January 20, 2009 · 5:36 pm

Hugh O’Flynn: The Doctor On Call for Ipswich High Athletics

IHS team doctor Hugh O'Flynn

IHS team doctor Hugh O'Flynn

By day, Dr. Hugh O’Flynn is an orthopedic surgeon at Coastal Orthopedics in Beverly.  By night, if he’s not at an Ipswich school committee meeting, he’s probably at an Ipswich High School varsity event sitting inconspicuously in the stands.  His preference these days is varsity girls’ basketball since his daughter Hannah is a sophomore starter on that team.

“The first thing I did when I moved back to town (in 1999) was to call up the school and see if I could be the team doctor,” recalled the graduate of Harvard and Columbia Medical School. 

I suspect that the athletic director at the time, Dave Dalton, may have thought of the Julie Andrew’s line, “I must have done something good,” from My Fair Lady, when he heard the offer. 

Former IHS trainer and current Ipswich AD Tom Gallagher put the magnitude of Hugh’s offer this way, “Many schools struggle to have a physician work with them period, and not only do we have one that is there for us any time we need him but he is also an orthopedic doctor.  This allows our athletes to be seen for sports related injuries immediately.  Most people have to wait weeks or months to see an orthopedic.”

“I have seen him evaluate people on the sidelines, in the gym, on the field, in the training room, in the parking lot, and even before or after a school committee meeting,” added Tom.

Sports medicine has been an interest of Hugh’s since his days as an athlete (captain of the 1985 Tigers football team) at IHS.  “I was injured and cared for by orthopedic surgeons,” he said.

He did his residency at an all-orthopedic hospital in New York City and during that time provided medical care for the Giants and the Mets.  He was involved in operations on Lawrence Taylor and Bret Saberhagen.

Hugh takes the volunteer position of team doctor seriously but tries to stay out of the way of the trainers.  “I let them (trainers) take first role if they’re around.  I am just there for backup and clarification.”

However, if the situation presents itself, he’ll step in.  I saw it happen at an IHS boys’ tournament game at St. Mary’s last year.  The Ipswich point guard (Alex Lampropoulos) went down late in a close game with a leg injury.  The trainer got involved and then Hugh stepped in.  “Alex was just having muscle spasms,” he said.  Hugh had Alex do some stretching and quickly massaged his leg. Before long Alex returned to action and helped Ipswich win at the buzzer. 

“We were weak at the guard position,” said Doug Woodworth, the IHS head coach at the time.  “We needed Alex on the floor and Dr. O’Flynn treated him and assured us that Alex could play some more.  We might not have put him back in otherwise.”

Tom Brady’s knee?  “I know nothing special about it,” he said although interested.  “Infections are a disastrous complication.  Anyone can get them at any time.  I’m hopeful that the infection didn’t damage the ligament.”  He conceded that since the Patriots are keeping Matt Cassel around it might indicate that they know more about the seriousness of Brady’s condition than they’re letting on.

AD Gallagher probably summed up the contributions of Dr. Hugh O’Flynn best when he described him as the “unsung hero” of Ipswich High School sports.  “He offers everything and expects nothing in return.”

(To appear in The Town Common on January 28th)

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January 18, 2009 · 1:40 pm

WordPress: Adjusting the setup of wording under inserted image/captions

(This is another entry about using a WordPress Blog.  When things don’t work the way I would like them to, I try to see if adjustments are possible.  If I can’t figure things out on my own (most occasions), I do a Google search.  If that fails, I contact my mentor.  On this one, I got results from the Google search.  I turned up a helper named, Mark McLaren (McBuzz Communications), who walked me through to solutions – Thanks, Mark)

What I wanted to do, on my Writing Scots blog, was to put “Ben Gaskill 13 rebounds” on two separate lines with “Ben Gaskill” on one line and “13 rebounds” on the second line. 

In VISUAL, I put the cursor where I wanted the picture/caption to land. I set up the picture with the caption in the Media Library and inserted it into the beginning of a paragraph.  I was disappointed that the “13” was on the top line with “Ben Gaskill.”

How did I fix the caption setup?

I clicked out of VISUAL and into HTML. 

I then found where the data was for the picture/caption. 

The first line in mine started with “[caption id” minus the quotes.

In between the first “Gaskill” and “13” that appeared I inserted “<br/>” without the quotes.

