“Last season is done, who cares what our record was, it doesn’t count, all that matters is tonight,” said senior and Boys Basketball Captain Aidan Olivier-Louis ’22 as he hyped the team for their opening night bout against Everett—and this wasn’t just talk. The Falcons went on to capture a win in a classic opening night against the Tide thanks to a fourth quarter comeback spurred by gritty defensive board play. Coach Geo Rodriguez has emphasized defense at every stage of the season. He is often caught saying, “Every play starts with defense, offense comes later.” 

Even if defense is the priority, the Falcons have wicked offensive knives up their sleeves. Sharpshooters such as Olivier-Louis ’22, and up-and-coming star Troy Miller ’24 are lethal beyond the three point arc. Driving forces in the key such as Tony Tabor ’23 and Jeffery White ’24 keep pressure on opposing defenses, and with one of the best transition offenses in the Dual County League (DCL), this team is truly one of the most complete in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Just one year after a dismal 20-21 campaign, it is a true feat to craft such an efficient and fine tuned machine that is the Falcons Boys Basketball team, especially after stars Cooper Wright ’22 and Zavier Dunbar ’21 transferred and graduated respectively.

 Despite these losses, the Falcons have been helped by some key additions to the roster. After being absent from last year’s campaign, Captain Peter Loutzenhiser ’22 has returned with a vengeance: with a 6’3” frame, he is a defensive battalion unto himself. Coupled with the development of promising players from last year have contributed mightily, Dontay Santiago ’23 and Captain Remy Williams Gerrard ’22  and freshman additions like Amos Sylvera ’25, everywhere you look there is talent. Troy Miller was recognised as an all-star in the Westwood Winter Tournament where he put up 17 points in one game alone. 

When asked about his performance and his play style, Miller told the Register Forum “I’m just comfortable when I’m on the court. I do a lot of shooting drills almost everyday to perfect it the best I could.” Loutzenhiser was more curt in his explanation for his individual success, “Just win games, that’s it.” He told the Register Forum that the team was “instilled with a special work ethic since the first day of practice.” It has shone through in spades as the team rides a 5-2 record and is looking like contenders to plant their colors atop the state. Coach Rodriguez summed it up neatly, “War Memorial arena is a special place, they know that. As the season goes, we build camaraderie, we learn from mistakes, and craft our game plan. We take each game as it is, we don’t worry about the last game, or the next game, just winning this game.” So far the Falcons have done just that, and are on pace to seed nicely in the state tournament.