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Boys Varsity Basketball

2013 Record 11-8

Key Players: seniors Obi Obiora and Elijah Rogers

Head Coach: Luke Day

Junior Tyler Patterson likes the boys varsity basketball team’s chances this year, especially against archrival Newton North High School.

“I think we are head and shoulders better than Newton North,” Patterson said. “It shouldn’t even be a question that we are going to beat them twice this year.”

A mixture of returning players and promising up-and-comers as well as team training over the summer and fall should mark continued improvement, according to Patterson.

Additionally, Patterson said that he believes an expanse of athleticism and versatility will stack the basketball team’s win column and lead to a deep run in the state tournament.

“I think our biggest strength is just being an athletic team,” he said. “That’s partially why we are effective in all aspects of the game; athleticism helps you with your offense, defense and transitions.”

Girls Varsity Basketball

2013 Record: 7-14

Key Players: seniors Rhiana Page and Gianna Gray

Head Coach: Allyson Toney

A strengthened team chemistry should give the girls varsity basketball team a boost this year, according to junior Raven-Skyler Brathwaite.

“Everyone on the team is friends,” Brathwaite said. “One of the main things in basketball is being able to talk, being able to communicate on the court. If you have good team communication, that will help you win.”

Brathwaite singled out the Braintree High School girls varsity basketball team as a tough Bay State Conference competitor going forward.

“They just keep building up their program,” she said. “They have talent for all four [grade] years.”

A seasoned group of new and returning players  has Brathwaite optimistic about the team’s outlook.

“We had a hard season last year,” Brathwaite said. “We didn’t win much, but our team is going to be older this year. We have five seniors and three juniors returning, so we’ll have more members with experience on the varsity level.”

Wrestling

2013 Record 0-6

Key Players: senior Yuvi Shatil, junior Jake McMillan

Head Coach: Mike Carver

New wrestlers will play a critical role on this year’s wrestling team, as they have no returning wrestlers in the upper weight classes, senior and captain Yuvi Shatil said.

“We’ve lost our entire lineup over the past few years,” Shatil said. “We have three kids returning with winning records. We just want to fill a lineup, get a lot of underclassmen and teach kids.”

The effort the wrestlers put into the weight room are key to their success, according to Shatil.

“All the kids on the team have a pretty strenuous work ethic, and they are going to come in and work every day and get better for the future,” Shatil said.

Starting on Dec. 2, the team is scheduled to wrestle in more matches than ever before, and the returning athletes must not only focus on winning their individual matches, but also must impart their wisdom to newcomers if the team wants to accomplish their goal of a winning season, Shatil said.

Girls Track

2013 Record: 3-3

Key Player: junior Anya Gordentsev

Head Coach: Lee Eddy

The girls track team will overcome any hurdle that may arise together, as one cohesive unit, according to sophomore Elena Brown.

“We lost a lot of good people from last year who were seniors, so it depends on the freshmen that are coming in,” Brown said.

Despite losing stars Katie Hitchcock-Smith and Emma Poole from the class of 2013, Brown believes this year’s a team’s prospects are bright, and the athletes hope that their unity will bode well for a successful season .

“I think this year we are more of a team than last year,” Brown said.

Boys Track

2013 Record: 2-4

Key Player: Tomás Aramburu

Head Coach: Mike Glennon

According to sophomore Ryan Cullinane, perfection is expected of the boys winter track team.

“We typically do really well, so we basically try to win every meet,” Cullinane said.

Cullinane also realizes that losing standout athletes  Matt Brown, Aaron Klein, Jesse Fajnzylber, Sam Burrington and Daniel Krane from the class of 2013 makes this season all the more difficult.

Cullinane also said that there is not much bonding within the team, but whether that will affect the team’s performance remains to be seen.

The team will take the season one meet at a time, grinding through the competitive Bay State conference. Cullinane said he is excited for the team to prove itself and believes them to be serious contenders for a state title if they can realize their full potential.

It is also a year for revenge, especially against our neighbors on Route 9, Newton North High School.

“Newton North is probably the biggest matchup, and they have been beating us a lot in the years past,” Cullinane said.

 Matthias Muendel and Jacob Steinfield can be contacted at [email protected].