By Sam Rosenblatt
Managing Editor of Sports
After the Newton South boys’ track and field team claimed the school’s the first major championship of 2016 with a DCL victory, two other teams followed suit.
The boys’ gymnastics team, a co-op with Newton North, won its second consecutive state championship on Saturday. The all-Newton team edged out second place Attleboro, 162.5-157.1, on its way to victory.
Freshman Sam Arber helped Newton surge to victory by winning the all-around individual state title with a score of 43.8. Arber finished in first place in the vault, rings, pommel horse, and high bar to earn the overall crown.
Also on Saturday, the girls’ gymnastics team scored 142.6 points to capture the DCL Championship. Senior captain Kalena Wang scored a school record 37.6 points at the meet, earning DCL Gymnast of the Year honors. Freshman Julia Schoen was another key contributor in the winning effort, earning 37.1 points of her own and setting a school record (9.65 points) in the floor exercise.
Girls’ basketball defeated Boston Latin on Tuesday, 63-28, to advance to a perfect 16-0 on the season. Senior captain Emily Chang scored 20 points for the Lions in the victory, while sophomore Veronica Burton added 18 points.
The team is currently ranked No. 2 in the state by the Boston Globe, trailing only fellow undefeated Braintree in the rankings, and has clinched the DCL regular season title for the second straight season. South looks to continue its win streak tonight when they face Cambridge on Senior Night.
On the boys’ side of the court, the Lions improved to 13-4 on the season by beating Boston Latin, 71-57, on Tuesday. Junior captain Sasha Hoban led the Lions with 15 points in the victory.
This past Saturday, the team edged out Acton-Boxborough, 48-44, in a close contest on Senior Night. The Lions broke a 44-44 tie in the final minute to seal the win. They will travel to Cambridge on Thursday for their next game.
The girls’ swimming and diving team finished fifth overall at the DCL Championship Meet on Saturday. Sophomore Kristen Miquel won the 100-meter breaststroke, while junior Maddie Hofert added a second place finish in the 100-meter backstroke.
The medley relay team of Kristen Miquel, Hofert, and senior captains Alexia Miquel and Jessica Zernitsky placed third.
The boys’ swimming and diving team also placed fifth at DCLs, claiming third place finishes in the 500-meter freestyle (junior Andrew Johnston), 100-meter breaststroke (senior captain Alex Song), diving (sophomore Jordi Boulerice), and 4×100-meter freestyle relay (Song, senior Quinn Boulerice, juniors Geoffrey Lo and George Knocke). These and many other strong performances propelled the Lions to their best finish at DCLs in history.
The Warrior-Lions girls’ hockey team clinched a spot in the playoffs with an 8-1 victory over Shawsheen on Saturday. Though they dropped a tough 11-3 loss to Milton on Wednesday, the Brookline-Newton South combo looks poised for a playoff run, currently holding a 9-7-4 record. The team will take on Matignon on Senior Night this Saturday.
Boys’ hockey put themselves back into playoff contention with a 4-3 win over Weston on Wednesday night. After going down by two goals in the first period, goals by senior Andrew Wales and junior Sergey Bezrukov evened up the score midway through the second period. After each team put one home at the end of the second and beginning of third periods, freshman Baxter Cardamone scored the go ahead goal with 1:14 left in the third period to even the Lions record at 6-6-2. South had topped Lowell, 2-0, on Saturday to stay in the hunt.
Both the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams will look to build off of their success at DCLs when they race on Sunday in the Division 1 Championship Meet.
The South wrestling team will host the Division 1 Central Championship Meet this Saturday.
Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 11
Girls’ basketball vs. Cambridge
Boys’ basketball @ Cambridge
Nordic Ski: MIAA State Championship Race @ Notchview Reservation
Saturday, Feb. 13
Wrestling: D1 Central State Championship @ Newton South
Girls’ swimming: North Sectional Championship @ MIT
Boys’ basketball @ Xaverian
Girls’ hockey vs. Matignon
Sunday, Feb. 14
Track and Field: MIAA State Division 1 Championship Meet @ Reggie Lewis Center
Boys’ swimming: North Sectional Championship @ MIT
Boys’ hockey vs. Bedford
Monday, Feb. 15
Boys’ hockey vs. Brookline
