15 years ago: Upset win nets Weymouth his 100th
The element of surprise makes everything better, even a milestone victory.
Fifteen years ago, Methuen High boys basketball coach Jim Weymouth was seeking his 100th career victory but his 2-13 Rangers were at 12-2 Chelmsford.
Methuen trailed by three points at the half, but a dominating effort from Nick Rose (28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks) allowed the locals to pull it out, 54-53.
“I can’t say enough for Nick. He was immense,” Weymouth said. “It was a big one for me and for the kids.”
15 years ago: Silva enters racing Hall of Fame
Ollie Silva was born into a family of 16 on a farm in Topsfield before moving to Haverhill. Silva’s driving style built over 32 seasons made him synonymous with the best in the sport, especially at Pines Speedway in Groveland.
His lightning-quick reactions and innate ability to find the front of the pack made Silva and his ‘34 Ford coupe a fan favorite. Just by seeing the “Big O” on the track, crowds knew they were in for a great race.
He had 500 career victories including in 1975 in Waterford, Conn., in a NASCAR modified field filled with drivers in well-sponsored, well-equipped vehicles. After enduring snickers from some of the competitors pre-race over his self-made ride, Silva had the last laugh as he won the race by two laps.
Fifteen years ago, Silva received the ultimate acknowledgment of his accomplishments as he was inducted into the New England Racers Hall of Fame alongside Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton and three-time NASCAR champ Carl “Bugsy” Stevens.
15 years ago: Hillies topple Central Catholic
Dick Licare couldn’t have put it any better, or simply, 15 years ago.
“I think (Haverhill’s) better than us,” the Central Catholic coach said after a 76-69 Hillie win. “Other than South Boston, they’re as good a team as we’ve faced in two years.”
It was also the first time the Raiders had lost in their gym in two years. The win, in front of 2,200 fans, put Haverhill into first place in the MVC.
Senior first-year player Joe Marshall had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Sean Sughrue scored 13 of his 19 points in the final five minutes of play, and Ryan Cantwell contributed 16 points.
Sughrue’s strong late-game scoring helped the Hillies fight off Raider surges led by John Jacobs (24 points) and Randy Farris (18 points) that twice wiped out double-digit leads.
“This was a great win for us and I loved every minute of it,” said Hillie head coach Bob Walsh. “You need kids to step up in big games and we had a lot of kids step up.”
15 years ago last week: Knights’ Armeen named MVP
Steve Daley avenged an early-season loss to Masco’s Josh Kobey at 140 pounds, helping North Andover take down the Chieftains, 39-19, and win the CAL championship. Sophomore Gary Armeen was named MVP as the Knights edged Pentucket to take top honors at the CAL league meet.… With a pin at 119, Timberlane’s Eric Cloutier earned his 100th career victory in a meet against Plymouth. …
With a game-high 44 points including six 3-pointers, Pinkerton’s Mark Dunham won the battle but a last-second putback from star Calen Paquette (42 points) helped Manchester Central win the war, 104-103, in double overtime. Jason Wallen had 17 points and Arty Hazzard 13 in the loss. Future NBA player Matt Bonner also got the best of close friend Dunham, dropping in 28 points in Concord’s 62-52 win over the Astros. … Angel Fernandez had 11 points and 10 assists to lead Whittier to a big 63-50 win over Chelsea. … Edwin Mercado went off for 30 points as Lawrence sprinted past Lowell, 72-57. … Sanborn exploded for 22 points in the five-minute OT for a 96-81 win over Monadnock. Scott Maxwell (season-high 26 points) and Brad Evans (18 points, 20 rebounds, 5 blocks) led the Indians to their first victory of the year. …
Julie Tardif scored 12 points and held Sanborn’s best scorer, Erika Dumke, to only six points as Timberlane doubled up on the Indians, 62-31. The victory was part of Timberlane’s 35-game home winning streak stretching over three years. … Pinkerton’s Jenn Pelletier went 12 for 12 from the foul line in a 56-46 road win over defending Class L champ Manchester Central. Pelletier, who scored 14 points, had only missed four of 55 attempts from the line. … Scorching Manchester West with 31 points, Chris Carbonello led Londonderry to its sixth win in seven games, 53-41. … Despite calling off its traditional full-game, full-court press after two minutes and pulling its starters in the first half, Brianne Stepherson-led Masconomet wiped out Pentucket, 88-15. …
