If EJ Perry and the Andover High football program were going to do something to honor their fallen heroes, the coach wanted to make sure they did it right.
“We wanted the award to matter. So, we made the conscious decision to name our most prestigious award after them,” said Perry.
When the Merrimack Valley Conference champs and MIAA Division 1 state semifinalists meet for their annual postseason banquet later this week, a special guest will announce the first-ever Steven C. Redgate and Richard Bourdelais Captains Cup for Distinguished Leadership.
“These two men were examples to all football players in Andover for the ages,” said coach Perry. Stephen was a three-year starter at Andover and went on to star at running back at Trinity. Richard was a three-year starter at Andover and went on to play linebacker at the University of Rochester.
“They both went on to be moguls in the business world.”
Both captains from the 1987 team were great family men who passed away too soon – Stephen at 37 in 2006 and Richard at 45 in 2014.
Former Golden Warrior great and current Rutgers University offensive coordinator John Perry will present the award.
At the time of Bourdelais’ passing in 2014, John Perry noted, “I lost my two best friends from Andover way too soon,” so obviously the event will be special.
He will be in to present the award and speak about the two Andover greats who went on to be special individuals in life.
“Today’s student-athletes need to understand that they are role models and that the most important skill that they can take with them from football is leadership,” said EJ Perry, who noted that the award will come with a $1,000 scholarship.
“These two men were role models in their high school days, their college days and then in their adult lives.”
Classy move by Rangers
Tragedy rocked the Methuen High football program this fall when ex-Ranger lineman Mike Rickard (Class of 2022) passed away in an auto accident near his home last month.
Almost immediately, coach Tom Ryan knew that something substantial had to be done.
“At our banquet Tuesday night, we announced our first Mike Rickard Memorial Most Outstanding Lineman Award winner,” said Rangers’ coach Tom Ryan.
“Big Mike was a big part of our program. I spoke to his mom at the wake and talked to a couple people. We wanted to be sure his family was receptive of the idea, and that’s why we did it.”
Rickard’s parents attended the banquet and helped present the award to the first winner, junior captain Aidan Marino.
Food for Thought
Methuen’s Thanksgiving Day game and in a broader sense the presence of Dracut High football in the Merrimack Valley Conference will certainly be points to watch in the near future.
After showing up with 19 players to the 2022 version of the game in Dracut, the Middies’ co-op with Innovation Charter brought 17 players to Ranger Road on Wednesday night.
Last fall, Methuen ran five offensive plays and led 21-0. This year, the Rangers hadn’t taken an offensive snap and owned a 14-0 lead.
Methuen and Haverhill were the only MVC opponents Dracut played this fall, and both games went to running time in the second half.
Ryan talks Drew
Ranger coach Tom Ryan had plenty of good things to say about his graduating QB Drew Eason and the impact he has had on the program.
“The playbook has been expanded about as far as it can go. When you have a kid like that, there are so many things that you can do … But, yeah, our playbook is about as big as you can get with a guy like him,” said Ryan. “His work ethic is second to none. His game preparation is second to none. Last spring when we were running our lifting program, he came to me and said because he was playing volleyball and he needs to lift weights, but it’s hot after school and practice. So, he pretty much forced me to create a morning program. We came in two or three times a week in the morning and he brought in like 20 kids with him … So, he leaves a legacy of his work ethic.”
And an unrivaled legacy of winning to go with it.
“We can legitimately talk about things like championships now. Seven, eight, nine years ago, that would be something we could say in the spring, but it wasn’t really realistic,” said Ryan. “But the last three years, we’ve had one of the best teams in Massachusetts, and the expectation now is that we’re going to continue to do that. and the expectation next year, is we’re going to be pretty good, too.
“He has this, and I don’t want to call it a cocky attitude, but he has this swagger about him that he knows he’s going to be successful. He’s not afraid to fail, and that’s one of the great things about him. He’s willing to take chances and go above and beyond even if the results aren’t going to be good.”