Weekly Sports Roundup, September 12 - September 19

The fall high school sports season hit full stride last week, as all of Wakefield’s scholastic squads are now in action and looking to make some noise.

Wakefield High football suffered its first setback of the season, while the girls soccer team earned its first win of the year in emphatic fashion. Elsewhere, the Northeast Metro Tech football team was unable to earn its second straight win.

Here’s the full rundown from last week’s action.

Football
The Wakefield Warriors (1-1) faced an opponent from outside of the Middlesex League for the first time this fall on Sept. 16, and were unable to repeat the form that saw them topple Lexington last week, losing to Lynn English (Cape Ann/Northeastern) by a 21-6 margin. The Warriors were ultimately done in by the Bulldogs’ duo of P.J. Dorsey and Jermaine Kelly, who combined for 327 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Warriors QB James Bourque scampered across the goal line from two yards out, cutting the English lead to a lone point following a botched 2-point conversion. That was as close as the Warriors would get, however, as two unanswered Bulldogs (2-0) touchdowns in the second half sealed Wakefield’s fate.

The Warriors return to the gridiron Sept. 23 when they take on Middlesex League Large School foes the Winchester Sachems.

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After a solid 34-14 opening day win over Bishop Fenwick last week, the Northeast Metro Tech football team faced another non-league test on Sept. 16, facing Dover-Sherborn from the Tri-Valley Conference Small School Division. Unfortunately for the Knights, the result didn’t come down in their favor this time around. The Raiders pulled out a 27-14 home win, sending the Knights back to Wakefield with a 1-1 record on the year.

Northeast Metro, two-time defending Division IV champions, were ultimately done in by an outstanding individual performance from D-S captain Matt Heinlein, who scored four rushing touchdowns and collected 174 yards on 15 carries. Heinlein was also a force on the other side of the ball, recording eight tackles—three of which resulted in a loss of yardage.

The Knights are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 24, when they take on Pope John at home.

Soccer - Boys
The Warriors started the week looking for their first win of the year, and after all was said and done, the search will continue.

The Warriors fell to ML Large opponent Belmont on Sept. 13, and things went from bad to worse, as an injury-depleted Wakefield squad was thoroughly trounced by ML Small rivals Watertown, 11-0, on a damp night at Filippello Park. The Warriors are now 0-4, but will look forward to the recovering health of several key players.

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The Northeast Metro boys soccer team played twice last week, and the Knights (3-1) split a pair of matches against Commonwealth Athletic Conference Upper Division rivals. Northeast began the week at home against Chelsea on Sept. 13, and came out on the wrong end of 1-0 nail-biter. On Sept. 15, the Knights journeyed to Billerica to face Shawsheen Tech and got back on the right side of the ledger, as, this time, a narrow 1-0 decision went their way.

Soccer - Girls
Wakefield High’s girls soccer squad also began the week seeking its first victory of the fall, and just like their male counterparts, things began bleakly. The Lady Warriors (1-4)were easily handled by Belmont on Sept. 13, falling 5-0, but bounced back in a big way Sept. 15 at Watertown. The Lady Warriors rolled to an emphatic 6-0 win at home against the Lady Raiders. Wakefield was led by Abby DiCredico, who posted three goals and two assists, and Lauren Peduto, who tallied two goals and three assists. Alana DeSimone potted Wakefield’s other goal on the afternoon. After opening the year with three straight losses to ML Large schools, the Lady Warriors were able to defeat a side from the Small School Division at the first time of asking.

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The Northeast Metro girls soccer team fell to 0-3 this week, falling by a score of 3-0 against North Shore Tech at home on Sept. 14.

Cross-Country - Boys
The Wakefield boys cross-country team kicked off the season with a bang, recording a 25-34 win over Middlesex League Large newcomers Arlington at home on Sept. 15. The Warriors (1-0) next meet is on Sept. 20, when they will travel to take on Reading.

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Northeast Metro Tech (0-1) took on Greater Lowell Tech on Sept. 14, and fell 15-50 at home.

Cross-Country Girls
The Lady Warriors (1-0) ended a 27-match losing streak, dating back to 2007, on Sept. 14 with a 21-38 win over the Arlington Spy Ponders at the Beasley Course. Wakefield’s Kelly Ledoux-Walsh posted a personal-best time of 20.41 on the Lady Warriors home course to take the top spot, and freshman Lauren Sallade posted an impressive third-place finish, recording an impressive 20.55 mark on her Beasley debut. Sophomore Emily Curran (21.09) finished fourth, while senior Jen Sapanaro (21.12) was fifth. The Lady Warriors will try to cobble together their first winning streak in recent memory on Sept. 20, as they take on Reading.

Golf
Wakefield’s varsity golf team played three matches last week, going 1-2. The Warriors (1-3) began the week against Lexington on Sept. 12, and fell 44.5-27.5. On Sept. 13 Danvers was the opponent, and Wakefield was defeated 39-33 at Danvers. Things got better on Sept. 14, when the Warriors got their first win of the year, traveling to Swampscott and earning a 37.5-34.5 victory.

Field Hockey
The Lady Warriors (0-3) are still hunting for the season’s first win, and failed to capture it during their two games last week. The Winchester Sachems toppled Wakefield 3-0 on Sept. 13, and two days later, it was Belmont who would play spoiler, downing Wakefield 5-0.

Road Racing

Mystic Runners Lake Q 5k
Medford resident Jeff Lane captured the weekly Lake Q 5k crown on Sept. 14, leading all harriers with a time of 19.54. Coming in second was Middleton’s Greg Mastrangelo, who posted a time of 20.27, while Reading resident Gerry McDonald was third at 21.10. Lynnfield’s John Sienes was fourth at 21.21, and Woburn’s Randy Strauch rounded out the top five at 21.27. James Vincent was the fastest Wakefieldian on the day, finishing tenth at 23.09, while Stoneham’s Naomi Lainge was the fleetest female, finishing eighth with a time of 22.10.