After wrapping up a strong winning regular season record of 11-5-2, coach Elmer Magana’s boys soccer team reached the Division 2 state tournament as the 24th seed. They then had to travel to Hingham to begin the postseason in the Round of 32, where they lost a close battle to the Harbormen, the ninth seed, 2-1 on Nov. 4.
These Magicians have since turned their attention to the awards season that singles out those skillful athletes, who helped propel their teammates to a winning campaign.
Magana had three players — left winger Ilan Druker, center forward Miles Fontela-Tuttle and center back Adam Loughlin — exceed their Northeastern Conference and state peers to claim spots on the All-Conference (the Top 12 players in the NEC) and EMass all-star teams. Center back T.J. Kelly and goalie Matias Watts-Cruz made the conference all-star squad.
The Marblehead head coach was also recognized for his success, when he was named the Division 2 Coach of the Year. After being notified of this coveted award, he humbly said that it was “a true honor.”
Magana’s assistant coach and longtime Marblehead sports legend Tom Roundy was selected Division 2 Assistant Coach of the Year. They will be back on the sidelines one more time this fall coaching one of the EMass all-star teams on Nov. 28 at Concord-Carlisle High School. This will give them another opportunity to be with their aforementioned Marblehead players, who are also among the state’s elite.
The veteran Marblehead coach gave his thoughts on being one of the EMass coaches, along with Roundy. “The Eastern Mass Coaches Association selects the Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches of the Year, and one of the reasons why Coach Roundy and I were chosen for this award was because of our program’s success the last four years making the playoffs,” said Magana. “We also represented our conference well on the pitch and on social media, always demonstrating sportsmanship wherever we (went).”
Magana said that both he and Roundy are honored to represent MHS soccer, the NEC and the Town of Marblehead at Friday’s EMass game. “We owe this honor to the many talented, hardworking players that we have had since we took over the varsity program in 2020,” he added. “On a personal level, coach Roundy deserves this recognition. He played on the high school team about 50 years ago, and since then has been involved in coaching in the town’s youth sports programs, plus the high school teams. Many times, he has walked from his house to Piper just to get to practice, which is about 30-to-40-minutes away. All the players love and respect him, because he cares about them and has so much wisdom to share with them.”
Team feted at the Gerry 5
Beyond the all-stars, the entire boys soccer team got together on Nov. 18 at the Gerry 5 for the annual banquet celebration. Awards were handed out for excellence and hard work, probably more difficult this year, according to Magana, because there were so many worthy candidates.
“This was the most skillful and talented team that I have coached in my five years here,” said Magana. “It is much easier to split the atom, then deciding which player should receive one of these awards. In other words, don’t be surprised if the saying ‘sharing is caring,’ makes it into my thoughts on each one of these award winners.”
Julien Poitevin: Rookie of the Year
“After David (Magen) went down with an injury, Julien stepped up to become one of the most dominant outside wings in our conference. His ball control and speed allowed him to send deadly ground or aerial crosses into the box. He was third in assists on the team. He also scored a few goals himself, including a hat trick against Peabody. Although he is young, he quickly learned to play the (forward) position on the varsity level. He has many nicknames, but our favorite one is Schoolian.”
Adam Loughlin, T. J. Kelly: Outstanding Defensive Players of the Year
“Adam Loughlin is the Lord of the Skies, because of his ability to (jump) higher than the opposing attackers to head the ball out of danger. He is humble doing his job without complaining. He also did it so well. Daniel Silva of Beverly had nightmares thinking of him, because Adam simply owned him. He even scored three header goals, two of them against rival Masco. He will definitely be missed.
“T.J. Kelly, the other defensive stalwart, is the Lord of the Ground. His defensive skills rival his offensive skills. Just like his defensive counterpart, he too is humble. His Maradona-like goal against North Andover is legendary. His strength and will to be a part of our team, while battling health issues also makes him our unsung hero. He too will be missed.
“Together, the Lord of the Skies (Loughlin) and the Lord of the Ground (Kelly) are without a doubt the best center back duo in the entire state.”
Captain Jared Halpern: Coaches Award
“Jared demonstrated great leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork and dedication this year. His feedback on formations, player position, strategies and drills was always welcome. He was a well-liked and respected leader, who attended every practice even after his injury. He once said to me ‘Even if I am not out there, I want to be here with my boys. I want them to know how much I care.’ Now, that’s the true mark of a captain, who, despite being injured, still showed up every day to be a part of his team. This award goes to the most talented skillful center midfielder that I have ever coached. We will never forget the double overtime goal that the King of Tactics scored against Somerset-Berkley last year in the postseason.”
Captain Ilan Druker, Miles Fontela-Tuttle: co-MVPs
“As I mentioned last year, Ilan Druker possesses the combined skills and moves of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His playmaking abilities and hunger to score goals or get assists put fear in opposing defenses. For instance, the only way Winthrop could stop him in one game was to surround him with five players, and they eventually chopped him out of the game. Throughout the season, many teams double-teamed him, or even triple-teamed him, but he was still able to find the back of the net or send the ball to the box. He was one of the top scorers and assist leaders in the conference, and it was no surprise that he took two votes away from Beverly’s Daniel Silva for conference MVP, which made him the second most valuable player in the conference. In the voting for the Top 12 NEC players, he was third. Just like we are recognizing him now, he was also recognized by the other conference coaches. He was a great captain and great teammate, who has also become an EMass All-Star. He will be missed, as well.
“Miles Fontela-Tuttle is our other MVP this year. He was the winner of the Golden Boot Award last year. He’s been our top scorer the last two scorer, and is also one of the Top 10 scorers and assists leaders throughout EMass. His intensity and competitive hunger to win is equal to the burning of a thousand suns. He always puts the team on his shoulders. When it came time to advocate for his teammates or himself, he let the referees have it. I didn’t mind that one bit, but I think some of the refs did. He has a few nicknames, but our favorite is ‘The Monarchy,’ because we admired and respected his hunger to always compete, to always give it his all and to always lead by example in order to demand the best from his loyal subjects. He was a great captain and teammate, who’s now a two-time EMass All-Star, and he too will be missed.”
