<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2escfB_0vOGUGHq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2escfB_0vOGUGHq00" width="1200" height="630" >At last, high school sports have returned to Tewksbury.While the Redmen golfers have already hit the links for their first match of the fall season, six of the eight remaining TMHS squads return to the playing surface this week to get the ball rolling on their respective campaigns.From playoff hopefuls to aspiring underdogs, there will be a lot to keep an eye on throughout the fall.Girls soccer may lack experience, not talentThe Tewksbury High girls' soccer club has undergone a complete makeover after graduating 14 seniors and returning just six players.While there are a lot of new faces for third-year head coach Brooke Pacheco, the Redmen are in no shortage of talent.“I’m not worried about the talent,” she said. “We lost talent, but we gained talent. It’s just the experience at this point.”Tewksbury posted a 10-5-3 record last season in the ever-so-competitive Merrimack Valley Conference, resulting in a victory in the Div. 3 preliminary round before falling in the round of 32. Pacheco has amassed a 14-18-6 mark in her two seasons at the helm.Anchored by captains Emily Picher, Maya Paquette, and Claudia Melo, Tewksbury’s veterans will be a crucial component in ensuring a smooth transition for a team that is largely composed of underclassmen.Picher, who is entering her second varsity season, understands that effort starts with using her voice.“I’m trying to get them out of their shells,” she said. “Obviously, they are very shy at first. I’m trying to communicate more as that’s a big thing you need to do on the field.”Like Pacheco, she doesn’t have any woes regarding the influx of talent at the varsity level. “We have a really good youth program, so I feel like all the younger girls coming in, they know what to do on the field and how to work together,” said Picher. “They’ve all played together before, too.”Headlining the newcomers is Sophia Nazzaro, a player Pacheco has high expectations for following an impressive freshman season at the sub-varsity ranks.“She played almost every minute of every game as a center back,” said the coach. “I’m hoping we can plug her into that same position this year. She’s just really dependable and a strong athlete.”Sophie Brewster, Nicole Baron, Lyla Chapman, Samantha Ryan, and Cordelia Zwirek round out a small but dependable class of returners. Zwirek made headlines last fall as a freshman, leading the MVC in scoring with 18 goals and four helpers. The rest of the Redmen will be new to the varsity level — but not really. Due to a tight bond between both the varsity and junior varsity squads, Pacheco is confident the transition will be relatively smooth.“We try our best as a staff to keep both teams connected,” said Pacheco. “We practice together at least once a week and we do a lot of tactical whiteboard sessions together. I’m hoping the transition is easier for them to adjust to.”Tewksbury kicked off their fall campaign on Tuesday against Westford Academy and battle Tyngsborough on Thursday before jumping into league play the following week.Boys soccer embracing underdog role After graduating star striker Ryan Cura among a handful of other key pieces, it could be easy to count out the Tewksbury High soccer squad.But expectations haven’t faltered.Coach Mario Almeida is prepping for another run in the postseason.Tewksbury qualified for the 2023 tournament with an 8-7-3 record, edging Taconic in a preliminary-round matchup before their run was stopped short in the round of 32 to Dover-Sherborn.In three years as the bench boss, Almeida has posted a 20-25-9 record. “For us, the expectation is always to qualify for the state tournament,” said the coach. “This year we have some core pieces and more younger players.”MVC First-Team All-Conference selection Sal Catanzano will be a key cog in the offensive corp. He notched three goals and four assists as a defensive back. “He’s always been a key player for us,” said Almeida. “He’s an all-conference player, and he’s our leader. His leadership is going to be important to gain success.”Catanzano is joined by Alexandre Almeida, Austin Mannetta, and Aayush Ranjit to captain the Redmen on the pitch.Ranjit, a senior goalkeeper, will be at the nucleus of the Redmen's success this fall. The 6-foot-4 netminder is entering his third season occupying the goal at the varsity level.