Sports

Undefeated 1977 Football Team to Be Saluted on 25th Anniversary of WHS Hall of Fame

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(The Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame provided the following profile)

The WHS Athletic Hall of Fame has inducted many successful teams in the last 25 years. But in the opinion of many, one stands above the rest. The 1977 football team finished 10-0 and currently has three of its players in the Hall. So on this, the 25th anniversary of the first class inducted, we honor legendary, Hall of Fame Coach John Barbati’s Middlesex League champions, the only undefeated gridiron team in the history of the school. Led by senior captains Bobby Kelland, Sparky Lyle, and Albie Mandafino, they were supposed to win, and they did, and that was not an easy thing to do in the competitive Middlesex League.

Sports

Watertown Wrestling Coach Kevin Russo Will Join the Athletic Hall of Fame

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(The Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame provided this profile.)

Watertown High School has a tremendous history when it comes to outstanding coaches, including Hall of Famers Dick Berardino, Dick Umile, Eileen Donahue, and Steve Harrington, just to name a few. Kevin Russo is the next coach to join the Hall, and his accomplishments in a 27-year career are lengthy indeed. In 1999 Kevin undertook the difficult task of starting a brand new program in his adopted hometown of Watertown. There was no club team at Watertown, no JV program to feed off of, so he started with a varsity team in league competition right away. Under Kevin’s tutelage Watertown has had many successful winning seasons and has been able to fill the line up each year in all 14 weights, which is extremely difficult to do.

Football

See How the Raiders Fared in their Road Football Clash with Stoneham

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Watertown’s bid to get a home playoff game took a hit when their comeback fell short against Stoneham Friday night. The Raiders fell 27-23. 

The Raiders started well on the road, with two first quarter touchdowns. The first was a 7 yard pass to Yoseph Hamad  and the second to senior Johm Korte from the 30. The Spartans grabbed 16-14 a halftime lead with a second quarter touchdown an a 2-point conversion. The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, but Stoneham established a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run by Christos Argyropoulos, the running back’s third of the night.

Business

Members of Watertown’s Most Unique Baseball League Visit Mt. Auburn Hospital

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Members of the Watertown Challengers League made a recent stop at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge to thank the hospital and CEO Jeanette Clough for their important sponsorship, the hospital announced. The Watertown Challengers League is a division of Little League Baseball that gives youth ages 7-19 with special needs the opportunity to have fun and be a part of a team. Participation is free to each player and includes a uniform, jacket, trophies and an annual banquet thanks to local sponsors. The team is run by Eric Manning (of Watertown), VP of the Watertown Challenger League and his wife Brenda Manning (of Watertown), board member at large and manager of the Watertown Challenger League. The Mannings joined the league five years ago as volunteer coaches aiding their son, Brian Manning (of Watertown) who has cerebral palsy.

Sports

Raiders 2007 Basketball State Champs to Enter WHS Athletic Hall of Fame

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(The Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame submitted the following team profile)

Hall of Fame Coach Steve Harrington consistently had his teams knocking on the door of a State Championship in the early 2000’s. In 2000, 2005 and 2006 the Red Raiders lost in the North Sectional Finals. In ’03 they lost in the Garden in the EMass finals. The gyms at Watertown High and the rest of their Middlesex League opponents was the place to be on Tuesday and Friday nights. Both home and away games were packed with loyal Red Raider fans.

Football

Watertown Football Battled Strong Wilmington Team Friday Night

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The Watertown football team lead Wilmington for the whole first half of the Raiders final regular season home game, but fell 32-17. Watertown took the lead on a first quarter 3-yard touchdown run by fullback Edward Ferreira, and then doubled the lead when quarterback Nick McDermott scored on a 1-yard run. A 39-yard field goal by Conor Kennelly gave the Raiders a 17-8 halftime lead. However, Wilmington (4-1) held Watertown scoreless the rest of the game and running back John Kenny scored two of his three touchdowns in the second half to lead the Wildcats to the victory. The loss drops the Raiders’ record to 3-2, and 1-2 in the Middlesex League.

Sports

New Co-op Girls Swimming Team Earns First Victory Over Burlington

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The fledgling Arlington-Watertown girls swimming team got its first taste of success over the weekend when the team defeated Burlington 52-41 for its first dual meet win. 

The team is a cooperative team and includes swimmers from both high schools, including six from Watertown. While Arlington has had a program for several years, this is Watertown’s first swim team. Head coach Aldar Su said it took a little bit of adjustment, but the students from different schools have come together over the first few weeks. “It took a couple of weeks for them to warm up to each other,” Su said. “That’s the nice thing with fall sports.

Sports

One of WHS’s Most Competitive Athletes, Maxwell Kerman, Going into Hall of Fame

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(The Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame provided the following profile)

Maxwell Kerman competed hard in everything he did, whether it was on the football field or the basketball court. He played 3 years of football and 4 years of basketball for Watertown High. In one football game alone in a big win over Winchester as a junior, he contributed two rushing touchdowns, kicked four extra points, and chipped in defensively with an interception, a fumble recovery, and a half-dozen tackles.  But it was in the gym where everything came together for the two-time Globe and one-time Herald hoops All-Scholastic. By the time he graduated in 2006, the two-time captain and three-time Middlesex league All-Star was the vaunted basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,522 points, all-time leading rebounder, third in assists and steals, fourth in three-pointers and single season points. But in reality, that is only just a small part of the Kerman story.