THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2026 Page 17 RHS SPORTS ROUNDUP Patriots rally past Whittier, honor Cicatelli; soccer teams await tournament assignments By Dom Nicastro R evere High’s football team closed its regular season with a comeback victory over Whittier and an emotional tribute to longtime coach Lou Cicatelli, while the boys and girls soccer teams fi nished their regular seasons with winning records and awaited state tournament assignments. Girls volleyball also ended its season with a sweep, and girls cross country runners turned in strong individual performances at the Greater Boston League championship meet. Football rallies past Whittier, honors Cicatelli Revere High’s football team fi nished its regular season at 4-4 with a 21-14 victory over Whittier on Thursday, Oct. 30, scoring 21 unanswered second-half points before holding off a late rally. The Patriots trailed 6-0 at halftime but had already established their defensive toughness. Whittier controlled the ball for nearly nine minutes on its opening possession before Revere stopped a fourth-and-goal attempt at the 3-yard line, with Reda Atoui helping lead the charge. “Oh, that was huge,” Cicatelli said. “They got the ball in the 40, and they had the ball for literally nine minutes.” Revere seized momentum early in the third quarter when Joey Angiulo delivered a strong kickoff return into Whittier territory. Offensive coordinator Jose Escobar then made a crucial adjustment after Whittier had crowded the line of scrimmage to stop Revere’s rushing attack. Quarterback Jose Fuentes used play-action to find a wide-open Atoui over the middle for a 36-yard touchdown. The extra point gave Revere a 7-6 lead. “Coach Escobar made a great call,” Cicatelli said, explaining that the Patriots recognized the passing opportunity at halftime. Revere’s next scoring drive featured a 13-yard run by Ismael Romero-Gonzalez and a long completion from Fuentes to Anthony Pelatere. Fuentes fi nished the possession with a 3-yard touchdown sneak. A botched extra-point snap turned into an unexpected two-point conversion when Sergio Peguero found Nicolas Cespedes in the end zone, extending the lead to 15-6. “It was a fire call. It was a botched snap,” Cicatelli said. “Nico went right in the corner there, and how he caught that, I still don’t know.” Atoui later capped a 91-yard fourth-quarter drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Whittier scored in the closing seconds, but Daniel Alzate recovered the onside kick to secure the victory. Atoui fi nished with approximately 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Fuentes added about 75 passing yards and 60 rushing yards. Freshman Leveon Saint-Paul led the defense with 12 tackles in his fi rst game back from injury. Cespedes also delivered a strong performance at defensive end, recording close to 10 tackles while repeatedly shutting down Whittier’s running attack. Revere fi nished 19th in the Division 3 power rankings, three spots outside the 16team playoff fi eld. That puts them in the two-game consolation round ahead of Thanksgiving. Revere is on a two-game winning streak heading into this post-regular-season round, having beaten Lynn English, 35-28, last week. “These kids are very resilient,” Cicatelli said. “You know, they started off a little bit rough this year, and put two big wins together against two real good teams.” The Patriots now enter the consolation round, hosting Malden on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. Cicatelli identifi ed Malden running back Jayden Mcguffi e as a major challenge. He fi nished with over 2,000 yards RHS Patriots Varsity Football Head Coach Lou Cicatelli, shown during recent action, was honored for his career as coach following the Whittier victory last week, celebrating Cicatelli’s 23-year career as head coach with a surprise video tribute narrated by public address announcer Jerry Gerardi along with past players who made a surprise appearance to honor their former coach. (Advocate fi le photo) last season, the only back to do so in school history. Three games remain in Cicatelli’s fi - nal season, including the traditional Thanksgiving matchup with Winthrop. The next foe after Malden is to be determined. An emotional tribute to Coach Lou Following the Whittier victory, Revere celebrated Cicatelli’s 23-year career as head coach with a surprise video tribute narrated by public address announcer Jerry Gerardi. The presentation featured memorable moments, messages from former players and coaches, and music including Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” “Coach Lou, for 23 years, you showed up for your players, and tonight your players showed up for you,” Gerardi told the crowd. Cicatelli then turned around to discover generations of former Patriots players, coaches, friends and family members gathered behind him. “It’s a great night, very emotional, so very well done,” Cicatelli said. He credited Keith Correia with organizing the surprise and said seeing his former players, wife and daughter made the evening especially meaningful. “When I turned around, I had no idea all those people were behind me,” Cicatelli said. Boys soccer finishes 14-1-1, awaits Division 2 tournament Revere High’s boys soccer team completed an outstanding regular season at 14-1-1, fi nishing 11th in the Division 2 power rankings and awaiting its official state tournament seed. Coach Gerardo Rodriguez’s Patriots closed with a 2-0 shutout of Chelsea on Oct. 29, extending their unbeaten streak to 15 games. Revere’s only defeat came against Central Catholic, 3-2, in its season opener. The Patriots scored 62 goals while allowing 25, producing a plus-37 goal differential. Their explosive offense included eight-goal performances against Haverhill and Methuen, along with fi ve-goal eff orts against Everett and Watertown. Revere also demonstrated its ability to win close games, defeating Chelsea, 2-1, in the teams’ fi rst meeting and Somerville, 3-2, during the fi - nal weeks of the regular season. The Patriots fi nished with six consecutive victories and will carry considerable momentum into the Division 2 tournament. Girls soccer finishes above .500 Revere High’s girls soccer team also completed a winning regular season, fi nishing 9-7-2 and awaiting its Division 3 tournament assignment. The Patriots ranked 64th among 74 Division 3 teams but remained in tournament consideration through their above- .500 record. Revere won four of its final six games, closing with a 6-1 victory over Lynn Classical on Oct. 27. That followed a 2-0 road shutout of Lowell on Oct. 23. Other late-season highlights included a 3-0 victory over Whittier and a 7-1 win against Northeast Metro Tech. The Patriots recorded several shutouts during the season and fi nished with victories in their fi nal two contests. SPORTS ROUNDUP | SEE Page 21
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