Copyright The Boston Herald
It became a popular saying on the field for Marblehead this season. It can be heard coming from the sideline and the crowd, too. The exhortation from players and fans alike is directed toward Bubacarr Jallow, and encapsulates the unique, aggressive style the senior defender and midfielder exudes. Nobody else on the Magicians can exactly replicate it, either, because their soccer backgrounds vastly differ from Jallow, who learned the game growing up in his native Africa. “Whenever Buba is dribbling through defenders, they call it like, ‘Oh that’s Haram Ball,’” Marblehead head coach Elmer Magana said. “There’s definitely a flair of African style in him.” Jallow moved from The Gambia, the smallest country of mainland Africa which is situated on the western coast and borders Senegal, to the United States in February 2023. He joined his father in Marblehead and began the harsh reality of facing life in a foreign place. Jallow first dealt with the cold weather, which he admitted had him doubling up on socks. Getting over the language barrier was a hurdle Jallow successfully cleared as well – he speaks four languages: English, Wolof, which is the main language in The Gambia, French and a tribal language called Fula. There also was the isolation for Jallow of not knowing anyone in an unfamiliar environment. Magana, who went through a similar experience when immigrating to the United States from El Salvador at age 13, found out about Jallow’s situation and the two connected over their love for soccer. Jallow joined Marblehead on the pitch last fall, giving him an outlet to feel like a regular teenager again and a new home that embraced him. “It helped in so many ways,” Jallow said. “It made me have new friends. It helped with my social skills. When I moved here I had no one, I had no friends. I knew nobody. But here, the soccer community, they were the first people to welcome me.” Jallow is thriving as an integral piece this season for an 11-4-2 Marblehead squad. He became an anchor on the back line and showcased his playmaking with a goal and seven assists in a four-game stretch during the middle of the season when he played in the center midfield. Jallow also made a monumental difference in Monday’s 1-1 tie with Winthrop when he notched the game-tying goal in the final seconds of the contest. “He can go through defenders zig-zagging like that and it’s fantastic,” Magana said. Jallow personifies “Haram Ball” with his physical, defensive play despite his lean stature. He learned the art of it playing for his uncle’s team in The Gambia and honed the craft playing on streets or on fields that would be deemed unsuitable in the United States. “It’s so much different. Here, you got all the equipment. You play on turf or grass,” Jallow said. “But back there, the conditions were rough. You barely got resources. You play on sand, muddy places.” Soccer isn’t the only thing on Jallow’s mind. There are times when Jallow leaves practice early, but it’s for a good cause. He works at the local Dunkin’, not as a way to integrate himself into New England culture but to provide financially for his mother, who currently lives in The Gambia. “She’s the main reason why I keep going every day, honestly,” Jallow said. It has been a whirlwind journey for Jallow, one that he can hardly believe at times. But it is his reality and one he’s happy to live out across the globe from his homeland. “It’s just a blessing being here, doing what I’m doing right now,” Jallow said. “It’s the best feeling ever. … Thinking about all that, it just makes me want to do more and not waste this opportunity.” First-timers Before the Abington boys soccer team traveled to Mashpee for a key South Shore League matchup last Wednesday, head coach Brian Claus wanted to show them something. “Brought the kids into the gym, took a look at our banner up there that had zero years on it and said, ‘Hey guys, this is an opportunity for you. We’ve had good seasons in the past, but this is an opportunity for you guys to be the first,’” Claus said. The Green Wave made sure the rafters didn’t remain lonely as a 3-1 win over Mashpee clinched the program’s first-ever SSL Tobin title. Dimitri St. Paul and David Byrne played a large role in the historic season, which included a win and a draw against perennial power Cohasset. St. Paul and Byrne are the top two goal scorers for the Green Wave while Matheus Bispo and Thadeusz Krason fortify the defense alongside Byrne. Sam Almeida is a Swiss-army knife in Claus’ formation and twin brothers Aidan and Nathan Calcano assisted in lifting the Green Wave to new heights. Top seeds There’s a sense of how the seedings for the upcoming boys and girls soccer state tournaments will shape up given the latest power rankings prior to Thursday’s cutoff date. Needham holds the top spot in Division 1 girls while Duxbury (Division 2), Medfield (Division 3), Sutton (Division 4) and Granby (Division 5) are also in line for No. 1 seeds. For the boys, St. John’s Prep and Oliver Ames are atop Division 1 and Division 2, respectively. Medfield (Division 3), Sutton (Division 4) and Boston International (Division 5) are possible top seeds, too.
