Sports

Watertown Athletes Earn Accolades in College Field Hockey & Basketball

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Watertown High School graduates Caroline Andrade and Taylor Lambo earned honors for their college teams.

Two former Watertown Raiders have gone on to excel at the next level. Field hockey player Caroline Andrade was named Rookie of the Year at Westfield State, and Hamilton College basketball player Taylor Lambo was named player of the week. See details in the announcements provided by Westfield State Athletics and Hamilton College Athletics. Westfield State’s Caroline Andrade Named MASCAC Rookie of the Year

Westfield State’s Caroline Andrade was named MASCAC Rookie of the Year. (Courtesy of Westfield State Athletics)

Westfield State field hockey landed six players on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference’s All-Conference team, including Rookie of the Year Caroline Andrade (Watertown, Mass.). Also, Owls’ coach Carden Brown was named the league’s coach of the year.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boston Gold Kings Return to the Ice from Holiday Break in Style

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Power Play Senior Hockey action returned to the John A. Ryan Arena on the first Saturday night after the New Year, pitting the hometown Boston Gold Kings (BGK) versus the Holyoke Papermen. The Gold Kings started the night in second place, and by the end of the night they were still there thanks to an offense that clicked early and often, and a sterling performance from goaltender Mike Cowell. Final score of this one was BGK 7 and Holyoke 2. To say that the BGK’s dominated from start to finish is probably a little bit of hyperbole, but they scored 53 seconds in and again 6 minutes later to take a 2-0 lead, and they never looked back.  Goals were courtesy of a Brandon Garneau breakaway and a G.J. Grinnell backhander off a pretty feed from Matt Baldino. Holyoke mustered 10 shots in the period, but didn’t consistently threaten. They scored their only goal of the night (until a garbage-time goal with a minute left in the game) when a BGK breakdown allowed Papermen forward Sean Egan to finish a play that teammate J.D. Anderson started, with Cowell left out to dry. So, 2-1 after one period, but it didn’t feel that close. The Gold Kings made sure the score reflected their control of the game in the second period, with a three-goal flurry in the span of 7 minutes. J.T. Freedman, Dave Mackenzie and a power play goal by Matt Baldino accounted for the scoring. Defenseman Mackenzie was especially active at both ends, all night long, and was one of the stars of the game with two goals and an assist. Late in the period, and with a 5-1 lead, the Gold Kings committed back to back penalties and provided the Papermen with a 5-on-3 opportunity and a chance to get back in the game.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boy’s Basketball Gets in the Win Column Just Before The New Year

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Every team, no matter the sport, wants to get the new season off to a good start. That’s as close to a universal truth as there is in team sports. The Boys Basketball program, perennially tournament-bound and most often among the upper-echelon in D3, has been less than that to start the season, with four losses to Middlesex foes. Tusesday was the last chance in 2025 to record a win, and the Raiders did just that by beating non-league opponent Fenway, 59- 40, at the Victor J. Palladino Gymnasium. Watertown ran off 7 points to start the game, and was up 14-4 late in the quarter, largely thanks to the Michaels — sophomore Caterino and Junior Nshanian — who both came out aggressively at both ends of the floor and contributed 4 and 7 points respectively. Two late hoops off Raiders turnovers pulled Fenway within 6 at 14-8 after one quarter. In the second quarter the Fenway Panthers couldn’t buy a bucket even though they’ve averaged 64 points a game during a 1-3 start to their season.

