The Lynn Journal spoke with St. Mary’s newly crowned state championship head coach Josh Keilty. Following are his observations:
Winning a state title
“It feels great. I’m just super fortunate, super grateful for everyone involved. I couldn’t be prouder of the team.”
The final play of the state title game (St. Mary’s led by one point, 59-58):
“We knew Jimmy Farrell was taking that shot. Once he drove, he was committed to the last shot, and we just sold out on it. He got a clean look, and luckily it fell off. I’ve seen him [Farrell] hit a bunch of those. That’s the same shot he hit to get Masco to the state final. I was at the game, and with the game tied, he swished it from the same spot. To that kid’s credit, he got to his spot, and he got a great look at it.”
When he felt his team had a chance to do something special this season:
“I felt good about our team pretty early, in the fall. We just had a great group of kids. They were talented but they were also high-character kids – hard workers, selfless. They really bought in from the start, and I thought we had a special group from the jump.”
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state:
“We do that intentionally. You look at the teams that we played: Bishop Feehan [Division 1 state champion], Salem [Division 3 state champion], Wareham [Division 4 state champion]. The teams we played, they had great years for the most part.”
John Chareas’ 3-pointer to retake the lead in the state championship game:
“That was the biggest shot of year, the biggest three of the year. They had just taken the lead, and John just came back and he stuck it. They were pressing us. John took that shot early in the clock, but he shot the ball with confidence. That was a huge, huge shot. He was one of our best shooters this year and he made the most 3s.”
The remarkable Jake
Fortier’s presence at the point:
“I just learned that Jake made All-Scholastic, which is well deserved. He just scored his 1,000th point this year and he has two more years.
Rolky Brea-Arias’ dunk in the state final:
“That dunk was unbelievable, especially at that time in the game. On his game-winning basket, we just wanted to get Rolky a touch at the rim. Rowan made the pass and Rolky finished point blank. The whole team executed that play, from Jake to Gabe, to everyone to get him that clean a look under the basket with that time [12 seconds] left. He had a great season. He averaged 19 points and 17 rebounds a game and was our league’s [CCL] defensive player of the year.”
St. Mary’s fan support at games
“The fan support was tremendous. The administration, the school, the parents – everyone has just been so supportive of this team since Day 1. Jeff Newhall, especially, runs a terrific athletic program. It is an honor to be a part of it.”
Assistant coaching staff
Keilty also credited his three assistant coaches on the varsity: Nick Privitera, Mike Triant, and Jarrell Byrd for their excellent work. “We had an unbelievable staff. Jarrell and Mike did great work with our bigs.”
Keilty was a two-year starter and senior captain at Georgetown High School. Last season, he led the Royals to the school’s first-ever state championship.