“I just want to help my team as best as possible and be a leader out there for my young teammates,” he said. “I just need to try my hardest to keep the ball out of my net.”Antonio Almeida, John Pacheco, Arbel Levenson, Craig Beausoleil, Sean Maloney, Vinny Rodriguez, Kevin Andriolo, Gustavo Oliveira, and Sean Kocsmiersky are also expected to make an impact.“They’ve been working hard,” said Almeida. “We’ve had tryouts and we’ve had a few scrimmages and we’re still working through some details, but I’m looking forward to the group.”Tewksbury’s season opener is set for Tuesday, Sept. 10 when the Redmen take on Haverhill in a MVC showdown. “I think we are underdogs,” said Ranjit. “We have a bunch of young underclassmen coming up at attack, and I think we are going to put some goals in the net. I think we’re underrated this year.”Field hockey has eyes locked on postseasonA large returning class is hungry to finish what they started. The Tewksbury High field hockey squad hauls back 14 players from last season’s 8-6-4 playoff-bound campaign, and the Redmen are as determined as ever to get back on that very stage.Highlighted by team captains Sydney Whalen, Maddie Duggan, Gabrielle Couillard, Anya Cranston, and Erin Costello, Tewksbury is well prepared to do just that under third-year head coach Jamie Bruno. “We’re still going pretty confident into the season,” said Costello, a third-year varsity stalwart. “We have a lot of returners on varsity, so that helps us a lot. We’ve been playing together for the past two to three years, so we’re really comfortable with each other on the field.”Kallie Frechette, Abigail Solemina, Olivia Dipalma, Gabriella Davis, Jennalise Mercer, Kallie Mangan, Kamryn Frechette, Riley Morrison, and Riley Waterworth round out the group of returners to the turf this fall. Costello, who has established herself as one of the team’s premier ball movers, anxiously awaits the team’s season opener on Thursday against Bedford. “I’m really ready to contribute more this year for my senior season,” she said. “I just want to make it the best season for me and for the other seniors as possible and pass that down to the younger kids on the team too.”Those younger newcomers include Lila Areias, Peyton Insogna, Chloe Veator, and Bridget Kelleher, who will all be making their varsity debuts. The 5-0 defeat to Dover-Sherborn in the round of 32 is still very fresh in Costello’s memory.“We know what it feels like and we know what it feels like to lose like we did, so we’re hungry to get back in there again,” she concluded.Golfers face early adversityIt didn’t take long for things to get real for the Tewksbury High golf squad.While the rest of the TMHS fall teams were practicing on Wednesday, the golfers were thrown into the deep end with their first match of the season against none other but perennial MVC foe Central Catholic.The Red Raiders ultimately came away with a potent 20-0 victory at Atkinson Country Club as Tewksbury fell to 0-1 on the season. Central’s Harry Garland stole the show, posting a 2-under 34 to be crowned the match medalist. After Labor Day weekend, the Redmen will return to action with Methuen on Wednesday, Sept. 4. With four returning players from last season’s 8-6 campaign, it shouldn’t be long until Tewksbury hits the win column.Jake Civitarese, Ricky Pacheco, Tyler Crawford, and Jake Cunha headline the group of Redmen veterans. Pacheco and Crawford occupied Tewksbury’s top pairing on Wednesday.The remainder of Tewksbury’s lineup will have a new look. Tyler Bourgea, Drew Broderick, Michael Devlin, Michael Macauda, David Karlberg, Cam Kingston, Phil Lombardi, and Jack Rattey are slated to debut with the club this fall.Macauda, who played from the No. 4 spot against Central Catholic, had an impressive summer on the links. The junior netted a 5-over 77 to win the Lowell Junior City Golf Tournament 16-18 division in July.He edged four-year Shawsheen Tech star Matt Tramonte — who is bound for Salem State this fall — on the challenging holes at Vesper Country Club. Macauda will look to carry that momentum into his first varsity season this fall.“We've had a very competitive tryout week and are working on figuring out where guys will be in the lineup and who plays well with each other,” said Redmen coach Jim Sullivan. “We'll focus on working on improving and getting better each day and see where we end up at the end of the year.”After the Redmen battle with Methuen, they are right back at it on Thursday for a match with Dracut at Hickory Hill Golf Club.Girls cross country low in numbers, not in spiritAmid the cluster of teams scattered around the TMHS turf after team picture day last week, the girls cross country team stood out from the rest.And it’s not because they only had six runners.As other squads were seen congregating along the track, head coach Courtney Graffeo’s cross-country team was already hard at work, beginning their pre-practice stretching routine amid the chaos of photo day.It’s nothing out of the ordinary for Graffeo, who is entering her third season as head coach.