The Eagle-Tribune
---- — Football: O’Connor leading Hillies back to prominence
Burly Haverhill High football coach Tim O’Connor admitted he was nearly brought to tears last week at the Hillies’ banquet when All-Scholastic running back Chance Brady spoke of the close relationship the two share.
Brady isn’t the only one singing the praises of the fourth-year Hillie coach.
Just a season removed from snapping a 32-game losing streak, Haverhill finished 8-3 and was a legitimate contender for the MVC Division 2 crown.
The eight wins equalled the most by a Haverhill team since The Eagle-Tribune began keeping records in 1981, matching the 2001 team’s mark (also 8-3). It also exceeded the last five years combined (6 wins).
“I’m not making any predictions,” the Haverhill High history teacher said in the preseason. “But I will tell you that the days of 0-32 are over. That’s for sure.”
Hired by the Hillies in June of 2010 at age 35, the former St. John’s Prep and Wesleyan University captain assisted at Malden Catholic, Peabody, Malden and Marblehead before arriving in Haverhill. The Hillies made a major jump last season, going 4-7 after two straight winless seasons.
“Coach O. was always behind me good or bad,” said three-year starting QB Tommy Morgan during the season. “When things were going bad, he would say to me, ‘I know you will be a good quarterback.’ That meant a lot to me, and I owe so much to him.”
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Bill Raycraft, Windham; 2010: E.J. Perry, Andover; 2009: Jack Gati, Salem; 2008: Pat Graham, Methuen; 2007: Tony Sarkis, Gr. Lawrence; 2006: Brian O’Reilly, Pinkerton; 2005: Kevin Bradley, Whittier; 2004: Ken Maglio, Andover; 2003: Jim Pugh, Masconomet; 2002: Jack Gati, Salem; 2001: Ken Sciacca, Haverhill
Boys Cross Country: Smith a worthy successor to a legend
After this fall, one would have to say that Matt Smith is a worthy successor to legendary Londonderry coach Larry Martin.
A 2000 Londonderry grad, Smith made sure that the Lancers didn’t miss a beat when he took over the program five years ago following a stint as an assistant at his alma mater, Hofstra University.
Smith’s best team was probably in 2011, when the Lancers finished second in Division 1, but he may have done his best coaching job this year. That earned him, fittingly, the Larry Martin Award as our Coach of the Year.
After graduating six of its top seven runners, Londonderry was supposed to be rebuilding, but someone forgot to tell Smith.
Showing confidence in his inexperienced runners, Smith always felt that Londonderry would run with the best teams. He was right. The Lancers placed third in Division 1 and fifth at the Meet of Champions, both times just behind arch-rival Pinkerton.
Finally, the Lancers overtook Pinkerton at the New England Meet.
“We try to emphasize the idea that if you show up every day and put your miles in every day that you will see improvement,” said Smith, who also is the head coach of the boys winter and spring track teams. “In terms of the more nuts and bolts aspect of coaching, I’m a big believer in the long run. Besides the physical benefits, I love the mental toughness it instills in them.”
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Jay Santomassino, Gr. Lawrence; 2010: Derek Dorval, North Reading; 2009: Mike Clark, Pinkerton; 2008: Bill James, Methuen; 2007: Rick DelleChiaie, North Andover; 2006: Mike Maguire, Haverhill; 2005: Mike Clark, Pinkerton; 2004: Larry Martin, Londonderry; 2003: Steve Meline, Pentucket; 2002: Bill James, Methuen; and Larry Martin, Londonderry; 2001: Art Demers, Pelham
Girls Cross Country: First comes love, then titles for Astros
As an avid runner herself, Pinkerton’s Amy Bernard puts a high premium on enjoying the sport.
”My philosophy has always been to teach a love of running and life-long fitness first, and second breed a championship team,” said Bernard, who just completed her 10th year as head coach. “Sometimes the second isn’t always possible ... but, if you foster the first, a love for the sport, winning comes naturally.”
The Astros didn’t win a championship this year but, despite losing its top returning runner because of injury, they were a surprising contender.
Pinkerton finished fourth in Division 1, which was two slots ahead of last year and narrowly missed qualifying for New England.
For Bernard, a former Pinkerton and Merrimack College runner who still runs for the Whirlaway team, it was a satisfying season in more ways than one.
”This year has been a highlight of my coaching career and will go down as one of my favorite teams ever,” said The Pinkerton science teacher, who also won the award in 2006. “I’ve had teams that were overall faster teams, but these girls showed up every day loving cross country, ready to work hard, and really made the most of their season.”
Bernard masterfully managed her youngsters like freshmen Ariel Vaillancourt, Morgan Sansing and Taylor Lacey and sophomore Kaila Cote.
“I honestly wish we could start training for the 2013 cross country season tomorrow,” said Bernard.
