THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, July 24, 2026 Page 13 CITY CHAMPS | FROM PAGE 1 By Joe McConnell T he Everett Little League Minor Division Mariners Manager Chris Stopford has literally grown up in the organization. Stopford was a player in it from 1994 to 2002, and was an Everett athlete, primarily playing basketball and baseball, straight through to end of high school in 2006. At one time, Stopford lived in Malden, before he and his family moved to the city when he was in the fourth grade. But he proudly said that he always played sports in Everett. It has now come full-circle for him, as he’s coaching his eight-year-old son Lucas, and together they helped the Mariners to the 2026 minor division city championship. In the best of three fi nal series late last month, they defeated the Expos in two straight games. The Mariners dropped their first two games of the regular season, but that didn’t SPORTS | FROM PAGE 12 slow them down. They quickly picked up the pieces to rattle off 14 consecutive wins that included going 4-0 in the playoff s. For the record, they were 10-2 in regular season league play. “We were the youngest team in the league, and everybody counted us out, even before the season started,” said Stopford. “We only had two nines on the roster with the rest all eights in a league that’s built for 10- and 11-year-old players.” Stopford added that the team was diligent in improving one game at a time. “We got better in every game,” he said. The proof of that progress was all of that winning that they had from Game 3 of the regular season on. The Mariners manager had some help in the ongoing construction of this championship team. Jonathan LaRosa, David Scafati and Jason Abruzzese were his assistants, and they all helped him get the players ready for the games. A: The teams we play [in the Catholic Conference] are very competitive, teams who go out every game and give you everything they had. I loved playing the conference games, because as the underdog, I always wanted to surprise people and show people we can outwork those teams. Q: What would you say are your strengths as a ballplayer? And second, what skills will you look to improve as you move on to the next level? A: I would say I am quick and athletic and you can put me anywhere (defensively). I would like to add some power at the plate and work on ways to slow the game down at any time. Q: It is never a given to be able to move on and play college baseball. Has that always been a goal for you? A: I have always wanted to ACROSS THE DIAMOND: David Ruane fi red the ball across the diamond in a game this past season. (Courtesy Photo) play college baseball since I was a little kid. My family and friends have always supported that and I got some great insight from my participation in travel ball with the Vikings in the summer. SPORTS | SEE PAGE 21 With the majority of the team made up of eights, the coaches had to work around the rules. As a result, James Oliveira (5-0) and Kaleb Olson (40), the team’s lone two nineyear-olds on the roster, saw the bulk of the action on the mound, and they responded with perfect records. Nine-year-olds are allowed to throw over 50 pitches, while the eights are limited to just 50 per appearance. The coaching staff used only two eights – Joziah Rivera and Alex Pleytez – on the mound. Pleytez was credited with one regular season win, and also had another victory in the postseason, while Rivera’s only start was not until the championship fi nal game against the aforementioned Expos. “(Rivera) gave us several good innings to get the win,” Stopford said. “We beat (the Expos) in that game going away, 15-8.” The Mariners won the opener of the championship series, 12-9 to set the stage for Rivera’s heroics. They were actually trailing, 5-0 in that game, before outscoring the Expos, 12-4 the rest of the way. Logan LaRosa was the team’s primary catcher throughout the season. Oliveira, at times, fi lled in for him to give him a break from an everyday position that can wear players’ down. First base belonged to Pleytez, with Lenox Pham seeing time there, as well. Brayden Dinh was the team’s second baseman. When he wasn’t on the mound, Olson was the shortstop, and Rivera was beside him at third base. Jason Abruzzese, Dagoberto Castro, Jeremiah Duarte, Rocco Scafati and Lucas Stopford took turns in the outfi eld. In Little League, it takes the entire roster to produce a championship team, because each player has to play at least two innings in the fi eld with one guaranteed at-bat to avoid forfeits. And that’s what it took for the Mariners to come out on top. Passionate for sports Stopford, a high school CITY OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS DESIGNER SELECTION IFB No.: PLD-27-12 Project Name: City Hall Space Utilization Analysis Legal Notice The City of Everett (“Owner”) is seeking design services from a qualified firm (“Designer”) to perform a comprehensive Space Utilization Analysis and develop a minimum of two (2) conceptual space planning options for Everett City Hall, located at 484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149. The contract between the Owner and the Designer may be amended to include continued designer services through schematic design, design development, construction contract documents, bidding, award of construction contract, construction administration, and final closeout period of the potential Project. The RFS will be available July 22, 2026, through the Chief Procurement Officer, Kiara Freeman, Kiara.freeman@ci.everett.ma.us, via download at http://cityofeverett.com/bids/. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to register as a plan holder. Please note all addendum will be posted to the City’s website. Questions pertaining to the RFS shall be directed to the Chief Procurement Officer, Kiara Freeman, via email Kiara.freeman@ci.everett.ma.us, Phone calls will not be accepted. A briefing session will take place on July 31, 2026, please review Request for Qualification for more details. Sealed Responses will be received until August 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM at the Procurement Department City Hall, Room 14, 484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149. The City reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive informalities when deemed in the best interest of the City. Kiara M. Freeman Chief Procurement Officer City of Everett July 24, 2026 baseball umpire and basketball referee, has been coaching youth baseball for 10 years that included temporary stops in Malden and Sudbury. He became an Everett Little League coach six years ago. The former Project Manager at Raytheon was also an assistant basketball coach at Chelsea High School and has been an Everett Travel Basketball coach the last several years, where he has guided both boys and girls teams from age 7 youngsters to high school varsity players. He coached the Everett Bobcats for 12 years, before COVID shut everything down. But now, Stopford’s looking forward to moving on up with his eight-year-olds to hopefully the next level in the Everett Little League organization. He would also love to work in the Everett Recreation Department to continue his commitment to the city’s youth as a full-time instructor to go along with his high school officiating responsibilities.
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