Top active football coaches
With so much turnover during the offseason, we have seen a major shake-up in the winningest active football coaches in the Eagle-Tribune area.
Two of the top-5 from last year’s rankings are no longer active as head coaches — Pentucket legend Steve Hayden (No. 2, 251-201-2 record over 42 years) and Andover Hall of Famer E.J. Perry III (No. 5, 101-65 record over 14 years).
Once again topping the list, of course, is Pinkerton Academy icon Brian O’Reilly, who owns a 357-131 record over 47 years. He also became New Hampshire’s all-time wins leader last fall, as the Astros rolled to O’Reilly’s 12th state title.
Moving up to No. 2 on the list is Whittier’s Kevin Bradley (24 years, 157-108-2 record). At No. 3 is Greater Lawrence Tech’s Tony Sarkis (20 years, 123-92 record).
The first new entry to the list is Timberlane’s Kevin Fitzgerald. “Coach Fitz” has a 75-91 record over 18 seasons, including the 2021 Division II state title. Rounding out the top-5 is another newcomer, Haverhill’s Rob Pike, who owns a 64-46 record over 11 seasons with Salem High (2013-19), Lowell High (2020-21) and the Hillies (2023-24).
Methuen’s Tom Ryan (12 seasons, 81-48 record) would be on the list, but he stepped down after the 2024 season to become Rangers’ athletic director. North Andover’s John Dubzinski (59-47 record over 10 years) would have been just outside the top-5, had he also not stepped down after last season.
N.H. championship site set
The NHIAA has announced the sites of its 2025 football state championship games. The Division I state championship game will be held on Nov. 29 at the newly-renovated Stellos Stadium in Nashua, while the Division II title game will be on Nov. 22 at Pinkerton Academy.
Both Pinkerton and Salem are expected to be state title favorites in Division I, and Pelham has gone to five straight title games in Division II.
Stellos Stadium re-opens after a complete overhaul when the surface was deemed unplayable last fall. Early reports out of Nashua are that the renovation was amazing and that the new place looks great.
Captains Corner
The high school sports fall preseason is officially underway, and we at The Eagle-Tribune want to honor the area’s high school captains as part of our Captains Corner series. Coaches — or parents or the athletes themselves — who would like their captains featured are welcome to submit a photo to dwillis@eagletribune.com. Photos should have all captains featured and ideally in uniform.
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