The Raiders hope to celebrate more State Tournament wins in 2025-26. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Basketball is back for Watertown High School (well, at Watertown Middle School for one more year). The season tips off for the boys and girls varsity teams on Friday when each face rival Belmont, as both look to return to the MIAA State Tournament. Boys Basketball
In 2024-25, the Raiders boys squad went 15-7, and defeated Oakmont in the first round of the State Tournament. Abington ended Watertown’s season in the Round of 16.
Watertown Field HockeyWatertown Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue celebrated win number 700 in 2021. Watertown High School Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue received the Coach of the Year award from the National Federation of State High School Associations. Donahue was one of 24 high school coaches from across the country in a range of sports to be selected as 2023-24 National Coaches of the Year by the NFHS Coaches Association. She was the only honoree from Massachusetts. The coaches are nominated by the NFHS member state associations, which often works with the state coaches’ association in its respective state, according to the NFHS announcement, which continued: “The state association then contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy.”
Watertown’s defense celebrates after stopping Belmont on fourth down late in the Thanksgiving Day Game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
On a beautifully sunny Thanksgiving morning, with a gusty wind making it feel a little cooler then it really was, the 3-7 Watertown Raiders welcomed the 0-9 Belmont Marauders to Victory Field for the 103rd meeting of these two schools that dates back to 1921. In a game that was close throughout, Watertown won its second straight Thanksgiving Day game, this time by the score of 21-12. There’s so much great that comes from sport. The practice and the training and the education and the challenge and the joy, and even the heartbreak. Football provides all of that and more, and it’s why the sport is so popular. It’s also so because there’s a comradery that is formed from battling it out on the football field, and winless or undefeated or somewhere in-between, there’s so much to value in the experience of being part of a football team. It was clear from the start that Belmont, despite a difficult season that had them scoring only 36 points in nine games and being shut out five times, was together as a team and ready to give it its all to win the rivalry game. The sideline was into it, the players on the field were into it, and it was a sign of good coaching that Belmont was showing no quit on this day.
The Raiders block a Marauders punt on Thanksgiving.
Watertown celebrates defeating Belmont in the 2025 Thanksgiving Game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Watertown triumphed over rivals Belmont in the 103rd Thanksgiving Game on Thursday morning at Victory Field. The Marauders scored first and kept it close for the first half, but the Raiders struck twice in the second half to clinch a 21-12 win. 1st Quarter
Raiders get the ball
7 mins: Watertown punts, Belmont at its own 20
4:31 left: Punt, Watertown gets it at the Belmont 38
2:17 left: Watertown punt, touchback
End of the first: 0-0, Belmont driving. Has ball on the Watertown 38.
The Boston Gold Kings won an overtime thriller Saturday night at John A. Ryan Arena, 6-5 over the Norfolk Mallards.
But, before the game details take over this column, lets catch up on who the Boston Gold Kings are and the league they play in. For those still learning about the league and the team, the following (re)introduction: the Power Play Senior Hockey League (PPSHL), is comprised of teams in a close range demographic throughout central New England. This is a Full contact Pro Style hockey league where players will get to continue their hockey journey without the feeling of settling for men’s league hockey. Teams play on the weekend only, occasionally Saturday & Sunday, but typically one day or the other. Teams are individually owned and operated by owners, not by the PPSHL. Current teams
Boston Gold Kings
Holyoke Paper Men
Hudson Valley Reapers
Norfolk Mallards
Salem Sasquatch
The Gold Kings are essentially Watertown’s team, despite being “Boston.” Since their inception, the Gold Kings have played their games (as well as practiced) at John A. Ryan Arena and have been a presence at local events such as Faire on the Square. They also work hard at being a positive citizen in the community, and on Saturday night, in game five of the still early ’25-26 season, the Gold Kings stuck to their model by honoring the Military in pre-game festivities.
Included in their efforts was: the presentation of the Color Guard courtesy of the Shutt Detachment Marine Corps League & VFW Post 1105, a ceremonial puck drop by Lincoln Rocca, young son of parents and proud veterans of the U.S. Army, Tony & Kendra Rocca, and the introduction of four hockey players on the ice Saturday night who have served, three with the U.S. Army and one with the National Guard. The Gold Kings also ran an auction and raffle, with proceeds going to Operation American Soldier. This was a wonderful show of support and appreciation by the Gold Kings, and kudos to them! On to the hockey game!
Watertown hopes to keep the Thanksgiving Gam trophy in 2025. Last year. the Raiders won the Thanksgiving Game at Belmont. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
On Thursday morning, Nov. 27th, better known as Thanksgiving, young men from Watertown and Belmont will suit up to play football for the chance to say “we beat them” in the 103rd edition of the Raiders versus Maurauders rivalry. And the beauty of it all is that it doesn’t matter what has transpired leading up to this game, either this season in terms of each schools overall record or past Thanksgiving Day games. It’s all about the day at hand and trying to put together 48 minutes of winning football.
Watertown will host Belmont in the 103rd Thanksgiving Game on Thursday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. at Victory Field. Due to construction on the other parts of the complex, parking will not be allowed on site. Tickets are available online, and there is a discount until Wednesday afternoon. If you purchase tickets to the game before 3 p.m. on Nov.
The following announcement was provided by Girls on the Run:
Following a successful spring season, Girls on the Run returned to Watertown this fall with a roster of 20 girls in grades 3, 4 and 5. The girls were from the Hosmer, Lowell, Cunniff and St. Agnes Schools. The eight-week program began on Sept. 24th and culminated in a celebratory 5K at the Boston Common on Nov.
