Malden High and Everett High shake hands after a very intense game. Photo by Gabriel Matnog
As the season comes to a close for the Malden High football team, the most anticipated game of the season approaches. The Medford High Mustangs, Malden’s longtime rival, will play the Golden Tornadoes on Thanksgiving Day. The teams proudly hold the second longest high school football rivalry in the U.S and will be playing their 130th consecutive game. This is by far, the most hyped up game of the year, as Malden High holds spirit week and a pep rally the day before the big matchup.
Malden currently dominates the rivalry with a current record of 62-55-10, 62 being the wins, 55 being the losses, and 10 being the ties. Malden has won the 2016 and 2015 Thanksgiving faceoffs, and are hoping to get another holiday victory to make up for an unforgiving season. The Tornadoes have a current record of 0-10. Losing several Malden players to other schools, especially their star quarterback, Jared Martino, the team has been unable to recoup as a team which eventually led to shutouts in their past five games.
Senior Gandy Louisne states, “As a senior, [he] expected [the team] to be better record-wise, but effort-wise, [the team] has been putting a 100% effort at practice and at games.” Louisne has a strong feeling that the team will win, even without their past star players. When asked about preparation before the big game, Louisne says “[The team has] been watching film trying to fix the mental mistakes, and [they] have been getting stronger in the weight room and in the field.”
The Thanksgiving game, like past years, should be a win that Malden deserves, even going through a defeated season. Louisne states, “[The team just has] to go and do [their] job and [they] will win. [It is] not rocket science, it’s as easy as one-two-three. [They] just need to play [their] best during every play and all four quarters.” Louisne, coming back from an injury knows that “Malden is a good team with a lot of talent to give to the public, and this game is a great chance to seize the opportunity and win.”
Freshman Jason Ashworth believes that “Communication is key and execution of each and every play is what is important for [the team to win.” Although it is Ashworth’s first year on the team, he says “[They] have a good team, [they] just need to work harder and do [their] jobs.”
Ashworth and Louisne, along with the rest of the Malden High Football team will be preparing for the biggest game of the season against school rival, the Medford Mustangs, on November 23rd, 2017, at 10 am at Hormel Stadium in Medford, MA.
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