Madison Park's Roosevelt Robinson Honored at Fenway Park Event

Photo Credit: Melissa Ostrow

Written by: Robert Zeitz
Last December, Roosevelt Robinson's Madison Park Cardinals nearly won a State Championship on the snowy turf of Gillette Stadium, barely losing to Cathedral in double overtime. This June, Coach Robinson was awarded a $1,000 grant for MP football at a fundraising breakfast in Fenway Park's State Street Pavilion. The event was hosted by the Boston chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), and featured a panel discussion with Red Sox Manager John Farrell, BC football Head Coach Steve Addazio, Notre Dame football Head Coach Brian Kelly, and Head Coach of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun Anne Donovan. The PCA works closely with the Boston Scholar Athletes program.

Photo Credit: Melissa Ostrow

Coach Robinson was named a Double-Goal Coach by the PCA, which describes a Double-Goal Coach as someone "Whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports."

And that's true of Roosevelt Robinson, who has coached the MP Cardinals to success on the field, guiding them to numerous MIAA playoff appearances, including last season's trip to the Division 4A Super Bowl. He was also named City League Coach of the Year (along with Dorchester's Rich Moran), and last year the Cardinals won their first playoff game in program history, 18-6 over Bristol-Plymouth.

Coach Robinson also uses sports to teach life lessons to his players, to guide them through what PCA founder Jim Thompson describes as the "Development experience," that sports can provide for kids. For example, a mistake on the field provides an opportunity for kids to recover and struggle and learn.

Coach Robinson has been teaching and coaching for 25 years, teaching cabinet making at the vocational Madison Park High School. He is also President of the Boston Raiders youth football organization which fields multiple football and cheerleading teams for kids ages 7 to 14.

What Robinson seemed the most proud of, as he spoke to those attending the PCA benefit at Fenway, was how successful his players have been off the field. He beamed as he mentioned the number of seniors he's coached who have all gone on to college, trade schools, or the military. And that's more important to coaches like Roosevelt Robinson than all the trophies, honors, and awards in the world.

Congratulations, Coach Robinson. And congratulations to Madison Park football.

Photo by Robert Zeitz, December 1, 2012

Full photo gallery of the event on our Facebook page

Baseball: West Roxbury Beats Boston International 6-2 in State Tournament

Photo gallery on our Facebook page

The only two City League teams remaining in State Tournaments faced each other Thursday afternoon at Bentley University in Waltham. West Roxbury upset #1 seeded Boston International 6-2 to advance to the Division 4 North Championship. That game will be played Sunday morning at 10:00 AM in Lowell, at Lelacheur Park, home of the Lowell Spinners.

The Raiders of West Roxbury grinded this game out. They worked counts, stole bases, turned double plays, and took advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Pitchers Alejandro Lopez and Christopher Moreta combined to keep B.I. limited to 6 hits. Lopez struck out 3 and didn't allow a runner past second base until the 6th inning. When Lopez ran out of gas, Moreta came in and finished the game, striking out a pair in the 7th.

Westie built their lead slowly but surely. In the 2nd inning Jan Pereyra reached on an error, was moved along by a Jean Done single, then knocked in by a single from junior Ruel Delarosa. In the bottom of the inning, a B.I. rally was stopped before it started when Done caught a liner in right-field and threw out Derlin Tejada at first for a double play.

The Raiders expanded their lead in the 4th. Done worked a leadoff walk, then stole second, and was knocked in by Cesar Garcia. Both Done and Garcia are freshman.

In the 5th Westie doubled their lead from 2-0 to 4-0 thanks to a 2-run double off the bat of Jan Pereyra. Then in the 6th catcher Brian Navarro hit an RBI single and eventually scored to put West Roxbury up 6-0. Navarro finished the day 3 for 4.

Boston International didn't get on the board until the 6th, when senior captain Nelfry Velez hit an RBI double. Derlin Tejada followed Velez and hit the ball hard, but right at Westie second baseman Steven Augusta, who caught the line drive then stepped on second to eliminate Velez and end B.I.'s chances for a big inning.

International added another run with 2 outs in the 7th. Angel Troncoso knocked in Frank Rosario with a triple, but it was too little too late.

Fortunately for Boston International, they have a talented young squad. They're only losing 2 seniors. Their roster is comprised mostly of sophomores and in the next few years B.I. could do some damage both in the City League and in State Tournaments.

West Roxbury advances to the D4 North Championship where they'll face Lowell Catholic. The game will be at a "neutral location," Lelacheur Park in Lowell, Sunday morning at 10.