On the night of Friday, October 30th, the Malden High School Golden Tornadoes took on the Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Tanners in a first round playoff game. MHS looked as if it had the upperhand on Friday, considering they were being led by senior captains Danley Exilhomme, Djorggenson Exilhomme, James Knox, and Robert Green. Unfortunately for them though, their season came to an unexpected end due to the overpowering nature of Peabody’s star running back Doug Santos.
The first quarter opened up with Malden ball. From our end, sophomore quarterback Jared Martino had his work cut out for him, as every play they tried to do, Peabody ate up. Peabody had them all figured out, until Martino started to pass the ball. After their possession, and a stellar punt by junior Josh Andrews, it was Peabody ball. But not for long. Peabody quickly scored a touchdown thanks to their senior running back Doug Santos, making their lead 7-0 halfway through the first. And this is how it went for the rest of the half. Malden finally figured out a way of stopping him in the early second quarter, forcing Peabody turnovers and a fumble. But then, Santos turned on the jets for a 75 yard touchdown run, making their lead grow to 14-0 as halftime approached.
Coming back from the locker rooms after halftime, the crowd was just as energized as the Golden Tornado. With chants of “let’s go Malden!” as they took the field, the team was ready for a late game comeback. But even with that, the team took the field, but still couldn’t beat the overpowering skill of Peabody. With the game 21-0, Martino and the offense took the field with the goal of coming back. Martino soon connected with Collins for two touchdowns in two quick concessions, bringing the game to 21-12, due to two missed 2 point conversions. After the game, Martino said on that he “[thinks] the offense moved the ball well all night,” although, “[they] just picked up the pace a little too late in the game.”
As the 4th quarter rolled in and the score still the same, Santos broke away for another touchdown, bringing the game to a 27-12 point difference. Malden High was able to stop the 2 point conversion, leaving them in place to comeback with two touchdowns and as long as they effectively stopped the Peabody offense. Malden was able to score one more touchdown, bringing the score to 27-19, but that was the closest that they would come to winning. After that, Peabody pounced and didn’t let Malden breathe, covering their receivers and stopping the run. As the clock winded down, Peabody scored once again, creating the final score of 34-19. Through the last whistles and yells of the game, you could hear chants echoing from Malden’s fan section, saying “we still love you”, a touching reminder that winning is not always everything.
The Golden Tornadoes will take on the Saint John’s Preparatory Eagles in a consolation game on the 7th of November. Martino commented how the Eagles were “a good team, but [they] are a good team [too and that he thinks] it should be a good game” as long as they “make a few adjustments for the game.” Even though they are the underdogs, Malden still has a good chance of winning due to the fact that any team can beat any team at any time. The Malden Fan Club will be in strong attendance to keep morale strong and high.
Photo Gallery coming soon!
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also nice…………