Education

Haverhill High School Names Sean Bryan as Boys’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach

By |

Sean Bryan has been named boys’ varsity basketball head coach at Haverhill High School. Haverhill High School Athletic Director Thomas E. O’Brien said Thursday Bryan comes from University of Maryland Baltimore County where he was a graduate assistant coach at last year. He assisted in all aspects of the Division 1 program, which competes in the America East Conference. In 2022-23, he served as the assistant coach at his alma mater, Salem State University. Bryan has also served as head coach for Massachusetts Rivals 15U as well as the 17U Select squad.

Region

Registration Opens for Thanksgiving Feaster Five Road Race

By |

Registration is open for the Feaster Five Road Race, a Thanksgiving Day tradition featuring family, fun, fitness and apple pie. The event includes 5K and five-mile course options as well as a kids race, renamed Sidney’s Rainbow Run at the Feaster Five. For the second year, the kids’ race honors the memory of five-year-old Sidney Olson who was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing the street in Andover. “The Feaster Five is the signature event for the Striders’ and has become a tradition for so many families in our community,” said Robin Condon, president of the Merrimack Valley Striders, which presents the Feaster Five. “We are so excited to launch the 2024 event along with the support of the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund and our other beneficiaries to create an event for families to come together, have a meaningful experience and support organizations that are vital to our communities.”

The kids race, held at the Balmoral Street track, will feature rainbow balloons and other elements to celebrate Sidney.

Education

Pentucket Regional Schools Name New District Athletic Director

By |

Student-athletes in the Pentucket Regional School District will find a new athletic director at the helm when the new school year begins. Jonathan Amico, formerly assistant AD in Wilmington, will lead Pentucket’s athletics programs, said Superintendent Justin Bartholomew. He held the assistant athletic director post for three years in Wilmington, and was the high school’s boys basketball coach. He also created and coached a Unified Basketball team. Amico was instrumental in growing and rebranding the Athletic Department, by creating a Captains Council and Student-Athlete of the Month awards.

Community Spotlight

Golf Tournament to Support Riverside-Bradford Baseball June 28

By |

The 12u Cooperstown Team of the Riverside-Bradford Baseball League, also known as the Riverside Bradford Bandits, holds its golf tournament Friday. The tournament will include breakfast, lunch, a raffle and prizes for both tournament and raffle winners. Breakfast will start at 7 a.m. followed by a shotgun start to the tournament at 8 a.m., lunch and raffles at noon, and final wrap up by 1:30 p.m.

The fee is $150 per player and proceeds will go toward the 12u Cooperstown Team. But space is limited, so all attendees must register in advance through the team’s googleform.com. Attendees can choose to register up to four players and make an additional donation to the team’s other events this summer.

Haverhill

Alleging ‘Poor Sportsmanship’ by Adults, League Ejects Private Haverhill Youth Softball Teams

By |

Near the end of the season, just before playoffs began, a regional youth softball league disqualified all of Haverhill’s teams after umpires refused to continue servicing their games. According to a May 28 email from the Essex County Women’s Softball League Advisory Committee, the area umpire association described “continued issues of poor sportsmanship” on the part of the private, pre-high school program. Only the 12-and-under and 14-and-under teams could not compete in the playoffs, according to a social media post by Haverhill Girls Softball. The post continued the Essex County league does not provide playoffs for younger players. Though she does not have direct knowledge of the situation, Umpire-in-Chief for USA Softball’s Massachusetts Association Dianne Weissbach said, in her experience, parents and coaches are almost always the problem.

Education

NECC Hoops Standout Reynoso Goes Pro

By |

When the Dominican Republic’s top professional basketball league, the six-team LNB, begins its Super League season on June 18, Northern Essex Community College standout Luis Reynoso will be there. Reynoso, the most-decorated hoops player in the Northern Essex Community College Knights’ history, was selected 16th overall in the Dominican national league’s draft this month by the Santiago Metros. Of the 56 players drafted overall, he was chosen in the second of seven rounds. Reynoso, of Lawrence, helped lead the Knights to their second consecutive Region 21/East District Championship this year, becoming the first player in the history of the Knights basketball program to earn two All-American awards. He is just the fourth athlete in Northern Essex athletic program history to earn that recognition twice.

Haverhill

Bradford’s Callen Cronin Earns Fourth in National Youth Golf Competition

By |

(Additional photograph below.)

Callen Cronin, of Bradford, won fourth place in his age division at a national youth golf competition for seven- to 15-year-olds. After making it through Drive, Chip and Putt’s three qualifying rounds, kids from across the country demonstrated fundamental golfing skills on the legendary Masters Tournament course in Augusta, Ga., including shooting putts at the 18th hole. As the name suggests, competitors shot two drives, chips and putts Sunday, April 7, before the professional tournament began April 11. “It’s only six shots for the day, but it’s not even where he finished, it’s the fact that he made it there,” said Kevin Murphy, owner of Bradford Country Club, where Cronin plays. He got to go to Augusta.

Education

Northern Essex Knights’ Reynoso Again Makes NJCAA Basketball All-America First Team

By |

Northern Essex Community College men’s basketball standout Luis Reynoso was named Tuesday to the NJCAA Basketball All-America First Team for the second consecutive year by the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. Reynoso of Lawrence becomes the first player in the history of the Knights basketball program to be earn two All-American awards and is just the fourth athlete in the Northern Essex athletic program to earn to recognition twice. On the season, Reynoso appeared in 31 of the Knights 34 games, as he led the Knights to their second consecutive NJCAA Region 21/East District championship where the Knights returned to the national tournament where they finished in fifth place. The team ranked as high as number two in the national rankings during the season. He scored 614 points on the season and became the first Knight to score 1,000 career points since Joe Marshall in 2001 as her finished his two-year career on the Haverhill campus with 1,244 points

While averaging 26.6 minutes played per game, Reynoso led the team in scoring (19.8 ppg), rebounds (13.2 rbg), blocks (1.6 bpg) and assists (4.5apg).