The St. Mary’s boys and girls cross country teams were at their best this weekend, putting together impressive performances at the Catholic Central League North Freshman/Sophomore Cross Country Meet at Bishop Fenwick High School.
The meet featured middle schoolers, freshmen and sophomores from St. Mary’s, Bishop Fenwick, Austin Prep, and Arlington Catholic and was run on a 2-mile loop.
The Spartan boys had an extremely successful outing, with Kyle Kwiatek (11:04), Anthony D’Itria (11:13) and Jesse Moriello (11:27) sweeping first, second, and third place at the meet.
“We are a very young team and these three have been our core since the beginning,” said St. Mary’s coach Tristan Smith. “I’m extremely proud of them, but not shocked at this result. Kyle, Anthony, and Jesse have been working hard since day one and they’ve earned this achievement.”
Freshman Kyle Kwiatek, who is one of the league’s top runners as a freshman, was also pleased with the results.
“I’m proud of how our team did,” said Kyle Kwiatek. “Everyone’s been working extremely hard to get better and it showed today. I’m super excited to see how our team does in the CCL championship.”
Sophomore Anthony D’Itria echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the future.
“I am really proud of the way that we all competed today,” said D’Itria. “I think it showed how strong of a team we have and how young we are, so we have a bright future as well. We will continue to work at practice, and I’m looking forward to seeing how we perform at [the Catholic Central League Invitational].”
Other strong finishers for the Spartans included Isaiah Weston (eighth place, 12:31), Matheus Menezes- Avendanha (11th place, 12:49) and Jaiden Madden (15th place, 13:51).
On the girls side, the Spartans had a superb showing as well, with sixth-grader Kelsey Kwiatek holding her own to take fourth place with a time of 13:39.
“With a very young girls team, the girls do an amazing job of showing leadership and support to one another. Kelsey Kwiatek at a very young age has not only shown her ability to compete, but her outstanding character and work ethic as well,” said St. Mary’s assistant coach Themo Liakopoulos.
The Spartans had more representation in the top ten as well. Sophomore Anna Fringuelli earned an eighth place finish with a time of 14:40.
“The best part of the Freshman/Sophomore meet is that, when our juniors and seniors aren’t there, we get to see who steps up and leads the team in warmups and getting their head in the race,” said Smith. “Anna was able to do that and was a huge part of our team’s success on Saturday.”
Other strong finishers for the Spartans included Julia Gramolini (16th place, 15:59), Sophia O’Brien (21st place, 18:01) and Alessia Catino (22nd place, 18:42).
The Spartans conclude their season Saturday (10) at the CCL Invitational meet back at Bishop Fenwick.
GOLF
Marblehead 48, Peabody 24
The Magicians closed out their shortened 2020 season in style Sunday afternoon, knocking off their Northeastern Conference foe on the road at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course.
The brotherly duo of Ben Weed and Matt Weed led the way for Marblehead in the win, with the two sharing medalist honors after shooting a pair of 37s. Matt Weed won his match 7.5-1.5, while Ben Weed took his match 5-4.
Also earning wins for Marblehead were Matt Thompson (6.5-2.5), Charlie Grenier (7-2), Jack Sontz (5-4), Jacob Aizanman (5-4) and Abby Schwartz (7.5-1.5). Noah Kaplowitch earned a tie in his match (4.5-4.5).
Marblehead finishes the season at 6-2.
GIRLS SOCCER
St. Mary’s 1, Arlington Catholic 0
The lone goal in the win was scored by senior captain Susannah Cornell. Senior captain Julia Nickolau also played well in the win, while senior captain goalkeeper Eliza Brown earned the shutout in net.
St. Mary’s (6-6-2) takes on Bishop Feehan Monday evening (6).
BOYS SOCCER
St. Mary’s 2, Arlington Catholic 1
After getting off to a slow start Saturday, the Spartans managed to earn a win over their Catholic Central League foe.
Marcos Weber scored his first goal of the season in the win, while Ryan Fraher scored the game-winning goal with about five minutes to play — his third game-winner of the season. Eduardo Toranzo and Michael Anderson each had one assist in the win.
“It might’ve been a bit of a slow start for us, but overall I’m happy with the way we played,” said St. Mary’s coach Mike D’Agostino. “I was pleased with the way we moved the ball and with how we played defense out there.”
St. Mary’s (5-7-1) plays its season finale on the road against Bishop Feehan Monday afternoon (4).
Bishop Fenwick 2, Dexter Southfield 2
Ryan Noci led the way for the Crusaders with one goal and one assist, while Jack Andrews scored one goal. Aidan Dwyer, Keiron Murray, Tyler Mullen and TJ Genzale all played well in the win, while goalkeeper Liam Foley notched 12 saves — including one on a penalty kick.
Fenwick (9-1-3) hosts Cardinal Spellman Monday afternoon (3:30).
St. John’s Prep 2, Catholic Memorial 1
The Eagles were paced on offense by senior Seamus O’Connor, who had one goal and one assist in the win. Senior Andrew Keenan had one goal. With the win, the Prep has now allowed only two goals in the entire season to this point.
St. John’s Prep (6-0-2) travels to Catholic Conference rival BC High Monday evening (5).