THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 10, 2025 Page 11 SACHEM WRESTLER MAX LORUSSO REACHES 100WIN MILESTONE By Dom Nicastro ~ Saugus High School Sachems Sports roundup ~ · 138: Lukas Fondulis beats Lizjon Cocka, 15-0. · 144: Max Lorusso beats Cyvant Hayes, 0:50. · 157: Justin Bremberg beats MarcelSaugus/Peabody wrestler Max LoRusso of Saugus has joined his brother Sam in the 100-win club. The 17-year-old senior did it one season after his brother did for the Tanners wrestling team, a cooperative program between Saugus and Peabody. Sam last season was 56-10 overall and undefeated in dual meet competition (45-0) in 2023 and 2024. He finished with 113 career wins and was a two-time NEC/CAL Champion and a top-eight finisher in New England. Younger brother Max should have some stellar accolades once the dust is settled. He wrestles at 144, but in his eighth-grade year, he was at 113. The team as a whole has been doing great, and there is no shortage of Saugus wrestlers pitching in. In a 63-15 win over Worcester Tech, the Saugus winners included: · 106: Anna Felicio beats Declan Callahan, 1:05. · 126: Jake Murray beats Jordan Miner, 3:57. lus Cardenas, 1:06. In a 42-36 win over Pentucket, Saugus/Peabody got Saugus victories from: · 113: Felicio beat Ryan Niles of West Newbury, 1:02. · 144: LoRusso beat Aiden Rumsey, 1:22. · 157: Bremberg beat Jackson Miller, 1:06. SAUGUS BOYS BASKETBALL TOPS WINTHROP, FALLS TO SWAMPSCOTT The Saugus High School boys basketball team picked up its third win of the season, 51-49 over Winthrop. “It was a hard-fought battle on the road,” Saugus coach Joe Bertrand said. “We survived a Winthrop comeback.” Saugus improved to 3-4, heading into a matchup at home against Swampscott. Against Winthrop, Jordan Rodriguez led the way with 15 points. Also getting into double figures were Ryan PEABODY/SAUGUS/ SWAMPSCOTT HOLDS ITS OWN AGAINST DEFENDING STATE CHAMPS Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott Saugus-Peabody wrestling coach Wayne Moda and Max LoRusso (Advocate photo) Shea, 13 points, and Huey Josama, 10. Cam Victor added nine points for the Sachems. Saugus couldn’t make it two in a row against the Big Blue of Swampscott. The Sachems fell to 3-5 in an 89-64 loss. Victor this time led the way with 19 points, followed by Josama (10 points) played a competitive game against Marblehead, which is the defending Division 3 state champion. The team lost, 3-1. The Tanners got their lone goal from Peabody senior Nick Muse. His goal came on an assist from Peabody senior Tyson Higgins. That made it a 2-1 game with less than seven minutes to go in the game. Swampscott’s Dom Pappalardo played well in net in the loss. Muse had another goal in a 4-1 loss this week to Wakefield in a nonleague matchup, and Pappalardo played well in net. The Tanners are 3-4-0 heading into a 14-day layoff. The team next will play on Jan. 18, when it hosts Danvers at McVann/O’Keefe Memorial Rink. Family and coaches congratulate DiBiasio on scoring 1,000 career points in girls’ hoop By Tara Vocino F amily, Sachems fans and coaches congratulated junior Peyton DiBiasio on scoring her 1,000th career point in girls’ basketball, following last Thursday’s basketball game at Saugus High School. Her sister, Ariana, said being proud of her is an understatement. “Surrounded by Saugus pride, we’re showing that Saugus isn’t just a small town,” Ariana said. “It’s rare for girls to achieve this.” The last time a female at Saugus High School achieved this milestone was in 2014 by now Assistant Coach Norma Waggett. Former basketball Coach Mark Schruender said Peyton’s talent speaks for itself as the only 8th grader to make varsity in his 10 years as coach. “I think the thing that I respect most about Peyton is her elite work ethic,” Schruender said. “Between water breaks she’d take shots at practice and in the off season she played constantly… She never misses days and never gives haphazard effort. Ultimately this is really hard to measure, but if there was an odometer on all the work put in, Peyton would lap the field.” “On top of her work ethic she does so many unrequired things that I admire from a character perspective,” Schruender said. “Even though I’m out of the picture, I see Peyton volunteering after school to do skills training with Saugus middle schoolers.” Just a few weeks ago he brought his one-year-old to and Ryan Dupuy, who had nine. Saugus travels to Masconomet on Thursday, Jan. 9 (after press deadline). A GRAND MOMENT: Shown celebrating Peyton’s 1,000th point, from left: brother Ronald, father Ronald, mother Jennifer, Peyton and sister Ariana DiBiasio during last Thursday’s girls’ basketball game at Saugus High School. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) cheer on his students at an eighth-grade travel game, and Peyton was sitting on the bench to support them. 1,000 POINTS | SEE PAGE 12
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