Pair of NEPSAC Final Appearances Punctuate Brilliant Winter Season
The winter sports season is the longest of the athletic calendar, but this particular season flew by, with all four varsity teams making deep runs in NEPSAC Tournament play and boys' varsity ice hockey winning an ISL Championship.
The Red Wings had one of their best seasons ever on the ice in 2015-16, posting a 21-6-4 record to clinch the ISL Eberhart Division Championship. They earned the No. 1 seed in the NEPSAC Piatelli/Simmons Tournament and scored big wins over Canterbury School (4-2) and Dexter (3-2, overtime) before falling in the NEPSAC Championship game to St. Mark’s, 3-2, in overtime.
The 21 wins posted by the Red Wings ties a school record, which was set by the 1984-85 team that claimed the program’s first NEPSAC Championship, and included big results against Keller Division opponents Belmont Hill (6-5 win) and Noble & Greenough (4-4 tie). On February 20, head coach Shawn McEachern earned his 100th win at Rivers with a 4-0 win over Middlesex and now has a 103-75-19 record with the Red Wings since joining the program in 2009-10.
Click here for a photo gallery from the NEPSAC Piatelli/Simmons Tournament Championship.
Click here for a photo gallery from the NEPSAC Piatelli/Simmons Tournament Championship.
The boys’ varsity basketball team continued their recent run of strong performances by posting a 20-8 record under first-year head coach Keith Zalaski. The Red Wings went toe-to-toe with many of the best teams in New England during the regular season and earned the No. 5 seed in the NEPSAC Class B Tournament.
In what Coach Zalaski dubbed “Redemption Week,” the Red Wings avenged regular season losses to Pomfret School (64-36) and Beaver Country Day School (75-65) en route to a rematch with Brooks School, who topped Rivers in overtime on February 13. Brooks was the better team once again, knocking the Red Wings off 63-42 in the NEPSAC Class B Championship.
Click here for a photo gallery from the NEPSAC Class B Championship
Click here for a photo gallery from the NEPSAC Class B Championship
The girls’ varsity hockey team kicked off its defense of the 2015 NEPSAC Division II Championship in style with a big 2-0 win over ISL power St. Paul’s before cruising to a 13-8-1 record and the No. 4 seed in the NEPSAC Tournament. The Red Wings drew Proctor Academy in the first round and fell, 2-1, to the Hornets.
Coach Malcolm Spurling saw seven ninth graders join the fold this year and while the five seniors who will be departing will be missed, the future looks bright for the girls’ ice hockey program.
The girls’ varsity basketball team completed another strong season, losing just once in ISL play en route to a second-place finish and the No. 6 seed in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament. The Red Wings (17-8) drew league rival Noble & Greenough in the first round, but fell 61-47 to the eventual NEPSAC champions.
This senior class of Cara Callahan ’16, Vanessa Edghill ’16, Julia Sprofera ’16, Tali Sprofera ’16, Julia Thissell ’16 and Kendall Trovato ’16 wrapped up a career that saw them post an 85-16 record with one NEPSAC Final appearance and two trips to the semifinals for head coach Bob Pipe.
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