Merrimack's Perry chalks up win No. 1

When Merrimack College football coach John Perry walked off the field last weekend after chalking up his first career win, a 42-7 victory over Husson, he ran into Bert Hammel, the college's longtime men's basketball coach.

The two high-fived and Perry said to Hammel, "Well, that's one for me and only 405 more before I catch up to you."

He was referring to Hammel's 406 career wins on the court. Simple math tells you Perry won't even come close to Hammel in the win column, but win No. 1 was very special in his book.

"Yeah, getting the first one is nice," said Perry, who succeeded Jim Murphy as head coach, "but you don't get to enjoy it too much because you start thinking about the second game almost as soon as the first one is over. Winning was satisfying because we felt we were well prepared. We played a good team and played well. There are better teams on the schedule and if we play the same way we will have a chance."

The second game was yesterday's non-conference matchup against former Northeast-10 rival Bryant, which has moved up to Division 1 this season.

Perry played his high school ball at Andover High before starring at the University of New Hampshire, where he caught passes in a record-setting 42 straight games. He served as an assistant at Northeastern, Hofstra, Georgetown, Dartmouth, New Hampshire, and Brown before finally getting a chance to call a team his own.

"There was more than one sleepless night leading up to the opener," Perry conceded. "It was a combination of excitement and nerves. I think, though, even as an assistant I was always nervous before every game. Even as a player. You want to be prepared and leave no stone unturned. The whole staff put in a lot of time to make sure we were."

As an assistant, his focus was primarily on one side of the ball.

"Now I have to make sure the overall program is prepared," said Perry. "The offense, the defense, special teams. . . . There are so many more details to be concerned about."

Perry said Murphy, who resigned after five seasons to spend more time with his growing family, was a huge help in the transition.

"We talk periodically, and he called to congratulate me on my first win," said Perry. "I told him I want him to be a part of this program, because he was the one who laid the foundation."

University of Arizona freshman Jack McGraw of Andover will be featured on Golf Channel's new series showcasing the lives of future golf stars. "School of Golf: Hilton Head Island" is an eight-part series that began earlier this month and follows the lives of golfers who live and learn at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) in Hilton Head, S.C. The 19-year-old McGraw was a high school senior when the series was filmed and will be featured on the fifth episode, Oct. 7 at 11 p.m. The series follows young men and women as they try to balance the demands of golf competition at the highest level with the normal stresses of teen life, including academics. . . . Londonderry (N.H.) has a new cross-country coach. He's Matt Smith, who ran for the Lancers eight years ago, before heading off to Hofstra. Smith succeeds Hall of Fame coach Larry Martin, who held the reins for 29 years and retired at the end of last season. During his tenure, Londonderry won three New England championships and was runner-up three times. . . . George Emerson, 71, of Lowell birdied the 17th and 18th holes to win the Tyngsboro Senior Cities Golf Tournament at Vesper Country Club with a 3-over par 75. Emerson represented Mt. Pleasant CC and topped a field of 122. Don Crowell of Hudson, N.H., and George Psionos of Tyngsborough tied for second with 78s. . . . Northeast-10 honors for University of Massachusetts at Lowell freshmen Lyra Clark of Nashua and Kaitlynn McHugh of Winchester. Clark was Athlete of the Week after placing second in the Trinity College Bantam Cross-Country Invitational and McHugh soccer Freshman of the Week after bagging a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie with Stonehill.

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