THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 16, 2026 Page 13 FRIDAY NIGHT PREVIEW: Malden-Lynn Classical tonight moves up to ‘Biggest Game of the Year’ status Tornado defense has to step up again to keep Malden Football playoff hopes alive By Steve Freker M alden High football Head Coach Witche Exilhomme was waiting for the defensive performance his Golden Tornado unit turned in last Friday night all season long. “We are still looking to battle for that MIAA playoff spot and we needed that type of effort on both sides of the ball,” the sixth-year Malden head coach said. “We have to keep that momentum going this week [against Lynn Classical]. Malden’s 45-0 shutout victory on the road at Chelsea last Friday was significant on both ends of the spectrum, according to Malden Assistant Head Coach Alishaan Moughal, who got out the calculator to show that the Tornados needed both the defensive shutout versus Chelsea — which it attained — as well as the points scored, to stay relevant in the hunt for a playoff berth. “In the new power rankings model, the point differential a team builds and finishes with is really important,” Coach Moughal said. “It is a key factor in most cases.” Malden returns home tonight to Macdonald Stadium, hosting the Lynn Classical Rams with a 6:00 p.m. kickoff, and the defending GBL champion Rams, after a slow season start, storm into tonight’s game on the strength of a pair of blowout wins. After starting the season with three straight losses to non-league opponents, Classical has scored 40 points or more in back-to-back wins, outscoring its competition by a whopping 82-7 margin, including a 42-7 win on the road against TechBoston on Oct. 2 and a 40-7 stomping of Medford last week at home at friendly Fraser Field in Lynn. Against Medford, Lynn Classical used the contributions of first-year quarterback Mark Walsh, a senior who is also the SPORTS | FROM PAGE 12 Classical, 6:00 p.m. Friday, 10/23: Malden at Manchester-Essex, 6:30 p.m. POSTGAME: Malden High Assistant Head Coach Alishaan Moughal (left) and Head Coach Witche Exilhomme (right) went over postgame statistics at Chelsea Stadium on Friday night. (Advocate Photo) ace pitcher and shortstop on the Rams baseball team; he ran for three touchdowns when the Rams (2-3, 1-0 GBL) hammered Medford at Manning Field. Junior Emerson Lara Castro added two rushing touchdowns. Malden will be looking to slow down the Classical running game tonight while keeping its own ground game red hot, led by the legs of the GBL’s leading rusher, Jayden McGuffie. After being held in check by Everett’s defense two games ago, the running back, who is Friday, 10/30: Malden at Somerville, 6:00 p.m. Friday, 11/5-11/7: MIAA Playoffs. Friday, 11/12-11/14: MIAA already Malden’s all-time career leader in rushing yards and scoring, broke out for 4 touchdowns last week. If Malden wishes to compete in the MIAA postseason this November for the first time since 2016, tonight is clearly on the “must win” list. Coach Exilhomme was also quite clear about the level of this game heading into Friday night. “It just became our biggest game of the year, we have to get this one and our guys know it,” Coach Exilhomme said. Playoffs. Thursday, 11/26: Malden vs. Medford in the 139th Thanksgiving Game, 10:00 a.m. ENROLLMENT | FROM PAGE 1 as enrollment numbers have shifted into a decline. At the October Malden School Committee meeting, Superintendent of Schools Timothy Sippel, Ed.D.L. but 3 of them reported lower enrollment than last year. This is not just Malden [with lower numbers], this is beyond.” The Mayor stressed that because of the way the state-provided aid to local school districts Enrollment numbers in the Malden Public Schools have declined since last year, as has been the case in over 90 percent of all urban school districts in Massachusetts. (Courtesy Photo) delivered a report on enrollment, detailing the numbers across the district. The total number of students enrolled across the Malden Public Schools on October 1 was 5,821, which represents about 300 fewer than the number enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year. The figure of 5,821 overall is also the first time in over 20 years that the total number of students has dropped below 6,000 students, according to research into previous enrollment numbers, or since the early 2000s. While there have been no reasons pinpointed for the lower enrollment numbers, Supt. Dr. Sippel said he and his administrative team are taking a close look at the figures and will be reporting more on this issue in the future. Students and families simply moving to other communities is the reason most commonly cited for the lower enrollment numbers. Both Supt. Dr. Sippel and Malden Mayor and School Committee Chairperson Gary Christenson noted that declining enrollment is an issue with many urban school districts both in this region and statewide. “Of more than 40 urban districts polled, all formula is set up, lower enrollments could mean lower state funding through Chapter 70. “Once again, we have to make it clear to our state legislature and others at the state level that the Chapter 70 formula must see some changes and adjustments,” Mayor Christenson said. “If they do nothing, we are in trouble.” The Chapter 70 funding formula administers state aid to local districts on a per-pupil basis. Therefore, fewer enrolled students for Malden could potentially mean reductions in Chapter 70 school funding from the state. “We could not sustain any more reductions [in Chapter 70 funding]. We need movement on efforts being made to address changing the formula,” the Mayor said. Mayor Christenson said he had raised this issue directly with Pedro Martinez, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) commissioner for Massachusetts, at a recent statewide event. “We reiterated to [Commissioner Martinez] that without adjustments to funding formulas, the decrease in enrollment could place a significant financial strain on Malden’s future budget,” Mayor Christenson said. Subscribe to The Advocate: www.advocatenews.net
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