Andover rower aids US championship
Victoria Brophey of Pepperell was a member of the US Junior Women's National Development Team that won a gold medal in the recent US Rowing National Championships in Indianapolis. Brophey, who enters her junior year at Phillips Academy in Andover next month, rowed on the Girls' Junior B (16 and under) eights. At Andover, Brophey, 16, rowed on the varsity eight, which won the Lowell Invitational meet on the Merrimack. Andover finished the season at 22-2 and won a silver medal at the New England Interscholastic Racing Association Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester. Following the season, Brophey was one of 21 rowers nationwide invited to the four-week US Rowing training program at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. That program culminated in the US National Championships.
Devils open season Oct. 7 vs. Albany
The Lowell Devils open their 2006-07 season Oct. 7 against the Albany River Rats at Tsongas Arena. The Devils, formerly the Lock Monsters, are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL New Jersey Devils. The schedule features 80 games, 40 of which will be played at Tsongas. Thirty-one of the 40 home games will be played on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The bulk of the games, 58 in all, are against teams in the Atlantic Division, and the remaining 22 are against East Division clubs. Manchester, Providence, and Worcester visit Tsongas five times each. Following the opener Oct. 7, the Devils are off a week before hosting a weekend set against Hartford Oct. 14 and Worcester Oct. 15. Before the AHL opener, the Devils will host the NHL Boston Bruins in a preseason game Sept. 17.
7 from area feature in NU's grid plans
Here's a sure sign that summer is dwindling down: The Northeastern University football media guide arrived in the mailbag last week. Seven NorthWest area athletes are on the roster. They include 6-foot-7, 345-pound senior offensive tackle Tim Avery of Westford, senior defensive end Paul Preston (6-3, 265) of Arlington, junior linebacker John Swenson (6-1, 210) of Chelmsford, junior safety Barry Jeanson (5-10, 200) of Acton, sophomore defensive end Wil Colon (6-2, 275) of Lowell, sophomore offensive lineman Josh Belko (6-2, 290) of North Andover, and redshirt freshman defensive end Chris Byrne (6-2, 255) of Tewksbury. Avery is the Huskies' biggest player and hopes to rebound after a foot injury and subsequent surgery that limited his action to four games last season. Jeanson was moved from running back to safety last season and did a credible job with 27 tackles, 22 of them unassisted, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Northeastern has one of the toughest schedules in the Atlantic-10. It opens its season Sept. 2 at Virginia Tech and then plays at Holy Cross, at North Dakota State, at James Madison, and at Richmond, before making its home debut Oct. 7 against Delaware.
Here and there
NorthWest area junior golfers were head and shoulders above the competition in recent New England PGA tournaments. On the Junior Tour stop at Andover Country Club, Garnett Arnold of Concord fired a 2-over-par 74 to win by two strokes over Peter Hemme of North Reading, Michael Kasper of North Andover, and Wyatt Sparks of Rhode Island. On the NEPGA Titleist Tour at Billerica CC, area juniors swept every division. Winners in the 9-hole competition included Rick Giovino of Medford (1-over par 35) in the boys 16-17; Steven McLean (36) of Burlington in the boys 14-15; Dan Murphy (36) of Dracut in the boys 12-13; Jeffrey Lang (34) of Lexington in the boys 11 and under; Kelly Sullivan (41) of Bedford in the girls 14-17; and Marissa Tansino (52) of Billerica in the girls 13. . . .
Central Catholic has lost its top boys basketball assistant coach. Leaving after four years is Roberto German, who has accepted a position as director of multicultural affairs and community outreach at St. John's Prep. German had been a top candidate to replace retired coach Dick Licare, but the position went to Rick Nault. . . . The Bay State Brats went 9-3 to finish fifth in the recent National Softball Association World Series in Columbus, Ohio. Among members of the team were pitchers Hannah Everson of Methuen and Chelsea Durso of Salem, N.H., and fielders Casey Stoodley and Brenna Morrissey. Morrissey was the Brats top batter, with 15 hits in 33 at bats. . . .
The eighth annual David L. DeBenedetto Memorial Softball Tournament in Lawrence is Aug. 26-27. Deadline for entering the double-elimination tournament is Aug. 21. Call Bob DeBenedetto at 978-975-3494 for more details. . . . Steve Plouffe of Methuen was the winner of the Yankee Homecoming 5K in Newburyport. Plouffe, who enters his senior year at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell next month, was clocked in 16 minutes, 12 seconds. . . . New Hampshire beat Vermont, 24-7, in the 53d annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl played in Plymouth, N.H. Salem's Pat Halligan rushed for 58 yards on eight carries. Pinkerton Academy's John Sughrue, who rushed for 1,458 his senior season and is headed to Curry College, was utilized as a blocking back on offense and as a linebacker on defense. He was credited with four tackles and with opening up some huge holes for Souhegan running back Sean Jellison, who rushed for a game-high 128 yards. The win gave New Hampshire a 38-13-2 edge in the series. . . .
The fifth annual Winchester Recreation and Community Education Golf Tournament will be staged Sept. 25 at Hillview CC in North Reading. It's a scramble format, and proceeds benefit the Recreation and Community Education program, which annually awards more than $5,000 in scholarships. Call 781-721-7125 for more information.
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