St. B’s defense. It’s been a tall task for anyone lining up across from the Bernardians this fall. A strong defense led by Domenic Beaudoin and a powerful line has kept opposing offenses off the scoreboard and the field, for that matter, whether by forcing punts or turnovers.

The Bernardians have allowed just 91 points in nine games this season, 24 of which came in the loss to Stoneham. Outside of that, opposing programs have done their damage when contests have been far out of reach as St. B’s gets bench players time after halftime of blowout after blowout.

Winners of seven straight, the Bernardians haven’t made mincemeat out of weak opposition all season. They cruised past Mashpee last week to open the postseason and have cruised past the likes of traditional powers Sutton and Northbridge along the way.

It’s a testament to the work that head coach Tom Bingham and his staff have put in both during the campaign and prior to it. In his time at St. Bernard’s, Bingham has continually put his team in a position to succeed and has built a powerful program over the past 20 years or so.

The coaches will point to the players, who carry out the game plan. The players will credit those on the sideline for having them ready for anything.

It’s proven to be a successful synergy.

Surging Spartans

There was some chatter along sidelines and on social media that a team with a losing record might not be most deserving of a playoff spot, with Oakmont Regional among those pointed to after earning the ninth seed in the Division 6 tournament with a 3-5 record.

The Oakmont Regional football team celebrates after defeating Sandwich last week. (Courtesy Oakmont Regional Athletics)

But the MIAA’s formula is what it is, with margin of victory and strength of schedule playing a part and allowing any team with a minimum of three victories to qualify for a playoff spot. And once they got in, the Spartans proved worthy, topping No. 8 Sandwich, 25-22, on the road last week.

A strong schedule apparently has made the Spartans battle-tested, even if the victories didn’t pile up like they did for other programs that loaded their schedules with winnable games against inferior opponents.

Oakmont will play tonight against the aforementioned Stoneham, the top-seed in Division 6, in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

No. 800, take two

The history of wins and losses for a high school football team can be a sketchy business to get into, with the MIAA not verifying victories throughout the history of the sport in the commonwealth, but most experts agree: Leominster is on the verge of doing something extremely rare.

Multiple outlets have reported throughout the season that the Blue Devils needed eight wins to reach the 800-victory club, something that has been done just twice in the state. And sitting at 7-2 after last week’s 51-44 loss to Reading Memorial in the opening round of the Division 2 playoffs, Leominster is still one W away from reaching a plateau that currently only Brockton and Everett have reached.

Leominster will have a second crack at win No. 800 Friday night when it travels to Taunton (5-4).

Action elsewhere

In another non-playoff game tonight, Nashoba Regional (6-3) travels to Wachusett Regional (6-3) for a 6:30 kickoff, while North Middlesex Regional (4-5) hosts Algonquin Regional (1-8) at 7. Fitchburg (3-6), which has won three of its last four, heads to Tantasqua Regional (4-5) for a 6 p.m. game.

Lunenburg (5-4) hosts Northbridge (3-6) on Friday night.

Commentary: Gates, Blue Devils have earned success

October 27, 2022 by pkzadmin

As far as coaching careers go, Devin Gates’ time on the Doyle Field sidelines has been something of a rollercoaster ride.

After being named head coach of the Blue Devils in April of 2019, the former Fitchburg High standout led LHS to a respectable 5-6 record, including a win over his alma mater on Thanksgiving to close out his inaugural campaign. Then came the shortened COVID-19 season and an 0-4 record, followed by a 4-7 showing last fall.

There have been bright spots and lowlights, but one thing has remained the same: Gates has never given up on his athletes and they, in turn, have returned the favor. The Blue Devils have bought in through hard times and now they’re the benefits.

At 6-1, the talented Blue Devils have soared to heights not seen at Leominster in years. Save for a hiccup against a very strong Peabody Memorial side and Leominster has looked unstoppable. Even against a tough Wachusett Regional team last week, the Blue Devils embraced the pressure that comes with a big game and found a way to thrive.

Yes, the Blue Devils have a lot of talented kids on the field. They’re loaded offensively and defensively, they’re as stout and determined as just about any group from any program in recent memory.

But talent alone doesn’t win games. Granted, great coaching alone won’t lead to victories, but Gates and his staff have done a fantastic job of putting Leominster and its players in the best possible position to win contests this fall.

With the buy in and belief from the Blue Devils players and the game planning and preparation from Gates and his fellow coaches, it’s been smooth sailing so far. The coaches have made the right call the majority of the time and the players have come out and taken care of business.

