Manchester-Essex beat St. Mary's 5-0 yesterday to move on to the next round of the Div. 2 North tournament. Ally Howlett and Hannah Gurley, playing second doubles, were the first to finish off their opponents, winning 6-0, 6-1. Shortly thereafter, Annelise Eaton won by the same score at second singles. Freshman Hannah Daley, All-League third singles player, won the deciding match as she put away an overhead at the net to take a 6-1, 6-1 decision. The first doubles team of Amelia Cohen and Courtney Pasquine won a long first set 6-3, but then quickly dispatched their opponents 6-0 in the second. Playing in the final match, 7th grader Brittany Collens jumped on her opponents second serves throughout the match and won at first singles 6-2, 6-0. The Hornets host Arlington Catholic today at 3:30 at the Manchester Athletic Club.

Congratulations to the Triton Girls Track team and the Wilmington Boys Track team for their respective victories in the Eastern Mass Division 3 meets yesterday, and the Hamilton-Wenham boys for claiming the Division 4 meet.

The Triton girls, who won the CAL with a perfect 10-0 record, collected 52 points to outpace second-place finisher Bishop-Feehan, who finished with 42 points. Leading the way for the Vikings were sophomore Deanna Laptham and senior Nicki Wurdeman. Latham won the 200 meter dash, and then went on to set a new meet record in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet 3.5 inches. Wurdeman took first in the shot put (41'-1.5") and third in the discus (107'-7".) Other point winners for Triton were Rachelle Bourque (121'-9") and Michelle Bashaw (119' 10"), who claimed second and third in the javelin, and Ashley Matthews, who took 6th place in the pole vault. The Vikings 4 x 100 relay team finished 6th.

Wilmington finished with a 9-1 record in the CAL behind the undefeated Hamilton-Wenham team (more on them below), but collected 13 more points than the second place finishers to claim the Div. 3 E-Mass title. The Wildcats had 8 different athletes secure points in individual events. In track events Matt Figuereido took 2nd in the 100 meter dash, Mike Condell finished 2nd in the 800 meter run, and Jon Parella came in 6th in the 300 meter hurdles. In the field events, Craig Bush tied for 3rd in the pole vault, Nathan Clarking took 4th in the shot put, Jimmy DiNuccio finished 3rd in the long jump, and Troy Barry was 3rd in the javelin. Senior Mike Farnsworth was a double winner, claiming the javelin title and finishing 6th in the discus. The team also grabbed 2nd in the 4 x 100 realy and 5th in the 4 x 400.

Hamilton-Wenham, the undefeated boys CAL champ, ran away with the E-Mass Div. 4 crown, earning a whopping 80 points to outpace second place fnisher Carver by 26 points. Like Wilmington, the depth of the H-W team was evident as 10 athletes placed in individual events. Gabe Pacione cruised to victory in the 2-mile run. Jackson MacDonald finished 2nd in the 110 meter hurdles and also in the high jump. August Kawski claimed 2nd in the 300 meter hurdles, followed by Greg Castle in 6th. Eric Kirlis finished 4th in the triple jump and Isaiah Rotondi-Gray was 5th in the discus. The pole vault put the Generals way over the top, as they claimed the top four places with freshman Kendrich Powlin winning the event, followed by Josiah Stockwell, Jesse McElvain, and Ben Senning. The team also earned points in all three relay events, finishing 2nd in the 4 x 800 and 5th in both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200.

Also doing well in the Div. 4 meet were the North Reading and Hamilton-Wenham girls, who finished 2nd and 4th respectively. The Hornets got strong performaces from Alexi Capozzi (1st - 100 meter dash) and Shannon Conway (1st - 400 meter dash), and from their 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 realy teams, who each claimed first place. The H-W 4 x 800 relay team won their event.

In the Division 2 Eastern Mass girls track meet, the CAL showed their strength at the one-mile distance as North Andover's Kirsten Kasper claimed the title, followed just a few seconds by Masconomet's Abbey D'Agostino.

North Reading beat Lynnfield today, 7-3, and with that win wrapped up the CAL Small, as well as the best record in league play in both divisions this season. The Hornets, who finished 11-2 in the league, suffered only a 6-5 loss to North Andover and 1-0 loss to Triton.

