EPHS Girls Lacrosse take D3 State Championship
Townies 2nd Title in Three Years
East Providence girls’ lacrosse finished an undefeated season with a 14-7 win over Smithfield to take the D3 State Championship late last month. Before hundreds of Townie fans at Brown University’s lacrosse stadium, East Providence broke open a close game to take the win home to EPHS. The game was evenly played for the first half with Smithfield even taking a one-goal lead at one point. With the game tied at 7 at halftime, coaches Nick Boyce and Kathy Dias’ Townies came out smoking hot for the second half. East Providence scored 7 unanswered goals and EP goalie Ava Williams was spectacular in net, turning aside 14 Smithfield scoring attempts. Townie junior, Alyssa Karalekas continued her assault on opponents’ goalies with 7 goals, increasing her 100-career goal mark in high school. A Junior, Karalekas, is a standout both in the classroom and on the playing field. She has already been offered enrollment and financial support at more than six colleges & universities. “I am proud of her achievements across the board,” said coach Nick Boyce.
Other goal scorers for the Townies were Kloey Iacavone, Dylan Flynn, and Katherine Almeida with two goals each. Ella Benson added a goal. “A huge congrats to Coach Boyce and the undefeated girls lacrosse team as State Champs,” said East Providence Athletic Director Alex Butler. “It was an amazing win, we're so proud of you! Also a huge thanks to the hundreds of Townie Nation who showed up in red & white to cheer on our undefeated state champs. What a day to be a Townie," added Butler.
Smithfield was a very good team and challenged East Providence closely in three previous games. The Townies won two of those games by one goal and a third by two goals. “Today was not automatic,” said EP coach Nick Boyce. “We had to play hard and our team came through.”
East Providence previously won the D3 Championship in 2022 in a 12-11 overtime thriller over previously unbeaten North Smithfield. “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season,” remarked EPHS Principal Bill Black after the game. “These girls did so four times this season. A great accomplishment.”
Leading Up to the Title Game:
East Providence girls lacrosse team continues to bring attention to a fairly new sport to legions of Townie athletic fans. Lacrosse is gaining support and momentum quickly within a community usually comfortable with sports staples like football, baseball, basketball, softball, wrestling, volleyball, etc. The lacrosse team continued their undefeated march toward a possible state championship match, as they blasted Toll Gate 15-6 in a home semifinal contest before the title game. Highlighting the Townie win was the 100th career goal among the 5 goals Alyssa Karalekas scored in that game. Other East Providence goal scorers were Kloey Iacavone 6 goals; Sydney Olson, Ella Benson 1 goal each and Kat Almeida with 2 goals. East Providence Goalie Ava Williams had 9 saves.
EPHS Boys & Girls Outdoor Track & Field Excel
The boys outdoor track & field finished fourth overall at the Rhode Island State Championship meet. Congratulations to the following Townies who placed during the meet: Jack Pawlik 1st place in the 100 meter and 200 meter and first team all-state in both events. The boys 4x400 meter relay consisting of Julian Monteiro, Kwamahn Gilliard, Julius Cortes, and Justin Jardine 2nd place and 2nd team all-state, the boys 4x100 meter relay consisting of Julius Cortes, Justin Jardine, Kwamahn Gilliard, and Jack Pawlik 2nd place and 2nd team all-state. Justin Jardine 3rd place and third team all-state. Julius Cortes 7th place in the 400 meter. Julian Monteiro 8th place in the 300 meter hurdles. Kwamahn Gilliard 8th place in the 100 meter. The team also broke three school records during the meet. Justin Jardine broke the school record in the 400 meter, and both the 4x100 meter relay team and 4x400 meter relay teams also broke the school records. “Congratulations to everyone and best of luck at both the New England and Nationals," offered veteran coach Bob Lyons.
