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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Marcelo matters. On court, and in crowd, Milford voices its unconditional support for detained student.
They joined the sea of tees on the Milford players and in the bleachers. The crowd was there to support the host Scarlet Hawks, but also to show that everyone wants Marcelo Gomes da Silva back home after he was detained by 'He's my friend. I played with him,' Asiegbunam said of the 18-year-old Milford High junior. 'I got really close to him. He told me so many things. He taught me life lessons . . . He makes me smile . . . He brings warmth . . . I'm demanding for him to be free.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Added Freitas: 'Once I started [playing volleyball], Marcelo was there for me. We saw on Instagram that they were going to wear white shirts, so we had to support. Marcelo was friends and family with all of us.' Advertisement Milford volleyball players draped their arms around each other's shoulders during the national anthem before the start of their Division 1 second-round playoff game against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Milford athletic director Pete Boucher said that after a crowd of 1,000 packed the gym, about 200 went to the auditorium to watch a live stream. Though the crowd watched the 22nd-seeded Scarlet Hawks (13-10) play their last point of the season, it kept cheering hard every time the team made a play. 'The Milford community was amazing,' said coach Andrew Mainini. 'Obviously the volleyball community was there, but also the townspeople. That was huge. One thing that was really touching to us was that there were other volleyball teams we don't have relationships with there, like Marlborough. They wanted to show their support. From Medfield, from Nipmuc, alumni from Natick. The diversity of the people who showed up in age, culture was amazing.' Advertisement The Scarlet Hawks appeared to run out of steam after dropping the second set, but star hitter Gus Da Silva, who is Brazilian like Gomes da Silva and several others on the Milford team, kept popping kills where he could. 'The whole thing was for Marcelo, and I'm really upset that I couldn't bring out the victory for him,' Da Silva said. 'I miss that kid more and more every day . . . I just want to give him a big hug now. 'That's my best friend. We grew up together. We've always been close. Nothing separates us.' Milford fans wearing Free Marcelo t-shirts cheered on the Scarlet Hawks against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Freitas dished 36 assists, finding classmate Travis Johnson (15 kills), junior Donny Providence (9 kills) and Asiegbunam (7 kills), as the No. 27 Tigers (18-4) became the lowest seed in statewide tournament history to reach the quarterfinals. 'I was nervous and getting emotional at the same time,' said Johnson, who is also friends with Gomes da Silva. Taunton coach Toby Chaperon was all for it when his players wanted to sport the T-shirts, and he watched them perform on the emotional night. 'When it's coming from the players, it makes it a little bit more special and genuine,' he said. 'We know it's going to be a raucous environment and I think we did handle it well.' Related : The match lasted two hours, a culmination of a whirlwind in the past few days, in which many at Milford lost sleep. The school had a walkout on Monday, among other protests. Advertisement 'It's a challenge because you really are focusing on the kid Marcelo,' Boucher said. 'We love that kid. That kid would talk to me every day. You have to try to encapsulate that . . . you want to do the kid justice, you want to do the incoming team justice, you want to do the crowd justice. 'You want to make sure we're focusing on volleyball, but we're still thinking about him.' Related : Milford freshman Lucas Ribeiro does not know Gomes da Silva, but after seeing the Instagram post, made his FREE MARCELO tee and was part of a one-of-a-kind volleyball crowd. 'For me, it was important [to come] because, you know, my parents are [Brazilian] immigrants, and as a son of an immigrant, I feel it's kind of mandatory for me to come here and support my community. 'I didn't know him personally, but he was just a kid.' Milford's Diego Inacio-Santos (center) celebrates a point with his teammates during their Division 1 second-round playoff game against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff A student with a Free Marcelo sticker on her cheek watches Milford's Division 1 second-round playoff game against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Milford's Paullo Mota (12) spikes the ball against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff A Milford High School student who had painted Marcelo Gomes da Silva's number on his cheek stood for the national anthem. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Milford players Paullo Mota (left) and Colin Greco wore T-shirts in support of their missing teammate Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff AJ Traub can be reached at
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Playing for the second time in 24 hours, No. 27 Taunton boys' volleyball shocks No. 6 Nipmuc in D1 first round
3-1 win for — AJ (@aj_traub) 'Two games in 18 hours, we're asking a lot of our guys,' Chaperon said. 'We had some guys cramping up, and a little tired, a little hungry, but they pushed through and were able to beat a very, very good team today. So happy to move on.' Senior Travis Johnson (16 kills, 6 digs) worked opposite junior Donny Providence (9 kills, 10 digs) to power the pins, with senior Ike Asiegbunam and sophomore Syre Duverna each smacking 12 kills in the middle. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We live in Taunton and we're always going to get a low seed and disrespect like that,' said Freitas, who finished with 45 assists, 3 digs, and 2 kills. 'So honestly, it brings us up and we all come together to show them who really is, who really deserves the high seed.' Related : Advertisement The Division 1 tournament has seen an historic amount of upsets, and with the Tigers (17-4) about to face No. 22 Milford (Tuesday, 6 p.m.), with which it split the season series and Hockomock title, after the Scarlet Hawks took down No. 11 Chelmsford. No. 21 Weymouth and No. 23 St. John's (Shrewsbury) are still standing in the second round after eliminating No. 12 Wellesley and No. 10 Springfield Central, respectively. Advertisement 'We have talented players that could probably compete with anybody in the state,' Chaperon said. 'That's what we believe. That's what we tell our kids. If you're in the state tournament, if you don't believe that, you don't even belong. So we tell our kids we're in every match and we have to execute . . . As far as the seed thing, I don't really pay too much mind to it.' Related : Freitas played club with a lot of the Warriors, and saw them posting about their victories en route to an 18-3 season. It made for another wrinkle in what the Tigers accomplished. 'I'm going to remember this probably for the rest of my life,' Freitas said. 'Especially since I love these guys on Nipmuc.' AJ Traub can be reached at
Boston Globe
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
What the heck is Ecuavoley? Brothers meld Ecuadorian game with boys' volleyball at Milford High.
