~The Advocate Asks ~

A panel picks its “Terrific Twenty-Five” among Saugus High School Sports Hall of Famers

 

Editor’s Note: With 10 former Sachem Sports Greats scheduled to be inducted tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 2) into the Saugus High School Sports Hall of Fame, we decided to assemble a group of local sports experts to compile a list of 10 top Sachem athletes to add to the list we published in a Dec. 1, 2017, article titled “The Fabulous 15.” Those athletes stood out as the greatest Sachems of all time among the more than 200 athletes who had already been inducted since 1987. This year’s panel includes several former coaches and Hall of Fame Committee members who participated in the 2017 selection. Our list doesn’t rank the Saugus Hall of Famers individually. And there’s certainly room for argument on behalf of athletes who didn’t make the list. The purpose is to spur some discussion and pride among Sachem sports fans about sports greats of the past as the Sachem High School Sports Hall of Fame prepares to welcome 10 more outstanding former student athletes who competed for Saugus High School.

 

Here are The Saugus Advocate’s “Terrific Twenty-Five” – whose names are among dozens inscribed on plaques for people who make up the Saugus High School Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Mike Soper

This 1984 Saugus High School graduate was a three-sports star for the Sachems. He was a Northeastern Conference (NEC) Baseball All-Star for two years and an MVP in baseball for NEC. In basketball, he was the scoring leader in the NEC. In golf, he was an All-Star on a championship golf team. After High School, he played baseball at the University of Alabama, where he won the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award for baseball. Soper was drafted out of Alabama by the Cleveland Indians. He was one of only two Saugus High baseball players drafted by the Major Leagues. While with the Cleveland Indians organization, he played for four years. In 1991 he set a Minor League record as a closer with 41 saves, winning the Cleveland Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. Shoulder problems kept him from pitching in the Major Leagues.

 

Chris Serino

While at Saugus High, the 1967 graduate starred in football, hockey and baseball. He was Saugus Sachems’ MVP in all three sports in 1967. He threw for more than 4,000 yards at Saugus High School. Serino went on to star at American International College (AIC) and set records there. He also played three sports at AIC and made the college’s Hall of Fame. His best sport was baseball, where he was an All-American. He was hockey Head Coach at Merrimack College. He won numerous championships at Malden Catholic. The new Saugus High School sports stadium was named in his honor.

 

John Nicolo

Another three-sports star for the Sachems – he was an All-Scholastic in baseball and award-winning football player for the Sachems at halfback. Nicolo made All-American in football and baseball at Ithaca College. He was named Male Athlete of the Year at Ithaca in 1980 and was inducted into the Ithaca College Sports Hall of Fame. As senior captain and the team’s shortstop, Nicolo was named the World Series Most Valuable Player after setting records for most runs (nine) and hits (12) in the. NCAA baseball championship tournament. He was also a member of Ithaca’s 1979 national champion football team. He played for one season of Minor League baseball for the Auburn Americans in the New York-Pennsylvania League. He was also a football Head Coach at Saugus High.

 

Alex Winn

This 1966 Saugus High graduate was a star center on the basketball team and is the all-time leading scorer in Saugus High School history, scoring 1,610 points. He led the Essex County League in scoring for three straight years for the Sachems. Winn also was a key player on Saugus High’s 1965 baseball team that finished as Essex County League Champions. He played right field and batted .465. He was the second leading career scorer at Dartmouth College when he graduated. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. “He was the best basketball player who ever played for Saugus,” Stewart said.

 

Arthur Spinney

He became one of the most famous athletes who ever played at Saugus High School. He was an All-Scholastic football player in 1943 and 1944 at Saugus High School. After graduating from Saugus High, he played end for Boston College and later made the BC Hall of Fame. He switched to offensive guard and played for eight years for the Baltimore Colts. Spinney played for two NFL championship teams with the Colts: in 1958 and 1959. He was co-captain of the Colts. He played in “The Greatest Game Ever Played” – between the Colts and the Giants when Alan Ameche scored the touchdown against the Giants in 1958, the Sudden Death Overtime game that led to Baltimore’s victory and put pro football in the National Limelight. He was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots and Boston College.

