The news that girls soccer coach will not be back this fall dominated much of the discussion on these pages last week, but there is much more to talk about concerning Reading’s winter athletes as squads from RMHS and vie for postseason positions with roughly half the season in the books.
Not to mention, another member of the Rockets’ boys basketball team reached the 1,000-point plateau, as Kenny Reed hit the milestone against Arlington last week.
BASKETBALL
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RMHS Boys: The Rockets picked up a big win over ML Large rivals Belmont at Hawkes Field House on Jan. 10, , behind 19 points from senior forward Jerry Ellis-Williams. Reed dropped 17 points, while Nate Clarke contributed 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds. On Jan. 13, it would be Reed’s night. The senior guard went for 22 points against Arlington during , and in the process, collected his 1,000th career point and became RMHS’ fifth all-time leading scorer. Ellis-Williams contributed 20 points during the win. Reading (8-1, 4-0 MLL) has not lost since opening night and is now ranked at No. 20 by the Boston Globe.
Austin Prep Boys: The Cougars played a pair of road league games last week, falling to Arlington Catholic, 65-19, on Jan. 10, while falling to Cardinal Spellman 59-18 on Jan. 13.
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RMHS Girls: The boys aren’t the only basketball team experiencing success at Hawkes Field House this winter. The Lady Rockets are still unbeaten and currently ranked fourth in the Boston Globe top 20. Last week, Reading played a pair of Middlesex League contests and ran away with both. On Jan. 10, Belmont provided little opposition and fell 83-44, while the Lady Rockets traveled to face Arlington on Jan. 13 and played the role of the bad house guests, thumping the home team 72-29.
Austin Prep Girls: The Lady Cougars played Arlington Catholic at home on Jan. 10 and lost, 53-22.
HOCKEY
RMHS Boys: With only a draw against Winchester separating 20th-ranked (Boston Globe) Reading from Middlesex League Large table-toppers No. 2 Woburn, the race for the league title is anything but decided. The Rockets took care of their ML Large business on Jan. 11, when they hosted Belmont at Burbank Arena. Reading never looked like losing, and routed the Marauders, 6-0. The Rockets are now 5-2-2 overall and 3-0-1 in league play.
Austin Prep Boys: The 16th-ranked Cougars faced a challenging non-league tilt with Central Catholic of the Merrimack Valley Conference/Dual County League on Jan. 11, and battled the Raiders to a 1-1 draw.
RMHS Girls: The Lady Rockets have been enduring some hard times on the ice this winter, and, unfortunately, last week provided no respite. First it was a crosstown duel with the Lady Cougars of on Jan. 9, with Reading on the losing end of a 1-0 scoreline. The Reading girls next skated against Belmont and acquitted themselves well, but not quite well enough, falling 3-2 against the Lady Marauders at Burbank Arena on Jan. 11. The Lady Rockets are 1-7 overall and 0-3 in league play.
Austin Prep Girls: The girls won the battle of Reading, 1-0, on Jan. 9, defeating the Lady Rockets from at Burbank Arena, and hosted Norwell at home on Jan. 11, winning that contest 6-1. The Lady Cougars are now 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the Catholic Central League.
WRESTLING
RMHS Boys: The Rockets took to the mat on Jan. 11 against Lexington, and Reading’s grapplers came out on top, 37-34. Reading is now 9-5 overall on the season.
INDOOR TRACK
RMHS Boys: The boys track team thumped Arlington, 71-15, on Jan. 11 at Lexington High. Winners for Reading included sophomore Ray Cozzi, who won the 600-meters at 1:38.7, while junior Robbie Federico placed second at 138.8. Senior Greg Altobello won the 300 at 39.8, while junior Jared Barros was second with a time of 40.3. Senior Kyle Lockwood won the mile at 4:57.6, and senior Mike McGlathery took the 45-yard hurdles at 6.0. Brendan Amico won the 45-yard dash at 5.4. The Rockets’ 4x400 relay team was also a winner at 3:48.2. Brian Callahan took the shot put with a toss of 38-11, while Federico, JD Greenfield and Tristan Barros all tied for first in the high jump with leaps of 5-03.
RMHS Girls: The Lady Rockets defeated Arlington, 56-29, on Jan. 12. Winners for Reading included junior Brittany Reeves, who won the 1000 meters while junior Jenny Vaccaro was third. Senior Erin Cunningham placed first in the 600 with a time of 1:49.9, while Marissa Perez was second at 1:52.1. Junior Rosemary Soucy and senior Ashley Testa placed first and second in the mile, with times of 6:02.6 and 6:11.4 respectively. Meghan Donahue, jr., won the 45-yard hurdles at 6.7, while Brianna Brown-Burcy won the 45-yard dash at 6.1