IMPORTANT: I needed to stay in HTML and click, “Update Post.”  I then saw the wording set up the way I wanted it.

CAPTIONS CAN REVERT TO ORIGINAL SPACING. Successfully fixing one caption setup led to my going back into the same post to insert another picture and work on another caption in the same post.  I successfully set up the new one but noticed that my first one had reverted to its old “Ben Gaskill 13” ways. 

The solution was to make sure in HTML that both pictures had the “<br/> in place before hitting, “Update Post.”  When I did, that both pictures were set up the way I wanted them to be.

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January 11, 2009 · 9:59 pm

MVPs At All Newburyport High School Home Basketball Games

Paul Coleman, Peter Murray, Pete Carlson, and Tom O'Brien pose before another NHS home basketball game.

Paul Coleman, Peter Murray, Pete Carlson, and Tom O'Brien pose before another NHS home basketball game.

They are easy to miss, but if you go to enough Newburyport High School home basketball games, for either boys or girls, you will soon figure out that a certain four gentlemen were there every time you went.

The men I am referring to are; Paul Coleman, Pete Carlson, Peter Murray, and Tom O’Brien.

Paul takes care of the ticket sales at the home games while Pete, Peter, and Tom make up the stat crew.

“They’re invaluable to me,” said NHS athletic director John Daileanes in reference to the four of them, when I spoke with him during the recent home NHS/Masco junior varsity game.  “They have always been reliable and they know what they’re doing. They also have great personalities.”

Paul Coleman coached football and taught at NHS for many years. He became involved with ticket sales during that time.  “I have probably been doing this for 25 years,” he said.  “I heard that they needed someone back then so I volunteered.”

His job at the games is probably not one that most folks would enjoy.  “I spend the first half with my back to the game,” he explained.   “Sometimes I’ll sneak a peek at what’s going on.  I usually get to see the second half.”  Paul is retired but finds time to substitute teach at NHS.

The other three men are at the scorer’s table with arguably the best view in the house.  It is a place, however, where drawing attention is not usually a good thing. 

“People who have never done stat work don’t realize that it can be nerve-wracking,” added AD Daileanes.  “Like an official, you’re only noticed if something is wrong.”

All three stat men started doing their jobs at the Nock Gym. 

“I was a spectator at a lot of the games there when the AD then, Jim Stehlin, asked me to do the scorebook,” recalled Pete Carlson.  “For a while I took care of the book home and away.  I’ve been part of the stat crew for about twenty years.”  His specific jobs now are the possession arrow and the 35-second clock.

Peter Murray is the rookie of the group.  “It’s been sixteen years for me,” he said.  “I take care of the game clock.” 

“You get a different perspective of the kids from where I’m seating at the scorer’s table than you do in the classroom and I like that,” added the fifth-year NHS wellness teacher and girl’s softball coach

The dean of the group is Tom O’Brien.  Known to almost everyone in Newburyport as City Councilor Tom O’Brien, his connection to athletics at NHS is a lengthy one.  “I sold tickets for 21 years and during the last nine years I’ve been keeping the scorebook,” he told me. 

When asked to compare keeping the scorebook with being a city councilor he smiled and said, “This is exciting but nothing is as exciting as the city council.  There’s a thrill a minute there.  It’s relaxing here.”

There is some financial compensation but the draw for the men is being among friends.  “We have a good time together,” was how Peter Murray put it. 

(Prepared for The Town Common and should appear in that weekly on January 21st.)

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January 7, 2009 · 5:30 pm

More Pictures and Words From the Reopening of the Parker River Bridge

(This will be more of a pictorial coverage of the January 5th opening of the Parker River Bridge.  The “official” version, which will appear in The Town Common, is in the entry below this one.  Everything underlined in this entry can be clicked on and should show a picture from the event.  I used similar coverage when I reported on the Amesbury Super Bowl victory.)

For months, we saw signs near the Newbury (MA) town offices and at the 1A Parker River Bridge itself giving us the bad news about the bridge – it wasn’t open.

The early plans, to keep the bridge partially open as the repair work went on, gave way to the bad news that the bridge was too unsafe for such a plan and the only solution was to close it and completely rebuild it.  That closing took place on September 27, 2007.

The impact was felt immediately.  Instead of driving approximately 200 yards to get from one side to the other, the trip was closer to ten miles.  Almost simultaneously, gas prices lurched skyward.  It was not a happy time for many.