“I don’t even need to go over there and check in on them,” she said. “They know what to do and we all have great relationships.”And that’s truly what it’s all about for Graffeo and her team. With just six runners, she’s already noticed her group develop a tight-knit bond.“It’s more about the relationships than it is about the running,” said the coach. “They’re a really good group of friends, and they trained a lot over the summer doing running.”Still, that’s not to imply the Redmen won’t be playing for keeps. Headlined by returner Teagan Claycomb and freshman Olivia Jensen, Tewksbury is ready to compete against the gauntlet of the MVC.“Teagan has always been a really good runner,” Graffeo said. “She doesn’t even know how good of a runner she is honestly. It just comes very naturally for her, so she’ll probably be our first to cross the finish line for most races.”Jensen has already impressed within the first week of practice.“She is right up there with Teagan,” said Graffeo. “She’s going to help push her and she’s a promising newcomer. She fits right in with everybody else and is very motivated.”Tewksbury’s roster is rounded out by Payton VanGorder, Sarah Grimes, Brooke Marano, and Julia Stanton as they prepare for the Clipper Relays on Saturday to kick off their season. Instead of the typical 5K distance, the Redmen will open their meet slate with a two-mile relay. “It’s a nice easy and more manageable start to things,” said Graffeo. “It’s a fun relay and a shorter race.”Boys cross country on the riseSecond-year cross country head coach Tyler Wilson didn’t mince words about competing in the MVC. “In the MVC, it’s really tough for cross country particularly. Those are tough meets,” he said.But Wilson and the Redmen aren’t running from the challenge. Instead, they welcome it. That change of mentality has begun at the top. Tewksbury captains Steven Oppedisano, Njila Lantum, and Matthew Beggan have made it their top priority to put TMHS cross country on the map.David Bourque, Nathanael Laboy, and Deven Ricci round out an experienced senior class.“We really worked on changing the culture in this program last year. They’ve been completely on board with that,” Wilson said of his captain trio.Wilson’s captains have been prepping for the fall season since the spring.“They’ve been awesome. They came to me this spring to talk about setting up captain’s practices on their own, and they’ve been super proactive in getting that set up and convincing other people to train,” said Wilson.As seniors, Lantum and Beggan have done everything they can to influence the next generation of Tewksbury runners. Lantum, who has been in the program all four years, wants to ensure the newcomers don’t make the same mistakes he did as a freshman. “I think I can teach them a lot of my experiences that I went through with how to stop injuries and how to run consistently,” he said. “A lot of people quit when it gets too hard, and this sport is pretty fun.”Lantum and Beggan quarterbacked the initiative to get as many Tewksbury runners to the annual Stowe Running Camp, a week-long running experience in Vermont.“It’s a lot of fun activities,” said Lantum. “In the morning we stretch and eat breakfast and either run or do a workout. It was pretty fun and we got to learn more about running.”They were also enlightened on a plethora of different ways to stay motivated when particular runs or training sessions become difficult. “I can get everyone together and keep everyone motivated,” Beggan said. “Running for me is kind of one of those things where it might not feel the greatest, but you’re doing yourself well overall. I try to instill that in everyone else.”Wilson hopes the Div. 3 state meet is all the motivation his runners will need to push themselves on the course this fall. “I would love to see us be more competitive in that meet and even take a chance at qualifying for All-States,” said the coach. “I think we’ll be a lot closer this year than we’ve been in the past.”Tewksbury also features Nathan Carroll, Kyle Ernewein, Jaxon Flaherty, Donovan Gray, Payton Haines, Zane Horgan, Ryan King, Leke Lajqi, Reverenceworth Loubowah, Justin Quartarone, and Ian Todd when they take on Lowell for their first dual meet of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 11.A new era for volleyball squadAfter capturing their first state championship in program history in 2022, the Tewksbury High volleyball squad is beginning a new chapter.While that title is still fresh in coach Allie Luppi’s memory, her 2024 squad features an abundance of new faces who are eager to make history of their own.