Sports

By KEVIN DEVLIN The South Boston Community Development Foundation has sponsored an under 12 co-ed basketball league at the Tynan Community Center gymnasium. The main purpose of an introductory program such as this one is to give inexperienced youngsters a basic understanding and feel for the game. Learning the fundamentals of hoop should be an enjoyable experience. It will be a time of discovery, learning, hard work and hopefully, fun. Fun, as in “fundamentals” as they are introduced to the basics of basketball. Players need to be taught to win with grace and lose with dignity, worrying less about the final score while thinking more about how the game is supposed to be played. Players will only improve if they are told what they are [...]

On Sunday, May 1, the South Boston Little League held its opening ceremonies at Evans Field adjacent to the Murphy Rink. Players, parents, managers, and league officials gathered together to acknowledge the beginning of the South Boston Little League baseball season. The rain held off and everyone had an opportunity to say hello and get pumped up for the 2016 season. -Kevin Devlin

By KAY FORDE On Thursday evening, April 28, the South Boston Girls’ Softball League conducted its opening night ceremony at the Shore Road softball field next to the Murphy Rink. It was cold and a bit windy but the players, managers and parents enjoyed the event. Sponsored by the league, the Sausage Man was on hand cooking hot dogs and sausages for those in attendance. Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and Boston City Councilor President Michelle Wu were present and threw out the first two balls of the new season. Then several shortened exhibition games were played and a skill’s clinic was conducted next to the softball diamond. Founded in 2007, the South Boston Girls Softball League is a non-profit organization that continues to encourage and [...]

By KEVIN DEVLIN and BOBBY MCGARRELL The South Boston Mites were named the champions of the inaugural Mayor’s Cup street hockey tournament that came to an end in Charlestown on Friday. They’re a talented group of kids and Coach Bobby McGarrell was proud of their performance. “Southie played tremendous,” McGarrell said, “with a great display of teamwork and effort. They imposed their will on each opponent and controlled each game from the opening faceoff.” Starting off, Southie defeated the Parkway Bruins, 6-1, in a resounding victory. The Southie team then cruised to victory against the South End team, 11-0. Next up was the unbeaten West Roxbury squad. Southie prevailed 6-3. In the championship final, Southie played West Roxbury again (who were their bracket winners). Southie jumped all [...]

By KEVIN DEVLIN On Sunday, April 17, at the South Shore Sports Complex in Pembroke, the Southie Stars defeated the GT Elite, 63-37, to win the 2016 under 12 HoopRootz Gold Rush tournament title. It was the second consecutive year that the local squad brought home the championship trophy. In the opening game of the tournament on Saturday at the M-Plex in Mansfield, the Southie Stars defeated the Central Mass. Shamrocks, 44-33. Eli Motta netted 15 points and hauled down 8 rebounds. Jake Harrison had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Marc Iannaco scored 14 points, had four assists, and three steals. In the second game of the day at the M-Plex, the Southie Stars cruised to a 48-29 victory against the Commonwealth Gladiators. Giovanni [...]

By KEVIN DEVLIN Last Sunday, the Boston Youth Lacrosse Association boys’ teams opened their season at Moakley Park. The seventh and eighth grade boys’ team defeated their foe from Braintree, 4-2. The fifth and sixth grade boys’ team defeated Braintree, 5-4, while the third and fourth grade boys’ team battled Braintree to a 3-3 tie. The first and second grade boys’ team did not play. The head coach for the seventh and eighth grade boys’ team is Tim Hill. “We played a hard fought game against Braintree and came out on top,” Hill wrote. “Nolan Callow was in net and had a great game. It was a collective effort in the first game of the season and the boys stepped up big to get key [...]

By KEVIN DEVLIN The 2016 Boston Youth Lacrosse Association began its spring season this past weekend with two girls’ home games at Moakley Park. The fifth and sixth grade and the seventh and eighth grade girls’ team played against Revere and went home with victories. This association, originally the South Boston Youth Lacrosse League, recently expanded to include youth from all Boston neighborhoods. The association is currently comprised of eight teams. There are four boys’ teams and four girls’ teams broken down by grades from the first through the eighth grade. Taylor Wallace, Anna Stefanov and Lindsay Birch coach the seventh and eighth grade girls’ team. “I’ve been part of this program for the past three years,” Birch said, “and it’s been an honor to [...]

By KEVIN DEVLIN The Saint Vincent’s CYO seventh and eighth grade boys’ travel team is the 2016 CYO Vicariate and State Champions. Four of those players are Walter Steele, Luis Rodriguez, Edilson Pinto and Emmanuel Disla. Walter Steele is the son of Walter and Beth Steele. He’s in the eighth grade at the UP Academy Charter School of Boston, the former Gavin Middle School on Dorchester Street. His favorite subject is math and he’s a straight A student. He hopes to attend Duke University and plans on being a teacher. In addition to his CYO team winning two titles, Walter’s school team won the city charter school championship. This year in a school game, he netted 23 points and hauled down 16 rebounds. Last season [...]