Then the, “Am I reading this right?” news started trickling out that the bridge work was ahead of schedule.  And sure enough, on January 5th, the bridge reopened.

Any public works project in Massachusetts that is done early is cause for celebration and there was plenty of that at the ceremony.

I did get a sense before the ceremony that those closest to the bridge, despite being happy it was restored, had gone through quite an ordeal during it construction.  You had to pity Kate Huggins who house is situated as close to the north side as anyone.  I spent a few days this summer living near a construction site in Pennsylvania  so I had a small idea of what 15 months of rebuilding must have been like.  Deliveries are made late at night and in the early AMs.  Trucks have to back up……and you know what that sounds like.  And then there’s the noise.  Kate was given flowers at the ceremony for surviving the long ordeal.

Not surprising was the fact that there was no one on hand suggesting that the bridge shouldn’t have been repaired.  Trust me, before the closing there was plenty of opposition.  Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Harriett Stanley were given honorary hardhats by the work crew and I believe it was Senator Tarr who quipped something like, “I could have used this hat when I went to some of the area town meetings concerning the bridge closure.”

I spoke with Rep Stanley before the ceremony.  I had never met her before but fortunately, for me, she had on a MassHighway (?) jacket with her name on it so I found her easily.  I identified myself and she scolded me for sending her an email requesting permission to speak to her at the ceremony.  “You’re with the media.  You can speak to me anytime,” she said.  I asked her about her involvement in the bridge project and I’m glad I did.  She has served as state rep for this area since 1994.  She told me that after hearing about the condition of the bridge she had decided to look for herself in 1997.  She brought a camera with her and crawled underneath the bridge for a look.  What she saw prompted her to take pictures as she became convinced that the bridge was in dangerous shape.  When she joked that she was the “arm twister” and “knee breaker” in getting the project started and completed I suspected that she had gotten into the faces and ears of numerous Mass DPW officials over it.  The MassHighway commissioner, Luisa Paiewonsky, may have hinted at it when she said at the ceremony that she had a meeting with Rep Stanley to discuss ten issues and the representative would only talk about one – the Parker River Bridge. 

I also spoke with Mrs. Ilsley before the ceremony.  She told me that she lived about ½ mile away on High Road and had lived in the area all her life so she knew the bridge well.  She said that the closure affected her significantly because she is a nurse at Sea View Nursing Home on the other side.  She ended up with a trip, as a result, that was eleven miles.  She said that she was surprised that things had been done so quickly.  She remembered that one of the new bridge beams had been dropped on 128 on its way to being put up.

I also chatted with Terry O’Malley (assistant harbormaster of Newbury) who told me how the bridge work had affected his job on the Parker River.  Later I would see Terry at the head of the line heading over the bridge when it opened.  Terry directed me to the project manager for S&R Corporation – Russ Burnham.  I told him that he had pleased many area folks by getting the project ahead of schedule and he credited others for making it possible.  He also told me that there was some more work to be done in the spring but that it would only involve some brief lane closings.  Having since driven over the bridge it is apparent that road resurfacing will be part of what S&R will do.

The ceremony was brief with five speakers.  All commended the workers and the people in the community for getting the project done quickly.  Selectman Stuart Dalzell spoke for Rowley and Selectman Joe Story spoke for Newbury.  Joe was especially grateful to the town of Rowley for providing police and fire protection on the Rowley side of the bridge during construction. 

Loquacious state senator Bruce Tarr was another of the speakers.  I have heard him speak at Memorial Day services and knew that without notes in front of him he can turn some terrific phrases.  I got this one on tape: “It is a testament to the fact that not only one person got involved or one person made a difference but everyone who got involved made a difference.”  Try saying that one without notes!  He told me afterwards that he had worked with MassHighway on practically a weekly basis to make sure that things at the bridge were proceeding smoothly. 

After the ceremony Luisa, Harriett, and Bruce cut the ribbon and led the walk over to the Fernald side of the bridge and back.  Bruce and Joe walked back together.  There was also a group shot taken of some of the MassHighway workers and some of the speakers.

Next, the canopy was taken down and the removal of the barriers began.  I talked to Terry O’Malley who was positioned at the head of the line of traffic ready to cross the bridge.  I remarked to him about the significance of being the first one over.  He suggested that he had probably cut in line by coming out of the wharf parking lot.  He also suggested that Bunny Fernald had probably already gone over and back earlier in the day.  His recollection also was that Bunny Fernald might have been the first one over the last time the bridge was closed and reopened when Bunny came over as an infant in his father’s car. 