Two weeks before, Cristie E. Galindez set the Lawrence High record in the 2-mile, but sister Cristie A. Galindez recaptured the mark with a 12:27.9 against Methuen. … A win in the final relay swung a battle of unbeatens North Reading’s way, edging Masconomet, 44-42. Peter Giannone and Greg Mason were individual winners for the Hornets. … MVC season bests from Greg Henderson (hurdles) and Mike Terenzi (dash) lifted Haverhill over Tewksbury and to the MVC Division 2 title. …
It took a hat trick from freshman Randy Campolini for 7-6-1 North Andover to defeat winless Greater Lawrence, 5-3. Bill DeSantis had a goal and two assists in the losing effort. … Dave Rule netted his first career hat trick in Methuen’s 7-2 blasting of Lowell. … Brian Sheehan, playing hockey for only his second year and making just his third start of the season, turned aside 41 Central Catholic shots to help Haverhill come away with a 1-1 tie. …
For the first time in five years, Methuen’s gymnastics team went unbeaten and won the MVC regular season title by easily beating Chelmsford. Kelly Miner, Holly Desrocher, Ryann Welch and Jen Carraccio were individual winners for the Rangers. Later, Welch’s all-around win helped the Rangers prevail in the MVC league meet. … Ali King’s 9.3 on the beam highlighted unbeaten Salem’s sweep of Londonderry and Spaulding. …
Derek Jones and Nick Schwedder went 1-2 as North Andover’s ski team swept Haverhill and Austin Prep. … Even after best skier Beth Spracklin fell during her race, the Knights had enough to defeat Methuen and Andover, sharing the North Shore Ski League title with Masconomet at 9-1. …
Central Catholic’s Joe Uliano and Shawn Cedorchuk, North Andover’s Brad Kelloway, Greater Lawrence’s Jeff Blackington, and Northwestern recruit Wayne Lucier of Salem and St. John’s Prep were selected to play in the Shriners All-Star football game. … North Andover’s Jeff Lush hit just one home run as a Florida Tech sophomore the year before but the catcher started his 1998 campaign with two grand slams and 10 RBIs in his first two contests. … Andover’s Brian Fiske (10-and-under) and Methuen’s Connie Brown (11-12) were national youth swimming leaders in four and two events, respectively.
30 years ago last week: Moses sparks Hillies
Jimmy Moses and Kevin Fitzgerald had 15 points each as Haverhill defeated Lawrence, 73-52. … Mike Laruffa, Steve Stasiuk and Barry Trudeau (12 points each) led Whittier to a 52-42 win over Essex Aggie. … A three-point play from Michael Coyne (19 points) with less than a minute remaining sparked Georgetown to a 62-58 triumph win over Hamilton-Wenham. …
Led by 11 points apiece from Debbie Boule and Rhonda Harriman, Haverhill got past Lawrence, 49-38. …
A .500 Whittier team upset 7-2 St. Mary’s of Lynn, 5-4, as Jeff Sanborn set up Shawn Simonds for a pair of goals. … Two goals from Steve Mercier paced Haverhill to a 3-0 win over Lawrence. …
Colleen Gilbert set a new Timberlane record in the 1,000 meters with a 3:12.2 to place fifth at the Meet of Champions. …
The Haverhill tandem of Fran Leeman (game-high 19 points) and Sandy King (17 points, 11 rebounds) led Northern Essex to a 66-56 win over Massasoit, raising the Knights’ record to 16-3.
50 years ago last week: Reinfuss, Sanborn down Woodbury
Tom Reinfuss led three players in double figures with 13 points as Sanborn Seminary rallied to beat Woodbury High of Salem, 55-50. … Hank Francescone’s jumper with 30 seconds left made the difference as Haverhill Trade eked past Somerville Trade, 51-49. … Ten points each from Ron Denault and Pete Ayer lifted Pentucket past Essex Aggie, 55-37. … Greg Sovas hit a jumper with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime, but Haverhill had four starters foul out in the fourth quarter and OT in a 69-65 loss to Peabody. … Clutch free throws from Haverhill’s Chuck Kershaw helped Central Catholic defeat Malden Catholic, 55-52. …
Haverhill’s Roger Buchika — a Middlebury (Vt.) College freshman — beat a 49-man field of the nation’s best slalom skiers to win the Gibson Memorial Cup at Mount Cranmore. ... Winning the 50-yard dash, the 300 and the long jump, Haverhill’s Bill Grad was instrumental in Philips Exeter’s 66½-41½ victory over Northeastern University’s freshman team.
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