Cody’s world: Munafo powers Saugus past Wilmington

By Dom Nicastro

Saugus got in the winner’s column last Friday night in a 22-10 road win over Wilmington. The non-league victory put the Sachems at 1-1 on the season, and the team continues its non-league portion of the schedule with a Thursday night, Sept. 26, matchup against Lynn Tech in the home opener at 6:30 p.m.

Senior Cody Munafo led the Sachems in a lot of ways against Wilmington. The captain had 30 carries for 160 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. On defense, Munafo recorded nine tackles, a sack and an interception and recovered two fumbles.

“I was going into that week a little mad because of the prior week’s game [21-14 loss to Cambridge R&L] but I just had to put that anger aside and focus on the Wilmington game,” Munafo said. “My team, coaches and all the practices and film sessions we had beforehand led to my success on the field. I give all the credit to the team since the team worked hard in practice, and in the game that made me want to work even harder and focus even more for that game. The film sessions were probably the biggest part of my success. It showed where I should be at the right time on defense. Also, my fumble recovery on the first play of the game set the tone for the rest of the game and on offense I give credit to my offensive line; they didn’t quit not even for one play.”

Wilderson Lafortune, Koby Jette, Laith Haddad, Moises Perez and Paxton Ferraro composed an offensive line that paved the way for Munafo, whose looks on offense have increased significantly this season.

Steve Cummings, Saugus’ coach, highlighted Munafo’s growth and contributions, noting that Munafo was one of the few players with significant playing experience from last season. However, last year Munafo mostly played as a lead blocker and linebacker. This season, he has a chance to step up and shine, and he’s making the most of it in the first eight quarters of the season. He had two touchdowns in the opener as well. Despite having never carried the ball as much before, Munafo showed no signs of fatigue and even performed better in the second half.

The coach emphasized that Munafo’s 160 yards on the ground were a team effort, made possible by strong offensive line play, including contributions from younger players like a freshman guard (Perez) and sophomores (Ferraro and Haddad). Defensively, Munafo was in the right place at the right time, securing an interception off a tipped ball thanks to Saugus cornerback Pharaoh Brandenburg. “All those things are happening because his teammates around him are doing the right things as well,” Cummings said. “160 yards on the ground doesn’t happen by yourself. We had a great performance by our offensive line.”

Saugus simply came up clutch on this night. Munafo scored on a 4^th-and-1 from the 4-yard line in the third quarter, and he scored on a 4^th-and-1 from the 1-yard line in the fourth. Saugus quarterback Jordan Rodriguez had a huge touchdown from the 5-yard line to close out the first half.

“If one guy goes the wrong way, or if we jump offsides, or if we make a bad play that’s not only a drive killer, we’re turning the ball over,” Cummings said. “So we’re taking points off the board and giving the other team the ball back. So it was just one of those nights where you kind of look back on it: every time we needed to make a play, somebody stepped up and did that.”

Now it’s on to Lynn Tech, which is also 1-1, after a 27-20 loss to Malden and a 27-26 win over Montachusett. Cummings recalled last year’s close matchup where Lynn Tech initially took the lead before a few key plays helped Saugus regain control in a 27-18 win. He described Lynn Tech as a scrappy team with unconventional offensive formations, using unbalanced setups and a variety of players in the backfield, which requires extra practice time to adjust to. The team’s unique approach makes it challenging to identify eligible receivers and manage extra gaps on the field.

“Coach [James] Runner does a great job over there with his guys,” Cummings said. “They also have some really good young talent. I mean, their quarterback last year, he was an eighth grader, and he was their starter, and he had a very good day against us. He’s a freshman this year. He’s still there. It’s very rare that you get a freshman quarterback that has a lot of experience. He’s a very polished quarterback, and they have some really good speed in the skill positions and some good size up front.”