“It’s bringing new energy and dynamic to the team, which I think is really great,” said Luppi, who is entering her eighth season. “They are pushing each other and they’re working really hard. Because the team is so new, everyone is competing and it’s awesome to see.”After graduating a majority of their team from last season’s 8-13 season that resulted in a round of 32 exit, the Redmen are embarking on a blank slate.Their 2024 captains — Oliva Cueva, Charlotte Morris, and Madison Shakes — will headline that effort.“I’m really excited to see her in a leadership role, and a lot of the pieces are coming together,” Luppi said of Cueva. “She’s hitting the ball really hard and she’s showing a lot of great things.”Shakes is set to debut as libero, a highly coveted and important position on the court.“That’s something that she’s wanted for a long time, so it’s so great to see her in that role and she’s also really stepping up and going to do great things,” said Luppi.Also returning for Tewksbury are Gianna Doiron, Julia Moura, Leah Fisk, and Angelina Silva, while newcomers Arianna Paralle, Julianna Cappiello, Alison Furilla, Paige Crowley, and Kennedy Pereira are expected to make an impact.Paralle has already turned heads throughout the first two weeks of practice.“She put in so much work in the offseason, and we were all surprised by how much she progressed in just one year,” said Luppi. “I’m really excited to see that progression continue.”The Redmen don’t waste any time jumping into action, commencing their season this week with matches against Bedford (Wednesday), Shawsheen Tech (Friday), and Methuen (Monday).Swimmers prepped for another big yearComing off a successful 7-2-1 season in the pool, Jason Smith’s Tewksbury/Methuen co-op swim team isn’t going anywhere.Smith, entering his 22nd season at the helm, has amassed a dominant 140-97-1 record in his tenure. Tewksbury/Methuen is captained by seniors Sophia Ferrara, Juan Polanco, Danielle Lawrence, and Rania Elouahi behind returners Faith Bolduc, Isaac Gillespie, Theresa Le, Amanda Lightburn, Diana Lituma, Divier Ramos Delgado, Hope Anderson, Alan Dang, Nahla Elouahi, Joanna Green, Elijah Putnam, Jack Anderson, Ethan Corthell, Madisyn Greenwood, and Laura Madsen.Promising newcomers Sophia Cabral, Casey DeLano, and Avitel Gaidukova are also expected to make an impact this fall when Tewksbury/Methuen takes on Chelmsford Friday to kick off their slate.“We lost some key talent from last year's team, but our group is working hard,” said Smith. “I'm excited to get the season started and see improvement from last year. Some kids will be asked to step up into new roles, but I think they are up to the task.”Hailing from Tewksbury are Rania Elouhi, Lightburn, Dang, Nahla Elouahi, Green, Anderson, Greenwood, Madsen, Puntriano, and Gaidukova.“Alan Dang had a really good sophomore year, and we are looking for even bigger things from him this year, especially in butterfly,” Smith said.“Rania Elouahi was voted a captain and has her sights set on bringing the girls' relay teams back to sectionals and states,” he continued. “Joanna Green and Jack Anderson have stood out during the preseason, and both will be counted on in the lineup this season. Amanda Lightburn and Laura Madsen have lots of experience in our lineup and will provide excellent depth at some of the specialty events.</div></body>

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Tewksbury Roundup: Redmen squads ready to roll — As fall season begins, Tewksbury High has plenty to look forward to

At last, high school sports have returned to Tewksbury. While the Redmen golfers have already hit the links for their first match of the fall season, six of the eight remaining TMHS squads return to the playing surface this week to get the ball rolling on their respective campaigns. From...

Tewksbury Roundup: Redmen squads ready to roll — As fall season begins, Tewksbury High has plenty to look forward to

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