All posts by By John Mulcahy, Sports Editor

Home Page Featured News, Sports

Season starts with wins

 
A male basketball player leaps into the air to attempt to put the ball in the basket while another player tries to block the shot.
NECC Knight Christian Sanders making the shot Photo by Talan Stratton

The NECC basketball teams played their hearts out in the home opener.

NECC fans were left smiling Nov. 6, as their teams showed up and showed off, both winning in convincing fashion. 

NECC sports fans were packing the stands at the Haverhill Campus Sport and Fitness Center Nov. 6 for the home opener of both the men’s and women’s seasons facing off against Bristol Community College. The event was completely free, with food and merchandise available at no extra cost. With the women set to go at 5:30 and the men at 7:30 attendees were preparade for a full night of fun. 

Women's basketball team players run down the court with the ball.
NECC women’s basketball team vs. Bristol Community College Photo by John Mulcahy

Women’s Game:

Tipping off at 5:30 the NECC Women’s team sports white jerseys and a full lineup with 4 substitutions. They’re facing off against Bristol Community College wearing dark green and featuring a small lineup of only 5 with no room for substitution.  

The game gets underway and both teams play a solid first few minutes. Despite the early even play NECC goes on to dominate the first quarter controlling the game by a score of 22-12. Things really start to get going in the second quarter, both teams played well but NECC would end up increasing their lead to 13 with the score at the end of the second being 40-27.  

A person dressed up in a suit that looks like a knight, the NECC mascot.
The Knight mascot. Photo by Talan Stratton

The food arrived at halftime and the fans were getting into it. The son of NECC student Melissa Ferris, is a big college basketball fan “I came for the free shirt,” he said “I’m a big college basketball fan. It’s very fun and stimulating.” The NECC mascot was perusing the crowd during halftime hyping up fans and making sure everyone had a good time.

In the third quarter Bristol started to make a comeback, and cut their deficit down to 5 points with the game now being at 49-44 in favor of the knights. Bristol controlled the game for most of this quarter despite missing some key passes and taking untimely fouls in the later stages. 

As the 4th and final quarter gets underway the game starts to become out of reach for Bristol. It becomes a 4 on 5 matchup in NECC’s favor as 1 of Bristol’s players goes out. Eventually going down to just 3 on 5 for the later half of the 4th and the game would end with the matchup being 2 on 5. Bristol’s lack of team power led to a crushing victory for NECC with the final score being a decisive 71-52. NECC’s road to victory was spearheaded by Kelsie Martinez who recorded 17 points to lead the team, as well as 16 rebounds, and 3 assists in the game, according to stats from the NECC Knights website. 

A basketball coach talks to a player on the court in between the action.
NECC head basketball coach Darren Stratton talking to player Cristian Moscat. Photo by Lidia Ramirez

Men’s game:

With the women wrapping up at 7:19 the men started their warmup with the game now set to start at about 7:45. The NECC men’s team was suited in blue and yellow school colors facing off against Bristol again in dark green. 

Both teams played the first part of the half well and things started of on an even playing field. As play continued NECC would start to take the game away from Bristol. eventually leading to a score of 43-22 in favor of the Knights. 

Despite NECC not making a huge impact on the college sports scene they still have many dedicated fans who love to cheer on the team. Shannon Vaughan is a mom of 2 NECC grads and former student athletes. She’s a regular attendee at NECC’s games and she’s here to support their home opener tonight. “I’ve adopted this team to fill the empty space in my heart with my kids no longer playing.” Shannon said “It makes them better men. Especially in today’s world with a lot of distractions.” 

