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A Super Bowl of their own

Former Marblehead Youth Football teammates go to Gillette to cheer on Prep pair

BY CHAD KONECKY Special to the Current

Pat Dever touched the ball on every offensive snap he played this past season for the St. John’s Prep football team. As the center on the offensive line, that was the Tufts Street resident’s job. The final time he touched the ball in his high school career, however, was to run out the clock on a Super Bowl title, capping a 13-0 slugfest victory over Springfield Central at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 3.

But as the 6-foot, 230-pound lineman tells it, there was much deeper meaning in that moment than a whistle that meant he’d earned a ring.

“I remember going to Prep games with my dad, who graduated in 1985, when I was little,” says Devers, 17, who also credits junior guard Wells Gillett, also a Marblehead resident, for the Eagles’ success up front.

“I always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, and St. John’s gave me that,” he says. “There are big games every week here; that’s why I chose the Prep.”

Dever says the “icing on the cake” was seeing all his Marblehead friends, who had won their own Super Bowl a year earlier, soaking wet at Gillette after watching him play.

“I played with them for years in Marblehead Youth Football, and those bonds never broke,” he says. “I’ll always remember hugging my dad after that game, too. It was a real full-circle moment.”

Relationships were also a part of what gave the 2022 Eagles (11-2) their gridiron mettle, according to teammate and fellow Marblehead resident, Matt Callahan, a junior who started at outside linebacker.

“I think our personality as a team and how we worked together was critical,” says the Glendale Road resident, 16. “We all trusted one another and knew that the guy on our right and left could do what they needed to do. In practice, our scout team always stepped up and got the starters ready for our opponents. Our coaches were also really close with us all, and they formed relationships with each one of us. We all hold each other accountable in this way as well.”

Prep football head coach Brian St. Pierre sees both Dever and Callahan as coaches on the field.

“Pat is undersized, but he is a grinder,” says St. Pierre, who has won three titles in his eight seasons on the job. “He works extremely hard, and he was really an extension of the coaching staff to some degree from his center position. He had good command of what we were trying to do offensively, and really took the lead up front along the offensive line for us this year.”

St. Pierre continued, “Matt, on the other hand, is an edge player for us, so he’s physical enough to play the run, but he’s also athletic enough to drop into coverage. Matt has a high football IQ. As the season went along, you could see him growing into his role, and he became one of our leaders on defense.”

Chad Konecky is a communications specialist for St. John’s Prep.

Junior outside linebacker Matt Callahan (42) of Marblehead played a key role in the Eagles’ 2022 championship due to his athleticism, both in pursuit of ball carriers and in pass coverage.

Senior center Pat Dever (58) anchored the St. John’s Prep offensive line to its third state title in its last four attempts with help from junior right guard Wells Gillett (52). Both players are from Marblehead. PREP ATHLETES’ FAVORITE THINGS

MATT CALLAHAN

` SCHOOL SUBJECT: History ` ATHLETE: Matt Judon ` SPORT ASIDE FROM OWN: Snowboarding ` PREGAME/COMPETITION SONG: “1942 Flows,” by Meek Mills ` PREGAME RITUAL: “Text my grandpa” ` SNEAKER: Air Force 1 ` PREGAME MEAL: Chipotle ` SELF-COOKED MEAL: Crepes ` BEVERAGE: Arnold Palmer ` ANIMAL: Bear ` PRACTICE DRILL: 1-v-1 pass rush

PAT DEVER

` SCHOOL SUBJECT: History ` ATHLETE: Rex Burkhead ` SPORT ASIDE FROM OWN: Baseball ` PREGAME/COMPETITION SONG: “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” by Cage The Elephant ` PREGAME RITUAL: “Organize my locker” ` SNEAKER: Nike ` PREGAME MEAL: Italian sub ` SELF-COOKED MEAL: French Toast ` BEVERAGE: Coke ` ANIMAL: Dogs ` PRACTICE DRILL: Flatbacks

Indoor track teams keep on running and winning

Magicians beat host Gloucester, Masco to begin new year

BY JOE McCONNELL

In a tri-meet on Jan. 4, the Marblehead High boys and girls indoor track teams began the new year the same way the old one ended with wins against Northeastern Conference opponents.

The girls defeated host Gloucester (63-19) and Masconomet (44-42), while the boys upended their Fishermen and Masco counterparts, 56-30 and 52-38, respectively. Both teams have perfect 6-0 records.

