Digging on the desk last night, we culled these gems while piecing together this week’s Extra Points (See Wednesday’s editions of The Eagle-Tribune):
First, our quote of the night comes from Andover over-achiever Kevin Hitchko.
“Andover (football) hasn’t won a title in so long. I want to make history.”
Hitchko, by the way, came clean on the Andover program which lists him at 5-foot-8,155 pounds.
“How much do I weigh, it depends on who you ask. I’d say I’m around 145 honestly.”
We also came across some bad news where Pelham High’s two-way starter Jim Mostone noted he probably was done for the year with a separated left shoulder.
A dominant force and near .500 hitter for Matt Stone’s baseball Pythons, Mostone hopes to be back and ready to go this spring | not that he’s giving up on football.
“I haven’t missed a day of practice,” said Mostone. “I definitely want to be a part of this.”
In his absence, coach Tom Babaian has unfurled a couple of good youngsters. Both freshman Mike Lombard and sophomore Corey Peterson, who has stepped in for Mostone at middle linebacker for 4-0 Pelham, are two-way starters.
Made a stop to North Reading where monster two-way lineman Nick Chalmers continues to get the job done in the class room and on the field.
Chalmers, 6-foot-2, 320 pounds, shook off some early leg problems and has been a stalwart, going both ways for three straight seasons.
The National Honor Society member with a superb 1,900 combined on the SAT, isn’t sure where he’ll end up in college but wouldn’t mind getting the chance to try football in college.
There’s also a rich family tradition at Boston College, his mom’s alma mater, so Chalmers will keep his options open.
Another intriguing Hornet is speedster Darren Hartwell, a junior who is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
Hartwell, who caught 25 passes for 469 yards last year, has a chance to be one of the great Hornet three-sporters in history. He did admit that the program profile of 6-4, 160 pounds, stretches his 6-foot-2 frame a bit, but Hartwell went on to have a big JV year in hoops as a sophomore.
His future may lie in baseball, where baseball coach Frank Carey has already dubbed his center fielder of the present and future, “North Reading’s Jacoby Ellsbury.”
Of course, when Carey first used that line in the spring, Hartwell wondered what the heck the coach was talking about.
After seeing Ellsbury shine recently in the Red Sox lineup, the junior now understands.
“I’ve watched him on TV,” he said. “Now I know (it was a pretty good compliment.
A couple other notes on the local scene:
Andover coach Dave Fazio reported that one of his potential guards of the future, talented Tripp Doherty, has made the mid-school year transfer to St. John’s Prep.
It may be just out of the Eagle-Tribune region, but it looks like the Division 1s are ponying up some bigtime offers to Tewksbury righthander, Scott Oberg.
The All-MVC right-handed pitcher, who cranked it up into the mid-80s in a dominating junior year last spring, has Marist, UConn and Vermont high on his list.