The 9-2 girls track team competed recently at the Divisional Championship and took home 2nd place in the Eastern Division. Nazarae Phillip scored big for the Townies winning the High Jump, 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Also on the 4x100m relay were Kendra Daniel who placed 3rd in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m; Gionna DosSantos who also placed 2nd in the 100m and 4th in the 200m; and Ryley Souto who placed 2nd in the 300m hurdles and 3rd in the 100m hurdles. The 4x800m relay placed 2nd also. The team consisted of Katie Patalano, Sadie Gagnon, Abby Raphael who also placed 4th in the 400m and Layla Bates who placed 4th in the 100m hurdles and 4th in the 300m hurdles. Bates, Raphael, Daniel, and Souto also placed 3rd in the 4x400m relay. Audrey Lepine placed in both Long and Triple Jump. Wendy Monteiro and Adrianna Perry placed in the Shot put, Discus, and Javelin.
Freshmen Track:
The freshman members of the girls track team finished 5th overall at the Freshman State meet late last month. The 4x400 team consisting of Vanessa Swanson, Gianna Dos Santos, Dania Solano, and Victoria Capelo placed fourth. There were noteworthy performances in the 100 and 200 meter by Dania Solano, Addie Gillis,Genna and Gianna Dos Santos, Victoria Capelo and Janelle Amado. Capelo placed 8th in the 400, while Lillliana Rochette placed 3rd and 6th in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles.
Freshman boys track team: Drake Silva 3rd place in the long jump, Jaydin DaSilva 6th place in the high jump, Michael Hu 8th place in the 110 meter hurdles, and the 4x 100 meter relay consisting of Jacob Arruda, Jaydin DaSilva, Michael Hu, and Drake Silva 7th place.
EPHS Softball
Solitro is D1 Coach of the Year
Townie softball advanced deep in the RI playoffs but eventually lost out in their run for a state championship. Earlier EP had a thrilling come from behind 7-6 win over Prout. East Providence was behind by 5 runs before they rallied back for the win in an away game. Prout scored 4 runs in the 1st and after three innings, they led the Townies 5-0. Ground outs, an error, a couple of hits and Prout took the early lead.
Trailing 5-0, the Townies roared back with 4 runs in the top of the 4th inning. Nethania Figueroa led off with a single. Emma Grimley doubled, sending Figueroa to third base. Trinity Provencher, 4 for 4 on the day, singled for an RBI. Caroline Welch then singled to left field. Sylvie Patterson had a bunt sacrifice moving up the runners. Marianna Pina had an RBI hit and Provencher scored on a wild pitch. By the end of the inning, EP closed to one run behind at 5-4.
EP took the lead with two in the fifth after Provencher and Welch doubled. Prout then tied the game at 6 with a run in the bottom of the 5th. In the top of the 7th, with one out, Trinity Provencher blasted a home run to center field to put the Townies up by one. The 7-6 Townie lead held up for the win as EP stopped Prout in the 7th with three quick outs. Pitcher Marianna Pina earned the win for East Providence. Cassie Dulude also pitched for EP. EP had 16 hits to Prout’s 8 hits. Patterson had three hits for EP.
In an opening round playoff game, East Providence defeated Westerly 10-5 on May 24th. Westerly jumped out in front with a 2-0 early lead in the second inning, but EP roared back to take the win. The Townies scored 3 in the second, 4 in the fourth and 3 in the sixth on 13 hits. Mackenzie Pimentel singled and made it to second on an error. Caroline Welch walked and Trinity Provencher got on by a fielder’s choice, Welch moved to second. Sylvia Patterson then singled to left field to score Welch with Provencher taking second base. Marianna Pina cleared the bases with a triple to right field plating Provencher and Patterson.
Ella Grimley led the Townie offense with three hits with Patterson and Pina each getting two hits. Others with hits for EP were Emma Boisseau, Audrey Bernard, Nethania Figueroa, Mackenzie Pimentel, Cassie Dulude and Trinity Provencher. Pina and Dulude combined for the Townie win on the mound with 4 combined strikeouts and allowing 8 hits.
Solitro and Players win Awards
Coach Solitro of East Providence was selected among all Division 1 coaches in Rhode Island softball as Coach of the Year. “It takes a village to make things happen and I definitely have one around me with amazing assistant coaches, great parents, incredible players who love the game and so much of my own family support. Lots of girls got recognition too!” said Solitro.
