City Boys Clubs gave many a head start.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Nick Manzello

COLUMN: Sports Street

Over the years, the Worcester Boys Clubs have turned out many outstanding athletes who have gone on to bigger things.

For example, back in 1928, two athletes used the Ionic Ave. club to train for the Olympics. Albina Osipowich won a swimming gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and Harry Devine, a lightweight boxer, took home a bronze.

Of course, many of the area's top boxers also trained at the Ionic Ave. and Lincoln Square clubs under Orlando Pusateri, Mario Sarro and Carlos Garcia. The list includes three-time world champion Jose Antonio Rivera, Don Williams, Johnny Potenti, Curley Monroe, Tiger Flowers, Kirk Williams, Bobby Harris and Sean Fitzgerald.

Some other notable alumni:

Andy Laska, an outstanding basketball player at North High, was a member of Holy Cross' NCAA championship team in 1947.

Benny Reiges went on to quarterback UCLA in the 1947 Rose Bowl.

The 1935 Sacred Heart Academy basketball team won the New England Catholic Basketball Tournament with club members Harry Boyer, Eddie Merrill, Jim Coffey, Ed Spillane, Connie Flynn and "Windy" Riley.

Bobby Mattson won first place in the breaststroke while swimming for North Carolina in the 1955 NCAA championships.

Lester "Buster" Sheary and Johnny Ambrose ran the Worcester Public Schools' sports programs. Sheary later coached the Holy Cross men's basketball team to the NIT title in Madison Square Garden.

George Trudeau, a deaf mute and talented diver in the 1940s, came out of retirement near the age of 40 to win a gold medal in the Silent Olympics in Milan, Italy.

Central wins Bay State Games gold

Congratulations to the Central boys' lacrosse team that struck gold at the Bay State Games last week.

The team, led by goalies Kyle Cordaro and Mark Finnegan, defeated Northeast, Southeast, West, Metro and Southeast again to finish with a 5-0 record. Not bad for a squad that hadn't won a game the past two years.

Players included Lucas Turchetta, Jackson Broadbent, Jonathan Turchetta, Connor MacKenzie, Dylan Gatto and Finnegan of Harvard, Ian Powers of Shrewsbury, William Warnken, Samuel Broadhurst, Garth Franklin, Mark Pappas and Cordaro of Worcester, Nick Yacuzzi of Oakham, T.J. Hartner of Pepperell, Malcolm Hinds and Geno Gasbarro of Leominster, Jake Penney and Gavin Odell of Groton, Michael and Matthew Lopes of Webster, Jake Jacevicius of Millbury, Kevin Kieda of Townsend and Connor Swanson of Holden.

Where are they now?

Sports Street...