After sting of second place, Masconomet gymnastics vaults back to top with fifth state title since 2019
By Globe Correspondent,Updated March 1, 2025, 6:35 p.m.
NORTHBOROUGH — After winning state gymnastics titles four times from 2019-2023, Masconomet finished second last year.
It was not a feeling Chieftains coach Vasko Vetzev wanted to repeat.
“The girls work hard,” said Vetzev. “They didn’t like last year, how they finished second. I mean, second’s the worst, so close to the top. First or third are better.”
The Chieftans ensured they liked their result Saturday, jumping out to the lead on their first rotation, uneven bars.
They never relented, winning their fifth state title since 2019 with a team score of 149.05, 2 points ahead of runner-up Newton North at the state championships held at Algonquin Regional High School.
Sarah Aldrich finished third in the all-around for the Chieftains, who used their deep roster of high-level club gymnasts to compete in every event. Even senior Fallon Eberhardt, suffering from a leg injury that took her out of her club season and last weekend’s North Sectionals, competed.
They dominated floor exercise with the highest team showing (37.475). Every apparatus showcased their perfect lines, straight legs, and pointed toes.
Masconomet finished the day on vault, with Janey Young up last. She had suffered a bloody nose prior to the rotation, and wasn’t able to warm up. Vetzev checked in with her on the runway before her turn.
“The plan was to land one on our feet,” said Vetzev, “and then go for the next one, and try and make it perfect.”
Young did just that, scoring a 9.65 to secure the Chieftains’ victory.
Last week, Newton North’s balance beam rotation marred its South Sectional performance, dropping the top-ranked Tigers to second. Coach Cassie Ford said her team would spend the week before Saturday’s championships fixing those mistakes.
It paid off in the Tigers’ second-place finish, with two gymnasts finishing in the top 10 of the all-around: seventh-place Sofia Dukakis and ninth-place Molly Haughton.
“They went into this week practicing like there was no tomorrow,” said Ford. “They put in everything they had. We did so many beam routines. They just worked so hard.”
A battle emerged between Danvers/Lynnfield and South Sectional champion Mansfield for third place. Danvers/Lynnfield had the best vault rotation of the day with a 37.65, and placed two gymnasts in the top four of the all-around, but Mansfield used its best performance of the season, with no major mistakes, to edge the Falcons by a mere 0.075 for third.
Sophie Moore and Bridget Boni led the Hornets with all-around scores in the high 35s.
In the all-around, Central Catholic’s Zinnia Hopkinson bested Danvers/Lynnfield’s Kaylee Wescott by 0.075 to take the title, 38.475-38.4. Hopkinson won three of the four apparatus.
