Franklin High soccer's 'security blanket' Rex Cinelli a class act and an MVP

FRANKLIN - Rex Cinelli stood alone at midfield.

His neon-soled cleats ruffled the blue turf of Franklin's 50-yard line Panther logo backed with a shield. The Panthers possessed the ball in Attleboro's for much of the second half in Monday's 5-0 state tournament win at Pisini Stadium.

Fellow senior defender Sean O'Leary "was a beast" and handled most of the Bombardiers' forays forward before they reached Cinelli. He's Franklin's last line of defense. Even when it looks like he's in the middle of nowhere, Cinelli is exactly where he needs to be, often a few steps ahead.

"I call him my security blanket, just comes out of nowhere at times to break up plays. He's a great one-on-one defender,” Franklin coach Fran Bositis said. “He's a special player, a special kid. He just has a way about that. Kids really respect him. He always seems to come up big for us."

Cinelli, a senior defender, was named the Hockomock League MVP last week. He's the first defender to take home the award in a decade and first Franklin player honored since Zach Scafati was the Kelly-Rex Player of the Year in 2012.

"When it comes to league MVPs, sometimes it’s not only the most talented player, but it’s the player that brings out the best in a team. That probably sums up Rex," said Franklin baseball coach Zach Brown, who coaches Cinelli in the spring. "He’s not only a terrific athlete and a really productive player, but he’s the kind of guy when he’s in your lineup for baseball or when he’s on the field in soccer he elevates your team’s level of play."

The stat sheet poorly represents his impact. Yes, the four-year varsity starter produced a career-high six goals and two assists in 2023. He kept astronomically more off the board.

Franklin conceded just seven goals all season and never more than two in a game. The Panthers posted 13 shutouts in 17 games. They constructed two separate stretches of four games without allowing a goal.

"He’s the reason for that. He's probably the most solid soccer player I've ever been around in my career, and I've been around a ton of great soccer players. He doesn't make mistakes,” Franklin senior Andrew O’Neill said. “He’s been our team leaders since junior year. He's the backbone of the team.”

Cinelli has always been part of his teams' defensive foundations. As a taller player from the beginning - the 6-foot-1 senior also plays basketball, soccer coaches slotted him in the back line from an early age for an advantage in the air.

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"It's a position where athleticism is the most important thing," Cinelli said. "That's probably why I started there and just came up working with that."

Baseball coaches put him in the outfield to best utilize his skill in space. Cinelli organizes and orients his body well to make challenging catches appear easy and set himself up for throws back to the infield or home.

"Everything he does is effortless," Brown said. "He glides to baseballs."

With his athletic talent and leadership acumen, Cinelli probably could have played any fall sport. He chose soccer for its eccentricities. The game requires pace of mind and feet.

"It's definitely different from other sports," Cinelli said. "There's a lot of thinking involved. It's almost as if the sport picked me."

Some defenders secretly want to be strikers. Coaches cast Cinelli correctly from the beginning. He can bask in the game's more physical elements and "bang around," as he calls it.

"Defender is definitely my position," Cinelli said. "I fell like I'm more consistent. Nothing flashy."

Like any good spine, Cinelli transmits information as well as he provides support. His position at the back of the defense allows him to see the whole field, where everyone is and where they should be.

"I kind of act as the director of the field," Cinelli said.

That promotion took time. Though Cinelli's field vision was strong playing varsity as a freshman, he hadn't found his voice yet. Working with former Panther Aidan Griffith as a sophomore and junior strengthened his communication on the pitch and off.

"He's always keeping tabs on our players, making sure everyone's participating in practice and making sure people are ready in each game," O'Neill said. "He's taking an active role in everybody's lives."

Cinelli walked off the Pisini Stadium field, over the Panther shield logo he's so familiar with, for potentially the last time after Franklin took out Attleboro in the Division 1 Round of 32. The Panthers will visit Newton North in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. They could potentially host a quarterfinal if they and No. 15 Boston College High win.

"I've been playing on this field for four years, and I'm gonna miss it," Cinelli said. "I'm not saying it's over yet. I think we could still play here but just looking forward to the ride."

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Cinelli doesn't have immediate plans to play a varsity sport in college. He said he'll likely try to walk on to a soccer or baseball program.

"Rex is the type of guy that whatever he really puts his mind to, he’s going to be successful at," Brown said. "From a coach’s perspective, I appreciate who he is as a person. He’s very transparent. You can ask him about certain situations during a practice or a game and he’s going to give you some really good feedback. He can be a conduit between you and the players."

After all of his teammates left the bench area with their bags, Cinelli carried a cooler and a ball bag back to the locker room. He comes up big in the small moments, too.

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"I've been here a long, long time," said Bositis, in his 53rd year. "He is one of the classiest kids I've ever worked with."

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Franklin soccer 'security blanket' Rex Cinelli named Hockomock MVP