Even with an overall record of 8-5 and a likely berth in the MIAA tournament, Manchester Essex girls’ tennis coach Ed Conley states this season has not been an easy one.
Jason Brisbois
Staff Writer
It began with a 12-4 steamrolling of non-conference foe Marblehead (with the most recent win a 9-8 victory over familiar foe Pentucket) and has included wins over North Shore heavyweights such as Hamilton-Wenham, Georgetown, North Reading, Bishop Fenwick, Triton, Essex Tech and Ipswich. It’s been a fast start to the season for the Manchester Essex girls’ lacrosse team, and the Hornets haven’t let up on the gas since.
It’s year two of the softball co-op between Hamilton-Wenham and Manchester Essex, and there are signs of the program taking steps toward a brighter future.
Despite facing strong opposition from the rest of the Cape Ann League Baker Division each spring, the Manchester Essex girls and boys tennis teams seem to put together excellent seasons year after year.
From the town to the residents to the contractors, everyone involved is hoping for the seawall replacement project at Conomo Point in Essex to be completed before the end of May.
ME Boys Basketball falls in Elite Eight, But Future Is Bright
Sunday afternoon’s 58-53 loss to Wahconah in the Elite Eight round of the Div. 4 boys basketball tournament represented a number of different things for Manchester Essex.
Yes, the loss ended the season for the Hornets, one in which the team looked impressive from a 5-1 start in the winter season’s first few weeks to a magical tournament run in a revamped MIAA tournament. This is it for the 2021-22 season, one winter that should be remembered around here for a while.
The Hornets finished 16-4 to win a share of the Cape Ann League crown and earn the 12th seed in the bracket, good enough to host a playoff game against the 21st-seeded Wildcats.
“I think they are a city-style-type basketball team,” Manchester Essex coach Tim St. Laurent says of Friday night’s opposition. “They’ve got some athletic kids, and they like to get up and down the court as fast as they can.”
Slowing down that transition game will be crucial if the Hornets want to advance to face the winner of Cathedral and Winthrop in the Round of 16.
“I think that they have some streaky scorers who they appear to try to get going, so we will try to limit them from getting going,” says St. Laurent.
It’s already been a season worth celebrating, and the Manchester Essex boys basketball team isn’t done just yet.
The Hornets finished the regular season with a 16-4 overall record, and tied with Georgetown for a Cape Ann League-best 13-2 record, good enough for a share of the league title and a top-15 ranking in the state in Div. 4.
“It’s been a fantastic season,” says Manchester Essex coach Tim St. Laurent.
When ME ski coach Tim Wonson came to his job, he had a goal to put together a program and pick each other up and help each other, to make this a lifetime sport. More than 10 years later, that belief and spirit still hold true writes Jason Brisbois when he checked in with the team.