MIAA Power Rankings
The MIAA released its latest round of Power Rankings on Tuesday.
Elkin Pena and Central Catholic boys basketball stand at No. 2 in Division 1, while Andover jumped to No. 5, Lawrence is No. 24, Methuen is No. 29 and Haverhill holds the final postseason spot at No. 32. Greater Lawrence is No. 13 in Division 3, and Notre Dame Cristo Rey is one spot out at No. 33 in Division 5.
Two girls hockey teams are ranked in the Top-5 in Division 1, with Lyla Chapman and unbeaten Methuen/Tewksbury at No. 4 and one-loss HPNA at No. 5.
In girls basketball, Andover is No. 7 and Central Catholic is No. 27 in Division 1. Whittier’s No. 28 in Division 3 and Greater Lawrence is No. 27 in Division 4.
Methuen boys hockey is No. 11 in Division 2, Central Catholic is No. 22 in Division 1 and Haverhill is No. 28 in Division 3.
MVC coaching carousel
With John Sexton stepping down as Central Catholic football coach, it again put into perspective how much coaching turnover our six Merrimack Valley Conference football teams have experienced.
The longest tenured MVC head man in our region is Rob Pike at three seasons leading Haverhill. Lawrence’s Emilio Colon is next at two seasons, while Andover’s Jay Fielding, Methuen’s Ryan Dugan and North Andover’s Matt Cerullo were each hired as head coaches in 2025.
All five, though, have long ties to the local gridiron scene, both as players — Colon and Cerullo at Lawrence, Fielding at Central Catholic, Pike at Haverhill and Dugan at Methuen — and as coaches.
From Valley to NFL
Two players from our region have caught passes during the current NFL Playoffs. Former Eagle-Tribune Player of the Year and Brooks/Pentucket star Pat Freiermuth caught an 18-yard pass for the Steelers in the Wild Card round against Houston, while former North Andover resident Jake Bobo had a crucial 16-yard grab to set up a touchdown in Seattle’s Divisional Round win over San Francisco.
Betcha didn’t know
Three-time NFL All-Pro receiver and current LA Ram Davante Adams was the No. 2 receiver on his high school team as a junior. Longtime MLB outfielder Joc Pederson led Palo Alto (Calif) High in receiving (650 yards, 9 TDs) that fall, besting Adams (484 yards, 7 TDs receiving).
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