CHS Roundup
Ieng scores three TDs as CHS football team posts first win with 28-0 romp over So. Boston
Chelsea High’s football team earned its first victory of the season Friday evening, shutting out South Boston 28-0.
CHS head coach Jack Halas remarked, “fblikebutton_button” “It was a total team effort. Every member of the team saw the field and contributed.”
The standout performance came from junior captain Nick Ieng, who rushed for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns. Two came on runs of 26 and 45 yards, while the third was a 77-yard kickoff return—his third such return for a score this season.
Sophomore David Bui also contributed a touchdown, scoring on a 38-yard run for the Red Devils.
The Red Devil defense was dominant throughout the game. Halas highlighted several contributors, noting “fblikebutton_button” “Many guys stepped up to contribute,” specifically praising senior captain Dennys Hernandez and Bui, each with four tackles; Bryan Rivas with three tackles and an interception; and Christian Caceres and Jacinto Hernandez, who each recorded three tackles.
Reflecting on the victory, Halas stated, “fblikebutton_button” “I am very happy for the boys to have earned their first win, and to do it in a team fashion is even better.”
The Red Devils prepare this week for West Roxbury, whom they will face Friday evening at 7:00.
CHS boys soccer team opens tourney play Saturday
Chelsea High’s boys soccer team will begin tournament competition Saturday evening when coach Mick Milutinovic’s squad hosts the winner of Wednesday’s Woburn vs. Greater Lowell matchup in the first round of the Division 2 North Sectional of the MIAA state soccer tournament. The match kicks off at 6:00 under the lights at Chelsea Stadium.
The Red Devils enter as the top seed in the D-2 North with a 15-1-2 record. Their only loss came Thursday afternoon against Winchester in the season finale, falling 4-1 to the squad that carries a 10-3-5 mark and is seeded fifth in the D-2 North.
Chelsea took an early lead when Derilson DePina capitalized on a pass from Oscar Murillo about 10 minutes into the first half, chipping the ball over the Winchester keeper from the 18-yard line for a 1-0 advantage.
Winchester responded two minutes later to equalize, then took a 2-1 lead five minutes before halftime. Both Winchester goals resulted from corner kicks.
CHS assistant coach Evan Protasowicki observed, “fblikebutton_button” “We lost some of our composure when we took the lead. We did a poor job marking their players on the corner kicks and Winchester took advantage of our mistakes. But that gave us some insight into what we need to work on as we prepare for the tournament.”
A first-round victory would advance Chelsea to host the Danvers vs. Masconomet winner Monday in the D-2 North quarterfinals.
CHS cross country teams compete in CAC meet
The Chelsea High boys and girls cross country teams competed last Saturday at the Commonwealth Athletic Conference league meet hosted by Greater Lawrence in Andover.
In the boys race, senior first-year runner Jose Aguiar delivered an outstanding performance, finishing fourth overall in the CAC Upper Division.
CHS head coach Don Fay explained, “fblikebutton_button” “We ran here two and a half weeks ago and in that race Jose was a little too aggressive and suffered in the second half of the race. But today he went out a lot smarter and was able to pick people off during the race. He was sixth with just under a mile to go and passed two more in the latter part of the race.”
Aguiar’s finish earned him a spot on the all-star squad, reserved for the top eight finishers. His time was 58 seconds faster than his previous effort on the same course.
Chelsea’s next four runners finished within 27 seconds of each other: Adriel Cedano placed 26th in 19:06; Johnny Gomez was 27th in 19:12; Jansel Claudio finished 28th in 19:22; and Diego Estrada was 29th in 19:33.
The boys team placed fifth in the upper division. Fay noted, “fblikebutton_button” “We really worked hard as a team. We had a lot of individual personal bests throughout the year. The team should be proud of how they performed this season. There never were any excuses, never any complaining. Just toughness and a great work ethic.”
On the girls’ side, CHS senior captain Wendy Becerra narrowly missed repeating as an all-star, finishing 10th in 21:41—just five seconds shy of the eighth-place cutoff.
Fay observed, “fblikebutton_button” “In the latter part of the race, Wendy usually is picking off anyone near her, but today she seemed a little flat. But this doesn’t take away from another great year that she had. Wendy was very dominant and was either first or second in every race but one.”
Freshman Jocelyn Poste ran a personal best of 22:21 to finish 12th, just behind Becerra. Melanie Nguyen placed 15th with a PR of 22:40, and freshman Yarid Deris also recorded a personal best while finishing 24th.
Senior Cynthia Guzman rounded out the scoring in 32nd place overall. The Lady Red Devils finished fourth, just three points behind third-place Whittier.
Fay reflected, “fblikebutton_button” “This was a good group of girls that we finished with. They were hard working and positive and, like the boys, saw a lot of individual improvement. I really liked our Saturday morning long runs. After we finished running between 7-9 miles, we would have our bagels and peanut butter for breakfast.”
The coach added, “fblikebutton_button” “I hope everyone continues running indoor and outdoor track and continues to get faster and stronger throughout the year.”
Tammi Piermarini, Armando Ayuso dominate at Suffolk Downs
Jockeys Tammi Piermarini and Armando Ayuso each recorded three victories on Saturday’s eleven-race card at Suffolk Downs on Breeders’ Cup Day, thrilling an enthusiastic crowd of 10,521 fans attending the third and final live racing and food truck festival of the year.
Piermarini, the third all-time leading female rider in history, opened the day with a 4½-length victory aboard Miss Wilby ($2.40) in the $75,000 John Kirby Stakes for Marcus Vitali. She completed an early double with Dr. Blarney ($2.60) in the $75,000 Norman Hall Stakes. Later, she returned to the winner’s circle with a narrow victory aboard the favored Lillie’s Answer ($4.80), a maiden winner for trainer Christophe Clement.
Ayuso began his triple with Luckystrikedelcoco ($6.80) on the turf for trainer Derek Ryan. He partnered with Ryan again to capture the eighth race with Red Letter ($7.60) and the tenth race with Dubai Time ($11.80).
The track operates year-round for simulcasting, with free parking and admission always available.
For more information, visit www.suffolkdowns.com
About Suffolk Downs:
Built by 3,000 workers in just 62 days when Massachusetts authorized pari-mutuel wagering in 1935, the historic track has been a showcase for some of the most famous names in Thoroughbred racing history, including Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, John Henry, Cigar and Skip Away.