Before all the accolades and Division 1 college interest, Lincoln Beal admits there were plenty of nerves two years ago, when the then-freshman found himself as one of the top running backs for the Andover High varsity team.

ANDOVER — It was obvious to anybody watching Andover High football play last year that then-sophomores quarterback Scotty Brown and running back Lincoln Beal were on the verge of becoming very special.

Andover football is finally back where it belongs.

Before we fully turn the page to the fall season, lets take one final look back at some of the biggest stars from the spring season. Here are some of the top standouts, listed by the class they were in prior to 2021 graduation:

The start of the fall regular season is very nearly upon us. Andover High’s sports teams are hard at work preparing to start playing games for real next week.

While the end of the summer is always bittersweet, there is one major silver lining.

Adam Molda has built a tennis mecca.

Andover’s Olivia Foster knew she was close to flying higher than she ever had as a pole vaulter.

Incoming Andover High freshman Connor Acheson admits that he and older brother Tyler, who will be a senior in the fall, are quite competitive with each other.

If Andover’s John Rex has reached the end of his career throwing the hammer in track and field, he certainly knows how to go out in style.

In his final start in an Andover uniform before heading to college, Andover Legion ace Ryan Grecco delivered bigtime.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a series spotlighting the unsung heroes of Andover High sports from the 2020-21 school year

Former Andover High football stars Cedric Gillette, Joe Rockwell and E.J. Perry IV were the winning team at the annual Ernie Perry-Fran Reilly memorial 3-on-3 basketball tourney.

When it comes to experience and all-around play, few can match Andover senior Jyles Amirault.

Andover’s Shane Lachance saw the news first on television. Then, moments later, the phone call arrived to make the dream a reality.

 EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series spotlighting the unsung heroes of Andover High sports from the 2020-21 school year

Summer Baseball 

Sara Moeller of Andover, who recently completed her junior year at Brooks, may be the best softball pitcher in the area that no one knows about.

The Olympic dream is about to become a reality for Andover’s Lindi Schroeder.

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While athletics returned to the fields, courts, arenas and other venues of Andover High — in some form — in the fall, sports truly returned for the Golden Warriors in a more traditional, dramatic form in the season that just concluded.

Here are some of the best photos from the 2021 Andover High spring sports season. 

 No. 6 Andover struck for three runs in the top of the first inning, the rode a dominant performance by starter Andrew Smithson to defeat No. 3 Lynn English 3-0 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals last Wednesday.

Softball

Boys Track

Andover resident Caroline Fritz took her talents to the Brooks School in North Andover, and was a mainstay on the varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams. The Boston College-bound Fritz was chosen as a captain for both teams.

Girls Track

Andover resident Chelsea Cho has made a name for herself both in the classroom and on the squad court.

Andover High’s Isabel Zhou admits she was struck by a strange feeling earlier this spring, when she stepped onto the tennis court with the Golden Warriors for the first time in two years thanks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baseball

Softball

All-Scholastic Andover High star offensive and defensive lineman AJ Heidtke has also been a superstar in the classroom during his time with the Golden Warriors.

Girls Tennis

It was right out of a Hollywood script.

For Andover’s Nolan Schirmer, nothing compares to being at the center of the action.

After nearly two full years away, thanks to the coronavirus, Andover High’s spring sports teams have finally returned to action.

Wrestling

The idea of playing football had been lingering in Anthony Previte’s mind for years — about seven years to be exact.

Whitter Tech football star Colby Laursen-Rice is dreaming big on the football field.