D1 offers for Saalfrank
North Andover’s Eagle-Tribune All-Star defensive end/tight end Jake Saalfrank picked up a pair of Division 1 FCS college football offers this week, from Stonehill College and Bryant University, he announced. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is currently excelling for the Scarlet Knights basketball team.
Haverhill hires Harris
Jeff Harris has been named Haverhill High’s new boys varsity volleyball head coach, the school has announced.
Harris has been an assistant coach with both the boys and girl programs for the past six years. The boys team went 14-5 in 2023 and advanced to the second round of the MIAA Tournament. The girls have won three straight MVC championships.
A Haverhill High graduate, Harris played volleyball for the Hillies and went on to play club volleyball at Providence College. He’s served as a teacher at Whittier Middle School in Haverhill since 2012.
Georges gives back
The Methuen High girls basketball team noted on “X,” the platform formally known as Twitter, this week that NBA veteran and Methuen native Georges Niang — currently of the Cleveland Cavaliers — paid for their varsity jumpsuits for the 2023-24 season.
Greater Lawrence Umpiring Classes
The Greater Lawrence Baseball Umpires Association and the Merrimack Valley Baseball Association are once again offering training for anyone interested in becoming a MBUA “patched” Baseball Umpire. Successful completion of this course and associated training qualifies an umpire to work amateur baseball games from Little League up to men’s baseball leagues as well as membership in the GLBUA, MVUA and MBUA (for umpires over the age of 18).
This course is open to all candidates over the age of 14. Umpires over the age of 18 are also eligible to work in high school baseball in Massachusetts.
Classes starts Jan. 29, with an exam on March 4. All Classes will be in person. To register, please contact Scott Young (coach.scott.young@gmail.com) or register on GLBUA.org.
Captains Corner
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.
One Final Thought
As Michael Muldoon used to say, “If you can bring a smile to someone’s face today, just do it!
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