Malden High and Everett High football battled for the 129th time this year

Series started in 1893; Game #129 was played last night at Macdonald Stadium

  One of the oldest high school football rivalries in America resumed last night, as the Malden High Golden Tornadoes clashed with the Everett High Crimson Tide for the 129th time. Last night’s game was played at Macdonald Stadium in Malden. The series is now well into its third century of play, nearly 130 years old, having started back in 1893. It is probably a sure bet that nearly every single fan walked to the Malden-Everett game that year, as only a horse and buggy would have gotten to the field any faster for kickoff.

  The two teams played continuously for 33 seasons, from 1893-1926. For reasons not known, there was no Malden-Everett game played in 1927. But Malden High and Everett High have banged helmets every year since, on the second or third Saturday in November, from 1928 until 2011, when the MIAA instituted its new playoff system, pushing the Malden-Everett game back into October, for the first time in over 120 years. As of late, due to the new playoff structure, the game has been played on Friday night when it is Everett’s turn to host the rivalry.

  The last couple of years have been choppy at best in the rivalry. After a 39-0 win for Everett in 2017, the Tide’s second win in a row after Malden’s streak-busting, 22-18 victory in 2015, there was no game played in 2018, with Malden declining the date due to a slew of injured players. The series resumed in 2019 with a 30-6 Malden win, but the series was put on hold once again in the 2020 season, when all of the teams in the Greater Boston League (GBL) canceled all seasons for all sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Fall 2 season, in the spring of this year, the two teams again did not meet.

  This year’s game, #129, was scheduled at Eddie Melanson Field at Jack Macdonald Stadium in Malden for last night (October 28). This is a bit of history in itself, as it is believed to be only the eighth time the game has been scheduled in October, ever, due to the new MIAA football format. The 2012 game in Everett was historical, too, in that it was also scheduled for Friday night, a first.

  Last night was also the second time the game was played on a Thursday night. The last time the two teams met, in 2019, the game was also played on a Thursday night.

  Even when every high school football game was played on Saturday, until Friday night football came into vogue in the early to mid-1990s, the games were at 1:30 p.m. Malden-Everett was always a 1:00 p.m. start. As for the 1:00 kickoff, you have to think that the Malden and Everett football forefathers must have figured that this annual pigskin classic between the two blue-collar battlers might take a little longer that your usual high school rivalry, hence the one-half hour earlier starting time for the game in all of its previous years.

  In 2016, Everett roared back with a 43-0 win after its series record, 25-game win streak snapped in 2015 with a 22-19 Malden victory. Everett also won in 2017 (39-0), and after no game in 2018, another win followed in 2019, 30-6.

Last time the two teams played was in 2019

  Malden High’s Jerry Mervil stepped in at quarterback in that game, scoring the game’s first points on a 12-yard keeper touchdown run midway through the first quarter. In a torrential rainstorm, Malden led, 6-0, at halftime, the first time a Golden Tornadoes team owned a halftime lead over Everett in nearly 30 years. The Tide reverted to a double-wing, “ground-and-pound” offense in the second half, ate up large chunks of the clock and blanked Malden the rest of the game on their way to a 30-6 win.

  Everett’s 25-game consecutive win streak is a record in the ancient series, the most consecutive wins for either team since they started playing in 1893 during the final weeks of President Benjamin Harrison’s administration. The longest win streak ever for Malden was 10 games, from 1980-1989. Malden was actually unbeaten for 12 games, as it tied in 1990 (0-0) and again in 1991.

  There have been six ties, the last one being the 0-0 deadlock in 1990. The others: 6-6 in 1949; 0-0 in 1937, 1934 and 1926 and 6-6 in 1902.

Malden had a 12-game unbeaten streak over Everett from 1980 to 1991

  Before the 2015 win, the last time Malden defeated Everett was in November 1991, a 37-22 victory by then Head Coach Paul Finn’s squad, which capped the 12-game unbeaten streak for the Golden Tornadoes over the Crimson Tide, which stood as a high-water mark for either team until Everett smashed that mark in 2004 with its 13th consecutive win.

  Everett leads the overall series, 71 wins to 51 wins, having first taken the lead in 1999, 51-50, with a 35-6 victory.

  Former Everett High School Head Coach John DiBiaso was 25-1 over Malden, having departed after the 2017 season. He took over the reins for the 1992 season and snapped Malden’s streak with a 29-8 win.

Before 2015, DiBiaso had never lost to Malden, since as a player for Everett High, his Crimson Tide teams went 3-0 over Malden from 1971-1973.

