It was another memorable season at Eugene V. Lovely Field, Dunn Gym, Peter Aumais Park and facilities in and around Andover for those that donned the Blue and Gold of the Golden Warriors.
But in 2008, athletes from Andover made their mark from the court at the TD Banknorth Garden, to The Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota.
Once again, anyone who follows Andover sports in 2008 has to feel blessed.
Everyone is entitled to their favorite memories for the year. That's the fun part about sports; here are my favorite memories from 2008.
8. Ready for prime time
After a breakout junior campaign, John Farrell has earned a reputation as one of the most feared pitchers in the state. And, for one day, he was simply unhittable.
Using his blistering fastball and hard curveball, the righty struck out a stunning 15 batters over seven innings as the Golden Warriors downed Beverly 11-3 on June 1 in the Division 1 North first round. Farrell finished the high school season with 71 strikeouts.
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One home run is memorable, and three in a career is stellar. But Andover softball infielder Tricia Martin hit a whopping three homers in one game. In a 11-9 victory over Chelmsford on April 17, the senior went 5 for 5 with the three round-trippers and seven RBIs. The final homer was a three-run walkoff blast. Coach Stephanie Ragucci said it was likely the first time a Golden Warrior had hit three homers in a game.
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With 33 goals through her first two high school hockey seasons, and six through three games this season, Sarah Oteri has become known for her ability to find the back of the net. But none were more memorable than on Feb. 25.
With the game tied in the final moment of regulation, Oteri hauled in a rebound and fired it home with 15 seconds left on the clock to give No. 11-seeded Andover a 4-3 tournament upset of No. 4 Needham.
"It was unbelievable," coach Bill McCarthy said.
7. Coaching congrats
Now in his 20th year as head coach, Dave Fazio has become synonymous with Andover boys basketball, and his consistent excellence was rewarded last season. On Feb. 12, with a 56-53 win over rival Lawrence, Fazio recorded his 300th career coaching victory.
Fazio, whose son D.J. is one of his starters and daughter Ally is a freshman starting on the Andover girls basketball team, now sports a 304-133 career record.
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One coach who's been around longer than Fazio is boys tennis coach Mike Wartman. On May 5 of this season, the head coach of 23 years notched his 400th career victory when his Golden Warriors bested Haverhill. Wartman also just closed out his seventh year as Andover's head boys soccer coach.
6. Record-breakers
Penn State is known for its linebackers, USC produces quarterbacks, and Andover develops relay teams.
This spring, the team of Melissa Knapp, Kayley Pettoruto, Vanessa Singleton and Colleen Shannon capped off a stellar year by placing 11th at Nike Outdoor Nationals, shattering The Eagle-Tribune-area record with a 3:54.05. Knapp added a fifth in the 200 at Nationals.
That followed a winter in which Singleton, Pettoruto, Shannon and Laura Cody won the Division 1 title in the 4x400, leading the Golden Warriors to a victory as a team. All of the members excelled on their own as well.
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On the boys side, Chris McConnell continued to emerge as a star. In the winter he won the 55-meter at All-States. Then in the spring, he finished second at All-States in the 100 by an inch and was third in the "Emerging Elite" division at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
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For three years, Heather Sullivan was a goalie — on the JV team for Andover field hockey. But this season, coach Maureen Noone decided to move her to the field, and history was made.
The senior finished the year with a whopping 29 goals, believed to be the Golden Warriors' single-season school record. The previous best was 26. She assisted on the goal by Abby Cook that sent Andover to the Division 1 North final for the first time in at least 20 years with a win over North Andover. And field hockey isn't even Sullivan's best sport. She scored 53 goals in her junior year of lacrosse.
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On the ice, it was a record-setting year for a pair of Warriors. Forward John Hyslip had big shoes to fill as the only starting forward back from the team that went to the Division 2 state championship in 2007. But by the time the season ended, his numbers ranked among the best in program history. Hyslip recorded his 100th career point against Wakefield, and finished his career with 113. According to head coach Mario Martiniello, that placed him second in program history, behind only Chris Cullen's 170 points (97 goals, 73 assists) from 1992 to 1996.
After seeing little varsity playing time in his first three seasons, Nick Drew earned the starting goalie job as a senior. And all Drew did was go 12-4-4 with a 1.40 goals-against average and win Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 Player of the Year honors.
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Anyone that is surprised Meghan Thomann is off and running as a freshman at Bentley never saw her during her prolific career for the Golden Warriors. A four-year standout for the basketball team, Thomann finished her career with 1,177 points, placing her third all-time in program history behind sisters Charlotte Muller (1,616) and Jenny Muller (1,498).
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Andover native wide receiver Nick Caro made ESPN last year, but this year he made history. The junior wideout set a Williams College school record for receiving yards in a game with 218 on seven catches in a win over Middleton. Caro finished the year with 32 catches for 556 yards, and will be a captain next year.
