Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 9, 2026 ROUNDUP | FROM PAGE 5 BOYS SOCCER EARNS FIRST POINT AS CLOSE GAMES PILE UP The wins have yet to arrive for Saugus boys soccer, but the Sachems have shown plenty of signs that they are getting closer. After some difficult results early in the season, Saugus has increasingly found itself in competitive matches. The Sachems lost 2-1 to Malden Catholic, 3-2 to Winthrop and 2-1 to Danvers before dropping another tight 1-0 decision against Gloucester. That stretch represented significant progress from an early 6-1 loss to Bishop Fenwick. The breakthrough finally came against Salem. Saugus battled to a 2-2 tie, earning its first point of the season after Salem had beaten the Sachems, 1-0, in the season opener. Senior captain Donny Santostefano has helped lead the group, while juniors Ryan DeSousa and Leonardo DeSantis have been key contributors for a team that has continued to compete despite the difficult record. Saugus followed the Salem tie with another narrow result, falling 1-0 to Tyngsborough, before a 3-0 loss to Masconomet. Five of the Sachems’ matches have been decided by a single goal, and the second meeting with Salem provided perhaps the clearest evidence of their progress: after opening the season with a one-goal loss to the Witches, the Sachems earned a tie in the rematch. Rumney Marsh tour showcases restoration along abandoned highway in Saugus (Editor’s Note: The following info is from an article submitted by the Rumney Marsh Conservancy highlighting the group’s tour last weekend in Saugus.) R umney Marsh Conservancy brought the public onto the abandoned Interstate 95 embankment on Oct. 3 for a free public tour exploring the highway’s history, decades of salt marsh restoration and possibilities for the marsh’s future. “When Rumney Marsh was designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1988, removing the embankment was a clearly stated goal,” said Matt Hallihan, the Conservancy’s founder and president. “Restoration isn’t just theoretical. It’s already happened here. We wanted people to see the results firsthand and understand why that progress should continue.” Built in the late 1960s for a highway abandoned in 1972, the embankment still cuts through Rumney Marsh. Large sections have been removed to restore salt marsh, but substantial portions remain. To the Conservancy’s knowlSaugus seniors Trey Riley and Artie O’Leary pose with their Senior Night signs. SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 7 ot’s Pen Scholarship. The 202627 theme is “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.” Voice of Democracy: Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the premier scholarship program of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Each year, nearly 26,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at the Post, District, State and National levels. Any student in grades 9-12 can enter, whether they attend a U.S. public, private, parochial or home study program. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. Students submit their essays through a local VFW Post. Patriot’s Pen: Each year, more than 800,600 students in sixth through eighth grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen annual youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $1 million in local and national awards. Each firstplace VFW Department (state) winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first-place winner wins $5,000! The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300to 400-word essay expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Additional information and applications may be obtained on the VFW National website at vfw.org or through the S/Sgt Arthur F. DeFranzo VFW Post 2346 at post2346@vfwma.org. Essays must be turned in by midnight, Oct. 31. Street sweeping continues edge, this was the first public tour devoted specifically to showcasing the completThe Town’s annual fall street sweeping program begins its second week on Monday, Oct. 12, weather permitting. Here is the schedule: Week of Oct. 13: Precincts 2, 6 and 8. Week of Oct. 19: Precincts 1, 4 and 9 (and work not accomplished in precincts from previous weeks). The work is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Work will be performed on Town parking lots only on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 12. Residents are kindly asked to keep vehicles off the street when sweepers are in the area. Residents may assist the Department of Public Works by sweeping their driveways or sidewalks into the gutter area prior to the program’s start. Residents are asked not to sweep driveways and/or sidewalks once the sweepers have swept. Keep in mind that street sweepers are unable to collect Participants listen as retired EPA scientist Ed Reiner discusses salt marsh restoration during Rumney Marsh Conservancy’s public tour of the former I-95 embankment in Saugus on Oct. 3. (Courtesy photo of Rumney Marsh Conservancy) ed restoration areas along the abandoned I-95 embankment, bringing decades of progress into public view.The tour was led by Ed Reiner, who retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2025 after nearly 50 years. Now a volunteer environmental advisor to the Conservancy, Reiner spent decades advocating for Rumney Marsh restoration and brought firsthand knowledge of the projects and decisions that shaped the landscape. Participants used restoration map brochures to connect the sites along the route with the broader marsh. Reiner discussed areas where highway fill has been removed and explained why understanding tidal movement is essential to stones, branches, leaves or other foreign objects. In addition, residents are asked to be mindful that sweepers cannot pick up large piles of sand. Please contact the Department of Public Works at 781-231-4145 with any questions. Elks plan Alcohol/Drug Recovery presentation Nov. 9 The Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee is sponsoring an Alcohol and Drug Recovery presentation from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St. in Saugus). This hour-long presentation is free and it will be presented by Sober Shuttle Inc. — explaining the benefits offered to recovering individuals. If you or someone you know would like to know more about these services, you should not miss this informative event. Services provided are cost-free transportation into treatment, reDAR prepares for 6th Annual Veteran’s Day Field of Flags Preparations for the 6th Annual Veteran’s Day Field of Flags to be placed on the lawn of Veterans Park at the corner of Winter and Central Streets (not the Saugus Town Hall) to honor and remember all veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, is underway. The Parson Roby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is sponsoring this event to honor all veterans, living or deceased, including those currently servSOUNDS | SEE PAGE 9 evaluating future restoration. The tour drew curious residents, local ecologists and regulators, including longtime Saugus residents visiting the marsh for the first time. The Conservancy plans to build on that community interest through public education, stewardship, monitoring and advocacy. Rumney Marsh Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, restoring, monitoring and advocating for Rumney Marsh and educating the public about its ecological and historical importance. Its work focuses on the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern in Revere, Saugus and Lynn. Learn more at rumneymarshma.org. covery coach services, placement assistance, food assistance, clothing assistance, community engagement and much more. Light refreshments will be served. Call the Saugus Senior Center at 781-231-4178 to attend; walk-ins are also welcome.
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