  Coach DiBiaso also owns perfect 26-0 records over two other former GBL teams over that same period, Medford and Somerville, as well as a 13-0 mark over Revere, which left the GBL; 15-1 over Arlington, which left after the 2008 season; 21-1 over Cambridge, which left the GBL after last season; and 13-2 over Peabody, before Peabody left. Everett was also 13-2 over Waltham before Waltham took off for the Dual County League with Arlington and Cambridge. Arlington now plays in the Middlesex League.

Everett went 158-7 against GBL opponents under Coach DiBiaso

  For Everett under Coach DiBiaso, that’s a 158-7 record in the GBL and 24 straight outright or co-GBL titles, between 1992 and 2016, if anyone’s counting.

  The last four GBL “soldiers” joined the now 16-team Northeastern Conference (NEC) for the 2017 season after the GBL disbanded (after over 60 years in existence) following the 2016-17 winter season. Malden, Medford and Somerville played an NEC schedule while Everett played its first independent football schedule since the 1920s in 2018. The GBL is now reconstituted with 10 teams, and Everett is leading the way again under first-year head coach Rob DiLoreto.

  For what could possibly be the first time in the ancient series’ history, Malden has a first-year head coach, Witche Exilhomme, whose Golden Tornadoes team is 1-5 this season. Exilhomme also played in the Malden-Everett game three times (2009, 2010, 2011), winning the coveted Sam Aliberte Award as the top Tornado defensive player – twice – in 2010 and 2011, the only Malden player to ever pull off that feat.

Malden coaching records against Everett

  Former seven-year Malden High Head Coach Joe Pappagallo, who coached against Everett from 2001-2005 as a former offensive coordinator for Malden High, becoming head coach in 2009, won the 2015 game in his eighth try at the helm against Everett and was 1-7 overall. Former Malden High Head Coach John LoPresti, a Golden Tornado Hall of Famer who retired after the 2008 season, went 0-3 against Everett in three tries.

  In 2005, Malden lost to the Tide in what was regarded as one of the best games ever played in the series, but an intercepted pass in the end zone with 11 seconds left and Malden on Everett’s 5-yard line ended that hope in a 22-18 Everett win. Head coach for Malden that year was Rich Cullen, who went 0-7 versus Everett.

  Bill Manchester was 0-2 for Malden coaching against Everett and former Head Coach Steve Freker was 0-1 in his only shot at the Tide in 2019.

  Another highly memorable game in the series was the 1975 game, a hard-fought, 14-13 Everett win that resulted in a co-championship in the GBL for Malden and Everett, each with just one league loss. The game featured virtuoso performances by future NFLer Dan Ross, who later played tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals, and Golden Tornado Hall of Fame quarterback John Stanasek for Malden High, whose last second pass was knocked down on the last play of the game, similar to the 2005 finish. The late Ross, who passed away at age 49 in 2006, was honored at homecoming in 2014 in Everett.

“Two Thanksgiving Games”

  Former Hall of Fame Malden Head Coach Paul Finn, the longest serving football coach in Malden sports history, went 14-11-1 against Everett in a 26-year career that spanned 1973-1998. Having also played against Everett wearing the Blue and Gold of Malden in the mid-1960s, Coach Finn always cherished the annual Malden-Everett game.

  He would tell his players every year during “Malden-Everett Week,” “Malden High football is lucky. We get to play TWO Thanksgiving games, the second one is against Medford on Thanksgiving morning, but the first one’s against Everett… the Medford game’s for the fans… but the Everett game’s for the players.”

  Everett High is led by a mix of experience and youth this year. Ismael Zamor and running backs “JC” Clerveaux and “Cam” Mohamed lead a potent power offense. Kamarri Ellerbe is the sure-handed quarterback.

  Malden is battling at 1-4 overall and has been slowed by a slew of injuries this season. The Golden Tornadoes are led by seniors Jordan Rodriguez, running back J.J. Perez and lineman Ethan Heon. Junior Kyle Paulding leads the defense.

50th Sam Aliberte Award will be presented this year

  Also at stake this year is the 50th Annual Sam Aliberte Award – presented to Malden’s best defensive player in the annual Malden-Everett game since 1967 in honor of the late Sam Aliberte, a 1966 Malden High graduate who played in the 1965 Malden-Everett game and passed away the following year. In 1967, Dave Gordon was the first winner. Matt Geer was the last Sam Aliberte Award winner in 2016, the last time it was presented. The Golden Tornado Club, the booster club for Malden High athletics, has announced it is now sponsoring the annual award and assures all it will indeed be presented to Malden’s best defensive player in this game, at the annual All-Sports Awards Cookout in June 2022.

  Bring on Game #129 Friday night!

