In an evening led by emcee Dave Arinella, long-time swim coach at East Boston High School, the 62nd Annual East Boston Athletic Board (EBAB) Awards Banquet shone brightly. This night honors championship student athletes and teams from across East Boston youth sports.

Having begun with a special appreciation award for Joe Guarnaccia, the longest tenured member of EBAB at an enduring 42 years, the event continued briskly with many awards to champions in baseball, softball, basketball, football, and in hockey, including special recognition for Malden East Boston Youth Hockey (MEB). The MEB Peewee A team won the Boston Mayor's Cup and Central Mass Winter Classic tournaments.  Our Mite team, led by Coach Glen Curtis (all star swimmer from East Boston High School coached by Dave Arinella) won the Valley League Championship with an undefeated season - a first in the history of Malden/East Boston merger and Malden Youth Hockey.

As athletic associations go, EBAB is an honorable one, with membership harking back to 1950, and many long-term members, several who have departed us and recognized by emcee Dave Arinella before continuing with individual awards for outstanding student athletes. Scholarship awards for athletics, character, and academics in the name of Fred L. O'Brien honored nine leaders in their own right and in their sports and academic careers.  It is an impressive list of schools these students are contuining on to in the fall.

The program continued with memorial trophies and honors for athletes across the sports and academics, historic awards for outstanding performance and achievements.  Student athletes from among the very best were rewarded greatly with special recognition from the Board and special honors from all in attendance as shown in their applause.

Receiving top honors for the evening for High School Athlete of the Year were Anthony Whitney (track and field and football) and Maria Delvecchio (basketball and softball), and for Sandlot Athlete of the Year, Jeff Arinella (flag football, basketball and ice hockey). There is really no shortage of bright futures for the student athletes recognized tonight, and all are congratulated for their acheivements in academics, character, and atheltics.

Malden/East Boston Youth Hockey is proud to contribute to those bright futures, and to the continued success of youth in our cities.