Lynn sports broadcaster John Hoffman fondly remembered his family’s relationship with Silvio Cella, longtime Revere High athletic director and football coach, who died on April 14, 2010. Mr. Cella was 87 years old.
“Silvio has always been a great friend of the Hoffman family,” said Hoffman. “He helped me with the Hoffman Football Jamboree when we ran it and Revere participated.”
Hoffman said it was Mr. Cella who came to his aid when he was looking for a venue for an exhibition basketball game between the Division 2 state champion Lynn Classical team and the Division 1 state champion Cambridge Rindge and Latin team led by Patrick Ewing.
“We couldn’t find a place to play and Mr. Cella generously gave us the Revere High gymnasium,” said Hoffman. “We played the game at Revere High and the proceeds benefited my St. Joseph’s CYO basketball team,” said Hoffman.
Hoffman said Mr. Cella helped out many people in his life.
“I grieve for the Cella family but the people I feel worse for are the people who never got to know Silvio Cella because they missed out on a lot,” said Hoffman. “I’m so grateful that I knew him and was able to call him a friend. He was a great gentleman. You can’t replace people like Silvio Cella.”
JOHN’S ROAST BEEF AWARDS NIGHT APRIL 29
Taso Nikolakopoulos, owner of John’s Roast Beef on Western Avenue, has announced that the annual Lynn High School Winter Sports Awards Night will be held on April 29 at the Breed Middle School Cafeteria.
The top athletes for the Classical, English, Tech, and St. Mary’s teams will receive awards at the event.
Harrington Trophy is a co-sponsor of the award night. Guests will be treated to a buffet dinner following the awards program.
KATIE BURT VS.
ST. MARY’S HOCKEY STREAK?
Winthrop/Lynn girls hockey coach Anthony Martucci has contacted St. Mary’s High School girls hockey coach Frank Pagliuca about scheduling a regular season game between the two teams.
Should the match be made, it would pit Lynn’s sensational goaltender Katie Burt against the three-time defending state champion St. Mary’s team.
Martucci announced at the awards banquet that Burt, a seventh grader, will be returning to the Winthrop/Lynn team next season. The announcement drew one of the biggest ovations of the evening. Burt was accepted to Buckingham Browne and Nichols for the 2010-11 school year, but declined. She will attend Pickering Middle School for eighth grade.
The Winthrop/Lynn team’s leading scorer, Mackenzie Clark, is also a Lynn resident.
LYNNFIELD CO-OPS
WITH PEABODY
The Peabody girls hockey program will be the host school next year as Lynnfield High School sends it players to the Peabody program.
The Lynnfield players should help the Lady Tanners’ program.
FUCILLO INVITED TO SPEAK AT NEC BANQUET
Former Winthrop High quarterback Anthony Fucillo has been invited to be one of the guest speakers at the Northeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet in May.
Fucillo will return for his final season as the Tufts University quarterback in the fall. Fucillo started his career at Colgate University before transferring to Tufts.
NORTH SHORE SPORTS DESK POSTPONES SHOW AT CAPITOL
The North Shore Sports Desk radio show did not broadcast its April 17 show at the Capitol Diner as planned.
Host Phil Stacey said on the air that the producers decided to postpone the event because of the rainy weather. The hosted were hoping to broadcast the show on the outdoor deck at the diner.
The show was broadcast from its studio in Beverly and featured an appearance by Boston College hockey star Chris Kreider of Boxford. Kreider said that his sister, a 5-foot-9-inch eighth grader and an outstanding athlete, will begin her freshman year at Phillips Academy in Andover in the fall.
EVERETT FOOTBALL FIELD BEING REBUILT
The football field at Everett Memorial Stadium, home of the Everett High football team and the Everett Pop Warner teams, is being rebuilt with artificial turf [pro turf], the same surface that is used at Manning Field in Lynn.
The field should be ready for the Tide’s season opener in September.
Jonathan DiBiaso, son of head coach John DiBiaso, returns for his junior season as the starting quarterback.
PAPILE JOINS WOUMN
AT SIGNING CEREMONY
Leo Papile, director of player personnel for the Boston Celtics, was a guest at Ryan Woumn’s national letter of intent signing ceremony at Lynn English High School.
Papile was Woumn’s coach on the Boston Amateur Basketball Club. Papile said that Woumn will be a strong candidate for the starting point guard position on the East Tennessee State University team. The previous point guard is graduating.
EAST LYNN WILL
HOST NIGHT GAMES
East Lynn Little League President Ryan Boisselle said his organization hopes to have some games played under the lights by the end of the season, possibly in the District 16 All-Star Tournament.
East Lynn’s baseball and softball fields have been part of a major field renovation project behind Lynn English High School and there are lights on the light towers at Volunteer Field that could make night baseball a possibility for later this season.
The league will use the adjoining field, the Edward and Alice O’Neil Field, for its softball teams this season.
Boisselle said the league has renamed its Minor Division, Triple-A, Double-A, and Single-A, to accommodate the additional players at that level in the program.
LYNN CHALLENGER LL OPENING DAY SUNDAY
The Lynn Challenger Little League will have its opening day ceremonies on Sunday, May 2 at Volunteer Field.
League President Alice O’Neil said the parade will begin the festivities at 2 p.m.