A male basketball player runs down the court dribbling the ball.
A crowd turned out to “ pack the stands’ for the women’s and men’s basketball team home openers on Nov. 6. For more, see Page 1 and Page 15.
Above, NECC Knight Cristian Moscat focused on the drive. Photo by Talan Stratton

In the second half the men continued to play a hard fought game trading baskets early, but as play continues so do the offensive struggles for Bristol. At the 14:48 mark the score is far into NECC’s favor being at 51-28. The Knights dominate the game going into the later minutes. They’re safely in the lead at 69-48 by the 5:30 time mark. It was time for fans to stop worrying and start celebrating a victory as the Knights were destined to take this one barring a miracle. The game wrapped up in a devastating victory for NECC taking the contest with a final score of 80-55. The NECC Knights website shows that Alejandro Delgado lead the team in the campaign. He put together an impressive performance including 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists. 

NECC hopes this is a sign of things to come. With the rest of the season looming the teams will look to build off these wins and stay in good shape for the year.

Editors note: 

According to Sporting News men’s college basketball is played in 2 halves, while women’s college basketball is played in 4 quarters. The switch for the women was made during the 2015-16 season in hopes of a better flowing game. 

Sports

Season preview for NECC basketball

 
The NECC basketball court
NECC’s home basketball court Photo by John Mulch

The NECC basketball seasons are on the horizon, with the women set to start in late October, and the men in November.  

Women’s:  

The NECC women’s basketball team is coming into the new season with room for improvement. The team had a considerably mediocre run last year, losing 12 games and winning only 10 out of 22. This would rank the team in 26th place overall, from Presto Sports. The women’s unsuccessful season can be partly attributed to a lack of offense. The team shot a 32.4% field goal success rate and would only make 23.5% of 3-point attempts. The team had success on the defensive end, averaging 10.1 steals per game along with 1.3 blocks.  

The women are set to start play on Oct. 25 at Salem State University. NECC Knights shows that the team has a total of 25 games scheduled this year with 12 of those games being at home.  

Men’s:  

The men’s team is going into this year with high prospects after a successful last season. Stats from Presto Sports show that the team is coming into the season ranked 3rd overall; they won 29 games and lost only 4 last year. The team played the defensive game well, averaging 10.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Their game truly shined on the offensive side of the ball where they boasted an average of 94.7 points per game. Shooting field goals at 47.3%, and 30.8% from the three. 

The start of the season for the men comes on Nov. 1 against Rockland Community College ranked 40th in division 2 NJCAA basketball. NECC is scheduled to play 30 total games this year, and 15 of those will be at home.  

It’s shaping up to be two seasons worth watching for any NECC student. The men will look to build off a successful 2024-25 campaign and push themselves forward. The women have some work to do but will be trying to bounce back from last year’s tough season.  

Sports

Updates on NECC Track and Field

 

Track and field, an important, yet often overlooked aspect of school sports. The NECC track team is on the rise, having an increase in participation from last year to now. 

Stats from Athletic.net show that the team has increased from 13 members (11 men and 2 women) in 2024 to now having 24 total members (18 men and 6 women). 

NECC Knights.com records that the past season NECC had 13 student-athletes qualify to participate in the NJCAA track and field championships. 

NECC Track and Field 2025 roster, from Athletic.net:

Adriel Rosa Sanchez

Othmane ElHayani

Cristian Moscat

Patrick Walker 

Derrick Pierre Paul

Renefred Jean Charles

Samuel Reinoso Reyes 

Francisco Laracuente

Victor Metivier

Grayson Fowler

Vinny Schmidt 

Jacob Kemblowski

Catherine Schwarts 

Karl Wolfgang

Estephany Lizardo

Kevin Adu

Janelis Uviedo 

Lemuel DelValle

Juliet Sellers 

Matthew Stevens 

Laylani Crespo 

Maximilian Lockard 

Maci Abbatessa

A man in an NECC Track and Field uniform
Kevin Adu Photo courtesy of neccknights.com

Player profile: (Kevin Adu) 

Kevin Adu has been running track since elementary school, and now he’s running for your Knights.

A resident of Haverhill, his talents have benefitted Hunking Middle School, Whittier Tech, and now NECC. Kevin believes that the college competition level is a big step up from high school. “The college competition level is very different from high school. It’s a lot more competitive,” he said.

