Sports

Athletics Open House March 10 at Northern Essex Community College

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Athletes considering college can learn about Northern Essex Community College programs, meet coaches and talk to student athletes during an upcoming Athletics Open House. The open house promoting 12 varsity sports includes tours of the campus, a presentation on academic programs, information about student support services, a student athlete panel, a tour of the fitness center and a chance to meet with coaches. The event is Tuesday, March 10, 5-7:30 p.m., at Pentucket Bank Lecture Hall in Spurk Building at the Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St. The college competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association and sponsors intercollegiate sports including baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer and more. For more information about Northern Essex athletics, visit neccknights.com or contact Dan Blair at [email protected] or 978-556-3820.

Education

Haverhill Student Sees a Need at Northern Essex and Jumps On it; Starts Cheerleading Squad

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Northern Essex Community College student Roselly Lassus saw a need and, literally, jumped on it. Lassus, an exercise science major from Haverhill, is starting a Northern Essex cheerleading squad and recruiting students with the support of staff advisor Noelia Figuereo. The graduate of Whittier Regional Technical High School knows something about the subject, having been cheerleading since the fourth grade. She was captain of the varsity cheer team at Whittier Tech her junior and senior year and led them to first place in multiple competitions. College Athletic Director Dan Blair not only endorsed the concept, but gave the squad its first assignment.

Sports

Northern Essex Community College to Induct Rowinski, 2000-2001 Women’s Basketball Team into Hall of Fame

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Northern Essex Community College’s 2000-2001 Women’s Basketball Team and former Haverhill men’s basketball coach Mike Rowinski are to be inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in March. One of the most accomplished women’s teams in the college’s history, the 2000-2001 women’s basketball team captured the Region 21 championship and advanced to the national semi-finals with an overall record of 24-10, including a national quarterfinal victory over top seeded Fulton-Montgomery. Coached by Andrew Pittington the team was led by Glenda Cancel, Jessica Hamilton and the Hamblet sisters Lyndsey and Tricia who all averaged double figures in points per game throughout the season. Cancel was named the Region 21 Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Hamilton and Tricia Hamblet following the team’s 76-47 victory over Springfield Tech in the regional final. A Haverhill High alum and 1981 graduate of the college with a degree in criminal justice and men’s basketball student-athlete, Rowinski went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from St.

Region

Mass. Legislators Plead With MLB to Save Spinners’ Sox Affiliation

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The two U.S. senators from Massachusetts are asking Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred to rethink what they’re calling an “ill-advised” proposal to eliminate or strip the major league affiliation of 42 minor league teams.

One of the teams affected by the move would be the Lowell Spinners, the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Removing the affiliation would be a “slap in the face to Lowell” and do “long-term damage to the game’s ability to keep and grow its fan base,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey wrote to Manfred Monday. “The team’s important affiliation with the Red Sox, and its proximity to Boston and New Hampshire, have allowed Red Sox fans from all over the region to enjoy a Spinners game and see players that will move on to play for the Red Sox and other Major League Baseball teams,” the letter said. “The Lowell Spinners provide an affordable family outing and have remained a strong partner for the entire community.” Markey and Warren said the Spinners and their stadium, LeLacheur Park, employ nearly 200 workers and that the team makes up “an important piece of the community’s cultural footprint.”

Congresswoman Lori Trahan, a Democrat who represents Lowell, last week joined with three Republican lawmakers to announce the formation of a bipartisan “Save Minor League Baseball Task Force” that will monitor negotiations and “discuss potential legislative action if and when such a remedy becomes necessary,” according to Trahan’s office.

Education

Providence College Awards Whittier Tech Senior Full Basketball Scholarship

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Grace Efosa, a senior at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, yesterday was awarded a full scholarship to attend Providence College next fall. Efosa accepted a four-year basketball scholarship to Providence College, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 school that is awarding only two full scholarships this year. “It’s still unbelievable that I got a scholarship for Division 1, especially since I haven’t played for that long,” Efosa said. “It’s a great feeling.”

Efosa signed her acceptance letter in Whittier Tech’s gymnasium, while sitting at a scoreboard table in front of a crowd of her peers. Sitting beside her was her mom, Esosa Omorodion, brothers Angel, 11, Yuki, 15, Junior, 16, and sister Ebe, 12.

Sports

Concussion Threat Behind Youth Football Ban Bill: ‘Football Is to CTE What Smoking Is to Lung Cancer’

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A state lawmaker from Westport on Tuesday pitched his bill that would prohibit tackle football before eighth grade as a way to protect children from brain injuries, while opponents countered that it would infringe on parental decision-making. “Increasingly, science is telling us that hits to the head are bad, and that the sooner they start, the younger you are when they start, they worse it is for you,” Rep. Paul Schmid told the Public Health Committee, according to the State House News Service. Schmid’s bill would prohibit children in grades seven and below from playing, practicing and otherwise participating in “organized tackle football,” with flag football and other non-tackle varieties still allowed. Schools, leagues or other entities that violate the prohibition would be subject to a fine of up to $2,000 per violation, with penalties increasing for subsequent violations and for “serious physical harm” to participants. The bill is cosponsored by 16 other representatives in addition to Schmid—six Republicans and 10 Democrats.

Haverhill

PHOTOS: HHS Dedicates Saturday’s Football Game to Late Hillie Jordan Rankin

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Members of the Haverhill High School cheerleading squad came together to pay tribute to their friend and fellow athlete Jordan Rankin as the Hillies faced off against Chelmsford Saturday at Trinity Stadium, with the girls wearing red ribbons in their hair and offering cheers of “We love Jordan” in memory of the 17-year-old ahead of the first anniversary of her death Sept. 25. Hillies past and present packed the stands for the afternoon game wearing red, a favorite color of the teen’s, as a way to remember the lacrosse and field hockey standout who tragically lost her life in a car accident minutes from her home last fall at the intersection of Liberty and Crystal Streets in Haverhill. Jordan’s parents, John and Cindy Rankin, along with her neighbor Christina Firek, attended the game, sitting near the students. In a conversation with WHAV after the game, Firek called the show of support for her childhood best friend “humbling.”

“It’s amazing, because I’ve known Jordan her whole life, but everyone in high school knew her a different way.

Haverhill

Hillies Taking on Chelmsford Saturday: Hear the Football Game Live on 97.9 WHAV FM

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Coach Tim O’Connor’s Hillies hope to bounce back from last week’s 34-14 loss against St. John’s Prep this weekend with a Saturday afternoon game against the Chelmsford Lions at home, and WHAV is broadcasting all the action live only on 97.9 FM. “Voice of the Hillies” Paul Ryan and color commentator Tommy Morgan kick off coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. before the players take the field at 3 p.m. In addition to interviews and play-by-plays, the pair will also host a post-game show from Trinity Stadium. Haverhill High School football on WHAV is sponsored by Andy DiPietro’s Climate Zone, Brian S. Dempsey Insurance Agency, Duffy’s Diner, Attorney Gerard LaFlamme, NRT Bus, Simmons Plumbing and Heating, Smith Motor Sales of Haverhill and Wingate Residences at Haverhill. Can’t catch the game on the radio?