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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
A 5-2 regular season earned Wellesley High football the No. 4 seed in Division II South last fall. After a tough 35-0 loss to Braintree in the quarterfinals, followed by a Thanksgiving defeat to arch rival Needham, it’s safe to say the Raiders are ready to get back after it and avenge last year’s tough finish.
Leading Wellesley this season will be four senior captains in linebacker Holt Fletcher, quarterback Matt Maiona, cornerback Chris Althoff and center Griffin Renzella.
“Obviously, the goal going into every year is to win a state championship, and that is true for us this year,” said Fletcher on he and his team’s expectations for the season. “But we’ve been trying to hold the mentality of getting better each and every day during the summer, and that will continue into the season with games and practices. Our aim is to improve one day at a time and hope that leads to something special.”
Along with their four captains, other notable returns for Wellesley this season include senior wideout/free safety Teddy Komjathy and senior wideout/linebacker Carl Callahan. With running back Shiloh White transferring to CM, Wellesley will need somebody new to step up and lead its backfield in 2019.
“The way both our offensive and defensive systems are built makes it so there isn’t always one or two guys who stand out,” said Fletcher. "We need contributions from everyone to be successful. This year, I think we have a lot of talent, both young and old, from top to bottom, so there are a lot of guys who could make an impact.”
Wellesley will open its season on the road at Weymouth on September 6. The Raiders will play their home opener against rival Walpole on September 21.
For funny and insightful sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter @fLAno0.