Also Rhode Island Girls LAX awards:
First Team All Division: Kloey Iacavone, Alyssa Karalekas, Ava Williams
Second Team All Division
EPHS Baseball
Townies ousted by Cumberland in a 6-5 Thriller
Down 4-0 after two innings, East Providence fought back to a 4-3 score in the fourth inning after a Tyler Dicecco 3-run homerun blast to ignite the team in a May 30th game. Cumberland would come back with two more runs in the sixth inning to lead 6-3. EP fought back with two runs in the sixth and had the tying run on third in the seventh inning when the rally fell short. The Townies hopes were lifted when Colin Roche drove a double to center field. Pinch runner Alex Enright made it to third when Jayden Healy drove a sacrifice fly to left field. The Townie rally then ended and Cumberland moved on in the playoffs. East Providence back in Division 1 play after being in D2 for a couple years, made an impressive run during the season and playoffs.
“We had a great 14-win season in Division One. Thank you to all of the supporters, fans, parents and administration, you do not go unnoticed. Love all of our coaches, players and especially going to miss this memorable senior class. We will be very good next season! Townies for life,” added Coach Bobby Rodericks.
Pitcher Dylan Annicelli received the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in Rhode Island Division 1 baseball. He was undefeated on the mound for the Townies and a key reason EP made a deep playoff run. Annicelli will pitch for the University of Maine in the fall. Catcher Brian Rutkowski was also the EPHS class salutatorian with the number two academic ranking in the senior class. Rutkowski will attend Villanova University. All six baseball seniors will be attending college in September 2025.
EPHS Boys Volleyball
The 10 win East Providence High boys’ volleyball squad made it to the Quarterfinals but lost a close 5 game match to La Salle on Thursday May 29th. East Providence took the first game 25-18 in an impressive start to the night. La Salle bounced back with a 2nd game win 25-20 and took the 3rd game 25-23. An enthusiastic crowd cheered on as the Townies fought back to win game four 25-21 to force a fifth and deciding game. La Salle came out on top 15-9 and took the match three games to two.
"The team gave it a good run and looked good at times tonight," said East Providence coach Dan Cabral. "Jordan Rodriguez had 18 kills and 15 digs with Antonio Varela's 11 kills and 3 blocks on the night," added the coach. Townie wins this season were over Central Falls, Coventry, Barrington, Coventry, Cranston West, East Greenwich, N.Smithfield/Pona/Smithfield, Chariho, La Salle Academy and Barrington.
EPHS Tennis falls just short
The Townies upset favored Classical to take the tennis quarterfinals on May 20th. Kiril Burkovskyi was a key in his three-set win to propel the Townies. Burkovskyi won 6-2 and 7-5. Also big winners were John Vaughn and Malachi Smith. EP doubles team of James Lynch and Ryan Mottur also had a key win, 6-4, 6-2. East Providence, however, lost in semifinal play against Narragansett, 4-2 in Narragansett. “We had a great season,” said Townie coach Slade Sharma. “After graduating 17 seniors & losing 9 or 10 starters, our team returned to the semifinals for the second year in a row,” said Sharma. “This was made possible due to the tremendous amount of hard work that our 10 starters (and our whole team) have put in. That hard work was put on display in the quarterfinal win over a very good and well coached Classical team,” added Sharma.
Townie Tennis Summer Camp: The East Providence High School Tennis Program is back with its second Townie Summer Tennis Camp, open to grades 3-12. “Whether your child is a beginner or has some experience, they’ll improve their skills through drills, coaching, and team games while making friends,” said Camp Director Sharma. There are two sessions: June 30th to July 17th and July 28th to August 14th. The camp is open to ALL students, even those outside of East Providence. One-hour sessions are held Monday-Thursday (rain date Friday) at the EPHS tennis courts. Get more information and register here: https://ow.ly/QfTQ50VMIGH
Riverside Little League Possible Development
Riverside Little League could soon see its home base move from the Forbes Street complex on the Wampanoag Trail, to a new sports area at the Providence Avenue fields behind the closed Oldham School. The Forbes Street fields were always owned by Mobil/Exxon and over the years the relationship between the league and Mobil has been good and bad. The City had no jurisdiction over the large parcel and at times had difficulty trying to help maintain the grounds. Often the league itself would bear the burden and expense of field maintenance. Discussions have been underway for a few years to alleviate these problems. “During my first term in office, I met with a representative of Mobil/Exxon and their local site manager. I asked them to freely allow city employees to maintain the three fields on their property,” said City Council President Bob Rodericks. “I also asked them to allow a cut through street to the fields from Forbes Street, as the only entrance and exit was from the busy Wampanoag Trail. Although Mobil/Exxon agreed, it never happened to my dismay,” added Rodericks.