Newburyport and Wilmington should get together and send a gift basket to Masconomet, as the Chieftains came up huge today in a 7-6 victory over North Andover. The win gives Masco, Newburyport, and Wilmington all a share of the CAL Large title with 10-3 records. North Andover has gone from being alone at the top to needing a win in their final league game to also claim a share of the crown. The Knights face a very talented Pentucket squad on Thursday in the opening round of the Lawrence Tournament.

Newburyport secured their slice of the pie today with a 7-3 win over River Rival Amesbury. Wilmington wrapped up their league schedule last week and were waiting to see how the drama would play out.

In CAL Small play Rockport took its third victory over Manchester-Essex this spring. While the first two games, played at the beginning of the season, both resulted in 10-2 wins, the Hornets challenged the Vikings behind the pitching of senior southpaw Scott Forsythe. The 9-7 victory earned Rockport a tie for the second in the CAL Small with Georgetown, behind division champ North Reading.

The battle at the top of the CAL Large continues to escalate, as Wilmington completed their league schedule with a huge 6-4 win over North Andover on Saturday. The Wildcats finish with a 10-3 league mark, putting them in position to earn a possible tie or even an outright win atop the division. However, many potential outcomes still exist.

Newburyport improved its title chances yesterday as well by defeating Pentucket, 14-2, in the process knocking the Sachems out of contention for the crown. The Clippers are now 9-3, and with a win against Amesbury on Tuesday would join Wilmington atop the standings. Pentucket, meanwhile, fell to 7-4 in league play, but their game with North Andover later this week could play a huge role in the final standings.

North Andover's loss to Wilmington yesterday was just their second in the league, so the Knights control their own destiny. With two league games remaining all they need is one win to claim a tie, and an outright title comes with a victory in both. Tuesday's game against Masconomet is a huge one for both teams, as a loss for N.A. puts them in a must win situation against Pentucket. Masco, currently at 9-3, would be out of contention with a loss, but would join Wilmington at the top with a win.

Congratulations to Rockport! Their victory over Hamilton-Wenham on Saturday earned them a trip to the postseason. After narrowly missing the tournament last year, the Vikings have assured themselves a berth as they improve to 9-7 with two games remaining.

While North Reading has clinched another CAL Small title, the battle in the Large Division rages on. North Andover is now in control, thanks to their 9-1 league record. However, not far behind are Masconomet and Wilmington at 9-3, Newburyport at 8-3, and Pentucket at 7-3. To make the picture even murkier, every team has at least one game remaining with one of the other contenders.

North Andover must win just one of their final three league games to ensure at least a tie in the division. However, they face off against Wilmington, Masconomet, and Pentucket next week. All three of those teams are itching for the chance to knock off the front-running Knights.

Masconomet and Wilmington, currently deadlocked in second place, each have one league game remaining. Both will play North Andover. All three teams, along with Newburyport, have already qualified for the tournament. However, don't look for any of the teams to pull back with the division title on the line.

Newburyport and Pentucket will face off on Saturday. Pentucket plays a non-league doubleheader on Sunday, and then must travel to Triton on Tuesday. The Vikings are just 3-8 in the CAL, but they have already beaten the Sachems in a non-league game, beaten Newburyport twice, and handed North Reading their only league loss. It doesn't get any easier for Pentucket after that, as they face North Andover in a league game in the first round of the Lawrence Tournament next Thursday.

Besides Pentucket, Newburyport must also square off with Amesbury. The Clippers were victorious in a 2-0 non-league game against the Indians earlier in the season, and Amesbury has struggled a bit this year (4-7 CAL, 4-13 overall.) However, history has shown over and over, especially recently, that anything can happen when these two teams meet.

Who do you think will win the CAL Large? Take our survey to the right!

Hamilton-Wenham can do no worse than tie for the CAL Small as they defeated Pentucket 3-2. The win gives the Generals a perfect 9-0 record in league play, and with Manchester-Essex in second at 8-2, even if the unlikely were to happen and H-W dropped its last two matches, the Generals have already secured a share of the title. Pentucket took the first and second singles matches behind the play of Jeff Boyd and Ryan Swanson. However, Nick Petrou won at third singles, and the doubles teams of Ian McCracken/Chris Roy and David Rowe/Jack Lebel all won, giving H-W the victory.