Russ Burnham got the signal from the Fernald side of the bridge and the Parker River Bridge in 1A in Newbury was back in business.

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January 5, 2009 · 5:33 pm

Bridge Reopens – Area Rejoices

Barriers get pushed back as Parker River Bridge reopens on January 5th.

Barriers get pushed back as Parker River Bridge reopens on January 5th.

First built in 1758, famous folks including; Benedict Arnold, George Washington, James Monroe, and Lafayette have used the bridge over the Parker River to get from one side to the other.

However, since September of 2007, only MassHighway and S&R Corporation employees have been in the bridge area on Route 1A in Newbury since its closure due to its unsafe condition.

To the surprise of many, the rebuilding process was finished months earlier than expected and the bridge reopened on Monday afternoon (January 5th) in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

One of the speakers at the ceremony, MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky, praised the project as, “a model for other projects we do,” and, “the one we’ll refer to often in the future.” 

Many who drove over it regularly did not easily accept the idea that the Parker River Bridge even needed repair.  Those who had seen it from below knew differently.

“We weren’t surprised when they said that the bridge needed repairs,” said Barbara Page a resident just up High Road from the bridge who was on hand for the ceremony.  “My husband (Arthur) and I are boaters and when we went underneath the bridge we could see the terrible condition it was in.  You’d swear that you’d never go over the top of it once you saw underneath.”

Another speaker, Representative Harriett Stanley (D-West Newbury), became a convert to the need to repair the bridge in 1997.  She informed me that she “crawled down the rock embankment that year after being told about the problem and took some pictures of the underside of the bridge.” 

Convinced by what she saw, she jokingly described herself from that time on as the, “chief knee breaker,” and, “arm twister,” to see that steps were taken to make the bridge safe.  “I have a MassHighway file on this bridge that is about a foot thick,” she recalled. “That is why having the bridge fixed and reopened makes this a very exciting day for me.”

The other area representative (State Senator Bruce Tarr) was equally pleased.  “This is a time when for once it worked out right and we’re all the better for it.  Everyone who got involved made a difference.”

The general contractor, S&R Corporation of Lowell, received compliments from every speaker.  Their willingness to work extra hours, Saturdays, and in poor weather took months away from the projected reopening in mid-2010. 

S&R project manager Russ Burnham shrugged off the congratulations with, “We did it in less time than usual because we had cooperation from everybody.” 

Russ told me that the work wasn’t completely finished yet.  “We’ve got to put the top down on the road and replace the temporary sidewalks with concrete ones.  We will do the work in the spring and will not need to close the bridge to do it.  We may take a lane but it should be fairly uneventful.”

Newbury assistant harbormaster Terry O’Malley was the first to drive his car over the bridge from the north side once the barriers were removed.  Anticipating some sort of historical explanation for his positioning himself at the head of the line, I asked him about it.  “I just want to get home,” he said smiling.  No more ten mile round-about routes home or to work in his future and thankfully for many others in the area as well.

(To appear in The Town Common on January 14th)

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December 19, 2008 · 5:37 pm

Committed Newburyport Field Hockey Team Wins 13 Games

Clipper field hockey captains Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon

Clipper field hockey captains Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon

The turnaround for the Newburyport field hockey program was significant. 

After winning a total of nine games the previous two seasons, the Clippers were victors in thirteen matches in 2008 and reached the Division 2 North quarterfinals.

How did they do it?  I learned the answers from 2nd year coach Lauren Hefferan recently in the Anna Jaques cafeteria.  Lauren is a clinical leader in the cardiac unit at AJH.

“The key to the team’s success was the commitment that the seniors on this team made,” explained Coach Hefferan.  “They were the first kids this program has had that practiced skills all year round.”

More and more the out-of-season practice has become important.  “In the Cape Ann League, you need to have players working out in the off-season just to be competitive because many of the teams are so good,” added Lauren.

Lauren said that she started seeing the results of the team’s commitment to improve in 2007 when the team finished 5-10-4.  “The skill improvement was noticeable,” she said.  “Our biggest problem was that we couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

Enter senior Ashley Karelis in 2008.  “She was on the team in 2007 but didn’t score very much,” recalled Lauren. This year Ashley netted 15 goals.  “We only scored seven goals during all of 2007 so you can see how important she was to the team.”