Boys high jump

Graham Tips and Errol Apostolopoulos led the way for Marblehead with identical leaps of 5-4 to finish first and second during the Masco meet, and were second and third against the Fishermen.

“Both Graham and Errol have had successful seasons so far in the high jump with visible potential for more success ahead,” said coach Nolan Raimo. undefeated on the season to date.

“It was a stacked high-jump field across the board, with six jumpers clearing 4-10,” said Raimo.

Boys shot put

Riley Schmitt captured another victory with a new personal best throw of 39-5. He was followed by Alex Hersey (second and third) with a quality throw of 36-6.

“The boys throwing squad that also includes Anthony Vizy and Dylan Gilmore is quickly becoming a presence in dual meets, while scoring significant points,” said the coach.

Girls shot put

Lillian Reddy continues to post wins after throwing 29-0 last week to set a new personal best. She was followed by Rachael Albert (26-0, third and fourth) and Hannah O’Brien (20-11, sixth).

“Similar to the boys throwing group, this is a young group with tons of potential, and Rachael’s leadership in the group is benefiting all,” said Raimo.

BY JOE McCONNELL

The Marblehead High School swim and dive team (3-0) won a close meet against Northeastern Conference rival Masco on Thursday, Jan. 5 at the Lynchvan Otterloo YMCA, 103-89.

“The Masco team surprised everyone with their strength, but our depth proved to be the difference in this meet,” coach Sue Guertin said.

The veteran coach added, “Masco gave us a terrific meet, and as a result we knew at that point we have to work hard to remain undefeated throughout the rest of the regular season.”

In the 200-yard medley relay, Jack Grady, Gary Podstrelov, Greg Podstrelov and Logan Doody (1:49.61, state cut) accounted for a second-place finish. Clementine Robins, Song Watekus, Finn Bergquist and Anna Coleman (2:00.37, state cut) came in third.

Cole Brooks (1:48.72, state cut) bested the entire field in the 200-yard freestyle. Cale Nelson (2:00.86) was third, and Sophia Weiner (2:07.85, sectional cut) fourth.

Will Cerrutti (2:15.26, personal best) and Brady Leveroni (2:16.90, personal best) bested the entire field in the 200 IM.

In the 50-yard freestyle, Doody (23.10, state cut) was credited with a first-place finish. Owen Torstenson (25.53, personal best) came in third, and Coleman (27.69) fifth.

Grady (181.05 points) settled for fourth in diving. Cait Mullins (140.40, personal best score) chipped in with a fifth-place finish.

Brooks (54.67, state cut) went to the head of the class in the 100-yard butterfly. Gary Podstrelov (58.99, personal best) was right behind him in second place. Finn Bergquist (1:06.04, sectional cut) was fourth.

Bella Takata (58.49, sectional cut), Weiner (59.70) and Coleman (1:01.47) picked up third, fourth and fifth place in the 100-yard freestyle, respectively.

In the 500-yard freestyle, Robins (5:14.25, state cut) and Brinleigh (5:45.42, sectional cut) ended up second and third, while Bergquist (5:46.56, sectional cut) was fifth.

Cale Nelson, Nate Rosen, Torstenson and Brooks (1:37.99, state cut) owned the top spot in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Song Waitekus, Bergquist, Takata and Weiner (1:50.07, sectional cut) finished third.

Grady (57.73, state cut) and Doody (57.78, state cut) were the top two swimmers in the 100yard backstroke. Nelson (1:01.33) was fourth.

Greg Podstrelov (1:10), Nate Rosen (1:11.02) and Song Watekus (1:14.40, state cut) swept the 100-yard breaststroke.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Doody, Grady, Nelson and Brooks (3:38.19, state cut) secured the top spot. Coleman, Takata, Weiner and Robins (3:57, state cut) teamed up to finish second.

MaGICIanS nOTEBOOK Hockey Magicians roar back, rout Danvers

The Marblehead High School boys hockey team (2-2 in the Northeastern Conference, 4-3-1 overall) routed Danvers, 6-2, after staking the Falcons to a 2-0 lead on Jan. 11. It was a nice bounce-back victory after dropping a 4-1 decision to host Winthrop Jan. 7.

James Caeran paced the offensive attack with a hat trick, plus one assist. Captain Hogan Sedky and Avin Rodovsky were next in line with one goal and one assist. Charlie Grenier accounted for the other tally. Kyle Hart and London MacDonald chipped in with assists.

Goalie Leo Burdge made 24 shots in net to secure his first varsity triumph.