The success is well-deserved. Even when the program battled through those rough seasons over the past couple years, Gates has never been one to call out players. It’s always been about execution. Or not having the right game plan.

Now that the Blue Devils are winning, he’s doing what great coaches do best: putting the shine on his players. Gates will say that the coaching staff had the team ready, but it’s always followed up with crediting the student-athletes for getting out on the field and performing.

It’s always the player making the big play. The offense coming through with a huge gain. The defense making the big stop. Osiris Lopez, Kaiden Drinkwater, Ricky Encarnacion, Ma’Kai Stinson Newton, Josh Cormier, Jiovanni Roman, et al. get the credit for what goes on once the ball is snapped.

Leominster High football coach Devin Gates looks on during last Friday's win over Wachusett Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard) — Leominster High football coach Devin Gates looks on during last Friday’s win over Wachusett Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

The spotlight goes elsewhere, even when the coaches have done everything perfectly to set the players up for success.

And that’s how it should be at this level. Even the next level. Really, just about anywhere.

The most admirable coaches are the ones who accept blame when things are bad and pass off the praise when things are going well. Never too high and never too low, regardless of the situation in any game. That’s the type of bench boss the Blue Devils have in Gates.

He’s not alone in that, at least from my experiences this season.

St. Bernard’s head coach Tom Bingham has had plenty of success with his program, but preaches that while the coaches set things up for the Bernardians, it’s up to the players to decide just how successful they’ll be.

Fitchburg High head coach Greg Graham has watched his team struggle with turnovers and discipline this season, but has fallen on the sword multiple times instead of calling out players. “We need to be better” comes off a lot classier than pointing to any one individual who may have had a gaffe.

More often than not, that’s how it is with high school football coaches that I’ve encountered. These things may seem like the obvious things to do, but it’s not always the case.

So when Gates, one of the good ones, finds success with his team after some lean years, it’s a sight to see. The smiles have returned to Doyle Field and the head coach has often had one of the brightest smiles on Leominster’s sidelines this fall, though he won’t accept much of the limelight.

There’s been enough gridiron success at Leominster this season to go around.

Football Notebook: Blue Devils end skid vs. Wachusett

October 22, 2022 by pkzadmin

It was a long time coming.

Wachusett Regional had handled its series against Leominster in recent years, winning six straight games over the Blue Devils and often in convincing fashion.

That all changed on Friday night.

Leominster turned a close game at halftime into a celebration for much of the fourth quarter as the Blue Devils turned on the jets to win the 42nd meeting between the two programs, 48-27. And rather fall into the “act like you’ve been there before” or “it’s just another game” mindset, the Blue Devils enjoyed the moment while still respecting the opponent.

“It’s almost like the Super Bowl, I’m not going to lie. … That win felt good,” said Leominster senior lineman Jiovanni Roman. “It’s been a lot of years since we beat them. It’s amazing.”

The Blue Devils flexed their defensive muscles, showed off their dynamic offense and played with the confidence of a team that wasn’t the least bit intimidated by a Mountaineers side that arrived at Doyle Field sporting a 5-1 record.

The win over the Mountaineers was the first for head coach Devin Gates during his tenure on the Blue Devils’ sideline. He’s seen his team buy in and put in the hard work, turning from a middling team in a years past to a force to be reckoned with this fall.

“They earned this one. They’re sick and tired of being the little brother to (Wachusett) for a long time,” “That’s a great football program, but our kids believed in what we’re doing and they believed in themselves. They trusted each other and went out and did what they needed to do.

“We didn’t feel the pressure. We took what they were giving us and made the plays when we had to.”

The win puts Leominster at 28-14 all-time against Wachusett in 42 meetings and was an offensive clinic when the Blue Devils had the ball. On the night, the hosts tallied 537 yards of offense, while the defense held a high-scoring Mountaineers to three touchdowns with an additional score coming on a kickoff return.

“This team is always down for a challenge,” said freshman quarterback Osiris Lopez, who threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. “We knew it would be a battle, but I was ready and I knew my team was with me.”

Defensive effort

Saying Leominster’s defense held Wachusett’s Tucker McDonald to 24 of 40 passing for 210 yards and two touchdown passes on the night might not seem fantastic, but with the heady numbers the Mountaineers QB has put up this season, that showing is fairly pedestrian.

