Clippers help donate 800 Christmas trees for charity
The hours dedicated to the weight room this season hasn’t just helped the Newburyport football team on James T. Stehlin Field. This past weekend, the Clippers used that strength to help unload over 800 Christmas trees that will be given to charity.
Captains Jack Miller, Paul Suozzo and TJ Skiba will now lead Newburyport (4-6) into the program’s 102nd annual Thanksgiving Day game against archrival Amesbury (11-0) on Thursday morning with a 10 a.m. kickoff.
A shout out to Pentucket’s Grace Sudbay
A tip of the cap to Pentucket soccer standout Grace Sudbay, who was named the school’s Female Athlete of the Month for October. The senior captain scored a team-high 8 goals with 11 assists to lead the Panthers (7-10-2) to the Division 3 playoffs, and will likely leave a two-time Daily News All-Star and three-time Second Team CAL All-Star.
But the main reason for this mention is that Sudbay is committed to Hobart & William Smith College, which I don’t believe had been reported by us yet.
Zahornasky starring everywhere
At the start of the fall season, former Triton volleyball standout Laura Zahornasky made the team at the University of New England as a first-year walk-on. The former Daily News All-Star didn’t record any stats this year, but still helped the Nor’easters (12-13) have a solid season and make the Conference of New England (CNE) tournament.
And recently, she also picked up a big off-the-court honor.
For her charitable work, Zahornasky was named to the 11-person CNE Women’s Volleyball Community Service Team.
Justin Dube and the Amesbury ‘Air Raid’
There’s probably been a couple of Saturday morning’s this year where Justin Dube has had to ice his right shoulder.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little sarcastic.
You’re never going to put up impressive throwing numbers as the Amesbury QB, but Dube is having one of the best statistical seasons the program has seen over the past decade (and maybe ever). Yes, he’ll have the “benefit” of playing the maximum of 13 games, something the Redhawks (11-0) earned by making the Division 7 Super Bowl next week at Gillette Stadium.
But still with two games left, Dube has thrown for 652 yards this season. That is the most since Troy Hamel piled up 677 yards during the 2019 season, which is a mark that Dube will almost certainly pass. Then you would have to go back to when Blake Bennett threw for 809 yards in 2017, and three years earlier when Jared Dupere tossed for 840 yards in 2014.
Could Dube pass Dupere’s lofty number and cement Amesbury’s “Air Raid?”
Captains Corner
Even though the high school fall sports season is winding down over the next two weeks, The Newburyport News is still accepting admissions for our Captains Corner series. Coaches — or parents or the athletes themselves — who would like their captains featured are welcome to submit a photo to kgaudette@newburyportnews.com. Photos should have all captains featured and ideally in uniform.