5. Fabulous finishes
For two months during his freshman year at Andover, Eric Hooker could not walk after a serious concussion in hockey. Following the experience, golf became his focus, and he delivered a memorable senior season this year.
After going undefeated in the regular season and winning the Merrimack Valley Conference meet, the senior became just the third Andover High golfer in the last 20 years to win the Division 1 North sectional outright.
Hooker shared Eastern Mass. Division 1 Player of the Year honors with teammate Sean Burke. Also a senior and two-time All-Scholastic, Burke finished 12-1-2.
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Andover football experienced an up-and-down season, going 4-7. But after winning on Thanksgiving Day, receiver Sean Ehlbeck remarked, "This makes up for everything."
Ehlbeck opened the scoring with an 80-yard touchdown off a deflection as Andover shocked archrival Central Catholic. QB John Hennessy threw for 255 yards and four scores. His favorite target, track star Chris McConnell, caught five passes for 120 yards and two scores.
Hennessy finished the year with 20 touchdown passes, trying the single-season record set by Mike Pierce a season ago.
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Northwestern defensive back and former Andover High standout Brendan Smith was the talk of college football after his interception return for a touchdown gave the Wildcats a 24-17 upset victory over then 20th-ranked Minnesota.
4. The colleges try
What more is there to say about swimmer Nick D'Innocenzo? Plenty. Last high school season he continued to rewrite the Massachusetts record books. He then became one of 16 swimmers to earn a place in the semifinals of the 200-meter individual medley at the Olympic Trials. More recently he placed fifth in the 200 IM at the US Short Course Nationals, won by three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte.
That national dominance earned D'Innocenzo a full scholarship to elite Texas, which is the No. 1-ranked team in college swimming.
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Plenty of other Andover High athletes will continue their careers in college. Joining D'Innocenzo on signing day at Andover High were a trio of lacrosse players: Heather Sullivan signed with Stonehill College, Cat Gross signed with University of Connecticut and Josh Torres will play for Providence College. Cate Hannum (Michigan State) and Jenn Johnson (Alabama) signed for crew.
Soccer standout Jess Morrow will play at Boston University, two-time Division 1 state champion Katie O'Connell will dive for Penn State and St. John's Prep standout Mike Yastrzemski of Andover will play baseball for powerhouse Vanderbilt.
3. Give him a Hanigan ... again
Ryan Hanigan was heading back to his hotel on the night of Aug. 9, 2008, when his phone rang. It was his manager at Triple-A Louisville, Rick Sweet, to tell the 28-year-old he was heading back to the majors.
Less that 24 hours later, the former Andover High star was in the starting lineup for the Cincinnati Reds, and hit his first career major league home run.
It was not Hanigan's first trip to The Show — he had spent some time with the Reds in 2007. But this time around, he was not just a September call-up.
Hanigan, whose family still lives in Andover, emerged as Cincinnati's starting catcher. In 31 games he hit .271 with two doubles and nine RBIs and 10 walks. He expects to compete for the Reds' starting job in training camp next season.
"Ryan just knocked down the door," said his father, Michael Hanigan.
2. Garden party, and more
The road was far from easy for the Andover girls basketball team.
In the Division 1 North semifinals the Golden Warriors exorcised their demons, downing Lowell, who had eliminated them in the semifinals the previous two years. In the North finals they beat archrival Central Catholic, with Boston College-bound center Katie Zenevitch, for the third time in the season.
Andover then rolled past New Bedford in the state semifinals on the TD Banknorth Garden court that would host the NBA finals a few months later to advance to their first Division 1 state final since the 2003-04 season.
The run may have ended in a loss in the title game — to Northampton at the DCU Center in Worcester — but that didn't make it any less memorable, as they battled to the final moment.
Led by the core three of All-Scholastics Meghan Thomann and Laura Renfro and Eagle-Tribune All-Star Lauren Hughes, along with the likes of Camille Fantini, Natalie Gomez-Martinez, supersub Ilana Cohen and Kelly Driscoll, it was a special, special run.
1. Doing it for dad
No one would have blamed Christina Muccio if she had sat out the Eastern Mass. Division 1 Championships. After all, the meet took place the same day as the wake for her father, Fran, who had passed away following a 10-year battle with ALS. But Muccio not only ran, she excelled.
In honor of her father, who was an emotional rock for her, the senior placed second in the 100 in 12.53 before heading to the wake.
"He wouldn't want me to feel guilty," Muccio said after the meet. "My career has been for him so it's kind of like this is my place to be, to run the 100."
It was quite a career for Muccio. Last winter she earned Eastern Mass. Runner of the Year after winning the All-State title in the 55-meter dash (7.33) and leading the Golden Warriors to an All-State crown. In the spring she anchored the 4x200 relay team that set the All-State record, capping off a record-setting four-year career.
It was the most poignant and memorable moment in another special year in Andover sports.
