Fresh Start for High School Soccer Teams
New Coaches for Boys, Girls Teams
– Allison Goldsberry
Just one day before soccer practice begins, two new coaches have been selected to lead the boys and girls teams.
Coach George Scarpelli, the long-time boys soccer Head Coach, will take charge of the girls team while his capable assistant coach Mike Petridis will step up and head the boys team.
Both coaches have deep routes in Medford’s soccer community and that’s exactly what Athletic Director Bob Maloney is looking to tap into to strengthen both programs.
Scarpelli, a twenty-one year Medford soccer veteran, has helmed the boys team for eleven years, bringing them to the state tournament ten times.
Petridis, a talented soccer player with sons on the team, has served as an assistant coach for years and filled in for Scarpelli last year when he had surgery.
Maloney thinks the duo is just what the soccer program needs to maintain the boys’ dominance and to bring the same level of success to the girls.
“We’re very happy up here with the decision,” said Maloney.
The move is bittersweet for Scarpelli, who is excited to lead the girls team but feels bad to leave the boys team so soon before the season begins.
“It’s been a great run. It will be something I’ll always treasure,” said Scarpelli.
Scarpelli said the boys are lucky to have Petridis available to become head coach and that Petridis will no doubt continue the boys’ success.
Maloney said Scarpelli was a “natural fit” for the gig because of his experience and his connections to Medford’s youth soccer programs. Scarpelli has gotten to know the girls through his soccer camps and also by serving as the girls softball coach.
Scarpelli said he wants to “get the engines started again” with the girls soccer team by bringing the same intensity, “family attitude,” and winning tradition he brought to the boys team for so many years.
More on Coach Scarpelli…
Coach Scarpelli is a busy man. Hear about the summer youth program he directed and his involvement in bringing new fields to the high school with the Medford Field of Dreams project in these video clips provided by MHS-TV 15.
More on Medford sports…
Hear what Athletic Director Bob Maloney has planned for the year in this video clip provided by MHS-TV 15.
Check with InsideMedford.com next week for interviews with coaches and players for the fall sports teams.