Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 8, 2024 MALDEN HIGH SPORTS: Another record-setting night for Tornado Football in win over Chelsea Red Devils Xavier Blaise returns interception school record 107 yards for TD; Malden Boys Soccer notches win and tie just before season’s end By Steve Freker I t’s been a longer road than usual for Malden High Football this season. Senior defensive back Xavier Blaise took that theme to an extreme on Friday night, October 18. Blaise intercepted a Chelsea Red Devils pass deep in the Malden end zone and did not even hesitate. The Tornado senior turned on the burners and blasted out of the end zone and took a sharp beeline toward the left sideline. He juked one defender at about the 25-yard line, and after that it was all green. Blaise raced all the way to the opposite end zone for six points and a new Malden High School record, with a 107-yard “Pick Six.” Blaise’s big return broke a nearly 50-year Malden High record set in 1975 by senior captain Anthony Jesi, who ran an interception back for a touchdown 102 yards, GOLDEN TORNADOS SOCCER TRIO: From left: Sophomore Renato De Lima Serrao scored his first career goal; senior Thomas Tierney made nine saves; and sophomore Abdulmohalmen Kalefa played very well for the winners in a 1-1 tie with 8-4-5 Methuen at Macdonald Stadium in Malden. (Courtesy/Malden Athletics) Eastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com Dr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel also against Chelsea, ironically, in a 22-7 Malden win. The TD was the first of two for Blaise, who also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Aidan Brett just before halftime of an eventual 47-12 win over Chelsea at Red Devil Stadium. The win was Malden’s second of the season (2-4 overall, 1-3 Greater Boston League) and first in the GBL this season. Malden was back in action October 23 at home, falling to Revere, 2414, and dropping to 2-5 overall, 1-4 GBL. Blaise and teammate Jayden * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After McGuffie were the top performers of the night in the win over Chelsea for Malden. McGuffie, who leads Malden in every offensive category, added two long touchdowns to his season total, on runs of 78 and 65 yards. Sophomore receiver Manny Perez had three catches for 47 yards in the first quarter to spark Malden. McGuffie – who has 8 TDs on the season, tops in the GBL– finished with a whopping 233 yards rushing on just 12 carries (and the two TDs). He is closing in on becoming the first-ever 1,000-yard rusher as a freshman in Malden High history. He has over 700 yards rushing in seven games to date, with three games left on the 2024 schedule. Senior Malden captain Kevin Exilhomme also had an impressive night with five catches for 89 yards and two TDs. Malden senior split end Johnson Huynh also had a 24-yard TD catch, his first offensive TD of the year, to go along with two special teams scores. Malden Head Coach Witche Exilhomme was pleased with the result and the overall performance of the Tornado team. “When we come to play, that leads to good results. We got some excellent individual performances from ‘X’ [Blaise], Jayden [McGuffie] and Kervenson [“Kevin” Exilhomme] and their teammates worked to set them up for all their scores,” the fourth-year Malden Head Coach said. Coach Exilhomme pointed to the play of Daniel Da Silva and senior captain Earl Fevrier as keys to the Malden defense. Senior twoway center and defensive tackle Isaac Pineda also had a steady game for Malden. “Hopefully this team effort will continue this week and carry us RECORD SETTER: Malden High senior Xavier Blaise set a new school record when he intercepted a Chelsea pass in the end zone and ran it back 107 yards for a Malden touchdown in a 47-12 win. Blaise broke a 39-year-old record, which was 102 yards when Anthony Jesi ran a “Pick Six” back 102 yards for Malden in the 1975 season, ironically, also against Chelsea. (Courtesy/Malden Athletics) into Thanksgiving Day,” Coach Exilhomme added. Malden will have two non-playoff games on the weekends of November 8-9 and 15-16, with the season finale on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 28. Malden Boys Soccer earns a win and tie to close out the 2024 season. Sophomore Renato Serrao scored his first career goal on Saturday – and it was a big one – in a 1-1 tie with visiting Methuen at Macdonald Stadium. Senior goaltender Thomas Tierney also excelled with nine saves for the Tornados. Sophomore Abdulmohalmen Kalefa also played well for Malden, against a solid Methuen team which went to 8-4-5 with the tie and had beaten Malden, 5-0, just nine days earlier. In the Malden High soccer season finale, in a non-league match with Gloucester, freshman Ronald Fernandes and junior Yasser Belatretche scored goals to lead Malden to its first victory of the season, 2-1.
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