 

Sardi Nicolo

This 1950 Saugus High graduate was a halfback who helped lead the Sachems to consecutive state football titles in 1948 and 1949. He also played baseball at Saugus High. He was an All-Scholastic player who went on to play football at LSU. He was John Nicolo’s father.

 

Kristin Potito Lary

This 1985 Saugus High graduate was All-Scholastic in field hockey and basketball for the Sachems in the early 80s. As a member of the University of Southern Maine field hockey and basketball teams, she has the unique distinction of going to the Final Four in two sports – basketball and field hockey. She was first team All-American Division III in field hockey.

 

Sandra Whyte

This 1987 Saugus High graduate excelled in field hockey and softball. Whyte went on to star in college, too. She was named the Ivy League’s Woman Player of the Year in Ice Hockey for Harvard University in 1991 and 1992. She was a member of the National Hockey Team. She scored a goal and assisted on two others in Team USA’s Gold Medal performance against Canada in the 1998 Olympics – Saugus’ only Gold Medal Olympian.

 

Pam Thornton

She was a three-sports star for the Sachems. She was the first area high school player in the early 1980s to score 1,000 career points. She scored 1,080 career points for the Saugus High basketball team. And that’s without the three-point shot, too. She also played softball and soccer. She continued her basketball career for Boston College, where she played for four years.

 

Steve Peach

This 1981 Saugus High School graduate was a three-sport athlete. He was an All-Scholastic quarterback for the Sachems. In baseball, he was a pitcher for the Saugus champion tournament team in 1981. In basketball, he played for Coach David Soper, who used him as his sixth man. He was named the “Sixth Man of the Year” in the NEC that year. He was heavily recruited by Syracuse and Boston College, and he decided on going to Syracuse, where he started as a freshman. After that, he transferred to BC as a junior and was the backup to Doug Flutie and was also the punter for the BC Eagles in the Cotton Bowl. He was scouted heavily by the Red Sox and other professional teams in baseball as a pitcher.

 

David Mathews

Another three-sport athlete at Saugus High, he was the quarterback on a strong Saugus High football team and led them to a championship in 1959. He played for four years on the Saugus High baseball team. In hockey, Mathews’ best sport, he was a three-year All-Star in the Essex County League and was the leading scorer for Saugus High. He was recruited heavily and went to BC and played hockey.

 

Bob Osgood

This 1970 Saugus High graduate was a three-sport athlete. He played football, basketball and baseball. He was the quarterback for the Sachems football team, was heavily recruited and went to the University of New Hampshire, where he was the starting quarterback. He was also a three-year player on the basketball team at Saugus High. He was a right hand pitcher on a very good Saugus baseball team – a state tournament team in 1970. He was one of the best pitchers in the league. He was also an outstanding pitcher at UNH.

 

Doug Mackie

This 1976 Saugus High graduate was recognized as the outstanding lineman of the East Coast in 1975. He was a high school All-American. He won the Massachusetts and New England discus championship in track. Mackie later went on to become an outstanding offensive lineman for Ohio State. He played pro ball in the USFL with Steve Young, Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker for the New Jersey Generals. He was also an offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.

 

Arthur Statuto

He was a 1943 Saugus High School graduate who starred in football and played on the 1941 Class C State Champions. After that, he went to Notre Dame University, where he was a member of their 1946 and 1947 National Champion football teams. He was selected to the 1948 College Football All-Star Team. After graduating, he played professional football for three seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams at the offensive center position.

 

John “Iron Mike” Harrington

He was All-Scholastic football and baseball player at Saugus High School in 1941. He was a star halfback on the 1941 state championship football team. A serious car accident after graduation curtailed his playing career. He later became an assistant coach at Saugus High School.

 

The 10 latest Sachem Sports greats added to the list:

 

LJ McKanas

From the Saugus High Class of 1997, he was an outstanding running back and the MVP of the Sachem football team. He was an All-Star baseball player and also starred in indoor and outdoor track. He was a Decathlon champ in track at Saugus High. The grueling event, one of the most challenging in sports, consists of 10 track & field events.

