When Stoneham soccer coach Bob Almeida walked off Fred Green Memorial Field in Melrose on Sept. 29, he questioned: will we ever win a sport?
For Almeida and the Spartans, September Sorrow has morphed into November Nirvana.
After an 0-4 begin, Stoneham had 4 straight wins to earn a Div. 6 event berth. The Fifteenth-seeded Spartans made probably the most of their second alternative, hitting the street to knock off No. 2 Abington, 22-14.
“I give all the credit to the players and my assistant coaches, they stayed the course,” Almeida mentioned. “We have two terrific captains (Matt Tran and Ty Baker) who have been very instrumental all season long. They are not the most demonstrative types, but they are the type of kids who know when something needs to be said and everyone listens.”
Almeida figured his staff would endure some rising pains. The Spartans graduated a big chunk of gamers from the 2022 staff which superior to the Div, 6 state championship sport, so there have been loads of new faces within the lineup.
“I mean, we were starting three sophomores on the line and I don’t think they weigh 200 pounds,” Almeida mentioned with fun. “We were killing ourselves with mistakes which we kind of expected. Every day, I would go to practice asking myself what we need to do to win.”
Things turned for the higher in Week 5 when Stoneham broke by with a 44-0 win over Watertown, adopted by a nailbiter over Wilmington. Solid wins over Burlington (41-32) and Wakefield (22-6) clinched a tourney bid.
Almeida knew the opening spherical matchup wouldn’t be simple as Abington additionally had loads of incentive. The Green Wave’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Kelliher introduced earlier than the beginning of the season that his fiftieth 12 months as head coach can be his final on the sideline.
That mattered little to a gaggle of Stoneham gamers peaking on the proper time.
“At this point, I told the kids that there is no pressure on us whatsoever,” Almeida mentioned. “But I don’t know if the kids were wearing rose-colored glasses or what, but they were very confident. They really looked at this game as one they could win and didn’t think it would be an upset at all if they did.”
Tied 14-14 on the half, the one factors of the second half got here on a Kevin Gilmartin 2-yard TD run, adopted by a conversion run from Sean Kilty. The protection bent at instances down the stretch, however made the massive performs when wanted – one thing that was not taking place for them in September.
“It was a great win for the kids, but we have to move,” mentioned Almeida, whose staff subsequent travels to Bellingham for a quarterfinal matchup. “I really think that Div. 6 is one of the best divisions, there are a lot of really good teams in the tournament. It’s not going to be easy regardless of who you play.”
What is for sure is Stoneham is one among eight groups with an opportunity to take house a state title – one thing few thought was doable 5 brief weeks in the past.
SWEET 16
1. St. John’s Prep (9-0) – Eagles opened protection of their Div. 1 title with a simple win over Leominster.
2. Catholic Memorial (6-2) – Knights had little bother with Cambridge.
3. Xaverian (7-2) – Hawks get one other probability to exorcise some demons after they host Springfield Central.
4. King Philip (9-0) – Defense registers its fourth shutout of the season.
5. Milford (8-1) – Having dispatched one Hockomock League opponent within the event, Milford will get one other one in North Attleboro.
6. Needham (8-1) – Should be quarterfinal matchup with Methuen.
7. Everett (8-1) – Not precisely the Crimson Tide’s greatest effort, however circumstances out of their management made it comprehensible.
8. Hanover (9-0) – The Scalzi Air Show overwhelmed yet one more protection.
9. Duxbury (7-1) – Zach Falls is changing into an enormous downside for opposing defenses.
10. Methuen (7-2) – No opening evening tourney jitters for the Rangers.
11. Andover (8-1) – Defense turned in its greatest efficiency of the season.
12. Foxboro (8-1) – Solid event opening evening victory over Wilmington.
13. Billerica (8-1) – Indians survive a significant scare in opposition to Plymouth South to advance to the Div. 3 quarterfinals.
14. Marshfield (7-2) – Points weren’t an issue for the Rams’ offense Friday evening.
15. Mansfield (6-3) – Six straight double-figure wins for the Hornets.
16. BC High (6-3) – Eagles get a second crack at a St. John’s Prep staff which had its approach with them two weeks in the past.
ON THE BENCH: Barnstable (8-1), Weymouth (7-2), Dartmouth (9-0), Walpole (6-3), Milton (6-3), Scituate (6-3), Lincoln-Sudbury (7-2), Bishop Feehan (7-1), Peabody (9-0), Winchester (8-1), Shawsheen (8-0), Norwell (8-1), Carver (9-0).
Source: www.bostonherald.com