Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 22, 2024 MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 6 Roosevelt Park puddle. I am one with my environment. I block for Stanasek and Russell and Jesi and Langston and Roach. I find out what it feels like to win the G.B.L. “1972. Thirteen years old and a captain of the A-Squad. This year, I wash my uniform, and we don’t win the G.B.L. We come close. But we lose to Chelsea in the final game. Billy Swanson, who will choose not to play organized football after this season, is our best player on offense and defense. “1973. Ninth grade, now. Beebe. Gene Revelas is the fullback, and I am tailback. We give each other concussions every Tuesday at one-on-one head-slamming drills. I see stars explode in the sky above and feel an electric shock go through exactly one side of my body. We surprise everyone by losing our first two games. But we finish the season 5-2. “1974. My first year at Malden High. I can’t imagine any team, ever, having three better varsity captains than Jack and Jeff and Bunza. Our sophomore team goes undefeated. Shawn and I are on the varsity kickoff team. And this feels like a privilege because Malden wins the G.B.L. “1975. A junior in high school. I have my best season. And my favorite season. I’m starting at left guard. My best friend, Louis Femino, is right guard. Malden wins another G.B.L. I could have climbed to the top of the gas tank next to the field and yelled, ‘Look at me, Ma. I’m on top of the world.’ “But that world of ours keeps on turning. And there is a reason why Greek tragedies are timeless. The season of 1976 rolls around. Senior year. Along with Louie and Richard Angelo, I’m a team captain. Much is expected of us. Lou Racca tells me that he wants an undefeated season. ‘And no ties.’ “They have me starting both ways. I’m a 160-pound nose tackle. I beat everyone on the bench press. But I have the legs of a distance runner. I’m an improper fraction. Designed for wrestling. “I get off to a pretty good start. In our first game against Melrose, I get slugged. But I have matured. (Or so I believe at the time.) I don’t punch back. I waive bye-bye to the kicked-out-ofthe-game Melrose player. We take the fifteen yards and win the game on a double pass. “The season goes on. I wear down. There is inner-turmoil and what I think is called ‘adolescent angst.’ I’m seventeen and a mess. I have issues. And that all sounds like excuses. “But, whatever. I am not getting the job done on defense and it is hurting the team, and I know it and it frustrates me, and I take those frustrations out on LET THE PROS HANDLE IT! ™ Say “NO” to Cleaning Out Your Gutters. Protect Your Home With LeafFilter. 20 10% OFF Your Entire Purchase* FREE INSPECTION! BEFORE AFTER + % OFF Seniors + Military ++ We off er fi nancing that fi ts your budget!1 Promo: 285 CALL TODAY FOR A 1-888-617-2908 + See Representative for full warranty details. *One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. 1Subject to credit approval. Call for details. AR 366920923, AZ ROC 344027, CA 1035795, CT HIC.0671520, FL CBC056678, IA C127230, ID RCE-51604, LA 559544, MA 176447, MD MHIC111225, MI 262300173, 262300318, 262300328, 262300329, 262300330, 262300331, MN IR731804, MT 226192, ND 47304, NE 50145-22, 50145-23, NJ 13VH09953900, NM 408693, NV 86990, NY H-19114, H-52229, OR 218294, PA 179643, 069383, RI GC-41354, TN 10981, UT 10783658-5501, VA 2705169445, WA LEAFFNW822JZ, WV WV056912. We’re looking to install our NEXT GENERATION gutter guard on your home! Mathew because he is the biggest kid on the team and I don’t have that size and maybe we should have two-platooned and blah, blah, blah. “The Thanksgiving Day Game arrives. We are at Pearl Street on a perfect-weather day in front of six thousand people. I come out of the huddle for the first play of the game, and there, waiting for me, lined up at defensive tackle, is Anthony Pasquale. “Malden is behind but we have the ball at the end of the game on what feels like the final drive. Malden fumbles. Medford recovers. And then something strange happens. A Medford player, who hadn’t yet been in the game, comes in for just one play. And when the play is over, he walks up to me and punches me in the helmet. Might as well have been a flea. But the old me resurfaces. And, without thinking, I punch him back. We are both kicked out. I have fallen for the oldest trick in the book. “And if it was a designed setup, it’s still my fault. I had to play my part for it to work. “I walk to the sideline and sit on the bench. It’s sinking in. I’m done. It’s over and I’m out. I can’t undo it. Time’s arrow is unforgiving. I’m stunned. I feel empty. “Medford wins. “I walk down the hall of the clubhouse into the Medford locker room. Bennie Talbot thinks I am going there to fight. He follows me to back me up. But I just shake Anthony’s hand and say, ‘good game.’ “And then I’m back in the Malden room. With the kids I grew up with. Where there are so SPORTS | FROM PAGE 8 The Malden 9th grader had FULL SERVICE GUTTER PROTECTION – SCHEDULE YOUR FREE INSPECTION NOW! 1-888-617-2908 already set one major Tornado Football school record earlier this season when he ran for 368 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in an overtime loss to Somerville. Not enough for this kid. This past week McGuffie needed just 11 more yards on the ground to allow him to pass a major milestone. The 5-10, 170 freshman got that on his very first carry, going on to finish the night with 182 yards on 20 carries and a two-point conversion. With another big night, McGuffie became the first freshman to ever many memories. And there, it all catches up to me. My whole life to that point gathers like a storm cloud. “Now cue the tears. “Quiet on the set. And... action. “Coach Finn’s voice, addressing the team: It’s over. Go on with life. “And that’s a wrap. And it’s how my seven-year football journey ends. “By way of a riddle and a plot twist and a slightly bizarre epilogue, at the end-of-season banquet, Coach Cullen gives me a trophy for...wait for it...Unsung Hero of the Medford Game. “I never did figure that out. But that’s okay. Not all mysteries need to be solved. “Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.” As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – here’s a little something, something stolen from the inner sanctum on my distraction box aka Facebook with permission from its originator, somebody named Tim Mills. He’s able capture the essence of “Malden Life” in a couple hundred words, something I have been trying to accomplish for the past 100,000 or so words. Bravo, Mr. Mills. I’ve tried contacting Timmy to flesh out his Malden life story or background to give him his just due. To no avail. Timmy is a man of mystery. Thank you anyway for this, sir, whether you are a real person or not: “In Malden’s arms, where memories reside, Where the streets whispered secrets, side by side, The echoes of childhood still softly ring, in every corner, where the heart takes surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a single season for Malden High. He now has 1,170 yards on 145 carries this season. McGuffie, who has also scored 11 touchdowns this season to lead the Greater Boston League, is not your average runner, to say the least. “He’s shifty, but a very strong shifty who can stop and juke someone pretty easily. Or, if need be, he can also run someone over,” said Malden 4th-year Head Coach Witche Exilhomme, who has been a mentor to McGuffie and his family of two other former Tornado football standouts: Davian (Class of 2024) and Nik McGuffie (Class of 2021). wing. The Granada’s glow on a Saturday night, Films flickering dreams in the silver light, Nelson’s sweet aroma filling the air, A bakery’s warmth, a city’s tender care. Ferryway Green, where laughter would play, Chasing the dusk as it faded away, And Suffolk Square, a bustling heart, where every small shop had its own part. Nedlam’s pride in blue and gold, Stories of youth, forever told, Stuart’s chatter, Riley’s Roast Beef, these were the days that felt too brief. The scent of coffee, warm and deep, In New England mornings, memories keep, Sparks and tees, the latest trend, worn by us all, friend to friend. The Rez, where winter’s grace was found, Skates on ice, a joyful sound, And Big A’s subs, after a snow-filled day, The taste of warmth in every way. Converse steps on every street, Where the rhythm of life was sweet, the rubber soles of dreams and hope, Guiding us on this lifelong slope. Devir’s sky on July’s bright night, Fireworks dancing, a dazzling sight, Tricca’s, Gloria’s, places we knew, each one a thread in the fabric we grew. Malden, you’re the song we hum, the gentle beat of a childhood drum, In every stone, in every tree, You hold our past, our memory. For in your streets, our hearts remain, In sun and snow, in joy and rain, Malden, our home, our guiding star, No matter the distance, we’re never far.” —Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at PeteL39@ aol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms. Coach Exilhomme said he expected McGuffie to have a decent season offensively, but not in the dominant fashion he has shown at times: “He is an exceptional athlete, a very solid mix of strength and speed. He also has a nose for the end zone and this is so hard to teach a player. It’s just instinct.” Coach Exilhomme took over the play-calling on offense this season, and the result has been a dramatic turnaround from a team that was shutout 10 times in the past two seasons, to averaging 27.0 points per games this SPORTS | SEE PAGE 19
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