Saugus football team drops Thanksgiving heartbreaker to Peabody

By Dom Nicastro

For a few dazzling minutes on a sunny Thanksgiving morning at Veterans Memorial Stadium, it looked as if Saugus might finally flip the script on a rivalry that has tilted hard toward Peabody for more than a decade. A 20–0 first-quarter lead five minutes into the game; big plays in all three phases; a blocked punt recovered in the end zone; an interception leading directly to points; explosive offense in space. Everything Saugus had been searching for all fall suddenly arrived in a burst of momentum. Then Peabody — a program that owned the Northeastern Conference in recent years but slogged through a 1–9 season yet still carries decades of big-game pedigree — mounted one of its best comebacks in recent rivalry memory. It stormed back for a 28–26 victory and its 11th straight Thanksgiving win over the Sachems.

For Saugus, the loss stings. But it also showcased the program’s grit, growth and the foundation it has built for the years ahead.

A wild first quarter and a dream start

Saugus opened the game with perhaps its best sequence of the year:

• Ryan Shea sprinted 42 yards up the sideline to make it 8–0.
• On the next possession, Kameron Conroy blocked a punt, and sophomore lineman Steph Cazeau pounced on it in the end zone — his first career touchdown.
• Moments later, a Peabody turnover set up a Chris Mazin score, pushing the lead to 20–0.

It was the Sachems’ fastest start in decades in the rivalry.

“I looked at the scoreboard and realized there was still six minutes to go in the first quarter, which is, you know, it’s a ton of football,” Saugus Head Coach Steve Cummings said. “We knew it wasn’t going to just continue down that path.”

He was right — Peabody had answers.

Peabody roars back

Behind senior quarterback Luke Maglione, the Tanners slowly gained control, first with a 5-yard touchdown to get on the board. In the third quarter, Maglione and standout receiver Mark Mendonca took over. Two touchdown connections — one for 42 yards — turned the 20–0 deficit into a 21–20 Peabody lead. Another score extended it to 28–20.

“They really took command of the game in the third quarter,” Cummings said. “We came up with a stop and turned the ball right back over to them. A couple hiccups in coverage.”

Saugus’ late push falls just short

Saugus fought back. Early in the fourth, quarterback Eli Fialho scrambled out of pressure and spotted Jordan Rodriguez streaking down the right sideline for a 65-yard touchdown to make it 28–26.

“Eli did a nice job keeping the play alive with his feet and scrambling out of the pocket and spotting Jordan,” Cummings said.

With 7:12 left, the Sachems were within two. A bad Peabody snap on a punt later gave Saugus the ball deep in Tanner territory — but the Sachems could not convert. Their final drive also fell short, turned over on downs with under a minute left. Yet they battled to the final whistle.

“I give our kids a lot of credit. They battled,” Cummings said.

Thanksgiving streaks, rivalry history and what comes next

The loss extends Peabody’s Thanksgiving streak to 11 straight wins and increases its holiday series lead to 49–26 (51–28 overall). The rivalry dates back to 1947, paused only in 2007–08.

Saugus finishes the year 2–9, but the final two weeks — a 34–0 win at East Boston and the narrow loss to Peabody — showed the offensive spark and defensive toughness the Sachems had been searching for most of the season.

And unlike past years, the Sachems will return a large core next fall. “We got a lot of guys who were able to earn varsity letters this year who will be back,” Cummings said. “It’s about just getting in the weight room and, you know, guys realizing that the 2026 season isn’t as far away as people think.”

Banquet honors and a look toward 2026

At the team banquet, Saugus recognized several standouts:

• All-Conference First Team: Jordan Rodriguez, Ryan Shea, Chris Mazin, Kobe Jette.
• League All-Star: Paxton Ferraro.
• Team Awards:

  Offensive MVP — Ryan Shea

  Defensive MVP — Nathan Santos

  Lineman of the Year — Kobe Jette

  Sachem Award — Jordan Rodriguez

  Coaches Award — Chris Mazin

Cummings announced two captains for 2026: Pharoah Brandenburg and Ferraro.

The Sachem Award, the program’s highest honor, went to Rodriguez. “Jordan’s definitely that guy,” Cummings said. “He does everything. He’s got a great GPA, three-sport captain… models the behavior that we’re looking for in our program.”

Despite the Turkey Day loss, the Head Coach left Thanksgiving morning proud of his seniors and encouraged by what’s coming. “We came up a little bit short,” Cummings said, “but it was a lot of fun. And you know, we’ve got a lot of seniors in this class that we’re going to miss a lot in this program.”