Monumental Weekend for Reading Sports Teams

How was your weekend? If you're a fan of Reading High School sports, the answer is a simple one. Outstanding.

The Rockets earned an incredible five postseason victories over the weekend, some playing out as expected and some considered upsets, as every remaining Reading team is now at least in the quarterfinal round of their respective tournament.

One of the biggest surprises of the MIAA playoffs so far has been the Reading softball team, which entered the tournament as the No. 13 seed in a 14-team field. Following a first round upset of No. 4 seed North Reading, the Lady Rockets earned a convincing 14-0 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Arlington Catholic on Saturday.

As a result, the locals will take on No. 8 seed Tewksbury in the North Division 2 semifinals on Wednesday on Lowell's Martin Field.

On the other diamond, the Rockets earned another so-called upset in the first round. Reading, entering Saturday's contest as the No. 10 seed in the tournament, thumped seventh-seeded New Mission by a 15-3 margin.

Thanks to the win, the Rockets advanced and will travel to face No. 2 seed Danvers, which has lost just twice this year, in the quarterfinals. That game is scheduled for Monday night at 6:30 p.m. and the winner will take on either Wayland or Belmont in the North Division 2 semifinals.

Slightly less surprising but still exciting nonetheless for local fans was the weekend performance of the Reading boys lacrosse team. The Rockets, the tournament's No. 3 seed, cruised past No. 19 Melrose in the first round on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on No. 6 Wellesley.

That contest is set for Tuesday at 5 p.m. and the victor earns a spot in the East Division 2 semifinals against either Medfield or Marblehead.

On the tennis courts, there were identical results for both Reading teams in their first round matches on Friday as both teams got to work as the No. 8 seed in their respective North Division 2 bracket.

The Lady Rockets breezed past Cambridge Rindge & Latin by a 5-0 margin to advance to face top-ranked Concord-Carlisle in the quarterfinals. The winner will face either Swampscott or North Andover in the semifinal round.

Reading's boys tennis team had the same success, taking out No. 8 Somerville by a 5-0 score. The Rockets advanced to take on No. 1 seed Winchester with a berth in the semifinals against Burlington or Masconomet on the line.

Check back with Patch throughout the upcoming week to find out how the Rockets perform in their next set of playoff games.