Page 12 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 24, 2021 GREATER BOSTON LEAGUE NOTEBOOK: Girls’ athletic programs’ competition level sealed deal for Lynn teams' GBL entry GBL Soccer is free-for-all of talented teams this fall; Everett HS and Lynn Classical are only Division 1 Football schools in GBL By Steve Freker O ne of the main attractions for the two Lynn-based high school teams when they decided to join the Greater Boston League (GBL) as full-fledged members earlier this year, effective this fall, was the competition factor for its girls’ sports teams. Quite frankly, Lynn Classical and Lynn English girls’ teams were getting walloped on a regular basis playing in their former league, the Northeastern Conference (NEC). A number of teams in the NEC were squarely in the “haves” portion of this equation. A number of girls’ sports programs, like Marblehead, Swampscott, Danvers and Peabody, have no problem fielding all three levels of girls’ teams – Varsity, Junior Varsity, FreshMPR ENGINEERING CO. AFFORDABLE & COST EFFECTIVE Civil Engineering * Certified Plot Plans Surveying * Boundaries * Flood Zones Call for FREE Estimate: (781) 629-2891 ~ LICENSED & INSURED~ Former Everett High School player Emily Zendeyas battles for possession with a Lynn English forward. The girls’ sports teams from the Greater Boston League (GBL) match up well with the Lynn teams. (Courtesy Photo) men – or boys for three levels, for that matter. Lynn Classical and Lynn English, on the other hand, often have an issue with the three-level model for their girls’ teams. Now being members of the GBL, there is a lot more common ground between the “Lynns” and, say, Malden and Everett, than there ever was with the NEC programs. One of the most prominent From foundation to finish, let’s make it happen. TALK TO JOE ABOUT OUR COMMERCIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LOANS. WE’RE READY TO HELP YOU GET STARTED. overlying factors prompting the decision of both Lynn Classical and Lynn English opting to leave the NEC and join the GBL was the fact the demographics of the communities and high schools in the GBL more closely align and mirror theirs. The diversity and cultural makeup of the original GBL schools of Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville are very similar to those characteristics in its newest additions: Chelsea, Lynn Classical, Lynn English and Revere. ***** Parity is name of the game for GBL Boys Soccer this fall Parity is the word for the GreatJOSEPH D. KEOHANE EVP & SENIOR LOAN OFFICER JKEOHANE@EVERETTBANK . COM 61 7-381-3622 er Boston League Boys Soccer circuit this fall. “Any Given... Tuesday or Thursday” it seems like any team can beat another in the league, with the GBL blessed with a lot of fine talent this season. Every team in the 8-team GBL appears to have a core of experience and ability, and after two weeks of league play, only one school, Lynn Classical, is without a loss, coming in at 2-0 heading into yesterday’s action. Classical had a game date with 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 WWW.EVERETTBANK .COM/FOUNDATIONTOFINISH Member FDIC Member DIF Malden High yesterday at Manning Field in Lynn, and the Golden Tornado squad was looking to knock off the league leader. “All of our games have been even and most of them have been low-scoring,” said 18-year Malden HS Soccer Head Coach Jeremiah Smith. “Every team seems to have a couple of solid players on both ends of the field and the league [GBL] games have been very competitive so far.” Only one point separates most teams in the standings, with three teams tied for firstplace and three others, including Malden High, tied for second-place with 1-1-1 records heading into Thursday’s league games. (Results were not available before press time.) Malden took its first victory on Tuesday in a rare, high-scoring affair, 7-6, on the road at Chelsea High, handing the Red Devils their second loss. “We will take the win; we worked for it and it was great to see our guys hang in there and pull it out,” Malden coach Smith said, “but we have to do a much better job defensively.” GBL Boys’ Soccer Standings: Lynn Classical (2-0), Everett (2-1), Somerville (1-0-1), Malden (1-11), Lynn English (1-1-1), Revere (1-1-1), Chelsea (1-2-0), Medford (0-1-1). ***** ...And there were two With some approved, offseason alignments, Everett High Football and Lynn Classical are the only two Division 1 football teams in the GBL. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) approved and installed new high school football alignments by divisions over the summer for use this fall. Everett remained the same in Division 1 North. Lynn Classical was the only GBL school to move up, going from Division 2 North to Division 1 North, to join Everett. Revere High was the only other school to move up a division in football, from Division 4 North to Division 3 North. Malden High School, for the first time ever, has moved down in football from Division 1 North to Division 3 North. Joining Malden in D3 North is Lynn English, which moved down from Division 2 and the aforementioned Revere. The others? Medford High moved down to Division 4 from Division 3 in the new alignments. Somerville remained in Division 5 North and Chelsea stayed in Division 8.
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