 

Shawn Sullivan

A 2001 Saugus High School graduate who is among the greatest hockey players who competed for the Sachems, he established himself as the All-Time leading scorer with 237 points. He was a four-time NEC All-Star and a two-time NEC Most Valuable Player. He went on to play hockey for four years at Tufts University.

 

Kevin Wortman

From the Saugus High Class of 1987, another great Sachem hockey player – who went on to play professional hockey with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. He was a four-time NEC All-Star and a two-time MVP. He played hockey for three seasons at American International College before playing professional hockey for more than a decade.

 

Doug Waybright

He was a 1945 Saugus High School graduate who was an All-Star running back for the Sachems and received a four-year scholarship to play football for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He served in the military after graduation and returned to his hometown, where he was very active in youth sports. He was so beloved by the town that when he died at age 38, officials named a new elementary school in his honor.

 

Norman Peach

From the Saugus High Class of 1958, he was one of the best three-sport athletes in school history. He was an All-Star for two years in both basketball and baseball. And he was the team’s Most Valuable Player during his senior year as a wide receiver and defensive back.

 

Cassandra Anderson

A 2007 Saugus High graduate who excelled in soccer and indoor and outdoor track in all four years, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 with her twin sister, Kelsey. Cassandra starred for four years as a varsity member of the SHS track & field team. She was named captain in her senior year and MVP in her junior and senior years. She won the Drew Female Athlete of the Year Award in her senior year. She qualified for numerous state running events during her four years. She went on to star in track at Holy Cross and was a member of the 4 by 400 meter relay team at Holy Cross that still holds the school record.

 

Kelsey Anderson

From the Saugus High School Class of 2007 – like her twin sister Cassandra – she also excelled in soccer and indoor and outdoor track for four years. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 with Cassandra. Kelsey was the winner of the Bill McNeil Award given to the most competitive woman female athlete. Kelsey was a two-time captain of the soccer team and finished her high school career as Saugus’ second-leading career points scorer, capping her senior season off with 22 goals and 16 assists. She was a three-time NEC All-Star who went on to become a soccer star at UMass Amherst.

 

Mark Fauci

A 1990 Saugus High School graduate, he starred for four years as a member of the Sachem football and baseball teams. He won the NEC Most Valuable Player Award in football during his senior year. He was also an NEC All-Star in baseball and was the team’s MVP as catcher. He went on to star in football as a linebacker at Boston University and was a co-captain in his junior and senior years. He was one of the stars during the Terriers best season ever – 1993 – when BU went 12-1 and finished the regular season at 11-0. He graduated in 1994 as an All-American football player. In 2010, he was inducted into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

Eddie McGuire

From the Saugus High Class of 1967, he was an outstanding running back for the Sachems. He also starred in numerous track & field events. He received a scholarship to play football at the University of Indiana. He was an All-American as a defensive end and played in the Shriners Game. After college, he entered the U.S. Marine Corps and was a highly decorated officer for 20 years.

 

Olisa Obiefuna

A 2012 Saugus High School graduate, he is the only member on this list who is not a current Saugus High Sports Hall of Famer. But he will be tomorrow, as he is one of 10 former Saugus sports greats who will be inducted. The Sachems sports experts wanted him on this list because he is considered to be the greatest track & field athlete in the history of Saugus High sports. He only participated in track during his four years as a Sachems athlete – in the winter and spring seasons. He earned All-American honors in the Triple Jump during his senior year. He has nine total state and division championships. He qualified for the state in the 55 meters, the 200 meters, the Triple Jump and the High Jump. He won seven NEC championships – twice in the 200 meter, three times in the Long Jump and twice in the Triple Jump. After graduating from Saugus High, he attended Angelo State University in Texas, where he won the conference championship and received All-America honors in the Triple Jump. He transferred to Wingate University in North Carolina, where he was a two-time All-American in the Triple Jump.