THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 23, 2026 Page 11 Saugus football forfeits Gloucester game amid safety and roster concerns By Dom Nicastro T he Saugus High School football team will forfeit its scheduled Friday night, Oct. 23, game against Gloucester, citing “safety concerns and current roster availability,” according to an Oct. 21 report in the Gloucester Daily Times. The report stated that Saugus High School administrators informed Gloucester officials Monday evening, Oct. 21, that the Sachems would be unable to compete in the scheduled contest. The Advocate reached out to Saugus Athletics Director ROUNDUP | FROM PAGE 8 it possibly the best all-around game of her high school career. Braga contributed in serving, serve receive, kills, passing and assists. Captain Aiyana Cruz and sophomore captain Ava Foley have provided consistency, while Hailey Henderson has made an impact since being promoted from junior varsity. Niles also sees encouraging signs in the program’s younger teams. At the time of her recent interview, the junior varsity squad had a winning record and the freshman team was undefeated. SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 10 ber 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, recovery coach Matthew Serino and head football coach Greg Bluestein but did not receive an official statement as of early in the evening of Oct. 21. While Saugus officials have not independently confirmed the specific circumstances behind the decision to The Advocate, declining roster numbers have been an ongoing challenge for the Sachems throughout the winless 2026 season. Saugus began the fall with approximately 35 players, according to its coach. A roster provided to the Advocate late summer included 38 players. The Sachems have five matches remaining, beginning with road contests against Peabody on Oct. 21 and Everett on Oct. 22. Niles hopes her players can turn their competitive performances into victories before the season ends. CROSS COUNTRY BUILDING FOUNDATION IN SECOND SEASON BACK The Saugus cross-country program continues to develop under coach Joe Alba, with a young roster showing promise in just its second 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. Veterans Day Ceremonies Nov. 11 In an Aug. 31 int er - view ahead of the season, Bluestein said the numbers were “solid,” adding, “we’re a little over 30 kids; 35 kids in that range.” However, recent game-day rosters have featured roughly 20 players, according to Bluestein. The decline has raised concerns about the team’s ability to maintain sufficient depth, particularly in a physically demanding sport in which many players are required to compete on both offense and defense. In an Oct. 12 interview with the Advocate, Bluestein, a former assistant in his first seaseason since returning from a 10-year hiatus. The combined Saugus-Winthrop team features 13 runners, including seven middle school athletes and two Winthrop competitors. Winthrop runners Owen Harty and Matteo Agri have emerged as the team’s leading combination, with Saugus athletes Noah Gosselin and Ryan Haynes making steady improvements behind them. On the girls side, Joana Bocaj and seventh-grader Chloe Orcione have led the way. Alba has been particularly impressed with Orcione, The Saugus Veterans Council will hold the Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, which will begin promptly at 11 a.m. Please come and show our Veterans that we appreciate their service, and this is the day to say thank you. It will be held at Saugus Veterans Park at the corner of Central and Winter Streets. son as head coach, said, “We’ve got a lot of injuries going on. Some shoulder injuries. Some concussions. It’s getting tough right now. Just trying to keep their morale up.” It remains unclear if injuries are the lone cause for the roughly 43% loss of players. Saugus had one game since that Oct. 12 interview – a 35-6 loss to Salem Oct. 16 that dropped the Sachems to 0-6, with potentially more losses to injury, though that’s not confirmed. The forfeit will count as a 14-0 victory for Gloucester for Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association powwho has shown considerable natural ability in her first cross-country season. Gosselin and Bocaj are also developing into potential future captains. The cooperative arrangement came about after Winthrop found itself without a cross-country coach, allowing Harty and Agri to join the Saugus program. With more er-ranking purposes, according to the Gloucester Daily Times. The Fishermen improve to 6-1 and officially clinch the Northeastern Conference Lynch Division championship with a 4-0 league record. Saugus has two official games left on its schedule: at Swampscott Friday, Oct. 30, and home against Peabody on Thanksgiving Day. It’s unclear at this time if they’ll participate in the consolation playoff round for teams that don’t qualify for the postseason. That’s usually a two-game stretch between the end of the regular season and Thanksgiving Day. than half the roster consisting of middle schoolers, Alba sees substantial room for growth. The Sachems were preparing to face Peabody in their final dual meet of the season Wednesday, Oct. 21, closing another chapter in the rebuilding of a program that had been absent from Saugus athletics for a decade. - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Essex Division Docket No. ES26P2379EA Estate of: Patricia Ann Seymour Also Known As: Patricia Seymour, Patricia A. Seymour Date of Death: 06/12/2026 INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner John R. Seymour of South Dartmouth, MA a Will has been admitted to informal probate. John R. Seymour of South Dartmouth, MA has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond. The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under formal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner. October 23, 2026
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