UNSTOPPABLE: Malden’s Jayden McGuffie (255 yards, 2 TDs) has Somerville’s number…AGAIN!

Sophomore star leads Golden Tornado Football in home, GBL opener, 14-12

By Steve Freker

It is often said that if a sports figure seems to have a big game versus a certain opponent, then it means they “have their number.” When Malden High sophomore running back Jayden McGuffie is “on,” it does not really matter the name of the opponent. On those nights, he has EVERYONE’S number.

That said, after last Thursday night’s 14-12 home-opening victory over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Somerville, no one would argue that the 5-10, 180 Golden Tornado wrecking ball has the Highlanders’ “number.” McGuffie churned out a whopping 255 yards and 2 TDs on 18 carries to lead Malden (1-1, 1-0 GBL) to the victory.

This was the second consecutive year McGuffie has “had Somerville’s number.” Last season, in a breakout game for the young Malden High star, McGuffie opened eyes all around the state when he exploded for a school record 6 touchdowns (and 2 conversion runs) in a wild, 42-40, 4-OT loss for Malden on the road at Dilboy Stadium. In that loss, McGuffie ran for another school record 342 yards on just 15 carries. He also scored a touchdown via a reception for 414 total scrimmage yards. All told, in two games, 2024 & 2025: 32 carries, 597 yards, 8 TDs and 3 conversion runs (54 points in 2 games!).

The victory evened Malden’s season record at 1-1 overall (1-0 GBL) and started the Golden Tornado squad off right in its pursuit of its first GBL football crown since the 2015 season.

“[McGuffie] had a slow game last week, but this week he got right back on track against a team [Somerville] that was averaging 40 points a game,” said Malden High 5th-year Head Coach Witche Exilhomme. “It was a big night for him.”

Malden struck first when McGuffie busted loose for a 66-yard touchdown run on Malden’s second possession for a 6-0 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was no good and the score stayed the same. Somerville’s Jojo Flores led an immediate rally for the Highlanders, and he scored on an 18-yard run, bringing the game to a 6-6 tie on Somerville’s second possession.
Malden, which had a great night over offensively, churning out close to 400 yards of total offense, was led by McGuffie, who made runs of 10, 11 and 14 yards to boost the attack.

Malden senior QB and captain Billy Gavin connected with senior receiver Manny Perez on a 15-yard pickup for the second completion of the night for a first-and-10 on the Somerville 9-yard line with just 2:43 left in the first half. With just 1:48 left in the half, McGuffie would once again deliver, busting through with a 6-yard TD run to put Malden ahead 12-6. A two-point conversion by — who else — McGuffie, behind a strong block from 6-3, 260 senior fullback Colin Okoth gave Malden a 14-6 lead at halftime.

Malden picked up where it left off in the second half, driving the ball down the field on McGuffie runs, but Somerville stiffened, caused a fumble, recovered it and was back in business at midfield. Two plays later, Somerville’s Ryan Louis shocked the stadium when he rocketed to a 51-yard touchdown run. This brought the deficit to 14-12, but the Malden defense rose to the occasion and stuffed the Highlanders’ two-point conversion. It turned out to be the winning play of the night.

Along with McGuffie’s prodigal effort for the second year in a row against a familiar opponent, Malden’s defense was paramount on this night, as Somerville roared into Macdonald Stadium unbeaten at 2-0 with high-scoring wins over Boston English (31-18) and Belmont High (41-0) under its belt. Tornado cornerback Josh Bly anchored the Malden defense, batting down five passes and making 10 tackles. Right alongside him was senior Waslin Etienne, who made four tackles for loss.

Bouncing back from a tough loss last week on the road at Lynn Tech (27-14), Coach Exilhomme praised his defense for holding back a high-scoring Somerville offense for most of the night. “To come out there and be such a great team and play so solid on defense, it’s like waking up from a bad dream,” he said.

The Highlanders even made it to midfield on a last-ditch offensive series with under a minute left, after stopping Malden on a first-and-goal from the Somerville 5-yard line, after another McGuffie run.

After the bounce-back win, Coach Exilhomme said he believes his team is ready for any challenge. “To come back and beat one of the best teams in the (GBL), the sky’s the limit for this team,” he said.

The 5th-year coach had high praise for everyone who contributed to the victory. “I’m just proud of this team,” Exilhomme said. “I’m proud of the coaching staff, I’m proud of this program and the direction that Malden football is going.”

“We’re on the right path now,” Exilhomme said. “Our season opener was not what we expected; we weren’t prepared for [Lynn Tech].”

“To get a big GBL win tonight, that’s very big. The energy is definitely back in the locker room. We have something to build on going forward,” Coach Exilhomme said.

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TORNADO WARNINGS: It was a tremendous crowd at Macdonald Stadium to welcome the Malden High players and coaches in their home opener. “The crowd was big, loud and supportive, just as we hope it is for every home game this season,” said Malden Public Schools Director of Athletics Charlie Conefrey, who noted the emphasis this season on Theme Nights for each home game, sponsored by the Golden Tornado Club, the Booster Club for all MPS Athletics. Thursday night’s game was “Blue and Gold Night” and Conefrey said Golden Tornado Club Board Member Katie Bowdridge distributed hundreds of Blue and Gold beads on Game Night, à la Mardi Gras in New Orleans… Malden is right back in action with another home game, which was played last night (Thursday, Sept. 25) after Advocate deadline, when the Golden Tornado squad hosted another member of the “Golden” family, Northeast Metro Tech’s Golden Knights… Last night was “Country/Cowboy/Cowgirl Night” at Macdonald Stadium… If Malden is looking for some more “payback” from last season, here’s another game the Tornado squad let slip away last year, when the host Knights took advantage of a passel of Malden turnovers to hand the visitors a 41-30 loss. It was the second game in a row Malden had scored 30 or more points and lost… One area of the game Coach Exilhomme believes Malden has improved is on the defensive side of the ball, where, he said, the Tornados’ “physicality” has increased this season. “We are making some big hits out there and we are doing it consistently. Even in Week One where we lost the game, we were still out there playing aggressively and knocking people down defensively. That was not the case last season. It is good to see this year and we have to continue.”

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MALDEN 14, SOMERVILLE 12

Malden                        6          8          0          0-14

Somerville       0          6          6          0-12

First quarter

MAL: Jayden McGuffie, 66-yard run (kick failed).

Second quarter

SOM: Jojo Flores, 18-yard run (rush failed).

MAL: McGuffie, 6-yard run (McGuffie rush).

Third quarter

SOM: Ryan Louis, 51-yard (rush failed).

Fourth quarter

No scoring

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MALDEN FOOTBALL 2025 SCHEDULE

Fri., 9/12, Lynn Tech 27, Malden 14

Thurs., 9/18, Malden 14, Somerville 12

Thurs., 9/25, Malden v. Northeast, 6 p.m.

Sat., 10/4, Malden at Lynn Classical, 5 p.m.

Thurs., 10/9, Malden v. Lynn English, 6 p.m.

Thurs., 10/16, Malden v. Chelsea, 6 p.m.

Fri., 10/24, Malden at Revere, 6 p.m.

Thurs., 10/30, Malden v. Whittier, 6 p.m.

Week of 11/7, Playoff or Consolation

Week of 11/14, Playoff or Consolation

Thurs., 11/27, Malden at Medford, 10 a.m.

138th Thanksgiving Day Classic