Part of the Ecuadorian population in Milford, the brothers played with their friends, watched Jorge play with other parents in backyards and at Fino Field, and in the past few years formed their own trio that wins most of its matches. Now a defensive specialist and senior captain, John is a key part of a 8-2 start for the ninth-ranked Scarlet Hawks as they look to be the first champion of the Hockomock League's new boys' volleyball division. 'When both of them made it to the high school, they had a really natural touch on the ball,' said Milford coach Andrew Mainini . 'You could tell they had hundreds, if not thousands, of contacts on a volleyball before getting to ninth grade.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Milford senior captain John Saguay (center) is flanked by his freshman brother Bryan (right) and father Jorge, who introduced them to the game Ecuavoley. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe Advertisement Ecuavoley is John, a volador on the family team, found the Ecuadorian style helped him in the high school game. 'I have to learn how to predict how the ball would go, instead of having someone else worry about it. I have to cover more space,' he said, describing Ecuavoley. 'I learned how to get it better with one hand when I couldn't get it with two.' Advertisement Initially, Jorge (the family team's colocador ) suggested his sons play high school volleyball to improve their Ecuavoley skills. Where a lot of Ecuavoley players will underhand serve with the higher net, John's scholastic experience made him proficient at keeping the ball in with an overhand delivery. He developed a quick launch while maintaining accuracy that gives Milford an advantage. 'If we're looking for someone to serve in a particular seam or to a particular zone of the court, he's a really good option for us because he is really consistent and tactical with it,' Mainini said. 3-set win for — AJ (@aj_traub) It is harder with the Ecuavoley ball, but he makes the adjustment and has a 92 percent service rate. 'For Ecuadorian volleyball, I have to put force into the ball,' John explained. 'In American volleyball, I have to absorb the force.' From weekends playing with friends, to competitive play as a family team, to a the Milford freshman team, Bryan thought the transition would be tougher. John Saguay has helped Milford reach No. 17 in the latest Globe Top 20 poll. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe A servidor for his family, he had not faced the power that hitters bring when the net is lower. His other Ecuavoley skills, such as positioning, helped him counter that difference as a setter. He finds his teammates improve when they try it too. 'It feels unique,' Bryan said. 'I tell them how it's different. Sometimes they're interested in that and want to play. The more we play, the more connected we feel. We learn some of the basic things that help them with American volleyball. 'It helps them react faster. You need to react to move to the ball, especially when it's a slight tap.' Though the brothers are able to lock in when they need to, they mostly keep it fun. Advertisement 'The thing about Bryan is that he's very upbeat. He's a very happy guy,' said senior setter Jason Comisky . 'I could see it in his playing. He plays with a lot of energy the whole time and he's a real leader on the court. The same goes for John.' Jorge has never lost his enjoyment for the sport. If he has a headache, he'll invite his friends to play and it goes away. He watches his sons play whenever he can, even though their matches start at different times, and sometimes he has to leave work early to make it. 'To see them here, having fun, to know they're happy to be at the school playing,' he said, 'That makes me happy.' Coach Andrew Mainini and the Scarlet Hawks knocked off No. 10 Cambridge, 3-2, on Friday for their eighth win. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe Set points ▪ Cambridge is on pace to blow past its 11 wins from last season. The Falcons (8-2) graduated top hitter Henry Bonney (now at Vassar) and libero Tashi Mulug-Labrang , but setter Eric Su is one of just three seniors this year and spreads the offensive touches out. Juniors Brennan Loud and Nate O'Connell have paced the No. 10 Falcons at the net, with four wins over ranked teams. 'They absolutely love playing volleyball,' said Cambridge coach Kelley Leary . 'They have good IQ too. They understand the game and break it down in ways that I can't say I've had in a while. They ask good questions. It's a fun group.' • In the next set of proposed division alignments, a few major Division 2 contenders would be moving up, barring successful appeals. Agawam (10-1), the 2023 champion, is the big name slated to move up. West Springfield (8-2) and Chicopee Comprehensive (7-3) are other significant teams planned to enter D1. Advertisement Chicopee Comp made a run to the quarterfinals as the 22-seed last year with mostly sophomores, and the Colts are showing it was not a fluke. One of their wins is Agawam's only loss. Games to watch Monday, No. 15 Methuen at No. 11 Lowell, 5 p.m. — It took the second matchup between these two to decide the Merrimack Valley champion last season. This is the first Rangers vs. Red Raiders matchup since Methuen won its second MVC title. Monday, No. 5 Lexington at No. 10 Cambridge, 5:45 p.m. — The fifth- and sixth-ranked teams will go head-to-head in a match that could shake up the rankings. Wednesday, No. 20 O'Bryant at No. 16 BC High, 5 p.m. — After winning only five sets in its last five matches, BC High will have to persevere to turn the tide against this top 20 team. Thursday, No. 7 St. John's (Shrewsbury) at No. 8 St. John's Prep, 5 p.m. — The Pioneers won the first rivalry matchup in April. St. John's Prep will look to take for the rematch as the two teams race to the top of the Catholic Conference standings. Correspondent Alexa Podalsky contributed to this story. AJ Traub can be reached at