The Clippers also had a solid group of JV’s (Cassandra Davis, Haley Johnson, and McKenzie Maguire) join the varsity.  “Sometimes underclassmen can be intimidated when they move up but not these kids.”

Strong at every position and able to score goals, the Clippers put together a stretch of thirteen games this season in which they didn’t lose. 

“We lost to powerful North Andover 1-0 early in the season and came away realizing how much we had improved over last season,” said Lauren.  “They had beaten us 7-0 in 2007.” 

A little over a month later, against the same team, the final score was 1-1.  “That game was memorable because it was supposed to be played at home but because of the lockdown we had to go over there for a second time, yet we still did very well,” she added.

Asked about coaching her daughter she said, “Callie was easy to coach.  She probably worked as hard at field hockey as anyone has.  I pushed her because I had a good idea what it would take for her to become really good at the sport.  Fortunately, she had a bunch of close friends who joined her in working at field hockey year round. That made it a lot easier for her.”

The CAL Coach of the Year played field hockey at Haverhill and then went on to be part of a UNH team that was ranked 7th in the country her junior year.  “I have tried to stay involved in field hockey since graduating from UNH,” she said.  “In the off-season, I coach at UNH and Seacoast United (Hampton NH) wherever they need help and whenever my schedule allows it.   Many of my former UNH teammates are coaches in those places as well.”

Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon (the team’s senior captains) caught the field hockey bug as freshman.  “We all started playing together after Callie’s mom told us about the game and helped sign us up for a camp,” said Tricia.

Now the girls hope to play at the next level.  “I expect to play at Franklin Pierce,” said Taylor.  Callie and Tricia have yet to settle on colleges but want to continue playing if the opportunity presents itself.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 31st)

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December 17, 2008 · 2:32 pm

Local Sporting Events: A Gift Waiting to be Opened Year Round

I enjoy watching athletic events all year long and I find them to be a little bit like Christmas. 

A lively crowd abandons TVs and computers for an evening of high school basketball on December 16th at NHS. The Clippers defeated Triton, 63-57

A lively crowd abandons TVs and computers for an evening of high school basketball on December 16th at NHS. The Clippers defeated Triton, 63-57

Sporting events are a natural occasion for participants and family spectators to enjoy special times together.  It is also an enjoyable take for those of us on the outside looking in, to be able to witness this phenomenon.

Those special times are not necessarily celebrating victories but are always opportunities to watch character-building interactions that strike me as very important in the grand scheme of things.

Visit a game and you’ll see players comforted after losses by their parents.  Few words are spoken but the athletes get the message – “Win or lose, we’re here for you.” 

The very fact that parents attend athletic events involving their children is special.  The younger the participants the more likely it is that a child will be looking into the crowd for his/her parents.  Am I the only one who has seen a participating child wave to his family while a game is going on?

It is also nice to see the bonding that goes on within a team during a game and during a season.  I have no doubt that coaches promote the idea of being supportive teammates. 

When a team/teammate is struggling that support is taken to a higher level.  I witnessed this at Georgetown High School on December 15th.  GHS was playing talented Cathedral High of Brighton in a nonleague let’s-see-how-good-we-are boys’ basketball game.  I went to see celebrated GHS sophomore Jaymie Spears play and decided to chart everything he did. Not long into the game, I realized that the talented 5-10 guard was living a nightmare in front of a large audience.  By halftime, he had made just one of fourteen shots.  Discouraged?  You bet he was but during every stoppage of play, I saw teammates and coaches encouraging him.  I wish I could say that things got better in the second half but they didn’t.  He could only hit one of thirteen shots in the second half and his team ended up losing by a point.  However, through it all, his teammates and coaches stayed positive.  I came away believing that the support system in place on Coach Mike Rowinski’s Royals team will enable the young man to move on and that all involved have learned and displayed valuable life lessons in the process.

It doesn’t always happen but two of the area teams (Newburyport girls’ soccer and Amesbury football) rewarded their towns with the gift of their dreams – state championships. 

NHS girls’ soccer is the epitome of a successful program.  A well-run feeder system is in place and surely had plenty to do with winning a second straight state championship this season. Cape Ann League All-Stars will graduate but this has been a team that doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. 

