As Malden High School’s football team has returned to the turf on Lynn Tech’s home field, they’ve been able to display their offseason training and preparation. The offseason training consisted of intense conditioning, 7-on-7 scrimmages and games, weight training, and practicing positions.
During the summer offseason training, five new captains were announced: seniors Manny Perez (who is also a member of The Blue and Gold), Billy Gavin, Kenny Turcios-Melgar, junior Noah Granderson, and sophomore Jayden McGuffie. They helped prepare the players for greatness this season and were a help to the coaches.
“With all the hard work and preparation that we put in in the offseason, from the winter to the spring to the summer, skill development, I feel that physically, we were a more prepared team, and we went out there and were able to dominate them,” said sophomore Nathan Schonton.
As the game began, the players displayed strong offense and eventually set the tone for the first half with unmatchable energy. “Matthew DeCosta had a 35-yard catch and set up the game spirit for the first half,” emphasized Perez. His catch led to McGuffie scoring an easy 3-yard touchdown.
Later on in the game, junior Josh Bly got a kick return touchdown from across the whole field, setting the score to 15-12, causing the bleachers to soar with energy.
They kept up with Lynn Tech throughout the game until halftime, as their defense began to falter, which led to the second quarter ending with Lynn Tech up 21-14. “Noah Granderson got hurt, which caused our defense to not be as strong as it typically would, but we were still able to maintain it throughout the game,” explained McGuffie.
Varsity players sophomore Jamal Hakkaoui, Schonton, and McGuffie came to the consensus that they didn’t feel prepared for the game and highlighted that they needed work.
Third quarter, after a pep talk with Coach Witche Exilhomme, players produced more effort and established their defense, allowing Lynn Tech to continue scoring. The score did not change after the third quarter, with the final score ending in a 27-14 win for Lynn Tech.
Their losses against Boston College High, which was a pre-season game and Lynn Tech who are both highly ranked teams–resulted in many setbacks; however, the Golden Tornados used that experience to build the endurance needed to face other teams later in the season.
Despite this defeat, they remained focused and nurtured a strong team bond that will bring them further in the season, more prepared to embrace their team chemistry and allow for others to see the same.
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