With a 5-0 win over Triton yesterday, Newburyport improved to 7-4 on the season and clinched a tournament berth for the first time in five years.

Amesbury and North Andover each won yesterday to remain locked atop the CAL Large with identical 7-1 records. Looking at their remaining schedules, each team will face one of the top teams in the CAL Small. Amesbury will face Small leader Ipswich (8-1) and North Andover will will host the 7-2 North Reading. Both games will be played on Wednesday.

Ipswich and North Reading will face off on May 19th in a game that could determine the CAL Small champion. Ipswich defeated the Hornets in a non-league game earlier in the season, however the game next Monday will be at North Reading and carry a bit more weight.

All four teams, Amesbury, North Andover, Ipswich, and North Reading, have already qualified for the state tournament as all are guaranteed a better than .500 finish in the regular season.

Jeff Boyd of Pentucket and Ravy Uong from Manchester-Essex each reached the quarterfinals of the North Sectional in the Individual State Tournament this weekend. Ravy was seeded #1 and Jeff #4, and each received first round byes then won three matches to get to the quarters.

Boyd's final match of the day was his toughest, as he defeated #5 seed James Houlden of St. John's Prep, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).  Jeff executed his game plan to perfection in the first set, then Houlden fought back very well in the second. However, Boyd had the confidence he needed to control the tiebreak and close out the match.

Tournament play continues next weekend with quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

The battle for supremacy in the CAL Large continues to rage, with four teams all within a game of each other. Masconomet, who dropped two in a row at the beginning of the week, rebounded yesterday with a 19-6 win over Amesbury. The Chieftains are now 7-2 in league play. North Andover improved to 6-1 with a 10-4 victory over Triton. Wilmington suffered just their second league loss to Pentucket yesterday and find themselves at 6-2, tied with Newburyport, who was idle yesterday.

In the CAL Small, North Reading continued its march towards another title as they defeated visiting Georgetown in an exciting 2-1 game. Brian O'Neil drove in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning to help the Hornets improve to 7-1 in the league and 11-1 overall. Georgetown falls to 5-4 in league play, just a half-game ahead of Rockport, who improved to 4-4 in the CAL with a decisive 15-5 win on the road at Ipswich.

Manchester-Essex picked up their first win of the year in a well played 4-3 game at Hamilton-Wenham. Senior Ian Graham pitched a great game for M-E, surrendering just 2 hits. The Hornets are scheduled to travel to North Andover on Saturday, and Hamilton-Wenham will visit Triton.

Hamilton-Wenham won the battle of the unbeatens as they defeated Masconomet 3-2 on Thursday. The Generals swept the singles matches, with Chase Curtis and Nick Petrou winning in straight sets at first and third singles. At second singles, Charlie Graves clinched the win with a come from behind 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the Chieftains' Trevor White. Masco's Will Chandler and Jack Moriarty won a great #1 doubles match 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 over Ian McCracken and David Rowe.

Despite the loss, Masco remains at the top of the Large Division with an 7-1 league record. Hamilton-Wenham strengthened their claim on the Small Division, improving to 8-0.

Newburyport traveled to Manchester-Essex yesterday, and as many would have predicted fell to the Hornets, 4-1. However, the one win for the Clippers came at first singles, where senior Sasha Radulski, one of the top players in the league over the past few years, improved to 11-0 on the season, defeating 7th grader Brittany Collens 6-2, 6-4. However, don't let the fact that Collens is a 7th grader undermine what Sasha did. Brittany came into the match undefeated as well, earning a perfect 8-0 record until falling yesterday.

Manchester-Essex improved to 8-1 on the season, having already qualified for the state tournament and chasing Lynnfield (10-0 in CAL play) in the Small division. Newburyport falls to 4-7, and the Clippers must sweep their remaining three matches if they are to continue into the post season.

