Together WE RISE
he 2023 Hawks football team was
something special, and it’s not
because of the rings they earned at
Gillette Stadium. Tis group of young men
truly understood the meaning of “team.”
Tey supported one another through season-
ending injuries and the tragic loss of family
and friends. One minute they were in the
weight room and on the field practicing, and
the next they were in suits and ties filling
buses en route to funerals. Trough it all,
they lifed each other up ensuring that no
one was lef behind. As one teammate fell,
another was ready to take his place and carry
the line. Each young man brought his own
story and his own dreams...and each young
man set them aside for the betterment of the
team. Together they rose until they reached
the pinnacle as the 2023 MIAA Division 1
State Champions. Here are just a few of
their stories.
CHARLIE COMELLA ’24
harlie Comella came into his senior season as a Xaverian Hawk with his star
blazing. He had committed to Boston College for football and baseball and was
gearing up as co-captain for a final run for the State Championship that had eluded his
team for the past three years. However, Charlie’s season ended before it even began. He
was playing 7 on 7 with his teammates in a summer workout, received a pass, got the
touchdown (he notes with pride), but broke his collarbone in the process. He was out
for 10 weeks of play and returned in a game against Malden Catholic. Only four plays
in, he was dragged down by the defense and broke the same collarbone.
With his bouncing curls and signature smirking smile, you could easily mistake
Charlie’s demeanor and think sitting the season out didn’t bother him. You’d be wrong.
“I tried to put on a smile the entire year. I got excited for my teammates. But when
I was just standing there watching those guys play, I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe
I’m not out there.’ You work year round to get ready for the next season, you finally get
there, and you can’t play.”
Te injury didn’t stop him from showing up for his teammates. Instead of
supporting his fellow Hawks in the games on the field, he tried to be there for them
out of the spotlighted glow of stadium lights. “I tried to be like a coach this year. I tried
to show up to everything I could and help my teammates. We still had one common
goal and still had to get it done.”
According to Charlie, that’s what leadership means. “It’s simple - it’s being there for
your teammates no matter what.” And when the Hawks won the State Championship,
Charlie was there in the glow of the Gillette Stadium lights, smiling alongside his
teammates with the trophy secured.
GREGORY CELESTIN ’24
is teammates know him as “Junior” or “June Bug,” but at 6’4”, 295 lbs with a 6’8” wingspan,
those diminutive monikers don’t quite do him justice. Gregory Celestin, Jr., came up
the football ranks with teammates Jonathan Monteiro and Caleb Brown, competing with
the Brockton Raiders as youth athletes before joining Xaverian’s Class of 2024.
Greg’s daily reality straddles two worlds, his hometown of Brockton and his time here in
Westwood. “When I talk to my Brockton friends, they tell me how much of a struggle it is over
there. I’m grateful I am here at Xaverian and I have this blessing. My mom didn’t want me to have
distractions. She wanted me to focus on school and football, instead of being in Brockton where
there are distractions lef and right. I hear about deaths and people getting caught up in bad
things. But I go to Westwood every day; I don’t have to worry as much.”
For Greg, the differences between the two communities are reflected in how people refer
to him. While everyone here calls him Junior or June Bug, his childhood friends just call him
Greg. Teammate Jordan Wilson ’25 and Greg are close friends, both inside school and at
home in Brockton. Teir friendship goes back to kindergarten, and Greg appreciates having him
here. “Te community is very different here, but at the same time, I feel like it’s still the same
me. Jordan sees ‘Greg’ and ‘Junior.’ Same thing with Micah Amedee ’25. I grew up by him
in Brockton, and I told him to come over here. Now he plays football with us and he’s making a
difference, too.” Greg’s little brother Kyle ’26 is also a Hawk, and he says it meant a lot to him to
make it to Gillette playing on the same team as his brother.
“Every single day, I’m grateful I’m out there with my team. It’s a special year this year.
Everybody is a family. Everybody is together. It’s a team, and we made it far.”
2 www.xbhs.com
2400026 Magazine.indd
1/12/24
7:29 AM