North Andover’s Jake Saalfrank considered the possibility two years ago.
Should he play football for Phillips Academy?
“In my junior year (at North Andover High), I got invited to take a look at Phillips,” remembered Saalfrank. “I loved the visit, the school and the campus, and the coaching staff was amazing. But I just couldn’t leave my friends and teammates at North Andover.”
With his Scarlet Knights career now wrapping up, the time has finally arrived.
Saalfrank, an Eagle-Tribune All-Star tight end/defensive end and North Andover High senior, will play football — as well as basketball and track — as a postgraduate for Phillips Academy in the fall.
“I’m really excited about attending Phillips this fall,” said Saalfrank. “It’s one of the best schools in the country, if not the best. It’s an honor to be able to go to school there and participate in their athletic programs. I do well academically at North Andover High, but I feel that PA will really prepare me for college. and of course, the athletics. I’m planning on continuing to play football, basketball and track. and hopefully Phillips will open some doors to college football that weren’t there before.”
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder becomes the latest Eagle-Tribune area football star to choose Phillips Academy for a postgrad year. Last year’s Big Blue roster included former Eagle-Tribune football All-Stars Lincoln Beal of Andover and Aidan Goss of Windham, as well as ex-Lawrence High standout Janiel Herrera.
In the fall, Saalfrank made 71 tackles, seven sacks and had 21 QB pressures and earned All-MVC Division 2 for the second straight year. He had 1.5 sacks in an upset over Tewksbury and a sack on Thanksgiving.
This past winter, the forward was a tri-captain on the North Andover boys basketball team that won the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic andnadvanced to the Division 1 quarterfinals with a 18-5 record. Last spring, he threw the shot put, 46-9.
“Congratulations Jake Saalfrank! Big things coming your way!” commented his longtime Scarlet Knights football and basketball teammate Zach Wolinski on “X,” the platform formally known as Twitter.
Saalfrank, in fact, has been connected to Phillips for years.
“My older brother Kam played football there and graduated in 2021,” he said. “He absolutely loved it. He had such great experiences there that will last a lifetime. He absolutely raves about all the coaches at PA, like head (football) coach (Trey) Brown. Kam’s friends, the faculty, the campus and everything about PA made a huge impact in his life, and I hope it will do the same for me. I also got to meet the current PG football players and they couldn’t say enough nice things about the staff and their experiences there.”
Saalfrank had received college football offers from Division 1 FCS Bryant University, along with the likes of Stonehill and Union College.
But, ultimately, he chose a year playing for Phillips — which is a quick 10-minute drive from his North Andover home.
“I didn’t really consider doing a PG year anywhere else,” he said. “I never really had the interest in a PG year until I visited PA this time. I was pretty close to accepting one of a few offers from colleges. But for different reasons, either the school fit just wasn’t right academically, athletically, or even location, I felt Phillips was the right choice for me at this time. and again, I hope it helps me this time next year as I make my decision for college. My ultimate goal is to play football at the college level.”
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