North Andover and Masconomet met on Wednesday in a battle of unbeatens to see who would claim the top spot in the CAL Large, at least for now. North Andover came away with the win, 12-10, in an exciting and emotional game for both teams. In what could have been an extremely high scoring game, the defense for both teams played well, particularly Knights' goalie Stephanie Taylor who had a career high 21 saves, and midfielders Katie Klienendorst, Caroline Barclay, and Hannah Lategan. Offensively for North Andover, Emily Vento, Jennifer Pino, Barclay, and Lategan led the way. Masconomet was also strong on the defensive end, and got goals from Madeleine Hardy, Kathleen Ragan, and Heather and Brittany Fraser.

North Andover now sits alone atop the CAL Large at 10-0, with Masco just a game behind at 9-1. If both teams win their next three league games, their second meeting of the season on May 21 will give the Chieftains a chance to avenge the loss and share the title with the Knights. That game will be played at 7:00 PM in North Andover.

Pentucket's Jeff Boyd played near flawless tennis in beating North Reading's Jason Pacino 6-1, 6-0, and the Sachems went on to take a close 3-2 match. At second singles, Ryan Swanson and Ray Zollman had a very competitive match that Pentucket's Swanson won 6-4, 6-4.  North Reading took third singles and first doubles, and with the match tied at 2-2, Pentucket freshmen Nate Eames and Pat Baga fought back after losing the first set to win a tense and even two-and-a-half hour match 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.  Said Sachem coach Christian Langlois, "For freshmen, they showed tremendous heart and poise to be able to do that knowing the team needed them to win."

Newburyport defeated Lynnfield 3-2 in a spirited match at Atkinson Common, improving to 6-3 on the season. The deciding match for the Clippers came at first doubles, with Derek Raschke and Charlie Knowlton winning in three sets, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

Hamilton-Wenham swept Amesbury 5-0 to move to 7-0 atop the CAL Small. Tomorrow, the Generals will travel to Masconomet in a battle of the unbeatens. The Chieftains are also 7-0 in league play and in control of the CAL Large. Good luck to both teams.

Manchester-Essex pulled away from Georgetown in the second half and went on to defeat the Royals 13-8. Hornet sophomore Hillary Doucette scored the first of her two goals just as the horn blew to send the teams into half-time tied at 6-6. The two teams traded goals at the beginning of the second half and the score was still knotted at 8 goals apiece, but then M-E went on a 5-0 run until the final horn to take the win and improve to 4-4. Senior Haley Irwin scored four goals for the Hornets. Simone Bodmer-Turner, Annie Osborne, and Doucette each scored a pair of goals, with Molly Osborne, Caroline Moore, and Kyle Marsh each finding the net once. Shannon Hartford scored a hat-trick for the Royals, with Kim Nowers, Kat Falzareno, Alyssa Rosenthal, Robin Scotti, and Emma Cannon all scoring a goal. Both goalies, Vicki Grimes for the Hornets and April Surrette for the Royals, played fantastic games, turning back many shots. (There are photos for this game - click on "Girls Lax" above, then select "Photos" and the link to today's game. Enjoy!)

Wilmington scored a season high 14 goals today, but it was not enough as they fell to North Reading 18-14. Lisa Rooker led the way for the Wildcats with 4 goals and 2 assists, and Lizz Chin added a hat-trick. Ashley Gonzalez scored twice, and Megan Keane, Colleen Magee, Katelyn Hayes, Jacqui Lyman, and Kristen O'Brien each had a goal for Wilmington. 'Cats goalie Jill Ennis had 15 saves.

Masconomet's apparent lock on the CAL Large, despite being just halfway through the season, took a blow yesterday as Newburyport handed the Chieftains their first loss, 6-5. Coming into the game the Clippers were 2-4 in one run games, but leading hitter Kyle LeBlanc delivered an RBI double in the 7th inning to give his team the win. Although they are 7-6 overall, Newburyport improved to 5-2 in the CAL, just one game behind the 6-1 Masco (10-1 overall.) The loss now creates a 4-way battle, with Wilmington at 5-1 and North Andover at 4-1 in league play.

In the CAL Small, North Reading stayed a game ahead of Georgetown in the loss column with a 13-3 win over visiting Manchester-Essex. The home-team Hornets took advantage of an 11 run third inning to put the game out of reach early. The win improves N.R. to 5-1 in the league. Georgetown scraped out a 7-6 victory over Lynnfield to move to 5-2 in the CAL.