Since then the property was sold to Global Partners LP, which operates liquid energy terminals in many places. “Initially we were told that the little league fields wouldn’t be touched in the transaction, but that seems to be only a temporary commitment on the part of the new owners,” Rodericks added. “Several weeks ago I met with the new owners and Riverside Little League officials. Mayor DaSilva has also met with Global Partners. At one point the Mayor, Councilman Lawson, city planners & engineers and myself met to discuss a plan which could relocate the leagues fields from Forbes to the Providence Avenue site behind the old Oldham School,” said Rodericks.
Overall, between the Mayor, City Council, Global Partners LP and little league officials, it seems possible that a new sports site with bathrooms and other amenities may be built on city land with most of the expense covered by Global Partners. This would alleviate the company of their commitment to keep little league on their property at Wampanoag Trail for a few years. The new complex would also bring a much-needed concession stand and lights to the area. Details are still in negotiations with no formal plan yet.
EPHS Commemorative Bricks Available
Another round of commemorative bricks will be available for sale on the campus of the new East Providence High School. All proceeds go to supporting the Middle School and East Providence High School athletics programs. In the last two years brick fundraising has purchased the new LED scorer’s table for the high school, a portable trainer’s table for the athletic trainer to use at all home athletic events, uniforms for various teams and sponsored end of season dinners for various athletic teams.
“We are hoping to have former EPHS classes think about sponsoring /purchasing/and promoting a brick as a gift at their reunions,” said volunteer coordinator Stephanie Vinhateiro. “People can also purchase a brick for loved ones who have passed, for a birthdays or other celebrations. It would be nice to have many graduating classes purchase a brick,” added Vinhateiro.
Online purchases can be made by going to: www.4everbricks.com/donors/FTA or people can get a form by emailing Vinhateiro at: svinhateiro@gmail.com. All proceeds go to the supporting the Middle Schools and East Providence High School athletics programs.
The Friends of Townie Athletics (FOTA) thanks Josh Silvia, owner of Josh’s Hardscapes for installing recently ordered bricks at the high school front entrance area. “The brick sale first started in 2021 and has reopened a couple of times. To date, over 1,700 bricks have been installed in the two areas in front of the high school. Hopefully, we will have all 2000 spaces filled with engraved bricks soon,” said an enthusiastic Vinhateiro. The current sale has started and will continue until December 1, 2025.
Long Distance Runner Visits EP
Renowned long-distance runner, Ron du Preez stopped by the Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in June. At 73 years young, Ron is racing against more than time; he's racing against the notion that aging means slowing down to a crawl. In an extraordinary journey across 50 states in 50 days, covering 50 kilometers (i.e., 31.07 miles) in each state in the USA, he is setting an example, especially for seniors: it's never too late to move, to push boundaries, and to inspire. Having done 7 marathons in 7 countries in 7 days, he's proof that determination knows no age. Join us on this amazing mission to remind old and young that life is measured by movement―one step at a time. Ron is defying expectations and proving that age is just a number. As a long-distance walker, runner, and cyclist, he has covered distances that would challenge athletes half his age, pursuing excellence in every activity. But for him, it’s about more than just endurance, it’s about inspiring others. Recognized in Who’s Who in America in 2025, former Professor Ron du Preez, serves as a full-time clergy and volunteer hospital chaplain―yet he takes time to exercise every day, often with his active wife Lynda. As a result of his focus on fitness, Dr. du Preez became the 1993 Tennessee State Racewalking Champion, the 2021 Kansas Grandmasters Marathon Champion of the Road Runners Club of America, and the only sub-four hour finisher of those over 70 years of age in the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon.
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