By Sam Rosenblatt
Managing Editor of Sports
It was another action packed week for Newton South athletic teams, filled with wins and incredible individual accomplishments.
The weather is not the only thing heating up, as many teams are improving greatly as their seasons have progressed.
Speaking of heating up, both the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams each “scorched the oval” this past week.
Sophomore Clare Martin won the 2000 meter steeplechase held at Saturday’s Weston Twilight Invitational with a time of 7:12. Martin qualified for Nationals with her performance, while setting a meet record. Fellow sophomore Calene Lazare was named Most Outstanding Runner at the Freshman/Sophomore Invitational this weekend.
In a return to dual meet action on Wednesday, both boys’ and girls’ teams came out with convincing wins against Cambridge, with the boys’ team winning 97-47 and the girls’ team winning 100-41.
The boys’ tennis team picked up a pair of 5-0 victories over Boston Latin (Tuesday) and Cambridge (Wednesday). Not to be outdone, the girls’ tennis team also notched a 4-1 win over Boston Latin on Tuesday.
Newton South volleyball (14-0) continued their DCL dominance on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Acton-Boxboro in straight sets. It was a rematch of last year’s Division 1 Semifinal, in which the Lions dueled with the Colonials for five sets before winning 3-2 to advance to the state championship game.
This time, however, the team bested A-B with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Senior Mike Horenstein picked up his 100th kill of the season in the win after going for eight kills on the day. Senior captain Jared Chin dished out 25 assists against the DCL rival, while fellow senior Zach Stein had nine digs.
The boys’ lacrosse team captured its second win of the season on Tuesday, winning a close 10-9 contest against Boston Latin. Today, the team faced fellow DCL member in the Bedford Buccaneers, falling 10-3 despite tacking on two late goals in the fourth quarter.
The girls’ lacrosse team has a chance to make program history, as they stand at 5-6 on the season, within striking distance of qualifying for the state tournament. After a decade of struggles, the lacrosse team has at last became a powerful program with great goalscorers and defenders. The Lions used both of these to their advantage in a 17-9 win over Boston Latin on Wednesday.
On the diamond, Newton South baseball split its past two games. On Friday, the Lions defeated Wayland, 8-3. On Monday, Lions’ baseball came up short against Concord-Carlisle, falling 6-2 at home.
The softball team continued its successful season with a 1-0 shutout victory over Cambridge on Monday. Junior phenom Kim-An Quinn struck out seven in a brilliant pitching performance, while freshman Amanda Smith scored the game’s only run.
Despite all of South’s success on the athletic fields and courts this week, perhaps the most important event of the week came Tuesday, when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council passed a vote to include rugby as an official MIAA sport.
For members of the Newton South rugby team, the move could mean more recognition and popularity for the team as the sport grows throughout the state.
The push to make the state tournament is fast approaching as we make our way into May, with various teams capable of making a run at qualifying for tournament play and continuing South’s recent trend of multiple teams playing the the tournament.
