Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 5, 2025 THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS: It always happens on Thanksgiving! Unexpected heroes pop up all over the place By Steve Freker C onsider this a Thanksgiving “Given” while chomping on that leftover turkey leg, Malden football fans. On Thanksgiving Day, in probably every game Malden has in the ancient series dating back to the Roaring Twenties and most likely before the turn of the OTHER century in 1900, it happens. The “it” in this case is the rapid rise in the population of unexpected heroes wearing the Malden High Blue and Gold, during the game that matters the most. Seventy-times Malden’s won in this 138-game battle, and we bet you dollars to cranberry sauce that a Golden Tornado that may have never been expected has stepped to the fore and made himself that guy Dick Vitale calls a “Prime Time Performer.” “PTP Bab-eee!!” Dickie V blasts out announcing a game. That’s Charles (#11) and Perez (#83)? All they did was lock up the Medford passing game as if they put it in jail. No, nothing, nada for the Mustang air attack. Defensive MVP was Dante DEFENSIVE DUO: Thanksgiving Day Most Valuable Player Dante Bell (at right), a junior, and senior Jemiah Charles played lockdown defense in the secondary to help Malden beat Medford, 20-8. (Advocate Photos) what Malden junior Dante Bell, senior Jemiah Charles, senior Manny Perez, senior linebacker Johnathan Ventura and freshman linebacker Arthur Sewell were on Thanksgiving — Prime Time Performers all! PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RADON MEASUREMENT PROFESSIONALS AND LEAD-BASED PAINT INSPECTORS/RISK ASSESSORS 2024 MALDEN HEALTHY HOMES PRODUCTION PROGRAM The City of Malden, Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) is seeking proposals from certified radon measurement professionals and licensed lead-based paint inspectors/risk assessors. Malden received a Healthy Homes Production (HHP) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This program will fund healthy homes repairs in 95 low- and moderate-income dwelling units over a 42-month period. The Request for Proposals (RFP) includes radon testing, lead-based paint inspections, risk assessments, soil sampling, dust wipe sampling, and clearance inspections. Radon testing will be performed in every unit that receives HHP funds. The objective of lead inspections/ risk assessments and clearance inspections will be compliance with HUD’s Lead-Safe Housing Rule (24 CFR Part 35). Bidders must be licensed, insured, and have experience performing radon and lead paint inspections. All work must comply with Federal and state radon/lead regulations. Please email Shirese Franklin at sfranklin@cityofmalden.org for a copy of the Request for Proposals. Please call 781-324-5720, ext. 5729 if you have any questions. THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS 4:00 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2025. December 05, 2025 The Malden Cheerleaders and Jayden McGuffie know how many touchdowns he scored in the game: three! (Advocate Photos) mate, said. The interesting part of the equation is this: Coming into Thanksgiving, Bell, Charles and Perez had only played as backups for most of the season. Before a win over Lexington for Malden two weeks ago, Charles and Bell had not started any games in the defensive backfield. You could have fooled half the crowd at the game on Thanksgiving Day. Jayden McGuffie with his King Kong rushing day led the way on offense, but in the 20-8 win where Malden allowed its fewest points of the season — in the biggest game of the year — heroes emerged, by the names of Bell, Charles, Perez, Sewell and Ventura. 10, with the victory. *** TURKEY TALK: It was a beautiful day for basically anything on Thanksgiving morning, with clear skies, sunny and very little wind, even for usually always breezy Hormel Stadium, which is situated immediately adjacent to the Mystic River... Quite a change from last year’s game, which was played in driving, cold rain on a very forgettable and tough weather day. Also forgettable — for Malden, anyway — was the way “One Man Gang” Medford quarterback Justin Marino ran wild with over 250 yards rushing and 4 TDs to lead Medford to its second-straight Thanksgiving Day victory and the GreatHEROES | SEE PAGE 19 Jayden McGuffie and Head Coach Witche Exilhomme (Advocate Photos) The following is a true and real statistic between the two linebackers, Ventura (#56) and Sewell (#45): That pair made probably 75 percent of ALL the tackles in the game, both in the teens for sure. As for Bell (#17), Bell, who made a collection of big plays on the day when all the season’s football bills come due. His interception (off a deflection by the freshman Sewell) was a thing of beauty as he deftly plucked the fluttering pick out of thin air and returned it 11 yards. “I never had a chance at that ball unless Arthur [Sewell] knocked it loose. He [Sewell] made a great play and I just kept it going,” a humble Bell, who was eager to credit his team“We had to basically remake out entire defensive backfield for various reasons late in the season and those guys stepped up bigtime,” Malden Head Coach Witche Exilhomme said. “Those guys work hard, watch film, are very coachable and want to win. Can’t ask for anything more.” *** Malden Head Coach Witche Exilhomme and crew snapped a two-game skid with the win on Thanksgiving Day. As a head coach he is now 3-2 overall following his fifth year at the helm. Medford Head Coach John Curley went to 2-5 overall in his 7th Thanksgiving Day game. Malden went ahead in the series, 70-58
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