Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021 GREATER BOSTON LEAGUE NOTEBOOK: Young local baseball standouts show their stuff MHS junior Cohen and Class of ’24 players excel at Futures Day at Lynn Invitational; EHS sophs shine in tourney; RHS Patriots Football players, coaches set to go By Jason Mazzilli I t has been a busy summer for everyone on the local sports scene, especially for a number of young local baseball standouts who have spent some quality time showing their stuff at local events in front of college coaches. One of the top pitchers in the region is Malden High School (MHS) Class of 2022 righthander Shai Cohen. Cohen, a 6-1, 185 Golden Tornadoes hurler, already impressed at the recent Bay State Games for the Metro Team, his second year performing in that statewide showcase for underclassmen. There was no Bay State Games event held last summer due to COVID-19, but it came back this year with a few safety restrictions still in place. Cohen first drew some attention in 2019 as a freshman in the Bay State Games, where he competed along with former Tornado teammates Liam Jordan (Class of 2021) and Ezra Kruckenberg (Class of 2020). Last week, Cohen was a fastball and also showed a variety of other pitches in a dominating performance. “It was one of the best days I have had a showcase event and I was excited to be able to perform in front of so many college coaches,” said Cohen, who was named to the Greater Boston League (GBL) All-Star Team along with teammates Jordan, a senior, Sam Solorzano, a junior, and sophomore Brandon McMahon, who was named to the GBL All-Conference Team. Everett Class of 2023 players Omar Marshall and Justin Longmore excelled for Apex Baseball, which won the 2021 New England World Series 15U Championship. (Advocate Photo) Revere High Head Football Coach Lou Cicatelli and the Patriots are ready to go. (Advocate Photo) participant in another showcase event in front of college baseball coaches held locally at Pine Banks Park in Malden/Melrose, hosted by New England World Series (NEWS) and Lynn Invitational (lynninvitational.com). Cohen lit up the radar gun with a personal best 84 MPH for his POLICE | FROM Page 1 always be replicated in colored charts and graphs. He also noted that just because there is a situation where an offi cer can use a certain amount of force, it is not a green light to escalate a situation. “Whenever we use force, we are trying to stop some act or stopping some form of defi ance of the law,” said Turner. Across the country, Turner said, the reasonable use of force has been guided by the 1987 court case Graham vs. Connor. That ruling sets a standard for what a reasonable offi cer would consider a threat to be under a given set of circumstances. That ruling, in turn, has set the standard for the state’s use of force MHS Class of 2024 players Cogswell, Noelsaint and Simpson excel at Futures Day The “Future” is looking bright these days for Malden High baseball! A trio of up-and-comers in the Malden High baseball continuum for decades, Turner said. That continuum sets reasonable standards of force that can be applied to everything from passive and active resistance to immediate threats of harm or death. A major part of the new Revere policy is a section on de-escalation, Turner said. That section states that offi cers will not use force until de-escalation techniques have been attempted and failed or are not feasible based on the totality of the circumstances. Turner said a big part of the new policy, both with de-escalation and mental health, is learning improved methods of how to deal with people in crisis. “When I began 17 years ago, police offi cers would teach you how to talk to people, but there program, all members of the Class of 2024, took part on Monday at historic Fraser Field in Lynn in “Futures Day,” which was hosted by the Lynn Invitational Tournament. Infi elder/Outfi elder Ryan Cogswell, infi elder/ pitcher Jake Simpson and outfielder Zeke Noelsaint all participated in the event, along with close to 40 other top members of the Classes of 2024 and 2025. All three more than held their own at Futures Day, as each Malden High player registered at least one base hit (Cogswell was 2-for-3) and all three scored a run. Cogswell and Noelsaint both stole a base and all three looked solid in the fi eld, was not a whole lot of understanding of people’s states,” said Turner. “In law enforcement 20 years ago, if you defi ed the law, there was not a whole lot of wiggle room. Across the last two decades, we are seeing a transformation – that maybe there is another way to do it better.” At the academy level about a decade ago, Turner said, there began to be an increase in classes on crisis intervention. Across the board, Turner said, the Revere department takes advantage of as much training as it can in everything from crisis intervention to simulation of use of force situations. While there has been an increase in training over the years, Turner said, he would like to see more live action simulations of potential use of force situations, defensively. Medford High’s Joey D’Orazio, Class of 2024, a catcher, also participated from the GBL. Malden High Baseball Head Coach Steve Freker was on hand for the event and said he was impressed with the trio’s performance. “I will not say I was surprised that Ryan [Cogswell], Jake [Simpson] and Zeke [Noelsaint] did so well,” Coach Freker said. “They are all hard workers and have exceptional talent. All three of them saw a lot of time at the varsity level this past spring, despite being freshmen, and they contributed to our successful season.” The Malden coach noted that Simpson and Noelsaint each noting that the best training offi cers receive is through experience. The mandated reporting required under the new policy puts a focus on data and analysis, while in the past the focus was on narrative reports. With the data and analysis, Turner said, departments can more easily spot when there might be a potential problem with an individual offi cer using excessive force. “We are now switched over to a statistically analytical form that we can [identify] race, creed and all that, with what force was used, and we can watch for patterns to see if there are issues,” said Turner. Other additions to the policy include a section forbidding chokeholds, although Turner noted they have not been earned starting roles in five games each this past spring, where Malden went 6-9 overall and also competed in the MIAA Division 1 State Baseball Tournament for the fi rst time since the 2013 season. “It was great to see these young players compete against some of the best players their own age from the region,” Coach Freker said. “Our Malden guys did great and they are part of an excellent class overall. We have a lot of talented guys coming back next spring and we will hopefully make some noise in the GBL.” The Malden coach made a note of the work the Golden Tornadoes coaching staff overall have done the past severtaught or allowed for 20 years, and a section addressing bystander liability for offi cers who witness the excessive use of force by another offi cer. There’s also a new section that calls for better planning and preparation by the department when there is a planned mass demonstration. “The Revere Police Department has and will continue to strive for better training, policy and practice when it comes to use of force,” Turner said. “We look forward to exploring more advanced and detailed areas of training where it pertains to mental health, at-risk populations, use of force and de-escalation. As we proceed forward, better training and policy will aid offi cers in better serving the people of Revere.”
17 Publizr Home