Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2021 Sachems can’t keep pace with Big Blue By Greg Phipps T he young Saugus High School football team has certainly come out of the gate facing some major challenges in fall 2021. Last Friday night’s second-ever home game at the new Christie Serino, Jr. Athletic Sports Complex was another example of early season growing pains for the Sachems. A visit from a powerful Swampscott squad turned out to be a convincing win for the undefeated Big Blue. ~ POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT ~ Alex Manoogian announces candidacy for election to Town Meeting for Precinct 5 M y name is Alex Manoogian and I am seeking election to Saugus Town meeting for Precinct 5. I was born and raised in Saugus and in 2015, I purchased my first home at 38 Blueridge Ave. where I live with my wife, Katherine, and my dog, Daisy. We are proud to be Saugus residents and taxpayers. As an Eagle Scout of Saugus Troop 62, I saw how community service can impact neighborhoods and strengthen the town, and I am excited to have an opportunity to further serve a community that has done so much for me throughout my life. I graduated with honors from Saugus High School in 2004 and earned my Bachelor of Science in Economics in Finance from Bentley University in 2008. I have spent the last 13 years working for defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and L3Harris where I learned how to manage cost and schedule performance on complex government contracts. I now work full time as a Finance Manager for L3Harris in Wilmington, MA leading a team of analysts overseeing the financial performance of a 275-person business which delivers $115M in annual revenues. I take pride in my proven track record of improving financial performance through refinements to the bid and proposal process, contract negotiations, and risk and opportunity management. In this role, I have also developed and administered a $30M overhead budget across 20 different functional departments, which yielded cost savings to government customers of roughly $2M annually over the past two years. I have Saugus did score a fourth-quarter touchdown to avoid being shut out but, for the most part, the contest was pretty much controlled by Swampscott, which won going away, 416. The Big Blue jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and increased the margin to 27-0 by halftime. Another touchdown and extra point made it a 34-0 game entering the fourth period. Saugus finally got on the scoreboard courtesy of a 16-yard pass play from quarterback Sean O’Rourke to Drew Gardiner. It was O’Rourke’s first touchdown pass of the season and just Saugus’s second score of the year. The visitors would add one more touchdown on a 42-yard run by Xaviah Bascon to help account for the final margin. Swampscott improved to 4-0 and has tallied over 40 points in its last three games. Meanwhile, the Sachems, who remained winless at 0-4, were hoping for a more positive outcome when they traveled to face Salem on Thursday (after press deadline). The Sachems won both times against the Witches in last spring’s abbreviated seaSON OF A TOWN MEETING MEMBER: Alex Manoogian wants to join his dad Peter on the Saugus Town Meeting. Both are running in the Nov. 2 Town Election. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) found that strong results such as these are not manifested through financial competency alone, but rather through leadership, communication, and collaboration. After being a part of Saugus for 35 years, I would be honored to serve as a Town Meeting member so that the voices of precinct 5 constituents are heard loud and clear regarding the future of the Lynnhurst School. I believe that my capabilities as a leader, my passion for community service, and my deep roots in the Town of Saugus position me to be a transformative voice for Precinct 5. For these reasons, I am requesting that you cast one of your five votes on Tuesday, November 2nd for me, Alex Manoogian. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions (781820-6157) or email me at alex.r.manoogian@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration. Saugus quarterback Sean O’Rourke and receiver Drew Gardiner hooked up for a touchdown in last Friday’s home loss to Swampscott. (Advocate photo by Greg Phipps) son. But Salem has shown signs of marked improvement so far this fall. The Witches were 3-1 overall heading into Thursday’s tilt and were coming off a big 15-6 home win over Gloucester last Friday. It was the first time Salem had beaten the Fishermen in nearly two decades, so the Sachems were set to face a team that had to be feeling very good about itself. Nevertheless, Saugus is no doubt determined to put forth a good performance and come away with its first win of fall 2021. The Sachems also have a good shot at another victory next Friday, Oct. 15, when they travel to battle Gloucester, which had yet to win a game after last week. Eight Boston Marathoners run for The Angel Fund for ALS research E ight runners will participate in this year’s 125th Boston Marathon in support of The Angel Fund for ALS Research, a 501 (c)(3) independent charity that benefits amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at UMass Medical School. The eight runners are Russell Becker, running his 10 consecutive Boston Marathon; Matt Bergin, running his 31st consecutive Boston Marathon; Sarkis Chekijian, running his 11th consecutive Boston Marathon; Matt Merz and Zita Merz, both running their seventh marathon, Meghan Osterlind, running her 19th consecutive Boston Marathon; Chris Remer, running his fifth Boston Marathon; and Amin Saab, a 33-year marathoner. The Angel Fund team has been raising funds for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research at the Cecil B. Day Lab under the direction of Dr. Robert H. Brown, Jr., a world-renowned researcher in the field of ALS. “We are proud that we have eight supporters who are running for Team ALS in this year’s Boston Marathon,” said The Angel Fund for ALS Research President Rich Kennedy, who is a former longtime Boston Marathon runner. “It is an inspiration to watch our team train and run the 26.2 miles in honor of The Angel Fund and those who are and have been affected by ALS. They all have inspirational stories as to why they run.” The team members have created a fundraising page at Classy.org which enables supporters to donate and to learn more about a runner and the inspiration behind a runner’s fundraising efforts. To donate to the runners and to read their stories, visit the fundraising page: www.classy.org/campaign/boston-marathon-2021/ c351920. To follow the runners’ progress during and after the Boston Marathon on October 11, visit the Boston Athletic Association’s webpage at www. baa.org. In addition to the Boston Marathon team, The Angel Fund conducts fundraising events throughout the year which, along with other individual and corporate donations, have been beneficial in helping make significant strides in ALS research. For a list of upcoming events, visit The Angel Fund website, www.theangelfund.org. Donations to the Angel Fund can also be made online at www.theangelfund.org or can be sent to The Angel Fund, 649 Main St., Wakefield, MA 01880. For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-233-4446 or Info@advocatenews.net
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