'We the North Pt. 2': Documentary sequel of state title season to be shown Saturday to celebrate upcoming tournament
WORCESTER ― The North High boys’ basketball team will learn Saturday morning where it’s seeded — the big money is on No. 1 — in the upcoming Division 1 state tournament.
Later that afternoon, family, friends and fans of the Polar Bears, who were 18-0 heading into the Central Mass. Class A championship against Leominster Thursday, will have an opportunity to relive last year’s historic march to a state championship.
The premiere of “We the North Pt. 2,” an 80-minute documentary which chronicles the Polar Bears on their five-game, 19-day postseason run in March, will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday at the high school auditorium.
That’s the second half of a North sports celebration as 40 alums will take the court for two co-ed games — each lasting 40 minutes of running time — beginning at 3 p.m.
“I believe it’s the first time this has been done,” said coach Al Pettway, who has guided the Polar Bears since 2002. “It’s just to try to get the alums back and involved in the school.”
It’s $5 at the door to watch the alumni games and the premiere; $10 for those who just want to see the film. All proceeds will go toward offsetting the cost of renting the facility.
“We the North, Pt. 2” picks up where “We the North” left off, with the Polar Bears fresh off winning a CMass championship and preparing to enter the state tournament.
After months of filming the Polar Bears during the regular season and the rigorous editing process that ensued to produce the final cut of “We the North,” director Angelo Padin was deserving of some time off to enjoy the playoffs with the rest of North’s massive bandwagon of joyous orange-and-black-clad fandoms.
But, um, no. Chalk it up to a premonition, devotion and determination.
“I felt like it was destined for the North High team to win the state championship,” said Padin, a Worcester native and resident who graduated from North in 2007. “And I wanted to see it through. I didn’t want to be another person who kind of came into their life and then disappeared.
“It became more than I was just making a movie. I became a big brother to these boys and just to be able to have the bonds and the conversations we were able to have in that time. I got engulfed in it all and I had to see it to the end.”
No spoiler alert needed as North became the first public school in Worcester to win a Division 1 state championship when it defeated Needham, 73-64, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell March 19 to cap a 24-2 campaign with its 21st consecutive victory.
But while Padin’s first documentary on the Polar Bears focused heavily on the players, the follow-up weaves interviews with a mixture of North administrators, coaches and alumni between practice, game and locker room footage of the talented, hard-working, defensive-minded team and triumphant team.
“It’s two storylines kind of going at once, where it’s the past and the present, and it’s all culminating with this championship moment,” Padin, 34, said. “And how you can always write your own future.
“Regardless of how many times you lose, how many times you fail or fall short, you can always get back up, and you can create a new future for yourself.”
Those sharing their stories — some euphoric, others emotional and all educational — include assistant principal Ellie Lupafya, assistant coaches DeMarr Langford and Eric Boss, former all-star player Leroy Byron and City Manager Eric D. Batista.
“Hopefully, the viewer gets to walk away with this feeling of, ‘I can make my own future. I can be a champion in my own right. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with sports,’” Padin said.
“We the North Pt. 2” was made possible through the sponsorship of Worcester Housing Authority CEO Alex Corrales and Renaissance Medical Group founder and CEO Jesus David Suarez.
Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: North High celebrates upcoming tourney with documentary sequel