Kevin is studying political science at NECC and has been running for the Knights for 2 years now. Stats from Athletic.net show that in his freshman year, competing in the 100 meter sprint, Kevin had an average time of 14.44 seconds his best being 13.64. Kevin Improved in his sophomore year with a new personal record of 13.41 seconds, and an average of 13.6. In his sole competition in the 200 meter event he placed 31st with a time of 29.46 seconds, putting him 8th on the team for this event. 

“I’ve liked running since I was 5 years old” Kevin Said “People told me I should join cross country in second grade.” Inspired by his father at a young age, Kevin has been running since he was in 4th grade. “My dad was really my inspiration. He ran track and field at school growing up in West Africa”. Kevin plans to continue running track at NECC, and hopes to make the team at the school he transfers to. 

Sports

Local kid playing for the Bruins

 
A hockey player in a Bruins uniform stands on the ice.
Jordan Harris of the Boston Bruins. Photo by Belle Fraser; BostonBruins.com

Jordan Harris, who grew up in Haverhill Mass, is now playing for the Boston Bruins.  

Jordan Harris, the son of an NHL drafted hockey player (Peter Harris). inherited not only his father’s athletic ability, but also his love for hockey. 

After graduating from Kimball Union high school Jordan spent 4 years playing division 1 NCAA hockey at Northeastern University before being drafted into the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens, according to nhl.com.

He spent the first 4 years of his professional career playing for Montreal and later the Columbus Blue Jackets before Boston acquired him the offseason.  

Harris hasn’t fully shown his potential at the pro level up to this point, but he is more than skilled enough to fill a defensive position on an NHL roster. 

In his nearly 5 years in the NHL Harris has amassed a total of 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points in 166 games played, according to nhl.com 

His first goal as a Bruin came when he scored on a breakaway against Tampa Bay goalie Jonas Johansson, Monday, Oct. 13.  

Slider, Sports

NECC students enjoy night out at Woo Sox

 
A baseball pitcher throws the ball to the batter
C.J. Stubbs of the Rochester Red Wings swings at pitch. Photo by John Mulcahy

NECC students enjoyed a night out in Worcester this September to watch the Woo Sox take on the Red Wings. 

As a part of fan appreciation week the Woo Sox hosted a unique event at their home stadium POLAR park. All NECC students, faculty and their families were welcomed to join in on the fun free of charge. 

The Massachusetts Community colleges were represented in force on Sept. 18, and NECC was there to show their spirit. They may not have been the biggest or the loudest but there was no shortage of enthusiasm. Shouts of “N E C C” rang out among the crowd of students all showing pride for their schools. 

 The colleges were invited to do an on field walk on as well as participate in raffles and other fun events. This was all included with the baseball game where students would watch the Worcester Red Sox (The Boston Red Sox minor league affiliate) host the Rocester Red Wings (The Washington Nationals Minor league affiliate). 

This type of event can be a great way for students to get involved, especially for the social person. “I’m definitely enjoying myself”. Andrea Wall-Sanchez said. She’s at her first game and first major campus event. Assistant director of NECC’s SOAR program (seize opportunities aspire to rise) Martha Mazelika, is a self-proclaimed fair-weather fan, but loves going to watch the Woo Sox play live. “I love being involved in campus life. The students make it worth coming to work”. 

NECC provides many ways for students to get involved, but it’s a rather rare opportunity to have the type of night these students did. “It’s a unique event.” Brayden Toth said. “I would do it again” 

Game summary:

The Woo Sox showed promise in the first inning with some offense present, but would start to slip. Down 2 to 1 at the beginning of the third there was still plenty of time to start a comeback. Unfortunately for Worcester and their fans as the night continued so did the struggles for the home team, going down 6 to 1 by the middle of the 7th inning. The Woo Sox misfortunes weren’t due to a lack of offense, having 10 hits on the night, but a failure to seize their opportunities. With multiple cases of runners in scoring position, Worcester couldn’t pull through. Ending the night with a total of 9 runners left on base. Ultimately falling very short with the final score being 10 to 1 in favor of Rocester.