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Mark Behan, Timberlane; 2010: Leo Lafond, Andover; 2009: Ed Burgess, Londonderry; 2008: Nancy Lang, Phillips; 2007: Mike Maguire, Haverhill; 2006: Amy Bernard, Pinkerton; 2005: Nancy Lang, Phillips; 2004: Joe Casey, Masconomet; 2003: Mike Maguire, Haverhill; 2001-02: Mike Beeman, Pinkerton
Girls Soccer: Who says great players can’t be great coaches?
Jaime Gilbert was an Eagle-Tribune MVP and an All-American at Brooks. She then scored 29 career goals for North Carolina, winning a national title in 2006.
The 26-year-old North Andover native now is making quite a name for herself as a coach. This fall, she led Brooks to its first NEPSAC Class A title since 2002. One guess who was the star of that team?
“Believe it or not, I get more fulfillment out of coaching than I did playing,” said Gilbert, who is assistant director of admissions at Brooks and is also an assistant basketball coach. “I think I speak for both my assistant, Laura Salichs, and myself when I say watching our girls grow and develop as players and more importantly as people has been one of the most rewarding things in our lives. We witnessed 20 girls become more mature and seasoned players over the span of three months. It was remarkable.”
Before earning the head job, Gilbert was an assistant coach to longtime Brooks head coach Bob Morahan.
Gilbert was well aware of the talent her team had.
“Girls’ teams are interesting, though,” Gilbert said. “You can have the most talented soccer players in the world, but if they don’t mesh well together on the personal level, they will not perform well. Fortunately for us, this was not the case.
“I 100 percent knew we would be strong contenders for the Class A title after we beat Phillips Andover. The Big Blue has an amazing girls soccer team that we haven’t beaten in years.”
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Bud McCarthy, North Andover; 2010: Casey Grange, Central; 2009: Peter Kitsos, Methuen; 2008: Kendrick Whittle, Salem; 2007: Bud McCarthy, North Andover; 2006: Meghan Matson, Andover; 2005: Jeff Petry, Timberlane; 2004: Paul Bellacqua, Haverhill; 2003: Sean Killeen, North Reading; 2002: Paul Cleary, Londonderry; 2001: Amy Quinlan, Central
Boys Soccer: Windham’s Hachey is a man with a plan
Mike Hachey has coached several Windham soccer players since they were sixth graders.
“I took them as their junior high coach and the big plan was to try to keep them together and hopefully, I’d be hired on as the high school coach,” Hachey said. “I felt if I got started with a core group of guys, got them playing together and got them playing a certain style of ball ... (then) hopefully we’d get a group of composed guys who would play well together and who had a shot to put together a title.”
That plan worked. Hachey was hired as the first ever soccer coach of Windham High. And this fall, he guided the Jaguars to the Division 2 title in just their third year as a varsity program.
“It was clear that there was talent when these guys were younger,” said Hachey, a first grade teacher at Windham’s Golden Brook School.
Hachey played at Pinkerton under head coach Kerry Boles, winning state titles both his junior and senior years. After graduating from Pinkerton in 1996, he played at Colby-Sawyer, where he also sprinted for the track team and was vice president of the senior class.
“They have been around me so long and been around each other so long, there was not much more I could teach them,” said Hachey, who was an assistant at Pinkerton before getting the Windham job. “I was just trying to keep their eye on what their goal was and stay focused on that goal.”
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Chris DiFranco, Georgetown; 2010: Christian Langlois, Pentucket; 2009: Bill Tarbox, North Andover; 2008: Ron Comeau, Georgetown; 2007: John Coppola, Haverhill; 2006: Kerry Boles, Pinkerton; 2005: Mike Sorter, Timberlane; 2004: Mike Wartman, Andover; 2003: Al Magnusson, Sanborn; 2002: Tony Karibian, Salem; 2001: Claude Beaudet, Methuen
Swimming: Smith deftly guided diverse squad
Jason Smith took over the Methuen swimming program in 2003 with hopes of rebuilding the program into a championship-caliber team.
Just one season later, Smith successfully completed that task, winning the MVC Division 2 title. He’s kept the Rangers competitive ever since.
This year was no exception as he led Methuen to second in MVC Division 2 and to an eighth-place finish in the North sectional and ninth at the Division 1 state meet.
With a young team which featured junior leader Kelly Lennon and standout freshmen Rachelle Gauvin and Jenna Albrecht, Smith brought the Rangers along gradually to a late-season peak.
At the same time, he is dogged in promoting his athletes for their accomplishments both in and out of the pool.
An “average swimmer” at Albion High in Western New York, Smith received a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse and then a master’s degree in education from Boston University before taking a job as a biology teacher at Methuen.
For several years, he also was a successful coach at Greater Lowell.
With Methuen, Smith has also brilliantly blended his girls team with several boys who have joined the program.
Smith is a firm believer in conditioning but he is also a molder of teams with great camaraderie and spirit. He also has been heavily involved in fund raisers, including for 2011 captain Allie Hawkes, who is battling cancer.
Smith was our Softball Coach of the Year in 2009.
