On September 11th, Malden High went head-to-head against Lynn Tech for their season opener. In a 26-20 win for the Tornados, this game showcased the football team’s skills and the work they put in before the season. During the game, senior James Powers had hoped to shine a light on his name, and he did. The Boston Globe highlighted Powers and senior Jemiah Charles as players of the week and junior Captain Jayden McGuffie as a player to watch.
Malden started strong with McGuffie leaping over the Lynn Tech players into the end zone to score the first touchdown of the game. Malden went for the additional two points, but was shut down by Lynn Tech’s defense. Possession was then returned to Malden when senior Joshua Bly intercepted the ball. This turnover started the intense pressure against Lynn Tech’s offense. Juniors Ryann Vieira, Jaiden Gonzalez, and Bly all assisted in forming the wall created by Malden’s defense.
On Malden’s second possession, Powers threw a deep ball that Charles caught for a touchdown. The lead encouraged the players to perform their best and maintain good morale. With one final chance before the first half ended, Lynn Tech attempted to move the ball and score a touchdown. Gonzalez, before the clock ran out, intercepted the ball. Before Malden had another chance to score, the first half ended at 12-0 in favor of the Tornados.
The players went into the locker room cheering and praising each other for a good first half. During halftime, Malden’s cheer team came out and performed, holding the crowd’s attention.
After halftime ended, the boys came out yelling and waving to the crowd, ready to start the second half. “We were confident, and we knew that, overall, it was our game,” expressed junior Nathan Schonton.
Malden began the kickoff, but Lynn Tech caught the ball and ran with it—not making it very far, with Bly tackling the player. Malden kept up this defense and eventually turned the ball over.
Powers and Charles were ready to score again. After being pushed back some yards, Coach Witche Exilhomme called out a play where Powers gave a handoff to Charles for the touchdown. This riled up the viewers in the stands and the players.
The 18-0 gap put Lynn Tech in a bad position. With new ambition to win, Lynn Tech scored the next touchdown, cutting the 18-0 deficit to 18-6. After this touchdown, they attempted to get the two-point conversion but were unable to.
Malden did not want to lose the gap that they had worked for. Hard fights on defense made them tired, but perseverance kept them going. Eventually, the ball came back to Malden’s hands again. Charles scored the first touchdown of the fourth quarter after a slow third quarter. Malden went for another two-point conversion, and the crowd saw an amazing hurdle over Lynn Tech’s defense from McGuffie, successfully gaining the extra two points, which left jaws dropped and fans excited. The score was 26-6 with fans on the edge of their seats.
Lynn Tech responded to this play with a touchdown. The tired or injured defenders created an unstable defense, and after the turnover from Malden, Lynn Tech was able to score another touchdown, closing the gap. The score became 26-20 after the extra point, with Malden still in the lead. Malden went on offense for the last time and put pressure on their opponent. This resulted in Lynn using their last timeout and being forced to forfeit.
The crowd cheered as the game was brought to an end. This home opening 26-20 win for the Tornados proved them to be a force to reckon with. “We’re strong, and we all have high expectations of what we’re going to do. We come together as a team. We’re brothers, and we’re ready,” concluded Schonton.
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