Sports

Watertown Wrestlers Off to Strong Start in Early Season Dual Meets

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Senior Jimmy Shrestha is Watertown’s highest point scorer so far. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown High School’s wrestlers got off to a strong start, beating all but one team in recent head-to-head competitions. The Raiders beat Josiah Quincy Upper School 60-23, Triton 58-10, and Oliver Ames 54-23, while dropping the match to Cambridge Rindge & Latin, 47-30. Leading point scorer so far is Senior Jimmy Shrestha, said Watertown Wrestling Coach Kevin Russo. “He is 4-0 on the season in dual meets,” Russo said.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boston Gold Kings Explode for 8 Goals, Break a Two-Game Losing Streak

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The Boston Gold Kings(BGK), essentially the Watertown Gold Kings and one of five teams in the Power Play Senior Hockey League (PPSHL) Northeast Division, returned home to the John A. Ryan Arena Saturday night to take on the Salem Sasquatch. The Gold Kings had lost the past two weeks on the road, but remained in second place after 7 games. This was the second time these two teams were meeting this season — the Sasquatch won the first game 5-4 at home back on Nov. 8. Tonight was a different story, as the Gold Kings defeated Salem 8-4. Things didn’t start out well, as BGK was assessed a bench minor before the game even began — they submitted their lineup card after the time required to do so — and Salem took advantage scoring a power play goal only 77 seconds into the game. But BGK recovered and controlled play throughout most of the period. That translated into three goals, two on the power play courtesy of Matt Baldino and Brandon Garneau. Forty-three-year-old defensemen Jon Lounsbury scored the other goal; 3-1 BGK after one period. Evan Morelli was in net for the Gold Kings, and Keegan McGlaughlin for the Sasquatch.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Friday Night Lights Not Kind to the Raiders Boys Hoops in a Lopsided Loss

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The Boys Basketball Team came into Friday Night’s game versus Wilmington winless in two games and desperate for a win and looking for some Friday Night magic on their home floor. Wilmington had the same goal after starting its’ season 0-2 as well. But, as the rules state, only one team can win a basketball game — there are no ties — and that team would be the Wildcats, who put a lickin’ on the Raiders by the score of 55-30. 

The game started tight and clean and efficient as both teams executed with purpose, and even though the game was only a few minutes old, the 5-5 game had the makings of a good one. Scrap that keen observation. Wilmington played out the rest of the quarter on an 11-0 run, led by senior guard Ryan Gray’s 9 points. By the half it was 27-9 Wilmington, and all nine Raider points were scored by junior Michael Nshanian. Gray, in the meantime, already had 21 points. The Raiders early season woes are many.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Girls Basketball Pulls Out to an Early Lead and Never Looks Back

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Week two of the early season found Watertown Girls Basketball at 1-1 after a win at home versus Belmont and a road loss to Woburn by 20. Into the Victor J.Palladino Gymnasium at the Watertown Middle School came the Wilmington Wildcats and a 1-1 record of their own. So who went home with a 2-1 record at the end of the night? The Watertown Raiders to the tune of a 45-26 win that was never close. Wilmington averaged 49 points in their first two games, but tonight they couldn’t put the ball in the hoop if the ball was the size of an award-winning pumpkin at the Topsfield Fair and the basket was the size of 10 little red riding hood baskets for granny stitched together into one. And the irony is they ran their half court offense pretty well, and in some ways more smoothly than Watertown, but they could not finish. The ball and the the rim were worst of friends. They missed a lot. Are we clear? Watertown led 13-0 before Wilmington finally scored with a minute and a half left in the first quarter. At quarters’ end it was 17-4 Raiders. The second quarter was no friendlier to the Wildcats — they mustered one basket and trailed 25-6 at the half. Watertown was led by Brook Lambo with 8 and Natalie Haley with 7.

Sports

Three Watertown High Athletes Sign Letters of Intent to Play Sports at College Level

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Watertown High School seniors Ava Lamacchia, Gavin Foley, and Sophia Setouhi signed their letters of intent to play college sports. (Photo by Watertown Athletics)

A boys soccer player and a pair of field hockey players from Watertown High School will continue their careers in college. This week, Gavin Foley, Sophia Setouhi, and Ava Lamacchia signed their letters of intent to play at the next level. Gavin Foley poses with his family after signing his letter of intent to play soccer at Brandeis. (Photo by Watertown Athletics)

Foley, who helped the Raiders boys soccer team reach the Round of 16 in the 2025 MIAA Div.