Peabody mounts comeback on Magicians

The Marblehead High boys basketball team (5-3 overall, 4-1 in the state, 3-1 in the NEC)) dropped a heartbreaker to host Peabody, 64-58, Jan. 10.

The Magicians led at halftime, 30-25, and 47-41 after three.

Isaiah Makor tried to do his part to keep his teammates ahead on the scoreboard with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Freshmen take the lead

Marblehead girls basketball (2-2 in the Northeastern Conference, 3-4 overall) lost a back-and-forth non-league game to Ipswich to begin the new year, 43-34.

They then went up against Division 1 power Peabody on Jan. 10, and the results were rather predictable when taking into account the team’s inexperience, 65-25.

Coach Paul Moran plays four freshmen regularly, and they have all been doing their jobs and learning what life is like on the varsity level quickly.

“The future definitely looks bright here, but now we begin the conference schedule against familiar foes,” Moran said.

Tessa Andriano is one of those promising freshmen, and she’s already developing a reputation of being a prolific shooter. She led the team in both aforementioned games, scoring 16 against Ipswich, including five three-pointers, plus 17 more versus the Tanners.

Mari O’Connell, another freshman, had two points against Peabody, and she was able to move the ball around quite well, according to Moran.

The Ipswich game was much more competitive. Ramona Gillette pulled down eight rebounds against the Tigers, while also playing her best overall game to date, added the veteran Marblehead coach.

Moran also singled out the contributions of Samantha Dormer and Katie Pyne for their crisp passing and good defense. —Compiled by Joe McConnell

Track

From P. A13

Boys 55 meters

Harrison Curtis (7:05) and Tommy Carlson (7:06) led the way in the dash with a second and third finish overall versus Masco (first and second against Gloucester), respectively.

“There was general disappointment about no spikes, as we used them at the same track five days earlier, but all the sprinters and hurdlers handled it incredibly well,” Raimo said. “They didn’t let it derail their efforts.”

Girls 55 meters

Cate Trautman returned to the dash for the first time this season after focusing primarily on it throughout the past three years, and she instantly found great success with a new personal best time, going from 7.78 to 7.71 without spikes.

Sadie Halpern (7.87) continued her impressive rookie campaign with a second-place finish.

“A Masco runner then unfortunately leaned at the common finish line rather than the dash finish line, which does happen at local tracks, and we were able to capitalize on it,” said Raimo.

Boys 55-meter hurdles

Hersey continued his undefeated streak in this event this season with a time of 8.78 to capture first, followed closely by Apostolopolous (second, 8.97) and Marc Grazado (third, 9.68 personal best).

“A clean sweep by the boys is a testament to their efforts this season, and also to coach Veloukas,” said Raimo.

Girls 55-meter hurdles

As mentioned previously, Devin Whalen was the winner in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 9.43. She was followed by Claire Davis (second, 9.61) and Elise Burchfield (third, 9.88).

“This group has only conceded one point this season, but it will soon be tested against Beverly and Peabody that have two of the best hurdlers in our conference this year,” Raimo said.

Boys 300

Sebastian Pantzer cruised to victory with a 40.5, which is a remarkable time on a flat 150-meter track surface without spikes.

He was followed by Jack Burke and Seamus Crowley (42.82, third and fourth), who ran identical times in separate heats.

She was followed by Le’Daisha Williams (48.53, third) and Cora Gerson (48.98, fourth and fifth).

Girls 600

Grace Mortensen (1:52.35) had to battle through the pack at the start but still pulled out a second-place finish against both opponents.

Juliet Burchfield (1:53.50, five-second personal best) has continued to find her stride this season and clearly wants to improve even more, according to Raimo. She finished third against both teams.

Charlie Roszell (1:56.25, two-second personal best) started like lightning and was able to hold on to finish fourth against both opponents and fifth overall.

Boys 600

Xavier Grazado was the lone Marblehead runner in this event. He got off to a fast start and never looked back, cruising his way to a three-second personal best in a very tough event.

“Xavier can always be counted on to compete his hardest in whatever event he’s put in, and is always willing to do whatever he can to help the team,” Raimo said.

Girls 1,000

Maya Mahoney (3:39.08) ran her best race of the season, coming in with a goal to beat her time on this track last year, and she did just that, beating it by four seconds while taking a big step closer to her best time last year.

Sienna Velandry (4:00.66) and Martha Heffernan (4:07.15) rounded out the local finishers.

