We’re bringing back a column idea from last summer.
A column idea that spawned from the simple question: How did our local teams handle themselves in the biggest moments?
Hey, the kids we cover get multiple report cards during the school year.
Why can’t their schools, as a whole, earn the same?
So, just a reminder before we get into it, this column will look at how each of our five local Cape Ann League schools fared in their respective postseasons this year. What percentage of teams from each school even made the playoffs during all three athletic seasons, and once there, how did they do?
This article is not meant to be a replacement for the “Year-End” series that will run later this summer. Once we get to those, we’ll go more in-depth on each sport from each school, while also giving a quick glance ahead to next year.
This is just meant to be a final report card on school-wide playoff success.
There were a total of 18 state tournaments held by the MIAA over all three athletic seasons. Of course, not even our larger schools — like Newburyport and Pentucket — compete in all 18 (there is no CAL boys volleyball or rugby), and our smaller schools — like Amesbury and Georgetown — offer a few less sports. So the comparisons between the five won’t be perfect.
And obviously, we can’t count track, cross country, golf or wrestling with no tournaments.
Let’s go.
AMESBURY
Qualifying Playoff Teams: 7/12 (58.3%).
Overall Playoff Record: 7-7 (50.0%).
For the 2023-24 school year, those totals were: 6/12 (50%) and 4-6 (40%).
So all told, Amesbury improved athletically this year.
But it was undeniably a slow start in the fall, with only DJ DiCarlo, Justin Dube, Ethan Kirby, Joe Puleo, Marcus Colon and the football team making the Division 7 playoffs. The Redhawks would beat up on Blue Hills RVT before falling to Mashpee in the quarterfinals, but an epic comeback victory over archrival Newburyport on Thanksgiving Day probably felt like another playoff win for the program. The good news, though: 29-of-57 athletes between last year’s field hockey, boys soccer and girls soccer rosters were either sophomores or younger.
So the future has plenty of promise.
Then Amesbury certainly picked it up during the winter, with both hockey and girls basketball making the playoffs and winning games. Behind Daily News MVP Bodie Marcotte, along with fellow All-Stars Lincoln Kime and Evan Murphy, the hockey team went on yet another magical run to the Division 2 quarterfinals as the No. 26 seed in the tournament (mirroring what they did during the 2022-23 season). Then for senior Ellie Marden, freshman Olivia McKay and the girls basketball team, they were able to break a two-year playoff drought and earn a preliminary round victory in the Division 4 tourney.
Then finally, Amesbury saw its baseball, softball, boys tennis and girls tennis teams all make the playoffs this spring. Josh Roberts, Connor Scialdone and the baseball team were able to win a preliminary round game in Division 4, as did Alex Donnell, Hope Shanahan and the softball team. Girls tennis, though, had the biggest victory, with Katie Welch helping the Redhawks upset No. 11 Mashpee in the first round.
GEORGETOWN
Qualifying Playoff Teams: 7/8 (87.5%).
Overall Playoff Record: 15-6 (71.4%).
For the 2023-24 school year, those totals were: 8/8 (100) and 14-8 (63.6%).
So not quite perfect attendance this time around for Georgetown, but pretty dang close to it with an even better winning percentage.
And how about this: All seven Georgetown playoff teams won at least one game.
That tone of success was immediately set during the fall season, when Daily News All-Stars Shannon Gibbs, Lexi Sheehan, Reese Martin, Jenna Johnson and Kat Greenblatt led the girls soccer team to the program’s first state semifinal trip since 2014. The Royals earned three straight Division 5 playoff shutouts, before falling to top-seeded and eventual champion Douglas in the Final Four. Then elsewhere, both Ryan Church and the boys soccer team and Jacqueline Soucy and the girls volleyball team won a preliminary round game before bowing out.
In the winter, we all know the story by now.
Irvin Zapata, Brendan Loewen, Jomar Terrero, Marcos Yones, Jalen Andujar and the boys basketball team were 7-5 during the middle of the season, but lost just once coming home on their way to the Division 4 State Championship. It was the program’s first ever title, punctuated by a 61-54 victory over Monument Mountain in the title game. Of course, Georgetown’s only other sport during the season is girls basketball, and Daily News All-Stars Talya Mariani (13.6 ppg, 45 3s) and Katie Davies (9.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg) made sure the team made it to the Round of 16.
Finally during the spring, Maddie Grant and Ellie Barbarick led the softball team to a truly historic year. Georgetown (20-4) earned the most wins in program history, won the CAL Baker for the first time since 2010, and earned victories over Amesbury, Newburyport, North Reading and Triton. It was a heartbreaking end in the Division 5 Final Four, as the Royals couldn’t get revenge against Turners Falls, but they’ll be back next spring. Then to wrap up with baseball, two-way stars Ty Southall and Oliver Thibeault led the team to the Round of 16, and will have the Royals’ pitching staff looking stacked come next year.
NEWBURYPORT
Qualifying Playoff Teams: 14/15 (93.3%).
Overall Playoff Record: 18-14 (56.3%).
For the 2023-24 school year, those totals were: 15/15 (100%) and 25-15 (62.5%).