Last Friday North Andover suffered a shocking 3-0 loss against Rockport, a team that is playing well behind outstanding pitcher Tia Nelson but had won just 2 games. Yesterday, the Knights faced off against CAL rival Amesbury, and for the second time this season defeated the Indians. The win tightens the leaderboard atop the CAL Large, as Amesbury falls to 4-1, and North Andover improves to 3-1 along with Pentucket.

Triton pushed back into contention thanks to a 1-0 win in a marathon 14-inning game against Wilmington. The Vikings are now 3-2 in league play. Wilmington falls to 3-3 in the league, but have shown they can play with anyone, especially after a 1-0 win over CAL Small leader and defending Div. 3 State Champ North Reading on Sunday.

Ipswich continues to pressure North Reading in the race for supremacy in the CAL Small. The loss to Wilmington gave the Hornets their first league loss, and their 5-1 record gives them a slim half-game lead over 4-1 Ipswich. However, the Tigers did hand North Reading an 8-0 non-league loss earlier in the season, so the rematch on May 19th will be an important game.

Lynnfield has come alive. After a 1-4 start, the Pioneers literally turned it around, going 4-1 in their last five games to even their record at 5-5 overall. As mentioned earlier, Rockport struggled early to win games, going just 1-6 in their first seven contests. However, with the exception of a 15-0 loss to Amesbury, the Vikings were in every game. Last Thursday Tia Nelson threw a no-hitter against Newburyport, and then followed that up with a huge victory over North Andover, and Rockport is now 3-6 and making some serious noise in the CAL.

After losing a close 3-2 match at home against Masconomet on Wednesday, Newburyport traveled across the river to Amesbury today. The Clippers bounced back with a 4-1 victory over the Indians to improve their record to 4-2 on the season. The loss broke a two-game winning streak for Amesbury, who fall to 4-4.

Pentucket kept their record at .500 as they split their meet with Ipswich and Newburyport. The Sachems earned a victory over Ipswich 87-58, but were beaten by the Clippers. Max Arthur had a huge day, taking three firsts against Newburyport (long jump, 100, 4 x 100) as well as a second in the high jump. Eric McDonald was a double winner in both meets, claiming victories in the mile and the 4 x 400. Cam Kitsakos placed in 4 events in each of the meets for Pentucket. "The boys gave a great effort today. Captains Eric McDonald and Max Arthur had great days like they have all year and we had some younger kids score some big points against Ipswich. Newburyport did a great job, they just had too much depth for us," summed up coach Steve Derro.

Pentucket is now 6-2 as they split today, defeating Ipswich but falling to Newburyport. Charlotte Koolian threw the javelin a personal best 91' to take first place in both meets for the Sachems and qualify for the CAL Open later this spring. April O'Brien was also a key to Pentucket's successful day as she claimed firsts in the 2 mile and the 800 in both meets. According to coach Steve Derro, "That's a good win for the girls against a quality Ipswich team. The Newburyport meet was close all the way, we were able to split 1st places with them but they got the majority of the 2nds and that was the difference in the end."

North Andover improved to 6-0 with a hard-fought win at Manchester-Essex. Emily Vento scored four times to lead the Knights to a 10-6 victory, adding an assist as well. Caroline Barclay was also an offensive force, scoring three goals and contributing two assists. Nicole Zahoruiko, Katie Kleinendorst, and Hannah Lategan each scored once for N.A., and Morgan Healey had an assist. A major key to the Knights' success so far has been the play of goalie Stephanie Taylor, who stopped 10 M-E shots, several from point-blank range. Three Hornets did manage to get two goals each past Taylor. Anneliese Brosch, Molly Osbourn, and Shane Gordon accounted for the six M-E goals. Hornet goalie Vicki Grimes made 8 saves to help keep her team within striking distance.

Newburyport picked up its first victory of the season with an 11-9 win over visiting Wilmington. Colleen Magee led the offensive charge for the Clippers with 4 goals and 4 assists. Ashley Gonzales found the net three times, and Jill Ennis and Lisa Rooker each added a goal and two assists. Clipper goalie Ally Robbins made 11 saves.

