Fall Sports Season Gets Underway Around Medford

The fall term of Medford schoolboy sports kicked off last week with local high school squads opening play across multiple arenas of competition. Here’s a quick look at how the locals fared.

Medford High School

Football

Heading into his third season as Medford’s head football coach, Rico Dello Iacono had much reason for optimism heading into the new campaign. Following a year that saw only two players return to the Mustangs’ starting lineup, Dello Iacono and and his staff welcome back a whopping 45 letterwinners this fall, including 15 starters. Add to that some summer training from Medford-based martial arts instructor “Master Buffalo,” and coming off a winless 2010 season, the only way for the Mustangs (0-1) to go is up.

Matters didn’t get underway quite the way Dello Iacono would have hoped on Sept. 9, however, as former Greater Boston League foes Revere (1-0), currently of the Cape Ann League, spoiled opening night at Hormel Stadium with a 21-0 victory.

Drew Lauria rushed for 140 yards on 20 carries and scored all three Patriots’ touchdowns.

Boys Soccer

After successfully lobbying for the reinstatement of head coach Mike Petrides over the summer after he was terminated from that position, it would appear that the Medford High boys soccer team possess a highly unified locker room. Two of the central figures in the drama surrounding the decision not to rehire Petrides, EMass All-Star forward John Dumboya and junior Jonathan Pires, will also need to play a big role on the field if the Mustangs are to mount a series title challenge this season. Medford fell to GBL rivals Somerville in the Division 1 quarterfinal last fall, and finished the campaign at 14-3-5.

The quest for the 2011 crown got underway on Sept. 9, against the same squad that ended it last year—the Somerville Highlanders. This time around the Mustangs put their border rivals on notice that this is most decidedly not last year’s team, running off with a 4-1 victory at home. Medford (1-0) welcomes non-league rivals Northeast Tech to town on Sept. 16.

Girls Soccer

The girls also started the year against Somerville, and achieved an even better result than their male counterparts. The Mustangs blasted the Lady Highlanders, 5-1, on Sept. 9 behind a superb hat-trick from Korey O’Rourke Crowley. Olivia Timmins picked up two assists and Katherine Timmins and Hailey Massa each grabbed one. GBL All-Star and lacrosse standout Olivia Timmins also bagged an unassisted goal on the afternoon. The Mustangs face Swampscott on Sept. 13.

Co-ed Golf

The Medford (1-1, 1-0 GBL) golf team took on neighboring Malden Catholic (2-0) in a non-league season opener on Sept. 7, and fell by a 42-30 scoreline to their private school rivals. The following day, the Mustangs opened up play in the Greater Boston League with a bout against bitter rivals Malden High, and this time, Medford emerged on the proper end of a 41-31 score to record its first win of the season.

Volleyball

Alice Beth Fitzpatrick’s Medford volleyball team opened play with a tough 3-0 road loss against non-league opponent Stoneham on Sept. 7, and was hoping for a better a better result when it opened play at home on Sept. 9. They got it.

The Mustangs handled Arlington, 3-2, at Medford High to pull even at 1-1 overall on the young season.

Mystic Valley Regional Charter

Football 

Mystic Valley kicked off the fall football season with a non-league showdown against the Catholic Central League’s Lowell Catholic, and suffered a 22-12 setback in the opener at Brother Gilbert Stadium in Malden. The Eagles closed the gap to 14-12 in the third quarter, but were unable to make anymore headway against Lowell Catholic and first-year head coach Rick Sampson. The Eagles take on Cathedral High on Sept. 17.

Boys Soccer

The Mystic Valley boys soccer team played a pair of games last week as its season commenced, and the Eagles came out of the week even at 1-1. On Sept. 7, MVRCS traveled to Billerica to face Shawsheen Tech, and were made to endure a difficult bus ride home after being handed a 4-0 loss by their rivals from the CAC Upper Division. On Sept. 9, the Eagles got on the right side of the ledger with a 2-0 win over Pope John of the CCL.

Girls Soccer

The Lady Eagles’ fall term got underway on Sept. 6, and the result was a scoreless draw against non-league foes Pope John.

St. Clement

Football

The Anchormen (1-0) kicked off the fall season with a convincing 34-18 win over Keefe Tech of the Vocational League, as Michael Julce scorched the Broncos defense for 157 yards rushing, a touchdown and 2-point conversion. Defensively, Michael Pereira recorded 10 tackles, six of which occurred behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a fumble and registering a sack. Other Anchormen to see the end zone included John Posada (16-yard reception from Jamey Thompson), Alberto Lopez (3-yard run), Junior Oyaconbi (35-yard interception return) and Deron Hines (55-yard run). St. Clement returns to the gridiron on Sept. 17 against Old Colony.

Girls Soccer

St. Clement began the season with a road trip to Maimonides on Sept. 8, and fell 4-0 at the hands of the M-Cats. 

Girls Volleyball

The year started off against Marian on Sept. 6, and the result didn’t go in St. Clement’s favor, as they fell 3-1. On Sept. 9, St, Clement picked up its first win of the season with a 3-0 whitewashing of Cathedral High.