The winter sports seasons are in full swing and several Hillie teams have gotten off to great starts.
The wrestling team started off with three straight wins, including one of its biggest wins in almost two decades. The Hillies took down defending Division 1 State Champion Chelmsford at home on December 12 by a score of 60-19. It was Haverhill’s first win over the Lions in 18 years. Haverhill then finished second in the prestigious Wilmington Tournament on Saturday.
In just its fourth season, the gymnastics team pulled off a huge upset in the season opener. The Hillies edged Billierica/Chelmsford by a score of 134.85 to 134.25. The Hillies’ point total was a new school record and it was the first win over that program ever.
The girls’ basketball team also got off to an impressive start. The Hillies defeated Triton in the opener 65-37. They followed that up with an impressive MVC victory over Lowell, 71-41. This is a huge jump from last year, when the Hillies lost by an average of 28 points in their two games against Lowell. They followed up the Lowell win with a win over Wayland to improve to 3-0. The Hillies have a tough test this Friday night when they host Central Catholic at 7:00 PM.
The boys’ basketball team dropped a 62-40 decision at Lowell in the opener. The Hillies will host Lawrence on Tuesday night and will travel to Central Catholic on Friday.
The girls’ hockey team got in the win column on Saturday with a 3-0 victory over Acton-Boxboro. The Hillies will host Billerica on Saturday at 4:00 PM. The boys’ hockey team also grabbed its first win of the year on Saturday, downing North Reading 4-2.
The indoor track teams competed in the MSTCA Winter Festival at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday. The Hillies were impressive in the 300 meter dash with Sean Glass placing second and Hayden Makerow finishing fourth. Keith May placed second in the 1000 meter run and Gabrielle DeRoche was eighth in that same event on the girls’ side.
The boys’ swim and dive team will return home after the holiday break to host Lowell on January 4.