North Andover defeated Triton 9-4 yesterday. Knights' goalie Stephanie Taylor continued her excellent play in net, stopping 11 Triton shots. Nicole Zahoruiko put in a strong effort at midfield, collecting an assist but making 5 interceptions to spark the defense. Amanda Wescott also had a great defensive game, creating many key turnovers for the 5-0 Knights.

Pentucket claimed the top two singles matches yesterday, but Masconomet went home with a 3-2 victory. Jeff Boyd defeated Chris Hakusui at 1st singles, and Ryan Swanson took 2nd singles in three sets for the Sachems, but Masco's team depth helped them claim the remaining matches: Greg Balek over Matt Murphey 6-3, 6-4 at 3rd singles, Steve Afrow and Mike Sicari over Tim Swartz and Ryan Clancey 6-2, 6-2 at 1st doubles, and Will Chandler and Jack Moriarty over Nate Eames and Pat Baga 6-1, 6-0 at 2nd doubles.  Said Pentucket coach Christian Langlois, "All in all, great effort and great sportsmanship on the part of both teams."

After dropping their first match of the year to North Andover, Newburyport has run off three straight victories, including yesterday's 3-2 win against Ipswich. The match of the day for the Clippers was at second singles, where Ryan Keene lost a hard-fought match to Nate Brown 3-6,6-3,4-6.

Hamilton-Wenham improved to 2-1 with a 4-1 victory over Rockport on Monday. Generals' coach Deborah Evans cited the return of Mckenzie Love as a major factor, enabling straight set wins for the singles players. The 1st doubles team of Kelsey Shuka and Bridie Thaggard played solid tennis, earning them a straight set win in their first outing together.

Pentucket split today, defeating Wilmington but losing to Masconomet. The loss was the first of the year as the Sachems now have a record of 4-1. Alanna Poretta improved her personal best in the mile by 15 seconds, finishing in 5:10.9. Hillary Biggs collected 3 firsts and a 3rd against Wilmington, and April O'brien was a double winner as well. Coach Steve Derro was upbeat after the meet, saying "The girls had a nice win against a much improved Wilmington team. We can't be too disappointed with the loss against Masco, we had 36 personal best performances, they just had too much fire power for us."

Despite being swept in a dual meet with Masconomet and Wilmington, Pentucket athletes put up 33 personal best efforts as the Sachems fell to 2-3. Max Arthur was a triple placer in both meets in the high jump, long jump, and the 100. Cam Kitsakos qualified for the state meet in both the high jump and long jump, and Eric McDonald cut 20 seconds off his personal best in the mile, finishing in 4:29.1. Said coach Steve Derro, "Unfortunately we were down a few key athletes today but the guys who were here gave a great effort."

Manchester-Essex picked up their first victory with a 12-5 win over visiting Newburyport. Senior captain Molly Osborne led the Hornets with 3 goals, with Hillary Doucette, Shane Gordon, and Amanda Azadian each netting two goals. Annie Osborne, Anneliese Brosch, and Kyle Marsh scored the remaining M-E goals. Freshman goalie Vicki Grimes made 12 saves for the Hornets, who improve to 1-2.

Wilmington, in their first year of varsity play in the CAL, fell to 0-4 as they lost 12-8 to Hamilton-Wenham. Colleen Magee scored 3 girls for the Wildcats, with Lisa Rooker and Lizz Chin finding the net twice each. Jill Ennis also scored for Wilmington, and Jamie Gingras contributed an assist. Goalie Ally Robbins had 15 saves for the 'Cats.

North Reading improved to 4-0 with victories over North Andover on Wednesday and Wilmington today. The win against North Andover was the first for the Hornets in close to a decade. Against Wilmington, straight set wins at all three singles positions and 1st doubles gave the Hornets their fourth consecutive victory to start the season. Seniors Brandon Carrette and Ryan Larkin-Birch lost a tough 3-setter at the 2nd doubles position. Junior Chris Coroniti picked up the win at third singles upping his season record to 4-0.

On Wednesday, Manchester-Essex evened its record at 1-1 with a 5-0 victory at Hamilton-Wenham.

Today, Triton improved to 4-0 as they defeated Amesbury at home. The Vikings only loss in the 4-1 victory came at 2nd doubles in an exciting three-set match.

