Hornet coaches react to Masconomet’s Cape Ann League exit
Published December 12, 2019
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
BOXFORD — The Cape Ann League will look different next September as one of North Reading High’s biggest rivals, Masconomet, will be moving to the Northeastern Conference. Masconomet was in discussions with the NEC for six months and, in mid-October, the league principals officially extended the invitation.
Masco, which has dominated the league in most sports, has the CAL’s largest student enrollment of 1,145 students — 391 more than the second largest school and more than double the enrollment of half the schools in the league.
Masco’s enrollment, heading into this fall, would be the fifth largest enrollment in a 12-team NEC so it seemed a natural fit.
The Chieftains tried to get into the NEC back in 2009 but that fell through.
Two years ago, the NEC picked up the four Greater Boston League schools, Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville. That addition only lasted two years as the four schools went back to reform the GBL and they took Revere with them. With the loss of Revere, the door opened for Masco to take its place as it will be the 12th team to balance the league.
North Reading field hockey coach Andrea Slaven will miss the Chieftains next season as her team went 0-1-1 against them this fall.
“It took me by surprise that they were going,” admitted Slaven. “It is sad to see them leave. They were a strong competitor but it does provide an opportunity for other teams in the league to climb up.”
The Chieftains won the CAL Kinney division again this fall as they won every league game with the exception of the tie against the Hornets.
Slaven would like to play them once a year in a non-league game and then find another opponent to round out the schedule to make up the two games with Masco gone.
“In our league…they should split the two divisions (Kinney and Baker) and move up the top team in the Baker and drop the worst team in the Kinney instead of going by school enrollment size,” said Slaven, who feels that the league should not find a school to replace Masco.
North Reading volleyball coach Mike Milone will also miss Masco.
“They have been part of our league for a long time and they were a good bar for us,” said Milone, who went 0-2 against the Chieftains this season. “Losing them isn’t good for our league.”
Masco’s volleyball team came in second place in the league with their only two losses coming to undefeated Lynnfield this year.
Unlike field hockey, the CAL is not split into two divisions in volleyball; Pentucket and Georgetown are both new programs.
“I would still want to play a non-league match against them,” said Milone. “They were the only Division 1 school in our league.”
