Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011

Bits of knowledge to help make you the smartest person in the drive-thru.

Here are five pieces of information designed to start your Thursday with a bang and help make you the smartest person at your breakfast table. 1. Today's Local Weather Forecast: According to the NWS, today will be sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming west between 5 and 8 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 36. West wind around 6 mph. 2. Reader Comment Of The Day: Regarding our story, "Teens Arrested In Violent Home Invasion," Mike T took exception to another reader's claim that police log items should not be run online. -- "I don't think there is any doubt these feral youths committed this crime. Posting these arrests online is one of the few good uses of the internet! This is a …

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Altavesta Pin Gives Tewksbury The Win

TMHS Wrestlers Pull Off Dramatic Win Over Andover After Losing to Dracut, Methuen.

Dan Altavesta doesn't normally wear a cape or a mask or fight crime in a brightly colored costume, but the Tewksbury High junior 130-pounder sure played the role of super hero on Saturday. After losing two hard-fought contests to Dracut and Methuen in a Merrimack Valley Conference quad wrestling meet at Tewksbury High, the Redmen were trailing Andover by four points as Altavesta took the mat for the final match of a long day in the gymnasium. "We needed something big or we were going home empty-handed," said Tewksbury coach Brian Aylward. "And (Altavesta) came through for us." It would have taken either a technical fall (a win by 15 or more points) or a pin to get the points Tewksbury needed to pull out the win, and Altavesta got things …

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Wamesit Warriors 8th Grade Team Wins Thanksgiving Tournament

Warriors go undefeated at Eastern Sports Center in Plaistow.

The 8th Grade Wamesit Warriors boys' basketball team from Tewksbury went undefeated, winning all four games during the competitive Thanksgiving Tournament, held at the Eastern Sports Center in Plaistow, N.H. To become champions, the Warriors, in their inaugural season, had to beat two-time defending regular season Central Mass Champion Groton-Dunstable, not once – but twice, in addition to teams from Ipswich and Beverly. The Warriors, a team of 8th grade players from Tewksbury, applied a suffocating team defense, and strong rebounding by Alex Botazzi in the opening game of the tourney, by a score of 41–40. Leading scorers were Michael Milano with 11 points, and Alex Botazzi with 10. In the quarterfinals, the Warriors jumped out to a fast …

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Tewksbury Boys Basketball League Roundup

Noel Lifts Jazz Past Bulls; Gershman Helps Bucks Tame Bobcats

76ers, Jazz pick up victories.

SENIORS Jazz hold off Bulls The Jazz hit stride midway thru the first half and sprinted to a 20-8 halftime lead. But the Bulls had other ideas and staged a furious 2nd half comeback before falling just short by a final score of 41-37.  For the Jazz, Nick Noel was a force under the hoop at both ends of the court gathering numerous rebounds and pounding home 8 points. Joining Noel's excellent efforts on defense were Rich Pachucki (2 pts) and Mack Boucher who each came up with several clutch rebounds. Nick Valente, David Dempsey, Greg Silva (2pts), and Kyle Fleury (3pts) played some tough defense to help stall the Bulls comeback bid. On offense Cole Iovine nailed a big 3 pointer and Petro Nacopoulos had the soft touch from outside dropping …

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Young Ball Players Teach Fans Lessons About Heart, Determination

Friends of Special Ed. Kidz closes five-week clinic with first Titans Tee-Ball scrimmage.

Baseball the way it was meant to be played -- with heart, hustle and joy. The Friends of Special Ed. Kidz (FOSEK) held its first ever Titans Tee Ball scrimmage and end-of-clinic celebration Sunday morning at L.A. Field in the Saunders Recreation Complex. The event was a culmination of a five-week program in which volunteers taught special education and special needs kids how to play tee ball. The kids were divided into two teams, the Thunder and the Lightning, who played a scrimmage against each other in front of a large crowd of parents and friends. The Lowell Spinners, minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, sent their mascot the Canalligator to the event who threw out the ceremonial first pitch and helped the kids catch ground …

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Tewksbury Youth Football Roundup

Giants Score Hard-Earned Victory Over Raiders

Troy Carey's Chiefs Past Titans, 25-14

SENIOR DIVISION Giants 27 – Raiders 14 The Giants got their first victory on Sunday against a tough Raiders team.  After a great defensive stand in the first quarter, the Giants went on to take the lead 7-0 with a 40 yd touchdown run by Brett Morris. Adding the extra point was David Lindsey off a wide open pass. The Raiders were quick to come back however with a good offensive drive tying the game at 7-7. The second quarter added to the Giants score with a 25 yard run from Scott Patterson and a 53 yard touchdown run from Morris. With the score 13-7 at the half, the Giants came out big again in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to Lindsey, and adding the extra point was Morris.  The Giants would score one more time on a 78 yard TD …

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