Saugus football team preparing for the 2022 season

  Having experienced a tough 2021 campaign in which they weren’t able to notch a victory, the Saugus High School Football Team is looking to turn its fortunes in a better direction this fall. The Sachems participated in a morning scrimmage last Saturday against a large Newburyport squad at the Christie Serino, Jr. Athletic Complex. Visiting Newburyport had what appeared to be more than 60 players suited up for the scrimmage. The Sachems acquitted themselves well and made some impressive plays on offense during the session.

  They scrimmage Dracut this Friday and then open the regular season against Lynnfield on Friday the 9th (scheduled 6:30 p.m. kickoff) at the Athletic Complex. Moving forward, Saugus plays an unusual 10:30 a.m. game at Northeast Metro Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17, and hosts Watertown on Friday the 23rd. The Sachems then have the unenviable task of facing powerhouse Swampscott on the road on Sept. 29 in another atypical Thursday night contest.

  Last season, the Sachems were unable to dent the win column, finishing 0-11, though they came excruciatingly close on two occasions. A gut-wrenching, 15-14 loss at Greater Lawrence Tech and a late game, 12-6 defeat at Salem were the two culprits. In both contests, the Sachems held the lead late in the game. Against Greater Lawrence, Saugus gave up a touchdown on the final play of the game, and Lawrence then pulled out a successful two-point conversion to steal the win. Ahead 6-0 with just three minutes to go at Salem, Saugus was scored upon twice in the final minutes and fell short to the Witches.

  Among the players who impressed at last Saturday’s scrimmage against Newburyport, quarterback Cam Preston and running back Tommy DeSimone were at the top of the list. Head Coach Steve Cummings, who is now in his third full season at the helm, will look to break into that elusive win column and get the Sachems headed in a more positive direction this fall.