Numbers that would be tough to maintain year after year.
But make no mistake, even though there was a slight dip, Newburyport was still an elite athletic school.
It all started with perfect attendance during the fall season, headlined by Daily News MVP Ciara Geraghty — along with All-Stars Riley Lombard, Olivia Wilson and Olivia Kreuz — leading the field hockey team to the Division 3 quarterfinals. In fact, the Clippers swept our Daily News fall sports MVPs, with Colin Fuller earning the title in football, Ryan Gasbarro doing the same in boys soccer, Alexis Greenblott going back-to-back in girls soccer and Nora Geerlings claiming the honor in volleyball. Geerlings and Greenblott led their respective teams to the Round of 16, while Fuller nearly put up a 2,000-1,000-yard year at quarterback in lifting the Clippers to the Division 5 quarterfinals.
And the winter season was more of the same.
Yes, Carson Gretz, Cal Atherton, Zayd Leanna, Sam Craig and the boys basketball team wanted so much more than to get upset in the Division 3 Round of 16. But it was still an historic year for the Clippers (19-3), one that saw them earn the program’s seventh straight CAL Kinney title. Then both Olivia Foley and the girls basketball team and Damien Lamb and the boys hockey team had playoff thrillers that ended up on my personal top-10 games of the year. Ava Bailey and girls hoop earned a wild overtime victory in the first round, while Luke MacIsaac and boys hockey were unfortunately on the wrong end of a triple-OT Round of 16 heartbreaker.
Moving on to the spring, Newburyport’s most successful team of the year was Reese Bromby, Grace Chandler, Avery Tahnk, Emily Chandler and girls lacrosse making it back to the program’s third straight Division 3 finals. Harper Bradshaw, Elsie DeGrano and the girls tennis program continues to be a model of consistency and excellence in making it to the state quarterfinals, and this year Brindley Fisher, Austin Yim, Alex Lambert and the boys tennis team joined them in making an Elite 8 run.
PENTUCKET
Qualifying Playoff Teams: 10/15 (66.7%).
Overall Playoff Record: 13-10 (56.5%).
For the 2023-24 school year, those totals were: 10/15 (66.7%) and 7-10 (41.2%).
So the same attendance this year for Pentucket, but with a significantly better winning percentage.
Which started early and in historic fashion, when Jocelyn Bickford, Maisie King and Mia Bartholomew led the volleyball team to not only the program’s first ever playoff appearance, but also a Division 3 preliminary round win (and a near upset in the first round). Also during the fall, Cat Colvin, Kat Flaherty, Abbie Felzani and the field hockey team won a playoff game to make it to the Round of 16.
Moving on to the winter, senior captain Paige Nottingham (12g, 19a) was an electric skater in leading the HPNA co-op girls hockey team to the program’s first ever Division 1 Final Four. Girls basketball nearly matched, with Daily News MVP Amelia Crowe (15.8 ppg, 50 3s) making sure the team made its fourth straight trip to the state quarterfinals. Plus, you can’t forget about Chase Pelletier (29g, 10a), Aaron Wirwicz (13g, 17a) and the boys hockey team earning a Division 4 first round upset to make the Sweet 16.
Then to wrap it up in the spring, Sydney Trout, Kate Conover, Katherine Wisniewski and the girls lacrosse team had numerous special moments on their way to the Division 4 quarterfinals. A win over rival Newburyport during the regular season was top among them, and the Panthers nearly beat fellow CAL rival Ipswich in the Elite 8. Then Luke Pergola and baseball, Kayla Murphy and softball, and Nate Stys and boys lacrosse all won a playoff game to make their respective Round of 16s.
TRITON
Qualifying Playoff Teams: 6/13 (46.2%).
Overall Playoff Record: 4-6 (40.0%).
For the 2023-24 school year, those totals were: 7/13 (53.9%) and 7-7 (50%).
A similar story in back-to-back years for Triton, which has been relying on a bunch of young athletes who are poised to come into their own next year.
But as far as this school year was concerned, the only Triton fall team to make the postseason was field hockey. And it was quite the story that got the Vikings back into the postseason, as Daily News All-Stars Sophie Chapman, Delaney Quinn and Ava Johnson led the team to winning three of its last five games to sneak in. The Vikings would win a preliminary round game, only to get matched up with rival Newburyport next.
Boys hockey has been a consistently solid program at Triton during the winter months, and that was no different this year. Josh Hersey (24g, 13a), Luke Sullivan (22g, 10a) and Gavin Marengi (2.35 GAA) got to beat archrival Newburyport in the Bank Classic final, then made a run to the Division 3 quarterfinals. Then we can’t forget to shout out Liam Friis (14.2 ppg, 53 3s) and the boys basketball team, which won its last two games of the regular season to sneak into the Division 3 tourney via the .500 rule.
Finally during the spring, Emma Penniman, Jillian Giusto and the softball team earned their fair share of big wins, none more notable than handing CAL rival Pentucket — 14-0 at the time — its first loss. The Vikings would win a Division 3 preliminary round game, before bowing out to eventual state runner-up Greater New Bedford. And to wrap up, both baseball and girls lacrosse made their respective tournaments, but had short stays.