THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 26, 2025 Page 13 Saugus still searching for spark after 27–6 loss to Wilmington By Dom Nicastro I t’s not for lack of effort. Or heart. Or toughness. But two games into the 2025 season, the Saugus High football team is still looking for its offensive rhythm — and a notch in the win column. The Sachems dropped to 0-2 after falling to a physical Wilmington team, 27–6, at Serino Stadium on Friday night. The lone highlight came late when junior Paxton Ferraro scooped up a fumble and raced 96 yards untouched to the end zone — a blazing score that gave the home crowd something to cheer about but was far too late to get Saugus back in the game. “He’s one of the hardest-working kids that we have,” said Head Coach Steve Cummings. “He was the MVP of our JUSTICE | FROM PAGE 4 to continue that function in its current form while providing the Town with much-needed revenue.” WIN has declined to accept repeated invitations by the Ash Landfill Closure Committee to participate as a non-voting member in all four meetings that focused on the future closure of the ash landfill located near the company’s trash-to-energy plant on Route 107. Last year’s Annual Town Meeting created the committee with hopes that WIN would be involved in the discussions about the future of the ash landfill. WIN Officials have repeatedly refused to participate in discussions about the future of the ash landfill, maintaining that the committee has no right to suggest future plans for the use of their private property. Meanwhile, WIN Waste track team last year. I mean, 22 for Wilmington [Gus Lambert] is a good football player, and [Paxton] just completely pulled away from him. It was good to see him make a play in space.” Ferraro’s touchdown made it 27–6 with under three minutes to play. But the game had long slipped from Saugus’ grasp. For the second straight week, the Sachems struggled to sustain drives. Mental mistakes, missed blocks and untimely penalties kept the offense behind the sticks — and the defense on the field far too long. “We’re just having a hard time getting into rhythm,” Cummings said. “We’ll put a couple plays together, and then we kill ourselves — a missed block on the backside, a bad snap, a bad read. It’s drive killers. We’re putting continues to point to the tentative Host Community Agreement (HCA) approved two years ago by a 3-2 majority vote of the five sitting selectmen as evidence that town officials are amenable to a deal that would allow expansion of the ash landfill in return for compensation and other conditions. Selectmen Jeff Cicolini and Corinne Riley at the time of the nonbinding vote said they supported the HCA as a precautionary measure in case the state weakens environmental regulations related to the landfill. In fact, the HCA has no legal basis, under state law and under the Town of Saugus Charter. Furthermore, any HCA would have to be negotiated by the town manager and wouldn’t take effect unless the state allows the company to expand its ash landfill. If the state loosens the regulations at the ash landfill, the Board of ourselves in third-and-12s and third-and-13s instead of manageable situations.” Cummings said the result is predictable: too many threeand-outs, too many snaps for a fatigued defense, and not enough complementary football. “Our defense is playing well,” he said. “But we’re leaving them out there 60–70% of the game. You just can’t hold up like that.” Senior captain Kobe Jette was once again a force on both sides of the ball. “He’s been playing solid on both sides of the line,” Cummings said. “Wilmington’s coach came over after and said how hard it was to move him on defense. Offensively, he’s getting his hands on people and moving them. He’s doing his job.” Still, as Cummings emphasized, football isn’t an individHealth would have authority to conduct site modification hearings to ultimately decide whether and how expansion of the ash landfill would proceed. Saugus would receive $20 million over the next 20 years while WIN Waste could continue use of the ash landfill, according to the hypothetical HCA supported by a majority of the selectmen. Mary Urban, WIN’s Senior Director of Communications & Community, has previously told The Saugus Advocate that continuing to store the ash on-site would be more beneficial to the town than closing down the landfill and shipping the ash out of town. “We strongly believe the best financial and environmental option for the town, the state and our company is to continue to manage the ash onsite, as we have done safely and successfully for decades,” Urban said. “We are hoping the ual sport. For all of Jette’s consistency, the Sachems are still searching for the right formula as a team. With losses to Cambridge Rindge & Latin and Wilmington — both likely playoff teams — Saugus has faced a challenging opening slate. But Cummings isn’t one to look for moral victories. “We’re not consistent enough right now to beat those better teams,” he said. “That’s on us. We’ve got to find a way to get out of our own way and be able to sustain drives and get the ball in the end zone.” Saugus has a chance to right the ship when it heads to Manning Field in Lynn this Saturday, Sept. 27, for a 7 p.m. game against Lynn Tech (2-0). Cummings expects another test. “They run a lot of funky stuff offensively — unbalanced sets, shipping of ash is temporary as we continue to work with the Town on a signed Host Community Agreement. The focus of our long-term plan is to continue to work with the Town on a mutual path forward where Saugus receives around $20 million over the next 20 years and we continue to safely dispose of the ash next door instead of shipping the ash, among other benefits.” In his meeting with Belén Power, Manoogian recalled how the ash landfill continued to exist in spite of a law that required it to close in 1996. “What you see exists not as a result of law but a result of ‘consent orders’ issued by the DEP. Consent orders that are given without public input,” he said, reading from his statement to the Undersecretary for Environmental Justice and Equity. “But the end is near for this ash landfill. It must close motion, counters, pulling linemen,” he said. “You’ve got to be disciplined because they try to sneak up on you with speed and hit the edge.” On defense, Lynn Tech presents a different kind of challenge. “They’ve got some big guys up front,” Cummings said. “They run a 4-2-5. Their linebackers scrape and fill fast. Their secondary is athletic. They’re just solid across the board, and they’ve got great team speed.” The Sachems know there’s still time to turn the season around — but they also know it starts with them. “In spurts, we’ve done all the right things,” Cummings said. “But we’ve got to make more plays like Paxton’s. We’ve got to be more consistent. That’s how you change momentum and swing a game in your favor.” when it reaches 50 feet within the next two years unless there is a change in law or regulation. You see this area is an ACEC, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The regulations for ACEC do not allow for an expansion of a landfill. So the only two options for expansion are through legislation or a change in regulations,” Manoogian said. “Ms. Belin, we recognize that one of your goals is to weave EJ goals into the processes and goals of all state agencies. This is a civil rights issue. This landfill must close when it reaches 50 feet. Any suggestion that it be expanded is unacceptable. And it is unconscionable. We must – change the status quo,” he said. “We are looking to you to help make certain that the most vulnerable among us are not left out, left behind, and left to suffer disproportionately.”
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