At Amesbury High School, the football program took a turn for the better when the current seniors were freshmen and had an undefeated season.  Those freshmen moved on to the varsity the next season and were the nucleus of a team that wiped out Martha’s Vineyard and won Amesbury’s first Super Bowl ever. 

For me the beauty of attending officiated local sports is that I never attend knowing the outcome in advance – kind of like unwrapping a Christmas present.  Predictably, interesting things will unfold. 

The only “danger” in attending a local sporting event is that one game may not be enough for you.  Before long, you’re turning off the TV or computer and heading out to take in some real action on a regular basis.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 24th)

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December 9, 2008 · 7:16 pm

Amber Smith Works Hard to be the Best

Classic examples of how hard work can pay off would be two basketball players from Ipswich – Ryan O’Connell and Amber Smith.

At early morning hours when others were sleeping during the regular season, Ryan and Amber were at places where they could improve in basketball.  In the off-season when others were playing other sports or relaxing, these two were training and traveling with AAU teams all over the East Coast.

One common training spot for both has been the Ipswich YMCA.  “I used to work out with Ryan and others there,” recalled Amber.  “We’d lift and shoot and do drills.”

Ryan left the Ipswich school system after 8th grade for the Division 1 competition available at St. John’s Prep in Danvers.  He thrived among the best players in the state and became St. John’s all-time leading scorer near the end of the 2007-08 season.  He is now a freshman in a very successful D3 basketball program at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

UMaine-bound Amber Smith starts her senior season at Ipswich

UMaine-bound Amber Smith starts her senior season at Ipswich

Amber has chosen to remain in Ipswich and enters her senior year as the school’s 2nd highest career scorer with 1341 points.  She is 301 points behind current leader (Justin Woodworth – senior at Salve Regina) and more than likely will claim the top spot before this season is over.

After Ipswich, Amber heads north to D1 UMaine in Orono thanks to a full, four-year scholarship to play basketball for the Black Bears.  “I think that it is the perfect place for me,” she said.

Amber is currently trying to recover from a stress fracture (she had the cast off last week) that has slowed her down for the past four months.  “There will be some pain but I’m used to it,” she reported after practice.  “In a couple of weeks I should be at 100%.” 

That will be bad news for Cape Ann League opponents.  Amber was the CAL Small Player-of-the-Year last season, averaging a nice 22 point/12 rebounds double/double per game while surrounded by multiple defenders. 

“I saw her in 7th grade and knew she was going to be a good one,” recalled IHS coach Mandy Zegarowski.  “She was already 5-9 and strong.  On top of her size, she could already shoot a jump shot.  There are kids playing at the high school level that still can’t do that.”

Amber went the AAU route to improve her game during each off-season. “My intent in playing AAU was to match up against higher level competition,” she explained. “It you want to get better you have to play against better people.”

The AAU season generally runs from March-July. Amber’s most recent team (Mass Thundercats from Lynn) added 32 games to her 20-game CAL schedule.  “We traveled to DC for the Nationals this past year and played a lot of games in New York City.  I have seen and played against some of the best players on the East Coast.”

However, one of the best players she’s faced recently may be her younger brother, Colin.  The 6-2, 8th grader would appear to have as bright a basketball future as his older sister.  “I play against him all the time,” said Amber.  “He’s already on an AAU team. He dunked for the first time the other day. Lately when we’re playing, I (at 5-10) am starting to have trouble getting shots off against him.  I am stronger than him, though.”

Amber realizes that her defense needs improving. “I’m not as quick as I need to be right now but maybe if I got to the gym an hour earlier I could speed up fixing that problem,” she joked. 

Don’t bet against her doing whatever it takes to be the best.

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December 8, 2008 · 2:23 pm

AHS Football Team Wins Super Bowl

(Waltham) Santa’s parade may have started in Amesbury at 3:30PM on Saturday (December 6th) but hours before that parade the AHS football team had already been on the receiving end of all sorts of gifts from Division 3A Super Bowl opponent Martha’s Vineyard at Bentley University and as a result captured their first Super Bowl, 40-19. 

The uncharacteristic “generosity” of the (11-2) Vineyarders gave the Indians (12-1) numerous opportunities to show off their explosive offense.  And show it off they did – excluding a one-play possession just before the half, they turned their first six possessions into 40 points. 

AHS head coach Thom Connors with Super Bowl trophy

AHS head coach Thom Connors with Super Bowl trophy

“We jumped on every chance we got,” was how Amesbury coach Thom Connors explained a near-perfect performance by his team afterwards. 

