Play ball! Five storylines to watch as spring sports return after nearly two years
May 6—This week the 2021 spring season finally gets underway, with local teams set to compete for the first team in nearly two years. A lot has changed since the last time these teams took the field, so as the season begins here are five storylines to watch going into the new year.
1. Ready to contend
When we last met Amesbury softball, Newburyport girls lacrosse and Newburyport girls tennis, the three local teams were in the midst of lengthy runs of dominance. All three had won at least three straight Cape Ann League titles — Amesbury's streak is up to seven — and all three once again enjoyed deep state tournament runs, with Newburyport girls lacrosse and girls tennis both making it all the way to the sectional finals.
Even after such long layoffs, all three teams look primed to contend once more.
Amesbury returns six starters from a Division 3 North semifinalist team, most of whom were only freshmen at the time, and now stand as one of the top contenders in the state. Newburyport girls tennis returns three starters from its Division 2 North finalist lineup and adds sophomore Caroline Schulson, a highly accomplished club player with college tennis aspirations. Newburyport girls lacrosse, though no longer boasting the extraordinary talents of Maggie Pons, still has Sam King back leading the offense as one of four college commits in the starting lineup.
One other team ready to make the leap into championship contention is Newburyport boys lacrosse. The Clippers return 15 varsity players from what had previously been an extremely young squad and now have eight college commits ready to go.
2. Amesbury boys lacrosse gets started, finally
Of all the spring athletes who lost out on last season, Amesbury boys lacrosse arguably had it the worst of anyone. After years of writing letters and lobbying school officials, and then after two years of junior varsity competition to prepare for the big debut, Amesbury boys lacrosse was finally set to hold its inaugural varsity season before the pandemic wiped it all out.
That was a tough pill to swallow, especially for the graduating seniors who didn't get to enjoy the fruits of their labor, but their efforts will last long after they're gone and now Amesbury boys lacrosse is finally ready to get started. The Indians will hold their inaugural game next Wednesday at Manchester Essex and then will hold their home opener on Friday at Landry Stadium against North Reading.
3. Diamond dandies primed for a breakout
In the years before the pandemic, Greater Newburyport's youth baseball scene was as vibrant as it's been in years. The 2018 Amesbury Little League team enjoyed its deepest run in the District 15 tournament in a decade, the Triton and Newburyport Babe Ruth teams enjoyed dominant summer campaigns and the varsity teams were seeing a few brilliant underclassmen emerge into prominent roles.
Those players kept working through last summer even after the spring was wiped out, and this spring we should see a lot of hard work start to pay off on the local diamonds. Amesbury in particular is a team to watch in terms of young talent, with returning players like Shea Cucinotta and Drew MacDonald ready to take the lead while new underclassmen like Trevor Kimball, Will Arsenault, Aiden Donovan, Drew Scialdone and others look to make an immediate mark.
Other players to watch include Newburyport's Ryan Archer, Jacob Buontempo and Jax Budgell — an accomplished transfer from the Tilton School — Pentucket's Chase Dwight and Andrew Melone, Triton's Cael Kohan and Kyle Odoy and Georgetown's Nick Gaeta and Jack Lucido.
4. Joining forces
This spring the area will see two new co-ops, with Triton boys lacrosse now set to host Georgetown while the pre-existing Newburyport and Triton boys tennis co-op reorganizes so that Newburyport will now be the host school instead of Triton. The Triton-Georgetown boys lacrosse team should particularly benefit, given that Triton was already a state tournament contender on its own prior to the union. The addition of Georgetown standouts like Mike Cahill, Carson Purcell and others should help elevate the program further, as should the expected breakout of Saint Michael's commit James Tatro, who could be on the verge of a monster senior season.
5. Rivalry to resume
When we last left Triton and Amesbury boys outdoor track, the two local rivals were going down to the wire at the 2019 Division 4 championships, with Triton edging Amesbury in the final event to claim the program's first outdoor track championship. Two years later the Vikings are technically still the defending champions, and both Triton and Amesbury return rosters who could be in the thick of it again.
As always the Newburyport boys should be in contention, as should the Pentucket girls, and after strong showings across the board in the Fall 2 season it will be interesting to see which athletes take the next step and who emerges as the area's next big track stars.
