Weekly Sports Roundup, November 7-13

The Wakefield High football team wrapped up the Middlesex League Small School Division title last week in emphatic fashion, with a 39-0 drubbing of Watertown on Nov. 11 in a league contest. The Warriors improved to 4-0 in the league and 8-2 overall with the win. While second-place Wilmington (6-3 overall, 4-1 league) could still hypothetically finish with an identical league mark should Wakefield stumble on Thanksgiving morning against longtime conference rivals Melrose, the Warriors would still win the league by virtue of a head-to-head tie breaker. Wakefield beat the Wildcats 35-7 on Oct. 15.

Against Watertown, the Warriors were led by quarterback Jamie Bourque, who ran for two touchdowns and collected another through the air. Bourque broke scoring runs of two and 18-yards, while connecting with Matt McKenna for a 31-yard touchdown strike as well. Josh Puccio added a touchdown for Wakefield with an 18-yard run, while Sam Benoit (one yard) and Dan Cardillo (five yards) also added rushing scores. Brian Auld converted three PATs.

Football - Northeast Metro Tech
The Knights were unable to prevent the Shawsheen Tech Rams from capturing the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Large School title, succumbing at home, 24-6 in a conference battle. Northeast is now 7-3 overall and 2-2 in league play, with only the Turkey Day clash with North Shore Tech left on the schedule. Kenny Bartolo scored the Knights’ only points with a seven-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Northeast hosts North Shore at 7 p.m. on Nov. 23.

Boys Cross Country - Wakefield High
The Wakefield High boys cross country team took part in the Eastern Massachusetts Divisional Championships at Boston’s Franklin Park on Nov. 12, and the Warriors made a fine showing of themselves. Wakefield finished fourth overall in the division 4 team standings with 155 points, while Pembroke took the top spot at 49 points. Individually, Stephen Robertson had a  big day, placing second overall with a time of 15:54—just four seconds off the winning time on the 5k course. Aaron Lucci finished 15th overall with a 16:59 mark, while James Bridges placed 37th with a time of 17:35. Jonathan Miksis was 46th at 18:01; Jared Gellar placed 55th with a time of 18:07, while Christopher Haddad (18:32) and Marc Bucchieri (20:05) finished 74th and 133rd respectively.

Girls Cross Country - Wakefield High
The girls cross country squad placed eighth overall at the EMass Championship meet with a score of 249 points. Bishop Feehan took the top prize in division 4, winning the team competition with 36 points.

Jen Saponaro led the Lady Warriors, placing 20th overall with a time of 20:46, while Kelly Ledoux-Walsh finished in 35th place at 21:29. Emily Curran took 55th place at 22:34, Emily Hammond was 63rd with a mark of 22:50 and Lucy Howard finished 76th with a time of 23:07. Marino Francesca was 101st at 23:52, while Margaret Gourville was 105th with a time of 24:01.

Boys Soccer Northeast Metro Tech
The Knights entered the MIAA Division II Tournament with the sixth-seed, and, after a bye in the preliminary round, drew No. 11 Concord-Carlisle of the Dual County League in first round play on Nov. 7. Despite the lower seeding, the Patriots proved more than a match for Northeast Tech, ousting them from the sectionals with a 5-1 thrashing.

The Knights finish their outstanding campaign at 13-6-0.

Mystic Runners ‘Lake Q 5k’
The weekly circumnavigation of scenic Lake Quannapowitt took place on Nov. 9, and Stoneham’s Brian Daley pulled down top honors with a mark of 19:50. Gerard MacDonald, of Reading, finished second with a time of 20:10, while Lynnfield resident John Sievers took third at 21:01. Stoneham’s David Smeltser placed fourth with a time of 21:05, and Chas Gallant, of North Reading, rounded out the top five at 21:13. Pat Dooling was the fastest Wakefieldian, placing seventh with a time of 21:50,  while Stoneham’s Krissy Nowell was the fleetest female, finishing in 22:40, good enough for 11th place.