Boys 1,000

Ryan Thompson (2:46.58) ran an impressive time in his first-ever 1,000, while also looking comfortable at a pace that has most runners huffing and puffing, but he cruised to a first-place finish.

Gabe Bayramian (2:55.24) once again gave it everything he had and was rewarded with a seasonal best as he gets closer to his personal best time.

Nicolas Regnault (3:08.65, seven-second personal best) had a big breakthrough race, holding off a competitor in the end to get that significant personal best.

JV Girls 1,000

Sofia Grubor (3:44.50, hand-timed) ran a very impressive race while making her debut in this event. She went back and forth with a Masco runner before ultimately taking the lead and never looking back. Her time is the third fastest among the girls this year.

Piper Morgan (3:50, four-second personal best) ran a great race from the start, despite not knowing which event she’d be a part of in this tri-meet.

Kate Twomey (3:59.65), Abbie Goodwin (4:02.86) and Emma St. George (4:18.89) all ran very well in their debuts. Lauren Zisson (4:29.38) rounded out the local runners.

“It’s clear that we have some serious depth in the middle distance events,” Raimo said.

COURTESY PHOTO / CAT PIPER

Marblehead girls indoor track sophomore Hannah O’Brien gets ready to throw the shot put during the tri-meet last week against host Gloucester and Masco.

JV Boys 1,000

David Alpert, Sean Heenan, Anthony Vizy, Henrik Adams, Sam Tanger, Colin Burke and Zach Pike all ran very hard in this race, and deserve recognition for their efforts, despite the lack of accurate electronic times, said Raimo.

Girls mile

Maren Potter (6:19.58) ran very well from the front, setting the pace throughout. Running from the front is extremely challenging, but she did very well for a young athlete.

Angie Fischer (6:28.58) stayed with the pack in the early going to eventually move up into third at the right time to close out the race.

Even if her times may not be what she wants, she is improving and gaining valuable experience in every race, according to Raimo.

Boys mile

Nate Assa (5:08.44, six-second personal best) and Will Cruikshank (5:08.50) absolutely battled throughout.

“These two young runners are pushing each other while making each other better with every race,” Raimo said. “I expect to see them continue to push each other to new personal bests during the remainder of the season.”

The coach added, “Ryan Blestowe (5:11.43) did well to deal with being boxed-in early on in the race but still got clear for the second half of it. Gloucester is a narrow track, so being blocked in early on can be very difficult to overcome, but Ryan persevered to finish strong.”

Girls two-mile

Cat Piper (13:44.32) was Marblehead’s lone runner in this event, and despite coming back from an extended illness she still ran a consistent race, finishing with a time she was striving for last year.

“I look forward to seeing Cat race at full strength,” said Raimo.

Boys two-mile

Isaac Gross (10:03) picked up where he left off in the first meet by running nearly a sub-10-minute time by himself on a flat track.

“Isaac will be someone to watch when he has opponents around him,” Raimo said.

Jonah Potach (11:51.06) is staying hungry even after running a seasonal personal best.

“Jonah is always looking for ways to improve, and his attitude is awesome,” added the Marblehead track coach.

Will Cronin (12:03.17) ran his best race of the year and is rounding into form at the right time of the season, Raimo added.

Boys 4-by-400 relay

Pantzer, Thompson, Apostolopoulos and Tips finished second with a time of 3:53.91, which is the best they have run this season.

Girls 4-by-400 relay

Claire Davis, Juliet Burchfield, Grace Mortenson and Le’Daisha Williams finished second with a time of 4:36.51.

“This was an awesome race that included a great battle between Juliet Burchfield and her Masco counterpart,” Raimo said. “Le’Daisha (67) ran a great opening leg with a strong kick at the end to put her teammates in a good position.”

Boys long jump

Apostolopoulos soared to the top with a jump of 19-4. Hersey (19-0) was second. Thomas Carlson (17-11) ended up third, and Harrison Curtis (17-8) was fourth.

“Without a jumping pit, we are limited in our training, but yet all of our jumpers were consistent to put together a great day,” Raimo said. “Coach V also deserves a tremendous amount of credit for running the entire long-jump operation, while Gloucester was missing a few coaches.”

Girls long jump

Claire Davis jumped to a new indoor personal best with a leap of 16-2 to finish first, followed by Ana Vina de Garnica (158) and Roszell (15-6).

“Ana has had a remarkably successful season,” Raimo said. “She’s our fourth hurdler, but she would be a top hurdler on the majority of the other teams in our conference, and it’s great to see her success in the long jump.”