Stoneham Sports Roundup: Sept. 26 - Oct. 2

The football team drew first blood, but couldn’t withstand a late surge by Winchester on Oct. 1 and fell 28-14 against the Sachems on Oct. 1. Paul Delorfano pulled down a 7-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Cann in the second quarter to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead, but a pair of scores by Winchester’s Joe Ntege trumped Eric DeMario’s 21-yard TD reception from Cann in the third and the Sachems added two more in the fourth to seal the deal. Stoneham is now 2-2 and will face Belmont on Oct. 6.

Soccer

Girls

The Stoneham girls' soccer team played Melrose on Sept. 26, and the Lady Spartans were able to get the job done, notching a slender 1-0 victory over their rivals from the Middlesex League Small School Division. Ali Kruse netted the gamewinner for the Lady Spartans midway through the final 45 minutes, when, what appeared to be a cross caromed off the goalpost, giving Stoneham (4-0-2) a closely fought victory. 

Field Hockey

Stoneham took on neighboring Melrose on Sept. 27, and the Lady Spartans grabbed a big 3-1 road victory over a league opponent, improving to 3-2-2 in the process. Next on the schedule for Stoneham’s field hockey team will be Wakefield on Oct. 1 and Reading on Oct. 3.

Golf

The Spartans nightmare season on the links continued last week, as Lexington became the latest rival to hand Stoneham (0-8) a loss. The Minutemen outflanked the Spartans 42-30 on Sept. 27 in Stoneham. Wilmington will be the next obstacle between the Spartans and win number one, as the Wildcats welcome the SHS golf team to town on Oct. 3.

Volleyball

The Lady Spartans played twice last week, and came away with a win for their efforts. Winchester clipped Stoneham 3-2 on Sept. 26, but the Lady Spartans were able to right the ship on Sept. 30, blanking Everett, 3-0, in a non-league encounter. Stoneham is now 6-2 overall on the year, and 4-1 in the ML Small. The Crimson Tide will assume the role of host on Oct. 3, as Everett and Stoneham again lock horns with only a weekend separating the encounters.

Cross Country

Boys

The Stoneham (2-1) boys cross country team faced a stiff road test against ML Small new boys Wilmington on Sept. 27, and couldn’t outpace the host Wildcats, falling 17-42. The Spartans swiftest runner on the afternoon was  senior Brett Kotowski, who finished fourth with a time of 19:12 on the 3.1-mile course. Other top-ten finishers for Stoneham were senior Dylan Badger (20:03), who placed seventh, and junior Tyler Malone (20:17), who finished eighth.

Girls

The Lady Spartans nipped a tough Wilmington squad, 27-28, at the Wildcats’ 3.1-mile home course on Sept. 27. Junior Abby Kendall pulled down top honors, finishing in 21:15, while sophomore Meredith Coccoluto took third at 21:22. Senior Adrianne Stelmack was fourth with a time of 22:01, while Emily McNamara rounded out the top ten at 23:49.