THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 19, 2025 Page 11 ~ Saugus Fall Sports roundup: wins, growth and strong momentum ~ By Dom Nicastro T he Sachems are in the thick of their September schedule, and several teams are already showing progress and resilience against tough Northeastern Conference (NEC) competition. Here’s a look at how Saugus athletics is shaping up across multiple programs. VOLLEYBALL: BACK TO .500 WITH KEY CONTRIBUTIONS Head Coach Mikayla Niles has her squad sitting at 2-2 after the first two weeks. The Sachems opened with a three-set sweep of Gloucester before falling in straight sets to Beverly. “Beverly was a phenomenal match. Everyone played excellent. The energy was up,” Niles said. A tough night against Salem followed, but Saugus bounced back with a decisive sweep of Wilmington. “Everyone’s confidence is very much up this year, ready to go,” Niles said, adding that the seniors “came in like top dogs and they’ve definitely shown it.” Freshman Ava Foley stood out against Wilmington, playing middle for the first time and excelling at the net. Aly Mabee delivered a strong serving performance, while Sophia Desmond was “an animal” in both the front and back rows. GOLF: STEADY IMPROVEMENT, SIGNATURE WINS Second-year coach Daniel Bertrand has guided the golf team to a 2-6 record (1-4 NEC) with notable progress compared to last year’s one-win campaign. The Sachems earned a 41-31 victory over Salem on Sept. 8, highlighted by Trey Riley’s 7-2 win in the No. 1 spot, sophomore John Morello’s 7-2 win in the No. 3 slot and junior Artie O’Leary’s first win of the season. Seventh grader Nolan Descheneaux added the first win of his career. After losses to Northeast Metro Tech and Marblehead, Saugus responded by beating Everett, 52.5-19.5, with six of eight matchups going to the Sachems. “The boys stayed poised and showed strong perseverance,” Bertrand said. Recent conference defeats to Swampscott and Gloucester tested the team further, but Bertrand praised Descheneaux for continuing to collect points at the No. 6 spot. “Our top guys were up against it and stood strong,” he said. BOYS’ SOCCER: FIRST WIN UNDER CRESPO The boys’ soccer program broke through with its first win of the season, a 1-0 result at Gloucester. Senior captain Carlos Miranda scored the lone goal. That victory, the first for coach Josh Crespo, followed close losses to Swampscott (3-1) and Masco (2-0). More recently, the Sachems fell 1-0 to Essex Tech. “Collectively we’ve been improving defensively,” Head Coach Crespo said. “It’s been tough with only one win in the first four games, but I’m happy to see the improvement from preseason up until this point.” GIRLS’ SOCCER: BUILDING MOMENTUM After a rough opening stretch, the Sachems girls’ soccer team found their rhythm with a 6-1 win over Gloucester. Shalyn Sewell led the way with one goal and two assists, while her sister Shawn Sewell added a goal. Junior Sydney Deleidi scored twice with an assist, and freshman Selena Garcia netted a penalty kick in her return from knee surgery. Freshman Georgia Condakes added a goal off a header, and senior Natalie Justice chipped in a goal and two assists. Saugus followed with a 6-1 loss to Masco but showed progress, keeping the second half to just one goal allowed. Shalyn Sewell scored the lone Sachems goal. That growth carried into a 2-0 win over Salem. Justice delivered a corner kick that Shawn Sewell headed home in the first half, and Shalyn added insurance in the second. Junior captain Maria Garcia kept the defense organized, while goalkeeper Peyton DiBiasio earned the shutout. CHEERLEADING: NUMBERS AND AMBITION RISE The cheer program is experiencing one of its biggest surges in years under Head Coach Hannah Phelan. Participation has more than doubled from 15 athletes last fall to 35 this year, the largest fall roster in recent memory. “Not only are the numbers exciting, but this is also one of the most dedicated groups I’ve coached,” Phelan said. Captains Lani Perez (Sr.) and Savanna Dalton (Jr.) lead a group Phelan describes as hardworking and inclusive. The program will field both varsity and JV by winter, plus a 10-athlete competition team this season. Phelan believes stunting difficulty will be a strength. “We will be performing at a very high level this year, and the athletes have met every challenge we’ve put in front of them,” she said. The NEC will be competitive, but Phelan is confident her athletes will rise to the occasion. Key dates include the NEC competition on Nov. 8, with Regionals on Nov. 16 and States on Nov. 23 if qualified. Saugus falls 29-6 to Cambridge in opener, looks to regroup for Wilmington By Dom Nicastro T he Saugus High School football team opened its 2025 season last Friday night at Christie Serino Jr. Stadium with plenty of anticipation but couldn’t slow down Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s passing attack in a 29-6 defeat. Cambridge scored in every quarter, including three touchdown passes from its quarterback, and pulled away late after Saugus briefly closed the gap in the third. Saugus found itself trailing 14-0 at halftime after Cambridge connected on touchdown passes of 16 and 46 yards. The Sachems had opportunities to get off the field but couldn’t quite finish. “You know, we made just a few too many mistakes, especially early on,” Saugus coach Steve Cummings said. “We couldn’t get off the field on third downs. Their quarterback did a really nice job of picking up; he scrambled for a couple of first downs, was able to make some good throws on late downs. And then we got on offense, we kind of just had a couple of breakdowns here and there. We just needed to be a little bit sharper. We needed to be a little bit more aggressive.” The Cambridge quarterback, Dante Howard, proved to be the difference-maker. “He did a really nice job of moving the pocket, taking advantage of lanes, and he scrambles really well and put some pressure on the defense,” Cummings said. “That kid throws an accurate ball … he throws the ball on time, in rhythm, but he also keeps plays alive with his legs, and that was kind of the deciding factor.” Saugus came out strong after the break. Sophomore quarterback Eli Fialho capped a long drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pharoah Brandenburg, cutting the deficit to 14-6. “We kind of regrouped at halftime,” Cummings said. “We knew we were getting the ball to start the half. We put together a nice drive, go down and score, and then we actually made back-to-back stops. So there were two opportunities for us, with the ball down a score, to be able to go down and tie it up.” But mistakes resurfaced. “Unfortunately, we just made mistakes here and there,” Cummings said. “… just the kind of things that you can’t do in a close ballgame like that.” Cambridge responded with another touchdown pass in the third quarter to regain control and added a rushing score in the fourth to finish the game. Saugus (0-1) will try to rebound Friday, Sept. 19, when it hosts Wilmington in another non-league contest. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. The matchup comes against a familiar program with a new look. “They got a whole new coaching staff this year,” Cummings said. “Coach [Joe] FOOTBALL | SEE PAGE 16
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