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Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 13, 2020 Correia looks back on memorable career By Greg Phipps season that began on rather slow footing for senior captain Christian Correia and the rest of Saugus High School boys’ basketball team concluded on a pretty high note. After going 3-9 through their first 12 contests, the Sachems won six of their last nine games and Correia reached a major milestone by exceeding the 1,000-point plateau for his career. For Correia, the 43-point A time and effort to improve his all-around abilities. “When I was a freshman, my outside shooting, especially my threepoint shot, was definitely the weakest part of my game,” he remembered. “In the off-seasons, I worked on my shooting, dribbling and other areas to be able to get by defenders – to extend my game in multiple ways.” Correia added that learning performance against Northeast Metro Tech late in the season that got him past the 1,000-point mark was something he had considered on a minor scale but it didn’t consume his thoughts. “Last year I had an idea of it, but I never really thought I was going to get there,” he recalled. “It was tough because I didn’t play much as a freshman. But I kept working hard in the off-seasons, and thanks to my teammates and coaches I got to that goal. It was awesome.” Correia totaled 1,038 points for his career, fourth highest in school history. None of it came easily – he put in the to finish stronger at the basket and drawing contact was also a key factor in his evolution as a player. After enduring three quiet seasons record-wise, the 2019-20 campaign looked as if it would play out in a similar vein for Correia and the Sachems. The team stumbled along at 3-9 until a seasonchanging Northeastern Conference road victory at Danvers turned the tide and the team’s outlook. “The first 10 games we went 2-8 or 3-7. The second half of the year we really turned things around. That win at Danvers, it just sparked us. Our defense was spectacular, and we shut down their best players,” Correia said. “We had struggled on the road [up to that point], but once we got FIREFIGHTERS | from page 1 going to be more of a commitment to the people of Saugus and the community than if they lived out of town,” he said. One of the new firefighters – Patrick Cross – is a third-generation firefighter. He is the son of Fire Department Lt. William E. Cross III, who is in his 26th year with the Saugus Fire Department. Lt. Cross’s father – William E. Cross, Jr. – is a retired Chelsea Fire Department captain who served with that city’s fire service for 35 years. Fellow rookie firefighter Nick Landry also has family history with the Saugus Fire Department. His grandfather – Lt. Domenic Cataldo – was a decorated and longtime member of the Saugus Fire Department. “Nick Landry’s grandfather was on the job here a long time and Pat Cross is the son of Lieutenant Bill Cross,” Capt. Rizza said. “Nick and Pat have been coming down to the Fire Station – with the grandfather and father, respectively – and basically grew up here,” he said. “So, they have strong family ties to this department. But that gets them no favoritism. They’ll be referred to as the junior guys. They are not living off their family legacy,” he said. But Rizza has high expectations of the two legacy members and their four colleagues who began three weeks of training this week. “They’re all young, eager and ready to go. And that’s what we need,” he said. At least five of the men – and possibly a sixth – will probably attend the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in mid-July, according to Capt. Rizza. “Five of the new firefighters were hired off a Safer Grant. It does just that – it makes us safer and it makes the town safer,” he said. Rizza was referring to an $884,883 grant awarded to the town last fall by the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to fund the hiring and training of five new firefighters. This federal grant award is intended to increase firefighter safety, as it will assist the Saugus Fire Department in better serving and protecting the residents of Saugus by funding the benefits and salaries of five new that win, we became very confident and felt like we could play with any team in the conference.” The Sachems would go on to win three more key conference games, including victories over Marblehead and Lynn Classical. The season would eventually reach a somber end when Saugus bowed out at Watertown in the Div. 3 North first round. It was a competitive game and one the Sachems could have won. “I think we definitely could have gotten that game. It was a tough one to lose,” Correia said. “But I’m proud of my teammates – on the road in the tournament – it’s hard playing in an atmosphere like that. We still competed; I’m proud of that. In years past, we went one-and-done and really didn’t compete that well. This one was different.” Correia said he will miss playing with the teammates he’s competed with all his life, and will miss head coach Mark Bertrand, who took over as head coach in Correia’s sophomore year. Bertrand had also coached Correia through many levels of youth basketball over the years. Saugus senior Christian Correia completed a strong varsity career with more than 1,000 points scored over his four-year tenure. FIRST DAY ON THE JOB: The six rookie members of the Saugus Fire Department began their careers on Monday with a three-week training period. At Central Fire Station, left to right, are Ryan Henehan, Drew Oxley, Christopher Hunt, Jimmy Cresta-Devine, Patrick Cross and Nick Landry. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) firefighters for three years. This is the second time under the administration of Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree that the Town of Saugus has applied for and been awarded SAFER Grant funding to hire new firefighters. In 2013, the Town identified and applied for assistance to hire additional firefighters. The Town was awarded $1,222,760 to hire eight new firefighters and to fund benefits and salaries for three years. Town Manager Crabtree has maintained and increased those staffing levels since the grant was first awarded in 2013. With the addition of the new firefighters, the Saugus Fire Department will have 59 firefighters, according to Saugus FIREFIGHTERS | SEE PAGE 16

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