Hamilton-Wenham swept Wilmington yesterday, 5-0. Chase Curtis, Charlie Graves, and Noah Herbert were all victorious at singles for the Generals, while the doubles teams of Nick Petron and Ian McCracken and Chris Roy and Dave Rowe were also winners. The Generals, coming off a 12-2 season last spring, did not drop a set during the match.

Pentucket began its CAL Large title defense yesterday with a solid 5-0 win over Ipswich. The victory was even more impressive as 6 of the 7 Sachem players were participating in their first varsity match. Jeff Boyd, captain and only returning letterman, overcame a tough start, going down 1-4 in the first set before running off 11 straight games for the victory at 1st singles. Freshman Ryan Swanson was strong and steady at 2nd singles, while senior Matt Murphey was patient and smart at 3rd singles. Both Sachem doubles teams won second set tiebreakers. For the first doubles team of senior Tim Swartz and junior Ryan Clancey it won the match. At second double the tiebreaker evened the match for freshmen Nate Eames and Pat Baga, who went on to take the third set.

Masconomet defeated Manchester-Essex 3-2 in an exciting match. The Chieftains took both doubles matches, while M-E claimed the first and third singles. Masco's Brittany Harbert was the deciding factor as she won at second singles in a three-set match. For the Hornets, seventh-grader Brittany Collens, playing first singles, won her first varsity match 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

In a battle of Vikings, Triton defeated Rockport 4-1, taking 1st and 2nd second singles and sweeping the doubles contests.

Georgetown and Ipswich will face off today in the title game of the first Bert Spofford Memorial Tournament, by virtue of their victories over Amesbury and Newburyport yesterday.

In the first game on Saturday, host Georgetown rode the strong pitching of captain Tim Holland for 6+ innings, as the hard-throwing righty struck out 4, walked 6, and gave up no earned runs in a 5-1 victory. Senior Darwin Fabian relieved Holland in the seventh inning, getting the Royals out of a jam. Fabian also was a force offensively, going 3 for 3 with 2 RBI. Junior Joe Esposito was 2 for 3 with an RBI. For Amesbury, Nick Slevoski went 2 for 2 at the plate and pitched five innings, striking out 6.

Ipswich defeated Newburyport in the second game of the twin bill, 6-4. Amesbury and Newburyport will play in the consolation game at noon in Georgetown, and Ipswich and Georgetown will play at 3:00 PM.

North Reading opened up its season with a dominating 5-0 win over Bishop Fenwick. The Hornets only dropped two games and got "double-bagel" victories at 2nd Singles from sophomore Ray Zolman, 3rd Singles from junior Chris Coroniti, and from the 1st doubles team of seniors Chris Spano and Jay Friberg.

Pentucket split their dual meet, losing to North Andover 97-48 and beating North Reading 86-59. Cam Kistsakos won the long jump for the Sachems with a jump of 19' 1 1/2" and Eric McDonald took the mile with a time of 4:58.2. North Andover left with a sweep, defeating North Reading 98-47.

Pentucket's spring track and field team picked up right where their indoor team left off - winning meets. The Sachems swept North Reading (77-68) and North Andover (74-71) to start their season 2-0. Several girls wasted no time in qualifying for the CAL Open and the state meets: Elen Broz in the vault, Alanna Poretta in the mile, and April O'Brien in the 2-mile. Said coach Steve Derro, "That's a great start for the girls, to beat two quality teams like NA and NR is certainly a nice way to open the season." North Reading defeated North Andover 74-71.

Manchester-Essex christened its new turf field with a 9-4 victory over visiting Pentucket. Will Doucette led the way for the Hornets with 5 goals, Jimmy Finn scored three times, and Colin Lyne netted the final goal. Cam Doane had 4 assists for M-E, with Dylan Parlee, Steven Driscoll, and Finn all collecting an assist. In goal, Tom Macewen made 13 saves for the Hornets. Pentucket got two goals from Ben Stasiuk and one each from Steven Connolly and Josh Hinds. Connolly also had two assists, and Greg Rotundo picked up an assist as well. Sachem goalie Alex Roberts turned back 8 Hornet shots.