*****

Here’s all the scores from 1893 to 2019:

1893: Malden 25 Everett 0

1894: Malden 11 Everett 4

1895: Malden 20 Everett 4

1896: Malden 12 Everett 0

1897: Malden 4 Everett 0

1898: Malden 23 Everett 0

1899: Everett 12 Malden 10

1900: Malden 72 Everett 0

1901: Everett 6 Malden 0

1902: Malden 6 Everett 6

1903: Everett 11 Malden 0

1904: Malden 33 Everett 0

1905: Malden 16 Everett 3

1906: Malden 6 Everett 0

1907: Malden 12 Everett 2

1908: Malden 11 Everett 4

1909: Everett 6 Malden 0

1910: Malden 17 Everett 0

1911: Everett 22 Malden 11

1912: Malden 21 Everett 20

1913: Everett 54 Malden 6

1914: Everett 48 Malden 0

1915: Everett 47 Malden 0

1916: Malden 28 Everett 0

1917: Everett 14 Malden 6

1918: Everett 27 Malden 0

1919: Everett 10 Malden 0

1920: Malden 20 Everett 0

1921: Malden 14 Everett 7

1922: Everett 13 Malden 12

1923: Malden 6 Everett 0

1924: Malden 28 Everett 0

1925: Malden 7 Everett 0

1926: Malden 0 Everett 0

1927: no game

1928: Everett 8 Malden 0

1929: Malden 13 Everett 0

1930: Malden 6 Everett 0

1931: Malden 14 Everett 7

1932: Malden 6 Everett 0

1933: Malden 7 Everett 6

1934: Malden 0 Everett 0

1935: Everett 12 Malden 7

1936: Everett 6 Malden 0

1937: Malden 0 Everett 0

1938: Everett 8 Malden 0

1939: Everett 7 Malden 6

1940: Everett 13 Malden 0

1941: Everett 12 Malden 0

1942: Everett 19 Malden 0

1943: Everett 13 Malden 0

1944: Everett 12 Malden 0

1945: Everett 39 Malden 6

1946: Malden 12 Everett 6

1947: Everett 20 Malden 6

1948: Malden 40 Everett 6

1949: Malden 6 Everett 6

1950: Malden 7 Everett 6

1951: Malden 54 Everett 12

1952: Malden 13 Everett 6

1953: Everett 28 Malden 7

1954: Malden 19 Everett 13

1955: Everett 33 Malden 0

1956: Everett 20 Malden 7

1957: Malden 21 Everett 7

1958: Malden 26 Everett 20

1959: Malden 6 Everett 0

1960: Malden 28 Everett 16

1961: Everett 28 Malden 6

1962: Everett 40 Malden 0

1963: Everett 14 Malden 6

1964: Everett 38 Malden 6

1965: Everett 22 Malden 12

1966: Everett 14 Malden 6

1967: Malden 30 Everett 0

1968: Everett 12 Malden 7

1969: Malden 41 Everett 0

1970: Malden 32 Everett 20

1971: Everett 14 Malden 13

1972: Everett 50 Malden 7

1973: Everett 34 Malden 6

1974: Malden 26 Everett 6

1975: Everett 14 Malden 13

1976: Everett 20 Malden 7

1977: Malden 13 Everett 12

1978: Malden 33 Everett 0

1979: Everett 12 Malden 7

1980: Malden 34 Everett 8

1981: Malden 35 Everett 8

1982: Malden 22 Everett 18

1983: Malden 41 Everett 0

1984: Malden 43 Everett 7

1985: Malden 34 Everett 14

1986: Malden 15 Everett 6

1987: Malden 53 Everett 0

1988: Malden 31 Everett 16

1989: Malden 16 Everett 15

1990: Malden 0 Everett 0

1991: Malden 37 Everett 22

1992: Everett 29 Malden 8

1993: Everett 7 Malden 6

1994: Everett 35 Malden 24

1995: Everett 42 Malden 14

1996: Everett 37 Malden 0

1997: Everett 36 Malden 6

1998: Everett 37 Malden 12

1999: Everett 35 Malden 6

2000: Everett 34 Malden 7

2001: Everett 34 Malden 6

2002: Everett 42 Malden 7

2003: Everett 44 Malden 14

2004: Everett 35 Malden 7

2005: Everett 22 Malden 18

2006: Everett 35 Malden 14

2007: Everett 42 Malden 0

2008: Everett 25 Malden 0

2009: Everett 13 Malden 7 OT

2010: Everett 45 Malden 0

2011: Everett 42 Malden 20

2012: Everett 54 Malden 20

2013: Everett 35 Malden 0

2013: Everett 31 Malden 7*

2014: Everett 42 Malden 27

2014: Everett 42 Malden 21*

2015: Malden 22 Everett 19

2016: Everett 43 Malden 0

2017: Everett 39 Malden 0

2018: No Game

2019: Everett 20 Malden 6

2020: no game (COVID-19)

2021: ?

  *MIAA Playoff Game

  Everett: 71 Wins. Malden: 51 Wins. There are 6 ties.