The numerous mistakes were a big surprise to everyone, especially the Vineyarders.  MV head coach Don Herman claimed that his team had only fumbled twice all season.  Unfortunately for Martha’s Vineyard in this one, their highly regarded quarterback (Mike McCarthy) had that many giveaways in the first quarter of the Super Bowl, and to make things worse had thrown an interception.

Opportunities are one thing but cashing in are another.  “You have to take advantage of those things,” said Coach Connors.  “You let a team hang around and then you’ve got a fight at the end.”

That cha-ching you heard was Amesbury cashing in on each and every opportunity.  The yardage gained was not large on every play but always enough to either keep a drive going or to find the end zone.  We never did find out who the Amesbury punter was.

“The things we planned for this game worked,” said Coach Connors midst a throng of well-wishers after the game.  “We thought that we could run Jesse (Burrell) up the middle and Kevin (Johnston) and Ryan (Dragon) off tackle.  Then of course, we had the X Factor in (quarterback) Jared Flannagan.  We hoped to get him to the perimeter with options to run or pass and that worked perfectly today.”

At 5’6” – 155 pounds, AHS senior Jared Flannigan isn’t an imposing figure but his ability to dodge tacklers and find room to pass or run drove the Vinelander defenders crazy causing many missed MV tackles.

In the biggest game in Amesbury football history, Jared passed for one touchdown, scrambled for another touchdown, set up another with a scramble, and faked out the entire MV defense on a bootleg that literally allowed him to walk into the end zone unnoticed for yet another score.  Truly remarkable and surely a performance that will be talked about for years to come in Amesbury.

Coach Connors recalled cautioning his team at halftime that even their 34-7 lead wasn’t safe.  “I told them if we could score 34 points then they could as well.”  Nice thought, but on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Jared dodged and darted his way 61 yards to the end zone. 

Jared’s TD put AHS comfortably ahead, 40-7, and the chants of “over-rated” started in the Amesbury cheering section aimed at the discouraged MV side.  Later the celebrating in the stands was joined by the players on the sidelines after Coach Connors took his starters off the field with 4 ½ minutes left in the game.  Plenty of hugs, high fives, and attempts to douse coaches followed.

At game’s end, the Super Bowl trophy was presented to the Amesbury captains at midfield.  Up on the team’s shoulders went Coach Connors with the trophy raised to the skies. 

What a great day for the town of Amesbury.

( This story will appear in The Town Common in the December 17-23 edition.)

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December 6, 2008 · 11:20 pm

Amesbury High School – Division 3A Super Bowl Champions

(Waltham) I was at Bentley University on Saturday afternoon and saw the Amesbury Indians capture the Massachusetts Division 3A Super Bowl title, 40-19, over highly regarded but poorly performing Martha’s Vineyard.

The expected high scoring affair turned out to be partially correct.  While Amesbury scored at will, MV gave the ball away at nearly the same pace. 

The offensive weapons that carried the Indians to the Cape Ann League Small title confounded MV.  Amesbury raced off to a 34-7 halftime advantage and then came back after halftime and scored on the first play of the second half.  The winner, thereafter, was never in doubt, only the margin of victory.

Fortunately for me I located myself and my Canon Power Shot digital camera in whatever end zone Amesbury was heading for.  I took pictures before the game, during it, and afterwards.  My favorite was the one of Jared Flannigan strolling into the end zone after faking out the entire MV defense.  I have put that picture at the top of my blog.

Below are some of the pictures I took at the Super Bowl. Anything underlined has a picture connected to it so click away.

Before the game AD Elizabeth McAndrews and AHS principal Les Murray are all smiles. 

Jared Flannigan and Steve Serwon lead the Indians onto the field.

Kevin Johnston sweeps left for second Amesbury score.

Jared Flannigan strolls in for Indians 4th touchdown on a bootleg in the second quarter which made the score 28-7.

Martha’s Vineyard intercepts a Flannigan pass in the end zone in the third period.

Jared Flannigan waits on the sidelines as the game winds down.

Kyle Mroz and Steve Serwon all smiles as game nears end.

Amesbury captains wait to receive Division 3A Super Bowl trophy.

AHS head coach Thom Connors rides on the team’s shoulders.

Coach Thom Connors with the Super Bowl trophy.

Amesbury football group picture for Division 3A Super Bowl.

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