Previous Coaches of the Year
2009-11: Marilyn Fitzgerald, Andover; 2008: coach was honored in the winter; 2007: Marilyn Fitzgerald, Andover; 2006: Rick Battistini, Haverhill; 2005: Marilyn Fitzgerald, Andover; 2004: Jason Smith, Methuen; 2003: Scott Young, Central; 2001-02: Marilyn Fitzgerald, Andover
Field Hockey: Resmini delivered long-awaited title
After not having won a state title since 2000, the Pinkerton field hockey team could have started to sweat.
But second-year coach Jen Resmini made sure they didn’t. She and the Astros adopted the mantra espoused by one of their stars, Jess Cote.
It was, “Let’s be cool, calm and collected.”
The 2004 Pelham High graduate inherited the program from the legendary Denise Rioux, who set the state record with 323 wins.
She proved she knew a little about field hockey, too, with this year’s squad going 14-1-2 and winning the Division 1 title. That helped make up for the disappointment of her top-seeded club being knocked out in the semis last year and the Astros losing in the finals three straight seasons before that.
She showered praise on her captains, Nicole Yannalfo, Rachael Charewicz and Brooke Dorval, as well as veteran JV coach Kathie Garrish.
Resmini was Eagle-Tribune Coach of the Year in lacrosse in 2010 for Pelham High. She is now a lax assistant with the Astros.
In her free time, the Pinkerton social studies teacher enjoys traveling. One unforgettable trip was two weeks spent in China on a Pinkerton-sponsored trip.
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Lindsay Breen, North Reading; 2010: Maureen Noone, Andover; 2009: Mim Ryan, Timberlane; 2008: Marcia Manseau, Londonderry; 2007: Dianne Freiermuth, North Andover; 2005-06: Carol Merchant, Salem; 2004: Erin Carroll, Brooks; 2003: Dianne Freiermuth, North Andover; 2002: Ruth Beaton, Pentucket; 2001: Cindy Hendy, Timberlane
Volleyball: Roemer steps right in and wins
John Roemer’s greatest accomplishment for Salem High volleyball?
Make people forget the past and look to the present and future.
The first-year coach for the Salem High girls, Roemer duplicated the feat he accomplished last spring with the Blue Devil boys.
One season, one state title.
And, despite replacing a couple of championship coaches in E.J. Perry (boys) and Dan Young (girls), Roemer did it his way.
“My coaching philosophy has always been defense-first,” said Roemer, when he accepted the boys position last spring.
The girls also took to it magnificently, rolling to a 21-1 mark and winning the state Division 1 championship.
”This whole year, it was about the team,” said Roemer.
Senior Hannah O’Shaughnessy said her team accepted Roemer’s lessons almost immediately.
She said, “A lot of teams have one or two people who they aim for and always set. But we have a team that is 15 people deep and we always go hard. We always worked hard this season and we never let down and that’s why we got to where we are.”
When he’s not coaching, Roemer is the vice president of full service restaurant recruiting at Visions Personnel.
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Dan Young, Salem; 2010: George Sullivan, Andover; 2009: Peter Willis, Londonderry; 2008: Roger Konstant, Pinkerton; 2007: Keri Forrest, North Reading; 2006: Dan Young, Salem; 2005: Bill Brouder, Lawrence; 2004: Veronica Mulholland, North Andover; 2003: George Sullivan, Andover; 2002: Nathalee Black, Central; 2001: George Sullivan, Andover
Golf: Team works for Pelham’s Vaiknoras
Embrace the game. Love the game. Work at the game.
And remember, you are a team.
Those are the sentiments Joe Vaiknoras has driven home to his Pelham High golf team, since taking over the program in 2009.
Vaiknoras led Pelham to a perfect 22-0 season in Division 3 play in New Hampshire.
Behind his son, Jake, a junior who made the Eagle-Tribune All-Star team, and several other golfers/basketball players like Alex Newton, Brad Pomerleau, Pelham rolled through the competition.
Joe Vaiknoras is all about putting in the effort.
“Every guy on this team works hard every day in practice,” said Newton. “We had the right mix with leadership from the three seniors — myself, Nick Neary and Brad (Pomerleau) and a great group of underclassmen. And we come to play. But for the good of the team, you have to drive yourself.”
The elder Vaiknoras has been a superintendent at both Merrimack Valley and Passaconaway over the years.
He was a regular competitor and always friendly face in the Allan B. Rogers Memorial Golf Championship during its heyday.
All three of his sons have been multi-sport standouts at Pelham High.
Previous Coaches of the Year
2011: Jayne Beaton, Pentucket-Georgetown; 2010: Vin Pastore, Central; 2009: Kevin Murphy, Haverhill; 2008: Ben Adams, Salem; 2006-07: Ken Kwajewski, Andover; 2005: Ben Hodges, Masconomet; 2004: Ben Adams, Salem; 2003: Peter Farley, North Andover; 2002: Kevin Murphy, Haverhill; 2001: Vin Pastore, Central
