Mustang Moment shines a light on Medford student athletes, musicians

As you celebrate the New Year and all it has to bring, take a moment and celebrate these Medford High School kids and all they brought to 2025.

The Medford High School Orchestra, along with fall athletes, were honored at the Medford School Committee’s final meeting of 2025 during the Mustang Moment, that time of the meeting set aside specifically to recognize students and their accomplishments.

The night’s all-stars included:

Sophia Chang led the MHS Orchestra, which opened the meeting with several holiday tunes. She said she loved working with the high school musicians because they had so much potential and brought much joy to her life.

And three musicians returned the affection. Jayden Vil, Jayden Wu and Sam Keith were invited to share their experiences playing with the orchestra.

“You know, Ms. Chang loves to push us hard and have us reach a higher level of playing, but it’s not just focusing on the notes, it’s more than that,” said Vil, who plays violin.

Chang pushes them to think about how to transmit emotions through the music and that being good at something means mastering the basics before leveling up.

“Those two lessons, I think I’ll take with me for the rest of my life,” he said.  

Keith, a violinist, said prior to playing with Chang, most of his work was solo. It was Chang who taught him how to work as part of a group, he said.

Cello player Wu agreed that playing with the orchestra has “definitely done some things in a good way to benefit my life … honestly, it’s just been amazing.

Girls Soccer Head Coach Rocco Cieri said the team had another banner year. Their overall record, including the post season, was 13 wins, five losses and a tie and they were undefeated in the Greater Boston League (GBL), scoring 55 goals and only allowing 19 across all competitions.

The Medford High School Golf Team under Coach Rich Citrano, also had another banner year. 

“A lot of teams were gunning for us because we were the GBL defending champions and we did happen to repeat,” said Citrano. “Which is quite a feat.”

The champs finished the season with 10 wins and zero losses, had three players participate in the GBL shootout, where Medford again prevailed and the team qualified for the division two Northern States.

“We sent six players and did better than we did the previous year,” Citrano said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to improve each year and so far, we have.”

Before he talked about the success of his rowers, Crew Coach Joshua Schuler said one thing he was particularly proud of was the intersection of arts and athletics.

“Four of the ensemble members are also on the rowing team that you’ve heard from, and that’s pretty terrific,” he said. “And I should thank Miss Chang for allowing that, because you can imagine rowing can really do some damage to your hands.” 

Schuler said the crew team had a terrific season with 44 student athletes competing in five regattas bringing home 12 medals including a gold, two silvers and a bronze, at the state championships.

The team also received a record three invites to the Head of the Charles, an international rowing event held each fall on the Charles River in Boston. 

In her first year as cheer coach, Kristen Glionna said the team had three goals: to bring back polish and pride to the sidelines, safety and building a competitive program. She said the team wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground had it not been for outgoing athletic director Bob Maloney, new Athletic Director Rob O’Leary and a host of others “who invested in us and our new uniforms for cheering.”

Glionna said when you’re a cheerleader, your uniform is your equipment, “and maybe some mats if you’re lucky.”

She praised the team for its discipline and team all-star Marcella Lucas for showing what commitment looks like.

“She got hurt, at home, not with us, but right at the beginning of the season and that didn’t stop her from coming to every practice, every game and showing the team through her leadership what it means to have commitment,” Glionna said. 

The boys and girls cross country teams had a great fall season, ending with exactly the same record, six wins and one loss, said Coach Eileen O’Hara. Both teams also took second place at the end of season GBL championship race, she added.

O’Hara also called the senior runners and captains excellent role models who showed the younger athletes what it takes to be successful in cross country.

“As a result, we saw athletes across both teams see significant improvement in their time throughout the season,” she said. “We had three athletes qualify for the Massachusetts All State meet and we have five GBL All Stars.”

Football Coach John Curley gave a shout out to all athletes.

“It really does mean a lot to me that everyone in this room can get recognized, because they have to be a student first and then play a sport after and it’s really hard to do that any day ... so congratulations to everyone in this room.” 

Curley admitted the season started rocky with 4 losses, but then the boys went on a five-game winning streak. He said he was happy to see Guilhereme Martins and Demi Georges, whom he’s known for eight-years and four-years respectively, become GBL All Stars.

He said they continually showed up and bought into changes he’s made over the years aimed at bettering the football program.

Volleyball Coach Samantha Kenney rounded out the night telling the School Committee the team wrapped up a competitive and exciting fall season. She said they played with exceptional teamwork, skill and determination, fighting to the end of every match.

“Although the Mustangs fell short of qualifying for the state tournament, they concluded their season on a high note with an outstanding senior night victory on their home court,” Kenney said. “We graduated 10 seniors, and we thank them for their commitment to the Medford volleyball program over the last four years.