CCHS Patriots Roundup 

By Bruce Hack Correspondent
December 21, 2023

In winning its sixth state championship, the boys’ soccer team also picked up some individual hardware as rewards for their season. Earning Dual County All-League Honors (the top 14 players in the DCL overall) were three of the captains: forward Brady Poor, goalkeeper Ben Wasserman and forward Sean Fernandez-Davila. Earning Dual County All-Star honors were defenders Sean Trudeau and captain Doug Fortier and forward Jameson Velez. Earning Eastern Mass All-Star honors were the trio of Poor, Wasserman and Fernandez-Davila. The trio also earned All-State honors. Poor was named All-New England and All-American (one of 80 across the country). Poor and Fernandez-Davila earned Boston Herald All-Scholastic, while Poor and Wasserman earned Boston Globe All-Scholastic. Poor was the Boston Globe Player of the Year and Head Coach Ray Pavlik was named the D1 Coach of the Year. 

The girls’ basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a hard-fought come-from-behind win over Cambridge Ridge & Latin 54-47 on December 15 at CCHS Hays Gym. Junior Captain Addison Shen scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Patriots. Shen dominated play at both ends of the court and connected on 80% of her free throws. Senior Captain Brooke Boyle added nine points and junior Jill Brennan scored eight. The team had all around tenacious defense efforts. Senior Nathalie Gahan was steadfast on defense, along with teammates Boyle, Brennan, Shen and Ali Davagian. Ninth grader May Isenberg and sophomore Beulah Odunze saw their first varsity minutes, coming in at key moments to help keep the Patriots on the attack. Davagian contributed some key deflections and timely offensive and defensive rebounds. The Patriots took a 21-20 lead at the half and scored 33 second-half points to come away with the win. 

Boys’ basketball went 1-1 in the opening week, dropping an 82-52 decision at Catholic Memorial, a perennial state power. The Patriots opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run but couldn’t maintain the momentum and lost the season opener on December 12. Senior Captain Ben Paradis led the Patriots with 13 points. Three days later, the team traveled to Masconomet and earned its first win of the 2023-24 season with a 50-46 overtime victory. With four minutes left in the game and down 12, the Patriots changed up their defense into a full-court trap to force important turnovers and score in transition. Senior Griff Niemann started the run with a three-pointer. Niemann and senior Nick Charles, senior Captain Jed Cain, sophomore Chris Soillis and junior James Boyle were the five on the floor for the last eight minutes of the game (4th quarter and OT). Cain paced the Patriots with nine points. Charles, Soillis and Boyle all contributed eight points each. 

The boys and girls indoor track and field teams competed in their first meet of the season on December 13 at New Balance Boston Landing Track and Field Complex in Brighton.  

The girls’ team lost by just one point, 49-48, to Acton-Boxborough. Senior Charlotte DiRocco led the way, placing second in the 55 hurdles and winning the high jump, clearing 5’4” while qualifying for Divisionals in both and nationals in the high jump. She also anchored the 4×200 to a win and Divisional Qualifier. Joining her on the 4×200 relay team was senior Lauren Zipoli, ninth grader Paloma Wigton and junior Alissa Bono. Zipoli was first in the 55 hurdles with a personal record and Divisional Qualifier. Junior Katelyn Decious was second in the hurdles with a personal record. Senior Claire Beckley was first in the long jump, second in the 300 and anchored the 4×400 relay team to a win along with Zeina Fofana and ninth graders Pelin Turner and Maria Chopas. Zeina Fofana was second in the 300, Pelin Turner was second in the two mile, and Chopas was third in the mile. Sophomore Gracie Garofalo was second in the long jump. Junior Cat Lynch won the shot put with a PR. 

The boys’ team lost to a strong Acton-Boxborough team, 82-17. The boys 4×400 relay team (senior Liam Quinn, sophomore Austin Calabro, ninth grader Sawyer Bout and senior Will Anstey) placed first. Junior Mateo Pimenta scored in the long jump (third) and high jump (second) with a personal record as he cleared 5’6”.  Senior Elyjah Chabilal Ramos placed third in the shot put. Senior Will Anstey and sophomore Charlie MacDonald were second and third in the mile, both with personal records and Divisional qualifiers. MacDonald also had a personal record in the two mile along with senior Thomas Rivier. Senior Liam Quinn was second in the 1,000 with a personal record. Juniors Gordon Hall and Richard Blair had personal records in the 300 and senior Chris Lando had a personal record (4:58) in the mile and sophomore Alexan Rivier in the 1,000. 

The wrestling team competed at Wayland on December 16 with 17 other teams. The Patriots finished ninth out of a tough field of 18 teams. Placing for Concord-Carlisle was junior Mile Mattaliano, finishing second in the 138-pound weight class. He pinned his way to the finals, where he lost to a returning state champion. Junior Eddie Myles took third place in a highly competitive weight class of 165 pounds. He lost 3-1 in the semifinals. Senior Kian Amouzgar finished fourth in the 175-pound weight class. Ninth grader Penn Bogar placed fourth in the 106-pound weight class in his first high school tournament. Wyatt Alternative, a ninth grade first-year wrestler, won his first varsity match at 150 pounds. 

The boys’ and girls’ swim and dive teams each came away with home wins versus Waltham on December 12. The girls’ team won 86-65 and the boys won 85-51. 

The following C-C girls’ swimmers and divers won their events: 

In the 200-yard medley relay, the C-C team of sophomore Bea Turettini, junior Reese Phillips, ninth grader Elisabeth Reiling and senior Tess Ward won with a time of 1:58.98. Sophomore Bea Turettini won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:03.9. In the 200-yard IM, sophomore Mena Sheth took first with a time of 2:32.17. Senior Tess Ward won the 50-yard freestyle in 26.45 seconds. Winning her third event of the meet, Turrettini took the 100-yard butterfly in 1:04.11. Ninth grader Elisabeth Reiling won her second event with a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in 56.58. The 500-yard freestyle was won by sophomore Hana Baldini in 5:52.93. 

For the boys’ team, the following swimmers took first place in their events. The 200-yard Medley Relay team of senior Noah Caruso, sophomore Presley Rodgers, senior Alexander Sproule and sophomore Caden Watson won in a time of 1:49.74. Sproule won his second event in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 2:01.04. Winning his second event was Rodgers, coming in first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:17.72. Freshman Cale Barker took first in 50-yard freestyle in 24.41. Senior Noah Jina won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.90. The 100-yard freestyle was won by ninth grader Andrew Hodges in 54.05. Sophomore Cole Scafidi won the 500-yard freestyle by over a minute in 5:20.45. 

On December 11, the fencing team hosted St. John’s Prep/Dana Hall. The C-C women won epee 6-3 and saber 5-4. Seniors Tatiana Zafft and Adriana Marciante both went 3-0 in their bouts. The Patriots men won epee 5-4 while losing in saber, 5-4, and foil, 5-2.