SHS Sachems Sports Roundup

Defensive identity emerging as Saugus winter teams grind through midseason

By Dom Nicastro

As the winter season reaches its midpoint, Saugus High School winter sports programs are beginning to show clearer identities. Boys basketball continues to search for offensive consistency while leaning into defense, track athletes are stacking personal bests, and the Saugus-Peabody wrestling co-op is rolling behind depth and balance across the lineup.

Boys basketball: defensive effort carries Winthrop win, consistency still the challenge

Saugus boys basketball showed both sides of its early-season growth in a split week, overpowering Winthrop behind a dominant defensive effort before struggling to match pace in a loss to Swampscott. The results leave the Sachems at 3-4, still very much in the mix but searching for a full 32-minute performance.

The highlight came in a convincing 54-33 win over Winthrop, a game that was effectively decided by Saugus’ defense. The Sachems limited Winthrop to just nine points in the first half, setting the tone from the opening tip.

“We played really hard. We played as a team. It was just a great effort from the jump ball to end the game,” Bertrand said.

Operating primarily out of a half-court 2-3 zone, Saugus used length and aggressiveness to disrupt passing lanes and force tough shots.

“Our defense was really good. We only gave up nine points in the first half,” Bertrand said. “We were long, we were aggressive, and they just played really hard on defense.”

Offensively, Ryan Shea led the way with 22 points, including a decisive fourth-quarter stretch where he scored 10 points to shut the door on any Winthrop comeback. Huey Josama added 12 points, while Oliver Hernandez finished with five. Jordan Rodriguez and Paxton Ferraro chipped in four points apiece.

Bertrand pointed to Shea’s ability to attack the basket late as a key turning point.

“He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, which kind of sealed the deal for us,” Bertrand said. “It seemed like every time Winthrop started to make that comeback, Ryan went and got a couple of buckets for us.”

Not all of the impact came from the stat sheet. Bertrand highlighted junior Nathan Soroko’s hustle as emblematic of the team’s defensive mindset.

“Nathan Soroko — he was just diving on the floor. He kind of set the tone for us defensively,” Bertrand said. “And then everybody followed.”

That momentum didn’t carry over to the next game, as Saugus fell 58-28 to Swampscott. The Sachems were slow out of the gate and never recovered after Swampscott jumped out early.

“We just kind of came out flat,” Bertrand said. “They went up like 11-2, we got it to 11-7, they called timeout, and then they punched back and we didn’t really have an answer.”

Jordan Rodriguez led Saugus with six points, but offense was hard to come by throughout the night.

“We just couldn’t get things to fall,” Bertrand said. “I thought we got some okay shots, but offensively we really struggled.”

Even in the loss, Bertrand felt the defensive effort remained competitive.

“We gave up 58 points to Swampscott — with the way they can score, I actually feel pretty good about that,” he said. “Defensively, I thought we were okay.”

The challenge level only increases this week, as Saugus prepares to face undefeated Masconomet, currently ranked fourth in Division 2.

“They’re undefeated and ranked number four,” Bertrand said. “The conference is really good this year. That’s the benefit of playing in the NEC — it only gets the boys better.”

Track: Saugus athletes rack up personal bests at Gloucester

It was a productive night for Saugus boys and girls track at Gloucester, with athletes across events posting personal records and showing steady progression as the season builds.

On the girls’ side, Destiny Okoye delivered a standout performance, running a personal-best 9.30 in the 55-meter hurdles and clearing 5 feet, 2 inches in the high jump. Kylie Arwine also recorded a PR of 10.81 in the hurdles. Soraya Mathieu (7.49) and Hannah Strout (8.21) posted strong times in the 55-meter dash, while Maria Villalba Monroy ran a personal-best 6:37.95 in the mile.

The boys matched that momentum. Matthew Bell clocked a PR of 6:35.23 in the mile, Pharoah Brandenburg ran 41.10 in the 300 meters, and Brody Whittredge posted a 1:54.69 in the 600. Jake Xavier (47.61) and Noah Gosslin (52.39) also turned in PRs in the 300, while Koby Jette continued his strong season in the shotput with a throw of 42 feet, 3 inches.

Wrestling: Saugus-Peabody rolls behind depth and balance

The Saugus-Peabody wrestling co-op continued its strong season with two dominant victories, defeating Bedford/Acton-Boxborough 57-19 and Northeast Metro Tech/Bishop Fenwick 72-12.

Against Bedford/AB, Saugus-Peabody earned wins across the lineup. Brayden Lawler (113, Peabody) won by fall, while Jake Murray (120, Saugus) and Tucker Landry (126, Saugus) each picked up pins. Jackson Deleidi (132, Peabody) earned a major decision, Michael Maraio (150, Peabody) won by fall, Justin Bremberg (157, Saugus) pinned his opponent, and Cesar Cruz (165, Saugus) delivered a quick fall. Jaden Ceac (190, Peabody) closed the match with a technical fall.

The co-op followed that performance with another lopsided win over Northeast Metro Tech/Bishop Fenwick. Landry (126, Saugus) earned another pin, Chris Brown (132, Peabody) won by fall, Jackson Deleidi (138, Peabody) added a pin, Michael Maraio (150, Peabody) secured another fall, Justin Bremberg (157, Saugus) pinned his opponent, Jaden Ceac (190, Peabody) won by fall, and Matthew Dresser (285, Peabody) sealed the victory in the heavyweight bout.