The Marblehead High School football team enjoyed another winning season last year, ending up with an 8-3 record that included going 1-1 in the Division 4 Super Bowl playoffs. It was a senior-laden team, but for those who are returning this year, they are anxious to show what they can do to maintain the program’s winning tradition under the direction of coach Jim Rudloff.
Seniors like Tim Wales, Pete Rhodes and Owen Coyne have been out there every day leading the underclassmen on the practice field and in the weight room. And they don’t take Sundays off either with scheduled 7-on-7 games against other eastern Massachusetts schools on tap every week.
“We have been playing local teams like Salem, Swampscott, Winthrop, Manchester-Essex and St. Mary’s of Lynn so far, and our expectations are always to win,” said Wales, whose brother Colt was a 2024 team captain. “Our team has improved a lot since the beginning of the summer. We are starting to put some missing pieces together in our offense and defense.”
Wales understands what a team does in the summer could have an effect on what happens in the fall.
“A typical daily workout for us is competitive, and it starts at six in the morning,” he said. “We push each other to better each other, whether we are doing conditioning or lifting.”
There will definitely be a lot of new faces in this year’s starting lineups on both offense and defense.
“Many of our key components from last year have long since graduated, and as a result, we know we have a lot to work on,” Wales said. “We are still trying to figure out where everything’s going to fit, but we are getting better every day.”
Through the summer grind, Wales said that this year’s team has already forged “an unbreakable bond.”
Rhodes echoed Wales’ sentiments on the team’s work ethic.
“Over the past couple of months, our team has been working very hard competing against some of the top teams in the state,” he said. “Many of our playmakers from last year have graduated, but with that being said, many of our rising juniors and seniors have stepped up.”
The Marblehead senior mentioned a couple of underclassmen who have looked good — juniors Madden Lyons and Trent Brown — adding, “I have also been proud of our entire rising sophomore class. They have shown up this summer to learn the plays and the value of hard work.”
Rhodes also singled out junior lineman Quinn Maguire and Isiah Byron-Samara for their hard work.
The 2026 Magicians headed off to Maine this past Sunday after the Current’s press deadline to play in another 7-on-7 tournament that they won just one year ago.
But until the first day of official practice begins on Aug. 24, it’s all about putting in the work nearly every day for these Magicians.
“We just have to get out on the field as much as possible on our own for daily workouts, and play more 7-on-7s every Sunday at home to get ready for the season,” said Wales.
