Catching up with Saugus Athletics Director Matthew Serino

By Dom Nicastro

The start of a new school year always brings a mix of energy and chaos, and for Saugus Athletics Director Matt Serino, that first day also marks the beginning of another full slate of high school sports. “Today was day one,” Serino said in an interview with The Advocate on the first day of school last week. “Today was mayhem for the district. Everyone came back to school today. So it’s a bittersweet day. Obviously, everyone still wants to be on summer break, but it’s nice to see the kids all back here.”

Now in his second year leading the athletic department, Serino has his sights set on building off momentum from a strong 2024–25 campaign. Over 250 students signed up for fall sports this year, a figure that excites him. “Anytime you can have over 250, that’s a fantastic start,” he said. “Football is up over 40 kids. Both our soccer programs — girls soccer is over 35 kids, boys soccer we had close to 60 kids try out, which is phenomenal. Volleyball, great numbers. We have golf up almost close to 20 kids compared to 10 last year. Our cheerleading numbers doubled from last year, and we actually have brought back cross-country for the first time in 10 years.”

Cross-country returns after a decade

Perhaps the most notable change is the reintroduction of cross-country at the high school level. Serino credited longtime track coach Joe Alba for helping build the bridge from middle school to varsity, and he’ll lead the cross-country program this fall.

“What we’ve been able to do is make the transition to high school,” Serino said. “We are fortunate the way our school is structured. We can have the seventh and eighth graders participate at the high school level for cross-country. So we felt like we were ready to make that shift. Before school even started, we had 15 kids, which, if you had told me, hey, you’re going to have 10 kids, I would have been happy. So the fact that we’re at 15 … that number is definitely going to grow.”

Two upperclassmen, Kason Imbrogna and Justin Bremberg, are helping lead the way as student ambassadors. “Having the two of them as the spokespersons for the cross-country team, along with Coach Alba, it’s only a matter of time before this program hits the floor running,” Serino said.

Boys soccer welcomes new leadership

On the soccer pitch, there’s a new face at the helm of the boys’ varsity team: Head Coach Josh Crespo. “The culture that they’ve been able to establish in just that short time, it’s been phenomenal,” Serino said. “The kids have really seemed to respond very well to him. He had close to 60 kids try out for JV and varsity, so he definitely had his work cut out for him.”

Volleyball and cheerleading continue to grow

Serino noted two programs seeing particularly strong growth. Cheer, under coach Hannah Phelan, has nearly doubled in size. “She has a fantastic group of leaders who strive every day to make the program better,” Serino added.

Volleyball also showed remarkable turnout. Nearly 50 athletes came out for tryouts, allowing the program to field freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams. Head Coach Mikayla Niles is leading a veteran group of captains — Mara Faiella, Ally Mabee and Maria Silva — who are aiming to return to the state tournament.

Building on a girls’ sports legacy

Saugus girls’ teams have been a consistent source of postseason success, but 2025 marks the first season without a senior class that delivered some of the school’s biggest wins in recent memory. “It’s very rare that you find that kind of special group,” Serino said of last year’s senior leaders. “They represented the school with pride. Their best characteristic was the legacy they left behind for the younger kids.”

The next wave of leaders for this school year “had the blueprint laid out for them, and they’re ready to hit the ground running,” Serino said.

Football steady with solid numbers

Football, meanwhile, has 40-plus players, which Serino considers a healthy benchmark. Head Coach Steve Cummings returns with a deep staff, including associate coach Greg Bluestein.

“I’m really excited for where this season is going to take us,” Serino said of his team on the gridiron. “They have a great group of kids coming back … those younger kids were kind of forced to step up and hop right in last year.”

As always, the Northeastern Conference will pose challenges. “There’s no easy night out,” Serino said. “Every night’s a dogfight. But I think our kids are ready for that challenge. The coaching staff definitely has them ready. More importantly, the kids have definitely bought in.”

Looking ahead

Beyond the fall, Serino noted a big fall coaching change — Julie Champigny stepping in for longtime field hockey coach Barbara Guarente.

And in boys hockey, Serino remains hopeful for the future. Boys hockey will spend one more season in a co-op with Peabody and Swampscott, while Saugus girls play in a co-op hosted by Medford. “Selfishly, I would love to bring back that hockey program, but the community is going to have to play a big part in that,” he said. “We really need people to buy-in and commit.”

For Serino, the outlook is one of cautious optimism, fueled by participation growth, new coaching leadership and a student body eager to compete. “We can compete with the best of the best,” Serino said. “Come watch a game and you can truly see what Saugus athletics is all about.”