Joe McConnell

After finishing up last year with a 7-2 regular season record, Coach Jim Rudloff’s Marblehead High football team went back to work last week. The returning veterans qualified for the 2025 Division 4 Super Bowl playoffs, where they defeated Shepherd Hill Regional, 42-14 in the Round of 16, only to lose to Canton in a close battle, 27-22. But they bounced back nicely to beat rival Swampscott on Thanksgiving for the 13th straight year, 29-22.  The 2026 MHS football captains are, from left, Owen Coyne,…

Marblehead High girls soccer coach Lisa Wales is beginning her third season along the varsity sidelines. Last year, these Magicians ended up with a 12-1-5 regular season record, and were second in the Northeastern Conference. They were the 10th seed in Division 2, before making it all the way to the Elite 8 after beating Walpole (3-2) and Oliver Ames (1-0), only to lose to Longmeadow, 3-1. The Lancers then fell to Duxbury by the exact same score in the state championship game. After adding…

On Aug. 19, the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) voted 12-2 in favor of the Super 8 rule that will change high school football for many years to come. No matter if it’s at Fenway Park, Piper Field or in Swampscott, the Thanksgiving Day game is here to stay, despite the recent MIAA changes to promote a better playoff format among the eight divisions. CURRENT PHOTO The rule will restructure the current playoff format for the 2027 season. It will still consist of nine divisions,…

Technically, summer is not over for most of us, but if you are a fall high school athlete in this state, you are governed by a different calendar. The traditional vacation season for them ended this year on Monday, Aug. 24, which was when they reported to their coaches for the first official day of practice.  Marblehead High boys soccer captain Mark Vinokur. COURTESY PHOTO Marblehead High School boys soccer coach Elmer Magana followed the routine precisely by welcoming back his three captains — Erik…

A summer trip to upstate New York to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown is a pretty cool vacation destination for all fans of the sport. But for a young player to go there and play a series of weeklong games, it’s a chance of a lifetime to be a part of history.  The 2026 Marblehead Youth Baseball 12-year-old all-stars pose for a photo after ending up in the Round of 32 out of 104 teams nationwide during the annual Field…

Unfortunately, for many of us, the summer season is quickly coming to an end. The warm weather — even with the humidity — will soon be wishful thinking. But at the other end of the spectrum, the beginning of another school year is ready to get underway, and with it follows high school sports. For local sports fans, it doesn’t get any better than that.  Marblehead High Director of Athletics Kent Wheeler can’t wait to start his third year as the Magicians sports boss, and…

The Marblehead Youth Baseball Triple A Padres battled back after losing the round robin playoff opener to the Astros to win the next three, which earned them a spot in the town championship finale, where they defeated the Tigers, 9-6 to take home the title.  The Marblehead Youth Baseball Triple A Padres proudly hold up the 2026 town championship trophy after beating the Tigers in the finale, 9-6. They are, from left, front row, Trevor Dion, Andrew Samuylov, Hudson Reyes, Wiley Reynolds, Gary Tavares, Bobby…

For the second straight summer, under the direction of manager Eric Weisman and assistant coach Elias Demakes, the Marblehead Youth Baseball Major Division Giants are town champions. They defeated the Pirates in this year’s finale, 5-2 to complete their defense of the title.  The Marblehead Youth Baseball Major Division Giants stand with their 2026 town championship trophies recently. They are, from left, front row, Colin Gleason, Cam Iannacci, Drew Butler, Holden Phelps and Grayson Whyman. Top row, assistant coach Elias Demakes, Charlie Demakes, Ronan Murphy,…

The 2026 Marblehead Youth Baseball 11-year-old all-stars proudly hold up their Bay State League runner-up silver trophies after falling to South End (Boston) in the gold medal game earlier last month. They are, from left, second row, Luke Williams, Luke Murphy, Holden Melanson, Gavin O’Sullivan, Colton McNulty and Reid Benoit. Front row, Matt McCarthy, Cam Oak, Cam Iannacci, Flynn Kelly, Will Papalardo and Miles Hench. Manager Carl Iannacci and his assistant coaches Paul Melanson and Cory Oak are in the third row. COURTESY PHOTO The…

The Marblehead High Football Magicians were off to Berwick, Maine, once again to play in another 7-on-7 tournament at Marshwood High School.  The Marblehead High School 7-on-7 summer football team poses together after going 6-1 in Berwick, Maine, on July 19. They are, from left, front row, Brandon Jacquez and Armany Villar. Second row, Charlie Annese, Vidal Clark, Tim Wales, Landon Dosch, Ryan Rhodes, James Machado, Marcus Waitekus, Trent Brown, Madden Lyons, Bailey Finkle, Pete Rhodes, Nic Epstein, Gabriel Jones, Nolan Glass and Wyatt Martin.…