While McDonald was able to showcase a precise and strong arm on several occasions, Leominster did its best to keep the UConn-bound senior uncomfortable and on the move. The defense did so in fantastic fashion in the second half, highlighted by a huge stop in the fourth quarter.

Wachusett had driven to Leominster’s 25 while trailing 41-27 and looked to be poised to cut into the lead. An incomplete pass on first down and short run by Chris Snopkowski set up third-and-9. But the Blue Devils stood their ground, forcing a pair of incomplete passes — both under pressure — to essentially put the game on ice.

“McDonald’s a really good quarterback, but I think we came in ready to go and shut him down a little bit,” Roman said. “We did some hard work in the trenches. We had to force a turnover at that point and we were able to do it.”

The Blue Devils were able to come up with a pair of turnovers in the game, as Xavier Cora recovered a fumbled lateral as the horn sounded on the first half and Kaiden Drinkwater pulled in an interception late in the fourth to seal the win.

Pair of upsets

Lunenburg High came up with a big 25-22 road win at West Boylston, handing the Lions their first defeat of the season courtesy of Zahir Chavez’s 27-yard field goal in overtime.

The victory lifts the Blue Knights to 4-3, while West Boylston falls to 6-1.

Dylan Adamson had a pair of touchdown runs in the first half and Ben Barlow added one of his own after halftime as the Blue Knights built a 12-point lead in the third quarter. Though West Boylston rallied to force overtime, Chavez was able to split the uprights and give Lunenburg a big win.

Conversely, Monty Tech (5-2) was bested by Worcester Tech (3-4), falling 16-6 in Worcester on Friday.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter courtesy of a Logan Quinn touchdown run, but struggled to get the offensive wheels turning after that.

Blue Devils take heavyweight clash

October 21, 2022 by pkzadmin

LEOMINSTER — It was billed as a clash of heavyweights and lived up to every bit of the hype.

Leominster High and Wachusett Regional engaged in a rock fight of epic proportions, with the Blue Devils emerging with a hard-fought 48-27 victory Friday night at historic Doyle Field.

The win boosts Leominster to 6-1 on the season, while the Mountaineers fall to 5-2.

Leominster shot out to a 21-7 lead after the first 12 minutes of play in its Homecoming Game, but the Mountaineers refused to go away, closing the gap to 27-19 at halftime.

The hosts were able to pad the lead in the second half and come up with a big defensive stop in the fourth quarter to steal Wachusett’s momentum and salt away the win.

Freshman quarterback Osiris Lopez threw four touchdown passes, including two of Ricky Encarnacion’s three scores. Bryan Aguilar caught a pair of touchdown strikes for the hosts and Xavier Cora punched in a short touchdown run for the Blue Devils.

Leominster quarterback Osiris Lopez runs with the ball during Friday's win over Wachusett Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard) — Leominster quarterback Osiris Lopez runs with the ball during Friday’s win over Wachusett Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

Aguilar’s first TD reception gave the Blue Devils some temporary breathing room early in the third, as the senior wideout caught a deep pass from Lopez in stride and went 80 yards for the score and a 34-19 lead.

After Wachusett answered on a Matthew Raeke touchdown reception from Tucker McDonald to cut the lead to 34-27, Aguilar gave momentum right back to the Blue Devils. While Lopez looked to be going down in the backfield on third-and-goal from the 6, the freshman QB shot a pass to a wide-open Aguilar in the corner of the end zone to push the advantage to 41-27.

Wachusett drove to Leominster’s 24 early in the fourth, but the Blue Devil defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs. Ma’Kai Stinson Newton then put the game out of reach with 4:40 to go, scoring on an 11-yard run to push the lead to 48-27.

Freshman Kaiden Drinkwater ended any Wachusett threat with an interception of McDonald with 3:42 as the Mountaineers drove down to the Leominster 26.

Wachusett fumbled away the opening kickoff after a huge return and Leominster wasted no time opening the scoring, needing just three plays to go 63 yards, capped by a 29-yard scoring run by Encarnacion just 56 seconds into the game.

After a three-and-out by the Mountaineers, the Blue Devils doubled the lead as Encarnacion hauled in a perfectly thrown ball from Lopez for a 17-yard TD reception. Daniel Thompson’s kick was true for a 14-0 lead with 8:22 left in the opening quarter.

Wachusett answered on the ensuing kickoff as Chris Snopowski returned the ball 83 yards for a score.

Encarnacion completed the touchdown hat trick with 31 seconds left in the first quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass that saw the senior captain wrestle the ball away from a defender.