St. Clement High School Sports Report

Football: St. Clement Anchormen Dominate Old Colony in Home Opener

St. Clement improved to 2-0 after the Anchormen toppled the Old Colony Crusaders 35-6 this past Saturday at Dilboy Stadium. Both teams came out with strong defense to start the game, resulting in two turnovers in just the first three plays of the game. After a tough first quarter, the Anchormen took control of the ball and clock and marched down field 80 yards in nine plays behind the running of senior co-captain Michael Julce. On fourth down from the 16-yard line junior QB Jamey Thompson hit junior tight end John Posada on a play action pass in the corner of the end zone to start the scoring at 6-0. On the next possession Thompson hit sophomore receiver Junior Oyaronbi for a 15-yard TD pass. Julce added the conversion run and St. Clement would go into half time 14-0.

“We played sloppy to start the game and we really did not hit our stride in either quarter. I told them we needed to start playing up to our talent level and the score would take care of itself,” said head coach Colin Walsh.

The Anchormen listened and respond accordingly. After taking the second half kick back 30 yards St. Clement pounded the Cougar defense with eight consecutive run plays capped off with a 10-yard run by Julce for the TD. Junior kicker Andrew Carvahlo (Somerville) added the extra point and the Anchormen were in control 21-0. Junior Alberto Lopez intercepted a bad pass from Old Colony and after a few big plays would add himself to the scoring as Lopez pounded in the fourth score. Carvahlo added the kick and the lead was 28-0.

With time running out the Anchormen stifled the Cougars on every possible play. Sophomore Casey Baptiste (Medford) finished off the St. Clement scoring in the fourth quarter, and after Carvahlo added the kick the game was out of reach at 35-0. Old Colony added a late scoring run by Matthew Cannetto but it was too little too late. Julce led all rushers with 120 yards on ten carries, a TD and a 2-point conversion. Senior co-captain Matthew Pereira (Somerville) lead the defense with his second ten tackle game. Last week St. Clement topped Keefe Tech 35-18 to open the season. The Anchormen travel to play Mystic Valley this Saturday 4pm at Malden Catholic.

Volleyball: Lady Anchors Best Start in 11 Years

The St. Clement Lady Anchors haven’t been known for their volleyball team over the years. Year after year, they’ve dealt with tough 4-16 seasons, but that isn’t the case this for the Lady Anchors this year. The volleyball team ends their week with a 5-1 record overall and a league record of 2-1; they are currently tied for second with the Lady Tigers of Pope John.

The Lady Anchors started out their season with a loss to Marian, 3-1, but they answered back in their second game with a sweep over Saint Mary’s of Lynn 3-0. Freshman Jessica Popken (Medford) had a total of twelve aces. Also adding to the victory was junior Captain Allison Caloggero (Medford), with eight aces and twelve digs, while junior Co-Captain Kristina Ofoedu (Somerville) contributed five kills.

When Trinity Catholic traveled to the Anchordome on Thursday, September 15, they didn’t know what to expect from the new and improved Lady Anchors. To the Trinity Catholic Falcons’ surprise, the Lady Anchors swept them 3-0. Caloggero added seven assists while Ofoedu had a career high of thirteen kills. Popken and sophomore Kayla Morello (Medford, pictured at right) added to the victory with five kills each. Sophomore Megan Berg (Medford) had key serves contributing to the win, along with junior captain Judy D’Haiti (Cambridge), who added significant sets and saves.

“I cannot believe how well we are playing, it’s an awesome feeling and the team gets along well,” said Coach Lisa Regione. “The improvement over the past 11 years is there and it’s our time to put volleyball back on the map!”

The Lady Anchors will face Cristo Rey on Sunday, September 25 at 1:45pm in the Anchordome. The team will also host their league rivals Pope John on Thursday, September 29 at 4:45pm.

– Submitted by Dina Caloggero