Thomas Tierney and Gabriela Parini Cordova contributed to this article
The Malden Golden Tornados football season is coming to a close with the sights of their annual rivalry game approaching on Thanksgiving. The team had a lot of high expectations for the team’s class of 2025 senior night, with key players facing injuries during and pre-season, many players had to step up to the plate, though receiving a disappointing 24-14 loss against the Revere Patriots, many fans were left with the desire for Malden to bring home one more win against Medford.
Before the game, a ceremony was held for each senior to walk down an aisle of familiar faces of teammates and cheerleaders with family, coaches, and friends each having a smile on their face knowing that everyone around them was proud of how far they have come over the years. Fans were also seen cheering in the stands for each and every player, showing their support and love for both the players and the sport.
Throughout all four quarters, Malden’s offense was fighting and putting their effort into every snap but, there were still mistakes on the offensive side such as missed catches that led to turnovers. The mistakes were allowing Revere to pull ahead. On the defensive side, there were hard hits from Malden all throughout the game, showing the improvements that the players have gained through their dedication during their off-season and practices. But, the small mistakes throughout the game were what led to a disappointing loss for the Malden and their seniors.
With the team saying goodbye to 18 seniors, many are left wondering how those losses will affect the team. “Nothing will change. What we did was fasten the underclassmen and those guys will be ready to step in and really dominate their opponent because we prepared them to,” stated Head Coach Witche Exilhomme.
As some seniors have played for Malden Football throughout all four years of high school, many have dreams of college football in the future. Captain and senior Kevin Exilhomme explained football has given him “a life after High School. I’ll play football, if coaches like my film, and then it gives me an opportunity to go to a good school that I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t playing football.” By spending years and months playing football and spending time together teammates have grown special connections and gained memories they will never forget: “My favorite moment was my freshman year, we didn’t have a good season and nobody thought we were going to win the last game but we beat Medford,” stated senior and four-year player Wyatt Dessert. Though memories don’t always have to be winning a game: for Zach Johnson it was“ getting my first touch down on JV and the first game of the season this year.”
With the long-awaited annual Thanksgiving game against the team’s rivals, the Medford Mustangs, as their last game of the season, there is always room for improvement in plays and mentality for each player. Football does not just build athletes: it builds people. “I learned to be humble and it helped me with my work ethic, it gave me a reason every day to be better and just in life in general”, stated Kevin Exilhomme.
“I grew as a player and a person because I got more mature. I began to take more stuff seriously in both football and school,” continued Dessert.
Malden fans can look forward to the Medford Mustangs and Malden Golden Tornados rivalry game right in their own backyard at Macdonald Stadium with the hope of attaining one last win for the City of Malden.
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