Malden football looks solid in tri-scrimmage action Saturday

Mix of Golden Tornados veterans, newcomers takes it to Winthrop and Beverly at home

By Steve Freker

It is not the real thing, we all know that. But they are indeed wearing full equipment, there are referees on the field and all the players out there are fully authorized to yell, cheer and high-five when their team makes a great play.

Let’s start with this: There was a lot of yelling, screaming and high-fiving from the Malden High football sideline Saturday at Macdonald Stadium when the Blue and Gold hosted Winthrop High and Beverly High in a tri-scrimmage. Malden got some good contributions on both sides of the ball from a good mix of veterans and newcomers, scoring numerous times on the ground and in the air, while finally getting to smack players other than those in the same 02148 zip code for the first time this season.

“We looked good out there today, there was a lot to like,” said Malden fourth-year Head Coach Witche Exilhomme, a notorious “hard marker.” “We as a staff were looking for certain things: Aggressive blocking from the offensive line, hard running by our backs and quickness to the ball and then finishing off tackles by our defense.”

“We got most of that all day long and it was great to see,” said Coach Exilhomme.

There was also some stuff no one wants to see, but still a part of the game, especially this early in the season: penalties. Malden got flagged for a ton of penalties on the offensive side, particularly for illegal formations when some of the offensive linemen lined up improperly. “They [referees] kept warning us and throwing flags and we did not adjust. Finally we got the message and were better later [in the scrimmage],” Coach Exilhomme said. “That’s something we have to clean up before we get out there again. There are other spots we have to do a lot better as well, but we will on those, too.”

Malden was especially effective with its running game, as the line blocked aggressively, as encouraged, and opened it up for senior captain Mateus Brito, freshman Jayden McGuffie and junior Zachary Johnson. All three runners scored touchdowns and Malden also got some good running yardage from big 6-3, 260 H-back and senior captain Earl Fevrier.

Malden also got some offense via the air, with senior captain quarterback Aidan Brett knocking some quick hitters on slants and rollouts. QB2 Billy Gavin, a junior, completed several passes as well, including a 68-yard scoring pass to senior split end Brayan Jose, a perfect dime down the left sidelines. “That was an excellent play and it was between two players who are out for football for the first time this season,” Coach Exilhomme said, referring to Gavin and Jose.

Both Gavin and Jose are veteran Varsity Baseball players who contributed to this past spring’s record-setting 16-win season.

Defensively, there were plenty of stickouts, including Fevrier, Brito, senior captain Kevin Exilhomme, senior Tony Gedeus and junior Matthew Candelario Da Costa. While Malden scored five times on the day, the Tornado defense pitched a shutout, with neither visiting opponent getting into the end zone.

“We have a lot of work to do, but it was good to see us get into the end zone, play some physical defense and display a lot of enthusiasm,” Coach Exilhomme said. “We have a good amount of players who have put in a lot of work since their freshman year for this program, it’s time for them to get paid. That is what we all are working for this year.”

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Final scrimmage for Malden set for tonight at 5:00 vs. BC High at home

Malden High football will close out its preseason with a 5:00 p.m. matchup tonight at Macdonald Stadium, when it hosts Boston College High School from the Catholic Conference.

This is the third season Malden has matched up with the Eagles. “It’s a good test for us to see where we stand,” Coach Exilhomme said. “They [BC High] always have good size and excellent skill players and we expect it will be the same this year.”

For the first time in recent memory, Malden football will be matched against a team coached by a former NFL player. BC High and Boston College alumnus Paul Zukauskas is BC High’s first-year head coach. Coach Zukauskas is a 1993 BC High grad who played five seasons in the NFL – from 2001-2004 for the Cleveland Browns and for the San Francisco 49ers.

Malden’s home and regular season opener is Thursday, September 12, when the Golden Tornado squad hosts non-leaguer Lynn Tech.

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TORNADO WARNINGS: Malden’s #2 quarterback, first-year player Billy Gavin, comes from good family stock, as his dad, Bill Sr., played on Malden’s back-to-back Greater Boston League (GBL) Championship teams in 1987 and 1988. His two uncles, John (mid-1980s) and Dan (early 1990s), were also accomplished Malden High football players back in the day… Matthew Candelario Da Costa, who has shot up in size to 5-10, growing almost a foot since his freshman year, made several big hits Saturday. He is the brother of 2024 MHS grad Felix Junior Da Costa, a 6-1, 150 strong safety who led Malden in tackles with over 100 for the season last year and was also a leader in that department in the GBL for most of the year.