NORTHBOROUGH — If there were any lingering doubts as to whether or not the Masconomet Regional gymnastics team was in the midst of a dynasty, the Chieftains have officially put any such thoughts to bed.
Masconomet hit the beam, vault, floor and bars one last time this season in search of a fourth straight state championship. The field was stacked at Algonquin Regional Saturday afternoon, but head coach Alicia Gomes and her squad were more than up for the challenge.
Unlike last March when the Chieftains rolled over the field by nearly five points, this year’s meet was incredibly tight. It all came down to vault, and senior captain Greta Mowers (9.7) and team MVP Bella Misiura (9.825) delivered two of the best scores of the day to give the Chieftains a narrow victory.
Masconomet finished with a total team score of 148.6, edging out runner-up Danvers (148.15) and third place Central Catholic (147.35).
The secret recipe to success? Focusing on what they could control and not worrying about anyone else.
“Usually we want to look at other teams and see how they’re doing, but we knew we just had to focus on one last event and put in everything we had,” said Mowers. “The energy was up the whole time, too. I think the energy is the main thing that helps us get through every meet; the more energy the better.”
The meet is separated into four different rotations. The eight qualifying teams are divided into two foursomes, competing on one event at a time with a rest period after each one before coming back out to tackle the next heat. The top four scores out of six competitors for each team are then added up to determine a total for each event.
After three rotations, it was Danvers that held a nearly one-point advantage over the Chieftains, with Central Catholic close behind in third. The Falcons wrapped up on bars, Central was on floor, and Masco on vault.
Ninth graders Janey Young and Kate Mugge both came through clutch with 9.3s to make the comeback possible, setting the stage for Mowers and Misiura to clinch the meet in thrilling fashion.
“It was a combination of all six of them,” said Gomes of her vaulters. “You kind of set it up for those last two (Mowers and Misiura), but we wouldn’t have been where we were at without those two vaults before that from Janey and Kate. They really hit it big and they’re freshmen, so that was pretty amazing.
“And then Greta, that was the best vault of her life,” continued Gomes. “I’ve known her since she’s been a little one and that was literally the best vault she’s ever had. She usually lands with her chest just a little bit forward, and today she was just perfect. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
Even Mowers was surprised with her score, with the results bringing her to tears at the end of the meet.
“That’s the best score I’ve gotten all four years and I didn’t even see it,” she said. “I just heard my teammates saying, ‘9.7, wow!’. And I wasn’t even last; Bella still had to go. I was like, ‘Girls, this is exciting but Bella is going to do an even better vault’ — and she did.”
Masco finished with a cumulative score of 38.125 on vault, Danvers came up with a 36.775 on bars, and Central claimed a 37.400 on floor to decide the meet.
Despite their unprecedented success in recent years, this season’s state crown came as a bit of a surprise for the Chieftains. But the return of Meri Brandt to the lineup, who missed last week’s sectionals (where her team finished second overall), gave Masco an additional boost.
“This one was a shock,” admitted Gomes. “We were lucky we got Meri back into the lineup. She’s an amazing gymnast so she definitely helped kind of propel us to where we ended up.”
Brandt competed in two events, scoring a 9.1 on bars and a 9.475 on beam.
Misiura was once again the Chieftains’ top point earner, finishing second overall to Central’s Camryn Rueda (38.95) with an all-around score of 38.6. Misiura registered a 9.65 on bars, a 9.6 on beam and a 9.525 on floor before vaulting through the air for one final stamp on a terrific performance.
“I was very nervous, but I knew that I had to go really big in order to secure the win,” said Misiura. “I really rely on my training; I do a lot of practice in the gym and work a lot on all of my skills, so I know I can hit it. It’s just about how perfect it can be because each 10th counts.”
Young snared a ninth place finish (35.850) thanks to an 8.9 on bars, 8.4 on beam and a 9.25 on floor. Mowers added an 8.6 on beam and a 9.125 on floor, and Mugge had an 8.7 on bars and an 8.25 on beam.
The Chieftains also got strong contributions from Mya Champlain, who topped out with a 9.05 on floor, as well as Fiona Bolzan (8.0 on floor), Brooklyn Odoardi (8.85 on beam), and Carly O’Heir (8.55 on vault).
Following the win, Mowers spoke candidly about Misiura and what she’s meant to their overall success.
“So inspirational. I aspire to be like her when I grow up — even though I’m always going to be older than her,” Mowers said with a laugh. “She just puts in so much work every day. She’s an amazing person, gymnast, student and athlete.”
For Danvers, which improved on its third place finish at sectionals, Kaylee Wescott and Maddie Migliero shined bright. Both finished in the top five individually, with Wescott tying Misiura’s individual score of 38.6 to join her in second place. Migliero was fifth at 36.76.
Wescott garnered a 9.65 on vault, a 9.575 on bars, a 9.6 on beam and a 9.525 on floor. Migliero came in with a 9.45 on vault, an 8.2 on bars, a 9.45 on beam and a 9.65 on floor.
Camryn Donovan was 17th overall for the Falcons with an all around score of 28.25 (9.6 on bars, 9.25 on beam, 9.4 on floor), while Maddie Wescott claimed a tie in 19th at 27.35 (9.2 on vault, 9.4 on bars, 8.75 on beam).
DeAnna Figueiredo scored an 8.3 or better on all three of her events for Danvers, with Ollie Marshall topping out with an 8.525 on vault. Kaylee Richards added an 8.3 on vault and both Addy Gilman and Hannah Moccia competed well.