JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Boys Soccer, Back in Tournament Play, Shows No Jitters On The Way to a Victory Over St. Mary’s

Watertown senior Gavin Foley (number 6) gets congratulations from his teammates after scoring against St. Mary’s in the State Tournament Round of 32. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Election Day turned into a landslide for Watertown Boys Soccer in their return to tournament play for the first time since 2019, with an impressive 3-0 blanking of St.Mary’s of Lynn. 

Watertown, the 13 seed, moves on to the Round of 16. If 29th-seed Auburn can upset fourth seed Greater New Bedford on Thursday, Watertown will accept the nomination and play another home game. Otherwise, the Raiders will face the challenge of beating a top-four seed on the road, probably Monday or Tuesday. But those are matters for another day.  Today was about stuffing the ballot box and meeting another goal in the season-long campaign to victory. Watertown senior Aidan Anker shoots against St. Mary’s.

JIM’s VIEW: Don’t Let the Score Fool You, Watertown Dominates in Tourney and Advances to Elite 8

Watertown junior Kaylee Master scored two goals in the State Tournament Round of 16 Tuesday against Gloucester. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Field Hockey followed up their MIAA State Tournament Round of 32 win over Swampscott last week with a low-scoring, yet dominant performance Tuesday afternoon at Victory Field by the score of 2-0 over 12th seeded Gloucester. The fifth seeded Raiders await their Round of 8 opponent, which they’ll know by Wednesday evening. If fourth-seeded Medfield wins, Watertown played its last home game of 2025 on Election Day. If Nauset Regional can pull off the huge upset, Watertown will be gifted one more home game. Watertown senior Ava Lamacchia shoots at the Gloucester net in the State Tournament game at Victory Field. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Many an inferior opponent have packed in their defense in an attempt to clog up the shooting lanes and make it hard for the Raiders to score. Tuesday was another example of that strategy. Gloucester had a good goaltender who made a number of fine saves, but credit the many defenders who either blocked or deflected potential scoring chances. 

Senior Sophia Setouhi fights for the ball against Gloucester in the Round of 16 game.

JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Begins Defense of Div. 3 State Title With a Strong Performance vs. Swampscott

Watertown sophomore Ave Anderson, right, celebrates scoring against Swampsott in the State Tournament Round of 32 at Victory Field on Wednesday. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Field Hockey knows who they are and what is expected of them. When they lose (and that’s rarely) it’s big news. If they win, but by only a certain margin, it’s news. When they give up a goal, for goodness sake, it’s news. It’s an understatement that the weight of expectation is heavy. But you would never guess that it affects those who put on the uniform and play for Coach Eileen Donohue. They simply buy in and practice hard and play hard and believe that they will be rewarded for the commitment and the sweat and the effort.

Watertown Wrestlers Make History at New Englands, One Finishes Second

Watertown Senior Tessa Master made history by finishing second at the New England Wrestling Championships. Here she won the MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Senior Tessa Master made more history for the Watertown High School wrestling program by becoming the school’s highest finisher at the New England Wrestling Championships — improving on her junior-year performance. She was joined in Providence, Rhode Island, by fellow senior Brady Gleason, the first Raider boys wrestler to make the regional meet.

WHS Sports: 2 Wrestlers Headed to New Englands, Boys Hockey Battles Triton in Round of 16

Watertown senior Tessa Master is heading back to the New England Championships after finishing third at the All-State Wrestling Meet. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown’s wrestlers made more history this week as two athletes placed at All-States and will move on to the New England Championships. The Watertown-Wayland boys hockey team skated in a close game at Triton in the Round of 16 of the State Tournament. Wrestling

For the first time, two Watertown wrestlers will compete at the New England Wrestling Championships, and for the first time a Raider will be in the boys’ bracket. On Saturday, Watertown’s Tessa Master finished third at the All-State Wrestling Meet in Methuen.

Watertown Takes Care of Business in First Round of Boys Basketball State Tournament

Watertown junior Will Carty led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the State Tournament win. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Not all winning streaks are created equal. Some teams go on a roll, pile up the wins, but something may be amiss with regards to their play — and eventually they get exposed. In other instances, and this is where we are with Watertown boys basketball, a team finds its way and puts together an impressive run. On Jan. 22, the Raiders woke up having lost two in a row including a home loss where Wakefield pushed them around in the second half, and at Winchester where they gave up their high for the season in a 87-62 loss. But, starting on Friday, Jan.

Watertown Girls Basketball Rolls Past Previously Unbeaten Oakmont in State Tourney

Watertown senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the Round of 32 State Tourney game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On paper. A common-used phrase when analyzing a game that has yet to occur is “on paper,” as in the Oakmont High School Girls Varsity Basketball team, on paper, should be feared. They won 20 in a row, and only a loss in their last game kept them from being undefeated. And so, despite  coming into tonight’s Round of 32 MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament game against Watertown as the  18-seed, perhaps “on paper” Watertown, the 15-seed, should be worried- and the underdog? The MIAA determines seeding based on strength of schedule, a.k.a. quality of opponent, margins of wins and losses, and record. As far as Watertown was concerned, they knew they earned their 13-8 record, 11-5 in a very competitive Middlesex League. Oakmont, located west of 495, plays in the Mid-Wachusett League, and clearly the MIAA didn’t believe their record alone, while impressive, was enough to warrant a higher seed. Well, boys and girls, the MIAA got it right. Watertown came out of the gate strong, played an almost-flawless first quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead after one, and never looked back.  Watertown came away with a 63-43 win in a game that got unnecessarily chippy at the end, but fortunately no one got hurt.