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Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2023 Coach Dave Leary’s game plan: fostering talent and teamwork at Revere By Dom Nicastro E mbarking on his eighth season with Revere High School and a 25-year coaching career, Dave Leary opens up about his coaching journey and the aspirations for the upcoming season in an interview with the Revere Advocate. Leary’s team dropped its opener, 59-41, against Lynn Classical. “We fell behind big early but never quit,” Leary said. Junior Guard Ethan Day had 24 points for the Patriots in the loss. With a strong turnout of 58 athletes at tryouts, resulting in a robust program of 39 players across varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams, Leary looks forward to harnessing the mix of experience and fresh talent. Leary started as a freshman coach at St. Domenic Savio High School, where he was a threeyear varsity player, from 19992005. He then went on to become an assistant coach and the JV coach at Malden High School from 2005-2014. In 2014, he was hired as head varsity coach at Lynn Voc/Tech High School, where he remained for two seasons before he was hired in Revere in 2016. “The past seven years has been a great experience for me, the staff and most importantly the athletes,” Leary said. “We really try to create a family atmosphere, and there is no better feeling than to see our alumni come back to visit the team, and we can see the success they are having in college or the workforce. That is probably the main reason our staff keeps coming back every year.” Revere this season will have 11 on varsity, 14 on junior varsity and 14 on the freshman team. The team last year finished 11-11. It qualifi ed for the MIAA Division 2 State Tournament and won its fi rst-round game at Plymouth South High School. The Patriots were eliminated in the next round to Nashoba Regional High School. This winter, the strengths of this year’s team are hard to defi ne this early on in the season, according to Leary. “But,” he added, “we have a good mix of experienced upperclassmen and talented underclassmen. They are all very focused and hardworking and are always willing to be SAFETY | FROM Page 1 ly cleaned, along with adjoining classrooms, in accordance with protocols from the Mass. DepartRHS Patriots Co-Captain Luke Ellis (at left), Head Coach David Leary and Co-Captain Andrew Leone coached hard.” The areas it needs to improve on mostly? Building better chemistry and an understanding on the off ensive side of the floor. “Each player will have a role and once they learn their roles individually, we will improve as a team,” Leary said. The captains this year are both seniors and four-year players in the program: Andrew Leone and Luke Ellis. “Andrew Leone is an excellent student that leads by example both on and off the court,” Leary said. “He listens to all of his teammates and communicates well with them. Andrew is a versatile player that can score from inside and outside and defi nitely plays bigger than he is on the fl oor. Luke Ellis has a great personality and sense of humor. His teammates defi nitely appreciate his ability to keep them loose and relaxed, but they also follow him when it’s time to be serious and get to work. Andrew and Luke were a big part of the reason we had a successful season last year, and we hope their experience can help guide us this year, especially early on, to lead our less-experienced underclassmen.” Junior guards Ethan Day and Josh Mercado were also key contributors on last year’s team and should be expected to increase their roles this year on both ends of the fl oor. Juniors Avi Lung, Erick Mayorga and Sami Mghizou will also be asked to take on increased roles. Senior big men Amir Yemani and Ryan El Babor should give Revere toughness, shot-blockment of Public Health's Community Sanitation Program, reports indicated. According to reports, the Board of Health told the school ing and rebounding off the bench, while senior guard Domenic Belmonte is a very good 3-point shooter. Sophomore swing man Sean Burnett is long and athletic and can also shoot from behind the arc. Revere junior varsity coach John Leone is pretty much the team’s offensive coordinator and is “always coming up with new ways to help us create offense when we struggle,” Leary said. “Coach Leone was a great player at RHS (Class of 1990), is a fi erce competitor and is very hard on his players to get the best out of them, so they are ready to play at the varsity level when the time comes.” Freshman coach Bob Sullivan is very knowledgeable, according to Leary. He has been coaching at the high school level for over 30 years, was a 1,000-point scorer at Dom Savio and won a state championship there in 1982. “Coach Sullivan sees the game very well,” Leary said, “and we rely on him to help us make in-game adjustments.” As for team goals, they are the same every year. “We would like to win the GBL, we would like to win our holiday tournament, we would like to qualify for the state tournament, and we would like to advance further than last season,” Leary said. “The GBL Conference will be tough this year as it always is. Lynn English and Everett are traditionally always top in the league, but Lynn Classical, Malden, Medford, Somerville and Chelsea will all be much improved, as they were young teams last season.” district that bed bugs are a nuisance insect, but their bites do not spread disease. Board of Health offi cials also noted when bed bugs do move from one 1. On Dec. 15, 1791, Congress ratified the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution; what is the document known as? 2. Reportedly, in 1997, in the competition to be the Massachusetts state cookie, the Toll House chocolate chip cookie beat what cookie? 3. What country was the first to legalize cryptocurrency? 4. On Dec. 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party took place; when were words “Boston Tea Party” fi rst printed: 1774, 1825 or 1899? 5. In what decade was the “mod” British culture? 6. December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day; what term means an area mostly of sugar maples? 7. What author of “Little House on the Prairie” said that “we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime”? 8. Reportedly, the Inuit people use “song duels” to settle disputes; in what three countries do they live? 9. What was the last name of the American comic “Zeppo”? 10. On Dec. 18, 1966, what “Christmas” TV special aired that was adapted from a Dr. Seuss children’s book? Answers 11. Poinsettias are native to what country? 12. In what 1960s TV series would you fi nd the Russian spy Illya Kuryakin? 13. On Dec. 19, 1915, what French singer/actress was born whose signature song was “La Vie en Rose” (Life in Pink)? 14. In what movie would you fi nd the four main food groups of candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup? 15. Salem, Mass., native Nathaniel Hawthorne died while on a trip to the White Mountains with what president from New Hampshire? 16. In the 1880s what American dime-store magnate became rich, including by importing glass ornaments from Germany? 17. On Dec. 20, 1790, the fi rst American cotton mill began operation on the Blackstone River in what state? 18. How are hurdle, rib and seed similar? 19. What popular carol was originally a German folk song unrelated to Christmas? 20. On Dec. 21, 1946, Louis Jordan’s R&B single “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” debuted on the charts; he is called the King of what early automated music player? person to another, they mostly do so via bags or backpacks in a school setting. Person-to-person transfers are not common. Revere Public Schools, in its letter, asked families to closely monitor any bags or backpacks that students are bringing to school over the next several weeks to ensure there are no signs of bed bugs. 1. The Bill of Rights 2. Fig Newton 3. El Salvador (Bitcoin) 4. 1825 (Reportedly, at the time “Party” referred to a group of men, not an event.) 5. 1960s 6. Sugar bush 7. Laura Ingalls Wilder 8. Alaska, USA, Canada and Greenland 9. Marx 10. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” 11. Mexico 12. “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” 13. Edith Piaf 14. “Elf” 15. Franklin Pierce 16. F. W. Woolworth 17. Rhode Island 18. They are knitting stitches. 19. “O Tannenbaum” (celebrating the evergreen fi r tree) 20. The jukebox

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